Solomon’s splendid kingdom, with his prosperity under the rich blessing of God, is a type of Christ’s kingdom in the millennium; we need to grow in life unto maturity so that we may reign as kings in life in this age and be the co-kings with Christ in the next age to rule over the nations. Amen!
This week we come to the fourth major crystal in the Crystallization study of 1 and 2 Kings, Solomon’s Splendid Kingdom Typifying Christ’s Kingdom in the Millennium.
We want to see how, in the light of God’s economy, the splendid kingdom of Solomon typifies the kingdom of Christ in the millennium.
We don’t necessarily want to study all the details of the splendid kingdom of Solomon, though it was very great and many details are amazing; we want to see how the type of that kingdom points to the real kingdom which is the kingdom of Christ in the millennium.
We have not covered this matter, the kingdom of Christ, for a long time; we need to see a complete and clear vision concerning the matter of the kingdom.
On one hand, we need to see the truth and the details related to the kingdom of Christ in its coming manifestation. on the other hand, we need to exercise our spirit and enter into the reality of this kingdom today in the church life.
Through prayer over the word of God and our inward cooperation day by day, we can enter into the reality of the kingdom today, living the kingdom life in the church life.
The kingdom is a central matter in God’s economy, for the kingdom of God is not merely something physical, something in terms of arrangement and order but the kingdom is the wonderful person of Christ, who is the centre and reality of God’s economy.
Jesus Christ, the kingdom of God, came in His incarnation to sow Himself as the seed of the kingdom into us, His believers.
Now we need to allow Him as the seed of the kingdom to grow and develop to bring forth a realm in which God can rule and reign in His divine life.
This is the proper understanding of the kingdom, not the view of some outward setup with some rank and order.
The kingdom of God is the wonderful person of Jesus Christ who comes as the seed of the kingdom to sow Himself into us.
Day by day, whether we are awake or asleep, the seed of the kingdom grows and develops in us, making us kingdom people.
Christ Himself is the King, and we are the “-dom”; together, we are the “king-dom” of God.
May we cooperate with God for the expansion and spreading of His kingdom in our being so that there would be a realm in us where He can carry out His rule and reign in this universe.
Solomon’s Splendid Kingdom is a Type of Christ’s Kingdom in the Millennium
Solomon’s splendid kingdom, with his prosperity under the rich blessing of God, is a type of Christ’s kingdom in the millennium (1 Kings 4:20-5:18).
Chapters 9 and 10 in the book of 1 Kings portray the highest peak of Solomon’s glory among the nations.
David ruled and reigned over Israel, and he fought the wars of God; after him, Solomon ruled and reigned in peace, and God gave him wisdom how to go out and come in before God’s people.
Solomon was glorified in the kingdom of Israel with the splendour of that kingdom; this is a prefigure of Christ in the millennium.
Solomon had dominion over all the kings west of the River Euphrates, and he had peace on all sides around him.
And Judah and Israel dwelt securely, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan to Beer-sheba, throughout all Solomon’s days.
Solomon is a type of Christ; Christ is the real Solomon, for Christ as the Son of David is greater than Solomon.
Solomon built the temple of God and he also spoke the word of wisdom, based on the wisdom that God gave him.
The Gentile queen came to him (1 Kings 6:2; 10:1-8), and she was amazed when she saw his wisdom and his kingdom.
This also is a type of Christ, for He is the One who builds up the church, the real temple of God, and He speaks the words of wisdom.
Christ is the real Architect and Builder of the House of God, the church, and He makes the church become the temple of God.
Christ also speaks the word of wisdom, and to Him, the Gentile seekers turn. What a Christ!
If we read the details of Solomon’s splendid kingdom in 1 Kings 4:20-5:18 we will be amazed to see the prosperity of Solomon and the people of Israel under the rich blessing of God.
God richly blessed Solomon, and his splendid kingdom was a type of the kingdom of Christ in the millennium.
During the millennium all the nations will come to Christ; in Solomon’s case, only some of the nations came to him, but in the millennium, all nations will come to Christ.
Under the reign of Solomon, the people of Judah and Israel were increasing and enjoying a life of riches, peace, and pleasure.
They were as numerous as the sand that is by the sea in multitude, and they were just eating, drinking, and rejoicing.
This is a type of what will happen in Christ’s kingdom in the millennium, where there will be real peace and prosperity and rejoicing.
The dominion of Solomon extended from the great river Euphrates to the land of the Philistines (at the seashore of the Mediterranean Sea) and to the border of Egypt; this was the fulfilment of the promise of God to His elect Israel (Gen. 15:18; Exo. 23:31; Deut. 11:24).
