3. The Kingdom of Heaven

And why, an American might ask, is it not called the Republic of Heaven, and the Chief called the President of a Celestial Republic? Certainly, there were the Republics of Greece and Rome before the doctrine of this Kingdom was first announced, and both Gentiles and Jews could have understood the figure of a Republic as well as that of a Kingdom. It was not, then, because there was no model or type of this sort in society; but because such a type would have been inappropriate to the nature of this institution.

History shows that Republics are better suited to peace than war, and that they are forced and unnatural organizations of society. Aristocracies and Republics owe all their appeal to the extreme corruption of the governments from which they originated. They are the reaction to force and fraud, cruelty and oppression, and are sustained by the memory and fear of the evils that caused them. They have always been praised or admired either in contrast to the vices and abuses of degenerate and immoral monarchies, or in the fresh memory of the wrongs and outrages that led to their creation; and people have generally grown tired of them when they became corrupt and forgot the oppression and crimes that forced them into existence. So the corruption of monarchies has given birth to Republics, and the corruption of these has led to monarchies again.

In these recent days of decline, Republics are great blessings to humanity, like good doctors are blessings in times of plague; but still, it must be admitted that it would be a greater blessing to be without plagues and doctors. While people are, however, so degenerate, and while selfishness and injustice are so widespread in society, republican officials are better than kings — because we can get rid of them sooner. They are indeed kings under another name, with short-term authority; and our experience fully shows that in these degenerate days the reigns of our republican kings are nearly long enough. Until the King of kings comes, we Christians should be good republicans, convinced that human governments rarely improve, and that the popular belief of our country is true — that political power generally makes a person worse, and public favors almost always corrupt the heart. Rapid rotation in office is the practical effect of the republican theory; and the experiment proves that, brief as republican authority is, it is sometimes too long for republican virtue to endure without decline. Now if this is true of republican virtue, the brightest and best, what earthly virtue can long resist the corruption of prolonged authority!

Monarchy is the only form of government that nature recognizes. It was the first, and it will be the last. A government with three or thirty heads is a monster; and therefore the beast that represents it comes out of the sea with multiple horns as well as heads.

The most accepted theory of human nature and government now current wherever English is spoken, either in the Old World or the New, is that monarchy would always be the best government, because it is the cheapest, the most efficient, and the most dignified; provided only that the crown was placed on the wisest head and the scepter wielded by the purest hands. If we could always guarantee this, we would be monarchists: because we cannot, we are all republicans.

But, after this explanation for the phrase Kingdom of Heaven, we would draw the reader’s attention to the concession, made by republicans themselves, that a kingdom is better suited to a state of war than a republic; and that this beautiful, though very fitting figure, which appears in the New Testament more than one hundred and fifty times, and very often in the Old, assumes a state of war exists in the universe. But for the reasons given in favor of monarchy, the natural government of the universe always was, is, and forever will be monarchy. God himself is necessarily the absolute monarch of the universe. Had he not essentially held that relationship to all his creatures, there could never have been rebellion or sin in his dominions. The systems of nature all follow this model. Every sun is a king over the system it controls; and in every sphere there is one controlling and supreme principle. It will be the last government; for when the episode in the great drama of rational existence caused by sin is completed, the government of the universe will return to its original order, and God will be supreme monarch again. But this will not happen until Jesus gives up the kingdom to God, which a supernatural state of things put into his hands. This cannot happen until he has brought man into rightful allegiance, or destroyed forever every opponent to the absolute monarchy of the Eternal Supreme: "for Jesus must reign until all his enemies are put under his feet."

The kingdom which Jesus has received from his Father, however heavenly, sublime, and glorious it may be regarded, is only temporary. It had a beginning, and it will have an end; for he must reign only until all enemies are put under his feet. But the transfer of the scepter into the hands of Emmanuel has not changed the government. He is now the hereditary Monarch of the universe, as well as the rightful King of his own kingdom. He now reigns as absolutely over all principalities, hierarchies, and powers, celestial and earthly, as did the great God and Father of the universe before he was invested with royal authority.

