Please turn to Psalm 45.
To the Chief Musician; set to Shoshannim. A Psalm of the sons of Korah; Maschil. A Song of loves.
My heart overfloweth with a goodly matter;
I speak the things which I have made touching the king:
My tongue is the pen of a ready writer.
Thou art fairer than the children of men;
Grace is poured into Thy lips:
Therefore God hath blessed Thee for ever.
Gird Thy sword upon Thy thigh, O mighty one,
Thy glory and Thy majesty.
And in Thy majesty ride on prosperously,
Because of truth and meekness and righteousness:
And let Thy right hand teach Thee terrible things.
Thine arrows are sharp;
The peoples fall under Thee;
They are in the heart of the King’s enemies.
Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever:
A sceptre of equity is the sceptre of Thy kingdom.
Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated wickedness:
Therefore God, Thy God, hath anointed Thee
With the oil of gladness above Thy fellows.
All Thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia;
Out of ivory palaces stringed instruments have made Thee glad.
Kings’ daughters are among Thy honorable women:
At Thy right hand doth stand the queen in gold of Ophir.
Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear;
Forget also thine own people, and thy father’s house:
So will the king desire thy beauty;
For He is thy Lord; and reverence thou Him.
And the daughter of Tyre shall be there with a gift;
The rich among the people shall entreat thy favor.
The king’s daughter within the palace is all glorious:
Her clothing is inwrought with gold.
She shall be led unto the king in broidered work:
The virgins, her companions that follow her,
Shall be brought unto Thee.
With gladness and rejoicing shall they be led:
They shall enter into the king’s palace.
Instead of Thy fathers shall be Thy children,
Whom Thou shalt make princes in all the earth.
I will make Thy name to be remembered in all generations:
Therefore shall the peoples give Thee thanks for ever and ever.
My beloved is mine, and I am His.
—Song of Solomon 2:16
I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine.
—Song of Solomon 6:3
I am my beloved’s, and His desire is toward me.
—Song of Solomon 7:10
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 though it had been slain, having seven horns, and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent forth into all the earth.
And He came, and He taketh it out of the right hand of Him that sat on the throne.
And when He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having each one a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.
And they sing a new song, saying,
Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof:
For Thou wast slain, and didst purchase unto God with Thy blood
Men of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation,
And madest them to be unto our God a kingdom and priests;
And they reign upon the earth.
And I saw, and behold, the Lamb standing on the mount Zion, and with Him a hundred and forty and four thousand, having His name, and the name of His Father, written on their foreheads.
And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and the voice which I heard was as the voice of harpers harping with their harps:
And they sing as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four living creatures and the elders: and no man could learn the song save the hundred and forty and four thousand, even they that had been purchased out of the earth.
These are they that were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they that follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth. These were purchased from among men, to be the firstfruits unto God and unto the Lamb.
And in their mouth was found no lie: they are without blemish.
Dear heavenly Father, we do thank Thee that through the blood of Thy beloved Son, we are now in Thy presence. Do reveal Thy Son to us. This is the prayer of our heart. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
We have been fellowshipping on this very basic and very profound subject: the purpose of God.
Our God is a personal God. He has a purpose in Himself, even before the foundation of the world. He has a purpose in Him, and in His purpose is His beloved Son, who will head up all things in the heavens and on the earth.
And He purposed, again before the foundation of the world, that through the gospel there would be a people called the church. Through the church, even the principalities and authorities in the heavenlies would be made to know the manifold wisdom of God.
This purpose is a mystery. It is hidden in God Himself, waiting to be revealed. Throughout the ages and centuries it has been hidden; but, even though it is hidden in God, God does everything according to that purpose.
So, by the very work that He did, it should be evident what the purpose of God really is. Even though His purpose is hidden in creation, especially in the creation of man, that purpose is there. God’s purpose is man, but that man is not Adam. That man is Christ.
God’s purpose is a man composed of male and female; yet the woman is not Eve. It is the church. It is hidden.
