Experiencing, Enjoying, and Expressing Christ (4)
Message Six
Christ, the Eternal King, Coming to Possess the Earth and the Finishing of the Mystery of God
THE EXTRACT OF THE OUTLINES
Scripture reading:
Rev. 11:15 And the seventh angel trumpeted; and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign forever and ever.
I. Revelation 11:15-18 and 12:10 indicate that we may experience and enjoy Christ as the eternal King: (Monday)
A. “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign forever and ever”; here the Lord’s reigning forever and ever is the Lord’s reigning in the millennial kingdom and in the new heaven and new earth for eternity—11:15b; 22:5.
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B. In the New Jerusalem, God will be fully unveiled in His person as the eternal King and in His government as His eternal, unshakable kingdom; both of which are the unshakable foundation of His dealing with His people—Lam. 5:19; Heb. 12:28; Rev. 22:3. (Tuesday)
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II. In Revelation 10:1-7 we have a clear vision of Christ coming to take possession of the earth: (Wednesday)
A. In this chapter Christ is “another strong Angel” (v. 1), like the One in 7:2; 8:3; and 18:1—10:1.
B. Christ is “clothed with a cloud”; to be “on the cloud” is to come openly, whereas to be “clothed with a cloud” is to come secretly; even at the time of Revelation 10, Christ’s coming is still secret—v. 1b.
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C. “His face was like the sun”; near the time of His coming to the people on the earth openly, Christ will be like the sun, not like the morning star, which appears before the darkest time, prior to dawn, to those who love Him and wait for Him—v. 1d. (Thursday)
D. “He placed His right foot on the sea and the left on the land”; Christ’s placing His feet on the sea and on the land is His treading on them, and to tread on them is to take possession of them; this indicates that Christ is coming down to take possession of the earth; only He is worthy to open the scroll of God’s economy, and only He is qualified to possess the earth—v. 2b; Deut. 11:24; Josh. 1:3; Psa. 8:6-8.
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III. “The mystery of God is finished”—Rev. 10:7b: (Friday)
A. In the dispensation from Christ to the millennial kingdom—the church age, the age of grace—everything is a mystery; the incarnation of Christ, as the beginning of the dispensation of mystery, is a mystery; through the incarnation of Christ, the infinite God was brought into a finite man; the entire God, not God the Son only, was incarnated; hence, Christ in incarnation is the entire God manifested in the flesh—1 Tim. 3:16.
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B. Christ is the mystery of God; as the mystery of God, Christ is the embodiment, definition, and explanation of God; in Christ dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; that is, the fullness of the Triune God dwells in Christ in a bodily form—Col. 2:2, 9. (Saturday)
C. The church is the mystery of Christ; this mystery is God’s economy, which is to dispense Christ, as the embodiment of God, into God’s chosen people in order to produce a Body to be the increase of God’s embodiment in Christ, that God may have a corporate expression—Eph. 3:4-6.
D. At the trumpeting of the seventh trumpet, all these mysteries will be completed; therefore, the mystery of God will be finished—Rev. 10:7; 1 Cor. 15:51-52.
OPENING WORD OF THE PROPHESYING MEETING
Reading the verses in each day.
Reading the main points in the outlines.
Pray-reading the verses:
The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign forever and ever—Rev. 11:15.
But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel when he is about to trumpet, then the mystery of God is finished, as He has announced the good news to His own slaves the prophets—Rev. 10:7.
Word of Appetizer
When will Christ, the eternal King, come to possess the earth and complete the mystery of God?
In Revelation 10:1-7, we can clearly see that Christ is coming to possess the earth.
Revelation 11:15…indicates that after God has judged the earth, the earth will be taken over by God and returned to God, so that Christ will reign in His kingdom on this earth forever and ever…. The Lord will reign in the millennium and in the new heaven and new earth forever and ever.
From [Revelation 10:7] we see that the mystery of God is completed at the time of the voice of the seventh trumpet…. When the seventh angel sounds his trumpet, the mystery of God will be finished.
Spiritual Burden
The age from Christ to the millennium—the age of the church, the age of grace—is altogether a mystery; when the seventh trumpet sounds, all these mysteries will be brought to completion; thus, the mystery of God is finished.
