Tag Archive: Bible


More on the Ark of the Covenant

Filed under: Tabernacle, The Ark Of The Covenant, The Holy Of Holies — 4 Comments
April 21, 2009

The Book Cover

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

More on the Ark of the Covenant

In our previous posting we present information pertaining to the objects found inside the Ark of the Covenant. Today we plan to present some additional information about the Ark that will be used latter to support our proclamation that Jesus is our Ark of the New Covenant.

The Ark of the Covenant Covered by Cherbim

The Portability of the Ark

Because the people often moved from place to place, the Ark was designed to be portable. For this reason it was created with rings attached to its sides that enabled it to be transported via golden poles. In fact it was also used to lead the troops into battle as they entered into the Promised Land.

The Ark Brings Down the Walls of Jerico

The Ark Brings Down the Walls of Jerico

The Placement of the Ark in the Holy Place

The Ark is positioned along the wall that is directly across from the entry way (the semi transparent veil called the Life) to the Most Holy place. In addition, this veil fills the doorway separating the Holy place from the Most Holy Place.

The result is that the Golden Altar of Incense and the smoke that rises from it (symbolizing the spiritual warfare of the people) are visible through the veil as it is positioned directly across the doorway from the Ark. Therefore, the spiritual warfare of the people (their prayers symbolized in the smoke going up from the altar) are visible to God as he sits on the Mercy Seat.

It should also be noted that it is from this Mercy Seat that God spoke to His people and bring either blessing or cursing in reaction to their obedience or disobedience to the covenant (law).

Tabernacle Priest befoe"


The Priesthood and the Ark

The Most Holy place was visited by the high priest just once each year. The high priest entered the chamber on this special occasion to sprinkle the blood of the sacrifice on the altar (see picture above) for the forgiveness of the sins of the people:

And Aaron shall make atonement upon its horns once a year with the blood of the sin offering of atonement; once a year he shall make atonement upon it throughout your generations. It is most holy to the LORD. (Exodus 30:10)

Other Names for the Ark

The Ark is called the Ark of the Covenant because it represented the Mosaic covenant between God and Israel. It was also referred to as the Ark of the Testimony as it was a continuous testimony to the covenant law housed in the Ark. It was sometimes referred to as the Ark of Thy Strength because it represented God as both powerful and a as blessing to Israel. In addition, it was often called the Holy Ark because of the sacredness and holiness it represented.

So, in summary, the Most Holy Place is the most precious of all the places found in the Tabernacle. It is so special that only the High Priest was allowed to enter into it, and then only once a year[ii]. The Most Holy Place is where God talked to Moses directly and therefore is the place where the closest of all relationships with God is established. This relationship is symbolized by covenant and the symbols of the covenant that are found inside the Ark of the Covenant (the Covenant Stones upon which the Ten Commandments are written, Aaron’s Rod and the Pot of Manna.)

Moses and the Ten Comandments

The Ark is covered by the Cherubim and the presence of God Himself, who sits directly on the Mercy Seat which is between the angels (Cherubim). This symbolizes the importance and the sacredness of the Ark and its contents.

The Ark contained the stone tablets on which were engraved the Ten Commandments, which are the foundation of the law for the people. The law reminded the nation that God’s favor would be upon them if they remained in covenant. This included the conquest and inhabitation of the Promised Land. The Ark also contained the Pot of Manna, which symbolized God’s provision of their every need as they wandered in the desert and were transformed to become totally dependent on Him. Again, the Pot of Manna is symbolic of God’s provision. The Ark also contained the Rod of Aaron which miraculously budded when the authority of Aaron’s priesthood was challenged. This symbolized Gods favor on Aaron but also is prophetic of God’s choice of Jesus as the high priest according to the order of Melchizedek. We will investigate this further in future postings.

Our next posting will present the claims of Jesus that correlate to the objects found in the Most Holy place. In addition, we will look at the miraculous actions of God that support these statements of Jesus and support the notion that He is the manifestation of the Most Holy Place, a place that can be entered through the doorway called, “the Life.”

[i] Exodus 24:12  Then the LORD said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and be there; and I will give you tablets of stone, and the law and commandments which I have written, that you may teach them.”

[ii] Exodus 30:10  And Aaron shall make atonement upon its horns once a year with the blood of the sin offering of atonement; once a year he shall make atonement upon it throughout your generations. It is most holy to the LORD.

