Series 2 - Lesson 1 - Annotation 17
What and where is the kingdom of heaven?
17. The kingdom of heaven is man's ever-expanding consciousness of the Kingdom of God within him. The kingdom of heaven does not depend on location in space but is a state of consciousness that may be attained in any place. Jesus said, "The kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matt. 3:2). This same reference is found also in Matt. 4:17 and Matt. 10:7. The kingdom of heaven is recognized first within the soul of each human being, but each one must seek the Kingdom of God and begin to build his own kingdom of heaven or harmony within before he can experience it in the outer world. We are told to "seek . . . first his kingdom" (Matt. 6:33) and our "seeking" is done through contemplation on divine ideas, through meditation, prayer, and the Silence.
To attain the kingdom of heaven, it is necessary to unfold one's understanding of the power of Truth to dispel all beliefs in the reality of sin, disease, poverty, and death. The kingdom of heaven is relative, individual Truth, a consciousness that is subject to the will of the individual depending on how much of the Kingdom of God the individual has awakened to. The kingdom of heaven is that realm within the soul where movement is taking place onward and upward, according to the highest ideals of the Kingdom of God of which the individual has become conscious. At any period in our life we may experience the kingdom of heaven, if we have so opened ourself to the Kingdom of God that God's blessings (ideas) are made manifest in mind, body, or affairs.
________________________
Preceding Entry: How shall we do the works that Jesus did?
Following Entry: How does man enlarge his concept of God?
