Time is that which measures the cadence of finite life as we know it; Eternal life, however, liberates one from the confines of time and elevates us into the realm of The Great I am!
In life (as I have come to learn and are learning), we must respect time as it is the means by which we connect with people, events and appointments, but as I also have come to realize God’s Kingdom is not ruled by time, God’s Kingdom rules time! And whoever is in the Kingdom of God, whoever has been ‘born-again’ must realize what he or she has been born into. This article is not for the one who wants to play ‘church’; it is for those who are actively seeking The Kingdom of God! I actually fought against writing this article, because this to many, may seem far out, but then again, “Not my will, but yours be done”.
My quest to understand and apprehend The Kingdom of God, is an ongoing one, and it stemmed from this one scripture -
Matthew 6:33
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
I realized that Jesus was saying that this is the 'one thing' I should seek… But where is this Kingdom? I have run with the best of them, seeking God in places, in meetings, and through people, but in all those endeavors, NEVER did I even get a glimpse of the Kingdom of God was truly about…, And no wonder… Let’s take a look at scripture:
Luke 17:20-24
20 Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, 21 nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.”
22 Then he said to his disciples, “The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. 23 People will tell you, ‘There he is!’ or ‘Here he is!’ Do not go running off after them. 24 For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other.
Yet people are STILL running helter-skelter, seeking The Kingdom of God…
The Lord started teaching me about the concept of time, about a year and a half to two years ago, and it was at a time (pardon the pun) when I was at home recovering from a surgical procedure… A time when I was technically not doing anything because I was not able to…
Since then, I have come to understand that, in the Kingdom of God, Jesus is the King, and that His Kingdom is timeless, and everything that was, is now, and will ever be, just 'IS' in the Kingdom of God… This revelation of the Kingdom for me, threw a great light on Matt 6:33, because if IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD, I have access to my past, present and future through the knowledge of Christ and by the revelation of the Holy Spirit, why then would I fear, worry or doubt God? I would be able to ‘see’ and call into being those things which ‘be not’ in this world, from the Kingdom of God!
I will share a glimpse that I got into the nature of The Kingdom of God from scripture as the Lord showed it to me…
The sequence of events starts in scripture from when Jesus asked his disciples – “Who do men say that I am, (note that he did not ask the question – what do men think of me? Because in the big picture, that is really of no consequence) in Matthew 16:13-20… Peter then went to give his landmark answer that identified Jesus as the Son of God…
Jesus then made a curious statement:
Matthew 16:28
“Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”
I didn’t understand this scripture up until the time that I realized that it was the same Peter, who had this revelation, along with James and John that Jesus took up to the mount of transfiguration, on the seventh day after this statement was made…
Here is the scene that unfolded:
Matthew 17:1-9
1 After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. 3 Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus. 4 Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified. 7 But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.” 8 When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus. 9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, “Don’t tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”
Luke 9:27-36
27 “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God.” 28 About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. 29 As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. 30 Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. 31 They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. 32 Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. 33 As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what he was saying.) 34 While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and covered them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. 35 A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.” 36 When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves and did not tell anyone at that time what they had seen.
To write line-by-line about what unfolded in these verses, would take a very loooooong time, but I will try to summarize the major points below:
· Jesus, Peter, James and John went up to the mountain of God after Jesus had started talking to them more about The Kingdom
· While on the mountain they saw Jesus in his glory, and two other men Moses and Elijah, who was not in earthly existence at that time!
· These men were TALKING with Jesus, AND they were speaking of FUTURE events!
· Peter said it is good for us to be here (where?) and offered to build tabernacles for the three of them (which we Christians are still offering to do today)
· God spoke from heaven stating that the presence of Jesus and hearing his Word, was more important than building him an earthly tabernacle.
· Jesus urged them not to speak of these events till he had died and resurrected any wonder why? I wager to say that if they had, people would have 1. Enshrined that mountain, much as we do today, 2. Jesus would have been followed EVERYWHERE in the hope that they also would catch a glimpse of the long gone Elijah and Moses…
Now, what does all this have to do with time or timelessness and The Kingdom of God?
