Do not understand the man-child in just a doctrinal way as consisting of the dead overcomers resurrected. Doctrinally speaking, this is correct. But we do not like to understand the Bible simply in a doctrinal way. Rather, we must know the Word in a practical way. Even today, before the time of resurrection, we can be the man-child. If you are not a part of the man-child today, then how do you expect to be a part of the man-child in resurrection?
The principle in becoming the firstfruit or the man-child is the same: we must follow the Lamb wherever He goes (14:4). However, in my early ministry I did not realize that following the Lamb is not an outward matter. We should not say, “Oh, the Lamb was patient and humble, and we must imitate His patience and humility. The Lamb was absolutely for God, and we must also be absolutely for Him. The Lamb is our example, and we must follow Him.” Forty years ago, I gave messages along this line. But later I realized that this is a natural understanding of following the Lamb. If the element of the Lamb does not get into us, we shall be unable to follow Him. We are not a lamb; we are “monkeys” or “donkeys.” How could a “monkey” or a “donkey” follow the Lamb? It is impossible. To follow the Lamb means to allow the Lamb to get into you. When the element of the Lamb is constituted into your being, you will actually be a part of the Lamb. You will be unable to be what you were before because you have been transformed. Our transformed being is the man-child. Now we are the woman submitting to our husband and receiving something of Him into our being. If we allow the element that we have received of our husband to saturate and permeate our being, constituting us with this element, we shall no longer be simply the woman, but the man-child.
Although we need to pray more, if we simply pray in a common way, we shall not be supplied. We need to constantly be open to our husband. We must permit the element of Christ, the divine constituent of Christ, to work in us continually to saturate and permeate our whole being. Today, the Lord’s desire is that many of His children realize that, as God’s people, we are His wife for the purpose of bringing forth the man-child. We cannot produce or manufacture this man-child; we must receive something of Christ and be made pregnant of Him. Something of our Christ must enter into our being. It is not a matter of our being humble, patient, nice, or good. It is absolutely a matter of opening our being to His divine element and of allowing this element to be worked into us. For this, we need “nine months.” It takes this long for the man-child to be developed within us.
The apostle Paul said in Galatians 4:19, “I am again in travail until Christ is formed in you.” This indicates that he realized that he was part of this travailing woman to bring forth the man-child, which is Christ formed in us. Then in Philippians 1:21 he said, “For to me to live is Christ.” This indicates that he became a part of the man-child by experiencing Christ. On the one hand, he was a part of the travailing woman and, on the other hand, he was a part of the man-child. Paul was set up by God as a pattern for the believers (1 Tim. 1:16). We all must be like him. On the one hand, we should be part of the woman to travail for the birth of the man-child and, on the other hand, we should be the man-child to defeat God’s enemy and to bring in His kingdom for the fulfilling of His purpose.
The enemy hates this woman and is seeking to devour the man-child. The warfare is due to the enemy’s desire to put this woman out of function. Even today, we in Anaheim are small in number. Sometimes I wonder why people oppose us so much and are doing everything possible to exterminate us. Humanly speaking, it is very difficult to understand this. Even many of the opposers and critics do not know the reason. But the great dragon knows. He realizes that some of God’s people are resuming the true position of the woman. Once we have resumed this position, God has the opportunity to bring forth the man-child. Satan, the subtle one behind the opposers, knows that some of God’s people have taken the position of this woman and that they will be made pregnant of Christ to bring forth the man-child. In this warfare we must touch the throne, call upon the highest authority, and exercise our spirit to fight the battle.
Today, it is crucial for us to realize that we are the woman. As the woman, we must submit to our husband, open to Him, and receive something of Him that His element might be wrought into our being. As a result, we shall not only become pregnant, but, eventually, we shall bring forth a man-child. This is God’s economy. I hope that we all see this simple yet profound sign of the bright woman with the man-child opposed by the great dragon. If we see this vision, our concept regarding our Christian life will be radically changed. What is the significance of being humble, nice, holy, or spiritual as long as the man-child, or even the woman, is not with us today?
As individuals, you and I are not the woman. Only together, as a corporate unit, are we all the one woman. Since there is only one woman, whoever of God’s people is dissenting is finished with this woman. The only way we can be one is to submit ourselves to Christ and to receive something of Christ. If we do not submit to Him, we cannot be one. True oneness only comes from submitting ourselves to our one husband, to the unique headship. Furthermore, we must only receive the unique element of Christ. Although we may have different concepts, we should not receive anything of our concept. If you receive something of your concept, you will be divided immediately.
Satan, the serpent, is very subtle. It has not been easy for me to pass through nearly fifty years in the church life. How many subtle imaginations and concepts there are! At times, even the dear saints are utilized by the enemy to cause questions, to make proposals, and to raise doubts. None of these things is of Christ. Whenever you take these things into your being, you will be divided. But if you have seen the vision, you will never accept any concept, proposal, criticism, suggestion, or doubt. You will only receive something of Christ. Although thousands of concepts may be presented to you, you will say, “I will receive nothing of these concepts. I will only receive something of Christ. If I receive anything other than Christ, I commit fornication.” If we submit ourselves to our one husband and only receive something of Him, we shall be chaste and we shall be one. Otherwise, we shall be fornicators and we shall be divided. Fornication is confusion caused by division. We need to see this controlling vision. Then we shall be one and shall bring forth the man-child to defeat God’s enemy and to bring in God’s kingdom.