THE THIRD PART: 24 CRUCIAL LINES IN THE BIBLE
The Divine and Eternal Life
Message Ten—Growing unto Maturity to Become the New Jerusalem
Scripture Reading: Heb. 11:10, 16; Matt. 16:18; Rev. 21:2-3, 9-11, 18-20; Eph. 2:20-22; 1 Pet. 2:4-5; 1 Cor. 3:9-10, 12; John 14:1-12, 23
I. When God builds up the church, He is building up the New Jerusalem; we need to grow unto maturity to become the New Jerusalem as the ultimate consummation of the church—Matt. 16:18; Heb. 6:1a; 11:10, 16; Rev. 21:2-3, 9-11, 18-20; Eph. 2:20-22; 1 Pet. 2:4-5; 1 Cor. 3:9-10, 12; John 14:1-12, 23:
A. The goal of the work of God is to gain the New Jerusalem; our Lord is today’s David preparing us as transformed material for God’s building; the difficulties in all of our environments strike us to deal with us and to prepare us as living and precious stones for God’s building—1 Pet. 2:4-5; 1 Cor. 3:12a; 1 Kings 6:7; cf. 1 Chron. 6:31-32.
B. The New Jerusalem is the mingling of God, man, and heaven; the New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God implies that the New Jerusalem is filled with the element of heaven and is absolutely heavenly—Rev. 21:2-3, 22; Eph. 1:3; 2:6; Gen. 28:17:
1. While we are in the church, the house of God on earth, we can enter the gate of heaven, and through Christ as the heavenly ladder we can see and experience the things of heaven—vv. 12, 17.
2. At Bethel, the house of God, the habitation of God, which is the gate of heaven, Christ is the ladder that joins earth to heaven and brings heaven to earth—vv. 12-17; John 1:51.
3. Since today our spirit is the place of God’s habitation (Eph. 2:22), it is now the gate of heaven, where Christ is the ladder that joins us, the people on earth, to heaven and brings heaven to us.
4. Hence, whenever we turn to our spirit, we enter through the gate of heaven and touch the throne of grace through Christ as the heavenly ladder—Heb. 4:16.
II. According to the entire revelation of the New Testament, the unique goal and ultimate issue of the Christian work should be the New Jerusalem, as the ultimate consummation of the church and as the ultimate goal of God’s eternal economy:
A. The degradation of the church is mainly due to the fact that nearly all the Christian workers are distracted to take many things other than the New Jerusalem as their goal.
B. Hence, under the degradation of the church, to be overcomers answering the Lord’s call, we need to overcome not only the negative things but even more the positive things, which replace the New Jerusalem as the eternal goal; whenever we touch the eternal goal of God, the New Jerusalem, we need to be very pure; we must not be careless—1 Cor. 3:12, 15-17.
C. An overcomer’s goal should be uniquely and ultimately the goal of God’s eternal economy, that is, the New Jerusalem.
III. We can see the conditions of a built-up church by seeing the conditions of the New Jerusalem, the ultimate consummation of the church:
A. A built-up church, like the New Jerusalem, has the presence of God—Ezek. 48:35; Rev. 21:3; 22:3:
1. That God and the Lamb are the temple of the New Jerusalem means that God and the Lamb Themselves become the center of the city; in other words, God is with the city, and the city has the presence of God—21:22.
2. We must hold on to this principle: God’s presence is the criterion for every matter.
3. God’s presence is the center of the New Jerusalem; therefore, in the church we must have the presence of God; we must have God as the temple.
B. A built-up church has the ruling of God:
1. If the church is built up, it will have the throne of God and of the Lamb, the ruling of God—22:1.
2. If we want to know whether the saints in a certain church are built up, we have to see whether the throne of God, the dominion of God, is among them.
C. A built-up church has the flow and supply of life:
1. In the New Jerusalem there is a river of water of life proceeding out of the throne, and on both sides of the river there is the tree of life, producing twelve fruits and yielding its fruit each month—vv. 1-2.
2. In a built-up church there is the water of life that quenches people’s thirst and causes people to be watered, and there are the fruits of the tree of life that enable the hungry people to be satisfied.
D. A built-up church has light—21:23; 22:5:
1. In the New Jerusalem the God of glory is the light and the Lamb is the lamp—21:23; 22:5; cf. Jer. 2:11.
2. In a built-up church God in Christ expressed through the saints is the light; when we go to the meeting of a built-up church, we will feel enlightened—John 8:12; Matt. 5:14; Psa. 73:16-17.
