Ark of the Covenant—The Ark was made from acacia wood covered with gold. Acacia wood and gold were two of the most important building materials of the Tabernacle of the Congregation.

The Ark of the Covenant typifies the Lord Jesus Christ, and therefore the saint of God in whom Christ is being formed, who is overcoming sin in his daily walk, and who is learning perfect obedience to the Father. In his heart are the following three graces:

The Ten Commandments—the Law of God wrought in his character.

The memorial jar of manna—daily strength from Christ; the body and blood of Christ, our daily Bread from Heaven; the trait of depending continually on Christ each moment of the day for all matters great and small.

Aaron's rod that budded—the power of eternal resurrection life that operates in the priesthood God has chosen.

Mercy Seat—The Mercy Seat (Lid of Reconciliation) was beaten out of pure gold. The Mercy Seat served as a covering lid for the Ark of the Covenant.

The solid-gold Mercy Seat portrays the fullness of the Glory of God in Christ through the Holy Spirit; the image of Christ formed in spirit, soul and body; authority and power through Christ over all things; the abiding of the Persons of the Godhead in the Christian.

These are the seven holy furnishings of the Tabernacle of the Congregation.

The Altar of Burnt Offering brings to our mind the Lord Jesus who was slain for us. Redemption always works through the atoning blood of Christ. Christ is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. God meets man only at the cross.

The Laver speaks of the washing away of the uncleanness of the spirit of the age in which we live. The concept and practice of departing from the filthiness of the world and from the filthiness and rebellion of our flesh and our spirit are begun in the act of water baptism and carried on each day as we wash our robes and make them white in the blood of Christ. We wash our robes by continual repentance, confession, and resistance to sin.

The Table of Showbread brings to us the body and blood of the Lord Jesus, which constitute the only true, eternal life available to mankind. All persons are spiritually dead until Jesus comes. If any person will receive Him and eat His flesh and drink His blood he shall live forever. Apart from Christ there is only death. He is the tree of life. When we eat His flesh and drink His blood we are born again and live spiritually.

We are born of the water when we are born of a woman, born physically. We are born of the Spirit when the Holy Spirit of God receives and renews our spirit, thereby making us alive and lifting our spirit to abide in Christ in heavenly places. We are born of the Word of God when we eat the flesh of Christ and drink His blood so He Himself begins to be formed in us.

The Lampstand proper is the tall central shaft. This is Christ. The Body of Christ is represented by the six-side branches.

The Christian is to be a branch of the Lampstand, a member of Christ who is the light of the world. The Holy Spirit is the oil that burns giving light. We are the wick, so to speak.

To be continued.