THE THIRD PART: 24 CRUCIAL LINES IN THE BIBLE
The Divine and Eternal Life
Message Six—the Stages of the Growth in Life
Scripture Reading: S. S. 1:2-4; 2:14; 4:8; 6:4; Ezek. 1:4; John 1:14, 29; 3:14; 6:35; 8:12; 9:5; 17:22-24; Rom. 3:9, 20, 24; 5:11-12, 19; 6:3-6; 7:18; 8:2, 4-6, 28-29, 12:2-5
I. The experience of life can be divided into four stages with a total of nineteen points; according to our experience, the first four stages may be designated as follows: the first stage may be called the salvation stage; the second, the revival stage; the third, the stage of the cross; and the fourth, the stage of spiritual warfare; but according to our relationship with Christ, these four stages should be designated in this way: the first stage, in Christ; the second, abiding in Christ; the third, Christ abiding in us; and the fourth, Christ fully grown in us—Col. 1:27; 3:4; 1 John 2:27; John 15:4-5; Eph. 4:13; Gal. 4:19. (The Experience of Life, Introduction)
II. In the book of Genesis, the records of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob overlap; Genesis does not portray them as three separate individuals but as constituents of one corporate person; the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is the God of the tabernacle —Exo. 40:34-35: (2004 FTTA-S, msg. 1)
A. The experience of Abraham signifies the experience of God the Father, the unique source, in His calling man, justifying man, and equipping man to live by faith and to live in fellowship with Him—Gen. 12:1; 15:6; chs. 17-18; 19:29; 21:1-13; 22:1-18. (2004 FTTA-S, msg. 1)
B. The experience of Isaac signifies the experience of God the Son in His redeeming man and His blessing man with the inheritance of all His riches, with a life of the enjoyment of His abundance, and with a life in peace—22:1-14; 25:5; 26:3-4, 12-33. (2004 FTTA-S, msg. 1)
C. The experience of Jacob (with Joseph) signifies the experience of God the Father in His loving man and choosing man (Mal. 1:2; Rom. 9:10-13) and of God the Spirit in His working all things for the good of those who love Him, in His transforming man, and in His making man mature in the divine life that man may be able to bless all the people, rule over all the earth, and satisfy all the people with God the Son as the life supply—Gen. 27:41; 28:1-35:10; chs. 37, 39-49; Rom. 8:28-29. (2004 FTTA-S, msg. 1)
D. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob each lived in a tent; while they were living in tents, they were eagerly waiting for the eternal tabernacle of God, the city of New Jerusalem; the New Jerusalem, the eternal tent as the mutual abode for the redeeming God and His redeemed, will be the ultimate consummation of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—Gen. 12:8; 13:18; 26:17, 25; 33:18; 35:21; Heb. 11:9-10; John 1:14; Rev. 21:2-3; 22. (2004 FTTA-S, msg. 1)
III. The four stages of spiritual experience in this book: the stage of pursuit, the stage of the cross, the stage of ascension, and the stage of living in the Holy of Holies—1:2-4; 2:24; 4:8; 6:4: (Life-study of Song of Songs, msg. 10)
A. The first stage—attracted by Christ and drawn by him to pursue after Him for full satisfaction—1:2-2:7: (Life-study of Song of Songs, msg. 10)
1. This stage includes many things: yearning to be kissed by Christ; the fellowship in the inner chamber; entering into the church life by following the footsteps of the flock; being transformed by the remaking of the Spirit; and participating in Christ’s rest and satisfaction. (Life-study of Song of Songs, msg. 10)
2. The seeker of Christ overcomes the attraction of the world by being attracted and captivated by Christ—1:2-4; Matt. 4:16-20; Luke 9:23-24; Heb. 12:2; 13:13; Hymns, #437. (2005 FTTA-F, msg. 3)
B. The second stage is the call to be delivered from the self through the oneness with the cross; in brief, the second stage is the stage of the experience of the cross—S. S. 2:8-3:5: (Life-study of Song of Songs, msg. 10)
1. When we pursue after Christ and become satisfied with the rest and enjoyment in Christ, we may become very occupied with and concerned about the self and thereby fall into introspection; thus, we need to experience the denying of the self and the breaking of the self by being one with the cross. (Life-study of Song of Songs, msg. 10)
