Jesus is the Ark of the New Covenant

Category: Jesus is the Ark of the New Covenant

Jesus and the Cherubim

Filed under: Jesus, Jesus is the Ark of the New Covenant, Jesus is the Most Holy Place, Jesus is the Most Holy Place, Jesus the Tabernacle, The Ark Of The Covenant, The Golden Cherubim, The Holy Of Holies, The Most Holy Place — 2 Comments

July 2, 2009

Jesus and the Cherubim

We have just completed a series of postings that addressed the Ark of the Covenant, which is one of the objects found inside the Most Holy place of the Tabernacle.

: The Ark of the Covenant Covered by Cherbim

We have investigated this topic in a quest to understand the meaning of a statement made by Jesus claiming to be “the Life”. Since the entrance to the Most Holy Place is called “the Life, gaining a better understanding of it will help us to better comprehend His claim. Therefore we will expand our investigation by focusing on the Golden Cherubim, which are found inside the Most Holy Place.

Cherubim are angelic beings that surround God in the spiritual realm. These cherubim are represented in the Most Holy Place as the angels that cover the Ark of the Covenant (see the picture above). The Cherbs found in the Most Holy Place are made of pure gold that has been hammered into shape by artisans. They are positioned in such that they are facing each other just above the Ark of the Covenant. The two Cherubim are created as a single piece, connected together at their base by a flat strip of gold called the Mercy Seat. The Mercy Seat is the precise spot over which the divine presence of God dwells. Therefore there is a single Cherub on each side of the Mercy Seat and each is looking directly toward the place where God dwells. In addition, each Cherub has extended His wings in such a way that they completely hover over and protect the Mercy Seat and the space above it. This positioning represents the eternal watchfulness and ministry of these angels to God. The presence of the Golden Cherubim symbolizes the protection given the divine presence of God in the Most Holy Place.

Jesus is surrounded by Angels

: Violence in Heaven

So if the prophesy of the Tabernacle is true predictor of the coming Christ, then there must be some evidence of Angels watching over and ministering to Him found in scripture.

What we are about to uncover is that there were angels supporting Jesus before He came to earth, while He was an infant and throughout His entire ministry. We will also find that angels will be active even at the time of His second coming. The following scriptures are used as examples to demonstrate the activity of Angles through out the life of Jesus.

Jesus is Protected by Angels at Birth

We start with the angel who announced to Mary that she was to be the mother of the Son of God:

Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.”

We continue with another angelic scripture. In this one an angel announces the truth of Jesus and Mary to Joseph:

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.” So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name JESUS. (Matthew 1:18-25)

Then there is the story of the wise men that are lead to the newly born Son of God by a star that is really an angel. The gift of Gold is most likely used to fund the trip to Egypt to escape the king who sought to kill Jesus. Joseph was warned by an angel that this danger was present:

When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way. Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.” When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt I called My Son.” (Matthew 2:9-15)

Angels Minister to Jesus

Jesus was ministered to by angels several times during His ministry. One time occurred shortly after He had been tempted by the devil in the desert after fasting for 40 days:

Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’“ Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the LORD your God.’“ Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.’“ Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him. (Matthew 4:5- 11)

Another angelic visitation occurred when He was strengthened in the garden as He prayed just prior to His crucifixion:

And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. (Luke 22:41-4

Jesus’ Resurrection is Announced by Angels

Even Jesus’ resurrection from the dead is supported as an angel nullifies the army guard that was in place to ensure that the body of Jesus was not removed from the grave. In addition, they announce his resurrection and whereabouts such that there is no doubt about what happened to Him in the mind of His believers:

Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men.

: Jesus rises from the grave

But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.” (Matthew 28:1-7)

Jesus’ Angel Testifies of His Revelation to the Church

I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star. And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely. (Revelation 22:16-17)

So, as we can see from the above scriptures that angels support Jesus’ ministry from beginning and forevermore. So it should be with us who uphold the ministry of Jesus Christ, the living tabernacle of God.

The Mercy Seat

We have introduced the Mercy Seat in our description of the Cherubim. The Mercy Seat resides in the Most Holy place in the Tabernacle. It is the flat gold strip of gold that connects the two Cherubs together at the base. Its significance is that the divine presence of God dwells directly over it, just below the wings of the Cherubim. It therefore, is the precise place from which God speaks with His people. It is also interesting to note that there is no figure or symbol for God in the Tabernacle and this is a testament of the invisible presence of God that requires no man made image or idol.

