Scripture Reading: 1 Kings 10:1-24; Psa. 72:1-8, 11, 17-19; Rev. 11:15; 20:4, 6

DAY 1 Outline　MorningRevival

DAY 2 Outline　MorningRevival

DAY 3 Outline　MorningRevival

DAY 4 Outline　MorningRevival

DAY 5 Outline　MorningRevival

DAY 6 Outline　MorningRevival

«　WEEK 4　DAY 1　»

　　1 Kings 4:20 Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand that is by the sea in multitude...

　　24-25 For [Solomon] had dominion... over all the kings west of the River; and he had peace on all sides around him. And Judah and Israel dwelt securely, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan to Beer-sheba, throughout all Solomon’s days.

　　First Kings 9 and 10 portray the highest peak of Solomon’s glory among the nations. Solomon was glorified in the kingdom of Israel with the splendor of that kingdom. This is a prefigure of Christ in the millennium. (1 Kings 9:1, footnote 1)

　　Christ, as the Son of David, as the King, is more than Solomon the king. Solomon built the temple of God and spoke the word of wisdom. To him the Gentile queen came (1 Kings 6:2; 10:1-8). This too was a type of Christ, who is building the church, making it the temple of God, and is speaking the word of wisdom. To Him the Gentile seekers turn. (Matt. 12:42, footnote 1)

　　In 1 Kings 4:20—5:18 we have an account of Solomon’s prosperity under the rich blessing of God. Solomon’s splendid kingdom was a type of Christ’s kingdom in the millennium. During the millennium all the nations will come to Christ.

　　His people Judah and Israel were increasing and enjoying a life of peace, riches, and pleasure. Verse 20 of chapter 4 tells us that Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand that is by the sea in multitude, eating, drinking, and rejoicing. Verse 25 goes on to say that throughout Solomon’s days Judah and Israel dwelt securely, “every man under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan to Beer-sheba.”

　　Solomon’s dominion extended from the great river Euphrates to the land of the Philistines (at the seashore of the Mediterranean) and to the border of Egypt as the fulfillment of the promise of God to His elect Israel (Gen. 15:18; Exo. 23:31; Deut. 11:24), and all the nations brought tribute to him (1 Kings 4:21, 24). This was a positive factor for the people to regard Solomon and accept him.

　　[Yet] no matter how much God did for Solomon and how much He gave him, Solomon did not have God Himself wrought into him. But we have God in Christ wrought into us that we might be the same as God in life and in nature. We may not have what Solomon had outwardly as a type, but within us there is a reality—the very God in Christ who has wrought Himself into our being. We may regard ourselves as insignificant, but we have God in Christ wrought into us. As those who have been born of God to be God’s children, God’s kind, members of God’s family, we have become God in life and in nature (but not in the Godhead).

　　We, the believers in Christ, are the greatest people in the universe. We have received God into us, and He is continuously working Himself into our constitution to make us God in life and in nature (but not in the Godhead). According to Romans 5:17, we reign in the life which we have received. To be today’s overcomers we must reign as kings in life. If we do not, we will lose the top portion of the enjoyment of Christ and will be chastised by the Lord in the coming age. We all have to mature sooner or later. If we mature in this age, we will reign as kings in life in this age and will be the co-kings with Christ in the next age to rule over the nations. We need to keep this in mind as we consider what is revealed in 1 Kings 9—11 regarding the reign of Solomon.

　　Jehovah accepted Solomon’s prayer [8:22-53] and promised him that He would establish his throne forever (9:1-9). Here we see that it was God who made Solomon prosperous. Solomon’s enjoyment of the God-given good land reached the highest level through his God-given gift [of wisdom]. (Life-study of 1 & 2 Kings, pp. 21-22, 24-25, 43, 47)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of 1 & 2 Kings, msg. 7

«　WEEK 4　DAY 2　»

　　Psa. 24:1 The earth is Jehovah’s, and its fullness, the habitable land and those who dwell in it.

　　7-8 Lift up your heads, O gates; and be lifted up, O long enduring doors; and the King of glory will come in. Who is the King of glory? Jehovah strong and mighty! Jehovah mighty in battle!

