Witness Lee - What the Kingdom Is to the Believers CONTENTS

1. What the Kingdom Is to the Believers (1)Righteousness, Peace, and Joy in the Holy Spirit 2. What the Kingdom Is to the Believers (2)Submitting to the Ruling of the Heavens 3. What the Kingdom Is to the Believers (3)Gods Kingdom, Ruling, and Glory 4. What the Kingdom Is to the Believers (4)Submitting to Gods Ruling by the Divine Life 5. What the Kingdom Is to the Believers (5)the Kingdom and the Overcomers 6. What the Kingdom Is to the Believers (6)Allowing Christ to Rule as Our King 7. What the Kingdom Is to the Believers (7)Submitting to the Authority of God to Deal with Satan 8. What the Kingdom Is to the Believers (8)the Work of God Being according to His Administration 9. The Appearance and the Manifestation of the Kingdom (1) 10. The Appearance and the Manifestation of the Kingdom (2) This book is a collection of messages given by Brother Witness Lee in Taipei in 1957. It contains eight chapters on the various aspects of the kingdom in relation to the believers and two chapters on the appearance and the manifestation of the kingdom.

CHAPTER ONE

WHAT THE KINGDOM IS TO THE BELIEVERS (1) RIGHTEOUSNESS, PEACE, AND JOY IN THE HOLY SPIRIT
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).

THE GOSPEL OF GOD TAKING THE KINGDOM AS ITS CENTRAL GOAL

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 realitythey 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. Gods 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 Gods 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 Gods life to become Gods child and a member of Gods 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.

THE GOSPEL IN THE NEW TESTAMENT BEING RELATED TO 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 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 indicated 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 wrote that Gods salvation is to deliver us out of the authority of darkness and transfer us into the kingdom of the Son of His love. From Gods perspective we were formerly in Satans 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 refers to the kingdom of God in his Epistles also. 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 said, The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ (11:15). At the end he said that all the overcomers will be resurrected and will reign with Christ for a thousand years (20:4, 6). Finally, he said that all the saved ones will reign forever and ever in eternity (22:5b).

THE GOAL OF GODS SALVATION BEING THE KINGDOM

After reading these words in the New Testament, we can clearly see that the goal of Gods gospel and Gods 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 thingto bring us into His kingdom 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, 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. Gods focus is the very thing that we neglect; Gods emphasis is the very thing that we ignore. For this reason, I have a heavy burden to release this message to the saints.

THE HISTORY OF THE LORDS RECOVERY

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 Gods 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 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 Gods 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 Gods work. At that point the truths of justification by faith, Christ as our life, and the cross accomplishing Gods work were almost fully recovered.

Based on the light we have seen, however, there are not only these three great matters in the New Testamentjustification by faith, Christ as our life, and the crossthere are also at least two other great truthsthe 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 Gods 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 Gods children still do not have an adequate understanding. What exactly is the church? What is the kingdom? Gods 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.

THE DEFINITION OF THE KINGDOM

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.

THE KINGDOM BEING THE RULING OF GOD

We pointed out at the beginning of this message 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 Gods 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 Gods sovereign rule, Gods authority. The kingdom of God is Gods dominion, Gods reign. Before we repented, believed in the Lord, and were saved, we did not have Gods authority in us and were therefore not under Gods ruling. Gods 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 Adams 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 schools 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 Gods kingdom. Gods purpose, Gods plan, and Gods 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 Gods authority. Thus, the gospel in the New Testament begins with the words, Repent, for the kingdom of the heavens has drawn near (Matt. 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 Gods authority, Gods ruling. This is Gods 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 Gods kingdom among men.

THE KINGDOM BEING RIGHTEOUSNESS, PEACE, AND JOY IN THE HOLY SPIRIT
This kingdomthe kingdom of the heavens and the kingdom of Godis not eating and drinking but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom. 14:17). These three mattersrighteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spiritspeak of how we should deal with ourselves and with others and of our proper relationship with God under the kingdoms ruling.

Being Righteous toward Ourselves

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 ones limit based on Gods 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 someones 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 ones 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 ladys 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.

Having Peace toward Others

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. Gods 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 Lords 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.

Having Joy in the Holy Spirit toward God

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.

RIGHTEOUSNESS, PEACE, AND JOY IN THE HOLY SPIRIT BEING THE ISSUE OF GODS RULE
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 Gods 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.

SALVATION BEING A TRANSFER INTO THE KINGDOM OF THE SON OF GODS LOVE
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), todays 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 Lords 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 Gods 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 Gods restriction and rule because I am saved and have been delivered by God from Satans 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 Gods 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 Lords 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 Fathers 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 Gods 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 Gods love; thus, we can be qualified to live in Gods kingdom, submit to Gods 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. CHAPTER TWO

WHAT THE KINGDOM IS TO THE BELIEVERS (2) SUBMITTING TO THE RULING OF THE HEAVENS
Scripture Reading: Rev. 1:4b-6; 5:9-10; 4:2-5; 5:6; 1:14; Matt. 12:28; Luke 17:20-21

THE BELIEVERS BEING THE KINGDOM OF GOD

Revelation 1 and 5 reveal that the Lord has purchased us by His blood to make us His kingdom. The word kingdom in 1:6 and 5:10 is rendered citizens in the Chinese Union Version. But the Greek word in these two verses means kingdom, which also implies the meaning of king. In Greek, as in English, king and kingdom have the same root. Whether the word is king or kingdom, it denotes royal authority, or sovereignty. In the previous chapter we saw that the goal of the gospel of God is the kingdom of God. The reason God saves us through the gospel is to bring us into His kingdom. In this chapter we will go on to see from the book of Revelation that in saving us through the blood of Jesus, God desires not only to transfer us into His kingdom but also to make us His kingdom. In other words, in Gods eyes, we saved ones are not only saved into His kingdom but also constituted to be His kingdom. God purchased us by the blood of Jesus for the purpose of making us His kingdom. How can we become Gods kingdom? Gods ruling cannot be seen in or among fallen mankind. In this fallen world many people say, Where is God? Why should He control my life? If I want to do good, I will do good; if I want to do evil, I will do evil. This is my own sovereign right. This is the attitude of the world toward God; the majority of people have this attitude. Although some may not have this attitude, neither are they under Gods ruling. All fallen human beings reject Gods authority and do whatever they want. They think that as long as they do not break national laws or violate human regulations, they can do whatever they want according to their own will. This exposes the fact that Gods authority has absolutely no ground in fallen man. It seems that Gods authority can be carried out in heaven but not on earth, for there is no one on earth who is willing to submit to Gods authority. The first sentence God spoke in the New Testament through John the Baptist, and one He later repeated through the Lord Jesus, was, The kingdom of the heavens has drawn near (Matt. 3:2; 4:17). The Greek word for kingdom here may also be rendered sovereignty. Hence, that the kingdom of the heavens had drawn near means that the sovereignty of the heavens had drawn near. This indicates that an authority was coming to the earth, and this authority was not an ordinary authority but the royal authority of the heavens. The Greek word for kingdom also denotes royal authority, and royal authority implies a kingdom. In

heaven there is an authority, not an ordinary authority but the authority of the Head of the universe. The authority of the Head of the universe is a royal authority. In such an authority and under such an authority, there is naturally a kingdom; this authority forms a kingdom.

THE PROCESS THROUGH WHICH GOD OBTAINS A KINGDOM ON THE EARTH

In the Old Testament age it seems that God was content to keep His authority in heaven, but in the New Testament age Gods intention is to bring His authority from heaven to the earth. His desire is to rule on earth and exercise His heavenly authority in a group of people. However, these people are sinful (Rom. 3:23), corrupt in their nature to the uttermost (Jer. 17:9), and dead in their offenses and sins (Eph. 2:1). Because sin and death reign in them (Rom. 5:14; 6:12), they are not able to accept Gods authority. Nevertheless, God desires to exercise His heavenly authority on earth and in man. In order for God to do this, He must first deal with mans problems of sin and death. On the cross the Lord Jesus bore the sins of fallen mankind; He cleansed away their sins through His death and the shedding of His blood (1 Pet. 2:24). In this way He dealt with the problem of their sin (John 1:29; Heb. 9:22). Then on the third day He was raised from the dead, and in His resurrection He released His life into the cleansed ones so that their deadened spirits might be enlivened and so that they might be regenerated (John 12:24; 3:6; Eph. 2:5-6; John 10:10b). In this way He dealt with their problem of death (cf. 1 Cor. 15:55). Hence, the death of the Lord Jesus on the cross deals with our sin, and His resurrection deals with our death (Rom. 4:24-25). Now we are the cleansed and regenerated ones whose spirits have been enlivened. Because we have been cleansed and made alive, it is now possible for God to gain the ground and have the way in us to bring the authority of heaven to the earth. In other words, it is now possible for God to exercise His heavenly authority, His heavenly kingdom, over us.

THE KINGDOM OF GOD BEING HIS RULING IN THE BELIEVERS

After being saved, we all sense One within us who is directing us. Brother Nee once told a story of something that occurred when he went up to a mountain for a time of rest. On the mountain he took his meals in the home of a mechanic. This man had never gone to school; he was illiterate. Also, this man liked to drink wine. His habit was to drink wine before meals. His wife knew this habit and therefore always served him wine before meals. Brother Nee eventually preached the gospel to him, led him to be saved, read the Bible to him every day, and explained the truth to him. After receiving the Lord Jesus, the mechanic gradually learned to read a little of the Bible. One day at meal time his wife placed wine on the table as usual, but when he bowed his head to give thanks for the meal, he could not utter a word and felt very uncomfortable inwardly. Therefore, he went to search the Word of God, desiring to learn what God says about drinking wine. However, he could not find this matter in the Bible. He wanted to ask Brother Nee, but Brother Nee had already left and would not be back for a few months. His wife said, Just drink for now. We will ask Brother Nee about this matter when we see him later. After a little consideration, because he believed that his wife was right and that God should not mind such a small matter, he decided to go ahead and drink. Strangely, however, he could not drink; he simply could not take in the wine. Eventually, he told his wife, Take the wine away. It was not until the wine was removed that they were able to joyfully ask for the Lords blessing and take the meal together.

The Lord Jesus did not tell this brother not to drink, a preacher did not tell him not to drink, and he himself could not find a verse in the Bible telling him not to drink. Why then did he not drink the wine? When asked by Brother Nee about this matter, using a familiar term in Chinese, he answered, I have a Resident Boss in me. He would not allow me to drink. Brother Nee then said, Very good, brother. You must continue to listen to this Resident Boss in you. The Resident Boss is the One who rules in us.

THE RULING OF THE HEAVENS CONSTITUTING THE HEAVENLY PEOPLE INTO THE KINGDOM OF GOD
Every saved one has a similar experience. Once we are saved and have received the Lord as our Savior, we immediately sense that there is a Boss in us, that there is One in us who is directing us. In the past someone might have overseen us outwardly, but as long as he could not see us, we did whatever we wanted. However, from the day of our salvation there is One who directs us inwardly. At times someone outside us may not be controlling us, but the One inside us is. This control is the royal authority, the heavenly authority, the ruling of the heavens in us, and the kingdoms coming to us. As a result, we not only are saved into the kingdom, but we also become part of the kingdom. If all of us saved ones submit to the kingdoms ruling, we will be the kingdom, and the kingdom of God will be us. God will make us His kingdom. We will not only be saved by God into His kingdom, but we will also become His kingdom. People will see that heaven is reigning in us. We will not be under the ruling of the law of man; rather, we will be under the ruling of something higher, the ruling of the heavenly authority. We have all known a newly saved one whose colleagues, neighbors, and relatives ask, What is wrong with this person? Who can make him like this? He neither intrudes on others rights nor picks up the bad habits of society. We have never seen such a person. He is truly a saint. He is righteous, and he does not fight with people or seek his own interests. They do not know what has happened to him, but we know that the heavenly authority has entered into him. There was a brother who was very capable and humorous. Before being saved, he was the center of attention at all the dinner parties among his colleagues; any party without him was boring and no fun. Moreover, besides being clever and skillful, he was tall and striking in appearance, and he was thus very popular among his colleagues. One day he heard the gospel and was saved. Within a year or two of his salvation, his entire being had completely changed. He continued to do his job as he had normally done. When his colleagues gathered together, he would still join them, but something had changed. When his colleagues joked, at most he would smile without joining in. No matter how much they tried to tease him, he would not joke as he did before. Sometimes they were angry and tried to provoke him, but he would still not have any response. He still attended some of the dinner parties hosted by his colleagues, but usually he simply sat there quietly. Others drank, but he did not; they smoked, but he did not. No matter how noisy they were, he simply sat there calmly. In the beginning everyone teased him and could not believe that what they saw was real. They said, You know how to act, and now you are playing a trick, pretending to be one who believes in Jesus. Do you think we have not seen people who believe in Jesus? We have never seen one like you. You look very real. You are truly the top believer of Jesus in the world. He again smiled and did not answer. He was not pretending; a change had taken place in him. After a period of time many of his colleagues testified that he had truly believed in Jesus and that if any of them were to believe in Jesus, they would follow him. Another group of his colleagues, however, opposed him severely, because now it was not as convenient for

them to engage in dishonest practices for their personal gain while working with him. Formerly, he took the lead in such practices. Now that he had stopped, there spontaneously arose opposition from these colleagues. Nevertheless, people still saw that he was different and were puzzled, not knowing why he had become strange. He was truly changed. One day we went to his hometown to preach the gospel. He was very joyful and invited us to his house for a love feast and fellowship. When his wife heard of his desire to invite us over, she said, Very good. However, when we arrived, she served us leftovers. When the brother ate with us, there were tears in his eyes. He said, I am very sorry. Nevertheless, we genuinely thanked and praised the Lord because our brother was truly changed. Eventually, his wife also observed the wonderful change in her husband. Formerly, her husband had been very hot tempered, and his wife had been afraid of him. Now he would not lose his temper even if she threw things at him; rather, he would withdraw to his room, kneel down, and pray. This greatly touched his wife, and eventually she also was saved and changed. Eventually, many people were saved because of this brothers testimony. Many of his colleagues along with their wives were saved. How could this brother have experienced such a change? When we asked him about this, he said, Brothers, the Lord is living, and He lives in me. When I am about to become angry, He will not allow me. I still have my flesh, but every time I become angry, He rules over me and forbids me. Previously, my wifes behavior made me angry, but now the Lord in me is my living Boss. He forbids me and will not allow me to lose my temper. This was the ruling of the heavens, the kingdom, coming to him. The kingdom had come into him. The authority of the kingdom was in him, and he was in the kingdom. Furthermore, because the authority of the kingdom was in him, he became part of the kingdom. Gods salvation had made him part of the kingdom. When we met him, we could clearly sense that there was an authority in him. This authority was not the law of a nation on earth but was the law of heaven, a heavenly law, a heavenly authority, a heavenly ruling, coming upon and entering into him. Hence, he was truly part of the kingdom.

THE HOLY SPIRIT WITHIN US BEING JOINED TO THE THRONE IN HEAVEN

In the same way, every saved person has a measure of the kingdom within him. Some have a greater measure, and others have a smaller measure. Every saved person has the kingdom within. If a person does not have the ruling of the kingdom within, that persons salvation is doubtful. The Lords salvation brings not only the Lords life but also the heavenly rule into us. We know that every saved one has the Holy Spirit within. This Holy Spirit is not only life and power but is connected to the throne in heaven. The Holy Spirit in Revelation 4 and 5 is the seven Spirits before Gods throne (4:5; 5:6), showing that the Holy Spirit is connected to the throne. The Holy Spirit brings not only Gods life but also Gods throne into us. On the one hand, He is the Spirit of power; on the other hand, He is the reigning Spirit, bringing Gods throne into our spirit. He is the Spirit who causes Gods throne to rule in our spirit within us. Unless we are unsaved, the Holy Spirit is in us; moreover, the Holy Spirit in us is not only the Spirit of life and the Spirit of power but also the reigning Spirit. Many people speak of the Holy Spirits pouring out of the love of God into us, but they do not realize that the Holy Spirit not only pours out the love of God into us but also brings Gods throne and authority into us and sets up Gods throne in us. Some may ask what the throne of God is. Gods throne is the source of Gods authority. In the universe all Gods authority converges at Gods throne; Gods throne is Gods authority. Concerning Gods

coming to judge the world, the first vision that John saw in Revelation was the throne (4:2). There is a throne in heaven, and the One who sits on the throne is God. He is the One who rules the universe; He has all authority. He is the ruling God, the Lord of lords, the King of kings. He is the Sovereign, the great King, sitting on the throne, and all authority is in His hand.

TO BE FALLEN BEING NOT TO SUBMIT TO THE AUTHORITY OF GODS THRONE

Fallen people do not submit to the authority of Gods throne; rather, they rebel against this authority. In 1936 when I lived in Tientsin in northern China, one day I read something spoken by Mussolini, who was then the prime minister of Italy. He boasted that if the eternal Father were to speak to him, he would punch Him with his fist. At the time I read this, Mussolini considered himself to be unrivaled in the world and thus had initiated a war to annex Ethiopia in East Africa. He boasted that the Mediterranean Sea would become an inland lake of Italy. At that time many considered him to be a great hero of Europe; historians today acknowledge this. However, when I read his boast, I said to the co-worker brothers, This word of Mussolinis is terrible; he is too bold. There is a throne in heaven, but Mussolini did not submit to the authority of the throne in heaven; he did not even acknowledge that authority. In his boast he was basically saying, I do not care about the God in heaven or the eternal Father. If He were to speak to me and interfere with me, I would punch Him with my fist. He did not submit at all to Gods authority; he did not even recognize this authority. However, he was not able to resist Gods authority for long. The fact is that whether or not we submit to it, the authority of the throne cannot be shaken. History tells us that Mussolinis end was shameful and pathetic. Mussolini is dead, but the authority of Gods throne remains. Hitler, a contemporary of Mussolini, was also one who rebelled against God. When Hitler was at his peak, a brother who loved the Lord came back to Peiping from Germany. One day this brother told me, It was terrible. In Germany no one dared to speak about the Lord Jesus openly. When they wished to talk about the Lord Jesus, they had to shut all their doors and windows. People on the outside loudly shouted the name of Hitler, as if he were God and Christ. Did Hitler submit to Gods authority? Not at all. However, was he able to resist Gods authority for long? History tells us that like Mussolini, Hitlers end was a tragic death. Hitler died, but the authority of Gods throne remains.

THE GOSPEL OF GOD BEING TO SAVE MAN INTO THE AUTHORITY OF THE KINGDOM
Many today, however, still do not submit to the authority of Gods throne; they are truly pitiful and foolish. We all need to ask ourselves, Have we not repented? Have we not been saved? Have we not been enlightened? Are we not full of light? Do we not have the life of God and the Holy Spirit? Would we also not submit to Gods authority today? Gods throne is not objective to us but subjective; it is not merely in heaven but has been connected to us inwardly. This can be compared to the electricity from a power plant. The electricity does not stay in the power plant but flows into the house and the lamp. When we are saved, God gives us the Holy Spirit. With this Spirit the authority of Gods throne is brought into us. From this perspective, every saved person has Gods throne, Gods reign, and Gods authority within. Some may ask, What is this authority? This authority is the Holy Spirit who indwells us. The seven Spirits before Gods throne have been sent forth to enter into us. Today the Holy Spirit in us is the Spirit of life and the Spirit of power; moreover, He is the Spirit of authority. He is in us not only to be our life

and our power but also to be our Lord, our King, the reign of God in us, and the authority of God in us. Hence, since the Holy Spirit is in us, we have Gods throne in us. After we are saved, if we sense a restriction in us prohibiting us from acting loosely and carelessly, this sense is not produced by any ordinances of Christianity or any teachings of the church. Rather, it is altogether the operation of the Holy Spirit within us. When the Holy Spirit indwells us, the kingdom of God is in us; that is, the kingdom of God has come upon us (cf. Matt. 12:28). Where the Holy Spirit is, Gods kingdom, Gods throne, and Gods authority are also. Today, since the Holy Spirit is in us, Gods throne and Gods authority are in us. Everything hinges on our realization of this. It is disheartening that todays Christianity has been deformed and that even the gospel has been twisted out of shape. Much of the gospel preached by Christianity is concerning heaven, the heavenly mansion, as if the gospel were heaven. This causes Catholics and Christians to have the concept of heaven in their mind, making them disciples of heaven. The thought of heaven, the concept of a heavenly mansion, however, has no position in the Bible. What the Bible shows emphatically is the kingdom of heaven, that is, the kingdom. Please recall that the word kingdom in Greek denotes sovereignty. Hence, this word can be rendered as kingdom or as sovereignty. The purpose of the gospel is not to save us into a heavenly mansion, for no such mansion exists. Rather, the gospel is to save us into Gods kingdom and authority, the heavenly authority. As saved ones, we should not spend every day wishing to go to heaven. God never says that the goal of His gospel is to save man into heaven. However, His Word clearly indicates that the goal of His gospel is to save man into His heavenly authority, His heavenly kingdom. There is a throne of God in the universe. God is the Sovereign in the universe, the great King, and the Ruler of the universe. He rules not only over the angels in heaven but also over the descendants of Adam on earth. He rules not only over the living things in heaven but also over the living creatures on earth. Yet the people on earth rebel against Him, following His enemy Satan to rebel against His authority. Just as Satan does not submit to Gods authority, people on earth also do not submit to Gods authority. Men such as Mussolini and Hitler best represent the people on earth who are filled with a spirit of rebellion and boastfully say, Who is God? If He comes to intervene, I will use my fist to deal with Him. What a blasphemy this is! Although many people treat God this way, Gods throne remains forever. When those people reach the end of their life, they will have to acknowledge the authority of Gods ruling. Lavrenty Beria, a secret police chief of the Communist party in Russia, once said, What is God? Where is God? But it is said that when he was about to be executed, he requested that someone read the Bible to him. This is the situation of fallen menthey reject Gods throne. The Bible says, Repent, for the kingdom of the heavens has drawn near (Matt. 3:2; 4:17). It also says, Who [the Father] delivered us out of the authority of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love (Col. 1:13). In other words, God has saved us into the authority of the Son of His love. Therefore, we saved ones are not lawless and godless people. We truly have the law of heaven and are under the ruling of the authority in heaven. When we repent, we turn back to God, receive Him as our Lord, allow Him to put His life in us, and simultaneously allow His Spirit to enter into us, bringing His throne and authority into us.

CHRISTIANS NEEDING TO SUBMIT TO THE HEAVENLY RULING

In the Lords table meeting we often hear the saints offer praises, praying, Lord, we thank and praise You for putting Your life in us. However, I have never heard a brother or a sister say, Lord, we thank and praise You for bringing Your throne into our being. If we

have a proper feeling regarding our salvation and see the kingdom clearly, we will say to the Lord, Lord, we thank and praise You because not only have You given Your life to us, but You have also brought Your throne into our being. I believe that after offering such praise at the table meeting, our entire being will be changed because the throne will rule over us within. If we are about to tell a joke, the throne will rule over us. If we are about to criticize, judge, or expose the weaknesses of others, the throne will rule over us within. If we are about to lose our temper toward our parents or children, as we begin to lose our temper, the throne will rule over us. It is terrible that Christians today seem to fear everyone except God. If Christians today would fear God in the way that they fear the police, they would all be proper Christians. I have seen many Christians who are genuinely saved and are even quite zealous but who do not fear God. They fear the police more than God. When the Japanese invaded China and occupied my hometown of Chefoo, one day a Japanese military policeman informed us that we were required to attend a meeting the next day at 8:00 A.M. The next day no one dared to be late. In fact, everyone arrived at 7:30 A.M. and attended the meeting in an orderly manner. The way they attended that meeting was much better than the way we attend our meetings today. Why is this? It is because everyone was afraid of the Japanese military police. In our meetings, however, it seems that God can easily be ignored. This is the reason that our situation is different. Although the responsible brothers always announce that we should come to the meetings early, the saints often come late. The closer they live to the meeting hall, the later they arrive. If one day some Japanese military police came to notify us that we all had to gather at 5:00 A.M. the next morning, do you think that anyone would dare to be late? But after we tell the saints, You must rise up early to pray and read the Lords Word, they may say, I did not go to sleep until 11:00 P.M. I really cannot rise up in the morning. Others may say, I have not been feeling very well lately; I really cannot rise up early. However, if some Japanese military police came to their home, as soon as they heard the footsteps, they would not dare give any excuses. If they were told to gather at 5:00 A.M., they probably would arrive at 4:30 A.M. I would like to ask, Is this kind of Christian proper? When we do not submit or yield to God and are not restricted by God, do we have peace within? Are we joyful Christians? This is why we are afraid to pray with others. When it is time to pray, you want me to pray, and I want you to pray. Neither of us can open our mouths. This is also why we are afraid that the brothers and sisters will come to visit us. It is because when they come, we will have to pray with them. Why are we afraid of praying? It is because we feel that we do not want to face God. We know that we have hurt Him and opposed Him. He often commands us, demands things of us, and even works in us, but we do not respond to Him and are unwilling to submit to Him. We oppose Him and are not submissive to Him, whether in great things or in small things. Hence, our spirit within is a crushed spirit, a grieving spirit. There is no peace or joy in us, and we can neither praise God nor give thanks to Him. In our daily living, if we are willing to submit to the heavenly authority in great things and small things and allow the throne in heaven to reign in us, whenever we pray, our spirit will be joyful and our mouth will be filled with praises. At the same time, we will give thanks to God at every opportunity. Our spirit will be full of joy because we have allowed God to reign in us. We will be persons who are in the kingdom and have a part in the kingdom, and the heavenly authority of the kingdom will be in us. We must see that every saved one has not only Gods life but also Gods authority, Gods throne, within. In other words, the kingdom is in us. The kingdom is Christ as well as the Holy Spirit. He is the reigning authority. He is Christ, the Lord of lords and the King of kings. Where He is, there the throne is also. Where He is, there the authority is also. Where

He is, there the kingdom is also. Have you been saved and received God? Do you not have Gods life in you? Is the Holy Spirit not in you? Is Christ not in you? This is sufficient. This is the throne, this is the authority, this is the kingdom of the heavens, and this is the kingdom. Now the question is, will we submit to the Lord? I believe that none of us will say, I will not submit. However, in our actual condition we are often loose and self-willed. If someone says that we have never submitted to God or been ruled by the throne within, we will feel that we have been wrongly spoken of. After all, we can testify that in certain matters we dare not be loose because there is an authority, a throne, a ruling, in us, and we submit to it. However, in many more matters we lay the throne aside. For example, many brothers and sisters are careless in losing their temper, in becoming angry, in criticizing others, in envying others, in hating others, and in the way they do things. These situations show that we are not under the ruling and restriction of heaven; thus, we nullify the heavenly authority in us. After a period of time, however, the Holy Spirit comes again. He is the authoritythe seven Spirits before the throneand He desires to reestablish the throne in us. As long as we give Him a little opportunity, we will realize that the throne, the ruling, the authority, and the kingdom are still in us. From the day of our salvation, the kingdom and the authority are always in us. The question is whether or not we submit.

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE KINGDOM BEING THE RULING OF THE HEAVENS

The Bible reveals that the first meaning of the kingdom is the ruling of the heavens, the heavenly authority, entering into us and ruling us that we may live a heavenly life, a restricted life, in practicality. In our speech, attitude, walk, action, and even expression and countenance, we must be restricted by the kingdom. In our daily living, even in our apparel and appearance, we must be under the restriction of the kingdom. In all things, such as our dealing with people, our handling of situations, our handling of material riches, and our managing of our household, we must be restricted by the throne. This restriction is higher than the laws of a nation, higher than human ethics, and higher than the requirements of society. This restriction is the heavenly authority brought into us. The authority that has been brought into us is the seven Spirits who are before the throne. The sevenfold Spirit of God has entered into us with Gods throne and is ruling and reigning within us. If we submit to Him, we will be blessed, for the kingdom will be ours. We will be part of the kingdom.

