Now I would ask you to interpret this picture. What is the significance of the front side of the tabernacle with the gate? Actually, it does not require very much skill to interpret this picture, since the spiritual alphabet is right before our eyes. Four signifies the creature, and three signifies the Triune God in resurrection. The two sides, each with the number three, signify a testimony. In the entrance we have the number four, signifying the creatures. Therefore, on each side we have the number three signifying God, and in the middle we have the number four signifying man, the creature. This means that the Triune God is borne by man, or that man bears God as a testimony. The appearance of the front side of the outer court is that of man bearing the Triune God as a testimony. This is very meaningful.
Now we must see that this Triune God whom we bear as a testimony is involved with man. Rather, He is in man. The very Triune God whom we bear as a testimony is no longer just the number three itself, but the number three with the number four, that is, three joined to four. This indicates that we bear the Triune God in man as a testimony. No doubt, the main number here is three. The number four is subordinate. God with man, or God in man, is the One we bear as a testimony.
Now we must go on to see why such a picture is portrayed at the front of the gate of the tabernacle. In this regard, John 16:8-11 is helpful. Speaking of the Spirit of reality, these verses say, “He will convict the world concerning sin, and concerning righteousness, and concerning judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer behold Me; and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.” Chapter sixteen of John is, of course, a continuation of chapters fourteen and fifteen and is itself followed by chapter seventeen. These four chapters go together. If we have the proper knowledge of these chapters, we shall see that they depict God as a testimony. Moreover, God in these chapters is the Triune God involved with man. In this portion of the Gospel of John, the Lord Jesus speaks of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. These three are one. All those who believe in Christ are to be perfected into one in the Triune God (John 17:23). Hence, in these chapters we see the Triune God involved with man and man bearing the Triune God as a testimony.
If we have a deeper experience of Christ’s redemption, we shall not preach the gospel in a superficial way. Instead, we shall preach the gospel in a way that will cause the listeners to know that they need to repent and become those who bear the Triune God as a testimony, bearing the Triune God who is involved with man. In our gospel preaching we need to say, “Do you intend to repent and believe in the Lord Jesus? Will you now receive Him as your Savior? If you intend to repent, believe in the Lord, and receive Him as your Savior, you must become a person bearing the Triune God as a testimony. You must realize this is the purpose of receiving the gospel.” If a person does not repent for this purpose, then he should not try to enter the gate of the court of the tabernacle. This is a basic principle of the gospel.
There are terms, conditions, of believing in the Lord Jesus and entering into Him, according to chapters fifteen through seventeen of the Gospel of John. However, at the time of our repentance, hardly any of us knew of these terms or conditions. I certainly was not told anything about them. Because we have this shortage, we need to go back and make up certain spiritual lessons that we should have learned at the very beginning of our Christian life. For this reason, in this message I am actually preaching the basic principles of the gospel.
Some may think that this understanding of the gospel is too deep for most people to understand. Actually, it is not deep at all. If it appears to be too deep, it is because of today’s shallow gospel preaching. This kind of preaching spoils our God-given talent to understand spiritual things. A new believer is able to understand much more than we realize.
The changes in elementary education over the years illustrate the capacity of young ones to understand many things. When I was in elementary school, the concept was that certain matters were very difficult to understand. But today children learn things in first grade that I did not learn until later grades. Things that we thought could only be understood later in school can actually be learned by younger children. In the same principle, much of today’s preaching of the gospel is too shallow and gives others a very superficial understanding of the gospel. The newly converted ones know only the ABC’s of the gospel. If you try to teach them something more regarding the gospel, they may say that it is too deep, when what is presented actually is simply more letters to complete the alphabet, perhaps the letters, L, M, and N. Most of today’s gospel preaching gives people only the first three letters of the spiritual alphabet—A, B, and C. But the preaching of the gospel in the Bible contains all the letters of the spiritual alphabet. However, many who have been Christians for years have not yet learned all the letters in the alphabet. Spiritually speaking, they do not know what is signified by the letters X, Y, and Z.
The basic gospel includes the matters signified by the gate of the court of the tabernacle. Do not think that these matters are not part of the gospel. For what purpose should a sinner repent, believe in the Lord Jesus, and receive Him as Savior? He should do these things for the purpose of entering God’s building. But hardly any of us heard such a word when we were saved. We were never told that the goal of salvation is to bring us into God’s building. Among Christians today, there is a lack of such a concept. But if I were preaching the gospel to sinners, I would tell them that they need to enter into God’s building. God’s unique enterprise in the universe is to have a building. This is God’s eternal purpose. Thus, the purpose of God’s salvation is to bring us into His building.