Who is the Bride of Christ?
THE TORAH:
A BLUEPRINT OF HEAVEN
Many Christians look forward to the day when they will be able to spend eternity forever with Jesus in heaven. However, virtually all Christians have no idea what heaven will be like when they get there. They just know that it will be something better than they ever imagined. Heaven WILL be better than we can ever imagine but most Christians don't realize that God told us in EXPLICIT DETAIL what heaven will be like in the Bible. In this chapter, we will examine what heaven will be like and what believers in Jesus as Messiah will be doing for all eternity when they get to heaven.As we learned earlier in this book, God created man so that He could someday dwell forever with those who would accept the Messiah and be the Bride of Christ. God created man and the earth so that God could dwell forever with man. This truth is revealed to us in the very first verse in the Bible, Genesis 1:1. In fact, this truth is communicated to us in the very first LETTER in the Bible. The first word in the Bible in Hebrew is "Bereishit" which means "In the beginning." The first letter of the Hebrew word, "Bereishit" is the Hebrew letter, "Bet". The letter "Bet" in Hebrew means "house." Since Hebrew is the ONLY spiritual language in the world, this communicates to us that the reason why God created man and the earth is that He wanted to have a "house" of people who would be called by His name. In Hebrews 3:6, believers in Jesus as Messiah are called the "House of God" as it is written:- "But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house we are ..."
The people of God are called the "house of God." In Ephesians 2:19 it is written:- "Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God. "
In Exodus 25:8-9, God instructed Moses to build a tabernacle so that God could dwell with His people as it is written:- "And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. According to all that I show thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it."
In the book of Hebrews, the Word of God tells us that the tabernacle that God had Moses build was MADE ACCORDING TO THE PATTERN OF THE TABERNACLE IN HEAVEN. In Hebrews 8:5 it is written:- "Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle; for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern showed to thee in the mount."
Therefore, from this scripture, we can understand that the tabernacle that God had Moses build was a SHADOW OF HEAVEN built ACCORDING TO THE PATTERN of heaven. By understanding this truth, we can examine and study the layout and building of the tabernacle as given in Exodus chapters 25-40 to get a DETAILED description of heaven.We can understand with even greater evidence that heaven is patterned after the tabernacle that God gave Moses when we examine Revelation 21:1-3 as it is written:- "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth ... And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of Heaven saying, Behold the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God."
In Exodus 25:8-9, God instructed Moses to build a tabernacle so that God could "dwell with men." In Revelation 21:1-3, we see the new heaven and the new earth and the new Jerusalem being described as a tabernacle and God "dwelling with His people."DWELL (Tabernacle) WITH HIS PEOPLE
Jesus is God manifest in the flesh. In 1 Timothy 3:16 it is written:- "... great is the mystery of godliness: God (Jesus) was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory."
Jesus came to the earth at His first coming because God desired to dwell with His people. In John 1:14 it is written:- "And the Word was made flesh, and DWELT (Tabernacled) among us ..."
The word, "dwelt" is the Greek word, "skaynoo." It is the Strong's word 4637. The Greek word, "skaynoo" is analogous to the tabernacle that God had Moses build in the wilderness.In Revelation 13:6, heaven is referred to as a tabernacle and those who are in heaven are seen as "dwelling" in heaven as it is written:- "And he (the Anti-Christ) opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle and them that dwell in heaven."
Therefore, by understanding the above passages, we can understand that heaven is called a tabernacle and those who are in heaven are seen as "dwelling" in heaven. From this, we can see why God told Moses, "build me a tabernacle so that I may dwell among my people" (Exodus 25:8-9) because the tabernacle that God had Moses make was built after the true tabernacle in heaven (Hebrews 8:5, Revelation 21:13). Furthermore, we can understand why Jesus came and "dwelt" among us (John 1:14).The temple was patterned after the tabernacle of Moses in the wilderness. The Temple of Solomon was built after the pattern given to David by God from the Holy Spirit. In 1 Chronicles 28:11-13 it is written:- "Then David gave to Solomon his son the pattern of the porch, and of the houses thereof, and of the treasuries thereof, and of the upper chambers thereof, and of the inner parlors thereof, and of the place of the mercy seat, And the pattern of all that he had by the SPIRIT, of the courts of the house of the Lord, and of all the chambers round about, of the treasuries of the house of God, and of the treasuries of the dedicated things: Also for the courses of the priests and the Levites, and for all the work of the service of the house of the Lord, and for all the vessels of service in the house of the Lord. "
From this passage of scripture we can understand the following things:- The temple was made after the pattern given by God through the Holy Spirit
- The temple is called the house of the Lord
- The courses of the priest and Levites were given by God
From our studies earlier in this book, we know that it is the duty of the priests and the Levites to teach God's people the Torah. Spiritually, believers in Jesus as Messiah are called a "spiritual house" and a "royal priesthood" (I Peter 2:5,9). Because the tabernacle, the temple and the priesthood are a blueprint of heaven and because the duty of the priests is to teach the Torah to God's people, we can understand that the Bride of Christ will be teaching the Torah forever to the people of God for all eternity.The temple was built so that God could dwell with His people. In Ezekiel 41:1,43:5, 7 it is written:
- "And he brought me to the temple ... So the spirit took me up, and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the glory of the Lord filled the house ... And he said unto me, Son of man, the place of my throne, and the place of the soles of my feet, WHERE I WILL DWELL IN THE MIDST OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL FOREVER. "
In Ezekiel 40-48, Ezekiel is shown the pattern of a FUTURE temple. In Ezekiel 43:10-12, the temple of God is called the house of God. Furthermore in these verses, God told Ezekiel that the TORAH of the house of God was to show (teach) the house (the temple of God which represents the ways of the Kingdom of Heaven) to the house (God's people). In Ezekiel 43:10-12 it is written:- "Thou son of man, show the house (the temple of God which represents the ways of the Kingdom of heaven) to the house of Israel (God's people are called the house of God), that they may be ashamed of their iniquities: and let them MEASURE THE PATTERN, And if they be ashamed of all they have done, show them the form of the house, and the fashion thereof, and the goings out thereof, and the comings in thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the TORAH thereof: and write it in their sight, that they may keep the whole form thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and do them. THIS IS THE TORAH OF THE HOUSE; Upon the top of the mountain the whole limit thereof round about shall be most holy. Behold, THIS IS THE TORAH OF THE HOUSE. "
From this scripture passage, we can see that God said the following things:- Show the house (the temple of God which is a pattern of heaven) to the house (God's people)
- Show the house to the house according to the pattern given by God
- This is the TORAH of the house
Therefore, God calls the tabernacle and the temple the house of God. Both the tabernacle and temple were built according to the PATTERN given by God. God gave instructions to build the tabernacle and the temple in explicit detail. God desired to dwell with His people in the tabernacle and the temple. Both the tabernacle and the temple are a blueprint of heaven and a blueprint of God dwelling with His people.The bodies of all believers in Jesus as Messiah are called by God our tabernacle. In 2 Corinthians 5:1-2 it is written:- "For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven."
