Message Two—The Crystallized Significance of the Body of Christ

THE THIRD PART: 24 CRUCIAL LINES IN THE BIBLE

The Body of Christ

Message Two
 The Crystallized Significance of the Body of Christ

Scriptures Reading: Eph. 4:4-6; 1:23; Rom. 5:10; Acts 16:7; Rev. 21:2; 22:17; Gal. 2:20; Phil. 3:10

I. The goal of God's eternal economy is to create, to constitute, and to produce a Body for Christ; Christ is to gain this Body, which is a part of Himself, as His counterpart, His bride, ultimately becoming the New Jerusalem—Eph. 1:23; Rev. 21:2; 22:17:

A. The all-inclusive and the all-extensive Christ (the One who fills all in all) needs a Body as His counterpart for His expression—Eph. 1:23; 5:23. 

B. The Body of Christ, as the organism of the Triune God in His move, is the accomplishment of God's economy according to the good pleasure of His will—1:5, 9, 11. 

C. The Body of Christ, a constitution of the processed and consummated Triune God with the regenerated and transformed tripartite men, is the issue of the dispensing of the Triune God and of the transfusing of the ascended Christ and the consummation of the ministering of the riches of Christ—4:4-6. 

II. Ephesians 4:4-6 is the crystallized speaking of the apostle Paul concerning the Body of Christ: 

A. The Triune God and His chosen and redeemed people are constituted into one organic entity, which is the Body of Christ; this is the crystallized significance of the Body of Christ—Eph. 4:3-4a. 

B. The intrinsic constitution of the Body of Christ is the union, mingling, and incorporation of the processed and consummated Triune God with a group of tripartite men whom He has redeemed judicially and saved organically—vv. 4-6; Rom. 5:10:  

1. The believers who are redeemed, regenerated, sanctified, renewed, and transformed by God are this divine-human constitution's outward framework.  

2. The processed and consummated Triune God is this divine-human constitution's inward source, element, and essence—vv. 4-6: 

a. The Father of the Triune God is the source of the inward element—v. 6. 

b. The Son of the Triune God is the inward element itself—v. 5. 

c. The Spirit of the Triune God is the essence of the inward element—v. 4. 

d. All three are dispensed, transfused, and built into God's redeemed, regenerated, sanctified, renewed, and transformed believers. 

e. These believers and the redeeming and transforming Triune God are constituted into one entity as the organic Body of Christ, being God yet man and man yet God—vv. 3-4a. 

f. These four—the Father, the Son, the Spirit, and man—blended and built together become the Body of Christ. 

B. The Spirit as the essence of the Triune God is the essence of the Body of Christ—v. 4: 

1. The essence of the Body of Christ, containing the divinity of the Triune God, has the capacity to supply the divine life—Phil. 1:19. 

2. The essence of the Body of Christ, containing the excelling humanity of Jesus, has the capacity to supply this excelling humanity—Acts 16:7. 

3. The essence of the Body of Christ, containing the all-inclusive death of Christ, has the capacity to put to death the negative things—Rom. 8:13b. 

4. The essence of the Body of Christ, containing the surpassing resurrection of Christ, has the surpassing capacity of resurrection—Phil. 3:10. 

C. "The essential, crystallized significance of the Body of Christ is that the Triune God is constituted with His chosen and redeemed people to become a constitution, a constituted entity. Unless we see this crystallized, essential significance of the Body of Christ, there will be no way to carry out what we are trying to do in the church today. If we see this essential significance, there will be no problem whatever." (The Governing and Controlling Vision in the Bible, pp. 28-29).

III. The reality of the Body of Christ is, the corporate living by the perfected God-men, who are genuine men but are not living by their life, but by the life of the processed God, whose attributes have been expressed through their virtues—Gal. 2:20; Phil. 3:10; 1:19-21a; Rom. 8:4: 

A. It is a corporate living of the conformity to the death of Christ through the power of the resurrection of Christ—Phil. 3:10; Eph. 1:19; John 6:57. 

B. It is also the mingling living, in the eternal union, of the regenerated, transformed, and glorified tripartite God-men with the Triune God in the resurrection of Christ—1 Cor. 15:10; Eph. 2:6.

