Morning Nourishment - The Spirit Speaking to the Churches, the One Who Has the Key of David, and the One Who Will Dine with the Overcomers
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Day 6
Verses: Col. 2:2 That their hearts may be comforted, they being knit together in love and unto all the riches of the full assurance of understanding, unto the full knowledge of the mystery of God, Christ. Eph. 3:4 By which, in reading it, you can perceive my understanding in the mystery of Christ. 5:32 2 This mystery is great, but I speak with regard to Christ and the church. The mystery of the universe is God. The mystery of God, the New Testament reveals, is Christ (Col. 2:2). The mystery of Christ is the church (Eph. 3:4). Actually these are simply three stages of one mystery. God is to be found in Christ, and Christ is to be found in the church. The church, then, is the mystery of Christ, who in turn is the mystery of God, who Himself is the mystery of the universe. The mystery of God in Colossians 2:2 is Christ, whereas the mystery of Christ in Ephesians 3:4 is the church. God is a mystery, and Christ, as the embodiment of God to express Him, is the mystery of God. Christ is also a mystery, and the church, as the Body of Christ to express Him, is the mystery of Christ. According to Ephesians 3:4, the church has a particular title—the mystery of Christ. When we consider Ephesians 3:4 in context, we see that the mystery of Christ is the church. Thus, Christ is the mystery of God, and the church is the mystery of Christ. God is a mystery, Christ is the mystery of God, and the church is the mystery of Christ. Hence, the church is actually a mystery within a mystery, for the church is a mystery in the third stage. The first stage is God Himself as the mystery of the universe; the second stage is Christ as the mystery of God; and the third stage is the church as the mystery of Christ. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 2053-2054)
In God’s economy revealed in the New Testament there are mainly two mysteries. The first mystery, revealed in the book of Colossians, is Christ as the mystery of God [Col. 2:2]…Christ is God’s mystery. In Himself God is a mystery. He is real, living, and almighty; however, He is invisible. Because no one has ever seen God, He is a mystery. This mysterious God is embodied in Christ. Hence, Christ is the mystery of God. Christ is not only God, but He is God embodied, God defiined, God explained, and God expressed. Therefore, Christ is God made visible. The Lord Jesus said, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father" (John 14:9). The first mystery in God's economy is Christ, God expressed, as the mystery of God.
The second mystery…is the mystery of Christ [Eph. 3:4]…Colossians 1:27 says, “To whom God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” As believers, we have Christ dwelling in us. But this Christ whom we have is a mystery. Although Christ lives in us, worldly people do not realize that He is in us. To them, this is a mystery. But although Christ is mysterious, the church is the manifestation of Christ. As the Body of Christ, the church is the expression of Christ. When we see the church, we see Christ. When we come into the church, we come into Christ. When we contact the church, we contact Christ.
The church is truly the mystery of Christ. As a mystery, the church is in the Triune God, in the Father, in the Son, and in the Spirit…The divine mystery is much more with the church corporately than with the believers individually.