In these verses, we can see that our bodies are called a "earthly house of this tabernacle." Spiritually, since our bodies are seen by God as being a tabernacle and God desires to have a tabernacle to dwell among His people, we can understand that God desires to dwell with (inside) His people. This is accomplished through the indwelling Holy Spirit.The earthly body of each believer in Jesus as Messiah is seen as the temple of God. In 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 it is written:- "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are."
We can also see this truth in 1 Corinthians 6:18-20 as it is written:- "Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."
Therefore, our bodies are seen by God as a tabernacle and a temple. Just as God judged the children of Israel for defiling the earthly tabernacle and temple because of sin, God will also judge our earthly lives if we defile our bodies by sin. Those who defile their earthly bodies which is seen by God as a tabernacle and a temple will not be the Bride of Christ. Those who keep clean our earthly lives by living holy unto God will be the Bride of Christ.The tabernacle of Moses was divided into three main sections. These three sections were the outer court, the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies. Because the tabernacle is a blueprint of heaven, these three sections represent a type and a shadow of heaven. In the explanations following, we will discover that the three sections of the tabernacle represent three main groups of believers who will be in heaven. The first group is the outer court Christians. The second group is the Holy Place Christians. The third group is the Holy of Holies Christians. The Holy of Holies Christians are the Bride of Christ. Let's examine the characteristics of each group of believers and understand how the three sections represent levels of growth and spiritual maturity in the life of each believer.The court of the tabernacle was encompassed with hangings made of fine linen. The only means to go inside the tabernacle was through the door of the eastern gate. Spiritually, this was given by God to teach us that there is only one way to get to heaven and that is through the door of Jesus the Messiah. Jesus is the door to heaven. InJohn 10:9, it is written:
- "I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. "
In Revelation 3:20, it is written:- "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock; if any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me."
Therefore, every person who puts their faith in the redemptive work of Jesus the Messiah will be in heaven because they have entered through the spiritual door of heaven, Jesus Christ. Jesus is God's door of salvation. Believers are saved by grace through faith and not by the works of the law. Salvation is a free gift given by God to all those who believe (Ephesians 2:8-9).The largest area of the tabernacle was the outer court. From this, we can understand that the majority of Christians in heaven will be outer court Christians. There were two pieces of furniture in the outer court. These pieces of furniture were the brazen altar and the laver.The brazen altar represents the cross. All believers in heaven will have accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior by putting their faith in His shed blood on the cross for the forgiveness of their sins. In Ephesians 1:7 it is written:- "In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace."
The second piece of furniture in the outer court was the brazen laver. The water in the laver is a spiritual picture of the believers being cleansed from the sin in their lives after they become saved by accepting the atoning work of Jesus when He died on the cross to forgive us of our sins. The cleansing agent of the laver, the water, is a spiritual picture of the Word of God. By submitting our lives in obedience to the Word of God, our lives become cleansed as we stop practicing and doing the sinful things in our lives. David expressed this truth in Psalm 119:9, 11 as it is written:- "Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to thy word ... Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee."
Jesus prayed that we would be sanctified (made clean) by the Word of God. InJohn 17:17 it is written:
- "Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth."
In John 15:3, Jesus said that we are made clean through the Word as it is written:- "Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you."
The priests who ministered in the outer court did so in bare feet walking on the ground of the earth. Because believers are priests before God (I Peter 2:5, 9), this is a spiritual picture of a carnal Christian who is saved by the blood of Jesus and has been cleansed by the Word of God but is still walking (living his life) according to the ways of the natural (the earth).The natural man follows after the ways of God according to natural reasoning. Just like the children of Israel, carnal Christians only know the mighty ACTS of God, they do not know the WAYS of God (Psalm 103:7). Carnal Christians are still babes in Christ and only can feed on the milk of God's Word and not the meat of God's Word because they have not overcome the desires of the flesh (I Corinthians 3:1- 3, Hebrews 5:12-13). The carnal Christian is blinded to the deep things of God's Word and walks in the vanity of his mind. In Ephesians 4:17-18, 20 it is written:- "This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk in the vanity of their mind. Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart ... but you have not so learned Christ."
In this scripture passage, the Apostle Paul is encouraging Christians in Ephesus to not walk in the vanity of their minds (their own understanding separate from the wisdom of God). Furthermore, the outer court of the tabernacle was lit by natural sunlight. Once again, this is a spiritual picture of the life of a carnal Christian who walks according to natural eyesight and not through spiritual eyes.In summary, outer court Christians are saved by the blood of Jesus, forgiven of their sins and are cleansed by the Word of God. They live their lives according to their natural eyes and not according to the spiritual eyes of the Kingdom of Heaven. They know the ACTS of God but do not know the WAYS of God (Psalm 103:7). They have stony hearts and when affliction and persecution arises for the Word's sake, they are offended and become bitter toward God. After they become bitter toward God, they desire to return living according to the ways of the world (Mark 4:14-17).There were three main pieces of furniture in the Holy Place of the tabernacle. These three pieces of furniture were the golden lampstand, the table of shewbread, and the altar of incense. These three pieces of furniture typify a deeper walk in the lives of each believer.The first piece of furniture is the golden lampstand which is also known as the candlestick or the seven branch menorah. The golden lampstand was lit by oil. The light of the lampstand was given to illuminate the entire Holy Place so that the priest could minister unto the Lord. The lampstand represents the Holy Spirit. The oil which lit the Holy Place represents the light that the Holy Spirit gives to illuminate the Christian walk of every believer. The seven branches of the candlestick represent the seven major aspects of the work of the Holy Spirit. These seven characteristics of the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of every believer are given in Isaiah 11:1-2. Jesus manifested these seven characteristics of the work of the Holy Spirit in His life and in His ministry. In Isaiah 11:1-2 it is written:- "And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the the fear of the Lord."
