Message 112
(3)
Scripture Reading: Exo. 27:14-16, 19
In this message we come to the gate of the court of the tabernacle. We may think that the gate is the most simple aspect of the outer court. However, when we begin to consider this matter, we find that it is not simple at all. Some of the points in this message may be quite new in concept to us all.
The first thing I wish to do is to give you an impression related to the appearance of the gate. In studying the types in the Old Testament, we need to pay attention both to the contents and to the appearance. The types in the book of Exodus have these two aspects — the aspect of the contents and the aspect of appearance. For example, the altar of burnt offering has a certain appearance. Furthermore, the grating, the rings, and the poles are the contents of the altar. In the previous messages concerning the outer court, we saw the contents and the appearance of the outer court.
The gate of the court of the tabernacle, like the entrance of any kind of building, has a particular appearance. The front gate or door of a building bears an appearance that attracts people’s attention. This was also true of the tabernacle. When someone approached the tabernacle from a distance, he could see the gate of the outer court. With this gate there was something representing the appearance of God’s building. The first impression one would have of the tabernacle and the court was that of the gate and the hangings on the two sides of the gate.
It is not difficult to remember the description of the front of the court. The front side was fifty cubits in width and had ten pillars. On each side of the gate was a hanging of linen fifteen cubits long. Exodus 27:14 and 15 say, “And the hangings for the one side of the gate shall be fifteen cubits; their pillars three, and their sockets three. And for the second side shall be hangings of fifteen cubits; their pillars three, and their sockets three.” Verse 16 describes the gate with its curtain: “And for the gate of the court there shall be a curtain of twenty cubits, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, the work of an embroiderer; their pillars four, and their sockets four.” As we consider the front of the court of the tabernacle, we should pay attention to the numbers three and four. On each side of the gate, there were three pillars and three sockets. Furthermore, on each side there were three spaces covered by a hanging of linen fifteen cubits long. The number fifteen, composed of three times five, signifies the responsibility borne by Christ matching the requirements of the Triune God. The fact that there were three pillars and three sockets on each side signifies that both the base and the standing matched the Triune God. Moreover, the two sides of the gate signify a testimony, since two is the number of testimony.
As we have seen, the gate itself was twenty cubits in length. There were four spaces for the four openings, and there were four pillars and four sockets. The number twenty here, composed of four times five, signifies Christ bearing the responsibility for men, the creatures. The four openings with the four pillars and the four sockets signify the gate being open toward men from the four ends (corners) of the earth (see 27:2, 4).
The curtain itself signifies the redeeming Christ as our entrance into God’s building. The blue signifies something heavenly; the purple, something royal; the scarlet, something of redemption; the fine twined linen, something even and of a strong human life; and the work of an embroiderer, the constituting work of the Holy Spirit.
Here we are emphasizing the numbers three and four. On each side there were three groups of three: three pillars, three sockets, and three spaces. In the gate there were four groups of four: four pillars, four sockets, four spaces, and four openings.
Now I would ask you to interpret this picture. What is the significance of the front side of the tabernacle with the gate? Actually, it does not require very much skill to interpret this picture, since the spiritual alphabet is right before our eyes. Four signifies the creature, and three signifies the Triune God in resurrection. The two sides, each with the number three, signify a testimony. In the entrance we have the number four, signifying the creatures. Therefore, on each side we have the number three signifying God, and in the middle we have the number four signifying man, the creature. This means that the Triune God is borne by man, or that man bears God as a testimony. The appearance of the front side of the outer court is that of man bearing the Triune God as a testimony. This is very meaningful.
Now we must see that this Triune God whom we bear as a testimony is involved with man. Rather, He is in man. The very Triune God whom we bear as a testimony is no longer just the number three itself, but the number three with the number four, that is, three joined to four. This indicates that we bear the Triune God in man as a testimony. No doubt, the main number here is three. The number four is subordinate. God with man, or God in man, is the One we bear as a testimony.
Now we must go on to see why such a picture is portrayed at the front of the gate of the tabernacle. In this regard, John 16:8-11 is helpful. Speaking of the Spirit of reality, these verses say, “He will convict the world concerning sin, and concerning righteousness, and concerning judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer behold Me; and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.” Chapter sixteen of John is, of course, a continuation of chapters fourteen and fifteen and is itself followed by chapter seventeen. These four chapters go together. If we have the proper knowledge of these chapters, we shall see that they depict God as a testimony. Moreover, God in these chapters is the Triune God involved with man. In this portion of the Gospel of John, the Lord Jesus speaks of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. These three are one. All those who believe in Christ are to be perfected into one in the Triune God (John 17:23). Hence, in these chapters we see the Triune God involved with man and man bearing the Triune God as a testimony.