Then we find that throughout human history many things have transpired, but nothing happens in human history that is not governed by the purpose of God. Or, to put it another way, God uses history to fulfill the purpose that He purposed before the foundation of the world. Human history illustrates God’s purpose.
This evening, we would like to continue on the purpose of God as expressed in prophetic songs.
Brothers and sisters, we know that history deals with facts, but songs deal with feeling. History records past events. Songs awaken something inspired within the soul.
History deals with truth—history should be true—but song deals with experience. They are different, and yet you will find that they go together. Oftentimes songs are inspired by history, and songs are sometimes prophetic of history.
In the Bible, you find history all over the place, and in the Bible you find many songs. They come from the same source.
So, as history illustrates the purpose of God, song gives expression to the purpose of God. When we read the songs in the Bible, we can feel the purpose of God. God’s purpose is not just something to be read; God’s purpose is something to be felt.
Because the Bible is full of songs, and because our time is limited, we shall choose three songs: first, Psalm 45; second, the Song of Songs, the Song of Solomon; and third, the new song sung by the living creatures and the elders, and taken up by the 144,000 with the Lamb on Mount Zion.
When we study the Psalms, sometimes we wonder why some of them have words above them—a title—and oftentimes we neglect those words. But actually, these titles are very important.
In Psalm 45, we read, “To the Chief Musician.” What does it mean? It means that this song was set to tune for use in temple worship. It is not an ordinary song. It is a sacred song, a song to be sung in the temple in the worship of God.
“Upon Shoshannim” means lilies. Even today, we do not know exactly what it refers to—whether it refers to the quality of the song, perhaps pure and beautiful like a lily; whether it refers to a musical instrument; or whether it refers to a tune. We do not know, but we know it must be something very beautiful.
Then it says, “Of the sons of Korah.” There is a history behind this. If you read Numbers 16, you find that there was a rebellion among the children of Israel against Moses and Aaron. This rebellion was headed by Korah, of the tribe of Levi, together with Dathan and Abiram of the tribe of Reuben, and 250 leaders of the children of Israel.
You can see that it was a very powerful conspiracy. They rose up and said to Moses and Aaron, “All the people are holy; we are all of God. Why do you usurp this privilege?”
You remember how God’s judgment came upon these people. The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan, Abiram, Korah, and their families. They went down alive into Sheol, and then the earth closed. The 250 were presenting incense before God, and fire came out from the presence of God, and they were all burned to death.
But if you read Numbers 26:11, you find that when this terrible judgment came upon Korah, the sons of Korah did not die. Evidently, they did not join the conspiracy. They did not agree with what their father did. God, in His mercy, spared them.
Being spared from such terrible judgment, their hearts were full of gratitude. They became singers in the temple. They sang praises and thanksgivings unto the Lord. They were sons of Korah; they knew suffering, and they understood grace, love, peace, and mercy.
We do not know whether this psalm was composed by one of them, or whether it was composed and then they were the people who sang it.
It is called a Maskil, an instruction. Even though this is a song, it is educational. It instructs us concerning something. It is not just something to be sung; there is a lesson there, a teaching there, a very important teaching in that song.
It is a song of the beloved, or it can be translated, a song of love. In other words, it is a song of lovers—the Beloved and the loved one. It is a love song.
Brothers and sisters, this song is prophetic in nature. It is not just singing of some earthly love, or even love in a royal family. It is prophetic. The sons of Korah had experienced the mercy and grace of God through terrible judgment. Somehow, their eyes were opened. They had a vision. Not seeing outwardly, but inwardly they saw something: they saw the purpose of God, and they composed it and sang it.
My heart overfloweth with a goodly matter;
I speak the things which I have made touching the king:
My tongue is the pen of a ready writer.
—Psalm 45:1
“My heart is bubbling forth with a good subject.” Brothers and sisters, what can be a better subject than the purpose of God? “I speak what I have composed touching the King.” It is about the King.
The word translated “composed” has the thought of occupation. It is not merely that one composes something when inspired. Here it has the meaning, “This is my occupation. This is what I am occupied with. I have to be occupied with my King. That is what I live for.”