THE EXERCISE OF THE KINGDOM AUTHORITY BRINGING IN THE REIGNING WITH CHRIST IN THE MANIFESTATION OF THE KINGDOM
When we submit to the throne today, we are in the kingdom. In the future the second meaning of the kingdom, the aspect of the sphere of the kingdom, will be manifested on the earth. At that time the kingdom of the world will become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ (Rev. 11:15). When this kingdom is manifested on the earth, we will enter into it. The aspect of the sphere of the kingdom is a matter of prophecy; we will enter into it in the future. However, the aspect of the authority of the kingdom is not a matter of prophecy or something in the future. Rather, it is something practical, something we can experience today, because it is a living under the ruling of the kingdom in actuality. From the day we are saved, the Holy Spirit is in us, bringing Gods throne, the heavenly authority, and the

authority of the kingdom into us. If we learn to be under the inward ruling and restriction and practically have this kind of living, we will be in the kingdom. Then one day when the sphere of the kingdom is fully manifested, we will be able to enter into it and rule and reign with the Lord. Strictly speaking, those who will enter into the kingdom will not be citizens but will be kings. We have not attained to the stage of being kings today, but we are princes. Therefore, we need to be trained. We are in the kingdom today, not mainly as citizens but as princes who are receiving the training of the ruling, the throne, and the authority. One day we will be enthroned to reign with the Lord. Only those who receive the training to be under this heavenly authority today will be able to exercise this heavenly authority in the future. Today on the earth, on one hand, we are living as the kingdom people under the authority of the kingdom, and on the other hand, we are living as princes, Gods children, the children of the great King, to be trained to reign in Gods kingdom. Therefore, we must seriously learn to be restricted, ruled, and trained under the authority of the kingdom. If today we learn to be under Gods authority, reigning, and ruling, one day He will cause us to rule and reign with His beloved Son. Although this is a matter in the future, it should encourage us to live under the authority of the heavens today. CHAPTER THREE

WHAT THE KINGDOM IS TO THE BELIEVERS (3) GODS KINGDOM, RULING, AND GLORY
Scripture Reading: Luke 19:11-13, 15; Psa. 2:6-7; Dan. 7:13-14; Acts 2:33, 36; John 16:13-15; Rev. 22:1-2 The kingdom is a crucial truth in the Bible. If we truly know the Bible, we will realize that the entire story of God in the universe is a story of ruling, that is, a story of obtaining a kingdom. It is easy to see that for a great person to fulfill his desire and manifest his glory, he must possess authority and acquire a kingdom. If he cannot acquire a kingdom and exercise his authority in it, he will have no way to carry out his plans and show forth his glory. Whenever the kingdom is mentioned in the Bible, it is usually associated with authority and glory. Consider, for example, the Lords prayer in Matthew 6. At the end of this prayer three items are mentioned together. The Lord prayed, Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory (v. 13). Daniel 7:14 also puts these three items together, saying that the Son of Man was given dominion, glory, and a kingdom from God. Without a kingdom, God has no way to exercise His authority; without the exercise of His authority, God has no way to fulfill His desire; and without the fulfillment of His desire, God has no way to express His honor and glory. In verses 9 and 10 of His prayer in Matthew 6, the Lord mentioned three things. First, the Lord prayed, Your name be sanctified (v. 9). This is a matter of glory. For Gods name to

be sanctified on earth is a matter of Gods being glorified. The Lord continued, Your kingdom come (v. 10a), and then went on to pray, Your will be done, as in heaven, so also on earth (v. 10b). This shows that the carrying out of Gods will is a matter of the exercise of His authority. If the sovereignty of a nation cannot be exercised in a certain place, the laws of that nation cannot be executed there. In order to execute a law and accomplish a purpose, a nation must be able to exercise its sovereignty. Laws are related to the will. In order to carry out His will on earth, God must extend His authority to the earth, and in order to extend His authority to the earth, He must obtain a kingdom on the earth. Once He acquires a kingdom, He will be able to exercise His authority, carry out His will, cause His name to be sanctified, and receive glory. Thus, we see that these great mattersthe will of God, the glory of God, and the sanctification of Gods namedepend on Gods kingdom. Once God has His kingdom, His will will be done, His name will be sanctified, and He will be glorified. The key to these matters is whether or not God can obtain His kingdom. The foundation of Gods kingdom is the throne of Gods rule.

SATAN AND MAN HAVING REBELLED AGAINST GODS AUTHORITY

The Bible clearly shows that the only thing Satan wants to do in the universe is to overthrow Gods throne. Isaiah 14 reveals that Satan wanted to exalt his throne to be equal with God (v. 13). This means that Satan intends to violate Gods sovereignty, usurp Gods authority, and overthrow Gods throne; he intends to establish his own kingdom in the universe. In Matthew 12 the Lord Jesus spoke of two kingdoms, the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan. He said, If I, by the Spirit of God, cast out the demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you (v. 28). He also said, If Satan casts out Satan...how then will his kingdom stand? (v. 26). This shows that there are two kingdoms in the universe. One is Gods kingdom, and the other is Satans kingdom. One is Gods exercise of His authority, and the other is Satans usurpation of Gods authority. One is Gods establishing of His throne for the exercise of His authority, and the other is Satans overthrowing of Gods throne for the setting up of his own authority. The matter of authority is mentioned in the very beginning of the Bible. Genesis 1 shows that God gave man the authority to have dominion over all the living things in the sea, in the air, and on the earth (v. 26). The way Satan stole man away from God was to seduce man to rebel against God, to usurp Gods authority. When man sinned, he did not merely violate a rule; even more, he revolted against God, rebelled against God, and put Gods authority aside, denying Gods authority and rejecting Gods rule. Just as Satan rebelled against God, man also rebelled against God. The first creatures God created were the angels, among whom the archangel led many to rebel. Later, God created man, who also rebelled. One can say that man and Satan acted as a team to rebel against God.

GOD GIVING THE AUTHORITY, THE KINGDOM, AND THE THRONE TO THE LORD JESUS
After man and Satan rebelled together against God, God determined to become a man; He became a man in the Son. This is a great matter. God became a man in the Son and entrusted all His authority to the Son. Therefore, all Gods glory is in the Son. We can say that the Son is the embodiment of Gods authority. When the Lord Jesus stood as a man among the Jews and was questioned by some of them as to when the kingdom of God was coming, He answered, The kingdom of God is in the midst of you (Luke 17:20-21). When the Lord Jesus spoke this word, He meant that He Himself was the kingdom of God His being in the midst of the Jews was Gods kingdom being in their midst. He did not

want the Jews to think that the kingdom of God was here or there; actually, the kingdom of God was in their midst (v. 21). He Himself was the kingdom of God. All Gods authority was with Him, and Gods throne also was with Him. Apart from Christ man cannot find the kingdom of God, apart from Him man cannot touch the authority of God, and apart from Him there is no throne of God. All Gods authority is with Him; He is Gods authority. Hence, He is the effulgence of Gods glory. The expression of Gods glory is in Gods authority, and all Gods authority is with Christ. Therefore, He is Gods authority and Gods kingdom, and Gods glory rests with Him. I hope that all Gods children can see that the kingdom of God is not something only in the future. We should not study it as an objective and prophetic matter. Actually, Gods kingdom is Christ, the Son of God. All Gods authority is with the Lord Jesus. When we believed in the Lord, we received the Lord Jesus as our Savior and prayed, Lord, I receive You into my being. However, we did not know that the Lord whom we received is not only the Savior and the One who is life but also the King. He is the kingdom, and He is the authority. Once we receive Him into us, we have not only the Savior and the One who is life but also the Lord and the King. There is an authority, a kingdom, in us. This kingdom is Christ Himself. Today Gods kingdom is not only outside of us but also within us. This kingdom is Christ, our Savior, who is the authority in us, having set up His throne in us and been enthroned in us. When the Lord Jesus was about to depart from the world, He revealed that He would receive for Himself a kingdom and return (Luke 19:12). In fact, Gods kingdom and authority had long been with Him, but God had a particular procedure and way of doing things. In eternity past God gave His authority and kingdom to His Son; these items had long been with the Son. Yet the Lord Jesus said that He was going to receive a kingdom. In what way did He go? He went by death. The way by which the Lord received His kingdom was death and resurrection. When the Lord was raised from the dead, He ascended to heaven, and God exalted Him to His right hand, making Him both Lord and Christ. This officially demonstrated to the entire universe that God had given His kingdom to the Son. In Psalm 2 God declared, I have installed My King / Upon Zion, My holy mountain (v. 6). When did God say this? He said this when He raised the Lord Jesus from the dead. At that time the Lord Jesus heard God say to Him, You are My Son; / Today I have begotten You (v. 7). This is the word God spoke to His Son in His resurrection. After the Lord Jesus was resurrected, God told Him that He had begotten Him and that He had also made Him King. Thus, in Acts 2, on the day of Pentecost, Peter stood up and said, Let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made Him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you have crucified (v. 36). The authority, the kingdom, and the throne have been given to the Lord; He has been enthroned, and everything pertaining to the kingdom rests with Him. Perhaps someone would ask Peter, How do you know that God has made Jesus both Lord and Christ? Have you been to heaven? How do you know that Christ has ascended to heaven and has been enthroned? Peter could answer, Have you not seen that the Holy Spirit has descended? On the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit descended. The fact that the Holy Spirit descended proves that Jesus was made by God both Lord and Christ. Because He was exalted, enthroned, and made both Lord and Christ, God gave Him the Holy Spirit, who was then poured out. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit confirms and declares to us the authority that God has given to the Lord Jesus. When the Lord Jesus was about to depart from the world, He told His disciples that the Holy Spirit, whom the Father was about to send, would declare to them all that the Father had given Him; the Holy Spirit would come from the Lord Jesus and would declare to the disciples all that the Lord had received (John 14:26; 16:13-15). What did the Lord receive? The Lord received Gods throne and Gods authority, and He was made by God both Lord and Christ. After the Holy Spirit had entered into the disciples and had been poured out

upon them, He testified in them and led them to know that the Lord was on the throne, that Gods kingdom was with Him, and that Gods authority was in His hands. On the one hand, the Lord was on the throne, having obtained the authority, the throne, and the kingdom. On the other hand, those in the world did not know Him; they did not know that the Lord Jesus was on the throne, that He had the authority, and that He had received the kingdom. Although the world was ignorant, rejecting Christ as the King with His ruling, His kingdom, and His throne, God did something special: He poured out the Holy Spirit. On whom did He pour out the Holy Spirit? He poured out the Holy Spirit on those who believed in Jesus. God caused the Holy Spirit to enter into those who believed in Jesus, and He also poured out the Holy Spirit upon them. Although the world rejects Christ as King, God nevertheless desires that the gospel would be preached everywhere. This gospel is the gospel of the kingdom (Matt. 24:14). No matter where this gospel is preached, as soon as someone prays to Jesus, saying, Lord Jesus, I am a sinner. I repent and receive You as my Savior, the Holy Spirit will enter into him and come upon him. This is an earthshaking experience. Perhaps some do not realize how great this matter is because they do not know what the Holy Spirit will do after He comes into them and upon them. We need to remember that the Holy Spirit entering into us and being poured out upon us is not only to give us peace through the forgiveness of sins and not only for Gods life to come into us, but also it is the Lord Himself entering into us. Who is this Lord who comes into us when the Spirit comes into us? We may know that He is the Lord who died for us on the cross. However, when we receive Him as our Savior and when He enters into us as the Spirit, He is not the Lord on the cross but the Lord on the throne. The One whom we receive is the Lord who was nailed to the cross; however, today He is no longer on the cross but on the throne. The Lord whom we receive is the Lord on the throne. He was crucified, but then He passed through the tomb, resurrected, and ascended to the heights. God exalted Him to His right hand, enthroned Him, and gave Him all authority in heaven and on earth (28:18). God made Him Lord and King; He is the King on the throne. Before we were saved, the Holy Spirit came to us, moving us and telling us that we were sinners and that we needed to repent, receive the Lord, and believe in Jesus. As a result, we were touched and prayed, O Lord, I am a sinner. You died for me, and I receive You as my Savior. We should never consider this to be a small matter. As we prayed, our sins were forgiven. As we prayed, we obtained peace. As we prayed, the Lord entered into us. This is a great matter, something marvelous, because through this the enthroned Jesus entered into us. This Jesus is a marvelous One. We must see that He is not only the crucified Jesus but also the One who is on the throne. When we receive Him, He comes into us not from the cross but from the throne. Moreover, He comes into us not only from the throne but also with the throne. Hence, when we are saved, we receive the Savior and also the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Many gospel hymns depict a scene similar to what is portrayed in the following lines: I prostrated myself before the cross, before the pierced feet of the Lord Jesus. I saw the nail marks on His hands. I saw His pierced side. I saw the stripes on His back. I saw the thorny crown on His head. I saw the thorns piercing into His head; His blood flowed out drop by drop. I then knelt down before the crucified Jesus, receiving this man on the cross as my Savior. Many hymns are similar to this in utterance and expression. We must know, however, that this is a prayer uttered by those whose eyes have not been opened and who have not seen the vision on the mountain. What they see is the Jerusalem on earth and the hill called Golgotha, which was outside the city of Jerusalem and on which was a cross where the crucified Jesus was hung. The light they have received enables them to see merely the things on earth and not the scene in heaven.

We need to see that the Lord is no longer on the cross or in the tomb. On the morning of His resurrection, when those who loved Him came to look for Him in the tomb, it was empty. The angels said to them, He is not here, for He has been raised, even as He said (v. 6). Furthermore, on the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit descended from heaven upon Peter. At that time Peter became crazy, or he must have at least been trembling as he was speaking, for people thought that he was drunk. Peter told the people that it was not the time to be drunk, for it was nine oclock in the morning, and no one drinks at that time (Acts 2:15). However, people supposed that Peter was a drunkard; this shows that the Holy Spirit had truly descended upon him. When the Holy Spirit came upon Peter, he became beside himself. Peter was formerly a fisherman of Galilee; he did not have much learning. However, on the day of Pentecost he was bold, powerful, and eloquent, fearing neither heaven nor earth. He did not fear the Roman Empire, the Jewish religion, the high priest, the Pharisees, or the elders; he preached Jesus the Nazarene as Lord. People there thought that he was insane, but he told them, Let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made Him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you have crucified (v. 36). When the Israelites heard this, they were pricked in their heart. Then Peter charged them to repent and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (vv. 37-38). When we are willing to receive and gain this Holy Spirit, He will enter into us, give us peace through the forgiveness of sins, and give us eternal life. Moreover, when the Holy Spirit enters into us, the Lord Jesus enters into us. The Jesus who enters into us is the Jesus on the throne, the exalted One, the One who was made both Lord and Christ. What He brings into us is not merely the cross but the throne. The Lord on the throne comes into us with His throne; He comes not only to be our life but also to be our authority. He is not only our Savior but also the kingdom. He is Gods kingdom, Gods authority, and He desires to set up His throne in us. He is on the throne as the King in us. We need to remember that this is what it means to be a Christian. The experience of a Christian is not merely an experience of life and peace but also an experience of the kingdom, of the throne, of the authority, and of the King of kings. The One in us is not only the lowly Jesus but also the glorified Christ. He is not only the Jesus rejected by man but also the Christ exalted by God, and all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him.

THE SAVED ONES HAVING A KINGDOM, A GOVERNMENT, WITHIN THEM

There is no way for us to receive the Lord and yet set aside His authority. We should not say to the Lord, I am too small to contain You, Lord, much less to contain Your throne. Neither should we tell Him, Lord, I want only life and peace; I do not want the kingdom and authority. If we speak to the Lord in this way, the Lord will answer, If you want life and peace, you must also receive the kingdom and authority. If you want the Savior, you must also receive the King. I am the Savior as well as the King. I was not only crucified but also enthroned. I passed through the cross, and now I am sitting on the throne. I come into you not from the cross but from the throne. As the Lord of lords and King of kings, I am coming into you with My throne. What is this? This is an experience of the kingdom. Although our outward being is small, our inward being is truly great, for within us there is a kingdom. We have a kingdom, a throne, and the King of kingsChrist, the Ruler of the kings of the earthwithin us. This is our inward experience. I hope that all Gods children can see this. We should never consider salvation to be a small matter. Some who have seen that salvation is not a small matter often pray, I have been regenerated; I have Gods life and

have become Gods child. This is a great matter! We need to see, however, that the fact is actually greater than this. We must see that Gods kingdom, Gods throne, Gods King, and the King of kings are all in us. The people on earth forsook the Lord Jesus, but the heavens welcomed Him. Furthermore, after the people on earth rejected Him, He as the Spirit descended from heaven. The Spirit came with the gospel, and this gospel is the gospel of the kingdom. When we hear the gospel and repent, we receive this Savior; this Spirit comes into us. What kind of Spirit is He? He is the Spirit flowing from the throne, the seven Spirits before the throne (Rev. 4:5). Once He comes into us, He gives us peace through the forgiveness of sins, and He gives us life as well. He also brings the throne into us; that is, He brings the Lord on the throne into our being. In this way our being becomes the heavenly kingdom; we have the authority, the throne, the King, the reigning, and the ruling within. Using a secular term, we may say that we have a government in us. There is a kingdom in every saved one. What a gospel this is! Perhaps some do not accept this word. We may accept the fact that when we believe in Jesus, we have eternal life, but it is difficult to accept the fact that when we believe in Jesus, we have the kingdom in us. We may feel that it is wonderful to know that we have obtained eternal life, but we may not like to hear that the kingdom, the laws of the kingdom, and the King of the kingdom also are in us. Although some may not believe this word, it is based on the Bible. It may be that some initially agree with this word, but after seeing themselves still watching movies and quarreling with their family members, they simply cannot believe that the kingdom, the throne, and the King of kings are in them. This is truly difficult for man to believe. I would ask you only one thing: Are you saved? As long as you are a saved one, there is life in you. Moreover, Christ is in you, the authority is in you, the King of kings is in you, and the kingdom is in you also. The One whom we have received is exceedingly great.

THE SAVIOR ON THE THRONE BEING THE KING OF KINGS

We should know that the greater a person is, the more forgiving and meek he will be. The experienced ones know that little children are easily offended. Whenever I visit a family, I am afraid of the children. I am not afraid that they will hit me, but I am afraid that I will offend them. Sometimes I tease them playfully, and they begin to cry. It is very easy for children to be offended; they are very young and are therefore narrow-minded. The parents, being adults, are different. They are not easily offended. For example, if I ask for another bowl of soup or break a glass, they will not have much of a reaction, nor will they make me feel embarrassed. Children, however, are different. If I take a piece of candy from a child, he will surely cry. Even if I return the candy to him, I may still not be able to calm him down and stop him from crying, because he is a child and is small-minded. We need to realize that our Lord is the King of kings; as such, He is a great person. It does not matter if we offend Him, but I say this not to encourage you to do so. If you say to Him, I strongly desire to go to the movies, He may say, Go ahead. He does not want you to go, but if you greatly desire to go, He will allow you to go. He is a very great person. You may sometimes lose your temper, and although He does not like it, He allows it. However, it is certain that after you are saved and become a Christian, when you do things that are displeasing to Him, although He may allow you to do those things, you will not have peace within. If you are genuinely saved and are thus a genuine Christian, every time you do certain things, you will sense no peace within; rather, you will sense that you are rebellious and are doing things contrary to the Lord. You will sense that you are a disobedient and rebellious one. Perhaps you may console yourself by saying, I did not steal or rob from others; I merely lost my temper a little. Besides, everyone has a temper. Strangely, no matter how you try to convince yourself, you still will not have peace; He is

still not responding in you. He is not like an earthly government, which would ask the police to stop you when you violate the law, but you know within that you are disobeying Him. You may give many reasons, and all the reasons may be logical, but your inward feeling will be contrary and disagree with you. How do you know that you have a contrary feeling within? You know it by the fact that you cannot pray. A brother once told me that no matter where he went to hire a cab, he found that good cab drivers were nowhere to be found; almost every cab driver was unreasonable and tried to take advantage of others. Sometimes the brother would refuse to give in and would reason with the cab driver, questioning him, Why are you trying to take advantage of me? You should have given me fifty cents in change. The two would then begin to argue. This is a small matter; it seems that everyone should fight for himself and that it is reasonable to do so. The cab driver should have given him fifty cents in change, but he said that he did not have change. Hence, they began to argue again. No matter what, this brother demanded justice. This is reasonable in the eyes of the world, but he was not able to pray when he went home. That he could not pray was truly a problem to him. All he did was quarrel a little, and his quarreling was reasonable. However, he could not pray when he went home. This was strange to him. When he sat at the dining table and was asked by his wife to pray and give thanks for the meal, he could not utter a word. The reason was that he had overthrown the throne within him. He had not conducted himself like a king or like one who had a throne and the King of kings within. Hence, he could not pray. Have you had this kind of experience? Sometimes a cab driver refuses to give us our change of fifty cents, but if we consider, I am a son of the King of kings. I have the throne in me, and I have Christ in me. He is worth more than fifty cents. I do not care for the fifty cents anymore. Strangely, when we arrive home, we will be able to kneel down and pray to the Lord immediately, saying, O Lord, I thank and praise You that You are the King of kings, that the throne is in me, and that I am a son of the King. We will be able to praise Him. How wonderful this is! This proves that there is a kingdom in us. This kingdom is the Holy Spirit, and it is Christ Himself with His throne and His authority.

THE MYSTERIOUS EXPERIENCE OF CHRISTS RULING IN US

Christians are difficult to understand, for there is a mystery in them. They have a mysterious life and a mysterious Savior, and they also have a mysterious kingdom. Within them are a mysterious government, a mysterious throne, a mysterious authority, and a mysterious ruling. There is a mystery in them. Today if you are a saved person and you take care of this mystery within, you will constantly experience the ruling of the kingdom in you. When you are about to argue with your wife, because of this authority in you, you will give up arguing. I believe that many brothers have this kind of experience. Sometimes you argue with your wife, saying, Am I not reasonable? We should lay this matter out and see who is right. Many times a couple does not present their case to a judge in a law court; instead, they bring their case to their children. They call for their children and ask them to judge who is right and who is wrong. Some children are truly good at judging; they say to their parents, The two of you are about the same. This is not a positive situation for the children, and this will cause the family to be unable to pray together. Hence, arguments should be avoided at home. If you argue with your wife, one thing is certain: you do not need to argue much; you only need to say a few words, and you will not be able to pray when you go back to your room. You may lie on your bed, looking at the ceiling and groaning a little, but you will not be able to pray a genuine prayer. Even if you pray, you will not be able to pray in a good way. Moreover, you may not be able to read the

Bible the next morning. Why is this? It is because your inner being is altogether in chaos; the throne in you has been overthrown. Because you have not submitted to the authority in you and have not kept the order, there is chaos in you. This chaotic situation may take three to four days to gradually be set right. After such a failure, you should tell the Lord, O Lord, forgive me. I am truly weak; I have failed again. The Lord will then ask you to apologize to your wife and tell her that you should not have argued with her. At this point, however, you may feel that you cannot lose your face. You may feel that since she is the wife and you are the husband, you cannot apologize to her. Because most brothers feel that this is shameful, they are not able to obey the Lord. We have all had this experience. Because of your disobedience you are again not able to pray in the evening. Even if you pray, there is not the supply of life. What is the reason for this? This is because the throne within you has been overturned, and your inner being is in chaos. However, you may be willing to obey the Lord and apologize to your wife right away, saying, I am truly a failure. Please forgive me. In this case, when you go back to your room, you will immediately be able to praise the Lord, your spirit within will be enlivened, and you will feel uplifted. This may seem to be a small matter, but it involves a great principle. This is the case not only in the family but also in the church. When the responsible brothers come together, sometimes they have arguments. One of them may change his countenance, and another one may change his voice. Each one may insist on his own view and may not be willing to yield to others. They may argue in this way, but they certainly will not be able to praise the Lord or pray, because the authority within them has been overthrown. Such behavior is unbecoming for a Christian and for one who has Christ reigning within. If we behave in this way, it is as if the throne is not in us, and there is no kingdom, no king, no authority, and no ruling in us. We may lose our temper as we please, yell at others as we please, become loose as we please, disagree with others as we please, and quarrel as we please. We may be free, careless, and unrestrained. If we conduct ourselves in such a way, the throne is gone, and Christ is gone. Of course, according to the facts, the Lord is still in us; He remains in us. In our feeling, however, we are unable to rise up; instead, our spirit is low, and we are not able to praise, pray, or read the Bible. This shows that we have overthrown the throne within us, we have rebellion within us, and we have brought confusion to the kingdom in us. We should never think that this is a small thing. The glorious Lord, the great King, today dwells humbly in us, desiring to set up His throne and establish His kingdom in us. This is a great thing. Throughout the past two thousand years the Lords kingdom has apparently been weak, but actually, it is strong and great. Today Jesus Christ is great and vast on the earth; His throne, His authority, and His kingdom have been established in thousands of people. It is no wonder that at the end of Napoleons life he exclaimed, O Jesus the Nazarene, You have conquered me! I have fought battles in many places throughout my whole life, but now I am left in a miserable state. You, on the contrary, have never fought any battle, yet You have set up Your throne in many places on the earth. The Lords kingdom is established in all those who have believed in Him, including you and me. Sadly, we often unconsciously ignore this revelation and fact. The One who is in us is not only our Savior and our life but also our King, the King of kings. He is not only on the cross but also on the throne. Today He comes into us with His throne. Hence, the authority of the entire universe, the authority in heaven and on earth, and Gods entire kingdom are in us.

THE SUPPLY OF LIFE FLOWING ONCE THE THRONE IS SET UP

Before the manifestation of the kingdom comes openly, the reality of the kingdom must already exist in us; the Lord must have already established His kingdom in us. If we live in the kingdom today, we will eventually be brought into the manifestation of the kingdom. When we live in the kingdom, we are in the condition described in Matthew 5 through 7, a condition of being absolutely under the rule and restriction of the heavens. If we live under this light, we will be in a condition and live a life that the people of the world cannot live. The life we will live is heavenly and is incomprehensible to the world. The King of kings in us is a kingdom that makes demands on us; He is also life in us as a supply to us. To the degree that He makes demands on us, He supplies us. He always supplies according to the demand. If we allow Him to rule in us, His life will supply us inwardly. Once the throne is established in us, the river of water of life will proceed out of the throne. These two are connected. Where the throne is, there is life; where the authority is, there is the supply; where the demand from Gods kingdom is, there is the supply from Gods kingdom. Some may say, I cannot overcome sin and my temper. Why does the Lord supply you and not me? The supply depends on whether we allow the Lord to be enthroned and reign in us. If the Lords throne is in us and the Lord is reigning on the throne, then from the throne of God and of the Lamb the water of life will flow. The entire Bible covers the story of the throne and the story of life. At the end of the Bible these two itemsthe throne and lifeare joined together. Out of the throne proceeds the river of water of life (Rev. 22:1). We need to see that once the throne is set up in us, life will flow, and this flow will become our inward supply, our inward strength. We will then be satisfied, strengthened, enlightened, and enriched. When Christ reigns in us, His will will be done and His glory will be expressed. As a result, He will be exalted not only in heaven but also in us. He will obtain His kingdom not only on the throne in heaven but also in us. We will be His kingdom, and we will have His rule in us. We will be in His life and will live in His kingdom. When this is our experience, we will be in His glory, and this will bring in His kingdom, His reigning, and will bring Him down from heaven. He will come back to the earth with His glory, authority, and kingdom to openly establish His kingdom. He will take us, those who allow Him to reign, as the base for Him to establish His kingdom. Before He establishes His kingdom on the earth, He must first establish His kingdom in us. May the Lord grant us mercy to see that being a Christian is a matter not only of being spiritual but also of submitting to authority. We must see that the Lord in whom we believe is the King of kings, the Lord who has received the authority on the throne. Today the Lord as the Spirit has entered into us to establish His throne in us and become our King, and we must submit to His authority, acknowledge Him as our King, and receive His ruling. If we live in such a condition, from the throne within us will flow the living water, the water of life, which will supply the need of others. In this way our inner being will be living, satisfied, strengthened, enlightened, and enriched. Moreover, Christ will reign and be glorified on the throne. CHAPTER FOUR

WHAT THE KINGDOM IS TO THE BELIEVERS

(4) SUBMITTING TO GODS RULING BY THE DIVINE LIFE

Scripture Reading: Matt. 5:20, 48; 7:21; John 3:3, 5; Rev. 22:1-2a

THE KINGDOM OF GODS REIGN DEPENDING ON THE DIVINE LIFE

There is a strong thought concerning the kingdom in the Word of God. If we read through the Scriptures carefully, we will see that from beginning to end God desires to obtain a sphere for His reign. How does God obtain this sphere of reign? Or we may ask, how does God bring in this kingdom? He does it by His life. Hence, in the Bible life is always linked to the kingdom. In the beginning of Genesis we see that Gods desire is that man would exercise dominion for Him on the earth (1:26). Dominion is related to the kingdom. Gods desire that man would exercise dominion for Him on the earth indicates that God intends to establish His kingdom on the earth through man. After Genesis 1, which speaks of Gods desire that man would exercise dominion for Him on the earth, Genesis 2 presents the tree of life (v. 9). This indicates that for man to exercise dominion for God on the earth and bring in the kingdom, he must have Gods eternal life within him. If man does not have Gods eternal life, he will never be able to bring Gods authority to the earth. Therefore, the very beginning of the Bible reveals that God links life to dominion. Hence, the focus of Satans work is also related to this matter. Satan took man away from the tree of life because he knew that if man did not receive Gods life, he would have no way to bring Gods authority to the earth. The kingdom as the sphere of Gods reign altogether depends on Gods life. Thus, the Lord Jesus said to Nicodemus, Unless one is born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God (John 3:3). He also said, Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God (v. 5). Gods kingdom is a matter of Gods reign; mans regeneration is a matter of mans receiving Gods life. In order for man to touch Gods reign and bring Gods authority to the earth, he must receive Gods life inwardly. If man does not have Gods life, he will have no way to bring in Gods reign.

THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE LAW AND THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE KINGDOM

The highest requirements in the Bible are the requirements of the kingdom. We may say that Gods requirements in the Old Testament are the requirements of the law, and Gods requirements in the New Testament are the requirements of the kingdom. We all know that the law commands us not to kill, not to swear falsely, not to steal, and so forth (Exo. 20:13-17; Lev. 19:11-12). All these are the requirements of the law. The requirements of the kingdom in the New Testament, however, are higher than the requirements of the law. The kingdom requires man not to be angry with others. Not only should there not be the act of murder, but there also should not be the motive to murder, which is anger (Matt. 5:22). All the requirements of the kingdom touch mans heart within man. The requirements of the law are outward, but the requirements of the kingdom are inward. The law requires that man not break an oath or swear falsely, but the kingdom requires that man not swear at all but that his word should be, Yes, yes; No, no, without the need of swearing (vv. 34-37). The law requires that man be perfect according to the letter of the law, but the kingdom requires that man be perfect even as the heavenly Father is perfect (v. 48), meaning that man must be perfect as God is perfect. The law requires an eye for an eye, a tooth for a

tooth (Exo. 21:24; Lev. 24:20), but the kingdom requires that whenever someone slaps us on our right cheek, we must turn to him the other also (Matt. 5:39). Here we clearly see two kinds of requirements. One kind is low, and the other is high. The requirements of the law are relatively low and somewhat attainable. The requirements of the kingdom, however, are high, difficult to fulfill, and even unachievable. For instance, the requirement not to murder is reasonable, but the requirement not to be angry with someone is exceedingly difficult. This shows a contrast. Under this contrast we may think that although it is possible to meet the requirements of the law, it is absolutely impossible to fulfill the requirements of the kingdom. Actually, it is also impossible for man to meet the requirements of the law. When God gave the law to man, He never intended that man would keep it; He knew that man would not be able to keep it. Man simply cannot meet the requirements of the law. What then is the use of the requirements of the law? The requirements of the law are intended to prove that man is impotent toward the law. Because man originally thought that he was able, God seemed to say, I will put the requirements of the law before your eyes and see if you are able to keep them. We all know that man fell in relation to the law; man violated every item of the requirements of the law. Therefore, we can conclude that the requirements of the law are intended to show mans impotence. The requirements of the law had already exposed mans inability, but then God gave man higher requirements, that is, the requirements of the kingdom. Anyone who reads Matthew 5 through 7 acknowledges that the requirements there are too high for man to keep. I have heard many brothers and sisters say, Matthew 5 through 7 is altogether unattainable. Who can have no anger in himself? Who can have a righteousness that surpasses that of the scribes and the Pharisees? Who can turn to someone his left cheek when he is slapped on his right cheek? Who can be perfect as God is perfect? When we read all these requirements, we can only say that they are beyond our reach; they are exceedingly high and unattainable.

THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE KINGDOM BEING MET BY GODS LIFE

However, the requirements of the kingdom are not meant to be met and fulfilled by us; they are to be met and fulfilled by Gods life. The requirements of the kingdom speak forth how able God is; the requirements of the law, on the other hand, speak forth how impotent man is. The Lord Jesus said, Only with difficulty will a rich man enter into the kingdom of the heavens...It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God (19:23-24). I do not know if anyone has seen an eye of a needle large enough for a camel to pass through. Actually, no matter how large the eye of a needle can be, it cannot make possible the passage of a camel. Even if we have never seen a camel and do not know how big it is, at least we have seen the eye of a needle. Even the largest eye of a needle is not large enough. No matter how large the eye of a needle could be, a person could not pass through it. How then could a camel pass through it? The Lord Jesus used such an illustration, telling the disciples that it is even more difficult for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of the heavens than for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle. This means that entering into the kingdom of the heavens is impossible with man. Upon hearing and understanding this, the disciples immediately asked the Lord, Who then can be saved? (v. 25). This is a good questionwho can be saved? This is an impossible thing. Hence, the Lord answered immediately, With men this is impossible (v. 26). With man, the fulfilling of Gods requirements is certainly impossible; it is unattainable by man. It is impossible for man to be perfect as God is perfect. Likewise, it is impossible for man to have a righteousness that surpasses that of the scribes and the Pharisees. It is even more

impossible for man not to have any filthy thought or any anger. No one can fulfill any of these requirements. When someone slaps us on our right cheek, we need to turn to him the other alsothis is not something that we can do. This is as impossible as requiring a cat to fly. Who then can enter into the kingdom of the heavens? The Lord Jesus said, With men this is impossible, but He went on to say, with God all things are possible (v. 26). Hallelujah! With man this is impossible, but with God it is possible. Hence, to enter into the kingdom depends not on man but on God. The requirements of the kingdom cannot be met by man; they can be met only by God.

THE VITAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE KINGDOM AND LIFE

How does God meet the requirements of the kingdom? He does it by coming into us to be our life. In the New Testament we must see two things, the kingdom and life. These two are great and weighty things. The Lord said, The kingdom of the heavens has drawn near (4:17). He also said, Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall by no means enter into the kingdom of the heavens (5:20). The requirements for entering the kingdom of the heavens are great. However, there is a life that can meet these requirements. Gods Word says, Everyone who believes into Him [the Lord Jesus] may have eternal life (John 3:15); he who has the Son has the life (1 John 5:12); and unless one is born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God (John 3:3). This means that if we are regenerated, we can see the kingdom of God; if we have Gods life, we have the way to enter into the kingdom of God. In the New Testament we find not only the kingdom but also life. Whereas the kingdom is a demand, life is a supply. We see a strict demand in the New Testament. This demand is not the law but is something higher than the law. It requires us not merely to be perfect or excellent but to be like God and ultimately to be perfect as God is perfect. Is anything higher than God? Is there anything more perfect than God? The kingdom requires us to be as high as God and as perfect as God. Gods Word says, Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees... (Matt. 5:20). The righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees is the righteousness of the moralists and the law keepers. If our righteousness does not surpass this kind of righteousness, we cannot enter into the kingdom. This shows how high the requirements of the kingdom are. We must be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect (v. 48); this is to be perfect as God is perfect. This is a high requirement that cannot be met by man; with man it is impossible. However, with God it is possible. How can it be possible with God? It is possible through His entering into us as our life. When He enters into us as our life, He supplies us with the power that enables us to do what we otherwise cannot do.

THE LORD JESUS DESIRING TO SET UP HIS THRONE IN US AND MAKE US INTO HIS KINGDOM
It is regrettable that although many of Gods children know that Gods life is in them, they have not seen the requirements of Gods kingdom. It may be that some do not fully understand the Lords word regarding this matter. How can Gods children know that Gods life is in them yet neglect the kingdom requirements? One time a sister asked me, Is the Lord Jesus in me as life? I said, Yes. Then she asked, Is the life of the Lord Jesus not powerful? I said, Yes, it is powerful. There is no question about this. Then she continued, I have a problem. You know that I am definitely saved, that I truly have the

Lords life in me, and that the Lords life is powerful. However, there is a temper in me that I can never overcome. I then asked her, What temper? She replied, I have been married for several years, and everything has been fine except my temper. Before I was saved, I realized that it was a problem. I believed in Jesus mainly in the hope that I would stop losing my temper. I knew that in myself I had no way to restrain my temper. In a gospel meeting I heard someone say that the life of the Lord Jesus is powerful and that if we rely on Him and receive His life, we can overcome our temper. It is because of such a gospel that I believed in Jesus. I am truly saved and have the Lords life. The first two weeks after I was saved, this life was truly powerful, but it has not worked since then. I always pray and ask the Lord to strengthen me that I may not lose my temper. However, the more I pray, the more I lose my temper. Now I even doubt that I truly have the life of the Lord Jesus and that His life is truly powerful. Moreover, my husband teases me, saying that after I believed in Jesus, I was fine and did not lose my temper for only two weeks, and that now my temper is worse than before. She told me that she was very sad when her husband teased her, but it seemed impossible for her not to continue believing in Jesus. Something within laid hold of her, making it impossible for her not to believe in the Lord Jesus. If you asked her not to pray, she would be unable to fulfill your request; if you asked her not to read the Bible, she would be unable to do that; if you asked her not to go to the meetings, she would not be able to stay away from the meetings. However, she could not overcome her temper. What could she do? I believe that many people have this kind of experience. Some people are troubled by smoking; they are unable to stop smoking. They say that they cannot overcome even a small cigarette. A brother once told me, In the past I heard someone say that once he was saved, the life of the Lord Jesus was so powerful that it got rid of his cigarettes. I also believed in Jesus, and from the time that I was baptized, I have attended the Lords table meeting every Lords Day. Why do I still smoke? Very often before the Lords table meeting, I smoke heavily at home. After half an hour of smoking, I am satisfied, and I go to the meeting. Can it be that even the life of the Lord Jesus does not have the power to solve my problem? Many of us have similar problems. I asked the sister who wanted the Lord to help her not to lose her temper, Since the day of your salvation, have you ever consecrated yourself to the Lord and allowed Him to rule in you? To do so, you must tell the Lord, Lord, from now on, I am not my own; I am Yours. Lord, may You be the Lord and King. I give myself to You. I give You the permission to be enthroned in me and be the King of kings in me. Have you ever told this to the Lord? She replied, Frankly, I do not have the boldness to pray like this. After I was saved, I heard messages about consecration, but I was afraid to consecrate myself, because once I consecrate myself and the Lord Jesus truly comes to reign in me, what shall I do? This is not a joke. This can be compared to the fact that before I was engaged to my husband, I could make all the decisions myself, but after our engagement I was accountable to him in everything and had to hand over everything to him. Now whatever he says is final. Therefore, if I give myself to the Lord Jesus, I know that I will not be allowed to joke. If the Lord comes to reign in me, He will tell me, You must not do this, and you must not do that. What shall I do then? This is serious; hence, I have not dared to consecrate myself to Him. I continued and asked her, How do you live as a Christian? She said, I know that the Lord has saved me and that He lives in me as my life. I also know that I should consecrate myself to Him and allow Him to be the Lord, but I dare not do it. Therefore, I use my own effort in everything, and when I fail in anything, I ask Him for help. For example, because I cannot overcome my temper, I ask Him to help me overcome my temper. After I heard this, I laughed. I said to her, The Lord Jesus is not cheap. You cannot buy Him with the small price that you pay. The Lord Jesus will not be your Savior according to what you

desire. You ask Him to help, but He will not help. You must ask Him to be the Lord. You need to give yourself to Him, allow Him to be the King of kings, allow Him to set up His throne in you, and allow Him to reign in you. In this way all the problems will be solved easily. If instead of giving the ground to the Lord Jesus, you reign over everything, and you pray and ask for His help only when you have a problem and cannot get through, it is impossible for Him to help you. He will not do such a thing; He never gives help to people. Rather, He desires to be your life within you so that He may meet the requirements of the kingdom Himself. I told this sister that the kingdom requirements were a matter of the Lords reigning in her and that she needed to give the throne and authority to the Lord and allow Him to establish His kingdom in her. I said, Strictly speaking, today the Lord does not care to be the Savior in us; He cares to be the King in us, desiring to set up His throne in us and make us into His domain. He desires to make us His kingdom that He may reign in us. Hence, He has placed the highest requirements on us, and He would not allow us to lose our temper or even to have a small impure thought. He desires to reign in us and rule over our being. He is never loose; He requires us to be perfect as God the Father is perfect. If your desire is only to stop losing your temper, He will not help you. He does not require you merely to refrain from losing your temper, for this is too low; rather, He requires you to allow Him to rule in you, reign in you, and establish His domain in you. I continued, Sister, do you want to be saved by Him? Do you want to know His resurrection power? Do you want to know the power of His life? If so, you must submit yourself before His throne and have a time to give yourself to Him, telling Him, You are my Lord. You are the King of kings. I give myself to You that You may be the King and the Lord in me. All that I am is Yours; the ground and the authority in me are Yours. If you give yourself to the Lord in this way, allowing Him to gain the ground in you and reign in you, you do not need to worry about whether or not you will lose your temper, because your temper will be His responsibility. As long as you submit to His authority, ruling, and throne and allow Him to establish His kingdom in you and make you His domain, everything related to you will spontaneously be His responsibility. This sister absolutely believed this word, but she still had a hesitation within. She told me, I believe your word. There is no doubt about it. However, if I allow the Lord to reign in me, and He actually reigns in me, what will happen to me? This is our situation. We ask the Lord to reign in us, which means that we want Him to reign in us, yet we wonder what will happen to us when He actually reigns in us. Are we asking Him to be our King merely out of politeness? If so, we are deceiving ourselves and others; we do not actually want Him to reign in us. Every one of us more or less has this kind of experience. In fact, many people today still do not have the boldness to consecrate themselves to the Lord. Others may have only a partial consecration. Such persons do not have a thorough consecration and dare not have a complete consecration. This is because they think that after they consecrate themselves completely and Jesus is enthroned, they will be finished. After they are saved, many Christians have this kind of experience to one degree or another.

CONSECRATING OURSELVES FOR THE LORD TO REIGN IN US

Many Christians confess that not long after they were saved, the Spirit of the Lord Jesus asked them to allow Him to have room in them. However, when they had this inward sense to allow the Lord Jesus to have room and reign in them, they began to consider the cost, fearing what would happen once they gave themselves to the Lord and He truly reigned in them. There was a little girl about ten years of age who was truly saved. One day we asked her, Are you saved? She replied, I am saved. Then we asked her, Do you have the

Lords life? She said with assurance, I have the Lords life. We asked further, Do you love the Lord? She said, I love the Lord. We then asked her, Why do you love the Lord? She answered, Because the Lord Jesus died for me. As she said this, she shed tears. We continued, What is the expression of your love for Him? To our surprise, she answered, I love Him, but I dare not express it. Her answer was quite meaningful. We asked her, Why not? She said, Our teacher in the childrens meeting told us that if we love the Lord Jesus, we must give ourselves to Him. If we love the Lord Jesus, we need to consecrate ourselves to Him; this is an indication of our love for Him. Furthermore, He is not pleased if we give Him just anything; He delights only in us. Our teacher told us that unlike us, the Lord Jesus does not love money; He loves only our person. If we would give ourselves to Him, He would be very happy. This teacher was quite experienced in that he was able to speak very well and touch the childrens feeling. I then asked the little girl, Why are you afraid to give yourself to Jesus? She said, Because I like to wear pretty clothes. I said, It does not matter whether you like to wear pretty clothes. The Lord Jesus also likes you to wear pretty clothes. She replied, But I am afraid that if I give myself to the Lord Jesus, one day He may not want me to wear pretty clothes. Then what shall I do? This is the reason I cannot give myself to Him. Although this is merely a childs story, you and I have been such a child. In 1932 and 1933 this childs experience occurred in me. At that time I truly knew that the Lord Jesus wanted me to give myself to Him. If you had asked me, Do you love the Lord Jesus? I would have answered without any hesitation, I love the Lord Jesus. He died for me to be my Savior. I love Him. If you had asked me, Since you love Him, how do you express it? I would have told you, No matter how I express it, He does not like it. I have tried reading the Bible, praying, and offering material riches, but He did not like any of these things. I was clear inwardly at that time that the Lord was saying to me, I do not want anything else but you. You must drop your job and everything you have and give yourself to Me. I want only your person. Therefore, for a period of almost two years I dared not pray, Lord, I consecrate myself to You. I dared not say this because I was afraid that the Lord would answer, Fine, then drop your job and serve full time! This was a painful experience for me. I knew that I had to believe in the Lord Jesus and that I had to love Him, yet I loved Him but dared not express it. Today many Christians are in this kind of situation. If you ask them, Have you believed in the Lord? they will say, I have believed in the Lord. If you ask them, Do you love the Lord? they will say, I love the Lord. If you go on and ask them, How do you express your love for the Lord? they will not dare to answer. This reveals a problem. Because he is deceived by Satan, man is not willing to allow the Lord Jesus to establish His kingdom in him. The gospel saves us that we may become the Lords kingdom. God regenerates us with His life that we may have the throne of His Son in us. Salvation is not for us to go to heaven; it is for us to be made into a kingdom. Satan seeks to overthrow Gods authority in the universe. He is unwilling to let Gods authority be brought to the earth. In the meantime, he also usurps the earth among the worldly people so that Gods kingdom cannot come to the earth and His authority cannot be exercised among men. Through His Sons dying for man, being raised from the dead, cleansing away mans sins with His blood, and regenerating man with His life, God brings His throne, His authority, and His kingdom into the saved ones so that they may have His authority in them and become His kingdom. In a general way, all the saved ones constitute Gods kingdom. The church is the place where God exercises His authority, and the throne of Gods Son is set up among the churches. His authority and reign should have the ground in all the saints. However, many saved ones have been deceived. Although they all have Gods life, the Lord Himself, and the Lords throne, authority, and kingdom in them, many will not submit to the Lords authority, allow the Lord to be seated on the throne within them, or allow Him to establish His kingdom and obtain His domain in their being. They will listen to messages, attend

meetings, study the Word, and pray, but they will not yield the authority within them to the Lord Jesus. We must realize that if this is our situation, we cannot be a living and strong Christian, the power of the Lord Jesus cannot be expressed through us, and the divine life cannot be a supply to us. Revelation 22 shows that the river of water of life proceeds out of the throne of God and of the Lamb (vv. 1-2). Hence, when God and the Lamb are enthroned in our being and are able to rule and reign in us, this life will be manifested as power that supplies us inwardly. Suppose we are weak and we tell the Lord, Lord, strengthen me. This kind of prayer never works. Every Christian can testify that this kind of prayer is ineffective. Those who always tell the Lord, Lord, I am weak; please make me strong, know that the Lord never makes people strong. Why is this? It is because the Lord desires only to set up His throne within us; He cares only for the authority, the ground, and the dominion within us. We must give Him the dominion. God has already made Him Lord and Christ and has given Him all authority in heaven and on earth. The entire universe is His domain; we are the only ones who do not give Him the authority. God has made Him King, but we alone do not honor Him as King. Rather, we are our own king, and we do everything by ourselves. Until today there is no room for Christ in us; our inner being is not Christs domain but our own domain. In everything we are the lord, we are in control, and we have the final word. The Lord Jesus is frustrated in us. He is the Lord who is enthroned in heaven, but He is not enthroned in our heart. Yet we still ask Him for help. Obviously, it is impossible for Him to fulfill our request.

NEEDING TO SEEK FIRST HIS KINGDOM AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS

Some brothers and sisters ask the Lord for help not only in spiritual things but also in material things in their living. They always pray, Lord, bless us. The house we are living in is not very good; please bless us that we may have a better house. They ask for the Lords blessing also on material things related to their eating, drinking, and clothing. However, the Lord told us, Do not be anxious for your life, what you should eat or what you should drink (Matt. 6:25). Rather, we should seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all the things we need will be added to us (v. 33). Many times God is merciful to us, but often He grants us His mercy without much joy. When a disobedient child asks his parents for something to eat, although the parents give him what he asks for, they do so without joy. This is because they know that if they refuse him, he will be hungry, but they know also that he is a disobedient child. This is truly the heart of every parent. When a child does not listen to his parents or behave according to his parents will, the parents are not happy, though they give him what he desires. Many brothers and sisters have prayed to God, and it seems that God answered their prayers. However, He did not answer them happily. God knows that we are His children, and if He does not take care of us, we cannot live on the earth. If He does not take care of us, we cannot get through all our difficulties. He takes care of us, but He is not happy, because we completely disregard His authority, we do not care for His kingdom, and we do not allow Him to be the Lord. All we care for is ourselves. Hence, it is not pleasant for Him to answer our prayers. In Matthew 6:31-33 the Lord Jesus told His disciples that they should not seek material things because all these things are what the Gentiles are anxiously seeking. He told them that instead, they needed to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and allow Him to reign in them and establish His domain in them. In this way all their daily necessities would be added to them. They would be cared for by Him, would enjoy His riches, and would experience His power.

LIFE BEING FOR THE KINGDOM TO REIGN IN US

The manifestation of the Lords power and the expression of the Lords riches through us are based on His being able to set up His throne and establish His kingdom in us. When we have His kingdom and His throne in us, His riches will flow out from within us. When His throne is set up in us, His life will flow into us and become our inner supply. Today many brothers and sisters are not able to overcome sins. They pray again and again, but they still fail. They reckon themselves dead, but the more they reckon themselves dead, the more they are alive and unable to die. What is the reason for this? This is because they have not allowed the Lord to set up His throne in them. We must see that life flows out of the throne, and the supply of life is for the fulfilling of the kingdom requirements. Life is not merely for us to overcome the small problems related to sins but for the kingdom to reign in us. A sister once told me, I think that the hardest thing for me is the matter of dealing with my hired servants; it is truly not easy to treat them properly. When the sisters feel that their attitude toward their servants is poor, and they do not have the peace within, they should earnestly confess to the Lord. Sometime later, however, they will find that they still cannot be kind to their servants. They know that this is not right, but no matter how much they pray, their prayers are in vain. Thus, they are greatly bothered. We must ask such a sister, In your daily life, do you make all the decisions, or does the Lord make the decisions? Has the Lord set up His throne in you? Whose domain are you? If you are your own domain, you make the final decisions, and the Lord is not on the throne, then you should not expect that you will be able to treat your servants properly, for the Lords life will not help you; His life is not to meet this need of yours. Instead, the Lords life is for the kingdom requirements. Therefore, the sister should not be concerned about how she treats her servants. Rather, when she goes home, she should prostrate herself before the Lord, give herself to Him, acknowledge His authority, receive His throne, allow Him to reign in her and obtain His domain in her, yield her inner being to Him completely, and say to Him, Lord, from today on I am Your kingdom, Your domain. Your throne is in me. Please reign in me. Then everything will be solved. She will experience life flowing and supplying her within, and she will spontaneously be kind to her servants. This is amazing. All the enemies will be defeated by this. When Christ is on the throne, all the enemies will fall. However, when we are on the throne, all the enemies will rise up. This was the story with the children of Israel. In the Old Testament when the children of Israel allowed God to be their King, all the enemies around them fell and were subdued. However, whenever the children of Israel forsook God, rejected Gods authority, and acted according to their own will, their enemies all rose up. As a result, the holy city was trampled, the holy temple was destroyed, the Ark was captured, and the people of God became captives. The principle is the same today. We should never expect that God will come to help us; He never offers such help. Rather, He desires to rule and reign in us, to obtain His domain and establish His kingdom in us. There is no need for us to pray, to beseech Him, or to look to Him. As long as we give Him the throne and the domain in us, receive Him as the Lord of all and the King of kings, take Him as our King and our Head, and submit to His authority, all the enemies will fall, and all our problems will be solved. At that time we will see that Gods life is in us, the throne is set up in us, and life is flowing out of us and becoming a supply of power to us. Then it will be easy and sweet to love not only our servant but even our enemy. We will be able to take the way that men cannot take, live a life that men cannot live, and do the things that men cannot do, for with men this is impossible, but with God this is possible. God in us becomes the possible One; He becomes our life and our supply. Therefore, we need to see that His salvation, His gospel, is for Him to obtain a domain, to make us His kingdom, that His Son may be enthroned in us and be the Head and the King of kings in us. The solution to all our problems depends on our giving ourselves to Him so

that His kingdom can become a reality in us. The reigning of Christ is our exercise, and the throne of Christ is our living. If this is our experience, we will immediately see the supply of life satisfying the requirements of the kingdom and enabling us to do what man cannot do. This is what is meant by Matthew 19:26, which says, With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. CHAPTER FIVE

WHAT THE KINGDOM IS TO THE BELIEVERS (5) THE KINGDOM AND THE OVERCOMERS
Scripture Reading: Matt. 6:10; 28:18-20; Rev. 11:15, 17; 12:5; 2:26-27 Revelation is a book concerning the kingdom (1:6, 9). In order for the kingdom of Christ to come to the earth, there must first be a group of overcomers. This group of overcomers includes the man-child spoken of in chapter 12. Verse 5a says, She brought forth a son, a man-child, who is to shepherd all the nations with an iron rod. From chapter 2 we can see the constituents of the man-child, who is to shepherd all the nations with an iron rod. Verses 26 through 27 say, He who overcomes and he who keeps My works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations; and he will shepherd them with an iron rod, as vessels of pottery are broken in pieces, as I also have received from My Father. In Matthew 28 the Lord said, Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you (v. 20). Those who keep the Lords works until the end are the overcomers who will shepherd the nations with an iron rod. Revelation 12:5b says concerning the man-child, Her child was caught up to God and to His throne. The man-child consists of the overcomers, who will be caught up to the place where God reigns. As a result of their being raptured, verses 7 and 8 say, There was war in heaven: Michael and his angels went to war with the dragon. And the dragon warred and his angels. And they did not prevail, neither was their place found any longer in heaven. This implies that prior to this time Satan and his angels still had the right to be in heaven (Job 1:6; 2:1). However, after the overcomers are raptured, there will be no place for the devil in heaven. Revelation 12:9 says, The great dragon was cast down, the ancient serpent, he who is called the Devil and Satan, he who deceives the whole inhabited earth; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast down with him. When the overcomers are raptured to heaven, the devil will be cast down from heaven, and heaven will be thoroughly cleared up. Verses 10 through 12 say, I heard a loud voice in heaven saying, Now has come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ, for the accuser of our brothers has been cast down, who accuses them before our God day and night. And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they loved not their soul-life even unto death. Therefore be glad, O heavens and those who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea because the devil has come down to you and has great rage, knowing that he has only a short time. The accuser

is Satan, the devil, who is cast down because of the overcomers. When this occurs, the coming of the kingdom will begin.

THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE KINGDOM TO AUTHORITY AND GLORY

It is clear from the Lords Word that Gods glory depends on Gods authority, and the exercise of Gods authority depends on Gods kingdom. For this reason, we know that Gods goal has always been to obtain a kingdom. The kingdom is the sphere in which God reigns. In this kingdom as the sphere in which He reigns, God can exercise His authority and carry out His will. Because His authority can be exercised and His will can be done, His glory can thus be expressed. Gods glory being expressed is Himself being expressed. Gods glory being expressed is altogether a matter of His reigning in the kingdom. It is amazing that in the Bible God places all these three thingsHis kingdom, His authority, and His gloryupon His Son. God desires to glorify His Son in the kingdom as the sphere of His reign. When His Son is glorified through reigning in the kingdom, God Himself will be glorified in and through the Son. Hebrews 1:3 says that the Son of God is the effulgence of Gods glory and the impress of Gods substance. However, for the Son of God to be expressed as glory, He must have a kingdom in which He can reign. Hence, if we do not allow the Lord to obtain a kingdom in which He can reign, the glory of God that rests on Him will have no way to be expressed. Based on this, it is clear that the kingdom is the most central item in the New Testament. When the Lord Jesus taught us how to pray, He particularly charged us to pray for the coming of the kingdom, because the fulfillment of Gods desire depends on the coming of the kingdom (Matt. 6:9-13). If Gods kingdom comes to the earth, His will and His authority will be brought to the earth, and His glory will be expressed on the earth. Furthermore, all this depends on His Son. Hence, His Son must obtain the kingdom and must reign. His Son taught us that when we pray, we should focus on the coming of the kingdom. This means that the kingdom must be the center of all our prayers. The central significance and purpose of the prayers of Christians should be the coming of Gods kingdom. To pray for the coming of Gods kingdom is to ask God to set up His throne on earth and exercise His authority on the earth. The Lord taught His disciples to pray in this way.

PREACHING THE GOSPEL FOR THE ESTABLISHING OF THE LORDS KINGDOM

After the Lord ministered on earth for three and a half years, prior to His crucifixion He indicated in Luke 19 that His going was for Him to receive a kingdom (v. 12). He was soon to depart from the earth, but His going was that He might receive a kingdom and return. He had to go in order to bring the kingdom of Gods reign formally to the earth. He said that one day He would receive His kingdom and return; that day of the Lords return will be the day of His second coming. After He was raised from the dead, He told His disciples, All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth (Matt. 28:18). Thus, He has apparently already received His kingdom, for all authority has been given to Him in heaven and on earth. In other words, the kingdom of God has already been given to Him. The issue today is who on earth actually submits to His authority? God has given the kingdom to the Lord; God the Father has given to the Son all authority in heaven and on earth. On Gods side there is no problem. Gods desire is to glorify His Son that He may be the King in the entire universe. God has given all authority in heaven and on earth to the Son in His resurrection. For this reason, the Lord Jesus was able to tell the disciples, All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. However, we need to consider whether the Lord is actually able to reign today.

