Tag Archive: Jesus


Jesus The Brazen Laver

Filed under: Brazen Laver, Jesus, Tabernacle, Tabernacle Courtyard — Leave a comment
December 20, 2008

Jesus The Brazen Laver

The Brazen Laver is second of two objects located in the Tabernacle’s Outer Court.

Then you shall set the altar of the burnt offering before the door of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting. And you shall set the laver between the tabernacle of meeting and the altar, and put water in it. (Exodus 40:6-7)

The Laver’s function was to provide a place for the priests to purify themselves prior to serving in ministry or entering the Tabernacle’s Holy Place. As the following passage suggests, purification is a required precursor to priestly ministry.

You shall also make a laver of bronze, with its base also of bronze, for washing. You shall put it between the tabernacle of meeting and the altar. And you shall put water in it, for Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet in water from it. When they go into the tabernacle of meeting, or when they come near the altar to minister, to burn an offering made by fire to the LORD, they shall wash with water, lest they die. (Exodus 30:18-20)

The Brazen Laver therefore is a wash basin made of polished bronze (which is derived from the word, brazen). The bronze surface is polished to such a highly reflective state that it obtains mirror like qualities. In fact, the Laver was made from the bronze mirrors of the serving women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle of meeting (Exodus 38:8). Because of this reflective characteristic, the priests were able to see their reflection in the Laver as they bent over it to wash.

So, with these facts in mind, let’s look deeper into the scriptures relating to the Brazen Laver. As we progress from this point, we will attempt to correlate what the scriptures have to say in support of the proposition that Jesus is our Brazen Laver and therefore the Christ. In this regard we will be looking to answer four basic questions; first, what did Jesus (and others) claim in this regard? Second, what were the actions of Jesus that support these claims? Third, what did the Father do in support of the words and actions of Jesus? Finally, what are the common attributes shared by our Lord Jesus and the Brazen Laver, and how can we integrate them into our lives?

We will now proceed to looking at Jesus as the Brazen Laver from these perspectives.

The Baptism of Jesus

The ministry of John the Baptist was to make straight the path of the Lord[i] who was to come. He preached repentance of sin and baptism in water for the remission of sin. John’s ministry led the people toward purity in preparation for their entering into a closer, more spiritual relationship with God.

Baptism was soon to take an entirely new form when Jesus came to John to be baptized. Although He was without sin[ii], Jesus was baptized by John in water to fulfill the model of the Brazen Laver that required purity through washing prior to entering ministry. The new form of baptism was introduced as Jesus came up from the water and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in the form of a dove, thus signifying the ultimate form of purity. From that point forward Jesus was empowered by the Holy Spirit and therefore ready for ministry.

In addition, He was then able to baptize others with the Holy Spirit, therein empowering them from on high. This enabled His disciples to minister with power and to have a deeper spiritual relationship with God. Let’s look at the scriptures that support these statements:

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in the Prophets: “Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You. The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight.’“ John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins. (Mark 1:1-5)

Like the priest washing at the Brazen Laver, John was preparing the people for entering into a closer relationship with God. The Father had sent His son, the living Tabernacle, to earth and now the Father was empowering Jesus to accomplish His mission on earth:

And he preached, saying, “There comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose. I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove. Then a voice came from heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness. And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him. (Mark 1:7-13)

So, the purification of the priests in water of the Laver is prophetic of the baptism of Christ Jesus, our high priest, in the Holy Spirit. We can conclude from this that repentance and baptism are very important components prior to ministry. Water baptism is so important that our Lord Jesus came to be baptized by John. In doing so He gave us a model that to emulate. A model that when emulated by those who truly repent and seek to do God’s will, results in the baptism in the Holy Sprit. The point in all of this is that the baptism of the Holy Spirit brings us to a closer relationship with God. It brings fellowship with the Father, enlightenment to God’s truth, and empowerment for the battle of ministry. All three of these blessings of relationship are also prophesied by the objects found in the Holy Place of the Tabernacle, which can only be entered by a purified priest. We cover all of this in our next major section, but we introduce it here to draw the connection between the baptism of Jesus and the purification of the priest at the Laver. Both were done prior to ministry. Both were prerequisites to a closer relationship with the Father and His blessings necessary for ministry. But we are getting ahead of ourselves a bit here, so let’s once again focus on the correlation between the Laver and Christ Jesus. This is where we will begin in our next posting.

May God bless all of you. I look forward to hearing any comments that you may have.

[i] John 1:22 – 23 Then they said to him, “Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?” He said: “I am ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Make straight the way of the LORD,” ‘ as the prophet Isaiah said.

[ii] Hebrews 4:15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.

