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We come now to another classification of Christ’s work — His work in the divine administration.
In His work in the divine administration Christ is the Ruler of the kings of the earth. As the Ruler of the kings of the earth, Christ rules the whole earth that the gospel may be spread and the church may be produced. Apparently the earth is ruled by kings and presidents. Actually the earth is ruled by Christ, the highest Ruler, who is above all kings and presidents. If we study history in the light of the Bible, we shall realize that history has been altogether under the hand of Christ as the Ruler of the kings. He is ruling sovereignly over the earth with His authority so that the environment may be fit for God’s chosen people to receive His salvation (Acts 17:26-27; John 17:2). He is managing the world’s situation for the purpose of producing the church so that He may come back to establish the kingdom of God on earth. Now we need to do our part by being faithful to Him so that He may use us to spread the gospel and build up the church.
In the divine administration Christ is also the High Priest, judging and purifying the churches and holding the messengers of the churches. Revelation 1:13 says, “In the midst of the lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment reaching to the feet, and girded about at the breasts with a golden girdle.” Here Christ is depicted as the High Priest, as shown by His garment, a priestly robe reaching to the feet, signifying the fullness of His divine attributes and human virtues. Verse 14 says that His eyes are as a “flame of fire.” This fire is for divine judgment. Hence, the main significance of the Lord’s eyes being as a flame of fire is for His judgment. Furthermore, verse 15 says, “His feet were like shining brass, as having been fired in a furnace.” Here the feet signify the walk. In typology brass signifies divine judgment (Exo. 27:1-6). Christ’s feet being like shining brass indicates that His perfect and bright walk qualifies Him to exercise divine judgment. Therefore, in the divine administration Christ is judging the churches and purifying them.
Revelation 1:16, 20 and 2:1 indicate that, as the High Priest, Christ is holding the messengers of the churches. These messengers are signified by the seven stars in His right hand. The messengers of the churches are the spiritual ones in the churches bearing the responsibility of the testimony of Jesus. They should be of the heavenly nature and in a heavenly position like stars.
Revelation 2:12 says that Christ “has the sharp two-edged sword,” and 2:18, that He “has eyes as a flame of fire, and His feet like shining brass.” In dealing with the church in Pergamos, the worldly church, Christ refers to Himself as the One who has the sharp two-edged sword. In dealing with the church in Thyatira, the apostate church, He refers to Himself as the One who has eyes as a flame of fire and whose feet are like shining brass. The worldly church requires the dealing of His smiting and killing word, whereas the apostate church needs the judging of His searching eyes and treading feet.
Today in the recovery Christ, the High Priest in the divine administration, is not only building up the churches in different localities but also judging and purifying them. He is also holding the responsible ones, the faithful ones, who are bearing the burden of His testimony on earth. We trust in Him and look to Him for His continued purifying and holding so that we all may go on in a pure way.
In the divine administration Christ, as the Lion-Lamb, the overcoming Redeemer, opens the scroll of God’s economy (Rev. 5:3-7; 6:1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 12; 8:1). In Revelation 5:1 the One sitting on the throne has a scroll in His hand sealed with seven seals. These seven seals are the contents of the scroll, and the scroll itself is the new covenant, enacted with the blood of the Lamb. Hence, the new covenant is a scroll covering the redemption of the church, Israel, the world, and the universe.
Here we see the secrecy of God’s administration in the universe. Throughout the centuries, wise men have earnestly tried to learn the secret of the universe. But they failed because they did not have the revelation. Although the new testament was enacted by the death of Christ, it has been a mystery to mankind. In the book of Revelation the resurrected and ascended Christ opens the scroll of God’s economy.
As the One who opens the scroll, Christ is portrayed as the Lion-Lamb, as the overcoming Redeemer. In Revelation 5:5 we have this word: “Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome to open the scroll and its seven seals.” Then verse 6 goes on to speak of a “Lamb standing as having been slain.” Christ is both the fighting, victorious, and overcoming Lion and the Redeeming Lamb. As the Lion, He is the Fighter against the enemy, Satan; as the Lamb, He is the Redeemer for us. He has fought to redeem us, and He has won the battle over the enemy and accomplished redemption for us.
