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BACKGROUND
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
The
full background to this teaching is available online at this link
Full Background Information on Moses Tabernacle here
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Online links to scriptures (New International Version [NIV] unless otherwise stated) are shown in blue
| THE TABERNACLE CHURCH – Moving into the Holy of Holies |
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 “When Christ came as the high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. He did not enter by the means of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.†(Hebrews 9:11-12)
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 “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. (v36) “You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.†(Hebrews 10:19-23,36)
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 Entering the Holy of Holies, being in the presence of God, being at one with God, is the ultimate objective for both the individual and the church. We can see from the scriptures above that entering the Holy of Holies is a supernatural experience, and was even for Jesus. Through His entry, He has opened the way for us to join Him there also.
So here arises a problem. If Jesus has made the way for us to join Him in the Holy of Holies, to be in the very presence of God, how is that we haven’t joined Him there yet? Let’s look at the Ark of the Covenant to find out where we are heading. The Ark, where the presence of God dwelt between the Cherubim was only able to be approached once a year by the High Priest and then only after he had gone through a comprehensive purification procedure. When he finally entered, he had to quickly burn incense to form a cloud that would hide him from the full glory of God Almighty, in whose majestic holy presence he could not hope to survive. For even though he was forgiven of his sins, he still lived in a corrupted human body that would continue to deteriorate with age and eventually die. Yes, he had been forgiven, but still suffered from the consequences of sin, just as we do today. Forgiven but not perfect, just like you and me, well me anyway! My body tells me so, after a run particularly!
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| ARK OF THE COVENANT |
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 The Ark contained 3 items, which in turn relate to the three pieces of furniture in the Holy Place.
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| JAR OF MANNA |
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 First of all, the Gold Jar of Manna. The ‘gold’ (speaking of God) jar contained manna, which God had supernaturally provided, 6 days a week, for the Israelites to eat during the forty years they were wandering in the desert. In the Holy Place, this relates to the Table of Showbread where God kept the 12 loaves of bread fresh for 7 days, the priests eating and replacing them after this time. The bread represents the Word of God, which we need to keep digesting on a regular basis by reading and studying our bibles. The manna however was supplied continually by God. Spiritual manna is the revelation of God. This golden jar of manna is symbolic of God’s full revelation of Himself, available only upon attaining perfection.
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 In the Holy Place, this relates to the Table of Showbread where God kept the 12 loaves of bread fresh for 7 days, the priests eating and replacing them after this time. The bread represents the Word of God, which we need to keep digesting on a regular basis by reading and studying our bibles. The manna however was supplied continually by God. Spiritual manna is the revelation of God.
This golden jar of manna is symbolic of God’s full revelation of Himself, available only upon attaining perfection.
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 This golden jar of manna is symbolic of God’s full revelation of Himself, available only upon attaining perfection.
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| AARON'S BUDDED STAFF |
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 The second item in the Ark was Aaron’s Budded Staff. When placed in the presence of God it miraculously produced buds, blossoms and almonds. The staff represented God’s authority, the authority of His priesthood, of which Aaron was the first representative.
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 It relates to The Lampstand in the Holy Place with its branches, flowers, buds and blossoms. The lamp, symbolic of the anointing of the Holy Spirit, had to be attended to twice daily. So we need to continually top up on the Holy Spirit in our daily lives. Our ‘wicks’ also need to be trimmed daily, which speaks of ongoing daily repentance.
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 The budded staff however tells us that upon perfection, we will walk in God’s authority in the full power of the Holy Spirit to fulfil the words of Jesus,
John 14:12
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| TWO STONE TABLETS |
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 The final item in the Ark was the 2 Stone Tablets of the Covenant. These were, of course, not the original tablets brought down the mountain by Moses. The originals were the personal work of God.
Exodus 32:16
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 They were ‘pure God’. But the ‘impure people’, had made a golden calf to worship because Moses had been away for so long.
Exodus 32:19
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 God as represented by the tablets, could not live with sin. Moses was walking in the glory of the Lord so smashing them was an automatic reaction, for God’s glory would not coexist with sin. The people would certainly have been wiped out in an instant.
The second set of tablets (two copies of the same thing, not half on each. A copy each for the two covenant partners, God and man) were made by Moses but written on by God.
Exodus 34:1
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 This second set of tablets then, represented man (the stones) being made perfect by God. (the words). Moses made and God wrote upon the tablets. So, in the Holy of Holies we had the presence of the perfect God dwelling between the cherubim above the Mercy Seat, (Jesus) covering the Ark containing the stones, representing sinful man perfected by the fulfilled covenant. Everything fits together perfectly.
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 But back now to our comparisons of the present with the promise. The Incense Altar symbolises the way we are able to enter into God’s very presence, through prayer, praise and worship. The tablets in turn, symbolise perfected mankind. Once again we are able to walk with God
Genesis 3:8
returning to the ongoing relationship Adam and Eve had with God before they sinned. Only this time it will be both better and eternal, as our faith will have been proven whereas theirs was not.
Sound impossible? Well, it is in our own strength, but fortunately God is on our side!
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| <i>NEXT WEEK</i> |
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 We will conclude our study on Moses Tabernacle by looking at its application to our lives and church today.
Together, let's see what the future holds for us!
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| A NOTE FROM DAVID |
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 We have come a long way from entering the gate of the Tabernacle to the entrance of the Holy of Holies.
I never cease to be amazed how God's pattern for us today was so perfectly laid out all those thousands of years ago in the 'world's first church'! Does my faith a power of good! Yours too?
Sea of Galilee - Mount of Beatitudes
Tradition holds that this is the place where Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5—7). There is no concrete evidence to support this belief because the exact location is not specified in the Scriptures. However, this slope is in the right geographical area, and its appearance is certainly similar to what we might expect. One can imagine crowds seated on the rocks and the dirt of the hillside, listening to the Rabbi speak the message of the kingdom of God.
Source: http://www.followtherabbi.com
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So until next week.......
MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND YOU BLESS GOD!
His servant and yours
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A DAVID'S DOODLING
1000. It's in the valleys of life we develop the strength needed to scale the mountain tops.
David Tait
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