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The Tabernacle Most Holy Place Is Prophetic of Jesus

Filed under: Jesus, Tabernacle, The Most Holy Place — 3 Comments
December 16, 2008

The Tabernacle Most Holy Place Is Prophetic of Jesus

In this post we continue to present our case that the Tabernacle of Moses is Prophetic of Jesus. To get a good foundational understanding of the Tabernacle go to the following posting: The-Tabernacle-Is-Prophetic-Of-Jesus. Reading this post will help us to better understand the material presented here.

We have also presented a post on the Tabernacle Courtyard and suggest that reading it may be helpful in improving our comprehension of the Most Holy Place and how it is prophetic of Jesus. This post can be found by following the following link: The-Tabernacle-Courtyard-And-Jesus.

We have also offered a post on the Tabernacle Holy Place and in like manner, we suggest that a review of it will help in the understanding of the following material. The post on the Holy Place can be viewed by following this link: The-Tabernacle-Holy-Place-Is-Prophetic-Of-Jesus

So, with that said, lets present the Most Holy Place of the Tabernacle.

As we pass through the Tabernacle entrance called “the Life,” we enter into God’s Most Holy Place. It is in the Most Holly Place where we enter into God’s gift of covenant. It is here that we can talk to God directly in the presence of His holy angels. It is here where our every need is cared for. In the Most Holy place we enter into a sacred and Royal Priesthood that both understand and lives God’s commandments.

When correlating the objects found in the Most Holy Place to the actions and words of Jesus, we again find the Jesus is a far superior replacement for the old covenants’ Most Holy Place. It is Jesus who has become the ark of the New Covenant that is based on love. It is Jesus who is our high priest who enables us to enter into His Royal Priesthood. It is through Jesus that our every need is cared for. It is through Jesus that our relationship with the Father is restored, enabling things to become as they were in the beginning in the Garden of Eden.

So we have much to discover about Jesus as we initiate our investigation into His words that lead us to the Tabernacle where we will find a deeper relationship with Him. We will drill down into all of this by starting with “Jesus the Way”, in our next posting. I look forward to your comments and discussion.

For additional details on the Most Holy Place of the Tabernacle please follow the following links:

Jesus-is-the-Life

Jesus-the-Most-Holy-Place

Finding-Jesus-in-the-Holy-of-Holies

Inside-the-Most-Holy-Place

Going-into-the-Ark-of-the-Covenant

Jesus-is-the-Fulfillment-of-the-Law

The-Cross-of-Jesus-is-the-Rod-of-Aaron

Jesus-is-our-Priest-Forever

Jesus-is-our-Covenant-Provision

Jesus-and-the-Covenant

Jesus-is-the-Way-to-the-Promised-Land

Jesus-is-the-Spirtual-Foundation-of-the-New-Covenant

Jesus-Prepares-us-to-Enter-into-His-Spirit

The-Spiritual-Duty-of-the-Warrior-Nation

Jesus-is-the-Reward-of-the-Spirit-Filled-Warrior-Nation

Jesus-and-the-Bride-of-Christ

Jesus-and-the-Cherubim

Jesus-is-the-Mercy-Seat-where-God-Dwells

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The Tabernacle Holy Place Is Prophetic Of Jesus

Filed under: Jesus, Tabernacle, The Holy Place — 3 Comments
December 15, 2008

The Tabernacle Holy Place Is Prophetic Of Jesus

In this post we continue to present our case that the Tabernacle of Moses is Prophetic of Jesus. To get a good foundational understanding of the Tabernacle go to the following posting: The-Tabernacle-Is-Prophetic-Of-Jesus. Reading this post will help you to better understand the material presented here.

We have also presented a post on the Tabernacle Courtyard, and understanding it may be helpful in getting your arms around the Holy Place and how it is prophetic of Jesus. It can be found in the following posting: The-Tabernacle-Courtyard-And-Jesus.

So, with that said, lets present the Tabernacle Courtyard.

As we pass through the Tabernacle entrance called “the Truth,” we enter into God’s Holy Place. It is in the Holly Place where we enter into God’s gifts of enlightenment, relationship and empowerment. It is here where we are illuminated with the information necessary to guide our steps in ministry and where we come to know the purpose of our life. It is in the Holy Place that we become a member of God’s family and enter a close personal relationship with God. Most importantly, it is here that we enter into spiritual warfare, which is the performance of Gods will on earth by way of our prayers and actions.

When correlating the objects found in the Holy Place to the actions and words of Jesus, we also find that Jesus is a far superior replacement for the old covenant Holy Place. It is only through Jesus that we are able to establish a relationship with the Father. It is Jesus who is our Light of the World, who illuminates our way, and it is the Holy Spirit of Jesus that leads us to be victorious in spiritual warfare. It is therefore through Jesus that our relationship with the Father is restored, our pathway is illuminated and the will of God is manifest.

