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Scripture Reading: Matt. 3:1-2; 4:17; 5:3, 10, 19-20; 9:35; 24:14; Mark 1:14; Luke 4:43; 17:20-21; John 3:3, 5; Acts 1:3; 8:12; 14:22; 20:24-25; 28:31; Rom. 14:17; Eph. 5:5; Col. 1:13; 2 Thes. 1:5; 2 Tim. 4:18; 2 Pet. 1:11; Rev. 1:9; 11:15; 20:4b, 6b; 22:5b
In this book we will consider the matter of the kingdom of God in a specific and systematic way. All the above verses concern the kingdom. The kingdom is the center of the gospel. The New Testament even says that the kingdom is the gospel. In Luke 4:43 the Lord Jesus said, “I must announce the gospel of the kingdom of God.” The sense in the Greek here is that to announce the gospel is to announce the kingdom of God. Hence, this phrase may be rendered “announce the kingdom of God as the gospel.” The kingdom of God is the gospel of God. In the Gospel of Matthew the kingdom of God is called “the kingdom of the heavens”; elsewhere it is called the “heavenly kingdom” (2 Tim. 4:18).
Regrettably, the gospel preached in Christianity today rarely mentions the kingdom of God. When it does mention the kingdom of God, it mentions only the name without explaining what the kingdom of God actually is. For this reason many people know the kingdom of God in name but not in its reality—they do not know what the kingdom of God truly is. Today when many people preach the gospel, they preach the “heavenly mansion” as the central and most important matter. This is truly ridiculous.
A careful reading of the New Testament from the first book to the last will reveal not even a single verse that says that the goal of the gospel is for people to go to heaven. Rather, almost every book in the New Testament speaks of the kingdom of God and says clearly that the central goal of the gospel is the kingdom of God. God’s intention with the gospel is not to save people into heaven but to save them into the kingdom, that is, into the kingdom of the heavens.
The gospel is not a matter of a heavenly mansion but a matter of the kingdom. Moreover, the Bible does not speak of a heavenly mansion but of the New Jerusalem. Revelation 21:2 says, “I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” I must say emphatically that what the Bible shows regarding the gospel and salvation is absolutely not aimed at a heavenly mansion but at the kingdom. The goal of the gospel of God is not to save people into a mansion but into a kingdom. There is a great difference between a kingdom and a mansion. A mansion is merely a place; however, a kingdom involves not only a place but also many other matters.
I hope that this opening word will give you a deep impression that the aim of the gospel of God is to save us into His kingdom. Perhaps you have never heard such a word or had such an impression. Although you may have heard the gospel, been saved, become a believer, and even met with believers for a number of years, you may have never had the impression that the goal of God’s gospel is to save you into a kingdom. You may know that through the gospel of God you have obtained forgiveness of sins, peace through the forgiveness of sins, and reconciliation to God. You may also know that through the gospel of God you have received God’s life to become God’s child and a member of God’s household. Perhaps you know that through the gospel of God you have received the Holy Spirit of God and all kinds of spiritual gifts and blessings. I believe that all the brothers and sisters know these contents of the gospel. However, in addition to all these good things, the central matter revealed in the Bible concerning the gospel of God is that its goal is to save us into the kingdom of God.
In the New Testament age, the age of the gospel, the first sentence God spoke to man was “Repent, for the kingdom of the heavens has drawn near” (Matt. 3:2). He spoke this word through John the Baptist. When the Lord Jesus came out to preach, His first sentence was also “Repent, for the kingdom of the heavens has drawn near” (4:17). Why is there a need for repentance? It is because the kingdom of the heavens has drawn near. Repentance is to bring people into the kingdom of the heavens. It not only causes people to be forgiven of their sins, receive life, be saved, and be regenerated, but it also brings them into a kingdom. Later, the Lord Jesus went about all the cities and the villages, teaching in the synagogues and preaching not merely the gospel of forgiveness and of life but also the gospel of the kingdom (9:35).
When the Lord Jesus was about to depart from the earth, He told His disciples, “This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole inhabited earth for a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come” (24:14). This word implies a great deal. It indicates mainly that the kingdom must be preached in the whole inhabited earth until all the nations know this kingdom, and then the end will come.