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Jesus and the Bride of Christ

Filed under: Bride of Christ, Covenant, Jesus, Jesus is the Ark of the New Covenant, Jesus is the Most Holy Place, Jesus is the Most Holy Place, Jesus the Tabernacle — 4 Comments

June 28, 2009

Read my story by ordering my book, “Possess the Vision”

Jesus and the Bride of Christ

As we have read in our previous posting, our journey leads us toward becoming a part of the New Jerusalem, the Lambs wife.

the bride of christ

Let us look at a scripture to develop this view in greater detail:

Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” (Revelation 21:2-5)

We are the Bride, the New Jerusalem adorned for her Husband. Jesus is the Tabernacle of God and will dwell with us and He will care for our every need. He will restore everything to the perfect state it was in the beginning.

The Bride

To develop the concept of the Bride a bit further let me present an experience I had at a prayer meeting several years ago. The words that follow are a reflection of my experience being a part of the Bride in the spirit. I include it hear as I believe that it provides insight into the Bride and the marriage feast. Here it is:

We were alone in a beautiful room. It was a quite time. A time of preparedness. For there was to be a great event of which none can compare. There was joy and happiness. There was anticipation. For we are the source of celebration. We are the focus of attention. There is no sound in the room. Just the song of rustling linen[i].

The quiet is good for reflection. The images of the old world. The trials, the tribulations. The threats of war. The wars. The earthquakes, the storms, the floods. The disease, the famine, the pestilence. The sin. The fouling of the earth. The war with Satan and the victory of souls. The confrontation with the beast, the final victory. The deliverance. The unity of the saved.

We are a new creation! We are the culmination of saved souls[ii]. We are one being comprised of many in the perfect image and likeness of God. Assembled like the atoms of the bodies we once knew[iii]. There is great unity and power in the new creation. There is great joy in the Bride[iv]. Every soul of our existence shouts with joy. For we all know that we confessed Him, we all know that we changed our sinful ways for Him, we all obeyed His commandments, we all loved Him. We are so united when we think of Him.

How many times did He forgive us? How many times did He heal us? How many times did He save us from evil or keep us from harm? How endless is His love? Truly, this is our hour.

And the hour is upon us. The preparation is complete[v]. The door knocks. It is the Father. He is beaming. He holds out His arm. We take it and we walk arm and arm. We enter the great hall. The floor is as a single dark green emerald[vi]. The pews are crystal[vii]. The walls are gold. There is no ceiling but the sky. The seats are filled with the angels, all in white, all with wings. They are all singing. It is the wedding song in seven-part harmony. All gaze upon us. We look for Him but the passage is too long to see the end. We walk. We walk.

We see Him! JOY!! JOY!! He is so handsome. He smiles a big smile. In His eyes we see heaven. We keep walking. We are there. The Father gives up the Bride. Jesus holds out His hand. Our heart sings. We take His hand. The angel Gabrielle conducts the ceremony. We can think of nothing but Him. I do. You may kiss the Bride. Anticipation!! He comes closer, facing us. He lifts the veil, draws closer and embraces us. Cheers and celebrations!! We turn to face the assembly. We walk down the aisle. The angels are drunk. They sing, they fly, they cause great explosions in the sky.

A new larger sun rises[viii] over the altar behind us. The New World awaits.

So, the significance of the Pot of Manna placed in the Ark of the Covenant is that it represents the care, guidance and provision that God provides to His people who seek to enter into covenant with Him. While this support was provided to Israel under the first covenant, it has been perfected in Jesus under the new covenant. Israel’s walk with the Lord toward the Promised Land was prophetic of the superior covenant we would have with Jesus. Under the new covenant we receive blessings and gifts from God both on this earth but also in the spiritual realm. In addition, our spiritual destiny is to be one with Jesus as the new covenant is consummated with us, His Bride after the second coming of Jesus.

[i] Revelation 19:8 And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

[ii] Ephesians 4:15-16 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head; Christ; from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

[iii] 1 Corinthians 12:12 For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.