For additional details on the Holy Place of the Tabernacle please follow the following links:

Jesus-is-the-Holy-Place

Passing-from-the-Way-and-into-the-Truth

Entering-the-Truth-of-the-Tabernacle

Jesus-the-Table-of-Showbread

Applying-the-Attributes-of-Jesus-our-Table-of-Showbread

Jesus-is-the-Light-of-the-World

Jesus-the-Golden-Altar-of-Incense

Jesus-the-Golden-Altar-of-Incense

Jesus-Heals-the-Sick-and-the-Lame

Jesus-Casts-out-Demons

Jesus-is-Victorious-over-an-Evil-Establishment

Jesus-is-Victorious-on-the-Cross

The-Victory-of-Jesus-Empowers-Us

Have-Perfect-Faith-in-Jesus

Jesus-the-Holy-Place-of-Empowerment-and-Truth

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The Tabernacle Is Prophetic of Jesus

Filed under: Jesus, Tabernacle, Tabernacle Courtyard, The Holy Of Holies, The Holy Place — 10 Comments
December 14, 2008

The Morning Star Rising on the First Day

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

 The Tabernacle Is Prophetic Of Jesus

 

The Tabernacle was built to be the earthly abode of God: the place where God would dwell among His people. The following picture is an artist depiction of what the Tabernacle may have looked like.

The Tabernacle Courtyard

Moses built the Tabernacle in strict conformance to the specifications given by God. For example, in the following scripture God gives Moses a detailed list of items that are required to build the Tabernacle:

 

Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: “Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring Me an offering. From everyone who gives it willingly with his heart you shall take My offering. And this is the offering which you shall take from them: gold, silver, and bronze; blue, purple, and scarlet thread, fine linen, and goats’ hair; ram skins dyed red, badger skins, and acacia wood; oil for the light, and spices for the anointing oil and for the sweet incense; onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod and in the breastplate. And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. According to all that I show you, that is, the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings, just so you shall make it.” (Exodus 25:1-9)

 

Statements like this one are frequently found in the scriptures written by Moses. Many of these references emphasize the building of the Tabernacle precisely to God’s instructions. This fact suggests that the form and content of the Tabernacle is extremely important to God; that perhaps it is designed on a heavenly model, one that will enable Him to dwell among His people as He once did in the Garden. In fact, what we see in this case, is that God did dwell in the chamber of the Tabernacle called, the Holy of Holies, just above the Ark of the Covenant.

Therefore, if we believe that Jesus is God and that He came in human form to dwell with His people on Earth, then we can look to the Tabernacle, its functions and purpose to validate that Jesus is who we believe Him to be (because God does not change). In other words, we can look at the scriptures that define the specifications, processes and objects found in the Tabernacle, and then find corresponding attributes, words and actions in the life of Jesus Christ to demonstrate that in Him is a far superior fulfillment of the Tabernacle covenant. The good news is that we have already done this and have found Jesus to be a far superior fulfillment to each and every component of the Tabernacle. Even better news is that we will be presenting all of this to you in the subsequent postings.

Interestingly, when we searched for an understanding of what Jesus meant when He claimed to be “the Way, the Truth and the Life,” our discernment was that He was referring to the entryways to the three chamber of the Tabernacle. We believe that the material presented here in this body of work, strongly supports this case. A side benefit of looking at old testament scripture pertaining to the Tabernacle, from a perspective of being the subject of the claim of  Jesus of being the Way, the Truth and the Life, is that you will come away with a splendid insight into who Jesus is and why He came. This understanding, in-turn can dramatically improve your relationship with God by providing insight into how we can progress toward a closer and more intimate relationship with Him.

So this is where we are headed. We are going to do a correlative study of the Tabernacle and the life of Jesus. Doing so will support the proposition that Jesus is the Christ, that Jesus is the prophetic fulfillment of the Tabernacle, and that Jesus was referring to the Tabernacle when He stated: “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.”

Jesus, Moses Discuss the Fulfilment of Tabernacle Prophesy

Jesus, Moses Discuss the Fulfilment of Tabernacle Prophesy

As a result of this we will proceed with our presentations by stating the above points as facts to be proven by supporting details that will follow. So for example, we will presenting a diagram of the Tabernacle that includes, “the Way, the Truth and the Life,” as the names of the entryways of the Tabernacle, with the understanding that we will provide scriptural support that backs up the premise as we progress through our series of postings.

