The second aspect of the kingdom of the heavens is the reality of the kingdom of the heavens. In order to know the reality of the kingdom of the heavens, we must know what the kingdom of the heavens is. A kingdom is a realm where authority is exercised. Thus, the kingdom of the heavens is the realm where the heavens exercise authority. Daniel 4:25-26 shows that the heavens rule; that is, the Most High is the Ruler. This means that God rules and exercises authority from the heavens as His dwelling place (1 Kings 8:39). The throne of God’s authority is also in the heavens (Psa. 103:19). Therefore, the kingdom of the heavens is the reign of the heavens where God dwells; simply speaking, it is the rule of the heavens. This heavenly ruling is the reality of the kingdom of the heavens. The reality is the ruling of the heavens, which governs us, restricts us, and causes us to submit to God’s authority in all things so that we may be one with God in the heavens in all situations. Thus, the reality of the kingdom of the heavens involves the heavenly authority that true Christians submit to today; it is the heavenly control and exercise that they accept today. Only overcoming believers know this reality; everyone else—including both defeated, genuine believers and false Christians—have no part in it. The words that the Lord spoke on the mountain in Matthew 5 through 7 are related to the reality of the kingdom of the heavens.
1. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of the heavens” (Matt. 5:3).
According to the Lord, the kingdom of the heavens belongs to those who are poor in spirit. When a person is poor in spirit, he is under the ruling of the heavens, and he is in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens. To be poor in spirit means that one feels poor and empty in the depths of his heart and spirit. He is dissatisfied with his condition and even more dissatisfied with the things of this world. By being poor and empty in spirit, there is a constant pursuit of spiritual growth and of God’s riches, which are simply God Himself. Such a person is under the governance of the heavens, and he is in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens. Consequently, he does not have to wait to enter into the kingdom of the heavens, because the kingdom of the heavens is his already.
2. “Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of the heavens” (Matt. 5:10).
The kingdom of the heavens also belongs to those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness. To be persecuted for the sake of righteousness means to be persecuted and troubled by others because one refuses to do unrighteous, improper things in order to keep himself in accord with God’s ways. This is possible only when one submits to God’s authority and lives under God’s heavenly governing in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens. Such a one is in the kingdom of the heavens, and the kingdom of the heavens is his.
Verses 3 and 10 speak of the heavens ruling in a person in reality today; therefore, they both speak of the reality of the kingdom of the heavens. However, these are not the only verses that speak of this reality. All the teachings of the Lord on the mountain in Matthew 5—7 relate to the reality of the kingdom of the heavens and reveal the situation of those who are under the heavenly ruling.
1. Those who are under the governance of the heavens are poor in spirit (5:3). Such ones feel empty and lacking in spiritual matters, especially in God Himself, and thus are desperately seeking. They are mournful in heart (v. 4). Such ones repent and mourn for their poor and desolate condition. They are meek (v. 5). Such ones are as lambs led to the slaughter, suffering persecution without resisting and enduring opposition, shame, and attack. They hunger and thirst for righteousness (v. 6). Such ones seek to have their actions and behavior according to God’s righteous ways and to keep themselves righteous. They are merciful (v. 7). Such ones are sympathetic to the sufferings of others, making allowances for others’ weaknesses, being broad and gracious toward them, while requiring strict righteousness for themselves. They are pure in heart (v. 8). Such ones have no tendencies or hopes apart from God and His will. They are peacemakers (v. 9). Such ones end disputes, restrict the flesh, and hold their tongue. They are persecuted for the sake of righteousness (v. 10). Such ones pay a price for the sake of righteousness and suffer loss to be righteous. They rejoice when reproached, persecuted, and slandered for the Lord’s sake (vv. 11-12). Such ones endure and consider it a joy to be persecuted and cruelly treated by others for the Lord’s sake. The living of those who are in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens and under the heavenly ruling comes out of the first six items, which are conditions of the heart and spirit; such ones also display the last three items as conditions of their outward behavior. These nine items show who is under the governance of the heavens.
2. Those who are under the governance of the heavens are salt on this corrupted earth, eliminating corruption (v. 13). They do not lose the holy, heavenly flavor of a Christian or the power of God that kills the germs of sin. They maintain a heavenly nature and a separation from worldly people. They are also light in the dark world, eliminating the darkness (v. 14). They live in a heavenly realm and do not allow the light of Christ in them to be hidden by anything earthly; instead, they are like a light shining in a dark place (v. 15). Through their actions, they shine out God—who is light—before men, causing others to see God and the light of His glory in them (v. 16). These matters refer to their influence on the world from their living in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens. They are salt to corruption and light to darkness.
