THE CLEAR SKY AND THE THRONE VINDICATING
Whether brothers and sisters would listen to you or not depends upon where you are and what you are. Are you under a clear sky? If you are under a clear sky, you do not need to argue; you do not need to claim anything; you do not need to say anything. The clear sky will vindicate. The throne above the sky will vindicate. All the local churches need this revelation. We don’t have any kind of organization. We don’t have any kind of hierarchy. We only have a clear sky. We only have a throne above the sky. We do not have a mission board or any other kind of board. We only have a clear sky with a throne.
I am afraid of only one thing—that I would lose the presence of my Lord. Many times in my room I have told the Devil and the whole universe and myself that I am afraid of only one thing: I am afraid that I might lose the presence of the Lord. As long as I have the presence of the Lord, I am afraid of nothing. As long as I have the presence of the Lord, I care for nothing else. I only care for His presence. In other words, I only care for the clear sky with the throne above it. This is sufficient. We all have to learn this.
Some have warned me saying that I criticize and scorn Christianity too much. They say that I should not speak so negatively about Christianity. Let me tell you dear ones that it is not up to me; it is up to the speaking Spirit. I would like to be a good man, and I do know how to be good, but I cannot help it—I must speak the truth concerning Christianity. What else can I do? There is a clear sky above me. The more I speak the truth according to the Spirit, the more I get a clear sky. Whenever I stand up and open my mouth, the clear sky is with me, and I have the full assurance that the throne is with me also. Praise the Lord! We are too little. We are more than unworthy, yet the Lord has visited us.
In your local church you must not care for anything except having a clear sky with the throne above it. As long as you have a clear sky with the throne above it, opposition and criticism mean nothing. The only thing you need to care for is the open heaven, the clear sky with the throne above it.
THE THRONE BEING IN THE LIKENESS OF
A SAPPHIRE STONE
We need to see one other point about the throne. Ezekiel 1:26 says that the throne is in the likeness of a sapphire stone. From Exodus 24:10, we can understand the meaning of a sapphire stone. A sapphire stone signifies a kind of heavenly condition which exists when God is present in a situation. Exodus 24:10 shows us that when Moses, Aaron, and all the chief men of Israel saw God, they saw under His feet the appearance of a sapphire stone. That gave the people an insight into the appearance of the Lord’s presence. Exodus 24 also says that at that time the heavens were exceedingly clear. God was present in that kind of situation and atmosphere. Therefore, the sapphire stone signifies the situation or the condition of the heavens with God’s presence in it. The throne being in the likeness of a sapphire stone shows the presence of God in a heavenly situation. No doubt, whenever you have the throne of God in a clear heaven, the situation must be heavenly. It cannot be anything earthly or gloomy or impure. It should be heavenly, clear, clean, and absolutely transparent. This portrays what kind of situation and condition we need to have in the presence of God. Whenever we have a clear sky with God and we are in front of His throne, the situation will be like the sapphire stone. The sapphire stone is blue in color. Blue is a heavenly color indicating the situation and condition of God’s presence. Whenever we have a clear sky with God’s throne in it we are in a kind of heavenly situation having the appearance of a sapphire stone.
CONCLUSION
Let us again look at the picture: the Lord is upon the throne above the firmament in the heavens, and the living creatures are walking and standing upon this earth. Through them the Lord in the heavens becomes one with the earth. The heavens are connected to the earth. The heavens have been brought down to the earth. The heavens are now moving upon this earth through, by, and with all the living creatures. This must be the situation among the local churches; this must be the situation among the overcomers; this must be the situation in our daily Christian life.
(The Visions of Ezekiel, Chapter 8, by Witness Lee)
