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Who is the Bride of Christ?THE TORAH: A BLUEPRINT OF HEAVEN Many Christians look
forward to the day when they will be able to spend eternity forever with
Jesus in heaven. However, virtually all Christians have no idea what
heaven will be like when they get there. They just know that it will be
something better than they ever imagined. Heaven WILL be better than we
can ever imagine but most Christians don't realize that God told us in
EXPLICIT DETAIL what heaven will be like in the Bible. In this chapter,
we will examine what heaven will be like and what believers in Jesus as
Messiah will be doing for all eternity when they get to heaven. As we learned earlier in this book, God created man so that He could someday dwell forever with those who would accept the Messiah and be the Bride of Christ. God created man and the earth so that God could dwell forever with man. This truth is revealed to us in the very first verse in the Bible, Genesis 1:1. In fact, this truth is communicated to us in the very first LETTER in the Bible. The first word in the Bible in Hebrew is "Bereishit" which means "In the beginning." The first letter of the Hebrew word, "Bereishit" is the Hebrew letter, "Bet". The letter "Bet" in Hebrew means "house." Since Hebrew is the ONLY spiritual language in the world, this communicates to us that the reason why God created man and the earth is that He wanted to have a "house" of people who would be called by His name. In Hebrews 3:6, believers in Jesus as Messiah are called the "House of God" as it is written:
The people of God are called the "house of God." In Ephesians 2:19 it is written:
In Exodus 25:8-9, God instructed Moses to build a tabernacle so that God could dwell with His people as it is written:
In the book of Hebrews, the Word of God tells us that the tabernacle that God had Moses build was MADE ACCORDING TO THE PATTERN OF THE TABERNACLE IN HEAVEN. In Hebrews 8:5 it is written:
Therefore, from this scripture, we can understand that the tabernacle that God had Moses build was a SHADOW OF HEAVEN built ACCORDING TO THE PATTERN of heaven. By understanding this truth, we can examine and study the layout and building of the tabernacle as given in Exodus chapters 25-40 to get a DETAILED description of heaven. We can understand with even greater evidence that heaven is patterned after the tabernacle that God gave Moses when we examine Revelation 21:1-3 as it is written:
In Exodus 25:8-9,
God instructed Moses to build a tabernacle so that God could "dwell with
men." In Revelation 21:1-3, we see the new heaven and the new
earth and the new Jerusalem being described as a tabernacle and God
"dwelling with His people." DWELL (Tabernacle) WITH HIS PEOPLE Jesus is God manifest in the flesh. In 1 Timothy 3:16 it is written:
Jesus came to the earth at His first coming because God desired to dwell with His people. In John 1:14 it is written:
The word, "dwelt" is the Greek word, "skaynoo." It is the Strong's word 4637. The Greek word, "skaynoo" is analogous to the tabernacle that God had Moses build in the wilderness. In Revelation 13:6, heaven is referred to as a tabernacle and those who are in heaven are seen as "dwelling" in heaven as it is written:
Therefore, by
understanding the above passages, we can understand that heaven is
called a tabernacle and those who are in heaven are seen as "dwelling"
in heaven. From this, we can see why God told Moses, "build me a
tabernacle so that I may dwell among my people" (Exodus 25:8-9)
because the tabernacle that God had Moses make was built after the true
tabernacle in heaven (Hebrews 8:5, Revelation 21:13).
Furthermore, we can understand why Jesus came and "dwelt" among us (John
1:14). The temple was patterned after the tabernacle of Moses in the wilderness. The Temple of Solomon was built after the pattern given to David by God from the Holy Spirit. In 1 Chronicles 28:11-13 it is written:
From this passage of scripture we can understand the following things:
From our studies earlier in this book, we know that it is the duty of the priests and the Levites to teach God's people the Torah. Spiritually, believers in Jesus as Messiah are called a "spiritual house" and a "royal priesthood" (I Peter 2:5,9). Because the tabernacle, the temple and the priesthood are a blueprint of heaven and because the duty of the priests is to teach the Torah to God's people, we can understand that the Bride of Christ will be teaching the Torah forever to the people of God for all eternity. The temple was built so
that God could dwell with His people. In Ezekiel 41:1,
In Ezekiel 40-48, Ezekiel is shown the pattern of a FUTURE temple. In Ezekiel 43:10-12, the temple of God is called the house of God. Furthermore in these verses, God told Ezekiel that the TORAH of the house of God was to show (teach) the house (the temple of God which represents the ways of the Kingdom of Heaven) to the house (God's people). In Ezekiel 43:10-12 it is written:
From this scripture passage, we can see that God said the following things:
Therefore, God calls the
tabernacle and the temple the house of God. Both the tabernacle and
temple were built according to the PATTERN given by God. God gave
instructions to build the tabernacle and the temple in explicit detail.
God desired to dwell with His people in the tabernacle and the temple.
Both the tabernacle and the temple are a blueprint of heaven and a
blueprint of God dwelling with His people. The bodies of all believers in Jesus as Messiah are called by God our tabernacle. In 2 Corinthians 5:1-2 it is written:
In these verses, we can
see that our bodies are called a "earthly house of this tabernacle."
