The Eightfold Significance of the Tabernacle

Prophecy note, 6 November 2016
We need to see and experience
the redemption of Christ:

The one hundred silver sockets,
upon which the entire tabernacle rested,
signify that the church
is built on the basis of
the redemption of Christ
and rests on
the ascended Christ
experienced by us.

Sockets signify
stability for standing;
each socket
was made of
a talent
(approximately one hundred pounds)
of silver,
signifying the redemption of Christ
as the solid base
for the believers’ standing
in God’s dwelling place.

We need to see and experience
the manifestation of
the divine nature:

The foundation of the tabernacle
was of silver,
but the manifestation within the tabernacle
was the gold;
gold
signifies the divine nature
with the divine life of Christ,
which is God Himself

Within the church,
the building of God,
what must be manifested
is not the works, the doings of God,
but the nature and life of God;
what we
manifest, express, and show to others
should be nothing other than
the glorious divine nature of Christ.

We need to see and experience
the transformed human nature:

The gold of the tabernacle
overlaid the acacia wood,
signifying the transformed human nature.

With the building of the church,
the divine nature
depends greatly upon our human nature;
the standing strength
for the gold
was with the acacia wood.

The standing strength
needed for the tabernacle
is with the human nature
overlaid, that is, transformed,
with the divine nature
and the divine life of Christ;
the divine nature and the human nature
must be mingled together.

We need
a firm and unshakable standing
in the Body,
and we
must always be willing
to be balanced
by others:

The two tenons,
which fit into the two sockets
under each board,
may signify
our complete faith in Christ’s redemption,
which gives us
a firm and unshakable standing.

Furthermore,
two tenons
are for balance;
we always have to be balanced
by others.

We must always be
checked, tested, and confirmed
by others
that we
may have the balance;
otherwise,
we will be peculiar
and will go to an extreme.

Each member of the Body
needs to be completed
for the building up of the church,
and there is
the need for reinforcing
when a turn in the Lord’s move
is made:

The width of each of
the boards of the tabernacle
was one and a half cubits,
indicating a half measurement
of three cubits.

This signifies
that every believer
as a half unit needs
to be matched by another
to form a complete unit of three cubits
for the building
of God’s dwelling place.

We must remember
that we
always need
another member
to make us complete
in the principle of the Body.

The doubling
of the corner boards
signifies that at each turn
in the Lord’s move,
there is a need
for doubling, strengthening, reinforcing;
for example,
at Antioch
there was
a turn to the Gentile world,
and Barnabas and Saul
were doubled and strengthened
to become corner boards
for the building of the church.

We must be joined with others
by the Holy Spirit
and in the Holy Spirit
with the holding power
of the divine nature:

All the boards of the tabernacle
were joined together
within the gold
and by the golden bars;
in other words,
they were
in the divine nature and divine life
of Christ.

According to Exodus 36:31-32,
there were
five bars on the south side,
five bars on the north side,
and five bars on the west side;
the three groups of bars
(representing the uniting Spirit)
indicate that this Spirit
is the Spirit of the Triune God.

Furthermore,
five is
the number of responsibility;
therefore,
the bars
signify the Spirit of the Triune God,
who takes the full responsibility
for God’s building
by mingling His divine nature
with the human nature.

God’s building, the church,
is covered by a “fourfold” Christ
(the covering of the tabernacle
consisted of four layers):

The first and innermost layer
of covering,
forming the ceiling of the tabernacle
was made of fine twined linen
and blue and purple and scarlet strands
with cherubim:

Fine twined linen
signifies the fine living of Christ
manifested through sufferings and trials;
this layer
was also a protection
for the standing boards
and all the contents of the tabernacle,
signifying that the glory and beauty
of the Lord Jesus
in His humanity
cover, protect, and embrace
all His believers
as the church.

Furthermore,
this Christ
bears the heavenly character (blue),
the kingship, the authority of heaven (purple),
the redemption (scarlet),
and the glory of God (the cherubim).

The second layer of covering,
the goats’ hair,
typifies Christ
as the One
who was made sin for us
and who died on the cross
for our sins;
goats
signify sinners,
and goats’ hair
signifies the sins of sinners;
thus,
goats’ hair
as a covering on the tabernacle
signifies Christ’s being made sin
for us
in His redemptive work.