“My tongue is the pen of a ready writer.” This is the introduction.
There may be differences of opinion as to how to divide this chapter, but to me, verses 2 through 9 speak of the King; verses 10 through 15 speak of the queen; and verses 16 and 17 form the conclusion.
The psalmist’s heart is full of one thing, of one Person, and that is the King.
Thou art fairer than the children of men;
Grace is poured into Thy lips:
Therefore God hath blessed Thee for ever.
—Psalm 45:2
Who can make a mistake in thinking that this speaks of anyone other than our Lord Jesus? I think it is self-evident. Who is this King?
This King is the One who is fairer than the sons of men. He is a man. He is the Word become flesh, dwelling among us, full of grace and truth. He is the fairest of all men. Among all the sons of men, there is no one fairer than Him. None can be compared with Him.
Immediately, you see that this does not refer to any other king—not David, not even Solomon. Some people think this psalm was sung at the marriage of Solomon and the daughter of Pharaoh, but that is far too small. This is a sacred song. It sings of divine love. It sings of Christ the King.
“Grace is poured into Thy lips.” Is this not the interpretation of the Holy Spirit in John 1:14? The Word became flesh and tabernacled among men, full of grace.
We know that grace is one of the characteristics of God. The Lord is gracious. That is one of the basic qualities of God. Here we find our Lord Jesus full of grace because He is God becoming man. Therefore, God has blessed Him forever: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
Gird Thy sword upon Thy thigh, O mighty one,
Thy glory and Thy majesty.
—Psalm 45:3
Brothers and sisters, sometimes we think of grace as something weak. In our human concept, if you are gracious, you allow everything and become weak. But not so with our King. He is full of grace, but He is also full of truth. His word is truth. He is a mighty One, majestic and full of splendor.
These two verses describe the very character of our King. Christ our King is full of grace and truth—gracious in all His dealings with us, and true in all the words that He speaks.
And in Thy majesty ride on prosperously,
Because of truth and meekness and righteousness:
And let Thy right hand teach Thee terrible things.
Thine arrows are sharp;
The peoples fall under Thee;
They are in the heart of the King’s enemies.
—Psalm 45:4–5
I believe these verses describe the mighty work of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Our Lord rides on in the cause of truth, meekness, and righteousness. What a combination.
Sometimes, when we think we have the truth, we become very arrogant. But here we find truth—absolute truth—and meekness. Then, sometimes we think that if a person is meek, he is no longer righteous; he compromises. But here there is righteousness.
The gospel of the Lord Jesus is carried on in truth, meekness, and righteousness. His arrows are sharp. In other words, the word of God is sharp, cutting asunder, dividing soul and spirit. There is nothing mightier than the word of God.
When the word of God comes, the enemies fall under His feet. Is it not true? We who once were enemies of God, when the word of the gospel came to us, were pierced in our hearts. We cried out, “What shall we do to be saved?” We fell at the feet of King Jesus. This is the mightiness of the gospel of Jesus Christ—His work.
Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever:
A sceptre of equity is the sceptre of Thy kingdom.
Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated wickedness:
Therefore God, Thy God, hath anointed Thee
With the oil of gladness above Thy fellows.
—Psalm 45:6–7
This speaks of the exaltation of our Lord Jesus. He who was equal with God did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped. He emptied Himself, took upon Himself the form of a bondservant, and, being found in fashion as a man, became obedient even unto death—yes, the death of the cross.
But because of the finished work of Christ on the cross, He said, “It is finished.” It is a shout of victory. The work is done. The mission is accomplished.
Therefore, the Father has exalted Him and given Him the name above every name. At the name of Jesus every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. This is His exaltation.
He has risen and ascended. He is now seated at the right hand of Almighty God. His throne is forever and ever, and His sceptre is a sceptre of righteousness.
All Thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia;
Out of ivory palaces stringed instruments have made Thee glad.
Kings’ daughters are among Thy honorable women:
At Thy right hand doth stand the queen in gold of Ophir.
