Week of 30 August 2020
A Timely Word concerning the World Situation and the Lord’s Recovery (2) — Seeing a Vision of the Throne of God,the Spiritual Scene behind the World Situation, and Christ as the Center of God’s Administration
We need to see a spiritual vision of the throne of God as the center of God’s administration throughout the universe. As the sovereign One, God has the full capacity to carry out what He wants according to the desire of His heart and according to His eternal economy. God on the throne is behind the scene ruling over everyone and everything. Everything concerning the world situation is decided on the throne. Nothing can happen outside the rule of God’s throne.
The book of Revelation is a book of God’s administration, unveiling the throne of God for the divine administration. The throne in Revelation 4 and 5 is the throne of divine authority. Apparently, the throne is invisible and is not realized by man; actually, the throne is behind the scene ruling over everyone and everything.
The book of Daniel shows that all the kings and kingdoms of the world are under God’s administration. All human government from Nimrod to Antichrist has been and will continue to be under the ruling of the heavens by the God of the heavens. God caused Nebuchadnezzar to know that he was nothing and that the mighty God, the Ruler over the kingdom of men, the One who gives the kingdom to whomever He wills, is everything. The entire world situation is under the rule of the heavens by the God of the heavens. His ruling over all human government on earth matches the eternal economy of God for Christ to terminate the old creation for the germination of the new creation and to smash and crush the aggregate of human government and establish the eternal kingdom of God.
Chapter 10 of the book of Daniel presents a vision of the spiritual scene behind the world situation. In the spiritual world Christ is the preeminent One. The excellent Christ, the centrality and universality of God’s move, appeared to Daniel as a man for his appreciation, consolation, encouragement, expectation, and stabilization. The Christ whom Daniel saw is precious, valuable, complete, and perfect.
The spiritual scene in Daniel 10 includes both good and evil spirits that are engaged in an invisible spiritual war. While Daniel was praying, a spiritual struggle was taking place in the air between two spirits, one belonging to Satan and the other belonging to God. It is crucial for us to see that behind the scene a spiritual struggle is taking place, a struggle not seen with human eyes. As the struggles are taking place between the human governments, God is behind the scene managing the world situation.
Christ is the center of God’s administration according to God’s eternal economy. Christ in His ascension has been enthroned to execute God’s administration, His governmental operation. The enthroned Christ, the heavenly Administrator in God’s universal government, is the worthy Lion-Lamb, the overcoming Redeemer. As the Lion, He is the Fighter against the enemy, Satan; as the Lamb, He is the Redeemer. Because Christ has solved the problems of the rebellion of Satan and the fall of man, He is worthy to open the scroll of God’s economy. The Lamb, the Redeemer, the One slain on the cross for our sins, is now on the throne, carrying out God’s administration over the entire universe. We need to realize that the Lord of the universe is a man, the God-man, the man-God.
Christ, in His ascension and enthronement, is the Ruler of the kings of the earth. For Christ to be the Ruler of the kings means that He is far above the earthly rulers. The earthly rulers are not the real rulers; Christ, the King of kings and the Lord of lords, is the real Ruler. Christ carries out God’s administration as the Ruler of the kings of the earth by the seven Spirits of God burning before the throne of God. The world situation and international affairs are under the flame of the burning of the seven lamps of fire, the seven Spirits of God. We need to realize that the seven Spirits of God are burning before the throne not only concerning the churches but also concerning the world situation for the churches.
(Source:https://www.churchintaipei.org/weeklynews/archive/1137.pdf )
Three Crucial Matters
The book of Daniel covers three crucial matters: God's heavenly rule, the preeminence of Christ, and the portion of God's people. In His economy God administrates the universe in order to fulfill His purpose. His purpose is to give Christ the preeminence in all things. God's intention, therefore, is that Christ should be preeminent. For Christ to be the preeminent One, God needs a people. Apart from God's having a people, there is no way for Christ to be made preeminent.
As those who have been chosen by God to be His people for Christ's preeminence, we are under God's heavenly rule. Concerning this, the principle is the same both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. Under God's heavenly rule, everything is working together for our good (Rom. 8:28). This is especially true of the things in our personal universe. Our universe includes ourselves, our families, and the church. In our universe many things happen day by day for the purpose of making Christ preeminent. We need to realize this and be submissive to God's heavenly rule.
In 4:26 Daniel said to Nebuchadnezzar, "Your kingdom will be assured to you after you have come to know that the heavens do rule." It is the heavens that rule, not Nebuchadnezzar or Cyrus or Alexander the Great or illness or turmoil or rebellion. The earth is under the rule of a heavenly administration. The heavens rule for us, and Christ is for us. Furthermore, we are under God's heavenly rule for Christ. The purpose of the heavenly ruling is to complete God's elect so that Christ may be preeminent, that He may be the first—the centrality—and everything—the universality.
Because the heavens rule, Christ is with us in all our situations. When we are sick, He is with us. When we are in turmoil, He is with us. I can testify that we can enjoy His presence in the midst of turmoil and rebellion.
We all need to learn three things: that this universe is under God's administration; that God's intention in His administration is to make Christ preeminent, to cause Him to have the first place in everything; and that for the accomplishment of God's intention, we, His people, His elect, must give Him the best coordination and cooperation. Through our coordination and cooperation, God will consummate His eternal intention to make Christ preeminent through the rule of the heavens.
(Life-study of Daniel, chap. 12)The Seven Eyes Of The Lamb
The seven eyes of the Lamb as the Executor of God’s New Testament economy are the seven lamps upheld by the seven lampstands, the seven churches, shining and enlightening as the testimony of Jesus (Rev. 1:9b, 11-12). This burning, judging, purifying, refining, and producing Spirit is the lamps upheld by the lampstands, the churches. This means that the churches shine through the lamps and that these lamps are the Spirit, the real testimony. The seven Spirits today are judging, purifying, refining, and bringing forth the churches. The extent to which the seven Spirits refine is the extent to which the churches shine. If we do not allow the seven Spirits to refine us, the seven Spirits have no way to shine, and there is no testimony. The shining of the seven Spirits is the testimony. The more we let the Spirit purify us and refine us, the more He shines through us, and this shining is the testimony of the churches. This is why we need to open ourselves and welcome Him every day to enter into our being to refine, judge, purge, and purify us. Then He will shine through us, and this shining is the testimony of the church, the testimony of Jesus. The testimony of Jesus is the shining of the seven Spirits from within all the believers in the churches.
We should pray, “Dear divine Flame, come and judge! Come and purify! Come and refine that You may produce the golden lampstand.” By His mercy, we need to be open to Him. Every day we need to tell the Lord, “Come. I am open to You. I open every avenue of my being to You. Enlighten me, search me within, and expose me. I want to be enlightened by You and exposed in Your light.” Instead of shutting ourselves up and hiding from Him, we need to pray, “Lord, we are open. Come and shine upon us, and shine from within us and enlighten every avenue and every corner of our being. We desire to be exposed, purged, and purified.”
(The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 416, Experiencing, Enjoying, and Expressing Christ in Revelation (13))