　　In Psalm 22 Christ is the Redeemer and the Regenerator, in Psalm 23 He is the Shepherd, and in Psalm 24 He is the King who will regain the entire earth through the church, His Body, the people whom He has redeemed and regenerated and is shepherding today. At His second coming Christ will take possession of the earth (Rev. 10:1-2), which has been given to Him as His possession (Psa. 2:8), and will establish God’s kingdom on the whole earth (Dan. 2:34-35; Rev. 11:15), thus recovering God’s right over the earth, which has been usurped by His enemy, Satan. (Psa. 24:1, footnote 1)

　　Psalm 24 reveals Christ as the King in God’s kingdom. This will be in the coming age. In Psalm 24:1-2 we see the realization of the earth and the fullness thereof, and the habitable land and those who dwell in it, founded by God upon the seas and established by Him upon the streams, as God’s kingdom.

　　Verses 7-10... show us the victorious Christ as the coming King in God’s eternal kingdom... [In verse 7] the gates are of the cities of the nations. The doors are of the houses of the people. The long enduring doors indicate waiting and expecting with long endurance (Phil. 3:20; 1 Cor. 1:7). This indicates that the people of the earth have been waiting and expecting Christ’s second coming. In Haggai 2:7 we are told that Christ is the desire of all the nations. All the nations, in a general way, are expecting Christ to come, but Christ would not come that quickly according to our human concept. Thus, we need to wait and expect His coming with long endurance. Because we must wait for His coming with long endurance, we have a tendency to drop our heads in discouragement... But if we received a phone call from [someone dear to us], telling us that he is coming, we would lift up our heads, that is, we would be encouraged to expect his coming.

　　We have to lift up our heads, because the King of glory will come in (Psa. 24:7, 9; Luke 21:27; Matt. 25:31). We must get ready to welcome Him. Psalm 24:8 asks, “Who is the King of glory?” The King of glory is “Jehovah strong and mighty! / Jehovah mighty in battle!” Jehovah is Jesus, and Jesus is the embodiment of the Triune God in resurrection. He is the One who is strong in fighting and victorious.

　　Verse 9 says, “Lift up your heads, O gates; / And lift up, O long enduring doors; / And the King of glory will come in.” Verse 7 says, “Be lifted up”... To be lifted up means that we are still weak, needing someone to move us. But to lift up [in verse 9] means we have become stronger. We can act to lift up ourselves.

　　Psalm 23 reveals Christ as the Shepherd in His resurrection, and... Psalm 24 reveals Christ as the King in God’s kingdom. Hallelujah for the shepherding Christ, and Hallelujah for the reigning Christ! Hallelujah for our Christ being our Shepherd today and our King in the future! (Life-study of the Psalms, pp. 148-150)

　　The King of glory is Jehovah of hosts (that is, of armies), the consummated Triune God embodied in the victorious and coming Christ (Psa. 24:7-10; Luke 21:27; Matt. 25:31). Jehovah is Jesus (Matt. 1:21 and footnote), and Jesus is the incarnated, crucified, and resurrected Triune God, who is strong in fighting and is victorious (Rev. 5:5). He is the One who will come back in His resurrection with His overcomers to possess the entire earth as His kingdom (Dan. 2:34-35; 7:13-14; Joel 3:11; Rev. 11:15; 19:13-14). (Psa. 24:7, footnote 4)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of the Psalms, msg. 11; CWWL, 1969, vol. 3,” Christ and the Church Revealed and Typified in the Psalms,” ch. 5

«　WEEK 4　DAY 3　»

　　Matt. 1:1 The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

　　Luke 1:32-33 He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to Him the throne of David His father, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.

