Tag Archive: The Golden Altar

The Tabernacle was built to be the earthly abode of God: the place where God would dwell among His people. By looking at the following diagram you will be able to see how the Tabernacle was organized.

tabernacle-diagram2

There will also be pictures associated with the folowing text that may help in visualizing what the tabernacle may have looked like.

: The Tabernacle

The Tabernacle

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 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. If this is the case, then the Tabernacle must be prophetic of the Christ who would also come to dwell with God’s people. Over the centuries the intention of God to dwell with His people did not change as even today, He continues to strive to restore the relationship man lost with Him at the fall. Therefore, the scriptures that define the specifications, processes and objects found in the Tabernacle reflect the will of God to abide with us, and as a result, must also be applicable to the attributes, words and life of Christ who was sent to accomplish God’s intention.

: Jesus, Moses and the Tabernacle

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.

: The Ascension of Jesus

Remember that Jesus claimed to be “the Way, the Truth and the Life.” By referencing the diagram above we can see that these names (the Way, the Truth and the Life) are also used to identify the entryways into the major compartments of the Tabernacle. The Way leads us into the Courtyard,

: The Tabernacle Courtyard

the Truth leads us into the Holy Place,

: Priest in the Holy Place of the Tabernacle

and the Life leads us into the Most Holy Place.

priest-and-holy-of-holies

It should also be noted that the Tabernacle is constructed in such a way that these passageways must be entered in this prescribed sequence. Therefore, the Way must be entered prior to entering the Truth, and in turn, the Truth must be entered prior to entering the Life.

What we have discovered here is that the words of Jesus that proclaim His identity lead us directly to the Tabernacle. Therefore His claim is that He is the portal into the places that God designed as the place to dwell with His people here on earth. Therefore, 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 the Father. Jesus uses the Tabernacle as a road map for us to understand what it is that we will find when we enter into a personal relationship with Him. We can proceed into Jesus with confidence because the actions and words of His life demonstrate that He is a far superior substitution for each and every component of the Tabernacle. This proof is a major focus of this blog and the teachings that accompany it will lead us into a much better understanding of who Jesus is. This in turn will lead us to grow and strengthen our relationship with Him.

From a bigger picture point of view, we are about to discover that the structure of the Tabernacle will communicate that there are three separate and distinct levels of relationship that a person can have with God. That these relationships can only be obtained in a prescribed sequence that corresponds to chambers of the Tabernacle. In fact, we will develop a progressively deeper relationship with God as we enter each successive chamber and 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. Readers of this site can use the following sections as a index to the content of this blog.

The Tabernacle Courtyard

: The Tabernacle Courtyard

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

The-Tabernacle-Courtyard-And-Jesus

The-Tabernacle-Courtyard-is-Prophetic-of-Jesus-a-Review

The-Brazen-Laver

The-Baptism-of-Jesus-and-the-Brazen-Laver

Being-Born-of-the-Spirit-and-the-Brazen-Laver

Jesus-gives-the-Living-Water-of-the-Laver

True-Baptism-Reveled-in-the-Reflections-of-the-Laver

Lessons-from-Jesus-our-Brazen-Laver

Jesus-the-Laver-Washes-His-Disciples-Feet

Jesus-Gave-us-all-he-had

Jesus-the-Brazen-Laver-Reveals-our-Destiny

Reflections-of-Jesus-Regarding-Service

Jesus-the-Laver-Teaches-do-what-ever-it-takes

Jesus-the-Laver-Teaches-Disregard-Status

Jesus-the-Laver-Teaches-Lead-by-Example

Jesus-the-Laver-Teaches-Personally-Touch-People

Jesus-our-Laver-Teaches-that-we-will-be-Tested

The Tabernacle Holy Place

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

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

The-Tabernacle-Holy-Place-Is-Prophetic-Of-Jesus

Jesus-is-the-Life

The-Ark-of-the-Covenant-Overview

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

Above-the-Ark-of-the-Covenant

Inside-the-Ark-of-the-Covenant

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

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

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

Jesus-our-Priest-Forever-According-to-the-Order-of-Melchizedek

The-Road-to-the-Promised-Land-Requires-Jesus-our-Covenant-Provision

Jesus-and-the-Covenant

The Priest in the Most Holy Place of 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.

