Revelation
We're talking of a power, a beast. A beast stood before a woman in chapter 12 and the power at the time of Jesus' birth was the Roman power. History shows that Rome was a huge, huge power. That Rome had two states of being- a Pagan Rome and a Papal Rome is history as well.
We're going to go back and read from Daniel and Revelation by Uriah Smith again so we can get a perspective from a late 1800's Biblical Scholar.
*******
Revelation Chapter XIII
The Agelong Struggle for Religious Freedom
Verse 1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. 2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. 3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
The sea is a symbol of "peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues." Revelation 17: 15. A beast is the Bible symbol of a nation or power. It sometimes represents the civil power alone, and sometimes the ecclesiastical in connection with civil. Whenever a beast is seen to come up out of the sea, it denotes that the power arises in a thickly populated territory. If the winds are represented as blowing upon the sea, as in Daniel 7: 2, 3, political commotion, civil strife, and revolution are indicated.
By the dragon of the previous chapter, and the beast first introduced in this, we have the Roman power as a whole brought to view in its two phases, pagan and papal; hence these two symbols have each the seven heads and ten horns.
The Leopard Beast.--The seven-headed and ten-horned beast, more briefly the leopard beast, here introduced, symbolizes a power which exercises ecclesiastical as well as civil authority. This point is of sufficient importance to justify the introduction of a few conclusive arguments which prove it.
The line of prophecy in which this symbol occurs begins with Revelation 12. The symbols of earthly governments embraced in the prophecy are the dragon of Revelation 12 and the leopard beast and the two-horned beast of Revelation 13. The same line of prophecy evidently continues into chapter 14. Beginning, therefore, with Revelation 12: 1, and ending with Revelation 14: 5, we have a line of prophecy distinct and complete in itself.
Each of the powers here introduced is represented as fiercely persecuting the church of God. The scene opens with the church under the symbol of a woman anxiously longing for the promise to be fulfilled that the seed of the woman, the Lord of glory, should appear among men. The dragon stood before the woman for the purpose of devouring her child. His evil design is thwarted, and the child is caught up to God and His throne. A period follows in which the church suffers severe oppression from this dragon power. In this part of the scene the prophet occasionally glances forward, once even down almost to the end, because all the enemies of the church were to be actuated by the spirit of the dragon. In verse 1 of Revelation 13 we are carried back to the time when the leopard beast, the successor of the dragon, begins his career. From this power the church suffers war and persecution for the long period of 1260 years. Following this period of oppression, the church has another conflict, brief but sharp and severe, with the two-horned beast. Then comes deliverance. The prophecy closes with the church brought safely through all her persecutions, and standing victorious with the Lamb on Mount Zion. Thank God for the sure promise of final victory!
The one character which ever appears the same in all these scenes, and whose history is the leading theme through all the prophecy, is the true Church of God. The other characters are her persecutors, and are introduced simply because they are such. Here, as an introductory inquiry, we raise the question, Who or what is it that persecutes the true church? It is a false or apostate church. What is it that is ever warring against true religion? It is a false and counterfeit religion. Who ever heard of the mere civil power of any nation persecuting the people of God on its own initiative? Governments may war against other governments to avenge some wrong, real or imaginary or to acquire territory and extend their power. But governments do not persecute (mark the word--do not persecute) people on account of their religion, unless under the control of some opposite and hostile system of religion.
Leopard Beast a Persecuting Power.--The powers introduced in this prophecy--the dragon, the leopard beast, and the two-horned beast of verses 11-17--are all persecuting powers. They are actuated by rage and enmity against the people and church of God. This fact is of itself sufficiently conclusive evidence that in each of these powers the ecclesiastical or religious element is the controlling power.
Take the dragon: what does it symbolize?--The undeniable answer is, Primarily Satan, as shown heretofore, and secondarily the Roman Empire. But this is not enough. No one would be satisfied with this answer and no more. It must be more definite. We therefore add, The Roman Empire in its pagan form, to which all must agree. But just as soon as we say pagan, we introduce a religious element, for paganism is one of the most gigantic systems of counterfeit religion that Satan has ever devised. The dragon, then, is so far an ecclesiastical power that the very characteristic by which it is distinguished is a false system of religion. What made the dragon persecute the church of Christ? It was because Christianity was prevailing against paganism, sweeping away its superstitions, overturning its idols, and dismantling its temples. The religious element of that power was touched, and persecution was the result.
