Coming Monday, November 1, 2010.

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To everything there is a season,

A time for every purpose under heaven:

A time to be born,

And a time to die;

A time to plant,

And a time to pluck what is planted;

A time to kill,

And a time to heal;

A time to break down,

And a time to build up;

A time to weep,

And a time to laugh;

A time to mourn,

And a time to dance;

A time to cast away stones,

And a time to gather stones;

A time to embrace,

And a time to refrain from embracing;

A time to gain,

And a time to lose;

A time to keep,

And a time to throw away;

A time to tear,

And a time to sew;

A time to keep silence,

And a time to speak;

A time to love,

And a time to hate;

A time of war,

And a time of peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

To everything there is a season, and the season of the Tabernacle has drawn to a close for now. Though you will come and go from the Tabernacle the rest of your life, life outside the Tabernacle and the Sanctuary must be lived.  That does not mean  you have to live life in the same manner, nor at the same spiritual level as you lived before you entered this journey. What you have seen, experienced, learned, and absorbed, will go with you the rest of your life. It will drive you, draw you, and in a holy way it will haunt you. You will now hunger for that which you had no taste for before you entered this tapestry of deeper spiritual life.

There are many mysteries you have yet to discover. Another mystery is the multitude of ways the Tabernacle can be seen. We have talked about four of those ways, but there is one more that bears paying attention to. In the broader, post Pentecost spectrum, the Tabernacle is also a chart of events that have been, events that are, and events that are to come. So let’s pause to remember the layout of the Tabernacle and what each piece of furniture might mean in the timetable of God, it might just give you some insight to the future.

THE BRAZEN ALTAR

When you first entered the Tabernacle some two and one half years ago the first piece of furniture you encountered was the Brazen Laver. In the Chart of events this is where one gains knowledge about Justification by faith. Martin Luther brought this to the surface once again in 1517. Yes, we have to have works, as faith without works is dead. However, the renewed realization that faith in who Jesus the Messiah was and is, what He came to this world to do, and what it means to you, is initaly discovered here at the Brazen Altar.

THE BRAZEN LAVER

The second piece of furniture you came across was the Brazen Laver that was full of clear, pure water. This represented Water Baptism and Sanctification. John Wesley along with his brother Charles reignited this understanding in the mid 1700’s, as they formed a “Holy Club” for young men who desired to live a deeply spiritual life. A supernatural event in Wesley’s life where he says, “My heart was strangely warmed” primed the way for this desire to change the lives of hundreds of thousands. This eventually marked an entirely new era in the church and ignited a new desire for Holiness and Sanctification within the church.

These two pieces of furniture are the only ones that are mysteries, yet open for all to see. They are the drawing card for the initial Christian life. They depict a message that everlasting life and righteousness can give you hope for tomorrow and beyond the grave. The other five pieces of furniture are part of the deeper mysteries and are knowable only to those who are passionate enough about living a spiritual life on a substantially higher plane than those who are content in the Outer Court - they have to be sought for. These mysteries are available to all, but few are desperate enough to search for them with all their heart, mind, and strength.

Remember, all who are in the tabernacle have been given everlasting life, but not all will discover the Rooms of the Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven and proceed to know the Mysteries of the Kingdom of God. These mysteries are only found in the high, covered, Sanctuary, which is the Mountain of The Lord.

THE FIRST ROOM: THE HOLY PLACE -THE MYSTERIES OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN

You have now entered the Holy Place, as you pass just beyond the curtain that seals the mysteries of both rooms you see three pieces of furniture that hold keys to understanding the Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven. We have covered an infinitesimally small “nano spectrum” of these mysteries. There is so much more to discover. All five of these pieces are made of Gold, all brass remains in the Outer Court. Gold is pure and even today remains a mystery, brass is an amalgamation and as such is not all that mysterious. You might pause to remember, it is in this room that you entered the Dark Night of the Soul - to everything there is a season.

THE GOLDEN LAMPSTAND

The first piece of furniture you encounter in this covered Room of Mystery is the light from the Golden Lampstand. This is the third piece of tabernacle furniture. The event on the chart of events it represents is the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the early 1900’s. From this came the Topeka, Kansas outpouring, the Azusa Street outpouring and others.

Here you see the seven spiritual attributes of the oil of the Holy Spirit of the Living God. You also discovered the second light or the creative ability of the spoken word from which all matter was made. This light refracted off the two golden walls on each side of the Holy Place. This light was the light of the world, which was from the beginning of the world. There is so much we did not discuss here; the shape, the bulbs, the flowers, and so much more - and all have meanings and mysteries.

