“Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” John 8:12

“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.” Matthew 5:14

It was not the Walmart coat she wore that made people turn their heads when she walked by. Nor was it the way she had fixed her hair that frosty morning. It wasn’t even the sky blue scarf she wore around her neck. Still, everyone saw it, everyone wanted it, yet no knew what they saw. Fran had something far more than human capabilities can produce. Fran had a brightness, a freshness, a certain magnetism, and people were drawn to it. Her face radiates an invisible light that eyes do not see. Moreover, those who think they know what it is that attracts them to her,  are not aware that they could see this particular light even with their eyes closed. Perhaps even more surprising is that Fran doesn’t see it either, but she is cloaked in Light.

VISIBLE - TANGIBLE LIGHT

Perhaps more important is that the light indwelling Fran is not only visible, it is tangible - you can feel it, it has density, mass, volume, and it is alive. It is living light. Over the millennia many have wanted this “living light.” They have tried to buy it, they have tried to manufacture it, they have tried to imitate it, and when they found they could accomplish any of that - they tried to kill it. Little did they know that this tangible, eternal light is free, yet it is more costly than diamonds, more precious than gold, and incomprehensible in its nature.

So is it with you. As you stand here, you are being filled, indwelt, and cloaked with this very unusual light. In a very strange and wonderful manner, you have returned to the source of Light you were intended to have from the beginning. The full absorption does not happen instantly, but as you stand in this final Room of Mystery, Eternal Light and temporal man join and become one again. Timelessness and time somehow mingle together and you become an everlasting life.

THE HEAVEN AND EARTH CONNECTION

Somehow, you remember, you have no shoes on your feet and you can feel the dust of the Earth between your toes and even sense it falling softly around each foot. It is as if God has called the Earth to bare witness to this moment, this is why your feet are bare; Heaven and Earth touch through you. You are a connector between Heaven and Earth. Therefore, when you feel God, the Earth feels Him through you. This is what both of you were created for. Earth to help man, man to steward Earth; both revealing the Glory of God. This is, in essence, why Matters of the Earth are important to man.

You are beginning to understand so much more, being a light of the world is far more real and weightier than you previously thought. You are not yet “one” with the light and so it is still uncomfortable for you to look very long at the Light from the Mercy Seat. A far deeper realization permeates every cell in your body that it is by Grace you are here and through Mercy that you are still alive.

SUBCELLULAR UNDERSTANDING

As the Light enters you, you are aware of strange things happening in your body. It is as if you are coming apart at a cellular level. But, how do you know that? You discover that your awareness has infinitely increased. There is no feeling of pain, only total awareness of how you were created, awareness of every cell in your body, even awareness of sub-cellular and sub-atomic particles that Science hasn’t discovered yet. This Light is far more than Light, it is the Substance of Creation and in its entrance into you it is regenerating you. You are reconceived! You understand how you were created, but that memory will eclipse your understanding once you return to a more Earthly environment. That memory is for another time yet ahead - it will return then.

DISORIENTATION FROM HEAVENLY EVENTS

In your reconstitution, things seem a little dizzy now. The Cherubim woven in the covering thirty feet above you seem alive. Have they changed? Are they really there? This Final Room of Mystery is so different! The covering seems so high, far higher than it did in the First Room of Mystery. Perhaps it is only the smallness of the room that makes it seem so high. It is still twenty cubits high (or thirty feet)? None-the-less, that still makes it twice as tall as it is wide. As you continue to look around in AWE, you notice that the amber colored vapor of smoke is even more brilliant in color. And it is so thick in this room, it swirls as if wings of angels were fanning it. You also notice that the vapor of smoke seems just as thick at the top of the room as it is at the bottom. You cannot help but think, “Truly this is an unearthly environment,” and you so are thankful you have your feet on the ground.

When the Light of the Creator has completed It’s current task within you, you will radiate light at levels you have never imagined. You will need to know the truth and reality of that at a spiritual level once you leave this Light and go back into the darkness that fills the earth and the gross darkness that fills the people. It is there you will find the “Dark Night of the Spirit.”

We have more to cover before we fully address that topic.

Blessings,

John Paul

“Bless the LORD, O my soul!

O LORD my God, You are very great:

You are clothed with honor and majesty,

Who cover Yourself with light as with a garment,

Who stretch out the heavens like a curtain.”

