But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:4-7
Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:
“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
“O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:51-58
The Hebrew concept of time is very different than the Greek / chronos view of time. For all of us who were raised under the ‘western’ school of thought — time is strictly linear (chronos). When in reality .. it is not, especially when you begin to deal with different dimensions. There are verses both in the OT and NT that quote the same time formula – 1 Day = 1000 years (Psalms 90:4 / 2 Peter 3:8). This implicates that time bends depending on how God wishes it to in the ‘particular’ moment or place, in my opinion, rather than the simpler interpretation of just God’s eternal state of being. This all brings me to the concept of “already but not yet”. If you haven’t searched it and read about it, I’d encourage you to do so. To me it is SO Hebrew! If you’ve had any personal dealings with God / Jesus / Holy Spirit and the spiritual realms you know by experience that time can get real wonky when you are with Him. (Read Deuteronomy 9:9 and consider what actually happened and didn’t happen in that same ‘time frame’)
Already but not yet. In the case of eschatology fits best my views and understanding. The more time I actually spend with Him — the more my certainty of ‘time’ erodes. He really is the Master of all ‘time’. And the older I get the more I realize I don’t know very much. I am less and less certain of how this Creator’s universe works. But Mankind? Very predictable. I think that’s why when Jesus first came most of the Jews who made their lives about studying the scriptures missed who He actually was so easily. Why? They were certain in THEIR interpretation of the scriptures. Their own teachers said the Messiah had to be the way they saw Him. We are SO certain of how God works because our teachers tell us so. Is the Holy Spirit your Teacher? Do you ever have conversations with Him and ask Him questions? The more I learn from Him the less pride and certainty I have in my own expectations and what I thought I knew. He is always in the ‘now’ reforming me.
Are we in the ‘end days’? In my short 60+ years there has never been a time more suited to seem like the ‘end days’. Do I know His plan? I’ve read all the apocalyptic literature and scriptural books, and it certainly looks like were headed into some really difficult times as this world in centralizing into a Global network with several ‘power brokers’ vying for power and control. Enter digital technology and AI and we have the tools to centralize down to the single life like never before in known history. But I’m not concerned for my ‘path’, OR fearful for what might be. Why? TC2. A life of terminally committed to Christ means that at ANY moment our path could end and we would immediately step into His heavenly realm. Our life here on earth …is about His life being poured through us for His purposes and plans, nothing else matters. We’ve already ‘died’ but not yet reached the end of our assignment from Him on earth, because we now live on by His life. Already but not yet.