TABERNACLE - Eaton
TABERNACLE - Davis

ALTAR
ALTAR

LAVER (WASHING BASIN)

(TABLE OF) SHEWBREAD
(TABLE OF) SHOWBREAD

CANDLESTICK (LAMPSTAND)
LAMPS, LAMPSTAND:

THE ALTAR OF INCENSE
INCENSE

ARK
ARK OF THE COVENANT

There is a very interesting verse in Hebrews that, at first glance, looks like the writer has made a mistake, but its truth can now be seen in the light of last weeks study.

“A tabernacle was set up. In its first room were the lampstand, the table and the consecrated bread; this was called the Holy Place. Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place, which had the golden alter of incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant.” (Hebrews 9:2-3)

Now, we know that The Incense Altar was actually in the Holy Place, not the Holy of Holies, although it was near the entrance. So what is going on? A significant change occurred between the Old and the New Testaments, happening at the time Jesus died.

Now the incense from the Incense Altar can reach the Ark. So we have the opportunity to approach God’s dwelling place in the Spirit, to come before His throne through praise, worship and prayer, being protected by the cloud of incense, even though we have not yet fully attained perfection. This is the wonderful symbolic meaning of the Incense Altar. Jesus has prepared the way for us to enter to dwell in the Holy of Holies permanently by removing the curtain that restricted the access to one representative of the people, on but one day of the year. The stones in the Ark then, represent the people we will become when we permanently attain the perfection that Jesus has spiritually opened up to us.

To summarise, the 3 natural items of furniture in the Holy Place (where we are now) can be linked to the 3 supernatural contents of the Ark of the Covenant (what we are to become upon attaining perfection).

1. Our present revelation of God through His word is symbolised by the Table of Showbread and will be replaced by God’s full revelation of Himself as represented by the Gold Jar of Manna upon attaining perfection.

2. The spiritual giftings and authority we walk in, like The Lampstand, need to be regularly topped up. But upon perfection we will walk in the full power and authority of God as symbolised by Aaron’s supernatural Budded Staff.

3. Through prayer, praise and worship, as symbolised by The Incense Altar, we can enter into God’s presence for a limited time. When we are perfected we will be able to dwell in God’s presence permanently, as illustrated by the Stone Tablets of the Covenant (man perfected by God) dwelling in the Ark of the Covenant. Jesus has made this possible through His death on our behalf.

The application of the spiritual principles represented by these three items to our lives brings us to maturity – Christian, not age, that is!

I trust it has become readily apparent, that a single condition needs to be fulfilled for us to enter the reality of the promises of the Holy of Holies - that is, to attain perfection. Now we know we can’t do that in our own strength, for many have tried, but not one has yet succeeded. Some have got closer than have others. I remember again my Auntie Ina, though in pain from arthritis in her later life, radiated the beauty of the Spirit. But it is obvious that there is yet another experience we have yet to go through before, in reality (experientially), we embrace what Jesus has already done for us positionally (judicially). This is best illustrated through the Feasts of the Lord, which are a separate study, and which themselves were centred on the Tabernacle.

In many of our studies we have looked at how God operates in “threes”. We know that we have experienced Passover, (the death of Jesus – The Outer Court - Salvation) and Pentecost, (the coming of the Holy Spirit – The Holy Place - Spirit). But we have yet to experience the third, final and most glorious element in God’s perfect plan, that is Tabernacles (purification before the Father – The Holy of Holies - Submission).

The vital question is, can this be a “pre death” experience or do we have to wait until we die to participate? We know that until now, this has been and still is a “post death” experience. But will it necessarily always be so? The answer is no! If the church is to attain the promise of being the bride of Christ, dressed in pure white linen, something radical has yet to occur. For we certainly all need an extended cycle in the ‘washing machine of righteousness’ before our dirty linen becomes white! Something to change dramatically before we can consistently do the things that Jesus did, in greater numbers than He did, as promised! Yes, for the church to attain perfection, a radical change has yet to occur. There is still an exciting third experience in God, the coming of His Tabernacle Church awaiting us.

Variously known as the bride, the overcomers, the third age church, the apostolic church, the kingdom church, and others, it consists not of a denomination but of individuals 100% sold out to God, prepared to make every sacrifice needed, to see the establishment of God's kingdom upon the earth.

As a relatively young Christian, I participated in a course called 'Word of Life', in which we studied both Moses' and David's Tabernacles. I was fascinated by Moses Tabernacle and ‘underwhelmed’ by that of David!

Over the years since the Lord has given me much revelation on the ‘tent in the desert’ and none on the ‘town tent’.

However, I noticed greater interest being shown by others, in more recent years, in the Tabernacle of David, particularly in relation to worship. But still nothing for this David!

This changed however, last night, as I was reading the chapter in Chronicles where David's Tabernacle is mentioned, the Lord started to reveal new meanings for me, showing me that it truly is a picture, a representation of the end time church. I was so excited that I hardly slept! For I now know another 'missing link' in the teaching the Lord has given me! Of course, in God, there is always more revelation to come! And will continue to be until the day Jesus returns.

As we complete this study I am reminded of the old English song that we had to learn at school! "Give me ten men, who are stout hearted men, and I'll soon give you ten thousand more."

God today, works on the same principle. His looking for fully committed disciples, men, women and children, who are absolutely dedicated to Him and His work.

Do we qualify?

Sea of Galilee - The Sea and the Abyss

The Sea of Galilee is beautiful, but its calm, peaceful setting does not present a complete picture of ancient people’s feelings toward it: Many biblical images related to the sea had very negative connotations.

Jews were not seafarers; they were desert nomads. They rarely controlled the seacoast. Their father, Abraham, was a shepherd in the Negev. The Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years before settling in the Promised Land. And even great King David spent his childhood caring for sheep in the wilderness around Bethlehem. To the Israelites, the sea probably appeared alien and threatening; They were not at home there. And ancient cultural stories depicted the sea as a monstrous beast and a place where Baal would battle with Yam, the sea god.

Not surprisingly, scripture writers also used sea imagery in a negative way. For example, Gen. 1:2 describes the beginning of the world as watery chaos, a primeval sea, from which God brought order. The earth, God’s masterly creation, rested on the sea (Ps. 24:1—2), and his great power controlled it (Ps. 104:5—9).

In the Bible, the flooding waters of the sea became a tool of God’s judgment (Gen. 6—7; Ex. 14)—for the whole earth and for those who opposed God’s people. Jonah was thrown into the depths because he turned his back on God (Jonah 2:3—6), but when he remembered God, he was rescued (Jonah 2:6—7). The Psalms describe the sea as a dangerous place (30:1; 69:1—3). Only God could control the sea and the evil it symbolized (Ps. 65:5-7; 77:19; 89:9; 93:3—4; Ex. 14—15; Isa. 51:10).
The sea was also the home of the terrible dragon, Leviathan, which came to symbolize the pagan nations opposing Israel (Isa.17:12; 27:1; 51:9—10). Daniel’s description of the great sea beasts and the terror they spread is based on the image of the sea as the home of evil, a chaos that only God can control (Dan. 7:2—7).

Source: http://www.followtherabbi.com