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In this message we come to the last aspect of what Christ is in His person — Christ in the divine administration.
In the divine administration Christ is the Ruler of the kings of the earth (Rev. 1:5). The Christ who is God eternal, who became a man, who lived on earth for thirty-three and a half years, who died an all-inclusive death on the cross, who resurrected to become the life-giving Spirit, and who ascended to the heavens to be the Lord, the Christ, and the Executor of God’s New Testament economy is now the Ruler of the kings of the earth. As the Ruler of the kings, He is far above all earthly rulers. Apparently the earth is ruled by kings and presidents; actually the Lord Jesus rules the whole earth through the earthly authorities. Even all the kings and presidents are under His rule. He is the Ruler of all the ones who are in power. He is the chief Ruler in the divine government for the fulfillment of God’s eternal plan. He is the King of kings, and Lord of lords (Rev. 19:16). As such a Ruler, He rules the entire earth. Today the entire world is under the Lord’s ruling. He is sovereign over everyone and everything.
In the divine administration Christ is also the Judge of the churches (Rev. 1:13-16). As the One who walks in the midst of the churches, He has eyes that are as a flame of fire (Rev. 1:14), for Him to observe and search in His judging by enlightening. The book of Revelation is a book with a judging nature, and fire is for divine judgment (1 Cor. 3:13; Heb. 6:8; 10:27). “Our God is also a consuming fire” (Heb. 12:29). His throne is like the fiery flame and its wheels as burning fire, and a fiery stream issues and comes forth from before Him (Dan. 7:9-10). All this is for judgment. The main significance of the Lord’s eyes being as a flame of fire is for His judgment (Rev. 2:18-23; 19:11-12).
Revelation 1:15 says that, as the Judge of the churches, Christ has feet that are “like shining brass, as having been fired in a furnace.” Feet signify one’s walk, and in typology brass signifies divine judgment (Exo. 27:1-6). When Christ was on earth, His earthly walk and daily walk were tried and tested. Because His walk was tested, it came out shining. To be fired in the furnace is to be tried by being burned. Christ’s walk was tried by His sufferings, even by His death on the cross. Now the feet of Christ are as shining brass, signifying that His perfect and bright walk qualifies Him to exercise the divine judgment.
The sharp two-edged sword that proceeds out of Christ’s mouth (Rev. 1:16) is also related to judgment. This sword signifies Christ’s discerning, judging, and slaying word (Heb. 4:12: Eph. 6:17), which is for His dealing with negative persons and things. The words that proceed out of the Lord’s mouth are sharp, piercing into our being, dividing our soul from our spirit, and discerning the intents of our heart. Because of the church’s degradation, we all need a certain amount of judgment by the Lord’s word.
In Revelation 2:12 and 18 we again see Christ as the Judge of the churches. Speaking to the church in Pergamos, the Lord says in verse 12: “These things says He who has the sharp two-edged sword.” Speaking to the church in Thyatira, He says in verse 18: “These things says the Son of God, who has eyes as a flame of fire, and His feet like shining brass.” The church in Pergamos, a worldly church, needed to receive the Lord’s judgment in His sharp word. The church in Thyatira, an apostate church, needed the judging of His searching eyes and treading feet. The Lord’s eyes search the inward parts and the heart, and His feet judge and give to everyone according to his works (2:23). As the Administrator of God’s New Testament economy He judges, and His judgment begins from the house of God (1 Pet. 4:17). Christ judges the churches by dressing, snuffing, trimming, the lampstands.
In Revelation 5 we see that, in the divine administration, Christ is the Opener of the new covenant. The scroll in this chapter must be the new covenant enacted with the blood of the Lamb. The new covenant is a scroll covering the redemption of the church, Israel, the earth, and the universe. In the sealed scroll is the secrecy of God’s administration in the universe. Although the new covenant was enacted by the death of Christ, it has been a mystery to mankind. Now, after His resurrection and ascension, Christ is the Opener of the scroll of the new covenant.