As the Lion of the tribe of Judah, Christ has overcome the enemy of God. He has solved this problem for God and has removed the hindrances to the fulfillment of God’s purpose. God’s purpose needs someone to carry it out who can solve all the problems of God. The problems which God had were the rebellion of Satan and the fall of man. As the Lion, Christ has defeated rebellious Satan, and as the Lamb He has taken away the sin of fallen man. Because He has solved these problems for God, He is worthy to open the scroll of God’s economy and its seven seals.
Christ opens the first four seals in Revelation 6:1-8. These seals comprise four horses with their riders in a four-horse race. These riders are not real persons but personified things. The rider of the second horse, the red horse, is war (v. 4); the rider of the third horse, the black horse, is famine (vv. 5-6); and the rider of the fourth horse, the pale horse, is death (v. 8). According to historical facts, the rider of the first horse, the white horse, is the preaching of the gospel. White signifies clean, pure, just, and approvable. The white horse with its rider is a symbol of the preaching of the gospel which is clean, pure, just, and approvable both to men and to God. Immediately after Christ’s ascension, these four things — the gospel, war, famine, and death — began to run like riders on four horses and will continue until Christ comes back.
The opening of the fifth seal (Rev. 6:9) discloses Christian martyrdom from the first century to the time near the end of this age. As the gospel is being preached, there is always the martyrdom of the faithful saints.
In Revelation 6:12 Christ, the overcoming Redeemer, opens the sixth seal. This seal, which marks the beginning of supernatural calamities, is God’s answer to the cry of the martyred saints in the fifth seal. After the opening of the sixth seal, the Lord comes in to shake the earth and the host of the heavens. This great shaking will be a warning on earth to repent and turn to God. This calamity is not the actual wrath of God. Rather, it indicates that God will soon come in to avenge the martyred saints and to vindicate Himself.
Whereas the first four seals of the scroll of God’s economy are simultaneous, the fifth and sixth seals are consecutive. The seventh seal includes everything from after the sixth seal to eternity future. Thus, the seventh seal, consisting of the seven trumpets, is all-inclusive.
Revelation 8:1 says that when the Lion-Lamb “opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about half an hour.” This silence indicates solemnity. At the opening of the seventh seal, all heaven becomes silent because the age is about to be changed. The period before the opening of the seventh seal was the age of God’s toleration. For the sake of His purpose of preaching the gospel to produce the churches to fulfill His eternal plan, God has been tolerating the sinful situation on earth. But with the opening of the seventh seal the age of toleration is terminated, and another age is brought in — the age of God’s wrath. The opening of these seven seals is Christ’s work as the overcoming Redeemer in the divine administration.
In His work in the divine administration Christ is also another Angel (Rev. 7:2; 8:3; 10:1; 18:1). As another Angel Christ stands on the position of One who has been sent by God. In the Old Testament Christ was called the Angel of the Lord, who was God Himself (Gen. 22:11-12; Exo. 3:2-6; Judg. 6:11-24; Zech. 1:11-12; 2:8-11; 3:1-7). In the book of Revelation He is again called the Angel. Christ is another Angel; He is the unique, special Angel.
As another Angel Christ takes care of God’s people, both the sons of Israel and the believers (Rev. 7:2-17). First He cares for the chosen remnant of Israel (7:2-8). Revelation 7:2 and 3 say, “I saw another Angel ascend from the rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God; and He cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was given to harm the earth and the sea, saying, Do not harm the earth nor the sea nor the trees until we have sealed the slaves of our God upon their foreheads.” Before the first four trumpets the Lord will seal the chosen Israelites from the supernatural calamities that will be carried out by these trumpets. In 7:4-8 we see that He will seal one hundred forty-four thousand out of every tribe of the sons of Israel, sealing twelve thousand out of each of the twelve tribes. These are the Israelites who will keep the commandments of God during the great tribulation (Rev. 12:17; 14:12). We do not know what kind of seal this will be, but it will be a mark recognizable to the angels sent to judge the earth. This is the Lord’s way of preserving the chosen Israelites while He is executing His judgment upon the earth.
