As we progress in the divine romance, we as the lover of Christ become as beautiful as Tirzah, as lovely as Jerusalem, and as terrible as an army with banners (Song of Songs 6:4, 10).
It seems that love and war are opposite, and it is true, but in the spiritual realm, if we love the Lord and are in a divine romance with Him, we will be involved in spiritual warfare.
As seen in the book of Song of Songs, the loving seeker of Christ passes through a process to be transformed and become the same as her Beloved, and she matches Him in every possible way.
The more we contact the Lord daily in a personal, private, affectionate, and spiritual way, the more we live in the divine romance, and we will become the same as He is, even His duplication; this means that we will fight one with Him, standing in His victory.
In Song of Songs 4:8 we see that Christ calls us into His ascension; we have experienced His death and resurrection (signified by the mountains of myrrh and the hills of frankincense), and now we need to go up to Him and be one with Him in the heavenlies, in ascension.
Here, in ascension, we look down at the situation on earth, and we are one with Christ in His victory. In ascension we can look with Christ from the highest place of truth and of Christ’s victory in His fighting, and from the heavenly places of the enemies.
As signified by the lions’ dens and the leopards’ mountains, in the heavenlies there are the spiritual forces and evil powers that struggle against God and His purpose.
Christ has already won the victory – He is victorious in ascension, and we wear soft armor, fighting from victory to enforce this victory and proclaim His victory over the enemy.
When we as lovers of Christ are living in ascension, we and Christ live in one condition – the condition of ascension, and we match Christ perfectly. In Christ’s ascension is His victory; here there’s no more fighting, for the enemy has already been defeated, and we wear soft armor to enjoy our victory in Christ.
Especially in the prayer meeting of the church, we pray from the vantage point of ascension, from the victory of Christ; we stand in Christ’s victory and we proclaim it over the enemy. Hallelujah!
What a fact, we are one with Christ in His ascension, and from ascension we fight the spiritual warfare in victory! The more we love the Lord and the more we advance in the divine romance, the more we are being transformed and brought into ascension to be one with Christ and defeat His enemies.
Through our Living in Christ’s Ascension, we become a Garden for Christ’s Private Enjoyment
In Song of Song 4:12-16, right after we see the Lord’s call to His loving seeker to come and be one with Him in His ascension, the loving seeker becomes a garden for Christ’s private enjoyment (see vv. 12-16).
Through our living in Christ’s ascension as the new creation in resurrection for our growth in life and transformation by life, we become Christ’s transformed bride, mature in the riches of the life of Christ.
As such ones we become four things: a garden to satisfy Christ (S.S. 4:12—5:1; 6:2-3), God’s dwelling place with its protection (6:4a), the heavenly bodies as the universal light (6:10a), and a terrible army, which is the corporate overcomer—the Shulammite (6:4b, 10b, 13, and footnotes).
The garden here is enclosed, the spring is shut up, and the fountain is sealed, which means that they are for Christ’s private enjoyment. In our experience of Christ we, the seeking believers, must have something private, hidden, shut up, and sealed that is for Christ alone.
This is necessary for our fighting the spiritual warfare; we cannot fight the spiritual warfare if we are not a member of the Body of Christ who is for Christ’s private enjoyment.
As we are such ones, the Lord’s blessing and life is flowing out from what we are as overcomers, and from where we are.
In such a condition and situation, we will even say like the loving seeker, Awake, north wind, and come, south wind, and blow upon my garden…the north wind is cold, harsh, and biting, but the south wind is warm, pleasant, and refreshing.
We need both kinds of environments to train us to enjoy Christ to such an extent that we are growing Christ and producing Christ for His satisfaction, pleasure, and enjoyment.
The apostle Paul was such one; in Phil. 4 he said that he learned the secret to being content, no matter what the circumstances are; he knew how to be abased and how to abound.
We all need to learn how to enjoy Christ in every kind of situation and environment, whether it is a good and sweet environment or a cold and harsh one. In all situations we need to learn to do all things in Christ, who empowers us.
In this way we can fight the spiritual warfare and at the same time be a garden for Christ’s private enjoyment, thus being lovely and beautiful to the Lord and as terrible as an army with banners to the enemy.
Lord Jesus, we want to be those living in Christ’s ascension as the new creation in resurrection for our growth in life and transformation by life, so that we may become mature in the riches of the life of Christ. Lord Jesus, we love You, and we want to spend much personal, intimate, sweet, affectionate, and spiritual time with You so that we may have something for Your personal and private enjoyment. May there be something in us, Lord, that is private, hidden, shut up, and sealed for Christ’s satisfaction alone. Oh Lord, may we learn You as the secret for our sufficiency, and may we take You as our secret to contentment in all things!
