Spiritual Warfare Chapter 3: The Already, but Not Yet
Spiritual Warfare in the 21st Century
The phrase “The already, but not yet” was made popular in the 1950s by George Eldon Ladd. John Wimber (Mr. Signs and Wonders) in the 1970s, 80s and 90s promoted the language and theology of the already, but not yet extensively in and through the Vineyard Church movement. The already, but not yet doctrine pertained to the Kingdom of God being already here on earth established by Jesus through his death, resurrection and empowerment of his disciples through the Holy Spirit but not yet fully realized in its final state which will be fulfilled in the eternal age to come. John Wimber demonstrated the physical evidence of the Kingdom of God’s invasion into the material world by means of signs and wonders similar to the miracles of Jesus and his disciples. I was privileged to be attending the Anaheim Vineyard in the early 1990s and was an eyewitness to and even participated in some of these signs and wonders. However, experience by itself is necessary, but insufficient. Wisdom requires both experience and scriptural understanding and validation. Spiritual warfare in the unseen realm (Ephesian 6) requires wisdom if we hope to secure victory in both our personal life as well as for the collective growth of the Kingdom of God.
Matt 28:18-20
18Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
All authority in heaven and on earth doesn’t leave room for anything else. All means “ALL”. Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father (Rom 8:34, Eph 1:20, Col 3:1, 1 Pet 3:22, et al) in the position of authority to rule over all heaven and earth. This is what the prophets of the Old Testament spoke of in part (see Spiritual Warfare Chapter 2 Blog post) – the part that is already, but not yet in its fullness. Jesus commissions us to preach the good news that his Kingdom is here now and available to us because he has all authority to do so and promises to be with us through the end of this age. At that time, he will come again and bring heaven with him (Rev 21-22). At that time all of the Old Testament prophetic words will be fulfilled and creation restored (Isaiah 11). That is the “not yet”.
In the meantime, we are called to be obedient to Jesus, submitted to him wholeheartedly. We are called to be led by both verse and voice (A wise pastoral friend Stan Nishikubo said “W=V+V”, Wisdom requires obedience from the combination of scriptural Verse and hearing his Voice).
When Jesus told Peter and his disciples that “upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail” (Matt 16:13) he was in a Caesarea Philippi right next to a deep seemingly bottomless cave – a site known in the pagan world as “The Gates of Hell or the Gates of Hades”. Jesus proclamation to his disciples is that they (and now we) will break down the gates of Hades by preaching the good news of his Kingdom, opening blind eyes, healing the broken hearted and setting the captives free (Isaiah 61:1-2, Luke 4:18-19).
It is our job, our commission to make disciples. It is not our job or responsibility to “save people” – that is Jesus’ job (see Spiritual Warfare Chapter 2 – God’s perspective on Salvation). We make disciples through love and sacrifice following the path of Jesus, not by force or by oppressive means. We make known the love of Christ by way of the cross – the unconditional love and forgiveness of Jesus. As we become more like Jesus, he enables us to do the things he did. His love pours through us so that, we can turn the other cheek, to go the extra mile carrying someone else’s burden, to give the shirt off our back and even love our enemies (Matt 5). That is how we reflect the glory of God and become the light and the salt of the world. This is how we wage war against the powers of darkness (Eph 6) and take territory for the Kingdom of God. That is how and why the gates of Hades shall not prevail.
But all of that cannot happen unless we also recognize the transformation that needs to occur within us. Before we can do things that Jesus did, to be his image bearers and to reflect his glory amidst a perverse and chaotic world, we must become like him. This is where the “already, but not yet” also applies to us individually. The already, but not yet concept applies to our sanctification process.
Let me explain how this works. When we say “yes” to Jesus, we are submitting to his Lordship, and this is more than just being saved. In order to enter into his Kingdom, we must recognize his authority and bow our knee before him in humble submission and genuine allegiance to him. But that act from our heart results in our elevation to become his bride even though we did nothing to earn it. It is the will of the Father, that we are redeemed from slavery to sin under the power of the oppressive demonic forces of evil to become the bride of Christ (Eph 5:25-32; 1 Cor 6:15-17). Jesus, by the work of his Holy Spirit cleanses us from the filth and depravity of worldly living to become holy and blameless – a pure and spotless bride.
