THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
ETERNAL LIFE AND THE KINGDOM
There is one thing we have to be clear about. To have eternal life is different from entering the kingdom of the heavens. Whoever cannot see the difference between eternal life and the kingdom of the heavens will never be clear concerning the way of salvation and the way of preservation. The Lord Jesus said that from John the Baptist until now the kingdom of the heavens is taken by violence (Matt. 11:12). The violent take it. The law and the prophecies of the prophets ended with John (11:12-13). Based on this word, some have said that we must be violent, that is, we must strive before we can be saved. If we do not strive, we will not be saved. A person says this because he cannot tell the difference between the kingdom of the heavens and eternal life. There is a difference between eternal life and the kingdom of the heavens.
The first difference between eternal life and the kingdom lies in time. Eternal life is for eternity, but the kingdom is not for eternity. When the new heaven and the new earth come, the kingdom of the heavens will be over. The kingdom of the heavens denotes God’s rule. The period of God’s rule is the period of the kingdom of the heavens. God’s sovereignty on earth and His rule on earth will be manifested for only one thousand years. What are the heavens? The book of Daniel talks about the ruling of the heavens (7:27). Hence, the kingdom of the heavens is the sphere in which the heavens rule. When the Lord Jesus comes to rule on earth, that will be the time when the heavens rule. Today the ruling one on earth is the devil, Satan. The worldly politics and authorities today are of Satan. The Lord Jesus will not rule until the time of the kingdom of the heavens. But the period during which the authority of the heavens is realized is very short. First Corinthians 15:24 says, "Then the end, when He delivers up the kingdom to His God and Father, once He has abolished all rule and all authority and power." The kingdom will be delivered up to God the Father. Hence, there is a time limit to the kingdom. But eternal life is forever. Everyone who reads 1 Corinthians 15 knows that at the beginning of the new heaven and the new earth, that is, at the conclusion of the millennium, the kingdom will be delivered up. Hence, there is a difference in time between eternal life and the kingdom of the heavens.
The second difference lies in the method that man enters the kingdom of the heavens and the way he obtains eternal life. The receiving of eternal life is the subject of the entire Gospel of John. The way to have eternal life is by believing. Once we believe, we obtain. We never read of another way. But to enter into the kingdom of the heavens is not a simple matter. The entire Gospel of Matthew mentions the kingdom of the heavens thirty-two times. Not once does it say that the kingdom of the heavens is received by faith. How does a man gain the kingdom of the heavens? Matthew 7:21 says, "Not every one 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." One can see that the entry into the kingdom of the heavens is a question of work rather than of faith. Matthew 5:3 also tells us, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of the heavens." Here it does not say eternal life but the kingdom of the heavens. To have the kingdom of the heavens, one needs to be poor in spirit. The Lord also says, "Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of the heavens" (v. 10). One does not have to be persecuted to receive eternal life, but the kingdom is for those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness. Even if a man has eternal life, if he has not been persecuted for the sake of righteousness today and is not poor in spirit, he may still have no share in the kingdom.
(Gospel of God, The (2 volume set), Chapter 9, by Watchman Nee)