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Jesus Provides All That We Need

Filed under: Jesus, Jesus the Golden Altar, Jesus the Holy Place, Jesus the Tabernacle, Prayer, Spirituality, spirtual warfare — 2 Comments

September 8, 2009

Jesus Provides All That We Need

Jesus empowers the Disciples that He sends out into ministry.

Saint Peter Healing the Cripple - Raising Tabitha - Masolino

The following scripture presents an example of this:

After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither He himself would come. Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest. Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves. Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes: and salute no man by the way. And into whatsoever house ye enter, first say, Peace be to this house. And if the son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon it: if not, it shall turn to you again. And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the labourer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house. And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you: And heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. (Luke 10:1-9)

The interesting part of this scripture is that Jesus sends His disciples out without basic necessities. In essence, He is teaching them to depend on God to empower them for the task at hand. The results of this lesson is evident when we look at the scripture that documents the return of the 70:

And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. (Luke 10:17-19)

Violence in Heaven

This is what spiritual warfare is all about; knocking down the strongholds of the devil through the ministry of Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit. When we knock down the strongholds of the devil we set people free from the bondage of the devil. The consequence of such action is that we build and mature the body of Christ (the Bride of Christ). By the words of Jesus we are empowered and have dominion over everything evil, and our prayers have power over the devil.

The Power of Prayer

In other words, our prayers in the spirit before the Golden Altar of Incense (of which Jesus is the fulfillment of) bring results in spiritual warfare. It is here at the Altar that we are empowered by God so that we become the aggressor seeking the fight and bring down evil. We go to the places of battle based on the leading of the Holy Spirit and we tear down the strong holds of the enemy. We fully understand that our action in ministry will result in our securing a place in heaven:

Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven. (Luke 10:20)

Tags: christ, Christianity, church, Covenant, God, Jesus, Jesus the Holy Place, Jesus the Tabernacle, Ministry, religion, spiritual warfare, Spirituality, Tabernacle, the church, The Golden Altar, The Holy Place, the Holy Spirit, theology

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Jesus and the Bride of Christ

Filed under: Bride of Christ, Covenant, Jesus, Jesus is the Ark of the New Covenant, Jesus is the Most Holy Place, Jesus is the Most Holy Place, Jesus the Tabernacle — 4 Comments

June 28, 2009

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

Jesus and the Bride of Christ

As we have read in our previous posting, our journey leads us toward becoming a part of the New Jerusalem, the Lambs wife.

the bride of christ

Let us look at a scripture to develop this view in greater detail:

Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” (Revelation 21:2-5)

We are the Bride, the New Jerusalem adorned for her Husband. Jesus is the Tabernacle of God and will dwell with us and He will care for our every need. He will restore everything to the perfect state it was in the beginning.

The Bride

To develop the concept of the Bride a bit further let me present an experience I had at a prayer meeting several years ago. The words that follow are a reflection of my experience being a part of the Bride in the spirit. I include it hear as I believe that it provides insight into the Bride and the marriage feast. Here it is:

We were alone in a beautiful room. It was a quite time. A time of preparedness. For there was to be a great event of which none can compare. There was joy and happiness. There was anticipation. For we are the source of celebration. We are the focus of attention. There is no sound in the room. Just the song of rustling linen[i].

The quiet is good for reflection. The images of the old world. The trials, the tribulations. The threats of war. The wars. The earthquakes, the storms, the floods. The disease, the famine, the pestilence. The sin. The fouling of the earth. The war with Satan and the victory of souls. The confrontation with the beast, the final victory. The deliverance. The unity of the saved.

