As we live in the midst of intermixed and complicated situations, we live by faith in God and deny the self to live in spirit to express the riches of life abundantly.
The two hundred pomegranates surrounding the capitals at the top of the pillars in the temple signify the expression of the riches of life; as we enjoy the Lord, regard ourselves as nothing, trust in the Lord in the midst of intermixed and complicated situations, and live by faith, we will have the expression of the riches of life in the freshness of resurrection! Hallelujah!
The pomegranates mentioned in Deut. 8, one of the riches of the good land, are also mentioned in at least 3 other locations, all of which have a deep spiritual significance and also a practical application in our Christian life.
First, we see in Exo. 28 that the high priest had a long robe, and on the hem of the robe, he had a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, all around.
Practically speaking, this was for others to hear when he was moving inside the tabernacle and the temple respectively, but spiritually speaking, this is a type of what we should have in the church life today.
In the church life we need to have a bell and a pomegranate, alternatively.
A golden bell is small and it gives us a warning or a sound of alert; a pomegranate is the expression of the riches of life.
On one hand, in the church life we have the rich fullness of life, the overflow of the divine life in and through the saints. This is so good!
When we come to the meetings of the church, we can all testify that there’s a rich flow of life, a flow of the divine life through the saints. Hallelujah!
We may come empty and down, but we leave filled with Christ, for there is a rich dispensing of the Lord Jesus through the saints and into the saints.
On the other hand, however, in the meetings, there are some words spoken by the Lord through the saints, either through their testifying or through their prophesying, that are words of warning.
Someone may share how the Lord dealt with them in a particular situation, how they were exposed by the Lord in a particular matter, and this becomes a speaking from the Lord to us.
Many times we are exposed in the meetings and we repent to the Lord concerning our going astray from Him, our not following Him absolutely, and our lack of love toward Him.
Both of these are taking place at the same time: on the one hand, we have the Lord’s rich supply, and on the other hand, we have the Lord’s speaking, even a word that warns us and keeps us in check, keeping us on the Lord’s way in life and peace. Hallelujah!
In this article, we want to see what the pomegranates on the capitals of the pillars of the temple signify and how can we experience their spiritual reality in our Christian life and church life today.
In the Midst of Complicated Situations we live by Faith in God to Express the Riches of Life
![So he made the pillars; and there were two rows [of pomegranates] around the one network, to cover the capitals that were at the top of the pillars. And he did the same for the second capital. And the capitals that were at the top of the pillars in the portico were of lily work, four cubits [in diameter.] So then the capitals that were on the two pillars were above [and] close to the bulge that was beside the network. And there were two hundred pomegranates, in rows around both capitals. 1 Kings 7:18-20](https://i0.wp.com/www.agodman.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/So-he-made-the-pillars-and-there-were-two-rows-of-pomegranates-around-the-one-network-to-cover-the-capitals-683x1024.jpg?resize=400%2C600&ssl=1 "So he made the pillars; and there were two rows [of pomegranates] around the one network, to cover the capitals that were at the top of the pillars. And he did the same for the second capital. And the capitals that were at the top of the pillars in the portico were of lily work, four cubits [in diameter.] So then the capitals that were on the two pillars were above [and] close to the bulge that was beside the network. And there were two hundred pomegranates, in rows around both capitals. 1 Kings 7:18-20")
In front of the temple built by Solomon, there were two big columns, two big pillars; one was Jachin and the other Boaz (1 Kings 7:18-20; 2 Chron. 3:15-16; Jer. 52:22-23).
At the top of the pillar there was a capital, like a lid; there was a bowl five cubits high, and upon that bowl, there were many intricate works.
There was a network checker work, criss-crossing all over the bowl, and there were chains hanging on that bowl.
Also, there were two rows of pomegranates, two hundred in total, going around that capital.
This is very interesting and also very significant.
There’s a line in the Bible related to the pillar in God’s house, starting from Gen. 28:17-22 when Jacob erected a stone, his pillow, to become a pillar, and poured oil on it, calling that place Bethel, the house of God.
This line continues to Rev. 3:12 where the overcomers in the church in Philadelphia become pillars inscribed with the name of God, the name of the city of God, and Christ’s new name.
The pillar is the signboard of God’s building.
If we are involved in God’s building work, we must become pillars; for this, there needs to be a lot of experiences and building work, all of which involve the pomegranates. Very meaningful.
To get deeper into the meaning of these matters we would recommend message 84 in the Life-study of Genesis by Witness Lee.
What we see in these pillars are three main positive matters.
First, there is the bronze, for the pillars were made of bronze, which signifies God’s judgment.
