WITNESS LEE QUOTES

Chapter Seven
THE TRIUNE GOD AS REVEALED IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

I. GOD IS TRIUNE IN HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH MAN

GENESIS 1:
26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…

NUMBERS 6:
24 Jehovah bless thee, and keep thee:
25 Jehovah make his face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
26 Jehovah lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.

ISAIAH 6:
3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is Jehovah of hosts…

The matter of the Trinity—the Father, Son, and Spirit—of the Godhead was already revealed in the Old Testament:

1. The first sentence in the Old Testament states, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1). In the original language the subject “God” is triple in number, whereas the verb is singular in number. This contains the meaning that God is three-in-one.

2. When we come to Genesis 1: 26, when the Old Testament speaks of God, not only is the word “God” used in triple number in the original language, but God speaks of Himself as “us.,, Subsequently, the Old Testament speaks several times again in this manner, as we have pointed out previously. This explicitly declares that the Persons of God are plural. But here, in Genesis 1: 26, the word used for the “image” of God in the original language is singular. Although God is “us,” plural, yet the “image” of “us” is singular one. Therefore, this also contains the meaning of God being three-in-one.

3. In Exodus 3:6 the Lord said to Moses, “I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” This passage reveals that God as the God of the patriarchs is threefold. With the God of Abraham the emphasis is on the Father; with the God of Isaac the emphasis is on the Son; and with the God of Jacob the emphasis is on the Spirit. (Cf. “The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,” also titled, “Changed Into His Likeness.") Therefore, the name which God revealed here for Himself also contains the meaning of three-in-one. Although He is one God, yet there is the matter of threefoldness, that is, the threefold Person—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit.

(Witness Lee, Triune God, 10-11)

4. In Numbers 6:24-26 the Lord commanded the priests in the Old Testament to bestow a threefold blessing upon the children of Israel. This undoubtedly is because He, the God who bestows the blessing, is one in three Persons. In the first place, to “bless thee” and “keep thee” is evidently the work of God the Father; in the second place, to “shine upon thee” and “be gracious unto thee” is manifestly the work of God the Son; and in the third place, “lift up His countenance upon thee” and “give thee peace” is undoubtedly the work of God the Spirit. Therefore, this means that the Triune God—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit—may bless, be gracious, and give peace to His chosen people.

5. Not only does the Old Testament say that the priests on earth bestow a threefold blessing on the people of God in His name, but it also says in Isaiah 6:3 that the seraphim in the heavens give threefold praise to God, saying, “Holy, holy, holy.” The reason they praise God by repeating the word “holy” three times is, without any doubt, because the God whom they praise is one-in-three. Then following, in verse 8, it says that the God whom they praise speaks of Himself as “us,” plural, which means He has a three-fold Person.

(Witness Lee, Triune God, 11-12)

6. The Old Testament mentions several times that the angel of the Lord in human form (who, in the New Testament age, is the Christ who became flesh and took the form of a man) is the Lord Himself (Exo. 3:2-6; Judg. 6:11­24; 13:15-24; Zech. 1:11, 12: 2:8-11). It seems that the angel of the Lord and the Lord are two, but actually they are one. This must also be due to the fact of the three Persons of the Godhead, just as in the New Testament Christ and God are two, yet also one.

7. In Psalm 110 David says, “The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool” (King James Version). The Lord here, of course, is God, and the One whom David calls “my Lord” is the Lord Jesus, as He Himself indicated in Matthew 22:42-45. So Psalm 110 speaks of God and the Lord Jesus. God speaks of Himself here as “my,” and of the Lord Jesus as “thou.” The Lord Jesus is God, but here is says that God speaks to Him, and that between God and Him there is the difference of “my” and “thou.” He and God are one, yet they are two. This must also be something of the three Persons of the Godhead.

8. The Old Testament even reveals the three names—Father, Son, and Spirit. Second Samuel 7:14 speaks of the Father and the Son. Isaiah 9:6 speaks of the Son and the Father. Psalm 2:7 speaks of the Son. Ezekiel

36:27; 37:14; 39:29; Joel 2:28,29; etc., speak of the Spirit. According to the above passages we also see that: (1) the Father is the source, because the Son proceeds out of the Father; (2) the Son is the manifestation, because the Son is given unto us and comes to us; and (3) the Spirit is the One who enters into us, because the Spirit is put into us for us to possess and enjoy. This exactly corresponds with the points revealed subsequently in the New Testament.

