CONTENTS

THE GLORIOUS CHURCH

1. Preface

THE GLORIOUS CHURCH

2. Foreword
3. God's Plan and God's Rest (Chapter One)
4. The Type of Eve (Chapter Two)
5. The Body of Christ and the Bride of Christ (Chapter Three)
6. "And She Brought Forth...a Man-Child" (Chapter Four)
7. The Holy City, New Jerusalem (Chapter Five)
8. Appendix: The Overcomers and God's Dispensational Moves

THE VISION OF THE GLORIOUS CHRIST

9. Introduction
10. The Vision of the Glorious Christ

PREFACE
The content of The Glorious Church in The Collected Works differs in several respects from the
American Edition, first published in 1968. In the process of preparing this volume, Mrs. Beth
Rademacher presented the Living Stream Ministry with a set of handwritten notes of the messages
that formed the basis of The Glorious Church. The appendix, "The Overcomers and God's
Dispensational Moves," based on these notes, is a significant and previously unpublished portion
of a message given by Watchman Nee during this conference. According to K. H. Weigh's notes,
the original titles of the conference messages were as follows:

1. Introduction
2. Introduction (cont.)
3. The Relationship between God's Plan and the Church
4. The Types of the Church in God's Plan
5. The Body of Christ and the Bride of Christ
6. The Church and the Kingdom of God
7. The Relationship between the Overcomers and the Church
8. The Relationship between the Overcomers and the Kingdom
9. The Overcomers and God's Dispensational Moves
10. The Basic Qualifications and Attitude of the Overcomers
11. The Wife of the Lamb
12. The Ushering In of the Kingdom and Eternity
 13. Characteristics of the Bride of Christ
14. Characteristics of the Bride of Christ (cont.)
Scripture references have been updated to reflect the contents of the Recovery Version, published
by Living Stream Ministry.

The foreword that follows was originally written as a preface for the American Edition of The
Glorious Church, first published in 1968.

A separate section is also included at the end of this book. This section, entitled "The Vision of
the Glorious Christ," is an independent message by Watchman Nee on Revelation 1:9-20. It shows
who Christ is and how He reigns in the church. Much of the content is similar to "Meditations on
Revelation," published in Volume 4 of The Collected Works. Since this message was originally
published separately from "Meditations on Revelation," we have included it in this volume of The
Collected Works.

THE GLORIOUS CHURCH

FOREWORD
The following chapters are translations of a series of messages spoken in Chinese by
Brother Watchman Nee to the church in Shanghai and the co-workers who were under
his training for a longer period, from the fall of 1939 to the fall of 1942. These were times
of spiritual revelations and heavenly visions concerning "the deep things of God." The
stress was primarily on the triumphant church, the glorious Body of Christ, the full
expression of Him who fills all in all. In these messages tremendous light was poured
upon the four significant women in the Scriptures: Eve in Genesis 2, the wife in Ephesians
5, the woman in Revelation 12, and the Bride in Revelation 21 and 22. Their record gives
us a full scope of the glorious church in God's eternal plan, the church that satisfies His
desire. The span of the picture they present is so broad that it spans from eternity past
through eternity future. The contents of the messages are so revealing and enlightening,
so deep and profound, that they need much prayerful reading with a thorough realization
and digestion in the spirit. May the Lord, the glorious Head of the Body, grant us a spirit
of wisdom and revelation that we may see and apprehend the visions of the reality of the
church that He has shown to the author. Our prayer goes with this book, trusting that
God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, "who is able to do superabundantly above all
that we ask or think," would work out what is revealed in these messages, "according to
the power which operates in us." "To Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus
unto all the generations forever and ever. Amen."

CHAPTER ONE
GOD'S PLAN AND GOD'S REST
Scripture Reading: Gen. 1:26—2:3; 2:18-24; Eph. 5:22-32; Rev. 12; 21:1—22:5
Four women are mentioned in these four passages of the Scriptures. In Genesis 2 the woman is
Eve; in Ephesians 5 she is the church; in Revelation 12 she is the woman seen in the vision; and
in Revelation 21 she is the wife of the Lamb.

May God grant us light to see how these four women are related to one another and to His eternal
plan. Then we may see the position the church occupies and the responsibility she bears in this
plan and how the overcomers of God will accomplish His eternal purpose.

GOD'S PURPOSE IN CREATING MAN

Why did God create man? What was His purpose in creating man?

God has given us the answer to these questions in Genesis 1:26 and 27. These two verses are of
great significance. They reveal to us that God's creation of man was indeed an exceedingly special
one. Before God created man, He said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let
them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and
over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth." This was God's plan
in creating man. "God said, Let us..." This speaks of the kind of man God wanted. In other words,
God was designing a "model" for the man He was to create. Verse 27 reveals God's creation of
man: "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female
created he them." Verse 28 says, "God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and
multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and
over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth."

From these verses we see the man that God desired. God desired a ruling man, a man who would
rule upon this earth; then He would be satisfied.

How did God create man? He created man in His own image. God wanted a man like Himself. It
is very evident then that man's position in God's creation is entirely unique, for among all of God's
creatures man alone was created in God's image. The man that God's heart was set upon was
completely different from all other created beings; he was a man in His own image.

We notice here something quite remarkable. Verse 26 says, "Let us make man in our image, after
our likeness..."; but verse 27 says, "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God
created he him; male and female created he them." In verse 26 the pronoun "our" is plural, but in
verse 27 "his" is singular. During the conference of the Godhead, verse 26 says, "Let us make man
in our image"; therefore, according to grammar, verse 27 should say, "So God created man in their
own image." But strangely, verse 27 says, "So God created man in his own image." How can we
explain this? It is because there are three in the Godhead—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit, yet
only one has the image in the Godhead—the Son. When the Godhead was designing man's
creation, the Bible indicates that man would be made in "our" image (since They are one, "our
image" was mentioned); but when the Godhead was in the actual process of making man, the Bible
says that man was made in "his" image. "His" denotes the Son. From this we ascertain that Adam
was made in the image of the Lord Jesus. Adam did not precede the Lord Jesus; the Lord Jesus
preceded him. When God created Adam, He created him in the image of the Lord Jesus. It is for
this reason it says "in his image" rather than "in their image."
God's purpose is to gain a group of people who are like His Son. When we read Romans 8:29 we
find God's purpose: "Because those whom He foreknew, He also predestinated to be conformed to
the image of His Son, that He might be the Firstborn among many brothers." God desires to have
many sons, and God desires all these sons to be like that one Son of His. Then His Son will no
more be the only Begotten, but the Firstborn among many brethren. God's desire is to gain such a
group of people. If we see this, we will realize the preciousness of man, and we will rejoice
whenever man is mentioned. How God values man! Even He Himself became a man! God's plan
is to gain man. When man is gained by God, God's plan is accomplished.

It is by man that God's plan is fulfilled, and through man His own need is met. What, then, does
God require from the man whom He created? It is that man should rule. When God created man,
He did not predestine man to fall. Man's fall is in chapter three of Genesis, not chapter one. In
God's plan to create man, He did not predestine man to sin, neither did He foreordain redemption.
We are not minimizing the importance of redemption, but only saying that redemption was not
foreordained by God. If it were, then man would have to sin. God did not foreordain this. In God's
plan to create man, man was ordained to rule. This is revealed to us in Genesis 1:26. Here God
unveils to us His desire and tells us the secret of His plan. "Let us make man in our image, after
our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and
over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth."
This is God's purpose in creating man.

Perhaps some may ask why God has such a purpose. It is because an angel of light rebelled against
God before man's creation and became the devil: Satan sinned and fell; the Daystar became the
enemy of God (Isa. 14:12-15). God, therefore, withdrew His authority from the enemy and put it,
instead, into the hand of man. The reason God created man is that man may rule in the place of
Satan. What abounding grace we see in God's creation of man!

Not only does God desire that man should rule, but He marks out a specific area for man to rule.
We see this in Genesis 1:26: "Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl
of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth..." "All the earth" is the domain of man's rule.
Not only did God give man dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the heavens, and the
cattle, but He further required that man should rule over "all the earth." The area where God desired
man to rule is the earth. Man is especially related to the earth. Not only in His plan to create man
was God's attention focused upon the earth, but after God made man, He clearly told him that he
was to rule over the earth. Verses 27 and 28 say, "So God created man in his own image, in the
image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God
said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it..." What God
emphasized here is that man should "replenish the earth" and "subdue it"; it is of secondary
importance that man should have dominion over the fish of the sea, the fowl of the air, and every
living thing on the earth. Man's dominion over these other things is an accessory; the main subject
is the earth.

Genesis 1:1-2 says, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was
waste and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep" [ASV]. These two verses are made
more clear by translating them directly from the Hebrew. According to the original language, verse
one says, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." The heavens here are plural in
number and refer to the heavens of all the stars. (The earth has its heaven, and so do all the stars.)
The direct translation of verse two is: "And the earth became [not "was"] waste and void; and
darkness was upon the face of the deep." In Hebrew, preceding "the earth" there is the conjunction
"and." "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth"; there were no difficulties, no
problems, but then something happened: "and the earth became waste and void." The word "was"
in Genesis 1:2 ("And the earth was waste and void") and the word "became" in Genesis 19:26,
where Lot's wife became a pillar of salt, are the same. Lot's wife was not born a pillar of salt; she
became a pillar of salt. The earth was not waste and void at the creation, but later became waste
and void. God created the heavens and the earth, but "the earth became waste and void." This
reveals that the problem is not with the heavens but with the earth.

We see then that the earth is the center of all problems. God contends for the earth. The Lord Jesus
taught us to pray, "Your name be sanctified; Your kingdom come; Your will be done, as in heaven,
so also on earth" (Matt. 6:9-10). According to the meaning of the original language, the phrase "as
in heaven, so also on earth" is common to all three clauses, not only to the last clause. In other
words, the original meaning is: "Your name be sanctified, as in heaven, so also on earth. Your
kingdom come, as in heaven, so also on earth. Your will be done, as in heaven, so also on earth."
This prayer reveals that there is no problem with "heaven"; the problem is with the "earth." After
the fall of man, God spoke to the serpent, "Upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all
the days of thy life" (Gen. 3:14). This meant that the earth would be the serpent's sphere, the place
upon which he would creep. The realm of Satan's work is not heaven, but earth. If the kingdom of
God is to come, then Satan must be cast out. If God's will is to be done, it must be done on earth.
If God's name is to be sanctified, it must be sanctified on earth. All the problems are on the earth.

Two words in Genesis are very meaningful. One is "subdue" in Genesis 1:28, which can also be
translated "conquer." The other is "keep" in Genesis 2:15, which can also be translated "guard."
We see from these verses that God ordained man to conquer and guard the earth. God's original
intention was to give the earth to man as a place to dwell. It was not His intention that the earth
would become desolate (Isa. 45:18). God desired, through man, to not allow Satan to intrude upon
the earth, but the problem was that Satan was on earth and intended to do a work of destruction
upon it. Therefore, God wanted man to restore the earth from Satan's hand.

Another matter we need to note is that God required man, strictly speaking, not only to take back
the earth, but also the heaven which is related to the earth. In the Scripture there is a difference
between "heavens" and "heaven." The "heavens" are where the throne of God is found, where God
can exercise His authority, while "heaven" in the Scriptures sometimes refers to the heaven which
is related to the earth. It is this heaven which God also wants to recover (see Rev. 12:7-10).

Some may ask: Why doesn't God Himself cast Satan into the bottomless pit or the lake of fire?
Our answer is: God can do it, but He does not want to do it Himself. We do not know why He will
not do it Himself, but we do know how He is going to do it. God wants to use man to deal with
His enemy, and He created man for this purpose. God wants the creature to deal with the creature.
He wants His creature man to deal with His fallen creature Satan in order to bring the earth back
to God. The man whom He created is being used by Him for this purpose.
Let us read Genesis 1:26 again: "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness:
and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the
cattle, and over all the earth..." It seems that the sentence is finished here, but another phrase is
added: "...and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth." Here we see that the
creeping things occupy a very great position, for God spoke of it after He finished mentioning "all
the earth." The implication is that in order for man to have dominion over all the earth, the creeping
things must not be overlooked, for God's enemy is embodied in the creeping things. The serpent
in Genesis 3 and the scorpions in Luke 10 are creeping things. Not only is there the serpent,
representing Satan, but also scorpions, representing the sinful and unclean evil spirits. The domain
of both the serpent and the scorpion is this earth. The problem is on the earth.

Therefore, we must distinguish the difference between the work of saving souls and the work of
God. Many times the work of saving souls is not necessarily the work of God. Saving souls solves
the problem of man, but the work of God requires that man exercise authority to have dominion
over all things created by Him. God needs an authority in His creation, and He has chosen man to
be that authority. If we were here just for ourselves as mere men, then all our seeking and longing
would be to love the Lord more and to be more holy, more zealous, and save more souls. All of
these pursuits are good indeed, but they are too man-centered. These things are concerned simply
with the benefit of man; God's work and God's need are entirely neglected. We must see that God
has His need. We are on this earth not merely for man's need but even more for God's need. Thank
God that He has committed the ministry of reconciliation to us, but even if we have saved all the
souls in the whole world, we have not yet accomplished God's work or satisfied God's requirement.
Here is something called God's work, God's need. When God created man, He spoke of what He
needed. He revealed His need to have man rule and reign over all His creation and proclaim His
triumph. Ruling for God is not a small thing; it is a great matter. God needs men whom He can
trust and who will not fail Him. This is God's work, and this is what God desires to obtain.

We do not lightly esteem the work of gospel preaching, but if all our work is just preaching the
gospel and saving souls, we are not causing Satan to suffer fatal loss. If man has not restored the
earth from the hand of Satan, he has not yet achieved God's purpose in creating him. Saving souls
is often only for the welfare of man, but dealing with Satan is for the benefit of God. Saving souls
solves man's need, but dealing with Satan satisfies God's need.

Brothers and sisters, this requires us to pay a price. We know how the demons can speak. A demon
once said, "Jesus I know of, and with Paul I am acquainted; but who are you?" (Acts 19:15). When
a demon meets us, will he flee or not? Preaching the gospel demands that we pay a price, but a
much greater price must be paid to deal with Satan.

This is not a matter of a message or a teaching. This requires our practice, and the price is extremely
great. If we are to be men whom God will use to overthrow all of Satan's work and authority, we
must obey the Lord completely and absolutely! In doing other work it matters less if we preserve
ourselves a little, but when dealing with Satan, we cannot leave one bit of ground for ourselves.
We may hold on to something of ourselves in our study of the Scriptures, in preaching the gospel,
in helping the church or the brothers, but when we are dealing with Satan, self must be utterly
abandoned. Satan will never be moved by us if self is preserved. May God open our eyes to see
that His purpose demands that we be wholly and absolutely for Him. A double-minded person can
never deal with Satan. May God speak this word to our hearts.

THE UNCHANGEABLE PURPOSE OF GOD

God wanted to have man to rule for Him on this earth, but man did not attain to God's purpose. In
Genesis 3 the fall took place and sin entered; man came under the power of Satan, and everything
seemed to come to an end. Satan was seemingly victorious and God was seemingly defeated. In
addition to the passage in Genesis 1, there are two more passages in the Scriptures which are
related to this problem. They are Psalm 8 and Hebrews 2.

Psalm 8
Psalm 8 shows that God's purpose and plan have never changed. After the fall, God's will and
requirement for man remained the same without any alteration. His will in Genesis 1, when He
created man, still holds good, even though man has sinned and fallen. Even though Psalm 8 was
written after man's fall, the psalmist was able to praise; his eyes were still set upon Genesis 1. The
Holy Spirit did not forget Genesis 1, the Son did not forget Genesis 1, nor did God Himself forget
Genesis 1.

Let us see the content of this psalm. Verse 1 says, "O Jehovah our Lord,/How excellent is Your
name/In all the earth." All who are inspired by the Holy Spirit will utter such words: "How
excellent is Your name in all the earth!" Though some people slander and reject the Lord's name,
yet the psalmist loudly proclaimed, "O Jehovah our Lord,/How excellent is Your name/In all the
earth." He did not say, "Your name is very excellent." "Very excellent" does not have the same
meaning as "how excellent." "Very excellent" means that I, the psalmist, can still describe the
excellence, whereas "how excellent" means that even though I can write psalms, I do not have the
words to express, nor do I know how excellent is the Lord's name. So I can only say, "O Jehovah
our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth!" Not only is His name excellent, His name
is excellent "in all the earth"! The expression "in all the earth" is the same as in Genesis 1:26. If
we know God's plan, every time we read the word "man" or the word "earth" our hearts should
leap within us.

Verse 2 continues, "Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings/You have established
strength/Because of Your adversaries,/To stop the enemy and the avenger." Babes and sucklings
refer to man, and the emphasis in this verse is upon God using man to deal with the enemy. The
Lord Jesus quoted this verse in Matthew 21:16: "Out of the mouth of infants and sucklings You
have perfected praise." These words mean that the enemy may do all he can, but it is not necessary
for God Himself to deal with him. God will use babes and sucklings to deal with him. What can
babes and sucklings do? It says, "Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings/You have established
strength." God's desire is to obtain men who are able to praise; those who can praise are those who
can deal with the enemy.

In verses 3 through 8 the psalmist says, "When I see Your heavens, the works of Your fingers,/The
moon and the stars, which You have ordained,/What is man, that You remember him,/And the son
of man, that You visit him?/You have made him somewhat lower than angels/And have crowned
him with glory and honor./For You have caused him to rule over the works of Your hands;/You
have put all things under his feet: /All sheep and oxen,/As well as the beasts of the field,/The birds
of heaven and the fish of the sea,/Whatever passes through the paths of the seas." If we were
writing this psalm, perhaps we would add a parentheses at this point: "How pitiful that man has
fallen and sinned and been cast out of the garden of Eden! No more can man attain to this." But
thank God, in the heart of the psalmist there was not such a thought. In God's view the earth can
still be restored, the position given to man by God still exists, and His commitment to man to
destroy the work of the devil still remains. Therefore, starting from the third verse, the psalmist
again narrates the same old story, completely ignoring the third chapter of Genesis. This is the
outstanding feature of Psalm 8. God's purpose is for man to rule. Is man worthy? Certainly not!
But since God's purpose is for man to rule, man will surely rule.

In verse 9 the psalmist again says, "O Jehovah our Lord, /How excellent is Your name/In all the
earth!" He continues to praise, as though he were not even aware of man's fall. Though Adam had
sinned and Eve had also sinned, they could never withstand God's plan. Man can fall and man can
sin, but man cannot overthrow the will of God. Even after man fell, God's will toward man
remained the same. God still requires man to overthrow the power of Satan. Oh, what an
unchangeable God He is! His way is unswerving and utterly straightforward. We must realize that
God can never be overthrown. In this world there are some who receive many hard blows, but no
one has been attacked daily and received continual blasts like God. Yet His will has never been
overthrown. What God was before man's fall, He is after man's fall and after sin entered into the
world. The decision He affirmed aforetime is still His decision today. He has never changed.

Hebrews 2
Genesis 1 speaks of the will of God at creation, Psalm 8 speaks of God's will after man's fall, and
Hebrews 2 speaks of God's will in redemption. Let us look at Hebrews 2. We will see that in the
victory of redemption God still desires man to obtain authority and deal with Satan.

In verses 5 through 8a the writer says, "For it was not to angels that He subjected the coming
inhabited earth, concerning which we speak. But one has solemnly testified somewhere, saying,
`What is man, that You bring him to mind? Or the son of man, that You care for him? You have
made Him a little inferior to the angels; You have crowned Him with glory and honor and have
set Him over the works of Your hands; You have subjected all things under His feet [quoted from
Psalm 8].' For in subjecting all things to Him, He left nothing unsubject to Him." All things must
be subject to man; God purposed it from the beginning.

But it has not yet turned out in this way. The writer continues, "But now we do not yet see all
things subjected to Him, but we see Jesus, who was made a little inferior to the angels because of
the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor" (vv. 8b-9a). Jesus is the person who fits this
situation. Psalm 8 said that God made man a little lower than the angels, but the apostle changed
the word "man" into "Jesus." He explained that "man" refers to Jesus; it was Jesus who became a
little lower than the angels. Man's redemption is by Him. God originally purposed that man should
be a little lower than the angels and that man should be crowned and rule over all His creation. He
intended for man to exercise authority on His behalf to cast out His enemy from the earth and from
the heaven related to the earth. He wanted man to destroy all of Satan's power. But man fell and
did not take his place to rule. Therefore, the Lord Jesus came and took upon Him a body of flesh
and blood. He became the "last Adam" (1 Cor. 15:45).

The last part of verse 9 says, "So that by the grace of God He might taste death on behalf of
everything." The birth of the Lord Jesus, the human living of the Lord Jesus, as well as the
redemption of the Lord Jesus show us that His redemptive work is not only for man, but for all
created things. All creation (except the angels) is included. The Lord Jesus stood in two positions:
to God He was the man at the beginning, the man whom God appointed from the very first, and to
man He is the Savior. In the beginning God assigned man to rule and overthrow Satan. The Lord
Jesus is that man, and that man is now enthroned! Hallelujah! Such a man has overthrown the
power of Satan. He is the man whom God is after and desires to obtain. In His other aspect, He is
a man related to us; He is our Savior, the One who has dealt with the problem of sin in our place.
We sinned and fell, and God made Him to be the propitiation for us. Furthermore, He not only
became the propitiation for us, but He was also judged for all creatures. This is proved by the
splitting of the veil in the holy place. Hebrews 10 tells us that the veil in the holy place signified
the body of the Lord Jesus. Upon the veil were embroidered cherubim, which represent created
things. At the time of the Lord's death, the veil was split in two from the top to the bottom; as a
result, the cherubim embroidered upon it were simultaneously rent. This reveals that the death of
the Lord Jesus included judgment for all creatures. He not only tasted death for every man, but
also for "everything."

Verse 10 continues, "For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and through whom are all
things, in leading many sons into glory." All things are for Him and through Him; all things are to
Him and by Him. To be for Him means to be to Him; to be through Him means to be by Him.
Praise God, He has not changed His purpose in creation! What God ordained at creation He
continued to ordain after man's fall. In redemption His purpose remains the same. God did not
change His purpose because of man's fall. Praise God, He is bringing many sons into glory! He is
glorifying many sons. God purposed to gain a group of new men who have the likeness and the
image of His Son. Since the Lord Jesus is the representative man, the rest will be like whatever He
is, and they will enter with Him into glory.

How is this to be accomplished? Verse 11 says, "For both He who sanctifies and those who are
being sanctified are all of One." Who is He that sanctifies? It is the Lord Jesus. Who are those that
are being sanctified? We are the ones. We can read the verse in this way: "For both Jesus who
sanctifies and we who are sanctified are all of One." The Lord Jesus and we are all begotten of the
same Father; we have all originated from the same source and have the same life. We have the
same indwelling Spirit and the same God, who is our Lord and our Father. "For which cause He is
not ashamed to call them brothers." The word "He" refers to our Lord Jesus, and "them" to us. "He
is not ashamed to call them brothers" because He is of the Father and we also are of the Father.

We are God's many sons, which will ultimately result in God bringing us into glory. Redemption
did not change God's purpose; on the contrary, it fulfilled the purpose that was not accomplished
in creation. God's original purpose was that man should rule, especially over the earth, but man
regrettably failed. Yet all things did not come to an end because of the first man's fall. What God
did not obtain from the first man, Adam, He will obtain from the second man, Christ. There was
the eventful birth in Bethlehem because God ordained man to rule and restore the earth and because
God determined that the creature man should destroy the creature Satan. This is why the Lord
Jesus came to become a man. He did it purposely, and He became a true man. The first man did
not accomplish God's purpose; rather, he sinned and fell. He not only failed to restore the earth,
but he was captured by Satan. He not only failed to rule, but he was brought into subjection to
Satan's power. Genesis 2 says that man was made of dust, and Genesis 3 points out that dust was
the food of the serpent. This means that fallen man became the food of Satan. Man could no longer
deal with Satan; he was finished. What could be done? Did this mean that God could never achieve
His eternal purpose, that He could no longer obtain what He was after? Did it mean that God could
never restore the earth? No! He sent His Son to become a man. The Lord Jesus is truly God, but
He is also truly man.

In the whole world there is at least one man who chooses God, a person who can say, "The ruler
of the world is coming, and in Me he has nothing" (John 14:30). In other words, in the Lord Jesus
there is not a trace of the prince of this world. We must note carefully that the Lord Jesus came to
this world not to be God but to be man. God required a man. If God Himself dealt with Satan, it
would be very easy; Satan would fall in a moment. But God would not do it Himself. He wanted
man to deal with Satan; He intended that the creature would deal with the creature. When the Lord
Jesus became a man, He suffered temptation as a man and passed through all the experiences of
man. This man conquered; this man was victorious. He ascended to heaven and sat down at the
right hand of God. Jesus has been "crowned with glory and honor" (Heb. 2:9). He has been
glorified.

He did not come to receive glory as God, but to obtain glory as man. We do not mean that He did
not have the glory of God, but Hebrews 2 does not refer to the glory which He possessed as God.
It refers to Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels because of the suffering of death;
Jesus was crowned with glory and honor. Our Lord ascended as a man. Today He is in the heavens
as man. A man is at God's right hand. In the future there will be many men who will be there.
Today a man is sitting on the throne. One day there will be many men sitting on the throne. This
is certain.

When the Lord Jesus was resurrected, He imparted His life into us. When we believe in Him, we
receive His life. We all become God's sons, and as such, we all belong to God. Because we have
this life within us, as men we can be entrusted by God to fulfill His purpose. Therefore, it says that
He will bring many sons into glory. To rule is to be glorified, and to be glorified is to rule. When
the many sons have obtained authority and restored the earth, then they will be brought
triumphantly into glory.

We should never presume that God's purpose is merely to save us from hell that we may enjoy the
blessings of heaven. We must remember that God intends for man to follow His Son in the exercise
of His authority on the earth. God wants to accomplish something, but He will not do it Himself;
He wants us to do it. When we have done it, then God will have attained His purpose. God desires
to obtain a group of men who will do His work here on this earth, that God may rule on earth
through man.
 THE RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN REDEMPTION AND CREATION
We need to note the relationship between redemption and creation. We should by no means
consider that the Bible speaks of nothing but redemption. Thank God that in addition to redemption
there is also creation. The desire of God's heart is expressed in creation. God's goal, God's plan,
and God's predetermined will are all made known in His creation. Creation reveals God's eternal
purpose; it shows us what God is truly after.

The place of redemption cannot be higher than that of creation. What is redemption? Redemption
recovers what God did not obtain through creation. Redemption does not bring anything new to
us; it only restores to us what is already ours. God through redemption achieves His purpose in
creation. To redeem means to restore and recover; to create means to determine and initiate.
Redemption is something afterward, so that God's purpose in creation may be fulfilled. Oh, that
the Lord's children would not despise creation, thinking that redemption is everything. Redemption
is related to us; it benefits us by saving us and bringing us eternal life. But creation is related to
God and God's work. Our relationship with redemption is for the benefit of man, while our
relationship with creation is for the economy of God. May God do a new thing on this earth, so
that man will not only stress the gospel but go beyond that to take care of God's work, God's affairs,
and God's plan. In fact, our preaching of the gospel should be with a view to bringing the earth
back to God. We must show Christ's triumph over the kingdom of Satan. If we are not Christians,
that is something else. But once we have become Christians, we should not only receive the benefit
of redemption but also achieve God's purpose in creation. Without redemption we could never be
related to God. But once we have been saved, we need to offer ourselves to God to attain the goal
for which He first made man. If we pay attention only to the gospel, that is only half of the matter.
God requires the other half, that man may rule for Him upon the earth and not allow Satan to
remain here any longer. This half is also required of the church. Hebrews 2 shows us that
redemption is not only for the forgiveness of sins, that man may be saved, but also to restore man
back to the purpose of creation.

Redemption is comparable to the valley between two peaks. As one descends from one peak and
proceeds to ascend the other, he encounters redemption at the lowest part of the valley. To redeem
simply means to prevent man from falling any further and to uplift him. On the one hand, God's
will is eternal and straightforward, without any dip, so that the purpose of creation may be
achieved. On the other hand, something happened. Man has fallen, and man has departed from
God. The distance between him and God's eternal purpose has become farther and farther apart.
God's will from eternity to eternity is a straight line, but ever since his fall, man has not been able
to attain to it. Thank God, there is a remedy called redemption. When redemption came, man did
not need to go down anymore. After redemption man is changed and begins to ascend. As man
continues to rise the day will come when he will again touch the one straight line. The day that
line is reached is the day the kingdom will come.

We thank God that we have redemption. Apart from it we would plunge lower and lower; we
would be suppressed by Satan more and more until there would be no way to rise. Praise God,
redemption has caused us to return to God's eternal purpose. What God did not obtain in creation
and what man lost in the fall are completely regained in redemption.
We must ask God to open our eyes to see what He has done so that our living and work may have
a real turn. If all our work is just to save others, we are still a failure, and we cannot satisfy God's
heart. Both redemption and creation are for the obtaining of glory and the overthrowing of all the
power of the devil. Let us proclaim the love of God and the authority of God as we see the sin and
the fall of man. But at the same time, we must exercise spiritual authority to overthrow the devil's
power. The commission of the church is twofold: to testify the salvation of Christ and to testify
the triumph of Christ. On the one hand, the church is to bring benefit to man, and on the other
hand, it is to cause Satan to suffer loss.

GOD'S REST
In all six days of God's work of creation, His creation of man was distinct. All His work throughout
the six days was for this. His real aim was to create man. In order to do this, God first had to repair
the ruined earth and heaven. (Genesis 2:4 says, "These are the generations of the heavens and of
the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens."
"The heavens and the earth" refer to the creation in the beginning, since at that time it was the
heavens that were first formed and then the earth. But the second part, "in the day that the Lord
God made the earth and the heavens," refers to His repair and restoration work, since in this work
the earth was cared for first and then the heaven.) After God restored the ruined earth and heaven,
He created the man of His design. After the sixth day, there was the seventh day; on this day God
rested from all His work.

Rest comes after work: work must be first, and then rest may follow. Moreover, work must be
completed to entire satisfaction before there can be any rest. If the work has not been done
completely and satisfactorily, there can never be any rest to the mind or heart. We should not,
therefore, esteem lightly the fact that God rested after six days of creation. For God to rest is a
great matter. It was necessary for Him to have gained a certain objective before He could rest.
How great the power must be which moved such a Creator God to rest! To cause such a God, who
plans so much and who is full of life, to enter into rest requires the greatest strength.

Genesis 2 shows us that God rested on the seventh day. How is it that God could rest? The end of
Genesis 1 records that it was because "God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was
very good" (v. 31).

God rested on the seventh day. Before the seventh day, He had work to do, and prior to His work,
He had a purpose. Romans 11 speaks of the mind of the Lord and His judgments and ways.
Ephesians 1 speaks of the mystery of His will, His good pleasure, and His foreordained purpose.
Ephesians 3 also speaks of His foreordained purpose. From these Scriptures we gather that God is
not only a God who works, but a God who purposes and plans. When He delighted to work, He
proceeded to work; He worked because He wished to work. When He found satisfaction with His
work, He rested. If we desire to know God's will, His plan, His good pleasure, and His purpose,
we have only to look at that which caused Him to rest. If we see that God rests in a certain thing,
then we may know that is something He was originally after. Man too cannot rest in that which
does not satisfy him; he must gain what he is after and then he will have rest. We must not regard
this rest lightly, for its meaning is very great. God did not rest in the first six days, but He rested
in the seventh day. His rest reveals that God accomplished His heart's desire. He did something
which made Him rejoice. Therefore, He could rest.
We must note the word "behold" in Genesis 1:31. What is its meaning? When we have purchased
a certain object with which we are particularly satisfied, we turn it around with pleasure and look
it over well. This is what it means to behold. God did not just casually "look" upon all that He had
made and see that it was good. Rather, He "beheld" everything which He had made and saw that
it was very good. We need to take note that God was there at the creation "beholding" what He
had made. The word "rested" is the declaration that God was satisfied, that God delighted in what
He had done; it proclaims that God's purpose was attained and His good pleasure was
accomplished to the fullest. His work was perfected to such an extent that it could not have been
made better.

For this reason God commanded the Israelites to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations.
God was after something. God was seeking something to satisfy Himself, and He attained it;
therefore, He rested. This is the meaning of the Sabbath. It is not that man should purchase fewer
things or walk less miles. The Sabbath tells us that God had a heart's desire, a requirement to satisfy
Himself, and a work had to be done to fulfill His heart's desire and demand. Since God has obtained
what He was after, He is at rest. It is not a matter of a particular day. The Sabbath tells us that God
has fulfilled His plan, attained His goal, and satisfied His heart. God is One who demands
satisfaction, and He is also One who can be satisfied. After God has what He desires, He rests.

What then brought rest to God? What was it that gave Him such satisfaction? During the six days
of creation there were light, air, grass, herbs, and trees; there were the sun, the moon, and the stars;
there were fish, birds, cattle, creeping things, and beasts. But in all these God did not find rest.
Finally there was man, and God rested from all His work. All of the creation before man was
preparatory. All of God's expectations were focused upon man. When God gained a man, He was
satisfied and He rested.

Let us read Genesis 1:27-28 again: "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God
created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them,
Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish
of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth."
Now read Genesis 1:31 with Genesis 2:3: "And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold,
it was very good....And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had
rested from all his work which God created and made." God had a purpose, and this purpose was
to gain man—man with authority to rule over the earth. Only the realization of this purpose could
satisfy God's heart. If this could be obtained, all would be well. On the sixth day God's purpose
was achieved. "God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good...and he
rested on the seventh day from all his work." God's purpose and expectation were attained; He
could stop and rest. God's rest was based upon man who would rule.

CHAPTER TWO
THE TYPE OF EVE
In creation two persons were created: one was Adam and the other was Eve. Both were
created human beings, but each typify something different. First Corinthians 15 says that
Adam was a type of the Lord Jesus, and Romans 5 says that Adam was a figure of the man
who was to come. Adam, then, foreshadowed Christ; he portrayed Christ in figure. In
other words, all that God purposed in Adam was to be achieved in Christ.

But besides Adam in the creation, there was also the woman, Eve. God very carefully
recorded the creation of this woman in Genesis 2, and when we come to Ephesians 5 we
are clearly told that Eve typifies the church. Therefore, we can see that God's eternal will
is achieved partly through Christ and partly through the church. In order for us to
understand how the church can achieve God's will on earth, we must learn from Eve. The
purpose of this book is not to discuss the type of Adam. Therefore, we will not consider
this matter here; rather, the emphasis is upon Eve. We are not focusing our thoughts upon
the work of Christ, but upon the position the church occupies in relation to that work.

When we read Genesis 2:18-24 and Ephesians 5:22-32 we find that a woman is mentioned
in both places. In Genesis 2 there is a woman, and in Ephesians 5 there is also a woman.
The first woman is a sign typifying the church; the second woman is the first woman. The
first woman was planned by God before the foundation of the world and appeared before
the fall. The second woman was also planned before the foundation of the world, but was
revealed after the fall. Although one appeared before the fall and the other after, there is
no difference in God's sight: the church is the Eve of Genesis 2. God created Adam to
typify Christ; God also created Eve to typify the church. God's purpose is not only
accomplished by Christ but is also accomplished by the church. In Genesis 2:18, the Lord
God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a help meet for
him." God's purpose in creating the church is that she may be the help meet of Christ.
Christ alone is only half; there must be another half, which is the church. God said, "It is
not good that the man should be alone." This means that in God's sight Christ alone is not
good enough. Genesis 2:18-24 reiterates the events of the sixth day of creation. On the
sixth day God created Adam, but afterward it seems that He considered a little and said,
"No, it is not good that the man should be alone." Therefore, He created Eve for Adam. By
then, everything was completed, and we find that Genesis 1 ends with this record: "And
God saw every thing that He had made, and, behold, it was very good" (v. 31). From this
we realize that having Adam alone, or we may say, having Christ alone, is not enough to
satisfy God's heart. With God there must also be Eve, that is, there must also be the
church. Then His heart will be satisfied.

The Lord God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone." In other words, God
desired to have both Adam and Eve. His purpose is to have a victorious Christ plus a
victorious church, a Christ who has overcome the work of the devil plus a church which
has overthrown the work of the devil. His purpose is to have a ruling Christ and a ruling
church. This is what God planned for His own pleasure, and He has performed it for His
own satisfaction. It has been done because God desired to do it. God desired to have
Christ, and God also desired to have a church which is exactly like Christ. God not only
desired that Christ would have dominion, He also wants the church to have dominion.
God allows the devil on earth because He said, "Let them," Christ and the church, "have
dominion." God purposed that the church, as Christ's counterpart, should take part in
dealing with Satan. If the church does not match Christ, God's purpose will not be
fulfilled. In warfare Christ needs a help meet, and even in glory He also needs a help meet.
God requires the church to be the same as Christ in every respect. It is God's desire that
Christ should have a help meet.

