The Kingdom: The Grace and the Wrath of God

Kingdom

One of the helpful formulations in understanding the nature of the Kingdom (“Rule”) of God is the “already/not yet” construct. vaguely apocalyptic backdrop with a rainbow ;)

It can be summarized by saying this: “the Kingdom is ‘already’ present, active and visible in the world today, but in ‘seed’ form. It is ‘not yet’ in it’s fullness.

Many implications can be drawn from this concept, but I think it is really helpful in understanding the interplay of God’s grace and wrath in our lives today.

Here are some thoughts …

We experience great measures of grace today because the Kingdom is “already” here.

The coming of Jesus – his life, death and resurrection – has begun the reversal of the Fall of man. We reign in life through grace, Paul declares  (see Rom 5:17 and context). This abundant grace is available for our experience through Christ today.

This means…

    • You can be forgiven and live extending forgiveness to others
    • You can be reconciled to God and have healthy, happy relationships
    • You can experience his Father’s love, care and compassion
    • You can be set free from addictions and destructive lifestyle choices you’ve made
    • You can live free from fear and anxiety and be filled with joy, peace and hope
    • You can face hard times and opposition and push through them, with God’s help
    • You can experience healing and have strength endure sickness and loss when you’re not healed
    • You can see your friends experience the same salvation you’re enjoying

All our experience of grace in the “now” is relatively limited.

Grace is ‘not yet’ fully poured out on us. We experience just a small measure of grace, compared to the grace God desires to pour out on us in the fullness of the Kingdom. That’s a happy thought to keep in mind

This means…

    • Not all will be healed – some will suffer and die.
    • We will never be totally free from sin, in this life
    • Some friends will reject Jesus and us, no matter how loving we are to them
    • We will make poor decisions and face their consequences, and some of our dreams will not be fulfilled
    • We will fail and fall and experience persecution and sickness and old age and finally, separation and death.

Amazing grace? Yes! “fullness of grace”? – no, not yet.

The Fullness of the Kingdom is the fullness of Grace.

The Kingdom is where God is finally able to release the full measure of his grace on his people. Note: Heaven is NOT the fullness of the Kingdom. Why? Read on…

  • The fullness of the Kingdom involves full redemption – including the redemption of our bodies. Heaven (where the saints who’ve died are rejoicing now) is still an intermediate state. They are still separated from their bodies, remember? They are still in a “not yet” state with respect to their bodies. The fullness of the Kingdom involves the resurrection and renewal of our bodies.
  • The fullness of the Kingdom involves the redemption of the Earth. The earth is groaning now, wanting to be set free. There will be a new heavens and a new earth – perfection in every form. We will roam this new earth with resurrected, immortal bodies and perfected, sin-free souls/spirits.
  • The fullness of the Kingdom involves the total removal of Evil. All forms of evil will be removed so the Kingdom can be fully expressed. So, no more sin, or weakness in our inner person, or in our physical bodies. No more evil forces (or even the effects of evil forces) in our renewed world.
      • We will not hurt each other through sin or failure anymore.
      • No more temptation or even the desire to sin, because all evil is destroyed.
      • No more sickness or sorrow, or loss.
      • We’ll all be together, loving each other perfectly, and we’ll never be separated from each other or God.

So wrath is also “already/not yet”

    • Wrath is already here – if you dally with sin, you will face consequences. But not the fullness of wrath – no, “not yet”.
    • You can get away with doing and enjoying evil things. You can, in theory, give yourself to evil desires today, and turn around and get totally forgiven tomorrow.
    • God does not respond to evil with corresponding, immediate justice and wrath – no not yet. He will one day, though, you can count on it.
    • God wants to give sinners as many chances to escape his wrath as possible, so he will not respond to evil with commensurate justice – no, not yet.

The wrath of God is what destroys all evil so that the fullness of Grace (& the Kingdom) can be revealed.

    • God, one day, wants his Kingdom and glory to fill the earth “like waters cover the sea”. He will let nothing stand in it’s way.
    • He invites us today to enter in that hope through faith in Christ. When we do, we experience great measures of grace. And we get to hope and wait in confident expectation for it’s fullness.
    • One day, in the fullness of God’s timing, he will say “My Kingdom, in it’s fullness, is NOW”. He will send Jesus back, one more time, to save his saints, redeem their bodies and to judge & destroy evil, once and for all.
    • Evil is anything and anyone that opposes and rejects the fullness of God’s Kingdom. Evil is Satan and his minions and his plan for the future, and they will be removed too. Sickness and sin and this broken world are results of man’s sinful choice and they have no place in this Kingdom.
    • When fullness of the Kingdom (bringing the fullness of grace) comes, there is no longer grace and patience towards evil. It must go.

Get this: Jesus will come to inflict vengeance on those who’ve refused to submit to his Kingdom. It’s in the book – 2 Thess 1:6-10.

    • So fullness of wrath will come. This wrath prepares the way for fullness of grace because grace cannot be experienced in fullness as long as evil is present and active.

So what?

    • This means we are free to be all about grace in the now. We’re in the season of grace where God is extending his arms out to anyone and everyone. He’s saying “Come into my Kingdom! I don’t want you to face my wrath. Don’t resist me"
    • Between the sampling of grace now, and the fullness of grace then, there will be a release of wrath, when evil is totally destroyed. Now we live in the “year of the favor of God”. Soon there will be a “Day of wrath” and that will usher in the “Age of Grace”.
    • So we must warn ourselves and others about this, saying “God hates evil, he opposes it now and one day he will destroy it totally – so don’t align yourself with it, don’t enjoy it, don’t lust after it”.
    • You must definitively reject the old, dead, corrupt, decaying system of this world and embrace the King (Jesus) and his new, perfect, eternal, unending Kingdom. How? Simple: trust in Jesus and obey his teachings

The Summary:

  • God’s grace is his offer to leave evil behind and enjoy the fullness of his Kingdom.
  • In fullness  there will be no more “already/not yet” – just “FULLNESS OF GRACE”
  • God’s wrath is his sweeping away of everything and everyone who prefers evil over the fullness of grace that is to come.
  • God wants you escape his wrath and enjoy his grace, now and forever.

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