The Sanctuary Study Pt. 6
Sanctuary Study Continue-
(II Chron. 6:18)
'But will God in very deed dwell with men on the earth? behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house which I have built!'
A Sanctuary on earth can't contain God, and yet His way is in the Sanctuary.
The Sanctuary He gave to His chosen people signified so much. As with a lot of things we only see the surface layer. How many people used the Sanctuary service of old bringing their sacrfices to repent and ask for forgiveness of their sins and only did so because it was expected of them and not because it had any real meaning to them?
How many people live that way? How many go through the motions? How many never delve under the surface to see what is there?
With the Holy Spirit's guidance we are endeavoring to dig under the surface into the Sanctuary and it's meanings. We know that no earthly Sanctuary can contain God, and yet he's in so many aspects of it in so many ways that we have to strive to understand all we can.
Continuing our study with the aid of William Grotheer's thought paper, where we find within his entreaty for us to use our Bibles with everything he says, checking, searching, comparing, seeking, may God bless us and aid our earnest desire not only for a better understanding of Him, but that in learning of Him we learn of His Son and His Son will learn and come to know us too.
1989 Special 1 -- Light From the Throne -- Part 1 (Thought Paper)
A Comparison and a Contrast -- The wilderness tent was 30x10x10 cubits. See Exodus 26, and the explanation in the SDA Bible Commentary, Vol. 1, p. 640. The Temple built by Solomon was 60x20x30 cubits. (II Chron. 3:3; 1 Kings 6:2). The extra 10 cubits in height can be explained by the size of the cherubim for the most holy place which "stood on their feet" rather than made a part of the mercy seat. (I Chron. 3:10-13) Besides this enlargement, a moulten sea was made - ten cubits across - in which the priests washed. Then ten lavers were formed for the washing of the sacrifical offerings. Instead of one candlestick and one table of shewbread in the holy place, there were ten of each in the Temple of Solomon. (II Chron 4:1-8) The text states that "Solomon was instructed for the building of the house of God." (II Chron 3:3) This instruction came from David of "the pattern ... that he had by the Spirit." (I Chron. 28:12)
{28:12}
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:
Thus in each instance, the two sanctuaries were built from divinely revealed patterns, and each structure when completed was filled with the visible glory of God. (Ex. 40:33-35; 11 Chron. 7:1-3)
{40:33} And he reared up the court
round about the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the
hanging of the court gate. So Moses finished the work.
{40:34} Then a cloud covered the tent of the
congregation, and the glory of the LORD filled the
tabernacle. {40:35} And Moses was not able to enter into
the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode
thereon, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.
{7:1} Now when Solomon had made an end of praying,
the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt
offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD filled
the house. {7:2} And the priests could not enter into the
house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD had
filled the LORD'S house. {7:3} And when all the children
of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the
LORD upon the house, they bowed themselves with their
faces to the ground upon the pavement, and worshipped,
and praised the LORD, [saying,] For [he is] good; for his
mercy [endureth] for ever.
Why the difference, and each constructed from a divine blueprint?
Each was adapted to the time then present.
In the wilderness a structure that would be mobile was required; but made permanent in the established kingdom.
By contrast, the Heavenly Sanctuary in size, even in the Most Holy Place, accommodates an angelic host numbering "ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands." (Rev. 5:11; Dan. 7:9-10)
{5:11} And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many
angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders:
and the number of them was ten thousand times ten
thousand, and thousands of thousands
{7:9} I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the
Ancient of days did sit, whose garment [was] white as
snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne
[was like] the fiery flame, [and] his wheels [as] burning fire.
{7:10} A fiery stream issued and came forth from before
him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten
thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment
was set, and the books were opened.
Even in the articles of furniture, there is a contrast between the "shadow" and the reality. The golden candlestick of the Mosaic structure was a single column with six branches topped by bowls to hold oil for light. (Ex. 25:31-32) The representation of the heavenly as seen by John is declared to be "seven torches of fire burning before the throne." (Rev. 4:5 Greek)
{4:5} 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.
What is all of this saying?
