At this point, we need to consider the portrait of the ark in more detail. God was between the cherubim, ready to meet with man. The Holy of Holies, in which the ark of testimony was situated, was a rather restricted space; it was only ten cubits square. Under the glory and in the glory, God meets with man and talks with him. In the foregoing message we said that God always meets with us and speaks to us in glory. According to the picture in the Old Testament, God was in the midst of the glory of the cherubim, and under His feet was the propitiatory cover sprinkled with the blood. Here we have a portrait of God meeting with man. Now we must see that this portrait signifies Christ in His totality, Christ not only as the ark itself, but also as the top, the cap, of the ark. This is the Christ who is in our spirit. However, few of us have realized that the Christ who dwells in our spirit is such a One.
We need a new language to describe the Christ who lives in us. This Christ is the ark, a stand, as a testimony and container. The content of Christ as the ark is God’s law as the definition, description, and portrait of God. Furthermore, Christ has two natures, a divine nature and a human nature. He also has a top part, signified by the lid of the ark, which is the propitiatory cover. At the ends of the lid there are cherubim, which are related to God’s glory. All this portrays the Christ who is in our spirit.
The blood sprinkled on the propitiatory cover came from the sacrifices. Although the sacrifices were slain at the altar in the outer court, the blood was brought into the Holy of Holies and sprinkled on the ark. This indicates that the effectiveness of the blood of the sacrifices is not mainly at the altar in the outer court, but at the ark in the Holy of Holies. However, the understanding of most Christians today regarding the blood is limited to the blood shed on the cross. Many hymns speak of the blood of the cross. In their Christian life, believers may spend all their time at the cross, at the altar. Some may spend their entire Christian life making one circle after another around the cross. Few enter into the Holy of Holies.
Consider your experience in the past. When you were in the denominations, did you ever enter into the Holy of Holies? Did you not spend a great deal of time only at the cross? Did you not sing hymns which only emphasized the blood at the altar? The blood shed on Calvary has been brought into the Holy of Holies and sprinkled on the propitiatory cover. According to the Old Testament, the blood shed at the altar was first sprinkled at the altar. This signifies the accomplishment of redemption. Then after redemption, or propitiation, had been accomplished, this blood was brought into the Holy of Holies and sprinkled on the cover of the ark. This made it possible for God to meet with man and speak with him from between the cherubim. When God comes to meet with us, His standing is the redeeming blood. Because the blood has been sprinkled on the propitiatory cover and because God’s standing is on the blood, He can meet with us in the midst of His shining glory. All this is related to the Christ who lives in us.
We now have such a wonderful Christ dwelling in our spirit. But because of our blindness and ignorance, not many of us have an adequate realization concerning Him. Most Christians have never realized in a full way that the Christ who lives in us is the very One portrayed by the ark with the propitiatory cover. However, we should not be satisfied simply to hear of such a Christ and learn of Him in a doctrinal way. We must go on to experience Him more and more.