Message 87
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Scripture Reading: Exo. 25:17-22
In our study of the tabernacle and its furnishings, we are concerned not merely to know the types in a doctrinal way, but to apply the types to our spiritual experience. In this message and in the next two messages I am burdened to speak a further word on the propitiatory cover. We have seen that the propitiatory cover signifies Christ as the cover of God’s righteous law and also the place where God speaks to His redeemed people in grace. This cover is made of pure gold, signifying Christ’s divine nature, and its size signifies a testimony. Furthermore, the two golden cherubim on the propitiatory cover signify God’s glory and indicate that God’s glory comes out of Christ as the propitiatory cover to be a testimony. In the foregoing message we emphasized the fact that God meets with His redeemed people and speaks with them in the propitiating Christ. He speaks to them from between the two cherubim, indicating that He speaks to His people from the glory expressed in the propitiating Christ as His testimony.
We have pointed out that the ark of the testimony was in the inmost part of the tabernacle. The tabernacle was surrounded by the outer court. There were two sections in the tabernacle — the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies. The Holy of Holies may be likened to our deepest part, our spirit. The Holy of Holies is the deepest part of the tabernacle, and in this deepest part the ark occupies the central place.
Just as we are tripartite, composed of body, soul, and spirit, so the tabernacle with the outer court is composed of three parts. The outer court corresponds to our body; the Holy Place, to our soul; and the Holy of Holies, to our spirit. The ark of testimony in the Holy of Holies signifies the Christ who dwells in our spirit. Christ, the resurrected One, lives as the indwelling Spirit in our regenerated spirit. Actually, this message is not an exposition on the propitiatory covering. Rather, it is a word concerning the Christ who lives in our spirit.
You may be familiar with Paul’s word, “The Lord be with your spirit” (2 Tim. 4:22), and you may have had some experience of the Christ who dwells within you. But do you know what kind of Christ lives in you? He is wonderful and all-inclusive. However, if we have never been enlightened concerning the ark of the testimony, and if we have not had a vision of the ark as a type of Christ with its significance for our experience, we do not have adequate knowledge of the Christ who is in our spirit. We may know the terminology and the verses which speak of Christ dwelling in us, but we may not actually know who is the Christ and what is the Christ who dwells in our spirit. If we would know this Christ, we need a vision of the ark of the testimony. In particular, we need to be enlightened with respect to the propitiatory cover.
The ark is a box in the shape of a stand. We have seen that the ark typifies Christ. The very Christ who is in our spirit is the ark, and this ark is a stand. In the Bible any stand or standing implies a testimony. To take a stand is to testify. As the ark, Christ is God’s testimony. He stands as the testimony of God in our spirit and in the whole universe.
Because the ark is a box, a container, it has a particular content. Exodus 25:21 says, “Into the ark you shall put the testimony which I shall give you.” This testimony, the tables of the law, can be considered a photograph, a portrait, of God. Hence, the content of Christ as the ark is the law as a portrait, a photograph, a definition, of God. Later, the golden pot with manna and Aaron’s budding rod were also put into the ark.
We have seen that the ark was made of acacia wood overlaid with gold. The acacia wood and the gold typify the two natures of Christ: the gold typifies His divine nature, and the acacia wood, His human nature. Both within and without, the ark was overlaid with gold. This indicates that Christ is divine, that He is God. However, He is not only God, but also a man. Therefore, Christ is a God-man. The gold-wood ark typifies Christ as the God-man.
It is a mark of blindness and foolishness to oppose the truth that Christ is a God-man. Certain of our opposers seem to pay attention only to the gold of the ark, only to Christ’s divinity. They do not pay adequate attention to the fact that the ark is made of wood overlaid with gold, to the fact that Christ is truly the God-man. We most assuredly believe that Christ is God. But we realize that just as the ark was made of wood overlaid with gold, so Christ has a human nature within His divine nature.
In time to come, more believers will realize that, as the One typified by the ark made of wood overlaid with gold, Christ is the God-man. The truth will go out, and it will convince, subdue, and enlighten. We praise the Lord for this.
As the God-man, the One who possesses both the divine nature and the human nature, Christ is both the Creator and a creature. Several years ago some who oppose this truth declared, “Our Christ is the Creator — He is not a creature.” What blindness! The Bible says clearly that Christ is the Firstborn of all creation (Col. 1:15). Because Christ is all-inclusive, He is the first of the creatures and He is the Creator of all. If Christ were only God and not man, only the Creator and not a creature, He would not be all-inclusive. He would not be the reality of all positive things in the universe.
Eventually, either in this age or in the coming age, all those who oppose today will come to believe that Christ is all-inclusive. In eternity we all shall know that Christ is God and man, the Creator and the creature, for He is the ark made of acacia wood overlaid with gold.
The most crucial part of the ark of the testimony was its cover. Many buildings in ancient times had something called a topstone, or capstone. The cover of the ark was like a capstone of a building. The propitiatory cover of the ark signifies the topmost part of Christ. The Hebrew word for cover here means a lid. Most translators, however, do not regard the word lid as an adequate rendering, for they realize that this cover is not simple in its significance. For example, there were two cherubim on the lid, the cover, of the ark. Although no one can describe these cherubim, we know that they had faces, eyes, and wings. Exodus 25:20 says, “And the cherubim shall spread out their wings above, covering over with their wings the propitiatory cover, with their faces each toward the other; toward the propitiatory cover the faces of the cherubim shall be.” The cherubim were made at the two ends of the propitiatory cover, and their wings covered the entire lid. The cherubim were made of beaten work, signifying that Christ’s expression of the divine glory was through sufferings. According to the Bible, these cherubim signify God’s glory. Wherever the cherubim are, there the glory of God is also. Thus, the picture of the propitiatory cover with the cherubim shows that God’s glory, signified by the cherubim, is upon Christ.