Apart from Christ, no one is worthy to open the scroll of the new covenant (Rev. 5:2-4). John “wept much because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it” (v. 4). Then John heard these words: “Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome to open the scroll and its seven seals” (v. 5). Christ is the fighting, victorious, and overcoming Lion. As the Lion of the tribe of Judah, He has overcome Satan, the enemy of God. He has solved this problem for God and has removed the hindrances to the fulfillment of God’s purpose. His overcoming qualifies Him to open the scroll and its seven seals. Hence, He is worthy to open the scrolls concerning God’s New Testament economy.
Although John was told to behold the Lion of the tribe of Judah, verse 6 says that, “I saw in the midst of the throne… a Lamb standing as having been slain.” The angel recommended Christ as the Lion, but John saw Him as the Lamb. As the Lion, Christ is the Fighter against the enemy; as the Lamb, He is the Redeemer for us. God’s purpose needs someone to carry it out who can solve all the problems of God. The problems that God had were the rebellion of Satan and the fall of man. As the Lion, Christ has defeated the rebellious Satan, and as the Lamb, He has taken away the sin of fallen man. Because Christ has solved these two problems for God, He is worthy to open the scroll of God’s economy.
Revelation 7:9-17 is a record of Christ with God’s redeemed in eternity. Verse 9 speaks of “a great multitude which no one could number, out of every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches in their hands.” These are the redeemed ones, throughout all generations from the nations, who constitute the church (Rev. 5:9; Rom. 11:25; Acts 15:14, 19). They have been purchased with the blood of the Lamb, and their white robes indicate that their conduct is pure and approved by God through the washing of the blood of the Lamb (v. 14). In the divine administration Christ is the Shepherd of the redeemed. In eternity we shall not have problems, but we shall still need Christ’s shepherding, especially His feeding. Under the shepherding of Christ, we shall not want (Psa. 23:1).
Revelation 7:16 and 17 say, “They shall not hunger any more, neither shall they thirst any more, neither shall the sun beat upon them, nor any heat; for the Lamb in the midst of the throne shall shepherd them and shall guide them to springs of waters of life; and God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes.” Here we see that the Lamb will shepherd God’s redeemed and guide them to springs of waters of life. As our Shepherd Christ will lead us into Himself as the spring of water of life so that we may enjoy the eternal dispensing of the Triune God. In eternity we shall drink of many springs and enjoy many different waters.
Furthermore, under Christ’s shepherding our tears will be wiped away. Tears are a sign of dissatisfaction. Waters of life are for satisfaction. Because the Lamb will supply God’s redeemed with waters of life for their satisfaction, they will have no tears of dissatisfaction. The waters of life will be supplied, and the water of tears will be wiped away. Under Christ’s shepherding in eternity there will be no tears, hunger, or thirst — just enjoyment.
The book of Revelation is a book of judgment, and Revelation 8:3-5 unveils Christ as the Executor of God’s judgment. Verse 3 says, “Another Angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer, and much incense was given to Him that He should add it to the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.” This another Angel is Christ, not as a common angel but as a special Angel. In the administration of God’s judgment on earth, Christ is the Angel standing in the position of One who has been sent by God. Here Christ appears as another Angel to execute God’s administration over the earth in the way of ministering to God as the High Priest with the prayers of His saints. As Christ offers the prayers of His saints to God, He adds His incense to them. Hence, verse 4 says that “the smoke of the incense went up with the prayers of the saints out of the hand of the Angel before God.” The smoke of the incense indicates that the incense is burned to God with the prayers of the saints. This implies that by the incense which is added to them the prayers of the saints become effective and acceptable to God.
Verse 5 continues, “The Angel took the censer and filled it with the fire of the altar and cast it to the earth; and there were thunders and voices and lightnings and an earthquake.” This implies the answer to the prayers of the saints, especially the prayers in Revelation 6:9-11 and Luke 18:7-8. These prayers must be for the judgment of the earth which opposes God’s economy. The answer to the saints’ prayers is the execution of God’s judgment upon the earth. To cast fire to the earth is to execute God’s judgment upon the earth. Therefore, the thunders, voices, lightnings, and the earthquake come as signs of God’s judgment executed by Christ.