[iv] Revelation 21:9-11 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, “Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.” And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.

[v] Revelation 19:7 Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.

[vi] Revelation 4:3 And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald.

[vii] Revelation 4:6 Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal.

[viii] Revelation 22:16-17 “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.” And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.

Revelation 21:23 The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light.

Revelation 2:26-28 And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations; ‘He shall rule them with a rod of iron; They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter’s vessels’; as I also have received from My Father; “and I will give him the morning star.

The Sun that rose was the Morning Star. He rose but then stopped low in the morning sky, apparently positioned in an optimal location to provide light.

Isaiah 60:19-21 The sun shall no longer be your light by day, Nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you; But the LORD will be to you an everlasting light, And your God your glory. Your sun shall no longer go down, Nor shall your moon withdraw itself; For the LORD will be your everlasting light, And the days of your mourning shall be ended. Also your people shall all be righteous; They shall inherit the land forever, The branch of My planting, The work of My hands, That I may be glorified.

Read my story by ordering my book, “Possess the Vision”

Read my book entitled, “Possess the Vision.”

Read the truly amazing life story about how the forces of good and evil battle over a man and the vision that God gives him. Joseph W. Gordon’s Possess the Vision (Xulon Press, $12.95, 140 pages, ISBN 1-59781-205-6) tells about the mysterious spiritual experiences that occur throughout his lifetime.

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Jesus and the Covenant

Filed under: Covenant, Jesus, Jesus is the Ark of the New Covenant, Jesus is the Most Holy Place, Jesus is the Most Holy Place, Jesus the Tabernacle, Tabernacle, The Ark Of The Covenant, The Holy Of Holies — 3 Comments

May 15, 2009

Jesus and the Covenant

To date we have presented the Tabernacle of Moses including many of its components, and correlated them to the life of Jesus. In doing so we have found that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Tabernacles prophesy in each and every case.

Jesus and Moses at the Transfiguration

What we have not yet addressed is information about the covenant, and more importantly actions the nation planed to take as a result of the covenant.

Based on all of this we are now ready to drill down on three major principles associated with the Most Holy Place. They are the Covenant Promise, the Duty of the Warrior Nation, and the Reward for living in Covenant. The following sections address these subjects in greater detail.

The Covenant Promise

The covenant promise was an agreement between God and the nation. If the nation lived in accord with God’s law, then God promised that they would inhabit the land that He had promised to their fathers many years prior:

Moses and the Ten Comandments

See, I have set the land before you; go in and possess the land which the LORD swore to your fathers; to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; to give to them and their descendants after them. (Deuteronomy 1:8)

The covenant promise of God also included the welfare of the people and their children, as well as long life:

You shall therefore keep His statutes and His commandments which I command you today, that it may go well with you and with your children after you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which the LORD your God is giving you for all time. (Deuteronomy 4:40)

The Duty of the Warrior Nation

Fundamentally, the duty of the warrior is to eliminate evil from the land. In reality, this duty is a part of the nation’s covenant responsibility.

The Walls of Jerico fall Befor the Ark

Here are the words of Moses to the people:

You shall utterly destroy all the places where the nations which you shall dispossess served their gods, on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree. And you shall destroy their altars, break their sacred pillars, and burn their wooden images with fire; you shall cut down the carved images of their gods and destroy their names from that place. (Deuteronomy 12:2-3)

So, while the Promised Land was given to them by God, the nation of Israel had to destroy the evil religious institutions that resided there in order to fulfill the promise. God would support a people who were totally devoted to Him and would not support a people who worshiped false gods.

In addition, Moses told the people that unity is required for them to be successful:

You shall not at all do as we are doing here today; every man doing whatever is right in his own eyes; (Deuteronomy 12:8)

In other words, individual effort is not enough. They had to work as a nation with a single cause to fulfill their destiny.

