Ⅰ
In the universe there are two kingdoms—the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan (Matt. 6:10, 33; 12:26, 28):
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A kingdom is a totality of a certain life:
１
God has His life, out of which the kingdom of God comes into existence (Eph. 4:18; Matt. 12:28).
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Satan has his evil life, out of which the kingdom of Satan comes into existence (John 8:44; Matt. 12:26).
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The two trees in Genesis 2:9, as signs of God and Satan, are two sources; the outcome of the two sources becomes the two kingdoms—the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan (Matt. 12:26, 28).
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The entire human race is a kingdom not merely of the human life but even more of the satanic life (13:38; John 8:44; Acts 13:10; 1 John 3:10):
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Humanity has become the totality of the satanic life with all its activities (5:19).
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The human kingdom has become the satanic kingdom, the kingdom of Satan.
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Satan, the god of this age, is the ruler of the world and the ruler of the authority of the air (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11; 2 Cor. 4:4; Eph. 2:2):
１
He has his authority and his angels, who are his subordinates as rulers, authorities, and world-rulers of the darkness of this world (Acts 26:18; Matt. 25:41; Eph. 6:12).
２
Satan has his kingdom, the authority of darkness (Col. 1:13).
Ｅ
There are two kingdoms on earth—the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of God in the light; these two kingdoms are now confronting each other on earth (Acts 26:18).
Morning Nourishment
Matt. 6:33 But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.Eph. 6:12 For our wrestling is not against blood and flesh but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenlies.
It is of tremendous importance to realize that at the very beginning, there were two trees—the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 2:9). The tree of life signifies God, and the tree of knowledge signifies Satan. Man took the tree of knowledge into him, meaning that Satan entered into man. Satan, as sin personified, is now inside of man (Rom. 7:8, 11, 17, 20). After coming into man, Satan began to saturate him, poison him, and take full possession of him. Thus, man became corrupted and darkened. To be darkened and corrupted by Satan means to be placed under the authority of Satan. Man became a citizen in Satan's kingdom, subject to the rule of Satan. Everyone born of man is likewise a citizen in Satan's kingdom. Every human being is subject to Satan by birth. Therefore, men steal, fight, and kill. This is the kingdom of Satan. This is the totality of the satanic life with all its activities. (CWWL, 1972, vol. 2, “The Kingdom,” p. 67)
Today's Reading
One day Jehovah-plus came. God was incarnated as a man. God's desire is to come into man. When we call on the name of the Lord Jesus, He comes into us as life. From that point on, God grows within us....The more God grows, the more He spreads, and the more ground He occupies within us. The more ground He occupies, the more He reigns. The kingdom is God's divine reign in us through the inward growth of life. The kingdom of God is God being life to us, spreading in us, occupying the ground in us, and reigning over our whole being.There are two kingdoms, and there are two spirits. John 4:24 shows that God is Spirit, and Ephesians 2:2 reveals that Satan, the ruler of the authority of the air, is also a spirit. This evil spirit is operating in every human being.
Matthew 12:26 indicates that Satan has a kingdom, and John 12:31 describes Satan as the ruler of this world. Satan is not only the operator; he is the ruler. He rules the whole earth, and he has many subordinates, many ranks, under him, which Ephesians 6:12 describes as rulers and authorities....He is the ruler of this world, and he is also the ruler of the authority of the air. On the earth there is the human race, and in the air there are the rebellious angelic powers. Satan's kingdom is composed of the fallen human race and the rebellious angels. On the earth, the members of the fallen human race are the citizens of the kingdom of Satan; in the air, the rebellious angelic powers and principalities rule this earth for Satan. He is the ruler of the authority of the air. Satan, as the evil spirit, has come into every human being. He operates in every human being without exception. By being such an operator, he has produced a kingdom. Satan now dwells in man's body.
Satan takes the human body as his dwelling place, but the Lord Jesus takes the human spirit as His dwelling place. God in His sovereignty has preserved the human spirit for Himself. Although the human spirit has been influenced by the evil body and the corrupt mentality to the point that it has been deadened, we can find no hint in the Bible that Satan has ever entered into the human spirit. When we repent and believe in the Lord Jesus, He immediately comes into our spirit. The enemy tries his best to hide this matter of the human spirit from Christians. The Bible tells us clearly that the Lord Jesus Christ is with our spirit (2 Tim. 4:22). From our spirit He is growing and spreading within us, taking possession of more ground in our being. By occupying more ground within us, He actually reigns within us. This is the inward reigning of the Lord Jesus. (CWWL, 1972, vol. 2, “The Kingdom,” pp. 67-69)
Further Reading: CWWL, 1972, vol. 2, “The Kingdom,” chs. 8-9; Life-study of Job, msg. 37; CWWL, 1959, vol. 3, “Ten Lines in the Bible,” chs. 6, 10