　　The kingdom, of which Christ is the King, is composed of Abraham’s descendants, including both his descendants in the flesh and those in faith. Hence, the genealogy of Christ in Matthew begins with Abraham, the father of the called race, not with Adam, the father of the created race. God’s kingdom is not built with the created race of Adam but with the called race of Abraham, which includes both the real Israelites (Rom. 9:6-8) and the believers in Christ (Gal. 3:7, 9, 29). (Matt. 1:1, footnote 1)

　　Solomon is a type of Christ as the son of David, the One who inherits the throne and kingdom of David (2 Sam. 7:12-13; Luke 1:32-33). Solomon, as a type of Christ, did mainly two things: he built the temple of God in the kingdom (1 Kings 6:2) and spoke the word of wisdom (1 Kings 10:23-24; Matt. 12:42). Christ, in fulfilling this type, is now building the real temple of God, the church, in the kingdom of God and has spoken the word of wisdom. (Matt. 1:1, footnote 3)

　　Psalm 69 is on the suffering Christ, typified by the suffering David, and Psalm 72 is on the reigning Christ, typified by the reigning Solomon... After His life of suffering on earth, typified by the sufferings of David, Christ ascended to the heavens, where He is now reigning as the King, typified by Solomon. (Psa. 69:1, footnote 1)

　　The reigning Christ is typified in Psalm 72 by the reigning Solomon, the son of David (Matt. 1:1; 22:42), in his prosperous and flourishing time. This is indicated by the title of this psalm, “Of Solomon,” and by the first verse: “O God, give Your judgments to the king, / And Your righteousness to the son of the king.” (Life-study of the Psalms, p. 343)

　　Psalm 72 tells us how Christ shall reign over the whole earth and how the saints will be glorified and blessed with Him. First, we see that He will reign with righteousness and justice, by which peace will be ushered in (vv. 1-5). When Christ returns, He will be the King, ruling over the entire earth with righteousness and justice. Hence, the earth will be full of peace. People today speak much about peace, but there will be no peace until Christ returns. Under His rule, real peace will begin its reign.

　　Second, this psalm presents Christ in His rule like rain watering the earth; so the saints will flourish. “He will drop like rain upon mown grass, / Like abundant showers dripping on the earth. / In His days the righteous will flourish, / And there will be an abundance of peace / Until the moon is no more. / And He will have dominion from sea to sea / And from the River unto the ends of the earth. / The desert dwellers will bow down before Him, / And His enemies will lick the dust. /... And all the kings will bow down before Him; / All the nations will serve Him” (vv. 6-11). Even at the time when Christ returns for judgment, He will be like rain upon mown grass, like abundant showers dripping on the earth. This is the way Christ gains the earth. He gains it by His watering, not by fighting, not by condemning, not by judging. Praise the Lord!

　　Psalm 72 gives a glorious picture of what it will be like for the Lord to recover, possess, and reign over the earth. “Blessed be Jehovah God, the God of Israel, / Who alone does wondrous deeds; / And blessed be His glorious name forever; / And may His glory fill the whole earth. / Amen and Amen” (vv. 18-19). (CWWL, 1969, vol. 3,” Christ and the Church Revealed and Typified in the Psalms,” pp. 107, 109)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of the Psalms, msg. 29; CWWL, 1969, vol. 3,” Christ and the Church Revealed and Typified in the Psalms,” ch. 11

«　WEEK 4　DAY 4　»

　　Rev. 11:15 And the seventh angel trumpeted; 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.

　　20:6 Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no authority, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.

　　The kingdom of the world becomes the kingdom of Christ at His coming back after He executes His judgment upon the nations (Dan. 7:13-14; 2:44-45). (Rev. 11:15, footnote 3)

　　The Lord’s reigning forever and ever [v. 15] is the Lord’s reigning in the millennial kingdom and in the new heaven and new earth for eternity (22:5). This indicates that the seventh trumpet includes the new heaven and new earth with the New Jerusalem. (Rev. 11:15, footnote 4)

　　Ephesians 5:5 speaks of the kingdom of Christ and of God. The kingdom of Christ is the millennium (Rev. 20:4, 6; Matt. 16:28); it is also the kingdom of God (Matt. 13:41, 43). The believers have been regenerated into the kingdom of God (John 3:5) and are, in the church life, living in the kingdom of God today (Rom. 14:17). Not all believers will participate in the millennium; only the overcoming ones will. The unclean, defeated ones will have no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God in the coming age.

　　In the aspect of the kingdom as the kingdom of Christ and of God, Christ reigns with God. We may also say that Christ reigns as God. Hence, it is the kingdom of Christ and at the same time also the kingdom of God.