The church is a corporate unit produced out of Christ, who is the mystery of God. This all-inclusive Christ is the mystery of the mysterious God, and such a Christ as the mystery of God produces a unit which is the church. By this we can realize that the church is the continuation of the mystery which is Christ. Mystery surely produces mystery. Christ, who is the mystery of God, brings forth the church, the mystery of Christ. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 2054-2055)
Day 1
Verses: Rev. 2:1 …These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, He who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands. 7 …To him who overcomes, to him I will give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God. In Revelation 2 and 3 Christ is the Spirit who speaks to all the churches… At the beginning of each of the seven epistles recorded in chapters 2 and 3, it is the Lord who speaks to a certain church (2:1, 8, 12, 18; 3:1, 7, 14). But at the end of each epistle, it is the Spirit who speaks to all the churches (2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22). In Revelation 2 and 3 the speaking of the unlimited, life-releasing, sevenfold intensified, pneumatic Christ to the seven churches at the beginning of each epistle becomes the speaking of the sevenfold intensified, all-inclusive life-giving Spirit to all the seven churches at the end of each epistle universally. Here we see that the speaking Christ becomes the speaking Spirit, the Spirit who speaks to all the churches. This implies that the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are one. Christ as the Spirit speaking to the churches is the processed Triune God. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, p. 4220)
Christ’s speaking and the Spirit’s speaking are one speaking. Christ speaks to a particular local church, and the Spirit speaks to the universal Body. This proves that the speaking Christ is the Spirit and that He speaks in the Spirit, with the Spirit, and through the Spirit. Whatever Christ speaks, that is the speaking of the Spirit. This not only indicates that the Spirit is the Lord and the Lord is the Spirit, but it also emphasizes that in the darkness of the church’s degradation the Spirit is vitally important, as indicated by the sevenfold intensified Spirit (Rev. 1:4). It is significant that the Lord is speaking as the Spirit not only to a certain church but to all the churches.
The Spirit, as the eyes of the Lord, looks into the situation of all the churches (5:6), and He speaks concerning the whole situation. The Lord as the Spirit speaks to the churches without any limitation of time and space. While the church in a certain locality reads the epistle to Ephesus, the Spirit looks into the church in that locality and speaks to the ones there. The seven Spirits of God are sent forth not only to Ephesus but to the whole earth. The seven epistles in Revelation 2 and 3 are words spoken by the Lord Jesus, but today when we read them, the seven Spirits of God speak these words to us in our spirit for the purpose of God’s administration.
The Lord’s word at the beginning is to a certain local church, but later when the people from all the ages read it, it becomes the Spirit’s speaking to all the churches. Whatever the Lord speaks is recorded in the Bible, but when we read it, the Spirit still must speak it. First, this matter proves that the Lord’s speaking is the Spirit’s speaking and that the Spirit’s speaking is the Lord’s speaking. This indicates that the Spirit is one with the Lord, and the Lord is one with the Spirit. The Lord speaks in the Spirit, through the Spirit, and with the Spirit, because the Lord is the Spirit, and the Spirit is the Lord. Furthermore, although the Lord’s word was already spoken to a certain local church, today when the churches want to hear His word, there is still the need for the Spirit to speak it.
This indicates that the Spirit we have within us is the speaking Spirit. If the Speaker were only Christ and not the speaking Spirit, He would not be able to speak words into our spirit, and His speaking would not be very subjective and touching. But as our experience testifiies, if when we read these epistles, we are open in our spirit to Him, the Spirit will immediately speak something of Christ into us. Because the Speaker is not the outward, objective Christ but the inward, subjective Spirit, He speaks not only in the black and white letters of the Bible but also in our spirit. Once we hear His speaking, something indelible is wrought into us, and nothing can take it away. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 4221-4222)
Day 2
Verses: Rev. 1:10 I was in spirit on the Lord’s Day and heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet. 12 And I turned to see the voice that spoke with me; and when I turned, I saw seven golden lampstands. The speaking of the Spirit always turns us to the infusing of Christ…If we listen to His speaking, we will immediately be under Christ’s transfusing and infusing, and we will be immersed into Christ. Today the seven Spirits are speaking to the churches, and anyone who has an ear and listens to this speaking will be turned to Christ’s infusing. Whenever we listen to the speaking of the seven Spirits of God to the churches, we are immediately under a precious, sweet, and dear transfusing, an infusing that changes us, transforms us, makes us the proper material, and builds us into God’s building. Whatever must go to the lake of fiire is burned away by the seven lamps, and now we are under the seven eyes, being infused with all that Christ is in order that we may become part of the New Jerusalem. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, p. 4222)
Because the Spirit today is speaking to the churches, we need to be in the churches in order to be rightly positioned to hear the Spirit’s speaking…Even though the believers in the churches are in a position to hear the Spirit’s speaking and thus can easily have ears to hear, not all of them will closely follow His speaking. Hence, there is the call for the overcomers…Overcomers are produced by having an ear that can hear, and the ear to hear is produced through the Spirit’s speaking to the churches…Those who have an ear to hear what the Spirit says to the churches should hear, and those who hear will be overcomers. Each epistle was written to a particular church in a certain locality, yet all the seven epistles conclude in the same way—with the Spirit speaking to all the churches.
