Category: The Truth


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. 

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
Comment

Jesus Is Victorious Over An Evil Establishment

Filed under: Jesus, Tabernacle, The Golden Altar, The Holy Place, The Truth — Leave a comment
December 31, 2007

Jesus Is Victorious Over An Evil Establishment

Another example of spiritual warfare was demonstrated when Jesus confronted the scribes and Pharisees. These leaders of the Jewish faith were more interested in defending their positions of political power and influence that seeking the kingdom of God: The following statement taken from John supports this notion:

Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him. But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things Jesus did. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, “What shall we do? For this Man works many signs. If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation.” (John 11:45-48)

So now, let’s take a look at another example of the spiritual warfare of Jesus:

Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do. For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments. They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’ But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren. Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ. But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves. Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it.’ Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold? And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obliged to perform it.’ Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift? Therefore he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by all things on it. He who swears by the temple, swears by it and by Him who dwells in it. And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.’ Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ guilt. Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell? Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.” (Matthew 23:1-39)

This dissertation by Jesus reflects His unfavorable views of the religious leaders of His time. He instructs the people to follow their commandments because they speak from the scriptures, but he warns them not imitate their evil actions. In speaking the truth that came from the Father (Jesus only spoke of what he saw the Father do62), Jesus battles the forces of evil that live inside of these evil leaders. His repeated conflicts with them culminated in their actions to kill Him. In time, the death of Jesus on the cross would result in the ultimate victory over the stranglehold of evil that had engulfed the world at that time. One again, Jesus is victorious in spiritual warfare.

The spiritual warfare of Jesus threatened the establishment and the status quo. Jesus’ weapons of spiritual warfare were words of truth that came straight from the Father. In the example above His words had the profound effect of de-legitimizing the Scribes and Pharisees as God’s true representatives on earth. After all, why would the Jewish people believe in the Scribes and the Pharisees after they herd the words of Jesus and saw the mighty works performed at His hand? These religious leaders were right; Jesus was a threat to both their position and their authority. Their desire to kill Him was evidence of the evil in their hearts.

Now that we have presented the spiritual warfare between Jesus and the religious leaders of His day, let’s correlate them to Golden Altar and the other object found inside the Holy Place of the Tabernacle. Starting with the Golden Altar we recall that the smoke given off by burning incense was viewed as prayers going up to heaven by the Jewish people. Prayers proved mighty in bringing down the forces of evil. Therefore, it is appropriate for us to say that Jesus is our Golden Altar. His prayers are heard by the Father in heaven. We know this because in the verse above Jesus has been enlightened at the Golden Lamp Stand with the truth about these religious leaders. Furthermore, He knows the purpose of His ministry and the steps that He must take. He has an intimate relationship with the Father that was established at the Table of Show Bread as we discussed in our posting on “Jesus the bread of Life”. Most importantly however, He is the Golden Altar because He extends the sweet aroma that goes up to the Lord, to the words and actions of His life. His rebuke of these leaders is a sweet aroma to the Father in heaven. His actions become the prayer that is effective in bringing down the forces of evil. His actions are His spiritual warfare, which is a great lesson for many of us.

In our next post we will examine yet another example of the spiritual warfare of Jesus, namely His victory obtained by dying on the cross.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
Comment

Jesus Casts Out Demons

Filed under: Christian Love, Jesus, Tabernacle, The Golden Altar, The Holy Of Holies, The Holy Place, The Truth — Leave a comment
December 26, 2007

Jesus Casts Out Demons

We have been discussing the correlation between the Tabernacle of God and the life of Jesus. Recently we introduced the Holy Place of the Tabernacle and the objects that are contained inside it. Our latest focus has been upon the Golden Altar of Incense, which we have introduced as a place of spiritual warfare. Our message today presents “the casting out of demons” by Jesus as yet another example of spiritual warfare. We start with a passage from the book of Luke:

For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had often seized him, and he was kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles; and he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the wilderness. Jesus asked him, saying, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” because many demons had entered him. And they begged Him that He would not command them to go out into the abyss. Now a herd of many swine was feeding there on the mountain. So they begged Him that He would permit them to enter them. And He permitted them. Then the demons went out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the lake and drowned. When those who fed them saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country. Then they went out to see what had happened, and came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. (Luke 8:29 -35)

In this case it is evident that the man is controlled by the demonic forces that lived inside of him. It is also evident that the demons knew Jesus as well as what their fate might be in the presence of His power (banishment to the abyss). For this reason they negotiated a more appealing punishment (living in pigs). Once again Jesus is victorious over the forces of evil as He demonstrated the Holy Spirit power of spiritual warfare. He left us this and the other examples so that we would know the types of victory possible when we aggressively seek Him at the Golden Altar of Incense. The Holy Spirit of Jesus is our Golden Altar of Incense who is with us when we live in the Holy Place.