E. A built-up church has the mingling of God and man and has passed through death and resurrection:
1. That there are three gates on each of the four sides of the New Jerusalem, three times four being twelve, implies that the Triune God is mingled with man, the creature (the number four signifies the creatures)—Rev. 4:6.
2. That the twelve gates of the holy city are twelve pearls signifies that regeneration through the death-overcoming and life-secreting resurrected Christ is the entrance into the city—21:21.
3. Anyone who enters into the city through the gate has to be the product of three times four—the issue of the mingling of God and man—and a new creation in Christ through death and resurrection—2 Cor. 5:17; Gal. 6:15.
4. In the building up of the church everything must pass through the cross, must be in Christ, and must be the mingling of God and man; this is the entrance into the New Jerusalem, the entrance into the church; only that which corresponds with the nature of this entrance can be brought into the building of God.
F. A built-up church is full of God’s divine nature—Rev. 21:21b:
1. There is only one street in the New Jerusalem, and it is pure gold, signifying God’s divine nature—21:21b.
2. That the river of water of life proceeds “in the middle of its street” signifies that the divine life flows in the divine nature as the unique way for the daily life of God’s redeemed people—22:1; 2 Pet. 1:4; John 14:6.
G. A built-up church has the expression of God—Rev. 21:18-19; 4:3:
1. Revelation 21 says that the wall of the city is jasper, the first foundation is jasper, and the light of the city is also like jasper stone (vv. 18-19, 11); furthermore, the One sitting on the throne has the appearance of a jasper stone (4:3); thus, the appearance of the city is the appearance of God.
2. The New Jerusalem is the enlargement and full expression of God in man; if the church has been truly built up, it will also have the full expression of God.
H. A built-up church is constituted with the transforming Spirit and with people who are in the process of being transformed—Rev. 21:19-20:
1. The wall of the city is built with precious stones (21:19-20); precious stones are not created but are produced by the transforming of the things created, after having passed through years of constitution through much pressure; pressure, burning, and constitution are necessary for the transformation into precious stones.
2. In the church life the transforming of Christ’s lover is carried out by the transforming Spirit as the consummation of the processed Triune God (2 Cor. 3:18) with the coordination of the lover’s companions, the gifted members of the Body of Christ, who do the work of perfecting the saints (Eph. 4:11-12; S. S. 1:10-11).
I. A built-up church must have a boundary, “a great and high wall”—Rev. 21:12:
1. The wall is for separation and protection; the New Jerusalem will be absolutely separated unto God and will fully protect the interests of God.
2. All believers need such a great and high wall for their separation and protection—v. 17.
J. May the Lord have mercy on us that the churches everywhere may manifest all these conditions of being built up!
Ministry Excerpts:
GOD WANTING TO TRANSFORM THE MAN OF CLAY
INTO PURE GOLD AND PRECIOUS STONES
Genesis 2:7 records that in the beginning God formed man with the dust of the ground, 1 Corinthians 15:47 tells us that Adam is earthy, and 2 Corinthians 4:7 says that we were created to be earthen vessels. The term earthen vessel in Greek denotes an earthy vessel made of clay. Hence, even after receiving the life and nature of the pure gold within, we still may not have the image of the precious stones without. We may still be earthy. We remain the same because the life of God has not yet transformed us enough.
After we are saved, although we may not sin as we did before, much of our being remains unchanged. Even though we may be somewhat transformed into the image of Christ, that amount of transformation is not enough. We have the life and nature of the pure gold within, but we may be short of the glorious image of the precious stones without. When God first put Adam in the garden of Eden, there were pure gold and precious stones there. God’s purpose was that the man of clay would be transformed into pure gold and precious stone. Therefore, in the garden of Eden we can see the tree of life and the river of life. God wanted Adam to receive the life from the tree of life and the river of life so that he could be transformed into pure gold and precious stone.
THE NEW JERUSALEM
BEING BOTH A CITY AND A PERSON
When we come to Revelation 21, a city of pure gold appears, and a wall of precious stones is manifested. The street of this city is pure gold, and the outward wall is composed of precious stones. This city is a sign with a twofold significance. On one hand, this city signifies a place, because it is a city. On the other hand, it signifies a person because it is a bride, the wife of the Lamb. In other words, this city is the dwelling place of God and all the saints, and it is also the issue of God’s work in man throughout the ages. This city is a man of glory.
