“But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. … do not use vain repetitions … For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.” Matthew 6:6-8

The Altar of Incense, which is also the Golden Altar is all that stands between you and the Veil or the entering into the final Room f Mystery. Why prayer is so important in the grand scheme of things is deeply puzzling. It’s almost as if God knows what you need, yet He requires you to ask so He is justified in giving you what you ask. To make the matter even more complex, He places the very matter that you need to request of Him into your heart and mind so you are insured of asking Him what He longs to give you.

REWARDS AND VAIN REPETITIONS
Thus to use vain repetitions is empty prayer. The repetitive nature of this type of prayer places your thoughts or your will above His will. This type of prayer indicates that you believe God has to be coerced into responding to you. Yet, think about it. If God already knows what you need before you ask, then He must be paying attention to you. Attention is a form of love  - therefore the reasoning of God is that true prayer deserves a response. Perhaps you will receive even more than a response – yes, as Jesus said, “a reward.” To pray then, is so important to God that He promises you a reward for doing so.

That reward is more than an answer to your prayer, it is the reception of a greater measure of faith. It is amazing how much faith is generated when you see God answer your prayer. Each answered prayer then builds faith that God will answer your next prayer. Faith propels the actions of God on your behalf.

INCREASED MEASURES OF FAITH
Conversely, not to pray is a guarantee that you will experience a decreasing level of faith. To not pray will eventually play out in you becoming more critical, skeptical, and antagonistic. Additionally, you will eventually justify those feeling because you have first hand experience - God does not answer prayer. The result is that you will live a lifeless, boring, and fruitless existence; one in which you leap back and forth from one activity on to seeming endless activities looking for the thrill that only answered prayer can bring. We have a genetic and spiritual propensity to need the excitement that only comes when what we ask is answered, and in its fulfillment could only have been accomplished by a force greater than us – God.

THE SECRET PLACE OF PRAYER
Finally, the secret place we must enter into is equivalent to the very Room of Mystery, the Holy Place that you are standing in right now as you proceed forward on this journey through the Tabernacle. When Jesus said you are to enter into “your room” He was paralleling the secret place of prayer with the Holy Place in the Tabernacle. He was also paralleling the Secret Place of God from whence He will see you pray, as being the next Room of Mystery where the Ark of the Covenant and the Mercy Seat are located.

Perhaps it is becoming clear that prayer is so important to God that no one has consistent and continued access to Him without it.

Blessings,
John Paul

Let my prayer be set before You as incense,
The lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
— Psalm 141:2

The height of the Altar was two cubits or three feet. Just about the height of the mouth of the priest when he bowed on his knees to pray. Thus, when He prayed, the prayer came from his mouth to God as a vapor of smoke. The same is true for you. When you bow before God you humble yourself. You are declaring He is supreme and you are there to do His will. From your mouth to His - the vapor of prayer arises.

THE TEST
So now, let’s take another look at this amazing Altar of Incense. The Golden Altar was the smallest of the pieces of furniture in the Tabernacle and many treat the matter of prayer as if it were that small or insignificant. But, what if this altar was actually a test? A test that determines how much mystery you can handle, or whether or not you are personally ready to stand up under the power and presence you will encounter in the next Room of Mystery. What if prayer really is a test before you cross the Veil? In other words, if there is no prayer then you go no further than this Golden Altar. The reality is this - only the pure in heart can pray, and it is the pure in heart that shall see God (Matthew 5:8).

THE SMOKE
What is it that enters you here, as you kneel before the Golden Altar of Incense? Smoke. What is this smoke? It is the Cloud, the presence of the Holy Spirit. It is there to receive and carry your prayer to God. It can pass through the veil, between the woven threads while you are still on your knees. The Jewish Rabbis knew it as the Shekhinah or Glory of God.

It is the cloud that filled Solomon’s Temple and it is here with you – infilling you so you can better pray. Without Him in you, at best, your prayer will be selfish and self-centered.

The Holy Spirit knows what is happening to and in your family, your friends, and the home life of those you know at work. He even knows those you do not, and will touch you to pray, even when you do not know for whom, what, or why you are praying. But, all that matters is that He knows, and He will carry your prayer to the Throne where God will hear and God will act.

