Message 148
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Scripture Reading: Exo. 30:1-5; 37:25-28; Rom. 8:34; Heb. 7:25
In the foregoing message we pointed out that the Gospel of John may be regarded as representative of the entire Bible. In this Gospel we have creation, the tabernacle, and the various items found in the outer court and in the tabernacle: the altar of burnt offering, the laver, the table, the lampstand, the ark, and the incense altar. As we have seen, the last item to be revealed of the furniture within the tabernacle, the incense altar, is the center of God’s operation in the universe. It is the heavenly White House.
It is also possible to regard the book of Romans as representing the Bible as a whole. In the first few chapters of Romans we have the burnt offering altar, and in chapter eight we have the ark, for this chapter is the Holy of Holies. Furthermore, in chapter eight, we have the incense altar, Christ as the Intercessor. Verse 34 says, “Who is he that condemns? It is Christ Jesus who died, but rather who was raised, who is even at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.” According to this verse, the One who died for our sins, who has been raised from among the dead, and who has ascended to the right hand of God in the heavens is the One who is interceding for us. Only this One can condemn us, but instead of condemning us, He is interceding for us. Hallelujah, this One will never condemn us! Now, after His death, resurrection, and ascension, He is interceding for us.
If it were not for Christ’s intercession, no one would accept His death, experience His resurrection, or be one with Him in His ascension. In order for people to be motivated to experience Christ’s death, resurrection, and ascension, His intercession is necessary. Without the interceding of Christ and the church, sinners will not receive the death of Christ. Moreover, those who have received Christ’s death will not go on to experience His resurrection, much less know what it means to be with Christ in ascension, sitting with Him in the heavenlies. All these experiences are dependent on the motivation that comes from the interceding Christ and the interceding church. This is the significance of the incense altar.
The Bible first shows us the altar, the cross of Christ, and then the laver, the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. Following this, we have Christ as the life supply, as the light, and in the Holy of Holies as the ark. Finally, in the book of Revelation, a book of God’s executing, we see that the divine administration, the divine executing, is always carried out by the incense altar.
As those who are seeking the Lord, we in the recovery both individually and corporately must learn one thing — to pray. We need a praying life. The real praying life is always a life of interceding. Genuine prayer is not mainly to pray for ourselves; it is continually to pray for others. Praying for ourselves is not intercession. But to pray for others is to intercede for them. Thus, prayer for others is intercession.
The proper prayer life is a life of praying for others, of interceding for them. We need to pray for the churches throughout the earth and for all the saints. We need to pray for the older ones, the younger ones, and the opposers. Day by day we need to pray not mainly for ourselves, but for others. We need such an interceding life. The intercession offered at the incense altar should daily be increasing.
If we consider the diagram of the tabernacle and the outer court, we shall see that the incense altar is the center. If there were no incense altar in the tabernacle, the tabernacle would not have a center. The executing center of God’s administration is not the ark; the executing center is the incense altar. It is very important that we all see this.
The diagram of the tabernacle and the outer court is also a diagram of our tripartite being. The outer court signifies the body; the Holy Place, the soul; and the Holy of Holies, the spirit. Where have you been today — in the outer court, in the Holy Place, or in the Holy of Holies? Some saints may have been in the outer court. When we lose our temper or when we murmur, complain, and gossip, we are in the outer court, that is, in the flesh. Anger and complaining are signs of being in the outer court, in the body.
From reading the Life-study Messages we may be enlightened concerning the tabernacle and its furniture. However, none of the matters concerning which we have received light may be effective in our experience; it may seem that nothing works. The reason is the lack of a prayer life. If we do not have the center, the incense altar, none of the aspects of the tabernacle and the outer court will be effective in our experience. Oh, we must have a prayer life! We must have the incense altar. The prayer life motivates us to experience the altar, the laver, the table, the lampstand, and the ark. If you will pray even a little, you will find in your experience that the showbread table is precious, that the lampstand is prevailing, and that the ark is attractive.
We may have much knowledge about the furniture in the tabernacle. We may know what is in the Holy Place and in the Holy of Holies. Nevertheless, we may not have any of these aspects of the tabernacle in our experience. Rather, we may be like a machine without a motor. Do you know what is the “motor” in our being, the motor in our body, soul, and spirit? The motor is the prayer life. Christ is not only the bread, the light, and the ark — He is also the incense altar. This means that He is the motivator and even the motor. Therefore, we need to enjoy Him as our prayer. We need to let Him pray in us, let Him guide us into prayer and into the enjoyment of Him as our prayer. I hope that we all shall see this.