Spiritually, since our bodies are seen by God as being a tabernacle and
God desires to have a tabernacle to dwell among His people, we can
understand that God desires to dwell with (inside) His people. This is
accomplished through the indwelling Holy Spirit. The earthly body of each believer in Jesus as Messiah is seen as the temple of God. In 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 it is written:
We can also see this truth in 1 Corinthians 6:18-20 as it is written:
Therefore, our bodies are
seen by God as a tabernacle and a temple. Just as God judged the
children of Israel for defiling the earthly tabernacle and temple
because of sin, God will also judge our earthly lives if we defile our
bodies by sin. Those who defile their earthly bodies which is seen by
God as a tabernacle and a temple will not be the Bride of Christ. Those
who keep clean our earthly lives by living holy unto God will be the
Bride of Christ. The tabernacle of Moses
was divided into three main sections. These three sections were the
outer court, the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies. Because the
tabernacle is a blueprint of heaven, these three sections represent a
type and a shadow of heaven. In the explanations following, we will
discover that the three sections of the tabernacle represent three main
groups of believers who will be in heaven. The first group is the outer
court Christians. The second group is the Holy Place Christians. The
third group is the Holy of Holies Christians. The Holy of Holies
Christians are the Bride of Christ. Let's examine the characteristics of
each group of believers and understand how the three sections represent
levels of growth and spiritual maturity in the life of each believer.
The court of the
tabernacle was encompassed with hangings made of fine linen. The only
means to go inside the tabernacle was through the door of the eastern
gate. Spiritually, this was given by God to teach us that there is only
one way to get to heaven and that is through the door of Jesus the
Messiah. Jesus is the door to heaven. In
In Revelation 3:20, it is written:
Therefore, every person
who puts their faith in the redemptive work of Jesus the Messiah will be
in heaven because they have entered through the spiritual door of
heaven, Jesus Christ. Jesus is God's door of salvation. Believers are
saved by grace through faith and not by the works of the law. Salvation
is a free gift given by God to all those who believe (Ephesians
2:8-9). The largest area of the
tabernacle was the outer court. From this, we can understand that the
majority of Christians in heaven will be outer court Christians. There
were two pieces of furniture in the outer court. These pieces of
furniture were the brazen altar and the laver. The brazen altar represents the cross. All believers in heaven will have accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior by putting their faith in His shed blood on the cross for the forgiveness of their sins. In Ephesians 1:7 it is written:
The second piece of furniture in the outer court was the brazen laver. The water in the laver is a spiritual picture of the believers being cleansed from the sin in their lives after they become saved by accepting the atoning work of Jesus when He died on the cross to forgive us of our sins. The cleansing agent of the laver, the water, is a spiritual picture of the Word of God. By submitting our lives in obedience to the Word of God, our lives become cleansed as we stop practicing and doing the sinful things in our lives. David expressed this truth in Psalm 119:9, 11 as it is written:
Jesus prayed that we
would be sanctified (made clean) by the Word of God. In
In John 15:3, Jesus said that we are made clean through the Word as it is written:
The priests who ministered in the outer court did so in bare feet walking on the ground of the earth. Because believers are priests before God (I Peter 2:5, 9), this is a spiritual picture of a carnal Christian who is saved by the blood of Jesus and has been cleansed by the Word of God but is still walking (living his life) according to the ways of the natural (the earth). The natural man follows after the ways of God according to natural reasoning. Just like the children of Israel, carnal Christians only know the mighty ACTS of God, they do not know the WAYS of God (Psalm 103:7). Carnal Christians are still babes in Christ and only can feed on the milk of God's Word and not the meat of God's Word because they have not overcome the desires of the flesh (I Corinthians 3:1- 3, Hebrews 5:12-13). The carnal Christian is blinded to the deep things of God's Word and walks in the vanity of his mind. In Ephesians 4:17-18, 20 it is written:
In this scripture passage, the Apostle Paul is encouraging Christians in Ephesus to not walk in the vanity of their minds (their own understanding separate from the wisdom of God). Furthermore, the outer court of the tabernacle was lit by natural sunlight. Once again, this is a spiritual picture of the life of a carnal Christian who walks according to natural eyesight and not through spiritual eyes. In summary, outer court
Christians are saved by the blood of Jesus, forgiven of their sins and
are cleansed by the Word of God. They live their lives according to
their natural eyes and not according to the spiritual eyes of the
Kingdom of Heaven. They know the ACTS of God but do not know the WAYS of
God (Psalm 103:7). They have stony hearts and when affliction
and persecution arises for the Word's sake, they are offended and become
bitter toward God. After they become bitter toward God, they desire to
return living according to the ways of the world (Mark 4:14-17).
There were three main
pieces of furniture in the Holy Place of the tabernacle. These three
pieces of furniture were the golden lampstand, the table of shewbread,
and the altar of incense. These three pieces of furniture typify a
deeper walk in the lives of each believer. The first piece of furniture is the golden lampstand which is also known as the candlestick or the seven branch menorah. The golden lampstand was lit by oil. The light of the lampstand was given to illuminate the entire Holy Place so that the priest could minister unto the Lord. The lampstand represents the Holy Spirit. The oil which lit the Holy Place represents the light that the Holy Spirit gives to illuminate the Christian walk of every believer. The seven branches of the candlestick represent the seven major aspects of the work of the Holy Spirit. These seven characteristics of the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of every believer are given in Isaiah 11:1-2. Jesus manifested these seven characteristics of the work of the Holy Spirit in His life and in His ministry. In Isaiah 11:1-2 it is written:
The seven characteristics of the Spirit of God are mentioned in Revelation 1:4, 4:5 as it is written:
The second piece of furniture in the Holy Place was the table of shewbread. The table of shewbread is a spiritual picture of a deeper understanding of God's Word. God's Word is the daily bread of every believer to sustain him in his deeper walk with God. In the Lord's prayer, Jesus told His disciples to pray that God would give them His daily bread. In Matthew 6:11 it is written:
God's daily provision for His people was seen when God brought the children of Israel out of Egypt and they were in the wilderness for 40 years. During this time, God fed the people with supernatural heavenly food called manna. The children of Israel were to eat of this manna on a daily basis. In Exodus 16:11-12, 15 it is written:
Jesus is the believer's heavenly manna. In John 6:33, 48 it is written:
The third and final piece of furniture in the Holy Place is the altar of incense. Spiritually, the altar of incense represents the prayers and intercessory prayers of God's people. In order for a Christian to walk in the Holy Place, he must have a dedicated and devoted prayer life unto God. Through a dedicated and devoted prayer life, the Holy Place believer will be led by the Holy Spirit and will know the Word of God. Therefore, the altar of incense represents the prayers of God's people. In Psalm 141:1-2 it is written:
In Revelation 8:3-4 it is written:
Therefore, by believing and trusting in the words of God and daily living by the Word of God, the believer can have a deeper Christian walk. The deeper understanding and knowledge of God's Word only comes through the revelation given by the Holy Spirit of God. The Holy Place believer is not only saved by the blood of Jesus, is forgiven of his sins, is cleansed by the Word of God but is also led by the Holy Spirit, has a developed prayer life and has a deeper understanding of the Word of God through the revelation of the Holy Spirit of God's Word. In Psalm 119:105 it is written:
The Holy of Holies should
be the goal of every believer in Jesus as Messiah. The Holy of Holies is
the living presence of God and the presence of His glory. There were two
main pieces of furniture in the Holy of Holies. These two pieces of
furniture were the ark of the covenant and the mercy seat of God. The
ark of the covenant represented the presence of God among His people.