All the nations brought him tribute (1 Kings 4;21, 24), and this was a positive factor for the people to regard Solomon and accept him.
Solomon’s splendid kingdom is a type of Christ’s kingdom in the millennium, which will last not only for a few years as in Solomon’s case but for one thousand years.
Christ is the real Solomon, and He is even greater than Solomon. Solomon prayed to God (1 Kings 8:22-53) and promised him that He would establish his throne forever (9:1-9).
It was God who made Solomon prosperous, and Solomon’s enjoyment of the God-given land reached the highest level through his God-given gift of wisdom.
Christ is greater than Solomon, and in His kingdom in the millennium there will be the real joy, prosperity, and peace, and Christ will rule over the nations together with His co-kings, the overcomers in Christ.
Lord Jesus, we praise You as the one who is the real Solomon, even the One who is greater than Solomon! Hallelujah, Christ is the One who builds up the church as the temple of God and the One who speaks the words of wisdom! Praise the Lord, Christ will come with His splendid kingdom in the millennium age, and to Him all the nations will turn! Amen, Lord, we enthrone You in our being today. We say Amen to Your word and we give You the preeminence in all things. You are our King. You are our Lord. Grow in us as the kingdom of God until You make us Your co-kings, those who rule and reign with You in the coming kingdom!
Being Today’s Overcomers who Mature in Life to Reign as Kings in Life in this Age and be Christ’s Co-Kings in the Next Age
We may read the account of Solomon’s splendid kingdom and we may be amazed to see how much he was blessed by God, and how rich his kingdom was.
But we need to realize that, no matter how much God did for Solomon and how much God gave him, God Himself was never wrought into him.
Yes, Solomon was excellent in his knowledge and wisdom given to him by God, but He had nothing to do with God being his life or God being wrought into him.
His outward achievements might have been quite great, but there was no eternal value in these things except being a type of the splendid coming kingdom of Christ.
We believers in Christ are greater than Solomon because we have God in Christ wrought into us to be our life, and we are in the process of becoming the same as God in life and in nature. Hallelujah!
Outwardly we may not have as much as what Solomon had, but within us, there is a reality: we have the Triune God in us, and He is the eternal riches that we possess. Wow!
We may think that we’re not that important, for we may not be the leader of a country or we may not be rich outwardly, but we are the richest people in the universe: we have God in Christ being wrought into our being!
All genuine believers in Christ are born of God to be His children, His kind, and we are the members of God’s family.
All believers in Christ are genuine God-men, those who are becoming God in life and in nature but not in the Godhead. Wow!
We as believers in Christ are the greatest people in the universe, for we have received God into us, and He is working Himself into us to make us the same as He is in life and nature but not in the Godhead.
And our destiny is to rule and reign with Christ as His co-kings. If we cooperate with Him today to be His overcomers who mature in life, we will reign as kings in life in this age and we will be Christ’s co-kings in the next age.
We have received the divine life, and we are to reign as kings in life (Rom. 5:17). Amen!
May we be today’s overcomers, those who reign in life with Christ by allowing Him as grace to rule and reign in us.
May we grow in life unto maturity today so that we may reign as kings in the divine life in this age, being the Lord’s overcomers today who will reign with Him as co-kings in the coming age.
We all will have to mature, sooner or later; may it be sooner rather than later, and may it be in our lifetime rather than in the coming age.
If we grow in life unto maturity in this age, we will reign as kings in life and we will be co-kings with Christ in the next age to rule over the nations.
This is what God wants to gain today: a group of people who are today’s overcomers to rule as kings in life in this age so that, in His splendid coming kingdom, they will rule and reign with Him as co-kings in the millennium.
Amen, we want to be such ones. We want to be those who grow in life unto maturity today so that, when He returns, we would rule and reign with Him over the nations.
We want to be in the reality of the kingdom today, living in the Lord’s manifestation and under His reign in this age so that, when He returns, we would be His co-kings in His splendid kingdom in the millennium.
As we are looking at the reign of Solomon and Solomon’s splendid kingdom in 1 Kings, we want to pay attention to the spiritual application of this matter and learn to be under Christ’s reign today, allowing Him to reign in us and make us those who reign as kings in life.
Thank You, Lord Jesus, for regenerating us with the life of God to make us children of God, members of the church as the Body of Christ! Hallelujah, we are sons of God having His life and nature, and God in Christ is working Himself into us to make us the same as He is in life and nature but not in the Godhead! Praise the Lord, we believers in Christ are the greatest people in the universe, for we have received God into us and He’s continually working Himself into us! Amen, Lord, we open to You today. Reign in us. Make us Your overcomers. Make us those who reign as kings in life in this age so that we may be Your co-kings in the coming age. Rule and reign in us, Lord. We enthrone You in our being. Keep us enjoying You to the uttermost until we reign as kings in life. Amen, Lord, gain in us what You are after!
