THINKING GREEK OR HEBREW?

CATHEDRAL v TABERNACLE/TEMPLE

Greek (Western)

A cathedral is built to be a glimpse of the heaven we are to escape to when we die.

A cathedral was built in such an ornate fashion so as to give attendees a glimpse of what heaven, to which we are to escape to when we die will, in human understanding, be like. This was and is illustrated through the architecture, music, artworks, sculptures, furniture and religious ceremonies, drawing a worldly picture of a perfect heaven, a spiritual nirvana, free of all the suffering and pain we experience here on earth.    

While many churches today are not so ornate, the principle remains the same. The church is a temporary refuge where we gather with others of like mind to experience God, before dying or being zapped off this wicked earth in the rapture, to escape this evil world.   

This is called a 'dualistic theology', as it teaches the separation of perfect heaven from an imperfect earth. Verses interpreted to justify this conclusion include.....

36 Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from  another place.” (John 18:36)

and.....

18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen. (2 Timothy 4:18) 

Eastern (Hebrew) 

The Tabernacle/Temple was the dwelling place of God, here upon the earth.               
The Jewish perspective, however, is entirely different. God was and is to dwell with them, here upon the earth. Their responsibility was to prepare a place for Him to live, as seen in the Tabernacle of Moses and the Temple of Solomon.....                   

8 “Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them. 9 Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you. (Exodus 25:8-9) 

God's presence literally filled the Holy Place of the Tabernacle and then the Temple.....

10 When the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud filled the temple of the LORD. 11 And the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled his temple. (1 Kings 8:10-11)      

The everlasting nature of this, dependent upon the people’s obedience, was confirmed by the prophets..... 

26 I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant. I will establish them and increase their numbers, and I will put my sanctuary among them forever. 27 My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people. 28 Then the nations will know that I the LORD make Israel holy, when my sanctuary is among them forever.’” (Ezekiel 37:26-28)      

Even after the Ark of the Covenant, where the presence of God dwelt between the 2 cherubim’s, had disappeared, Jesus still referred to Herod's, far less grand Temple, as being His Father's house..... 

16 To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father’s house into a market!” (John 2:16)  

And again, Jesus referred to end times when He said.....  

2 In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. (John 14:2)      

The analogy was of a Jewish wedding where the husband to be, upon the engagement, went back to his father’s house and built a room onto it for his bride to be. 

Of course, we are to be the bride.....     

For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. (Revelation 19:7b)       

And we are to come down from heaven to live on the earth..... 

2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Revelation 21:2-4)   

The Jewish understanding is that they are to prepare, to help build, the Lord's kingdom upon the earth, now. That is not just an Old Testament concept, but is carried forward into the New, when we are called to pray.....

9 “This, then, is how you should pray: ”Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:9-10) 

To finish today we will compare the differences between the Western Cathedral and Eastern Tabernacle/Temple mentalities in their differing understandings of salvation.....

1. THE GOAL OF SALVATION:       
Cathedral Mentality: To escape this world and go to God's dwelling place in heaven.
Tabernacle/Temple Mentality: To prepare a place fit for God's dwelling here, among His people.     

2. THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN:      
Cathedral Mentality: Exists in heaven, not upon the earth.
Tabernacle/Temple Mentality: Is God's reign among people here upon the earth.

3. THE MESSIAH IS COMING:       
Cathedral Mentality: In order to take us away from this world.  
Tabernacle/Temple Mentality: In order to reign over us in this world.  

4. MESSAGE:     
Cathedral Mentality: Get your ticket now or you might miss the train.
Tabernacle/Temple Mentality: The kingdom of heaven is coming! Get ready to receive and serve the king.   

CONCLUSION
Upon grasping this truth, both our lives and the church will be transformed! For 'walking with Jesus' is not simply a matter of mental acceptance, but requires a lifestyle totally dedicated to fulfilling the will of the Father so that the kingdom may be prepared for the return of Jesus to rule and reign upon the earth.

Are we willing to pay the price?

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FROM THE WORD

THE WORDS OF JESUS
May we hear what the Lord is saying to us.....  

Testimonies of Jesus (John 5:31-47) 

 If I were to make claims about myself, such claims wouldn’t be valid; but someone else gives evidence about me, and I know what he says about me is true. You asked John about me, and he told the truth, 34but I don’t need any human endorsement. I’m explaining this to you so you can be saved. John was like a brightly-burning light, and you were willing to enjoy his light for a while. But the evidence I’m giving is greater than John’s. For I am doing the work that the Father gave me to do, and this is the proof that the Father sent me. The Father who sent me, he himself speaks on my behalf. You’ve never heard his voice, and you’ve never seen what he looks like, and you don’t accept what he says, because you don’t trust in the one he sent.

