Tag Archive: the church


Jesus Casts Out Demons

Filed under: Jesus, Jesus the Golden Altar, Jesus the Holy Place, Jesus the Tabernacle — 1 Comment
March 3, 2009

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

The Book Cover

The Book Cover

Jesus Casts Out Demons

This posting is designed to demonstrate how the life and words of Jesus demonstrate that He is the fulfillment of the Golden Altar of Incense found in the Tabernacles Holy Place. If you have not had the opportunity to review these postings you may find it desirable to review the following summary: Jesus-Is-The-Golden-Altar-Of-Incense. With that out of the way we can not dig into the subject of this posting.


Our message today presents “Casting out Demons” as demonstrated in the ministry of Jesus as yet another example of spiritual warfare.

Jesus while healing a young man, who is Demon-possessed, with no hearing

Jesus while healing a young man, who is Demon-possessed, with no hearing

We start with a passage from the book of Luke:

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

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

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

May God bless you all.

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Jesus Resists The Devils Temptation

Filed under: Jesus, Jesus the Golden Altar, Jesus the Holy Place, Jesus the Tabernacle, spirtual warfare — 5 Comments
February 28, 2009

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

The Book Cover

 

This posting and several others that proceed it are designed to demonstrate how the actions and words of Jesus prove that He is the fulfillment of the Golden Altar of Incense that resides in the Tabernacles Holy Place. If you have not had the opportunity to review our prior postings on this subject you can catch up by reading the following summary: Jesus-Is-The-Golden-Altar-Of-Incense. With that out of the way we can now dig into, “Jesus Resits the Devil’s Temptation.”

Jesus Resists the Devil’s Temptation

The devils temptation of Jesus in the wilderness is a classical example of spiritual warfare.


jesus-tempted-on-the-mountain

The devils goal was to persuade Jesus to renounce His identity as the Fathers beloved Son as proclaimed by the Father at the baptism of John. The consequence of this would be that Jesus would have also renounced His purpose as well, which is the salvation of all mankind.

There are remarkable lessons in this story because the devils temptation has not ended and he will attempt to achieve the same end result with each and every one of us. He will attempt to get us to give up on the reality that we are sons of the living God, and he will try to convince us that we are born without an exceptional purpose.

To start with lets drill down into some supporting material for the statements we have made above. Let’s start by presenting the scripture documenting the spiritual battle between Jesus and Satan in the wilderness:

When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’“

Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’“ Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the LORD your God.’“

Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.’“ Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him. (Matthew 3:16 – 4:11)

So, What Does This Scripture Teach Us?

Some very important point must be noted here. The spiritual warfare commenced immediately after Jesus was baptized in the Holy Spirit and just prior to His entering into ministry. Also, Jesus initiated the attack as He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness for the purpose of testing his ability to resist the devil and all the glamors of the world. In addition, His leading by the Holy Spirit suggests that victory over the devil is necessary for proceeding into ministry, and that it is an integral part of ministry. It also suggests that entering into spiritual warfare should only be done at the leading of God’s spirit. Another key point is that the attack came when Jesus was at His weakest from fasting.


Via Dolorosa Station 5 - Roman soldiers instruct Simon of Cyrene to carry the Cross

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

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


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

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:


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Applying Jesus the Golden Lampstand To Our Lives

Filed under: Jesus, Jesus the Golden Lampstand, Jesus the Holy Place, Jesus the Tabernacle — 1 Comment
February 25, 2009

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

cropped-possessthevisionfront013.jpg

Applying Jesus the Golden Lampstand To Our Lives

We have recently posted “Jesus the Light of the World” which correlated the attributes and purpose of the Golden Lampstand (found in the Tabernacle), to that of the Life of Jesus. In this post we will look at how to apply these attributes to our own lives.

Jesus is the Light of the World

Jesus is the Light of the World

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

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

Jesus is Transfigured into Light

Jesus is Transfigured into Light

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

the-adoration-of-the-trinity-albrecht-durer-15111

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

Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go and pray over there.” And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.” He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” Then He came to the disciples and found them asleep, and said to Peter, “What? Could you not watch with Me one hour? Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:36-41)

Jesus in Gethsemane

Jesus in Gethsemane

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

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

Enter into the Holy Place in your Prayer Life

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

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

Jesus went to the Mountain to Pray

Jesus went to the Mountain to Pray

Seek God for Direction

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

Be Visible

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

Jesus Proclaims: "Today this scripture is fulfilled"

Jesus Proclaims: "Today this scripture is fulfilled"

Be a Light to Others

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

Expect Miracles to Follow the Truth from God

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

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

Jesus Heals the Leper

Jesus Heals the Leper

In our next posting we will introduce the Golden Altar of Incense.

