Question:
In God's plan we live in a period of "INTERLUDE," can you clarify?
Response:
The Kingdom of God is sometimes described as "Already, Not Yet." This is the INTERLUDE so to speak.
John the Baptist began proclaiming that the "Kingdom of Heaven is at hand" [Matt 3:2], announcing the coming of the Messiah Jesus Christ [Matt 3:11]. When Jesus is baptized, John's ministry quickly diminishes, but Jesus continues the proclamation that the Kingdom of God is near [Mark 1:15, Luke 10:9, etc.]. However, at times, Jesus also hints that the Kingdom of God has in fact arrived [Luke 11:20]. To understand this apparent paradox, we should examine John 3:1-21:
John 3:1-21
1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him." 3 Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." 4 Nicodemus said to him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?" 5 Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." 9 Nicodemus said to him, "How can these things be?" 10 Jesus answered him, "Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? 11 Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except him who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life." 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his deeds have been carried out in God.
From this passage, we should be able to see that those who are of the Kingdom of God are born of "water and the Spirit" [John 3:5]. Unfortunately, this is often misunderstood. Sadly, many superstitous people believe that the baptism ritual is the seal of salvation (which is incorrect). However, it is an indicator. So, if that is the case, what did Jesus mean by "water." Clearly, it is somehow related to baptism.
First, we need to understand that baptism is not introduced in the New Testament. Paul describes Israel coming out of Egypt as being baptized with Moses [1 Cor 10:2]. Arguably, there is baptism language even in the Creation account itself (Gen 1:2). Without going into the detail this subject deserves, in Mark 10:38, Jesus describes his coming death as a "baptism" which is a strong New Testament echo of an Old Testament concept (see Psalm 69).
Psalm 69:
TO THE CHOIRMASTER: ACCORDING TO LILIES. OF DAVID.
1 Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck.
2 I sink in deep mire, where there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, and the flood sweeps over me.
3 I am weary with my crying out; my throat is parched. My eyes grow dim with waiting for my God.
4 More in number than the hairs of my head are those who hate me without cause; mighty are those who would destroy me, those who attack me with lies. What I did not steal must I now restore?
5 O God, you know my folly; the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you.
6 Let not those who hope in you be put to shame through me, O Lord GOD of hosts; let not those who seek you be brought to dishonor through me, O God of Israel.
7 For it is for your sake that I have borne reproach, that dishonor has covered my face.
8 I have become a stranger to my brothers, an alien to my mother's sons.
9 For zeal for your house has consumed me, and the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me.
10 When I wept and humbled my soul with fasting, it became my reproach.
11 When I made sackcloth my clothing, I became a byword to them.
12 I am the talk of those who sit in the gate, and the drunkards make songs about me.
13 But as for me, my prayer is to you, O LORD. At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness.
14 Deliver me from sinking in the mire; let me be delivered from my enemies and from the deep waters.
15 Let not the flood sweep over me, or the deep swallow me up, or the pit close its mouth over me.
16 Answer me, O LORD, for your steadfast love is good; according to your abundant mercy, turn to me.
17 Hide not your face from your servant; for I am in distress; make haste to answer me.
18 Draw near to my soul, redeem me; ransom me because of my enemies!
19 You know my reproach, and my shame and my dishonor; my foes are all known to you.
20 Reproaches have broken my heart, so that I am in despair. I looked for pity, but there was none, and for comforters, but I found none.
21 They gave me poison for food, and for my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink.
22 Let their own table before them become a snare; and when they are at peace, let it become a trap.
23 Let their eyes be darkened, so that they cannot see, and make their loins tremble continually.
24 Pour out your indignation upon them, and let your burning anger overtake them.
25 May their camp be a desolation; let no one dwell in their tents.
26 For they persecute him whom you have struck down, and they recount the pain of those you have wounded.
27 Add to them punishment upon punishment; may they have no acquittal from you.
28 Let them be blotted out of the book of the living; let them not be enrolled among the righteous.
29 But I am afflicted and in pain; let your salvation, O God, set me on high!
30 I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving.
31 This will please the LORD more than an ox or a bull with horns and hoofs.
32 When the humble see it they will be glad; you who seek God, let your hearts revive.
33 For the LORD hears the needy and does not despise his own people who are prisoners.
34 Let heaven and earth praise him, the seas and everything that moves in them.
35 For God will save Zion and build up the cities of Judah, and people shall dwell there and possess it;
36 the offspring of his servants shall inherit it, and those who love his name shall dwell in it. What does this mean? Jesus is basically saying that the baptism necessary to enter into the Kingdom of God is death itself. This is why Jesus says things like: "If
anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?" [Mark 8:34-38]. This is also why Paul exhorts us Christians that we have "died with Christ" [Rom 6:8, 2 Tim 2:11]. However, the funny thing is that we aren't quite "dead yet."
When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are as good as dead, since we have "crucified our old selves with Jesus Christ" [Rom 6:6] but we aren't quite dead yet, which of course is the nature of crucifiction. Crucifiction is a long, slow, and painful death. If understood this way, then when we accept Jesus Christ we don't immediately die, but we are as good as dead. So, we should live this way. In dying with Jesus on the cross (over the rest of our time here on Earth), we experience the Kingdom of God in real time. This is the "INTERLUDE". At some point, we do die, the INTERLUDE ends, and then we will experience the fullness of the Kingdom of God.