Message Nine

The All-inclusive Christ
Becoming Everything in God¡¯s Economy

Scripture Reading: Isa. 22:20-25; Gal. 2:20; Col. 2:16-17; 3:10-11

Isa. 22:20-25  And in that day / I will call to My servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, 21And I will clothe him with your tunic, / And I will strengthen him with your girding sash, / And I will put your dominion into his hand; / And he will become a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem / And to the house of Judah. 22And I will set the key of the house of David upon his shoulder¡ª / When he opens, no one will shut; / When he shuts, no one will open. 23And I will drive him as a peg into a sure place, / And he will become a throne of glory for his father¡¯s house. 24And they will hang upon him all the glory of his father¡¯s house, the offspring and the issue, all the smallest vessels, from the bowls to all the jars. 25In that day, declares Jehovah of hosts, the peg driven into the sure place will be removed, even cut away, and it will fall; and the burden that was upon it will be cut down; for Jehovah has spoken.

Gal. 2:20  I am crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

Col. 2:16-17  Let no one therefore judge you in eating and in drinking or in respect of a feast or of a new moon or of the Sabbath, 17Which are a shadow of the things to come, but the body is of Christ.

Col. 3:10-11  And have put on the new man, which is being renewed unto full knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, 11Where there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free man, but Christ is all and in all.

                  I.    It is crucial for us to see a vision concerning the all-inclusiveness of Christ, especially as He is revealed in Isaiah¡ª4:2-6; 6:1-8; 7:14; 9:1-7; 12:2-3.

Isa. 4:2-6  In that day the Shoot of Jehovah will be beauty and glory, and the fruit of the earth, excellence and splendor, to those of Israel who have escaped. 3And he who is left over in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy, everyone who has been written down in Jerusalem for life; 4When the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and has cleansed away the bloodstains of Jerusalem from her midst, by the judging Spirit and the burning Spirit. 5Jehovah will create over the entire region of Mount Zion and over all her convocations a cloud of smoke by day, and the brightness of a fiery flame by night; for the glory will be a canopy over all. 6And there will be a tabernacle as a daytime shade from the heat and as a refuge and a cover from storm and rain.

Isa. 6:1-8  In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting on a high and lofty throne, and the train of His robe filled the temple. 2Seraphim hovered over Him, each having six wings: With two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3And one called to the other, saying: Holy, holy, holy, Jehovah of hosts; / The whole earth is filled with His glory. 4And the foundations of the threshold shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. 5Then I said, Woe is me, for I am finished! / For I am a man of unclean lips, / And in the midst of a people of unclean lips I dwell; / Yet my eyes have seen the King, Jehovah of hosts. 6Then one of the seraphim flew to me with an ember in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. 7And he touched my mouth with it and said, Now that this has touched your lips, / Your iniquity is taken away, and your sin is purged. 8Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send? Who will go for Us? And I said, Here am I; send me.

Isa. 7:14  Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will conceive and will bear a son, and she will call his name Immanuel.

Isa. 9:1-7  But gloom does not remain in the place where there was anguish: formerly He treated the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali contemptibly, but afterward He treats the way of the sea, across the Jordan, with glory, Galilee of the nations. 2The people who walked in the darkness / Have seen a great light; / Upon those who dwell in the land of the shadow of death / Light has shined. 3You have multiplied the nation; / You have increased their gladness; / They are glad before You as with the gladness of harvest, / As men rejoice when they divide the spoil. 4For You break the yoke of their burden / And the staff on their shoulder, / The rod of their oppressor, / As in the day of Midian. 5For all the boots / Of those who in boots trample in the battle-quake / And the garments / Rolled in blood / Are for burning; / They are fuel for fire. 6For a child is born to us, / A Son is given to us; / And the government / Is upon His shoulder; / And His name will be called / Wonderful Counselor, / Mighty God, / Eternal Father, / Prince of Peace. 7To the increase of His government / And to His peace there is no end, / Upon the throne of David / And over His kingdom, / To establish it / And to uphold it / In justice and righteousness / From now to eternity. / The zeal of Jehovah of hosts / Will accomplish this.

