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A Brief Definition of the Kingdom of the

Heavens
CONTENTS
1. Outline of the Kingdom in the Bible
2. The Reality, the Appearance, and the Manifestation of the Kingdom of the Heavens
3. Life under the Kingdom’s Rule
4. Exercise and Discipline for the Kingdom
5. God’s Various Treatments of Different Categories of People

FOREWORD
The contents of this book are messages that were given in the summer of 1963 in Altadena,
California. These messages were among the first that were released by Brother Witness Lee after
having been led by the Lord to begin the work of the Lord’s ministry in the United States. Those of
us who were privileged to hear these messages at that time, either by attending the meetings or
listening to them on audio tapes, can testify of the deep and lasting impression that the Lord gave to
us concerning the kingdom. Most of the ones who heard these messages had been saved for many
years, yet as the Word was opened, almost everything spoken was new light to them.
This matter of the kingdom is a great and crucial truth in the Bible. For God to accomplish His
divine purpose, He needs His kingdom. The government of God is with His kingdom, and in His
kingdom He fully exercises His divine authority. Every believer should live a life that is under this
heavenly rule. In addition to our salvation, there is the exercise and responsibility of the kingdom of
the heavens in this age, and those who live in its reality today (Matt.5—7) will participate in its
manifestation in the coming age as a reward (chs.24—25). The Lord will judge His believers at His
coming back according to their living and work after being saved (Cor. 5:10), and will either reward
them or discipline them (Matt. 24:40—25:30; Luke 12:35-48; Cor. 3:10-15).
We hope that this book will be read with much prayer and that its contents will encourage us to run
the race with endurance (9:24-27; Heb. 12:1), to pursue toward the goal for the prize of the high
calling of God in Christ Jesus (Phil. 3:12-14), looking to the Lord to save us into His heavenly

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kingdom (2 Tim. 4:18) that we might be awarded the crown of righteousness in that day (4:8), the
day of Christ’s second appearing when He will reward each man according to his doings (Matt.
16:27) and his work (Rev. 22:12).

June 1986
Benson Phillips
Irving, Texas

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CHAPTER ONE - OUTLINE OF THE

KINGDOM IN THE BIBLE
Scripture Reading: Gen. 12:1-2; Matt. 6:9-10; Exo. 19:4-6; Rev. 11:15; Matt. 21:43; 3:2;
4:17; 10:5-7; 12:28; 16:19; 13:3, 24, 31, 33; 19:23-24; John 3:3, 5; Matt. 5:20; 7:21; 18:3; Acts 1:3;
8:12; 14:22; Rom. 14:17; 1 Cor. 6:9-10; 15:50; Gal. 5:21; Eph. 5:5; 2 Thes. 1:5; Rev. 12:10; 2 Tim.
4:18

THE DIVINE IMAGE

AND THE DIVINE AUTHORITY
Genesis 1 says that God created man in His own image and that He gave man the authority to rule
all the created things (v. 26). In the creation of man the two vital things are the divine image and the
divine authority. If we are to have the full image of God to express God and to realize the full
authority to represent God, to subdue His enemy, to subdue this earth, God Himself must be our
life. In the first two chapters of Genesis we see the image and the dominion, the authority, and the
life of God, which is signified by the tree of life (2:9). To express God and to represent God in a full
way, we must take God as our life. We must have God living within us and through us. Then we
will have the real image of God to express God, and we will realize the divine authority to represent
God on this earth to subdue His enemy. The divine life to be received by man is for two things: to
express God on the positive side and to deal with God’s enemy on the negative side. To express
God, man needs the image of God. To deal with the enemy of God, man needs the authority of God.
The divine authority, which is something of the kingdom, is revealed throughout the entire
Scriptures.

THE KINGDOM AND THE CHOSEN RACE

After man became fallen, God chose the race of Abraham. The first race, the race of Adam, failed
God. But after the great flood, God began again with a second race of mankind, the race of Noah.
This second race also failed God. Then God chose the third race, the race of Abraham, after the time
of Babel. The purpose of God’s choosing of Abraham is revealed in Genesis 12:1-2. These two

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verses tell us that God chose Abraham with the intention of having a kingdom. The Lord told
Abraham that He would make of him “a great nation” (v. 2). This great nation is a kingdom. The
kingdom is a sphere, a realm, to exercise authority. Without the kingdom God can never exercise
His authority. For God to accomplish His purpose, He must have a realm, a sphere, as a kingdom
for Him to exercise His authority. This is why the Lord Jesus mentioned the kingdom when He
taught the disciples to pray in Matthew 6. At the beginning of the Lord’s prayer and at the end of it
the kingdom is mentioned. The beginning of the Lord’s prayer says, “Your kingdom come” (v. 10).
The end of this prayer says, “For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen”
(v. 13).
The accomplishment of God’s eternal purpose depends on the kingdom. If God does not have a
kingdom to exercise His authority, He can do nothing. Thus, in the Old Testament God chose
Abraham so his descendants could be made a great nation, a kingdom. The children of Israel came
into being, and God did make them a nation, a kingdom. Then after God brought the children of
Israel out of Egypt, He told them that they would be to Him a kingdom, a nation (Exo. 19:4-6). God
made Israel a kingdom, a nation, and in that nation God exercised His authority. God accomplished
certain things by exercising His authority in the kingdom of Israel.

THE KINGDOM IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

In the New Testament the first preacher was John the Baptist. The first word preached by him was,
“Repent, for the kingdom of the heavens has drawn near” (Matt. 3:2). When the Lord Jesus began to
preach the gospel, He said the same thing as John the Baptist: “Repent, for the kingdom of the
heavens has drawn near” (4:17). When the Lord sent the disciples to preach the gospel He charged
them to say, “The kingdom of the heavens has drawn near” (10:7). The book of Revelation tells us
that at the Lord’s coming back after His judgment upon the nations, the kingdom of the world will
become the kingdom of Christ (11:15). Eventually, in the millennium the Lord will rule as a king
with all His victorious saints (20:4, 6). Revelation shows that in the accomplishment of His eternal
purpose God eventually will have a kingdom in which He can exercise His authority to the fullest
extent. The Scriptures clearly reveal this line of the kingdom of God in which or through which God
can exercise His authority to accomplish His eternal purpose.

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THE KINGDOM OF GOD

A kingdom is not a simple matter. For example, the United States as a nation, a kingdom, is not a
simple matter. The kingdom of God includes many things that need to be understood. In the Old
Testament there is the kingdom of Israel. In the New Testament there is the kingdom of the heavens.
Then after the church age there will be a period of a thousand years known as the millennium. The
millennium is a kingdom of a thousand years (vv. 4, 6). If we read the Scriptures carefully, we will
see that even in the millennium there are some further divisions. The kingdom of Israel in the Old
Testament, the kingdom of the heavens in the New Testament, and the millennial kingdom after the
church age are parts of the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God runs from eternity to eternity. It is
a realm, a sphere, in which God can rule and exercise His authority. From eternity past to eternity
future there is such a thing called the kingdom of God. In this kingdom, God exercises His authority
to rule over all things.

The Kingdom of Israel

Concerning the kingdom of Israel being a part of the kingdom of God in the Old Testament times,
Matthew 21:43 says, “I say to you that the kingdom of God shall be taken from you and shall be
given to a nation producing its fruit.” The kingdom of God was already there with the Israelites, but
because they did not bring forth fruit, the Lord told them that the kingdom of God would be taken
from them. Since it could be taken from them, that means that the kingdom of God was among them
already. The Lord took the kingdom from them and gave this kingdom to another people, which is
the church.

The Difference between

the Kingdom of the Heavens
and the Kingdom of God
We must also see from the Scriptures that the kingdom of the heavens is different from the kingdom
of God. Most Christians think that the kingdom of the heavens and the kingdom of God are
synonymous terms. When John the Baptist came, he told the people to repent for the kingdom of the
heavens had drawn near (3:2). This means that up until the time of John the Baptist, the kingdom of
the heavens had not yet come but was at hand. Then when the Lord Jesus came out to preach the

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gospel at the beginning of His ministry, He said the same thing: “Repent, for the kingdom of the
heavens has drawn near” (4:17). Later, in Matthew 10:7, the Lord sent the first group of disciples
and told them to say the same thing, that the kingdom of the heavens had drawn near. When the
Lord came out to preach the gospel, the kingdom of the heavens had not come yet. On the one hand,
the kingdom of God was already among the children of Israel. On the other hand, the kingdom of
the heavens was coming.
Matthew 12:28 says, “If I, by the Spirit of God, cast out the demons, then the kingdom of God has
come upon you.” In this verse the Lord refers to the kingdom of God, not the kingdom of the
heavens. Even then, the kingdom of the heavens had still not come, but the kingdom of God was
there by that time.
Another important passage showing this distinction between the kingdom of the heavens and the
kingdom of God is Matthew 11:11-12: “Truly I say to you, Among those born of women there has
not arisen one greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of the heavens is
greater than he. But from the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of the heavens is
taken by violence, and violent men seize it.” This word indicates that up to this time “the kingdom
of the heavens” had not come, and John the Baptist was not in it, because the least in the kingdom
of the heavens is greater than John. Also, from the time of John until the time the Lord spoke this
word was the period of time in which people could endeavor to get into the kingdom of the heavens.
In Matthew 16:19 the Lord told Peter that He would give to him “the keys of the kingdom of the
heavens.” Even at the time of Matthew 16 the kingdom of the heavens had not begun, because the
keys had not been given. The Lord gave the first key of the kingdom of the heavens to Peter on the
day of Pentecost. The kingdom of the heavens started on the day of Pentecost when the church
began to be built up. Peter used one key to open the gate for the Jewish believers to enter the
kingdom of the heavens on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:38-42), and he used the other to open the
gate for the Gentile believers to enter the kingdom of the heavens in the house of Cornelius (10:34-
48).
The Kingdom of the Heavens in Matthew 13
Matthew 13 is another proof that the kingdom of the heavens started when the church began to be
built. In the first parable in Matthew 13 the Lord said, “Behold, the sower went out to sow” (v. 3).
In the second parable, however, He said, “The kingdom of the heavens has become like a man

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sowing good seed in his field. But while the men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares in the
midst of the wheat and went away” (vv. 24-25). In the third parable the Lord told us that the
kingdom of the heavens is like a mustard seed (v. 31). The fourth parable tells us that “the kingdom
of the heavens is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal until the whole
was leavened” (v. 33). The previous three parables of Matthew 13 always begin with the clause the
kingdom of the heavens is like..., but with the first parable there is not such a clause. In the first
parable the Lord was coming to sow Himself into people as the seed of life. By that time the
kingdom of the heavens had only drawn near; it had not come yet. With the second parable the Lord
began to say, “The kingdom of the heavens has become like,” because the kingdom of the heavens
began to be established when the church was built (Matt. 16:18-19) on the day of Pentecost, the
time when the second parable began to be fulfilled. It was from that time after the church was
founded, that the tares, the false believers, were sown in the midst of the true believers, the wheat.
Therefore, the kingdom of the heavens is a part of the kingdom of God.
Thus far, we have seen that the kingdom of God is from eternity past to eternity future, and that it
includes the kingdom of Israel in the Old Testament, the kingdom of the heavens in the New
Testament, and the millennial kingdom after the church age (see chart).