THE TABLE OF SHEWBREAD

The next piece of Tabernacle furniture, the fourth piece is The Table of Shewbread. The Table of Shewbread and the Bread thereon represents the provision of God for all our needs; specifically it represents health and the Doctrine of Laying on of Hands or the Healing movement that began in the 1940’s. This bread is the Body of Christ, and all who would enter the Kingdom of Heaven must eat of His body and apply it to their life.

This too is made of Gold and holds the Bread of Life, which is the provision of health, healing, sustenance, and Life. It also held up the incense of Frankincense, an amplifier, and a preserver of all it surrounds. As the bread is taken in, it furnishes needed nutrition for tomorrows battles. Without it we cannot even think clearly. Here too we have skimmed over so many mysteries such as the golden crown around the top of the table, the construction of the table, how the bread was to be broken and dispersed. Even the mystery of the bread being the body of Jesus that is broken for you - you must eat of it to enter the kingdom. The many mysteries of the Table of Shewbread abound and are worth the searching out.

THE GOLDEN ALTAR OF INCENSE

The Golden Altar of Incense, the fifth piece of Tabernacle furniture, represents the selfless and priestly nature of Intercession and the deeply held passion for worship and praise. Some might say this began with the Wesley’s, but the aspect of Intercession along with worship and praise more likely began, strangely enough, in the Jesus People movement that began in the mid 1960’s.

Here, at the Golden Altar of Incense, you learn patience and how to overcome “self” and the Dark Night of the Soul closes as the Veil just before you raises.

These three pieces of furniture along with all other articles, rings, clasps, materials, spices, fragrances, and multiple other smaller things represent the Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven

THE SECOND ROOM: THE HOLY OF HOLIES - THE MYSTERIES OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD

This is the room where God chose to manifest His presence in a more tangible manner. God is Spirit - it is the Room of the Spirit. God is Holy - it is the Holiest Room of all. In this room, beyond the Veil, lies the Mysteries of the Kingdom of God. Herein we see three golden walls and the eternal, pure light of God the Father is intensely refracted from those three walls. Here, for a season, you enter the Dark Night of the Spirit - yet, “In His Light we see Light.”

THE GOLDEN ARK OF THE COVENANT

The Ark of the Covenant, the sixth piece of Tabernacle furniture, and the three items it contained represents Signs, Wonders, and the Miraculous, I believe we were reintroduced to Signs and Wonders by John Wimber in the 1980’s. Perhaps better said, John certainly represented the Almond Rod that budded. Perhaps others will represent the Tablets of Stone (now flesh) a fresh call to righteousness and holiness, and someone else will represent the Manna which is the supernatural provision of God.

In another manner the Ark is Jesus who was the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Articles inside this Ark were also to depict those three important facets of the life of Jesus, the Law was to reveal the Way; the Manna was to reveal the Truth; and the Rod was to reveal the disciplined Life we are to live. Jesus was all of these.

THE GOLDEN MERCY SEAT

The arching wings of the Cherubim on the Mercy Seat make a canopy for the presence of God to reside. The Mercy Seat is the seventh piece of Tabernacle furniture. Here we understand that without His mercy we would be consumed. Here we also find that God wants us to succeed so much that He gave His Son’s blood to cover our sins. In fact the Blood of Jesus is sprinkled on every piece of Tabernacle furniture, from the Brazen Altar to the Mercy Seat. Here, In God’s mercy you are introduced to the dynamics of other spiritual beings that God created to help you reach your purpose, These spiritual beings were also created to glorify God. Mercy is found in not receiving what you deserve.

Perhaps the fullness of the Mercy Seat will not be found until the Judgment Seat of Christ - or perhaps there is yet another mystery to be revealed. Either way, you have not come to the fullness of the seventh piece of furniture yet. The complete meaning lies yet to come in the future. How it will be fulfilled, is also a mystery. Perhaps the book of Revelation holds keys to the final chapter of the Mercy Seat. Whatever the case may be there is no end to the mysteries that you may discover as you spend the rest of your life coming in and going out of this remarkable Eden of God to bring this precious Kingdom of the Living God to all you meet.

So many things God does, He does in the heptagon of sevens. Discover the “seven’s” of God and you will find many clues to many mysteries of God.

As you now understand, this is a progressive walk, a transition into transformation, which will form you into the very image of God. It is Christ in you, the hope of Glory that will radiate from your life. You will prove God exists to all you meet and the world will be the better for it.

Yes, “To everything there is a season and a time for every purpose under Heaven.” We will begin the next journey,  - The Truth of the Kingdom, - the first week in November, 2010. We’ll take a break for a couple of weeks until then. Be at peace, shalom.

Blessings on your journey,

John Paul

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