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In this message we come to the ark (Gen. 6:14-16). We have seen that Genesis is a book containing many spiritual seeds. The ark is truly a great seed. The Lord has shown us something about the depth of this great type.
Firstly, I would like to speak about the dimensions and size of the ark. The length of the ark was three hundred cubits, the breadth fifty cubits, and the height thirty cubits (6:15). The ark had three stories (6:16). Since the height of the ark was thirty cubits, each story must have been ten cubits high. These dimensions are very meaningful. Why was the ark not eight hundred cubits long, seventy cubits wide, and twenty or forty cubits high? Why was it three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high? The answer is that the basic numbers in God's building are three and five.
Exo. 25:10 tells of another ark, the ark of God's testimony. Thus, in the Bible there are two arks — Noah's ark and the ark of God's testimony. The first ark bore two numbers, three and five. But the dimensions of the ark of the testimony are two and a half cubits in length, one and a half cubits in width, and one and a half cubits in height. As we compare these two arks, we see that two and a half is half of five and one and a half is half of three. The first ark has the numbers in full, and the second ark has the numbers in halves. The Bible is the divine Word, and every point in it has a specific significance. Why are the measurements of the ark of the testimony in halves? When you see the half, you realize that there is another half, and that the two put together form a testimony. The two halves form a complete unit. That is God's testimony. The second ark was God's testimony. How could the testimony be signified by means of a figure? Although it is difficult for people to see a figure and realize the testimony, when people looked at the measurements of the ark of testimony and saw that they were halves, they would immediately realize the need of the other half. They would know that this was a testimony, for two is the number of testimony. What are the measurements of the ark a testimony of? They are a testimony of a complete unit in the basic numbers of three and five.
What is the meaning of the numbers three and five? In the Bible the number three firstly signifies the Triune God — God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit (Matt. 28:19). Why must God be in three Persons? Do we have one God or three? We must say emphatically that we have one God. However, some Christians, understanding the Trinity according to their mental apprehension, have come to believe in three gods. A man once told me that the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are three gods. When I heard this, I said, "Please do not say this. That is really heresy. The Bible never tells us that there are three gods. The Bible always says that there is one God." Our God is one (Deut. 6:4; Isa. 45:5; 1 Cor. 8:4). Why or how can this one God have three Persons? The term "Person" is not found in the Bible; it comes from man's interpretation. Griffith Thomas, the writer of the best exposition on Romans, said in his book, Principles of Theology, "The term Person is also sometimes objected to. It certainly must not be pressed too far, or it will lead to Tritheism..While we are compelled to use terms like `substance' and `Person,' we are not to think of them as identical with what we understand as human substance and personality..The truth of the experience of the Trinity is not dependent upon theological terminology." Griffith Thomas also said that our human language is inadequate to explain this divine mystery. We lack the language, the utterance, and the terms. We are short of the proper understanding of this divine mystery. What terms should we use? We do not know. No adequate terms are available. The Trinity is a mystery, and we have no vehicle, no means, to express it. When Philip asked the Lord Jesus to show him and the other disciples the Father, the Lord said, "Am I so long a time with you, and you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father. How is it that you say, Show us the Father?" (John 14:9).
I have been condemned for saying that the Lord Jesus is the Spirit. Although I do not like to argue or to answer, I would like to ask those dear brothers who condemn me how they interpret 2 Corinthians 3:17 which says, "And the Lord is the Spirit." Do not ask, "Then are the Lord and the Spirit one?" We do not have the skill nor the means to explain this adequately. Although we cannot explain it adequately, we do have a verse in the Bible which says, "And the Lord is the Spirit." Where do you put this verse? Will you cut it out of your Bible? I would also present to those brothers Isaiah 9:6 which says, "Unto us a son is given..and his name shall be called..The everlasting Father..." Is He the Son or the Father? Again, although we cannot explain this adequately, we do have this verse that says that the Son shall be called the Father. Second Corinthians 3:17 says that the Lord is now the Spirit, and Isaiah 9:6 says that the Son is called the Father. This is the mystery of the Trinity. We do have the Father, the Son, and the Spirit; yet the Son is called the Father, and the Son is the Spirit. They three are still one God.