Isa. 12:2-3  God is now my salvation; / I will trust and not dread; / For Jah Jehovah is my strength and song, / And He has become my salvation. 3Therefore you will draw water with rejoicing / From the springs of salvation,

                II.    God¡¯s intention in His economy is to work a wonderful person into our being; this person is the all-inclusive Christ, the One who is the reality of every positive thing in the universe¡ªEph. 3:17a; Gal. 4:19; Col. 2:16-17:

Eph. 3:17a  That Christ may make His home in your hearts through faith,

Gal. 4:19  My children, with whom I travail again in birth until Christ is formed in you,

Col. 2:16-17  Let no one therefore judge you in eating and in drinking or in respect of a feast or of a new moon or of the Sabbath, 17Which are a shadow of the things to come, but the body is of Christ.

                           A.    The all-inclusive Christ, with all that He has attained and obtained, is the One whom God desires to work into our being¡ª3:10-11.

Col. 3:10-11  And have put on the new man, which is being renewed unto full knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, 11Where there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free man, but Christ is all and in all.

                           B.    God intends to work Christ into us so that we may have the full enjoyment of Him and so that He may have the Body of Christ brought forth through our personal experience and enjoyment of Christ¡ª2:19; 3:15.

Col. 2:19  And not holding the Head, out from whom all the Body, being richly supplied and knit together by means of the joints and sinews, grows with the growth of God.

Col. 3:15  And let the peace of Christ arbitrate in your hearts, to which also you were called in one Body; and be thankful.

                           C.    The content of Isaiah 1 through 12 is the all-inclusive Christ¡ª7:14; 9:6-7.

Isa. 7:14  Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will conceive and will bear a son, and she will call his name Immanuel.

Isa. 9:6-7  For a child is born to us, / A Son is given to us; / And the government / Is upon His shoulder; / And His name will be called / Wonderful Counselor, / Mighty God, / Eternal Father, / Prince of Peace. 7To the increase of His government / And to His peace there is no end, / Upon the throne of David / And over His kingdom, / To establish it / And to uphold it / In justice and righteousness / From now to eternity. / The zeal of Jehovah of hosts / Will accomplish this.

              III.    Isaiah 13 through 23 covers the judgment of Jehovah upon the nations, including Jerusalem, and its issue; the key to this section is God¡¯s ¡°firing¡± and Christ¡¯s replacing:

                           A.    What we have here is a picture showing us that in the entire universe everything in God¡¯s house and outside of God¡¯s house should be ¡°fired¡± and replaced with Christ:

                                      1.    In His judgment God discharged, or ¡°fired,¡± everyone and everything, including the kings of the nations, Shebna the steward, and all the bowls and jars in God¡¯s house¡ª22:25; John 12:31; 16:11.

Isa. 22:25  In that day, declares Jehovah of hosts, the peg driven into the sure place will be removed, even cut away, and it will fall; and the burden that was upon it will be cut down; for Jehovah has spoken.

John 12:31  Now is the judgment of this world; now shall the ruler of this world be cast out.

John 16:11  And concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.

                                      2.    When God created us, He ¡°hired¡± us, and when He put us on the cross, crucifying us with Christ, He ¡°fired¡± us¡ªGen. 1:26; 5:1-2; Gal. 2:20.

Gen. 1:26  And God said, Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of heaven and over the cattle and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.

Gen. 5:1-2  This is the book of the generations of Adam. When God created Adam, He made him in the likeness of God. 2Male and female He created them, and He blessed them and called their name Adam, on the day when they were created.

Gal. 2:20  I am crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

                                      3.    After this firing there is the replacing; the replacement is Christ, Immanuel¡ªIsa. 7:14.

Isa. 7:14  Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will conceive and will bear a son, and she will call his name Immanuel.

                           B.    In Isaiah everything is ¡°fired,¡± discharged by God, and then the discharging God comes in to replace everything with Christ; this is revealed in the Gospel of Mark, and this is Paul¡¯s concept in his Epistles¡ªMark 8:27¡ª9:13; Gal. 2:20; Col. 2:16-17; 3:10-11.