We now come to the leopard beast of Revelation 13. What does that symbolize? The answer still is, The Roman Empire. But the dragon symbolized the Roman Empire, and why does not the same symbol represent it still? Ah! there has been a change in the religious character of the empire. This beast symbolized Rome in its professedly Christian form. It is this change of religion, and this alone, which makes a change in the symbol necessary. This beast differs from the dragon only that it presents a different religious aspect. Hence it would be wrong to affirm that it denotes simply the Roman civil power.
A Symbol of the Papacy.--To this beast the dragon gives his power, his seat, and great authority. By what power was pagan Rome succeeded? We all know that is was by papal Rome. It matters not to our present purpose when or by what means this change was effected. The great fact is apparent, and is acknowledged by all, that the next great phase of the Roman Empire after its pagan form was its papal. It would not be correct, therefore, to say that pagan Rome gave its power and seat to a form of government merely civil, having no religious element whatever. No stretch of the imagination can conceive of such a transaction. But two phases of empire are here recognized, and in the prophecy Rome is pagan until Rome is papal. The statement that the dragon gave to the leopard beast his power and seat, is further evidence that the dragon of Revelation 12: 3 is used as symbol of pagan Rome. But back of both powers, and leading them on in their wicked work, is Satan himself.
But it may be said that it takes both the leopard beast and the two-horned beast to constitute the papacy, and hence it is to these that the dragon gives his power, seat, and great authority. But the prophecy does not say so. It is the leopard beast alone with which the dragon has to do. It is to that beast alone that he gives his power, seat, and great authority. It is that beast which has a head that is wounded to death, which is afterward healed; that beast after which the whole world wonders; that beast which has a mouth speaking blasphemies, and which wears out the saints for 1260 years. It does all this before the succeeding power, the two-horned beast, appears. The leopard beast alone, therefore, symbolizes the Roman Empire in its papal form, the controlling influence being ecclesiastical.
Identical With the Little Horn.--To show this more fully, we have but to draw a parallel between the little horn of Daniel 7: 8, 20, 24, 25, and this power. From this comparison it will appear that the little horn and the leopard beast symbolize the same power. The little horn is generally acknowledged to be a symbol of the papacy. There are six points by which to establish their identity:
1. The little horn was a blasphemous power. "He shall speak great words against the Most High." Daniel 7: 25. The leopard beast of Revelation 13: 6 does the same. "He opened his mouth in blasphemy against God."
2. The little horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them. (Daniel 7: 21.) This beast also (Revelation 13: 7) makes war with the saints, and overcomes them.
3. The little horn had a mouth speaking great things. (Daniel 7: 8, 20.) Of this beast we read: "There was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies." Revelation 13: 5.
4. The little horn arose on the cessation of the pagan form of the Roman Empire. The beast of Revelation 13: 2 arises at the same time; for the dragon, pagan Rome, gives him his power, his seat, and great authority.
5. Power was given to the little horn to continue for a time, times, and the dividing of time, or 1260 years. (Daniel 7: 25) To this beast also power was given for forty-two months or 1260 years. (Revelation 13: 5.)
6. At the end of that specified period of 1260 years the "saints," "times," and "laws" were to be taken out of the "hand" of the little horn. (Daniel 7: 25.) At the end of the same period, the leopard beast was himself to be led "into captivity." Revelation 13: 10. Both these specifications were fulfilled in the captivity and exile of the pope, and the temporary overthrow of the papacy by France in 1798.
These six points prove satisfactorily the identity of the little horn and the leopard beast. When we have in prophecy two symbols, as in this instance, representing powers that come upon the stage of action at the same time, occupy the same territory, maintain the same character, do the same work, exist the same length of time, and meet the same fate, those symbols represent the same identical power.
*******
We can't help but see the truth in all this because history is just that -- history. The facts are the facts they can't be disputed. The pieces fit together just as God knew they would.
Jesus will return and we need to be ready for Him. By His grace and mercy may we understand all we need to understand in Him.
Please Lord.
Amen.
9/24/10
Yesterday we were discussing the Most Holy Place...
What was found in the Most Holy Place?
Heb 9:3 And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all;
Heb 9:4
Which had the golden censer
and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold
wherein was the golden pot that had manna
and Aaron's rod that budded
and the tables of the covenant
-
We talked about the golden censer …
The golden censer inside the second veil, the golden censer only went into the Most Holy Place on the day of Atonement when the High Priest brought it into the Most Holy Place-
Lev 16:12 And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the LORD, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the vail:
Lev 16:13 And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not
Once the High Priest entered the Most Holy Place he had in his hands incense and the censer. The incense representing the prayers of the saints, once put upon the fire a cloud of smoke would be created covering the mercy seat. The prayers of the saints presented before God.
Rev 8:3 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.