The reason why God had Moses build a tabernacle was so that God could
dwell with His people (Exodus 25:8-9). The dwelling place of
God was His throne. The throne of God was the place where His glory
dwelt. The mercy seat is the throne of God. Therefore, the Holy of
Holies was the dwelling place of God among His people. The Holy of
Holies was lit by the glory of God. It needed no natural light. The Holy
of Holies Christian is the Bride of Christ. Earlier in this book, we explained how God's Bride will be a glorified bride. God's glory was present in the Holy of Holies. The throne of God was where the glory of God dwelt. In Ezekiel 43:7 it is written:
In Exodus 25:8-9, God told Moses to build Him a "Mishkan" which means "a sanctuary" so that He could dwell with His people. The "Mishkan" is the place of the throne of God. In Jeremiah 17:12 it is written:
The mercy seat is the throne of God. It was from the mercy seat that God communed with His people. In Exodus 25:21-22 it is written:
God spoke to His people from the mercy seat. In Numbers 7:89 , it is written:
In the Old Testament, only the High Priest could go into the Holy of Holies. Furthermore, the High Priest could only go into the Holy of Holies once a year on the day of atonement to sprinkle blood on the mercy seat and thus atone for the sins of the people (Leviticus 16:2, 14-16, 29-30). Spiritually, because Jesus is our High Priest, we as believers have access to the throne of God and the Holy of Holies on a daily basis. In Hebrews 4:14-16, it is written:
Spiritually, by the blood of Jesus, we can have full access to the throne and mercy seat of God. In Hebrews 10:19-22, it is written:
While every believer has ACCESS to the heavenly Holy of Holies and the throne of God on a daily basis, the Bride of Christ ABIDES in the Holy of Holies. We can understand this truth in Psalm 91. In Psalm 91:1, it is written:
Along with the mercy seat, the ark of the covenant presided in the Holy of Holies. The ark was a symbol of the presence of God among His people. When Israel fought against the Philistines, the ark was the symbol that God was with His people (I Samuel 4:1-8). When the ark of God was taken in the battle against the Philistines, it was a sign that God was no longer with His people because of their sin (I Samuel 4:17-18). During this time, the wife of Phinehas, who was the son of Eli was giving birth to a child. The wife of Phinehas named the child, "Ichabod" which means, "Where is the glory?" because the ark of God was taken and the glory of God was departed from Israel. In I Samuel 4:21-22, it is written:
In fact, the tabernacle
was built especially to house the ark so God could dwell among His
people (Exodus 25:8-16). From this story, we can understand
that God will not dwell among His people showing forth His glory through
them when God's people are living in sin. Therefore, God will only marry
a GLORIOUS Bride without spot or blemish (Ephesians 5:26-27).
