THE LORD'S COMING IN RELATION TO OUR RESPONSIBILITY
THE LORD’S COMING IN RELATION TO OUR RESPONSIBILITY
Revelation 1: 12 - 20; 1 Samuel 7: 15 - 17; John 12: 1 - 3
The Lord Jesus went in and out amongst His disciples. This principle of going in and out is presented in these scriptures and they show how everything found now in the house of God is exposed before Him as Judge. He “walks in the midst of the seven golden lamps”, Revelation 2: 1. We know that the Revelation looks at the assembly from its public side, and how she has come short, but perhaps we have not properly understood what it means that the Lord now in this manner walks in the midst of the assemblies. Philadelphia is included here, because, even amongst those who in some measure are faithful to the Lord, He walks as Judge. His garments give us this thought. Nothing unsuitable escapes His eye and His judgment.
It is on the ground of the assembly’s shortcomings that the Lord here wears the garments of a Judge. He stands out as Son of man, “his head and hair white like white wool, as snow”. He is “clothed with a garment reaching to the feet, and girt about at the breasts with a golden girdle”. His love is in a distinct way held back. “His eyes as a flame of fire; and his feet like fine brass, as burning in a furnace; ... and out of his mouth a sharp two-edged sword going forth”. All these features give us the thought of Him as a Judge. Earlier in the history of the assembly we see Him as going in and out amongst His own. The apostle speaks in 1 Corinthians 15: 5 - 8 of the different occasions when the Lord after His resurrection revealed Himself to them. “He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then He appeared to above five hundred brethren at once, of whom the most remain until now, but some also have fallen asleep. Then He appeared to James; then to all the apostles; and last of all, as to an abortion, he appeared to me also”.
[p. 344] The Lord stood by the side of Paul in Jerusalem, not to chide him, and also stood by Paul’s side in Rome. If we compare these scriptures we see that a great change had taken place; the Lord takes into consideration the assembly’s ruin and decay in its completeness, and therefore addresses the assembly in this manner which is seen in the beginning of Revelation. The Lord comes in actuality to different places and He finds joy in that He can come in love, but perhaps the state is such that He must come with a rod.
In 1 Corinthians 4: 15 Paul speaks of himself; he comes forward there as representing the Lord when he writes these words, “If ye should have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet not many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the glad tidings”. No one could speak to the Corinthians like Paul, for, though they could have ten thousand instructors, yet they had only one father, Paul; he had a moral responsibility for them, and as apostle he represents the Lord. He did not wish to come to them with a rod, but as a brother in liberty and love, feeling that they were his brethren, and he wished to partake with them in their joy. The Lord is loath to come as Judge amongst His people.
Ques What is the difference between the Lord coming to His people and the presence of the Holy Spirit at the present time?
The Spirit is not looked at as coming. In accordance with John 14 the Spirit would abide with the saints as the One who came down from Christ in heaven to abide with His people. The Lord does not now come corporeally to His own; He could do that if He so desired, but He comes now in a spiritual way. He will come one day corporeally to take the assembly.
Ques Since the Lord returned to the glory and it says of the Spirit that He should take of the things that are Christ’s and announce them to us, can we then say that He, as a divine Person, is amongst us?
The coming of the Spirit is something that belongs to this dispensation, but, when the Lord comes in amongst [p. 345] us, that means something more; it is something special because He comes as Son over God’s house. The Holy Spirit, as a divine Person, is active down here, but not in the same way as Christ. Here in Revelation the Lord speaks personally to the assemblies as a judge, judging in the same way as Samuel once judged Israel. He speaks seriously to the assemblies and He adds: “He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies”.
