Another Christian, discussing with the writer the differences between the Kingdom and the Church, remarked— “the Jew and the Christian have fallen into opposite errors—the Jews by emphasizing the kingdom and ignoring the Church; the Christian by emphasizing the Church and almost ignoring the kingdom.” This one sidedness is reflected in the dearth of books on the kingdom. Much of what is written on the Kingdom is found in commentaries on other subjects, such as the gospel of Matthew. Before reviewing the features which make the Kingdom and the Church different from one another, we must consider one guiding principle common to both. This common element is that in both the Kingdom and the Church there may be both reality and profession. Because of this we must weigh carefully the Scriptures which treat of these subjects to make sure whether the Spirit of God is writing of reality or profession or perhaps both. Consider for example an imaginary incident in Victorian England at the height of its power. Two neighbors are talking of a visit of the Queen to their city. One man is delighted; the other, a radical, says he wants to shoot her. In other words, one man gladly submits to the Queen’s authority; the other rebels at it but is subject to it nonetheless as he will find out if he creates disorder. Similarly, in the Church over the ages there have been those who have professed the Lord’s Name but have grievously tormented true believers. Now let us consider our subjects separately.
The Kingdom
The Kingdom has many names in Scripture, only two of which we shall consider here for space reasons the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of the heavens (or the kingdom of heaven, a term we shall use interchangeably although there is a slight difference in meaning). The underlying thought behind the kingdom is the exercise of rule or authority.
... The Kingdom of God—In its widest sense this simply means the rule or authority of God over all created beings be they angels or men. The opening chapter of Hebrews shows how the angels are subject to the Son of God; the gospels show how the demons feared His authority— “what have we to do with Thee, Thou Son of God? Art Thou come here to torment us before the time?” —Mat. 8:29. Satan could not touch Job without God’s permission and at the end is powerless to avert his own doom in the lake of fire. Of men we need not write, this being the subject of Scripture from Genesis to Revelation.
In its restricted sense entrance to the Kingdom is by the new birth, as the Lord told Nicodemus in John 3. The Old Testament saints had this new birth as well as we. Do not confine it to the Church in your thinking. The Lord spoke “of the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God” —1:3—before the Church was formed; Paul well after the mighty work of the Spirit in Acts was completed—28:31. The Kingdom of God is a moral state produced in man as a result of the new birth. It is the reign of God’s principles in the lives of those who have been born again in any age. Having a new nature their lives are ruled by divine principles—they abstain from evil, joy in God, pray, sing “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs” read the Scriptures, etc.—occupations which an unconverted man considers madness. He is outside the moral sway of the Kingdom of God though eventually he will be forced to bow to its authority. Paul preached the kingdom of God both in the world and in the Church. Before Felix he “reasoned of righteousness, temperance and judgment to come.” That is because he was reproving Felix for his life, not just preaching the gospel to him. The kingdom of God is “righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” —see Rom. 14:1717For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. (Romans 14:17). Needless to say there can be no peace and joy for those whose lives proclaim that they deny God’s principles. For such Paul’s message to Felix of “righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come” is the appropriate one. As for the Church, Paul reminded the Ephesian elders that he had preached the Kingdom of God among them—20:25 and the exhortations at the close of his epistles largely concern the Kingdom of God. Paul’s ministry in Acts is the ministry of the Kingdom of God; Peter’s the ministry of the Kingdom of heaven.
. . . The Kingdom of Heaven—The Lord gave Peter the keys of the kingdom of heaven, which invested him with certain administrative responsibilities in the kingdom over those who professed the Name of Christ. We have already seen how he turned his two keys to admit Jew and Gentile into the kingdom. But he also exercised administrative authority in the kingdom, dealing with the sin of Ananias and Sapphira believers) and the pretension of Simon Magus (an unbeliever). Simon Magus was in the kingdom of heaven simply because he professed to believe and was baptized. Yet it is more than likely that he will be in hell. Every person who professes to be a Christian, and is baptized, enters the kingdom of heaven but that does not save him. Only real faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross can do that. Simon Magus believed with his mind—like those in John 2:2323Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did. (John 2:23), and for the same reason. But to be saved we must believe with our heart—Rom. 10:99That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (Romans 10:9). Still he confessed Christ, was taken at his word, and baptized. We can fail to distinguish between the evil and the faithful servant, the foolish or the wise virgin, the tare or the wheat. “By their fruits ye shall know them” —Mat. 7:20. But nothing escapes the all-seeing eye of God “the Lord knoweth them that are His” —2 Tim. 2:1919Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. (2 Timothy 2:19). And with Him there can be no mistake. No man will ever be in heaven if his profession is false and he is really an unbeliever, even though he is in the kingdom of heaven now because of his profession and baptism.
The expression “the kingdom of heaven” is found only in Matthew’s gospel. In that gospel there is a progressive rejection of Christ, chapter by chapter, until by the time we come to the sixteenth chapter there is no hope of Christ receiving His kingdom on earth. So, it is at that point He reveals a new truth. Israel having rejected Him as the King on earth He will now become King in heaven. Then Peter comes into the picture. Peter had delighted the Lord’s heart during the time Israel was rejecting Him by declaring, when asked who He was— “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” The Lord immediately replied “blessed art thou Simon Bar-Jona, for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but My Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church and the gates of hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven” —Mat. 16:17, 19. The building of the Church and the gift of the keys of the kingdom of heaven are separate considerations. No man builds with keys. Keys are for entrance and control—and not to the Church but to the kingdom. Not to an earthly kingdom either but to a heavenly one.