Some have said that there is no scripture that directly confirms that names of the Tabernacle entryways and therefore we can not know what Jesus meant when in His statement. While it is true that these names are not provided in the Bible, I would also like to say that there is no scriptural reference where Jesus states; “I am the Christ.” Yet we know that Jesus is the Christ because we read about His life, His words and actions, that substantiate this premise. We plan to do exactly this by way of a study of scripture that will enable you will understand that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Tabernacle and at the same time give you valuable insight into what being, “the Way, the Truth and the Life,” means. Once we understand that, then we will understand that Jesus was in fact referring to the Tabernacle in His proclamation.

We initiate our series of postings with a diagram of the Tabernacle upon which the names (the Way, the Truth and the Life) are used to identify the entryways into the three major compartments of the Tabernacle. 

 

The Chambers of the Tabernacle

The Way leads us into the Courtyard, the Truth leads us into the Holy Place, and the Life leads us into the Most Holy Place. It should also be noted that the Tabernacle is constructed in such a way that these passageways must be entered in order. The Way must be entered prior to entering the Truth, and the Truth must be entered prior to entering the Life. This significance will be discussed later.

Our plan is to investigate each of these three chambers in an effort to identify what it is that Jesus is leading us toward. What we will find is that Jesus is drawing us into a closer relationship with God. He is drawing us into the Father by using the model of the Tabernacle as a model of Himself. Jesus knows that if we follow this clue that we will grow and strengthen our relationship with Father and Him.

What we are about to discover is that the Tabernacle structure communicates that there are three separate and distinct levels of relationship that we can have with God. As we have stated previously, these relationships can only be obtained by passing through the doors of the Tabernacle in only one possible sequence. However, as one progress from one chamber to the next, they will develop a progressively closer relationship with God and discover the gifts that God has waiting for those who seek Him with all their heart.

While all of this may seem mysterious at this high level, we plan to provide the details in subsequent postings. For now we will present a high level overview of our journey through the Tabernacle and its correlation with the life of Jesus. With that said let us start with the Tabernacle Courtyard.

 

The Tabernacle Courtyard

Our presentation of the Tabernacle Courtyard is found in the following post:

 

The-Tabernacle-Courtyard-and-Jesus

The Tabernacle Holy Place

Our presentation of the Tabernacle Holy Place is found in the following post:

The-Tabernacle-Holy-Place-is-Prophetic-of-Jesus

The Tabernacle Most Holy Place

Our presentation of the Tabernacles Most Holy Place is found in the following post:

The-Tabernacle-Most-Holy-Place-is-Prophetic-of-Jesus

All of these links will also lead the reader toward a better understanding of the objects found inside each of the major chambers of the Tabernacle. They will also lead toward a better understanding how each object is prophetic of the coming of Jesus.

Once these concepts have been digested, then applying what has been learned is advised. The following links can help in this regard:

Striving-to-Become-like-Jesus

Jesus-is-the-Way-the-Truth-and-the-Life

The-Tabernacle-and-Jesus

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

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The Tabernacle Courtyard And Jesus

Filed under: Jesus, Jesus the Altar of Burnt Offerings, Jesus the Brazen Laver, Jesus the Tabernacle, Jesus the Tabernacle Courtyard, Tabernacle, Tabernacle Courtyard, The Holy Of Holies, The Holy Place, The Meaning Of Life, The Truth — 5 Comments
December 13, 2008

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 Morning Star Rising on the First Day

The Tabernacle Courtyard And Jesus

To get a good foundational understanding of the Tabernacle Courtyard go to the following posting: The-Tabernacle-Is-Prophetic-Of-Jesus. Reading this post will help you to better understand the material presented here. So, with that said, lets present the Tabernacle Courtyard.

taberover


As we pass through the Tabernacle door called “the Way,” we enter the Courtyard. It is in the Courtyard where we enter into God’s gift of grace which is manifest in the forgiveness of sins. God’s grace in turn, leads us to seek to become more like Him, which in turn prepares us to enter into His ministry. Therefore, the Courtyard is a place of preparation for entry into a closer relationship with God.


When correlating the objects found in the Tabernacle Courtyard to the actions and words of Jesus, we discover Jesus to be a far superior replacement for the old covenant Courtyard. For example, Jesus gave up His body on the cross for our grace and the forgiveness of our sins.

crucifixion

In addition, He gave us the example of His life as the model of the perfection we use so that we can see ourselves for what we are, and seek His Holy Spirit to help to prepare for entry into His ministry.

