The book of Habakkuk is one of the twelve minor books in the Old Testament. It is very difficult to remember the order of these books in the Bible. But that day I opened the Bible to the very page where this verse concerning revival is. It was a miracle for me to turn directly to this verse and point out the word "revive" to him. This showed him that our practice was according to the Bible. If I had been in haste, I might have fully forgotten where the verse concerning revival is, and I might have turned to another place in the Bible. This is a testimony that "he who believes will not hasten away."

We should not forget that we are believers in Christ. Christ is our foundation, and this foundation has been tested. He is trustworthy, so we should put our trust in Him. We should not be in haste, in panic. In my study of this portion of the Word, one reference book quoted a proverb which said that haste is of the devil. When we are in haste, in panic, we should not forget that this is of the devil. We do not have to be in haste because we have Christ as a tested stone to be our foundation.

This stone is also a precious cornerstone for the joint of God's building. Whereas the foundation stone holds the entire building, the cornerstone joins two parts of the building. The New Testament tells us, based upon Psalm 118:22-24, that Christ is the chief cornerstone (Rom. 9:33; Matt. 21:42; Acts 4:11-12; Eph. 2:20). According to the New Testament, Christ as the cornerstone joins together the two walls, one of the Jewish believers and the other of the Gentile believers. Because Christ took the lead to join together the Jews and the Gentiles, He is the first cornerstone. Even today we are not only held by Him as our foundation stone but also joined together by Him as our cornerstone. I am joined to you, and you are joined to me. We are joined together by Christ. Without Him, we are separate and detached. Today's Christianity is lacking in the experience of Christ as the joining cornerstone. We need to experience Christ as the tested, trustworthy stone to be the firmly established foundation holding us and the cornerstone joining us together. This issues in God's building, the Body of Christ.

This item of Christ has been fulfilled as a foretaste in today's age of grace. When Paul spoke of the righteousness of faith in Romans 9, he quoted Isaiah 28:16 by saying that whoever believes on this stone, Christ, will not be put to shame (v. 33). We can experience Christ as the stone today. He is our cornerstone, our foundation stone, our tested stone. In Him we trust. The complete fulfillment of Christ as the stone will be in the next age, the age of restoration.

The Lord Jesus' word to the Jewish leaders in Matthew 21:42 indicates that they were the builders, but they did not have the discernment to see that they were rejecting the cornerstone of God's building, Christ. The Lord Jesus quoted Psalm 118:22-23 by saying that the stone which the builders rejected was made the cornerstone by God. Peter quoted the Lord's word in Acts 4:11-12. In verse 11 he mentioned Christ as the cornerstone, and in verse 12 he indicated that today this cornerstone is our Savior. Very few Christians know that Jesus Christ, their Savior, is the cornerstone. Our Savior, Jesus, saves us into God's building and joins us to God's building.

In the age of restoration, all these items of Christ will be completely fulfilled. Psalm 118:22-24 will definitely be fulfilled in the time of the restoration, because verse 26 of this psalm was quoted by the Lord in Matthew 23:38-39 when He told the Jews, "Behold, your house is left to you desolate. For I say to you, You shall by no means see Me henceforth until you say, Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord." This will be the day of restoration at the Lord's second coming, when all the remnant of Israel will turn to believe in Christ and be saved (Rom. 11:23, 26).