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EZEKIEL’S VISION AND THE BODY OF CHRIST

 

 

The Lord wants us, His people, to know what He desires for the Church in these last days. Jesus has a perfect plan which is according to His Word. But the Church has not always been willing to let Him teach us from His Word, and by His Spirit. He has not been able to reveal clearly to us what has been placed in it. We must hear His voice! We must conform to that which the Lord has de­creed or we will not be able to stand in the day that is com­ing. Everything that is built according to man's ways will cer­tainly fall. Therefore let us consider carefully what the Lord reveals regarding His Plan for His Church in this day.

 The Lord wants His people to let Him join them together into one body, but only He can do the joining together, and only He can set each one in the place that He chooses. We must not fry to fill a place that the Lord has not chosen for us, or we will create havoc in the body. We must let the Lord show us, as we wait on Him and as the Lord ministers to us, where our place is in the Body of Christ.

 

The body is one, even as there is one Lord and one faith (Eph. 4:4-6). But because of geographical considerations, and because of the numbers involved, all of the body cannot be in one place at one time, neither can each member function as the Lord desires. Therefore His Plan is to divide the mem­bers of the body into individual cell units or local assemblies. Each cell or local assembly may function as a complete unit in itself with no official relationship with any other cell unit.

 

The only relationship between the cell units may be the spiri­tual bond which ties them together, and the fellowship which they may have with one another from time to time. Each cell unit will be governed by its own elders whom the Lord will set in by the directive of the Holy Spirit through those apostles which are sent to establish and set in order all things.

 

Now, let's look at what the Lord shows us concerning this plan as it is revealed in His Word. Let's consider Ezekiel 1 and the plan contained in it.

 

The Prophet Ezekiel had a vision in which he saw the glory of the Lord. He saw the Lord sitting above the firmament on a throne (1:26-28). A throne symbolizes rulership, show­ing the authority which the Lord exercises in His body. Christ is the Head of the Body (Eph. 1:22-23), and the body must receive its direction from the head. All of the body is to be in absolute subjection to the Lord or what He plans to do will not be accomplished.

 

Secondly, Ezekiel saw an expanse under the throne and over the heads of the living creatures (1:22). This expanse is a type of the spiritual "atmosphere" which must pervade ev­erything that is done in the body. Without a spiritual "air" pervading all the functions of the body, there can be no spiri­tual operation of the Body. This is why it is so important for God's people to seek His face constantly, to be instant in prayer at all times, to let their praises ascend continually to Him, and to live daily in His Word. What the Lord is reveal­ing is a spiritual plan for a spiritual people. It cannot work among those who are not living on a high spiritual plane. It is not for those who are still walking as men and living on the level of the carnal.

 

Let us proceed further in analyzing Ezekiel's vision. Un­der the expanse, Ezekiel saw four living creatures. These crea­tures are a type of the Body of Christ as it functions at the direction of His Spirit. Ezekiel saw these living creatures move at the behest of His Spirit. The creatures moved only when the Spirit moved. Otherwise they did not move (1:12).

 

Next, he saw that each of these creatures had four faces. The first face was that of a lion. This is a type of the courage and boldness which the Lord will give to his people. The lion is the one who is recognized as king of the beasts. So will the Lord's people, who are functioning in His body ac­cording to His Divine plan, have a kingly bearing of power and authority in what they do. They will go forth with bold­ness and confidence and no one will be able to withstand that which the Lord will put within them.

 

Next, the second face was that of an ox. God's people are to consider themselves as servants one to another. Jesus said that the greatest shall be the servant of all (Matt. 23:11). This is to show how we should serve one another, each counting the other better than himself, and with humility and Godly fear in our hearts. We should not seek to exalt ourselves or take to ourselves that which does not belong to us. The Lord's Plan will not work unless each one is willing to be the servant of all.

 

The third face was that of a man. The end-time Body of Christ will come into the fullness of the stature of the man, Christ Jesus, growing up in all things into the Head of the Body, even the fullness of Him that fills all in all (Eph. 4:13-15, 1:23). This end-time Body shall be as one man function­ing in the fullness of what the Lord has planned for this age and time. As the man Adam was brought forth in the image and likeness of his God at the close of the sixth day of the Creative week, so will the Lord bring forth His Body in the fullness of His stature at the close of the sixth day of the re­demptive week or cycle. As Adam then entered God's rest prepared on the seventh day, so shall we enter that rest pre­pared for us on the seventh day of this redemptive cycle, the great one thousand year millennium which is at hand. But first, we must reach that standard of perfection which the Lord has set for us, and we must be brought into the image and likeness of Jesus Christ. The Body will come to maturity and be ready to show to the world that which the Lord has determined.

 

Finally, we find that the fourth face was that of an eagle. God's people will mount up with wings as an eagle (Isa. 40:31). An eagle is able to soar at heights where few creatures ever reach; the very heights of the heavens. His people, in these last days, functioning according to His Plan, will find them­selves soaring into the heavenly places in Christ (Eph. 2:6). We must prepare ourselves, for the Lord will have His people mount up, and we shall have the vision of an eagle to see that which has never been seen before, and we shall have the en­durance of an eagle to endure that which will come against us. Neither shall we be afraid of the storm which is coming, but we will set our "wings" and soar into the heavens on the very winds which carry the power and force of the storm. And we shall ascend to the heights in Christ where the storm will not affect us, and we shall overcome all things.

 

Next, Ezekiel saw that the living creatures each had four wings (1:6,11). Two wings of each were outstretched to touch the wings of the others and two wings covered the body of each. The Lord will stretch out His wings and cover us, and His wings will protect us (Ps. 91:4). Also the woman (the Church) was given the wings of an eagle to carry her into a place of safety (Rev. 12:14). The Lord will protect and over­shadow His people. The Lord will be to us a protecting shield to keep us from all harm in that day when the storm clouds will be heavy on the earth.

 

Then Ezekiel saw the hand of a man extending from un­der each wing on the living creatures. This is a type of those ministries which the Lord will set in our midst to minister to our needs and to guide us in the right path. There are five of these ministries as there are five fingers on the hand.

 

First is the apostle. The Lord has set in His Church first a revealer of His Will and secondarily an establisher of His people in His divine ways. He will raise up apostles in that day who shall declare His Will for His people. They will be used to set His house in divine order, and they will keep His people from going astray, for they will show His people what the Lord requires of them. They will go from place to place to establish that which needs to be established, and to set in order the things that need to be in order. They are first in the body because the body cannot function in His divine pattern until the apostles have made known His Will and re­vealed His truth to the people.

 

Second, the Lord has placed in His Body prophets (I Cor. 12:28). The prophets also have a foundational ministry (Eph. 2:20), usually in connection with the apostle. However, at times the prophet will function separately to reveal God's Will and to make known His Plan. The prophet is especially endowed with a ministry in the word of prophecy, for he will speak by direct inspiration of the Spirit of God, and the word will flow from his lips as the very word of God. I am speaking here of matured ministries who have been tried and tested and who have been called and sent forth into the field, and not of those who are yet novices and are only prophetic min­istries in the making. The prophet will also teach the deep things of His Word, especially as they relate to the events of the hour and the fulfillment of God's purposes in the earth. He will also have a keen insight into the needs for the people and be able to discern that which needs correcting or chang­ing. He will speak the word fearlessly, yet in love and com­passion as he seeks to minister to the needs of the Body of Christ.

 

Thirdly, the Lord has set in the Church those whom the Lord has generally termed teachers (I Cor. 12:28). First in this class is the evangelist (Eph. 4:11). The evangelist is a teacher of the redemptive truths of God's Word as they re­late to the needs of the Body of Christ and the outreach of that Body to encompass those who are unsaved. He will preach the Word with power to exhort, admonish and en­courage the people in their witness for Jesus Christ. He will also unfold to their understanding the ways and means of sharing their faith with those around them. The evangelist will also have a ministry of deliverance that the word which he preaches will be confirmed and established in power. He will have a great compassion for the Christian, and also for the unsaved that they might be brought into the fold.

 

Second in the general classification of teachers is that of the pastor. The pastor will be the closest to the people in ministering to their personal needs and in counseling with them concerning their spiritual problems. The pastor has the true shepherd's heart as he desires to wait on the people and patiently lead them into the green pastures and by the still waters. His ministry in the Word will primarily be one of taking the general principles of Truth and making them ap­plicable to the personal lives of the people so that they might enter into the reality of spiritual blessing and power. He will be constantly on the lookout for the little lambs who need attention, binding up their wounds and caring for them in their time of need.

The third in the general classification of teachers is the one who is specifically called a teacher (Eph. 4:11). As the name implies, he will be a teacher par excellence. He will be able to take the Word and make it real to people, breaking it down into its many parts and showing its application to all phases of life. He will be a master at clarifying the many little understood passages of Scripture and making them live for people. He will have a great concern for the growth and maturing of each member of the Body of Christ that each part might function in its proper place and come into its full ministry.

Now let's consider further what was seen by Ezekiel. He saw that each living creature moved straight without turning. Whatever direction they went, they went straight ahead with­out variation (1:9,12). This pictures what the Lord demands for those who would be in His end-time Body. They must go as the Spirit directs and they must not turn to the right or to the left. There must be no variableness or shadow cast by turning, even as the Lord Himself (Jms. 1:17). They will set their face, even as the face of the cherubim, in whatever di­rection the Spirit shows and then proceed without wavering and without turning.

 

And then we notice that Ezekiel saw fire in the midst of the living creatures. So will the Lord be in our midst con­stantly as a living, consuming fire, to continually purge and cleanse. As a refining fire will the Lord sit in this day that His people may be purified from all defilement and be prepared to offer to Him an offering in righteousness (Mal. 3:3). So will the fire of His Spirit burn in our midst, and no sin will be allowed to continue unnoticed and unchecked, for a little leaven leavens the whole, and the Lord will purge out from the midst of His people all the leaven of malice and wicked­ness (ICor. 5:8).

Consider further: the legs of the living creatures were as burnished brass and straight as pillars. Likewise, the Lord is building His Church in this end-time and He is placing in that Church those who are to be pillars, even those who have overcome all the defilements of the flesh. There will be those in our Churches who will be recognized as pillars. They will be strong ones in the Lord and those who can be depended on and whom the weak ones can lean on. Notice that the feet of the living creatures were like those of a calf (1:7). The calf is one who is created to serve others by providing milk and nourishment. Those who are pillars in the Church will provide sustenance and support to all who have need. They shall make the Body of Christ strong in the Lord. They shall not waver in times of testing, but they shall be steadfast and uphold all who are in need.

 

Now we come to what Ezekiel saw beside each of the liv­ing creatures. There was that which he described as a wheel within a wheel, and each wheel had a rim full of eyes (1:15-18). These wheels moved when the living creatures moved and stood still when the living creatures stood, for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels (1:20-21). This tells us that they were one, picturing only a different phase of the same truth. The living creatures picture His plan for the Body of Christ as a whole, but the wheels represent the indi­vidual units or cells of the Body as they are gathered together in a particular geographical locality. They are one with the whole Body, and yet they are separate in location. The Lord will cause His Body to find its expression and function in individual cell units.

 

Each cell unit or local assembly of saints shall begin with what Ezekiel saw as a wheel within a wheel. The inner wheel comes first and corresponds to the nucleus of a cell in the human body. That nucleus is the heart and substance of the cell, around which the rest of the cell is formed. Each local cell unit will begin with a nucleus which the Lord will firmly establish and join together. This nucleus will begin meeting in a specified meeting place, often a home because of its con­venience and availability. This nucleus shall meet to minis­ter to the Lord in praise and in worship. The Lord will join together those He wants in each nucleus. Each person will seek His directive to determine where the Lord wants him to be. No one will seek his own will or desire but only God's Will. A nucleus can begin with two or three families meeting in a home on the Lord's day. Those meeting together will subject themselves together in love, none seeking to domi­nate or force his will on the others. Mutual fellowship in the Lord and study of the Word will constitute the basis for each meeting.

 

If not immediately available, in due time the Lord will send one of His ministries to teach each nucleus what the Lord would have them to know. In time also the Lord will send one of His apostles to set this nucleus in divine order and to appoint those who are to be the overseers or elders of that group. They will be willing to receive those the Lord sends to them and let Him establish them as the Lord purposes. They shall not try to do something in their own wisdom and strength, but they shall wait on His counsel and leading and let Him provide that which they need, and let Him minister to them as He directs by His Spirit.

 

In the process of time, and only at His direction, the Lord will have each nucleus that is firmly knit and joined together, and firmly established in His divine order with its local over­seers, to move out into a more public meeting place which will be accessible to all whom the Lord would draw by His Spirit. The Book of Acts shows that the early Church met in the Temple and broke bread from house to house (Acts 2:46, 5:42). Also, Paul states to the Ephesian elders that he taught them pub­licly and in homes (Acts 20:20). The Lord would have two kinds of meetings for His people. When they are ready, and at His direction, the Lord will have them occupy a public place of some kind where all will feel free to come and where sinners will come to know the Lord. The Lord would also have His people continue to meet in the homes of one or more, depending on the size and need, in order that they might break bread and let the whole Body minister, with each having his part, as it is written in the Word (I Cor. 14:26).

 

After the nucleus, or inner wheel, has moved out at the direction of the Spirit to quarters that are conducive to larger growth, and which is more accessible to all, then the Lord shall begin to add others to the nucleus to form a complete cell or unit. This corresponds to the other part of the wheel which Ezekiel saw, revolving around the inner wheel; one wheel but with inner and outer components. This plan will not work until the nucleus is firmly established and joined together, so that nothing will be able to destroy it. Then, and only then, is it ready to become the functioning center of a larger cell which the Lord shall build around it. No nucleus should move out to become the heart of a further work of God until it has received the directive of the Lord.

 

Now let's consider the eyes which Ezekiel saw on the rim which stood above and encircled the wheel (1:18). The eyes represent the local overseers or elders which will have the oversight of each cell unit. Do we not think that the Lord is capable of providing the leadership which we need? Do we question His judgment in raising up from our own number those who are to be set in as the "governments" of His body? The time has come for His house to be set in order accord­ing to His Plan, that it might function according to His direc­tion and not according to the direction of man. The time has come for His ministries to give up the little kingdoms which they have built for themselves and let Jesus use them to minister to His Body as He chooses. His ministries are not meant to work only in one place indefinitely and usurp the function given to the local overseers of each cell. The Lord wants His ministries to cease trying to build something for themselves and let Him use them wherever He chooses. How long a ministry shall serve in a particular place is entirely up to the Lord and not according to his own desires or wishes.

 

And now for a final factor in the vision which Ezekiel saw. It is the way that the wheels and the bodies of the living crea­tures functioned together as one unit, moving only at the be­hest of His Spirit. Let me repeat that this plan is for a people who are willing to be completely led by His Spirit. It will not work unless each ministry will go only where the Lord di­rects, and unless each member of the Body is willing to let the Lord set them in the place He has chosen for them, seek­ing always His mind in everything. So shall the whole body of Christ everywhere function as one, with the ministries fol­lowing through and working with the whole Body at what­ever place the Spirit directs, and with the mutual fellowship and participation of all the members in whatever place and whatever function the Lord will determine for them.

 

[Next: GATHERING OF THE SAINTS ]

 

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