The Reward of the Warrior Nation

God’s reward for the warrior nation is rest from their enemies, safety, and most importantly, a place in the land where God will live with His people:

For as yet you have not come to the rest and the inheritance which the LORD your God is giving you. But when you cross over the Jordan and dwell in the land which the LORD your God is giving you to inherit, and He gives you rest from all your enemies round about, so that you dwell in safety, then there will be the place where the LORD your God chooses to make His name abide. There you shall bring all that I command you: your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the heave offerings of your hand, and all your choice offerings which you vow to the LORD. (Deuteronomy 12:9-11)

And the Tabernacle of God is the place in which God resides in the midst of the nation. It is the place of burnt offerings and sacrifices.

In addition, the reward we speak of includes God’s favor and abundance:

And it shall be that if you earnestly obey My commandments which I command you today, to love the LORD your God and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul, then I will give you the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the latter rain, that you may gather in your grain, your new wine, and your oil. (Deuteronomy 11:13-15)

Of course all of these things are prophetic of Jesus as well. He is the fulfillment and perfection of all of these things, as we will present in more detail in our next posting.

Until then, may God bless every one of you.

Read my book, “Possess the Vision,” that tells of an amazing story of spiritual warfare. To learn more go to: Possess-the-Vision-at-Amazon

The Book Cover

Read the truly amazing life story about how the forces of good and evil battle over a man and the vision that God gives him. Joseph W. Gordon’s Possess the Vision (Xulon Press, $12.95, 140 pages, ISBN 1-59781-205-6) tells about the mysterious spiritual experiences that occur throughout his lifetime. They start in his youth when amazingly he has a series of dreams that warn of impending danger that come true. In a mind gripping account he tells what happened when he turned away from God and suffered demonic attacks that took him into spiritual Golgotha, the place of death. There he is confronted by Satin and is brought before the judgment seat of Christ. Fortunately, judgment is not dispensed. He awakes in the hospital the next day disbelieving what he perceives as a very bad dream. He is then pummeled by a series of physical attacks and teeters near death for months. Out of desperation he picks up a bible and later gives his life back to God.

Immediately God responds by leading him through a series of spiritual and prophetic experiences, that when melded together, communicate God’s desire. Possess the Vision weaves these experiences into a proposal to unite Christians in a common ministry to improve the life and living standards of the world’s people — in support of the command of Jesus Christ that we love one another.

Tags: ark of the covenant, Bible, christ, Christianity, church, Covenant, God, Jesus, Jesus the Tabernacle, religion, Religious, Spirituality, Tabernacle, The Holy Of Holies, The Life, The Most Holy Place, The Tabernacle, theology

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The Road to the Promised Land Requires Jesus – Our Covenant Provision

Filed under: Jesus, Jesus is the Ark of the New Covenant, Jesus is the Most Holy Place, Jesus is the Most Holy Place, Pot Of Manna, The Ark Of The Covenant, The Holy Of Holies — 2 Comments

May 11, 2009

The Book Cover

The Road to the Promised Land Requires Jesus – Our Covenant Provision

The subject of Jesus being our perfected Pot of Manna suggests that Jesus is our covenant provision.

However, to completely understand the significance of this we must also understand the circumstances that led up to the Pot of Manna being stored in the Ark of the Covenant in the first place. The following questions must be answered; what made the Pot of Manna so precious that it was stored inside the Ark of the Covenant? Why was it stored there along with the covenant stones upon which God’s laws were recorded, and why was it stored there next to the Rod of Aaron which designated God’s choice for the royal priesthood? To address these questions we present a deeper investigation into the Pot of Manna and in the process, uncover Jesus as our new covenant provision.

We introduced the Pot of Manna in a previous posting and reported that it was symbolic of God’s provision for His people’s needs as they wondered through the wilderness.

manna

What we have not covered is why they had to wonder in the wilderness for thirty eight years in the first place. The reason is because they had refused to enter into the Promised Land[i] as God had commanded them. As a result, God was angry with them and swore that the people who refused to fight for His promise would not see it[ii]. Their wondering through the wilderness gave the next generation[iii] the time necessary to enable them to mature and eventually enter into the Promised Land. In addition, the forty years of wondering was the time necessary for all who refused to enter to die. In this way the sin of the nation was purged[iv] and a new nation was raised up that learned to trust in God totally.

Crossing the Red Sea

As there is not any protection from the harsh conditions in the desert, the new generation had to depend completely on God for everything. This included the basic items of food, water, clothing shelter and protection from the elements. It is in this journey through the wilderness that the Pot of Manna gains significance as God’s provision to the people.

