Sanctuary Study Notes
Audio files of the Sanctuary Study (starts at 03-03-18)
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Below is a raw 265 page DOCX file that I converted to HTML without formatting between 03-03-2018 to 03-07-2020.


Click here to jump to the "66 objects on the Candlestick" mentioned in the video that exposes the AntiPauline movement.

The Sanctuary (INTRO)
“That I may dwell among them”

Exodus 25:8-9, "And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. 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."

Why was this sanctuary so important to the Lord?  Why was it so important that He gave Moses specific instructions on how to build it? Absolutely every board, nail, cup, types of metal, wood, fabric and even the use of specific colors were all laid out before Moses in a perfect pattern by the Lord that Moses was instructed to follow to the letter. And it was so important to do exactly as the Lord said that any sidestepping at all meant certain death.

When we look forward to our day and see how mankind has fallen so far on this sin sick world, we can see that we have been separated from our heavenly Father who wants nothing but the best for us. He truly is a God of the most pure love ever displayed in all the Universe. But His plans for us and His instructions on how to live our lives have been clouded by the enemy of souls who tempts us to walk away from the only true and perfect love mankind has ever known.

Genesis 1:27-28, "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth."

Literally all of Heaven took an intense interest in creation and especially that of the creation of mankind in that we are plainly made in the image of the very God those angels worship. And no, please don’t misunderstand my words here. Those angels do don’t worship us; but they do know how special we are and how much love has been shown towards us by the very God they do worship.

Let me ask you a question. Have you ever punished your child for a wrongful act they did one day? And when you sent that precious child of yours to their room to be alone, did it not cut at your heart deeply at times during the day that you could actually weep? Didn’t you want to be with your child even though you knew they were in the wrong and had to be taught a lesson between right and wrong? Well, our heavenly Father loves us even more than we can contemplate, and even though we have sinned against him, as your child did against you, He too wants to be with us to let us know everything will be ok while we suffer on this sin sick world. That is what the sanctuary is all about. This is why He said “let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them” that day. And better yet, not only does He dwell among us; He shows us how to find our way back to His loving arms through that same sanctuary.

The basic definition of a sanctuary is a place that is set apart for holy use. It is also defined in just about every dictionary on earth to be a place of refuge or even asylum for those in grave danger to life and limb. It can even be defined as a way of being comforted and even protected from something that is harmful to our own existence. This is why they use the same term when they speak of sanctuary cities in America. Although they use it merely as a political term, they claim it’s to protect the people they so desperately want in the nation.

And just so you know, some of us even have places we call sanctuaries in our own homes. A place we can get away from the distractions we often encounter day by day. It could be a back room wherein we can go to be alone in Christ, a walk in the garden or even a special place in the woods near our home that we go to whenever we need to be at peace in the Lord.

Truth is however, and I hope to illustrate this in detail in this study series, even though many may not know this; all of us as babes in Christ stepped into the sanctuary the very day we met and accepted Jesus Christ as our eternal Lord and Saviour. Just as the sanctuary that was brought to light at Sinai marking a new era in Israel’s relationship with the Lord, so was it when each of us walked into a new era in our own lives when we began to walk with Jesus Christ. In fact it says in Ezekiel 11:16, "Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Although I have cast them far off among the heathen, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet will I be to them as a little sanctuary in the countries where they shall come."

After all, is it not written in 2 Corinthians 6:16, that ".. ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people."

This is also why Jesus said what He said when in prayer the very night he was arrested to be taken off to be ridiculed, unjustly tried and then taken to the very cross where He was to die for each of us. He said in John 17:21-23, "That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.  And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:  I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me." And Hebrews 2:11 says, "For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,"

We all need to learn to walk with Him in this very small number in these last days, and we do so with a sanctified purpose and therefore desire to be with Him where He is and where He leads us for it is also written in Hebrews 11:16, "But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city."

And that city is New Jerusalem that the apostle John spoke of in Revelation 21:2-4 when he stated, "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.  And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."

Salvation is a wonderful thing as every new and old Christian can attest to. Seeing how our God is one that is perfect in every way, and His love cannot be explained by even an angel, a love that proceeds and quite frankly originates from Him so as to declare salvation is the exact opposite of damnation; and it’s not just a life or death thing either; brothers and sisters. Everything Satan offers in the way of sin, from the most vulgar to the most addictive and miserable cannot hold even a small flickering candle to that which our Lord has prepared for every true Christian. For “as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." -1 Corinthians 2:9.

But, just as obedience to Satan brings on every putrid and self-destructive vice that leads to despair, disease and finally death; obedience to our Lord brings on every blessing he has outlined in His Word. In other Words, when we as Christians say He is Lord of our lives, we better mean it! If not, we will be only fooling ourselves into thinking we are Heaven bound. Obedience means to walk with Him in purity. And there are not to be found any gray areas in that truth because even though you can lie to yourself, you cannot lie to the ever living God that reads the heart of the repentant souls striving unto perfection just as easily as He does the reprobate seeking to become forever destroyed.

As was prophesied long ago about the remnant of her seed; this is what we strive unto; the perfection that is the righteousness of Christ. This is why we keep His Sabbath, refuse to lie, or even steal from others just to name a few. Sure, at times it seems we do this on our own; but that’s only because of the love we have within for Him, and that same love compels us to run after His heart as did David of old. Deep truly calleth unto deep and so as we walk day by day we are moved to emulate the footsteps of perfecting in Christ and the best way to discover His will for us is to walk into that Sanctuary that is still standing in New Jerusalem as we speak.

Still, as He promised so He does. He actually helps us to love Him and He even helps us to keep His law. Paul stated in 2 Corinthians 3:2-4, "Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men:  Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the 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 fleshy tables of the heart.  And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward:" And as David said long ago, we echo today. Psalms 40:8 says, "I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart."

That all being said; were you aware that devotion to the Lord thy God as well as a desire to deny the flesh was a prerequisite in preparing the tabernacle of the Lord that we the obedient bride of Christ thousands of years later are actually studying each Sabbath day? It says in Exodus 25:1-2, "And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering."

And then it goes on from there to list all that was needed to build the perfect house of the Lord as per the pattern given unto Moses on the mountain. And there was a lot of different items in that list just as there are a lot of different things we need to do to perfect our walks right now. Are we not declared to be that same tabernacle today? Do we not need to prepare for the coming of the Lord just as much as any soul that has walked this earth even from back in the days of Adam? And so just as they readied themselves for the day of atonement each year, we ready ourselves for the coming of the Lord.

In this Sanctuary study series that we will begin in 2 weeks I hope to go through all that the Word of God speaks on concerning the tabernacle of the Lord so as to help all of us, myself included; discover where it is we lack in the perfection we strive unto because all of us want to not only make our Father smile, most if not all of us want to partake in that latter rain and I see no better way to prepare for it than to see exactly what the Sanctuary means to the people of God today.

I also solicit your prayers as I study and pray each time I go into this very intense study waiting on the Lord to give me the understanding and utterance necessary to explain what His Word says on all this. Because some of this truth is very deep and I cannot help but to see the urgency of the days we live in and unless we look into the greatest prophetic utterance ever spoken by our God in Heaven that not only speaks of His Son as our Saviour but also speaks of how His people will be in New Jerusalem, all of us will fall far short of the perfection we strive unto. And so it is my hope that we study the Sanctuary in the way our Father in Heaven would have us study it so as to be prepared to not only stand in New Jerusalem, but to do so as His Son’s perfect undefiled bride that is soon to go forth to glorify Him like no other people on earth has ever done or will ever do.

The key in all this has to be the fact that we must be 100% willing to do whatever it takes to not only perfect our walks, but to gain the wisdom, faith, courage and discernment that will help us to teach others that the Lord sends our way so they too can do the same. But we must obey Him in every statement of His Word if we are to gain the fruits needed to go forth.

If we refuse or forget as they did at the base of mount Sinai long ago, we may learn the truths His Sanctuary speaks of just as anyone else with the ability to learn the basics can do; but without a contrite heart that desires to really obey Him, we will never be able to apply any of this truth to our lives so as to see Him glorified and find our way home to His loving arms in the promised land.

No unwilling offering was ever received in the building of the temple back then, and it must be the exact same way with His obedient bride today. It must be a gift of pure love, and this doesn’t just mean giving of self in the service of the Lord as is the great commission of every soul saved by Christ; it also has to do with tithing and love offerings because without them the temple never would have been built.

And no, it’s not about the amount either. It doesn’t matter if you’re rich or poor. All you need to be is obedient. After all, He is the one that declared this truth, not mankind. When He said 10% He meant 10%. And as for the love offerings; that was to be given in any way you can. And again, it’s not about the amount. He knows all about what we can and cannot afford on an individual basis.

Do you remember what Jesus shared in Mark 12:42-44, 2000 years ago? He stated “there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing.  And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury:  For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living."

She gave her all and that is what we must do. She loved the Lord so much she trusted Him to provide for her needs on a day by day basis and this is what we need to do. After all, when it comes time to where we cannot buy and sell, how easy will it be for us to trust Him then if we don’t learn to trust Him now?

I must say when I read about her faith back then and how the Jews gave so much in the building of the temple when Moses asked them to help perform that work of glorifying the Lord, I was blessed deep within when I saw how Moses actually had to ask the people of God to stop donating when that which they sent was enough to build the Sanctuary. Check it out…

Exodus 36:5-7 says, "And they spake unto Moses, saying, The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work, which the LORD commanded to make. And Moses gave commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, Let neither man nor woman make any more work for the offering of the sanctuary. So the people were restrained from bringing. For the stuff they had was sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much."

And by the way; the Lord was the one that provided all the riches in the first place to each and every individual that participated in that building because as we all know; the Jews spoiled Egypt when they left to worship the Lord in the desert. Since the Lord never changes, He is the one that provides what we have on a daily basis as well. And so He will most assuredly help us do the work that needs to be done today as well; no matter what the task is before us, it will be done. But only by His obedient children; and it will only be as far as it is needed.

Can you imagine the money hungry church leaders of today doing it the way it was done back then? The preachers of filthy lucre in these last days would never ask the people to stop sending in the money even after they receive one hundred times more than they need for whatever project they are planning. The fact these so called pastors have mansions, a fleet of cars and private jets proves that hands down because they don’t need those mansions, jets and fleets to do the work.

Still, there are honest people out there even today that I am sure would do it the proper way if given the opportunity to do so for their Lord. After all, our Father in Heaven has always had a people on this earth that loved Him in every generation. And I must say being a part of this church family makes it easy to see how this is true throughout every generation including our own.

And did you notice, the Lord really does provide as promised because when the Jews gave unto the Lord to build the temple back then; they gave from what He previously gave them when they left Egypt in the same way He gives everyone of us what we need to live each and every time we receive a paycheck. Contrary to popular belief via those wolves who keep declaring the New Testament states the tithe ended, we know better as we read the Word with the Holy Spirit within guiding us into all truth.

But it never ends there with the Father. It’s one thing to give unto to the Lord that which He has given us. All of His people that tithe with an obedient heart know all about this. In fact, this is one area wherein He allows us to test Him. It says this in Malachi 3:8-11, "Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts."

Absolutely every Christian I know, myself included, have all experienced the same thing. What I mean is, when we finally discovered the promise of our Lord in the tithe, all of us have seen His hand move just as He said it would move. Sure, it may be hard to see at first, but if you watch closely you will see His promise come to light.

For example, when I first discovered I must tithe from what the Lord already gave me just as the Jews did after He gave them the spoils of Egypt, I noticed something right off. First I noticed how the wolves on all the pulpits that I used to listen to over the years made it very difficult for the flock to see the promise fulfilled. What I mean is, the preachers of filthy lucre kept reciting the passages in Malachi over and over again and as they got richer and richer but it was also obvious that the people giving the tithe didn’t seem to get raises in their paychecks, find money in the street, or even blessed with an unexpected inheritance. And so they would often quit tithing thinking it’s all a farce. But notice this. The Lord said through Malachi that day that He would “rebuke the devourer for your sakes.” So it’s not always about a windfall of cash when you tithe.

I saw something happen after I tithed the very first time. Even though I tithed I didn’t see any money fall from the sky like the prosperity preachers would always claim. Still, the Lord’s will was clear to me when He spoke from His Word regarding the tithe and so I decided to tithe the 10% He revealed and as much as I was able with the love offering which wasn’t very much at all. But as I saw with the widow with the two mites, it’s not about the amount. It’s about the obedient act of the child of God.

Within 30 days I noticed something very amazing. No, I didn’t get a raise, I didn’t find a wad of money in the street, and no one died leaving me an inheritance. But I did notice the old riding lawn mower we had been given as a gift didn’t break down that month. I also noticed that the usual unexpected expenses from everything to a kid needing stitches, the refrigerator going on the fritz, to a motherboard or some other peripheral frying in my computer didn’t happen. At the end of the month I actually had money left over, even though I didn’t get a raise! I still had the same sized paycheck, I still had all the children living at home, the lawn still needed to be cut, but I wasn’t late with any of the bills and we had a few dollars left over to boot. I realized that before being obedient to His will regarding the tithe I was unable to keep my bills paid on time, but after tithing, which means I now only had 90% of my paycheck to work with each month, I wasn’t late on any bills and we always had extra money left over!

My point in all this is, he will provide for us just as He had promised to do for all those obedient to Him over the last 6000 years! He will prevent the devourer from taking our money from us with a flurry of unexpected expenses each month. And with all that in mind, after the Jews were done giving all they did to build the temple, the Lord gave to them again. How so you ask?

Exodus 31:1-6, "And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah: And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, To devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, And in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship. And I, behold, I have given with him Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan: and in the hearts of all that are wise hearted I have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded thee;"

So get this.. the Lord calls Moses to the mountain. He dictates His desires for a temple that His people must build for Him. But long before they were to build it, He gives them the means by which to do so by moving the Egyptians to give them all their gold, silver, brass as well as other necessities for the temple. But it didn’t end there, the Lord them grants those that are “wise hearted” or obedient as we would call them today, He granted them the wisdom on how to shape metal, cut timber, carve stones or even work in tapestry.

We saw the Lord doing as He promised to the point His people are blessed in many ways so as to do His will in perfection. And so I have to ask how is it the churches of the world today never seem to gain such blessings?

Sure, they may have the riches, the large buildings, TV air time and all sorts of other worldly things. But nary a one of them has the wise heart the Lord requires to grant them the real blessings He intends to give His people. Such blessings can only come when the child of God is obedient to His written will. And when we are obedient, He gives us all we need to build the perfect temple for Him to dwell in. "…for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.  Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,  And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty."

Think on this as well. When you pray don’t always concentrate on what you want in life. Would it not be better to just ask the Lord to grant us the courage, faith and wisdom to live each day in accordance with His will whether it’s part of our plans or not? Should that not be first and foremost in our hearts and minds every moment? We are His little sanctuaries are we not? We declare in prayer that we believe in what He is doing in our lives and since we believe in Him to finish the work He has promised to do. Is it not written in Philippians 1:6 that we can be “confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:"

As His Son’s bride we should be more concerned in helping Him build what He is wanting to build in us. And so when things don’t go your way, don’t get upset, just be happy that He has revealed to you His will. Because if it doesn’t work as you planned that day, then you have the proof you need to know that it wasn’t His will in the first place. In other words, if it doesn’t go your way it’s because it wasn’t His way. This can help us all to learn by our mistakes so as to become the people He prophesied we will be.

And as we all know, obedience is key to building the temple. Be it the one built with stone in ancient days, to the one built in the heart of His obedient bride today wherein the living God of all creation can gain eternal entry. He is our God and we are His people. And so allow Him to use you; and all that He has given you to build that temple that will not only see Him glorified, you will discover it also reveals Him as God to those seeking the peace we have in Jesus.

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The Sanctuary “Entering the Court”

As I go through this study series I plan to share two views to the Sanctuary, its furnishings and the services. One view would be that of Jesus walking into the Sanctuary and doing all that was prophesied about Him doing and the other view will illustrate how it is when the Christian walks into the Sanctuary and does as prophecy says they will do.

And so, as we move into the Sanctuary courtyard, you will see that it represents the earth and the prophesied work of Christ Jesus when He came to walk on earth 2000 years ago.

If we look at the Sanctuary from above we will see a large courtyard surrounding the Tabernacle that we will get into later. That courtyard houses the holy and most holy place which we also discuss in more detail later.

The courtyard itself was one hundred cubits long and fifty cubits wide. Curtains of fine twined linen hung from pillars of brass all around closing in the courtyard in a rectangular shape. The gate of the courtyard was twenty cubits wide and was in the center of the east end of the courtyard so that everyone walking into the court would be putting their backs to the rising Sun in the east; of which Satan obviously moved the Pagans to worship and thanks to the all the Pagan holidays that surround the movements of the Sun we see he still does so to this day; hence the reason for the Sunday Sabbath of the long prophesied Babylonian Vatican of Rome. The curtains that formed the door of the court were of “blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen wrought with needlework” as Exodus 27:9 -18 describes, but we will look into the reasons and biblical definitions for the colors later on in the series.

For now let’s look at when rebuking Satan after he moved Adam and Eve to sin, it says in Genesis 3:14-15 that “the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." In other words, a Saviour was promised unto mankind so as to overcome the sin brought on by the serpent.

As all of us know, mankind has always found out by experience the result of refusing to walk in the path of obedience as it is outlined in the Word of God. Jesus said in John 14:6, "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." So just as there is only one Tabernacle there is only one path to Paradise restored and that is the path of obedience. And it is also declared in Psalms 77:13, "Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary: who is so great a God as our God?"

That’s right, if you look at the Sanctuary it was actually the Gospel message way back then.

This amazing covenant of grace was first made with man in Eden when directly after our first parents fell into sin. The Lord declared a divine promise that the seed of the woman should bruise the serpent's head as we just saw in Genesis 3:15. To all of us on earth this covenant of the Lord granted us the free gift of salvation in Jesus Christ. This covenant also promised eternal life on the condition of obedience to God's law, and so even though they sinned a grievous sin, they still had hope. And yes, Adam and Eve knew all about the law of God for it also states in Psalms 103:20 that “his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word."

After all, how could Satan be cast from Heaven to end up in that tree to tempt Eve had he not transgressed the law of God long before ending up in that tree? So the basic reality here is, if the angels understood the law of God before mankind was in the garden, so did Adam and Eve. Basic reality is, if there was no law, then why were they cast from the garden? And being cast out they obviously needed a Way by which to return to that garden. And as we know, Christ is the way, the truth, and the life, because no man cometh unto the Father, but by Jesus Christ the Son of God.

And so Christ must come as Saviour to all of mankind and that means He must be become a man as the prophecy of His birth to a virgin fulfills so as to stand on the earth. Hence the reason for the courtyard in the Sanctuary that depicts Christ entering the court or as the prophetic symbolism defines; Christ entered earth to be that promised Saviour that will crush Satan once and for all.

 And so, Jesus came to earth, but not before being prophesied many times to actually come here. The first of which was when he put the serpent in his place and declared his just deserts for what he did in that tree. But if you look into the Word you see over 450 prophecies about Jesus not only coming to earth, but they outline many things He will do once He gets here. And the Sanctuary itself is one huge prophetic utterance and this is why I believe the Lord moved me to do this study. As close as we are to the end now, we as the bride of Christ need to be very clear about all that was prophesied so as to better combat all the false prophecies flying around out there.

Adam lived nearly a thousand years, and we know he offered sacrifice on a regular basis with the hope of a coming Redeemer because his son’s followed his lead in how they offered sacrifice. Yes, Caine did so in an evil manner, but that’s a whole nother sermon and so I won’t get into that here. My point is that Adam, Abel, Seth, Methuselah as well as Noah and his sons offered sacrifice but they too never saw the Lord returning before their deaths. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob also offered sacrifice and they too died before Jesus came as the perfect sacrifice for their sins. But that doesn’t mean He was never to come.

Just to mention a few of the hundreds of prophecies, we read in Numbers 24:17, "I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth."

As for that Sceptre, it says in Micah 5:2, "But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting."

This is how the Wise Men knew to come to Bethlehem and they made the connection to the Star as well for it was penned in Matthew 2:2 that the wise men asked, “Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him."

But before all that occurred 2000 years ago the prophets spoke of Messiah, and all went to their graves without seeing Him. Daniel declared Him “Messiah the Prince” and Jeremiah even spoke of the mothers who “refused to be comforted” when Herod went on a rampage seeking to kill Jesus as a child. And so, day after day and century after century the sacrifices of the patriarchs, prophets and high priests were offered up with the hope of the coming Messiah. All of that was allowed so as to ready the people for the coming Messiah, but the people of God grew weary instead. So much so that by the time Jesus actually did step into the courtyard itself, they didn’t recognize Him. And yes, that too was prophesied.

Isaiah 60:1-2 says, "Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee." But again, they grew weary and as Ezekiel 12:22 prophesied, "…The days are prolonged, and every vision faileth?"

And John 1:10-11 confirmed that "He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.  He came unto his own, and his own received him not."

Still, the fullness of time had come. Paul declared in Galatians 4:4-5, "But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,  To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons."

Jesus had entered into the courtyard just as prophesied and exactly on time as the prophet Daniel declared and so all is as it should be, even to this day. And so now that He has done as He promised up to this point; how does His walking into the courtyard compare with our personal walks into that very same courtyard?

As we know, Jesus has always declared and reiterated as such in John 14:6 when "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." And since we have seen how He walked into the courtyard by being born of a virgin and then going forth to proclaim His Father’s love. As Christians we must do the same.

After all, is it not written in John 16:13-14, "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.  He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you." And it has been recorded even before the apostles were given utterance regarding the way our God guides us as David His king echoed the Word of the Lord in Psalms 32:8 by saying, "I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye."

As we learned last Sabbath, the courtyard had a gate on the east so as to cause the people of God to enter in under obedience in a way that declares they deny the god of this world. Walking into the courtyard meant you had to place your back to the Sun that rises in the East of which the Pagans of old and most Christians today still embrace as a god thanks to how Rome has infiltrated all the churches. Do they not worship on the Pagan day of the Sun each week? And have we not seen the pictures of the SDA General Conference Letterhead wherein they have people worshipping the Sun?

Notice the picture I just posted in the room.
http://sdaapostasy.org/images/NAD-sun-worship.jpg

Now notice a historic artist’s rendition of Ball worship in the next picture.
http://sdaapostasy.org/images/ez9.jpg

They look identical do they not? And so this is one reason we’re studying the Sanctuary as it confirms just by the eastern gate how the Lord commands His people to put their back to the rising Sun. Since most people in the government approved churches don’t study the Sanctuary, none know how this is part of how the obedient people of God obey their Lord.

And so like the ancient and obedient people of God who made an open and public statement to all looking on, we the remnant of her seed today also make an open and public statement by worshipping our God on the seventh day Sabbath, and in so doing we turn our backs to the day of the Sun as it is embraced by all churches today. And so the act of walking into the Sanctuary as Christians locks down both the command and the obedient act in the symbol of the eastern gate.

But notice this as well about that gate. Exodus 27:16, "And for the gate of the court shall be an hanging of twenty cubits, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework: and their pillars shall be four, and their sockets four."

Since we know our God never does anything without a specific purpose, what is the reason for all these colors? The plan of salvation, which the Sanctuary prophesies in every nook and cranny is far too important not to look into every aspect of it. After all, is it not written in Psalms 12:6 that "The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times." And since he tries every word that means ever spoken word in symbol and reality are perfectly placed in His Word for a reason and so we must hang on every Word he shared.

That being said, that means every nail, type of metal, fabric, stone and even the colors used will have a purposeful meaning in the building of this sanctuary. Keep in mind, we worship a God that makes the trillions of cells in our body interact with each other for a reason and so He would have no problem doing the same in His Word. And just so you know, the linen used was white. It says this in Revelation 19:8, "And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints."

So right off we see the white used in the gate is a symbol of purity and righteousness. The color blue as most of us already know means obedience in prophecy and this is why the Lord used blue sapphire stone to carve the ten commandments in long ago. Exodus 24:9-10 says, "Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel: And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness."

I in my heart do believe even though I cannot find a Bible verse to back it up, that this is also why our sky is blue. It helps us to always remember the Law of our God by simply looking up towards His throne as we pray. In fact, it says in Numbers 15:38-39, "Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a ribband of blue: And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the LORD, and do them; and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring:"

Next we see the color purple, which is actually the color of royalty as well as the color that signifies someone being obedient even unto death. Remember when they mocked the Lord Jesus right before they crucified Him? John 19:2-3 says, "the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple robe,  And said, Hail, King of the Jews! and they smote him with their hands."

But how does purple represent obedient unto death? In prophecy the color red or “scarlet” as it is called here represents sacrifice as well as other symbols of prophecy. When speaking of our Lord’s sacrifice it says in Revelation 19:13 that “he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God." That being said, what happens when you mix red and blue together? You get the color purple! And so the blue represents obedience and the color red represents the death and as we all know and declare openly that Jesus died for our sins in that He was perfectly obedient unto death, it was proper that those evil Roman soldiers placed that purple robe upon Him that day.

Now that we know what the colors mean, why are there four pillars in this gate? Hebrews 10:20 says, "By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;"

That veil was held up by four pillars just as His Gospel message was declared by four apostles, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Yes, I know some of you just smiled because you just saw the connection here. It is an amazing thing to see, and so I repeat, this God that controls and designed each of the trillions of cells in our body that work together to keep up alive is very capable of designing a Bible that intertwines and works together in perfection so as to not only discover His will for us, but once found it helps to keep us alive for all eternity.

Moving on I feel the need to mention that as the number seven indicates completeness in the Word, hence the Sabbath was on day seven directly after the Lord completed His work of creation, the number four holds significance as well. If we study further into this we find the number four is repeated often in the Sanctuary. There are four ingredients in the shewbread, four corners to the earth as the Word calls it or North, South, East and West as we call it today, four ingredients in the incense as well as the oil in the Sanctuary services, and of course the fourth commandment. As we continue in this series we will see many instances wherein the number four plays a part. But for now, let us look a tad deeper into the gate, which as we know has always been a position of authority in all ancient cities.

Deuteronomy 16:18 says that, "Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, throughout thy tribes: and they shall judge the people with just judgment."

If you were ever asked to appear at the gate of a city you knew something was up. It could be good news or bad depending upon the judgment put forth at the gate. That being the case, would it not be wise to have this same type of gate in the courtyard of the Sanctuary? Upon entering in, you the Christian commit an obedient act of putting your back to the world so as to face the throne of God in the Most Holy place of that same Sanctuary. And keeping His law is a big part of this obedience as we know. So much so, some of the ancient palaces would actually inscribe the Law on those gates so as to better illustrate the importance of it. To this day some Jews actually place the Law of God upon their own doorposts. When speaking of the Law, Deuteronomy 6:8-9 says, "And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates."

When I was first married I got a job putting windows in a highrise of Chicago that was being converted to condos. Most of the residents in that highrise were Jewish, and I noticed they all had a silver wheat leaf hanging on their doorposts. So I inspected one of them closely and found out it had a secret compartment in it. When I opened it I found a very long scroll in extremely small lettering in Hebrew that seem to go on forever. I learned later that it was the Ten Commandments as well as all of the ordinances of Moses. That’s how important the gate is. And I believe they would have the meetings at the gate so that it would make it far easier to cast someone out of the city who was in sin by simply closing the gate on them.

Now notice this about that gate. The Lord had them set up the cities in a way wherein they could be a place of refuge when things happened in an innocent manner that caused deaths. Joshua 20:2-4 says, "Speak to the children of Israel, saying, Appoint out for you cities of refuge, whereof I spake unto you by the hand of Moses: That the slayer that killeth any person unawares and unwittingly may flee thither: and they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood. And when he that doth flee unto one of those cities shall stand at the entering of the gate of the city, and shall declare his cause in the ears of the elders of that city, they shall take him into the city unto them, and give him a place, that he may dwell among them."

Could you imagine them doing that today wherein everyone is guilty until proven innocent? Or in this society wherein people are sue happy to the point accidents cause people to go to jail?

This gate was to represent the gate of Heaven in the same way Jacob saw it when he was fleeing from Esau. If you recall, Jacob saw the ladder in his dream that went from earth all the way to Heaven. A gate in a city was like that in a way wherein you can stand outside the city while still in the gate and the elders could discuss whether or not you could enter into the city. The gate in the city is like the ladder in how it connected the city of Heaven to the world with the fleeing child of God who sought refuge sitting in the gate hoping to gain entry. In fact, after Jacob had the dream of the ladder that connected the earth to New Jerusalem, he said in Genesis 28:17 that “he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven."

Notice this as well in how this ladder is described in both the Old and New Testament. First, this is how Jacob described what he saw in his dream. Genesis 28:12, "And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it." Now notice what Jesus says in John 1:51, "..Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man." And remember what Jesus also said in John 10:7, "Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep." And common sense tells us that a door is the same thing as a gate.

So as is obvious, Jesus is the gate that the Christian comes to when they first seek refuge from their sins. In fact it says this in Psalms 118:19-20, "Open to me the gates of righteousness: I will go into them, and I will praise the LORD: This gate of the LORD, into which the righteous shall enter."

So as the gate was the only way to gain entry in to the sanctuary court, so is Jesus Christ the only way to gain entry into heaven or even into the righteousness of Christ; which is the perfection we all strive unto. Again, Jesus said "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by Me." For a very valid reason. In fact Jesus also said in Matthew 7:13-14, "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:  Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."

