«　WEEK 1　DAY 5　»

　　Rev. 11:15 ...And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign forever and ever.

　　12:10 ...Now has come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ, for the accuser of our brothers has been cast down, who accuses them before our God day and night.

　　We have seen that as the new man the church should walk according to truth and by grace and that as the bride the church should live in love and in light. However, not only must God's eternal purpose be fulfilled and the desire of Christ's heart be satisfied, but God's enemy must be defeated. For this, the church must be a warrior. Even in the Song of Songs we see that as the seeking one enjoys the Lord's presence, the fighting is going on. Therefore, we walk according to truth and by grace, we live in love and light, and we fight to subdue the satanic will. Our walk is for the fulfillment of God's purpose, our living is for the satisfaction of Christ, and our fighting is for the defeat of God's enemy. (Life-study of Ephesians, pp. 529-530)

　　The reason we must know the Body, know the ascension, and reign is that we may have spiritual warfare.

　　The purpose of spiritual warfare is to bring in the kingdom of God. This is a subject of great significance in the Bible.

　　Today the church is a model of God's reign. What God desires today is to expand His reigning sphere according to this model and through this model. It is through the church that God will bind Satan and destroy his power. Thus, His name will be honored in the whole earth, His kingdom set up, and His will done. This is the commission of the church. This also is the purpose of the church's spiritual warfare.

　　We have said that in the universe there is the kingdom of God, and there is also the kingdom of Satan. The spiritual warfare we are speaking of is the warfare between these two kingdoms. Therefore, in order to engage in spiritual warfare, we must first know the opposition between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan. (The Experience of Life, pp. 355, 360)

　　In the eyes of God the church occupies a very important place. Its position is that of being joined to Christ, and its responsibility is to continue the warfare that Christ fought on earth. Christ the Head has ascended, but His Body is still on earth. The church, as the Body of Christ, is His propagation, continuing His stand and work to fight against God's enemy.

　　Ephesians 1:20-23 shows us that the power which operated in Christ not only raised Him from the dead, but caused Him to ascend to the heavens. This resurrection power is the power of ascension. Through His resurrection the church received its life, and through His ascension the church assumed its position of authority and inherited the kingdom. In this way, He brought heaven to earth, and His will can be done on earth, as in the heavens. Christ ascended to the heavens and received the heavenly authority; now He is able to bring heaven to earth. Resurrection alone is not enough; there must also be ascension. When we stand in the heavenly position, we transcend all things. When the Lord ascended to the heavens, He transcended all the powers of the enemy, and God subjected all things under His feet.

　　The present age is the time for the church to practically realize the victory of Christ. The Head has overcome; now the Body must also overcome. The Lord destroyed the devil on the cross and produced the church with resurrection life. Today God is establishing His kingdom on earth through His church. The church must continue the victorious work that Christ has carried out against Satan. It is responsible for bringing heaven's will down to earth and for carrying it out on earth. (CWWN, vol. 44, pp. 777-778)

　　Further Reading: CWWL, 1972, vol. 2, "The Kingdom," ch. 8; The Experience of Life, ch. 18