The seven characteristics of the Spirit of God are mentioned in Revelation 1:4, 4:5 as it is written:- "John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come: and from the seven Spirits which are before His throne ... And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God."
The second piece of furniture in the Holy Place was the table of shewbread. The table of shewbread is a spiritual picture of a deeper understanding of God's Word. God's Word is the daily bread of every believer to sustain him in his deeper walk with God. In the Lord's prayer, Jesus told His disciples to pray that God would give them His daily bread. In Matthew 6:11 it is written:- "Give us this day our daily bread. "
God's daily provision for His people was seen when God brought the children of Israel out of Egypt and they were in the wilderness for 40 years. During this time, God fed the people with supernatural heavenly food called manna. The children of Israel were to eat of this manna on a daily basis. In Exodus 16:11-12, 15 it is written:- "And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: speak unto them, saying, At evening ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shalt be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God ... And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what is was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat."
Jesus is the believer's heavenly manna. In John 6:33, 48 it is written:- "For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world ...I am that bread of life."
The third and final piece of furniture in the Holy Place is the altar of incense. Spiritually, the altar of incense represents the prayers and intercessory prayers of God's people. In order for a Christian to walk in the Holy Place, he must have a dedicated and devoted prayer life unto God. Through a dedicated and devoted prayer life, the Holy Place believer will be led by the Holy Spirit and will know the Word of God. Therefore, the altar of incense represents the prayers of God's people. In Psalm 141:1-2 it is written:- "Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice."
In Revelation 8:3-4 it is written:- "And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand. "
Therefore, by believing and trusting in the words of God and daily living by the Word of God, the believer can have a deeper Christian walk. The deeper understanding and knowledge of God's Word only comes through the revelation given by the Holy Spirit of God. The Holy Place believer is not only saved by the blood of Jesus, is forgiven of his sins, is cleansed by the Word of God but is also led by the Holy Spirit, has a developed prayer life and has a deeper understanding of the Word of God through the revelation of the Holy Spirit of God's Word. In Psalm 119:105 it is written:- "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. "
The Holy of Holies should be the goal of every believer in Jesus as Messiah. The Holy of Holies is the living presence of God and the presence of His glory. There were two main pieces of furniture in the Holy of Holies. These two pieces of furniture were the ark of the covenant and the mercy seat of God. The ark of the covenant represented the presence of God among His people. The reason why God had Moses build a tabernacle was so that God could dwell with His people (Exodus 25:8-9). The dwelling place of God was His throne. The throne of God was the place where His glory dwelt. The mercy seat is the throne of God. Therefore, the Holy of Holies was the dwelling place of God among His people. The Holy of Holies was lit by the glory of God. It needed no natural light. The Holy of Holies Christian is the Bride of Christ.Earlier in this book, we explained how God's Bride will be a glorified bride. God's glory was present in the Holy of Holies. The throne of God was where the glory of God dwelt. In Ezekiel 43:7 it is written:- "And he said unto me, Son of man, the place of my throne, and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel forever ..."
In Exodus 25:8-9, God told Moses to build Him a "Mishkan" which means "a sanctuary" so that He could dwell with His people. The "Mishkan" is the place of the throne of God. In Jeremiah 17:12 it is written:- "A glorious high throne from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary."
The mercy seat is the throne of God. It was from the mercy seat that God communed with His people. In Exodus 25:21-22 it is written:- "And thou shalt put the mercy seat above the ark: and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee. And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel."
God spoke to His people from the mercy seat. In Numbers 7:89 , it is written:- "And when Moses was gone into the tabernacle of the congregation to speak with him, then he heard the voice of one speaking unto him from off the mercy seat that was upon the ark of testimony, from between the two cherubims: and he spoke unto him."
In the Old Testament, only the High Priest could go into the Holy of Holies. Furthermore, the High Priest could only go into the Holy of Holies once a year on the day of atonement to sprinkle blood on the mercy seat and thus atone for the sins of the people (Leviticus 16:2, 14-16, 29-30). Spiritually, because Jesus is our High Priest, we as believers have access to the throne of God and the Holy of Holies on a daily basis. In Hebrews 4:14-16, it is written:- "Seeing then that we have a great high priest that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."
Spiritually, by the blood of Jesus, we can have full access to the throne and mercy seat of God. In Hebrews 10:19-22, it is written:- "Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into 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; And having a high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water."
While every believer has ACCESS to the heavenly Holy of Holies and the throne of God on a daily basis, the Bride of Christ ABIDES in the Holy of Holies. We can understand this truth in Psalm 91. In Psalm 91:1, it is written:- "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall ABIDE under the shadow of the Almighty."
Along with the mercy seat, the ark of the covenant presided in the Holy of Holies. The ark was a symbol of the presence of God among His people. When Israel fought against the Philistines, the ark was the symbol that God was with His people (I Samuel 4:1-8). When the ark of God was taken in the battle against the Philistines, it was a sign that God was no longer with His people because of their sin (I Samuel 4:17-18). During this time, the wife of Phinehas, who was the son of Eli was giving birth to a child. The wife of Phinehas named the child, "Ichabod" which means, "Where is the glory?" because the ark of God was taken and the glory of God was departed from Israel. In I Samuel 4:21-22, it is written:- "And she named the child Ichabod, saying, The glory is departed from Israel; because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father in law and her husband. And she said, The glory is departed from Israel: for the ark of God is taken."
In fact, the tabernacle was built especially to house the ark so God could dwell among His people (Exodus 25:8-16). From this story, we can understand that God will not dwell among His people showing forth His glory through them when God's people are living in sin. Therefore, God will only marry a GLORIOUS Bride without spot or blemish (Ephesians 5:26-27).The ark of the covenant contained three items. They were the golden pot of manna, Aaron's rod that budded, and the unbroken tablets of the TORAH.In the holiest place of all, the Holy of Holies, was the piece of furniture, the ark of the covenant, which symbolized the presence of God with His people. The ark of the covenant contained the TORAH!! This truth is VERY SIGNIFICANT. This shows the GREAT VALUE and the HIGHEST PRAISES that God has for His TORAH !! For this reason, we can begin to understand why God views His TORAH as GREAT and why He is deeply saddened that Christianity views His Torah as "a strange thing." In Hosea 8:12, it is written:- "I have written to him the GREAT things of my TORAH, but they were counted as a strange thing."