There are still two problems. First, man does not submit to His authority. Second, the rebellious devil and his angels are still opposing Gods authority on the earth. The Son of God received authority from God to establish His kingdom on earth, but the situation on earth does not match this. On the earth today man does not submit to His authority, and the devil and his angels rebel against Him. In this situation, how can the Lord establish His kingdom on the earth? How can He exercise Gods authority on the earth? There is a picture of this situation in the Old Testament. One day King Davids son Absalom rebelled against him. Because of Absaloms rebellion, David was cast out. God had anointed David and given the authority to him. According to God, David was the king whom He had appointed, but the earth was filled with rebellion against David (2 Sam. 15:1 19:8a). He was cast out by his son and the rebellious ones. David was Gods king, but he was not able to reign in the kingdom. Luke 19 portrays a similar situation. In this chapter the Lord told a parable showing that He had to pass through death in order to receive the kingdom. In the Lords resurrection God gave Him all authority in heaven and on earth. God also exalted Him to His right hand and made Him both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:33, 36). In Psalm 2:6 God declared, I have installed My King / Upon Zion, My holy mountain. However, the parable in Luke 19 indicates that His citizens, the people on earth, sent an envoy to tell Him, We do not want this man to reign over us (v. 14). After the Lord Jesus was raised from the dead, the people on the earth made such a declaration. The devil instigated men on earth from within to say to the God of heaven, We do not want Jesus of Nazareth to reign over us. In such a situation, though our Lord is the King of kings and the Lord of lords anointed by God, He cannot reign over the earth, for it is filled with rebellion. Man is not willing to submit to His authority, acknowledge Him as King, and allow Him to reign. Rather, the people on earth follow Satan, who rebels against Him. Therefore, after receiving all authority and the kingdom from God in His resurrection, the Lord sent out His disciples, saying, Go therefore and disciple all the nations (Matt. 28:19). The Lord wanted them to go all over the earth to preach the gospel of the kingdom. What does it mean to preach the gospel of the kingdom? It means to make all the tribes and nations on the earth disciples of the Lord Jesus. What does it mean to make the nations disciples of the Lord? It means to bring them into submission to the Lord. Formerly they followed Satan to rebel against the Lord, but now we must bring them into submission to the Lord. The Lord is not only the Lord who created the universe; He is also the King anointed by God, the King of kings appointed by God. God has given all authority in the universe to Him that He may establish Gods kingdom on the earth to exercise Gods authority and express Gods glory. However, Satan instigated the people on earth to declare to God, We do not want Jesus, whom You appointed, to reign over us. We do not want this Nazarene to reign over us. What should the Lord have done when He heard this from those on the earth? Should He have destroyed them with lightning and thunder? Should He have commanded fire to come down from heaven and consume them? The Lord was not willing to do this. If He had done this, He would not be able to fulfill Gods will and establish Gods kingdom. The Lord said, The Son of Man has not come to destroy mens lives but to save them (Luke 9:56). Hence, He sent His disciples to preach the gospel to all the nations, to spread the gospel of the kingdom to all the earth, and to disciple all the nations to bring them into submission to the Lord and make them the kingdom people.

REPENTING FOR THE KINGDOM

The first thing mentioned concerning the gospel is the need to repent (Matt. 3:2; 4:17). What does it mean to repent? To repent means that originally we were rebellious and against God, but then a voice of love asked us to return, to turn back, to God. Hence, to repent is to turn back in submission to the Lord and receive Him as our Savior. When we receive Him as our Savior, He comes into us. He enters into us not only in the status of a Savior but also in the status of the King of kings. Today He is no longer the Christ nailed to the cross; He is the King on the throne. When we repent, turn to Him, and receive Him as

our Savior, He is the King on the throne. Therefore, we have received not only the Savior but also the King of kings, the Lord of lords. When the King of kings comes into us, His throne simultaneously comes into us. His desire is to establish His kingdom in us to make us rebellious ones His kingdom. Formerly we did not submit to Gods authority. We were willing to do anything, however bad it might have been. Before we received the Jesus whom God appointed to be our King, we acted loosely and recklessly because the heavenly authority was not ruling us. However, now we are saved and have received the Lord Jesus as our Savior. Moreover, as our Savior, He also has the statuses of the Lord of all and the King of kings. Hence, when we receive Him as our Savior, He enters into us to set up His throne and establish His kingdom in us so that we may become His kingdom. Revelation 1 and 5 reveal that the Lord has purchased us with His blood to make us His kingdom (1:5-6; 5:9-10). What is His purpose in making us His kingdom? His purpose is to rule, to reign, to accomplish His will on earth, and to gain a group of people on earth to be under His authority. This is the result that has been produced by the gospel during the last two thousand years. In the last two thousand years there have been many people from every part of the earth who have received the gospel and come under Christs ruling. Newly saved ones, however, are often not clear about this matter. They think that their believing the gospel is only for them to receive certain benefits, such as peace through forgiveness of sins, eternal life, eternal blessing, a living God who always bestows His blessings and peace on them, and a living Savior who always saves them from pain and suffering and preserves them to be those who behave properly. Gradually, however, the Lord will show them that the Savior whom they have received has the status of a king and that He is even the King of kings. As our Savior, the Lord is no longer on the cross; rather, He has passed through the cross and has been enthroned. He is now the King on the throne. At the time we received Him, He had already been given all authority in heaven and on earth and had been exalted to Gods right hand and made both Lord and Christ. The One whom we have received is a glorious King, the King of kings, who is sitting on the throne. The Lord enters into us not only to be our Savior but also to be our King, connecting the throne in heaven and the authority in heaven to us.

THE KINGDOM OF GOD BEING GODS REIGNING

Perhaps after receiving the Lord, we did not hear a message on the kingdom, but inside us there was always a feeling that Someone was asking, Do you love Me? Are you submissive to Me? Do you follow My leading? Do you listen to My word? What kind of feeling is this? This is the Lord asking us to submit to Him from our heart and to submit to His authority. Thus, we should not expect Him to be only our Savior; we must allow Him to be our King also. When we encounter a difficulty, we may pray, Lord, have mercy on me and save me. If so, He will ask us in return, Do you listen to My word? Do you follow My leading? Do you obey My command? What does this mean? It means that we want Him to save us, but we must be willing to allow Him to be our King. We want Him to grant us love, joy, and peace, but we must be willing to allow Him to set up His throne in us. After we are saved, we often have this experiencethe Lord desires to establish His kingdom in us, yet we are not willing. The Lord leads us again and again to see this truth, this vision. The gospel saves us that we may become the Lords kingdom. The Lord enters into us that He may establish His kingdom in us. The Lord in us is not only our Savior but also the King of the kingdom. The Lords life in us is not for us to meet merely a small demand but for us to meet the great demand of the kingdom. If we hope only that the Lords life will prevent us from losing our temper and make us a meek person, the Lords life will not comply. The Lord will not pay attention to this kind of hope, because His life is given to us to supply us to meet the

kingdom requirements. We need to say, Lord, I acknowledge You as the King of kings. I allow You to set up Your throne in me and rule over me in everything. I am the sphere in which You can reign; I am Your kingdom. Then spontaneously we will not lose our temper and will be a meek person. What is the purpose of our becoming Christians? We become Christians in order to allow the Lord to establish His kingdom in us. For what purpose do we believe in the Lord Jesus? We believe in the Lord not so that we may go to heaven or obtain blessing, joy, and peace, but so that we may submit ourselves to the King of kings. He is the King appointed by God, the Lord of all, who has received all authority in heaven and on earth; God has given all things to Him. He is a glorious King, the King of kings. Hence, we should desire to submit ourselves to Him, receive Him, and allow Him to establish His authority, His throne, and His kingdom in us. We must be fully under His ruling. We should not be those who by our will determine to be meek, who by our effort try to be patient, or who by ourselves try to be perfect. Rather, we should be those who are under His authority and who allow Him to have the full ground to establish His kingdom, to set up His throne, and to be enthroned in us as He is enthroned in heaven. Our believing in the Lord Jesus is for this.

CHRISTS LIFE BEING ONLY FOR HIS KINGDOM

The Lord Jesus has purchased us back with His blood that we may be His obedient people, those who submit to His authority, who are His kingdom, and who allow Him to set up His throne to rule and reign in us. Everything related to us must be in submission to His authority. If we all have this view and live in this kind of situation, all the enemies will spontaneously be defeated. Our temper? It will not prevail. The world? It will lose its attraction. Every sin and temptation, whether it is from the devil, the evil spirits, the flesh, or fleshly lusts, will be defeated. When the King of all is enthroned in us, all the enemies will fall prostrate. There is a clear picture of this in the Old Testament. Gods people, the children of Israel, were Gods kingdom under Gods ruling. Whenever they allowed God to rule and reign, all the enemies around them surrendered, and they had peace in all their borders. They were a victorious people, an excelling people. Because they allowed God to rule, and Gods kingdom was established among them, all the enemies surrendered. However, whenever they did not allow God to rule or reign over them, they fell, and their enemies rose up one after another. At certain times the Philistines came, and at other times the Midianites, the Moabites, the Amalekites, or the Ammonites rose up to fight against Israel. Eventually, the seven nations in the land of Canaan rose up one by one. At one point even the Ark was carried away. The enemies prevailed because God had lost His throne and His reign among His people. As a result, the holy city was destroyed, the holy temple was trampled, and all the vessels in it were carried away. The children of Israel lost Gods presence and His testimony. This was because they had lost Gods authority and did not allow Him to be enthroned among them. This is a picture, a type, of the situation today. When we have Christs throne and authority in us, all the enemies will surrender, and God Himself, Christ, His testimony, His authority, and His power will be with us richly. Conversely, when we do not allow Christ to reign in us, but we make decisions, govern, and have the preeminence ourselves, we will find that all the tests and temptations, including our temper, will come. When we allow Christ to reign in us, we are able to praise and give thanks in every situation that we encounter. At such times we do not know temper, tests, or temptations. Yet when Christ is not able to reign in us, and we do not give Him the ground within, we will immediately begin losing our temper and murmuring. It will seem that nothing is going smoothly. This is often our experience. For example, this morning we might have blamed our parents for not waking us up earlier. Later we still could pray, Lord, help me and save me from losing my temper. Lord, You are the Lord of resurrection, the Lord of power. You have the

resurrection life, and this resurrection life is powerful. Please change me. Yet in the end this did not work. The Lord did not answer our prayer, help us, or save us; neither was His resurrection power manifested in us. Why is this? It is because He never offers this kind of help, and His life is not for meeting this kind of demand. Rather, His life is for Him to reign and establish His kingdom in us. We must be under His authority and be His kingdom; we must have His throne and be ruled by Him within. Then His life can be manifested in power. Christs life is only for His kingdom. If a brother is not a kingdom person within and is not living a life ruled by Christ, often Christs life will not bear responsibility for him. Although he may read the Bible, he will still fail. He may pray, but he will still be weak. Although he may go to meetings and listen to messages, he will still not be victorious. The reason for this is that he has not allowed Christ to be enthroned within him. If we do not have Christs kingdom and reign within us, if we are not His domain, and if we still make the decisions in everything and keep everything as our domain, kingdom, and rule, then the Lord will be forced to stand aside. He will not and cannot do anything for us.

OVERCOMERS BEING THOSE WHO SUBMIT TO GODS REIGN

We need to see the reason God saves us; that is, we need to see His purpose in saving us. God saves us that we may be His kingdom, that through us He may establish the kingdom of His Son. Today Satan is still active in the air and on the earth. Satan rules in these two realms, and Christs authority has no way to be expressed. However, Christ finds a way by extending His authority into us who believe in Him. If we allow Him to exercise His authority to a sufficient extent, we will be a group of overcomers. According to Gods ordination, the whole church should be like this. All those in the church, every saved one, should be under the authority of Christ, should allow Christ to reign, and should be a place where Christ can exercise His authority. Many saved ones, however, desire the Lords salvation, the Lords love, and the Lords blessings, but they will not allow the Lord to reign in them so that He may gain His kingdom. What will the Lord do in this situation? The Lord must do a further work in the church to gain a particular group of people. Throughout the last two thousand years the line of these lovers of the Lord has never been broken. Apparently the church is in decline, and indeed the church as a whole is in decline. However, in this decline there are still overcomers. In this decline there are still some who love the Lord and tell Him, Lord, I am under Your authority. I am Your kingdom. I am willing to allow Your throne and Your authority to come in. I love Your ruling. Lord, You are the King, and I am under Your ruling. I submit to Your authority. In these last two thousand years the line of such persons who submit to the Lords authority has never been broken. These persons are the Lords overcomers. We absolutely believe that there are some brothers and sisters on the earth today, though they may not be great in number, who are able to tell the Lord, Lord, I am Your kingdom, and I am under Your authority. Lord, You are the ruling One, the reigning One. I am saved and have become a Christian for no other reason. I do not desire anything on the earth. I know only that I am under Your authority, that I am Your kingdom, and that Your throne is in me. Lord, You are enthroned, You reign, and You rule over me. I submit absolutely to You and to Your ruling. I believe that there are such saints. Though they may not be great in number, there surely are some. We may say, I cannot submit. But if we cannot, others can. Amazingly, however, we also can submit if we have received mercy. Everyone who has been shown mercy and grace can submit to the Lord. Throughout the ages there have always been such persons, a group of those who love the Lord and who are willing to submit to His ruling. I have never met a group of Christians among whom I could not find some who love the Lord in this way.

Although there may not be many, there are always some. No matter where we go, we can always find some Christians, and among them we can always find some who love the Lord in this way. I can testify that in many places I have found some who love the Lord. When they mention the Lords name, they are crazy. It seems that when they mention the Lord, they do not care for anything else; they are not concerned with anything but the Lord. There was a brother in a certain place who loved the Lord very much. He loved the Lord so much that his father said to him jokingly, My child, if your father were to die today, would it matter to you, or do you love only Jesus? The reason his father asked him this was that in his fathers eyes, this young man knew nothing except the Lord Jesus. He was drugged with Jesus. It seemed that when he was awake, he thought of Jesus; when he was asleep, he thought of Jesus. Jesus was everything to him. He was unclear in all other things, but when speaking of Jesus, he was very clear. This young man loved Jesus to this extent. However, this kind of person can be found everywhere. It is as if they are drugged with the Lord Jesus. It is spontaneous for such persons to submit to the authority of Christ. In their view it is certain that Jesus will be the Lord; it is spontaneous for the Lord to reign in them. Their entire being is Christs domain, Christs kingdom. Christs throne is in them, and Christs will is carried out in their living. Their entire life is Christs reigning; the reality of the kingdom is in them. At this time and in this kind of situation, what is manifested in them is entirely the kingdom of God. Their life is not merely human; the divine, glorious, resurrection life is manifested in them. They can overcome and overcome absolutely; they can endure and endure utterly. It is humanly impossible to live the kind of life they live; man cannot manage this kind of living. Only God can live in such a way. In other words, God comes forth from them. Because the throne is established in them, the power of life is manifested in them.

THE VISION OF THE UNIVERSAL WOMAN AND THE MAN-CHILD

Those who submit absolutely to Christ are the overcomers. They are the man-child born of the universal woman mentioned in Revelation 12. The universal woman signifies Christians in general, that is, the church as a whole. The entire church is the universal woman. The man-child signifies the stronger part of Gods people, the overcomers who love the Lord. There is a man-child in the universal woman. One day a group of overcomers will be produced from the church. The condition of the church is weak, as represented by a woman, but the overcomers are like a strong man-child. In the Bible the woman is the weaker vessel, and the man is the stronger vessel (1 Pet. 3:7). The church as a whole may be weak, but there is a group of people who love the Lord, who allow the Lord to reign, and who have the Lords throne in them. The kingdom is in them, and their inner being is Christs domain. This group of believers, composed of both brothers and sisters, is truly strong and victorious, like a manchild. The spiritual condition of most saved ones, including the brothers, is weak, like a woman. When they learn of the need to pay a price to follow the Lord, they decline, saying, Do we not receive everything as a gift from the Lord? How is it that we need to pay a price? What kind of price are we able to pay anyway? This is the tone of a weak woman. Hence, not only the sisters are women, but the brothers also may be women in this sense. Those who truly love the Lord, however, remain faithful even at the risk of death. They allow the Lord to rule and reign in them; they submit to the Lords ruling. They love the Lord to such an extent that they have no fear even when facing death. As long as they have the Lords presence, they are able to go anywhere for Him. All those who truly love the Lord, not only the brothers but also the sisters, have this boldness. Everyone who truly loves the Lord is

strong; everyone who faithfully loves the Lord fears neither heaven nor earth. This group of believers includes both brothers and sisters. They are the man-child, a group of strong ones. In the woman in Revelation 12 there is a man-child; this means that in the weak church there is a group of strong overcomers. Perhaps we do not see this situation today. It seems that the man-child is still being conceived in the womans womb and is hidden among the believers. One day, however, the travail of the woman will come. Travail is a suffering, a trial. At the end of this age a great tribulation will come upon the whole inhabited earth (Matt. 24:21; Rev. 3:10). When this trial comes upon the church, the man-child will be brought forth, and the weak ones will flee and hide (12:6). At that time the strong manchild will say, I am here. Hence, Revelation says that the brothers overcome the accuser and that they do not love their soul-life (v. 11). When the affliction and the trial come upon the church, the weak will still be weak, and the strong will truly be strong. At that time the woman will cry out because of her pain and her travailing in birth, and the man-child will be brought forth (vv. 2, 5). Those in the manchild are so strong that they love not their soul-life even unto death. In verse 5 the phrase brought forth signifies resurrection, as in Acts 13:33, meaning that the man-child is composed of overcomers who overcome even death and are raised from the dead, just as the Lord was raised. Because the man-child is such an overcomer, he is Satans adversary. When the man-child is caught up to heaven, a war will be stirred up. There will be war in heaven, and Satans place will no longer be found in heaven (Rev. 12:7-8). The reason for this is that the overcomers will be caught up to heaven. Wherever the overcomers are, Satan has no place. When the man-child, this group of overcomers, is in heaven, Satans place will no longer be found there. Revelation 12:9 says that Satan will be cast to the earth, and his angels will be cast down with him. Verse 10 says that at that time there will be a loud voice in heaven, saying, Now has come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ, for the accuser of our brothers has been cast down, who accuses them before our God day and night. The accuser is the devil, the one who has been cast down. The devil hinders Gods authority and damages Gods kingdom. Through this group of overcomers, however, the devil will be cast down so that Gods kingdom can come and Christs authority can be carried out. At this point the kingdom can be manifested. Today it is a kingdom with authority only, but on that day it will be a kingdom with an actual sphere. The kingdom of the world will become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ (11:15). The rebellious Satan will be cast down, first to the earth and then to the abyss (20:1-3). Who will actually cast down the rebellious Satan? It will be the overcomers, the group of believers who allow Christ to reign. We need to remember that the Lords desire in us is to establish His kingdom. To be a Christian is not merely a matter of being holy and victorious; it is a matter of submitting to the authority of the kingdom. To be a Christian is not only a matter of grace, enjoyment, life, and power; it is also a matter of allowing Christ to have the right to govern us, constitute us His kingdom, set up His throne, and carry out His will in us. When there is a group of people in the church who are willing to allow Christs authority to flow among them, this will bring Christs kingdom to the earth. When there is a group of overcomers in the church, these overcomers will bring the authority of heaven, the kingdom of God, to the earth. At that time the church will be victorious, and the enemy will be powerless. CHAPTER SIX

WHAT THE KINGDOM IS TO THE BELIEVERS (6) ALLOWING CHRIST TO RULE AS OUR KING
Scripture Reading: Matt. 28:18-20; Luke 14:26-27, 33; Matt. 7:21-23

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BEING A BELIEVER AND BEING A DISCIPLE

Gods Word reveals that He has given the kingdom, the authority, and the glory to His Son. Gods Son, the Lord Jesus, has completed everything pertaining to the receiving of the kingdom and the exercising of authority. Now only one thing is lackingthere are not enough people on earth who are willing to submit to His authority. Hence, He saves us through the gospel for the purpose of making us His kingdom. This concept, this thought, however, has not been prevalent in the church in the past. Very few have had the concept that their salvation is for them to be the Lords kingdom. For this reason, the Lord has not been able to establish His kingdom on the earth. Logically, since all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to the Lord (Matt. 28:18), He should reign. However, people on earth rebel against Him; few submit to His authority. This is the reason that the Lord sent His disciples to preach the gospel in all the earth and to disciple all the nations (v. 19). Matthew 28 clearly says that the goal of the gospel is to make us the Lords disciples. All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to the Lord, and the Lord has sent us to preach the gospel to disciple all the nations. The meaning of the word disciple is different from that of believer. The emphasis of believer is on believing in the Lord. When a person believes in the Lord, that person becomes a believer. We may say that once a person believes, all the problems are solved, and that person is a believer. The word disciple in Greek has an emphatic sense of being trained and led. Therefore, a disciple is one who has been trained, ruled, and disciplined. In other words, he is one who has been dealt with by authority and who submits to authority. When we believe in the Lord, we become believers. However, the Gospel of Matthew says that our believing in the Lord is for us to become His disciples. On one hand, the Bible reveals the gospel as the gospel of grace, which is for us to become believers through faith. On the other hand, the Bible says that the gospel is the gospel of the kingdom, which is for us to become the Lords disciples, those who are trained, ruled, disciplined, and dealt with by the Lords authority. According to the gospel of grace, God is pleased to freely grant us grace, and we can receive this grace simply by believing. However, this gospel is also the gospel of the kingdom through which God desires to bring us under the ruling of the heavenly authority so that we may become His kingdom, those who are ruled by Gods authority. Matthew reveals the gospel of the kingdom (24:14). Chapter 28 says that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to the Lord (v. 18). The Lord desires to rule and reign, but there are few on earth who are willing to be ruled by Him. Hence, He has sent out His

disciples to preach the gospel of the kingdom. In Matthew the gospel is called the gospel of the kingdom. The gospel that the Lord sent His disciples to preach is the gospel of the kingdom, which is to bring people to Him and make them His disciples that they may be led, trained, taught, dealt with, and ruled by Him in His kingdom. This is what it means to be a disciple.

BELIEVERS NEEDING TO BECOME DISCIPLES

To be a believer today is rather simple and easy, but it is not as simple to be a disciple. Luke 14 records that when many came to follow the Lord Jesus, He said to them that if anyone does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, and even his own soul-life, he cannot be His disciple (v. 26). The Lord did not say that he is unworthy to be His disciple but that he cannot be His disciple. To be a believer is simple, but to be a disciple is not. To be a disciple, one needs not only to love the Lord above all but also to hate everything apart from the Lord. He needs to give the Lord not only the highest position but also the unique position. In Luke 14:27 the Lord went on to say that whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Him cannot be His disciple. In Luke 14 the Lord spoke the phrase cannot be My disciple three times (vv. 26, 27, 33). In the final instance He said, In the same way therefore everyone of you who does not forsake all his own possessions cannot be My disciple. To be a believer is simple. Once we pray, confess, repent, believe, and receive the Lord Jesus as our Savior, we are a believer, a saved one. However, it is inadequate to be merely a believer. Every believer should also be a disciple, one who is trained, ruled, led, disciplined, and dealt with by the Lords kingdom. Because the Lords desire is for us to be His kingdom and be trained under His authority, after we have become believers, we must learn to submit to His authority in order to become His disciples.

NOT A MATTER OF BEING GOOD BUT A MATTER OF BEING RULED

Everyone in the world is created by God and governed by Him. Now God has given the kingdom, authority, and glory to His Son, has made Him King, has anointed Him to be the Christ, and has given all authority to Him that He may receive the kingdom and rule and reign. This is what God did and declared to the universe in the resurrection and ascension of the Lord Jesus. But how did the world react? What kind of response has the world given? Human history in the last two thousand years is fully depicted by one sentence in Luke 19. The Lord Jesus revealed in a parable that when He would be raised from the dead and would be about to receive the kingdom, the people on earth would declare, We do not want this man to reign over us (v. 14). In the past two thousand years, in all of world history with all the experiences of mankind, men have been continually declaring, We do not want Jesus to be our King; we want to be kings. We do not want to hand over the government to Him; we want to keep it in our hands. We want to act according to our own will; we do not want to be ruled or restricted by Him. We absolutely do not acknowledge His right over us; we belong to ourselves. We have our kingdoms, and we are the kings. We have the final say in everything. We act in whatever way we want to. We have our own sovereign rule. We do not want this Jesus to be our King. Those in the world still have this attitude today. It is difficult to find one out of tens of thousands who is being ruled by the Lord Jesus. This is the case not only with the unbelievers; even among the believers it is still difficult to find one who is ruled by the Lord. Many Christians like to ask, Am I not allowed to do this? Am I forbidden to do that? Why should I not watch movies? Why should I not smoke? I am simply eating, drinking, making merry, and having some entertainment with my friends. What is so bad about that? These

things are not immoral, so why should Christians not do them? It seems that wherever we go, we hear these kinds of questions. Actually, after one is saved and regenerated and thus becomes a Christian, the question is not whether things are moral or immoral or whether it is all right to do certain things, but whether one is being ruled by the Lord. As the Lords disciples, we should not ask, Why should we not do this thing? Rather, we should ask, Is it the Lords desire that I do this thing? Am I ruled by the Lord in doing this? Am I under Gods authority in this matter? Being a Christian is not a matter of being moral but a matter of being ruled; it is not a matter of doing good but a matter of allowing the Lord to reign. Sometimes we should not do even the good things. If we do a good thing without the Lords permission, we are still not in subjection to His authority. Those in the world today rebel against God not only by sinning and doing evil but also by doing good, because their doing good is initiated by themselves. They think that because they have the ability to do good and have a free will, a desire, and a good and compassionate heart, they should simply do it. This is completely under their control; there is no need for Jesus to interfere. They have the final word. They desire to do good, give alms, help others, and be virtuous people. This is entirely their right and determination and has nothing to do with Jesus. With this kind of attitude, while they are doing good, they are actually rebelling against God, because in all their good deeds God does not have a part, nor are they under Gods ruling. As the Lords disciples, we should not have this attitude. Rather, we must be clear that the Lords primary focus is not that we would do good but that by being saved we would be brought under His authority and ruling. In the past our doing evil was rebellion toward Him, but our doing good also was rebellion toward Him, because we did not acknowledge His authority. Now because we repent and submit to Him, we should not take good or evil or morality as our standard. Instead, we should live under His ruling and government. If He forbids us, we should refrain from doing not only evil things but even good things. We must be restricted by Him and accept His ruling.

REJECTION OF THE LORDS RULING BEING REBELLION AND LAWLESSNESS

Because we are ruled by the Lord, in our daily living we should not do things such as losing our temper or scolding others; furthermore, when we desire to speak good things about others, praise them, show our good feeling toward them, or even love them, we should not be careless but should check with the Lord. If He does not want us to love someone, we should not dare to do so. If we love someone when the Lord does not want us to, we are rebellious. We should not think that since loving others is a good thing and there is nothing wrong with it, we can love freely according to what we see fit, regardless of the Lords feeling and His authority as the King. We need to remember that this is disobedience. It is rebellion, and it is to be without restraint. If a brother or a sister has this attitude and intention, sooner or later a day will come when this person will be bolder and more unruly before the Lord, and as a result, many problems will be brought in. Such unruliness begins with doing good and loving others. Unruliness that begins with love will bring in an unruliness of hatred. If a persons love is not restricted, ruled, placed under the Lords authority, and reigned over by the Lord, this person will be increasingly unruly in the matter of love. Eventually, in the matter of hatred also, he will be unruly, not being restricted by the Lord. The Lord said in Matthew 7, Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, was it not in Your name that we prophesied, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name did many works of power? (v. 22). To prophesy is good, to cast out demons is good, and to do works of power also is good. However, in response to those who did good in His name, the

Lord said, I will declare to them: I never knew you. Depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness (v. 23). The Lord called these persons workers of lawlessness. Those who prophesied, cast out demons, and did works of power were workers of lawlessness. The word lawlessness indicates that they did things without the Lord commanding them to do so. Their prophesying, casting out demons, and doing works of power were not what the Lord commanded them to do, but they did them anyway. Although they did them well, what they did was lawlessness. Although they did good things, they did these things outside the Lords restriction. Although they did good things, they were not subject to the Lords authority. Hence, even though they did something good, they were rebellious against the Lord. This is lawlessness. Parents all know this kind of situation. Sometimes a child does something good, but he does it disobediently. Although he does a good thing, he is not subject to his parents restriction. He has an attitude, a spirit, and an expression that rebel against his parents. He may say to his parents, Do you not want me to do this thing? I think this is very good, and I have decided to do it. Perhaps it is truly a good thing, but the parents do not want the child to do it. Nevertheless, he does not submit to their authority, their restriction, and insists on doing it. To his parents he is a rebellious son, not in evil things but in good things. We often are in this kind of situation before the Lord. Some claim that they are serving the Lord, but they are not restricted by the Lord, not subject to His authority, and not ruled by Him. Apparently they are serving the Lord, but actually they are not in the Lords kingdom or under His ruling, and the Lords authority has no ground in them. One day such persons will say, Lord, we cast out demons, prophesied, and did works of power in Your name. The Lord will say to them, I have never acknowledged you or approved you. To me, your prophesying, casting out demons, and doing works of power are all lawlessness. You are workers of lawlessness. Perhaps some may ask why doing good things is lawlessness. We may use an illustration to answer this question. In a boarding school the students live in a dormitory. According to school regulations, everyone must turn off the lights and go to bed at a certain time. Suppose there is a student who is very diligent; he stays up to study with the lights on even after the time allowed. This is lawlessness. This is a refusal to keep the regulation, to be restricted, and to submit to the authority of the school. This student may cover up the door and windows with black curtains and study secretly with the light on in his room. He is not playing cards, gambling, gossiping, or doing foolish things; instead, he is studying diligently. Diligence in studying is a good thing. However, it is in this good thing that he is not restricted. To the school he is a lawless person because he violates school regulations and disregards the schools authority. Though this example is not perfect, it more or less illustrates how doing good things can be lawless. Sometimes when the brothers and sisters are stirred up, they zealously preach the gospel and work for the Lord. Sometimes they are so zealous that they do not care about the Lords will and authority; they simply set their heart to preach the gospel. This kind of zeal is unruly because the Lord is set aside. These brothers and sisters regard neither the Lords will nor the Lords authority and ruling. They may defend themselves by saying, Is it wrong for us to preach the gospel? Someone may exhort them, saying, Brothers, based on certain reasons, perhaps for the time being you should not preach the gospel. But they will say, What is wrong with our preaching the gospel? It is obviously a good thing to preach the gospel. It is true that preaching the gospel is a good thing, but we still must preach the gospel under the Lords ruling and training. In the matter of preaching the gospel, we must consider, Am I allowing myself to do what I please, or am I allowing the Lord to restrict me? Am I doing this under the Lords authority or based on my zeal? Living and serving the Lord in a proper way is not a matter merely of good or evil, right or wrong; it is a matter of whether we are under authority.

