在新约的开始，主耶稣传福音说，‘你们要悔改，因为诸天的国已经临近了’（太四17）。我们所听见的福音，就是国度的福音。到底什么是国度？一般人对于国的条件和定义有三：第一，必须有国民；第二，有土地，就是领土；第三，有主权。有了国民，加上领土，再加上主权，才能成为一个国。所以，国度是关乎主权、关乎权柄，关乎范围。
神的国第一个特点，就是神的主权；神的国就是神掌权、神施行权柄的地方。神的国就是神的管治，也就是神的掌权。当你我还未悔改、信主时，在你我身上并没有神的权柄，所以不受神的管治；神的主权在我们身上没有地位。我们一点也没有让神在你身上掌权，我们完全是在神国之外的人。六千年来，在地上千千万万亚当的子孙身上，都没有神的权柄，都没有神的国。于是神的国只好留在天上，神只能在天上掌权，也只能在天上管治天使。神在地上，在人身上没有权柄，神不能管治人，在地上不能通行祂的权柄。
国度第一面的意义，就是诸天的掌权，也就是一个属天的王权，进到你我里面管治我们，使我们过一种实际属天的生活，就是实际受约束的生活。在我们的言语、行动上，在我们的神色、表情上，在我们的生活、服装上，在我们的待人处事、对待财物、管理家庭上，我们都受宝座的约束。我们若顺服，便为有福，因为国度就是我们的；换句话说，我们就是国度的一部分。
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The Kingdom Is God’s Ruling – Col. 1:13
At the beginning of the New Testament, the Lord Jesus preached the gospel and said, “Repent, for the kingdom of the heavens has come near” (Matt. 4:17). The gospel we hear is the gospel of the kingdom. What is a kingdom? Most people have three conditions and definitions for a kingdom: first, it must have citizens; second, it must have a land, which is a territory; third, it must have sovereignty. Only with citizens, territory and sovereignty can we become a kingdom. Therefore, the kingdom is concerning sovereignty, authority and domain.
The first characteristic of the kingdom of God is God’s sovereignty; the kingdom of God is where God reigns and God exercises his authority. The kingdom of God is God’s ruling, which is God’s sovereignty. When you and I have not repented and believed in the Lord, we did not have God’s authority upon us, so we were not subject to God’s ruling; God’s sovereignty had no place among us. We were not allowed God to have control over us at all. At that time, we were completely outside the kingdom of God. For six thousand years, none of the tens of thousands of Adam’s descendants on the earth have the authority of God, and none of them has the kingdom of God. Therefore, the kingdom of God has no choice but to remain in heaven. God can only rule in heaven and can only rule over angels in heaven. God has no authority over man on earth, he cannot govern man, and cannot exercise his authority on earth.
The first aspect of the kingdom is the sovereignty of the heavens, that is, a heavenly kingship that comes into you and me to govern us so that we may live a practical heavenly life, a life that is being constrained. In our talk and walk, in our looks and expressions, in our lifestyle and clothing, in how we deal with others, deal with our finances and manage our families, we are all bound by the throne. If we obey, then we are blessed because the kingdom is ours; in other words, we are part of the kingdom.