Exodus 14:19-20 says, “The Angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them. And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. And the cloud was there with the darkness, yet it gave light by night to them. Thus one did not come near the other all night.” Verses 24 through 25 say, “At the morning watch Jehovah looked down upon the camp of the Egyptians from within the pillar of fire and of cloud and threw the camp of the Egyptians into confusion...So that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from Israel, for Jehovah is fighting for them against the Egyptians.” In these verses we can see three key items concerning the Trinity: the Angel of God, the pillar of cloud, and Jehovah.
It is not easy to understand what the pillar of cloud was. By day it appeared as a cloud, but in the night it appeared as a fire (13:21). Normally, it is impossible for clouds and fire to remain together. As I began to study the Word in the early years of my Christian life, I discovered that many such matters were not addressed adequately in Christian literature. For this reason, I am not content with the shallow, traditional teachings common among Christians today. We need a thorough study of the divine Word.
In 1 Corinthians 10:2 Paul says, “All were baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea.” The New Testament believers are baptized into the death of Christ and into the Spirit (Rom. 6:4; 1 Cor. 12:13). Thus, in typology the Red Sea prefigures the death of Christ, and the cloud signifies the Spirit. The New Testament also says that the believers are baptized into name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:19) and into the name of the Lord Jesus (Acts 8:16), which is to be baptized into Christ Himself (Rom. 6:3; Gal. 3:27). Thus, we are baptized into four items: the death of Christ, the Spirit, the Triune God, and Christ Himself. However, in the type of baptism there are only two items: the sea and the cloud. We have seen that the sea typifies the death of Christ, and the cloud typifies the Spirit. Thus, we may wonder what typifies Christ and the Triune God. Actually, Christ is the Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45; 2 Cor. 3:17), and the Spirit is the consummate expression of the Triune God (John 7:39; Rev. 22:17). This means that to be baptized into the Spirit is to be baptized into Christ and into the Triune God. In the Gospels we are told to be baptized into the Triune God (Matt. 28:19), in Acts we are told to be baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus (8:16), and in the Epistles we are told to be to be baptized into the Spirit (1 Cor. 12:13). This also indicates that to be baptized into the Triune God is to be baptized into Christ and into the Spirit.
The Triune God is embodied in Christ (Col. 2:9), and Christ is realized as the Spirit (John 14:16-18; 2 Cor. 3:17). Christ embodies God, and we experience Christ as the Spirit. We come to the Triune God through Christ in the Spirit (Eph. 2:18), and the Triune God comes to us in Christ through the Spirit. Therefore, to be baptized into the Spirit is to be baptized into Christ, and to be baptized into Christ is to be baptized into the Triune God. It is one thing to be baptized into the Triune God, into Christ, and into the Spirit. The children of Israel were baptized in the water of the Red Sea, which typifies the death of Christ, and in the cloud, which typifies the Triune God embodied in Christ and realized as the Spirit. The pillar of cloud is the Spirit as the realization of Christ, who is the embodiment of the Triune God. Today the Spirit dwells in us as the pillar of cloud. In the clear day He is the cloud, and in the dark night He is the fire.
The cloud in Exodus 14 is a wonderful type of the Triune God in Christ as the Spirit. This cloud was continually with the children of Israel from the Passover until they entered into the good land. When the tabernacle was erected, the cloud covered it, and the element of the cloud filled it as glory (40:34). The cloud and the fire were only the outward appearance; the inward element of the cloud was the divine nature of the Triune God. The cloud settled on the tabernacle, and when the cloud moved, the children of Israel journeyed with it. The cloud led the way, fought the battle for them, and abode with them. This is our Triune God. Because of religious concepts, it may be difficult for some to accept the thought that the cloud is the Triune God. However, this is what the Bible reveals. Our God, who is triune, is the pillar of cloud today to the church. This cloud abides with the church, leads the church on, opens the way and fights the battle for the church, and is the glory in the church. When we sense the Lord’s glory in the church, what we sense is the element of the Triune God.
Such details concerning the Trinity are found only in the Old Testament pictures. The expression pillar of cloud is composed of plain words, but these words convey a picture, a sign, that allows us to see something. Pictures are used to teach children in elementary school. It is important that the children not only read and hear but also see what they are learning. The cloud in Exodus is such a picture; it is not an ordinary cloud. Similarly, when the Lord was baptized and came up out of the water, the Spirit descended upon Him like a dove (Matt. 3:16). Here the picture of the dove represents the Spirit well. By seeing the picture of the dove, we can understand more than many words could explain. The standing pillar of cloud in Exodus is a picture full of meaning concerning the Triune God. At the crucial time this pillar moved behind the camp of Israel and stood between them and the camp of the Egyptians as a pillar full of darkness on the side of the Egyptians and shining with light on the side of Israel. This cloud represents the Triune God in Christ as the Spirit.