If we have a deeper experience of Christ’s redemption, we shall not preach the gospel in a superficial way. Instead, we shall preach the gospel in a way that will cause the listeners to know that they need to repent and become those who bear the Triune God as a testimony, bearing the Triune God who is involved with man. In our gospel preaching we need to say, “Do you intend to repent and believe in the Lord Jesus? Will you now receive Him as your Savior? If you intend to repent, believe in the Lord, and receive Him as your Savior, you must become a person bearing the Triune God as a testimony. You must realize this is the purpose of receiving the gospel.” If a person does not repent for this purpose, then he should not try to enter the gate of the court of the tabernacle. This is a basic principle of the gospel.
There are terms, conditions, of believing in the Lord Jesus and entering into Him, according to chapters fifteen through seventeen of the Gospel of John. However, at the time of our repentance, hardly any of us knew of these terms or conditions. I certainly was not told anything about them. Because we have this shortage, we need to go back and make up certain spiritual lessons that we should have learned at the very beginning of our Christian life. For this reason, in this message I am actually preaching the basic principles of the gospel.
Some may think that this understanding of the gospel is too deep for most people to understand. Actually, it is not deep at all. If it appears to be too deep, it is because of today’s shallow gospel preaching. This kind of preaching spoils our God-given talent to understand spiritual things. A new believer is able to understand much more than we realize.
The changes in elementary education over the years illustrate the capacity of young ones to understand many things. When I was in elementary school, the concept was that certain matters were very difficult to understand. But today children learn things in first grade that I did not learn until later grades. Things that we thought could only be understood later in school can actually be learned by younger children. In the same principle, much of today’s preaching of the gospel is too shallow and gives others a very superficial understanding of the gospel. The newly converted ones know only the ABC’s of the gospel. If you try to teach them something more regarding the gospel, they may say that it is too deep, when what is presented actually is simply more letters to complete the alphabet, perhaps the letters, L, M, and N. Most of today’s gospel preaching gives people only the first three letters of the spiritual alphabet — A, B, and C. But the preaching of the gospel in the Bible contains all the letters of the spiritual alphabet. However, many who have been Christians for years have not yet learned all the letters in the alphabet. Spiritually speaking, they do not know what is signified by the letters X, Y, and Z.
The basic gospel includes the matters signified by the gate of the court of the tabernacle. Do not think that these matters are not part of the gospel. For what purpose should a sinner repent, believe in the Lord Jesus, and receive Him as Savior? He should do these things for the purpose of entering God’s building. But hardly any of us heard such a word when we were saved. We were never told that the goal of salvation is to bring us into God’s building. Among Christians today, there is a lack of such a concept. But if I were preaching the gospel to sinners, I would tell them that they need to enter into God’s building. God’s unique enterprise in the universe is to have a building. This is God’s eternal purpose. Thus, the purpose of God’s salvation is to bring us into His building.
What is God’s building today? God’s building is the church. God’s economy, salvation, and redemption are to bring us into His building, the church. This is not my particular emphasis; it is the emphasis in the Bible. Christ Himself emphasized this. He tried to help others to know Him. According to Matthew 16, one day He asked His disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” When Peter confessed that He is the Christ, the Son of the living God, the Lord went on to speak concerning the church: “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” (Matt. 16:18). The purpose of knowing Christ is that we may be built into the church. Furthermore, in the book of Acts we see that thousands were saved for the purpose of the raising up and the building up of churches. Then in Romans Paul indicates that we sinners have been justified, transferred out of Adam into Christ, and are now walking according to spirit so that we may become full-grown sons to be proper members built up in the Body. For this reason, at the end of the book of Romans we have local churches. This is the ultimate goal of God’s revelation and also the goal of God’s gospel. The entire book of Romans, according to Paul, is the gospel of God. Entering into the building of God, therefore, is the goal of God’s salvation.
To enter into God’s building is to be saved. When we were outside the building of God, we were lost. But when we repented and believed in the Lord Jesus, we came into God’s salvation and also entered into God’s building. From the very beginning, we should have realized that to enter into the building of God is to bear the Triune God involved with man as a testimony. This is what we all should be doing today. Once again I say that this concept is not deep. As part of the twenty-six letters of the spiritual alphabet, it is something we should have learned at the beginning. However, we were not taught this, and we did not learn it.
More than fifty years ago, I learned some letters of the Greek alphabet, but at that time I did not learn them very well. I had trouble, for instance, with the Greek letter gamma (γ), which resembles a lower case y in the English alphabet. Also, an upper case y (Y) in the English alphabet looks somewhat like an upper case upsilon (Υ) in Greek. Today many believers have learned the alphabet of God’s salvation in much the same way I learned part of the Greek alphabet years ago. On the one hand, they are like those who do know some Greek letters. On the other hand, they are like those who confuse Greek and English letters, perhaps taking a lower case English y for a lower case Greek gamma. For example, they may think that certain aspects of our culture are the same as God’s salvation. This can be compared to saying that an upper case Greek eta (Η) is the same as an upper case English h (H), or that a lower case English p is the same as a lower case Greek rho (ρ).