THE HEART
Amazingly enough, this Altar is so small it can fit into the heart. Jesus was this Altar of Prayer, and it was this Altar that was in the Heart of Jesus while He prayed in the Garden, just before His crucifixion. In fact, this Altar represents Jesus as He intercedes for you before the Father – so you can do greater things than He did. I know, this is difficult to believe. My taking you on this Tabernacle Journey is in the hope that you will see the beauty of God’s plan for you.

Blessings,
John Paul

As you stand in front of the Altar of Incense, the coals are glowing, smoke is rising, you have already found that sweet aroma in the air is unearthly, and you’re right. The balanced fragrance of what is not only entering your nasal passage but your lungs is far from a common whiff of perfume. This smoke is dense and it represents what your prayers to God mean to Him. As such it is the very way God receives your prayers, they are not only a sweet sound to His ear, they are a sweet fragrance as well.

THE PLEASURE
The pleasure you have in the profound sweetness entering your body is life changing. Isn’t it interesting that your prayers are received as a sweet smelling aroma to God. Think about that for a minute, God could have said make the spices of bitter aroma – but He did not. Prayer is a welcome aroma and He savors every molecule you utter to Him. This smoke was to arise new every day, God never tires of this fragrance, and you can never pray too much.

ADDITION OF the VAPOR OF PRAYER
Once again something is being added to you. Soon you will, with deep affection and gratitude, be offering this very fragrance back to God – only it will be mingled with a part of you. That makes it even more valuable to God. One of the ingredients that was mingled with the spices was salt and you are the salt of the Earth. I cover more on this later.

What is it that is entering you besides fragrance and sweetness of this smoke? To understand this you must know what comprises the smoke and what each mean. In these five elements lie the mystery of the Incense, and what will turn out to be the mystery of all true prayer. I’ll give you a hint of what to look for; all true prayer comes from God, it enters our spirit, and we breathe it back to Him. Understanding this, Paul wrote that all things are from Him, through Him, and to Him (Romans 11:36). Such is the basic components of all true prayer.

SORROW OF PRAYERLESSNESS
That being understood, the worst thing that could happen to you is not to be able to pray. It means God has quit talking to you at the most basic level. Failing to pray is the first indication that less from God will be coming your way. When we pray God gives more, when we do not pray, even the little ability we have will be taken away. That is the Law of Response and it is a primary Spiritual Law. Spiritual Laws are unchanging regardless of culture, ethnos, economic strata, or age. It is impossible for man to change a Spiritual Law.

Blessings,

John Paul

Standing in front of the Lampstand, you have been looking directly into the light for some time now. Light and life have entered you at levels you have not experienced before.

As you slowly turn from the Lampstand, it will take a few moments for your eyes to adjust to the dimness of the light there before you. There is a glow from the Altar of Incense and the five substances now burning on top of it. Remember, there is no light from the outside entering this room, so the glow from the Altar of Incense, the light from the Lampstand, along with the slight glow from the frankincense burning in the bowl on top of the Table of Showbread, furnish the only light in the room.  But, there is a lot of Amber-esc smoke.

THE FIRST FOUR THINGS
You are now approaching the fifth piece of furniture in the Tabernacle and the last piece of furniture in this first Room of Mystery. As you try to take it all in, you will notice four things. First, you will see the smoke rising from the top of this Golden Altar. I’ll write more on this later. Second, you will notice it is all gold. Third, you notice that around the top of it there is a Crown spanning between the horns at each corner. Forth, you will notice it is not very tall.

TAKE TIME TO ABSORB
Take a good look, because like all the prior furniture in the Tabernacle that you have stood before and absorbed, you will absorb and become this Altar that is now before you. As with all the furniture in the Tabernacle, you can only stand before this Altar because the blood of the lamb has been sprinkled upon it. This sprinkling of blood, on every piece of furniture, is done once a year by the High Priest (Jesus Christ).

THE GOLDEN CROWN
The gold crown on top of the Altar of Incense will eventually become your crown, which you will one day joyously “cast at the feet of Jesus.”

You might recall that up to the Lampstand you had things taken away from you. However, at the Lampstand you began to have something added to you, oil, light, and life. Here, at the Altar of incense, you will have somethings added to you as well. You will leave this Altar with a crown and God will breathe into you five things that you will breathe back to Him.

The mystery grows.

Blessings,
John Paul

“The lamp of the body is the eye.
If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light.
But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness.
If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!”