IV. The Body of Christ is built with Christ's life as its element, the Spirit of reality as its essence, and the person of God as its source—Eph. 4:4-6: 

A. The Body of Christ is built up by the perfected saints who are perfected by the gifted members—vv. 11-12.

B. The Body of Christ is built up with the mature believers as its constituents through their growth in the life of Christ unto maturity—vv. 15-16.  

C. The Body of Christ is built by itself in love—v. 16. 

V. God has blended the Body together; the local churches, though necessary for practicality, are not the goal of God's economy but the procedure to reach that goal, which is the unique Body of Christ—1 Cor. 12:2; Eph. 1:23; 1:9-10; Rev. 21:2, 10:

A. The Lord blended the seven churches in Asia by writing them one epistle composed of seven epistles to each of them respectively—chs. 1—3.

B. Such a blending is not social but the blending of the very Christ whom the individual members, the district churches, the co-workers, and the elders enjoy, experience, and partake of—Rom. 12:5; 1 Cor. 12:12, 27.

C. This blending is for the building up of the universal Body of Christ to consummate the New Jerusalem as the final goal of God's economy according to His good pleasure—Eph. 1:23; Rev. 21:2; Eph. 1:9-10.

VI. The Body of Christ is an organic building of the God-men who are perfected in life as the representatives of a local church, as Zion within Jerusalem, which will consummate the New Jerusalem in the millennial kingdom; this consummation will become the New Jerusalem in the new heaven and new earth as God's increase and expression for eternity—Eph. 1:23; Rev. 20:6; 21:2, 10.

 Ministry Excerpts:

THE VISION OF THE BODY OF CHRIST

We need to see the vision of the Body of Christ. A vision is a view, but it is not common. Rather, it is extraordinary, unusual, something that man does not ordinarily see nor is able to see. Every one of us who is saved, especially everyone who loves the Lord, follows the Lord, and learns to live to Him and serve Him, needs to see such a vision.

When the Lord Jesus was on the earth, although He mentioned the church in Matthew 16, He did not speak concerning His Body, because He knew that the time was not ripe yet. When the apostle Paul was raised up by the Lord, he began to receive revelation to see the vision of the Body of Christ, and he released some unique messages based on this vision. Not only was he different from the prophets in the Old Testament, but he was also different from the other apostles in the New Testament. The focal point of the uniqueness of the messages he released was the one Body of Christ. There were more than forty writers of the sixty-six books of the Bible, but only this writer Paul spoke concerning the Body of Christ. This expression was created uniquely by Paul. His usage of the expression the Body of Christ was very deep, emphatic, and profound.

God's economy is God's administration, and God's administration is God's plan, arrangement, intention, and work. The goal of God's economy is the Body of Christ. Some would say, "God wants sinners like me. God loves me, and God wants me." This is not wrong, but this is a nearsighted view. Not only does God want you and me; God wants everyone. God wants the Chinese; He also wants the Japanese. God loves all the people in the world.

In the universe God did something extremely unusual. He scattered those whom He had chosen and predestinated before the ages among different tongues, tribes, peoples, and nations. Every one of them has an unusual temperament, a peculiar character. There is no need to speak of the problems between nations or between classes, problems that make it difficult for people to live together; even between next-door neighbors or husbands and wives, there are many problems that make it difficult for them to live together. However, the wonderful thing is that God also sent the Holy Spirit to gather us one by one and put us together so that we have no way to escape being mingled and built together. (CWWL, 1987, vol. 2, "Words of Training for the New Way," msg. 5)

THE CRYSTALLIZED SIGNIFICANCE
 OF THE BODY OF CHRIST

Now, we would like to see the crystallized significance of the Body of Christ. In the entire Bible, only the apostle Paul spoke concerning the Body of Christ. In Matthew 16 and 18 the Lord Jesus clearly referred to the church, but He only spoke of His Body in a hidden, implied way without explicitly using the expression the Body of Christ. The writers of the other Epistles, including the apostles Peter and John, never used this expression; it was used only by Paul.