Second, there’s the lily work, right at the top of the capital, like a crown; the lily work signifies a life of trusting in God.
Third, there are the pomegranates, two hundred of them in two rows, signifying the fullness of life, the expression of the riches of God’s life.
There are also two negative matters, the first being the checker work wrapping around the capital, like a net, crisscrossing it; they indicate the intermixed and complicated environment and situations in our life.
Second, there’s the chain work – there are chains all over this capital to hold it and bind it together.
There are a lot of chains all over this capital to bind us and hold us together.
Sometimes we get frustrated and even depressed about our complicated and complicating environment, and we want to run away, but the chains keep us there. We can’t go far away; we have to stay there in the net.
The bronze signifies the fact that we need to be judged by the Lord and judge ourselves; those who judge themselves and regard themselves as nothing will be able to bear responsibility in full.
All this happens in the midst of an intermixed and complicated situation (as signified by the nets of checkerwork and wreaths of chainwork).
This can be possible because we live not by ourselves but by faith in God (as signified by the lily work).
If we live in this way, not trusting in ourselves but putting ourselves aside and living by faith in God, we will express the riches of life two hundredfold (as typified by the pomegranates). Wow!
We can testify that this is our situation today.
We may try to unentangle and uncomplicate our situation, but the best we can do is trust in God and enjoy Him in a simple way, not regarding ourselves as something but allowing the Lord to judge us inwardly, and we will express the riches of life abundantly (Matt. 6:28, 30; Gal. 2:20).
Day by day we need to come to the Lord and be under His judging hand, being under His exposing light.
We should not justify ourselves but always condemn ourselves and judge ourselves.
As we find ourselves in intermixed, complicated situations, we need to trust in God (cf. 2 Cor. 4:7-18).
When we’re single, we think that life is wonderful and we can make our own choices; however, once we get married, things get complicated.
Then, we may have one or more children, and life gets even more complicated and complicating.
You may be a mother taking care of the little ones, and one gets sick, then the next and the next, and when they finish their sickness, you get sick. It never ends.
We may miss the meetings of the church for a few weeks, and we may wonder what’s going on, and what’s the purpose of our Christian life.
We may think we cannot make it here, for there are all these complicated and complicating situations.
![But we have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellency of the power may be of God and not out of us. [We are] pressed on every side but not constricted; unable to find a way out but not utterly without a way out; Persecuted but not abandoned; cast down but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the putting to death of Jesus that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who are alive are always being delivered unto death for Jesus' sake that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So then death operates in us, but life in you. And having the same spirit of faith according to that which is written, "I believed, therefore I spoke," we also believe, therefore we also speak. 2 Cor. 4:7-13](https://i0.wp.com/www.agodman.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/But-we-have-this-treasure-in-earthen-vessels-that-the-excellency-of-the-power-may-be-of-God-and-not-out-of-us-1-683x1024.jpg?resize=400%2C600&ssl=1 "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellency of the power may be of God and not out of us. [We are] pressed on every side but not constricted; unable to find a way out but not utterly without a way out; Persecuted but not abandoned; cast down but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the putting to death of Jesus that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who are alive are always being delivered unto death for Jesus' sake that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So then death operates in us, but life in you. And having the same spirit of faith according to that which is written, \"I believed, therefore I spoke,\" we also believe, therefore we also speak. 2 Cor. 4:7-13")
If we want to become a pillar, we need many such intermixed and complicated situations; we should not rebel against them or try to push them away but, as lilies, we should trust in God and live by faith in Him.
All these things and situations that come upon us and to us are sovereignly arranged by God to mold us and form us into a pillars.
In this pillar there are networks with a chain, keeping us here.
We may want to give up, but the Lord is there, keeping us with a chain of love.
We are learning to trust in the Lord, put ourselves under God’s judgment and exercise to bear responsibility as much as we can.
The more we trust in the Lord in the midst of complicated situations, the more He will have a way to dispense Himself into our being, and His life will flow in us and grow in us.
Before we know it, we have two hundred pomegranates growing all around, for we express the riches of life in a bountiful and multiplied way.
This doesn’t mean that we become a strong person who directs people what to do and where to go; rather, we express the riches of life and give life to others, even though we’re in the midst of these intermixed and complicated situations.
May we learn to open to the Lord to constitute us into pillars for His building.
