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Scripture Reading: Gen. 1:2; Deut. 32:11; Isa. 31:5; Matt. 3:16b; John 1:32; Psa. 45:7; Heb. 1:9; Isa. 61:1; Zech. 4:6, 11, 14; Exo. 30:25-26; 1 John 2:20, 27; 2 Cor. 1:21; Ezek. 1:4a; 37:9a; John 3:8; Acts 2:2; Ezek. 37:9b-10, 14a; John 20:22; Exo. 14:20, 24; 40:34-38a; Num. 10:34; 1 Cor. 10:2; Ezek. 1:4b; Exo. 40:38b; Ezek. 1:4c; Acts 2:3-4; Ezek. 1:4d; Gen. 2:5; Deut. 11:14; Joel 2:23, 28-29; Hosea 6:3; Zech. 10:1; Acts 2:16-18; Exo. 17:6; John 4:10, 14; 7:38-39; Rev. 22:1, 17b; 21:6b; Gen. 2:10-14; Psa. 36:8; 46:4; Ezek. 47:1, 5, 7-9, 12; Exo. 25:37; Zech. 4:2, 10b; Rev. 1:4c; 4:5b; 5:6
In this chapter we want to see fourteen symbols of the Spirit. These fourteen symbols can be divided into seven pairs. The first pair is the brooding bird and the dove. The second pair is the olive oil and the anointing ointment. The third pair is the wind and the breath. The fourth pair is the cloud and the fire. The fifth pair is the light and the rain. The sixth pair is the living water and the river of water of life. The last pair is the seven lamps of the lampstand and the seven eyes of the Lamb.
It is interesting to note that both the Old Testament and the New Testament begin with the Spirit as a bird and end with the Spirit as water. In the Old Testament Genesis 1:2 says that the Spirit of God was brooding (as a bird) upon or over the death waters. In the New Testament Matthew 3:16b and John 1:32 show us that the Spirit is as a dove. The last symbols of the Spirit in the Old Testament are the rain (Zech. 10:1) and the river of water of life (Ezek. 47:1, 5, 7-9, 12). These symbols are concerning the water. Then the last symbol of the Spirit in the New Testament is the river of water of life (Rev. 22:1, 17b).
Genesis 1:2 says, “The Spirit of God was brooding upon the surface of the waters.” Brooding is for bringing something into life. In Genesis 1 the Spirit of God was brooding over the death waters to produce something of life out of death. The brooding of the Spirit brought in light. Without light, there is no life. After light was brought in, the plant life came into existence. Following this was the animal life with the birds, the fish, the cattle, and the creeping things. Eventually, the human life was created. Then the tree of life, denoting the divine life, the highest life, was presented to the human life. All these different kinds of life came out of the brooding of the Spirit as the divine bird. The brooding of the Spirit brought forth life. This is the basic principle of the move of the Spirit today. Before we heard the gospel, we were dead just like the death waters. Then the Spirit of God came to brood over us, and that brooding produced life. The thought of the Lord as a brooding bird is also expressed in Deuteronomy 32:11 and Isaiah 31:5. Whenever the God of life comes to the ones in death, He comes as a brooding bird. He comes to brood over them to produce life.
In John 1:29, John the Baptist said, “Behold, the Lamb of God.” Then in verse 32 John said, “I beheld the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He abode upon Him.” John introduced Jesus as a little lamb with a dove upon Him. The Lamb redeems, and the dove’s work is to produce life. The redeeming Lamb is the life-producing dove. The Spirit as the brooding bird and as the dove is for the producing of life.
