We have seen that the kingdom of the heavens is the ruling of the heavens, that it is a specific section within the kingdom of God, that it drew near at John the Baptist’s preaching and at the preachings of Christ and His disciples, that it began at the church’s beginning, and that it is wrapped up with the church. In this message we shall go on to see the three aspects of the kingdom of the heavens.
According to the Gospel of Matthew, there are three aspects of the kingdom of the heavens: the reality, the appearance, and the manifestation. The reality of the kingdom of the heavens is the inward content of the kingdom of the heavens in its heavenly and spiritual nature, as revealed in chapters five through seven. The appearance of the kingdom of the heavens is the outward condition of the kingdom of the heavens in name, as revealed in chapter thirteen. The manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens is the practical coming of the kingdom of the heavens in power, as revealed in chapters twenty-four and twenty-five. Both the reality and the appearance of the kingdom of the heavens are with the church today. The reality of the kingdom of the heavens is the proper church life (Rom. 14:17), which is within the appearance of the kingdom of the heavens, known as Christendom. The manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens will be the heavenly part of the coming millennial kingdom. If we have a full understanding of these three aspects of the kingdom of the heavens, we shall know the truth of the kingdom of the heavens in a very thorough way.
Matthew 5—7 reveals the reality of the kingdom of the heavens. The word spoken by the Lord Jesus in these chapters is the revelation of the spiritual living and heavenly principles of the kingdom of the heavens.
The reality of the kingdom of the heavens is the reality of the overcoming church life. The record of Matthew 5—7 gives us a view of a certain kind of reality, the reality of the high standard of the divine life. This is the overcoming church life.
The reality of the kingdom of the heavens exists today within the church in the church age. However, there is not much of the reality of the kingdom of the heavens in today’s Christianity. We hope that among us in the church life the reality of the kingdom of the heavens will increase continually.
A number of verses in Matthew indicate that the reality of the kingdom of the heavens is an exercise to the seeking believers. Matthew 5:3 says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of the heavens.” The spirit here refers not to the Spirit of God but to our human spirit, the deepest part of our being, the organ for us to contact God and realize spiritual things. To be poor in spirit is not only to be humble but also to be emptied in our spirit, in the depth of our being, not holding on to the old things but being unloaded to receive the new things, the things of the kingdom of the heavens. We need to be poor, emptied, unloaded, in this part of our being so that we may realize and possess the kingdom of the heavens. According to the Lord’s word, if we are poor in spirit, the kingdom of the heavens is ours. This means that if we are poor in spirit, we are in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens now in the church age.
Anyone who is not poor in spirit but instead is proud and full in his spirit is not under the exercise of the kingdom of the heavens. If we are poor in spirit, we shall say, “Lord, I know nothing. Have mercy on me. Lord, I am poor in my spirit and I am hungry after You.” If we pray in this way, being poor in spirit, we shall be under the exercise of the kingdom of the heavens.
Matthew 5:10 says, “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of the heavens.” The whole world lies in the evil one (1 John 5:19) and is filled with unrighteousness. Every aspect of the world is unrighteous. If we hunger and thirst for righteousness (Matt. 5:6), we shall be persecuted for the sake of righteousness. This indicates that we need to pay a price for the righteousness we seek for the kingdom of the heavens. If we are righteous, we shall be condemned, opposed, and persecuted. This is another aspect of the exercise of the kingdom of the heavens in its reality.
In 5:10 the Lord tells us that those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness are blessed, “for theirs is the kingdom of the heavens.” If we seek righteousness at a cost, the kingdom of the heavens becomes ours. If we suffer persecution for the sake of righteousness, ours is the kingdom of the heavens. This indicates that suffering for the sake of righteousness is a condition for participation in the kingdom of the heavens. If we do not remain in righteousness, we are outside the kingdom. But if we stay in righteousness, we are in the kingdom because the kingdom is absolutely a matter of righteousness. As we seek righteousness, we should be prepared to confront persecution. We shall be persecuted for the sake of righteousness. If we are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, we are truly under the exercise of the kingdom of the heavens.
In Matthew 5:20 the Lord Jesus says, “Unless your righteousness surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall by no means enter into the kingdom of the heavens.” The surpassing righteousness is the condition of entering into the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens in the millennium. By keeping the highest law to the highest standard, we fulfill the condition for entering into the coming manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens.
In 5:20 righteousness does not refer to the objective righteousness, which is the Christ we receive when we believe in Him that we may be justified before God (1 Cor. 1:30; Rom. 3:26). The Lord’s word in Matthew 5:20 refers to the subjective righteousness, which is the indwelling Christ lived out of us as our righteousness that we may live in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens today and enter into its manifestation in the future. This subjective righteousness is not obtained merely by fulfilling the old law, but by completing the old law through the fulfillment of the new law for the kingdom of the heavens, the law given by the Lord Jesus in Matthew 5:17-48. This righteousness of the believers according to the new law of the kingdom surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees according to the old law. It is impossible for our natural life to gain this surpassing righteousness; it can be produced only by the divine life, the resurrection life of Christ.
To enter into the kingdom of God requires regeneration as a new beginning of our life (John 3:3, 5), but to enter into the kingdom of the heavens demands surpassing righteousness in our living after regeneration. To enter into the kingdom of the heavens means to live in its reality today and to participate in its manifestation in the future.
In Matthew 7:21 the Lord says, “Not every one who says to Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of the heavens, but he who does the will of My Father who is in the heavens.” To enter into the kingdom of the heavens we need to call on the Lord and do the will of the heavenly Father. To call on the Lord suffices for us to be saved (Rom. 10:13), but to enter into the kingdom of the heavens we also need to do the will of the heavenly Father. Because entering into the kingdom of the heavens requires doing the will of the heavenly Father, it is clearly different from entering into the kingdom of God by being regenerated (John 3:3, 5). This latter is by the birth of the divine life; the former is by the living of that life.