Message Three—The Experience and Enjoyment of Christ in Colossians to Revelation

THE THIRD PART: 24 CRUCIAL LINES IN THE BIBLE

The Experience and Enjoyment of Christ

Message Three
The Experience and Enjoyment of Christ
in Colossians to Revelation

Scripture Reading: Col. 1:12; 2:16-17; 3:1-17; 1 Tim. 3:15-16; 2 Tim. 4:8; Heb. 5:6; 6:19-20; 8:6; 12:2-3; 1 Pet. 2:4-8; 1 John 2:1-2; Rev. 1:12—2:1

I. In Colossians 1:12 Paul says, “Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you for a share of the allotted portion of the saints in the light.” This verse indicates that the portion of the saints is the all-inclusive Christ for our enjoyment—Col. 1:12:

A. God the Father has qualified us by the redemption of God the Son and through the sanctification of God the Spirit for a share of the all-inclusive Christ, the embodiment of the processed Triune God, as the allotted portion of the saints—v. 12:

1. When the children of Israel entered the good land and took possession of the land, God commanded them to divide the land into lots and to allot them to the children of Israel so that they would receive a portion of the good land for their inheritance and enjoyment—Num. 36:2.

2. The all-inclusive Christ as the reality of the good land allotted to us by God. The riches of the good land typify the unsearchable riches of Christ in the different aspects of His bountiful supply to His believers in His Spirit—Deut. 8:7-10; Eph. 3:8; Phil. 1:19.

B. By enjoying the riches of the land, the believers in Christ are built up to be His Body as the house of God and the kingdom of God—Eph. 1:22-23; 2:21-22; 1 Tim. 3:15; Matt. 16:18-19; Rom. 14:17.

II. In Colossians 2:16 and 17 Paul says, “Let no one therefore judge you in eating and in drinking or in respect of a feast or of a new moon or of the Sabbath, which are a shadow of the things to come, but the body is of Christ.” These verses reveal that as the mystery of God, Christ is the body, the reality, of all the shadows—Col. 2:16-17:

A. Eating and drinking are daily, the Sabbaths weekly, the new moons monthly, and the feasts yearly. All the aspects of our living are shadows of Christ—1 Cor. 10:3-4; Matt. 11:28-29; John 1:5; 8:12; 1 Cor. 5:8.

B. Daily we eat and drink Him, weekly we have completion and rest in Him, monthly we experience a new beginning in Him, and throughout the year He is our joy and enjoyment—Col. 2:16-17.

C. All these items of the ceremonial law are a shadow of the spiritual things in Christ, which are the things to come. This all-inclusive Christ is the focus of God’s economy—vv. 16-17.

D. As the body of shadows, the all-inclusive Christ is the reality of all the positive things in the universe—cf. Rom. 1:20; Eph. 3:18:

1. The Old Testament uses six major categories of things as types to describe Christ: human beings, animals, plants, minerals, offerings, and foods. In the New Testament Christ is the Spirit of reality who makes the untraceable riches of all that He is real to us, guiding us into Himself as the divine reality—Ezek. 1:10, S. S. 2:3, John 14:6a, 17; 1 John 5:6.

2. The elements of the reality of all the types are in the Spirit, and the Spirit transfuses and dispenses all these riches into us through the Lord’s words—Phil. 1:19; John 6:63; Col. 3:16; Eph. 6:17-18; Rev. 2:7.

3. If we follow the practice of taking Christ as the reality of all the material things in our daily life, our daily walk will be revolutionized and transformed. It will be full of Christ—Col. 2:16-17.

III. In Colossians 3:1-17 Christ is presented as the life of the saints—v. 4:

A. The extensive, all-inclusive Christ is subjective to us, for He dwells in us as our hope of glory and is our life—1:27, 3:4.

B. Christ must be our life in a practical and experiential way—v. 4.

C. We need to be one with the Lord Jesus just as He is one with the Father—John 14:10.

D. The life of the saints is Christ, a wonderful person who is sitting at the right hand of God, with whom the saints were raised, and with whom their life is hidden in God, in order that they may seek the things which are above and may set their mind on the things which are above for them to be manifested with Him in glory—Col. 3:1-4.

IV. In 1 Timothy 3:15-16 Christ is presented as God manifested in the flesh. This is one of the greatest aspects of Christ for our experience and enjoyment—1 Tim. 3:15-16:

A. The word godliness in verse 16 means “God-likeness.” In the context of this verse, the phrase the mystery of godliness means that God in His mystery can be manifested and expressed in the flesh, in human beings. Godliness is God manifested in the flesh; the mystery of godliness is God manifested in human beings.

B. First Timothy 3:15-16 indicates that not only Christ Himself as the Head is the manifestation of God in the flesh but also that the church as the Body of Christ and the house of God is the manifestation of God in the flesh—the mystery of godliness—vv. 14-15; 1 Cor. 14:24-25.

C. God’s manifestation was first in Christ as an individual expression in the flesh. God is manifested in the church—the house of God and the Body of Christ—as His enlarged corporate expression in the flesh—1 Tim. 3:16; Col. 2:9; John 1:1, 14; Eph. 1:22-23.

D. The great mystery of godliness is that God has become man so that man may become God in life and nature but not in the Godhead to produce a corporate God-man for the manifestation of God in the flesh—Rom. 8:3; 1:3-4; Eph. 4:24:

1. In 1 Timothy 4:7 Paul goes on to tell us that we should exercise ourselves unto godliness. To exercise ourselves unto godliness is to exercise our spirit so that we may express the mystery of godliness—God manifested in the flesh.

