Seventy years after the destruction of the temple some of the Jewish people returned from their captivity and rebuilt the temple (Ezra 1:2-5). The rebuilding of the temple was the recovery of God’s building. Following the rebuilding of the temple came the rebuilding of Jerusalem (Neh. 2:17-18). This remained until the Lord Jesus came.
In Matthew 16:18 the Lord prophesied that He would build the church, which is the fulfillment of both the tabernacle and the temple as God’s habitation on earth. After the Lord had accomplished redemption, had resurrected from the dead, and had ascended to the heavens to send down the Spirit, the building of the church began. This building has lasted over nineteen centuries and will last until the Lord’s second coming.
In order to accomplish the building of the church the Lord builded the local churches (Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5). The building of the church is actually realized by the building of the local churches. The building of the local churches is practical. Although the church is universally one, the local churches, as the expressions of the one universal church, are many. The building of the universal church began in the building of the local churches. It has been proceeding and will continue to proceed in this way until its completion.
In order to oppose and frustrate God’s building of the church Satan builded, both in a religious and a political way, the great Babylon (Rev. 17:5; 18:2, 21), which is his ultimate counterfeit. Religious Babylon is exposed in Revelation 17, and political Babylon in Revelation 18. These two sides of Babylon are the greatest, the consummate, and the ultimate counterfeit of Satan in frustrating God’s building. It is versus God’s ultimate building, the New Jerusalem.
God’s building, mainly, the building of the church, will consummate in the New Jerusalem, which is His ultimate building (Heb. 11:10, 16; 12:22; Rev. 21:2, 10—22:2). Satan’s building will consummate in the great Babylon; God’s building will consummate in the New Jerusalem, which will ultimately fulfill God’s eternal purpose, express God, and fully satisfy Him for eternity.
Thus, we have before us a brief sketch of the whole Bible showing the two lines of life and building.
John’s ministry was a mending ministry. When Peter was called by the Lord, he was fishing, but when John was called, he was mending the net (Matt. 4:21). Peter did a great deal of fishing, bringing in a multitude of people. However, John mended the spiritual net, for his ministry of mending was a mending ministry of life. Only life can mend, covering all the holes in the spiritual net. How much this is needed today! There are so many holes in the Christian net. What can mend them? Nothing but life. This is the reason that we have been burdened over and over again with this matter of life. Some people laugh at us, saying, “Don’t you know anything except the one word life?” Yes, in a sense, we only know life, nothing else. We do not know anything else because we do not need anything else. Life is our only need. Brothers and sisters, you need life. Other things may enlarge the holes; life will close every gap. We need John’s ministry. John’s ministry, the last ministry in the Bible and the ministry with which the Bible concludes, was a mending ministry of life.
All of John’s writings are the final words of the divine revelation in the Scriptures. The final word is always the decisive word. Although many words may be spoken, the decision depends upon the final word. John’s gospel is the last of the four gospels, his epistles are among the last ones of the epistles, and his revelation is the last book of both the New Testament and of the entire Bible. Thus, his writings are the final word of the divine revelation.