The Erecting of the Tabernacle and the Tabernacle, the Cloud, and the Glory Being a Full Type of the Triune God

Prophecy note, 20 November 2016
With respect to man,
the tabernacle
was the Tent of Meeting,
but with respect to God,
it was the tabernacle;
the tabernacle
is related to God’s testimony,
whereas the Tent of Meeting
is more outward, external,
related to God’s interest on earth
and to His move.

The first item of the furniture
to be put into the tabernacle
was the Ark,
indicating that the Ark
was the central item
of the tabernacle and its furniture:

Most Christians
focus on the experience of salvation
at the altar,
but the book of Exodus
reveals that God’s intention
is to have the Ark of the Testimony
in the Tabernacle of the Testimony.

Eventually,
the Ark in the tabernacle
will consummate in
an eternal tabernacle,
the New Jerusalem,
with the Ark,
the redeeming Christ,
as the center.

God’s eternal goal
is to have the New Jerusalem
as the ultimate fulfillment
of the tabernacle and the Ark.

The tabernacle, the cloud, and the glory
are a full type
of the Triune God:

When the tabernacle
was raised up,
covered by the cloud,
and filled with the glory,
it became
a full type
of the Triune God:

The type of the tabernacle
was fulfilled in Christ,
the second of the Trinity,
God the Son incarnated.

The cloud
that descended and covered the tabernacle
is a type
of the Holy Spirit,
the third of the Trinity.

John the Baptist
saw the Spirit
descending upon Christ,
who was identified
as the fulfillment
of the type of the tabernacle.

John 1:14 says,
“We beheld His glory,
glory as of the only Begotten
from the Father”;
this glory
corresponds to the glory
that filled the tabernacle.

The picture of the tabernacle
covered by the descending cloud
and filled with the glory of Jehovah
in Exodus 40
was fulfilled in John 1:

When we read John 1,
we need to see
that Christ as the fulfillment of the tabernacle
is with us today,
that the covering Spirit
is upon this tabernacle,
and that the glory
is filling this tabernacle.

This revelation of the Triune God
is not mere doctrine;
we are seeing
a vision of the living Trinity.

Because the tabernacle
is a type of Christ,
the cloud
represents the Spirit,
and glory
is God Himself expressed,
the picture of the tabernacle
covered by the cloud
and filled with glory
embodies the entire Triune God
in figure.

The day
that the tabernacle
was raised up,
that the cloud
descended and covered it,
and that the glory
entered and filled it
was a great day:

Never before
had the Triune God
been embodied on earth;
the embodiment of the Triune God
was God’s goal
throughout Genesis and Exodus.

The tabernacle
covered by the cloud
and filled with glory
was a great blessing
to the children of Israel,
but today
we have the reality
of what they had
only in figure.

The anointing oil
used to anoint the tabernacle
in Exodus 40:9
typifies God the Spirit
compounded with
the Triune God,
Christ’s humanity,
Christ’s death
with its effectiveness,
and Christ’s resurrection
with its power:

The anointing oil
corresponds to
the Spirit after Christ’s resurrection.

As the anointing oil,
the Spirit
first anoints us,
and then as the pillar of cloud and fire,
He leads and guides us.

The Triune God
was embodied in Christ
as the tabernacle
for the purpose of dispensing Himself
into His redeemed people
for their enjoyment
of all the riches of His being:

Everything that is mentioned
in the New Testament
concerning God
is related to the divine dispensing
for the divine economy:

The revelation concerning the Triune God
in the holy Word
is not for doctrinal understanding
but for the dispensing
of God in His Divine Trinity
into His chosen and redeemed people
for their experience and enjoyment.

The Triune God
—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit—
has been processed
to become the life-giving Spirit
so that we
can drink of Him
and that He
can become our enjoyment;
this is
the divine dispensing
of the Divine Trinity.

The Divine Trinity
is for the divine dispensing,
that is,
for the distribution of God
into the believers in Christ;
the Father as the origin
is the fountain,
the Son as the expression
is the spring,
and the Spirit
as the transmission
is the flow.

In type,
the children of Israel
enjoyed and possessed
the Triune God
in the divine dispensing and mingling,
and the Triune God
enjoyed and possessed them.

