In the tabernacle
a veil
of blue, purple, and scarlet strands
and fine twined linen
was hung upon four pillars
of acacia overlaid with gold:
The veil,
signifying the flesh of Christ,
separated the Holy Place
from the Holy of Holies
and also covered
the Ark of the Testimony:
This signifies the separation
between God and fallen man
because of man’s flesh.
This veil was torn
through Christ’s crucifixion,
signifying that the flesh of sin
was crucified
through Christ’s death on the cross
to open a new and living way
for sinful man
to contact God
in Christ
as the propitiation cover
in the Holy of Holies.
The pillars, like the boards,
were made of acacia wood
overlaid with gold
and stood on silver sockets,
which signify Christ’s redemption:
The pillars
signify believers
who are strong
to bear the testimony
of Christ’s incarnation and crucifixion.
The veil
being attached to the pillars
implies the identification, the oneness, of Christ
as the veil
with those believers
who are pillars.
The pillars
in God’s dwelling place
no longer live in the flesh
but bear the testimony
that the veil of their flesh
has been torn,
i.e., that they themselves
have been terminated
and their flesh
has been crucified
with Christ.
The riven veil
on the pillars
becomes an entrance
for God’s people
to enter the Holy of Holies
to have
the full enjoyment of God.
A screen
was made of blue, purple, and scarlet strands
and fine twined linen,
and for the screen
five pillars
were made of acacia
overlaid with gold:
The screen
signifies Christ
in His perfect humanity
as the One
who keeps all negative persons and things
outside God’s dwelling place,
and as the One
who died for our sins
under God’s judgment
so that we
may be forgiven by God
and may enter
into the Holy Place
of His dwelling
to begin to enjoy
all the riches of God in Christ.
The screen and the veil
in the tabernacle
signify two aspects
of the all-inclusive death
of Christ:
The screen
indicates that Christ
died for our sins
so that our sins
may be forgiven
and that we
may be justified
by God.
The veil
indicates that Christ
died for us, the sinners,
so that our flesh, our fallen nature,
may be torn, crucified,
that we
may enter
into the Holy of Holies
to enjoy God
to the uttermost.
The screen
was for the entrance of the tent:
The tabernacle in Exodus
was enterable.
By being incarnated,
God
not only became
a man;
He also became
an enterable tabernacle.
In the Old Testament
the priests could enter
into the tabernacle,
and today
all the believers in Christ,
as priests,
can enter
into God
and dwell
in Him.
The incarnated God
has become
our dwelling place, our home,
as a place of enjoyment.
Like the four pillars
attached to the veil,
the five pillars
attached to the screen
signify stronger believers
who are identified with
the incarnated and crucified Christ:
These pillars
at the entrance of the tabernacle
are evangelists,
who declare to all
that Christ
died for their sins.
The pillars
within the tabernacle
are those
who experience Christ
in a deeper way,
who daily attach themselves
to the torn veil,
to the Christ
who was terminated
in His flesh,
and bear the testimony
that they
have been crucified with Christ.
These two kinds of pillars
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.
Between the five pillars
supporting the screen
there were
four entrances
into the tabernacle,
and between the four pillars
supporting the veil
there were
three entrances
into the Holy of Holies:
The fact
that the screen
has four entrances
indicates that God’s dwelling place
is open to all people
from the four corners of the earth.
The three entrances
in the veil
indicate that the Triune God Himself
is the entrance
for His redeemed people
to enter
not only His dwelling place
but also Himself.
The screen and the veil
are related to
the two aspects of reconciliation
spoken of
by Paul
in 2 Corinthians 5:18-21:
Paul was authorized by God
to represent Him
to carry out
the ministry of reconciliation.
The ministry of reconciliation
is not merely to bring sinners
back to God
but, even the more,
to bring believers
absolutely into God.
Until we
are wholly one
with the Lord,
being in Him
and allowing Him
to be in us absolutely,
we will need
the ministry of reconciliation.
Two steps
are required
for us
to be fully reconciled to God:
In 2 Corinthians 5:19
it is the world
that is reconciled to God,
but in verse 20
it is the believers,
who have already been reconciled to God
and are to be reconciled further to God.