Psalms 104:1-2

Perhaps it is the light, perhaps it is the vapor of smoke around you, perhaps it is simply pure adrenalin, or perhaps it is entirely something else you have yet to discover, but you now notice that you feel full of vibrant health here. There are no migraines, there is no cancer, not even the smallest defect in your skin can be seen here. All your cells are functioning at full, created capacity. It is as if the Kingdom of Heaven has come to Earth, and in one great sense it has. In this mysterious Holy of Holies none of the elements of the Fall of Man exist. There is no sin to contaminate your DNA let alone the room. The anti-creation effect of darkness cannot exist in the presence of the Holy Creator.

BEFORE THE FALL

The purpose of this room is not only to reveal the Glory of God to mankind, but also to reveal to mankind what it was like before the Fall. Humans were clothed in light back then. It was not uncomfortable for man to walk with God, God’s light was not blinding. Why? Man, made in the image of God was also cloaked in light. However man, after the Fall, wrote that God dwells in “unapproachable light” (1 Timothy 6:16). Darkness finds it difficult to be in the presence of Light. That is one reason why the demons shrieked at the presence of Jesus.  It is painful for darkness to approach pure light. However, man before the Fall, made in the image and likeness of God, was covered with light and as such could walk with God without feeling out of place. Light walked with man who was clothed with light.

CLOTHED IN LIGHT

When sin, disobedience to God’s ways and word, entered Adam and Eve - the light left. Even today, light cannot dwell with darkness and darkness cannot dwell with light. When the covering of light lifted from Adam and Eve, they both saw each other’s outward, physical appearance for the first time and they “knew they were naked.” Their clothing of light was gone. Without the distinctive atmosphere of God’s presence, Adam and Eve were left cold, naked, and afraid. The protective covering of God’s glory was no longer there. Vulnerability to to a power which sought to over throw God confronted them. But, in this Holy Room, God is seeking to restore the presence of His light to you, to make you a light of the world.

LIGHT IS EVERYWHERE

The thickness of the air in this Final Room of Mystery seems to press against your face, it is as if the Light, the air, and the vapor of smoke all carried a weightiness. Strangely, it seems so light, and effortless as it enters your lungs. In the previous room, the Holy Place, light reflected from the two side walls, but in this room the light reflects from three golden walls, the two side walls and the wall directly in front of you. Light is everywhere. You now understand at a far deeper level why it is said that the Holy of Holies is the one place where the presence of God rested. Even if it was only His “footstool” this presence is life altering.

THE SMALLER ROOM

As your eyes are adjusting to the light, you can see the room is so much smaller than any room you have been in so far. It is exactly half the size of the room you just came from (ten cubits by ten cubits or about fifteen feet by fifteen feet). In the middle of the room stands what seems to be the only piece of furniture in here, but it is actually two pieces - the Ark of the Covenant or Testimony and the Mercy Seat. Everything in this room is covered with gold and the Ark of the Covenant and the Mercy seat are no exception. The Brass of the Outercourt will not work in here.

HISTORY

This is the Room where God talked with Moses and gave Him divine instructions for the Hebrew Children. Only the Priest could enter here and that was just once a year - but here you are and you are alive, all because of the blood of the lamb covers you. Therefore, you as priest, as well as a prophet, and a King, can enter here. He has opened the Veil for you. He longs to commune with you. He wants to give you divine instructions to pray and communicate to His people.

RECOVERING THE LIGHT OF HIS PRESENCE

Jeremiah predicted that the Children of Israel would lose the Ark and no one would care. God is looking for a people to care again - not for the Ark as a piece of furniture, but for the Light of His presence. In that presence is the fullness of life as it was originally meant to be. The fullness of life that you were created to have.

Blessings,

John Paul

“In Your light we see light.” Psalms 36:9

“This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.” 1 John 1:5

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” James 1:17

Light is strange, you can feel its presence, but you cannot grasp it. You can see it, but most of it is invisible to the naked eye. Some light you can turn off and on, but the light you released is 186,000 miles away before you can even start the process of turning it off - thus light is impossible to retrieve.

To complicate matters even more, the light that you are now walking into is a different type of light than you have ever seen, felt, experienced, or walked in before. This light preceded Creation. Under this light plants grew before there was even a sun, moon, or stars. What? Yes, plants were created on day three, the Sun was not created until day four. As such it is the substance from which all matter, visible and invisible was made.

