"Thus saith
the Lord God: This is Jerusalem: I have set her in the
midst of the nations, and countries are round about
her" (Ezekiel 5:5).
We have traced
Jerusalem from Melchizedek, king of Salem, to David, the
great king, and then on to the Book of the Revelation, to
the New Jerusalem. The government is always in the
heavens. That fact is set forth in types and symbols, and
in many other ways, and is also directly declared to be
the case.
The Word of God also
teaches that there is a place in that government reserved
for certain saints. It is clear that the Throne of God
can be shared, and the first sharer of that throne is the
Lord Jesus. But He offers the same privilege to certain
saints, telling them that on certain conditions - the
same conditions as those upon which He shares His
Father's throne - they shall share His throne. Thus a
place is reserved in the ultimate government of this
world for certain saints.
The figure used in
connection with government is the figure of a city, out
from which the government goes forth, and we know that
city to be a people, not merely a place. Everything by
which that city or people is constituted is heavenly. It
is the nature which gives the place and the power. The
nature is the heavenliness of everything.
In the Book of the
Revelation we have a certain city spoken of as MYSTERY
BABYLON. That means, of course, that it is not the
literal historic Babylon of this world, the city built by
men in a literal way, but MYSTERY BABYLON is a spiritual
Babylon, a people whose characteristics are moral and
spiritual elements of Babylon. Knowing as we do what came
in a moral and a spiritual way from the literal Babylon,
we have very little difficulty in identifying MYSTERY
BABYLON. The point is this, that this is Satan's
counterfeit of God's city, the MYSTERY JERUSALEM. The
word "mystery" used in this connection means
something which does not appear on the surface. There is
an expression seen, but the real thing is behind, and can
only be discerned by spiritual intelligence. It is true
of MYSTERY BABYLON. It is true of MYSTERY JERUSALEM.
MYSTERY BABYLON is the great snare, deception, and trap
of religious history, and all who get into the toils of
MYSTERY BABYLON are deceived and blinded in a most
terrible way. They can even resort to the most ghastly
things known in history and think they do God service. We
need not mention the name by which MYSTERY BABYLON is
known to us.
What is true of MYSTERY
BABYLON on the side of Satan, is true of MYSTERY
JERUSALEM on the side of God, in the heavenly and
glorious sense that therein are gathered up all those
things which are hidden from the wise and the prudent,
things hidden from the world and open only to those who
have a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge
of Him.
In the letter to the
Ephesians, which, as we know, has the Church wholly in
view, there are, at least by inference, all the metaphors
which are used of the Church in the Word of God. The main
metaphor in this letter, as we know, is
1. The Body.
Then we further have
2. The House.
3. The Temple.
4. The City.
5. The Ecclesia, or Called-out Company.
6. The Family.
7. The One New Man.
8. The Bride.
All these metaphors are
in Ephesians. They are the various aspects of the one
Church.
THE BODY:
Chapter 1 verse 23; 3:6; the whole of chapter 4.
THE HOUSE:
chapter 2 verse 19.
(In that connection I would suggest you follow through
the words "Father" and "child" in
this letter)
THE TEMPLE:
Chapter 2 verse 22.
THE CITY:
Chapter 2 verse 19; 3:18. (That carries your thought
forward to the Book of the Revelation, the city which
lieth foursquare; the breadth, the height, and the length
thereof are equal.)
THE
ECCLESIA:
Take every reference to the "Church."
THE
FAMILY:
Chapter 3 verse 15.
THE ONE NEW MAN:
Chapter 2:15; 4:13,24.
THE BRIDE:
Chapter 5:25-28, 31-32.
So you see there are
eight metaphors of the Church in this letter, and there
are other inferences in the letter which you might do
well to trace out.
The point to which we
come is that there are three things which stand out in
this inclusive presentation of the Church.
1.
The Mystery.
The first is the
mystery. That word, as you know, is peculiarly
characteristic of the letter to the Ephesians. Paul
writes about the mystery of His will; "...made known
unto us the mystery of his will..." "...made known unto me the
mystery..." "...the fellowship of the
mystery..." "This is a great mystery...";
and finally, "the mystery of the gospel...."
