The Three Tabernacles

Prophecy note, 25 September 2016
The three tabernacles
in the Holy Scriptures
—the type, the reality, and the consummation
of the tabernacle—
reveal the goal
of God’s economy
to have
a corporate people
to be His dwelling place
for His expression and representation
in eternity:

The type of the tabernacle
in the Old Testament
is a full and complete revelation
of the individual Christ
as the Head
and the corporate Christ
as the Body, the church,
including many details
of the experience of Christ
for the church life
(as God’s dwelling place,
the tabernacle and the temple
were one).

The reality of the tabernacle
in the New Testament
is the incarnated Christ, the individual Christ,
and the corporate Christ, the Body of Christ;
through His death and resurrection
the individual Christ
was enlarged
to be the corporate Christ, the church,
composed of the New Testament believers
as the temple,
the house of God,
and the Body of Christ.

The consummation of the tabernacle
as the conclusion of the complete Bible
is the New Jerusalem, a great corporate God-man
as the eternal, enlarged,
universal, divine-human incorporation
of the processed and consummated Triune God
with His regenerated, transformed,
and glorified tripartite people.

Psalm 84
is the secret revelation
of the enjoyment of Christ
as the fulfillment
of the type of the tabernacle
so that we
may be incorporated into Him
to become the reality and consummation
of the tabernacle:

The deeper love and sweeter experience
of the house of God
in Psalm 84
comes after the experience
of God’s dealing and stripping
and is recovered
by the experience of God
as our unique portion
and by Christ’s being given
the unique position.

God’s purpose
in dealing with His holy people
is that they
would be emptied of everything
to receive only God
as their gain
and be rebuilt with the Divine Trinity
to become
the masterpiece of God,
fulfilling God’s eternal economy
for His expression.

God is faithful
to take away all our idols
and to lead us
into His economy
for us
to enjoy Christ
so that He
may have a recovery
purely and wholly
of the person of Christ.

The intrinsic content
of Psalm 84
is the secret revelation
concerning the enjoyment of Christ
as the incarnated Triune God,
the God-man:

The center
of this secret revelation
is the house of God,
typified by the tabernacle
and by the temple.

Christ as the embodiment of the Triune God
is the fulfillment of the types
of the tabernacle and the temple:

This fulfillment
commenced in His incarnation
as the individual Christ
and will continue
until it consummates
in the New Jerusalem
as the corporate Christ, the great God-man.

The New Testament,
from Matthew through Revelation,
covers the entire span
of the incarnation of the Triune God
and is a record
of the divine incarnation.

The enjoyment of Christ
as the incarnated Triune God
in God’s house
is portrayed
by the arrangement
of the tabernacle and its furnishings.

The psalmist’s longing
and even fainting
to be in God’s tabernacles
indicate to what extent
the psalmist
loved God’s tabernacles;
this love
was matured
through many trials.

“At Your two altars
even the sparrow
has found a home;
/ And the swallow,
a nest for herself,
/ Where she may lay her young,
/ O Jehovah of hosts,
my King and my God” (v. 3):

The two altars
—the bronze altar
for the sacrifices
and the golden altar
of incense—
are the leading consummations
of the work
of the incarnated Triune God,
who is Christ
as the embodiment of God
for His increase:

At the bronze altar,
a type of the cross of Christ,
our problems before God
are solved
through the crucified Christ
as the sacrifices;
this qualifies us
to enter
into the tabernacle,
a type of Christ
as the incarnated and enterable Triune God,
and to contact God
at the incense altar.

At the golden altar of incense
in front of the Holy of Holies,
the resurrected Christ
in His ascension
is the incense
for us
to be accepted by God
in peace;
through our prayer
at the incense altar,
we enter
into the Holy of Holies
—our spirit—
where we experience Christ
as the Ark of the Testimony
with its contents.

Through such an experience of Christ
we are incorporated
into the tabernacle,
the incarnated Triune God,
to become
a part of
the corporate Christ
as God’s testimony
for His manifestation:

The bronze altar
for the sacrifices
is related to
God’s judicial redemption
accomplished
in the physical realm
by Christ
in His earthly ministry.

The golden altar
of incense
is related to
God’s organic salvation
carried out
in the divine and mystical realm
by Christ
in His heavenly ministry.

Through these two altars
God’s redeemed,
the “sparrows” and “swallows,”
can find
a nest as their refuge
and a home with God in rest:

The cross of Christ,
typified by the bronze altar,
is our “nest,” our refuge,
where we
are saved
from our troubles
and where we
“lay” our young,
that is,
produce new believers
through the preaching of the gospel.

