Experiencing the Universally Vast Dimensions of Christ and Caring for God’s Presence

Eph. 3:18 May be full of strength to apprehend with all the saints what the breadth and length and height and depth are.

The dimensions of the New Jerusalem apply to our living out and working out of the New Jerusalem, and today we can experience the Lord in such a way that we can become the New Jerusalem in the aspect of its dimensions.

According to its measurements, the New Jerusalem is a cube – the width and length and height are equal, and they are twelve thousand stadia (approx. 1380 miles). The wall of the city is forty-four cubits high (quite high, you can’t climb over it) and the entire city is a cube, having the same height, width, and length.

What does this mean and how can this be applied to our experience? It is one thing to mentally understand and picture what these dimensions are, but it is another thing to come to the Lord in prayer and discover before Him how we can experience the dimensions of New Jerusalem in our Christian life and church life.

If we would live out and work out the New Jerusalem today so that we may become the New Jerusalem, we need to have a “cubic experience of Christ”, that is, a solid and balanced experience of Christ in the church life.

We shouldn’t be a “one liner”, taking one aspect in the Bible and emphasizing it to the uttermost while neglecting the other aspects in the word of God.

We shouldn’t have a narrow doctrine or a very strict practice that excludes others, but we should be three-dimensional, allowing the Father to strengthen us into our inner man through His Spirit so that Christ may make His home in our heart, and we will apprehend with all the saints what the universally vast dimensions of Christ are (see Eph. 3:14-18).

For us to experience these three-dimensional Christ in the church life we need the blending – we need to do everything through the cross and by the Spirit, seeking to minister Christ to others.

Also, we need to care MORE for God’s presence than for anything else. The cube-New-Jerusalem is actually an enlargement to the uttermost of the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle and the temple. God’s presence is everything to us and the criterion for every matter in our Christian life.

Having a “Cubic Experience of Christ” in the Church Life for the New Jerusalem

The holy city is square, having its length as great as its breadth, and even the height is as great as the length and the breadth, 12.000 stadia (see Rev. 21:16). This means that the New Jerusalem is a cube of more than 1.360 miles long, wide, and high.

What does this mean for us today and how can we experience this in our daily life? A square is complete and perfect in every way, absolutely straight and without any obliqueness. Twelve signifies absolute perfection and eternal completion in God’s eternal administration (see twelve tribes, twelve apostles, etc), and a thousand times twelve means a thousand times this!

The fact that the New Jerusalem is a cube means that it is the enlargement of the Holy of Holies (which is also a cube). In the tabernacle the Holy of Holies was a cube of 10 cubits in each direction, in the temple the Holy of Holies was a cube of 20 cubits in each direction, and the New Jerusalem as the uttermost enlargement of the Holy of Holies is a cube of 12.000 stadia in each direction (see Exo. 26:2-8; 1 Kings 6:20; Rev. 21:16).

A cube is something balanced and complete, solid and perfect. Our experience of Christ in the church must be balanced like that of cube.

Paul mentioned this in Eph. 3:18 where he prayed that, after we are strengthened with power by the Father through the Spirit into the inner man so that Christ would make His home in our heart, we would be full of strength to apprehend with all the saints what the breadth and length and height and depth are.

It doesn’t say how deep, how high, how long, and how wide – these experiences are universally vast! Christ is becoming our universe, and our experience of Christ should be a cubic experience, something solid and balanced.

We shouldn’t be a one liner, treasuring the doctrines of the Bible and neglecting the other aspects in the Word (like prayer and fellowship), or treasuring the prayer so much that we neglect reading the Bible.

Also, we shouldn’t insist or over-emphasize fellowshipping ONLY with those in our local church or our area, but we should be open to fellowship with all the saints in the Body of Christ.

We need to blend with other saints and allow the Lord to blend us, so that we may have a three-dimension experience of Christ that can’t be broken and can’t fall! How we need the blending!

In every kind of meeting with the saints or fellowship with one another we need to do everything through the cross and by the Spirit, seeking to dispense Christ into others for the sake of the Body.

May our experience of Christ be three-dimensional, enlarged, even as a cube, so that with all the saints we would apprehend all the universally vast dimensions of Christ for the New Jerusalem!

