Those who know their Bible will be aware that when Jesus returns, he will establish his throne on earth and rule over the nations. As King David’s legitimate descendant, and therefore rightful heir to his throne, Jesus will establish his rule over David’s descendants, and over every nation worldwide.
When Jesus said that only those “born from above” can actually see the kingdom, he was speaking of the kingdom in its present state as being invisible. His future kingdom, however, will be visible to all. In the spiritual sense, Christians live in his kingdom already.
Jesus warned the Pharisees against searching for a visible kingdom of God, saying that it “does not come with observation”. No one should say, “Look here!” or “Look there!” because “the kingdom of God is amongst you”. It was present in their midst physically, in the person of its King (Luke 17:20).
Some have translated “the kingdom of God is within you” but since Jesus was speaking to the Pharisees, it’s more likely that “amongst you” would be a better translation. When sending out his disciples as temporary apostles, Jesus told them that if people rejected them, they should announce that the kingdom of God had “come near” them — i.e., had been manifested to them — in miracles of healing (Luke 10:9).
As for those who accused him of casting out demons by the prince of demons, his stern warning was: “If I with the finger of God cast out demons, no doubt the kingdom of God has come upon you” (Luke 11:20). Matthew’s Gospel reads, “If I with the Spirit of God cast out demons…” God’s Spirit is His finger, spiritually speaking. Jesus would have pointed with his index finger when ordering demons to leave those people whom they possessed. The magicians of Egypt had long before described Moses’ judgements on Egypt as “the finger of God” (Exodus 8:19).
These texts inform us that the kingdom of God, though spiritual, was present in the physical effects evident of people during the ministry of Jesus. This distinguished it from the visible kingdom that Jesus will establish after his return to earth. “My kingdom is not from here at this present time,” Jesus informed Pontius Pilate.
“For as the lightning comes out of the east and shines even to the west, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” (Matthew 24:27) I repeat: the future appearance of Jesus Christ and his establishment of a long-awaited kingdom on earth will not require spiritual perception, since “every eye shall see him”.
The future, visible kingdom will be a manifestation of the present, spiritual one. So, the question is not whether you and I will see the kingdom then, but rather whether we have “eyes to see it” now.