“Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man.” Hebrews 8:1, 2

“Priests … who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For He said, “See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.” Hebrews 8:4-5

“Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?” 1Corinthians 6:19

“Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, “By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh” Hebrews 10:19-20

Pause to still yourself, … remember you are now standing in the Sanctuary looking at a torn Veil. The Priests are aimlessly milling about, not knowing what to say, not knowing what to do; hardly anyone knows what to say. Some were surely thinking, “We just killed the Son of God.” How could they not be thinking that, the inexplicable darkness, the Earthquake, and now the Veil … and the deafening sound of silence after the Veil tore. The sound of the Veil Tearing shook the walls … but the silence afterward was even louder. Now they are even saying the dead are waking the streets!

With the Tearing of the Veil, a massive shift has taken place, yet the Veil over the eyes of the Hebrew children is as thick as ever … for now. That too will one-day change and the true branch will be grafted back into the true vine.

In the above verses you see Paul writing about matters you now understand. The Tabernacle of Moses was a near copy of that which Moses saw in a vision of Heaven (Exodus 25). He made it after Heaven’s design, exactly has he had seen. The design is layered in both physical and spiritual meanings, while the Tabernacle represents the construct of Heaven, it also represents the Garden of Eden, it further represents the tri-partite nature of God, and in a strangely unique way it represents you.

GOD’S CREATIVE PROWESS

In the Tabernacle, God in His deity has shown the supreme nature of His creative prowess. Layers of Glory, knowledge, understanding, and wisdom have been concealed in His grand design, levels of His Omniscience have been intricately coded into every detail, most of which we did not cover as the miniscule elements of which would be overwhelming to most. Yet, what we did cover, the tips of the “iceberg”, has still been like drinking from a fire hydrant.

It is vital that you know this - you are the Tabernacle, the temple. The Spirit once confined in the Holy of Holies now rules the entirety of the Tabernacle. Yet, only those who are pure in heart will be able to see it, recognize it and hence respond to it - in spite of the Spirit of God dwelling in all who believe. Sadly, some still keep Him confined to the innermost part of their lives and their life shows it. May this never be said of you. You must radiate all of His Light to all who will see you.

BUDDHA, MOHAMMAD, CONFUCIUS

Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice for our sins, that all might enter into the presence of God through faith in Him. Jesus, as the Veil torn for our sins, has become the only door to the Father. Why? Because, he is the only one found sinless and therefore worthy. If Buddha, Mohammad, Confucius, or any other number of individuals who started religious philosophies, had been sinless, then there would be more than one door or way to the Father. However, they all submitted to the evil one which is called “SIN.” Therefore, no one can come to the Father except through Jesus.

THE PERFECT LIFE

If one could come to the Father in any other way, it would negate the need for the sacrifice Jesus made of Himself. In other words Jesus would have died for nothing. Being good is not good enough, right attitudes are not good enough, great self control is not good enough, empathetic giving is not good enough, for no matter what one does that might appear good, every person who has ever been born has sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God - that is except Jesus. No man in History lived a perfect life - except Jesus. Thus prior to Jesus all mankind had submitted to Satan and He had legal right to not only their life, but their future … that is until Jesus.

JESUS THE WORD

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.”  John 1:1-2

As you read this, you might be tempted to think the “Word” penned by the Apostle John was the Bible. Some of you more Messianic types might even go as far as to believe, John was referring to the Torah. Neither is correct unless you know that Jesus was the Torah and the Torah was Him. However, and more specifically, what John was referring to here is that Jesus was the embodiment of the word fulfilled. Thus Jesus could state, “I did not come to end the Law, but to fulfill the Law.”

With that in mind then you can now grasp who the “Word” was in the following verse.

“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”  Hebrews 4:12

Yes, the Word is Jesus and it was He who made the distinction between the soul and the spirit and is able to define the difference between the two. At the cross, Jesus tore the wall of separation that allowed soul to rule over the spirit by sheer volume of space - now the spirit can rule with authority and power - which is the basis of the Kingdom.