(Witness Lee, Triune God, 12-13)

From the Hebrew text, we see that in Genesis 1:1, the word “God” as the subject of the sentence is in the plural number. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” But the word “created” as the predicate of the sentence is in the singular. This is quite meaningful. The subject is plural, but the predicate is singular. In the first verse of the Bible the Triune God is revealed in a secret way. It is not so clear unless you know the numbers of the Hebrew language.

Then in Genesis 1:26, God uses the plural pronouns “us” and “our” to denote Himself. “God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” This really causes a problem. Is God singular or plural? If we say that God is singular, why does He use the plural pronoun for Himself? And if we say that God is plural, it is the greatest heresy. We know that we do not have three gods, but only one God. Yet how can we understand these verses? It is very difficult to understand this matter completely. In a sense, the Triune God is one of the greatest mysteries in the universe.

From Genesis 1, we go on to Genesis 3. After the fall of man, God again uses the plural pronoun for Himself. “The Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil” (Gen. 3:22).

In Genesis 11, men had become so rebellious against God that they built the tower of Babel and the city of Babel. Then God said: “Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech” (Gen. 11:7) Again we see that God uses the plural pronoun in referring to Himself.

RELATED TO MAN

When God uses the plural pronoun for Himself, it is always related to man. When God created man, He used the plural pronoun for Himself. When God took care of fallen man, He used the plural pronoun again. And when God came to deal with rebellious man, He used the plural pronoun. This means that the Triune God is for God’s dealing with man. In Genesis 1, when God was creating all the other things, He never used the plural pronoun for Himself. It seems that to all the other creatures, God was just God Himself. But whenever God is related to man, He is Triune.

There is another occasion in the Old Testament when God uses the plural pronoun for Himself, and it is also related to man. It is found in Isaiah 6:8. Isaiah saw God on the throne, and then He heard God ask the question, “Who will go for us?”

Hence, we see that whether God created man, took care of fallen man, came to deal with rebellious man, or sent someone to proclaim something to man, He was Triune. God’s relationship to man was almost always related to His being Triune.

(Witness Lee, Stream Magazine, 1415-1416)

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II. THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, THE GOD OF ISAAC, AND THE GOD OF JACOB

EXODUS 3:
6 Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.

The God who came to call this corporate person and who dealt with this corporate man was the Triune God —the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. When God spoke to Moses out of the burning bush, He said, “I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” (Exo. 3:6). In Exodus 3 we see that Moses was called by the angel of the Lord, that the angel of the Lord was the Lord Himself, and that the Lord Himself was the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob (vv. 2, 4, 6). God did not say, “I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and Moses.” No, He said that He was the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. This God, who is the Lord, is also the angel of the Lord. Can you figure this out? If you read Exodus 3, you will find that verse 2 speaks of the angel of the Lord and verse 4 of the Lord. Then in verse 6, this angel of the Lord, who is the Lord Himself, told Moses, “I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Do you believe that these are three gods? Here there are three plus two others, the angel of the Lord and the Lord. Are these five individuals, five gods? The angel of the Lord and the Lord surely are two. Can we say that the angel of the Lord is just the Lord Himself? We can, because the Bible tells us so. No one can exhaust the study of Exodus 3. Eventually, in Exodus 3:14, God said to Moses, “ I am that I am.” God seemed to be saying, “I am the angel of the Lord. I am the Lord. I am the God of Abraham. I am the God of Isaac. I am the God of Jacob. I am that I am. I don't care whether you understand this or not - I am that I am. I don't care whether you agree with this or not—I am that I am.” This is our God, the God who worked upon the corporate man. This God was the angel of the Lord, the Lord Himself, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the great I Am.

(Witness Lee, LS of Genesis, 517)

(1) The God of Abraham—The Father

God’s calling to Abraham was the work of God the Father. Abraham’s original name was Abram which means “an exalted father,” and the name Abraham, that replaced this name, means “the father of a great multitude.” Both of these names have the basic thought of the father. The first in the Triune God is the Father, and Abraham was the first of the called ones. Abraham was the father of the called ones, and the first of the Triune God is also the Father. The Father is the source of life. He is also the source of plan and purpose. God the Father had a plan, a purpose. Because He had a purpose, He selected and predestinated in eternity past. Eventually, in time, the Father came in to call, justify, accept, and care for the called ones. God the Father’s work is to select, predestinate, call, justify, accept, and take care of the called ones. Both selection and predestination precede the matter of calling. If you read Romans 9:11, you will see that these two items are found with Jacob. Nevertheless, in Abraham we see nearly all of the experiences that are related to God the Father. This is very meaningful.

