ｂ
Upon the expiation cover and in the midst of the shining of His glory, we can hear God's voice, learn the desire of His heart, and receive vision, revelation, and instruction from Him.
ｃ
When we meet with the Lord in the Holy of Holies, we are infused by Him with all that He is (2 Cor. 3:18).
Ⅲ
The expiation cover on the Ark in the Holy of Holies equals the throne of grace in Hebrews 4:16:
Ａ
As believers in Christ, we have "boldness for entering the Holy of Holies in the blood of Jesus" (10:19):
１
It is a great matter to enter into the Holy of Holies, for there God in Christ is sitting on the throne of grace (4:16).
２
In order to enter into such a place, we must have boldness, and we have it by Christ's death and by His blood.
３
By the blood of Jesus we have the boldness to enter into the Holy of Holies at any time.
Ｂ
The Holy of Holies today is in heaven, where the Lord Jesus is (9:12, 24), but even though we are still on earth, we can enter into the Holy of Holies:
１
The secret is our spirit; the Christ who is in heaven is also in our spirit (2 Tim. 4:22).
２
As the heavenly ladder (Gen. 28:12; John 1:51), He joins our spirit to heaven and brings heaven into our spirit.
３
Whenever we turn to our spirit, we enter into the Holy of Holies, where we meet with God who is on the throne of grace.
Ｃ
Whenever we enter into the Holy of Holies by the blood of Jesus, we come to the throne of grace within the veil to receive mercy and find grace from the ascended Christ in the heavens (Heb. 4:14, 16; 6:19-20):
１
The throne of grace is undoubtedly the throne of God, the throne of authority to all the universe, but to us, the believers, it is the throne of grace, signified by the expiation cover over the Ark of the Testimony in the Holy of Holies sprinkled with the blood of Christ (Exo. 25:17; Rom. 3:25; Lev. 16:15; Heb. 9:3, 5, 12).
Morning Nourishment
Heb. 4:14 Having therefore a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast the confession.16 Let us therefore come forward with boldness to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace for timely help.
Upon the propitiatory cover and in the midst of the shining of His glory, God can meet with us and converse with us. This is the place where we hear His voice and learn the desire of His heart. No doubt, this was the place where Paul received the revelation of the completing ministry. In our experience day by day we also need to meet with God at the propitiatory cover and in His glory. (Life-study of Exodus, p. 1016)
Today's Reading
When we spend time with the Lord in the Holy of Holies, we are infused by Him with all He is. We may illustrate this by the case of a young man who spends an hour in conversation with a famous university professor. After this hour spent in the presence of such a professor,...he may even unconsciously imitate the professor's way of speaking. How much more will the Lord infuse Himself into us if we spend an hour of fellowship with Him!Upon this lid as the propitiatory cover, God can meet with the people who broke His righteous law without any governmental contradiction of His righteousness, even under the observing of the cherubim, which bear His glory overshadowing the lid of the Ark. Because the law with its demands is covered and God's glory is satisfied, God can speak with sinners, and these sinners can be at peace with God and receive grace from Him. Therefore, this propitiatory cover equals the throne of grace (Heb. 4:16). (Life-study of Exodus, pp. 1030, 1036)
Hebrews 10:19 tells us that we have boldness to enter into the Holy of Holies by the blood of Jesus. It is a great matter to enter the Holy of Holies, for there God is sitting on the throne of grace. In order to enter into such a place we must have boldness, and we have it by Christ's death and by His blood. By the blood of Jesus we have the boldness to enter into the Holy of Holies at any time, unlike the high priest in the Old Testament, who could enter into it only once a year.
The Holy of Holies today is in heaven, where the Lord Jesus is (Heb. 9:12, 24). Even though we are still on earth, we can enter the Holy of Holies. The secret is our spirit, referred to in Hebrews 4:12. The Christ who is in heaven is also in our spirit (2 Tim. 4:22). He, as the heavenly ladder (Gen. 28:12; John 1:51), joins our spirit to heaven and brings heaven into our spirit. Whenever we turn to our spirit, we enter into the Holy of Holies. Here we meet with God who is on the throne of grace.
When we enter into the Holy of Holies by the blood of Jesus and by the new and living way, we come to the throne of grace within the veil to receive mercy and find grace from the ascended Christ in the heavens (Heb. 4:14, 16; 6:19-20). Hebrews 4:16 speaks of coming "forward with boldness to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace for timely help." The throne of grace is undoubtedly the throne of God which is in heaven (Rev. 4:2). The throne of God is the throne of authority to all the universe (Dan. 7:9; Rev. 5:1) on which God sits to control and rule over the universe. It is the throne of God's administration. But to us, the believers, it is the throne of grace, signified by the expiation cover (the mercy seat) over the Ark of the Testimony (Exo. 25:17, 21; Rom. 3:25) in the Holy of Holies (Heb. 9:3, 5) sprinkled with the blood of Christ (Lev. 16:15; Heb. 9:12). Here God meets with His people and communes with them (Exo. 25:21-22). When we come to the throne of grace through the blood of Christ, we meet with God and commune with Him. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 1628, 1627-1630)
Further Reading: The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 150; Life-study of Hebrews, msg. 44; CWWL, 1983, vol. 3, "Abiding in the Lord to Enjoy His Life," ch. 6