The source of human culture and the reason for its development

Gen. 4:16-17 And Cain went forth from the presence of Jehovah and dwelt in the land of Nod, east of Eden. And…he built a city…

20-21 …Jabal…was the father of those who dwell in tents and raise cattle. And his brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe.

Cain left the presence of God and went his own way. The first thing he did was to build a city. He produced a culture without God (Gen. 4:16-24). We must realize the source of human culture and the reason for its development. Human culture developed because humanity had lost God. Originally, God, the Creator of man, was everything to man. God was man’s protection, maintenance, supply, joy, amusement, and defense. God was everything. In the garden, man had no need to do anything except to till the ground to cooperate with God. God was everything to man in the garden. However, when man lost God, he lost everything. He lost protection, safeguard, maintenance, supply, and amusement. This loss of God forced him to invent human culture. Because man had lost everything, he had to invent something.

Jubal invented music (Gen. 4:21). He invented harps and pipes. In fact, the very name Jubal means “jubilee” or “a joyful sound” or “music.” What is music? Music is a type of amusement which makes people joyful. Why does man need such amusement? Because he has lost God as his joy. God is man’s true enjoyment.

Human culture arose after the fall of man. After leaving God’s presence, Cain constructed a city for his protection and self-existence. Within this city he produced a culture without God, a godless culture. In the garden God was everything to man—his protection, maintenance, supply, and amusement; when man lost God, he lost everything. Man’s loss of God forced man to invent human culture, the main elements of which were cities for existence, cattle-raising for making a living, music for enjoyment, and weapons for defense.

The reason I do not attend the movies is not because the church has a regulation against it. The church does not have a list of commandments against such things. However, although there is no such prohibition, I would not attend a movie even if you paid me thousands of dollars to do it. I have something better. I am filled with Christ and I have no capacity for anything else.

The way to be delivered from the control of the authority of darkness

Col. 1:12-13 Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you for a share of the allotted portion of the saints in the light; who delivered us out of the authority of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love.

In Colossians the authority of darkness refers to the good aspects of culture and of our character, disposition, and natural being. The authority of darkness includes our virtues, religion, philosophy, observances, ordinances, principles, and ethical standards. God has delivered us out of all this and has transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, where we live under a heavenly rule and restriction. In this kingdom we are not under a harsh rule, but under the loving rule of the Son. Here we do not sense that we are under righteousness, power, or authority, but under the loving and lovable Lord Jesus. The more we tell the Lord Jesus that we love Him, the more we are freed on the one hand, and the more we are restricted and ruled on the other hand. Because we love Him, we desire to take Him as our person and as our life. This is the proper Christian life for the church life.

Whenever we are in the natural man, not taking Christ as our person and living by Him, we are in darkness. We must remember that He alone is light. He must saturate and prevail in every aspect of our daily living. Otherwise, at least certain parts of our daily walk will not be filled with Christ, and those parts of our life will be in darkness.

Our homes have many rooms. Some rooms may be in the light, whereas others may be dark. The same may be true of our inner being and of our daily living. In certain respects, our life and our walk may be bright, full of light, because Christ occupies the prevailing position there. However, in other parts of our being or in other aspects of our living, we may be closed to the Lord and not allow Him to touch us. Those parts of our life and living that are closed off from Christ are spontaneously in darkness because Christ, the One who is the very light, has no place. Only when Christ occupies every part of us and every aspect of our daily walk can we be wholly in the light and altogether be delivered from the control of the authority of darkness.

In the eyes of God nothing counts except Christ

Col. 2:8 Beware that no one carries you off as spoil through his philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the elements of the world, and not according to Christ.

The culture in the region of Colossae included Hebrew religion, Greek philosophy, asceticism, mysticism, and Gnosticism…. In Colossians 3:11 Paul says that in the new man there is no Greek or Jew, no circumcision or uncircumcision, no barbarian or Scythian. These terms indicate both religious and cultural distinctions. Circumcision and uncircumcision refer to religion, whereas barbarian and Scythian refer to culture. Thus, the book of Colossians indicates that the ultimate replacement for Christ is our culture.

The main point in the Epistle of Colossians is the fact that in the eyes of God nothing counts except Christ. This fact excludes both good things and bad things, both sinful things and cultured things. In particular, it eliminates all the good aspects of culture. We have pointed out again and again that the enemy of God utilizes culture to replace Christ. This is offensive to God. If Satan cannot corrupt us with evil things, God knows that he will try to use the good aspects of culture to replace Christ. Among today’s Christians, where can you find a group of believers with whom you can sense nothing but Christ? Among the various Christian groups we see many good points. However, these good things are not the person of Christ Himself, but something that has replaced Him in a subtle way. For this reason, in many groups of Christians it is difficult to meet Christ. Some may preach Christ or teach the doctrines regarding Christ, but even this preaching and teaching becomes a substitute for Christ Himself. If we have a clear view of the situation among Christians today, we shall realize that the background of the book of Colossians exactly corresponds to today’s situation. This book was written for us, not only for the saints at Colossae.