We are a new creation! We are the culmination of saved souls[ii]. We are one being comprised of many in the perfect image and likeness of God. Assembled like the atoms of the bodies we once knew[iii]. There is great unity and power in the new creation. There is great joy in the Bride[iv]. Every soul of our existence shouts with joy. For we all know that we confessed Him, we all know that we changed our sinful ways for Him, we all obeyed His commandments, we all loved Him. We are so united when we think of Him.

How many times did He forgive us? How many times did He heal us? How many times did He save us from evil or keep us from harm? How endless is His love? Truly, this is our hour.

And the hour is upon us. The preparation is complete[v]. The door knocks. It is the Father. He is beaming. He holds out His arm. We take it and we walk arm and arm. We enter the great hall. The floor is as a single dark green emerald[vi]. The pews are crystal[vii]. The walls are gold. There is no ceiling but the sky. The seats are filled with the angels, all in white, all with wings. They are all singing. It is the wedding song in seven-part harmony. All gaze upon us. We look for Him but the passage is too long to see the end. We walk. We walk.

We see Him! JOY!! JOY!! He is so handsome. He smiles a big smile. In His eyes we see heaven. We keep walking. We are there. The Father gives up the Bride. Jesus holds out His hand. Our heart sings. We take His hand. The angel Gabrielle conducts the ceremony. We can think of nothing but Him. I do. You may kiss the Bride. Anticipation!! He comes closer, facing us. He lifts the veil, draws closer and embraces us. Cheers and celebrations!! We turn to face the assembly. We walk down the aisle. The angels are drunk. They sing, they fly, they cause great explosions in the sky.

A new larger sun rises[viii] over the altar behind us. The New World awaits.

So, the significance of the Pot of Manna placed in the Ark of the Covenant is that it represents the care, guidance and provision that God provides to His people who seek to enter into covenant with Him. While this support was provided to Israel under the first covenant, it has been perfected in Jesus under the new covenant. Israel’s walk with the Lord toward the Promised Land was prophetic of the superior covenant we would have with Jesus. Under the new covenant we receive blessings and gifts from God both on this earth but also in the spiritual realm. In addition, our spiritual destiny is to be one with Jesus as the new covenant is consummated with us, His Bride after the second coming of Jesus.

[i] Revelation 19:8 And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

[ii] Ephesians 4:15-16 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.

[iii] 1 Corinthians 12:12 For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.

[iv] Revelation 21:9-11 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, “Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.” And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.

[v] Revelation 19:7 Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.

[vi] Revelation 4:3 And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald.

[vii] Revelation 4:6 Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal.

[viii] Revelation 22:16-17 “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.” And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.

Revelation 21:23 The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light.

Revelation 2:26-28 And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations; ‘He shall rule them with a rod of iron; They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter’s vessels’; as I also have received from My Father; “and I will give him the morning star.

The Sun that rose was the Morning Star. He rose but then stopped low in the morning sky, apparently positioned in an optimal location to provide light.

Isaiah 60:19-21 The sun shall no longer be your light by day, Nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you; But the LORD will be to you an everlasting light, And your God your glory. Your sun shall no longer go down, Nor shall your moon withdraw itself; For the LORD will be your everlasting light, And the days of your mourning shall be ended. Also your people shall all be righteous; They shall inherit the land forever, The branch of My planting, The work of My hands, That I may be glorified.

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

Read my book entitled, “Possess the Vision.”