2. If the whole church is gathered together in a proper way, and an unbeliever comes in, “falling on his face, he will worship God, declaring that indeed God is among you”—1 Cor. 14:23-25.

3. Ultimately, God will be manifested in the New Jerusalem as the consummated corporate expression of the processed and consummated Triune God in the new heaven and new earth—Rev. 21:1-2, 10-11.

V. In 2 Timothy 4 Christ is unveiled as the One who is to appear—2 Tim. 4:1, 8.

A. As the righteous Judge, Christ will judge the living on His throne of glory at His second appearing, and He will judge the dead on the great white throne after the millennium—2 Tim. 4:8; Matt. 25:31-46; Rev. 20:11-15.

B. The Lord’s appearing and His kingdom being the incentive to His servant; the apostle not only took these two matters as the incentive and goal for himself but also by these two matters charged Timothy, who was under his leading, to faithfully fulfill his ministry of the word—2 Tim. 4:1-2, 5.

C. As the righteous judge, awarding the crown of righteousness to his servant and all those who have loved His appearing—2 Tim. 4:8.

D. Paul says that such an award will be given to all who love the Lord’s appearing. The Lord’s appearing, His coming back, is a warning, an encouragement, and an incentive to us. We should love it and look forward to it with earnest expectation and joy—v. 8.

VI. Hebrews 5:6, a quotation from Psalm 110, says, “You are a Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” Christ is our High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek—Heb. 7:26, Psa. 110:1-4:

A. The order of Melchizedek is for the priesthood in both humanity and divinity—Heb. 7:26.

B. Melchizedek’s coming to minister the bread and wine to Abraham, the father of the called race, signifies Christ’s coming to minister Himself as the processed God into us for our supply and satisfaction—v. 26.

C. One night, before He left His disciples, the Lord Jesus ministered to them the bread and wine; partaking of the Lord’s table is related to Christ’s priesthood according to the order of Melchizedek—Matt. 26:26-28.

D. The Christ revealed in this book is also the One who, after accomplishing redemption, comes to us in a mysterious way in our spirit. He does not come as our Redeemer but as our High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek. He does not come to offer anything on our behalf but to minister Himself to us in the form of bread and wine as our daily supply and our satisfaction—Heb. 7:26.

E. Many Christians are weak because they do not have much experience of Christ ministering Himself into them as the High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek—v. 26.

VII. Hebrews 6:19-20 reveals that Christ is our Forerunner. The Lord Jesus as the Forerunner has entered “within the veil” for us, “having become forever a High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek:”

A. The Lord Jesus is the Forerunner, the Pioneer, who has cut the way into glory within the veil; we need to experience Christ as the Forerunner and follow Him to run the race—vv. 19-20:

1. We must exercise our spirit in order that we may enter within the veil to have direct contact with the heavenly Christ, the man in the glory, beholding Him to be transfused and infused with Him so that we may become His corporate reproduction—vv. 19-20.

2. To be within the veil is to be in the Holy of Holies, a realm where we partake of Christ and enjoy Him as the hidden manna, the budding rod, and the law of life, issuing in God’s corporate expression for the fulfillment of His eternal purpose—Heb. 9:3-4.

B. As the Forerunner, the Lord Jesus is now within the veil, in the Holy of Holies in heaven—6:19-20.

C. We need to enter into the full participation in His priesthood according to the order of Melchizedek. If we do this, we will have a complete overcoming of sin, and sin will be absolutely under our feet. We will be in the Holy of Holies, having nothing to do with sin but continually enjoying grace—vv. 19-20.

VIII. In the book of Hebrews Christ is presented as the surety and the Mediator of a better covenant, the new covenant—Heb. 86:

A. The Greek word translated “surety” means “a guarantee, bondsman, sponsor,” and is from the root word meaning “a hand into which something is placed as a pledge,” implying that the guarantee, the surety, cannot be unbound—v. 6.

B. Christ is not only the consummator of the new covenant; He is also the surety, the pledge that everything in that covenant will be fulfilled. He is the surety, guaranteeing the effectiveness of this covenant—v. 6.

C. According to Hebrews 8:6, Christ is also “the Mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted upon better promises.” In His heavenly ministry Christ, as the Mediator, is the Executor of the new covenant, the new testament, which He bequeathed to us by His death.

1. Christ, as the embodiment of the riches of the Godhead and as the crucified and resurrected One, has become the covenant of God given to His people—Col. 2:9; 1:19.

2. God’s salvation, God’s righteousness, God’s justification, God’s forgiveness, God’s redemption, God’s riches, and all that God has and will do have been covenanted to us.

3. The way to receive and enjoy Christ as the covenant given to us is to exercise our spirit, to live according to our spirit, and to remain in our spirit—2 Tim. 4:22.

IX. In Hebrews 12:2-3, Christ is revealed as the Author and Perfecter of faith:

A. The Greek word translated “Author” may be rendered “Originator, Inaugurator, Leader, Pioneer, Forerunner” —vv. 2-3.

B. As we look to Him as the Originator of faith in His life and in His path on earth, and as the Perfecter of faith in His glory and on His throne in heaven, He transfuses and even infuses us with the faith that He originated and perfected—vv. 2-3.

