Crystallization-Study of Exodus (3)
Message One
The Ark of the Testimony
Opening Word of the Prophesying Meeting
Reading the verses in each day.
Reading the main points in the outlines.
Pray-reading the verses:
And they shall make an ark of acacia wood: two and a half cubits shall be its length; and one and a half cubits, its width; and one and a half cubits, its height. And you shall overlay it with pure gold; inside and outside you shall overlay it; and you shall make a rim of gold upon it all around — Exo. 25:10~11.
And after the second veil, a tabernacle, which is called the Holy of Holies, having a golden altar and the ark of the covenant covered about everywhere with gold, in which were the golden pot that had the manna and Aaron’s rod that budded and the tablets of the covenant — Heb. 9:3~4.
Word of Appetizer
What is the first item of the furniture of the tabernacle? What does it typify?
The first item of the furniture of the tabernacle is the Ark of the Testimony. As a type of Christ, the ark typifies Christ as the embodiment of God’s testimony. The Ark also signifies the contents of the church as the house of God.
Spiritual Burden
The Ark of acacia wood overlaid with gold signifies the pneumatic Christ as the embodiment of God and as the mingling of divinity with humanity, the building of God with man, dwelling in our spirit for us to contact God and enjoy God.
Concluding Word of the Prophesying Meeting
The Revelation of the Truth
The Ark typifies Christ as the embodiment of God; it also signifies Christ as the presence of the Triune God with His people for the carrying out of His economy to establish His kingdom on earth.
The four rings of gold and the two poles on the sides of the Ark signify the move on earth of Christ as God’s testimony.
The Experience of Life
The tablets of the covenant, which are the tablets of the law, signify the law of the divine life：
• The law, this divine capacity, of life can do everything in us for the carrying out of God’s economy.
• While the divine life grows in us, the law of life functions to shape us, to conform us, to the image of Christ as the firstborn Son of God.
Practice and Application
When there is no distance between us and the Lord, we enjoy Christ in the most intimate and hidden way; this is the enjoyment of the hidden manna; we need to separate ourselves from the general practice of today’s Christianity and to remain in the presence of God ministering directly to Him, not to anything else.
Using Key Verses to Have a Bird’s-Eye View over the Whole Outlines
Key Verses (1)
And they shall make an ark of acacia wood: two and a half cubits shall be its length; and one and a half cubits, its width; and one and a half cubits, its height. And you shall overlay it with pure gold; inside and outside you shall overlay it; and you shall make a rim of gold upon it all around—Exo. 25:10~11.
Acacia Wood, Pure Gold, the Rim of Gold
II. The Ark of acacia wood overlaid with gold signifies the pneumatic Christ as the embodiment of God and as the mingling of divinity with humanity, the building of God with man:
• Acacia wood signifies Christ’s humanity, strong in character and high in standard.
• Pure gold signifies Christ’s eternal and unchanging divinity.
• The size of the Ark signifies that it is a testimony.
• The rim of gold signifies the glory of the divine nature as the divine keeping power and holding strength.
Key Verses (2)
And you shall cast four rings of gold for it, and put them on its four feet; and two rings shall be on one side of it, and two rings on the other side of it. And you shall make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. And you shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry the ark with them—Exo. 25:12~14.
The Four Rings of Gold, the Two Poles
III. The four rings of gold and the two poles on the sides of the Ark signify the move on earth of Christ as God’s testimony:
• The casting of the four rings of gold signifies that the eternal life-giving Spirit with the divine nature of Christ becomes the linking factor and power through the experience of the cross.
• The two poles for carrying the Ark signify the move of Christ as God’s testimony.
Key Verses (3)
And after the second veil, a tabernacle, which is called the Holy of Holies, having a golden altar and the ark of the covenant covered about everywhere with gold, in which were the golden pot that had the manna and Aaron’s rod that budded and the tablets of the covenant—Heb. 9:3~4.
IV. The Hidden Manna, the Budding Rod, the Tablets of the Covenant
• The hidden manna is the portion of Christ that we enjoy in the presence of God when there is no distance between us and Him.
• The budding rod signifies that Christ, the resurrected One, should be our life, our living, and the resurrection life within us and that this life should bud, blossom, and bear fruit to maturity
• The tablets of the covenant, which are the tablets of the law, signify the law of the divine life, which is the spontaneous power, automatic function, innate ability, and divine capacity of the divine life.
Prophesying Topics—Twelve Topics per Week
D1
T1 The Ark is the center of the tabernacle (Col. 2:9)
(Please narrate that as the center of the tabernacle, the Ark typifies Christ as the embodiment of God.)
T2 The ark was called the ark of the testimony (Exo. 25:22)
(Why was the Ark called “the ark of the testimony”? Why was the tabernacle called “the tabernacle of the testimony”?)
D2
T1 Acacia wood signifies Christ’s humanity, strong in character and high in standard.
(Exo. 25:10)
(According to the following verses in Matthew, please explain Christ’s humanity, strong in character and high in standard signified by acacia wood)
(Matt. 4:4; 8:20; 9:12-13; 11:29; 12:19-20; 17:27; 20:28; 27:12, 14)
T2 The acacia wood is overlaid with gold both inside and outside (Exo. 25:11; 2 Pet.1:4)
(Please narrate that the acacia wood overlaid with gold signifies the mingling of divinity with humanity of Christ.)
D3
T1 The application of the four rings of gold and the two poles (Exo. 25:12-14; 1 Thes. 2:9)
(How to apply the four rings of gold and the two poles in the church life?)
T2 Using the proper means to carry the Lord’s testimony (Acts 1:8, 2 Cor.4:10-12)
(How should we use the proper means to carry the Lord’s testimony?)
D4
T1 The different points between the hidden manna and the open manna (Rev. 2:17; Exo. 16:31)
(Please explain the different points between the hidden manna and the open manna.)
T2 How to experience and enjoy the hidden manna (Rev. 2:17)
(Please narrate how you experience and enjoy the hidden manna.)
D5
T1 Resurrection is an eternal principle in our service to God (2 Cor. 1:9)
(Please explain that resurrection is an eternal principle in our service to God.)
T2 The experience of the budding rod of Aaron (2 Cor. 4:7)
(Please narrate your experience of the budding rod of Aaron)
D6
T1 The law of life can carry out God’s economy in us (Heb. 8:10)
(Please narrate that the law, this divine capacity, of life can do everything in us for the carrying out of God’s economy.)
T2 The subjective experience of the law of life (Rom. 8:2)
(Please narrate your subjective experience of the law of inner life.)