Every one of the fourteen Epistles of Paul refers to the church, but only four are concerned with the Body of Christ: Romans, 1 Corinthians, Ephesians, and Colossians. Among them, Ephesians touches the most central, basic, and fundamental matters. Ephesians 1 says that Christ in His ascension poured out the Holy Spirit and thus produced the church, which is His Body, the fullness of the One who fills all in all (v. 23). This is a simple definition of the church. Then in chapter four Paul, based on the revelation in the preceding three chapters, exhorts the saints, saying, "I beseech you therefore, I, the prisoner in the Lord, to walk worthily of the calling with which you were called" (v. 1). The first thing in Paul's exhortation is the keeping of the oneness of the Spirit (v. 3). Then verses 4 through 6 go on to mention seven items of the oneness of the Spirit. "One Body and one Spirit, even as also you were called in one hope of your calling"—these three items form one group. "One Lord, one faith, one baptism"—these three items form another group. "One God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all"—this is the third group. Ephesians 4:4-6 is the crystallized speaking of the apostle Paul concerning the Body of Christ. These three verses show us that the Triune God and we, the redeemed, are mingled into a constitution, and this constitution is the Body of Christ. The Body of Christ is a constitution of the Triune God and His redeemed that the Triune God may be constituted with His redeemed as one entity.

One Body, One Spirit, and One Hope

Verse 4a says, "One Body and one Spirit." The Body of Christ takes God's chosen and redeemed people as its framework and the Spirit as its constituting essence. Just as our body has a framework and also has blood and flesh, so the Body of Christ has its framework and constituting essence. The framework of the Body of Christ is the God-chosen and Christ-redeemed people, with whom the consummated Spirit of the Triune God mingles Himself to constitute the Body of Christ. The believers were chosen by God and redeemed by Christ; this is something known generally by Christians and stressed particularly by the Brethren. However, perhaps even the Brethren did not see anything concerning the Spirit as the constituting essence to be mingled with the believers.

Verse 4b says, "Even as also you were called in one hope of your calling." Here, hope refers to the transformation of the redeemed. Since the day we were called, we have had the hope that we will be transformed. The Old Testament portrays us as maggots and worms (Job 25:6). Paul also said that he was the foremost among sinners (1 Tim. 1:15b). The Lord has saved us, and what is our hope? Our hope is that we will be transformed! Who will transform us? The Spirit. The Spirit comes first to regenerate us; then He sanctifies us, renews us, transforms us, conforms us to the image of God's Firstborn, and eventually glorifies us that our body may be saturated with glory, thus shining forth the divine glory. This is our hope. The process from regeneration to glorification is a process of transformation; this transformation is our hope.

One Lord, One Faith, and One Baptism

In the Body of Christ, in addition to the chosen and redeemed people, there is the transforming Spirit. This transforming Spirit is the consummation of the Triune God, which is also the totality of the Triune God, comprising not only the Spirit Himself but also the elements of the Son and the Father. Therefore, Ephesians 4:5, which is related to the Son, says, "One Lord, one faith, one baptism." This verse does not say "one Son," but "one Lord." In the Gospel of John it is the Son into whom we believe (3:16); the Son is mainly for us to have life (1 John 5:12). Here in Ephesians, the Son is referred to as the Lord, as also in the book of Acts (2:36); the Lord is for His exercising of authority, for His headship. As the Son, He is our life; as the Lord, He is the Head exercising His authority in the Body. The Body's relationship with Him is one of faith and baptism. Through faith we believe into the Lord (John 3:36), and through baptism we are baptized into Him (Gal. 3:27; Rom. 6:3) and terminated in Adam (v. 4). Both faith and baptism imply an entering in and a coming out. We came out of Adam and have entered into Christ. Hence, through one faith and one baptism we were baptized out of Adam; that is, we were buried and severed from Adam. At the same time, in one Spirit we have entered into Christ to be joined with Him.

As a result, Christ has become the transforming element in us. The transforming Spirit transforms us gradually from within with Christ as the element that we, the redeemed, may become one with Christ and be mingled with Christ as one. Therefore, Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6:17, "He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit." This Lord is the One who has become the consummated, life-giving Spirit through resurrection (1 Cor. 15:45; 2 Cor. 3:17). This Spirit, who is the consummation of the Triune God and who is also the pneumatic Christ, is in us (1 Cor. 6:19) and is one with our spirit (Rom. 8:16), transforming us with Christ as the element.

