When the Pharisees asked Jesus when the kingdom of God would come (Luke 17:20), He said that it was already among them (because He was the King - Luke 17:20-21).  But speaking to His disciples, He said that they would not see it - because its fullness will only be seen when the King returns in glory (Mark 8:38). Many people were hoping that their Messiah would come in power, and some tried to make money and a reputation by trying to forecast the future out of trivial events - but Jesus said that such predictions would be fake: they did not have His approval.

Jesus said that when His kingdom arrived in all its glory everybody will know.  It will not just be a private thing for believers but a public demonstration of the power and splendour of God (Daniel 7:13-14).  But before that can happen, Jesus the King would be rejected and suffer at the hands of the people who heard Him preach, saw His miracles and were envious of His wisdom and power (Matthew 27:18; Luke 9:22).

In saying this, Jesus was laying down the principle that the cross always comes before the crown.  The disciples needed to understand that because they too would suffer and die before the Second Coming (John 15:18-21), but it was essential that they could hold onto the promise of glory and reigning with Him for all eternity (2 Timothy 2:12).  When He does come, nobody will be able to ignore the cosmic drama of God’s King arriving in splendour (Matthew 24:27-31).  It will be a wonderful day for God’s people (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18), and a terrible day for all who have rejected Him (Revelation 1:7).

God does not speak in cryptic codes or in strange mysteries: He is a God of revelation, who clearly communicates what He wants to say.  The Early Church was beset by heresies in which some people claimed that they had superior knowledge to Jesus and the Apostles; that they had a special holiness or spiritual powers.  The Apostles had to teach against such messages.  It is the same today; the church is still prone to heresies promising power and glory now.  The truth is, despite many evidences of God's loving grace, the fullness of God's power and glory will not be seen until the Second Coming.  In the meantime, we live by faith, even though painfully longing to be liberated from the corruption of the world, our own sinful flesh and the attacks of Satan (Romans 8:18-25).  But make no mistake: Christ will come again, and when He does everybody will know it - to their joy or their shame.  That is why we have a responsibility to tell the hell-bound world to stop and look to Jesus, to repent and allow Him to be their King now.