EVE CAME OUT OF ADAM

Adam needed a help meet. What did God do to meet this need? Genesis 2:19-20 says, "And out of
the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought
them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living
creature, that was the name thereof. And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air,
and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found a help meet for him." God brought
every kind of living creature before Adam, but Adam could not find his help meet among them.
None of the living creatures made out of earth could be a help meet for Adam.

Therefore, "the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept; and he took one of
his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof. And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from
man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my
bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man" (vv.
21-23). This one was Adam's help meet and the figure of the church in Ephesians 5. The Bible
says very clearly that all of the things made of earth and not taken out of the body of Adam could
not be his help meet. All the beasts of the field, the cattle, and the birds of the air were made of
earth. They were not taken out of Adam; therefore, they could not be the help meet to Adam. We
must remember that Eve was formed out of a rib taken from Adam; therefore, Eve was the
constituent of Adam. This means that the church comes out of Christ. Only that which is out of
Christ can be the church. Anything that is not of Christ is not the church.

We need to note a few more words in Genesis 1:26 and 27. Verse 26 says, "And God said, Let us
make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them..." In the Hebrew language the word "man"
is singular, but immediately following, the plural pronoun "them" is used. The same pattern is used
in verse 27 which says, "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he
him; male and female created he them." The noun "man" is singular, but the following pronoun
"them" is plural. God created one man; but we can also say that He created two! One is two, and
yet the two are one because Eve was in Adam.

Notice further that verse 27 says, "God created man in his own image, in the image of God created
he him; male and female created he them." The way God created "man" is the same way He created
"them." Not only was Adam created, but Eve also was included in him. "God created man in his
own image." This "man" is singular and typifies Christ. "In the image of God created He...them."
"Them" is plural and typifies Christ and the church. God not only wants to have an only begotten
Son, He also wants many sons. The many sons must be just like the one Son. From these verses
we see that if the church is not in a state which corresponds with Christ, God will not rest and His
work will not be completed. Not only is Adam in the image of God, so also is Eve. Not only does
Christ have the life of God, the church also has God's life.

THE CHURCH COMES OUT OF CHRIST

We should then ask, "What is the church?" The church is that part which is taken out of Christ.
We need to see the two aspects of Adam, and then it will be easy for us to understand. On one
hand, Adam stands merely as himself; on the other hand, he is a type. As far as Adam himself is
concerned, he was made of clay. All natural men are made of clay. But Adam also typified Christ.
The fact that Eve was made from Adam signifies that the church is made from Christ. Eve was
made with Adam's rib. Since Eve came out from Adam, she was still Adam. Then what is the
church? The church is another form of Christ, just as Eve was another form of Adam.

The church is just Christ. Oh, there are many people who think that the church is the coming
together of the "people" who believe in the Lord and who are saved. No, this is not true! Then who
constitutes the church? The church is only that portion which has been taken out of Christ. In other
words, it is the man which God has made by using Christ as the material. It is not a man made of
clay. The material of the church is Christ. Without Christ, the church has no position, no life, no
living, and no existence. The church comes out of Christ.

First Corinthians 10:17 says, "Seeing that there is one bread, we who are many are one Body."
This verse means that even though we are many, the bread which we break is one; therefore, the
Body is also one. The apostle Paul clearly stated that the one loaf represents the Body of Christ,
that is, the church as a whole. Though we are many, yet the Body is one. When we remember the
Lord, I take a little piece from the loaf, you take a little piece from the loaf, and others do the same.
For many centuries throughout the world, all Christians have taken a little portion of this loaf and
eaten it! If you could take all the pieces they have eaten and put them together, they would become
the whole church. The church is not an individual "I" plus an individual "you." It is not Mr. Smith
plus Mr. Jones or even all the Christians in the whole world put together. The church is the Christ
in you, the Christ in him, and the Christ in all the Christians around the world throughout all the
centuries put together. Our natural man has nothing to do with the church. The only part of us
which is related to the church is the portion of the loaf which we have eaten. This is especially
shown in the Gospel of John, where it is revealed that all those who believe in the Lord have Christ
dwelling in them and are therefore one in the Spirit.

The church is composed of that which is out of Christ. Man's talent, ability, thought, strength, and
all that he has are outside the church. Everything that comes from the natural life is outside the
church, and anything that is brought into the church of the natural life will only result in a tearing
down, not a building up. Only that which comes out of Christ is in the church. Eve was not made
from clay, but from Adam, the one who typified Christ. The preciousness is that God took a rib
from Adam and made Eve. Only that which came out from Adam, not from clay, can be called
"Eve," and only that which comes from Christ can be called the church. Whatever is not from
Christ has nothing to do with the church.

Some people were very frank before they believed in the Lord. After they were saved, they used
their frankness to serve God. They considered their natural frankness to be quite useful; they were
proud of it. But from what source does their frankness come? Is it from Christ? Has it been dealt
with by the cross? Oh, if it is not out of Christ, if it has never been dealt with by the cross, it is of
no use to the church! Eve was constituted only of that which came out of Adam, and the church,
likewise, is constituted only of that which is out of Christ. Whatever is of man himself is not the
church.
Some people were very eloquent before they believed. It was so easy for them to narrate and
describe something to others. After they are saved, they just change the subject matter and begin
to preach. But we should not consider it sufficient that such people can preach well. Rather, we
should ask, "From what source does their eloquence come? Has it been dealt with by the cross?"
If their eloquence is that which they originally had and has never been dealt with by the cross, then
it is entirely from their own nature. The eloquence which they bring into the church will be
something of the earthly Adam. The church will actually be pulled down by these people. Only
that which comes out of Christ is the church; nothing which comes out of human nature is the
church.

We may also meet some people who are very clever. Their minds are exceptionally keen. Before
they were saved, they used their mind to study philosophy, science, and literature. After they are
saved, they simply use their mind to study God's Word. But we must ask, "From where does this
keen mind come? Has it been dealt with by the cross? Is it under the control of the Holy Spirit? Or
is it just that mind which they had originally?" If this is so, it is simply something out of the earthly
Adam, out of the man himself, the human nature; it is something of the flesh. Although these
people have changed the subject, their mind is still the same old mind! And when they use this
mind to study the Bible, instead of helping the church, they will cause the church to suffer loss.
Only that which is out of Christ can be the church. Whatever is of man is not the church.

God must deal with us to such a degree that everything from our human nature will be brought
under control. Our natural strength must be dealt with by the cross and subjected to the rule of the
Holy Spirit. Only then will we not cause the church to suffer loss. Everything which issues from
the natural, Adamic life within us is made of earth and not wanted by God. Only that which was
made of Adam's rib was Eve. (The bone refers to the resurrection life. When the Lord was on the
cross, not one of His bones was broken.) Only that which is formed from the resurrection life of
Christ is the church.

Eve must be made of the bone of Adam. Without the bone from Adam, there would have been no
Eve. Adam's help meet is also Adam's body, since the source of Eve's life was his very bone. Adam
was the basis of her existence. She could exist only because a part of Adam was in her. It is the
same with the church. We need to continually declare to the Lord, "We owe everything to You.
Without You we have no life, no existence, nothing! We come out of You!"

The vital issue of our new birth is just this: Repentance does not make us a part of the church;
neither does our confession of sins nor our faith. Only the life which Christ has imparted to us
makes us a part of the church. The basis of our being a part of the church is our new birth, since it
is then that Christ imparts Himself to us. Therefore, there is a need for us to live, behave, and act
according to this life, the life of Christ. God cannot do anything more for us than to impart His
Son into us that we may share the life of Christ. Even though we are just earthen vessels, there is
a great treasure within us. What then can shake us? However, if we act according to ourselves, we
are outside the church. Anything other than the portion of Christ in us is not the church; it is simply
our own selves. If we work according to ourselves, we are not doing the Lord's work. We must ask
ourselves upon what basis and from what source we are serving the Lord, doing His work, pursuing
spiritual things, and leading a spiritual walk. Is everything we do based upon Christ or based upon
ourselves? If we do everything by Christ, we can accomplish God's purpose, but if we do anything
by ourselves, even though something is accomplished, it can only be of an earthly nature and
cannot accomplish God's eternal will.

God's eternal purpose is to gain a man. This man is a corporate man coming out of Christ. It is the
church. The church is not a matter of several Christians being put together with several other
Christians. It is not so many "men"; it is a life. The church is the church only because there are
many people who all share the same life, the same Christ. You have a portion of Christ, and he has
a portion of Christ; each one of us has a portion of Christ. When all of these portions of Christ are
put together, there is the church.

We must be clear that God does not want individuals. God created man, male and female. The
male is singular, and the female is also singular. Christ is singular, and the church is also singular.
In the sight of God there is only one Christ and only one church. In the future we will see that there
is only one man in Hades and only one man in the heavens; there is no third man. In God's eyes,
He only sees two men in the whole world. First Corinthians 15 reveals that Adam is the first man
and Christ is the last man. There are no others. The Body of Christ, just as Eve, is one—not many!

Therefore, even though we have God's life within us, we still need God to work upon us to break
our individualism. God must break down the thought that I myself am enough. We need to be one
with all the rest of God's children. There is only one Eve; likewise, there is only one Body of
Christ. All of God's children, all who share the life of Christ, are not many individual men and
women; they are all one man. God must break our individualism. He must crush us day after day
until we come to know the life of the Body.

There are many who think that they can be Christians all by themselves! But God will not allow
this. Often their individual prayers are not answered, their personal study of the Scriptures does
not enlighten them, and their individual seeking does not lead them to God's will. If such a person
would say to another brother or sister, "I just cannot get through this matter by myself, would you
help me?", and they prayed together, he would be clear eventually. Whatever he could not
understand by himself, he would see clearly when an answer was sought with his brother. Such a
person is often still proud, thinking that he can make it by himself most of the time, and that there
are only a few times when he cannot get through. This is individualism. In the church individualism
must be broken. We must allow the Christ in us and the Christ in all the other brothers and sisters
to become knit together in one Body.

Many Christians know the life we have in Christ, but we must regretfully say, they do not know
the life in the Body of Christ. Just as the life of Christ is a reality, the life of the Body of Christ is
also a reality. Christians are not individuals; they are one. The apostle Paul said that though we are
many, we are still one bread and one Body. If we live according to Christ, we are one with all other
Christians. But if we live according to ourselves, we separate ourselves from all of God's children.

Therefore, if the church is to become a real church, two steps are necessary: the spreading or
increase of Christ and the consuming of our self. The spreading of Christ began when we were
regenerated, and since we were saved, the Lord has been working on us day after day to consume
our self. The Lord will continue to work until one day before God, we say, "There is not a single
thing I can do by myself. Everything I do is done according to the principle of mutual help among
the members. All that I do is according to the principle of fellowship, which is the principle of the
Body." The church is the Body of Christ. Only that which is of Christ is the church; whatever
issues from man is not.

We must realize that God takes into account the source of things, not whether they are good or
evil. Men always ask, "Is this good or bad?" But God asks, "Where does it come from?" That
which came from Adam was called Eve; likewise, that which comes from Christ is called the
church. Anything which is not out of Christ is not the church. Men ask, "Do you have love?" But
God asks, "Where does your love come from?" Men ask, "Are you zealous?" But God asks, "What
is the source of your zeal?" We need to solve the matter of origin, not good or evil. The question
of good and evil came in after Genesis 3. Perhaps someone would say, "Do I not have some ability?
Am I not zealous?" But the problem is, where does your ability and zeal come from?

We often feel that we are quite able to love and help others by ourselves. To love and help others,
of course, is good, but "if I deliver up my body that I may boast, but do not have love," Christ's
love, "I profit nothing" (1 Cor. 13:3). Is it wrong to give ourselves to help others? The issue is still:
Where does it come from? Only that which comes from Christ is the church. Anything that is not
out of Christ has nothing to do with the church.

In our Christian life, the first lesson and last lesson we need to learn is to discern the source of
things. The first lesson is to reject anything that comes from ourselves, and the last lesson is still
to reject anything that comes from ourselves. This does not mean that we should not strive or be
zealous, but the issue is that our striving and zeal must come from the Lord. We are not saying that
we should not work, but we want work which is initiated by the Lord. We are not saying that we
should not seek after power, but that we should seek the power which is from the Lord. This is the
whole issue: From where does it originate?

In the Gospel of John, the Lord Jesus once said, "The Son can do nothing from Himself" (John
5:19). According to the Greek text, the word "from" can also be translated "out of." This means
that the Son can do nothing out of Himself. If this was the case with the Lord, then how much
more it should be with us! How can we ever do anything from ourselves? We need to see before
God that we can do nothing from ourselves. He must bring us to the place where we realize that
we truly can do nothing from ourselves—everything must be by Him and out of Him.

When we serve the Lord, it is not enough to be zealous. No, we must do that work which the Lord
assigns to us. In Colossians 1:29, Paul said, "For which also I labor, struggling according to His
operation which operates in me in power." God is working within us so we can work without. We
often do many things outwardly, but not much has been done inwardly. God has not done that
much within; most everything has been done by ourselves. This kind of work, even though it may
be considerable, is of no use. In the matter of serving the Lord, God must bring us to a place that
we do not want anything that is not from the Lord. If the Lord is not moving, then we will not dare
move.
Eve was bone of Adam's bone and flesh of his flesh. This signifies that the bones inside and the
flesh outside are all out of Christ. Everything on the inside and everything on the outside are of
Him; nothing can be from ourselves. Everything of Eve was out of Adam, and everything of the
church is out of Christ. No matter how well we may do something, it is absolutely useless in
achieving God's eternal purpose. No matter how good something is, it cannot possibly glorify God
if it issues from ourselves.

The first woman represents the woman who is after God's heart. There was not only a man who
expressed God's heart, there was also a woman. It is not only Christ who satisfies God's heart; it is
also the church. Christ satisfies God's heart, because He allows God to be His head. It must be the
same with the church. She also must allow God to be her head. When the church reaches this
position, the will of God will be done. God intends to have this kind of people on the earth, and
when He does, His heart's desire will be satisfied. Let us remember that whatever comes out from
man's self is just dust and not worthy of being the material for the help meet. Only that which
comes out from Christ is the church.

EVE MADE FROM ADAM'S SLEEP—

THE CHURCH PRODUCED THROUGH CHRIST'S "NON-
REDEMPTIVE DEATH"
We have already seen that Eve was not made of dust, but of Adam; Adam was the material of
which Eve was made. Likewise, Christ is the material for the church. God used Christ to make the
church. Now we will see how Eve was made, and how the church was made.

Let us read Genesis 2:21-23. "And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he
slept; and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof. And the rib, which the
Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said,
This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was
taken out of Man."

God brought forth the church out of the death of Christ. Regarding the death of Christ, the words
in Genesis 2 are very special. It says, "The Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam" (v.
21). This verse does not say that God caused Adam to die, but that He caused him to fall into a
deep sleep. If death had been mentioned, then sin would be involved, because verse 17 in the
preceding passage says that death and sin are related. Adam's sleep typifies the aspect of Christ's
death which was not related to redemption. In the death of Christ there was an aspect which was
not related to redemption but to the release of Himself. We are not saying that the death of Christ
is not for redemption—we truly believe that it is—but His death involved an aspect which is not
related to redemption. This aspect is the releasing of Himself for the creation of the church. It has
nothing to do with sin. God is taking something out of Christ and using it to create the church.
Therefore, "sleep" is used to typify His death through which man receives life.

Redemption and the receiving of life are two distinct things. Redemption involves a negative
aspect of dealing with our sins. We have sinned and deserve to die; therefore, Christ came to bear
our sins. His death accomplished redemption for us. This aspect of His death is related to sin. But
there is another aspect of His death which is not related to redemption: It is the imparting of
Himself to us so that through His death we may receive life.

Adam's sleep was not for Eve's redemption; it was so that a rib could be taken out for her creation.
(Sin had not yet entered the scene—that account is in Genesis 3.) Eve came into existence through
Adam. Eve was able to receive life because Adam slept. In the same manner, an aspect of the death
of Christ is for the imparting of life to the church.

When Adam fell into a deep sleep, God took a rib from him. Likewise, when Christ died,
something happened to His rib, His side (see John 19:31-37). His side was not pierced for
redemption, because the piercing occurred after His death. The problem of redemption had already
been solved. According to Jewish custom, whoever was crucified had to be taken away before
sunset. If they were not dead, the soldiers would break their bones to speed their death. The two
thieves who were crucified with the Lord had not died; therefore, their bones were broken. But
when the soldiers looked at the Lord Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break
His bones. Instead, they pierced His side with a spear, and blood and water flowed out. This
signifies that when His side was pierced, the work of redemption had already been accomplished.
It reveals that the work of Christ not only involved the shedding of His blood to redeem us from
sins, but also the flowing out of water, typifying the imparting of His life to us. This aspect is apart
from sin and redemption. The blood deals with our sins, while the water causes us to receive His
life. This is what His wounded side speaks to us.

We all need to clearly distinguish these two aspects of Christ's death. One is for redemption, while
the other is not for redemption. The first aspect of His death deals with all that happened after
man's fall in Genesis 3. Since man fell, Christ came to redeem us in order to bring us back to the
original purpose of God's creation of man. But the other aspect of His death has nothing to do with
sins. It is entirely for the releasing of His life, that His life may be imparted into us.

Because of these two distinct aspects in the death of Christ, the Bible uses two different substances
to typify them. Blood is used for redemption; water is used for the non-redemptive aspect. May
God open our eyes to see the importance of this matter. The blood is for redemption, and the water
is for the imparting of His life. Because we have committed sins and are sinful before God, the
blood is ever before Him, speaking for our sins. But the water typifies the Lord Himself as life.
John 19:34 says that the water flowed out from Him, and in chapter twenty, the Lord pointed out
His side to His disciples. John 20 is not a chapter dealing with redemption. The Lord said, "I ascend
to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God" (v. 17). This is a matter of imparting
life.

This is not all. Let us read Genesis 2:22 and 23 again: "And the rib, which the Lord God had taken
from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of
my bones, and flesh of my flesh." In one place in the Scriptures, we are referred to as "flesh and
blood" (1 Cor. 15:50), but when the Scriptures refer to man in resurrection, he is described only as
"flesh and bones"; there is no mention of blood (see Luke 24:39). God used Adam's rib to make
Eve; He did not use Adam's blood. Throughout the whole Bible, the word blood is mentioned more
than four hundred times, but in Genesis 2 there is no mention of blood because the matter of
redemption was not at issue. Whenever blood is mentioned, redemption is involved. Blood is for
redemption. The Old Testament records how man used the blood of beasts for atonement of sins.
In the New Testament, Hebrews 9:22 says, "Without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness."
Whether in the Old Testament or the New Testament, we see that blood is related to redemption.
But in the creation of Eve, blood was not mentioned because there was no sin; God saw no sin
there.

THE CHURCH IN GOD'S PLAN—WITHOUT SIN

When we read Ephesians 5:25, we find the same meaning. "Husbands, love your wives even as
Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her." In this passage we need to notice three
points:

First, Christ gave Himself up for us because we are the church. Romans 5, which speaks of Christ
dying for sinners, is in reference to redemption. Ephesians 5, however, does not deal with the
problem of sinners but with the issue of the church. The context of Ephesians 5 is not that Christ
came to die for us because we were sinners, but that He gave Himself up for us because we are the
church.

Second, Christ gave Himself for us because He loves us, not because we have sinned. According
to 1 Corinthians 15, Christ died for our sins, but Ephesians 5 says that Christ loved the church and
gave Himself for it. He gave Himself because of love, not because of our sin. To die for sin is one
thing, but to die for love is entirely different. To die for sin deals with the problem of sin—this is
redemption. But Christ's giving Himself for us is a matter of love. Sin is not involved in Ephesians
5. This aspect of His death is related to love and has nothing to do with sin.

Third, Christ gave Himself for us in order to give Himself to us, without any question of our sins.
This verse may be translated, "Christ also loved the church and gave Himself to the church." Adam
imparted his bone to Eve; Christ has imparted Himself to us as well. We have Him within us
because He died; He has already entered into us. Because He died, we now have His very life
within us. He Himself has been imparted to us.

Let us consider this for a moment. Is this not wonderful? From God's point of view, the church has
never sinned and has never been related to sin. It is true that God knew that man fell and needed
to be redeemed, but marvelously, along another line, He did not see sin at all. In other words, there
is a portion in us which has no need of redemption. This is the portion which we have received
from Christ. It does not need to be redeemed because it transcends sin. (We obtained this portion,
of course, after we were redeemed.) This portion is the church.

The Scriptures reveal how God has used many women to typify the church. Genesis contains, in
addition to the story of Eve, the story of Rebecca and Asenath. Rebecca's marriage to Isaac typifies
the church being offered to Christ. Asenath's marriage to Joseph and her bearing sons in Egypt
typifies the church being chosen out of the world unto God. Exodus speaks of Zipporah being
married to Moses in the wilderness. This typifies the church in the wilderness. Joshua speaks of
Achsah, who after being married, asked for the upper springs and the lower springs. This typifies
the church receiving the inheritance. Ruth's marriage to Boaz typifies the redemption of the church.
Abigail's marriage to David typifies the church enlisted as an army for warfare.

The Old Testament speaks of many women who typified the various aspects of the church; the
church was chosen from the world, redeemed, taken through the wilderness, enlisted for warfare,
given the inheritance, and offered to Christ. All of these types in the Scriptures refer to the church,
but of them all, the type in Genesis 2 is unique. There is no other type similar to it because Eve
portrays the church as it really is in God's mind and the place it has in His eternal plan. All the
other types occur after man's fall; only the type of Eve precedes the fall. All the other types involve
the matter of moral responsibility; this one alone is free of it.

The Eve that God made came out of Adam, not out of a redeemed sinner. She was made before
sin occurred. In like manner, the church comes out of Christ; it is not a matter of sinners receiving
grace and being saved. Eve came out of Adam and was wholly for Adam; even so, the church
comes out of Christ and is wholly for Christ.

We may consider that the church is composed of many people who have been saved—people like
Ruth. Ruth was totally involved in sin, and Boaz came to redeem her. But this is not the picture of
the church which Genesis 2 gives to us. By the time of Ruth sin had already entered, but in Genesis
2 there was no problem of sin. This is the church which was in the beginning; it had no association
with sin. Oh, this is a tremendous matter, and these are very meaningful words. The church in
God's forethought has no history of sin!

When people inquire concerning the history of our salvation, we always start with the fall, that is,
how we committed sin and wandered in sin, how we were so evil and bad, and how we heard the
gospel, believed on the Lord Jesus, and were saved. We always start with the fall. But in God's
eyes, the church has never been touched by sin. The church is the part out of Christ which has
never been touched by sin and known sin. That which is completely without sin is called Eve, and
that which is wholly out of Christ is called the church. That which is entirely from Christ and will
be solely for Christ is Eve, the church. Eve typifies a corporate man made by God—the church
that is wholly of Christ. The church is not a composition of human beings from every nation, race,
and people. No! Only that which comes out of Christ can be called the church. It is not that many
people believe in Jesus and become the church. The church is the portion which is out of Christ
alone. We must see that the church is the vessel chosen by God to manifest His Son, Christ, and
to achieve His eternal purpose. It has nothing to do with sin and has never touched sin.

We must have our thoughts renewed and enter into the matter which God considers the greatest.
Many of God's children refer everything to the problem of sin and being saved. They are always
thinking about how they were so sinful and how they were saved. It seems that we are always
looking from the perspective of sin. This matter is always with us, but God intends to turn our
thinking completely around. He wants us to have an entirely new view of the church; He wants us
to see that she is not related to sin at all. From beginning to end, the church is out of God and for
God and has never touched sin. There is a portion in us which is out of Christ and which is Christ
Himself. This portion has never been and never can be related to sin; sin has no way to come into
contact with it. We can truly say that there is something in us which is holy. Oh, may we all enter
into God's view of the church! From His viewpoint it appears that He has canceled all history of
sin.

When we give our praises to Him in eternity, it will not be necessary for us to mention what kind
of sinners we have been. God desires to bring us to a stage that all of the history succeeding Genesis
3 will pass away and only that which is of Christ will be brought to Him. This is God's eternal
purpose! God desires to obtain a church, a corporate man, in whom everything is out of Christ and
for Christ, a church in which there is no history of sin.

Let us turn back to Genesis 2:18. "And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be
alone; I will make him a help meet for him." The creation of Eve was for the satisfaction of God's
heart's desire. Because He had such a desire, He performed it. We must note that the creation of
Eve is recorded in Genesis 2, before the events in Genesis 3 came to pass. There was no problem
of moral responsibility between God and man because sin had not yet entered. Man had no problem
with God; therefore, all the events recorded in Genesis 2 were for the purpose of meeting the needs
of God Himself, not to deal with the shortcomings of man. God's creation of Eve in Genesis 2
shows how God purposed to have His church from eternity to eternity. The first thing in the sight
of God was not man's fall but the plan which He purposed in eternity past. God's plan in eternity
was for man to exercise His authority and spoil all the work of Satan. This is God's purpose for the
church, and it will all be fulfilled in the coming eternity. God is after such a church to satisfy His
heart. After He made male and female, He entered into rest. God was satisfied because He obtained
such a church.

CHAPTER THREE
THE BODY OF CHRIST
AND THE BRIDE OF CHRIST
We have already seen how Eve typifies the church in God's plan. In God's plan all that is of the
church is completely out of Christ. It contains nothing of man and has no relationship with sin.
Our God is determined to have such a church. Anything less than this can never satisfy His heart.
He not only planned this kind of church, but He is going to obtain it. Hallelujah! It is a fact! We
must realize that our God can never be hindered or frustrated. When He purposes something, even
though Hades and all of creation's forces would rise to oppose Him, He cannot be resisted. Even
though we are fallen and full of failure, even though we are fleshly and soulish, departing far from
God and disobeying Him, God will still attain His purpose. No matter what man does, he cannot
ruin God's plan; the most he can do is delay it. Therefore, we must not only realize God's purpose,
but also be clear that God will fully attain what He has purposed. From eternity God purposed to
obtain a church completely out of Christ, a church containing no impurity of man, no element of
earth, nor any savor of sin. Every part of her is something out of Christ, and Christ is her very life.

Beginning with Genesis 3, however, man fell. Now we not only have the fact of God's purpose in
creation, but also the fact of man's fall. Therefore, let us see the way that God devised to amend
the situation.

Ephesians 5:25-30 says, "Husbands, love your wives even as Christ also loved the church and gave
Himself up for her that He might sanctify her, cleansing her by the washing of the water in the
word, that He might present the church to Himself glorious, not having spot or wrinkle or any such
things, but that she would be holy and without blemish. In the same way the husbands also ought
to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his own wife loves himself. For no one
ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, even as Christ also the church, because
we are members of His Body."

These six verses of Scripture may be divided into two sections: verses 25-27 tell us the first reason
husbands should love their wives; verses 28-30 tell us the second reason husbands should love
their wives. In these two sections we see two commands to love the wife and we see two reasons.
But there is a difference between these two sections. The first section says that Christ "loved" the
church and "gave" Himself up for her—these verbs are in the past tense. Beginning with verse 28,
the verbs are in the present tense, such as "nourishes" and "cherishes." These two portions of
Scripture, therefore, involve different elements of time—one section refers to something in the
past and the other to the present.

The subjects of these two sections are also different. The first section refers to the church as the
bride of Christ; the second section speaks of the church as the Body of Christ. In the first section,
the past tense is used when the church is referred to as the bride of Christ. This is because the
whole purpose of Christ, as revealed to us, is to have a bride. Even His death was for the purpose
of obtaining a bride. Although He will obtain His bride in the future, the work was finished in the
past. Concerning the present, the church is the Body of Christ, and the Lord is presently nourishing
and cherishing His church.

THE RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN THE BODY AND THE BRIDE
In the Lord's eyes, the church has two positions: as to her life, the church is the Body of Christ,
but regarding her future, she is the bride of Christ. As to the union of Christ with the church, the
church is His Body; regarding the intimate relationship of Christ with the church, the church is His
bride.

Whenever God's Word speaks of the oneness between Christ and the church, we see Christ as the
Head and the church as His Body. Whenever the Word shows the distinction between Christ and
the church, we see the church as the bride to Christ. Adam and Eve were spoken of as two
becoming "one flesh," but they were still two persons; God still counted them as two. Adam was
Adam, and Eve was Eve. They were united to be one. This is the relationship between the church
and Christ. From one they became two, and from two they became one. When God first created
man, He made male and female. Eve came out from Adam; thus, she and Adam were one. Even
so, the church comes out from Christ; therefore, the church and Christ are also one. However, since
Adam and Eve both existed at the same time, there was a distinction between them. Likewise,
since the church and Christ coexist, there is also a distinction between them. Regarding oneness,
they are one, but as to the matter of distinction, they differ from each other.

These two positions have to do with a difference in time. Today the church is the Body of Christ,
but in the future the church will be the bride of Christ. Today the church is the Body of Christ for
the purpose of manifesting the life of Christ. One day, when the church is mature in life, God will
bring the church to Christ; in that day she will become the bride of Christ. Some people think that
the church is the bride of Christ today, but this is wrong. There is no such thing. Since the Lord
Jesus is not yet the Bridegroom, how could the church already be His bride? God will not bring
the church to Christ as His bride until the work of the church as the Body of Christ has been
accomplished.

If we look at the type in Genesis 2, we can also see the relationship between the Body and the
bride. Eve was made out of Adam's rib, so she was the body of Adam. Since a portion of Adam's
body was used to make Eve, her position was the body of Adam. But after Eve was made, God
brought her to Adam, and she became the bride of Adam. This is the relationship between the
Body and the bride. When reference is made to Eve coming out of Adam, it means that she is the
body of Adam; but when Eve was brought to Adam and became his help meet; she became Adam's
bride. That which was out of Adam was the body of Adam, and that which was brought to Adam
was his bride.

Only that which came out of Adam could become the help meet of Adam. Whatever was not out
of Adam could never be his help meet. Thus, when all the birds of the air were brought to him,
Adam did not take any of them as his help meet, for they were not out of him. When all the cattle
were brought to him, Adam did not take any of them, because they also were not out of him. It
was the same with all the beasts. Their origin was not right. Since they were not out of Adam, they
could not be his help meet. Who then could be the help meet of Adam? Eve could! Eve was brought
to Adam just as the birds of the air, the cattle of the field, and the beasts were brought. However,
there was a basic difference between Eve and them; they were not out of Adam. Since Eve was
the only one who came out from Adam, she alone was qualified to be his bride. Coming out from
him, she was brought back to him. Whatever comes out from him is his body; whatever is brought
back to him is his bride.

Only that which comes out of Christ can return to Christ. That which does not come out from
Christ can never return to Him. Only that which comes from heaven can return to heaven. If we
have not come down from heaven, we will not be able to return to heaven. Home is the place of
our origin. When we say that we are going home, we mean that we are returning to the place from
which we have come. Only that which is from heaven can return to heaven. Only that which was
from Adam could return to Adam. Adam could receive only that which was out of himself. This
was a type—showing that Christ will receive only that which is out of Himself. Only those who
come out from Christ can return to Him. Only those who receive life from Him can be received by
Him.

There are many people who feel that they should offer all that they are and all that they have for
the Lord's use. But God cannot accept anything which is offered from a human source. God cannot
take or use anything which comes out from man himself. Among all Christians, especially among
those who are quite zealous, a serious mistake is often made. They think that everything will be
fine as long as they offer themselves, their abilities, their talents, and all they have to the Lord. But
we must remember that Christ will accept only that which comes out of Himself; He will not accept
anything which comes out of man.
You may say, "Among the apostles, was there not a Paul? Was he not well educated? Was he not
a man of great intelligence?" But we must remember the words that Paul spoke about himself. "For
I did not determine to know anything among you except Jesus Christ, and this One crucified. And
I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling; and my speech and my proclamation
were not in persuasive words of wisdom but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power" (1 Cor.
2:2-4). We thank God that intelligent and eloquent men can come into the church, but their natural,
original intelligence and their natural, original eloquence are of no spiritual use in the church. In
the church only one thing is recognized—that which comes out of Christ. Only that which is out
of Christ can return to Christ. The material for the building of such a bride is Christ Himself.

The matter we need to attend to is this: only that which is out of Christ can be of any value and
spiritual use in the church. God never uses the old creation to construct the new creation. Neither
does God use that which is of man to construct that which is of God. He can never, never use
fleshly things to produce something spiritual. The Lord Jesus said, "That which is born of the Spirit
is spirit" (John 3:6b). Would it be possible for that which is born of the flesh to become spirit? No!
"That which is born of the flesh is flesh." All problems issue from the matter of source. If we want
to know whether the result will be spiritual, we need only ask whether the source is spiritual. The
Lord Jesus said, "That which is born of the Spirit is spirit." We cannot use anything of the flesh to
produce something of the spirit. A message which issues from thoughts only produces thoughts.
Work done by stirring up the emotion only produces emotional stimulation. Only work from the
spirit produces the spirit. The question is not whether the goal or the purpose is right, but what the
process is. Man considers that as long as the goal is right, everything else is right. But God not
only asks if the goal is right, He also asks how we do it. Someone may say, "I am for the Lord, and
the work I am doing is for the church—the work of saving souls, spiritual work, the work of
extending the heavenly kingdom. I have given all my ability and intelligence to it. Isn't this good?"
In spite of this, man's natural ability and intelligence—that which has not been dealt with by the
cross—are of no spiritual use. The Lord said, "That which is born of the flesh is flesh" (v. 6a).

Thus, it is not only necessary to have a spiritual purpose, but the process must also be of the spirit.
The method must be of the spirit, and the man himself must be one who is of the spirit. Only that
which is from the Holy Spirit can be spiritual. Only that which was out of Adam could return to
Adam. First it must be Adam's body, and then it could be Adam's bride. First we must be the Body
of Christ, and then we can be brought back to be the Bride of Christ. We hope that we may touch
some spiritual reality in this matter. We need to see what God is really after. He requires that
everything be out of Christ, that everyone be born of the Spirit.

Every Christian, therefore, must pursue the life of the Body. If we do not seek the life of the Body,
we cannot seek the life of the Bride. We should never think that it does not matter much whether
we experience the life of the Body. We must realize that if we have the life of the Body today, we
will have the life of the Bride in the future. If we live vaguely and aimlessly today, we will never
know the life of the bride. Every Christian must know the Body of Christ. In the sight of God, we
must seek after this. We cannot just live as individuals; we must walk together with other children
of God. A Christian must see that he is a member of the whole Body. He is not simply one Christian
among many, but he is also a member. He must live as a member with many other Christians,
having a mutual, Body-relatedness with them. If we really know the life of the Body, we will see
that a Christian cannot live one day without the Lord Jesus, and neither can he live one day without
other Christians. Without the Lord Jesus he cannot exist, and without other Christians he cannot
exist. God is after a Body, not many single, isolated Christians. God desires a whole Eve, not a
hand here and a foot there. He must obtain Eve as a whole being; then she will be of use to Him.
He does not want one who is disabled. He wants a new man, a corporate man.

For this reason all division and individualism must be eliminated. The matter of division is not
merely something outward—it is a problem of our heart. Martin Luther said that the greatest pope
does not live in Rome but right in our hearts. We must realize that the greatest hindrance to God's
will is not outward divisions but ourselves, as individual persons, who do not know the life of the
Body. At this point we need two different revelations: first, to see that the Body is one, and second,
to see that we are part of it, that we are members of this Body. When we see that the Body is one,
we will never dare to be divisive. When we see that as members we are but a portion of the whole
Body, we will never dare to justify ourselves, or consider that, as single members, we could be a
whole unit. Only the whole Body together can be a unit. We ourselves as members are too small,
too insufficient. Oh, may God deliver us from being individualists. Then we may become those
who are useful to Him.

CHRIST LOVES THE CHURCH

Now let us read Ephesians 5:28-29. "In the same way the husbands also ought to love their own
wives as their own bodies; he who loves his own wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his
own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, even as Christ also the church." Husbands should love
their wives, because loving their wives is loving their own bodies. Men always nourish and cherish
their own bodies, and Christ also nourishes and cherishes the church. In the eyes of Christ, the
church is His own Body, bone of His bone and flesh of His flesh. These verses show us that the
church is the Body of Christ, and that His work toward the church today is to nourish and cherish
it, because the church is Himself. He certainly will nourish and cherish us, because we all have
come out of Christ. We know how well we nourish and cherish ourselves. In the same way, Christ
will nourish and cherish us. It is a fact that "no one ever hated his own flesh." If a normal person
hurts his hand, he carefully cherishes his hand; if his foot is injured, he tenderly cares for it. Men
always nourish and cherish themselves. Similarly, Christ loves the church, because the church is
His very self.

