"Jesus said, 'My Kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now (at present, continually) my Kingdom is from another place.'" (John 18:36).
There is a difference between being "good" and being "righteous"; the just shall live by faith and see the face of the Lord even in the worst of circumstances, knowing that there is a clear line between what they can expect to receive in this world that hates God and all who are truly His, and the world to come at the end of the current age of humanity. "Lift up your eyes to the heavens, for your Redeemer draws near" is not merely a pie-in-the-sky "wouldn't it be nice if Jesus came back today" statement, it's an article of faith that Christians have held to for thousands of years, and will continue to hold on to until the time of His return, of which no man can know the day nor the hour.
In short, Christianity is lived in the present tense.