Both Ages

Read: Ephesians 1:18-23

I pray that . . . you may know . . . his incomparably great power . . . not only in the present age but also in the one to come. Ephesians 1:18-19, 21, NIV

IN WORD

Much of Christendom today thinks in terms of “this world” and “that world”—life on earth and life in heaven. Perhaps that’s because we see around us so many contradictions to the Kingdom that we assume all things Kingdom must be somewhere else. Or maybe we’ve simply given up on the possibility of the Kingdom coming in any visible way. But the Bible doesn’t defer the Kingdom to some out-of-sight universe. It isn’t a heaven-only thing. It’s a this-world possibility.

Writing of Jesus’ authority, Paul uses a phrase often used by Jesus Himself: this age and the age to come. The difference between that and the this-world-that-world alternative may seem subtle, but it’s significant. Neither Scripture as a whole nor Jesus’ teaching specifically will allow us to defer every good promise of God to another time or place. The mind-set that sees His reign only as “there and then” will lose faith in the “here and now.” That isn’t God’s desire. He wants us to believe in all of His goodness—and expect to see it—now.

That will require a shift in perspective. Our wistful “One day, Lord,” needs to turn into a “Why not now, Lord?” We’ll have to be content with missteps and unanswered questions as we learn to recognize His current work and align our faith with what He’s doing. But if we persist, we will see breakthroughs we once thought were reserved for another world. We’ll see Jesus’ authority in this age and the age to come.

IN DEED

By faith, press in to God to see His Kingdom manifest in your life and the world around you. Certainly it does not come in its fullness until the “age to come,” but plenty of it is available for this age too. And because the issue is ages rather than worlds, we don’t have to look only to heaven. Earth is longing for a revelation of the Kingdom among God’s children (Romans 8:19). God invites us to demonstrate it.

ADDITIONAL READING: Romans 8:19

He who shall introduce into public affairs the principles of primitive Christianity will change the face of the world.

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN