“the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which were the golden pot that had the manna, Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant;”   Hebrews 9:4

Slowly, your eyes and whole being is drawn toward the grandeur of the Living Light. You are afraid to look, yet deep inside you understand that if God was going to kill you, He would have done it by now. No, you are not going to die. Yet, in a mysterious way, something has passed away - before you even entered - and now you’re in this presence, this atmosphere of the Holy, you know you will never be the same. Though it is almost imperceivable, your strength is returning to you and your legs are no longer shaking the golden censor of prayer that hangs from your hand. The air is so thick and its thickness should make breathing difficult, but it is not.

This sweet aroma that wafts through the air is invigorating. The Light that shines from between the two Cherubim is no longer painful, but it is still frightening. The AWE is palpable as is the invisible Love that seems to melt into every cell of your body. How can one person feel such a broad swath of emotions and understanding in the same small moment of time? It is as if you are being intravenously fed matters of the Spirit and in a sense you are.

THE ARK

The Ark rests in the Holy of Holies, the Holiest Room in the Tabernacle. It is the Room of the Spirit. God, who is Spirit, places His presence there. The Ark is not just a Gold covered box for the Mercy Seat to sit upon, it represents the physicality of God and as such that which is inside the Ark represents the aspects of God within Him, which is the Spirit of God. Inside the Ark, that you dare not touch, is the Golden Pot of Manna, the Tablets of the Law, and the miraculous rod of Aaron that budded. This Ark is now to rest in your spirit, and these three items represent three types of spiritual blessings that your spirit receives once you enter God’s presence.

Remember, it is the Breath of God that gave Adam life and made him a spiritual being, or one who contains spirit. All great blessings that proceed from God originate within our spirit. Thus the reasoning why Jesus said, “the Kingdom is within you.” God works on your inside before He works on your outside.

MANNA

Manna was the food of the Angels. God sent it six times a week and as such was sent from Heaven (EX. 16:14-15) It is given to not only sustain you, but in a greater measure it is meant to preserve you. By eating of it you would not die. As long as the children ate of it nothing failed, but when they chose quail over Manna things changed. This is what Jesus was referring to when He said if you eat of His body you would not die and never hunger. This Bread/Manna that came down from Heaven (manna) was Jesus - He is the Bread of Life. But Jesus also said that man does not live by bread alone, but by the Word of God.

THE TABLETS OF THE LAW

The Tablets of the Law is the Word of God. The Apostle John also identified Jesus as the Word of God that was from the beginning. That Word was with God and that Word was God, that Word is God. Now that you have eaten of the Manna/Word, your mind is being renew from the presence of the Word running through your system. You mind is being made ready to read, comprehend, and apply that Word to your life at levels you have never anticipated. You will come to understand that Manna allows the mind to be renewed in the spirit (Eph 4:23). When the mind is spiritually renewed you not only understand the ways of God, but your mind begins to submit to your spirit. Now your body can do what your mind, led by the spirit, directs it to do. The spirit of man is most fulfilled when the soul and body submit to spirit’s direction and purposes. Your spirit is designed to receive Spirit to spirit communication from the very Spirit of God. It is designed to rule you under the Spirit of the Living God.

AARON’S ROD

The Rod of Aaron represents the supernatural elements of God, signs, wonders, miracles, and healings. It is the Spirit of God, that gave power to the Rod of Aaron. When that same Spirit enters and dwells within you, it brings that same power. Thus it is written that the same spirit that raised Christ from the dead now dwells in you. The verse, you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit enters you is far more than a trite, wistful thought. Aaron’s rod budded and produced fruit, you will be known by your fruit. The problem is not that Aaron’s rod is not working today, it is that you have been programmed, by your culture, to believe the Rod no longer buds.

All of that is about to change.

Blessings,

John Paul