The Kingdom of the Heavens

Being the Kingdom of God
The kingdom of the heavens is the kingdom of God, just as California, as a part of the United
States, is the United States. Matthew 19:23-24 says, “Jesus said to His disciples, Truly I say to you,
Only with difficulty will a rich man enter into the kingdom of the heavens. And again I say to you,
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.” Verse 23 refers to the kingdom of the heavens, whereas verse 24 refers to the
kingdom of God. This proves that the kingdom of the heavens is a part of the kingdom of God. We
have already seen from other passages that the kingdom of the heavens is something different from
the kingdom of God because the kingdom of God was there before the kingdom of the heavens had
come. This passage, however, proves that the kingdom of the heavens is the kingdom of God. The
example of California and the United States helps to explain this. On the one hand, California is
different from the United States because the United States is an entire nation. California is a part of

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this nation, so it is different. On the other hand, California is the United States. When you come to
California, you come to the United States. Likewise, when you enter into the kingdom of the
heavens, you enter into the kingdom of God because the kingdom of the heavens is a part of the
kingdom of God. If you are in California, you are in the United States, but if you are in the United
States, you are not necessarily in California. If you come to the United States, you may come to
New York, Oregon, or Washington, but not to California. If you enter into the kingdom of the
heavens, you surely enter into the kingdom of God, but being in the kingdom of God does not
guarantee that you are in the kingdom of the heavens.
Entering into the Kingdom of the Heavens
Matthew 19:23 says that it is difficult for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of the heavens. In
John 3:3 and 5, though, the Lord reveals that the only requirement for entering the kingdom of God
is to be born again. If you have been born again, you have entered into the kingdom of God. By our
second birth we have entered into the kingdom of God, but have we entered into the kingdom of the
heavens? To enter into the kingdom of God is simply by rebirth, but to enter into the kingdom of the
heavens is another matter. Matthew 5:20 says, “I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses
that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall by no means enter into the kingdom of the heavens.” To
enter into the kingdom of God requires regeneration as a new beginning of our life, but to enter into
the kingdom of the heavens demands surpassing righteousness in our living after regeneration. How
strict this is! Also, Matthew 7:21 says, “Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, will enter into
the kingdom of the heavens, but he who does the will of My Father who is in the heavens.” Since
entering into the kingdom of the heavens also requires doing the will of the heavenly Father, it is
clearly different from entering into the kingdom of God by being regenerated. The latter is by the
birth of the divine life; the former is by the living of that life. Matthew 18:3 says, “Truly I say to
you, Unless you turn and become like little children, you shall by no means enter into the kingdom
of the heavens.” Once we have been regenerated, we are in the kingdom of God, but to enter into
the kingdom of the heavens, we must have the righteousness which exceeds that of the Pharisees,
we must do the will of God, and we must become as little children.
The time for us to enter into the kingdom of the heavens is revealed in Matthew 24 and 26, the
prophecy of the kingdom. These chapters also reveal to us that there is a difference between the
kingdom of the heavens and the kingdom of God.

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THE KINGDOM NOT BEING SUSPENDED

Some Bible teachers claim that when the Lord Jesus came, He came with the kingdom and
presented it to the Jewish people. When the Jewish people rejected Him, He received back the
kingdom and the kingdom was suspended. According to these Bible teachers, the church age is not
the time of the kingdom, because the kingdom has been suspended. They say that when the Lord
comes back, He will also bring back the kingdom. Even Dr. C. I. Scofield taught in such a way, but
the Bible reveals that the kingdom of God has never been suspended. In Matthew 21:43 the Lord
said clearly that the kingdom of God would be taken from the Jewish people and given to another
people, that is, to the church. This indicates that the kingdom of God has never been suspended.
Then after the Lord’s resurrection and before His ascension to the heavens, He stayed with the
disciples for forty days. In those forty days the Lord spoke concerning the things of the kingdom of
God: “To whom also He presented Himself alive after His suffering by many irrefutable proofs,
appearing to them through a period of forty days and speaking the things concerning the kingdom of
God” (Acts 1:3). This again indicates that the Lord has never suspended the kingdom of God. Acts
8:12 says, “They believed Philip, who announced the gospel of the kingdom of God.” When the
apostles preached the gospel, they preached the kingdom of God. The kingdom has never been
suspended. The kingdom of God was preached by the apostles, even after the ascension of the Lord
and after Pentecost. Acts 14:22 says, “Establishing the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to
continue in the faith and saying that through many tribulations we must enter into the kingdom of
God.” Some Bible teachers say that the kingdom of God is merely a matter for the Jewish people,
but here the apostles were exhorting the Gentile churches to continue in the faith so that they could
enter into the kingdom of God. Romans 14:17 is another verse which shows us that the kingdom of
God has not been suspended: “The kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness
and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” With the period of the Holy Spirit, there is still the kingdom
of God. Also, the context of this verse is dealing with the church life in the present age. Other verses
that show us that the kingdom of God has not been suspended are 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; 15:50;
Galatians 5:21; Ephesians 5:5; 2 Thessalonians 1:5; Revelation 11:15; 12:10; and 2 Timothy 4:18,
which says, “The Lord will deliver me from every evil work and will save me into His heavenly
kingdom, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.” Near the end of Paul’s journey as a

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Christian, as a servant of the Lord, he said that the Lord would save him into His heavenly
kingdom.
Thus far, we have seen that the kingdom of God is not merely related to the Jews but also to the
Christians. The matter of the kingdom is not so simple. By our new birth we have entered into the
kingdom of God. On the other hand, as far as the kingdom of the heavens is concerned, we are still
on the way to entering into it. For example, I have entered into the United States because I am here
in California, but I have not entered into the White House. The kingdom of the heavens is
something different from the kingdom of God, yet the kingdom of the heavens is the kingdom of
God because it is a part of the kingdom of God. Therefore, one can be in the kingdom of God yet
still not be in the kingdom of the heavens. John 3:3 tells us that by the new birth we entered into the
kingdom of God. On the other hand, we are told in Acts 14:22 that we enter into the kingdom
through many tribulations. The kingdom of God is the whole realm in which God rules from
eternity to eternity. In the kingdom of God there is a part which is called the kingdom of the
heavens. This part began on the day of Pentecost and concludes at the end of the millennium.

THE THREE ASPECTS OF

THE KINGDOM OF THE HEAVENS
With the kingdom of the heavens there are three aspects: the external appearance of the kingdom of
the heavens (Matt. 13), the reality of the kingdom of the heavens (chs. 5—7), and the manifestation
of the kingdom of the heavens (chs. 24—25). If we are going to understand the kingdom of the
heavens, we must know these three aspects. On the day of Pentecost, the appearance of the kingdom
of the heavens and the reality of the kingdom of the heavens began. The manifestation of the
kingdom of the heavens begins with the coming back of the Lord Jesus. When the Lord comes
back, the kingdom of the heavens will be manifested. On the one hand, we can say that the kingdom
has started already, but this is just the appearance and the reality, not the manifestation of the
kingdom of the heavens. The appearance of the kingdom of the heavens includes all the false
Christians, but only the victorious, overcoming Christians are in the reality of the kingdom of the
heavens. When the Lord Jesus comes back, that will be the time of the manifestation of the
kingdom of the heavens.

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CHAPTER TWO - THE REALITY, THE

APPEARANCE, AND THE
MANIFESTATION OF THE KINGDOM OF
THE HEAVENS
Scripture Reading: Matt. 11:10-12; 13:1-50; 5—7; 24—25

THE FOUR DISPENSATIONS

IN THE KINGDOM
The kingdom of God is the rule, the government, of God from eternity to eternity. This kingdom is
comprised of four dispensations (see chart in previous chapter). Romans 5:14 refers to the period of
time “from Adam until Moses.” This was the age before the law, the first dispensation. The second
dispensation is from Moses to Christ. This is the dispensation of law. The third dispensation is the
dispensation of grace, or the dispensation of the church. Outside the church is the external
appearance of the kingdom of the heavens, today’s Christendom. Within Christendom is the true
church, which is the composition of the real believers, and within the true church are the
overcomers who are in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens. Outside Christendom is the world,
the unbelievers. There is no real separating line between Christendom and the world. The last
dispensation is the millennium of a thousand years. In the millennium there are two parts: the
heavenly part and the earthly part. The heavenly part is the manifestation of the kingdom of the
heavens. In this manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens, Christ and the overcoming believers
will be the kings (Rev. 20:4, 6). In the earthly part of the millennium the saved Jews will be the
priests teaching people how to serve God (Zech. 8:20-23). The overcoming believers as the kings,
the saved Jews as the priests, and the nations as the people are the three groups of people in the
millennium.