The (olive) oil is another symbol of the Spirit (Psa. 45:7; Heb. 1:9; Isa. 61:1; Zech. 4:6, 11, 14). Psalm 45:7 says, “God, Your God, has anointed You / With the oil of gladness.” The oil of gladness is the Spirit of joy. God has anointed Christ with the oil of gladness, the Spirit of joy. Now we need to ask how we know that the olive oil symbolizes the Spirit. We know this by comparing Isaiah 61:1 with Hebrews 1:9. Isaiah 61:1 says, “The Spirit of the Lord Jehovah is upon me / Because Jehovah has anointed Me.” Hebrews 1:9 says that God has anointed Christ “with the oil of exultant joy.” The Spirit with which Christ was anointed in Isaiah 61:1 is the oil of exultant joy in Hebrews 1:9. This proves that the oil is the anointing Spirit.
Zechariah is a wonderful book concerning Christ with His Spirit. Zechariah 4 shows us the two olive trees on the right of the lampstand and on its left (v. 11). The work of the lampstand is to shine with light, but for the lampstand to shine, it needs the olive oil. Without the olive oil, the lampstand stops working. Today it is the same with us. Revelation 1 tells us that the churches are the lampstands. The work of the church as the lampstand is to shine with light. For the churches to shine forth light, there is the need of the Spirit. Zechariah 4:6 says, “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit.” The two olive trees on the right and on the left of the lampstand are full of oil (v. 12), full of the Spirit. Zechariah 4:14 tells us that the two olive trees are the two sons of oil. The lampstand needs the Spirit. From all these verses we can see that the olive oil is a symbol of the Spirit, which the lampstand needs to shine forth the light.
The Spirit is also symbolized by the anointing ointment, which is the compound Spirit for anointing (Exo. 30:25-26; 1 John 2:20, 27; 2 Cor. 1:21). The difference between the oil and the ointment is that the ointment is a compound. In order to make an ointment, something of liquid is needed as a base. Then some elements are added into the liquid and compounded together. The Spirit that is working upon us and within us is not only an oil but also an ointment. The four elements in the compound ointment in Exodus 30 are myrrh, cinnamon, calamus, and cassia. These four elements are mingled together with olive oil. They are compounded together into one ointment.
Many Christians may know the Holy Spirit, but they do not have the realization of the compound Spirit. Before the incarnation of God, the Spirit of God had not been compounded with the elements of the Triune God’s processes. But after God’s incarnation and through Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection, the Spirit of God became a compound Spirit. The element of the Spirit of God before God’s incarnation was divinity, which is God Himself. Through God’s incarnation, humanity was added to the Spirit. Through Christ’s crucifixion, the all-inclusive death of Christ was added into the Spirit. Through His resurrection, the element of resurrection with its power was added into the Spirit. Now in the Spirit are divinity plus humanity plus death plus resurrection. All these elements have been compounded together into an anointing ointment, which is the compound Spirit.
The Spirit is also symbolized by the wind (Ezek. 1:4a; 37:9a; John 3:8; Acts 2:2). The Hebrew word ruach can be translated “spirit,” “wind,” or “breath.” In Ezekiel 37 ruach is translated in these three ways. Ezekiel 1:4a says that a storm wind came from the north. According to the Psalms, God dwells in the north (48:2). When people go north, they say that they are going up, and when they go south, they say that they are going down. God is up, and Satan is down. This is the principle of the universe. A strong wind coming from the north means that the strong Spirit comes from the very God.
In Ezekiel 1:4 there are also the cloud, the fire, and the brightness, which is the light. The wind brought in the cloud, and in the cloud is the fire. Along with the fire is the brightness, which is the light. The wind, the cloud, the fire, and the light all refer to the Spirit.
In the New Testament the Spirit is also symbolized by the wind. John 3:8 says, “The wind blows where it wills, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from and where it goes; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” The Greek word pneuma is the word for wind and for spirit. Whether it means the wind or the spirit depends on the context. The context here says that it blows, and the sound of it can be heard. This indicates that it is the wind. The Spirit as the blowing wind brings God into us for our regeneration.