PARTICLES OF GOD

The substance of this light comes from the very particles of God - who is light. As you breathe it in and absorb it you are literally experiencing light at a creative level and becoming one with that light through God’s Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:17). It is God revealing the fabric of Himself to you in a way you have never felt, known, or experienced before. This light is God’s Glory and from this light all His Glory exists. This light is the Creator of all things and here in this small room - right now - He is regenerating, recreating you.

ABSORBING AND RADIANCE

As you take the next few steps, before you can straighten up, you are being regenerated; life is flowing into you at unprecedented levels. When you leave this room you will radiate the light of God. To the measure you absorbed the light you will radiate the light. Those who hunger and thirst for Him will radiate the greatest amount of light. Hunger and thirst are two of the greatest light attractors. Those who are obedient and submissive will find they keep the light longer than others. To the degree you lose any of the afore mentioned, the light will dim. There are many dim lights in the world today; as a result one does not have to be a very bright light to be thought to be spiritually brilliant. Those whose light is dim are seen to have “darkened perceptions.”

THREE GOLD WALLS

You are now a few feet into the Holy Of Holies and you are still afraid to look up to the Mercy Seat where the Light radiates from. So you seize the moment to quickly glance around. The three walls before you are gold, only the Veil behind you is not. In the previous Room of Mystery, the Holy Place, only the two sidewalls were golden. Even with two walls of Gold, the Light was reflecting to the point of making your eyes uncomfortable, but here the Amberesque Light is blinding; at least it would be if it weren’t so healing. The Holiness of the light, and the pure gold all around you are overpowering. Golden, amberesque light is everywhere. There are no shadows in here - yes, it is the Holy of Holies. In His presence, all things are held together.

THE SOLUTION TO PROBLEMS

This living light has substance, it is life giving, and all problems melt away in His presence. There are no family problems, no financial problems, no health problems, in fact there are no problems - why? Because you have come face to face with the One who has all solutions, to every problem. God is not wondering what you should do next. He is never questioning why you did what you did - He is fully aware of why you did it. God is simply expressing to you that He knows what you need to do and anything you cannot do He is more than capable of doing. Every cell of your body feels His love. He is returning hope to you, soon that hope will turn into faith.

In the light of His love, you almost have enough courage to look toward the Ark of the Covenant. It too is covered with Gold.

Blessings,

John Paul

“In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” John 1:4

“The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light.” Revelation 21:23

Just as the sages have written, the Veil does not fully open. So you have decided to take the step past the Veil that has stopped just over half way up your body, far from the top of the Four Golden Posts. Yet, your hunger for more of God’s presence, in spite of the major case of nerves you are experiencing, nudges you forward.

Still bowing, your face toward the ground, the light that once seemed to seep from under the Veil, has become blinding and you have yet to look up to see any form there may be of the presence of God. There is an unearthly nature concerning the radiance of this light. It is so different than the light of the Lampstand and the Sunlight you felt in the Outercourt. The light seems to radiate from every direction, and that light encompasses everything. You now understand why there is no need for the Sun in Heaven.

SOOTHING LIGHT

Slowly taking the second and third steps your face is still toward the ground. You are deathly afraid to look up. But, there is something about the light that strengthens you. You actually feel it’s soothing presence on your skin, and it far surpasses the peaceful warmth you remember of the sun touching your skin on a cold, early spring day. This light is giving you life, and your entire body deeply feels it.

SOOTHING LIGHT

Divine elements are happening with lightening speed. Within moments you feel more than the light touching your skin, you feel it entering your body. Its very presence enters you with each breath. You can feel it flowing through you - it is so different than the air you breathe outside this room. This light is alive, it is actually living, and as it enters you and courses through you, you are being regenerated at a cellular level. You now know, at a profoundly different level, the reality that His light is the Life of the world.

DIVINE AWARENESS

You are becoming aware of your created composition at a sub-cellular level and you are having Divine understanding enter your thought processes. You understand without knowing how you understand. The Creator, your Creator, is letting you know how completely He knows you. He is allowing you to track your creation, and in so doing God is allowing to you to have simultaneous awareness or a sliver of His Omniscience. You are learning how He totally and completely keeps track of all created matter, visible and invisible, above the Earth, on the earth, and beneath the Earth - there is nothing He is not aware of. He is never caught by surprise.