Matthew 6:22-23

As we have seen, Jesus is the Lampstand or Light of the world. Standing here before Him, He is transferring that light to us so we might become the Light of the world. Absorbing the light is vitally important. That is why, as you might remember from one of my recent postings, the flame (light) of the Lampstand is level with the eyes of the Priest. It is through the eyes that light is most completely absorbed.

THE TREE AND THE LIGHT OF LIFE
One final thought on the Lampstand, the Rabbi’s also knew it as the “Tree of Life.” Yes, the same as in the Garden of Eden. Jesus alluded to this when He said, “He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life”” John 8:12. The Light or Lampstand was also Life; that life came from the Tree of Life in the Garden. Jesus was saying, “I am the Tree of Life in the Garden.” This is why Jesus could chide the Priest and Scribes by saying, “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.” John 5:39 Remember, There was no New Testament in the days of Jesus – He was referring to the Torah, which is the first five books of the Bible often called the books of Moses.

These are the type of things Jesus preached when He descended into Sheol and preached the ‘Good News’ of whom He was, is, and will be to all who were there. In essence, Jesus told them, ‘I have been from the beginning and all of Scripture speaks of me.’ Those who believed in Him, along with the thief on the cross, left there and followed Him to Paradise. Many of their tombs were opened and those people walked around Jerusalem telling of all Jesus has spoken.

LIGHT AND GLORY
Light is a portion of glory, not your glory, but the glory of God now growing and maturing within you. Therefore it is written, “Christ in you, the hope of Glory.” Without Him in all these pieces of furniture, we could not be transformed and there would be no transition to a stronger, abundant life.

SEEING THE ALTAR
As you turn to your right, you now make your way toward the Altar of Incense. It is about eleven feet from where you stand to the Altar of Incense. Remember, this fifteen-foot by thirty-foot long room is full of refracted light, and amber-esc smoke. You may wonder if the smoke in this Room of Mystery could get any thicker, and it will take you about two steps to find out the answer. Yes! The closer you are to the Holy of Holies the denser the smoke of the Incense.

The Altar of Incense is so close to the final “Veil” that the writer of Hebrews actually considered it as part of the Holy of Holies – even though it is still outside the last Room of Mystery. The Altar of Incense is also referred to as the Golden Censer (Hebrew 9:3-4).

As we come closer, we see the smoke from the incense that is burning on the coals resting between the “four horns” on top of the Altar. The smell is sweet, not bitter. Most smoke will burn our eyes and nose as it swirls around you and as you inhale it – not this smoke. Herein lies another mystery and a clue as to how you must lose sight of you.

Until the next posting.

Blessings,
John Paul

“Behold, God works all these things,
Twice, in fact, three times with a man,
To bring back his soul from the Pit,
That he may be enlightened with the light of life.”
Job 33:29-30

THE LIGHT OF LIFE

Getting ready to proceed to the Altar of Incense from the Lampstand is no quick matter, as you might guess from the length of time we have been standing before this piece of Tabernacle furniture. Through the experience of the Lampstand, you have learned the importance of taking a Sabbath. During this Sabbath, you have ‘stilled’ yourself and in so doing presented yourself to God for the infilling of Oil from His Spirit. You have also asked God to ignite the oil so that you might be aflame with His Power. Here, before the seven branches, you have been equipped with the initial seed of the seven spiritual attributes of the Spirit of God.

Looking into the flame, your eyes have been prepared to see spiritual matters in such a way so that, as you mature, nothing will be hidden from you. The cracks from past pains, hurts, and deceptions, have all been discovered and are nearly rubbed out. Your vessel is sealed - the oil of the Spirit will not leak out.

THE COORDINATED WORK OF THE GODHEAD
All this has been added to you and more will come. This deep spiritual life is the work of the Godhead in you. You will leave the Lampstand with a new authority and that authority only comes from the Heavenly Father. You will walk in increasing power, and that power comes from the Holy Spirit of God and it is convicting, creative, as well as restorative in nature – all in perfect balance with God’s will, plan, and purpose. Just as Jesus did, you will have to take the light and the power to the person or the location where it is to be implemented.

TRAVEL GUIDES
As you go, the light within you will now reveal what you need to see. The oil, if kept lit, will empower you for anything you need to do. The Bread will heal you of anything that tries to stop God’s purposes in you. The water has washed you so there is no stain of condemnation by others, and the Blood has covered your sin and cleansed you from all unrighteousness. The glimmer of the model of Jesus - the Eternal, life light, sent from the Father – will continue to grow within you. Yes, He has transformed you, but still the light will and must continue to grow.