When we experience
the resurrected Christ
in His ascension,
typified by the golden altar of incense,
we are accepted
by God
in such a Christ
and find
a home, a place of rest,
in the house of God.

This house is
the processed and consummated Triune God
united, mingled, and incorporated
with all His redeemed, regenerated, and transformed elect
to be the Body of Christ
in the present age
and the New Jerusalem
as the mutual dwelling place
of God and His redeemed
in eternity.

“Blessed are those
who dwell in Your house;
/ They will yet be praising You. Selah…
/ O Jehovah of hosts,
blessed is the man
/ Who trusts in You”
(Psa. 84:4, 12):

In type,
the house
is the church
as a totality,
and the tabernacles
are the local churches.

Praising the Lord
should be our living,
and our church life
should be
a life of praising.

In the church life
we trust in God,
not in ourselves
or in our natural human ability,
to work out
a solution
to our difficult situations.

“Blessed is the man
whose strength
is in You,
/ In whose heart
are the highways to Zion”
(Psa. 84:5):

The highways to Zion
signify our intention
to enter into the church
as the house of God
and are the blessed highways
for seeking
the incarnated Triune God
in His consummations,
typified by
the furniture
in the tabernacle.

On the one hand,
we have entered into God;
on the other hand,
we are
still on the highways
to enter into God.

The highways to Zion
in our heart
mean that we
need to take
the way of the church
internally,
not externally;
when we are
deeply in the inner life,
we will certainly be
in the way of the church;
the highways to Zion
will be within our heart.

Zion is
the very spot
where God is,
the Holy of Holies;
the overcomers
become Zion,
and the Lord’s recovery
is to build up Zion.

“Passing through
the valley of Baca,
/ They make it
a spring;
/ Indeed the early rain
covers it
with blessings”
(Psa. 84:6):

Baca means “weeping”;
on the one hand,
those on the highways to Zion
are strengthened
in God;
on the other hand,
they are opposed
by Satan,
who causes them
to suffer persecution.

The trouble and persecution
caused by Satan
can make the highways
a valley of weeping;
this special term
indicates that the psalmist
had been disciplined by God
and had been stripped by Him.

The highways to Zion
are not external, superficial, or cheap;
we must pay a price
to take
the way of the church.

When we pass through
the valley of Baca,
God makes this valley
a spring;
this spring
is the Spirit.

The more
we weep
on the highways to Zion,
the more
we receive the Spirit;
while we are weeping,
we are being filled
with the Spirit,
and the Spirit
becomes our spring.

Those who come
into the church life
by passing through
the valley of weeping
find that this weeping
eventually becomes
a great blessing
to them;
this blessing
is the Spirit.

The tears they shed
are their own,
but these tears
issue in
a spring,
which becomes
the early rain,
the Spirit
as the blessing.

“They go
from strength to strength;
/ Each appears
before God
in Zion…
/ For a day in Your courts
is better than a thousand;
/ I would rather stand
at the threshold
of the house of my God
/ Than dwell
in the tents of the wicked.
/ For Jehovah God
is a sun and a shield;
/ Jehovah gives
grace and glory”
(Psa. 84:7, 10-11a):

The more
we go on
in the church life,
the more strength
we will gain.

If our service is
intrinsically according to God’s will
in the church life,
each day
will be worth many days
in God’s eyes.

The blessings
of dwelling in the house of God
are our enjoyment
of the incarnated and consummated Triune God
as our sun
to supply us with life,
as our shield
to protect us from God’s enemy,
as grace
for our inward enjoyment,
and as glory
for the outward manifestation
of God
in splendor.

Day 5
Psa. 84:4-5
Blessed are those
who dwell
in Your house;
they will yet be praising You.
Selah.
Blessed is the man
whose strength
is in You,
in whose heart
are the highways to Zion.

Psa. 84:10
For a day in Your courts
is better than a thousand;
I would rather stand
at the threshold
of the house of my God
than dwell
in the tents of the wicked.

Psalm 84:4 says,
“Blessed are those
who dwell in Your house;
/ They will yet be praising You.”
To dwell in God’s house
is to praise Him.
Quite often, however,
we are
lacking in praise.
Our vital groups
should be
full of praising.
Not to praise the Lord
is to be dormant,
but to praise Him
is to be vital.
Praising the Lord
should be our living,
and our church life
should be
a life of praising.

