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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“He made darkness His secret place; His canopy around Him was dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.” Psalms 18:11

“For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me;” Psalms 27:5

“You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the plots of man;” Psalms 31:20

“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” Psalms 91:1

“But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place;” Matthew 6:6

SECRETS AND MYSTERIES

There is only one place where true secrets and mysteries are found, and that place is in the Sanctuary, where things that cannot be seen from the outside can now be seen to exist. There are so many Thomas’s who do not believe unless they see. Yet, they do not take up the Cross of Jesus, which is the key to the entrance of the Sanctuary. So many pick up the Cross to enter the Tabernacle, but then they believe they no longer have to carry the Cross in here - so they lay it down. In so doing they insure they will stay in the Outer Court. Yes, they are reconciled to God, but there are so many secrets, beauties and wonders they will miss.

BENEFITS OF THE SANCTUARY

Reread the all of the verses at the beginning of this post. They all speak of the benefits of living in the Holy of Holies. The smoke, the darkness, and the covering of the Holy of Holies of God is described in all these verses. Do you now see … “He made darkness His secret place; His canopy around Him was dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.” Psalms 18:11 … This is the Holy of Holies the Psalmist is describing.

You’ll miss the fullness of these benefits if you do not dwell in the Rooms of Mystery. You may stay in the Outer Court, but you’ll miss the benefits. “Blessed be the Lord, Who daily loads us with benefits,” Psalms 68:19; You may be able to quote the following verse, but do you understand it applies to those who abide in the Holy of Holies?

“Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” Psalms 103:2-5

No wonder the Psalmist asks what can he, in return, give to God for all the benefits he received. “What shall I render to the LORD for all His benefits toward me?” Psalms 116:12. All these benefits are found in the Sanctuary, yet they are mysteries to all who remain in the Outer Court. However, the answer is simply this, “Take up your cross and follow” Him.

The Psalmist understood the benefit that righteousness before God and we know the Cross brings in our lives. You may remember from previous posts that the Hill mentioned here is the tall, brown, badger skin covered Sanctuary.

“Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.” Psalms 24:3-5

YOU IN HIM - HIM IN YOU

The Apostle John writes of what Jesus said, that the Holy Spirit is with you, but He shall be in you (John 14:17). He is with you in the Outer Court, You breathe Him into you in the Sanctuary. Here, in the Rooms of Mystery you find yet another mystery; unknowingly you are living in rooms within the very heart of God and at the same time, He is living in rooms within you.

As I wrote before there are several lifetimes of mysteries herein. I am endeavoring to stir your spirit, so that it can rule your mind. When that occurs you will not fail to recognize the many and various mysteries as you come upon them in your journey. This will eventually become a great joy within you.

Here in the Sanctuary is where you will find the joy of the Lord. Joy that only a few, so far, have found.  You see, the Scripture says it is the joy of the Lord that is your strength, not your joy in the Lord. God has the greatest joy that can be found in creation.

Here are a few of the multitude of benefits found in the Sanctuary.

Help

“May He send you help from the sanctuary,” Psalms 20:2

Power and Glory

“So I have looked for You in the sanctuary,

To see Your power and Your glory.” Psalms 63:2

Procedure

“They have seen Your procession, O God,

The procession of my God, my King, into the sanctuary.” Psalms 68:24

Understanding

“Until I went into the sanctuary of God;

Then I understood their end.” Psalms 73:17

The Way of God

“Your way, O God, is in the sanctuary;” Psalms 77:13

Strength, Beauty, Honor, Majesty are there

“Honor and majesty are before Him;

Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.” Psalms 96:6

We are to lift our hands and bless the Lord there

“Lift up your hands in the sanctuary,

And bless the LORD.” Psalms 134:2

We are to Praise God there

“Praise the LORD!

Praise God in His sanctuary;” Psalms 150:1

You in Him - Him in you, this is a mystery and as with all Kingdom matters it takes faith to discover them and even more faith to live them.

Blessings,

John Paul

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“Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Genesis 1:28

“Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.” Genesis 2:15

“Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” … But He was speaking of the temple of His body.” John 2:19, 21

“And He said to them, “To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables.” … And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?” Mark 4:11-13

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EDEN

The Earth was raw, and untamed, and Eden was to be the staging ground for mankind’s subduing and taking dominion of it. The man had been created outside the Garden and the woman, who stood gracefully a few feet from him, had been created within the confines of this beautiful estate. She had never known what it was like to be outside in the untamed, and uncharted wilderness, but he, Adam did.

Before God placed him here in this garden and introduced them to each other, Adam had some time to see what he was up against out there. She was here to help him and he needed all the help he could get in order to subdue the Earth. He didn’t even know how big it was - no maps back then, no NASA photographs. All Adam knew was that everything he could see would respond to him and obey him. In time the Earth would be subdued, just as God had told him to do. Somehow, he was to make this planet look a whole lot like Heaven. That it might be here, just as it is there.

TABERNACLE

Moses stood back, his hands resting on his hips, looking at the sight before him. He had done it; it was completed. What he had seen in Heaven was now built on Earth. Somehow, he knew that Eden had been built again and as these thoughts raced through his mind, his hands began to rise upward toward Heaven, toward God, the - I AM That I AM. Here in this hot, dusty, desert, God could now be found in the covered tent, the Sanctuary that stood like a mountain before him. It was amazing; man could talk with God again, commune with Him, and even get direction and wisdom from Him. Moses thought to himself, one day the whole Earth will worship the only wise and Eternal God. Why God had placed the responsibility for making that happen into his hands and the hands of this stiff-necked people, Moses still did not understand. Somehow God would receive greater Glory for it, Moses trusted God.