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THE THREE ASPECTS OF

THE KINGDOM OF THE HEAVENS
With the kingdom of the heavens there are three main aspects that we must be clear about. The first
aspect is the appearance of the kingdom of the heavens. This appearance is today’s Christendom,
which includes the Roman Catholic Church and all the false Christians. The second aspect is the
reality of the kingdom of the heavens. This aspect is comprised of the overcomers, the victorious
Christians. All the genuine Christians, whether victorious or defeated, are the church. However,
within the real church, among the true believers, there is a distinction between the victorious ones
and the defeated ones. With the victorious ones there is the reality of the kingdom of the heavens.
There are four groups of people on the earth today: the victorious Christians who are in the reality
of the kingdom of the heavens, the defeated believers who are in the church yet not in the reality of
the kingdom of the heavens, the false Christians who are merely Christians in name but not
members of the true church, and the world comprised of all the unbelievers. The appearance of the
kingdom of the heavens, Christendom, and the reality of the kingdom of the heavens, the
overcomers, comprise the dispensation of the church.
After the dispensation of the church, the Lord will come back. This will be the manifestation of the
kingdom of the heavens. Those who live in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens today will be
manifested with the Lord to be the kings in the dispensation of the millennium to rule the nations on
the earth with the saved Jews as the priests. The kings who are the overcomers in Christ, the saved
Jews as the priests, and the people, the nations, comprise the manifestation of the kingdom of the
heavens.
To be clear about the kingdom truths we must first be clear about the difference between the
kingdom of God and the kingdom of the heavens. Second, we must be clear about the three aspects
of the kingdom of the heavens: the appearance, the reality, and the manifestation. We have already
seen the difference between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of the heavens. Now we must see
in more detail the difference between the appearance, the reality, and the manifestation of the
kingdom of the heavens. Matthew is a book on the kingdom of the heavens. The only other mention
of the kingdom of the heavens is in 2 Timothy 4:18 where the term heavenly kingdom is used. In the
Gospel of Matthew there are three main parts. The decree of the kingdom’s constitution in chapters
5 through 7, the parables in chapter 13, and the prophecy of the kingdom in chapters 24 and 25 are

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the three great parts of the Gospel of Matthew. If we can understand these three parts, we can
understand the Gospel of Matthew. In chapter 13 the Lord unveils the appearance of the kingdom of
the heavens. In chapters 5 through 7 we can see the reality of the kingdom of the heavens. In
chapters 24 and 25 the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens is revealed by the Lord Jesus.

THE KINGDOM OF THE HEAVENS IN MATTHEW 13—

THE APPEARANCE WITH THE REALITY

The Parable of the Sower

In Matthew 13 the first parable is the parable of the sower: “He spoke many things to them in
parables, saying, Behold, the sower went out to sow” (v. 3). This parable does not mention the
kingdom of the heavens because at this time the kingdom of the heavens had not come yet. The
sower is the Lord Himself who comes to sow Himself into humanity as the seed of life. This was
the preparation for the coming of the kingdom of the heavens.

The Parable of the Tares

The second parable begins in verse 24: “Another parable He set before them, saying, The kingdom
of the heavens has become like a man sowing good seed in his field.” The kingdom of the heavens
is mentioned in this second parable. The man sowing good seed in his field is the sower in the first
parable, the Lord Jesus. “But while the men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares in the midst of
the wheat and went away” (v. 25). This happened just a little while after the day of Pentecost. When
the day of Pentecost came, thousands of believers were added to the church. Among those believers
there were some false ones, some tares, among the wheat. The second parable is a parable
concerning the church as the beginning of the kingdom of the heavens.

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

The third parable is the parable of the mustard seed: “Another parable He set before them, saying,
The kingdom of the heavens is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, and
which is smaller than all the seeds; but when it has grown, it is greater than the herbs and becomes a
tree, so that the birds of heaven come and roost in its branches” (vv. 31-32). The mustard is an herb
for food. The real church coming out of the seed of life should be just like the mustard, good for

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food to others. This herb, however, becomes a great tree, and the birds of heaven roost in its
branches. In the first parable the birds (v. 4) signify the evil one, Satan, who came and snatched
away the word of the kingdom sown in the hardened heart (v. 19). The bird is the devil, and the
birds are the evil persons, spirits, and things out of the devil who lodge in this big tree. This
happened when Constantine the Great mixed the church with the world in the first part of the fourth
century. He brought thousands of false believers into the church, making it Christendom, no longer
the church. Christianity became the national religion of the Roman Empire, and Constantine
encouraged all the unbelievers to come into the church. Before this time the Roman Empire
persecuted Christianity, but during Constantine’s reign the Roman Empire welcomed it. From that
time onward the church’s nature changed. It became deeply rooted and settled in the earth as a great
tree, flourishing with its enterprises as the branches to lodge many evil persons and things. Today’s
Christendom is a big tree with a lot of branches, and many sinful persons and evil spirits are lodging
in its branches.

The Parable of the Leaven Hidden in the Fine Flour

Matthew 13:33 says, “Another parable He spoke to them: The kingdom of the heavens is like
leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal until the whole was leavened.” This
woman is a type of the Roman Catholic Church. In Revelation the Lord likens the Roman Catholic
Church to a woman sitting on a scarlet beast (17:3). The beast is the Roman Empire, and the woman
on the beast is the Roman Catholic Church. This portrays religion joining with politics. After
Constantine welcomed Christianity into the Roman Empire as the national religion, the church
transmuted into something large and worldly and even became a worldly power. This worldly
power became the Roman Catholic Church typified by this woman in Matthew 13. The leaven that
this woman took signifies evil things (1 Cor. 5:6, 8) and evil doctrines (Matt. 16:6, 11-12). Meal, for
making the meal offering (Lev. 2:1), signifies Christ as food both to God and man. The Roman
Catholic Church has something real, but it puts in something false. Today’s modernism, which is
even among the Protestant churches, denies the deity of our Lord Jesus and the fact that He was
born of the virgin Mary. The Roman Catholic Church, however, always recognizes that Christ is the
Son of God, the very God, born of a virgin. This is the fine flour, the meal, but they added leaven
into the fine flour (vv. 4-5, 11). Many pagan practices and heresies were added into the fine flour.

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The birth of Christ is a part of the fine flour, but Christmas is the leaven added to the fine flour.
History tells us that December 25 was celebrated as the birthday of the sun-god. When Christianity
was accepted as the state religion by the Roman Empire in A.D. 313, many people in the church
were not regenerated. Some of these unregenerated ones were accustomed to having a festival on
December 25 to celebrate the birthday of the sun-god. To accommodate these unbelievers, the
apostate church declared December 25 to be the birthday of Christ. This is the source of Christmas.
The apostate church has the fine flour, but within the flour there is leaven.
Christ is the fine flour, but the so-called pictures of Jesus are included in the leaven. Any picture of
Jesus is false. The book of Isaiah tells us that when the Lord was on the earth, He had “no attracting
form nor majesty that we should look upon Him, / Nor beautiful appearance that we should desire
Him” (53:2). Isaiah 52:14 tells us that “His visage was marred more than that of any man, / And His
form more than that of the sons of men.” Today’s pictures of Jesus always portray Him as a
handsome man. This is not the true picture of Jesus but the leaven. In 1937 when I was traveling in
northern China, a case of demon possession was brought to my attention. A certain Christian sister
had become possessed. When I was asked the reason for this, I said that, in principle, either sin or
some idols or images in that sister’s home would give ground for the demon to possess her. This
sister was a young Christian and did not know these things. She had bought a picture of the so-
called Jesus and had put that picture in her room. Eventually, she was bowing down to it with
respect. Later on she was possessed by a demon. I told her to burn the picture. From the moment
she burned that picture, the demon departed.
To add leaven to fine flour makes it easier for people to take. Unleavened bread is harder for people
to eat. This is the principle operating in the Roman Catholic Church. They maintain that if you do
not put the leaven into the things concerning Christ, it will be hard for the people to take. If you
simply told people that God is in Christ as the Spirit, they would not be able to take it. To put up an
image of Christ or a statue of Christ at the entrance of the cathedral and tell people that this is Christ
makes it easier for people to worship and realize Christ, according to the Roman Catholic Church.
They maintain that the images, even though they are not really Christ, remind people of Christ. To
them, the image of Christ makes it easier for people to contact Christ. This is the leaven within the
fine flour.

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When I was in Manila, I visited a Catholic cathedral. At the entrance of this cathedral was a statue
of Mary. Noticing that one of the hands of the statue was almost completely worn out, I asked the
people what had happened. They said that everyone who entered the cathedral first touched the
hand of the statue and that, through the years, this had worn out the hand. When I asked them about
the need for such a statue, they said, “If people do not have statues, they cannot understand what
you are saying when you talk about the Bible. They need something solid to grasp.” This is their
justification for having statues of Jesus and Mary. What subtlety! That is not Jesus or Mary—that is
an idol. Apparently, they worshipped Jesus; actually, they worshipped an image of stone. This is the
subtlety of the enemy.
Now we can see the evil of the apostate church—it absorbs pagan things and adds them to the fine
flour. How wicked this is! The Roman Catholic Church preaches Christ with paganism, with
heathenism, with idols, with images, and with sinful things and false things. The Lord likens this to
the kingdom of the heavens, so this is the appearance of the kingdom of the heavens. This is not the
real thing.

The Parable of the Treasure

Hidden in the Field
The fifth parable says, “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” (Matt. 13:44).
In the Scriptures the sea denotes the world corrupted by Satan (Isa. 57:20; Rev. 17:15), and the field
represents the earth created by God for His kingdom (Gen. 1:26-28). The treasure hidden in the
field signifies the kingdom hidden in God’s created world. The treasure hidden in the field must
consist of gold or precious stones, the materials for the building of the church and the New
Jerusalem (1 Cor. 3:12; Rev. 21:18-20). The church is the practical kingdom today, and the New
Jerusalem will be the kingdom in manifestation in eternity. Before the Lord comes, the kingdom is a
hidden matter. When the Lord comes, He finds the kingdom, makes it open, and presents it to the
Jewish people. Since the Jewish people rejected it, the Lord hid this matter from them. The Lord
then went to the cross to die, to pay the cost to buy this field with its treasure. This means that the
Lord died on the cross to redeem the earth with the kingdom.