“You search the Scriptures because you think that through them you’ll gain eternal life. But the evidence

they give is in support of me! And yet you don’t want to come to me so that you might live. I’m not looking for human approval —I know you, and that you don’t have God’s love in you. For I’ve come to represent my Father, and you won’t accept me; but if someone comes representing themselves, then you accept them! How can you trust in me when you look for praise from one another and yet you don’t look for praise from the one true God? But don’t think I will be making accusations about you to the Father. It’s Moses who is accusing you, the one in whom you place such confidence. For if you really trusted Moses you would trust in me, because he wrote about me. But since you don’t trust what he said, why would you trust what I say?”

The Lord of the Sabbath(Matthew 12:1-14, Mark 2:23-3:6, Luke 6:1-11)

Jesus criticized for picking grain on the Sabbath. 

 Haven’t you read in the law that on the Sabbath day the priests in the Temple break the Sabbath but are not considered guilty? However I tell you that someone is here who is greater than the temple! 7If you’d known the meaning of this Scripture, ‘I want mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you wouldn’t have condemned an innocent man. For the Son of man is Lord of the Sabbath.” 

And again for healing a man with a shriveled hand in the synagogue. 

“Suppose you have a sheep and it falls into a hole in the ground on the Sabbath. Don’t you grab hold of it and pull it out?” “Don’t you think a human being is worth much more than a sheep? So yes, you are allowed to do good on the Sabbath.”

“Hold out your hand.”

(Continued next week)   

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A MUZUNGU’S (White Man’s) THOUGHT – Issue 22

During that week I had a visit from my friend Mark. He talked about the original missionaries that came to Africa during the 1800’s. Kenya became part of the East African Protectorate in 1895 a separate British Colony in 1920.  Independence came in 1964.

In historical terms, the arrival of the missionaries and colonizers was not that long ago.

When the missionaries came, they found the people living in tribal situations, wearing animal skins. Many Westerners, in their ignorance, still believe that is the case! There are no animal skins, nor any wild animals, except in Game Reserves!

However, when the missionaries came, along with Jesus, they brought British dress, plus health and education services. They built churches, along with schools and hospitals.

So how did the average African react? Exactly as you would expect! To become a Christian meant you would be given Western clothes, help financially, health and education. It was an attractive package. Many people became Christians simply because of the benefits it would bring, not for the forgiveness of sins through belief in Jesus.

Christianity consisted of the British anachronism of dressing up in a suit and tie, completely impractical in the tropics, or some other uniform related to a particular church and going to church on Sunday. Many of these practices have continued until today.

Alcohol was forbidden, but other than that, morality didn’t change.

Actually, when you think about it, it was not too much different from when I was a youngster in New Zealand, 60 years ago. Getting dressed up and attending church was good for making both business and social connections.

In more recent times in New Zealand, going to church has become an unsocial thing to do, so that more and more, you attend because you believe in Jesus.

In Africa however, the trend has not yet caught up with the West. So suits and special clothing are still common.

An additional problem here is, as the population gets educated, the influence of witchdoctors etc., is waning. So what have they done? Come into the church! Their powers are real, and can mimic those of Christianity, but come from a different spirit. Hence there are problems as people are being led astray, once again. So much so that the Kenyan Government is now demanding Bible School qualifications before you can open a church.

Of course, the West is also finding these problems as the church is being infiltrated by those promoting practices forbidden in the Bible. I don’t need to mention them. These Western practices are still forbidden in Kenya, despite Western countries threatening to stop much-needed aid.

However, in Kenya, there is currently a lot more reading of Bibles, as people can now obtain them. Here in the rural area, it is the only book most people have, and they do read it. This, along with general poverty, encourages people to rely on the Lord, for they have no alternative.

Hence there is encouraging growth in numbers of true believers, at least in our area.  

I believe that worldwide, as Jesus promised, there will be a falling away in end days, but those who remain will remain for correct reasons, personal belief in Jesus as their Saviour and Lord.

Amen.

Shukrani

(Thank You)

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'THE WORDS OF JESUS' REMAIN AVAILABLE FOR PDF DOWNLOAD

Join the many who have downloaded the 'The Words of Jesus'. I am sure you will be blessed by it, as I have been.