NEEDING TO BE RULED IN ORDER TO BE DISCIPLES

In the past years there have been many who did good things and served the Lord but were unruly. They reasoned, As long as it is a good thing, we can do it. However, as disciples of the Lord today, we should not ask merely whether a certain thing is good or evil, right or wrong. Rather, we should ask, Do I do this because of the Lords ruling in me? Do I do this because the Lord commands me to do so? When I do this thing, am I restricted by the Lord? Do I do this under the Lords authority? In my concept, am I for morality or for the kingdom? Do I want to express my kindness and good deeds or the Lords authority, ruling, and reigning? This is what we should ask. Today as saved ones we should be not only believers but also the Lords disciples. We must be an anti-testimony on the earth. The living of the people in the world today declares that they do not want the Lord to reign over them, but we should be an anti-testimony, expressing in our living that we allow the Lord to reign, that we submit to His authority, and that we are absolutely ruled by Him. Because we allow Him to reign over us, to rule us, and to restrict us and we submit to His authority, we cannot do many things that others can do. In many peoples daily living, in matters such as in their clothing, eating and drinking, handling of situations, spending, attitudes, and speaking, they declare that they do not want the Lord Jesus to reign over them. However, as the Lords disciples, we should declare that we allow Jesus to reign over us and that we submit to His authority in our motive, intention, speaking, attitude, spending, apparel, daily living, and relationships with relatives and friendsin all things great or small. People in the world dress and adorn themselves as they please; this is an indication of rebellion. We should not live in this way. We must be restricted and ruled by the Lord. He is our King, and we should not be careless or unruly. We should not be loose in our appearance and clothing, for the Lord does not allow us to be loose. People in the world act and behave as they please; they speak and adorn themselves according to their preference, plainly indicating that they themselves are the lord and king. We, however, should not follow the manner of the worldly people or be fashioned according to this age. We must be an anti-testimony. Our daily walk, living, and behavior on the earth, and even our attitude, must be an expression and declaration to the world that we are ruled by the Lord Jesus, that we are His kingdom, and that we are subject to His authority. This is what it means to be the Lords disciples. One time someone told me gravely, A brother spoke on the podium about the sisters makeup. His word was too straightforward and not proper. He said that the sisters use of make-up causes them to look like demons and monsters. After some sisters heard this, they were very angry. They complained to me, asking if merely wearing a little make-up caused them not to be spiritual. Is it not permissible to simply tidy their appearance and put on some lipstick? The brother who said this to me was a gentleman who had been highly educated. He said, Brother Lee, I think this kind of speaking is unnecessary and excessive. The sisters wearing a little make-up is not immoral or shameful to the Lord. They only desire to make themselves prettier. They are neither stealing from others nor losing their temper. What is wrong with make-up? He asked me to tell the brothers not to speak this kind of message but to say that it is all right for the sisters to wear some makeup. He thought that wearing make-up was not immoral, sinful, or shameful to the Lord. After hearing his words, I told him that I could say this to the brothers, but if I did, it would be pointless. If I told them to say that it is all right for the sisters to wear some make-up, some sisters would say, Hallelujah! There is a speaking brother who says that we can wear make-up. He is even broader and has more grace than our parents. Our parents rebuke us every day and do not allow us to wear make-up or dress in a certain way. Now a leading brother says that we can wear some make-up. This is wonderful! But there would surely be another group of sisters who would absolutely not wear make-up. The brother asked me, What is the reason for that? I replied, What is the experience of our salvation? What

is its meaning? He said, To be saved is to have our sins forgiven and to have the Lord in us that we may have His life. I told him, Your answer is wonderful. Even if I tell the sisters that it does not matter if they wear some make-up, the Lord Jesus in them will say, Wrongit does matter. I may be loose in speaking about this, but if the sisters are truly saved, the Lords ruling in them will not and cannot be loose. This is not a matter of speaking a certain teaching or instruction. Everyone who has been trained by the Lord in life knows how important His inward restriction is.

THE KINGDOM BEING THE LORDS REIGNING AND NOT OURS

Not long after our salvation, although we may not have heard many messages on the kingdom, we often sensed a kind of restriction in our experience. In 1942 in the place where I labored in northern China, there was a young lady who had a strong disposition. Her home was in Chefoo, but she attended college in Shanghai. That year she came back from Shanghai during the summer vacation. In those days the church in my locality was blessed very much with the Lords presence. Her mother and female cousins had become sisters among us. They invited her to come to our meetings. At that time we were holding a week of gospel meetings, and there were a great number of attendants. When I was on the podium one evening, I noticed someone who stood out. In those days almost all the ladies who came to hear the gospel had similar hairdos, but there was one person whose hair was arranged like a high tower; it was this young lady. At that time a certain style of fixing womens hair in place had been introduced, but most women still kept their hair close to their head. This young lady was the only person there with a high tower on her head, and it immediately caught peoples attention. As I was preaching the gospel in the meeting, I was afraid to look at her, because she looked very peculiar, and her apparel was a distraction to the gospel. She came to hear the gospel the first day and the second day. When she came on the third day, the highest layer of her tower was gone. This became the topic of peoples conversation. Because her former appearance was odd and out of the ordinary, her toppled tower naturally drew peoples attention. Later I asked her cousin why her tower was gone, and I found out that it was because she had believed in the Lord. I then intentionally asked her cousin, Believing in the Lord and salvation are something inward; why would something outside of her be changed? Her cousin answered, We do not know what happened, and we dare not ask, because she is a person with a strong disposition. Not long after those gospel meetings she became a sister in the church life. When I looked at her closely, I saw that all her makeup was gone. Some time later even her clothing was changed. Her relatives and friends told me, Everything has changed. She discarded all her clothes of the past. She bought new fabrics and found tailors to make new clothes. I then asked why she had such a change. None of the speaking brothers had touched the subject of appearance. In our gospel meetings we never mentioned anything about her kind of hairdo. Why would she have such a change? Half a year later, in 1943, there was a strong revival. Everyone stood up one by one in the meeting to give a testimony and consecrate themselves to the Lord. At the beginning of one meeting this sister stood up. When she stood up, she said, I am a prodigal son who has returned to the Fathers house. Before she finished saying this, she began to weep. All the attendants also began to weep, and no one spoke anything. She stood there, wiping away her tears and testifying of how she was saved, how she was changed, how she discarded everything she had owned, and how the Lord was touching her now. I truly worshipped the Lord inwardly. This is the gospel, this is salvation, this is the church, and this is what it is to be a Christian. No one had taught her outwardly, but she had the Lords reigning and ruling inwardly. It was the Lord who required her to change her appearance. This is the Lords kingdom.

I asked the brother who had questioned the strong word spoken concerning make-up, Do you think that all the brothers and sisters listen to me? Would the sisters arrange their hair like a tower simply because I told them to do so? Would they get rid of their tower simply because I told them to do so? Absolutely not. This is altogether a matter of the Lord Jesus reigning in them. You may not allow Him to reign, and I may not allow Him to reign, but among all the saved ones, there must be some who will allow Him to reign. Those who allow Him to reign are His disciples who are trained, taught, disciplined, and ruled by Him in His kingdom. They are subject to His authority. Their living, walk, and conduct declare, Jesus is my King; Christ is my authority. I am His kingdom, and I am subject to His authority. Others may do certain things, but I cannot. They may be permitted to do certain things, but I am not permitted. They may do things as they please, but I cannot, because there is an authority, a throne, and a kingdom in me. There is a heavenly sphere, an enthroned King, and One who governs me within. This is to be a Christian, this is to be a disciple, and this is the reality of the kingdom.

THREE PRACTICES OF THE KINGDOM PEOPLE Being an Anti-testimony to the World

Today we should live a life as an anti-testimony to the world. We should not only go against the worldly trend, but we should also go against the worldly and degraded condition of all of Christianity. The people in the world do not allow the Lord to reign over them, nor do most in Christianity allow the Lord to reign over them. However, we saved ones must be an anti-testimony on the earth and allow the Lord Jesus to be our King to rule and reign over us. We must acknowledge His authority and come under His ruling in the great and small things in our living. Although the world rebels against Him and rejects His reigning, we should be able to say, Lord, come to us, reign over us, and reign in us. We submit under Your throne. In this way we will be blessed, for the kingdom will be ours.

Influencing People to Be Subject to the Lords Authority

Moreover, our living, walk, and conduct should influence others to be subject to Christ. If we all live under the Lords ruling and reigning, it will be difficult for others not to be influenced by us after spending some time with us. If they are with us for a period of time, they will be influenced by us to come under the authority of the Lord Jesus. Whether they are believers or not, they will be influenced by us to submit to the Lords authority. Sadly, there are many Christians whom others should not come close to, because after they come close to these Christians, they will become loose and unruly. The reason for this is that these Christians themselves are leading a sloppy life without the Lords restriction and ruling. Hence, when people have contact with them, they are naturally influenced to be loose and unruly. This kind of Christian usually says, It is not difficult to be a Christian. I have been baptized for more than twenty years, but I still go to movies and have some entertainment once a week. We do not need to be restricted much to be Christians; we only need to make sure not to do evil things. Actually, a great many believers are like this. When some older sisters see the change of apparel in a young sister who is ruled by the Lord, they are too timid to say anything at first. After a while, however, they cannot stand it and say, Does the Lord want you to dress like an old lady? Why do you need to dress like that? Young people should look like young people and be more lively. We are not from the country. Since we are living in a large metropolitan area, does it really matter if we slightly improve our appearance and apply some cosmetics? I am an old Christian who has met with the church for years, and I love the Lord, but in my clothing I look younger than you. Why should you not dress younger?

We need to realize that these older sisters are actually saying, We do not want Jesus to reign over us. Those who hear such a word must be very wary. When such a word is repeated many times, it will eventually produce an effect. Loose and unruly brothers and sisters enjoy doing this kind of work. If there is no effect the first time they speak such a word to a young sister, they will speak again and again until the day they are able to change the sister, not from being evil to being good or from being good to being evil, but from having the Lords authority and ruling to not having the Lords authority and ruling. A seed of corruption will be planted into the listener and eventually grow and produce fruit. We have seen some brothers and sisters who have not changed much in more than twenty years; they have been leading a shallow Christian life. Apparently, they pray, read the Bible, and love the Lord zealously, but they remain unchanged, holding the authority in their own hands, never allowing the Lord to touch them and rule in them, and never learning to be subject to His authority. These brothers and sisters have a negative influence on others, an influence of rebellion. We need to beware of this kind of person, and we need to beware of those who are in contact with them. We should not receive this kind of negative influence of rebellion. As long as we remain on the earth, we should always have a positive influence on others by causing them to be subject to the authority of Christ and to be ruled by Him. When people have been with us for a long time, they should be brought under the Lords authority and be His kingdom.

Doing All That We Can and Spending All That We Have for the Spread of the Lords Kingdom
Furthermore, if today we truly live in the kingdom and are the Lords disciples, we will do all that we can and spend all that we have to preach the gospel, to bring people under the authority of the gospel, and to make them the Lords disciples. As long as we have any strength and breath, we must spread the name of the Lord Jesus. As long as we have some material riches and power, we must spend these for the propagating of the gospel so that our Lord may be preached, tens of thousands may be drawn to Him, and His kingdom may spread. If we are those who live in the kingdom, we will surely do all that we can and spend all that we have for the propagation of the gospel. As we live in the world, we should not only be an anti-testimony and produce a positive influence, but we should also do all that we can and give all that we have for the gospel in order to spread the Lords kingdom. Fifty or sixty years ago during the Chinese revolution of 1911, there were many overseas Chinese who did all that they could do and spent all that they had, exhausting everything, for the propagation of the revolution. Eventually, they overthrew the Manchu Dynasty and established the Republic of China. Today we must see that it is not right for darkness to reign and for Satan to rule. Our Lord should be the King, the kingdom should be returned to Him, and the government should be on His shoulders (Isa. 9:6). By what means can we accomplish this? Should we use missiles and cannons? This is not our way, nor does the Lord want us to use this way (John 18:36). What way then should we use? We must use the gospel. The Lords desire is that we would preach the gospel. His desire is that we would sweat for the gospel and even shed our blood for the gospel. He desires that we would pour out all that we can and all that we have on the gospel. I hope that many young people among us will pray, Lord, I am willing to give my life for Your gospel. I am a saved one and am Your disciple. I will allow You to reign, and I am subject to Your authority. Lord, in this age of darkness I desire to be an anti-testimony, have a positive influence on others, and give all that I can and all that I have for the spreading of Your gospel to bring tens of thousands of souls into subjection to You, the glorious King.

When the King of kings and the Lord of lords comes back in victory, all those who love Him, submit to His authority, live for Him, and give their all for the propagation of the gospel today will enter into incomparable glory. One day the Lord will come; He will reign, He will receive His kingdom, He will rule, and He will judge. May the Lord be gracious to us that today we will allow Him to reign, will be His kingdom, will allow Him to rule, and will allow Him to judge, so that on that day we can reign with Him and enjoy the blessing of His eternal presence. CHAPTER SEVEN

WHAT THE KINGDOM IS TO THE BELIEVERS (7) SUBMITTING TO THE AUTHORITY OF GOD TO DEAL WITH SATAN
Scripture Reading: Matt. 25:14-30; 1 Cor. 3:10-15; 4:4-5; 2 Cor. 5:9-11a; 1 Pet. 4:17a; Rev. 1:13-17a; 22:12

MAN STANDING IN THE POSITION OF A CREATURE TO DEAL WITH SATAN

In the previous chapters we saw that God desires that His Son gain a kingdom on earth. The reason God desires that His Son gain a kingdom is that God may exercise His authority and express His glory. However, what Satan does in the universe is to frustrate this matter. Satans activity on earth is to insult God and damage Gods work; hence, God needs to deal with Satan. However, if God were to deal with Satan directly, it would not be a shame to Satan, nor would it be a glory to God. Satan might say to God, There is no creature who would submit to Your authority. Thus, God keeps a principle of not dealing with Satan directly. God is the Creator; He will not deal with His creatures in His status of Creator. Therefore, He created another creatureman. His desire is that man would stand in the position of a creature to deal with Satan, another creature. Gods intention is to show Satan that there is a creature who is subject to Gods authority and who chooses to stand on Gods side. Although Satan as a creature rebels against God, there is another creature who submits to Gods authority.

THE EXAMPLE OF JOBS SUBMITTING TO GODS AUTHORITY

God desires not only to deal with Satan but also to shame him and shut his mouth in His dealing with him. God wants to prevent Satan from being able to say, God, because You are the Creator, You force man to submit to Your authority. I am not willing to submit to Your authority, and other creatures also are not willing to submit to Your authority. If God were to allow Satan to have this kind of mentality, this would be an insult to Him. How do we know that Satan has this kind of mentality? We can see this from the book of Job. One day Satan came before God, and God gave him a specific chance to speak. He

asked Satan, Where have you come from? Satan answered, From roving the earth and going about in it. Then God asked him, Have you considered My servant Job? For there is none like him on the earth, a perfect and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil (1:7-8). This means that there was no one who submitted to Gods authority like Job. To fear God is to submit to Gods authority. God showed Satan that there was at least one person on earth who was ruled by God, who feared God, and who was subject to Gods authority; this person was Job. God asked Satan if he had observed Job. Satan immediately answered, Does Job fear God without cause? Have You not set a hedge around him and his household and all that he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his possessions are spread throughout the land (vv. 9-10). This word was a great insult to God. What Satans word meant was that God had bribed Job with blessings so that he would fear God. Satan meant that since God treated Job well and bestowed on him much blessing, Job could not but fear God. Satan implied that if God had not blessed Job, Job would not have feared God. This was Satans thought and his insult toward God. God answered, All right. I will remove the hedge around him and will not protect him. I allow you to ill-treat him. I intend to prove to you that this creature on earth fears Me. Satan received Gods word and came out to stir up trouble for Job; he sent the Sabeans, the Chaldeans, the fire, and the wind to destroy Jobs possessions and kill his sons and daughters. We should all be familiar with this story. Eventually, there was plundering, there was burning by fire, there was the blowing of a great wind, and there was crushing to death by falling houses (vv. 13-19). At that time Job was in exceeding pain. He saw that all his blessings were gone, all his protection vanished, and he was completely in a situation of suffering. But what did Job say? Job still feared God and did not say anything against God; he still submitted to Gods authority. Moreover, he submitted to Gods authority to the extent that he said, Jehovah gives and Jehovah takes away; / Blessed be the name of Jehovah (v. 21b). This shows that Job praised God not only when God gave him blessings; he still praised God even when God took away his blessings. Because He was the Lord, Job was subject to His authority. Job was not rebellious before God; he had nothing to say. Then some time later Satan came before God again (2:1). We may think that since Satan is so evil, God should simply move His finger so that Satan will be terminated and will be in the lake of fire. However, our God still preserves Satan. He not only preserves Satan, but He also allows him to go to the habitation of God in heaven and to express his opinion in Gods habitation in heaven. Our God is truly great. Although Satan rebels against God and opposes Him, God is so great that He still allows Satan to come before Him. He asked Satan again, Where have you come from? Satan answered, From roving the earth and going about in it. God asked him again, Have you considered My servant Job? (vv. 23a). God was asking Satan to consider how Job reacted after Satan had asked God to remove the hedge around Job and God had permitted Satan to ill-treat Job. Although he passed through much suffering, Job not only kept his integrity, but this servant of God still submitted to Gods authority and did not rebel against Him (v. 3b). Satan is truly evil. He knows that the most difficult thing for man to take is the suffering in his own skin and flesh. The pain of losing his possessions outside of him is only temporary; a mans possessions do not mean as much to him as his own body. Thus, Satan answered God immediately, Skin for skin! Indeed all that a man has he will give for the sake of his life. But stretch forth Your hand, and touch his bone and his flesh; and he will surely curse You to Your face. Then God said to Satan, Here he is, in your hand; only spare his life (vv. 4-6). Then Satan went forth from Jehovahs presence and struck Job. We know what happened to Job after Satan struck him. He had severe boils all over his body, which is an unbearable suffering for man (v. 7). Nevertheless, Job did not offend God but still submitted to Gods authority and ruling and confessed that God is Lord. From this point on in the book of Job, we no longer see Satan coming out to say something. He had

nothing to say because his mouth was shut by Job. On that day, when Job had severe boils and was in terrible pain, if Job had murmured, saying, O God, how can You treat me like this? I will not submit to Your authority, nor will I fear You anymore, Satan would have applauded and shouted for joy. He would have immediately come before God and said, You see, it is not only I who rebel against You and dislike You; Job also rebels against You and dislikes You. It is not only I who dislike You; man also dislikes You and rebels against You. You, Lord, are not lovable or worthy to be feared by man. Satans mouth would not have been shut. However, no matter how much Job suffered or how much he was troubled and afflicted, he still knew that God was his Lord, his King. He submitted to Gods authority and ruling without any resistance, rebellion, or murmuring. He was entirely subject to Gods authority, thus shutting Satans mouth and silencing him.

GODS CHILDREN SUBMITTING TO GODS AUTHORITY, THEREBY PUTTING SATAN TO SHAME AND CAUSING HIM TO BE JUDGED
The Bible shows Jobs experience as an example. God desires that His Son reign, yet Satan constantly rebels against God. God will not and must not deal with Satan by Himself. If God Himself were to deal with Satan, Satans mouth would never be shut. Gods desire is not only to deal with Satan but also to silence him; this will be a shame to Satan. God can silence Satan by showing him a group of people on the earth whom He has gained and who submit to His authority. If a brother today submits to Gods authority in the same way that Job did, the events that took place in heaven in the book of Job will be repeated; Satan will again go before God to argue with Him. This is not a hypothetical statement. Revelation 12 says that Satan is the one who accuses our brothers before God day and night (v. 10b). In the Old Testament age Satan spoke of Job before God in such a way; likewise, today in the New Testament age Satan still accuses our brothers before God. How does Satan accuse our brothers? He always comes before God and tells Him, Has Soand-so not been redeemed with Your precious blood? Has he not been regenerated by Your life? Does he not have Your Holy Spirit in him? Yet have You seen how he lives today? He plays cards at home all the time and goes to the movies on the weekend. Moreover, he went dancing only a few weeks ago. This is a person redeemed with Your precious blood, regenerated by Your powerful life, and indwelt by Your Holy Spirit. This person who watches movies on the weekends, goes dancing, and plays cards all the time is one of Your redeemed! It is not too much to say this. This is the way Satan accuses us before God in order to insult God. According to Satans feeling, he is not the only creature who does not submit to Gods authority; he thinks that all Adams descendants, people created by God, do not submit to Gods authority. He feels that even Christians, those who have been redeemed with Christs precious blood and regenerated by His life and who have the Holy Spirit in them, do not submit to Gods authority. Hence, he has the boldness to challenge God. If we, as saved ones, give ground for Satan to make such accusations, our God will be forced to remain silent in heaven. If this were the case, He could only say, Satan, I have nothing to say. I have lost to you completely. You were created by Me, and you rebel against Me. Adams descendants were created by Me, and they too rebel against Me. These Christians have been redeemed and regenerated by Me, and they also rebel against Me. What else can I say? If this were the case, how could Gods kingdom come? How could God deal with and get rid of His enemy, the rebellious Satan? There would be absolutely no way. Not only so, but Gods mouth would be shut by Satan. However, this has not been the situation in the past two thousand years. When Satan says to God, This one played cards this week, went to the movies last week, and went dancing

the week before, God can answer him, Have you considered My servant Brother Chen? Such persons make it possible for God to open His mouth; they enable God to speak to Satan. God asks Satan, Have you considered Brother Chen? Then Satan says, Does he love You without cause? It is because You bless him, enabling him to make a great deal of money in his import and export business. This is merely a hypothetical illustration; the principle is always the same. God will then say to Satan, All right, Satan, I will show you that he truly loves Me. You may bring down his business. Then Satan joyfully goes to bring down Brother Chens business. As a result, although others make money by importing goods, Brother Chen loses money; although others make money by exporting merchandise, Brother Chen loses money. Eventually, he loses all his money. At that time his wife asks him, Do you still love the Lord? You have loved the Lord, yet in the end you have gone out of business; are you going to still love Him? I think you should not love Him anymore. Also, do not be an elder anymore. Why should you continue to be an elder? Your store has closed down, and your business is gone. What else can you say? Nevertheless, Brother Chen simply bears the cross and prays, Lord, I know that You are my King. You bestow the blessing, and You strip off the blessing. I worship You. I have nothing more to say. You are my King. This brother truly gives God the ground to speak. Then one day Satan comes again. God asks him, Have you considered My servant Brother Chen? Have you seen him? After thinking for a while, Satan says, Poverty does not mean much. If you allow Brother Chen to be seriously ill and bedridden, we will see what he will be like. He will surely forsake You and deny You as the King of kings. God says, All right, Satan, I give you his body, but spare his life. As a result, Satan does something, and this brother becomes seriously ill. His wife comes again and says to her husband, Do you still pray? You have loved the Lord, but in the end your store is closed down. You have prayed, but in the end you are seriously ill. Will you still believe in the Lord? Will you still fear Him? Although his wife tries to provoke him in this way, this brother would still testify that the Lord is the Lord and the King. He says, When He treats me kindly, He is the Lord; when He treats me harshly, He is still the Lord. I worship Him. I have nothing more to say. God can point to this redeemed one and say to Satan, There is one who submits to My authority. Although you do not submit to Me, he does. Satan, I can show you not only this one brother but also many more like him; they all submit to My authority. We must see that this matter of submitting to authority puts Satan to shame. If we as Gods children do not submit to Gods authority, our God will suffer a great shame. He will have no way to deal with or judge Satan. But thank God that among His children there have been some throughout the ages who have loved Him and submitted to His authority. John Bunyan said in his autobiography that when he was facing death, if the God whom he served would not come to intervene, he would die without regret, come heaven; come hell. Even if the Lord would not save him at the end, he would willingly face death for the Lords name. This shows that there was someone on the earth who was faithful unto death; he was subject to Gods authority and ruling. This person was a shame to Satan; through him God was able to shut Satans mouth. I believe that God will raise up more believers like John Bunyan at the end of this age. These believers are the man-child spoken of in Revelation 12:5; they are the overcomers in the church. They neither covet pleasure nor fear suffering. They know only Gods kingdom, and they submit to Gods authority and accept Gods ruling. Hence, the kingdom has come upon them today. They disregard temptation, suffering, and sickness. Neither worldly enjoyment nor earthly position can shake them. They are subject to Gods authority, and there is a kingdom in them. Their being subject to Gods authority puts Satan to shame and shuts his mouth. In these last days there should be more and more of Gods people like this every day, to the extent that Satan will eventually find no place in the universe. This will be

a silent judgment to Satan. This silent judgment, this silent shame, is the kingdom life lived by Gods children, those who are ruled by God.

GOD BRINGING IN HIS KINGDOM THROUGH HIS JUDGMENT

The kingdom life, a life under Gods ruling, will be a judgment to Satan. When the manchild is fully formed within the woman, God will be able to judge the world and bring in His kingdom through His judgment. When God comes to judge, He will first judge His children, those in the church. I have no intention to speak a threatening word, but I would like to say that we, as Gods children, should never think that today we can behave in any way or live however we want. No, there will be a day when we will be required to stand before the Lord and be subject to His judgment. One day the Lord will come back, and He will come to judge us. It will be the overcomers who, by submitting to His authority, will bring Him back. The overcomers submit to Gods authority, shut Satans mouth, and enable God to execute His judgment. On the day of judgment He will first judge us saved ones. The time will come for judgment, and it will begin from the house of God (1 Pet. 4:17a). God will judge all the saved ones first. After judging the saved ones, He will judge the world (2 Pet. 3:10). After He has judged all kinds of people, this judgment will bring in His kingdom (1:11). His first way to bring man into submission to Him is through the gospel; when this is almost done, He will come to judge in order to bring in His authority and kingdom. Today in the age of the gospel, the age of grace, God allows man to do whatever he desires, but this does not mean that He does not care or consider. He is the Lord of the universe, the Lord of creation, the Lord who governs the universe. He will judge the rebellious ones. However, there is a basic requirement: among His created ones He must save a group of people who submit to His authority and who allow Him to execute judgment. If there is not a group of created ones who submit to His authority, He will have nothing to say. Hence, He is always waiting for this matter. Even until today He still has not come back to judge the earth because there are not enough overcomers to allow Him to begin this judgment. He has been waiting for enough overcomers to be raised up so that Satan can be put to shame. At such a time God will come; the Christ of God will come. He will come to judge the earth, the world, and bring in His kingdom by judgment. His judgment will begin from His house; He will first judge His children, the saved ones.

GOD NEEDING TO JUDGE OUR LIVING AND WORK

In the future God will judge not only our conduct but also our work (1 Cor. 3:10-15). After a Christian is saved, he is accountable before God in two aspects. One day the Lord will judge us regarding how we conducted ourselves after we were saved; when He comes, He will also judge us regarding how we worked and served Him after we were saved. Some brothers and sisters have an attitude, thinking in themselves, As long as I do not commit great sins, it should not matter if I commit small mistakes. It should also not matter if I watch a movie once every two weeks. Today we can tell ourselves and others that it does not matter, but one day Christ will come, and His eyes will be like a flame of fire. He will not only look at our face, but like a flame of fire, His eyes will look at us in our heart (Rev. 1:14b). He will ask us, Did you go to watch a movie that day? At that time we will not be able to say, It does not matter. Every saved one will 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; those who practice good will receive a reward, and those who practice evil will receive punishment (2 Cor. 5:10). We should not say that it does not matter. I do not dare to say such a word. One day the Lord will judge us. He said, Behold, I come quickly, and My reward is with Me (Rev. 22:12). We should never think that the Lords word is a joke.

