Message 111
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Scripture Reading: Exo. 27:9-19; 38:9-20; 40:33
The outer court signifies the sphere and boundary of God’s building. The tabernacle not only typifies Christ Himself, but also typifies God’s dwelling place on earth. God’s dwelling place is in four stages: Christ, the children of Israel, the church, and the New Jerusalem. Christ is God’s dwelling place, God’s building. In the Old Testament Israel also was God’s dwelling place. Now in the New Testament the church is the building of God, His dwelling place. In the millennium the New Jerusalem will be God’s dwelling place for eternity.
The book entitled The Vision of God’s Buildingshows that the entire Bible is a book of building. In the first two chapters of the Bible, Genesis 1 and 2, we have the materials for the building. Genesis 2 mentions gold, bdellium (a kind of pearl), and onyx stones. In the last two chapters of the Bible, Revelation 21 and 22, we have a building made of these three categories of material. Between these two ends of the Bible there is the process of God’s building.
For the fulfillment of His plan to have an eternal building, God first created all things. Creation was a work of preparation. God’s main work is the work of building. When we read the Bible, we may pay attention to God’s creation, but not to God’s work for His building. God’s selection, predestination, calling, redemption, and salvation are all for the building. Even regeneration is for God’s building. Whatever God is doing today — in preaching the gospel, edifying the saints, or establishing churches — is part of His building work. In other words, these activities are part of God’s main work, the work of building. God has a goal, and this goal is to build a universal dwelling place for Himself. In the tabernacle in Exodus we have a type, a model, of this building.
Although the tabernacle was rather small, ten cubits wide and thirty cubits long, it is unique in every aspect. It would be difficult to change anything related to it. No human being would make such a design. As we have pointed out, the tabernacle was according to the pattern shown to Moses on the mountain. Thus, the pattern of the tabernacle was a heavenly pattern.
The tabernacle as God’s building had a sphere and a boundary. This sphere and boundary were the outer court. I prefer a house with a wall to mark the boundary of the property. Such a dwelling has a boundary with a definite sphere. We know from the book of Revelation that the New Jerusalem will have a wall one hundred forty-four cubits high. This indicates that God’s building has a boundary. God likes to have a wall to mark the boundary of His dwelling place.
The length of the court of the tabernacle was one hundred cubits. The number one hundred is composed of ten times ten. This signifies completion of completion. This expression can be compared to the expressions King of kings or song of songs, indicating that it is the best, the highest, of completion.
The width of the court was fifty cubits. Fifty is composed of ten times five and signifies complete responsibility. Ten is the number of completion, and five is the number of responsibility. Without the five fingers on our hand, it would be difficult to bear responsibility. On each hand we have four fingers plus one thumb. The number four signifies human beings as God’s creatures, and one signifies God. Man plus God gives us the ability to bear responsibility. As believers, we are human beings with God added to us. Our number is now the number five.
The area of the outer court formed a rectangle one hundred cubits in length and fifty cubits in width. This rectangle was half of a square with sides of a hundred cubits. This half of a square signifies one half of a whole unit. It also indicates that another half is necessary. Thus, it implies a testimony.
The outer court was a testimony. One half was present and the other half was yet to come. The New Jerusalem will be a complete whole, a square and not a rectangle. We, of course, are not yet in that age of fullness. We are still in the age of testimony, waiting for the coming of the other half. We are like one half of a married couple that needs the other half for completion.
The hangings of the court signify Christ as God’s righteousness to be the expression of God’s building as its boundary (27:9, 11-12, 14-15). Christ as God’s righteousness is both the expression and the boundary of God’s building. Here we have three important words: righteousness, expression, and boundary. Christ is God’s righteousness, Christ is God’s expression, and Christ is the boundary of God’s building.
The fine linen signifies God’s righteousness, and this righteousness of God is actually Christ Himself. Christ is God’s righteousness becoming righteousness to us. Christ is our righteousness, and this righteousness is the righteousness of God. This Christ, who is both God’s and ours, is the expression of God’s building.
Whenever the tabernacle with the outer court was erected in the wilderness, the people could see white linen as the sphere of God’s building. This expression was white, bright, clean, and in order. There was no mixture, and there was nothing dirty. The tabernacle with the outer court portrayed a sphere where everything was righteousness, the righteousness of God lived out through Christ and now also lived out through His church. The church today must have a proper expression, the expression which is Christ Himself as our righteousness. The boundary of God’s building is such a righteous expression. The boundary of the church is the church’s expression of Christ to be the expression of God’s building. However, often there is a shortage of such a boundary or expression among Christians today because they are short of Christ. They are lacking in the living out of Christ to express God in righteousness.