Rev 8:4 And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand.
Heb. 9 mentions the mercy seat but first it mentions the ark of the covenant upon which the mercy seat rests. Beneath the mercy seat, inside the ark were objects-
The golden pot that had manna
Aaron's rod that budded
Tables of the covenant
Manna-
Exo 16:15 And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat.
Exo 16:32 And Moses said, This is the thing which the LORD commandeth, Fill an omer of it to be kept for your generations; that they may see the bread wherewith I have fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you forth from the land of Egypt.
Exo 16:33 And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a pot, and put an omer full of manna therein, and lay it up before the LORD, to be kept for your generations.
Exo 16:34 As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept.
The bread which the LORD hath given you to eat. Food from heaven. Food directly from God where no food existed.
Aaron's Rod-
Num 17:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Num 17:2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and take of every one of them a rod according to the house of their fathers, of all their princes according to the house of their fathers twelve rods: write thou every man's name upon his rod.
Num 17:3 And thou shalt write Aaron's name upon the rod of Levi: for one rod shall be for the head of the house of their fathers.
Num 17:4 And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the congregation before the testimony, where I will meet with you.
Num 17:5 And it shall come to pass, that the man's rod, whom I shall choose, shall blossom: and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel, whereby they murmur against you.
Num 17:6 And Moses spake unto the children of Israel, and every one of their princes gave him a rod apiece, for each prince one, according to their fathers' houses, even twelve rods: and the rod of Aaron was among their rods.
Num 17:7 And Moses laid up the rods before the LORD in the tabernacle of witness.
Num 17:8 And it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds.
Num 17:9 And Moses brought out all the rods from before the LORD unto all the children of Israel: and they looked, and took every man his rod.
Num 17:10 And the LORD said unto Moses, Bring Aaron's rod again before the testimony, to be kept for a token against the rebels; and thou shalt quite take away their murmurings from me, that they die not.
Num 17:11 And Moses did so: as the LORD commanded him, so did he.
Num 17:12 And the children of Israel spake unto Moses, saying, Behold, we die, we perish, we all perish.
Num 17:13 Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the LORD shall die: shall we be consumed with dying?
Num 18:1 And the LORD said unto Aaron, Thou and thy sons and thy father's house with thee shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary: and thou and thy sons with thee shall bear the iniquity of your priesthood.
Num 18:2 And thy brethren also of the tribe of Levi, the tribe of thy father, bring thou with thee, that they may be joined unto thee, and minister unto thee: but thou and thy sons with thee shall minister before the tabernacle of witness.
Num 18:3 And they shall keep thy charge, and the charge of all the tabernacle: only they shall not come nigh the vessels of the sanctuary and the altar, that neither they, nor ye also, die.
Num 18:4 And they shall be joined unto thee, and keep the charge of the tabernacle of the congregation, for all the service of the tabernacle: and a stranger shall not come nigh unto you.
Num 18:5 And ye shall keep the charge of the sanctuary, and the charge of the altar: that there be no wrath any more upon the children of Israel.
Num 18:6 And I, behold, I have taken your brethren the Levites from among the children of Israel: to you they are given as a gift for the LORD, to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation.
Num 18:7 Therefore thou and thy sons with thee shall keep your priest's office for every thing of the altar, and within the vail; and ye shall serve: I have given your priest's office unto you as a service of gift: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.
Aaron and his tribe- Levites- are chosen for the priesthood inside God's sanctuary.
Tables of the Covenant-
Deu 9:9 When I was gone up into the mount to receive the tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant which the LORD made with you, then I abode in the mount forty days and forty nights, I neither did eat bread nor drink water:
Deu 9:10 And the LORD delivered unto me two tables of stone written with the finger of God; and on them was written according to all the words, which the LORD spake with you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly.
Deu 9:11 And it came to pass at the end of forty days and forty nights, that the LORD gave me the two tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant.
Deu 9:12 And the LORD said unto me, Arise, get thee down quickly from hence; for thy people which thou hast brought forth out of Egypt have corrupted themselves; they are quickly turned aside out of the way which I commanded them; they have made them a molten image.
Deu 9:13 Furthermore the LORD spake unto me, saying, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people:
Deu 9:14 Let me alone, that I may destroy them, and blot out their name from under heaven: and I will make of thee a nation mightier and greater than they.
Deu 9:15 So I turned and came down from the mount, and the mount burned with fire: and the two tables of the covenant were in my two hands.
Upon the tables of the covenant were written the following--
Deu 5:6 I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.
Deu 5:7 Thou shalt have none other gods before me.
