[aron]

Let me revisit this from another angle: Let's ignore as nonessential whether and how angels are spirits, and of what kind, or whether there are seven spirits or one Holy Spirit sevenfold intensified, burning in front of the throne in John's Revelation.

But consider this from John's perspective: there is clearly differentiation. There is the One who was and is and who's coming, who is on the throne. There are seven spirits in front of the throne. There is the LOGOS at the right hand of God. How can you say that the Father is the Son, who is the Spirit, sevenfold or otherwise? What do you see in this scene that supports such notions? Only your doctrine, is what, not the imagery of the scene itself. On the contrary, John's vision in Revelation 1 doesn't support Lee's doctrine; rather Lee's doctrine is imposed on John's vision, and doesn't fit very well.

Secondly, irrespective of details, we see One on the throne, we see the LOGOS beside the throne, we see seven spirits before the throne, and we see 24 elders around the throne. Look at the placement, the clearly differentiated spatial arrangement here: on the throne, beside the throne, in front of the throne, and around the throne. Can't we see the difference? There is order here, and there's differentiation. It is not some bland, homogenized mass of undifferentiated "God".

But - and here is my point - in this differentiation there is absolute, impenetrable oneness. You don't see any of the 24 elders pining away for one of the seven slots in front of the throne. You don't see seven spirits, or angels for that matter, arguing with each other over who's in the middle and who's in the outer position. Each is absolutely where he is supposed to be. Each is in absolute coordination, kinship harmony, and fellowship. No one's demanding to impose some different structure on the scene. God has already done this. There is multiplicity, plurality, and differentiation. But it is all "one".

So -- every time some disgusted Christian leaves "degraded Christianity" and starts some new, supposedly purified "restorationist" or "recovery" movement, how can we say it's God's will? "The age was dark, and then God raised up Watchman Nee", etc, etc.... I don't care how logical it seems to you. I don't care how repugnant, "devilish" and so forth fallen Christianity seems; or how attractive your notion seems by contrast. Who are you to impose your idea of order on God?

Paul said this in 1 Cor 7: "Wherever you are when God calls you, remain. If God called you as a slave, then be a slave." In God's choice there is no slave nor free, no male or female, no Gentile or Jew, no Baptist or Methodist. It doesn't matter. What you are is what you are. Where God calls you, remain, until and unless God changes it. Don't let the devil trick you into pining for a better, "restored" or "recovered" situation. We on the other hand, can control our response: inner peace and joy. We're on the glassy sea, already on "proper ground".