When we say yes to Jesus, he gives us the gift of the Holy Spirit. A deposit, that guarantees our future eternal home and relationship with Jesus and the Father (2 Cor 1:21-22, 5:5; Eph 1:13-14). Learning how to dwell in Jesus through his Holy Spirit in us produces the necessary transformation (2 Cor 3:14-17). This transformation is an ongoing process of sanctification – a working of the Holy Spirit as we continue to submit our will to him. To understand this concept from the framework of the already, but not yet we can look at a traditional Jewish wedding protocol from the first century.
In the first century Jewish marriage tradition, families of the prospective bride and groom would arrange the marriage. The groom would be expected to provide two gifts: (1) to the father of the bride called the “mohar” which is also called “bride price” that was intended to compensate the bride’s family for the economic loss of their daughter and (2) a personal gift to the bride. This second gift usually was jewelry or fancy clothing that allowed the prospective bride to show her community how loved she was. Once both families agreed, a ceremony called the “erusin” would be held. There a cup of wine would given to the bride from the groom, and once she drank from the cup, it signified her agreement to be wed. At that point, the bride and groom are betrothed. That means they are considered legally married, although the consummation of the marriage does not take place until the “nissuin” ceremony.
During the betrothal period, the bride was expected to get herself ready for marriage, while the groom returned to his father’s house to prepare a place them for them. The groom’s return could be at any time of day or night and could be as long as a year away – it was supposed to be a surprise. The bride and her bridesmaids were expected to be ready at any time of day or night. The groom’s arrival was heralded by the blowing of a shofar or by shouts from the groomsmen at which point the bride and bridesmaid were expected to go out immediately and meet the wedding party. They would be escorted back to the groom’s place and at the "nissuin" ceremony their marriage would be consummated, and the wedding feast would be celebrated.
Some of this may resonate with you as much of this tradition echoes across scripture. The bride price (1 Cor 6:19-20), the personal gift of the Holy Spirit (see above references), the parable of the ten virgins (Matt 25:1-13), the Apostle Paul description of what happens when Jesus returns (1 Cor 15:51-53; 1 Thes 4:15-17), Jesus preparing a place for his disciples at his Father’s house (John 14:2-3), and of course the last supper (1 Cor 11:23-26). None of which is coincidental. You can find similarities in this marriage protocol going all the way back to the story of Abraham finding a wife for his son Isaac (Gen 24).
All of this describes our already, but not yet from a personal perspective. We are already legally married, but we are still in the betrothal period. Jesus has already paid the “bride price” by his sacrifice on the cross. The personal gift of the Holy Spirit has been given and is available to us now, so that we can prepare ourselves for the ultimate celebration when he comes again – which can be at any time, day or night – that is the not yet part we can read about here:
Revelations 19:6-8
6Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:
“Hallelujah!
For our Lord God Almighty reigns.
7Let us rejoice and be glad
and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
and his bride has made herself ready.
8Fine linen, bright and clean,
was given her to wear.”
Reflection Questions:
What does the “already, but not yet” concept mean to you on a personal level?
Viscerally speaking, how do you handle the concept of being the bride of Christ and the Holy Spirit being deposited in you?
What do you think your responsibility is in preparing yourself for the “nissuin” and what is the Holy Spirit role in it?
Prayer:
Father, I admit that I struggle with understanding how I can be made fit to be the bride of Christ. I can see my sin and failures and while I know in my head that all my sins are forgiven, that I am loved and that I don’t have to nor can I earn my salvation, in my heart I still feel like I’m not doing what I need to be doing. Holy Spirit, please bridge the gap between my head and my heart so that I experience your shalom peace and the fullness of joy. Help me to see that you are working deep within my heart to become something more than I can imagine becoming. Help me to become the image bearer that you have called me to be so that I may reflect your glory and be the light and salt of the earth.
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