© 2021 Philip M Spence
Jesus’ position and function as the King of the Kingdom is a reality in this temporal age. It is also the reality of the everlasting age which we will enter into when we leave this planet (Ephesians 1:21). We live in the context of time but with the certainty of eternity in our hearts. This means that our lives are lived in this world but with a mindset and perspective that is shaped by Heaven.
The Age to Come has Invaded this Present Age
The future has come into the present. Jesus has brought the hope, blessing and power of the age to come into our temporal existence. The writer to the Hebrews spoke about moving on from foundational things so that we can taste of the powers of the age to come (Hebrews 6:1-5).
Heaven has Invaded Earth
The limitlessness of eternal existence invaded our limited human understanding when the King of Heaven came to earth, confined to the form of a human being. Many did not recognise Him, while others were amazed at His teaching. Jesus the King brought the Kingdom of Heaven to Planet Earth.
Eternity has Invaded Time
While the human mind has great difficulty trying to comprehend a God who has no beginning or end, He can balance the everlasting and the limitations of time. To Him a day is akin to a thousand years, and a thousand years is comparable to just a day (Psalm 90:4, 2 Peter 3:8).
The Kingdom Comes in Power and Glory
When we enter into the Kingdom in all its fullness, we are able to taste of the future that God has promised to us, and which we will inherit (Hebrews 6:1-6).
In this passage of Scripture, we are exhorted to go beyond the foundational or beginning things. This means that we are to maintain the foundations that have been laid in our lives by the Word of God and the Spirit of God while going beyond them and building upon them. This embodies the futuristic culture of the Kingdom.
Taste the Heavenly Gift
The writer to the Hebrews gives us a peek into what the future looks like when we move forward based on the foundational principles. He firstly says that we can taste the heavenly gift, which is the privilege of participating in the purposes of the Kingdom in partnership with the Holy Spirit (Hebrews 6:4).
We know we are actively engaged in this futuristic culture of the Kingdom when we go beyond the first principles that we are taught and learn to be led by the Holy Spirit to become fruitful for the King’s sake.
Taste the Good Word of God
Secondly, he says that we can taste the revelation dimension in the Word of God (Hebrews 6:5). This is the way the Holy Spirit leads us and takes us beyond our mind’s knowledge and what others have taught us. The Holy Spirit begins to open the Scriptures so we can receive good, valuable insight. He instructs us in the current topic God is speaking about at the current time. The Holy Spirit unlocks the truth that is hidden in the Word of God so that we can be in step with the purposes of the King.
Taste the Powers of the Age to Come
The third dimension we can taste when we go beyond the foundational principles is the power and glory of this Kingdom which has no equal. This is not the power and glory of what has been, or what now exists. It is the power of a future age into which we progressively enter as Kingdom people (Hebrews 6:5).
The power being referred by the writer to the Hebrews is the concept of being strengthened, equipped, and empowered by the Holy Spirit. This is the extraordinary spiritual power that changes the temporal zone. It is the supernatural power that eclipses and realigns the natural things.
The futuristic culture of the Kingdom of Heaven on Planet Earth is evident when the people of this present time function in the power of God’s future age, to rearrange the structures of this world, and to represent the Kingdom that has come from Heaven. Kingdom people experience and manifest the age to come in this age, influencing and reshaping the structures of this present age.
The above is an excerpt from the book Authentic Kingdom Culture. To download your copy, go to Amazon.com or click the button below:
Blessings,
Phil Spence