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The Parable of the Merchant and the Pearl

The sixth parable says, “Again, the kingdom of the heavens is like a merchant seeking fine pearls;
and finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it” (Matt. 13:45-
46). The Lord in this parable is the merchant, and the pearl is the church. The pearl comes out of the
water, which denotes the corrupted world. The pearl produced in the death waters (the world filled
with death) by the living oyster (the living Christ), wounded by a little rock (the sinner), and
secreting its life-juice around the wounding rock, is also the material for the building of the New
Jerusalem. Since the pearl comes out of the sea, which signifies the world corrupted by Satan, it
must refer to the church, which is mainly constituted with regenerated believers from the Gentile
world, and which is “of great value.”

The Parable of the Net Cast into the Sea

The seventh parable says, “Again, the kingdom of the heavens is like a net cast into the sea and
gathering from every species, which, when it was filled, they brought onto the shore, and sat down
and collected the good into vessels; but the foul they cast out” (vv. 47-48). The sea denotes the
corrupted world. At the end of the church age, when the Lord comes back, He will send the angels
to bring all the living peoples, the unbelievers, unto Him. He will divide them into two classes—a
class of good and a class of evil. The evil ones will perish immediately and the good ones will be
translated into the millennial kingdom to be the nations (vv. 49-50; 25:32-46).
These seven parables show us the appearance of the kingdom of the heavens with the reality of the
kingdom of the heavens. The appearance of the kingdom of the heavens includes the true believers,
the false ones, and all the evil things in today’s Christendom.

THE REALITY OF THE KINGDOM OF THE HEAVENS

The reality of the kingdom of the heavens is revealed in Matthew 5, 6, and 7. The parables in
Matthew 13 reveal many evil things, leaven, and false believers. In Matthew 5, 6, and 7, though, the
kingdom of the heavens is revealed as something very pure. This is the reality of the kingdom of the
heavens. Matthew 5:3 says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of the
heavens.” Verse 10 says, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for
theirs is the kingdom of the heavens.” Verse 20 says, “I say to you that unless your righteousness

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surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall by no means enter into the kingdom of the
heavens.” These verses show us how strict the kingdom of the heavens is and how pure this
kingdom is. Matthew 7:21 says, “Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, will enter into the
kingdom of the heavens, but he who does the will of My Father who is in the heavens.” This is the
reality of the kingdom of the heavens. To be in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens we must be
poor in spirit, we must suffer persecution for righteousness’ sake, we must do the will of the Father,
and we must be pure and meek (5:3-10). The parables in Matthew 13 unveil the appearance of the
kingdom of the heavens, whereas the teachings in Matthew 5, 6, and 7 unveil the reality of the
kingdom of the heavens.
A real believer in the church is not necessarily an overcomer. We may be in the church and still not
be in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens. Some people are in Christendom, the appearance of
the kingdom of the heavens, but not really in the church. To be in the church a person must be a real
believer in Christ, regenerated with the life of God. After regeneration, a Christian has to go on with
the Lord to be victorious. He must overcome all the sinful things; then he will be in the reality of
the kingdom of the heavens. To see whether or not we are in the reality of the kingdom of the
heavens, we need to compare ourselves with the teaching in Matthew 5, 6, and 7. We may be saved,
but are we in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens?

THE MANIFESTATION
OF THE KINGDOM OF THE HEAVENS
When the Lord comes back, the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens will be realized. This
is revealed in Matthew 24 and 25. Only the overcomers who are in the reality of the kingdom of the
heavens today will have a share in the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens in the future.
The manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens will be a reward, a prize, given to the overcomers.

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CHAPTER THREE

LIFE UNDER THE KINGDOM’S RULE

Scripture Reading: Ezek. 28:11-19; Isa. 14:12-20;

Rev. 12:3-4; Rom. 14:17; 1 Cor. 3:9; 5:1-5; 6:6-7,
9-10; 3:13-15; Matt. 24:38-51; 25:1-30
What is the real meaning of the kingdom? A kingdom is a rule, a government; and the kingdom of
God simply means the rule and government of God. From eternity to eternity God is the King, the
sovereign almighty Ruler of the whole universe. The entire universe from eternity to eternity is the
kingdom of God. According to Ezekiel 28:11-19 and Isaiah 14:12-20, one of the archangels,
Lucifer, rebelled against God, and a number of the angels followed him in his rebellion (Rev. 12:3-
4). After the creation of man, Lucifer, or Satan, came to induce man to rebel also. Due to these two
rebellions—that of Satan with his angels and that of man—the ruling and government of God has
been greatly interrupted, tested, and attacked. Instead of being under the rule and control of God,
the earth has come under the rule and control of Satan with fallen man. This is the earthly kingdom.
By the time the Lord Jesus came to the earth at His incarnation, nearly the whole earth was the
kingdom of the earth, controlled by Satan with man. The Lord Jesus came to work out God’s
intention of bringing His kingdom into this world. God’s intention is to have the earth controlled by
the heavens. For this reason He needs to bring His kingdom to the earth. The whole earth needs to
be brought under a heavenly rule and government. The Lord Jesus came to bring the earth under the
rule of the kingdom of the heavens.
This is why John the Baptist cried, “Repent, for the kingdom of the heavens has drawn near” (Matt.
3:2). Men needed to repent and to come under the heavenly rule. When the Lord Jesus came with
the kingdom of the heavens, He was rejected by the Jewish people, so He turned to the Gentiles and
established His church among the Gentiles. Within the church He brought all things under the rule

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and government of the heavens. In the church there is the heavenly rule and government, and there
is the reality of the kingdom of the heavens. During the period of the church age, however, the
kingdom of the heavens, the heavenly rule, is not manifested in an open way. Rather, it is a
heavenly rule in a very mysterious and hidden way. Although it is not yet manifested, the reality of
the heavenly rule is present. In the church at least some of the Christians are under the ruling of the
heavens. With them there is the reality of the kingdom of the heavens.
When the Lord Jesus comes back, He will subdue the whole world, and the kingdoms of this world
will become the kingdom of our Lord. At that time the kingdom of the heavens will be manifested
in an open way (Rev. 11:15). The kingdom of the heavens will become the ruling power and will
govern in a manifested, open way, not in a mysterious and hidden way. Now the kingdom of the
heavens rules within the church in a hidden, mysterious way, but at that time the kingdom of the
heavens will be fully manifested. The kingdom of the heavens simply means the heavenly rule and
government. If you are in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens, you are under the rule of the
heavens.
When the Lord Jesus turned the kingdom of the heavens to the church, He brought a group of
people out of the world to be under the heavenly rule. Through regeneration all the Christians have
been brought into the kingdom of the heavens. This means that all Christians by their regeneration
have been brought under the rule of the heavens. This is a marvelous beginning, but after such a
good beginning through regeneration, not many are willing to be ruled by the heavens. Therefore,
they are regenerated and saved by the Lord, yet they are defeated. They had a good beginning, but
they did not have a good continuation. They were brought into the kingdom by their new birth, but
they did not continue practically in the kingdom by being willing to be ruled by the heavens. Within
the church the true believers have been regenerated and brought into the kingdom of God. But
among these true believers many are defeated. Only a small number are victorious and overcoming.
The overcomers are the ones who are willing to be under the rule of the kingdom of the heavens.
They are willing to live and walk and do things according to the teachings of the Lord concerning
the reality of the kingdom in Matthew 5—7. They are sanctified, they are victorious over sin, self,
the flesh, and the world, and they are in the process of being transformed.
Let me cite some examples to help you understand the meaning of being under the rule of the
heavens. In a university there are many students who are unsaved; there are other students who are

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regenerated, saved Christians, but who are not victorious and overcoming. Rather, they are
defeated. Only a small number of the Christians are victorious and overcoming. Because most of
the students may be naughty, they need to be controlled by the administration of the school. If,
however, you are a Christian under the rule of the kingdom of the heavens, you should not need the
control of the administration of the school. If the rules say that the lights must be off by 10:30 P.M.,
you do not need someone to come by and enforce this rule. The unbelievers and the defeated
Christians may even cover the light and continue to study until two o’clock in the morning. If you
did such a thing and you were under the rule of the kingdom of the heavens, you would surely
repent and go to the school administration, apologizing and offering to pay for the electricity. If you
are under the rule of the kingdom of the heavens, there is no need for anyone to control you. If we
need policemen to control us, it means we are defeated Christians. We must be those heavenly
people who are under a heavenly ruling and a heavenly government. We should have no need of any
other kind of rule.
Even cultured, educated ladies and gentlemen will sometimes steal something when they have an
opportunity. This means they are simply under the control of this earth; they are not under the rule
of the heavens. If the police were removed from any major city, what confusion and chaos would
result! This is because people today are under the control of the earth and the earthly government
and not under the rule of the kingdom of the heavens.
As the heavenly people, we must be under the heavenly rule, under the kingdom of the heavens.
This is the reality of the kingdom of the heavens. God’s intention in regenerating us is to bring us
under His heavenly rule. But many of us, after being regenerated, are not willing to be ruled by the
heavens. We are in the church, but we are not in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens.
The kingdom of the heavens belongs to those who are poor in spirit, who are pure in heart, who are
meek, whose righteousness exceeds that of the Pharisees, and who do the will of God. Whoever
lives in such a way is in the kingdom of the heavens, and the kingdom of the heavens is theirs. The
Word does not say theirs will be but theirs is (Matt. 5:3). When we are poor in spirit and pure in
heart, the kingdom is ours. This means we are in the kingdom now, and we are under the ruling of
the kingdom of the heavens now.