While the phrase
MYSTERY JERUSALEM does not occur in the Scriptures, it is
clear that Jerusalem is the Church, and that the Church
coming so fully into view in this letter to the Ephesians
is related immediately and intimately to the mystery. So
that the Church as the City, and the City as the Church,
is the mystery, and, as we have just pointed out, the
significance of the word "mystery" is that it
is something which can only be known by revelation. It
cannot be apprehended by any natural faculties whatsoever
- the mystery, something to be revealed. It has always
existed. Let us be clear about that. The Church, the
MYSTERY JERUSALEM, can only be known by revelation of the
Holy Spirit. It exists now. But the Church is still a
hidden thing to this world. That is said deliberately, in
spite of all the publicity, all the demonstration, all
the effort that is made to impress the world with its
existence. In spite of that the true Church is still
hidden from the eyes of the world. The City is not seen
by this world. The revelation, the unveiling of the
mystery, has come only to the saints, not to the world,
and has come by revelation of the Holy Ghost. The
remarkable thing is this, that you can still hold the New
Testament in your hand, that you can hold this very
letter to the Ephesians in your hand, and be able to
recite it from the first to the last verse, and know all
its terms, and all that it says, and still have the veil
over the eyes of your hearts as to what the Church is. It
needs a revelation by the Holy Spirit for one to see it.
2.
The Heavenliness of Everything.
The second thing, which
is clearly here alongside of the mystery, is the
heavenliness of everything. Just as "mystery"
is found these six or seven times in the letter to the
Ephesians, so the "heavenlies" are the
outstanding feature of the letter. That points plainly to
the heavenly nature of the City, the Church. We merely
state that once more, without dwelling upon it, as that
is what is especially before us in our meditation, and we
come back to it again and again.
3.
The Governmental Feature.
The third thing which
is here in this letter in relation to the Church, and for
our present purposes the Church as "the City which
hath foundations," is the governmental feature. In
this letter you have those things which clearly indicate
that, by reason of the heavenliness and spirituality of
this people who constitute this City, this Church, there
is a strong governmental factor. Look at one or two
passages in this connection.
Ephesians 1:21-22:
"Far above all rule, and authority and power, and
dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this
world, but also in that which is to come: And he put all
things in subjection under his feet, and gave him to be
head over all things to the church...." That is
where you begin, with the Lord Himself, and in His
capacity as Sovereign Head of the Church.
Chapter 2:6: "And
raised us up with him, and made us to sit with him in the
heavenly places, in Christ Jesus." So that in what
He is, as well as where He is, is our privileged union.
We are seen to be in spiritual union with Him, not only
where He is in the heavenlies, but in what He is as in
the heavenlies, far above all rule and authority, power
and dominion, and so on. The Church is linked with Him in
that position.
Chapter 3:10: "To
the intent that now unto the principalities and the
powers in the heavenly places might be made known through
the church the manifold wisdom of God." That is a
governmental element, is it not? It is quite clear that,
by the Church, God is governing the intelligence of
principalities and powers, impressing the intelligence,
instructing them, making known His many-sided wisdom.
Chapter 6 from verse
12. Here in the heavenlies, while the Church is seen in
conflict, in wrestling, it is also seen in power. This is
not a conflict to get advantage, to get ascendency, but
rather, to express ascendency, to express the fact that
these principalities and powers have been defeated and
are subject to Christ and to His Church as in the
heavenlies.
We need to make a
comparison at this point between Ephesians 6 and
Revelation 12. In Ephesians 6 the Church is seen to be in
conflict with the principalities and powers in the
heavenlies. In Revelation 12 the case is that of a
company being met by a mighty onslaught of the evil one,
the forces of darkness, and then hurling those forces
down out of the heavenlies, and assuming fully and
finally the place of government in the sphere where those
forces have been in action. It is the end of the
conflict, the great final battle with the enemy, in which
he is hurled from his place in the air, or in the
heavenlies. It is good to pass the eye on from Ephesians
6 to Revelation 12. In Ephesians 6 you see the conflict
going on, the age-long conflict. In Revelation 12 you see
that conflict reaching its climax, and the issue is that
those forces which in Ephesians 6 are still in the
heavenlies are cast out of the heavenlies and no more
place is found for them, and the Church is left in the
heavenlies, in full occupation, in a governmental
position in the throne.
The
Factor of Election.