The earthly models were "not the exact image"; but the services performed in each were a "delineation" (hupodeigma) of the reality.
delineate (dî-lîn´ê-ât´) verb, transitive
delineated, delineating, delineates
1. To draw or trace the outline of; sketch out.
2. To represent pictorially; depict.
3. To depict in words or gestures; describe. See synonyms at represent.
Excerpted from The American Heritage®
The emphasis is on the priests "who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things." (Heb. 8:5) Even in their service, there were the "shadowy" sacrifices which could not "make the comers thereunto perfect." (Heb. 10:1)
What is it not saying?
1) It does not deny the reality of "a Heavenly Temple." (Rev. 11:19)
{11:19} And the temple of God was opened in
heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his
testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and
thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.
Heaven is not the sanctuary, no more than the earth was when so taught by William Miller. There is in the Heaven of Heavens a sanctuary.
2) Neither is it denying a movement of God's throne from one apartment to the other as the ministry of Jesus, the High Priest, changes.
At the time of judgment, thrones were placed, "and the Ancient of days did sit." (Dan 7:9) The place where God is pictured enthroned in Revelation 4, is not the place described when "the temple of God was opened in heaven."
(Compare Rev. 4:5 with 11:19) The "movement" of God and Christ in the heavenly ministration is from the "throne of grace" on which Christ sat at the Father's right hand upon entering His high priestly ministry to "the throne of judgment" before which He appears to receive His kingdom. (Heb. 4:14-16; Dan. 7:13-14)
{4:14} 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. {4:15} For we have not an high priest
which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities;
but was in all points tempted like as [we are, yet] without
sin. {4:16} Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of
grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in
time of need.
{7:13} I saw in the night visions, and, behold, [one]
like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and
came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near
before him. {7:14} And there was given him dominion, and
glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and
languages, should serve him: his dominion [is] an
everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his
kingdom [that] which shall not be destroyed.
Then following the judgment, "shall He sit upon the throne of His glory." (Matt. 25.31),
{25:31} When the Son of man shall come in his glory,
and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the
throne of his glory
and "He shall reign forever and ever" (Revelation 11.15)
{11:15} And the seventh angel
sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The
kingdoms of this world are become [the kingdoms] of our
Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever
***
Going to pause here.
There is so much to take in, there really is. How many people think of a heavenly sanctuary? And yet the earthly was modeled after the heavenly. It's something we need to think about and this study is truly helping us to understand things a little better.
Just thinking about Jesus ministering in the Heavenly Sanctuary on our behalf is awesome.
We do have a High Priest ministering on our behalf, we need to know our High Priest and for Him to know us. It stands to reason that in type a High Priest ministering for someone needed to know them, right? We really have to contemplate this aspect of Christ knowing us, making ourselves available for Christ to know.
May the Lord bless and keep us now and forever, by His grace and mercy. Amen.
12/19/09
Security. What does that word mean to you?
Let's see how the dictionary defines the word-
security (sî-ky¢r´î-tê) noun
plural securities
Abbr. sec.
1. Freedom from risk or danger; safety.
2. Freedom from doubt, anxiety, or fear; confidence.
3. Something that gives or assures safety, as:. a. A group or department of private guards: Call building security if a visitor acts suspicious. b. Measures adopted by a government to prevent espionage, sabotage, or attack. c. Measures adopted, as by a business or homeowner, to prevent a crime such as burglary or assault: Security was lax at the firm's smaller plant. d. Measures adopted to prevent escape: Security in the prison is very tight.
4. Computer Science. a. The level to which a program or device is safe from unauthorized use. b. Prevention of unauthorized use of a program or device.
5. Something deposited or given as assurance of the fulfillment of an obligation; a pledge.
6. One who undertakes to fulfill the obligation of another; a surety.
7. A document indicating ownership or creditorship; a stock certificate or bond.
***
Very few people deny they would like security in their lives. Most people believe there is security in accumlating great wealth and keeping that wealth. Wealth means security from poverty and all that entails. Wealth does not offer security from health issues. Wealth is no security against accidents and injury. Wealth can not secure for you life everlasting.
Some think it's enough to have security here and now because the future is unknown fully. Ask a lot of people what they fear the most and they'll tell you something that has to do with losing security in some way.