The New Testament
reveals the full reality
of the divine dispensing and mingling
of the Triune God
with His redeemed ones.

Ephesians
is composed with the Divine Trinity
as its basic element and structure,
and every chapter
reveals the Triune God;
thus,
Ephesians is
a clear explanation and definition
of the tabernacle in Exodus 40.

The divine dispensing
of the Divine Trinity
is the unique way
to build up the church,
which is
the Body of Christ
and the dwelling place of God.

We need a vision
of the central matter in the Bible
—the divine intention,
the divine economy,
and the divine dispensing
of the Divine Trinity
into the believers in Christ
for the building up of the church
as the Body of Christ,
which will consummate in the New Jerusalem
as the eternal corporate expression
of the Triune God.

In Old Testament times,
the house of God
was the house of Israel,
represented by the tabernacle
and later by the temple:

The children of Israel,
as the people of God,
are a type of the New Testament believers:

Their entire history
is a prefigure of the church.

Today
the house of God
is actually the church.

At the end of Genesis
an individual Israel
was produced
as a miniature of God’s house
to express God
and represent Him
by exercising His authority.

At the end of Exodus
a corporate Israel
was produced
as God’s house
to express God
and represent Him
by exercising His authority on earth.

The goal of God’s eternal purpose
is to have
a corporate people
to be His dwelling place
for His expression and representation
in eternity:

The books of Genesis and Exodus together
consummate with God’s tabernacle,
His dwelling place,
filled with His glory.

Likewise,
the entire Bible
consummates in the New Jerusalem
as the eternal tabernacle of God
filled with the glory of God
and exercising His authority
for His divine administration
for eternity.

Day 5
Rom. 8:11
…He who raised Christ
from the dead
will also give life
to your mortal bodies
through His Spirit
who indwells you.

Eph. 4:16
Out from whom [the Head, Christ,]
all the Body,
being joined together
and being knit together
through every joint
of the rich supply
and through the operation
in the measure of each one part,
causes the growth of the Body
unto the building up
of itself
in love.

In type,
the children of Israel
in the Old Testament
enjoyed and possessed
the Triune God
in the divine mingling and dispensing,
and the Triune God
enjoyed and possessed them.
…The New Testament
reveals the full reality
of the divine dispensing and mingling
of the Triune God
with His redeemed ones.
This revelation
is especially clear
in the Gospel of John, Revelation,
Ephesians, and Paul’s other Epistles.
Although the two Epistles
to the Corinthians
present a somewhat negative picture
of the church’s condition,
the revelation in these two books
concerning the Divine Trinity
is profound.

Matthew 28:19
…has a unique and profound word
concerning the Trinity…:
“Go therefore
and disciple all the nations,
baptizing them
into the name
of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
Although it seems
that this verse
lists three names,
the noun name in this verse
is singular in number,
indicating that there
is one name
for the Divine Trinity.
In a footnote on this verse,
Dr. Scofield says,
“Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
is the final name
of the one true God.”
According to the revelation
in the New Testament,
it is clear
that God is eternally triune,
but this was not made entirely clear
in the Old Testament times.
Perhaps this is
because the Triune God
had not yet been processed.
The Son
had not passed through
incarnation, human living,
crucifixion, and resurrection,
and the Spirit
was not yet consummated.

Ephesians
is composed with the Divine Trinity
as its basic element and structure.
Every chapter of Ephesians
reveals the Triune God.
Thus,
Ephesians is
a clear explanation and definition
of the tabernacle.
…Exodus 40 portrays
the Triune God’s mingling with
and dispensing of Himself into
His redeemed
for their enjoyment
and their portion
as their inheritance,
which causes them
to become God’s enjoyment
and portion
as His inheritance
for eternity.

The divine dispensing
comes out of the three of the Divine Trinity
—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit.
The divine dispensing
taking place within us
is the operating
of the all-inclusive life-giving Spirit,
the pneumatic Christ,
as the aggregate, totality, and consummation
of the Triune God.
This Spirit
is moving in us,
anointing us, watering us,
feeding us, satisfying us,
strengthening us, comforting us,
saturating us, and permeating us.
There are
so many words
to describe
His dispensing within us.
…Every day
we should be built up
by receiving
the divine dispensing within us.

