Seeing that the Cross is the Center of the Universe and the Principle of the Cross

One of the major pieces of furniture in the temple seen by Ezekiel in a vision was the altar, which typifies the cross; the cross is the center of the universe, and the principle of the cross is termination, death.

As those who love the Lord and pursue Him, we all know how crucial the cross is in our Christian life. Anyone who has some seeking or desire to love and follow the Lord knows the need to learn the lesson of the cross.

However, we also need to realize that many Christians, even though they know the importance of the cross, they don’t know that much what the real meaning of the cross is, and what is the principle of the cross.

We may have read biographies of the mystics and the inner life persons, who had a certain kind of experience of the cross, but we may not get the help we need; we may get some help in a positive way, but at the same time we may pick up some improper and even unhealthy concept concerning the cross.

This week we want to see the crystal of the cross in the book of Ezekiel, and in particular to see how the cross is the center of the universe, and how the cross is related to God’s building.

Most Christians understand the cross as being something personal, on an individual basis, thinking they have to suffer for the Lord and be dealt with by the Lord.

This is not wrong, but without having a view of how the cross relates to the building of God, many of these experiences of the cross may make these Christians somewhat strange and peculiar.

But when we come to know that God’s purpose is to gain a building, a temple, we are adjusted and brought into the proper perspective concerning God’s building. Our experience of the cross must be adjusted by the vision of God’s building.

May we see and know the centrality of the cross, know the principle of the cross, see God’s administration by the cross, and realize the cross’ relationship with the Body of Christ.

The Cross is the Center of the Universe, just as the Altar is the Center of God’s building

According to the record in Ezekiel, the altar is the center of the compound, the center of the premises of the temple (see Ezek. 43:13-18). If you were to look at a diagram of the temple, you will realize that the center of the temple is the altar. The altar typifies the cross of Christ.

When God comes out of the temple to meet man, the first place He meets is the altar. The altar is the meeting place of God and man; God comes out of the temple and meets us at the altar, and we come to the temple and meet God at the altar.

The altar is the center, signifying the cross of Christ; the cross is also implied in the things and furnishings around the temple, such as the gate (signifying the crucified Christ), the place where the people ate or prepared food, etc.

The altar is the center not only of the inner court but also of the whole premises of the temple; actually, the altar, which signifies the cross, is the center of the universe. How can this be?

As far as the relationship between God and man is concerned, the earth is the center of the universe; the center of the earth is the good land, the center of the good land is the city of Jerusalem, the center of Jerusalem is the temple, and the center of the temple is the altar.

God’s center is the cross. What about us: is our center the cross? We may know that the cross is important in our Christian life, but can we say that in our Christian life the cross is the center of our living? Is the cross the center and pervading element of our Christian living?

We need the Lord’s light to consider this matter. We may learn the experiences of the cross and the lesson of the cross, but do we take the cross as the center of our life?

The cross is the center of the universe; in God’s universe, He has the cross as the center. How about us: do we take the cross as our center? Is the cross the first thing we touch in the morning, and is the cross the center as we go to bed at night?

The cross is the center of the universe. Some may say that it is Christ who is the center of the universe, and that is correct; Christ is the center of the universe, and if we know Christ in a personal and subjective way, we will realize that without the cross we can’t have Christ.

Experientially, to say that Christ is the center of the universe is to acknowledge and agree that the cross is also the center of the universe; otherwise, saying that Christ is the center of the universe is just a doctrine.

Other than Christ Himself, nothing in God’s plan has a higher place than the cross. Christ and the cross are at the center of God’s plan. Christ is the center of God’s purpose, and the cross is the center of God’s procedure.

Christ is the purpose of God’s plan, and the cross is the center of His procedure in God’s plan. Everything in God’s plan takes Christ as its purpose and is carried out for Christ. Everything in God’s plan takes the cross as its procedure and is carried out through the cross.

Without Christ, God’s plan has no purpose, and without the cross, God’s plan has no procedure. Christ and the cross cannot be separated, and just as Christ is the center, so the cross is the center of the universe.

Lord, shine on us to show us that the cross is the center of the universe, just as the altar is the center of the building of God. We want not only to learn the lesson of the cross and have the experiences of the cross but also take the cross as our center in our personal universe. Lord, impress us with the fact that Christ and the cross are the center of the universe and of God’s plan. May Christ and the cross be the center of our personal universe for God’s building.