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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Jesus is the Holy Place of Empowerment and Truth

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

April 7, 2009

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

Jesus is the Holy Place of Empowerment and Truth

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jesus, Moses and the Tabernacle

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

Moses and the Ten Comandments

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

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

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

Tags: Bible, christ, Christianity, church, God, Jesus, Jesus the Holy Place, Jesus the Tabernacle, religion, spiritual warfare, Spirituality, Tabernacle, The Golden Altar, The Holy Place, The Truth, theology

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Perfect Faith Brings Down the Giants Before Us

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

April 3, 2009

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

Perfect Faith Brings Down the Giants before Us

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

The Light at Night from the Holy Place of the Tabernacle

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

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

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

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

David and Goliath

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

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

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

Tags: Bible, christ, Christianity, church, God, Jesus, Jesus the Holy Place, Jesus the Tabernacle, Ministry, religion, spiritual warfare, Spirituality, Tabernacle, the church, The Golden Altar, The Holy Place, The Tabernacle, The Truth, theology

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Have Perfect Faith in Jesus

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

April 2, 2009

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

Have Perfect Faith in Jesus

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

Jesus Pulls Peter From the Water

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

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

Jesus Tempted in the Wilderness by the Devil

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

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

Moses before the Burning Bush

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

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

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

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

Joe

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Why We Should Enter Into the Spiritual Warfare of Jesus

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

April 1, 2009

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

Why We Should Enter Into the Spiritual Warfare of Jesus

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

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

Jesus the Light of the World is Transfigured before His Disciples

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

May God bless and keep you always,

Joe

Tags: Bible, Christian Love, Christianity, God, Jesus, Jesus the Holy Place, Jesus the Tabernacle, religion, Religious, spiritual warfare, Spirituality, Tabernacle, the church, The Golden Altar, The Holy Place, The Tabernacle, The Truth, theology

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The Spiritual Warfare of Jesus Requires Unity

Filed under: Jesus, Jesus the Golden Altar, Jesus the Holy Place, Jesus the Tabernacle, spirtual warfare — 4 Comments

March 30, 2009

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

The Spiritual Warfare of Jesus Requires Unity

We have been presenting the analogy between the physical warfare led by the Ark of the Covenant, to the spiritual warfare led by Jesus since the time of John the Baptist.

Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. (Matt 11:10-12)

John the Baptist

Today we address the necessity of unity in either form of warfare. In the following scripture Moses directs the nation toward unity by reminding them of the promise of the Lord:

“You shall not at all do as we are doing here today—every man doing whatever is right in his own eyes — for as yet you have not come to the rest and the inheritance which the LORD your God is giving you. But when you cross over the Jordan and dwell in the land which the LORD your God is giving you to inherit, and He gives you rest from all your enemies round about, so that you dwell in safety, then there will be the place where the LORD your God chooses to make His name abide. (Duet 12: 8-11)

Moses and the Ten Comandments

The inheritance referenced here is the covenant made between God and Israel that included the reward of the Promised Land (symbolic of heaven). Crossing the Jordan (symbolic of the baptism of Jesus) is required to enter into the Lords promise.

The Baptism of Jesus

Once inside the Promised Land they engage in battle to drive out the evil that is there and the Lord goes before them to ensure their victory.

The reference to the place where the Lord chooses to make His name abide (in the above scripture) is the Tabernacle, which is prophetic of Jesus (see of our prior postings on this subject The-Tabernacle-is-Prophetic-of-Jesus.)

Unity is required in spiritual warfare as well. Let us take a look at what Jesus prayed for His disciples:

But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.

I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. (John 17: 13-23)

In this prayer is an extraordinary call for spiritual unity. Jesus is stating that we can become one with Him. Oh, happy day! But then, how can this be?

The answer is that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Tabernacle (this s in line with our previous teachings – The-Tabernacle-is-Prophetic-of-Jesus.) Let me explain this a bit. The Tabernacle priests were able to enter into the Holy Place of the Tabernacle. They therefore were one with the Holy Place by simply being inside of it. Since Jesus is the fulfillment of the Holy Place, we find that Jesus’ prayer sustains these claims. We become one with Jesus by entering into the Holy Place, which is the place relationship with the Father, of enlightenment as to who Jesus is, and of spiritual warfare through prayer.