(2) The God of Isaac—The Son

Isaac was the son. It is very interesting to see that the second of the Triune God is also the Son. What is a son? A son is one who comes out of the father, who inherits all that the father is and has, and who accomplishes all that the father desires. If you look at Isaac’s history, you will find that he was just like this. He was out of the father, he inherited everything of the father, and he worked to accomplish his father’s purpose. This is the experience of Isaac, the experience which fits the second of the Triune God, God the Son. The Lord Jesus, as the Son of God, came out of the Father (John 16:28), inherited all that the Father is and has (John 16:15), and accomplished all the Father’s will (John 6:38). Isaac’s life corresponds to His.

(Witness Lee, LS of Genesis, 517-518)

(3) The God of Jacob—The Spirit

Now we come to Jacob. Jacob, a subtle supplanter, needed more than just the experience of the calling and the in­heritance. He mainly needed the dealings to transform him from a man in the flesh to a man in the Spirit. So, it is very meaningful that the third of the Triune God is the Spirit who worked upon the subtle, supplanting Jacob to discipline and transform him into a prince of God. Here, in Jacob, we see regeneration, discipline, transformation, and the growth and maturity in life. All of this is the work of the Spirit. So the God of Jacob should be God the Spirit.

(Witness Lee, LS of Genesis, 518-519)

The experiences of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are the complete experience of the corporate called one. If we see this, we shall bow down and say, “O God the Father, we need you. We need Your plan, purpose, selection, predestination, calling, justification, acceptance, and care. O God the Son, we need You. We need You to redeem us that we might have the inheritance. We need You to accomplish all that the Father planned, all that the Father intended to do. O God the Spirit, we need You. We need You to regenerate us, to discipline us, to transform us, and to make us grow that we might mature in life. We need You to make us the real Israels. We need You to make all that the Father has planned and all that the Son has accomplished real to us. Our Triune God, how we bow to You, worship You, praise You, and thank You for all that You have done to us and in us!”

(Witness Lee, LS of Genesis, 522-523)

At present we are all in the process of this experience of God’s called ones. Some of us are Abrahams, some are Isaacs, and others are Jacobs. Now we are enjoying the Triune God in our experience, not in theology. We do not have Him as a doctrinal concept but as an experiential enjoyment. We are enjoy­ing God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit. How good it is to enjoy the Father’s calling, justifying, accepting, and caring for us. How wonderful it is to realize the Son’s redeeming, saving, bringing us into the inheritance, and ac­complishing of God’s eternal purpose. How excellent it is to experience the Spirit’s regenerating, disciplining, transform­ing, and causing us to grow and mature. We are not merely discussing the Triune God. We are experiencing Him; we are participating in the Father, Son, and Spirit. The Triune God is with us experientially. In the church life, we are Abrahams, Isaacs, and Jacobs including Josephs experiencing the Triune God. We are enjoying the selection, predestination, calling, justification, acceptance, care, redemption, inheritance, ac­complishment of God’s purpose, regeneration, discipline, transformation, growth, maturity, and eventually the reign­ing. Praise the Lord! This is the Triune God with the corporate called one.

(Witness Lee, LS of Genesis, 523-524)

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III. THE GOLDEN LAMPSTAND SYMBOLIZING THE TRIUNE GOD

EXODUS 25:
31 And thou shalt make a candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work shall the candlestick be made, even its base, and its shaft; its cups, its knops, and its flowers shall be of one piece with it.
36 Their knops and their branches shall be of one piece with it; the whole of it one beaten work of pure gold.
37 And thou shalt make the lamps thereof, seven: and they shall light the lamps thereof, to give light over against it.
39 Of a talent of pure gold shall it be made with all these vessels.
40 And see that thou make them after their pattern, which hath been showed thee in the mount.