Jesus Washes Disciples Feet

Jesus Washes Disciples Feet


For additional details on the Tabernacle Courtyard please follow the following links:


Jesus-is-the-Outer-Courtyard

Jesus-the-Brazen-Laver

The-Laver-and-the-Holy-Spirit-of-Jesus

Jesus-Washes-the-Feet-of-His-Disciples

Applying-the-Attributes-of-Jesus-our-Laver


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


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The Choice of Jesus is the Choice of Love

Filed under: Christian Love, The Meaning Of Life — Leave a comment
November 30, 2008

The Choice of Jesus is the Choice of Love

The world we live in is a stage where we demonstrate our choice. God stopped eternity for a, “Time” to give us this opportunity to choose our fate right here on earth. Things are not like they we in the Garden where the perfection of God was everywhere. In the garden every choice but one was a choice for God’s love and there was no knowledge of evil until the fruit of the Tree of Good and Evil had been eaten.

In our world things are just the opposite. God’s perfection is continuously being destroyed by the activities of man. In our world there is only one choice for God’s love and that is the tree of life that is Jesus Christ. In addition, the knowledge of evil is all around us as are people ready to do evil. Therefore, there are evil choices everywhere in our world. Choices that make us feel good, choices that lead to riches and choices that make us important in the eyes of others. All of these can become stumbling blocks for us.

But one thing is certain and that is that we all have the power to choose and we make choices every day. Do we choose to love or to hate, reveal the truth or tell a lie, save life or to kill, be a friend or an enemy, help others or help ourselves, live for God or server the devil? The choices are all up to us. We can make our lives be what ever we want them to be.

Our choice to live for Jesus is the difficult road, the road less traveled; the narrow path if you will. It is the choice of pure love. It is a difficult path because the world does not understand it any more than the darkness can understand the light. It is a genuine search to find God, to walk on the pathway to His door, to do His will, to attempt to become like Him, to know Him and have a personal relationship with Him that will last forever. In this relationship we will become one with Jesus in marriage. Our life here on earth is to prepare the way for His return in a similar way to John the Baptist, who prepared the way for His first coming.

Those of you who choose this path toward life should consider reading the Vision statement section of my book entitled, “Possess the Vision: Doing so will give some great options on how to participate with other Christians in a world wide ministry. The following passages present important steps to take prior to entering into ministry.

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Do We Have The Love Of Jesus In Our Heart?

Filed under: Christian Love, The Meaning Of Life — Leave a comment
November 26, 2008

Do We Have the Love of Jesus in our Heart

Continuing our discussion from our past posting we now address another important point. Based on the scriptures presented in that posting, we suggest that the law of the Jews is replaced by the love in the hearts of the true followers of Jesus. To illustrate the case in point, the law states: “Thou shall not commit adultery,” but Jesus indicates that looking at a woman with lust for her in our heart is adultery. Clearly this is a higher standard that simply refraining from the act alone. This higher standard requires a change in heart, something that the law could not provide.

After all, what kind of heart will not resist an evil person but turn the other cheek? What kind of heart will give a thief both the cloak as well as the coat? What kind of heart will give to him that asks and not turn away? What kind of heart will love their enemies, bless those that curse them, do good to them that hate them and pray for them which despitefully use and persecute them? It takes a perfect heart. What kind of heart does it take to pray to truly seek and worship God rather than pray for our own selfish and sometimes fleshly wants. What kind of heart will fast simply to shed the bonds of the flesh and to be closer to God? What kind of heart will turn aside the treasures of the earth in favor of the treasures of Heaven? What kind of heart will sell all they have and follow Him? What heart will trust Him in all things? It takes the heart of God that can only come to you by way of the Holy Spirit.

In considering all of these things we should all contemplate if we in fact, have the love of Jesus in our heart.

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The Tabernacle Is Prophetic Of Jesus

Filed under: Christian Love, Jesus, spirtual warfare, Tabernacle, Tabernacle Courtyard, The Holy Of Holies, The Holy Place, The Life, The Most Holy Place, The Truth, The Way — Leave a comment
October 2, 2008

The Tabernacle Is Prophetic Of Jesus

The Tabernacle was built to be the earthly abode of God: the place where God would dwell among His people. The following diagram will enable you to see what the Tabernacle looked like.

The Tabernacle Courtyard

Moses built the Tabernacle in strict conformance to the specifications given by God. For example, in the following scripture God gives Moses a detailed list of the items required to build the Tabernacle:

Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: “Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring Me an offering. From everyone who gives it willingly with his heart you shall take My offering. And this is the offering which you shall take from them: gold, silver, and bronze; blue, purple, and scarlet thread, fine linen, and goats’ hair; ram skins dyed red, badger skins, and acacia wood; oil for the light, and spices for the anointing oil and for the sweet incense; onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod and in the breastplate. And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. According to all that I show you, that is, the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings, just so you shall make it.” (Exodus 25:1-9)

Statements like this one are frequently found in the scriptures of Moses. Many of these references emphasize building of the Tabernacle precisely to God’s instructions. This fact suggests that the form and content of the Tabernacle is extremely important to God; that perhaps it is designed on a heavenly model, one that will enable God to dwell among His people.