There was a believer who was very cold toward the Lord. One night he had a dream. He dreamed that he was watching a movie at a movie theater. As he was captivated by the movie, at the happiest moment there was great thunder and lightning in the sky, and there was a voice saying, Christ has come! He was frightened to the point that his entire body trembled, because Christ came when he was sitting in a movie theater. At the very moment when he became frightened, he woke up and discovered that it was a dream. He was soaked with sweat and said immediately, Thank the Lord that this is only a dream. If I am actually watching a movie at the Lords coming, I will be in serious trouble. Although this was only a dream, it should give us an indication. Today we may think that it does not matter if we are loose in certain areas, but one day Christ will come, and we will all stand before His judgment seat. One day we will all stand before Him whose eyes are like a flame of fire. The word in Romans 14 is even more vivid. It says, We will all stand before the judgment seat of God...Each one of us will give an account concerning himself to God (vv. 10-12). This is truly not an easy matter. Sometimes when our children have done something wrong, we say to them, What have you done wrong? Tell me yourself. Usually, they are not very willing to disclose their wrongdoing clearly. However, this will be the situation when we stand before the judgment seat of Christ in the future. It may be difficult for us to tell the Lord what we did in the period of time before we saw Him. It will be unacceptable to tell Him, That day I went to watch a movie; I still loved the world very much. Although I knew that You loved me and that I should have loved You, the world was lovelier than You. Neither will we be able to tell Him, Since You desired that I love You, why did You create the world to tempt me? If You had not created the world, I would have loved You very much. I loved the world with good reason. This is not a serious matter anyway. I would like to ask, will we be able to tell the Lord this on that day? At His judgment seat we will have to tell Him item by item all that we have done. Hence, it is not true that as long as we are a Christian, everything will be all right. One day we will stand before the judgment seat and tell the Lord all our past living, walk, and conduct. It is because of this that even the apostle Paul said that he dared not examine himself, but He who examined him was the Lord (1 Cor. 4:3-4). He said, Do not judge anything before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and make manifest the counsels of the hearts, and then there will be praise to each from God (v. 5).

FAITHFULLY EXERCISING THE GIFTS RECEIVED FROM THE LORD

I do not wish to threaten anyone, but I must speak the word of God in an honest way. When He comes, God will judge not only our conduct but also our service. Some may say, I think that I am all right, and my conscience is clean. I neither go to the movies nor go dancing. At night when I search my conscience, I can say that it is without offense. However, as we live on the earth, it is not sufficient for us to merely have a conscience without offense; the Lord must still judge the way we serve Him. We have all received at least one talent, at least one spiritual gift, from the Lord. We may not have received two talents or five, but we have received at least one talent. We cannot say that we are not saved, that we do not have the Lords life, or that we do not have the Holy Spirit. We have all these things. As a result of our having received these things, we have at least one talent, one spiritual gift, and we must use this talent properly and gain a profit for the Lord (Matt. 25:14-30). The Bible shows that after the one who received five talents gained another five talents, the master said to him, Well done, good and faithful slave...Enter into the joy of your master (v. 21). The one who received two talents likewise gained another two talents. They both served the master faithfully and used their gifts to the fullest extent. In the same way, when

we use the life, the Holy Spirit, and the talent we have received from the Lord, there will be a full result. The master said to both slaves, Well done, good and faithful slave...Enter into the joy of your master (vv. 21, 23). The master also called for the slave who had received one talent. He cautiously came and said, Master, I knew about you, that you are a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not winnow. And I was afraid and went off and hid your talent in the earth; behold, you have what is yours (vv. 24-25). This slave was like a saved one who says to the Lord, You are truly a hard man. You always ask me to do work that is very difficult. You sent me to preach the gospel in places where no one would believe in You. The people there are coldhearted and hardhearted; it is impossible to lead them to believe in You. They hardened their hearts toward You, yet You sent me to preach the gospel to them. Lord, since I was afraid, very afraid, I did not do the work. I have kept Your talent here. See, the life You gave me is here, the Holy Spirit You gave me is here, the salvation You gave me is here, and the talent You gave me is here. All Your gifts are here; I did not waste or lose any of them. This explanation should be good enough. I would like to ask, Is this explanation good enough? Of course it is not good enough, for this one did not faithfully use the gifts that he had received from the Lord. After listening to the slave who had received one talent, the master did not refute him or say, Your word is not true. I am not a hard man. The work that I sent you to do was easy. If you had sown, there would have been growth; if you had reaped, there would have been a rich harvest. What you said is actually inaccurate. The master did not refute him this way. Rather, he acknowledged the fact and answered him, Evil and slothful slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I did not winnow. Therefore you should have deposited my money with the money changers; and when I came, I would have recovered what is mine with interest. Take away therefore the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he shall abound; but from him who does not have, even that which he has shall be taken away from him. And cast out the useless slave into the outer darkness. In that place there will be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth (vv. 26-30). The master meant that since the slave knew that he was forcing his slaves to do what they could not do, the slave should have tried his best to use his talent. In the end the master took the one talent away from him and gave it to the one who had the ten talents; moreover, he cast out the useless slave into the outer darkness.

THE LIFE AND WORK OF THE BELIEVERS TODAY DETERMINING WHETHER THEY WILL BE REWARDED OR PUNISHED ON THE DAY OF JUDGMENT
We should never think that once we are saved, we will have no problems. We should not think that as long as we do not do anything contrary to our conscience, we will be void of offense toward both God and man, nor should we think that as long as our conduct is perfect, we will have no problems. Actually, the way we serve and work for the Lord after we are saved is a great matter. In 1 Corinthians 3 Paul says, Let each man take heed how he builds (v. 10b). This means that we must all take heed concerning our work. We may build with gold, silver, and precious stones or with wood, grass, and stubble. One day the nature of our work in our service to the Lord will be tested by fire. If we have built with wood, grass, and stubble, our work will immediately be consumed when it passes through the fire. Only the work that is of gold, silver, and precious stones will remain. Hence, Paul says, If anyones work which he has built upon the foundation remains, he will receive a reward (v. 14). Apart from salvation, there is also the matter of reward. Therefore, it is not that if we work well, we are saved. The matter of salvation has already been resolved, but the matter of reward is an issue that has not yet been resolved. It depends on how we serve the Lord after we are saved.

If our work for the Lord is of gold, silver, and precious stones, we will receive a reward; if it is of wood, grass, and stubble, we will suffer loss (v. 15a). Some think that to suffer loss is to lose ones salvation, that is, to perish. No, we will still be saved, yet so as through fire (v. 15b). Hence, we must not think that once we are saved, we will have no problems. After we are saved, there are still great issues to be taken care of. Our conduct is an issue, and our work also is an issue. When the Lord comes back, there will be a judgment. In that judgment He will determine whether we will receive a reward or punishment. If we still live our life in a casual and sloppy way, the word in this message will be to our condemnation. One day Christ will descend and be manifested. His eyes will be like a flame of fire, and out of His mouth will proceed a sharp two-edged sword. His face will shine as the sun shines in its power, and His feet will be like shining bronze, as having been fired in a furnace (Rev. 1:14-16). He will come to judge His children. The sequence in Revelation 2:1 through 3:22 is first the church and then the world. Christ will bring in His kingdom through His judgment. People may rebel against Him and disobey Him today, but they should be prepared to face His judgment. Only one group of people, the overcomers, will be able to stand before the judgment seat in the future. Today they already live in the training of the kingdom, allowing the heavens to rule and reign, and on that day they will enter into the kingdom in full. CHAPTER EIGHT

WHAT THE KINGDOM IS TO THE BELIEVERS (8) THE WORK OF GOD BEING ACCORDING TO HIS ADMINISTRATION
Scripture Reading: 1 Cor. 9:24-27; Phil. 3:10-16; 2 Tim. 4:6-8, 1-2, 18a Since the kingdom of God is a matter of Gods reigning, it is also a matter of Gods administration. The Bible shows that in order to obtain a kingdom, God must bring in His administration. The Bible shows not only that God grants us His grace but even more that God has an administration toward us. God has an administration toward the entire universe and the whole human race, and much more toward His children and His house, His church. His administration is His government. We should not have an inaccurate concept, thinking that God grants us His grace in a light and casual way. Gods granting us His grace and salvation is for the carrying out of His administration. All Gods work in us is based upon and according to His administration. God has a plan in the entire universe and in the church. Everything in Gods plan must be executed through His governmental administration. Gods salvation is not only a matter of grace but also a matter of His administration. God in His plan intends to obtain a full kingdom in the universe. He desires to obtain a kingdom that encompasses the universe. Within the sphere of the entire universe, every single creature will submit to His authority. He desires to bring all the creatures under His divine authority. Through such a reign He will be able to carry out His will and fulfill His desire, and as a result, He will be able to express His glory, that is, express Himself. In

order to obtain such a kingdom in the universe, He must take certain steps in His governmental administration.

THE FIRST STEP IN THE EXECUTION OF GODS ADMINISTRATION GIVING HIS SALVATION TO MAN
After Satan tempted man to rebel against God, the first step God took in the execution of His administration was to give His salvation to man. God gives salvation to man so that man may submit to His Son and receive the ruling of the heavens. We should never think that our being saved is something coincidental or accidental. The coming of salvation to us is a matter of the execution of Gods administration upon us; it is the execution of Gods divine governmental administration and arrangement upon us. Since God has such a plan, He executes it accordingly, carrying out His salvation in us so that we may become His kingdom.

THE SECOND STEP IN THE EXECUTION OF GODS ADMINISTRATION CAUSING MAN TO SUBMIT TO HIS AUTHORITY
After our salvation the second step of Gods administration begins in usHe brings a heavenly authority, a heavenly kingdom, upon us and into us to which we must submit. From the time we are saved, Gods desire is not merely to exhort and teach us to be perfect; rather, He desires to make us perfect through His administration. If He merely exhorted and taught us to be perfect, it would not be a matter of His administration. Since the first step of Gods administration is to make us His kingdom, He must take the second step to execute His administration in us. After we are saved, He desires that we continually submit to the authority of the kingdom, that is, that we be ruled by the kingdom. This is a matter of His governmental administration. This is not merely a matter of teaching, instructing, nurturing, or exhorting but a matter of carrying out His governmental administration. If God gave us merely teaching or exhortation, it would indicate that He desired only that we be perfectly good men. However, after we are saved, the second step of Gods work in us is a governmental administration, a governmental execution. He requires us to be subject to the authority of the heavens and to be ruled by the kingdom. It is not sufficient for us merely to be perfect, nor is it adequate for us merely to have the thought to do good. We must see that God has a government, an administration, to be carried out in us. The reason we conduct ourselves and work in a certain way is not merely so that we would do good but so that we would be ruled by God. The reason we do not do things or act in a certain way is not merely to avoid making mistakes but so that we would be ruled by God. We have clearly seen that today God simply desires that we submit to His authority. This is the second step of Gods administration upon us after our salvation. Regrettably, after being saved, few submit to this authority. For instance, after being saved, a brother is brought under Gods ruling, which requires him not to lose his temper with his wife as he did before. From this point on, his losing his temper with his wife is not only a lack of morality but also an expression of not being restricted or ruled by God. This means that he not only commits an offense against his wife but he also rebels against Gods ruling. He is one who is saved and who has been brought into Gods kingdom through His salvation. In him God has a kingdom administration, a governmental execution. Under the ruling of His kingdom God does not permit His children to lose their temper freely or treat their wives loosely. If a brother treats his wife properly, it indicates not only that he is a good husband but also that he submits to Gods authority. Conversely, if he as a husband does not conduct himself properly in that he loses his temper all the time, it indicates not

only that he is not a good husband but also that he rebels against God. This means that he does not submit to the second step of Gods governmental administration.

THE THIRD STEP IN THE EXECUTION OF GODS ADMINISTRATION DISCIPLINING MAN THROUGH THE ENVIRONMENT
The third step of Gods administration is discipline, or chastisement. After we are saved, we should love our wives and treat others with meekness under Gods ruling. This is not merely a teaching of the Bible but a demand of the life within us. The Holy Spirit who dwells in us often demands that we deal with our family with meekness and treat others with considerateness. The Holy Spirit gives us the feeling that if we do not treat our family with meekness, we are rebelling against Gods rule. However, we are often careless, disregarding the sense of the Holy Spirit in us, and we act according to our own will. When we want to lose our temper, we lose our temper, and we may even use ugly words to reproach people. When God sees that we do not submit to His authority and ruling, He is forced to execute the third step of His administration, which is to discipline, to chastise, us through the environment. For example, perhaps one morning a brother quarrels with his wife, and after he leaves home, he has a minor automobile accident. At that time the Holy Spirit rebukes him inwardly for quarreling with his wife, and he realizes that the accident is from Gods hand in His governmental administration. He spontaneously repents, confesses, and prays, O Lord, forgive me and save me. I will not do this again. After this incident, however, he is in himself again, and soon enough, his temper comes again and flares up freely, without any sign of his being under Gods ruling. He had repented and confessed, but after the incident he still was not under Gods ruling; he lost his temper as it pleased him. At this point God can only say, Once again I will exercise My administration over this one. This time the discipline will be more severe. The brother may have a serious illness that will not be taken care of merely by his regretting and repenting. It may take half a year or a year for him to recuperate by being confined to bed and thereby being disciplined by God. Today most Christians acknowledge the doctrine concerning discipline and chastisement. However, this discipline, this chastisement, is not merely a doctrine but also a matter of Gods governmental administration.

GOD DISCIPLINING HIS CHILDREN ACCORDING TO HIS WISDOM AND GOOD PLEASURE
A brother once asked me, I know a brother who is truly saved, but I have seen him losing his temper with his wife for over ten years, even until today. Why has God not disciplined him through the environment for all this time? This situation bothered this brother very much. In another situation, after a brother is saved, he may continue to love the world, going from place to place in the world. This one rebels against Gods government and does not submit to the second step of His administration, but God apparently does not execute the third step of discipline on him. Some situations are even more puzzling. It seems that with some brothers, the more they love the world, the more they prosper, succeed, and make money. Why is this? According to our understanding, whoever loves the world will be chastised by God or have his worldly things destroyed by God. But in fact, God is greater than our concept. His administration, His government, is beyond what we can imagine or determine. We may think that if Gods children make a mistake today, God will chastise them today. Our God, however, does not have a hot temper. When children make a mistake, if their parents chastise them immediately, this indicates that the parents are hot tempered. Some parents,

however, are patient and tolerant. Although they know that their children have done something wrong, they do not chastise them immediately. Rather, they still care for their children to make them happy. They wait to discipline the children until the weekend or until after the children finish an examination in school. The parents exercise caution because they know that since there is an examination coming, they should first take care of the children by feeding them so that they can take the examination properly. Such parents are not small-minded. They do not immediately discipline or chastise their children for their mistakes; they first consider their childrens schooling and examinations. If parents immediately discipline and chastise their children, it shows that their temper is hot and their mind is narrow. If parents are broad-minded and moderate in their temper, after they see their children make a mistake, they will consider whether it is appropriate to punish them at once or whether they should wait until another time. After some consideration, the parents may feel that according to the present situation and need of the children, it is not fitting to handle the matter immediately. Thus, they may wait for several days before handling the matter. In caring for our children of different ages, we all have different ways of handling things according to their different needs. To illustrate, suppose a father has a daughter who is only four or five years old; she does not yet go to school and spends most of her time playing at home. One day she does something wrong and is caught. Therefore, the father calls her and asks her, Do you know that you have done something wrong? She says, Yes, I do. Then he continues, Should you be punished? She knows that she should be punished. Then he asks her, How many times should I spank you? She says, Three times. Eventually, he spanks her only twice, and she goes away crying. The next day her older brother commits the same mistake, and she is happy because she will have someone as a companion in having been spanked. She runs to tell her father, Dad, my brother committed the same mistake. This may occur near the time when her brother is supposed to go to school. Thus, after some consideration, the father allows her brother to go to school first. When the little girl sees that her brother has left for school, she grumbles, I did something wrong yesterday, and my father spanked me twice. Today my brother did something wrong also, but my father did not spank him but allowed him to go to school. As she says this, she goes and asks her mother to come and help her with her case. Actually, it is not that her father dismissed the punishment but that he hid it within himself. Perhaps the father did not punish her brother on that day, but rather gave him some money to buy lunch because he had to stay at school for a long time. The father thus took care of his sons need, wanting him to study well, but his younger daughter was upset when she saw that. She saw that when her brother did something wrong, instead of punishing him, her father allowed him to go to school and even gave him money for food. She wondered, How can this be? She did not know her fathers heart. If he had punished her brother at that moment, perhaps her brother would have refused to go to school, and this would have frustrated his schoolwork, which would have been a loss to him. Therefore, her father simply allowed him to go to school and cared for him so that he could study well. A few days later, perhaps on Saturday, because there was no school the next day, the father was able to deal with him and thus settle the matter. This illustration is to help us see something concerning Gods discipline. Hebrews 12 says that the fathers of our flesh...disciplined...as it seemed good to them (vv. 9a, 10a), meaning that fathers know how to discipline their children in the most profitable way. However, when the Father of spirits disciplines us, He knows all the more when to discipline us (vv. 9b, 10b). We should never think that all Gods disciplining and chastening of His children must be done today. The Bible does not present this limitation. On the contrary, the Bible shows that when the Master comes, some slaves will receive a greater chastisement (Matt. 24:48-51).

Our God is great. Unlike us, He does not become angry easily; He will not chastise us immediately when He sees a mistake in us. He is very great, and particularly, He is full of wisdom. With some, He chastises them immediately, but with others, He waits for a while. How long will He wait? He may wait until He comes back. In our earlier illustration the father waited until Saturday to deal with the sons mistake. Our Saturday will be the time of the Lords return. At that time He will settle accounts with us. He will examine us and hear our case; that time will be His judgment. I hope that we are impressed by this. However, this is not a threat; rather, this is light from the Bible. In the Lords table meeting Gods children always like to pray, O Lord, You are pleasant. You are truly desirable. Also in the prayer meeting they pray, Lord, You are truly desirable. O Lord, You are good. It is true that the Bible says that the Lord is pleasant and desirable (S. S. 1:16; 5:16). However, we must also know the fear of the Lord (2 Cor. 5:11). Therefore, when we exhort others, we should not only say that the Lord is desirable; we should also speak concerning the fear of the Lord. One day we saved ones will have to stand before Him. His giving us grace is according to His administration. He cannot grant us grace and at the same time disregard His administration; rather, He dispenses grace and simultaneously carries out His administration. It is not possible for us to enjoy the dispensing of His grace without experiencing the carrying out of His administration. All that He does toward us is a matter of His governmental administration. If we are a saved one, we should be under His ruling; this is according to the principle of His administration. If we are not ruled by Him but act according to our own will and desire, we will have no way to escape from the third step of His administration, which is His discipline as His chastisement on us. However, this discipline is according to His good pleasure and His multifarious wisdom. If He thinks that it is profitable to discipline us today, He will discipline us today; if He thinks that it is profitable to discipline us in the future, at a more suitable time, He will discipline us then. As long as we do not live under the ruling of His life, sooner or later we will experience His environmental discipline; this is unavoidable. We all should seriously consider whether it is acceptable for a saved person, who has received the Lords salvation and has become a child of God, to continue to act casually, according to his own desire. Is it acceptable for him to ignore Gods will and disregard Gods ruling? Suppose that a saved one remains merely saved, acting according to his own desire for his whole life and never caring for Gods administration. Suppose that eventually when the Lord Jesus comes, He brings this one into His kingdom unconditionally to reign with Him and then places him in the New Jerusalem to enjoy Gods eternal blessing. If God did this, could He be called the righteous God? If He acted in this way, the God of the universe would surely be an unreasonable God who had no administration or government; He would be at most a benevolent God. Our God, however, is not like this. It is not that no matter what we do, He simply gives us grace continuously; nor is it that once a person is saved and becomes a child of God, God simply loves him blindly, bestowing on him grace, peace, and blessing and eventually, when the Lord Jesus comes back, allowing him to reign with Him and enter into the New Jerusalem. Our God is not a God who is only kind and good. Rather, He has thoughts, principles, and rules; everything He does is according to His plan. All things must be headed up in Him and come under His ruling. He grants us salvation so that we may submit to His Son and be children of obedience who submit to His authority and rule. If we do not submit to His rule and authority, He will not let us go easily. Rather, He will have to execute the third step of His administration on us. If He does not discipline us today, He will discipline us at a later time.

PRESSING TOWARD THE GOAL TO OBTAIN THE EXTRAORDINARY AND OUTSTANDING PRIZE
Paul saw this vision, knew this matter, and understood that this was serious. He lived under this vision and dared not be loose in any way. He told the Corinthian believers, Lest perhaps having preached to others, I myself may become disapproved (1 Cor. 9:27). When we read Pauls word, we can sense his state of mind. He saw the future judgment, the coming glory of the kingdom, and the prize that the Lord had set before him for him to obtain in Christ Jesus. He saw that the prize was glorious. He used an illustration, saying that not everyone who runs on a racecourse receives the prize; only the one who runs well, who does not fall down, and who finishes first receives the prize (v. 24). We know that todays races in track and field events are from the Greek culture. Paul wrote concerning this to the Corinthians. At that time Corinth was a great city in Greece, and running races was very popular among the Corinthians. Thus, Paul used this as an illustration to show the Corinthian believers that from the time they were saved, they were running on a racecourse. God had set them on a racecourse; this is the second step of Gods administration. Depending on how they ran the race, there would be a result, which is the third step of Gods administration. If they ran well and finished ahead of the other runners, they would receive the prize, but if they did not run well, they would suffer loss. Paul said that he was running, not as though without a clear aim (v. 26a). He knew that there was a clear aim for which the Lord Jesus had called him. Therefore, he said, I box in this way, not as though beating the air (v. 26b). What did he do? He said, I buffet my body and make it my slave (v. 27a). Paul made his body submissive to him. He did not submit to his body but made his body submit to him. Why did Paul treat himself this way? It was because he feared that he would be loose and thus not submit to Gods authority and be under the ruling of the heavens. If this had been the case, Paul, having preached to others the glorious message of the reward of the kingdom, might himself have become disapproved. Hence, Paul seriously buffeted his body by exercising self-control in order to run the race before him. Paul first wrote the book of 1 Corinthians, and then a few years later he wrote the Epistle to the Philippians. From 1 Corinthians we can see that from the early stage of his service to the Lord, Paul was already running on the path of following the Lord. When he wrote the book of Philippians, he was older and was imprisoned in Rome. Even in this situation he said, Not that I have already obtained or am already perfected (3:12a). He told the Philippians, One thing I do: Forgetting the things which are behind and stretching forward to the things which are before, I pursue toward the goal (vv. 13b-14a). He knew that there was a prize set before him, but still he dared not say that he had obtained it. This may be compared to students taking examinations in school. From the first day of school they study diligently, and after some time examinations come. Prior to this time no one dares to say that he will surely obtain the prize for receiving the highest score. This is similar to the situation of Paul when he was in prison in Rome. At that time he was nearing the end of his race, but he still dared not say that he would obtain the prize from the Lord. He knew that he was about to die, and he was assured that he would one day be resurrected. In 1 Thessalonians 4, when Paul spoke concerning the hope of the believers, he said that all the believers would be resurrected (vv. 16-17). Paul knew that he would certainly be resurrected and that in the future, when the saints are resurrected, there will be a group of believers who will obtain an extra-resurrection. All the dead believers will be resurrected, but only some will obtain an extra-resurrection, an out-resurrection (Phil. 3:11). The resurrection spoken of in Philippians 3 is not an ordinary resurrection but an outresurrection. Here in Greek the prefix before the word resurrection indicates that this is an out-resurrection. This word is inadequately translated not only in the Chinese Union

Version but also in many other versions, including many English versions. This kind of resurrection is not merely a resurrection but an out-resurrection, an extra-resurrection. Some may ask, What is the out-resurrection, the extra-resurrection? It is easy to understand if we again use the illustration of students taking an examination. For instance, there may be fifty students in a class, and all of them must take the examination. The top student takes the examination as everyone else does, but the examination to him is an outstanding examination. Everyone, including him, takes the examination. However, to others, their taking of the examination is ordinary, but his is outstanding because he not only passes the examination but also receives the prize. Hence, we need to see that overcomers, such as the apostle Paul, will not only be raised from the dead in a general way, as all Christians will, but will also receive the prize in resurrection. Thus, the resurrection to them will be an out-resurrection, an extra-resurrection. In his later years in the Roman prison Paul still did not dare say that he had already obtained the prize of the out-resurrection. This is similar to someone running on a racecourse. Not until the last step can he say that he has obtained the prize. In 2 Timothy 4:6 Paul said that the time of his departure was at hand; that is, he was about to be executed and martyred. We see that even Pauls death was not an ordinary death. He was a drink offering poured out before the Lord. In verse 6 he said, I am already being poured out. Pauls entire life was a drink offering; his life was wine poured out before the Lord whom he loved, served, and followed. He poured out his life before the altar. Because he knew that he was about to be poured out and that the time of his departure was at hand, he declared victoriously, I have fought the good fight; I have finished the course; I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness (vv. 7-8a). The crown is a symbol of reigning and of receiving a reward. Hence, Paul was saying that a reward was prepared for him. Moreover, he went on to say, With which [the crown of righteousness] the Lord, the righteous Judge, will recompense me in that day, and not only me but also all those who have loved His appearing (v. 8b).

THE LORDS APPEARING AND HIS KINGDOM BEING OUR INCENTIVE

In 2 Timothy 4 Paul solemnly charged Timothy by the appearing of Christ Jesus and His kingdom to faithfully carry out his work (vv. 1-2). Before Pauls death he gave Timothy a charge. Why did Paul charge Timothy by the Lords appearing and the Lords kingdom? Paul did this because he knew that the matter of the Lords appearing and His kingdom is a solemn and grave matter. He knew that when the Lord comes, all the saved ones will stand before Him and be judged by Him according to what they have done. Paul knew that this is a serious matter. He also knew that when the kingdom comes, some will receive a reward, and some, a punishment. Paul, of course, knew that the Lords salvation is sweet and is a cause for our singing, but he knew all the more that the Lords appearing is fearful and that the Lords kingdom is righteous. When the Lord comes, we will stand before Him to settle our account with Him, making everything clear and answering for everything. Matters such as how we conduct ourselves and how we work after we are saved must be clearly examined before the Lord. This settling of accounts will determine our position in the glory of the millennial kingdom. Determining our position in the kingdom is a serious step of Gods administration, Gods government, in us. The Lord cannot treat everyone alike and bring all the saved ones into His glorious kingdom. If He did this, it would indicate that God had no administration or government. We know, however, that God has His administration and government. He will determine our position in the glory of the kingdom according to our submission to the heavenly ruling from the time of our salvation. This is a serious exercise of Gods administration, Gods government. It is for this reason that the Lords appearing and His kingdom were a warning as well as an incentive to the apostle Paul. He was one who daily lived in the light of the Lord Jesus coming, who was under the Lords judgment, and who

faced the glory of the kingdom. This resulted in his following the Lord with fear and trembling. This was the reason he charged his beloved Timothy by the Lords appearing and His kingdom. Thus, we see that Gods kingdom is Gods administration, and since it is Gods administration, it is a warning as well as an incentive to us from God. May the Lord be gracious to us that all of us saved ones will see that the Lord not only dispenses grace to us but also exercises His administration, His government, upon us. He will never act against this principle. We should never think that because everything is peaceful today, we can be at ease. One day the Lord will return; He will come to examine all matters. Therefore, His appearing and His kingdom should be a warning, an alerting word, as well as an incentive to us. May the Lord have mercy on us that we will be faithful to this word. CHAPTER NINE

THE APPEARANCE AND THE MANIFESTATION OF THE KINGDOM (1)

The kingdom is the sphere for the reigning of the heavens. A regenerated, saved person is one whom the Lord has separated from the world; as such, he ought to submit to the Lords authority, allow the heavens to reign in him, and live the kingdom life in reality. However, because Satans work came in and caused complications, today the kingdom has three aspectsits reality, its appearance, and its manifestation. The Gospel of Matthew is a book specifically concerning the kingdom. We can clearly see the reality, appearance, and manifestation of the kingdom in three sections of this book. Chapters 5 through 7, composed of the teaching spoken on the mountain, reveal the reality of the kingdom, that is, the life under the reigning of the heavens. Chapter 13, composed of the parables spoken beside the sea, contains prophecies concerning the appearance of the kingdom. Chapters 24 through 25, composed of the prophecies spoken on the Mount of Olives, deal with the manifestation of the kingdom, which refers to Christs reigning with the overcomers for a thousand years in His second coming.

SEEING THE PROGRESSION OF THE CHURCH IN THE SEVEN PARABLES The First Parable
Let us first look at the progression of the church. In Matthew 13, while speaking beside the sea, the Lord used seven parables to show the progression of the church. The first parable refers to the situation of the Lords preaching at that time. In this parable the sower signifies the Lord Jesus, and the seed signifies the word of life of the kingdom (v. 3). The Lords word, as a seed, contains life. The heart of man is signified by the earth. The hearts of those who hear the Lords word are divided into four categories in this parable. The first category is the wayside, which refers to a place close to the way often traveled on by people. It signifies a heart that is hardened by worldly traffic, which makes it difficult for the seed to penetrate it. Hence, it is easy for the birds of heaven, signifying the devil, to devour the word that is heard by those whose heart is in this condition (vv. 4, 19).

