Scripture Reading: Ezek. 1:26-27; Gen. 1:26; Acts 7:56; Phil. 2:9-11; Heb. 2:9; 6:20; Rev. 3:21; Rom. 5:17, 21
Ⅰ
In the Bible there is a mysterious thought concerning the relationship between God and man—Gen. 1:26; 1 John 3:2b; Rev. 4:3a; 21:11b:
A
The Bible reveals the resemblances between God and man in their images and likenesses—Gen. 1:26; 18:2-13; Dan. 7:13-14; Acts 7:56; Rom. 5:14; 8:29; Col. 1:15; 2 Cor. 3:18; Phil. 3:21; 1 John 3:2b; Rev. 4:3a; 21:11b.
B
Man was not created according to his own kind; God created man according to God's kind—Gen. 1:26-27.
C
God became a man to produce God-man kind; as believers in Christ, we are God-man kind, God-men—John 1:1, 12-14; 12:24.
D
God's desire is to become the same as man is and to make man the same as He is—1 John 3:2b:
１
God's intention is to work Himself in Christ into us, making Himself the same as we are and making us the same as He is—Eph. 3:17a.
２
God's economy is to make Himself man and to make us, His created beings, God, so that He is God "man-ized" and we are man "God-ized."
Ⅱ
In Ezekiel 1:26 the One on the throne has the appearance of a man:
A
The One sitting on the throne is not only God but also man; He is the God-man, the man-God, the mingling of God and man—Acts 7:56.
B
There is a twofold significance to the fact that the One sitting on the throne has the appearance of a man:
１
There is a connection between Ezekiel 1:26 and Genesis 1:26:
ａ
God created man in His image to express Him and with His authority to represent Him; this was according to His purpose—vv. 26-27; Eph. 3:11.
ｂ
God's purpose in creating man in His image and according to His likeness was that man would receive Him as life and express Him—Gen. 1:26-27; 2:9.
ｃ
God's intention in giving man dominion is to subdue God's enemy, Satan, to recover the earth, and to bring the kingdom of God to the earth—1:26, 28; Matt. 6:10, 13.
２
Through incarnation God became a man; He lived, died, resurrected, and ascended as a man; and now as the One on the throne He is still a man— John 6:62; Acts 7:56.
C
The appearance of the man on the throne has two aspects; His upper part, from the loins upward, looks like electrum, and His lower part, from the loins downward, looks like fire— Ezek. 1:27:
１
The upper part signifies His nature and disposition; according to His nature and disposition, the One on the throne looks like electrum.
２
The lower part is for moving; the appearance of fire from the loins downward signifies the Lord's appearance in His move.
Ⅲ
Through His crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension, the Lord Jesus was brought to the throne—Acts 2:36; Phil. 2:5-11; Heb. 2:9:
A
God has always been the Lord, but now a man is on the throne as the Lord—Rev. 4:2-3; 5:6.
B
After the Lord Jesus was crucified and buried, God resurrected Him and set Him at His right hand, making Him the Lord of all the universe—Phil. 2:9-11:
１
As God, the Lord was the Lord all the time (Luke 1:43; John 11:21; 20:28), but as man, He was made the Lord in His ascension after He brought His humanity into God in His resurrection; in His ascension He was made the Lord of all to possess all—Acts 2:33, 36; 3:15; 10:36.
２
The God-exalted Jesus, the Ruler of the kings of the earth, is the Ruler over all the ones who are in power; He is the chief Ruler in the divine government for the fulfillment of God's eternal plan—Rev. 1:5.
C
As the Pioneer and Forerunner, the Lord Jesus cut the path to the throne and led the way to the throne—Heb. 6:20; 2:10:
１
He became a man, and as a man, He went to the throne— Rev. 3:21.
２
This indicates that He is not the only man destined for the throne; rather, He has cut the path so that we may follow.
３
God intends to bring us into glory and to set us on the throne—22:3-5.
Ⅳ
God's intention is to work on man in order that man can be on the throne—Psa. 8:4-8; Rev. 3:21:
A
God's mind is on man; He wants man to express Him and to exercise His authority—Psa. 8:4, 6; Gen. 1:26.
B
God desires to manifest Himself through man and to reign through man.
C
God's goal is to bring us to the throne; His desire is to make us people of the throne:
１
God will not be satisfied until we are on the throne; He cannot receive the full glory until we are brought to the throne—Rev. 22:3-5.
２
God's kingdom cannot come in full until we are on the throne.
３
God's enemy will not be subdued until we are on the throne.
D
God desires to bring us to the throne because of the rebellion of Satan against God's throne—Isa. 14:12-14:
１
The greatest difficulty God faces in the universe is that His throne has been opposed and attacked by rebel forces.
２
In his rebellion against God's throne, Satan intended to exalt his throne and thereby to intrude upon God's authority.
３
From the time of Satan's rebellion until now, there has been a dispute regarding authority; much of what is happening on earth today is an expression of Satan's resistance to God's throne.
４
God's intention is to cast Satan down and to redeem many of those taken captive by Satan and to bring them to His throne—Rev. 3:21.
５
There needs to be a people who have been gained by God so that through them the authority of God can be executed and the kingdom of God can come to the earth—11:15; 12:10.
６
We should desire to reign—to exercise authority for God— and to enjoy the blessing of reigning for God—20:4, 6.
E
The overcomers will be on the throne with Christ as His co-kings—3:21:
１
Christ is on the throne, and they also will be on the throne.
２
Christ has all the authority, and the overcomers will share in this authority to rule over the nations—Matt. 28:18; Rev. 2:26-27.
Ⅴ
In order to be brought to the throne, we need to experience the humanity of Jesus with its virtues and to reign in life— Eph. 4:1-2, 20; Matt. 11:29; Rom. 5:17, 21:
A
If we would have the proper human virtues, we need the humanity of Jesus—Eph. 4:1-2:
１
As believers, we have Christ with all His human virtues dwelling in us to be our humanity—Col. 1:27:
ａ
Every aspect of our daily walk should conform to the Lord's humanity in our spirit—Rom. 8:4.
ｂ
As we live under the Lord's ruling and experience Christ's humanity, we will never be out of balance; rather, everything will be properly proportioned.
２
We need to eat Christ as the meal offering to become the reproduction of Christ and to live the life of a God-man—Lev. 2:9-10; 6:14-18; Luke 22:19; John 6:57; 1 Cor. 10:17.
B
God's complete salvation is for us to reign in life by the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness—Rom. 5:17, 21:
１
We have been regenerated with a divine, spiritual, heavenly, kingly, and royal life; this life enables us to reign as kings— John 3:3-6.
２
In practice, to reign in life is to be under the ruling of the divine life:
ａ
Christ is a pattern of reigning in life by being under the ruling of the divine life of the Father—Matt. 8:9; John 18:11; Phil. 2:8.
ｂ
When we are under the ruling of the divine life, we have the sense that we are enthroned as kings to reign over all things—Rom. 5:17.
３
To reign in life is to conquer, subdue, and rule over Satan, the world, sin, the flesh, ourselves, all kinds of insubordination, and all the environmental circumstances—8:35, 37.
４
If we would reign in life, we need to continually receive the abundance of grace, the fullness of the enjoyment of God— 5:17, 21:
ａ
We need to come again and again to the divine source and open ourselves from the depths of our being to be filled with God as grace—Heb. 4:16.
ｂ
The more we receive the abundance of grace, the more we reign in life— John 1:16; Rom. 5:17, 21.