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Scripture Reading: Matt. 11:11; 16:18-19; 5:3, 10, 20; 7:21; 13:24-25; 25:1, 14, 25:19, 23; 19:28-29; 24:45-47; Rev. 11:15; 20:4, 6; 1 Cor. 15:24; Rev. 21:1-7; 22:2-5, 14, 17
Most Christians do not realize that there is a difference between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of the heavens. However, the New Testament makes a clear distinction between these two.
The kingdom of God is the divine ruling from eternity to eternity. It includes Adam in Eden (Gen. 2:8), the patriarchs (from Adam to Jacob), the nation of Israel (Exo. 19:6), the church (Matt. 16:18-19), the restored nation of Israel (Acts 1:6; 15:16), the millennium (Rev. 20:4, 6), and the new heaven and new earth (21:1-2). Acts 1:6 and 15:16 reveal that the restored nation of Israel is called the tabernacle of David. The nation of Israel will be restored at the Lord’s return. After this will be the millennium and finally the new heaven and new earth. The kingdom of God covers all the dispensations from eternity past to eternity future. In the chart in chapter 6 there are six circles, which include all the dispensations from eternity past to eternity future. The totality of these six circles is the kingdom of God.
The kingdom of the heavens is the heavenly ruling from the beginning of the church to the end of the millennium, the crucial part of the kingdom of God. In the chart in chapter 6 there are two circles outlined in blue, signifying the kingdom of the heavens. The kingdom of the heavens is a part of the kingdom of God just as Texas and Louisiana are part of the United States. Texas and Louisiana are the United States, but it is not correct to say that the United States is Texas and Louisiana. In like manner, we can say that the kingdom of the heavens is the kingdom of God, but we cannot say that the kingdom of God is the kingdom of the heavens. The kingdom of the heavens is the kingdom of God because it is part of the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God refers to God’s reign in a general way, from eternity past to eternity future, but the kingdom of the heavens includes only two parts of the kingdom of God: the dispensation of grace and the millennium.
The ministry of John the Baptist begins the New Testament, but he himself was not in the kingdom of the heavens. Matthew 11:11 confirms this: “Among those born of women there has not arisen one greater than John the Baptist, yet he who is least in the kingdom of the heavens is greater than he.” This verse indicates that John was not in the kingdom of the heavens.
Between the close of the Old Testament age and the beginning of the kingdom of the heavens was a transitional period. This was the time in which John lived. He was close to the kingdom of the heavens, but he was not in it.
Matthew 21:43 and Mark 12:9 indicate that the kingdom of God existed before the time of John the Baptist. The Lord Jesus told the Jewish leaders that the kingdom of God would be taken from them. At the time when the Lord Jesus was speaking, the kingdom of God was with the Jewish nation, but He was warning them that the kingdom of God would be taken away from them. These verses indicate that the kingdom of God was already in existence among the Israelites. The kingdom of the heavens, in contrast, had only drawn near (Matt. 3:2; 4:17). Here again it is evident that the kingdom of the heavens is different from the kingdom of God.
In Matthew 13 there are several parables. The first one is the parable of the sower. When the Lord Jesus came out as the Sower to sow the seed, the kingdom of the heavens had not yet come; it had only drawn near (3:2; 4:17; 10:7).
It is in the second parable, that of the wheat and the tares, that the kingdom of the heavens is present. The Lord Jesus said, “The kingdom of the heavens has become like a man sowing good seed in his field” (13:24). The kingdom of God was there during the preaching of John, of Jesus, and of His disciples. At that time, however, there was not the kingdom of the heavens. In Matthew 3:2 John the Baptist said, “Repent, for the kingdom of the heavens has drawn near.” Jesus began His ministry in the same way, telling people to repent, for the kingdom of the heavens had drawn near (4:17). In 10:7 the Lord Jesus charged the twelve to preach that the kingdom of the heavens had drawn near.
In Matthew 21:43, though, the Lord told the Jewish leaders that “the kingdom of God shall be taken from you and shall be given to a nation producing its fruit.” From this we see that the kingdom of God was with the nation of Israel from the time of Exodus 19:6. At the time the Lord Jesus spoke the word in Matthew 21:43, the kingdom of God was there, but the kingdom of the heavens had only drawn near.
In Matthew 16:18-19 the Lord Jesus told Peter that He would build His church and that He would give Peter the keys of the kingdom of the heavens. Peter used one of these keys to open the gate for the Jewish believers to enter the kingdom of the heavens on the day of Pentecost. Here is another indication that the kingdom of the heavens began on the day of Pentecost.
On the chart in chapter 6 there is an arrow, entitled “The Descending of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-4).” The descent of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost marks the beginning of the kingdom of the heavens and the beginning of the fulfillment of the parable of the wheat and the tares. On the day of Pentecost, Satan began to sow tares, false believers, in the midst of the wheat, the believers.
