We need to have a clear view of the divine history within the human history, realizing that the outward human history has a kernel, which is the mystery of the Triune God in humanity, the divine history within the human history.
This week in our morning revival we come to the topic of, The Universal History according to God’s Economy — the Divine History within the Human History.
If we read certain portions in the word of God, the Bible, we can only conclude that God is real and that the Bible is the word of God, for these portions are being fulfilled right before our eyes.
One of these portions is in Joel 1:4, which is connected to Daniel 2; in Daniel 2 we see a great human image with four main sections, and in Joel 1 we see one locust in four stages – both of these typify the totality of the human government throughout history.
These four stages or four sections of the human government are the Babylonian Empire, the Medo-Persian Empire, the Grecian-Macedonian Empire, and the Roman Empire; these comprise the totality of human government.
As these empires come and go, as they are being manifested and carry out their work, God is doing something within the human history; on one hand He chastises Israel, on the other hand, He has a divine history within the human history.
Throughout these last twenty-seven centuries, while the nations have been damaging Israel, God has been doing something in a silent and mysterious way for His economy; this is the divine history within the human history. God is moving to obtain the manifestation of Christ.
On one hand there’s the consuming of the Roman locust (the last section of the great human image), the suffering of Israel, the manifestation of Christ, and the prophecy concerning the restoration.
So we need to be clear where do we sit today in the course of this history, what are we, and what is our goal.
When we look at human history we can see that these empires came and chastised Israel, causing him to suffer; furthermore, God wants His Christ to be manifested and expressed, and there’s the prophecy concerning the restoration.
The essence of the Roman Empire is still here, Israel is still suffering, Christ is being manifested, and we all know that there’s a prophecy concerning the restoration of Israel and of all things.
So in the course of this history we need to realize that today we’re right at the end, we live the end times, and we are the spiritual people of God who aspire to be produced as His overcomers, with the goal of being raptured with the Lord and returning with Him as a corporate smiting stone to smash and destroy human government!
How God uses the “Roman Locust” to Facilitate the Carrying out of the Divine History within the Human History
In the universe there are two histories – the history of man (the human history) and the history of God (the divine history); the history of man is like an “outward shell” and the history of God is like “the kernel within the shell”.
It is easy to see just the outward shell and not be aware of the kernel, so we need to have a clear view of the divine history within the human history.
In Joel 1:4 we see these four locusts, or one locust in four stages: the cutting locust, the swarming locust, the licking locust, and the consuming locust.
These probably refer to one kind of locust in various stages of growth; the four stages of this one kind of locust refer to the nations that devastated Israel in four consecutive empires.
The Babylonian Empire, the Medo-Persian Empire, the Grecian Empire, and the Roman Empire (including Antichrist, who will be the last Caesar of the Roman Empire – Rev. 17:8-11) have been like “locusts” or different stages of growth of a locust to devour, chastise, and consume the people of Israel.
Their armies were like locusts (Joel 2:25) coming to devastate and consume Israel totally, devouring her people, land, fields, produce, drink, food, and cutting off her offerings.
These four locusts correspond to the four sections of the great human image in Daniel 2 and to the four beasts in Daniel 7 and to the four horns in Zechariah 1.
So Israel has been suffering the cutting, swarming, licking, and consuming of the locusts of twenty-seven centuries.
However, there’s much more going on beneath the surface, for within the shell of human history there’s the divine history.
God has used these locusts to bring in the incarnation of God in man, an unprecedented event that brought God into man and mingled God with man as one.
God used the “Roman locust” to afford all the necessary facilities in the environment that were needed for the carrying out of His purpose.
The Roman Empire afforded everything necessary for the incarnated God – Jesus Christ – to move and live on earth, for Him to do God’s work, and for Him to die on the cross for the accomplishing of God’s redemption (John 18:31-32).
Furthermore, God used the Roman Empire to facilitate the gathering of so many dispersed and scattered Jewish people to Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost so that He would fulfill Joel 2:28-32, the pouring out of His Spirit upon all flesh.
In the midst of the suffering of Israel, while the Roman locust was consuming them, in the divine history within human history God poured out the Holy Spirit upon man, and whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved (Rom. 10:13).
Today we can also experience the manifestation of Christ simply by calling on the name of the Lord; as we call on the Lord’s name today, we enjoy Him as the rich and bountiful One, and we are saved!
By calling on the name of the Lord we experience Him as the all-inclusive Spirit, and we can enjoy Him and also minister Him to others for them to call on Him and be saved!
God used the Roman locust to facilitate the spreading of the gospel to the entire inhabited earth; because of the Roman Empire building roads to connect their empire, maintaining peace and safety while travelling, and establishing maritime routes that are safe, the gospel could travel all around the Mediteranean area to be spread (Matt. 28:19; Acts 1:8).