—Psalm 45:8–9
I believe these words describe His kingdom—the kingdom and glory of the King. He lives in ivory palaces. We have already mentioned that ivory speaks of suffering, and yet out of suffering comes glory. There is music to gladden His heart. He is willing.
Then there are daughters—kings’ daughters. Why does it not say kings’ sons, but kings’ daughters? Brothers and sisters, in the Bible, the male gender signifies truth, and the female gender signifies experience.
Here, instead of kings’ sons, it says kings’ daughters, because this is a song. It speaks of spiritual experience. Brothers and sisters, we are all born into the King’s family. We are kings’ daughters, and we live in the palaces.
Then you find the queen standing in gold of Ophir. Again, this is song. When it speaks of daughters, it speaks of individuals; when it speaks collectively, it speaks of the queen. In other words, the daughters and the queen are one and the same. When you look at each one of us, we are daughters; when you look at us together, we are the queen.
That composes the royal family, living in the royal palace. This is the kingdom of Christ and of God. Brothers and sisters, are you thrilled? Are we touched? Is there a stirring in our hearts when we see the glory of our King and His kingdom?
This is the purpose of God. The psalmist prophetically saw the purpose of God in the beloved Son.
But this is not the end. From verse 10 through verse 15, the psalm speaks of the queen. First comes an exhortation:
Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear;
Forget also thine own people, and thy father’s house:
So will the king desire thy beauty;
For He is thy Lord; and reverence thou Him.
—Psalm 45:10–11
Here it says “daughter,” not “daughters.” We are all daughters—kings’ daughters—born into the royal family. We have royal blood; His life is in us. But in the exhortation, the word is singular because it is directed to each one of us.
Whether we will be in the queen on that wedding day depends on whether you, as a daughter of the King, will hearken, see, incline your ear, and forget your own people and your father’s house.
Thank God, we are born into the family of God. We are kings’ daughters. We have royal blood; His life is in us. But oftentimes we do not grow up.
Therefore, we need to hearken. We need to hear. “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches.” In Hebrews 3, it says, “Today, if ye shall hear His voice.”
After we are saved, we not only have the life of the King in us, but we also have the Spirit of the King in us. The Holy Spirit dwells in us, and He is speaking to us.
Unfortunately, brothers and sisters, our Christianity is often all external. But Christianity is intensely internal. The anointing—the Holy Spirit who dwells in us—is teaching us. He will teach us all things, and what He teaches us is true and is not a lie. Listen to the anointing.
Oftentimes, our ears listen outwardly to man’s voice, to many voices. We listen to our own voice, but we do not listen inwardly to what the Spirit is speaking to us.
What does the Spirit say to us? In John, we are told that when the Holy Spirit comes, He speaks of only one Person: He speaks of Christ. He comes to glorify Christ. He does not speak of Himself; He speaks of Christ.
So here the Holy Spirit is speaking to each one of us as kings’ daughters. He speaks Christ to us: “Behold your King.” If you listen to Him, your eyes will be opened and you will see Christ.
How do we see Christ? By revelation. Who gives us the revelation? The Holy Spirit. He reveals Christ to us.
As you listen to the Holy Spirit, brothers and sisters, your eyes will increasingly be opened to see the beauty, the glory, the splendor, the majesty, the nobility, and the sweetness of Christ. Then you incline your heart toward Him.
If you do not hear Him, you will not see Him. If you do not see Him, your heart will not be inclined toward Him. You will not love Him.
“Forget thine own people, and thy father’s house.” Again, this is a song, a poem, and the metaphor changes. Your father’s house here is no longer the King’s house. You are born to be the King’s daughters, but the father’s house refers to your original father’s house—your native, original house. Your people refer to your natural relationships.
As you see the King and your heart begins to incline toward Him, in the same measure, on the other side, you begin to forget your own people and your father’s house. As we have already mentioned, as you walk before God, you have to be separated, and that separation increases until you are completely separated. That means you are holy.
