Matthew 19 tells us something further concerning the reigning and ruling aspect of the kingdom. It tells us that when the Lord Jesus will reign during the millennium, His Apostles such as Peter, James, and John will also reign with Him. Matthew 5, 6, and 7 do not cover the reigning aspect. They only cover the reality of the kingdom life. In like manner, Matthew 13 does not cover the reigning and the ruling in the kingdom. Rather, it covers the appearance of the kingdom, including a great tree, the tares, and the leaven. But in Matthew 19:28 there is something further; that is, when the Lord Jesus comes to be the King, His Apostles will be co-kings. This will not be merely the reality of the kingdom but the manifestation of the kingdom. From this we can see that there are three aspects of the kingdom—the reality, the appearance, and the manifestation of the kingdom. Matthew 20 also indicates the same thing. It indicates that during the time when the Lord reigns in His kingdom, some will sit with Him and reign with Him. This is not the reality or the appearance of the kingdom, but the manifestation of the kingdom. In the manifestation of the kingdom, some will reign with Him. This is confirmed by 2 Timothy 2:12 which says that we shall reign with Him.

Now we come to the last book of the New Testament, Revelation. Here we see the harvest. The seed of the kingdom was sown in Matthew, and the harvest is in the book of Revelation. In Matthew there is the seed of being co-kings with Christ, and in Revelation there is the harvest of being co-kings with Christ. All those faithful ones, the martyrs, will be raised up, resurrected, and will be co-kings with Christ ruling over the earth for a thousand years (20:4-6). This is surely not the appearance or the reality of the kingdom, but the manifestation of the kingdom.

We all need to receive the gospel of the kingdom. We received the gospel of life and the gospel of grace, but we also must receive the gospel of the kingdom. One day the kingdom will be manifested. Whether we will be included or shut out of that manifestation is not a small thing. We all need to repent and consecrate ourselves to deal with this matter of the kingdom.