ENTERING INTO WHAT IS SPIRITUAL IN CHRISTIANITY
[p. 32] ENTERING INTO WHAT IS SPIRITUAL IN CHRISTIANITY
JT It is well to be reminded that the coming in outwardly of the christian economy is not, in itself, the great end God has for us here. The divine end is that we should enter into the spiritual side; not merely seeing everything which is proved not to be of Christ, but that we might enter into what is positive as set forth in the position Christ has taken up. There was escape in the cities of refuge from the avenger of blood, but we should not only think of escape, but of what is inside. The Forerunner enters “within the veil”. It is true that we have fled for refuge, but there is a great deal more in christianity than that. That is why I suggested this scripture. It shows us what the Jewish remnant came into; they not only escaped the impending wrath, but came into a spiritual order of things. Many think in coming into fellowship (putting it in simple language) that they have reached what is final, but that only marks them off on earth. It is, of course, very important that every christian should come into fellowship, but what is within the veil is what we want to see. Christ has taken up a position there as Forerunner, and, not only so, but He attends on us as Minister of the Sanctuary, so that we might be helped to enter in also. I mention that to show what I am exercised about.
It is said in Acts 2: 47 that the Lord added to the assembly daily those that were to be saved, but their side of the matter was to take up the spiritual, and to go in for that. The Lord had taken up the position of Minister of the Sanctuary so that they might be introduced to what is spiritual. In taking sides with Christ, they were relieved from judgment;
[p. 33] that is Acts. But Hebrews, which contemplates the same people, shows that they were entitled to enter “within the veil”.
AN It is not merely what we are saved from, but what we are saved to.
JT Our position is a question of the death of the Lord. That marks off our position here. It is very essential that every one who loves the Lord should be in that position. If we pretend to love the Lord, and evade that, we are disloyal to Christ. If we take up that position, Christ will introduce us to the other. He has gone in there; His death determines our position here, but what He is up there determines our position there.
JF Does that involve practical fellowship?
JT Our being in fellowship marks us off in this world, but fellowship does not introduce us to what is spiritual. We require the Spirit for that, and the support of the Minister of the Sanctuary. Take the company in Acts 2; it was a very large company, and they were marked off by identification with Christ in the breaking of bread. It is what they were before men, a testimony to this world as to the rights of God. That is what fellowship is; but what were they before God? What are we before God? Christ’s position now, as having gone in, describes ours. He has gone in as Forerunner. The remnant are brought into a heavenly position, and we want the light of that. The laying hold of that position gives colour to us as in fellowship. We get the heavenly colour by laying hold of the heavenly position.
Ques What are we to understand by the hope?
JT It refers to our position in divine counsels. Israel’s hope did not go so far. Our hope enters “within the veil”, “the hope set before us, which we have as anchor of the soul, both secure and firm, and entering into that within the veil” (verse 19). Coming into fellowship is not salvation in the true [p. 34] sense. Although the company is an immense influence, for where the Spirit is there is immense influence, salvation proper involves the position where Christ is now; that is, we must have another place. In Hebrews the holiest is looked at as heaven itself, but there are two lights in which we can regard the holiest. In the first place, the tabernacle represents God’s universe, and that being so, the holiest represents heaven. Secondly, it represents the presence of God and Christ there. The christian position is not an earthly one, but a heavenly one, and Christ’s present position describes God’s thought for us. If a young believer comes into christian fellowship, he escapes the influence of the world and comes under another influence. In adding to the assembly such as were to be saved, God had that in view. A position has been opened up to us in God’s system, and power is available for us to lay hold of it, both in the Spirit and in Christ, and it thus becomes a question as to what we are going to do.
GN Every influence here is against us, but we are brought into a sphere where every influence is for us.
JT The Lord’s supper is to the end that we might enter in.
PL “He brought us out thence, that he might bring us in”, Deuteronomy 6: 23.