In Ephesians 4:24 Paul speaks of the new man. This new man is actually the building of God. When we compare Ephesians 4:24 with Colossians 3:10, we see that the new man will be renewed in the image of God in righteousness and holiness of the truth. The image of God has a twofold expression — righteousness and holiness. The new man is renewed in the image of God, which bears the expression of righteousness and holiness.
In the tabernacle the expression of God’s building was righteousness outwardly and holiness inwardly. In the outer court there were the hangings of linen signifying God’s righteousness. Inside the tabernacle there was gold. The boards and the furniture were overlaid with gold. The gold signifies God’s nature, which is holiness. Holiness is God’s nature, and righteousness refers to God’s deeds. Whatever God says and does is righteous. All God’s acts are righteous. Hence, righteousness is the expression of God in His doings, whereas holiness is the expression of God in His nature.
The church today as God’s building should have this twofold expression of God. The outward expression of the church should be righteousness, and the inward expression should be holiness. On the outside of the church, others should be able to see an expression of God in righteousness. But from inside the church everything should be golden; that is, there should be the expression of God in His holy nature.
The types in the Old Testament give details concerning spiritual things that cannot be described in words. A picture is often better than words. For example, you may use thousands of words to describe a person’s face and yet still not be able to describe it adequately. It would be much better to have a picture of the face. In the same principle, the books of the New Testament may not describe in detail certain spiritual things. For the details it is helpful to consider the types. In the types we can see many points that we cannot find in the New Testament. In particular, with the tabernacle and its court, we see the expression of God in righteousness outwardly and holiness inwardly.
The fine linen signifies the human living of Christ. Our expression of righteousness should be the expression of Christ’s human living.
The linen used for the hangings was fine. It was even, not coarse or rough. If we read the four Gospels, we shall see that Christ’s human living truly was fine, even.
The linen was also twined. This signifies dealt with through sufferings. As a result, it was not loose. While Christ was living on earth, He was dealt with through sufferings.
Now we come to the size of the hangings. The length of the curtains on each side was one hundred cubits, the width of the back side was fifty cubits, and the length of the hangings on each side of the gate at the front was fifteen cubits. This made a total of two hundred eighty cubits. This was equal to the total length of the ten curtains of the tabernacle (26:1-2). The fact that the length of the hangings and the total length of the ten curtains above the tabernacle were the same indicates that what made the boundary of the outer court of the tabernacle equaled the covering of the tabernacle. Likewise, today the expression of the church outwardly should also be the covering of the church. Both this expression and this covering are Christ. Furthermore, both the curtains over the tabernacle and the hangings around the outer court were made of linen. The only difference was that the hangings around the outer court were without color or embroidery, whereas the curtains over the tabernacle were embroidered and had different colors.
The number two hundred eighty is composed of forty times seven. In the Bible forty is the number of trial and testing, and seven is the number of completion in this age. When the Lord Jesus was on earth, He experienced intense trials and tests. He was tried everywhere, and He was tested by everyone. His tests and trials surely were sevenfold, fully complete; they were forty times seven.
According to 27:18, the height of the hangings was five cubits. We have pointed out that five signifies responsibility. With the hangings we see two main things: righteousness signified by the white linen, and responsibility signified by the number five.
Righteousness can never be separated from responsibility. If you do not bear responsibility, you cannot be righteous. You are righteous only when you fulfill your responsibility. We all have certain responsibilities. As a husband or wife, as a parent or child, as an employer or employee, and even as a neighbor, we must fulfill our responsibilities. Otherwise, we cannot be righteous. If we would be right with others, we need to bear our responsibilities and fulfill them.
We in the Lord’s recovery all must express God in Christ as righteousness. We can do this only by bearing our responsibility in every way. Wherever we are, at school, at home, at work, in our neighborhood, or with our relatives, we must bear our responsibility. If we are careless and neglect our responsibility, we are not righteous. If we do not have righteousness, then we shall be short of the expression of God in Christ as our righteousness. Therefore, we must express righteousness by fulfilling our responsibility.
