In this message we shall cover more symbols of the Spirit found in the New Testament.
Romans 8:23 speaks of the firstfruit of the Spirit. This firstfruit is not the first fruit borne by the Spirit. The firstfruit of the Spirit is simply the Spirit Himself as the firstfruit of the coming harvest of what God is to us. We enjoy Him as the foretaste of the full blessing to come. He is the foretaste of God for our enjoyment. Hence, to have the firstfruit of the Spirit is to enjoy the Spirit as the firstfruit.
The firstfruit of the Spirit is for our enjoyment; it is a foretaste of the coming harvest. This firstfruit is the Holy Spirit as a sampling of the full taste of God as our enjoyment of all that God is to us. God is so much to us. The full taste will come in the day of glory. Nevertheless, before the full taste comes, God has given us a foretaste today. This foretaste is the divine Spirit as the firstfruit of the harvest of the full enjoyment of all that He is to us.
The Triune God-the Father, the Son, and the Spirit-has given Himself to us for our enjoyment. Eventually, we shall enter into the full enjoyment of the Triune God. For the present, God has given us the gift of the Spirit as the firstfruit to be the first taste of our divine inheritance, which is the Triune God. This first taste is the guarantee that we shall have the full taste.
In 1 Corinthians 10:1 and 2 the Spirit is symbolized by the cloud: “All our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea.” Verse 1 says that our fathers “were under the cloud.” The cloud that covered the children of Israel typifies the Spirit of God being with the New Testament believers. Immediately after the New Testament believers take Christ as their Passover (1 Cor. 5:7), the Spirit of God comes to be with them and leads them to run the Christian race, just as the pillar of cloud came to be with the children of Israel and to lead them (Exo. 13:21-22; 14:19-20).
First Corinthians 10:2 speaks of being baptized “in the cloud,” which signifies in the Spirit. When we were baptized, we were baptized in the Spirit. In one Spirit we were baptized into one Body (1 Cor. 12:13).
The cloud, which brought God’s presence to His people, also appeared when the children of Israel were gathered at Mount Sinai (Exo. 19:9, 16) and when the tabernacle was erected (Exo. 40:34-38). The cloud in Exodus 19 indicated that God the Spirit was appearing to overshadow the area where His people were gathered to receive the heavenly revelation. Then in Exodus 40 the cloud overshadowed the tabernacle, covering it. This indicates that the Triune God was appearing to His people and that He was reaching them and was being applied to them. In the church life today we also should be overshadowed and covered by the Spirit as the cloud.
According to the Bible, there is fire in the cloud (Exo. 40:38). This indicates that when we are overshadowed by the Spirit, we are enlightened by Him. The Spirit gives us light by which we may walk. This is the Spirit as the cloud.
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