Even today, though it may seem that outwardly we are restricted because of the coronavirus pandemic all around the world, actually God’s history and His economy are not restricted; the gospel horse is running today, and the gospel is helped and even sped up by the famine, war, and death.
When things are turned upside down in human society, these are sometimes the best times to share the gospel, speak to people, and encourage them to call on the name of the Lord.
Even in the midst of the consuming and the suffering, the manifestation of Christ can be enlarged!
Lord Jesus, grant us to have a clear view of the divine history within the human history and realize that, even as there’s a consuming going on outwardly, the divine history is going on inwardly! Hallelujah, our God is moving, the gospel is spreading, and Christ is being manifested on earth in spite of the consuming and suffering taking place! Amen, Lord Jesus, we can call on Your name and be saved, and we can freely receive the Holy Spirit as the blessing from God! May You gain the manifestation of Christ in and among the outward human history going on with all its consuming and suffering!
The Divine History within the Human History is the Mystery of the Triune God in Humanity
The Bible shows us a record of two histories: on one hand there’s the history of man – the human history, and on the other hand there’s the history of God, the divine history.
In the book of Joel we see the human history being signified by the four kinds of locusts (Joel 1:4); at the same time, the divine history within the human history is also revealed in considerable detail.
It is easy to look at the outward shell of the human history, paying much attention to the events, suffering, consuming, wars, death, etc…yet miss the divine history, which is the kernel within the shell.
The divine history is the divine mystery of the Triune God in humanity; it began in eternity past with the eternal God and His eternal economy (Micah 5:2; 1 Tim. 1:4; Eph. 1:4-5, 9-11), and it continued in time with the incarnation of Christ.
The divine history within the human history continued with Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection for the spreading of God’s redemption and salvation to all the nations on earth (Jonah 1:17; 2:10), and then with His pouring out of the Holy Spirit to produce the church as the corporate expression of the Triune God (Joel 2:28-32).
It continues with the Lord’s second coming as the Desire of the nations (Hag. 2:7) and as the Sun of righteousness (Mal. 4:2), His coming with His overcomers as His army to defeat Antichrist and his army (Joel 3:1-15), and His reigning in Zion in the thousand-year kingdom (3:16-21; Micah 4:7).
All these are prophesied in the Minor Prophets as the divine history within the human history.
Eventually, the kingdom will consummate in the New Jerusalem in the new heaven and the new earth for eternity; the New Jerusalem will be the consummate step of God’s history, and it will be for eternity.
We need to see a clear view of these two histories going in parallel; there’s the physical human history on one hand, and there’s the mysterious divine history on the other hand.
The divine history within the human history is the mystery of the Triune God in humanity, for God not only arranges all things for the carrying out of His purpose, but He also wants to be manifested in man.
The inward divine history within the outward human history is a matter of the mystery of the Triune God in humanity (1 Tim. 3:15-16). Great is the mystery of godliness – God manifested in the flesh.
When God was manifested in the flesh in Christ, that was the divine history being written; when God is manifested in us as we call on His name and live in spirit, we are part of the divine history.
Whenever we call on the name of the Lord, we receive the supply of the Spirit, and we can face all the consuming and the suffering; then God can be manifested in us, and even in small things He can live in us again for the reality of the divine history – the mystery of the Triune God in humanity.
Praise the Lord, the divine history is going on within the human history for the manifestation of God in the flesh! Amen, Lord, may we clearly see the matter of the mystery of the Triune God in humanity, the divine history within the human history! May we be those who call on the name of the Lord, are supplied with the bountiful Spirit, and allow the Lord to live in us! Even in these days, Lord, at the end of this age, with all the things going on outwardly, we want to be part of the divine history being lived out by being the manifestation of God in the flesh!
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Sources of inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, the message by Ricky Acosta for this week, and portions from, Life-study Joel, msgs. 4-5 (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 3, The Universal History according to God’s Economy — the Divine History within the Human History.
- Recommended reading: Joel 1:4 with the footnote in the Recovery Version Bible.
- Hymns on this topic:
– It is such a jubilant practice / That Joel prophesied. / And this was fulfilled at Pentecost, / So Peter testified: / All who call upon the name / Of the Lord shall be saved. / All who call upon the name / Of the Lord Jesus shall be saved. (Song on, It is God’s commandment and desire)
– In the time He designed / He was born of a virgin’s womb / To reveal what was sealed from eternity. / He was born in human history / To reveal its greatest mystery. / That the answer for the earth / Was that Christ so loved the church. / He would die to satisfy the heart of God. (Song on, The Heart of God)
– And confessedly, / Great is the mystery, / The mystery of godliness: / He who was manifested in the flesh, / Justified in the spirit, / Seen by angels, / Preached among the nations, / Believed on in the world, / Taken up in glory. (Scripture song)
About aGodMan
