THE THIRD PART: 24 CRUCIAL LINES IN THE BIBLE
Spiritual warfare
Message Two—The Need of Spiritual Warfare to Be
Delivered Out of the Satanic Chaos
Scripture Reading: Gen. 1:1-2, 26-28; 2:7-9; John 1:1, 14; Rev. 21:1-3; 22:1-2, 16-21
I. In the preadamic age—Job 9:5-7; Gen. 1:2a:
A. Satan rebelled against God, and one third of the angels joined him in his rebellion—Isa. 14:12-15; Ezek. 28:13-18; Rev. 12:4.
B. The universe became a chaos under God’s judgment: the heavens became dark, and the earth became waste and void—Job 9:5-7; Gen. 1:2a.
II. In the restored universe—Gen. 3:1-5; 3:6-7; 3:24; 4:3-16; 6:3, 5-7, 13; 7:10-11, 17-23a; 11:1-9:
A. Satan as the serpent tempted man to take the tree of the knowledge of good and evil—Gen. 3:1-5.
B. Man was deceived and became fallen, the fallen man was driven out from the garden of Eden—Gen. 3:6-7.
C. The entrance to the tree of life was closed to the fallen man—Gen. 3:24.
D. Cain rejected God’s promise and killed his brother Abel, bringing in God’s judgment and curse—Gen. 4:3-16.
E. Man became flesh and man’s sin became great, so man was judged by God with the flood—Gen. 6:3, 5-7, 13; 7:10-11, 17-23a.
F. Man rebelled against God, exalted himself, and worshipped the idols at Babel in union with Satan to frustrate the divine economy—Gen. 11:1-9.
III. In the raising up of a new race of mankind—Gen. 16:1-5; 21:8-10; Exo. 1:8-14; 19:7-8; 20:1-21:
A. Abraham married Hagar, issuing in the negative story of Hagar and her son Ishmael—Gen. 16:1-5; 21:8-10.
B. Jacob with his entire family went down to Egypt, resulting in the enslavement and tyranny of Egypt over the race of Israel—Exo. 1:8-14.
C. The people of Israel were overconfident in themselves for the keeping of God’s commandments—Exo. 19:7-8.
D. The people of Israel sidetracked themselves from the central line of the divine economy to the sideline of the law—Exo. 20:1-21.
IV. In the Old Testament the satanic chaos with the priests—1 Sam. 2:12-17, 22-34; 4:1—5:2:
A. The priests among Israel became degraded—1 Sam. 2:12-17, 22-34.
B. The ark was captured by Israel’s enemy—1 Sam. 4:1—5:2.
V. The satanic chaos with the kings, the priests, the prophets, and the people—2 Sam. 11—18; 1 Kings 11:1-40; 2 Kings 10:11, 31; 2 Chron. 36:17-20:
A. David fell into sin, and his family became a mess—2 Sam. 11—18.
B. Solomon fell into sin, and his kingdom was divided into two—1 Kings 11:1-40.
C. The decline of the kings, the corruption of the priests, the falsehood of the prophets, and the evils of the people of Israel were intolerable, as recorded in 1 and 2 Kings and the books of the prophets—1 Kings 1:1, 5; 2 Kings 10:11, 31.
D. Jerusalem was destroyed, the temple was burned, and the people of Israel were captured by the Babylonians—2 Chron. 36:17-20.
VI. The satanic chaos with the returned captives—Hag. 1; Neh. 5:6-8; Hag. 1:2, 4; Mal. 1:6-8:
A. The returned captives were idle in building the temple of God—Hag. 1.
B. The returned captives were in a messy situation, as dealt with in the books of Nehemiah, Haggai, and Malachi—Neh. 5:6-8; Hag. 1:2, 4; Mal. 1:6-8.
