GOD’S ECONOMY
SERIES THIRTEEN
GOD’S ECONOMY IN ALL THE BOOKS OF THE BIBLE
God’s Economy as Revealed in the Old Testament
Message Twenty-one
God’s Economy as Revealed in Ezekiel
Scripture Reading: Eph. 1:10; 3:9-11; 2:22; Ezek. 1:1, 16-19; 37:1-14, 26-28; 40:1-48:35
I. The entire bible from Genesis to Revelation presents a full picture of the economy of God and of God’s move on earth to carry out His economy—Eph. 1:10, 3:9, 1 Tim. 1:4: (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Ezek. 1:15, footnote 2)
A. In the book of Ezekiel God’s economy and God’s move in His economy are signified by a wheel—Ezek. 1:16-19. (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Ezek. 1:15, footnote 2)
B. The hub of this great wheel signifies Christ as the center of God’s economy, and the rim signifies Christ’s counterpart, the church, which consummates in the New Jerusalem; the spokes of the wheel spreading from the hub to the rim signify the many believers as the members of Christ—v. 15 and footnote 1. (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Ezek. 1:15, footnote 2)
II. The Bible as a whole, and the book of Ezekiel as a miniature of the Bible, reveal that God’s eternal intention is to dispense Himself into His chosen people, making them the same as He is in His life, His nature, and His image but not in His Godhead, that they might be mingled with Him as one entity and be built together in Him to be His eternal habitation, the New Jerusalem; this is the central point of the revelation of the Bible and also of the four visions presented in the book of Ezekiel—1:1, footnote 1, cf. Eph. 1:10, 3:9-11,2:22, Rev. 21:2-3. (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Ezek. 1:1, footnote 4)
III. The children of Israel were God’s elect, separated from the nations unto God, God’s vine for the accomplishing of His economy, God’s bride for His satisfaction, God’s flock under His care, and God’s precious and personal treasure—Exo. 19:6, 15:1-8, 19:10, 16:8, 23:4, chs. 34, 19:5: (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Ezek. 2:3, footnote 1)
A. However, in contrast with these five statuses, in their degradation they became rebels against God, thistles and thorns, a harlot, scorpions, and dross—Ezek. 2:3, 6, 6:9, 16:15, 23:30, 22:18. (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Ezek. 2:3, footnote 1)
B. The causes of Israel’s degradation were (1) their having idols in their hearts, (2) their being associated with the world, i.e., the heathen nations, and (3) their walking according to the manner and customs of the nations; these are also the main causes of the degradation of God’s New Testament elect, the church—14:3-5, 25:8, cf. 1 Kings 11:1-2, 11:12, 16:30-31, Rev. 2:4,12-15. (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Ezek. 2:3, footnote 1)
C. God’s judgment on His people, as seen in chs. 2-24, is based on His righteousness, holiness, and glory: (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Ezek. 2:3, footnote 1)
1. God’s glory is versus idols, God’s holiness is versus dross, and God’s righteousness is versus Israel’s injustice and oppression; anything that does not match God’s glory, holiness, and righteousness will provoke God’s judgment—Ezek. 8:2-4, 10, 9:3, 22:17-22, 29. (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Ezek. 2:3, footnote 1)
2. As seen in this book and in the New Testament, God first judges His people, and then He judges the nations—Ezek. 25-32, 1 Pet. 4:17, Rev. 2-3, 6-11, 15-19. (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Ezek. 2:3, footnote 1)
IV. Three chapters in the book of Ezekiel occupy a special position in the Bible and can each be represented by a single word: chapter one—fire; chapter thirty-seven—breath; and chapter forty-seven—water. (2001 FTTA-Fall, msg. 15)
V. Ezekiel 37 reveals how God’s Spirit comes into us in order to enliven us that we may become a corporate Body formed into an army and also built up as God’s dwelling place—v. 1-14, 26-28: (2001 FTTA-Fall, msg. 15)
A. In Ezekiel 37 the wind is the breath, and the breath is the Spirit—v. 9, 14, John 20:22, 3:8: (2001 FTTA-Fall, msg. 15)
1. The Triune Gods’ breath of life produced our human spirit as our intrinsic organ to contact, receive, and contain God; the human spirit is very close to God the Spirit—Gen. 2:7, Prov. 20:27, John 4:24, Rom. 8:16. (2001 FTTA-Fall, msg. 15)
2. Christ as the embodiment of the processed Triune God breathed Himself as the Holy Pneuma (Spirit of breath) into the disciples to be their life and everything—John 20:22. (2001 FTTA-Fall, msg. 15)
3. All Scripture is God-breathed; the Scripture is the breathing out of God—2 Tim. 3:16. (2001 FTTA-Fall, msg. 15)
4. In order to be pneumatic people who live the pneumatic Christ, we need to exercise our spirit to be filled with the Spirit and constituted with the Word—1 Tim. 4:7, Eph. 5:18, John 1:14, 20:22, Rev. 19:13-14. (2001 FTTA-Fall, msg. 15)
5. We need to enjoy Christ as our Pneuma, breathing Him in moment by moment and day by day—Eph. 6:18. (2001 FTTA-Fall, msg. 15)
B. The Lord comes in to rescue and recover His people through the prophesying of His word—Ezek. 37:4-5, 10: (2001 FTTA-Fall, msg. 15)
1. As Ezekiel prophesied to the bones, they came together with noise and shaking, and the sinews, flesh, and skin covered them—v. 7-8, Psa. 95:1-2. (2001 FTTA-Fall, msg. 15)
2. When Ezekiel prophesied again to the wind, “the breath came into them; and they lived and stood up upon their feet, an exceedingly great army”—Ezek. 37:9-10. (2001 FTTA-Fall, msg. 15)