Acts reveals that after His resurrection the Lord Jesus spoke to His disciples particularly concerning the kingdom of God for a period of forty days (1:3). Then at Pentecost the disciples announced the gospel in Jerusalem and throughout the land (2:1-41; 8:1-4). Acts also says that the gospel they announced was the gospel of the kingdom of God (v. 12; 14:22). Even Paul himself said that his testifying of the gospel of the grace of God was his proclaiming of the kingdom; therefore, the kingdom of God is the content of the gospel of God (20:24-25). The last verse in the book of Acts says that the apostle Paul was “proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching the things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness” (28:31).
When we come to the Epistles, the apostle Paul says in the book of Romans, “The kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (14:17). In 1 Corinthians, Galatians, and Ephesians he indicates that the unrestrained ones, the filthy ones, and the evil ones have no inheritance in the kingdom of God (1 Cor. 6:9-10; Gal. 5:19-21; Eph. 5:5). In Colossians 1:13 he writes that God’s salvation is to deliver us out of the authority of darkness and transfer us into the kingdom of the Son of His love. From God’s perspective we were formerly in Satan’s kingdom, which is the authority of darkness, but God has delivered us out of the kingdom of the authority of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love.
The apostle Paul is not the only one who mentions in his Epistles that the gospel is the kingdom of God; James also refers to this matter in his Epistle. He says, “Did not God choose the poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which He promised to those who love Him?” (2:5). Peter also refers to the kingdom of God in his Epistles. He says, “In this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly and bountifully supplied to you” (2 Pet. 1:11). Even the apostle John, who ministered primarily on life, mentions the kingdom of God. He indicates that regeneration is for the kingdom of God, writing that unless one is born anew, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God (John 3:3, 5). In writing the book of Revelation, he began by saying, “I John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and endurance in Jesus” (1:9). Halfway through the book he says, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ” (11:15). At the end he says that all the overcomers will be resurrected and will reign with Christ for a thousand years (20:4, 6). Finally, he says that all the saved ones will reign forever and ever in eternity (22:5b).
After reading these words in the New Testament, we can clearly see that the goal of God’s gospel and God’s salvation is to save us into the kingdom. The goal of the gospel of God is not the forgiveness of sins or life but the kingdom. The gospel of God saves us not merely into the forgiveness of sins or into life but also into the kingdom.
Regrettably, in Christianity today this light has been annulled and buried. Even many among us who have been saved for years do not have any impression or sense regarding the kingdom. They do not have the sense that the gospel of God is to save them into a kingdom. However, the Bible repeatedly reveals that the central, primary, and most important goal of the gospel of God is the kingdom of God. The reason God saves us is to bring us into this kingdom. The reason God forgives us of our sins is to bring us into this kingdom. The reason He gives us life and the Holy Spirit is for us to be regenerated and to live in this kingdom (John 3:3, 5). We must receive the life of this kingdom in order to live in this kingdom and to live the life that corresponds to this kingdom. In summary, the goal of the gospel of God is the kingdom of God, that is, to save people into this kingdom that they may live in this kingdom.
Therefore, all the riches of salvation given to us by God are for one thing—to bring us into His kingdom so that we may live in this kingdom. Hence, we must see that neither the forgiveness of sins nor life is the goal of the gospel of God; the goal of the gospel of God is the kingdom. The reason that God forgives us of our sins, cleanses us, gives us life, sends His Spirit into us, and makes us cleansed and enlivened persons is to save us into His kingdom, to place us in His kingdom so that we may live in this kingdom. Only this kingdom is His goal.
Regrettably, many saved ones today have not seen the importance of the kingdom. We probably have seen the forgiveness of sins, life, and various gifts and blessings, but we may not have seen the kingdom. God’s focus is the very thing that we neglect; God’s emphasis is the very thing that we ignore. For this reason I have a heavy burden to release this message to the saints.
We deeply believe that in the last days the Lord will recover particularly the truth and light of the kingdom. Hence, we will briefly describe the process of God’s recovery in the past generations.