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


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

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Inside the Ark of the Covenant

Filed under: Pot Of Manna, Tabernacle, The Ark Of The Covenant, The Covenant Stones, The Holy Of Holies, The Life, The Manna, The Most Holy Place, The Rod Of Aaron — 12 Comments
April 19, 2009

The Book Cover

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

Inside the Ark of the Covenant

 

In today’s posting we present information pertaining to the objects found inside the Ark of the Covenant. This information will be used latter as supporting material that proclaims Jesus to be our Ark of the New Covenant, the manifestation of the Most Holy Place and our passage way to both.

 

The Ark of the Covenant

 

The Ark of the Covenant symbolizes the Divine Presence of God and for this reason it is the most sacred of all the objects found in the Tabernacle. Fundamentally, the Ark is a box made of wood and is covered in gold. It is approximately 5 feet long, three feet wide and three feet high. The Ark has a lid covering it and it is also covered in gold. The Ark has four golden rings, one placed near each corner. Two poles made of gold covered wood can be placed into the rings on each side of the Ark. They enabled the Ark to be transported from place to place.

The Ark of the Covenant Covered by Cherbim

 

Three items were stored inside the Ark. They are the covenant stones, a pot of manna, and the rod of Aaron.

 

The Covenant Stones

 

First of all, the Ark contained the Covenant Stones which served as a continual reminder of the covenant between God and Israel. The Covenant Stones were engraved with the Ten Commandments[i] given by God.

 

Moses and the Ten Comandments

These commandments served as the foundation of God’s covenant with Israel. If the people obeyed God’s commandments then He promised to give them life and prosperity in the Promised Land, which is the land of Canaan, a land flowing with milk and honey:

 

That you may fear the LORD your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you, you and your son and your grandson, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged. Therefore hear, O Israel, and be careful to observe it, that it may be well with you, and that you may multiply greatly as the LORD God of your fathers has promised you; ‘a land flowing with milk and honey.’  (Deuteronomy 6:2-3)

 

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

 

For if you carefully keep all these commandments which I command you to do; to love the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, and to hold fast to Him;  then the LORD will drive out all these nations from before you, and you will dispossess greater and mightier nations than yourselves. Every place on which the sole of your foot treads shall be yours: from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the river, the River Euphrates, even to the Western Sea, shall be your territory. No man shall be able to stand against you; the LORD your God will put the dread of you and the fear of you upon all the land where you tread, just as He has said to you. (Deuteronomy 11:22-25)

 

The Pot of Manna

 

A second item found inside the Ark is the Pot of Manna. It represented the bread of God that came down from heaven and fed the nation of Israel as they wondered through the desert:

 

I have heard the complaints of the children of Israel. Speak to them, saying, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. And you shall know that I am the LORD your God.’  So it was that quails came up at evening and covered the camp, and in the morning the dew lay all around the camp. And when the layer of dew lifted, there, on the surface of the wilderness, was a small round substance, as fine as frost on the ground. So when the children of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “This is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat.” (Exodus 16:12-16)

The Falling of the Manna, Moses Drawing Water from the Rock - from Túrócbéla, 1480 - 1490

The Falling of the Manna, Moses Drawing Water from the Rock - from Túrócbéla, 1480 - 1490

The Rod of Aaron

 

The third item found in the Ark was Aaron’s rod and it testified to God’s choice of Aaron as the royal priest. The following passages communicate that Aaron was challenged for the right to be the high priest by members of the community. God’s choice was communicated in a miraculous way:

 

And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to the children of Israel, and get from them a rod from each father’s house, all their leaders according to their fathers’ houses; twelve rods. Write each man’s name on his rod. And you shall write Aaron’s name on the rod of Levi. For there shall be one rod for the head of each father’s house. Then you shall place them in the tabernacle of meeting before the Testimony, where I meet with you. And it shall be that the rod of the man whom I choose will blossom; thus I will rid Myself of the complaints of the children of Israel, which they make against you. So Moses spoke to the children of Israel, and each of their leaders gave him a rod apiece, for each leader according to their fathers’ houses, twelve rods; and the rod of Aaron was among their rods. And Moses placed the rods before the LORD in the tabernacle of witness. Now it came to pass on the next day that Moses went into the tabernacle of witness, and behold, the rod of Aaron, of the house of Levi, had sprouted and put forth buds, had produced blossoms and yielded ripe almonds.  Then Moses brought out all the rods from before the LORD to all the children of Israel; and they looked, and each man took his rod. And the LORD said to Moses, “Bring Aaron’s rod back before the Testimony, to be kept as a sign against the rebels, that you may put their complaints away from Me, lest they die.” (Numbers 17:1-10)

 

Moses Displays the Budded Rod of Aaron

Moses Displays the Budded Rod of Aaron

 

Therefore, God performed a great miracle in selecting the Rod of Aaron for the priesthood. A rod, which was a carved piece of wood, came to life, blossomed and bore fruit. So significant was this event that the rod was stored in the Ark as a testimony against those who would not believe.