In the divine administration Christ is also the Possessor of the sea and the land. Revelation 10:1-7 is a vision of Christ coming to possess the earth. Verse 2 says, “He placed His right foot on the sea and the left on the land.” For Christ to place His feet on the sea and on the land is to tread on them, and this means that He takes possession of them (Psa. 8:6; cf. Deut. 11:24; Josh. 1:3). Christ is coming to take possession of the earth. Only He is worthy to open the scroll of God’s New Testament economy, and only He is qualified to possess the earth.
According to Revelation 18:1 and 2, Christ is the One declaring the judgment over Babylon the great. Verse 1 says, “I saw another Angel coming down out of heaven, having great authority; and the earth was illumined with His glory.” This another Angel is Christ, coming down out of heaven, with whose glory the earth is illumined. In His appearing for the judgment of Babylon the great, Christ will come as the Angel sent by God. In Revelation 10:1 Christ is clothed with a cloud, and in 14:14 He is sitting on a cloud, but His glory in 18:1 shines over the earth, indicating that His coming back to earth is closer than the coming mentioned in 10:1 and 14:14. Christ will come down out of heaven on the cloud secretly, then He will come on the cloud openly, and eventually He will shine over the earth to destroy Babylon the great, the city of Rome, with great authority. At this time He will take full possession of the earth, and earth will become His kingdom (Rev. 11:15). Therefore, the judgment of Babylon the great will take place at the appearing of Christ.
As the One declaring the judgment over Babylon the great, Christ says, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! And she has become a dwelling place of demons and a hold of every unclean spirit and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird” (v. 2). In Revelation 14:8 an angel said, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great,” and in 18:2 Christ cries out with the same words. This indicates that Babylon will have two falls, the fall of religious Babylon and the fall of material Babylon. The fall of religious Babylon will take place at the beginning of the great tribulation, and the fall of material Babylon will occur at the end of the great tribulation. In 18:2 Christ declares judgment over material Babylon, not religious Babylon, for this city is ugly and abominable in the sight of God.
Certain verses in the New Testament reveal that Christ is the Judge of the believers at the judgment seat. “We must all be manifested before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may be recompensed for the things done through the body, according to what he has practiced, whether good or bad” (2 Cor. 5:10). At the judgment seat Christ will judge His believers not concerning their eternal salvation but concerning their dispensational reward. Therefore, while we are still in the body we should do things through it to please the Lord so that we may be rewarded by the Lord at His coming.
The judgment in 2 Corinthians 5:10 is not the eternal judgment of God mentioned in Romans 2:2, 3, 5, 16, and 3:8, which will be mainly carried out at the white throne described in Revelation 20:11-15. The eternal judgment at the white throne will be after the millennium, will judge all the dead unbelievers, and will concern eternal punishment in the lake of fire. The judgment at the judgment seat of Christ will judge the life and work of the believers, and it will determine whether the believers will receive a reward for the good or suffer a loss for the bad.
In Romans 14:10 Paul says, “We shall all stand before the judgment seat of God.” The eternal judgment at the white throne will be after the millennium, it will be for the dead unbelievers, and it will be for eternal punishment in the lake of fire. However, the judgment at the judgment seat of God, which is the judgment seat of Christ in 2 Corinthians 5:10, will be held before the millennium, immediately after Christ’s return (1 Cor. 4:5; Matt. 16:27; 25:19; Luke 19:15), and the life and work of the believers will be judged at that time (Rev. 22:12; Matt. 16:27; 1 Cor. 4:5; 3:13-15; Matt. 25:19; Luke 19:15). This judgment has nothing to do with a believer’s salvation, for everyone who appears at the judgment seat of God will have already been saved. This judgment will judge the believers’ life and work after they have been saved, and it will determine a believer’s reward in the millennial kingdom (Matt. 25:21, 23; Luke 19:17, 19; Rev. 22:12; Luke 14:14; 2 Tim. 4:8). The believers will stand before the Lord Jesus at His judgment seat to give an account of their life and work.