Deu 5:8 Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth:
Deu 5:9 Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me,
Deu 5:10 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments.
Deu 5:11 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain: for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
Deu 5:12 Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee.
Deu 5:13 Six days thou shalt labour, and do all thy work:
Deu 5:14 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou.
Deu 5:15 And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the LORD thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the LORD thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day.
Deu 5:16 Honour thy father and thy mother, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
Deu 5:17 Thou shalt not kill.
Deu 5:18 Neither shalt thou commit adultery.
Deu 5:19 Neither shalt thou steal.
Deu 5:20 Neither shalt thou bear false witness against thy neighbour.
Deu 5:21 Neither shalt thou desire thy neighbour's wife, neither shalt thou covet thy neighbour's house, his field, or his manservant, or his maidservant, his ox, or his ass, or any thing that is thy neighbour's.
Deu 5:22 These words the LORD spake unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice: and he added no more. And he wrote them in two tables of stone, and delivered them unto me.
The covenant being - the children of Israel would follow the commandments given by God, and He would be their God.
Any covenant takes two or more people.
COVENANT, n. [L, to come; a coming together; a meeting or agreement of minds.]
COVENANT, v.i. To enter into a formal agreement; to stipulate; to bind ones self by contract. A covenants with B to convey to him a certain estate. When the terms are expressed it has for before the thing or price.
COVENANT, v.t. To grant or promise by covenant.
To have a coming together, to have a meeting of minds, to enter a formal agreement, to bind ones self by a contract all requires at least TWO parties, right?
A covenant between two people is broken when the agreed upon terms are violated. Does the violation mean the terms were wrong? Or does the violation simply mean one chose to no longer follow the terms that they once agreed were fair and just enough to follow? To enter into a covenant that you don't agree with is PURE foolishness. You enter into covenants you agree to. The people of Israel- God's chosen people KNEW the terms of the covenant and agreed to them. Then they violated the agreement over and over and over again. It wasn't that the agreement, the covenant, was to blame- it was the weakness of the people that led to the constant violation. The covenant was full of fault because while it revealed God's love fully, it also revealed a people incapable of following it, people who HOPED to follow it, but failed. The realization being only ONE person would be able to NEVER violate the covenant and that ONE person would be the faultless, sinless Son of God who took on OUR nature, our propensity to sin and did NOT sin. Through HIM alone do we find salvation. That doesn't mean the terms of the covenant were at fault- they were agreed upon. It means HE alone could fulfill the terms of that covenant and THROUGH HIM (the NEW Covenant- that through HIM we could fulfill the terms of the old) we would find our hope, our salvation by His grace and mercy.
So… inside the Most Holy Place--
We have manna- food from heaven, food from God. We have Aaron's rod that budded- the sanctuary priesthood of the Levites enacted. We have the tables of the covenant- the covenant between God and man- God's commandments man were to keep, commandments of love.
God provides us heavenly sustenance, God provides us a High Priest, God provides us love. Precious and holy these symbols were kept inside the ark of the testimony in the most holy place, a place that a High Priest could only enter once a year. Heavenly symbols- the ark itself patterned after the heavenly as all things in the sanctuary were patterned after.
Exo 25:8 And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.
Exo 25:9 According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it.
Exo 25:10 And they shall make an ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof.
The ark was the first pattern given for construction of the Sanctuary.
Above the ark… in the most holy place… where God would meet with His people.
Exo 25:22 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.
The heavenly sanctuary exists today and our High Priest is in the heavenly sanctuary. What a glorious, wondrous God we have who has provided for us in all ways. The day will come when all sin will be done away with once and for all. The day will come when our Savior returns to take us with Him to heaven. The day will come when the new city Jerusalem will come down from heaven to earth and God and His Son will be the temple of that city!
Rev 21:22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.
Praise God for His amazing LOVE!
By His grace may we learn more and more of His love as we study the deep things of God.
In His love!
Amen.
9/24/11
Mat 24:42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what
hour your Lord doth come.
Mat 24:43 But know this, that if the goodman of
the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched,
and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
Mat 24:44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such
an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
When you know
not.
When you think
not.
How many times
have you regretted not being ready for something? If you're anything like me,
more than once. Yet, do we always
feel that way about being robbed? I know I don't, or didn't, or perhaps don't
feel I should or you should because sometimes we take all the precautions, lock
our doors, lock our windows, get a friend to keep an eye on the house and still
a robber manages to gain entrance even though all the proper precautions were
made. If all the proper precautions are made how can a person feel guilty over
being robbed? How can they feel that they should have done something more when
they did all they could? That' not quite what Jesus is saying is it.
