I.　We need to see a spiritual vision of the throne of God as the center of God's administration throughout the universe—Rev. 4:2; 5:1; Ezek. 1:26:

A.　As the sovereign One, God has the full capacity to carry out what He wants according to the desire of His heart and according to His eternal economy— Rev. 4:11; Dan. 4:35; Rom. 9:19-24.

B.　God on the throne is behind the scene ruling over everyone and everything— Isa. 6:1; 1 Kings 22:19:

1.　Everything concerning the world situation is decided on the throne.

2.　Nothing can happen outside the rule of God's throne—Job 1:6-12; 2:1-6.

C.　The book of Daniel shows us that all the kings and kingdoms of the world are under God's administration—7:9-12; 2:34-35.

D.　Christ in His ascension has been enthroned to execute God's administration, His governmental operation—Heb. 12:2; Rev. 3:21; 22:1; 5:6:

1.　The One sitting on the throne is not only God but also man; He is the God-man, the Man-God, the mingling of God and man—Acts 7:56.

2.　After the Lord Jesus was crucified and buried, God resurrected Him and set Him at His right hand, making Him the Lord of all the universe—2:34-36; Phil. 2:5-11.

3.　As the Lamb with seven eyes, the seven Spirits of God, Christ is carrying out God's administration of the accomplishment for God's economy—Rev. 5:6.

4.　As the One enthroned as the heavenly Administrator in God's universal government, Christ is the Ruler of the kings of the earth; the affairs of the nations are under His rulership—1:5a.

II.　Christ is the centrality and the universality of God's economy—Eph. 1:10:

A.　The entire world situation is under the rule of the heavens by the God of the heavens to match His economy for Christ—Dan. 7:9-10; 4:34-35.

B.　In His economy, in His plan with His arrangement, God desires to make Christ the centrality and universality of His move on earth—2:34, 45:

1.　In verse 45 the stone refers to Christ as the centrality, and the mountain refers to Christ as the universality.

2.　Today Christ must be the centrality and universality in our church life, family life, and daily life.

3.　God is using the environment to make Christ the centrality (the first) and the universality (everything) to us.

C.　God's intention in His administration is to make Christ preeminent, to cause Him to have the first place in everything—Col. 1:18:

1.　To give the Lord the first place in all things is to love Him with the first love, the best love—Rev. 2:4.

2.　In order to give Christ the preeminence, we must be willing to be adjusted, to be broken, to be made nothing, so that the Lord can have a way in us, through us, and among us for the building up of His organic Body.

III.　For us to know God's economy and to know that in God's economy Christ is the centrality and universality of God's move, we need to see the spiritual things behind the physical—Dan. 10:

A.　Before the vision concerning the destiny of Israel was unveiled to Daniel, he was given a vision of the spiritual scene behind the physical scene—v. 14.

B.　In the spiritual world Christ is the preeminent One; therefore, in chapter ten He is mentioned first—vv. 4-9:

1.　The excellent Christ, the centrality and universality of God's move, appeared to Daniel for his appreciation, consolation, encouragement, expectation, and stabilization.

2.　The Christ whom Daniel saw is precious, valuable, complete, and perfect:

a.　As Jehovah becoming a man, He is the centrality and universality of God's move to carry out His economy.

b.　As the Priest He is taking care of us, and as the King He is ruling over us—v. 5.

C.　The spiritual scene in Daniel 10 includes both good and evil spirits that are engaged in an invisible spiritual war—vv. 12-13, 20-21:

1.　While Daniel was praying (vv. 2-3), a spiritual struggle was taking place in the air between two spirits, one belonging to Satan and the other belonging to God.

2.　It is crucial for us to see that behind the scene a spiritual struggle is taking place, a struggle not seen with human eyes.

D.　While the struggles are taking place between the human governments, God is behind the scene managing the world situation.

IV.　We need to realize that the omnipresent and omnipotent God who is ruling over the world situation is a hiding God—a God who hides Himself—Isa. 45:15:

A.　God is living and real, but He is a hiding God, especially when He is helping us—Esth. 4:14.

B.　We cannot see God, and apparently He is not doing anything for us; actually, He is with us all the time and, in a hidden way, He is doing many things for us.

C.　As believers, we need to understand the hidden nature of God's working:

1.　After the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, the chief discipline for His believers is along the line of knowing Him as the God who hides Himself— Luke 24:13-31; John 21:1-7a.

2.　The God who hides Himself is at work in our lives, but He has hidden Himself so effectively that we may not be conscious of His activity—Eph. 3:16-17a; 2 Tim. 4:22.

3.　Since our Christian work is done unto the God who hides Himself, it must be based on faith, not on sight—2 Cor. 4:18; 5:7; 1 Tim. 1:4.