First Corinthians 4:5 says, “Do not judge anything before the time, until the Lord comes, who shall both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and make manifest the counsels of the hearts, and then there will be praise to each one from God.” This verse also indicates that Christ will be the Judge of the believers. If we consider this verse in context, we shall realize that here Paul is saying that the One who examines us is the Lord and that we should leave the matter of judgment with Him. Christ will judge us in the day of His appearing. If we have done rightly, we shall receive praise from God.
In 1 Corinthians 3:13 Paul says, “The work of each shall become manifest; for the day shall make it known, because it is revealed by fire, and the fire itself will test each one’s work, of what sort it is.” The day here is the day of Christ’s second coming, when He will judge His believers. The fire is the fire of the Lord’s judgment (Mal. 3:2; 4:1; 2 Thes. 1:8; Heb. 6:8), which will cause each believer’s work to be manifest and will try and test his work. All the work of wood, grass, and stubble (1 Cor. 3:12) will not be able to stand that test and will be burned. The work that remains (v. 14) must be that of gold, silver, and precious stones. Such a work will be rewarded by the coming and judging Lord. Christ’s reward is based upon the believer’s work after being saved. It differs from salvation, which is based upon faith in the Lord and His redemptive work.
In Revelation 19:11-21 we see Christ as the King of kings and Lord of lords defeating Antichrist. Verse 11 says, “I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sits on it called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.” Christ will be faithful in destroying Antichrist and true in carrying out God’s economy. He will judge and fight in righteousness, even judging by fighting. When Christ comes to judge Antichrist, Antichrist will be utterly rebellious. Thus, there will be the need for Christ to fight to subdue this rebellion and judge it in righteousness. His judging by fighting will not only be according to righteousness but will also maintain righteousness.
As the One who defeats Antichrist, Christ is called The Word of God (v. 13). The Word of God is the definition, explanation, and expression of God. As the Word of God, Christ speaks for God not only by imparting life as grace to God’s chosen people but also by executing God’s judgment upon Antichrist and his followers. Even as the Lord fights, He speaks for God and expresses God. God is righteous and sovereign. He is also a God of order and cannot tolerate disorder and rebellion. As Christ fights against Antichrist, He will declare that God is sovereign, righteous, and orderly, that God is over everyone and that He does not tolerate rebellion against His authority. Christ’s fighting against Antichrist, therefore, will be a powerful speaking. It will tell Satan, Antichrist, the false prophet, and the entire universe that God is sovereign and that no one can rebel against Him.
Revelation 19:15 says, “Out of His mouth proceeds a sharp sword.” When the Lord Jesus comes to fight against Antichrist, He will simply need to speak a word. This is the Lord’s way of fighting. Undoubtedly, Antichrist will use the most modern weapons, but Christ will defeat him with the sharp sword, the almighty word that proceeds out of His mouth.
Revelation 19:16 tells us, “He has on His garment and on His thigh a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.” The fact that this name will be written upon Christ’s garment and thigh indicates that it will be openly revealed and known to all. The garment signifies Christ’s attributes, especially His righteousness in His humanity, and the thigh signifies His standing strength, His stability. His title King of kings and Lord of lords is exhibited in His righteousness and stability.
Revelation 19:19 speaks of Christ’s enemies: “I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war with Him who sits on the horse and with His army.” Christ’s enemies are the beast, Antichrist (undoubtedly including his associate, the false prophet), and the kings of the earth and their armies. The kings of the earth especially include the ten kings under Antichrist (Rev. 17:12-14), and the armies include the two hundred million cavalry troops from the rising of the sun (Rev. 19:16; 16:12).
In Revelation 19:20 and 21 we see Christ’s defeat of Antichrist and his armies. “The beast was seized, and with him the false prophet.…These two were cast alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone” (v. 20). Antichrist and the false prophet will be the first to perish in the lake of fire. All the rest will be killed “with the sword which proceeds out of the mouth of Him who sits on the horse” (v. 21). This is Christ in the divine administration as the King of kings and the Lord of lords defeating Antichrist.