In our case we
don't believe, really, really believe we will be robbed and that's what allows
us to leave our homes and go out. If we thought that every time we left our
house unoccupied it would be robbed- we'd make sure it was never unoccupied,
right? We'd be downright foolish and deserving of being robbed if we didn't keep
our home occupied.
If we are told
that our Lord is going to come and we can't know when that tells us something
very important… we have to be ready for Him at ALL times and never leave our
house unoccupied!
If we are told
that our Lord is going come when we think He won't that tells us something as
well. We cannot trust our own thoughts for preparation and once again we have to
be ready all the time, even when we can't imagine our Lord coming.
We can't let our guard down because we think the Lord won't be coming
today. It's not a day to go out and party because our parents are away for now,
it's not time to invite our partying friends over just because we're positive
there is no way our parents will be home- they're hundreds and hundreds of miles
away. It's the same with our
thoughts on our Savior's return for us. We can NEVER be unprepared. We can NEVER
afford to believe today won't be the day because we will NEVER know exactly when
our Savior will return and we will not ever have proof positive of the day
Christ returns- not until it happens suddenly. We KNOW our Savior will return for us-
this is a fact proven way beyond any fiction. And we must WATCH, we must be
READY.
Some might say
that living day by day with the expectation of Christ returning that day and day
by day being disappointed would wear down the most staunch Christian, but it's
not true. Day by day expectation if not met becomes one day closer to the day of
Christ's return if not the day.
Satan would have
us believe we'll never be ready. Satan would have us give up hope. Satan would
have us become disappointed. Satan would have us lose our faith because that's
exactly what happens when we are not ready - we're faithless.
It's true!
Faithless. And we know without faith it's impossible to please Him.
Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to
please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a
rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
God is not going
to force a single person to have faith, not one.
Our Savior is
returning.
Our Savior is
offering eternal life with Him.
Our Savior is the
bringer of immortality to us.
When is all this
happening? Today.
Seriously! I'm not going to be one of those who
put a date on my Lord's return, because the day is ALWAYS and FOREVER today, it
has to be or we will never, ever be prepared.
Christ is coming
today! Such an expectation fills us will joy, doesn't it? Such hope puts all
other things in our lives into proper perspective, doesn't it? What cares in
our lives really, really, really matter if we fully believe Christ is returning
today?
Of course someone
will pipe up and say we have to work and take care of things here on earth as
if Christ isn't going to come today or we'd be nothing but a bunch of bums on
the street. Not true. We can go to work, we can live our lives but we NEED to
do so in expectation of our Savior returning, knowing that when it happens that
is time enough to stop working and not before. Can you imagine waking up each
day and believing today is the today Christ will return and you WANT Him to
find you working, ready, watching in all you do, in anything you are
doing. With such an attitude
there is found great protection from those spiritual darts of Satan. If YOU
truly believe that Christ could arrive at any moment wouldn't that give you
pause when temptations come along? Shouldn't it give you pause towards
presumptuous sinning? It is true that we must depend upon our Savior for
salvation and NOT upon our ability to keep from sinning. We must depend upon our
SAVIOR'S ability to keep us from sinning, but we have to have faith in Him to do
so, a pure, a true living faith in Him and His righteousness. It is our
duty...
Ecc 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole
matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
It is our duty to
do that which is within our ability to do through God. If we are able to resist
temptation it's because we have placed our hope and trust in God's ability to
keep us from evil, to deliver us from evil not because we suddenly have hope in
ourselves to cease sinning. If we
are able to keep His commandments which is our duty- it is through His power not
through our own power. What we need to do is truly FEAR GOD. We need to truly
believe in God and have a living, breathing fear of Him whether that fear is
suppose to be a deep reverence or a true fear which reveals an understanding
that He is a consuming fire.
Heb 12:29 For our God is a consuming fire.
We need to Fear
God and out of that fear understand that it is then only possible to keep His
commandments. Without that fear of God we have no chance to keep His
commandments, none.
So let us be
ready always, always watching, always praying!
In our hearts we
must believe always-
Jesus is
returning for us today! This is
the good news, this is the gospel, this is the truth our Savior came to give to
us- salvation in Him, today and every day, always.
AMEN.
Yesterday we were discussing the Most Holy Place...
What was found in the Most Holy Place?
