(1)
Genesis is a wonderful book. The more we study it, the more we realize that no human hand could have written it. Apparently Genesis is simply a book of stories; however, when we probe into the depths of this book through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we find that it contains something profound related to our experience of life. If we read superficially, we shall not be able to understand why the events of chapter thirty-eight are put after those of chapter thirty-seven. Not until we discover the spiritual significance of these chapters can we appreciate the deep meaning of their sequence.
According to the record of the book of Genesis and according to our spiritual experience, Joseph should not be considered a person separate from Jacob, but rather as an aspect of Jacob's biography. When we first came to Abraham in this life-study, we pointed out that, in spiritual experience, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are not three separate individuals. Instead, they represent three aspects of the experience of one saint. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob represent three aspects of one spiritual man, and their biographies portray different aspects of the complete life of a saint. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are three aspects of one person, somewhat like the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are the three of the Godhead. In the record of Genesis, God revealed Himself as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. But the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is not three separate Gods; He is one Triune God. In a similar way, spiritually speaking, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are not three separate persons, but three aspects of one complete person. Therefore, we have not only the Triune God, but also a complete man of three aspects.
It is difficult to determine whether Abraham or Jacob comes first. According to the historical record, Abraham was the grandfather, and Jacob was the grandson. According to spiritual experience, however, Jacob must come first. Jacob was chosen before he was born (Rom. 9:11-13). This means that the complete saint was chosen as Jacob before birth. The book of Ephesians reveals that this selection took place before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4). Thus, the complete person was chosen as Jacob. He was also fallen as Jacob. Then this chosen and fallen one was called as Abraham. With Abraham, he not only was called, but also was justified and lived a life by faith. Furthermore, he inherited and enjoyed all the riches of Christ as Isaac. After he had been called and justified, and while he was living a life by faith, he inherited all the riches of Christ and enjoyed them. But this is not all. As Jacob, he also struggled and suffered because of his strivings. Moreover, he was dealt with and became matured. All this is the experience of Jacob. For all these experiences — the choosing, the fall, the calling, the justification by faith, the living by faith, the inheritance and enjoyment of the riches in Christ, the self-struggling, the sufferings, the dealings, and the maturity — there is the need of three persons, the need of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
These three represent you and me. We are chosen and fallen as Jacob. We are called, we are justified by faith, and we live by faith as Abraham. We inherit the riches of Christ and enjoy them as Isaac. We struggle, suffer, are dealt with, and mature as Jacob. When Jacob was matured, his name was changed. Not only was his disposition transformed, but his name was changed from Jacob, a supplanter, to Israel, a matured prince of God, one who could reign for God.
The matured Israel has a reigning aspect. We have seen the process of Jacob's maturity and the manifestation of his maturity. His maturity was fully manifested in his excellent departure from this life. Now we must see the reigning aspect of this matured life. Therefore, in this message we come to the reigning aspect of the matured Israel, an aspect fully portrayed in the biography of Joseph.
Because Joseph represents an aspect of Jacob, we should not consider Joseph a person separate from Jacob. This is the reason the last fourteen chapters of Genesis combine the record of Joseph's life with the record of Jacob's. Genesis blends the biographies of Joseph and Jacob because they are actually the biography not of two persons, but of one. This blending of the record indicates that Joseph is an aspect of Jacob. If you read the record in Genesis from chapter thirty-seven through chapter fifty, you will see that Joseph is an aspect, a part, of Jacob. He was Jacob's expression. Wherever Joseph was, Jacob was there also. When Joseph was in power, it was actually Jacob who was reigning. Hence, their biographies are blended together as the biography of one person.
For years I tried to divide each of the books of the Bible into sections. But when I came to the last chapters of the book of Genesis, I could not tell whether it was a section pertaining to Jacob or to Joseph. Eventually I gave up trying to divide this part of Genesis into sections. Because at that time I did not see the matter of life, I did not appreciate the excellence of the composition of Genesis. But we need to recognize that these chapters are part of one biography with two aspects. The day I saw this light I was very happy. Spiritually speaking, Joseph is not separate from Jacob. Rather, he represents the reigning aspect of a matured saint.
Genesis 37:2 says, "These are the generations of Jacob." Then it goes on to tell us of the life of Joseph. This proves that Joseph's life was a part of Jacob's generation. Joseph's biography is an aspect of Jacob's history.