If we have a clear understanding of the background of this Epistle, we shall realize that the only way for us to take is the way of the cross. The cross is both a narrow way and a highway. For those not willing to take the cross, the cross is a narrow way. But for those who are willing to take this way, the cross becomes a highway. In the church we all should be nothing and nobody. This was Paul’s attitude when he said that we have died and have been buried. To lay hold of this, we need revelation. Whatever we are, whatever we have, and whatever we do can become a substitute for Christ. The better we are or the more capable we are of doing things, the more Christ may be replaced in our experience. Through the cross, we need to become nothing, to have nothing, and to be able to do nothing. Otherwise, what we are, what we have, or what we can do will become a substitute for Christ. Then in our Christian life Christ will not be all in all. The book of Colossians teaches us that in the church life Christ must be all and in all. Everything that is not Christ must go.

Nehemiah’s characteristics of his aggressiveness

Kings 8:48 And if they return to You with all their heart and with all their soul..., and they pray to You toward their land..., the city that You have chosen, and the house that I have built for Your name.

Nehemiah was one who lived not in his natural man but in resurrection. He was aggressive, but his aggressiveness was accompanied by other characteristics. First, he loved God…. He also loved the Holy Land (signifying Christ), the holy temple (signifying the church), and the holy city (signifying the kingdom of God). He loved God and, in typology, he loved Christ, the church, and the kingdom. As a person who loved God, Nehemiah was one who contacted God, ...prayed to God (Neh. 1:4)…. Nehemiah trusted in God and…became one with God.

Nehemiah was an aggressive person who loved God, the Holy Land, the holy temple, and the holy city, who contacted God and had fellowship with Him, who trusted in God, and who was one with God. As a result, he became the representative of God.

Nehemiah received help from God to carry out a great success in the work of rebuilding the wall of the city of Jerusalem. It is surely worthwhile for us today, especially the leading ones in the churches, to consider his example. Nehemiah was a head, a ruler, of a nation, but he was altogether not ambitious, ... indicated by the fact that he recognized his need of Ezra. In reconstituting the nation, Nehemiah realized that he did not know God’s Word. But Ezra, who was famous for his knowledge of the Word of God, was still alive, and Nehemiah was willing to go to Ezra for help. Many of today’s leaders would not seek help in such a way…. Nehemiah knew that without Ezra he could not reconstitute the people of God.

Nehemiah was the perfect leader, the best leader in human history. Only under the leadership of such persons as Zerubbabel, Ezra, and Nehemiah could Israel be reconstituted to be the testimony of God, the expression of God on earth, a people absolutely different from the Gentile nations. This is a type of what God wants the church to be today.

There were no complaints about Nehemiah from the people. Everyone appreciated him and was grateful for him. We may say that Nehemiah was an outstanding elder, the best example of what an elder should be. I hope that all the elders in the churches today will be like Nehemiah.

The dispensational value of Nehemiah

Nehemiah 2:20 The God of heaven Himself will make us prosper; therefore we His servants will rise up and build. But you have no portion nor right nor memorial in Jerusalem.

The book of Ezra is a history of the return of Israel’s captivity and the rebuilding of the house of God as the initiation of God’s recovery among His elect for His testimony on the earth according to His economy. The book of Nehemiah is a history of the rebuilding of the wall of the city of Jerusalem as a continual recovery among His elect for His testimony for the accomplishment of His economy.

The crucial point of the book of Nehemiah is that the city of Jerusalem was a safeguard and protection for the house of God, which was in the city. This signifies that the house of God as His dwelling and home on the earth needs His kingdom to be established as a realm to safeguard His interest on the earth for His administration, to carry out His economy. The rebuilding of the house of God typifies God’s recovery of the degraded church, and the rebuilding of the wall of the city of Jerusalem typifies God’s recovery of His kingdom. God’s building of His house and His building of His kingdom go together.

When Israel was taken into captivity for seventy years, God still had a dispensational move because of Nehemiah, who was a true overcomer; he is a pattern of someone who has dispensational value to God.

Nehemiah shows the need for us to have the proper aggressiveness in the Lord’s recovery today. The leaders of the Moabites and Ammonites were greatly displeased about Nehemiah’s seeking the good of the children of Israel; these descendants of the impure increase of Lot hated and despised the children of Israel. In relation to the mocking, despising, and reproach of these opposers, Nehemiah was very pure and aggressive, not cowardly. The aggressive ones receive help from God; like Nehemiah, the apostle Paul was allied with God and realized God’s assistance in this alliance. Nehemiah’s aggressiveness, as a virtue in his human conduct, shows that our natural capacity, ability, and virtues must pass through the cross of Christ and be brought into resurrection, into the Spirit as the consummation of the Triune God, to be useful to God in thea ccomplishing of His economy.