Mark 8:27¡ª9:13  And Jesus and His disciples went out into the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way He questioned His disciples, saying to them, Who do men say that I am? 28And they told Him, saying, John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but others, one of the prophets. 29And He questioned them, But you, who do you say that I am? Peter answered and said to Him, You are the Christ! 30And He charged them not to tell anyone concerning Him. 31And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed and after three days rise. 32And He spoke this word openly. And Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. 33But turning around and looking at His disciples, He rebuked Peter and said, Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of men. 34And He called the crowd to Him with His disciples and said to them, If anyone wants to follow after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. 35For whoever wants to save his soul-life shall lose it; but whoever will lose his soul-life for My sake and the gospel¡¯s shall save it. 36For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul-life? 37For what could a man give in exchange for his soul-life? 38For whoever is ashamed of Me and of My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man also will be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels. 9:1And He said to them, Truly I say to you, there are some of those standing here who shall by no means taste death until they see the kingdom of God having come in power. 2And after six days Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John, and brought them up alone into a high mountain privately. And He was transfigured before them, 3And His garments became sparkling, exceedingly white, such as no fuller on earth could whiten them. 4And Elijah with Moses appeared to them, and they were conversing with Jesus. 5And Peter answered and said to Jesus, Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tents, one for You and one for Moses and one for Elijah. 6For he did not know what to answer, for they had become extremely frightened. 7And a cloud appeared, overshadowing them, and a voice came out of the cloud: This is My Son, the Beloved. Hear Him! 8And suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone, but Jesus only with them. 9And as they were coming down from the mountain, He ordered them not to relate to anyone the things which they had seen, except when the Son of Man has risen from the dead. 10And they kept the word, discussing among themselves what rising from the dead was. 11And they asked Him, saying, Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first? 12And He said to them, Elijah does indeed come first and restore all things. And how is it that it is written of the Son of Man that He should suffer many things and be counted as nothing? 13But I tell you that Elijah has indeed come, and they did to him the things that they wished, even as it is written of him.

Gal. 2:20  I am crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

Col. 2:16-17  Let no one therefore judge you in eating and in drinking or in respect of a feast or of a new moon or of the Sabbath, 17Which are a shadow of the things to come, but the body is of Christ.

Col. 3:10-11  And have put on the new man, which is being renewed unto full knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, 11Where there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free man, but Christ is all and in all.

              IV.    Throughout the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, there is a struggle between man and God concerning replacement¡ªGen. 3:1-13; Rev. 20:7-15:

Gen. 3:1-13  Now the serpent was more crafty than any other animal of the field that Jehovah God had made. And he said to the woman, Did God really say, You shall not eat of any tree of the garden? 2And the woman said to the serpent, Of the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; 3But of the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, You shall not eat of it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die. 4And the serpent said to the woman, You shall not surely die! 5For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will become like God, knowing good and evil. 6And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was a delight to the eyes and that the tree was to be desired to make oneself wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband with her, and he ate. 7And the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves. 8And they heard the sound of Jehovah God walking about in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of Jehovah God among the trees of the garden. 9And Jehovah God called to the man and said to him, Where are you? 10And he said, I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I am naked; so I hid myself. 11And He said, Who told you that you are naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat? 12And the man said, The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate. 13And Jehovah God said to the woman, What is this that you have done? And the woman said, The serpent deceived me, and I ate.

Rev. 20:7-15  And when the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison 8And will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war. Their number is like that of the sand of the sea. 9And they went up upon the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city; and fire came down out of heaven and devoured them. 10And the devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where also the beast and the false prophet were; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. 11And I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose face earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. 12And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and scrolls were opened; and another scroll was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by the things which were written in the scrolls, according to their works. 13And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, each of them, according to their works. 14And death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15And if anyone was not found written in the book of life, he was cast into the lake of fire.

                           A.    In his reaction to God, man tries to replace God, to put God aside, to expel God; and human government rebels against God and exalts man¡ªGen. 11:1-9.

