The Capstone

The Capstone

“And he shall bring forth the capstone with shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’”

“Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house . . . .” 1 Pet. 2:4-5.

This will be a glorious and blessed house. Jesus Himself is the chief cornerstone, and the apostles are included in the foundation. Eph. 2:20-22. Just as the cornerstone is rejected by men but chosen by God and precious, so are also all the other stones. From this we understand how unacceptable it is for anyone to desire to be highly esteemed by man.

We must come to Him, the living stone—not to father or mother or any of the other great personalities in this world, but to Jesus, who was rejected by men. Have you got the courage to come to Him? This temple in which Jesus is the cornerstone is being built outside the camp. Down through the ages, God has taken out some people to be stones in this temple. All of them had this one thing in common: They were rejected by men but chosen by God and precious.

This capstone—those who are alive when Jesus comes again to fetch His bride—is the last stone to be finished. The dead in Christ shall rise first, and then the capstone, we who are alive, will be put in place, and we will then be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Now we can well understand why there will be shouts of rejoicing.

This temple, just like Solomon’s temple, will be put together without the use of a hammer or axe or any iron tool. 1 Kings 6:7. The stones came from the quarry in a finished state and fit together perfectly. The church is such a quarry where the stones are being prepared. “For these seven rejoice to see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. They are the eyes of the Lord, which scan to and fro throughout the whole earth.” We must love this plumb line that checks the stones. It must be used diligently in the church. Exactness is important. You must never believe that you can live according to your own opinions and feelings. After all, what do you know about your place in the temple or the temple’s shape and size? But it is important to come into the leading of the Spirit and to be exact, for there will be no time left for any hammering to be done when the time for the stone to be put in place has come. If it doesn’t fit then, it will be rejected by God. We must, therefore, love Zerubbabel with the plumb line now in the time of grace.

No one can be forced into position there, because it is done neither by might nor by power but by the Spirit of the Lord. All of the work of the Spirit in your life can only be carried out with your consent. But you should also know this: If you will, there is nothing to hinder you from being molded by the Spirit. “Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain!” A mountain arises before all those who want to enter into the leading of the Spirit. Father and mother, sister and brother, priest and sexton, your place of employment and the neighborhood, the lords of the world in this present darkness—everything builds up to a great mountain to hinder you from being included in this building. But have no fear! All this opposition shall become a plain if you have faith to surrender to the leading of the Spirit.

It was possible for the apostles in their time. For them it was also neither by might nor by power but by the Spirit of the Lord. It has been like this down through the ages. But the most difficult times will come when the capstone is being prepared. It was difficult for the apostles, but Paul writes that in the last days “perilous times will come.” 2 Tim. 3:1-5. What is it that will be so much more difficult? It will be this: “Having a form of godliness but denying its power.” The difficulty lies in not being fooled by the form—nominal religion—but rather in laying hold of the power to be conformed to the image of Christ.

Mission work has become more and more extensive in its outreach. One country after another has been Christianized, and one Christian group after another has been formed with the result that there have never been so many believers as in our days. Nevertheless, Jesus says, “When the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” Who can understand this?

We read about the assembly of the dead. When the people hate the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel, the result will be just such an assembly of the dead.

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.” 2 Tim. 4:1-4.

Listen closely to what is being preached to you in the midst of all this religiosity, in the midst of this “form” of faith. Isn’t it reports, stories, and travel accounts? How is it with reproof, correction, and exhortation? You can be certain that the plumb line which reveals worldliness, selfish ambition, honor-seeking, and greed is hated. Away with it! Let us have fables, touching stories, and interesting experiences either from Africa or some other place; then we will have a nice, pleasant meeting. There is an abundance of teachers and traveling preachers to fit everyone’s taste. This is how the religious groups have become assemblies of the dead where everyone is allowed to rest in his sins. Zerubbabel and his plumb line have been driven out. Who has sufficient courage to see through all this and acknowledge the truth? Yes, it is true that in these last days the times have become perilous.

All this form of religion makes it possible for Antichrist and the Beast to make their appearance. Then this great mountain which will receive power over every tribe and people and tongue and race will rise up. It is under such conditions that the capstone will be prepared. It is good to be informed about this so that you will not be fooled by contemporary religiosity and talk that revolves only around the difficult times of persecution which have gone before.

Out of this frightful hypocrisy the capstone, completed, and rejected by its generation, but chosen and precious before God, is to be plucked out and united with the other stones to be a “habitation of God”—the New Jerusalem. Then there will be rejoicing and shouts of joy over God’s grace. But then the time will also have come when the wrath of God is poured out over the earth.