In 2 Tim. 4:18 Paul said that the Lord will save him into His heavenly kingdom; this kingdom equals the crown of righteousness, and in this kingdom, the overcoming believers will participate, for it is the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens. Amen!
Our hope and yearning today is the Lord’s second coming with His kingdom.
So today we live in the light of the Lord’s imminent return, loving His appearing, so that when He returns He will reward us with the kingdom reward. Amen!
For us to be rewarded by the Lord with the crown of righteousness, the crown of life, we need to live Christ today, for we need to cooperate with the Lord to live out Christ as our subjective righteousness.
In Rev. 19:8 we are told that the fine linen of the bride is the righteousnesses of the saints.
On one hand, Christ Himself is our righteousness covering us before God, and in Christ, we have become the righteousness of God, for He covers us completely with Himself as our objective righteousness.
On the other hand, there are these righteousnesses of the saints, which are the righteous works done by the saints after they are regenerated.
What are these righteousnesses?
They are not our works done according to the law but our living out of Christ.
In all our situations, in our environment, and wherever the Lord has placed us, we can and should live Christ.
We need to live one spirit with the Lord so that He may live in us.
The lived-out Christ is our many righteousnesses.
We do not live out a deliberate way to express to others something that looks like God’s expression according to His word, nor do we have an inward check, What Would Jesus Do right now?
Rather, we cooperate with the inner working of the Holy Spirit to have Christ “embroidered” into our being to be our embroidered garment, the wedding garment.
Day by day the Spirit works in us and around us to arrange all things to consume our outer man, renew our inner man, and have Christ lived out of us.
We have to acknowledge, however, that so many times we fail to live Christ.
After we go through a certain situation and we simply react to what is happening, and then we have a time with the Lord, we realize how we missed the opportunity to live Christ. So we repent, return to the Lord, and deepen our dependence on Him.
We want to depend on Him to such an extent that, whatever happens, it will be Christ who lives in us.
We want to be so one with the Lord that, no matter what others say or do to us, we live Christ, and there will be the subjective righteousnesses lived out in us as our living out of Christ.
May we all have this experience day by day so that, when the Lord returns, we will be rewarded by Him with the crown of righteousness.
The Lord will Save us into His Heavenly Kingdom, which will be a Reward to the Overcoming Saints
![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. Eph. 5:5 For in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly [and] bountifully supplied to you. 2 Pet. 1:11](https://i0.wp.com/www.agodman.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/For-this-you-realize-knowing-that-every-fornicator-or-unclean-person-or-greedy-person-who-is-an-idolater-has-no-inheritance-in-the-kingdom-683x1024.jpg?resize=400%2C600&ssl=1 "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. Eph. 5:5 For in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly [and] bountifully supplied to you. 2 Pet. 1:11")
Paul was such a good pattern to us in our Christian life. We may not go through the same sufferings, persecution, and imprisonment he went through, but we need to have the same spirit and attitude as he had, for he was shown mercy by the Lord to be a pattern to those who believe.
It was only at the end of his life, in his last epistle, that he was assured that he finished the course, kept the faith, and the Lord will reward him with the crown of righteousness (2 Pet. 4:8).
Furthermore, he was assured that the Lord will save us into His heavenly kingdom (v. 18).
Here was a man who was in prison, not certain of his future, but he lived out Christ so much and was so one with the Lord that he knew that the Lord will save him into His heavenly kingdom.
We need to live one spirit with the Lord, in the light of His presence, and have His appearing day by day so that the Lord would deliver us from every evil work and save us into His heavenly kingdom. Amen!
What is the heavenly kingdom into which the Lord will save us?
The heavenly kingdom equals the crown of righteousness spoken of by Paul in v. 8, and is also “the kingdom of My Father” (26:29), “the kingdom of Christ and of God” (Eph. 5:5), and “the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Pet. 1:11), which will be a reward to the overcoming saints (Rev. 20:4).
This is the coming kingdom as a reward to the believers in Christ who overcome.
The Lord Jesus promised the kingdom as a reward in the New Testament.
He said that the righteous will shine forth like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.
God is our Father, and He has a kingdom that is prepared for those who overcome; in this kingdom, the righteous will shine forth like the sun.
