The Community of the Kingdom of Heaven

THE COMMUNITY OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN

By: Irnawan Silitonga

Summary: The community of the Kingdom of Heaven consists of born-again Christians who long for the establishment of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth, so that the Father’s will may be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Call to action: Learn to function as members of the organic church who become instruments for bringing the Kingdom of Heaven to earth.

Genesis 1:1 declares, “In the beginning Elohim created the heavens and the earth.” Elohim had a definite plan in creating all things. When He said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness, and let them have dominion over all the earth,” His intention was that man, who bears His image and likeness, would be entrusted with the authority to rule the earth. The focus of Elohim is this earth. Yet, many Christians today have their focus set on heaven. Denominational pews are filled with people whose only goal is to “go to heaven.” Preachers often cry out, “Believe in Jesus and you will go to heaven.” Added to this is the teaching of the ‘Rapture’, which makes people long to be taken away from this earth to some geographical location somewhere in the universe. All of this stands in contradiction to the divine plan of Elohim.

The will of Elohim is that man should rule the earth. His will is that the Kingdom of Heaven should come upon the earth. His intention is that His will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Philippians 3:20–21 declares, “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body …” Thus, it is from heaven that we await the manifestation of Christ upon this earth. The earth—yes, the earth—is the focus of Elohim.

In the fulfillment of His plan, Elohim placed man in the Garden of Eden to work it and to keep it (Genesis 2:15). Before man could have dominion over the whole earth, God intended that man first exercise authority over the Garden of Eden. His great plan began with something small—such is the way of the Lord. The man whom He placed in the Garden needed to undergo a process in order to be capable of ruling the earth. One of the processes man had to experience was the fall into the realm of death. Many people think that Elohim was surprised when man fell into sin and that He hastily devised a plan of salvation through Jesus Christ. In truth, it was Elohim Himself who ordained it all, as written in Romans 8:20: “For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope.”

Through a long process—from the Garden of Eden, through the fall, and through redemption by Christ Jesus—humanity finally arrives at the New Jerusalem. The New Jerusalem is the Bride of the Lamb (Revelation 21:9–10). It is clearly stated that the New Jerusalem (the Bride of the Lamb) ‘descends from heaven’ (v.10) to reign as kings (Revelation 22:5). Thus the plan of Elohim in Genesis 1:26, as quoted above, is fulfilled: that man should have dominion over the entire earth. The Man Christ Jesus, as King of kings (Revelation 19:16), together with His Bride as kings, shall reign over this earth.

What, then, is the true purpose of the coming of the Lord Jesus to this world? Indeed, it is true that He came that we might have life (‘zoe’) and have it more abundantly (John 10:10). It is also true that He came to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8). The purpose described in John 10:10 relates to the existence of man; whereas the purpose mentioned in 1 John 3:8 concerns the existence of the devil. But what is the purpose of His coming to this world as it relates to His own being? John 18:37 records: “Jesus answered, ‘You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth.’”

Jesus came into the world because He is a King, and He came to bear witness to the truth—truth meaning reality, that is, the true nature of a thing. In other words, He came into the world to reveal what He truly is: a King. He further affirmed that everyone who is of the truth hears His voice (v.37). His Bride consists of those who are of the truth, who hear the voice of Jesus and confess Him as King. Thus, the purpose of Jesus’ coming is to manifest that He is King—and this necessarily implies that He will establish His Kingdom upon the earth.

The deepest purpose of the coming of Jesus, therefore, is that He will establish His Kingdom on this earth. In the end, all the kingdoms of this world shall become the Kingdom of Christ and of His Anointed One, as declared in Revelation 11:15: “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ” (NKJV). This fulfills the prophecy in Daniel 2:44: “And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.”

When Jesus came to the earth, He said, “… I will build My church …” (Matthew 16:18). The term ‘church’ today has been distorted and equated with ‘denomination’. Yet, the meanings of these two terms differ vastly—indeed, as far apart as heaven and earth. Today, many Christians casually refer to the church as a denomination, and a denomination as the church, without a sense of sorrow or conviction, as though it were a trivial matter.

What, then, is the difference between the church and a denomination? The difference is this: the church was founded by Jesus Himself, whereas denominations were founded by men—“Diotrephes-like” leaders (3 John 9). One was established by the “heavenly man,” the other by the “earthly man.” One was built by spiritual men; the other, by men of the flesh. One corresponds to the church of ‘Revelation 12’; the other, to the church of ‘Revelation 17’. When the Lord has revealed to us the difference between the woman in Revelation 12 and the woman in Revelation 17, we will no longer take these two terms lightly, much less treat them as synonymous. We will cease to play with the words church and denomination. The church is the church; a denomination is a denomination. And the purpose of Jesus’ coming was to build His church.