As we know Jesus said he would be with us all the way till the end, we can have perfect faith that as we walk with Him those angels Jacob saw running up and down the ladder are doing the same for us day by day.

But, none of this is possible without first entering into the gate. This is why Jesus constantly pleads with us to "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28) or, “..Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 19:14)

We have all done many evil acts in the world and we must seek refuge in Jesus Christ and so everyone of us must enter into the gate so as to escape eternal damnation and gain salvation. And once we enter we must do as the keeper of the gate commands else we will not be allowed to stay in the city any more than a criminal can enter in or stay in any civilized society once he is caught in a criminal act. We will end up back in the bondage of sin just like the criminal in the physical prison. Isaiah 30:21 says, "..This is the way, walk ye in it.”

We need to remember that while we are inside the gate of the sanctuary, or claiming to be followers of Jesus Christ, we are on holy ground. And so it is important that we learn how "..to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth." -1 Timothy 3:15.

The house of our God on earth is ordained and sanctified as the gate of heaven and so we must continue in our walk as citizens of heaven merely visiting this planet until our work on earth is done. This is also why we ask all those attending our online church gatherings that when we meet together in Christ we do not chit chat during church services. The same sacredness which was attached to the earthly sanctuary is the same sacredness our loving Father applies to our gatherings. For did not our Lord, King and Saviour declare in Matthew 18:20, "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."

Look around, we know His prophetic Word is true, right? The signs of the times confirm it. And since we know He means what He says when He says it; that means all His doctrines are truth as well. And since we also know all that is true, His Law is forever binding as well. The fact we have such fruits dictates to the seeker that we have met the keeper of the gate and we have the Holy Spirit within who then helps us keep that law and so with all that said we are citizens of New Jerusalem even as we stand on this sin sick world. And since the Holy Spirit really is with us as we gather in His name each Sabbath or when we gather for study during the week, we must act accordingly while in His presence. But, that doesn’t mean we can go back into our sinful ways the minute we leave church because we have entered into the gate of the Lord Jesus Christ and so we are always to represent Him as Lord before all we come into contact with as this is our duty as Christians. They need to know who Jesus is and so if we are to be used of the Lord to bring souls into the truth we need to walk in the Lord even when we are alone and not with like-minded brethren.

Many years ago, and this was before cell phones and caller ID, I got a phone call from a brother in the faith. He had a very distinct voice and so I knew him right off when he called me on the phone. But because my phone number was only a digit or two different from the local pizza place he thought he dialed them instead and when I said hello, he knew he got a wrong number because I didn’t say the name of the pizza parlor first along with the normal greeting of “how may I help you.” And so he quickly said, is this the pizza place, and when I said no to his question, before I could say his name and let him know I knew it was him, he cursed and hung up the phone.

The reason I said that was to illustrate how some people leave their Christianity at the gate and live the way they want in the world. I knew this brother well and we talked often on the phone. But every time I saw him at church, or on the phone he displayed a very Christlike persona. But sadly, when he thought no one from his church family were watching, his worldiness was allowed to come forth without an bridle to hold it back.

James 1:26 says, "If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain."

There are many ways to look at this passage to see the truth in it. But for this context it is obvious. He thought his religion was solid within his heart and displayed it as such when Christians were around him, but when he believed he was on his own, his true colors came forth proving his religion was based on his vanity. He only wanted to be seen as a Christian to hide his shame as so many do today.

Hopefully, the sermon I shared not long after that cut his heart because I recall that experience with him on the phone that day moved me to preach a sermon regarding how even if we were in a different State, country or even on the moon for that matter; we must walk as a Christian no matter who we think is watching because our God who sees us standing at the gate is watching every move we make each and every day of the year.

..reminds me of a man I saw doing very evil acts in another State I was visiting. He had no idea I was there that day. As I slowly drove by he did something before the eyes of everyone towards a young girl thinking no one from his church saw him do. But the Lord purposely had me drive by that day to not only see it but to also learn by it that He truly is watching us everywhere we go. If I, a mere man can see someone openly sin like that by chance, how easy is it for our God to see it happen even when it is behind closed door.

We have a duty to go forth in the Lord in perfect obedience so that when He calls upon us to do a work for Him He can trust we will do it just as He needs us to do it. And even if are nowhere near like-minded believers, we must go forth in Christ to help others see Christ Jesus in us. In fact, right before Jesus ascended back into the city of New Jerusalem He said in Matthew 28:19-20 that we all must, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen."

If one minute we declare Him Lord and the next minute we curse, look upon a woman in lust or act unchristian in any way shape or form, how can we be used of Him that stated plainly that He is with us always, even unto the end of the world?

In this study I would like to speak on the courtyard itself as well as all that is within it. First and foremost, the courtyard was an open air area that surrounded the holy and most holy place. It was one hundred cubits long and fifty cubits wide. In today’s measurements that would be around seventy-five by one hundred fifty feet.

Exodus 27:11-13, "And likewise for the north side in length there shall be hangings of an hundred cubits long, and his twenty pillars and their twenty sockets of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver. And for the breadth of the court on the west side shall be hangings of fifty cubits: their pillars ten, and their sockets ten. And the breadth of the court on the east side eastward shall be fifty cubits."

If you were looking from above you would see that the entrance to the courtyard was on the east end. If you divided the courtyard in two, one half for the open air furnishings and the other half for the tabernacle you would see on the east end an altar for the burnt offerings first and as you travel west towards the tabernacle you will see the laver. And then of course you would come to the tabernacle that was in two parts, the first being the holy place and the second the most holy place.

So what does all this mean? If we were to generalize, the entire sanctuary appeared as two large squares that end to end formed a rectangle. The first half had the altar and the laver and the second had the tabernacle. The first section or square represented the Lord’s work on earth for our salvation and the second, where the tabernacle was represents His work for us in New Jerusalem.  We will get into the furnishings of the courtyard later on, but for now what is the wall of the courtyard made of and why?

According to the Word of God the court was enclosed with what appeared like a fence of hanging fabric all around in the form of a large rectangle. Exodus 38:16 says that "All the hangings of the court round about were of fine twined linen." The Word defines the reason for this white linen by stating this about the bride of Christ in Revelation 19:8, "And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints."

The reason it is white is obvious as this represents purity. But were you also aware that it says this in Revelation 7:13-15, "And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?  And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.  Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them."

Amazing isn’t it? Obedient Christians are being represented here in those pure white linen hangings that encompass the entire courtyard. As obedient Christians we are there before the throne of our God and he dwells among us in perfect love and we do this work on earth for Him so as to bring souls into His love. 

And think on this as well. Remember how we discussed how the Lord always provides for us and how the people of God spoiled Egypt when the Lord moved the Egyptians to give them everything they needed to build the sanctuary? Our salvation is also a gift that He provides. Isaiah 55:1 said long ago, "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price."

Now let us turn our attention to the court pillars. The linen wall surrounding the courtyard was held up by brass pillars of the same height as the linen which was five cubits and they were spread all along the wall five cubits apart.

Exodus 27:10; 35:1 & 38:17,18 says, "And the twenty pillars thereof and their twenty sockets shall be of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets shall be of silver.  The pins of the tabernacle, and the pins of the court, and their cords, And the sockets for the pillars were of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver; and the overlaying of their chapiters of silver; and all the pillars of the court were filleted with silver. And the hanging for the gate of the court was needlework, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen: and twenty cubits was the length, and the height in the breadth was five cubits, answerable to the hangings of the court."

So as we see, each pillar was set in a socket of brass and its top was what they called a 'chapiter’ which today would be called a capital. Kind of like the fancy tops we see on fence posts today, only a bit more eloquent. Just below each chapiter was a "fillet," or a silver connecting band which had hooks also made of silver. The linen wall was suspended by these hooks. And from the top of each pillar was a cord that was anchored in the ground with brass pins or stakes as we call them today to keep it all steady in the wind.

In other words, the linen that represents the righteousness of the obedient Christian is also steady because as it is written of the elect of God not even “every wind of doctrine” can move the obedient child of God off the path as they are well grounded, or staked as this linen wall was, and so are we staked into His Word. For it is plainly written in Ephesians 4:14, "That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;" And so if we stand firm in Christ, we too will remain steady while in this world no matter how hard the wind of false doctrine blows.

Looking a little closer at the pillars and you will see in Exodus 24:4 that “Moses wrote all the words of the LORD, and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar under the hill, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel."

If you read into that chapter you will see Moses then gathered the elders along with Aaron and his sons and ratified the covenant by building an altar and twelve pillars, "according to the twelve tribes of Israel." This illustrates how the pillars do represent God's obedient children. In fact it says in  Revelation 3:10-12, "Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.  Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.  Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name."

And so we see pillars do in fact represent the obedient people of God in both the prophetic structure of the Sanctuary just as much as they do in the prophetic utterance of Revelation. How fitting it all is, seeing how the linen those pillars hold up and keep steady in the wind are in fact representative of the righteousness of the obedient saints of the Lord.

As for the total number of the pillars of the Sanctuary, which was 60, Solomon stated that the pillars represent valiant men who stand guard around the Sanctuary in Song of Solomon 3:7-8, "Behold his bed, which is Solomon's; threescore valiant men are about it, of the valiant of Israel. They all hold swords, being expert in war: every man hath his sword upon his thigh because of fear in the night."

This is that courage we strive to perfect along with our faith, wisdom and love of the Lord. Once there we can stand firm no matter what so that the Lord will have a people just as He prophesied He would. All obedient Christians will stand, but some will stand as warriors in the Lord.

In other words, we know the linen represents the righteousness of all the saints; but the pillars are valiant soldiers of the Lord who wield the Sword of the Lord to fight the evils of the night. And just so you know, 60 is a multiple of 144,000. A number that can only represent the most blessed overcomers of all time in the very last days when the fear of the night is all around them. And does it not also say in Revelation 7:4, "And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel."

So again, it has to do with the obedient people of God all throughout time. But in the case of the 144,000, they stand as pillars in the church right alongside the believers. Hence the reason for the pillars that surround the Tabernacle of the Lord. The 144,000 or Gideon band as I like to refer to them as, these men and women will be exceptionally blessed in that they live only to glorify the Lord in word and in deed. They know exactly what it means to do as 1 Corinthians 10:31 commands which is, "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God."

Getting back, originally, the Levites were told to camp all around the sanctuary; and as we know they were appointed by God Himself to have charge of the tabernacle, It says in 1 Chronicles 23:24, 32 that "These were the sons of Levi after the house of their fathers; even the chief of the fathers, as they were counted by number of names by their polls, that did the work for the service of the house of the LORD, from the age of twenty years and upward. And that they should keep the charge of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the charge of the holy place, and the charge of the sons of Aaron their brethren, in the service of the house of the LORD."

And so looking forward to the end of all things we see in Revelation 7, after mentioning all the tribes that are to be numbered in the 144,000 it says they do the same duty as the Levites of old did in the Sanctuary on earth. When speaking of the 144,000 it says this in Revelation 7:15, "Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them."

Now as for the brass that is on each pillar in the form of a socket, as well as the additional five sockets for the Sanctuary door, we also see the brazen altar, its vessels and the laver were all made of brass. In fact, 9000 pounds worth of brass was used if you do the math found in Exodus 38.  And so why was all this brass used?

Looking into the prophetic Word we see that brass represents great strength.

·         Deuteronomy 33:25, "Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be."

·         Job 6:12, "Is my strength the strength of stones? or is my flesh of brass?"

·         Job 40:18, "His bones are as strong pieces of brass; his bones are like bars of iron."

So, brass signifies strength and victory through suffering as the sockets were actually holding up all that linen as well as the pillars themselves.

Now notice this, Jesus Christ Himself, which as we know is the righteousness of the saints in the first place, He is depicted as the BRANCH that comes forth by four chariots between two mountains of brass. It says this in Zechariah 6:1 & 12, "And I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came four chariots out from between two mountains; and the mountains were mountains of brass.  And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD:"

I found an ancient concordance online by a man named Alexander Cruden in pdf format that is extremely difficult to work with. But it does state this about the mountains of brass. It says they are "the immovable decrees of God; the steady execution of His counsels; the inseparable restraints on all empires which God keeps within the barriers of such impregnable mountains that not one can start till He opens the way."

And just so you know, many of the SDA pioneers used Cruden’s concordance as it was found to be very reliable. Problem is today; I have yet to find a digital version I can work with. But Amazon does sell a hard cover version and so I may pick one up to add to my library one day, if in fact it can be found to be unedited by those that have been busy stabbing holes in the truth the last few centuries.

The next item we can discuss that is found in the sanctuary is the use of silver. And so why was it used? In prophecy, silver represents atonement, pure and tried words as well as redemption. So of course it would be used in the sanctuary as it’s all about our redemption.

When speaking of atonement it says this in Exodus 30:15-16, "The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when they give an offering unto the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls. And thou shalt take the atonement money of the children of Israel, and shalt appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; that it may be a memorial unto the children of Israel before the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls."

And yes, a shekel is considered a certain weight of silver in Old Testament times for it is written in Numbers 7:13, "And his offering was one silver charger, the weight thereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels…”

A few verses prior to this passage in Exodus it states every man 20 years old and up needed to give this shekel as a ransom for his soul unto the Lord so that no plague may come upon them. And no, this doesn’t mean the women and children were not worthy of atonement, it’s just that this is how the families were represented back then. The man of the house presented the silver shekel for his entire family. This is why we saw thousands of years later when Jesus visited us that when He fed the 5000 only the men were counted in the number. It’s not that they were chauvinistic against women; it’s that it was how they counted families back then.  The passage stated in Matthew 14:21, "And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children." And so like in the sanctuary service, the men represented their families when Christ fed the 5000.

Silver not only represents atonement, it also represents the purity of the Word of God and since the sanctuary can also be seen as Jesus Christ and His work of redemption and atonement for us, it is fitting that silver is used as we know that John 1:14 says; "the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father) full of grace and truth."

And so the purity of silver was used in the sanctuary to represent the purity of His Word. In fact it says in Psalms 12:6, "The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times."

This is why Christianity is so amazing and so powerful. Unlike the corrupted religions of the world wherein their Pagan dogma and traditions of men are based in lies, the truth that has been tried time and again still stands forever pure. As I have said so many times before. If you were to pick up a Bible at age 20, read it and then put it down to revel in sin for 20 years, you would find when you picked it up at age 40 that the purity of the Word was still intact. The same truth you saw 20 years prior never changed, not because you still had the same Bible, but because the truth as it enters the heart still holds true no matter what the soul experiences in life the previous 20 years. The truth that moved the soul 20 years ago will still move them in the same way 20 years later as long as they are honest and faithful when reading it.

But the false religions of the world constantly change their so called holy books to keep up with the changes in society and this is why we see so many strange religions today. Some Catholics even go so far as to claim that is why their church is best because they claim it never changed. But not only does historic records from that church itself proves they change more than any other religion, the Bible also calls the Roman Catholic church the mother of harlots. And so when they claim all those Protestant churches are in sin, they’re correct, but only because their foundations are built upon mother Rome and this is why all of them have gone back into the Catholic church as a one world church as of June 26, 2000. And sadly yes, the SDA church is listed as a contributing member of that Vatican ruled church.

And so getting back, we see by the use of silver in the sanctuary which represents purity in truth, and seeing how redemption is the key to gift of God offered to every man who comes to the age of accountability that makes the wise decision to accept Jesus as Lord in His truth then it is fitting that silver would be the choice of our God to represent purity as it does. And as the patriarch Job stated so long ago in Job 22:25, "Yea, the Almighty shall be thy defence, and thou shalt have plenty of silver."

And by the way, for those that may think as did Simon Magus who thought he could purchase the Holy Spirit, we know this is not the theology behind the requirement of the shekel. Salvation is a free gift. For it is written in Isaiah 55:1, "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price." The silver represents purity and not payment for salvation.

If you recall, all the silver, gold, gems and other precious items used in the sanctuary were from the spoils of Egypt. God provided all of this freely unto His obedient people including the salvation represented by the sanctuary itself. The shekel was merely an obedient act. It’s no different than the rich man or poor man answering the call of the Lord to accept Jesus as Saviour. The Lord doesn’t require us to bring anything but ourselves to Him in repentance. Had it had anything to do with the stature of the man and his abilities in life so as to pay this or that for redemption then why is it stated in Exodus 30 that the rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel? I guess one can see it as an ancient altar call of sorts.

And by the way, the silver shekel was also needed for the service of the tabernacle. Numbers 7:5 says to, "Take it of them, that they may be to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; and thou shalt give them unto the Levites, to every man according to his service." And so like the tithe, the half shekel was nothing more than a test of obedience upon those claiming the Lord as their God. None of us gain Heaven simply because we tithe. Obedience isn’t just about repenting of sins. It’s also about obeying Him in the present after we embrace Him as Saviour each and every day we are allowed to trek this world. Tests like this come in many different ways from the Lord.

The half shekel was a test of obedience. At the same time it wasn’t considered voluntary offering as were other love offerings are. The half shekel was a command of God. In fact a refusal to pay the half shekel showed the person was willfully disobedient in the same way those that refuse to tithe are willfully disobedient and therefore had to be excluded from the privileges of the sanctuary, which then placed them in direct judgment.

Now do you see why to this day when people claiming Christ Lord that don’t pay the commanded tithe how they have no real prayer life and constant financial issues as well as other burdens in life? And this includes the rich who don’t think they have financial issues. Ask them about their constant fear of losing money, and anger problems when loved ones ask for financial help from them. The promised peace is not upon the disobedient. Truth is, even Jesus Christ Himself paid the "tribute money” when He told Peter to go fishing for it.

This entire shekel, or drachma coin as it was called in Christ’s day of visitation, was the atonement money required in the Temple. And no, Jesus didn’t need atonement or even baptism as we know. He never sinned. Jesus was obedient even here because as He told Peter that day, “it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness." -Matthew. 3:15.

Each and every time the people of Israel were numbered they were required to pay the atonement money so as to remind them of the salvation offered in the Lord. Did we not just read in Exodus 30:16 that “thou shalt take the atonement money of the children of Israel, and shalt appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; that it may be a memorial unto the children of Israel before the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls."

Now notice this… Numbers 1:46 says that “they that were numbered were six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty." That’s 603,550 men. If you add up all the shekels needed to make the chapiters and sockets for each pillar it would come to a rather nice sum of silver. It says this in Exodus 38:26-28, "A bekah for every man, that is, half a shekel, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for every one that went to be numbered, from twenty years old and upward, for six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty men. And of the hundred talents of silver were cast the sockets of the sanctuary, and the sockets of the vail; an hundred sockets of the hundred talents, a talent for a socket. And of the thousand seven hundred seventy and five shekels he made hooks for the pillars, and overlaid their chapiters, and filleted them."

If you look into what this would cost in today’s silver prices it would not be that much. In fact at the start of the end of days in the mid 1800’s silver was comparatively low. I looked online and found it to be Around $10 to $11.00 for an ounce of silver at the start of the 20th century. Or the year 1900. But a shekel comes to almost exactly 1/3 of an ounce and so it would be about $3.00 for a shekel in 1900AD.

Each pillar was about 29.5 shekels in weight. That would be $88.50 for each pillar, or $5310.00 for all 60 pillars at the silver prices of the year 1900. And I just checked the market for silver today and it’s going for $16.65 an ounce, so as we see it’s still no massive sum but it is far greater than what was given for our Lord’s betrayal.

Each pillar was about $29.5 shekels in silver and Jesus was sold for 30 pieces of silver by Judas. A supposed leader in the church. I find it amazing that each pillar was crowned with almost the exact same sum of silver that Judas was paid to betray our Lord. But then if you think about it; that fits perfectly with the fact that all of us have betrayed our Lord by sinning against Him and so we too partook in that betrayal. Yet, because of the righteousness of Christ and His perfect love and forgiveness we are still represented in the sanctuary by the linen that is held up by those pillars.

And notice this as well. It says this in Zechariah 11:13, "And the LORD said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the LORD."

It was prophesied that Jesus would be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver. But notice how low Judas thought of our Lord when he received such a paltry sum. What I mean is, when speaking of the payment deserved for the life of a slave that was killed by an ox, it states this in Exodus 21:32, "If the ox shall push a manservant or a maidservant; he shall give unto their master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned."

So it is obvious Judas thought very little of his offered gift of salvation in Jesus Christ. But as we see by the prophecy of Zechariah and the weight of each chapiter upon the pillars of the sanctuary courtyard, it is exactly what was prophesied to happen.

Let us go into detail this Sabbath day about the altar of burnt offering. As we learned earlier, when you walk into the courtyard of the sanctuary itself the brazen altar or altar of burnt offering as some call it, is the first thing you see. And it’s fitting that it’s the first thing because, have you ever heard of the term altar call? Yes, most Christians have. And since we have already heard the calling from the Lord to come to Him, we entered into the courtyard through the eastern gate to accept the sacrifice He did for us 2000 years ago. And so why is there an altar here; and what do all the items on the altar mean to us as a Christian and at the same time what do these items mean to Jesus our Saviour?

Do you remember what John the Baptist said in John 1:29? It says that "The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." Do you remember what happened in the Garden of Eden when our first parents sinned against the Lord by disobeying His command regarding the tree of the knowledge of good and evil? Because they sinned they were banished from the garden that very day. But, we have a loving and tender Heavenly Father who does not growl at us at every chance He gets when we fall off the path of obedience as Satan has most of the churches claiming. No, He is a loving and forgiving Father. But just as He was pretty clear about His command regarding that tree in the garden 6000 years ago, He is just as clear about how we gain access to salvation after committing all the sins we committed. But before going there, how did the Father decide to allow us to gain salvation?

When speaking of the Lamb of God that John says will take away our sins so that we can gain salvation, it also says in Revelation 13:8 that this “Lamb (was) slain from the foundation of the world."

This brazen altar that is first seen by walking into the Courtyard as a show of surrender to the Lord has a fire in it; hence the name altar of burnt offering. This fire is of the Lord’s own kindling. Which means prophetically speaking that He made the decision to ignite that fire in the altar at the foundation of the world. What I mean is, when Adam and Eve sinned, we see this recorded in Genesis 3:21, "Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them."

That my brothers and sisters is the first mention of death in the Holy Scripture; and even though the Word never says it cover to cover, I have to believe the Lord killed a perfect little lamb that day. The reason I believe this is because John called Him the Lamb of God when He saw Him approach for baptism the very day the prophet Daniel predicted, the Jews sacrificed the lamb as an offering for sin throughout their history, and Revelation 13:8 clearly says that Jesus is “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world."

And when I think of what Abel did that pleased the Lord but angered Cain, it further convinces me the decision to die for our sins as the Lamb of God was represented in Eden by an innocent little lamb the Lord killed to gather the skin necessary to make coats for Adam and Eve. It says in Genesis 4:2 that "Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground." And then later we see in Genesis 4:4 that  “Abel …brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:"

And the fat thereof as it’s called here is that same as the fatted calf in the parable of the prodigal son. In other words, it’s not an overweight lamb. It was especially healthy and pure as well as without spot or wrinkle.

I can’t help to wonder how many times Adam told Abel all about the perfect offering for his sin in the Saviour our Lord as well as the promise Jesus spoke of wherein He was going to come as the “Lamb of God” who would be the perfect sacrifice for sin thousands of years later. And so I must declare I do believe the clothing Adam and Eve were given from the Lord were made of lamb skin. After all, the man made fig-leaf apron they tried on their own to cover up their spiritual and physical nakedness that we now see in the many paintings throughout history can never cover the nakedness of our sin.

One can also see how the artists that paint such paintings with fig leaves show that like Cain they were not able to discern the Lord’s truth in the matter. They prefer to paint the fig leaf showing a man made fix for their sin rather than the pure and spotless remedy for sin in Jesus Christ which was represented by the Lamb of God who promised to take away our sins. Had they known it they would not have used fig leaves any more than Cain would have brought what he tilled form the ground had he known. They would have painted lamb skins on Adam and Eve.

Strange thing is, the Bible clearly says it is lamb skins that God granted them in that garden, and nowhere do you see the mention of God making aprons out of leaves, yet most of the paintings of old as well as today show the figs leaves proving two things. #1, Satan via his bride in Rome tested the lie by having church members painting and even carving the fig leaves in statues and #2, those that don’t read Bibles never noticed the lie and therefore proved to Satan they would follow his lie before the truth of the Lord.

Basic reality it, the only spiritual garment that can cover our shame is the perfection in the righteousness of Jesus Christ our Lord and so again, seeing how John declared Jesus was the Lamb of God and Abel offered up a lamb for his sin, it doesn’t take a theologian to see why the lamb is used in the sanctuary service upon that brazen altar.

And the fact Abel offered up firstlings of his flock shows he understood the importance of the lamb sacrifice as well. He didn’t offer up the weak, old or sickly sheep. No, he offered up the firstlings. After all, is it not written in Exodus 12:5 that when bringing an offering for sin "Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:"

So as we walk towards the brazen altar we see that it is a lamb "without blemish, a male of the first year" that is being offered on the altar for our sins. It must be a perfect offering that has no blemish because nothing else will do. This is why fig leaves fashioned into aprons made by man can in no way cover the sins of Adam and Eve. No sacrifice was present in that offering any more than was there any sacrifice offered when Cain offered up the fruit of his garden. In other words, how can what you pluck from a tree which never causes it to die when you pluck it, how can that be an offering for sin when the Bible clearly says in Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." I mean you could literally pluck more than half the leaves off a tree without killing it as far as I know.

Another thing I noticed by contemplating this last Sabbath was how it’s amazing to me how the children of Adam and Eve reverberated a before and after version of themselves on this one, but then that’s how parents effect children. You can never really know with certainty how a child will grow up and so as parents we must always be extra careful in how we raise them. I know I didn’t do too good of a job in my early years as a dad and so I am determined to do my best now for them by praying multiple times a day for my children as well as be there for them when they need me and my wife and I make sure that the parents in our precious church family who may need to learn from our mistakes can learn not to repeat them by our testimony to them.

Don’t get me wrong, I want my children to be home with me in Heaven just as much as the next man does. And so I don’t look at them as sacrifices unto yours or anyone else’s children. But mine are all grown up now and past the age of accountability and they have minds of their own wherein I can only suggest things unto them. They have to make their own decisions good and bad now. But when it comes to our grandchildren and the young ones in this church family, my wife and I will do all we can to help their parents have a better chance at raising them right and much better than we did in the years we failed.

Adam and Even thought to cover the nakedness of their sin by using a bloodless offering, and in this case fig leaves; and so Cain did the same this as well. But then the Lord revealed to Adam and Eve the better offering of the blood sacrifice and so Abel followed the better path in his offering.

And being the firstling of the flock and without blemish as Jesus who is and always will be the “firstborn among many brethren” (Romans 8:29) the offering made by Abel and every obedient believer from that day forward that came into the sanctuary to offer up a lamb as an offering for sin was accepted of the Lord as an obedient child of God worthy of all the blessings that come being as such. Because seriously, as the fig leaves proved, there is nothing mankind can do on his own that will remedy the death that comes forth due to sin. And so it’s a brazen altar and not a pot filled with black dirt, peat moss, fertilizer and some fruits and vegetables that we see when we walk into the Courtyard of the Sanctuary. It’s a brazen altar filled with fire.

As we know, that lamb without blemish represents Jesus Christ who was without sin. It declares Jesus Christ who from His first year, and even before His birth and from the foundations of the world was dedicated by our Heavenly Father to be the Saviour of the world even before Adam and Eve sinned. And just as the lamb sacrifice on the altar was to be completely consumed, and this is a fire which came out "from before the Lord," as per Leviticus 9:24, which is of our Lord’s own kindling, which then confirms our tender and loving Father not only accepts the sacrifice, He literally shares in the sacrifice because that Lamb is also His only begotten Son. He is just as much involved in this as is His Son due to the promise made, and so are we involved due to our breaking the covenant made with Him which is our sins.

And just so you know, and as it was to be in the sanctuary, that promise of salvation is never removed and so that fire "shall never go out," in that altar. In fact, it say in Leviticus 6:13 that "The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar; it shall never go out." And so it will burn day and night, representing continual atonement, continual mercy, and continual acceptance for the repentant sinner. After all, did not Jesus say as He was ascending right before the eyes of the apostles 2000 years ago, “lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” - Matthew 28:20

This means every morning and every evening, day after day, year after year, at the declared hour for worship, the priest in the sanctuary places the lamb on the altar and all of Israel bows in prayer with their faces toward Jerusalem accepting the sacrifice as the offering for their sins. In fact, even though they mostly forgot this 2000 years ago when the true Lamb of God arrived; and they were unable to do any of this the 400 years they were slaves in Egypt, when they did this day after day they were unknowingly accepting Jesus Christ as their sacrifice which then meant they were dedicating their lives to live for Him and serve Him.

And again this was done daily for it was written in Exodus 29:38-39 that “this is that which thou shalt offer upon the altar; two lambs of the first year day by day continually. The one lamb thou shalt offer in the morning; and the other lamb thou shalt offer at even:"

Picking up from last Sabbath, we need to now ask why does the altar have to burn whatever is offered up on it? The burning not only declares we surrender all because once burned nothing is left but ash; but when someone becomes a follower of Jesus Christ they are declaring their faith in the fact that He really is the Lamb of God and all their confessed sins are now considered forever gone.