One of our co-workers was saved by the blowing of the Spirit. Before he was saved, he was a member of the Nationalist party. At that time they considered that Christianity was a tool of imperialism. Thus, this brother despised Christianity to the uttermost. He considered it as a foreign religion used by the imperialists. One day as he was sightseeing, he went to a certain mountain where there was an idol temple. When he entered this idol temple, to his surprise he saw a big Bible that was opened to Psalm 1. When he read Psalm 1, he was surprised at and inspired with what he read. He continued to read the Bible in this idol temple, and eventually he was convicted of his sins, realizing that he was a sinner before God. He wept and rolled on the ground repenting. The Spirit was a strong wind that day to get him regenerated. He was saved by the Lord, he withdrew from the Nationalist party, and he eventually became one of our co-workers. His regeneration was by the wind.
Others among us were not saved by such a strong wind of the Spirit. The Spirit may have come to us as a gentle breeze. Our confession may have been very gentle. We could have simply prayed in this way: “Jesus, I love You. I am a sinner. I believe in You, and I take You. Thank You, Lord Jesus.” Many of us were regenerated in a gentle way. Others have been regenerated in a strong and even wild way. When they were regenerated, they may have jumped, shouted, danced, or cried. The Spirit as the wind in John 3:8 is mentioned in relation to those who are regenerated, who are born of the Spirit.
According to Ezekiel 37, the wind brings in the breath (vv. 9b-10, 14a). In John 20:22 the Spirit as the breath was breathed as life into the disciples for their life. After His resurrection the Lord came back to the disciples to breathe into them. John 20:22 says, “He breathed into them and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit.” His breath is the Spirit.
The cloud is another symbol of the Spirit (Exo. 14:20, 24; 40:34-38a; Num. 10:34; 1 Cor. 10:2; Ezek. 1:4b). In Ezekiel 1:4 there is the thought that the wind brings in the cloud. Exodus tells us that when the Israelites desired to go out of Egypt, Pharaoh would not let them go. Therefore, the Spirit had to come in to fight for them. At that time the Spirit came as a pillar of cloud. During the day the Lord went before them in a pillar of a cloud to lead them. At night the pillar of cloud was a pillar of fire to give them light (13:21-22). Exodus tells us that this pillar of cloud and of fire stood between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel (14:20, 24). Exodus and Numbers tell us that the cloud covered the tent of meeting (Exo. 40:34-38a; Num. 10:34). The cloud became the covering, the protection, of the tabernacle. That cloud was the presence of Jehovah, and that presence was God Himself as the Spirit overshadowing His people.
According to Ezekiel 1:4, the wind brings in the cloud, and within the cloud is the fire. In Exodus the fire within the pillar of cloud made it a pillar of fire. The fire is in the cloud. Also, Acts 2 shows us that when the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the disciples, tongues as of fire sat on each one of them (vv. 3-4). Tongues as of fire signify the function of the Spirit. A tongue is a symbol of speaking, symbolizing that God’s economical Spirit of power is mostly for speaking. He is the speaking Spirit. The fire symbolizes burning power for purging and motivating in God’s economical move.
The fire brings in the light, the “brightness” (Ezek. 1:4d). The Spirit is symbolized by the light. Wherever fire is, light is there. When a candle is burning with fire, that burning gives light. The Holy Spirit is fire and also light.
The Spirit is symbolized by the rain—the early rain and the late rain (Gen. 2:5; Deut. 11:14; Joel 2:23, 28-29; Hosea 6:3; Zech. 10:1; Acts 2:16-18). Frequently, lightning accompanies the rain. Therefore, there is “fire” with the rain. In the same way, if we have the fire of the Spirit, the rain will come.