Of course a prerequisite to entering into the Holy Place is to first wash at the Brazen Laver found in the Tabernacle courtyard. To find out more about this go to the following link and look for the section on the Brazen Laver:

Jesus-is-the-Way

The implications of this on the current state of the church is eye opening. We certainly have not reached a state of unity but rather seem to be fragmented into hundreds of pieces.

Until next time, may God bless you and keep you alway!

Joe

Tags: christ, Christianity, church, God, Jesus, Jesus the Holy Place, Jesus the Tabernacle, religion, Religious, spiritual warfare, Spirituality, Tabernacle, The Golden Altar, The Holy Place, The Tabernacle, The Truth, theology

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The Purpose of Spiritual Warfare

Filed under: Jesus, Jesus the Golden Altar, Jesus the Holy Place, Jesus the Tabernacle, spirtual warfare — 4 Comments

March 27, 2009

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

The Purpose of Spiritual Warfare

In a prior posting we provided information that demonstrated that Jesus has ascended to heaven and has prepared a place for us (the Promised Land). In addition, we quoted His words that reveal that violence (spiritual warfare) is necessary to take heaven by force. For anyone interested in reviewing this posting, please use this link: Jesus-Leads-us-To-The-Spiritual-Promised-Land

Jesus Ascends into Heaven

In a subsequent posting we addressed how the Tabernacle was instrumental in parting of the waters of the Jordan River, therein enabling Israel to cross over on dry land in their journey to the Promised Land. We also communicated how the walls of Jericho fell as the Ark of the Covenant (a component of the Tabernacle) led the army of Israel into battle. Again, use this link to review this post: Jesus-Our-Tabernacle-Leads-Us-To-The-Promised-Land

In our last posting we communicated how all of this was prophetic of Jesus Christ. A link to this post can be found at the very bottom of this page.

Today we address the purpose of spiritual warfare. We start by presenting the words of Moses as he prepared the nation to cross over the Jordan River and enter into the Promised Land.

Moses Praying on the Mountain - by J Hartly 1922

Moses came before the people on the edge of the holly land and gave them instruction to prepare them for the battle. To ensure that things would go well for them. Here are some of the statements that Moses made that help us to understand the purpose of spiritual warfare:

Do not think in your heart, after the LORD your God has cast them out before you, saying, ‘Because of my righteousness the LORD has brought me in to possess this land’; but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD is driving them out from before you. (Deu 9:4 NKJV)

The Lord clearly states that the purpose of casting them out to eliminate their wickedness. Spiritual warfare seeks to eliminate evil. Because of this the people and their evil religion are to be completely destroyed. No one is to be allowed to live:

When the LORD your God brings you into the land which you go to possess, and has cast out many nations before you, the Hittites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than you, and when the LORD your God delivers them over to you, you shall conquer them and utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them nor show mercy to them. (Deu 7:1-2)

A close up of the bronze panel depicting the story of Joshua, with the arc of the covenant and the city of Jericho. Joshua lived a righteous life in the name of God and because of this, he was able to destroy all of his enemies and reclaim the Promised Land.

In addition, the mission of spiritual warfare is to destroy evil:

But thus you shall deal with them: you shall destroy their altars, and break down their sacred pillars, and cut down their wooden images, and burn their carved images with fire. (Deu 7:5)

As I have stated before, the war of the nation of Israel was a physical war. While it is prophetic of our spiritual warfare, one must remember that we do not engage in physical confrontations:

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. (Ephesians 6: 11-13)

Violence in Heaven

The ministry of Jesus is devoted to spiritual warfare. He confronted the scribes and Pharisees with their hypocrisy. He healed on the Sabbath to demonstrate that the welfare of people was more important than the letter of the law. In fact, He showed us that the changing of our heart is far more important than blindly following rules or attempting to game the system.