As we studied earlier in this book, David was a man after God's own heart because David LOVED the Torah of God. In Psalm 119:18, David wrote:- "Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy TORAH."
The tablets of the TORAH within the ark is called by God, THE TABLETS OF TESTIMONY (Exodus 25:16, 31:18). The Torah of God will be a testimony to the whole world and to many Christians who have called God's Torah, "a strange thing" that God is holy and just and merciful and righteous. God will judge the world and judge His people according to the words in His Torah because God's Torah is God's testimony. Earlier in this book, we saw that the "Tree of Life" is the Torah. Because the Bride of Christ is an overcoming Bride, she is promised that she will eat of the tree of life. In Revelation 2:7, it is written:- "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God."
The golden pot of manna is a reminder of the SUPERNATURAL provision of God for His people in the wilderness (Psalm 78:23-24). When God's people are living and dwelling in His presence and doing His Will, God provides SUPERNATURAL provision for His people to sustain them during tough times. The Bride of Christ walks in this supernatural provision of God. God promises that those who overcome and become His Bride will be given this supernatural and hidden manna from heaven. In Revelation 2:17 it is written:- "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna ..."
The greatest persecution toward the Bride of Christ will not come from the world but from carnal Christians who rebel against the Bride of Christ because of a lack of knowledge and understanding of God's Word and God's ways even though the Bride of Christ does the perfect Will of God within the Kingdom of God. In Numbers 16, Korah and his assembly rose up against God's authority that He granted to Moses and Aaron by murmuring against them and seeking to overthrow their authority (Numbers 16).In order to deal with this problem, God asked Moses to take a rod (symbolizing authority) and make twelve rods for each tribe. God instructed Moses to tell the people that the rod which buds is God's chosen authority among the people (Numbers 17:1-7). The rod that budded was Aaron's rod from the house of Levi. (Numbers 17:8-10). The house of Levi, was the priestly tribe. Spiritually, the house of Levi represents the Bride of Christ. Aaron's rod that budded was placed in the ark of the covenant as a testimony against the murmurings and rebellion of God's people against God's chosen authority within His kingdom. The Bride of Christ will be given authority by God to rule and reign with Christ over other believers and nations of people. In Revelation 2:26-27, it is written:- "And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations. And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father."
At this point, we should understand that heaven is a tabernacle. The three parts of the tabernacle represent the three levels of Christians who will be in heaven. The baby Christian will be an outer court Christian. They will be saved and their sins will be forgiven but they failed to grow to greater spiritual maturity. They walk according to their natural understanding and the ways of the natural world. The Holy Place Christian has a deeper knowledge of God's Word and God's ways than the carnal Christian. Holy Place Christians know the Word of God, are led by the Spirit, have a developed prayer life but fall short of God's perfect Will for their lives by failing to COMPLETELY submit to the perfect Will of God. The Holy of Holies Christian knows the Word of God, is led by the Spirit of God, has a developed prayer life and forsakes all worldly things to do the perfect Will of God. The Holy of Holies Christian will walk in the SUPERNATURAL provision of God and will be given authority by God to accomplish the task within the Kingdom of God that God desires to accomplish through them. They will know the heart and mind of God by having an intimate, personal relationship with God. The Holy of Holies Christian knows the Torah/Word of God, is led by the Spirit of God and hears and obeys the voice of God. The Holy of Holies Christian is the Bride of Christ.PERTAINING TO SPIRITUAL GROWTH
In this section, I would like to talk about the three main levels of spiritual growth that is mentioned in the Bible that relates to the spiritual application to the three areas in the tabernacle.In I John 2:12,14 it describes little children, young men and fathers as it is written:- "I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake. ... I have written unto you, fathers, because you have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one."
These three levels of people represent three progressive levels of spiritual growth. The little children whose sins are forgiven relates to the outer court Christian. The young men who know the Word of God relates to the Holy Place. The father who knows God relates to the Holy of Holies Christian.In John 14:6 it is written:- "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. "
Spiritually, Jesus is our tabernacle (John 1:14, Hebrews 8:1-2, 9:11). As believers, we may know Him as the way, the truth or the life. The outer court Christian knows that Jesus is the way.They know that He died for their sins and they have asked Him into their heart and lives and they are saved and will be in heaven. The Holy Place Christian knows the Word of God and knows that Jesus is the Way and the Truth. The Holy of Holies Christian knows that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. As we studied earlier in this book, the word, "Life" is the Greek word, "Zoe," which means, "the plateau of life, the most abundant life."TO YOU, IN YOU, AND THROUGH YOU
When God brought the children of Israel out of Egypt, God revealed Himself TO His people. When God brought the children of Israel to Mount Sinai and gave them His Torah, God desired to reveal Himself IN the hearts of His people. When God was with the children of Israel and conquered the enemies of the children of Israel in the promised land, God revealed Himself THROUGH His people. These different levels of manifestation of God toward His people relates to the three areas of the tabernacle. God reveals Himself TO the outer court Christian. God reveals Himself IN the Holy Place Christian. God reveals Himself THROUGH the Holy of Holies Christian.HUNDREDFOLD INCREASE
In Mark 4:13-20, Jesus tells the story about the parable of the sower who sows God's Word in his heart and the soil where it was grown and the harvest of those who allowed the Word of God to bear fruit in their lives. In Mark 4:13, 30-32 Jesus tells us that if we understand this parable that we can understand how the ENTIRE Kingdom of God operates.In the parable of the sower who hears the Word of God and the Word of God brings forth fruit in his life, it brings forth three levels of fruit. These three levels of fruit are the thirtyfold increase, the sixtyfold increase and the hundredfold increase. The thirtyfold increase relates to the outer court Christians who are saved, their sins are forgiven and they will be in heaven. The sixtyfold increase relates to Holy Place Christians who know the Word of God and walk by the Spirit of God. The hundredfold increase relates to the Holy of Holies Christians who know the Word of God, walk by the Spirit of God, hear the voice of God and do the perfect Will of God in their lives.THE PERFECT WILL OF GOD
In Romans 12:1-2, God describes three levels of doing His Will. These three levels are the good Will of God, the acceptable Will of God and the perfect Will of God. In Romans 12:1-2 it is written:- "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable and perfect will of God."
