¶ Already and Not Yet
Already and Not Yet is a way of saying what Jesus taught about the kingdom of God.
The kingdom has already come near in the King. It has not yet come in its open, finished glory.
Believers already have eternal life, the Spirit, and peace with God.
They still wait for the resurrection of the body, the new earth, and the day when every enemy is put under His feet.
Jesus preached that the time was fulfilled and the kingdom of God was at hand. He cast out demons by the Spirit of God and said that this was proof the kingdom had come upon them. He also taught His people to pray, “Your kingdom come.” He spoke of a harvest at the end of the age, of a Master who will return, and of a day when the Son of Man comes in power and great glory. Both are true at once. The promises have begun. They are not finished. Paul said that if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, and he also said that the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. We have already been transferred into the kingdom of the beloved Son. We have not yet seen the kingdom of the world become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ in the way Revelation describes. The church lives between the empty tomb and the appearing. That tension is not a mistake in the Bible. It is the shape of this age.
- The kingdom is present because the King is present.
- The kingdom is future because the King has not yet appeared in glory.
- Salvation is already received and not yet complete.
- The Spirit is the down payment of an inheritance still to come.
- Suffering and hope belong together in this overlap of the ages.
- Over-realized hope pretends there is nothing left to wait for. Under-realized hope pretends nothing has begun.
- Holy waiting is the life of those who already belong to the age to come.
¶ Key Aspects of Already and Not Yet
- Already the King – The time is fulfilled; the kingdom has come upon them.
- Not Yet the Glory – The Son of Man will come on the clouds, and every eye will see Him.
- Already New Creation – In Christ a person is a new creation now.
- Not Yet New Earth – We wait for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
- Already Adopted – The Spirit bears witness that we are children of God.
- Not Yet Revealed – The creation still groans for the revealing of the sons of God.
- Already Seated – God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly places.
- Not Yet Home – Here we have no lasting city; we seek the city that is to come.
- Mark 1:15 – “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
- Matthew 12:28 – “But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.”
- Luke 17:20-21 – “The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”
- Matthew 6:10 – “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
- Matthew 13:39-43 – “The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels… Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.”
- Colossians 1:13 – “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son.”
- Hebrews 2:8-9 – “Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus…”
- 1 John 3:2 – “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.”
- Ephesians 1:13-14 – “…were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it…”
- Ephesians 2:6 – “…and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”
- 2 Corinthians 5:17 – “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
- Romans 8:23-24 – “And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved.”
- 1 Corinthians 15:20-26 – “But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep… For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.”
- Titus 2:11-13 – “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people… waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.”
- Philippians 3:20-21 – “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body…”
- 1 Peter 1:3-5 – “He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable… who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
- Hebrews 6:4-5 – Those who “have tasted the heavenly gift… and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come.”
- Revelation 11:15 – “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.”
- 2 Peter 3:13 – “But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.”
- John 5:24-29 – Whoever hears and believes has eternal life and has passed from death to life; an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear His voice.
- Romans 5:1 – “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
The kingdom is already here. The kingdom is not yet finished.
We already have the Spirit as a guarantee. We do not yet have the redemption of the body.
We already sit with Christ in the heavenly places. We still pray, Your kingdom come.
Do not pretend you have arrived. Do not live as if nothing has begun.
See Jesus. He is already Lord. You do not yet see everything in subjection to Him.
Wait for the blessed hope. Live as citizens of heaven on an earth that still groans.
The King who came will appear. Then what is already true in Him will be seen by all.
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