If this is the case, then the Tabernacle must also be prophetic of Christ who also came to dwell with God’s people. What this tells us is that centuries of time did not change the intention of God to dwell with His people.  Even today He continues to strive to restore the relationship man lost with Him at the fall. Therefore, the scriptures that define the specifications, the processes and the objects of the Tabernacle reflect the will of God to abide with us, and therefore, must also be apply to the attributes, words and life of Christ who was sent to fulfill God’s intention.

Jesus, Moses Discuss the Fulfilment of Tabernacle Prophesy

We are going to look at the Tabernacle scriptures as they are prophetic of Christ. If Jesus is the Christ then the attributes and characteristics of the Tabernacle must be clearly demonstrated in His words and deeds. What we are about to reveal is that there is a precise correlation between the Tabernacle and Jesus. It is for this reason that we will use the scriptural specifications for each component of the Tabernacle to prove that Jesus is the Christ. In the process we will also uncover many hidden attributes of Jesus that will serve to help us better understand His nature.


Remembering that Jesus claimed to be “the Way, the Truth and the Life”, we look at the following diagram:

The Chanbers of the Tabernacle

For more information about these entrances (the Way, the Truth and the Life) being used to identify the passageways into each compartment of the Tabernacle, please go to the following website:  You ARE the Temple of the Holy Spirit.

The entrance called, “The Way,” leads us into the Courtyard (or Outer Court). The entrance named, “The Truth,” leads us into the Holy Place, and the entrance called, “The Life,” leads us into the Most Holy Place. It should also be noted that the Tabernacle is constructed in such a way that these entrances can only be entered in one sequence. The Way must be entered prior to entering The Truth, and the Truth must be entered prior to entering The Way. This significance will be discussed latter.

So, what we find here is that the words of Jesus have led us to the Tabernacle. His claim is that He is the entrance into all of the compartments of the Tabernacle, the place that God designated as the dwelling place with His people on earth. Therefore, our plan is to investigate each of these three chambers and identify what it is that He is leading us toward. What we will find is that we will be drawn into a closer relationship with God.

Jesus is drawing us into Himself by showing us that the Tabernacle was a prophetic prototype that would be fulfilled by Him in the establishment of the new covenant. What we are about to discover is that the Tabernacle structure communicates that there are three separate and distinct levels of relationship that we can have with God.

In addition, these relationships can only be obtained by passing through the doors of the Tabernacle in the prescribed sequence. In fact, we will develop a progressively deeper relationship with God as we enter each successive chamber to find the gifts that God has waiting for those who seek Him with all their heart.

While all of this is quite mysterious at a high level, we plan to present the details in subsequent postings. For now we will present a high level overview of our journey through the Tabernacle and its correlation with the life of Jesus. With that said let us start with the Tabernacle Courtyard.


The Tabernacle Courtyard


As we pass through the Tabernacle door called “the Way,” we enter the Courtyard. It is in the Courtyard where we enter into God’s gift of grace which is manifest in the forgiveness of sins. God’s grace in turn, leads us to seek to become more like Him, which in turn prepares us to enter into His ministry. Therefore, the Courtyard is a place of preparation for entry into a closer relationship with God.


When correlating the objects found in the Tabernacle Courtyard to the actions and words of Jesus, we discover Jesus to be a far superior replacement for the old covenant Courtyard. For example, Jesus gave up His body on the cross for our grace and the forgiveness of our sins. In addition, He gave us the example of His life as the model of the perfection we use so that we can see ourselves for what we are, and seek His Holy Spirit to help to prepare for entry into His ministry.


For additional details on the Tabernacle Courtyard please follow the following links:

Jesus-is-the-Outer-Courtyard

Jesus-the-Brazen-Laver

The-Laver-and-the-Holy-Spirit-of-Jesus

Jesus-Washes-the-Feet-of-His-Disciples

Applying-the-Attributes-of-Jesus-our-Laver


The Tabernacle Holy Place


As we pass through the Tabernacle entrance called “the Truth,” we enter into God’s Holy Place. It is in the Holly Place where we enter into God’s gifts of enlightenment, relationship and empowerment. It is here where we are illuminated with the information necessary to guide our steps in ministry and where we come to know the purpose of our life. It is in the Holy Place that we become a member of God’s family and enter a close personal relationship with God. Most importantly, it is here that we enter into spiritual warfare, which is the performance of Gods will on earth by way of our prayers and actions.