THE EXPRESSION OF THE TRIUNE GOD

The lampstand signifies the expression of the Triune God. This alone is sufficient to impress us with how mys­terious the lampstand is. Nothing in the universe is more mysterious than the Triune God. Furthermore, the most puzzling element of the divine revelation in the Bible is also the Triune God. Throughout the centuries, readers of the Bible have been puzzled by the revelation of the Tri­une God in the Scriptures. Even today we do not have an adequate understanding of the Triune God. However, it is very helpful to see that the lampstand is the expression of the Triune God.

Throughout the centuries of their history, the Jewish people have treasured the lampstand. But no rabbi would ever say that the lampstand signifies the expression of the Triune God. I do not even know of any Christians who have such a realization. Actually, this understanding of the lampstand is a truth recently recovered by the Lord in His recovery. Years ago, we said nothing about the lampstand signifying the expression of the Triune God. But several years ago we began to see that in the Bible the lampstand is an expression of the Triune God.

(Witness Lee, LS of Exodus, 1067)

In the last century certain teachers emphasized the significance of the types in the Old Testament. Concern­ing the lampstand, these teachers mainly said that the lampstand is a type of Christ as the light of the world. What they said was right and good; however, it was not adequate. These teachers of the Word did not see that the lampstand is an expression of the Triune God, that consummately the lampstand becomes the church, and that the seven lamps of the lampstand are the seven Spirits of God.

(Witness Lee, LS of Exodus, 1068)

(1) The Substance

As we ponder the substance, the stand, and the lamps of the lampstand, we see that the lampstand is indeed the expression of the Triune God. According to 25:31, the lampstand was of pure gold. Thus, gold is the substance, the element, of the lampstand in its entirety. In typology gold signifies the divine nature, the nature of God the Father. If we consider this substance, this element, of the lampstand, we shall see that it signifies the divine nature. Therefore, by this we can see God the Father, the One whose nature is the very substance of the lampstand. The golden lampstand exists in the nature of God the Father.

(2) The Stand

God the Father is invisible and abstract. God the Son is the embodiment of this invisible One. The stand is a form signifying God the Son as the embodiment of God the Father. This solid form of the lampstand is the embodi­ment of the gold. According to the New Testament, God the Father is embodied in God the Son. Here in the lamp­stand we have the substance signifying the Father, and the solid form signifying the Son.

(3) The Lamps

Exodus 25:37 says, “And you shall make its lamps, seven.” These seven lamps signify God the Spirit being the seven Spirits of God for His expression (Rev. 4:5; 5:6). The shining of the lamps denotes expression. Thus, the seven lamps are the expression of God the Son as the embodi­ment of God the Father. In the book of Revelation we see that the seven lamps are the Spirit of God.

Because we have in the lampstand the element of gold signifying God the Father, the stand signifying God the Son, and the seven lamps signifying God the Spirit, we have the ground to say that the lampstand itself is the expression of the Triune God.

(Witness Lee, LS of Exodus, 1068-1069)

THE LAMPSTAND AS A TYPE SYMBOLIZING THE TRIUNE GOD

This golden lampstand has more to it than its outward appearance. Otherwise it would not shine. Its inner content is what makes it shine. In actuality the lampstand is a por­trayal of the Triune God. The doctrine of the Trinity is not specifically described in the Bible, but that God is triune is made quite clear to us.

Our God is one; He is also three. He is the unique God, but He is also Father, Son, and Spirit. We must be careful in our choice of terms here. To say that God exists in three Persons is misleading. It is better to avoid the word Persons and simply say that He is three in one. This is what triune means; it is of Latin origin, tri meaning three and une meaning one. There is the aspect of the one and also of the three.

On the one hand, the Bible, in both the Old and the New Testaments, tells us clearly that God is one. Psalm 86:10 says, “Thou art God alone.” Isaiah 45:5 says, “I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God besides me.” First Corinthians 8:4 tells us, “There is none other God but one.” On the other hand, there is clear mention of the Father, Son, and the Spirit (Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14).

(Witness Lee, Life Messages, Vol. 2, 288-289)

Words cannot satisfactorily explain the mystery of the Trinity. Yet the lampstand does give us a picture of it. It was to be made all of one piece of pure gold (Exo. 25:36). There was only one lampstand for the tabernacle, yet there were seven lamps. Looked at as a whole, the lampstand was one. From the top, however, one could clearly see seven lamps. It was a seven-in-one lampstand.