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

 

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

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Above the Ark of the Covenant

Filed under: Tabernacle, The Ark Of The Covenant, The Golden Cherubim, The Holy Of Holies, The Life, The Mercy Seat, The Most Holy Place — 3 Comments
April 18, 2009


The Book Cover

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

Above the Ark of the Covenant

In our last posting we introduced the Ark of the Covenant, which is one of the objects inside the Most Holy Place of the Tabernacle. Today we will present the objects that we placed above the Ark, namely the Golden Cherubim and the Mercy Seat.

The Ark of the Covenant Covered by Cherbim

The Ark of the Covenant Covered by Cherubim

The Golden Cherubim

The Ark of the Covenant is covered with two Golden Cherubim[i], which are symbolic of the angels that surround God. Each Cherub has two of their gigantic wings overhanging and protecting the Ark[ii] and the Mercy Seat (the open space between the Cherubim, just above the Ark that is the place where God dwells[iii] – see the section on the Mercy Seat below):

And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work you shall make them at the two ends of the mercy seat. Make one cherub at one end, and the other cherub at the other end; you shall make the cherubim at the two ends of it of one piece with the mercy seat. And the cherubim shall stretch out their wings above, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and they shall face one another; the faces of the cherubim shall be toward the mercy seat. You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the Testimony that I will give you. And there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the Testimony, about everything which I will give you in commandment to the children of Israel. (Exodus 25:18 – 21)

These Golden Cherubim symbolize the protection of God’s angels over the place where God dwells and over the ark and its covenant relationship with God.

The Mercy Seat

As indicated in the above scripture the Mercy Seat was the place where the high priest would enter into true communion with the Father. God communicated His commandments and instruction to the people of Israel through His servants Moses and Aaron. It should also be noted that the Mercy Seat was a most holy place and as a result, required Aaron the high priest to make special preparations prior to entering into the presence of God:

and the LORD said to Moses: “Tell Aaron your brother not to come at just any time into the Holy Place inside the veil, before the mercy seat which is on the ark, lest he die; for I will appear in the cloud above the mercy seat. Thus Aaron shall come into the Holy Place: with the blood of a young bull as a sin offering, and of a ram as a burnt offering. He shall put the holy linen tunic and the linen trousers on his body; he shall be girded with a linen sash, and with the linen turban he shall be attired. These are holy garments. Therefore he shall wash his body in water, and put them on. (Leviticus 16:2 – 4)

Tabernacle Priest befoe\

Tabernacle Priest befoe"

As you might already suspect, all of this is prophetic of Christ Jesus. Jesus is our high priest whose blood has been shed so that we may enter into the place where God dwells. It is Jesus who now sits on the Mercy Seat so that we may enter into the Most Holy place as priests of the most-high God.

Grasping the overall big picture of what the Tabernacle represents is critically important. It is the place where God dwells among His people in a covenant relationship. In this relationship God leads His people out of the evil bondage of Egypt[iv], and into their desert experience where they are purged of their unbelief and sin[v]. In this regard, the people became totally dependent upon [vi] prior to entering into the Promised Land. This proposition is supported by the fact that the Lord led the people and was continuously visible in the cloud by day (that protected them from the heat of the sun) and the fire by night (that illuminated there way).

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

All of this will be continued in our next postings:

Inside-the-Ark-of-the-Covenant

More-on-the-Ark-of-the-Covenant

Jesus-is-the-Ark-of-the-New-Covenant

May God’s blessings be upon you.

Papa Joe

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

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

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

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

[i] Genesis 3:24  So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.

[ii] Exodus25:20  And the cherubim shall stretch out their wings above, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and they shall face one another; the faces of the cherubim shall be toward the mercy seat.

[iii] Exodus 25:21 – 22  You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the Testimony that I will give you. And there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the Testimony, about everything which I will give you in commandment to the children of Israel.

[iv] Deuteronomy 7:8  but because the LORD loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers, the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

[v] Numbers 32:13  So the Lord’s anger was aroused against Israel, and He made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation that had done evil in the sight of the LORD was gone.

[vi] Exodus 16:35  And the children of Israel ate manna forty years, until they came to an inhabited land; they ate manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan.

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Finding Jesus in the Holy of Holies

Filed under: Jesus, Jesus is the Most Holy Place, Tabernacle, The Holy Of Holies — 1 Comment
April 15, 2009

The Book Cover

Finding Jesus in the Holy of Holies

Our past four postings have been a high level review of the Tabernacle and how it is prophetic of Jesus Christ. You can review these postings by clicking on the following hyperlinks:

Jesus-is the-Life

Jesus-is-the-Most-Holy-Place

Jesus-is-the-Holy-of-Holies

Jesus-is-the-Outer-Courtyard

Today we will see what the power of entering into a covenant relationship with God looks like.

