We have seen what the kingdom of the heavens is and the meaning of entering the kingdom of the heavens. Now we need to see the conditions for entering the kingdom of the heavens. How can we enter the kingdom of the heavens? What responsibility should we bear for entering the kingdom of the heavens? The New Testament speaks much about this matter, and we must look at this matter point by point.
1. “Repent, for the kingdom of the heavens has drawn near” (Matt. 3:2; 4:17).
The first person to speak of the kingdom of the heavens was John the Baptist, and the first word he spoke about the kingdom of the heavens was repent. The first word the Lord spoke when He began to preach concerning the kingdom of the heavens also was repent. Therefore, repentance is the first condition for entering the kingdom of the heavens. Without repentance, we cannot enter the kingdom of the heavens.
To repent in the original Greek means “to change one’s mind.” After man fell, he turned his back on God and the heavens and turned to the earth. Since the fall he has been controlled by his mind without any restriction by God, and he does not obey heavenly authority or submit to heavenly control. Therefore, if we want to enter the kingdom of the heavens, obey heavenly authority, and submit to heavenly control, we must have a change in our mind that causes our life to turn in the opposite direction; that is, we must turn from Satan to God, from earth to the heavens, and from indulgence in lawlessness to obedience to heavenly authority with submission to heavenly control. The kingdom of the heavens is divine, heavenly, and spiritual; it is also righteous, holy, full of authority, and according to law. However, man is satanic, earthly, and fleshly; he is also evil, filthy, rebellious, and lawless. Man’s nature is absolutely opposed to the kingdom of the heavens. Thus, if we want to enter the kingdom of the heavens, we must repent and have a thorough change of mind.
If we want to enter the kingdom of the heavens, we need more than a one-time repentance only; we need a continual repentance, a constant change in our mind. Moment by moment we need to turn from ourselves to God, from earth to the heavens, from the flesh to the spirit, from disobedience and lawlessness to submission and righteousness. If we continually repent in this way, we will be able to submit to the heavenly authority today and enter the kingdom of the heavens in the coming age.
2. “Produce then fruit worthy of your repentance” (Matt. 3:8).
If we would enter the kingdom of the heavens, we must not only repent in our heart but also produce fruit worthy of repentance. We must have a change not only of mind but also of expression. It is not enough simply to have a repentant heart; we must also produce outward fruit worthy of repentance.
Producing fruit worthy of repentance touches matters involving both negative and positive things. On the negative side, it means that we must deal with sin. Everything that offends others must be confessed, and we must ask for forgiveness. All that we owe to others must be returned to the best of our ability, and we must clear our debts. On the positive side, it means that we must give ourselves to God to do His will, obey His authority, submit to His control, and live for Him. A person who has repented in his heart must have outward fruit worthy of repentance in order to enter the kingdom of the heavens.
1. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of the heavens” (Matt. 5:3).
Man is proud and often self-satisfied. However, the things of the kingdom of the heavens are not based on anything of man. Those who want to participate in the kingdom of the heavens must be poor in spirit. A proud, self-satisfied person who justifies himself has no part in the kingdom of the heavens. We must see that our spiritual condition is poor and pitiful, we must feel empty and desolate before the Lord, and we must humbly seek Him in order to participate in the kingdom of the heavens. Whenever we are proud and self-satisfied, we are not in the kingdom of the heavens. We must allow the Holy Spirit to do an emptying work in us to cause us to be hungry and thirsty, desiring spiritual things and pursuing the growth in life, in order to enter the reality of the kingdom of the heavens and to participate in the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens.