What is the real meaning of the kingdom? A kingdom is a rule, a government, and the kingdom of God simply means the rule and government of God. From eternity to eternity God is the King, the sovereign almighty Ruler of the whole universe. The entire universe from eternity to eternity is the kingdom of God. According to Ezekiel 28:11-19 and Isaiah 14:12-20, one of the archangels, Lucifer, rebelled against God, and a number of the angels followed him in his rebellion (Rev. 12:3-4). After the creation of man, Lucifer, or Satan, came to induce man to rebel also. Due to these two rebellions—that of Satan with his angels and that of man—the ruling and government of God has been greatly interrupted, tested, and attacked. Instead of being under the rule and control of God, the earth has come under the rule and control of Satan with fallen man. This is the earthly kingdom. By the time the Lord Jesus came to the earth at His incarnation, nearly the whole earth was the kingdom of the earth, controlled by Satan with man. The Lord Jesus came to work out God’s intention of bringing His kingdom into this world. God’s intention is to have the earth controlled by the heavens. For this reason He needs to bring His kingdom to the earth. The whole earth needs to be brought under a heavenly rule and government. The Lord Jesus came to bring the earth under the rule of the kingdom of the heavens.
This is why John the Baptist cried, “Repent, for the kingdom of the heavens has drawn near” (Matt. 3:2). Men needed to repent and to come under the heavenly rule. When the Lord Jesus came with the kingdom of the heavens, He was rejected by the Jewish people, so He turned to the Gentiles and established His church among the Gentiles. Within the church He brought all things under the rule and government of the heavens. In the church there is the heavenly rule and government, and there is the reality of the kingdom of the heavens. During the period of the church age, however, the kingdom of the heavens, the heavenly rule, is not manifested in an open way. Rather, it is a heavenly rule in a very mysterious and hidden way. Although it is not yet manifested, the reality of the heavenly rule is present. In the church at least some of the Christians are under the ruling of the heavens. With them there is the reality of the kingdom of the heavens.
When the Lord Jesus comes back, He will subdue the whole world, and the kingdom of the world will become the kingdom of our Lord. At that time the kingdom of the heavens will be manifested in an open way (Rev. 11:15). The kingdom of the heavens will become the ruling power and will govern in a manifested, open way, not in a mysterious and hidden way. Now the kingdom of the heavens rules within the church in a hidden, mysterious way, but at that time the kingdom of the heavens will be fully manifested. The kingdom of the heavens simply means the heavenly rule and government. If you are in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens, you are under the rule of the heavens.
When the Lord Jesus turned the kingdom of the heavens to the church, He brought a group of people out of the world to be under the heavenly rule. Through regeneration all the Christians have been brought into the kingdom of the heavens. This means that all Christians by their regeneration have been brought under the rule of the heavens. This is a marvelous beginning, but after such a good beginning through regeneration, not many are willing to be ruled by the heavens. Therefore, they are regenerated and saved by the Lord, yet they are defeated. They had a good beginning, but they did not have a good continuation. They were brought into the kingdom by their new birth, but they did not continue practically in the kingdom by being willing to be ruled by the heavens. Within the church the true believers have been regenerated and brought into the kingdom of God. But among these true believers many are defeated. Only a small number are victorious and overcoming. The overcomers are the ones who are willing to be under the rule of the kingdom of the heavens. They are willing to live and walk and do things according to the teachings of the Lord concerning the reality of the kingdom in Matthew 5—7. They are sanctified, they are victorious over sin, self, the flesh, and the world, and they are in the process of being transformed.
Let me cite some examples to help you understand the meaning of being under the rule of the heavens. In a university there are many students who are unsaved; there are other students who are regenerated, saved Christians, but who are not victorious and overcoming. Rather, they are defeated. Only a small number of the Christians are victorious and overcoming. Because most of the students may be naughty, they need to be controlled by the administration of the school. If, however, you are a Christian under the rule of the kingdom of the heavens, you should not need the control of the administration of the school. If the rules say that the lights must be off by 10:30, you do not need someone to come by and enforce this rule. The unbelievers and the defeated Christians may even cover the light and continue to study until two o’clock in the morning. If you did such a thing and you were under the rule of the kingdom of the heavens, you would surely repent and go to the school administration, apologizing and offering to pay for the electricity. If you are under the rule of the kingdom of the heavens, there is no need for anyone to control you. If we need policemen to control us, it means we are defeated Christians. We must be those heavenly people who are under a heavenly ruling and a heavenly government. We should have no need of any other kind of rule.
Even cultured, educated ladies and gentlemen will sometimes steal something when they have an opportunity. This means they are simply under the control of this earth; they are not under the rule of the heavens. If the police were removed from any major city, what confusion and chaos would result! This is because people today are under the control of the earth and the earthly government and not under the rule of the kingdom of the heavens.
As the heavenly people, we must be under the heavenly rule, under the kingdom of the heavens. This is the reality of the kingdom of the heavens. God’s intention in regenerating us is to bring us under His heavenly rule. But many of us, after being regenerated, are not willing to be ruled by the heavens. We are in the church, but we are not in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens.
The kingdom of the heavens belongs to those who are poor in spirit, who are pure in heart, who are meek, whose righteousness exceeds that of the Pharisees, and who do the will of God. Whoever lives in such a way is in the kingdom of the heavens, and the kingdom of the heavens is theirs. The Word does not say shall be yours but is yours (Matt. 5:3). When we are pure in heart and poor in spirit, the kingdom is ours. This means we are in the kingdom now, and we are under the ruling of the kingdom of the heavens now.