This power is available to all Christian who can pass through veil called “the Life,” (which leads into the Holy of Holies.) To provide an example of the power of Covenant we present a reading from Exodus chapter 40:

Thus Moses did; according to all that the LORD had commanded him, so he did. And it came to pass in the first month of the second year, on the first day of the month, that the tabernacle was raised up. So Moses raised up the tabernacle, fastened its sockets, set up its boards, put in its bars, and raised up its pillars. And he spread out the tent over the tabernacle and put the covering of the tent on top of it, as the LORD had commanded Moses.

The Tabernacle Courtyard

The Tabernacle Courtyard

He took the Testimony and put it into the ark, inserted the poles through the rings of the ark, and put the mercy seat on top of the ark. And he brought the ark into the tabernacle, hung up the veil of the covering, and partitioned off the ark of the Testimony, as the LORD had commanded Moses.

The Ark of the Covenant Covered by Cherbim

The Ark of the Covenant Covered by Cherbim

He put the table in the tabernacle of meeting, on the north side of the tabernacle, outside the veil; and he set the bread in order upon it before the LORD, as the LORD had commanded Moses. He put the lampstand in the tabernacle of meeting, across from the table, on the south side of the tabernacle; and he lit the lamps before the LORD, as the LORD had commanded Moses. He put the gold altar in the tabernacle of meeting in front of the veil; and he burned sweet incense on it, as the LORD had commanded Moses.

He hung up the screen at the door of the tabernacle. And he put the altar of burnt offering before the door of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, and offered upon it the burnt offering and the grain offering, as the LORD had commanded Moses. He set the laver between the tabernacle of meeting and the altar, and put water there for washing; and Moses, Aaron, and his sons would wash their hands and their feet with water from it. Whenever they went into the tabernacle of meeting, and when they came near the altar, they washed, as the LORD had commanded Moses. And he raised up the court all around the tabernacle and the altar, and hung up the screen of the court gate. So Moses finished the work. Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tabernacle of meeting, because the cloud rested above it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. Whenever the cloud was taken up from above the tabernacle, the children of Israel would go onward in all their journeys. But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not journey till the day that it was taken up. For the cloud of the LORD was above the tabernacle by day, and fire was over it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys. (Exodus 40:1 – 38)

The Glory Cloud Covers the Tabernacle

The Glory Cloud Covers the Tabernacle

Wow! The journey of Gods people out of the land of bondage in Egypt, and into God’s Promised Land was empowered by God. God’s presence was in the Tabernacle such that Moses could not even enter the Most Holy place. The people were led through the wilderness by God. God also provided the shelter from the burning sun during the day and illuminated their pathway in the darkness.

This is the reward for those of us who seek to find a deeper relationship with God by entering through the Way, the Truth and the Life that is found in Jesus. He will lead us out of the bondage of our relationship with the devil and guide us to His Promised Land that is in heaven with Him. He will give us shelter from our enemies and guide our every step. In Jesus we have the capability to enter into a relationship of grace, a relationship of empowerment and a relationship of covenant with the Father. Truly, He is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

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

The Book Cover

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

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

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

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The Ark of the Covenant Overview

Filed under: Jesus is the Most Holy Place, Tabernacle, The Ark Of The Covenant, The Holy Of Holies — 5 Comments
April 14, 2009

The Book Cover

The Ark of the Covenant Overview

In an effort to better understand what Jesus meant when He claimed to be “the Way, the Truth and the Life” we have been presenting a case that proclaims that the Tabernacle is prophetic of Jesus. This case is partially based on the fact that there are three chambers in the Tabernacle and one is entered by a gate named the Way, while another is entered through a door named the Truth, and yet a third is entered by passing through a veil named the Life.

This correlation has led us to examine the objects found inside each of these chambers. To date we have presented our examination of the contents found in the first two chambers of the Tabernacle. We have contrasted their attributes, functions and characteristics to the life of Jesus. What we have found is that the attributes, functions and characteristics of these chambers precisely predict the life of Jesus. We have therefore declared Jesus to be the Way and the Truth, and now we are preparing to present the case that Jesus is the Life by presenting the third chamber, the one that is entered by passing through the Life, the Most Holy Place.