3. Those who are under the governance of the heavens are not under the law, but their living and actions are not lower than the righteousness of the law. On the contrary, their living exceeds the standard of the righteousness of the law, being absolutely holy with a surpassing righteousness (v. 20). They not only refrain from killing others, but they do not even hate others. Their flesh is not provoked; they do not become angry with their brothers, nor do they curse their brothers (vv. 21-22). They strive to be reconciled to their brothers and at peace with men (vv. 23-25). They not only flee from the act of adultery but refuse even adulterous thoughts (vv. 27-28). They restrict the lusts of the flesh, putting to death the members of their body (vv. 29-30). They do not defile themselves or cause their wives to be defiled (vv. 31-32). They do not speak loose words; their speaking is accurate and honest: Yes is yes and no is no, without additional words (vv. 33-37). They do not oppose others; if someone slaps them on the right cheek, they turn the left to be slapped also (vv. 38-39). If someone takes their inner garment, they give him their outer garment (v. 40). If someone forces them to walk for one mile, they go with him for two miles (v. 41). If anyone asks anything of them, they give it to him. If anyone wants to borrow something from them, they do not refuse to lend it (v. 42). They are not touched inwardly by earthly things; they live entirely apart from the things of the earth. They do not love only their neighbors but also their enemies. They pray for those who persecute them, do not look on others with enmity, and do not blame others (vv. 43-44). In loving others, they do not have their own choices or preferences but are perfect as their heavenly Father is perfect (vv. 45-48). These points speak of the restrictions on those who live in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens, which come from the law of the life within them and which far surpass the requirements of the outward law of letters.
4. Those who are under the governance of the heavens do good and act righteously. They are watchful and careful to refuse the actions of the flesh. They do not boast, make a show, or brag (6:1). When they give alms, their motive is pure, so they do not let their left hand know what their right hand is doing. They do things secretly before God and not before men (vv. 2-4). They pray often in their private room, but they do not exhibit themselves in their praying (vv. 5-6). Their prayer and words are clean, so they sanctify God’s name and pray for His kingdom to come and for His will to be done on earth before asking for their own needs (vv. 7-11). They also confess their sins before God and ask Him to keep them from temptation and to deliver them from the evil one. The goal of their prayer is completely for God’s kingdom, power, and glory (vv. 12-13). They forgive others so that God may forgive them (vv. 14-15). When they fast before God, they do not show others that they are fasting; they are spiritual without appearing to be spiritual (vv. 16-18). They are not falsely spiritual, nor do they make much of their spirituality. They do not have a spiritual façade; on the contrary, they live and act like ordinary people. Those who live in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens are restricted by the heavens, and in the matter of good deeds and righteous acts, they are simple and pure. Because they are restricted, they not only avoid sinning but also restrict their flesh and their self from being mixed into their good and righteous actions.
5. Those who are under the governance of the heavens do not store up riches on earth; thus, they have nothing worthy of clinging to on earth and are completely turned toward the heavens so that their eye may be single and bright, causing their entire being to be full of light and without darkness (vv. 19-23). They do not serve mammon; they serve only God (v. 24). They do not love money; they love only God. They do not allow earthly riches to entangle their hearts; they allow only the God of the heavens to fill their hearts. They do not rely on earthly riches; they rely only on the living God in the heavens. Others cannot see the power of money in their lives; they see only God’s care. Thus, they live for God’s concerns and not in their anxieties, like the birds of heaven and the lilies of the field (vv. 25-29). Although they give alms, pray, and fast secretly, they enjoy God’s care openly. Their faces do not show the effects of fasting; instead, they are clothed with the glory of the lilies. They hide their own goodness and righteousness, but they express God’s grace and glory (vv. 30-32). They seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness more than the clothing and food for this life (v. 33). They strive to submit to God’s authority, to be according to God’s ways, and to not care for the needs of their living. They know only to submit to God’s authority, to be according to God’s ways, and to not worry about how they will live tomorrow. While they are faithful today, they are not anxious for tomorrow (v. 34). These items speak of the attitude toward riches of those who live in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens. They live on the earth, but they take God as their all and do not allow themselves to be usurped by riches.
6. Those who are under the governance of the heavens do not judge the mistakes of others but think only of their own shortcomings (7:1-2). They do not see the splinter in their brother’s eye, because they see only the beam in their own (vv. 3-4). They deal with themselves first, then with their brother (v. 5). When they preach the Word or give a testimony, they have no fleshly interests and do not follow their own desires. They do not loosely speak with others about God’s truth, that is, about the holy things of God or about their own subjective experiences, their own “pearls” (v. 6). They ask for the Lord’s grace, pay the price to seek the Lord Himself, and spend time to knock in prayer; they live before the Lord (vv. 7-8). They are willing to treat others as they would be treated themselves (vv. 9-12). These points show how those who live in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens are principled in their dealings with others—they do not loosely follow their own will, they are not careless, and they treat others as they wish to be treated.