The ark of the covenant
contained three items. They were the golden pot of manna, Aaron's rod
that budded, and the unbroken tablets of the TORAH. In the holiest place of all, the Holy of Holies, was the piece of furniture, the ark of the covenant, which symbolized the presence of God with His people. The ark of the covenant contained the TORAH!! This truth is VERY SIGNIFICANT. This shows the GREAT VALUE and the HIGHEST PRAISES that God has for His TORAH !! For this reason, we can begin to understand why God views His TORAH as GREAT and why He is deeply saddened that Christianity views His Torah as "a strange thing." In Hosea 8:12, it is written:
As we studied earlier in this book, David was a man after God's own heart because David LOVED the Torah of God. In Psalm 119:18, David wrote:
The tablets of the TORAH within the ark is called by God, THE TABLETS OF TESTIMONY (Exodus 25:16, 31:18). The Torah of God will be a testimony to the whole world and to many Christians who have called God's Torah, "a strange thing" that God is holy and just and merciful and righteous. God will judge the world and judge His people according to the words in His Torah because God's Torah is God's testimony. Earlier in this book, we saw that the "Tree of Life" is the Torah. Because the Bride of Christ is an overcoming Bride, she is promised that she will eat of the tree of life. In Revelation 2:7, it is written:
The golden pot of manna is a reminder of the SUPERNATURAL provision of God for His people in the wilderness (Psalm 78:23-24). When God's people are living and dwelling in His presence and doing His Will, God provides SUPERNATURAL provision for His people to sustain them during tough times. The Bride of Christ walks in this supernatural provision of God. God promises that those who overcome and become His Bride will be given this supernatural and hidden manna from heaven. In Revelation 2:17 it is written:
The greatest persecution toward the Bride of Christ will not come from the world but from carnal Christians who rebel against the Bride of Christ because of a lack of knowledge and understanding of God's Word and God's ways even though the Bride of Christ does the perfect Will of God within the Kingdom of God. In Numbers 16, Korah and his assembly rose up against God's authority that He granted to Moses and Aaron by murmuring against them and seeking to overthrow their authority (Numbers 16). In order to deal with this problem, God asked Moses to take a rod (symbolizing authority) and make twelve rods for each tribe. God instructed Moses to tell the people that the rod which buds is God's chosen authority among the people (Numbers 17:1-7). The rod that budded was Aaron's rod from the house of Levi. (Numbers 17:8-10). The house of Levi, was the priestly tribe. Spiritually, the house of Levi represents the Bride of Christ. Aaron's rod that budded was placed in the ark of the covenant as a testimony against the murmurings and rebellion of God's people against God's chosen authority within His kingdom. The Bride of Christ will be given authority by God to rule and reign with Christ over other believers and nations of people. In Revelation 2:26-27, it is written:
At this point, we should
understand that heaven is a tabernacle. The three parts of the
tabernacle represent the three levels of Christians who will be in
heaven. The baby Christian will be an outer court Christian. They will
be saved and their sins will be forgiven but they failed to grow to
greater spiritual maturity. They walk according to their natural
understanding and the ways of the natural world. The Holy Place
Christian has a deeper knowledge of God's Word and God's ways than the
carnal Christian. Holy Place Christians know the Word of God, are led by
the Spirit, have a developed prayer life but fall short of God's perfect
Will for their lives by failing to COMPLETELY submit to the perfect Will
of God. The Holy of Holies Christian knows the Word of God, is led by
the Spirit of God, has a developed prayer life and forsakes all worldly
things to do the perfect Will of God. The Holy of Holies Christian will
walk in the SUPERNATURAL provision of God and will be given authority by
God to accomplish the task within the Kingdom of God that God desires to
accomplish through them. They will know the heart and mind of God by
having an intimate, personal relationship with God. The Holy of Holies
Christian knows the Torah/Word of God, is led by the Spirit of God and
hears and obeys the voice of God. The Holy of Holies Christian is the
Bride of Christ. PERTAINING TO SPIRITUAL GROWTH In this section, I would
like to talk about the three main levels of spiritual growth that is
mentioned in the Bible that relates to the spiritual application to the
three areas in the tabernacle. In I John 2:12,14 it describes little children, young men and fathers as it is written:
These three levels of
people represent three progressive levels of spiritual growth. The
little children whose sins are forgiven relates to the outer court
Christian. The young men who know the Word of God relates to the Holy
Place. The father who knows God relates to the Holy of Holies Christian.
In John 14:6 it is written:
Spiritually, Jesus is our tabernacle (John 1:14, Hebrews 8:1-2, 9:11). As believers, we may know Him as the way, the truth or the life. The outer court Christian knows that Jesus is the way. They know that He died
for their sins and they have asked Him into their heart and lives and
they are saved and will be in heaven. The Holy Place Christian knows the
Word of God and knows that Jesus is the Way and the Truth. The Holy of
Holies Christian knows that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. As
we studied earlier in this book, the word, "Life" is the Greek word,
"Zoe," which means, "the plateau of life, the most abundant life." TO YOU, IN YOU, AND THROUGH YOU When God brought the
children of Israel out of Egypt, God revealed Himself TO His people.
When God brought the children of Israel to Mount Sinai and gave them His
Torah, God desired to reveal Himself IN the hearts of His people. When
God was with the children of Israel and conquered the enemies of the
children of Israel in the promised land, God revealed Himself THROUGH
His people. These different levels of manifestation of God toward His
people relates to the three areas of the tabernacle. God reveals Himself
TO the outer court Christian. God reveals Himself IN the Holy Place
Christian. God reveals Himself THROUGH the Holy of Holies Christian.
HUNDREDFOLD INCREASE In Mark 4:13-20, Jesus tells the story about the parable of the sower who sows God's Word in his heart and the soil where it was grown and the harvest of those who allowed the Word of God to bear fruit in their lives. In Mark 4:13, 30-32 Jesus tells us that if we understand this parable that we can understand how the ENTIRE Kingdom of God operates. In the parable of the
sower who hears the Word of God and the Word of God brings forth fruit
in his life, it brings forth three levels of fruit. These three levels
of fruit are the thirtyfold increase, the sixtyfold increase and the
hundredfold increase. The thirtyfold increase relates to the outer court
