Category: spirtual warfare


The Victory Of Jesus Empowers Us

Filed under: Jesus, spirtual warfare, Tabernacle, The Golden Altar, The Holy Place, The Truth — 2 Comments
January 9, 2008

The Victory Of Jesus Empowers Us

In our previous postings we have presented some of the spiritual victories Jesus had over the forces of evil. To date we have discussed Jesus being victorious over an evil establishment, healing the sick and lame, casting out demons and of course, His final victory on the cross. All of these examples support our proposition that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Golden Altar of Incense, the Holy Place and the Tabernacle of Moses. Since the entryways into the Tabernacle and the Holy Place are called; “the Way” and “the Truth” we are well on our way toward explaining what Jesus meant when He claimed to be, ‘the Way, the Truth and the Life”.

We will now look at the implications of Jesus’ victories over evil and identify there is a direct impact on us. The victory of Jesus on the cross set us free from the domination of the forces of evil. More than this however, Jesus has also empowered us to be victorious over all evil as well:

Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” (Luke 10:17-19)

You are empowered! The things that Jesus did by the power of the Holy Spirit are available to those who can enter into the Holy Place of Jesus in prayer:

Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. (John 14:12-14)

Victory in Spiritual Warfare

Victory in spiritual warfare comes through prayer at the Golden Altar. When we look at the life of Jesus we find Him in prayer with the Father prior to taking action. Here is an example of this:

Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go and pray over there.” And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me. He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” Then He came to the disciples and found them asleep, and said to Peter, “What? Could you not watch with Me one hour? Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.” And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy. So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. Then He came to His disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand.” And while He was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and elders of the people. (Matthew 26:36-47)

Jesus was in prayer just prior to going to the cross. Therefore, He was enlightened and knew the things that were about to unfold. He knew that He would be betrayed and He that He would have to choose between His life and the salvation of all of us. He sought the guidance of the Father in prayer to ensure His steps were in the Fathers plan. In being faithful to the Father Jesus knew that He would be victorious over Satan and the powers of evil. He knew that He would set us all free by giving His life in exchange for ours.

Jesus also communicated that the way to victory in spiritual warfare is through prayer and fasting:

Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him. Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.” And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” (Matthew 17:15-21)

In still another example, we find Jesus staying behind to pray prior to entering into spiritual warfare with the demon named Legion the following day.

Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there. But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid. And Peter answered Him and said, Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water. So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, Lord, save me! And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, O you of little faith, why did you doubt? And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, Truly You are the Son of God. When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret. (Matthew 14:22-34)

The storm was fostered by evil spirits that attempted to sabotage Jesus victory by preventing Him and His disciples from getting to the other side. The battle with evil rages but with Jesus we have power over evil.

In this example, the passage presents strong evidence about the power of the saint’s prayers in spiritual warfare:

And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets. Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand. Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth. And there were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake. So the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.

Note the reference to the smoke and incense that are a reflection of the prayers at the Golden Altar. These prayers are not for enlightenment or for forgiveness of sin but rather for victory in spiritual warfare. They are effective in generating the wrath of God to be manifest upon the earth.

In the next passage, Paul calls us to prepare ourselves for spiritual battle by putting on the uniform of the spiritual solider. Again, this includes constant prayer:

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints; and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. (Ephesians 6:11-20)

So in summary, anyone seeking to be like Jesus should know that Jesus was victorious in a spiritual fight that we could not win for ourselves. This victory restored dominion back to us and therein empowered us to become victorious over the forces of evil. However, just because we have dominion does not mean that all of the battles are over. Satan is still deceiving the world and as a result a war rages between the forces of good and evil. The difference now is that Jesus has given us the power to be victorious in spiritual warfare.

The only problem is that we have to know that we are in a battle and we have to know how to prepare. Like soldiers that have to go through basic and advanced training to become effective in battle, we must also be adequately prepared for warfare. This comes through prayer. We must pray ourselves through the Courtyard and into the Holy Place where the Golden Altar is found. Once there, our prayers will enable us to be able to put on the whole armor of God. But it is up to us to enter into Jesus by seeking to become like Him. All of eternity in the garden with God lies in the balance.