Verse 10 says,
“For a day in Your courts
is better than a thousand;
/ I would rather stand
at the threshold
of the house of my God
/ Than dwell
in the tents
of the wicked”.
Here
the psalmist
speaks of one
who stands
at the threshold,
which is the dividing line
between the inside and the outside.
I surely would like to be one
who stands
at the threshold
of the house of God.
…It is better
to stand at this threshold
than to dwell
in the tents of the wicked.
However,
we should not be satisfied
to stay at the threshold
of the house of God
but should enter
into His house.

Psalm 84:5-7 reveals
that the one
is blessed
whose heart
is on the highways to Zion.
To be on the highways to Zion
means that we
intend to come
into the church.
Actually,
our intention
to be in the church life
is a highway
for us
to come
into the church.

Verse 5a says,
“Blessed is the man
whose strength
is in You.”
This indicates
that on the highways to Zion
we have strength in God.
Many of us
can testify
that before we came into the church
we were weak and hesitant,
but once we made the decision
to come to the church,
we were strengthened in God.

The highways to Zion
in verse 5b
are the blessed highways
for seeking the incarnated Triune God
in His consummations
(comprising the washing laver,
the showbread table,
the lampstand,
and the Ark of the Testimony).
From our spiritual experiences
we have learned
that, on the one hand,
we have entered into God,
but, on the other hand,
we are still on the way
to enter into God.
None of us
can say
that our entering into God
has been completed.
For many of us,
the entering into God
has only begun.
We are in God,
yet we are
still on the highways
to enter into God.

Regarding the incarnated Triune God,
there are
two main consummations.
…The first consummation
is the first altar
—the bronze altar
for the offering
of all the sacrifices
(Christ in His crucifixion)
to solve
all the problems of man
before God.
…Our refuge
is the first altar,
which signifies
the cross of Christ.
At the cross of Christ
we are saved,
and here
we have our nest.
Actually,
our nest
is the cross of Christ itself.
In this nest
we may lay our young,
that is,
produce new believers.

The second consummation
is the second altar,
which is
the golden altar of incense
(Christ in His ascension)
for God’s acceptance
of the redeemed sinners.
When we experience
Christ in His ascension,
we have
a place of rest,
and we sense
that we are at home.
At the first altar
we have
a nest,
and at the second altar
we have
a resting place
in the house of God.

The highways to Zion
signify our intention
to enter into the church
as the house of God
and to seek
the incarnated Triune God
in His consummations,
typified by
the furniture in the tabernacle.
…On the one hand,
we have entered into God;
on the other hand,
we are
still on the highways
to enter into God.
That the highways
are in our heart
means that we
need to take
the way of the church
internally,
not merely externally.

Day 3
Psa. 84:3-4
At Your two altars
even the sparrow
has found a home;
and the swallow,
a nest for herself,
where she may lay her young,
O Jehovah of hosts,
my King and my God.
Blessed are those
who dwell in Your house;
they will yet be praising You.
Selah

The two altars
in Psalm 84:3
are the bronze altar
for the sacrifices
and the golden altar of incense.
The two altars
signify the leading consummations
of the work of the incarnated Triune God,
who is Christ
as the embodiment of God
for His increase.
The mentioning
of these two altars together
in Exodus 40:5-6
indicates that they
are closely related
in our spiritual experience.
At the bronze altar,
a type of the cross of Christ,
our problems before God
are solved
through the crucified Christ
as the sacrifices.
This qualifies us
to enter
into the tabernacle,
a type of Christ
as the incarnated and enterable Triune God,
and to contact God
at the incense altar.
At the golden altar of incense
in front of the Holy of Holies…,
the resurrected Christ
in His ascension
is the incense
for us
to be accepted by God
in peace.
Through our prayer
at the incense altar
we enter
into the Holy of Holies
—our spirit—
where we experience Christ
as the Ark of the Testimony
with its contents.
Through such an experience of Christ
we are incorporated
into the tabernacle, the incarnated Triune God,
to become
a part of the corporate Christ
as God’s testimony
for His manifestation.

Through these two altars
God’s redeemed
can find their home
with God
in rest.
Psalm 84:3
speaks both of a home and of a nest.
What is the difference
between a home and a nest?
Whereas a home
is a place of rest,
a nest
is a place of refuge.
For us today,
the bronze altar
is a refuge.
We hide ourselves
under the cross,
escaping our troubles,
and thus we
are covered
and have refuge.
Then
at the golden altar
we contact our Christ
in the heavens.
This contact
is not for refuge
—it is for rest.

