GOD'S WAY IN THE TIME OF THE SPIRIT (1)

Revelation 21: 1-5,9, 10; 22: 1-5, 10-15

A.J.E.W. We should consider this city, so skilfully presented to us in two settings. The external, presented first and briefly, is a remarkable disclosure of the Spirit as to what the ultimate in mind is; the outstanding point is that "the tabernacle of God is with men, and he shall tabernacle with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, their God". The Spirit seems to bring a remarkable sense of divine complacency as we read these verses. He loves to give us a sense of complacent, divine rest. The judgments are viewed as complete, with all the seeming complexities of the ways of divine government carried through, and nothing left undone. A vessel is now introduced which relates, as we have often been instructed, to the eternal order, presented as "a bride adorned for her husband". That is, what she is in relation to Christ and for His heart is set out there. But the Spirit is very skilful in the way the truth is brought to bear in what is prophetic. So that there is a return to this great subject of the city, which is seen in the second setting, "coming down out of the heaven from God, having the glory of God", and described by the angel as "the bride, the Lamb's wife". In this setting the detail of the city is expanded; the throne is found in the midst of it, the river of water of life is disclosed. The tree of life and the fruits of the tree, The Spirit of God is not just engaging us with the blessedness of what shall abide, glorious as it is, but He is engaging us with the realities of city character in such a way that an effect in ourselves is immediately yielded. I wonder if we realise sufficiently what it is for the pleasure of God as the truth a permeates so that there is an immediate and fruitful answer, even in our current circumstances, with the moral side necessarily proceeding and evil in many respects very close, but the divine glory asserting itself. God loves to assert Himself in the midst of such conditions to give an immediate bearing to what this remarkable divine pleasure is. The Scripture speaks in another place of "the habitable world which is to come, of which we speak", Heb 2: 5. That is, it is not just a future matter, but the speaking of it brings forward, as Mr Raven would have pressed, the reality of the moral elements of that world as having force and expression among the saints at the present time.

D.F. The city would be an ordered system. I was thinking of order. It is referred to in the Colossian epistle; is not this the result of the Spirit's operations in the assembly? An ordered system in relation to Christ comes into view.

A.J.E.W. I think it is good to grasp that, because God is a God of order, and He is the God of measure. So that the principle of measurement is included in this chapter in the golden reed. It is a golden reed. That is, the measurement is from the divine standpoint. Then there is, as you say, the order; the city is so substantial in its dimensions, and yet everything about it is set out in due order, so that there is an orderly maintaining of what is of God. Things have a place to which they belong, and the Spirit would help us to keep things in the place to which they belong.

J.T.M. Why does the eternal character come before the second one you referred to?

A.J.E.W. To afford a great impulse to our affectionate devotion. We are still in the realm of working out things. The Spirit of God is working out things, and the application of the truth to ourselves belongs to that realm. When the city is actual and present, there will be no need for the workings of the truth as we rightly would experience them today. The truth, in that sense, will not be needful in its application to strengthen what is contrary and to meet the subtlety of the foe. But the Spirit of God is arranging things as to the truth; to bring out the point that the truth does bear upon us in the most definite and forceful and positive way in the present relationships in which we are. Therefore, the city is come back to in regard to the world to come, where everything is ordered and suitable to God. I remember Mr Taylor sen referring to the "world to come" as the best that God can reach in respect of the present order of things.

S.McC. It is very interesting that in connection with the first the tabernacle of God should be referred to; in connection with the second it is the temple. It is very affecting that in the eternal condition of things the facility for mediatorial service and God dwelling with men should be referred to as the tabernacle; it is not the external splendour of display but the simple conditions of love dwelling and moving.

A.J.E.W. It helps to make that distinction, so that the first presentation is of one "prepared as a bride, adorned for her husband". That is for Christ, is it not? It is not exactly for display with Christ, it is for Him. And, as you say, the tabernacling will be an intimate thought, peculiarly in relation to God Himself. He dwells complacently, and in the extendedness of His own pleasure, in that which He Himself has wrought with that pleasure in mind.

S.McC. And the personality of God is very affecting in this section; "God shall be with them, their God". It is to bring out His personality mediatorially in His relations with men; He is their God, not the God of angels, although Mr Taylor sen once said you cannot exclude angels. The point would be what men are to Him.

A.J.E.W. I wonder if we think enough about that side. I have been impressed with the wonderful character of men as created by God. What a wonderful creature man is! We should not lose sight of that - the way the faculties are established in man, the way the affections are normal to man, and the measure of intelligence that is possible in man. We have the infinite setting out of this in the One who uniquely came into manhood, Jesus. How much that involves - that one of the Godhead should come into and abide in manhood. This means a great deal as to the way in which in the assembly, the whole idea of man is to be appraised by us in contrast to the awful corruption of man in every relationship found around us and very close to us.

