The seed of the kingdom is sown in Matthew, the sprouting of the seed takes place in Acts, and the growth occurs in the Epistles. Then in the book of Revelation there is the maturity, which is the harvest for the full coming of the kingdom. The book of Revelation presents the maturity, the harvest, the full coming, and the full manifestation of the kingdom. We have seen that the seed was sown in Matthew 13 and that it grew in 1 Corinthians 3. "I planted, Apollos watered, and God gave the growth" (3:6, Gk.). In 1 Corinthians 3 we also have seen the matter of transformation; the plants have been transformed into minerals. The life of the seed has metabolized the plant into precious materials useful for building. The gold, silver, and precious stones are materials for God's building. First Corinthians 3:9 reminds us that we are God's farm and God's building. As God's farm, we grow Christ. Whatever is grown is then metabolized into precious materials for God's building.
Revelation 12:10 says, "Now is come...the kingdom of our God." What is the coming of the kingdom? The answer is found in Revelation 14. Revelation 14:1, 3-4 mention the firstfruit, the 144,000. The number 144,000 is the product of twelve times twelve multiplied by one thousand. Please remember that twelve is composed of four times three, signifying the mingling of humanity with divinity. Now we have twelve times twelve multiplied a thousandfold. This means maturity among maturity. Thus they are the firstfruit to God. Never forget that the seed is sown in Matthew 13 and grows in 1 Corinthians 3. The harvest is found in Revelation 14. Therefore, we have the seed, the growth, and the harvest. What is the harvest? The harvest is the coming of the kingdom, for Revelation 12:10 tells us that the kingdom has come.
When did the kingdom begin to come? In Matthew 3 the proclamation was made that the kingdom was near. However, it had not yet come. The kingdom began to come when the Lord Jesus appeared as the sower to sow the seed, and it has been coming from that time. This coming is the growing and spreading of the seed. Coming means growing and spreading until maturity is reached. This maturity is the full coming of the kingdom; it is the harvest.
Regarding the harvest, the matter of primary importance is the firstfruit. If you read Leviticus 23, you will see that in God's economy He first has the harvest of the firstfruit. In a field some fruit will ripen earlier than the rest. The farmer will harvest this as the firstfruit. Sometime after the firstfruit has been harvested, the remainder of the crop will ripen. At that time there will be the full harvest. At the beginning, there is the firstfruit, and later there is the full harvest.