What is the trouble with some of the King’s daughters? Even though they are born into the family of God, their eyes, ears, and hearts are still in their native land, among their own people and in their father’s house. These things hinder them from being joined to the King.
“And the king will desire thy beauty.” Brothers and sisters, what is the beauty that our King is looking for?
There is only one Person who is really beautiful. We are all fallen. That is the reason why, when Job saw the Lord, he abhorred himself and repented in dust and ashes. When Daniel saw a vision of the glorious One, he said, “My comeliness was turned in me into corruption.” There is only one Person who is beautiful: Christ.
But if we hearken, see, and incline our hearts; if we forget our own people and our father’s house; then the King will desire our beauty. Why? Because He sees Himself being built up in us. We become answers to Him: bone of His bones and flesh of His flesh. This is His bride.
For He is your Lord; worship thou Him. Brothers and sisters, is it not our one desire? In 2 Corinthians 5, Paul said that whether he lived or died, he desired to be pleasing to Him. The original thought is, “I have one ambition, and my ambition is to please my Lord.”
May this be our desire, our only ambition: that we may be such that He will desire us. And that brings us to worship at His feet.
Now comes the wedding. The King is always ready, but it is the queen who needs to be ready. Oftentimes we think that we are waiting for the Lord to return, but actually, He is waiting for us to be ready for Him.
Finally, you find that the bride is ready. This is prophetic.
The king’s daughter within the palace is all glorious:
Her clothing is inwrought with gold.
She shall be led unto the king in broidered work.
—Psalm 45:13–14
The queen has an inner garment, a garment of wrought gold. Gold in Scripture always signifies the nature and character of God. Here the queen is clothed with a garment of wrought gold.
Who is that wrought gold except Christ? Therefore, we are clothed with the robe of righteousness. It is not our righteousness. We are clothed with Christ, our righteousness. Because we are clothed with Christ our righteousness, that gives us standing before God.
Every time we come before God, brothers and sisters, we come clothed with Christ—not our righteousness, but His. It is the garment of wrought gold.
But over and above it is another raiment: a raiment of embroidery. This raiment of embroidery is the wedding garment.
If you want to have a raiment of embroidery, you know that some very skilled person, painfully and patiently, uses the needle to embroider a beautiful design—a palm, perhaps a white lily, whatever it may be—until it is finished.
If you read Revelation 19, you find that the wife of the Lamb is made ready. She is clothed with bright, shining, pure linen, which is the righteous acts of the saints. That is the raiment of embroidery.
Who is that skilled Embroiderer? The Holy Spirit. What is He embroidering in you? What is the design? Christ. He is transforming you from glory to glory, conforming you to the image of Christ.
How painfully and patiently He does this work in you and me. How patiently and painfully He does this work in the church.
Brothers and sisters, if it were left to me, I would already have given up. Oh, we do thank God for the Holy Spirit. We can grieve Him and quench Him, but we cannot drive Him away. He is with us forever.
Every day, He is there doing that delicate work of embroidery.
But, you know, to the cloth, when it is being embroidered, when the needle comes in, it is painful. Oftentimes we go through experiences, and it seems as if the Spirit of God arranges our circumstances and uses these circumstances to discipline us. It is as if needles are sticking into our being. We suffer.
But, brothers and sisters, it is unto glory. When Christ is being incorporated, constituted, and embroidered into us, this is called the righteous acts of the saints.
It looks like you, but it is not you; it is Christ. Yet it is counted as your righteousness. This is the wedding garment.
With that wedding garment, the Queen is ready. Brothers and sisters, what a royal wedding this is. It is prophetic. The psalmist had already seen it in his spirit.
Finally, the psalm ends:
I will make Thy name to be remembered in all generations:
Therefore shall the peoples give Thee thanks for ever and ever.
—Psalm 45:17
This is a song to be sung through all generations. It is a song that is being composed all the time. We will sing it until that day.
So here you find the purpose of God. The purpose of God is Christ, the King. The purpose of God is the church, the Queen. The pleasure of God is the union of Christ and His church.