Heb 9:3 And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all;
Heb 9:4
Which had the golden censer
and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold
wherein was the golden pot that had manna
and Aaron's rod that budded
and the tables of the covenant
-
We talked about the golden censer …
The golden censer inside the second veil, the golden censer only went into the Most Holy Place on the day of Atonement when the High Priest brought it into the Most Holy Place-
Lev 16:12 And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the LORD, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the vail:
Lev 16:13 And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not
Once the High Priest entered the Most Holy Place he had in his hands incense and the censer. The incense representing the prayers of the saints, once put upon the fire a cloud of smoke would be created covering the mercy seat. The prayers of the saints presented before God.
Rev 8:3 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.
Rev 8:4 And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand.
Heb. 9 mentions the mercy seat but first it mentions the ark of the covenant upon which the mercy seat rests. Beneath the mercy seat, inside the ark were objects-
The golden pot that had manna
Aaron's rod that budded
Tables of the covenant
Manna-
Exo 16:15 And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat.
Exo 16:32 And Moses said, This is the thing which the LORD commandeth, Fill an omer of it to be kept for your generations; that they may see the bread wherewith I have fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you forth from the land of Egypt.
Exo 16:33 And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a pot, and put an omer full of manna therein, and lay it up before the LORD, to be kept for your generations.
Exo 16:34 As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept.
The bread which the LORD hath given you to eat. Food from heaven. Food directly from God where no food existed.
Aaron's Rod-
Num 17:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Num 17:2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and take of every one of them a rod according to the house of their fathers, of all their princes according to the house of their fathers twelve rods: write thou every man's name upon his rod.
Num 17:3 And thou shalt write Aaron's name upon the rod of Levi: for one rod shall be for the head of the house of their fathers.
Num 17:4 And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the congregation before the testimony, where I will meet with you.
Num 17:5 And it shall come to pass, that the man's rod, whom I shall choose, shall blossom: and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel, whereby they murmur against you.
Num 17:6 And Moses spake unto the children of Israel, and every one of their princes gave him a rod apiece, for each prince one, according to their fathers' houses, even twelve rods: and the rod of Aaron was among their rods.
Num 17:7 And Moses laid up the rods before the LORD in the tabernacle of witness.
Num 17:8 And it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds.
Num 17:9 And Moses brought out all the rods from before the LORD unto all the children of Israel: and they looked, and took every man his rod.
Num 17:10 And the LORD said unto Moses, Bring Aaron's rod again before the testimony, to be kept for a token against the rebels; and thou shalt quite take away their murmurings from me, that they die not.
Num 17:11 And Moses did so: as the LORD commanded him, so did he.
Num 17:12 And the children of Israel spake unto Moses, saying, Behold, we die, we perish, we all perish.
Num 17:13 Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the LORD shall die: shall we be consumed with dying?
Num 18:1 And the LORD said unto Aaron, Thou and thy sons and thy father's house with thee shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary: and thou and thy sons with thee shall bear the iniquity of your priesthood.
Num 18:2 And thy brethren also of the tribe of Levi, the tribe of thy father, bring thou with thee, that they may be joined unto thee, and minister unto thee: but thou and thy sons with thee shall minister before the tabernacle of witness.
Num 18:3 And they shall keep thy charge, and the charge of all the tabernacle: only they shall not come nigh the vessels of the sanctuary and the altar, that neither they, nor ye also, die.
Num 18:4 And they shall be joined unto thee, and keep the charge of the tabernacle of the congregation, for all the service of the tabernacle: and a stranger shall not come nigh unto you.
Num 18:5 And ye shall keep the charge of the sanctuary, and the charge of the altar: that there be no wrath any more upon the children of Israel.
Num 18:6 And I, behold, I have taken your brethren the Levites from among the children of Israel: to you they are given as a gift for the LORD, to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation.
Num 18:7 Therefore thou and thy sons with thee shall keep your priest's office for every thing of the altar, and within the vail; and ye shall serve: I have given your priest's office unto you as a service of gift: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.
Aaron and his tribe- Levites- are chosen for the priesthood inside God's sanctuary.
Tables of the Covenant-
Deu 9:9 When I was gone up into the mount to receive the tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant which the LORD made with you, then I abode in the mount forty days and forty nights, I neither did eat bread nor drink water:
Deu 9:10 And the LORD delivered unto me two tables of stone written with the finger of God; and on them was written according to all the words, which the LORD spake with you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly.
Deu 9:11 And it came to pass at the end of forty days and forty nights, that the LORD gave me the two tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant.
Deu 9:12 And the LORD said unto me, Arise, get thee down quickly from hence; for thy people which thou hast brought forth out of Egypt have corrupted themselves; they are quickly turned aside out of the way which I commanded them; they have made them a molten image.