Those who know God realize that all spiritual matters were revealed in the Gospels and the Epistles in the age of the apostles. However, not long after the departure of the apostles the church gradually lost these matters. By the time of the death of the last apostles around A.D. 100, the church was on a path of losing these spiritual matters. Day after day the church was proceeding on this path. Many precious things of the church were lost one after another. On the one hand, the church lost many precious things that she should have had; on the other hand, the church brought in many things that she should not have had.
This situation reached its worst stage in A.D. 1500; almost all the precious things of the church were gone. This was the darkest time, the time when the Roman Catholic Church was at the height of its power. The Catholic Church lost the precious things and brought in many other things to produce a mixture. In such a situation, because almost all the precious things in the church had been lost, God raised up Martin Luther to take the way of recovery.
The first item God moved to recover in the church was the truth of justification by faith. If we carefully study church history in the last five hundred years, we will clearly see the steps of God’s recovery. Beginning with Luther, God first recovered the truth of justification by faith. Then step by step He recovered the precious things in the Bible that had been lost by the church. After justification by faith God recovered the truth of Christ being our life. Some time later He recovered the truth of the cross as the way to solve all the problems in the universe and accomplish all God’s work. At that point the truths of justification by faith, Christ as our life, and the cross accomplishing God’s work were almost fully recovered.
Based on the light we have seen, however, there are not only these three great matters in the New Testament—justification by faith, Christ as our life, and the cross—there are also at least two other great truths—the church and the kingdom.
We can say that the general subject of the New Testament is Christ; the entire New Testament concerns Christ. From Christ three great items are produced: the cross, the church, and the kingdom. Hence, the cross, the church, and the kingdom are the three great items in the New Testament. Christ accomplished the work of the cross, the cross produced the church, and the church brought in the kingdom. In the full manifestation of the kingdom, the will of God will have been done in the universe, and His name will have been sanctified on earth (Matt. 6:9-10). At that time all God’s plan will have been fulfilled.
Now we have clearly seen that the New Testament comprises four great matters: Christ, the cross, the church, and the kingdom. Concerning Christ as life, there has been adequate recovery in the past years. Furthermore, concerning the truth of the work of the cross of Christ, there has been adequate recovery in the past. However, concerning the truths of the church and the kingdom, until today many of God’s children still do not have an adequate understanding. What exactly is the church? What is the kingdom? God’s children know these two things merely as terms but lack an adequate understanding of what they actually are. Hence, what God must recover in this age are these two things.
In these end times the few brothers who went before us spent much time studying the Bible, and what they saw was either the matter of the church or the matter of the kingdom. Hence, in recent years we have had a heavy burden within us to speak on the truths concerning the church and the kingdom, because we deeply believe that in this final age God must recover these two things. Perhaps these two things are what God desires to recover last. God has been doing His recovery work for nearly five hundred years, and many truths have been recovered, but these two important truths of the church and the kingdom have not yet been fully recovered.
What is the kingdom in its reality? After His resurrection the Lord Jesus spent forty days speaking to His disciples the things concerning the kingdom of God (Acts 1:3). In the church life the saints sometimes complain that our conferences are too long because they always last seven or eight days and because each meeting is more than an hour long. They say that it would be best if each conference lasted only three or four days and each meeting were no longer than twenty or thirty minutes. However, when the Lord spoke to His disciples concerning the kingdom of God, He spent five consecutive eight-day periods, the equivalent of five consecutive conferences, speaking to them concerning the kingdom of God day after day. From this we see that the things concerning the kingdom of God cannot be fully covered in only a few days.
What the Lord Jesus spoke concerning the kingdom of God in those forty days is not clearly stated in the Bible. Usually, the things God wants us to know are clearly revealed in the Bible, but sometimes it seems that God wants to give us a difficult time. Unlike the outlines of our messages, which always give us several main points, in Acts 1:3 the Bible simply refers to “the things concerning the kingdom of God.” When I was young, every time I read this portion, I would ask myself, “What exactly did He speak about? The Lord Jesus spoke the things concerning the kingdom of God, but what are those things?” At that time I was always puzzled. I did not know what the things concerning the kingdom of God were. Even today I still dare not say that I know very much. I can only fellowship with you according to what I know.