A.B.P. In that connection, is it important to have in mind that God created man after sin had come in? God waited until sin existed before man was created.

A.J.E.W. You mean that "by one man sin entered into the world", Rom 5: 12.

A.B.P. It appears that man was in His mind as the area for working out of the question of good and evil.

A.J.E.W. That is a very fine point to present because, in this company, man is the area in which God is working out matters of good and evil. It is a wonderful thing to be in the assembly. I speak simply as to that because of what God is able to work out tor the satisfaction of His own heart in man in the assembly. I am impressed with the immense potentiality of the assembly, even as here in testimony, in men moving, acting, speaking, responding, in the Spirit. The gift of the Spirit and the presence of the Spirit in the assembly are wonderful things in view of the immediate bringing out, for the pleasure of God and for the working out of the testimony, of what man is according to the divine pleasure.

A.B.P. I wondered if the reference to "their God" did not include the fact that God is known by them, that the declaration, the manifestation, has not been for nought; there is an answer now in keeping with all that.

A.J.E.W. It is a glimpse of blissful, restful conditions where no evil can come, all evil having been dealt with, and dealt with in absolute accord with the majesty of God Himself and with all that He is in His own nature; as we have often been told, judgment is a necessity on account of what His nature in love is.

S.McC. Would not the tabernacle of God bring out the uniqueness of assembly formation? No other family is included in the thought of the tabernacle of God. Other families are included in the thought of "God himself shall be with them, their God", but the tabernacle brings out the uniqueness of formation in the assembly.

A.J.E.W. And what a comfort it is to realise that, if we are rightly here now, it is that formation which is going on in the Spirit. It is not to be put at a distance. It is a question of something that is working amongst us in the sense of a divine formation. That is a very great comfort in the midst of the rigorous processing of the present time, which most here know about in experience which really has in mind the full end that God will reach, the full correspondence to Himself which He has absolute right, being God, to insist upon. Nothing is to be allowed to drop below what the requirements of His own love are. It is most comforting, in the midst of testing, to realise that God is working out something, in the infiniteness of His own wisdom, which is to be seen in this glimpse we have here of what goes through into eternity.

J.J. The first man was put into the best of circumstances and failed in them, but the Son of Man was put into the most adverse circumstances and triumphed in them; "the life which is in Christ Jesus" (2 Tim 1: 1) would help us to experience something of that at the moment.

A.J.E.W. That is just, especially the link back with what we had yesterday as to the "life which is in Christ Jesus", because there is life up there in that sense which is inviolate, and that is immediate, It is not something we wait for. The life which is in Christ Jesus is something which is inviolate, and which the Spirit gives us part in.

J.A.P. Although it does not quite reach the level of what you are suggesting in Revelation, it says, "Behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon", Luke 2: 25). What a fine man he was, "just and pious … and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it was divinely communicated to him by the Holy Spirit, that he should not see death before he should see the Lord's Christ". He is really a typical man for this heavenly city, is he not? God could speak to him and trust him.

A.J.E.W. "A man in Jerusalem" is very suggestive. It is the sensitive priestly touch of that beloved writer who was so much with Paul, to present the refinement of character which God delights to have under His eye. Think of the refined side in man! What is so crude and so corrupted in man is constantly thrust upon our gaze, but we are to realise the refinement that God has in view now in the assembly. So that, let our relationships be refined, and according to divine standards. How do we get along together in our several localities? Those relationships are to be refined and to have the heavenly colour about them. That is what is pro per to man in the sight of God. Man, even as a creature, is created in view of what is collective in relation with other men. So that the idea of personality would be in mind. Think of the personalities in this company - not in a human sense, not from the viewpoint of human peculiarity, but from the viewpoint of divine refinements in sonship, which love would have us to appreciate.

It is good to think of these things on the extended scale, to regard the glory of God in His ways, especially the formative side that has been referred to, the delicate and dignified character of what He delights to form in men to answer to His own heart. So that the assembly is really a sphere of divine refinements, having the pleasure of God in mind. The way in which the word 'adorned' is used here, "a bride adorned for her husband" is noticeable. The adornment is there. The specific consideration for the feelings and affections of the spouse, in view here, is very attractive.

S.McC. So we need to see that there is a formation within a formation. The status of any family in the universe of od is according to the measure of its formation in the particular light in which God has been revealed. So you have men - what a formation is reached in men - but then there is a greater formation in the tabernacle of God, indicating what the assembly is as formed mediatorially to be God's tabernacle in relation to men.