BECOMING INCENSE
You are almost ready to walk into an entirely different atmosphere where you will present yourself to the Father. This next step, the Altar of Incense, will require more self-awareness and discipline than all the other pieces of furniture you have encountered to date. It is not that God will make it hard on you – its that without knowing it, you will make it hard on you. Yet, that is part of the process of transitioning from darkness to light – you must lose sight of yourself.

Blessings,
John Paul

“He who is Joined to the Lord is one Spirit with Him.”

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I Corinthians 6:17

People came to the tabernacle because they knew this was the one place on Earth where they could experience God. Oh sure, God would speak or appear to the Prophets once in a while, but hardly ever to the masses - except at the Tabernacle. That is why the Sanctuary is called the “Tent of Meeting.” Though God met with the Priest in those mysterious covered rooms the people could feel His presence even in the Outercourt.

Here is a sobering thought … you are the Tabernacle and those who come near you will experience God through you. That Tabernacle is being formed as you stand here in front of the Lampstand. In fact it has been forming from the moment you walked through the first curtained entrance. As you have journeyed through this spiritually charged atmosphere, each piece of furniture you encounter is actually being formed in you. Formed so you can be a tabernacle to others - a place where they can see and meet God. This is precisely what the Apostle Paul wrote so often about. No you are not God, but they can see and feel Him through you.

The transformation you are going through is the progression from a container of Soul and Spirit, to a Tabernacle of God. Can those who know you attest to seeing the Tabernacle as a reality? Or do they still see the “container?” Do they know there is a God because they feel His presence when they come near you and they see God’s presence when they look at you? … This is possible you know.

Perhaps this is all you need to think about from this post.

Blessings,
John Paul

“The voice of the LORD divides the flames of fire.”
Psalms 29:7

“In Your light we see light”
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As I previously mentioned, it was the Voice of God that spoke the Flames on the Lampstand into existence. From His “One” voice seven flames were ignited. On the day of Pentecost, about 120 flames were ignited. So we see that it is, “The voice of the Lord” that divides the flames of fire.

In the Old Testament, only the priests could stand where you are standing now. Yet, here you are before the Lampstand in the Holy haze of the first Room of Mystery. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, you are being transformed from common man to priest. In the Old Testament, the priest took the animals and fowl given to them by the people and sacrificed them. The blood of those animals atoned for sin in the individuals.

PREPARED FOR PRIESTHOOD

Standing here you are in the final stages of being prepared to do the daily priestly offering, which is to daily offer yourself as a living sacrifice for God’s purpose in creating you. Jesus has shed the blood – now you are offering you. Keep in mind that a more pure atmosphere than the one you are standing in can only be found in Heaven and that purity is invading you, body, soul and spirit. It is establishing rays of hope in your Dark Night.

BONDING WITH GOD

The light is examining you, the cracks are being sealed and polished. As you are submitting yourself to God, you are being given His Spirit. Deep is calling to deep as the deepest part of God is preparing the deepest part of you. The Spirit of the Living God is preparing your spirit to bond to Him. In that bonding, you are becoming the “Light of the World,” a Lampstand – you are becoming radiant light, just as Jesus said.

SEVEN SPIRITS OF GOD

Once all the cracks are sealed and polished, the filling of Oil begins. There are seven branches to the Lampstand, seven areas in your life that must now be filled with Oil. Those seven branches represent the Seven Facets of the Spirit of God (Revelation 4). Each branch is only as useful as the quantity of Oil that fills them. The Prophet Isaiah wrote of the Seven Spirits the Messiah would have (Isaiah 11). The Messiah was pictured as being full of the Oil of the Spirit. Those seven Spirits are:

• Spirit of the LORD
• Spirit of wisdom
• Spirit of understanding
• Spirit of counsel
• Spirit of might
• Spirit of knowledge
• Spirit of the fear of the LORD

THE RESULTS

Jesus, being the Messiah, and as such the light of the world, is the Lampstand.  Jesus spoke of His ministry in respect to the seven branches being filled with Oil when He quoted Isaiah. Herein are seven results of the seven branches being filled. Can you find them? I’ll give you a hint; “Anointed” means being filled with oil.

“The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.”