It is so easy for you to know all that is going on inside of you. You have perfect awareness of every cell that is dividing, each sub cellular particle that moves, and every disease, or malady is instantly known. Anything that is not functioning according to His Laws of Creation stands out like florescent orange on a hunter’s hat. You sense the Divine synchronization inherent in God’s Creation.

SPEECHLESS

You are in Awe and that word is trite compared to all you are living through right now. You begin to comprehend that the High Priest entered here to present himself and the people to God and the trade would be that He saw the presence of God. But, this was far from an even trade. What one experiences and comes away with from this experience changes every perception, every fragment of spiritual understanding; it changes everything - literally everything. You are cognoscente of the Divine order, the Divine Nature of all that comes from Him, and all that exists comes from and through Him.

Yes, life on the other side, outside this Room of Mystery, will never be the same. You can’t help but think; “I thought this journey was about preparing me to stand before God, when it was actually preparing me to be a witness of His existence and the reality of His intricate, interactive, moment by moment, involvement in my life and the lives of all who will follow Him.”

You still have not been able to look up, but you are becoming stronger, as His presence, life, and light infuse you. You hear strange noises and you are compelled to look to see what is making all this sound. As you slowly stand upright, you are struck with an even deeper sense of majesty and Awe, it is ………… .

Blessings,

John Paul

For thus says the High and Lofty One

Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy:

“I dwell in the high and holy place,

With him who has a contrite and humble spirit,

To revive the spirit of the humble,

And to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

Isaiah 57:15

Trembling, eyes wide open, and struck with Awe you watch as the Veil rises. The Cherubim seem to take flight and the four colors woven in the tapestry before you astonishingly becomes a beautiful swirl portraying Heavenly Royalty.

The smoke rising from the Censor hanging by your side almost seems unnoticeable. Prayer for others seems a little out of reach right now. Yet, prayer for yourself is easily grasped, after all if your sins aren’t covered then this is the last sight you will see on Earth. Waiting is hard, years go by, but in reality only seconds have lapsed.

THE VEIL STOPS

Before the veil fully opens it stops about halfway up the height of the Four Golden Posts. You wonder what to do, do you help lift it? Do you see if there is a snag? Or do you turn and walk away believing God changed His mind and no longer wants to meet with you? Do none of the aforementioned - just wait. You’ll do a lot of this with God. That is why it is written that those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.

Before long you will understand, the Veil will not lift higher - you must humble yourself, and bow to enter this next Room of Mystery.

STANDING TALL

You entered the Outer Court yard standing and full of confidence. You entered the Holy Place, the first Room of Mystery, standing, charged with energy, and eager to fulfill God’s plan for your life. But, to enter this last Room of Mystery you will have to bow.

Before you leave this room you will have added contrition of heart to the humility of spirit you soon will exhibit.

You must now take the next step toward God - He has already taken the first step by lifting the Veil.

THE EXPECTATION OF MORE PAIN

Not quite knowing what to expect, some are scared of experiencing more pain in this room. And you, yourself know you cannot take that. You have a paradox of feelings - you want to run away, yet you want to run to Him. You are flooded with memories. In the Outer Court you remember the physical pain as the evil one tried to discourage you by afflicting you and those you love. In the Holy Place there was emotional, and intellectual pain as the evil one used verbal, and emotional tirades from others to dissuade you. Now you wonder what kind of pain will be experienced in this room? You really don’t know if you can take anymore.

THE JOURNEY OF THE CROSS

What you will find in the next room, the Holy of Holies is far different from anything you have experienced in this journey. You might want to think through this - In the Outer Court you began the journey of the Cross. Your beard was plucked, the Crown of Thorns was jammed down on your head, and your flesh was deeply cut by three hundred and fifty one pieces of steel that hit your back in the thirty-nine stripes you received. In other words, you took up the Cross to follow Jesus. You gave up your life in this world so you might gain life in this world and in the world to come.

In the Mystery of the Holy Place, your garments were gambled for, your friends deserted you, you were taunted and mocked by those around you, and the weight was so heavy you had trouble catching your breath. But, in the Room before you, you will experience pain of a different order. Not the pain caused by others, nor the physical pain of affliction - all that is past. In this room you will learn the pain of your own incapability as you are asked to fulfill a purpose from God, that without His enabling, you will certainly fail - and you will go through it for the sake of others.

