The beauty of the temple is in the side chambers. If all the side chambers were removed, the temple would become too simple, having no beauty. The side chambers indicate the fullness of Christ. According to Ephesians 1:23, the church, the Body of Christ, is His fullness. If there were no chambers to the temple, there would be no fullness to the temple. The ninety side chambers in the three stories express the fullness of the temple. To strip off the ninety side chambers would be to strip off the fullness from the temple. Do you realize that the beauty of Christ is the church, the Body, as His fullness?
Do you remember the significance of the number thirty? There were thirty chambers on the pavement, thirty windows in the gates, and thirty sides of the posts in the gates. All these figures mean that we can only enjoy as much Christ as we have experienced and that we can only express as much Christ as we have enjoyed. The side chambers are the fullness of Christ, the expression of Christ. The side chambers typify the church as the fullness of Christ, His expression. We can only express Christ as much as we have enjoyed Him. The thirty side chambers for expression are based upon the thirty chambers of enjoyment. There were thirty dining chambers. This indicates we can express Christ only as much as we enjoy Him. We cannot express more of Christ than we have enjoyed. The enjoyment of Christ eventually becomes the fullness and the expression of Christ. The thirty chambers on the pavement signify the enjoyment of Christ, and the thirty side chambers attached to the building indicate the fullness and the expression of Christ. We only express what we have enjoyed of Christ. Our expression of Christ can never exceed our enjoyment of Christ. Our enjoyment becomes our expression.
Furthermore, the side chambers are in three stories, signifying the Triune God in resurrection (41:6). We express Christ in the Triune God and in resurrection. When we are really in the Triune God—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit—and when we are really in resurrection, we express Christ with all our enjoyment of Christ. The thirty side chambers were in three sections. Twelve chambers were on the south side, twelve were on the north side, and six were on the west side. These numbers are very meaningful. Here is twelve, and here is five times six.
Now we come to the latticed windows with the palm trees. The windows are for letting in air and light and are for blocking out all the negative things (41:16). These signify Christ as the life-giving Spirit. The life-giving Spirit is so free and so liberated, yet there are the lattices. There is the liberty, but there is also the screen. Whatever is heavenly, of life, and of the pure clean air can come in. But whatever is dirty, evil, and negative will be blocked out because it is a latticed, a screened window. This is how Christ as the life-giving Spirit operates within us.
On all the windows were the palm trees, signifying victory, everlasting power, and everlasting strength (41:18-20). The victory and the everlasting power always go together with the air and the light. This means that our victory and power are related to the life-giving Spirit. If we are enjoying the life-giving Spirit, surely we are enjoying the victory, the everlasting power, and the strength of the Lord Jesus.
Ezekiel 41:9 says that outside the side chambers there was a place or space left. This signifies the riches of Christ. No matter how much you need Christ and how much He fills your needs, something will be left. Twelve baskets will be left over. In John 6, after the Lord satisfied the hungry ones, there were twelve baskets left over. The space left on the three sides of the chambers are the twelve baskets. The Lord is never scarce; He is always rich with something left over. This is wonderful. Behind this space of five cubits, there is also another space of twenty cubits. This means that after you have twelve baskets left over, and you feed others again, you may have forty-eight baskets left over. The Lord Jesus is always richer and richer. We can never exhaust Christ. The more we try to exhaust Him, the more space is left. When we enjoy Him once, we have five cubits left. When we enjoy Him again, twenty cubits are left. Christ will never become less; He always becomes more and more and more. The ministry is always richer and richer as the years go by because Christ is so rich.
Although there were ninety chambers, there were only two doors (41:23). There were not many exits. This indicates that it is easy to get in, but it is not easy to get out. There is no back exit or side exit or fire exit, but there are many windows. There were more than ninety windows, but only two doors. It is so easy to be a doorkeeper here because there are only two doors. Furthermore, it says that the doors are toward the space left. If there were no space left, there would be no way to open the door. Hallelujah. Christ is so rich.