The first step of reconciliation
is to reconcile sinners to God
from sin:
For this purpose
Christ died for our sins
that they might be forgiven by God.
Originally,
we were not only sinners
but also enemies of God;
through the redeeming death of Christ,
God has justified
us, the sinners,
and reconciled
us, His enemies,
to Himself.
This is
the objective aspect
of Christ’s death;
in this aspect
He bore our sins
on the cross
that they
might be judged by God
upon Him
for us.
The second step
of reconciliation
is to reconcile believers
living in the natural life
to God
from the flesh:
For this purpose
Christ died
for us—the persons—
that we
might live to Him
in the resurrection life.
This is
the subjective aspect
of Christ’s death;
in this aspect
He was made sin
for us
to be judged
and done away with
by God
that we
might become
the righteousness of God in Him.
In the objective aspect
of His death
Christ bore our sins;
in the subjective aspect
He became sin.
Because we
are still separated from God
and because we
are not
fully one with God
and altogether in harmony with Him,
we need
the second step
of reconciliation.
The subjective aspect
of the death of Christ
needs to be applied
to our situation
and to our natural life:
This application
of the subjective death of Christ
crucifies our natural life,
rending the veil
that separates us
from God’s inner presence.
In order that we
may be reconciled to God in full,
the Father
exposes our natural life
and unveils our real situation to us:
As a result,
we condemn our natural being
and apply the cross subjectively,
and this application
of the death of Christ
crucifies our natural life.
As our natural man
is crossed out,
we experience
the second step of reconciliation;
in this step
the veil of our natural man
is rent
so that we
may live in God’s presence.
Instead of taking place once for all,
the second step of reconciliation
is continuous.
By the two aspects of His death,
Christ fully reconciles
God’s chosen people
to God.
Hits: 8
7 replies on “The Veil, the Screen, and the Two Aspects of Reconciliation”
Prophecy note, 16 October 2016
In the tabernacle
a veil
of blue, purple, and scarlet strands
and fine twined linen
was hung upon four pillars
of acacia overlaid with gold:
The veil,
signifying the flesh of Christ,
separated the Holy Place
from the Holy of Holies
and also covered
the Ark of the Testimony:
This signifies the separation
between God and fallen man
because of man’s flesh.
This veil was torn
through Christ’s crucifixion,
signifying that the flesh of sin
was crucified
through Christ’s death on the cross
to open a new and living way
for sinful man
to contact God in Christ
as the propitiation cover
in the Holy of Holies.
The pillars, like the boards,
were made of acacia wood
overlaid with gold
and stood on silver sockets,
which signify Christ’s redemption:
The pillars
signify believers
who are strong
to bear the testimony
of Christ’s incarnation and crucifixion.
The veil
being attached to the pillars
implies the identification, the oneness, of Christ
as the veil
with those believers
who are pillars.
The pillars
in God’s dwelling place
no longer live in the flesh
but bear the testimony
that the veil of their flesh
has been torn,
i.e., that they themselves
have been terminated
and their flesh
has been crucified
with Christ.
The riven veil
on the pillars
becomes an entrance
for God’s people
to enter the Holy of Holies
to have
the full enjoyment of God.
A screen
was made of blue, purple, and scarlet strands
and fine twined linen,
and for the screen
five pillars
were made of acacia
overlaid with gold:
The screen
signifies Christ
in His perfect humanity
as the One
who keeps all negative persons and things
outside God’s dwelling place,
and as the One
who died for our sins
under God’s judgment
so that we
may be forgiven by God
and may enter
into the Holy Place
of His dwelling
to begin to enjoy
all the riches of God in Christ.
The screen and the veil
in the tabernacle
signify two aspects
of the all-inclusive death
of Christ:
The screen
indicates that Christ
died for our sins
so that our sins
may be forgiven
and that we
may be justified
by God.
The veil
indicates that Christ
died for us, the sinners,
so that our flesh, our fallen nature,
may be torn, crucified,
that we
may enter
into the Holy of Holies
to enjoy God
to the uttermost.
The screen
was for the entrance of the tent:
The tabernacle in Exodus
was enterable.
By being incarnated,
God
not only became
a man;
He also became
an enterable tabernacle.
