In Hebrew eschatology, time is broken down into different ages. The first age is known as the Olam Hazeh, the present time. The second age is known as Yemot Ha-Mashiach, the days of the Messiah. The third age is the Olam Haba, the world to come, or eternity. There is also a vague term known as Atid Lavo that is used interchangeably with the Olam Haba (eternity) and Yemot Ha-Mashiach (days of Messiah). In Mathew 24:3, the disciples were asking Yeshua when would be the end of the age, or when would the Olam Hazeh come to a close. They were asking about the physical end of the age. When you use the term Atid Lavo, you can be referring to a spiritual time or a physical time. You could be dealing with either the actual physical days of Messiah’s presence, or a spiritual time of tasting a sample of the Olam Haba (eternity).

When you become “born again” you experience this, you’re not in eternity yet, but you have a spiritual bite of the Days of Messiah in you. You’re not walking in his physical presence as you would be in the “literal use” of the term Atid Lavo. During the Messianic Kingdom there will be those who are in both ages, the days of the Messiah and the Olam Haba. To enter into the Olam Haba “completely” one must receive a different body, a glorified body. However, when people enter the “spiritual” Atid Lavo, you get the “down payment” you might say, until the time comes for you to go into the Olam Haba (eternity). In the thousand year reign of Yeshua, there will be people walking in the Days of the Messiah at the same time as they’re walking in the Olam Haba as I mentioned, but they won’t have to experience death again. Others who made it through the tribulation and are believers, will still be growing old and dying like we presently do now, except the life span will be increased then to a thousand years. While the ones who have already died and came back with Yeshua, have already started their eternity, but are walking in the “physical” Days of Messiah, so the age is overlapping for them. Because these two time frames can overlap, we have believers who are existing in two realms “now”, by being partly in the Yemot Ha-Mashiach and partly in the Olam Hazeh (the present time).

There is an actual Days of Messiah, when Yeshua will be here on earth, but also a spiritual time of “The Days of Messiah”. Atid Lavo could refer to either time frame we mentioned, and either a physical or a spiritual time. You might say it’s like “being beside yourself” in the flesh and in the spirit.