A.J.E.W. That helps very much, giving us the extended thought of what is here. It is not just in one man. There was, of course, and is, the pleasure and delight of the Father's heart in one glorious Man, and in the taking on of His features by any one of us. But this is men. It is the glory of what God reaches in the myriads, the holy myriads, that He claims for himself.

D.F. Is it the same thought that we have in the beginning of Luke, "good pleasure in men", Luke 2:14? This would be an extended view, involving peace on earth. It would look beyond the current conditions, the Roman world, and would give us heaven's view of the incoming of Christ.

A.J.E.W. That was evidently a moment of rejoicing, they were "praising God". It is wonderful to think of that, because the matter now was imminent; It was not just a prophetic reference to something future and distant, but it was imminent. That is, the glorious Person was being ushered in in whom all this would be carried through, and it becomes an occasion of the responsive expressions of a host of the angels.

J.H. Will you please say something about this word 'new'? There are quite a few references to that word in this passage.

A.J.E.W. That is a very fine word to bring up because it means that you have something here which is unmodified by anything that has gone before. It is a carrying through of something, but it is presented in circumstances that allow no modifying element which could come through to defile or hinder or spoil I think it relates to what Mr McCallum mentioned, that it is a formation within a formation. That is, the whole scene of glory is just touched upon, but in the midst of the scene of glory is what is distinctively and specially formed of God in view of the prime answer to Himself and His own affections.

J.H. After that we get “I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and he end". Then, later on, we get the same expression, but it also says "the first and the last". There is nothing new there, is there?

A.J.E.W. Would that not mean that God can work things through, could I say reverently, item by item, in due order. The reference is to the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, as you know. That is, he starts, but He finishes, and He has His own way from the start through to the finish. But it is not a disordered way, it is not a disturbed way. At no point is the enemy determining the course of things. God is determining the course of things. He retains, in the most absolute sense, the complete initiative that carries through what answers to Himself according to purpose.

A.B.P. Would there be an identification with Ephesus in the Alpha and with Philadelphia in the Omega? The speaking is by the same Person. It is of the same character. It is a different letter, but it is the same Person, the same alphabet.

A.J.E.W. So that there is something in character which runs right through. That is, God is not allowing anything that relates to Himself to be subject to modification by anything that is adverse to Him. To take the extended view into our scale in that sense and keep it before us is going to keep us steady in the midst of the buffetings that come.

J.G.H. Is every phase of divine thought spelled out in the One who is "the Alpha and the Omega"?

A.J.E.W. Every phase is spelled out. That corresponds with the point in mind in entering upon this subject, that God would have us intelligent about these things so that we are not caught unawares.

S.McC. The word for 'new' is important; It is 'kainos', that is new in the sense of what never existed before. I remember the readings in Detroit on Jerusalem. When we came to this part, brethren would refer back to types or to the Psalms in relation to Jerusalem, but Mr Taylor sen always said that that word did not quite apply, because what is seen in the new Jerusalem never existed before.

A.J.E.W. It is fine to make that distinction, because it is intended that we grasp the full distinctiveness of the assembly in relation to God and His own satisfaction, His own complacent dwelling. It is the point we began with - the glorious distinctions that God makes in the disclosure of Himself and His own thoughts, marking off this time of the Spirit in its own uniqueness. So that let none of us fail to grasp the distinctively heavenly character which is the feature of this moment, and let not the enemy get in by that which defiles and spoils what is so precious to Christ.

J.G.H. Is there a link between what you are speaking of now and what was before us earlier in regard to an area to which failure does not attach? It is in this context that we get the expression "the former things have passed away". The more they pass away from our awareness the more we will be capacitated, do you think, to enter into the area of the Spirit's power?

A.J.E.W. This helps us to be free of what would spoil the service Godward or rob it of its wealth. The full light of the matter, just as far as is necessary to give us reassurance and intelligence as to what God has in view, is disclosed to those who have the Spirit that they may apprehend it. How steady it would keep us to realise that God has made known these things! They are to be taken on by us in an intelligent and definite way.

J.I.M. I like what you said, that God is determining the present course of things. That bears repeating at this juncture. We are so prone to be affected by the ups and downs of assembly matters, and we are affected in the service of God. If we get into our souls that God is determining this matter, would it not liberate us?

A.J.E.W. It would, and that is the intent; yet in the balance of this chapter, we are brought back to our responsible part in respect of things. God presents things from His side. He has a right to do it. He has a right to do it in this meeting, as if He would say, Take my viewpoint about this. He loves to say that to us. The Spirit helps us to take it on, but at the same time we realise that we are in the scene of education and formation, a scene involving the maintenance of the testimony which He began and will complete. Therefore we are brought back to the moral side, what is suited to the same God in all His glory in the expression of Himself down here.