In the garden of Eden in Genesis, we see man, pure gold, and precious stones. The man, the pure gold, and the precious stones are separate from each other. When we come to the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21, we see pure gold and precious stones but no man. Where is man? Can anyone find man in the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21? In Genesis we can see man in the garden of Eden, but in Revelation we cannot see man in the New Jerusalem. Why is this? This is because the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21 is the issue of God’s work in man throughout the ages. The city, the place itself is man. In the New Jerusalem, man, the pure gold, and the precious stones are one and cannot be separated.
On the foundations of the wall of the city we can see the names of the twelve apostles, but we cannot see the twelve apostles themselves. In this respect the New Jerusalem is different from the garden of Eden. In the garden of Eden we can see Adam and Eve. However, if we went to the city in Revelation and saw a stone with Peter’s name on it and asked where Peter was, I am afraid Peter would tell us, “I am actually this stone.” This is not our own inference. In 1 Peter 2, Peter says that every saved one is a living stone before the Lord and is being built together with the Lord Jesus to be a spiritual house for God’s dwelling (v. 5). In Ephesians 2 Paul also says that the saved ones are “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” (vv. 20-21). In the Old Testament God’s people were in the holy temple, but in the New Testament God’s people are the holy temple. In the New Testament the physical temple is gone, and the saved ones are built together. In the New Testament the saved ones are the holy temple. Hence, we may say that the holy temple is a place and also a person.
Today the church has a twofold significance. On one hand it is a dwelling place, and on the other hand it is a group of people saved by God. In the same way, the coming New Jerusalem also has a twofold significance. On one hand it is God’s dwelling place, a city, and on the other hand it is also God’s counterpart, a bride. Therefore, in the New Jerusalem one stone is Peter, one stone is James, and another stone is John. The twelve precious stones, which are the foundations of the wall of the city, are the twelve apostles. All the saved ones throughout the ages are living stones. They all have the life of God in them, and in this life they are joined together to become the living dwelling place of God, a living city. This is the coming New Jerusalem.
People may ask why this city is also a bride. They may ask why it is both the dwelling place of God and also the wife of God. For example, when a man gets married, his bride is one thing—a person—and his bridal chamber is another thing—a building. But when God marries man, the bride and the bridal chamber will be one. The bridal chamber will be the bride, and the bride will be the bridal chamber. We cannot comprehend this in our mind. This is like Revelation 21, which says, “The street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass” (v. 21). How can gold be transparent as glass? We cannot comprehend this. Nevertheless, we have to believe that this is not our interpretation but the revelation from the Bible. What God has been doing throughout the ages is transforming the redeemed ones with His life to make them precious stones. One day this group of people will fully become God’s eternal dwelling place in the universe.
HEAVEN AND EARTH, GOD AND MAN,
BEING MINGLED INTO ONE
Currently, heaven and earth are widely separated by the air in between them. The air is the dwelling place of Satan (Eph. 2:2). As those who are on the earth, we love God and work with God who is in heaven. The more we work together, the closer we become. We will work together until one day Satan, who is between God and us, will be squeezed out. Where will Satan be then? He will be squeezed out into the lake of fire. On that day, we on earth who belong to God will not go up to heaven. Rather, the eternal dwelling place that God is preparing for us will come down out of heaven. When the new heaven, the new earth, and the New Jerusalem are manifested, it will not only be something glorious but also mysterious. God and man will be completely mingled together. Heaven and earth will also be fully joined together. God and man will be inseparable, and there will be no more distance between heaven and earth. In that day heaven, earth, God, and man will be completely mingled together into one.
Just as it is hard for us to comprehend pure gold that is transparent, it is also hard for us to comprehend this concept. Nevertheless, the Bible tells us that this is so. In the new heaven and new earth when the New Jerusalem is manifested, God and man will be completely mingled together, and heaven and the earth will also be fully joined together as one. This is the New Jerusalem, the dwelling place of God in man. Furthermore, this will be the eternal dwelling place of God and man. At that time, the whole composition of the New Jerusalem will simply be God Himself.