Then there is another very beautiful song: the Song of Songs, the Song of Solomon.
We know that Solomon composed 1,005 songs, but this is the Song of Songs because it is a song of love.
Again, we are not interested in, and as a matter of fact nobody knows, whether this song was written to describe that long process of courtship, engagement, and finally wedding. Some people say, again, that this is Solomon and the Shulamite, but I think that is too small.
Solomon wrote three books: Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Songs. In Proverbs, you find that he dealt with human relationships. He tried to set up moral standards.
Some writers say that Solomon probably wrote Proverbs in the vigor of his youth, when he was young and trying to improve this world, making it a better world, setting out moral standards, and correcting human relationships.
Then, when he became older, in middle age, some say he wrote Ecclesiastes. He had experienced everything under the sun and tried to enjoy his life to the fullest. Probably in this old world, you cannot find anyone else who had both the ability and the capacity to enjoy all the pleasures of the world as he did.
After he experienced all things, he wrote Ecclesiastes. It was probably written by Solomon as a reflection of his middle age. He reflected, and he found that under the sun there is nothing new. All is vanity and a striving after wind.
But he continued to grow. In advanced age, he discovered the real purpose of life. When he discovered the real purpose of life, he wrote the Song of Songs.
It is a song of love—not carnal love, not earthly love. It is the love between the Shepherd and the shepherdess virgin.
Again, I believe that in his mature age, Solomon was given a vision. Our Lord is our Shepherd, but He is a Shepherd-King. We are like shepherdesses, and we are supposed to be virgins.
The Song of Songs does not begin with sinners. It begins with one who has already known the Lord: a virgin, because she has already tasted the forgiving love of God the Father.
When the prodigal son returned home, the father kissed his neck again and again. Oh, the Father’s kiss. So this virgin is not a stranger to the Shepherd.
She starts out with a cry:
Let Him kiss me with the kisses of His mouth.
—Song of Solomon 1:2
“I desire to have a closer relationship with You.” Dear brothers and sisters, do we have such a desire?
As you read the Song of Songs, we cannot go through it in detail. We just want to point out a few things. You find that it is the love between the Shepherd-King and the shepherdess. It is a love song.
Our whole Christian life, our relationship with the Lord, is a relationship of love. When you reduce it to the basic, and when you lift it up to the highest, you find it is love. It is a love relationship.
As far as the love of the Shepherd-King is concerned, you find that His love, from the very beginning to the very end, is steadfast, perfect, and unchanging.
But when you look at the love of the virgin, you find that her love is always changing. Her love is not perfect. Her love needs to be developed.
The whole story tells us of the faithfulness of the Shepherd-King. He does not give up. He pursues relentlessly and persistently. He tries and tries again until that virgin responds to His love.
Yes, the shepherdess virgin loves the Shepherd-King, but her love is so subjective. Thus, we have the three statements that we read.
My beloved is mine, and I am His.
—Song of Solomon 2:16
After she has been led through a stage of spiritual experience with her Lord, she knows something of the cross and is called to know the power of His resurrection. But her feeling is, “My beloved is mine, and I am His.” In other words, she realizes, “My beloved is mine. He is mine.” Brothers and sisters, is this what we feel? He is mine. My beloved is mine.
Then the Shepherd-King leads her further. How patient is the Shepherd-King! He leads her through fellowship in His sufferings.
After she has been led through fellowship in His sufferings, then in Song of Solomon 6:3 she says:
I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine.
—Song of Solomon 6:3
Now the order is changed: He first, I second. You find that she continues to learn what it means to be conformed to His death.
Then, in Song of Solomon 7:10, she says:
I am my beloved’s, and His desire is toward me.
—Song of Solomon 7:10
In other words, there is no more self. All is Christ.
From wavering, weak, altered, imperfect love, she is led step by step by the Shepherd-King into perfect love. That is the union of Christ and His church.
What do we look forward to? Paul said, “I am looking forward to the out-resurrection from among the dead.” The Song of Songs ends with the spirit of rapture and the cry, “Come quickly. Come.”