In the New Testament, we find three kinds of communities that are all referred to as ‘church’, although many Christians fail to distinguish among them. Yet Paul makes a distinction in 1 Corinthians 11:16: “But if anyone seems to be contentious, we have no such custom, nor do the churches of God.” Here, Paul clearly differentiates himself from the ‘churches of God’. These churches of God were communities of Jewish believers, of whom the Apostle Peter was the leader. This community we may call the ‘Peter community’—comprised of Jews who had believed in Jesus.

Meanwhile, Paul’s community—called the ‘Body of Christ’—consisted of both Jews and Gentiles, for within the Body of Christ there is no longer any distinction. Later, we see yet another community under the Apostle John, consisting of ‘overcomers’. When John ministered, the church had already fallen through the teachings of Jezebel, Balaam, and the Nicolaitans. Therefore, John called forth the overcomers to represent the fallen church (Revelation 2–3). Thus, within the New Testament we find three communities: the Peter community, the Paul community, and the John community.

Before we examine the difference between the ‘church’ and the ‘Kingdom of Heaven’, we must briefly revisit the matter of the church’s fall. When Paul was about to end his ministry, around A.D. 65–66, he warned the elders at Ephesus that from among them some would arise, speaking perverse things to draw disciples after themselves (Acts 20:30). This was the seed of denominationalism! Certain leaders, with false teachings, would draw believers (the church) unto themselves. The false teachings that gave birth to denominationalism were the doctrines of the Nicolaitans, Jezebel, and Balaam (Revelation 2–3).

We will not discuss those three doctrines in detail here, but through them, the church was torn apart by “ravenous wolves,” fragmented into thousands of denominations. The large denominations today already number around five thousand; if the smaller offshoots are counted, there are about ten thousand—and the number continues to multiply. Why? Because the “ravenous wolves” remain and continue to multiply in every generation. Those leaders who have divided the church into thousands of denominations will one day stand before the Head of the Church, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, to give account for their deeds before the judgment seat of Christ. May we never be among them!

How, then, is the relationship between the church (the communities of Peter, Paul, and John) and the Kingdom of Heaven—also called the Kingdom of God? The Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of God are two terms that carry the same meaning, for in the New Testament they are used interchangeably. The Kingdom of Heaven points to the Kingdom that is in heaven—a realm higher than the earthly dimension—whereas the Kingdom of God refers to the Kingdom belonging to God.

The Kingdom of Heaven cannot be seen with physical eyes, while the church can be seen with physical eyes. To enter the Kingdom of Heaven—in the sense of experiencing and abiding in this higher spiritual dimension—requires perfected faith. However, to become a member of the church requires only faith in Jesus (receiving the life of Christ). The Kingdom of Heaven has not yet come in its fullness upon the earth, but the church has already come fully into existence on the earth. Yet, because the church has been divided into thousands of denominations, the true church can no longer be seen with the natural eye.

If the church had never been divided, in a city such as Jakarta, for example, there would be only one church—the church in Jakarta. But today, that one church has been fragmented, and its members (those who are born again) are scattered among the various denominations that exist within the city.

To understand why the church is now invisible, we must comprehend the distinction between the woman in Revelation 12 and the woman in Revelation 17. Because of the fall of the church, as described in Revelation chapters 2 and 3, the church came to be represented by these two symbols—two women.

The first woman is seen ‘in heaven’ and cannot be perceived by the natural eye (Revelation 12:1). The second woman, however, sits upon ‘many waters’ (Revelation 17:1)—and the many waters symbolize multitudes of people—and therefore she is visible to the natural eye. This second woman represents the denominations in which the majority of God’s people are found today.

Thus, the denominations that we see outwardly with our physical eyes are not the true church. A denomination is a religious organization within which the people of God may be present, but as the manifestation of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth draws near, the Lord’s command is clear: ‘Come out of her, My people’ (Revelation 18:4).

If that is so, where then is the church? The church is the people of God upon this earth who take no part in the doctrines of Jezebel, the Nicolaitans, and Balaam. The church is symbolized by the woman in Revelation 12. The church cannot be seen with the natural eye, for only those who dwell ‘in the heavens’ (spiritually speaking) are able to perceive her.