In the Old Testament
the priests could enter
into the tabernacle,
and today
all the believers in Christ,
as priests,
can enter
into God
and dwell
in Him.
The incarnated God
has become
our dwelling place, our home,
as a place of enjoyment.
Like the four pillars
attached to the veil,
the five pillars
attached to the screen
signify stronger believers
who are identified with
the incarnated and crucified Christ:
These pillars
at the entrance of the tabernacle
are evangelists,
who declare to all
that Christ
died for their sins.
The pillars
within the tabernacle
are those
who experience Christ
in a deeper way,
who daily attach themselves
to the torn veil,
to the Christ
who was terminated
in His flesh,
and bear the testimony
that they
have been crucified with Christ.
These two kinds of pillars
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.
Between the five pillars
supporting the screen
there were
four entrances
into the tabernacle,
and between the four pillars
supporting the veil
there were
three entrances
into the Holy of Holies:
The fact
that the screen
has four entrances
indicates that God’s dwelling place
is open to all people
from the four corners of the earth.
The three entrances
in the veil
indicate that the Triune God Himself
is the entrance
for His redeemed people
to enter
not only His dwelling place
but also Himself.
The screen and the veil
are related to
the two aspects of reconciliation
spoken of
by Paul
in 2 Corinthians 5:18-21:
Paul was authorized by God
to represent Him
to carry out
the ministry of reconciliation.
The ministry of reconciliation
is not merely to bring sinners
back to God
but, even the more,
to bring believers
absolutely into God.
Until we
are wholly one
with the Lord,
being in Him
and allowing Him
to be in us absolutely,
we will need
the ministry of reconciliation.
Two steps
are required
for us
to be fully reconciled to God:
In 2 Corinthians 5:19
it is the world
that is reconciled to God,
but in verse 20
it is the believers,
who have already been reconciled to God
and are to be reconciled further to God.
The first step of reconciliation
is to reconcile sinners to God
from sin:
For this purpose
Christ died for our sins
that they might be forgiven by God.
Originally,
we were not only sinners
but also enemies of God;
through the redeeming death of Christ,
God has justified
us, the sinners,
and reconciled
us, His enemies,
to Himself.
This is
the objective aspect
of Christ’s death;
in this aspect
He bore our sins
on the cross
that they
might be judged by God
upon Him
for us.
The second step
of reconciliation
is to reconcile believers
living in the natural life
to God
from the flesh:
For this purpose
Christ died
for us—the persons—
that we
might live to Him
in the resurrection life.
This is
the subjective aspect
of Christ’s death;
in this aspect
He was made sin
for us
to be judged
and done away with
by God
that we
might become
the righteousness of God in Him.
In the objective aspect
of His death
Christ bore our sins;
in the subjective aspect
He became sin.
Because we
are still separated from God
and because we
are not
fully one with God
and altogether in harmony with Him,
we need
the second step
of reconciliation.
The subjective aspect
of the death of Christ
needs to be applied
to our situation
and to our natural life:
This application
of the subjective death of Christ
crucifies our natural life,
rending the veil
that separates us
from God’s inner presence.
In order that we
may be reconciled to God in full,
the Father
exposes our natural life
and unveils our real situation to us:
As a result,
we condemn our natural being
and apply the cross subjectively,
and this application
of the death of Christ
crucifies our natural life.
As our natural man
is crossed out,
we experience
the second step of reconciliation;
in this step
the veil of our natural man
is rent
so that we
may live in God’s presence.
Instead of taking place once for all,
the second step of reconciliation
is continuous.
By the two aspects of His death,
Christ fully reconciles
God’s chosen people
to God.
Day 6
Rom. 6:6
Knowing this,
that our old man
has been crucified with Him
in order that the body of sin
might be annulled,
that we
should no longer serve sin
as slaves.
Gal. 5:24
But they
who are of Christ Jesus
have crucified the flesh
with its passions and its lusts.
The Corinthian believers
had been reconciled to God,
having passed through the first veil
and having entered
into the Holy Place.
Yet they
still lived in the flesh.
They needed to pass the second veil,
which had been rent already,
to enter into the Holy of Holies
to live with God in their spirit.
