Cooperating with God for Christ to be Preeminent through the Ruling of the Heavens

The heavens rule; God in heavens rules over all things for the purpose of making Christ preeminent and for accomplishing His economy, and we need to cooperate with Him by giving Christ the preeminence in all things under the ruling of the heavens.

The Bible gives us a clear indication of what will happen at the end of this age, and as we study the prophecies, we realize that we’re in the last days of this age. Just a little while more and the Lord will return.

If we read the books of Daniel, Ezekiel, and Revelation we see that these are books full of visions; the visions in these books are not ordinary visions but particular visions in relation to the opening up of God’s administration, in the world situation to work out His economy.

May the Lord be merciful to us that we may see the heavenly visions, see the throne of God, realize there’s a spiritual scene behind the world situation, and see Christ as the center of God’s administration. In order for us to be persons who see the vision from God, there are at least eight qualifications:

1. We need to be mature in life; we cannot see the visions if we’re childish or babyish. Ezekiel was thirty years old when he saw the vision; the age of thirty implies a mature age, maturity. For us to see the visions from God we need maturity in life.
2. We need to be those who overcome the powerful tide of today’s age, the world of today. Ezekiel was by the river Kebar when he saw the vision; he was in Babylon by the river. Kebar in Hebrew means powerful; there’s a current, a flow, a river in the world that carries people away from God. Later in Ezekiel we see there’s a river flowing out of the temple of God to bring the people from the world back to God; Ezekiel was in this river. We need to be in the flow of God, the river coming out of God’s house, and we need to not be in the tide of today’s age, so that we may see the visions from God.
3. We need to be a priest, one who lives in God’s presence to pray to God and contact God, so that we may see the heavenly visions. Both Ezekiel, Daniel, and the apostle John were such priests; they spent much time with God in His presence, and they prayed much.
4. We need to be willing to bear the Lord’s reproach. Ezekiel was the son of Uzi; Uzi means contempt or despise. Ezekiel was the son of a despised one, a son of shame. The prophets bore the reproach of the Lord, suffering shame and the reproach of Christ. John was in exile on the island of Patmos under persecution, Daniel was in captivity under the opposition of the many people around him, and Ezekiel had to face the rebellious people of God. For us to see the visions from God we must be those who are willing to bear the shame and suffer the Lord’s reproach.
5. We need to have the heavens opened to us. Are the heavens opened to us are they closed? If we are stubborn and are for ourselves, the heavens remain closed. But Ezekiel had the opened heavens and saw the visions; Jesus after He was baptized had the opened heavens and the speaking of the Father; Stephen as he was being stoned had the opened heavens. May we be those who have an open heavens, with a clear conscience, having no obstruction between God and us, so that we may receive the visions.
6. We need to be unveiled to see the vision; to have the vision revealed and transmitted to us, we need to have no veil covering us. It is one thing to see the vision and it is another to allow the vision to come to us, to be revealed to us. Our heart needs to be unveiled, our eyes need to be clear, and we need to see the vision.
7. We need to have the word of God come to us expressedly. This is not the ordinary, common, doctrinal word of God in the Bible, but the living, express word of God coming to us. In spite of the outward limitations of this present time, God’s speaking is not restricted; His words are expressed, and He wants to speak to us in an express way. Through the Lord’s express word, we can see the vision.
8.  We need to have God’s hand upon us so that He may work out, carry out, operate, and lead us and hold us. As God speaks to us through His word, His hand follows to accomplish His word in us. We need not only the Lord’s word but also His hand to follow His word, lead us by His hand, guide us step by step, and hold us to Himself.

The Ruling of the Heavens matches His Eternal Economy to bring in the New Creation and Smash the Human Government

When God first created man in the garden of Eden, according to His image and likeness, and gave him the dominion to represent Him, He desired to gain a corporate man for His expression and representation.

But man fell to Satan’s seduction and became sinful and fallen. What issued was the old man; God didn’t create the old man but rather, the old man came in due to the fall, for the first man became the old man through the fall.

Four thousand years later God was incarnated to be a man; He went to the cross and was crucified, and through His cross He terminated the old man with the old creation and germinated a new creation.

According to Eph. 2:15 Christ on the cross created one new man and brought forth a new creation; this is a principle in God’s economy. The old creation needs to be terminated so that the new creation can be brought forth.

This is why, when we believe into the Lord we need to be baptized so that we may allow the old life, the old creation, to be terminated and buried; when we arise from the waters, we have a new beginning as the new creation, a germinated new being.

The ruling of the heavens by the God of the heavens over all the governments of the earth matches this.

All the human governments are in the old creation, being constituted of everything of the old man in the old creation; they are fallen, sinful, rotten, and rebellious to the uttermost.

Therefore, the ruling of the heavens by the God of the heavens over all the human government on earth matches the eternal economy of God to terminate the old creation for the germination of the new creation! Amen!

The ruling of the heavens is also to smash and crush the aggregate of human government and establish the eternal kingdom of God (Dan.2:37, 44; 4:17; Rev. 11:15).

The great human image seen by king Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 2 gives us an impression of the totality of the human government; although this image consists of the Babylonian Empire, the Medo-Persian Empire, the Grecian Empire, and the Roman Empire, the whole thing is Babylon, from head to toe.