Gen. 11:1-9  And the whole earth had one language and the same speech. 2And as they journeyed east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. 3And they said to one another, Come, let us make bricks and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and they had tar for mortar. 4And they said, Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower whose top is in the heavens; and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered over the surface of the whole earth. 5And Jehovah came down to see the city and the tower which the children of men had built. 6And Jehovah said, Behold, they are one people, and they all have one language; and this is only the beginning of what they will do; and now nothing which they purpose to do will be kept from them. 7Come, let Us go down and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another¡¯s speech. 8So Jehovah scattered them from there over the surface of all the earth, and they ceased building the city. 9Therefore its name was called Babel, because there Jehovah confounded the language of all the earth, and from there Jehovah scattered them over the surface of all the earth.

                           B.    Satan was the first one to attempt to replace God, to expel God, and to take God¡¯s place in attempting to dethrone God¡ªEzek. 28:15-18; 1 John 3:4:

Ezek. 28:15-18  You were perfect in your ways from the day that you were created, until unrighteousness was found in you. 16By the abundance of your trading they filled your midst with violence, and you sinned. So I cast you out as profane from the mountain of God, and I destroyed you, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. 17Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom by reason of your brightness. I cast you to the ground; I presented you before kings that they may look at you. 18By the multitude of your iniquities in the unrighteousness of your trading you have profaned your sanctuaries. Therefore I sent forth fire from your midst; it consumed you, and I reduced you to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all those who look at you.

1 John 3:4  Everyone who practices sin practices lawlessness also, and sin is lawlessness.

                                      1.    In his arrogance Satan declared five times, ¡°I will,¡± indicating that his intention in his rebellion was to overthrow God¡¯s authority and to exalt himself to be equal with God¡ªIsa. 14:12-14.

Isa. 14:12-14  How you have fallen from heaven, / O Daystar, son of the dawn! / How you have been hewn down to earth, / You who made nations fall prostrate! 13But you, you said in your heart: / I will ascend to heaven; / Above the stars of God / I will exalt my throne. / And I will sit upon the mount of assembly / In the uttermost parts of the north. 14I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; / I will make myself like the Most High.

                                      2.    Satan¡¯s ambition for position became the motivation of all the rebellions recorded in the Scriptures¡ªcf. Gen. 11:4; Num. 12:1-2; 16:1-11; 2 Sam. 15:10-12; 2 Thes. 2:3-4.

Gen. 11:4  And they said, Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower whose top is in the heavens; and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered over the surface of the whole earth.

Num. 12:1-2  And Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married (for he had married a Cushite woman). 2And they said, Has Jehovah indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not also spoken through us? And Jehovah heard it.

Num. 16:1-11  Now Korah the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, with Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, and On the son of Peleth, the sons of Reuben, took men 2And rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred fifty leaders of the assembly, who were summoned to the meeting, well-known men. 3And they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said to them, You take too much upon yourselves, for all the assembly are holy, every one of them, and Jehovah is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the congregation of Jehovah? 4And when Moses heard this, he fell on his face. 5And he spoke to Korah and to all his company, saying, In the morning Jehovah will make known who is His and who is holy, and will bring him near to Himself; even the one whom He will choose He will bring near to Himself. 6Do this: Take censers for yourselves, Korah and all your company, 7And put fire in them, and put incense on them before Jehovah tomorrow; and the man whom Jehovah chooses, he shall be holy. It is you who take too much upon yourselves, O sons of Levi! 8And Moses said to Korah, Hear now, O sons of Levi: 9Is it a small thing for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the assembly of Israel to bring you near to Himself to do the service of the tabernacle of Jehovah and to stand before the assembly to minister to them? 10Or that He has brought you near, and all your brothers the sons of Levi with you? And do you seek the priesthood also? 11Therefore you and all your company are gathered together against Jehovah; but Aaron, what is he that you murmur against him?