The sockets of bronze (38:29-31) signify Christ judged by God being the base of the separation of God’s building. This is not easy to understand. We have seen that God’s building has a boundary, and this boundary is a separation. Furthermore, this separation, this boundary, has a base — the sockets of bronze. The Christ who has been judged by God is now the base of this separation.
The fine linen hangings were on pillars of bronze, and the pillars stood in sockets of bronze. Therefore, with the outer court we can see bronze and linen, bronze signifying God’s judgment and linen signifying God’s righteousness. This indicates that the linen is the issue of the bronze. This means that the righteousness of God comes out of God’s judgment.
We have emphasized the fact that the expression of the church should be righteousness. But where does this righteousness come from? It comes from God’s judgment. Every aspect of our living needs to be judged by God. Anything we do that has not been judged by God cannot be righteous.
The Christ who lives in us is the One who has been judged by God. The bronze sockets typify this Christ. The Christ who has been judged by God is now our life within. When we live by Him, everything we do and everything we have in our daily life will be judged. Our speaking will be judged, and our attitudes will be judged. Our memory, intention, thoughts, inclination — all these must be judged by God. The Christ living in us is the judged Christ.
Such a Christ is the base for the separating boundary of righteousness. When everything in our daily life is judged by God, the result will be righteousness. Many brothers and sisters in the Lord, however, do not live a judged life. They do not live a life always under the judgment of God.
We need to experience God’s judgment upon our talking. Whenever I open my mouth to speak, my speaking must be under the judgment of God. Because of God’s judgment, certain words will not be uttered. Eventually, I shall say certain things, but these words, having passed through God’s judgment, will be righteous.
Do you know what the source of gossip is? Gossip comes from talk that has not been judged by God. Suppose I am tempted to gossip about a brother. If I am under God’s judgment, I shall not be able to gossip. Furthermore, the person who may enjoy hearing that gossip also needs to experience God’s judgment. This judgment is implied by the bronze sockets upholding the bronze pillars.
Married brothers need God’s judgment on the way they talk with their wives. Sometimes their talk is too free, and things are spoken which should not be uttered. If we are living Christ, we shall experience in His life a judging element, an element that puts us under the judgment of God. The Christ by whom we live is a God-judged Christ, and His life is a God-judged life.
Some may think that God’s judgment is the same as the inner sense which keeps a saved person from doing certain things. Actually, this sense is a prohibition; it is not the judgment of God. As we grow in the Lord, we shall go from the stage of prohibition to the stage of judgment. Then we shall realize the difference between prohibition and judgment.
We need to experience Christ as righteousness and also as the life which has been judged by God. Hallelujah, we have a righteous life and also a judged life! It is out of this judged life that the righteous life issues forth. This is the experience of the bronze sockets as the base for the boundary and separation of God’s building.
Verse 11 says, “And likewise for the north side in length there shall be hangings a hundred cubits long, and its twenty pillars and their twenty sockets of bronze; the hooks of the pillars and their connecting rods shall be of silver.” The phrase “of bronze” governs both the sockets and the pillars, just as the phrase “of silver” refers both to the hooks and the connecting rods. Therefore, both the sockets and the pillars were of bronze. Because they have followed a rather ambiguous translation, some Bible teachers may think that the pillars were made out of another material, perhaps silver or acacia wood. However, neither silver nor acacia wood fits the picture, and neither of these matches the spiritual significance here.
The bronze pillars signify Christ judged by God being the standing and supporting strength of the separation of God’s building. Christ is not only the base of the separation; He is also the standing and supporting strength of the separation. Thus, both the sockets and the pillars are Christ. But this Christ is not a glorified Christ — He is a judged Christ. Today we need to live this judged Christ. In order to express Him to others, especially to outsiders in the world, we need to be judged in our daily living. If we are judged in everything day by day, we shall express Christ as the righteousness of God.
My intention here is not simply to give teachings from the types as admonitions or exhortations to good behavior. No, here we have something more basic, more crucial. If we live Christ, we shall find that His life is a judged life. In Him there is an element of judgment. Therefore, the more we live Him, the more our daily life will be judged. This judgment will give us the base and the supporting strength to bear the righteousness of God as His expression.