One God and Father of All

Ephesians 4:6 says, "One God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all". In the Body of Christ we have not only the transforming Spirit and Christ as the transforming element but also one God and Father. As God, He created us; as the Father, He regenerated us. Both in creation and in regeneration God is our source. In the old creation we came from God and were created by Him. In the new creation we were regenerated by the Father. Therefore, both "God" and "Father" imply the source. This one God and Father as the source involves three aspects—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. He is over all—this refers to the Father, the source; He is through all—this refers to the Son, Christ; and He is in all—this refers to the Spirit. The Father is over all; the Son, Christ, is through all; and the Spirit dwells in all. These are not three but one. When the source comes, the element also comes; this is the Son who is through all. Furthermore, the life-giving Spirit comes to dwell in all. Thus, we see that the Triune God and His chosen and redeemed people are constituted into one unit, one entity, which is the Body of Christ. This is the crystallized significance of the Body of Christ. 

Living and Working according to
the Crystallized Significance
 of the Body of Christ

The essential, crystallized significance of the Body of Christ is that the Triune God is constituted with His chosen and redeemed people to become a constitution, a constituted entity. Unless we see this crystallized, essential significance of the Body of Christ, there will be no way to carry out what we are trying to do in the church today. If we see this essential significance, there will be no problem whatever.

In the New Testament it is not a matter of the oneness of the church; oneness is not something of the church but of the Body. The Lord's prayer for the believers in John 17 was concerning the Body. He prayed, "Holy Father, keep them in Your name, which You have given to Me, that they may be one even as We are….That they all may be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us" (vv. 11b, 21). The believers can have this oneness only by being in the Holy Father, in the Holy Son, and in the Holy Trinity.

The oneness that the Lord aspired for and prayed for in John 17 corresponds with the oneness of the Spirit in Ephesians 4:3-6. We must see that the church is the Body of Christ, which is a constitution, an entity constituted with the Triune God and His chosen and redeemed ones. In this Body there is the reality of oneness. The genuine oneness is not of the church but of the Body; the real oneness is the organic oneness of the Body. In a locality, this oneness is called one accord. Without the oneness of the Body, there is no possibility to have one accord in the church. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 2, "The Governing and Controlling Vision in the Bible," msg. 2)

THE REALITY OF THE BODY OF CHRIST
BEING THE CORPORATE LIVING
 BY THE PERFECTED GOD-MEN

The reality of the Body of Christ is the corporate living by the perfected God-men, who are genuine men but are not living by their life but by the life of the processed God, whose attributes have been expressed through their virtues.

After my thirty-two years of ministry in the United States, I have the assurance that a number of you have been perfected. What is it to be perfected? It is to be matured by continually exercising to reject the self and live by another life. This is according to what Paul says: "I am crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me" (Gal. 2:20a). Paul lived by dying to live. He was dying to his natural man and living by his new man with the divine life. So he said that by the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, he lived and magnified Christ (Phil. 1:19-21a).

We should not live by ourselves. According to God's design in His economy, we were already put on the cross. We should not call ourselves back off the cross. To remain on the cross is to bear the cross and be under the cross. I have been crucified. There is no more I. I am finished. I am through. But there is a new man with me. That is the resurrected God-created man uplifted with God's divinity in him. That man is actually God Himself. Now I live by that man. But if I do not practice to keep my old man on the cross, I can never live the new man. This is why in the first chapter of Philippians, Paul tells us he lived such a life by the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

A Corporate Living of the Conformity
to the Death of Christ through the Power
 of the Resurrection of Christ

In Philippians 3 Paul says that he lived a life conformed to the death of Christ (v. 10). The death of Christ is a mold, and Paul put himself into that death-mold to be conformed there. On this man, Paul, all men could see the mark and the image of the cross (Gal. 6:14, 17—see footnote 171, Recovery Version). His old life was conformed to the image of the death of Christ by the power of Christ's resurrection. The power of resurrection strengthened him to live the life of a God-man. The Lord expects that many of us would be such ones.