THE GARDEN OF EDEN
BECOMING THE NEW JERUSALEM
The content of God is pure gold, and the expression of God is precious stone. The street of the New Jerusalem is pure gold, and the foundations of the wall as its expression are adorned with every precious stone. The glory of the city is the same in appearance as the One sitting on the throne. They are both like jasper stone. At the beginning in Genesis, God started His work. What kind of work was God doing? God began His work in Genesis 2. He wanted to transform Adam who was made of clay into pure gold and precious stone. Thus, the garden of Eden was the beginning of God’s work. Ultimately, God will make the garden of Eden into the New Jerusalem. In the garden of Eden God and man had not yet become one, nor had heaven and earth been joined as one. Man did not have the gold within or the precious stone without. From that time on, God began to work in man so that eventually the man of clay would have pure gold inwardly and the precious stone outwardly. On the day that the work of transformation is completely finished, the garden of Eden will have become the New Jerusalem. This is the line of thought from Genesis to Revelation. God’s work throughout the generations is to transform the garden of Eden into the New Jerusalem.
In the beginning man was neither pure gold nor precious stone but clay. For this reason, God has been working continuously to reach His goal. At the end of Revelation a city composed of pure gold and precious stones appears. In that city God and man are mingled into one and heaven and earth are joined together. This is the final destination of the saved ones throughout the ages. Hence, we must change our concept. Our concept should not be that one day we will go to a city. Rather, our concept should be to allow God to transform, build, and work Himself into us today so that we may become that city. We are not going to the New Jerusalem but are being built into the New Jerusalem.
THREE PARADISES FOR THREE PERIODS OF TIME
God is so gracious to man. Before man’s fall, the garden of Eden was the dwelling place for man. It was indeed a paradise, having the tree of life, the river of life, pure gold, and precious stones. The place man will enter into in the future is the New Jerusalem with the new heaven and new earth. This is also a Paradise, even a fuller Paradise. All the saved ones will be in glory there. Today we are somewhere between the beginning and the end. When the spirits and souls of the saved ones leave their bodies, they go to a Paradise of rest and enjoy happiness and comfort there. These three paradises are for the saved ones in three periods of time.
In summary, man lived in the garden of Eden before the fall. This was the first paradise. Then death was brought in after man’s fall. Today man has been saved, but death has not yet been swallowed up. Thus, today when believers die, their spirits and souls temporarily go to a place to enjoy rest. This is the Paradise in Hades. When the fullness of time comes and all the work is accomplished, all the saved ones will go to God’s eternal dwelling place. This will be the ultimate Paradise. Nevertheless, we must see that this New Jerusalem, the ultimate Paradise, is not for us to walk into or for us to be brought into by God. Rather, God has to work us into it. God will work continuously until the day we are matured and have been completely transformed by Him from glory to glory. Then we will be exactly the same as Christ, and we will be in the New Jerusalem.
GROWING UNTO MATURITY
TO BECOME THE NEW JERUSALEM
Starting in the garden of Eden, the God of creation began to work in us to make us pure gold and precious stones. When His work is done, we will be in the New Jerusalem. At that time we will not only be in the New Jerusalem, but we will also be able to say that we are the New Jerusalem. It is God who is working heaven into us, and it is God who is working us into the heavenlies (cf. Eph. 2:6). Heaven and man are becoming one. What is heaven? Heaven is the dwelling place of God. When the New Jerusalem is manifested, this dwelling place of God will be us, and we will be the dwelling place. Heaven is being built into us, and we are being built into heaven. We are not only being joined with God but also with heaven. Thus, God’s thought is not merely that man would be saved, have his sins forgiven, and have God’s life. God wants man to be transformed, to grow in life unto maturity, to let Christ be formed in him, and to be conformed into the Lord’s image. Then man will be built up to become the New Jerusalem, the eternal Paradise.
We all need to see this light today. We have been saved, our sins have been forgiven, and we have God’s life, but we still must grow in life and become mature. God would never put a man of clay in the New Jerusalem. Every stone built into the New Jerusalem is a precious stone that has been transformed by God. As soon as the life of God gets into man, transformation begins to take place within him to gradually build him into the New Jerusalem. Therefore, strictly speaking, we do not walk into the New Jerusalem. Rather, God works us into it. However, this requires the growth and maturity in life. (The Way for a Christian to Mature in Life, msg. 3)