Our receiving the kingdom as a reward depends on whether we are righteous or not.
To be righteous doesn’t mean that we’re righteous in our own eyes; rather, it is to have Christ as our objective righteousness before God and even more, to have Christ as our lived-out righteousness, even the righteousnesses in a subjective way.
In Matt. 26:29 we are told that the Lord Jesus will not drink of the product of the vine until He will drink it anew with His overcoming believers in the kingdom of His Father.
![And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given to them. And [I saw] the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and [of] [those] who had not worshipped the beast nor his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. Rev. 20:4](https://i0.wp.com/www.agodman.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/And-I-saw-thrones-and-they-sat-upon-them-and-judgment-was-given-to-them-683x1024.jpg?resize=400%2C600&ssl=1 "And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given to them. And [I saw] the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and [of] [those] who had not worshipped the beast nor his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. Rev. 20:4")
The heavenly kingdom is the kingdom of the Father, which will be a reward to the believers in Christ who overcome in this age.
In this kingdom no fornicator or unclean or greedy person has any inheritance, for this is the kingdom of Christ and of God (Eph. 5:5).
To be in His heavenly kingdom we cannot be unclean persons, greedy persons (who are idolaters), or fornicators; rather, we need to have a surpassing righteousness, Christ as our lived-out righteousness.
May we be those who will receive rich and bountiful entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Pet. 1:11).
May we develop the virtues in the divine nature so that, at the Lord’s return, we will be richly and bountifully supplied with the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
In this kingdom the overcoming saints will live and reign with Christ for a thousand years (Rev. 20:4).
They are so one with Christ in this age, living out Christ as their subjective righteousness, that they receive the heavenly kingdom as a reward at the Lord’s coming back.
May we be such ones today so that we may be the overcoming saints who gain the Lord’s heavenly kingdom as a reward!
Lord Jesus, we want to gain the heavenly kingdom as our reward! Make us Your overcoming believers today, those who overcome daily by living Christ for the manifestation of God. Save us from expressing ourselves or living out our own righteousness which is out of the law. May You live in us today. May You be expressed through us today. Amen, Lord, keep us walking in the light today until we shine like the sun in the kingdom of our Father when the Lord Jesus returns. Save us from any uncleanness and greediness. We want to live one spirit with You today so that we may develop the virtues of the divine nature in our daily living. May we be richly and bountifully supplied the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen, Lord Jesus, we want to gain the heavenly kingdom as a reward! Produce us as Your overcomers in this age!
The Overcoming Believers will Participate in the Heavenly Kingdom – the Manifestation of the Kingdom of the Heavens
In Matt. 7:21 the Lord Jesus said that not everyone who says to Him, Lord, Lord, will enter into the kingdom of the heavens, but he who does the will of His father.
In other words, for us to enter into the kingdom of the heavens, we need two things: first, we need to call on the name of the Lord to be born of God and be part of the kingdom of God, and second, we need to do the will of our heavenly Father.
When we call on the name of the Lord Jesus, we are saved (Rom. 10:14); however, if we want to enter into the kingdom of the heavens, we also need to do the will of our heavenly Father.
Both are required if we want to enter into the kingdom of the heavens.
Regarding the kingdom of the heavens, there are three aspects: the reality of the kingdom, the appearance of the kingdom, and the manifestation of the kingdom.
The reality of the kingdom of the heavens is seen in Matt. 5-7, the living out of the kingdom people doing the righteous deeds of the kingdom in the church life today.
In the church life we need to live the kingdom life, that is, we need to live in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens.
In our personal life, in the church life, in our family life, at the office, and wherever we are, we need to live in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens by living by the divine life and nature in our spirit.
We are children of our heavenly Father, and His life and nature are in us; we need to live by the divine life and according to the divine nature so that we may be rewarded by the Lord with His heavenly kingdom at His coming.
The appearance of the kingdom of the heavens is seen in Matt. 13; it is what Christianity has become today, a great tree (instead of a small herb) having a lot of evil things (signified by the birds) in it.
It is like a dough that has leaven in it and becomes something big, pleasant to taste, nice to try, but with a lot of evil things inside it. Oh, Lord Jesus!