This means that each epistle was written to all the churches, and it indicates that all the churches should be the same…All the churches should listen to the word that the apostles have received of God, which is the teaching of the New Testament. In Revelation 1 we see many titles for the wonderful One—Jesus Christ, the faithful Witness, the Firstborn of the dead, the Ruler of the kings of the earth, the Redeemer, the One who made us a kingdom and priests to His God and Father, the One who comes, and the Son of Man appearing as the High Priest. Yet in chapter 2 we see Christ, the all-inclusive Head, and the speaking Spirit. This means that all that Christ is in chapter 1 has been condensed into the all-inclusive Christ and the speaking Spirit in chapter 2.
In spiritual things, seeing depends on hearing. The writer of Revelation first heard the voice (1:10) and then saw the vision (v. 12). If our ears are dull and cannot hear, then we cannot see (Isa. 6:9-10).
The Jews would not hear the word of the Lord, so they could not see what the Lord was doing according to the new testament (Matt. 13:15; Acts 28:27). The Lord always wants to open our ears to hear His voice (Job 33:14-16; Isa. 50:4-5; Exo. 21:6) that we may see things according to His economy.
The dull ears need to be circumcised (Jer. 6:10; Acts 7:51). The sinners’ ears need to be cleansed with the redeeming blood and anointed with the Spirit (Lev. 14:14, 17, 28). To serve the Lord as priests, we must have our ears cleansed with the redeeming blood (Exo. 29:20; Lev. 8:23-24).
According to Revelation, as the Spirit is speaking to the churches, we all need an opened, circumcised, cleansed, and anointed ear to hear the Spirit’s speaking. We need to both see and hear. Among our physical senses, which is more important—seeing or hearing?…Hearing is deeper than seeing. Thus, we must tell the Lord, “Lord, I need to both see and hear. Have mercy on me, Lord, and grant me eyes to see and ears to hear.” We may have to struggle with the Lord, telling Him that we must be able to both see and hear. (Life- study of Revelation, pp. 116-117)
Day 3
Verses: Rev. 2:25 Nevertheless what you have hold fast until I come. 3:11 I come quickly; hold fast what you have that no one take your crown. . [The churches in Revelation 2 and 3] were seven actual churches in Asia Minor…At that time there were many churches in Asia Minor, but God chose only seven for prophetic representation [1:3]…God chose these seven churches as a prophecy to foretell the pathway the church takes on the earth. The seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3 are divided into two groups. The first three have disappeared, but the last four are still with us today—The first three churches did not receive any promise of the Lord's coming, but the last four all received a promise of the Lord’s coming. They will surely remain until the Lord Jesus comes again. (CWWN, vol. 50, “Messages for Building Up New Believers (3),” pp. 765, 767)
The first is Ephesus. The church in Ephesus refers to the period of church history during the end of the first century, when the book of Revelation was written. When John wrote the book of Revelation, the condition of the church was like that of the first church—Ephesus. The second church is Smyrna. The church in Smyrna is a picture of the condition of the church under ten periods of persecution in the Roman Empire from the second century after John’s death to the early part of the fourth century…During this period of time, the church suffered great persecution. The third church is the church in Pergamos. It began with Constantine’s acceptance of Christianity as the state religion at the beginning of the fourth century in A.D. 313.