You might well be surprised at the matter of the Kingdom and it’s mysteries found in the Tabernacle.

Blessings,

John Paul Jackson

“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;” 1Peter 2:9

“… it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.” Matthew 13:11

HARD ROCKS OF THE SOUL

As the veil tears, the light of God, once solely contained in the small confines of the Holy of Holies is immediately released into the Holy Place. Now all the Sanctuary or covered portion of Tabernacle is filled with the Light of God. The Light of the Lampstand now seems to blend in with all the Light in the Room. It is as if the Lampstand and the Light of God from the Holy of Holies are ONE. Indeed this is so.

THE TEARING OF YOUR SOUL

As we have discussed in a prior blog, the Holy of Holies represents your spirit and the Holy Place represents your soul. In parallel with this line of thought, the Light of God enters your spirit and with the tearing of the Veil the light of the spirit can now rule your soul. The tearing of the Veil is equal to the breaking of your soul. Only through this brokenness or tearing of your soul can light make its way through the wall or veil that separates the two. For you to live a deeply spiritual life, this tearing must happen. Again this is the reason for the Dark Night of the Soul.

LIGHT ENTERS

The Light of God can now enter your light container, which is your spirit that was once incased in your soul. The breaking of the rocks by the earthquake at the crucifixion also parallels the matter of hardness of the heart and the breaking of the soul. Once again herein is the reason for the breaking you are going through or the Dark Night of the Soul and on to the Dark Night of the Spirit..

BLESSED ARE THE PURE IN HEART

One might say that a new age dawned, but only the pure in heart can see it, and in that “seeing” those few can now “see” God (Matthew 5:8). Those who are not pure in heart will see nothing. They are relegated to the outer court and they will continue to think nothing has happened, everything is the same, so what is all the fuss about? This is what the Apostle Paul refers to as the “Natural” man.

“But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” 1Corinthians 2:14

The “natural” man lives in the outer court at best and as long as he is content to live there, there will remain a screen between him and the torn veil. He will never see the mysteries hidden therein.

MYSTERIES ARE NOT IN THE OUTERCOURT

The mysteries that were once contained in the very small room behind the Veil are now visible throughout the covered confines of the Sanctuary, which is still much smaller than the area of the Outercourt most remain in. Jesus, our high priest has made a way for the mysteries once cloaked herein to be revealed to you. These mysteries, once known only to God and those He chose to reveal them to, namely the high priest, are now available to all who choose to pursue a higher spiritual plane in life.

“But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation.” Hebrews 9:11

That is why:

“… it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.” Matthew 13:11

Now that the veil is torn, the mysteries are open to all the priesthood, but only for those in the Sanctuary. It is no longer limited to just the high priest in the Holy of Holies. Thus it is important to recognize that Scripture now confirms you are a high priest and therefore have access to the Father.

“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;” 1Peter 2:9

THE LOSS OF THE RULE OF SOUL

The darkness is now made light because the Light of the Father is now in you. This is the reason you have been able to proceed on the journey you have taken through the Tabernacle; the journey you are still on. A journey meant to give you fullness of life, by losing your life. No wonder Jesus said,

“He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life” John 12:25.

The word for ‘life’ here is the word ‘psuche’ which is the root word for soul. In this entire passage Jesus is talking about losing the control of the soul over your life by allowing your spirit to rule your life. If you allow Him to do this in you, you will keep your soul and your spirit both now and in the age to come.

FEW MENTOR OR FATHERS

There are many who talk or teach about this, but the reason why you do not see more who live this type of life it that so few allow this level of breaking in their lives. Most quit before the breaking is complete. Thus there are few spiritual mentors or as the Apostle Paul writes “fathers, because there are just a few who have been wiling to trod the path before you did.

I have written about the Dark Night of the Spirit. In order to keep things in perspective, it is the next step beyond the Dark Night of the Soul. But, now with the tearing of the Veil, your soul can be submitted to your spirit and thus the reason why Paul exhorts us to, “be renewed in the spirit of your mind.” The mind is part of the soul, and with a clear perspective of the Tabernacle, it is easier to understand how the spirit can rule the soul / mind as well as the body, all in submission to the Spirit of God.