We have said it was a supernatural state of things that originated Jesus’ kingdom: therefore the purpose of this remedial reign is to destroy that supernatural state of things — to put down sin. Now as all human governments assume disorder, and as the kingdoms of this world generally have risen out of confusion and war, the kingdom of heaven we are to discuss owes its origin to the celestial and earthly apostasies — the rebellion of Satan and Adam. Were there no justice within, or violence without, civil government would be completely unnecessary, and its trappings a burden on society. Had there not been such a revolt and rebellion as sacred history records, there would have been no such kingdom of heaven as that over which Jesus the Messiah now presides. Now as both this King and kingdom, and all that belongs to them, were caused by such a supernatural state of things, we must view them in all their attributes and details with reference to those circumstances that called them into being.

The Elements of a Kingdom

We must understand the type, or we cannot understand the antitype. We must understand what is natural before we can understand what is spiritual. What, then, are the essential elements of a kingdom as it exists among men? They are five, namely: King, Constitution, Subjects, Laws, and Territory. These are the essential parts of every political kingdom, perfect in its kind, now existing on earth.

In forming a state, the essential elements are people and country. The people create a constitution, and this creates a President or King, citizens or subjects, and everything else belonging to a state. It is, then, the relationship into which the people organize themselves that makes it a republic, an aristocracy, or a monarchy. Do they choose a monarchy? They first make a constitution, and this places one on the throne — makes them subjects, and then gives them laws. Although the constitution is first, in the natural order, of all the elements of a kingdom, for it makes one man a king and the rest subjects; yet we cannot imagine a constitution in relation to a kingdom without king and subjects. In speaking of them in detail, we cannot speak of any one of them as existing without the others — we must regard them as correlates, and as coming into existence at the same time. There is no husband or wife before marriage, nor can there be a husband without a wife; yet one party must be made before the other. Marriage makes a husband out of a groom, and a wife out of the bride. So the constitution makes the king or governor; the citizens or subjects, out of the people, as the case may be; for there can never be a king or subject without a constitution, or, what is the same thing, an agreement, verbal or written, for certain privileges stipulated and conditioned. In every well-regulated political kingdom, in the natural order, the elements stand thus: 1. Constitution; 2. King; 3. Subjects; 4. Laws; 5. Territory.

In the kingdom God established through Moses, the elements stood in this order. The constitution was first proposed under which God condescended to be their King, and they were to be regarded as his people or subjects; he then gave them laws and established them in the promised territory.

But in the kingdom of nature, or in the original kingdom of God, the elements are only four, and the order in which they stand is: 1. King; 2. Subjects; 3. Laws; 4. Territory. As Father and Creator of the kingdom, God himself was absolute Sovereign, whose will is the supreme law of the whole realm of nature.

Having identified the essential elements of a kingdom, and noted the order in which they stand, before we consider those elements in detail, we shall ask, Why is this kingdom called the kingdom of Heaven?

The Name

Heaven and the Kingdom of Heaven are not the same thing. God is not the Kingdom of God. But just as the kingdom of God is something related to God, so the Kingdom of Heaven is something related to heaven, and consequently to God. Whether the phrases "the Kingdom of God" and the "Kingdom of Heaven" always represent exactly the same thing, it is certain that both phrases are often applied to the same institution. This is true of them, whether translated reign or kingdom; and it is very clear that often the original word basileia should preferably be translated reign, since this term better fits all those passages where coming or approaching is mentioned: for while reigns or administrations approach and recede, kingdoms have attributes and boundaries that are fixed. Reign and Kingdom of God, though sometimes applicable to the same subject, never view it in the same way. They are, indeed, as closely connected as the reign of King William and the kingdom of Great Britain. The former represents the administration of the kingdom, and the latter the state over which this administration extends.

Two good reasons may be given why Matthew, the earliest Christian writer, generally prefers Kingdom or Reign of Heaven, to the phrase Kingdom or Reign of God: I say generally, because he occasionally uses both terms. He wrote to Jews in Judea who expected a Messiah, a King, and a Kingdom of God on earth, a mere improvement of the Jewish system; and so to elevate their understanding he delights to call it the Reign or Kingdom of Heaven, in contrast with that earthly Kingdom of God, which they had long possessed.

