You might not know it, the way we Christians talk. But even in volatile seasons, the Lord Jesus urges us to do what the Proverbs 31 woman did: Smile at the future. Laugh at the days to come.¹

In John 16:33, Jesus said it this way:

In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. (NKJV)

Only when we see his words in context do we begin to grasp their force. Jesus wasn’t dismissing or minimizing the hard stuff. He was facing the worst head-on, and announcing beforehand, “Take courage. I have conquered it.”

Here, then, is the context:

The night before his crucifixion, Christ ate with his 12 apostles in an upper room. Then, as Judas exited to betray him, Jesus walked with the 11 to the Garden of Gethsemane. Along the way, he talked. Every word he spoke prepared his followers for the new, volatile season already careening in.²

Before entering the garden where he would be betrayed and arrested, Jesus stopped teaching and started praying. He prayed for all his followers of all time (John 17). The last thing he uttered before he prayed – the capstone of his teachings – was this:

I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.] (John 16:33 AMPC)

Seeing the greater reality

With Jesus’ strong words in mind, let’s rewind to the scene in the upper room and replay an excerpt.

First, though, pause to imagine that you’re standing in a doorway between two rooms. The people in one room can see only what’s taking place there. But you can see simultaneously what’s happening in both. You can see how the events in one room dramatically impact and radically alter what happens in the other.

So now, notice what Jesus saw and did, as he stood with eyes wide open to two realities:

Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father.

The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus.

Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God;

so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist (John 13:1-5).

How could Jesus smile at the future? Facing his own crucifixion, how could he tell his disciples, “Be of good cheer”? Jesus lived in two worlds simultaneously. He walked and taught, healed people and washed feet, wept in agony, died on a cross and rose again in this world. At the same time, he saw and operated in another world, a kingdom that already exists and, though unseen, rules over all.

Taking up the towel in the upper room, Jesus saw his Father handing him “complete charge of everything” (John 13:3 MSG). He saw the cross, the resurrection, the Holy Spirit’s coming – and the sweeping changes all of that would bring in eternity and in time; in heaven and on earth. Stooping to wash dirty feet, Jesus saw his Father standing in heaven’s doorway, welcoming him triumphantly home.

Jesus knew what his followers would see as the next three days unfolded. He deeply desired that they also see the greater reality:

• Because of that pivotal moment in history, God’s kingdom will come. It will arrive in its glorious fullness the day the Lord Jesus returns in glory.
• Because of that pivotal moment in history, God’s kingdom has come. It’s already here.

Because Jesus died and rose again, ascended to heaven and sent the Holy Spirit, all who know him as Lord can also live in two worlds at the same time – the natural world we can see with our eyes, and the supernatural one we can see only by the Spirit.

Living in the light

From the start of his ministry, Jesus announced, “The kingdom of heaven has come near” (Matt. 4:17).

No person on earth can see that kingdom with their physical eyes. Yet in Matthew 13, Jesus spoke of his kingdom in terms of those who see it, and those who don’t.

• Of the crowds that he taught in parables, he said, “Though seeing, they do not see.”
• Of the disciples who had forsaken all to follow him, he said, “Blessed are your eyes because they see” (vv. 13, 16).

The night before his crucifixion, Jesus told his closest followers:

Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. (John 14:19)

Later, the apostle Paul wrote:

For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Cor. 4:17-18)

What is unseen is eternal. That doesn’t mean it starts at death, or when the temporal world ends. The unseen world always exists. Always. Even now.

As Western Christians, we often don’t have a clue how to live in two worlds at the same time. We inhabit the “room” of the natural, and remain oblivious to what is happening simultaneously in the spiritual. Seeing only the “seen,” we deeply fear what lies ahead.

Yet Jesus came, died, rose, ascended and sent the Spirit so we who know him would not live that way.

In the upper room – before the cross – “Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power.” Literally, “The Father had given ALL into his hands.” And thus, Jesus Christ could swallow up the death that tried to swallow him. And after the resurrection, he could affirm, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matt. 28:18). He rules in both worlds!

We don’t yet see it with our physical eyes. But God’s kingdom is here and is increasing. The King of kings is taking territory that our adversary, the devil, was determined to keep forever his. That territory is not geo-political.

God’s kingdom comes as we confess with our lips, our hearts and our lives: Jesus Christ is Lord!

We thank God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ because … he rescued us from the power of darkness, and re-established us in the kingdom of his beloved Son, that is, in the kingdom of light. (Col. 1:3, 13 Phillips)

Living in his light, we do not deny the realities of this world. Nor do we take matters into our own hands. By grace, we see and surrender to him our pride and selfishness, discouragement, fear, resentment and pain.

Spirit-to-spirit, he teaches us to honor his name and to walk in his ways. He confronts us when we say we’re seeking first his kingdom, but are striving instead to get what we think is best for us. He calls us to join him as he accomplishes his good will in us and in the earth.

He give us eyes to see what’s occurring here in light of what’s happening in the unseen realm. By grace, we cooperate with our Lord as he works in his ways, to initiate in his world what will overcome and redeem the evil that happens in ours.

Seated in the heavenly realms

The apostle John lived in two worlds, and he saw God’s kingdom come. Even when exiled to the island of Patmos, John saw into, and lived from, that other world:

After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne. (Rev. 4:1-2 ESV)

Paul also lived in two worlds. In Ephesians 2:4-7, he wrote:

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

Paul did not deny the reality: We are still here, in the big middle of this world and its turmoil and pain. Yet also, Paul saw and announced: We who are in Christ are, even now, seated in that throne room with God.

From there, we can see this world in a whole new light. We can see, and display, and revel in, God’s kindness. And by the incomparable riches of his grace, we in whom Christ reigns can, even now, begin to reign in life with him.³

Living in two worlds, we can find peace and confidence rising in us, no matter how volatile the season. We can take courage. We can remain undaunted. We can be of good cheer.

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The original version of this series was published Feb-Apr 2014, and was adapted from the Key Truths e-column, “Smiling Just Thinking About It,” 2008, 2014. The original version of this post was first published April 10, 2014.

Smiling at the Future series

Might turbulent times be key times to learn the laughter born of faith?

• Smiling just thinking about it
• Living in two worlds
• Fighting fear with fear
• Look ahead with hope

Footnotes

1. I explore Proverbs 31:25 more fully in the first post in this series, Smiling just thinking about it. ↩︎
2. See John 13-16. ↩︎
3. Rebecca Davis explores a key aspect of reigning in life in her chapter on “The Authority We Have in Jesus Christ,” in her new release, Untwisting Scriptures: Book 2, Authority and Patriarchy. ↩︎