With the court of the tabernacle there was a total of sixty sockets and sixty pillars: twenty on each side, ten at the rear, and ten at the front. (The front ones were arranged in two groups of three and one group of four.) The number sixty here signifies Christ in the likeness of the man of flesh (Rom. 8:3; John 3:14) being judged by God according to His righteousness. The number six is implied here. Christ was judged by God in the likeness of the man of flesh, or in the likeness of the flesh of man. In other words, Christ was fully judged by God in the flesh of man. This does not mean that Christ had fallen flesh. No, He had the likeness of fallen flesh and He was judged in this flesh. This also is an element of the judged life of Christ. In this judged life there is an element of the flesh of man being judged by God. We all are men of flesh. Our flesh must be judged, and in Christ it has been judged already. When we live Christ, we experience God’s judgment on the flesh.
The number sixty implies the number six. But if we add sixty pillars and sixty sockets, we have the number one hundred twenty. This means that eventually sixty is swallowed up by one hundred twenty. In the number one hundred and twenty we do not have the number six. How can the number six be swallowed up? This happens by having the pillars standing in the sockets. The point here is that if we live Christ, the judged life of Christ will make us sockets and also standing and supporting pillars. If we are sockets without being pillars, we are still in the number six. Likewise, if we are pillars without being sockets, we also remain in the number six. But if we are both pillars and sockets, we no longer have the number six. Instead, the number sixty is swallowed up by the number one hundred twenty.
When we live Christ, His judged life will bring our daily life under the judgment of God. Daily we shall be judged in every way. Then we shall have the sockets and also the pillars to bear the righteousness of God as His expression. This is not a teaching for the purpose of exhortation. On the contrary, this is a revelation in the Bible to show us where our salvation is. Our salvation is in the judged Christ.
The area between two pillars was five cubits by five cubits. This equaled that of the top of the altar (27:1). The area of the top of the altar was a square five cubits long and five cubits wide. Likewise, the area between any two of the pillars was five cubits wide and five cubits high. This means that the area between the pillars matched the area of the top of the altar. This signifies that Christ’s redemption for us matches the requirements of God’s righteousness. We can have the “square” righteousness of God because of Christ’s “square” redemption. Christ’s redemption matches the righteous requirements of God.
The capitals, the hooks, and the connecting rods of the pillars were all of silver. This signifies Christ’s redemption issuing out of God’s righteous judgment. The sockets and the pillars were of bronze, but the capitals, the crowns of the pillars, were overlaid with silver, and the hooks and the connecting rods were of silver. This indicates that Christ’s redemption comes out of the righteous judgment of God. This redemption is our crown and also our holding power (the hooks), our connecting strength. We, the pillars, are joined together by the strength of the redemption of Christ, which comes out of God’s righteous judgment.
We should not know all this merely as a doctrine. We must see that we can be linked together only by having a life that has been judged righteously by God. This life is also a redeeming life. Hence, we have the redemption that comes out of God’s righteous judgment. This redemption then becomes our linking power and connects us with one another. It also becomes our glory, our crown, our capitals. Therefore, first we are judged, then we are redeemed, and then we are connected and have a glorious crown. The capitals signify glory, whereas the hooks signify holding power, and the rods, joining strength.
The matters in God’s plan and economy are not simple. For instance, the expression of the church toward the world is not a simple matter. To understand this we need the type in Exodus 27.
There is another important matter here. If we would enjoy the inner aspect of the tabernacle, we must have all the details of the outer court. Unless we have come into the sphere of the outer court, there is no way for us to enter into the Holy of Holies.
Moreover, first we must enjoy Christ and experience Him as our righteousness. Then we can enjoy Him and experience Him as our holiness. This is the reason 1 Corinthians 1:30 says that first God made Christ our righteousness and then our sanctification, that is, our practical and experiential holiness. Thus, righteousness comes first and then holiness. If we would enter the innermost section of the tabernacle, the Holy of Holies, we must first pass through the section of God’s righteousness.
Finally, in the outer court what we bear, what we express, is linen. But as standing boards of the tabernacle, what we bear, express, is gold. We all want to express gold. But in order to express gold, we must first bear the linen. This means that we must have the outer expression of righteousness before we can have the inner expression of holiness. The outer expression is for others, but the inner expression is for God. Without holiness, no one can see God. This is the reason Hebrews 12 charges us to pursue holiness, for without it we cannot see God. Holiness is for us to fellowship with God, to contact God, and to enjoy God. We need righteousness outwardly and holiness inwardly. We need to have the outward expression of righteousness toward all human beings, and the inward expression of holiness toward God so that we may see Him, enjoy Him, absorb Him, and have fellowship with Him.