When correlating the objects found in the Holy Place to the actions and words of Jesus, we also find that Jesus is a far superior replacement for the old covenant Holy Place. It is only through Jesus that we are able to establish a relationship with the Father. It is Jesus who is our Light of the World, who illuminates our way, and it is the Holy Spirit of Jesus that leads us to be victorious in spiritual warfare. It is therefore through Jesus that our relationship with the Father is restored, our pathway is illuminated and the will of God is manifest.

For additional details on the Holy Place of the Tabernacle please follow the following links:

Jesus-is-the-Holy-Place

Passing-from-the-Way-and-into-the-Truth

Entering-the-Truth-of-the-Tabernacle

Jesus-the-Table-of-Showbread

Applying-the-Attributes-of-Jesus-our-Table-of-Showbread

Jesus-is-the-Light-of-the-World

Jesus-the-Golden-Altar-of-Incense

Jesus-the-Golden-Altar-of-Incense

Jesus-Heals-the-Sick-and-the-Lame

Jesus-Casts-out-Demons

Jesus-is-Victorious-over-an-Evil-Establishment

Jesus-is-Victorious-on-the-Cross

The-Victory-of-Jesus-Empowers-Us

Have-Perfect-Faith-in-Jesus

Jesus-the-Holy-Place-of-Empowerment-and-Truth


The Tabernacle Most Holy Place


As we pass through the Tabernacle entrance called “the Life,” we enter into God’s Most Holy Place. It is in the Most Holly Place where we enter into God’s gift of covenant. It is here that we can talk to God directly in the presence of His holy angels. It is here where our every need is cared for. In the Most Holy place we enter into a sacred and Royal Priesthood that understand and lives God’s commandments.

When correlating the objects found in the Most Holy Place to the actions and words of Jesus, we again find the Jesus is a far superior replacement for the old covenant Most Holy Place. It is Jesus who has become the ark of the New Covenant that is based on love. It is Jesus who is our high priest who enables us to enter into His Royal Priesthood. It is through Jesus that our every need is cared for. It is through Jesus that restored our relationship with the Father, enabling things to become as they were in the beginning, once again.

So we have much to discover about Jesus as we initiate our investigation into His words that lead us to the Tabernacle where we will find a deeper relationship with Him. We will drill down into all of this by starting with “Jesus the Way”, in our next posting. I look forward to your comments and discussion.

For additional details on the Most Holy Place of the Tabernacle please follow the following links:

Jesus-is-the-Life

Jesus-the-Most-Holy-Place

Finding-Jesus-in-the-Holy-of-Holies

Inside-the-Most-Holy-Place

Going-into-the-Ark-of-the-Covenant

Jesus-is-the-Fulfillment-of-the-Law

The-Cross-of-Jesus-is-the-Rod-of-Aaron

Jesus-is-our-Priest-Forever

Jesus-is-our-Covenant-Provision

Jesus-and-the-Covenant

Jesus-is-the-Way-to-the-Promised-Land

Jesus-is-the-Spirtual-Foundation-of-the-New-Covenant

Jesus-Prepares-us-to-Enter-into-His-Spirit

The-Spiritual-Duty-of-the-Warrior-Nation

Jesus-is-the-Reward-of-the-Spirit-Filled-Warrior-Nation

Jesus-and-the-Bride-of-Christ

Jesus-and-the-Cherubim

Jesus-is-the-Mercy-Seat-where-God-Dwells


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Jesus Teaches by way of Parables

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June 27, 2008

Jesus Teaches by way of Parables

 

An interesting part of the ministry of Jesus is that He taught by way of parables. The word parable has as its definition; to compare, and is most frequently a short story that demonstrates a moral attitude or religious principle. Jesus used these techniques in an effort to communicate the spiritual messages that the Father gave Him to deliver. These messages had to be delivered as parables as the people did not understand the spiritual realm. Therefore, His messages had to be delivered by comparison to things they did understand. These would be the physical things of their every day life:

 

And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: ‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, And seeing you will see and not perceive;  For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.’“ (Matthew 13:10-14)

 

We have discussed this concept previously in our dissertation on who Jesus claimed to be. So, for example, Jesus said: “I am the Bread of Life that has come down from heaven.” The term Bread is used to describe a staple food source capable of supporting life. So, in this statement Jesus communicates that He is the spiritual food that leads to everlasting life. This means that if we take Jesus into our spirit and He becomes a part of us, that we will have achieved everlasting life. So, this statement is a parable because it uses the words “bread” and “life,” which are easy to understand, as an illustration to communicate the spiritual truth of who Jesus is.

