Christ’s Speaking to the Local Churches in Revelation
Christ’s Speaking to the Local Churches in Revelation |
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Additional Quotes about the Local Church by Witness Lee and Watchman NeeHere in this epistle the Lord promises to give the overcomer “to eat of the tree of life.” This refers back to Genesis 2:8-9, and 16 concerning the matter of eating ordained by God…. The word for tree here, as in 1 Peter 2:24, is wood in Greek, not the usual word used for tree. In the Bible, “the tree of life” always refers to Christ as the embodiment of all the riches of God (Col. 2:9) for our food (Gen. 2:9; 3:22, 24; Rev. 22:2, 14, 19). Here it refers to the crucified (implied in the tree as a piece of wood—1 Pet. 2:24) and resurrected (implied in the zoe life—John 11:25) Christ who is in the church today, the consummation of which will be the New Jerusalem, in which the crucified and resurrected Christ will be the tree of life for the enjoyment of all God’s redeemed people for eternity (22:2, 14). (Witness Lee, LS of Revelation, 124-125) In the church at Ephesus the practice of the Nicolaitans appeared only as a kind of deed—that was the start. But eventually, in the church at Pergamos, it was developed from a deed into a doctrine. When a deed has been developed into a doctrine, it means that the practice has been commonly justified. The people not only practice it, but hold it as a teaching. What a grievous situation! Today we must put, this detestable practice and teaching of the clergy-laity system under our feet. We must not only cast out the teaching, but chase away every Nicolaitan deed. If you come to the meeting and just sit there waiting for others to function, you are still under the influence of the Nicolaitans. You must be delivered, you must escape, you must break through, even if you have to shout. Today in the local church there must be neither “nico-,” nor “-laitans,” neither clergy nor laymen. All the brothers and sisters must be functioning, praying, testifying, shouting and praising brothers and sisters. Do not think that to shout in a meeting is a small thing. I tell you, this is the reaction of the Lord. Down with the Nicolaitans and up with Christ! The age has changed. The Lord will tolerate no longer the Nicolaitan, clergy-laity system. If you come to the meeting as a layman, waiting for others to function, you put the Lord Jesus to an open shame. (Witness Lee, Christ v. Religion, 169-170) In Revelation 2:7 the Lord said, “To him who overcomes, to him I will give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.” According to the entire book of Revelation, the paradise of God in 2:7 is the New Jerusalem (3:12; 21:2, 10; 22:1-2, 14, 19), of which the church is a foretaste today. The paradise of God is today’s church and tomorrow’s New Jerusalem. Today we are the church, and in the future the church will be the New Jerusalem. Today’s church life is God’s paradise. In the church life, we have some taste that we are in the paradise of God. At times we may be arguing or speaking corrupt things. But while we are meeting together, singing, praising, and praying, we have the feeling that we are in paradise. Sometimes in the church meetings we are in a kind of ecstasy. When I look at the faces of the saints in a meeting, nearly every face is smiling. This is because we are happy in the paradise of God. This world is a terrible place. Even many of the unbelievers agree with this. In today’s human society, one does not have the taste of paradise; instead, one may have the taste of hell. But when we are in the church life, we are in paradise. The paradise of God is located in the local churches! To be in the church life is to live a life in paradise. Eventually the consummation of the church life in the age to come and in eternity will be the New Jerusalem. In the New Jerusalem is the tree of life growing in the river of water of life for our eating and drinking. That will be our enjoyment in eternity. Even today we have the privilege of eating the tree of life and of “drinking at the Fountain that never runs dry” (see Hymns, #322). In the church life, we are in the paradise of God enjoying Christ as the tree of life. Today Christ as the embodiment of God is our tree of life, and this tree of life is growing in us. The Lord Jesus told a parable of a sower going out to sow the seed (Mark 4:1-20). He is both the sower and the seed of life. He sows Himself as the seed of life into us, the earth. We are the earth that grows Christ. On the day we were regenerated, Christ was sown into our being. Our very being is the earth that contains Christ and grows Christ. We have received the divine life, and this very productive divine life is growing within us. We have to grow Christ. (Witness Lee, Urgent Need, 30-31) | ||||