　　Second Peter 1:11 speaks of “the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” The eternal kingdom here refers to the kingdom of God given to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (Dan. 7:13-14), which will be manifested at His coming back (Luke 19:11-12). It will be a reward to His faithful believers, who pursue the growth in His life unto maturity and the development of the virtues of His nature so that they may participate, in the millennium, in His kingship in God’s glory (2 Tim. 2:12; Rev. 20:4, 6). To enter thus into the eternal kingdom of the Lord is related to the entrance into God’s eternal glory, to which He has called us in Christ (1 Pet. 5:10; 1 Thes. 2:12).

　　The kingdom of Christ and of God, the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ—all three are the same one aspect of the kingdom, the aspect which concerns Christ’s relationship with the kingdom of God. Christ has redeemed the church with His blood through His death that it may become the kingdom of God in the church (Rom. 14:17) and the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ in the millennium (Rev. 11:15). This kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ will become the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in which He shall reign forever and ever (Rev. 11:15).

　　The kingdom of Christ and of God, the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ comprise the millennium in the coming age and the new heaven and new earth in eternity; they do not comprise the church age. For this reason, this aspect of the kingdom is not as much a delight to God as the kingdom of the Son of His love, because this aspect of the kingdom refers mainly to God’s authority.

　　The kingdom of Christ and of God... is the kingdom received by Christ from God and brought back by Christ’s coming (Luke 19:12, 15a; Dan. 7:13-14; 2:34-35, 44; Heb. 1:8). (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 2584-2586)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of Revelation, msg. 56; The Conclusion of the New Testament, msgs. 159, 186, 228, 244; Truth Lessons—Level Four, vol. 1, lsn. 12

«　WEEK 4　DAY 5　»

　　Zech. 14:16 And everyone left from all the nations that went forth against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, Jehovah of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.

　　8:22 Indeed, many peoples and strong nations will come to seek Jehovah of hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of Jehovah.

　　After the Lord deals with the believers, the Jews, the nations, and Antichrist with his followers, He will bring in the millennial kingdom... The millennium refers to the time between Christ’s second coming as a King to rule the earth and the new heaven and new earth. This time will last for one thousand years. There are many verses in the Old Testament concerning the millennial kingdom (Psa. 2:6, 8-9; Isa. 2:2-5; 11:1-10; 65:20-25; 30:26; Zech. 8:20-23; Psa. 72:1-17; Isa. 4:2-6; 9:7; 12:1-5; 16:5; 32:1-2; 40:9-11; 61:4-9; Zech. 14:16-21). In the New Testament, the millennium is referred to in Revelation 20:4 and 6. These verses speak of those who reign with Christ for a thousand years. (Truth Lessons—Level Four, vol. 2, p. 254)

　　The millennium will bring in “the restoration of all things” [Acts 3:21]... The restoration will affect not only man but also the entire old creation—heaven, earth, the animals, and even the trees. Everything that was cursed through the fall of man will be restored. There are many prophecies in Isaiah, Zechariah, and the Psalms regarding the millennium bringing in restoration. Isaiah 30:26 says, “The light of the moon will be like the light of the sun, / And the light of the sun will be sevenfold, like the light of seven days, / On the day when Jehovah binds up the breach of His people / And heals the wound left from His stroke.” This indicates that the sun and the moon will be restored to their original condition. Furthermore, all creatures will be restored to their original condition. The beast and the cattle will be restored to such an extent that “the wolf will dwell with the lamb; / And the leopard will lie down with the kid” (11:6). This will not be miraculous; rather, it will be normal and common... When Christ comes again, everything will be restored. The trees will flourish, and the flowers will blossom abundantly. According to 35:1-2, “The wilderness and the desert will be glad; / And the desert will exult and blossom / Like the rose. / It will blossom and blossom, / And even exult with exultation and a ringing shout.” Furthermore, “water will break forth in the wilderness, / And streams in the desert. / And the desert mirage will become a pool, / And the thirsty ground, springs of water” (vv. 6-7). Also, “a highway will be there, and a way, / And it will be called, The Way of Holiness” (v. 8). (Truth Lessons—Level Four, vol. 2, pp. 254-255)

　　The old creation is used by God to prepare the three kinds of people He needs: the church overcomers to be the kings in the millennium, the saved Israelites to be the priests in the millennium, and the restored nations to be the people in the millennium. During the dispensation of the millennium, God will continue to perfect the believers who were not willing to cooperate with God’s sufficient grace to be perfected during the church age. Because they have died without being perfected, God will perfect them in the coming age of the millennium, an age that will still be in the old creation.