The lampstand was to be made of a talent of pure gold. This means it weighed about a hundred pounds. The sub­stance or essence of the lampstand, then, was gold. Gold typifies the nature of God. Unlike iron, it will not rust or change chemically, no matter where it is put. God’s nature is constant, unchanging, eternal. The gold, then, denotes God the Father as the essence and source.

The gold was made into a prescribed form, which indi­cated its function. This form is Christ, who is the image of God (2 Cor. 4:4; Col. 1:15). When God created man, He created him in His image (Gen. 1:26). Since Christ is God’s image, man was created according to Christ. In one sense God does not have a physical form, but in another He does have an expression of His image. Christ, the beloved Son, is the image of the invisible God. What function does this form denote? He expresses God. “No one has ever seen God; the only begotten Son, Who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him” (John 1:18).

Another characteristic of this lampstand is its seven lamps. These, the Bible clearly tells us, are the seven Spirits of God (Rev. 4:5), which are simply the Spirit of God Himself. The golden lampstand, then, symbolizes the Triune God expressed. Its essence is the Father, its form is the Son, and its expression is the Spirit. In this first stage, the lampstand represents Christ. When He was on earth, the nature of God, the Father, was in Him. So was the Father’s image, because the Lord Jesus thoroughly manifested Him. As He mingled among men, Christ was also the seven lamps shining forth. Jesus Christ is the expression of the Triune God. God was in Him, upon Him, and was His very essence. Apart from Him, no one can find God.

(Witness Lee, Life Messages, Vol. 2, 289-290)

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IV. THE TRIUNE GOD AS REVEALED BY THE CLEFT ROCK

EXODUS 17:
1 And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, by their journeys, according to the commandment of Jehovah, and encamped in Rephidim: and there was no water for the people to drink.
2 Wherefore the people strove with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why strive ye with me? wherefore do ye tempt Jehovah?
3 And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore hast thou brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?
4 And Moses cried unto Jehovah, saying What shall I do unto this people? they are almost ready to stone me.
5 And Jehovah said unto Moses, Pass on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thy hand and go.
6 Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.

SMITTEN BY THE AUTHORITY OF GOD’S LAW

The Lord told Moses to use his rod to “smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink” (17:6). We need to pay careful attention to the fact that the rock was smitten by the rod of Moses. In typology, Moses signifies the law, and the rod represents the power and authority of the law. The rock, of course, typifies Christ. The smiting of the rock by the rod signifies that Christ was smitten by the authority of God’s law. In the eyes of God, the Lord Jesus was put to death, not by the Jews, but by the law of God. During the first three hours of His crucifixion, Christ suffered under the hand of man. But during the last three hours, Christ suffered because He was smitten by the power of God’s law.

(Witness Lee, LS of Exodus, 471-472)

THE ROCK AND THE SPIRIT

In many places the Bible tells us that God is our rock. Deuteronomy 32:18 refers to God as the rock who begot us. This indicates that as our rock God is our Father. This rock is a begetting rock, full of life. In 2 Samuel 22:47 and Psalm 95:1 we see that God is the rock of our salvation. Further­more, this rock is our strength (Psa. 62:7) and our refuge (Psa. 94:22). This rock is our hiding place, protection, covering, and safeguard. Isaiah 32:2 speaks of the Lord as “the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.” When we are weary, we can rest under the shadow cast by this rock and be refreshed. This rock, which was waiting in a dry place for God’s people, has been smitten so the people may have living water to drink.

The water flowing out of the smitten rock typifies the Spirit. John 7:37 and 38 say, “Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, If anyone thirst, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, out of his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.” This word was uttered on the last day of the feast of tabernacles. John 7:39 goes on to say, “But this He said concerning the Spirit, Whom those who believed in Him were about to receive.” This indicates clearly that the flowing water signifies the Spirit.

Many years ago I read an article which said that in Jerusalem in ancient times, when the Israelites celebrated the feast of tabernacles, they set up a rock. According to this article, over the rock waters were flowing as a reminder that the forefathers of the Jews had wandered in the wilderness and had drunk of the waters which flowed out of the smitten rock. Near the rock there also may have been tents showing that the forefathers lived in tents and wandered in the wilderness, but had the smitten rock with the living water to quench their thirst. Such a picture may have literally been in the background when the Lord Jesus stood up to call the thirsty ones to come to Him and drink.

