Objection: God’s Kingdom Is “Already but Not Now” – What We Will Be Has Not Appeared (1 John 3:2) and Our Lowly Bodies Have Not Been Transformed (Philippians 3:20-21)
Denominational preachers seem to love to harp on this thing about the Kingdom being “already but not now.” However, this saying isn’t true. The Kingdom is ALREADY! The Kingdom of God Is Here NOW.
There are some future events for which we must wait, such as receiving new immortal bodies. I’m not questioning that. I look forward to the day when we will never deal with Satan, sin, the flesh or the ungodly world system again. But Jesus told His followers to go out and preach that the kingdom was visiting them THEN, not at some distant point in the future that they had to wait for. We should be proclaiming the same thing.
Jesus said that there were some standing there hearing Him who would not die before they saw the kingdom come in power (Mark 9:1). Since they are all gone now, what did they see? I believe they saw the Holy Spirit come and inaugurate the Church Age, infusing the Church with power in Acts 2. I realize that respected Bible commentators have instead tied Jesus’ prophecy with the transfiguration on the mount that followed soon after He said this. (This is consistent in Matthew’s version and Luke’s version.) If you believe that, you’re welcome to do so, as that doesn’t detract one iota from my response to this objection. The transfiguration already happened, which would ALSO mean that the Kingdom of God has already come! I just consider it a little dubious that Jesus would say that “some” there would see the Kingdom come if “some” meant only three people. I also consider it dubious that what happened on the mount of transfiguration one day represented the promised coming of the kingdom with power. I don’t notice any “power shift” in the scheme of things after that particular event. I suppose that we’re all entitled to our opinions on the nonessentials.
OK, but what about the objector’s verses?
1 John 3:2:
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
Philippians 3:20-21:
For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:
Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.
These speak of a COMING day when we will get new bodies that are like Jesus’ resurrected bodies. However, Jesus did NOT teach that this was a prerequisite for what He considered the coming of the kingdom. Many other future events to come were prophesied by Daniel, Ezekiel, John and others. But they don’t all have to be fulfilled for what Jesus said in Mark 9:1 to be true. If it were a matter of theological opinions between believers, we could have long arguments, but I don’t think I’d want to be the one to stand up and call Jesus a liar or claim that His prophecy about the kingdom coming then was false.
The curse that Christ redeemed us from was “temporal” – different kinds of woes that pertain to this life. Such challenges will never even exist in heaven or on the new earth in which righteousness dwells. We won’t need healing after we’re with the Lord! Our redemption from sickness, poverty, mental anguish and everything else in the Law’s curse applies to THIS life. We can stand on God’s Word on the matter and refuse to allow the devil to visit upon us anything that is inconsistent with our redemption.
While it would be nice to have immortal bodies that can’t get sick, we can’t enjoy that privilege yet, but we CAN enjoy the firstfruits of that day by receiving healing for our MORTAL bodies today. Contrary to what the objector said, we DON’T have to wait for the Kingdom to come – it’s here. Jesus announced His kingdom and healing followed His announcement. Because the same Kingdom Jesus operated in is here now, we should expect healing to continue until we decide to go home or get new bodies that don’t need healing when we are caught up with the Lord.
In closing, most people who preach that the kingdom is “already but not now” really preach is as if the kingdom were simply “not now.” They ignore the blessings that are already here and the miracles that Jesus is doing today through His Church.