In verses such as these, it is necessary to have an accurate translation to obtain the proper understanding. However, it is not easy to translate the Bible. Do not think that simply because a person has a scholarly knowledge of biblical languages he is qualified to translate the Bible properly. To translate the Bible accurately we must know the truth of the Bible as a whole and we should also have experience in the Lord.
According to the truth of the Bible, blood was sprinkled on the propitiatory cover of the ark. This blood came from the sacrifices offered on the brass altar in the outer court for propitiation, sacrifices to make peace between sinners and God. The blood of these sacrifices was brought into the Holy of Holies and sprinkled seven times on the propitiatory cover. No doubt, at least a large area of the lid was covered by the sprinkled blood. As a result, the golden lid was eventually covered with blood. The ark in this way became a place of propitiation for man with God.
In a foregoing message we pointed out that the ark of testimony has a rim of gold. The King James Version uses the word crown. This may imply that the cover of the ark is a crown. This signifies that, as the One typified by the ark, Christ wears a crown. A crown is always placed on the top of a person’s head and may be worn as a special hat, or cap.
In seeking to understand the significance of the ark of testimony for our spiritual experience, we should not rely on the ability of our natural mind. To attempt to do this is to be like cows listening to beautiful music: the sounds can be heard, but there is no understanding or appreciation. There were times many years ago that I was like such a cow listening to messages. Although I could easily recite all the points of a certain message even a year afterward, I didn’t understand the “music” or appreciate it. I did not have genuine spiritual vision, and I was short of light from the Lord. By the Lord’s mercy, my situation today is very different. Now I appreciate the “music” I hear from the Word. I hope that more and more of the saints will also come to appreciate the music. Concerning the ark, we need light from the Lord. In particular, we need light regarding the cover, the cherubim, the rim, and the sprinkling of the blood on the lid of the ark.
Exodus 25:22 says, “And I will meet with you there, and will speak with you from above the propitiatory cover, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony, all that I shall command you concerning the sons of Israel.” This verse indicates that God could meet with man and speak with man between the cherubim on the ark. Would you have the boldness to come into the Holy of Holies, stand before the ark, and meet with God face to face? Even though I have known the grace of God for many years, I would not have such boldness.
At this point, we need to consider the portrait of the ark in more detail. God was between the cherubim, ready to meet with man. The Holy of Holies, in which the ark of testimony was situated, was a rather restricted space; it was only ten cubits square. Under the glory and in the glory, God meets with man and talks with him. In the foregoing message we said that God always meets with us and speaks to us in glory. According to the picture in the Old Testament, God was in the midst of the glory of the cherubim, and under His feet was the propitiatory cover sprinkled with the blood. Here we have a portrait of God meeting with man. Now we must see that this portrait signifies Christ in His totality, Christ not only as the ark itself, but also as the top, the cap, of the ark. This is the Christ who is in our spirit. However, few of us have realized that the Christ who dwells in our spirit is such a One.
We need a new language to describe the Christ who lives in us. This Christ is the ark, a stand, as a testimony and container. The content of Christ as the ark is God’s law as the definition, description, and portrait of God. Furthermore, Christ has two natures, a divine nature and a human nature. He also has a top part, signified by the lid of the ark, which is the propitiatory cover. At the ends of the lid there are cherubim, which are related to God’s glory. All this portrays the Christ who is in our spirit.
The blood sprinkled on the propitiatory cover came from the sacrifices. Although the sacrifices were slain at the altar in the outer court, the blood was brought into the Holy of Holies and sprinkled on the ark. This indicates that the effectiveness of the blood of the sacrifices is not mainly at the altar in the outer court, but at the ark in the Holy of Holies. However, the understanding of most Christians today regarding the blood is limited to the blood shed on the cross. Many hymns speak of the blood of the cross. In their Christian life, believers may spend all their time at the cross, at the altar. Some may spend their entire Christian life making one circle after another around the cross. Few enter into the Holy of Holies.
Consider your experience in the past. When you were in the denominations, did you ever enter into the Holy of Holies? Did you not spend a great deal of time only at the cross? Did you not sing hymns which only emphasized the blood at the altar? The blood shed on Calvary has been brought into the Holy of Holies and sprinkled on the propitiatory cover. According to the Old Testament, the blood shed at the altar was first sprinkled at the altar. This signifies the accomplishment of redemption. Then after redemption, or propitiation, had been accomplished, this blood was brought into the Holy of Holies and sprinkled on the cover of the ark. This made it possible for God to meet with man and speak with him from between the cherubim. When God comes to meet with us, His standing is the redeeming blood. Because the blood has been sprinkled on the propitiatory cover and because God’s standing is on the blood, He can meet with us in the midst of His shining glory. All this is related to the Christ who lives in us.
We now have such a wonderful Christ dwelling in our spirit. But because of our blindness and ignorance, not many of us have an adequate realization concerning Him. Most Christians have never realized in a full way that the Christ who lives in us is the very One portrayed by the ark with the propitiatory cover. However, we should not be satisfied simply to hear of such a Christ and learn of Him in a doctrinal way. We must go on to experience Him more and more.