It's not easy to trust to the point of losing all fear, is it? So many believe God has let them down, that He's let the whole world down, but they look only to the small picture painted with temporal paints. The overall plan for mankind is not one of a mere human life span, but of eternity. If a thousand years is as a single day to God what does that tell us? How many human life times in our time right now would it take to span a thousand years? Let's be generous and give 100 years as the average life span (we haven't quite reached there yet but for the sake of rounding off generously...) that's ten lifetimes, ten! That's you, your mother, your grandmother, your great grandmother, your great great grandmother, all the way up to your great, great, great, great, great, great, great grandmother. Very few people know who their 7 'greats' grandmother was- that was a 1000 years ago! Now think about it... ONE single day. We all know what that is, how short a time one single day is and yet a 1000 years is as a single day to God, ten of our generations is as a single day to God. He lives in eternity and He asks us to trust Him, to believe in Him, to find hope and forgiveness in Jesus Christ, the Son of God slain for us to have that opportunity. He's asking us to live our mere 100 years (if that) and live it in Him with the promise of eternity. How can the God of eternity be considered as one who let His creatures down when He offers us so much. While our suffering here is tremendous, for some more than others, in the long run that suffering will be nothing. No, it doesn't seem that way in the throes of agony- physically, mentally, emotionally- the pain is all consuming the tragedies of life all encompassing; yet all that is temporal.
The problem is we don't tend to look beyond the temporal. You've heard people tell you when you're having a rough time to just tell yourself it'll pass. I've done it more than once. I've even offered that advice. It will pass, and the majority of time it does pass doesn't it. The agony subsides, life goes on and we are left scarred by the tragedies that make up our lives. Scars we can trace to count out our years in existence, scars intermingled with the smooth, clear, unblemish flesh of happy moments, or at the least moments less traumatic. The good or the bad it doesn't matter, time marches on slowing down for no one. Our lives are blips on the screen of eternity, and that's how most people live their lives- believing that once their life ends that's it, that's all she wrote. The thing is, are we going to be blips that remain on the last radar circuit never to leave the radar screen but become a permanant fixture in eternity or will we be blips that vanish as though we've never been because we don't choose to let Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior exist in our lives as a living, breathing, life-saving, life-changing, life-guiding enitity. Make no mistake, we do the choosing but Satan would have us believe that all is decided long before we were born and we have no choices to make, we just have to go with the flow and hope for the best.
We can be rational human beings, some of us (though I'm not included) can even have super high IQ's and still believe in God and the way of salvation, the way to take life from a meaningless 100 painful years and change it to a painless eternity. Knowing that the eternity will be ruled in pure love, an existence of pure love in all ways does away with the warped belief of someone saying that no, they don't want to live forever not in all this strife.
There are so many misconceptions out there but the Bible holds the truth. Some will say that everyone can interpret the Bible differently but the Bible really interprets itself. We need to pray that we come to all truth in Jesus, even if it's not a truth we want to believe. We need to prayer for the truth and the ability to follow the truth when it is presented to us, all through the power of the Holy Spirit who is willing to guide us, to teach us, to offer us comfort and a joy that is unique and special from Him to us. No, we're not going to suddenly be guaranteed painfree lives- in fact our lives might become more painful because Satan will try harder to get us. We are promised life being the pain even if we suffer unto death we know we will wake at Christ's second coming to life eternal in Him. Jesus suffered unto death, suffered tremendous pain, we can expect no less suffering but in suffering we can have real hope.
The Bible tells us this about security- safety, confidence, surety.
***
Psa 4:8 In peace will I both lay me down and sleep; For thou, Jehovah, alone makest me dwell in safety.
Psa 65:5 By terrible things thou wilt answer us in righteousness, Oh God of our salvation, Thou that art the confidence of all the ends of the earth, And of them that are afar off upon the sea:
Psa 118:8 It is better to take refuge in Jehovah Than to put confidence in man.
2Co 3:3 being made manifest that ye are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in tables that are hearts of flesh.