Those who confuse aspects of culture with God’s salvation have not learned thoroughly the alphabet of God’s salvation. They know something about justification, regeneration, and forgiveness. But they also know many things of their culture. As a result, they unconsciously mix certain aspects of their culture with God’s salvation and confuse human culture with the salvation of God. Furthermore, when someone speaks about a certain aspect of God’s salvation, they may be very confident that they understand. Actually, they do not understand at all and have confused something of God with their natural concept and the cultural elements that have saturated them. This can be compared to thinking that a lower case Greek nu (ν) is a lower case English v. I use this illustration of Greek and English letters to point out our need to know the complete alphabet of God’s salvation.
What we see signified at the front of the court of the tabernacle is man bearing as a testimony the Triune God involved with man. Whenever a person repents, believes, and enters into God’s salvation, that person should realize that he is entering into God’s building and that this building is God’s testimony. The entire realm of the tabernacle, including the tabernacle itself and the outer court, is a constitution of the Triune God with His chosen and redeemed people. Therefore, it is God’s testimony. God is the One testified, and we are those testifying Him. Thus, from God’s side, it is a testimony. From our side, it is a matter of bearing the testimony. This bearing of the Triune God as a testimony is signified by the door, the gate, of the court of the tabernacle.
The gate or entrance of any building expresses the purpose of that building. For example, the entrance of a bank indicates clearly that that building is a bank. Likewise, the entrance of a stadium has a different kind of appearance, indicating that it is a gateway into a stadium. The same is true of the entrance of a school. In keeping with this principle, the gate of the court of the tabernacle also has a particular appearance: it signifies man bearing as a testimony the Triune God involved with man. If this part of the alphabet of God’s salvation can be impressed upon us, this message will have been helpful.
Having considered the appearance of the gate, let us now see what is the basic material used to produce such an appearance. The basic material here is bronze. Both the pillars and the sockets for the court of the tabernacle were made of bronze. Bronze, as we have pointed out, signifies God’s judgment. According to John 16:8, when the Spirit of reality comes, He will convict the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. Whoever would enter into God’s building must be fully judged. He must pass through the bronze gate, a gate of judgment. Although the pillars are covered with linen, linen is not the basic material of the court. The basic material is bronze, signifying the righteous judgment of God.
We who would come into the building of God must realize that everything we are, everything we have, everything we do, and everything we are able to do must be judged. This means that good things as well as bad things must be judged. Our good behavior and our bad behavior both need to be judged. In like manner, our hatred and our love, our pride and our humility, along with all of our virtues, must pass through the gate of God’s judgment.
Passing through the bronze gate can be compared to passing through the checkpoint in an airline terminal. Anyone who would pass through that point must be examined. Likewise, if we would come into God’s building, we must pass through the gate of judgment and experience God’s judgment on everything we are, have, and do.
When we heard the gospel and repented, we were not told anything about this. I never heard that I needed to be judged, that my being, my behavior, my speaking, my doings, and my ability needed to pass through God’s judgment. As a result, I brought certain good aspects of my natural life and ability into the so-called church. I believe many of us did this. Some even came into the church life and brought with them a number of worldly things that had not been judged. This is to have a gate made with something other than bronze as the basic material. But the gate of the court of the tabernacle is a bronze gate, the gate of judgment. If we have not experienced this judgment in a thorough way, we must make up this lesson and pass through the bronze gate.
The expression of the outer court is linen signifying the righteousness of God. After we have been judged, we bear God’s righteousness. Therefore, what we bear is not our natural virtue or our outward behavior — it is the righteousness of God. This also is a basic truth of the gospel. In preaching the gospel we need to declare, “Sinners, people of this world, you need to be judged. When everything about you, both good and bad, has been judged, you will bear the righteousness of God.”
How can the righteousness of God be linked to us? According to the typology in Exodus 27, it is linked to us by the silver hooks and connecting rods. This indicates that out of God’s judgment comes Christ’s redemption, and this redemption is the holding power and the linking strength. How can we, sinners and enemies of God, be linked to God’s righteousness? How can God’s righteousness be held onto us? This is possible only through the redemption of Christ, which comes out of God’s judgment. As fallen people, we need to be judged in every way. But whatever God judges, Christ redeems. Praise the Lord, God’s judgment produces Christ’s redemption! If we would enjoy the redemption of Christ, we first need the judgment of God.
The true meaning of repentance is that we are judged. To repent is to judge ourselves and condemn ourselves. Whenever a person repents, he condemns himself and places himself under God’s judgment. This is the experience of bronze.
