WITNESS GIVEN TO CHRIST IN RELATION TO THE WORLD TO COME
[p. 434] WITNESS GIVEN TO CHRIST IN RELATION TO THE WORLD TO COME
FER In the previous part, chapters 8 to 10, we had the effect of the light and the change in the character of things as seen in the flock. Here we get the witness given to Christ, in the relation He is to the world to come. In chapter 10 He is the Shepherd. Of course that is applicable in a kind of way to the present time. In chapters 11 and 12 we have the witness borne to Him as the resurrection and the life, the King of Israel and the Son of man. Things must come out in that order: you could not have King of Israel without the resurrection and the life. He comes into Jerusalem as Zion’s King but that is consequent upon resurrection, the One in whom there is the revival of everything. He says, “I am the resurrection”, the revival of all that God had ever established. It had been lost in death but in Christ all is revived, both promises and what was official. Stephen goes all over that ground and shows how all had been lost but the revival of Christ is the revival of everything for God. It must be on the ground of resurrection to be beyond the power of evil and Satan, because all had been spoilt by Satan, the first man died and lost his place of headship but all will come to light again. You might go all through the history of Scripture from Adam, death came in upon everything.
Ques Is that the sense of the sheet let down from heaven?
FER Not quite, that was the result of headship; but in the resurrection you get the revival of everything: headship, priesthood and even the headship of the gentiles. All are in a way revived, every position that God had ever established had been lost in death and in Christ you have the revival of it. The resurrection of [p. 435] Lazarus was really a witness of what Christ was, and so He says in connection with it, “I am the resurrection and the life”.
Ques Do you include creation in that?
FER Well I do in a sense because He takes up everything as Creator. Death came in upon everything but the great truth is that you get everything revived. He tasted death for everything and everything is revived in Him. The resurrection of Lazarus was a sign that the Son of man may be glorified thereby; for the moment all has apparently terminated in death but all these witnesses are in relation to the world to come. God so ordered that there should be witness given to Christ in the relation in which He stood to the world to come. You have not got things in their right connection except as they are viewed in relation to the world to come.
Ques What do you mean by the world to come?
FER Both heaven and earth, the connection between them is very intimate, that God might make known “the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus”. I have that; that in it I should be able to go and tell a Jew more about his calling than he knew himself, because I think in the present time God has gathered up everything in the church and we are so well acquainted with these things that we could go and tell a Jew his calling. They will be brought into the good of the covenant. I trust we know something of the house of God and the flock. When we get instruction in these things it helps us in the knowledge of Christ, they will be revived in Him; when He comes out these things will come out in Him, He has not come out of heaven yet, He is the second man. The Father is the starting point, everything must come out from above. I think the point is everything should come out from God out of heaven. Lazarus was a witness given to Him as the resurrection and the life. The world to come is where God is glorified; God has been dishonoured here, sin and death has come in, but [p. 436] in the world to come, God will be glorified. Everything will come in in a man: in order to have a kingdom you must have the throne established in a man. In the eternal state it will be more the supremacy of God through all; then every enemy will have been subdued, all moral questions are solved. All has that great end in view, the kingdom only exists for a purpose, to solve the question of good and evil.
Ques What is the meaning of “that the Son of God might be glorified thereby” John 11: 4?
FER I think it was in the witness. I believe in the resurrection of the dead — that is orthodox — but the mistake is in not seeing that Christ is the resurrection and the life.
Ques How does the feast come in?
FER The supper comes in as a testimony to Christ again, she anointed Him for His burying.
Ques What is the meaning of “that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad”?
FER Well He was not confined to that nation. It is a great thought: “I am the resurrection and the life” — death could not hold Him, He must rise; He might go into death, there was a fragrance about His death. He was anointed for His burial and He must rise, there is no fragrance about a saint’s death but there was a fragrance about His death. Christ comes out of death and in coming out of death everything is revived, revived now for God, we come to mount Zion, everything is revived.
Ques. What is mount Zion?
FER I think it is symbolic of the enduring mercy of God, the sovereign mercy of God when everything was forfeited. David placed the ark on mount Zion and then they say “His mercy endureth for ever”. In losing the ark they really lost all link with God, and God in the sovereignty of His mercy brought back the ark. That will be the key-note in the future and the time will come [p. 437] when they will appreciate it. Man cannot get any blessing until he is free from the judgment of death; the Sun is risen, that is the point for me. We have the witness brought in to Him as the resurrection and the life and as the King of Israel and as the Son of man. We have all this light as to Christ in the world to come and for the moment everything has terminated in death and we announce the Lord’s death till He come. You cannot follow Christ except in the communion of His death, you cannot get to another scene except in the communion of His death. It is as lifted up from the earth that Christ has become the point of attraction and He draws all to Himself. He is lifted up vicariously. The Lord could not die upon earth and it is as lifted up from the earth He dies vicariously, manifestly vicariously.
Ques Does the lifting up not go beyond the cross?
FER No, I do not think so because He was lifted up vicariously. In the providence of God, God allowed man to lift Him up, because He was the righteous One and could not die upon earth. It is extremely important to apprehend the place of Christ in the world to come and then the provisional place now. He is the Head of every man. My object in preaching is to try and enlighten people as to the position of Christ in relation to men. You get a beautiful verse in Proverbs 8 “I (wisdom) lead in the way of righteousness”. He is wisdom, it is an appeal on the part of One who is the Head of every man to draw everyone to Himself.
Ques Is that the sense of Christ as the wisdom of God and power of God?
FER Well, He is wisdom in regard of man, the woman of the city appreciated wisdom; Simon trusted his own head and was a fool but the woman trusted Christ and I suppose she inherited substance. Christ is the resource of God and the power of God. He is the sign and witness of God’s intervention on behalf of man. I do believe we would get great gain if we apprehended the relation of Christ to the world to come. In the present [p. 438] time He is gathering out the vessel in which God will be glorified, just like God taking a rib out of Adam when in sleep to form Eve. It is the moment of Christ’s decease and God is taking the church out of Christ. I believe the world lost a great deal in not seeing Christ when He was here. It is a great comfort that Christ will present the church glorious in spite of all the defection. The kingdom is all dependent on the Lord and we have the Lord and the Holy Spirit. In the 4th book of Psalms we have got a whole book as to the coming in of the kingdom; it is David’s kingdom in a kind of way, but it is Jehovah’s kingdom. A person could not be in the kingdom unless he has received the kingdom. The effect of the rejection of Christ was the breaking up of all the world system of which Israel was the centre. The times of the gentiles have become much more prominent, the world in that day was the world of which Israel was the centre; when they were prepared to follow the lead of Satan and reject and crucify Christ, all that system was judged and broken up. Abraham was called out but another kind of world was revived in the seed of Israel. The gentile empires are wild beasts and in the present time you have a kind of suspension and these wild beasts will come into view again. The prince of this world is cast out for us, the Lord could see it.