The third layer of covering,
the rams’ skins dyed red,
typifies Christ
as the One
who accomplished redemption
by dying and shedding His blood
to meet God’s need and ours.

The fourth layer of covering,
the porpoise skins,
signifies that Christ
is without comeliness or beauty;
the covering of porpoise skins
protected the tabernacle
from storms and rain,
signifying that Christ as our covering
enables us to stand
against Satan and all his attacks.

We need to become
pillars in the Triune God,
signified by
the nine pillars in the tabernacle;
at the entrance
to the tabernacle
five pillars
supported the screen,
and at the entrance
to the Holy of Holies
four pillars
supported the veil:

The pillars
at the entrance of the tabernacle
and those within the tabernacle
provide entrances
for sinners
to be saved
into God’s dwelling place
and then to be terminated
so that they
may come
into God’s Holy of Holies
to enjoy God Himself
in His fullness.

Revelation 3:12 says,
“He who overcomes,
him I will make a pillar
in the temple of My God,
and he
shall by no means go out anymore,
and I will write upon him
the name of
My God
and the name of
the city of My God, the New Jerusalem,
which descends
out of heaven from My God,
and My new name”:

Because the overcomer
is a pillar
built into God’s building,
he shall by no means go out anymore.

That the name of God,
the name of the New Jerusalem,
and the name of the Lord
are written
upon the overcomer
indicates that what God is,
the nature of the New Jerusalem,
and the person of the Lord
have all been wrought
into the overcomer.

This promise,
as a prize to the overcomer,
will be fulfilled
in the millennial kingdom,
whereas the New Jerusalem
in the new heaven and new earth
will be the common portion
of all the redeemed
for eternity.

Day 5
Exo. 26:1
Now
the tabernacle
you shall make
with ten curtains of fine twined linen
and blue and purple and scarlet strands;
you shall make them
with cherubim…

Exo. 26:7
And you shall make
curtains of goats’ hair
for a tent
over the tabernacle;
eleven curtains
you shall make…

Exo. 26:14
…You shall make
a covering for the tent,
of rams’ skins dyed red,
and a covering of porpoise skins
above it.

The covering of the tabernacle
consisted of four layers.
The first and innermost layer,
referred to here
as the tabernacle,
consisted of
ten curtains of fine twined linen
and blue and purple and scarlet strands.
The number ten
signifies human perfection and completeness…,
and the fine linen curtains
typify Christ’s fine humanity.
Hence,
the first layer of covering
typifies Christ as a fine, perfect, and complete man
without defect, shortage, or excess.
…This layer
was not only a covering
but also a protection
for the standing boards
and all the contents of the tabernacle,
signifying
that the humanity of the Lord Jesus
covers, protects, and embraces
all His believers as the church.
The first layer of covering,
forming the ceiling of the tabernacle,
is the inward expression
of the beauty and glory
of the Lord Jesus
in His humanity.

The tabernacle
was grounded on the silver sockets
and was covered with the fourfold covering,
which represents the fourfold Christ.
This means
that even though the church
is grounded on the redemption of Christ,
it still has to be covered
by Christ,
not by a simple Christ
but by a fourfold Christ.
The first layer of the coverings
was made of linen.
This is
something of the vegetable life.
The second layer
was made of goats’ hair,
the third layer
was of rams’ skins,
and the last layer
was made of porpoise skins,
all something of the animal life.
The goats’ hair and the rams’ skins
were of the life of the animals
belonging to the flock on the land,
but the porpoise skins
were from the animals of the sea.
The picture of the coverings
shows us
that with Christ
there are
different aspects of life.
There is
an aspect of life
pictured by linen,
and there is
the aspect of life
pictured by the rams and the goats.
There is
also another aspect of life
pictured by the porpoise
in the sea.

The Lord
in His human life
is perfect,
as represented by the white linen.
Furthermore,
this Christ
bears the heavenly character,
the kingship,
the authority of heaven,
the redemption,
and even the glory of God,
as signified by
the blue, the purple, the scarlet,
and the cherubim
of the linen curtains.