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THE KINGDOM BEING

RIGHTEOUSNESS, PEACE, AND JOY
In Romans 14:17 the apostle Paul tells us that the kingdom of God is “righteousness and peace and
joy in the Holy Spirit.” Righteousness refers to your relationship with others. As to yourself you
must be righteous. With others you must be peaceful. With God you must be joyful. If you are not
joyful before God and with God, that means you are wrong. Our daily living must match Romans
14:17.
In our meeting place in Taiwan we used to have benches, not chairs. Sometimes when we expected
that not many people would come to the meetings, we announced that every bench would be for
four persons. When more people were expected to come to the meetings, we announced that each
bench would be for five persons. Some of the brothers and sisters would not be righteous to share
their seat with another brother or sister. If you are a Christian under the rule of the heavens, in the
reality of the kingdom of the heavens, you surely would not occupy another person’s seat. You
would sacrifice a little part of your seat to others. To fail in this matter shows that you are a greedy
person. Do not believe that all Christians are wonderful people. Many Christians are selfish. They
are not under the ruling of the heavens. They are not righteous as to themselves, so they do not have
the full peace with others, and they do not have joy before God and with God. If you are wrong with
God, you will not be happy. If you are under the ruling of the heavens, you will be righteous as to
yourself, you will have peace with others, and you will be joyful with God. This is the heavenly
ruling, the heavenly government. This is what it means to be in the reality of the kingdom of the
heavens.
You may be a regenerated member of the church and yet not be under the rule of the heavens.
Although you are in the church, you are not in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens. If you are
a defeated Christian, not living in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens, where will you be when
the Lord Jesus comes back? Some have taught in the past that although you are defeated now, you
will be treated the same as the overcoming, victorious one when the Lord Jesus comes back, and
you will go into the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens to be a king with the Lord. This is
not logical.

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THE KINGDOM AS AN INHERITANCE

Consider the case of 1 Corinthians 5. A brother who was in the church at Corinth committed a sin
that even the worldly people would condemn. Let us read 1 Corinthians 5:1 and 5: “It is actually
reported that there is fornication among you, and such fornication that does not even occur among
the Gentiles, that someone has his stepmother...To deliver such a one to Satan for destruction of his
flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.” When the Lord Jesus comes back, will
such a sinful one be lost? No! Verse 5 says, “That his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.”
When the Lord Jesus comes back, surely the apostle Paul will be transferred into the manifestation
of the kingdom of the heavens and will rule as a king with the Lord Jesus, because he had already
been living in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens. But what about that sinful brother in
Corinth? Do you think that he was living in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens? He was in
the church at Corinth, but he was not in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens. Such a defeated,
sinful believer who is living in fornication surely will not be transferred into the manifestation of
the kingdom of the heavens to rule and reign with the Lord.
Let us also read 1 Corinthians 6:6-7: “Brother goes to court with brother, and this before
unbelievers. Already then it is altogether a defeat to you that you have lawsuits with one another.
Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded?” The Lord’s attitude toward the brother
who was in fornication and toward those who were defrauding one another is in verses 9 and 10:
“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be led
astray; neither fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers nor effeminate nor homosexuals nor thieves
nor the covetous, not drunkards, not revilers, not the rapacious will inherit the kingdom of God.”
Chapter 5 shows that a fornicator is still saved, but chapter 6 shows that such a person cannot
inherit the kingdom of God. The Word does not say that he cannot enter the kingdom of God but
that he cannot inherit the kingdom of God. There is a big difference between entering the kingdom
of God and inheriting the kingdom of God. To enter the kingdom of God, we simply need a new
birth (John 3:3, 5). But to inherit the kingdom of God, we need to live in the reality of the kingdom
of the heavens now.
When will the overcomers, the victorious ones, inherit the kingdom of God? Surely that will be at
the time when the Lord Jesus comes back. The kingdom today is not an enjoyment but an exercise.
Today we are not enjoying or inheriting; today we are being exercised in the reality of the kingdom

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of the heavens. But when the Lord Jesus comes back, the kingdom will be an enjoyment to us. At
that time we will enjoy the kingdom, and we will be kings ruling with the Lord Jesus. The kingdom
will be an inheritance to us. To be saved into the kingdom is one thing; to inherit the kingdom of
God is another thing.

SUFFERING A LOSS
When the Lord Jesus comes back, the apostle Paul will inherit the manifestation of the kingdom.
But what about the sinful brother in 1 Corinthians 5? Shall he inherit the kingdom of God? No!
What will happen to him? The answer to this is found in 1 Corinthians 3:13-15: “The work of each
will become manifest; for the day will declare it, because it is revealed by fire, and the fire itself
will prove each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built upon the
foundation remains, he will receive a reward; if anyone’s work is consumed, he will suffer loss, but
he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.” When the Lord Jesus returns, the fire shall try
every man’s work. If a man’s work abides, he shall receive, not salvation, but a reward. These
verses are not related to the security of our salvation; they are related to whether we shall receive a
reward or suffer a loss when the Lord Jesus comes back. Verse 15 says, “He will suffer loss, but he
himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.” Do not consider that as long as you are saved, there is
no problem. To be saved is one thing, and to be rewarded or to suffer a loss is another. You can be
saved and yet still suffer a loss. And even though you suffer a loss, you will still be saved. Once we
are saved, we can never be lost (John 10:28-29). But once we are saved, we can either be rewarded
by the Lord or suffer a loss.

THE EXERCISE OF THE KINGDOM

The kingdom of the heavens is used by God for two purposes: the first is for the exercise of His
children, and the second is for a reward to His children. Today the kingdom of the heavens is an
exercise. Do not say that we have been saved by grace and that everything is by grace. Yes, we do
have Christ as grace, but we also have the kingdom as an exercise. Even with a proper family life
there are these two sides. In the Bible there is surely the side of enjoyment and grace, but there is
also the side of exercise and responsibility. Christ is the grace, and the kingdom is the exercise. By
His resurrection, the Lord Jesus has regenerated us (1 Pet. 1:3). But now that we are regenerated,
we must be exercised in the kingdom. We are not simply in the house of God; we are also in the

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kingdom of God. The house is a place for grace and enjoyment, but the kingdom is a place for
exercise. Many Christians simply enjoy the family life of the household of God, but they neglect the
exercise of the kingdom life. The kingdom of the heavens is used by God to cause us to be
exercised.

THE REWARD OF THE KINGDOM

The kingdom of the heavens is also used by God as a reward to His faithful children. If we exercise
ourselves in a proper way after we are saved, we will enjoy the manifestation of the kingdom of the
heavens as a reward. Today the kingdom of the heavens is an exercise to us, but tomorrow it will be
an enjoyment to us. The big question is whether or not we will be qualified to inherit the kingdom
of the heavens. God is very gracious, but He is also very wise. He saves us by His grace, but in His
wisdom He causes us to be exercised by the kingdom, and He will reward us with the kingdom. If
we are defeated, surely He will punish us when He comes back. We will not enjoy the manifestation
of the kingdom of the heavens as our inheritance.
Let us read Matthew 24:45-51: “Who then is the faithful and prudent slave, whom the master has
set over his household to give them food at the proper time? Blessed is that slave whom his master,
when he comes, will find so doing. Truly I say to you that he will set him over all his possessions.
But if that evil slave says in his heart, My master delays, and begins to beat his fellow slaves and
eats and drinks with the drunken, the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not
expect him and at an hour which he does not know, and will cut him asunder and appoint his portion
with the hypocrites. In that place there will be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.” Do not
consider that the slave who was cut off signifies an unbeliever. The fact that he is a slave indicates
that he is saved. Consider your own situation: You are saved, but are you a faithful slave of the
Lord? Are you the first slave or the second? If you are the first slave, the Lord Jesus will appoint
you to be the ruler over His goods when He comes back. But if you are the second, you will be cut
off from this ruling manifestation, and furthermore, you will suffer. You will weep and gnash your
teeth.

THE PARABLE OF THE TALENTS

The second parable in Matthew 25, the parable of the talents, shows the same principle. All are
slaves, and yet some are not allowed to enter into the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens.

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Let us read from verse 22: “And he who had received the two talents also came and said, Master,
you delivered to me two talents; behold, I have gained another two talents. His master said to him,
Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful over a few things; I will set you over many
things. Enter into the joy of your master. Then he who had received the one talent also 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. And his master answered and said to 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.” The
faithful slaves were invited into the joy of the master, but the slothful slave was rebuked by the
master and cast into the outer darkness where he would experience weeping and gnashing of teeth.
The slothful slave was punished so that he might become ripe and matured.

A SERIOUS WARNING
The kingdom of the heavens is the heavenly ruling, the heavenly government of the Lord Jesus.
After we have been regenerated, we have to be under this ruling. If we are under this ruling, we will
be victorious and overcoming. We will be in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens, and we will
enter into the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens to rule and reign with the Lord. But if we
are defeated Christians, we will suffer a loss when the Lord Jesus comes back, and we will be
punished so that we may become mature. When the Lord returns, we will be rewarded or punished
according to our exercise in the kingdom. If our exercise has been proper in the reality of the
kingdom of the heavens, the Lord will reward us with the manifestation of the kingdom. If we have
not been exercised in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens, the Lord will render a certain kind
of punishment to us at the time of the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens. This does not
mean that we will be lost but that we will suffer something to help us ripen.

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We are the Lord’s children, His crop, His cultivated land (1 Cor. 3:9). As the Lord’s crop, we must
eventually be matured, whether in this age or the next. If we are not willing to be ripened in this
age, the Lord Jesus will deal with us when He comes back, and we will be forced to be ripened in
the next age. On the one hand, we have eternal security; once we are saved, we are saved forever.
But on the other hand, there is a serious warning. Today the Lord gives us the kingdom of the
heavens as an exercise to test us. When He comes back, He will give us the kingdom of the heavens
as a reward if we exercise ourselves properly. Otherwise, He will render a certain kind of
punishment to us so that we can pay the price to be ripened. May the Lord be gracious to all of us.

