The kingdom of Christ and of God, the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ comprise the millennium in the coming age and the new heaven and new earth in eternity; they do not comprise the church age. For this reason, this aspect of the kingdom is not as much a delight to God as the kingdom of the Son of His love, because this aspect of the kingdom refers mainly to God’s authority.
The kingdom of Christ and of God, the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is the kingdom received by Christ from God and brought back by Christ’s coming (Luke 19:12, 15a; Dan. 7:13-14; 2:34-35, 44; Heb. 1:8). In the parable recorded in Luke 19:11-27, the Lord Jesus speaks of a “certain man of noble birth” who “went to a distant country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return.” The man of noble birth here signifies the Savior with the highest status, the status of the God-man. The word “went” signifies the Savior’s going to heaven after His death and resurrection (Luke 24:51; 1 Pet. 3:22), and “return” signifies the Savior’s coming back with the kingdom (Rev. 11:15; 2 Tim. 4:1). Daniel 7:13-14 and 2:34-35, 44 refer to the same kingdom. Furthermore, Hebrews 1:8 says that Christ’s kingdom is forever. The kingdom referred to in all these verses is the kingdom where Christ will exercise the authority given to Him by the Father. Hence, it is the kingdom of Christ. However, it is also the kingdom of God because Christ receives the kingdom from God to be exercised on earth for God’s authority.
In Matthew 26:29 the Lord Jesus refers to the kingdom of the Father. “I will by no means drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in the kingdom of My Father.” The Father’s kingdom is the heavenly part of the millennium, the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens, in which the Lord will drink with us after His coming back.
The Father’s kingdom is the most pleasant, the most delightful, and the most lovable section of the kingdom. This most pleasant, delightful, and lovable section the Father keeps for Himself. For this reason, this part of the kingdom is called the kingdom of the Father.
In Matthew 13:43a the Lord says, “Then the righteous shall shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.” This verse indicates that the kingdom of the Father will be the heavenly part of the millennium, the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens as a reward to the overcomers. In the millennium the overcomers in the heavenly part of the kingdom will reign with Christ over the earthly part.
The overcomers as the righteous, the sons of the kingdom (Matt. 13:38), will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. We are sons of God the Father, and God is light (1 John 1:5; 1 Tim. 6:16). The divine light, which is God Himself, is, of course, much greater than the light of the sun. When in the millennium the overcoming believers enjoy the Father as light, they will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.
The Father’s kingdom will be the manifestation of the reality of the kingdom of the heavens. The reality is here today. In the coming age this reality will be manifested, and that manifestation will be the Father’s kingdom as the heavenly section of the millennial kingdom. This is not a matter of power or authority but a matter of the full expression of the Father’s life.
The requirements of the kingdom of the heavens are the highest requirements, requirements that need the highest life, the life of the Father. Because only the Father’s life can fulfill the requirements of the kingdom of the heavens, the reality of the kingdom of the heavens can be brought in and realized only by the Father’s life. Eventually, the reality of the kingdom of the heavens will be manifested. That manifestation will be the Father’s kingdom, that section of the kingdom which is most pleasant to the Father.
The kingdom of the Son of Man is the earthly section of the millennial kingdom. It is the restored nation of Israel (Acts 1:6), the kingdom of David (Mark 11:10; Luke 1:32-33; 2 Sam. 7:12-13), for the saved Jews.
It is significant that in Matthew 13 the Lord reveals the Father’s kingdom in verse 43 and His kingdom, the kingdom of the Son of Man, in verse 41. In the latter verse the Lord says, “The Son of Man shall send His angels, and they shall gather out of His kingdom all stumblingblocks and those who do lawlessness.” If we compare verses 41 and 43, we shall see that the part of the kingdom reserved by the Son to Himself is not as pleasant as the part reserved for the Father. In the Father’s kingdom the righteous will shine as the sun. This shining, the expression of the Father’s life, is a very pleasant thing. But the “stumblingblocks” and “those who do lawlessness” are not pleasant matters. This indicates that the Son keeps the unpleasant part of the kingdom for Himself, sending His angels to clear away all evil things so that the Father may have the pleasant part of the kingdom. Whereas the shining of the righteous is pleasant, the clearing away of the negative things is unpleasant. The Son, therefore, reserves to Himself the unpleasant part and gives the most pleasant part to the Father. Because the Son of Man comes to clear away all the negative things for the Father, His kingdom, the earthly part of the millennial kingdom, is called the kingdom of the Son of Man.
As the earthly section of the millennial kingdom, the kingdom of the Son of Man will be the restored nation of Israel (Acts 1:6), the kingdom of David (Mark 11:10; Luke 1:32-33; 2 Sam. 7:12-13), for the saved Jews. The saved Jews will be the priests, and the restored nations will be the people. This is the kingdom of the Son of Man, who will manage, rule over, this part of the millennium. This earthly part of the millennium will be under the heavenly part, the royal part. The manifestation of the reality of the kingdom of the heavens will include the royalty, the co-kings, reigning over the earth, on which there will be the saved Jews as the priests and the restored nations as the people. This earthly part of the millennium, including the restored nation of Israel and the restored nations, will be the kingdom of the Son of Man.