I do believe that among us there should be some like this, maybe not constantly but at least instantly like this. I can testify to you that I am like this. I dare not say constantly but at least instantly. Many times when I was trying to talk to my wife, something within said, "This is not from your spirit. This is from your old man." Right away I stopped. Sometimes I would go to her, and then right away I returned. This is because my going was by my natural man. While I was doing that, something within turned me. That was the very life-giving Spirit, the pneumatic Christ. The processed Triune God turned me, and that was in resurrection. Such a corporate living is the reality of the Body of Christ, dear saints. This is a corporate living of the conformity to the death of Christ through the power of the resurrection of Christ.

The Mingling Living, in the Eternal Union,
of the Regenerated, Transformed,
and Glorified Tripartite God-Men
 with the Triune God in the Resurrection of Christ

The reality of the Body of Christ is not just a corporate living but a mingling living. If we use the word mingled, this means that this living is consummated, completed. Instead, we use the word mingling because this living is not completed; it is still going on. It is the mingling living in the eternal union of the regenerated, transformed, glorified tripartite God-men with the Triune God in the resurrection of Christ. This Triune God is the very pneumatic Christ as the embodiment of the processed and consummated Triune God, who is the all-inclusive Spirit as the reality of the pneumatic Christ and as the consummation of the processed Triune God. Such a mingling living is in the resurrection of Christ, and the reality of this resurrection is the Spirit. This resurrection imparts the consummated God and releases the death-overcoming life into the believers. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 1, "The Practical Points concerning Blending," msg. 4)

THE BUILDING UP
 OF THE BODY OF CHRIST 

Our service is for the building up of the Body of Christ. Ephesians 4 is the clearest chapter in the Bible concerning the building up of the Body of Christ. Verses 7 and 8 say, "To each one of us grace was given according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Therefore the Scripture says, 'Having ascended to the height, He led captive those taken captive and gave gifts to men?" Most of us understand these gifts given by the Lord to be the apostles, prophets, evangelists, and shepherds and teachers spoken of in verse 11. However, we can also say that the gifts given by the Lord refer not only to the gifted ones such as apostles, prophets, evangelists, and shepherds and teachers but also to all the believers as members of the Body of Christ.

According to the Measure of the Gift of Christ

According to verse 7, each one of us has received grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Therefore, each one of us is a gift of Christ. This includes the apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds and teachers, and every believer. Because the verse says "to each one of us grace was given," we can say that grace is given not only to the apostles, prophets, evangelists, and shepherds and teachers but also to the other believers, including all those who have been saved to be members of the Body of Christ.

Arriving at the Measure
 of the Stature of the Fullness of Christ

Verses 9 through 13 say, "(Now this, 'He ascended,' what is it except that He also descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended, He is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens that He might fill all things.) And He Himself gave some as apostles and some as prophets and some as evangelists and some as shepherds and teachers, for the perfecting of the saints unto the work of the ministry, unto the building up of the Body of Christ, until we all arrive at the oneness of the faith and of the full knowledge of the Son of God, at a full-grown man, at the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." Please note that this portion speaks of arriving at three things: the oneness of the faith and of the full knowledge of the Son of God, a full-grown man, and the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. 

Verse 14 says, "That we may be no longer little children tossed by waves and carried about by every wind of teaching in the sleight of men, in craftiness with a view to a system of error." Wind of teaching refers not to a wind of heresy but to a doctrinal wind, a wind of different teachings, including doctrines, concepts, and opinions. To be carried about by every wind of teaching is to be carried about by different doctrines, concepts, and opinions, which result in a system of error.

The Building up of Itself in Love

Verses 15 and 16 say, "Holding to truth in love, we may grow up into Him in all things, who is the Head, Christ, out from whom all the Body, being joined together and being knit together through every joint of the rich supply and through the operation in the measure of each one part, causes the growth of the Body unto the building up of itself in love." In these verses there are not only the joints of the rich supply but also the operation in the measure of each one part. Every joint of the rich supply refers to the specially gifted persons, and each one part refers to each member of the Body. Through every joint of the rich supply and through the operation in the measure of each one part, all the Body causes the growth of the Body unto the building up of itself in love. The word itself in verse 16 refers to the Body. The Body builds the Body. As the Body grows, the Body builds itself up in love. 