May we open to Him and tell Him,
Lord Jesus, make us pillars in Your building. We open to You. We come under Your shining and Your enlightening. Judge in us whatever doesn’t match Your nature. Keep us enjoying You and trusting in You. Oh Lord, we consider ourselves as nothing; we are nothing and You are everything to us. We come to You again and again even as we are in the midst of intermixed and complicated situations. We trust in You. We do not trust in our ability to do things or take care of things; we trust in You and we want to live a life in oneness with You. Amen, Lord, build Yourself into us. Though we have so many intermixed, perplexing, and complicating situations, we trust in You and we put ourselves aside. We turn our heart to You again and again. We don’t want to unentangle or uncomplicate our situations; we simply want to open to You and let You work Yourself into us a little more until we express the riches of life! Amen, Lord, may You gain the rich expression of Your life in and through the saints in their daily living as they deny themselves and trust in You, living a life by faith!
When we Deny the Self and Live in Spirit, we have the Rich Expression of the Life of Christ in the Reality of the Spiritual Air
![And a bronze capital was upon it; and the height of each capital was five cubits; and the network and pomegranates were upon the capital all around, all of bronze; and the second pillar and the pomegranates were like these. And there were ninety-six pomegranates toward the [open] air; all the pomegranates on the network were a hundred all around. Jer. 52:22-23](https://i0.wp.com/www.agodman.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/And-a-bronze-capital-was-upon-it-and-the-height-of-each-capital-was-five-cubits-683x1024.jpg?resize=400%2C600&ssl=1 "And a bronze capital was upon it; and the height of each capital was five cubits; and the network and pomegranates were upon the capital all around, all of bronze; and the second pillar and the pomegranates were like these. And there were ninety-six pomegranates toward the [open] air; all the pomegranates on the network were a hundred all around. Jer. 52:22-23")
The type of the pomegranates on the capital of the pillars in the temple of God in the Old Testament is so rich and profound.
Jer. 52:22-23 adds a few more details concerning the pomegranates; it says that out of every hundred pomegranates, ninety-six were exposed to the open air, while four of them were covered.
There were two rows of pomegranates, each of one hundred pomegranates, and on each row, four pomegranates were hidden while the other ninety-six were exposed.
What does this mean and how can this be applied to our Christian life?
Thank the Lord for the ministry of the age, standing on the shoulders of all those who went before us, that opens up this matter to us and applies it to our experience.
Ninety-six is made of twelve times eight; twelve is the number for eternal perfection and completion, and eight is the number for the freshness of resurrection.
Number three also signifies resurrection, but in particular it signifies the process of resurrection, for Christ rose on the third day.
The expression of the riches of life is eternally complete, in the freshness of resurrection, and in the Spirit.
Ninety-six of the pomegranates were exposed to the open air; the air here refers to the Spirit.
The pomegranates are in the freshness of resurrection.
When we live in the mingled spirit and we’re in resurrection, we’re in the freshness of resurrection, and we express the riches of life in the freshness of resurrection and in the Spirit.
The fact that four of every one hundred pomegranates were hidden indicates that everything that is natural and of the self must be concealed.
Four is the number of man; therefore, four refers to our natural man, our natural being, the old man, the self, and the flesh, all of which need to be denied and put aside.
The Lord said that unless we deny ourselves and lose our soul life, we cannot follow Him and partake of Him (Matt. 16:24, 26; Luke 9:25; Gal. 5:24, 16; Rom. 8:13).
When we deny the self and lose our soul life, living in spirit and by the spirit, we have the rich expression of the life of Christ in the reality of the spiritual air.
There will be an atmosphere of the expression of the riches of Christ.
When we are in the self, when we live in our natural man, things are stuffy, and there’s a smell that others do not like and the Lord does not appreciate.
But when we’re in resurrection and exercise our spirit to deny the self and live in spirit, we express the riches of life in a bountiful and abundant way.
When we let go of our natural man, our ego, our self, and our natural being, the Lord will have a way to live in us and be expressed through us.
When the riches of life are expressed through us, others will see the eternal expression of the riches of life in resurrection and in the atmosphere of the Spirit.
Our ego, our self, and our natural man are covered, not being seen, but the Lord is richly expressed in us and through us.
When we express ourselves, the Lord is not seen or expressed, but when we deny the self, the Lord will have a way to be expressed through us.
In the church life we need to not hold on to ourselves or to our natural life but deny the self, live in spirit, and express the riches of life in resurrection, in the freshness of resurrection and in spirit.
The self, the natural man, and the natural life must be hidden, put aside, and denied; everything needs to be done in the atmosphere of the Spirit. Amen!
In this way, we’re being produced as pillars for God’s building.
These days, as we are looking forward to the Lord’s return, He wants to gain the building, the built-up church, the Body of Christ that is prepared as the bride of Christ for Him to return.
