Read and pray: "There will no longer be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and His servants will serve Him" (Rev 22:3)
THE BUILDING OF THE CITY OF GOD
There is a distinction between the temple and the city. The temple emphasizes dwelling, habitation. The city is related to administration. Therefore, the temple concerns His presence and the city His sovereign authority, His power. When the New Jerusalem comes into view, these two aspects will be combined. The New Jerusalem is a city, which is a matter of authority, and it is also the tabernacle of God with men, which concerns the aspect of dwelling.
Thus, in the New Jerusalem, we see both the presence of God and His authority. Although the two aspects are combined, the emphasis in the city is on authority. This is why the center of the New Jerusalem is the throne of God and of the Lamb, which concerns the sovereign power of God, His authority (Rev 22:3).
Building the temple is building God's dwelling so that He has a base in the human being, dwells in him, and is mingled with him. Building the city is building God's sovereign power, His authority over man.
First, we need to build the presence of God in man. This is the first step. Then we need to build the sovereign power, the divine authority, over man. This is the final step.
For this reason, first, we have the church, the house of God, His temple, and then we have the manifestation of the New Jerusalem. In the work of building, we always build the temple first, then the city. God's presence comes before His authority. First, we build the mingling of God with man, then we build His authority over man.
Although the temple is the center, the protection is in the city. A person who only has the temple element, and not the city one, is without protection. If there is only the restoration of the temple, without the city, the temple will be unprotected. This is why, after the temple was restored by Ezra, Nehemiah still needed to restore the city. There were no battles during the restoration of the temple because the issue of protection was not a problem; however, there was a threat of war when the city was restored because the city was related to protection.
The presence of God does not imply the existence of battles, but God's authority is related to combat. Satan's work in people is to destroy God's authority, not His presence. God's primary purpose is His authority, not His presence. The extreme manifestation in the Bible is a city with the throne of God in the center. This means that God's primary goal is to accomplish something where He reigns and establishes His throne.
When we are mingled with God and have His presence in us, we can be united with others as the temple of God. Those who are mingled with God and have His presence inside can be united to be the temple of God. However, this does not make us the city of God. We need to be built to the point of being under God's authority, having His sovereign power over us. Only then can we be united to become a city. If we are only mingled with God, He can only have a dwelling. For Him to reign among us, we need to have His authority over us.
Thus, the meaning of building is to build God's presence in people and His kingdom over them, that is, to build the mingling of God in them and His rule over them. If there is neither temple nor city on earth, God will be confined to the heavens and can only reign in the heavens. Only when there is a temple on earth can God dwell on earth, and only when there is a city on earth can His will be done and His kingdom exercised here.
In other words, when we have been built by God within and thus have His presence, we will be united with those who have also been built by God and therefore also have His presence in order to become His temple. Then, when we have God's authority and His reigning over us, we can be united with those who are also under His authority to become a city.
For this reason, we need to allow God to work in us so that we may be built. If there is any aspect where we are not mingled with God, we will not be His temple. If we do not allow Him to reign in us in a certain aspect, we will not be His city. We need to let Him build in us.
Once built, we will know if the inner being of someone with whom we come into contact is desolate or has the presence of the Lord. We will also know if they have been built and have God's temple in them. They may sincerely love the Lord, but we only find desolation in their inner being. They do not have the presence of the Lord when dealing with various things. At most, we can perceive that they are zealous, active, and determined, but we cannot identify the temple in them. We cannot come into contact with God's presence in them. Therefore, they cannot serve in a coordinated way with other Christians.
To help a person in this condition, we need to do the work of building in order to build God in their inner being. In other words, we need to build God's presence in their inner being so that they have, to some degree, the temple, the presence, and the mingling of God.
In this small measure of God's presence and mingling, we are also built in them. With this small measure of God's presence and mingling, they can also unite with us. With this small measure of God's presence and mingling, they are built and not isolated. The more we work in this person, the more God's presence and mingling in their inner being will grow. God's temple in them will grow, and their union with others will increase. The more they are built in this way, the more they will be saved from being independent. The more they are built in this way, the more they will be saved from being individualistic and will learn to be united with others in order to be built together.
After we have worked with a person for some time, they will have some building in themselves and will eventually have God's temple in them. However, they still do not have the city of God; they still do not know God's authority, His sovereign power. The city is entirely a matter of authority.
When the city and the tower of Babel were built on the earth, man subverted God's authority (Gn 11:3-4). When we build God's temple in someone's inner being, we must also build the city of God in them: His sovereign power, His authority. Then they will learn to have not only God's presence but also to be under His authority in everything.
What does it mean to be under God's authority? What is authority? We need to see that there is not only authority and order in the church, but also to know that the entire universe is a matter of authority. For example, when the archangel Michael contended with the devil over the body of Moses, he did not dare to pronounce a judgment against the devil. He simply said, "The Lord rebuke you!" (Jd 9). This is a matter of authority.
In Matthew 8, the centurion said to the Lord Jesus, "For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it" (v. 9). This is also a matter of authority. The whole universe is a matter of authority, of order. There is order in our home. Order involves authority. This applies even more to the church.
Since the beginning of Genesis, the universe has been in chaos because it has lost order. In the New Testament, starting with the Gospel of Matthew, God carries out a work of restoration. As He does so, more and more order is established. When we reach the end of Revelation, everything is in perfect order. Therefore, when the city is manifested, everything will be under authority. The building work we carry out begins with building God mingled with man and culminates in the building of God's authority over man. The more a person is mingled with God and the more divine authority they have over them, the more they will be united with others. Having only good conduct is not enough in the church, because the church is a matter of being built under God's authority.
Appréciez davantage : Hymn 384
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