He also found a good reason in the idiom of the Jewish prophets for using the word Heaven (both in singular and plural form) for God. Daniel told the Assyrian monarch that his kingdom would be sure to him when he had learned that "the Heavens do rule;" yet in the previous verse he says, "Till you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of man," — thus using Heavens and the Most High as synonymous. The Psalmist says, "The wicked set their mouths against the Heavens." The Prodigal confesses that he had "sinned against Heaven," and Jesus himself asked whether the baptism of John was "from Heaven or from men." Thus he was authorized by the Jewish use of the word to regard it as equivalent to God. If, then, Matthew meant no more by the phrase "Kingdom of Heaven" than the "Kingdom of God," he was justified by the Jewish use of the word heaven to apply it in that sense. Some may object to all these remarks about Matthew's style, saying it was Jesus Christ and the preachers he commissioned who called it the Kingdom of Heaven, not Matthew Levi. To such we reply that the other sacred writers consistently, in recounting all the same parables and incidents, use the phrase "Kingdom of God," and never the phrase "the Kingdom of Heaven."

From the use of the phrase "Kingdom of God," we must, I think, understand him as having special reference to the first reason given. He does not say the Kingdom of Heaven shall be taken from the Jews; but "The Kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation producing its fruits:" for although it might properly, in his meaning, be said that the Jews already had the kingdom of God, it could not be said that they had the kingdom of Heaven as proclaimed by Matt. 15:1-39.

When compared with the earthly Kingdom of God among the Jews, it is certainly the Kingdom of Heaven; for Jesus claims that his kingdom is not of this world; and Daniel affirmed that in the days of the last worldly empire the God of heaven would set up a kingdom unlike all others then on earth; in which, as Paul teaches, people are "blessed with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ;" for he has raised us Jews and Gentiles, and "has seated us together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus."

There is, in the superior and heavenly privileges and honors given to the citizens of this kingdom, the best reason why it should first have been presented to the world under this title, rather than any other; and for the same reasons that influenced Matthew to introduce it in Judea under this name, we should now prefer it, because many of our contemporaries, like the ancient Jews, see as much of heaven and glory in the veiled grace of the Mosaic institution as in the unveiled grace of the Christian kingdom. The relevance of this title will become even clearer as we develop the constitutional privileges of this kingdom.

But most clearly the kingdom of heaven is "the Kingdom of Christ and of God." It is the kingdom of God because he established it, gave the constitution and King, and all the materials from which it is built. It is the kingdom of Christ because God the Father gave it to him as his Son, and as the heir of all things, and therefore, "all that is the Father's is mine," says Jesus, "and I am his." God created all things by Jesus Christ and for him.

Having, then, noted the reasons for the characteristic titles of this kingdom, and having already determined what are the elements absolutely essential to a kingdom, distinguished from those merely circumstantial or accidental, we will now proceed to consider in the order suggested, the Constitution, King, Subjects, Laws, and Territory of the Kingdom of Heaven.

Constitution

God himself, according to the gracious plans of his own will, proposed and offered the constitution of this kingdom to his own Son. This "glory he had with the Father before the world was." He who was "in the beginning with God" — "the wisdom and power of God" — was established from everlasting, before the earth existed. "Then I was with God, as one brought up with him; I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him — rejoicing in the habitable parts of his earth; and my delights were with the sons of men."

Therefore, he who was to be "ruler in Israel" was with God in counsel "in the beginning of all his ways;" for "his goings forth were from of old, even from the day of eternity."

It was to do the will, or fulfill the terms of this constitution, that "the Word was made flesh and lived among us." I came to do the will of him who sent me, and to finish "the work given me to do." "I have power to lay down my life, and I have power to take it up again; this command I received from my Father." The Father "commissioned and sent him into the world." He "came down from heaven." "You have given me authority over all flesh, that I might give eternal life to all you have given me."