The second category is the rocky places, signifying a heart with hidden sins and the world as rocks deep within it. Apparently, it is easy for someone with this kind of heart to receive the Lords word and for the word to spring up and grow quickly. However, because the sins and the world deep within this person are not dealt with, he is stumbled when trials come (vv. 5-6, 20-21). The third category is the earth with thorns, which signifies a heart filled with the anxiety of the age and the deceitfulness of riches. Although the Lords word springs up and grows in such a heart, it cannot flourish or yield rich fruit (vv. 7, 22). The fourth category is the good earth, signifying a heart that does not have the aforementioned three problems but rather receives the Lords word and allows it not only to grow but even to bear fruit up to a hundredfold (vv. 8, 23).

The Second Parable

When the Lord came out to sow, the kingdom of the heavens was only near; it had still not come. Hence, in the first parable the Lord did not say, The kingdom of the heavens is (or, has become) like... In the second parable, however, the kingdom of the heavens had come. Thus, the Lord said, The kingdom of the heavens has become like a man sowing good seed in his field (v. 24). In this parable, following the Lords sowing, the crop grew up (vv. 2530). This indicates that the seed sown by the Lord in the three and a half years of His ministry would grow up on the day of Pentecost. Not long after Pentecost, however, because the Lords servants were not watchful, the devil mixed in the unsaved ones, signified by tares, among the saved ones. Hence, there were false Christians among the true. At that time the appearance of the kingdom began, and the church became Christendom. The significance of the church is that it is the called-out assembly, the gathering of a group of people whom God has called out from the world. However, Christendom includes not only this group of people but also many who have not received the life of God. Therefore, the reality of the kingdom is with the church, whereas Christendom is mainly the appearance of the kingdom. All those who live in the reality of the kingdom are definitely in the church, but all those who are in Christendom are in the appearance of the kingdom but may not be in the church. Here we can see three realms: the reality of the kingdom, the church, and Christendom. In principle, the realm of the church should be the same as the realm of the reality of the kingdom. However, there are some who have been saved yet do not live in the reality of the kingdom. The church is composed of a group of people who have the Lords life and whom He has separated from the world. They may have different gifts when serving, but they do not have any distinction when gathering before the Lord. We must rid ourselves of all the things in Christendom that are incompatible with the church. We are not in Christendom. Rather, we live under the reigning of the heavens; that is, we live the life described in Matthew 5 through 7. This is to be in the reality of the kingdom. In principle, there should be no unsaved ones in the church. However, the Lord does permit the tares, the false believers, to exist in Christendom. When the Lords servants suggested that they collect the tares, the Lord did not permit them; rather, He allowed the tares to grow with the wheat in the field (13:28-30). The field in this parable signifies the world. The Lord allows the genuine Christians and the false Christians to grow together in the world, because He fears that if the false Christians are destroyed, the genuine Christians may also be destroyed with them. However, the fact that the Lord does not allow the false Christians to be destroyed does not mean that He forbids the separation of the unsaved ones from the church. According to the Scriptures, even one who has believed and been saved but has committed a gross sin should be removed from the church (1 Cor. 5:2). When the Lord comes, at the time of the harvest, only then will He collect the false Christians out of the world and cast them into the fire.

The Third Parable

The third parable speaks of the expansion and enlargement of the appearance of Christendom (Matt. 13:31-32). The church was originally small, like an herb from a mustard seed. An herb is not only small but also annual, indicating that the church is small and that it sojourns on the earth, that is, that it is transitory. However, because of the addition of the tares, the false Christians, to the church, the nature of the church changed; the small herb became a great tree. A tree is a perennial plant. The church thus became Christendom; a sojourner became a permanent dweller. In church history the prophecy in this parable was fulfilled in A.D. 313 when the Roman Emperor Constantine accepted Christianity. Tens of thousands of Romans who did not even understand the gospel followed the trend and became Christians. At the same time the emperor and the high officials all shared the same religion and had the same faith. This caused the church, which had been despised, persecuted, small, and sojourning on the earth, to become Christendom, which was honored, respected, great, and settled on the earth. A small herb became a great tree, and birds came and roosted in its branches. In Matthew 13:32 the word birds is in the plural number, referring to Satan, his angels, and people who belong to Satan. They have all found a dwelling place in Christianity. Today anyone can roost in the branches of Christianity and even make a living from it. The mustard seed refers to the grain of life, and the mustard plant refers to the church. The mustard seed refers to the Lords life and the Lords word. From this seed the church, signified by the mustard, is produced to supply people with life and to nourish them. The mustard is an annual herb. In this parable, however, its nature is changed, and it expands to become a great tree. In the principle of Gods creation, everything should be according to its kind; only what is according to its kind is from God (Gen. 1:11-12). The mustard in this parable changed in nature and became a great tree, bringing confusion into Gods creation. All confusion comes from Satan. He added into the church many who were not saved, those who bore the name of Christian but had no reality. As a result, the mustard changed its nature and became a great tree. The mustard refers to the church, which is hidden, despised, and often trampled by man; the great tree refers to Christendom, which is manifest, honored, and not easily oppressed by man. We must be humble and not covet any worldly fame. In this way, we will not become the great tree. Spiritually speaking, the more we recover the ground and the nature of the church, the more we will not only be like mustard but will even be mustard. Using animals to illustrate, we are not like lions or tigers but are like small doves and lambs. Using plants to illustrate, we are not like great trees; rather, we are like herbs, which are often trampled by man yet do not resist. If man tramples us to the uttermost, even into the ground, we must remember that the grain that falls into the ground will still grow up. Our only power is the life within. Herbs are for nourishing man. Thus, among us there should not be many talented ones who are like trees; rather, there should be many who are like herbs for people to eat and be supplied. Our service today should be like an herb that feeds and supplies people inwardly rather than a great tree that is manifested outwardly. Paul was truly talented, yet he was not a great tree but a very sweet herb that supplied not only those in his time but also us today. Therefore, we should not have great trees among us but only herbs. Our meeting halls should not bear the appearance of cathedrals; that would indicate the condition of being a tree. Instead, our meeting halls should be only for covering us from the sun and shielding us from the rain, for we are an herb, not a great tree.

The Fourth Parable

In the fourth parable the kingdom of the heavens is likened to leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal until the whole was leavened (Matt. 13:33). Leaven signifies the corrupted content of Christendom. In this parable the woman mentioned by the Lord is the great harlot in Revelation 17. Reputable Bible expositors agree that this

refers to the Roman Catholic Church. The churchs position before the Lord should be that of a chaste virgin. However, the church has changed in nature to become Christendom, which is like an adulterous woman. The work of this adulterous woman is to mix leaven into the three measures of meal, thereby causing the whole to be leavened. In the Bible fine flour signifies Christ as food to Gods people, such as the fine flour used in the meal offering in the Old Testament (Lev. 2:1-7). This enables Gods people to receive Gods life and nourishment. However, this woman added leaven to the fine flour. The principle of leaven is to make things easy to eat. The Roman Catholic Church, signified by the woman, added leaven to the fine flour. This leaven includes heresy. The Roman Catholic Church teaches people to receive the teaching in the New Testament, while at the same time bringing in Gentile customs to make it easy to eat, easy to receive. Although the Catholic Church takes the truth as the basis for everything she does, the mixture of heresy has been added. In Revelation the church in Thyatira, to whom one of the seven epistles was written, is the fulfillment of this fourth parable (2:18-29). The woman in this parable is Jezebel. According to this parable, Christianity is not merely great in appearance but also has become corrupted in content. The parable concerning leaven was fulfilled beginning with the formation of the Roman Catholic Church. When the Catholic Church was formed, in Gods eyes she was an adulterous woman. Gods creation was corrupted by Satan through a woman (Gen. 3:1-6). In principle, the church that God redeemed also was corrupted by Satan through a woman. For this reason, God does not permit women to teach in the church (1 Cor. 14:34-35; 1 Tim. 2:11-12; cf. 1 Cor. 11:5). This is because, in principle, all the heresies were brought in by a woman; it was a woman who brought in the leaven. Both the Catholic Church and the Protestant churches believe in their own creeds more than in the Bible. They would twist the word in the Scriptures in order to give the word of the Catholic Church a higher position. When the word in the Scriptures differs from the word of the Catholic Church, they would rather listen to the word of the Church. The Roman Catholic Church is the adulterous woman who brought in heresy. Everything the Bible teaches is centered on Christ, who is signified by the fine flour in the parable. However, the Catholic Church as the evil woman has mixed things other than Christ, corrupted things, into the teaching of the Bible. We believe only the Bible, not the teaching of the so-called Church. To believe the teachings of the Church, in principle, is to allow a woman to teach. This goes against the teaching in the Bible. The reason the sisters cover their heads is to demonstrate that we acknowledge Gods authority. The reason we do not allow women to teach is to show that we do not accept the mixed teaching of the so-called Church. We accept only the Lord Himself and the truth that He reveals to us in His Word. We do not accept the heresies brought in by the convenient methods of that woman. We eat only fine flour and solid food, not leaven or leavened meal. We need to realize that it is easy to be a member of the Catholic Church or of the Episcopalian Church, but it is not very easy to be a Christian among us. This is because we eat solid food, which is hard, whereas they eat leavened meal, which is very soft. Therefore, we should not consider it to be a good thing when people say that our messages are easy to understand. Neither should we be disappointed when people say, This word is hard; who can hear it? (John 6:60). The saved ones must eat fine flour and solid food. Although it is not easy to eat this kind of food, we must eat it. We would rather that our preaching be difficult to understand than add leaven to it; we would rather that our work be slow than add leaven to it. The principle of our work is that we depend only on prayer and not on social activities. We should not seek a quick result in the Lords work. The Lords work on the earth for three and a half years apparently did not yield many results. If leaven is added to anything, the number of people who welcome it and eat it will increase immediately; however, the proper condition will be lost immediately. Today many in Christianity are lions and tigers, not lambs; they have power and position in an organization and do everything by relying on that organization. The

more we observe the situation in the Catholic Church and the Protestant churches, the more we can see the fulfillment of the Lords prophecy in the parables in Matthew 13. However, these parables were understood neither by the people at the Lords time nor by those in Christendom today. Matthew 13:1 and 3 say, Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea...And He spoke many things to them in parables. When the Lord spoke beside the sea, the people did not understand Him; only those who followed the Lord into the house could understand Him (v. 36). Those who were beside the sea signify people who live in the world; they do not understand the Lords words. Those who were in the house signify people who are hidden and have the Lords presence; only they can understand His speaking. The Lord spoke the parables beside the sea but explained them only after He went into the house (vv. 34, 36). Today many people do not understand these parables because they remain beside the sea. We are able to understand the parables because we are willing to follow the Lord into the house. Matthew 5 through 7 speaks of the reality of the kingdom, which does not involve the element of time; chapter 13 speaks of the appearance of the kingdom, which does involve the element of time. The Lord spoke the first parable concerning a time when the appearance of the kingdom of the heavens had not yet begun; it was in the second parable that the appearance of the kingdom of the heavens began. The first four parables in chapter 13 were spoken publicly to the crowds beside the sea; the final three parables were shared privately to His disciples in the house. This indicates that the things covered by these latter three parables are more hidden.

The Fifth Parable

In the fifth parable the Lord said, The kingdom of the heavens is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid, and in his joy goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field (v. 44). The field here refers to the world in the positive sense; it signifies the earth that God created and desires to gain for His kingdom. According to the Old Testament, a treasure refers to the wealth of a nation, as seen in King Hezekiahs showing all the treasures of the kingdom of Judah to the envoys sent by the king of Babylon (2 Kings 20:13). Thus, the treasure in this parable signifies the kingdom. The treasure hidden in the field signifies Gods authority, that is, the kingdom, hidden on the earth that God created and desires to gain. This shows that the reason God created the earth is to gain the earth so that He may have the ground to rule on the earth and establish His kingdom. Hence, the kingdom is a treasure in Gods eyes. The kingdom is the treasure hidden on the God-created earth; it was hidden from the foundation of the world and was found by a man at a certain time. This man was the Lord Jesus; He found, or discovered, the kingdom. When the Lord came out to preach, He found the kingdom that had been hidden by God from the foundation of the world. However, as a result of His being rejected by the Jews, the Lord hid the kingdom again. Prior to chapter 13 the Lord found the kingdom, but in chapter 13 He hid it again. The parable in Matthew 13:44 reveals that from the foundation of the world God never made this kingdom known to man. It was not until the Lord Jesus came that someone found it. After the Lord found the kingdom, He hid it again and then sold all that He had by going to the cross in order to redeem the God-created earth. Because the Lord has redeemed the earth, naturally, He will one day gain the treasure on the earth. The treasure being hidden in the field shows that since the foundation of the world, man has been able to see only the earth created by God, but not its significance. Its significance has been a mystery hidden from the foundation of the world. Those in the Old Testament, such as Abraham and Isaiah, did not see this treasure. It was not until the Lord came to the earth that a man found it.

In verse 44 the word man is in the singular form; it refers to the Lord Jesus. The Lord came to obtain the kingdom but was rejected by the Jews. Because they rejected Him, Matthew 11:25 says that the things concerning the Lord were hidden from the wise and intelligent. Because the lawyers and Pharisees thought that they were the wise, the Lord hid these things from them. At the same time, the Lord revealed them to the foolish, that is, to the disciples, who were lowly fishermen. In the fifth parable there are two hidings. The first is hidden in the field, and the second is found and hid (13:44). These two hidings can be explained by using the Scriptures. The first hiding is related to the hidden things mentioned in verse 35; the kingdom was hidden from the foundation of the world. The explanation of the second hiding is found in 11:25, which says, You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent. The hiding in this verse took place because the Jews forsook the Lord. Although the Lord did many signs, the Jews still would not believe. The Lords doing signs was a matter of authority; His sending the disciples to cast out demons was also a matter of authority. Authority is the kingdom. In Matthew 12:28 the Lord said to those Jews, If I, by the Spirit of God, cast out the demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. However, because they rejected the kingdom, the Lord again hid it. In chapter 11 this second hiding was not yet fulfilled. It was fulfilled in chapter 12 when the Lord cast out demons by the power of the Holy Spirit, showing the coming of the authority of the kingdom, yet the Jews said that He cast out the demons by the ruler of the demons (v. 24). Hence, the Lord said that they would not be forgiven (v. 32). From that time on, the Lord made a break with them and put them outside the kingdom. The Lord told them clearly that His casting out the demons by the Holy Spirit was the kingdom of God coming upon them, yet they rejected the kingdom. Thus, the Lord hid the kingdom from them and shut them outside the kingdom. At the end of chapter 12 the Lord said, Whoever does the will of My Father who is in the heavens, he is My brother and sister and mother (v. 50). This was the Lords rejecting of His relatives in the flesh, that is, the Jews. It showed that He would hide the kingdom from them and reveal it to those who do the will of God. Following this, in chapter 13 the Lord spoke in parables concerning the kingdom in order to hide the kingdom from the Jews. On one hand, He spoke in parables in order to hide the kingdom, and on the other hand, He explained it clearly to the disciples. This was to hide it from the wise and reveal it to the humble. The parable of the treasure unveils that the kingdom has been hidden twice. It was absolutely hidden the first time and was not at all manifested. It was half hidden the second time, meaning that it is hidden to the people without but revealed to the people within. Today even the great figures in the world do not understand the meaning of this treasure. After the Lord concealed this treasure the second time, He gave up all that He had in order to purchase the field (the earth) so that He could obtain the kingdom, which is hidden on the earth. However, in order for God to obtain the kingdom, He must first gain a group of people. It is not enough for God to have only the earth as the sphere; He must also gain man in order that man might rule on the earth. Hence, there is the sixth parable, the parable of the pearl.

The Sixth Parable

The sixth parable is the parable of the pearl. We have seen that the treasure refers to the kingdom that God desires to obtain on the earth. The pearl refers to the church as the life pulse of the kingdom. Only when there is the church can there be the kingdom. The kingdom depends entirely on the church. Hence, after Matthew 16 says that the church is built upon the rock, it goes on to say that the keys of the kingdom of the heavens would be given to Peter (vv. 18-19). This means that without the church, there is no kingdom; without a group of people who are like a pearl of great value, there is no way to obtain the kingdom as the treasure.

According to the facts, the church comes first, then the kingdom. However, because the emphasis of the Gospel of Matthew is the kingdom, it mentions the kingdom first and then the church. In order for God to obtain the kingdom in the universe, He must first gain the church. Hence, after speaking the parable of the treasure, the Lord spoke concerning the pearl. The treasure was hidden in the field, which refers to the world in the positive sense, the earth created by God. The pearl came from the sea, which refers to the world in the negative sense, the world usurped by Satan. The treasure is always on the earth, but the pearl comes out of the sea and is separated from the sea. This pearl comprises all the saved ones, who constitute the unique church. In order for the Lord to obtain the kingdom, He must gain this church. Hence, He sold all that He had to obtain this pearl. This is another aspect of the meaning of the cross. On one hand, the Lord redeemed the whole earth; on the other hand, He purchased back those whom He desires to gain. In His eyes these are the pearl. The pearl refers to the church, which comes out of the sea, the Satan-usurped world. The church is composed of those who are called out from the world. Today we are those who have been delivered from the world; in the future we will be those who inherit the kingdom, which is the world in which we will rule in the future. We have been delivered out of the world signified by the sea, but we will inherit the worldthe earthsignified by the field. As pearls, we are delivered from the world signified by the sea, but as precious stones, we will inherit the world signified by the field in the future. Therefore, in the New Jerusalem in Revelation the pearls are the gates, the entrance, which come first, and the precious stones are the wall of the city, which comes second (21:19-21). When entering the New Jerusalem, one first passes through the gates; then one comes to the wall built with precious stones. Today as pearls, we have already come out of the world, but as the treasure, we remain hidden on the earth. A pearl is produced by an oyster that has been wounded by a grain of sand. This signifies that the believers, or the church, are produced from the wounding of Christ on the cross. The treasure, consisting mainly of precious stones, is formed from the burning heat and intense pressure in the earth. This signifies that after we are saved, we need to pass through the burning of the Holy Spirit and the intense pressure of trials in order to gain a spiritual composition and constitution. Only those who receive the life that the Lord released on the cross can be the pearl; only those who have a spiritual constitution by allowing the Holy Spirit to burn them and by passing through the intense pressure of the environment can be the treasure. When a person experiences the burning of the Holy Spirit, the intense pressure of the environment, the constitution of the Holy Spirit, and the ruling of the heavens, he becomes a treasure. If there is adequate pressure, there will be not only the gates of pearls but also the wall of precious stones; this is what the Lord obtained by selling all that He had on the cross. Moreover, the Lord desires that we submit to His authority. When we become precious stones, there will be the kingdom, the authority. Pearls denote life; precious stones denote authority. The pearls are the entrance; the precious stones are the built-up wall. Today Gods life is already in us, but His authority is still in the process of being constituted into us. The church certainly exists today, but there are still many matters to be worked out concerning the kingdom. The fifth and sixth parables in Matthew 13 concern the reality of the church in the Lords recovery; the second through the fourth parables concern the appearance of the kingdom, that is, the condition of Christendom in general. We should not be involved with the tares, the great tree, or the leaven; rather, we must be the treasure and the pearl. We must be delivered from the tares, the great tree, and the leaven, but we must gain the essence and expression of the treasure of precious stones and the pearl. In summary, the seven parables in Matthew 13 can be divided into four groups. The first parable shows that the kingdom of the heavens had drawn near. The second through the fourth parables reveal the situation of Christendom. The fifth and sixth parables unveil the

reality of the church in the Lords recovery. Finally, the seventh parable concerns the ushering in of the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens. The first parable portrays the Lords coming out to preach the word of life and sow the seed of life in preparation for the kingdom. The second parable is based on this word of life, for the wheat in this parable grows out of the seed of life. The mustard in the third parable also grows out of this seed. The fine flour in the fourth parable is formed by the grinding of the wheat grown in the second parable. However, because tares are added to the wheat and leaven is added to the fine flour, the mustard becomes a great tree. This shows that the kingdom altogether depends on life; in other words, authority depends on life. The extent to which we allow Gods life to rule in us is the extent to which Gods kingdom, Gods authority, will be expressed. Whenever a brother allows Gods life to operate in him, spiritual authority will be seen in him. The wheat, the mustard herb, and the fine flour are all good for food and are life-sustaining and supplying. All three grow out of life. Hence, the second group of parables reveals mainly that the kingdom has life-sustaining food. This indicates that the heavenly ruling is filled with life-sustaining food. Although a pearl implies growth, it also signifies constitution. A pearl is produced by the overlaying of a grain of sand with the life-juice of an oyster. Hence, although a pearl implies growth, the emphasis is on constitution. The treasure, however, is entirely a matter of constitution. Because the treasure is in the earth, it must be a constitution of precious stones and gold. Pearl, precious stones, and gold are the appearance of the coming New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:18-21). Thus, the third group shows the preciousness of the kingdom. This group focuses not on its life-sustaining aspect but on its preciousness. Because Matthew 13:46 says that the man went and sold all that he had and bought the pearl, it implies the preciousness, the worth, of the kingdom. The world today is filled with the great tree; every place is filled with the things of Christianity. Yet few have paid attention to the life-sustaining food, and still fewer have seen the treasure within. Today people see only the great tree and the leaven; few have seen the wheat, the herb, and the fine flour, and almost no one has seen the value of the kingdom as the pearl and the treasure. The second through the fifth parables reveal that when we truly live by the Lords life, we will be a life supply of food to others and a priceless treasure to the Lord. Being a life supply of food is a result of the Lords life growing in us through His word. Having great value is a result of the Lords being wounded that we may receive His life and become a precious pearl. Then through the burning of the Holy Spirit and the pressure of our environment, we can eventually become precious stones. On one hand, we are food to man; on the other hand, we are the pearl and the treasure to the Lord. The parables of the treasure and the pearl refer to the world in two aspects. The Lords desire is that we be delivered from the world, signified by the sea, and learn to live in the world, that is, on the earth, signified by the field. In order to be delivered from the world as the sea, we need to be delivered entirely from the sphere of Satan; in order to live on the earth as the field, we need to submit to Gods authority and obey His will. Because the pearl comes out of the sea, we must be delivered from the negative aspect of the world, but because the treasure is hidden in the field, we must obey Gods will and submit to His authority on the earth that God created and desires to gain. Pearls are worthless in the sea; they become valuable only when they are taken out of the sea. But it is in the sea that the oysters are wounded, which indicates that the Lord produced the pearl after He was wounded in the world. The work produced from wood, grass, and stubble mentioned in 1 Corinthians 3:12 is related to the second group of the parables here. Grass corresponds to the tares, wood corresponds to the great tree, and stubble corresponds to the stalk that remains after wheat is harvested to produce flour. The work of the Roman Catholic Church today is all wood, grass, and stubble, a lifeless work, a work that cannot supply life to man. The work

produced from gold, silver, and precious stones in the same verse in 1 Corinthians corresponds to the third group of parables in Matthew 13. Before man we should be an herb and fine flour; before God we should be pearl and precious stones. We should not be great before man; rather, we should be willing to humble ourselves to be a small herb and fine flour. We should never decide to use any means necessary in order to gain what we are after. We must always be delivered from the tares, the leaven, and the great tree. Our value is known only by the Lord; the pearl and the treasure are hidden today. Not until the Lords return will they be manifested.

The Seventh Parable

In the seventh parable in Matthew 13 the Lord said that the kingdom of the heavens is like a net cast into the sea and gathering from every species (v. 47). This shows that there is not only the pearl in the sea but also every species. Every species refers to every tribe, signifying all the nations, all the Gentiles. The net in this parable signifies the eternal gospel preached to the Gentile world during the great tribulation (Rev. 14:6). It is unlike the gospel we preach and hear today, which is the gospel of grace, or the gospel of forgiveness. Let us compare the gospel of grace and the eternal gospel. The gospel of grace is preached by the saved ones. Angels are not qualified to preach the gospel of grace. Hence, the angel asked Cornelius to send for Peter to preach the gospel (Acts 10:1-8). The requirement of this gospel is that man would repent and believe. The content of the gospel of grace is the eternal life so that man would have Gods life and live forever. The time period during which this gospel is preached is the dispensation of grace. The eternal gospel, on the other hand, is preached by an angel (Rev. 14:6-7). The requirement of this gospel is that man would fear and worship God. The content of the eternal gospel is the future eternity, in which the creatures will exist forever. The time period during which it is preached is the great tribulation, which is at the end of the dispensation of grace and before the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens. During the great tribulation, when the church age is near its end but the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens has not yet come, God will preach the eternal gospel, which is signified by the net spoken of in Matthew 13:47. This gospel will bring onto the shore collectively all men who are in the sea, that is, in the world usurped by Satan. In contrast, the gospel of grace does not save people collectively but one by one. Those who are saved by the gospel of grace are regenerated, have Gods life, and are transformed into a being of two natures, as signified by the pearl. The eternal gospel brings people from the sea onto the shore; these people are the many species, the many nations, who have not been regenerated, who do not have the eternal life, and who have not been transformed. The parables in Matthew 13 show that the Lord first saves a group of people from the Satanusurped world by the gospel of grace that they may become the pearl that He treasures, and then He deals with every tribe and nation that remains in the Satan-usurped world by His eternal gospel. This will occur at the end of the dispensation of grace before the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens, that is, when the Lord comes to judge the living. The world today is a vast sea that is corrupted and usurped by Satan. Every tribe and nation lives in this vast sea. In the age of grace the Lord gains a small number of people through the gospel of grace; these are regenerated and become the pearl. However, the majority of men remain in the sea until the Lord comes; at that time, He will deal with those who have not been gained through the gospel of grace. During the great tribulation, the Lord will send an angel to preach the eternal gospel to charge men to fear God and worship God. Those who receive this gospel are the species of the good; those who do not receive it are the species of the foul (Matt. 13:47-48). When the Lord appears, He will charge the angels to bring before Him those who are still living on the earth, and He will judge them according to the eternal gospel. The foul will perish, but the good will be the people in the millennial kingdom

(25:32-34, 41). The great tribulation will last three and a half years. Before the great tribulation the overcoming believers will be raptured, but those who are weak and defeated will remain on the earth. The law ended when John the Baptist came forth; in the future the gospel of grace will likewise end when the two witnessesMoses and Elijahcome forth. The time of John the Baptist and the thirty-three and a half years when the Lord was on earth was the transition period from the age of the law to the age of grace. In the future the three and a half years of the great tribulation will likewise be the transition period from the end of the age of grace to the commencement of the kingdom age. The preaching of the eternal gospel will take place after the rapture of the hundred and forty-four thousand overcomers (Rev. 14:3, 6). At that time Antichrist will set up his image on the earth for man to worship. Those who do not worship him will be killed; these include the remaining Christians and the Jews (13:118). Antichrist will kill them during the great tribulation. Just before this persecution God will send an angel to preach the eternal gospel to charge man to fear God and worship God (14:6-7). After the preaching of this gospel, the harvest will be ripe, and the remaining believers will all be reaped (vv. 14-16). Following this, an angel will gather the vine of the earth and cast it into the great winepress of the fury of God (vv. 17-20). The vine here refers to the evil ones. Without the seventh parable, the prophecy in Matthew 13 would not be complete, and we would not be shown how the Lord will deal with the unbelievers who are still living on the earth when He comes in His kingdom to rule. Hence, the Lord spoke the seventh parable to show that He will deal with these living ones based on the eternal gospel. This is the Lords wisdom. When the two witnesses come, perhaps at the time when the harvest is reaped, they will be the last ones who uphold Gods interests on the earth. The three and a half years of the great tribulation cannot be considered the age of grace or the age of the kingdom but a transition period. During this transition period two witnesses will come forth to prophesy (Rev. 11:3). John the Baptist preached the word but not the gospel of life; it was the Lord who preached the gospel of life. In the Old Testament there is the law, in the New Testament there is the word of life, and between the two is the gospel of repentance preached by John the Baptist. In the same way, in the age of grace there is the gospel of grace, and in the transition period between the age of grace and the age of the kingdom there is the eternal gospel. CHAPTER TEN

THE APPEARANCE AND THE MANIFESTATION OF THE KINGDOM (2)

THE PROPHECY OF THE KINGDOM
As a continuation of the previous chapter, this chapter concerns the prophecy concerning the kingdom based on Matthew 24 and 25. These two chapters in Matthew are divided into three sections. The first section is 24:1-31, the second section is 24:3225:30, and the third section is 25:31-46.

Throughout church history some have thought that Matthew 24 and 25 were spoken for the Jews only, but others have thought that this portion was spoken to the church. However, according to the light that the Lord has given us, we see that these two chapters are divided into three sections directed to three groups of peoplethe first section to the Jews, the second to the church, and the third to the nations. This understanding is based on the three questions the disciples asked (24:3). First, they asked when the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem would be. Second, they asked what the sign of Christs coming would be. Third, they asked what the sign of the consummation of the age would be. Since the disciples asked these three questions so clearly, the Lord surely would not give them a vague answer. Sometimes even when the disciples asked questions in a foolish way, the Lord still answered them clearly. Here the Lord in His answer had to address at least these three matters. Concerning the destruction of the temple, He said that it has nothing to do with the church or the Gentiles; concerning His coming, He said that it is related not only to the church but also to the Jews and the nations; concerning the last days of the world, He spoke of the destiny of the nations, the unsaved ones who are living when the Lord returns. The Bible shows that there are three groups of people in the world: the Jews, the church, and the nations (1 Cor. 10:32; Rom. 1:16). Hence, the Lords word covers these three groups, on which the aforementioned three sections of Matthew 24 and 25 are based.