If we think of the difference between the presence of the Spirit and the Lord’s presence, we find that the Lord speaks as One who has authority; and the Spirit speaks as well, but it is the Lord who speaks to the assemblies here in the beginning of Revelation. We are not told what the Spirit says; but the voice of the Spirit would bring home what the Lord says to the meeting of our present need. It is important to observe the distinction between the Persons of the Godhead. In the Old Testament, Jehovah, God, was personally near to His people in the form of an angel, but it was no one less than God Himself. The Lord comes in by the Spirit in the same way. But in John 21 the Lord came personally to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, when John says, “It is the Lord”.
Ques Has the Lord the same things to say to the assembly in Gothenburg as, for example, the assembly in Stockholm? No. He speaks to the assembly in Gothenburg according to the conditions that are there; He has His own special thought as to the state of every place and every meeting. Nevertheless, every meeting can devote itself to gaining instruction from what the Lord may say to other meetings. There is instruction for us in all the Lord’s words, no matter in what place we find ourselves. It is important to note that all that is said to the assemblies is written in a book, and it is written for all; we belong to some of the seven assemblies and ought to derive benefit from what is written to them all. We should maintain the principles which belong to the house of God; we ought all to be exercised about that. The assembly in Ephesus should in the first place be active to be in the vital reality of what is said to them, but also exercised concerning what is said to [p. 346] the other assemblies. The letter to Colosse was to be read also in the assembly of the Laodiceans, and vice versa. The Lord’s coming to us depends upon our state, and come He will, even as One who judges. It is a great comfort for all those who love the Lord, and love His saints, that for a time He allows the north wind to blow on our meetings, allows it to blow upon the small gardens. His discipline comes in in this way. We see in the letter to Smyrna that they should have tribulation ten days. The Lord holds this wind in His fist; this tribulation which they should suffer was limited to ten days.
It is good to remember that the Lord reserves His right to walk amidst the assemblies, although the assembly had failed. His arm has power to accomplish His will. He is girt about the breasts with a golden girdle. He is not here a Servant as in John 13, where His words were the communications of love. Here in Revelation 1 it reads that a sharp two-edged sword went out of His mouth. He has His own way of claiming His rights through the ministry of which Jeremiah speaks: “Is not my word like a fire, saith Jehovah; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?” Jeremiah 23: 29.
Ques Could we compare Paul’s ministry in 1 Corinthians to a hammer?
1 Corinthians corresponds to the north wind, and the second letter is the south wind. By means of the north wind a way had been prepared for the Lord to come into His garden, His assembly, to eat its fruits. “Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat its precious fruits”, Song of Songs 4: 16.
Ques Does this garden connect with the Lord’s day? Yes. The Lord looks down on us on each occasion and sees what is proceeding.
Ques It seems it is possible to shut the Lord out?
The state can be such that He cannot come in to let His love flow out.
Ques It has been said that the Lord comes in as we are assembled, and on the other hand it is sometimes possible that He does not come?
[p. 347] We must allow the Lord His liberty and not think that the Lord acts, so to speak, automatically. He acts in the liberty which belongs to His glorious Person. “He that has my commandments and keeps them, he it is that loves me”, John 14: 21. Where there is love for the Lord, which shows itself in keeping His commandments, there the Lord will manifest Himself, and He adds, “and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him”..
Ques Can the Lord be amongst us, and yet we may not discern His presence?
If there is one soul in the meeting who loves the Lord, He will manifest Himself to such a one.
Authority stands related to the Lord walking in the midst of the seven candlesticks. He is the One who judges everything, but His visit to His own, as, for example, in John 20, is something which cannot be written down in a book. John says in chapter 21: 25, “if they were written one by one, I suppose that not even the world itself would contain the books written”.
If the Lord cannot come in love as He desires to do, then we can expect Him as judge.
It is a great favour to be amongst those the Lord visits. What we see in Revelation is that the Lord walks amongst those who are responsible. His walking as Judge concerns the whole of christendom. He has presently to do with Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.
If the Lord comes to a few gathered to His name in a town, this is of importance for the whole town. Only the heart which is right with the Lord can discern His coming. Everyone who names the name of the Lord has to do with the Lord. He has power to accomplish His will. “Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than he?” The Lord takes up things from the responsible side, and it is of great importance that it says of Him, that He, clothed with power, walks as judge amidst the assemblies to accomplish His will in that sphere.