There is one other
factor which is clearly seen in this letter to the
Ephesians. It is the factor of election, and it is
characteristic of both Jerusalems, the earthly and the
heavenly. "This is Jerusalem: I have set her in the
midst of the nations..." (Ezek. 5:5). That speaks of
Divine appointment, and we know from very much in the Old
Testament that Jerusalem was Divinely chosen, an elect
city, an elect vessel, that under the sovereignty of God
Jerusalem was picked out, appointed, and held for Divine
purposes, though transient. Lifted into the realm of the
great anti-type, that of which the earthly Jerusalem is
but a faint picture, how very much more true that
becomes. In the letter to the Ephesians, speaking of the
Church in its full presentation, there are these
tremendously strong notes upon election: "Chosen in
Him," "Elect," and "Chosen according
to the purpose of His will." God has determined from
eternity that this heavenly Jerusalem shall occupy the
place of government and supremacy.
Ruling
in the Heavens now.
That which is of
supreme importance and value, and which arises out of all
that, is this, there is a link now between the Church and
the heavenly government of this world in relation to the
purpose of God in this dispensation. That sums up
everything. That is clearly what comes out of a right
reading of the letter to the Ephesians alone, but there
is a very great deal more besides that letter to
substantiate the statement.
Firstly, the government
of this world is set in the heavens, and is functioning
now. In spite of all that seems to the contrary it is
functioning now. The Church is seen in a spiritual
relationship with the heavenlies, and is said spiritually
to be seated there now. The Church is therefore in vital
link and association with the governing of this world now
in a spiritual way, unto the purpose of God for this
dispensation. The Church is not linked with the governing
of this world for general purposes, but only in relation
to God's purpose, and we must remember that its
functioning in this governmental union is spiritual, and
is secret. It is not manifest. The Church is not
governing this world manifestly, but there is a
government of it with which the Church is associated now
in secret.
Heavenly
Government as seen in Elisha and Daniel.
The Old Testament is
full of this in illustration. One of the outstanding, if
not the most outstanding, personal types of the Church in
the Old Testament is Elisha, the only prophet who was
ever anointed; the successor of Elijah, receiving the
double portion of the Spirit, and doing the greater
works. He is conspicuously the type of the Church as the
successor of Christ, so to speak, on this earth. Look at
the life of Elisha and see the marvellous expression of
this feature of government; secret, hidden, spiritual
government. There was a league of certain kings. They
came together for purposes of warfare, moved out against
their enemies, and found themselves in difficulty because
there was no water. The story is one which has often
brought its own message of encouragement and inspiration
to our own hearts. "Thus saith the Lord, Make this
valley full of ditches" (2 Kings 3:16). And in the
morning the waters filled all the ditches; it was like a
sea. You know the sequel. The story affords a notable
instance of the heavenly government of a situation. Here
are men who, in spite of faults, were men who represented
God, one of them at least. The situation was critical.
But for some supernatural heavenly ruling, intervention,
there would be an ignominious end. By silent, secret
government of the heavens, brought in through a vessel,
in this instance Elisha, the whole course of things is
changed from tragedy and disaster to glory. No sound,
nothing to see, nothing to hear, but the heavens rule.
Again, the Syrians
would make war. Elisha is sitting in his home, in the
secret place, and sends a message to the king of Israel:
"Beware that thou pass not such a place; for thither
the Syrians are coming down" (2 Kings 6:9). And so
the king of Israel saved himself there, not once nor
twice. The king of Syria said to his war lords:
"Will ye not show me which of us is for the king of
Israel?" (verse 11). The reply, with an intelligence
for which I cannot account, was: "Nay, my lord, O
king, but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, telleth
the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy
bedchamber." You see the secret, silent government,
the undercutting of the enemy, the defeating of him
without the drawing of a sword. This is heavenly
government. The Old Testament is full of that sort of
thing.
The city where the
prophet dwelt is besieged. The prophet and his servant
are in the city, and the servant sees the besieging army
and cries: "Alas, my master! how shall we do?"
Elisha prays: "Lord... open his eyes, that he may
see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and
he saw: and, behold the mountain was full of horses and
chariots of fire round about Elisha." That is
heavenly government. You know the sequel to that.
We pass to the book of
Daniel, and here we should have more than enough to
occupy us, for the whole story is very true to the fact
that the heavens do rule, that God ruleth in the kingdom
of men. Think of Nebuchadnezzar, of his attempts against
the Testimony, and the vessel of the Testimony, and mark
the ruling of the heavens against those attempts of the
mightiest of the kings, this head of gold, the highest of
them all. It is a great thing to think that
Nebuchadnezzar's was the greatest kingdom that this world
has known. All those succeeding empires were of inferior
cast. And yet the heavens ruled in that greatest of the
empires. That rule was being expressed through a little
handful of men right in the midst of the strength of this
opposition to God. Right in the heart of that violent
antagonism to God these few were set; the heavens
expressed their government through an instrument which in
itself was not much. How mighty was that rule! But it was
secret. Where did Daniel rule? In the place of prayer!