In His work as another Angel Christ also takes care of the believers, the redeemed saints of the church. This is seen in Revelation 7:9-17, where we have a vision of the preservation of the redeemed ones throughout all the tribulations. The Lord’s way to preserve the remnant of Israel is to seal them and leave them on earth. His way to preserve the believers is to take them away by means of rapture. Eventually all the redeemed saints will be raptured from earth to heaven.
Revelation 8:3—9:21 discloses how Christ as another Angel executes God’s judgment upon the earth, the sea, the rivers, the sun, the moon, the stars, and men. Revelation 8:3-5 portrays the scene in heaven after the opening of the seventh seal. Christ as another Angel adds incense to the prayers of the saints (vv. 3-4). Then He takes the censer, fills it with the fire of the altar, and casts it to the earth (v. 5). The prayers of the saints here must be for the judgment of the earth which opposes God’s economy. The answer to these prayers is the execution of God’s judgment. To cast fire to the earth is to execute God’s judgment upon the earth.
With the sounding of the seven trumpets, Christ as another Angel executes God’s judgment. With the first trumpet there is judgment on the earth (8:7); with the second, judgment on the sea (vv. 8-9); with the third, judgment on the rivers (vv. 10-11); with the fourth, judgment on the sun, moon, and stars (v. 12); with the fifth, which is the first woe, judgment on men (8:13—9:11); and with the sixth, which is the second woe, further judgment on men (9:12-21).
In Revelation 10:1 and 2 Christ comes as another Angel to take possession of the sea and the land. Revelation 10:1 says, “I saw another strong Angel coming down out of heaven, clothed with a cloud; and the rainbow was upon His head, and His face was as the sun, and His feet as pillars of fire.” The rainbow indicates that Christ, in His judgment upon the earth, will keep the covenant God made with Noah (Gen. 9:8-17). The pillars indicate steadfastness (Jer. 1:18; Gal. 2:9), and fire signifies the holiness of God (Exo. 19:18; Heb. 12:29), according to which Christ will execute His judgment upon the earth.
Revelation 10:2 continues, “And having in His hand a little opened scroll. And He placed His right foot on the sea and the left on the land.” The little opened scroll is the scroll in 5:1, the scroll of God’s economy, which only Christ is worthy to open. In 5:1 it was sealed; here it is opened.
For Christ as another Angel to place His feet on the sea and upon the land is to tread upon them, and to tread upon them is to take possession of them (Deut. 11:24; Josh. 1:3; Psa. 8:6). This indicates that Christ is coming to take possession of the earth. Only He is worthy to open the scroll of God’s economy, and only He is qualified to possess the earth.
Finally, Christ in His work as another Angel will come to declare the judgment over Babylon the Great. Revelation 18:1 and 2 say, “After these things I saw another Angel coming down out of heaven, having great authority; and the earth was illumined with His glory. And He cried with a strong voice, saying, Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!” In 10:1 Christ is still clothed with a cloud, whereas here His glory shines over the earth, indicating that His coming back to earth is closer than the coming mentioned in chapter ten. In His coming Christ will eventually shine over the whole earth to destroy Babylon the Great with great authority. The fall of Babylon pronounced in verse 2 is the fall of material Babylon, which will take place at the end of the great tribulation.
Finally, in His work in the divine administration Christ, as the King of kings and Lord of lords (Rev. 19:16), will defeat and judge Antichrist with his false prophet and all his followers from the nations — the kings, their armies, and their peoples. Revelation 19:11 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.” Here we see Christ as the One leading His army to fight Antichrist and the kings under him and their armies at Armageddon. Antichrist and the false prophet will be “cast alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone” (v. 20). The rest will be killed “with the sword which proceeds out of the mouth of Him who sits on the horse” (v. 21). After Christ takes away the overcomers and the majority of saints by means of rapture, He will come back to defeat Antichrist with his false prophet and all his followers. Then He will judge the living nations and set up the millennial kingdom.
