Realized, Non Realized

There is a tension between realized and non-realized eschatology. There is an already, not yet tension. We have already come to the city of the living God (Heb 12:22), not as Abraham who saw it afar off. We have already passed from death into eternal life. But we still await the full manifestation of His kingdom when He puts down all enemies (Heb 13:14).

Peter’s admonition that we look for the new heavens and new earth means that we should give diligence to live by the values of the redemption that God has already brought us into. We are not of this world. We live by the values of the kingdom of God and by this hope we purify ourselves in this world (1 John 3:1-3). Peter’s admonition is just like the many admonitions in Hebrews, or in Paul’s epistles. We have not yet arrived. We have not yet finished our race.

Heb 6:5 says that the powers of the world to come are already present. We are in the New Heaven and New Earth now, which will be fully manifested at the end of this world, when God removes the curse. This full manifestation is the New Heaven and New Earth that Revelation 21 speaks of. It is the church, which we have entered now through Christ and which is eternal.

We do not use this already/not yet concept wrongly, to suggest:

1. Sin is not yet overcome.
2. Satan is not yet overcome.
3. That we are still under the Old Covenant.

Heb 12:22-23 says we that have come to the heavenly Jerusalem and Heb 13:14 says that we seek the city to come. This seeking is the full vindication of our faith, our hope fulfilled in the resurrection and not the fulfilment of the New Covenant rest which we already entered (Rom 8:24-25). The same can be said for 2 Pet 3:13 where we have already entered the New Covenant but actively await the full vindication of Christ’s authority for the church on earth and in eternity.