　　During the age of the millennium, God will also purify the restored nations. After they have been purified, they will be qualified to become God’s people, but not His sons, in the new earth. Therefore, the millennial age will still be used by God as an age of preparation. During this age He will perfect the saints who have not been perfected during the age of the church so that they may be qualified to enter into the New Jerusalem for God’s eternal kingdom. During the millennium, God will also purify the restored nations to be the people on the new earth. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 2595-2596)

　　Further Reading: Truth Lessons—Level Four, vol. 2, lsn. 39; vol. 4, lsn. 58; The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 245

«　WEEK 4　DAY 6　»

　　Matt. 16:28 ...There are some of those standing here who shall by no means taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.

　　17:2 And He was transfigured before them, and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as the light.

　　13:43 Then the righteous will shine forth like the sun in the kingdom of their Father...

　　For the Lord Jesus to be transfigured meant that His humanity was saturated and permeated with His divinity... This transfiguration, which was His glorification, was equal to His coming in His kingdom... Where His transfiguration is, there the coming of the kingdom is also. The coming of the kingdom is the Lord’s glorification, His transfiguration; and His glorification is the saturation of His humanity by His divinity. This is the meaning of transfiguration. (Life-study of Matthew, p. 586)

　　Matthew 17:3 says, “And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, conversing with Him.” Moses and Elijah represent the Old Testament overcomers who will be in the manifestation of the kingdom. They both appeared in the coming of the kingdom, that is, they were present in the manifestation of the kingdom. In this miniature of the manifestation of the kingdom we have not only the Old Testament overcomers, but also New Testament overcomers, represented by Peter, James, and John. We see in Christ’s transfiguration a miniature of the coming manifestation of the kingdom. The miniature assures us that the full manifestation will come. (Life-study of Matthew, pp. 587-588, 592-593)

　　One day the Lord Jesus told His disciples that some of them would not taste death until they saw the Son of Man coming in His kingdom (Matt. 16:28). According to Mark, He said that some of those standing there would see the kingdom of God having come in power (Mark 9:1). Shortly after speaking these words, He went to the mountaintop and was transfigured there (Matt. 17:1-2). The transfiguration of the Lord Jesus was the realization of what He is. When He was confined in His flesh, people thought of Him as only a little man from Nazareth. The kingdom was in Him, but they could not see it... It was concealed, covered, and confined within His flesh... After six days He went to the mountaintop, and there He was “switched on.”... Something within Him was shining. Although this reality was present within Him before His transfiguration, people could not observe it. However, at His transfiguration His disciples could observe something shining out from within Him.

　　The shining forth of the Lord Jesus on the mountaintop was the coming of the kingdom... He told Peter, James, and John that they would see Him coming in His kingdom—that they would see the kingdom of God having come in power. What did they see? They saw the shining of the Lord Jesus. When Peter, James, and John were all under His shining, they were in the kingdom. Also, the dead saints, represented by Moses, and the living saints, represented by Elijah, appeared and were under the shining of the spreading of the Lord Jesus.

　　Suppose there are five brothers living together in a brothers’ house. If these brothers are really under the shining of the Lord Jesus, the kingdom will be there in that brothers’ house. Whenever you visit them, you will sense the shining, the reigning, the ruling, and the good order. Although you would find no list of regulations, everything is kept in order by the shining.

　　The kingdom is not merely a dispensation, a sphere, or a realm. It is the realization of the reality of the Lord Jesus. Whenever He is spreading by shining over you, you are in the kingdom, and the kingdom has come in power. (CWWL, 1972, vol. 2, “The Kingdom,” pp. 17-19)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of Matthew, msg. 49; Life-study of Mark, msg. 25; CWWL, 1972, vol. 2, “The Kingdom,” ch. 2; Life-study of Luke, msg. 22