2Co 3:4 And such confidence have we through Christ to God-ward:
2Co 3:5 not that we are sufficient of ourselves, to account anything as from ourselves; but our sufficiency is from God
Eph 3:8 Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, was this grace given, to preach unto the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;
Eph 3:9 and to make all men see what is the dispensation of the mystery which for ages hath been hid in God who created all things;
Eph 3:10 to the intent that now unto the principalities and the powers in the heavenly places might be made known through the church the manifold wisdom of God,
Eph 3:11 according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:
Eph 3:12 in whom we have boldness and access in confidence through our faith in him.
Eph 3:13 Wherefore I ask that ye may not faint at my tribulations for you, which are your glory.
Eph 3:14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father,
Eph 3:15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,
Eph 3:16 that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that ye may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inward man;
Eph 3:17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; to the end that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
Eph 3:18 may be strong to apprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,
Eph 3:19 and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge, that ye may be filled unto all the fulness of God.
Eph 3:20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
Eph 3:21 unto him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus unto all generations for ever and ever. Amen.
Heb 3:14 for we are become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our confidence firm unto the end
Isa 38:14 Like a swallow or a crane, so did I chatter; I did moan as a dove; mine eyes fail with looking upward: O Lord, I am oppressed, be thou my surety.
Heb 7:22 by so much also hath Jesus become the surety of a better covenant.
*******
Our security, real security, the ONLY security we have is found in God, not mankind or anything mankind can offer or possess. Heavenly treasures are the only treasures that mean a single thing. All our earthly treasures exist for only a short while for us- though they mostly live on after us in the hands of others very seldom do others hold our temporal treasures in their hands and cherish them the way we did. Leaving the gift of a life's memory pointing to heavenly treasures is more valuable by far than leaving a multitude of things to someone but in our day and age, in our sin-twisted way we find that hard to believe. May God help us all.
By the mercy and grace of our Lord and Savior, now and forever in Him.
Amen.
Gen 15:1 After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.
Gen 26:24 And the LORD appeared unto him the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham's sake.
Gen 46:3 And he said, I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation:
Gen 46:4 I will go down with thee into Egypt; and I will also surely bring thee up again: and Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes.
Fear not.
The message here from God is to FEAR NOT.
Fear not because God is OUR SHIELD.
Fear not because God is OUR EXCEEDING GREAT REWARD.
Fear not because God is WITH US.
We must believe.
By faith Abraham believed God and His word. God was REAL to Abraham. God has to be REAL to us. Fear will overwhelm us if God is not REAL to us.
Fear is real, not fake, not something that is non-existent. Fear is something very, very real to so many people in so many ways. Fear comes to us in many disguises. Fear to one is not fear to another.
Abraham feared having to do what He was being asked, otherwise why would God tell Him to fear not if fear wasn't a factor?
Jacob feared going down to Egypt when Joseph sent for him. Fear was real to Jacob. Fear was real to Abraham. These were great men of God and fear was something they needed to overcome. God needed to tell them to FEAR NOT and He did so for a reason. God knew of their fear. God knew that they needed reassurance because their fear was real. Too many people scoff at fear as if it can't affect them- especially men. Don't be afraid, don't show fear, fear is for wimps, fear is for babies, fear is wrong.
Fear may be wrong but the thing is, people want other people to conquer fear all on their own to prove that they are greater than the fear, they are the ones who either succumb to fear or fight it. It sounds good. It sounds uplifting, it sounds like ego building doesn't it? And being uplifted and ego building is good right? Not right. Turning our lives to focus on our selves is wrong. We have to give up self and grab a hold of God. It is through God we lose fear because God takes that fear away, not because we have that power. TOO many people think they should be able to stop fearing on their own.
We stop fearing because God is our shield, God is our great reward, God is with us, God tells us to fear not. We do cling to God and all He tells us, we believe in God- not ourselves. As long as we believe WE should be able to rid ourselves of fear without depending upon God we will forever fear. Satan may allow us to believe we've conquered fear without God, but it'll be a false belief one that He controls.
By the grace of God we will NOT FEAR, through God we will NOT FEAR. When fear threatens us- and it will- we need to seek God, depend upon God, live for God not ourselves.
All through HIS love, all through HIS grace and mercy, always!
Amen.