In the providence of God, the Gospel of Matthew heads the twenty-seven books of the New Testament. It serves the same purpose as Genesis does to the thirty-nine books of the Old Testament. It is the seed plot of the entire New Testament, and it introduces the rest of the books therein. For this reason, it is imperative that God’s people have a good understanding of this book. It is the book of the King and of His kingdom. This is the gospel that “shall be preached in the whole world for a testimony unto all nations; and then the end shall come” (Matt. 24.14). Satan knows the significance of this gospel, so he tries every means to keep it unknown or misunderstood throughout the Church age. Now we are living at the end of the last days. The message of the King and His kingdom is not just relevant to our days, it is also urgent to our understanding so that we as God’s children will be better prepared for the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens as well as be effectively used as instruments to usher in His kingdom. Throughout his ministry Watchman Nee gave several studies on the Gospel according to Matthew. Early on, in the mid-1920s, from 1924 to 1926, he prepared some notes on Matthew chapters 1 and 2 only and had them published in the Morning Star magazine by the Morning Star Publishers, Chefoo, China. Then, in his early ministry in Shanghai, from 1927 to early 1935, he held a protracted study with the saints on Matthew