The fourth church is Thyatira. After the Caesar of Rome accepted Christianity as the state religion, he promoted Christianity and propped it up with his political power. Prior to this, the Roman Empire exercised its political power to suppress Christianity. Then it began to exercise its political power to support Christianity. Consequently, Christianity was not only married to the world but even exalted above the world. Five of the seven churches were rebuked. One did not receive a rebuke, and one received only praise. The one which received only praise was Philadelphia…Laodicea is a distorted Philadelphia. When brotherly love is gone, Philadelphia immediately turns into the opinions of many.
This is the meaning of the word Laodicea…In the eyes of the Lord, the characteristics of Laodicea are lukewarmness and spiritual pride…Brothers and sisters, if you want to continue in the way of Philadelphia, remember to humble yourselves before God. Those around us may be full of death, but we do not need to be conscious of the fact that we are full of life. Those around us may be poor, but we do not need to be conscious of the fact that we are rich.
Those who live before the Lord will not be conscious of their own riches. May the Lord be merciful to us that we may learn to live before Him. Laodicea means to know everything, but in reality to be fervent about nothing. In name it has everything, but it cannot sacrifiice its life for anything. It remembers its former glory but forgets its present condition before God. Formerly, it was Philadelphia; today it is Laodicea. Today every child of God has to choose the pathway he should take with regard to the church.
We must learn to stand on the ground of Philadelphia. Always keep the Lord’s word and never deny His name. Hold fast the brotherly stand and never be proud!…Once you are proud, you become Laodicea and are no longer Philadelphia!…Which way do you want to take? May God bless His children and may the brothers take the upright path with regard to the church. (CWWN, vol. 50, “Messages for Building Up New Believers (3),” pp. 765-766, 768, 783-787)
Day 4
Verses: Rev. 3:7 …These things says the Holy One, the true One, the One who has the key of David, the One who opens and no one will shut, and shuts and no one opens. Isa. 22:22 And I will set the key of the house of David upon his shoulder— when he opens, no one will shut; when he shuts, no one will open. To the church in Philadelphia, the Lord is…the One who has “the key of David” (Rev. 3:7), the key of the kingdom, with authority to open and to shut. Here we need to consider the meaning of the term the key of David. According to Genesis 1, when God created man, He gave him dominion over all creatures. This indicates that in God’s intention man is to be the power representing God on earth. Due to the fall, however, man lost this power and has never fully recovered it. Man has not regained dominion on earth to represent God. The image and dominion revealed in Genesis 1 are—fulfiilled in the temple and the city. In the temple we have God’s presence for His expression, and in the city we have God’s dominion. God’s king is in the city representing Him as he rules on earth. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 4199-4200)
The key held by David is the key of God’s entire dominion. God’s dominion includes the whole universe, particularly mankind…David represents God in establishing God’s kingdom on earth…The real David is Christ, the greater David (Matt. 12:1-8). He is the One who built God’s temple, the church, and established God’s kingdom (16:18-19). Revelation 3:7 also says that Christ is the One who “opens and no one will shut, and shuts and no one opens.” He opens and shuts because the universal key, the key of God’s economy, is in His hand. The Lord uses this key to deal with the church.
As the One who has the key of David…, the Lord has given the recovered church an opened door, which no one can shut. Through the years, the Lord’s recovery has experienced the Lord as such a One. Since the recovery of the proper church life began in the early part of the nineteenth century, a door has always been opened wide to the Lord’s recovery. From the beginning of the recovery of the proper church life, Satan, the enemy of God, tried his best to shut the door…In spite of much opposition, today the door is open worldwide. The key is in the hand of the Head of the church; it is not in the hand of the opposers.
Hymns, #541…speaks of the things that replace Christ, such as the law of letters, philosophy, and religion. All these things are really “Shebnas” that replace Christ. According to Isaiah 22, Shebna was "fiired" and replaced by Eliakim as the steward over the king's house. Darby said that Shebna typifiies a false Christ. He should be removed and replaced by Christ. Christ should not be replaced by us. Instead, we should be replaced by Christ. All of us are “Shebnas” who should be removed and replaced by the real Eliakim. Christ, our Eliakim, should replace everything and everyone in God’s economy. Christ has a big key to open the treasury of all His riches. When He opens the treasury, no one will shut.