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CHAPTER FOUR

EXERCISE AND DISCIPLINE

FOR THE KINGDOM

Scripture Reading: 1 Cor. 3:12-15; Luke 12:42-

47; Acts 14:22; John 3:5; 1 Cor. 5:1, 5; 6:9-10;
Eph. 5:3-5; Gal. 5:19-21; 2 Thes. 1:5; 1 Cor.
9:24-27; Phil. 3:13-15; 2 Tim. 4:1, 7-8, 18

THE ETERNAL LIFE OF GOD

FULFILLING THE REQUIREMENTS
OF THE KINGDOM
The kingdom truths have much to do with the inner life as well as the church life. If we are going to
realize the church life, we must know something about the kingdom of God and the kingdom of the
heavens. If we are going to experience the inner life in a practical way, we must know the kingdom
of the heavens. We have already pointed out that the kingdom of God is the rule of God, the
government of God. The kingdom of the heavens is the heavenly rule, the heavenly government. We
must remember that the first gospel preaching, preached both by John the Baptist and the Lord
Jesus, was concerning the kingdom of the heavens. Because of our natural concepts, we are prone to
consider that the first item of the New Testament gospel is the forgiveness of sins and that the
second item is eternal life. Negatively our sins have been forgiven, and positively we have eternal
life. But, in fact, the first word of the New Testament gospel was to repent for the sake of the
kingdom of the heavens (Matt. 3:2; 4:17). We need forgiveness of sins so that we can have eternal

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life, and we need eternal life so that we can be under the heavenly rule. The kingdom is the
requirement of the gospel, and the life is the supply of the gospel. What the gospel requires, it also
supplies. The gospel requires us to be governed and ruled by the heavens. The gospel also supplies
us with the divine life for us to fulfill the requirements of the kingdom.
Matthew 5, 6, and 7 reveal the highest standard of living, a living on the highest plane. These
chapters reveal that we must be poor in spirit (5:3), pure in heart (v. 8), and meek (v. 5). We must
even suffer persecution for the sake of righteousness (v. 10). If someone takes your tunic, you
should let him have your cloak also (v. 40). If a man asks you to go one mile, you should go with
him two miles (v. 41).
When Brother Nee was young, he preached the gospel, and a number of young people were brought
to the Lord. These young people went to the country to preach the gospel to the farmers, and a
number of the farmers were saved. Most of the farmland was on the hills, so the farmers had to
bring the water up to water their fields. Two of these farmers who met the Lord had some land close
to the top of a mountain. Their neighbor owned some fields below their land. After these two
farmers brought the water to their fields in the evening, they went home. When they came to their
fields the next day, they found that all the water was gone. Their neighbor had stolen the water from
their fields by draining the water from the two farmers’ fields down to his fields.
The two farmers were very angry, but as Christians they thought that they needed to learn patience.
So they brought up the water once more to water their fields. When they came again the next day,
they discovered that their water had been drained to their neighbor’s fields again. They were very
angry again, but since they were Christians, they thought they needed to learn patience. Therefore,
they did not say anything or do anything. They brought the water up again to water their fields. The
next day the water was gone again. By this time they were so troubled that they went to see Brother
Nee. They told Brother Nee the story, and as Christians, they felt that they had to be patient in this
matter. When Brother Nee asked them if they felt joyful within, the two brothers replied that the
more they exercised to be patient, the more they suffered.
Then Brother Nee read them Matthew 5:40-41: “To him who wishes to sue you and take your tunic,
yield to him your cloak also; and whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.” Brother
Nee told them that if they wanted to be happy Christians, they should bring the water to their
neighbor’s fields first and then bring the water to their fields. The next day the two brothers brought

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the water first to their neighbor’s fields, and then they brought the water to their own fields. They
were flooded with joy and praise to the Lord. That night their neighbor came again to steal their
water. When the neighbor arrived, he saw that his fields were already filled with water and that
there was no need for him to steal. Their neighbor was so moved that, soon after that, he was saved
and became a brother in the church. These two brothers exercised to be under the heavenly ruling,
the heavenly government.
As Christians who are born from above, we do not need any kind of earthly government to rule over
us. We already have the heavenly government ruling over us. This is the real meaning of the
kingdom of the heavens. The kingdom is simply the requirement of the gospel. The gospel not only
requires us to be sinless but also to be ruled by the heavenly government.
If we are going to meet the requirements of such a high standard, we must have a life that is on an
equally high plane. Otherwise, we cannot meet such a high standard. Only the divine life can meet
such a high standard. Only the divine life can meet the requirements of the heavenly government.
The kingdom is the requirement of the New Testament gospel, and the eternal life, which is Christ
Himself, is the supply. The divine life can fulfill the requirements of the kingdom. Once we see the
matter of the kingdom, we can see how high a standard is required by the gospel. After we are
saved, we have a heavenly requirement within us demanding us to live on a high level. This level
can be reached only by the supply of the divine life.

THE WISDOM AND JUSTICE OF GOD

The kingdom is also related to the wisdom and justice of God. The kingdom proves both the
wisdom and the justice of God. Without the kingdom, God’s wisdom and justice cannot be proved
to the fullest extent. Also, apart from the truth concerning the kingdom, it is very difficult to solve
the debate between Calvinism and Arminianism. The Calvinists stress eternal security, whereas the
Arminians stress that one can lose his salvation. For many generations these two groups have been
quarreling and debating. Both of these sides have their points. The Calvinists can point out many
passages that prove eternal security. The Arminians, however, will bring up other passages, such as
Hebrews 6 and 10, which seem to indicate that a person could be saved and then could fall and be
lost again. Without the kingdom truth, these two extremes can never be reconciled.
There is no doubt that once we have been saved, we are saved forever. Our salvation is eternally
secure. But on the other hand, besides God’s salvation there is God’s wisdom. There is the truth

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concerning the kingdom. In addition to salvation, there is the matter of the kingdom. Today the
kingdom is an exercise for us. After we were saved, God set the kingdom before us as an exercise.
In a sense we are born in God’s home, but we are exercised in God’s kingdom. The home is a place
for birth and enjoyment, but the kingdom is a place for exercise and responsibility. After we have
been regenerated, we must be exercised. The home is the place to enjoy grace, but the kingdom is
the place to exercise responsibility. We should not take one and neglect the other. We have to take
the grace, and we also have to take the responsibility. We have to take the home, and we also have
to take the kingdom. We enjoy and share in the home by partaking of the grace. We share in the
kingdom by being exercised to take the responsibility. Today, in the church age, the kingdom is an
exercise to us. In the age to come, the millennium, the kingdom will be a reward to us. If we
exercise well today, the Lord will reward us at that day. If we do not exercise well today, we will
lose the reward of the kingdom. By this the wisdom of God is proved, and the justice of God is
maintained. Salvation is eternal; once we get it, we will never lose it (John 10:28-29). But we may
suffer the loss of the kingdom reward, though we shall still be saved (1 Cor. 3:8, 14-15). Besides
eternal salvation there is the matter of the kingdom, which requires our exercise in this age to be a
reward to us in the coming age.

THE EXERCISE OF THE KINGDOM

We need to read a number of passages that indicate that in addition to salvation there is the exercise
of the kingdom. First Corinthians 3:12-15 says, “If anyone builds upon the foundation gold, silver,
precious stones, wood, grass, stubble, the work of each will become manifest; for the day will
declare it, because it is revealed by fire, and the fire itself will prove each one’s work, of what sort it
is. If anyone’s work which he has built upon the foundation remains, he will receive a reward; if
anyone’s work is consumed, he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.”
These few verses show clearly that if we exercise properly, we shall receive a reward, but if we do
not exercise properly, we shall suffer loss. It does not mean that we shall lose our salvation but that
we shall suffer loss. Both the reward and the loss are something in addition to salvation. Once we
receive salvation, we have it eternally. But besides salvation there is the matter of the reward or the
loss. We must realize that after we are saved, we are put into the kingdom to be exercised. Because
we are born again, we must be under the rule of the heavenly kingdom, under the heavenly

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government. For this exercise, there will be a reward or a loss. There is no problem concerning
salvation, but there is a problem concerning the exercise.

A FAITHFUL AND PRUDENT STEWARD

Now let us read Luke 12:42-47: “The Lord said, Who then is the faithful and prudent steward,
whom the master will set over his service to give them their portion of food at the proper time?
Blessed is that slave whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. Truly I tell you that he
will set him over all his possessions. But if that slave says in his heart, My master is delaying his
coming, and begins to beat the male servants and the female servants and to eat and to drink and
become drunk, the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an
hour which he does not know, and will cut him asunder, and will appoint his portion with the
unbelievers. And that slave who knew his master’s will and did not prepare or do according to his
will, will receive many lashes.” If the steward is faithful, the master, at his coming back, will make
him ruler over all that he has. But if he is not faithful, that steward will be cut asunder and will have
his portion with the unbelievers. Please notice that there are two possibilities for the same steward.
Both possibilities refer to the same person. This is a matter of the reward of the kingdom. Today we
are in the kingdom to be ruled, but in the next age we will be in the kingdom to rule. Today the
kingdom is an exercise, but in the next age the manifestation of the kingdom will be a reward. First,
we must be ruled, and then we can rule over something. If we have never been ruled, we can never
rule over something. We must be exercised in this age so that we will be qualified to rule in the next
age. The present age is the age for the Lord to exercise His children and to prepare His kings. We all
must be prepared. As a steward, we must learn how to take care of the household of the Lord. We
must learn how to be exercised to be a king and to rule. Then when the Lord comes back, we will be
appointed to rule in the kingdom. At that time the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens will
be a reward to us.
There are two possibilities for the same slave. The first possibility is that he would be faithful and
be appointed to rule over all that his master has. The second possibility is that he will be a slothful
slave and will be punished by his master. Some Christians have the wrong concept that these are
two different slaves. They think that one is the real slave, and the other is the false slave. But by
careful reading, we can see that these are not two different slaves. It is the same slave with two
different possibilities. Instead of being faithful, the steward may quarrel with the brothers and

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sisters and may beat them. When his master comes, he will surely cut him asunder and appoint him
his portion with the unbelievers. He is a believer, but he will suffer in that time as an unbeliever.
This does not mean he will lose his salvation. This means he will suffer some loss. When the Lord
comes back, he will be beaten. Some Christians would argue that when the Lord comes back, we all
will simply be resurrected and taken up to be with Him. They cannot imagine that the Lord would
punish any believers. It is not my word that says the master will beat the slave. The Bible says that
he will beat the slave.
We must see several points very clearly. Surely this steward is saved, because once we are saved we
can never be lost. Yet because of his unfaithfulness, the steward will suffer a beating from his
master. The master will reward the faithful one and will punish the unfaithful one.