Deu 9:13 Furthermore the LORD spake unto me, saying, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people:
Deu 9:14 Let me alone, that I may destroy them, and blot out their name from under heaven: and I will make of thee a nation mightier and greater than they.
Deu 9:15 So I turned and came down from the mount, and the mount burned with fire: and the two tables of the covenant were in my two hands.
Upon the tables of the covenant were written the following--
Deu 5:6 I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.
Deu 5:7 Thou shalt have none other gods before me.
Deu 5:8 Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth:
Deu 5:9 Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me,
Deu 5:10 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments.
Deu 5:11 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain: for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
Deu 5:12 Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee.
Deu 5:13 Six days thou shalt labour, and do all thy work:
Deu 5:14 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou.
Deu 5:15 And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the LORD thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the LORD thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day.
Deu 5:16 Honour thy father and thy mother, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
Deu 5:17 Thou shalt not kill.
Deu 5:18 Neither shalt thou commit adultery.
Deu 5:19 Neither shalt thou steal.
Deu 5:20 Neither shalt thou bear false witness against thy neighbour.
Deu 5:21 Neither shalt thou desire thy neighbour's wife, neither shalt thou covet thy neighbour's house, his field, or his manservant, or his maidservant, his ox, or his ass, or any thing that is thy neighbour's.
Deu 5:22 These words the LORD spake unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice: and he added no more. And he wrote them in two tables of stone, and delivered them unto me.
The covenant being - the children of Israel would follow the commandments given by God, and He would be their God.
Any covenant takes two or more people.
COVENANT, n. [L, to come; a coming together; a meeting or agreement of minds.]
COVENANT, v.i. To enter into a formal agreement; to stipulate; to bind ones self by contract. A covenants with B to convey to him a certain estate. When the terms are expressed it has for before the thing or price.
COVENANT, v.t. To grant or promise by covenant.
To have a coming together, to have a meeting of minds, to enter a formal agreement, to bind ones self by a contract all requires at least TWO parties, right?
A covenant between two people is broken when the agreed upon terms are violated. Does the violation mean the terms were wrong? Or does the violation simply mean one chose to no longer follow the terms that they once agreed were fair and just enough to follow? To enter into a covenant that you don't agree with is PURE foolishness. You enter into covenants you agree to. The people of Israel- God's chosen people KNEW the terms of the covenant and agreed to them. Then they violated the agreement over and over and over again. It wasn't that the agreement, the covenant, was to blame- it was the weakness of the people that led to the constant violation. The covenant was full of fault because while it revealed God's love fully, it also revealed a people incapable of following it, people who HOPED to follow it, but failed. The realization being only ONE person would be able to NEVER violate the covenant and that ONE person would be the faultless, sinless Son of God who took on OUR nature, our propensity to sin and did NOT sin. Through HIM alone do we find salvation. That doesn't mean the terms of the covenant were at fault- they were agreed upon. It means HE alone could fulfill the terms of that covenant and THROUGH HIM (the NEW Covenant- that through HIM we could fulfill the terms of the old) we would find our hope, our salvation by His grace and mercy.
So… inside the Most Holy Place--
We have manna- food from heaven, food from God. We have Aaron's rod that budded- the sanctuary priesthood of the Levites enacted. We have the tables of the covenant- the covenant between God and man- God's commandments man were to keep, commandments of love.
God provides us heavenly sustenance, God provides us a High Priest, God provides us love. Precious and holy these symbols were kept inside the ark of the testimony in the most holy place, a place that a High Priest could only enter once a year. Heavenly symbols- the ark itself patterned after the heavenly as all things in the sanctuary were patterned after.
Exo 25:8 And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.
Exo 25:9 According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it.
Exo 25:10 And they shall make an ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof.
The ark was the first pattern given for construction of the Sanctuary.
Above the ark… in the most holy place… where God would meet with His people.
Exo 25:22 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.
The heavenly sanctuary exists today and our High Priest is in the heavenly sanctuary. What a glorious, wondrous God we have who has provided for us in all ways. The day will come when all sin will be done away with once and for all. The day will come when our Savior returns to take us with Him to heaven. The day will come when the new city Jerusalem will come down from heaven to earth and God and His Son will be the temple of that city!
Rev 21:22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.
Praise God for His amazing LOVE!
By His grace may we learn more and more of His love as we study the deep things of God.
In His love!
Amen.
9/24/11
Mat 24:42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what
hour your Lord doth come.
Mat 24:43 But know this, that if the goodman of
the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched,
and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
Mat 24:44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such
an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
When you know
not.
When you think
not.