By presenting our bodies (our lives) as a living sacrifice to God and by renewing our minds from the ways of the world unto the ways of God, God allows us to know His good, acceptable and perfect Will. The good Will of God relates to outer court Christians who are saved, their sins are forgiven and will be in heaven. The acceptable Will of God relates to Holy Place Christians who know the Word of God and walk by the Spirit of God. The Holy of Holies Christians have their sins forgiven, know the Word of God, walk by the Spirit of God, hear and obey the voice of God and do the perfect Will of God in their lives.God commanded that three times a year His people are to go to Jerusalem to celebrate His Feast days (Deuteronomy 16:16). These three festival seasons relate to the three levels of spiritual growth and spiritual maturity in the life of each believer.Passover relates to the outer court Christian. The children of Israel were redeemed from Egypt (a type of the world and world's system which is ruled by Pharaoh (Satan and his kingdom) by killing the lamb and placing the blood of the Lamb over the doorpost of their houses. In the same way, we are saved and have our sins forgiven and will be in heaven by accepting our Passover Lamb, Jesus Christ, (John 1:29) and receiving Him into our hearts and lives by trusting in His shed blood on the doorpost of our hearts.Pentecost in Hebrew is called the Feast of Weeks or Shavuot (Leviticus 23:15-22). On the day of Pentecost (Shavuot), God gave the Torah to the children of Israel. The Torah is called the Word of God. The giving of the Torah is known by the Jewish people as the "Revelation of God at Mount Sinai." What God revealed to His people was His Torah or His Word. Even so, Holy Place Christians have a revelation of God's Torah/Word as revealed by the candlestick of God, the Holy Spirit.The Feast of Tabernacles is known by the Jewish people as "The Season of our Joy." Spiritually, the Feast of Tabernacles, the season of our joy, relates to the children of Israel going into the promised land of God. The Holy of Holies Christian walks in the promised land of God.The promised land of God for the Holy of Holies Christian is doing the perfect Will of God in their lives. The challenges are great and just like there were many giants in the promised land, there are many giants (obstacles) to do the perfect Will of God in our lives. The only way that we are able to defeat our enemies in the promised land is to be battle trained by God by coming out of Egypt (the world) and growing from a child in the Kingdom of God (Passover) to a deeper knowledge of the Word of God by being supernaturally sustained by God's heavenly manna (His Word) in the wilderness of life. By being willing and obedient, the Holy of Holies Christian can eat the good of the promised land (perfect Will) of God (Isaiah 1:19). It is only by being battle trained, by hearing the voice of God, and by being willing and obedient to do the perfect Will of God and relying on the SUPERNATURAL ability of God to defeat our enemies in the promised land are Holy of Holies Christians able to walk in the perfect Will of God and eat of the good of the promises of God in that promised land. The Bride of Christ does the perfect Will of God and overcomes the giants (obstacles in the natural) of the promised land (the perfect Will of God) by hearing the voice of God, by being obedient to the voice of God, and by overcoming the giants in the promised land through the SUPERNATURAL provision and ability of God.As we are learning from our studies, heaven is a tabernacle. The three major components of the tabernacle correspond to the three main levels of our Christian spiritual growth. At this time, I would like to represent this truth and the characteristics that we have discussed in the chapter with a pictorial understanding.| OUTER COURT | THE HOLY PLACE | HOLY OF HOLIES |
| Little Children | Young Men | Fathers |
| Way | Truth | Life |
| Passover | Pentecost | Tabernacles |
| 30 Fold | 60 Fold | 100 Fold |
| To You | In You | Through You |
| Sins Forgiven | Know Word | Know Him |
| Good Will | Acceptable Will | Perfect Will |
THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN
There is a governmental structure in the kingdom of heaven. Heaven is ruled by God the Father. God the Father is the King of heaven. Heaven is a theocracy. A theocracy is a government ruled and reigned by God and He is the King. God is one and God is a compound unity (Deuteronomy 6:4, Mark 12:29). So, Jesus is also the King of kings (Zechariah 14:4, 9, Revelation 19:11-16). The government of God is upon the shoulders of Jesus. In Isaiah 9:6 it is written:- "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: AND THE GOVERNMENT SHALL BE UPON HIS SHOULDER: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace."
THE GOVERNMENT OF GOD
In order to have a government, you need five basic things. These five characteristics are as follows:- You need a king - The King of the universe is God the Father
- You need a rule of law or a constitution - The constitution of God is the Torah
- You need a people - The body of believers in Jesus as Messiah are described as being nations unto God. This is a fulfillment of the promise that God made to Abraham that he would be a father of many nations (Genesis 17:5-6, Galatians 3:16, 29, Revelation 21:9-10, 24)
- You need judges to rule according to the constitution (the Torah) -The Bride of Christ will rule and reign as kings and priests and make judgments according to the Torah of God (Isaiah 2:2-4, Revelation l:5-6, 5:10)
- You need a dwelling place - The eternal dwelling place of God the Father will be with His people when He creates a new heaven and a new earth (Revelation 21:1-3)
THE LORD OF LORDS
The King of the universe is God the Father. Because God is one and God is a compound unity (Deuteronomy 6:4, Mark 12:29), Jesus is also seen as the King of kings and the Lord of lords. After Jesus sets foot on the Mount of Olives at His second coming, He will rule and reign as the King over all the earth. In Zechariah 14:4, 9 it is written:- "And his feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives ... And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one."
In that day, every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father. In Philippians 2:8-11 it is written:- "And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father."