The manifestation of the kingdom will be the practical coming of the kingdom of the heavens in power, as revealed by the Lord Jesus in Matt. 24-25.
However, in order for us to enter into the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens, we need to live in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens in the church life today.
Only the victorious believers, the overcoming believers, will be rewarded with the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens.
When the Lord Jesus returns, He will rapture the overcoming believers and will reward them with His heavenly kingdom, the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens.
In this kingdom, the overcoming believers will be the sons of the kingdom (13:38) and will shine like the sun, for they have the surpassing righteousness (5:20).
They lived out Christ in their daily living, and the indwelling Christ was lived out of them so that they live in the reality of the kingdom today to enter into its manifestation in the future. Amen!
![And He took a cup and gave thanks, and He gave [it] to them, saying, Drink of it, all [of you,] For this is My blood of the covenant, which is being poured out for many for forgiveness of sins. But I say to you, I shall by no means drink of this product of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in the kingdom of My Father. Matt. 26:27-29](https://i0.wp.com/www.agodman.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/And-He-took-a-cup-and-gave-thanks-and-He-gave-it-to-them-saying-Drink-of-it-all-of-you-For-this-is-My-blood-of-the-covenant-683x1024.jpg?resize=400%2C600&ssl=1 "And He took a cup and gave thanks, and He gave [it] to them, saying, Drink of it, all [of you,] For this is My blood of the covenant, which is being poured out for many for forgiveness of sins. But I say to you, I shall by no means drink of this product of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in the kingdom of My Father. Matt. 26:27-29")
We today are sons of God our Father, and our God is light (1 John 1:5; 1 Tim. 6:16).
We shine as luminaries in the world by holding forth the word of life and by allowing Christ, who is light, to shine in us and through us.
In the millennium, the overcoming believers will enjoy the Father as light and will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Amen!
In this dark age today we need to be the stars in the Lord’s hands, receiving His instant speaking, His prophetic word, so that we may be heavenly bodies who shine with Christ as the light.
If we do this today, on that day we will no longer be a start but we will shine forth as the sun, because morning has come! Hallelujah!
Furthermore, in the heavenly part of the millennium, the overcoming believers will drink the cup of the new covenant anew with the Lord, as He promised in Matt. 26:29.
As He was establishing the Lord’s table in Matt. 26:26-30, the Lord made it clear that, from the time He established the table He would be physically away from the believers and would not drink the product of the vine with them until He drinks it anew with them in the Father’s kingdom.
Hallelujah, after the Lord’s coming back, He will drink the cup of the new covenant anew with the overcoming believers.
Today we drink the cup at the Lord’s Table to remember the Lord, and we aspire to be the Lord’s overcomers who will drink this cup anew in His heavenly kingdom when He returns!
Lord Jesus, we want to live in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens in the church life today. Amen, Lord, keep us in our spirit in all the details of our daily living. We want to live one with You, even to let You live in us a life of surpassing righteousness. We simply open to You. We come to You. Shine on us. Shine in us. Shine through us. Fill us with Yourself. Live in us today. May we be the victorious believers who live in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens today and who will be rewarded with the manifestation of the kingdom at Your return. Oh Lord, save us from merely having the appearance of the kingdom of the heavens but without its reality. Bring us into the reality. May the indwelling Christ be lived out of us so that we may live in the reality of the kingdom today and enter into its manifestation in the future. Amen, Lord Jesus, we aspire to be Your overcoming believers in this age who will rule, reign, and feast with You in the millennium! We love You, Lord Jesus, and we love Your appearing!
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Inspiration for this article/sharing comes from the Word of God, the enjoyment in the ministry, a sharing by the brothers in the message for this week, and portions from, The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 20009-2011 (by Witness Lee), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Fighting the Good Fight, Finishing the Course, Keeping the Faith, and Loving the Lord’s Appearing in Order to Receive the Reward of Christ as the Crown of Righteousness (2024 ICSC), week 5, Receiving the Kingdom Reward of Christ as the Crown of Righteousness.
- Similar articles on this topic:
– The Kingdom in the Acts, in the Epistles, and in Revelation, a portion from, The Kingdom, Chapter 1, by Witness Lee.
– The Principle of the Overcomers and the Principle of Prayer, via, Living to Him.