But since Christ redeems whatever God judges, this redemption will link the judged one to God’s righteousness. Furthermore, this redemption also joins us to one another. The pillars in the court of the tabernacle each stood separately. However, by the connecting rods they were joined into one unit. Hallelujah, whatever God judges, Christ redeems, and whatever Christ redeems is linked by this redemption to God’s righteousness! The redemption of Christ joins us to God’s righteousness and to one another. Therefore, with the outer court we have three important matters: judgment, redemption, and righteousness. God’s righteousness is for the expression of His testimony.
When in our experience we enter into the outer court of the tabernacle, we find that the most striking element is bronze. As we look around, we see sixty pillars of bronze and sixty sockets of bronze. Furthermore, 27:19 says, “All the utensils of the tabernacle in all its service, and all its pegs, and all the pegs of the court shall be of bronze.” The pegs are for holding the fence of the outer court and also for the tabernacle. Verse 19 indicates that there were two sets of pegs, one for the tabernacle and the other for the outer court. Even these pegs were made of bronze. The altar of burnt offering and the laver were also covered with bronze. Therefore, whoever came into the outer court beheld a scene of bronze.
This scene filled with bronze portrays the judgment of God. God’s judgment can be seen everywhere in the outer court. Everything in the realm of God’s building is under God’s judgment. Everything related to us must be put under God’s judgment. Our cleverness and all our natural ability, to say nothing of our shortcomings, need to be judged.
We have pointed out that the utensils, the furniture, and the pegs in the outer court, along with the pillars and the sockets, were of bronze. The pegs signify the standing and holding power. This power is of bronze, of judgment. If we would have a solid base in God’s building, we must be under judgment. If we would have the standing strength, we must also be under God’s judgment. In order to be strong and stable, we need to be judged. The more we are under God’s judgment, the more stable we shall be.
Do you know why certain saints come into the church life and after a short period of time become unstable and then disappear? The reason for their instability is that they do not have the bronze pegs; they lack God’s judgment as their strength and stability. From the day a saint comes into the church life, he should place himself under God’s judgment. Then he will be strong and stable in the church. Judgment truly stabilizes the church life.
Some brothers and sisters criticize others and condemn them. In particular, the elders in a local church are often condemned by the critical ones. Those who criticize others are not under God’s judgment. If we are under the judgment of God day by day, we shall not be critical of others. We shall not judge them or condemn them. Those who judge others are those who have not been judged. But those who have been judged do not judge others.
I can testify with a pure conscience that I judge myself much more than I judge anyone else. When I am tempted to talk about the shortcomings of anyone else, I become conscious of a sense of judgment within. This inner sense causes me to realize that I am not better than others. Rather, I am worse. I believe that many of us have had this kind of experience. Being judged closes our judging, criticizing mouth. But if we are not under judgment, it will be easy for us to speak critical or judging words regarding others.
I would encourage you to consider the scenery of the outer court. It is a scene filled with bronze, with God’s judgment. Everywhere we see bronze signifying judgment: bronze sockets, bronze pillars, bronze pegs, bronze furniture, bronze utensils. Without judgment, there is no boundary, no base, no strength for standing, and no stability.
As we have seen, Christ’s redemption comes out of God’s judgment. Redemption is signified by the silver overlaying the caps, the capitals, of the pillars. All the pillars of the fence of the court were overlaid on their caps with silver. These capitals overlaid with silver signify glory. Thus, Christ’s redemption coming out of God’s judgment becomes our crown, our boast, our glory. This is the significance of the silver capitals on top of the bronze pillars.
Furthermore, there were the silver hooks, the silver connecting rods, and the silver sockets for the tenons of the standing boards of the tabernacle. This signifies that the redemption of Christ becomes the solid foundation for the standing of all the members of God’s building. What a beautiful picture we have here! First we see God’s judgment and then Christ’s redemption.
The redemption of Christ becomes our crown, our holding power, our connecting strength. It also becomes our foundation on which to stand as members of the building of God. This is the judgment of God bringing forth the redemption of Christ, the bronze bringing forth the silver.
Following the bronze and the silver, we have gold. By the bronze, we enter into the court. Then through the silver, we enter into the Holy Place. In the Holy Place, and especially in the Holy of Holies, everything is of gold. This signifies that the divine nature is our portion, our enjoyment, and our experience. Everything in the tabernacle is gold: golden boards, golden utensils, a golden showbread table, a golden lampstand, and a golden incense altar. In the Holy of Holies we have the golden ark with the golden cherubim and utensils. Everything inside the tabernacle is gold. Therefore, bronze brings forth silver, and silver brings us into the gold. This signifies that everything must be judged in order to be redeemed. Then after we have been redeemed, we are brought into the nature of God. This is our destiny, our destination; it is also our portion, enjoyment, and experience. Once we are brought into the gold, we should stay here. Even we need to touch the very depths in the Holy of Holies and to be with God, and also to become one with Him.