The Spirit of God through Jesus the Messiah must be upon you. Simply put, the oil in you must be full and soon ignited for you to do what Jesus did and greater because He goes to the Father praying for you to become all you were created to be. When ignition happens, the above will be seen in your life.

You have a lot to look forward to as a Child of God, and this is just the beginning.

Blessings,
John Paul

So the shift has now happened in this Journey you began with me. To refresh your memory, the shift is this: up to this place every piece of furniture you have stopped at has removed something from you. Granted, those things had to be removed for you to continue – so that removal was very good for you. But, from here on, God wants to start adding things to you. For that to happen, you have to be prepared to be a container that does not leak out that which is placed in it.

The first substance that is being added to you is a greater measure of Oil, which is the Holy Spirit. Again, Jesus had a measure of the Spirit when He was baptized, but had a greater measure when he returned from the wilderness. Dark Nights of the Soul are the times when you are filled with oil. Too often you want to run and find what you should be doing, when what you should be doing is being “Still.” Again, it is hard to fill a moving container. It is Dark so you can’t see as well, and when you can’t see so well, you should slow down.

Okay, on to the other four Secret Keys.

A FOURTH SECRET KEY
The fourth Secret Key is in the discovery that the same pattern of oil, light, and ignition, happened at Pentecost. The disciples were still, waiting, and being filled with oil, for ten days. On the day of Pentecost, when they were of “one accord” or full of oil, a violent wind – just as at the moment of creation - swept into the room and God set a flame over each person’s head. They were individually ignited, empowered, and the creation of the Church began. Once again we hear God say, “Let there be Light.”

A FIFTH SECRET KEY
The fifth Secret Key is that you will find this same pattern in the conception of Jesus. The Angel tells Mary, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you [oil], and the power [flame] of the Highest will overshadow you.” The result was the conception of Jesus. Once again God said, “Let there be light.”

A SIXTH KEY
The sixth Secret Key is found in how Jesus begins His ministry. The Oil or Holy Spirit comes on Him at His baptism and immediately leads Jesus into the wilderness for forty days. At the conclusion of the forty days of fasting without water or food, the evil one comes to tempt Jesus in three ways. In the same three ways he tempted Eve.
EVE’S TEMPTATION
•    Lust of the Flesh – Good for food
•    Lust of the Eyes – Pleasing to the eye
•    Pride of Life – Desirable to make one wise.

JESUS’ TEMPTATION
•    Lust of the Flesh – “turn these stones into bread.”
•    Lust of the Eyes – “all these kingdoms are yours if you will bow and worship me.”
•    Pride of Life – “cast yourself off this cliff and the angels will catch you.”
(NOTE – everyone must pass these three tests to continue the journey)

After Jesus refuses Satan’s temptations, Scripture states, “Then Jesus returned in the ‘power of the Spirit.” The Greek word for power is dunamis. It is the root word we get the word dynamite from – it is the explosive flame or fire. In other words, Jesus transitioned from being filled with oil to the oil being on fire. Thus the oil of the Spirit had been ignited. Once again God said, “Let there be Light.”

A SEVENTH SECRET KEY - YOU
So, here you stand before the Light of the Lampstand. The Holy Spirit (Oil) is seeping into each one of your cracks and healing, rubbing, and sealing each one. He is brooding, or hovering over you, just as He did the Earth. He is preparing you to receive the Oil of His presence. This Oil is the Oil of God’s Pure Spirit. You need oil, but it takes more than oil to produce a flame. It takes air and a spark of ignition, and it takes you, the container. (If you haven’t read my postings on True, Pure, Spirituality, you may want to do so)

What is the Seventh Key? It is You. From before the foundation of the world, God has been planning this moment. He has determined exactly when you would be born so you would have the greatest impact.

Some of us have more cracks than others, but there are no cracks that the Spirit of God cannot rub out. Passionate and persistent pursuit of God will be rewarded. This flame will happen if you do not pull the plug and drain the oil. It will happen if you do not quit. God will supply the Oil, the Air (wind) and the spark – you must supply you.

Perhaps you are beginning to understand that a major emphasis of the Lampstand is the enduement of Spirit and Light. The result is greater Power from Heaven flowing through you. But remember this, only God can send the spark that ignites and creates the flame. When we try to start the flame it is called “Strange Fire,” and the result of that is always tragic.

My goal is to help you get to a place where you can hear God say, “Let there be Light!”

Blessings,
John Paul