Lord, enlarge our experience of Christ in the church life today. Save us from being one-liner or strict in only one aspect of the truth. May our experience of Christ be rich, high, deep, and wide, and may we be strengthened into our inner man to apprehend with all the saints what the universally vast dimensions of Christ are. Blend us with other saints. Keep us in the enjoyment of Christ in the Body, being through the cross and by the Spirit to minister Christ to others in our daily life in the church life!

Dwelling in God’s Presence and Caring for God’s Presence more than Anything

God’s presence is everything to us

The fact that the New Jerusalem is a cube means that the holy city is the enlarged Holy of Holies. In the Holy of Holies man can live, walk, and do everything in the direct presence of God.

In the Old Testament, it used to be that only the High Priest could enter into the Holy of Holies, but through Christ’s redemption we have a new and living way to enter into the Holy of Holies today (Heb. 10:19-22).

In the New Jerusalem, all God’s redeemed ones will serve God, worship God, see God, and touch God for eternity, dwelling in God’s presence forever.

Today we need to live and dwell in God’s presence, taking God as our dwelling place (Psa. 90:1) and dwelling in the secret place of the Lord (Psa. 91:1). To take God’s presence as our dwelling place is the highest and fullest experience of God, and it should be our experience day by day.

In the church life and in our Christian life we need to live in God’s presence, caring for God’s presence more than for anything else. God’s presence should be the criterion for every matter. When we express our opinion, no matter how good it is, we should care for God’s presence.

When we respond to others or take a certain attitude, we should care for God’s presence. When we say things or don’t say things, when we do things or don’t do things, and when we suggest something or don’t suggest anything, we should take care of God’s presence. Regardless of what we do or say, we must pay attention to whether or not we have God’s presence.

If we have God’s presence, we have everything; if we lose God’s presence, we lose everything. We need to pay attention to whether we have God’s presence in our conduct, living, and work.

Moses was such a person, caring for God’s presence more than anything. He told God, If Your presence doesn’t go with us we won’t go anywhere (Exo. 33:14), and God spoke to him face to face as a man speaks to his companion (Exo. 33:11). Because Moses was so near to God and so much according to God’s heart, he had God’s presence to a full extent.

The Apostle Paul was also one who enjoyed God’s presence to the uttermost, so much that when he forgave a brother he did so in the face of Christ (2 Cor. 2:10).

We have the face of Christ, the very presence of Christ, in our spirit today – the presence of God is the treasure in our earthen vessel. We should care for God’s presence more than for anything else, and we should practice enjoying God in His presence until the Holy of Holies is enlarged in our experience to become the New Jerusalem!

Lord, speak to us face to face as You spoke to Moses! We don’t want to go anywhere without having Your presence. Your presence is what distinguishes us from all the people on the earth. We want to dwell in Your presence, live in Your presence, and enjoy and experience You in Your presence. Your presence is our treasure, and our earthen vessels contain You. May our experience of God in the Holy of Holies be enlarged until it becomes the New Jerusalem! Lord, You are our dwelling place! Your presence is everything to us!

References and Hymns on this Topic

• Inspiration: the Word of God, my Christian experience, bro. Ed Marks’ sharing in the message for this week, and portions from, Life-study of Revelation (msg. 61), as quoted in, the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Aspects of the Christian Life and Church Life Seen in the New Jerusalem, week 5 / msg 5, The Intrinsic Significance of the Name New Jerusalem and the Dimensions of the Holy City (you can buy this morning revival book here).
• Further reading: recommending ch. 19 in, The Vision of God’s Building, and msg. 33 in, Life-Study of Ephesians.
• Hymns on this topic:
  # Thus with all saints we can apprehend / All the vast dimensions of God. / Knowing Christ’s love passes all we know, / We’re together filled to fullness with our God. (Hymns #1232)
  # O that Christ may make His home my heart, / Spread Himself in every part! / Saturate and life impart! / That with all saints, I may apprehend / All the vast dimensions of my loving Christ. (Song on Eph. 3:16)
  # Lord, in Thy presence silent I would be, / That in the inmost I to Thee may come; / I would not in my own way pray to Thee, / But let Thy prayer in me my prayer become. (Hymns #764)
  # I have learned the wondrous secret / Of abiding in the Lord; / I have tasted life’s pure fountain, / I am drinking of His word; / I have found the strength and sweetness / Of abiding ’neath the blood; / I have lost myself in Jesus, / I am sinking into God. (Hymns #564)