2 Sam. 15:10-12  But Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, When you hear the sound of the trumpet, you shall say, Absalom is king in Hebron. 11And with Absalom there went two hundred men from Jerusalem, who had been called and went innocently; they did not know anything. 12And while he was offering the sacrifices, Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, a counselor of David, from his city Giloh. And the conspiracy gained strength, and the people with Absalom increased continually.

2 Thes. 2:3-4  Let no one deceive you in any way, because it will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of perdition, 4Who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or an object of worship, so that he sits in the temple of God, setting himself forth, saying that he is God.

                           C.    To be an antichrist is to be against Christ and to have something instead of Christ, something that replaces Christ; the principle of antichrist is to deny some aspect of what Christ is, such as His being the Eternal Father and the life-giving Spirit¡ª1 John 2:18, 22; 4:3; 2 John 7; Isa. 9:6; 1 Cor. 15:45b.

1 John 2:18  Young children, it is the last hour; and even as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come; whereby we know that it is the last hour.

1 John 2:22  Who is the liar if not he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son.

1 John 4:3  And every spirit which does not confess Jesus is not of God; and this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming and now is already in the world.

2 John 7  For many deceivers went out into the world, those who do not confess Jesus Christ coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist.

Isa. 9:6  For a child is born to us, / A Son is given to us; / And the government / Is upon His shoulder; / And His name will be called / Wonderful Counselor, / Mighty God, / Eternal Father, / Prince of Peace.

1 Cor. 15:45b  the last Adam became a life-giving Spirit.

                           D.    Now Satan is behind man, trying to do away with God and expel God; even when man wants to do something for God, he does it by putting God aside¡ªMatt. 4:1-11; 16:22-24; 1 Cor. 3:12-15; Num. 18:1.

Matt. 4:1-11  Then Jesus was led up into the wilderness by the Spirit to be tempted by the devil. 2And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He became hungry. 3And the tempter came and said to Him, If You are the Son of God, speak that these stones may become loaves of bread. 4But He answered and said, It is written, ¡°Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out through the mouth of God.¡± 5Then the devil took Him into the holy city and set Him on the wing of the temple, 6And said to Him, If You are the Son of God, cast Yourself down; for it is written, ¡°To His angels He shall give charge concerning You, and on their hands they shall bear You up, lest You strike Your foot against a stone.¡± 7Jesus said to him, Again, it is written, ¡°You shall not test the Lord your God.¡± 8Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9And he said to Him, All these will I give You if You will fall down and worship me. 10Then Jesus said to him, Go away, Satan! For it is written, ¡°You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve.¡± 11Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.

Matt. 16:22-24  And Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, God be merciful to You, Lord! This shall by no means happen to You! 23But He turned and said to Peter, Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me, for you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of men. 24Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone wants to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.

1 Cor. 3:12-15  But if anyone builds upon the foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, grass, stubble, 13The work of each will become manifest; for the day will declare it, because it is revealed by fire, and the fire itself will prove each one¡¯s work, of what sort it is. 14If anyone¡¯s work which he has built upon the foundation remains, he will receive a reward; 15If anyone¡¯s work is consumed, he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

Num. 18:1  Then Jehovah said to Aaron, You and your sons and your father¡¯s household with you shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary; and you and your sons with you shall bear the iniquity of your priesthood.

                           E.    Because of man¡¯s reaction, God, who had ¡°hired¡± everyone, eventually ¡°fired¡± everyone so that He might replace everyone with Christ¡ªRom. 6:6; Gal. 2:20; Col. 2:16-17; 3:10-11.

Rom. 6:6  Knowing this, that our old man has been crucified with Him in order that the body of sin might be annulled, that we should no longer serve sin as slaves;

Gal. 2:20  I am crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

Col. 2:16-17  Let no one therefore judge you in eating and in drinking or in respect of a feast or of a new moon or of the Sabbath, 17Which are a shadow of the things to come, but the body is of Christ.

Col. 3:10-11  And have put on the new man, which is being renewed unto full knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, 11Where there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free man, but Christ is all and in all.

                            F.    God has replaced everything in His Old Testament economy with Christ; thus, the all-inclusive Christ as Immanuel replaces and becomes everything in God¡¯s economy¡ªMatt. 17:3-5; Col. 2:16-17.

