I.　We need to be intensified by Christ as the sevenfold intensified Spirit in His ministry in the stage of intensification to conquer the destructive satanic chaos in the old creation and to triumph in the constructive divine economy for the new creation—Rev. 3:1; 4:5; 5:6; Eph. 1:10; 3:10; Gal. 6:15:

A.　Satan, the devil, is the source and element of the evil chaos in the old creation— Matt. 16:23; Rev. 2:9-10; 2 Cor. 2:11; 1 Pet. 5:8:

1.　The ministry of the apostles was accompanied by chaos in such things as teachings that were different from the divine economy taught by Paul (1 Tim. 1:3-4), the winds of teaching in the sleight of men (Eph. 4:14), those who made divisions and causes of stumbling (Rom. 16:17), factious men forming parties in the churches according to their opinions (Titus 3:10), and the believers in Asia turning away from Paul's ministry (2 Tim. 1:15).

2.　There was chaos in the situation of the first, third, fourth, fifth, and seventh of the seven churches in Asia—Rev. 1:4a:

a.　The first one (Ephesus) lost her first love toward the Lord—2:4.

b.　The third one (Pergamos) fell into the world where Satan's throne is and held the teachings of Balaam and the Nicolaitans—vv. 13-15.

c.　The fourth one (Thyatira) had the teaching of Jezebel, which was involved with the deep things of Satan—vv. 20, 24a.

d.　The fifth one (Sardis) was living in name, yet she was dead, with none of her works completed before God—3:1-2.

e.　The seventh one (Laodicea) was lukewarm and did not realize that she was wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked—vv. 14-17.

B.　God is the divine economy, and in Christ He has come into us as an adminis-tration, arrangement, economy, and plan that puts everything in order—Eph. 1:10; 3:10:

1.　The divine economy is to produce the new creation out of the chaotic old creation; as believers, we have received Christ as the divine economy for the new creation—2 Cor. 4:6; 5:17; Gal. 6:15.

2.　The Christian life involves both the divine economy and the satanic chaos:

a.　On the one hand, we are a new creation; on the other hand, we continue to be troubled by chaos—2 Cor. 5:17; 2:11; 11:3.

b.　As a mixture of economy and chaos, the Christian life is a miniature of the entire universe, the history of which is a history of God's economy and Satan's chaos—Gen. 1:1-3; 2 Cor. 4:6; Rev. 20:10, 14; 21:1-2, 5-6.

C.　The Lord needs the overcomers, produced by Him as the sevenfold intensified Spirit, who will be one with Him to conquer the destructive satanic chaos and triumph in the unique divine economy—2 Tim. 1:10; Rev. 2:7; 12:11; 17:14.

II.　We need to be intensified by Christ as the sevenfold intensified Spirit in His ministry in the stage of intensification to overcome the attack of death upon the church and to build up the Body of Christ in the resur-rection life of Christ—Matt. 16:18; John 11:25; Eph. 1:22-23; 4:16:

A.　The overcomers are victorious over the attack of death upon the church—Matt. 16:18; 2 Cor. 1:9; Rom. 5:17; 8:11; 1 Cor. 15:26, 54-57; 2 Cor. 5:4; 2 Tim. 1:10:

1.　Death is the characteristic of Satan's work; the ultimate goal of his work is to saturate man with death—Heb. 2:15.

2.　From Eden onwards, God's controversy with Satan has been on the issue of death and life—Rom. 8:6, 10-11.

3.　Matthew 16:18 shows us from what source the attack upon the church will come—"the gates of Hades," that is, death:

a.　Satan's special object is to spread death within the church, and his greatest fear with regard to the church is her resistance to his power of death—Rev. 2:8, 10-11.

b.　The church that is built upon "this rock" can discern between death and life, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it—Matt. 16:18.

4.　If we would overcome the attack of death, we need to know Christ as the First and the Last—as the ever-existing, unchanging One—and as the One who became dead and lived again—as the One who is resurrection—Rev. 1:18; 2:8; John 11:25; Acts 2:24.

5.　To those who overcome the attack of death, the Lord will give the crown of life—the overcoming strength that is the power of the resurrection life— Rev. 2:10b; Phil. 3:10.

B.　The overcomers build up the Body of Christ in the resurrection life of Christ— Eph. 2:6, 21-22; 4:16; Rev. 1:18; 2:8; Phil. 3:10:

1.　The Body of Christ is in the resurrection life of Christ—John 11:25:

a.　The nature of the church as the Body of Christ is resurrection—Acts 2:24; Eph. 1:19-23.

b.　The church is a new creation created in Christ's resurrection and by the resurrected Christ—1 Pet. 1:3; Eph. 2:6; Gal. 6:15.

2.　To be in the reality of the Body of Christ, we must be absolutely in the resurrection life of Christ—John 11:25; 1 Cor. 15:45b; 2 Cor. 1:9:

a.　In our natural life and in the old creation, we are not the Body; we are the Body only in the new creation germinated by Christ's resurrection life—5:17; Eph. 1:19-23.

b.　The Body of Christ is in resurrection, and the reality of resurrection is Christ as the life-giving Spirit—John 11:25; 20:22; 1 Cor. 15:45b.

c.　The principle of resurrection is that the natural life is killed and that the divine life rises up to take its place—2 Cor. 1:9.

d.　If we do any work which is not in resurrection, the life-giving Spirit will not honor it; the Spirit honors only what is in resurrection—1 Cor. 15:45b, 48.

3.　When we do not live by the natural life but live by the divine life within us, we are in resurrection; the issue of such a living is the growth and building up of the Body of Christ—Phil. 3:10-11; Eph. 4:15-16; Col. 2:19; 3:15.