The Kingdom of Heaven; What is it?

by Edward Burbidge.

PREFACE.

There is nothing new in the following pages; except it be that they call popular attention to facts which have been commonly recognised only by scholars.

But I am aware that their contents will appear novel to many; and to remove this idea some extracts are here given from the Commentaries in general use.

1. Bishop Wordsworth on S. Matt. xiii. 3; "This chapter may be described as containing a Divine Treatise on the Church Militant here on earth."

2. Dean Alford on S. Matt. xiii. 52; "The seven Parables compose in their inner depth of connexion, a great united whole, beginning with the first sowing of the Church, and ending with the consummation."

3. The Speaker's Commentary on S. Matt. iii. 2; "It--the Kingdom of Heaven--signifies the promised Kingdom of the Messiah. Hence the expectation of the Messiah is spoken of as a _waiting for the Kingdom of G.o.d_. Our Lord, adopts the expression and frequently employs it to denote His Spiritual Kingdom the Church."

4. Bishop Walsham How (S. P. C. K. Commentary) on S. Matt. iii. 2; "It--the Kingdom of Heaven--is generally used to signify the Kingdom of Christ on earth, the Kingdom of the Gospel, the Church of Christ."

I desire also to remove by antic.i.p.ation a fear that some may feel, lest, in regarding the Gospel as being the good news of the Kingdom of Heaven, the great doctrine of the Atonement should be forgotten. Such an idea is refuted by the words of Holy Scripture. For not only is the Preaching of our Blessed Lord, before He suffered, thus described--see S. Mark i. 14--but also the teaching of S. Paul, in later years, who gloried in knowing only "Jesus Christ and Him crucified"--see Acts xx.

25.

My object has been to provide an answer to two questions.

1. What did our Blessed Lord teach about His Church in His discourses?

2. What is meant by the words of the Creed, "The Holy Catholic Church; the Communion of Saints?"

May these pages help men to gain an intelligent knowledge of that Kingdom, into which our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ has called us.

May they lead many to desire the fulfilment of His last prayer for us before His Pa.s.sion, "That they all may be one." And may every word in this little book, which is not in accordance with G.o.d's will, be pardoned, and overruled to His Glory.

BACKWELL, _August 1879_.

"_Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on ME through their word; that they all may be one; as THOU FATHER art in ME, and I in THEE, that they also may be one in US; that the world may believe that Thou hast sent ME._"--S. John xvii. 20, 21.

"_When THOU hadst overcome the sharpness of death: THOU didst open the KINGDOM OF HEAVEN to all believers._"--Te Deum.

"_THY KINGDOM come._"--S. Matt. vi. 10.

CHAPTER I.

THE KING'S HERALD.

"On Jordan's banks the Baptist's cry Announces that the Lord is nigh; Awake and hearken, for he brings Glad tidings of the King...."

When the Saviour of the world was about to enter upon His public ministry, the Jewish nation was startled with the cry, "The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand" (S. Matt. iii. 2).

Such was G.o.d's call to His people of old time, to prepare themselves to take part in the fulfilment of the promises, on which their faith and hopes were founded. The fulness of the times had come; and Christ, the long-promised and long-expected Saviour and King, was nigh at hand.

And ever since that day, as the good news of the Kingdom has spread from land to land, it has been the portion of the Lord's people to endeavour to realise their high position in that Kingdom, and to discharge their duties loyally to their Heavenly King.

But the words--"The Kingdom of Heaven"--are apt to lead away the thoughts from the present to the future, from this world to a better one. And since men are not in Heaven now, but are surrounded with earthly cares and troubles, there is danger lest they should forget or be ignorant of the intimate connection which these words have with their daily life as Christians, and with its duties, privileges, and blessings.

And yet the practical importance of this subject to Christian men and women will be seen clearly after a moment's consideration. For any one, who is at all acquainted with the words of Holy Scripture, will recall to mind at once the frequent reference to "The Kingdom of Heaven" in the Gospels. And though it will probably seem a somewhat startling a.s.sertion to most persons, yet it is nevertheless a true one, that from the day when our Lord began His public ministry, until He ascended into Heaven, His teaching was almost wholly occupied with this one subject--"The Kingdom of Heaven." And it is the purpose of the following pages to bring together the various statements about it, in such a way as to lead to a clear understanding of "The Kingdom of Heaven"--what it is--and of our position in this Kingdom, with its present blessings, privileges and duties, and its future glories.

"The Kingdom of Heaven"--What is it?

There are three things which are necessarily included in the idea of a Kingdom--a King to rule over it; subjects to be ruled; and a place where they dwell. And since it is necessary, if we would enquire into the nature of "The Kingdom of Heaven," first of all to understand clearly who is the King, and who and where are His subjects, let us begin with taking a general view of these chief points; and then afterwards enter more fully into the consideration of the various pa.s.sages of Holy Scripture which describe the details of the Kingdom.

The Jews expected the Messiah as their King. And when the Wise Men came from the East, and asked "Where is He that is born King of the Jews" (S. Matt. ii. 2), we read that King Herod referred their enquiry to those who were learned in the Scriptures, in this form, "He demanded of them where Christ"--i.e. Messiah, The Anointed One[1]--"should be born" (S. Matt. ii. 4). And that there should be no doubt at all about the person of the King, so long expected, G.o.d in His providence had arranged that one should go before Him to announce His coming. For John the Baptist acted as a herald going before a king, proclaiming his approach. And this was the proclamation, "Repent ye; for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand" (S. Matt. iii. 2). And then the Herald declared that he was come as foretold by the prophet Isaiah, and that the people must prepare at once to receive their King, saying, "I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias" (S. John i.