May God bless you all.

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Applying The Principles Of Jesus The Bread Of Life

Filed under: Jesus, Jesus the Holy Place, Jesus the Tabernacle, Jesus the Table of Showbread — 1 Comment
February 21, 2009

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

Applying the Principles of Jesus the Bread of Life

In our prior posting we correlated the Table of Showbread with the life of Jesus Christ.

The Table of Showbread

The Table of Showbread

We communicated that Jesus gave us His Body and Blood at His crucifixion.

Jesus on the Cross Sheds His Blood

This is a direct correlation to the bread placed on the Tabernacles table. Jesus also asked us to eat His body and drink His blood at the last supper.

The Last Supper BY Ghirlandaio

The Last Supper BY Ghirlandaio

This is a direct correlation to the Tabernacle priests eating the bread that was removed from the Table of Showbread each Sabbath.


More that this however, through these physical acts we must seek to develop the spiritual body and blood of Jesus in ourselves and others. This is because our spiritual body needs both nutrition and exercise to properly develop, just as our physical bodies do. One way we can accomplish this by reading the words of Jesus, and making them a part of us. We can use His words by asking the Holy Spirit to make them alive in our hearts, such that the Word of God becomes a part of us. By doing this we will have achieved the communion with the Lord that was prophesied at the Table of Showbread.


The Holy Spirit at the Baptism of Jesus

The Holy Spirit at the Baptism of Jesus

In other words, the body and blood of Jesus will have set us free[ii] and therefore shown us the Way to God (by passing through the door to the Tabernacle Courtyard called the “Way”) and enlightened us with the Truth from God (as we pass through the entry way into the Tabernacles Holy Place called the Truth) that brings the following types of change into our lives:


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


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

Eat the Body and Blood of Jesus

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

Eating the Body and Blood of Jesus

Eating the Body and Blood of Jesus

Seek a Spiritual Relationship with Jesus

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

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

Jesus Knocks

Jesus Knocks

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

Become the Bread of Life for Others

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

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

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

Joe Gordon


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

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

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Applying The Attributes Of Jesus Our Table Of Showbread

Filed under: Jesus, Jesus the Holy Place, Jesus the Tabernacle, Jesus the Table of Showbread — 2 Comments
February 20, 2009

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

Applying the Attributes of Jesus our Table of Showbread

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

The Table of Showbread

The Table of Showbread

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

We then correlated the above attributes of the Table of Showbread to the words and actions of Jesus. We used Jesus’ statement, “I Am the Bread of Life” as a key connection to the Table of Showbread. We then introduced the scriptures of the multiplication of the loaves and fish as a validation to His claim to be the Bread of Life.


Jesus Multiplies the Loaves and Fish

Jesus Multiplies the Loaves and Fish

Next we introduced the scripture in which Jesus proclaimed that anyone who ate the Bread of Life would live forever. This statement was later validated when Jesus was raised from the dead and ascended into heaven.


Jesus rises from the grave

Jesus rises from the grave

Therefore, Jesus the Bread of Life has the power to overcome death and live with God forever. This was also proved when Jesus raised Lazarus from the grave.


Jesus Raises Lazarus From The Grave

Jesus Raises Lazarus From The Grave

Consequently, He is certainly a spiritual food, just like the loaves eaten by the Tabernacle priests were.

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

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


The Last Supper

The Last Supper

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

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

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

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

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Jesus Is The Bread That Came Down From Heaven

Filed under: Jesus, Jesus the Holy Place, Jesus the Tabernacle, Jesus the Table of Showbread — 1 Comment
February 17, 2009

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

Jesus is the Bread that Came Down From Heaven

Here is another example of how Jesus fulfills the prophesy of the Table of Showbread.

Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes

Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes

Jesus proclaimed Himself to be the living Bread of Life (Table of Showbread) that came from heaven to earth. If we eat this Bread of Life we will live forever:

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

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

last-supper-window-st-giles-cathedral-edinburgh

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

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

And God Said let there be light

And God Said let there be light

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

Tintoretto - The Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes

Tintoretto - The Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes

Jesus is the Bread of Life. This statement is true both physically and spiritually. It is true that we who come to Jesus will not hunger or thirst in the flesh. It is also true that Jesus is the spiritual Bread of Life and those who follow Him will not hunger or thirst in the spirit, but will have life everlasting.

eucharist_in_monstrance

We eat the Bread of Life when we read about Jesus’ words and actions in scripture. When we read the words that He spoke we are literally taking the Bread of Life into ourselves and it becomes a part of us. When we receive the words that Jesus spoke they accomplish their desire in us. We eat the Bread of Life and we become what we eat. God’s Word is planted in us and we begin to fulfill God’s purpose for our lives. The more we take into ourselves, the words of the Father and the Son by the power of the Holy Spirit, the more we are transformed into God’s purpose for our lives.

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

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

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

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Jesus Is The Bread Of Life

Filed under: Jesus, Jesus the Holy Place, Jesus the Tabernacle, Jesus the Table of Showbread — 1 Comment
February 16, 2009

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

Jesus Is The Bread Of Life

In our last posting we presented the Table of Showbread that is found inside the Holy Place of the Tabernacle. If you wish to review it please click on the following hyperlink: The-Table-of-Showbread

The Table of Showbread

The Table of Showbread


Support for the proposition that Jesus is the Table of Showbread can be found by examining the statements and actions of His life. In the following scripture Jesus proclaims to be the Bread of Life which is a direct parallel to the loaves of Showbread. Jesus’ proclamation however, is followed by signs and miracles that reinforce the truth of His statement. These signs and miracles do more than simply display the power and mercy of God. They directly support Jesus’ claim to be the Bread of Life. The following passage taken from the book of John captures Jesus proclamation to be the Bread of Life:

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


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

Jesus Prays For The Multitude

Jesus Prays For The Multitude

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


Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes

Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes

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

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The Holy Place of the Tabernacle

Filed under: Jesus, Jesus the Holy Place, Jesus the Tabernacle, Tabernacle, The Holy Place, The Truth — 5 Comments
February 12, 2009

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 Holy Place Of The Tabernacle


As we are starting a new section it may be a good idea for the reader to read the review of what we have covered to date. This review can be found by clicking on this link: The-Tabernacle-Courtyard-Is-Prophetic-Of-Jesus-A-Review

We are now about to pass through the second door of the Tabernacle, the one called “the Truth”, that leads us into the Holy Place of God.

The Holy Place Inside the the Tabernacle Courtyard

The Holy Place Inside the the Tabernacle Courtyard

A diagram of the Tabernacle as found on the “http://ojgraham.com/GodsPlan.htm” web page is presented next:

Tabernacle Diagram

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

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

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

Like the other compartments of the Tabernacle, the sanctuary design came directly from God who passed the specifications on to His servant Moses:

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

Moses And The Ten Comandments

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

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

The Table Of Showbread

The Table Of Showbread

the Golden Lampstand on the south side;

The Golden Lampstand

and the Altar of Incense on the west side.

Golden Altar Of Incense


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


Inside the Holy Place of the Tabernacle


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



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

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


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The Tabernacle Courtyard Is Prophetic of Jesus – a review

Filed under: Brazen Laver, Jesus, Jesus the Altar of Burnt Offerings, Jesus the Brazen Laver, Jesus the Tabernacle, Jesus the Tabernacle Courtyard, Tabernacle, Tabernacle Courtyard, The Alter of Burnt Offerings — 7 Comments
February 10, 2009

 

The Morning Star Rising on the First Day

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 Tabernacle Courtyard Is Prophetic of Jesus

 

The Tabernacle Courtyard

The Tabernacle Courtyard

In our previous postings we have presented the Tabernacle Courtyard as prophetic of the Jesus in that it foretells the life of Christ. We will now continue with our larger objective of substantiating the Tabernacle and its contents as prophetic of Christ Jesus.

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

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

To initiate this quest we will start with a review of all of the material we have presented to date, which addresses the Tabernacle Courtyard and demonstrates that Jesus is the Way to a relationship of grace with God.


 

The foundation for all of the work we will present on this subject is based upon the, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life,” statement made by Jesus. What we have revealed is that these names, (the way, the truth and the life), are also used to name the entrances into the Tabernacle chambers. “The Way,” for example is the name of the gate that leads into the Tabernacle Courtyard.