C. According to the New Testament revelation, faith is simply Christ Himself—Rom. 3:22; Gal. 2:20; Phil. 3:9.

D. Faith, which is the unique requirement of the New Testament, is Christ Himself being transfused into us to become our element and ability to believe in Him and in all the divine, spiritual, and heavenly things—Rom. 3:22; Gal. 2:20; Phil. 3:9:

1. As the Completer of faith, He is continually infused into us as the believing element and ability when we pray to the Lord, fellowship with Him, pray over the Bible, attend church meetings, listen to spiritual messages, and read spiritual books—Heb. 12:2-3.

2. The more Christ is infused into us as the believing element and ability, the more He is growing in us—vv. 2-3.

3. Day by day our faith will be under the Lord’s perfecting until we meet Him on the day of rapture—vv. 2-3.

4. We need to pursue the Lord to experience and enjoy Him in this aspect day by day and even moment by moment—Col. 3:11.

X. In 1 Peter 2:4-8 Christ is unveiled as the living stone—1 Pet. 2:4-8:

A. Christ as a living stone was “rejected by men but with God chosen and precious” —v. 4

B. We come to Christ as living stones to be built up as a spiritual house into a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Him—v. 5:

1. We come to the Lord by drinking the milk of the word, growing in life by being nourished with Christ; the milk does a transforming work within us to produce a stone; to be built up as a spiritual house, which is the church—v. 2.

2. God’s purpose is that we be built up together as a spiritual house, and this spiritual house is a priesthood, a body of priests built together to offer up spiritual sacrifices to God. This is the service in the church and the church life—v. 5.

XI. In 1 John 2:1-2 Christ is presented as an Advocate—1 John 2:1-2:

A. The word “Advocate” carries the sense of consoling and consolation; hence, a consoler, a comforter. It is used in the Gospel of John for the Spirit of reality as our Comforter within us, the One who takes care of our case or our affairs—John 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7.

B. It is used in 1 John 2 in reference to the Lord Jesus as our Advocate with the Father. When we sin, He, based on the propitiation that He accomplished, takes care of our case by interceding and pleading for us—Rom. 8:34.

C. If we put 1 John 2:1 together with John 14:16, we see that today the Lord Jesus is our Advocate at the right hand of God in the heavens; at the same time, He is also the Comforter in our spirit:

1. Satan, the enemy of God and our subtle enemy, accuses us before our God day and night. Perhaps he tells God that although God is holy and righteous, His children whom He loves are unrighteous and filthy—Rev. 12:10.

2. The Father then may tell him that His children have an excellent attorney, Jesus Christ. Our attorney, Christ, also may tell Satan to look upon His blood, which cleanses us from every sin, and to shut his accusing mouth—v. 11.

3. We should tell Satan to shut his mouth and should praise the Lamb of God for His overcoming blood. Then the divine life will be dispensed into us once again. Christ, our Advocate, takes care of our case so that life-dispensing can continue—v. 11.

XII. In Revelation, Christ was presented as the son of man walking in the midst of the golden lampstands—1:12—21:

A. Christ as the Son of Man is the High Priest, “clothed with a garment reaching to the feet, and girded about at the breasts with a golden girdle”, to cherish the churches in His humanity and nourish them in His divinity—1:13.

B. The heavenly ancientness of the Lord is depicted by His head and hair being as white as white wool, as snow—v. 14.

C. The Lord’s seven eyes are like a flame of fire for watching, observing, searching, and judging by enlightening and infusing—v. 14; 5:6; Dan. 10:6.

D. The Lord’s feet are like shining bronze, as having been fired in a furnace, signifying that His perfect and bright walk qualifies Him to exercise divine judgment—Rev. 1:15a; Ezek. 1:7; Dan. 10:6.

E. The Lord’s voice is like the sound of many waters, which is a tumultuous sound, the sound of the voice of the Almighty God in its seriousness and solemnity—Rev. 1:15b; cf. 14:2; Ezek. 1:24; 43:2; Rev. 10:3.

F. Christ is the Holder of the bright messengers of the churches—1:16a, 20.

G. Out of Christ’s mouth proceeds a sharp twoedged sword, which is His discerning, judging, and slaying word for dealing with negative persons and things—1:16b; Heb. 4:12; Eph. 6:17.

H. Christ’s face is as the sun shining in its power for judging enlightenment to bring in the kingdom—Rev. 1:16c; cf. Dan. 10:6.

I. Christ is the First and the Last, assuring us that He will never leave His work unfinished, and the living One for the churches as the expression of His Body to be living, fresh, and strong—Rev. 1:17-18a.

J. Christ has the keys of death and of Hades—v. 18b.

XIII. Christ, as the Lion-Lamb, the overcoming Redeemer, opens the scroll of God’s economy—5:5-7:

A. Christ is both the fighting, victorious, and overcoming Lion and the Redeeming Lamb—vv. 5-7.

B. As the Lion, He is the Fighter against the enemy, Satan; as the Lamb, He is the Redeemer for us. He has fought to redeem us, and He has won the battle over the enemy and accomplished redemption for us—vv. 5-7.

Ministry Excerpts:

THE PORTION OF THE SAINTS

In Colossians 1:12 Paul says, “Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you for a share of the allotted portion of the saints in the light.” This verse indicates that the portion of the saints is the all-inclusive Christ for our enjoyment. When Paul was writing the Epistle to the Colossians and was speaking of the portion of the saints, he had in mind the type of the good land. When the children of Israel entered the good land and took possession of the land, God commanded them to divide the land into lots and to allot them to the children of Israel so that they would receive a portion of the good land for their inheritance and enjoyment. Paul in Colossians presented the all-inclusive Christ as the reality of the good land allotted to us by God. We, the believers in Christ, have received a portion of Christ as the good land, which Paul calls the portion of the saints.