We will start our presentation by giving you an overview of the Ark of the Covenant,

The Ark of the Covenant Covered by Cherbim

The Ark of the Covenant Covered by Cherbim

which is one of the objects found inside the Most Holy Place. We will introduce this overview by using a scripture from the book of Exodus as a guide:

Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: On the first day of the first month you shall set up the tabernacle of the tent of meeting. You shall put in it the ark of the Testimony, and partition off the ark with the veil.

The Ark of the Testimony is also called the Ark of the Covenant. While we will cover it in more detail in subsequent sections let us provide an overview of it here. The Ark was a golden box which contained inside of it the Tablets of the Ten Commandments,

Moses and the Ten Comandments

Moses and the Ten Comandments

the Pot of Manna and the Rod of Aaron. These objects demonstrate several components of our covenant relationship with God. The Ten Commandments recorded the laws that were to be followed by the people to remain in a covenant relationship with God. The Pot of Manna reminded the people of God’s provision during their journey through the wilderness in route to the Promised Land. Finally, the Rod of Aaron represented God’s selection of Aaron for the royal priesthood of the Tabernacle.

As we progress in subsequent sections we will find is that Jesus is the Ark of the new covenant, our spiritual Pot of Manna and our Rod of Aaron.

May God’s blessings be upon you and your family,

Papa Joe

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

The Book Cover

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

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

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

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Jesus is the Life

Filed under: Jesus, Jesus is the Most Holy Place, Tabernacle, The Holy Of Holies, The Life — 3 Comments
April 9, 2009

The Book Cover

Jesus is The Life

Our premise is that in order to develop a closer relationship with Jesus we must first to come to a better understand who He is. One major factor in understanding Him better is being able to understanding His statement: “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.”


To date we have been successful in correlating this statement to the Tabernacle. This correlation is best established by looking at the Tabernacle diagram below. From it we can see that the Tabernacle is comprised of three major chambers. One chamber is called the Outer Court (or the Courtyard,) the second chamber is called the Holy Place, and the third is called the Holy of Holies (or Most Holy Place.) We also see that these chambers must be entered in order because they are contained in each other, like the layers in an onion. We can also see that each chamber has a single entrance. The correlation of all of this to Jesus’ statement is that the names of the entryways into the Tabernacle chambers are often called: “the Way, the Truth and the Life,” respectively. The gate leading into the Courtyard is often called the Way. The door leading into the Holy Place is often called the Truth, and the veil leading into the Holy of Holies is frequently called the Life. The proof of all of this comes by looking at the attributes and function of each Tabernacle object and seeing that they are perfect predictors of the life and ministry of Jesus. Therefore, the Tabernacle is prophetic of the coming of Jesus. More importantly, achieving a better understanding of the Tabernacle reveals a better understanding of who Jesus is and why He came.

tabernacle-diagram2

To date we have addressed two of these passageways. Firstly, we addressed the Courtyard which is entered through the gate called the Way (Jesus-is-the-Way). Secondly we addressed the Holy Place, which is entered through the curtain called the Truth (The-Holy-Place-of-the-Tabernacle). We now turn our attention to the Most Holy place which is entered through the veil called the Life. As in previous discussions, we will start by taking a detailed look at the structure and components of the Tabernacle.

holy-place

View of the Life from Inside of the Holy Place

Again, by looking at the chart above we can see that the Most Holy Place is separated from the Holy Place by the veil that is called “the Life”. Since there is no other entrance into the Most Holy Place it must be entered from the Holy Place (The-Holy-Place-of-the-Tabernacle.)

The Most Holy Place is the very sacred dwelling place of God. Entry was restricted to the High Priest who could enter only once each year.

As we proceed we will present all the marvelous things that we find in the Life. We will then correlate their attributes, nature and purpose to the attributes, nature and purpose of Jesus.

So when Jesus claimed to be “the Life,” He really claimed to be the passageway into the Most Holy Place of the Tabernacle (the place where God would dwell with His people on earth). If this is the case, then Jesus is stating that through Him we have access to the most sacred relationship possible with the God the Father, which is a relationship of covenant. Anyone who enters into the Most Holy Place enters into God’s covenant and therefore is cared for and protected by God. Here is a supporting scripture:

And He said: “Behold, I make a covenant. Before all your people I will do marvels such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation; and all the people among whom you are shall see the work of the LORD. For it is an awesome thing that I will do with you. Observe what I command you this day. Behold, I am driving out from before you the Amorite and the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite. Take heed to yourself, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land where you are going, lest it be a snare in your midst. But you shall destroy their altars, break their sacred pillars, and cut down their wooden images (for you shall worship no other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God),” (Exodus 34:10 – 14)

This preamble lays a foundation for a deeper look at the objects found in the Most Holy Place. We therefore plan to take a look at the Ark of the Covenant, which is foundational to God’s covenant relationship with man. More importantly, we will look at the objects found inside the Ark and present them in an effort to gain a deeper understanding of what this covenant is all about.