The goal of 2 Corinthians
was to bring them there
that they
might be persons
in the spirit,
in the Holy of Holies.
This was
what the apostle meant
by saying,
“Be reconciled to God”
[2 Cor. 5:20].
This was
to present them
full-grown in Christ.
The second step of reconciliation
is much deeper
than the first step,
for it takes place
not in the outer court
outside the tabernacle
but within the Holy Place
inside the tabernacle.
Instead of taking place once for all,
this kind of reconciliation
is continuous.
If you consider your experience,
you will realize
that no matter how long
you have been
a seeking Christian,
you still have the sense
deep within
that you
are separated
from God’s presence
by something,
mainly by
your natural life,
your old man,
your self.
You may be
very good, nice,
pious, “holy,” and “spiritual,”
yet you know
that there is still something
separating you
from God’s presence.
You are not
fully one with God,
altogether in harmony with Him.
Instead,
because you
are still separated from Him,
you need
the second step of reconciliation.
You need the application
of the subjective death of Christ
to your situation.
In other words,
the subjective death of Christ
needs to be applied
to your natural life.
This application
of the subjective death of Christ
crucifies your natural life,
rending the veil
that separates you
from God’s inner presence.
If we
are sincere and honest with God
in our seeking of Him,
we shall realize
that this is
our situation.
This is the reason
that often we
begin our prayer
with confession.
We may say,
“Father,
I confess
that I am still separated
from You.
In a sense,
I am with You,
but in a deeper sense
I am not with You.
I am separated from You
not by something sinful
but by my natural life.
Father,
forgive me,
and grant mercy to me
that I may apply
the subjective death of Christ
to my inward being
to such an extent
that my natural life
will be thoroughly crucified.”
This is
to experience
the rending of the veil
within us
so that,
through the rent veil
of the natural life,
we may be reconciled
to the inner presence
of God the Father.
In order that we
may be reconciled to God in full,
the Father
exposes our natural life
and unveils our real situation to us.
As a result,
we condemn our natural being
and apply the cross subjectively.
Then
as our natural man
is crossed out,
we experience
the second step of reconciliation.
In this step
the veil of our natural man
is rent
so that we
may live in God’s presence.
We thank the Lord
for what He has shown us
concerning the veil and the screen
and concerning the necessity
to have the flesh rent
so that we
may experience God
in the Holy of Holies.
Having seen these things,
we can no longer be content
with the outer court
or even the Holy Place.
If we
are in the Holy of Holies,
there will be
no way
for us
to go elsewhere.
We can never again
be content
to live in the Holy Place.
The vision
we see in the Holy of Holies
will imprison us.
We praise the Lord
for showing us
the two veils,
the inner veil and the screen,
and for revealing
the two aspects of reconciliation.
We all
need to pass
through both veils
and experience
both aspects of reconciliation
so that we
may enter into the Holy of Holies
to enjoy the Lord
to the uttermost.
Day 5
2 Cor. 5:21
Him who did not know sin
He made sin
on our behalf
that we
might become
the righteousness of God
in Him.
1 Pet. 2:24
Who Himself
bore up our sins
in His body
on the tree,
in order that we,
having died to sins,
might live to righteousness;
by whose bruise
you were healed.
For us
to experience
the first step of reconciliation,
it was necessary
for Christ
to die
for our sins.
In 1 Corinthians 15:3
Paul declares,
“Christ died for our sins.”
But in order for us
to be reconciled further,
even fully,
to God,
it was necessary
for Christ
to die also for us,
not only for our sins.
For Christ
to die
for our sins
is one thing,
but for Him
to die
for us
is something else.
Christ died for our sins
so that our sins
may be forgiven by God
and taken away.
Christ also died for us
so that we
may be terminated.
Christ’s dying for our sins
accomplishes
the first step of reconciliation,
and His dying for us
accomplishes
the second step.
Paul has
this second step
in mind
when he says,
“One died for all”
(2 Cor. 5:14).
According to this verse,
Christ died
not for sins;
He died
for persons.
The objective aspect
of Christ’s death
involves His dying
for our sins.
But the subjective aspect
of Christ’s death
involves His dying for us.
