THE THIRD PART: 24 CRUCIAL LINES IN THE BIBLE
The Kingdom
Message Two—The Three Aspects of the Kingdom of the Heavens
Scripture Reading: Matt. 5—7; 13:24-43; 24:44—25:30; Rom.14:17; 2 Tim. 4:18; 2 Pet. 1:11;
I. The kingdom of God is the rule, the government, of God from eternity to eternity; this kingdom is composed of four dispensations: (A Brief Definition of the Kingdom of the Heavens, msg. 2)
A. Romans 5:14 refers to the period of time “from Adam until Moses;” this was the age before the law, the first dispensation. (A Brief Definition of the Kingdom of the Heavens, msg. 2)
B. The second dispensation is from Moses to Christ; this is the dispensation of law. (A Brief Definition of the Kingdom of the Heavens, msg. 2)
C. The third dispensation is the dispensation of grace, or the dispensation of the church—Matt. 11:10-12; 13:1-5, 5-7: (A Brief Definition of the Kingdom of the Heavens, msg. 2)
1. Outside the church is the external appearance of the kingdom of the heavens, today’s Christendom. (A Brief Definition of the Kingdom of the Heavens, msg. 2)
2. Within Christendom is the true church, which is the composition of the real believers, and within the true church are the overcomers who are in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens. (A Brief Definition of the Kingdom of the Heavens, msg. 2)
3. Outside Christendom is the world, the unbelievers. (A Brief Definition of the Kingdom of the Heavens, msg. 2)
D. The last dispensation is the millennium of a thousand years; in the millennium there are two parts: the heavenly part and the earthly part—Rev. 20:4, 6; Zech. 8:20-23: (A Brief Definition of the Kingdom of the Heavens, msg. 2)
1. The heavenly part is the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens; in this manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens, Christ and the overcoming believers will be the kings—Rev. 20:4, 6. (A Brief Definition of the Kingdom of the Heavens, msg. 2)
2. In the earthly part of the millennium the saved Jews will be the priests teaching people how to serve God—Zech. 8:20-23. (A Brief Definition of the Kingdom of the Heavens, msg. 2)
3. The overcoming believers as the kings, the saved Jews as the priests, and the nations as the people are the three groups of people in the millennium. (A Brief Definition of the Kingdom of the Heavens, msg. 2)
II. The kingdom of the heavens is the ruling of the heavens, that it is a specific section within the kingdom of God, God’s reign in a particular way in the sense of life; according to the Gospel of Matthew, there are three aspects of the kingdom of the heavens: the reality, the appearance, and the manifestation—Dan. 4:26; Matt. 3:2; 16:18-19. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 243)
III. 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 five through seven: (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 243)
A. The record of Matthew 5—7 gives us a view of a certain kind of reality, the reality of the high standard of the divine life; this is the overcoming church life. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 243)
B. There is not much of the reality of the kingdom of the heavens in today’s Christianity; the reality of the kingdom of the heavens exists today within the church in the church age—Matt. 13:24-43. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 243)
C. The reality of the kingdom of the heavens is an exercise to the seeking believers: (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 243)
1. We need to be poor, emptied, unloaded, in this part of our being so that we may realize and possess the kingdom of the heavens—Matt. 5:3. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 243)
2. Every aspect of the world is unrighteous; if we are righteous, we shall be condemned, opposed, and persecuted; if we seek righteousness at a cost, the kingdom of the heavens becomes ours—1 John 5:19; Matt. 5:6, 10. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 243)
3. “Unless your righteousness surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall by no means enter into the kingdom of the heavens;” to enter into the kingdom of the heavens demands surpassing righteousness in our living after regeneration; it means to live in its reality today and to participate in its manifestation in the future—Matt. 5:20; 1 Cor. 1:30; Rom. 3:16. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 243)
4. To enter into the kingdom of the heavens we need to call on the Lord and do the will of the heavenly Father; entering into the kingdom of God is by the birth of the divine life, entering into the kingdom of the heavens is by the living of that life—John 3:3, 5; Matt. 7:21; Rom. 10:13. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 243)
IV. The appearance of the kingdom of the heavens is the outward condition of the kingdom of the heavens in name, as revealed in Matthew 13:24-43 through the parables of the tares, the mustard seed, and the leaven: (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 243)
A. The appearance of the kingdom of the heavens is today’s Christendom, which includes the Roman Catholic Church and all the false Christians—Matt. 13:24-43: (A Brief Definition of the Kingdom of the Heavens, msg. 2)
1. The parable of the tares reveals the establishment of the kingdom and its false constituents; whereas the sons of the kingdom constitute the kingdom, the sons of the evil one have formed the outward appearance of the kingdom, which today is called Christendom—vv. 24-30, 36-43. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 243)
2. The parables of the mustard seed telling of the abnormal development of the outward appearance of the kingdom; the church, which is the embodiment of the kingdom, should be like an herb to produce food, but it became a tree, a lodge for birds, having its nature and function changed; this has formed the outward organization of the outward appearance of the kingdom of the heavens—13:31-32. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 243)
3. The parable of the leaven hidden in the fine flour concerning the inward corruption of the outward appearance of the kingdom; the hiding of leaven in three measures of meal signifies that the Catholic Church has fully leavened in a hidden way all the teachings concerning Christ; this became the inward, corrupted content of the outward appearance of the kingdom of the heavens—Matt. 13:33; 16:6, 11-12; 1 Cor. 5:6, 8; Lev. 2:1; Gen. 18:6; 1 Cor. 5:7-8. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 243)
B. The outward appearance of the kingdom of the heavens exists along with the church in the church age; as a principle, we do not allow tares in the church life, and we do not allow the big tree with its abnormal growth or the leaven with its corruption to be in the church—vv. 24-30, 36-43. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 243)
V. The manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens is the practical coming of the kingdom of the heavens in power, as revealed in Matthew 24:44—25:30: ( The Content of God’s New Testament Economy, lsn. 19)
A. During the present age, the reality of the kingdom and the appearance of the kingdom progress simultaneously; however, when the Lord Jesus comes back, the reality of the kingdom will be transferred into the manifestation of the kingdom, and the appearance of the kingdom will be burned away—Matt. 13:40-42. (The Content of God’s New Testament Economy, lsn. 19)
B. The heavenly part of the millennium will be the kingdom of the Father; this will be the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens as a reward to the overcomers; in the millennium the overcomers in the heavenly part of the kingdom will reign with Christ over the earthly part, which will be 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—Matt. 13:43; 2 Sam. 7:13; Acts 15:16; Matt. 13:41; Rev. 11:15. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 243)
C. Only the overcomers who are in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens today will have a share in the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens in the future; the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens will be a reward, a prize, given to the overcomers—2 Tim. 4:18; Matt. 13:43; 26:29; Eph. 5:5; 2 Pet. 1:11. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 243)
D. The manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens will exist in the millennium during the age of the millennium; whereas the reality of the kingdom of the heavens is with the church in this age, the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens will be in the coming age—2 Pet. 1:11; Rom. 14:17. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 243)