Christians who are saved, their sins are forgiven and they will be in
heaven. The sixtyfold increase relates to Holy Place Christians who know
the Word of God and walk by the Spirit of God. The hundredfold increase
relates to the Holy of Holies Christians who know the Word of God, walk
by the Spirit of God, hear the voice of God and do the perfect Will of
God in their lives. THE PERFECT WILL OF GOD In Romans 12:1-2, God describes three levels of doing His Will. These three levels are the good Will of God, the acceptable Will of God and the perfect Will of God. In Romans 12:1-2 it is written:
By presenting our bodies
(our lives) as a living sacrifice to God and by renewing our minds from
the ways of the world unto the ways of God, God allows us to know His
good, acceptable and perfect Will. The good Will of God relates to outer
court Christians who are saved, their sins are forgiven and will be in
heaven. The acceptable Will of God relates to Holy Place Christians who
know the Word of God and walk by the Spirit of God. The Holy of Holies
Christians have their sins forgiven, know the Word of God, walk by the
Spirit of God, hear and obey the voice of God and do the perfect Will of
God in their lives. God commanded that three times a year His people are to go to Jerusalem to celebrate His Feast days (Deuteronomy 16:16). These three festival seasons relate to the three levels of spiritual growth and spiritual maturity in the life of each believer. Passover relates to the outer court Christian. The children of Israel were redeemed from Egypt (a type of the world and world's system which is ruled by Pharaoh (Satan and his kingdom) by killing the lamb and placing the blood of the Lamb over the doorpost of their houses. In the same way, we are saved and have our sins forgiven and will be in heaven by accepting our Passover Lamb, Jesus Christ, (John 1:29) and receiving Him into our hearts and lives by trusting in His shed blood on the doorpost of our hearts. Pentecost in Hebrew is called the Feast of Weeks or Shavuot (Leviticus 23:15-22). On the day of Pentecost (Shavuot), God gave the Torah to the children of Israel. The Torah is called the Word of God. The giving of the Torah is known by the Jewish people as the "Revelation of God at Mount Sinai." What God revealed to His people was His Torah or His Word. Even so, Holy Place Christians have a revelation of God's Torah/Word as revealed by the candlestick of God, the Holy Spirit. The Feast of Tabernacles is known by the Jewish people as "The Season of our Joy." Spiritually, the Feast of Tabernacles, the season of our joy, relates to the children of Israel going into the promised land of God. The Holy of Holies Christian walks in the promised land of God. The promised land of God
for the Holy of Holies Christian is doing the perfect Will of God in
their lives. The challenges are great and just like there were many
giants in the promised land, there are many giants (obstacles) to do the
perfect Will of God in our lives. The only way that we are able to
defeat our enemies in the promised land is to be battle trained by God
by coming out of Egypt (the world) and growing from a child in the
Kingdom of God (Passover) to a deeper knowledge of the Word of God by
being supernaturally sustained by God's heavenly manna (His Word) in the
wilderness of life. By being willing and obedient, the Holy of Holies
Christian can eat the good of the promised land (perfect Will) of God (Isaiah
1:19). It is only by being battle trained, by hearing the voice of
God, and by being willing and obedient to do the perfect Will of God and
relying on the SUPERNATURAL ability of God to defeat our enemies in the
promised land are Holy of Holies Christians able to walk in the perfect
Will of God and eat of the good of the promises of God in that promised
land. The Bride of Christ does the perfect Will of God and overcomes the
giants (obstacles in the natural) of the promised land (the perfect Will
of God) by hearing the voice of God, by being obedient to the voice of
God, and by overcoming the giants in the promised land through the
SUPERNATURAL provision and ability of God. As we are learning from
our studies, heaven is a tabernacle. The three major components of the
tabernacle correspond to the three main levels of our Christian
spiritual growth. At this time, I would like to represent this truth and
the characteristics that we have discussed in the chapter with a
pictorial understanding.
THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN There is a governmental structure in the kingdom of heaven. Heaven is ruled by God the Father. God the Father is the King of heaven. Heaven is a theocracy. A theocracy is a government ruled and reigned by God and He is the King. God is one and God is a compound unity (Deuteronomy 6:4, Mark 12:29). So, Jesus is also the King of kings (Zechariah 14:4, 9, Revelation 19:11-16). The government of God is upon the shoulders of Jesus. In Isaiah 9:6 it is written:
THE GOVERNMENT OF GOD In order to have a
government, you need five basic things. These five characteristics are
as follows:
You need a rule of law or a constitution - The constitution of God is the Torah You need a people - The body of believers in Jesus as Messiah are described as being nations unto God. This is a fulfillment of the promise that God made to Abraham that he would be a father of many nations (Genesis 17:5-6, Galatians 3:16, 29, Revelation 21:9-10, 24) You need judges to rule according to the constitution (the Torah) -The Bride of Christ will rule and reign as kings and priests and make judgments according to the Torah of God (Isaiah 2:2-4, Revelation l:5-6, 5:10) You need a dwelling place - The eternal dwelling place of God the Father will be with His people when He creates a new heaven and a new earth (Revelation 21:1-3) THE LORD OF LORDS The King of the universe is God the Father. Because God is one and God is a compound unity (Deuteronomy 6:4, Mark 12:29), Jesus is also seen as the King of kings and the Lord of lords. After Jesus sets foot on the Mount of Olives at His second coming, He will rule and reign as the King over all the earth. In Zechariah 14:4, 9 it is written:
In that day, every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father. In Philippians 2:8-11 it is written:
Jesus is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. In Revelation 19:16 it is written:
THE GOVERNMENT OF GOD When God gave the Torah
at Mount Sinai, He desired that the nation of Israel would be governed
by the structure of the government that God gave them at Mount Sinai.
Even as the Tabernacle is a blueprint of heaven, God gave the structure
of the government of the nation of Israel in the form of the Torah as a
blueprint of the pattern of heavenly things as well. When God gave the
structure of government to the children of Israel, the government was
divided into a civil form of government and a religious form of
government. The KING was to be the leader over the civil form of
government and the PRIEST was to be the leader over the religious form
of the government. This is God's Torah based structure of His Kingdom.