But here’s where the faith hits the heart with the big question. Are we willing to give Him all our sins which include the sinful things we cherish to be burned on that altar? And keep in mind that He purchased those sins at a very high cost. His blood was spilled and He literally died for those sins we committed so that we don’t have to die in the fires of hell. And so ask yourself the question, or as I like to remind us all from time to time, when was the last time you took stock in yourself? What do you still have on the shelves of your soul that you think are well hidden from prying eyes of your brethren that you love to keep in your life so that whenever you get a craving you can just open that closet and yank a bone or two off that skeleton on the shelf?

What I mean is, are all your bad habits still cherished in some way? Do you still have some old DVD’s you like to watch when no one is home? Do you have a hidden stash of tobacco, drugs or alcohol hidden somewhere that if needed you can delve into when the craving hits you? If you do, then you have not given your all to Christ by allowing it all to burn on the altar which then means Satan still has 100% permission to be in your life in any way he can. He may back off at times to make you think you’re doing better and so give you a false sense of spiritual security, but the fact of the matter is, if you haven’t allowed all the burn to ash on that altar, then you along with Satan will burn to ash in the executive judgment known as hellfire.

Jesus gave His ALL, He gave His entire life for you. If there was anyone on earth that most people would agree would be better to stay alive so as to heal people and spread love in His words it would be Jesus. But He chose to die for you as the perfect Lamb of God so that you can make it to His kingdom. He’s not asking you to be shredded to pieces by a Roman cat-o-nine tails filled with bones, sharp metal and pieces of broken glass. He’s not asking you to have them nail you to a cross and let you suffocate for hours until you die. He did all that for you. All He’s asking is that you give up those things you know for a fact His Bible declares to be sinful. Because unless those sins are burned up in that brazen altar then you never really confessed them so that Jesus can take them away in the first place and you’re only fooling yourself now because the God of all creation reads your heart and knows if you are serious or not. No getting around that. You can lie to yourself, but there is no way possible to lie to your God. Even Satan, who at one time was the most glorious and powerful angel found out the hard way that once he started to sin and refused to repent, no matter how crafty he was even the superintelligence of an angel could escape the prying eyes of the living God.

Just so you know how this all works. Before the lamb was offered in the sanctuary as a sin offering to be burned upon the brazen altar, the people of that day would place their hands upon the cute little lamb and confess all their known sins into the lamb’s precious little body so that once it was killed, the sin they cherished then dies with the lamb. But if you refused to honestly repent and confess those sins into the lamb back then, or in today’s world confess them to the true Lamb of God in real repentant manner with a contrite heart, then Jesus actually never died for those sins because you never asked Him to. They were never really placed on the altar because deep inside you had no intention of giving them up 100%. They are still on the shelf in your soul. And so when it comes time for your judgment to be decided, you are the one that will have to die for them because Jesus was never asked by you to be the one to die in your place. This is why He is called Saviour. He literally saved you from eternal damnation and death, but He can only do that if you accept the gift of salvation He offers and the only way to pick up that gift is to put down your sin. Jesus plainly said in Matthew 6:24, "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon."

You may think you can hold sin and blessings in the same hand, but according to the Bible that speaks of the will of the very God you seek to please, no man can serve two masters. And if you think you can, then you declare God to be a liar and Satan to be the one with truth.

Now yes, you may confess to Him and you may even decide never to do it again. But if the DVD, drugs, magazine, tobacco, alcohol, or even your mistress’ phone number is still tucked away somewhere just in case Christianity isn’t working out for you, then those sins are still in your life and then you must die for them just as Annaias and his wife Sapphira died when they held back a few items they claimed were given unto the Lord.

Romans 6:16 is clear. It says, "Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?" And we also know Romans 6:23 says, "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

The altar of burnt offering not only represents the Lord Jesus Christ giving His all when He came as the Lamb of God who took away all our sins, that brazen altar is there to depict the obedient child of God that accepts Him as our Saviour when we confess all our sins to Him so as to destroy them for all eternity. And the only way for it to work in the same perfection it was offered wherein Jesus gave His all, we too must accept that gift of salvation by giving our all to Him.

Still, this offering means a lot more than just giving up our sins to be burned on the altar. Romans 12:1-2 says, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye 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."

This means as obedient Christians we must surrender all on the altar. And by all, that means all our time, all our talents, all our physical powers, all our income, all our affections and the list goes on. Yes, some will see that as a bit odd and even fanatical; but as a fulltime minister I see it as the norm. And even before I went fulltime I could see it as an easy task working a 9 to 5 job. As the sanctuary denotes and as Christ proved when He gave His all for us, all must be laid on the altar for the Lord to do as He sees fit. And giving your all doesn’t mean quit your job to be a minister of the Word. It can for some, yes. But you can still give your all on the job when you stand obedient where the Lord placed you in life. 

How many Testimony Sabbaths have we heard where brethren testify of how the Lord’s hand moved when they stood obedient to His will while on the job. You don’t have to preach or teach at work, and it’s not advisable you do so if you want to keep your job. You weren’t hired to preach and you’re not being paid to preach. Do the job you were hired for, but at the same time do so in a way they see Christ in you. Just being an obedient Christian can move others to Christ. How often have some been affected by us when they see a smile when expecting a frown?

When we truly love the Lord with all our heart, and all our soul, mind and strength it most assuredly affects people around us. Is that not the “first and great commandment” as Jesus described in Mark 12:29 & 30?

Basic reality is, anyone can walk into the courtyard of the sanctuary and claim Jesus Christ is Lord. In fact, billions have done that in our generation alone I’m sure. Problem is, most stop when they get to the altar of burnt offering because they realize what it means to surrender all and like Annanias and Sapphira they just aren’t ready to do that. Yes, they are all too happy to accept the price Jesus paid for their sins. Who wouldn’t be? But most are unable to give up even the slightest sins when they get to that altar because to place them there means to really allow them to burn to ash and that means 100% surrender and sadly, most cannot do that because they still love their sin which at the same time means they really aren’t Christians deep in their hearts. Jesus stated in the sermon on the mount that we all need to "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:  Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." - Matthew 7:13-14.

So again, anyone can walk into that courtyard as Isaiah 4:1 depicts most do, but that alter is actually the real first test and step in obedience towards real and absolute salvation. It is hear the Lord watches us very carefully to see just how serious we are. Nothing but complete dedication can be acceptable to a God who gave up His only begotten Son who in complete dedication gave His all for us. Why is it that no one seems to realize how Jesus gave up everything for them, but at the same time they cannot do the same for Him? And He’s not even asking most of us to die a torturous death for Him. All He’s asking is obedience, and most who have done that over the centuries have gone to good Christian graves. And yes, as some will see in our day, some will also die as martyrs. In either event, it’s a blessed life to walk in obedience as well as a good death to be obedient even unto death because both cases the child of God will find eternal life.

Jesus stated clearly in Matthew 10:38, "And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me." Jesus also said in Luke 14:26, "If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple."

And no, the hate He speaks of here is not hatred towards our loved ones as some who twist the Wor din their minds so as to lend credence to their self-deceived decision to ignore it. Because He also echoed a statement He gave to one of His prophets by the name of Micah when He said this in Matthew 10:35-38, "For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.  And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.  He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.  And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me."

So it’s not that He teaches we must hate our families. He means when those closest to us stand against His written Word and demand we do so as well, we must hate their stance by taking our position with Him. You can still love someone with a pure heart while at the same time hate the way they live. And being in the last days as we are, most of us here know exactly what it means to have loved ones come against us for our faith; myself included. And so I still love my loved ones just as much as the next guy. But I abhor the strange lies they proclaim as the Gospel and the sin they proclaim as a normal Christian walk.

And so as the prophet Micah said under inspiration of the Lord thy God in Micah 7:5-6, "Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide: keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom. For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter in law against her mother in law; a man's enemies are the men of his own house."

Last Sabbath we discussed the altar of burnt offering in some detail. That altar as we know represents the lamb sacrifice wherein Jesus was prophesied to give His all, and so it is on this same altar we are to allow our all to burn to ash. Just as that altar took all the sins we had that were confessed into the little lamb that was offered on that alter 2000 years ago to take away the sins of the people, we must also place all our sinful desires on that same alter to allow Jesus the Lamb of God to taketh away the sins of the world. That is the only way we can be reconciled to God by the death of His Son. We literally acknowledge His death as the means by which our sins were taken away; "For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.  But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.  For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.  And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement." - Romans 5:7-11.

When we place our all on that altar of burnt offering we become one with Christ. Hence the term atonement; which we will discuss later in this study series as it is the main reason for the sanctuary itself. But just so you know, James 4:4 asks, "…know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God." And Colossians 1:21-22 says that “you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled  In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:"

That is what accepting Christ as Lord and Saviour does. We truly can be cleansed from all unrighteouness but we need to do our part. And so not only do we walk into the Sanctuary declaring we have made the decision to follow Christ Jesus as Lord, when we came to that altar of burnt offering we need to do exactly as the altar symbolizes. The Lord never makes a promise He can’t keep and so we must keep our promises as well to burn up all that is ungodly in our lives. And when we do we can take Him at His Word and know we are saved, and since His promises are more solid than any promise made by man, we can trust Him to do exactly as He declared He will do for His obedient bride. But, we need to do exactly as He commands to receive the blessing else nary a promise is ours for the taking.

Ok, now that we know all about the reason for the altar of burnt offering and why it was placed first in the courtyard as you enter into the Sanctuary, or accept Jesus as Lord as the walking into the courtyard depicts; let’s take a closer look at the altar and the items used during the offering placed upon it.

Exodus 27:1-8, "And thou shalt make an altar of shittim wood, five cubits long, and five cubits broad; the altar shall be foursquare: and the height thereof shall be three cubits. And thou shalt make the horns of it upon the four corners thereof: his horns shall be of the same: and thou shalt overlay it with brass. And thou shalt make his pans to receive his ashes, and his shovels, and his basons, and his fleshhooks, and his firepans: all the vessels thereof thou shalt make of brass. And thou shalt make for it a grate of network of brass; and upon the net shalt thou make four brasen rings in the four corners thereof. And thou shalt put it under the compass of the altar beneath, that the net may be even to the midst of the altar. And thou shalt make staves for the altar, staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with brass. And the staves shall be put into the rings, and the staves shall be upon the two sides of the altar, to bear it. Hollow with boards shalt thou make it: as it was shewed thee in the mount, so shall they make it."

A cubit was about the length of a man’s forearm back then. They measured it from the middle fingertip to the elbow. That would be about 18 inches in today’s world. And yes, this measurement would be far different before the flood of Noah when men were much larger, but that’s a whole nother study.

So, 18 inches multiplied by 5 gives us 90 inches. Or seven and a half feet square. To get a picture in mind as to that size, a sheet of plywood at any lumber yard is 4 feet by 8 feet. So, double up two sheets and subtract 6 inches all around and you have a rather large square box. Not only was the length and width of the altar 7.5 feet, it was also 7.5 high. That means a ramp was most assuredly part of the construction so as to allow the priests access to the altar’s interior so as to not only place firewood in it, but to both stoke the fire as well as place the sacrifice for sin upon the altar itself.

As it also stated, the box was constructed as a hollow box lined with boards made of shittim wood overlaid with brass. That of course made a 7.5 foot pit for the fire wood and the brass prevented the wooded boards from burning. On the four corners of this huge box were also four horns made of brass.

In the middle of the height of the altar was the grating of brass for where the firewood would sit. That way the ashes could fall below as they burned. On the four corners of the grating were brass rings so as to place the staves in them when carrying the altar from place to place because keep in mind, this sanctuary was to be portable as they wandered the desert for 40 years.

Just above the grating was the compass of the altar. The Word of God doesn’t say what this compass was for, and no it’s not a NSEW type of compass we use today. It could probably be better said that it encompassed the altar half way up like the grating but on the outside of the boards. I believe this was there to allow the priest a place to walk around the altar so as to place the wood as well as the sacrifice within the altar. Kind of like the wrap around porches you see on some homes in the country now-a-days. But I am sure it was only wide enough for two men to walk it side by side.

When you look at the feet of the priests walking this compass one can actually see the correlation between the feet of Jesus Christ as He is depicted in Revelation 1:15, which says "his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace;" And so the prophetic referencing is clear in that the priest’s feet were on that brass compass that was connected to the grating that held the wood that burned as a furnace when consuming the sacrifice inside the altar.

As is obvious here, all the vessels for the altar of burnt offering were to be made of brass. Some of the vessels were used for washing the sacrifices; others were used to receive the blood that was to be ministered in the sanctuary as well. The brass shovels were of course used to remove the ashes from the altar that fell from the wood under the grate. The brass flesh-hooks made it much easier to handle the lamb sacrifice, which was often cut up in large pieces. The firepans were used to hold the sacred fire because again, the altar, like everything else in the sanctuary was portable as so the firepans were needed to carry the fire from place to place as they traveled those 40 years. Keep in mind they didn’t have matches or lighters back then and so it was important to carry fire with you.

Now notice this about brass. Because as is apparent, there was a lot of it used here. As a prophetic symbol, brass represents great strength. As it is stated in Job 6:12 & 40:18 it says, "Is my strength the strength of stones? or is my flesh of brass? His bones are as strong pieces of brass; his bones are like bars of iron."

The strength of faith that was needed for Christ to do what He did for us was amazing and so brass is a fitting symbol to be used in this altar of sacrifice. But brass is also used as a symbol to represent something that came from the earth, for it is written in Leviticus 26:19, "And I will break the pride of your power; and I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass:"

As I stated in my Revelation Bible study on the site, iron comes from earth, but brass comes from the rock of earth by mixing two or more metals found in the rock. As Christians we know that Jesus is the "Rock" that came from Heaven. And we also know He mixes the divine with human as the perfect Saviour. And then Job 28:2 says, "Iron is taken out of the earth, and brass is molten out of the stone."

One last thing needs to be noted here. Making brass is a very painstaking process. I had no idea how difficult it was until I looked it up online. Not only do you have to literally melt rock and mix the molten rock with other metals, which means you’re now making an alloy which in and of itself is also a very difficult process. And it’s very difficult because some metals are very hard to mix together and they can cause strange problems when mixing. And so you need more heat than normal to even get them to even begin to mix as well as some items from the earth to get them to mix. Worse yet, if it is not done properly and to the exact temperature and certain steps aren’t taken to get the crucible where the mixing is done ready for the task, the crucible can actually crack and the entire vat of molten metals and rock would spill out and be lost. And so again, brass is not an easy alloy to make.

I went online to see how they do this and there is no way I can explain all the different steps it takes to make a single alloy. Suffice it to say it is a painstaking process to do this. What a fitting symbol of the suffering of Christ who when He chose to die for us knew that every aspect of His life, His message and even His time on the cross had to all be done absolutely perfect for this all to work out for each of us. If Jesus didn’t do this all in perfection, Satan would have cracked the crucible or vessel of salvation had he the chance to do so. That is why the enemy of souls did everything he could to make what Jesus was doing for us very difficult to say the least. Right down to the Pharisees that Jesus longed to save that were wagging their heads mocking Him and tempting Him to come off the cross to prove He was truly their King and Saviour. Of course they would never succeed in getting Him off that cross, His love for them and not those nails is what kept Him on the cross. But the fact they couldn’t see it and hated Him so much tore at His heart very deeply. In fact Spirit of Prophecy does declare He died of a broken heart.

Now let’s take a look at the boards of the altar.

As we know the altar was made "hollow with boards." In other words it was a hollow box made out of boards standing on end. Looking into prophecy we see this about the wood used in the altar. Jeremiah 5:14, "Wherefore thus saith the LORD God of hosts, Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them." And in 1 Corinthians 3:9-15 it says, "For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.  According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.  For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.  Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;  Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.  If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.  If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire."

Now, if we do a good work in life, we can see it as gold, silver or precious stones, But we can also do a work of wood, hay and stubble which we all know can be burned up easily by any fire. When we do a good work in Christ it will stand firm and even follow us for eternity as we see by the way the works of patriarchs and prophets of old stand firm to this day. In fact, if it wasn’t for them we wouldn’t be having this study right now. Their works were like gold, silver and precious stones placed upon the foundation of Christ and when the fire gets near to such things they cannot be easily burned up as wood, hay and stubble can.

Still, our work is often of wood, hay and stubble because we all make many mistakes as even some patriarchs and prophets of old have done and so only the good works that glorified Christ are going to be protected. Still, some of their wood, hay and stubble was also shared in the Word by the Lord so as to teach us the things to do and not to do and so this is why we see the brass wrapped around the wooden boards that surround the altar of burnt offering wherein the flames of trial and sacrifice are so close by. Sure, we may make mistakes in life and as we go through life it’s as if we walk in a furnace of affliction; but that brass is always there or as Jesus stated long ago in Matthew 28:20, "…lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen."

And by the way, when we look at how the grating in the altar of burnt offering wherein the sacrifice is placed so as to be consumed by the flames is the exact same height as the mercy seat in the most holy place, which we will discuss much later in this study series, we see how the Lord’s judgment and mercy are equal in perfection; which is very much unlike mankind who has a tendency to favor or disfavor people from all walks of life.

It stated in verse 1 of Exodus 27 as we just read at the start of the study that the altar’s height was 3 cubits. Then it said in verse 5 that the grating will be in the “midst” of the altar so as to both hold the wood and the sacrifice as well as leave space underneath to catch the ashes. Since the altar is 3 cubits in height, that means the midst of that altar would be 1.5 cubit.

Now notice this quickly, and like I said we will discuss the mercy seat in more detail much later on, it says this in Exodus 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."

So now we know the ark of the covenant is 1.5 cubits in height. Now notice this, Exodus 25:21 says, "And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee."

So, if the ark that holds the Law of God, the budded staff of Aaron and the pot of manna is an open box of 1.5 cubits, and then the lid which is called the mercy seat is placed upon it, then the mercy seat is the exact same height as the grating that holds the sacrifice upon the altar of burnt offering. This clearly means our God’s mercy is as high as His justice and so as David stated long ago in Psalms 85:10, "Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other."

This is also why Isaiah 16:5 says, "And in mercy shall the throne be established: and he shall sit upon it in truth in the tabernacle of David, judging, and seeking judgment, and hasting righteousness.”

Isaiah 30:18 also says, "And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him."

And since we know Christ is our perfect example, we can now understand why it says this in Zechariah 7:9, "Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother:"

After all, since the Lord has long suffering towards you when you fall, why shouldn’t we as His children display that same mercy? Remember what Jesus said to the Pharisees that day? He said this in Matthew 23:23, "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone." And James 2:13 says, "For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment."

It states clearly in Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

That verse alone shows the perfection of judgment and mercy meeting or “kissing” each other in a way only a God can do it. This is what the children of God know and this is what the lost need to hear. So many think God’s mercy far supersedes His judgment. In other words, many people claim that everyone goes to Heaven because our God is a God of love and being as such he would never throw anyone into hellfire. In fact I just did a video the other day wherein the Pope literally got a bunch of little boys and girls to comfort a crying boy who was concerned for his dead Atheist father. The fake love of Rome made that little boy believe his dad was in heaven by claiming the loving God of Heaven would never damn his loving dad. But the Word of God is perfect and so is His judgment. No getting around that. His Word speaks of hellfire and so right off the bat the lost deny His written Word for the excuse they make up in their own minds that they will gain Heaven because God loves them. But sin cannot be allowed in a perfect kingdom because if it was, Heaven would be no different than this sin sick world we now reside in and so His judgment has to be just as high as His mercy being that, it’s just as easy to burn in hellfire as it is to escape it. We can all make the decision on our own to either follow Satan or follow Christ. Satan offers the free gift of eternal death and Jesus offers the free gift of eternal life.

Psalms 89:14, "Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face."

Just because people don’t want to believe His written Word, doesn’t mean the basic reality of salvation can be changed to coincide with their own faulty opinion. But because most refuse to read their own Bibles and prefer instead to learn of God from the streets wherein every false theist walks in pride spewing all sorts of lies for Satan; they have no clue that the fabricated description regarding God’s mercy were purposely designed to cause them to gain hellfire instead of Heaven. And to think most would have easily escaped damnation had they just opened His Bible wherein mercy and grace abound in ways no man can contemplate. And so I echo Hebrews 4:16 which says, "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need."

And just so you know, the only way to come boldly unto that Throne of grace is to open the Book penned by He that sits on that Throne of grace.

Ok, so now let’s take a look at the four horns that are on the four corners of the altar of burnt offering.

But keep in mind as we look at this, horns are in fact the main weapons used by the animals that have them and some even use them as ornaments of some sort. In both the physical world as well as prophetic symbolism, horns represent salvation, kingly power, God's power, exaltation and even political strength. Just to share a few of more than a dozen or so Bible verses that define them as such, we have…

2 Samuel 22:3, "The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence."

Daniel 8:20-21, "The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia. And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king."

Habakkuk 3:3-4, "God came from Teman, and the Holy One from mount Paran. Selah. His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise. And his brightness was as the light; he had horns coming out of his hand: and there was the hiding of his power."

Psalms 75:10, "All the horns of the wicked also will I cut off; but the horns of the righteous shall be exalted."

1 Samuel 2:1, "And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the LORD, mine horn is exalted in the LORD: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation."

But of course the main reason for the horns is to represent the salvation of Jesus Christ as it is offered unto all on earth. When the long prophesied sacrifice of Jesus was declared in the Word to be the inevitable and heavenly divined remedy for our salvation, we see the night He was arrested that it was stated in John 18:12 that "the band and the captain and officers of the Jews took Jesus, and bound him," It also stated later in Mark 15:1, "And straightway in the morning the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council, and bound Jesus, and carried him away, and delivered him to Pilate." And so this is why the Lamb sacrifice is always bound before being offered up, which we will get into later of course but notice what it said about Jesus in the prophetic Words of Psalms 118:27, "God is the LORD, which hath shewed us light: bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar."

The invitation is perfect and the binding of Christ confirms He will not withdraw His promise. Those horns on each corner of the altar which point to the North, South East and West declare the same invitation of the gate with its four pillars that offered the gracious invitation to “come unto me” to all peoples around the world.

We can also see that we too must bind up our sacrifice to the horns of the altar and if we do so in faith and obedience, the power of Christ will make them acceptable unto our God and then very effectual towards our promised salvation on that very day He splits the eastern sky far and wide.

As we already learned, the brass used in the altar is a symbol of strength and endurance, and just so you know, it also symbolizes condemnation and judgment. Leviticus 26:18-20 says, "And if ye will not yet for all this hearken unto me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins. And I will break the pride of your power; and I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass: And your strength shall be spent in vain: for your land shall not yield her increase, neither shall the trees of the land yield their fruits."

We can even see this type of judgment upon man in modern times as well. Even the last 2000 years in fact wherein many droughts were recorded in history. Deuteronomy 28:23 says, "And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron." When the rain stops, the earth becomes incapable of producing any increase at all. What a fitting symbol for those refusing to bind their sacrifice to the horns of the altar so as to give up their sinful ways and gain the blessing of salvation. And look around, many who actually claim to be Christians all over the world also refuse to stop their sinful ways, and most of them are exposed by just seeing how they keep Sunday holy instead of His holy day of the true Sabbath and so, as 1 Corinthians 13:1, "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal."

And so they can preach the love filled oracles of God all they like, but if they have not the love of God in them, which means they obey Him and His Word all the way up to the binding of their sacrifice to that altar, their sermons become nothing more than sounding brass. Have you ever heard a brass gong struck? That’s not a pleasant sound is it?

But brass also represents victory through suffering and sacrifice. How many of us know all too well about the suffering we went through when giving up a cherished idol in our past. Smoking is the perfect example of how placing a sacrifice on the altar can be very difficult for some, but we also know how strong we become by doing so, and the stronger we get, the closer we get to the perfection in Christ; hence the reason for the altar and the trials we overcome in life.

At the prophesied altar of sacrifice which was that cross on Calvary, our King Jesus won the victory through the ultimate sacrifice. Hebrews 2:10 says, "For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings."

And so we can count on Him to be with us as we seek His strength when we place what we must on that same altar. He truly did walk a mile in our shoes and He knows exactly how difficult it is to walk the path we are on. But He walked it far better than all of us and as we also know, He suffered much more than any of us ccould ever imagine so that we don’t have to. In fact, it says this Hebrews 2:17-18 says, "Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.  For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted."

The word “succor” comes from the Greek word boetheo {bo-ay-theh'-o} which means to help and bring aid. Remember what He said in Matthew 28:20? He said “lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." And so as He also said in Psalms 46:1, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."

What amazes me about those professing to be Christians is that they know for a fact what Jesus went through. The torture and heartbreak He went through was more than any man can imagine, but some Christians can’t even put down a dirty magazine, a bottle of alcohol or even a cigarette for Him.

Notice this as well. There is a difference between brass and fine brass. As we discussed before, brass is made in an earthly furnace and Isaiah 48:10 says He has “chosen thee in the furnace of affliction." But, when the apostle John saw Jesus in vision when He penned the book of Revelation He said this about the feet of our Lord. Revelation 1:15, "And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace..."

Only twice is “fine brass” mentioned in Scripture, and both times it speaks of the feet of Jesus who I say again, walked a mile in our shoes. And so how fitting is it that His feet would shine with a purity of fine glowing brass in the vision of John? No one suffered like Jesus did and no one ever will suffer in that way and so again, it is a fitting symbol for His feet to glow like fine brass that looked as if they were still burning in a furnace. And why did He do this? He did this for each and every one of us. He was treated as we deserve, for He had no sin. He died so we could live. He was condemned in a crooked court so we could be set free. It was by His bloody and very many stripes that we were healed.

Yes, all of us go through trials in life, but when you look at what Jesus went through who did no sin, your trial can be seen as nothing compared to what he went through. And so "beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you; but rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when His glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy." 1 Peter 4: 12,13

After giving our lives to Jesus and accepting His sacrifice for our salvation at the altar of burnt offering we then come to the laver in the courtyard to be cleansed. The laver is located between the altar and the door to the holy place which of course has two compartments. One being the holy place, and the other the most holy place, which we will discuss later in much detail. But keep in mind, before entering into the holy place you had to pass the laver and unless you do what is required at that laver, you cannot enter the holy place.

Remember when this happened at the baptism of Jesus Christ? After introducing John the Baptist in the Scripture it says this in Matthew 3:13-17, "Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.  But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?  And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.  And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:  And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

Jesus knows all about the Sanctuary as well as every item, color, boards used, metals, fabrics and furnishings and so He knew before starting His work, just as we as Christians must do before being considered obedient unto God in all things, He knew He needed to pass the laver before entering into the holy place. And so, as Jesus said to John that day, He was baptized to fulfil all righteousness. Baptism is that important for us and so He did what He did even here for each and every one of us.

Now, when we look at the laver we see that like everything else in the court, it was also made of brass. But, this brass was polished to the point of appearing as a literal golden mirror.

Notice what it says in Exodus 38:8, "And he made the laver of brass, and the foot of it of brass, of the lookingglasses of the women assembling, which assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation."

Yes, they had mirrors back then. What they did was simply polish brass to the point of reflecting an image perfectly. It was this metal that was used to create the laver. And think on this as well. The women that gave their mirrors to be used to create the laver shows they were pious women who renounced the world itself. As we know, the mirror even to this day can cause all sorts of problems in the lives of people that wrestle with the temptation of vanity and self-glory. To give up one’s mirror would make it impossible for them to be able to dedicate time unto their looks.

Keep in mind that a mirror also reveals imperfection in the one peering into the mirror. Notice what it says here in James 1:23-25, "For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:  For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.  But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed."

The law of God is what allows us to see our sinfulness. This mirror of the law is a major threat to Satan and this is why in these last days he has boldly declared the law of God as being abolished at the cross. And because most revel in his lies as their long prophesied comfort zone, they cannot see the hypocrisy behind their own decisions to agree with Satan. What I mean is, when asked they will declare openly that it is sin to break nine of the ten commandments, but it is not sin to break the one commandment that the Lord God Himself stated we should remember when He penned it in stone so long ago. And so it is fitting that the laver was made from highly polished brass so as to illustrate to the sinner who had just come to Jesus at the altar that he or she can now have all their sins; that are easily seen by the law of God as disgusting washed away in baptism. After all, is it not written in Acts 22:16 to “be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord." The fact you just came from the altar and accepted Christ as Lord means you have already called upon the name of the Lord in confession and repentance and therefore able to approach the laver and be baptized in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

And just so you know, the mirror of the laver was not only to reveal the sinfulness of man. It was also to be used as a way to wash away all defilement. This is why before the priest entered into the holy place or even took part in the service at the altar of burnt offering, they always washed their hands and their feet at the laver.

And how important is this cleansing? Exodus 30:20-21 says, "When they go into the tabernacle of the congregation, they shall wash with water, that they die not; or when they come near to the altar to minister, to burn offering made by fire unto the LORD: So they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they die not: and it shall be a statute for ever to them, even to him and to his seed throughout their generations."

This is also why David said what he said in Psalms 26:6-7 which was, "I will wash mine hands in innocency: so will I compass thine altar, O LORD: That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works."

And so this is why to this day Christians are still baptized after accepting Jesus Christ as Lord. And so, “Be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord." -Isaiah 52:11.

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So, moving on let’s look at how the laver was constructed. It was in two parts. In fact, every time it’s mentioned in the Word it says like it does in Exodus 30:18 which is, "Thou shalt also make a laver of brass, and his foot also of brass, to wash withal: and thou shalt put it between the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar, and thou shalt put water therein."

So again, whenever the laver is mentioned it is usually described as the laver and its foot. I only found one verse in Exodus 40:30 that failed to mention the foot. Strangely enough, there is no mention of the dimensions of the laver and its foot in the Word. I assume the Lord just told them to make it in Exodus 30 and seeing how He also stated it was to be used to wash their hands and feet, they just made it big enough to do just that.

