Where Does Vision of the Church Come From?

Revelation 21 tells us that the origin of God’s city is ALWAYS Heaven.  "And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband (Rev. 21:2)."  That is as true today as it was nearly two thousand years ago.  If we are to experience God’s work it will always be when we turn our attention away from the sinful things of the world and toward heaven.  Scripture teaches us that the voice of God rings out from heaven, “The Lord thundered from heaven, and the Most High uttered his voice (2 Sam. 22:14).”  God’s salvation came from heaven when Jesus Christ came to earth to dwell among us.  His power came from heaven when the Apostles and disciples heard the sound of a rushing wind and the Spirit filled and empowered the church.  And God’s city, the New Jerusalem, is seen “coming down out of heaven from God.” 

            God has a vision for His church, and this vision can never be accomplished by means that originate with man.  Only those things that come from heaven are sufficient to accomplish the will of God in the world.  That’s why Scripture places such emphasis on knowing the mind of God.  Because, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts (Isa. 55:9).”  Scripture continually teaches us that God’s work must be done His way, and His way always comes from heaven.  It never comes from a board meeting, a policy, bylaws or bureaucracy.  The things of God originate with God in heaven!

            John was even shown the difference between the things of God and the ways of man in this book of Revelation.  Chapter 13 verse 1 tells us, “I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten [crowns] on its horns and blasphemous names on its head.”  John saw visions of beasts that would be worshipped by the people.  These are systems that draw man away from God, just as the beasts in the book of Daniel represent ungodly political systems.  The problem we face is that man has a way of climbing onto the back of these beasts and going wherever they happen to go. 

Even the church does this at times.  John goes on in the 17^th chapter to show us this.  In contrast to the pure bride of Christ we see in Scripture he saw something completely different.  “Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, ‘Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters’…And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names…The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls…And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: ‘Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth’s abomination (Rev. 17:1-5).’”  If a pure woman represents the church established by God, this prostitute represents a false religion, one that takes people away from God.  She is adorned with all the things valued by the world, jewelry, gold, scarlet.  But look at the position she has placed herself in:  She is SEATED ON A BEAST!  When we see visions of Jesus in Revelation the “Son of Man” is seated on a horse.  Horses can be domesticated, and they will listen to the one who rides them and take them where they want to go.  YOU CANNOT CONTROL A BEAST!  It will go wherever its nature takes it.  This woman has placed herself in a position where she is not in control of her destination.

How does this all apply to us today?  Revelation 13 said the beast rose up out of the sea.  Revelation 17:5 tells us, “The waters that you saw, where the prostitute is seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and languages.”  This false religion is built on something that rose up from man.  This woman is seated on something that man created and subsequently lost control of.  We spend our time devising structures and programs that we are sure God will bless, though we have spent little time seeking His direction.  We get together with other Christians to talk about ideas, potential and vision without much thought given to prayer and study of God’s word.  We cast a vision that turns into 5 and 10 year plans that have come entirely from our own knowledge and limited earthly wisdom, and then we CLIMB ON TO THE BACK of that beast and go wherever it leads us.  We create programs that are supposed to lead us toward God and what we have really done is set loose another beast that will carry the people of God further and further away from the city of God. 

The works of man are NEVER a substitute for the work of God.  The method Scripture teaches us of discipleship and building of a relationship with God comes not from studies and statistics, but submission and prayer.  The revival in God’s church that so many long to see comes from a submission to the word and the will of God.  A desire to see Him glorified through the church and a willingness to pay whatever cost may come with that.  God’s ways come from heaven and will lead us to His city, and His vision of what the church should be, while man’s ways lead away from that very thing. 

“After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven….and he called out with a mighty voice, ‘Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great (Rev. 18:1, 2)!’” Consider what this angel was proclaiming:  Babylon IS FALLEN!  It does not say that Babylon is falling, or has fallen.  It says it “is fallen.”  From their beginning, the ideas of man that are substituted for those of God are fallen.  They were never pleasing to God, and could never really accomplish His purposes.  When we take our lives into our own hands and cease to look to His Word and Spirit to direct us we have placed ourselves at the mercy of a beast that was fallen from its start. 

When we begin to realize where the church finds God's vision, then that prayer life that we have been neglected suddenly becomes important again.  The opportunities to hear the proclamation of God’s word suddenly become vital and “practical” and the fallen works that have replaced them are no longer so important.  We begin to understand – just as God’s people have understood in days gone by – that the church has never been built on the works and thoughts of man, but on the doctrines revealed by God.