Before, Already, and Not Yet
Episode Three: Already
When Jesus appeared on the scene He preached,
“The time is fulfilled and the Kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” Mark 1:15
That’s the ‘already’ gospel of God (vs. 14); we can experience a foretaste of everyday living like kings and queens in God’s realm … now. After forgiveness of our sins we die to our old life (lower story) and enter into a new one (upper story). We look the same on the outside, however, our inner man is a new creation; the old is gone and God gives us a new identity in Him. When the time was right the Father released the Son to come to earth and get this show on the road; it was His purpose (Luke 4:43)! God can’t wait for us to take our rightful place of dominion in the Garden once again. But what, exactly, is the Kingdom of God for today? Paul explained it like this,
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Romans 14:17
The Kingdom of God has been prepared and in position from before time began, the Plan for us to rule and reign with Him, but Jesus also said that a believer may have to forcefully take possession of it.
“The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the Kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing their way into it.” Luke 16:16
We have an enemy ruling the kingdom of darkness on earth attempting to keep us from righteousness, peace, and joy in the Spirit; it’s Satan’s temporary kingdom that tries to darken our soul and do what he does best: steals, kills, and destroys (John 10:10). However,
He has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of His dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins. Colossians 1:13-14
Binding Satan is rendering him powerless in your life, one of the mysteries Jesus discussed, and we do it by praying for ourselves and others for healing and deliverance from that dark kingdom (Matt. 10:7-8, 12:22-28). We can walk like royalty in His righteousness, His wholeness (peace), and His bubbling over joy as Jesus’ 72 apostles, ‘sent ones’ (Luke 10) experienced. They showed evidence that the Kingdom of God is a present reality by bringing wholeness to many in their body, soul, and spirit. They returned rejoicing that even demons are subject to them in His Name. Jesus responded,
“Yes,” He told them, “I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning! Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy.” Luke 10:18-19a
We’re already experiencing the Kingdom of God as a taste, not a full meal, of the final Kingdom. We’ll look at some parables next week that show how this kingdom actually works.
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