Being One with God to be His Dwelling Place, as Beautiful as Tirzah and as Terrible as an Army with Banners
When we as the overcoming lovers of Christ become one with God to be His dwelling place, in God’s eyes we are as beautiful as Tirzah and as lovely as Jerusalem; however, to the enemy we become as terrible as an army with banners (Song of Songs 6:4, 10).
We need to be beautiful and terrible at the same time; the more we are beautiful to the Lord by being one with Him to be His dwelling place, the more terrible we become to the enemy.
As we advance in the divine romance and become one with God, we are as fresh as the dawn, as bright as the sun, as beautiful as the moon. Our love for the Lord is not stale but new, fresh, living, and active, for we have fresh experiences of Christ.
The lover of Christ is beautiful and comely before the Lord, as solid as the heavenly city and as serene as the sanctuary; at the same time, the lover of Christ displays the glory of victory before the enemy and the world (see v. 4).
When we’re in a battle, the weapons are the most important thing; when the victory is won, the banners are unfurled (Exo. 17:15). Banners indicate a readiness to fight, and they are also a sign that the victory has been won (Isa. 59:19).
Praise the Lord, the victory has been won! In our experience and pursuit of Christ in the divine romance, we become an army terrible with banners fighting the battle for God’s kingdom in the degradation of God’s people, to become the overcomers who answer the Lord’s call (see Rev. 2:7, 11, 17, 26; 3:5, 12, 21).
Eventually, as the overcomers, we become a bride collectively to marry Christ (Rev. 19:7-9), and after our wedding, the bride becomes an army to fight alongside Christ, our Husband, to defeat Antichrist with all his followers (Rev. 19:11-21).
When the Lord looks at us from within the sanctuary, He sees our beauty and comeliness, and sees us as beautiful as Tirzah and as lovely as Jerusalem. Tirzah signifies the heavenly sanctuary, the dwelling of God; Jerusalem signifies the heavenly Jerusalem.
The Lord is examining our heavenly nature and life within the sanctuary; in that Jerusalem everything is comely, and in that Tirzah everything is beautiful, because both are God’s new creation.
Our life today is within the veil, before the Lord, and also before the enemy (see S.S. 6:4; Heb. 10:19; 2 Cor. 3:18; Eph. 6:10-12).
We need to daily live a life before the Lord, and also live a life before the enemy; we have boldness to enter in the Holy of Holies through the blood of Jesus, and we also need to be recognizable before the enemy.
God has no intention that we as lovers of Christ would possess the heavenly beauty without possessing the warring nature (see 2 Cor. 11:2; 10:4-6).
Paul was struggling and fighting on behalf of the saints, for he was jealous over them with the jealousy of God, since he betrothed them to one husband, to present them as a pure virgin to Christ.
The overcoming lover of Christ not only has a future that is full of hope and a life that is absolutely heavenly, but she also is a victor who constantly triumphs in her victory (see Song of Songs 3:7-8). On the one hand we are as beautiful as Tirzah and as lovely as Jerusalem, and on the other, we are as terrible as an army with banners to the enemy.
Lord Jesus, we want to advance in the divine romance until we are fully one with God to be His dwelling place. May we become as beautiful as Tirzah and as lovely as Jerusalem to You for Your satisfaction and enjoyment, and may we be as terrible as an army with banners to the enemy. Oh Lord, we want to live a life within the veil before You and also before the enemy. Thank You, Lord, we possess not only the heavenly nature but also the warring nature, and we have a future that is full of hope because of a life that is absolutely heavenly, and we also are a victor who constantly triumphs in our victory! Hallelujah!
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, the message given by Ed Marks for this week, and portions from, Collected Works of Watchman Nee, vol. 23, “The Song of Songs,” sec. 4, as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, The Spiritual Warfare of the Church as the New Man (2018 Memorial Day Conference), week 4, Fighting the Spiritual Warfare through Living in Christ’s Ascension as the New Creation in Resurrection to Become Christ’s Duplication and Counterpart.
- Hymns on this topic:
# A garden fair, enclosed is she / With spices, fragrant, sweet. / She now brings forth materials / The building to complete! / A city pleasant, comely, too; / No greater building, this! / So beautiful, yet to the foe / A conq’ring army ’tis! (Hymns #1241)
# Lovers of Christ in His ascension— / Enjoy the riches of His life. / She becomes His private garden / With its fountain, fruit, and spice. / Christ is hers and she is Christ’s dear love. / She is as beautiful as Tirzah / As lovely as Jerusalem. / Through her living in Christ’s ascension / Her dear heart is now His home. / She’s become the sanctuary of God. (Song on, Lovers of Christ)
# From the garden comes the city, / All materials thus supplied; / God is satisfied completely, / And the foe is terrified. / “Thou art fair, my love, as Tirzah, / Comely as Jerusalem.” / O Lord Jesus, Hallelujah, / Thou wilt do it all! Amen! (Hymns #1161)
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