Let us read Ephesians 5:25-27. "Husbands, love your wives even as Christ also loved the church
and gave Himself up for her that He might sanctify her, cleansing her by the washing of the water
in the word, that He might present the church to Himself glorious, not having spot or wrinkle or
any such things, but that she would be holy and without blemish." These three verses speak of the
church as the Bride of Christ. "That He might present the church to Himself" presents a scene of
God bringing Eve to Adam. In like manner Christ will bring the church and present it to Himself.
This presenting, however, is in the future. The church today has not yet attained to this place.
Christ is working step by step in the church until that day when He presents her to Himself. In
other words, Ephesians 5:25-27 speaks of the path from redemption to the kingdom. Step by step
the church is now being prepared so that Christ may present it to Himself in that day.

Why does it say here that the church must be "cleansed"? It is because this is Ephesians 5, not
Genesis 2. God's highest revelation of the church is seen in the book of Ephesians. The outstanding
feature of this book is that it does not start with sinners being saved but with our having been
chosen in eternity. Romans 1 speaks first of sin—how we sinned and then were saved. But
Ephesians 1 starts from eternity and our being chosen before the foundation of the world. The
problem of sin is not mentioned until chapter two. The book of Ephesians reveals two lines: one
is from eternity to eternity, and the other is from man's fall to his redemption. In Ephesians
something transcendent is revealed to us. We see how the church comes out from Christ, how it
was chosen before the foundation of the world, and how it will forever manifest the glory of Christ
in eternity. At the same time, it shows us that man's fall is a fact, that man's committing of sin is a
fact, and that the existence of our natural life is also a fact. Therefore, chapter five says that Christ
will cleanse us by the washing of water in the word until we are sanctified. He wants to restore us
to the point that we completely match God's eternal will.

On the one hand, we need the vision to see that the church has never failed, sinned, or fallen. The
church has never touched sin; from eternity to eternity she has been on a straight line. On the other
hand, we need to see that we are just a group of sinners saved by grace; therefore, we need the
washing of the water in the word. We need His life, by means of His word, to sanctify us and
restore us to the highest point. May God grant us grace so that we may reach that point.

THE CLEANSING OF THE CHURCH

BY THE WASHING OF THE WATER IN THE WORD
We must notice this phrase "by the washing of the water in the word." In the New Testament two
Greek words are used to denote word. One is logos, referring to the word in a general sense; the
other is rhema, which although translated as word in Scripture, means something quite different
from logos. Logos refers both to things which have been eternally determined and to things used
in an objective way. This is word, as we generally use it, and word, as it is generally known in
Christianity. But rhema refers to words which are spoken. This is more subjective than logos. Let
us look at several passages in the New Testament where rhema is used.

In Matthew 4:4 Jesus said, "It is written, `Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word
that proceeds out through the mouth of God.'" In this verse "word" is rhema, not logos. When we
say that the Bible is the Word of God, the "word" is logos, not rhema. Can we say that man shall
not live by bread alone, but by the Word of God recorded in the Bible? No. We are not saying that
the written Word of God is of no use, but that logos—the Word of God recorded in the Bible—is
of no use to us by itself. One day a messenger came to tell a mother that her son had been run over
by a car and was at the point of death. The mother immediately opened the Bible and happened to
turn to John 11:4: "This sickness is not unto death..." Because of this verse she felt peaceful and
even began to rejoice, but when she arrived at the scene of the accident, she found that her son had
already died. Did this mean that what is recorded in the Gospel of John is not the Word of God? It
is the Word of God, but it is logos, not rhema. The word she grasped was not the word which God
spoke to her at that specific instance. Both logos and rhema are the Word of God, but the former
is God's Word objectively recorded in the Bible, while the latter is the word of God spoken to us
at a specific occasion.

Romans 10:17 says, "So faith comes out of hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ." In
this verse rhema, not logos, is again used. This means that we can believe when Christ first speaks
within us.
John 3:16 is a verse many of us can quote from memory. Perhaps we have known it for ten or
twenty years. Is this verse the Word of God? Certainly it is the Word of God, but it is logos. There
comes a day, however, when we read this verse and it is entirely different to us than it ever was
before. "For God so loved the world..." Now, God does not just love the world, He loves me.
"...that He gave His only begotten Son..." God did not give His Son just to the world, but to me.
"...that every one who believes into Him..." It is not that someone believes into Him, but that I
believe into Him. "...would not perish, but would have eternal life." It is I who will not perish, and
it is I who even now have eternal life. This word is now rhema. God speaks the word to us, and at
the same moment, we have faith. Therefore, we must ask God, "O God, if You would be gracious
to me, I pray that You would always give me rhema." This does not mean that logos is of no use.
Logos has its definite use, for without logos, we could never have rhema. All the rhema of God is
based upon logos. We cannot deny that John 3:16 is the Word of God. But when the logos of God
becomes the rhema spoken by God to us, we have faith and the whole matter is settled.

John 6:63 says, "The words which I have spoken to you are spirit and are life." Did the Jews not
have the logos of God? Yes, they did. They were very familiar with it and could recite the Old
Testament commandments very well, but it was of no use to them. Only the words which the Lord
spoke to them were spirit and life. Only rhema is spirit and life.

Mark 14:72 says, "And immediately a rooster crowed a second time. And Peter remembered the
word, how Jesus had said to him, Before a rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times. And
thinking upon it, he wept." Peter recalled the rhema that Jesus had spoken to him. The rhema was
that which was brought to his remembrance. While Peter was telling a lie, suddenly rhema came.
The very sentence of the Lord came to him. Rhema is the word which the Lord has spoken, and
now He speaks it again.

In Luke 1:38 Mary said, "Behold, the slave of the Lord. May it happen to me according to your
word. And the angel departed from her." In this verse rhema is used. This was not just a word of
prophecy in Isaiah 7:14, "Behold, the virgin will conceive and will bear a son," but a word that
was spoken specifically to Mary by the angel, "Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear
a son" (Luke 1:31). Because Mary heard this, she received strength and it was accomplished.

In Luke 2:29 Simeon said, "Now You release Your slave, Master, according to Your word, in
peace." "Word" in this verse is rhema. Before the Lord Jesus came, God spoke His word to Simeon
that he would not see death until he had seen the Lord's Christ. But on the day he saw the Lord
Jesus, Simeon said, "Now You release Your slave, Master, according to Your word, in peace."
Simeon had rhema from the Lord. It was not according to a certain chapter or a certain verse in the
Bible, but it was according to the word spoken to him on that day by the Lord. Merely having the
word from a certain chapter and verse in the Bible is not sufficient. Only the word which the Lord
speaks to us is of any use. The rhema reveals something to us personally and directly; it shows us
what we need to deal with and what we need to be cleansed from. We must specifically seek after
this very matter, because our Christian life is based on this rhema. What word has God really
spoken to us, and how has He spoken to us? We must remember that today's Christianity is still
the Christianity of personal revelation. If the Lord does not speak within man, it is not Christianity,
nor is it the New Testament.

Luke 3:2 says, "During the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John
the son of Zachariah in the wilderness." "Word" in this verse is also rhema.

Luke 5:5 says, "Simon answered and said, Master, through the whole night we toiled and caught
nothing; but based on Your word I will let down the nets." The "word" in this verse was something
spoken by the Lord for that occasion. It was the Lord speaking personally to Simon. This is rhema.
The Lord did not speak in a certain chapter and verse of the Scripture that Simon should let down
the net. If someone attempted to walk on the sea because of Matthew 14:29, he would certainly
sink. This is not the word which the Lord is speaking today, though He did speak it on that day. It
is true that the word spoken by God in the past and the word He speaks today carry the same
authority; they have never changed. But the important thing is this: Is God speaking that very word
to us today?

Luke 24:8 says, "They remembered His words (rhema)." In short what is rhema? Rhema is
something the Lord has spoken previously which He is now speaking again. In other words, rhema
is the word which the Lord speaks the second time. This is something living.

In Acts 11:16 Peter said, "And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, John baptized in
water, but you shall be baptized in the Holy Spirit." While Peter was preaching to the household
of Cornelius, the Spirit of the Lord fell upon them, and the word of the Lord came to Peter. It was
not that Peter tried to recall the word from his memory, but it was the Lord who spoke to him,
"John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized in the Holy Spirit."

We will always treasure the fact that the Lord still speaks today. He not only spoke in the
Scriptures, He not only spoke to Paul and John, He is also speaking to us today. The word of the
Lord has never ceased. Whenever someone who is working for the Lord stands up to speak for
Him, he must expect the rhema. If the Lord does not speak to us today, we are really failures. How
many times have we preached, yet the Lord did not speak a word? It is not that there was something
wrong with the message, but it was all the general word of the Lord; there was no rhema in it. The
problem with the church today is that it lacks the living word of the Lord; instead there are only
dead doctrines. There is a real shortage of direct communication from God. There is only a passing
on of man's preaching. It is pitiful that so many people have died under good doctrines! May God
have mercy upon us and give us rhema. May He speak personally and directly to us today. Only
when we have rhema can we move ahead and have the living water to supply to others. What we
need is rhema.

In the eternal plan of God the church is without sin. The church has no history of sin; it is entirely
spiritual and wholly out of Christ. But what about the actual history of the church? We know that
she has not been completely out of Christ, and much of her element has been of the earth. In what
way will Christ bring the church into perfection? He will do it by cleansing her with the washing
of the water in the word—the rhema. We have mentioned previously that water refers to life. It
typifies the life that was released through the non-redemptive aspect1 of the death of Christ. Christ
is using His life in His word, His rhema, to cleanse us.

What is the meaning of Christ cleansing us by His life through His word? First, we must see the
church's problem from God's viewpoint. Her defect is not that the Christ whom she has received
is too little, but that she has too many things other than Christ. The church in God's will comes
entirely out of Christ, without any sin, without any flesh, and containing no natural life. But what
about our actual condition? Every one of us who truly belongs to Christ has a certain portion which
is solely and wholly Christ. We thank God for this portion. In addition to this portion, we still have
many things which are not of Christ. We need to be cleansed because of all these other things.
What is the meaning of cleansing? It means to subtract, not to add. If cleansing meant an addition
to us, then it would be a dyeing. Eve in Genesis 2 did not need to be cleansed, because she typified
the church in God's eternal plan. But if we consider that we do not need to be cleansed today, we
are deceiving ourselves. God plans to bring us to the place where cleansing is not necessary, but
today we still need to be cleansed.

How does God cleanse us? He does it with His life through His own word. Many times we do not
know in which aspect we need to be cleansed. But one day the life within us will not let us go.
Before long His rhema comes into us, indicating what must be dealt with. On the one hand, it is
the life that touches us, and on the other hand, it is the word that tells us. Sometimes we are engaged
in something which seems quite good according to doctrine, and our reason for doing it is also
quite right, but within there is something which keeps touching us and will not let us go.
Eventually, the Lord speaks to us; rhema comes, the mighty word of the Lord. It tells us that a
certain matter must be dealt with and cleansed. On the one hand, this is the life, and on the other
hand, it is the word of the Lord. By this we are cleansed. Sometimes the order is changed. At the
beginning we do not feel anything while we are engaged in a certain matter; in fact, we feel that
everything is fine. But when rhema comes, the word of the Lord speaks to us first, telling us that
this particular matter is wrong, and then the life within us demands that we deal with it. This is our
daily life. Either the life of the Lord does not allow us to do something, and the word comes; or
first the word comes, and then the life follows, demanding that we deal with it. But it is always the
cleansing of the water in the word to sanctify us.

Therefore, the whole matter of our growth and progress depends upon our attitude towards life and
rhema. If we have any inner feeling in life, we should never let it go. We must pray, "Lord, please
give the rhema that I might know how to deal with this situation." If the Lord first gives us rhema,
speaking to us first, then we still need to ask Him to supply us with life to deal with the matter. If
we pay attention to these matters and do not take them lightly, the Lord will cleanse us by the
washing of the water in the word that we may be sanctified.

Before the Lord, the meaning of the church being cleansed by the washing of water is that the life
of Christ deals with every part that is not out of Christ. The natural life and all that is not out of
Christ must be purged away. Sanctification can only come after cleansing, and the basis of
cleansing is the Lord's word, the rhema. If we do not know the Lord's word, there is no way for us
to be cleansed and sanctified. Since the day we became Christians, from where has our knowledge
come? Has it come from an outward source or from an inward one? Do we understand the will of
God from within, or is His will still something outside of us? Many difficulties have their root in
this very matter—the lack of God's word. The reason the Body of Christ cannot be built is because
we merely have something outward, not something inward. The whole basis of the Christian faith
depends upon the Lord's speaking. The growth of the church also depends upon the word which
the Lord speaks. Therefore, the central point of our prayers should be our longing for the Lord's
speaking. Oh, may the Lord speak to us! The Lord's word being spoken to us will enable us to
attain the eternal purpose of God. The church today is not like Eve in Genesis 2, because the church
has fallen. So the Lord must cleanse us by the washing of the water in the word.

The church according to God's will and the church in experience are two entirely different things.
The church in God's plan is completely without sin; it has never known sin, nor had any history of
sin. It is transcendent far above sin, without even a trace of sin. It is altogether spiritual and wholly
out of Christ. However, the church in history has failed and is fallen. Today the Lord is working
among fallen men to bring them back to the church of His original will. The Lord desires to work
among people who are fallen, corrupted, and desolate, full of sin and filthiness, so that He may
obtain a church from among them. He intends to restore and recover them to what He purposed in
eternity past, so that He might have that which fulfills His desire in eternity future. In His
magnificent work, the Lord is using the words He speaks as the instrument to bring the church
back to God's original purpose. Oh, may we not lightly esteem the words of the Lord.

We must remember that knowledge is one thing and spiritual stature is quite another. All doctrine,
teaching, theology, and knowledge are of little use if they just flow from one person to another.
True growth depends upon our receiving the word directly from God. God is using His rhema to
do His work, and He desires to speak to us. Therefore, if our purpose in reading the Scriptures is
solely for knowledge, it is indeed pitiful. If this is so, we are finished. The real value of the
Scriptures is that God can speak to man through them. If we desire to be useful in the Lord's hands,
we must be spoken to by the Lord. Whether or not our building is spiritual depends upon whether
the Lord has spoken to us. Knowledge and doctrine are of no spiritual use. Only the Lord's speaking
in us is of spiritual value.

How can we ever be satisfied with knowledge and doctrines while the church is in a fallen state,
when she has failed God and is blind to His will? May God have mercy upon us and be gracious
to us! Oh, may we have such a prayer: "Lord, we pray that You would speak to us." All the words
that are from without, all the words that are passed on to us by others, though they have been
spoken a thousand or ten thousand times, are of no use. Only rhema is of any value. If we do
something just because others tell us to do it, we are keeping the law; we are not in the New
Testament. A person with a clear mind can divide the book of Romans into sections, such as
"Salvation," "Justification," etc. But within him there is a great deficiency—God has not spoken
to him. A man may have knowledge and yet be without God's word. Many people think that
knowledge of the Scriptures and understanding of the doctrines are spirituality. There is no such
thing! Bible knowledge can never be a substitute for spirituality. Only God's speaking to us,
personally and directly, is of any real value. When God speaks to us through His word, we are
enlightened; through His word we are sanctified; and through His word we are made to grow. We
need to know what is dead and what is living, what is mere knowledge and what is spiritual.
Whatever is not living has no spiritual value. If we have rhema, the living word of God, we can be
cleansed and sanctified.

"THE CHURCH...GLORIOUS"
What is Christ's purpose in His cleansing and sanctifying work? It is that one day "He might present
the church to Himself glorious" (Eph. 5:27). Christ is waiting for the church to be prepared and
presented to Himself. "The church...glorious" in the original language means that the church is
brought into glory. In other words, the church will put on glory or be clothed in glory. Ephesians
4 says that the church will arrive at the oneness of the faith and the measure of the stature of the
fullness of Christ (v. 13). Then chapter five says that the church will be clothed with glory to be
presented to Christ. God intends to bring the entire church to this state. This is indeed a great
matter! When we look at the condition of the church today, we say, "How can it be?" We may
even doubt God's intention, but the Lord is working. One day the church will arrive at the oneness
of the faith; she will arrive at the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; she will be clothed
with glory and presented to Christ. This is what the Lord desires and will obtain. This is also what
we desire and will obtain.

This glorious church will not have spot or wrinkle or any such things, but she will be holy and
without blemish (5:27). The Lord will cleanse us to such a degree that it will seem as if the church
has never had any spot or defilement. It will seem as if the church has never committed sin; nor
will any trace of sin be found in her.

Not only is it without spot, but it is also without any wrinkle. We all know that children and young
people have no wrinkles. Whenever wrinkles appear on a person, it means that he is getting old.
The Lord wants to bring the church to the stage where there is nothing old, where there is nothing
of the past. He wants everything in the church to be new. When the church stands before the Lord,
it will seem as if she has never sinned, as if she has never had any history of sin. She will be
without spot or wrinkle. In the future she will be the church according to God's purpose at creation.

The church will not only be without spot or wrinkle, but she will not have "any such things." In
the translation from the Greek, it can be read, "This or that kind of defect." She will not only be
without spot and wrinkle, but she will not have any defect whatsoever; all the defects will have
been excluded. The day is coming when God's work upon the church will be brought to such a
stage that she will be completely glorious.

Moreover, she will be "holy and without blemish." According to the meaning in Greek, this can
be read, "That it should be holy and blameless." God will bring the church to the place where
nothing can be said against her in any respect. The world will have nothing to say; Satan will have
nothing to say; everyone and everything will have nothing to say; even God Himself will have
nothing to say. In that day, when the church is so glorious, she will become the Bride of Christ.

We must see these two matters very clearly. First, today we are Christ's own Body. As His Body,
Christ is purging and preparing us so that we may become the church which God intended from
eternity. Second, when the time arrives, Christ will come, and we will be brought into His presence
to be presented to Him as a glorious church, His bride. Therefore, first we have the history of the
Body of Christ on earth, and then in glory the history of the bride. Now we are in the process of
being cleansed. Now is the time that we need the rhema. Christians who have never received direct
revelation are delaying God. If we have never heard the Lord speaking to us, we are hindering the
Lord from pouring forth His grace. May God be merciful to us that we may not be those who
hinder Him. Rather, may we be those who hearken to Him and go forward so that the church may
be brought to the stage of being the Bride of Christ.

THE WORK AND RESPONSIBILITY

OF THE CHURCH BEFORE GOD
The book of Ephesians reveals the church which God has purposed in eternity. Chapter five tells
how the church will be a glorious church, without spot or wrinkle or any such things, holy and
without blemish. Then chapter six speaks of the practical work of the church, the spiritual warfare.

When we read Ephesians 6:10-12, we realize that the work and responsibility of the church is
spiritual warfare. The opponents in this warfare are not flesh and blood, but spiritual beings whose
dwelling is in the air. Let us read verses 13 and 14. "Therefore take up the whole armor of God
that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore."
Here we are told that we should stand, not that we should attack. The spiritual warfare is defensive,
not offensive, because the Lord Jesus has already fought the battle and won the victory. The work
of the church on the earth is simply to maintain the Lord's victory. The Lord has already won the
battle, and the church is here to maintain His victory. The church's work is not to overcome the
devil, but to resist him who has already been overcome by the Lord. Her work is not to bind the
strong man—the strong man has already been bound. Her work is not to let him be loosed. There
is no need to attack; simply guarding is sufficient. The starting point of spiritual warfare is standing
upon the victory of Christ; it is seeing that Christ has already overcome. It is not dealing with
Satan, but trusting in the Lord. It is not hoping that we will win the victory, because the victory
has already been won. The devil can do nothing.

The church's work and responsibility is spiritual warfare. It is a matter of the conflict between
God's authority and Satan's power. We come now to see the relationship between the church and
the kingdom of God.

Some people think that the kingdom of God simply concerns the matter of rewards. This is too low
of an estimate of the kingdom of God. The Lord Jesus once explained what the kingdom of God
is. He said, "But if I, by the Spirit of God, cast out the demons, then the kingdom of God has come
upon you" (Matt. 12:28). What is the kingdom of God? It is the overthrowing of the power of Satan
by the power of God. When the devil is unable to stand in a certain place, the kingdom has come
to that place. Wherever the devil has been cast out, wherever the work of the enemy has been
displaced by God's power, His kingdom is there.
Revelation 12:9-10 says, "And the great dragon was cast down, the ancient serpent, he who is
called the Devil and Satan, he who deceives the whole inhabited earth; he was cast to the earth,
and his angels were cast down with him. And I heard a loud voice in heaven saying, Now has come
the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ, for the
accuser of our brothers has been cast down, who accuses them before our God day and night." We
must pay attention to this word "for" in verse 10. The kingdom of God could come, "for" Satan
had been cast down. Satan lost his place and could no longer stand there. At that time there was a
loud voice in heaven saying, "Now has come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our
God and the authority of His Christ." Whenever Satan leaves a place, it is because the kingdom of
God is there. Wherever the kingdom of God is, Satan cannot be there. This shows us clearly that
in the Scriptures, the first, essential meaning of the kingdom of God is in regard to dealing with
Satan.

When the Pharisees asked when the kingdom of God would come, the Lord Jesus answered, "The
kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, Behold, here it is! or, There!
For behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you" (Luke 17:20-21). What did the Lord mean
when He said that "the kingdom of God is in the midst of you"? He meant, "I am standing here."
Of course, we all know that the kingdom of God could not be within the Pharisees. On that day
the kingdom of God was in their midst because the Lord Jesus stood in their midst. When He was
there, Satan could not be there. The Lord Jesus said, "The ruler of the world is coming, and in Me
he has nothing" (John 14:30). Wherever the Lord Jesus is, Satan must depart. In Luke 4 there was
a man possessed by a demon. How did the demon react when he saw the Lord? Before the Lord
said anything to cast him out, the demon cried out, "Ah! What do we have to do with You, Jesus,
Nazarene? Have You come to destroy us?" (v. 34). Where the Lord is, the demons cannot be there.
The very presence of the Lord Jesus represents the kingdom of God, and He is the kingdom of
God. Where He is, the kingdom of God is also.

What does this have to do with us? Revelation 1:5-6 says, "To Him who loves us and has released
us from our sins by His blood and made us a kingdom, priests to His God and Father, to Him be
the glory and the might forever and ever. Amen." Notice the word "kingdom" in verse 6. This
shows us that not only where the Lord Jesus is, but also where the church is, the kingdom of God
is. Not only does the Lord Jesus Himself represent the kingdom of God, the church also represents
the kingdom of God. The important point here is not a matter of future reward or position in the
kingdom, whether large or small, high or low. The concern is not with these things. The vital matter
is that God wants the church to represent His kingdom.

The work of the church on earth is to bring in the kingdom of God. All the work of the church is
governed by the principle of the kingdom of God. The saving of souls is under this principle, and
so is the casting out of demons and all other works as well. Everything should be under the
principle of God's kingdom. Why should we win souls? For the sake of the kingdom of God—not
just because man needs salvation. We must stand on the position of the kingdom of God whenever
we work, and we must apply the kingdom of God to deal with the power of Satan.
The Lord wants us to pray, "Our Father who is in the heavens, Your name be sanctified; Your
kingdom come; Your will be done, as in heaven, so also on earth" (Matt. 6:9-10). If the coming of
the kingdom of God was automatic, the Lord would never have taught us to pray in this way. But
since the Lord asked us to pray in this way, He simply showed us that this is the work of the church.
Yes, the church should preach the gospel, but much more, the church should pray to bring in the
kingdom of God. Some people think that whether or not we pray, the kingdom of God will come
automatically. But if we know God, we will never say this. The principle of God's work is to wait
for His people to move. Then He will move.

God told Abraham that the people of Israel would come out from the nation which afflicted them.
However, this was not accomplished until four hundred thirty years later. When the Israelites cried
unto God, He heard their cry and came to deliver them. Never presume that whether or not we cry
things will happen in their own way. God needs man to cooperate with Him in His work. When
God's people move, He will also move. When God's people saw that they should leave Egypt
(though not all the Israelites realized this, yet some did), they cried to God, and He moved to
deliver them.

Even the birth of the Lord Jesus was the result of the cooperation of some of God's people with
Him. In Jerusalem there were some who were continually looking for the consolation of Israel.
This is why the Lord was born. Although the purpose of God is to bring in His kingdom, His part
alone is not sufficient. He needs the church to work with Him. Through prayer, the church must
release the power of the kingdom of God upon the earth. When the Lord comes, the kingdom of
the world will become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ (Rev. 11:15).

Since the work of the church is to stand for God and not give any ground to Satan, what manner
of living should we have to accomplish this task? All our sins and unrighteousness must be dealt
with, our consecration to God must be thorough, our soul-life must be put to death, and our natural
man must be abandoned. The ability of the flesh is absolutely useless in spiritual warfare. "I"
cannot resist Satan. "I" must go! Whenever "I" goes out, the Lord Jesus will come in. Whenever
"I" enters, there is failure. Whenever the Lord comes in, there is victory. Satan recognizes only
one person—the Lord Jesus. We cannot resist Satan. The fiery darts of Satan can penetrate our
flesh, but, praise God, we can put on Christ who has won the victory.

We believe that Christ is going to come again. But do not think that the Lord Jesus will
automatically come if we sit and passively wait. No, there is a work which the church must do. As
the Body of Christ, we must learn to work together with God. We should never think that it is
enough just to be saved. It is not. We must be concerned with God's need. There are two
consequences of man's fall: one is the problem of man's moral responsibility, and the other is
Satan's usurping of authority over the earth. On the one hand, man suffered loss, but on the other
hand, God also suffered loss. Redemption solves the problem of man's moral responsibility and
man's loss, but the loss which God suffered has not been solved. God's loss cannot be restored
through redemption; it can only be restored by the kingdom. Man's moral responsibility has been
dealt with by the cross, but the problem of Satan's authority must be dealt with by the kingdom.
The direct purpose of redemption is for man, while the direct purpose of the kingdom is to deal
with Satan. Redemption gained what man lost; the kingdom will destroy what Satan gained.
Man was originally given the responsibility to overthrow the authority of Satan, but instead man
fell, leaving the authority to Satan. Man himself even became subject to him. Satan became the
strong man, and man became his goods (Matt. 12:29). This situation demands the kingdom to deal
with it. If there is no kingdom, then due to man's fall the work of Satan cannot be overthrown.

The new heaven and the new earth did not appear immediately after redemption was accomplished
because the problem of Satan had not yet been dealt with. Before the new heaven and new earth
come, there must first be the kingdom. Revelation 11:15 says, "The kingdom of the world has
become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign forever and ever." Once the
kingdom comes, eternity is ushered in. The kingdom connects with eternity. We may say that the
kingdom is the introduction to the new heaven and the new earth. Revelation 21 and 22 show us
that the new heaven and new earth appear after the kingdom. Isaiah 65 even describes the kingdom
as the new heaven and new earth. This means that Isaiah viewed the kingdom as the introduction
to the new heaven and the new earth. Thus, when the kingdom begins, the new heaven and the
new earth begin also.

May God open our eyes so that we may not consider ourselves as the center. Why were we saved?
Was it just so we should not go to hell? No. This is not the center. Why then did Christ want to
save us? We can answer this question from two different viewpoints—from man's viewpoint and
from God's viewpoint. When we view the same thing from two angles, it is seen in a different
light. We should not just consider this matter from man's viewpoint. We must see it from God's
viewpoint. In fact, the recovery of man's loss is for the recovery of God's loss. God's loss must be
recovered through the kingdom. Today God has caused us to share the victory of the Lord Jesus.
Wherever the victory of the Lord Jesus is displayed, there Satan must leave. We must simply stand
steadfast, because the Lord Jesus has already won the victory. In His redemptive work, the Lord
Jesus destroyed all the legal ground of the devil. All of Satan's legal rule has been terminated
through redemption. Redemption was the sentence by which Satan was deprived of his legal
position. Now the responsibility of executing this sentence is upon the church. When God sees that
the church has sufficiently fulfilled this task, the kingdom will come, and the new heaven and the
new earth will follow. The new heaven and new earth in the book of Isaiah will lead to the new
heaven and new earth in Revelation.

Today we are standing midway between redemption and the kingdom. As we look backward, we
see redemption; when we look forward, we see the kingdom. Our responsibility is twofold. On the
one hand, we must lead the people of the world to be saved, and on the other hand, we must stand
fast for the kingdom. Oh, may we have this vision so that we see the responsibility committed to
the church by the Lord.

Let us review what the kingdom of God is. The kingdom of God is the realm where God exercises
His authority. We must have such a kingdom among us. While we allow God to exercise His
authority in the heavens, we must also allow Him to exercise His authority over us. God must have
His authority, His power, and His glory among us. Not only must we seek to live before God
according to Ephesians 5, but we must also pursue the responsibility revealed to us in Ephesians
6. Then we will not only be a church which is glorious, holy, and without blemish, but we will also
be those who have cooperated with God to bring in His kingdom and caused Satan to suffer loss
on this earth.
 CHAPTER FOUR
"AND SHE BROUGHT FORTH...A MAN-CHILD"
We have already seen the woman in Genesis 2 and how she speaks of the man whom God in His
eternal will desires to obtain to glorify His name. Then in Ephesians 5 we saw another woman,
who is the reality of the woman in Genesis 2. This woman shows how God is working to restore
everything to His original purpose after man's fall. Now let us look in Revelation 12 at yet another
woman. We must consider her in relation to the woman in Genesis 2.

Revelation is a book which reveals the things of the end time. There are a total of twenty-two
chapters in this book, but by the end of chapter eleven we can say that everything is finished.
Revelation 10:7 says, "But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel when he is about to trumpet,
then the mystery of God is finished." In chapter eleven, when the seventh angel sounds his trumpet,
everything concerning God's mystery and everything related to God is fully accomplished. Verse
15 says, "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." This means that when the seventh angel sounds his trumpet, eternity has already
begun. The millennium, the new heaven and new earth, and everything regarding eternity are
intimated in this verse. Why then are there still eleven additional chapters after the first eleven
chapters? Our reply is that the following eleven chapters serve as a supplement to the first eleven
chapters. Beginning with chapter twelve we are told how the kingdom of this world will become
the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ and how God will make His Son King forever and ever.

When the seventh angel sounds his trumpet, according to Revelation 11:19, something happens.
"And the temple of God which is in heaven was opened, and the ark of His covenant was seen in
His temple; and there were lightnings and voices and thunders and an earthquake and great hail."
The book of Revelation contains many visions, but two central visions serve as the basis for all the
others. The first is the vision of the throne (Rev. 4:2). All the visions from chapter four to chapter
eleven, when the seventh angel sounds the trumpet, are based upon the throne. The second is the
vision of the temple (Rev. 11:19). From chapter twelve to the end of the book, all the visions are
based upon the temple of God.

In chapter four, John saw a vision of the throne of God with a rainbow around it. This signifies
that from this chapter forward, everything is based upon the authority of the throne and the
remembrance of the covenant which God made with every living creature on the earth. The
rainbow is the sign of God's covenant which He made with all living things. At the present time
we cannot see a complete rainbow. At most we see only half of it. But there is a rainbow that fully
surrounds the throne. It is complete; there is no break in it. God is faithful; He will remember and
keep His covenant. God will remember His covenant with every living creature on the earth. In
everything that God desires to do toward man, He must abide by the covenant He has made.
At the end of chapter eleven, John saw another vision—a vision of the temple of God. Within the
temple the ark of the covenant could be seen. God originally told the Israelites to build the ark
according to the pattern which was given on the mount and to put the ark into the Holy of Holies
in the tabernacle. Later, when Solomon built the temple, the ark was put into it. When Israel was
taken captive to Babylon, the ark was lost. But even though the ark on earth was lost, the ark in
heaven still remained. The ark on earth was made according to the ark in heaven. The shadow on
earth disappeared, but the substance, the reality, in heaven still remains. At the end of Revelation
11, God once again shows us the ark.

What is the ark? The ark is the expression of God Himself. It signifies that God must be faithful
to Himself. The throne is the place where God exercises authority, and the temple is the place
where God dwells. The throne is something outward toward the world and mankind, but the temple
is something for God Himself. The rainbow around the throne signifies that God will not do
anything harmful to man, while the ark in the temple signifies that God will not do anything that
comes short of Himself. What God has purposed, He must accomplish. What God desires to do,
He is able to successfully perform. The ark was not only for man, but also for God Himself. God
cannot deny Himself; He cannot contradict Himself. God purposed in eternity to have a glorified
people, and He determined that the kingdom of this world would become the kingdom of our Lord
and of His Christ. When we see the situation of the church today, we cannot help but ask, "How
can God accomplish His purpose?" Yet we know that God will never stop halfway. He has the ark,
and He Himself has made the covenant. The righteous God cannot be unrighteous with man.
Furthermore, the righteous God can never be unrighteous to Himself. Man never does anything to
contradict himself, for each man has his own character. Neither can God deny Himself in His work
because of His own character. When God unveiled the ark to us, He meant that what He desires to
do He must accomplish.

Here we must see one point. What is the basis upon which God and His Christ will reign forever
and ever? What is the basis upon which God will cause the kingdom of this world to become the
kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ? His character is the basis. God will accomplish all of these
things because of His own character. Nothing can hinder Him. We must learn that whatever is of
God can never be frustrated. The ark still remains, representing God Himself and His covenant.
God will accomplish this matter by means of Himself. We thank God that from chapter twelve to
the end of the book we are shown how God will accomplish all that He purposed in eternity through
His own faithfulness.

THE WOMAN IN THE VISION

Revelation 12:1 says, "And a great sign was seen in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and
the moon underneath her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars." Who is the woman
described here? She is a woman over whom many Bible students have had much dispute. Some
have said that she signifies Mary, the mother of the Lord Jesus. Others have said that she stands
for the nation of Israel. However, according to the Scriptures this woman can neither be Mary, the
mother of the Lord, nor the nation of Israel. Here are the reasons:
(1) Since this vision is revealed in heaven, this woman is entirely of heaven. Neither Mary nor the
nation of Israel have this position.

(2) After this woman bore the man-child, she fled into the wilderness. If we liken this woman to
the nation of Israel, the man-child she brought forth to Christ, and the man-child being caught up
to the ascension of Christ, this does not correspond with the actual facts. Although the nation of
Israel was scattered, her going into the wilderness was not the result of Christ's ascension. At the
time Christ ascended, Israel had already been dispersed for some time and was no longer a nation.
But here we see that the woman fled into the wilderness after the man-child was caught up unto
God. Long before Christ ascended, the nation of Israel was gone. Therefore, it is impossible for
this woman to be a reference to the nation of Israel. There is even less of a basis to refer to her as
Mary.

(3) While this woman was in travail to bring forth the man-child, she encountered a dragon. This
dragon had seven heads and ten horns. Chapter seventeen tells us that these seven heads are seven
kings: five have fallen, one is still existing, and the other has not yet come. The ten horns are ten
kings who have not yet received a kingdom, who will arise afterwards. We know that no such
historical events occurred before Christ ascended. Therefore, this woman and the man-child must
refer to things in the future. If we say that this woman refers either to the nation of Israel or to
Mary and that the man-child refers to the Lord Jesus, we are contradicting history.

(4) After the man-child was caught up unto God, there was war in heaven, and Satan was cast
down to the earth. Then there was a proclamation in heaven: "Now has come the salvation and the
power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ, for the accuser of our brothers
has been cast down, who accuses them before our God day and night" (Rev. 12:10). We know that
this has not yet been accomplished. Ephesians 6 tells us that the church on earth must still battle
with the rulers, authorities, and spiritual forces of evil in the heavenlies. Satan is still there. Since
this portion of Scripture has not yet occurred, it is impossible for it to be a reference to the time of
Jesus.

(5) When the dragon was cast down to the earth, he persecuted the woman who brought forth the
man-child. Many people use this as a confirmation that the woman is Mary. After Mary gave birth
to the Lord Jesus she did flee to Egypt; however, she did not do this at the Lord's ascension. Verses
14 through 16 say, "And to the woman there were given the two wings of the great eagle that she
might fly into the wilderness into her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half
a time from the face of the serpent. And the serpent cast water as a river out of his mouth after the
woman that he might cause her to be carried away by its current. And the earth helped the woman,
and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river which the dragon cast out of his mouth."
Whether it is said that this woman is a reference to Mary or to the nation of Israel, we know from
history that no such thing happened when Christ ascended to heaven. Therefore, this woman
cannot be a reference to Mary or to the nation of Israel.