 

Another interesting point is the frequency to which Jesus talked in parables. The disciples were constantly taking Jesus’ words literally (not spiritually) and misunderstanding His message. For example:

 

Now when His disciples had come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread. Then Jesus said to them, “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.” And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “It is because we have taken no bread.” But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, “O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread? Do you not yet understand, or remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up? Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many large baskets you took up? How is it you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread?; but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees. (Matthew 16:5-12)

 

The bottom line here is that Jesus was a teacher who communicated in an easy to understand manner. In addition, His words were supported by miracles that directly reinforced the truth of His message. For example, Jesus stated:

 

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 6:35) 

The miracle of the five loaves and two fish that fed thousands[i] reinforces His statement that He is the Bread of Life. And yet this miracle is a parable in itself as it demonstrates that we will have everlasting life in Jesus, who is the bread of God.

 

In seeking to be like our Savior, we also must communicate the things that God has given us to communicate. In addition, we should expect that these words will be supported with power from on high, the way that they were for Jesus. 

 

[i] Matthew 14:17 – 21  And they said to Him, “We have here only five loaves and two fish.”  He said, “Bring them here to Me.”  Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes. So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained. Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

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The Last Temptation of Jesus

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June 7, 2008

The Last Temptation of Jesus

 

In this post we continue with our presentations on the temptations of Jesus. Remember that our mission is to gain additional insight into spiritual warfare and how we can adequately prepare for these battles. Let’s pick up with the third tempatation of Jesus in the wilderness by looking at the following verse:

 

And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence: For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee: And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Luke 4:9-11

 

Again, this is more cunning trickery from the devil, who is so bold to even use the true Word of God in an attempt to deceive Jesus into aborting His life, identity and purpose. One thing to remember here is that God has always given man the freedom to choose. Even in the Garden of Eden there was always choice. In the Garden the poor choice of taking the advice of the devil did not protect Adam from the consequences of his decision. In like manner, a poor choice by Jesus would have also removed the protection of God. So the question must be is the scripture true? Yes, the scripture is true for all who do not fall for the temptations of the devil and sin.  Therefore, the angels will protect Him from accidents but not from poor choices.

 

Based on this remember the following key points. Never choose sin even when cleverly presented alongside scripture that seems to support it. Never choose to give up on you life, mission or vision and never do anything proposed by the devil.

 

In addition, when you are tested please remember that you will be totally alone. There will be no help from angels, God or anywhere else. Think about it, If you’re not alone, then who is being tested? How will God know that you are ready to go to the next level or not? Also consider that the angels only came to the support Jesus after His temptation, not during it. Jesus came to the earth as a man to defeat the devil. This battle is not one that can be won by angels but only by Jesus the man. Do not choose the trickery of the devil but rather, choose the truth of the word of God. This is what Jesus did when He answered: 

 

And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from Him for a season. Luke 4:12-13

 

It is up to you to defeat the devil and pass the test. Remember that the reason you are here is to choose. You will not get help in times of testing. Even Jesus was alone when He hung on the cross:

 

And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46) 

 

This passage clearly demonstrates that Jesus was alone on the cross as He took the punishment of the world upon Himself. It is here that the final temptations came to Him. Let’s look at some of them:

 

Then two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and another on the left. And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, “You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.”  Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the scribes and elders, said, “He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him. He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.'” Even the robbers who were crucified with Him reviled Him with the same thing. Then two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and another on the left. (Matthew 27:38 – 44)

 

This was in fact the last temptation of Christ; to come down from the cross, to deny His identity, mission and vision. The last temptation of Christ proposed that He give up on us, the forgiveness of our sin and our destiny in the kingdom of heaven with God. The last temptation of Christ was to ignore what the Father told Him to do in favor of the devils desires. The last temptation taunted Jesus to quit just before the ransom for our restoration had been paid. It was a challenge to abort the work that only a man could do and to demonstrate the power of God from the cross. It was more trickery by the devil to defeat the mission of Jesus and to keep us under his dominion. 

 

In looking at this last temptation of Christ we must ask, what have we learned? First of all, we are responsible for not giving in to the temptation of the devil. This is what Jesus did as He refused to recant His identity and His mission.

 

In addition, we learn that we will be all alone when tested and that we are responsible for our choices. After all, how will God know that He can trust you to if you do not make the correct choices that prove that you are living the truth that He has put into you? Jesus had to be obedient to the Father even to death. In being faithful to the Father Jesus proved that He was obedient and worthy to go on to the next level, which was to sit at the right hand of the Father. Remember, resist the devil and he will depart from you. 

 

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