Our next posting will present another example of the spiritual warfare that is possible to those who can enter into the Holy Place of the Tabernacle that is Christ Jesus.

May God bless you all.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Comment

Jesus Heals The Sick And The Lame

Filed under: Jesus, Tabernacle, The Golden Altar, The Holy Place, The Truth — Leave a comment
December 14, 2007

Jesus Heals The Sick And The Lame

To put things in context we are discussing the Tabernacle and how the objects found in it are prophetic of Jesus Christ. To date we have covered the objects in the Tabernacle Courtyard as well as the objects found in the Holy Place of God. To summarize, the Courtyard is a place of grace. In it forgiveness of sin can be obtained. In addition, it is a place of cleansing ones self in preparation for a closer relationship with God. This closer relationship with God is achieved by entering into the Holy Place. The Holy Place is a place of enlightenment and empowerment. In it our pathway to the Father is illuminated and we are strengthened by the Spirit for spiritual warfare. All of this is achieved through prayer, as so the Holy Place is a place of prayer. We have previously discussed the Golden Lamp Stand that illuminates the Holy Place as well as the Table of Show Bread that signifies a personal relationship with God. In our prior two posting we initiated a discussion about the Golden Alter. In it we indicated that the things burned on the Altar were to produce sweet incense for the Lord, and that the smoke and incense were thought to be the prayers of the people going up into heaven. Therefore, the Golden Alter is the center of spiritual warfare through prayer. In today’s posting we will present some examples of the life of Jesus that support our thesis that His life was a continuous form spiritual warfare. These will in turn lead to a conclusion that Jesus is our Golden Alter of Incense. In other words, prayers that come through Him get to the Father and are effective in bringing down the forces of evil in this world. If you would like to get caught up to date on all of the above, the past ten postings will follow this one on this web page. In addition, most of these subjects can be found in the “Pages” section of the site, under the title “Seeking Jesus”. You can like directly to this section by clicking the following hyperlink: https://possessthevision.wordpress.com/seeking-jesus/ Now on to the subject of this posting, Jesus is our Golden Altar of Incense. Today we investigate the spiritual warfare that has to do with Healing.

Jesus Heals the Sick and the Lame

Throughout His ministry, Jesus is victorious over the power of evil. Many of these victories came in the form of healings. The scripture that follows is one example in which Jesus frees a man who is held in the paralysis of his own sin:

Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had. Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?” The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.” Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked. And that day was the Sabbath. The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, “It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed.” He answered them, “He who made me well said to me, ‘Take up your bed and walk.’“ Then they asked him, “Who is the Man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?” But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place. Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.” (John 5:2-14)

In this case, Jesus is very clear about the relationship between the man’s bondage and sin. This correlation signifies that the gratification of sin is outweighed by the bondage it imposes on our body, mind and spirit. The devil, who seeks to abort your purpose, your mission and your Godly identity, sets traps for you in an effort to destroy you. This is what the devil attempted with Jesus in the wilderness. The reason is that the devil hates all of God’s people and seeks to render them incapable of achieving the mission that God created them to accomplish.

When we look back at our example, we see an example of a man who is healed after being disabled for most of his adult life. The spiritual victory was manifest in the dramatic change of his physical abilities. But the physical condition of the man was only symptomatic of his spiritual condition. Jesus said to the man, sin no more less something worse come upon you. The implication is that the healing was a result of being forgiven of sin. Miraculous healing is a victory in spiritual warfare and spiritual warfare is fought at the Golden Altar of Incense, which is Jesus Christ. Only through Him can we have victory over evil.

Thank God for Jesus, who broke the bondage the devil once held over us. Jesus, who was the only sin free man, defeated the devil on the cross with His own blood. While on this earth, He defeated the devil in every encounter. These are the kinds of victories that result only from spiritual warfare. Spiritual warfare means taking dominion and defeating the forces of evil through the power of the Holy Spirit. This is the same Holy Spirit power that Jesus demonstrated here on this earth. Most importantly, the spirit of Jesus is the Holy Spirit and it is available to those who are able to enter into God’s Holy Place of prayer. It is manifest by the people who are illuminated by the light of the Golden Lamp Stand to see the truth about God, the steps that they must take in ministry and their purpose in life. It is manifest by people who can develop an intimate relationship with the Father at the table of Showbread. In addition, it is for those who are able to enter into spiritual warfare at the Golden Altar of Incense. Going to these objects in Jesus, who is our spiritual Tabernacle empowers our ministry. This is precisely the reason for this section; to demonstrate the nature of spiritual warfare. In the above example Jesus demonstrates spiritual power over sin and illness. He demonstrates the power to break the bonds of evil that block people from achieving their purpose in life.

