We all need to see these three great matters—creation, redemption, and building. Regrettably, however, the subtle one, the old serpent, has used and is still using many things to cover the eyes of God’s people from seeing the matter of God’s building. Many Christians today believe that they are going to a heavenly mansion. They say, “We are saved. God is merciful and gracious to us. Some day we will all go to a heavenly mansion.” This “heavenly mansion” has become a thick veil. This is one layer of the veils that cover many of God’s people. Other Christians do not care for the heavenly mansion. Instead, they seek spirituality. Furthermore, they reject those who are not for spirituality. Eventually, rather than being spiritual, they end up fighting against others. Still other Christians say, “We have seen the matter of holiness. We are the holiness people.” They teach that as a holy people, the sisters should have skirts of a certain length and hair of a certain length. If anyone does not meet their standards, they reject them as not being holy people. Another group of Christians says, “We cannot be spiritual. We cannot be holy. Rather, we are seeking God’s blessing. We need the second blessing.” These four matters—the heavenly mansion, spirituality, holiness, and the so-called second blessing—are four layers of veils that cover the eyes of God’s people. Another veil is the matter of seeking to be scriptural. Some insist that believers must be scriptural in everything. They say that in everything we need a Bible verse as a base. They argue with other believers whom they think are not as scriptural as they are.
Eventually, all these layers of veils lead to fighting. Those who believe in the heavenly mansion fight against those who seek spirituality, those who seek spirituality condemn those who pursue holiness, those who pursue holiness fight against those who emphasize the second blessing, and those who emphasize the second blessing are condemned by those who insist on being scriptural. This is the actual situation today. What shall we do in such a situation? We need to drop the layer of the heavenly mansion. We also need to drop the layer of spirituality, the layer of holiness, the layer of the second blessing, and even the layer of being scriptural. We should not drop the Scriptures, but we need to drop the way of seeking to be scriptural.
We need to have the Scriptures, but we also need to be careful about seeking to be scriptural. Seeking to be scriptural causes much trouble. You may have one interpretation of a verse, and I may have another interpretation of the same verse. You feel that you are scriptural in a certain verse, but I feel that I am more scriptural than you in the same verse. Recently, a book was published criticizing me as being unscriptural. It says that Witness Lee is not scriptural because he tells people that the Son is the Father and that the Lord Jesus is the Spirit. This book claims that this teaching is absolutely against orthodox Christian teaching and against the Bible. The book says that the Son and the Father cannot be one because the Father spoke to the Son (Mark 1:11) and because the Son prayed to the Father (John 17). This argument may seem to be very scriptural, but allow me to point out some other verses. John 14:8-9 says, “Philip said to Him, Lord, show us the Father and it is sufficient for us. Jesus said to him, Have I been so long a time with you, and you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how is it that you say, Show us the Father?” Furthermore, Isaiah 9:6 says, “A Son is given to us... / And His name will be called... / Eternal Father.” Regarding the Lord Jesus being the Spirit, I would point out 2 Corinthians 3:17, which says, “The Lord is the Spirit.” Thus, those who wrote the book criticizing me feel that their teachings are scriptural, but I can claim that my teachings are even more scriptural. Christians can never be one by trying to be scriptural. Thus, we all need to drop the veil of trying to be scriptural.
It is the subtlety of the enemy to use all these layers of veils, which are seemingly good matters, to prevent God’s people from seeing God’s goal of building. The thought of going to a heavenly mansion is not an evil thought. Nor is there apparently anything wrong with seeking to be spiritual or holy or to have the second blessing. However, the subtle one uses all these matters to frustrate God’s building. As long as Satan can keep us from God’s building, he is happy. He does not care if many are hoping to go to a heavenly mansion, he does not care if we are spiritual or holy or if we experience the so-called second blessing, and he does not care if we are scriptural. However, he is truly frightened if he sees that we are being built together, for he realizes that he cannot prevail against the builded church. The Lord said, “I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” (Matt. 16:18b).
If we seek spirituality every day, Satan will be happy, for under his scheme we will be kept from God’s building. Pursuing holiness also will keep us from God’s building. As long as we are kept from God’s building, regardless of how holy we are, Satan will be happy. Even if we study the Bible day and night, endeavoring to be scriptural, Satan will be happy. He may even strengthen us to be scriptural because the more scriptural we become, the more we will fight with others, and the more we will condemn others. Allow me to illustrate. A new believer may learn that we will all be raptured. As a result, he may begin to investigate the time that we will be raptured. When he feels that he has discovered the time, he may feel that he has become more scriptural. His being scriptural may motivate him to fight against other believers who disagree with his understanding of the time of rapture. Based on his seeking to be scriptural, he may refuse to meet with others whom he feels are not scriptural. He may meet only with others who have the same interpretation of the Scriptures that he has. When he meets with others, their unity will be in their understanding of the time of rapture. After meeting together for a period of time, some in the group may be influenced to have a different understanding of the rapture. This may immediately cause division in the group. As long as others hold a different concept, a believer who seeks to be scriptural may have nothing to do with them. Eventually, he may have nothing to do with any other Christian because he will feel that he is the only one who is truly scriptural.