The dispensational value of the man-child

Rev. 12:7-9 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels went to war with the dragon. And the dragon warred and his angels. And they did not prevail, neither was their place found any longer in heaven. And the great dragon was cast down, the ancient serpent, he who is called the Devil and Satan, he who deceives the whole inhabited earth; he was cast to the earth...

Satan is cast down at this point because the overcomers, the man-child, are caught up to God. The principle here is that where the man-child is, there is no ground for the enemy. Satan has been judged on the cross of Christ, but this judgment needs to be executed. The church should carry out this judgment, but it has failed, so the overcomers must rise up to take the position of the church to execute God’s sentence on Satan…. After the overcomers are raptured and caught up to God’s throne, there will be no more place there for the enemy.

The man-child in Revelation 12 consists of the overcomers who stand on behalf of the church. Therefore, as soon as the man-child is caught up, Satan is cast down from heaven and the kingdom comes.

The reason for the overcomers to be the overcomers is not to receive glory or crowns for themselves, but simply to take the position which the whole church should take and do the work for the church….The church... has failed... [and] has not gained the ground for God. There is only a group of people left to do that work for the church and to take up the church’s responsibility. This group is the overcomers. What they do is counted as the work of the whole church. If there are those who will be the overcomers, God’s purpose is attained and He is satisfied. This is the principle of the man-child.

God’s difficulty is removed by the rapture of the man-child; His problem is solved. It seems that once the man-child is born, God’s purpose can no longer be hindered. This is what God is calling for today; this is what interests Him today. God needs a group of people to attain His original goal.

The way to be the man-child, we must eat more, grow more, and become stronger

Rev. 12:10-11 …Now has come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ, for the accuser of our brothers has been cast down, who accuses them before our God day and night. And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they loved not their soul-life even unto death.

The man-child brought forth in 12:5 is composed of the “brothers” in verse 10 who have been opposed and accused by Satan, the enemy of God. They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, by the word of their testimony, and by loving not their soul-life even unto death

How can we be the man-child? If you would be part of the man-child, you must eat more, grow more, and become stronger. To put it into practical terms, you must pray more, spend more time with the Lord, eat more of the Word, experience the Lord more, grow in life more, and have more dealings with the negative things. If others would gossip, you would not gossip. If others would not pray, you would pray more. Although you should not be separate from the woman, you should be somewhat different from others. The woman is too general. Those who are part of the man-child are somewhat particular. Many of the dear ones in the Lord’s recovery are indifferent. They have little appetite and do not like to eat very much. But if you would be in the man-child, you should not be indifferent. You must be particular, sober, and serious. You must have a good appetite and have a personal, direct, moment-by-moment dealing with the Lord….Whether or not you will be in the man-child depends upon how you react to God’s desire, God’s move, and God’s eternal economy. If, day and night, you cannot go on until you have given yourself wholly and thoroughly to God’s economy, then it is likely that you are a part of the man-child.

Many of you have time to gossip, but you do not have time to read a few pages of the Life-study messages. Are you in the man-child?...Whether or not you are part of the man-child depends upon how hungry and thirsty you are.

The entire being of the man-child is saturated and permeated with the element of Christ because they are daily strengthened into their inner man so that Christ may build Himself into their hearts, they are being nourished with the unsearchable riches of Christ, and they put on Christ as the whole armor of God.

The principle of the man-child

Rev. 12:1-2 And a great sign was seen in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon underneath her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; and she was with child, and she cried out, travailing in birth and being in pain to bring forth.

Because the church has not attained to God’s purpose, God will choose a group of overcomers who will attain to His purpose and fulfill His demand; this is the principle of the man-child.

The Lord Jesus, the seed of the woman, has bruised the head of the serpent. The Lord has destroyed Satan, the one who holds the power of death. While the Lord Jesus was destroying the serpent on the cross, the serpent bruised His heel. This means that Satan wounded the Lord Jesus by nailing His feet to the cross (Psa. 22:16).