In the divine administration Christ is the Judge of the living. “The Father does not judge anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son” (John 5:22). As the Son of God (John 5:25) Christ can give life (John 5:21), and as the Son of Man He can execute judgment. Because Christ is a man, He is fully qualified to judge man. Romans 2:16 says, “God shall judge the secrets of men…by Jesus Christ.” The Father “gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man” (John 5:27). Furthermore, the Father gave all judgment to the Son “that all may honor the Son even as they honor the Father” (John 5:23). The Son will judge justly according to the Father’s will (John 5:30). He is one with the Father in the matter of judgment.
Acts 17:31 says that God “has set a day in which He is about to judge the inhabited earth in righteousness by a Man whom He has designated, having furnished proof to all by raising Him from among the dead.” The day set by God for the judgment of the inhabited earth will be the day when Christ will judge the living from the throne of His glory before the millennium (Matt. 25:31-36), probably not including the day when He will judge the dead at the great white throne after the millennium (Rev. 20:11-15). According to Acts 10:42, Christ has been designated by God “to be the Judge of the living and the dead.” He will be the Judge of the dead after the millennium at the great white throne. Second Timothy 4:1 and 1 Peter 4:5 also say that Christ will judge both the living and the dead. The day in Acts 17:31 refers particularly to the day when Christ will judge the living, because on this day He will judge “the inhabited earth,” which should refer only to living men. This day of Christ’s judgment on earth will be brought in by His coming back. He has been designated by God to execute this judgment, and God’s raising Him from among the dead is strong proof of this.
Revelation 20:4 and 6 reveal that Christ with the overcomers will reign over the nations for a thousand years in the coming age, and Revelation 11:15 unveils that at Christ’s coming back the kingdom of the world will become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever. By all these verses we can see that Christ as the Administrator of God will be the King reigning over the earth in the millennium and for eternity. In the coming age and eternity Christ will be the Ruler over all the peoples on the earth in the divine administration.
In the divine administration Christ will be the Judge not only of the living but also of all the dead (Acts 10:42; 2 Tim. 4:1). As described in Revelation 20:11-15, Christ will judge the dead at the great white throne after the millennium. Revelation 20:11 says, “I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose face earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them.” “White” here signifies righteous, indicating that the Lord’s great throne for His judgment is righteous. “Him” is the Lord Jesus, for God the Father has given all judgment to the Son and has ordained Him to be the Judge of the living and the dead.
Revelation 20:12 goes on to say, “I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by the things which were written in the books, according to their works.” The word “standing” indicates that the dead have been resurrected. This is the resurrection of the unbelievers, the resurrection of judgment, after the millennium (John 5:28-29; 1 Cor. 15:23-24). The unbelieving dead will be judged by the things written in the books. These books are the records of the works, the deeds, of the unbelievers, according to which they will be judged. The other book that is opened, the book of life, is the record of the names of the believers (Rev. 13:8; 17:8; Luke 10:20). The unbelievers will be judged by the things written in the books, according to their works. All that they have said and done will be written in these books.
Revelation 20:15 says, “If anyone was not found written in the book of life, he was cast into the lake of fire.” The perishing unbelievers will be judged according to the books, which are a record of their works (vv. 12-13), but they will be cast into the lake of fire according to the book of life. This indicates that they are condemned by the Lord because of their evil deeds, but they will perish because of their unbelief, not having their names written in the book of life. Not believing in the Lord Jesus is the unique sin that causes people to perish (John 16:9).
In this message we have seen all that Christ is in God’s economical administration. These aspects of Christ are marvelous, beyond our ability to enjoy or comprehend fully. Some of these aspects of Christ are also included in the divine dispensing. If we allow Christ to dispense Himself with all His unsearchable riches into us, this dispensing will include what He is in the divine administration.
