SIN AND SLAVERY
For those of you that have been following this blog and the posts I’ve written concerning sin and temptation, perhaps you can see some of my forethought on covering that topic before I covered this topic. The matter of obedience is much weightier than you might want to admit. Adam and Eve had full, unimpeded communion with God until the day they disobeyed. Yet there must be understanding of  this disobedience (Rebellion).

The consequence of disobedience is not so much about disobedience as it is this very important principle: “When you disobey, you make that which tempted you your god.” What do I mean by that? Said another way, when you obey the one who tempts you, you then become a follower of the tempter – even if for that one moment - and in doing so you place God’s purpose subordinate to the tempters plan. Thus, the tempter becomes your god. The Apostle Paul called this condition being a “slave to sin.”

EXPULSION FROM THE ROOMS OF MYSTERY
The eventual outcome of that entrapment is therefore called slavery. After Adam sinned, it took more than 240 years for man to call on the name of God again (Gen 4:26). The slavery of sin can become a harsh taskmaster. You can escape this slavery, but it takes moment-to-moment obedience. In the Rooms of Mystery you will get started in these basics, but it will take a while to perfect obedience to the point where obedience becomes submission.

In the Rooms of Mystery, rebellion/disobedience is cause for expulsion - back to the wilderness. Sadly, this is exactly what the Hebrew spies found out when they came back to give a bad report of why they could not go into the “promised land.” They had become slaves to fear and forty years later they got another chance.

Back to Adam and Eve for a moment. As soon as they sinned, “their eyes were opened” to knowledge and they  “knew” they were naked. This increased knowledge that Satan offered them did not give them increased power, it did not help them return to their original pre-sin form, nor did they become like God. In fact their life was worse, because they now had to live under and became a slave to the ‘god of this world’.

JUSTIFYING REBELLION

Too many times we rebel thinking that we will learn from the experience, grace will cover the experience, or even that we could not help but do it – therefore it is not my fault. There is a price for being a slave to sin, and it is very costly. In addition, each time one repeats a former sin it becomes easier to commit that sin again. At some point you will feel trapped in the sin. Eventually, the sin becomes the master and stopping seems impossible.

Before you take a look into the inside and take the first step in the journey, you would be well served to look at the composition of that which you are about to enter, because you will be dramatically impacted by each and every one. Perhaps now is a good time to resolve to live a righteous life - before you even go in.

We’ll start looking into the Rooms of Mystery in my next post.

Blessings,
John Paul

THE SIGHT

The visual nature of the Tabernacle is pretty impressive, especially if you stop to think that it is found in the Wilderness. The white linen curtains that surround the entire Tabernacle are five cubits high (7.5 ft.). So, from some 300 feet away, when you first see the Rooms of Mystery you may wonder why would anyone want to go in there? It seems to be a normal tent except as you get closer you notice that it has very tall walls (10 cubits or 15 ft.). Yet, even at that, it does not look as aesthetically beautiful or as splendid as one would have thought.

The dark badger skins that cover it are not particularly impressive. In fact, if it were not for the height of the walls, you might think it a home for the impoverished. The size of the two rooms together is only 10 cubits x 30 cubits, about one fifth the size of the entire Tabernacle.

HIDDEN GLORY

However, as you walk toward those rooms, there is a glint that grabs your attention.  Drawing closer you see a stunning curtain and five golden pillars glinting in the Sun. Instantly your breath is lost and you receive the first hint that this place is not for those who love the mundane, it is very, very special. Had you not heard that there were two rooms under the four layers of coverings, you might suspect there was only one. Herein is understanding, the single way in which you will find the difference between the two is by entering the Sanctuary and discovering the Rooms of Mystery. Hope springs up - there is something more, something deeper, something I’ve yet to experience that will make what I’ve gone through worth it and I’ll find it in there.

Somewhere deep within you hear the faint whisper, “Wait until you see the inside - you must go inside.” In that moment you have a wisp of understanding that, like Jesus, it is not supposed to have any form or comeliness that would cause mankind to notice what it really is. You also suspect that every facet of life from this point forward begins on the inside, for indeed it does.

