Jan 7
Frankincense and Bread
“Put frankincense on each row to be an offering
made by fire to ADONAI in place of the bread
and as a reminder of it.”
Lev. 24:7 (CJB)
THE FRANKINCENSE
As you make your way across the room to the Table of Showbread you will notice another marvelous aspect of the Table of His Presence. It is another mystery. What you see is strange, instead of the unleavened Bread being fired, there are two smoking bowls sitting on top of the two stacks of Bread. Each is full of burning Frankincense and the smoke arising from them mingles with the smoke from the Altar of incense. You might take note that frankincense is also used in the Altar of Incense, but we deal with the why of that when you get there.
SPIRITUAL MEMORIAL
As the Scripture commands, the Frankincense is being burned to the Lord in place of or instead of the Showbread. Why? Because the unleavened bread represents the body and due to what Jesus did through the process of His crucifixion – you are not to be burned in the ‘Lake of Fire” and instead you are to be healed. Selah
The smoke, incense and aroma that arose from the burning Frankincense is to arise to the Lord as a memorial or reminder. The question is, a memorial to what, and why?
God does not need a reminder, but we need to be reminded that as God sees this smoke arise, He also sees our need for healing, Spirit, Soul, and Body. On one hand, this is to be a reminder that God will heal His people. On the other hand it is an everlasting memorial that God will heal you.
REMEMBERING HIM
The smoke of the burning frankincense is not only to place God in remembrance of you, but the Showbread is to be eaten by you in remembrance of Him (Jesus). This is precisely what Jesus was referring to when at the Last Supper He took the unleavened Showbread and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you. As often as you do this, do it in remembrance of me.” This table and all that it represents is still that memorial – God will heal you for His great name’s sake, take the Bread in remembrance of Him. Once again, “The Communion Effect” will greatly aid you in further understanding the power contained in the stripes that Jesus bore so you can be healed. You can get these messages on CD’s or download it for half the price.
HEALING OF THE SPIRIT, SOUL AND BODY
There are some very interesting qualities to the resin of frankincense. It has been discovered that burning frankincense resin helps to alleviate anxiety and depression, which are matters of the soul that need healing. The University of Munich has also found that the anti-inflammatory properties of frankincense are a very effective treatment for joint pain and arthritis, which are matters of the body that need healing.
So we find that God has provided for all our needs, even our anxiety. Proverbs 12:25 reveals that anxiety in the heart of a man causes depression. Therefore, to relieve anxiety is to relieve depression. Herein in is His provision for casting your every care on Him.
Frankincense is also a natural insecticide. In ancient Egypt, the smoke of burning frankincense resin was used to repel mosquitoes, sand flies, fumigate wheat silos and repel wheat moths. These properties of frankincense are symbolic of the spiritual properties of the Holy Spirit that protects you from small demonic pests that seek to gradually erode, and destroy your life.
ACOUSTIC PROPERTIES
Perhaps one of the more unusual and interesting qualities of frankincense is this, researchers have found that burning frankincense indoors improves the acoustic properties of the room. Can you imagine, here you are standing in this room of mystery and find that God so wants to dialogue with you that He makes it easier for you to hear Him, and for you to speak to Him from this place. Think about this - for your sake God made the acoustical atmosphere better.
This great God you serve is not a God who is far away, nor a God who must be coerced into meeting with you. He is ever present, always waiting to hear you dialogue with Him. He is so intent on it that He makes it as easy as possible. This God, that you serve, is magnificent in every way!
Next, you will journey toward the Lampstand and the Light of His Spirit will inspect you.
Blessings,
John Paul
13 Comments so far
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Hi, I ordered the “Communion Effect” looking forward to what it uncovers. Thanks
I just wanted to share a testimony of how God has healed my heart. Through the interaction on this blog I have discovered that the same kind of tenderness, compassion and Love that God has shown towards me in and through His Son Jesus. I need to show that same kind of tenderness, compassion and Love towards my own father. This, I have discovered is what God wants me to do - Love my dad - If I can do this one thing, He said that, I would begin to find a sense of purpose in every other area of my life.
I know that to many this may seem like a trivial issue, but I have struggled with Loving my earthly father almost all of my life.
So, I wanted to say thank you JP for all that you have been writing about over these last many number of months. I think I have finally learned, through reading this blog and God working in my heart, that if I can do this one thing - Love my dad - everything else in my life will work out.
I also wanted to say thank you to all of my fellow bloggers out there, I have learned much from reading all of your comments.