23; Isaiah xl. 3).

The proclamation of "The Kingdom of Heaven" by John the Baptist defined the exact time in the world's history when this Kingdom took its rise. And our Lord afterwards called express attention to this, saying, "The Law and the Prophets were until John: since that time the Kingdom of G.o.d is preached, and every man presseth into it[2]" (S.

Luke xvi. 16). And because John was only the Herald going before, and was not himself enrolled as a subject of the Kingdom, He added, (after referring to the greatness of John the Baptist), "Notwithstanding, he that is least in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he" (S. Matt.

xi. 11).

Thus we are a.s.sured that "The Kingdom of Heaven" began from the proclamation of John the Baptist; and, therefore, we know for certain that the Lord Jesus Christ, whose coming he proclaimed, is the King of this Kingdom.

This is the great truth which forms the foundation of all the teaching of the New Testament; and it is of the utmost importance to have a clear idea of it. The Lord Jesus Christ came to be the Saviour of the world by becoming King of a spiritual Kingdom of grace and blessing, whose subjects were to be purchased and redeemed by His own Blood shed upon the Cross. He was not merely the greatest of G.o.d-inspired teachers: but He came to found G.o.d's Kingdom upon earth, and to rule in love over the hearts of men of all nations and ages, and thus prepare them for life everlasting. And when Nicodemus, one of the rulers of the Jews, thus addressed Him, "We know that thou art a teacher come from G.o.d," He at once endeavoured to lead him to grasp this truth, by the abrupt reply, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of G.o.d;" and again, "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of G.o.d" (S. John iii. 2-5). In other words, men must not merely listen to His teaching; but they must have their eyes opened to see Him as the promised King, and receive the principle of a new Life as His subjects; or, else, His coming would be in vain.

Taking now as our starting-point the great truth that the Lord Jesus Christ came to found a Kingdom, our next enquiry must be respecting the subjects or citizens of this Kingdom.

Who are the subjects of "The Kingdom of Heaven?"

One of the woes p.r.o.nounced by our Lord against the Scribes and Pharisees was for this, "Ye shut up the Kingdom of Heaven against men; ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in" (S. Matt. xxiii. 13). They would not themselves enter this Kingdom by accepting Him as Christ the King; and they hindered others from doing so. The Jews had thought themselves to be the subjects of G.o.d, whilst all the rest of the world were castaways. But from these words, as well as from those referred to above, which were spoken to Nicodemus, we conclude that the subjects of Messiah's Kingdom are they, and only they, who "believe and confess that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of G.o.d" (1 S. John iv. 15, v. 1), and, having thus accepted Him as their King, have been admitted by a formal act into His Kingdom.

When the Herald proclaimed "The Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand" (S.

Matt. iii. 2), he was calling upon the whole Jewish people to enter into it. But the call to enter Messiah's Kingdom was not to be confined to the Jews. It was to be published far and wide throughout the world.

The Prophets had foretold a day when "The Gentiles shall come to Thy light, and kings to the brightness of Thy rising" (Isaiah lx. 3), and that "in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not My people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living G.o.d"

(Hosea i. 10). And this was now about to be fulfilled. And in the homage which the Wise Men from the East paid to the infant Saviour, "born King of the Jews," we see the first sign that free and full salvation was henceforth placed within the reach of all the nations of the world without distinction. And thus it came to pa.s.s that, in after years, the Apostles addressed their converts, taken equally from amongst Jews and Gentiles, in such words as these, "G.o.d hath called you unto His Kingdom and glory" (1 Thess. ii. 12); G.o.d "hath translated us into the Kingdom of His dear Son" (Col. i. 13).

In other words, "The Kingdom of Heaven" is a real Kingdom, though a spiritual and heavenly one. The Lord Jesus Christ is King, and all the nations of the world are called to be His subjects.

And where is "The Kingdom of Heaven"?

The answer is clear. Wherever they are who have accepted the King and been admitted as His subjects.

"The Kingdom _of_ Heaven" is not as yet _in_ Heaven, so far as its subjects are concerned. It is true that the King Himself has ascended His throne in Heaven. And as members of Christ we share in some degree in the exaltation of our Head, so that S. Paul does not hesitate to say of the Lord's people here on earth, G.o.d "hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus"

(Ephes. ii. 6). But such words seem to apply to that part of our nature to which our hopes and affections belong. So far as our duties and difficulties are concerned, we are still surrounded with earthly temptations. We are still in a state of trial here, however much we may be looking for and longing after our home. And Heaven will not be opened to receive the subjects of "The Kingdom of Heaven" until the Great Day, when they will be welcomed with the words, "Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you" (S. Matt.

xxv. 34).

Christ's Kingdom "is not of this world" (S. John xviii. 36), as He declared plainly to Pilate when he questioned Him about Himself. But for the present we may consider that, practically speaking, it is _in_ the world though not _of_ it. For its subjects are not yet in Heaven: but are partly at rest in Paradise; partly here on earth still warring against evil.