For this, we need to become the pillars with the pomegranates, the expression of the life of Christ in our daily living.
Lord Jesus, we love You and we open to You. We want to follow You and live You. We exercise our spirit to deny the self and lose our soul-life for Your sake. May we live in the freshness of resurrection and in Spirit, having the expression of the riches of the life of Christ. Amen, Lord, gain the expression of the riches of life in the freshness of resurrection in our daily living. May we live in an atmosphere of the Spirit, putting aside and denying the self and the natural man so that we may live in spirit day by day. May the riches of Christ be expressed through us. Keep us enjoying You in the midst of all our situations. Amen, Lord, no matter what happens around us or to us, we want to enjoy You and live in spirit! We want to have the rich expression of the life of Christ in the reality of the spiritual air! May others see You lived out and expressed in us and through us!
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Inspiration for this article/sharing comes from the Word of God, the enjoyment in the ministry, a sharing by brother James Lee in the message for this week, and portions from, Life-study of Genesis, msg. 84, as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Laboring on the All-inclusive Christ Typified by the Good land for the Building up of the Church as the Body of Christ, for the Reality and the Manifestation of the Kingdom, and for the Bride to make Herself Ready for the Lord’s Coming (2023 Winter Training), week 9, entitled, A Land of Pomegranates.
- Similar articles on this topic:
– Recommending the life-study on radio broadcast on this topic.
– Preparing Christ’s Bride – The Living of His Overcomers, via, Holding to Truth in Love.
– The key to experiencing Christ – the human spirit, a portion from, The Key to Experiencing Christ–the Human Spirit, Chapter 1.
– Newness of Life for New Jerusalem, via, New Jerusalem blog.
– The two conditions, a portion from, Spiritual Man, The (3 volume set), Chapter 10, by Watchman Nee.
– How should the elders in a local church deal with complicated situations involving the saints? More at, Living to Him.
– Christ is everything, article by Ron Kangas in, Affirmation and Critique.
– Bringing in a spirit of prayer, a portion from, Teachers’ Training, Chapter 3, by Witness Lee. - Hymns on this topic:
– Live Thyself, Lord Jesus, through me, / For my very life art Thou; / Thee I take to all my problems / As the full solution now. / Live Thyself, Lord Jesus, through me, / In all things Thy will be done; / I but a transparent vessel / To make visible the Son. (Hymns #403 stanza 1)
– Lord, I would have Thyself in all Thy beauty, / Take Thou control of all my life just now; / In Thee to live, and move, and have my being, / With full abandon, Lord, to Thee I bow. / Thy blood was shed to cleanse from sin, Lord Jesus, / Thy risen life transforms the old to new; / I take my stand upon Thy word of promise: / Sin shall not have dominion over you! (Hymns #363 stanza 1 and chorus)
– Lord, teach us to discern the spirit / That subtle self exposed might be, / That by the cross to it applying / We’ll live not by ourselves but Thee. / Lord, teach us to discern the spirit / That we may be transformed in soul, / Till we’re conformed to Thine own image, / Till we’re matured and reach the goal. (Hymns #746 stanzas 5-6)
About aGodMan
Life-study of Genesis, pp. 1084-1088, by Witness Lee
In our complicated and intermixed situations, we regard ourselves as being nothing, and we just enjoy Christ and live by faith in God to express the riches of life two hundredfold! Wow!
On one hand, our natural being, our natural life, our self, and our ego are concealed; on the other hand, there’s the rich expression of the life of Christ in the reality of the spiritual air.
Amen, grant us the experience to live by You and trust in You Lord.
It is so meaningful to have our ego and natural being represented by the 4 concealed to recover the rich expression of life and spirit from the 96.
Lord conceal our egos today
Amen Brother, we do need the experiences indeed
Aaaaameeen! I enjoyed the same thing! Wow!
Praise the Lord for the checker work, the chain work and the lily work!
In these intermixed and complicated situations may we be those who judge ourselves, concealing our natural being, our self, our ego and live by faith in God, in the freshness of resurrection!
We must be strong not only in the testimony of Jesus but also in our living.
By the power of Christ’s resurrection and in the Spirit, we can express the riches of the life of Christ in a fresh & living way.
May people who touch us sense that the refreshing air of the Spirit is with us.
Praise the Lord! 🙌😃🙋🏼
https://youtu.be/6ONvuZDtBw4?si=10PC2rtQbCCdffuk
Praise the Lord dear brother. Thank you Lord.
May we be those who grow and blossom in life, for the fullness of life.
What a portion today dear brother.