DESIGNED FOR YOUR GOOD

However, before you go in, it is very important to remember, each piece of furniture you encounter is there for your good. Each one is a means of aiding you, preparing you, and transforming you into a spiritual being. The closer you come to the Holy of Holies, the closer you come to being truly, purely, spiritual. Do not get discouraged  The coming wine is great.

In the Outer Court one learns of the Priestly functions – for we are all priests that are to minister before Him. But in the Rooms of Mystery, you will be taken through a process where you learn and yearn to minister to Him. In the Glory of His presence you will find little thought of you.

THE TRANSITIONS TOWARD SPIRITUALITY

In the Outer Court of the Tabernacle you learned the value of sacrifice. In the first Room of Mystery, The Holy Place, you will learn obedience; in the second Room, the Holy of Holies, you will learn submission. The fruit of the three will become the wine of praise, worship and True, Pure, Spirituality. In the moment of His Presence you forget any thought of your own wellbeing and learn to exist in Him who gives you your next breath.

I’ll write more on the Rooms of Mystery in a few of days, sooner than the last few posts. If you had not guessed, I am going to try to make the posts shorter and more often.

Blessings,
John Paul Jackson

Weakness From Decay

As you progress the next three hundred or so feet toward the two covered rooms, which are truly Rooms of Mystery, you can’t help but think a couple of very mind grabbing thoughts.  First, we notice that we feel so much lighter than we did when we came in. The weight of the thick decay of sin is a burden we were not designed to carry. Decay, unlike muscle, will not lift a thing. Because of this, as sin causes us to decay we become weaker. What we used to lift or overcome easily, now seems quite heavy. Eventually, we atrophy so much from the decay of sin we cannot respond to even the strongest stimulus of God without it hurting to move.

Why So Far?
Second, we wonder why it is such a distance to those rooms? The answer is this - time is a healer. You see forgiveness is instant. The moment we deeply ask for forgiveness – we receive it. But, healing is different – it takes time. You might ask, “What do I need healing from?” Basically, you need healed from that which was decaying you and everything in your life that was not birthed by God. The word used for “saved” is “sozo,” which means healed from the decay of the tyrant. Jesus said of the 10 lepers that He healed, “their faith saved [sozo] them.” When you are saved, you are sozo.

Remember how you first entered the Tabernacle? Fire is an amazing destroyer of infection, the primary cause of decay. Water is a wonderful remover of that which is decayed. Decay can be killed by fire, but until it is washed off, it still stains our clothing.

Walking the distance toward the tent gives you time to reflect on the decay that no longer exists and to notice the brilliant whiteness of the robe you now wear. Some might say it is as “white as snow” and it is. Even now you are not sure whether the weight is lessened or simply that you are getting stronger from the lack of decay.

The Need for Obedience
This distance also gives you time to prepare. It took obedience to lay your life on that Brazen Altar and to wash in the Laver. It will take more than obedience to traverse the Rooms of Mystery, and yet obedience will be required more than ever. You see, in the Rooms of Mystery, no one can see you but God. No one knows whether you followed protocol, or stopped at each piece of furniture. No one knows if you applied the elements of the furniture to your life, or humbled yourself under His hand. Your friends can be fooled, and no one knows or will ever know … except God.

This is why obedience is better than sacrifice. Soon you will find that obedience launches you toward True, Pure, Deep, Spirituality. Sacrifice is found at the entrance to the Tabernacle, but obedience is required to enter the Sanctuary.

The outer court is not part of the Sanctuary. It was uncovered and called the Court of the Congregation or the Court of Meeting. The Sanctuary was covered and to be “revered” and kept Holy.

The Outer Court is all about cleansing you from the Lust of the Flesh and all that has controlled your flesh from the outside – so that it is no longer the compulsion to act that it once was. This cleansing encompasses everything from addictions to people.

As you make your way through the two rooms of the Sanctuary that are ahead, you will also learn how to conquer the Lust of the Eyes and the Pride of Life. Those are much harder and God privately deals with you about them – that is why those rooms are covered – not for God’s sake but for yours.

Blessings,
John Paul