(6) There is one more proof. Verse 17 says, "And the dragon became angry with the woman and
went away to make war with the rest of her seed, who keep the commandments of God and have
the testimony of Jesus." After the man-child, who was born of the woman, was caught up to the
throne, a remnant of her seed still remained upon the earth. This could not be Mary. Furthermore,
this remnant keeps the commandments of God and has the testimony of Jesus. It is all right to say
that the nation of Israel kept the commandments of God, but to say that the nation of Israel held
the testimony of Jesus would mix the Old Testament with the New Testament. In conclusion, it is
impossible for this woman to be Mary or the nation of Israel.

Who then is this woman? The Old Testament shows that only one woman encountered the
serpent—Eve in Genesis 3. In the New Testament there is also only one woman who encounters
the serpent. Here we see the correspondence and correlation of the Scriptures, the beginning with
the end. Furthermore, God particularly points out that the great dragon is the old serpent. This
means that He is referring to the serpent who had been mentioned once before. God makes the
point clear that it was that one and only old serpent. The emphasis is on the word "the"—the old
serpent. Therefore, the woman mentioned here must also be that woman.

The sun, moon, and stars mentioned in Genesis 1 are mentioned in Revelation 12 in the same
principle. As the serpent was in Genesis 3, so the serpent is here also. The seed of the woman
mentioned in Genesis 3 is also mentioned here. Furthermore, the travail of birth is in Genesis 3,
and it is also here. If we put these two portions of Scripture together, we can surely see that the
woman in Revelation 12 is the woman whom God purposed in His eternal will. Everything that
will happen to her at the end time is clearly stated here. The woman in Genesis 2 speaks of God's
eternal purpose; the woman in Ephesians 5 speaks of the position and future of the church; and the
woman in Revelation 12 reveals the things at the end time. In addition to these three women, there
is another woman who shows forth the things in eternity.

When the woman appeared in the vision, the Scriptures pointed out firstly that she was "clothed
with the sun, and the moon underneath her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars" (12:1).
These facts are very meaningful in reference to the ages.

(1) The woman was clothed with the sun. The sun refers to the Lord Jesus. Her being clothed with
the sun means that when the sun shines the brightest, it is shining upon her. In this present age,
God is revealing Himself through her. This shows her relationship with Christ and the age of grace.

(2) The woman had the moon underneath her feet. This phrase "underneath her feet" does not mean
that she is treading upon it. According to the Greek, it means that the moon is subject at her feet.
The light of the moon is a reflecting light; it has no light of its own. All the things in the age of the
law merely reflected the things in the age of grace. The law was but a type. The temple and the ark
were types. The incense, the showbread in the Holy Place, and the sacrifices offered by the priests
were all types, as well as the blood of the sheep and oxen. The moon underneath the feet of the
woman means that all things pertaining to the law are subordinate to her. This speaks of her
relationship to the age of the law.

(3) The woman had a crown of twelve stars upon her head. The chief figures in the age of the
patriarchs were from the time of Abraham to the twelve tribes. The crown of twelve stars upon her
head speaks of her relationship to the age of the patriarchs.

In this way, we see that the woman is not only related to the age of grace, but also to the age of the
law and the age of the patriarchs. However, she is more closely related to the age of grace. She
includes all the saints in the age of grace, as well as all the saints from the ages of the law and the
patriarchs.

THE BIRTH OF THE MAN-CHILD

Revelation 12:2 says, "And she was with child, and she cried out, travailing in birth and being in
pain to bring forth." Being with child is figurative and not real. What does it mean to be with child?
It means that a child is in the mother's womb, and the child and the mother are united in one body.
When the mother eats, the child is nourished. When the mother is ill, the child is also affected. The
condition of the mother is the condition of the child. The mother and the child are one.

However, this child is also different from the mother; he is another being. If you say that they are
one, they are really one, for the child receives life from the mother. However, as far as his future
is concerned, he is different. His future is entirely distinct from that of his mother. Immediately
after he is delivered, he is caught up to the throne of God, while his mother flees into the
wilderness.

In addition, while the woman is with child, all that can be seen is the mother; the child is hidden.
Outwardly, it appears as if there is only the mother. The child assuredly exists, but he is hidden
within the mother; he is included in the mother.

Verse 3 says, "And another sign was seen in heaven; and behold, there was a great red dragon,
having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems." That serpent after several
thousand years is completely different. Originally it was a serpent, but now it has been enlarged to
become a dragon. What is the form of this dragon? It has seven heads, ten horns, and seven crowns
upon its heads. It has the same appearance as the beast which rises up out of the sea. Revelation
13:1 says, "And I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and on
his horns ten diadems." The beast which rises out of the sea also has seven heads and ten horns
with crowns. This reveals Satan's goal—he wants to gain the crowns, which signify authority. The
difference between the dragon and the beast is that the crowns of the dragon are upon its heads,
while those of the beast are upon its horns. The heads signify the authority to decide, and the horns
signify the authority to execute. The heads control and the horns execute. In other words, the horns
are subject to the commands of the heads. Whenever the heads move, the horns follow. This means
that all the behavior of the beast is under the control of the dragon.

Revelation 12:4 begins, "And his tail drags away the third part of the stars of heaven, and he cast
them to the earth." Isaiah 9:15 shows that the tail denotes lying and deception. In Revelation 2 and
3, stars refer to angels. Since the stars of heaven are mentioned here, they are the angels. One third
of the angels in heaven were deceived by the dragon, and they fell and were cast down with the
dragon.

Verse 4 continues, "And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to bring forth, so that
when she brings forth he might devour her child." Here is a woman whom God has purposed in
His will and a man-child whom He desires to obtain. But the dragon is hindering what God is after
in the woman. The dragon knows that this woman is about to bear a man-child; therefore, it stands
before the woman and waits to devour her child as soon as she delivers.

Verse 5 says, "And she brought forth a son, a man-child." In order to see the relationship between
the woman and the man-child, let us look at Galatians 4:26: "But the Jerusalem above is free,
which is our mother." The last part of Galatians 4:27 says, "Because many are the children of her
who is desolate rather than of her who has her husband." The Jerusalem that is above is the New
Jerusalem, and the New Jerusalem is the woman, the goal which God desires to obtain in eternity.
The woman in creation is Eve, the woman in the age of grace is the Body of Christ, the woman at
the end of the age of grace is described in Revelation 12, and the woman in eternity future will be
the New Jerusalem. When the Word says that the Jerusalem which is above has many children, it
does not mean that the mother and the children are separate. It means that one has become many,
and many are composed into one. The many children added together equal the mother. It is not as
if the mother delivers five children, and then there are six individuals, but that the five children
added together compose the mother. Each child is a portion of the mother—one portion of the
mother is taken out for this child, another portion is taken out for another child, and so for each
one. It seems as if they are all born of her, but in fact they are herself. The mother is not another
being in addition to the children; she is the summation of all the children. When we look at the
whole, we see the mother; when we look at them one by one, we see the children. When we look
at the totality of the people in God's purpose, we see the woman; if we look at them separately, we
see many sons. This is a special principle.

The same meaning is applied in Revelation 12 when it speaks about the woman delivering a son,
a man-child. The man-child delivered by this woman is a wonder and a sign. The words "bring
forth" do not mean that the child had his origin with her and was then separated from her, but
merely that within her there is such a being. "She brought forth a son, a man-child" simply means
that a group of people is included in this woman.

All of God's people have a part in His eternal purpose, but not all assume their rightful
responsibility. Therefore, God chooses a group of people from among them. This group is a portion
of the whole, a part of the many chosen by God. This is the man-child brought forth by the woman.
As a whole it is the mother; as a minority it is the man-child. The man-child is the "brothers" in
verse 10 and "they" in verse 11. This means that the man-child is not a single individual, but a
composition of many persons. All of these persons added together become the man-child. In
comparison with the mother, the man-child appears to be small. When the group is compared with
the whole, their number is in the minority. But God's plan is fulfilled in them and His purpose rests
upon them.

Verse 5 says, "She brought forth a son, a man-child, who is to shepherd all the nations with an iron
rod." This speaks of the millennial kingdom. The overcomers are the instrument that enables God
to achieve His purpose. Revelation mentions shepherding "the nations with an iron rod" three
times. First, 2:26-27 says, "And he who overcomes and he who keeps My works until the end, to
him I will give authority over the nations; and he will shepherd them with an iron rod." This
passage quite obviously refers to the overcomers in the church. The last mention of this phrase is
19:15, which says, "And out of His mouth proceeds a sharp sword, that with it He might smite the
nations; and He will shepherd them with an iron rod." This passage refers to the Lord Jesus. To
whom then does the passage in chapter twelve refer? It must refer either to the overcomers in the
church or to the Lord Jesus. Is it possible that it refers to the Lord Jesus? No. (However, it is not
wholly impossible, for later we will see that the Lord Jesus is included here.) Why is it not
possible? First, the man-child was caught up to the throne of God immediately after he was born.
Therefore, this could not be a reference to the Lord Jesus. The Lord Jesus was not caught up
immediately after He was born. He lived thirty-three and a half years on this earth, died,
resurrected, and then ascended to the heavens. For this reason we believe that the man-child refers
to the overcomers in the church. It is the portion of the people in the church who are the
overcomers. The man-child refers to them, not to the Lord Jesus. (However, the man-child does
include the Lord Jesus, since the Lord Jesus was the first overcomer and all overcomers are
included in the Lord Jesus.) The man-child and the mother are different, and yet they are also one.
The overcomers differ from the church, but they are included in the church.

THE RAPTURE OF THE MAN-CHILD

Revelation 12:5 continues, "And her child was caught up to God and to His throne." "Caught up"
in this verse differs in meaning from "caught up" as it is used in 1 Thessalonians 4. There it says
that some will be caught up in the clouds, while here it says that the man-child was caught up to
the throne of God. The man-child was caught up to the throne because someone is already on the
throne. The Head of the church is on the throne. God's purpose is not just to have one man upon
the throne, but many men upon the throne. His original desire was to have a group of men on the
throne to exercise His authority. God desires that Christ and the church together bring His purpose
to fulfillment. However, the majority of the people in the church at that time will still not be able
to attain the throne. Only a minority, called the overcomers, can go to the throne of God. They will
be caught up to His throne because they will achieve God's purpose.

Two things occur immediately after the man-child is caught up: "And the woman fled into the
wilderness, where she has a place there prepared by God so that they might nourish her there a
thousand two hundred and sixty days. And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels went
to war with the dragon. And the dragon warred and his angels" (Rev. 12:6-7). Notice the word
"and," which is used twice immediately after the man-child was caught up in verse 5. Verse 6 says,
"And the woman fled into the wilderness..." Then verse 7 says, "And there was war in heaven..."
The fleeing of the woman into the wilderness and the warfare in heaven are both due to the man-
child being caught up.

Let us look into the matter of warfare in heaven. First there is Michael, whose name is quite
meaningful. Michael means "Who is like God?" This is an excellent question. Satan's intention is
to be like God, but Michael asks, "Who is like God?" Not only does Satan desire to be like God,
but he also tempted man to be like God. However, Michael's question, "Who is like God?", shakes
the power of Satan. It seems as if Michael is telling Satan, "You want to be like God, but you will
never make it!" This is what Michael's name reveals to us.

Immediately after the man-child is caught up, there is war in heaven. In other words, the cause of
the war in heaven is the rapture of the man-child. From this we see that the rapture of the man-
child is not just a matter of some individuals being caught up, but more than that, it is to bring to
an end the warfare which has been going on for ages and generations. The old serpent, the enemy
of God, has been fighting against God for several thousand years. When this warfare takes place
in heaven, Michael and his angels fight against the dragon, who is the old serpent. Formerly he
was a serpent, but now he has changed in form to a dragon. He has steadily increased his power.
However, once the man-child is caught up, not only is the dragon unable to be enlarged any further,
but he is cast down from heaven. The rapture of the man-child is a transaction which causes Satan
to have no more position in heaven.

What is the result of the fight between Michael and his angels and the dragon and his angels?
Verses 8 and 9 say, "And they [the dragon and his angels] did not prevail, neither was their place
found any longer in heaven. And the great dragon was cast down, the ancient serpent, he who is
called the Devil and Satan, he who deceives the whole inhabited earth; he was cast to the earth,
and his angels were cast down with him." The dragon's defeat is the outcome of this battle. There
was no place for him in heaven; he and his angels were all cast down to the earth.

The death of the Lord Jesus has already dealt with the position which Satan gained by man's fall.
In other words, redemption has destroyed the legal position of Satan. The work of the church is to
execute in the kingdom of God what the Lord Jesus accomplished in redemption and,
consequently, to completely bring to an end the legal position of Satan gained by man's fall.
Redemption is Christ's solution for the fall; the kingdom is the church's solution for the fall. The
work of judgment was Christ's, while the task of executing this judgment rests upon the church.
The overthrow of Satan is our work. God is trying to end this age. He needs overcomers. If there
is no man-child, there will be no way to overthrow Satan's work. Satan has already been judged
by redemption; now the punishment must be executed by the kingdom.

After the dragon and his angels were cast down from heaven, verse 10 says, "And I heard a loud
voice in heaven saying, Now has come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God
and the authority of His Christ." This is the kingdom. When Satan is cast down, when his angels
are cast down with him, and when there is no place in heaven for them, this is the salvation, power,
and kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Christ.

Let us read two verses in Revelation together. "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" (11:15). This is the subject. "And I heard a loud
voice in heaven saying, Now has come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God
and the authority of His Christ" (12:10). This is the successful fulfillment of the subject. The key
to success is the rapture of the man-child. Because the man-child is caught up, there will be warfare
in heaven and Satan will be cast down. The result of Satan being cast down is the coming of the
kingdom of our Lord and His Christ. The rapture of the overcomers causes Satan to be cast down
and introduces the kingdom. The work of the overcomers is to bring in God's kingdom. The Lord's
work has been accomplished, and He is on the throne. Now the overcomers bring this into
realization.

There is corresponding passage in Luke 10 which says, "And the seventy returned with joy, saying,
Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name" (v. 17). The disciples had been casting out
demons. Then the Lord said, "I was watching Satan fall like lightning out of heaven" (v. 18). This
is a reference to Satan being cast down from heaven. But when does this event occur? It occurs in
Revelation 12. What causes Satan to be cast down? According to Luke 10:18, which is based upon
verse 17, Satan is cast down from heaven because the church casts out demons. Verse 17 also
shows that casting out demons is not a once for all matter; rather, the church should continue to
cast out demons on the earth so that Satan will be cast down from heaven. When the Lord Jesus
died, all the power of Satan was destroyed. But what can actually cause Satan to lose his power in
heaven? All of his power can be brought to an end by God's children on earth repeatedly dealing
with him, instance after instance. When the demons have been subdued many times in the name
of the Lord Jesus, Satan will be cast down.

Suppose that we have a balance that is used for weighing. On one side of the balance there is Satan.
Since we do not know how much Satan weighs, we must keep adding weight on the other side of
the scale. Each time we deal with Satan we add more weight to the other side. When the weight is
increased to a certain point, Satan will be moved. In the beginning, as we continue to add weight
to the other side, it is seemingly of no use. But each addition of weight is valuable. Finally, when
the last amount of weight is added, the balance will start to move. We do not know who will add
the last amount of weight, but all the weight, that which is added in the beginning and that which
is added at the end, produces the effect. The work of the church is to resist the work of Satan so
that together we can cast out the demons. This is why Satan will do anything in his power to hinder
us from being overcomers.

Casting out demons does not necessarily mean that when we encounter a demon we should
confront him. Casting out demons means that we cast out all the work and power of the demon.
We lay hold of the authority of the Lord and stand fast in our position. One brother adds a little
weight, and another brother adds a little more weight. Then one day Satan will be cast down from
heaven. God does not work directly by His own hand to cause Satan to fall from heaven. It would
be very easy for Him to do this work, but He does not. He has entrusted this work to the church.
Oh, how pitifully the church has failed in this matter and been unable to do it! This is why there
must be the overcomers standing in the position of the church to do God's work. When the
overcomers stand in the church's position and do the work which the church should have done, the
result will be: "Now has come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the
authority of His Christ." The man-child in Revelation 12 consists of the overcomers who stand on
behalf of the church. Therefore, as soon as the man-child is caught up, Satan is cast down from
heaven and the kingdom comes.

THE PRINCIPLE OF THE MAN-CHILD

The Scripture says that this man-child will "shepherd all the nations with an iron rod." This is
God's purpose. The work of the church is to cause Satan to lose his power and bring in God's
kingdom. The church which God desires must have the characteristic of Abigail—that of
cooperation with Christ. Since the church, however, has not attained to God's purpose, nor does
she even know God's purpose, what can God do? He will choose a group of overcomers who will
attain His purpose and fulfill His demand. This is the principle of the man-child.

There are many examples of this principle in the Bible. What was God's purpose in choosing the
people of Israel in the Old Testament time? Exodus 19 tells us that He chose them to be a kingdom
of priests. What does a kingdom of priests mean? It means that the whole nation was to serve God
and be His priests. However, not all of the people of Israel became priests, because they
worshipped the golden calf. Instead of serving God, they worshipped an idol. Therefore, Moses
charged the people of Israel, saying, "Who is on the Lord's side? let him come unto me" (Exo.
32:26). Then all of the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto Moses. Then Moses said to
them, "Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out
from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his
companion, and every man his neighbor" (v. 27). The worshiping of idols is the greatest sin, so
God required these men to slay their own brothers with the sword. "And the children of Levi did
according to the word of Moses" (v. 28). They were willing to serve God above all their human
affection, so God chose them to be the priests. From that time forward, only those of the tribe of
Levi were priests among all the people of Israel. The whole body of the Israelites henceforth
approached God through the Levites. Originally, all of the Israelites were chosen to serve God, but
they failed Him; therefore, God chose from among the whole body of failures a group of people
who would stand in their place. This group of people is the overcomers.

We must remember that the Levites did not serve God for themselves, nor were they overcomers
by their own selection. Much less did they claim superiority over the others. If this had happened,
they would have been finished. The Levites were chosen by God to be the priests as representing
the whole body of the people of Israel. What the children of Israel should have offered unto God,
the children of Levi offered for them. The service of the Levites before God was counted as the
service of the whole nation of Israel. Only the children of Levi were priests, but the whole nation
of Israel benefited from their priesthood. In the same manner, the work of the overcomers is for
the whole church. The work belongs to the overcomers, but the church receives the blessing of the
work. This is the glory of the overcomers. The business is theirs, but their accomplishments bring
glory to the whole church; the work is theirs, but the whole church derives the blessing.

During the time of the Judges, the people of Israel were oppressed by the Midianites and were in
great desperation. Out of one of their tribes, God raised up Gideon to lead a contingent of men and
chase away the enemy. The whole nation was set free because of this group. The responsibility
rested on the whole nation, but some were afraid and some were slothful; therefore, a group of
them went forth to the battle and brought benefit to the whole nation.

The same principle is seen when the people of Israel returned from captivity. God originally
promised that after the seventy years of captivity, the people of Israel would return and be restored
to the land. However, not all returned; only a minority led by Ezra, Nehemiah, Zerubbabel, and
Joshua came back to build the temple and the city of Jerusalem. But what they did counted for the
whole nation of Israel. It was reckoned as the recovery and returning of the whole nation.

The principle of the overcomers is not that an individual who is especially spiritual will have a
crown and glory waiting for him. This is not to say that individuals will not be rewarded with
crowns and glory in that day. These they may obtain, but they are not for these; this is not their
main purpose. The reason for the overcomers to be the overcomers is not to receive glory or crowns
for themselves, but simply to take the position which the whole church should take and do the
work for the church. Before God, the church should be in that condition which He desires; she
should be responsible to Him, fulfilling the work committed to her and standing in her proper
position. The church, however, has failed and is still failing today. She has not become what she
was originally purposed to be; she has not done her work, taken up her responsibility, nor stood in
her proper position. She has not gained the ground for God. There is only a group of people left to
do that work for the church and to take up the church's responsibility. This group is the overcomers.
What they do is counted as the work of the whole church. If there are those who will be the
overcomers, God's purpose is attained and He is satisfied. This is the principle of the man-child.

The reason we are considering this matter of the man-child is because in God's eternal purpose He
needs a group of overcomers. According to history, we have to admit that the church has failed.
Therefore, God is calling the overcomers to stand for the church. The man-child spoken of in this
passage of Revelation refers particularly to the overcomers at the end time. Once the man-child is
brought forth, he will be caught up to the throne of God. Then things will immediately happen in
heaven and Satan will be cast down. God's difficulty is removed by the rapture of the man-child;
His problem is solved. It seems that once the man-child is born, God's purpose can no longer be
hindered. This is what God is calling for today; this is what interests Him today. God needs a group
of people to attain His original goal.

THE BASIS AND ATTITUDE OF THE OVERCOMERS

In Revelation 3:21 the Lord Jesus said, "He who overcomes, to him I will give to sit with Me on
My throne." The reason the man-child can be upon the throne is because he has overcome. Now
we will see how they overcome and what is their attitude.

Revelation 12:11 says, "And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of
the word of their testimony, and they loved not their soul-life even unto death."

"They overcame him." "Him" refers to Satan. They overcame Satan by rendering him unable to do
any of his work upon them. They overcame him (1) because of the blood of the Lamb, (2) because
of the word of their testimony, and (3) because they had an attitude of not loving their soul-life
even unto death.

The Blood of the Lamb

First, "they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb." Victory in spiritual warfare is based
upon the blood of the Lamb. The blood is not only for forgiveness and salvation, it is also the basis
by which we overcome Satan. Some people may think that the blood is not of much value to those
who have grown in the Lord. They suppose that some may grow to the extent that they go beyond
the need of the blood. We must emphatically say that there is no such thing! No person can grow
to the extent that he surpasses the need for the blood. God's Word says, "They overcame him
because of the blood of the Lamb."

The major activity of Satan against Christians is to accuse them. Is Satan a murderer? Yes. Is he a
liar and a tempter? Yes. Is he one who attacks us? Yes. But this is not all. His chief work is to
accuse. Revelation 12:10 says, "The accuser of our brothers has been cast down, who accuses them
before our God day and night." We see here that Satan accuses the brothers day and night. Not
only is he the accuser before God, but he is also the accuser in our conscience, and his accusations
can cause us to become weak and completely powerless. He likes to accuse people to such an
extent that they consider themselves useless and thus lose all their ground for fighting with him.
We are not saying that there is no need for us to deal with sin. We must have a keen sense toward
sin, but we should not accept the accusations of Satan.

Once a child of God accepts Satan's accusations, he will feel that he is wrong all day long. When
he rises early in the morning, he will feel that he is wrong. When he kneels down to pray, he will
feel that he is wrong and does not even believe that God will answer his prayer. When he wants to
speak a word in the meeting, he will feel that it is no use, because he is not right. When he wants
to give an offering to the Lord, he wonders why he should offer anything, because God would
surely not accept an offering from such a person as he. The main concern of Christians like this is
not how glorious and victorious the Lord Jesus is, but how evil and worthless they are. From
morning to evening they are consumed with the thought of their own worthlessness. Whether they
are working, resting, walking, reading the Scriptures, or praying, a single moment does not pass
without their consideration of how worthless they are. This is the accusation of Satan. If Satan can
keep them in such a condition, he was won the victory. People in this state are powerless before
Satan. If we accept these accusations, we can never be an overcomer. Often when we are engrossed
with the thought of our own evil, it is easy for us to mistakenly consider this as Christian humility,
not realizing that we are suffering the harmful effect of Satan's accusations. When we sin, we must
confess and deal with it. But we must learn another lesson; we must learn to not look upon
ourselves, but only gaze upon the Lord Jesus. Being conscious of our self every day from morning
until evening is a sickly condition. It is the result of accepting the accusations of Satan.

In the consciences of some of the Lord's children there is little feeling toward sin. This kind of
people are not of much spiritual use. However, there are many of God's children whose consciences
are so weak that they have no real awareness of the work of the Lord Jesus. If we ask them if they
have the sense of a particular sin, they cannot point to any. Yet they always have the feeling that
they are wrong. They always feel that they are weak and worthless. Whenever they think of
themselves, they lose all of their peace and joy. They have accepted the accusations of Satan.
Whenever Satan gives us this kind of feeling, we are weakened and can no longer resist him.

We must not, therefore, lightly esteem the accusations of Satan. His chief work is to accuse us,
and he does it day and night without ceasing. He accuses us in our conscience as well as before
God until our conscience becomes so weak that it cannot be strengthened.

In the daily life and work of a Christian, the conscience is of great importance. The apostle Paul
said in 1 Corinthians 8 that if one's conscience is defiled, he is destroyed. Being destroyed does
not mean eternal perishing but that a person can no longer be built up. He has been so weakened
that he has become worthless. First Timothy 1 says that a man who thrusts away his conscience is
shipwrecked regarding the faith. A ship which is wrecked cannot sail. Therefore, whether or not a
Christian can stand before God depends upon whether he has any offense in his conscience. Once
he accepts the accusations of Satan, his conscience is offended, and once his conscience is
offended, he cannot proceed in his service nor fight for God any more. We must realize, therefore,
that Satan's main work is to accuse us, and this is the work we must overcome.
How can we overcome the accusations of Satan? The voice from heaven tells us, "They overcame
him because of the blood of the Lamb." The blood is the basis of victory, and it is the instrument
to overcome Satan. He may accuse us, but we can answer that the blood of Jesus Christ, God's
Son, cleanses us from every sin (1 John 1:7). "Every sin" means any sin, whether it is great or
small. The blood of God's Son cleanses us from all of them. Satan may tell us that we are wrong,
but we have the blood of the Lord Jesus. The blood of the Lord Jesus can cleanse us of our many
sins. This is the Word of God. The blood of Jesus, God's Son, cleanses us from every sin.

We must not only reject the accusations which are without cause, but we must also reject all the
accusations which have cause. When God's children have done something wrong, we need only
the blood of Jesus, His Son, not the accusations of Satan. The precious blood is needed for sin, not
accusation. God's Word never speaks of the need for accusation after we have sinned. The only
problem is whether or not we have confessed our sin. If we have confessed, then what more can
be said? If we have sinned and do not confess, then we deserve to be accused. But where there is
no sin, there is no cause for accusation. If we have sinned and have confessed, we should not be
accused.

If you have sinned, you can bow and confess to God. Immediately the blood of the Lord Jesus will
cleanse you. Do not think that you will be a little more holy if you consider how sinful you are, or
that you will be more holy if you have more feeling toward your sin. No. You only must ask
yourself one thing: How do I treat the blood of the Lord Jesus? We have sinned, but His blood
cleanses us from every sin. "Every sin" means great sin or small sin, recollected sin or forgotten
sin, visible sin or invisible sin, sin which we think can be forgiven and sin which we do not think
can be forgiven—every kind is included in "every." The blood of Jesus, God's Son, does not wash
us of one or two sins, or even many sins, but it cleanses us from every sin.

We admit that we have sin. We do not say that we are without sin. But regardless of this, we do
not accept the accusations of Satan. Before God we are clean because we have the precious blood.
We should not believe in the accusations more than we believe in the precious blood. When we
commit sin, we do not glorify God, but when we do not trust the precious blood, we dishonor Him
even more. It is a shameful thing to sin, but not to believe in the precious blood is even more
shameful. We must learn to trust in the blood of the Lamb.

Romans 5:9 says, "...having now been justified in His blood." When many people come into the
Lord's presence, they have no peace in their heart. They also have a feeling of worthlessness and
of being wrong within. This is because they have a false hope. They expect that they will have
something positive in themselves to offer to God. When they discover that they do not have
anything positive to offer in themselves, the accusations come. An accusation is like this: "A
person like you will never have anything good to offer to God." But we must remember that we
originally possessed no positive goodness before God. There was nothing good in ourselves that
we could offer to God. We could only present one thing to Him—the blood. We could only be
justified by the blood. We do not have any positive righteousness in ourselves. We become
righteous only because of the righteousness which we receive through redemption. Every time we
come to the throne of grace, we can look to Him for grace. It is a throne of grace, not a throne of
righteousness. Every time we come before God, our only qualification is that we have been
redeemed, not that we have advanced in our Christian life. No Christian can ever reach the stage
where he can say, "I have been doing pretty well recently; now I have the boldness to pray." No.
Every time we come before God, our only ground, our only position, is based upon the blood. We
must realize that no amount of spiritual growth can substitute for the effectiveness of the blood.
Not one spiritual experience can ever replace the work of the blood. Even if someone should
become as spiritual as the apostle Paul, the apostle John, or the apostle Peter, he would still need
the blood to stand before God.

Sometimes when we have sinned, Satan comes to accuse us, and sometimes when we have not
sinned, Satan still comes to accuse us. Sometimes it is not a problem of whether or not we have
sinned, but a problem of not having a positive righteousness to offer to God; so Satan accuses us.
However, we must be clear: We can come into God's presence only because of the blood, not
because of anything else. Since we have been cleansed by the blood and justified by the blood, we
are under no obligation whatsoever to accept the accusations of Satan.

The precious blood is the basis for spiritual warfare. If we do not know the value of the blood, we
cannot fight. Once our conscience is weakened, we are finished. Therefore, if we do not maintain
a blameless and clean conscience, we will have no way to deal with Satan. Satan can use thousands
of reasons in his accusations against us. If we accept them, we will fall. But when Satan speaks to
us, we can reply to all his reasons with the one answer of the blood. There is not a single reason
which cannot be answered by the blood. Spiritual warfare requires a conscience without offense,
and the blood alone can give us such a conscience.

Hebrews 10:2 says, "Because those worshipping, having once been purified, would have no longer
had the consciousness of sins..." When a Christian's conscience no longer has the sense of sin, it
is because of the blood. Once we stand on the ground of the blood, once we believe in the blood,
Satan can no longer work upon us. We often like to reason that we can no longer fight because we
have sinned. But the Lord knows that we are sinful, so He has prepared the blood. The Lord has a
way for sinful man, because the Lord has the blood. But He has no way for one who willingly
receives Satan's accusations. Anyone who accepts the accusations of Satan denies the power of the
blood. No one who believes in the precious blood can receive Satan's accusations at the same time.
Either one or the other must go. If we accept the accusations, the blood has to go; if we accept the
blood, the accusations have to go.

The Lord Jesus is the High Priest and Mediator for us (see Heb. 2:17-18; 4:14-16; 7:20-28; 8:6;
9:15; 1 John 2:1). He is always serving in this position—the High Priest and the Mediator. The
purpose of His serving is to keep us from Satan's accusations. It takes only a moment of time for
man to receive Him as Savior, but it is a lifelong matter to face the accusations of Satan. The word
mediator in Greek means "an appointed defender." The Lord is our Mediator, our Defender. The
Lord speaks for us. But do we stand on the side of the Mediator or on the side of the accuser? It
would be ridiculous if we believed the words of the accuser while our Mediator is in the very act
of defending us. If an attorney continually proved that a defendant was not guilty and defendant
persisted in believing the accuser, would that not be quite absurd? Oh, may we see that the Lord
Jesus is our Mediator and that He is defending us. May we see that the blood is the basis for us to
deal with Satan. We should never answer Satan's accusations with good conduct, we should answer
with the blood. If we realized the value of the blood, there would be a great increase of peaceful
and joyful Christians on the earth today.

"They overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb." How precious are these words! The
brothers overcame him not because of their merit, their advancement, or their experience. They
overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb. Whenever accusations come from Satan, we need
to deal with them by the blood. Once we accept the blood, Satan's power will be nullified. All that
we are depends on the blood, and we need the blood every day. Just as we depended upon the
blood and trusted in the blood on the day we were saved, we must continue to depend upon the
blood and trust in the blood from that day forward. The blood is our only foundation. God desires
to deliver us from many senseless accusations. He wants to break these chains. We must never feel
that we are being humble by receiving accusations day after day. We must learn to overcome these
accusations. If we do not overcome accusations, we can never be the overcomers. The overcomers
must know the value of the blood. Although we do not know the immense value of the blood, we
can still say to the Lord, "O Lord, apply the blood on my behalf according to Your evaluation of
it." We should deal with the power of Satan according to God's valuation of the blood, not
according to our valuation of the blood.

The Word of Their Testimony

The second thing is that the brothers overcame him "because of the word of their testimony." When
our conscience is without offense, then our mouth can give testimony. When there is an accusation
in our conscience, we can utter nothing. It seems that the more we speak, the lower our voice
becomes. The meaning of testimony here is to testify to others, not to one's self. When you have
the blood before God, you will have boldness before God, and you will have a testimony before
man. Not only will you testify that sinners can be forgiven and man can be accepted because of
Christ, but you will further testify of God's kingdom. "Testimony" means to tell others what there
is in Christ, and the word of testimony is something which must be spoken forth. The overcomers
must frequently proclaim the victory of Christ. Satan fears the most when this fact is repeated
again and again. It is a fact that the kingdom of heaven will come; it is a fact that the Lord is King;
it is a fact that Christ is victorious and forever victorious; it is a fact that Satan is defeated; it is a
fact that the strong man has been bound and legally condemned; it is a fact that Christ has destroyed
all the work of Satan on the cross. When we declare all of these facts, we have the testimony.
When we proclaim that Christ is this and Christ is that, this is the testimony.

It is the word of testimony that gives Satan the greatest fear. Satan does not fear when we try to
reason with him, but he does fear when we proclaim the facts. Satan does not fear when we talk
theology or when we expound the Scriptures, but he does fear when we declare the spiritual facts.
"Jesus is Lord" is a spiritual fact. Many people speak about Jesus as the Lord and explain how
Jesus is the Lord, but Satan is not afraid in the least. However, when someone declares in faith that
Jesus is Lord, Satan fears. He does not fear our preaching or theology, but the word of our
testimony.
It is a spiritual fact that the name of Jesus is above every other name. We must declare it in faith,
not only to men, but also to Satan. We often speak for Satan to hear; we purposely speak for him
to hear. We call this the word of testimony. Even when we are alone in our room we can proclaim
aloud, "Jesus is Lord." We can say, "The Lord Jesus is stronger than the strong man," or, "The Son
of God has already bound Satan," etc. This is the word of our testimony.

Christians must rely upon prayer in everything, but sometimes the word of our testimony is more
effective than prayer. In Mark 11:23 the Lord Jesus said, "Whoever says to this mountain, Be taken
up and cast into the sea, and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says happens,
he will have it." The Lord Jesus did not say that what a person prays will come to pass, but that
what a person says will come to pass. The Chinese have a proverb which says, "A composition
can come immediately from one's mouth." But Christians can say, "An accomplishment can come
immediately from one's mouth." God created the heavens and the earth by one word of His mouth.
The incident in Mark 11 shows us that we can speak to the mountain. Only if we speak in faith
will something be accomplished. Many times the power of prayer is not as strong as the power of
proclamation. Many times we must use the word of testimony to deal with Satan.

When we read the book of Acts, we can see many words of testimony. In chapter three Peter and
John saw the lame man at the gate of the temple, and what Peter did was to say to him, "Silver and
gold I do not possess, but what I have, this I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene
rise up and walk." This is what is called the word of testimony. It is not beseeching God to deal
with the situation, but dealing with it directly in the name of the Lord. In Acts 16, when Paul cast
out the demon, he also used the word of proclamation: "I charge you in the name of Jesus Christ
to come out of her." Immediately the demon came out.

Let us further illustrate by relating a certain event. There were two sisters who were engaged in
preaching the gospel. One day they came to a certain village and stayed for a while. A woman who
was possessed of a demon was there, and a member of her family invited the two sisters to go to
her home to cast out the demon. After praying, they felt that they should go. When they arrived,
they saw that the woman was properly dressed and that everything was in good order. They
wondered if the woman was really demon-possessed. Then they preached to her, and she seemed
to be quite clear. (Actually demons cannot be clear, but they pretend to be.) The two sisters felt
very strange about the situation. They asked the woman, "Do you believe in the Lord Jesus?" She
answered, "I have believed for many years." Upon this reply, the two sisters were really confused;
they did not know what to make of the situation. Then they asked her, "Do you know who Jesus
is?" She said, "If you want to know who Jesus is, come and see." Then she led them from the front
room to a room at the rear of the house. Pointing to an idol, she said, "This is Jesus. I have believed
in him for many years." Then one of the sisters felt that she must give a testimony. Please note that
what she said is the kind of testimony that we are talking about here.