– Concerning Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation, What Our Attitude Should Be – Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Read more via, Shepherding Words.
– What is the kingdom of God? Read more via, Holding to Truth in Love.
– What is the Kingdom? Read more via, The Hearing of Faith.
– The believers’ reigning in the kingdom as unveiled in the book of Revelation, article by David Yoon in, Affirmation and Critique.
– The Kind of Person the Lord Can Use to Turn the Age, via, Shepherding Words.
– The kingdom of God, a portion from, The Kingdom, Chapter 8, by Witness Lee.
– What is an Overcomer? Read more via, Hearing of Faith newsletter.
– The kingdom reward, a portion from, Lesson Book, Level 4: Life—Knowing and Experiencing Life, Chapter 19, by Witness Lee.
– The organic rewards to the overcomers in the seven churches in Revelation, article by John Pester in, Affirmation and Critique. - Hymns on this topic:
– ’Tis by His ruling from within / His fulness vast is testified; / ’Tis when His inner kingdom rules / His Body’s blessed and edified. / ’Tis by His heav’nly rule within / As heav’nly citizens we live; / ’Tis by submission to His rule / Expression of His reign we give. / Here in this heav’nly realm we live, / And with this heav’nly pow’r possessed / We walk and fight in heav’nly light / Until the Kingdom’s manifest. (Hymns #942 stanzas 5-7)
– O Lord, give us grace for Thy Kingdom to live, / To be trained that Thou may the reward to us give; / Make the Kingdom’s reality our exercise, / That its manifestation may be our great prize. (Hymns #947 stanza 7)
– The Heav’nly Kingdom e’en requires / That we as God should perfect be; / This standard we must fully meet / That we may share its ecstasy. / The Kingdom is the reign of God; / To match His nature is required; / ’Tis only by the life of God / The Kingdom’s entry is acquired. / The Kingdom is the rule of heav’n; / With heaven’s state we must accord; / ’Tis only by the life of heav’n / That we may share it with the Lord. (Hymns #943 stanzas 6-8)
About aGodMan
![Therefore we do not lose heart; but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner [man] is being renewed day by day. 2 Cor. 4:16](https://i0.wp.com/agodman.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Therefore-we-do-not-lose-heart-but-though-our-outer-man-is-decaying-yet-our-inner-man-is-being-renewed-day-by-day.jpg?fit=178%2C100&ssl=1)
The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 2009-2011, by Witness Lee
Matt. 7:21, footnote 1, Recovery Version Bible
For us to enter into the kingdom of the heavens, we need to call on the name of the Lord and do the will of our heavenly Father.
May we live in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens today in the church life so that, when the Lord returns, He will reward us with the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens in the millennium.
Amen, may our righteousness be a surpassing righteousness, Christ lived out of us, so that we may shine like the sun in the kingdom of our Father!
Amen, brother.
We are those who call on the name of the Lord Jesus and do the will of the Father.
Amen Lord, do this in us for Your glory!!
Oh brother, those who shine as the sun are the sons of the kingdom as the righteous.
These ones will have the surpassing righteousness.
They will be righteous to such an extent their entire being will shine.
Amen!
We open ourselves to You again moment by moment.
Praise the Lord! 🙌😃🙋🏼
https://youtu.be/rn3qYGfbNn4?si=HVNdSXdGc0l7Up6G
To enter into the kingdom of the heavens, we need to call on the Lord and do the will of the Heavenly Father.
Today, we may live in the reality of the kingdom in the local churches.
If we proceed to live an overcoming life, we will be in the manifestation of the kingdom of God in the future.
We are being offered a great prize.
May we seize the day and take the kingdom forcefully.
If we live in the reality of the kingdom today, we have the assurance of entering into the manifestation of the kingdom at Christ’s coming.
If, by the Lord’s grace and mercy we become the Lord’s overcomers, we will participate in the heavenly kingdom, the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens; we will shine forth like the sun in the kingdom of our Father; and we will drink the cup of the new covenant anew with our Lord. Wow, such privileges!!!
Dear brother, for us to participate in the manifestation of the Kingdom of the Heavens, the Kingdom of our Father, we need to be those today who call on the name of the Lord and do the will of our Father according to the indwelling Christ as the Spirit in us.