What I find equally strange is how some websites where you can buy models of the laver; they depict the priests holding basins of water to dip into the laver to wash their hands and feet, but the Bible doesn’t mention any vessels were needed for the laver and so the picture that comes to my mind is a huge bowl of water raised up on a pedestal with the foot shaped like a saucer under it big enough to step in so that when you dip your hands into the bowl you can just splash the water unto your feet and it’s collected in the foot of the laver.

Some believe the laver could also have faucets in it on the bottom of the large bowl so as to allow water to flow freely wherein the foot of the laver can catch it. But, I don’t see any mention of the faucets in the Word at all. And since the Word mentions colors, cubits and even stakes that are used in the building of this temple, I would have to assume the faucets would also be mentioned.

And when I look into Revelation 22:17 that says we can “take the water of life freely” I cannot help seeing the priests literally placing their hands in the water that represents the cleansing power of Christ’s salvation which is a never ending supply. Plus, when I look at how the Lord chose the 300 men of Gideon that day, I see them also taking of the water by hand.

Judges 7:4-7, "And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go. So he brought down the people unto the water: and the LORD said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink. And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water. And the LORD said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place."

Why do you suppose the Lord chose those 300? It’s because they placed the water to their mouths by hand just as the priests were told to do at the laver. But, notice this very important aspect of how they received that water. In order for the other men to lap up the water like dogs on their knees as most did that day, that means they had to put down their weapons to get that water. But the 300 that put their one hand to their mouth with water in them and with their other hand kept their weapons at the ready, this proved to the Lord they will always be ready to fight for the Lord as the Gideon band will do that receive the latter rain in the near future. These men would not shirk their duty as warriors of God no matter how much their flesh demanded it. The other men that craved the water, dropped their weapons, fell to their knees and lapped at the water with their mouths, which meant for that moment they were defenseless and unable to stand at their post of duty as God commanded and so again, this is why I believe the laver had no faucets or vessels to help the priests do what they could do with their own hands while still remaining at their post of duty.

The fact the Lord said they must wash their hands and their feet so they won’t die at that laver shows every speck of dust or every speck of worldliness must be removed before going forth to the holy place. Our flesh cannot have any say whatsoever in our lives when we come to baptism and especially when we walk in Christ. This is why I am so adamant about those I baptize be ready for it. It’s a duty that can have life or death consequences and being baptized in any way that is outside the will of God simply cannot be allowed. And yes, as I stated earlier, this is why it says as it does in Acts 22:16 which is that we must “be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord."

When the sinner responds to the increased truth that grows in the soil of the heart that was placed there by the Holy Spirit, he enters into the court. Only the seeker of salvation who has a repentant heart can enter the court and when done properly by walking through the east gate, the sinner sees on the altar of burnt offering a sacrificed lamb that the Father in Heaven placed there as well as they themselves placed there due to their sins. This is the Lamb of God or Jesus Christ that is being represented here. As John the Baptist said 2000 years ago, this is “The Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world." John 1:29. And John the Apostle later said "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1John 1:9.

When we confess our sins and accept the sacrifice our Saviour made for us; Jesus Christ then takes the sin upon Himself and suffers the penalty for those sins while the sinner goes free to live their life in the same way the obedient Jew was allowed to walk freely after offering up the lamb in the altar. And so, "If therefore the Son shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." According to John 8:36.

And so I echo Galatians 5:1 that says, "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage." And yes, that bondage is the bondage of sin.

Remember when Jesus declared unto the Jews 2000 years ago that His truth will set them free? Free from what? It says this in John 8:31-36, "Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.  They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?  Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.  And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.  If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed."

Like so many in the world today; they come to Jesus Christ with willing hearts, but Satan is very crafty in how he clouds the simple truth with crafty lies. They couldn’t grasp the fact that to be free in Christ is to be free from the bondage of sin. But they think stopping the sin once in a while is freedom when in fact it’s not. To allow Jesus to truly be Lord means to allow Him to die for all your sins. Hence the reason the lamb sacrifice was burned up on that altar. But all too often some people only stop certain sinful acts thinking they can still gain Heaven. And it’s mostly because of the apostate leaders guiding them into damnation and because they refuse to open their bibles to verify the teachings of their leaders, they truly will be without excuse when judgment falls upon them because we all know that it is a personal relationship with Christ, not a communal relationship. You don’t find salvation by coming to church. You find salvation by coming to Christ.

When speaking of the redemption we have in Jesus Christ Romans 3:25 goes on to say that our “God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;"

The word “propitiation” can also be translated as an appeasement of God’s wrath towards us as sinners. If we accept the Lamb of God as our sacrifice for sin, then we are reconciled to God and no longer considered His enemies. In fact it literally says in Romans 5:10, "For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life."

And so, entering into the court is the first step in justification. When we come to that alter we see where we need to put down our sinful ways and allow them to burn up while at the same time we see the laver that speaks of an open profession to our faith in all that happened at that altar was done by Jesus Christ.

We not only see the Lamb of God that takes away our sin, we place our sin on that very same Lamb sacrifice declaring we are done with it completely and truly accept the death of Jesus Christ on the cross as the only means possible to take those sins away. And as we learned from 1 John 1:9, He doesn’t just forgive us, He cleanses us from that sin and this is why after doing our duty at the altar of burnt offering we come to the laver where in the Sanctuary we find this is the only place wherein the cleansing can be done. It was at that laver covered in polished brass so as to let us know just how clean Christ can make us. As we approach that laver it reflects our image, it allows us to take stock in ourselves and right before stepping into that water if we see something that should have been left on that altar behind us, then we need to go back to that altar and place it there. And yes, this is also why I insist on all those seeking baptism do the studies because it allows them to see truth as it was meant to be seen while at the same time take stock in their selves so as to make sure all that was supposed to be on that altar has been placed there.

And so, after accepting Christ as Saviour, or as the Sanctuary illustrates with the Lamb sacrifice for our sins, we then seek the burial of our dead flesh that the baptism symbolizes to this day. Our full-immersion baptism wherein we go completely under the water represents the burial of Jesus Christ and yes, our rising up out of the water represents His resurrection 2000 years ago.

And so as Romans 6:5-7 so eloquently says, "if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:  Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.  For he that is dead is freed from sin."

And yes, this is where the term being born again comes from because we truly do die of self when we accept Jesus Christ and place all those selfish and fleshly items on the altar. Remember the conversation Jesus had with Nicodemus that night? Jesus said in John 3:3, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

So, at the altar of burnt offering our sins of the past are all forgiven and at baptism they are washed away.

Now keep in mind, this righteousness of Christ comes to us not because of any good thing any of us have done. Is it not written in Romans 3:20, "Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin."

The law points out our sin, it doesn’t save us at all by keeping it. And so, as it also says in Romans 3:27, "Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith." And so Titus 3:5-6 confirms it is "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;  Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;"

And so again, the Christian is born again when all that he or she was before meeting Christ is allowed to die off and be left behind on the altar of burnt offering. All too often people want to become Christians but once accepting Him as Saviour, their friends, family members or even coworkers somehow get to them by reminding them of how they gave up the fun of being worldly. Everything from refusing to stop wearing suggestive clothing, and this includes wearing the tight pants originally designed for men are now seen on young woman, to something as simple as continuing to play a violent video game can be the means by which Satan lures them back into the world while at the same time confuse them into thinking they are still Christians. No real new birth is seen in the person because no true acceptance of Jesus as Lord came to the heart. They simply did not place their all on the altar to burn up and when they approached the laver, they ignored all that the laver reflected and stepped into the water with many sinful traits still attached to them.

I honestly believe one of the reasons for the laver being polished like a mirrors is so that before taking the final step into claiming Jesus is Lord publically the sinner gets another chance to take a look at how they appear before God when compared with the Law of that very same God.

Remember when Peter was approached the final time wherein he denied Jesus three times after Christ was arrested? His fear got to him yes, but he was a man that walked side by side with Jesus for three years and so he became one with Christ right down to how he spoke. It says in Matthew 26:73 that “after a while came unto him they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also art one of them; for thy speech bewrayeth thee."

The people knew Peter was a follower of Christ because of his gentleness of speech. Like today, back then most cursed as if it was the norm. And it’s not just the cursing that ends when we meet Jesus. All that is beautiful about the way Jesus walked, talked and lived His life when He walked among us 2000 years ago comes to a reality in the born again child of God because as 1 Corinthians 15:21-22 says, "For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive."

Now many assume this only applies at the better resurrection when the eastern sky splits and Jesus calls His people from the grave. Yes, this is partly true, but just as a man can be dead as he walks in life without Christ; because without Christ all that man can do is die. The man that walks with Christ is made alive in Christ and being born again like this means just like it sounds. 2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."

This is why people that notice the change in people that find Christ always ask them the same thing. What happened to you? And so, as was planned all along, you then have a chance to declare Jesus Christ came into your heart and all that was of your past died and you are a new creature in Jesus Christ. You are now one of God’s children. You are now declared to be an “offspring of God” as Acts 17:29 stated long ago.

And just so you know, the foot washing at the laver not only represents the baptism of the Christian, it also refers to the ordinance of foot washing as established by Jesus Christ Himself at the last supper.

As we learned earlier, if the priest who was already a confirmed believer refused to wash at the laver before performing any service for the Lord meant certain death. In fact, if we are not cleansed from sin we cannot enter eternal life. This is why Jesus said what He did to Peter when he refused Christ’s will to wash his feet the first time. Jesus said in John 13:8, "…If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me." And to have no part with Him was the only means of eternal life meant certain death. And so as expected, Peter’s love for Christ moved him to repent and say in John 13:9, "…Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head."

The lesson here is, for the priest to decline washing his feet at the laver meant he was rejecting Christ and so again, if you can get baptized, do so as soon as possible. And when it comes to foot washing before the Lord’s Supper each time we do so, do not shy away from that ordinance either for Jesus plainly said in John 13:15-17, "For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.  Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.  If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them."

This ordinance of foot washing provides for continual cleansing, As we walk through life we are often tarnished by the awful things of this world without even realizing it half the time. And so we do the foot washing just as the priest did every time he stepped towards the holy place. And by the way, it’s also a nice way to renew our baptismal vows unto the Lord at the same time.

It says this in 1 John 5:6, "This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth."

The blood was spilled at the altar of burnt offering and the water was used at the laver. And as we see here in verse 6, the Holy Spirit watches the entire process of the repentant sinner. In fact, two verses later it says this in 1 John 5:8, "And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one."

Now do you see why John 19:34 bore witness to what happened when Jesus died that day? It says, "But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water." Jesus truly did it all for all of us. The blood was spilled at the altar and the water was plentiful at the laver.

Romans 5:10 says, "For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life." Which is represented by His constant presence in our lives by His cleansing grace and the fact that He is the source of our much needed living water.

The death of His Son was at the altar of burnt offering, and His cleansing grace is as the laver.

And since we walk with Him daily 2 Corinthians 5:20 says, "Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God."

And what does an ambassador do? The main definition of the word in a common dictionary is that an ambassador is “a diplomatic official of the highest rank appointed and accredited as representative in residence by one governmentor sovereign to another, usually for a specific length of time.”

And is not eternity also a specific length of time? That highest rank is the obedient Christian, that Government is New Jerusalem, that Sovereign is our Lord, King and Saviour, and the specific length of time is all the way until He splits that Eastern sky and then unto eternity. And since "we are labourers together with God” as 1 Corinthians 3:9 says, this is why we are moved to do the work He prophesied we will do in these last days at this very specific moment in time.

This week I would like to look at the high priest. As we know, the High Priest had duties in both the court and the most holy place. But only on the day of atonement did he step into the most holy place. Hebrews 9:6-7 says, "Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God.  But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people:"

In other words, the common priest conducted the daily services and helped the high priest. Numbers 3:6 says, "Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister unto him."

But the most holy place was only to be entered once a year by the high priest. The only time the Levites, or common priests for that matter, entered into the Most Holy Place was when they had to remove the items to prepare for traveling from place to place. And just so you know, the furnishings were all covered by the High Priest before the Levites stepped in to gather the furnishings. Numbers 4:15 says, "And when Aaron and his sons have made an end of covering the sanctuary, and all the vessels of the sanctuary, as the camp is to set forward; after that, the sons of Kohath shall come to bear it: but they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die. These things are the burden of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation."

As for the common Israelite, they could only enter into the courtyard to bring a sacrifice for sin. And if you will notice, when Jesus Christ visited us 2000 years ago, He never entered the holy place or the most holy place because His long prophesied work as our High Priest did not begin until His sacrificial work in the court of earth was completed on Calvary. Hebrews 9:24 clearly stated that "Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:"

Hebrews 9:11-14 also says, "But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;  Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.  For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:  How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?"

With that said, let’s look at the clothing of the priests shall we?

As is somewhat obvious, the clothing of the common priest and the high priest were quite different because like everything else in the Sanctuary, they were symbolic of the many different truths as well as certain duties they needed to perform in Christ’s name.

Exodus 28:2 says, "And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty." And when it came to his sons, it says this in Exodus 28:40, "And for Aaron's sons thou shalt make coats, and thou shalt make for them girdles, and bonnets shalt thou make for them, for glory and for beauty."

All the clothing, be it for the high priest or the common priest, all of it had to be clean, without blemish and woven in one piece or “whole” as the symbol presents. And yes that is where the term being holy comes from. As students of prophecy we know the garment in prophecy represents the obedient or disobedient walk of the one wearing it. If the garment of the priests were unclean or torn in any way, they would be presenting a sinful walk as being acceptable inside the sanctuary and that was never going to be allowed. Look around today and you see billions of Christians doing that as well as all the wolves they follow as pastors and so living in these last days we see how that type of walk messed up all life on earth. And so, as stated in Exodus 39:27, "they made coats of fine linen of woven work for Aaron, and for his sons,"

The walk they were called to represent was that of Jesus Christ and the obedient Christian and so their garments had to be holy and without blemish as Jesus Christ’s walk was, is and always will be. In fact, when speaking of how the garments were to be made for the high priest, notice what the Lord instructed Moses in Exodus 28:3, "And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron's garments to consecrate him, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office."

Can you see how this applies to us today? I’m sure you can as many if not all in our number strive unto that perfection in Christ. Just as Jesus walked into the Sanctuary to do His work as our Saviour in perfection, we too must seek a perfect walk to do the work of His ambassadors. And unless our garments are spotless, we will not gain entry into New Jerusalem wherein the presence of our God resides, any more than the High Priest could walk into the most holy place on the Day of Atonement with garments spotted and soiled by sin. Had he even tried he would have died just as those that seek to enter in some other way as Jesus described spiritually speaking in John chapter 10, but they will never make it to New Jerusalem any more than a sinful high priest would be able to stand in the presence of a Holy God on the Day of Atonement.

When speaking of the wolves we see all over the pulpits today, Jesus said in John 10:1-5 says, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.  But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.  To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.  And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.  And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers."

Now for what the items of clothing represent piece by piece. Exodus 28 goes into great detail as to what the priests and high priest wore in the Sanctuary. For now let’s look at Aaron’s sons and what they wore. We will dig into Aaron’s clothing a little later on.

Exodus 28:40-43, "And for Aaron's sons thou shalt make coats, and thou shalt make for them girdles, and bonnets shalt thou make for them, for glory and for beauty. And thou shalt put them upon Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him; and shalt anoint them, and consecrate them, and sanctify them, that they may minister unto me in the priest's office. And thou shalt make them linen breeches to cover their nakedness; from the loins even unto the thighs they shall reach: And they shall be upon Aaron, and upon his sons, when they come in unto the tabernacle of the congregation, or when they come near unto the altar to minister in the holy place; that they bear not iniquity, and die: it shall be a statute for ever unto him and his seed after him."

As is obvious, both Aaron the high priest and his sons wore the same basic undergarments. It was an agreement between them all being on the same page in truth which illustrates the constant and persistent obedient heart that was prepared to do his duty 24/7. Jesus said in Luke 12:34-35, "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.  Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning;"

The only way to do so is obvious in how Jesus started the passage. He said “where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Or as He stated long ago about David in Acts 13:22, "..I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will."

So again, “where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” David was a man after God’s own heart and so our garments, or walk as they are defined in prophecy, must be spotless in such a way that like David or even Enoch for that matter, we must have a relationship with the Lord that finds us 24/7 seeking to do His will.

We left off last week talking about how when we sit down or stand up, no matter what we do throughout the day it must all be for the glory and within the will of God. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 10:31, "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." And so with that in mind, are the videos you watch godly? Are the games you play violent? Are the people you hang with Christian? Is the food you eat biblically allowed? And so on and so forth.

With that in mind, both the priests and the high priests walked in unison on this one. This is what the undergarment was to represent. Absolute unadulterated obedience unto God and not in a way that says it’s a job, or task at hand to perform for the day or just once a week on Sabbath or when you’re around believers. It was a lifestyle. It must be the treasure of your heart to do what pleases the Lord. It must be a true and honest heart felt desire to obey the Lord, but not because you fear hellfire or chastisement for stepping off the path. You do His will because you know it pleases Him and makes Him smile. The true Christian comes to a place in his or her walk wherein they look at the Father as a tender and loving parent, rather than a stern and hateful tyrant compelling them to a blind obedience to His law or else.

For example, when you were a little child, do you recall how you liked to do special things for your parents? I recall as a young boy that after noticing how they cared for me, I wanted to do something for them. I had all I needed in the way of clothing, food and housing, but I was just a boy and so there was nothing I could do for them they couldn’t do for themselves any more than a Christian can give to the Lord their God anything that He doesn’t’ already have. But I discovered that I can do extra chores, obey without squawking or simply give my parents a hug once in a while knowing deep within that’s really all I can do to let them know I appreciate what they have done for me and how they provide for me. Is this not the same thing when as an adult we obey the God we have truly come to know and love? Yes it is, and so we too can put on the robe that Aaron and his sons wore so as to have the perfected walk that makes your heart after God’s own heart.

As for the girdle that was next, Exodus 39:29 says, "And a girdle of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, of needlework; as the LORD commanded Moses."

As we learned earlier, the linen represents the righteousness of the saints. Now looking into Isaiah 11:5 we see it says that “righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins." And so Exodus 39:27 says, "And they made coats of fine linen of woven work for Aaron, and for his sons,"

Again, a woven work is a seamless robe head to toe. That coat seamless represented the perfection of the walk of Christ wherein no fleshly suggestion could direct Him unto a different path. That robe was woven with one direction in mind. And in so doing this illustrated a more valuable treasure unto God and in like manner the robes would also be considered valuable to those that sought after the riches of the world instead of those of Heaven as the robe was to represent. In fact, this is why they cast lots for the robe of Jesus the day He was crucified. It says this in John 19:23, "Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout."

As students of prophecy we also know this act of the soldiers was prophesied. It says in Psalms 22:18, "They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture." And the only reason they cast lots, or gambled to see who would win the coat Jesus wore was because it was a woven work that would become worthless if torn into pieces.

As for the spiritual reasons for the garments, there are many. In fact, if you do a study on what the priests and high priest wore, you will be busy for some time as to the symbolic meanings behind every item of clothing. Just to name one symbol quickly, the lack of seams alone showed how nothing fabricated in the mind of man can be part of the walk of God’s obedient people. It has to be seamless, which means to be all about Jesus and His perfect walk. Hence the reason I shared 1 Corinthians 10:31 at the start of today’s study which said, "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God."

In this series I will do my best to touch on that as well as the symbolic meanings for how the tabernacle was built and the furnishings therein. But here’s an interesting note. If you list all that the priests wore you will not find a single reference as to what types of shoes or sandals being described and I believe there is a reason for that, and I also believe that reason is found in Exodus 3:5. Remember what the Lord told Moses the day He met with him at that burning bush? The Lord said “..Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground."

As we know, the Sanctuary was described by our Lord in the following manner. It says this in Exodus 25:8, "And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them."

Moses was told to remove his shoes when he approached the burning bush because the presence of the Lord was there and since the Sanctuary is the place our Lord specifically stated He will dwell in among His people, I believe this is why all the priests wore no shoes in the Sanctuary. That being said, I would have to believe any common man walking into the courtyard with a sin offering would also have to be barefoot. Kind of makes me wonder if this is why the Chinese follow an ancient custom of removing their shoes before entering in their homes and especially where they eat their meals. When I look at the Chinese characters of their alphabet wherein you see all sorts of biblical referencing like the week of creation in Genesis, Noah’s ark and even the flood just to name a few. It at least suggests to me that at one time the Chinese people were not the Atheistic nation they are today.

But moving on, absolutely every article of clothing, like the way the Sanctuary itself and how it was built and furnished, all of it was to move the heart of all looking on as to the holiness of God, the absolute sacredness of the act of worship performed by all of His obedient people, and the purity that made their hearts very aware as to the perfection of Jesus Christ our King, our Lord, our Creator and our Saviour.

As we learned earlier, the fine twined linen was the symbol of righteousness as per Revelation 19:8 that stated long ago, "And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints."

Those priests were there to represent the beautiful character of Jesus Christ and so all their clothing had to be exactly as the Lord revealed to Moses on the mount that day. This is why it is such an intense and sobering position to stand as a priest back then and should be just as intense and sobering today for those ordained of God to lead in the churches. It is so sad that most ministers today ignore the heavenly ordained blessing to stand at the desk. Instead they focus on that which they truly worship and that being of course money. In fact it was prophesied long ago in 2 Peter that the pastors of today would make merchandise of the people.

2 Peter 2:1-3 says, "But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.  And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.  And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not."

And yes, the statement that their damnation slumbereth not means exactly what it says. Those 501c3 pastors all over the world will be destroyed in hellfire if they do not repent and step down from those pulpits wherein their main concern is the church’s bottom line instead of the souls in the pews.

And by the way, that word “merchandise” comes from the Greek word “emporeuomai {em-por-yoo'-om-ahee}.” Which is defined in many ways, one of which is, “to use a person or a thing for gain.”

Moving on we see that the simple clothing of the common priest also illustrates the beautiful character every Christian, who by the way is declared as an ambassador for Jesus Christ. Notice what it says in 1 Peter 3:3-4 when describing an obedient Christian; it says, "Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price."

Basic reality is, when you look at the way the worldly people walk you see the exact opposite. In fact it says this about the Vatican that as we all know being in these last days has corrupted all the Christian churches of the world just as prophesied. When speaking of the Roman Catholic church Revelation 17:4-5 says that “..the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:  And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH."

No fine twined white linen mentioned there at all is there? Their hearts are tuned towards all that this sin sick world that is governed by a dying god has to offer. In other words, remember when Satan offered Jesus all the riches and kingdoms of the world and He refused when temped in the desert? The Vatican prelates embraced all that Satan had to offer and then some. But those of us that seek the robes of light in Heaven are tuned towards all that Heaven has to offer and the eternal purity of Christ Jesus, and so such souls would be represented as dressed in the purest of clothing in the Sanctuary.

Just as the priests garments were a woven work without seams, so was the life of Jesus Christ wherein no other path or manmade seam was allowed. The one path that was set in prophetic utterance for Christ was always before Him and so He would walk it for each of us just as He promised at the foundation of the world. Mankind had no say so in anything or any power at all that would detour His walk. In fact, not even the wagging heads of the Pharisees that demanded He come off the cross so as to prove He was Messiah could shove Him off His prophesied path, and so no man made seams or detours were found in His clothing which represented the perfect walk of the Creator via that seamless garment.

And this is where the obedient Christian needs to be today. As James 1:6 says, we must not be “…like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed." Our doctrinal path is clear and no false worldly suggestion from any wagging head can blow us off this journey. Our walk must be seamless.

As this fine twined linen undergarment was "to cover their nakedness" as we learned earlier from Exodus 28:42, so must those obedient children of God that are preparing for His coming be clothed. Jesus said in Revelation 3:18, "I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see."

Picking up from where we left off last Sabbath, every Christian needs to realize that the wearing of those holy garments of the priests was an absolute requirement for the priests because as we all know, Jesus, who is represented by those priests, would never step off the path and so the priest had to be perfectly dressed in accordance to the Pattern set forth by the Lord on the mountain.

And yes, this is why Satan goes after all of mankind on this one and especially women when it comes to dress reform. Most can’t see the message they send in what they wear at times and if they are Christians with a desire to share Christ with those they meet their clothing choices can actually soil the image of Christ they hope to present without them realizing it.

When speaking of those garments in the sanctuary Exodus 28:43 says, "And they shall be upon Aaron, and upon his sons, when they come in unto the tabernacle of the congregation, or when they come near unto the altar to minister in the holy place; that they bear not iniquity, and die: it shall be a statute for ever unto him and his seed after him."

And so just as long as they were allowed to perform the service in that temple, they were to do so in the perfection of Christ as best they could and so we as Christians must do so in this life and the next because not only is Jesus perfect, He is eternal in nature and just so you know, the gift He offers us is no trivial gift.

Eternal life is something hardly anyone on this planet seems to contemplate or even strive towards now-a-days. They seem to think they can just declare Jesus Lord and gain an eternal life of Heavenly bliss living in a mansion without so much as a pimple showing up on their perfected bodies, yet for some reason they think they can wallow in sin down here with gobs of sinful dross hanging from their flesh and still claim they are Heaven bound without so much as obeying a jot or tittle of His eternal law? No, it doesn’t work that way and certainly not for those type of people who think they are owed all that Heaven has to offer simply because they walked on a sin sick world claiming Jesus as Lord.

This actually reminds me of the way the welfare system is abused in this nation which at the same time nurtures such a mindset. So many people think they are owed these benefits without being worthy of them. Those benefits were designed to help the sick and crippled among us that were unable to work. And yes, it was prophesied to be that way because the only way to enforce the coming mark is to have the people relying on big Government more and more in what’s also referred to as a Socialist form of Government so that after years of growing used to having such benefits handed to them freely the Government knows the people would be financially locked in on that extra income wherein they eventually use it to pay bills cultivated by the extra cash and so when they threaten to remove those benefits the people will naturally do whatever it takes to keep them right down to receiving the mark.

And they do this to big companies as well. Do you recall how the USA demanded Apple computers accept the loan they offered them during the housing crisis so as to assure they would stay in business? Apple didn’t need that money at all because they were liquid in the tune of many billions. But the government demanded they do it anyway so as to try and make them learn to rely on that extra cash. In fact, this is why the SDA church is in such a mess financially as we speak. A Jesuit convinced the church leaders decades ago to get a huge loan from the government that was so big that today they are unable to pay it back and they struggle just to keep the interest payments going so as to not default. And so they are locked in with the second beast like no other church in America.

In fact, this is why the SDA church set up investment vehicles like SURF, CURF and offering tax-exempt Government Bonds wherein they again make merchandise of the people to help gain more cash to pay their mounting bills. When you no longer rely on God you must rely on mankind to do as only God can do and so it crippled them even more when they bowed to mankind. So much so, that like many nonChristians who turn to a life of crime to pay their bills in desperate situations, the SDA church did this as well and got caught. They are right now the infamous holder of the largest Medicade / Medicare fraud in American history. The lawsuit was filed in 2012. Their lack of funds no doubt tempted them to find a way to pay the interest even if it was illegal to do so. And so this is why so many obedient people of God left the SDA church. They strive after the same perfection we do and don’t want to touch the unclean thing so as to prevent soiling the robes they have been called to walk in by associating with those that partake in such evil practices. For to soil the robe is to soil the image of Jesus Christ and right now, all the churches are so corrupt God’s people are coming out in droves. And so again, the robes in the sanctuary are very important just as our clothing or walk is today.

By the way, in September of 2015 the SDA church ended up having to pay 118.7 million dollars in that 2012 lawsuit against them for fraud. And some of that money was actually sent back to the US government when the court found the SDA church overcharged the government as well. Corruption is off the chart in that church.

And so right off, thanks to this growing Socialist format in the USA and other nations of the world, hundreds of millions of people are already easily set up to receive the mark making the Pope’s job to do this for his dying god that much easier. And so that kind of mindset naturally leads to the thought that since they can gain the benefits of free money on earth for simply being alive in America, they could easily declare Heaven their future Home as well since they feel just breathing air makes them worthy of it. But again, that’s not how it works.

One miniscule step off the path or in the clothing of the priest meant certain death, and so the same holds true forever unto the people of God as the Sanctuary doctrine confirms even to this day. If your garment, or as we know in prophecy means your walk; is soiled with known sin in any way shape or form, then don’t think for a moment you are going to be found in Heaven when Jesus brings His bride Home. His bride has to be perfect in order to be even considered His bride. He cannot and will not marry a bride that is committing spiritual adultery by bowing to Satan’s lies while at the same time claiming to be following Jesus. And yes, this is why Jesus is referred to as the second Adam in the prophetic sense. The first Adam’s wife stepped out on him to converse with Satan in that tree. But as prophesied the bride of Christ follows the Lamb withersoever He goeth.

Getting back to the sanctuary services, Numbers 18:1 also says that, "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."

In other words, if they messed up it was on them! Being ordained as the representation of Christ, who as we know bore all our iniquities on that cross and then died for them, Jesus did all that as a spotless Lamb wherein no sin was ever found in Him, and so the priest must also stand as pure and clean in every way as depicted by the clothing, furnishings and even the services he was ordained to perform or he would be soiling the image of Jesus Christ and in so doing would have to die for it, else the declaration in the Word would be faulty and any sinner could gain Heaven with filthy rags for robes like so many Christians that walk in sin today.