As always, supporting information can be found in the Bible. An account of Israel’s final preparation for entering the Promised Land can be found in the books of Numbers and Deuteronomy. Key points and supporting material have been abstracted and reported in the following paragraphs to give a deeper insight into what transpired and answer the question we have about the Pot of Manna.

The Journey to the Promised Land

The book of Deuteronomy reflects the last 60 days of Moses life. The background to the book is that the nation has spent the past 38 years wondering through the wilderness[v] after having refused to enter into the Promised Land. In Deuteronomy we learn about how Moses prepared the people to enter into God’s Promised Land the second time around. So, this was an extremely pivotal time for the nation of Israel.

By the time of the story of Deuteronomy, Moses was 120 years old. In addition, God tells Moses that He will not allow him to enter[vi] into the Promised Land. As a result his actions are the final undertakings of his life on this earth. The nation will enter into God’s promise and Moses will be left behind.

Moses Praying on the Mountain - by J Hartly 1922

The stark reality was that all of those who had previously refused to enter into the Promised Land had already died in the desert[vii] and only their offspring remained. The exceptions were limited to Moses, Caleb and Joshua[viii]. Caleb and Joshua were the only two men who had favored entering[ix] the land the first time around, and as a result were chosen to lead the new nation on its second attempt.

Joshua Enters the Promised Land

One observation that should be noted is that the nation entering into the Promised Land was a new nation. The people of this nation never knew the bonds of their slavery in the land of Egypt. They also never saw the power of their God bring their deliverance from the evil of Egypt either. The new nation was born in the desert and as such, they grew up knowing only total dependence on God. They grew up knowing the cloud of God that protected them from the burning sun in the daytime, and the fire that illuminated their journey at night[x].

The Glory Cloud Covers the Tabernacle

They wore the same clothes and shoes for thirty eight years as they never wore out[xi]. They drank water that sprang up from the rocks that Moses struck with his staff[xii] and they ate the Manna that was found on the ground each morning, which was the bread of life that came down from heaven:

And the house of Israel called its name Manna. And it was like white coriander seed, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey. Then Moses said, “This is the thing which the LORD has commanded: ‘Fill an omer with it, to be kept for your generations, that they may see the bread with which I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.’“ And Moses said to Aaron, “Take a pot and put an omer of manna in it, and lay it up before the LORD, to be kept for your generations.” As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept. And the children of Israel ate manna forty years, until they came to an inhabited land; they ate manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan. (Exodus 16:31 – 35)

So this is how the Pot of Manna came to be stored in the Ark of the Covenant. God commanded it be saved there so that future generations would remember how He provided for them in the wilderness.

One of the questions that we posed when we started this section was; why was the Pot of Manna stored in the Ark of the Covenant along with the Covenant Stones and the Rod of Aaron. The answer is that the Pot of Manna is a part of God’s covenant. The people of Israel promised to honor God’s law and in return He would dwell with them in a land flowing in milk and honey, which is the Promised Land. God’s dwelling place was the Most Holy Place of the Tabernacle which the people carried with them in their journey. Since the Tabernacle was made by men it required the services of priests for its care and upkeep. These priests also ensured that there were adequate sacrifices for the forgiveness of the sins of the people, enabling them to move closer to God along their journey. Hence the Rod of Aaron is stored inside the Ark.

The Pot of Manna is symbolic of God’s provision along the journey that leads to His promise. It is symbolic of His provision of food that fell from heaven every morning and became the sustenance of survival. It is also symbolic of the water that flowed from the rocks in the midst of the desert and the clouds that protected the people from the burning sun in the day as well as the fire that illuminated their pathway at night. It is symbolic of all of God’s provisions to a people who are dedicated to realizing the promises of God’s covenant. To those who are steadfast on the journey and are willing to see the former worldly man pass away and be replaced with a spiritual man who knows only total dependence upon God.

Jesus is the Ark of the new covenant as He has sacrificed His body and blood on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins.