We all know John 1:1. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God." It is quite clear that the Word and God are distinct. However, the following clause of John 1:1 says, "and the Word was God." This clause creates a problem. In the beginning was the Word of God, the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Are they one or two? This is a mystery, the mystery of the Triune God.
Eph. 4:6 says that the Father is in us, Col. 1:27 says that Christ, the Son, is in us, and John 14:17 says that the Holy Spirit is in us. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are all in us. Once I presented these verses to a certain person, asking him if he was clear about them and if he believed what they said. I asked him, "Do you believe all these facts — that the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are in you?" When he said that he did, I asked him, "Tell me, how many are in you now?" He said, "One." Then I said, "Haven't you admitted that the Bible tells us that the Father, the Son, and the Spirit all are in you? How can you say that only one is in you?" He could not answer. The Bible does say that the Father, the Son, and the Spirit, all three are in us. But, according to our experience, we have only one in us, whom we call either the Spirit or the Lord. This is the mystery of the Trinity of our God. He is the only one God, yet He is the Father, the Son, and the Spirit.
The Trinity of God is for Him to be dispensed into us. No food can get into us without being cooked or processed. If a food is not cooked, at least it must pass through the process of being masticated, swallowed, digested, and assimilated. Without this process, nothing can get into us. The Triune God is the very God who is dispensing Himself into our being. Matthew 28:19 says, "Baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." For what purpose do we baptize people into the Father, Son, and Spirit? For the purpose of processing them into God and for processing God into them. The Triune God, the Trinity, is not a theory or a theological teaching. It is God's dispensation.
The number three signifies God in His dispensation. The number three denotes the dispensing God, the very God who is dispensing Himself into people. Whenever the Bible speaks of God mingling with man, of God entering into man, or of God being dispensed into man, it always uses the matter of the Trinity. Consider, for example, 2 Cor. 13:14. "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all." This is not a doctrine of three gods; it is the Triune God in the process of dispensing, of getting Himself into us, and of bringing us into all His riches. This is the significance of the number three.
What does the number five signify? This is quite easy to understand. The ten commandments were divided into two tablets each containing five commandments. In Matthew 25, we have ten virgins divided into two groups of five. If you look at yourself, you will see that you have ten fingers and ten toes, all arranged in groups of five. The five fingers on each of your hands are composed of four plus one. If you had two thumbs and three fingers, it would be awkward for you to do anything. But with one thumb and four fingers we can easily do anything. The thumb is number one, representing the one God as the Creator. Four is the number of God's creature, like the four living creatures (Rev. 4:6). Thus, four plus one means man, God's creature, plus God. The thought here, as signified by the numbers three and five, is that of the mingling of the Triune God with man. What is God's building? God's building is simply to build Himself into us, and us into Him, making Him one with us and making us one with Him. So, in the ark, the basic numbers of three and five signify that this building is the mingling of God and man.
Why was the length of the ark three hundred cubits, the breadth fifty cubits, and the height thirty cubits? It is clear that the number three hundred is a hundred times of three, that the number fifty is ten times of five, and that the number thirty is ten times of three. The basic numbers are three and five, and the numbers three hundred, fifty, and thirty are the multiples of these basic numbers. The number one hundred denotes fullness. The Lord Jesus said that the best way to bear fruit is to bear it a hundredfold (Matt. 13:23). Thus, the number one hundred in the Bible is the number of fullness. The number ten means completeness (Dan. 1:12, 20). If you are lacking a thumb, you are incomplete. Since ten signifies completeness and a hundred indicates fullness, the ark is the mingling of the Triune God with man in completeness and in fullness.