In fact, want to see how this applies forever as we saw in mentioned in Exodus 28:43? Look around. There are literally billions of people doing exactly as Isaiah 4:1 predicted and all of them will die for it even though they think they are Heaven bound. But according to perfect justice from on High, they will die forever but the obedient bride will live forever.

Also notice the pastors and preachers of today who have a very graphic and quite horrific death headed their way very soon. These wolves claim to stand as leaders in the church but do so in open sin which then teaches their flock to sin with them. And so as the Lord warned Aaron, they too shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary and the priesthood which they soiled openly. Because not only did they make the image of Christ appear as sinful man, they lured their flock into sin with them and for that they will die a very grievous death!

It’s bad enough to cause your own self to burn in the flames of hell, but to lure others into fire with you? Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 18:6? He said, "But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea." Or what about what He said in Matthew 26:24, "The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born."

This is especially true when it comes to the priesthood. For theirs’ is a calling and duty unto God. In fact it says in Exodus 13:12, "That thou shalt set apart unto the LORD all that openeth the matrix, and every firstling that cometh of a beast which thou hast; the males shall be the LORD'S."

In other words, every firstborn male child was dedicated unto the Lord with special duty. This is why it is so sad to see what Esau did with his birthright. When he sold his birthright to Jacob, he openly forfeited the sacred privilege of the priesthood that was granted him from the Lord Himself. This is why Aaron and not his younger brother Moses was declared to be the first high priest chosen by God in the Levitical priesthood. And yes, this is done so as to represent Jesus Christ who is the only begotten Son of God; and being as such He is not only the first born child of Mary, Colossians 1:15 says He  “is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:"

And yes, just so you know, I emailed Craig and so far as we know, every pastor in the SDR church including myself is a first born male and the Deacon Clint in the Philippines, who is presently studying to become a pastor in 2 years; he is also a first born male. And no, we never planned this; and no this is not a requirement to be a deacon or a pastor in the SDR church; I just thought it was interesting how the Lord worked that all out.

In Exodus 28:29-30 it is stated that as high priest “Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart, when he goeth in unto the holy place, for a memorial before the LORD continually. And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be upon Aaron's heart, when he goeth in before the LORD: and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before the LORD continually."

The priests were ordained to offer sacrifices while standing as mediators between the Father in Heaven and sinful man on earth just as Jesus has been doing the last 2000 years. But as we see by the breastplate of judgment on the high priest, and especially the fact the Urim and Thummim were upon that breastplate as well, the high priest was also called to judge Israel. Is it not written in John 5:30 that Jesus stated, "I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me." And so just as the Lord waited on His Father’s will in exacting judgment when He walked among us 2000 years ago, the high priest had the Urim and Thummim to seek the Lord’s will in any given situation placed before him as the judge of the people.

This act of judging the people was quite noticeable on the day of atonement each year wherein the high priest made the decision as to who was worthy to stand on that day and who was to be cut off from Israel; because if he came into the most holy place knowing someone in the gathering was in sin and refused to cast him from Israel be it due to laziness, friendship, or even prideful exaltation towards the person, the high priest would be guilty of sin by showing favoritism and we all know it says in Acts 10:34, "… that God is no respecter of persons:" And since the high priest was to represent the Lord Jesus Christ in perfection, stepping into the most holy place as a respecter of persons meant certain death for the priest.

And so, Leviticus 23:27-29 says, "Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD. And ye shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the LORD your God. For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people."

This is one of the reasons the high priest had the bells on his garment in fact. The priests in the holy place listened for the bells to see if they stopped ringing. If they stopped for any length of time out of the ordinary it meant the priest had died. There is nothing in the Word as to how they would remove the body, but according to Jewish tradition in the last few centuries it is said they tied a scarlet rope around the foot of the high priest in case the offering he presented to the Lord was by any means soiled thereby depicting an evil version of Jesus Christ and in so doing he would drop dead on the spot once entering the most holy place to present the offering. But as I look into how the Lord describes every article of clothing right down to the colors of the robes as a way to depict Christ, I cannot see them adding a scarlet rope to the priest’s ankle as that would add to the clothing the Lord clearly stated per item that was allowed. And since the Sanctuary is both a doctrinal and prophetic statement by our God, it also reminds me of Revelation 22:18 that says, "For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:"

Worse yet, the scarlet rope not only showed a lack of faith in the depiction of the high priest who represented Christ Jesus in the first place, the color red is well known in Scripture to depict both death, sin and war. Mankind is sinful, but the Creator who rules Him is not.

But as is obvious mankind was called to do certain duties for the Lord in the Sanctuary and since these duties entail emulating the High priest in Heaven, they must follow His instruction to the letter, hence the reason Uzzah dropped dead when he put forth his hand to steady the ark which was not being carried in the way the Lord commanded and because it was on an ox cart, the animal shook it and Uzzah died trying to stop it from falling.

To step off the path in the slightest way would soil what Jesus did when He became the Lamb of God who then offered Himself on the cross as a sinless sacrifice so as to be the only one able to take away the sins of those that trusted Him. Satan would love to get in there to throw his demonic monkey wrench in the works, but regardless; Jesus Christ is the antitype of those priests and so no matter how evil the priest may become we still have the true Priest Jesus Christ to rely on. He was the sacrifice prophesied to die for us and as also prophesied He is the High Priest for all of us to this day.

And as we know, when He ascended He was anointed to be that High Priest for eternity. Mark 16:19 says that Jesus “was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God." And then Hebrews 6:20, says that "..even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec." Which by the way confirms the duty of the tithe being valid even unto this day for we all know that Abraham gave tithe unto Melchisedec in Genesis 14. And since Jesus is of that very same order, how on earth can those that hate to tithe claim the tithe ended in the New Testament?

Excuses like this are nothing more than lies that at the end of the 1000 years will be wiped away and that is one scary thought when you think about it. Some people actually end up in hellfire simply because they refused to give back to God what He commanded of them and what’s worse, the Lord wasn’t asking for much. He only commanded 10% and whatever love offering can be given without burden. For them to say the tithe is no longer valid is to actually declare Jesus never really became the High Priest in the order of Melchisedec. And sadly, when they speak like that, that proves He is not who they want to obey because in the first place and as was prophesied cover to cover, most in the world prefer the wide worldly path of the lost over the straight and narrow path of the obedient.

What’s really sad is that some give up eternal lie for a few measly dollars they didn’t really need anyway. Those of us that has seen the miracle of the tithe know exactly what I mean when I say miracle. In fact it says this in Malachi 3:10-11, "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts."

Yes, rebuking the devourer means those unexpected expenses that come upon those that don’t tithe become less and less frequent to the point you have money left over at the end of the month which then again proves the miracle of the tithe.

And so getting back, Jesus is not only our High Priest, He also became our Intercessor. And being as such, He has all the angels at His command as He had since day one. And according to Hebrews 1:14 He sends them as “ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation."

Better yet as promised, He sends the Comforter for it is also written in Romans 8:26, "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered."

Picking up where we left off last Sabbath, we were starting to look into the Day of Atonement. The Day of Atonement is a day the Jews declared as their typical day of judgment, the high priest on earth acts as judge over all the people. And so again we see a prophetic utterance regarding how Jesus will judge the living and the dead for it is written in John 5:22, "For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:" And according to 1 Peter 4:17, “that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?"

When this investigative judgment ends, which we know is when the 7 plagues begin, this marks when probation ends for all of mankind. This is what we see described in Revelation 22:11-12 when it proclaimed, "He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.  And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be."

This one passage, and especially verse 12 exposes the lie about a single judgment day that Rome has been preaching for centuries. Basic reality is, how can those that are unjust be declared permanently unjust and those righteous being declared permanently righteous unless the judgment to declare them as such was already done. Better yet, how can Jesus bring His reward for all of mankind unless the judgment of mankind was already done as well?

And so, it is now that Jesus removes His priestly robes for the robe of the King of kings and Lord of lords. It is now that He prepares to meet His bride. And if we are so worthy we will be found in that number.

And by the way, even though He removes the robe of the priest, this does not indicate that He is no longer our High Priest. For it was plainly stated in Hebrews 6:20 that He is our “high priest for ever.”

Now I am sure many have heard about the 1000 years of peace on earth with Jesus Christ sitting on a throne declared by those that have no understanding of the Bible prophecies and most assuredly of the Sanctuary and its many prophecies. But those 1000 years will be peaceful on earth only because all those that followed Satan in the last days as well as all those that persecuted God’s people the last 6000 years are dead on the surface of the earth as well as those that were left in their graves when Jesus returned. During this 1000 years the work of the judgment continues, but now in a more vindicating manner. What I mean is, it is at this time we the bride of Christ take part in this work with the Husbandman so as to vindicate our Lord. When speaking of us it says in Daniel 7:22, "Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom."

And later confirmed in Revelation 20:6, "Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years."

That second death as it is referred to here is the final work of the judgment that Isaiah 28:21 calls His strange act. It’s strange because it entails ending the lives of all those people that followed Satan into the fire. Killing Satan isn’t strange, but killing those lost souls that He did all He could to reach them using His love is strange for a God of love. But it has to be done and no man or woman dying that day can blame the Lord for being unfair as they will all know on this day that they slighted every loving offer given them by those of us the Lord moved to share His truth with.

And so it is obvious as to the task at hand regarding the bride of Christ during that 1000 years. Just by reading those books we can see that the Lord did actually do all He could to reach those lost soul. And if you read on in Revelation 20:7-13 you will see what happens when those 1000 years ends. It is now that the investigative judgment ends and the executive or final stage of judgment is done. And so those worthy of eternal death will have the judgment executed upon them on that long prophesied day.

But let’s move on from here as I don’t want to go too far off topic. If you need more info regarding what happens before, during and after the 1000 years, I do have a page on the site that discuses that in detail. http://www.remnantofgod.org/1000yr.htm

Now as many are unaware, myself included when I first looked into this, there are actually three orders of priests that are called forth by the Lord in His Word.

First, back in ancient times we see what some refer to as the patriarchal period, which was from Adam to Jacob; every patriarch was the priest of his own household. The only time we see this patriarchal order slow to a crawl if not snuffed out entirely was during the prophesied 400 years of bondage in Egypt when the Jews were forced into slavery out of the fear cultivated by the heart of Pharaoh. Because of their bondage and inability to build the Temple let alone an altar in the wilderness during this time, the Jews were forced to do what they could at family altars.

By the way, if you look into the statement found in Genesis 3:24 which says, "So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life."

Until Moses was called of God to create the Sanctuary itself, since Adam all the obedient families would have morning and evening worship expressing their faith in a coming Redeemer just as the Jews had to do while in bondage. They knew of the prophecies regarding Messiah just as much as did Adam and every patriarch that stood as the spiritual leader of his household.

I must say that when you look at the flaming sword that guarded the gate of Eden, one can see that Adam would have looked upon that entrance as an altar of the Lord. The reason I say that is because of what we see in how the mercy seat was crafted in the Most Holy Place. For it says in Exodus 25:18, "And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat."

The Lord could have easily destroyed Adam and Eve as well as Eden itself when they rebelled again Him and bowed to Satan. Instead he expressed amazing mercy and placed those Cherubims with the flaming sword to prevent man’s entrance into the Garden until all that sin has wrought can be dealt with in perfection.

When we look at a few of the prophetic symbols represented here at the gate we see that in prophecy the sword represents the cutting truth of the Lord, which we literally call the Bible today. We also know how Moses witnessed the Lord’s presence and voice from the burning bush, and every child of God that repents and is baptized will be blessed with the Holy Spirit who like a devouring flame will help us to burn off the dross in our lives. We can literally study this gate for some time regarding the symbols shared here, but I am sure we will go into more detail later in the study.

The second order of the priesthood was when the Lord called the tribe of Levi to perform the services in the Sanctuary after Moses was given the pattern on how to build it as well as organize and perform the duties therein. This was the first time we see mankind standing in the position of High Priest when Aaron from the tribe of Levi was ordained as such.

And why was the tribe of Levi chosen? It’s because they chose to stand with the Lord when the golden calf was set up at the base of the mountain while Moses was actually on the mountain receiving the commandments etched in blue sapphire stone. Notice what it says in Exodus 32:25-26, "And when Moses saw that the people were naked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame among their enemies:) Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the LORD'S side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him."

And finally the third order of the priesthood began the moment Jesus ascended to Heaven after He resurrected. In fact, the day Jesus declared, "It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost." (John 19:30) was when the Levitical priesthood ended. It was then transferred into the real Sanctuary in Heaven with Jesus Christ as our eternal High Priest. From that day forward He has been preparing for all that will happen very soon when the investigative judgment is finished and probation ends for all of mankind.

Picking up from where we left off last week when we started to look at Melchisedec, we see that something else happened that day that was actually the norm before the Levitical priesthood was sanctified and ordained of God. It says in Hebrews 6:20, "Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec."

If you look closely in the Word you will find that there was never a series of priests after this order. You of course had Melchizedek himself and then that was it until Jesus ascended.

Because of a prophesied strange doctrine that has worked its way into the remnant of her seed over the last few years, I created a page on my site detailing quite a bit about Melchizedek to try and wake up those poor souls that have walked off the path. But to summarize, we see this in the Word about Melchizedek.

Genesis 14:18-20, "And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all."

Psalms 110:4, "The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek."

And in the book of Hebrews He is discussed in some detail in chapters 5,6 and 7. I especially like chapter seven which says;

Hebrews 7:1-8, "For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him; To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace; Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually. Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils. And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham: But he whose descent is not counted from them received tithes of Abraham, and blessed him that had the promises. And without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better. And here men that die receive tithes; but there he receiveth them, of whom it is witnessed that he liveth."

One can see the obvious similarities of Christ Jesus and Melchisedek in how both are kings without successors. In Hebrews 7 we see that Melchisedek is without descent and we all know that Jesus will be High Priest for eternity. And yes we do see some amazing clues regarding Melchisedek’s true nature but I will not go into that here as that in and of itself is a long study which is off topic to the study we are in at the moment. For those of you that are wondering and want more info, see the study I have online on this. 

But to give you an idea on what I mean regarding His true nature, it says the following in Hebrews 7:14-17, "For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood.  And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchisedec there ariseth another priest,  Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life.  For he testifieth, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec."

And so as Melchisedek is described in Hebrews 7:3 as “having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God” so Christ is described in Hebrews 7: 16 as being one that is “not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life.” And so again, if you want more info see that study I have online. It’s actually something I use to help those trapped in the prophesied false doctrine regarding the Holy Spirit to find a way out of danger by using that which was written by our Lord.

With that said, how was Christ similar to Melchizedek? When speaking of those that are saved by the Lord Jesus Christ, John the Revelator said in Revelation 1:6 that our Lord “…made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen." And then if you look at Revelation 20:6 it says, "Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years." And we all know we will be doing the work of the vindicating judgment during those 1000 years. And so it is clear the redeemed of the Lord will in fact be associated with Jesus Christ in His priestly work.

If I recall correctly, we ended the study last week wherein the 24 elders were mentioned as being somehow connected to the sanctuary service called the Day of Atonement. And who are these elders? Revelation 4:4 says they are kings who are “round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold." And only kings wear crowns. And how do I know they are doing the work of the judgment?

Do you recall how the Lord always had a prophet who judged the people until they rebelled in Samuel’s day and demanded a king? And when it comes to the work of judging Satan, notice how the Lord describes those that judge Satan. He says in Ezekiel 28:17, "Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee."

Remember Solomon in the judgment hall? It says in 2 Chronicles 1:11, "And God said to Solomon, Because this was in thine heart, and thou hast not asked riches, wealth, or honour, nor the life of thine enemies, neither yet hast asked long life; but hast asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself, that thou mayest judge my people, over whom I have made thee king:"

And so one can see that the 24 elders are no doubt partaking in the investigative judgment as we speak. But where did these 24 elders come from?

Do you recall what happened after Jesus arose and how the graves of many were opened? It says this in Matthew 27:50-53, "Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.  And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;  And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,  And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many."

Now notice this. It says this in Ephesians 4:8, "Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men." Now we know when Jesus visited the apostles after His resurrection He gave gifts unto them. In fact, it says in John 20:22 that “…he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:" But what does it mean when it says He led captivity captive in this passage?

The word “captivity” here comes from the Greek word “aichmaloteuo (A HEEK MALOW TWO OH)” which also means to make captive. And those 24 elders who were resurrected were made captive in a good way to do the Lord’s work of the judgment because of what Revelation 20:6 said regarding those that take part in the better resurrection will become priests. After all, is not their rising from the graves done in the same manner as those that will arise at the second coming? They are just as much human as we are. And do we not do the work of the judgment for those 1000 years as we reign with Christ? And so the prophetic symbol fits here.

And when speaking of the obedient Christians, Peter actually says in 1 Peter 2:9, "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:" And Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6:2-3, "Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?"

Now many miss this and so I will try to clarify this a tad bit. As we know Aaron was chosen by God to be the first high priest on earth. But here’s where most people miss a wonderful truth. He wasn’t declared to be a priest simply because he was the firstborn son in his family. It was because of his literal blood relationship to Moses. And as we know, Moses was called to emulate the part of God the Father when standing before Pharaoh, and Aaron was called to play the part of God’s prophet.

When Moses was trying to back out of his calling while conversing with the Lord at the burning bush that was not consumed by the flames, it says the following in Exodus 4:14-16, "And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart. And thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth: and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do. And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people: and he shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God."

And then it was confirmed that the Lord did as He promised when we see Exodus 7:1 which says “the LORD said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet."

And as we know Jesus was chosen by our God to be Messiah, Prophet, Teacher, Healer and Saviour while on earth and the Heavenly High Priest and judge for all eternity; and so as Christ was chosen due to His relationship with God, so the redeemed in the Lord, which includes the 24 elders, are also seen as brothers in Christ who is our Elder brother just as Aaron was for Moses. For Jesus Himself stated in Matthew 12:50, "For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother."

And just so you know, according to Ezra 2:62, and Numbers 3:10, any high priest that could not prove they were related to Aaron, or as Ezra puts it, “reckoned by genealogy” they were considered “polluted” and then they would be “put from the priesthood" as Ezra stated. Worse yet, if they were found to be polluted, it said in Numbers 3:10 that such as these “shall be put to death."

And so even here we see how this also applies to the Christian who stands in the Sanctuary claiming to be a believer but instead walks as one described in Isaiah 4:1. He or she is then polluted by their sinful ways and so just as the counterfeit priest was put to death; the lying Christian will also be cast out and put to death when the executive judgment at the 1000 years becomes a reality.

We must not forget and worse yet, disregard the promise that the redeemed of the Lord, or the bride of Christ as we are called, are to be "priests of God and of Christ" according to Revelation 20:6. But for those that understand the Word says that the priesthood is a birthright, and so how can we be considered priests if we are not born as literal Jews?

Ok.. continuing in this study on the Sanctuary, we must not forget and worse yet, disregard the promise that the redeemed of the Lord, or the bride of Christ as we are called, are to be "priests of God and of Christ" according to Revelation 20:6. But for those that understand, the Word says that the priesthood is a birthright, and so how can we be considered priests if we are not born as literal Jews?

As I illustrate in detail on my “Who Is Israel” page on the site, all those that declare with real obedience and not just lip service that Jesus is Lord, then according to the Word of God, we are Israel for it is written in Romans 2:28-29, "For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:  But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God."

We have a personal and spiritual relationship with Jesus Christ and because of that relationship we are declared His bride and His bride has always been called Israel. And so think of it this way. As a mother gives us her life’s blood and even travails in much pain when we are born, Jesus gave of His life’s blood and travailed in pain on Calvary so that we may be born again.

And just as we have siblings who share in the blood of our own mothers making us one in the family, Jesus stated in Matthew 12:50, "For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother." And so as Ephesians 2:13 states, we are “now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ."

And therefore by the virtue of our spiritual blood relationship to Jesus Christ who spilled His blood for us, we are then worthy to be in that royal priesthood. But only as long as obedience is part and parcel to our walk. And yes, in so doing we can also partake of the divine nature and be in that number we all strive unto. That being of course, the 144,000 or Gideon band as we affectionally describe it.

Philippians 3:14-15 says, "I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.  Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you."

But the only way God reveals anything unto us, be it doctrinally or prophetic, we must be obedient to Him for why would He grant the amazing mysteries of life unto those that prefer death and damnation? What good would it be to those that mock or deny such truth as this? Jesus literally said in Matthew 13:11, “it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given."

And since we are on the subject of becoming a royal priesthood, let’s look into the garments of the high priest again to refresh a bit as well as in ways we didn’t discuss earlier in the study. And as we know in advance being students of prophecy, garments represent our walk in Christ and so let’s look into this to see where we lack in our striving unto the perfection in Christ. While at the same time see how perfect our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is.

We can gain the white robes by simply accepting Him as Saviour. But His walk is absolute perfection and so His garments are to be loaded with amazing symbols of truth. Still, as we know by striving unto this perfection that He does not hold any of this back from us. We too can attain to that divine nature and so as we study the garments of the High priest we will see where it is we need to get serious in our own walks.

As we look in the Word we see that high priest had two sets of garments. One was of plain white linen we all attain by becoming obedient Christians. It says in Exodus 39:27-28, "And they made coats of fine linen of woven work for Aaron, and for his sons, And a mitre of fine linen, and goodly bonnets of fine linen, and linen breeches of fine twined linen,"

Notice that the mitre here is made of linen as well. A good example would be what’s called a turban by most. These were considered “goodly bonnets” as we see here. Later, we will see how the mitre of the high priest was not made of linen and more structured in its appearance.

As for the girdle of the common priest, it was only around the waist in like manner to how a sash or a belt of cloth would be worn today. But the high priest’s girdle also crossed over the chest and each shoulder, it went under each arm twice around the body and then tied in front. In so doing the fabric would extend down to the feet depicting the more perfected walk of the high priest, who as we know was to represent Jesus Christ on earth.

Now notice this. On the day of atonement it says this about how the high priest was to dress in Leviticus 16:2-4, "And the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the vail before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark; that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat. Thus shall Aaron come into the holy place: with a young bullock for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering. He shall put on the holy linen coat, and he shall have the linen breeches upon his flesh, and shall be girded with a linen girdle, and with the linen mitre shall he be attired: these are holy garments; therefore shall he wash his flesh in water, and so put them on."

Only on the Day of Atonement was the high priest to wear the humble garments so as to appear in a humble character before the Lord. As the priest approached the Shekinah glory, which we will discuss in detail later, just know for now that this is the very presence of the Lord Himself in what appeared like a cloud of light hovering over the ark of the covenant. The priest would walk into the most holy place dressed without any embellishment upon him. He walked in only in the white linen of a humble servant of the Lord. These garments were to also represent the perfect purity they sought by obedience unto the Lord. 

Keep in mind, when Jesus began His work in the Heavenly Sanctuary He went in without sin. He did not step in to atone for any sinful acts He committed because there were none. He went in for us, the sinners saved by His grace. Hence the reason the priest stood dressed as the humble obedient servant unto the Lord. See this pic to get an idea of how the priest appeared before the Lord. https://i2.wp.com/tomasgarciahuidobro.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/el-sumo-sacerdote.jpg

Next let’s look at the high priest's “golden garments” as some call them. See the pic in the study notes to get an idea of what we will be discussing now.

First let’s look at the embroidered coat. After placing the undergarments on, the high priest had a coat of fine twined linen that was woven without seams that was beautifully embroidered. In the research I have been doing on and offline I found that this embroidery was described as being done in a tessellated manner. That means it had squares embroidered into it in such a way that precious stones could be set in them. It says in Exodus 28:39, "And thou shalt embroider the coat of fine linen, and thou shalt make the mitre of fine linen, and thou shalt make the girdle of needlework."

The word embroider here comes from the Hebrew word “shabats {shaw-bats'}” which means “to weave in checkered or plaited work or pattern.” When you think about it; that must have been an amazingly beautiful work as it was designed by the same Creator that makes butterfly wings, flowers and tropical fish with all their amazing colors.

And by the way, the main reason there were no seams in this clothing of the priest, which Revelation 1:13 says was from the shoulders to the feet, is because any tear in this garment would mean Jesus was a lesser God and so for a high priest to appear in rent clothing would mean he separated himself from the true God of all creation and in actually he stands as a blasphemer and therefore one who declares Christ to be a blasphemer as well, because the office of the high priest was very clear, he was to represent Christ on earth.

Now do you see why the high priest did what he did when participating in the illegal trial against our Lord? It’s recorded in Matthew 26:62-68, "And the high priest arose, and said unto him, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee?  But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God.  Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.  Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy.  What think ye? They answered and said, He is guilty of death.  Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands,  Saying, Prophesy unto us, thou Christ, Who is he that smote thee?"

It was perfectly fitting that the apostate high priest should rent his clothes that day because as per his evil fruits, false doctrine, and bold hatred against the true Messiah standing before him that day, that priest was standing in the position of Antichrist while the true Christ stood just a few feet away.

And notice this as well as to the importance of not renting your clothes when you stand as high priest. Even after they whipped, beaten and crucified our Lord, His garments were never torn at all just as biblical doctrine declares is proper and prophecy predicted will happen.

As I stated last Sabbath, I want to repeat the passage in Matthew 26 regarding the high priest ripping his garments when participating in the illegal trial against our Lord. It’s recorded in Matthew 26:62-68, "And the high priest arose, and said unto him, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee?  But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God.  Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.  Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy.  What think ye? They answered and said, He is guilty of death.  Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands,  Saying, Prophesy unto us, thou Christ, Who is he that smote thee?"

It was perfectly fitting that the apostate high priest should rent his clothes that day because as per his evil fruits, false doctrine, and bold hatred against the true Messiah standing before him that day, that priest was standing in the position of Antichrist while the true Christ stood just a few feet away. And so it was proper that he should rip that robe. For now he was no longer the representative of Jesus Christ. He was not representing Antichrist.

And notice this as well as to the importance of not renting your clothes when you stand as high priest. Even after they whipped, beaten and crucified our Lord, His garments were never torn at all just as biblical doctrine declares is proper and prophecy predicted will happen.

First the prophecy:

Psalms 22:16-18, "For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet. I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me. They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture."

And now the fulfillment:

John 19:23-24, "Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout.  They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did."

And so just as we see in Revelation 1:13 wherein it says that “in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle."

As we see in how the garment of the high priest was also from the shoulder to the feet and made as a seamless garment, so is the robe of Christ in the Heavenly sanctuary. And so it was fitting that He would wear a seamless robe when He visited us 2000 years ago. It was also fitting that those soldiers, as evil as they were, were not allowed to tear His robe because even though they did not believe in Him, He was still their Creator and His Father in Heaven still had absolute control over the entire situation that happened from the illegal court to the cross, because as we also know, just as the earthly and the Heavenly Sanctuary are an amazing doctrinal and prophetic creation of the Lord God Himself, it also represents salvation unto all and no one, not even a powerful Roman soldier would be able to change any aspect of the truth represented in the Sanctuary that even a Roman soldier could walk into and gain forgiveness, if he so chose to do so.

Now let’s look at the embroidered girdle a little closer.

If you look at how the eastern world placed importance on certain things, and the truth as it is written in the Word centers around the eastern culture as we all know where Jerusalem and the eastern empires were located and how some that have been replaced by nations like Iraq, which used to be Babylon.

In the east the girdle was part of the military uniform and held a certain degree of importance. Quite often the girdle was also connected to the sword and the bow. In fact, it says this in 1 Samuel 18:4, "And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his garments, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle." And in 2 Samuel 20:8 it says, "When they were at the great stone which is in Gibeon, Amasa went before them. And Joab's garment that he had put on was girded unto him, and upon it a girdle with a sword fastened upon his loins in the sheath thereof; and as he went forth it fell out."

But when Jonathan gave his girdle to David it signified that he had surrendered all to David. According to the hatefully expressed desires of Saul and in accordance to the natural customs of neighboring nations, Jonathan was to be king due to being the first born of Saul. But Jonathan knew David was to be king regardless because of God’s will as per the prophet Samuel. Even the godly fruits of David in his walk as well as in battle made it easy for Jonathan to concede to David. And so when Jonathan gave David his girdle, sword and bow it confirmed he knew David was to stand as king one day. It also showed the deep love Jonathan had for David wherein he loved him more than a brother. This kind of love is apparent to those walking in the Lord as it is written in Proverbs 18:24, "A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother."

Many of us have siblings as I do that are not in the Lord at all. Yes we still love them as it is impossible not to. But when you find a friend in Jesus wherein Proverbs 27:17 says that "Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend." We come to love our brothers and sisters in Christ with a godly love just as Jonathan loved David in his day.

The girdle has more than one meaning as is obvious to most of you already. In fact, when one would wear a girdle of sackcloth it was to do dictate intense sorrow. A girdle of leather like the ones worn by both Elijah and John the Baptist expressed deep humility.

2 Kings 1:8, "And they answered him, He was an hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins. And he said, It is Elijah the Tishbite."

Matthew 3:4, "And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey."

Talk about a humble spirit. Not only did these prophets wear the leather girdle, John also wore a shirt or cloke as they called it back then made out of camel’s hair.