God the Father has qualified us by the redemption of God the Son and through the sanctification of God the Spirit for a share of the all-inclusive Christ, the embodiment of the processed Triune God, as the allotted portion of the saints. The will of God is that the all-inclusive, extensive Christ is to be our portion. In verse 9 Paul speaks of God’s will. In this verse, God’s will refers to Christ. God’s will for us is that we know Christ, experience Christ, enjoy Christ, be saturated with Christ, and have Christ become our life and person. The will of God is profound in relation to our knowing, experiencing, and living the all-inclusive, extensive Christ.

The New Testament believers’ inheritance, their allotted portion, is not a physical land; it is the all-inclusive Christ as the life-giving Spirit (2:6-7; Gal. 3:14). He is the allotted portion of the saints as their divine inheritance for their enjoyment. The riches of the good land typify the unsearchable riches of Christ in the different aspects of His bountiful supply to His believers in His Spirit (Deut. 8:7-10; Eph. 3:8; Phil. 1:19). By enjoying the riches of the land, the believers in Christ are built up to be His Body as the house of God and the kingdom of God (Eph. 1:22-23; 2:21-22; 1 Tim. 3:15; Matt. 16:18-19; Rom. 14:17). (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 352)

THE BODY (THE REALITY) OF ALL THE SHADOWS

In Colossians 2:16 and 17 Paul says, “Let no one therefore judge you in eating and in drinking or in respect of a feast or of a new moon or of the Sabbath, which are a shadow of the things to come, but the body is of Christ.” These verses reveal that as the mystery of God, Christ is the body, the reality, of all the shadows.

In verse 16 Paul covers matters related to daily life, weekly life, monthly life, and yearly life. Eating and drinking are daily, the Sabbaths weekly, the new moons monthly, and the feasts yearly. All the aspects of our living are shadows of Christ. Eating and drinking signify daily satisfaction and strengthening (1 Cor. 10:3-4), and the Sabbath signifies weekly completion and rest (Matt. 11:28-29). Without completion, we cannot enjoy rest. Rest always comes from completion and satisfaction. When we have finished a certain matter and are satisfied with it, we are then able to be at rest. After God completed His work of creation on the sixth day, He enjoyed rest on the seventh day (Gen. 2:1-3). Hence, the Sabbath signifies completion and rest on a weekly basis.

As the body of shadows, the all-inclusive Christ is the reality of all the positive things in the universe (cf. Rom. 1:20; Eph. 3:18). Because the universe with the billions of things and persons in it was created for the purpose of describing Christ, He, in revealing Himself to His disciples, could easily find in any environment something or someone to serve as an illustration of Himself (Col. 1:15-17; John 1:51; 10:9-11; 12:24; Matt. 12:41-42). The Old Testament uses six major categories of things as types to describe Christ: human beings, animals, plants, minerals, offerings, and foods. …In the New Testament Christ is the Spirit of reality who makes the untraceable riches of all that He is real to us, guiding us into Himself as the divine reality (John 14:6a; 1 John 5:6; John 14:17; 16:13). The elements of the reality of all the types are in the Spirit, and the Spirit transfuses and dispenses all these riches into us through the Lord’s words (Phil. 1:19; John 6:63; Col. 3:16; Eph. 6:17-18; Rev. 2:7).

We need to experience Christ as the reality of every positive thing in every part of our daily life. We who believe in Christ should consider all things and evaluate all things according to Christ, who is everything to us in a practical way. Christ, the mystery of God and the substance of every positive thing, is everything to us: our breath, drink, food, light, clothing, and our dwelling place (John 20:22; 4:10, 14; 7:37-39a; 6:35, 57; 1:4; 8:12; Gal. 3:27; John 15:5, 7a). As we consider all the positive things in the universe, we should evaluate them according to Christ. If we consider all things according to Christ, our daily living will be changed. What a tremendous revelation this is! The Christ whom we have received is not a narrow Christ. On the contrary, He is full, rich, unlimited, and all-inclusive. He is not only our Redeemer, Savior, and life—He is everything to us. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 356)

THE LIFE OF THE SAINTS

In Colossians 3:1-17 Christ is presented as the life of the saints. In verse 4 Paul speaks of “Christ our life.” This indicates that the mysterious Christ is our life. This marvelous life, which is ours, is described in many wonderful aspects of Christ in the first two chapters of Colossians, such as the portion of the saints and the mystery of God (1:12; 2:2). Today we may live by this life. Christ as the life of the saints is the highest enjoyment; no other enjoyment is superior to Christ as our life.

We need to be one with the Lord Jesus just as He is one with the Father. In John 14:10 the Lord said, “The words that I say to you I do not speak from Myself, but the Father who abides in Me does His works.” This indicates that the Father works in the Son’s speaking. Although the Father and the Son are two persons, They have only one life and one living. The life of the Father is the life of the Son, and the living of the Son is the living of the Father. In this way the Father and the Son have one life and one living. The principle is the same with Christ and us. Today we and Christ have one life and one living. The Son’s life becomes our life, and our living becomes His living. This is what it means to live in union with Christ.