When He shuts the treasury, no one will open. Christ is the One who can open up to us all the riches of God embodied in Him. He can also shut the door to these riches…His opening and His shutting are all for one thing—the enjoyment of His riches as the treasure. I believe the direct application of Isaiah 22:22 is this—Christ has the key to control the door of God’s treasury, in which are the riches of God in Christ for our enjoyment. We have experienced both His opening of these riches to us and His shutting up of these riches. When He shuts up these riches, we have the feeling of being dried up or inwardly deprived. Our experience indicates that Christ is the One who has the key to all His riches. (Life-study of Isaiah, 2nd ed., pp. 293-295)
Day 5
Verses: Rev. 3:16 So, because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I am about to spew you out of My mouth. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, then I will come in to him and dine with him and he with Me. Christ is the One who will dine with the overcomers and give the overcomers to sit with Him on His throne as He overcame and sat with His Father on His throne. [In Revelation 3:21] to overcome is to overcome the lukewarmness and pride of the degraded recovered church [vv. 16-17], to pay the price to buy the needed items (gold, white garments, and eyesalve) [v. 18], and to open the door so that the Lord can come in and dine with those who open the door [v. 20]. The Lord as the Head of the church is standing outside the degraded church, knocking at her door…The door is the door of the church, but the door is opened by individual believers. The church in Laodicea has knowledge but does not have the Lord’s presence. The Lord is dealing with the whole church, but the acceptance of the Lord’s dealing must be a personal matter. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 4215-4216)
Although we love the Lord and consistently pray and attend the meetings, we may not be willing to practically pay a price, and in the end we become lukewarm…Even though He is in our spirit, we often shut Him outside the door. For instance, we shut Him outside the door of our emotion. Our spirit is like a prison in which we keep the Lord. Therefore, the Lord has no way to enter into our inner chambers and into our heart. The Lord is standing and knocking in our cold spirit, longing to enter into our heart and our emotion. The Lord desires to have mutual enjoyment with us. In Revelation 3:20 the Lord also said that, after He comes in to him who opens the door, He will dine with him and he with Him.
According to the Greek, the word dine signifies the principal meal of the day at evening. To dine is not merely to eat one item of food but to partake of the riches of a meal. This may imply the fulfillment of the type of the children of Israel eating the rich produce of the good land of Canaan (Josh. 5:10-12). During the yearly feasts the children of Israel feasted with God, and God feasted with them. Whenever the Israelites had a feast, they ate with God, offering what they were eating to God and letting God eat with them.
In like manner, the Lord says that He will dine with us and that we will dine with Him. The dining promised here is not only for the future but also for today. If we are an overcomer, we will have the special privilege of eating with the Lord when He comes in the kingdom. Before that day, however, we may enjoy His dining with us. In Revelation 2 and 3, we [can] see that the Lord exalts the eating of Himself, the taking in of Himself as our life supply, that we may grow, be transformed, and be the same as He is.
In His promises concerning the reward to the overcomers in the seven churches, Christ is considered as the tree of life, the hidden manna, and the feast for us to enjoy with Him. This corresponds to the three stages of eating by God’s people in the Old Testament. God’s people were destined to eat the tree of life, God’s redeemed people were given to eat the manna while wandering in the wilderness, and in the good land they had a feast three times a year on Mount Zion to enjoy the rich produce of the land.
These three stages of eating are repeated in Revelation, the concluding book of the Bible, as rewards promised to the overcomers, to whom Christ will be the tree of life, the hidden manna, and the rich produce of the good land. This is altogether for our enjoyment of Christ…Through our enjoyment of Christ, we may be constituted with Him. Eventually, we will be mingled with Him in our constitution as one entity in order to express Him as the New Jerusalem. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 4216-4217)