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Through the gospel of the kingdom, God brings people under the ruling of the heavenly authority so that they may become His kingdom, those who are ruled by His authority (Matt. 24:14; Rev. 1:5-6):
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The New Testament preaches the gospel in the way of the kingdom; because the kingdom of God is the real gospel, to know the gospel requires that we know the kingdom (Mark 1:14-15; Acts 8:12).
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The gospel is for the kingdom, and the gospel is proclaimed so that rebellious sinners might be saved, qualified, and equipped to enter into the kingdom of God (Mark 1:14-15; Matt. 4:17; Acts 8:12):
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The gospel of life, the gospel of grace, and the gospel of salvation are all for the kingdom; the kingdom is the center, the hub (John 3:16; Acts 20:24; 4:12).
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The gospel of the kingdom brings people not only into God's salvation but also into the kingdom; the emphasis of the gospel of the kingdom is on the heavenly ruling of God and the authority of the Lord (Matt. 24:14).
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The gospel of the kingdom brings the believers into the realm of the divine ruling so that they may participate in the blessings of the divine life in the divine kingdom (1 Thes. 2:12).
Morning Nourishment
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.1 Thes. 2:12 So that you might walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.
Logically, since all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to the Lord (Matt. 28:18), He should reign. However, people on earth rebel against Him; few submit to His authority. This is the reason that the Lord sent His disciples to preach the gospel in all the earth and to disciple all the nations (v. 19).
The Gospel of Matthew says that our believing in the Lord is for us to become His disciples. On one hand, the Bible reveals the gospel as the gospel of grace, which is for us to become believers through faith. On the other hand, the Bible says that the gospel is the gospel of the kingdom, which is for us to become the Lord's disciples, those who are trained, ruled, disciplined, and dealt with by the Lord's authority. According to the gospel of grace, God is pleased to freely grant us grace, and we can receive this grace simply by believing. However, this gospel is also the gospel of the kingdom through which God desires to bring us under the ruling of the heavenly authority so that we may become His kingdom, those who are ruled by God's authority.
Matthew reveals the gospel of the kingdom (24:14)....The Lord desires to rule and reign, but there are few on earth who are willing to be ruled by Him. Hence, He has sent out His disciples to preach the gospel of the kingdom. (CWWL, 1957, vol. 2, “What the Kingdom Is to the Believers,” pp. 467-468)
Today's Reading
The way to bring others out of the world and into the kingdom of the heavens is not by today's superficial gospel but by the gospel of the kingdom of the heavens....The gospel of the kingdom includes not only forgiveness of sins (Luke 24:47) and the impartation of life (John 20:31) but also the kingdom of the heavens with the power of the coming age (Heb. 6:5) to cast out demons and heal diseases (Isa. 35:5-6; Matt. 10:1). Both forgiveness of sins and the imparting of life are for the kingdom.The gospel of the kingdom, which also includes the gospel of grace (Acts 20:24), not only brings people into God's salvation but also into the kingdom of the heavens (Rev. 1:9). The emphasis of the gospel of grace is on forgiveness of sin, God's redemption, and eternal life, whereas the emphasis of the gospel of the kingdom is on the heavenly ruling of God and the authority of the Lord.
The New Testament speaks of the gospel of life, the gospel of grace, and the gospel of salvation. However, all these are different aspects of the kingdom. The kingdom is the center, the hub, and all the other items may be considered the spokes, which are centered on the hub. The gospel of life is for the kingdom, the gospel of salvation is for the kingdom, and the gospel of forgiveness is for the kingdom. All these different aspects of the gospel are for the kingdom. The kingdom is the real gospel....If we do not know the kingdom, we do not know the gospel in a full way. If we want to know the gospel in a full way, we must realize that the kingdom is the all-inclusive gospel. This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole inhabited earth for a testimony to all the nations before the end of this age comes. The inhabited earth means every place inhabited by man. I believe that the churches in the Lord's recovery will bear the burden to bring this gospel to all the inhabited earth. The gospel of grace has been preached in every continent but not the gospel of the kingdom. The gospel of grace is the lower gospel, but the gospel of the kingdom is the higher gospel. This higher gospel must be brought to every continent through the churches in the Lord's recovery. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 1156-1157)
Further Reading: The Conclusion of the New Testament, msgs. 107, 240, 244; CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 4, “Crystallization-study of the Gospel of John,” ch. 12; CWWL, 1957, vol. 2, “What the Kingdom Is to the Believers,” ch. 4; Life-study of 1 Thessalonians, msgs. 11-12; Life-study of 2 Thessalonians, msg. 1