Spiritually, the civil and religious structure of the government which God gave to the nation of Israel according to the Torah is a blueprint of the government of God in heaven. Even as the KING and PRIEST were leaders over the civil and religious forms of government, Jesus is described as being the King of kings and our great HIGH PRIEST. The Bride of Christ is described as being kings and priests before God. In the last section, we saw that Jesus is the King of kings. Now, we will see that Jesus is also our great High Priest. In Hebrews 3:1 it is written:
In Hebrews 4:14 it is written:
KINGS AND PRIESTS BEFORE GOD The king and the priest had the HIGHEST position in the structure of government that God gave to His people in the Torah. Even so, the Bride of Christ will have the highest position of status and authority in the kingdom of heaven. Outer Court and Holy Place Christians will have a lesser status of authority in heaven. The Bride of Christ is kings and priests before God. In Revelation 1:5-6 it is written:
In Revelation 5:10 it is written:
The duration of the Messianic Age and the Bride of Christ ruling with Jesus on the earth is 1,000 years. In Revelation 20:6 it is written:
THE NATIONS THE TORAH As we studied earlier in
this book, Zion is a term for God's people (Isaiah 51:16). Zion
is also a term for the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the Bride of
Christ. (Hebrews 12:22, Revelation 21:1-3). During the 1,000
year Messianic age, the Bride of Christ will fulfill the great
commission of Jesus by making disciples (students) of all nations (Matthew
28:18-20) and by teaching the nations of the world the Torah of God
from Jerusalem (Isaiah 2:2-3). ON THE EARTH When God made His covenant with Abraham, God promised Abraham that he would be a father of many nations (plural) and kings and priests would come forth from him. Spiritually, the kings and priests are the Bride of Christ. The outer court Christians are a nation of people. The Holy Place Christians are a nation of people. The Holy of Holies Christians, the Bride, are a ROYAL PRIESTHOOD (I Peter 2:5,9). In Genesis 17:5-6 it is written:
Spiritually, Abraham is the father of our faith (Romans 4:16). When God made this covenant with Abraham, God made this covenant with Jesus at the same time. In Galations 3:16 it is written:
By accepting Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior, we are heirs of the promise that God made with Abraham through Jesus. In Galations 3:29 it is written:
In Revelation 21, God describes the city of the Bride, the heavenly Jerusalem. Revelation 21 DOES NOT describe the entirety of heaven. It only describes one city in heaven, the city of Jerusalem. The city of Jerusalem is the city of the Bride. God does not want His people to settle for anything but the best. For this reason, He tells us about the most special place in heaven, the heavenly city of Jerusalem. God tells us about the glory of His Bride in the city of Jerusalem. Even though the Bride of Christ is only a REMNANT of the church, it is the perfect Will of God that ALL believers be the Bride of Christ. Those who fail to walk in this high calling of God, will be outer court Christians and Holy Place Christians and will constitute the rest of the nations of the new heaven and new earth during the period of eternity. Revelation 21:9-10, 23-24 describes the New Jerusalem, the city of the Bride, as it is written:
Even as the glory of God
was the light of the Holy of Holies, the glory of God is the light of
the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the Bride. Other nations shall walk
in the light of the city of Jerusalem (Revelation 21:24). These
other nations are outer court Christians and Holy Place Christians.
ACCORDING TO THE TORAH As studied earlier in
this book, it is the priests who made rulings and judgments according to
the Torah of God (Deuteronomy 17:8-11). Those matters which are
too complex for the Bride to rule will be given over to the great HIGH
PRIEST, the LIVING TORAH of God, even Jesus Christ, who will give the
formal ruling of matters of controversy regarding the observance of the
Torah to the nations of the earth. The Bride of Christ will be God's
priests on earth and will teach the Torah of God to the nations of the
earth (Isaiah 2:2-3, Malachi 2:1, 6-7) and will be the greatest
in the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:19). Those outer court
Christians and Holy Place Christians who reject the Torah of God (Hosea
4:6) and who have called the Torah of God a "strange thing" (Hosea
8:12) will NOT be priests before God and be the Bride of Christ but
will be called least in the kingdom of heaven (Hosea 4:6, Matthew
5:19). ON THE EARTH God instructed Moses to build a tabernacle so that God could dwell with His people (Exodus 25:8-9). Jesus came to this earth as God manifested in the flesh (I Timothy 3:16) and dwelt among men (John 1:14). Even so, God will create a new heaven and a new earth so that He can dwell with man forever ON THE EARTH (Revelation 21:1-3). The word Tabernacle means "a temporary dwelling place." The present heaven is a "temporary dwelling place" until God creates the new heaven and new earth. When He does, God will dwell with man on the earth. In Revelation 21:1-3 it is written:
The festivals of the Lord found in Leviticus 23 were given by God so His people could understand the coming of Jesus, the Messiah, and the role that Jesus would play in redeeming and restoring both man and the earth back to God following the fall of man in the Garden of Eden. Although most Christians have heard of the feasts, their deep meaning and importance are almost universally not understood. The Apostle Paul wrote to the Gentile believers in Colossae that the feasts of the Lord, the new moon, and the Sabbath are a SHADOW OF THINGS TO COME (a blueprint of heaven) to teach us about the role of Jesus the Messiah in the redemptive work of God. In Colossians 2:16-17 it is written:
Many Christians often
quote these verses to justify NOT celebrating the Biblical festivals. In
reality, these verses should be used as a scriptural basis for
understanding why Christians SHOULD celebrate the Biblical festivals.