The life of the saints is Christ, a wonderful person who is sitting at the right hand of God, with whom the saints were raised, and with whom their life is hidden in God, in order that they may seek the things which are above and may set their mind on the things which are above for them to be manifested with Him in glory (vv. 1-4). Therefore, we must put to death our members which are on the earth, all the fleshly and sinful members, and we must put off the old man with his practices while putting on the new man, which is being renewed according to the image of Him who created him (vv. 5-10). In doing so we are daily being transformed into the image of Christ by being sealed with the Holy Spirit (2 Cor. 3:18; Eph. 1:13; 4:30). As the life of the saints, as our life, Christ is also the constituent of the new man because He is all and in all; this means that Christ is us. In the new man there is no race, no nationality, no social rank, for in the new man Christ is all the members and is in all the members. The new man is the spontaneous issue of our taking Christ as our life and living Him. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 357)

GOD BEING MANIFESTED IN THE FLESH

In 1 Timothy 3:15-16 Christ is presented as God manifested in the flesh. This is one of the greatest aspects of Christ for our experience and enjoyment. Not only was the Lord Jesus the manifestation of God in the flesh in the past; the church today should also be the manifestation of God in the flesh.

The manifestation of God in the flesh began with Christ when He was on earth (John 14:9). The manifestation of God in the flesh continues with the church, which is the increase, enlargement, and multiplication of the manifestation of God in the flesh (1 Tim. 3:15-16). Such a church becomes the continuation of Christ’s manifestation of God in the flesh—Christ lived out of the church as the manifestation of God. This is God manifested in the flesh in a wider way according to the New Testament principle of incarnation (1 Cor. 7:40; Gal. 2:20). The principle of incarnation is that God enters into man and mingles Himself with man to make man one with Himself (John 15:4-5). The principle of incarnation means that divinity is brought into humanity and works within humanity (1 Cor. 6:17; 7:40; 1 Tim. 4:1). The great mystery of godliness is that God has become man so that man may become God in life and nature but not in the Godhead to produce a corporate God-man for the manifestation of God in the flesh (Rom. 8:3; 1:3-4; Eph. 4:24).

In 1 Timothy 4:7 Paul goes on to tell us that we should exercise ourselves unto godliness. To exercise ourselves unto godliness is to exercise our spirit so that we may express the mystery of godliness—God manifested in the flesh. This is indicated by Paul’s words in 2 Timothy 1:6-7, which says, “For which cause I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of cowardice, but of power and of love and of sobermindedness.” Second Timothy 4:22 tells us that the Lord is with our spirit. Since the Lord Jesus as the mystery of godliness is in our spirit, in order to express and practice this mystery, we need to exercise ourselves unto godliness by exercising our spirit.

Christ is the manifestation of God in the flesh, but so is the church. We are the church, but we are still in the flesh. When we meet together in the Spirit, God is manifested among us; this is the manifestation of God in the flesh. Just as Christ the Head is the manifestation of God in the flesh, so also is His Body. If the whole church is gathered together in a proper way, and an unbeliever comes in, “falling on his face, he will worship God, declaring that indeed God is among you” (1 Cor. 14:23-25). God’s presence is known whenever the church meets together properly. We admit that we are still flesh, but the God who lives in our spirit will be manifested, expressed, in our flesh. This manifestation must be not merely individual but corporate. Because the proper church life is the corporate manifestation of God in the flesh, the church of the living God is the consummate mystery of godliness. For the church to be the corporate expression of God in the flesh, everyone in the church must be transformed (2 Cor. 3:18).

Ultimately, God will be manifested in the New Jerusalem as the consummated corporate expression of the processed and consummated Triune God in the new heaven and new earth (Rev. 21:1-2, 10-11). The church as the manifestation of God in the flesh is the house of God, but the New Jerusalem will be the city of God, signifying that the New Jerusalem, as the manifestation of God in the new creation, will be the enlargement and consummation of the church to express God in eternity. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 363)

THE ONE WHO IS TO APPEAR

In 4:1 Paul says to Timothy, “I solemnly charge you before God and Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead.” God has given all judgment to Christ because He is a man (John 5:22, 27; Acts 10:42; 17:31; Rom. 2:16). As the righteous Judge (2 Tim. 4:8), Christ will judge the living on His throne of glory at His second appearing (Matt. 25:31-46), and He will judge the dead on the great white throne after the millennium (Rev. 20:11-15).

In 2 Timothy 4:1 Paul solemnly charges Timothy by Christ’s appearing and His kingdom. This indicates that, in his life and work, Paul took the Lord’s appearing and His kingdom as the incentive and goal. The Lord’s appearing will be for judgment, to reward each one of us (Matt. 16:27; Rev. 22:12), and His kingdom will be for His reigning with His overcomers (Rev. 20:4, 6). The apostle not only took these two matters as the incentive and goal for himself but also by these two matters charged Timothy, who was under his leading, to faithfully fulfill his ministry of the word (2 Tim. 4:1-2, 5).

Paul says that such an award will be given to all who love the Lord’s appearing. The Lord’s appearing, His coming back, is a warning, an encouragement, and an incentive to us. We should love it and look forward to it with earnest expectation and joy.