Where did Elisha rule? In his own house! There is a
secret, spiritual going forth of heavenly power, heavenly
government, which cannot be explained. There are none of
the outward features of a great empire ruling. It is all
spiritual; it is all hidden. To the natural eye there is
no tracing it. Men only know it as they come into the
sphere of its effect. Rulers and governments set against
the purpose of God: that is one thing. Rulers,
governments, empires, nations set with all their might,
backed up by the powers of darkness, against the purpose
of God, yet the purpose of God being fulfilled, and that
through an instrument which in itself is worth
practically nothing: that is the story.
What is that
instrument? What about its nature, its position?
Everything hangs upon that. It is essentially spiritual.
It is heavenly, in its life, its relationships and all
its resources. That is the city which rules, which
governs, and is destined to govern for eternity. It is a
spiritual people, a heavenly people, with all that word
"heavenly" means.
That implies on the one
hand, that a lack of spirituality, a lack of heavenliness
of life, is the sure way to defeat. We may move out into
this world and find ourselves up against the governments
of this world, up against the rulers of this world, up
against the laws which men have made, and these things
may be dead set against the realisation of God's purpose
in this dispensation. Governments may close and lock
doors, rulers may withstand, decrees may be formed,
nations, countries, may be closed, yet the heavens
continue to rule, and all God's purpose is still
possible. A people in heavenly union with the Lord, by
the exercise of that heavenly function can still be the
instrument of fulfilling God's purpose.
For example, I do not
believe for a moment that the present regime in Russia is
defeating God's end for this dispensation. If the truth
were known, as it will be known one day, probably it is
facilitating God's end. Though terrible may be the way,
and costly, God's end is not being defeated. The heavens
still rule.
Mark you, the heavens
demand an instrument in this world through which to
exercise their rule, and you and I, by absolute
separation from the realm of Satanic power and authority
in a spiritual way, and in complete fellowship and
harmony with the Lord in heaven, can still be
instrumental in fulfilling God's purpose, in spite of
every bit of opposition. Man, as we have said, may close
doors, but God can say: "I have set before thee an
opened door, which no man can shut." Men may forbid
this and that. They may forbid preaching; they may forbid
the printing; they may forbid all sorts of things, and
still things be done. God has secret ways of doing
things, through prayer and real spiritual fellowship with
Him, which are after the character of this Elisha work in
the secret place, without going in person to the scene at
all. But, oh, the importance of being in the place where,
when everything closes along the natural line, the work
is not finished, is not closed! I can believe that
countries will close, and governments will prohibit, and
perhaps missionaries will have to quit. I can believe
that all kinds of things are going to happen as the
result of Satan's last effort to quench the purpose of
God, as he uses man, governments, and peoples against the
Gospel, against the Lord. But I do not believe that God's
purpose will be curtailed thereby, nor do I believe that
the purpose of God is just going to be effected in a
sovereign way direct from heaven. I believe that it is
still to be concluded through those who are in spiritual
union with Him. We may not go into the places, but it
will be done. God has His ways. But even if we do go in,
what can we hope for of real eternal effectiveness,
unless we are in utter union and league with heaven,
unless we have made a complete break with all that is
earthly, though "Christian" in name? Oh, the
tremendous power of heavenliness and spirituality!
All this is what is
meant by the City, which is a heavenly City, and that
City is called to govern now in a spiritual way, even as
it will function in government in a literal way in the
ages to come. You and I are fellow-citizens. We may be
the weak things, the foolish things, the things which are
despised, and the things which are not, but God has
linked tremendous possibilities with such, provided they
are under the anointing of the Holy Ghost; which is only
another way of saying, provided they are in league with
heaven, joined with the reigning Lord. Mighty things can
be done in the secret place. The government of the
heavens is to come in through the weak saints by prayer.
There may be times when no more than living in touch with
the Lord will be possible. Words may be finished, all
outward forms of expression may have to be suspended.
Living in touch with God is a mighty thing. For myself I
covet that more than anything, far, far more than public
ministry. All forms of public expression are secondary
compared with a life of secret fellowship with God, and
any kind of public ministry which does not come out of
that is of comparatively little value. There is a mighty
thing to come out of our hidden life with God, more than
we know. There may be no sight and no sound, but
something will happen. The Lord make us true citizens of
the City which hath foundations.