2. The lover of Christ overcomes the self, which secluded her from the presence of Christ, by becoming one with the cross of Christ. (2005 FTTA-F, msg. 1)
C. The third stage is to be called by Christ to live in ascension as the new creation of God in the resurrection of Christ—3:6-5:1: (Life-study of Song of Songs, msg. 10)
1. To live in ascension is to live continually in our spirit; when we live in our spirit, we are joined to the ascended Christ in the heavens—Eph. 2:22; Gen. 28:12-17; John 1:51; Rev. 4:1-2; Heb. 4:12. (2005 FTTA-F, msg. 8)
2. The lover of Christ overcomes the old creation (the physical things) by living in the ascension of Christ in resurrection after her self has been dealt with by the cross; she becomes a new creation by her complete union with Christ—S. S. 3:6. (2005 FTTA-F, msg. 1)
D. The fourth stage is to be called by Christ more strongly to live within the veil through His cross after the experience of His resurrection—5:2-6:13: (Life-study of Song of Songs, msg. 10)
1. The lover of Christ overcomes the flesh, the natural man, the old man, by living within the veil; no matter how mature and spiritual we may become, as long as our body has not yet been transfigured, we still have the flesh, which is the veil—Heb. 10:19-20. (2005 FTTA-F, msg. 10)
2. The lover of Christ is called by Him to live within the veil in the Holy of Holies, God Himself, to enjoy the processed and consummated Triune God embodied in Christ—Heb. 9:3-4. (2005 FTTA-F, msg. 10)
IV. In the book Song of Songs eight figures signify eight stages of growth in life; the Lord’s description of His seeker with different figures illustrated the state the seeker, they indicate the growth in life and the transformation of life—1:9, 15; 2:2, 14; 3:6, 7, 9-11: (Life and Building as Portrayed in the Song of Songs, msg. 5)
A. “I compare you, my love, / To a mare among Pharaoh’s chariots”; the mare signifies natural strength in a worldly way; this mare is used for the Egyptian king; you are seeking the Lord, but you drag the world behind you—1:9. (Life and Building as Portrayed in the Song of Songs, msg. 5)
B. “Oh, you are beautiful, my love! / Oh, you are beautiful! Your eyes are like doves”; the dove signifies the Spirit; the doves’ eyes signify the insight, the understanding, and the realization of the Spirit; the doves’ eyes are the spiritual insights that come from continually gazing on the Lord and putting our trust in Him—1:15; Matt. 3:16. (Life and Building as Portrayed in the Song of Songs, msg. 5)
C. “As a lily among thorns, / So is my love among the daughters”; a lily signifies a life lived wholly by faith; a lily is one of the Lord’s seeking ones who lives on this earth but not by this earth; by such a faith she becomes as pure as the white lilies—S. S. 2:2. (Life and Building as Portrayed in the Song of Songs, msg. 5)
D. “My dove, in the clefts of the rock, / In the covert of the precipice’’; the clefts of the rock signify the cross; we must remain in the clefts of the rock; we must stay in His crucifixion; we must also stay in the covert of the precipice, where we experience the Lord’s ascension—v. 14; Exo. 17:6; 1 Cor. 10:4; Gal. 2:20; Psalm 91:1. (Life and Building as Portrayed in the Song of Songs, msg. 5)
E. “Who is she who comes up from the wilderness / Like pillars of smoke, Perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, / With all the fragrant powders of the merchant?” —S. S. 3:6: (Life and Building as Portrayed in the Song of Songs, msg. 5)
1. The seeker to be a pillar of smoke means that she is absolutely in the spirit and stable, flexible, and strong in the unshakable power of the Spirit—Rev. 3:12. (2005 FTTA-F, msg. 8)
2. She is fully open to be perfumed, permeated with the sweet death and fragrant resurrection of Christ (myrrh and frankincense), and she pays the price to gain all the fragrant riches of Christ as a merchant—S. S. 3:6; Rev. 3:18. (2005 FTTA-F, msg. 8)
F. “There is Solomon’s bed; / Sixty mighty men surround it, / Of the mighty men of Israel”—S. S. 3:7: (2005 FTTA-F, msg. 7)
1. In her union with Christ, the lover of Christ is likened to a bed for rest in the night during wartime. (2005 FTTA-F, msg. 7)
