The New Testament reveals that the church and the kingdom are closely related. The Lord’s word in Matthew 16:18-19 indicates that the kingdom of the heavens is wrapped up with the church: “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. I will give to you the keys of the kingdom of the heavens.” The phrase the kingdom of the heavens in verse 19 is interchangeably used for the word church in verse 18. This proves that the genuine church is the kingdom of the heavens in this age. Where the genuine church is, there the kingdom of the heavens is also.
In Matthew 13 while on the seashore, the Lord spoke parables concerning the mysteries of the kingdom. These parables were of a prophetic nature, covering the entire span of Christian history. They encompass the main points of Christian history between the Lord’s first coming and His second coming. In this lesson we will see, from the parables of the mysteries of the kingdom, the prophecies concerning the church with respect to the kingdom of the heavens.
The kingdom of the heavens, as a specific section within the kingdom of God, is also called the kingdom of God. Matthew 4:17 says, “From that time Jesus began to proclaim and to say, Repent, for the kingdom of the heavens has drawn near.” However, according to Mark 1:15 the Lord Jesus said, “The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God has drawn near.” This indicates that the kingdom of the heavens is the kingdom of God. In Matthew 13:11 the Lord Jesus said, “To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of the heavens.” However, in Mark 4:11 He said, “To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God.” This is another indication that the kingdom of the heavens, being part of the kingdom of God, is the kingdom of God.
The kingdom of the heavens is a specific section within the kingdom of God. It is the section in God’s kingdom where God reigns in a particular way, in the sense of life. With the patriarchs and the children of Israel, the kingdom of God was present in a general way, not in a particular way. At the beginning of the New Testament, John the Baptist called on people to repent, proclaiming, “The kingdom of the heavens has drawn near” (Matt. 3:2). This indicates a new beginning. The kingdom of God was there, but it needed a new beginning. This new beginning was the kingdom of God in a particular way, in the way of life. Although the Israelites in the Old Testament times were in God’s kingdom, they were in the kingdom of God only in the sense of God’s power and authority, not in the sense of life. To be in God’s kingdom in the sense of life is something new, something of the New Testament. Therefore, at the coming of the New Testament, God sent John the Baptist as a forerunner to proclaim that God’s kingdom was about to have a new start, a start in life. The ministry of John the Baptist was for people to prepare themselves to enter into another stage of the kingdom, to enter into a new start of God’s kingdom. Through regeneration man can enter into God’s kingdom, that is, the kingdom of the heavens, in the sense of life and in the way of life.
According to the Gospel of Matthew, there are three aspects of the kingdom of the heavens: the reality, the outward appearance, and the manifestation. The reality of the kingdom of the heavens is the inward content of the kingdom of the heavens in its heavenly and spiritual nature, as revealed in chapters 5 through 7. The outward appearance of the kingdom of the heavens is the outward condition of the kingdom of the heavens in name, as revealed in chapter 13. The manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens is the practical coming of the kingdom of the heavens in power, as revealed in chapters 24 through 25. The reality of the kingdom of the heavens is the proper church life (Rom. 14:17). The outward appearance of the kingdom of the heavens includes false believers who are not regenerated. Both the reality and the outward appearance of the kingdom of the heavens are with the church today.