The appearance of the kingdom of the heavens has a very wide scope, including all who are called Christians, regardless of whether they are real or false. Not all of those who are in the appearance of the kingdom of the heavens are in the church because not all of them are saved. Only the saved ones among them are in the church. The scope of the church is therefore narrower than the scope of the appearance of the kingdom of the heavens. The church includes only those who are true believers, who have the life of Christ.
All those who are in the church are also in the kingdom of God, because during the dispensation of the church, the church is the kingdom of God. The scope of the church and the scope of the kingdom of God during the dispensation of the church are the same. However, not all of those who are in the church are in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens, because not all of them are overcomers. Only the overcomers in the church are in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens. Thus, the scope of the reality of the kingdom of the heavens is narrower than that of the church and the kingdom of God. It includes only the believers who are living a heavenly life and are overcomers.
Those who are being disciplined today in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens are those who will reign in the future in the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens. Therefore, the scope of the reality of the kingdom of the heavens is equal to the scope of the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens.
The appearance of the kingdom of the heavens, Christendom, is related to the nominal Christians; the church and the kingdom of God are related to the saved ones. The reality of the kingdom of the heavens and the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens are related to the overcoming believers. A nominal Christian is only in the appearance of the kingdom of the heavens, that is, Christendom. A person who is merely saved is in the church and in the kingdom of God. Only those who are saved and seeking to overcome, submitting to the heavenly authority, and receiving the heavenly discipline are in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens today and can enter into the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens in the future.
According to God’s original intention and salvation, there should not be these differences and comparisons. God’s original intention was to make the kingdom of the heavens, the kingdom of God, and the church the same in scope during the dispensation of the church. The church is the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is the kingdom of the heavens (Matt. 16:18-19). Those who are in the church are those who are in the kingdom of God; those who are in the kingdom of God are also those who are in the kingdom of the heavens. The scope of the three are the same, but their definitions differ. The church denotes the position of the believers—called out of the world and standing outside of the world. The word church is ekklesia, meaning the called-out ones assembling together. The kingdom of God denotes the life of the believers, which is of God and is capable of living within the realm of God. All those who are in the kingdom of God are born of God (John 3:3, 5). The kingdom of the heavens denotes the living of the believers who are submitting to the heavenly ruling and receiving heavenly discipline. The kingdom of the heavens is the ruling of the heavens. According to God’s intention, the definitions of these three may be different, but their scope should be absolutely the same. All those who are in the church should be in the kingdom of God, and all those who are in the kingdom of God should be in the kingdom of the heavens. This is God’s intention, and God’s salvation has saved us to such an extent.
Why then did the scope of these three parts become different? Why is the scope of the appearance of the kingdom of the heavens wider than the scope of the church and the kingdom of God? And why is the scope of the reality of the kingdom of the heavens narrower than the scope of the church and the kingdom of God? These differences are due to the confusion caused by Satan and the degradation of the believers. If Satan had not brought in the false believers and if the real believers had not become degraded, then the scope of the kingdom of the heavens, the kingdom of God, and the church would be the same.
The appearance of the kingdom of the heavens is wider in scope than the church and the kingdom of God because Satan has put many tares, false believers, into Christianity. These false believers are apparently different from the worldly people, but actually they are not. They are still worldly people with no change inwardly; they have merely put on the name of a Christian outwardly. Apparently they are in the church, but actually they are outside the church. The church differs from them just like she differs from the worldly people. Because these false ones have joined Christianity, Christianity has grown enormous and has become wider in scope than the church and the kingdom of God.
The scope of the reality of the kingdom of the heavens is narrower than that of the church and the kingdom of God because a great number of the believers in the church, that is, in the kingdom of God, have become degraded and have not met the standard of the kingdom of the heavens. Although all saved believers are in the church and in the kingdom of God, many have fallen from the reality of the kingdom of the heavens. Although the believers who are defeated and the believers who are in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens are both in the church and in the kingdom of God, the defeated ones have lost the heavenly position of the church and have neglected the divine life of the kingdom of God. The salvation of God has delivered them into the kingdom of the heavens, placing them in such an exalted position, but due to their insubordination to the ruling of the kingdom of the heavens and their disobedience to the heavenly ruling and discipline, they have fallen away from the reality of the kingdom of the heavens. The heavenly position of the church is as exalted as the reality of the kingdom of the heavens. The reality of the kingdom of the heavens is the heavenly position of the church. The defeated ones’ falling away from the reality of the kingdom of the heavens cannot reverse the fact that they are in the church, but it can cause them to lose the heavenly position of the church. Although they are still children of God, they are children who have fallen away from God’s standard—the reality of the kingdom of the heavens. Although they are heavenly people, they do not live like heavenly people. They are heavenly people who have fallen away from the heavenly ruling. Oh, how many fallen Christians there are today! Believers who have fallen from the standard of God’s salvation, from the heavenly position of the church, and from the reality of the kingdom of the heavens can be found everywhere. How many among the saved ones have lost their position in God’s salvation, the heavenly position of the church, and the nature of the reality of the kingdom of the heavens? A great number of Christians have fallen away from these. Therefore, the scope of the reality of the kingdom of the heavens has become narrower than the scope of the church and the kingdom of God.
May the Lord be gracious to us that we may stand on or return to our position in His salvation to be Christians according to His original intention. May we not lose the heavenly position of the church nor neglect the divine life of the kingdom of God but be disciplined in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens today so that we may reign with Him in the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens in the future.