Our next posting will explore the spiritual warfare of Casting Out Demons. Until then, may Gods blessings be upon you.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
Comment

Jesus Is The Golden Altar Of Incense

Filed under: Jesus, Tabernacle, The Golden Altar, The Holy Place, The Truth — 2 Comments
December 12, 2007

Jesus Is The Golden Altar If Incense

To put things in context we are discussing the Tabernacle and how the objects found in it are prophetic of Jesus Christ.

The Tabernacle Courtyard

The Tabernacle Courtyard

To date we have covered the objects in the Tabernacle Courtyard as well as the objects found in the Holy Place of God.

Priest in the Holy Place of the Tabernacle

Priest in the Holy Place of the Tabernacle

To summarize, the Courtyard is a place of grace. In it forgiveness of sin can be obtained. In addition, it is a place of cleansing ones self in preparation for a closer relationship with God. This closer relationship with God is achieved by entering into the Holy Place. The Holy Place is a place of enlightenment and empowerment. In it our pathway to the Father is illuminated and we are strengthened by the Spirit for spiritual warfare. All of this is achieved through prayer, as so the Holy Place is a place of prayer. We have previously discussed the Golden Lamp Stand that illuminates the Holy Place;

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.

as well as the Table of Show Bread that signifies a personal relationship with God.

The Table of Showbread

The Table of Showbread

In our previous posting we initiated a discussion about the Golden Alter.

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

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

In it we indicated that the things burned on the Altar were to produce sweet incense for the Lord, and that the smoke and incense were thought to be the prayers of the people going up into heaven. Therefore, the Golden Alter is the center of spiritual warfare through prayer. In today’s posting we will present some examples of the life of Jesus that support our thesis that His life was a continuous form spiritual warfare. These will in turn lead to a conclusion that Jesus is our Golden Alter of Incense. In other words, prayers that come through Him get to the Father and are effective in bringing down the forces of evil in this world.

If you would like to get caught up to date on all of the above, the past ten postings will follow this one on this web page. In addition, most of these subjects can be found in the “Pages” section of the site, under the title “Seeking Jesus”. You can like directly to this section by clicking the following hyperlink:

https://possessthevision.wordpress.com/seeking-jesus/

Now on to the subject of this posting, Jesus is our Golden Altar of Incense.

Jesus Resists the Devil’s Temptation

The devils temptation of Jesus in the desert is a classical example of spiritual warfare. The goal of the devil was persuade Jesus to renounce His identity (the Father said He was the Son of God) and His purpose on earth (His mission to save us all). Interestingly, the weapon that Jesus uses is the Word of God quoted from scripture. This is an interesting lesson because this is exactly what the devil will attempt to achieve with us all. He will try to get us to give up on the fact that we are sons of the living God and that we were all born with a unique purpose in life. More on this later, for now let’s drill down on some supporting material for the above statements.

Let us start with the identity of Jesus. If you remember Jesus received confirmation of His identity when the Father called Him, “My Beloved Son,” as He was baptized in the Jordan. There are other examples but they came after the temptation of Jesus, so we will forgo them for now.

In terms of His mission on earth we reference the words of John the Baptist, who when he saw Jesus proclaimed; “Behold the Lamb of God”. Based on our previous discussion about the Courtyard of the Tabernacle, we know that the Lamb was slain and its blood sprinkled on the Brazen Altar for the forgiveness of sin. Therefore, His mission was well known as well.

Some very important point must be noted here. The spiritual warfare of the devil came immediately after Jesus was baptized in the Holy Spirit, just prior to His entering into ministry. Also, Jesus initiated the attack as the Spirit led Him into the desert for testing. This leading by the Holy Spirit suggests that victory over the devil is necessary for proceed into ministry. Another key point is that the attack came when Jesus was at His weakest from fasting:

When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’“ 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 3:16 – 4:11)

So, all who take up the cross of Jesus can expect that the Holy Spirit will lead us into spiritual warfare and that they must be victorious to proceed into ministry. We must overcome all temptation and the desires of this world like Jesus did. Our intelligence, hard work, capability and desire will not offset any lust for the world or the things in it. The weapons of this world, be they the power of persuasion or military might, are useless in spiritual battles. We must demonstrate the ability to resist the temptations of the world prior to moving on to addressing our mission.

The spiritual warfare initiated by Jesus characterized His entire ministry right up to His ultimate victory over Satan on the cross. We should expect our ministry to be the same.

In our next posting we will present even more examples of how Jesus is our Golden Alter of Incense. Until then, may God bless every one of you.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
Comment

Jesus And The Golden Alter Of Incense

Filed under: Jesus, Jesus the Golden Altar, Jesus the Holy Place, Jesus the Tabernacle, Tabernacle, The Golden Altar, The Holy Place, The Truth — Leave a comment
December 6, 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

The Book Cover

The Book Cover

Jesus And The Golden Altar Of Incense

The Tabernacle Courtyard

The Tabernacle Courtyard

So, now that we have studied the Table of Show Bread and the Golden Lamp Stand, we can start to see that the Holy place of God is a place of prayer. The Table of Showbread signifies communing with the Lord in a very personal way through prayer. It further signifies eating the Bread of Life that enables us to become more like Jesus, our Lord and Savior. It also signifies giving thanks to the Lord who provides our daily bread.

