In the New Testament, there are three major books on the kingdom: Matthew, Hebrews, and Revelation. The book of Hebrews starts and ends with the kingdom. Hebrews 1:8 says, "But as to the Son, Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, and the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Your kingdom." Then 12:28 says, "Wherefore, receiving an unshakable kingdom." Revelation also begins with the kingdom: "I John, your brother and joint partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and endurance in Jesus" (1:9). Revelation continues with the church in the reality of the kingdom and ends with the kingdom in its manifestation.
The kingdom revealed in the last chapters of Revelation is the consummation of the enjoyment of Christ. It is in this book that we are told we need to eat Christ as our life supply. He is the tree of life and the living water. In chapter two He is the hidden manna, and in chapter three He is the feast. At the end of the book of Revelation a call is issued: "And the Spirit and the bride say, Come! Let him who hears also say, Come! Let him who is thirsty also come; he who wills, let him take the water of life freely" (22:17). How can we realize and experience the kingdom? It is not by learning the doctrines about the kingdom, but by eating and drinking Christ. Eventually, the eating and drinking of Christ will consummate in the kingdom. This is because the kingdom is simply the enlargement of Christ. Christ will not be enlarged by "mushrooming" overnight. The enlargement of Christ is by our daily eating. We eat of Him day by day and bit by bit. The more we eat and drink of Him, the more He spreads within us. The more He spreads within us, the more the kingdom is manifested. Many Christians consider that the kingdom is only a kind of dispensation or sphere. But we must see the life aspect of the kingdom. Remember the stone in Daniel 2 which is not cut with human hands but eventually becomes a great mountain. Christ as a piece of stone will become a great mountain. And Christ as a seed of the kingdom will become the harvest of the kingdom. The way for us to realize Christ as the kingdom is to eat and drink of Him as the tree of life and the water of life. These two items, the tree of life and the water of life, will be our portion for eternity.
What is the church life? The church life is just a life of eating and drinking of Christ all the day long. It is not a life of doctrines, regulations, and forms. The church life is a life of eating of Christ daily. Have you eaten of Christ today? The book of Revelation shows the kingdom in its ultimate consummation of the enjoyment of eating Christ.
In all the previous chapters, we have mainly seen the life side of the kingdom. Now we must see the doctrinal side. In order to be balanced, we need not only life but also doctrine. The verses in the Scripture reading indicate ten different kinds of kingdoms. First is the kingdom of the heavens. Matthew 3:2 says, "Repent, for the kingdom of the heavens has drawn near."