This man-child is not individual; he is corporate. Since the woman herself is not individual, but universal and corporate, her child must also be universal and corporate. This corporate man-child includes the Lord Jesus as the Head, center, reality, life, and nature of the man-child. This can be proved from the Scriptures. Psalm 2:8-9 prophesies that the Lord Jesus, God’s Anointed One, will rule the nations with a rod of iron. Revelation 2:26-27 says that the overcomers in the churches will rule over the nations with a rod of iron. Now in Revelation 12:5 we are told that the man-child will rule all nations with a rod of iron. Therefore, according to the record of the Bible, both the Lord Jesus Himself and His overcomers will rule over the nations with a rod of iron. Thus, the man-child in Revelation 12:5 includes both the Lord Jesus and the overcomers in the churches. Furthermore, Revelation 20:4 says that Christ and the resurrected overcomers will reign as kings for a thousand years. Hence, the man-child in Revelation 12 is neither the Lord Jesus individually nor the overcomers separate from Him, but the Lord Jesus with the overcomers. Christ Himself is the foremost overcomer (Rev. 3:21). As the leading overcomer He is the Head, center, reality, life, and nature of the overcomers. Among the people of God on earth there is a stronger part which includes the Lord Jesus and the overcomers. Thus, the Lord Jesus and His overcomers compose the man-child.

God must have His dispensational instrument, we will have dispensational value to Him

Rev. 12:5 And she brought forth a son, a man-child, who is to shepherd all the nations with an iron rod; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne.

When God changes His attitude toward a certain matter, He makes a dispensational move. Every dispensational move brings in God’s new way. His most important dispensational move is in Revelation 12. He wants to end this age and bring in the age of the kingdom…. How can He bring this age to a close and bring in another? He must have His dispensational instrument. This is what God wants to do today.

The rapture of the man-child brings an end to the church age and introduces the kingdom age. The man-child enables God to move….We should never forget that God can be limited. He waits for man in all of His moves. God’s binding in heaven is based on our binding on earth; God’s loosing in heaven is based on our loosing on earth. Everything depends on the church.

It is God’s desire that created beings would deal with fallen created beings. According to His purpose, the whole church should deal with Satan; however, the church has failed. Therefore, there is the need for the overcomers to rise up. God’s purpose is fulfilled in the overcomers because they work with Him. We can see the principle of the overcomers throughout the Word of God.

Of all the dispensational moves, the man-child is the greatest because it removes man’s power and the devil’s power, and it brings in the kingdom. We live in the most privileged time; we can do the most for God. Light will show us the way, but strength and power will enable us to walk the road. A great price must be paid in order to be used now.

We live in the most privileged time in which we can do the most for God; God as light will show us the way, but the indwelling Christ as our strength and power will enable us to walk the road; a great price must be paid in order to be used now.

To love the Lord’s appearing, we need to live a normal life today

1 Thes. 1:10 And await His Son from the heavens, whom He raised from the dead, Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath which is coming.

Rev. 22:20 He who testifies these things says, Yes, I come quickly. Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

When the apostles wrote the New Testament, to them the Lord was coming soon. Hence, the teaching of the New Testament shows us that their living was in preparation for the Lord’s return. This is like the situation in which some long-separated relatives are soon to return. The entire family is prepared to welcome them. It is also like a girl waiting to be married, who knows of the wedding day and who is waiting wholeheartedly for that day to arrive….Each chapter of 1 Thessalonians concludes with the Lord’s coming back. From this we can see that Paul was one who loved the Lord’s appearing (2 Tim. 4:8). We also should be this way.

Since we love the Lord’s appearing, we should earnestly wait for His coming (Phil. 3:20; 1 Thes. 1:10). Hence, our future is with Him. Our living should indicate that we have no other hope on this earth. Our hope is in the coming Lord. He is our eternal destiny. In 1 Corinthians 7 Paul says, “…The time is shortened. Henceforth both those who have wives should be as though they had none, and those who weep as though they did not weep, and those who rejoice as though they did not rejoice, and those who buy as though they did not possess, and those who use the world as though they did not abuse it; for the fashion of this world is passing away” (vv. 29-31). Christ is our real hope.

The Bible concludes with “Come, Lord Jesus!” (Rev. 22:20). From the record in the New Testament, it is not difficult to discover that in their hearts the apostles firmly believed that the Lord would come quickly, and they also lived a life in preparation for the Lord’s second coming….On the last day of 1925, Brother Nee went to pray with Miss M. E. Barber, and she prayed, “Lord, do You really mean to say that You will let 1925 pass by, that You will wait until 1926 before You come back? However, on this last day I still pray that You will come back today!” Not long afterward, Brother Nee met her on the street, and again she said to him, “It is really strange that up to this day He has not yet come back.”... In Luke 12 the Lord gave a parable concerning a rich man who endeavored to lay up wealth for himself so that his soul might enjoy itself and be merry. But God said to him, “Foolish one, this night they are requiring your soul from you” (vv. 16-20). Every “today” that we have is truly the Lord’s grace. Therefore, as long as we have today, as long as we still have breath, we should love the Lord and His appearing, await the Lord’s coming (Phil. 3:20), and always take His coming as an encouragement.