Jesus Sheds His Blood on the Cross

This sacrifice is foundational to the new covenant as it enables us to move closer to God through Jesus. His sacrifice ensures that each one of us can move through the wilderness found in our own life and engage in a journey to the Promised Land in heaven. A journey where our hearts of stone are changed to hearts of flesh filled with compassion. A journey in which our dependence on the world is replaced by total reliance on Him. A journey where we come to know God and see Him face to face in the Promised Land, a land where our every need is satisfied. Then we will know the promise of His perfect provision.

[i] Numbers 14:3 – 4 Why has the LORD brought us to this land to fall by the sword, that our wives and children should become victims? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?” So they said to one another, “Let us select a leader and return to Egypt.”

[ii] Numbers 14:22 – 23 because all these men who have seen My glory and the signs which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have put Me to the test now these ten times, and have not heeded My voice, they certainly shall not see the land of which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who rejected Me see it.

[iii] Numbers 14:31 – 33 But your little ones, whom you said would be victims, I will bring in, and they shall know the land which you have despised. But as for you, your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness. And your sons shall be shepherds in the wilderness forty years, and bear the brunt of your infidelity, until your carcasses are consumed in the wilderness.

[iv] Numbers 14:35 ‘I the LORD have spoken this; I will surely do so to all this evil congregation who are gathered together against Me. In this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.’

[v] Deuteronomy 2:14 And the time we took to come from Kadesh Barnea until we crossed over the Valley of the Zered was thirty-eight years, until all the generation of the men of war was consumed from the midst of the camp, just as the LORD had sworn to them.

[vi] Deuteronomy 1:37 The LORD was also angry with me for your sakes, saying, ‘Even you shall not go in there;

[vii] Deuteronomy 2:14 And the time we took to come from Kadesh Barnea until we crossed over the Valley of the Zered was thirty-eight years, until all the generation of the men of war was consumed from the midst of the camp, just as the LORD had sworn to them. For indeed the hand of the LORD was against them, to destroy them from the midst of the camp until they were consumed. So it was, when all the men of war had finally perished from among the people, that the LORD spoke to me, saying: ‘This day you are to cross over at Ar, the boundary of Moab.

[viii] Deuteronomy 1:29 – 39 Then I said to you, ‘Do not be terrified, or afraid of them. The LORD your God, who goes before you, He will fight for you, according to all He did for you in Egypt before your eyes, and in the wilderness where you saw how the LORD your God carried you, as a man carries his son, in all the way that you went until you came to this place.’ Yet, for all that, you did not believe the LORD your God, who went in the way before you to search out a place for you to pitch your tents, to show you the way you should go, in the fire by night and in the cloud by day. And the LORD heard the sound of your words, and was angry, and took an oath, saying, Surely not one of these men of this evil generation shall see that good land of which I swore to give to your fathers, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him and his children I am giving the land on which he walked, because he wholly followed the LORD.’ The LORD was also angry with me for your sakes, saying, ‘Even you shall not go in there; Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall go in there. Encourage him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it. Moreover your little ones and your children, who you say will be victims, who today have no knowledge of good and evil, they shall go in there; to them I will give it, and they shall possess it.

[ix] Numbers 14:36 – 38 Now the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land, who returned and made all the congregation complain against him by bringing a bad report of the land, those very men who brought the evil report about the land, died by the plague before the LORD. But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive, of the men who went to spy out the land.

[x] Exodus 13:21 – 22 And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night. He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the people.

[xi] Deuteronomy 8:2 -4 And you shall remember that the LORD your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD. Your garments did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years.

[xii] Numbers 20:11 Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank.

Read my book, “Possess the Vision,” that tells of an amazing story of spiritual warfare. To learn more go to: Possess-the-Vision-at-Amazon

The Book Cover

Read the truly amazing life story about how the forces of good and evil battle over a man and the vision that God gives him. Joseph W. Gordon’s Possess the Vision (Xulon Press, $12.95, 140 pages, ISBN 1-59781-205-6) tells about the mysterious spiritual experiences that occur throughout his lifetime.

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The Cross of Jesus is the Rod of Aaron

Filed under: Jesus, Jesus is the Ark of the New Covenant, Jesus is the Most Holy Place — 7 Comments

April 30, 2009

The Cross of Jesus is the Rod of Aaron

The second item found in the Ark of the Covenant is Aaron’s rod, which is a symbol of God’s choice of Aaron to perform the covenant duties of the priesthood. We will now presenting a case that Jesus is God’s choice for the royal priesthood of the new covenant. Jesus, being God’s son can perfectly perform the duties of High Priest and as a result He ends the reliance on the continuous sacrifices of the previous covenant.

