THE SANCTUARY, THE HOUSE OF GOD AND THE HOLIEST

THE SANCTUARY, THE HOUSE OF GOD AND THE HOLIEST

FER There has been some confusion in people’s minds as to the sanctuary — the house of God — the holiest, and so on; it might be well to clear these up.

Hebrews 3 The house of God in this chapter is composed of the companions of Christ. Christ was the Builder of the house, and those who had been the companions of Christ upon earth became the house of God in the day of Pentecost; the Holy Spirit came to them. “We are become companions of the Christ” (New Trans). “Whose house are we”. “If we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end”. It is conditional.

Ques Has it reference to the wilderness?

FER Yes; all is now provisional; all is final in regard to Christ, but in regard to us all is provisional.

Ques Does the house include profession?

FER People may take the ground of the house of God, but it is put conditionally here. It is “if”. The end will prove who are real and who are only professors.

Ques May there not be two classes, those who perish in the wilderness, who do not go on to God’s purpose, and apostates?

FER I should not say there were two classes. Falling in the wilderness is an end of them. There are a great many people who do not go on to the ground of divine purpose, who do not become apostate. People do not become apostate all in a moment. The beginning of departure is very small; defection is very gradual. In connection with the house of God, it is important to see that it is said here, “as says the Holy Spirit”, not as Scripture says; there is a constant gracious appeal of the Holy Spirit, and that gives the idea of the house of God. “Perishing” in the wilderness is really apostasy — the ^[p. 61] sheep of Christ can never perish; they are in Christ’s hands. It is a poor affair and anomalous, not going on to the other side of death to God’s purpose.

Ques. What about Moses?

FER God showed him the land, but J.N.D. has often said, the lawgiver could not go into the land; but God showed Moses all the land. I think I should have been very well content with that. The heart of Moses was in the land, and God gratified his heart. The people had to be led into the land by Joshua — the type of a risen Christ. Moses was a priest; people forget that; he was apostle, but he also discharged the highest priestly functions. At the consecration of the priests all the consecrations had to be carried out by Moses. And we get “Moses and Aaron among his priests” (Psalm 99: 6). Aaron represented the people more, but you must not forget that Moses discharged priestly function, and offered sacrifices. All that took place at the consecration of the priests was carried out by Moses. Moses was a very great man; there is no more distinguished man than Moses; he was apostle and priest in the highest sense, and he was king too. Moses had to carry out the intercessory place, when Aaron led the people to the golden calf. But we are getting away from the “house”.

The first idea we get of the house of God is in Israel; they had that place, Moses was “faithful in all his house”. I take that to be a reference to what God said to Aaron and Miriam. Mere professors may take their place as on that ground, but I do not think scripture so contemplates them. The church had the character of the house of God at the beginning, but the great house is brought in as a figure, as to what was to come in in christendom. In the beginning of Acts the church had that character. If a man has not the Spirit, I could not say he forms part of the house. It is a spiritual house. The Spirit brings into the house because it is spiritual.

Rem The corrupter of real christians will ^[p. 62] be destroyed.

FER The pope has done his best to introduce doctrines which would corrupt christians. Even in regard of Israel the thought was that God would dwell among them, and the basis of that was redemption. It became possible in figure, because of redemption, for God to dwell among them, and Israel was the house of God in that way. It would not do to diminish the privileges which belonged to Israel. God dwelt among them, and so they were God’s house. In dwelling among them God took up in figure a representation of that which was before Him. He set up in their midst a testimony of what was before Him. The house, in that way, is figured in the tabernacle. There was a redeemed people, and God dwelt among them, and they were the house of God so far, but that was not final, for the people perished in the wilderness, but God took care to set up in the midst of Israel a figure of Him who was before Him as the One to establish the true house of God. Israel did not see what God had in view; they were not wise. If they had been, they might have seen that nothing could be established in connection with them. The tabernacle pointed on to the world to come. The Spirit of God has opened up to us the final issue of things, but a wise Israelite would have been taken up with what God had before Him in the tabernacle.

The dwelling of God in the world to come is universal. The tabernacle refers to the “all things”, and “He who has built all things is God”. The tabernacle was the pattern of “all things”, i.e., of the universe as the house of God. The present world is governed by the providence of God; in the world to come all will be ordered by the presence of God. If Israel did break down, they really had in their midst the figurative representation of things in heaven. The tabernacle was anointed with oil; that prefigured that the world to come would be set up in the power of the Holy Spirit. All will be then the dwelling-place of God; the presence and influence of God will be felt everywhere. In the world to come, we are going to have a grand time. A man is a fool who wants to go to see ^[p. 63] Jerusalem now — I wait to see Mount Zion, I want to walk over it, in that day. It will not be material; “thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise” (Isaiah 60: 18).

Now we may turn our thoughts from Israel and look at the tabernacle which was the figurative representation of “all things”. What we have now is not the world to come (though we “speak” of it), but what was set forth then in the tabernacle is realised by us now of whom it is said, “whose house are we”. It is anticipative in us, but it is real; for God dwells in it now figuratively as in regard of Israel, but in a real way. We have now in reality what in figure was set up by Moses. The house of God is all obscured now, but it is a great thing to take what comes to your hand. When the Lord was going to feed the five thousand He took up what came to hand — only five loaves! He did not refuse these.

There are many in fellowship with us who think that there are better people in system than there are amongst us. Probably there are better christians practically, but the practical difficulty is that they are not to hand. Our wisdom is to take what is to hand, and to be content with these, for the Lord disposes all things. The christians who are mixed up in system, they are not to hand, and we cannot walk with them. I want to make the best of what is to hand.

Ques What is “the true tabernacle”?

FER It was what “the Lord pitched”. On the day of Pentecost the work was all the Lord’s work; there was no work of man in it at all.

Now as to the sanctuary — the sanctuary took in the court. We read in history that when men committed crimes, they went into sanctuary, where the arm of the law could not reach them. That referred to the precincts of monasteries — Grey Friars, Black Friars, etc.

The sanctuary refers not only to the building, but it includes all hallowed precincts, and christian baptism introduces to that.

Rem Children are there, (1 ^[p. 64] Corinthians 7).

FER The children are in sanctuary, and they are admitted by baptism. No one can go into the court of the tabernacle except through the gate or door.

Ques What is “wood, hay, stubble”?

FER It refers to what is built up in people’s souls. It is the superstructure, built upon a good foundation. The sacramental system was brought in by those who were not christians, but true christians have become corrupted through that. The house of God is here, it is obscured, and you cannot get it cleared from the obscurity. The great thing is for us to get light as to what is God’s thought, and to go on in the light of that. False teachers came into Corinth, and they introduced what was never taught by the apostles. False notions are brought in by people who are not christians, and the mischief is that real christians are affected and influenced by these. See how real christians are influenced by sacramentalism. Christ is Great Priest over God’s house.

Rem It is terrible how people go about here and there from curiosity, to hear and see what is going on.

FER Having “itching ears”. The sanctuary includes every part, the building and the court included. Wise Israelites would have turned to the tabernacle. Joshua felt it was useless to count upon the stability of the people. Wisdom would be to turn their attention to what God had established among them.

Rem Moses was a servant — Christ was a Son.

FER Moses was a servant in having no authority of his own. He was faithful in setting up all as God had directed him. Now the actual thing exists, and Christ is Son over it.