One key element here is the setting out in chronological order (as far as it is possible to do so) our Lord's words drawn from all the Gospels, and the elimination of repetition between Gospels.

You may be surprised by the different perspective this presentation gives you both in understanding of His life and ministry, and in achieving a closer relationship with Him.

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NEXT WEEK: TRANSFORMATION OF THE CHURCH: 3. FROM KINGS TO KINGDOM

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LAUGHING AT OURSELVES

      ***Blessed are those who can laugh at themselves for they shall never cease to be amused*** 

                       *** Those who can't laugh at themselves leave the job to others. ***     

QWIK QWIP: “Cream always rises to the top.” 

368. Make Over 

A middle aged woman has a heart attack and is taken to the hospital. While on the operating table she has a near death experience. During that experience she sees God and asks if this is it. God says no, and explains that she has another 30-40 years to live. 

Upon her recovery she decides to just stay in the hospital and have a face lift, liposuction, breast augmentation, tummy tuck, etc. She even has someone come in and change her hair colour. She figures since she's got another 30 or 40 years she might as well make the most of it. 

She walks out the hospital after the last operation and is killed by an ambulance speeding up to the hospital. She arrives in front of God and asks, "I thought you said I had another 30-40 years?" 

God replies, "I didn't recognise you."

369. Sunday School Bloopers 

Some bloopers of biblical proportions written by Sunday School students. 

* In the first book of the bible, Guinessis, God got tired of creating the world, so he took the Sabbath off. 

* Adam & Eve were created from an apple tree. 

* Noah's wife was called Joan of Ark. 

* Noah built the ark, which the animals came on in pears. 

* Lot's wife was a pillar of salt by day, but a ball of fire by night. 

* Sampson slated the Philistines with the axe of apostles. 

* Moses led the Hebrews to the Red Sea, where they made unleavened bread, which is bread made without any ingredients. 

* The Egyptians were all drowned in the dessert. 

* Afterward, Moses went up on Mount Cyanide to get the Ten Amendments. 

* The first commandment was when Eve told Adam to eat the apple. 

* The Fifth Commandment is humour thy mother and father. 

* The Seventh Commandment is thou shalt not ADMIT adultery. 

* Moses died before he ever reached the UK. Then, Joshua led the Hebrews in the Battle of Geritol. 

* The greatest miracle in the Bible is when Joshua told his son to stand still and he obeyed him. 

* David was a Hebrew king skilled at playing the liar. He fought with the Finkelsteins, a race of people who lived in the biblical times. 

* Solomon, one of David's sons, has 300 wives and 700 porcupines. 

* When Mary heard she was the mother of Jesus, she sang the Magna Carta. 

* When the three wise guys from the East Side arrived, they found Jesus and the manager. 

* St. John, the Blacksmith, dumped water on his head. 

* Jesus enunciated the Golden Rule, which says to do one to others before they do one to you. 

* He also explained, "Man doth not live by sweat alone." 

* The people who followed the Lord were called the 12 decibels. 

* The epistles were the wives of the apostles. 

* One of the opossums was St. Matthew, who was by profession a taximan. 

* St. Paul cavorted to Christianity. He preached holy acrimony, which is another name for marriage. 

* A Christian should have only one wife. This is called monotony. 

QWIK QWIP: “A closed mouth gathers no foot.

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A DAVID MUSING

When you climb a hill, or better still, a mountain, the views give a tremendous sense of achievement - even if the body rebels!

Personally, in the natural, in my days as an athlete, I preferred running on flat terrain, but have to admit that, the views were not as good. My satisfaction came from beating my previous best time. 

Spiritually, God's presence dwells in the mountain tops. 

To get closer to Him takes time and effort to ascend the mountain where His Spirit dwells. There is no easy way. Unless we put in the hard yards of building a personal relationship with Him, we will not get there.

The 'super grace' teachings, so widespread today, will not get us there. 

As in the natural, climbing the mountain of God requires steps of familiarity with all the Word, not just some favorite verses, obedience to His will through the leading of the Holy Spirit, a sacrifice of worldly desires, ongoing prayer, faith and works, and more. 

In short, God is seeking sold-out disciples to Him. These are the ones who will climb the mountain. 

Are we prepared to pay the price?

Until next week.....                                                                                   

MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND YOU BLESS GOD

His servant and yours 

David Tait

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