One can see how the girdle of leather would represent a humble spirit in that it was not the most expensive item of clothing one could own back then as any animal they slaughtered could have been used to make them. Kind of like the denim jeans that were invented in 1871 and later used by the poor during the depression in the USA. Back then they were the least expensive yet most durable clothing to wear in daily toil. And so, anyone wearing such things was considered humble at the very least. The Jeans weren’t popularized until the greaser types made them as such in the 1950’s, and then the hippies in the 1960’s. Today they are considered a status symbol for some, but the reality here is they were first created for the cowboys and miners of the late 1800’s and then for the poor in the depression. Being in the last days, a lot of things are twisted out of wack so as to further confuse the masses. Everything from the cheapest clothing becoming fashionable and then very expensive to words like gay that used to mean happy and giddy now means homosexual. And so we must never let today’s culture define what we see in Scripture because chronological context plays a big part in how we are to learn the truths in His Word. What was considered humble in Elijah’s and John’s day may not mean the same today. In fact, leather garments today are very expensive because most people don’t have their own livestock. And even less people know how to work with leather.

And yes, back then, the girdle can also be seen as a show of strength as the girdle with the sword and the bow attached confirmed earlier. In fact, Psalms 18:39-40 says, "For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle: thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me. Thou hast also given me the necks of mine enemies; that I might destroy them that hate me."

And notice what Paul said in Ephesians 6:14 regarding the armor of God. He said "Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;"

The girdle was also given as a reward. It says in 2 Samuel 18:11 that "Joab said unto the man that told him, And, behold, thou sawest him, and why didst thou not smite him there to the ground? and I would have given thee ten shekels of silver, and a girdle."

One could also soil the girdle in a sinful manner as well as a prophetic or even spiritual manner. When David was giving final instructions to his son Solomon on how he should reign in his stead it says this in 1 Kings 2:5, "Moreover thou knowest also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, and what he did to the two captains of the hosts of Israel, unto Abner the son of Ner, and unto Amasa the son of Jether, whom he slew, and shed the blood of war in peace, and put the blood of war upon his girdle that was about his loins, and in his shoes that were on his feet."

And so we see how the girdle could have many meanings. And if you notice, the more exalted the meaning the more elaborate was the girdle. In fact, the girdle was also used in a prophetic utterance by the Lord unto His prophet Jeremiah.

It says this in Jeremiah 13:1-11, "Thus saith the LORD unto me, Go and get thee a linen girdle, and put it upon thy loins, and put it not in water. So I got a girdle according to the word of the LORD, and put it on my loins. And the word of the LORD came unto me the second time, saying, Take the girdle that thou hast got, which is upon thy loins, and arise, go to Euphrates, and hide it there in a hole of the rock. So I went, and hid it by Euphrates, as the LORD commanded me. And it came to pass after many days, that the LORD said unto me, Arise, go to Euphrates, and take the girdle from thence, which I commanded thee to hide there. Then I went to Euphrates, and digged, and took the girdle from the place where I had hid it: and, behold, the girdle was marred, it was profitable for nothing. Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Thus saith the LORD, After this manner will I mar the pride of Judah, and the great pride of Jerusalem. This evil people, which refuse to hear my words, which walk in the imagination of their heart, and walk after other gods, to serve them, and to worship them, shall even be as this girdle, which is good for nothing. For as the girdle cleaveth to the loins of a man, so have I caused to cleave unto me the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah, saith the LORD; that they might be unto me for a people, and for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory: but they would not hear."

As we learned earlier the fine white linen was to signify a righteous character. This linen girdle started off clean and fresh as did the people of God. But then after they were deep into worldliness as was signified by Jeremiah burying the girdle in the earth, the world marred their walks wherein they became very worldly. And so this is why the girdle worn by the high priest to bind about his embroidered coat was to be made as Exodus 39:29 commanded. It was to be “a girdle of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, of needlework; as the LORD commanded Moses."

This fine twined linen girdle, as well as everything else placed on the high priest was to signify the righteousness of Jesus Christ. The very next verse says in Exodus 39:30, "And they made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold, and wrote upon it a writing, like to the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD."

And so it was made clear that the girdle worn by the high priest was part and parcel to the representation of Jesus Christ as pure holiness to the Lord. And being fine twined speaks of Christ’s righteousness in the highest order possible. And as we learned earlier the colors of blue, scarlet and purple depict the royalty of Christ Jesus as well as His being obedient to the Father’s will even unto death.

And yes, the man standing as high priest was a sinner and therefore stands to represent mankind in his weakened self while at the same time represent the Lord Jesus who became a man who overcame all that man could not. And so the Lord would allow for Him to put on the robes that depict the righteousness of Christ.

As students of the Bible we know our garments are nothing but filthy rags. In fact, Romans 3:10 says, "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:" And so Acts 17:30 says, "And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:"

Notice this in Zechariah 3:1-7, "And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. And the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; even the LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire? Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel. And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment. And I said, Let them set a fair mitre upon his head. So they set a fair mitre upon his head, and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the LORD stood by. And the angel of the LORD protested unto Joshua, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; If thou wilt walk in my ways, and if thou wilt keep my charge, then thou shalt also judge my house, and shalt also keep my courts, and I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by."

For the Lord to wink, or in Joshua’s case; cause the iniquity of mankind to pass from us, this declares how man, as sinful as he is, can still be saved by a Saviour who is Christ the Lord. Joshua wasn’t asked to perform a task to get the change of raiment. Just as salvation is a gift, so was the new raiment placed upon Joshua who became the high priest that day for the people of God.

And so, filthy garments obviously represent the sins of the people which the high priest by virtue of his office must bear as did Christ the Lord bear for us on the cross. When the first high priest was chosen as a type on earth to represent what Christ would do for His people, Numbers 18:1 says, "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."

And so the fine twined white linen symbolized the righteousness of Christ with which the high priest must be clothed with in order to bear the sins of Israel while performing the services in the sanctuary that our Lord performed in reality on Calvary when He bore the iniquity of billions of lost souls.

And now let’s take a deeper look at the blue robe of the ephod. This was the garment the priest wore over the embroidered coat. Exodus 39:22 says “And he made the robe of the ephod of woven work, all of blue." And as we learned earlier, the color blue was a reminder unto them in the same way the blue sky is a reminder unto us that His law is eternal.

In prophecy the color blue denotes obedience. But as the Lord revealed unto me many of years ago, we must go forth proclaiming His truth so as to build a mighty nation of believers based on the love of the Law and not blind obedience to it as so many try to pull off and scoffers claim we do by stating we seek to gain heaven by works. I repeat again and will repeat many more times I am sure that we don’t keep His law to get saved, we keep it because we are saved.

Just as the Jews of old circumcised the flesh to declare obedience unto the Lord, and since they proved unable to keep His law, our Lord’s undying love for us was such that He prophesied long ago in Deuteronomy 30:6, "And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live."

1Corinthians 7:19 says that “Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God.”

In other words, the works of the flesh mean nothing unless the heart is cut by the Lord at the start. The ceremonial law (in this case physical 'circumcision') is now to be considered 'nothing' by all obedient Christians because as we know those ordinances were abolished at cross when Jesus said “It is finished and as per the verses I just read from Deuteronomy and 1 Corinthians, the ten commandments are now written on the heart, and this is only possible after our loving Father 'cuts' the heart with His love and His law wherein we come to love Him and His law. In fact, just to recite a few out of many passages in His Word, it says this in the longest Psalm in the Bible.

·         Psalms 119:97, "MEM. O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day."

·         Psalms 119:163, "I hate and abhor lying: but thy law do I love."

·         Psalms 119:165, "Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them."

And yes, that last passage shows why Jesus could easily declare in John 14:27, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

He can say your heart won’t be troubled or in fear because of what He also said via Moses and David in Deuteronomy and Psalm. Since the law is in your heart after accepting Christ as Saviour, then it is fitting that Jesus would declare His bride would have peace. Something David knew of eons ago.

Getting back to the blue ephod, if you look at the picture below the conference room you will see it had short sleeves in it. Actually the picture may be a bit off in that some believe it had no sleeves at all. Only slits cut into it so the arms of the priest can come through; and then of course an opening in the top for his head. Kind of like a tight fitting poncho. Looking down you will see the hem of the robe had bells of gold with "pomegranates of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and twined linen;" so as to illustrate the character and work of our heavenly High Priest.

Exodus 28:31-35 says, "And thou shalt make the robe of the ephod all of blue. And there shall be an hole in the top of it, in the midst thereof: it shall have a binding of woven work round about the hole of it, as it were the hole of an habergeon, that it be not rent. And beneath upon the hem of it thou shalt make pomegranates of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, round about the hem thereof; and bells of gold between them round about: A golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, upon the hem of the robe round about. And it shall be upon Aaron to minister: and his sound shall be heard when he goeth in unto the holy place before the LORD, and when he cometh out, that he die not."

The Bible does not tell us how many of these ornaments were on the ephod but Jewish tradition states there were 72 bells. And so why are these ornaments on the blue ephod?

First let’s look at the golden bells. In 1 Corinthians 13:1 it states the following regarding someone that shows a lack of love. It says, "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal." These bells on the ephod were made of the purest gold and by no means made the tinning shallow sound of sounding brass or a tinkling symbol.

I recall in my youth, one of my brothers played the drums in our garage band. He had a very nice set of drums, and he made sure to buy the best cymbals he could find that were made a brass. Brass is used in the Rock music industry so as to depict the opposite of a loving sound. That is of course due to the fact that Satan is the angel of music among other things and so even here his hateful influence will be found. When my brother struck the cymbals they made the sound of crashing metal. The sound of the golden bell on the other hand was very clear and pure, and on the day of atonement the sounds of all those bells was a blessing unto all the congregation because the fact they heard them meant the priest didn’t die when he walked into the most holy place and that meant all the sins of the people were forgiven and the blood sacrifice was accepted by the Father.

Now let’s look at the pomegranates. As we all know the pomegranate is a round fruit a little larger than an apple. Inside the fruit we find a large number of seeds encased in little bags of juice that is both sweet and bitter at the same time. Do you recall the parable Christ shared in Luke chapter eight regarding the sower of seeds? It says in Luke 8:11 that “…The seed is the word of God." And each one of those pomegranates was a little basket of seeds.

I looked online and found that the amount of seeds in the pomegranate can vary anywhere from 200 to 1200 seeds in each fruit. Kind of reminds me of another parable of Christ regarding how He generously distributes blessed talents unto His obedient people who love Him as David did and can also declare they are a people after God’s own heart. Hence the reason they are depicted in prophecy as His bride.

As we also know being students of prophecy, the colors here are very obvious. The blood red juice of the pomegranate represents the blood of Christ, and the many seeds obviously point to how His Word is jam packed with precious seeds of love, truth and promise. And yes, quite often doing this work for the Lord as well as simply walking in His truth can be a bitter sweet experience. Hence the reason for the juice’s flavor being that is it both bitter and sweet.

The pomegranates on the ephod were embroidered using the fine-twined linen in royal colors of blue, purple and scarlet as well to further signify the perfection of Christ’s walk as well as the walk of the loving and obedient child of God who follow His lead towards perfection. In fact the red, blue and purple used in the pomegranates were also to signify the ultimate sacrifice of many of the followers of Christ who in the past, present and future who will be obedient even unto death; because as we also know, to share the present truth in these last days wherein truth has become a lie and the lie has become truth for most can sometimes lead to a Christian being ridiculed, persecuted and even killed. Hence one of the many reasons Revelation 21:8 says some that claim Jesus Lord won’t gain Heaven because they are fearful. To be fearful means you trust what Satan displays before your eyes more than what Jesus has said to your heart.

Since we all live in the flesh for now, we can easily understand how some would be fearful when looking at certain death for sharing the Gospel. It’s simply human nature to avoid such things. In fact, that is why the Catholic church is over a billion strong today. Common sense and historical record as well as biblical fact proves that 100% of her members back during the Inquisitions were too fearful to die for Christ and so this is why they will not gain Heaven. And those fearful people lived on to have children who were also taught to fear the Popes. And as time went on Satan moved priests and all the wolves claiming to be Protestant preachers to cultivate fear in the hearts of all their people by reminding them of the Vatican inquisitions as well as their false doctrines of purgatory and eternal life in hellfire. And so 1.2 billion people today base their faith solely on the fearful dogma of Rome confirming they will never make it to Heaven because it clearly says in Revelation 21:7-8 that "He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.  But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death."

And keep in mind, being fearful means you are an unbeliever. For it is also written in 2 Timothy 1:7, "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."

And so, if God didn’t give you that fear, then Satan is the one that gave it. Bowing to that fear means you trust his lies over your Father’s truth and therefore become a nonbeliever unworthy of Heaven.

Worse yet, as fearful Christians the Lord knows He cannot trust them to share those seeds of truth when it becomes deadly to do so, and so they are never called upon to do so until the final test of the mark. But this also applies to some that refuse to plant the seeds because they don’t want their friends, neighbors, coworkers, classmates or family members to think they are strange. They are actually ashamed of Jesus as per Mark 8:38 that says, “Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

Some even refuse to share the seeds because they worry that in so doing some of their friends and neighbors will get angry with them. And so they are fearful as well.

It is possible that not all of us will be tested with the big tests like death for sharing our faith; but all of us will be tested with the little tests of doing so because the Lord needs to know who He can use in the coming days. And when you pass the little tests He may just send greater tests, but no matter how it all ends, the duty of His obedient bride is to share their faith with as many as possible so as to bring more souls into Heaven. And so not only do those little bells next to those pomegranates allow for the people to know the high priest is still alive, they represent the people of God proclaiming truth and so the pure ringing of the golden bell alongside the seeds of truth in God’s Word is a fitting symbol to all this.

And so, as Psalms 126:5-6 says. Go forth and “sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him."

Do you know what a sheaf is? Have you ever seen those pictures of the farmlands of ancient days wherein the stalks of wheat or corn where bound together standing up in a field? The sheaf is what binds all those stalks filled with seeds together. And so go out, work the fields, which in prophecy means the earth, and bring in so many children of God that you have to use the sheaf of Heaven to bind them together in the Lord.

Getting back to the bells and pomegranates that we started looking into last Sabbath, they were not on the coat of white linen or even the golden ephod which we will discuss later; they were only on the blue robe which symbolized absolute obedience to the Law of the Lord. And that is why His obedient bride cannot contain the truth within them. This is why we are a working church and not one that sits back waiting on the latter rain before going forth. 

Remember this parable of our Lord? Matthew 13:3-9, "And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;  And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:  Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:  And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.  And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:  But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.  Who hath ears to hear, let him hear."

Now that you know what the pomegranate seed baskets on the blue robe of obedience, this parable makes it easier to understand why Jesus used seeds in His illustration. We need to keep in mind that the Jews He was preaching to back then knew all about the Sanctuary services as they partook daily and especially on the Day of Atonement. They knew what that pomegranate seed basket meant. But many today that don’t study the Sanctuary only see the seeds in the parable as bits of truth, which in fact they are. But unless they see the whole picture of truth, they will only see the pomegranate seed baskets on that blue robe of obedience and they may never come to understand the duty they have regarding going forth with those seed baskets.

This is our ordained task at hand brothers and sisters and as Romans 10:13-15 clearly instructs, we too must go forth in obedience to do the duty we have been called to do, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.  How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?  And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!"

Absolutely every one of us praises our Lord in unison daily because we have found that Pearl of great price. Wouldn’t you want to share the joy, peace, comfort and love of the Lord with as many as He sends your way? Yes, we do and this is what I love about this church family. Even though we have no brick and mortar church in the USA, we are for the most part a working church that is not afraid to stand on the front lines to proclaim the present truth to the many souls out there searching for it. And yes, they are looking for the peace we have in Jesus the exact same way we were looking back when we found Him; and yes it’s a very sinful world out there now wherein most don’t want to hear it. But even if only a few come to the truth; the celebration in Heaven is no less amazing regarding a new soul saved. And so do what you can as often as you can and one day, when that eastern sky splits you will see just how many souls were blessed by the seeds you planted.

So remember, as the sinner that was sent to you from the Lord receives the Word into their heart, and the joyful and pure sound of the golden bells can be heard deep within them when they embrace the seeds of truth, you will see that which was penned in Luke 15:7 come to fulfillment wherein it says, "I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance."

So share His truth so that the golden bells on the hem of the high priest's blue robe of obedience sound out their joy before all in Heaven and that joy is quickly taken up by the angels in heaven who join that wonderful pure sound with the strings of their golden harps.

Ephod

Now let’s look a little closer at the ephod which was worn outside the blue robe. This was considered peculiar by some that see it for the first time, but then we all know how peculiar Jesus His bride looks to the lost today. And if we are obedient we too will look peculiar to them for it is written in Exodus 19:5-6, "Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel."

So let them laugh, scoff and even ridicule and persecute you all they like brothers and sisters. That is to be expected because we are not of this world. And think of this as well. The laughing will eventually stop when Heaven starts. And then for all eternity our peculiar ways will be the norm for absolutely every person we meet. We can actually rest knowing no one will ever laugh at us for the modest clothing we wear, the refusal to do sinful things as so many did on earth like being entertained by sinful actors, doing drugs or other sinful acts. We will finally be part of a large family that believes and walks in the exact same way we all do for all eternity.

This peculiar looking ephod was the official garment of the high priest of Israel. To make it easier to understand how this was worn by the priest, you need to know that the word ephod can also be translated as apron. It was obviously shorter than the blue robe of obedience with the bells and pomegranates and it was of course sleeveless so as to allow the short sleeve of the blue robe and the long sleeve of the fine twined linen robe to be displayed on the arms depicting the perfection of Christ’s walk wherein everything He touched was for the glory of His Father in perfect obedience to His will.

This ephod was very expensive as it was very beautiful to look upon. It was entirely of gold, blue, and purple, scarlet, and fine twined linen according to Exodus 39:3. Each and every thread in this ephod was there to represent the absolute perfect character of Jesus Christ. It is fitting that threads could do such a thing as every aspect of His daily life back then and to this day is all for the purpose of glorifying the Father as well as guiding His precious bride to His loving arms. Each of those threads represents the thread of daily life in a dedicated manner unto the Lord. Each one could be seen as a small task like smiling when a frown is expected, refusing to laugh at a dirty joke, refusing to look upon a sinful display or even refusing to eat a small item of food that can harm the body. Each thread like this can be seen as small, but when many are brought together as a way of living all those threads can be used to create the beautiful ephod worn by the high priest.

In everything Jesus did and anywhere He turned in His life before during and after walking with us 2000 years ago we see absolute perfection. Every small and great step taken was woven together as a heartfelt duty to glorify His Father and so we must walk this way as well. Absolutely every moment of every day was perfectly strolled in absolute obedience to our Heavenly Father’s will and it was all done so we, His precious bride would discover both His love as well as the well-lit path to His free gift of salvation that not only grants us eternal life, it allows us, as small as we may be, it grants us to be used of our Lord to glorify Him before all the Universe.

And if I had a picture of the gate of the court you would see that this ephod was richly embroidered with the very same pure gold threads intertwined so as to identify the high priest personally and officially with the gate of the court, the door of the tabernacle, the veil, and even the inner covering of the sanctuary. All of it was made of the same costly material which was created by skillful workers who were granted their skills from the Lord personally for this specific task. Now do you see why Jesus declares Himself to be the door unto salvation? In John 10:7 & 9, Jesus said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture."

And just so you know, whenever a high priest died, they did not make new robes or a brand new ephod for the next priest to wear. This clothing was passed on to the new priest. Exodus 29:29 says, "And the holy garments of Aaron shall be his sons' after him, to be anointed therein, and to be consecrated in them."

This week we’re looking at the onyx stones that were on the front and back of the ephod so as to fasten it together at the shoulders. Each stone was engraved with six of the names of the tribes of Israel making for a total of all 12 tribes.

Exodus 28:9-12 says, "And thou shalt take two onyx stones, and grave on them the names of the children of Israel: Six of their names on one stone, and the other six names of the rest on the other stone, according to their birth. With the work of an engraver in stone, like the engravings of a signet, shalt thou engrave the two stones with the names of the children of Israel: thou shalt make them to be set in ouches of gold. And thou shalt put the two stones upon the shoulders of the ephod for stones of memorial unto the children of Israel: and Aaron shall bear their names before the LORD upon his two shoulders for a memorial."

If you notice it said this when it came to how the engraver did his work. The stones were to be done “with the work of an engraver in stone, like the engravings of a signet”

The word “signet” comes from the Hebrew word “chowtham” (KHO-THAWM) which means to seal or sign in the same way an official government document is sealed. It represents the authority of the government by which the person rules. Therefore those 12 names were to signify those tribes were specifically set apart by the Lord as loyal servants of the Sovereign city of New Jerusalem.

Even to this day we see medals and badges of honor are worn on the shoulders of some government officials. Take for example a 4 star general. He will have all four stars displayed on each shoulder. And why was this done with the High priest? Isaiah 9:6 says, "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, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."

And so just as a four star general is a servant unto he that rules over him, those 12 tribes are servants unto the King Jesus Christ.

Now the amazing thing here is that Jesus also came as a servant unto the people as the Messiah who bows in obedience to His Father in Heaven just as we bow in obedience to Him with the Holy Spirit blessing us with contrite hearts which then desire to bow in the first place. Notice how Genesis 49:15 says that Issachar “…bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant unto tribute."

And so as Messiah was to bear the government upon His shoulder, those stones on the shoulders of the high priest expressed the God-given honor and responsibility of His priest.

The onyx stones on the shoulder of the ephod designated the duty of the high priest who was to bear the physical burdens of the obedient house of Israel, even as our King Jesus who is the eternal heavenly High Priest carries our burdens for us. For is it not written in Psalms 55:22, "Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved."

This is a promise unto the bride of Christ and I say only the bride as she is described in Scripture as obedient and therefore worthy to claim the promises of the Lord. There are billions of people in the world today that as Isaiah 4:1 describes are only granting Jesus lip service, and so this promise, or any other promise in His Word for that matter cannot be claimed by them at all. For it is also written in Isaiah 29:13, "Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:"

Look around today and you will see that deep seated fear that was prophesied long ago is the norm in all the churches for all the people claiming Christ Lord only seek Him as Lord so as to escape hellfire. The Lord is preached by the many false prophets to be a tyrant unto the people and so as Isaiah puts it, “their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men” and so they will not gain Heaven for it clearly says in Revelation 21:8, "But the fearful… shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death." And so this is why is says in Isaiah 48:22 that “There is no peace, saith the LORD, unto the wicked.” Unless you accept Jesus as Saviour then how on earth can you have peace when He is the only one that is capable of giving you the peace you desire?

This is why it’s so important to read your bible instead of reading the pastor. So many poor souls sit in churches that are purposely designed by Satan to cultivate a man-made fear that literally guarantees them eternal damnation. But they have no clue it’s happening because they refuse to leave those churches that they know deep within are not trustworthy. But they lie to themselves so as to build up a self-serving confidence that the Lord will somehow turn a blind eye to their plight. Yes, the Lord does wink at our times of ignorance. But when you know deep inside something isn’t right and you know for a fact you don’t believe what the preacher preaches half the time, yet you stay in the church to gain what your flesh demands of you. Be it the approval of a parent, a spouse or even someone you hope to marry or just do business with.

This is why none of these Christians in those apostate churches, from the Catholic to the Seventh day Adventist experience no real peace in Jesus Christ. They cannot experience it because you need to know Jesus as Lord in the way His Word dictates and ignore the demon inspired precept of men claim. Is it not written in Acts 5:29 that “we must obey God rather than man?” But as we know, no one wants to read Bibles anymore. This is why the prophecy of Amos 8:11 can be clearly seen fulfilled even before the plagues hit. Just as the heart of the believer must be set in stone for Christ, the heart of the nonbeliever must be set in stone against Christ so that when the plagues do finally fall, all that was prophesied to happen for both parties will happen exactly as it was written.

The lost prefer to just let the wolves they believe to be their pastors do all the studying for them and they are perfectly satisfied to come to listen to his or her studies once a week without ever knowing what it means to know or even love Jesus for who He truly is. This is another Jesus they clamor after. We seek Jesus because we love Him and want to live with Him forever. The clamor after their Jesus because they fear burning to ashes in hellfire.

And for those that believe you don’t have to be part of a church that is gathered to emulate Christ because you believe organized religion is evil, think again as those names of the tribes of Israel were engraved in the onyx stones in a certain order because we worship a God of perfect order. Exodus 28:10 says, "Six of their names on one stone, and the other six names of the rest on the other stone, according to their birth."

And just as the shepherd would carry the little lamb that wandered from the flock on his shoulder for weeks while his bones healed to gain a close relationship with that lamb, those names on all the tribes were worn on the shoulder of the high priest to show how the Lord is willing to be that close to each and every one of us, even if it means He has to send a major trial to get you to rely on Him daily just to get to another day.

And look up, do you see moons crashing into moons? How about planets drifting into black holes? Or look on earth, do you see roses growing with the petals of a dandelion, or a mighty oak bearing the fruit of an apple tree? No, we worship a God of order. And He does require His people to gather in His name in an orderly fashion, especially when we see the end approaching for it is also written in Hebrews 10:23-25, "Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised)  And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching."

And yes, there are many churches out there organized in ways that are so evil that many obedient Christians not ony left them, their awful fruit of earthly organization over heavenly have confused them enough to think no organization is better than even a biblical order.

Luke 15:4-6 says, "What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?  And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.  And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost."

The names of the 12 tribes also represent those ready willing and able to respond to the call of their mighty King Jesus as reinforcements to His loyal army which are then represented in the breastplate jewels. Both the onyx stones on the shoulders and the breastplate jewels were engraved in the same way when it comes to being that “memorial" of the obedient people that our Lord will never forsake or abandon.

Just as the names were engraved on the onyx stones, they were engraved in the jewels of the breastplate. Exodus 28:29 says, "And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart, when he goeth in unto the holy place, for a memorial before the LORD continually."

Remember what it says in Isaiah 49:15-16 which is, "Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me."

And when you look at that breastplate you can see how those jewels are walled into their own safe place next to His heart and so it is obvious that the obedient child of God is walled in by the rich and full promises of an ever living God.

Let’s now look a little closer at the Breastplate of Judgment. Like the ephod, the breastplate was made of gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and fine-twined linen. This richly embroidered square plaque for lack of a better word was about a nine inch square. It says in Exodus 39:8-9, "And he made the breastplate of cunning work, like the work of the ephod; of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen. It was foursquare; they made the breastplate double: a span was the length thereof, and a span the breadth thereof, being doubled."

The span measurement here is actually about 9 inches. Strong’s concordance says this about a span. It was “a unit of measure, approx. half-cubit, or the distance from the thumb to the little finger on an outstretched hand.” I actually used a ruler the other day and measured my own hand and found for men that it’s about 8.75 inches to be exact.

Exodus 39:10-13 goes on to say that on this breastplate was “..set in it four rows of stones: the first row was a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle: this was the first row. And the second row, an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond. And the third row, a ligure, an agate, and an amethyst. And the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper: they were inclosed in ouches of gold in their inclosings."

And just so you know, an “ouche of gold” is what jewelers today place a diamond in. I think it’s called a setting or a mount if I’m not mistaken.

As we learned earlier, the name of each tribe of Israel was engraved in each jewel that was placed in this breastplate, and they were set in the ouches according to their birth. And that is very important as we learned in a sermon I did back on March 24, 2018. When those names are placed in the order of their birth a specific story is told.

NAME

DEFINITION

Reuben
Simeon  
Levi 
Judah
Dan
Naphtali
Gad
Asher
Issachar 
Zebulun
Joseph
Benjamin


Behold a son, Look on Me
Hear Him, Hear Me
(and) Be Joined, With me 
Give Him Praise, Now will I praise the Lord
Judge
(His) Strife
(and His) Fortune
Happy and Blessed
(am I for) He Brings (my) Reward
Dwelling with Us
He shall Add
(For He is) The Son of His Right Hand 

And so every time the priest put on that breastplate it glorified God who knows the end from the beginning to the point He not only names each of us in the womb, he knows that by naming them in the way He does tells the story of His love for His faithful children who in their obedience glorify Him by doing as He leads them to do from the cradle to the grave. And so that breastplate not only shows His awesome glory, it shows He loves to have us involved in His plans to offer salvation unto all as the servants who go forth throughout time to declare the gospel message for Him so as to gain even more precious souls. And having it next to the heart of the high priest shows how close Jesus Christ our High Priest in Heaven wants to keep us. Is it not written in 1 John 3:1, "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not."

And again in Isaiah 49:15-16 where we read earlier which said, "Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me."

And yes, the walls mentioned here have to do with the ouches of gold that kept those jewels in place. But again, unless we study the Sanctuary we would not know about how deep His truth goes at times.

Now let’s look at that breastplate a little closer to see how those stones are set and I have a bit of a shocker to share on this in a few moments. Those ouches are set in such a way that each jewel is surrounded by a wall of gold as we just learned. Not only is the name engraved on each jewel, it’s walls are about it as the hedge of angels are upon His children and all that are as close to His heart as we can get.

Remember what He said about His servant David? In Acts 13:22 it says, "And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will."

And when we His remnant people walk in obedience striving unto our prophesied perfection, He looks upon us in the same way He did David who said in Psalms 119:34, "Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart."

These jewels on the breastplate, which measured nearly two by three inches a piece, were not only of great beauty, these stones had great value. To this day the Hebrew writers say that whenever a tribe would display their banner before the people, be it in war or times of celebration, they would do so in the exact same color as the jewel that their names were engraved upon that breastplate of the high priest.

And as we learned earlier, Aaron was told to wear the breastplate continually whenever he went into the holy place. This signifies how day by day Jesus is "continually" reminded of His obedient flock. It says in Psalms 40:17 that even though we are all “..poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God."

Now do you see why the Lord says we are His precious jewels in Malachi 3:17? It says, "And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him."