You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. (Matt 5: 27-29)

Jesu and the Adulterous Woman

So Jesus once again raised the bar. He not only fulfilled the old covenant but He replaced it with a much better one. One that is pleasing to God. So now, simply refraining from the physical act falls short of the mark. Victory in the physical realm is insufficient as spiritual victory is the goal. Victory requires that we change our nature (through the leading of the Holy Spirit) and that includes even the desire for evil. Our heart must be pure so that we can put on the entire armor of God and be victorious in the spiritual warfare that rages all around us.

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

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Jesus Leads Us To The Promised Land

Filed under: Jesus, Jesus the Golden Altar, Jesus the Holy Place, Jesus the Tabernacle, spirtual warfare — 1 Comment

March 23, 2009

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

Jesus Leads us to the Promised Land

To date we have demonstrated that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Tabernacle Courtyard, the Holy Place and all of the artifacts that are contained inside them.

Jesus and Moses Discuss the Fulfilment of the Tabernacle

Jesus and Moses Discuss the Fulfillment of the Tabernacle

Our most recent postings have identified the Golden Altar of Incense as the place for spiritual warfare because the smoke that rose up to heaven from it has been perceived as symbolic of the prayers of the people going up to heaven. In addition, we have concluded that Jesus is the fulfillment (a far superior replacement for the functionality and purpose) of the Golden Altar. This conclusion is demonstrated in the life actions, words and prayers of Jesus, as they have been instrumental in bringing down the strongholds of evil that had held us captive.

The Golden Altar of the Tabernacle

In a prior posting we provided information that demonstrated that Jesus has ascended to heaven to prepare a place for us (the fulfillment of the Promised Land). In addition, we quoted His words that reveal that violence (spiritual warfare) is necessary to take heaven by force. For anyone interested in reviewing this posting, please follow the following link: Jesus-Leads-us-To-The-Spiritual-Promised-Land

Our last posting addressed how the Tabernacle was instrumental in the parting of the waters of the Jordan River in enabling the nation to cross over dry land and proceed into the Promised Land. We also communicated how the walls of Jericho fell as the Ark of the Covenant (a component of the Tabernacle) was carried before the army of Israel, leading it into battle. Again, here is the link to this posting for anyone who would like to review it: Jesus-Our-Tabernacle-Leads-Us-To-The-Promised-Land

In each of these cases these historical events were predictive of the Life of Jesus and we plan to demonstrate how right here. To do this we will use the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan.

John Baptizes Jesus in the Jordan River

In this event Jesus crossed over the Jordan River as did the Tabernacle. In addition, both also initiated the ministry of leading the people into the Promised Land. In addition, both Jesus and the Tabernacle were successful in spiritual warfare. In the case of the Tabernacle (the Ark of the Covenant) the walls of Jericho fell down allowing the nation of Israel to take the city. Jesus achieved a similar circumstance in His victory over Satan in the wilderness. His victory enabled us to enter into HIs spiritual warfare as he tore down the walls that kept us captive to sin and the domination of the devil. Lets take a look at scripture to reinforce this a bit:

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)

One of the interesting correlations here is the parallel of the parting of the waters of the Jordan to the parting of the heavens as God proclaimed Jesus’ identity. This significance of this is that the Promised Land is symbolic of a much bigger promise. It is symbolic of of heaven and this is the Promised Land that Jesus leads us into.

This verse also references the temptation by Satan in the wilderness.

Jesus is Tempted on the Mountain

Here again the victory of Jesus over Satan is a parallel to the walls of Jericho falling down in that His victory (of not sinning) opened the door for us to take the Promised Land of heaven with our spiritual violence. In other words our prayers through Jesus are effective against the forces of evil because Jesus has overcome evil. Evil has no power over Jesus as He is without sin. As we enter into Him and become one with Him our actions start to become effective just as they were for Jesus when He walked the earth.

Tags: Bible, christ, Christianity, church, God, Jesus, Jesus the Holy Place, Jesus the Tabernacle, religion, Religious, spiritual warfare, Spirituality, Tabernacle, The Golden Altar, The Tabernacle, The Truth, theology

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