The Principle of the Cross is that Everything and Everyone is Terminated by God

The death of the Lord Jesus on the cross was not the death merely of one person; it was an all-inclusive death involving God, man, and all the creatures (see Rom. 6:6; Col. 1:20; Heb. 2:14).

The One who died on the cross for us was not just a good man, a hero, or a religious leader; He was an all-inclusive man, the Son of God, God, man, creature, and all creation – everything and everyone was laid upon the Lord Jesus.

The principle of the cross is that by the cross everything of the old creation and all things related to us have been terminated, put to death. The cross is not merely suffering and dealing; the purpose of the cross is NOT to inflict suffering on us, but to terminate us and all things related to us.

The cross is to terminate everything of the old creation. This is because in this universe God has two creations: the old creation and the new creation. The new creation comes about by the termination of the old creation; when the old creation is put to an end, the new creation arises.

God’s desire is to have the new creation, but to have the new creation, the old creation needs to be terminated.

The following verses reveal the principle of the cross in putting all things of the old creation to an end: 1. The angelic life (Col. 1:20). 2. The human life (Gal. 2:20). 3. Satan (Heb. 2:14; John 12:31). 4. The kingdom of Satan (Col. 2:15…). 5. Sin (2 Cor. 5:21; Rom. 8:3). 6. Sins (1 Pet. 2:24; Isa. 53:6). 7. The world (Gal. 6:14; John 12:31). 8. Death (Heb. 2:14). 9. Flesh (Gal. 5:24). 10. The old man (Rom. 6:6). 11. Self (Gal. 2:20). 12. All things, or creation (Col. 1:20). (W. Lee, The Economy of God, p. 260)

All these items have been terminated by the cross; the main item among these is the fallen man, who is an all-inclusive man. To find death you just need to find man; to find sin, the flesh, the old man, sins, etc – just find man.

And God Himself became one of these men – He became a man, and put all these items on Himself, went to the cross, and as He was being crucified, all these items were crucified together with Him.

This is the principle of the cross. God was put to death on the cross – He Himself cannot die, but He was included in Christ; death was not a termination for Him but a breaking down, allowing the divine life within Him to be released.

May the Lord enlighten our eyes to realize that the cross is not just about our suffering and dealings; the cross is where this God-man has terminated everything and everyone, and through the termination of the old creation, the new creation comes about.

We need to realize, at the same time, that the cross is not just central and pervading, but also eternal. The cross is not “an afterthought” because man became fallen and so he needs to be dealt with….according to 1 Pet. 1:20, even before the foundation of the world, God has determined and planned the cross!

The Lamb of God was prepared to be sacrificed for us from eternity past. The cross is part of God’s eternal plan – the cross is the center of the universe – and it was determined and planned in eternity past.

In eternity future, the cross will still be there; in the New Jerusalem, there’s the throne of God and of the Lamb. We will always be reminded of the cross because the Lamb is there, and this One was sacrificed for us! Praise the Lord for the cross!

Lord, thank You for becoming a man and putting the old creation on You, together with all the negative things, so that You may terminate everything and everyone on the cross. We praise You, Lord, for Your all-inclusive death involving God, man, and all the creatures! Everything related to us and the old creation has been terminated on the cross, so that the new creation may come into being. Enlighten us, Lord, and impress us with the principle of the cross, so that we may allow the cross to operate in us and terminate everything of the old creation for the germination of the new creation!

References and Hymns on this Topic

• Inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, the message by James Lee for this week, and portions from, God’s New Testament Economy, ch. 3 (by Witness Lee), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Crystallization-study of Ezekiel (2), msg. 7 (week 19 in the HWMR), The Cross – the Center of the Universe.
• Hymns on this topic:
  # Lord, how we praise You for Your cross, / Your all-inclusive death! / The center of the universe, / It has untold, eternal worth! / Lord, how we love Your cross, / Lord, how we love Your cross; / Oh, hallelujah, for such a cross! (Hymns #1087)
  # O mystery of mysteries! / Of life and death the tree! / Center of two eternities, / Which look with rapt, adoring eyes, / Onward, and back to Thee’ / O cross of Christ, where all His pain / And death is our eternal gain. (Hymns #110)
  # Everything we are was ended, / Terminated on the cross, / Only man in God ascended, / Man in Adam suffered loss. / Hallelujah, we’re elated, / Our old man was terminated. / Hallelujah, Hallelujah, / Hallelujah, Amen! (Hymns #1088)