In the Bible
…goats
signify those
who are evil
and condemned by God.
Thus,
goats
signify sinners,
and goats’ hair
signifies the sins, the evil deeds, of sinners.
Thus,
the second layer
is composed of sinners
with all their sins.

Rams
are males
and signify Christ
as a strong man.
In Exodus 26:14
the covering of rams’ skins dyed red
typifies Christ’s suffering death
and shedding His blood.
Before there
could be rams’ skins
for the third layer,
these rams
had to be put to death.
Furthermore,
the rams’ skins
were dyed red.
This signifies
the shedding of blood
for redemption.

According to verse 14,
the fourth layer, the outermost layer,
was a covering
of porpoise skins.
These porpoise skins
typify Christ
as the One
who is able to withstand
any attack.
They also signify
that toward Satan, the principalities, and the demons,
Christ is
rough and tough.
As the rams’ skins,
Christ enables us
to stand before God,
but as the porpoise skins
He enables us
to stand against Satan and all his attacks.
He also protects
God’s dwelling place
from storms, rain, and snow.
Water
can penetrate rams’ skins;
however,
it is impossible
for it
to permeate the layer of porpoise skins.
The function of the porpoise skins
is to protect us
not from God’s judgment
but from the attack of the enemy.
As the porpoise skins,
Christ is
without comeliness or beauty.
In the face of Satan’s attack,
He truly is
rough and tough.

Day 3
Exo. 36:21
Ten cubits
was the length of a board,
and one and a half cubits,
the width of each board.

Exo. 26:23-24
And two boards
you shall make
for the corners of the tabernacle
in the rear.
And they
shall be double below,
and at its top
they shall be completely joined
to a single ring;
thus it shall be
for both of them;
they shall be
for the two corners.

The width of the boards
of the tabernacle
was one and a half cubits,
indicating a half measurement
of three cubits.
One half
always needs the other half.
As members of the Body,
we are just one half.
We must remember
that we always need
another member
to make us complete.
In creation
there is
the same principle.
A man
is not complete
unless he has a wife.
Likewise,
a woman
is not complete
unless she is married
to a husband.
The couple
is the completion.
The husband is one half,
and the wife is another half.
…For the building of the church,
our need
is to be completed.
We can never be individuals;
we must always be completed
by others.

Exodus 26:23 says,
“And two boards
you shall make
for the corners of the tabernacle
in the rear.”
The tabernacle
was ten cubits wide.
According to verse 22,
there were six boards
for the rear of the tabernacle.
These boards
covered nine cubits
of the width of the tabernacle,
leaving a gap of
less than one cubit,
when the thickness of the side boards
is taken into account.
We simply do not know
how this gap was filled.
There is something here
in God’s building
which we cannot figure out.

Verse 24
is difficult to understand:
“And they
shall be double below,
and at its top
they shall be completely joined
to a single ring;
thus it shall be
for both of them;
they shall be
for the two corners.”
The word “they”
refers to the two boards
mentioned in verse 23.
They were to be doubled below,
and this doubling
was to be complete
at the top
to a single ring.
…Each board
had three rings
into which the connecting bars
were inserted
so that the boards
could be joined together.
It is very difficult
to determine
where to put
the top ring
on the corner boards.
Because these boards
were doubled in thickness,
we are left
with the problem of
how the ring
would be in line with
the rings on the other boards
and also how the bar
could fit into it.

