Yesterday (24th July 1991) the Lord spoke to me. His word was very brief and came at a time when I was not expecting anything. He said, “I hate admiration. I have no need of it.” I pondered this word in my mind and heart throughout the day as it became clearer what He meant. This morning He gave me more, which I have written down, and would like to share it. It is as follows:-
I hate admiration. I have no need of it.
Tens of thousands may sing of my worth;
Thousands may preach of my goodness;
Hundreds may write of my ways;
But it moves me not. I turn away from it.
They say, “Lord, Lord” but do not the things that I say.
The life that allows my hand to fashion it,
The one who seeks to obey my word
And to follow in his Master’s footsteps,
Who possesses a humble and contrite heart,
Is the one to whom I will look with pleasure.
From such a heart flows praise and true worship
Whether words be spoken or not,
But he who proclaims my goodness
Without letting me alter his life
Has no part of me.
When I look into the mirror of his life
I do not see the image of my Son.
I do not feel any necessity to add to this word. It is self-explanatory. What I will do is to link it with John’s vision of the New Jerusalem at the end of Revelation, where he saw the Holy City “coming down out of heaven from God.”
John was careful to give the measurements of this city, which must surely be symbolic. But the point of most interest is that length, breadth, and height were all the same. This has led to expositors looking upon the city as a CUBE. But this is of course an assumption. Many years ago the Lord conveyed to us that John saw the shape as a PYRAMID. Since then we have had the privilege of reading H.A.Baker’s gem of a book entitled “Visions beyond the Veil”, in which he records the visions that were seen by Chinese children over half a century ago. They saw the Holy City as a Pyramid, with city upon city, in layers, rising to a glorious capstone so bright that they could not look upon it. The oft-repeated assertion of Scripture that Jesus is the “Chief Corner Stone” in fact helps towards this understanding. The original in both Hebrew and Greek speaks of a Capstone, or a sharp-angled stone, which adequately describes the top stone of a pyramid.
Working on this basis, we can see that in the building of a pyramid, there can be no other stone of the same shape as the Capstone. Jesus is unique. But if He were to be placed in the highest heavenly position as this Capstone, and other stones be placed beneath Him, thus enlarging the pyramid, the shape would not alter. From the earth the Capstone would just appear to be enlarged.
Have you seen the point of this? If members of God’s elect church were to be joined to Jesus as Head, although they were of different shape to Him, yet when joined to Him only tended to MAGNIFY the Capstone! Their own shape would be lost to sight. Jesus alone would be magnified. In this way the Holy City would grow downwards from heaven to earth, all the time displaying the glory of Jesus Himself.
When these “living stones” have been joined, although none of them even approximate to the shape of the Capstone, together they magnify the overall shape of a pyramid, which is the shape of the Capstone. When in place, their own shape is lost to view, and the earth only sees Jesus. God is thereby glorified.
May God so enable us to be fashioned in His “quarry of the commonplace” that He may find us acceptable for His grand and holy city, the New Jerusalem. In the flesh, born of Adam, none of us have the right shape. But God can change us, if we allow Him, and then we may find a place in His building. “Lost in wonder, love, and praise,” we shall then no longer be visible as ourselves, but will only glorify Jesus, our Head, the Chief Corner Stone. When He looks into our lives, will He thus find in the mirror , the image of His Son?