TEMPLE

The disciples looked curiously at each other as they heard Jesus refer to the Temple and how He would rebuild it in three days. They did not know then what they would know in a matter of months. They knew the Temple was the Tabernacle and the Tabernacle was the Garden of Eden. What they did not know was that they were similarly constructed. Deep within them was a place, a spiritual place where God could meet with man. What Jesus said is becoming clearer - the Kingdom begins within you and not out there where it could be easily observed. One day, every ethos on Earth would have the opportunity to commune with God. How? That they did not yet understand, but they would grow in their belief that it would happen.

One day Jesus would tell them the same thing He told Adam and Eve. Subdue the Earth - have dominion. Yes, the words were a little different, but the basis of what they were told was the same. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. Jesus did not tell them to go only to the Jews, but to every nation, and yes, earlier He told them to go to the Jew first. What Jesus taught the disciples would subdue the earth and dominion would be had.

This too is one mystery of many mysteries. Yes, mysteries are found in Heaven, they are found in Eden, they are found in the tabernacle and now you know they are found in you - all these mysteries are intricately woven together in the Kingdom coming to Earth just as it is in Heaven.

DEFINING THE KINGDOM AND THE TABERNACLE

I believe, in God’s grand design, He intended there to be a difference between these two Rooms of Mystery in the Sanctuary. There is a reason they are not one room. Even if no one on the outside could tell it. Not even someone standing on a high mountain looking down into the Tabernacle could see into the covered Sanctuary. Why? They have to have “eyes to see” and in the Seeing they have to have a heart to pursue knowing Him more than knowing about Him. Some theologians today still can’t tell there are two rooms, they still just see the one.

Further, no one outside of the Sanctuary knew what was on the inside, under that covering. Unless you went in. no one would know there were two rooms in that tent, let alone what the two rooms contained. But to go in … you have to pursue. This too is part of the mystery Jesus speaks of in the verses written at the beginning of this post.

MYSTERIES OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN

Thus the area everyone could see was the Outercourt where sin was removed and stains washed away. Only if you accepted this provision could you walk into the covered Rooms of Mystery and behold the Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven in the first, and the Kingdom of God in the second. I do not believe it is merely semantics that separates the Kingdom of God from the Kingdom of Heaven - the difference is found in the mystery of why God separated these two rooms in the first place. Therefore, the difference between the Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of God is displayed, to those who have eyes to see, right here in the Sanctuary. The difference between these two rooms will give you understanding. That is why I have called them “Rooms of Mystery” from the very beginning of my postings on the Tabernacle.

KINGDOM OF HEAVEN

The Kingdom of Heaven is first experienced in the Outercourt.  However, the Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven as well as the mysteries of the Kingdom of God are found in the Sanctuary. These Mysteries are not found in the Outercourt.

I believe the design, construction, and the furniture of the first Room of Mystery - the Holy Place - represents all that Jesus is as a manifestation of the Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven. There is a lifetime of mystery to be discovered everywhere and in everything in the Sanctuary.

There are also many mysteries in the Outercourt, but they are open for all to decipher, not so in the covered Rooms of Mystery. There is one mystery found in the Outercourt that is the Key to all the mysteries, and one must learn this to proceed, “You will not be enlightened with understanding of any these mysteries unless you have the Light of the World dwelling within you. You will pass them by and they will remain unnoticed by you.

MYSTERIES OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD

The second Room of Mystery [Holy of Holies] is where you find the Mysteries of the Kingdom of God. Here is where the very presence of God rests, it is where the Father did all Jesus saw Him doing, subsequently those things Jesus saw His Father doing, He carried out on Earth. Thus, Jesus only did what He saw the Father doing. It is the Holy of Holies or the second Room of Mystery, which is the Throne Room of God to which Jesus ascended to in order to intercede before the Father - for you.

Said another way, the Ourtercourt and the furniture therein represent all Jesus did for you. He was the lamb that was sacrificed for you, He descended into the flames of hell so you would not have to, and He baptismally sanctified Himself for your sake. These, and other matters represented in the Outercourt, too numerous to write here, are all things Jesus did and was.

The Holy Place and the furniture therein, which is the first Room of Mystery in the Sanctuary, represents all that Jesus is. He is the Light to a world that sits in darkness; He is the Healer, the regenerator, the provider, the incense, the intercessor, and so much more. These are the mere tips of the mysteries.

The Holy of Holies, the second Room of Mystery in the Sanctuary, represents all that God the Father is - Authority. In order for one to have Heaven’s authority one must have the Father’s heart. I believe the Father’s Heart is one of the things Apostolic Ministry is missing today and why there is so little of miraculous. We have far to many who call themselves Apostles, when all they are, are administrators with charisma, but far too many are not true Fathers.

SUMMATION

The Kingdom of Haven is the Entirety of the Tabernacle, particularly the Outer court which contains the Sanctuary.

The Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven are found in the Holy Place, under the coverings that hide it in the Sanctuary.

The Mysteries of the Kingdom of God are found in the Holy of Holies, under the coverings that hide it in the Sanctuary.

All are available to those who seek Him, but you do have to seek Him, and occupying space is not seeking.

Well, I’ve stepped on enough toes for today.

Blessings,

John Paul

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