Joseph's biography indicates that he had no defects. According to the record, he was altogether perfect. In the Bible Joseph is the perfect one in the Old Testament, and Jesus is the perfect One in the New Testament. The four biographies of Jesus in the New Testament reveal that He was perfect, without defect. The record of Joseph in the Old Testament reveals that he also was perfect. Some may say that in order to be a type of Christ, Joseph had to be perfect. But was not David a type of Christ? Certainly he was. But David, a type of Christ, committed gross sin. Solomon also was a type of Christ, but he too was sinful. With the exception of Joseph, all the personal types of Christ in the Old Testament had some shortcomings.
As a type of Christ, Joseph signifies the reigning aspect of a matured saint, the mature Israel. Certainly the reigning aspect of such a person must be perfect. None of us, of course, is perfect. However, in our reigning aspect we are perfect. Whenever we are reigning in the spirit, we are perfect. Nevertheless, you may say, "I am not perfect. Rather, I am like Judah." However, the aspect of you which is like Judah is not your reigning aspect, but your fallen aspect. Yes, according to your fallen aspect you are like Judah in chapter thirty-eight. Both chapters thirty-seven and thirty-nine are chapters of perfection. Chapter thirty-eight, on the contrary, is a chapter of perversion. Thus, the reigning aspect is in chapter thirty-seven and the fallen aspect in chapter thirty-eight. Perhaps yesterday you were reigning for God, but today you may have committed sin, even a gross sin. This reveals the fact that we have various aspects. In this message we shall deal only with the reigning aspect.
I hope that we all shall see that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob with Joseph are one person. Joseph is not a separate aspect of a complete spiritual person as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are. Rather, as we have seen, Joseph is an aspect of Jacob. The Bible does not say that God is the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, and the God of Joseph. This would make God quaternary instead of triune. There are only three. But when we come in Jacob to the stage of maturity, we see that with the mature life there is the reigning aspect. Neither Abraham nor Isaac reigned. But Joseph reigned representatively for Jacob. In other words, Jacob reigned through Joseph.
In 1:26, when God created man, He said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion..." In the last few chapters of Genesis we see an Israel expressing God's image and exercising His dominion. The exercise of God's dominion over all things is manifested in Joseph's life, whereas God's image is expressed in Israel. Joseph is not separate from Jacob, but is an aspect of the life that expresses God's image. The two aspects of expressing God's image and exercising God's dominion must be found in one person. Therefore, what is found in Joseph's life may be called the reigning aspect of the matured Israel. Without this light, you will not be able to understand this portion of the Word. Sorry to say, most Christians do not have this light.
Our goal must be to express God with His image and to represent Him with His dominion. For this, we are chosen and fallen as Jacob; we are called, we are justified, and we live by faith as Abraham; we inherit the riches of Christ and enjoy them as Isaac; and finally we struggle, we suffer, we are dealt with, and we reach maturity as Jacob. We all have the "Jacobean" struggling nature within us. If we were told not to struggle, we would struggle just the same. Struggling, however, is not necessarily wrong. If one has been a Christian for years but has never struggled, it means that he is not one who is seeking the Lord. It also means that he is not interested in gaining the birthright. But once we realize something about the birthright, we shall struggle to be holy and spiritual, and our "Jacobean" struggling nature will come out. When you struggle, be prepared to suffer. Along with the suffering, you will be under God's dealing hand. You may be smart, but God has a Laban who is smarter than you are. Be prepared to suffer and to be dealt with by the hand of God. Eventually you will reach maturity, and the reigning aspect of the matured Israel will be seen in your life. This is the reigning aspect represented by Joseph.
Again I say, Joseph is not a complete person, but simply an aspect of a matured saint who has passed through the experiences represented by the lives of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. After passing through all these experiences, the matured saint has an aspect that is constituted solely of Christ. Because this aspect of him is the constitution of Christ, it is perfect. Joseph represents this constituted aspect of a matured saint. In each of us there is a part that is constituted of Christ. Even if you have just been regenerated, a part of you, your regenerated spirit, has been constituted of Christ. This is the beginning of Christ's constitution in you. The process of being constituted of Christ will continue until it reaches its climax when the reigning aspect comes forth in you. When you are fully matured, you will have this top portion, this top aspect. This is the constitution of Christ, an aspect of the mature life constituted of Christ.
No doubt, Joseph is the perfect type of Christ because he portrays the constituted aspect of a mature saint. If the aspect of you which is constituted of Christ is not perfect, then surely no part of you could be perfect. In us who are fallen, saved, called, redeemed, and regenerated there is nothing perfect except the constituting Christ. Hallelujah, we have Christ's constitution within us! I repeat, Joseph represents the constitution of Christ in Jacob's mature life. This aspect, Christ constituted in the matured saints, is perfect. Hence, it perfectly typifies Christ.