These, and many other passages, which the reader will easily recall, clearly show that an understanding and agreement existed before time began between God and the Word of God — or, as now revealed, between the Father and the Son, regarding the kingdom. As a result, "the Word was made flesh and lived among us" — as a result, "he gave up" his previous glory — "took on the form of a servant" — "was made in the likeness of sinful flesh" — "shared in flesh and blood with us." Because of this agreement, and the promised glory, for "the joy set before him in the promise," of "seeing his offspring, the result of his soul’s labor, and being satisfied," he "endured the cross, despising the shame," and was "made perfect through suffering to bring many sons to glory."

Frequent references are made in the Apostle's writings to the promises concerning eternal life set forth in the constitution of the Kingdom of Heaven. Thus believers were "chosen in him before the foundation of the world," and "eternal life was promised before the ages began," "according to the benevolent purposes which he purposed in himself for the administration of the fullness of the appointed times, to bring together all things under Christ — all in heaven and all on earth, under him. He previously marked us out for adoption through Jesus Christ to himself, according to his purpose, who effectively works all things according to the counsel of his will."

From all these statements and references, we must trace the constitution of this kingdom back into eternity — before time began. We must date it from everlasting, and resolve it into the absolute gracious will of the eternal God. Regarding all the future developments of time, "known to God from the beginning," it planned to make the Word flesh, and then to make the Incarnate Word, called Emmanuel, of Jesus Christ, the King, to give him all who would be reconciled to God through him as subjects, to put under him all the angelic hosts, and make him monarch of earth, lawgiver to the universe; and thus make him heir and Lord of all things.

As a constitution brings all the elements of a kingdom into a new relationship with one another, so it is the measure and guarantee of all the privileges, immunities, and obligations belonging to all parties in that relationship. It prescribes, arranges, and secures all the privileges, duties, obligations, honors, and benefits of the King and the subjects. Neither of them can claim more than it stipulates and guarantees, and neither can rightfully be deprived of any of them.

From the premises now before us, and the light given to us in these scriptures and those in the margin, we learn —

First. That God is the author of the constitution of the Kingdom of Heaven; that he proposed it to the Word who was made flesh, before the world was, in anticipation of all the developments of creation.

Second. That the Word accepted it, because the will of God was always his delight; therefore he said, "I come to do your will, O God!" Hence "God has so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him may not perish, but have eternal life."

Third. That as a result "all authority in heaven and on earth" was given to Jesus Christ, and all orders of intelligence subjected to him, so that he might be King over all, and have the power to give eternal life to his people.

Fourth. That the earth is now the Lord's, the present temporal territory of his kingdom; that the nations are given to him as his inheritance, and the ends of the earth as his possession; that all ends of the earth are his, and all dominions, peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations will yet serve him on earth and glorify him in heaven. Fifth. That all whom he redeems are his seed—his subjects: that he will have their faith, trust, respect, admiration, and gratitude forever; that he will be worshiped, honored, and revered by them throughout eternity; that God, angels, and saints will delight in him forever and ever. Therefore, he must raise the dead, judge the world, and present the redeemed pure, holy, happy, and triumphant before his Father, and then hand over his kingdom to God.

To fully understand the constitution of this kingdom, we must learn more than its history or the way it was introduced and presented. We must regard all the elements of the kingdom as constitutional elements—the King as constitutional King; the subjects, laws, and territory, including the ultimate inheritance, as constitutional subjects, laws, territory, and inheritance; and, therefore, we will discuss them in detail.

The King

The Lord Jesus Christ is the constitutional monarch of the Kingdom of Heaven. The privileges guaranteed to him regarding the kingdom are as follows:

As King, he is to be the oracle of God—to have control of the Holy Spirit—to be Prophet and High Priest of the Temple of God—to have the throne of his Father—to be governor of all nations on earth, and head of all hierarchies and powers in heaven—the supreme Lawgiver, the only Savior—the resurrection and the life, the ultimate and final Judge of all, and the Heir of all things. These honors, privileges, and powers are secured to him by the irrevocable grant of God the Father of all; therefore, as Isaiah said, "The Lord comes with a strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him. Behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him." "I have set my King upon my holy hill of Zion." "Ask of me, and I will give you the nations for your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for your possession." "I have made him a leader and commander of the people"—"a light to the Gentiles"—"salvation to the ends of the earth"—"a Priest forever after the order of Melchizedek," "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool." "The government shall be on his shoulders." "All things are delivered to me by my Father." "He is Lord of the dead and living." "Angels, authorities, and powers are subjected to him." "The Father gave the Spirit without measure to him." "He received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit." "The kingdom is the Lord's, and he is the governor among the nations." "He shall have dominion from sea to sea, and from the Euphrates to the ends of the earth." "They shall fear you as long as the sun and moon endure, to all generations." "The Father has committed all judgments to the Son."