The reality of the kingdom of the heavens, as the reality of the church life (Rom. 14:17), is revealed in Matthew 5 through 7. John 3:5 reveals that regeneration is our entrance into the kingdom of God. To enter into the kingdom of God requires regeneration as a new beginning of our life (vv. 3, 5), but to “enter into the kingdom of the heavens” demands surpassing righteousness in our living after we have been regenerated (Matt. 5:20). Matthew 5 through 7 shows us the reality of the kingdom of the heavens.
The appearance of the kingdom of the heavens is revealed in the parables of the tares, of the mustard seed, and of the leaven in Matthew 13:24-42. The appearance of the kingdom of the heavens is Christendom, which is filled with false things. The tares are the nominal, false believers. There are many such “believers” in Christendom.
Leaven in the Scriptures signifies evil things (1 Cor. 5:6, 8) and evil doctrines (Matt. 16:6, 11-12). Pagan practices, heretical doctrines, and evil matters have been mixed with the teachings concerning Christ to leaven the whole of Christendom.
Christmas is an example of this leaven. Originally, December 25 was the day that the ancient Romans celebrated the birth of the sun. With the spread of the Catholic Church, she assimilated this ancient festival because she had taken in thousands of unbelievers who still wanted to celebrate the birthday of their god. To accommodate them, the Catholic Church took December 25 to be the birthday of Christ. This is the source of the leaven of Christmas.
Christmas actually has nothing to do with Christ or the church. In the Lord’s recovery we have only Christ. We do not have “endom.” The “endom” is something added to Christ. In the word Christmas, the suffix mas is the “endom,” the appearance of the kingdom of the heavens.
Easter is another example of leaven. As Christians, we thank the Lord for His resurrection, but Easter, a “Christian holiday” of pagan origin and filled with pagan practices, is leaven.
With the pope and the cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church we can also see Christendom, the appearance of the kingdom of the heavens. We do not want to be in the appearance; we want to be in the reality. If we live in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens today, we will enjoy its manifestation in the future.
The prophecy in Matthew 24:30 through 25:30 reveals the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens. The millennium has both a heavenly aspect and an earthly aspect. The manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens is the heavenly part of the millennium. This manifestation is the kingdom of the Father. Matthew 13:43 says, “Then the righteous will shine forth like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.” The righteous are the overcomers, who will be the light shining in the kingdom of their Father. In the heavenly part of the millennium, which is the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens and the kingdom of the Father, the overcoming saints will reign with Christ as co-kings.
The kingdom of God is a part of God’s eternal salvation to all believers, the entrance into which is by regeneration (John 3:5). God’s eternal salvation includes His kingdom. To enter into this kingdom we need to be regenerated.
The kingdom of the heavens, however, is Christ’s dispensational reward to His faithful followers, the entrance into which is by surpassing righteousness and the doing of God’s will (Matt. 5:20; 7:21). The kingdom of the heavens is Christ’s dispensational reward because it is just one period of time lasting one thousand years. We have received eternal salvation, but what about the dispensational reward? That is pending. It will be given to the faithful followers of Christ.
D. M. Panton once said that the Christian teachers of his day were giving out tickets for others to enter into the kingdom of the heavens. When they got there, however, said Panton, the gatekeeper would tell them that their tickets were not genuine. According to Panton, too many Christian preachers were cheating their listeners and giving them worthless tickets. Panton was very clear about the matter of the kingdom of the heavens.
Whereas salvation is eternal, the reward is dispensational. This dispensational reward is conditional. If a student does excellent work in his studies, for example, he will be rewarded at his graduation. He has disciplined himself to get top grades so that he may get a reward. As Christians, we must exercise ourselves under God’s discipline all the years of our Christian life in order to receive the reward of the kingdom of the heavens. Many Christians today live in a loose way because they do not realize this matter of dispensational reward and punishment. Because of this, there is the need for the recovery of the truth concerning the kingdom.
In 1936 I published a booklet on the matter of entering into the kingdom of the heavens. Brother Watchman Nee encouraged me to write more on this subject. He told me of a backsliding brother, who, after reading my booklet, was revived and brought back to the Lord. As a result, in 1939 I put out a number of messages on this matter of the kingdom of the heavens.
As Christians, we must be careful not to lose our reward. Our salvation can never be lost. It is insured by God’s predestination of us. Calvin was strong in the matter of eternal predestination, with which we agree, but he did not see the dispensational reward. Without this key there is no satisfactory way to interpret much of Matthew and the five warnings in the book of Hebrews (2:1-4; 3:7—4:13; 5:11—6:20; 10:19-39; 12:1-29). We need to pick up the key to interpreting these five warnings in Hebrews. The key is dispensational discipline.
