Now we come to the two main points concerning Benjamin. Genesis 49:27 says, "Benjamin is a tearing wolf: in the morning he shall devour the prey, and in the evening he shall divide the spoil" (Heb.). In Hebrew the word translated "tearing" means "to tear into pieces." For years I was troubled by the word "wolf" in this verse. Although a lion or a tiger seems positive, a wolf is not positive. However, Christ is not only the overcoming lion, but also the tearing wolf. Benjamin, a tearing wolf, is also a type of Christ. Therefore, the reference to a wolf here is positive, not negative. In the morning he will devour the prey, and in the evening he will divide the spoil, that is, prepare the spoil for the next morning's meal. This means that Christ is not only the overcoming One, but also the tearing One, the One who eats His enemy.
Speaking of Benjamin, Deuteronomy 33:12 says, "The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by him; and the Lord shall cover him all the day long, and he shall dwell between his shoulders." The words "by him" indicate that Benjamin will be the Lord's neighbor. He will dwell next door to the Lord. Because he will dwell next door to the Lord, he will dwell in safety. Certainly anyone who dwells by the Lord will dwell in safety. This verse also says that the Lord will cover, overshadow, Benjamin all day long and even dwell between his shoulders. Here we need to point out that Jerusalem was not located in the territory of Judah, but in the territory of Benjamin (Judg. 1:21). If you consult a map, you will see that the territory of Benjamin lies with two shoulders toward the south and that between these two shoulders of Benjamin was Jerusalem, where the temple, the Lord's dwelling, was located.
The Lord's dwelling was a cover that overshadowed Benjamin all the day long, as the Lord will overshadow His people in eternity with His tabernacle (Rev. 7:15). Today the church as the Lord's dwelling is also a cover that overshadows the church people.
Among the twelve sons of Jacob, the first was a sinner, and the last became the dwelling of God. In Genesis chapter three we all were sinners, but at the end of the Bible, in Revelation 21 and 22, we all become Benjamin, the dwelling of God. This is the reason I said that, without Joseph and Benjamin, there would not be an adequate conclusion of the history of God's people. But with Joseph we see that Christ receives the all-inclusive blessing of the universe, and with Benjamin we see that God is dwelling among His chosen people. This is the New Jerusalem and the new heaven and new earth. The new heaven and new earth are the sphere in which every blessing is bestowed upon Christ. Everything in this new sphere will be part of the blessing granted to Christ, and within this sphere will be a certain place, the New Jerusalem, which will be God's eternal dwelling. All this is pictured by the lives of Joseph and Benjamin.
Today we are in the church life, and ultimately we shall be in the New Jerusalem. Do you know who will be there? Joseph and Benjamin. In the proper church life today there is no Reuben or Simeon. Eventually, in the church life there will be only Joseph and Benjamin, the blessing of the Lord and the dwelling of God. The time will come when the church will be just Joseph and Benjamin. The church will be under His blessing universally and it will be His dwelling. The conclusion of the entire Bible as the record of the history of God's people is the universal blessing and the eternal habitation of God. The new heaven and the new earth with the New Jerusalem portray the universal blessing inherited by Christ and God's habitation. We shall go all the way from Reuben to Benjamin, from sinners to God's habitation. Joseph is a sign of God's full blessing, and Benjamin is a sign of God's eternal dwelling. In the churches today we have a miniature of the things to come in the new heaven and new earth with the New Jerusalem; for we are enjoying the foretaste of the full blessing, and we are God's dwelling. In a sense, we all are Josephs and Benjamins. We are a blessed people, and we are the dwelling of God. This is Joseph and Benjamin.