The Table of Showbread

The Table of Showbread

The Golden Lamp Stand on the other hand, signifies the illumination of our steps toward the Kingdom of God. Again, this illumination comes through prayer that brings us communication from God that guide us in our direction and otherwise empowers us with the truth.

lampstand

This being said, we turn our attention toward the Golden Altar of Incense where we will further reinforce this concept of the Holy Place being a place of prayer. In the case of the Golden Altar however, prayer takes the form of the spiritual warfare that leads us toward overcoming the forces of evil.

Priest in the Holy Place of the Tabernacle

In this section our plan is to communicate scriptures that support the fact that Jesus is the living Golden Altar of Incense that came down from heaven. To support this proposition we will use His dieing on the cross, as the spiritual warfare that defeated the devil and regained the dominion that man lost over the earth. The result of this victory in the spirit world is that we are no longer under the bondage of the devil but rather have domination over the forces of evil. This is exactly where spiritual warfare comes into play. After all, Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father and will remain seated until His enemies are made His foot stool. This means that we must partake in spiritual warfare like Jesus did.

But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. (Hebrews 10:12-13)

Prior to addressing the core issues however, we must first learn a bit more about the Golden Altar of Incense.

In shape, the Golden Altar of Incense is a smaller version of the Brazen Altar. They differ however in their purpose and how they are used. The objects that are burned on the Golden Altar are limited to the items that produce sweet incense to the Lord (considered to be prayer by the Jewish people). As a result, the items burned on the Brazen Altar are not burned on the Golden Altar nor are they even allowed in the Holy Place. The blood of the sin offering however is sprinkled on the Golden Altar once each year for atonement of the people. This sprinkling is prophetic of the blood of the Christ that was shed at His crucifixion to achieve atonement for the people and victory over the forces of evil. For more information on the Golden Alter please go to the following link: http://www.bible-history.com/tabernacle/TAB4The_Golden_Altar_of_Incense.htm. To get an idea of where the Golden Alter is positioned inside the Holy Place please go to this link: http://www.tgm.org/URTheTempleOfHS.html.

In our next post we will look at examples of how Jesus is our Golden Alter of Incense. Until then, may God bless you all.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Comment

Jesus Is The Light Of The World

Filed under: Jesus, Tabernacle, The Golden Lamp Stand, The Holy Place, The Truth — Leave a comment
November 30, 2007

Jesus Is The Light Of The World

In our previous posting we introduced the Golden Lamp Stand as one of the objects found inside the Holy Place of the Tabernacle. We identified that the purpose of the Lamp Stand is to illuminate the bread found on the Table of Show Bread. We also demonstrated that this bread is symbolic of the Bread of Life, which in turn, is Jesus our Lord and Savior.

As in our postings about the Table of Show Bread, we will initiate our analysis by looking at what the words of Jesus have to say about His identity. We will then present a series of events that reveal how the truth of this statement was supported in the form of miracles.

Here are the words of Jesus declaring to be the Light of the World:

Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” (John 8:12)

By claiming to be the Light of the World, Jesus is proclaiming that He is the living Lamp Stand that came down from heaven. After all, Jesus came to earth to help us see that He is the Bread of Life, the Christ and the Son of God.

Here is a scripture that supports the proposition that Jesus is the Light of the World:

Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” (Matthew 17:1-5)

Jesus is the Light of the World because He illuminates the pathway to the Father, which He did for His disciples in the above scripture.

The Principles of the Light of the World

In looking at the life of Jesus as the Light of the World, we find several key traits that can be used in molding our own lives to that of Christ Jesus. One such trait is to illuminate the pathway to the Father to others, just as Jesus did. Being a light to others means that our good works should be visible to others so that the goodness of God is clearly seen. Our lives should enable them to understand what we are and what we believe. Therefore, those around us will not be surprised that we are a Christian. We should be a light to others so that they will not stumble in the darkness, but rather, have the everlasting light of Jesus. Read the words of Jesus in regard to becoming a light for others:

You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:14-6)

In this scripture Jesus passes the purpose of the Lamp Stand on to His disciples who are to be held on high to dispense the light of Gods own Son to everyone in the world. The key principle is that it is the mission of every Christian to be light to those around us. We must illuminate the truth that God gives to our fellow man. Like the Golden Lamp Stand we must illuminate the Table of Showbread and the Holy Place of God. Therefore we must illuminate Jesus who is the light of the world, the bread of life, the only begotten Son of God. We must illuminate the fact that Jesus came to tell us the Fathers Truth, that He came to save us from our own sin and that He is the Savior of the world.

