We have pointed out that at the four ends of the grating, the network, there were four bronze rings. In typology these rings refer to the eternal Spirit spoken of in Hebrews 9:14: “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.” Christ’s blood is effective because He offered Himself to God through the eternal Spirit. The eternal Spirit, typified by the rings on the network, is the source of the efficacy of Christ’s cross. The eternal Spirit is the power, the strength, of the cross of Christ. Apart from the eternal Spirit, the redemption of Christ could not be effective; it could not be powerful and full of strength. Again I say, the eternal Spirit is the power, the strength, the efficacy, of Christ’s redemption.
If the four bronze rings had been taken away from the grating, the grating would have fallen down. It was held to the altar by the four rings. This is full of spiritual significance. We may talk about the cross, about the death of Christ on the cross, and about the fact that we have been crucified with Christ. But without the Spirit, all this talk would be vain. Apart from the eternal Spirit, the death of Christ is not effective. It is very crucial that we realize that the efficacy and power of Christ’s redemption depend upon the eternal Spirit.
If the altar did not have the four rings, the grating could not stay in place. Then the altar would not have any content. Furthermore, there would be no way for the altar to move. Thus the four rings are very crucial. Because of the four rings, the grating could be held in place at half the height of the altar. Because of the four rings, there was a way for the altar to be carried. But although the rings were so important to the altar, they were not the sacrifice. Christ Himself is the sacrifice, but the saving and moving power of this sacrifice is in the Spirit. Without the rings, the grating would lose its effectiveness. There would be no power in the cross to save, and there would be no strength for the move of the altar.
The death of Christ is far beyond our understanding. Christ’s death is a mystery. We should not think that we can comprehend it in full, for we have no way to do so.
Although we cannot fully understand the mystery of Christ’s death on the cross, we do know that redemption was accomplished through the eternal Spirit. Do you know why the preaching of Christ’s death today is often powerless? It is because in this preaching there is a lack of the eternal Spirit. Christ offered Himself as the sin offering through the eternal Spirit. Therefore, because of the Spirit, what He accomplished on the cross is powerful and effective. But if we preach the cross of Christ without the Spirit, we shall not have the power to move others, to touch their heart and their spirit. This must be the work of the eternal Spirit.
In Exodus 27 the ledge is not spoken of in detail. But the four rings are clearly described. Nevertheless, it is somewhat mysterious how these rings could be connected to the grating inside the altar and yet themselves be outside the altar. This signifies that although the Spirit is truly manifest, it is also mysterious. The Spirit is manifested outwardly, but it is connected to something inside the altar. The rings were outside the altar, yet they were connected to the grating inside the altar.
The death of Christ cannot be fully understood by us. On the one hand, the Spirit is manifest; on the other hand, it is mysterious, for the Spirit is connected to Christ’s redemption. The four rings signifying the eternal Spirit are connected to the grating, which signifies the inner content of Christ’s redemption. This indicates that the Holy Spirit is connected to the inner content of Christ’s redemption. If we have the redemption of Christ in reality, then we also have the Spirit. The Spirit is connected to this reality. In other words, if we have the four rings, we have the grating. If we have the eternal Spirit, we also have the full redemption of Christ.
I am very thankful for the picture in Exodus 27. Through this picture we can see that the eternal Spirit is linked to the full redemption of Christ. What is the grating? The grating is the inner content of Christ’s redemption. What are the four rings? The four rings are the type of the eternal Spirit, who makes Christ’s redemption effective and who is the power for the move of the cross of Christ. The word of the cross is powerful because it is joined to the eternal Spirit. When we preach the cross with the redemption of Christ, this preaching must be connected to the eternal Spirit. Then in our experience we shall have a grating with four rings, the redemption of Christ connected to the eternal Spirit.
For more than thirty-eight years, the altar traveled with the children of Israel through the wilderness. While the altar was being carried, the fire inside it was still burning. The fire on the altar never ceased. That fire did not come as a result of human initiative. The Bible tells us that it came from the Lord (Lev. 9:24). Thus, it was a heavenly fire that burned continually as the altar was carried in the wilderness. While the altar was moving, the fire was burning. This indicates that while the redemption of Christ on the cross is being preached, the fire burns. Wherever the altar goes, there the fire burns.
The move of the altar does not depend on the fire; it depends on the four rings. This means that the move of the altar is by the eternal Spirit. The burning, however, is by the fire, not by the Spirit. We need to see that two things take place simultaneously: the burning of the fire and the moving of the Spirit. The four rings on the altar are related both to the burning and to the moving. We have seen that if it were not for the rings, the grating could not be held in place at half the height of the altar. If there is to be a burning on the altar, the four rings are necessary to hold the grating in place. Furthermore, in order for the altar to move, the four rings are also necessary. Both the burning and the moving are dependent on the four rings.