Christians will either receive a reward or suffer discipline. The reward is the kingship to be exercised by Christ with His faithful followers in the one thousand years. The punishment is revealed in Matthew 24:50-51: “The master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour which he does not know, and will cut him asunder and appoint his portion with the hypocrites. In that place there will be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.” At the Lord’s return the loose and unfaithful Christians will suffer punishment.
Do not think that the Lord is too kind to punish you. A good father always disciplines his children. Discipline is a sign of love (Heb. 12:6-7). We have been chosen, predestinated, called, and regenerated; now we are enjoying the Lord’s rich grace. If we refuse to take the Lord’s way, we must not think that when we die, all our problems will be over. This is not logical.
One day the Lord will return and set up His judgment seat. Here He will judge not the unbelievers but the believers. In 2 Corinthians 5:9 Paul says that he was determined to gain the honor of being well pleasing to the Lord. Then he goes on to say, “We must all be manifested before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done through the body according to what he has practiced, whether good or bad” (v. 10). At the Lord’s return we Christians will have to render an account to Him at His judgment seat. His judgment will decide whether we will be rewarded with an entrance into the kingdom of the heavens or be punished in some way. The defeated Christians will suffer loss (1 Cor. 3:15).
Christ’s redemption is complete and perfect, yet we still need to confess our sins in order to be forgiven (1 John 1:9). As Christians, we need to repent daily to be brought back to God’s economy. Many Christians have died with unsettled problems between them and the Lord. They committed sins after they were saved, yet they never confessed them or repented. God’s forgiving and Christ’s cleansing of the believers when they sin is based upon their confession. If we do not confess, God does not forgive. If we do not confess, Christ does not cleanse. To think that we may live carelessly and still have no problems after death is not logical. We will have to render an account to Him. The kingdom truth is very sobering. It wakes us up. When the Lord comes back, He will come not only as our Bridegroom but also as our Judge (2 Tim. 4:1, 8).
Among the believers in the seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3 are some faithful overcomers to whom the Lord promises a reward (2:7, 11, 17, 26-29; 3:5-6, 12-13, 21-22). These overcomers, who live in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens in the present church age, will be the faithful followers of Christ in the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens. They will be rewarded with the enjoyment of eternal life in the millennium (Matt. 19:28-29; 24:45-47; 25:19-23). They will also be co-kings with Christ in the millennium (Rev. 20:4, 6; 2 Tim. 2:12).
The millennium has an earthly part and a heavenly part. The earthly part is the kingdom of the Messiah (2 Sam. 7:13), the tabernacle of David (Acts 15:16), and the kingdom of the Son of Man (Matt. 13:41; Rev. 11:15). The kingdom of the Father is the heavenly part of the millennium. The kingdom of the Son of Man is the earthly part of the millennium. In the millennium the overcomers in the heavenly part reign with Christ over the earthly part. In the earthly part is the restored kingdom of David, where Christ as the Son of Man, David’s royal descendant, will be the King over the children of Israel.
During this time the children of Israel will be priests (Zech. 8:20-23; Isa. 2:2-3). The overcoming saints will be kings in the heavenly part, and the restored nation of Israel will be priests in the earthly part, teaching the nations how to know God and how to serve Him. The nations will be the people in the earthly part of the millennium (Matt. 25:32-34). The sheep in Matthew 25 will be the nations, and the nations will be the people.
In the millennium, then, there will be three kinds of people: the overcoming saints as kings in the heavenly part, the restored Jews as the priests in the earthly part, and the sheep, the nations, as the people. The overcoming saints will have the nations to rule over, and the Jews will have the nations to teach. The nations will be the people ruled by us and taught by the Jews.
The kingdom of the heavens will end with the millennium (Rev. 20:7). The kingdom of God, however, will continue for eternity.
The fullest extent of the kingdom of God will begin in the new heaven and the new earth (1 Cor. 15:24; Rev. 21:1-2). In this eternal kingdom all the redeemed saints through all the ages will enjoy the eternal blessings of eternal life in the New Jerusalem as the sons of God and kings with Christ over the nations forever (vv. 6-7; 22:3b-5, 14, 17). As the royal family, we will have two titles: sons of God and kings over the nations. The remnant of the purged nations will be the people of the nations to enjoy the restored blessing of God’s creation eternally (21:3-5; 22:2b, 3a).
Thus far, we have seen a clear picture of the kingdom of God and the kingdom of the heavens. Our God has a kingdom to carry out His purpose, accomplish His will, and exercise His justice. This kingdom displays His multifarious wisdom. Our God is just, wise, and purposeful. The truth of the kingdom will encourage us to go on, and it will also be a warning to us to be in the right place and on the right track so that we may arrive at the right destination.