Brothers and sisters, is not the purpose of God sung in this beautiful song?
Now we turn to Revelation. The book of Revelation is a book of prophecy.
In Revelation 5, to me, I believe this is the ascension scene of Christ Jesus. It is a replay of Christ’s ascension, replayed to John.
John said, “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 though slain.”
Brothers and sisters, here you find a Lamb slain, yet standing. That surely speaks of resurrection life. He is not only standing before the throne, but He takes from the hand of the One who sits upon the throne the book—the ownership of the universe, the title deed of the universe.
Because He is worthy, He is the Heir of all things. Now the Heir comes to recover all things.
When this is done, immediately the living creatures and the twenty-four elders sing a new song:
Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof:
For Thou wast slain, and didst purchase unto God with Thy blood
Men of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation,
And madest them to be unto our God a kingdom and priests;
And they reign upon the earth.
—Revelation 5:9–10
What is this new song? What does this song sing about? It sings about the worthy Lamb and the redeemed church.
Then, in Revelation 14, again you find a vision. John saw the Lamb standing on Mount Zion. That is not earthly Zion; it is Mount Zion in heaven—the royal, great, and holy ground.
With the Lamb are 144,000. The 144,000 are a representation, a representation of the firstfruits. They follow the Lamb wherever He goes.
They take up the new song, and the Bible says that nobody can learn that song except them. In other words, this is a very special song.
Today we can learn any song. If you have musical talent, you have no problem. But there is a new song, brothers and sisters, that cannot be learned through musical talent.
It has to be learned by your life. If you follow the Lamb wherever He goes, you learn that song. That song is composed by your life, and you are able to sing it.
The four living creatures and the twenty-four elders sing the new song objectively, but the 144,000 sing the new song subjectively.
They are the overcomers of the church. They will be the wife, the bride of the Lamb, in Revelation 19. They will reign with Christ for a thousand years.
Brothers and sisters, the purpose of God is not just truth to be learned. The purpose of God is a song. It has to be learned inwardly.
It is easy for us to share on the purpose of God: Christ and the church. Very simple. But, brothers and sisters, do you see it? Do you feel it? Is it being built within you?
When the Apostle Paul wrote the letter to the Ephesians, he was trying to share the mystery of God, now revealed to the apostles and prophets. He tried to share the eternal purpose of God as it had been revealed to him.
But as he was writing, he realized that a letter would not do. You may memorize every word in the letter to the Ephesians, but still not see the purpose of God in this revelation.
So he stopped and prayed, “O God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, grant unto us the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the full knowledge of Him.”
Brothers and sisters, our fear is that when we hear the purpose of God, it becomes something merely stored in our minds. We need revelation.
The purpose of God is something beyond human comprehension. We have to depend on the Spirit of God for it to become real in us.
And not only that: Paul wrote, he tried to share, and then he stopped again. He bowed his knees and prayed to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Revelation is not enough. There must be apprehension.
We must not only see it, but we need to be strengthened into our inner man by the Holy Spirit, that Christ may dwell in our hearts, rooted and grounded in love; that we may apprehend with all the saints the breadth, length, height, and depth; that we may know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge; and that we may be filled unto all the fullness of God.
Brothers and sisters, the purpose of God is not only a revelation for us to see. It is something that we need to be filled with and grounded in. Then you discover that it is love. God is love.
When you really see the purpose of God, you are filled with His love. You see the King of love, and you love Him in return.
The purpose of God is not theoretical. It is very practical. The purpose of God determines our destiny.
Brothers and sisters, how much have you learned that you have truly seen? How much of the purpose of God has been composed deep within our being? This is something for which we really need to humble ourselves before the Lord.
But thank God, Paul prayed such a prayer in Ephesians 3. There is one important verse:
Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
Unto Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus unto all generations for ever and ever. Amen.
—Ephesians 3:20–21
Brothers and sisters, here we only ask; we only think. But God will work it out, even exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, that He may be glorified in the church in Christ Jesus. Amen.