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Sources of inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, a sharing by brother James Lee in the message, and portions from, Life-study of 1&2 Kings, msg. 7 (by Witness Lee), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Crystallization-study of 1 and 2 Kings (2022 summer training), week 4, entitled, Solomon’s Splendid Kingdom Typifying Christ’s Kingdom in the Millennium.
- Hymns on this topic:
– The Son of God has come to sow / Himself, the seed of life, in man, / That thru Himself God’s Kingdom grow / And thus fulfill th’ eternal plan. (Hymns #945, stanza 1)
– Lo, the glory! Lo, the splendor! / Heaven’s Kingdom manifest! / And its glorious King, our Master, / Is by God’s appointment blest. / Once in flesh He came so lowly, / Hated and despised by man; / Now He comes again in glory / To fulfill the Kingdom plan. (Hymns #946, stanza 1)
– 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. / His life with His authority / Enthrones Him now within our hearts / To govern all our words and deeds / And regulate our inward parts. (Hymns #942, stanzas 1-2)
[Yet] no matter how much God did for Solomon and how much He gave him, Solomon did not have God Himself wrought into him. But we have God in Christ wrought into us that we might be the same as God in life and in nature. We may not have what Solomon had outwardly as a type, but within us there is a reality—the very God in Christ who has wrought Himself into our being. We may regard ourselves as insignificant, but we have God in Christ wrought into us. As those who have been born of God to be God’s children, God’s kind, members of God’s family, we have become God in life and in nature (but not in the Godhead). Life-study of 1 & 2 Kings, pp. 21-22, by Witness Lee
Christ, as the Son of David, as the King, is more than Solomon the king. Solomon built the temple of God and spoke the word of wisdom. To him the Gentile queen came (1 Kings 6:2; 10:1-8). This too was a type of Christ, who is building the church, making it the temple of God, and is speaking the word of wisdom. To Him the Gentile seekers turn. Matt. 12:42, footnote 1
The splendid kingdom of Solomon under God’s rich blessing is a type of the coming splendid kingdom of Christ in the millennium! Hallelujah!
May we grow in life today unto maturity so that we may reign as kings in life in this age for us to be His co-kings in the coming kingdom.
we see that Solomon reigning was the highest peak in glory and splendor this is a typology of Christ but even in all his glory and splendor he did not have God wrought into him
but we today have God wrought into us we have his life and nature and today we can be those who reign in life in this age so that in the next age we will be those who are Co Kings with Christ
Although in Solomon and with his kingdom we see the increase and spread of God’s people who had peace and dwelt securely, as a foretaste of Christ’s reign in the millenial Kingdom, Solomon had wisdom and knowledge but not Christ wrought into him.
In contrast, as those who have God in Christ wrought into us with His life and nature we may reign with Christ as co-kings in that coming Kingdom!
For this we need to mature in life.
We are a unique people. Within us there’s a reality— the very God in Christ Himself.
Matt. 12:42 The queen of the south will rise up in the judgment with this generation and will condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something more than Solomon is here.
Amen Lord, give us the experiences we need in this age to grow and mature in the divine life!
Wow brother did you know that we, the believers in Christ, are the greatest people in the universe? Brother we have received God into us, and He is continuously working Himself into our constitution to make us God in life and in nature (but not in the Godhead).
No matter how much God did for Solomon and how much He gave him, Solomon did not have God Himself wrought into him.
But we have God in Christ wrought into us that we might be the same as God in life and in nature.
This life is a reigning kingly life.
By this life we can reign in life in this age and in the coming age as Christ’s co-kings. Hallelujah
Hallelujah for the unveiling the victorious Christ as the coming King in God’s eternal kingdom. The King of glory is Jehovah of armies, the consummated Triune God embodied in the victorious and coming Christ Jehovah is Jesus and Jesus is the incarnated, crucified, and resurrected Triune God, who is strong in fighting and is victorious.
All the nations, in a general way, are expecting Christ to come, but Christ will not come quickly according to our human concept.
Thus, we need to lift up our heads and await and expect His coming with long endurance.
As we are waiting for Christ the King, we should be those who are always open to His shepherding. Only then we can live under His ruling and reigning. Hallelujah He’s is our Shepherd today and our King in the future. But we can have the foretaste now how to live in the reality of His ruling.
This will qualify us to be His overcomers to possess the entire earth as His kingdom in the future.
Praise the Lord!!! Amen Lord do this in us.