2. The bed is for rest and victory in the night, signifying the church age, during the time of spiritual warfare, signified by the sixty mighty men who surround the bed. (2005 FTTA-F, msg. 7)
G. “King Solomon made himself a palanquin / Of the wood of Lebanon. / Its posts he made of silver, / Its bottom, of gold; / Its seat, of purple; / Its midst was inlaid with love / From the daughters of Jerusalem”—vv. 9-10: (2005 FTTA-F, msg. 8)
1. By the Spirit’s transforming work in us, we become the moving vessel of Christ, the carriage of Christ, the “car” of Christ, for the move of Christ in and for the Body of Christ—2 Cor. 2:12-17. (2005 FTTA-F, msg. 8)
2. We are rebuilt with the Divine Trinity so that our external structure is the resurrected and ascended humanity of Jesus and our interior decoration is our love for the Lord—S. S. 3:9-10. (2005 FTTA-F, msg. 8)
3. Through our loving the Lord in a personal, affectionate, private, and spiritual way, our natural being is torn down, and we are remodeled with Christ’s redeeming death (posts made of silver), God’s divine nature (base), and Christ’s kingship as the life-giving Spirit ruling within us (seat of purple)—v. 10; cf. Rom. 8:28-29; 2 Cor. 4:16-18. (2005 FTTA-F, msg. 8)
H. “Go forth… And look at King Solomon with the crown …On the day of his espousals”, if we love the Lord, we will become the crown of Solomon; that is the crown for Christ’s espousal with us; He is the Bridegroom, and we are the bride; eventually, the bride becomes the crown to the Groom—S. S. 3:11. (Life and Building as Portrayed in the Song of Songs, msg. 5)
V. In the book of Ezekiel reveals a Christian’s spiritual life story—the wind, the cloud, the fire, and the electrum. The spiritual history of every normal Christian should be a continual cycle involving the experience of God as the wind, the cloud, the fire, and the electrum—Ezek. 1:4: (Life-study of Ezekiel, msg. 4; 2009 MDC, msg. 1)
A. Whenever God visits us and revives us, His Spirit blows on us like a mighty wind to bring a spiritual storm into our life, into our work, and into our church, causing us to be dissatisfied and concerned about our spiritual condition and to have a turn in our spiritual life—v. 4. (2009 MDC, msg. 1)
B. The cloud is a figure of God as the Spirit abiding with His people and covering them in order to care for them and show favor to them—v. 4; Exo. 13:21; 40:34-35. (2009 MDC, msg. 1)
C. The fire signifies God’s burning and sanctifying power; the more the fire of the Holy Spirit burns in us, the more we are purified and enlightened—Ezek. 1:4; Deut. 4:24; Heb. 12:29. (2009 MDC, msg. 1)
D. The electrum, composed of the elements of gold and silver, signifies the Lamb-God, the redeeming God—Ezek. 1:4; Rev. 22:1. (2009 MDC, msg. 1)
E. The issue of the blowing wind, the covering cloud, and the purifying fire is the glowing electrum—the radiant expression of the redeeming God—Ezek. 1:4. (2009 MDC, msg. 1)
F. In our whole Christian’s life, our spiritual history should be a continual cycle involving the experience of God as the wind, the cloud, the fire, and the electrum; the more we experience the wind, the cloud, and the fire, the more the electrum is constituted into our being, making us a people who are filled with the Triune God and who manifest His glory—Ezek. 1:4. (2009 MDC, msg.1)
VI. The stages of experience of life revealed in the deep thought of the Gospel of John—1:14, 29; 3:14; 6:35; 8:12; 9:5; 17:22-24: (Holy Bible Recovery Vision, John 1:14, footnote 2)
A. The deep thought of the Gospel of John is that Christ, the incarnate God, came as the embodiment of God, as illustrated by the tabernacle (v. 14) and the temple (2:21), so that man could contact Him and enter into Him to enjoy the riches contained in God: (Holy Bible Recovery Vision, John 1:14, footnote 2)
1. Both the tabernacle and the temple had an outer court, a Holy Place, and a Holy of Holies; Christ was the Lamb (who took away sin—v. 29) offered on the altar, which signifies the cross, in the outer court of the tabernacle, and then that He was like the bronze serpent (which caused man to have life) lifted up on the pole (3:14), which signifies the cross. (Holy Bible Recovery Vision, John 1:14, footnote 2)
