The Christian Life, the Church Life, the Consummation of the Age, and the Coming of the Lord
Message One
The Consummation of the Age — the Age of Mystery
OPENING WORD OF THE PROPHESYING MEETING
Reading the verses in each day.
Reading the main points in the outlines.
Pray-reading the verses:
Matt. 28:20 …And behold, I am with you all the days until the consummation of the age.
Rev. 10:7 But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel when he is about to trumpet, then the mystery of God is finished…
Eph. 3:8-9 To me, less than the least of all saints, was this grace given to announce to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ as the gospel and to enlighten all that they may see what the economy of the mystery is, which throughout the ages has been hidden in God, who created all things.
Word of Appetizer
What is the consummation of the age?
In Matthew 28:20 the consummation of the age indicates the end of the church age, which is the age of grace.Because we hope to be raptured, we expect the Lord to be with us until the end of this age, not until the close of the age. At the close of the age, the Lord will descend to the earth and place His feet on the Mount of Olives. Before this takes place, there will be a period of time which the Bible calls the consummation of the age, a period of time which will last three and a half years.
Spiritual Burden
During the church age, the age of mystery, Christ is building up the church, the Body of Christ, to be His bride;Today we must announce the gospel concerning the mystery hidden in God in order to enlighten all so that they may see what is the economy of the mystery hidden in God, who created all things for the fulfillment of His will, the desire of His heart, and His eternal purpose.
CONCLUDING WORD OF THE PROPHESYING MEETING
The Revelation of the Truth
I am with you all the days until the consummation of the age.
The present age — the age of grace, the age of the church — is the age of mystery;In the dispensation from the incarnation of Christ to the millennial kingdom — the church age, the age of grace — everything is a mystery.
The age of mystery is the age of faith;God’s mysteries are known by faith; for this reason the age of mystery is also the age of faith;Faith is the unique way for God to carry out His New Testament economy with man.
The Experience of Life
The more we experience Christ, the more He is dispensed into us. The dispensing of His riches into us is the economy of the mystery. Something eternal, mysterious, and incomprehensible yet sweet, rich, and high has been dispensed into our being and makes us joyful, living, powerful, loving, and lovable.
After the Lord Jesus has been infused into us, He spontaneously becomes our faith;Through faith in Christ Jesus, we are brought into an organic union with Christ; in this organic union we experience Christ and live Christ.
Practice and Application
Today we must announce the gospel concerning the mystery hidden in God in order to enlighten all so that they may see what is the economy of the mystery hidden in God.
We must exercise our God-given faith.The more we believe that Christ is in us and is making His home in us, the happier we are and the more living we are….The more we believe that the divine Spirit indwells, works, moves, and operates in our spirit, the happier we are….We must have a complete faith and full assurance that we have a spirit and that the Spirit of God indwells us.
PROPHESYING TOPICS—
TWELVE TOPICS PER WEEK
Day 1
T1: The Greek phrase [for the term the end of the age] can also be translated “the completion of the age” (Matt. 28:20).
(Please explain that the end of the age denotes the three and a half years of the great tribulation that will terminate this age.)
T2: When the seventh angel is about to trumpet, the mystery of God will be finished (Rev. 10:7).
(Illustrate that everything is a mystery in the dispensation from Christ to the millennial kingdom.)
Day 2
T1: The mystery of the universe is God (Gen. 1:1; Rom. 1:20).
(Please explain that the universe would be empty if we had the universe without God.)
T2: The mystery of God is Christ (Col. 2:2).
(Please explain that God is in Christ and apart from Christ, people could never find God.)
Day 3
T1: The mystery of Christ (Eph. 3:4; Col. 1:27).
(Illustrate why in history there has never been a name so wonderful as Jesus Christ.)
T2: The church is the mystery of Christ (Eph. 3:4-6; Col. 1:27).
(Please explain that this mystery, which was hidden throughout the ages, has been revealed in the New Testament.)
Day 4
T1: The dispensing of Christ’s riches into us is the economy of the mystery (Eph. 3:8-9).
(What is the economy of the mystery?)
T2: To enlighten all that they may see what the economy of the mystery is, which has been hidden in God (Eph. 3:8-9).
(How did Paul preach the gospel concerning the economy of the mystery hidden in God?)
Day 5
T1: God’s requirement for us related to everything in the New Testament economy is faith (Heb 11:6).
(Illustrate in your own experience that everything spiritual is apprehended by faith.)
T2: The age of mystery is the age of faith (Heb. 11:6; 1 Tim. 3:9).
(Please Explain that anything that is apprehended by faith is a mystery.)
Day 6
T1: In the whole universe there are two categories of things: the visible things and the invisible things (Col. 1:16; 2 Cor. 4:18).
(Illustrate that God is invisible and the entire universe is under His control.）
T2: Faith is the divine element infused into our being by the Spirit through the word of God (Heb. 11:1).
(Illustrate according to your own experience what faith is.)