Jesus is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. In Revelation 19:16 it is written:- "And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. "
THE GOVERNMENT OF GOD
When God gave the Torah at Mount Sinai, He desired that the nation of Israel would be governed by the structure of the government that God gave them at Mount Sinai. Even as the Tabernacle is a blueprint of heaven, God gave the structure of the government of the nation of Israel in the form of the Torah as a blueprint of the pattern of heavenly things as well. When God gave the structure of government to the children of Israel, the government was divided into a civil form of government and a religious form of government. The KING was to be the leader over the civil form of government and the PRIEST was to be the leader over the religious form of the government. This is God's Torah based structure of His Kingdom.Spiritually, the civil and religious structure of the government which God gave to the nation of Israel according to the Torah is a blueprint of the government of God in heaven. Even as the KING and PRIEST were leaders over the civil and religious forms of government, Jesus is described as being the King of kings and our great HIGH PRIEST. The Bride of Christ is described as being kings and priests before God. In the last section, we saw that Jesus is the King of kings. Now, we will see that Jesus is also our great High Priest. In Hebrews 3:1 it is written:- "Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and HIGH PRIEST of our profession, Christ Jesus."
In Hebrews 4:14 it is written:- "Seeing then that we have a great HIGH PRIEST, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession."
KINGS AND PRIESTS BEFORE GOD
The king and the priest had the HIGHEST position in the structure of government that God gave to His people in the Torah. Even so, the Bride of Christ will have the highest position of status and authority in the kingdom of heaven. Outer Court and Holy Place Christians will have a lesser status of authority in heaven. The Bride of Christ is kings and priests before God. In Revelation 1:5-6 it is written:- "And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth, Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen."
In Revelation 5:10 it is written:- "And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth."
The duration of the Messianic Age and the Bride of Christ ruling with Jesus on the earth is 1,000 years. In Revelation 20:6 it is written:- "Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: ... but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years."
THE NATIONS THE TORAH
As we studied earlier in this book, Zion is a term for God's people (Isaiah 51:16). Zion is also a term for the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the Bride of Christ. (Hebrews 12:22, Revelation 21:1-3). During the 1,000 year Messianic age, the Bride of Christ will fulfill the great commission of Jesus by making disciples (students) of all nations (Matthew 28:18-20) and by teaching the nations of the world the Torah of God from Jerusalem (Isaiah 2:2-3).ON THE EARTH
When God made His covenant with Abraham, God promised Abraham that he would be a father of many nations (plural) and kings and priests would come forth from him. Spiritually, the kings and priests are the Bride of Christ. The outer court Christians are a nation of people. The Holy Place Christians are a nation of people. The Holy of Holies Christians, the Bride, are a ROYAL PRIESTHOOD (I Peter 2:5,9). In Genesis 17:5-6 it is written:- "Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many NATIONS have I made thee. And I will make thee exceedingly fruitful, and I will make NATIONS of thee, and KINGS shall come out of thee."
Spiritually, Abraham is the father of our faith (Romans 4:16). When God made this covenant with Abraham, God made this covenant with Jesus at the same time. In Galations 3:16 it is written:- " Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ."
By accepting Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior, we are heirs of the promise that God made with Abraham through Jesus. In Galations 3:29 it is written:- "And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise."
In Revelation 21, God describes the city of the Bride, the heavenly Jerusalem. Revelation 21 DOES NOT describe the entirety of heaven. It only describes one city in heaven, the city of Jerusalem. The city of Jerusalem is the city of the Bride. God does not want His people to settle for anything but the best. For this reason, He tells us about the most special place in heaven, the heavenly city of Jerusalem. God tells us about the glory of His Bride in the city of Jerusalem. Even though the Bride of Christ is only a REMNANT of the church, it is the perfect Will of God that ALL believers be the Bride of Christ. Those who fail to walk in this high calling of God, will be outer court Christians and Holy Place Christians and will constitute the rest of the nations of the new heaven and new earth during the period of eternity. Revelation 21:9-10, 23-24 describes the New Jerusalem, the city of the Bride, as it is written:- "... Come hither, I will show thee the bride, the Lamb's wife. And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God ... And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it."
Even as the glory of God was the light of the Holy of Holies, the glory of God is the light of the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the Bride. Other nations shall walk in the light of the city of Jerusalem (Revelation 21:24). These other nations are outer court Christians and Holy Place Christians.ACCORDING TO THE TORAH
As studied earlier in this book, it is the priests who made rulings and judgments according to the Torah of God (Deuteronomy 17:8-11). Those matters which are too complex for the Bride to rule will be given over to the great HIGH PRIEST, the LIVING TORAH of God, even Jesus Christ, who will give the formal ruling of matters of controversy regarding the observance of the Torah to the nations of the earth. The Bride of Christ will be God's priests on earth and will teach the Torah of God to the nations of the earth (Isaiah 2:2-3, Malachi 2:1, 6-7) and will be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:19). Those outer court Christians and Holy Place Christians who reject the Torah of God (Hosea 4:6) and who have called the Torah of God a "strange thing" (Hosea 8:12) will NOT be priests before God and be the Bride of Christ but will be called least in the kingdom of heaven (Hosea 4:6, Matthew 5:19).ON THE EARTH
God instructed Moses to build a tabernacle so that God could dwell with His people (Exodus 25:8-9). Jesus came to this earth as God manifested in the flesh (I Timothy 3:16) and dwelt among men (John 1:14). Even so, God will create a new heaven and a new earth so that He can dwell with man forever ON THE EARTH (Revelation 21:1-3). The word Tabernacle means "a temporary dwelling place." The present heaven is a "temporary dwelling place" until God creates the new heaven and new earth. When He does, God will dwell with man on the earth. In Revelation 21:1-3 it is written:- "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away: and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God."
The festivals of the Lord found in Leviticus 23 were given by God so His people could understand the coming of Jesus, the Messiah, and the role that Jesus would play in redeeming and restoring both man and the earth back to God following the fall of man in the Garden of Eden. Although most Christians have heard of the feasts, their deep meaning and importance are almost universally not understood.The Apostle Paul wrote to the Gentile believers in Colossae that the feasts of the Lord, the new moon, and the Sabbath are a SHADOW OF THINGS TO COME (a blueprint of heaven) to teach us about the role of Jesus the Messiah in the redemptive work of God. In Colossians 2:16-17 it is written:- "Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of a holy day, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath days, Which ARE A SHADOW OF THINGS TO COME; but the body is of Christ."