Again, without studying the Sanctuary and knowing about the jewels in the breastplate none of us would know how the jewels mentioned in Malachi had anything to do with the High Priest, His breastplate or even the Sanctuary itself and all it entailed. It’s no mistake the Lord constantly refers to His Sanctuary all throughout the Word. Be it Old or New Testament. This is done to show His children how important the Sanctuary, its furnishings, its services and even the small items and colors of those items all have a special meaning for the Lord as well as for His obedient children.

And think about this as well. Some of those jewels can only be found when digging deep into the earth or gathered way below the surface of the ocean. In other words, no matter how scattered we are in this world, or even scattered by lineage or ancestry due to many mixed marriages throughout time; our Lord knows where each of His people are right now. Be they blood born Israelites mixed in marriage throughout the centuries or spiritually born Israelites temporarily mixed by strange theology until they come to know the Author of Truth. All of us will “come out” of this fallen world to be with our Lord as His obedient bride was prophesied to be throughout eternity.

Next we come to the Urim and the Thummim that were placed under the breastplate as close as possible to the high priest’s heart. On them were engraved the Hebrew words for “light” and “darkness.” Numbers 27:21 says, "And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall ask counsel for him after the judgment of Urim before the LORD: at his word shall they go out, and at his word they shall come in, both he, and all the children of Israel with him, even all the congregation."

In other words, the Urim and the Thummim were used to discern the will of God in tough situations wherein they had yet to receive a thus saith the Lord. The stone that was for “light” was white and the one for “darkness” was a black stone. These stones were used to get a “yes” or a “no” answer from the Lord.

And yes, this too was counterfeited by Satan himself. Those of us that dabbled in the darkness of the occult before meeting the Author of the light of truth, we know all about the yes and no sections of the Ouija board.

Now I am sure many today would love to get their hands on such stones like the Urim and the Thummim, but they were not magical in any way and so they would not work at all today. What I mean is; it was necessary back then for the Lord to use this method to express His will on certain things that most would consider the tough questions in life. However, the main reason they had those two stones was for the same reason the church has always had the prophets. The Bible was going to be growing in size and for quite some time it was just the first five books that Moses wrote that the people had to use to find answers in life. The Word of God however has finally grown to 66 books today wherein it now contains the answer for every question man can come up with. In fact it says this in 2 Timothy 3:14-17. "But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:  That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works."

And so even if we had the Urim and Thummim today, the white stone would not glow to answer yes and the black stone would not glow to answer no because the Lord has already declared all we need to know in His Word. If we stand confused it’s only because it’s our fault if we do not know His will. Unless you read it, how can you know it?

Truth is, if we ask a question He would merely send us back into His Word to get the answer. Seriously, how many of us, myself included, have had a certain question in mind when going to Him in prayer and suddenly a certain Bible verse comes to mind that actually has the answer? That is why studying and not just surface reading His Word is so important. Just as we wouldn’t know about the beautiful truths found in the Sanctuary unless we looked into His Word to find it, we would never have that Bible verse come to mind when in question the day He reminds us of it. Hence the reason He penned in John 14:26 that said, "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."

And the way the verse ends confirms the fact you must read it. It said that the Lord bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. The word “remembrance” means just that. You cannot remember anything you never saw in the first place. Seriously, do you have any memories about walking on the moons of Saturn? Of course not. You were never there to build that memory. Well, if you never read your Bible, then you cannot have that verse in memory that the Lord promised to remind you of when you are in need of that specific truth that will help you when you need it most.

Now here is something rather interesting I learned while doing this study in the section of the Sanctuary a few months ago. If you read Ezekiel 28:12-19, which I won’t do now due to time constraints; Satan, who at one time was called Lucifer is described by Ezekiel in detail. You can see how Ezekiel calls the stones that are now found on the breastplate the same stones of Satan’s covering. When speaking of Satan before he fell is says in Ezekiel 28:13, "Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering..” and then he goes on to name the stones on the breastplate one by one. And then as we know Ezekiel 28:15 says that “Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.”

Now notice this. And most people miss this and I almost did until I saw how the jewels in Satan and the jewels in the High Priest who represents Jesus Christ are not the same number. Satan only has nine jewels. He literally has an entire row missing. And so when I looked into this I found that the jewel that was placed there to represent Issachar on the High Priest was missing in Satan because Satan is not a burden bearer. Only Jesus is.

Then I found that the jewel for Gad is also missing and that is because Satan’s future punishment was assured because only Jesus was to be the victor that was crucified.

And finally the jewel for Asher is missing in Satan because he will never produce royal seed but then Jesus Christ is King forever.

Now I am not going to list every definition for each name and station of life found in the twelve tribes, and if you want to look into them they are listed in detail in Genesis 49. But to show how one can come to this conclusion regarding those three missing Jewels, notice what it says in Genesis about the ones missing in Satan.

Genesis 49:14,15 & 19,20, “Issachar is a strong ass couching down between two burdens: And he saw that rest was good, and the land that it was pleasant; and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant unto tribute. Gad, a troop shall overcome him: but he shall overcome at the last. Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal dainties.”

 

Notice this as well. This glorifies the Lord even more in that He truly does see the end from the beginning. Those three missing jewels in the body of Satan when at the time of his creation he was the most glorious being ever created by God, those three jewels were purposely left out to limit Satan’s power before he fell. That fact alone should make many stand up and take notice unto our God.

And because of this declaration by the prophet we can now see that the breastplate of the high priest pointed all the way back to Eden as per the words of Ezekiel. And as we know the Sanctuary and its services are all about salvation and so one can then see the promise of the Lord to save those that obey His will close to their heart as did the high priest keep the Urim and Thummim close to his as well as all the souls that are represented in the breastplate, they all will gain Heaven for their obedience to every yes and no answer of the Lord throughout time because going to Him and Him alone by studying His Word when we have questions means that we really are His prophesied people that we can only follow the Lamb withersoever He goeth and therefore live by a thus saith the Lord. Or as Jesus put it in Matthew 4:4 when He put Satan in his place in that desert 2000 years ago by declaring, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”

Now let’s look at the foundations of the city of Heaven. As we will soon see in Revelation, there are 12 gates and the 12 foundations of New Jerusalem wherein the same 12 stones are used in the foundation but in a different order; and some names missing from the Old Testament because as I will share today in a sermon about the 144,000, there is a reason some names are replaced.

You will also see what Revelation 21:12 says are the “twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:" And then in Revelation 21:14 it says “the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb."

Not only are the stones in the breastplate used in the 12 foundations of Heaven, they also represent the 12 apostles. In other words, we see God calling out to His people from the Old to the New Testament in all this. And the forever open gates of pearl declare the obedient people of God have eternal access to the city.

And so when we look at the breastplate, as we have the last two Sabbaths, we see the stones representing the obedient people of God, the Urim and Thummim which was close to the heart of the high priest is there representing God’s will for His people, we then also see Satan being mentioned in Eden as per the prophet Ezekiel who tried to destroy God’s plans and His people, and so we see everything is in order just as it should be.

What I mean is, we see the creation of man, we see Satan mess things up as expected and we see the promise of Salvation offered unto man so as to defeat Satan’s plans. Then we see, the will of God to keep us on the path to salvation with the “yes & no” guidance like the Urim and Thummim of old but now by daily Bible study all throughout our lives and then the final destination of Heaven wherein the stones of the breastplate are used in the 12 foundations of the city further locking down the connection between the Sanctuary and salvation.

Now notice this. In Revelation 7:4-8 it says this, "And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.  Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand.  Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nepthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand.  Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand.  Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand."

And by the way, I didn’t plan this. The sermon I have been given from the Lord last Sabbath when I was doing my own studies actually answers the age old question so many have wherein they assume the 144,000 will be only of blood born Jews. And I also answer the question in the sermon regarding whether or not the number of 144,000 is literal or not.

And so I praise the Lord for that sermon as I do all my sermons as it coincides perfectly with today’s Sanctuary study because, as many of you know, I do these studies months in advance and have no clue each Sabbath as to which one I will be sharing on Sabbath day until Friday morning when I double check my notes for the study. By then the Sabbath sermon and all its verses have already been posted on the site and so again, I praise the Lord for how He times things like this. He does this so often with us, but I never grow tired of praising His name for doing so.

But, getting back, did you notice anything strange about those names on the foundation of New Jerusalem? The original names for the 12 tribes as they are listed in the Word are as follows. They are Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, Benjamin.

In the list of tribes given in Revelation 7, wherein those names are written on the gates of New Jerusalem, we see as per Revelation 21:12 that these are “are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:" But as I will go into more detail later in the sermon, you will notice that Ephraim and Dan are missing from the names on the gates. Reason being is, in Hosea 4:17, it says "Ephraim is joined to idols: let him alone." And in Genesis 49:17 it says that "Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward."

Look again and you will see that Joseph took the place of Ephraim because of his idols, and just so you know, anyone who is joined to his idols of silver, gold, alcohol, tobacco, drugs, coffee, jewelry, or any other idol for that matter will also be removed from the book of life and like Ephraim left all alone without salvation.

As we all know, we had some major problems last week with our Internet connection. So bad we actually had to stop the church service. And most of you were unable to hear everything I said due to the lag regarding why Ephraim and Dan’s names were removed from the tribes listed on the gates of forever New Jerusalem. And so I will try to pick it up from where I left off last week because it does bar repeating so as to get into the next topic. We know Ephraim’s name was removed because of what it says in Hosea 4:17 which is that “Ephraim is joined to idols: let him alone.” And if you look a little further into Hosea 7:8 it says that “Ephraim, he hath mixed himself among the people; Ephraim is a cake not turned.”

And what that means is, and the easiest way I can describe this is to picture cooking a pancake on one side. It’s well cooked on the one side but still raw on the other. In other words, Ephraim “mixed himself among the people” and so he only had a one sided view of life. Like Jesus said in Matthew 6:24 “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” And in this case with Ephraim, mammon is worldliness which is apparent when you see what Hosea said next in chapter 7. When speaking of Ephraim he said in Hosea 7:9 that, “Strangers have devoured his strength, and he knoweth it not: yea, gray hairs are here and there upon him, yet he knoweth not.”

He let the riches of the world influence him more than the riches of Heaven. All too often people will stay in churches they know are in apostasy simply because of business connections which allow them to become wealthy in the world; and so their cake is unturned and even becomes raw on the side wherein they need to be educated in the things of Heaven. But this is impossible in an apostate church. Sure, you can find Christ in a fallen church, but once found you need to deny the world and “come out of her my people” or the world will cook you up on just one side; and so their spiritual strength has been replaced by their desire for the things of this world.

It is here that as the bride of Christ we need to realize that yes, while we are in the world we must allow the Lord and His truth to have a well-placed influence in our lives. Like the pancake that is cooked well on both sides, we can live in the world and be blessed in it as well as bless those the Lord sends our way but only if we allow the Lord to guide our every step. If we allow the world to have more influence in our decision making process in life, then like Ephraim we too will become a cake not turned. And so again, Jesus puts it plainly here when He stated in Mark 8:36 “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”

Now don’t get me wrong, it’s ok to be wealthy, as this is the Lord’s will for some of His people. He is the one that sets up the pauper and well as the prince. But the real test comes when Jesus reveals Himself to those wealthy people as He did to the young rich man in Matthew 19 who because of his riches could not sell what he had to help the poor. His cake was also unturned and therefore raw on the side of the Lord but well-cooked on the side of the world. 

And then moving unto Dan and why his name was removed, we see that Dan, who is called the backbiter in Genesis 49:17 wherein it says "Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward."

He was replaced by the first born son of Joseph, who was Mannasses. Dan represents, even unto this day, all those that do as he did throughout time. From the book of Genesis to the last book of the Bible which as we all know speaks of today’s world and the coming days in graphic detail, we see many poor souls who have bowed to the flesh in this area that declares they have the same spirit of Dan in a big way. And as I stated last week, this is the reason we see over 44,000 denominations that came from Rome who as prophesied became daughters of the harlot in Rome. That is why they all wonder after the beast by keeping Sunday as their Sabbath as well as the many Pagan rituals and holidays. 

As I was in a private study on Tuesday that actually had nothing to do with this Sabbath’s study, I came across this in a study I started a few years ago that I never got around to finishing. I actually found in Haskell’s book, “The Cross and its Shadow” the following information regarding the tribe of Dan.

“Dan was the first son born of the concubines, but the old patriarch gave him an honored place among the tribes of Israel. Naturally he was endowed with the quick, keen discernment that makes a good judge; but he did not exercise the gift as God designed; he used it in detecting the evil in others, instead of the good.” {1914 SNH, CIS 375.4} (Stephen N. Haskell - The Cross and its Shadow)

Now this is something that cuts the hearts of many of us in the remnant church. As a church family we have seen many of the brethren fall off the path who with the heart of Dan have come against the obedient people of God simply because we want to walk in obedience to the Lord. They accuse us of being legalistic when we try to show them Bible truths regarding everything from alcohol to dress reform. And because we love the Lord and are moved to share that love with them so as to help them back unto the path, it angers these dear souls. And so continue to pray for them whenever their names come into your mind.

When speaking of the obedient bride of Jesus Christ it says in Revelation 14:4 that, “These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.”

As students of prophecy we know that women in prophecy are churches and so this means the many apostate churches and no matter how loving or even hateful their members are towards us who do as they do in the hopes of getting us to water down our faith, it is impossible for the Lord’s bride to be lured off the path of truth because we truly are in love with Jesus because He is the Husbandman of His Bride. To walk away from Him as Eve did in the Garden would move us to literally commit spiritual adultery, and according to our Bible, our faith, and our love for Him as His bride, which as prophesy says is depicted as a perfect virgin, we simply won’t do that no matter how much love or even hatred those in the fallen churches present.

In short, we too need to clean up our thoughts and especially our tongues brothers and sisters because if we are ever to gain that perfection it will be done in a way that depicts the true meaning of the word spiritual virgin. When they slander us as they have done so often, all we need to do is tell them we forgive them with a real smile upon our faces that does not depict we’re just acting a part to gain acceptance from our Lord. Such genuine and Holy Spirit influenced actions can go a long way towards watering the seeds they may have in their hearts towards accepting Jesus as Saviour.

And no, forgiving them doesn’t mean we should stop warning people about the sins some in the church that claim to be good members in standing commit. What I mean is, Ephesians 5:1-11 clearly says that we must, "Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.  But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;  Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.  For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.  Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.  Be not ye therefore partakers with them.  For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:  (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth)  Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.  And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them."

And so when a pastor, preacher, teacher, priest or even a Christian who has the ears of many declares what you know to be heresy that endangers the souls of all listening, it is our God given duty to present the real truth unto them so as to bring them back into the fold. Yes, this can cause some of us to be ridiculed and even persecuted for standing our ground in Jesus and His truth. And some may even claim we are doing something that is unChristlike, but remind them that John the Baptist, Peter and even Jesus Christ Himself openly rebuked the leaders in the church back then that taught heresy. But when you declare such a thing you need to be very careful in that you do it in the same way Jesus did it. We must rebuke with love in our hearts so that those looking on can see no hatred was present when declaring present truth. All too often people like to get in your face and scream their theology at you, but is it not written in Proverbs 15:1 that “A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.”

This week let’s take a look at the mitre of the high priest. Yes we looked at it before, but like many other items in the Sanctuary there are more than one meaning for them and so we need to look at them again. Like the other garments it too was made of fine twined linen. It was actually referred to as a crown in Leviticus 8:9 which says, "And he put the mitre upon his head; also upon the mitre, even upon his forefront, did he put the golden plate, the holy crown; as the LORD commanded Moses."

Exodus 39:30-31 then says, "And they made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold, and wrote upon it a writing, like to the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD. And they tied unto it a lace of blue, to fasten it on high upon the mitre; as the LORD commanded Moses."

And so after placing the mitre on the head of the high priest, the plate with the words “HOLINESS TO THE LORD” was placed at the base of the mitre. This plate attached by the blue ribbon was to be "upon Aaron's forehead" as Exodus 28:38 says wherein it symbolized that as high priest he understood the Word of God and was obedient to it as a true representative of Christ. One can see it also symbolizes the perfect mind of Christ we all need to ascribe unto.

Now here’s where we see a new meaning to this mitre and especially the term “holiness to the Lord” and why it’s on the forehead of the High Priest. Those of us that study prophecy know what the forehead represents and being in the last days as we are our, science has actually mapped the human brain some years ago and found the forehead is where we make decisions in life. This is why the mark of the beast and the seal of God is placed upon the forehead in prophecy. For it is written for all of us to hear in the following passages.

Romans 15:6, "That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."

1 Corinthians 1:10, "Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment."

1 Corinthians 2:16, "For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ."

Philippians 2:5, "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:"

1 Peter 4:1, "Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;"

And just so you know. When the one thousand years begins, we the redeemed or bride of Christ as we are affectionately called in prophecy; we will be associated with Christ as priests as well.

Revelation 20:4-6 says, "And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.  But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.  Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years."

Now notice this. When we begin our priestly duties in Heaven it declares in Isaiah 62:2 that we “…shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD shall name." And Revelation 2:17 confirms what Isaiah said by declaring, "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, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it." And Revelation 22:4 says, "And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads."

The Temple

As we move ahead in the study we now come to the temple itself that is separated in two parts. The holy and the most holy place. There are some furnishings in here as well as items that need to be explained as well as what the temple itself was built of and why.

First let’s look at how it was built. Exodus 26:15-23, " And thou shalt make boards for the tabernacle of shittim wood standing up. Ten cubits shall be the length of a board, and a cubit and a half shall be the breadth of one board. Two tenons shall there be in one board, set in order one against another: thus shalt thou make for all the boards of the tabernacle. And thou shalt make the boards for the tabernacle, twenty boards on the south side southward. And thou shalt make forty sockets of silver under the twenty boards; two sockets under one board for his two tenons, and two sockets under another board for his two tenons. And for the second side of the tabernacle on the north side there shall be twenty boards: And their forty sockets of silver; two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board. And for the sides of the tabernacle westward thou shalt make six boards. And two boards shalt thou make for the corners of the tabernacle in the two sides."

Doing the math we see there were forty-eight boards in the wall of the sanctuary, twenty on each side and six on the west end, along with two additional boards for the corners. All the boards were the same size, which was ten cubits long and one and one-half cubits wide. That equates in today’s measurements to be twenty-seven inches wide by fifteen feet long. The wall of the temple was actually twice as high as the wall of the courtyard and made it quite easy to see the temple even from a distance.

If you look online you will find the boards were actually about four and a half inches thick. A 2X4 today is actually 1.75 inches thick an 3.75 inches wide. The linear footage is how you buy them. You can get an 8 foot 2X4, a 10 footer, 12 footer or even a 16 footer. But my point here is they were 3.75 wide. That’s just under 4 inches wide. The boards in the Temple were actually thicker than a 2X4 is wide! So that would make for a very sturdy wall to say the least.

Exodus 36:33 gives us an idea as to why they had to be so thick for it says “he made the middle bar to shoot through the boards from the one end to the other." A thin board would obviously split if drilled through like this. It simply would not be able to hold up well over time with a hole drilled through its center. And so there had to be plenty of wood each side of the hole so as to prevent an issue.

To give you an idea of the girth of these boards; when you do the math for a board of this thickness and length, it would equate to 150 board feet per plank as they say today at Menards or Lowes lumber yards. That means each board would be at least 700 lbs a piece and this is before the gold plating was placed on them. And gold is very similar in structure to lead and we all know how heavy even a small piece of lead can be. It would take many men to lift just one board into place and now one can see why the metal bar was placed in each board. It tied them all together as I am sure they no doubt would fall under their own weight one by one if not tied together like this.

Picking up where we left off last Sabbath with the corner boards. When you look in the Word you see that whenever the boards at the west end of the temple are mentioned, it always says "six boards, and two boards . . . for the corners,"

Exodus 26:22-23 says, "And for the sides of the tabernacle westward thou shalt make six boards. And two boards shalt thou make for the corners of the tabernacle in the two sides."

It is clear the corner boards are singled out for a reason here. The corner boards not only allowed for more stability for the building of the temple itself by giving a good vertical foundation for the wall to rely on, those corner boards correspond to the corner stone of the temple that was to be built later which was also very important in allowing for better stability of the entire structure. The walls were heavy yes, but without a good corner board to keep them steady, they too, tied together or not, could easily come crashing down all at once. Anyone unfortunate to be nearby would be easily crushed to death via their combined weight of 29,400 pounds. Or just a tad over 14.5 tons; and that’s without adding the weight of the gold of course. And so those corner boards had a very important purpose.

As Christians we all know that Christ is "the precious corner stone," according to Isaiah 28:16. And then when we look into the New Testament ministry of Christ we see that Ephesians 2:20 says the household of God is “built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;"

We all know how Jesus Christ grants perfect stability unto the church itself and each and every apostle cannot stand without Jesus as their vertical foundation any more than any of us can do so to this day. The stability of the church can only be found in Jesus Christ the Lord. This is why all the churches with Popes, Patriarchs, Supreme Governors, Presidents, first of equals or even the chief Rabbi in Israel all stand as their own cornerstones over Jesus Christ and that is why all these churches are in apostasy and very soon to collapse when the seventh plague hits because without a sure foundation in Christ, they are sure to fall.

We simply cannot stand, let alone do anything without Jesus Christ as the head and anchor of the church. We all stand together just as the boards of that wall did. And we are all bound together as a church doing the work the Lord who moved the apostles of old to do as well so as to educate us on how to do it later on. And again, unless Jesus is there to hold us up as He promised to do even unto the end of the world, bound together or not, like those boards and all the ill-fated apostate leaders of the churches today, we too would come crashing down without the corner boards we see in the Sanctuary Temple in the desert or the Cornerstone of Solomon’s stone temple. And yes, if you were wondering about the gold the Romans took off the stones walls in the Temple back in 70AD with the question as to why they were there. Just as the boards were covered in gold that formed the wall in the Temple had, those stones in the Temple in 70AD had the same purpose in symbolizing the righteousness of Christ upon the obedient people of God.

Amazing isn’t it? Just as Roman Catholicism has destroyed the faith of billions by stealing the people away from Christ by their Pagan dogma since their inception, one can see the prophetic as well as doctrinal significance of those Roman soldiers who stole the gold off the walls of the Temple in 70AD which as we know represents the obedient people of God walking in the righteousness of Christ. The lust for power and wealth in those soldiers is no different than the lust for power and wealth in the Vatican prelates over the centuries.

And by the way, a good example of the walls crashing down even though they are all bound together by that rod depicts the apostate churches of the world that are in their long prophesied ecumenical group hug with the Pope. There are over 44,000 different denominations claiming to stand upright in the Lord just as those boards represent for the obedient remnant people who truly do stand upright. And they are all bound together in their own ways. The Baptists stand under their creed, the Catholics have theirs and the SDA’s have theirs just to name of few. But none of them allow Jesus to stand as the corner board of their temples, and so they will soon come crashing down to the point of crushing everyone in their churches. And how do I know they are not bound in Christ? They all declare Allah is god, homosexual marriage is ok, Sunday Sabbath is no big deal and  Pagan holidays and demon worship are acceptable unto our God. Their corner boards are based upon the sand and not upon the Rock and great will be their fall in the coming days. And it is fitting that those boards weigh over 14.5 tons as they fall. There is no getting around that type of judgment. In fact, notice this.

Jesus said in Luke 20:17-18  ..The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner?  18,  Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.

In other words, when you accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour your old self dies and you become a new creature. You’re actually broken to the point of being born again anew. But, if you refuse Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour to prevent that stone from falling on you, then that same stone will again break you, but this time without rebirth. You literally become the ashes under the souls of the feet of the obedient people of God after you burn in hellfire as the prophet Malachi said in 4:3.

And so again we see why the altar of burnt offering and the mercy seat are of the exact same height in the Sanctuary. God’s mercy is just as perfect as His wrath. You accept Him as Saviour, you live. You refuse His offer of salvation, you die. It’s just that simple.

Now yes, when we look at all the churches that say Jesus is their cornerstone so as to rebuke the truth that exposes them, that happens to be the fulfillment of the “many false prophets” prophecy Jesus declared in Matthew 24:11.

But the stability of Christ is seen in the truth as it is written and as it is embraced by the church body that He stands as the chief corner board and cornerstone and so those churches that declare Sunday is Sabbath, Allah is God and homosexuality is no longer an abomination unto God cannot possibly have Jesus as their vertical corner board or even cornerstone because He would never uplift or uphold heresy or doctrines of demons. As prophesied in 2 Corinthians 11:4 they have “another Jesus” and all their flock follow after that version of Jesus because it allows them to declare themselves to be Christians while still reveling in the flesh. That lie is what binds them together all over this world so as to set a day wherein they will all fall together in unison wherein on the other toss of the coin, the truth as it is in Jesus binds His true bride together so as to set a day wherein we will rise up together to be with Jesus in the air as they fall under the final plague of Revelation. 

And notice this as well about the corner board or cornerstone. Remember as we learned early on in the study about walking into the Sanctuary can be seen in both how Christ did it to grant us salvation as well as how believers can walk into the sanctuary so as to gain salvation? Since we strive unto the perfection of Christ we too will emulate His character so as to move others to seek Him as Lord.

Since we know Jesus is represented in the corner board as well as the corner stone right, and since the Sanctuary has two meanings; which is one that shows Jesus as the Author of salvation and us His obedient bride as the recipient of that salvation, it all fits in perfection as it should.

Psalms 144:9-12, "I will sing a new song unto thee, O God: upon a psaltery and an instrument of ten strings will I sing praises unto thee. It is he that giveth salvation unto kings: who delivereth David his servant from the hurtful sword. Rid me, and deliver me from the hand of strange children, whose mouth speaketh vanity, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood: That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; that our daughters may be as corner stones, polished after the similitude of a palace:"

Those corner boards not only allow for the stability of the temple, it says this about them in Exodus 26:23-24, "And two boards shalt thou make for the corners of the tabernacle in the two sides. And they shall be coupled together beneath, and they shall be coupled together above the head of it unto one ring: thus shall it be for them both; they shall be for the two corners."

The ordained purpose of those corner boards was to "couple together" all the other boards into one perfect tabernacle, or as Paul described that very same coupling under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in Romans 12:4-5 he said, "For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:  So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another."

It is Christ our Cornerstone that binds us together into one body, and once those boards are bound together with the corner boards they are in fact one Temple. 1 Corinthians 12:12, 20 says, "For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.  [and] now are they many members, yet but one body." Hence the reason for the many different boards that make up the walls of the Temple.

And so when we read Ephesians 4:16 we can see how this all fits together for the glorification of Christ in that it says, "From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love."

Like the boards in the wall that are bound together or fitly joined together and compacted, we the people of God cannot be moved off the task at hand as we are tightly bound to the Lord Jesus Christ who is our corner stone. We will not step off the path for any reason and the lost souls cannot get us to water down the truth in any way shape or form either.

But most churches today don’t bind together in the truth in this manner. Their foundation is based on worldly things and not on Christ. Yes, many do it for the right reasons as best as they can, but without complete obedience unto the God that wrote the Bible they preach from, they can never be fitly joined together and compacted.

This week we will look at how the pastors that prophecy calls the many false prophets as well as hirelings. These pastors have messed this all up today for the Christian church just as expected. They were supposed to allow Christ to stand as the corner board of their congregation as we studied up last Sabbath or as the cornerstone as the future temple had. But they, like the Pope who declares himself “god on earth,” they have all wondered after that beast in Rome to follow his lead so as to stand in the place of Christ demanding the people look upon them instead of the Lord. These Popes, Patriarchs or Presidents completely remove Jesus Christ from the message they present unto the people that God has given and even commanded them to proclaim unto the people they were called to shepherd. As also prophesied they preach another Jesus and this is why all the churches are in bed with the Vatican’s one world church, or world council of churches as the globalists call them. 

Reiterating a little from last Sabbath, Ephesians 4:16 says we can see how the boards in the temple, that weigh 700lbs each needed to be bound together so as to stand upright but could still fall unless bound also to a cornerboard of even more strength. All of this was to illustrate that we can do all thing through Christ who strengthens us as well as for the glorification of Christ in that it says, "From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love." And we all know whenever Jesus Christ is involved, love abounds.

And so, like the boards in the wall that are bound together or fitly joined together and compacted, we the people of God in these last days must not let the lost, no matter how close they come to us in life, be it family members or even friends, we cannot allow the love we have for Jesus to be replaced by the love we have for them for it will move us off the task at hand and all our strength in Jesus will be gone and we will fall because it’s impossible to stand in Christ unless we are fitly joined together unto Him. This is why Jesus said what He said in Matthew 10:37 that, He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

 

No, Jesus is not commanding us to shun or even hate our loved ones at all. What He means is, our desire to obey Him and His Word must always supersede our desire to please our loved ones.

 

For example, if your spouse demands you break the Sabbath so as to do something on that day you know would be sin to do, if you decide to do that with your spouse for fear of losing their affection, then you are showing Jesus you would rather please your spouse over Him. That would mean your love for Jesus is secondary to your love for your spouse, or any other loved one that lures you to do as they want.

 

Truth is, when we stand firm in Jesus and refuse to disobey Him no matter what our loved ones say; that act alone will quite often affect them in ways that may actually bring them to seek Jesus as Lord. Your strong desire to stand firm in the Lord is noticed whether you realize it or not and the other toss of the coin is that your wishy washy stand to step away from Jesus to do as your loved one demands is also noticed and very effective in preventing your spouse from ever accepting Christ when they witness with their own eyes how weak Christianity is by your example.