Matt. 17:3-5  And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, conversing with Him. 4And Peter answered and said to Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You are willing, I will make three tents here, one for You and one for Moses and one for Elijah. 5While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is My Son, the Beloved, in whom I have found My delight. Hear Him!

Col. 2:16-17  Let no one therefore judge you in eating and in drinking or in respect of a feast or of a new moon or of the Sabbath, 17Which are a shadow of the things to come, but the body is of Christ.

                V.    Eliakim, the servant of Jehovah who replaced Shebna, is a type of the all-inclusive Christ as the Steward over God¡¯s house¡ªIsa. 22:15-20:

Isa. 22:15-20  Thus says the Lord Jehovah of hosts: / Get up, go to this steward, / To Shebna, who is over the king¡¯s house, saying, 16What are you doing here, and whom do you have here / That you have hewn a tomb for yourself here, / As he who has hewn a tomb on the heights, / As he who has cut out a resting place for himself in the rock? 17Jehovah soon throws you far away, O mighty one, / And He grasps you firmly; 18He will wind you up tightly; / Like a ball He will toss you into a wide land. / There you will die; and there the chariots of your glory / Will become the disgrace of the house of your master. 19And I will drive you from your position, / And from your standing He will pull you down. 20And in that day / I will call to My servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah,

                           A.    The fact that Eliakim is a type of Christ is proved by Revelation 3:7, where the Lord Jesus applies the word in Isaiah 22:22 to Himself.

Rev. 3:7  And to the messenger of the church in Philadelphia write: These things says the Holy One, the true One, the One who has the key of David, the One who opens and no one will shut, and shuts and no one opens:

Isa. 22:22  And I will set the key of the house of David upon his shoulder¡ª / When he opens, no one will shut; / When he shuts, no one will open.

                           B.    God¡¯s house is the divine household, including all the believers throughout the ages, over which Christ is the unique Steward, who takes care of God¡¯s household in every way¡ªGal. 6:10; Eph. 2:19; 1 Tim. 3:15.

Gal. 6:10  So then, as we have the opportunity, let us do what is good toward all, but especially toward those of the household of the faith.

Eph. 2:19  So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,

1 Tim. 3:15  But if I delay, I write that you may know how one ought to conduct himself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and base of the truth.

                           C.    While Christ as God¡¯s Steward serves in God¡¯s house, He also governs, rules, and administrates God¡¯s children, who are under Christ¡¯s care.

                           D.    Christ is a Father to us, God¡¯s children; as the Father, He is the source and Supplier to support us in everything and in every way¡ªIsa. 22:21, cf. 9:6.

Isa. 22:21  And I will clothe him with your tunic, / And I will strengthen him with your girding sash, / And I will put your dominion into his hand; / And he will become a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem / And to the house of Judah.

Isa. 9:6  For a child is born to us, / A Son is given to us; / And the government / Is upon His shoulder; / And His name will be called / Wonderful Counselor, / Mighty God, / Eternal Father, / Prince of Peace.

                           E.    The all-inclusive Christ, as typified by Eliakim, is also the One upon whose shoulder the key of David is set¡ª22:22:

Isa. 22:22  And I will set the key of the house of David upon his shoulder¡ª / When he opens, no one will shut; / When he shuts, no one will open.

                                      1.    This is the key of the treasury of the house of God, which is typified by the house of David, for the building up of the kingdom of God¡ª39:2 and foot­note; 2 Sam. 7:16; Rev. 3:7:

Isa. 39:2  And Hezekiah was glad for them and showed them his treasury, the silver and the gold, and the spices and the fine oil, and his whole armory and everything which was found among his treasures; there was nothing in his house or in all his dominion that Hezekiah did not show them.

Isa 39:2 footnote  Hezekiah¡¯s showing the visitors from Babylon his treasury, his whole armory, and everything in his dominion was a foolish act and a great mistake. The showing of these riches became a temptation to Babylon. A little over one hundred years later, the king of Babylon came and took away those riches (2 Kings 24¡ª25). Hezekiah did not consider his action carefully, nor did he pray about it. He did not take thought concerning what the king of Babylon might do. This shows that Hezekiah was hasty and not very considerate or careful. Furthermore, his making a show offended God, who hates man¡¯s pride (1 Pet. 5:5).