It is up to us to choose. On the one hand we can choose to become spiritual soldiers or relax, enjoy ourselves, live the good life and ignore the evil that is all around us. After all, is this not what Jesus was talking about in the following passage:

Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works. Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom. (Matthew 16:24-28)

Jesus wants us to take up the role of spiritual warrior and overcome evil. In our next posting we will enter into a discussion about why we should be entering into spiritual warfare.

So until then, may God bless you.

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Jesus is Victorious on the Cross

Filed under: Jesus, spirtual warfare, Tabernacle, The Golden Altar, The Holy Place, The Truth — Leave a comment
January 7, 2008

Jesus is Victorious on the Cross

In today’s posting we will present the victory on the cross as yet another example of the victorious spiritual warfare of Jesus.

If you are new to our site you may want to review our prior postings in an effort to help in putting everything into perspective. If this is the case there are two avenues you can take. The best option is to drill down as necessary on the indented subheadings under the “Pages” section of the site (look at the right hand column). In addition, the preceding ten postings can be found immediately following this post on the main page.

 Now on to the subject of this posting, Jesus is our Golden Altar of Incense. Today we investigate the spiritual warfare aspects of His victory on the cross.   

The Victory on the Cross

The spiritual warfare waged between Jesus and the religious leaders of His day culminated with Jesus freely giving up His life on the cross. While it is difficult to understand, this sacrifice of the sinless Son of God was the spiritual sacrifice required to restore what man had lost with the fall of Adam. For Adam had been deceived by the devil into disobeying God and lost his dominion over the earth and his relationship with God. The devil on the other hand was victorious in deceiving them and as they say, to the victor goes the spoils. In this case the spoils were the earth and dominion over everything in it, including man. The following passage from Paul may help clarify this a bit:

For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation. Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned; (For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification. For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.)  Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous. Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Rom 5:6-21) 

In other words, men would no longer have to live under the dominion of Satan because Jesus, our advocate, defeated Satan at the cross. His victory in spiritual warfare came from living without sin and not succumbing to the temptation of evil, even in the face of a cruel and painful death. For one sinned and all fell into bondage to the devil, and one died in righteousness so that all could live free inside the loving grace of God. Even those who died prior to the life of Jesus were saved:

But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore He says: “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men.” (Now this, “He ascended”; what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? (Ephesians 4:7-9)

That is correct; Jesus went into Hell to set the captives free, as the following passage communicates:

And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many. (Matthew 27:50-53) 

Talk about a victory of spiritual warfare! The dead in Hell were raised and appeared to the living. The spiritual victory of Jesus over evil was total. It even included the salvation of the righteous dead. Jesus has all power and authority over the devil, hell and the Lake of Fire and Brimstone. He has power and authority over everything. He is our Golden Altar through which our prayers are transferred to our loving Father in heaven. It is through Jesus and His Holy Spirit that we become empowered for spiritual warfare.

As we have communicated previously, the Golden Altar and all of the other objects inside the Holy Place of the Tabernacle are places of prayer. In our next posting we will look at the prayers of Jesus that enabled this and other victories over evil. Additionally, we will open the subject of how His victory empowers us in ministry.

Until then, may God’s blessings be upon you. 

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Entering The Truth Of The Tabernacle

Filed under: Spirituality, spirtual warfare, Tabernacle, The Truth — Leave a comment
November 14, 2007

Read my amazing true life story about how the forces of good and evil battle for my life and the vision that God has given me. My book, “Possess the Vision,” communicates my supernatural experiences and as a result, provides insight into the realm of the spiritual warfare that is raging for our souls and our purpose. This is a must read for all Christians. Learn more by following this link: Possess-the-Vision-at-Amazon

Entering The Truth Of The Tabernacle

The Tabernacle Courtyard

The Tabernacle Courtyard


In our previous postings we have communicated how the Tabernacle Courtyard is prophetic of Jesus Christ. The Courtyard foretells the blood sacrifice required of Jesus as payment for our sins on the cross. It also communicates that we must look at ourselves in light of the prefect model of Jesus. We must compare our actions and words to His since He is the Son of God and led a perfect life. In doing these things we enter into a relationship of grace with God. This fundamental relationship with God prepares us for a closer and more intimate relationship with Him. It prepares us for a relationship of empowerment, which is presented below in the section entitled “Jesus is the Truth.”