The Bible clearly says that unless one is born anew, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God (John 3:3, 5). What is the kingdom of God, and what things are involved in the kingdom of God? We should not regard this matter as something insignificant. In the beginning of the New Testament the Lord Jesus proclaimed the gospel by saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of the heavens has drawn near” (Matt. 4:17). Later, when He was teaching the disciples, He began by saying, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of the heavens” (5:3). From this we see that the gospel we have heard is the gospel of the kingdom. The gospel we believe in is not only the gospel of salvation but also the gospel of the kingdom. The goal of this gospel is the kingdom; this gospel is to save us into the kingdom. As for what this kingdom actually is, I am afraid that few are able to answer this question.
We pointed out at the beginning of this chapter that the kingdom is not merely a matter of place. For example, the Philippines is not only a place but also a country. A kingdom, a country, is not merely a place; it also includes some special items. I must point out two of these important items. Today there are generally three requirements for being a country. First, there must be citizens. Second, there must be the land, the territory. Third, there must be the sovereignty. Only when there are citizens, territory, and sovereignty can there be a country or nation. In this chapter we will pay attention to only two items: the matter of authority, that is, sovereignty, and the matter of place, or territory. However, regarding territory, what we will pay attention to is not a physical land but a realm, or a sphere.
What is the kingdom of God? Spiritually, the first characteristic of the kingdom of God is God’s sovereign authority. The kingdom of God is where God reigns, where God exercises His authority. For example, the Philippines is not merely a place but also a country, for in that place there is the authority of the Filipino government. Hence, when we go to the Philippines, we cannot enter the land freely. If the Philippines were not a country but merely a deserted island, it would be an ordinary place where people could freely enter and leave. However, the Philippines is a country, having the authority and sovereignty of the Filipino government. Hence, we cannot enter the country freely but must obtain permission from the government. Even after permission is obtained, we still cannot act freely but must be under the restriction of the law of the government there.
When I was in the Philippines, I frequently traveled by jeep. The brothers who drove the jeep often scared me because most of them were young people with a quick disposition. They drove the jeep at high speeds. One evening a brother was driving very fast. After we crossed a bridge, I reminded him, “Do not drive too fast, or the police will stop us.” As soon as I finished speaking, we saw a policeman. If anyone drives too fast, he may be stopped by the police. This is because the Philippines is a country with its independent authority, its sovereignty, based upon which laws were written, including traffic regulations. For those who drive in this country, there are many traffic signs along the way to regulate and restrict them. Why is this? It is because the Philippines is a country, not a vacant land or a deserted island, nor merely a place or a space. This country has its authority, its dominion, and its laws.
Hence, the kingdom of God is God’s sovereign rule, God’s authority. The kingdom of God is God’s dominion, God’s reign. Before we repented, believed in the Lord, and were saved, we did not have God’s authority in us and were therefore not under God’s ruling. God’s authority had no ground in us. In these past six thousand years there has not been the authority of God, the kingdom of God, in millions of Adam’s descendants on earth. Thus, the kingdom of God has had to remain in heaven; there God can rule and reign only over the angels. God has no authority on earth; He cannot rule over man or exercise His authority on earth.
Before we were saved, was the sovereignty of God in us? No. Young people would surely do wrong things if they could hide it from their parents. Citizens of a country would most likely do many evil things if there were no police stations or law courts. Students would surely misbehave if there were no teachers, principals, or offices of academic affairs. Before we were saved, we knew only the laws of the nation, the rules in our family, and the regulations of the school. If we worked in a company, we also knew the rules and regulations in the company. We did not have the authority of God in us. As long as we did not violate the laws of the nation, break the school’s regulations, or violate any rules, or as long as we were not caught by our parents, husbands, or wives, we could have our way and do whatever we wanted to do. We were not concerned, afraid, restricted, or restrained. This was the situation before our salvation. We did not have the authority of God, the ruling of God, in us, and we never allowed God to rule in us. We were altogether outside God’s kingdom.