There is a great deal of talk among Christians today concerning the Lord’s second coming. But not many believers realize that when the Lord Jesus comes back, He will not come as the merciful God or as the gracious Savior but as the righteous Judge. Christians should be warned and encouraged to prepare themselves to stand before this Judge. We should take up the burden in this dark age to bring such a solemn charge to the Lord’s people. We all need to receive this charge before God and before the Lord Jesus, the One who will judge the living and the dead. We must declare the fact that when the Lord comes back, He will be the Judge of all, both believers and unbelievers. According to Matthew 25, all of the Lord’s servants will have to give an account to Him. The Lord will either say, “Well done, good and faithful slave” (v. 21), or “Evil and slothful slave” (v. 26). In His righteousness the Lord will decide whether or not we receive a reward. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 365)

ACCORDING TO THE ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK

In the Bible the order of Melchizedek came sequentially before that of Aaron. The priesthood of Melchizedek did not come in with Abraham’s descendants but with Abraham himself. The priesthood which came to Abraham was not that which is according to the order of Aaron but that which is according to the order of Melchizedek. Melchizedek met Abraham with bread and wine, and Abraham gave him tithes (Gen. 14:18-20). However, Melchizedek did not come to Abraham to receive tithes from him but to minister to him the bread and wine.

One night, before He left His disciples, the Lord Jesus ministered to them the bread and wine (Matt. 26:26-28). The Bible is wonderfully consistent. Melchizedek ministered bread and wine to Abraham, and the Lord Jesus ministered bread and wine to His disciples. Partaking of the Lord’s table is related to Christ’s priesthood according to the order of Melchizedek.

What is the significance of the bread and wine used at the Lord’s table? The Lord Himself said of the bread, “This is My body” (v. 26), and of the wine, “This is My blood” (v. 28). This indicates that the bread and wine on the table portray Christ who, as the embodiment of God, has been processed that He might be ministered into us.

Most Christians today dwell on Christ as their Redeemer and Savior, the One who shed His blood for them, offered Himself for them, and made propitiation for their sins that God might be appeased on their behalf. But the book of Hebrews goes further than this. It unveils Christ who no longer is only a Redeemer offering the sacrifice for sin to God and shedding His blood for our sins. The Christ revealed in this book is also the One who, after accomplishing redemption, comes to us in a mysterious way in our spirit. He does not come as our Redeemer but as our High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek. He does not come to offer anything on our behalf but to minister Himself to us in the form of bread and wine as our daily supply and our satisfaction. Many Christians are weak because they do not have much experience of Christ ministering Himself into them as the High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 373)

THE FORERUNNER

Hebrews 6:19-20 reveals that Christ is our Forerunner. The Lord Jesus as the Forerunner has entered “within the veil” for us, “having become forever a High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek.”

Verses 19 and 20 do not say that Jesus has entered the heavens; rather, they say that He has entered within the veil, that is, within the Holy of Holies. This indicates that today, the place where Jesus is, is the Holy of Holies. According to the Old Testament type of the tabernacle, God dwelt in the Holy of Holies. The Lord Jesus entered the heavens, which are today the Holy of Holies within the veil, to be a High Priest for us according to the order of Melchizedek. In the ministry of His priesthood, Christ is ministering to us all the divine riches in the heavenly atmosphere.

In Hebrews 6 all the believers are encouraged to go on to reach maturity (v. 1), that is, to go on to the heavenly ministry of Christ in the Holy of Holies in the heavens. To go on to this ministry, we must learn how to follow the Pioneer, the Christ who has become the Forerunner within the veil. In order to go on to this heavenly ministry, we have to enter the veil.

The Lord Jesus is the Forerunner, the Pioneer, who has cut the way into glory within the veil. To be within the veil is to be in glory. As our Forerunner, our Pioneer, Christ cut the way into glory and is now in glory. We are all running in God’s race, and the man Jesus Christ is our Forerunner in this race. He has run the race, becoming the first to reach the goal. He was the first to enter within the veil, where He is now waiting for us. We need to experience Christ as the Forerunner and follow Him to run the race. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 376)

THE SURETY AND THE MEDIATOR
OF A BETTER COVENANT, THE NEW COVENANT

In the book of Hebrews Christ is presented as the surety and the Mediator of a better covenant, the new covenant. According to 7:22, Jesus has “become the surety of a better covenant.” The Greek word translated “surety” means “a guarantee, bondsman, sponsor,” and is from the root word meaning “a hand into which something is placed as a pledge,” implying that the guarantee, the surety, cannot be unbound. Christ is not only the consummator of the new covenant; He is also the surety, the pledge that everything in that covenant will be fulfilled. He is the surety, guaranteeing the effectiveness of this covenant. That Christ has become the surety of a better covenant is based on the fact that He is the living and perpetual High Priest.

According to Hebrews 8:6, Christ is also “the Mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted upon better promises.” In His heavenly ministry Christ, as the Mediator, is the Executor of the new covenant, the new testament, which He bequeathed to us by His death. This better covenant mentioned in verse 6 not only was enacted upon better promises of a better law, the inner law of life (vv. 10-12), but also was consummated with Christ’s better sacrifices (9:23), which accomplished for us an eternal redemption (v. 12), and the better blood of Christ, which purifies our conscience (v. 14). Even more, the High Priest of this better covenant, the eternal Son of the living God, ministers with a more excellent ministry (8:6) and in the greater and more perfect tabernacle (9:11).

The establishment of the new covenant is based not only on the blood of the Lord Jesus; the Lord Jesus Himself is the Mediator of this covenant. To be a mediator means that one bears the responsibility of both parties; as the Mediator, Christ bears responsibility on God’s side and on man’s side. In other words, as the Mediator, He is the One who executes the covenant to make it a reality. The Lord Jesus established this new covenant in His own blood, and He also executes this covenant through His incorruptible life. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 377)

THE AUTHOR AND PERFECTER OF FAITH

In Hebrews 12:2-3, Christ is revealed as the Author and Perfecter of faith. “Looking away unto Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down on the right hand of the throne of God. For compare Him who has endured such contradiction by sinners against Himself, so that you may not grow weary, fainting in your souls.”