FOUR DISPENSATIONS OF THE LORD’S DEALINGS

We must realize that there are four dispensations, or ages, in which the Lord will accomplish His
work. There was the age from Adam to Moses (Rom. 5:14), the age from Moses to Christ (John
1:17), the age of the church, and the age of the millennium. The last of these four ages, the
millennium, will be an age of restoration but not an age of perfection. This means it will still be an
age of dealing, an age for the Lord to accomplish something. In the age of the millennium there will
still be some of the curse, and some will be dead due to that curse (Rev. 20:5). In addition, at the
end of these thousand years the nations will rebel again (vv. 8-9). Although mankind will be
restored for one thousand years, his rebellious nature will still remain. This proves that the
millennium is not the age of perfection but the age of restoration. The Lord’s dealing with the
believers is mainly in two ages: the church age and the millennium. If we are willing to be dealt
with by the Lord to the fullest extent in this age, we will enjoy the reward in the next age. But if we
are not willing to be dealt with by the Lord to the fullest extent in this age, He will still deal with us
when He comes back. At one time or another we must be dealt with—either in this age or the next.
But there is a big difference. If we are willing to be dealt with by the Lord in this age, we will be
rewarded. If not, we will be punished during the next age. Either way we will be dealt with by the
Lord.
Why would the Lord still deal with us during the next age? It is because we are His harvest (14:15;
1 Cor. 3:9), His crop. As a crop, we must be ripe; otherwise, the husbandman cannot receive us into

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the barn. If we would not be ripened in this age, the Lord will make us ripe in the next age. If we are
not mature in this age by the time the Lord comes back, He will cause us to be matured in the next
age. For a crop to be matured is a fixed principle. We must be matured. As the Lord’s crop, we must
be mature and ripe. If we are not willing to be ripened and matured in this age, the Lord will cause
us to be matured and ripened in the next age, but we will suffer.
Many Christians today mistakenly think that once they die, everything will be all right. That can
never be! Even after we die, whatever problems we have with the Lord will still remain. If we are
not ready and mature before we die, we remain in the same condition after we die. Then, when the
Lord Jesus comes back and we are resurrected, He will tell us that we are not ready and that we
need to pay the price to become ripe and mature. This principle is quite logical. On the one hand, it
corresponds with Calvinism, which says that we are saved eternally, and on the other hand, it
corrects Arminianism by the fact that we will not be lost again but that we may suffer some
punishment. At the Lord’s coming back, immature believers will not be lost, yet they will suffer
some kind of punishment. If we are not living in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens today,
under the heavenly rule, we will not be able to go into the manifestation of the kingdom in the next
age as a reward. If we want to enter into the manifestation of the kingdom in the next age, we must
live in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens today. In other words, if we would rule in the next
age, we must be ruled in this age. We must be exercised in the matter of the kingdom in order to
enter into the kingdom to rule.
The kingdom is the requirement of the gospel, and the life we receive at regeneration is the supply
of this requirement. It is not a loose and light matter to become a Christian. It is a very serious
matter. We have been saved, and we have been born into a royal, heavenly family. Therefore, we
have to be exercised in a heavenly way and to be ruled and governed by a heavenly rule in order to
be qualified to be heavenly kings in the next age.

EXERCISE IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

Many verses in the New Testament show the need of exercise for the kingdom. Acts 14:22 says,
“Establishing the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith and saying that
through many tribulations we must enter into the kingdom of God.” By comparing this verse with
John 3:5, we can see a great difference. John 3:5 simply says that by being born of water and of the
Spirit, we can enter into the kingdom of God. According to John, entering the kingdom is a matter

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of another birth. But Acts 14 says that we must suffer much tribulation to enter into the kingdom of
God. These two verses show two aspects. To enter into the kingdom of God is one thing, but to
enter into it in the way of inheritance is another. If we would inherit the kingdom of God, we must
suffer the tribulation. We must be tested and exercised.
We can see the same principle in 1 Corinthians 5 and 6. Chapter 5 indicates that a brother who is
living in fornication will still be saved. Even such a sinful, defeated believer will still be saved. But
in chapter 6 we are told that fornicators will not inherit the kingdom of God (vv. 9-10). This means
that such a fornicator cannot enjoy or inherit the kingdom of the heavens as a reward.
Now let us read Ephesians 5:3-5: “Fornication and all uncleanness or greediness, let it not even be
named among you, as is fitting for saints, and obscenity and foolish talking or sly, filthy jesting,
which are not becoming, but rather the giving of thanks. For this you realize, knowing that every
fornicator or unclean person or greedy person (who is an idolater) has no inheritance in the kingdom
of Christ and of God.” The kingdom of Christ and of God is the part of the kingdom of God which
is the kingdom of the heavens. As a whole, it is the kingdom of God, but particularly, it is the
kingdom of the heavens. In the kingdom of God and of Christ there is no inheritance for the sinful
one. If you are still in filthiness and sinfulness, although you are a saint, a saved one, you will have
no inheritance in the kingdom of God and of Christ.
Galatians 5:19-21 says, “The works of the flesh are manifest, which are such things as fornication,
uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, factions,
divisions, sects, envyings, bouts of drunkenness, carousings, and things like these, of which I tell
you beforehand, even as I have said before, that those who practice such things will not inherit the
kingdom of God.” Thus, three portions of the Bible, 1 Corinthians 6, Ephesians 5, and Galatians 5
tell us basically the same thing: you may be a saved person, but if you are still living in sin and
filthiness, you will not inherit the kingdom of God. You will have no share in the manifestation of
the kingdom of the heavens, because you are not qualified.
Second Thessalonians 1:5 says, “A plain indication of the righteous judgment of God, that you may
be accounted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which also you suffer.” This verse indicates that to
suffer persecution causes one to be worthy of the kingdom of God. This can enable one to inherit
the kingdom of God.

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Let us also read 2 Timothy 4:18, 7-8, and 1: “The Lord will deliver me from every evil work and
will save me into His heavenly kingdom, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.” “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, with which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will recompense me in
that day, and not only me but also all those who have loved His appearing.” “I solemnly charge you
before God and Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His
kingdom.” These verses, written near the end of Paul’s life, indicate that he was sure of being in the
heavenly kingdom because he had fought a good fight, he had run the course well, and he had kept
the faith.

THE EXAMPLE OF THE APOSTLE PAUL

Surely we have been saved eternally. But whether or not we will be able to share in the
manifestation of the kingdom is the problem. As a concluding word, we need to consider the history
of the apostle Paul. First, let us read 1 Corinthians 9:24-27: “Do you not know that those who run
on a racecourse all run, but one receives the prize? Run in this way, that you may lay hold. And
everyone who contends exercises self-control in all things; they then, that they may receive a
corruptible crown, but we, an incorruptible. I therefore run in this way, not as though without a clear
aim; I box in this way, not as though beating the air; but I buffet my body and make it my slave, lest
perhaps having preached to others, I myself may become disapproved.” Surely Paul had the
assurance that he was saved. Yet he emphatically told us that he was running the race. During the
time Paul was living, there were the Greek Olympic Games where people ran the race in order to
receive a prize. Paul used this as his example, saying that he too was running a race to receive a
prize.
Philippians 3:13-15 says, “Brothers, I do not account of myself to have laid hold; but one thing I do:
Forgetting the things which are behind and stretching forward to the things which are before, I
pursue toward the goal for the prize to which God in Christ Jesus has called me upward. Let us
therefore, as many as are full-grown, have this mind; and if in anything you are otherwise minded,
this also God will reveal to you.” At the time Paul wrote Philippians, he had been a believer for
many years, but he was still pursuing toward the goal for the prize. The prize is the uttermost
enjoyment of Christ in the millennial kingdom as a reward to the victorious runners of the New
Testament race. In 1 Corinthians 9 the apostle was running the course (v. 26). In Philippians, one of

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his last Epistles, he was still running (3:14). It was not until the last moment of his running, in 2
Timothy 4:6-8, that he had the assurance that he would be rewarded by the Lord at His appearing.
When Paul knew that his martyrdom was imminent, he had the assurance to tell us that he would be
awarded with the crown of righteousness. The crown is a symbol of glory given as a prize, in
addition to the Lord’s salvation, to the triumphant runner of the race (1 Cor. 9:25). This prize is not
of grace nor by faith, as salvation is (Eph 2:5, 8-9), but of righteousness through works (Matt.
16:27; Rev. 22:12; 2 Cor. 5:10). Such a reward will be awarded to the believers, not according to the
grace of the Lord but according to His righteousness. Hence, it is the crown of righteousness. The
Awarder of it is the Lord as the righteous Judge. Paul was assured that such a prize was reserved for
him and would be awarded to him at the day of the Lord’s second appearing. This is to be rewarded
with the kingdom of the heavens. We must all be clear that to be saved eternally is one thing, and to
be exercised to bear responsibility in the kingdom is another thing. Based upon our exercise in the
kingdom, we will either be rewarded with the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens or suffer
loss in the next age. We must realize that as Christians today we are in the kingdom of the heavens
—today to be exercised and tomorrow to be rewarded.