A swallow
is small and weak
and is troubled
by storms
and by many other things.
But a swallow
has a nest, a refuge.
Like a swallow
coming to the nest
where she may lay her young,
we may come to
the cross of Christ
as our refuge.
Here we may bring our “young,”
those whom we contact
in our preaching of the gospel.
Spiritually speaking,
at the “nest” of the cross
we should “lay”
our young, our spiritual children.
To lay the young
is to produce them
through the preaching of the gospel.
To do this
we need to bring sinners
to the cross of Christ.
It is here, at the cross,
that we have
our nest, our refuge,
and it is here
that we “lay our young,”
that is,
produce our spiritual children.
Before contacting the cross
they were sinners,
but by contacting the cross
they become believers,
young children in the Lord.
As we teach our young
to call on the Lord,
they will learn
to offer prayer to God
at the altar of incense.
Then
in their experience
these two altars
will be closely related.

At the bronze altar
we meet
the crucified Christ,
but at the golden altar
the crucified Christ
becomes the ascended Christ.
In His ascension
Christ becomes our acceptance.
No matter how good or pure
we may seem to be in ourselves,
we cannot be acceptable to God
apart from Christ.
We can be acceptable to God
only in Christ.
This is
what it means
for Christ
to become our incense.

In the church
we first find a refuge,
and then we find a home.
Before we
were saved
and came into the church,
we not only were wandering and homeless,
but we were also
without any safeguard, protection,
or hiding place.
When we came to the church,
we came immediately
to the bronze altar, the cross of Christ,
and there,
having the solution
to our problems,
we found
a hiding place, a refuge.
We hid ourselves
in the cross.
Then
as we went on
to contact God,
praying at the incense altar,
we had the sense
that we were resting
at home.

Day 1
Exo. 25:9
According to all
that I show you,
the pattern of the tabernacle
and the pattern of all its furnishings,
even so
shall you make it.

1 Kings 8:4
…They brought up
the Ark of Jehovah
and the Tent of Meeting
and all the holy vessels
that were in the tent…

Rev. 21:3
…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.

The pattern of the tabernacle
and all its furnishings
is a full and complete type
of both the individual Christ
as the Head
and the corporate Christ
as the Body, the church,
including many details
of the experience of Christ
for the church life.

The physical tabernacle
(and later the temple)
as God’s dwelling place
in the Old Testament
was actually a symbol of
a corporate people, the children of Israel
as the house of God.
At the beginning of the New Testament age
the incarnated Christ
as God’s embodiment
was both the tabernacle
and the temple of God.
Through His death and resurrection
the individual Christ
was enlarged
to be the corporate Christ, the church
composed of the New Testament believers
as the temple,
the house of God,
and the Body of Christ.
Ultimately,
the tabernacle and the temple
will consummate in the New Jerusalem
—the Triune God
mingled with His redeemed people
of both the Old Testament and the New Testament
—as God’s eternal dwelling place.

1 Kings 8:1-11
shows that the tabernacle
was merged with the temple.
The contents of the tabernacle
were placed in the temple,
indicating that as God’s dwelling place
the tabernacle and the temple
were one.
The tabernacle
was a portable precursor
moving through the wilderness,
whereas the temple
was a consummation
of God’s building
in typology.

For the meeting
of God’s people with God,
the tabernacle
was called
the Tent of Meeting;
for the testimony of God,
it was called
the Tabernacle of the Testimony.
In the New Testament
both Christ
and the church, the enlargement of Christ,
are the reality
of the tabernacle
in these two aspects.

Abraham
first pitched his tent
between Bethel and Ai
and built an altar there.
His tent there
was a testimony of God
to the world.
At Hebron
Abraham’s tent
became a place
where he had fellowship with God.
By Abraham’s pitching a tent
at Hebron,
God had a place on earth
where He
could communicate and fellowship
with man.
Abraham’s tent with the altar
built by him
was a prefigure
of the tabernacle with the altar
built by the children of Israel
after the exodus from Egypt.
That tabernacle
was God’s testimony
and the place
where God and His people
could dwell and fellowship together.
The ultimate consummation of the tabernacle
will be
the New Jerusalem,
the testimony, the expression,
of God in eternity
and the eternal dwelling place
of God and all His called ones.

As God’s habitation,
the New Jerusalem
will be
the tabernacle of God with men
for eternity.
The tabernacle made by Moses
was a type
of this tabernacle.
That type
was first fulfilled
in Christ
as God’s tabernacle among men
and will eventually be fulfilled
in the fullest way
in the New Jerusalem,
which will be
the enlargement of Christ
as God’s dwelling place.
This tabernacle
will also be
the eternal dwelling place
of God’s redeemed people.
God will overshadow us
with Christ.
…Hence,
the New Jerusalem
will be
a mutual habitation
for both God and us.