THE CONTENT OF GOD’S ECONOMY
We have already seen what God’s economy is, and we have also seen the dispensations of God in His economy in four ages. Moreover, we understand that God’s economy is God’s household administration. Now we will go on to see the content of God’s economy. Ephesians 1:9-11, Ephesians 3:9-11, and 1 Timothy 1:4 are all concerning God’s economy. Not only do we need to be familiar with these verses and their contents so that we may fully know the truth contained in them, but we also need to be constituted with this truth by constantly pondering over and being exercised in these verses in order to be able to further explain and preach this truth to others.
God’s Economy Beginning with Adam and Concluding with the New Jerusalem
A person who serves the Lord must have a vision. The vision of God’s economy has a beginning, a process, and a conclusion. The vision of this economy began with Adam, passes through at least seven thousand years, and will conclude with the New Jerusalem, that is, with the coming of the new heavens and the new earth.
We must see that the New Jerusalem has its initial coming and that it also has its consummate coming, its full coming. The initial coming of the New Jerusalem will be in the millennial kingdom for one thousand years on a small scale. At that time, not all the saved ones, but only the overcomers, including the overcomers both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament, will participate in it. The overcomers are a group of God’s people who are perfected, completed, and matured. They are the only people who are qualified to participate in the New Jerusalem in its initial stage. Although the majority of the saints are God’s chosen and saved ones, they have not allowed the grace of God to work in them thoroughly. Hence, most of them have not become mature. They are typified by the five foolish virgins (Matt. 25:1-13). Therefore, they will still have to buy oil. This means that they will still need to be matured.
God’s Matured People Constituting the New Jerusalem
At the Lord’s coming back, all believers will pass through His judgment seat to receive judgment from Him (2 Cor. 5:10). The matured overcomers will enter the kingdom to constitute the New Jerusalem in its initial stage. Hence, the New Jerusalem is not a physical city but a constitution of the matured people of God. Being constituted is different from being organized. Our body is constituted, not organized. A wooden table, however, is organized. Anything organized is inorganic and lifeless, and it can be taken apart and then put back together again. Government organizations and wooden tables are examples of this. However, anything constituted is organic and is constituted with life. It cannot be taken apart and then put back together. Our body is an example of this. In like manner, the New Jerusalem is an entity constituted with the chosen and matured people of God who have reached the maturity in life. It is a constitution in life of God’s matured people. Therefore, the New Jerusalem is not a physical city but an organic constitution.
(The Economy of God and the Mystery of the Transmission of the Divine Trinity, Chapter 2, by Witness Lee)