The spiritual significance of
these boards being doubled
is as follows.
The corner
is a place of turning.
Whenever there
is a turn in the Lord’s move,
there is the need
for doubling, strengthening, reinforcing.
For example,
the church life
spread from Jerusalem to Antioch.
Antioch was
a corner,
a place of turning
toward the Gentile world.
If you study Acts 13,
you will see
that an important turn
took place at Antioch.
However,
just as we
cannot have a thorough understanding
of the corner boards of the tabernacle,
so we cannot have
a complete understanding
of the turn
which took place
at Antioch.
Likewise,
we do not have
a full understanding
of the turns
the Lord has made
in His recovery.
In 1949
there was a turn
from the mainland of China
toward Taiwan.
Even though I
participated in that turn
in a full way,
I cannot adequately explain
what took place.
No one among us
can fully figure out this turn.
But we do know
that when that turn took place,
there was
a doubling, a strengthening, a reinforcing.
The fact
that we cannot figure out
all the details
of the corners of the tabernacle
indicates that we
shall always be somewhat puzzled
by the turns
the Lord makes
in His recovery.
In 1970
there was
a migration
for the spreading of the church life
in the United States.
Those who shared
in this migration
know that it
was a turning.
Nevertheless,
this turn
was puzzling
and difficult to understand.
Although it
is difficult to explain,
we know this turning
involved a doubling, a strengthening.
Today
there are
corners
in the Lord’s testimony.
Every corner
needs to be strengthened and doubled.
This strengthening
is immeasurable,
and we have no way
to understand it
in full.

Day 1
Exo. 26:19
And you
shall make
forty sockets of silver
under the twenty boards,
two sockets under one board
for its two tenons
and two sockets under the next board
for its two tenons.

Eph. 1:7
In whom
we have redemption
through His blood,
the forgiveness of offenses,
according to the riches of His grace.

Sockets signify
stability for standing.
Each socket
was made of
a talent
(approximately one hundred pounds)
of silver,
signifying the redemption of Christ
as the solid base
for the believers’ standing
in God’s dwelling place.

There are
eight points
related to the tabernacle.
…These eight matters
are basic
for the building up of the church.

Exodus 36:22a and 24 say,
“Each board
had two tenons
joined to one another.
…And he made
forty sockets of silver
under the twenty boards,
two sockets under one board
for its two tenons
and two sockets under the next board
for its two tenons.”
Beneath each board
there were two tenons.
…The number two
is the number of
testimony and confirmation.
…A testimony
is given by us to others,
and confirmation
is something
received by us from others.
…If one board
were to have only one tenon,
it would be easy
for it
to turn and even fall down.
One board with two tenons
is more stable,
not easily turning or falling.
Some brothers or sisters
may easily be turned or changed.
Last month
they may have been doing quite well,
but now
they have changed
and are no longer doing well.
It seems
that they have
only one tenon
instead of two.
If we have two tenons,
we will be stable.
It will not be easy
for us
to have such a change
or to fall
because we
are always confirmed by others
and can give testimony to others.

With each tenon
there was a socket
made of silver.
Silver represents redemption.
The redemption of the Lord
is the base
on which the building of God
is laid.
These silver sockets
were very weighty.
According to 38:27,
each socket
was of a talent of silver,
the equivalent of about one hundred pounds.
The tenons of the boards
were placed
into the sockets of silver.
Forty-eight boards
had two sockets each.
Another four sockets
were cast for the four pillars
that bore the inner veil.
This totaled to
one hundred sockets of silver.
One hundred in the Scriptures
signifies fullness and completion.
The Lord
said that some
would bear fruit
thirtyfold, sixtyfold, and one hundredfold,
indicating fruit-bearing in fullness.
The redemption of the Lord
as the base of the tabernacle
is in fullness.
There is
nothing short;
Christ’s redemption
is absolutely full and complete.

The tabernacle
was not grounded
on the earth.
It was based and grounded
on the silver sockets.
It was something
different from the earth
and separated from the earth.
This shows us
that the church
is not grounded or built
upon something of the earth
but on something apart from the earth,
the full and weighty redemption
of Christ.
One hundred,
the number of the silver sockets,
indicates that there
is nothing short
in Christ’s redemption.
It is
absolutely complete, full, and weighty.
It is
the foundation of the church
and the basis
for the building
of the Lord’s dwelling place.

The foundation of the tabernacle
was of silver,
but the manifestation within the tabernacle
was the gold.
From within the tabernacle,
one could see
almost nothing but gold.
Gold signifies
the divine nature
with the divine life of Christ,
which is God Himself.
The church
is built upon the foundation
of the redemption of Christ,
but what the church manifests
is the divine nature and divine life
of Christ.
Within the church, the building of God,
what must be manifested
is not the works, the doings of God,
but the very nature and life of God.
…What we
manifest, express, and show to others
should be
nothing other than
the glorious divine nature of Christ.