Throughout the years
we have given many messages
on God’s New Testament economy.
However,
according to my observation,
most of the saints
who have received these messages
still need a clear vision
of God’s economy.
We need a vision
of the central matter in the Bible—
the desire of God’s heart
to dispense Himself
into His chosen people
in His trinity
for the producing of the church,
which is the kingdom of God
that will consummate in the New Jerusalem
as the eternal expression
of the Triune God.

We need a vision
of God’s New Testament economy.
It is not adequate
merely to know about it.
You may know
about a certain person
without ever having seen him.
To see a person
is very different
from merely knowing about him.
Likewise,
seeing the vision
of God’s New Testament economy
is different from
simply hearing about it.
I hope
that all the saints
will spend much time
to pray,
both individually and corporately,
regarding this.

Day 3
Exo. 40:9
And you
shall take the anointing oil
and anoint the tabernacle
and all that is in it,
and sanctify it
and all its utensils;
and it shall be holy.

John 7:39
But this
He said concerning the Spirit,
whom those who believed into Him
were about to receive;
for the Spirit
was not yet,
because Jesus
had not yet been glorified.

In order to understand
what is recorded and revealed in John 1,
we must compare it
with the picture in Exodus 40.
If we
consider these two chapters together,
we will see the light.
The embodiment of the Triune God
was God’s goal
throughout Genesis and Exodus.
…In Genesis 1:26
the Triune God
conferred with Himself
to produce
an expression of Himself
in man.
However,
God did not reach this goal
with Adam
or any of the forefathers in Genesis.
Therefore,
God went on in Exodus
to deliver His chosen people
out of their fallen state
and bring them to Mount Sinai,
where the tabernacle
was produced
as the first fulfillment of the desire
God expressed in creating man.

The anointing oil
used to anoint the tabernacle
in Exodus 40:9
typifies God the Spirit
compounded with
the Triune God,
Christ’s humanity,
Christ’s death
with its effectiveness,
and Christ’s resurrection
with its power.
This anointing oil
is the compound ointment
described in Exodus 30:23-25.
…The olive oil
signifies the Spirit of God.
The three units
of five hundred shekels each,
the measure of the spices,
signify the Trinity,
the three of the Godhead.
The middle unit
of five hundred shekels
was split
into two halves
of two hundred fifty shekels each,
signifying the second of the Trinity,
who was “split” in crucifixion
as the cleft rock.
The one hin
of olive oil
signifies the unique God,
and the four spices
signify Christ’s humanity,
since the number four
denotes God’s creatures,
of which
man is the head.
Myrrh,
a spice used in burial,
typifies Christ’s death,
and cinnamon
typifies the sweetness and effectiveness
of His death.
Calamus,
a reed growing in marshy ground,
typifies the resurrection of Christ,
and cassia,
used to repel
insects and snakes,
typifies the power of Christ’s resurrection.
The anointing oil
was used to anoint
every part of the tabernacle.
In other words,
the entire tabernacle within and without
was painted with this oil.
The anointing oil
corresponds to
the Spirit after Christ’s resurrection,
the Spirit in the Epistles.
John 7:39 says,
“The Spirit
was not yet,
because Jesus
had not yet been glorified.”
After Christ’s resurrection
the Spirit was compounded.

The cloud
that was upon the tabernacle
by day
is the Spirit,
and the fire
that was in it
by night
is also the Spirit.
As the anointing oil,
the Spirit
first anoints us,
and then
as the pillar of cloud and fire,
He leads and guides us.
…The cloud in the day
and the fire in the night
refer to the same guiding Spirit.
…In the night
we need the Spirit
as the enlightening fire,
and in the day
we need the Spirit
as the guiding cloud.

The cloud and the fire
never left the tabernacle,
because even in type
there can be
no separation
between the Spirit and Christ;
They are
always together.
Strictly speaking,
the journey of the children of Israel
was actually not their journey
but the journey of the tabernacle.