The Tabernacle Gate - The Way

The Tabernacle Gate - The Way

The Truth is the name of the door into the Holy Place,

The Brazen Laver In Front Of "The Way" To The Holy Place

and in like manner, “the Life,” is the passage into the Most Holy place of God. For a more detailed explanation of all of this please follow this link Jesus-is-the-Way-the-Truth-and-the-Life.

Priest in the Holy Place of the Tabernacle

Priest in the Holy Place of the Tabernacle

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

To date our investigation of the Tabernacle has been limited to looking at the Courtyard, the first of the three chambers of the Tabernacle. As a part of this investigation we have presented the objects found in the Courtyard, including their purpose and attributes and correlated them to the words and deeds of Jesus. So, for example, we found that grace is achieved in the Courtyard by way of blood sacrifice, in which a Lamb is slaughtered and then burned on the Brazen Alter (see details at Jesus-the-Brazen-Laver.) We then associated Jesus, the “Lamb of God,” to this object by correlating it to His sacrifice and death on the cross.

Jesus on the Cross Sheds His Blood

This sacrifice was required for the forgiveness of our sins. It also substantiates that Jesus as the fulfillment of the Brazen Altar and therefore the Courtyard of the Tabernacle. This correlation should also help us to better understand what Jesus meant when He said “I am The Way,” which means that He is the way of a relationship of grace. For more information about this please go to Jesus-is-the-Way and Becoming-like-Jesus-the-Way.

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

We then connected the function and attributes of the Laver with the life and words of Jesus. We used the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan as a fulfillment of prophesy of the Laver (for more information go to the-Laver-and-the-Holy-Spirit-of-Jesus.)

John Baptizes Jesus - Making Straight The Way Of The Lord

John Baptizes Jesus - Making Straight The Way Of The Lord

We also saw how the washing His disciple’s feet became a reflection of their readiness to enter into His ministry. In general we conclude that all of the words and deeds of Jesus are occasions for reflection and opportunities for change in preparation for ministry. Therefore our reading of scriptures that contain the words and deeds of Jesus are opportunities for reflection about our nature and how we stack up to in comparison to Jesus, our model of perfection. These occasions are opportunities to conform our heart and mind to Him as we pursue a more intimate relationship to our God. For additional information about this go to Applying-the-attributes-of-Jesus-our-Laver.

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

 

The Truth leads us into the Holy Place of God where our pathway is enlightened, our relationship with the Father is matured and we become empowered for spiritual warfare. Now we are ready to introduce you to, “Jesus the Truth” in our subsequent postings.  

 

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Jesus is the Great I Am

Filed under: Jesus — 1 Comment
April 8, 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

Jesus is the Great – I Am

In addition to all of the above claims, Jesus also claimed to be the “I AM”, which is a proclamation of being the God who spoke to Moses out of the burning bush.

Moses At The Burning Bush

The gospel of John records the words of Jesus making this proclamation:

Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” (John 8:5)

This proclamation made the Jews furious. A reference to the book of Exodus helps in understanding this:

Then Moses said to God, “Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?” And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’“ Moreover God said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.’“ (Exodus 3:13-16)

So, we can see by reading the above passage that God claimed the name, “I Am” in His conversation with Moses, and then Jesus referrers to Himself as “I Am” when speaking to the religious leaders of Israel.

Moses and the Great I Am


The “I Am” passage provided to Moses is not well understood because there is not a subject provided that would answer the question: I Am what? Jesus made a number of “I Am” statements in His ministry but up until the preceding passage they all had a subject. For example, the following “I Am” statements have already been presented in various posts on our site:

I Am the Way, the Truth and the Life

I Am the Door to the Sheepfold

I Am the Good Shepherd

jesus-the-shepherd1

I Am the Bread of Life

jesus-feeds-the-multitude

I Am the Light of the World

transfiguration

I Am the Resurrection and the Life

resurrection

I Am the True Vine

I Am the Alpha and the Omega

jesus-lammet-og-lc3b8ven

I Am the Root and Offspring of David

I Am the Morning Star


But what does, “I Am” mean if such a definitional statement is missing? Certainly the words that came from the Father to Moses are not simply a statement of existence but rather a statement of all inclusiveness. I Am all of the things identified in the list above. I Am every good thing that you ever needed, everything you could possibly imagine, and even more because I Am God.

Therefore, in speaking the same words as the Father spoke to Moses; Jesus clearly communicated His identity to the scribes and Pharisees. But this was not the only time that Jesus proclaimed Himself to be God. For example, Jesus was more direct in claiming to be the Father in the following statement:

Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?” (John 14:9)

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