How many times
have you regretted not being ready for something? If you're anything like me,
more than once. Yet, do we always
feel that way about being robbed? I know I don't, or didn't, or perhaps don't
feel I should or you should because sometimes we take all the precautions, lock
our doors, lock our windows, get a friend to keep an eye on the house and still
a robber manages to gain entrance even though all the proper precautions were
made. If all the proper precautions are made how can a person feel guilty over
being robbed? How can they feel that they should have done something more when
they did all they could? That' not quite what Jesus is saying is it.
In our case we
don't believe, really, really believe we will be robbed and that's what allows
us to leave our homes and go out. If we thought that every time we left our
house unoccupied it would be robbed- we'd make sure it was never unoccupied,
right? We'd be downright foolish and deserving of being robbed if we didn't keep
our home occupied.
If we are told
that our Lord is going to come and we can't know when that tells us something
very important… we have to be ready for Him at ALL times and never leave our
house unoccupied!
If we are told
that our Lord is going come when we think He won't that tells us something as
well. We cannot trust our own thoughts for preparation and once again we have to
be ready all the time, even when we can't imagine our Lord coming.
We can't let our guard down because we think the Lord won't be coming
today. It's not a day to go out and party because our parents are away for now,
it's not time to invite our partying friends over just because we're positive
there is no way our parents will be home- they're hundreds and hundreds of miles
away. It's the same with our
thoughts on our Savior's return for us. We can NEVER be unprepared. We can NEVER
afford to believe today won't be the day because we will NEVER know exactly when
our Savior will return and we will not ever have proof positive of the day
Christ returns- not until it happens suddenly. We KNOW our Savior will return for us-
this is a fact proven way beyond any fiction. And we must WATCH, we must be
READY.
Some might say
that living day by day with the expectation of Christ returning that day and day
by day being disappointed would wear down the most staunch Christian, but it's
not true. Day by day expectation if not met becomes one day closer to the day of
Christ's return if not the day.
Satan would have
us believe we'll never be ready. Satan would have us give up hope. Satan would
have us become disappointed. Satan would have us lose our faith because that's
exactly what happens when we are not ready - we're faithless.
It's true!
Faithless. And we know without faith it's impossible to please Him.
Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to
please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a
rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
God is not going
to force a single person to have faith, not one.
Our Savior is
returning.
Our Savior is
offering eternal life with Him.
Our Savior is the
bringer of immortality to us.
When is all this
happening? Today.
Seriously! I'm not going to be one of those who
put a date on my Lord's return, because the day is ALWAYS and FOREVER today, it
has to be or we will never, ever be prepared.
Christ is coming
today! Such an expectation fills us will joy, doesn't it? Such hope puts all
other things in our lives into proper perspective, doesn't it? What cares in
our lives really, really, really matter if we fully believe Christ is returning
today?
Of course someone
will pipe up and say we have to work and take care of things here on earth as
if Christ isn't going to come today or we'd be nothing but a bunch of bums on
the street. Not true. We can go to work, we can live our lives but we NEED to
do so in expectation of our Savior returning, knowing that when it happens that
is time enough to stop working and not before. Can you imagine waking up each
day and believing today is the today Christ will return and you WANT Him to
find you working, ready, watching in all you do, in anything you are
doing. With such an attitude
there is found great protection from those spiritual darts of Satan. If YOU
truly believe that Christ could arrive at any moment wouldn't that give you
pause when temptations come along? Shouldn't it give you pause towards
presumptuous sinning? It is true that we must depend upon our Savior for
salvation and NOT upon our ability to keep from sinning. We must depend upon our
SAVIOR'S ability to keep us from sinning, but we have to have faith in Him to do
so, a pure, a true living faith in Him and His righteousness. It is our
duty...
Ecc 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole
matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
It is our duty to
do that which is within our ability to do through God. If we are able to resist
temptation it's because we have placed our hope and trust in God's ability to
keep us from evil, to deliver us from evil not because we suddenly have hope in
ourselves to cease sinning. If we
are able to keep His commandments which is our duty- it is through His power not
through our own power. What we need to do is truly FEAR GOD. We need to truly
believe in God and have a living, breathing fear of Him whether that fear is
suppose to be a deep reverence or a true fear which reveals an understanding
that He is a consuming fire.
Heb 12:29 For our God is a consuming fire.
We need to Fear
God and out of that fear understand that it is then only possible to keep His
commandments. Without that fear of God we have no chance to keep His
commandments, none.
So let us be
ready always, always watching, always praying!
In our hearts we
must believe always-
Jesus is
returning for us today! This is
the good news, this is the gospel, this is the truth our Savior came to give to
us- salvation in Him, today and every day, always.
AMEN.