This subjective aspect
enables the believers
to be reconciled to God
in full.
Furthermore,
in the objective aspect
of His death
Christ bore our sins.
However,
in the subjective aspect
He became sin.
Today
there is
much teaching
among Christians
about Christ dying for our sins
and bearing our sins,
but not much
is said
about Christ being made sin
on our behalf.
Since we,
as fallen human beings,
are sin,
for Christ
to be made sin
actually means
for Him
to become us.
The subjective aspect
of the death of Christ
puts us to death.
According to Romans 8:3,
God condemned
sin in the flesh.
This means
that He condemned us;
He condemned
the natural man.
Furthermore,
the veil, the natural man,
the natural life, the flesh,
was cleft
through the subjective aspect
of Christ’s death.
When sin was condemned
and when the veil was rent,
we were terminated.
As a result,
the second veil
was taken away
and we
may be fully reconciled
to God.
Therefore,
we should not remain
in the Holy Place;
we should come forward
into the Holy of Holies.
Moreover,
we should
no longer know one another
according to flesh,
but we should know one another
according to spirit.
Eventually,
those
who have been brought back
to God
in the Holy of Holies
will enjoy Christ
to the uttermost
and even become
the righteousness of God
in Him.
Paul speaks of this
in 2 Corinthians 5:21
where he says,
“That we might become
the righteousness of God
in Him.”
Righteousness
issues from God
for His administration,
which is Christ
to be our righteousness,
making us
God’s righteousness in Him,
not merely righteous
before God.
Through His redemption,
man as a sinner, even as sin,
is made
God’s righteousness,
reconciled to the righteous God,
and a new creation
living to Him
for God’s eternal purpose.
The apostles
are commissioned
to minister
such a Christ,
with all the glorious issues
of His marvelous achievement,
to His believers
who are
His members
to form His Body.
God desires
to have
a people on earth
who are
not only righteous persons;
He wants a people
who, in the sight of
God, the devil, the angels, and the demons,
are the very righteousness of God.
To be made righteous
before God
is one thing;
to be God’s righteousness
is another thing.
To become
the righteousness of God
is the highest enjoyment
of the Triune God
in Christ.
In Adam
we fell so low
that we became sin.
Not only were we sinful
before God
—we became sin itself.
But now in Christ,
having been brought
thoroughly back to God,
we may enjoy Christ
to such an extent
that in Him
we become
God’s righteousness.
What a salvation!
What a reconciliation!
To have this enjoyment
is to be
on the peak of
God’s salvation,
to be
on the peak of
our holy Zion.
Day 4
2 Cor. 5:19
Namely,
that God in Christ
was reconciling the world
to Himself,
not accounting their offenses
to them,
and has put in us
the word of reconciliation.
Rom. 5:10
For if we,
being enemies,
were reconciled to God
through the death of His Son,
much more
we will be saved
in His life,
having been reconciled.
Originally,
we were not only sinners
but also enemies of God.
Enmity
is the greatest problem
between man and God.
Through the redeeming death of Christ,
God has justified
us, the sinners,
and has reconciled
us, His enemies,
to Himself.
We were reconciled to God
when we believed in the Lord Jesus.
By faith
we have received
God’s justification and reconciliation.
As believers
we have been redeemed
by being reconciled to God
in the first step.
Second Corinthians 5:19 and 20
show that reconciliation
has two steps.
In verse 19
it is the world
that is reconciled to God.
In verse 20
it is the believers,
who have already been reconciled to God,
who are to be reconciled further to Him.
This clearly indicates
that there are
two steps
for us
to be fully reconciled to God.
In the first step
we, as sinners,
are reconciled to God
from sin.
For this purpose
Christ died
for our sins
that they
might be forgiven
by God.
This is
the objective aspect
of Christ’s death.
In this aspect
He bore our sins
on the cross
to be judged by God
upon Him
for us.
The second step
is that, as believers
living in the natural life,
we need to be reconciled to God
from the flesh.
For this purpose
Christ died
for us—the persons—
that we
may live to Him
in the resurrection life.
This is
the subjective aspect
of Christ’s death.