J.T.M. That would encourage us as to matters that rest on us in our localities, pressure and the like and sicknesses.

S.H. You used the word 'balance'; I do not hear it very often these days, but it is a necessary word. I was thinking of our side. With God everything is in balance. He balances the clouds.

A.J.E.W. "Dost thou know about the balancings of the clouds"? , Job 37: 16. God is giving us that the balancing of the clouds. The clouds are there, but He is giving us the balancing of the clouds, showing us the city.

S.McC. It is interesting that when the kingdom was divided under Jeroboam and Rehoboam, God sent the prophet. But He did not say through the prophet, This thing is from Satan, He said "this thing is from me", 1 Kings 12: 24. That is very remarkable; then the moral challenge comes through in relation to every king, whether he goes according to the first principles of David.

A.J.E.W. That is of the greatest import, because it challenges our thought in approaching any matter. A fresh element of testing or crisis may present itself to me, and I might be just thrown into confusion and uncertainly about it. But if we see what you are bringing out, it changes the whole focus of concern on our side. We say, This is something which is coming into the ordering of God in respect of His formative operations, and I want to arrange myself in relation to that. We are to get the gain of the matter, to see the principles that bear upon it, to see where the Lord is in it and to see where the Spirit is acting. It gives such a d finiteness of focus to the exercises which are rightly ours in going through matters with God.

J.G.H. It is very affecting that in Thessalonians we are told, "In everything give thanks", 1 Thess 5: 17. Then when we come to Ephesians the apostle goes even farther and says, " giving thanks at all times for all things”, Eph 5: 20.

 

T.K. Would it help to steady us to see what the Proverb says, that "Jehovah hath wrought everything on his own account", Prov 16: 4?

A.J.E.W. It is fine to take that view, and you feel some sense of comfort flowing into the souls of the brethren, even at the present time, by realising that God is carrying things through with His own glorious ends in mind. Yet, there is my side. Will I stand faithful? Will I be diverted? Will I become a tool of the foe? Will I become beclouded, so that I may hinder the brethren in arriving at what the Spirit of God is at? That is our side of things, which relates more to what belongs to the world to come, where the throne is seen in the midst of the city, "the throne of God and of the Lamb". We have to take account of that.

H.J.G. In connection with what was said about "new Jerusalem" as not having existed before, is there a connection in that, though, with "Jerusalem above which is our mother". Gal 4: 26?

A.J.E.W. I think so, because that is something which is to be operative amongst us now "Jerusalem above, which is our mother". The side of motherhood is brought in there particularly in regard of all that enters into this great work of formation. I think to crystallize our thoughts more as to the work of formation that is going on is a very necessary thing. We realise that God is taking a long time to work through to this great end. Why is He taking such a long time? Why is this time of the Spirit so lengthy? It is that God is carrying forward, in the skill which uniquely is His, the work of formation which is so precious and so delicate in its full character. God is not, if I can use the expression with reverence, allowing any haste about it. He is doing it as He pleases and in His own wise way for “all things", Eph 5: 20.

J.J. In Isaiah 43: 7 it says, "every one that is called by my name, and whom I have created for my glory: I have formed him, Yea, I have made him" Is that what we are to take account of?

A.J.E.W. That is a very appropriate quotation.

J G.H. What you are saying really carries us back to God’s original thoughts in relation to man as it says in Genesis, He ''formed man, dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and Man became a living soul", chap 2: 7.

A.J.E.W. And as we regard that section we are reminded, too: of what is said as to the assembly in type, He "built the rib that he had taken from Man into a woman", chap 2: 22. All this relates to this great work of formation and the divine thought in it.

A.B.P. In the days of Gideon, when numbers were being greatly reduced, the test applied to those whom Jehovah chose. It was at a moment that they were not aware of. It seemed to be the result of what they were in formation. Some constitutional matter in them showed itself when they were not aware of being tested. Should we not be greatly concerned that, in present conditions, something of the work of God is finding expression in us characteristically?

A.J.E.W. I like your word 'constitutionally', because what is before us is the moral fibre of God's own work shining out. How He loves to see that. It is very affecting to think of what God secures for His own heart, when those He loves react rightly even to an adverse situation. He says "This thing is from me", as already quoted.

A.B.P. I was very much impressed, in one or two localities that I was aware of, by persons who did not have much in the way of knowledge of principles or Scripture but had spiritual instincts. They knew what was right and stood by it.

A.J.E.W. That brings us back to the Spirit, especially in the character of unction, which is a matter of the greatest value to us.

 

TORONTO

8 April 1972