God’s intention is for His people to fully enjoy the all-inclusive Christ as the reality of the good land and bring in the kingdom of God in the church life; for God to gain a kingdom in which He is expressed and manifested, the Divine Trinity is needed.
Samuel was one who cooperated with God not only to speak the word of God but also to bring in the proper king with the kingdom.
On one hand, we as believers in Christ need to enjoy the all-inclusive Christ, our allotted portion of the land, so that we may be built up to be the house of God for His expression.
On the other hand, the issue of our enjoyment of Christ is the kingdom of God, the church as the city of God with a high wall to protect the interests of God and to be the realm in which God is freely expressed.
The more we enjoy Christ as the good land, the more this enjoyment of Christ becomes the kingdom of God; this is how the kingdom of God is brought in.
This is how we in Christ turn the age and bring in the kingdom of God; it has to do with our enjoyment of Christ and it is the issue of this enjoyment.
There are many other aspects of the bringing in of the kingdom of God, but one of them is that, the more we enjoy the Lord, the more we partake of the all-inclusive Christ as our portion, the more the kingdom of God is brought in.
What a blessing it is for us to participate in the bringing in of the kingdom of God on the earth!
May we learn to cooperate with Him today by our enjoyment of Christ to the extent that our enjoyment of Christ becomes the kingdom of God, in which we reign in life with Christ. Hallelujah!
On one hand, we need to be saved much more in the life of God; we need to be saved not only from eternal perdition but even more from ourselves, from anything of the evil one, and from any negative element.
On the other hand, we need to receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness so that we may reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ (Rom. 5:17).
The more we enjoy the Lord, the more we partake of Him as our God-allotted portion, the more there is a realm in us for God to express Himself and to do what He wants.
God will never force Himself on us, neither will He deceive us as the enemy does.
Rather, He gives Himself to us in the form of food and life supply to be everything we need; we are made to enjoy God and contain Christ, and our inner being craves for more of Him.
The more we enjoy Him, the more there is a realm in us and through us in which God can rule and reign; thus, the kingdom of God is brought in.
Seeing the need for the Divine Trinity for the Bringing in the Kingdom of God on Earth
We need to see the Divine Trinity as it is revealed in 1 and 2 Samuel; though we may not see the name of the Father, the Son, or the Holy Spirit being mentioned in these books, the structure of the entire Bible and of these books is the Divine Trinity.
The Divine Trinity is revealed throughout the Scriptures as a structure; when we speak of a structure, a framework, this is something hidden and not that obvious, but it supports the entire building.
The entire Bible is supported and held together not merely by God’s love and grace but by the Divine Trinity, which is the structure, the framework of the entire Bible.
The thought concerning the Divine Trinity in the Old Testament is exactly the same as in the New Testament.
In the New Testament, we see more of a clear revelation of the Divine Trinity when we read verses such as Matt. 28:19 – the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
In the Old Testament, however, we see the portrayal of the Divine Trinity, the prophecy and typology that indicates the Divine Trinity.
If we see a vision of the Divine Trinity as revealed in the books of 1 and 2 Samuel, we will realize what God needs to have among us.
If we really want the Lord to return, if we want to hasten His coming back, if we want the Bridegroom to come for the prepared bride and the age to end so that the kingdom would come in its manifestation, we need to see how we can cooperate with the Lord for this.
If we want the kingdom of God to come in its manifestation and for there to be righteousness throughout the earth, we need what is revealed in 1 and 2 Samuel to be our reality, that we would cooperate with the Lord to make this happen.
Samuel cooperated with God to not only speak for God and judge the people of Israel; he also initiated a new age, the age of the kings.
He functioned as a priest to bring God to man and man to God, as a prophet to speak the word of God to men, as a judge to properly interpret the word of God and apply it to His people, and as an age-turner by anointing the king and bring in the kingdom.
He told the people of Israel the practice of the kingdom, and he wrote it in a book and laid it before Jehovah (1 Sam. 10:25); furthermore, he anointed David, the king according to God’s heart.
On one hand, the Lord needs the priests who serve God and bring His presence to man and man into God’s presence; on the other hand, He needs the kingdom of God to be established.
It is only when the kingdom of God is established that God can exercise His authority and express His glory.
God wants to be fully expressed and manifested on earth, but who on earth cooperates with Him to give Him the ground to do this?
Samuel was such a one; he knew God’s heart and realized that God wants to bring in the kingdom of God, so he cooperated with God for this.
Today we pray that the Lord’s kingdom would come and His will would be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matt. 6:10), for we realize that His is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever (v. 13).
God desires to gain the kingdom of God on earth, first in us as His people, and then in the church, so that through the church He may bring in the age of the kingdom where righteousness dwells and God rules with His co-kings, the overcomers.
May we be those who cooperate with the Lord to enjoy and experience the Divine Trinity for the bringing in of the kingdom of God!