In this aspect
He was made sin
for us
to be judged
and done away with
by God
so that we
may become
the righteousness of God
in Him.
By these two aspects
of His death
the Lord Jesus
has fully reconciled
God’s chosen people
to God.
These two steps of reconciliation
are clearly portrayed
by the two veils
of the tabernacle.
The first veil
is called the screen.
A sinner
was brought to God
through the reconciliation
of the atoning blood
to enter
into the Holy Place
by passing the screen.
This typifies
the first step of reconciliation.
The second veil
still separated him from God,
who is
in the Holy of Holies.
This veil
needed to be rent
that he
might be brought to God
in the Holy of Holies.
This is
the second step of reconciliation.
Many believers
have been reconciled to God
in the first step,
having passed
through the first veil
and having entered
into the Holy Place.
But because they
still live in the flesh,
they need to pass
the second veil,
which has been rent already,
to enter in
through the Holy of Holies
to live with God
in their spirit.
This is
reconciliation in the second step.
Because of the need
for believers
to have
the second step of reconciliation,
Paul,
in 2 Corinthians 5:20,
says,
“Be reconciled to God.”
The first step of reconciliation
was accomplished
when we believed in the Lord Jesus.
At the time
we were
forgiven, freed,
washed, sanctified, and justified,
God reconciled us to Him
in position.
However,
in disposition
we are still against God
in many ways
and in many things.
For this reason,
we need
further reconciliation.
We have been reconciled to God
in the first step
in order to be saved
in the life of God’s Son.
“If we, being enemies,
were reconciled to God
through the death of His Son,
much more
we will be saved
in His life,
having been reconciled”
(Rom. 5:10).
Reconciliation to God
through Christ
in the first step
has been accomplished already,
but to be saved
in Christ’s life
from so many negative things
is still a daily matter.
Yes,
we have been forgiven, freed,
washed, sanctified, justified,
and reconciled to God
in the first step.
However,
there are
still many things
from which we
need to be saved
in Christ’s life.
Day 3
2 Cor. 5:18
But all things
are out from God,
who has reconciled us
to Himself
through Christ
and has given to us
the ministry of reconciliation.
2 Cor. 5:20
On behalf of Christ
then
we are ambassadors,
as God entreats you
through us;
we beseech you
on behalf of Christ,
Be reconciled
to God.
The Corinthian believers
were genuine brothers in Christ,
and Paul repeatedly addressed them
as such.
Nevertheless,
in 2 Corinthians 5:20
he beseeches them
to be reconciled to God.
Then in verse 21
he goes on to say,
“Him who did not know sin
He made sin
on our behalf
that we
might become
the righteousness of God
in Him.”
This is
deeper than
Christ dying for our sins.
For Christ
to be made sin for us
so that we
may become
the righteousness of God
is different from
Christ dying
so that we
may have our sins forgiven
and be justified by God.
If we
read 2 Corinthians 5 carefully,
we shall see
that there are in fact
two aspects of reconciliation.
In verse 19
Paul says
that God was in Christ
reconciling the world to Himself.
Notice that concerning the reconciling
of the world to God,
Paul does not tell us
that Christ was made sin.
On the contrary,
he simply says
that God
did not account their offenses to them.
This aspect of reconciliation
involves sinners,
as indicated
by Paul’s use of the word world.
But according to verse 20,
even the reconciled ones, the believers,
still need to be reconciled.
Most Christian preachers today
speak only of
the first aspect of reconciliation,
the aspect of God
not accounting sinners’ offenses to them.
Few, if any,
speak of the second aspect of reconciliation,
the aspect related to Christ becoming sin
so that we
may become
the righteousness of God in Him.
This aspect,
which is much deeper
than the first,
is signified by
the second veil
in the tabernacle.
Only when we
pass through this veil
are we thoroughly reconciled
to God
and able to enjoy Him
in full.
If we
would have
a proper understanding of
what it means
to work together with God,
we need to recall
what Paul said
at the end of 2 Corinthians 5.
Paul has already said
that he
has been commissioned
by God
with the ministry of reconciliation,
that is,
with the work of
reconciling others to God.
Many years ago,
I had
a very limited understanding
of reconciliation.