Concerning the Jews

Matthew 24 mentions the Holy Place, those in Judea, the Sabbath, and the chosen, indicating that this word was spoken to the Jews (vv. 15-16, 20, 22). However, some say that this word was spoken to the disciples, that is, to the church, because the Lord said you (v. 15). Actually, the disciples at that time had a dual status. On one hand, they were disciples; on the other hand, they were Jews. Hence, the Lord said you in the first and second sections, but He did not say you in the third section. This is because the Jews in the first section and the church in the second section are both represented by the disciples in their dual status.

Concerning the Church

Matthew 24 also concerns the church, because the most important matter mentioned is the rapture (vv. 40-41). This matter is related only to the church. The matter of rapture does not relate to the Jews and the Gentiles. Furthermore, this second section mentions the Lords coming, His going, and His coming again, the focus of this section being on the events that would take place between the Lords going and His coming again (24:32 25:30). This portion is not related to the Jews but to the church; it reveals that the church would begin with the Lords ascension and end with the Lords second coming. The first section is in plain words. For instance, winter signifies the actual season of winter (24:20). The second section, however, is mostly in parables. For example, the summer signifies the time of the (restored) kingdom (vv. 32-33). Since the church is a mystery, the word concerning the church also is a mystery. However, because the Jews are not a mystery, the speaking concerning them is in plain words.

Concerning the Nations

The third section concerns the nations, the Gentiles. In Matthew 10:5 the Lord mentioned the way of the Gentiles. The Greek word for Gentiles is the same as that for nations in 25:32. Hence, the Lord clearly was speaking of the Gentiles. Finally, in the third section, instead of speaking only in parables, the Lord spoke in plain words with parables.

THE RESPONSIBILITY AND OBLIGATION OF THE CHURCH

Since the Lord had already spoken concerning the church, Christianity, and the reality of the kingdom in chapter 13, why did He need to mention the church again in the prophecy in chapters 24 and 25? The Lord mentioned the church again because chapter 13 concerns mainly how the church comes into being and what the constitution of the church is. It shows that the church grows out of the seed of life and was produced by Christ on the cross, but it does not mention the responsibility the church should bear before the Lord. Hence, the prophecy in chapters 24 and 25 is needed in order to cover the matter of the responsibility of the church. The emphasis of the parables in chapter 13 is on the constitution, the element, of the church, but the emphasis of chapters 24 and 25 is on the responsibility of the church. Chapter 13 does not cover the responsibility of the church, and chapters 24 through 25 do not cover the constitution of the church. In order to see the producing, constitution, and content of the church, we need to know chapter 13; in order to see the responsibility of the church, we must delve into chapters 24 and 25. The responsibility and obligation of the church, or of Christians, are of two aspects. One is the aspect of life, that is, of being watchful and prepared in life; the other is the aspect of service, that is, of being faithful in work and service.

Being Watchful and Prepared in Life

Every Christian has a responsibility before the Lord in these two aspectslife and service. After the Lords ascension and before His second coming, the responsibility He leaves with us during the time He allows us to remain on earth is only of these two aspectslife and work. Hence, the word regarding the church in Matthew 24 and 25 is mainly concerning our responsibility in these two aspects. Concerning the aspect of life, we need to be watchful and prepared; concerning the aspect of work, we need to be faithful. To be watchful and prepared is to be filled with the Holy Spirit and mature in life that we may expect the Lords appearing; to be faithful means to fulfill the stewardship that the Lord has apportioned to us. The word concerning the church in chapter 24 is clearly related to the believers who are living, but the word in chapter 25 is clearly related to the believers who die before the Lord returns. Matthew 24:32-44 speaks concerning being watchful and prepared in life; verses 45 through 51 speak concerning being faithful in service and work. The section concerning being faithful is related to those who will be alive when the Lord returns; the section concerning being watchful in life also is related to those who are alive when the Lord returns. The believers spoken of in chapter 25 are those who will die before the Lord returns. Verses 1 through 13 speak of the ten virgins and their watchfulness and preparation in life. Verse 5 says, While the bridegroom delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. Sleep here signifies death. Hence, this section refers to the dead saints. The parable of the slaves in verses 14 through 30 concerns the matter of faithfulness, which is also related to the dead believers. The slaves in chapter 24 are still alive when the master comes; however, although the slaves in chapter 25 are not said to have died, they have already finished their work when the master comes to settle accounts with them after a long time (v. 19). A long time signifies the entire church age; this indicates that they will already be dead when the Lord returns. Hence, chapters 24 and 25 both concern watchfulness and preparation in life and faithfulness in work. The difference is that the former concerns the saints who will be living when the Lord returns, whereas the latter concerns the saints who will have died. From this we can see that life and work clearly are the two aspects of a Christians

responsibility. Both chapters mention watchfulness and preparation first, and then faithfulness. This shows that the first aspect of a Christians responsibility is related to life. One must first be watchful and prepared in order to be mature in life and be filled with the Holy Spirit; then one can be faithful in work. In the aspect of life a believers status in relation to Christ is that of a virgin who loves Him and lives for Him; in the aspect of work the status of the believer is that of a slave whom He bought to serve Him (25:1, 14). To be a virgin is a matter of loving the Lord; to be a slave is a matter of serving the Lord. To love the Lord is a matter of life; to serve the Lord is a matter of work. For the growth in life one must begin with love and must be like a virgin who loves her bridegroom. Only when we have such a love can we mature in life. Similarly, only when we serve faithfully can we fulfill our duty in the work. To be virgins means to be single and pure, not being occupied or defiled by anything. In the aspect of life we must keep our status as virgins. A virgin is different from a woman and is even farther removed from an adulterous woman. A woman is occupied by something legitimate; an adulterous woman is occupied by something illegitimate. A virgin, on the contrary, is pure and not occupied by any person, matter, or thing. In the aspect of life, we should all be virgins. Virgins do not have any anxieties on the earth; their hearts are toward Christ, the Bridegroom. This is our position and status in life. As to our condition, like the virgins in the parable, we should be taking our lamps with us, which indicates that although we are in a dark age with darkness all around us, we have the testimony of light, the light that shines in darkness. When we contact a proper believer, we will sense the light in him; every place where he is, is bright because he takes his lamp with him. Some believers, however, are no different from the unbelievers, because they do not take their lamps with them. The light of the lamp comes from oil, and the oil is held in the vessel. This oil signifies the indwelling Holy Spirit. It signifies not the Spirit poured on the believers outwardly but the indwelling Holy Spirit who causes the believers to shine. The Spirit of Christ is related to our responsibility in the aspect of life, not in the aspect of service. Virgins are undefiled; this should be our position and condition in life. As soon as we love something other than the Lord, we immediately lose our position as virgins. Our proper condition is that of taking our lamps, having oil in our lamps, and shining. The way of the virgins is to go forth from where they are, to go out of the world (v. 1b). Christians who are fallen either linger or look back. However, all Christians who are proper in life are those who go out; Christians are a group of people who go out. Although others are going into the world, we are going out of the world. Our condition is one of taking our lamp with us, and our way is one of going out of the world. We proceed in the direction opposite to that of the people in the world. The reason we go out of the world is that the One whom we love is not in the world. The living of a virgin is to go forth to meet the bridegroom (v. 1b). Only by our meeting Him can we be raptured by Him. The Lords coming to take us depends on our meeting Him. Our going forth is for us to meet the Bridegroom. The world cannot draw us, because we have a lovelier object before us. Toward the Christ whom we love, we are virgins, and we are not asleep but are waiting and taking our lamps. A Christian who truly fulfills his duty and responsibility in life will be in this condition. The ten virgins are divided into two groups, with five in each group (v. 2). This does not mean that exactly half of the believers are foolish and the other half are prudent; it simply means that each believer is in one of two categories. Five is the number of responsibility. We have five fingers on each hand, showing that five is the number for bearing responsibility. Five is composed of four plus one, as illustrated by our five fingers; four fingers belong to one group, and to these four the thumb is added. With four fingers and a thumb, man can do many things. Four is the number of the creature (Rev. 4:6), and one is the number of the Creator (1 Cor. 8:6). The creatures plus the Creator are able to bear the responsibility in doing things. This means that whether or not we are mature in life is not

Gods responsibility. Because God has already been added to us, we alone are accountable for our immaturity in life. The distinction between the foolish and the prudent virgins is related to their having oil in their vessels. The prudent have oil in their vessels, but the foolish do not (vv. 3-4). To have oil in ones vessel is to be filled with the Holy Spirit. However, in order to receive the filling of the Holy Spirit, one must pay a price (v. 9). Those who love their fame, position, parents, wife, or money or who care only for themselves cannot obtain oil by being filled with the Holy Spirit. In order to be filled with the Holy Spirit, one must love the Lord above all. In other words, one must be willing to despise and forsake all things as a price for the Lords sake (Phil. 3:7-8). Today we should give up all things, not wastefully but for the purpose of gaining Christ. In this way, we will definitely buy the oil and be filled with the Holy Spirit. If a brother loves fame, position, and money, there will be no room in him for the Holy Spirit. However, if he spends all that he has, his vessel will be emptied out to allow for the filling of the oil, the Holy Spirit. The foolish virgins do not signify the unsaved. Both the prudent and the foolish in the parable are virgins, and they all take their lamps to go forth to meet the bridegroom (vv. 13). Therefore, the foolish virgins are not unsaved but are only foolish. They are foolish because they have not paid the price that they should have paid in order to receive the Holy Spirit. To be foolish is to not recognize what is truly precious but to instead treasure something else and thereby abandon the Holy Spirit. We can be prudent only by forsaking everything else that we treasure and being filled with the Holy Spirit. Because the bridegroom delays, these virgins become drowsy and sleep (v. 5). To be drowsy is to become sick; to sleep is to die. In human life, there is birth, aging, illness, and death. That the virgins become drowsy and sleep has nothing to do with watchfulness, because even the prudent ones sleep. At midnight there is a cry, which signifies the voice of the archangel at the Lords coming (1 Thes. 4:16). All the virgins then arise, which signifies that they are resurrected (Matt. 25:7). At that time the prudent are mature, but the foolish are not; thus, the foolish ask the prudent for some oil (v. 8). However, spiritual life cannot be borrowed; the life that we have is sufficient only for ourselves. The foolish must go to buy oil for themselves (v. 9). This means that even after being resurrected, Christians must still deal with the matter of the filling of the Holy Spirit and the maturity of life; otherwise, they will not be gathered into the Lords barn (13:30). It is not until Revelation 14 that the seed sown in Matthew 13 has ripened and is reaped. All the dead and immature saints cannot be gathered into the barn after they die; they must first be worked on until they are ripe. Christians must become ripe, for they are Gods harvest. If they are not ripe, God cannot gather them into His barn. Therefore, even after resurrection, they still need to ripen in order for the Lord to receive them. After the five foolish virgins were resurrected, they still had to go to buy oil. Although they eventually obtained the oil, the door was already shut, and they could not partake of the wedding feast (25:10). The virgins who mature early can partake of the wedding feast; those who mature later will not be allowed to partake of the wedding feast. Rather, they will be punished, and they will weep and gnash their teeth in the outer darkness. In Matthew 25:12 the bridegroom said to the foolish virgins, I do not know you. This does not mean that they are not saved but that the Lord will not recognize them or allow them to have a part in the wedding feast. This will be a punishment to them. However, the Lords not recognizing them will be only dispensational, just as erasing a believers name out of the book of life, which is spoken of in Revelation 3:5, applies only to the kingdom age. The foolish are saved, and their names are in the book of life; however, because they will have no part in the marriage feast during the kingdom age, their names will be erased for a time. The marriage feast will be a celebration for a thousand years, but for the foolish it will be a time of punishment. This is the reason the Lord charged us to watch and be ready (Matt. 25:13; 24:44). This is the requirement and the warning in the aspect of life.

Matthew 13 shows the progression of the church, and chapters 24 and 25 show the kind of life we should have and the responsibility we should bear. The present age is the nighttime when the Lord has departed from us. The sun has set, and the morning has not yet come. In the parable of the virgins in Matthew 25, there are two kinds of oil. The oil in the lamp is the regenerating Holy Spirit, and the oil in the vessel is the indwelling Holy Spirit. The similarity between the five prudent virgins and the five foolish ones is that all of them are virgins, all take their lamps, and all go forth to meet the bridegroom. Moreover, all their lamps are lighted, for the foolish said, Our lamps are going out (v. 8). However, the difference is that the prudent have oil in their vessels, but the foolish do not. All of them have been regenerated, but the prudent have the filling of the indwelling Spirit, whereas the foolish do not. Concerning the believers responsibility, chapter 24 speaks regarding the living believers. This is because in relation to the aspect of life, this portion says that two men will be in the field and two women will be grinding at the mill; in both cases, one will be taken and one will be left (vv. 40-41). Moreover, in relation to the aspect of work, this portion says that the faithful and prudent slave gives food to the masters household at the proper time and that while the evil slave is beating his fellow slaves, the master will come (vv. 45, 49-50). Therefore, it is obvious that these are living believers. Chapter 25 speaks concerning the dead believers, because in the aspect of life they are virgins who became drowsy and slept, which means that they became sick and died. It is not until the Lord comes that they will arise to meet Him; this indicates that they will be resurrected (vv. 5-7). In the aspect of work they are slaves who have finished their work; it is not until the Lord comes that He will settle accounts with them (vv. 14-30). The number of saints mentioned in chapter 24 is fewer than that in chapter 25. Concerning the aspect of life, chapter 24 mentions two men and two women, but chapter 25 mentions ten virgins; concerning the aspect of work, chapter 24 mentions two slaves, but chapter 25 speaks of three categories of slaves. The number mentioned in chapter 25 is greater because when the Lord comes, there will be more saints who will have died than saints who will still be living. Concerning the aspect of life, both chapters indicate that we need to watch and be ready (24:42-44; 25:13); concerning the aspect of work, they both say that we need to be faithful (24:45; 25:21, 23). With respect to the believers responsibility in life, chapter 25 says that our position and condition should be that of virgins, our situation should be that of taking our lamps, our way should be that of going out of the world, and our living should be that of meeting the Bridegroom. It also says that we must pay attention to the filling of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Chapter 24 says that two men will be in the field and two women will be grinding at the mill, which indicates that it is in our daily living that we must be like virgins who take their lamps and go forth to meet the bridegroom. Both working in the field and grinding at the mill are matters of daily living. What the Lord meant is that we need to take our lamps and go forth to meet the Bridegroom as virgins, not only while we are preaching and speaking messages but also in our ordinary daily living. These two portions regarding life and responsibility in Matthew 24 and 25 need to be viewed together. In other words, the saints should have the living described in chapter 24 and the status, condition, and way described in chapter 25. Both portions show that when the Lord comes to take us, it will not be that two of us are praying and one is taken and the other is left, nor will it be that two men are preaching and one is taken and the other is left. Rather, it will be while we are living an ordinary daily life of working in the field or grinding at the mill that some will be taken. Those who will be taken are the prudent ones, and those who will be left are the foolish. The difference is not that one works in the field and the other grinds at the mill; the difference is that one is filled with the indwelling Spirit and the other is not.

The Lord is truly wise. He did not say that the men will be preaching and the women praying; instead, He said that the men will be in the field and the women will be grinding at the mill. This indicates that we will either be taken or be left behind in our ordinary living. Moreover, the Lord did not say that two men will be watching movies and one is taken and one is left; nor did He say that two women will be dancing and one is taken and one is left. What the Lord said is related to our livelihood on the earth. Working in the field and grinding at the mill are to take care of our daily necessities. Chapter 25 speaks of the spiritual condition a believer should have, and chapter 24 reveals the kind of daily living in which this spiritual condition should be manifested, that is, in the kind of work one does for his existence.

Being Faithful in Work and Service

Regarding the believers responsibility in the aspect of work, if chapters 24 and 25 are examined together, they will reveal what it means to be faithful. Chapter 25 reveals that to be faithful is to properly use the gifts that the Lord has given us; chapter 24 shows that to be faithful is to give food to those in the Lords household at the proper time, which means to give food to the church, to care for the needs of the brothers and sisters and minister to them at the proper time. If the gift that the Lord has given us is in material riches, we should give according to the Lords leading in this matter; if our gift is to visit people, we should follow the Lords leading to visit the saints according to their needs. All the gifts are to give food at the proper time (v. 45). To pray for the brothers and sisters or to speak to them in order to shepherd them according to their needs also is to give food at the proper time. This is the way to be faithful in work. The unfaithful one in the parable beat his fellow slaves (v. 49); this signifies criticizing and judging the brothers and sisters. When a faithful one sees that his companions are weak, he does not criticize them; rather, according to the gifts that the Lord has given him, he gives them food. If his gift is to pray, he prays for them; if his gift is to visit, he goes to visit and help them. An unfaithful one, however, without waiting for an explanation, criticizes and judges his companions when he sees that they are weak. Many times we are those who beat our companions; we do not give them food at the proper time. To beat our companions is to criticize them because we are not satisfied with them; to give them food at the proper time is to minister to our companions based on our spiritual condition and according to their needs. Hence, whether we are faithful or not depends entirely on the exercise of our gifts; the exercise of our gifts determines whether we supply the saints or criticize them. If a brother truly serves the Lord faithfully, he will never criticize. Only an unfaithful serving one who falls short in his serving and who does not exercise his gifts will criticize and judge others. A faithful serving one, even when he sees the worst situation, still will not criticize or judge; instead, he will diligently pray for the situation. Only those who are cold in service and who do not love the church will be critical and judgmental. Thus, the Lord indicated in this parable that to be faithful is to minister to others and that to be unfaithful is to criticize others. When a faithful one sees his brother make a mistake, he always thinks of a way to resolve the mistake and minister life. Hence, to be faithful is to minister to and serve the brothers and sisters according to the supply of grace we have received in our daily living.

FAITHFULLY EXERCISING THE GIFTS THAT WE HAVE RECEIVED

The believers responsibility in the aspect of life is based on the indwelling of the Holy Spirit; the believers responsibility in the aspect of work is based on the gifts of the Holy Spirit. In the aspect of life we need to buy oil; in the aspect of work we need to use our talents. Oil signifies the indwelling Holy Spirit, and talents signify the gifts of the Holy Spirit. According to chapter 24, to exercise the gifts of the Holy Spirit is to give food at the

proper time (v. 45). The unfaithful slave who beat his fellow slaves and the unfaithful slave who hid his one talent both indicate the same thing (24:48-49; 25:24-25). When we are cold and backslidden, we always say, When I visit people, they will not be moved; when I preach the gospel, people will not listen. This is to tell the Lord, as the slothful slave did, You are a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not winnow (v. 24). To act in this way is to hide and not use our talent. We must see that the moneychangers in this parable are those whom we help. When they receive the help of our talent, they will in turn help others with this talent. In this way, the help we render is our capital, and the help to others rendered by the one whom we help is our interest. This interest is a compounding interest. When the Lord comes, He will recover what is His with interest. Therefore, we must be faithful to minister with all our heart and strength at the proper time. In the matter of being faithful, the Lord does not want us to focus on the result; rather, He wants us simply to minister whenever we see the need. In these two portions of chapters 24 and 25 the Lord is altogether not concerned with the result. We know this because the one who received five talents did not gain more than five talents, and the one who received two talents did not gain more than two talents. If the Lord were focused on the result, the master would have expected the two slaves to have gained more. Thus, gaining equals using. If the Lord gives us five talents, we should use these five talents; our using these talents is our gaining them. We use our five talents to gain another five talents, meaning that our using is our gaining. This shows that the Lord does not want us to pay attention to the result of our work; rather, He wants us to faithfully use the gifts that we have received. Hence, in the aspect of life we are not required to do something great; rather, we need to care for the indwelling Spirit in our daily living. Similarly, in the aspect of work we are not required to do something great; rather, we need to be ready at all times to faithfully use the gifts we have received. Concerning our responsibility in the aspects of life and work, we need to be mature in life and faithful in our work. Maturity will cause us to be raptured; faithfulness will cause us to be rewarded. If we do not reach maturity in life before we pass away, we will have to make up the lesson and be matured after the resurrection in the future. If we are not faithful in service before death, we will weep and gnash our teeth in the future; we will not be able to make up for our unfaithfulness. If we reach maturity today, we can also be faithful, but if we wait to mature in the future, although we may desire to be faithful, we will have missed the opportunity. Those who mature early and are faithful receive a reward. We may say that early maturity is the entrance to receiving the reward, and faithfulness determines the content of the reward. Whether we will rule over five cities or ten cities will depend on the degree of our faithfulness. However, whether or not we will rule over any cities will depend on whether we are mature. Those who mature early can partake of the wedding feast, the millennial kingdom; our faithfulness determines what our position will be in the kingdom. In other words, being faithful causes us to receive a reward; its emphasis is not on causing us to enter into the kingdom. Our entrance into the kingdom depends on our early maturity. Concerning those who mature late, although they will eventually become mature, they will miss the entrance into the kingdom and will not partake of the wedding feast or obtain a reward, because it will be too late. Hence, those who mature late have no need to be faithful, because they will have already missed the opportunity. Therefore, Matthew 25 shows that one can buy oil to reach maturity after the resurrection, but that one will not have the opportunity to be faithful. Maturity is the prerequisite to our entrance into the kingdom; faithfulness is the prerequisite to our receiving a reward. We must see clearly that faithfulness in work follows maturity in life. Whether one can be faithful in his work depends on the condition of his spiritual life. Hence, in order to be faithful in the work, one first needs to be mature in life. Only if we are mature in life today will we be given the opportunity to be faithful in the work. If we wait until the future to

mature in life, there will be no opportunity for us to be faithful. Even if we would desire to be faithful, we will have lost our opportunity. This loss of opportunity is a punishment. Therefore, only if we are prudent virgins in life today will we be able to be faithful slaves in the work. In the future, after we are resurrected, there will only be the opportunity for us to pay the price to buy oil; there will be no opportunity for us to trade with our talents. If we pay the price to buy oil today, we will certainly be able to trade with our talents properly; however, although we will still be able to pay the price to buy oil in the future, we will not be able to trade with our talents. Hence, today we should pay the price to buy oil and also trade with our talents. We have seen that oil signifies the indwelling Holy Spirit and that talents signify the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The indwelling Holy Spirit can also be said to be the filling of the Holy Spirit. If the saints are not filled with the Holy Spirit, they will not be able to properly exercise the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are used by means of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Thus, in order to exercise the gifts of the Holy Spirit, one must have the filling of the Holy Spirit. The filling of the Holy Spirit is related to life; the gifts of the Holy Spirit are related to work. One who desires to do well in the work must have the proper experience in life. In summary, the center of the prophecy in Matthew 24 and 25 is our responsibility today. In the aspect of life, we must be filled with the Holy Spirit; that is, we must be those who are watchful, who are prepared, and who expect the Lords coming. In the aspect of work, we must exercise the gifts of the Holy Spirit; that is, we must serve the Lord faithfully and properly. These are the two aspects of the responsibility we should bear today. If we are proper in our experience, we will not only enter into the manifestation of the kingdom in the future, but we will also receive a reward. The entrance into the kingdom depends on our maturity in life; the receiving of a reward depends on our faithfulness in the work.

THE PORTION IN THE PROPHECY OF THE KINGDOM CONCERNING THE NATIONS

After the Lord has completely finished with the church age, He will come with His overcomers, the faithful ones who mature early, to the earth from heaven, from the air, to judge the people who are still living on the earth at that time, that is, the nations (25:3132). As for those who have died in the past generations, the Lord will judge them at the great white throne after another thousand years at the end of the millennial kingdom (Rev. 20:11-15). The Scripture says that the Lord will judge the living and the dead (2 Tim. 4:1). His judging of the living is before the millennial kingdom, and His judging of the dead is after the millennial kingdom, both of which determine the matter of eternal perdition for man. The judgment of the living is signified by the parable of the net in Matthew 13:47-48 and is spoken of again by the Lord in the account of the separating of the sheep from the goats in 25:32-46. The basis of the judgment of the nations at the end of Matthew 25 is the eternal gospel. The result of this judgment is that those who receive the eternal gospel, fear God, and do not kill the saints but rather help them when they have the opportunity will be counted by the Lord as righteous. These correspond to the good in 13:48 and to the sheep in 25:33. All those who do not receive the eternal gospel, who do not fear God, and who kill rather than help the saints will be counted by God as evil. These correspond to the foul in 13:48 and to the goats in 25:33. Matthew 25 says that the sheep are those who treat well the least of the Lords brothers (vv. 34-40). Every saved one knows that to treat the Lords brothers well is to treat the Lord well. However, the sheep do not know this; this proves that they are not Christians. When Saul persecuted the churches and the Christians, the Lord said that he was persecuting the

Lord Himself (Acts 9:1-5). Moreover, the Lord said that to treat His brothers well is to treat Him well (Matt. 25:40). From this we see that the brothers are the Lords members; they are the saints who are left behind to pass through the great tribulation. Hence, their thirst, hunger, nakedness, and sickness are the trials and tribulations they will pass through (vv. 35-36). Some say that the sheep do not refer to the unbelievers, those who are not regenerated. They say that the unbelievers are not the Lords sheep, and it is impossible for the unsaved ones to go into eternal life. Our answer is that Psalm 100 says that all the people on the earth are the sheep of Gods pasture, whom God cares for and nourishes (v. 3). Furthermore, in Luke 15 the ninety-nine lost sheep signify the people of the world; only the one that is found is a saved one (vv. 4-7). Hence, it is inaccurate to say that only the saved ones can be likened to sheep. Consequently, the first reason for believing that the sheep in Matthew 25 do not refer to unbelievers cannot be validated. Moreover, Matthew 25 says that the righteous will go into eternal life (v. 46), but this is different from the believers having eternal life (John 3:16). Whereas eternal life has entered into the believers, the unbelievers who are righteous will go into eternal life, which refers to the realm of the kingdom, the realm of eternity. The eternal life spoken of in Matthew 25 does not focus on the life itself but on the realm of life. In verse 34 the Lord says to the sheep, Come...inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. This refers to the blessing of the earth, that is, the blessing of the garden of Eden. This blessing was lost because of Adams sin, but the sheep will enjoy this blessing, which God ordained for man to enjoy when He created man. They will be the people in the millennium. In verse 41 the Lord says to the goats, Go away...into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. This also is a matter of a sphere. The kingdom prepared from the foundation of the world is for mans enjoyment, and the eternal fire is prepared for the devil and his angels. However, the goats on the Lords left also will go into eternal fire. They will be the grapes on the vine of the earth mentioned in Revelation 14:17-20. The sheep enter into a kingdom, which is a sphere; the goats enter into the lake of fire, which also is a sphere. The eternal punishment spoken of in Matthew 25:46 is the lake of fire, and the eternal life is the prepared kingdom. Both refer to a sphere, a realm. Thus, to go into eternal life does not mean to have eternal life, because the sheep have not been regenerated. The judgment of the sheep and the goats will be executed not in the air but when the Lord comes to the earth, because they will not have departed from the earth. However, the judgment of the saints at the Lords judgment seat will be in the air, because they will have been raptured (1 Thes. 4:16-17). Therefore, the judgment of the sheep and the goats has nothing to do with the saints but is related to the unbelievers who are living when the Lord comes back to the earth.

THE WAY OF LIFE IN THE PROPHECY OF THE KINGDOM

Our focus should not be on expounding the prophecy of the kingdom but on seeing the way of life. The Lords word shows that being a Christian is not merely a matter of salvation; after salvation there are also the matters of maturity and faithfulness. Hence, we need to be delivered from the great tree and the leaven and be small, lowly food to supply others. Moreover, we need to be delivered from the world to become a treasure, to be full of light, and to exercise our gifts. All this added together is to submit to the authority of the kingdom, to allow the heavens to reign, and to subject ourselves to Gods ruling, that is, to allow God to reign. This is the Gospel of Matthew, the gospel of the kingdom, which is to save Gods people from the sin of rebellion. We need to learn from the Lords pattern. He did not strive or cry out, nor could anyone hear His voice in the streets (12:19), but He was full of the ruling authority. If we apply all these points, we will have the living described in Matthew 5 through 7 and will live in the reality of the kingdom.

The light that the Lord has given in Matthew is His revelation to the church today. This light causes us to take the way of the kingdom. This is the light of the ruling of the heavens, the light of being delivered from rebellion, the light of the gospel of the kingdom. Only when we take this way can we preach the gospel, teach people, and bring the nations to the Lord. This is the way Matthew ends. When the kingdom people gather into the Lords name, He will be in their midst. Only such people can truly experience Emmanuel, God with us, and Jesus, the One who saves His people from their sins. This word enlightens our inner being so that we will not dare to beat our companions by criticizing or judging them. Those who do not have this light may still have peace even if they become a part of the great tree and mix leaven into the fine flour. Those who have light, however, will not be able to do these things.