The Kingdom of God (part 2)

this is the 2. Part of a 6 episode series by Gary Deddo on the important, but often misunderstood, topic of the Kingdom of God. In the last episode we highlighted the central importance of Jesus as the highest king of all kings and supreme lord with regard to the kingdom of God. In this article we will look at the difficulties of understanding how the kingdom of God is present in the here and now.

The presence of God's kingdom in two phases

Biblical revelation conveys two aspects that are difficult to reconcile: that the Kingdom of God is present, but also in the future. Bible scholars and theologians have often picked up on one of them and thus given particular weight to one of the two aspects. But in the last approximately 50 years, a broad consensus has emerged on how best to understand these two views. That correspondence is related to who Jesus is.

The Son of God was born of the Virgin Mary some 2000 years ago in carnal form, participated in our human existence and lived 33 years in our sinful world. By accepting our human nature from the beginning of his birth to his death1 and thus bringing them together, he lived through our death until his resurrection, and then, after a few days in which he appeared to man, to physically ascend to heaven; that is, he continued to be attached to our humanity, only to return to the presence of his father and perfect communion with him. As a result, though he still participates in our now glorified human nature, he is no longer as present as he was before his ascension. He is in some ways no longer on earth. As another comforter, he has sent the Holy Spirit to be with us, but as an independent entity, he is no longer as present to us as before. He promised us to return.

Parallel to this, the nature of God's kingdom can be seen. It was indeed "near" and effective at the time of Jesus' worldly ministry. It was so close and tangible that it called for an immediate response, just as Jesus Himself called for a response from us in the form of faith in Him. However, as he taught us, his reign had not yet fully begun. It was yet to become a reality in its entirety. And that will be at Christ's return (often referred to as his "second coming").

Thus, the belief in the kingdom of God is inseparably bound up with the hope of its realization in its fullness. It was already present in Jesus and it remains in virtue of His Holy Spirit. But his perfection is still to come. This is often expressed when it is said that the Kingdom of God already exists, but not yet in perfection. George Ladd's carefully researched work reinforces this view from the perspective of many strict believers, at least in the English-speaking world.

The kingdom of God and the two ages

According to the biblical understanding, a clear distinction is made between two times, two ages or epochs: the present “evil age” and the so-called “world age to come”. In the here and now we live in the present “evil age”. We live in hope of that age to come, but we do not experience it yet. Biblically speaking, we are still living in the present wicked time - an in-between time. Scriptures that clearly support this view are the following (Unless otherwise noted, the following Bible quotes are from the Zurich Bible.):

  • He let this power work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and set him at his right hand in heaven: high above every government, every power, authority and dominion and above every name that is not only in this, but also in of the age to come” (Ephesians 1,20-21).
  • “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself up for our sins, to rescue us from the present wicked age, according to the will of God our Father” (Galatians 1,3-4).
  • "Truly I say to you, no one has left house or wife, brothers or sisters, parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God, unless he has received again in this age many things of value, and in the age to come eternal life" (Luke 18,29-30; Crowd bible).
  • "So it will be at the end of the age: the angels will come out and separate the wicked from among the righteous" (Matthew 13,49; Crowd bible).
  • “[Some have] tasted the good word of God and the powers of the world to come” (Hebrews 6,5).

Unfortunately, this ambiguous understanding of ages or epochs is expressed less clearly by the fact that the Greek word for "age" (aion) is translated in many ways, such as "eternity", "world", "forever", and " a long time ago". These translations contrast time with endless time, or this earthly realm with a future heavenly realm. While these temporal or spatial differences are already contained in the idea of ​​the different ages or epochs, he particularly emphasizes a much more far-reaching comparison of qualitatively different lifestyles now and in the future.

Thus we read in some translations that the seed that sprout in certain soils is nipped in the bud by the "cares of this world" (Mark 4,19). But since the Greek aion is in the original text, we should also use the meaning "nipped in the bud by the cares of this present evil age". Also in Romans 12,2, where we read that we do not like to conform to the pattern of this "world", this is also to be understood as meaning that we should not associate ourselves with this present "world time".

The words rendered "eternal life" also imply life in the time to come. This is in the Gospel of Luke 18,29-30 clearly as quoted above. Eternal life is "everlasting," but it is far more than its duration far longer than this present wicked age! It is a life that belongs to a completely different era or epoch. The difference is not only in the short duration compared to an infinitely long life, but rather between a life in our present time still characterized by sinfulness - by evil, sin and death - and the life in the future time in which all traces of evil will be blotted out. In the time to come there will be a new heaven and a new earth that will connect a new relationship. It will be a totally different way and quality of life, God's way of life.

The kingdom of God ultimately coincides with the coming world time, that eternal life, and the second coming of Christ. Until he returns, we live in the present evil world time and wait hopefully for the future. We continue to live in a sinful world in which, in spite of Christ's resurrection and ascension, nothing is perfect, everything is suboptimal.

Surprisingly, though we continue to live in the present evil time, thanks to the grace of God, we can already experience the Kingdom of God in part now. It is already present in some ways before the replacement of the present evil age in the here and now.

Contrary to all assumptions, the future kingdom of God has broken into the present without the Last Judgment and the end of this time coming. The kingdom of God casts its shadow in the here and now. We get a taste of it. Some of His blessings come to us in the here and now. And we can partake of it in the here and now by fellowshipping with Christ, even if we remain attached to this time. This is possible because the Son of God came to this world, completed his mission, and sent us his Holy Spirit, even though he is no longer present in the flesh. We are now enjoying the first fruits of his victorious reign. But before Christ returns, there will be an interim period (or "end-time pause," as TF Torrance used to call it) when God's salvation efforts will continue to be accomplished even during that time.