VII. In the New Testament—Matt. 2:1-22; 9:10-13, 33-34; 12:22-35; Luke 22:24; 23:1-43; Matt. 28:11-15; Acts 4:1-3, 5-6; 15:36-39; 1 Cor. 1:10-13; 11:18-19; 1 Tim. 1:3-4, 2:4:
A. The satanic chaos with the Romans, the Jews, and the followers of Christ—Matt. 2:1-22; 9:10-13, 33-34; 12:22-35; Luke 22:24; 23:1-43; Matt. 28:11-15:
1. Herod sought to kill Christ in His babyhood—Matt. 2:1-22.
2. The Pharisees criticized and blasphemed Christ—Matt. 9:10-13, 33-34; 12:22-35.
3. The people of Israel rejected Christ and His teaching—Matt. 11:20-24; 13:53-58.
4. The Pharisees and Sadducees tempted Christ and instructed people with teachings of leaven—Matt. 16:1-12.
5. Satan moved in Peter to frustrate Christ from carrying out His crucifixion—Matt. 16:21-26.
6. The followers of Christ contended with one another to be great—Luke 22:24; Matt. 20:21-27.
7. One of Christ’s followers, Judas, betrayed Christ; another one, Peter, denied Him three times under Satan’s sifting; and the rest, as sheep, were scattered—Luke 22:21-23, 47-48; 22:31-34, 54-62; Matt. 26:31.
8. The Jews collaborated with the Roman government to sentence Christ to death and crucify Him—Luke 23:1-43.
9. The chief priests and Pharisees sent soldiers to guard the grave of Christ and sealed the stone—Matt. 27:62-66.
10. The chief priests and the elders bribed the guarding soldiers to say that while they were sleeping in the night the disciples of Jesus stole His body away—Matt. 28:11-15.
B. In the ministry of the apostles—Acts 4:1-3, 5-6; 15:36-39; 1 Cor. 1:10-13; 11:18-19; 1 Tim. 1:3-4, 2:4:
1. The Jewish religion and the Roman government persecuted the apostles and the church—Acts 4:1-3, 5-6; 7:57—8:3; 12:1-4; 16:22-24.
2. Ananias and Sapphira deceived the Spirit and were punished to death—Acts 5:1-11.
3. The Jews rejected the apostles’ preaching and persecuted the apostles—Acts 13:45-46, 50; 14:2, 5, 19; 17:13; 18:12-13; 19:9; 20:3; 21:27-36.
4. The Judaizers stressed circumcision among the believers—Acts 11:1-3; 15:1-2.
5. Peter and Barnabas became weak in keeping the truth of the gospel—Gal. 2:11-14.
6. Barnabas separated himself and his work from Paul—Acts 15:36-39.
7. The church in Corinth had divisions, fornication, and lawsuits, questioned the apostleship of Paul, and condemned Paul of being crafty, saying that he took advantage of them by guile—1 Cor. 1:10-13; 11:18-19; 5:1; 6:1, 6-8; 9:1-3; 2 Cor. 12:16-18.
8. The Jewish preachers of the gospel preached the gospel in rivalry with Paul—Phil. 1:15-17.
9. The Judaizers, as dogs, evil workers, the concision, and false brothers, stole into the churches—Phil. 3:2; Gal. 2:4.
10. Gnostics came in to carry the believers off through their philosophy according to the tradition of men and the elements of the world and not according to Christ—Col. 2:8.
11. The teaching of different things other than God’s economy in faith was carried on—1 Tim. 1:3-4.
12. The winds of teaching in the sleight of men, in craftiness, invaded the churches—Eph. 4:14.
13. Division-makers rose up—Rom. 16:17.
14. Factious (sectarian) men existed in the churches—Titus 3:10.
15. The two sister co-workers, Euodias and Syntyche, were in discord—Phil. 4:2-3a.
16. James and the elders in Jerusalem exhorted Paul to keep the ordinances of the Jewish law—Acts 21:18-26.
17. Some, as Hymenaeus and Alexander, thrust away faith and a good conscience and became shipwrecked regarding the faith—1 Tim. 1:19-20; cf. 4:1-2.
18. All the believers in Asia turned away from Paul’s ministry—2 Tim. 1:15.
19. Some, as Hymenaeus and Philetus, misaimed concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection had already taken place—2 Tim. 2:17-18.
20. Demas loved the present age and abandoned the apostle Paul—2 Tim. 4:10a.
21. Alexander the coppersmith did many evil things to the apostle Paul—2 Tim. 4:14-15.
22. In Paul’s first defense no one was with him to support him, but all abandoned him—2 Tim. 4:16-17.
23. Some went beyond and did not abide in the teaching of Christ—2 John 9-11.
24. Diotrephes loved to be first in the church and did not receive the apostles—3 John 9-10.
25. Some went in the way of Cain, rushed out in the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the rebellion of Korah—Jude 11-13.
