A MAN ON THE THRONE
Let us look at Ezekiel 1:26: “And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it.” Ezekiel saw a vision of a throne in the clear sky. And on the throne there was one sitting like the son of man. We would think that God would be sitting on the throne, but Ezekiel saw a man! In this book Ezekiel was called the son of man ninety-three times by the Lord. The whole concept of this book in God’s divine vision is altogether focused on the matter of man. God needs a man. Our concept is that the one on the throne of the whole universe is God, but here is a verse telling us that the one who is sitting on the throne is a man.
Humanly speaking, it is easy for God to establish a kingdom by Himself. But Satan would only belittle this. We can see the belittling of Satan in the book of Job. Satan told God that Job feared Him simply because He blessed him, and if God were to take away all the blessings, Job would not fear Him. Satan thought that God bought Job by His blessings. But what a glory to God that Job still feared him when all the blessings were taken away! That was a real shame to Satan. When God stripped Job of so many things, he still loved God. He loved God not for the blessings, but for God himself.
God would never establish a kingdom by Himself. He knows what Satan would say if He did. Therefore, God created man, and then left this man in a garden without any fence. God did this purposely so that Satan could try whatever means he chose to attempt to frustrate God’s plan. But after Satan damaged man, God’s wisdom was even further expressed. God had created a good and perfect man, yet Satan damaged him and made him a rebel and a sinner. But God would regenerate this man and make a new man. Out of all Satan’s destruction, God would build something new. And praise the Lord, God did it!
A NEW HUMANITY
Before we were saved we were just a sketch of destruction. But out of this sketch of destruction God has regenerated us to become a new humanity. This is a glory to God and a shame to Satan. As long as the church has the proper humanity, God can tell Satan, “Even in Los Angeles, the movie capital of the world, I have built up a humanity against you. I have not done it by angels or by Myself, but with the human beings you damaged. I have built up a new humanity.” What a glory to God to be able to say this to Satan! Even Satan will realize that the more he damages man, the more glory God will get.
My burden is that the veil may be taken away so that we will all know God’s ultimate intention. His purpose is not merely that we may all go to heaven. God’s ultimate intention is to build up a kingdom with His humanity on this earth. Do not think that I was a good person before I was saved. I certainly was not. But I am here ministering something of Christ to all of you. This is a glory to the Lord and a shame to Satan. All Satan can say is that the little man whom he once damaged is now ministering Christ.
The principle applies to all of us. Some of the young people in the church were hippies in the past. Only the Lord knows the kind of life they lived. For all of these so-called “ex-hippies” to take the Lord’s humanity for a proper human life is the biggest shame to Satan. Satan would have to say, “Five years ago I greatly damaged these young people, yet today they have such a proper humanity. I have no face to stay in Los Angeles.” This is for the kingdom of God.
(Christ as the Reality, Chapter 17, by Witness Lee)
