BEGINNING WITH THE GOD WHO WAS IN THE BEGINNING AND ENDING WITH THE SPIRIT
Now we understand that the Gospel of John begins with the God who was in the beginning and ends with the Spirit. The God who was in the beginning went through incarnation, the death of the Lamb, and resurrection to become the Spirit. Today the Spirit is just like air. In this Spirit full redemption for sins was made, death was dealt with, and the flesh and the old creation were both nullified. In this Spirit there is God, there is redemption, there is power, there is resurrection, and there is life. In Him is all in all. Today everything has been completed and accomplished. As the Spirit, He is on earth as well as in heaven; He is omnipresent. To Him there is no limitation of time or separation of space; He is right here. How wonderful! Do not ever think that this is superstition. This is the truth of the Bible. This is not the objective truth but the subjective truth. Oh, our God passed through redemption and entered into resurrection, and in resurrection He is the all-inclusive Spirit! On the one hand, He is sitting on the throne; on the other hand, He comes to the earth.
This may be likened to electricity in a lightbulb. On the one hand, electricity is in this meeting hall, but on the other hand, it is also in the power plant far away outside of town. The electricity in the power plant can be transmitted into our homes. Without the transmission of electricity, electricity is not practical. If there is merely objective electricity but no subjective experience, electricity is worthless to us. In the same way, we can also tell the Lord, “Lord, if You only sit on the throne, but You do not transmit Yourself into me, You are not of much value.” Perhaps you will say, “Whether or not the Lord transmits Himself into me, I know He is a priceless treasure.” Yes, He is a priceless treasure. However, He is of not much value to me unless He is transmitted into me. If He is not transmitted to me, of what use is He to me? What does He have to do with me?
This is exactly the situation in today’s Christianity. Many there still think that the Lord is high above, so they do not experience the Lord in them. On Sundays they go to their worship service in the morning and then play cards and watch movies in the afternoon. This is to have only the objective doctrines without the subjective truths. Thank the Lord that it is not so in the Lord’s recovery today. We want both the objective doctrines and the subjective experience. We want the electricity in the power plant, and we also want that electricity to be transmitted into our homes. We want electricity at both ends, not just at one end. May the Lord be merciful to us!
The Word in the Beginning Becoming the Word in the Heart
We need to know that today the God in the Gospel of John is no longer just the God who was in the beginning. He became the Lamb, died on the cross, and resurrected, and today in resurrection He is the Spirit, the all-inclusive Spirit. He is not only in heaven, but He is also here. Therefore, Romans 10:8 says, “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart.” If you are willing to open your mouth to say, “O Lord,” He will enter into you, and the Word who was in the beginning will become the Word in your heart. Let us all say, “O Lord! O Lord!” Immediately He is no longer the Word in the beginning but the Word in our heart. The Word in the beginning is good, but it has no effect on us. Hallelujah, the Word in our heart is effective! After you have the Word in your heart, if you go again to shuffle the mah-jongg tiles, He will “shuffle” your heart. If you argue with your wife again, He will “argue” with your heart until you say, “Forget about it! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!” Hallelujah! What I have today is not just the Word who was in the beginning. Rather, what I have is the Word who was not only in the beginning but who has also become the Word in my heart. This Word in our heart is the Spirit, and this Spirit who is in us is all-inclusive.
A TYPE OF THE SPIRIT—THE HOLY ANOINTING OINTMENT
Now for the sake of the young people and the brothers and sisters who have recently come into the church, I want to say something about the history of the Holy Spirit. Those who know typology in the Bible all know that there is the olive oil that typifies the Spirit of God; it is the olive oil with which the kings, prophets, and priests were anointed. In the Bible this olive oil typifies the Spirit of God. Before the tabernacle came into existence, there was only the olive oil. After the tabernacle was built, God told Moses to add four kinds of spices to the olive oil. What were the four spices? First, there was myrrh; second, cinnamon; third, calamus; and fourth, cassia. These four spices were added to the basic element—the olive oil—to make the oil into an ointment. The oil was not an ointment; it became an ointment only after the four spices were added. Then from the day the tabernacle came into existence, the tabernacle, along with all its utensils, and the priests had to be anointed with the holy anointing ointment for their sanctification. This record is in Exodus 30.
Later when the apostle John wrote his Epistles, he referred to the anointing mentioned in Exodus 30. The anointing, mentioned twice in 1 John, was not John’s invention; rather, he took it from Exodus 30. When John mentioned the golden lampstands in Revelation, he also quoted from Exodus. Let me tell you, both the anointing and the golden lampstand refer to the all-inclusive Spirit. However, in this message, we want to touch only the matter of the anointing.
(The Subjective Truths in the Holy Scriptures, Chapter 2, by Witness Lee)