High Priest in the Most Holy Place before the Ark of the Covenant

High Priest in the Most Holy Place before the Ark of the Covenant

For example, we will investigate the covenant stones (upon which the Ten Commandments are transcribed) and find God’s law which is a part of the covenant agreement. We present the pot of manna that fed the nation during its journey through the wilderness. The pot represents God’s covenant of provision. Thirdly, we will introduce the Rod of Aaron which communicates God’s choice for a royal priesthood.

In addition, we will look at the covering of the Ark, namely the Golden Cherubim and the Mercy Seat. The Golden Cherubim represent the presence of angels to protect the covenant. The Mercy Seat is the place where God dwells and the place we man can talk to God face to face.

ark-of-the-covenant

The Ark of the Covenant

All of this will start with our next posting where we will start to build our case that the Most Holy Place of the Tabernacle is prophetic of Christ Jesus.

May God’s bless and keep you always,

Papa Joe

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

The Book Cover

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

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

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

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Jesus is the Holy Place of Empowerment and Truth

Filed under: Jesus, Jesus the Holy Place, Jesus the Tabernacle, spirtual warfare — 2 Comments
April 7, 2009

The Book Cover

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

Jesus is the Holy Place of Empowerment and Truth

In this post we plan to summarize the material that we have covered in our section entitled, “Jesus is the Truth.”

Jesus proclaimed Himself to be “the Truth” when He stated: “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Therefore, our goal for this series of postings has been to better understand what Jesus meant when He claimed to be the Truth.

One clue to finding understanding of this is to follow a lead that Jesus gives us in scripture:

For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. (John 5: 47)

So we searched the books of Moses but found very little reference to Jesus. Then we concluded that perhaps the Tabernacle was the missing link. Perhaps Jesus was stating that He was the fulfillment of the place on earth that God could dwell with His people. This view is supported by the following words of Jesus:

Then He said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.” (Luke 24:44)

Jesus, Moses and the Tabernacle

Jesus, Moses and the Tabernacle

Since the Tabernacle was the home of the Covenant stones that contained the Ten Commandments (housed in the Ark of the Covenant) it was the home for our laws. In addition, there were many laws written by Moses concerning the Tabernacle, its construction and the duties of the priests relevant to the use of its components in ministry.

Moses and the Ten Comandments

Moses and the Ten Comandments

The big “ah- ha” moment came when a deacon friend of mine told me that the entryways to the three compartments of the Tabernacle are also called the Way, the Truth and the Life. The Way is the name of the gate that leads into the Tabernacle Courtyard. The Truth is the name of the curtain that leads into the Holy Place, and the Life is the name of the veil that leads into the Most Holy Place.

Our focus for this section will be on the Holy Place since it can be entered only by passing through the passage way called the Truth. To start with, only priests could enter into the Holy Place. Even then, entering the Holy Place was not taken lightly as one would have to consider their worthiness to enter into God’s house. In addition, entry was a momentous event as it signified entering a closer relationship with all mighty God. The Holy Place was sacred. It was the place of empowerment and bringing down the forces of evil through prayer before God.

So with all of this understood, we can come to understand what Jesus meant when He said “I am the Truth”. He is saying that by coming to Him in prayer that we can be empowered to reach the spiritual maturity necessary to attain our mission on this earth.

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Perfect Faith Brings Down the Giants Before Us

Filed under: Faith, Jesus, Jesus the Golden Altar, Jesus the Holy Place, Jesus the Tabernacle, spirtual warfare — 2 Comments
April 3, 2009

The Book Cover

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

Perfect Faith Brings Down the Giants before Us


In our prior post we discussed the role of faith in the spiritual warfare of Jesus. We presented an example where Moses brought the people to the brink of the Promised Land but they refused to enter it because they saw giants  and they feared for their lives. The result was that God led them back into the wilderness for forty years until all those who refused to enter the land died. God built himself a new nation from the youngsters and taught them to depend on Him totally. They depended on God for their manna to eat every morning, as well as their water that came out of pure rock. They depended on Him for the cloud that covered them from the sun during their day time travels as well as the fire that guided their night time travels. They grew up knowing only a total dependent of God.

The Light at Night from the Holy Place of the Tabernacle

The Light at Night from the Holy Place of the Tabernacle

This led us to consider our faith in Jesus as we contemplate entering into ministry. In our prior post we made the following statement:


Think about this for a moment: Does God give us direction because we have the natural ability to get there without Him? What would such a thing prove except that we are highly capable and do not need God. I don’t think that this is the case. He gives us direction so that we can demonstrate our faith in Him so that He can display His awesome power in our behalf. God gets the glory when others can see His miraculous works. So, step out in faith and know that when the impossible stands before you, that your perfect faith in God will deliver a miraculous work.