 

The Tabernacle Courtyard

The Tabernacle Courtyard

 

 

Our immediate objective is to present a review of the material that covers the Tabernacle as it pertains to the prophesy of Jesus Christ. We start with one of the most famous statements of Jesus, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.”  

The Way the Truth and the Life

 

The foundation for all of the work we will present on this subject is based upon the, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life,” statement made by Jesus. What we have discovered is that these names, (the way, the truth and the life), are the names used to identify the entry ways into the Tabernacle chambers. “The Way,” for example is the name of the gate that leads into the Tabernacle Courtyard. “The Truth” is the name of the door into the Holy Place, and in like manner, “the Life,” is the passage into the Most Holy place of God. For a more detailed explanation of all of this please follow this link Jesus-is-the-Way-the-Truth-and-the-Life.

 

The Tabernacle Gate

The Tabernacle Gate

 

 

Another part of the work covered to date is that the Tabernacle is the place where God promised to dwell with His people in accordance with the covenant He made with them. Given that the chambers of the Tabernacle must be entered in sequence, what we have uncovered is that a progressively closer relationship with God is achieved as each new chamber is entered. So for example, the Tabernacle Courtyard is the chamber where a relationship of grace (forgiveness of sin) is achieved. The Holy Place brings us to a relationship of enlightenment (purpose and path) and empowerment (spiritual warfare), while the Most Holy place offers a relationship of covenant (dwelling under the protection of God).

 

Priest in the Holy Place of the Tabernacle

Priest in the Holy Place of the Tabernacle

 

 

To date our investigation of the Tabernacle has been limited to looking at the Courtyard, the first of the three chambers of the Tabernacle. As a part of this investigation we have presented the objects found in the Courtyard, identified their purpose and attributes and then correlated them to the words and deeds of Jesus. So, for example, we found that grace is achieved in the Courtyard by way of blood sacrifice, in which a Lamb is slaughtered and then burned on the Brazen Alter (see details at Jesus-the-Brazen-Laver.) We can then associate Jesus, the “Lamb of God,” to this object by correlating it to the sacrifice and death of Jesus on the cross. This sacrifice of Jesus was required for the forgiveness of our sins. We conclude form all of this that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Brazen Altars prophesy and the entire Courtyard of the Tabernacle for that matter. This association between Jesus and the Tabernacle Courtyard should also help us to better understand what Jesus meant when He said “I am The Way.” Jesus meant that He is the way toward a relationship of grace. For more information about this please click on the following links to Jesus-is-the-Way and Becoming-like-Jesus-the-Way.

 

Jesus on the Cross

Jesus on the Cross

 

 

Our investigation of the Courtyard is also presented an examination of the Brazen Laver, which is the other object found in the Tabernacle Courtyard (for more details go to Jesus-the-Brazen-Laver.) The Laver is a water basin used for purification prior to entering the next chamber (the Holy Place), which represented a much closer relationship with God. The process of washing at the Laver required the priest to bend over it and as he did, he would be able to see his own reflection in its polished surface. The priests believed that when they looked into the Laver, that they saw themselves as God saw them. As a result their hidden faults were uncovered and they earnestly contemplated their worthiness to enter into a closer relationship with God in the Holy Place. This reflection resulted in a change in heart, which is necessary to enter into the Holy Place.

 

The Brazen Laver In Front Of The Holy Place

 

We then connected the function and attributes of the Laver with the life and words of Jesus. We used the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan as a fulfillment of prophesy of the Laver (for more information go to the-Laver-and-the-Holy-Spirit-of-Jesus.) We also saw how the washing of His disciple’s feet became a reflection of their readiness to enter into His ministry. In general we conclude that all of the words and deeds of Jesus are occasions for reflection and opportunities for change in preparation for ministry. Therefore our reading of scriptures that contain the words and deeds of Jesus are opportunities for reflection about our nature and how we stack up to in comparison to Jesus, our model of perfection. These occasions are opportunities to conform our heart and mind to Him as we pursue a more intimate relationship with God. For more detailed information about this click on the following link Applying-the-attributes-of-Jesus-our-Laver. 