If you read Exodus 27, you will find that the numbers three and five are also the basic numbers of the tabernacle. The court of the tabernacle was a hundred cubits long on both the south side and the north side (Exo. 27:9, 11). The breadth of the court on both the west side and the east side was fifty cubits (Exo. 27:12-13). The fence or curtains of the court were five cubits high (Exo. 27:18). The hangings on either side of the gate were fifteen cubits in length (Exo. 27:14-15). These hangings were supported by three pillars on each side, giving three sections of five cubits each. Nothing in the Bible is vain. The measurements of the entire court of the tabernacle are composed of the basic numbers of three and five. Furthermore, the whole tabernacle itself was of three sections: the outer court, the holy place, and the holiest of all. In the holy place there were three items: the showbread table, the lampstand, and the incense altar. This is all very meaningful. The numbers three and five are the basic numbers of God's building.
I hope that you take this word into your being and realize that whatever you share in building the church must be of three and five; it must be the Triune God mingled with man. Whatever you do for the building of the church must be in the mingling of the Triune God with you and others. This thought is deep.
The ark was of three stories, the lower, the second, and the third (6:16). The first, second, and third stories signify the height of the ark. The three sections of the tabernacle signify the depths into which we all must enter. The three stories of the ark signify the height which we all must attain. In one sense we are getting deeper, and in another sense we are getting higher. Undoubtedly, the three stories of the ark signify the Triune God. In the Trinity of the Godhead, we always say, the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. Which Person of the Trinity is the first story? It is easy to say who is the second, for we all know that the Son is in the middle. But is God the Father or God the Spirit the first story? In Luke 15 we find three parables: the shepherd recovering the lost sheep, the woman seeking and finding the lost coin, and the father receiving the returned prodigal. The first parable concerns the Son, the second concerns the Spirit, and the third concerns the Father. According to our experience, the Spirit firstly came to us, found us, brought us to the Son, and inspired us to believe in the Son. After we believed in the Son, we called, "O Father." The Spirit brings us to the Son, and the Son brings us to the Father. When we come to the Father, we are in the third story.
The Gospel of John is a book of the Son, and the First Epistle of John is a book of the Father. In the book of the Son, we have grace, but in the book of the Father, we have love. Love is higher than grace. In the Gospel of John we have the truth, but in the First Epistle of John we have the light. Light is higher than truth. The Gospel of John is good, for it brings us to the Son. The First Epistle of John, however, brings us to the Father. We all must go on from the Son to the Father.
The first story of the ark is of the Spirit. Many Christians like to talk about the so-called baptism in the Holy Spirit and about the charismatic things, but this is all in the first story. We all must go to the Spirit in order to know the Son, Christ. To know Christ is different; it is higher. Someday we shall all reach the story of the Father. This is the highest, greatest, and most mysterious.
Suppose I have a residence of three stories. If you are not my special friend, I would only admit you into the first story. I would not allow you into the second. If you are my good friend, I would admit you into the second story. However, unless you are so intimately related to me, I would never bring you into the third story to show you some of my mysteries, secrets, and hidden treasures. I would not dare to reveal to you my secrets and my riches. Who would be allowed into the third story? Certainly my wife would be there. The outsiders could never get into the third story.
Suppose that you are now in the ark. Would you prefer to stay in the first, second, or third story? I have no doubt that Noah, his sons, and daughters-in-law were in the third story. The lower beasts and creeping things might have been in the first story and the higher animals in the second. I can testify to you that I have passed the first story. I want to go higher and higher.
Following this, we come to the matter of light. In the ark there was one window towards the heavens (6:16). That was the skylight. The Hebrew word for window has the same root as the word for noon. This means that when you are under the window, you are in the noontime. You are in the sunshine and are full of light. Whether you are in the first, second, or third story is proved by the degree of light that you have. I have seen a good number of fervent Christians. In a sense they were on fire, but they were not so much in the light. I have also met some other dear saints whose presence made everything clear. I had many good times with Brother Nee. Whenever a person sat down with him, all of his darkness vanished, and everything became clear. In his presence it was noontime. What story are you in? The story you are in is indicated by the amount of light you have. The more light you have, the higher you are, and the less light you have, the lower you are.