This perfect aspect is a shepherd. Joseph, like Abel, was a shepherd (37:2). This typifies the aspect of the constitution of Christ in the mature life that is the shepherding life to take care of others. In chapter thirty-seven Joseph not only fed and shepherded the flock; although he was the second youngest brother, he was sent by his father to shepherd his brothers. Thus, Joseph shepherded not only his father's flock, but also his father's sons. The Lord Jesus also came as a shepherd (John 10:11).
Although you may be new in the church life, you nevertheless have the constitution of Christ within you. Christ has been constituted into you, and this becomes the constitution of Christ in your spiritual life. This is what gives you the burden to take care of others. This is shepherding. The constitution of Christ in our spiritual life has a shepherding aspect. It is vain to encourage people to shepherd others. The more I charge you to shepherd others, the less you will shepherd them. Shepherding is not a matter of our instigating others to do something, but of Christ's constitution within them. The part of our being that has been constituted of Christ is the part that shepherds others. I have full confidence in that part of you. We cannot shepherd anyone, but Christ constituted into us is the Shepherd.
The reigning aspect is firstly the shepherding aspect. If you do not have the burden to shepherd others and to feed them, you will never be able to reign. Reigning authority comes from the shepherding life. Eventually, Joseph reigned over his brothers. But he did not reign over them until he had already shepherded them. He was sent by his father to shepherd his brothers and to feed them. In like manner, Jesus came not as a King to rule others; He came as a Shepherd.
As the Shepherd, Christ was killed by His own people. This is revealed in John 10, where we are told that the good Shepherd gives His life for the sheep. Jesus came as the Shepherd and was killed, giving His life for His flock. In principle, the same thing happened to Joseph in chapter thirty-seven. Although he was sent to shepherd his brothers, they nearly killed him. Joseph gave his life in order to carry out this kind of shepherding. It is good that we have a shepherding life within. But if you are to shepherd others, you must be ready to be killed by those you are caring for. The very ones you desire to shepherd will not appreciate your shepherding. Instead, they will kill you. They may think of you as a strange, peculiar person, and they may call you a "holy" brother. Many have said to me, "Brother Lee, if I stay by myself and do not love the church and care for the saints, I have no problems. But when I begin to love the church and take care of the saints, the saints kill me." They kill you because you shepherd them.
Joseph, the one with the shepherding aspect, was also his father's beloved (Gen. 37:3-4). Likewise, Christ was the Father's beloved Son (Matt. 3:17; 17:5). Only that aspect of us that is constituted of Christ is beloved in the eyes of God. Praise the Lord that we have Christ's constitution within us! This part of us is beloved of the Father. You can testify that at times you have had the deep sense that the Father was present with you, and you could sense Him saying, "This is My beloved." The words spoken of the Lord Jesus at His baptism and on the Mount of Transfiguration have also been spoken to you. You have had the deep sense that God the Father was present. Whenever you have this sense, it is a proof that you have the constitution of Christ, which is pleasing to the Father. Of that part of your being the Father will always say, "This is My beloved."
Although you may be young in the Lord, I believe that you have experienced the Father God in heaven being very happy with you and pleased with you. However, now you may not be pleased with yourself, considering your shortcomings and faults. The reason for this is that we have two constitutions, the constitution of Christ and the constitution of the old Adam. When you are with the constitution of Christ, you can hear a heavenly voice saying, "This is My beloved," because God the Father is pleased with you. But when you are with the old constitution, the constitution of Adam, not even you are pleased with yourself. Rather, you hate that aspect of your being. Joseph represents the very constitution of Christ in the matured life of Israel, that part which is called by the Father, "My beloved."
In Gen. 37:12-17 we see that Joseph ministered to the brothers according to his father's will. In this matter also Joseph was a type of Christ, for Christ came down from heaven to do the will of the One who had sent Him (John 6:38).
There is not a word in the Bible saying that Joseph was a type of Christ. However, if you read this section of the Word, you will admit not only that Joseph was a type of Christ, but that his biography is virtually the biography of Christ. Joseph's life was a copy of Christ's.