TRUSTING GOD

It was in this room that Jesus felt the weight of the sin of the world. It was here He felt forsaken by the Father, it was here that He had to rely on a Father, that He thought had forsaken Him, and who seemed so far away, to resurrect Him from the dead. Jesus was absolutely incapable of resurrecting himself. Without the Spirit of His Father coming to raise Him up, Jesus would have had to stay in the confines of Sheol with all those who died before him and all those who would die after Him.

When Jesus said to the Father, “Into you hands I commit my spirit” He died. The only way He could be raised from the dead was to give up His spirit - only then could the Holy Spirit raise Him up.  Jesus had to give up His life essence - the very breath from God the Father that gives man life. Jesus had to trust the Father with His eternal life. Only then would He have the power to over come the authority of Satan and the stench of death found in Sheol. Only then could He, in His rising from Sheol, take all who believed with Him.

Jesus had to give up everything in order to gain everything. It is now time, time for you to take the next step. Lean forward, bow down, take the step. The purpose for which God created you is waiting.

Blessings,

John Paul

“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” Philippians 2:5-8

The Veil is lifting and you are in ‘transition’ and that transition is to result in you being ‘transformed’ in your body, soul and spirit. Transition by definition is a process, and processes are often slow, very slow. Transition is also littered with seeming gaps in our understanding as to why God does what He does as well as why He does it the way He does it.

TINY ROOMS

Your Journey through the spacious Outer court was arduous, but it resulted in the transformation of your flesh. The steps you have taken in the much smaller Holy Place has been more intense and mysterious, resulting in the transformation of your soul. The room you are entering, the second Room of Mystery is even smaller. At ten cubits by ten cubits (15′ X 15″) it is one half the size of the Holy Place. It is the most  mysterious room in the Tabernacle. Here your spirit will be revived and become ‘one’ with God as His Spirit begins to take every space that you will allow Him to have.

SPIRIT RULE

It is here that your spirit begins to rule your soul and your body. As the Veil in front of you lifts the Light of the Glory of God radiates from the Holy of Holies into the room in which you currently stand. You will discover that the importance of the ‘Torn’ Veil is enormous. However, until you understand the fullness of the ‘untorn Veil’ you cannot appreciate God tearing the Veil. I will write more on this ‘tearing’ later.

LEADING, FOLLOWING, AND THE HOLY SPIRIT

You have heard it said that, “The greatest leaders are the greatest followers.” Here, in the Holy of Holies, you will learn the deeper meaning of this saying. You are entering into the most intense training period of your life, the “Dark Night of the Spirit.” You will learn how your spirit is to rule your soul and your body, by learning to follow the Spirit of God. You cannot become ‘one’ with the Spirit of God with out following where He goes and what He does. God’s Spirit will not follow you nor your agenda, so if you if you insist on going your own way, you will do so alone.

THE DARKNESS OF YOUR OWN AGENDAS

God’s Spirit is His Light, so wherever and whenever you go on your own, you will go in darkness. In that darkness are all manner of dark beings that use the darkness as a cloak. They are there to stop you from achieving God’s purpose in creating you. Here, in this tiny room, your purpose will begin to unfold.

Dark spiritual beings thrive on the pride found in your agenda. Here, in this Light is where Pride is the most lethal. After all it was in this very proximity to God’s Light that Satan allowed Pride to enter His heart. Pride can enter through the cracks in your life. Your journey thus far has been designed to get all but the smallest of cracks out of your life. It is in this room that the rest of the cracks will be addressed.

PROXMITY AND PRIDE

Proximity to God is no guard against pride, if it was Satan would not have fallen.

This is why it is imperative that you go into the last Room of Mystery when God’s presence is there. It is very good to see Light coming from under the Veil as it lifts - by it you know God’s presence is there and since there is “no darkness in Him,” nothing in there can hide from His light. In Him you will see and know at levels previously hidden from you. This too can cause Pride.

Perhaps the greatest issues the Priest had to face was not found on the outside of the Veil, but found once he entered this room. Would what he was to experience here cause pride to fill his heart? Perhaps the greater question is not was the High Priest clean before he went into the Holy of Holies, but how did he live his life once he came out?