Many Christians often quote these verses to justify NOT celebrating the Biblical festivals. In reality, these verses should be used as a scriptural basis for understanding why Christians SHOULD celebrate the Biblical festivals. Colossians 2:16-17 tells us that the new moon, the feast days and the Sabbath teach about Jesus the Messiah. How many Christians do you know understand how the new moon, the feast days and the Sabbath teach about Jesus as Messiah? To many Christians, the new moon, the feast days and the Sabbath are "under the law" and not valid for us today. However, as we are understanding in this chapter, the Torah that God gave to His people is ETERNAL and the TORAH IS A BLUEPRINT OF HEAVEN! Therefore, the new moon, the feast days and the Sabbath are a blueprint of heaven. We will conclude this chapter by understanding that the new moon, the feast days and the Sabbath are a blueprint of heaven and will be celebrated for all ETERNITY!The festivals described in Leviticus 23 are a blueprint of heaven. In Leviticus 23:1-2, 4, these festivals are described as the "Festivals of the LORD." Jesus is Lord (Philippians 2:11, 1 Corinthians 12:3). Since Jesus is Lord, the festivals of the Lord, are festivals of Jesus. If these festivals are the festivals of Jesus, every Christian should understand them and celebrate them. These are the festivals which God gave to His people to celebrate. They are a blueprint of heaven and will be celebrated for ALL ETERNITY!Jesus will fulfill all the Biblical festivals mentioned in Leviticus 23. The seven Biblical festivals mentioned in Leviticus 23 are: Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, Pentecost, the Feast of Trumpets (Rosh HaShanah), the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), and the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot). The first four festivals teach about the first coming of Jesus. Jesus died on Passover, was in the ground the next day during the feast of Unleavened Bread and was resurrected three days later on the feast of First Fruits. Fifty days later, the Holy Spirit was outpoured upon the believers who assembled at the city of Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2).The fall festivals teach about the second coming of Jesus. The resurrection of the dead will take place on Rosh HaShanah. Jesus will set His foot on the Mount of Olives on the day of Atonement or Yom Kippur and the Feast of Tabernacles teach about how things will be during the 1,000-year Messianic Age.Therefore, the festivals of the Lord will give GREAT INSIGHT regarding the first and second coming of Jesus. They will teach about his death, burial, and resurrection, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the resurrection of the dead, the coronation of Jesus as King over all the earth, the wedding of Jesus to His Bride, the seven year tribulation, the second coming of Jesus and the 1,000-year Messianic Age!!!In addition, the festivals of the Lord will teach about our personal relationship with God and how we are to grow from being a baby Christian to a spiritually mature Christian so that we can become the Bride of Christ. Egypt is a type of the world. The ruler in Egypt was Pharaoh. Even so, the ruler of this world is Satan. Just as the children of Israel fled Egypt by putting the blood of the Passover Lamb upon their houses, every time a person receives Jesus as His own personal Lord and Savior, he spiritually experiences Passover and is to flee Egypt (the ways of the world) and trust in Jesus the Messiah who is the Lamb of God (John 1:29) and apply His shed blood to our doorpost which is our heart.Leaven in the Bible is symbolic of sin. The feast of Unleavened Bread speaks of being unleavened or without sin. After we become believers by accepting Jesus into our hearts and lives, we must seek to live holy lives before God and spiritually experience the feast of Unleavened Bread. Next, just as the children of Israel left Egypt by slaying the Passover Lamb and went through the Red Sea, believers in Jesus as Messiah need to be baptized in the Holy Spirit after they become saved. Even as the children of Israel crossed the Red Sea and entered into the wilderness, after we accept Jesus into our hearts and lives, we still must live through the wilderness of life.Even as the children of Israel were sustained by God in the wilderness when He fed them manna from Heaven, we as believers in Jesus as Messiah are sustained through this life by feeding on Jesus, the bread from heaven. (John 6:33, 48). When God gave the Torah to the children of Israel at Mount Sinai, this is known to the Jewish people as "The REVELATION of God at Mount Sinai."Spiritually, believers who go to Mount Sinai will begin to know and understand God and His ways in a deeper way through the revelation of His Torah/Word as revealed by the Holy Spirit. By being faithful in the wilderness of life and by being sustained through the revelation of the Torah/Word of God during the trying and difficult times of life, God will take us to our spiritual promised land. Our spiritual promised land is doing the perfect Will of God in our lives for the glory of the Kingdom of God. This is the message and application in understanding the fall festivals!For a greater teaching and understanding regarding the spiritual significance and importance of the Biblical Festivals in the life of ALL believers, please purchase my book, "The Seven Festivals of the Messiah." Therefore, the festivals of the Lord not only reveal the redemptive plan of Jesus as revealed in His first and second coming but they also teach believers about their personal relationship with God and how we grow from being baby believers to spiritual maturity so that we can become the Bride of Christ.THEY WERE TO ASSEMBLE AT JERUSALEM
God instructed the children of Israel that they were to assemble three times a year at the city of Jerusalem to celebrate the Biblical festivals In Deuteronomy 16:16it is written:- "Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles; and they shall not appear before the Lord empty."
Traditionally, Christians view the Biblical festivals to be exclusively Jewish feasts which are "under the law." However, Leviticus 23:1-2, 4 tells us very clearly that these are FESTIVALS OF THE LORD. Since Jesus is Lord, these are the feasts of Jesus. God in His divine wisdom ordained that these festivals were to be celebrated by BOTH the Jew and the non-Jew on a joint basis (Deuteronomy 16:10- 11,14-16). In Deuteronomy 16:11 it is written:- "And thou shalt rejoice before the Lord thy God, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite that is within thy gates, and the STRANGER, and the fatherless, and the widow; that are among you, in the place which the Lord thy God hath chosen to place his name there."
In this verse, the word translated as "stranger" is the Hebrew word, "ger." It is the Strong's word 1616. The Hebrew word, "ger" means the non-Jew (Bible believing Gentile or Christian) who has joined himself to the Jewish people. Therefore, the Lord is the host of the festivals and all Bible believers are His invited guests.TO BE KEPT FOREVER
In Leviticus 23:14, 21, 31 and 41, God commands that the feasts are to be kept FOREVER. Concerning the feast of tabernacles, in Leviticus 23:39, 41 it is written:- "Also on the fifteenth day of the seventh month (the feast of tabernacles), when you have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the Lord seven days; on the first day shall be a Sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a Sabbath ... And you shall keep it a feast unto the Lord seven days in the year. It shall be a STATUTE FOREVER IN YOUR GENERATIONS: ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month."