At this point I would like to say a word regarding allegorizing the Bible. Some Bible teachers say that we should consider as types only those things in the Old Testament that the New Testament specifically says are types. I followed this teaching for a number of years, but I was eventually released from it, having realized that it went too far. Although there is not a word in the New Testament saying that Joseph was a type of Christ, no one in the Old Testament was a more exact type of Christ than Joseph was. This indicates the fact that some things in the Old Testament are types which are not referred to as types in the New Testament. Because of this fact, I no longer hold this teaching. Joseph was a shepherd, the father's beloved, and the one sent by the father to minister to his brothers. In all these aspects he was the same as Christ.
Although Joseph was a shepherd and the father's beloved and although he ministered to his brothers according to his father's will, he was hated and harassed by the brothers to whom he ministered (Gen. 37:4-5, 8, 11, 18-36). The same was true of Christ (Acts 10:38-39). Christ was sent to minister to the children of God, but they hated Him. According to the Gospels, the Jewish leaders hated Christ, conspired against Him, and plotted to kill Him. This was also Joseph's experience with his brothers. In Gen. 37:19-20 his brothers said, "Behold, this master of dreams cometh. Come now therefore, and let us slay him..." (Heb.). Thus, they conspired and plotted against their brother Joseph.
Joseph's brothers harassed him through the Ishmaelites, who were Midianites (Gen. 37:25, 28). Both the Ishmaelites and the Midianites were descendants of Abraham. Abraham had three wives: Sarah, Hagar, and Keturah. Through Sarah, his genuine wife, Abraham brought forth Isaac. Through Hagar, Sarah's handmaid, he brought forth Ishmael, the product of Abraham's flesh. Finally, through Keturah, Abraham brought forth Midian. Only one son — Isaac — was brought forth by grace. Both Ishmael and Midian were brought forth through the flesh. Therefore, in the Old Testament both Ishmael and Midian signify the flesh, the natural strength. Joseph, a descendant of Isaac, was sold to the descendants of Ishmael and Midian, to the Ishmaelites, the Midianites. It seems that the Bible erroneously uses the terms the Ishmaelites and the Midianites interchangeably. In chapter thirty-seven, verse 25 speaks of the Ishmaelites and verse 28, of the Midianites. Were the ones to whom Joseph was sold Ishmaelites or Midianites? According to the Bible, both the Ishmaelites and the Midianites were of the same category. In the eyes of God the Ishmaelites and the Midianites both signify the flesh. Thus, Joseph was sold through the flesh. The same thing happened to the Lord Jesus. If the Jewish leaders had been in the spirit, they would never have delivered Jesus Christ to Pilate. Christ was delivered to Pilate by the Jewish leaders through the flesh. When the Jewish leaders delivered Jesus to Pilate, they were no longer Israelites; they were Ishmaelites and Midianites. Their delivering up of the Lord Jesus was done in the flesh.
Joseph was sold through the flesh to Egypt (Gen. 37:28, 36), which signifies the world. The fact that Joseph was sold through the flesh to the world indicates that the flesh is linked to the world. It was the same in the case of the Lord Jesus. Through the flesh, the Jewish leaders delivered Christ to Pilate, the Roman authority, who certainly was in Egypt, that is, in the world.
Now I have a heavy burden to share something very meaningful with you. If you had been Joseph, would you have considered your brothers heavenly and full of life and light? In 37:2 we are told that Joseph brought to his father an evil report regarding his brothers. Furthermore, according to chapter thirty-seven, Joseph's brothers were full of hatred and anger, and according to chapter thirty-eight, they were full of lust. In chapter thirty-seven we see the hatred and anger of Joseph's brothers, and in chapter thirty-eight we see Judah's lust. Joseph saw the evil of his brothers and reported it to his father. But Joseph had two dreams (Gen. 37:5-9). In the first dream Joseph saw sheaves in the field. This dream reveals that, at the most, Joseph was just a sheaf and that, at the worst, his brothers also were sheaves. God gave Joseph this dream, and in it he had God's view of his brothers. Joseph might have said to his father, "Daddy, my brothers are so poor. How I have suffered from their evil! Oh, they are full of anger and lust!" But God came to give Joseph a dream, and He seemed to say, "Joseph, in My eyes you are the same as your brothers, and they are just as good as you are. You are a sheaf, and they also are sheaves. The only difference between you and them is that I have chosen you to reign. But this does not mean that you are better than they are."