The Old Testament refers to the early rain and the late rain. The early rain is in the fall, and the late rain is in the spring. The early rain and the late rain both refer to the Spirit in the right season. Joel 2:23 says that the Lord gives the early rain, the autumn rain, and the late rain, the spring rain. Then in verses 28 and 29, the Lord says twice that He will pour out His Spirit. The pouring out of the Spirit is the fulfillment of the early rain and the late rain. The pouring out of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost was the early rain. Then at the end of this age, God will pour out His Spirit again. That will be the late rain. This late rain is prophesied of in Zechariah 12:10. This verse says, “I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and of supplications; and they will look upon Me, whom they have pierced; and they will wail over Him with wailing as for an only son and cry bitterly over Him with bitter crying as for a firstborn son.” At Christ’s coming, the Lord will pour out His Spirit upon the children of Israel, and they all will repent.
With the Jews there are the two rains. When Peter stood up and spoke on the day of Pentecost, that was the fulfillment of Joel 2. But Peter did not say there would be another pouring out of the Spirit at the end of the age. This pouring out of the Spirit is prophesied in Zechariah 12. God will pour out His Spirit upon the children of Israel, they will repent, and all Israel will be saved. This will be the late rain to the Jews. This indicates that God gives us His Spirit in the right season. Both the early rain and the late rain are given at the season of need. Spring and autumn are both seasons for farming, so both seasons need the rain.
The living water is a symbol of the Spirit (Exo. 17:6; John 4:10, 14; 7:38-39). Exodus 17:6 speaks of the living water coming out of the cleft rock. First Corinthians 10:4 tells us that the cleft rock was a rock that followed the children of Israel. The living water that flowed out of the cleft rock typifies the Spirit as our all-inclusive drink. In John 4 the Lord Jesus told the Samaritan woman that He had the living water to give her. Then in John 7 He said that rivers of living water would flow out of the innermost being of His believers. Out of our innermost being flows a river of patience, a river of comfort, a river of power, etc. Rivers of living water are the many flows of the different aspects of life of the one unique river of water of life (Rev. 22:1).
The river of water of life is another symbol of the Spirit (vv. 1, 17b; 21:6b; Gen. 2:10-14; Psa. 36:8; 46:4; Ezek. 47:1, 5, 7-9, 12). This river of water of life is a symbol of God in Christ as the Spirit flowing Himself into His redeemed people to be their life and life supply. In Revelation 22:1 the water of life becomes a river proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb to supply and saturate the entire New Jerusalem. Therefore, as the ultimate consummation of the processed Triune God, the Spirit as the river of water of life is the flow of the processed Triune God with Himself as the water of life to satisfy His chosen people so that He may have an eternal manifestation to express Himself for eternity.
The Spirit is symbolized by the seven lamps of the lampstand, which are the seven Spirits before the throne of God (Exo. 25:37; Zech. 4:2, 10b; Rev. 1:4c; 4:5b). The lampstand is mentioned in Exodus, Zechariah, and Revelation. God’s people on the earth should be like a lampstand. In Exodus 25 the lampstand signifies Christ. In Zechariah 4 the lampstand signifies the people of Israel. Finally, the lampstands in Revelation 1 signify the churches (v. 20), which are the enlargement of Christ.
The lampstand has seven lamps, and these seven lamps are the Spirit for the expression of the Triune God. The lampstand has three aspects: the gold essence, the form, and the expression. The essence is the Father, the form is the Son, and the expression is the Spirit. Zechariah 4 reveals that the seven lamps refer to the Spirit. Then in Revelation 4:5 the seven lamps of fire burning before God’s throne are the seven Spirits of God. The seven lamps of the lampstand are the seven Spirits before the throne of God to execute God’s administration on the whole earth.
In Revelation 5:6 the Spirit is symbolized by the seven eyes of the Lamb, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. The seven eyes of the Lamb are also the seven lamps of the lampstand. The lamps are for enlightening and burning; the eyes are for watching and observing and also for infusing and transfusing. As the redeeming Lamb, Christ has seven watching and observing eyes for the carrying out of God’s administration. These seven eyes are also transfusing all that the Lamb is into our being so that we may become the same as He is. Today the seven Spirits are moving to accomplish God’s building for the fulfillment of His New Testament economy.