God’s purpose, God’s plan, and God’s eternal goal are to bring His created ones, one by one, under His authority and ruling so that He may establish His kingdom in them. Hence, He came to preach the gospel to people, telling them to repent. The way for us to repent is to turn and submit ourselves to God’s authority. Thus, the gospel in the New Testament begins with the words, “Repent, for the kingdom of the heavens has drawn near” (3:2; 4:17). The kingdom of the heavens is coming to rule, which means that God is coming to rule. The ruling of God has drawn near. As soon as we repent, we come under God’s authority, God’s ruling. This is God’s kingdom.
Therefore, the main point concerning the kingdom of God is not its physical form or its location. In Luke 17:20-21 the Lord Jesus said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, Behold, here it is! or, There! For behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.” This shows that the kingdom of God is not earthly or physical but heavenly and spiritual. Because this kingdom is heavenly, it is called the kingdom of the heavens. In other words, it is the ruling of God’s kingdom among men.
This kingdom—the kingdom of the heavens and the kingdom of God—is not eating and drinking but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom. 14:17). These three matters—righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit—speak of how we should deal with ourselves and with others and of our proper relationship with God under the kingdom’s ruling.
In the kingdom we must be absolutely righteous toward ourselves. We must not allow ourselves to become lax. Rather, we must be strict toward ourselves. We must not participate in anything unrighteous. Some may ask, “What exactly is righteousness?” Righteousness is difficult to comprehend with the human mind or to express in human words. To illustrate, suppose there are eight children in a family. When they eat, they sit around a square table, two on each side, each occupying exactly half of one side. However, a naughty one may occupy two-thirds of one side when he sits down; as a result, when a younger brother comes, he is forced to sit at the corner. The behavior of the naughty child shows that he is not righteous, because he exceeds his rightful limit. He should occupy only half of one side of the table, but he takes up more than half and occupies the space of another. To be beyond our limit is to be unrighteous.
Sometimes when we come to a meeting, we are unrighteous in the way we sit by taking up extra space, thus forcing others to sit uncomfortably. At other times, although we may do it unintentionally, we take home the Bibles and hymnals that are available for public use. If we do not return them promptly, we are unrighteous. Therefore, the meaning of righteousness is staying within one’s limit based on God’s standard.
I once read the following story in a book. The author formerly did not know what it meant to be unrighteous. One day, however, he went to a meeting and saw someone come in with an umbrella. After this person sat down, he stepped on the dress of the lady sitting in front of him, causing some damage to the dress. However, he did not apologize to her. Those around him saw it and said, “This person is very unrighteous. When he came in, he sat down loosely and carelessly stepped on someone’s dress, damaging it, but then he pretended that nothing had happened.” The author of the book was thus enlightened and came to understand what unrighteousness means.
The kingdom of God is absolutely righteousness. To be righteous is to maintain one’s integrity and not let oneself become loose. A righteous person is one who accepts restriction, one who is not without ruling. He is not a person who does whatever he wants when no one is present. If we step on a lady’s dress, dirtying it or damaging it in some way, yet we feel that nothing is wrong because no one is looking, we are unrighteous. To steal something when no one is looking and think that it does not matter, as if we can do whatever we want as long as no one sees us doing it, also is to be unrighteous.
The kingdom of God is not only righteousness but also peace. This means that although we need to be strict with ourselves by being righteous, we need to deal with others in peace. God’s kingdom requires us to have peace toward others. Our dealings and interactions with others must be in peace. If we Christians do not have peace toward others but rather have many problems with others, this shows that we have not allowed God to rule in us. If we allow God to rule, our relationship with others will be peaceful, and there will be no quarrels or arguments with others, nor will there be opinions. We must be ruled by God and have peace toward others.