My understanding
was that before we
were saved,
we were
enemies of God,
and there was
no peace
between us and God.
Instead of peace,
we were at enmity
with God.
But when we
repented and believed in the Lord Jesus,
His blood
washed away our sins,
and we
received God’s forgiveness.
As a result,
we were justified by God
and reconciled to Him.
Having been reconciled to God
in this way,
there was
no longer enmity
between us and God.
Instead,
we had peace with Him.
This understanding of reconciliation
falls far short of
the full meaning of reconciliation
in the New Testament.
It is
not the full significance of reconciliation
as ministered
by the apostle Paul.
I have read
a number of books
which refer to this subject,
but none of them
pointed out
that the ministry of reconciliation
is not merely to bring sinners
back to God,
but, even the more,
to bring believers
absolutely into God.
Hence,
it is
not sufficient
simply to be brought back
to God;
we must also be
in Him.
The biblical understanding of reconciliation
includes more than
merely being brought back
to God.
It is
to be brought back
into Him.
Therefore,
…to bring others to God
means to bring them
into God
and to make them
absolutely one with Him.
Until we
are wholly one with the Lord,
being in Him
and allowing Him
to be in us absolutely,
we shall continue to need
the ministry of reconciliation,
the ministry with which Paul
was commissioned.
Paul was commissioned
with the work of
bringing the believers into God
in a way
that was
absolute and practical.
Day 2
John 1:14
And the Word
became flesh
and tabernacled
among us
(and we
beheld His glory,
glory as of the only Begotten
from the Father),
full of
grace and reality.
Eph. 2:18
For through Him
we both have access
in one Spirit
unto the Father.
The tabernacle in Exodus
was enterable.
By being incarnated,
God
not only became
a man;
He also became
an enterable tabernacle.
God’s original intention
was that all the children of Israel
would be priests
and have the right
to enter into the tabernacle,
that is,
to enter into God
and dwell in God.
In the Old Testament
the priests could enter
into the tabernacle,
and today
all the believers in Christ,
as priests,
can enter
into God
and dwell
in Him.
The incarnated God
has become
our dwelling place, our home,
as a place of enjoyment.
Like the four pillars
attached to the veil,
the five pillars
attached to the screen
signify stronger believers
who are identified with
the incarnated and crucified Christ.
These pillars
at the entrance of the tabernacle
are evangelists,
who declare to all
that Christ died
for their sins.
The pillars
within the tabernacle
are those
who experience Christ
in a deeper way,
who daily attach themselves
to the torn veil,
to the very Christ
who was terminated
in His flesh,
and bear the testimony
that they
have been crucified with Christ.
These two kinds of pillars
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.
Between the five pillars
supporting the screen
there were
four entrances
into the tabernacle,
and between the four pillars
supporting the veil
there were
three entrances
into the Holy of Holies.
The fact
that the screen
has four entrances
indicates that God’s dwelling place
is open to all people
from the four corners of the earth.
The three entrances
in the veil
indicate that the Triune God Himself
is the entrance
for His redeemed people
to enter
not only His dwelling place
but also Himself.
Recently
I have seen
that the screen and the veil
in the tabernacle
are related to Paul’s word
concerning reconciliation
in 2 Corinthians 5.
For many years
I was puzzled
by this chapter,
especially by Paul’s appeal
to the Corinthians
to be reconciled to God.
In this chapter
Paul is definitely dealing
not with unbelievers,
but with believers.
Nevertheless,
he concludes this chapter
with a word
about reconciliation.
Why in speaking to believers
does Paul refer to his ministry
as a ministry of reconciliation?
Had those in Corinth
not already been reconciled to God?
Since they were genuine believers,
they no doubt had been reconciled.
Second Corinthians 5:19 says,
“God in Christ
was reconciling the world
to Himself,
not accounting their offenses
to them,
and has put in us
the word of reconciliation.”
Then
in verse 20
Paul goes on
to say,
“On behalf of Christ
then
we are ambassadors,
as God entreats you
through us;
we beseech you
on behalf of Christ,
Be reconciled to God.”
We need to see
that here Paul
speaks of reconciliation
in two ways,
or in two aspects.
One aspect
is related to sinners;
the other aspect,
to believers.
