Along with our praying for the kingdom’s coming, we need to fight for it. The coming of the kingdom has two aspects: the reality of the kingdom (Matt. 5:3), which is in the proper church life today (Rom. 14:17), and the manifestation of the kingdom in the millennium, which will be brought in through the overcoming believers. The phrase now has come...the kingdom of our God denotes the manifestation of the kingdom of God. If we are the overcomers, we are living in the reality of the kingdom today. Since we are in the reality of the kingdom now, we will certainly be in the manifestation of the kingdom in the future. Being in the manifestation of the kingdom requires us to be in the reality of the kingdom.
The book of Revelation opens with the kingdom. In Revelation 1:9 John tells us that he was our brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and endurance in Jesus. He is our companion in the kingdom. The Lord’s intention in Revelation is to open up the matter of the kingdom to all the saints. Yet in the first few chapters of Revelation, the lampstands as the churches are revealed, not the kingdom. This means that, practically speaking, the churches are the kingdom. The proper church life is the reality of the kingdom. The churches are not simply for the churches but for the kingdom. In Revelation John does not say that he is one of the members of the Body of Christ but that he is our companion in the tribulation and kingdom and endurance in Jesus. Tribulation is needed for the kingdom, and endurance is needed for tribulation. If we would enter into the kingdom, we must suffer. To bear the suffering we need a certain amount of endurance. This is not our endurance but the endurance of Jesus.
The first few chapters of Revelation show us our participation in the kingdom. God’s intention for the church is to have the kingdom, and for this, all His believers must be matured to the extent that they can live in the reality of the kingdom and bring in the manifestation of the kingdom. The manifestation of the kingdom will simply be the maturity and the ultimate growth of the kingdom life. When we live in the reality of the kingdom in its ultimate state, that will be the manifestation of the kingdom. God’s purpose is to have the church, which can bring in His kingdom. The redemption of Christ is to bring in the kingdom. The normal church life is simply the reality of the kingdom, and this reality will consummate in the manifestation of the kingdom. One day the kingdom of God will be manifested. That will be the fulfillment of Revelation 12:10. The kingdom of God will come in full manifestation.
Regrettably, many genuine Christians have not seen this view and are short of this experience. Most have fallen below the standard of the normal church life. Therefore, in the last book of the New Testament, Revelation, the Lord Jesus sounded forth a call, not to the unbelievers but to the believers. Every believer has been called once by the Lord. But in Revelation 2 and 3 the Lord Jesus sent forth a second calling to the believers, a calling to be overcomers. We all have been called to believe, and we all have been called into the church life. But many are still short of the Lord’s purpose and not up to the normal level which is adequate to bring in the manifestation of the kingdom.
Revelation begins with the kingdom in chapter 1 and also declares the coming of the kingdom in chapter 12. This indicates that Revelation is a book on the kingdom. Matthew contains the seed of the kingdom, the Epistles contain the growth and development of the seed of the kingdom, and Revelation contains the harvest of the seed of the kingdom. The first aspect of the harvest of the kingdom is the seven lampstands, and the ultimate harvest of the kingdom will be the holy city, New Jerusalem. The New Jerusalem is simply the harvest of the kingdom to the uttermost. In the New Jerusalem the kingdom will be fully manifested. Even the millennium will not be the ultimate manifestation of the kingdom. But the New Jerusalem in the new heaven and new earth will be the ultimate consummation and fullest manifestation of the kingdom. In the new heaven and new earth with the New Jerusalem, there will be the eternal kingdom of God.
When the manifestation of the kingdom comes, the salvation of God will come in full with the kingdom. God’s salvation has already been manifested to us today, but it will come in full in the kingdom age. It is the same with the power of God and the authority of His Christ. We have participated in God’s power and Christ’s authority today, but our full enjoyment of them will be in the kingdom age.