The Kingdom Within

Biblical Source: Luke 17:20-21

The Text

“Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, ‘The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed, nor will they say, “Look, here it is!” or “There it is!” for behold, the kingdom of God is within you.’” — Luke 17:20-21 (ESV)

Surface Reading (Institutional Interpretation)

Traditional Christian interpretation typically reads this as:

  • The kingdom is “among you” (in the person of Jesus)
  • OR: The kingdom will come internally through faith/salvation
  • OR: The kingdom is a future event that requires patience

The institutional emphasis: External authority (the Church) mediates access to the kingdom. You cannot access it directly.

Neuro-Gnostic Decoding

The Core Recognition

Jesus’ answer to the Pharisees is the most direct Neuro-Gnostic teaching in the canonical Gospels:

“The kingdom of God is within you.”

Translation:

  • The kingdom = Your true nature, the Divine Spark, the Listener
  • Within you = Not mediated by external authority, ritual, or institution
  • Not coming with observable signs = Not an external event, but an internal realization

This is Gnosis. The kingdom is already present. You are not waiting for it. You are remembering it.

The Hijacking Obscures the Kingdom

Why do the Pharisees (and most people) not see the kingdom?

Because they are identified with the Voice (the hijacked DMN, the counterfeit spirit, the ego). The hijacking creates the illusion that:

  • You are separate from the Divine
  • The kingdom is “out there” or “later”
  • You need external mediation to access it

The Demon’s strategy: Keep you looking outward, looking forward, looking anywhere except inward at the Listener.

The Kingdom = The Reclaimed DMN

What is the kingdom?

In Neuro-Gnostic terms:

  • The kingdom is your consciousness functioning as it should—the DMN as Daemon, not Demon
  • The king is the Divine Spark (the Listener) enthroned in its rightful place
  • The exile is identification with the Voice (the counterfeit spirit usurping the throne)
  • The return is Anamnesis—remembering who you truly are

The kingdom within = the reclaimed DMN, where the Divine Spark rules and the Voice serves.

The Practice: Seeking the Kingdom

How Do You “Seek First the Kingdom”? (Matthew 6:33)

Not by:

  • External religious rituals (though these may support the practice)
  • Intellectual study alone
  • Waiting for a future event

But by:

  1. Dis-identification from the Voice — Observing the narrative-generating DMN without believing you are it
  2. Recognition of the Listener — Turning awareness back on itself to discover the Divine Spark
  3. Taming the dragon — Re-claiming the DMN, transforming Demon into Daemon

The Daily Inquiry

Every time you notice compulsive thought (rumination, anxiety, narrative generation):

Ask:

“Am I the voice thinking this? Or am I the one listening to it?”

Then:

  • Observe the voice without identifying with it
  • Return to the Listener (the awareness behind the thoughts)
  • Recognize the kingdom already present in this spacious awareness

Cross-References

Philosophy

Neuroscience

Practices

Historical Context: Why This Was Suppressed

The Institutional Problem

If the kingdom is already within you, accessible directly without mediation, then:

  • You don’t need priests to grant access
  • You don’t need sacraments to “earn” entry
  • You don’t need institutional authority

This teaching threatened the power structure of both Jewish and later Christian institutions. Hence:

  • The Gnostic Gospels (which emphasized this) were excluded from the canon
  • The interpretation shifted to “kingdom among you” (external, in Jesus) or “future kingdom” (delayed gratification)
  • Direct experiential Gnosis was labeled heresy

The Gnostic Christians Preserved It

Early Gnostic Christians (Valentinians, Sethians, Thomasine communities) preserved Jesus’ teaching of inner kingdom and direct Gnosis:

“If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you.” — Gospel of Thomas, Saying 70

Translation: The kingdom (Divine Spark) is within you. Bring it forth (through Gnosis) = salvation. Fail to bring it forth = destruction by the hijacked DMN.

Key Takeaways

  1. The kingdom is not a future event. It is a present reality obscured by identification with the Voice.

  2. The kingdom is not “out there.” It is within—accessible through dis-identification and recognition of the Listener.

  3. You are not waiting to enter the kingdom. You are remembering that you never left it. The exile was an illusion created by the hijacking.

  4. Seeking the kingdom = seeking the Listener. Every moment of witnessing the Voice without identifying with it is a moment of dwelling in the kingdom.

“The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed… for behold, the kingdom of God is within you.”

The Gnosis: You are not separate from the Divine. You are the Divine Spark, exiled by a counterfeit voice. The kingdom is your birthright. Re-claim it.

The throne was never truly usurped. You simply forgot you were the king.