“HE MADE HIMSELF OF NO REPUTATION”

Perhaps the gaps you face in waiting for God to invite you into this small chamber is more about your life on the other side of this experience than your life on this side of it.

SELAH

Blessings,

John Paul

“Giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.” Col. 1:12-14

BLOOD ATONEMENT

There is one more item that the High Priest would carry with him into the Holy of Holies, a container of blood which he would sprinkle on the Mercy Seat as he approached it. The blood acknowledged five things, first, that the shedding of blood before God was the focal point of atonement for sins. Second, it was an admission that someone else had to shed the blood for them and in so acknowledging the people understood they could not atone for their own sins. Third, the blood that was sprinkled made it possible for justice to be administered and judgment to be withheld. Fourth, it made it possible for unholy people to become intimate and commune with the Holy God. Finally, the sacrificial blood prophesied the coming of the Messiah who once and for all would make an everlasting atonement for all sin.

You do not have to sprinkle the blood, but you do have to appropriate the blood of Jesus to your life - which you have been doing at each piece of furniture - which was already sprinkled with that blood.

JESUS THE GOLDEN CENSOR OF INTERCESSION

The Golden Censor you now have in your hands will carry the Prayers you have prayed into the next room. In fact, that smoke has already preceded you. It penetrates the very fiber of the thickest of fabrics, even the Veil that is before you. The Hebrew Historian, Josephus, wrote that the Veil of the Tabernacle of Moses was the equivalent of being four inches thick and that a team of horses could not pull the Veil apart.

PRAYER FOR YOU, PRECEDES YOU

As a reminder, the fact that prayer preceded you into the Holy of Holies is metaphoric of Jesus preceding you into Heaven and continually interceding there for you. Thus, prayer , for you in the Holy of Holies, is already present before you bring your prayers for others there. In fact, it is Jesus who is about to open the Veil for you, just as in the giving of His life, the Father tore the Veil in the Temple from the top to the bottom.

GOD’S SPECIAL PRESENCE

With the coming of the Tabernacle of Moses, God’s special presence was no longer in the Garden of Eden, it was in the Tabernacle itself. God’s presence in the next Room of Mystery returns to mankind all that Humans had before sin entered the world through them. In this room, the Holy of Holies, the presence of God is thick again, just as it was intended to be in the beginning - only then, before sin, there was no worry about the consequences of sin in a persons life.

The Veil was one piece of Fabric, and the Cherubim woven into the Veil more than likely match the Cherubim woven into the fabric above you and reaching out beyond the Golden walls on either side of you.

The Cloud of smoke in which you are standing and breathing represents both the Glory of God’s presence and acts as a protecting covering around you. Finally, it represent the Holy Spirit of the living God and as you breath it in, it begins the process of preparing you for what you are about to encounter. Now you are ready …

LIVING LIGHT

Suddenly, there is light, not just any light, but brilliant, thick, light oozing out from under the Veil in front of you. The light seems to be alive, as if it were living and wanting to touch you. Looking down at your feet, the encroaching Light mingles with the swirl of the smoke and your feet seem to be immersed in the clouds of Heaven. Your feet tingle a bit as the living Light moves around your ankles and passes over the arches of your barren feet. Even now, time seems to be fading, and you have begun to hear a sound coming from beyond the Veil as if a fire was raging just feet away from you and you wonder why there is no heat.

With this Light, the “Dark Night of the Soul” has come to an end, and you will discover eternity in ways that at this moment is unfathomable. Your agendas have dissolved and fallen away - the only thought you now have is to do the will of the Father, the agenda of God.

The Veil begins to slowly lift, and your heart is pounding so hard that your chest hurts - yet you are grateful, because in this “other worldly” environment, it is the one thing that lets you know you are still alive. The sound is becoming deafening, the living Light is already so bright your eyes find it difficult to look at it, and you can hardly breathe …. .

Blessings,

John Paul

“Yet regard the prayer of Your servant and his supplication, O LORD my God, and listen to the cry and the prayer which Your servant is praying before You” 2Chronicles 6:19

The above prayer, was prayed just outside the veil that you now stand before. So here you stand, here you wait, and here you ponder the wonders of God. You think on the amazing attributes that He has begun to reveal to you. Like the fetus within a woman, the spiritual matter or spiritual substance that you have been absorbing this entire journey is reforming inside you. You are stronger now, but you probably do not know it, and you are more than likely unaware of the new level of  insight you have. In some measure, you are holding you breath, hoping you have not forgotten something - and you have - the Golden Censor.