When some young saints are at home, they do not speak with their younger siblings or their older siblings. Likewise, some saints who coordinate together in the church do not speak much with one another. Two brothers may have morning watch together, but only fifteen minutes later they may quarrel over a small matter and therefore stop speaking to one another. I am afraid that this is our situation. When we live with the brothers and sisters, we may be righteous toward ourselves, not taking advantage of the brothers and sisters, but we may not speak with them because we do not have peace with them. Even when we come to the Lord’s table meeting and break the bread together, we still may not speak, because we have no peace with one another. If this is the case, the kingdom of God does not have much rule and ground in us. If the kingdom of God is ruling us within and has ground in us, we will have peace in our dealings with others.
The kingdom of God is also joy in the Holy Spirit. This refers particularly to our relationship with God. Are you always joyful before God? When I see you, if you wear a sad expression, I will know that you must have come out of the kingdom of God and that God is not ruling in you. If God is ruling in you, since He is joyful, you also will be a joyful person before Him.
Please remember that when you are not strict and righteous toward yourself, have no peace toward others, and have no joy before God, you are not living in God’s kingdom. If you allow God to reign, to be the Lord, to rule, and to have the ground in you, you will be absolutely strict toward yourself; you will not be loose at all but will be altogether righteous.
If you allow God to rule in you, your dealings with others will be peaceful and harmonious, and you will not quarrel with anyone. You will be forbearing and forgiving. No matter how people offend you, you will forgive them. You will always bear with others. As the Lord forgives you, you will forgive others (Eph. 4:32; Col. 3:13). As God does not blame you, you will not blame others. The kingdom of God will be ruling in you, not allowing you to blame, condemn, or be in discord with others. If you allow God to rule in you and have ground in you, you will be joyful in your spirit and in the Holy Spirit.
The first aspect of the significance of the kingdom of God is its sovereignty, authority, ruling, and restriction, all of which are heavenly and spiritual. Every believer is saved not into heaven but into the kingdom, that is, into the sovereignty, authority, ruling, and restriction of the kingdom of God. Our being saved is not like entering a public place casually; rather, our being saved is our entering into the kingdom of God with its restrictions, authority, sovereignty, and laws. In this kingdom we cannot be loose; rather, we must abide by all the laws and regulations of the kingdom. This may be likened to drivers in any country on the earth being required to abide by all the traffic rules.
However, few Christians today truly know what the kingdom of God is. Like the children of Israel in the age of the judges, who had no king among them (Judg. 17:6; 21:25), today’s Christians have no kingdom among them. In other words, there is no authority or restraint among them; each one does things according to his or her own will. They are not righteous toward themselves, they have no peace toward others, and they have no joy before God. They can laugh loudly when they tell jokes, but when it is time for them to pray in the prayer meeting or the Lord’s table meeting, they wear a sad expression and cannot be joyful in spirit. What is the reason for this? The reason is that they have not allowed God to rule and reign in them.
One who is ruled by God and submits to God’s authority can be joyful even in his sufferings and difficult situations. He is able to say, “Although my heart is broken, my spirit still praises God. Although I feel pain, my spirit is still joyful. This is because I allow my God to reign in me, and I submit to His authority. I am a person under God’s restriction and rule because I am saved and have been delivered by God from Satan’s authority and kingdom of darkness and transferred into the kingdom of the Son of His love.”
Today the kingdom of the world is the authority of Satan (1 John 5:19); it is a loose and carefree kingdom. God has delivered us from such a kingdom and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love (Col. 1:13). When the Son of God’s love was on the earth, His living and walk were under the authority of God. He once said, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready” (John 7:6). This was the Lord’s answer to those who wanted Him to go up to Jerusalem for the feast. Essentially, He was saying to them, “You can go up to Jerusalem for the feast anytime you desire, but the time is not right for Me. My time is not in My hands but in My Father’s hands. I am restricted by Him. I submit to His authority and am under His ruling.” When we are saved, we are transferred into the kingdom of the Son of God’s love, in which we are restricted and ruled by Him in the same way that He was restricted and ruled by His Father.
Hence, we must be clear that when we are saved, our sins are forgiven, our spirit is regenerated, and we have God’s love; thus, we can be qualified to live in God’s kingdom, submit to God’s authority, and be ruled by God. In this way we will be able to live a life that is righteous toward ourselves, peaceful with others, and joyful in the Holy Spirit before God.