The sister grasped the woman's hand and said (not to the woman, but to the demon), "Do you
remember that more than nineteen hundred years ago the Son of God came from heaven to become
a man for thirty-three and a half years? He cast out demons like you many times. Do you remember
that you desired to attack and harm Him? You and all of yours rose up to kill Him and nail Him to
the cross. You were very happy at that time. You did not know that He would rise from the dead
after three days and break all your power. You are but a wicked spirit under the hand of Satan. Do
you remember that when the Son of God came out from Hades, God announced from heaven to
all living creatures and to all spirits, `The name of Jesus henceforth is above every name. Whenever
His name is mentioned, every tongue must confess and every knee must bow.' So I command you
in the name of Jesus to come out from her!" When the sister made this proclamation, the demon
cast the woman to the floor and left.

The sister's question, "Do you remember?" is of utmost significance. Her repeated urging of that
question was her testimony. If we preach to Satan, he also can preach, and he can do quite a bit of
it. If we reason with him, he has all kinds of reasonings. But if we speak the facts, especially the
spiritual facts, Satan will be helpless.

We must know the facts in the Scriptures and believe them. We must be covered by the blood so
that God may protect us from all the attacks of the enemy. Then we may speak to Satan. Satan
fears when we speak the word of testimony to him. In our Christian experience, we sometimes feel
so weak that we cannot even pray to God. At such a time we must remember the spiritual facts,
the victorious facts. We must proclaim to Satan and his demons that the Lord Jesus is victorious
and that Jesus is Lord. Such a proclamation is the testimony, and the testimony is the proclamation.
What do we proclaim? We proclaim that Jesus is Lord, that the Lord is victorious, that Satan has
been trodden under His feet. We further proclaim that the Lord has given us authority to tread upon
serpents and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy. This is the word of testimony.
The word of testimony causes Satan to lose his ground. When we give the word of testimony, we
give Satan a blow. The work of the Lord has not only given us the blood to protect us, but also the
word of testimony by which we can defeat Satan.

Not Loving Our Own Soul-life

We have spoken of the basis of overcoming, but what is the experience of the overcomers
themselves? They face trials and encounter many difficulties, yet Revelation 12:11 says, "They
loved not their soul-life even unto death." This is the attitude of the overcomers in the warfare. In
this verse the word "life" has two meanings. One denotes the physical life, while the other refers
to the power of the soul. (The word "life" can be translated as "soul-life.") Let us consider the
power of the soul or the natural ability.

The best way for Satan to deal with us is to cause us to act in our own strength. Satan wants us to
move in ourselves. He wants us to exercise our own natural ability and fleshly energy in our work
for God.

What is natural ability? Natural ability is the ability which we originally had and which has never
been dealt with by the cross. It accompanies our character. The natural ability of one person may
be his cleverness. In whatever he does, he draws upon his own cleverness. The natural ability of
another may be his eloquence. He can speak well independent of any special power from the Holy
Spirit. Man, however, cannot serve God with the natural ability that has never been dealt with by
the cross. The failure of the church is due to man bringing in his natural ability. Oh, we all must
be brought by God to the place where we are trembling and fearful lest we do anything without
the Lord. We must become such persons—not merely speaking such things, but actually being
such persons. Then we will become useful in the hand of God.

We are not encouraging anyone to pretend that he is holy. This is of no use, because it does not
come from Christ. We are saying that God wants to break everything that is natural in a man. Only
when we are cut off from all the elements that originate from our self will Christ be manifested.
We must allow God to cancel the self through the cross. One day we must let God break the
backbone of our natural life. We should not try to deal with this matter, piece by piece, item by
item. For us to deal only with the outward things and leave the inward, natural life untouched is
not only useless, but, on the contrary, it will make us proud. We will consider ourselves to be quite
satisfactory, yet our inward condition will be even more difficult to deal with.

The day must come when our strength to do good and our ability to serve God are broken. Then
we will confess before God and man that we can do nothing. Henceforth, Christ will be able to
manifest His power upon us. We all must be brought by God to the place where we see that we
can do nothing in the church with our natural strength. Many people think that as long as their
motive is correct, it is good enough. But this is not the case. When you say you are working, the
Lord will ask, "By what are you working?" If you say that you are zealous, the Lord will ask,
"From where does your zeal come?" If you say that you have power, the Lord will ask, "What is
the source of your power?" The question is not what you are doing, but with what you are doing
it. The problem is not whether or not the matter is good, but what is the source of the goodness.

We must learn to experience the cross. The purpose of the cross is to deal with us, so that we will
not dare to move by ourselves. It is useless merely to talk about the message of the cross or to
listen to the message of the cross. God requires those who have gone through the cross and have
been dealt with by the cross. It is not enough that our message is correct. We have to ask, "How
about ourselves? What kind of persons are we?" The apostle Paul said, "For I did not determine to
know anything among you except Jesus Christ, and this One crucified. And I was with you in
weakness and in fear and in much trembling; and my speech and my proclamation were not in
persuasive words of wisdom" (1 Cor. 2:2-4). The first part of these verses refers to Paul's message,
and the last part refers to Paul's person. We often think that when a person like Paul gets up to
speak he must feel rich and full of his own resources. But Paul's message was the cross, and he
himself was in weakness, fear, and much trembling. Whenever we know the cross, we will be in
weakness, fear, and much trembling. If we have been dealt with by the cross, we will not have any
self-confidence, and we will not dare to boast. If we are proud, considering that we are quite
capable, we know nothing of the cross.

The subjective work of the cross in us is to take away the things which do not originate with God.
The cross leaves only the things which are of God. It cannot shake that which comes from God,
but whatever is of man is powerless before it. Some brothers have said that in the past they had
many ways to help people be saved, but after they began to experience the dealing of the cross, the
cross has dealt with their various ways, and it seems as if they are not able to do anything. This
proves that what they did previously came out from themselves, because whatever is of God cannot
be slain by the cross. Anything that can be destroyed by the cross is certainly something of man.
That which passes through the cross and rises up again is of God; anything which is not able to
rise is of man. The Lord Jesus is of God, for after He passed through the cross, He was able to rise
again. We should not love anything of the soulish life or of the life of the flesh, but let it all go into
death. We must not allow anything of such a life to remain in us. The basis of our overcoming is
the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. Furthermore, our attitude is that we will not
live by ourselves in any way; we will not value our own ability or have any self-confidence. We
must live as men full of fear and trembling. We must realize what feeble creatures we are.

The other meaning of not loving our soul-life is that we do not love our physical life. We have to
stand for God even at the cost of our life. In the book of Job, Satan told God: "Skin for skin! Indeed
all that a man has he will give for the sake of his life" (2:4). Satan realizes that man values his life
above everything else. But God said that the overcomers love not their lives. The attitude of the
overcomer is that he does not care what Satan may do to him. Even though Satan would take his
life away, he would never bow to Satan, but always remain faithful to God. The attitude of the
overcomer is to be able to say to the Lord: "For Your sake there is not one thing that I would not
forsake, even my life."

CHAPTER FIVE
THE HOLY CITY, NEW JERUSALEM
We have already seen that the woman in Genesis 2 is the same woman seen in Ephesians 5 and in
Revelation 12. Now let us look at another woman, recorded in Revelation 21 and 22.

Although there is a long distance between them, the last two chapters of Revelation correspond
with the first three chapters of Genesis. God created the heaven and the earth in Genesis, and the
new heaven and the new earth are in the last two chapters of Revelation. In both Genesis and
Revelation there is the tree of life. In Genesis there is a river flowing out from Eden, and in
Revelation there is a river of living water flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In
Genesis there is gold, pearl (bdellium), and a kind of precious stone (onyx), and in Revelation
there is gold, pearl, and all kinds of precious stones. In Genesis 2 Eve was Adam's wife. In
Revelation 21 the Lamb also has a wife. The Lamb's wife is the New Jerusalem, and God's eternal
purpose is fulfilled in this woman. In Genesis 3 man's fall was followed by death, sickness,
suffering, and the curse. But, when the New Jerusalem descends from heaven in Revelation 21,
there is no more death, sorrow, crying, or pain because the former things have all passed away. If
we read the Scriptures carefully, we will see that Genesis 1 through 3 does indeed correspond with
Revelation 21 and 22. They face each other at the two ends of the expanse of time.

Now we have seen four women: Eve in Genesis 2, the wife (the church) in Ephesians 5, the woman
in the vision of Revelation 12, and the wife of the Lamb in Revelation 21. These four women are
actually one woman, but her history can be divided into four stages. When she was conceived in
the plan of God, she was called Eve. When she is redeemed and manifesting Christ on earth, she
is called the church. When she is persecuted by the great dragon, she is the woman in the vision.
When she is completely glorified in eternity, she is the wife of the Lamb. These four women reveal
God's work from eternity to eternity. The woman in Genesis 2 is the woman purposed in God's
heart in eternity past, and the woman in Revelation 21 is the woman who fulfills God's purpose in
eternity future. Of the two women in between, one is the church, prepared for Christ by God, and
the other is the woman who will bring forth the man-child at the end time. In other words, these
four women show us the four stages of the history of one woman: one stage is in eternity past, two
stages are between the eternities, and another stage is in eternity future. Even though these four
women appear to be different when we speak of them separately, they are the same when we put
them together. The wife of the Lamb is the woman of Ephesians 5. Since the Lord Jesus is the
Lamb, it is impossible for the woman in Ephesians 5 to be anyone other than the wife of the Lamb.
The woman in Ephesians 5 is also likened to Eve, and Eve is also likened to the wife of the Lamb
in Revelation 21. When there are overcomers, whose work represents that of the whole church, the
woman in Revelation 12 will introduce the woman in Revelation 21. As a result, God in eternity
future will indeed obtain a woman, a ruling woman who has dealt thoroughly with Satan. God will
truly obtain a wife for the Lamb, and His purpose will be fulfilled. Let us see how the woman of
Revelation 12 becomes the woman of Revelation 21.

THE FALL OF BABYLON

Of the two women spoken of in Revelation 17:1-3 and 21:9-10, one is called the great harlot, and
the other is called the bride. Revelation 17:1 says, "And one of the seven angels who had the seven
bowls came and spoke with me, saying, Come here; I will show you the judgment of the great
harlot who sits upon the many waters." Revelation 21:9 says, "And one of the seven angels who
had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and spoke with me, saying, Come here; I
will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb." Revelation 17:3 says, "And he carried me away in
spirit into a wilderness; and I saw a woman." Revelation 21:10 says, "And he carried me away in
spirit onto a great and high mountain and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out
of heaven from God." When the Holy Spirit inspired man to write the Scriptures, He purposely
used a parallel structure in pointing to these two women so that we would have a clear impression.

Let us first consider the things relating to the harlot. The harlot spoken of in Revelation 17 and 18
is Babylon, whose deeds are extremely displeasing to God. Why is her conduct such an offense to
God? What does Babylon represent and what is the principle of Babylon? Why does God deal with
Babylon and why is it necessary to wait until Babylon is judged before the wife of the Lamb
appears? May God open our eyes so that we would really see Babylon according to the Scriptures.

The name Babylon originates from "Babel." We remember the story of the tower of Babel in the
Bible. The principle of the tower of Babel involves the attempt to build up something from earth
to reach unto heaven. When men built this tower, they used bricks. There is a basic difference
between brick and stone. Stone is made by God, and bricks are made by man. Bricks are a human
invention, a human product. The meaning of Babylon relates to man's own efforts to build a tower
to reach unto heaven. Babylon represents man's ability. It represents a false Christianity, a
Christianity which does not allow the Holy Spirit to have authority. It does not seek the Holy
Spirit's guidance; it does all things by human effort. Everything consists of bricks baked by man;
everything depends upon man's action. Those who are according to this principle do not see that
they are limited; rather, they attempt to do the Lord's work by their own natural ability. They do
not stand in a position where they are truly able to say, "Lord, if You do not give us grace, we
cannot do anything." They think that man's ability can suffice for spiritual things. Their intention
is to establish something upon the earth that will reach to heaven.
God, however, can never accept this. One man has some talent and thinks that he can preach after
he has studied a little theology. What is this? Bricks! Another man who is very clever receives
some help and possesses some knowledge and then becomes a Christian worker. Again, what is
this? Bricks! A certain man is capable of doing things, so he is asked to come and manage the
affairs of the church. What is this? Bricks! All of these things are man's endeavors to build
something from earth to heaven by human ability, by bricks.

Again we must emphasize that there is no place for man in the church. Heavenly things can only
come from heaven; the things of this earth can never go to heaven. Man's difficulty is that he does
not see that he is under judgment, nor does he see that he is just dust and clay. Man may build
high, but heaven is higher than man's highest height. No matter how high men may build their
tower, they still cannot touch heaven. Heaven is always above man. Though man may climb and
build and though he may not fall, he still will not be able to touch heaven. God destroyed man's
plan to build the tower of Babel in order to show man that he is useless in spiritual matters. Man
cannot do anything.

There is another incident in the Old Testament which outstandingly manifests this principle. When
the Israelites entered into the land of Canaan, the first person to commit sin was Achan. What was
the sin which Achan committed? He said, "When I saw among the spoil a beautiful mantle of
Shinar...I coveted them and took them" (Josh. 7:21). A Babylonian garment seduced Achan to
commit sin. What does this beautiful garment imply? A beautiful garment is worn for the sake of
appearance. When one puts on a beautiful garment, it means that he adorns himself to improve his
appearance and to add a little luster to himself. Achan's coveting of the Babylonian garment meant
that he was seeking to improve himself, to make himself look better. This was Achan's sin.

Who were the first ones to commit sin in the New Testament, after the church began? The
Scriptures reveal that they were Ananias and Sapphira. What was the sin that they committed?
They lied to the Holy Spirit. They did not love the Lord very much, but they wanted to be looked
upon as those who greatly loved the Lord. They were just pretending. They were not willing to
offer everything cheerfully to God. Before man, however, they acted as if they had offered all.
This is the Babylonian garment.

The principle of Babylon, therefore, is hypocrisy. There is no reality, yet people act as if there is
in order to obtain glory from man. Here is a real danger to God's children—pretending to be
spiritual. There is a great deal of spiritual behavior which is acted out in falsehood. It is put on as
a veneer. Many long prayers are counterfeit; many prayerful tones are unreal. There is no reality,
but it is made to appear as if there is. This is the principle of Babylon. Whenever we put on a
garment which does not match our actual condition, we are in the principle of Babylon.

God's children do not know how much falsehood they have put on in order to receive glory from
man. This is entirely opposite from the attitude of the bride. Everything done in falsehood is done
in the principle of the harlot, not in the principle of the bride. It is a great matter for God's children
to be delivered from pretending before man. The principle of Babylon is to pretend in order to
receive glory from man. If we set our sight upon man's glory and man's position in the church, we
are participating in the sin of the Babylonian garment and the sin committed by Ananias and
Sapphira. False consecration is sin, and false spirituality is also sin. True worship is in spirit and
truthfulness. May God make us true men.

Another condition of Babylon is seen in Revelation 18:7: "For she says in her heart, I sit a queen,
and I am not a widow." She sits as a queen. She has lost all of her character of being a widow. She
has no feeling about the Lord Jesus being killed and crucified on the cross. Rather, she says, "I sit
a queen." She has lost her faithfulness; she has missed her proper goal. This is the principle of
Babylon, and this is corrupted Christianity.

Chapter eighteen shows us many other things about Babylon, especially regarding the luxuries she
enjoyed. Concerning our attitude toward the inventions of science, we can use many things when
we have a need. Just as the apostle Paul spoke of using the world (1 Cor. 7:31), our purpose with
these things is simply to use them. However, luxurious enjoyment is another matter. There are
some Christians who refuse all luxury and all things which contribute to the enjoyment of the flesh.
We are not saying that we should not use certain things at all, but we are saying that anything in
excess is luxury. Regardless of whether it is clothing, food, or housing, if it is excessive or beyond
our need, it is luxury and in the principle of Babylon. God allows all that we need, but He does not
permit things which are beyond our necessity. We should order our living according to the
principle of need; then God will bless us. If we live according to our own lust, we are in the
principle of Babylon, and God will not bless us.

We have seen that the principle of Babylon is mixing the things of man with the Word of God, and
the things of the flesh with the things of the Spirit. It is pretending that something of man is
something of God. It is receiving man's glory to satisfy man's lust. Therefore, Babylon is mixed
and corrupted Christianity. What should our attitude be toward Babylon? Revelation 18:4 says,
"And I heard another voice out of heaven, saying, Come out of her, My people, that you do not
participate in her sins and that you do not receive her plagues." Second Corinthians 6:17-18 also
says, "Therefore `come out from their midst and be separated, says the Lord, and do not touch
what is unclean; and I will welcome you'; `and I will be a Father to you, and you will be sons and
daughters to Me.'" According to God's Word, His children cannot be involved in any matter
containing the character of Babylon. God said that we must come out from every situation where
man's power is mixed with God's power, where man's ability is mixed with God's work, and where
man's opinion is mixed with God's Word. We cannot partake of anything that has the character of
Babylon. We have to come out of it. God's children must learn from the depths of their spirit to
separate themselves from Babylon and to judge all her actions. If we do this, we will not be
condemned together with Babylon.

Babylon had her beginning in the tower of Babel. Day by day Babylon is becoming larger and
larger. But God will judge her in the end. Revelation 19:1-4 says, "After these things I heard as it
were a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, Hallelujah! The salvation and the glory
and the power are of our God. For true and righteous are His judgments; for He has judged the
great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication, and He avenged the blood of His slaves
at her hand. And a second time they said, Hallelujah! And her smoke goes up forever and ever.
And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshipped God, who sits
upon the throne, saying, Amen, Hallelujah!" When God judges the harlot and shatters all her work,
and when He casts out all that she is and the principle she represents, voices from heaven will say,
"Hallelujah!" In the New Testament, there are very few hallelujahs, and they are all expressed in
this chapter because Babylon, she who adulterated the Word of Christ, has been judged.

The passage in Revelation 18:2-8 tells us the reason for Babylon's fall and judgment. The sinful
deeds of Babylon are announced and the consequences of her judgment are set forth. All who are
of the same mind with God must say, Hallelujah, for God has judged Babylon. Though the actual
judgment is in the future, the spiritual judgment must take place today. The actual judgment will
be performed by God in the future, but the spiritual judgment must be made by us today. If God's
children bring many unspiritual things into the church, how do we feel about it? Does the fact that
we are all God's children and the fact that we should love one another mean that we should not
say, Hallelujah, to God's judgment? We must realize that this is not a matter of love, but a matter
of God's glory. The principle of Babylon is confusion and uncleanness; therefore, her name is the
harlot. The few passages in Revelation which God uses to describe Babylon show us His exceeding
hatred toward her. "Those who destroy the earth" in Revelation 11:18 are of this woman, of whom
it is written in chapter nineteen that she "corrupted the earth" (v. 2).

God hates the principle of Babylon more than anything else. We must note in His presence how
much of our being is still not absolute for Him. Anything which is halfway and not absolute is
called Babylon. We need God to enlighten us so that in His light we may judge everything in us
which is not absolute toward Him. Only when we judge ourselves in this way can we confess that
we too hate the principle of Babylon. By His grace, may the Lord not allow us to seek any glory
and honor outside of Christ. The Lord requires that we delight and seek to be one who is absolute,
not one who is living in the principle of Babylon.

Revelation 19:5 says, "And a voice came out from the throne, saying, Praise our God, all His slaves
and those who fear Him, the small and the great." A special feature of the book of Revelation is
the proclamations from heaven. We read such things as a "voice out of heaven" and "a voice came
out from the throne" (18:4; 19:5). These are declarations from heaven, signifying the time when
God speaks, the place where God speaks, and what His emphasis is on. There are definite reasons
for the proclamation in Revelation 19:5. On the one hand, it is because the great harlot is judged,
and on the other hand, it is looking toward the marriage of the Lamb which is to come. Therefore,
there is a proclamation from the throne to give praise to our God. God has been working from
eternity and has expended much energy on His work so that He might obtain praise. Ephesians
mentions that God has an inheritance in the saints. What is God's inheritance in the saints? There
is only one thing that man can render to God—praise. Praise is God's inheritance in the saints. The
voice from heaven proclaims that all of God's servants, all who belong to God, both small and
great, must praise Him. God's purpose must be fulfilled, and it will be soon. God must obtain what
He is after; we all must praise Him.

When the voice from the throne declared that praise be given to God, there was a host of echoes
resounding throughout the universe. Revelation 19:6 says, "And I heard as it were the voice of a
great multitude and like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty thunders, saying,
Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns." On one hand, there was a declaration from
the throne, and on the other hand, there was a response of thousands upon thousands, and ten
thousands upon ten thousands. As John was listening, he did not hear the voice of a single person;
rather, he heard the voice of a great multitude as if it were the voice of many waters and the voice
of mighty thunders. When you listen to the noise of a great waterfall or the waves of the ocean,
you will realize how loud a voice of many waters can be. The voice of thunder is great enough;
how much greater is the voice of mighty thunders! All of these mighty and thunderous voices were
saying, Hallelujah! The declaration from heaven, the response from the whole universe, and every
voice was saying, Hallelujah, because of a special event which was about to take place. The event
is "the Lord our God the Almighty reigns."

As we read this proclamation, what are our hearts set upon? This passage does not say that we will
reign and that we should therefore rejoice and be exceeding glad. Neither does it say that we will
receive a crown and that we should therefore praise God. It says that the Lord our God the
Almighty reigns. God's mind is that He should reign, that He should exercise authority. When God
rules, it is Christ who rules. Let us turn back to Revelation 11:15: "The kingdom of the world has
become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign forever and ever." "Our
Lord" refers to God, and "His Christ" refers to Christ. But the pronoun "He" which follows is used
rather strangely. Since the passage begins with "our Lord and...His Christ," it seems logical to
continue with the phrase, "And they will reign forever and ever." This would be grammatically
correct. But it is not written in this way. It is followed by the phrase, "And He will reign forever
and ever." This enables us to understand that the Lord's reign is Christ's reign, and Christ's reign
is God's reign. The kingdom of God is the kingdom of Christ. The reigning of God is the reigning
of Christ. Because God reigns and Christ reigns, everyone rejoices with exceeding gladness and
shouts, Hallelujah!

Revelation 19:7 continues, "Let us rejoice and exult, and let us give the glory to Him..." This is the
time when God will be glorified. Following this, the verse says, "...for the marriage of the Lamb
has come, and His wife has made herself ready." (Wife is the correct translation, though some
translators use bride.) Not only has God's authority commenced, but the kingdom has been ushered
in. Furthermore, the corporate man, the eternal Eve whom God desired, has been obtained. The
marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready. There are two reasons for
praise. First, God reigns. To this we say, Hallelujah! Second, God has obtained what He
determined to have in eternity past. To this we also say, Hallelujah! We too should rejoice and be
exceeding glad, because one day God will surely obtain what He desires. When the marriage of
the Lamb has come, the wife has made herself ready.

When we look at ourselves, it seems impossible that such a day will ever come when Christ
presents a glorious church to Himself, not having spot or wrinkle or any such things. But since this
will happen, how can we refrain from saying, Hallelujah! Regardless of how much weakness there
has been, both yesterday and today, God will obtain His determined will in that day. Never forget
this—in that day the wife will be ready. Therefore, we must give Him the glory, and we must say,
Hallelujah!

Let us read verse 7 again: "Let us rejoice and exult, and let us give the glory to Him, for the
marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready." We must take note that this
passage refers to the wife of the Lamb, not to the bride of the Lamb. Now let us go on to 21:1-2:
"And I saw a new heaven and a new earth....And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down
out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." When do the events in
chapter nineteen, concerning the wife who has made herself ready, occur? It is before the
millennium. When do the events in chapter twenty-one, concerning the bride who is ready, occur?
It is after the millennium. Since the New Jerusalem must wait for the new heaven and new earth
before it is the bride of the Lamb, why does it say that the wife of the Lamb is ready before the
millennium? Please note that chapter nineteen does not speak of the marriage of the Lamb, it
simply says that the marriage of the Lamb has come. At that time, if we look back, we will see that
the harlot has fallen, and if we look forward, we will see the new heaven and the new earth.
Therefore, the declaration that the marriage of the Lamb has come is made. In reality, however,
there are one thousand years in between. Only when these one thousand years have passed will the
actual time for the marriage of the Lamb come. The woman is actually the wife of Christ in the
new heaven and new earth, not during the time of the kingdom.

There is one more thing which we must notice. In chapter twelve there is the woman with the man-
child and many other children. But in chapter nineteen there is only the wife. Where are the man-
child and the many children? It seems as if they have disappeared. How can the woman, the man-
child, and the rest of her children become the wife of the Lamb?

In order to be clear, we must look at the principle of the man-child. Remember that the man-child
accomplishes everything as if representing the whole church. In chapter nineteen, the declaration
that the wife has made herself ready is spoken while looking upon the overcomers. The whole
body of the church must wait until the time of the new heaven and the new earth to be the bride.
She will not be ready until then. But one thousand years prior to this, there is an announcement
that the wife has made herself ready. Why is this spoken? What kind of readiness is there? This
proclamation refers to the readiness of the overcomers and to no one but the overcomers. Because
the overcomers are fully ready, a declaration can be made that the wife has made herself ready.

We must bear in mind that what the overcomers accomplish is not for themselves alone, but for
the whole church. The Word of God says that when one member is glorified, all the members
rejoice with it (1 Cor. 12:26). The overcomers war with Satan on behalf of the whole Body. Their
victory brings benefit to the whole. Therefore, the readiness mentioned in chapter nineteen has to
do with the matter of life. Because the overcomers have more maturity of life, they are ready.
Because the overcomers are ready before God, He reckons their readiness as the readiness of the
whole Body.

Do we sense the preciousness of this? We must remember this one thing—all of our seeking and
all of our growth is not for us as individuals, but for the Body. What each member receives from
God is for the whole Body. When your ears hear a word, you cannot say that you have not heard,
because your ears are united to your body. When your mouth says something wrong, you cannot
deny that you have spoken wrongly, because your mouth and body are united. In the same way,
whatever the overcomers accomplish is the accomplishment of the whole Body. Since our Lord is
the Head of the church, whatever He has accomplished on the cross belongs to the church.
Likewise, as we receive benefit from the Head, we also receive benefit from the Body. As we
partake of what the Lord has accomplished, we also partake of what the other members have
accomplished. When God sees the readiness of the overcomers, He reckons it as the readiness of
the whole church. Therefore, it can be said that the wife has made herself ready.

The readiness of the wife especially refers to the garments of the wife. Verse 19:8 says, "And it
was given to her that she should be clothed in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the
righteousnesses of the saints." The Scriptures reveal that there are two kinds of garments for
Christians. One is the Lord Jesus. The Lord Jesus is our clothing. The other is the fine linen
garment, bright and clean, spoken of in verse 8. Whenever we come before God, the Lord Jesus is
our garment. He is our righteousness, and we put Him on when we approach God. This garment
is our common clothing; every saint is clothed before God and cannot be found naked. On the
other hand, when we are presented to Christ, we must be arrayed with fine linen, bright and clean.
This is the righteousnesses of the saints. "Righteousnesses" means a succession of righteous deeds,
one after another. All of these righteous deeds together are our fine linen garment. When we were
saved, we began to obtain a fine linen garment for our adornment—the righteousnesses of the
saints.

We can also see these two sets of garments for the Christian in Psalm 45. Verse 13 says, "The
King's daughter is all glorious within the royal abode;/Her garment is a woven work inwrought
with gold." The material of her clothing is gold, beaten gold. Then verse 14 says, "She will be led
to the King in embroidered clothing." The clothing mentioned in verse 13 differs from that in verse
14. In verse 13 the clothing is of gold, but in verse 14 the clothing is of embroidered work. The
fine linen garments in Revelation 19 are embroidered, they are not of gold.

What then is gold? The Lord Jesus is gold. He is gold because He is entirely of God. The
righteousness which the Lord Jesus gave us, the clothing which He put upon us when we were
saved was something of gold. Besides this clothing, we have been embroidering another garment
from the day we received our salvation. This relates to the righteous acts of the saints. In other
words, the clothing of gold is given to us by God through the Lord Jesus, while the clothing of
embroidered work is given to us by the Lord Jesus through the Holy Spirit. When we believed in
the Lord, God gave us a gold garment through the Lord Jesus. This garment is the Lord Jesus
Himself, and it has nothing whatsoever to do with our conduct. It was furnished by Him, ready-
made. The embroidered garment, however, is related to our deeds. It is wrought one stitch at a time
by the working of the Holy Spirit in us day by day.

What is the meaning of embroidery? Originally, there is a plain piece of material with nothing
upon it. Later, something is sewed into it with thread, and by this sewing work, the original material
and the thread become one. This means that when the Spirit of God works upon us, He constitutes
Christ into us—this is the embroidery work. Then we will not only have a garment of gold, but
also a garment embroidered by the Holy Spirit. By this work Christ will be constituted in us and
expressed from us. This embroidered garment is the righteous acts of the saints. It is not done once
for all, but repeatedly carried on day after day until God says that it is ready.

Perhaps some may ask what the righteous acts are that are specifically spoken of here. The Gospels
record many righteous acts, such as Mary's act of expressing her love to the Lord by anointing
Him with ointment. This righteousness may be one of the crosswise or lengthwise threads in her
fine linen garment. There were others, such as Joanna, the wife of Chuza, and many other women,
who because of their love for the Lord ministered to His material needs and those of His disciples.
These also are righteous acts. Our heart is often touched by the love of the Lord, and we make an
outward expression of it. This is our righteousness, our fine linen garment. This is the embroidering
work which is being done today. Any expression which results from our love for the Lord and
which is done through the Holy Spirit is a stitch among the thousands of other stitches in the
embroidery work. The Bible tells us that whoever will give only a cup of cold water unto a little
one will by no means lose his reward. This is a righteous act done out of love for the Lord. When
we have some expression or act of love for the Lord, it is righteousness.

Revelation 7:9 says that the garment is a white robe. It has been washed and made white in the
blood of the Lamb. We must remember that we can only be made white by being cleansed from
our sins through the blood. Not only must we be cleansed from our sins, but we must also be
cleansed from our good behavior. It too can only be made white by being washed in the blood. Not
a single deed of any Christian is originally white. Even if we have some righteousness, it is mixed
and not pure. We often have been kind to others, but inwardly we have been unwilling. We often
have been patient with others, but when we have gone home we have murmured. Therefore, after
having done some righteous deed, we still need the cleansing of the blood. We need the blood of
the Lord Jesus to cleanse us from the sins we commit, and we also need the blood of the Lord Jesus
to cleanse our righteous acts.

No Christian can ever make a garment which is pure white. Even if we could make one which was
ninety-nine percent pure, there would still be one percent of mixture. Before God no man is entirely
without blemish. Even good deeds done out of our love for the Lord need the cleansing of the
blood. A very spiritual man once said that even the tears he shed for sin needed to be washed by
the blood. Oh, even tears of repentance need to be cleansed by the blood! Therefore, Revelation
7:14 indicates that their robes were made white in the blood of the Lamb. We have nothing of
which we can boast. From the outside to the inside, nothing is entirely pure. The more we know
ourselves, the more we will realize how filthy we are. Our best deeds and our best intentions are
mixed with filthiness. Without the cleansing of the blood, it is impossible to be white.

But the garments are not only white, they are bright or shining (19:8). The meaning of bright is
shining. Whiteness has a tendency to become dull, pale, and ordinary. But this garment is not only
white, but shining. Before Eve sinned, she might have been white, but by no means was she
shining. Before the fall Eve was sinless, but she was only innocent, not holy. God does not merely
require that we be white, but also that we be shining. Whiteness is a passive, quiescent aspect, but
brightness is a positive, active aspect.

Therefore, we must not be afraid of hardship, neither must we long for a smooth pathway, because
days of difficulty can make us shine. With some Christians we do not sense that they have sinned
or that they are wrong in any way. On the contrary, we feel that they are quite good in almost every
aspect. But we also do not sense any brightness. Their goodness is just ordinary goodness. They
are white, but they do not shine. However, there are other Christians who are frequently tried and
faced with suffering. Often they are so shaken that it seems as if they will surely fall—but they
continue to stand. After a certain period of time these Christians attain a shining quality. They are
shining in their character and in their virtue. They are not plain, but shining; they are not only
white, they are bright.

God is working in us all the time. He is continually expending much effort upon us so that we may
be white, and He is continually laboring upon us to make us shining. His desire is for us to be
bright. Therefore, we must pay a great price. We must be willing for every kind of difficulty to
come upon us. Otherwise, we can never be bright. Merely being white is not enough; God requires
a positive brightness to be seen in us. The fear of hardship, the fear of trouble, and the longing for
an easy way and a smooth path will cause us to lose our brightness. The more sufferings and
difficulties we encounter, the more we can shine. People whose lives are spent in an easy and
ordinary way may be white, but they will never be shining.

This garment is of fine linen. According to the Scriptures, wool has a different meaning than linen.
Wool denotes the work of the Lord Jesus and fine linen denotes the work of the Holy Spirit. Isaiah
53:7 describes the Lord Jesus as a sheep that is dumb before its shearers. From this verse we can
see that wool possesses the character of redemption. However, there is no character of redemption
involved with fine linen. It is produced from a plant; it is not associated with blood. Fine linen is
the product of the Holy Spirit's work within man. The fine linen garment tells us that God not only
requires man to have God's righteousness, but also his own righteous deeds. God not only intends
to obtain His righteousness in us, but He also intends to obtain many righteousnesses in us.

"And it was given to her that she should be clothed in fine linen, bright and clean" (Rev. 19:8). All
the deeds, all the outward righteousnesses, are produced by grace. "It was given to her..." The
deeds are not manufactured by the natural man, they are the product of the Holy Spirit's work in
man. We must learn to look to the Lord and expectantly say, "Lord, give it to me. Lord, grant me
the grace." How good this is—the garment is given by grace! If we say that the garment is made
by us, this is true; it has indeed been wrought by us. But on the other hand, it is given by God,
because we cannot produce a thing when we depend upon ourselves. The Lord accomplishes it in
us through the Holy Spirit.

Many times we feel that a burden is indeed great. We want to escape, almost pleading with the
Lord, "O Lord, release me!" But we have to change our prayer and say, "Lord, make me able to
carry the burden. Lord, cause me to stand up beneath it. Make me white and grant me to be clothed
in a shining garment."

Revelation 19:9 says, "And he [the angel] said to me, Write..." God spoke, and He asked John to
write it down. What did he write? "Blessed are they who are called to the marriage dinner of the
Lamb." The angel said, "These are the true words of God." Oh, there can be no other privilege, no
other position higher than this—to be called to the marriage dinner of the Lamb. "These are the
true words of God." God makes it especially clear that these are His true words. We must accept
them, we must heed them, and we must remember them.

What is the difference between those who are called to the marriage dinner and the bride of the
Lamb? The bride is a chosen group—the new man. But those who are called to the marriage dinner
are a great many individuals—the overcomers. The marriage dinner of the Lamb refers to the age
of the kingdom. Those who are called will be together with the Lord enjoying a unique and special
fellowship, which no one has ever tasted before. The Lord said through the angel, "Blessed are
they who are called to the marriage dinner of the Lamb....These are the true words of God." May
God cause us, for His sake, to be able to enjoy this special fellowship with Him. May He make us
those who will humbly seek to satisfy His heart's desire. May He cause us to seek to be those who
supply life for the sake of the church. And may He cause us and enable us to be the overcomers
for the sake of the kingdom.

THE NEW HEAVEN AND THE NEW EARTH

Verse 21:1 says, "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth
passed away, and the sea is no more." Here again, from a distance, we are standing opposite to
Genesis. In Genesis 1, the heaven and the earth are the original heaven and earth, but in this verse
we have a new heaven and a new earth. In Genesis there was the sea, but in this verse the sea is no
more.

Verse 2 continues, "And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from
God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." In chapter nineteen there is a declaration that
the marriage of the Lamb has come and His wife has made herself ready. But in this chapter, the
New Jerusalem is prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. This is the actuality. There are
many declarations in Revelation, but the most important declaration is Revelation 11:15.
According to the order of occurrence, the rapture of the man-child and the casting down of the
dragon from heaven take place after this declaration. Then how can the words, "The kingdom of
the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ," be spoken at this time? It is
possible because this declaration was made at the beginning of things, not at the point of their
accomplishment. This means that a turning point has come. When there is a definite turn towards
God's eternal purpose, God can make such a declaration in heaven. In chapter nineteen God makes
another declaration, saying that the marriage of the Lamb has come and that His wife has made
herself ready. This declaration is also made at the starting point of events which are about to occur.
Because before Him the overcomers represent the bride and because this group of people is ready
in His sight, God is able to declare that the marriage of the Lamb has come and His wife has made
herself ready. However, the "has come" is fully realized in the new heaven and the new earth. In
Revelation 21:2, John actually saw the New Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven. At
that time the bride was truly ready in every sense. This is not merely the readiness declared in
chapter nineteen, but the readiness in actual fact.