Colossians 2:16-17 tells us that the new moon, the feast days
and the Sabbath teach about Jesus the Messiah. How many Christians do
you know understand how the new moon, the feast days and the Sabbath
teach about Jesus as Messiah? To many Christians, the new moon, the
feast days and the Sabbath are "under the law" and not valid for us
today. However, as we are understanding in this chapter, the Torah that
God gave to His people is ETERNAL and the TORAH IS A
BLUEPRINT OF HEAVEN! Therefore, the new moon, the feast days and
the Sabbath are a blueprint of heaven. We will conclude this chapter by
understanding that the new moon, the feast days and the Sabbath are a
blueprint of heaven and will be celebrated for all ETERNITY! The festivals described in Leviticus 23 are a blueprint of heaven. In Leviticus 23:1-2, 4, these festivals are described as the "Festivals of the LORD." Jesus is Lord (Philippians 2:11, 1 Corinthians 12:3). Since Jesus is Lord, the festivals of the Lord, are festivals of Jesus. If these festivals are the festivals of Jesus, every Christian should understand them and celebrate them. These are the festivals which God gave to His people to celebrate. They are a blueprint of heaven and will be celebrated for ALL ETERNITY! Jesus will fulfill all the Biblical festivals mentioned in Leviticus 23. The seven Biblical festivals mentioned in Leviticus 23 are: Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, Pentecost, the Feast of Trumpets (Rosh HaShanah), the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), and the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot). The first four festivals teach about the first coming of Jesus. Jesus died on Passover, was in the ground the next day during the feast of Unleavened Bread and was resurrected three days later on the feast of First Fruits. Fifty days later, the Holy Spirit was outpoured upon the believers who assembled at the city of Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2). The fall festivals teach about the second coming of Jesus. The resurrection of the dead will take place on Rosh HaShanah. Jesus will set His foot on the Mount of Olives on the day of Atonement or Yom Kippur and the Feast of Tabernacles teach about how things will be during the 1,000-year Messianic Age. Therefore, the festivals of the Lord will give GREAT INSIGHT regarding the first and second coming of Jesus. They will teach about his death, burial, and resurrection, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the resurrection of the dead, the coronation of Jesus as King over all the earth, the wedding of Jesus to His Bride, the seven year tribulation, the second coming of Jesus and the 1,000-year Messianic Age!!! In addition, the festivals of the Lord will teach about our personal relationship with God and how we are to grow from being a baby Christian to a spiritually mature Christian so that we can become the Bride of Christ. Egypt is a type of the world. The ruler in Egypt was Pharaoh. Even so, the ruler of this world is Satan. Just as the children of Israel fled Egypt by putting the blood of the Passover Lamb upon their houses, every time a person receives Jesus as His own personal Lord and Savior, he spiritually experiences Passover and is to flee Egypt (the ways of the world) and trust in Jesus the Messiah who is the Lamb of God (John 1:29) and apply His shed blood to our doorpost which is our heart. Leaven in the Bible is symbolic of sin. The feast of Unleavened Bread speaks of being unleavened or without sin. After we become believers by accepting Jesus into our hearts and lives, we must seek to live holy lives before God and spiritually experience the feast of Unleavened Bread. Next, just as the children of Israel left Egypt by slaying the Passover Lamb and went through the Red Sea, believers in Jesus as Messiah need to be baptized in the Holy Spirit after they become saved. Even as the children of Israel crossed the Red Sea and entered into the wilderness, after we accept Jesus into our hearts and lives, we still must live through the wilderness of life. Even as the children of Israel were sustained by God in the wilderness when He fed them manna from Heaven, we as believers in Jesus as Messiah are sustained through this life by feeding on Jesus, the bread from heaven. (John 6:33, 48). When God gave the Torah to the children of Israel at Mount Sinai, this is known to the Jewish people as "The REVELATION of God at Mount Sinai." Spiritually, believers who go to Mount Sinai will begin to know and understand God and His ways in a deeper way through the revelation of His Torah/Word as revealed by the Holy Spirit. By being faithful in the wilderness of life and by being sustained through the revelation of the Torah/Word of God during the trying and difficult times of life, God will take us to our spiritual promised land. Our spiritual promised land is doing the perfect Will of God in our lives for the glory of the Kingdom of God. This is the message and application in understanding the fall festivals! For a greater teaching and understanding regarding the spiritual significance and importance of the Biblical Festivals in the life of ALL believers, please purchase my book, "The Seven Festivals of the Messiah." Therefore, the festivals
of the Lord not only reveal the redemptive plan of Jesus as revealed in
His first and second coming but they also teach believers about their
personal relationship with God and how we grow from being baby believers
to spiritual maturity so that we can become the Bride of Christ. THEY WERE TO ASSEMBLE AT JERUSALEM God instructed the children of Israel that they were to assemble three times a year at the city of Jerusalem to celebrate the Biblical festivals In Deuteronomy 16:16 it is written:
Traditionally, Christians view the Biblical festivals to be exclusively Jewish feasts which are "under the law." However, Leviticus 23:1-2, 4 tells us very clearly that these are FESTIVALS OF THE LORD. Since Jesus is Lord, these are the feasts of Jesus. God in His divine wisdom ordained that these festivals were to be celebrated by BOTH the Jew and the non-Jew on a joint basis (Deuteronomy 16:10- 11,14-16). In Deuteronomy 16:11 it is written:
In this verse, the word
translated as "stranger" is the Hebrew word, "ger." It is the Strong's
word 1616. The Hebrew word, "ger" means the non-Jew (Bible believing
Gentile or Christian) who has joined himself to the Jewish people.