Another reference to flowing water is in John 19:34. Here we are told that after the Lord had died on the cross, “one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately there came out blood and water.” This was prefigured by the water flowing out of the smitten rock.

(Witness Lee, LS of Exodus, 472-473)

The water which came out of the rock is the water of life in resurrection. Resurrection denotes something which has been put to death and which is alive again. It also denotes life which springs forth out of something that has passed through death. The living water in Exodus 17 came out of a rock. Why did God cause water to come out of a rock? Since He is almighty, there was no need for Him to use a rock. He could simply have opened the ground and caused living water to spring forth. In the Bible this rock speaks of God’s redemption and Christ’s incarnation. It also speaks of Christ’s humanity and of His death. The water which flowed out of the smitten rock sprang forth after incarna­tion, human living, and death. It flowed only after these major steps of Christ had been accomplished. The Bible tells us clearly that the rock was Christ. How could Christ, who is God, become a rock? This implies incarnation and human living. In order to be the rock, Christ had to become incarnated and live among men for a period of time. Even­tually, when He was on the cross, He was smitten by the authority of God’s law. Hence, 17:6 is a profound verse. It implies Christ’s incarnation, human living, and death.

(Witness Lee, LS of Exodus, 488-489)

Let us now look at three pictures portrayed in the Scriptures: the smitten rock with water flowing out of it, Christ on the cross with blood and water flowing from His pierced side, and God on the throne, out of which flows the river of water of life. These pictures do not signify three dif­ferent kinds of waters, one flowing out of the rock, another flowing out of the body of Jesus, and still another flowing out of the throne of God. No, the water in these pictures refers to the one water. Why then does the Word separately portray the rock, the body of Jesus, and the throne? More­over, what is the source of the flowing water? Is it the rock, the physical body of Jesus, or the throne? According to Revelation 22: 1, the source of the living water is the throne of God. This verse reveals that the river of water of life pro­ceeds out of the throne.

(Witness Lee, LS of Exodus, 491)

The throne of God with the flow of living water was in existence long before Jesus was crucified and before the rock was smitten. The living water proceeding out of the throne began to flow before Christ’s death, not after it. Ac­cording to the sequence in the Bible, the rock is first, the physical body of Jesus is second, and the throne is third. But in actuality the throne is first. The flowing of the living water began from the throne. Before the rock was smitten and before Christ was crucified, the living water was already flowing from the throne. Do not think that Revela­tion 22:1 portrays only what comes after Exodus 17 and John 19. This is a picture of something from eternity, of something that includes the whole Bible. This indicates that the living water was flowing before the incarnation of Christ. The incarnation, however, was a further step in the flowing of the living water. God flowed from His throne into the manger and also into the home of a carpenter. Thirty-three and a half years later, God flowed through the cross and then flowed on in resurrection.

The Bible tells the story of God’s flowing. Throughout the centuries, God has been flowing, and He is still flowing today. In His flowing He passed through incarnation, human living, and death, and then He entered into resur­rection. Now in resurrection He is the living water for us to drink. Therefore, the water of life we enjoy today is in resurrection.

(Witness Lee, LS of Exodus, 492)

THE WATER OF LIFE BEING THE TRIUNE GOD FLOWING OUT TO BE OUR LIFE

The water of life is the Triune God flowing out to be our life. To say that the water of life is the Triune God may shock those who are systematic and dogmatic in their theology. They may regard such a statement as heretical. The fact that the water of life flows out of the throne of God and of the Lamb indicates that God the Father is the source, that God the Son is the course, and that God the Spirit is the flow. Second Corinthians 13:14 confirms this. In this verse Paul says, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all” (Gk.). Here we have the love of the Father, the grace of the Son, and the fellowship, or the flow, of the Spirit. This is the Triune God as the living water. Today the very water of life we are drinking is the Triune God flowing out to be our life.

When they read such statements, some may argue that the water of life is not God Himself flowing, but the flowing of God’s life. What, then, is the life of God? We have no way to answer this question fully or to explain adequately what the life of God is. However, from our experience we know that the living water is the very Triune God Himself.