From these verses we can see four main points concerning the building up of the Body of Christ. First, Christ ascended to the height and led captive those taken captive. Second, He gave gifts to the church. Third, He works through these gifts for the perfecting of the saints. Fourth, the saints are perfected to arrive at the oneness of the faith and of the full knowledge of the Son of God, at a full-grown man, and at the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. In this way the Body causes itself to grow unto the building up of itself in love. (CWWL, 1965, vol. 4, "Notes on Miscellaneous Messages," ch. 10)

GOD HAVING BLENDED THE BODY TOGETHER

God has blended the Body together (1 Cor. 12:24). The word blended also means "adjusted," "harmonized," "tempered," and "mingled." God has blended the Body, adjusted the Body, harmonized the Body, tempered the Body, and mingled the Body. The Greek word for blended implies the losing of distinctions. One brother's distinction may be quickness, and another's may be slowness. But in the Body life the slowness disappears, and the quickness is taken away. All such distinctions are gone. God has blended all the believers of all different races and colors. Who can make the blacks and the whites lose their distinctions? Only God can do this. A husband and a wife can have the harmony in their marriage life only by losing their distinctions.

In order to be harmonized, blended, adjusted, mingled, and tempered in the Body life, we have to go through the cross and be by the Spirit, dispensing Christ to others for the sake of the Body of Christ. The co-workers and elders must learn to be crossed out. Whatever we do should be by the Spirit to dispense Christ. Also, what we do should not be for our interest and according to our taste but for the church. As long as we practice these points, we will have the blending.

All these points mean that we should fellowship. When a co-worker does anything, he should fellowship with the other co-workers. An elder should fellowship with the other elders. Fellowship tempers us, fellowship adjusts us, fellowship harmonizes us, and fellowship mingles us. We should forget about whether we are slow or quick and just fellowship with others. We should not do anything without fellowshipping with the other saints who are coordinating with us. Fellowship requires us to stop when we are about to do something. In our coordination in the church life and in the Lord's work, we all have to learn not to do anything without fellowship.

Having the Cross and the Spirit
 when We Blend Together

When we blend together, we have the cross and the Spirit. Without the cross and the Spirit, all that we have is the flesh with division. In ourselves it is not easy to be crucified and to do all things by the Spirit. This is why we must learn to be blended. Blending requires us to be crossed out. Blending requires us to be by the Spirit to dispense Christ and to do everything for the sake of His Body.

The Blending for the Building up
 of the Universal Body of Christ

Such a blending is not social but the blending of the very Christ whom the individual members, the district churches, the co-workers, and the elders enjoy, experience, and partake of. The blending is for the building up of the universal Body of Christ (Eph. 1:23) to consummate the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:2) as the final goal of God's economy according to His good pleasure (Eph. 3:8-10; 1:9-10). (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 4, "The Divine and Mystical Realm," ch. 6)

THE ULTIMATE CONSUMMATION

We need to see that there is something on this earth structured as a kind of organic constitution, which is called the Body of Christ, and this Body of Christ is the organism of the unseen God. Dear saints, this is the consummation of everything. Many things are mentioned in the Bible, but eventually, at the end of the Bible, there is only one consummation, and this consummation is the New Jerusalem. In this consummation we can see God (the Father, the Son, and the Spirit) and God's redeemed humanity. We can see Israel because the New Jerusalem bears the names of the twelve tribes representing saved Israel (Rev. 21:12). We can see the believers because the holy city bears the names of the twelve apostles representing all the New Testament believers (v. 14). The New Jerusalem is the consummation of God and man. God has constituted Himself into our humanity, and our humanity also has been constructed into His divinity. Now divinity and humanity are joined, united, mingled, and blended together.

Do we need to wait until the New Jerusalem comes before we blend? There is not such a thing. The New Jerusalem comes into existence by the blending of God with His elect, His chosen people. Even the Old Testament people such as Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Isaiah, and all the prophets were blended together. They were not just individual saints. They were considered by God as a nation, a corporate entity, on this earth. This corporate entity was not only incorporated with men but also incorporated with God.

Eventually, the coming out of the divine revelation is a city, the New Jerusalem. That is the consummation of God, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Isaiah, Peter, John, Paul, Darby, Watchman Nee, you, and me. The New Jerusalem is the ultimate consummation of God's eternal economy. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 1, "The Practical Points concerning Blending," msg. 3)