Another principle discovered at the Golden Lamp Stand is to become enlightened through prayer in the Holy Place of God. Jesus turned to prayer to seek guidance from the Father and we should do likewise. It is critical that we get our guidance in the Holy place. The following passage is a good example of Jesus getting His direction from the Father through prayer:

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.” (Matthew 26:36-41)

This is what coming to the Golden Lamp Stand was all about. In this example Jesus is getting directions from the Father that seem counter intuitive and illogical to our earthly mind, yet they are very effective in achieving God’s purpose. As in Jesus’ case this guidance came through prayer. It is prayer that comes once we are inside the Holy Place that illuminates our pathway. In addition, remember that the seven globes of the Lamp Stand represent the perfect vision of the Father. It is this all knowing vision that enables the Father to guide us when we pray an enable us to setting our course as well as avoid obstacles. This guidance is essential to proceeding effectively toward our mission.

So, we as imitators of God seek to become more like Jesus who is the Golden Lamp Stand, in the following ways:

Enter into the Holy Place in your Prayer Life

We must move from the Outer Court and into the Holy Place of the inner courtyard. We need to get past our sinful nature that drives us back to the outer court yard begging for forgiveness. To enter into enlightened prayer in the Holy Place we must become a fundamentally changed people who can live with a pure heart, not desiring the world or anything in it.

Your prayers in the Holy Place fill the bowls of the Lamp Stand with the oil that illuminates Jesus, the Bread of Life and enables you to see the truth (after all you have passed through the door call the Truth). Your prayer will illuminate your walk with God and the anointing oil of the Lord will cover you such that you can be a light unto others.

Seek God for Direction

Our prayer time then becomes a time of communication. We seek closeness with God and God in turn illuminates our path.

Be Visible

Our actions and life need to be visible to others. The world must know that we follow in the steps directed by our Father. Do not be dismayed if the things that God shows you seem to be impossible. The best way to be visible is to set out and attempt the impossible and proclaim it to the world. After all, if we only attempt what we can achieve then where does God fit in? He certainly gets no glory from our independent actions. But if we undertake the impossible in the name of God, then God will support our actions with miracles that make the impossible possible. Others see what God has done and are impacted by their experience. Most importantly, God gets the glory that He justly deserves.

Be a Light to Others

Let your actions, words and life be an inspiration to others. When they see God’s favor in your life they will look to you for guidance. Point them toward Jesus. Disciple them and nurture them in the way of the Lord.

Expect Miracles to Follow the Truth from God

Speak the truth of your enlightenment to others and expect the power of God to support your action with His miraculous power through the Holy Spirit. Step out in faith, do what He puts in your heart and expect Him to do what you cannot:

So he answered and said to me: “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the LORD of hosts. ‘Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he shall bringforth the capstone With shouts of “Grace, grace to it!”“ (Zec 4:6-7)

In our next posting we will introduce the Golden Altar of Incense. May God bless you all.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
Comment

The Golden Lamp Stand And Jesus

Filed under: Jesus, Tabernacle, The Golden Lamp Stand, The Holy Place, The Truth — 10 Comments
November 26, 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

Jesus And The Tabernacle Courtyard (A review)

In our most recent postings, we have introduced the Holy Place of the Tabernacle. We identified the name of the passageway into the Holy Place as the “Truth,” and then correlated it to the “I Am the Way, the Truth and the Life” statement made by Jesus.

We also acknowledged that there are prerequisites for entering the Holy Place. One prerequisite is first passing through the Tabernacle Courtyard seeking God’s forgiveness and a restored relationship with Him. Entering the Courtyard with such a heart also required the support of a priest who burns a blood sacrifice on the Brazen Altar for the forgiveness of the sins. A second prerequisite is that only a purified priest is allowed to enter the Holy Place. This purification occurred as the priests washed at the Brazen Laver. As they did so the priests were able to see their own reflection in the mirror-like surface of the Laver. It is reported that the priests could see themselves as God saw them as they washed. This reflection enabled the priest to contemplate their worthiness to enter into the very holy and special ministry in the Holy Place. This contemplation often brought about the change necessary to enable service as a priest and to move into a much closer relationship with God than was possible in the Courtyard.

Jesus and Moses at the Transfiguration Discuss the Fulfillment of the Tabernacles Prophesy

Jesus and Moses at the Transfiguration Discuss the Fulfillment of the Tabernacle’s Prophesy

 

The major revelation of this work is that we successfully demonstrated that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Tabernacle Courtyard. It is through Him that we can develop a closer relationship with the Father. He is the high priest that we come to for the forgiveness of our sins. He is the blood sacrifice that is the payment for our sins and His cross is the Brazen Altar upon which His perfect sacrifice was offered. More than this, He is the Brazen Laver that we look into to see ourselves as God does. It is by looking into His words and His actions (as found in scripture) that we can see the truth about how God sees us. Through this reflection, our hearts are changed and our character becomes more like that of Jesus. These actions are necessary for us to move into a closer relationship with God that is found in the Holy Place (that is also found in Jesus.) This association comes with a relationship, enlightenment, and empowerment for spiritual warfare.