JT Yes, that is very good. We must not be satisfied with an outward position. Fellowship is all important as separating us here, but we must see that there is a spiritual side, and the hope set before us is connected with that which is “within the veil”. Israel’s hopes are connected with reinstatement here as a nation under their Messiah, but our hope enters within the veil. Unbelief is the great sin in Hebrews, and as the light is presented as to the position, the question is, Are we going to embrace it? It is an immense thought that Christ is the Forerunner, and [p. 35] it is in that connection that our hope enters there. The whole aim of the Lord in His dealings with us is that we might take up a spiritual position.
GN The two on the way to Emmaus would be content with an earthly hope.
JT Yes. The Lord blesses His disciples in Luke, and is received up. In Acts l, which is linked with Luke, a cloud receives Him out of their sight, indicating that the old dispensation was still recognised; but when we come to Stephen, the cloud disappears; there is no longer a cloud. Stephen sees Jesus in heaven, and that sets forth christianity. That is to say, christianity is a cloudless system, not a cloud in it, nor a shadow in it; and we are introduced into the fulness of God’s counsels. While God bore in patience with Israel there was a cloud, a partial concealment of God in His nature and counsels, but at the same time the cloud was a testimony to His patience. Not until the testimony of the Spirit was refused, did God bring His people into the full light of His counsels. The veil, in a way, was Israel, for the position of Israel as marked off from other nations beclouded God; but when God comes out in His holy nature, He must have all men before Him. It must be God and men. From Genesis 9 onwards there was a cloud, something that concealed God. It continued in Israel and while the Lord was here in flesh, and also after He went up to heaven and until the ministry of the twelve was definitely refused and that of the Spirit in that wonderful vessel Stephen. Now, Stephen looks up to heaven and says, “I behold the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing at the right hand of God”. There is no cloud now. The cloud which was with Israel in the wilderness, in the tabernacle, and in the temple, is gone, and Jesus is there alone. That is christianity, but the way to it is through death. No one in Scripture is more interesting than Stephen, “Shew me thy glory”, Moses had said. He had also said, “Shew me now thy way”. God’s way is through death, and it is also said to be in the sanctuary and in the sea. Stephen was in “the way”, and being in “the way”, he saw the Lord — “Thy way is in the sea” — and he saw the glory. We must connect the two, the divine way and the divine glory. What Moses and Elias spoke of on the mount was not the glory, but the way — the decease. It was as much as intimating that they could not be there but on the ground of the death of Christ; they could only hold converse with Jesus there on the ground of His death. Then He went down from that point to Calvary — that was the way.
Rem It would be the same power that supported Stephen that works now.
JT Quite so. Luke is the only evangelist that records the theme of conversation on the mount. Luke gives us the Lord’s manhood. How wonderful that that Man was worthy of conversation! The point of their theme is the Man. We have to see that Jesus established a title in His Person to go back to God. He took man’s place on earth, and glorified God in every possible way. He established a title as Man to live here on earth, and then He goes up, and there the theme is His death. What a theme it was! Only on the ground of His death could Moses and Elias be there, and only on that ground can we be there. Jesus went up Himself to the mount, but He would have had to remain there alone had He not gone down again, so the conversation refers not to the ascent to the mount, but to what came after — His death.
GN Can we have the veil on our hearts?
JT Any earthly system recognised in the soul is a veil, also any religious system recognised on the earth. It beclouds the light of God in the soul, 2 Corinthians 3 and Hebrews 10 correspond. In the [p. 37] former the apostle does not speak in Jewish language; he uses christian language, that is, language which simply describes christianity as it is. In Hebrews, he uses Jewish language, but when writing to the gentiles who were made acquainted with Jesus, he shows that the glory was in the face of Jesus.
Rem Will you please say a word as to full assurance of hope (verse 11).
JT It is a great thing to have your feet in a sure place, and to know just where you are. In verse 18, you get “two immutable things”. Christian ground is the only ground there is. Abraham had no misgivings as to his position. The Hebrew believers were weakening, the light was waning, and they were giving things up. This describes a great many believers. It is “Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to Jerusalem which is now”, Galatians 4: 25. Christendom has drifted back to law. Hebrews is a very important epistle now, as it is the call to leave the camp. Coming into fellowship does not, in itself, introduce you into the presence of God; it marks your position in the world; but then you get the exhortation, “Let us draw near”. They were already in fellowship, but they did not take up their privileges “within the veil”.
