THE SPIRIT BEING ALSO THE COMPOUND SPIRIT
Exodus 30 is a record concerning the building of the tabernacle, but in verses 22-30 God suddenly charged Moses to make the holy anointing oil. The way was to take one hin of olive oil and compound it together with four spices; thus, the oil became an ointment. There was one hin of olive oil—the number “one” denotes God, referring to the element of divinity. There were four spices—the number “four” denotes man, referring to the element of humanity. Hence, the mingling of these two is divinity plus humanity. Furthermore, humanity involves four items: myrrh, cinnamon, calamus, and cassia. In brief, myrrh signifies the precious death of Christ; fragrant cinnamon signifies the sweetness and effectiveness of Christ’s death; calamus, which is a reed that grows in a marsh or muddy place and is able to shoot up into the air, signifies the precious and transcendent resurrection of Christ; and cassia signifies the power and the effectiveness of Christ’s resurrection.
In this holy anointing oil, the aspect of divinity is not as involved as the aspect of humanity. Why? Because Christ came to be a man, and, as a man, He died and resurrected. His death produced an effect, and so did His resurrection. The holy anointing oil with four ingredients indicates that Christ has four elements: He died, and therefore there was the effectiveness of His death; He resurrected, and therefore there was the power of His resurrection. These are four elements. Hence, in the mingling of divinity with humanity, humanity also has these four elements. The holy anointing oil as a type clearly portrays that the Spirit today has divinity, humanity, death with its effectiveness, and resurrection with its power. All these items were compounded together to become the holy anointing oil. In the New Testament, 1 John 2:27 says that we have received the anointing from the Lord; this anointing is the compound Spirit typified by the holy anointing oil.
THE APPLICATION OF GOD’S ECONOMY BY THE COMPOUND SPIRIT
After Christ accomplished God’s economy, the compound Spirit applies it to the people chosen by God. How does He do it? He comes to be mingled with us. He as the compound and consummated Spirit contains the elements of divinity, humanity, death, the effectiveness of His death, resurrection, and the power of His resurrection. When this Spirit comes into us, God comes in, Christ as a person comes in, His death with its effectiveness comes in, and His resurrection with its power comes in. This is an all-inclusive dose that consists of the supply of God, the supply of Christ, the problem-solving and killing effect of Christ’s death, and Christ’s resurrection with its power. According to the Hebrew language, this is the power to guard against and repel the poison of insects and snakes. In the dwellings of the Jews in ancient times, people were often hurt by snakes and insects. Therefore, they put some cassia in their houses for their own protection. Cassia emits an odor that repels snakes, centipedes, and scorpions. This indicates that the resurrection power of Christ can repel Satan, the evil spirits, and demons.
THE SPIRIT BEING MINGLED WITH US TO BRING FORTH THE CHURCH AND BECOMING THE SEVEN SPIRITS TO MEET THE CHURCH’S NEEDS
Today all that is in the consummated Spirit has been received by us. Because of this, the Spirit has brought forth the church, which is the Body of Christ (Eph. 1:22b-23). The Body of Christ and the Spirit are inseparable. Ephesians 4:4 says, “One Body and one Spirit.” Here the Body and the Spirit are joined together. The Spirit brought forth the church, but soon after that, the church became degraded. Hence, the Spirit became the seven Spirits to meet the needs of the degraded church (Rev. 1:4; 4:5; 5:6). This is what the entire book of Revelation shows us.
God is one, but He is also three—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. The Father planned, the Son came to accomplish what the Father planned, and in the Son’s accomplishment the life-giving Spirit was brought forth. This Spirit, who is the transfigured Christ in resurrection, is the consummation of the Triune God. In the degradation of the church, this consummated Spirit became the seven Spirits. God is one yet three, and the three consummated in the life-giving Spirit in resurrection. These three became the one consummated Spirit in the resurrection of Christ. This consummated Spirit became the seven Spirits to meet the needs of the church. God is one yet three, the three are one in resurrection, and then one became seven, the seven Spirits, for the church’s need. The seven Spirits are not seven separate Spirits; They denote the sevenfold intensified Spirit. The one Spirit has become the sevenfold intensified Spirit.
BEING IN THE SEVEN SPIRITS BY LIVING AND WALKING ACCORDING TO THE SPIRIT
Where are we living today? Hallelujah! We do not live only in the one Spirit, nor do we live merely in the Triune God. We live in the seven Spirits. In the seven Spirits there are God, man, the death of Christ with its effectiveness, and the resurrection of Christ with its power. Hence, the New Testament tells us that we should live and walk not only in the Spirit but also according to the spirit (Rom. 8:4). The Spirit includes God, man, Christ’s death with its effectiveness, and Christ’s resurrection with its power. When you follow this Spirit and walk according to this spirit, all the negative things in you are killed. Therefore, Romans 8:13 says that by the Spirit we should put to death the practices of the body. We ourselves cannot die; we die by receiving the Spirit as the ointment for anointing. The ointment applies the effectiveness of Christ’s death to us to produce an effect in us. Today when we use medicated ointment, it kills the germs in us. At the same time, there is the supply in the Spirit as the anointing ointment. Hence, Philippians 1:19 says that this Spirit, the Spirit of Jesus Christ, has the bountiful supply. The negative aspect is the problem-solving by killing, and the positive aspect is the bountiful supply. Both aspects are in the consummated Spirit.
A CLOSING PRAYER
Lord, we worship You that You are such a God; You are the consummated Spirit to be the God whom we worship. You are not the same as the God in Judaism; You are also different from the God in Mohammedanism. You are such a processed and consummated Spirit. You are one God, yet You are also three; in resurrection You are one in becoming the consummated Spirit; and for the need of the church You have become the sevenfold intensified Spirit. We truly worship You and thank You. In creation You are the Spirit of God; in God’s relationship with man You are the Spirit of Jehovah; in God’s incarnation You are the Holy Spirit; for the bringing forth of the church, You, as the Holy Spirit, became the life-giving, consummated Spirit; and for the needs of the church, You, as the life-giving Spirit, became the sevenfold intensified Spirit. Today we are in this Spirit. This is our Lord, this is our God, this is our Redeemer, this is our Savior, and this is our Master, the One whom we serve. We truly desire to live in You as such a God, that is, to live in the Spirit, according to Your heart’s desire.
(A General Outline of God's Economy and the Proper Living of a God-Man, Chapter 2, by Witness Lee)