But, not to tire the reader with quotations and proofs, we will give just one more: — "Behold my servant, whom I uphold; my chosen one, in whom my soul delights. I have put my Spirit upon him. He will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not fail or be discouraged till he establishes justice on the earth; and the islands will wait for his law." — "I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness, and will hold your hand and keep you, and give you as a covenant to the people, as a light to the Gentiles—to open blind eyes, to bring prisoners out of prison, and those who sit in darkness out of the prison house."

The Subjects of the Kingdom

They are all born again. Their privileges and honors are the following: —

First. Their constitutional King is the only begotten Son of God; whose titles and honors are—Image of the invisible God—Radiance of the Father's glory—Emmanuel—Sustainer of the universe—Prophet of prophets—High Priest of the temple of God—King of kings—Lord of lords—the only Potentate—Commander and Covenant of the people—Captain of Salvation—Counselor, Lawgiver, Redeemer, Deliverer, Mediator, Savior, Advocate, Judge. He is the Sun of Righteousness, Prince of Peace, Lamb of God, Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root and Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star, Light of the World, the Faithful and True Witness, Bishop of Souls, Great Shepherd of the Sheep, Head of the Church, Lord of all, Heir of the Universe, the Resurrection and the Life, the Son of Man, the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, the Amen, etc., etc. Such is the Christian's King, whose help in all these roles, offices, and relationships, as shown under all these figures, is guaranteed to him in the Constitution. Indeed, it is all expressed in one promise—"I will be your God, and you shall be my people."

Second. It is guaranteed that "their sins and iniquities are to be remembered no more." "There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ." "Sin shall have no dominion, nor rule over them." The Lord does not count their sins against them. They are all pardoned, justified, and saved from sin.

Third. They are adopted into the family of God; made sons and daughters of the Lord Almighty, children of God, and heirs—joint heirs with Christ. They have an Advocate in heaven, through whom their persons and prayers are accepted.

Fourth. They all know the Lord. "All your children shall be taught by God." The Holy Spirit of God writes God's law on their hearts and inscribes it on their minds: so that they do not need to teach each other to know the Lord, "for they all know him, from the least to the greatest." They are sanctified through the truth—set apart and dedicated to God.

Fifth. They have the promise of a resurrection from the dead and eternal life; an inheritance that is incorruptible, undefiled, and unfading—a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness alone will dwell forever.

Such are the constitutional rights and privileges of the citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven. All these have earned for them the following titles and honors:—Kingdom of Heaven; Israel of God; chosen generation; body of Christ; children of God; dwelling place of God; family of God; Jerusalem from above; Mount Zion; peculiar people; the elect of God; holy nation; temple of the Holy Spirit; house of God; city of the living God; pillar and foundation of the truth; living stones; seed of Abraham; citizens of heaven; lights of the world; salt of the earth; heirs of God; joint heirs with Christ, etc.

The privileges, honors, and benefits belong to every citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven. Indeed, they are all summarized in the statement Paul (quoting Jeremiah) presents to the believing Hebrews:—"This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel in those days: I will put my laws into their minds and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. They will not need to teach each other, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least to the greatest. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and iniquities I will remember no more." To this summary, the reader may add the scriptures in the margin as confirmation of the above.

The Laws of the Kingdom

The supreme law of the kingdom is love—love for the King and love for one another. From this law flow all its religious worship and morality. Countless precepts and examples present this to the minds of all the citizens. The Kingdom of Heaven is divided into small communities called churches, or congregations of the Lord. Each of these communities, in receiving members, educating and disciplining them, or excluding them when necessary, is to be governed by apostolic instructions: for the Savior entrusted the management of his kingdom to the Apostles. After making citizens by preaching the gospel and baptizing, they were commanded to teach them to obey everything the Savior had commanded.

