LIFE-STUDY OF EZEKIEL
Read and pray: “Unless the grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it abides alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (John 12:24)
In this message, we will continue from the inner gate and even to the inner court to consider the central matter—the altar. Before doing this, I would like to review two other matters so that we may be impressed with them.
First, we saw that there are a total of six gates in three groups of two, on the east, the south, and the north. We need to remember that six is the number of man, who was created on the sixth day, and that the number three typifies the Triune God in resurrection. The six gates signify that the Triune God is mingled with man. The three is mingled with the six.
The fact that the gates are divided into three groups of two indicates that the Triune God became a man, the God-man, and was “broken,” or “cut,” in His crucifixion and is now in resurrection. He is now the gate through which we enter into God and into all the things of God.
Second, it is necessary to note that from the outer gate to the inner gate there is a distance of exactly one hundred cubits (40:47). The number one hundred is composed of ten times ten or twenty times five. Ten times ten signifies fullness in fullness or completion in completion. Twenty times five signifies fullness and complete responsibility as a testimony.
Furthermore, as the diagram on page 215 indicates, there are three sections of one hundred cubits each, making a total of three hundred cubits. Once again, the number three typifies the Triune God, who became a man, the God-man. How splendid and wonderful it is to be in such a God-man! He was crucified, but now He is in resurrection, and we are in Him.
THE ALTAR IS THE CENTER OF THE COMPLEX
If we consult the diagram¹ on page 215, which shows the ground plan of the temple, we will see that no matter which gate we take to enter the complex, we will eventually arrive at the altar. There is no exception; the altar is inevitable.
All of us entered through the wonderful God-man, who was crucified and who is now in resurrection. If we want to find God, we must come to the altar. The altar is at the center of the complex. The altar is the center not only of the inner court but also of the entire temple area.
This altar, which typifies the cross, is truly the center of the universe. Regarding the relationship between man and God, the earth is the center. The center of the inhabited earth is the good land of Canaan, Palestine, for it is the connecting center linking the continents of Europe, Asia, and Africa. The city of Jerusalem is the center of the good land; the temple complex is the center of Jerusalem; and the altar is the center of the temple complex.
Thus, definitely, the altar is the center of the universe. Since the altar typifies the cross, this means that the cross is the center of the universe. It is crucial that we know the full significance of the cross. According to superficial Christian teachings, the cross is the place where the Lord Jesus died for us. This is certainly true, but the cross represents much more than that.
As the center of the universe, the cross typifies the all-inclusive death of God, man, and all creatures. The death of the Lord Jesus on the cross was not merely the death of one person; it was an all-inclusive death involving God, man, and all creatures.
THE MEETING POINT OF GOD AND MAN
As we have pointed out, by looking at the ground plan of the temple complex, we can see that no matter which gate we enter, we will arrive at the altar. When God comes from the temple to meet man, He likewise comes to the altar.
Therefore, the altar is not only the center of the universe but also the meeting point of God with man and of man with God. If one person enters through the north gate and another enters through the south gate, both will eventually meet God and one another at the altar.
God came out of His dwelling and went to the cross, and there He died. First, He left His dwelling and was born in Bethlehem. After living on the earth for thirty-three and a half years, He went to the altar, to the cross.
When He was dying there, He was not alone. Through His incarnation, He bore man upon Himself. Thus, while He was dying on the cross, man was also dying there. This indicates that God and men met together at the cross on the way of death.
DEATH IS A RELEASE FOR GOD
However, God cannot be affected by death. No matter how much death He passes through, He remains the same. Death, in fact, helps Him to be released. God came out of His dwelling and went to the cross and there He died in order to release what was within Him.
We may use a grain of wheat as an illustration. When a grain of wheat is sown into the earth, it dies. Is this a terrible death or a wonderful one? We should say that the death of a grain of wheat is wonderful, for without this death, all the beautiful and rich things of the grain could not be released. For this reason, the death of a grain of wheat is not terrible but wonderful.
According to the same principle, death is wonderful for God. The Lord Jesus said, “Unless the grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it abides alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (John 12:24). He was speaking of Himself as the grain that would fall into the ground and die in order to be multiplied into many grains.
Through His death, the riches of the divine life within Him were released. Because God is life, even resurrection, He cannot be terminated by death. Everything of man can be terminated, but what is of God is released through death. Now we can see that when God went to the altar, the cross, and died there, His life was released.
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¹ Unfortunately, we do not have the images in this material.
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