Well here goes:
The Father revealed the essence of timelessness and eternal life in The Kingdom through this occurrence here on earth by pulling back the fabric of time , revealing that which was not thought possible – The fusion and interaction of the past, present and future in The Kingdom of God!
I explain… The time that Jesus came was the time of the prophets, ably represented by Elijah, The time past, was the time of the Law, who more so qualified than Moses to represent… Their future was also present – The promise that Jesus brought…
So therein lay the representation of the past, present and future, together in dialogue and interaction ! Also note that Moses had experienced the Kingdom at the burning bush, which was also upon the mount God- Mount Horeb, and Elijah had been caught up into heaven by a whirlwind in Jordan where according to biblical archeology Mount Horeb the mount of God is located!
... THAT MY FRIEND IS THE KINGDOM OF GOD – A PLACE NOT GEOGRAPHICAL, THAT IS INTANGIBLE, BUT WHOLLY ACCESSIBLE TO ANYONE THROUGH JESUS (I AM THE WAY THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE…) A PLACE WHERE TIMELESSNESS IS THE ETERNAL QUALITY OF GOD, A PLACE WHERE THE PAST, THE PRESENT AND THE FUTURE INTERACT, DIALOGUE AND INTERPHASE IN ONE DIMENSIONLESS PLANE!
No wonder why Peter wanted to stay there and build a tabernacle for them! This was the ultimate! To understand the past, fully experience the present, and know the future, have them fluidly interact with each other… there would be no room for worry, no allowance for doubt, and no opportunity for lack, because everything that should ‘be’ IS!
No wonder the patriarchs of faith were so fully persuaded and did not waver in their faith… They ‘SAW’ what they ‘KNEW' in the Kingdom!
Hebrews 11
1 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
2 This is what the ancients were commended for.
3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
4 By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.
5 By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
7 By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.
8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.
17 By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son,
20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.
21 By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.
22 By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions concerning the burial of his bones.
23 By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.
24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.
27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible.
29 By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.
30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days.
31 By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.
32 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets,
33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions,
34 quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies.
35 Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection.
36 Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment.
37 They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated—
38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.
39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, 40 since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.
So friend seek ye first the Kingdom of God – The person of Jesus, The Word of God and the power of His Spirit and all these things (that you are seeking for) will be added to you, because freed from the limitation of time, you will be catapulted into the timelessness of Zoe and be able to ‘see’ and, therefore, be able to call those things which be not, as though they are, because they ‘IS’ in the realm of the I AM… Furthermore neither time, space, energy, nor matter is able to limit those who are of the Kingdom…
Ergo, Enoch who walked with God all the way from Genesis through The Law, past The Prophets, Past The Promise, to The fulfillment in the book of Jude!
Ergo, Sarah who had a baby at the age of 90 years of age because she apprehended the Kingdom by seeing herself as she is in the Kingdom of God, not calling herself by her name in time – Sarai, but by her name in Zoe – Sarah!
Ergo, Mary who birthed the King of Glory FROM eternity into time, and many more as is listed in Hebrews 11…
This is a mystery, but Mark 4:11 says
…He said unto them, unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables.
So who do men say that you are? Barren, poor, wretched, depressed, a failure, whatever… If it does not agree with what God’s Word says about you, locate your self in God’s Kingdom and by REVELATION call those things which be not as though they are and they will be translated from out of time, into time, by the Word of His Power --- THAT’S The kingdom of God!
And nothing shall be impossible to him/her who believes… because though
… "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."
Matthew 19:26b
Romans 14:17
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness (based on our covenant relationship with God), peace (as we understand that this too shall pass) and joy in the Holy Spirit (for that which is set before us)… Halleluyah!
Selah.
© Adepero Mettabel, 01.26.14.
PS My computer crashed five times while writing this article, but it is written!
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