Therefore, the Lord is the host of the festivals and all Bible believers
are His invited guests. TO BE KEPT FOREVER In Leviticus 23:14, 21, 31 and 41, God commands that the feasts are to be kept FOREVER. Concerning the feast of tabernacles, in Leviticus 23:39, 41 it is written:
God has not done away with the Biblical festivals because He commanded that they are to be kept for all eternity. God does not change (Malachi 3:6) and Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). When Jesus returns to the earth at His second coming, He will require ALL NATIONS to keep the Feast of Tabernacles during the 1,000-year Messianic Age. In Zechariah 14, we have the following sequence of events:
(Zechariah 14:4) Jesus will be King over all the earth (Zechariah 14:9) The nations of the world will celebrate the feast of Tabernacles during the 1,000-year Messianic Age (Zechariah 14:16-17) Zechariah 14:16-17 describes the nations of the world who will be celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles during the Messianic Age as it is written:
WILL BE KEPT FOR ALL ETERNITY In Colossians 2:16-17, it tells us that the Sabbath and the new moon is a SHADOW OF THINGS TO COME which teach us about Jesus the Messiah. Revelation 21:1 speaks about the time when God will create the new heavens and the new earth as it is written:
In Isaiah 66:22-23, we can see that during the time of the "new heaven and new earth" (which speaks of eternity Revelation 21:1) God will require ALL FLESH to keep the Sabbath and the new moon. In Isaiah 66:22-23 it is written:
Ezekiel 40-48 describes the Temple that will be built during the 1,000-year reign of Christ on the earth during the Messianic Age. It is also a prophetic picture of how things will be after the Messianic Age during the time of the new heaven and the new earth and for all eternity. In these chapters, we can see that the Sabbath, new moon and festivals are being kept and celebrated by the nations. Also, the priests of the Lord will be teaching the Torah of God to the nations. In Ezekiel 44:15, 23-24 the priests of God who are a spiritual picture of the Bride of Christ will be teaching the Torah to the nations as it is written:
In Ezekiel 45:21,
the feast of Passover and Unleavened Bread are being kept. In
Ezekiel 45:25, the feast of Tabernacles is being kept. In
Ezekiel 46:3, the Sabbath and the new moon is being kept. In
Ezekiel 47:1, waters are coming from the throne of the temple. This
can also be seen in Revelation 22:1. The water became a river
and this river became the water for the healing of the nations (Ezekiel
47:12, Revelation 22:2). In the midst of the river was the tree of
life (Revelations 22:2). The tree of life is the Torah and the
Torah will be taught to all nations during the Messianic Age by the
Bride of Christ (Isaiah 2:2-3). In this chapter, we examined that the Torah is a blueprint of heaven. Heaven is described as being both a tabernacle and a temple. Spiritually, the believers in Jesus as Messiah are also described as being a tabernacle and a temple. Even as God required that the earthly tabernacle and temple not be defiled with sin, even so, God demands that our physical bodies and our earthly lives not be defiled with sin also. Just as God judged the nation of Israel when they defiled the earthly tabernacle and temple, so will God judge all believers who defile their bodies and their lives with the sins of the world and the desires of the flesh. Those who defile their bodies and lives with sin will not be the Bride of Christ. Those who preserve their bodies and lives from a lifestyle of sin will grow to spiritual maturity and become the Bride of Christ. The three components of the tabernacle describe the three major levels of spiritual growth in the lives of all believers. The outer court corresponds to being a baby Christian. The Holy Place describes being an adolescent Christian. The Holy of Holies describes being an adult Christian. Believers in heaven will include baby, adolescent and adult Christians. The adult Christians are those believers who have grown to spiritual maturity and who will be the Bride of Christ. God gave the Torah to the children of Israel as a blueprint of heaven. The government of the Kingdom of Heaven is a theocracy. God is the King of the Universe. The constitution of the Kingdom of Heaven is the Torah. When God gave the Torah at Mount Sinai, He gave both a civil form of government and a religious form of government. The civil form of government was headed by a king. The religious form of government was headed by the high priest. Jesus is the fulfillment of both of these offices. He is both the King and Priest of God. Spiritually, this was to teach the believers that in the Kingdom of God, God desires for all believers to be kings and priests before Him. Not all believers will be kings and priests before God, only the Bride of Christ who has grown to spiritual maturity will be the kings and priests. God gave the Sabbath, new moon and festivals to be kept for all eternity. Jesus will fulfill all the Biblical festivals. The first four Biblical festivals, Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits and Pentecost were fulfilled at the first coming of Jesus. The feast of Trumpets, the day of Atonement and the feast of Tabernacles will be fulfilled at the second coming of Jesus. Jesus is the believer's Sabbath rest and He is the living Torah. The Sabbath, new moon, and festivals were given by God to teach about the redemptive plan of God through the Messiah and to teach believers about the ways of the kingdom of heaven. The Sabbath, new moon and festivals will be celebrated during the 1,000-year Messianic Age when Jesus will rule and reign from Jerusalem. The Sabbath, new moon and festivals will also be celebrated for all eternity. In conclusion, God gave the Torah to be a blueprint of heaven. The priesthood is a spiritual picture of the Bride of Christ. The tabernacle is a blueprint of heaven. The Sabbath, new moon and festivals teach in explicit detail about the redemptive plan of God as revealed through Jesus the Messiah and gives us explicit detail about what heaven will be like for all eternity. For this reason, God is able to say, "I have written to him the GREAT THINGS OF MY TORAH, but they were counted (prophetically by Christianity) as a strange thing" (Hosea 8:12). Therefore, God's people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge because of the rejection of His Torah (Hosea 4:6). Praise be to God for giving us His Torah as a blueprint of heaven! Because of this, we can understand the role of the Bride of Christ and understand what the Kingdom of heaven will be like for all eternity. In Isaiah 42:21 it is written:
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Yeshua from Genesis to Revelation
This DVD series reveals Yeshua in the entire Bible (Psalm 40:7, Luke 24:44). Yeshua is in the Torah. He created the heavens and earth, made covenant with Abraham, led the children of Israel out of Egypt, gave the Torah at Mount Sinai, is the bridegroom of Israel and the glory of God that filled the tabernacle. Yeshua died on the tree to unite the twelve tribes of Israel (John 10:16-17, 11:49-52). Yeshua will gather the twelve tribes of Israel during the tribulation period and be glorified. He will reign during the Messianic Era as King over the whole earth teaching the Torah to all nations. While revealing Yeshua from Genesis to Revelation, this DVD series also teaches the basic principles of the Hebraic roots of Christianity, including who is the house of Jacob, Torah is for all believers in Yeshua, and Two Houses and the New Testament. Finally, this DVD series gives a Hebraic perspective of the end of days. In all, twelve hours of power packed teaching!
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