If we love the Lord, then we love Him even in this His character, because He removes everything that is unsuitable.
Ques Is it possible that a meeting which once had the Lord’s approval could be rejected because the principles which belong to the house of God had not been maintained?
Yes. The Lord says, “your house is left unto you desolate”, Matthew 23: 38. If man’s will is allowed to be active and the house not held for the Lord, then He must leave it desolate. We can continue as usual with the meetings, but the Lord not there. The Lord takes into consideration the state and condition in relation to Himself in the assembly. He is patient and waits long before He acts in judgment. But in Revelation He walks around in Christendom to take account of everything and express His judgment about it. The time will come when the whole of christendom will be left desolate, and this will take place when the assembly is taken.
Ques Does the Lord walk about amongst us and deal with us individually, just as He deals with the assembly as a whole?
Yes. This walking of the Lord is not only as we are gathered together, but is something which applies to the assembly as a whole. The Lord goes around constantly in this character, not merely paying a visit now and again.
The result of giving man a place leads to departure, but those who are at one with Him in His thoughts become overcomers. The one who loves the Lord does not fear Him in His character of judge. It says, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has torment, and he that fears has not been made perfect in love”, 1 John 4: 18. We can be without fear or alarm. The Lord laid His right hand on John and said, “Fear not; I am the first and the last, and the living one: and I became dead, and behold, I am living to the ages of ages”, Revelation 1: 17 - 18.
True believers have really no fear, but rather rejoice at the Lord coming in in this way.
Ques Could we say that the Lord deals with even greater patience now?
Yes, we could perhaps say that as regards those who walk in the light of the truth which comes out in connection with the assembly in Philadelphia. He does not deal with [p. 349] them in the same way as He will one day, in severe judgment, with a christendom which has only an empty profession. These places in 1 Samuel 7: 16, Bethel, Gilgal and Mizpah, convey the thought of different principles, and the judgment was according to these. Every year Samuel went round to Bethel, Gilgal and Mizpah, and he judged Israel in these places. Bethel is the house of God, and the judgments of the Lord are in agreement with it. If He judges, it is in order that these principles should be preserved and maintained in power in His house. Gilgal speaks of circumcision, the complete removal of the flesh. It means that the Lord is “a bloody husband”, Exodus 4: 26. Through circumcision Moses was “a bloody husband” to his wife. It is peculiar to the house of God that the flesh is judged there. Colossians, as previously remarked, was to be read in the assembly at Laodicea. If they had paid attention to it, there would have been no need for John to write to Laodicea what the Lord commanded him in Revelation 3: 14 - 22. Mizpah means ‘watch-tower’ and gives us the thought of covenant (see Genesis 31: 42 and onwards). This place was Jephthah’s locality; he dwelt there. We must provide for the Lord a place where He can dwell. The worst that could happen to us would be for the Lord to leave our house unto us desolate.
We find that Israel had a healthy fear of Samuel; when he came to anoint David as king, the elders came trembling and asked, “Dost thou come peaceably? And he said, Peaceably: I am come to sacrifice to Jehovah”, 1 Samuel 16: 4 - 5. He came to anoint David.
Ques Is it not a searching thought for us that Jehovah let none of Samuel’s words fall to the ground?
Yes. The word of the Lord abides.
The Lord found a home in the heart of John. We are all called to take up our local responsibility. It belongs to everyone in the meeting to take up their share of the assembly’s responsibility. If anyone says he has no responsibility in the meeting, then he is not suitable for fellowship.
Ques But perhaps someone feels that he is not able to take up this responsibility?
[p. 350] In Romans 14 we have the answer to that question. No one looks to a weak brother to decide the more difficult matters in a meeting. A shareholder is not indifferent to the firm’s progress as a whole, no matter how few shares he may own.