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CHAPTER FIVE

GOD’S VARIOUS TREATMENTS

OF DIFFERENT CATEGORIES OF PEOPLE

Scripture Reading: 2 Cor. 5:10; Rom. 14:10; 1

Cor. 10:32; Zech. 13:8-9; 8:20-23; Rev. 14:6-7;
Matt. 25:31-46; Rev. 21:24; 22:2-5
After having been saved, we can be assured of our eternal security. However, we must be clear
concerning the matters of the kingdom. The kingdom to us today is an exercise, and the kingdom to
us in the next age is a reward. Although we can be assured of our eternal security, whether we will
enjoy a reward or suffer loss in the future remains to be seen.

THE JUDGMENT SEAT OF CHRIST

When the Lord returns, He will set up His judgment seat in the air to judge all the resurrected and
raptured believers. This judgment will not decide the saints’ eternal salvation, because their
salvation has been settled once for all. This judgment will decide whether or not the believers are
qualified to enjoy the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens as a reward. This judgment will
also decide whether or not the believers will need some sort of chastening, some sort of punishment,
to help them to ripen. Second Corinthians 5:10 and Romans 14:10 are two verses telling us about
this judgment seat. This judgment is different from the eternal judgment of God carried out at the
great white throne revealed in Revelation 20:11-15. The eternal judgment at the great white throne
will be to judge all the unbelievers for eternal punishment in the lake of fire. The judgment seat of
Christ, however, is not for salvation or eternal perdition but for reward or punishment.

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THE WARNINGS IN HEBREWS

The five warnings in the book of Hebrews are also related to the matter of the kingdom (2:1-4; 3:7
—4:13; 5:11—6:20; 10:19-39; 12:1-29). The rest referred to in chapters 3 and 4 of Hebrews will be
the kingdom rest enjoyed by the overcoming believers in the manifestation of the kingdom of the
heavens. In the Old Testament the children of Israel were saved by the passover and were all
delivered from Egypt, but not all of them entered into the land of Canaan, which typifies Christ as
our rest (Deut. 12:9; Heb. 4:8). Among those who enjoyed the exodus from Egypt, only Joshua and
Caleb entered into the good land and partook of it; all the rest fell in the wilderness (Num. 14:30; 1
Cor. 10:1-11). Two Israelites who had died before the exodus from Egypt also made it into the good
land—Jacob and Joseph (Gen. 50:5-6; Josh. 24:32). Caleb and Joshua represent the living saints,
and Jacob and Joseph represent the dead saints, who will enjoy Christ as their reward in the
kingdom. If we do not understand the kingdom truths, we can never understand the book of
Hebrews in a full way.

THE OVERCOMERS IN REVELATION

In each of the seven epistles written to the seven churches in Asia in the book of Revelation, there is
a call for some overcomers and a reward promised to the overcomers. This reward is also something
related to the kingdom (2:7, 10-11, 17, 26-29; 3:4-6, 11-13, 20-22).

THE LORD’S DEALING

WITH THE THREE CLASSES OF PEOPLE
First Corinthians 10:32 shows us the three classes of people in the New Testament times: (1) the
Jews—God’s chosen people; (2) the Greeks—the unbelieving Gentiles; and (3) the church—a
composition of the believers in Christ.

The Church
The church, of course, is comprised of the regenerated persons, the true believers, who are
separated from the world. In the age of the millennium some of the believers will not be fully
transformed, but the overcomers will be fully transformed. They will be ready for the New
Jerusalem. The New Jerusalem is the ultimate composition of all the saved, transformed ones in the

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New Testament and all the redeemed saints of the Old Testament. The believers who are not
transformed in this age will be transformed in the next age. All of these transformed, redeemed ones
will be composed together in the age of eternity to be the New Jerusalem.

The Jews
Now let us consider how the Lord will deal with the Jews at His coming back. During the age of the
church the Lord has temporarily given up the people of Israel and treats them like the Gentiles.
They must receive the gospel to be saved and become members of the church. But at the end of this
age, according to Zechariah 12 and 13 and Romans 11, the Jewish nation will be revived and will
turn to the Lord. Because this will occur during the tribulation, many will suffer and die. Zechariah
13:8-9 says that at least two-thirds of the living Jews will be cut off. This does not include the
millions killed by Hitler. When the Lord Jesus comes back, the remaining one-third will repent and
believe in the Lord. The house of Israel will be saved at that time.
After they are regenerated and saved, they will be translated into the millennial kingdom on the
earth to be the priests teaching the nations how to serve God (Zech. 8; Isa. 2). The overcomers
among the Christians will be the kings, the ruling ones, during the millennial kingdom, and the
saved ones of Israel will be the priests.

The Gentiles—the Nations

Now we must consider how the Lord will deal with the nations. When the Lord comes back, He will
send His angels to bring all the Gentiles unto Him, and He will judge them. This will be the
judgment on the living Gentiles. In the New Testament we are told that the Lord Jesus will be the
judge of the living and the dead (2 Tim. 4:1). As the righteous Judge, He will judge the living on
His throne of glory at His second appearing (Matt. 25:31-46), and He will judge the dead on the
great white throne after the millennium (Rev. 20:11-15). In Matthew 25:32 the Lord gathers all the
nations before Him. “All the nations” are all the Gentiles who will be left at Christ’s coming back to
the earth after He destroys those Gentiles who follow the Antichrist at Armageddon (Rev. 16:14, 16;
19:11-15, 19-21). Before the Lord comes back, there will be the three and a half years of the great
tribulation, during which the Christians will suffer immensely. Revelation 14:6-7 tells us that during
the great tribulation God will send an angel to preach an eternal gospel to the people on earth. The
basic contents of this gospel are to fear God and to worship God. If the nations fear God during the

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great tribulation, they will not persecute any of God’s people. Neither will they worship the image
set up by Antichrist.
During the great tribulation the Christians who are not ripe or ready to be raptured will be left on
the earth to ripen, and they will suffer. These Christians are referred to as “the least of My brothers”
in Matthew 25:40. They are the least brothers of the Lord. According to Matthew 25:32-46 the
Lord’s judgment of the nations depends upon how they treat His brothers during the great
tribulation. This corresponds to the parable told by the Lord in Matthew 13:47-50. In this parable
the kingdom of the heavens is likened to a net cast into the sea and gathering from every species.
The sea signifies the Gentile world. Every species (v. 47) signifies all the nations, all the Gentiles
(25:32). The good are put into vessels, and the foul are cast out. This corresponds to the good sheep
and the corrupt goats in Matthew 25:32. Remember that Matthew 25:32 says, “All the nations will
be gathered before Him.” The word nations in Greek is the same as the word for Gentiles. All the
Gentiles will be gathered unto the Lord, and the Lord will judge them based on the way they treated
His little brothers, the Christians, during the great tribulation. So many of the Lord’s little brothers
during the great tribulation will be hungry, thirsty, naked, sick, and in prison (vv. 35-36). If by
fearing and worshipping God the nations have well-treated the Christians, the Lord’s brothers
suffering poverty and imprisonment under Antichrist’s persecution during the great tribulation, they
will be justified by the Lord so that they may enter into the earthly part of the millennium to partake
of the kingdom prepared by God for them from the foundation of the world (v. 34). If they have ill-
treated them by following Antichrist and worshipping his image, they will be condemned and be
cast into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels (vv. 41, 46; 13:49-50).

THE KINGS, THE PRIESTS,

AND THE PEOPLE IN THE MILLENNIUM
Thus far, we have seen that in the millennium the overcoming Christians are the kings, the saved
Israelites are the priests, and the nations are the people who obeyed the eternal gospel during the
great tribulation. The overcoming Christians in the millennium are saved, regenerated, and fully
transformed. They are the kings as well as the priests. They are the kingly priests, the royal
priesthood, according to the order of Melchizedek (1 Pet. 2:9; Heb. 7:1-2). The saved and
regenerated Jews who are the priests to the nations are not fully transformed yet. They are still in
the old creation. They live on the earth to be the priests to teach the nations how to know and how

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to serve God. Later on, these Jews will be fully transformed and changed in body when the New
Jerusalem is ushered in. Again, the New Jerusalem is a composition of all the saved, regenerated,
redeemed, and transformed people. The nations in the millennial kingdom are not regenerated, as
shown by the parable of the net in Matthew 13:47-50. The net in this parable gathers all the nations
from the sea, which signifies the Gentile world.

THE NEW JERUSALEM

At the end of the thousand years of the millennium, all the overcoming saints will be translated into
the New Jerusalem. All the saints who were not ripened and yet became ripened during the
millennium will be translated into the New Jerusalem also. The saved Israelites of the millennium
and the redeemed Israelites of the Old Testament will also be changed and translated into the New
Jerusalem. The New Jerusalem will be a composition of all God’s redeemed from eternity to
eternity. At the end of the millennium some of the nations will rebel against God again. This is
referred to in Revelation 20:8-10. Satan will induce the nations to rebel against the Lord, and all
these rebellious ones will be destroyed. The rest of the nations will be translated into the new
heaven and the new earth to be the peoples on the new earth.
Revelation 21:24 says that the nations will walk in the light of the New Jerusalem. All the saints in
the New Jerusalem will enjoy the fruit of the tree of life as their food, and the leaves of this tree will
be for the healing of the nations so that they can exist (22:2). The saints, who are the composition of
the New Jerusalem, will also be the kings and the priests (vv. 3-5). They live by the fruit of the tree
of life, and the nations exist by the leaves of the tree of life.

THE CRUCIAL POINT CONCERNING THE KINGDOM

In conclusion, we must remember the crucial point concerning the kingdom. The kingdom is the
requirement of the gospel, and this requirement can be met only by the life of Christ within us. After
we have been regenerated, we must grow, mature in life, run the race, and pay the price to attain the
goal of the uttermost enjoyment of Christ in the millennial kingdom as a reward to the overcomers.
When we as Christians are really under the rule, the exercise of the reality of the kingdom, we will
be a group of people who will hasten the coming of the Lord (2 Pet. 3:12). This means that our
living will hasten the coming of the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens. The Lord taught
the disciples to pray for the coming of the kingdom (Matt. 6:10). We must pray for the kingdom to

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come and must live in the reality of the kingdom until the earth is fully recovered for God’s will in
the coming kingdom age.

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