Ques What is meant by “within the veil”?
JT The place that Jesus has before God as Man describes it.
Ques. What is that place?
JT Well, consider Him. You are called on to do this (Hebrews 3: 1). Consider Him personally, and then His position. You get the greatness of the Priest, and then “Such an high priest became us”. You have to consider all that. He not only leads you into the new system, but into the most sacred enclosure of it. We have the heavenly part.
Ques What are we to understand as regards the veil in 2 Corinthians 4: 3?
[p. 38] JT Paul was not a minister of the dispensation which had a veil, “If also our gospel is veiled”, he said, ‘I am not doing it; my gospel has no veil’. He was so in the light of the glory, that there was not a speck in his ministry.
PL It shone out as clearly as it shone in.
JT “We do not preach ourselves”, he said, “but Christ Jesus Lord, and ourselves your bondmen for Jesus’ sake”. Then he says, “Because it is the God who spoke that out of darkness light should shine who has shone in our hearts”. And what for? “For the shining forth of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ”. His ministry was as clear as the sun, not a speck on it, not a speck to shade it — that is the kind of ministry that has come into the gentile world. The old dispensation had its full day, but it has worn itself out, “That which grows old and aged is near disappearing”, Hebrews 8: 13. It disappeared under the brilliancy of the ministry of Paul, and so it does in those who receive Paul’s ministry. It is a cloudless gospel now. Stephen’s testimony was reflected in Paul’s ministry.
Rem It was from within.
JT Morally Stephen was within; that was his place. He had said the last word to Israel. If he had come back, like Paul did who was stoned and rose up again, what kind of ministry would he have pursued? He had seen something no one else had seen.
Ques Is the truth of this set forth in the Supper?
JT Yes; christianity is there in essence. Israel showed itself reprobate, putting a man to death whose face shone as the face of an angel. Any system that can do that is out of court with God. Suppose Stephen had revived, what kind of ministry would he have given? He was the great minister of glory and he would not have gone back to judaism. He had clung to the nation, but now he would have [p. 39] gone on with the new thing. In Acts 8, in spite of the onslaught of the wicked one, the evangelical spirit is active. It is active in the presence of the most wicked hostility of the devil. He entered, in the person of Saul, into houses to obliterate the gospel, but Philip is active in the gospel to show that God is not defeated. Then after God shows that the spirit of the evangelist survives the onslaught of the devil. He brings in the power of the kingdom to show how completely superior He is to all down here. There is a light from heaven, and a sheet from heaven, and, following on that, the gentiles are introduced and receive the Spirit; there you have the full gentile position.
It is a great thing now to enter within; it brings us to the full result of the gospel. The gospel announces the full position in Jesus in heaven, and, therefore, the gospel, fully answered to, leads us there. Directly we lay hold of the heavenly position, we come out in heavenly colour. In Numbers 15 the children of Israel were to have a “riband of blue”, which signified that they were a heavenly people. Stephen was heavenly; he had the face of an angel — an angel being synonymous with a heavenly being.
Ques Will you say a little more as to the holiest.
JT As we were saying, there are two lights in which it may be regarded. God has put Himself in touch with man and hence His presence as known in Christ constitutes the holiest for the believer. Then the tabernacle is a figure of the universe, and the holiest, in that sense, would be heaven itself. In Hebrews 10 the holiest is the presence of God, hence it says, “Let us draw near”.
Rem Will you say a little as to Melchisedec?
JT He describes the order of the Lord’s priesthood and being said to be without father, without mother, and so on. He suggests a divine Person.
[p. 40] Aaron was taken from among men and he suggests the function of priesthood, as it says: “That he may minister unto me”, but Melchisedec describes what the Lord is personally. We come in more on the line of Aaron and his sons. There is no such thought with Melchisedec.