To what extent is the Kingdom of God manifest today?
It's taken a while (longer than I originally anticipated) but so far a foundational truth has been established: The Word of God divides the course of God's redemptive purpose into two ages: This Age and The Age to Come. These two ages are separated by the Second Coming of Christ and the first resurrection. The fullness of the Kingdom of God belongs to The Age to Come, and if that were all there was to the Kingdom, then the gospel of the Kingdom would be strictly that of promise. Salvation would be little more than an insurance policy to provide against a future day of trouble. It's present value would be little more than to provide a sense of security for deliverance on the day of judgment.
However, the bible makes it clear that there is a transition from This Age to The Age to Come which lasts 1000 years, called the Millennium. At the beginning of the Millennium, Satan will be bound and thrown into the abyss. The earth will then enjoy a new measure of the life and blessings of the Kingdom of God (Isaiah 65:20-25). At the end of the Millennium, the devil is released from the abyss, and amazingly he again deceives multitudes and incites them to rebel against God. God visits the earth with fire and devours all His enemies and Satan is thrown into the lake of fire, joining the beast and the false prophet where the unholy trinity will be tormented forever (Revelation 20:7-10).
Then the fullness of the Kingdom of God will finally be realized in a new heaven and new earth (Revelation 21). Again, if this were the complete program of redemption, we would have merely a religion of hope and promise. Please don't get me wrong - Christianity is full of hope and promise, but Christianity (The Gospel of the Kingdom) is not a religion, but a relationship, so it goes beyond hope and promise. There is a further overlap of the two ages, beyond the Millennium. The New Testament is full of explicit statements compelling us to conclude that the blessings of The Kingdom are not exclusive to He Age to Come. The theology of the New Testament as a whole supports this as well. Hebrews 6:5 speaks of those who "tasted.....the powers of the coming age." Something has happened causing the powers of The Age to Come to penetrate This Age. And while a "taste" is not a seven-course banquet, a taste is still real; more than a promise it is something to be experienced.
Paul says in Galatians 1:3-4 "Grace and peace to you (virtually every epistle begins this way; grace first, followed by peace) from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father." Hallelujah! Satan may still be the god of this world (This Age) but the power of The Age to Come has projected itself back into This Age in the person of Jesus Christ, so that we might be delivered from this present evil Age. "Glory to God forever and ever! Amen!" (Galatians 1:5). Paul gives an amazing theological exposition in his letter to the Roman Christians, and the last verse in chapter 11 reads, "For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever! Amen." (Romans 11:36).
He then begins chapter 12 with the words "Therefore, I urge you brothers, in view of God's mercy...." What are we to do? Present our bodies as living sacrifices.....Do not be conformed to the patter of this world (This Age) but be transformed by the renewing of our mind... It is only by undergoing an inner transformation, which is the result of the power of The Age to Come penetrating back into this present evil Age that we can keep from being conformed to This Age. By this new power we are able to test and approve that which is God's perfect will.
What does this mean? The follower of Christ is now caught up in the conflict of the ages, as the Kingdom of God which belongs to The Age to Come has overlapped with This Age. Therefore, we may be delivered from This Age and no longer live in conformity to it. This is not easy, and it is not complete and it is a struggle. It helps to know that God has a plan and a purpose. The plan (which includes the order of things) is outlined in 1 Corinthians 15:22-26. This passage declares that the Kingdom of God is the reign of God through Christ destroying the enemies of God's reign. The highest expression of the Kingdom is the defeat of death. "The last enemy to be destroyed is death." (v. 26). This does not happen at once, but in three stages: "Christ the first fruits; after that they which are Christ's at His coming. After that comes the end, when He delivers up the Kingdom to God the Father." (v. 20-24 paraphrased).
This all begins with the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. That is history; not something to be anticipated in the future. That is our assurance of our own resurrection (or sudden transformation) - a resurrection has already happened. Jesus said, "Because I live, you will live also" (John 14:19). This is the meaning of the power of His resurrection, in that it enables us also to partake of His sufferings (Philippians 3:10). Jesus in His human body, died for our sins and rose on the third day, "so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death - that is, the devil - and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death." (Hebrews 2:14-15). It is only when we enter into the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ that we experience the power of The Age to Come in This Age. When we no longer fear death, to paraphrase William Carey, the "Father of the Modern Missionary Movement," there is nothing we won't attempt for God, nothing we won't expect from God.
Take a look at Galatians 2:20, for that is where we will begin the next time. Good stuff with which to end one year and begin another. Be encouraged in Christ.
