«　WEEK 8　DAY 1　»

　　Matt. 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole inhabited earth for a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.

　　12:26 And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?

　　28 But if I, by the Spirit of God, cast out the demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

　　In the preaching of the gospel, the kingdom of God is often neglected. Much of today's gospel preaching gives people the impression that the gospel is only for soul winning, for transferring people out of hell into heaven, for helping people have peace, joy, and eternal blessing. In the New Testament, however, we have a different impression concerning the gospel. When the Lord Jesus preached the gospel, He spoke concerning the kingdom of God, and He told them to repent for the kingdom.

　　We need to see the crucial matter that the intrinsic essence of the gospel is the kingdom. The gospel is preached for the kingdom, and the kingdom is a divine sphere for God to work out His plan, a realm where God can exercise His authority to accomplish what He intends. The only way for God to reach His goal is through the kingdom. Therefore, there is a section in the Gospel of Mark revealing the purpose of the gospel. The purpose of the gospel is to have the kingdom. The kingdom of God is the goal of the gospel.

　　The kingdom of God is not only the goal of the gospel, but also the issue of the gospel....This outcome, this issue, is the kingdom. The preaching of the gospel is to bring forth the kingdom. (Life-study of Mark, pp. 119-121)

　　In Revelation 1:9 John testified that he and the other saints were in the kingdom of God: “I John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and endurance in Jesus.”...The fact that John was in the kingdom...proves that the kingdom has not been suspended. (Life-study of Mark, p. 123)

　　The Bible clearly shows that the only thing Satan wants to do in the universe is to overthrow God's throne. Isaiah 14 reveals that Satan wanted to exalt his throne to be equal with God (v. 13). This means that Satan intends to violate God's sovereignty, usurp God's authority, and overthrow God's throne; he intends to establish his own kingdom in the universe. In Matthew 12 the Lord Jesus spoke of two kingdoms, the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan. He said, “If I, by the Spirit of God, cast out the demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you” (v. 28). He also said, “If Satan casts out Satan,...how then will his kingdom stand?” (v. 26). This shows that there are two kingdoms in the universe. One is God's kingdom, and the other is Satan's kingdom. One is God's exercise of His authority, and the other is Satan's usurpation of God's authority. One is God's establishing of His throne for the exercise of His authority, and the other is Satan's overthrowing of God's throne for the setting up of his own authority.

　　The matter of authority is mentioned in the very beginning of the Bible. Genesis 1 shows that God gave man the authority to have dominion over all the living things in the sea, in the air, and on the earth (v. 26). The way Satan stole man away from God was to seduce man to rebel against God, to usurp God's authority. When man sinned, he did not merely violate a rule; even more, he revolted against God, rebelled against God, and put God's authority aside, denying God's authority and rejecting God's rule. Just as Satan rebelled against God, man also rebelled against God. The first creatures God created were the angels, among whom the archangel led many to rebel. Later, God created man, who also rebelled. One can say that man and Satan acted as a team to rebel against God. (CWWL, 1957, vol. 2, “What the Kingdom Is to the Believers,” pp. 426-427)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of Matthew, msg. 61; Life-study of Mark, msgs. 13, 17; Life-study of Luke, msgs. 11, 22; CWWL, 1957, vol. 2, “What the Kingdom Is to the Believers,” chs. 2-3; CWWL, 1972, vol. 2, “The Kingdom,” chs. 7-9