 

So, by passing through “the Way” and into the Tabernacle Courtyard we find that our sins are forgiven and that our nature is changed as we seek to move into a deeper relationship with the Lord in the Holy Place. In a like manner we find that by passing through Jesus that our sins are forgiven and our nature is changed as we read His word and seek to become like Him. When this metamorphosis is complete we become ready to move to the next level by entering the passageway called “The Truth.”

 

The Truth leads us into the Holy Place of God where our pathway with the Lord is enlightened, our relationship with the Father is established and we become empowered for spiritual warfare. We are ready to provide a deeper assessment of, “Jesus the Truth.”  

Jesus is “The Truth”

 

We are now about to pass through the second door of the Tabernacle, the one called “the Truth”, that leads us into the Holy Place of God. To see a diagram of the Tabernacle chambers we encourage you to go to the following web page now and then return once you have viewed it (or open it in a separate browser so that you can read along while also looking at the picture): 

 

Diagram of the Tabernacle, Basic Layout of the Moses tabernacle  

 

In order to get a big picture view of where we are headed in the over all scheme of things we start with a review: 

 

When we look into the structure of the Tabernacle (like in the diagram above) we find that it has three major chambers. As we pass through the door of each successive chamber we find that God is presenting us with an expanded, more intimate relationship with Him.  

 

We have already discussed the Way and the Courtyard above. We have identified that it presents us with a relationship of grace and is a place of reflection and change. When Jesus claimed to be the Way, He is claiming to be the door that we must pass through to achieve to a relationship of grace.  

 

Our presentation of, “Jesus the Truth,” address the Holy Place of the Tabernacle and we plan to demonstrate that it is a place to achieve a relationship of empowerment. The passageway to the Holy Place is called “the Truth,” and so when Jesus claims to be “the Truth,” He is claiming to be the passageway to a relationship of empowerment.  

 

In subsequent postings we will plan to present the Most Holy place and in doing so, we plan to present a case that proves that a relationship of covenant is possible for us there. The veil to the Most Holy place is called “the Life”, so when Jesus claims to be the Life, He is claiming to be the veil to the Most Holy Place and a relationship of covenant with God.

 

The Priest in the Most Holy Place of the Tabernacle

The Priest in the Most Holy Place of the Tabernacle

 

The relationship between the Tabernacle and Jesus is that Jesus claimed to be “the Way, the Truth and the Life” and the doors of the Tabernacle chambers are called, “the way, the truth and the life.” Therefore, if Jesus is the Christ, we will find the same attributes and functions in the life of Jesus as we do in the Tabernacle. We will find that understanding the Tabernacle will also help us to better understand the nature of Jesus such that we can better emulate His life. All of this will help us to move into a closer relationship with God and do the work that He gave us to do on this earth. So, with this brief review in place let up proceed by looking at the physical properties of the Holy Place of the Tabernacle. 

Describing the Holy Place

 

The Holy Place is found inside the sanctuary tent that is found in the center of the Courtyard. The door to the tent is a curtain that is called, “The Truth.” By passing through the Truth one enters a room called, “The Holy Place.”  

 

Prior to entering into the Holy Place it is necessary to first pass through the Courtyard and the Way (reference the diagram). The reason for this is that purity must be achieved prior to entering into ministry in God’s Holy place. Entry into the Holy Place is the exclusive privilege of the priest, as no others are allowed inside. Therefore, God expects our purity to be achieved in the Courtyard. Our sins must be forgiven and our sinful nature addressed.  

 

Like the other compartments of the Tabernacle, the sanctuary was designed by God who passed the specifications directly to His servant Moses:  

 

And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. According to all that I show you, that is, the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings, just so you shall make it. (Exodus 25:8-9)

 

As a result the sanctuary is both very practical and at the same time, very prophetic of the coming Christ.  