While the example of the people fearing the giants in the land showed what can happen when we lack faith, this story shows what can happen when we have faith that even the giants will fall before us when we know that we serve a mighty God:

Then he took his staff in his hand; and he chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag, in a pouch which he had, and his sling was in his hand. And he drew near to the Philistine. So the Philistine came, and began drawing near to David, and the man who bore the shield went before him. And when the Philistine looked about and saw David, he disdained him; for he was only a youth, ruddy and good-looking. So the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. And the Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!” Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. Then all this assembly shall know that the LORD does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands.” So it was, when the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, that David hastened and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. Then David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone; and he slung it and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth. So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. But there was no sword in the hand of David. Therefore David ran and stood over the Philistine, took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him, and cut off his head with it. And when the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. (1 Sam 17:40-51)

David and Goliath

David and Goliath

David had perfect faith in the Lord. He knew that the Lord would support him and that the battle was the Lords, not his. He achieved this by announcing that he came in the name of the Lord, and that the result would prove that God supported the nation of Israel. David also prophesied the result, which meant the he had received his direction from God. His steps were illuminated at the Golden Lampstand.


Walk in faith toward your God given mission. Do not trust in your own abilities but rather have the perfect faith that David displayed by announcing that the mission is being done in the name of the Lord. Tell the world that the work is His and that its accomplishment is proof that God supports the mission. Do not initiate activities without these steps. If you engage the mountain in battle without Him you will exhaust yourself. Only after you have given up and turn things back over to Him will His support be returned.

If you are considering entering into a ministry then it may be a good idea to ask yourself the following questions first: Ask yourself if it is possible for you to accomplish this on your own. If so where does God fit in? Also ask how your initiatives will give glory to God? The world will not change much based on the things that we do on our own, but rather, it will change when it sees what God can do through the people that have perfected faith in Him. So in this regard be like David!

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Have Perfect Faith in Jesus

Filed under: Faith, Jesus, Jesus the Golden Altar, Jesus the Holy Place, Jesus the Tabernacle, Ministry, spirtual warfare — 1 Comment
April 2, 2009

The Book Cover

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

Have Perfect Faith in Jesus

The world is a stage in which each of us has the opportunity to choose what our life is to be. Every person has the ability to change their world and world to the others around them. No mater how insignificant, uneducated, poor, sick, imprisoned, or ashamed you may be of yourself, I tell you that with pure faith in God you can rock the world. All it takes is for you to step out in faith based on God’s leading’s. Consider that Peter was able to walk on water until his faith was shaken by the circumstances around him. He lost his trust in Jesus when he felt the winds blow and saw the waves roaring around him. When Jesus reached out to save him all He could say was: “Why did you doubt”?

Jesus Pulls Peter From the Water

Jesus Pulls Peter From the Water

Our faith in God must be absolute; it must be without doubt and worry, especially for the consequences of our actions. One thing is sure, when we step out in faith in the direction God leads us, we will be met by sharp opposition from the spiritual realm. The winds of contrary opinion may blow around you and the waves of unforeseen obstacles will roar and crash against you. These are the forces of evil engaging in spiritual warfare. This is precisely why we must enter into the Holy Place that is in Jesus. We must pass through the passage way called the Truth, which is Jesus, into the place of empowerment. As indicated in previous postings, we must have our pathway illuminated by Jesus our Golden Lamp Stand. We must have a close personal relationship with the Father through Jesus our Table of Showbread and our Bread of Life. We must be empowered for spiritual warfare through Jesus our Golden Altar. When Jesus said He was the Truth, this is what He meant.

So you want to step out into ministry? You will have to enter into spiritual warfare to be successful. Consider that even Jesus, after being baptized by the Holy Spirit in preparation for His ministry was led into the desert where He was tested by the devil.

Jesus Tempted in the Wilderness by the Devil

Jesus Tempted in the Wilderness by the Devil

Yes, even Jesus had to be victorious over the devil prior to entering into ministry. Therefore, each of us that step out in faith can also expect that our faith and readiness will be tested. This is why it is so important to be inside of the Holy Place that is in Jesus. Only those who know that have perfect faith in Jesus and know that He will support their actions will see the immovable objects disappear at their approach. They that enter in will be the ones that see the miracles transform the circumstances around them.

Remember the story of Moses leading the nation of Israel to the Promised Land?