The Triune God
was embodied in Christ
as the tabernacle
for the purpose of dispensing Himself
into His redeemed people
for their enjoyment
of all the riches of His being.
The tabernacle and the offerings,
which also typify Christ,
show that the Triune God
mingles Himself
with His people
to dispense all the riches of His being
into them
for their enjoyment
and their portion
as their eternal inheritance
so that they
might become
His enjoyment and His portion
as His inheritance
for eternity.

Day 1
Exo. 40:2
On the first day of the first month
you shall raise up
the tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting.

Rev. 21:2-3
And I saw
the holy city, New Jerusalem,
coming down
out of heaven from God,
prepared as a bride
adorned for her husband.
…Behold,
the tabernacle of God
is with men,
and He will tabernacle with them,
and they will be His peoples, and
God Himself will be with them
and be their God.

In Exodus 40:34-38
we have a record of
the glory of the Lord
filling the tabernacle.
Verse 34 says,
“Then
the cloud
covered the Tent of Meeting,
and the glory of Jehovah
filled the tabernacle.”
This verse
speaks of two aspects;
it speaks of something
that happened outside the Tent of Meeting
and something
that happened inside the tabernacle.
The cloud
covered the Tent of Meeting,
and the glory
filled the tabernacle.
The same structure
was both the Tent of Meeting and the tabernacle.
With respect to man,
it was the Tent of Meeting.
But with respect to God,
it was the tabernacle.
We may also say
that outwardly it was the Tent of Meeting
and that inwardly it was the tabernacle.

The term tabernacle in the Bible
refers to something deep
concerning God and His testimony.
The phrase Tent of Meeting
is positive;
however,
the significance
is not as deep
as that of the tabernacle.
The tabernacle
is related to God’s testimony,
but the Tent of Meeting
is related mainly to God’s interest on earth
and to His move.
You may wish to keep this distinction
in mind
as you read through the Old Testament.
Remember
that the word tabernacle
points to something
directly related to God’s testimony
and that the term Tent of Meeting
points to something
that is more outward, external,
related to God’s interest and move.

As an illustration of this distinction,
let us consider
chapter one of Leviticus.
According to Leviticus 1:1,
the Lord
spoke to Moses
out of the Tent of Meeting.
In this verse
we are not told
that the Lord
spoke to Moses
out of the tabernacle.
When we read this verse,
we may think
that it is a wonderful matter
for God
to speak
out of the Tent of Meeting.
Yes,
God’s speaking
out of the Tent of Meeting
is wonderful.
However,
it is not as wonderful
as His speaking
in the tabernacle.

The Ark of the Testimony
was the first item
of the furniture of the tabernacle.
The tabernacle
had a number of important furnishings:
the altar
and the laver
in the outer court;
the table of the bread of the Presence,
the lampstand,
and the incense altar
in the Holy Place;
and the Ark
in the Holy of Holies,
the inmost chamber of the tabernacle.
The first of these furnishings
was the Ark.
As the first item,
it occupied
the place of preeminence.
We know from Exodus 40:2 and 3
that it was
in the tabernacle,
and from 40:20 and 21,
that it was
in the Holy of Holies.

The book of Exodus
reveals that God’s intention
is to have the ark.
This ark
is the Ark of Testimony,
and this causes the tabernacle
to become
the Tabernacle of the Testimony.
What God wants
is the Ark of the Testimony
in the Tabernacle of the Testimony.
We, however,
may want
nothing more than our own salvation.
Because we
care for our salvation,
we may not have
any thought concerning God’s testimony.
Our salvation
is at the altar,
but God’s testimony
is at the Ark.
Most of today’s Christians
do not have any idea
about God’s testimony.
They are mainly concerned
with their salvation.
If you
were to talk with them
about other matters
in the Word of God,
they may say,
“Does this have
something to do with my salvation?
Will this determine
whether I go to heaven?”
…Today’s Christians
do not have
much thought
regarding God’s testimony.

Revelation
is a book
concerned with the testimony of Jesus.
This testimony
is the Ark of God.
According to Revelation,
the Ark of God
eventually consummates in a tabernacle
which will be the New Jerusalem.
The New Jerusalem
will be
the ultimate fulfillment
of the tabernacle.
It is
God’s eternal goal
to have the New Jerusalem.