There was only one window in the ark. Today people argue a great deal about different ministries. I do not care for the number of ministries. There is only one window and only one light. The Apostle Paul said that we must reject the doctrines different from what he preached and taught (Gal. 1:6-9; Rom. 16:17; 1 Tim. 1:3). In God's economy and in God's church there should be only one window. The light should not come from the north, south, east, or west, but from the sky. In the building of God, there is only one window, one revelation, and one vision. The light comes from above.
The ark had one door on the side (6:16). No one has ever dropped into the ark from the heavens. We all came in through the side. There is only one door, one way, to get in. Some may argue that there are twelve gates in the New Jerusalem, three gates on each of the four sides of the city. But do you not know that the three are in one? What is three? It is the dispensing of the Godhead. In the ark there is one opening for the light and one entrance for all to get in. We all, including the Apostle Paul, came through the same door. The door is Christ.
The ark was made of gopher wood (6:14). What is gopher wood? It is a cypress, full of resin; it is a kind of resinous wood. It can stand the attack of water. A wood without resin cannot withstand the attack of water. Gopher wood was able to withstand the attack of the flood water. Song of Songs 1:17 speaks of cedar and fir. Fir is very similar to cypress. Nearly all of the best versions translate the Hebrew word for fir as cypress. In typology, especially in the Song of Songs, cedar wood typifies the resurrected Christ. The resurrected Christ is the cedar wood that grows on the top of Mount Lebanon. Cypress is a figure of the crucified Christ. The crucified Christ can withstand the waters of death. He tasted death, and death could do nothing to Him. The ark made of gopher wood passed through the flood, and the flood attacked it again and again, but no damage was incurred. This signifies the solidness of Christ as the crucified One. Christ is the real gopher wood. He is the true cypress, full of resin and strong to withstand any flood. The flood waters of death cannot damage Him.
Christ is not only the crucified One, but also the One who shed His blood to cover us from the penalty of our sins. So, the ark was pitched within and without with pitch (6:14). The Hebrew word for pitch has the same root as the Hebrew word for atonement. The main meaning of this Hebrew root is "to cover." The word for the cover of the ark of the testimony, the mercy seat, also comes from this same root. This means that in Christ we have the full covering. We all are covered with His redemption. Death cannot damage Him, and so no condemnation or judgment can reach us, because we are under the covering of Christ's redemption. The pitch signifies the redeeming of Christ, which covers God's building within and without. The covering within is for our sight, and the covering without is for God's. Perhaps when the flood was attacking the ark, the people within were frightened. But whenever they looked at the pitch within, they could be at peace. The pitch inside the ark was for their peace. The pitch outside the ark was for God's satisfaction. The covering of the pitch without was also for Satan and the angels. This is a picture of the blood. Whenever we look at the blood, we have peace. Whenever God looks at the blood, He is satisfied. Whenever Satan looks at the blood, he is unable to attack. Whenever the angels look at the blood, they rejoice.
The whole ark is a type of Christ (1 Pet. 3:20-21). Christ is not a canoe, but an ark. A canoe is a curved piece of wood; an ark is composed of many pieces rightly framed together. An ark is a building. A canoe is individual, but an ark is a corporate entity. My Christ is an ark. We can never be safe in a canoe. However, when I am in the ark, I can sleep well regardless of how terrible the storm may be. We are in the ark. Some Christians may have Christ as a canoe, but our Christ is an ark.
Since the ark is a type of Christ, how could Noah have built it? Nevertheless the ark was built by Noah. Many Christians simply preach the gospel, expecting that one day God will send the ark down from heaven. If you say that we must work to build the ark, the salvation, people will condemn you, saying, "We are saved by grace, not by work." Noah was saved by the ark which was built by his work. Philippians 2:12-16 says, "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who operates in you both the willing and the working for His good pleasure..that you may become blameless and guileless, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding forth the word of life." What does it mean to "work out your own salvation"? It means to hold out the Word of life, to illuminate, to enlighten, to live out Christ. This is through God's working within us both to will and to do. As God is working within us, so we have to work out our salvation. Although we have been saved, God is still working in us that we may work out our salvation. Thousands of people have been saved, but how many have the life described in Philippians 2:15? Many are not working out their salvation.