3. When Ezekiel prophesied, God blew the wind, the people received the breath, and the breath became the Spirit—v. 9-10. (2001 FTTA-Fall, msg. 15)
4. This picture shows us that the Lord comes to revive His dead and scattered people and make them one through prophesying: (2001 FTTA-Fall, msg. 15)
a. Prophesying is to speak for the Lod, to speak forth the Lord, to speak the Lord into others for the organic building up of the church—1 Cor. 14:4b, 8-9,12, 26, 31-32. (2001 FTTA-Fall, msg. 15)
b. In order to speak for the Lord, we must live a prophesying life—1 Cor. 14:31: (2001 FTTA-Fall, msg. 15)
(1) We must be revived every morning—Prov. 4:18, Lam. 3:22-24, Psa. 119:147-148, Prov. 20:13, 26:14, 6:6-11. (2001 FTTA-Fall, msg. 15)
(2) We must live an overcoming life every day—1 Cor. 2:9-10, Rom. 8:4, Phil. 3:8-10, 12-14, 2 Tim. 3:16, 4:2. (2001 FTTA-Fall, msg. 15)
C. Through the breathing of the Spirit, God’s people become the army and the house to fulfill God’s twofold purpose to deal with His enemy and express Him in His image—Ezek. 37:10, 26-28, 2 Thes. 2:8, Gen. 1:26: (2001 FTTA-Fall, msg. 15)
1. The revelation in chs. 37 shows that the unique way to have the Body, the church, and the house of God in the genuine oneness is the way of life—v. 9-10. (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Ezek. 37:10, footnote 1)
2. When the breath entered into the dead ones, it became life to them, and they lived and stood up in oneness to become an exceedingly great army—v. 9-10. (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Ezek. 37:10, footnote 1)
3. The dry bones and the two dead branches in vv. 16-17 became one not by gifts or by teaching but by life. (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Ezek. 37:10, footnote 1)
4. The dead bones and the dead branches were enlivened and became one as the issue of the dispensing of life and the growth in life—cf. John 17:2, 11, 17, 21-23, Eph. 4:11-16. (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Ezek. 37:10, footnote 1)
VI. The Book of Ezekiel begins with a vision of the appearance of the glory of the Lord and ends with a vision of the holy building of God; this indicates that God’s goal is the building and that the glory of the Lord, the judgment of God, and the recovery of the Lord are all for the holy building of God—40:1-48-35: (2001 FTTA-Fall, msg. 16)
A. In Ezekiel 40—48, a section on God’s building, three main things are covered: the holy temple, the holy city, and the holy land: (2001 FTTA-Fall, msg. 16)
1. The recovery of the land signifies the recovery of the experience and enjoyment of the riches of Christ; once the land has been recovered, the temple can be built on the land—47:13, footnote 1. (2001 FTTA-Fall, msg. 16)
2. The temple is God’s house for His rest, and the city is God’s kingdom for His authority—48:35b: (2001 FTTA-Fall, msg. 16)
a. The temple signifies the fellowship of God, and the city signifies the government of God—v. 35, footnote 1. (2001 FTTA-Fall, msg. 16)
b. In the temple God has fellowship with His people, and in the city God reigns among His people—cf. Rev. 21:2-3. (2001 FTTA-Fall, msg. 16)
B. The vision of God’s building in Ezekiel describes the place where God dwells—His holy temple; if we want to meet God, we need to know His particular place, His exact location—Ezek. 41:1, 48:35b. (2001 FTTA-Fall, msg. 16)
C. In Ezekiel, the altar is the center of the whole compound of the building of God; when we come to the altar at the center of God’s building, we experience the cross in a particular way—40:47, 43:13-27. (2001 FTTA-Fall, msg. 16)
D. Ezekiel saw the glory of the Lord coming back to the house of the Lord; the glory could return only after the building of the temple was completed—44:4. (2001 FTTA-Fall, msg. 16)
E. “This is the place of My throne and the place of the soles of My feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel forever”—43:7a. (2001 FTTA-Fall, msg. 16)
VII. The Lord instructed Ezekiel to describe God’s house to God’s people—40:4, 43:10-12: (2001 FTTA-Fall, msg. 16)
A. It was God’s intention to check the living and conduct of the people of Israel by the house; in the book of Ezekiel, God measured His people by the temple—40:3, 9: (2001 FTTA-Fall, msg. 16)
1. Because the house of God was to be their regulation, God charged Ezekiel to show them the form of the house—43:11-12. (2001 FTTA-Fall, msg. 16)
2. The temple of God is a pattern, and if the people examine themselves in light of this pattern, they will know their shortcomings—v. 11, 41:16-20. (2001 FTTA-Fall, msg. 16)
3. The living of the people must match the temple of God—1 Cor. 3:16-17. (2001 FTTA-Fall, msg. 16)
B. We need to see from the book of Ezekiel that the requirements of the indwelling Christ are according to His house; everyone must be measured and checked according to the measurement of God’s house—Ezek. 43:10-11: (2001 FTTA-Fall, msg. 16)
1. Our behavior and conduct should be examined not only according to moral regulations and spiritual principles but also according to the church, the house of God—1 Tim. 3:15-16. (2001 FTTA-Fall, msg. 16)
2. The Body life is the greatest test of our spirituality; if we cannot pass the test of the Body life, our spirituality is not genuine—1 Cor. 12:23-27. (2001 FTTA-Fall, msg. 16)
3. Spirituality is a Body matter; everything we have is in the Body, through the Body, and for the Body—Eph. 4:16. (2001 FTTA-Fall, msg. 16)