The Tabernacle Courtyard

The Tabernacle Courtyard

 

Therefore, if our focus is to become more like Jesus then the preparation in the Courtyard is necessary to obtain entry into the Holy Place. A crucial component of our preparation is the acceptance of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins. A second component is our genuine desire to become more like our savior Jesus.

The Table of Show Bread (A review)

We have also introduced the Holy Place of the Tabernacle and more specifically, have presented the Table of Show Bread, which is one of the objects found in the Holy Place. We have identified the entryway into the Holy Place as “the Truth” and correlated this name to the “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life” statement made by Jesus. In addition, we have correlated the Table of Show Bread to the “I Am the Bread of Life” proclamation made by Jesus. We validated this statement by presenting the miracle of the multiplication of loaves and fish to the multitude. We also communicated the words of Jesus, who said that those who eat the Bread of Life will never hunger or thirst. Our conclusion of all of this is that Jesus is the Bread of Life and that the Table of Showbread is prophetic of Jesus. Therefore, Jesus is our Table of Showbread, which is symbolic of achieving a familial relationship with the Father.

 

The Table of Showbread

The Table of Showbread

The Golden Lamp Stand

In this section, we will show that the Golden Lamp Stand is also prophetic of the coming of Jesus. We will accomplish this by presenting scriptures that support this proposition.  We conclude that Jesus is the living Lamp Stand that came down from heaven to illuminate the world with God’s Truth. So now, let’s start by learning a bit more about the Golden Lamp Stand.

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 the old temple but damaged was restored to its original form, and kept outside the temple area.

The Golden Lamp Stand is found on the south wall of the Holy place, opposite the Table of Showbread. A diagram that maps the position of the Golden Lamp Stand is presented below:

Tabernacle Diagram

The purpose of the Lamp Stand is to illuminate the Holy place, and more specifically, the Table of Showbread and the twelve loaves which were placed on it. Its purpose therefore, is to enable us to clearly see the Bread of Life.

 

The Golden Lamp Stand is made of pure gold that has been hammered into shape. The shape of the Lamp Stand is based on a single main shaft, upon which six arms protrude, three on each side. The base also forms an arm in the center of the Lampstand, therefore, there are seven (seven represents perfection or completeness) arms in all. Each arm carried a lamp (or bowl) at its top. Each lamp was filled with oil (symbolic of the anointing of the Lord) that was burned to provide illumination. The body and arms of the lamp are covered with engraved flowers that resemble lilies, large knobs that represent pomegranates, and smaller knobs that represent almonds. These things are thought to represent the bounty of the Lord. The seven lamps at the top were also in the shape of almonds flowers. A photo of what the Lampstand likely looked like is presented above:

The light of the Lamp Stand burned perpetually in the Holy place. This was achieved by the service of the priests who refilled the lamps each evening and morning. This morning and evening process is often thought to be symbolic of our prayer life. Morning and evening prayer can keep our lamps full so that the pathway to Jesus may be illuminated.

 

Some believe that the Lamp Stand is modeled after the things in heaven and that the seven lamps represent the all-seeing eyes of the Lord. The following passage from Zechariah communicates these beliefs:

And he said to me, “What do you see?” So I said, “I am looking, and there is a lampstand of solid gold with a bowl on top of it, and on the stand seven lamps with seven pipes to the seven lamps. Two olive trees are by it, one at the right of the bowl and the other at its left.” So I answered and spoke to the angel who talked with me, saying, “What are these, my lord?” Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” And I said, “No, my lord.” So he answered and said to me: “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the LORD of hosts. ‘Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone With shouts of Grace, grace to it!  Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying: The hands of Zerubbabel Have laid the foundation of this temple; His hands shall also finish it. Then you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent Me to you. For who has despised the day of small things? For these seven rejoice to see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. They are the eyes of the LORD, Which scan to and fro throughout the whole earth. (Zec 4:2-10)

The Golden Lamp Stand, therefore, is symbolic of the eyes of the Lord who knows all things. By coming through “the Truth” and into the Holy place we commune with God. This communion enlightens us with the Truth from God. The burning Lamp Stand is symbolic of prayer that provides the illumination of God.

In our next post, we will look at the life and attributes of Jesus to determine if He is the living Lamp Stand that came down from heaven to enlighten us with the truth from heaven.

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
Comment

Applying The Attributes Of Jesus Our Table Of Showbread

Filed under: Jesus, Tabernacle, Table of Showbread, The Holy Place, The Truth, The Way — 1 Comment
November 21, 2007

Applying The Attributes Of Jesus Our Table Of Showbread

In our previous posting we presented the correlation between the attributes of the Table of Showbread and the words and actions of Christ Jesus.

