Ⅰ
We have to realize what the Lord's recovery is; the Lord's recovery is to build up Zion, which typifies the overcomers as the reality of the Body of Christ to consummate the holy city, the New Jerusalem:
A
Zion was the city of King David (2 Sam. 5:7), the center of the city of Jerusalem, where the temple as God's dwelling place on earth was built (Psa. 48:2; 9:11; 74:2; 76:2b; 135:21; Isa. 8:18).
B
In the Old Testament there was the city of Jerusalem with Zion as the center; in typology the church life is today's Jerusalem; within the church life there must be a group of overcomers, who are the perfected and matured God-men, and these overcomers are today's Zion—cf. Rev. 14:1-5.
C
As the highlight and beauty of the holy city Jerusalem (Psa. 48:2; 50:2), Zion typifies the overcomers as the high peak, the center, the uplifting, the strengthening, the enriching, the beauty, and the reality of the church (48:2, 11-12; 20:2; 53:6a; 87:2).
D
The characteristics, the life, the blessing, and the establishment of Jerusalem come from Zion—1 Kings 8:1; Psa. 51:18; 102:21; 128:5; 135:21; Isa. 41:27; Joel 3:17.
E
The overcomers as 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 ultimate Holy of Holies as God's dwelling place in eternity (Rev. 21:16; cf. Exo. 26:2-8; 1 Kings 6:20); in the new heaven and new earth the entire New Jerusalem will become Zion, with all the believers as the overcomers (Rev. 21:1-3, 7, 16, 22).
F
In the book of Revelation what the Lord wants and what the Lord will build up is Zion, the overcomers; this is the intrinsic reality of the spiritual revelation in the holy Word of God; we surely need to be desperate to pray at any cost and to pay the cost just as the apostle Paul did—Eph. 6:17-18; Col. 4:2; Phil. 3:8-14.
G
Our response to the Lord's calling of the overcomers in this age is for us to be vitalized; to be vital is to be living and active in oneness with our living and acting God; God's move on the earth for the accomplishment of His eternal economy is ultimately through the overcomers.
H
On this usurped earth there is the mountain of Jehovah, Mount Zion, which is absolutely open to the Lord and absolutely possessed by Him; the overcomers, who are typified by Zion, are the beachhead through which the Lord as the King of glory will return to possess the whole earth as His kingdom—Psa. 24:1-3, 7-10; Dan. 2:34-35; 7:13-14; Joel 3:11; Rev. 11:15; 19:13-14.
I
There is no other way to reach the high peak of God's eternal economy, the reality of the Body of Christ, except by praying; our becoming the overcomers as the reality of the Body of Christ to be the bride of Christ will close this age, the age of the church, and will bring Christ as the King of glory back to take, possess, and rule over this earth with His overcomers in the kingdom age—vv. 7-9; 20:4-6; Psa. 24:7-10.
Morning Nourishment
Rev. 21:2-3 And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem…. And I heard a loud voice out of the throne, saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will tabernacle with them…Col. 4:2 Persevere in prayer, watching in it with thanksgiving.
We need to endeavor to reach in the church life the highest peak, today’s Zion, of the reality of the Body of Christ until we consummate in the New Jerusalem, including Zion.
We are God-men who are doing things and having our being not only according to God’s heart but also according to the Spirit who has been processed and consummated through death and resurrection. We need to check whether or not we are doing everything in the Spirit and having our being according to such a Spirit.
The reality of the Body of Christ is the aggregate, the totality, of such a living by a group of God-men. This kind of a living…will close this age, the age of the church, and will bring Christ back to take, possess, and rule over this earth with these God-men in the kingdom age. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 1, “The Practical Points concerning Blending,” pp. 113, 138)
Today’s Reading
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…the entire New Jerusalem will become Zion…. Zion is the very spot where God is, that is, the Holy of Holies…. 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 (Rev. 21:16). 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).What shall we do in the light of this revelation? There is no other way to reach this high peak except by praying…. In the book of Revelation what the Lord wants and what the Lord will build up is Zion, the overcomers….This is the intrinsic reality of the spiritual revelation in the holy Word of God…. The Lord’s recovery is to build up Zion. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 1, “The Practical Points concerning Blending,” pp. 138-140)
The earth is the Lord’s, but today the earth is usurped; yet in this usurped earth there is [the church as] a spot, a mountain, which is the steppingstone, [the beachhead], for the Lord to return to take the whole earth.
Psalm 24:7 says, “Lift up your heads, O gates; / And be lifted up, O long enduring doors; / And the King of glory will come in.” As the mountain of Zion we must have our doors open that Christ may come in. According to an article which I believe to be accurate, this psalm was written at the occasion of David’s returning the Ark to Zion. It was in that kind of situation, with that kind of background, that David wrote Psalm 24. Zion was there, and the gates and doors were there. Then David said, “Lift up your heads, O gates; / And be lifted up, O long enduring doors; / And the King of glory will come in. / Who is the King of glory? / Jehovah strong and mighty! / Jehovah mighty in battle!” (vv. 7-8). This is Christ. The Ark was the type of Christ. The Ark coming in typified Christ coming in.
Even today…we still must say, “Lift up your heads, O gates; / And be lifted up, O long enduring doors.” We all must be so open to the Lord…. If the church, if Zion, is not absolutely open to Him, how can we expect the earth to be open to Him? So today we must respond and say, “Yes, open the doors; let us all open widely to Him. Come in, O come in, Lord! Before You come back to the earth, come in to the church, come in to fully possess this little mountain, the mountain of Zion.” (CWWL, 1969, vol. 3, “Christ and the Church Revealed and Typified in the Psalms,” p. 46)
Further Reading: CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 1, “The Practical Points concerning Blending,” chs. 2, 5