Christ is a mystery; the church as the Body of Christ expressing Christ is the mystery of Christ. This mystery is God’s economy, which is to dispense Christ, the embodiment of God, into God’s chosen people to produce a Body as the increase of the embodiment of God in Christ for God to have a corporate expression.
Concluding Word of the Prophesying Meeting
The Revelation of the Truth
Revelation 11:15-18 and 12:10 indicate that we can experience and enjoy Christ as the eternal King.
In Revelation 10:1-7, we can clearly see that Christ is coming to possess the earth.
“The mystery of God is finished.”
The Experience of Life
Lam. 3:22-23 It is of Jehovah’s lovingkindness that we are not consumed, for His compassions do not fail; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.
To reign forever and ever is the ultimate blessing of God’s redeemed people in eternity. This reigning is what we enjoy now through the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness.
In the New Jerusalem, God will be fully revealed in His person and in His administration, which are the unshakable foundations of God’s dealing with us. At that time, we will see God Himself, the eternal King, and His eternal, unshakable kingdom.
Practice and Application
We need to remember that we are members of the royal family, kings in a royal family; even when we eat in a restaurant, we should remember that we are kings eating there. We are kings with a heavenly birth. Therefore, we should never sell our royal status. If we view ourselves as kings, we will not act rashly, speak casually, or behave despicably. We can even preach the gospel with this perspective. We can tell people that we are kings. Then we can begin to preach the gospel, saying, “The Bible tells me that since I am a child of God, I am a king.” There are many ways to preach the gospel, and we need this kind of vital gospel preaching.
PROPHESYING TOPICS—TWELVE TOPICS PER WEEK
Day 1
T1 When the Age of the Kingdom Comes, the Whole Earth Will Be the Kingdom of Christ (Rev. 11:15; 10:1-2; Matt. 13:44)
(Based on the verses for this T, Please illustrate that only Christ is the legal owner of this earth.)
T2 To Reign Forever and Ever Is the Ultimate Blessing of God’s Redeemed in Eternity (Rev. 11:15; 22:5)
(Please illustrate that if we see ourselves as kings, we will not act rashly, speak casually, or be vile.)
Day 2
T1 God’s Mercies Do Not Fail, Because He Is the Faithful One (Lam. 3:22-23)
(Please illustrate that God’s faithfulness refers to His word.)
T2 God’s Salvation Is in His Love (John 3:16; Rom. 1:17)
(Please illustrate that God’s love and grace may change, but God’s righteousness cannot change.)
Day 3
T1 Christ Is Coming (Rev. 10:1; 14:14)
(Please illustrate that Christ’s coming with a cloud is public, and His being clothed with a cloud is secret.)
T2 Christ, in Judging the Earth and Coming to Possess It, Keeps the Covenant God Made with Noah Concerning the Earth (Rev. 10:1; 4:3)
(Please illustrate what the rainbow around His throne signifies.)
Day 4
T1 Christ’s Placing His Feet on the Sea and on the Land Is to Possess the Sea and the Land (Rev. 10:2-3)
(Please illustrate that only Christ is worthy to open the scroll of God’s economy, and only He is qualified to possess the earth.)
T2 Christ Cried Out with a Loud Voice, as a Lion Roars (Rev. 10:2-3)
(Please illustrate that in the Gospels, Christ spoke like a lamb, but in Revelation 10, He roared like a lion.)
Day 5
T1 When the Seventh Angel Sounds His Trumpet, the Mystery of God Is Finished (Rev. 10:7; 1 Tim. 3:16)
(Illustrating with examples that from Christ to the Millennium, everything is a mystery.)
T2 In Incarnation, Christ Is God Manifested in the Flesh (1 Tim. 3:16)
(Please illustrate that Christ manifested in the flesh is not only the Son but the entire God—Father, Son, and Spirit.)
Day 6
T1 The Mystery of the Universe Is God; the Mystery of God Is Christ; the Mystery of Christ Is the Church (Col. 2:2; Eph. 3:4)
(Please illustrate that the church is actually the mystery within the mystery, because the church is the mystery of the third stage.)
T2 The Mystery of God Is Christ; the Mystery of Christ Is the Church (Col. 2:2; Eph. 3:4)
(Please illustrate the two main mysteries of the economy of God as revealed in the New Testament.)