7. Those who are under the governance of the heavens enter by the narrow gate and walk in the constricted way, refusing the self, the flesh, human will, and the world (vv. 13-14). They do not desire human greatness, nor do they allow themselves leeway; they constantly live in life and take life as the goal. They guard against false prophets and do not easily believe human reasoning; they examine the fruits of preachers and test their behavior (vv. 15-20). To pursue the kingdom of the heavens, they obey the will of God (v. 21). They make the will of God the center of all things; they do not make preaching the gospel, casting out demons, working miracles, doing spiritual work, or doing good deeds the center of their lives (vv. 22-23). They single-mindedly seek God’s good pleasure; they do not ask to be welcomed by man nor do they follow their own desires. Their behavior and actions, their living and work, are wholly according to Christ’s words, not according to the traditions of men, the thoughts of men, the ordinances of men, the trend of the world, or their own views (vv. 24-27). These points show how those who live in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens base their work and life on the narrow gate, the straight way, the will of God, and the Lord’s Word.
The items mentioned in the preceding seven points represent the condition of those under the heavenly rule. Thus, they represent the reality of the kingdom of the heavens. Living in these things equals living in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens.
The Lord’s teachings on the mountain show that the reality of the kingdom of the heavens is our living according to the heavenly rule within us, which causes us to leave sin, to overcome our temper, to deny our flesh and our self, to reject the world, to oppose Satan, to submit to the heavenly authority, to receive the heavenly restriction, and to live on the earth today without any flavor of the earth, bearing only a heavenly likeness.
In the Old Testament age God required the children of Israel to wear fringes on the borders of their garments with a cord of blue on the fringe of each border (Num. 15:38-39). Blue is the color of the heavens. God wanted them to have a cord of blue on the fringes of their garments to surround their steps. This signifies that their walk was to be restricted by the heavens so that they would not follow their own heart and eyes to commit fornication, because they were God’s people and should be separated from all the people on the earth.
In the New Testament age God wants us to be separated from the earth, to leave all earthly things behind, and to live in a heavenly situation to an even greater extent than the children of Israel. This is because His salvation saves us to the extent that we are able to live under the reality of the heavenly ruling in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens. He regenerates us with His heavenly life from the heavens (John 3:3, 5; born can be translated “born from above”); He gives us His heavenly nature (1 Cor. 15:47-48), makes us citizens of His heavenly kingdom (Phil. 3:20), and causes us to sit together with Christ in the heavenlies (Eph. 2:6). Thus, although today we cannot go up to the heavens, the heavenly life is within us and can abide in us. We are on the earth, but we are heavenly. We are people of the heavens who enjoy the heavenly authority and who can live in a heavenly atmosphere and obtain the heavenly supply, as mentioned in Hebrews (see 12:23; 11:16; 6:4; 3:1). This is similar to an American citizen who was born in China. Although he has not been to America, he has the American life within him. He is in China, but he is American and belongs to America. He is a genuine American who can enjoy the privileges of being an American and live in an American family with the American life supply and flavor. As heavenly citizens on earth, we are heavenly people, even though we are on earth. We have the heavenly life and can have a heavenly living on earth with the heavenly supply and flavor. If we live by the heavenly life within us, we will live in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens, submit to the heavenly authority, receive the restriction of the heavens, and be separated from sin, our temper, the activities of our flesh and self, the world, Satan, and the flavor of the earth. Our living, work, speaking, and actions will bear a heavenly likeness and be full of a heavenly flavor.
One who lives in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens submits to the heavenly authority, receives the heavenly restriction, and does not need man to govern him. He can keep the law and be orderly much more than other human beings because the heavens rule, govern, and restrict him. The governance of heaven is stricter and more thorough than the governance of man. What national laws, household rules, school ordinances, or regulations from superiors can govern us more strictly and more thoroughly than the rule of the heavens? The need for these kinds of regulation proves that we are not up to the standard of a Christian because we do not allow the heavens to govern us and do not live in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens. If we can be loose when no one is ruling us and if we can do things that are unethical or illegal, we are not under the ruling of the heavens. If we can lose our temper at will or argue with others loosely, we are not restricted by the heavens. If our fleshly temper is easily excited and we can speak and act in the flesh, we are living outside of the reality of the kingdom of the heavens, and we have lost our heavenly position and fallen into an earthly condition. We must be completely free of the flesh and the self; we must reject the world and live in the heavenly realm—submitting to the heavenly authority, receiving the heavenly restriction, living a heavenly life with a heavenly appearance and flavor on earth—in order to be in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens.
Although the kingdom of the heavens has not yet been manifested, we can live in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens today. If we pursue to overcome, to please the Lord, to submit to God’s heavenly authority, and to accept God’s heavenly governing and exercise, we will participate in this reality. This is the second aspect of the kingdom of the heavens.