Message Six

Experiencing the Processed and
Consummated Triune God in the Holy of Holies
and
Participating in Christ’s Interceding Life
as the Center of the Divine Administration

Scripture Reading: Heb. 9:2-4; Rev. 2:17; 8:3

1. The diagram of the tabernacle (p. 51) is a detailed picture of Christ and a full definition of our experiences of Christ—Heb. 8:5, 2; 9:24.
2. The book of Hebrews reveals that we may experience Christ at the altar and at the laver in the outer court in an outward way, at the showbread table, at the lampstand, and at the incense altar in the Holy Place in an inner way, and at the ark of the testimony and in the ark of the testimony in the Holy of Holies in the innermost way—Heb. 9:2-4.
3. In the ark in the Holy of Holies, we experience the processed and consummated Triune God— the Father in His divine nature as the source of all supply, Christ as the hidden manna and the resurrection life, and the Spirit of life as the inner law of life:
   1. The golden pot signifies the divine nature, the nature of God the Father, who is the unique source—Heb. 9:4b; 2 Pet. 1:4; Matt. 6:4, 6, 18; 1 Cor. 8:6a; Eph. 3:14-15.
   2. The hidden manna in the golden pot signifies our experience of Christ as our life supply in the deepest way—Heb. 9:4c; Exo. 16:33-34; Rev. 2:17:
      1. The hidden manna is the hidden Christ in His hidden life supply, the topmost portion of Christ hidden in the divine nature—Col. 3:3-4.
      2. If we abide in the Holy of Holies, we will enjoy the hidden Christ as a special portion of heavenly food reserved for His overcoming seekers—Rev. 2:17.
      3. By eating Christ as the hidden manna, we are incorporated into the universal, divine-human incorporation—John 14:20:
         1. The tabernacle in the Old Testament is a sign of the universal incorporation.
         2. The more we eat of Christ as the hidden manna, the more we are incorporated into this universal incorporation.
   3. The budding rod signifies our experience of Christ in His resurrection as our acceptance by God for authority in the God-given ministry— Heb. 9:4d; Num. 17:1-10:
      1. The budding, blossoming, fruit-yielding rod signifies the resurrection life of Christ with its authority—Num. 17:8; John 11:25.
      2. The budding rod is the issue of the enjoyment of the hidden manna; thus, the more we enjoy the hidden Christ, the more we will experience the budding, blossoming, and fruit-bearing of the resurrected Christ.
   4. The tablets of the covenant signify our experience of Christ as the inner law of life, which infuses the divine nature and attributes into our being, conforms us to the image of the firstborn Son of God, and makes us the corporate reproduction of Christ, the standard model— Heb. 9:4e; 8:10; Rom. 8:2, 29:
      1. Christ has passed through a process to enter into His perfection and glorification, and now, as the law of life, He is repeating this process within us, bringing us into His perfection and glorification—Heb. 2:10.
      2. As the law of life works Christ into every part of our being, causing Christ to be formed in us, God is wrought into man, man is mingled with God, and God and man become one entity—this is the most secret mystery in the whole universe—Gal. 4:19; John 14:20; 17:21-24.
4. At the golden incense altar, we participate in the interceding life of Christ as the center of the divine administration—Heb. 9:4a; Exo. 30:1-10; Rev. 8:3:
   1. The writer of Hebrews regarded the incense altar, which is related to prayer, as belonging to the Holy of Holies—Heb. 9:3-4; 1 Kings 6:22; Luke 1:10-11.
   2. The incense altar signifies Christ as the Intercessor to maintain the relationship between God and His people—Rom. 8:34; Heb. 7:25:
      1. The incense altar is a type of the person of Christ.
      2. It signifies Christ praying, Christ interceding—John 17:1-26.
   3. We need to enjoy Christ not only as the table, the lampstand, and the ark but also as the incense altar:
      1. As a divine motor, the incense altar is the place from which the activities in all other places in the tabernacle and the outer court are motivated.
      2. If we do not have the incense altar, none of the aspects of the tabernacle and the outer court will be effective in our experience.
   4. Christ’s interceding life, His prayer life, is the center of the divine administration—Rev. 8:3:
      1. The executing center of Gods’ administration is the incense altar, not the ark.
      2. The prayer life of Christ is the center—the heavenly White House—of God’s execution of His government on earth.
      3. The prayer offered at the incense altar governs the whole universe.
   5. After His resurrection and ascension, the individual Christ became the corporate Christ; thus, before God today not only is the individual Christ interceding, but the corporate Christ, the Body-Christ, the Head with the Body, is also interceding to carry out His intercession—1 Cor. 12:12; Acts 12:5, 12; Rom. 8:26-27:
      1. If we have this view of the incense altar, our prayer life will be revolutionized, and we will pray for the executing of God’s purpose, for the carrying out of the divine administration, and for the dispensing of God’s supplying grace.
      2. This kind of prayer fulfills God’s purpose, satisfies His hunger, and delights His heart.