In our experience we need to come to the altar, the laver, the table, the lampstand, and the ark. According to my study of the Bible, after we come to the ark in the Holy of Holies, we need to come back to the incense altar. The incense altar is not one item on the passageway through the tabernacle. On the contrary, it can be compared to a motor which causes everything to operate. Hence, the incense altar stands by itself as a turning point. Again and again we must come back to this turning point. This means that in order to experience any aspect of the outer court or the tabernacle, we need to pray. When we pray, everything works. When we pray, in our experience the altar, the laver, the table, the lampstand, and the ark are all effective. However, when the motor stops, everything else stops also. When the motor operates, everything else operates. This is the reason that we need to have a motor — the interceding Christ — operating within us. We need to have a prayer life, a life of prayer.
The incense altar signifies Christ as the Intercessor to maintain the relationship between God and His people (Rom. 8:34; Heb. 7:25). Without such an interceding Christ, the proper relationship between God and us could not exist. This relationship could not be maintained. Therefore, for the maintaining of our relationship with God, we need prayer not only from Christ individually, but also from His Body corporately.
According to Exodus 30:1 and 3, the incense altar was made of acacia wood overlaid with gold. The acacia wood signifies Christ’s humanity, and the gold signifies His divinity. Thus, the incense altar made with acacia wood overlaid with gold signifies that Christ’s humanity is strong in character and high in standard to express His divinity. Nothing can express God as much as an interceding life. This interceding life is based on the renewed and uplifted humanity of Christ to express God Himself.
Exodus 30:2 gives us the size of the incense altar: “A cubit its length, and a cubit its width — it shall be squared, and two cubits its height.” The incense altar was one cubit in both length and width. It was a square. The height of it was two cubits. This means that the incense altar was two cubes of one cubit each. A square signifies perfection, and a cube signifies perfection in perfection. Moreover, the two cubes indicate something that is twofold, something that gives confirmation and bears a testimony. This implies that the interceding Christ, or the interceding life, is a confirmation, perfection, and testimony. Moreover, the height of the incense altar was greater than that of the showbread table and the ark. This indicates that Christ is interceding in the highest.
The incense altar has four horns, one on each of its four corners. In biblical typology, a horn signifies strength. Therefore, the four horns on the incense altar signify the strength of Christ’s intercession. These horns indicate that Christ’s intercession is powerful toward the four corners of the earth.
At this point I would say parenthetically that on the day of Atonement the blood of the sin offering was brought within the veil, into the Holy of Holies, and sprinkled on the propitiation-cover of the ark. Then the blood of the sin offering was sprinkled on the incense altar. This is a further indication that the incense altar was not on the passageway, but rather was a center and a turning point. The blood of atonement sprinkled on the incense altar made that altar an efficacious, effective, turning point.
The latter part of 30:3 says, “And you shall make for it a crown of gold round about.” This crown was a kind of ledge around the altar. The crown of gold around the incense altar signifies the glory of Christ’s divinity being the preserving power of His intercession. Our praying life does have the power to preserve God’s people and His interests. It has the power to preserve whatever needs to be preserved.
Exodus 30:4 says, “And you shall make two rings of gold for it under its crown; upon its two ribs you shall make them, upon its two sides; and they shall be receptacles for poles to carry it by them.” The two rings of gold as receptacles for the carrying poles signify the moving of Christ’s intercession.
Concerning the poles, verse 5 says, “And you shall make the poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold.” This signifies that Christ’s human nature with His divine nature is the strength for the moving of His intercession.
The rings and the poles both refer to the Spirit of Christ, that is, to the life-giving Spirit. On the one hand, this life-giving Spirit is the rings; on the other hand, this Spirit is the poles. The life-giving Spirit brings the intercession of Christ everywhere on earth. This can be compared to radio waves that are sent out everywhere.
Today the life-giving Spirit includes the element of Christ’s human life. This is signified by the poles of acacia wood overlaid with gold. The Spirit today is all-inclusive. Before Christ’s death, the Spirit was “not yet” (John 7:39) because Christ had not yet been glorified in resurrection. Through His resurrection He became the life-giving Spirit. On the one hand, He is the Redeemer; on the other hand, He is the life-giving Spirit. He is also the Lord in the heavens.
The life-giving Spirit includes Christ’s humanity and His divinity. Now this Spirit is moving on earth to bring the effectiveness of the praying Christ to people everywhere. Wherever God’s interests are, this prayer will be followed by the life-giving Spirit. This means that when the churches and the saints pray with Christ, the life-giving Spirit will carry out whatever we pray, bringing Christ’s intercession to every place on earth related to God’s interests.
May we all be stirred up to seek such an interceding life so that we may enjoy Christ not only as the table, the lampstand, and the ark, but also as the incense altar. This incense altar is the turning point of our Christian life. It motivates every aspect of the Christian life to positive action. The prayer of intercession also motivates others to come to Christ at the altar of burnt offering, at the laver, at the table, at the lampstand, and at the ark in the Holy of Holies. It will motivate a great many saints to seek the riches of Christ until they come to maturity. Therefore, it is extremely important that we intercede with Christ at the incense altar.