Lyle
I hope it is not long before you post again. This is exactly what I need to be taught about. My next door neighbor and friend in Christ and I have been praying since February (really before) FERVENTLY seeking God for her healing to manifest. (Diagnosed by doctors with ALS) GOD continues to lead us to believe and stand on the foundation of Jesus Christ who was crucified, His Body given and His Blood and Covenant Relationship and based on love for Him and each other. But we keep wondering, are we hindering God in some way? We believe He wants to allow us to bring many souls to an awareness of The Lord. Our church and town are so dry and we so want people to awaken to the Truth. He has been so wonderful this year by His precious Word and Encouragement to us. I say us because I believe I have been called as a watchman on her walls. We want Our husbands, children, church and town to believe that Jesus Heals today. He has been so wonderful to us. Can we be hindering somehow? I Don’t expect you to answer that but I am so hungry for this teaching. Look forward to the next post. I am asking Jesus to keep showing us His Word .
Would love to have all these marvelous references for personal studies for greater understanding.
I wonder if the articles in the holy room were foreshadowing symbols of the coming messiah, Jesus. The holy room is where we abide in Him, first by walking thru the blood of the alter where we identify with Jesus death. As we enter the holy room and the table of presence (Jesus the presence of God on earth) made from acacia wood (a tree with thorns) symbolizing Jesus come in the flesh and the cross, covered in gold, symbolizing Jesus as God and his human perfection. The shewbreadon the table, symbolizes Jesus the bread of life, the incesnse on the bread symbolizing the that Jesus is the source of and the way to the Spirit, and the candles symbolizing Jesus the light of the world. The irony of the symbolism is that the Isrealites thought that the bread, incence and lamp oil were sacrifices of man to God, when in fact they repesent the sacrifice of Jesus for men, the way by which we enter into the presence of God, the nature of Jesus himself and how we abide in Him.
It is intersting how one cannot enter into the holy of holies and the judgement/mercy seat of God without first identifying with Jesus in the Holy room…. I in Christ and Christ in me.
Levi.
JP, Thanks for helping us to see the things that you have seen.
Blessings
David
That is cool how you tied it in with communion and dialogue. This verse equates incense with the prayer of the saints.
Revelation 5:8
And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.
Revelation 8:3-4 mentions this as well.
God uses symbolism all of the time. Perhaps symbolism communicates a message better than saying “HEY YOU!” And then so on…
Good stuff,
Shaun Brehm
Is all “transition” God’s doing in the church, or can man create transition that God had not designed? And if so, how can you tell? What should be a person’s response to this situation?
A few good men?
Movie - “A Few Good Men” with Jack Nicholson and Tom Cruise.
Famous court room scene, “YOU CANT HANDLE THE TRUTH !!!”
If the nature of Truth is revealing the nature of things then wouldn’t He have to slowly do this?
If we couldn’t handle the truth wouldn’t the issue be US?
So by nature then the Light is the Truth - illuminating areas that are closed or hidden.
The question to me then should be Lord Show ME where I am missing it!
This position in the Lords Light is not topical, it is not a matter of proving anything, it is entirely relational at that point - it is a matter of alignment to the Truth that already IS.
A photograph is developed in darkness. A copy.
An original is appreciated, adored, honored. It is priceless.
The Master Artist is just trying to teach us how to paint a true Original.
An original relates to an ultimate origin – to identity.
The enemy is the father of lies. A lie is a mutation of the Truth - it is a copy - a re-production.
We are all originals and plagiarism is akin to usury and envy…
John Paul,
The “Communion Effect” rocks!!!
Thanks
Oyinda
….A while ago I felt prompted to buy some Frankincense at a charity event. For a while I have been reading up with limited success on the symbolic significance of it. I (once again), found myself smiling as I read your blog. The insight the Lord gives you is wonderful. I hope I can stand the process it takes to get there.
As I am sitting here commenting, there is one question that is slightly aside, but also possibly connected to the idea of healing that maybe you would consider addressing sometime in the future. In a teaching series I listened of yours last year, you talked about how the 7 organs of the body correspond to 7 spiritual and 7 soul states (at least I think that is what you said. I have been pondering this, and wondered whether you believe that the illnesses we suffer in the various parts that we suffer them bodily and emotionally potentially have direct correlations those parts of our spiritual state that we haven’t dealt with or fail to, or refuse to deal with?
The nations are within, not “out there”. Disciple, govern, within. In the OT people built cities…within. God deals with those in us…spiritual cities that accumulated to be nations from the first source. Get rid of those, and we are motoring! The Spirit searches all things, right? “Go into ALL the….cosmos” (established order of things within). Jesus said that He had overcome the cosmos and we were to fear not because of this. Inside us is where we have been trapped. The kingdom of heaven is within and it has suffered violence by those who learned how to trap and limit it, but the Kingdom of God (different than the kingdom of heaven in us) can come in and free those heavens. Churchianity got it and gets it so wrong! Dead, and a life hid in Christ, here, is pretty good! Vincent….God is finished with copies. He is at work in you for His good pleasure, so you are going to be an original.
Y’all,
I just located that article that John Paul was talking about. It is in the January 7 posting: Frankincense and
Bread.
Linda