The kingdom first started on earth when Saul became king of Israel; it ended when God gave earthly political power to the Gentiles, commencing with Nebuchadnezzar, the head of gold of the image in Daniel. When the Lord Jesus, the True King came to earth, the Roman power, the iron legs of that image, was ruling. The Lord offered His ancient people the kingdom again, but they rejected Him. So He gave Peter the keys, not to an earthly kingdom but to the kingdom of the heavens. At present the King is not seen in this world. The King is in exile, so to speak, for man will have no king but Caesar. When He comes forth to rule the world, He will administer it from the heavens—where He is, over the earth—by the Church—and through Israel.
A heavenly kingdom wasn’t what the Jews were looking for. They were expecting a kingdom on earth. But that couldn’t be because when Peter turned his first key the King had gone to heaven. Then at Caesarea Peter turned his other key and let the Gentiles in to the kingdom of heaven. So both Jew and Gentile in the present day who profess the Name of Christ, are partakers of the kingdom on its heavenly side. This was an amazing thought to a Jew—that the Gentiles, whom he regarded as unclean, should have any part in the kingdom. And it was even more amazing that the kingdom for the present should have its seat of rule in heaven, not on earth.
Now let us apply all this so that the meaning is clear. Let us say that in India a Hindu is converted and baptized. He is now in the kingdom of heaven. But he is puzzled by others who say they are Christians. He knows of a modernist church which denies every vital doctrine of Christianity. Nonetheless the congregation, who are baptized, think of themselves as Christians and indeed are referred to as such by the Hindus. And truly they are just as much in the kingdom of heaven on the ground of profession as the new convert. Only, he belongs to those virgins with oil in their lamps—read Mat. 25:4. The others have lamps but no oil. The oil is the Holy Spirit. That is what makes the difference between profession and reality. “After ye believed ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise” —Eph. 1:1313In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, (Ephesians 1:13). The lamp is professing the Name of Christ. But a lamp is worthless without oil. Still, even the unsaved in the kingdom of heaven enjoy the blessings of that kingdom. They are spared from the moral depravity of men who do not claim a link with God, live better lives, have better associations. The Christian community is generally more diligent in the whole business of life than others. On the other hand, they are more responsible to God than men who have never made a profession of Christianity. God’s principle is that where there is more light there is more responsibility. “And that servant, who knew his Lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to His will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall much be required, and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more” —Luke 12:47, 4847And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. 48But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more. (Luke 12:47‑48).
The Church of God
Now that we have considered the kingdom, we will look at the Church. The first intimation of this on earth was given to Peter when the Lord said— “and I also, I say unto thee, that thou art Peter, and on this rock I will build My assembly, and hades’ gates shall not prevail against it.” The Church of Rome interprets this Scripture to mean Christ building His Church on Peter. The truth is that He builds His Church on Peter’s confession— “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” The Living God is the Author of life, the Creator of all things, who has life in Himself. As Son of the Living God, Christ is co-equal and coeternal with God the Father. It is a declaration of His eternal Sonship because there is no element of time with a divine being. If He is Son He is Son as long as the Father is the Father. Thus Peter answers the question posed in Prov. 30:44Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou canst tell? (Proverbs 30:4)— “who hath ascended up into heaven or descended . . . what is His Name and what is His Son’s Name if thou cans’t tell?” The declaration that Christ is the eternal Son of God is the rock on which the Church of God is built. This building, which is the Lord’s work, started on the Day of Pentecost and will go on until the last stone is added and the building is complete. Now it is important to see that what Peter did on the day of Pentecost and what the Holy Spirit did were different things. Peter merely turned his first key—an administrative act to let the Jews into the kingdom of heaven. But the Holy Spirit formed the Church on the Day of Pentecost, completely independent of Peter, and before Peter turned his first key. It was God’s thought that the Church should precede the kingdom. It was failure to see this distinction that led to Popery. It is continued failure to see it that sustains Popery. God never entrusts anything vital to man. The baptism of the Holy Spirit which took place on the day of Pentecost occurred only on that day, and at no other time. What then was the baptism of the Holy Spirit? It was the Holy Spirit coming down from heaven to unite the risen glorified Head of the body—Christ—to His members below, so forming the Church.
Peter’s view of the Church is always as a building. This is a much different viewpoint from Paul’s who received his view of the Church as the body of Christ from heaven—on the road to Damascus. Peter received His view from the Lord on earth. Peter’s view of the Church is a building composed of living stones. His name Peter means a stone. He sees us as living stones in a building under construction— “to whom coming (that is to Christ) a living stone, cast away indeed as worthless by men, but with God chosen, precious, yourselves also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ” —1 Pet. 2:4, 54To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, 5Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 2:4‑5).
We will have more to say about the Church later on in this book. For the present our object is to maintain the distinction between the Kingdom and the Church in the reader’s mind.