Hallelujah for the two hundred pomegranates.
May we be such pillars full of expressing the fullness of this life in the sweetness of His resurrection and in the Spirit. Amen. I enjoyed this portion from the spoken message.
So brother, you and I,
Hallelujah.
Dear brother, the two hundred pomegranates on the top of the capitals of the pillars in the temple portray the bearing of the responsibility needed for the expression of the riches of the divine life in a complicated and intermixed situation.
However, on each pillar 96 pomegranates were displayed in the open air but four were hidden, showing us that our natural being, our natural life, our self should be concealed in the church life.
Only Christ and His riches should be expressed.
Listen to the audio version of this article via,
Youtube:
https://youtu.be/PNyH5rTROAw
Rumble:
https://rumble.com/v4wy0rt-deny-the-self-and-live-in-spirit-to-express-the-riches-of-gods-life.html
5/23/24 A Land of Pomegranates (Week 9, Day 4)
According to First Kings 7:21, when Solomon built the temple, he set up two pillars in the porch of the temple. The first pillar was named Jachin, which means, “He shall establish,” and the second was named Boaz, which means, “In it is strength.” The pillar of stone not only indicates building, but building in strength. This reveals clearly that the building of God’s house is altogether dependent on the pillar. By the details of the picture in 1 Kings 7, we see how we can be a pillar in the building of God, judging ourselves, living by faith, bearing the responsibility, and expressing the riches of life.
First Kings 7:20 says, “And the capitals upon the two pillars had pomegranates also above, over against the belly which was by the network: and the pomegranates were two hundred in rows round about upon the other capital”. According to this verse, around each capital was a projection, like a belly, and encompassing this projection on each capital were two rows of a hundred pomegranates each.
The two rows of a hundred pomegranates indicate two times of a hundredfold expression of the riches of life. Two rows indicates a testimony. We, the church, needs to be the testimony of Jesus, the corporate expression of Christ with the riches of His divine life in the church life. The elders who daily bear the responsibility in the intermixed and complicated situation, would express pomegranates, the riches of life. All the complaints, dissatisfactions, and troubling telephone calls eventually form a projection full of pomegranates.
Second Chronicles 4:13 says that there were “four hundred pomegranates on the two networks, two rows of pomegranates on each network, to cover the two bowls of the capitals which were upon the pillars”. There were four hundred pomegranates on the two networks, with two rows on each network to cover the two bowls of the capitals upon the pillars.
Why does it not say that there were three hundred or five hundred pomegranates? The Lord Jesus said that we can bear fruit thirtyfold, sixtyfold, and a hundredfold (Matt. 13:8). The hundredfold increase is the highest. Thus, we can express the riches of life a hundredfold.
Of the one hundred pomegranates in a row, ninety-six were exposed and four were covered. What is the significance of this?
a.) Ninety-six is composed of twelve times eight.
b.) Twelve signifies eternal completion ~ Our expression of the riches of life is twelve, eternal; it is not seven, temporal.
c.) Eight signifies resurrection ~ Our expression of the riches of life is also number eight, the freshness, the beginning, the new start, of resurrection, not the number three, the process of resurrection.
d.) Air signifies the Spirit ~ Our expression of life is absolutely a matter in the Spirit, in the spiritual air, which is invisible.
e.) Four signifies our natural life, our natural being, our self, and our ego.
Therefore, the expression of the riches of life is eternally complete, in resurrection, and in the Spirit. This is the nature and atmosphere of our expression of life. For the ninety-six pomegranates to be exposed to the open air means that the expression of the riches of life is in the reality of the spiritual air, which is invisible. While we can sense it, we cannot touch it. Our expression of the riches of life is not only eternal and in the freshness of resurrection, but is absolutely in the atmosphere of the Spirit.
The remaining four of every one hundred pomegranates which were hidden indicates that while our expression of the riches of life is eternal, in resurrection, and in the Spirit, our natural being, signified by the number four, must be covered. Our natural life, our natural being, our self, and our ego must not be expressed. Once the natural “I” is expressed, the riches of spiritual life cannot be manifested. Only when the big number four is concealed that we shall have the ninety-six pomegranates, the rich expression of the life of Christ will be sense in the open air.
[HWMR-Week 9 Day 4]
Footnotes taken from the Recovery Version Bible
Hallelujah!!!!
We can express the riches of life a hundredfold. We must be strong not just in declaring that we are the testimony of Jesus, but be string in having a testimony by living.
We need a testimony of the experience of the riches of the life of Christ four hundredfold, the expression which is eternally complete, in resurrection, and in the Spirit.