It was all started by Nimrod who built the city of Babel, and it consummates in the great Babylon which is hateful in God’s eyes.

In Rev. 17-18 we see that the Great Babylon will be burned up, and when its smoke goes up, there will be a great release of Hallelujah! all over the heavens, for God hates Babylon to the uttermost.

Today the ruling of the heavens by the God of the heavens matches His economy to bring forth the new creation and to smash the human government.

Before the end of this age, a stone cut without hand – Christ with His overcomers – will come and will smash the great human image, and the kingdom of God will be brought in over all the earth.

Before the kingdom of God can come in, the old creation needs to be terminated; this is why there needs to be the ruling of the heavens by the God of the heavens over all the human government.

Hallelujah, the ruling of the heavens by the God of the heavens over all human government on earth matches the eternal economy of God for Christ to terminate the old creation for the germination of the new creation! Amen, Christ will come as the God-cut stone to smash and crush the aggregate of human government and establish the eternal kingdom of God! Thank You Lord, You are in control. The heavens rule. We submit to You and we enthrone You in our being. Bring our entire being out of the old creation and into the new creation for the kingdom of God!

Cooperating with God for Christ to be Preeminent through the Ruling of the Heavens

If we look at the situation in the world today, especially in Europe, we see that many things are aligned and set up in such a way that the world is brought into a condition that is ready for Christ’s return.

Outward events in the world situation really show us that Christ is at the door and His return is imminent.

As we see this, we need to realize that we are not for the world, the world is not for us, and the world is not worthy of us; we are here for Christ, and every day we need to prepare ourselves to meet Him.

We want that, when He returns, we would receive a reward from Him. In the book of Daniel in particular we see God’s heavenly rule, the preeminence of Christ, and the portion of God’s people.

In His economy, God administrates the universe and all things on the earth to fulfill His purpose; we live under the ruling of the heavens for the purpose of God to be fulfilled.

God desires to give Christ the preeminence in all things; for this, He needs to gain a people who take the lead to give Christ the preeminence in all things.

We have been chosen by God to be His people for Christ’s preeminence; we are under the ruling of the heavens, and all things work together for our good (Rom. 8:28).

God works all things for our good in our personal universe including ourselves, our families, and the church, so that Christ would become preeminent to us.

All things work together for good for Christ to be wrought into us, lived out in us, formed in us, and be preeminent to us, so that He may have the first place in all things.

We need to realize this; we need to see the ruling of the heavens and cooperate with God for Christ to be preeminent to us through the ruling of the heavens.

What rules on the earth is not the president, the prime-minister, or anyone else; what rules is not the COVID19 pandemic, the hatred, the racial differences, or any other things but God.

The heavens rule. The whole earth is under the ruling of the heavens for God to accomplish His purpose. And for us, the people of God, the heavens rule in all things so that Christ may be everything to us, even that He would be preeminent in us.

The heavens rule for us; Christ is for us; the heavenly ruling is to complete us as God’s elect so that Christ may be preeminent in us. Oh, may we see this!

May we realize that God rules over all things for us to have Christ as the preeminent One! God wants that His Christ would be the first (He would be the centrality) and everything (the universality) in our being.

And this Christ is not apart from us – He is in us, even one with us; when we are happy, He is with us, and when we’re sick or sad, He is with us.

When we go through turmoils and troubles, Christ is with us. He is with us in an invisible yet very real way, and as we turn to Him and enjoy Him, we are brought into a deeper appreciation for Him, until He becomes preeminent in our being.

May we realize that the whole universe is under God’s administration, that God’s intention in His administration is to make Christ preeminent, and may we cooperate with Him for this!

May we be the people on earth who give the Lord the best cooperation and coordination for Christ to be made preeminent through the rule of the heavens!

Lord Jesus, cause us to see and realize that this universe is under God’s administration and that God’s intention in His administration is to make Christ preeminent! Amen, Lord, we give You the preeminence in all things by faith. We turn to You, we open to You, and we give ourselves to enjoy You and experience You. We want to give You our best cooperation and coordination for the accomplishment of Your intention so that Christ would be preeminent through the rule of the heavens!

References and Hymns on this Topic

• Sources of inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, the message by James Lee for this week, and portions from, Life-study of Daniel, msgs. 1, 5-6, 12, 17 (by Witness Lee), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, A Timely Word Concerning the World Situation and the Lord’s Recovery (2020 Memorial Day Conference), week 2, Seeing a Vision of the Throne of God, the Spiritual Scene behind the World Situation, and Christ as the Center of God’s Administration.
• Hymns on this topic:
  – Because it pleased the Father, / All fulness dwells in Thee, / That Thou might have the first place / In all we ever see. (Hymns #189)
  – Christ as my Person must possess my heart / And be preeminent in every part. / The former owner died but haunts it still. / O Lord, move in; my mind, emotion, will / Now welcome Thee. (Hymns #1179)
  – When troubles come, go find a chum; / Together we can overcome! / Just step away, take time to pray! / Request compassions of our God. / God grants, God gives, God makes us live; / We’re His — our ways belong to Him. / Because, behind the scenes, behind the scenes, / The heavens rule in everything. (Song on, Behind the scenes, behind the scenes)