Lord Jesus, we give ourselves to You for Your purpose, Your intention. May Your kingdom come and Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. We love You, Lord, and we give You the ground in our being for You to be King and Lord; rule and reign in us. Expand Your kingdom in our heart and enlarge Your kingdom in the church. Amen, dear Lord Jesus, our beloved Bridegroom and dear King, may Your kingdom come soon! We are one with You for You to bring in Your kingdom. Keep us in the enjoyment and experience of the Divine Trinity for the bringing in of the kingdom of God on earth for You to have a realm to rule and reign!
God’s Purpose is for us to Enjoy Him, Express Him, and bring in His Kingdom for Him to be Expressed
God’s intention with the people of Israel was not only that they would take over the good land, defeat the enemies, and enjoy the land; He wanted even more that they would set up a kingdom in the land.
God’s intention is to bring in the kingdom of God; in order for Him to fulfill His intention to have an expression, He needs to have a kingdom.
For God to be able to express Himself and manifest His glory, He needs to have a sphere in which He is expressed (Matt. 6:10; Luke 1:33).
How can the Triune God be expressed on the earth if everywhere and in everyone on earth there is rebellion against Him?
He has no place to put His foot, no place from which to work. He must gain a group of people who are learning to cooperate with Him.
We must be those who realize that, on one hand, we are allotted a portion of the all-inclusive Christ for our enjoyment, but on the other hand, we need to bring in the kingdom of God on earth.
On one hand, we need to labor on Christ to produce Christ and exhibit Christ in the meetings for His expression.
God’s eternal purpose is to have a corporate expression of the Triune God in Christ constituted into millions of redeemed, regenerated, and glorified believers.
But in order for there to be such a glorious expression, there must be a realm in which He can be expressed.
In the coming age, that will be the whole earth as the kingdom of the heavens manifested.
But today we need to realize that we should not only enjoy the Lord to express Him but also bring in His kingdom for Him to be manifested and glorified.
The children of Israel were brought out of Egypt and through the wilderness, where they built the tabernacle for God; then they entered into the good land, and every tribe was allotted a portion of the land so that God might have a kingdom on earth (Joshua 13:1-22:34).
Yes, God desires to have a house for His rest and dwelling among His people, but the house is not the ultimate goal; because there is an enemy, God wants to gain His kingdom.
The New Testament opens with the gospel of Matthew, the gospel of the kingdom, and the gospel preached in this book is the gospel of the kingdom (Matt. 3:2; 4:23; 9:35; 24:14).
Today many Christians preach the gospel of peace and of grace, and some even preach the heavenly mansions and salvation from hell; what the New Testament starts with is the gospel of the kingdom.
God needs to have a kingdom so that He may have an expression. In the book of Judges, we see little to no expression of God because there is no kingdom set up; rather, each one did what was right in their own eyes.
However, in 1 Samuel we see how God raised up Hannah, who bore Samuel, who brought in the king with the kingdom.
David was brought in and initiated into his position and function through Samuel, who was the issue of the desperate prayer of Hannah, a female seeker of God.
In contrast to the miserable situation in Judges, in 1 Samuel with Hannah and Samuel and later David we see how the kingdom of God is being brought in.
There was a great and desperate need for someone like Samuel to turn the age to the age of the kingdom; he was a Nazarite, a priest, a prophet, and a judge.
As such a one, he could bring in the king and set up the kingdom. For all this to happen, there was a crucial need for the Divine Trinity; only the Trinity could work this out.
What we see in the books of 1 and 2 Samuel is a detailed and fine revelation of the Divine Trinity.
May we be those who cooperate with God in this age for the bringing in of the kingdom of God on earth for Him to have a realm to express Himself and to be glorified.
Lord Jesus, gain us as those who pray for the bringing in of the kingdom of God. We want to not only enjoy our allotted portion of the all-inclusive Christ and build the church as the house of God but also cooperate with You to bring in the kingdom of God! Amen, Lord, we need the Divine Trinity in our experience for the bringing in of the kingdom of God. Gain a sphere in which You are expressed and glorified. Oh Lord, may Your intention be fulfilled; may You gain the realm in which You can do whatever You want to do. Make us those who take possession of and enjoy the all-inclusive Christ, and also make us those who cooperate with You for the bringing in of the kingdom of God!
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Sources of inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, a sharing by brother Ron Kangas, and portions from, Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1983, vol. 3, “The Divine Trinity as Revealed in the Holy Word,” chs. 1, 3, 8-10, as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Crystallization Study of 1 and 2 Samuel (2021 winter training), week 1, entitled, The Central Thought of and the Divine Trinity as Revealed in 1 and 2 Samuel.
- Hymns on this topic:
– O how blessed is the priest’s life, / Christ to him is all in all: / All His clothing, food, and dwelling, / And His portion therewithal. / All his portion, all his living, / Everything the priests possess- / All is Christ and Christ forever, / In His all-inclusiveness. (Hymns #911)
– O Lord, we’ve seen Your purpose to bring the many sons / To share in Your full glory and see Your kingdom come. / We praise You, Lord, this glory is You, Yourself within, / Spread out in all Your people to shine in all of them. (Hymns #1290)
– God’s Kingdom on the earth is now / His sovereign government within; / ’Tis Christ Himself in us to live / As Lord and King to rule and reign. (Hymns #942)