In a previous posting we presented a scripture that communicated how Aaron’s rod came to be stored in the Ark of the Covenant. It was a result of Aaron being challenge by the other tribes of Israel for his right to perform priestly duties. To settle the challenge each tribe provided Moses with a wooden rod to represent their tribe. Moses then gathered them and placed them before God in the Holy of Holies. When Moses returned the next day to retrieve them he found that the rod of Aaron blossomed and produced almonds while the others did not. This was God’s sign to God’s people that He wanted Aaron to be His High priest. Eventually, Aaron’s rod was placed inside the Ark of the Covenant as a memorial to God’s selection for the priesthood.

Moses Displays the Budded Rod of Aaron

At this point you may be wondering how Aaron’s rod correlates to Jesus. In this case the cross of Jesus is the fulfillment of Aaron’s rod, and therefore we could say that Aaron’s rod is prophetic of the coming of Jesus. The cross that Jesus suffered and died on, bore the most perfect gift that could ever be given, which is the body and blood of God’s only begotten Son. His body and blood were given for the forgiveness of our sins and this gift has blossomed and born much fruit through out the history of Christianity.

To go back a bit however, the forgiveness of the sins of the people was a function of the High priest. On one hand the priest would slaughter the lamb and offer its body to be burned upon the Brazen Laver for the forgiveness of the sins of each family. On the other hand, only the High priest could enter the Holy of Holies once each year for the sins of the people committed in ignorance.

Now when these things had been thus prepared, the priests always went into the first part of the tabernacle, performing the services. But into the second part the high priest went alone once a year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the people’s sins committed in ignorance; the Holy Spirit indicating this, that the way into the Holiest of All was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was still standing. (Hebrews 9:6-8)

Therefore, forgiveness of sins committed in ignorance was a duty that could only be performed by the High priest, and then only with sacrificial blood. So this is exactly what Jesus, our High priest did for us on the cross. He came as the High priest, the sacrifice and the blood, and His sacrifice was made on His cross.

This cross then became the symbol of all Christianity. It has blossomed and has born fruit abundantly in that hundreds of millions of people all over the world have come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. It is in this manner that the cross of Jesus is the fulfillment of Aaron’s rod.

The fact that Jesus is God’s chosen High priest is further substantiated by the prophets foretelling that there would be a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. We plan to present this topic in our next posting.

Read my book, “Possess the Vision,” that tells of an amazing story of spiritual warfare. To learn more go to: Possess-the-Vision-at-Amazon

Read the truly amazing life story about how the forces of good and evil battle over a man and the vision that God gives him. Joseph W. Gordon’s Possess the Vision (Xulon Press, $12.95, 140 pages, ISBN 1-59781-205-6) tells about the mysterious spiritual experiences that occur throughout his lifetime. They start in his youth when amazingly he has a series of dreams that warn of impending danger that come true. In a mind gripping account he tells what happened when he turned away from God and suffered demonic attacks that took him into spiritual Golgotha, the place of death. There he is confronted by Satin and is brought before the judgment seat of Christ. Fortunately, judgment is not dispensed.

He awakes in the hospital the next day disbelieving what he perceives as a very bad dream. He is then pummeled by a series of physical attacks and teeters near death for months. Out of desperation he picks up a bible and later gives his life back to God.

Immediately God responds by leading him through a series of spiritual and prophetic experiences, that when melded together, communicate God’s desire. Possess the Vision weaves these experiences into a proposal to unite Christians in a common ministry to improve the life and living standards of the world’s people — in support of the command of Jesus Christ that we love one another.

Tags: ark of the covenant, Bible, christ, Christianity, church, Covenant, God, Jesus, Jesus the Tabernacle, religion, Religious, Spirituality, Tabernacle, the church, The Holy Of Holies, The Most Holy Place, The Tabernacle, theology

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SEEKING JESUS

Category: Jesus is the Ark of the New Covenant

Jesus and the Cherubim