Drawing on the vocabulary of Scripture, Bible Students and theologians have used a variety of different words to convey this complex situation. Many, following George Ladd, have made this controversial point by arguing that the kingdom of God is fulfilled in Jesus but will not be consummated until his return. The kingdom of God is already present, but not yet realized in its perfection. Another way of expressing this dynamic is that while the kingdom of God has already been established, we await its completion. This view is sometimes referred to as "presentian eschatology." Thanks to the grace of God, the future has already entered the present.

This has the effect that the full truth and givenness of what Christ has done is currently essentially deprived of insight, as we are now living under the conditions created by the Fall. In the present evil world time, Christ's reign is already a reality, but a hidden one. In the future time, the kingdom of God will be perfected, because all the remaining consequences of the fall will be lifted. Then all the effects of Christ's work will be revealed everywhere in all glory.2 The distinction made here lies between the hidden and the not yet perfected realm of God, and not between a present manifest and an outstanding one.

The Holy Spirit and the two ages

This view of God's kingdom is similar to that which is revealed in the Holy Scriptures about the person and work of the Holy Spirit. Jesus promised the coming of the Holy Spirit and sent him together with the Father to be with us. He breathed his Holy Spirit into the disciples, and at Pentecost it came down on the assembled believers. The Holy Spirit empowered the early Christian church to truthfully testify to the ministry of Christ and thereby enable others to find their way into the kingdom of Christ. He sends the people of God out into all the world to preach the gospel of the Son of God. We are part of the mission of the Holy Spirit. However, we are not yet fully aware of it and hope that this will one day be the case. Paul points out that today's world of experience is just the beginning. He uses the image of an advance or pledge or deposit (arrabon) to convey the idea of ​​a partial advance gift, which serves as security for the full gift (2. Corinthians 1,22; 5,5). The image of an inheritance used throughout the New Testament also suggests that we are now given something in the here and now that is certain to be even more of our own in the future. Read Paul's words on this:

“In him [Christ] we were also appointed heirs, predestined by the purpose of him who works all things according to the plan of his will [...] which is the pledge of our inheritance, for our redemption, that we His possessions would become to the praise of His glory [...] And he will give you enlightened eyes of heart, that you may know the hope to which you are called of Him, how rich is the glory of His inheritance for the saints" (Ephesians 1,11; 14,18).

Paul also uses the image that we now have only the “firstfruits” of the Holy Spirit, not all of it. We are presently witnessing only the beginning of the harvest and not yet all of its bounty (Romans 8,23). Another important biblical metaphor is that of "having a taste" of the gift to come (Hebrews 6,4-5). In his first letter, Peter puts many pieces of the puzzle together and then writes about those justified by the Holy Spirit:

"Blessed be God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy hath born us again unto a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, unto an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and unfading, preserved in heaven for you, You who are kept by the power of God through faith to a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time" (1. Pt 1,3-5).

As we perceive the Holy Spirit at the present time, it is indispensable to us, even though we are not yet fully aware of it. As we experience his work now, it points to a much greater unfoldment that will one day come. Our present perception of it feeds a hope that will not be disappointed.

This current evil world time

That we now live in the present evil world time is a crucial realization. The worldly work of Christ, although it was brought to a victorious end, has not yet eradicated all after-effects and consequences of the fall of man at this time or epoch. So we shouldn't expect them to be extinguished by Jesus' return. The testimony given by the New Testament regarding the continuing sinful nature of the cosmos (including mankind) could not be more haunting. In his high priestly prayer, which we read in Gospel of John 17, Jesus prays that we may not be relieved of our present situation, even though he knows that we will have to endure suffering, rejection and persecution at this time. In his Sermon on the Mount he points out that in the here and now we do not yet receive all the gifts of grace that God's kingdom has in store for us, and our hunger, our thirst for justice is not yet satisfied. Rather, we will experience a persecution that reflects his. Just as clearly he points out that our longings will be fulfilled, but only in the time to come.

The Apostle Paul points out that our true selves are not presented as an open book, but are “hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3,3). He explains that figuratively speaking we are earthen vessels that carry within them the glory of Christ's presence, but are not yet in turn revealed in all glory (2. Corinthians 4,7), but only someday (Colossians 3,4). Paul points out that “the essence of this world is passing away” (Cor 7,31; see. 1. John 2,8; 17) that she has not yet reached her ultimate goal. The author of the Letter to the Hebrews readily admits that so far not everything is apparently subject to Christ and his own (Hebrews 2,8-9), even if Christ conquered the world (John 16,33).

In his letter to the church in Rome, Paul describes how all creation “groans and trembles” and how “we ourselves, who have the Spirit as a firstfruits, groan within ourselves, longing for adoption as sons, the redemption of ours body” (Romans 8,22-23). Although Christ has completed His worldly ministry, our present being does not yet reflect the full fulness of His victorious rule. We remain stuck in this present evil time. The kingdom of God is present, but not yet in its perfection. In the next issue we will look at the essence of our hope for the coming completion of God's kingdom and the full fulfillment of the biblical promises.

by Gary Deddo


1 In the letter to the Hebrews 2,16 we find the Greek term epilambanetai, which is best rendered as "accept" and not "to help" or "to be concerned". Sa Hebrew 8,9where the same word is used for God's deliverance of Israel from the clutches of Egyptian slavery.

2 The Greek word used for this throughout the New Testament, and given special emphasis in the naming of his last book, is apocalypse. It can be associated with "revelation",
“Revelation” and “Coming” are translated.


pdfThe Kingdom of God (part 2)