We will not go into a detailed exposition of the characteristics of the woman in Revelation 12 and the woman in Revelation 17, but one thing is certain—their final destinies are entirely different. The first woman gives birth to a ‘man-child’—the ‘overcomer’—who will rule over the nations; whereas the second woman receives the judgment of Elohim (Revelation 17). For the purpose of our present discussion, we may therefore conclude that the community of the Kingdom of Heaven is the church symbolized by the woman in Revelation 12.

Let us now turn to the matter of entering the Kingdom of Heaven. We know that the Kingdom of Heaven is ‘within us’. The Greek term ENTOS, which appears twice in the New Testament—Luke 17:21 and Matthew 23:25—has been translated differently in the Indonesian Bible. Yet we know that the meaning of any word is determined by its context. In Matthew 23:25, ENTOS clearly means ‘within’. Therefore, the translation ‘among’ in Luke 17:21 is inaccurate. In many English versions of the Bible, Luke 17:21 reads, “The kingdom of God is within you.” Hence, the Kingdom of Heaven truly is within us.

If we observe the context of Luke 17:21, we see that the Lord Jesus was speaking to the Pharisees who opposed Him. This means that even within those Pharisees who resisted Jesus, the Kingdom of Heaven was within them. Yet they did not experience or perceive the presence of that Kingdom within themselves. The Kingdom of Heaven within them had no effect upon them. The Kingdom was within them, but they were not within the Kingdom. This means that they had not yet ‘entered’ the Kingdom of Heaven.

Thus, although the Kingdom of Heaven exists within every person, if one rejects Jesus as King, he has not entered into the Kingdom of Heaven, even though the Kingdom is within him. How, then, does one enter the Kingdom of Heaven? Many Bible teachers claim that it is ‘by faith alone’. Preachers often proclaim, “Believe in Jesus and you will enter heaven.” Yet the apostle Peter writes that faith must be ‘added to’— “…make every effort to add to your faith … For in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.” (2 Peter 1:5–11).

Faith must be perfected by works that arise from faith and are pleasing to God (James 2:22). Jesus is both the author and the perfecter of faith (Hebrews 12:2). Therefore, faith must be perfected in order for us to be granted full access into the Kingdom of Heaven. Yet, in the end, all depends upon the Father’s good pleasure. Blessed are we if the Father is pleased to give it to us (Luke 12:32).

Returning now to the matter of the community of the Kingdom of Heaven—we have seen that this community is symbolized by the woman of Revelation 12. We also know that from this woman is born a ‘man-child’, who will shepherd and rule all nations. Thus, the community of the Kingdom of Heaven will, in due time, bring forth the sons of Elohim who shall reign with the Lord Jesus upon the earth.

When the community of the Kingdom of Heaven “gives birth” to the man-child—that is, when the sons of Elohim are manifested—then the Kingdom of Heaven will have ‘come’ to the earth. When the sons of Elohim are revealed, the coming of Jesus to the earth will take place through them, for the purpose of restoring all things (Romans 8:19–21).

Jesus will not come in a physical, geographical descent from a visible sky, nor will He rapture the saints to a place away from the earth. The Kingdom of Heaven must be established on this earth. Jesus will come in and through His saints. The saints must reign on this earth. This is the plan of the Father.

Why must the Kingdom of Heaven be established upon the earth? Why must the sons of Elohim rule the earth? It is for the restoration of all things—for as Isaiah 9:7 declares: “Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end …” (NKJV). The Kingdom of Heaven on earth will continually expand without end until every knee bows and every tongue confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord. John 12:32 further affirms: “… and I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.”

Through whom will Jesus draw all men to Himself? Through the Kingdom of Heaven on earth, where the sons of Elohim reign with Him. Romans 5:19 declares: “For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.”

It is thus clear that the Kingdom of Heaven on earth will conquer the kingdom of darkness. Light will continually increase ‘without end’, overcoming darkness. Life will swallow up death. Remember, dear brothers and sisters, the ‘wages of sin is death’—not eternal hell. Do not alter the Word of God! And death will be swallowed up by life.

Hallelujah! We shall become kings upon the earth, reigning together with the Lord Jesus, the King of kings. We shall restore all things by the power of the King above all kings. Though the community of the Kingdom of Heaven is now but a ‘little flock’, do not be disheartened, beloved brethren. We are more than conquerors. Hallelujah! Amen.