Are we now working out our salvation? Noah built the ark that eventually saved him not only from God's judgment, but also from that crooked and perverse generation. We must work out this kind of salvation. There is no doubt that we have been saved from eternal perdition. But Noah was not only saved from perdition; he was also saved out of that evil age into a new age. The ark which he built terminated the old generation and ushered in a new one. That was the kind of salvation that Noah was building. It was not simply a salvation from eternal perdition, but a salvation from that crooked and perverse generation. That kind of salvation was not only prepared by God; it was built through the corporate cooperation of the saved ones.
No one who has been saved will ever perish. Nevertheless, you need a further and higher salvation that will save you from this crooked and perverse generation. Have you been saved? What about the coming age? Will you have a share in it? Will you be there when Christ returns to take possession of the whole earth and to exercise His reigning power over it? Will you share in His reign? Although we all have been saved from eternal perdition, many of us are not working on something which will bring us out of this evil age. The ark which Noah built was a salvation that not only saved him from God's judgment, but that also separated him from that crooked and perverse generation and brought him into a new age. As far as God's judgment is concerned, we all have been saved, but as far as God's economy is concerned, we are lacking. God has condemned the world, but you still love it. God has warned you to escape from this age, but you still keep yourself firmly planted in it. You are short of the further and higher salvation. The salvation mentioned in Philippians 2 is not salvation from perdition, but from the crooked and perverse generation.
While the apostles were preaching the gospel, they were also building the ark in which they would enjoy full salvation. What was that ark? It was the corporate Christ. While the apostles were preaching the individual Christ, they were building up the corporate Christ. Through that corporate Christ, thousands of people were not only saved from God's judgment, but also from that crooked and perverse generation.
Today, if we are faithful to God, we must do the same thing. On the one hand, we preach the gospel; on the other hand, we build the ark. What we preach is what we build. What we preach is not a theory or a doctrine. We preach what we are building up. By our life and work, we build up the very thing that we are preaching to others. Eventually, we shall enter into that which we are building. Others may also enter in. The builded ark will save us from this condemned generation. Do you not believe that we are building the ark? I am so happy that we are building the ark. My friends and relatives always ask me, "What are you doing?" I reply, "I am doing something which is difficult for you to understand. The only way for you to understand it is to get in it yourself." We are not just preaching, but also building what we preach. Do we preach Christ? We are building Christ as well as preaching Christ. This means that we are living by Christ and with Christ. We are living out Christ. We hold on to Christ and live Him out. This is our building work.
At the same time, we are building the church. The church is the corporate Christ (1 Cor. 12:12) which, in a sense, is today's ark. Thousands of people have been saved by entering into the church life. Many can testify how they have been saved by coming into the church. Although you might have been saved for many years, you were not separated from this crooked world until you came into the church. That corporate ark separated you. Once we came into the church, no one had to tell us to come out of the world. We simply began a life of "churching," coming to the meetings again and again. Eventually, the long hair and so many other things of this age disappeared. By churching, everything of this crooked age will disappear. What is able to save us from this perverse age? Churching can save us. We are building the ark that can save us as well as others from the age condemned by God.
The ark was not only for the salvation of man, but for the salvation of all living creatures. What does this signify? Hebrews 2:9 says that Christ tasted death not only for every man, but, as the Greek indicates, for everything. So, Colossians 1:20 says that God has reconciled all things to Himself through Christ. The creatures as well as the human beings were in the ark. Christ has accomplished an all-inclusive death for every creature, for all things. Thus, the ark was not only for the salvation of man, but for the salvation of all living creatures.