26. Among the seven churches in Asia in Revelation 2 and 3, the first one lost her first love toward the Lord—2:4.
Ministry Excerpts:
THE CHRISTIAN LIFE BEING
A LIFE OF ECONOMY MIXED WITH CHAOS
Before we were saved, we all, old and young, male and female, were in a condition of chaos. Every year, every day, and even every moment we were in a chaotic situation. But one day something else came into us, and this thing is the divine economy. We repented to God, confessed our sins, failures, mistakes, and wrongdoings, and received the Lord Jesus. Upon our receiving of the Lord Jesus, something wonderful, heavenly, and divine came into us. We may say that Christ came into us. We may also say that the Holy Spirit or the Divine Trinity came into us. Yes, the One who came into us is Christ, the Holy Spirit, and the Divine Trinity. Now we need to see that this One is the divine economy. This means that God is our economy. You have heard that Jesus Christ is our Savior, Lord, and Master and that He is our life, nature, and person, but probably you have never heard that Jesus Christ is also the divine economy. Thus, we need to realize that when we were saved, the divine economy came into us.
The Christian life is a life of economy mixed with chaos. The economy is divine, and the chaos is satanic. Hence, the Christian life involves both the divine economy and the satanic chaos. The Christian life is a history of economy and chaos, of chaos and economy. During our time with the Lord in the morning, we experience economy, but later in the day we may experience chaos.
THE HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSE BEING
A HISTORY OF GOD’S ECONOMY AND SATAN’S CHAOS
This has been my experience during the nearly seventy years I have been a Christian. However, I am learning the secret, the strategy, of defeating chaos and of coming back to economy and order. I am learning how to be filled not with chaos but with economy. I have not only God’s economy within me—I have God as my economy within me. The very God who dwells in me is my economy. As a mixture of economy and chaos, the Christian life is a miniature of the entire universe. The history of the universe is a history of God’s economy and Satan’s chaos. Furthermore, the entire Bible, from the first chapter of Genesis to the last chapter of Revelation, is a record of the divine economy and the satanic chaos.
Although God created the heavens and the earth, He was not in the old creation. This means that the old creation does not have God as its life, nature, and person. But in the new creation we have God within us as our life, our nature, our person, and our everything. Do we need love? Our God within us is love. Do we need light? Our God within us is light. Do we need the divine attributes? Our God within us is the divine attributes, which will be expressed in our human virtues. Therefore, in the new creation God is everything.
God’s intention is to produce the new creation out of the old creation. The universe exists for this purpose, this goal. God created the first creation, which has become the old creation. Now out of the old creation He is producing the new creation. This new creation is something that is mingled with Him.
In order to produce the new creation out of the old creation, God first came into the old creation as a man. Then He lived in the old creation as a man for thirty-three and a half years. He died in the old creation and then was resurrected. In resurrection He became the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45) to enter into all His believers, who were the old creation, to make them something new. This means that all His believers have received Him as the divine economy for the new creation.
Our becoming a new creation in Christ began with our regeneration, and it continues with our being sanctified, renewed, and transformed. Eventually, we will be conformed to the image of Christ and glorified. That will be the consummation of the new creation.
GOD USEING THESE FOUR AGES
TO GAIN THE NEW CREATION OUT OF THE OLD CREATION
According to the Bible, the old creation must pass through four ages: the age before the law, the age of the law, the age of grace, and the age of the kingdom. As believers in Christ, we are now in the third age, the age of grace, expecting to enter into the age of the kingdom. God uses these four ages to gain the new creation out of the old creation.
Today the earth is filled with chaos. Chaos is everywhere. Every part of society is chaotic. However, we should not be discouraged. In addition to the satanic chaos, there is the divine economy. Whereas the satanic chaos will come to an end, the divine economy will reach a consummation. The end of the satanic chaos will be the lake of fire, and the consummation of the divine economy will be the New Jerusalem.
GOD BEING IN THE “CENTRAL LANE”
AND SATAN BEING IN THE “SIDE LANE”
We need to realize that, both in the Bible and in our experience, the satanic chaos always goes along with the divine economy. It seems that we alternate between economy and chaos, between chaos and economy. Where there is the divine economy, there is the satanic chaos. Where God is, Satan is also. Satan is not behind God, following Him; rather, Satan is at God’s side. We may say that God is in the “central lane” and Satan is in the “side lane.”
