Crystallization-Study of Ezekiel (1)
Message Eight
The Man on the Throne
Opening Word of the Prophesying Meeting
Reading the verses in each day.
Reading the main points in the outlines.
Pray-reading the verses:
And above the expanse that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, like the appearance of a sapphire stone; and upon the likeness of the throne was One in appearance like a man, above it…like the sight of electrum, like the appearance of fire encased all around…And there was brightness all around Him—Ezek. 1:26-27.
…much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ—Rom. 5:17.
Word of Appetizer
Why does God desire to bring us to the throne?
God desires to bring us to the throne because of the rebellion of Satan against God’s throne.
The greatest difficulty God faces in the universe is that His throne has been opposed and attacked by rebel forces. God’s intention is to cast Satan down and to redeem many of those taken captive by Satan and to bring them to His throne. God desires to manifest Himself through man and to reign through man.
Spiritual Burden
Through His crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension, the Lord Jesus was brought to the throne，and he is the Pioneer and Forerunner, the Lord Jesus cut the path to the throne and led the way to the throne so that we may follow for the fulfillment of God’s desire to bring us to the throne
Concluding Word of the Prophesying Meeting
The Revelation of the Truth
In the Bible there is a mysterious thought concerning the relationship between God and man.
In Ezekiel 1:26 the One on the throne has the appearance of a man. Through His crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension, the Lord Jesus was brought to the throne; God’s intention is to work on man in order that man can be on the throne.
In order to be brought to the throne, we need to experience the humanity of Jesus with its virtues and to reign in life.
The Experience of Life
As believers, we have Christ with all His human virtues dwelling in us to be our humanity . As we live under the Lord’s ruling and experience Christ’s humanity, we will never be out of balance; rather, everything will be properly proportioned.
When we are under the ruling of the divine life, we have the sense that we are enthroned as kings to reign over all things.
Practice and Application
In order to be brought to the throne, we need to
Have the proper human virtues—humanity of Jesus. We need to eat Christ as the meal offering to become the reproduction of Christ and to live the life of a God-man.
If we would reign in life, we need to continually receive the abundance of grace. We need to come again and again to the divine source and open ourselves from the depths of our being to be filled with God as grace.
Using Key Verses to Have a Bird’s-Eye View over the Whole Outline
Key Verses (1)
And God said, Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them have dominion over…—Gen. 1:26.
…and upon the likeness of the throne was One in appearance like a man, above it. Then I saw something like the sight of electrum, like the appearance of fire encased all around, from the appearance of His loins and upward; and from the appearance of His loins and downward, I saw something like the appearance of fire. And there was brightness all around Him—Ezek. 1:26-27.
The relationship between God and man—the resemblances between God and man in their images and likenesses
The one who is on the throne—not only God but also man; He is the God-man
I. In the Bible there is a mysterious thought concerning the relationship between God and man:
. The resemblances between God and man in their images and likenesses, God created man according to God’s kind.
.God became a man to produce God-man kind; as believers in Christ, we are God-man kind, God-men.
II. In Ezekiel 1:26 the One on the throne has the appearance of a man:
.The One sitting on the throne is not only God but also man; He is the God-man, the man-God, the mingling of God and man.
.There is a connection between Ezekiel 1:26 and Genesis 1:26; God created man in His image to express Him and with His authority to represent Him;
.The appearance of the man on the throne has two aspects; His upper part, from the loins upward, looks like electrum(nature and disposition) , and His lower part, from the loins downward, looks like fire(moving) .
Key Verses (2)
Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made Him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you have crucified—Acts 2:36.
He who overcomes, to him I will give to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat with My Father on His throne—Rev. 3:21.
Through His crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension, the Lord Jesus was brought to the throne
God’s intention is to work on man in order that man can be on the throne
III. Through His crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension, the Lord Jesus was brought to the throne:
God has always been the Lord, but now a man is on the throne as the Lord.
As the Pioneer and Forerunner, the Lord Jesus cut the path to the throne and led the way to the throne.
IV. God’s intention is to work on man in order that man can be on the throne.
God desires to manifest Himself through man and to reign through man.
God’s goalis to bring us to the throne; His desire is to make us people of the throne.
God desires to bring us to the throne because of the rebellion of Satan against God’s throne.
The overcomers will be on the throne with Christ as His co-kings.
Key Verses (3)
I beseech you therefore, I, the prisoner in the Lord, to walk worthily of the calling with which you were called, With all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, bearing one another in love—Eph. 4:1-2.
…much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ—Rom. 5:17.
Experience the humanity of Jesus with its virtues and to reign in life
V. In order to be brought to the throne, we need to experience the humanity of Jesus with its virtues and to reign in life.
.If we would have the proper human virtues, we need the humanity of Jesus；We need to eat Christ as the meal offering to become the reproduction of Christ and to live the life of a God-man.
.God’s complete salvation is for us to reign in life by the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness.
Prophesying Topics—Twelve Topics per Week
D1
T1 God’s desire is to become the same as man is and to make man the same as He is (Gen. 1:26)
(Please explain that God’s intention is to mingle Himself with man and thereby make Himself like man and make man like Him.)
T2 In God’s creation there was no mankind; there was only man as God’s kind (John 12:24)
(Please explain that as believers in Christ, we are God-man kind, God-men.)
D2
T1 The One on the throne looks like a man, yet with Him there is the appearance of the glory of Jehovah (Ezek. 1:26-27)
(Please explain that the Lord on the throne is not only the mighty God but is also a man.)
T2 The One sitting on the throne has the appearance of a man (Ezek. 1:26) (Refer to Outlines II. B. 1-2)
(Please explain that what the twofold significance are to the fact that the One sitting on the throne here has the appearance of a man.)
D3
T1 Jesus is Lord (Acts 2:36)
(As man, when was Jesus made the Lord?)
T2 As the Pioneer and Forerunner, the Lord Jesus cut the path to the throne and led the way to the throne (Heb. 6:20; 2:10)
(Please explain that God intends to bring us into glory and to set us on the throne.)
D4
T1 God’s intention is to work on man in order that man can be on the throne (Heb. 2:10)
(How can we allow God to work in us and on us to qualify us for kingship?)
T2 God will not be satisfied until we are on the throne (Psa. 8:6-8)
(Why does God desire to bring us to the throne?)
D5
T1 We must have the proper human virtues (Eph. 4:1-2)
(Please explain that first Corinthians 6:9-10, Galatians 5:19-21, and Ephesians 5:3-5 are verses that show us the humanity which is not fit for God’s kingdom.)
T2 There is a proper daily life and church life in the humanity of Jesus (Eph. 4:1-2)
(Please explain that if we would have the proper human virtues, we need the humanity of Jesus.)
D6
T1 Reigning in the divine life (Rom. 5:17)
(Please take the Lord Jesus as example to explain that to reign in life is to be under the ruling of the divine life.)
T2 Reign in life by grace (Rom. 5:17, 21)
(Please use experience to explain that only when we are filled with grace can we experience the reigning of grace.)