To summarize, the bread placed on the Table of Showbread represented the twelve tribes of Israel, and symbolically represented an offering of God’s people to God. The bread on the table suggested an intimate relationship with God, one in which the people would commune with God just as they did with their family over a meal. The Showbread would be displayed for seven days after which it would be replaced with fresh loaves. The removed bread would then be eaten by the priests who perceived it to be spiritual food.

We then correlated the above attributes of the Table of Showbread to the words and actions of Jesus. We used Jesus’ statement, “I Am the Bread of Life” as a key connection to the Table of Showbread. We then introduced the scriptures of the multiplication of the loaves and fish as a validation to His claim to be the Bread of Life. Next we introduced the scripture in which Jesus proclaimed that anyone who ate the Bread of Life would live forever. This statement was later validated when Jesus was raised from the dead and ascended into heaven. Therefore, the Bread of Life has the power to overcome death and live with God forever. Consequently, is it certainly a spiritual food, just like the loaves eaten by the Tabernacle priests were.

Applying the Principles of Jesus the Bread of Life

In the Lords prayer, it states that the Lord’s will be done, on earth as it is in heaven[i]. Therefore, lets do as our Lord Jesus has commanded us to do by eating His body and drinking His blood symbolically by partaking in the bread and wine as they did at the last supper.

And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” (Luke 22:19)

We should honor Jesus by doing as He requested in remembrance of Him. We should take His real body and real blood in the communion as He prescribed, eating the bread and drinking the wine of the new covenant, knowing that we are eating spiritual food, and knowing that we are taking Jesus into ourselves in the process.

More that this however, through this physical act we must seek to develop the spiritual body and blood of Jesus in ourselves. This is because our spiritual body needs both nutrition and exercise to properly develop, just as our physical bodies do. We can accomplish this by reading the words of Jesus, and making them a part of us. We can then use His words by asking the Holy Sprit to make them live in our hearts, so that the Word of God becomes a part of us. By doing this we will have achieved the communion with the Lord that was prophesized at the Table of Showbread. The body and blood of Jesus will have set us free[ii] and shown us the “Way” to God, the “Truth” about God and the path to “Life” with God forevermore. Lets us therefore seek Him will all of our heart, with all of our soul, with all of our mind, with all of our strength, and with all that we are.

In doing these things we come to Jesus, the Truth, who sets us free from the bondage of our sinful ways. Our journey through the Truth brings change into our lives:

till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 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. This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: 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. Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. Be angry, and do not sin: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil. Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you. Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.” (Ephesians 4:13, 5-1)

So, we as imitators of God seek to become more like Jesus who is the Bread of Life, our Table of Showbread, in the following ways:

Eat the Body and Blood of Jesus

Eat the body and blood of Jesus in the way that our Lord prescribed at the last supper. Remember that His body is food indeed and His blood is blood in deed. Also eat the body and blood of Jesus spiritually, by absorbing the scriptures about Jesus into you heart.

Seek a Spiritual Relationship with Jesus

Seek Jesus in your prayer time and He will be manifest to you through the presence of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will enlighten you in all things so take the time to listen for His voice. Also remember to listen for the Lord’s voice and His knocking at your door.

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. (Revelation 3:20)

It is only when we open the door called “The Truth” that we can honestly eat the Bread of Life.

Become the Bread of Life for Others

As we eat the Bread of Life and grow in the Lord we will be led to say and do the things that Jesus did. As our overall behavior changes, others will be able to see the goodness of Life that is in us. By the power of the Holy Spirit the intent of the Father will come through us and be deposited in others around us. We therefore are agents of Jesus who are carrying on His mission until His return at the second coming.

In our next post we will introduce the Golden Lampstand. If you have any questions please make a comment. I look forward to hearing from you.

May the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be will all of you.

Joe Gordon


[i] Matthew6:9-11 In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread.

[ii] John 8:35 And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
Comment

Jesus The Table Of Showbread

Filed under: Jesus, Tabernacle, Table of Showbread, The Holy Place, The Truth — 4 Comments
November 16, 2007

Jesus The Table Of Showbread

In our last few post we introduced the Holy Place of the Tabernacle and proclaimed that it is prophetic of Christ Jesus. Today we are going to investigate one of the objects found in the Holy Place, namely the Table of Showbread. We are going to look at the attributes and functionality of this Tabernacle object and then compare them to the attributes and functionality demonstrated in the life of Jesus. By making these comparisons we hope to demonstrate that Jesus is our Table of Showbread. In addition, we hope that each of you will gain a better understanding of who Jesus is, so that we may be able to better imitate our Lord and Savior.