These laws and practices of the Apostles must be learned from what the Apostles published to the world after the ascension and coronation of the King, as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles and the Epistles: for we will see later that the gospel was fully developed, and the whole doctrine of the Reign of Christ began to be proclaimed in Jerusalem on the first Pentecost after the ascension.

The old or Jewish constitution was first proclaimed at Sinai on the first Pentecost after Israel’s redemption from Egyptian bondage; and from that day, and what is written afterward in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, all the laws, customs, and practices authorized by the national constitution are found. They are not to be sought in Genesis, nor in the earlier economy. Nor are the statutes and laws of the Christian kingdom to be sought in the Jewish scriptures, nor before the day of Pentecost; except as our Lord himself, during his lifetime, taught the doctrine of his reign. But we will address this when we determine the beginning of this kingdom.

There is one universal law of naturalization, or for making citizens out of all nations, imposed on those citizens of the kingdom engaged in evangelism; but the laws of this kingdom, like the laws of every other kingdom, apply only to its citizens.

The weekly celebration of the death and resurrection of Jesus, and the weekly gathering of Christ’s followers for this purpose and for mutual encouragement in their most holy faith, are the only positive statutes of the kingdom; therefore, there is no law, statute, or observance in this kingdom that in any way hinders its expansion from east to west, from north to south, or that can prevent its progress in all nations of the world.

It is, however, worth noting that every part of Christian worship, in the small communities spread throughout the territory of the Kingdom of Heaven, like so many candlesticks in a large building, is designed to enlighten and convert the world; and therefore, in all the meetings of God’s family, they are to keep this supremely in mind and regard themselves as the "pillar and foundation of the truth." Concerning the details of the laws of the kingdom, we cannot now speak specifically. "The favor of God that brings salvation teaches all the citizens of heaven that, denying all ungodliness and worldly desires, they should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world, looking forward to the blessed hope — namely, the appearing of the glory of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all iniquity and purify for himself a special people, zealous for good works." These things the Bishops of every community should teach and enforce; for such is the spirit, and such is the purpose of all the laws and statutes of the Kingdom of Heaven.

The Territory of the Kingdom

In all other kingdoms, except the Kingdom of Heaven, the territory is the national domain and inheritance. It was so in the first Kingdom of God under the constitution from Sinai. But in the typical kingdom, they lived away from their inheritance for one generation. During these forty years, in which they pitched their tents in the wilderness, God was their inheritance. He rained bread from heaven upon them and sent them meat on the east wind. He made the flinty rock Horeb a living spring, whose stream followed them all the way to Jordan. He renewed their garments every day, so that for forty years they did not grow old or need a single patch. A pillar of fire by night and a cloud by day guided them toward Canaan, the land of their inheritance.

The whole earth is the present territory of the Kingdom of Heaven, but the new heavens and earth are to be its inheritance. The earth, indeed, is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof; but the children of God and the children of the wicked one — the wheat and the tares — are both planted in it and must grow until the harvest. The righteous have their bread and water guaranteed to them while they live; for "godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is, as well as of that which is to come." But the joint heirs of Christ are never taught to regard the earth as their inheritance. They may indeed say, though poor and penniless, "All things are ours; whether Paul or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come — all are ours, and we are Christ's, and Christ is God's." But, like the Jews on their journey to Canaan, "they seek a better country" — "they seek a city yet to come." "My kingdom," says Jesus, "is not of this world." And, therefore, in the world, Christians are strangers and pilgrims and may expect tribulation.

There the earth is the present theater of war; therefore all Christians in the territory are soldiers. Their expenses, their rations are allowed, the arms and munitions of war are supplied to them from the magazines in Mount Zion, the stronghold and fortress of the kingdom; where the King, the heads of departments, and all the legions of angels reside. So that on entering the Army of the Faith every soldier is equipped with the armor of God; and when inducted into the heavenly tactics under the Captain of Salvation, he is expected to be a good soldier of Jesus Christ and to fight the good fight of faith courageously and victoriously.