God has not done away with the Biblical festivals because He commanded that they are to be kept for all eternity. God does not change (Malachi 3:6) and Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). When Jesus returns to the earth at His second coming, He will require ALL NATIONS to keep the Feast of Tabernacles during the 1,000-year Messianic Age. In Zechariah 14, we have the following sequence of events:- Jesus sets His feet on the Mount of Olives during His second coming
(Zechariah 14:4) - Jesus will be King over all the earth (Zechariah 14:9)
- The nations of the world will celebrate the feast of Tabernacles during the 1,000-year Messianic Age (Zechariah 14:16-17)
Zechariah 14:16-17 describes the nations of the world who will be celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles during the Messianic Age as it is written:- "And it shall come to pass, that everyone that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain."
WILL BE KEPT FOR ALL ETERNITY
In Colossians 2:16-17, it tells us that the Sabbath and the new moon is a SHADOW OF THINGS TO COME which teach us about Jesus the Messiah. Revelation 21:1 speaks about the time when God will create the new heavens and the new earth as it is written:- "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea."
In Isaiah 66:22-23, we can see that during the time of the "new heaven and new earth" (which speaks of eternity Revelation 21:1) God will require ALL FLESH to keep the Sabbath and the new moon. In Isaiah 66:22-23 it is written:- "For as the new heaven and the new earth , which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord."
Ezekiel 40-48 describes the Temple that will be built during the 1,000-year reign of Christ on the earth during the Messianic Age. It is also a prophetic picture of how things will be after the Messianic Age during the time of the new heaven and the new earth and for all eternity. In these chapters, we can see that the Sabbath, new moon and festivals are being kept and celebrated by the nations. Also, the priests of the Lord will be teaching the Torah of God to the nations. In Ezekiel 44:15, 23-24 the priests of God who are a spiritual picture of the Bride of Christ will be teaching the Torah to the nations as it is written:- "But the priests the Levites, the sons of Zadok, that kept the charge of my sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from me, they shall come near to me to minister unto me, and they shall stand before me to offer unto me the fat and the blood, saith the Lord God: ... And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and the profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean. And in controversy they shall stand in judgment; and they shall judge it according to my judgments: and they shall keep my laws and my statutes in all mine assemblies; and they shall hallow my sabbaths."
In Ezekiel 45:21, the feast of Passover and Unleavened Bread are being kept. In Ezekiel 45:25, the feast of Tabernacles is being kept. In Ezekiel 46:3, the Sabbath and the new moon is being kept. In Ezekiel 47:1, waters are coming from the throne of the temple. This can also be seen in Revelation 22:1. The water became a river and this river became the water for the healing of the nations (Ezekiel 47:12, Revelation 22:2). In the midst of the river was the tree of life (Revelations 22:2). The tree of life is the Torah and the Torah will be taught to all nations during the Messianic Age by the Bride of Christ (Isaiah 2:2-3).In this chapter, we examined that the Torah is a blueprint of heaven. Heaven is described as being both a tabernacle and a temple. Spiritually, the believers in Jesus as Messiah are also described as being a tabernacle and a temple. Even as God required that the earthly tabernacle and temple not be defiled with sin, even so, God demands that our physical bodies and our earthly lives not be defiled with sin also. Just as God judged the nation of Israel when they defiled the earthly tabernacle and temple, so will God judge all believers who defile their bodies and their lives with the sins of the world and the desires of the flesh. Those who defile their bodies and lives with sin will not be the Bride of Christ. Those who preserve their bodies and lives from a lifestyle of sin will grow to spiritual maturity and become the Bride of Christ.The three components of the tabernacle describe the three major levels of spiritual growth in the lives of all believers. The outer court corresponds to being a baby Christian. The Holy Place describes being an adolescent Christian. The Holy of Holies describes being an adult Christian. Believers in heaven will include baby, adolescent and adult Christians. The adult Christians are those believers who have grown to spiritual maturity and who will be the Bride of Christ.God gave the Torah to the children of Israel as a blueprint of heaven. The government of the Kingdom of Heaven is a theocracy. God is the King of the Universe. The constitution of the Kingdom of Heaven is the Torah. When God gave the Torah at Mount Sinai, He gave both a civil form of government and a religious form of government. The civil form of government was headed by a king. The religious form of government was headed by the high priest. Jesus is the fulfillment of both of these offices. He is both the King and Priest of God. Spiritually, this was to teach the believers that in the Kingdom of God, God desires for all believers to be kings and priests before Him. Not all believers will be kings and priests before God, only the Bride of Christ who has grown to spiritual maturity will be the kings and priests.God gave the Sabbath, new moon and festivals to be kept for all eternity. Jesus will fulfill all the Biblical festivals. The first four Biblical festivals, Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits and Pentecost were fulfilled at the first coming of Jesus. The feast of Trumpets, the day of Atonement and the feast of Tabernacles will be fulfilled at the second coming of Jesus. Jesus is the believer's Sabbath rest and He is the living Torah. The Sabbath, new moon, and festivals were given by God to teach about the redemptive plan of God through the Messiah and to teach believers about the ways of the kingdom of heaven. The Sabbath, new moon and festivals will be celebrated during the 1,000-year Messianic Age when Jesus will rule and reign from Jerusalem. The Sabbath, new moon and festivals will also be celebrated for all eternity.In conclusion, God gave the Torah to be a blueprint of heaven. The priesthood is a spiritual picture of the Bride of Christ. The tabernacle is a blueprint of heaven. The Sabbath, new moon and festivals teach in explicit detail about the redemptive plan of God as revealed through Jesus the Messiah and gives us explicit detail about what heaven will be like for all eternity. For this reason, God is able to say, "I have written to him the GREAT THINGS OF MY TORAH, but they were counted (prophetically by Christianity) as a strange thing" (Hosea 8:12). Therefore, God's people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge because of the rejection of His Torah (Hosea 4:6).Praise be to God for giving us His Torah as a blueprint of heaven! Because of this, we can understand the role of the Bride of Christ and understand what the Kingdom of heaven will be like for all eternity. In Isaiah 42:21 it is written:- "The Lord is well pleased for his righteousness sake: HE WILL MAGNIFY THE TORAH, AND MAKE IT HONORABLE. "
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