Now we must turn back to read Ephesians 5:26 and 27. "That He might sanctify her, cleansing her
by the washing of the water in the word, that He might present the church to Himself glorious, not
having spot or wrinkle or any such things, but that she would be holy and without blemish." "That
He might present the church to Himself" is fulfilled in Revelation 21. Now, before God, the bride
is ready to be presented to the Lord. "Prepared as a bride" is no longer difficult to comprehend. By
the end of the kingdom age, the whole church will be brought to this place. What we fail to see
today will be fully seen in that day. Today we may say that God's standard for the church is high
and ask how the church will ever attain to such a condition. We may not know how God will do
it, but we do know that the church will attain to that position at the time of the new heaven and
new earth. Some may think that the church will reach the stage of Ephesians 5 before the age of
the kingdom. However, the Lord did not say this. The church will not arrive at that place until
Revelation 21. At the time of the new heaven and new earth, there will not be just a group of saints
who are perfected, but all the saints, the whole Body, from all the nations throughout all the ages.
They will all be together before God and glorified in His presence.

Revelation 21:3 says, "And I heard a loud voice out of the throne, saying, Behold, the tabernacle
of God is with men, and He will tabernacle with them, and they will be His peoples, and God
Himself will be with them and be their God." This verse reveals what it will be like in the new
heaven and new earth. The new heaven and new earth are in the eternal blessing, and positive
blessing is spoken of here. This verse is followed by statements that say there will be no more of
this and no more of that. These are the negative aspects, not the positive aspects. What is the
positive and eternal blessing? It is that God will be with us. The presence of God is the blessing.
All that the Scriptures have ever said about the blessing in eternity is summed up in these words,
"God Himself will be with them." The severest suffering is to be without God's presence. But all
of the enjoyment in eternity will be God's presence. The blessing of that day, is nothing other than
God being with us. Solomon once said, "Behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain
thee; how much less this house that I have builded?" (1 Kings 8:27). The heaven and the heaven
of heavens cannot contain Him, but we may say that the New Jerusalem can contain Him. God
dwells in the New Jerusalem, and God's throne is established there.

The New Jerusalem is the woman whom we have been considering. In Genesis we saw a garden
and a woman. This woman sinned, and God drove her out of the garden. Now in the new heaven
and new earth, the woman and the holy city are one; they are no longer two separate entities. Since
the New Jerusalem is the woman, the New Jerusalem is the wife of the Lamb; therefore, the woman
and the holy city are one. Not only so, but God's throne is established in the New Jerusalem, or we
may say that God Himself dwells within this woman. The Almighty One is dwelling in her.
Therefore, it does not matter how great the force or temptation that can come from without. Evil
powers can no longer enter, nor can man fall again, because God dwells within her. The blessing
of the new heaven and new earth is the presence of God. All who have tasted something of God's
presence in their experience know that it is indeed a blessing. No other blessing is greater or more
precious than this.

Let us read again the last part of verse 3: "He will tabernacle with them, and they will be His
peoples, and God Himself will be with them and be their God." Do we see the relationship between
God and man? What does it really mean for us to be the people of God? It means that God will
dwell with us, and therefore, we will be made His people. What does it mean that God will be our
God? It means that God will be with us, and therefore, He will be our God. When we are away
from His presence, God cannot be our God. The greatest and highest blessing in eternity is that
God will be with us and be our God.

Verse 4 says, "And He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and death will be no more, nor
will there be sorrow or crying or pain anymore; for the former things have passed away." All men
have experienced the shedding of tears, but in the new heaven and new earth they will receive this
blessing—God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death is wholly a consequence of the
fall. But in the new heaven and new earth, there will no longer be any death. The last enemy will
be abolished. Sorrow or mourning is the aching of our heart, the feeling of inward suffering; crying
is the weeping without, the outward expression. Pain is the suffering of our physical body. But
God will put an end to all of these things. They are all summed up in the words: every tear, death,
sorrow, crying, and pain. But they will be no more; they will all pass away.

Verse 5 says, "And He who sits on the throne said, Behold, I make all things new." The difficulty
that we face today is that even though we are the new creation, we still live in the old creation. But
in that day all things will become new; all things will be in the new creation. Not only will the
inward being be new, but the outward will be as well. The entire environment and all things within
it will be made new. This is called eternity. The new creation is for us. Our hearts will be satisfied
only when all things are in the new creation. Isaiah 6 speaks of a painful experience which we all
share: "I am a man of unclean lips." In addition, another painful experience is recorded: "And in
the midst of a people of unclean lips I dwell." But in that day, everything around us will be in the
new creation. That day will be absolutely glorious.

Revelation 21:5 continues, "And He said, Write, for these words are faithful and true." How good
it is to have this written down. God gave these words to John and asked him to write them down.
Not one iota or one serif of what is written can pass away. These words are faithful and true! Our
ultimate faith will be to see God win the final victory.

In verse 6, God told John, "They have come to pass." On what ground could God say to John that
it is done? He can say this because He is "the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End."
It often seems that God's work has not been successful, but He says, "I am the Alpha and the
Omega." God made the original design, and God also will bring it to its final completion. How we
thank God that He is the Alpha, the initiator of all things. Genesis 1:1 says, "In the beginning
God..." When the heavens and the earth were created, God purposed all things. All things had their
beginning in God. At the same time, He is also the Omega. Man can and will fail, but God is the
Omega. Man may say this and man may say that, but God has the last word. He is the Omega.

God spoke these things because He wants to tell us that He will bring His plan to fulfillment, He
will reach His goal, and He will accomplish what He has begun. We acknowledge that Satan's
work has indeed interrupted the work of God, but we further acknowledge that God is not only the
Alpha who purposed in the beginning, but also the Omega who will finally succeed. God never
gives up, and He will never let any of His purpose remain unfulfilled. Regardless of the church's
condition in her present experience, she will have no spot, wrinkle, or any such things in God's
goal. Furthermore, she will be clothed with glory and presented to His Son.

When we see God's children differing so much with each other in faith and doctrine as well as in
practice, we wonder how it is possible for them to ever come to the oneness of the faith, as spoken
of in Ephesians 4. We often sigh and say that this could never happen, even if we waited for another
two thousand years. But God said that He is the Omega. The day will come when He will have a
glorious church before Him. He may use water or He may use fire, but He will certainly have a
glorious church. We cannot hinder God. He will obtain that which will satisfy Him. No matter
how weak, how indifferent, or how hardened we are, there will be a day when God will smash us
to pieces. He will break us and shatter us so that we will become what He desires us to be. God is
the Omega. Since God is doing it, He will pursue it to the end. He will never let up. Let us praise
Him with rejoicing. He must attain His goal!
Verse 6 continues, "I will give to him who thirsts from the spring of the water of life freely." The
emphasis here is not upon redemption but upon our need for God. The meaning of thirst is a need
for God. To be without God means that we are without water. Therefore, the fountain of the water
of life is for the satisfaction of those who are thirsty.

Now we must pay close attention to verse 7. How we thank God for the especially precious promise
in this verse, telling us what the overcomers will obtain. The overcomers spoken of here are
different from those mentioned in Revelation 2 and 3. The overcomers in chapters two and three
are a group from the whole church, while the overcomers spoken of here are connected with "him
who thirsts." The preceding verse says, "I will give to him who thirsts from the spring of the water
of life freely." Then verse 7 says, "He who overcomes will inherit these things." In other words,
those who drink of the fountain of the water of life are the overcomers spoken of here. These
overcomers differ from those who do not drink of this water. This kind of overcoming is the same
as that which is spoken of in 1 John 5:4: "For everything that has been begotten of God overcomes
the world; and this is the victory which has overcome the world—our faith." Those who are
begotten of God, those who belong to the Lord, have faith. Those who do not belong to the Lord
do not have faith. And this faith causes us to overcome the world. This surely should make us glad
and make us rejoice and shout, Hallelujah! In the new heaven and new earth we are all overcomers!
The man-child in the age of the kingdom is constituted of a minority, but in the New Jerusalem,
the entire Body overcomes. In the New Jerusalem it is only a matter of whether or not we have
faith. If we have faith, we are an overcomer.

In that day God will wipe away every tear from our eyes; and death will be no more, neither will
there be sorrow, crying, or pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. But all these
things are negative aspects. The positive is that "He will tabernacle with them, and they will be
His peoples." In verse 7 God also says, "I will be God to him, and he will be a son to Me."
Therefore, our position before God as Christians is not only as people, but as sons. God wants to
have many sons enter into glory. We thank and praise God that He said, "I will be God to him, and
he will be a son to Me." There is no higher blessing in eternity than this.

Verse 8 says, "But the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and fornicators
and sorcerers and idolaters and all the false, their part will be in the lake which burns with fire and
brimstone, which is the second death." Just as the blessing in eternity is a fact, so the punishment
in eternity is also a fact. The punishment from the God of love is unavoidable and inescapable.
This is a severe warning to everyone.

THE HOLY CITY DESCENDING FROM HEAVEN

Now let us see the details of the holy city, the New Jerusalem. Revelation 21:9-10 says, "And one
of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and spoke with
me, saying, Come here; I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb. And he carried me away
in spirit onto a great and high mountain and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out
of heaven from God."
When the angel wanted to show John the great harlot in Revelation 17:1-3, he led him into the
wilderness. In God's eyes and in the eyes of those who are inspired by the Holy Spirit, the harlot
is one who dwells in the wilderness. She lives in a place where there is no life and no fruit—a
barren land. Men today can behold high church buildings, they can take part in well-prepared
Sunday services, and they can admire the ability of man, but in the sight of God, everything that
has its origin in Babylon is in the wilderness; it is deserted.

When the angel showed John the wife of the Lamb, he brought him up to a great and high mountain.
There he showed him the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. It was from
a great and high mountain that John beheld this sight. This reveals that if we desire to see the
eternal vision of God, we must be brought by Him to a great and high mountain. If we are not
standing spiritually on a high mountain, we will not see those who are living on the plain, we will
not see the New Jerusalem, nor will we see the ultimate work of God. When Moses reached the
Jordan with the children of Israel, what did God tell him to do? He commanded him to go up to
the top of Mount Pisgah and lift up his eyes to behold the land which He had promised. This also
tells us that in order to receive vision and revelation and to behold the plan of God, we must be
upon the height.

Never think that just being an ordinary Christian day by day, not committing any great sin, is good
enough. We must realize that whenever we take this position, God's eternal plan is nothing more
to us than doctrine and knowledge. We must hope to do some spiritual climbing and have some
spiritual attainment. We should expect to climb a high mountain. Only when we do this will we be
able to see the New Jerusalem.

What God desires to do, He will accomplish. What God has purposed in eternity past, He will
obtain in eternity future. First, there must be overcomers to bring in the kingdom, and then there
must be overcomers to bring in the new heaven and new earth. But the problem is, who will be the
overcomers? To be an overcomer, we must have revelation. If there is no revelation, it is easy to
receive anything as a teaching. But we must remember that knowledge can never produce fruit;
only revelation is fruitful. However, in order to have revelation we must go up to the high
mountain; we cannot dwell in the plain. There is some difficulty in climbing a mountain because
we must exercise our strength to climb. We cannot reach the peak unless we make some effort.
May God grant us this spiritual attainment and deliver us from the low plain. We should not think
that just being saved and not wanting anything more is enough. God must save us from this low
level of living and show us His heart's desire. Only when we are on the high mountain will we
receive revelation.

After John saw the New Jerusalem, he did a very foolish thing—he fell down to worship before
the feet of the angel. This action of his, though foolish, is quite meaningful. John was the last
among the twelve disciples to leave this world. His knowledge, his deeds, his love, and his
experience were far beyond ours; yet in the book of Revelation, we see that he did this foolish
thing twice. There were two instances in which he wanted to worship the angels—once in 19:10
and again in 22:8. Although this act of John's was unlawful and he was told, "Do not do this," yet
it still reveals what a wholehearted person John was and how greatly he appreciated God's plan
and work. In such a situation he was not able to restrain himself; he did something foolishly. His
deed was wrong, but his heart was revealed to be right. This shows us the attitude we should have
when we see God's vision. May the Lord also grant us to see such a vision. May He enable us to
go up to the height to see the New Jerusalem. Oh, that everything within us would be for the
success of this vision and for nothing else!

The angel said to John, "I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb" (21:9). The angel said
that he would show him the wife of the Lamb, but John saw "the holy city, Jerusalem, coming
down out of heaven from God" (v. 10). The wife of the Lamb whom John saw was the holy city,
Jerusalem. Therefore, the description of the city is also the description of the wife of the Lamb.
The city is a figure, describing the characteristics and spiritual condition of the corporate Body
whom God chose before creation.

This city comes down out of heaven from God. This means that God not only is concerned about
the destination of this corporate man, but also about the place from which this corporate man
comes. It is not just a matter of the future, but a matter of the source. The wife of the Lamb comes
down out of heaven. The New Jerusalem is from heaven, not from earth. God is not showing us a
man with a history of sin, who was later saved. (This is not to say that we do not have a history of
sin and that we do not need to repent and be saved by grace.) Rather, this passage shows us only
that portion which is out from God. It shows us the glorious church of Ephesians 5 which is to be
presented to Christ.

In the Old Testament, one woman represents in a special way the church which is to be offered to
Christ. She is Rebecca. Abraham said to his old servant, "Thou shalt not take a wife unto my son
of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell: but thou shalt go unto my country, and
to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac" (Gen. 24:3-4). Rebecca was not an inhabitant
of the land west of the Euphrates, nor an inhabitant of the land west of the Jordan, but she was of
the kindred of Isaac.

God desires to have a corporate man of the kindred of Christ. Since Christ is from heaven, the
church too must come from heaven. Thus Hebrews 2:11 says, "For both He who sanctifies and
those who are being sanctified are all of One, for which cause He is not ashamed to call them
brothers." What are brothers? Brothers are those who have been born of the same mother and
father. How we thank God that on one hand we were purchased with the precious blood of the
Lord, and on the other hand, we were truly born of God. There are two aspects to the history of
every Christian: one is that we were outwardly purchased of God, and the other is that we were
inwardly born of God. From the standpoint of our history with sin, we were outwardly purchased;
but from the standpoint of our history apart from sin, we were born of God, for whoever is born of
God cannot sin. This portion has no beginning of sin nor history of sin. The fact that the New
Jerusalem comes down from God implies that the church has never been on this earth. It appears
that the church is coming down to earth for the first time. This is not to say that we did not come
to God as sinners, but that there is a portion in us which is from God and is entirely of God. How
we must thank the Lord that the New Jerusalem descends out of heaven from God!

This city is completely different from the city recorded in chapter seventeen. That city is called
the great city, and this city is called the holy city. The characteristic of Babylon is its greatness,
and the characteristic of the New Jerusalem is its holiness. Among Christians there are some who
are taken up with greatness, but there are some who pay attention to holiness. Those who
concentrate on greatness are in the principle of Babylon, while those who pay attention to holiness
are in the principle of the New Jerusalem.

What is the meaning of holiness? Since God alone is holy, anything which issues from Him must
also be holy. Saying that "both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of
One" means that Christ is holy because He is of the One and that we also are holy because we also
are of the One. Only those who are of the One are holy. Only that which issues from God is of
value; that which comes out from God, and only that, is the New Jerusalem. Everything that is of
man must be left aside. The matter of the rapture is based upon this. Why will some be left out? It
is because they have so many things which are not of Christ, and anything that is not of Christ
cannot be brought to heaven. Nothing which is not of heaven can return to heaven. Everything that
is of earth must be left on earth; while everything that is of heaven can return to heaven.

THE LIGHT OF THE HOLY CITY

Revelation 21:11 describes this city as "having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious
stone, like a jasper stone, as clear as crystal." Jasper has been already mentioned in Revelation 4.
John saw One sitting upon the throne whose appearance was like a jasper and sardius. The One
whom John saw sitting upon the throne was the same as jasper. In other words, the meaning of
jasper is God seen, God made visible. When man stands before the throne, God will be known to
him as jasper. This is how we will recognize Him when we go there, but not while we are here.
What we realize today is quite obscure in many areas, but in that city the glory of God has the
brightness of jasper. This means that when the New Jerusalem descends to earth we will be able
to see God Himself. We shall never again misunderstand Him, nor will we ever need to ask the
reason for anything. The light of the New Jerusalem is as clear as crystal, without a trace of
mixture. In that day, everything will be transparent and clearly shown to us. In that day we will
see God, and we will know God.

THE INHABITANTS OF THE HOLY CITY

Verses 12-14 say, "It had a great and high wall and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels,
and names inscribed, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel: on the east
three gates, and on the north three gates, and on the south three gates, and on the west three gates.
And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them the twelve names of the twelve
apostles of the Lamb." How many are included in this corporate man? We are told that the names
of the twelve tribes of Israel are written upon the gates, and the names of the twelve apostles are
written upon the foundations. This shows us that the city includes the saints from both the Old and
the New Testament.

This can be proved by reading the following passages of Scripture. Luke 13:28-29 says, "There
will be weeping and gnashing of teeth there when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all
the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you being cast outside. And they will come from the east
and the west, and from the north and the south, and will recline at table in the kingdom of God."
Here we see that the kingdom of God includes Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who represent the Old
Testament saints. Those who come from the east, west, north, and south represent the New
Testament saints. These two groups of people are participants in the kingdom of God; therefore,
they will all enter into the New Jerusalem together.

Hebrews 11:8-10 says, "By faith Abraham...dwelt as a foreigner in the land of promise as in a
foreign land, making his home in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the fellow heirs of the same promise;
for he eagerly waited for the city which has the foundations, whose Architect and Builder is God."
The city referred to in this passage is the New Jerusalem. Only this city is a city with foundations,
whose Architect and Builder is God. Verse 13 says, "All these died in faith." "All these" are Abel,
Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and many others. Verse 16 continues, "But as it is, they long
after a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed of them, to be called
their God, for He has prepared a city for them." "They" in verse 16 are the "these" in verse 13.
This shows us that the Old Testament saints have a portion in the New Jerusalem. From Abel at
the beginning and for all the saints in the Old Testament, God has appointed a city, the New
Jerusalem. They all have their share in it. Verses 39-40 say, "And these all, having obtained a good
testimony through their faith, did not obtain the promise, because God has provided something
better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect." God has kept all the Old
Testament saints waiting; they have not yet obtained that city. He has bid them to wait so that both
we and they might go there together. From this we see that both the saints of the Old Testament
and the saints of the New Testament will be in the New Jerusalem.

Ephesians 2:11-14 says, "Therefore remember that once you, the Gentiles in the flesh, those who
are called uncircumcision,...that you were at that time apart from Christ, alienated from the
commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of the promise, having no hope and
without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who were once far off have become near
in the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, He who has made both one and has broken
down the middle wall of partition." From verse 11 to 13, the pronoun "you" is used, but in verse
14, it changes to "our." When "you" is used, it refers to the saints in Ephesus, but when "our" is
used, it refers both to the Jewish saints and the Ephesian saints as well as all the saints of both the
Old and New Testaments. Christ is our peace and He has made both one, breaking down the middle
wall of partition. Verse 15 says, "Abolishing in His flesh the law of the commandments in
ordinances, that He might create the two in Himself into one new man, so making peace." The
"two" in this verse corresponds with the "both" in verse 14. This also refers to Old Testament saints
as well as New Testament saints. It does not refer to the relationship between man and God. Could
God and man be created together to become a new man? No. This passage refers to both the saints
of the Gentiles and the saints of the Jews, the Old Testament saints as well as the New Testament
saints.

Verse 16 says, "And might reconcile both in one Body to God through the cross, having slain the
enmity by it." To reconcile "both in one Body" to God means that the Old Testament saints as well
as the New Testament saints are reconciled to God. Verses 17-19 say, "And coming, He announced
peace as the gospel to you who were far off, and peace to those who were near, for through Him
we both have access in one Spirit unto the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and
sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God." The
saints in Ephesus were no longer strangers but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the
household of God. Verses 20-22 say, "Being built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets,
Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone; in whom all the building, being fitted together, is
growing into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling
place of God in spirit." Thus, the habitation of God includes all the saints of the Old and New
Testament. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are there, and we also are there. In conclusion, at the time
of the new heaven and new earth, all those who have the life of God will be included in the New
Jerusalem.

THE CITY, THE GATES, AND THE WALL

Let us continue in our reading of Revelation 21. We must give special attention to the wall of the
city. Verse 12 says, "It had a great and high wall." Verse 15 says, "He who spoke with me had a
golden reed as a measure that he might measure the city and its gates and its wall." Verse 17 says,
"And he measured its wall, a hundred and forty-four cubits, according to the measure of a man,
that is, of an angel."

In the beginning God made a garden in Eden, and the serpent was able to come into this garden to
speak to Eve. This shows us that there was no wall surrounding the garden. God originally intended
for Adam to keep the garden. In other words, His intention was that Adam would be the wall of
the garden. However, Adam did not guard it, and Satan entered. But what about the New
Jerusalem? The New Jerusalem has a wall. On one hand, a wall includes, and on the other hand, it
excludes. It includes and keeps everything that is within the city, and it excludes and rejects
everything that is outside the city. When there is a wall surrounding a city, it serves to separate
everything that is within the city from everything that is outside; it serves to make a difference
between them. The New Jerusalem is the new man whom God has desired to obtain. The new man
is in God's presence and separated from all that is outside. The serpent can no longer creep in.
There is a wall, a separation, a distinction. Every possibility of the serpent entering again has been
eliminated.

When describing the New Jerusalem, the first thing that is mentioned other than God's glory is the
wall. Separation, therefore, is one of the most important principles in a Christian's living. If there
is no separation, the Christian is of no value. There must be a line that is drawn to differentiate that
which is spiritual from that which is fleshly. The New Jerusalem has a separation, a boundary line,
and we need to learn a lesson from this. Everything that is of Babylon must be rejected, while
everything that is of God must be protected. To build a city wall is not an easy thing, because Satan
hates a wall more than anything else. When Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem to build the wall,
Sanballat and Tobiah came and made every effort to stop the building. Nehemiah held a spear in
one hand, and with the other hand, he built the wall. We must pray, therefore, that God will enable
us to bear spiritual arms in order to wrestle with spiritual wickedness in high places and in order
to maintain the principle of separation.

The city has twelve gates and twelve foundations, and on the foundations are the names of the
twelve apostles of the Lamb. This tells us that everything in the city is based upon the principles
of the kingdom of God preached by the apostles. Ephesians 2:20 says, "Being built upon the
foundation of the apostles and prophets." This means that the revelation which the apostles
obtained is the foundation of the New Jerusalem.

The gates are for going in and out, but why are the names of the twelve tribes of Israel written
upon them? The Lord Jesus said that salvation is of the Jews (John 4:22). We have learned
everything related to God from Israel. The law was given to Israel, redemption is known through
Israel, and salvation has come from Israel. Therefore, the names of the twelve tribes of Israel are
on the gates.

The city has three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three
gates on the west. There are three gates in each direction. Gates are usually located in a convenient
place to go in and out. Therefore, the fact that this city has gates on all four sides indicates that it
is located in a very central position and that it is the center of everything. The New Jerusalem is
the masterpiece in the center of God's heart.

Praise God. At the gates there are twelve angels to keep the entrance (Rev. 21:12). Formerly
cherubim guarded the way of the tree of life, but now the tree of life in the city is guarded by angels
at the gates. The angels are ministering spirits (Heb. 1:14), and the day is coming when angels will
be subject to the church.

Revelation 21:15 says, "And he who spoke with me had a golden reed as a measure that he might
measure the city and its gates and its wall." Gold in the Bible represents all that is of God. The city
being measured with gold means that the city can be measured by God's standard and corresponds
with God's standard. We need to seek God's glory, hoping that we will be able to meet God's
standard when we are measured in that day.

Verse 16 says, "And the city lies square, and its length is as great as the breadth. And he measured
the city with the reed to a length of twelve thousand stadia; the length and the breadth and the
height of it are equal." There is another place in the Bible where the measurements of length,
breadth, and height are equal, that is the Holy of Holies in the temple. "And the oracle in the
forepart was twenty cubits in length, and twenty cubits in breadth, and twenty cubits in the height
thereof" (1 Kings 6:20). The length, the breadth, and the height are all the same. In the Bible, only
the Holy of Holies in the temple and the city of the New Jerusalem have equal measurements of
length, breadth, and height. In other words, in the new heaven and new earth, the New Jerusalem
becomes the Holy of Holies to God. When David gave Solomon the pattern for the temple, he said,
"All this...the Lord made me understand in writing by his hand upon me, even all the works of this
pattern" (1 Chron. 28:19). Everything in the temple was built according to divine revelation. In the
new heaven and new earth, the New Jerusalem is the very temple of God. Everything that
constitutes the city is something in God. There is nothing that is outside of Him.

Revelation 21:17 says, "And he measured its wall, a hundred and forty-four cubits, according to
the measure of a man, that is, of an angel." Today can we say that the measure of a man is that of
an angel? No, never. At what time will the measure of a man be equal to that of an angel? The
Lord Jesus said that in the resurrection man will be equal to the angels (Luke 20:36). The one
hundred and forty-four cubits will be revealed when man's measure is equal to an angel's measure.
In other words, everything within this city is in the reality of resurrection. Thank God, of all the
things included in this city, there is nothing which is not in resurrection. Everything that is dead
and everything that is of man is outside the city, but inside everything is resurrected and of God.
Resurrection means that which is of God. Everything that is of man, once it dies, can never be
raised up, but everything that is of God, though it passes through death, will rise again. Whatever
cannot be bound or held by death is called resurrection. When that which originates from us passes
through the cross, it is brought to an end, but nothing of God can be touched by death.

When John recorded the description of the city, all the numbers he used were twelve or products
of twelve—twelve gates, twelve foundations, twelve apostles, twelve tribes, etc. The measurement
of the city wall is one hundred and forty-four cubits, the product of twelve times twelve. Twelve
is the number used in eternity. It is the most precious number in the Bible. In the first part of
Revelation, there are many sevens—seven churches, seven seals, seven trumpets, seven bowls,
seven angels, etc. But in the latter part, there are many twelves, such as those already mentioned.
Seven means perfection, and twelve also means perfection, but they are not altogether the same.
Seven is composed of three plus four, while twelve is composed of three multiplied by four. Since
God is the Triune God, the number three represents God, while four is the number which represents
creation, such as the four winds, the four seasons, and the four living creatures. When three is
added to four, it means that God is added to man. How complete and perfect it is to have the
Creator plus the creature! But anything which is added can also be subtracted and thereby lost
again; so this completion is not a lasting one. But in the New Jerusalem, the union of God and man
is no longer seven, but twelve. It is no longer three plus four, but three multiplied by four.
Multiplication is a perfect union, something which can never be separated. When the Creator
mingles with the creature it is twelve, and twelve is the number of perfect union. In the new heaven
and new earth, God and man will become one, and God and man can no longer be separated.

GOLD, PRECIOUS STONES, AND PEARL

Of what materials is this city built? Verse 18 says, "And the building work of its wall was jasper."
We have noted jasper already. We have seen that the brightness of the city is as jasper. The
meaning of this is that when we behold the glory of the city we are looking at God's real image.
By knowing God's real image, man can know the God who is sitting upon the throne. God is not
far away from man, nor is He an unknowable God.

The function of the city wall, as we have seen, is to separate that which is within the city from that
which is without. The fact that this wall is made of jasper means that the separation is based upon
what is seen in God's true light. The basis of separation is the seeing of what God requires, the
seeing of what God is after. If man is not clear about God's requirement, he will have no separation.

Let us read further in verse 18: "And the city was pure gold, like clear glass." In other words, all
that is in the city is of God. Gold signifies that which is of God, that which is placed in God's new
creation. Peter said that we are partakers of the divine nature. Within everyone who belongs to
God, there is a portion which is of God. Before we were saved, everything in us was of the flesh,
everything was natural; there was nothing whatever of a spiritual nature. But when we received
the Lord, God imparted His life to us. This is the gold which He has given us. Within us there is a
portion of gold; there is something which is truly of God. It is regrettable, however, that although
we have this gold in us, it is mixed with many other things; it is an alloy. We have God's nature,
but at the same time, we also have many things in us which are completely different from God.
For this reason, the greater portion of God's work with His children is to reduce them, not to add
to them.

Many times men would like to obtain more of God, to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and to know
Christ better. All of these things have their place. We dearly need to obtain more of God, to be
filled with the Spirit, and to know more of Christ. But there is another work—it is not of increasing
but of reducing. God's basic work is to reduce us. From the day we were saved, God has been
doing this work, and the instrument for this work of subtraction is the cross. The work of the cross
is to cancel out. It is not to bring things into us but to take things away from us. Within us there is
so much that is refuse. There are so many things that are not of God, which do not bring glory to
Him. God wants to remove all of these things through the cross so that we may become pure gold.
What God has put into us is pure gold, but because there is so much dross in us, so many things
which are not of God, we have become an alloy. Therefore, God must expend much effort to make
us see those things in us which are of self and those things which cannot bring glory to Him. We
believe that if God speaks to us, we will discover that what needs to be removed is much more
than what needs to be added. Christians who are especially strong in the soul must remember that
God's work in them through the Holy Spirit is to remove things from them and to reduce them.

The outstanding feature of the New Jerusalem is that of gold, pure gold. There is nothing there
which contains a mixture; everything is entirely of God. The one lesson which God wants us to
learn today is to see that everything coming from us is but dross. Apart from the gold in us,
everything which comes from us is refuse. When added to the gold, our goodness is dross; when
added to the gold, our zeal is also dross. Everything from us is dross. In other words, anything
which is not of God is dross. No one can stand before God and say that he has something to
contribute to Him. God demands pure gold. In the New Jerusalem everything is pure gold, without
any dross. The day will come when we see that everything that is not of God is on the cross.
Everything that is in the New Jerusalem is of God. God must attain His purpose. When God says
that it will be pure gold, it will be pure gold. There is nothing which can be mixed with God's
work.

Verses 19 and 20 say, "The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every precious
stone: the first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth,
emerald; the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth,
topaz; the tenth, chrysoprase; the eleventh, jacinth; the twelfth, amethyst." What do precious stones
imply? There is a basic difference between precious stones and gold. Gold is a chemical element,
while a precious stone is not a chemical element, but a compound. Gold is an element because God
created it as gold; it was made directly by God. But a precious stone has been formed from various
kinds of elements, which have been composed together through chemical combination through
countless years of heat and pressure in the earth. In other words, the precious stones do not signify
something given directly by God, but something which the Holy Spirit has produced in man by
much effort and many years of burning. The work of the Holy Spirit on earth is to continually put
us into trials so that we may have all kinds of experiences and become precious stones before Him.
The precious stones, therefore, are the product of our being disciplined by Him.
Let us illustrate. Isaac's birth represents gold, but Jacob's experience represents precious stone.
Isaac was born a son through the promise of God. He never suffered, nor was he ever seriously at
fault. Jacob's case, however, was quite different. He suffered very much and passed through many
trials. God's hand was upon him all the time. Day after day and year after year, God wrought
something into Jacob which caused him to become a precious stone.

That life which God has imparted to us is the gold, while the life which God is constituting in us
is the precious stone. Day after day, in all kinds of circumstances, He is making us in the image of
Christ. This is the precious stone. God does not stop by just giving us a portion of Christ's life; He
wants to have the life of Christ wrought into us. On one hand, we must realize that except for the
Lord's life in us we are not any different than we were prior to our salvation. But on the other hand,
after following the Lord for five or ten years and being disciplined and dealt with by Him, a portion
of the life of Christ has been constituted in us by the Holy Spirit. There is something within us
which has been formed by the Lord, and this is the precious stone.

You should not be surprised when God continually puts you into the fire to burn. It seems that the
things which other people encounter are all good, but the things which you are up against are not
prosperous or easy. You are even misunderstood and attacked by others; more things have
happened to you than to anyone else. But you must realize that it is not without a cause. God is
continually burning you; the Holy Spirit is working to constitute more of the life of Christ in you
so that you may be transformed into His image.

In Revelation we find not just one kind of precious stone, but all kinds of precious stones. Some
are jasper, some sapphire, some chalcedony, some emerald, some sardonyx, some sardius, and
other kinds. All of these precious stones are the product of burning. They were not formed by God
in a moment of time but obtained after being wrought upon through long years of God's working.
Precious stone was not given to us at creation, nor is it something we obtained when we became a
new creation. Precious stone is formed in us through God's burning day after day. It is a substance
which is constantly put into the fire. When the fire burns in a certain way, a certain kind of mineral
is melted into that substance, and it becomes a certain kind of precious stone. When the fire burns
in another way, it causes another kind of mineral to be dissolved into that substance, causing it to
become another kind of precious stone. Different ways of melting certain minerals together form
various kinds of precious stones.

The precious stones represent the work of the Holy Spirit. When we were saved we obtained God's
nature, but from that time, day after day, the Holy Spirit has been working the nature of God into
us so that we may bear the fruit of the Spirit. There is not just one fruit of the Spirit. There are
love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, and many others. The
Holy Spirit must continually work in us to cause us to bear all these different kinds of fruit. When
we were saved, God imparted His life into us. But the fruit of the Spirit is not something imparted
to us by God. We bear these fruits when the Holy Spirit works within us to a certain extent. Even
so, precious stone is something formed in us through the Holy Spirit by means of many different
circumstances.
Not only has God shared His nature with us, but day by day He is making us a certain kind of
people who can bring glory to His name. When you were saved, you obtained God's nature, and
when I was saved, I obtained His nature. In this regard, all Christians are the same; they all have
obtained God's nature. But in the ensuing days, God may have put you into certain circumstances
in order to give you certain kinds of experience. He may have let you go through certain trials,
certain difficulties, and certain sufferings so that you will become a Christian like chrysolite,
chalcedony, sardius, or some other precious stone. God is working in every Christian so that each
one may become a certain kind of precious stone. We all have gold in common before God, but
after we become precious stones before Him, we will each be a certain form.

What the Holy Spirit forms in us by means of the environment will abide forever. When a Christian
receives more dealings in a certain way, he will learn more lessons in that way. This will produce
an outstanding character in him, a character which will not come to an end after several years, but
which will abide for eternity. What he has obtained will forever be a precious stone in the New
Jerusalem.

In many of God's children who have walked with Him for ten or twenty years, there is something
which God has wrought through the Holy Spirit. It is not just that God has imparted something to
them, but they themselves have become that something; it is their very constituent. They have been
disciplined by the Holy Spirit for many years. By passing through many trials and experiences, the
Holy Spirit has formed a certain kind of life in them. Those who are acquainted with them
acknowledge that something has indeed been accomplished in them. They not only possess the life
that is given to them by God, but they also have a transformed life which the Holy Spirit has
wrought within them. Not only do they live an exchanged life but also a transformed life. This is
the precious stone. Precious stone is that which has been formed in us by the burning work of the
Holy Spirit. The New Jerusalem will be filled with these precious stones.

At this point we must realize how useless it is to put our emphasis merely on doctrine. We must
never think that we will benefit if we only know a little more theology or scriptural teaching. These
are not of much use. Only that which is burned into us by the Holy Spirit is of value. If something
has not been burned into an article, a little rubbing will remove it. What spiritual value is there in
something which can be wiped away from us with a little rubbing? This does not mean that we
should not read our Bible, but it does mean that what we read is of value only when the Holy Spirit
burns it into us. All precious stones have come out of fire. To have precious stones, we need the
fire. Without fire, there will never be any precious stone.

For this reason we should never refuse the trials that come upon us through our environment. We
should never refuse the discipline of the Holy Spirit, nor complain when God's hand encircles and
encloses us in every way. How bound and pressed we feel many times! How we would like to
break through all the bondage and limitation and be released for a while. But we must remember
that we are in God's forming hand. He is forming us so that one day we will come out as precious
stones. God has not only given us His life, but He is also working in us to the extent that we may
possess a special quality. This is what the Holy Spirit is forming in us through all the circumstances
which God allows, and this is called precious stone. What use is it then to merely have knowledge
or doctrine? Only that which the Spirit burns into us is of any value. Only when a Christian has
received something through burning will he be able to preach messages from what he really knows
rather than from books. Only that which has been burned into us by the Holy Spirit is precious
stone. Otherwise, it is wood, grass, and stubble.

