Ⅲ
God needs to end this age—Rom. 12:2; Eph. 2:2; 2 Cor. 4:4; Titus 2:12:
A
The situation before the Lord's coming will be like that in the days of Noah—Matt. 24:37-39:
１
Noah lived in a crooked and perverse age—Gen. 6:1-22.
２
In Matthew 24:37-39 and Luke 17:26-27 the Lord Jesus likened our age to the days of Noah:
ａ
The conditions of evil living that stupefied the generation of Noah before the flood portray the perilous condition of man's living before the great tribulation and the Lord's parousia—Matt. 24:21, 3, 27, 37, 39.
ｂ
If we would participate in the overcomers' rapture to enjoy the Lord's parousia and escape the great tribulation, we must overcome the stupefying effect of man's living today—Luke 21:34-36.
B
Today there are only two things on earth—the crooked and perverted generation and the church as the corporate expression of Christ—Acts 2:40; Phil. 2:15; 1 Cor. 1:2; 12:12, 27.
C
If we would be the corporate expression of Christ in the church life, we need to be today's "family of Noah" building the corporate Christ as the ark that will deliver us from the crooked and perverted generation and usher us into the coming age of the kingdom of God—Gen. 6:8—8:3; 1 Cor. 12:12; Phil. 2:12-13; 1 Pet. 3:20-21.
D
The ark built by Noah is a type of Christ as the salvation of God's elect; the ark that we are building today is the corporate Christ, the church, as our salvation from today's crooked, perverted, and evil generation—vv. 20-21; 1 Cor. 12:12, 27.
E
The church life is today's ark to terminate the present age and bring in God's kingdom—1:2; 12:12, 27; 1 Thes. 1:1, 9-10:
１
The Lord desires "the family of Noah" to build the ark and testify against the trend of the age so that He can use them to terminate the age and bring in the kingdom age—Heb. 11:7; Rev. 11:15.
２
What we are building in the church life is the corporate Christ as the ark for our salvation and for the salvation of the ones under our care—1 Cor. 12:12; 14:26; Phil. 2:12-13.
F
God wants the church, the ark, where we can be saved from today's evil generation—Acts 2:40-47:
１
God wants to save us—through this ark—from the crooked generation and usher us into God's kingdom to fulfill His eternal purpose—Matt. 6:33; 13:43; Luke 12:32; Rev. 11:15.
２
God cares for whether or not we are in the ark, the proper church life; He wants us to be a part of the corporate Christ, part of the testimony of Jesus—1 Cor. 12:12; Rev. 1:2, 9, 11, 20; 22:16.
G
When this ark is built up, the Lord Jesus will return—19:7; 22:7, 12, 20:
１
The Lord has not come back yet because He is still waiting for the ark to be built—Matt. 16:18, 27.
２
When the testimony of the church in the Lord's recovery is matured, the Lord Jesus will return—Rev. 19:7; 22:7, 12, 20.
Morning Nourishment
Matt. 16:18 …I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.Phil. 2:12-13 …Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who operates in you…
15 That you may be blameless and guileless, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverted generation…
Only eight persons were saved in the ark, through water, from that crooked generation. Many may have been saved from eternal perdition, but not many entered into the ark. In order to be saved from eternal perdition, there is no need for us to do anything, but in order to be saved from the evil generation, we need to build up the ark. Philippians 2:12 says, “Work out your own salvation.”…This is not salvation from eternal perdition. It is salvation from the crooked and perverted generation mentioned in verse 15…. Many of us can only say that we have been saved from eternal perdition….This is only half of our salvation. We also need to be saved from the other half, from this crooked and perverted generation. (CWWL, 1975-1976, vol. 1, “The Testimony of Jesus,” pp. 323-324)
Today’s Reading
To be saved from eternal perdition requires us simply to say, “O Lord Jesus, I am a sinner. I thank You that You died for me. You are the Son of God, and You are my Savior. Lord Jesus, forgive me. I repent and believe in You.” This is sufficient for our salvation by grace. However, the remainder of our salvation requires our cooperation with God. Philippians 2:13 says, “It is God who operates in you both the willing and the working for His good pleasure.” To this we need to say, “Amen to Your work.” If we cooperate with God’s operation, on the negative side, we will spontaneously be rescued out of this crooked generation. On the positive side, we will enter into the ark, which signifies the proper church life.We need to enter into the proper church life, which is a “prison” to us….The parents of some of the saints say, “Pity yourself. Do not go to your church so often. You have been going to your church every Saturday and Sunday. That is enough. Do not forget that this is a holiday. Why would you not take a vacation and enjoy yourself?” However, those who speak in this way do not realize that we have something better and higher. They do not know the heavenly, spiritual, and wonderful “entertainment” that we enjoy. We are imprisoned in the church life, and we love it. The church is a prison, but it is also the best “entertainment.” (CWWL, 1975-1976, vol. 1, “The Testimony of Jesus,” p. 324)
While the apostles were preaching the gospel, they were also building the ark in which they would enjoy full salvation. What was that ark? It was the corporate Christ. While the apostles were preaching the individual Christ, they were building up the corporate Christ. Through that corporate Christ, thousands of people were not only saved from God’s judgment but also from that crooked and perverse generation.
We are building the church. The church is the corporate Christ (1 Cor. 12:12) which, in a sense, is today’s ark. Thousands of people have been saved by entering into the church life. Many can testify how they have been saved by coming into the church. Although you might have been saved for many years, you were not separated from this crooked world until you came into the church. That corporate ark separated you. Once we came into the church, no one had to tell us to come out of the world. We simply began a life of “churching,” coming to the meetings again and again….By churching, everything of this crooked age will disappear. What is able to save us from this perverse age? Churching can save us. We are building the ark that can save us as well as others from the age condemned by God. (Life-study of Genesis, pp. 409-410)
Further Reading: Life-study of Genesis, msgs. 7, 29-31; CWWL, 1977, vol. 1, “The Recovery of Christ in the Present Evil Age,” chs. 1-2, 5