 

The Holy Place uses the east 30 feet of the sanctuary tent and contains three significant objects. It contains the Table of Showbread on the north side;

The Table of Showbread

The Table of Showbread

the Golden Lampstand on the south side;

The Golden Lampstand which was present in old temple but damaged, was restored to its original form, kept outside the temple area.

The Golden Lampstand which was present in old temple but damaged, was restored to its original form, kept outside the temple area.

and the Altar of Incense on the west side.

The Golden Altar is directly in front of the Most Holy Place

The Golden Altar is directly in front of the Most Holy Place

It should also be noted that the Golden Altar of Incense is placed directly in front of the vale (entrance) to the Most Holy Place. From this location a priest ministering at the Golden Altar can view the Ark of the Covenant and the Mercy Seat by simply looking through the semi-transparent vale. We will cover all of this later when we present the section called The Life. For now we will proceed to address the objects found in the Holy Place. 

 

One major difference between the objects found in the Holy Place and Courtyard is that all the objects in the Holy place are made of gold, while all the objects in the Courtyard are made of brass. This is significant because one who stands in the Holy Place is in a more favored relationship with God than one who is in the Courtyard. The gold used in the Holy Place signifies the special presence of God. When we look at the uses of the word “gold” in the bible we find that gold was used to symbolize God’s Word, the wisdom of God, the knowledge that emanates from God, the living favor of God, and truth. All of these attributes are to be associated with the Holy Place and with Christ Jesus as well. 

Our next posting will address the details of the Table of Showbread, the Golden Lampstand and the Alter of Burnt Offerings.

Read my amazing true life story about how the forces of good and evil battle for my life and the vision that God has given me. My book, “Possess the Vision,” communicates my supernatural experiences and as a result, provides insight into the realm of the spiritual warfare that is raging for our souls and our purpose. This is a must read for all Christians. Learn more by following this link: Possess-the-Vision-at-Amazon

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The Laver And The Holy Spirit Of Jesus

Filed under: Brazen Laver, Jesus, spirtual warfare, Tabernacle, Tabernacle Courtyard, The Truth, The Way — 1 Comment
October 29, 2007

In our last posting, we introduced the Brazen Laver and compared its attributes and purpose to those of the life of Jesus. Based on the material presented, we claimed that the Laver was prophetic of Christ. From this point forward, we will attempt to develop a deeper understanding of how Jesus fulfills the promise of this component of the Tabernacle.

Being Born of the Spirit

In one of His teachings Jesus raises the subject of being born again, which is being born of water and spirit. Jesus introduces this subject in the following passage:

Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:3-7)

Notice that being born again is necessary to see or enter into the kingdom of God. Therefor, the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan (previously covered) was a necessary foundation of what we must do to enter the kingdom of God.

Reach out for thr Living Water

 

Everlasting life is achieved by reaching out for the living waters that Jesus provides in the form of the Holy Spirit of God. Jesus is the source of these living waters in the same way that the Laver is the container for the water used by the priests for purification prior to ministry. In the following passage, Jesus uses water (living water) in a symbolic way of the Holy Spirit:

Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” The woman said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?” Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.” (John 4:10-15)

The Grand Commission – Go out Baptizing

After Jesus’ death and resurrection, Jesus visited the disciples several times prior to His ascension into heaven. On one such occasion, He gave His disciples what many call the grand commission. What we are about to uncover is that baptism is a very significant part of the grand commission.

Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. (Matthew 28:16-20)

Jesus is the Brazen Laver

 

As stated previously, the purpose of the Laver was to provide a place of cleansing prior to any priest entering into ministry. For example, cleansing was required prior to entering into the Holy Place of God for ministry.

In addition, the shape of the Laver required the priest to bend over it and look into the water while washing. Since the inside surface of the Laver consisted of a highly polished brass, the priest was able to see his own reflection as he washed. Many believe that he would see himself as God saw him. If this is the case, then the prist would have to contemplate their readyness to enter into ministry in the Holy Place of God. He would have to examine his worthiness to enter into a closer relationship with the almighty God. Finally, this reflection would have been the motivation necessary to initiate the permenent change necessary for a Godly ministry.