As I have written it is a journey that is not for the faint of heart.

Blessings,

John Paul

“And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove” Mark 1:10

“Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, 52 and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; 53 and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many” Matthew 27:51-53.

(The Veil is torn and all of history has been impacted, including the Tabernacle of Moses, where you are standing on this journey of unequaled magnitude.)

According to the writings of Josephus, a first century Jewish historian, the veil in Solomon’s temple was 30 cubits high which is about forty-five feet (1 Kings 6:2), however when Herod added onto the temple he had the size increased in height to 40 cubits or about sixty feet high. Josephus also tells us that the veil was four inches thick and that horses tied to each side could not pull the veil apart.

TORN HEAVEN - TORN VEIL

There is a bit of irony between the tearing of the Veil and the Baptism of Jesus in the Gospel of Mark. Mark tells us that all those watching the Baptism of Jesus, saw the Heavens parted, or more literally translated the heavens were “torn”. They also saw the Spirit descending like a dove on Jesus to herald the beginning of His Earthly ministry. Tied to that then, here on this blood soaked hill, all who were there heard Jesus give back to the Father, the very Spirit He had received at his baptism. This time, instead of the heavens being torn, the Veil in the Temple was torn. With the coming of the Spirit Jesus began His ministry, and with the releasing of His spirit He finished His ministry.

Keeping that thought in mind, you can now see that at the Baptism of Jesus, God announced He had come to man; and here with the tearing of the Veil, God announced He had made a way for man to come to Him. All barriers had been removed and God had made a way for you and God to walk together again.

TORN FIRMAMENT

Rabbinical teaching is that the Veil represented the division between the earthly and the heavenly as well as representing the locked Gate to the Garden of Eden. With the closing of this gate, everlasting life was no longer available to mankind. Anyone with sin would die. To make sure it stayed that way, God stationed two Cherubim at the entrance to the Garden of Eden - “Lest they eat from the Tree of Life and live forever.” The two cherubim on the Ark of the Covenant also represent the two cherubim that guarded the Gate to Eden. Anyone who had sin and entered here would die.  Therefore, in so tearing the Veil, the firmament was also torn, making a way for man to once again come to the Father. The Gate to Eden had been opened.

ETERNAL SACRIFICE

With this event, many Graves could now be opened in Jerusalem. Miraculously,  the thief who hung on the cross beside Jesus, along with all those in Sheol who believed the “good News,” could proceed to enter Paradise. Thus fulfilling the word spoken by Jesus to the thief, “This day you will be with Me in Paradise.” Stated again, the gate to Eden was opened. Man could once again intimately and personally commune with the Father, through the blood of Jesus. He alone was the Passover Lamb and thus the Eternal sacrifice slain from before the foundation of the world.

THE NINTH HOUR

It is also interesting that all this happened at the ninth hour of the day. What you may not have noticed is that at the moment Jesus cried out, it is finished and died, the Veil was simultaneously torn in two. At that very moment darkness lifted from the Earth. You need to grasp that this was not the moment darkness came to the Earth. You see it had already been dark for three hours - from 12:00pm to 3:00pm, the time when Jesus died. Thus when Jesus died and the Veil was torn, darkness was lifted. Salvation had come to the Jews. It was almost as if, with the tearing of the Veil, the Light from the Holy of Holies had been released onto the Earth.

SALVATION FOR JEW AND GENTILE

We read in Acts 10, which took place just a few months later, that at the same ninth hour, an angel would come and announce to Cornelius that Salvation had come to the Gentiles as well. Hence, at the command of the angel, Cornelius would send for Peter and the rest is history. Simply said, at the ninth hour salvation came to the Jew and at the ninth hour salvation came to the gentile. (That is why 9 is the number of evangelism and salvation)

Blessings

John Paul