If we know
the significance
of the veil and the screen
in the tabernacle,
we shall be able to understand
how Paul deals with
the Corinthian believers
in 2 Corinthians 5.
The Corinthians
had passed through
the first veil, the screen,
at the entrance
to the tabernacle.
But they
had not yet passed through
the second veil,
the inner veil,
the veil
separating the Holy Place
from the Holy of Holies.
This means
that they
had not experienced
both aspects of the reconciliation
between us and God.
…They had been reconciled to God
to some extent,
but not to the extent of
being able to come into
the Holy of Holies
to enjoy God in full.
For this reason,
they needed
a further reconciliation,
the reconciliation
Paul speaks of
in 2 Corinthians 5:20.
Day 1
Exo. 26:33
And you
shall hang up the veil
under the clasps
and bring in
the Ark of the Testimony
there within the veil;
and the veil
shall make a separation
for you
between the Holy Place
and the Holy of Holies.
Heb. 10:20
Which entrance
He initiated for us
as a new and living way
through the veil,
that is, His flesh.
In the tabernacle
there were
two veils, or two curtains.
The first veil,
located at the entrance
to the Holy Place,
was called the screen;
the second curtain,
separating the Holy Place
from the Holy of Holies,
was called the veil.
Chapter 26 of Exodus
speaks first of the inner veil
and then of the screen.
Verse 31 says,
“And you
shall make a veil
of blue and purple and scarlet strands
and fine twined linen;
it shall be made
with cherubim,
the work of a skillful workman.”
This was the veil
which made a separation
between the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies.
Verses 36 and 37 say,
“And you
shall make a screen
for the entrance of the tent,
of blue and purple and scarlet strands
and fine twined linen,
the work of an embroiderer.
And for the screen
you shall make
five pillars of acacia
and overlay them
with gold.”
…These two veils
signify two aspects
of the all-inclusive death
of Christ.
In material, color, and workmanship
the veil
was exactly the same
as the first layer
of the covering
of the tabernacle.
The veil,
signifying the flesh of Christ,
separated the Holy Place
from the Holy of Holies
and also covered
the Ark of the Testimony.
This signifies
the separation
between God and fallen man
because of man’s flesh.
This veil
was torn through Christ’s crucifixion,
signifying that the flesh of sin
was crucified
through Christ’s death
on the cross
to open
a new and living way
for sinful man
to contact God
on Christ
as the propitiation cover
in the Holy of Holies.
The pillars,
like the boards,
were made of
acacia wood
overlaid with gold
and stood on
silver sockets,
which signify
Christ’s redemption.
Hence,
the pillars
signify believers
who are strong
to bear
the testimony
of Christ’s incarnation and crucifixion.
The veil
being attached to the pillars
implies
the identification, the oneness,
of Christ
as the veil
with those believers
who are pillars.
The pillars
in God’s dwelling place
no longer live in the flesh
but bear the testimony
that the veil of their flesh
has been torn,
that is,
that they themselves
have been terminated
and their flesh
has been crucified
with Christ.
The riven veil
on the pillars
becomes an entrance
for God’s people
to enter the Holy of Holies
to have
the full enjoyment of God.
The screen
as the entrance
to the tent
was made of
the same material
as the first layer
of the covering
and the veil
separating the Holy Place
from the Holy of Holies.
The screen
signifies Christ
in His perfect humanity
as the One
who keeps
all negative persons and things
outside God’s dwelling place,
and as the One
who died for our sins
under God’s judgment
so that we
may be forgiven by God
and may enter
into the Holy Place
of His dwelling
to begin
to enjoy
all the riches
of God
in Christ.
The screen and the veil
in the tabernacle
signify two aspects
of the all-inclusive death
of Christ.
The screen
indicates that Christ
died for our sins
so that our sins
may be forgiven
and that we
may be justified
by God.
The veil
indicates that Christ
died for us, the sinners,
so that our flesh, our fallen nature,
may be torn, crucified,
that we
may enter
into the Holy of Holies
to enjoy God
to the uttermost.
These two curtains
are related to
the two aspects
of reconciliation
spoken of
by Paul
in 2 Corinthians 5:18-21.