Verse 2 speaks of Jesus as “the Author and Perfecter of our faith.” The Greek word translated “Author” may be rendered “Originator, Inaugurator, Leader, Pioneer, Forerunner.” This is the same Greek word as in 2:10. All the overcoming saints in the Old Testament are only witnesses of faith, whereas Jesus is the Author of faith. He is the Originator, the Inaugurator, the source, and the cause of faith. In our natural man we have no believing ability. We do not have faith by ourselves. The faith by which we are saved is the precious faith that we have received from the Lord (2 Pet. 1:1). When we look unto Jesus, He as the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45) transfuses us with Himself, with His believing element. Then, spontaneously, a kind of believing arises in our being, and we have the faith to believe in Him. This faith is not of ourselves but of Him who imparts Himself as the believing element into us that He may believe for us. Hence, He Himself is our faith. We live by Him as our faith; that is, we live by His faith (Gal. 2:20), not by our own.

As the Author and the source of faith, Jesus is also the Leader, the Pioneer, and the Forerunner of faith. Jesus is the Author and the Originator of faith mainly in His life and in His path on earth. The Lord Jesus originated faith when He was here on earth. The life He lived was a life of faith, and the path He walked was a path of faith. In His life and path He originated faith. Hence, He is the Author of faith.

He cut the way of faith and, as the Forerunner, took the lead to pioneer it. Hence, He can carry us in His footsteps through the pathway of faith. As we look to Him as the Originator of faith in His life and in His path on earth, and as the Perfecter of faith in His glory and on His throne in heaven, He transfuses and even infuses us with the faith that He originated and perfected. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 380)

THE LIVING STONE

First Peter 2:4 tells us that Christ as a living stone was “rejected by men but with God chosen and precious.” Although Christ as the living stone was rejected by the leaders of God’s people, this stone was chosen by God. God’s choosing of Christ as the living stone is of two aspects. First, Christ was chosen by God in eternity past (1:20). That was God’s initial choosing of Him. Then God chose Christ the second time in resurrection. Resurrection is strong proof that God has chosen Christ. This second choosing is a confirmation of God’s first choosing. Therefore, in resurrection God confirmed the choice He had made concerning Christ in eternity past.

First Peter 2:5 says, “You yourselves also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house into a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” It is through regeneration and transformation that we who were made of clay can be living stones (Rom. 9:21; 2 Cor. 3:18). At regeneration we received the seed of the divine life, which by its growing in us transforms us into living stones.

A living stone is one that not only possesses life but also grows in life. This is Christ for God’s building. In 1 Peter 1:23 Peter said that we have been regenerated through the living and abiding word of God as the incorruptible seed. In 2:4 Peter changed his metaphor from a seed, which is of the vegetable life (1:23-24), to a stone, which is of the minerals. The seed is for life-planting; the stone is for building (2:5). Peter’s thought went on from life-planting to God’s building. As life to us, Christ is the seed; for God’s building, He is the stone. After receiving Him as the seed of life, we need to grow that we may experience Him as the stone living in us. Thus He will make us also living stones, transformed with His stone nature, that we may be built together with others as a spiritual house upon Him as both the foundation and the cornerstone (Isa. 28:16).

In 1 Peter 2:5 the word spiritual denotes the capacity of the divine life to live and grow; holy, the capacity of the divine nature to separate and sanctify. The house of God subsists mainly by the divine life; hence, it is spiritual. The priesthood subsists mainly by the divine nature; hence, it is holy. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 383)

THE SON OF MAN IN THE MIDST OF THE CHURCHES

Christ today is “in the midst of” the churches. On the one hand, as the High Priest, He is interceding in the heavens for the churches (Heb. 9:24; 7:25-26; Rom. 8:34), and, on the other hand, He is moving in the churches to care for them. If we would participate in His move and enjoy His care, we must be in the churches.

When Christ comes to deal with us in the churches, He does so not only in His divinity but also in His humanity. You may excuse yourself, thinking that the Lord could make it because He was the Son of God, but that since you are human the Lord must sympathize with you. As the Son of God, the Lord is quite capable, but you, as a mere son of man, are pitiful, and the Lord should not condemn you so much. But when He comes to us as the Son of Man, you have no excuse. He also was a man and made it as a man, not as the Son of God. Do not make any excuses for yourself. If you are defeated and fail in the church life, do not sympathize with yourself, saying that it is excusable because you are only a human being. Human beings are just the right material for the church life. Thus, in the midst of the churches, Christ is walking as the Son of Man. In Daniel 3 we are told that the Son of God was walking in the fire, but in Revelation 1 we see that it is the Son of Man who is walking in the midst of the churches. We all must worship Him as the Son of Man. Because He is both human and divine, He is such a wonderful One. Because He is both divine and human, He knows heaven and earth, God and man. In Him we have divinity and humanity. In Him we are in the heavens and also are on the earth. Today the Lord is both in the heavens and on the earth walking, in His humanity, in the midst of the local churches.