If we do not have experience, we shall not be able to understand the word in the Bible regarding Joseph's dream of the sheaves. When you first come into the church life, you may say, "How wonderful the church life is! The brothers and sisters are all marvelous! How I love the church!" However, the more you love the church and care for the saints, the more "gophers," "turtles," and "scorpions" you will see. Then you will say, "Lord, what is this? Lord, the situation in the church is pitiful. Not even the elders are any good. And look at all the sisters! I don't want to sit near them in the meetings." At such a time you need a heavenly dream. When the dream comes, the Lord will tell you, "You are not any better, and the others are not worse than you. You are all sheaves of life in Me. There are no 'gophers,' 'scorpions,' or 'turtles' among My people. All are sheaves full of life." If I had not seen such a heavenly dream, I would have quit long ago. But I have seen the dream. I have seen that I am a sheaf and that all those who in my eyes are "gophers" are sheaves also. In the eyes of God, they are sheaves.
Years ago, I prayed many accusing prayers to the Lord; I reported to Him the evils I had seen. In my prayers I said, "Lord, I have given up my job and consecrated my life and my future for this work. But, Lord, look at this people!" Eventually, however, the dream came, and the Lord said to me, "You are not better than they. At the most, you are just a sheaf, and, at the worst, they also are sheaves." At the beginning I was troubled and argued with the Lord, saying, "Lord, You are not thorough. You are superficial. Don't You see their heart?" But the Lord said, "I don't look at them from your view. I see them from My view. In the New Jerusalem there are no 'gophers' and 'scorpions.'"
One day I received great help by reading Balaam's prophecy in Numbers 23. According to the book of Numbers, the children of Israel had done many evil things. Balaam was hired by a heathen king to curse Israel and to expose the evil in Israel. But God spoke through Balaam, and Balaam said, "He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel" (Num. 23:21). God seemed to be saying, "I have not beheld any iniquity in My people. I do not see any perverseness in them."
Elijah complained against Israel saying, "The children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away" (1 Kings 19:10). Elijah was accusing Israel before God. Being displeased with this, the Lord replied, "Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him" (1 Kings 19:18). Do not go to the Lord in the way of accusing others before Him. Instead, you should say to Him, "Lord, since You see no iniquity, I do not choose to see any either. All the 'gophers' and 'scorpions' are sheaves, and I love them."
However, this is not easy to do. You may even think that I am teaching you to lie, for you may say, "Brother So-and-so is pitiful. I could never say that he is a sheaf." But who is right — God or you? And what about the dream? If you have seen the heavenly dream, then you have seen that in God's view all His people are sheaves full of life to produce food for the meal offering to satisfy God and man.
In the Bible there is the principle of confirmation by two witnesses. Thus, Joseph had two dreams. In Joseph's second dream he saw the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowing down to him (37:9). This indicates that in the eyes of God all the condemned and accused people are full of light. Be careful not to accuse the brothers and sisters. The reigning aspect of the maturity of life never condemns others. Rather, it shepherds and appreciates them. It says, "Oh, the church life and all the saints are wonderful! The saints are sheaves full of life. How nourishing and satisfying they are! Furthermore, they are heavenly luminaries full of light." If you say that it is a lie to speak this way and that you cannot do it, it means that you have not seen the dream, the vision. You are lacking the heavenly view.
Let me address this question to those who have been in the church life a long time: Do you still feel that the church is so good and that all the saints are wonderful? If you are honest, you will admit that you have criticized certain saints to your wife or husband. Perhaps some years ago you felt positively about all the brothers and sisters, but not today. Years ago, according to your natural view, all the saints were so good. But today you need the view of the heavenly dream. In Genesis 37 there are two dreams. One is of sheaves full of life, and the other of the heavenly host full of light. This is God's view, the heavenly view, of His people. Because I have this heavenly view, I am greatly encouraged. I am not working with "gophers" and "scorpions." I am serving the sheaves, I am under the sun and moon, and I am walking among the stars. The dream Joseph saw is similar to the vision in Revelation 12, where God's people are signified by the woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and with the crown of twelve stars upon her head. We need such a vision to see God's people from the heavenly viewpoint.
One thing is certain: Whoever condemns the church or blames the saints will suffer the loss of life. There is not one exception to this. You may be right, and the church may actually be wrong. The condition of the saints may be that of "gophers" and "scorpions." But if you condemn them, you will suffer the loss of life. However, if you say, "Lord, I praise You because Your people are full of life and light," you will be the first to participate in life. For this reason, I dare not say that the brothers and sisters are not good. Rather, I always say, "Praise the Lord! How good the saints are!" When I do this, I enjoy life. But if I were to criticize the brothers and sisters, I would immediately suffer death. No one who speaks negatively concerning the church or the saints enjoys life. On the contrary, all those who speak negatively suffer death. We need to say, "Praise the Lord, my brother will be a heavenly light! If he is not so today, he will be in the future." With God there is no time element. There is no clock in heaven, only eternity. As God views His people from the standpoint of eternity, He sees them all as sheaves full of life and as the sun, moon, and stars full of light.