Sometimes when we sit in the presence of an elderly person, we feel that he is one who is really
walking with the Lord. There is a life in him which very much characterizes him; it has become
his special nature. We can only bow down before him. There may be others who have a greater
ministry than he and others who have undertaken a greater work, but he has an abundant life;
something has been formed within him by the Holy Spirit. He has a special quality, something
which has come out from the fire; he is a precious stone. In the presence of such a one we can only
bow and say, "How we wish that we also may have something that is so inspiring, so touching." It
is not words which inspire and touch people, but something which has gone through the fire.

In the New Jerusalem there are precious stones. Without precious stones, the New Jerusalem will
never come into existence. God needs precious stones. He needs a group of people who will
manifest the quality of precious stones. Oh, may God deliver us from being shallow! Only what
the Holy Spirit has wrought into our life is of any value or use.

Verse 21 continues, "And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; each one of the gates was,
respectively, of one pearl." The New Jerusalem consists not only of pure gold and precious stones,
but also of pearls. Pearls are not formed by burning; they are the result of a gradual formation
within a sea creature after it has been wounded. Therefore, the meaning of pearl is life which issues
from death. Pearl signifies the life released by the Lord Jesus in the non-redemptive aspect of His
death.

Matthew 13 also speaks about a pearl. To whom does this pearl refer? It is a reference to the
church, which the Lord has formed out of His death. He was willing to sell all that He had in order
to purchase this pearl. Pearl signifies something positive, not something passive or negative. It is
the church, the new man, that God desires to create. Within such a One there is no problem of sin,
nor of redemption. He was willing to sell all to obtain this pearl. This shows us how precious is
the life which is wholly out of Christ. How precious it is to God, and how precious it is to Christ!

In the New Jerusalem, pearls function as the gates of the city. This means that everything of God
starts from here. In other words, in order for man to obtain life before God, the life must not be
something of man, but of the death of Christ, of the non-redemptive aspect of Christ's death.

First Corinthians 3:12 says that spiritual building should have materials of gold, silver, and
precious stones, not wood, grass, or stubble. In 1 Corinthians 3 there are gold, silver, and precious
stones; but in Genesis 2, in the garden of Eden, there were gold, precious stones, and pearl—there
was no silver. In Revelation 21, in the New Jerusalem, there are once again gold, precious stones,
and pearl; there is no silver. What is the significance of this? Gold, precious stones, and pearl—
these three items—are found both in the garden of Eden and in the New Jerusalem. This means
that gold, precious stones, and pearl are from eternity to eternity.
In eternity God did not plan to have silver, because silver represents redemption. God knew that
men would sin and need redemption, but this was not something of His eternal plan. In God's work
there is redemption, but in His eternal purpose there is no redemption. Therefore, the New
Jerusalem in this respect is the same as the garden of Eden—there is no silver. This means that in
eternity future, we will be brought to the place where there is no trace of sin. Today, however, we
cannot disregard or lightly esteem the silver. If anyone thinks he has no need of silver today, he
must ask God for mercy. We cannot go on without silver. If we have no silver, we have no
redemption, and we can do nothing. But redemption has no part in God's purpose. In the New
Jerusalem we will not be able to find any silver. This shows us that God will wipe away all history
of sin, because redemption is not included in that city. In the New Jerusalem man will no longer
need redemption, because they will sin no more. God will bring us to such a firm ground that there
will be no possibility for us to fall again. There is a life within us which has nothing to do with sin
and which requires no redemption. That life in us is from Christ and it is Christ Himself. As Christ
Himself needs no redemption, we who have a portion of His life will no longer need redemption.
Thus, in eternity there is no need of silver.

Thank God that we have His redemption today. Thank God that although we have sinned, the
blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from every sin. However, God has shared the life of His
Son with us, a life which forever needs no redemption. One day we will live completely by this
life and the history of sin will pass away. Redeeming silver will no longer be of any use.

We must see that the fall is not in the purpose of God, redemption is not in the purpose of God,
and neither is the kingdom something in the purpose of God. The fall is not in God's purpose; it is
something which happened on the way. Redemption is not in God's purpose; it is the solution to
the fall. And the kingdom is also not in God's purpose; it is also the solution to the fall. Because
of the fall there is redemption, and because of the fall there is the kingdom. All these things are
but remedies; they are not in the purpose of God. Even so, we would never make light of
redemption and the kingdom. If there was no redemption, there would be no way to solve the
problem of the fall. If there was no kingdom, could the matter of the fall be solved? Nevertheless,
we must bear in mind that God did not create man that he might sin. God created man for His own
glory. This line is straight; this heavenly line is straight.

Revelation 21:21 also says, "And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass." A
street is a place for communication, and since the street of this city is of pure gold, the people who
walk upon it will never be dirty. Today those who have bathed still need to have their feet washed
(John 13:10) in order to maintain their fellowship with God. When we walk on the street of this
world, we cannot avoid gathering some dust, and our fellowship with God is thus frustrated. But
in that day nothing can dirty us; nothing can frustrate our fellowship with God. In eternity there
will be nothing which can defile us; all our life and living will be holy.

The end of verse 21 tells us that the city is "like transparent glass." How much of our situation
today is not transparent! But in the future, in God's presence, we will all be transparent. Even so,
today we should not have many hiding places and many veils. We should not pretend to be godly
before men in order to win their praise. Hypocrisy, pretense, and veils—none of these are
transparent. When our actual condition is not so good and we pretend to be good, we are not
transparent. Many times our words and our actions are quite unnatural. We imitate others in our
speaking, in our conduct, and in the way we do things. In so many ways we imitate others instead
of being ourselves. This is not being transparent. All artificiality and imitation are not transparent.
We certainly do not need to live before God by any self-made holiness. We must remember that
real spirituality is to bear the cross. Holiness which is full of bondage is not the holiness of the
Holy Spirit. All play-acting and all pretense must be abandoned.

Therefore, we need to confess many things. Among the brothers and sisters we need to learn to
confess to each other and not to cover our sin. Whenever we have sinned against others, we should
not try to rationalize it away, but confess it. Every Christian should be transparent today, for in
that day, in the presence of God, we will all be transparent. The street in the New Jerusalem is
transparent as glass. Everything is visible there. Since it will be so in that day, we must learn today
to be such people—those who are real, those who are transparent, those who never act what they
are not.

THE TEMPLE AND THE LIGHT OF THE CITY

Verse 22 says, "And I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its
temple." These words are especially precious. We know that in the Jerusalem of the Old Testament
there was the temple. Whenever man wanted to have fellowship with God at that time, he had to
go to the temple. The temple was the place set aside for God, and it was to that place that man had
to go for fellowship with God. In the New Jerusalem, however, there will be no temple, because
God and the Lamb are the temple of the city. This means that the fellowship between God and man
in that day will be intimate and direct; it will be face to face. Man will no longer need to go to a
specified place in order to have fellowship with God.

In the Old Testament there was a veil in the temple. No one could pass through this veil and enter
into God's presence except the High Priest, and then only once a year. Today in the church the veil
has been split. Now we all can enter into God's presence to worship Him in spirit and in
truthfulness. But in that day God and the Lamb will be the temple of the city. We will not have to
go to God; He will be right where we are. Today we go to God, but in that day we will live in His
presence. God and the Lamb are the temple of the city. Therefore, if we do not learn to live in the
Holy of Holies today, we are the most foolish people. Today the veil has been split, and we can
enter into the Holy of Holies with boldness. We must not stay outside.

Verse 23 says, "And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon that they should shine in it, for
the glory of God illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb." This passage is connected with the
previous verse about the temple. God and the Lamb are the temple of the city, and the glory of
God lights the city. Therefore, there is no need for the sun or the moon to shine. We know that in
the temple of the Old Testament the outer court was lighted by the sun and the moon, and the Holy
Place by the light of the lamp. But in the Holy of Holies there was no window; the light of the sun
and the moon could not shine in. Neither was there a lamp as in the Holy Place. The glory of God
provided the light. Even so, the New Jerusalem is not lighted by the sun or the moon, but by the
glory of God. This reveals that the whole city will be the Holy of Holies. The church in the future
will become the very Holy of Holies.
"Its lamp is the Lamb." God's glory is the light and the Lamb is the lamp. This shows us that in the
New Jerusalem there will still be something indirect. God as the light will shine through the Lamb
as the lamp. This is not a reference to redemption but an indication to us that no one can know
God directly. If anyone wants to know God, he must know Him through the Lamb—this remains
true, even in eternity. Only through Christ can man know God. Apart from the lamp we cannot see
the light; likewise, without Christ we cannot see God. Regardless of the environment, God still
dwells in unapproachable light. Only when we are in Christ can we see Him.

Verse 24 says, "And the nations will walk by its light; and the kings of the earth bring their glory
into it." We should notice one thing here. All the people whom God has obtained from the
dispensation of the patriarchs, the dispensation of the law, and the dispensation of grace will
become a bride to be presented to Christ in that day. All the people who are still living at the end
of the age of the kingdom and who have not been deceived by Satan will be transferred to become
the people on the new earth. These people are the nations mentioned in verse 24. All those who
are living in the city will have resurrected bodies; they are the sons and the kings. However, those
who are on the new earth will still have a body of flesh and blood; they are the people and the
nations of the earth. The kings of the earth are the rulers of the nations.

In the Old Testament the tabernacle was arranged so that it was in the center of the Israelites' camp.
Three tribes dwelt on the east, three on the west, three on the south, and three on the north. This is
recorded in the book of Numbers. The position of the New Jerusalem is similar to that of the
tabernacle of God. The wall of this city has three gates in each direction: on the east, west, south,
and north—a total of twelve gates. As the twelve tribes dwelt around the tabernacle, the nations
will dwell around the New Jerusalem. The fact that the nations will "walk" by the light of the city
means that the nations on earth will come to the New Jerusalem, and their walk to the New
Jerusalem will be guided by the light of the city.

The "glory" which the kings shall bring refers to that glory which belongs to the kings of the earth.
They will give the city the glory of their domain. "Glory" here has the same meaning as "glory" in
Genesis 31:1. It means the best produce of the land. In other words, in the new earth the kings of
the earth will bring the best produce of their localities and present it as a gift to the holy city.

Revelation 21:25 says, "And its gates shall by no means be shut by day, for there will be no night
there." The fact that the gates will not be shut by day reveals that in the new heaven and new earth
there will still be the difference between day and night. The nations can come to the city in their
day time. But "there will be no night there"—in the city there will be no night. Since all those who
dwell in the city will have resurrected bodies, they will never feel tired; they can serve God
constantly day and night.

Verse 26 says, "And they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it." This refers to
the kings of verse 24. The kings of the earth will not only bring their glory to the city, but they will
bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it.

Verse 27 says, "And anything common and he who makes an abomination and a lie shall by no
means enter into it, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life." Everything that is
of man and everything that belongs to the flesh are common. Therefore, whatever belongs to man
and the flesh cannot enter into the city. Only what is of Christ and the Holy Spirit can enter;
anything else cannot get in. "He who makes an abomination" in the Scriptures especially refers to
idolatry, and he who makes "a lie" refers to a relationship with Satan, because lies are from Satan.
Those who are related to idols or to sin cannot enter into the city. Only those whose names are
written in the Lamb's book of life can enter.

In the new heaven and new earth there will only be two kinds of inhabitants: First, there are those
who have been saved by the blood—they will dwell in the city and have their names written in the
book of life. Then there are those who will be transferred from the millennium—they will continue
to live and become the inhabitants of the new earth. Their names are also written in the book of
life, but they will not live in the city. They can only go in and come out of the city.

THE RIVER OF WATER OF LIFE AND THE TREE OF LIFE

We have yet to see what God will show us at the end. Verses 22:1-2 say, "And he showed me a
river of water of life, bright as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb in the
middle of its street. And on this side and on that side of the river was the tree of life, producing
twelve fruits, yielding its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the
nations." Here we are reminded of verse 2:7, which says, "To him who overcomes, to him I will
give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God." The tree of life is planted in the
Paradise of God. Since the tree of life is in the city, this tells us that the New Jerusalem is the
Paradise of God.

Recalling the book of Genesis, God created man as a type of Christ and the woman as a type of
the church he desired to obtain in Genesis 2. God then put them, husband and wife, in the garden
of Eden. Thus we have the man, the woman, and the garden. Then in Genesis 3 the serpent came
in and they fell; as a result, God drove them out of the garden. In Revelation 21, whom do we see
in the New Jerusalem? There is the Lamb, the One whom Adam typified in Genesis 2; He is wholly
for God. There is also the wife of the Lamb, who was typified by Eve in Genesis 2; she is wholly
for Christ. The New Jerusalem is the wife of the Lamb and is also the Paradise of God. In Genesis
2 there were three entities—Adam, Eve, and the garden. But in Revelation 21 and 22 there are
only two—the Lamb and the city. The city is the bride and also the Paradise; the woman and the
Paradise have become one. The woman in Genesis could be driven away, while the woman at the
end of Revelation can no longer be driven out.

Some people may worry and ask, "What will happen in eternity? What if the devil should come in
again—then what would we do?" We can answer that it is impossible for this to happen again,
because in eternity God Himself will dwell in the holy city. Praise God! He set up a garden in
Genesis, a garden which had no wall and which was not guarded well. Therefore, the serpent and
sin could enter. But God finally obtains a city for the sake of protection. It is impossible for this
city to be ever involved in a fall. The woman and Paradise have been so joined that nothing can
ever separate them again. Henceforth, this woman cannot be driven out by any means.

Verse 22:1 speaks of a river of water of life being in the middle of the street of the city. In Genesis
there were four rivers, two of which have always oppressed the children of God. Babylon was built
upon the river Pison, and Nineveh upon the river Hiddekel. God's children have always been
persecuted by these two rivers. But in the New Jerusalem there is only one river—the river of
water of life. This river gives life and joy to man. Psalm 46:4 says: "There is a river whose streams
gladden the city of God,/The holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High." This river especially
gives gladness to God. The water of this river proceeds "out of the throne of God and of the Lamb."
The throne is singular because God and the Lamb are sitting on one throne. This means that the
reign of Christ is the reign of God.

Verse 2 says, "And on this side and on that side of the river was the tree of life, producing twelve
fruits, yielding its fruit each month." Once again the number twelve is used. What does it mean
that the tree bears twelve kinds of fruits and yields its fruit every month? This is a way of saying
that everything is satisfied, and that this satisfaction is for eternity. Every month there is life. In
eternity we will continue to know Christ and continue to receive the life of the Lord without any
interruption—there will not be a month when there is no fruit. This means that there will be no
regression. Today we see something which is very sad—that which the Scripture shows as the
evaluation of man. Men from twenty years of age to sixty years of age were given a certain
valuation, but the value was lowered for those over sixty years of age (Lev. 27:3, 7). This is going
backward, but in eternity there will be no going backward. There will be new life and new fruit
every month.

Even so, before the New Jerusalem comes into being, we need to seek a new experience of life
every month. The particular experience we had twenty years ago is no longer fresh, nor can it be
of any help to us today. Neither can the experience of five years ago be fresh or of any profit to us
now. We cannot live by the fruit of the tree of life from former months. Each month we must
continue to have fresh fruit. Before God we must receive life continuously; we must receive Christ.
Not only do we need fruit each month, we need a different kind of fruit each month. We cannot be
satisfied before God only having a little portion, a certain part. We must learn to know the Lord in
many aspects; we must bear all manner of fruits.

Verse 2 continues, "And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations." Fruit represents
life; leaves, the clothing of the tree, represent our external behavior. The Lord Jesus cursed the fig
tree because it only had leaves; there was no fruit. It only had the outward behavior without the
inward life. In the new heaven and new earth, the people of the nations will have no sin, no death,
no pain, no curse, nor any demons. This group of people, the nations, will continue living in the
earth with the holy city in their midst. Being healed by the leaves of the Lord Jesus means that the
deeds of the Lord Jesus will be their example. We will obtain the fruits of the tree of life, and they
will obtain the leaves. By following the behavior of the Lord Jesus, they will be able to live on in
well-being; and this way the nations will dwell together in peace and blessing.

In these verses the street, the river of water of life, and the tree of life are all linked together. In the
New Jerusalem, wherever you find the street, you will find the river of water of life, and wherever
you find the river of water of life, you will find the tree of life. In other words, wherever there is
activity, there will be the river of life and the tree of life. This means that as we learn to follow the
Lord, all our conduct should include the river of water of life and the tree of life. Then everything
will be well. The street is a place for people to move about. In order to move about we need to
have all of our activities based upon the tree of life, not upon the tree of the knowledge of good
and evil. When the life within us generates the activity, the result will be the outflow of the river
of the water of life in the Spirit. The outflowing of life is our street, our way. If the life of the Lord
Jesus is not moving in us, we simply cannot walk. If there is not the life of the Lord and if there is
not the outflow of the river of water of life in the Spirit, we cannot move. If, according to our own
wisdom, we judge whether a certain way to act is good or bad, we are planting the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil, not the tree of life. But if we act according to the moving of the life
within, the result will be that the water of life will flow out to others. All of these things are linked
together. All of God's work is based upon the tree of life and results in the river of water of life.

FOREVER AND EVER

Verse 3 says, "And there will no longer be a curse." Thank God, Genesis 3 will completely pass
away and there will no longer be a curse. Everything introduced in Genesis 3 can be summed up
in the word curse. Even death is a kind of curse. However, in the new heaven and new earth there
will be no more curse, nor will there be any death. All of the history of sin will be over; man will
glorify God well.

Verse 3 continues, "And the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it." The situation here is
unlike Genesis 3, where God walked in the garden in the cool of the day. Here God is reigning;
His very throne is located here. Now the garden has become the city, the place where God is
enthroned. "And His slaves will serve Him." What will the slaves of God do in eternity? They will
serve Him. We should never think that in eternity we will have nothing to do. No, we will forever
be His slaves, serving Him.

Verse 4 says, "And they will see His face, and His name will be on their forehead." All of our work
for the Lord must be led by fellowship. True service to the Lord is in fellowship. Serving alone is
not enough; there must be the fellowship. They will serve Him, and they will see His face. Oh,
how many times when we see God we have already done His work. But I must say that we can do
His work only after we see God. We should not be doing the work and constantly regretting—this
is not fellowship. May God deliver us from any service which is not in fellowship, and may He
save us from ever accomplishing any work without being able to fellowship after we have finished.
We should never feel proud, self-content, or self-sufficient upon finishing the work. May God save
us and deliver us from any kind of service which does not issue from fellowship and which is not
in fellowship, and may He enable us to remain in fellowship even after we have finished the work.
God's servants will not only have fellowship with Him, but "His name will be on their forehead."
This is their testimony; this is what others who behold them will see. Everyone will know that
these people are the people of God.

Verse 5 says, "And night will be no more; and they have no need of the light of a lamp and of the
light of the sun, for the Lord God will shine upon them." In this city night is over. The lamp is the
man-made light, and the sun is the natural light. All of man's work and all natural means will no
longer be of any use because everything will be visible. Today we may be confused and not see
clearly. Even after we have accomplished some service, we may not know where we are, but it
will not be so in that day.
The last clause of verse 5 is the most important. "And they will reign forever and ever." This was
the purpose of God in creation. In Genesis God's purpose was that man should rule, and now he
has obtained that purpose—man is ruling. This is not something in the millennium. This passage
of Scripture, Revelation 21 and 22, is not a description of the millennium, but of eternity. They
will reign unto eternity, and they shall reign forever and ever. God's original goal is reached.

God wanted man to have dominion over the earth and to destroy Satan. Now man is reigning, and
Satan has been cast into the lake of fire. God's purpose for the man He created has been attained.
On the one hand, God wanted man to be like Himself, and on the other hand, God's appointed
work for man was that he should rule. Now we have seen a bride—golden, glorious, and
beautiful—with all kinds of treasure within her. She lacks nothing and is without spot, wrinkle, or
any such things. Furthermore, she is holy and without blemish. She is truly clothed with glory. The
glorious church spoken of in Ephesians 5 has been fulfilled in this way. What kind of work will
those in the church do? They will reign forever and ever.

We may say that God's plan can be frustrated, but His plan can never be stopped. Since creation
God's work has suffered much frustration. In fact, it seemed as if His work was being destroyed
and that His plan would never succeed. But in Revelation God has reached His goal. There is a
group of people full of pure gold, which is something of God. They are full of pearl, which is the
work of Christ. And they are filled with precious stones, the work of the Holy Spirit. They will
reign forever and ever.

Now that we have seen God's purpose and how He is working, what should we do? Should we
hold a revival? Should we open a seminary? Or should we go back to our housework as usual?
What are we doing here? God is doing a great thing. When we compare our work with His, how
short we feel! May God be gracious to us, that having seen such a vision we will pay the full price.
Once a man sees a vision he will be changed. May God give us a vision of what He is doing and
what He is after. May He show us the kind of people He desires to obtain and how precious is that
which He has set His heart upon. If we see these things, we will cry out and say, "Oh, how small
I am! How much attention I have paid to myself!" And we will say, "If God does not work in me,
I will never be able to do His work. Only when God Himself moves in me with His mighty power
can I go on well." This great vision must overthrow us. It must cause us to see that our condition
today can never satisfy God's heart. Our hope is that God would give us this vision. Once we have
seen it, we will give our whole being to it; every part of us will be changed. Today we are standing
between these two alternatives—being an overcomer or being a failure. How can any of us afford
to be slack in prayer? If we neglect to pray, we will never be God's overcomer.

May the Lord Jesus, who has risen from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, sustain us and
lead us by His own mighty power that we may henceforth and forever belong to Him, forever
consecrate to Him, forever serve Him, and forever go His way. May the Lord be gracious to us
now and to eternity. Amen.
 APPENDIX
THE OVERCOMERS AND
GOD'S DISPENSATIONAL MOVES
Scripture Reading: Rev. 12
According to the Bible, the seed of the woman will bruise the head of the enemy. The seed of the
woman in Genesis 3 primarily refers to the Lord Jesus, but the overcomers also have a part in this
seed. The seed of the woman includes the church, especially the overcomers. Even though the Lord
bruised Satan's head, he is still at work. The fulfillment of the seed of the woman bruising Satan
can be seen in the man-child in Revelation 12. The only Overcomer includes all the overcomers
(vv. 10-11).

GOD DISPENSATIONAL MOVE—"NOW" (VERSE 10)

When God changes His attitude towards a certain matter, He makes a dispensational move. Every
dispensational move brings in God's new way. His most important dispensational move is in
Revelation 12. He wants to end this age and bring in the age of the kingdom. His purpose is not
general and ordinary. How can He bring this age to a close and bring in another? He must have
His dispensational instrument. This is what God wants to do today.

THE NEED OF THE MAN-CHILD

The rapture of the man-child brings an end to the church age and introduces the kingdom age. The
man-child enables God to move. If there is not a man-child and a rapture, God cannot make a
dispensational move. We should never forget that God can be limited. He waits for man in all of
His moves. God's binding in heaven is based on our binding on earth; God's loosing in heaven is
based on our loosing on earth. Everything depends on the church.

It is God's desire that created beings would deal with fallen created beings. According to His
purpose, the whole church should deal with Satan; however, the church has failed. Therefore, there
is the need for the overcomers to rise up. God's purpose is fulfilled in the overcomers because they
work with Him. We can see the principle of the overcomers throughout the Word of God. God
always lays hold of a group of overcomers to make a dispensational move.

DISPENSATIONAL MOVES IN THE WORD OF GOD

After creation, life went on in a very ordinary way. Then God began with Abraham. God laid hold
of Abraham and Sarah. He wanted a nation, but He began with just two people. God worked on
these two, choosing them from out of all the other nations to produce a kingdom of priests.
Abraham left his kindred and country. Abraham was greater than Abel, Enoch, and Noah because
of God's choosing. It was as if these earlier men were quite ordinary. They had no dispensational
value to God, but Abraham did. Then God said that his seed would go into Egypt and remain there
for four hundred years. This was God's next move.

God laid hold of Joseph, not his brothers, and took him to Egypt. Joseph ruled in Egypt. God's
actions were meant for good. Joseph was an overcomer in Egypt. He showed forth his power in
the kingdom and showed forth his knowledge of God through dreams. God had made a
dispensational move. He put an overcomer in Egypt; He did not put someone who could be
defeated there. This is a principle of God's working.

After four hundred years, it was time for them to come out. At that point God laid hold of Moses.
Without the events in the first few chapters of Exodus, there never would have been an exodus
from Egypt. Moses came out of the water. He had an exodus from water. Then he had an exodus
from Egypt. Moses was triumphant over death. God chose him to deal with Israel. Moses dwelt in
the palace, which was the Egypt of Egypt. Not only did his spirit leave Egypt, but his body left
Egypt as well; therefore, God chose him. Those who can only say, "Go," but not "Come," will
have no effect. All of God's dispensational moves are based on one man. This is a principle of the
overcomers.

When the nation of Israel wanted a king, the people chose Saul. He was a head taller than all the
other men, but all of his ability was in his head. However, God chose His own king—David. Even
when he was in the wilderness caring for the sheep, he was a king. He did not run when a lion
came but went against it in the name of the Lord. Fear is not a kingly attitude, but when Goliath
came, Saul was fearful. In contrast, David trusted in the Lord and went to fight against Goliath.
Whoever is truly a king can be a king in any place. Later, David became a servant of Saul. When
Saul became his enemy, David even had an opportunity to kill him, but he did not. Whoever cannot
control himself is not worthy to be a king. There was no king of Israel greater than David. Only he
was called King David, because he had dispensational value to God.

When Israel was taken into captivity for seventy years, God still had a dispensational move for
Israel because of Nehemiah; he was a true overcomer. Even as he was serving a foreign king, he
was preparing to go back to Jerusalem. He was not touched by Shushan and the affairs of the
palace. Because God gained Nehemiah, He could make a dispensational move.

At the beginning of the New Testament, a group of special people were waiting in Jerusalem for
the Lord Jesus. Anna, Simeon, and all those (Luke 2:38) were waiting for redemption in Israel.
Their waiting brought in the fullness of the time, the Lord Jesus. God will not do things
automatically; He will wait for His children to work with Him.

The Lord has two works on earth: redemption and building the church. The church is built on "this
rock" (Matt. 16:18). The apostles were the first to stand on this rock. Even though they were weak
in the flesh, their spirits were not weak. Because of this the twelve apostles have a special
position—not even Paul is reckoned with them; they were a dispensational instrument. Paul said
that he was less than the least of the apostles. The apostles and disciples waited for ten days,
praying in Jerusalem. They might have said, "We have a great work to do after these days; we
should rest now." Instead, they prayed. There were one hundred and twenty, but where were the
others who had followed the Lord? Clearly, not everyone will work with God. These one hundred
and twenty were overcomers.

DISPENSATIONAL MOVES IN CHURCH HISTORY

In church history the first special move was the Reformation. God used Luther in this
dispensational move. The Brethren were also used. Darby, Groves, and Grant were His
instruments. After the Welsh revival, a new move of God began. Both Evan Roberts and Mrs.
Penn-Lewis knew about spiritual warfare; they knew how to deal with Satan. The truth of the
kingdom began to be known in 1924. When Evan Roberts was seen after an absence of ten years,
he said, "I have been praying kingdom prayers." Every time God wants to make a dispensational
move, He must obtain His instrument.

Are we at the end of the age? If we are, the kingdom will soon begin. If a dispensational move is
near, then God needs an instrument. General work is no longer adequate. The children of God lack
a vision; they do not see the seriousness and intensity of the situation. Now is a matter of
dispensation. Just being a good servant of the Lord is no longer good enough; this is not of great
use to God. Please note that we are not saying that it is of no use. What are we doing to close this
dispensation? What are we doing to bring in the next age? This is a special time, so there is the
need of special Christians to do a special work.

Today God is waiting for the man-child. Only the rapture can precipitate the events in Revelation
12:10. God has an order, and He works according to that order. His eyes have left the church; they
are now on the kingdom. An overcomer works according to the principle of the Body. The principle
of the Body annuls sectarianism and individualism.

After the rapture the woman will be persecuted three and a half years. Many other of her children
will go through the tribulation, but God will keep them. Being an overcomer is not primarily for
escaping the tribulation. We need to see of what value the rapture is to the Lord, not to ourselves.

Of all the dispensational moves, the man-child is the greatest because it removes man's power and
the devil's power, and it brings in the kingdom. We live in the most privileged time; we can do the
most for God. Light will show us the way, but strength and power will enable us to walk the road.
A great price must be paid in order to be used now.

THE VISION
OF THE GLORIOUS CHRIST
INTRODUCTION
The following article appeared in a book published by the Shanghai Gospel Book Room in the
early 1950s. The content of the article is very similar to the first part of "Meditations on
Revelation" published in Issue Nos. 4 and 6 of The Christian in February and April of 1926. (See
Volume 4 of The Collected Works.) Since there is no way to ascertain whether or not this article
is an edited version of the earlier article, we have included it in Volume 34 of The Collected Works
as a separate article. Even as an edited version, however, we have the assurance that it was under
the general editorship of Watchman Nee.
 THE VISION OF THE GLORIOUS CHRIST
Scripture Reading: Rev. 1:9-20
The book of Revelation is on "the revelation of Jesus Christ." This is clearly seen from the very
beginning of the book (1:1). "The revelation of Jesus Christ" means that this revelation is of Jesus
Christ, through Jesus Christ, and concerning Jesus Christ. God first gave this revelation to Jesus
Christ and then gave this revelation to us through Him. All the revelations in the Bible are focused
on Jesus Christ and are for the purpose of revealing Him. Hence, the book of Revelation not only
shows us future events, but who the person of Jesus Christ is. There are many prophecies in the
Bible, but the central thought of the Bible is not to convey the many prophecies, but to show us
who Jesus Christ is. It shows us this One, who was once Jesus of Nazareth in the world and who
is now the Christ exalted to the heavens. John mentioned future events in Revelation not for the
purpose of pointing out the things that are about to come, but to prove how Jesus Christ is reigning
on the throne today. Jesus Christ is reigning on the throne—this is what the book of Revelation
emphasizes. We know that Jesus Christ is the Savior, but this is not enough; we must go on to
know Him as the King. We should know the Lord's love, but we should also know the majesty of
His judgment. The goal of Revelation is that more people would know such a Christ so that they
would be watchful until the day when they can see Him face to face.

In this message, we will not talk about the Christ who is revealed in the entire book of Revelation.
Instead, we will concentrate on the first vision that God gave to John, which is the vision of the
glorious Christ.

John was known as the disciple who reclined on the Lord's breast (John 13:25; 21:20). Yet the
King on the throne was unfamiliar to John. God revealed such a Jesus Christ to John. This
knowledge is fundamental. Once John had this knowledge, the prophecies and the future events
were not hard to deal with.

Under what conditions did John see this vision? Revelation 1:9 says, "I John, your brother and
fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and endurance in Jesus, was on the island called
Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus." John received his revelation under
this circumstance. He did not say that he was a great apostle chosen by the Lord. He said, "I John,
your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and endurance in Jesus." He did
not consider himself higher than others. He considered himself as our brother. How humble and
gentle this is. Although his body was on the island of Patmos, his spirit was suffering, enduring,
and waiting for the coming of the kingdom together with his brothers. He felt this way because he
lived in the reality of the Body.

He knew that the tribulation, kingdom, and endurance are three inseparable things. Before the
kingdom comes, there will surely be tribulations. Through many tribulations we will enter the
kingdom of God (Acts 14:22). Tribulations paved the way for John to enter the kingdom, and these
tribulations worked out for him, more and more surpassingly, an eternal weight of glory (2 Cor.
4:17). He aspired for the kingdom, and therefore, he did not shrink from the tribulations. The
kingdom will come, but it is still not here. If we do not endure, we will slumber, withdraw, or turn
to the enticements of the world. John knew this; therefore, he waited patiently. He believed that
his brothers would become fellow partakers in the tribulation and kingdom and endurance in Jesus.
Praise the Lord! He was not alone in his way.

Brothers and sisters, are we not John's brothers? Are we fellow partakers in the tribulation and
kingdom and endurance in Jesus? Brothers and sisters, do we identify ourselves with John's
feelings and experience, or are we those who have chosen the broad pathway and who are traveling
on our own? Brothers and sisters, we do not enter the kingdom simply by believing that there is a
kingdom. We cannot enter the kingdom simply by having some knowledge about the kingdom. In
order to enter the kingdom, we have to take John's way. Otherwise, our entry into the kingdom
will only be a theory.

John was exiled to the island of Patmos because he was faithful to God's word and because he was
for the testimony of Jesus. This island was in the middle of the ocean, with precipitous rocks and
barrenness on all sides. John was put in an uninhabited spot. Humanly speaking, this was lonely
and pitiful! However, John did not murmur at all. He knew whom he was suffering for. Thank and
praise God. Under such circumstances, the glorious Christ revealed Himself to him and gave him
new revelations. The earth had diminished before John's eyes, but heaven was opened to him! This
brings to mind Joseph who was in prison, Moses who was in the wilderness, David who was in
distress, and Paul who was in chains. They all received fresh revelations. John was going down
the path they had trodden; he received visions that he had never received before, and he came to
know the enthroned Lord whom he had never known before.

Let us consider the vision of the glorious Christ that John saw.

Verse 10 says, "I was in spirit on the Lord's Day and heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet."

The Lord's Day here refers to the first of seven days. It is not the same as "the day of the Lord." In
the Bible, "the day of the Lord" especially refers to the day of judgment. John saw the vision on
the Lord's Day—the first day of the week—and not on "the day of the Lord."

In spirit John heard a loud voice behind him. The spirit has to do with the God-consciousness. It
is the organ with which we worship God and the organ by which we hear God's voice through the
intuition. John's spirit was free and uninhibited by the surroundings. He had the life of ascension
(Eph. 2:6). His spirit was neither bound nor stirred up by his soul, and he was able to fellowship
freely with the Lord and receive fresh revelation. Although his body lost its freedom on the island
of Patmos, his spirit was not bound. The island of Patmos could not block the heaven above his
head. On the contrary, it brought his spirit in touch with heaven. It is unfortunate that God's
children often misunderstand God's ordained "Patmos."

John went through extraordinary experiences on the island of Patmos. He was led away by the
Holy Spirit from his own feelings into the realm of the spirit to hear God's word. Before God
showed him the future glory, He first turned his attention to the present condition of the church.
Hence, after he heard behind him "a loud voice like a trumpet," he "turned to see" (v. 12). What
did the loud voice say?
Verse 11 says, "What you see write in a scroll and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and
to Smyrna and to Pergamos and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea."

John was charged to write to the seven churches in Asia. But why was he charged to write to only
seven churches? At that time, in addition to the seven churches in Asia, there was also the church
in Colosse and the church in Hierapolis (Col. 4:13). Why did God not charge John to write to them
as well? Seven is the number of perfection in the Bible. God chose these seven churches to
represent the whole church. The condition of the church from the time of the apostles until the
Lord's coming is represented by these seven churches.

These seven churches were actual churches in John's days. If the Lord Jesus had come then, the
words in the seven epistles would have been fulfilled in the seven churches. But at the same time,
the Holy Spirit used these seven churches to represent all the churches after the time of the apostles.
Therefore, the condition of the seven churches described in the seven epistles has a double
meaning: (1) the actual condition of the various churches is depicted, and (2) the churches represent
the conditions of the visible church throughout the ages.

Verses 12 and 13 say, "And I turned to see the voice that spoke with me; and when I turned, I saw
seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands One like the Son of Man."

The seven lampstands that John saw were the seven churches. These seven churches depict the
conditions of seven local churches on the earth. The seven lampstands are not joined as one, but
they are seven separate lampstands, each being responsible for shining in its own locality. The
church is one in life; it is one Body. However, in their outward appearance on earth, the churches
have separate administrations; each church is responsible to the Lord alone as one of the seven
lampstands. In reading Revelation 2 and 3, the condition, work, circumstance, responsibility,
failure, reward, and punishment of each of the seven churches are different. If we neglect this fact,
we will fall into error. These seven churches do not have a common name. They are called the
church in Ephesus, in Smyrna, in Pergamos, in Thyatira, in Sardis, in Philadelphia, and in
Laodicea. One locality can have only one church. There cannot be more than one church; neither
can a few localities combine together to form a church. God has ordained that there be only one
church in each locality. Hence, we see only the church in Ephesus, and the church in Smyrna, etc.
There is not such a thing as the churches in Ephesus or the churches in Smyrna. God has also
ordained that no local church can be joined to another local church to form one church. This is
why the Bible says, "The seven churches which are in Asia" (v. 4), and not "the church in Asia."
(Asia is a province, and there is more than one locality in a province.) God's order in the church is
that spiritually we submit to the authority of the Holy Spirit, and that we keep the locality as the
boundary outwardly. If we know the Bible and if we know the Holy Spirit, we will acknowledge
that there can only be one church in one locality. It is not scriptural to make a church out of a few
localities or to have several churches in one locality. Forming one church out of several localities
demands a oneness that is not found in the Bible, while having more than one church in one locality
divides the oneness that the Scripture demands. If we are mindful that the seven lampstands are
the seven churches, we will be reminded of the proper standing of the church in the eyes of God.