Do not try to understand the Trinity in a doctrinal way. Instead, seek to know the Triune God in an experiential way. Day by day we may experience the flowing of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. I can testify that daily I have a good enjoyment of the flowing Triune God. Apart from this flowing, I would not be able to bear all the hard­ships and difficulties that I face time after time. Praise the Lord for the experience of the flowing of the Triune God as our water of life!

(Witness Lee, LS of Exodus, 493-494)

GOD EMBODIED IN CHRIST TO REACH HUMANITY

(1) Incarnated to Live among Men

In order to flow into us, God has been embodied in Christ to reach humanity (John 1:14). This means that God was incarnated to live among men. The Lord Jesus lived on earth for thirty-three and a half years. When the man Jesus lived on earth, God lived in Him. This is a fact of history.

(2) Crucified to Be Released

When I was a child, I felt sorry that the Lord Jesus was put on the cross. My understanding of Christ’s crucifixion was according to my natural concept. Without crucifixion, there would not have been any way for the God embodied in Christ to be released. Through the incarnation God became confined and limited in the Lord Jesus. But by crucifixion He was released from this confinement and limitation. The Lord Jesus was once a single grain of wheat. If He had not fallen into the earth and died, He would have remained alone (John 12:24), and what was within Him would not have been released. But because He fell into the earth and died, He was released. The one grain has brought forth many grains. The divine life, the divine nature, and all the divine riches have been released by the crucifixion of Christ.

(3) Resurrected to Be the Life-giving Spirit

After passing through incarnation and crucifixion, Christ was resurrected to become the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45). Again and again I am burdened to point out that Christ today is the life-giving Spirit.

From beginning to end, the Bible is a revelation of the Triune God. In Genesis 1:26 God refers to Himself as “us.” This is a reference to the triune nature of the Godhead. Although the Bible speaks of many things, the focal point is that the Triune God has been processed through incar­nation, human living, crucifixion, and resurrection to become the all-inclusive life-giving Spirit. I never grow weary of declaring this marvelous fact. The flowing of the Triune God is inexhaustible. If we read the Bible from a divine viewpoint, we shall see that the central point of its revelation concerns the Triune God and the process through which He has passed to become the life-giving Spirit.

(Witness Lee, LS of Exodus, 494-495)

THE SPIRIT BEING THE WATER OF LIFE

The Spirit—the life-giving Spirit—is the water of life (John 7:38-39). We have pointed out that the water of life is the Triune God. Now we are saying that the Spirit is the water of life. Some may wonder whether the water of life is the Spirit or it is the Triune God. The proper way to under­stand the divine revelation in the Bible concerning this is to say that the water of life is the Spirit, the Spirit is the Triune God, and the Triune God is the water of life. What is revealed in the Bible brings us full circle. In John 1:1 we are told that in the beginning was the Word, that the Word was with God, and that the Word was God. John 1:14 goes on to say that the Word became flesh. Christ, in the flesh, the last Adam, has become the Spirit, and the Spirit is the Word (Eph. 6:17). If we prefer to analyze this marvelous revelation doctrinally and to debate about it instead of en­joying it, we shall suffer loss. The divine riches are avail­able for us to drink. If we partake of them, we shall be nourished and richly supplied. However, if we merely investigate them and analyze them, we shall deprive our­selves of this enjoyment and supply.

(1) Flowing out of God on the Throne

The life-giving Spirit as the water of life flows out of God on the throne (Rev. 22:1). On the one hand, the One sitting on the throne is God; on the other hand, the water of life proceeding out of the throne is also God. The water which flows from God on the throne brings God’s author­ity. When we drink of this water, we receive authority as well as power. We are subdued by the living water flowing within us.

Furthermore, the living water flowing from God’s throne conveys to us the riches of the divine life. This is indicated by the fact that the tree of life grows in the water of life (Rev. 22:2). Because the riches of the divine life are carried in the flow of the living water, we receive these riches whenever we drink this water.

(2) Flowing through the Smitten Christ

The Spirit flows through the smitten Christ, through the Christ typified by the cleft rock (Exo. 17:6; 1 Cor. 10:4). This flowing includes Christ’s humanity, human living, and death. We cannot taste, experience, or enjoy the Lord’s humanity except by the flowing of the living water within us. The more we drink this water, the more we experience and enjoy Christ’s humanity, human living, and death.

(Witness Lee, LS of Exodus, 495-496)

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