You see you must carry the smoke and some of the coals from the fire on the Golden Altar into the Holy of Holies. As you know, the five spices burning on the Golden Altar are five types of prayer that you have been praying. But you, the priest, now have to carry those prayers into the next Room of Mystery. That is what the Golden censor was for - to carry the prayers for the people.

Your prayers must become like burning coals within you. When you breathe in, the coals are fanned, when you breathe out the smoke rises to God. By carrying this Censor, you are committing to God that you will not fail to pray, even in the height of the experience of His presence.

Get used to prayer, you will never be able to stop praying and remain in His presence, once you cross the Veil - even the torn Veil. The tearing of the Veil only removed the obstacle, not the conditions. The cost of obedience, at this level of interaction and intimacy is impossible to carry out if He does not give you the Grace to do it. So, once again, you are being asked to do something you are totally incapable of doing, without God’s help. This is the first hint of what the next Dark Night of the Spirit is all about and how you will live once you enter the Holy of Holies.

So take the tongs from the Altar and carefully place the burning coals into the Golden Censor, be careful no coal should fall to the Earth, if it does it cannot be placed back on the Golden Altar nor in the Golden Censor. Thus, by this you are never to forget to pray, especially for others. When you pray for your others, God will act on your behalf (Job 42:10).

Waiting here, holding the smoldering Golden Censor, you are now taking on the fragrance of prayer. The Veil will not lift until you are saturated with the smoke of it. In other words, prayer must become a focal point of your life.

Blessings,

John Paul

“You shall make a veil woven of blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen. It shall be woven with an artistic design of cherubim.  Ex. 26:31

With trembling heart you stand inches away from a new understanding of Eternity, an entirely different perspective of infinity, and a fear of God that will be etched into your memory. Years from now you will recall the moment as if it were merely seconds ago.

THE TABERNACLE IS A MODEL OF GOD HIMSELF

Do not forget, God is revealing himself to you every moment of your time here. It is good not to get so caught up in the journey and the expected revelations that you lose sight of who the journey is about. Even before you enter the next Room of Mystery, the Holy of Holies, it is good to pause, and while you wait recite this truth to your self - In all things God is revealing Himself to me.

It cannot be said too often, this truth must sink into your spirit, not just your brain - God has been revealing Himself to you this entire journey. The entire Tabernacle is designed as a means of God revealing Himself to you. There is nothing you can see anywhere in here that does not reveal God’s name, heart, and way.

While you wait for God to lift the Veil, you look at the Cherubim overhead. As animate designs of Cherubim they are not moving here, but in Heaven they orbit around the Throne like the electron orbits around the nucleus of an Atom and they do it very, very fast.

WHAT WENT THROUGH THE PRIEST’S MIND?

What went through the priest mind as he looked at the designs of the four colors of Blue, Purple, Scarlet and the white Cherubim woven in the Veil? The other two curtains he had crossed were of the same four colors, but this one… this one was so different that those two. Why? What would He feel when the Veil began to lift?  Would he really die if there was one spot, one wrinkle, one blemish? What would happen if he just took a short peek around the Veil into the Holies of Holies. Is God actually there? What is He waiting for? The wait must have been agonizing.

THE VEIL’S TWO PURPOSES

It is clear that this Veil served as a barrier and had two functions; to keep God at a distance and to keep man from intimacy with Him. You see, sin the destroyer of creation must be distanced from the Creator - not because sin would harm or conquer God, but that God in His wrath would destroy the sinner.

SILVER AND REDEMPTION

Perhaps the Priest looked at the silver base of the Golden walls with their sockets that held each panel of the walls in place. Perhaps he saw the Gold of Heaven, the Dust of Earth and the only thing between the two was the Silver base. Is it any wonder that Silver is the color of redemption and represents what Jesus did in reconciling God and man. Amazing, it is here, in the Holy Place of the Sanctuary that it was prophesied what would happen more than fifteen hundred years before Jesus would fulfill it.