Although God's people are positioned in heaven as the sun, the moon, and the stars, they are living on earth as sheaves (Phil. 3:20; 2:15), for sheaves grow in the field. Today we are the heavenly people living on earth.
We are God's people. I have been encouraged, strengthened, and edified by this. I have complete faith in you all, and I expect to see you all in the New Jerusalem. I like to have an eternal view, not the view from the earth. I do not want to view things according to my limited sight. Rather, I would use the divine telescope. If you say that the brothers and sisters are so bad, it means that you are extremely shortsighted. But if you use the divine telescope to see through time, you will behold the New Jerusalem where there is nothing but sheaves and stars. In the New Jerusalem there are no "gophers" or "scorpions." There, everything is full of life and light. When we consider Joseph's dreams, we realize that no human mind could have conceived the book of Genesis. Only God could have caused Joseph to have these dreams.
Although Joseph saw these two dreams, he still suffered the hatred and conspiracy of his brothers in that very chapter. Furthermore, in the following chapter we see Judah's lust. This indicates that actually the sons of Jacob were evil. Nevertheless, in the heavenly view they were not evil; they were sheaves full of life and stars full of light. The reason these two chapters are put together is so that we may have a contrast. In God's view the sons of Jacob are bright, but actually they are dark. In actuality they were sinful. Now we can understand why chapter thirty-eight follows chapter thirty-seven.
Although the sons of Jacob were sinful, Christ still came through them (38:27-30; Matt. 1:3). Out of the gross sin committed in chapter thirty-eight, two sons were born, the first of whom was a forefather of Christ. Pharez, mentioned in the genealogy of Christ in Matthew 1, was one of Christ's forefathers. According to the holy word of Scripture, Christ came through the sinful sons of Jacob. It is similar to David's sin with Bathsheba. The issue of that sin was Solomon, who was also a forefather of Christ, one through whom Christ came (Matt. 1:6).
Do not believe that the church is not good, and do not complain against the saints or say that they are "scorpions." Out of a seemingly hopeless church, full of saints who, in your eyes, are "scorpions," Christ will come forth. However, this does not mean that we should do evil that good may come. Rather, it is a testimony of God's sovereign grace. Whether the believers are good or bad, we must be careful not to speak against them. If we do, God will say, "I do not see any iniquity or perverseness among them. My Christ will come through them. Don't you condemn them." We all need such a heavenly vision.
The mature life has a reigning aspect. The more mature in life you become, the less you will speak negatively concerning the saints or the church. When we came into the church, we had a church-life honeymoon. The honeymoon, however, never lasts very long. After your church-life honeymoon has ended, you may say, "I thought the church would be so good. But actually it is not good at all. If I could find something better, I would certainly not stay here. But, sorry to say, I cannot find anything better. However, I'm still looking. I may even go somewhere to start something on my own. Regardless of what I do, the church here is certainly not very good." Whenever you speak like this, you will suffer death. But one day the heavenly dream will come, and your view will be revolutionized. You will realize that you dare not say anything negative concerning the church or the saints. On the contrary, you will say, "This is the church, and this is God's people. In God's eyes the believers are all sheaves. They are also the sun, the moon, and the stars." When you come to this stage, you will not dare to say anything negative about the church.
After seeing such a vision, I have nevertheless said at times, "Yes, I have seen that the church is wonderful. But actually it is not so." In saying this, the "tail" was exposed. Even this "tail" caused me to suffer death. Eventually, I was completely subdued and convinced, and I said, "Lord, I forget my short sight and use the divine telescope. The church is excellent, marvelous, and wonderful. There is nothing wrong with the church. It is perfect and complete." When I speak like this, I am full of life and I enjoy life. To me, every brother and sister is wonderful, and I love them all, including the backsliders. The more I speak this way about the brothers and sisters, the more I am full of life. I believe many of us have experienced this. We are not the ones to judge. God is the Judge. And He is not judging the saints; He is working on them to transform the "scorpions" into sheaves and the "gophers" into stars. Eventually, we all shall be sheaves and stars. May we all have this eternal view.
Eventually, all Joseph's people will be under his reign (Gen. 37:8). Joseph signifies the reigning aspect of the mature life. Only the mature life can reign, just as Christ reigns over the Jews (Matt. 27:11; John 19:19).