Showbread means, “Bread of face” as it was to be continually presented before God as a meal offering from the twelve tribes of Israel. The table is made of pure gold and is covered by a blue cloth upon which the loaves rested. In addition, the bread is arrayed on the top of the table in the form of two rows of six loves, each loaf representing one of the tribes of Israel. Each of the loaves is also covered with Frankincense, which was considered a precious perfume.

God did not eat the bread but rather, it remained before the Lord (or shown) for one week. On each Sabbath the priests would replace the loves with fresh ones. Once removed, the bread would be eaten by the priests and their families who perceived it to be spiritual food.

The table of Showbread is symbolic of man communing with God in a way that is similar to the way that a family communes over the dinner table. It therefore represents the establishment of a close and personal relationship with the Father. In addition, the bread is also symbolic of Gods provision, of which we are forever grateful.

In the following sections, we will proceed to make the scriptural correlations between Jesus and the Table of Showbread. We will demonstrate that the Table of Showbread prophetically points to Jesus as the Christ. We plan to demonstrate that He is our Bread of Life, our daily provision of whom we are forever grateful.

Jesus is The Bread of Life

Support for the proposition that Jesus is the Table of Showbread can be found by examining the statements and actions of His life. In the following scripture Jesus proclaimed to be the Bread of Life which is a parallel to the loaves of showbread. This proclamation is then followed with supporting signs and miracles that reinforce His statement. These signs and miracles do not simply display the power and mercy of God, but rather directly support Jesus’ claim to be the Bread of Life. The following passage taken from the book of John captures Jesus proclamation of being the Bread of Life:

Therefore they said to Him, “What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You? What work will You do? Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.” Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” Then they said to Him, “Lord, give us this bread always.” and Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.” (John 6:30-35)

In this statement Jesus claims that He is everything necessary to sustain life for those who come to Him. Shortly after His proclamations signs and miracles followed. Examine the following scripture for an example:

Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven, and a few little fish.” So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. And He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitude. So they all ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets full of the fragments that were left. Now those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children. (Matthew 15:34-38)

This miracle substantiates Jesus’ claim of being the Bread of Life. Those who came to Him that day did not hunger or thirst. Jesus demonstrated that He is the Bread of Life by feeding the multitude with vastly insufficient resources. The power of God reinforced Jesus’ claim precisely.

Here is another example: Jesus is the living Table of Showbread that came from heaven to earth. If we eat of Him who is the Bread of Life we will live forever:

Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is the bread which came down from heaven; not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever. (John 6:54-58)

Some say that we are what we eat. By eating the Bread of Life we become the bread of life for others, just like Jesus did for us. We eat the Bread of Life by reading the Word of God, and in doing so we take Jesus into ourselves. In this way we become more like Him. We also eat the Bread of Life when we partake in the communion sacrament as Jesus commanded us to do in remembrance of Him.

Of course Jesus’ claim that we should eat His flesh is a spiritual statement proclaiming everlasting life by becoming one with Him in the sprit. Think about the story of how God created the world. God spoke, his Word went out, and His Word accomplished God’s desire. Here is a passage from Genesis that proves the point:

Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. (Genesis 1:3)

The same principle is true of the words spoken by Jesus. After all, Jesus only spoke about the things that He saw and herd from the Father. So, it works the same way in our example. Jesus spoke the words the Father gave Him and those things came to pass. Jesus said He was the Bread of Life and His spoken Word accomplished God’s desire. In this case it was manifest in the feeding of the multitude and communicating His own identity.

Jesus is the Bread of Life. This statement is true both physically and spiritually. It is true that we who come to Jesus will not hunger or thirst in the flesh. It is also true that Jesus is the spiritual Bread of Life and those who follow Him will not hunger or thirst in the spirit but will have life everlasting. We eat the Bread of Life when we read about Jesus’ words and actions in scripture. When we read the words that He spoke we are literally taking the Bread of Life into ourselves and it becomes a part of us. When we receive the words that Jesus spoke they accomplish their desire in us. We eat the Bread of Life and we become what we eat. God’s Word is planted in us and we begin to fulfill God’s purpose for our lives. The more we take into ourselves, the words of the Father and the Son by the power of the Holy Spirit, the more we are transformed into God’s purpose for our lives.

Once this has transpired, we obtain the ability to speak God’s Word into the lives of others. We speak to others of what God has placed into our hearts by way of the Holy Spirit. We speak the things that we hear Him speak and we do the things that we see Him do, and in the process, others come to eat the bread of life also. They take the Bread of Life from us and integrated it into themselves, and God’s Word is achieved in them.

Jesus left all things in our hands until His return. He said the things that I do, my followers will also do, and even greater that these things will they do. We become the Way and the Truth through our actions and words.

In our next posting we will look at the ways in which we can become the bread of life to others. If you have any comments I would love to hear from you. Until next time, may the love of God be with you.


Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
Comment