Prayer: Lord, we worship You and thank You for this blessed hour in which You have called us into Your name. What a blessing that we can be with You to seek after You through Your word! Lord, bless Your word and bless our spirit. Lord, bless our mind. We desire to hear You, to meet You, to be touched by You, and to touch You. Thank You, Lord, for Your living word. Thank You for Your presence. We enjoy it. We believe and feel assuredly that You are with us. You are with us in Your word and in our spirit. You are with us to be one spirit with us. We desire to speak You forth to others in the spirit. Thank You, Lord. Every time we speak Your word, You are speaking with us. We practice the very fact that You are one with our spirit. Lord, speak in our speaking. Be one spirit with us, and shame the enemy in that You have gained a people on this earth. Lord, at least You have gained us; we are one with You on this earth to testify of You, to tell the whole universe that God is the very God, the very Lord of the entire universe, not only in the heavens but also on earth. We are here testifying of You. O Lord Jesus! Tonight, shame the enemy; shame Satan. Lord Jesus, we accuse him before Your throne. Lord, put him to shame and release all Your riches. Amen.
The entire New Testament concerns God’s New Testament economy from the incarnation of God to the consummation of the New Jerusalem. The first thing that the New Testament teaches us is the incarnation of the Triune God. The second thing is the all-inclusive death of Christ, the third is the resurrection of Christ, and the fourth is the ascension of Christ. The fifth item of God’s New Testament economy is the outpouring of the Holy Spirit for the baptizing of all the believers into one Body. In previous messages we have covered six aspects of the one Body: the Body of Christ, the bride of Christ, the universal new man, the household, or family, of God, the temple of God, and the church, the called-out assembly. In this message we shall begin to consider an additional aspect of the one Body—the kingdom of God and the kingdom of the heavens.
In the Bible the kingdom has many aspects. The first aspect of the kingdom is the kingdom of God, and the second is the kingdom of the heavens. Very few students of the Bible know what the difference between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of the heavens is. Mark, Luke, and John refer to the kingdom of God, whereas Matthew refers to the kingdom of the heavens. This causes many Bible students to think that the kingdom of God and the kingdom of the heavens are identical. However, there is a great difference between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of the heavens.
In the New Testament the kingdom is a complicated matter. For example, certain portions of the New Testament indicate that even at the time of the apostles the kingdom of God was something that would come in the future (Acts 14:22b; 1 Cor. 6:9-10; 15:50); whereas other portions of the New Testament indicate that it is present now (Rom. 14:17; 1 Cor. 4:20; Col. 4:11b). Thus, it is not easy to know the truth concerning the kingdom in the Bible. According to the New Testament teaching, we must classify the kingdom of God and the kingdom of the heavens as two different, particular matters. In this message we shall cover the kingdom of God, and in the next message we shall consider the kingdom of the heavens.
The kingdom of God is the realm of God’s governmental administration, which like His existence, is from eternity to eternity (Psa. 90:2; Dan. 2:44; Matt. 21:43). Psalm 90:2 says that God’s existence is from eternity to eternity. The kingdom of God comes with God’s existence. God’s kingdom goes along with God’s existence. Since God exists, His kingdom surely is present. Wherever God is, His kingdom also is there.
Every man has many desires and intentions. To carry them out, he needs a kingdom; that is, he needs a realm in which to carry out his intentions. When he marries, his wife becomes the first citizen in his “kingdom.” Later, he may have children, who also become citizens of his kingdom. When the man is away from his family, his wife and children may feel free to do as they please, but when he is at home, his presence becomes a kingdom, a ruling influence, to them. Thus, the man’s existence is a kingdom to his family. The duration of this kingdom is the length of the man’s life, or the duration of his existence. His existence determines the duration of his kingdom.
God’s existence is nearly equivalent to His kingdom. God’s existence is from eternity to eternity; hence, His kingdom also is from eternity to eternity. The whole universe is under the government of God. This is a view of God’s kingdom in a broad sense. Adam was in God’s kingdom, as were Enosh, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and the people of Israel. In Matthew 21:43 the Lord Jesus told the chief priests and the Pharisees, “Therefore I say to you that the kingdom of God shall be taken from you and shall be given to a nation producing the fruits of it.” This proves that the kingdom of God was among the children of Israel in the Old Testament time. Daniel 2:44 indicates that God’s kingdom will never be destroyed and that it will stand forever.