Ⅴ
The chaos in government, worship, and morality recorded in the book of Judges portrays the satanic chaos in the old creation—Gen. 3:1-5; Rev. 20:10—21:4:
A
The universe is in a state of chaos; this chaos is the source of suffering in the world today, and as long as there is chaos in creation, there will be sufferings in the world—Rom. 8:18-22.
B
The history of the universe is a history of God’s economy and Satan’s chaos—Gen. 1:1-2, 26; Rev. 20:10—21:4:
１
Satan, the devil, is the source and element of the evil chaos—Matt. 16:23; Rev. 2:9-10; 2 Cor. 2:11; 1 Pet. 5:8.
２
God Himself is the divine economy, and He has come into us as an administration, arrangement, and plan to put everything in order—Eph. 1:10; 3:10.
３
In the Bible and in our experience, the satanic chaos always goes along with the divine economy and actually helps God’s economy—v. 9.
C
As those who are living in the midst of chaos, rebellion, and lawlessness, we need to have a clear vision of God’s economy—Psa. 2:1-6; Prov. 29:18a; Eph. 3:9:
１
We need to be governed, controlled, and directed by this vision—Acts 26:19.
２
We must be strong and unshakable in the vision of God’s economy, God’s eternal will—Eph. 1:10; 3:9; Rev. 4:11; 1 Cor. 15:58; Heb. 12:28.
D
The overcomers conquer the satanic chaos in the old creation and carry out the divine economy for the new creation—1 Tim. 1:4; Eph. 1:10; 3:9-10; 2 Cor. 5:17; Gal. 6:15:
１
The overcomers are not delivered out of the satanic chaos; instead, they conquer the destructive satanic chaos and triumph in the constructive divine economy—1 Tim. 1:3-4, 19-20; 4:1-2; Titus 3:10; 2 Tim. 1:15; 4:8.
２
As the overcomers are suffering the chaos, they are “empowered in the grace which is in Christ Jesus” (2:1) and are able to stand for and live out the divine economy—1:10-15; 3:14-17; 4:2, 5, 7, 18.
Morning Nourishment
2 Tim. 2:1 You therefore, my child, be empowered in the grace which is in Christ Jesus.4:8 Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, with which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will recompense me in that day, and not only me but also all those who have loved His appearing.
Today the earth is filled with chaos. Chaos is everywhere. Every part of society is chaotic. However, we should not be discouraged. In addition to the satanic chaos, there is the divine economy. Whereas the satanic chaos will come to an end, the divine economy will reach a consummation. The end of the satanic chaos will be the lake of fire, and the consummation of the divine economy will be the New Jerusalem.
Both in the Bible and in our experience, the satanic chaos always goes along with the divine economy. It seems that we alternate between economy and chaos, between chaos and economy. Where there is the divine economy, there is the satanic chaos. Where God is, Satan is also. (CWWL, 1991-1992, vol. 3, “The Satanic Chaos in the Old Creation and the Divine Economy for the New Creation,” pp. 201-202)
Today’s Reading
The overcomers are those who suffer the chaos, but they are not disappointed or discouraged. Instead, they are strengthened and enabled to stand for and live out the divine economy. The satanic chaos is still going on around us in Christendom. Even within the Lord’s recovery, we have experienced this chaos…. If we are enabled by the Lord to conquer all the destructive chaos, we will triumphantly enter into the kingdom. We will be those who triumph in the unique constructive economy.We have to conquer the satanic chaos by the processed and consummated Triune God as the all-sufficient grace (1 Cor. 15:10; 2 Cor. 12:9; 2 Tim. 4:22). In 1 Corinthians 15:10 Paul says that the grace of the Lord was with him; in Galatians 6:18 he says that the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ is with our spirit; and in 2 Timothy 4:22 he says that the Lord is with our spirit. The Lord as the all-sufficient grace is with our spirit, and we can conquer all the satanic chaos and carry out the unique divine economy by Him as our all-sufficient grace.
We can conquer all the satanic chaos and carry out the divine economy according to the truth, of which the church, the manifestation of God in the flesh, is the pillar and base (1 Tim. 3:15-16). The rebellious ones cannot shake the church in the Lord’s recovery, because the church is the pillar and base of the truth. The pillar supports the building, and the base holds the pillar. The church is the pillar supporting the truth, and it is the base holding the truth. Because the church is the pillar and base of the truth, we need to be those who teach the truth. Our teaching of the truth will enlighten the darkened people, inoculate against the poison, swallow up the death, and bring the distracted back to the proper track.
Revelation 2 and 3 reveal that we need to conquer all the satanic chaos and carry out the unique divine economy in certain conditions. We need to be those who love the Lord with the first love (2:4). The first love may be compared to the love of newlyweds….We must recover the wedding, bridal love toward our Husband, Christ. We also need to enjoy eating Christ as the tree of life in the church as today’s Paradise so that we can be a shining lamp-stand (vv. 7, 5). The Lord…tells the overcomers that He will give them to eat of the entire tree of life….We should eat one tree, the universal tree, the unique tree, that is, the tree of life, which is Christ as the embodiment of the divine life. (CWWL, 1991-1992, vol. 3, “The Satanic Chaos in the Old Creation and the Divine Economy for the New Creation,” pp. 256-258)
Further Reading: CWWL, 1991-1992, vol. 3, “The Satanic Chaos in the Old Creation and the Divine Economy for the New Creation,” chs. 1-3