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The overcomers typified by Zion are the reality of the Body of Christ and consummate the building up of the Body in the local churches to bring in the consummated holy city, New Jerusalem, the Holy of Holies as God’s dwelling place in eternity; in the new heaven and new earth, the entire New Jerusalem will become Zion, with all the believers as the overcomers — 21:1-3, 7, 16, 22:
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The overcomers typified by Zion as the reality of the Body of Christ are the high peak, the center, the uplifting, the strengthening, the enriching, the beauty, and the reality of the church — Psa. 48:2, 11-12; 50:2; 20:2; 53:6a.
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The characteristics, the life, the blessing, and the establishment of Jerusalem (the church) come from Zion (the overcomers):
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In 1 Kings 8:1 the elders were in Jerusalem, and the Ark of the Covenant was in Zion.
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Psalm 51:18 says that God did His good pleasure unto Zion and built the walls of Jerusalem.
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Psalm 102:21 says that the name of Jehovah was declared in Zion and that His praise was declared in Jerusalem.
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Psalm 128:5 says that Jehovah blessed from Zion and that the prosperity was seen in Jerusalem.
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Psalm 135:21 says that Jehovah dwelt in Jerusalem but that He was to be blessed from Zion.
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In Isaiah 41:27 the word was first announced to Zion and then preached to Jerusalem.
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Joel 3:17 says that when God dwelt in Zion, Jerusalem would be holy.
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Today God is looking for the one hundred and forty-four thousand amidst the defeated church, those who will stand on Mount Zion — Rev. 14:1-5.
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God always uses a small number of believers to pass on the flow of life to the church and to revive the church; on behalf of the church, the overcomers take the stand of Christ’s victory in the midst of sufferings; we need to ask God to operate in us the willingness to let ourselves be conquered, captured, and defeated by Christ so that He can be the Victor in our experience — Phil. 2:13; 2 Cor. 2:12-14.
Morning Nourishment
Rev. 14:1 And I saw, and behold, the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him a hundred and forty-four thousand, having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads.21:16 And the city lies square…. And he measured the city with the reed to a length of twelve thousand stadia; the length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.
Today in the church age, the God-men who were perfected and matured are Zion, the overcomers, the vital groups within the churches. But in the new heaven and new earth there will be no more Zion, only Jerusalem, because all the unqualified saints will have been qualified to be Zion. In other words, the entire New Jerusalem will become Zion. What is Zion? Zion is the very spot where God is, that is, the Holy of Holies. In Revelation 21 there is a sign signifying that the New Jerusalem will be the Holy of Holies. Its dimensions are the dimensions of a cube, twelve thousand stadia long, twelve thousand stadia wide, and twelve thousand stadia high (v. 16). That is the Holy of Holies, because the Holy of Holies in the Old Testament in both the tabernacle and the temple was a cube, equal in length, breadth, and height (Exo. 26:2-8; 1 Kings 6:20).
There is no other way to reach this high peak except by praying. It is more than evident that Jerusalem is here as a big realm of Christians, but where is Zion, the overcomers?…The overcomers are the very Zion, where God is. This is the intrinsic reality of the spiritual revelation in the holy Word of God. We have to realize what the Lord’s recovery is. The Lord’s recovery is to build up Zion. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 1, “The Practical Points concerning Blending,” pp. 138-140)
Today’s Reading
Zion is the high peak, the center, the uplifting, the strengthening, the enriching, and the reality of the church, the holy city. If there are no overcomers in a local church, that church is like Jerusalem without Zion…. A local church must have some overcomers, and these overcomers are the peak and the center of that local church. They are the uplifting, the strengthening, the enriching, and the reality of that local church. If you take away these overcomers from that local church, that local church becomes like a flat tire. (CWWL, 1993, vol. 2, “The Training and the Practice of the Vital Groups,” pp. 274-275)Jerusalem typifies the church. Within Jerusalem, there was Mount Zion [typifying the overcomers]….Jerusalem is large, while Zion is small. The stronghold of Jerusalem is Zion. Whenever there is something that has to do with God’s heart desire, Zion is mentioned. Whenever there is something that has to do with the failures and sins of the Jews, Jerusalem is mentioned….There is a New Jerusalem, but there never will be a new Zion, because Zion can never become old. Every time the Old Testament speaks of the relationship between Zion and Jerusalem, it shows us that the characteristics, the life, the blessing, and the establishment of Jerusalem come from Zion. In 1 Kings 8:1, the elders were in Jerusalem, and the Ark of the Covenant was in Zion. Psalm 51:18 says that God did good to Zion and built the walls of Jerusalem. Psalm 102:21 says that the name of the Lord was in Zion and that His praise was in Jerusalem….Psalm 135:21 says that the Lord dwelt at Jerusalem but that the Lord was to be blessed out of Zion. In Isaiah 41:27 the word was first announced to Zion and then preached to Jerusalem. Joel 3:17 says that when God dwelt in Zion, Jerusalem would be holy.
Today God is looking for the one hundred and forty-four thousand amidst the defeated church, who will stand on Mount Zion (Rev. 14). God always uses a small number of believers to pass on the flow of life to the church and to revive the church. (CWWN, vol. 11, pp. 762-763)
Further Reading: CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 1, “The Practical Points concerning Blending,” ch. 5; CWWN, vol. 11, pp. 760-763