The Kingdom of Heaven on this territory is greatly opposed by the kingdom of Satan, which always seeks to make an inheritance out of the territory of the militant kingdom of righteousness; and therefore, the citizens have not to wrestle with flesh and blood, but with the rulers of the darkness of this world — with spiritual wickedness in high places.

Ever since the beginning of this kingdom, the governments of this world have either been directly opposed to it or at best, pretended friends; and therefore their influence has always been opposed to the true Spirit and character of the Christian institution. Christians have nothing to expect from them except liberty of conscience and protection from violence, while leading peaceable and quiet lives, in all godliness and honesty, until Jesus takes to himself his great power, hurls all these rulers from their thrones, and makes his cause triumphant — a consummation devoutly to be wished, and which cannot now be regarded as far off.

Manner and Customs of the Kingdom

Regarding the manners and customs of the Kingdom of Heaven, they are such as generally prevailed in the land of Judea and in the East at the time of its establishment: or, rather, they are the simple manners and customs of the family worship age of the world. These are consecrated by simply performing them with regard to Jesus Christ, or from motives prompted by the doctrine of the Reign of Heaven. As we treat our natural brothers and sisters in public and in private — as we address, greet, and converse with them — as we conduct all family business and manage the affairs of the household — so are Christians to treat one another. There is no other virtue or usefulness in these than as they nurture brotherly kindness and love, and are done to the Lord.

Induction into the Kingdom of Heaven

Into every kingdom, human or divine, there is a legal door of admission. That is, in the statute book of Heaven, called a birth. Into the kingdom of nature we are born. Into the future and ultimate kingdom of glory we enter, soul and body, by being born from the grave. As Christ, the firstborn from the dead, entered the heavenly kingdom, so must all his brothers and sisters. And as to this kingdom of which we speak, now existing in this world, Jesus himself taught that no one can legally enter it who is not born again, or "born of water and the Spirit." The analogy is complete between the kingdoms of nature — of grace — and of glory. Hence we have natural birth, metaphorical or spiritual birth, and supernatural birth. There is a being born of the flesh — born of the Spirit — born of the grave; and there is a kingdom for the flesh — a kingdom for the Spirit — and a kingdom for the glorified person.

This second, or new birth, which inducts into the Kingdom of God, always follows a death and burial, as it will be into the everlasting kingdom of glory. It is indeed a literal death and burial before a literal resurrection into the heavenly and eternal kingdom. It is also a metaphorical or figurative death and burial before the figurative resurrection or new birth into the Kingdom of Heaven. Water is the element in which this burial and resurrection are performed, according to the constitutional laws of the Kingdom of Heaven. Hence Jesus connects the water and the Spirit when speaking of entering the Kingdom of God.

In naturalizing aliens, the command of the King is first — submit to them the Constitution, or preach to them the gospel of the kingdom. As soon as they understand and believe this, and desire to be translated into the Kingdom of Christ and of God, so that "they may receive the remission of sins and inheritance among all who are sanctified," they are to be buried in water in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and raised out of it confessing their death to sin, their faith in Christ's sacrifice and resurrection: and thus they are born of water and the Spirit and made citizens of the kingdom of heaven. To as many as receive him, he gives the right to become children of God; for they are "born of God" — born of God when born of water and the Spirit, because this is God's institution.

In these days of apostasy, men have sought out many inventions. Some have tried to get into the Kingdom of Heaven without being born at all. Others imagine they can be born of the Spirit without water, and that the King is pleased with those who have been born without a mother, as those who are lawfully born of father and mother. Others think that neither Spirit nor water is necessary; but if they are politically born of the flesh, they can enter the kingdom as rightfully as the Jewish circumcised infants enter the earthly kingdom of Israel. But as we have no faith in any modern improvements of the gospel, changes, or amendments to the constitution of the Kingdom of Heaven, we must leave them to answer to the King himself, who "has transgressed the law, changed the ordinance, and broken the everlasting covenant;" and proceed to the question, “When did the Kingdom of Heaven begin?” (See next essay)