The Old Testament ends with chaos but not with disappointment. On the contrary, there was much expectation. The godly Jews were expecting to see the Messiah and looked forward to Messiah’s coming. Thus, the Old Testament ends not only with chaos but with expectation—the expectation of Christ’s coming.
The coming of Christ is of two parts: the first coming and the second coming. Christ’s first coming was the initiation of the New Testament economy, and Christ’s second coming will be the consummation of the New Testament economy. The first coming is in the beginning of Matthew, and the second coming is in the end of Revelation. The church age, the time between these two comings, is actually the coming of Christ. The church is the process of Christ’s coming. Christ is in the process of coming through all the church members, through the proper church life.
The entire New Testament is a matter of the coming of Christ, the wonderful One. In between the initiation of the New Testament economy and its consummation, there is the process of the church, and the church life is the process of Christ’s coming. Christ is on the way of His coming, and the church life is the way on which Christ is coming. Christ has come to initiate the New Testament economy, and He is coming to consummate the New Testament economy. Now He is on the way of His coming, and this way is the church. Therefore, if we are in the church, we are in His coming. (The Satanic Chaos in the Old Creation and the Divine Economy for the New Creation, msg. 1)
Today we still experience chaos in our family life. In the morning we may have a pleasant time with the Lord enjoying the divine economy. However, not long afterward we may be troubled by our spouse or by one of our children. Suddenly instead of economy there is chaos.
We have chaos not only in our family life but even in the church life. Some might say that the church life is a paradise. Yes, in a sense the church life may be a kind of paradise, but this does not mean that there will never be turmoil in the church. In the thirty years that the Lord’s recovery has been in the United States, we have seen turmoil after turmoil, chaos after chaos. When there is turmoil in the church life, we may be bothered and ask, “Is this the church life? Is this the recovery? What is the difference between this and the denominations?” In order that we all may be comforted, I am burdened to point out the record in the Bible of the satanic chaos in the old creation and the divine economy for the new creation.
THE SATANIC CHAOS BEING IN THE OLD CREATION
AND THAT THE DIVINE ECONOMY
BEING FOR THE NEW CREATION
Thus far in this message we have covered almost the entire New Testament regarding the divine economy and the satanic chaos. We have seen that the ministry both of the Lord Jesus and of the apostles was accompanied by chaos. No other apostle suffered as much as Paul did. He suffered persecution from the Jewish religion and also from the Roman government. Wherever he went chaos was waiting for him. The last time he went to Jerusalem was for the interest of the church there; he was deeply concerned about the Judaic situation in the church in Jerusalem. After he arrived, he followed the advice of James and the elders to offer sacrifices in the temple. We have pointed out that the Lord did not allow him to complete the ceremony. There was turmoil, and that caused Paul to be put into prison. Although that ended his traveling ministry, it did not end his writing ministry. On the contrary, his writing ministry became higher, deeper, and richer, and the epistles written from prison have been a great benefit to the believers throughout the centuries. Eventually the chaos that went along with Paul’s ministry benefited the church.
The principle is the same with the recent turmoil among us in the Lord’s recovery. This chaos has helped the recovery and has stabilized the recovery in this country. Through this turmoil many have been tested, stabilized, and established.
We have emphasized the fact that the satanic chaos is in the old creation and that the divine economy is for the new creation. The divine economy is to produce the new creation out of the chaotic old creation. This producing of the new creation will continue until the end of the millennium (Rev. 20). That will be the time for the new heaven and the new earth to appear with the New Jerusalem. The New Jerusalem, the holy city, will be the consummation of the divine economy.
AS WE BEING IN THE CHURCH LIFE
AS THE PROCESS OF CHRIST’S COMING,
WE SHOULD NOT BE TROUBLED BY ANY KIND OF CHAOS
As we are in the church life as the process of Christ’s coming, we should not be troubled by any kind of chaos. We should not be bothered or disappointed by chaos, because chaos actually helps us. Every kind of chaos is a help to God’s chosen people and to Christ’s Body, the organism of the Triune God. (The Satanic Chaos in the Old Creation and the Divine Economy for the New Creation, msg. 2)