The writings of the Apostle John have a special place in the Scriptures. His Gospel is unique among the four Gospels, and Revelation, his last book, is the conclusion of the New Testament and of the entire Bible. In these two books there are two words which are the key words not only to these books, but also to the whole of Scripture-they are life and building. In the beginning of Scripture there is a tree called the tree of life, and at the end of Scripture there is a city, a building. It is very clear that the building issues from the life. The life is for the building, and the building comes out of the life. This life is the Triune God. The Triune God is life to us that the eternal building may be realized. These two words summarize the whole revelation of Scripture.
In the Gospel of John, life and light are referred to continually. The end result of the life mentioned in John’s Gospel is found in the book of Revelation-that is, the building, the city. In the center of this building is the tree of life, growing in the flow of the living water, to nourish and supply the entire city. Thus, the last picture in Scripture reveals that the life is in the building. This life is God in Christ as the Spirit flowing out as life to us.
John 1:14 says that the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us. According to this passage, the incarnated Christ is the very tabernacle. In Revelation 21 John saw the holy city and heard a voice out of heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will tabernacle with them.” In these two books written by the same person, we see two tabernacles. Christ is the tabernacle in John’s Gospel, and the holy city is the tabernacle in Revelation. The second tabernacle, the New Jerusalem, is the enlargement of the first tabernacle, Christ Himself. There is only one tabernacle, but it is manifested in two stages. In the first stage, from the time of His incarnation to His death, Christ alone was the tabernacle. Then came His crucifixion, resurrection, ascension, descension, and entering into us as the Spirit, and we were regenerated. Now we are being transformed, and eventually we will be completely transfigured. At that time God’s work will be completed; that will be the second stage of the tabernacle. The tabernacle of the first stage, the Lord Jesus, will have increased to a tabernacle including millions of persons!
In that glorious day, Christ, who was the tabernacle in the first stage, will be the very center of the tabernacle in the second stage. Since Christ is the center in the New Jerusalem, there is no need of the sun or moon or any other kind of light in the city. God Himself is the light, and Christ is the lamp, the vessel to contain the light. As the light, God is the glory, and as the lamp, Christ is the container and expression of the glory. The city itself is a great vessel to contain the lamp. The lamp contains the light, and the city contains the lamp. As an example, we may consider a common light bulb with its shade: first, there is the electricity within the bulb; second, there is the bulb, the container of the electricity; and third, there is the lampshade surrounding the bulb. The New Jerusalem as the lampshade is the enlargement of the lamp. Christ is the tabernacle of God, and the church, the Body of Christ, is the enlargement of the tabernacle.
How may this one tabernacle be so enlarged? If we learn how to properly study the Scripture, we will see the way.
Another expression of this tabernacle is the Bride of the Lamb (Rev. 21:9-10). John 3:29 tells us clearly that Christ will have a Bride. The New Jerusalem is this Bride. Consider the case of Adam and Eve in Genesis 2. We see there how Eve, the bride of Adam, came into being. When God created Adam, He formed just one person from the dust of the ground. Out of Adam He took a part, from which He formed Eve, and He brought her to Adam to be his wife. She was the increase or enlargement of Adam. Strictly speaking, the wife is not a separate person from the husband. Rather, she is the enlargement, the increase of the husband. She is therefore the counterpart of the husband. Thus, the tabernacle is the Bride, the increase of the Bridegroom. John’s Gospel makes this matter very clear.
While the third chapter of John presents the Bridegroom and the Bride, the twelfth chapter reveals the one grain of wheat which is multiplied into many grains. Christ is the one grain which fell into the earth and died. By death and resurrection the one grain is multiplied into many grains. We are the many grains produced from this one grain.
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