2. This shows how Christ in His redemption was received by His believers that they might be delivered from sin and obtain life and might enter into Him as the embodiment of God, typified by the tabernacle, to enjoy all the riches that are in God. (Holy Bible Recovery Vision, John 1:14, footnote 2)
B. The foot-washing in chapter 13 may be considered the washing in the laver in the outer court of the tabernacle, which washed away the earthly defilement of those who drew near to God, so that their fellowship with God and with one another could be maintained. (Holy Bible Recovery Vision, John 1:14, footnote 2)
C. In chapter 14 those who receive Christ are brought by Him into the Holy Place to experience Him as the bread of life (6:35), signified by the showbread, and as the light of life (8:12; 9:5), signified by the lampstand. (Holy Bible Recovery Vision, John 1:14, footnote 2)
D. Eventually, in chapter 17, through the highest and most mysterious prayer, which is typified by the burning incense on the golden incense altar, those who enjoy Christ as life and as light are brought by Him into the Holy of Holies to enter with Him into the deepest enjoyment of God and to enjoy the glory that God has given Him (17:22-24). (Holy Bible Recovery Vision, John 1:14, footnote 2)
VII. The eight stages of the Christian life in Romans; it is this book that gives us a clear picture of the Christian life from its beginning to its maturity—3:9, 20, 24; 5:11-12, 19; 6:3-6; 7:18; 8:2, 4-6, 28-29; 12:2-5: (The Practical Way to Live in the Mingling of God with Man, msg. 1)
A. The first stage—sinful and under God’s condemnation (1:1-3:20); this is the stage into which we were all born; before we became Christians, we were sinful persons; as such, we were condemned to death by the righteous God. (The Practical Way to Live in the Mingling of God with Man, msg. 1)
B. The second stage—being justified and regenerated (3:21—5:11); in the second stage we see a man who has been justified through the redemption of Christ, has been accepted by God, and is now boasting because of the hope of the glory of God. (The Practical Way to Live in the Mingling of God with Man, msg. 1)
C. The third stage—realizing that in Adam we have sin and death (5:12-21); after we have been born again, we may, perhaps very quickly, come to the point where we realize that because we were born in Adam, we are sinners and are destined to die. (The Practical Way to Live in the Mingling of God with Man, msg. 1)
D. The fourth stage—realizing that we have been baptized into Christ (6:1-23); on the day that we received the Lord Jesus as our personal Savior and were baptized, we were put into Christ; in Christ we have righteousness and life (Rom. 5:17-18). (The Practical Way to Live in the Mingling of God with Man, msg. 1)
E. The fifth stage—trying to do good in the flesh (7:18-19, 21-22); in this fifth stage we see a man who strives and struggles to do good, to keep the law of God, and to please God by himself; it is absolutely right to be in Christ, but to do good by oneself is one hundred percent wrong. (The Practical Way to Live in the Mingling of God with Man, msg. 1)
F. The sixth stage—walking according to the Spirit (8:1-17); here we see a person who does not know good or evil and who has been released from doing good and evil; he simply knows to follow the Holy Spirit, Who indwells his human spirit (v. 4; 1 Cor. 6:17). (The Practical Way to Live in the Mingling of God with Man, msg. 1)
G. The seventh stage—all things working together for our conformation (Rom 8:28-29); the Lord arranges all things to work together for our good which is our conformation to the image of the firstborn Son of God; in those who are in this stage, we will be able to recognize the image, glory, expression, and manifestation of Christ. (The Practical Way to Live in the Mingling of God with Man, msg. 1)
H. The eighth stage—living in the body of Christ; we are the members of the Body of Christ (12:4-5); as such a member he will never be independent or individualistic but will rather live, walk, act, and work as a member in the Body of Christ. (The Practical Way to Live in the Mingling of God with Man, msg. 1)