You can all prophesy one by one… —1 Cor. 12:31

2021 DST Message Four

Crystallization-Study of 1 and 2 Samuel

Message Four

The History of the Ark and the Tabernacle

OPENING WORD OF THE PROPHESYING MEETING

Reading the verses in each day.

Reading the main points in the outlines.

Pray-reading the verses:

1 Tim. 3:15 …You may know how one ought to conduct himself in the house of God,…the church of the living God, the pillar and base of the truth.

1 Kings 8:6 And the priests brought the Ark of the Covenant of Jehovah to its place, into the innermost sanctuary of the house, into the Holy of Holies under the wings of the cherubim.

Word of Appetizer

What is portrayed and prefigured by the history of the Ark and the tabernacle?

As the center and content of the tabernacle, the Ark signifies Christ as the center and content of the church as God’s tabernacle, God’s house, for God’s corporate expression. The history of the Ark and the tabernacle portrays the desire of God’s heart, the desolation of the church, and the recovery of the church for God’s testimony, God’s expression. The history of the Ark and the tabernacle is a prefigure of church history, giving us a full portrait of the course and situation of the church from the very beginning to the present time; there are five main aspects of this history.

Spiritual Burden

Christ has gained us so that we might gain Him in order for God to be built into us and for us to be built into Him to become a corporate God-man, the reality of the church as the tabernacle of God, which is the house of the living God, the mutual abode of God and man.

Christ with a proper church; this is typified by the Ark with the proper tabernacle that has been enlarged and increased to be the temple; it is in this situation—Christ as the reality with a proper church as His expression—that we feel completely at home.

Concluding Word of the Prophesying Meeting

The Revelation of the Truth

In order to enter into the reality of the Body of Christ, we must see the intrinsic significance of the Ark; the Ark was the center and content of the tabernacle, signifying Christ as the center and content of the church.

The history of the Ark and the tabernacle portrays the desire of God’s heart, the desolation of the church, and the recovery of the church for God’s testimony, God’s expression.

The history of the Ark and the tabernacle is a prefigure of church history, giving us a full portrait of the course and situation of the church from the very beginning to the present time; after Solomon finished the building of the temple in Jerusalem, the Ark was moved into the Holy of Holies in the temple for a full recovery of the normal situation; today in His recovery the Lord is working to restore the normal condition of Christ within the proper church as the reality of the Body of Christ for His expression.

The Experience of Life

The propitiatory cover of the Ark signifies Christ as the meeting place of God and His redeemed people; Christ is also the propitiatory cover with the shining of His divinity and the redeeming of His humanity, the place where we enjoy propitiation before God and where we can meet and fellowship with our righteous, holy, and glorious God to receive Him as grace. The more God meets with us and speaks with us, and the more we meet with God and listen to His speaking, the more of the testimony of God there will be in our experience

Practice and Application

Instead of usurping God, we should pray, live, and be persons, like Samuel, according to God’s heart and for His economy. From the depths of our spirit we should say to the Lord, “Lord, I am not here on earth for my health, my prosperity, my safety, my peace, my rest, or my profit; because I want to be a true overcoming Nazarite cooperating with You for the fulfillment of Your economy, I ask You what is on Your heart concerning me?”

PROPHESYING TOPICS—TWELVE TOPICS PER WEEK

Day 1

T1 The law is the testimony of God (Exo. 40:20-21)

(Why the Ark was called the Ark of the Testimony?)

T2 The Ark was the center and content of the tabernacle (Eph. 2:21-22; 1 Tim. 3:15-16)

(Please illustrate that the Ark was the center and content of the tabernacle, signifying Christ as the center and content of the church.)

Day 2

T1 Christ’s humanity is the basic element (Exo. 25:10-11; 2 Tim. 4:22)

(Please illustrate that the acacia wood was overlaid with gold both inside and outside, what does it signify?)

T2 The propitiatory cover of the Ark signifies Christ as the meeting place of God and His redeemed people (Heb. 2:17; 1 John 2:2; Rom. 3:25)

(Please illustrate that Christ is the One who propitiates, He is the propitiatory sacrifice, and He is the propitiatory cover according to the scriptures.)

Day 3

T1 The Ark typifies Christ as the presence of the Triune God with His people (Num. 10:35-36)

(Please illustrate that the move of the Ark was a picture of God’s move on the earth.)

T2 The people of Israel trusted in the system ordained by God, but they did not trust in God directly (1 Sam. 4:1-8)

(Please illustrate that the people of Israel usurped the Ark in their superstition for their fighting against the Philistines.)

Day 4

T1 The Ark of God was taken (1 Sam. 4:11, 19-22)

(Please illustrate that why the glory of God departed from Israel, and the tabernacle was left empty.)

T2 The Ark not being in the tabernacle was an abnormal state (1 Sam. 4:11; Rev. 3:20)

(Please illustrate that we must have Christ in the church.)

Day 5

T1 Upon taking the throne as king, practically the first thing in David’s heart was to care for the Ark (2 Sam. 6:12)

(Briefly describe the history of the restoration of the Ark during David’s reign.)

T2 Man can do something for God only out of that which God has first done for him (2 Sam. 7:11-12)

(Please illustrate that why David conceived to build a temple for God, but God’s answer to him was no.)

Day 6

T1 The history of the [Ark with the tabernacle] is a prefigure of church history (Exo. 40:34; Rev. 3:20; 1 Sam. 7:2)

(Please illustrate that the first, second and third situation of the course of the church from the very beginning to the present time.)

T2 The history of the [Ark with the tabernacle] is a prefigure of church history (2 Sam.6:17; Psa. 90:1)

(Please illustrate that the fourth and the fifth situation of the course of the church from the very beginning to the present time.)