The manifestation of the Kingdom, will be the reward – the crown of righteousness – to the overcoming saints who in live in the reality of the Kingdom today by living Christ as their subjective righteousness.
Such ones will then shine forth like the sun in the millennium for the glory of God!
07/19/24 Receiving the Kingdom Reward of Christ as the Crown of Righteousness (Week 5, Day 5)
In 2 Timothy 4:18, Paul 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.” Paul’s speaking concerning the Lord delivering him from every evil work and saving me into His heavenly kingdom does not refer concerning his salvation from the Lake of Fire, but it refers to His salvation from the Outer Darkness. Paul knew that there are two aspects of salvation with two aspects of the kingdom:
1.) Salvation from the eternal perdition in the Lake of Fire and be able to enter into the Kingdom of God, which is by grace through faith (Eph 2:28), and
2.) Salvation from the weeping and gnashing of teeth in the Outer Darkness and be able to enter into the Kingdom if the Heavens, which is by works of righteousness through our living Christ.
Because we, all, are constituted with sin, we are destined for eternal perdition into the Lake of Fire. But because of God’s love, mercy, and grace, through His death on the cross, Christ accomplished the objective righteousness for us, such that, by believing into Him (by faith), we are spontaneously saved from being cast into the Lake of Fire, and instead, we are brought into the Kingdom of God.
To be in the Kingdom of God is not the end of our salvation. We, the believers in Christ, although are already in the Kingdom of God, still need to enter into the second aspect of the kingdom, which is, the Kingdom of the Heavens or the Heavenly Kingdom for, which, we need to be saved from being cast into the Outer Darkness.
To enter into the Kingdom of God is only by grace through our faith in Jesus Christ (Eph 2:8). Christ did all the work of redemption and we just need to believe into Him. But to enter into the second aspect of the kingdom, the Heavenly Kingdom, we need the subjective righteousness of Christ to be lived out by us (Phil 2:12).
In order for us to live out the subjective righteousness of Christ is by calling on His name continually and by doing the will of the heavenly Father. Because God’s enemy, Satan, and his rebellious angels are constantly tempting us, hindering us, and stumbling us, we need to fight the good fight for the faith, we need to run and finish the racecourse, and we need to keep the faith. This implies that to be saved into the second aspect of salvation for us to enter into the Kingdom of the Heavens is a matter of reward to those overcoming believers.
Aside from the two aspects of the kingdom, the Kingdom if the Heavens also has three aspects:
Both the reality and the appearance of the kingdom of the heavens are with the church today. The reality of the kingdom of the heavens is the proper church life (Rom 14:17), which is within the appearance of the kingdom of the heavens, known as Christendom. The manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens will be the heavenly part of the coming millennial kingdom. Only the victorious, overcoming believers are in the reality of the Kingdom of the Heavens, and shall receive as their reward, the Heavenly Kingdom (Rev 20:4).
The Heavenly Kingdom, which equals the Crown of righteousness, is also:
a.) the Kingdom of their Father (Mat 13:43),
b.) the Kingdom of My Father (Mat 26:29),
c.) the Kingdom of Christ and if God (Eph 5:5), and
d.) the Eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2Pet 1:11).
Today, in the church age, the believers are shining as lamps; in the coming age, the Kingdom age, the overcomers will shine as the sun (Mat 13:43b). Being sons of God, we have Him as light, shining from within our innermost being (1John 1:5; 1Tim 8:16).
By living out Christ as the surpassing righteousness, this divine light will flow outwardly from within our spirit into our inward parts, causing us to shine brighter and brighter until the Full Day (the Thousand-Year Kingdom) and to become the shining overcomers to shine as the sun, in the coming age, the age of the Kingdom, the Heavenly Kingdom (Mat 5:20). As the shining sun, we, the overcomers, shall inherit and enter into the Kingdom of the Heavens, and shall be called the sons of the Kingdom (Mat 13:38).
Listen to the audio version of this article via,
YouTube:
https://youtu.be/E9CWj8Xib1I
Rumble:
https://rumble.com/v57jzjp-the-overcoming-believers-will-participate-in-the-heavenly-kingdom.html
Amen, it’s no longer I who live but Christ in me, the hope of glory!