As the Priest

Verse 13 says that Christ is “clothed with a garment reaching to the feet.” This garment is the priestly robe (Exo. 28:33-35) signifying the fullness of Christ’s divine virtues and human attributes (cf. Isa. 6:1, 3). Although the word priest is not mentioned here, we know by His garment that Christ is depicted here as the High Priest. Today, the Son of Man, Jesus Christ, who is walking in the midst of the churches, is a Priest. Among the three offices of priest, prophet, and king, the most dear, intimate, precious, and lovely office is that of the priest. The priest is so dear and lovely because he takes care of the people. As Christ walks among the churches, He takes care of them.

Verse 13 also says that Christ, the Son of Man, was “girded about at the breasts with a golden girdle.” Have you ever seen someone girded about at the breasts with a girdle? This is quite meaningful. The priests in the Old Testament were girded at the loins for their ministry (Exo. 28:4). In Daniel 10:5 Christ is also girded with fine gold at His loins. But here Christ as our High Priest is “girded about at the breasts.” The breasts signify love. To be girded at the loins is to be strengthened for work, whereas to be “girded about at the breasts” signifies care in love. Christ’s work in producing the churches has been accomplished. Now He no longer needs to be girded at His loins for work. What He is doing now in the midst of the churches is to care for them in love. This requires Him to be “girded about at the breasts with a golden girdle.” This “golden girdle” signifies divine strength. Christ is now exercising a divine care over the churches, moving among them in His humanity and caring for them with His divine strength. What a loving care He exercises over His churches today!

With Watching, Observing, Searching,
Judging, and Infusing Eyes

In verse 14, we see that His eyes are as a flame of fire. In Song of Songs 5:12 the eyes of Christ are like doves. That is for the expression of His love. Here “His eyes” are “as a flame of fire.” This is for Him to observe and search in His judging by enlightening. In this book His eyes are not two but seven (5:6). Seven is the number of completion in God’s move. Hence, His eyes in this book are for God’s operation. These seven eyes of His are the “seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God” (4:5; cf. Dan. 10:6). The “fire burning” equals the “flame of fire” and is for observing and searching. The seven Spirits of God which are sent forth into all the earth are also for God’s move upon the earth. Thus, the eyes of Christ in this book are the seven Spirits of God for God’s move and operation on earth today.

With Tried and Shining Feet

Verse 15 says, “His feet were like shining brass, as having been fired in a furnace.” Feet signify the walk. In typology, brass signifies divine judgment (Exo. 27:1-6). When Christ was on earth, His earthly walk and daily walk were tried and tested. Because His walk was tested, He came out shining. Now the feet of Christ are as shining brass, as mentioned also in Ezekiel 1:7 and Daniel 10:6, signifying that His perfect and bright walk qualifies Him to exercise divine judgment. To be “fired in the furnace” is to be tried by being burned. Christ’s walk was tried by His sufferings, even by His death on the cross. Hence, His walk is bright as the shining brass, which qualifies Him to judge the unrighteous. As we have already pointed out, when He comes to possess the earth by judging it, His feet will be like pillars of fire (10:1).

With a Serious and Solemn Voice

Verse 15 also says that “His voice” is “as the sound of many waters.” “The sound of many waters,” a tumultuous sound, is the sound of the voice of the Almighty God (Ezek. 1:24; 43:2). It signifies the seriousness and solemnity of His speaking (cf. 10:3). Sometimes the Lord’s voice is gentle and tender, but at other times His voice shocks us like thunder. Whenever we are sloppy or sleepy, the voice of the Lord will wake us up. His voice, which is that of the Almighty God, warns us and wakes us up.

Holding the Messengers of the Churches

Verse 16 says, “He had in His right hand seven stars.” As verse 20 makes clear, “the seven stars are messengers of the seven churches.” The messengers are the spiritual ones in the churches bearing the responsibility of the testimony of Jesus. Like stars, they should be of the heavenly nature and in a heavenly position. In the Acts and the Epistles the elders were the leading ones in the operation of the local churches (Acts 14:23; 20:17; Titus 1:5). The eldership is somewhat official, and, as we have seen, at the time this book was written the offices in the churches had deteriorated in the degradation of the church. In this book the Lord calls our attention back to spiritual reality. Hence, it emphasizes the messengers of the churches rather than the elders. The office of the elders is easily perceived, but the believers need to see the importance of the spiritual and heavenly reality of the messengers for the proper church life to bear the testimony of Jesus in the darkness of the church’s degradation. (Life-study of Revelation, msg. 9)

AS THE LION-LAMB, THE OVERCOMING REDEEMER,
OPENING THE SCROLL OF GOD’S ECONOMY

In the divine administration Christ, as the Lion-Lamb, the overcoming Redeemer, opens the scroll of God’s economy (Rev. 5:3-7; 6:1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 12; 8:1). In Revelation 5:1 the One sitting on the throne has a scroll in His hand sealed with seven seals. These seven seals are the contents of the scroll, and the scroll itself is the new covenant, enacted with the blood of the Lamb. Hence, the new covenant is a scroll covering the redemption of the church, Israel, the world, and the universe.

As the One who opens the scroll, Christ is portrayed as the Lion-Lamb, as the overcoming Redeemer. In Revelation 5:5 we have this word: “Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome to open the scroll and its seven seals.” Then verse 6 goes on to speak of a “Lamb standing as having been slain.” Christ is both the fighting, victorious, and overcoming Lion and the Redeeming Lamb. As the Lion, He is the Fighter against the enemy, Satan; as the Lamb, He is the Redeemer for us. He has fought to redeem us, and He has won the battle over the enemy and accomplished redemption for us. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 77)