It is very meaningful that in the Bible the lampstands represent the churches. In the Bible gold
symbolizes God's glory. The responsibility of the church is to express God's glory. A lampstand
does not have any light in itself; its light comes entirely from the oil as well as from the fire. In
order for the church to shine for the Lord, it should trust continuously in God's Spirit and His holy
fire. Otherwise, it will not shine. How we wish to see the church shining "in the midst of a crooked
and perverted generation...as luminaries in the world, holding forth the word of life" (Phil. 2:15-
16).

"In the midst of the lampstands One like the Son of Man" indicates that the Lord's presence is with
His church (Rev. 1:13). His presence is precious. Yet His presence is not altogether for blessing,
but for searching as well. If we are faithful and have Him in our midst, we need not fear. But if we
are not faithful and He searches in our midst, how can we escape judgment?

This One who is "like the Son of Man" is our Lord Jesus. Daniel also mentioned seeing one "like
a Son of Man" (Dan. 7:13). In the Gospels, our Lord often called Himself the Son of Man. Why
does it say that He is "like the Son of Man"? This speaks of His divinity. Although He is the Son
of Man, He is also the Son of God. When He was on earth, He was the Son of Man. Now He has
risen from the dead, and He is no longer just the Son of Man. Therefore, He is "like the Son of
Man."

God created man with the purpose that man would rule over the earth (Gen. 1:28). Unfortunately,
the first man failed and did not reach this goal. Therefore, the Son of God came to earth and became
a man to fulfill God's goal. God put on a human body and became the Son of Man. This was the
beginning of the Lord as the Son of Man. In other words, the Son of Man is the title given to God
when He became a man. During the thirty or more years that the Lord spent on earth, He was the
Son of Man. Before He was born, He was "like a Son of Man"; this was the One Daniel spoke of.
After the Lord resurrected from the dead, He still had flesh and bones (Luke 24:39); however, now
He is no longer merely the Son of Man, but the Lord who is "like the Son of Man."

This Christ who is like the Son of Man is in the midst of the lampstands, and He is the Lord who
walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands (Rev. 2:1). This shows that the Lord is face to
face with the churches; He is examining our conduct. He is not sitting down and enjoying the
church's worship; He is judging the church. We should fear the Lord, because "it is time for the
judgment to begin from the house of God" (1 Pet. 4:17).

Revelation 1:13 says that He is "clothed with a garment reaching to the feet, and girded about at
the breasts with a golden girdle." The priests wore long garments. The Lord Jesus is also wearing
a long garment, signifying that He is the Priest. The lamp in the Holy Place was not allowed to go
out; its light had to shine day and night. Hence, there was the constant need for the priests to trim
the lamp and replenish the oil in the Holy Place. The Lord Jesus as the Priest is walking in the
midst of the churches. He sees the lamps that are shining and the lamps that are not shining. Those
that are not shining are trimmed. Trimming means judging. Christ is walking in the midst of the
churches executing His judgment, and this judgment has eternity in view. In the past, we knew of
Him as the Lord of grace. Now we see Him as the Lord of judgment. However, the present
judgment is the judgment of the priest; it is a kind of trimming. On that day, it will be the judgment
of the king; He will give rewards and mete out punishments. One day every child of God will meet
the fearsome holiness of the Lord. At that point, reasons will not suffice. When light comes, it
removes all reasons. Light not only shines; it also kills. Light exposes the true nature of everything;
it removes everything that is not compatible with the Lord. Every time God shines, the light kills
man's natural life. Man can reason, but under the Lord's shining, the reasons disappear. The further
a man is from the Lord, the more He tries to justify himself. However, no one can withstand the
Lord's light. The church should fear the Lord and accept His trimming so that its light will not go
out to the extent that its lampstand is removed and its testimony is lost.

He is "girded about at the breasts with a golden girdle." In the Old Testament there were many
priests because death prevented them from continuing (Heb. 7:23). Their girdles were only
embroidered with gold (Exo. 28:4-5), and they were not eternal in nature. Our Lord abides forever,
and His priesthood is unalterable (Heb. 7:24). The golden girdle at His breasts is made of pure
gold; it constantly shines and abides forever. Usually, girdles are girded around the waist to
facilitate one's work. But the Lord is girded about at the breasts. This speaks of His love and power.
The "girdle" speaks of the power of movement, while the "breasts" speak of love. The High Priest
who is walking in the midst of the lampstands is full of power and love. We can only prostrate
ourselves before Him in fear and trembling as well as with gratitude and thanksgiving.

Revelation 1:14-15 says, "And His head and hair were as white as white wool, as snow; and His
eyes were like a flame of fire; and His feet were like shining bronze, as having been fired in a
furnace; and His voice was like the sound of many waters." Not only does the Lord's dress reveal
the nature of His judgment, but His own expression also reveals it.

"His head and hair were as white wool, as snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire." In a vision
Daniel saw "the Ancient of Days.../His clothing was like white snow,/And the hair of His head
was like pure wool" (Dan. 7:9). The Ancient of Days is God. The Lord whom John saw was the
same in form as the God whom Daniel saw. This means that the Lord Jesus is God. Our Lord has
white hair. This means that He is beyond time and that He encompasses time. He is absolutely and
completely holy. When the Bible speaks of man's aging and change, it refers to the whiteness of
his hair (Hosea 7:9). In this respect our Lord does not have one strand of white hair. However,
Proverbs says, "The hoary head is a crown of glory" (16:31), and "The beauty of old men is the
gray head" (20:29). Therefore, white hair signifies experience, glory, durability, as well as
holiness. Isaiah mentions God's promise to cleanse man's sin until it is like wool and as white as
snow (1:18). When we consider how our sins have been cleansed and that we are as white as the
head and hair of the Lord, we cannot help but marvel at the greatness of the Lord's grace!

"His eyes were like a flame of fire." Fire enlightens. The Lord's eyes are like a flame of fire.
Therefore, He can search the inward parts and the hearts; nothing can be hidden from His eyes.
When His fiery eyes see something that is incompatible with His holiness, He judges and
condemns it. He is the light, and He is also the enlightening. He will search out all sins, and He
will preserve the good men in purity, and bring the evil men into perdition. Malachi 3:2 says that
when He appears, He will be "like a refiner's fire." At the time of the restoration of the Israelites,
the Lord will wash away their filth by "the judging Spirit and the burning Spirit" (Isa. 4:4). When
we stand before the judgment seat of Christ, the Lord will test our work: "The day will declare it,
because it is revealed by fire, and the fire itself will prove each one's work, of what sort it is" (1
Cor. 3:13). "Do not judge anything before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to
light the hidden things of darkness and make manifest the counsels of the hearts" (4:5). "We must
all be manifested before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done
through the body according to what he has practiced, whether good or bad" (2 Cor. 5:10). We must
remember that "there is no creature that is not manifest before Him, but all things are naked and
laid bare to the eyes of Him to whom we are to give our account" (Heb. 4:13). Who can escape the
fiery eyes of the Lord? What can be hidden before His fiery eyes? Brothers and sisters, we should
sing today: "Unto the judgment seat of Christ/I daily look away;/May all my living and my
work/Abide the fire that day" (see Watchman Nee—A Seer of the Divine Revelation in the Present
Age, p. 75).

"His feet were like shining bronze." In the Bible bronze signifies judgment. The laver between the
tabernacle and the altar, as well as the serpent that was lifted up in the wilderness were all made
of bronze (Exo. 30:18; Num. 21:8-9). His feet being like shining bronze speaks not only of the
strength of His move, but the absolute righteousness of His move, His ways, and His footsteps.
His feet are not just like shining bronze, but are like shining bronze that has been fired in a furnace.
When bronze is fired in a furnace, it emits a fearful whitish glow. This is how strong and pure the
Lord's feet are. Whatever sin is judged by His sharp eyes will be crushed by His strong feet! He
will judge whatever is sinful to His eyes. His walk is pure. He is walking in the midst of the
churches with a fearsome holiness. Will He not judge many sins?

"His voice was like the sound of many waters." This voice is fearsome and irresistible. His voice
is not the same as when He was on the earth; He is not drawing men to Himself softly and gently.
His voice is full of majesty, and it is forboding yet irresistible. Psalm 93:3-4 says, "The floods have
lifted up, O Jehovah;/The floods have lifted up their voice; /The floods lift up their roaring./More
than the voices of many waters,/Than the mighty breakers of the sea,/Jehovah on high is mighty!"
This shows us how great is His voice! Ezekiel 43:2 says, "And, behold, the glory of the God of
Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth
shined with his glory." This describes the majesty and power of God's voice. Now this majestic
and powerful voice is coming out from the Christ who is like the Son of Man. Concerning the
authority in His voice, the Lord once said, "The dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and
those who hear will live" (John 5:25). When Lazarus, whom the Lord loved, had been dead and in
the tomb for four days, the Lord shouted loudly, "Lazarus, come out!" Then "he who had died
came out" (11:17, 43-44). How powerful is the Lord's voice! Concerning His wrath, Jeremiah
25:30 says, "Jehovah will roar from on high,/And He will lift up His voice.../Against all the
inhabitants of the earth." Indeed, Psalm 29:4 says, "The voice of Jehovah is powerful;/The voice
of Jehovah is full of majesty." At the time of judgment, His voice alone will be enough to break
man's heart! Since this is the case, the church should fear the Lord and not disobey the Lord's
voice. If it does this, the church will not be ashamed when it meets the Lord face to face.
Revelation 1:16 says, "And He had in His right hand seven stars; and out of His mouth proceeded
a sharp two-edged sword; and His face shone as the sun shines in its power." We have seen the
holiness and majesty of the Lord who resembles the Son of Man. Now let us consider His position.

"He had in His right hand seven stars." These seven stars are the messengers of the seven churches.
Christ holds them in His right hand. This means that Christ has authority over them. In the Bible,
the right hand signifies authority and exaltation (Psa. 17:7; 18:35; Acts 2:33). These messengers
are in the Lord's hand. They are the faithful ones, and their duty is to shine as stars. They are safe
in the Lord's hand, yet their responsibility is great. However, these messengers are only in the
Lord's hand; they are not yet crowns on the Lord's head, because the time for them to be glorified
has not yet come. They must still press on faithfully before they will shine forever. Otherwise, they
will become "wandering stars" (Jude 13).

"Out of His mouth proceeded a sharp two-edged sword." Isaiah 49:2 says, "He has made my mouth
like a sharp sword." This refers to the power of the Lord Jesus' word. The Lord's word not only
awakens our conscience to the sense of sin, but it is also sharp at the time of judgment. He said,
"He who rejects Me and does not receive My words has one who judges him; the word which I
have spoken, that will judge him in the last day" (John 12:48). We have to fear the Lord because
judgment begins from the house of God! Revelation 2 and 3 show us that the Lord is walking in
the midst of the seven lampstands. He is judging His church with His word. He charged John to
write to the messenger in the church in Pergamos, saying, "These things says He who has the sharp
two-edged sword....Repent therefore; but if not, I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war
with them with the sword of My mouth" (Rev. 2:12, 16). The sword of His mouth is simply the
word of God. Hebrews 4:12 says, "For the word of God is living and operative and sharper than
any two-edged sword, and piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit and of joints and marrow,
and able to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart." Luke 1:37 says, "No word will be
impossible [or powerless] with God." God's word is sharp and powerful. We must let the word of
God dwell richly in our hearts, and we must allow His word to gain ground in us. We must also be
able to use it as our weapon to withstand the devil. When the Lord was tempted by the devil in the
wilderness, He overcame with the words of Scripture. God's word is indeed sharp and powerful.
Therefore, we should treasure His word and put our trust in His word.

"His face shone as the sun shines in its power." Christ is the Sun of righteousness (Mal. 4:2). He
revealed His glory when He was on the mountain where He was transfigured. At that time, "His
face shined like the sun" (Matt. 17:2). Peter said that this indicated "the power and coming of our
Lord Jesus Christ" (2 Pet. 1:16). God calls the sun the greater light, and set it to rule the day (Gen.
1:16). "The sun shines in its power" means that it is a sun in a fogless, cloudless, and shadowless
sky. This speaks of the Lord's power and glory in the millennium.

In the Bible, the appearing of the Lord Jesus is typified by the morning star and the sun. His
appearing as the sun is to the world, and His appearing as the morning star is to the saints. The
morning star appears just before dawn. Only those who are watchful at night can see it. The sun
appears during the daytime, and everyone in the world can see it. First there is the appearance of
the morning star, and then the sun comes out. Before our Lord Jesus appears to the people in the
world, He will first appear to those who love His appearing. What a blessed hope this is! Brothers
and sisters, do you love His appearing? Are you prepared to meet Him?
Revelation 1:17 says, "And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead." John once reclined on Jesus'
bosom, but here he saw the One who was about to execute judgment. Because of His glory,
majesty, power, and holiness, John fell at His feet as dead. The judgment of the Lord is solemn.
Who can withstand such a vision? If John reacted in this way, what about us? Brothers and sisters,
may none of us neglect the solemnity of this judgment.

Unless a man is blind to Christ, he has no choice but to prostrate himself at His face. When Job
was arguing with his three friends, he counted himself perfect. Then he saw the Lord and said, "I
had heard of You by the hearing of the ear,/But now my eye has seen You;/Therefore I abhor
myself, and I repent/In dust and ashes" (Job 42:5-6).

When Isaiah saw the Lord sitting upon a high and lofty throne, he could not help but exclaim,
"Woe is me, for I am finished!/For I am a man of unclean lips,/And in the midst of a people of
unclean lips I dwell;/Yet I have seen the King, Jehovah of hosts, with my eyes" (Isa. 6:5).

No fault of Daniel is mentioned in the Bible, but after he saw the Lord, he said, "No strength was
left in me, but my color turned deathly pale; and I retained no strength....I fell into a deep sleep on
my face, with my face to the ground" (Dan. 10:8-9).

What did the prophet Habakkuk do when he heard the voice of Jehovah? He said: "I heard and my
body trembled;/My lips quivered at the sound./Rottenness entered my bones, /And I tremble in my
place" (Hab. 3:16).

Paul persecuted and murdered the Lord's disciples. But on his way to Damascus, the Lord flashed
a light from heaven around him, and he fell on the ground (Acts 9:1-4).

If we have truly seen the glory of the Lord, the holiness of the Lord, even the judgment of the
Lord, we will deeply abhor and hate ourselves. It is a pity that many Christians are always talking
about themselves. Even when they confess their sins, they justify and exonerate themselves.
Manifested pride as well as hidden pride are the result of blindness. Many Christians do not see
Christ. Jeremiah 17:9 says, "The heart is deceitful above all things/And it is incurable;/Who can
know it?" Apart from the Lord, we do not know our heart. When we do not see the Lord, it is easy
for us to believe in ourselves, to justify ourselves, and to be satisfied with ourselves! We must
realize that it is in the light that we see light (Psa. 36:9). Under God's light we can see our real
condition. Those who think that they have something or who consider themselves more righteous
than others are the ones who have simply not met the Lord; they do not have His shining. Brothers
and sisters, those who have met Him will surely prostrate themselves before Him. May the Lord
be merciful to those who are self-exalted and self-justified! May the Lord's glory and holiness
cause us to abhor ourselves so that we would prostrate ourselves at His feet, and commit ourselves
to the place of death. Only then will the Lord manifest Himself in our lives.

Revelation 1:17 says, "And He placed His right hand on me, saying, Do not fear." The Lord not
only held the seven stars with His right hand of authority, but He touched John with this right hand
and said, "Do not fear." Although our Lord is in glory, He is still full of love. The words, "Do not
fear," speak of the Christ in the Gospels; they speak of the love of the Lord! Revelation is a book
on the Lord's judgment, but those who are constrained by the Lord's love need not fear, because
"Perfect love casts out fear" (1 John 4:18). The Lord Jesus desires to manifest Himself to us.
However, some people feel that His majesty is more than His lovingkindness. It seems that the
more the Lord manifests Himself, the more they dare not draw near to Him. But the Lord touched
John with His right hand, saying, "Do not fear." If there is no barrier between us and such a loving
Lord, He will strengthen us when we are weak, and He will comfort us when we are fearful.

Revelation 1:17-18 says, "I am the First and the Last and the living One; and I became dead, and
behold, I am living forever and ever; and I have the keys of death and of Hades." The Lord's
appearance in glory not only makes us aware of our own weaknesses, but even more it makes us
aware of the loftiness of the Lord's person. However, what is of importance is not what we are, but
what He is. If we know Him, we will know ourselves. The Lord's intention is to reveal Himself.
He said, "I am the First and the Last and the living One; and I became dead, and behold, I am
living forever and ever; and I have the keys of death and of Hades." What a comforting word!
Because He is such a Lord, He was able to comfort John by saying, "Do not fear." Our Lord Jesus
is the First and the Last and the living One. He has died and resurrected for our sake. He "was
delivered for our offenses and was raised for our justification" (Rom. 4:25). Only the death and
resurrection of the Lord Jesus can give us the boldness to stand before the judgment seat. Through
His death and His resurrection, we are exempt from the condemnation of the eternal lake of fire.
Through His death and resurrection, we are also freed from shame before the judgment seat. We
need to ask, "Is our boast the Lord's death and resurrection?" Everything else will fail. Those who
are spiritually strong and well prepared to meet the Lord are the ones who have put more trust in
and gained more experience in the Lord's death and resurrection. It is not that they are in any way
better than others. This reveals the necessity of being joined to the Lord in His death and
resurrection. "For if we have grown together with Him in the likeness of His death, indeed we will
also be in the likeness of His resurrection" (Rom. 6:5). "So also you, reckon yourselves to be dead
to sin, but living to God in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 6:11). We trusted in the Lord's death and
resurrection for our salvation. We should also trust in His death and resurrection for our victory.
The Lord Jesus has completed His salvation—both to sinners and to saints. We need only to receive
it by faith. We should know Him as the crucified and resurrected Lord, and by faith we should join
ourselves to His death and resurrection.

Our Lord is "the First," the source of all things; He is also "the Last," the consummation of all
things. In reviewing the story of our salvation, we should realize that the Lord first came to us; we
were not seeking the Lord. The Lord first loved us; we did not love the Lord. We know Him as the
First. But we sometimes wonder to what extent is He going to save us. What will happen if the
Lord only saves us to the extent of our present condition and not any further? What will happen if
God stops right where we currently are and does not go any further? What is the extent of God's
salvation for us? What will happen to us? Perhaps we should consider this in a wider context. By
reading Genesis, we know that God is the Creator, the source of everything. But not long after He
created all things, the serpent came into the garden of Eden. Adam and Eve were driven out of the
garden, and the way to the tree of life was barred by the cherubim with the flaming sword that
turned in every direction. The earth was cursed, and death came in. In considering all these things,
perhaps we would wonder what the consummation of these things will be. God had a beginning
on this earth, but what is the end going to be? To all of these questions, God has provided the
answer. The book of Revelation is God's answer. The Lord said, "I am the First and the Last." This
is the revelation of Jesus Christ! In the last chapter of Revelation, He repeats, "I am the Alpha and
the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End" (22:13). This is the revelation of
Jesus Christ! God will finish what He has begun. He will consummate that which was not
consummated in the garden of Eden. His redemption is complete, and His eternal plan will surely
be fulfilled. What cannot be solved today will be solved one day. Thank God, one day Christ will
consummate everything because He is the First and the Last. This is the revelation of Jesus Christ.
God shows us that the One who is the First and the Last is the answer to all the problems.

He is "the living One." In Him is life (John 1:4). He is the life (11:25). This means that He is the
source of life. His life is the uncreated life. He is the self-existing and ever-existing One. He is the
One who is absolutely living, and He is life.

Our Lord "became dead." He died for the sins of the sinners. This death is a death of "the Righteous
on behalf of the unrighteous" (1 Pet. 3:18). At the same time, He released His life through His
death. What a wonderful death this is!

"And behold, I am living." He has resurrected from death. Many people have met death and have
not come back; there was no resurrection for them. Indeed, "Thousands of years passed, and we
see only men passing away;/Those who passed away numbered in millions./It is a law that they go
and do not return;/Never has there been one who turns back." God allowed our Lord to die and
gave Him an opportunity to overcome death. He was dead but is now living! How significant is
this "living"! At Pentecost the apostles declared, "Whom God has raised up, having loosed the
pangs of death, since it was not possible for Him to be held by it" (Acts 2:24). Death cannot hold
Him back; it does not have the power to entangle Him. The resurrection life outlasts death and
withstands death. For Him to have died and to be living again means that His life outlasts death
and can withstand death. When many people encounter ill-fated things, they are through; it seems
as if they have entered into death. But the resurrection life is not afraid of death. By withstanding
death, this life is now proven to outlast death. Resurrection life is a life that passes through death
and still remains living. If something passes through death and remains in death, it is not
resurrection life. The Lord charged John to write to the messenger of the church in Smyrna and
say that He "became dead and lived again" (Rev. 2:8). The church in Smyrna suffered for the Lord
and was faithful unto death. Therefore, the Lord comforted it with such a word. Just as the gate of
Hades could not prevail against the Lord, the gate of Hades cannot prevail against the church. If a
church realizes resurrection, it can withstand trials and sufferings. Resurrection life is a life that
outlasts death; it is a life that passes through death and rises up again. Hallelujah! Our Lord became
dead, but He is living again! Death has nothing to do with Him!

Not only is He living, He is "living forever and ever." He died only once and resurrected only
once. After He resurrected, He will live forever and ever. He will no longer die; He will live forever
and ever. Now He is not only glorified with the glory which He had with God before the world
was (John 17:5), but He is vested further with glorified humanity. He lives this way, not just for
Himself, but for us because "He lives always to intercede" for us (Heb. 7:25). He is appearing
before the face of God for us (9:24). He has promised, "Because I live, you also shall live" (John
14:19). Brothers and sisters, is not this word for us?
By knowing the Lord as the God who lives forever and ever, we can be assured of His presence in
our spirit all the time. Nothing establishes us more than the assured presence of the Lord. This is
not a feeling, an imagination, or a psychological illusion. After Abraham followed God for many
years, he began to develop a deep knowledge of the Lord, and he "planted a grove in Beer-sheba,
and called there on the name of the Lord, the everlasting God" (Gen. 21:33). Daniel was called the
"servant of the living God" (Dan. 6:20). When he was thrown into the lion's den, God sealed up
the mouth of the lions, and they did not hurt him (v. 22). George Müller said, "If you walk with
God and look to Him for your constant help, the living God will guarantee that He will not fail
you. One elderly brother in the Lord has known the living God for forty-four years. He testifies
that God has never failed him. Through severe difficulties, heavy trials, and deep poverty and
needs, I have learned that God has never failed me. I can trust in Him through His grace that He
will always supply me. I love to speak of His name." One writer said that Martin Luther was once
apprehensive of the danger facing him; he was full of anxiety and fear. He knew that he could not
be freed from it until he grasped hold of some power from on high. While he sat alone, he wrote
with his fingers these words on his table: "He is living forever and ever! He is living forever and
ever!" With these words he rejoiced, and was revived. The words "He is living forever and ever"
should also be our strength and hope. Men will all pass away, but He alone will live forever and
ever. Men are like lighted lamps—sooner or later they will be extinguished. He alone is the true
Light, the source of all lights, and He alone abides forever. Brothers and sisters, the living God
whom Abraham called upon, whom Daniel served, whom Müller trusted, and whom Martin Luther
knew is the God to whom we also belong and whom we also serve. We should worship Him and
praise His name with joy!

Not only is the Lord living forever and ever, but He has "the keys of death and Hades." This shows
us that all things after this life are in the hands of the Lord. Death and Hades are always together.
("Hades" in this verse does not mean hell or the lake of fire. In Hebrew, Hades is Sheol. The word
means the underworld.) Revelation 6:8 says that Hades follows death. Revelation 20:14 indicates
that the end of both is the lake of fire. In both verses, death and Hades are treated as if they are
personified. Hebrews 2:14 mentions the devil as the one who has the might of death, whereas
Matthew 16:18 touches upon the gates of Hades. This shows that the devil is the person who is
behind death and Hades. Yet our Lord has resurrected from the dead. Not only are death and Hades
powerless in Him, but He is now holding the keys of death and Hades! Death and Hades can no
longer reign over our Lord. Our Lord has overcome them. Thank the Lord, when the day of
resurrection comes, "the word which is written will come to pass, `Death has been swallowed up
unto victory.'" Then all those who are of the Lord will boast, saying, "Where, O death, is your
victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" (1 Cor. 15:54-55). Brothers and sisters, we must realize
that we are not waiting to die. We are waiting for that morning, the resurrection morning. This is
why we are full of hope in our waiting.

The glorious Christ is revealed not only for the purpose of showing His servant who He is, but also
for commissioning His servant.
Revelation 1:19-20 says, "Write therefore the things which you have seen and the things which are
and the things which are about to take place after these things. The mystery of the seven stars
which you saw upon My right hand and the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the
messengers of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches." The Lord
wanted John to "write therefore the things which you have seen and the things which are and the
things which are about to take place after these things" because He wanted to secure a written
testimony. He told John to write it down to complete His record on the earth. "The things which
you have seen" refers to the things which John had seen, that is, the vision of the glorious Christ.
"The things which are" refers to the things which are still in existence, the things in the church age.
The Lord said, "The seven stars are the messengers of the seven churches, and the seven
lampstands are the seven churches." The word "are" is in the present tense, and matches "the things
which are" in the previous verse. Hence, the things of the church are "the things which are." In the
following paragraphs we need to consider the significance of the seven stars and the seven golden
lampstands.

The stars and lampstands are a mystery; they are not just physical objects. They have a spiritual
significance. The mysteries in the Bible would be incomprehensible to man unless God explained
them. Mysteries do not defy comprehension; they can be understood, but God's revelation is
required (Dan. 2:28, 18-23). The Lord clearly explained the mysteries of these seven stars and
seven gold lampstands to John. Let us apply our spirit of quietness to understand them.

The Lord's right hand holds the seven stars. This means that the Lord has full authority to rule over
the representatives of the heavenly light. It also indicates that these representatives have to bear
the responsibility in the churches. Only the Lord's right hand—the hand of authority—can cause
the stars to shine according to His will. Only His hand can hold and preserve the stars.

Who do the stars refer to? The Lord Himself gives the answer: "The seven stars are the messengers
of the seven churches." But who are these messengers? Expositors are divided in their opinions.
These messengers are not heavenly messengers—angels, but earthly messengers, because John
was writing to the messengers of the seven churches. No human being can write to angels. Hence,
the messengers cannot be angels; they must be men in the church.

What kind of men are these messengers of the seven churches? The word messenger means a sent
one, one who is commissioned. For example, two brothers are referred to as "the messengers of
the churches" (2 Cor. 8:23, KJV). Epaphroditus was a messenger of the church in Philippi (Phil.
2:25). This shows that the messengers are representatives in the church. If we read Revelation 2
and 3 we will find that the Lord considers these messengers to be ones who are responsible for the
churches. For example, the Lord warned the church in Ephesus saying, "I am coming to you and
will remove your lampstand out of its place, unless you repent" (Rev. 2:5). The Lord rebuked the
church in Pergamos, saying, "You have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam....In the same
way you also have some who hold in like manner the teaching of the Nicolaitans" (vv. 14-15). He
rebuked the church in Thyatira, saying, "You tolerate the woman Jezebel, she who calls herself a
prophetess and teaches and leads My slaves astray to commit fornication and to eat idol sacrifices"
(v. 20). He reminded the church in Sardis, saying, "Become watchful and establish the things which
remain....If therefore you will not watch, I will come as a thief, and you shall by no means know
at what hour I will come upon you" (3:2-3). He encouraged the church in Philadelphia, saying,
"Hold fast what you have" (v. 11). He exhorted the church in Laodicea, saying, "I counsel you to
buy from Me gold refined by fire...and white garments that you may be clothed...and eyesalve to
anoint your eyes that you may see" (v. 18). The above words were spoken by the Lord to the
churches (1:11; 2:7). Yet the letters were written to the messengers of the churches. This shows
that the messengers were aware of the condition of the churches and were bearing the responsibility
of the churches.

Since the word messengers means the sent ones, they represent the one who sent them in a practical
sense. "He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who has sent
Me" (Matt. 10:40). This is an example. Therefore, the messengers were those in the churches who
had the gift, the influence, and the ability to turn the church. We know nothing about their work
or positions. Yet they must have been true members of the church and men of spiritual stature. As
such, the Lord charged them to bear the responsibility for the whole church where they were.

In the seven letters, the Lord indicated that there was a distinction, but no separation, between
these messengers and their respective churches. For example, Revelation 1:11 says, "What you see
write in a scroll and send it to the seven churches," yet at the beginning of every epistle in chapters
two and three, it says, "To the messenger of the church..." This shows that the churches and the
messengers are inseparable. Moreover, although seven letters were written to the messengers of
the seven churches, every letter includes the words, "He who has an ear, let him hear what the
Spirit says to the churches." This also shows that the Lord considers the messengers as inseparable
from the churches, and He holds them responsible for the churches where they are at. But there is
still a distinction between the churches and the messengers. For example, the Lord says, "Behold,
the devil is about to cast some of you into prison" (2:10). "My faithful one, who was killed among
you" (v. 13). "You have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam" (v. 14). "I say to you—the
rest" (v. 24). "You have a few names...who have not defiled their garments" (3:4). The Lord had
separated a few from among them. This shows that the messengers and the churches are distinct.

The Lord symbolizes the messengers as stars. This means they possess a heavenly position and
experience like the stars in the heavens. They testify for the Lord and shine for the Lord like the
stars at night. Their hope and happiness are in the heavens. They have intimate fellowship with
Christ. They also have the power and authority of the Lord, because they are in the right hand of
the Lord Jesus. They represent the church, because they are the most faithful ones in the church.
They mind the things of the church. They view the failure and success of the church as their own.
They bear in their hearts the responsibility of the church. Whoever wants to be useful in the hand
of the Lord must be on his knees, with tears, and with an outpoured soul, interceding for the church
of Christ. Although the failures of the churches are not our own, yet it will be our failure if we are
unconcerned about their failures. We should have an enlarged heart to include all the children of
God, viewing their business as our business. Otherwise, we will not only put ourselves in danger,
but we will break the Lord's heart. What a tragedy! If we are willing to submit ourselves totally to
the Lord's hand and gladly bear the responsibility for His sake, not only will we receive the Lord's
reward, but the Lord will also use us to accomplish great work.

We should know that God is just. He will not misjudge those who are faithful to Him. The Lord
saw the faithfulness of Smyrna and Philadelphia, and He commended them. To the other five
churches, the Lord had words of reproach. Even though the messengers represent the churches,
and even though they bear much responsibility, in reality the messengers are the messengers and
the churches are the churches, because there are differences between the stars and the lampstands.
In responsibility, the Lord holds the messengers accountable. However, in judgment, the Lord
would only punish those who commit sins (2:5, 16, 22-23; 3:3, 16). The Lord knows who belongs
to Him and who are faithful to the end.

We should be aware of another matter. In the Lord's words to the churches, there are both
judgments and warnings. The words of warning and judgment are for the churches, but they are
also for the messengers. A church can fail, and a messenger can fail. Even the stars that are in the
Lord's right hand can fail. "You have a name that you are living, and yet you are dead" (3:1). The
stars in the Lord's right hand can so utterly fail that they keep the Lord knocking outside the door
(v. 20). What a solemn thought this is! Everyone who is greatly used by the Lord and everyone
who bears serious responsibility in the church should not be proud, unwatchful, or unfaithful.

The Lord said, "The seven lampstands are the seven churches." In regard to the seven churches
which are represented by the seven lampstands, we should understand three things: (1) The seven
churches were real churches existing at that time. (2) The seven churches represent the sevenfold
history of the church. (3) The conditions of the seven churches exist simultaneously in the church's
sevenfold history.

Verse 1:4 says, "John to the seven churches which are in Asia." This proves that John wrote the
seven letters to actual churches that existed at that time. We should not think that Christ's coming
required the conditions of these seven churches to become seven actual periods in the history of
the church. The Lord said to His church, "Nevertheless what you have hold fast until I come."
"Become watchful....If therefore you will not watch, I will come as a thief" (2:25; 3:2-3). This
proves that even in those days there was the possibility of the Lord's second coming. The Lord's
word in 1:19 concerning "the things which are" refers to the seven churches. The things of the
seven churches actually occurred in those days. There was a possibility of His second coming then!

However, we also know that there were more than seven churches at that time. The seven churches
were not the only ones that needed admonishing, warning, and encouragement. Should not the
well-known churches, such as Antioch, have received epistles also? But the Lord only chose seven
churches to receive His special exhortations. Is this not full of significance? In considering the
conditions of the seven churches, we need to see that the Lord chose them with the intention of
unveiling His will concerning all the churches. By using seven churches, the Lord demonstrated
the condition of all the churches from the time of the apostles to His second coming.

In the original text, there is no definite article before these seven churches. This indicates that the
Lord was not just pointing to these seven churches. They represent all the churches. The number
seven also means completeness. These seven churches represent all the churches. If the seven
lampstands represented only seven churches at that time, were the other churches not counted as
churches? Not at all. The seven churches, represented by the seven golden lampstands, were
representatives of all the churches in the world.

Furthermore, each of the seven letters includes the words, "He who has an ear, let him hear what
the Spirit says to the churches." This clearly indicates that the message was not written just for the
people at that time. This word was spoken for those in the past as well the present; it was spoken
to anyone who has an ear to hear the Lord's word. Therefore, the seven churches represent all the
churches on the earth.

The Lord did not explicitly state that the seven churches represented the churches in consecutive
generations because He wants us to be watchful, for we do not know when He will come (Mark
13:35). Although the conditions of the seven churches aptly represent the history of the church on
earth, it does not mean that Smyrna came only after Ephesus had passed away, and that Pergamos
followed after Smyrna had gone. In general the first age in church history corresponds to the
condition of Ephesus, and the second age corresponds to the condition of Smyrna. But in the age
of Ephesus the conditions of Smyrna and the other five churches were already present. However,
the condition of Ephesus was more dominant. In the age of Smyrna, there were also the conditions
of Ephesus and all the other churches, but the condition of Smyrna predominated in that age. The
church in every age bears the characteristics of all the other churches, just as all seven churches
existed simultaneously. The Lord Jesus spoke to the church in Thyatira, "Nevertheless what you
have hold fast until I come" (Rev. 2:25). He spoke to the messenger of the church in Sardis, "I will
come as a thief" (3:3), and He spoke to Philadelphia, "I come quickly" (v. 11). The Lord Jesus
spoke to these three churches regarding His coming again. Therefore, they will remain until His
coming. The church in Laodicea is the last church. It will also co-exist with the other three churches
until the Lord's coming. The Lord told the three churches—Thyatira, Sardis, and Philadelphia—
about His coming in a way that clearly shows that His coming is nearer and nearer. He said to the
church in Thyatira, "Until I come." Here it seems that His coming is still far away. He said to the
church in Sardis, "I will come." This is more definite. He said to the church in Philadelphia, "I
come quickly." This is even more urgent. Hence, we need to prepare ourselves watchfully for our
Lord.

The final four of the seven churches will exist until the Lord comes. This does not mean that they
were raised up at the same time. It means that Thyatira was raised up first, followed by Sardis,
Philadelphia, and Laodicea. The former did not come to an end because the latter was raised up.
The four will continue together until the Lord comes. In other words, their beginning was different,
but their consummation will be together.

At the beginning of this message we said that the central purpose of our studying the book of
Revelation is to know Jesus Christ. Brothers and sisters, spiritually speaking, we should either
have no ambition at all, or if we have ambition, it should be a desire to learn and pursue with those
who know the Lord. Knowing the Lord is not an empty word. Everyone who knows the Lord
prostrates himself before the Lord. The Lord can only commission those who prostrate themselves
before Him. Brothers and sisters, how about our knowledge of the Lord today? What is our burden
for the church today? Brothers and sisters, if we are faithful, if we hold fast what we have, and if
we stand fast in the faith, we will shine as a star, and we will become useful in the right hand of
the Lord.