The kingdom of the heavens is divided into two periods: the period of its appearance and reality and the period of its manifestation. The appearance and reality of the kingdom begins, progresses, and ends with the church age. The manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens begins, progresses, and ends with the millennium. Matthew 3:2; 4:17; and 10:7 show several things. First, these verses show that the kingdom of the heavens had a beginning. It came at a definite time, and before its coming it was near. Second, before John the Baptist came, the kingdom of the heavens had not yet come. Third, when John the Baptist came out to preach, the kingdom of the heavens had not yet come but was near. Fourth, even when the Lord Jesus began to preach, the kingdom of the heavens had not yet come but was still near. Fifth, even when the Lord Jesus sent out the twelve and the seventy disciples to preach, the kingdom of the heavens had not yet arrived but was only near. Matthew 11:11 says, “Truly I say to you, Among those born of women there has not arisen one greater than John the Baptist, yet he who is least in the kingdom of the heavens is greater than he.” This verse proves that in the Old Testament age the kingdom of the heavens had not yet come. The kingdom of the heavens had not come even at the time of John the Baptist, because the prophets in the Old Testament and John the Baptist were not people in the kingdom of the heavens. According to Matthew 11:12, from the time John the Baptist began to preach until the time he was put into prison, the kingdom of the heavens had not yet come formally. The period from John the Baptist to the formal arrival of the kingdom of the heavens was a period of transition. During this transitional period, although the kingdom of the heavens had not yet formally arrived, men could enter into the kingdom if they so desired. We may illustrate this by a new shop that does business before its formal, grand opening. After it does business for a while, it has a grand opening. The grand opening of the kingdom of the heavens was on the day of Pentecost, but people like Peter and John had entered into the kingdom of the heavens before that time.
In almost every instance, Matthew uses the term the kingdom of the heavens. However, in Matthew 12:28 he records the Lord’s words with the phrase the kingdom of God. The Lord Jesus was very careful in His speaking. He referred to the kingdom of God in verse 28 instead of the kingdom of the heavens because at that time the kingdom of the heavens had not yet formally come. When the Lord Jesus cast out demons, He manifested the authority of God before the Jews, but that was simply the kingdom of God coming to them, not the kingdom of the heavens. This indicates that before the kingdom of the heavens came, the kingdom of God already existed.
Matthew 21:43, which says, “Therefore I say to you that the kingdom of God shall be taken from you and shall be given to a nation producing its fruit,” proves that the kingdom of God, not the kingdom of the heavens, was in the midst of the Jewish people at that time. The parable in Matthew 22:2-4 shows that the kingdom of the heavens began at the time of the preaching of the gospel after the Lord Jesus died, resurrected, and accomplished redemption.
In the parable of the sower in Matthew 13, the Lord Jesus did not say, “The kingdom of the heavens has become like.” It was not until the parable of the tares that the Lord said, “The kingdom of the heavens has become like” (v. 24). This is because the appearance and reality of the kingdom of the heavens began from the event spoken of in the parable of the tares, that is, the events on the day of Pentecost.
In Matthew 16:18-19, after the Lord said that He would build His church, He also said that He would give the keys of the kingdom of the heavens to Peter. This shows that Peter used the keys of the kingdom of the heavens when the Lord began to build His church. On the day of Pentecost and in the house of Cornelius Peter used the keys of the kingdom of the heavens to open the door for men to believe and enter into the kingdom of the heavens. It was also at the time the Lord began to build His church. Therefore, the beginning of the church at Pentecost was also the beginning of the kingdom of the heavens. Once the church began, there were overcoming believers in the church living in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens as recorded in Matthew 5—7. Hence, the reality of the kingdom of the heavens began at that time. Once the church came into existence, Satan began to mix false Christians, tares, with the real Christians. Thus, the appearance of the kingdom of the heavens also began at that time. Therefore, the reality and the appearance of the kingdom of the heavens began nearly at the same time after Pentecost.
Matthew 18:17-18 shows that the authority of the kingdom of the heavens which Peter possessed at the beginning of the church is also possessed by the church. Under normal conditions the church has the authority of the kingdom of the heavens to bind what the heavens have bound and to loose what the heavens have loosed. This proves that the kingdom of the heavens and the church progress together. Wherever there is the church, there are also overcoming believers in the church, who live in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens. At the same time there are false believers mixed in to produce the appearance of the kingdom of the heavens. Therefore, the reality and the appearance of the kingdom of the heavens started together and progressed together with the church. The reality and appearance of the kingdom of the heavens go along with the church and are dependent upon the church. On the one hand, the reality of the kingdom of the heavens is hidden in the church, and on the other hand, the appearance of the kingdom of the heavens goes along with the outward aspects of the church. When the Lord Jesus comes back and ends the church age, the hidden reality and the outward appearance of the kingdom of the heavens will also end. At that time the Lord Jesus will burn the appearance of the kingdom of the heavens, that is, the so-called Christendom. At the same time the reality of the kingdom of the heavens will become the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens.
Daniel 7:13-14 shows that at the end of this age the Lord Jesus will receive the kingdom from God and come to earth to establish His kingdom. Daniel 2:44-45 shows that at the end of this age the Lord will crush the nations of the earth in order to establish His kingdom. Revelation 11:15 reveals that at the end of this age, after the Lord has crushed the nations, the kingdom of this world will become the kingdom of our Lord.
The manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens will begin at that time. From then on, the Lord and the overcoming believers will reign together in the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens and rule over the earth for a thousand years (Rev. 20:4, 6).
First Corinthians 15:24-26 tells us that at the end of the millennium, the Lord will destroy all the power of Satan. The last enemy He will destroy is death. Then He will deliver up to God the kingdom which He received from God. When the millennium comes to a close, the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens will end. From that time on there will be a new heaven and a new earth, the eternal kingdom of God.
Just as the reality and appearance of the kingdom of the heavens have begun, are progressing, and will end at the end of the church age, the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens begins, progresses, and ends with the millennium. To summarize briefly, the kingdom of the heavens started with the church and will end at the conclusion of the millennium. Before the church existed, the kingdom of the heavens was only near, and at the end of the millennium the kingdom of the heavens will conclude. The kingdom of the heavens is contained in the two dispensations of the church and the millennium, and it embraces these two dispensations. The beginning of these two dispensations is the beginning of the kingdom of the heavens; the process of these two dispensations is the process of the kingdom of the heavens; and the end of these two dispensations is the end of the kingdom of the heavens.