Moses before the Burning Bush

Moses before the Burning Bush

He got them to the doorstep but they would not enter because their scouts had reported giants in the land. They had fear in their hearts which is the opposite of faith in God. They ignored the demonstration of God’s power that had freed them from the bondage of Egypt. They apparently forgot that it was God’s desire that they enter into this land. In other words they trusted more in their own ability than they did in the power of their Lord. Here is the story:

Then they told him, and said: We went to the land where you sent us. It truly flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. Nevertheless the people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large; moreover we saw the descendants of Anak there. The Amalekites dwell in the land of the South; the Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the mountains; and the Canaanites dwell by the sea and along the banks of the Jordan. Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.” But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.” And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. “There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.” So all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night. And all the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness!  (Numbers 13:27 – 14:1)

Think about this for a moment: Does God give us direction because we have the natural ability to get there without Him? What would such a thing prove except that we are highly capable and do not need God. I don’t think that this is the case. He gives us direction so that we can demonstrate our faith in Him so that He can display His awesome power in our behalf. God gets the glory when others can see His miraculous works. So, step out in faith and know that when the impossible stands before you, that your perfect faith in God will deliver a miraculous work.

In our future postings we plan to present some Bible passages that help to illustrate how our faith can change the course of our lives and the lives of those arround us.

Until then, may God bless you and keep you always.

Joe

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Why We Should Enter Into the Spiritual Warfare of Jesus

Filed under: Jesus, Jesus the Golden Altar, Jesus the Golden Lampstand, Jesus the Holy Place, Jesus the Table of Showbread, spirtual warfare — 6 Comments
April 1, 2009

The Book Cover

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

Why We Should Enter Into the Spiritual Warfare of Jesus

In our past several postings we have taken a good look at the spiritual warfare of Jesus. We did this of course in our quest to show how His words and deeds match up to the attributes and functionality of the Golden Altar of Incense. From this analysis we have verified that Jesus is victorious in spiritual warfare as the Golden Altar predicted.

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This analysis was preceded by similar studies that correlated Jesus to the Golden Lamp Stand and then the Table of Showbread. What these subsequent studies reveal is that there is an direct correlation between the words and deeds of Jesus, and attributes and functionality of these two objects. From these studies we have verified that Jesus is the light of the world and the bread of life as He claimed.

Jesus the Light of the World is Transfigured before His Disciples

Jesus the Light of the World is Transfigured before His Disciples

What we have found then, is that Jesus is the fulfillment of the hidden prophesies contained in the design of the Holy Place. Therefore, since the entryway to the Holy Place is called the Truth, and Jesus claimed to be “the Truth”, we now have a better insight into the identity of Jesus.

Jesus is the way of truth through which we must pass to achieve a closer relationship with the Father. He is the doorway of truth through which we must enter to find our purpose and the steps that we must take to please the Father. He is the passageway of truth through which we are led to victories over the forces of evil. Finally, He is the entryway of truth through which we enter into the Fathers’ perfect love, which results in our health, prosperity and joy. So, the benefits of our entry into Jesus, (the Holy Place) are the benefits of entering into spiritual warfare.

Choosing not to enter can be a very dangerous proposition as we are in a war weather we like it or not. Innocent bystanders are frequently injured or killed in war. Often times they can become traumatized when struck unexpectedly by an unknown and unseen enemy. Since they have chose not to enter into God’s provision they are not skilled or equipped for the battle. They may not even understand that they have become a victim of war. The result is that they are often doomed to live under the domination of evil.

I can speak about being an innocent victim of spiritual warfare because I was one. The attack rocked me to the brink of death. I even crossed over to the spiritual side where I found myself on the Judgment Seat before God. There I experienced what the spiritual reality of making poor choices in this life. I got to experience a confrontation with Satan, I walked through Hell and I swam in the Pit of Fire which is the second death. God had mercy on me however, withheld judgment against me and gave me a second chance.

If you are interested learning more about the details of this and other spiritual experiences of my life, you can order my book which is entitled, “Posses the Vision”.

possess-the-vision-front02.jpg

I guarantee that it is not for the faint of heart. But is it the most real experience of my life and when you read it you will know that every word is true. When you read this book you will understand why you must enter into the spiritual warfare of Jesus and fight the forces of evil here on this earth. The book can be purchased at Amazon by clicking on the following link: Amazon.com: Possess the Vision: Books: Joseph, W Gordon. Once there you will also be able to browse through the book as well. As a special bonus, I will send a free electronic copy of the book to anyone who asks for one by way of the comment section below.

That is it for today. Next time we plan to look at some more reasons to enter spiritual warfare.

May God bless and keep you always,

Joe

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