Did the priest wonder why silver? Did he know the silver base represented the Messiah, the hope of mankind? Did He understand that the basis for salvation would shift because the Messiah would be all in all, fulfilling all things, becoming all things, the very things he now stewarded within the confines of this cloth and skin boundaried Tabernacle?

GOD’S SPIRIT RESTED UPON THEM

Did the Priest notice the beauty and intricacy of the weavings? Did he understand that the spirit of God had rested on the men who were chosen to perform this task and in that “rest” God’s Spirit imparted the design, that even to this day no one is exactly sure what it looked like?

Before we become hasty in our passion to bring our wonderings to an end, it would be good to be just a little more patient, and consider a few more elements that should catch your attention. The reality is this, it is in the wonder of this moment that you are being prepared to meet the Creator of all things. The last vestiges of you are being removed. Times that are this weighty merit greater attention.

Blessings,

John Paul

I have seen the God-given task with which the sons of men are to be occupied. He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.  Eccl. 3:10-11

You now face the one thing that separates you from the Holy of Holies, which is the second Room of Mystery. You are more than likely ready to enter the next room by reaching down and picking up the hem of the bottom of the Veil, just as you lifted the curtain when you entered the Tabernacle and the screen as you entered the Sanctuary. Up to this point, you entered through each partition by your decision and your action. In other words, at each separating partition by an act of your will you chose to lift the curtain and walk through the opening before you. But, not this time, everything changes here.

THE ROOM

You might remember from previous posts that it was God who spoke the fire on the Altar of Incense into existence. This is the fire the priests were to never allow to go out.  It was from this fire that the Lampstand and the Bowl of incense on the Table of Showbread was lit. Both in creation and in the Holy Place of the Sanctuary God spoke light into existence.

In the same manner, God is about to do something else- He is about to lift the Veil,you are not to lift it. You do not come into the next room but by invitation. At this point, you cannot just lift the Veil and expect God to be there. We see and example of the same event take place with the Apostle John in Revelation chapter four; God opened a door (Veil) and invited John to come in/up.

ESSENTIAL WONDER

It is important to understand this in order to comprehend the fullness of why it is an “essential wonder” that it was God who tore the Veil in the Temple at the death of Jesus on the Cross. I’ll write more on that in another post, but just as it was with the Temple Veil, and with John on the Isle of Patmos, it is with you here. Entrance to the next room is by invitation only. Again I will deal with the tearing of the Veil later. However, if you do not grasp the un-torn Veil the deeper meaning of the torn Veil will escape you.

I hinted at God’s part in lifting the Veil in my last posting when I wrote, “Oh my! Something is happening to the Veil. I’d better go.” When the Veil is troubled or the littlest movement begins to take place, you do not want to be looking another direction. As the prophets wrote, I set my face like flint toward you and I shall not be moved.

REFLECTION

While you wait it would be good to take another look at your surroundings. Close your eyes and take a moment to remember. You are in a small room that is about fifteen feet wide and thirty feet deep. The cloth with Cherubim woven into it is thirty feet above you. Gold walls are to your right and left. The Table of Showbread is to your right (or North) and slightly behind you. The Lampstand is to your left (or South) and slightly behind you. The beautiful four colored Screened entrance to the Sanctuary is directly behind you.

The room has an Amber-esc color caused by the light of the Lampstand reflecting off the golden walls and refracting off the smoke in the air. This is truly a Room of Divinum Mysterium. The Next Room is very, very different and even more mysterious.

PREPARING FOR TRANSITION

When this Veil lifts and you step forward, you are leaving the second phase of Transition in the Three Dark Nights - you are leaving The Dark Night of the Soul. You now enter into a much more formidable time - of deep Spiritual learning. In this next Room of Mystery you will learn and witness that God, who is Spirit, rules over all things. Likewise, you will learn that your spirit, under God’s Spirit, rules over you and all you are.

GOD’S CREATION

You will begin to absorb that it is from here that God directs all of Creation, God’s Spirit in you now directs all of you. You are becoming one with Him. Thus, “Your Kingdom Come, Your will be done on Earth (Me) as it is in Heaven is not just a trite statement designed to take up space in your Bible. It is Transformation at the highest level possible on this side of Eternity. This is what Paul wrote about in First Corinthians II - deep spirituality is only accomplished through spirit to spirit communication. In this room you will become one with God’s Spirit of Understanding, Knowledge, and Wisdom.

Blessings,

John Paul