Jesus is our Laver because it is in reading the scriptures, and especially in the words of Jesus, that we come to examine how our heart and compassion for people compare to those of our Lord. The words of Jesus are the vehicle through which we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to see ourselves as we truly are. His words convict us in our heart to change our nature. By reading about His life and His words, we become purified and empowered by the Holy Spirit and are changed. We are changed in body, mind, heart and spirit into a new creation[i]. We seek a deeper relationship with God and the desire for evil is removed from our nature.

Comparing the Brazen Laver to Jesus

 

For us who live today, the process of moving into a closer relationship with God is much the same as it was for the priests who served at the Tabernacle. It starts with a genuine yearning for a closer relationship with God and is often accompanied with the remorse for our sins and the wonderment of how God could have been so loving as to set us free from the errors of our ways. So, while the Tabernacle priest saw his reflection in the clear waters of the Laver, we see ourselves by looking into the pure words and actions of Jesus as presented in scripture. It is in this self realization that the Holy Spirit pulls on our heart to reach out for God with an honest and open heart to beg for forgiveness and to seek to change.

One reason that Jesus was sent by the Father was to reveal God’s truth. His life has served as an example for the disciples who lived over 2000 years ago, as it does for us also today. The pathway to ministry is clearly seen through the life and words of Jesus as presented in the scriptures of the Bible. In effect, we require the reflection of God’s perfect mirror in order to see ourselves for what we really are. This is because we are often blinded to our own shortcomings until we look into His perfect deeds, words, and compassionate heart, and contrast them to our own. This can only happen when we are drawn by God into a relationship with Him that fills our hearts with a desire to go deeper. When we do our hearts will yearn for purity out of a desire to love and please God.

When we look at the life of Jesus, we find how far we fall short of the mark. We see how radically different the actions of Jesus are from our own. We see that Jesus conveyed perfect love in His actions, and we are humbled as our short comings are revealed.

We repent as we reflect about our life, heart, mind, and the quality of our walk with Him. We repent as we reflect upon what we are and seek to become what God wants us to be. We repent as we examine ourselves — what we say and do. We repent as we prepare ourselves to move into a spiritual relationship with God. We change through the conforming[ii] of our mind[iii] to be like Him.

This repenting is the same as our purification at the Brazen Laver. It is empowered by the Holy Spirit who leads us into these self-discoveries and in a direction of becoming a changed person. Our hearts burn to become what God wants us to become — sons of the living God. We keep coming back for reflection and cleansing in an effort to achieve spiritual purity. This purity enables us to become spiritual priests that can enter into Gods presence in the Holy Place.

One critical component associated with the purity achieved through baptism in the Holy Spirit is that it necessary for haveing victory over the devil, which is the primary purpose of ministry. This is reinforced by the scripture about Jesus being led into the wilderness by the spirit and immediately entered into spiritual warfare with the devil. The devil tempted Jesus with everything he had in this world but Jesus had no desire for the things of this world. He was spiritually pure, which means that He had no evil desire for the things of this world in Him. There is a lesson here for everyone who contemplates entering into ministry. Any little flaw can cause us to stumble and fail to be effective against the devil, and as a consequence, in our ministry. Jesus’ ministry started with physical depravity and testing. Know that you will be thoroughly tested as well. Jesus’ victory over the temptations of Satan preceded the message and acts of His ministry. Know that you must be victorious over Satan prior to being successful in ministry as well.

In summary, Jesus is the fulfilled prophesy of the Brazen Laver for several reasons. First of all, only by looking directly into Him are we able to see ourselves with clarity. Secondly, as we repent for falling short of the mark, He cleanses us in His own blood and, therein, forgives us of our sin. Thirdly, as we seek purity and thereby change to become like Him, we receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit that empowers our change and supports our ministry.

In our next posting we will look at the specific instances in Jesus’ life that support this message.

[i] 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

[ii] 1 Pet 1:14 – 16 as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”

[iii] Ephesians 4:22 – 24 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

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