2 Sam. 7:16  And your house and your kingdom will be made sure forever before you; your throne will be established forever.

Rev. 3:7  And to the messenger of the church in Philadelphia write: These things says the Holy One, the true One, the One who has the key of David, the One who opens and no one will shut, and shuts and no one opens:

                                                a.    The church is both God¡¯s house and God¡¯s kingdom¡ª1 Tim. 3:15; Matt. 16:18-19; Rom. 14:17.

1 Tim. 3:15  But if I delay, I write that you may know how one ought to conduct himself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and base of the truth.

Matt. 16:18-19  And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. 19I will give to you the keys of the kingdom of the heavens, and whatever you bind on the earth shall have been bound in the heavens, and whatever you loose on the earth shall have been loosed in the heavens.

Rom. 14:17  For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

                                                b.    The key set on Christ¡¯s shoulder is the key for the keeping of all the treasures of the house of God, which are all the riches of Christ for our enjoyment¡ªEph. 3:8.

Eph. 3:8  To me, less than the least of all saints, was this grace given to announce to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ as the gospel

                                                c.    Christ is the One who can open and shut the door to the treasury of God¡¯s riches, which are embodied in Him¡ªCol. 2:9.

Col. 2:9  For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily,

                                      2.    The key of David opens the whole universe for God¡ªIsa. 22:22; Rev. 3:7:

Isa. 22:22  And I will set the key of the house of David upon his shoulder¡ª / When he opens, no one will shut; / When he shuts, no one will open.

Rev. 3:7  And to the messenger of the church in Philadelphia write: These things says the Holy One, the true One, the One who has the key of David, the One who opens and no one will shut, and shuts and no one opens:

                                                a.    As the greater David, Christ has built up the house of God, the real temple, and He has set up the kingdom of God, the dominion in which He exercises full authority to represent God; therefore, He holds the key of David¡ªMatt. 1:1; 12:3-8; 16:18-19.

Matt. 1:1  The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham:

Matt. 12:3-8  But He said to them, Have you not read what David did when he became hungry, and those who were with him; 4How he entered into the house of God, and they ate the bread of the Presence, which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, except for the priests only? 5Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless? 6But I say to you that something greater than the temple is here. 7But if you knew what this means, ¡°I desire mercy and not sacrifice,¡± you would not have condemned the guiltless. 8For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.

Matt. 16:18-19  And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. 19I will give to you the keys of the kingdom of the heavens, and whatever you bind on the earth shall have been bound in the heavens, and whatever you loose on the earth shall have been loosed in the heavens.

                                                b.    The fact that Christ has the key of David signifies that He is the center of God¡¯s economy; He is the One who expresses God and represents Him, the One who holds the key to open everything in God¡¯s dominion¡ªCol. 1:15-18.

Col. 1:15-18  Who is the image of the invisible God, the Firstborn of all creation, 16Because in Him all things were created, in the heavens and on the earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or lordships or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Him and unto Him. 17And He is before all things, and all things cohere in Him; 18And He is the Head of the Body, the church; He is the beginning, the Firstborn from the dead, that He Himself might have the first place in all things;

                            F.    Christ has been driven by God as a peg, or nail, into a sure place, which typi­fies the third heaven; Christ today is in the heavens as a peg driven into God¡ªIsa. 22:23; cf. 2 Cor. 12:2b.

Isa. 22:23  And I will drive him as a peg into a sure place, / And he will become a throne of glory for his father¡¯s house.

2 Cor. 12:2b  I know a man in Christ¡­such a one was caught away to the third heaven.

                          G.    Christ will become a throne of glory for His Father¡¯s house¡ªIsa. 22:23:

Isa. 22:23  And I will drive him as a peg into a sure place, / And he will become a throne of glory for his father¡¯s house.

                                      1.    The glory here is the children of God, who are vessels hanging upon Christ as the peg¡ªv. 24.

Isa. 22:24  And they will hang upon him all the glory of his father¡¯s house, the offspring and the issue, all the smallest vessels, from the bowls to all the jars.

                                      2.    With the glory there is a throne, and this throne is actually Christ Himself:

                                                a.    The throne signifies the administrative authority and the kingdom.

                                                b.    Christ in His administrative authority is the throne that governs everything within the house of God¡ª6:1; Jer. 17:12; Rev. 5:6; 22:1.

Isa. 6:1  In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting on a high and lofty throne, and the train of His robe filled the temple.

Jer. 17:12  A throne of glory set on high from the beginning / Is the place of our sanctuary.

Rev. 5:6  And I saw in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures and in the midst of the elders a Lamb standing as having just been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.

Rev. 22:1  And he showed me a river of water of life, bright as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb in the middle of its street.

                          H.    All the riches of the bountiful supply for the enjoyment of God¡¯s children are hanging on Christ as the peg, the holder¡ªIsa. 22:24:

Isa. 22:24  And they will hang upon him all the glory of his father¡¯s house, the offspring and the issue, all the smallest vessels, from the bowls to all the jars.

                                      1.    The bowls and jars typify the different ways and means for us to partake of Christ in His riches.

                                      2.    In the house of God all His children are vessels to contain His Spirit as water to quench people¡¯s thirst and His life as wine to cheer people unto rejoicing.

              VI.    In the New Testament Christ¡¯s terminating us and replacing us with Him­self is altogether a matter of a grafted life¡ªRom. 11:17:

Rom. 11:17  But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them and became a fellow partaker of the root of fatness of the olive tree,

                           A.    Because Christ joined Himself to us, uniting Himself with us, when He died on the cross, we died with Him and were terminated¡ª6:6; 2 Cor. 5:14.

Rom. 6:6  Knowing this, that our old man has been crucified with Him in order that the body of sin might be annulled, that we should no longer serve sin as slaves;

2 Cor. 5:14  For the love of Christ constrains us because we have judged this, that One died for all, therefore all died;

                           B.    We are united with Christ, and in this union Christ replaces us; replacing demands union, whereas exchanging would annul union with Christ¡ªJohn 15:4-5.

John 15:4-5  Abide in Me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. 5I am the vine; you are the branches. He who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing.

                           C.    Now in our organic union with Christ through faith in Him, He replaces us by living in us, with us, by us, and through us¡ªv. 5; Gal. 2:20; Phil. 1:19-21a:

John 15:5  I am the vine; you are the branches. He who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing.

Gal. 2:20  I am crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

Phil. 1:19-21a  For I know that for me this will turn out to salvation through your petition and the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, 20According to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I will be put to shame, but with all boldness, as always, even now Christ will be magnified in my body, whether through life or through death. 21aFor to me, to live is Christ¡­.

                                      1.    We need to be infused, saturated, and permeated with the all-inclusive Christ until in our experience He is everything to us¡ªCol. 2:16-17; 3:10-11.

Col. 2:16-17  Let no one therefore judge you in eating and in drinking or in respect of a feast or of a new moon or of the Sabbath, 17Which are a shadow of the things to come, but the body is of Christ.

Col. 3:10-11  And have put on the new man, which is being renewed unto full knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, 11Where there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free man, but Christ is all and in all.

                                      2.    The all-inclusive Christ is in us, but we need to see Him, know Him, be filled with Him, and become absolutely one with Him¡ª1:27; 3:4.

Col. 1:27  To whom God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory,

Col. 3:4  When Christ our life is manifested, then you also will be manifested with Him in glory.

                           D.    The real church life is a life in which all the saints are ¡°fired¡± and replaced with Christ; this will make Christ everything in the church¡ªRom. 12:5; Col. 3:10-11.

Rom. 12:5  So we who are many are one Body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

Col. 3:10-11  And have put on the new man, which is being renewed unto full knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, 11Where there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free man, but Christ is all and in all.