 

As you all know my wife and I used to be Catholic. Between us we had 16 siblings and all of them didn’t approve of our decision to leave the church. Everything from pulling on heart strings to literal anger and threats were used to try and get us to walk away from Christ and back into their arms. But it wasn’t because they wanted us to be blessed in their church. No, as time went on we discovered that they were more concerned about us making them look bad for staying in their church and that upset them. Terms like goody two shoes, Jesus freak, legalists and fanatics were the norm.

 

But praise the Lord a few years ago one of my siblings actually contacted me and wanted to talk about God’s law. Her reason was because of how my wife and I did not bow to the demands to rejoin the church for decades. Yes, Fran and I prayed often for them and we wanted them to accept Jesus as Lord on day one. But for this one sibling it was obvious that it would take over 2 decades to realize our change was real and Jesus really was part of our lives. She noticed how some of our siblings also claimed to have a life changing experience in Christ as we did way back then, but a few months or even a year or two later the pressure from the family caused them to go back into their old ways out of love for their siblings. In so doing allowed her to see how stagnate their faith became.

 

And then she said something that shocked me. She said her and a few other family members have noticed how my wife and I never did that. She stated she noticed how we stood firm for decades even though everyone made fun of us after all the pulling on the hearts strings failed and so now she wanted to talk about our faith because she now had all the proof she needed that it wasn’t a fly by night phase we were going through.

 

But that door would never have opened had Fran and I bowed to their many requests to join them in the church or even join them to gather in bars for family reunions, weddings and even funerals over the years. And when we started to keep Sabbath nearly 25 years ago, they were really shocked when Fran and I refused to go to the funerals of our own parents so as to keep the Sabbath holy. Yes, Fran and I would have wanted them to see all this on day one, but at least for one of them, Jesus knew it would take many years of watching us to help them see what they needed to see.

 

My point in all this is, without Jesus as the corner board and stone of your faith, loved ones will find a string to yank on that is attached to your heart and eventually you will not only join in their sinful ways with them like the old days, you will lose all hope of sharing Jesus with them when you try to preach to them because they now see you sitting in the preverbal pew of heresy right next to them.

 

It’s as I’ve said for many years to those trapped in apostate churches. They tell me they stay in the church to try and get the members to see the need to come out. But I ask, how can they even see the importance of doing so when you are sitting in the same pew? Unless Jesus is trusted as the corner board of faith no matter how difficult it may be to see the end from the beginning on such things, then you are openly declaring that Jesus’ way just isn’t working and so you will try to do it your way.

 

If we are ever to gain the perfection that sees us bathed in the latter rain in the very near future we must follow the Lamb withersoever He goeth and ignore all allurements to the opposite by people closest to us. And yes, this is why Jesus also stated in Matthew 10:36 that a man's foes shall be they of his own household.

 

No, they are not enemies in the physical sense most of the time. But they become enemies in the spiritual sense wherein they come against us in ways that some people literally lose their salvation simply because they can’t bear the thought of losing a spouse or family member over their faith.

 

We must never step off the path via the tug they put upon our hearts for if we do, we too will eventually come to water down the truth we once knew so as to keep them near us as a family member or just someone we crave to have Christian fellowship with. Yes, Satan even pulls on strings there. That’s why so many people presently stay in the church they all know is in apostasy. Seriously, absolutely every SDA I have ever talked to over the years have admitted hands down they know for a fact their church is in open sin and apostasy yet they stay in the church anyway. But both Scripture and Spirit of prophecy says when apostasy becomes apparent it’s at that time to get out of that church. If you want to get spiritually technical, apostasy can be defined as a church without corner boards because Jesus would never be seen holding up a church that goes directly against His biblical definition of a church. Our God is not the author of confusion. Satan is.

 

The leaders in the apostate churches no longer allow Jesus to stand as their corner board or stone. Sadly, those sitting in the pews, if they have been in that church for years it will be very hard for them to leave because now the pastor has become their cornerstone, their idol and even their god just as the Popes and prelates planned all along. Hence the reason the Popes declares himself to be a god on earth in writing.

 

Now I don’t want to go off track here, but for the sake of illustration I will share just one quote from each church. The Catholic church says via Pope Pius IX, in Amantissimus (On The Care Of The Churches), Encyclical promulgated on April 8, 1862, # 3, it says "...'the Roman Pontiff...is the Successor of Blessed Peter the Prince of the Apostles and... the head of the whole Church.”

 

But our Bible says Jesus Christ is to be the head of the church.

 

And then when speaking of the office of president in the SDA church, Walter Scragg, President of the South Pacific Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, (stated) in the Record, June 23, 1990, p 4, that “He's the spiritual leader of the community of faith....He's shepherd, guardian, guide and captain.”

 

Think about this brethren; Satan knows the people have Bibles and he knows what’s written therein and so he uses that truth from Scripture to mock the Lord that wrote it so as to spew more hatred towards our Lord. And so the people who read Bibles, actually know what apostasy is and they also know what the Word says about standing in apostasy. But all of them ignore even the most simple verses like Amos 3:3 that says, “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?”

In fact it says in Proverbs 12:26 that "The righteous is more excellent than his neighbour: but the way of the wicked seduceth them." And so, as 1 Corinthians 15:33 also says, “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.”

Truth is truth. There’s no getting around it. It is written plainly and they ignore it plainly and because they do so a strong delusion comes upon them to the point things like the Roman trinity, Sunday keeping, Pagan holidays or even forming an image to the beast with their long prophesied 501c3 appears as no big deal to them.

2 Thessalonians 2:10-12 literally describes this mindset by saying “with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

 

Were you aware because of our work to proclaim the truth about the 501c3 and how it fulfills the prophecy regarding creating an image to the beast the SDA church has actually appointed a so called expert who claims to know all about 501c3 law? Why on earth do they need such a person if that 501c3 wasn’t such a big issue? I mean seriously, can’t a simple pastor in the SDA church explain it if it’s really not a prophesied fulfillment? I mean they repeatedly speak on prophetic things in the church on a regular basis. Why do they suddenly need an expert to combat a truth such as this? It’s because of that promised strong delusion.

 

That so called expert will simply lie in a very crafty manner to make the truth appear faulty, but he can only be successful with those that are happy to live in the lies. Basic reality is anyone can go to the IRS website and read all about the 501c3 and see the only way to get it is to literally join your church with the state. But because all the pastors are left dumbfounded on this and cannot respond, they send in an expert?

 

Is not the Vatican a church and a state at the same time? Yes it is. Does not the prophecy say all the churches in the world will emulate that structure to create and image to it? Yes it does. And is not the 501c3 a contract that can only be authenticated once a church incorporates or joins with the state in a legal binding contract? Yes it is. It’s not rocket science brothers and sisters. The 501c3 is a rather easy prophecy to see fulfilled. But unless Jesus Christ is allowed to stand as the cornerboard that keeps the church structure upright, those in the church cannot see the simple truth here.

 

The truth as we are called to proclaim is scaring them so much they actually hired someone to try and confuse the people into ignoring their bold and obvious act in joining with the State to uplift the Pope as their corner board and corner stone. And by the way, I only know about all this because a sister in the faith told me all about it just the other day. Her ex-pastor in the SDA church could not respond to the facts laid out before him regarding the 501c3 and so he sent her to the SDA chruch’s expert on it. Problem is, she went to the IRS website and saw there is no way they can explain this away UNLESS the one they’re speaking to has no clue as to what the law really says.

 

Brothers’ and sisters that’s exactly how Rome has worked to deceive their flock for centuries. That’s why they translated the Bible into Latin so as to prevent the people from seeing the truth. Without truth it’s hard to see the lies and especially when the man in the robe claims to be an expert in the Bible they won’t let you read in the first place. And they know it. And so unless you know what a 501c3 really is, the expert who claims to know all about it can effectively lie and even twist the writing of the law from the government website. I praise the Lord daily that the elect cannot be deceived as the Lord said because Jesus is our eternal cornerstone. Like the Berean’s of old we open Bibles to see if what they say is true. After all, our eternal lives are at stake here. That being the case, who would you rather trust with your eternal life? Mankind? Or the Creator of mankind?

This is why all the other churches have fallen. All their shepherds are hirelings. In fact notice what it says in Zechariah 11:15-17, "And the LORD said unto me, Take unto thee yet the instruments of a foolish shepherd. For, lo, I will raise up a shepherd in the land, which shall not visit those that be cut off, neither shall seek the young one, nor heal that that is broken, nor feed that that standeth still: but he shall eat the flesh of the fat, and tear their claws in pieces. Woe to the idol shepherd that leaveth the flock! the sword shall be upon his arm, and upon his right eye: his arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened."

And notice the spelling of the word idol in Zechariah 11:17. Wherein it said Woe to the idol shepherd that leaveth the flock! It is not spelled i-d-l-e that depicts laziness. It’s spelled i-d-o-l that depicts a minister who makes an idol of himself as we see them all doing now. Like the Popes, presidents and patirachs of the apostate churches, they stand as the corner board and corner stone of the church instead of Jesus Christ. As prophesied, they all preach another Jesus unto the flock to keep them in the pew and as many of you present today have discovered, if anyone speaks truth as it is written in such churches they are commanded to leave the church. And no, they will not perform a Matthew 18 on such as these because in so doing would allow that obedient child of the living God an opportunity to speak before the entire church was to why the leaders want them to leave. And so they leave and are blessed for following the Lamb withersoever He goeth.

As we know there are 48 boards in all and since the Lord moved Moses to follow the pattern He set up when He showed him the Sanctuary, what is the meaning behind the 48 boards? As we learned much earlier, the sixty pillars of the courtyard were looked upon as leaders in the faith as well as valiant men expert in warfare that stood at their post of duty to protect Israel. In fact, Song of Solomon 3:7, said these “threescore valiant men are about it, of the valiant of Israel."

These obedient souls representing the righteousness of Christ, were like a bodyguard of well-trained loyal soldiers that stood to form a wall of protection around the sanctuary. Well the 48 boards also stand "upright" being bound together to form yet another wall of protection. And so the question has to be, why was this protection doubled?

Ever notice how when dreams were given from the Lord they were quite often sent twice so as to confirm it be of the Lord? Genesis 41:32, "And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass."

And think about this as well. The Gideon band which is comprised of 144,000 loyal believers are in fact a multiple of both 60 and 48 that stand as double protection doing a special work in Heaven for eternity. And so just as the Levites of old were ordained to be the teachers of Israel who performed all the offices of the Sanctuary and even encamped all around it 24/7, so will the Gideon band serve in a double capacity. They are not only to be teachers of redeemed Israel; they will also witness the eternal truths unto the other worlds all that needs to be addressed about the saving grace of our King Jesus.

Now let’s look at the boards and see what they are made of in the natural sense. Exodus 36:20 says, "And he made boards for the tabernacle of shittim wood, standing up."

As we also learned earlier, according to the Strong’s Concordance the shittim wood back then was what we know as the acacia tree or bush that has many thorns in it. Being that they were in a desert, wild acacia wood was native to the region. In fact, many believe the bush Moses saw that burned which was not consumed, was in fact an acacia bush. The word Sinai is also defined as “thorny” in Strong’s concordance. Could it be that mount Sinai had many of these thorn bushes all over it back then?

The word shittim is the plural of the word shittah. The tree itself being called the shittah tree was a small thorny tree that required a lot of labor to prepare it for use in the Sanctuary and being as such was considered valuable due to all the intense labor that was required to make the boards. Being that the tree was small each board would have to be glued together, or as Exodus 36:20 stated, the boards were “made boards” or made into board as we might say today. Kind of like the way some table tops or butcher blocks are made by joining many thinner boards together with glue.

When I think of the size and weight of each board that had to be one major undertaking just to make one board due to the intense work needed for each piece of wood worthy to be joined into the board itself; and their value was such that shittim wood was considered one of the articles of value the people would bring for the Sanctuary. Exodus 35:24 says that, "Every one that did offer an offering of silver and brass brought the LORD'S offering: and every man, with whom was found shittim wood for any work of the service, brought it."

That would mean shittim wood was part of the spoils the people also brought from Egypt as I am sure the Egyptians used it as well in their society seeing how their society was based in a desert.

In fact, one would have to assume that some of the Jews were employed by the Egyptians to make the shittim boards smooth and beautiful in appearance for the palaces and the Lord used their knowledge to further the work of the temple.

But as we know, that wood was covered in thorns and so removing the thorns is a fitting symbol of removing the carnal nature of the follower of Jesus Christ. All the trials and tribulations in life that allow us to recognize the thorns in our walk show us that we need to remove and smooth away the thorns so as to be the perfect temple of the Lord. Like the dross that is skimmed and scrapped off and removed from the silver puddle in the furnace of affliction that we are illustrated to be in via the parable of the Silversmith. And just so you know, the thorns in the shittim wood are removed by scraping as well.

Think about that for a moment. Just as silver ore has a ton of waste and useless material that has to be removed by pulverizing under a great weighted press and the blasted in a furnace with great heat to make the valuable silver shine forth, all the hewing, scrapping, smoothing and sanding of the shittim wood allowed for the beautiful wood to shine forth.

In other words, the Lord looks at us as being very valuable and He does a mighty work in us to help us get to a point that we glorify Him in our perfected walks. And so it is very fitting that the shittim wood as well as the silver sockets themselves which also took a lot of work to make into fine silver were used in the Sanctuary so as to represent the perfection of Christ as well as the perfection His bride strives unto.

Now notice this… Exodus 31:1-5, "And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah: And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, To devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, And in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship."

Bezaleel was chosen by the Lord to do the work of constructing the sanctuary. Yes, many knew how to prepare the shittim wood to become beautiful and smooth in apparence, but Bezaleel was called of God to take it one step further. His work was not just to work with precious metals and stone, his work included the "carving of timber" as we just read in Exodus. Besides all this he was blessed with the Holy Spirit "in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship."

The reason I share that is because, even though the Bible doesn’t say this, many Jews and ancient writings claim the shittim boards were not just plain boards. Some were in fact carved. The fact 1 Kings 6:18,29 says that “the cedar of the house within was carved with knops and open flowers: all was cedar; there was no stone seen. And he carved all the walls of the house round about with carved figures of cherubims and palm trees and open flowers, within and without."

Because the temple Solomon built had wood that was carved, it makes sense the portable temple would have been carved as well. The reason I know that is because Solomon had to have used the Sanctuary Moses built in the desert as a pattern or blue print as we would call it today. Else why would the Lord give Bezaleel the ability to carve wood in Moses’ day if only a few areas of the ark and altar of incense were to be carved? One would think the boards also had angels carved upon them as well.

Exodus 36:34 says, "And he overlaid the boards with gold, and made their rings of gold to be places for the bars, and overlaid the bars with gold." Whether the boards themselves, or the gold that was used as a covering on the boards had angels carved into them makes no difference as the truth presented in both instances would still be the same. And another thought comes to mind wherein I can picture those board overlaid with gold wherein some of the carvings in the wood would have not been covered by the gold. Kind of like a lattice of gold for lack of a better term where the gold would be on the wood and in some places the beautiful wood underneath would be allowed to be seen. Or could it be that the gold did cover them up all the way so as to depict the theology of the beautiful inner man that walks with Christ wherein the Holy Spirit dwells within. It’s hard to tell at this point because none of us were alive to see these boards and I looked online Sunday night and I could not find any artists rendition of the boards before during or after they were carved and overlaid with gold. It seems all they talk about in detail when it comes to the temple are the furnishings in the courtyard and the temple itself. It would be nice to see some info or a good description of the walls to clarify all this but since nary a human on the planet was alive back then, I guess I can wait to see how the temple in Heaven looks when we get there. But my own personal opinion on this is that as I look with an artist’s eye, I can see the beautifully carved wood with the gold on it wherein certain gaps in the gold is allowed so as to let the carved work shine through in the same way we don’t hide our light under a bushel when declaring Christ Lord in our heart unto all that come our way. But still, this is all about Christ and so I can also see how the gold that represents His righteousness could be a total covering of the wood to show how Jesus Christ guides the walk of man beyond the flesh.

But, as I was thinking of this as well, I began to wonder one more way to see this beautifully carved wood under the gold without any gaps at all in the gold. We already have evidence that ancient man had technology that was superior to ours in many ways from how they carved stone better than we can with lasers, and how they actually knew how to make electricity without power plants that pollute the earth and since we already know mankind can refine gold beyond its .999 fineness to the point of being transparent. What’s stopping the people in Moses’ day from making the gold on those boards transparent as we can today?

But getting back to my statement regarding the wood representing mankind, notice this…

Jeremiah 5:14, "Wherefore thus saith the LORD God of hosts, Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them."

Zechariah 13:9, "And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God."

The faith of the obedient people of God is victorious after much trial and only then when we pass such tests do we reflect the image or righteousness of Christ in us. The wood with its many thorns is obviously the sinful original state of the man who then gives his life to Christ so as to come forth beautiful after the intense labor of the Lord bringing them to the point of great spiritual beauty wherein the righteousness of Christ, that is symbolized by the gold is then placed upon them to make them shine forth as being perfectly tried in a furnace of affliction.

And so the angels carved with that gold is fitting in that it shows how they do their duty by ministering unto God’s people as they pass through the many trials until they stand before the world as evidence that Jesus Christ is Lord and He will change the lives of those who accept Him as such.

Just as that wood was covered in gold, we the obedient remnant people of God must be covered with the righteousness of Christ as well.

Each of those forty-eight boards were covered on both sides with pure gold to teach us that the temple of the living God, which as we all know is about the Lord as well as the body of Christ, it must be the same outside as it is on the inside. We cannot be as the Pharisees and wolves of today who Jesus stated in Matthew 23:27-28, "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.  Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity."

This Sabbath we will look into the gold itself in a deeper sense so as to better understand why it was used in so many areas of the temple. If we were to walk into the Temple back then and especially after Solomon built it with stone, one amazing thing about the Sanctuary would be the amount of gold that was used. Exodus 38:24 says that "All the gold that was occupied for the work in all the work of the holy place, even the gold of the offering, was twenty and nine talents, and seven hundred and thirty shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary."

This gold was used to make the mercy seat, the two cherubim, the covering of the ark, the table, the dishes, altar of incense, the nine pillars, obviously the golden censer and the gold embroidery in the curtains contained gold wire throughout; the fifty taches used for the inner covering and each board had a half talent of gold covering it as well. And just so you know, one talent of gold weighed about two hundred pounds back then. That means if you added half a talent of gold to those 700 lb boards they would weigh about 900 lbs each. This means there was a little more than 5800 pounds of gold in the Sanctuary. That’s just 200 pounds shy of 3 tons! Back then that would be worth about $877,000.00! Today, with gold weighing in at $1346.00 an ounce when I did this part of the study which is actually $21,536.00 per pound and so 5800 pounds would be worth #124,908,800.00

And so why was gold so important in the Sanctuary?

In prophecy the main definition is of course the righteousness of Christ and so gold is also seen as a symbol for the purifying fires of the Lord that try the hearts of God’s people so as to assure they truly are of the faith. They too must drink of the cup that Christ drank in their own way. Zechariah 13:9 says, "And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God."

And Job 23:10 says, "But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold."

And then Revelation 3:18 says, "I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see."

As we know Revelation is a very symbolic book and one can see this passage depicts those that are tried in the purifying trials of the Lord as gold is in a furnace so as to become rich in the faith to the point they have the white raiment which we know is used in more than one place in the Sanctuary to symbolize the righteousness of Christ upon the people of God.

And so as is obvious here, gold always represents special value in Scripture. So much so it represents the purity and perfection of our God in His presence as well as within His people. In fact Job states in Job 22:24-25, "Then shalt thou lay up gold as dust, and the gold of Ophir as the stones of the brooks. Yea, the Almighty shall be thy defence, and thou shalt have plenty of silver."

As we know, the gold used in the sanctuary was pure gold without any dross within it. Reason being is, to have any dross in it would mean it is not perfect as Christ in the same way unleavened bread and unfermented wine is used to represent Christ in the Lord’s Supper. And so, unless we too are purified by these heavenly trials we live through day by day so as to become as refined gold, we cannot attain to the become partakers of the Divine nature.

So many in today’s world have been led by the enemy of souls that have been taught to believe that offering lip service unto the Lord Jesus by just claiming Him Lord or wearing religious images on their bodies is all that’s needed to gain Heaven. But the pure gold that has no dross within it that is found everywhere in the Sanctuary declares otherwise. Heaven cannot be Heaven with people claiming to be obedient citizens of New Jerusalem while reveling in sin as so many on earth do today.

None that emulate the decadent fruit as is described in Isaiah 4:1 will be found in the city else all the sin we see on earth today will be normal in Heaven and we will have to deal with the enemy of souls annoying God’s truly repentant and faithful people with never ending temptation. And according to the Word of God, this sinfulness will not come upon the bride of Christ ever again once Heaven begins for it is written in Nahum 1:7-10, "The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him. But with an overrunning flood he will make an utter end of the place thereof, and darkness shall pursue his enemies. What do ye imagine against the LORD? he will make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time. For while they be folden together as thorns, and while they are drunken as drunkards, they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry."

And just how dry will all those that refuse to repent become on the day that the Lord will do this long prophesied act? And think about it, green wood doesn’t burn easily. It has to be well-seasoned in the worldly elements so as to ignite easily. Most people today have been walking with Satan for decades and many Christians who for some reason stopped reading their Bibles daily. The furnace fuel is most assuredly being prepared for that final day.

The only way to stay fresh in the Lord so as to prevent the fire from even licking our toes is to stay in the Word of God daily. And especially since we know we are in the last days. Malachi 4:3 says that we the obedient people of God “..shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts."

The promises in the Word of our God are precious and eternal unto His obedient people. And so it is fitting that we see the gold used often in the Sanctuary. For it is promised in Isaiah 13:12, "I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir."

Picking up where we left off last Sabbath, our God has promised to make us as pure as fine gold tried in the fire and so as Peter said in 1 Peter 4:12-13, "Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:  But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy."

And to touch on another aspect of the wood used in the Sanctuary; shittim wood was used in every part of the sanctuary where wood was needed. And as we learned earlier, wood was a prophetic symbol for humanity. Remember when Jeremiah 5:14 said, "…I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them."

Being students of His Word seeking the perfection worthy of His latter rain, we know that what we do in life must be grounded in ways that glorify the Lord and unless it is done in this way then our works will then be declared to be "wood, hay, and stubble" as per I Corinthians. 3:12. And to further understand why this is so important and why our work must be seen as silver and gold when it comes to its heavenly value. This is why 1 Corinthians 3:13 declared long ago that, "Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is."

Wood easily burns in the fire. But would covered in gold cannot burn. And so we need to have the righteousness of Christ upon us so as to prevent the smallest flame as well as a blowtorch of temptation from getting anywhere near us. We can only overcome when Jesus is upon us because without Christ we can do nothing.

The basic reality in this is, if your work shines with Heavenly approval as gold or silver tried in a furnace, then all is well. But if it is worldly and has no value like wood, hay and stubble, then we must expect the fiery trials that come upon to burn us up quite easily. And so praise the Lord that even though we are represented as the shittim wood in the sanctuary, the righteousness of Christ as it is depicted in the gold that covers those wooden boards protects us from the flames of those expected trials in life.

And think on this as well. When that wood is wrapped in gold as it is, we can no longer see the wood clearly without seeing the gold first. The gold is much more visible and seen in the same way our Heavenly Father sees it when He looks upon us. If we are obedient in His will and Word then He only sees the righteousness of Christ. In other words, As Colossians 3:3 says, "…your life is hid with Christ in God." And so it is fitting that gold is upon that shittim wood in the Sanctuary.

And since the Lord is upon His obedient children in perfection, we are perfectly safe from all that the enemy of souls would levy against us. Our work in Christ cannot be burned up, for it also says in 1 Corinthians 3:14-15, "If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.  If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire."

In other words, We are tested by the Heavenly trials that come upon us to see if we are serious about the truth we claim to embrace. If we strive unto perfection in honest heartfelt obedience all is well, if not, that which we do will not be able to abide as Paul puts it because it is of a worldly nature.

 

This is why many suffer loss in life when that which they build in life crumbles to the ground. I’ve seen this happen so often in life for me when I was a young man. No matter what I tried to do in life nothing seemed to work, I tried making money in illegal ways and that of course came with the obvious problems associated with criminal acts, and when I opened businesses that were legit, they too would waste away to nothing after a short time because none of it was based on His will for me in life. It wasn’t until I gave my life to Christ and followed His will as best as I could that stability finally became obvious in life. And then, praise His mighty name, He blessed me with a way to work from home which was always my main desire. But instead of doing a business from home, He had me work for Him, and the rest is HIStory.

 

And for those curious as to what Paul meant when he said “he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire." What this means is that, if the Christian finally awakens to his sinful ways and sincerely repents, those fiery trials will be a blessing unto him in that it opened his eyes to his sin and so he will be saved, but all that he worked for while outside the Father’s will will be a failure. And that is exactly what I witnessed in my life many times over. All that I did burned away and I was blessed to see why it all burned up and so I learned from those trials never to step outside of His will again.

 

What an amazing and longsuffering Father is He that we worship brothers and sisters. His limitless mercy and love toward us puny little beings that stumble daily when, in spite of our many mistakes, He not only forgives us, He allows His Holy Spirit to stay within us so as to cultivate an even greater desire to serve Him!

Now let’s look at the bars and pillars that were on the North, South and West walls of the sanctuary which hung the veil that was actually the door on the east wall. Like the boards, these bars and pillars that worked together to hold up the walls and veil were made of shittim wood covered in gold.

Exodus 26:28-33, "And the middle bar in the midst of the boards shall reach from end to end. And thou shalt overlay the boards with gold, and make their rings of gold for places for the bars: and thou shalt overlay the bars with gold. And thou shalt rear up the tabernacle according to the fashion thereof which was shewed thee in the mount. And thou shalt make a vail of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen of cunning work: with cherubims shall it be made: And thou shalt hang it upon four pillars of shittim wood overlaid with gold: their hooks shall be of gold, upon the four sockets of silver. And thou shalt hang up the vail under the taches, that thou mayest bring in thither within the vail the ark of the testimony: and the vail shall divide unto you between the holy place and the most holy."

As we see here, the middle bar was made to go through the boards from one end to the other. And the rest of the bars would be placed inside golden rings so as to hold the boards in their "upright" position wherein the walls were attached together by the corner boards which then kept everything in unity as one body thereby forming the temple just as we saw illustrated earlier in how we are the temple of Christ. The pillars were there to hold up the veils which in turn caused their connecting bars to further stabilize the walls of the temple. It truly was a portable building designed to be taken apart and raised up in such a way that it was just as solid as a permanent building.

The way this temple is constructed is just as important as the church and how it is structured. Paul says in Ephesians 4:1-3, "I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,  With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;  Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."

The way these boards stand side by side represents that perfect unity because we all know what those boards are to represent do we not? The shittim wood is the people of God that after being perfected day by day stand in unity and in obedience onto Christ and so His righteousness is upon them as the gold wrapped boards represent and so this is why, and especially in these last days, we need to stand firm in Christ as a church that will not tolerate any sidestepping from the truth as it is presented in and by Christ Jesus. And yes, this is why we often see infiltrators seek to gain entrance into the church so as to weaken it and water down the message if that was possible. Truth is, was it not declared by Jesus Himself in John 10:1-2, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.  But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep."

When they climb in by some other way they do so in an apostate manner. In other words, if Jesus is not their cornerstone then the message they have to share is the same as the thief that comes in through a window. This is why I counsel the babes in Christ to steer clear of apostate preachers on YouTube or even in their neighborhoods because unless they obey Jesus in perfection and this includes right down to refusing to get a 501c3 from the second beast of Revelation, or as most call it today, the US government, then their message will be filtered by their own apostate mindset and we simply cannot take the chance that their crafty way of speaking may confuse us just enough to step off the path we are called to tread. If they do not enter in by the Door, and that Door is Jesus Christ in prophecy, then we cannot even go there. I actually go into a bit more detail in today’s Q&A session after the study wherein I shared something similar with a child of God some time ago. And so I will end it here for now.

But suffice it to say that we are to expect the enemy of souls to send those he can into the church to try and destroy it from within. Hence the reason the boards wrapped in gold not only stand upright for obvious reasons, which declares they are not only soldiers in Christ they are upright in faith, but they stand shoulder to shoulder and are truly one body in Christ as is the remnant church.

And think about this as well. When we walk into the courtyard the first thing we see is the altar of burnt offering with the shittim boards wrapped in brass to protect them from the fire that is used to burn up the sacrifice. But now that we are in the temple we see the same boards wrapped in gold. As we know, the wood of those boards with all their original thorns and such that had to be worked in a tedious process to get the thorns off and to smooth them down to become presentable to the Lord represents the obedient child of God. And the brass that wrapped them in the brazen altar of burnt offering was symbolic of the protection of the Lord who as 1 Corinthians 10:13 says will not allow any temptation to come upon us that we can’t handle.

But now we are in the temple and that gold which represents the perfection of the righteousness of Christ upon us and so even here we can see the growth process of the obedient Christian who at first is wrapped in brass as they learn in life how to walk during the trials that come upon them so as to help them to perfect their walk in Christ so as to get to the point they are wrapped in gold which is the righteousness of Christ.

And so as we continue in Ephesians 4:4-6 we see clearly that, "There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;  One Lord, one faith, one baptism,  One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all."

Don’t you just love the way this Sanctuary truth keeps locking itself down in biblical jurisprudence each time we study it? Using the term “through all and in you all” is purposely declared as such to further illustrate the need of that bar within those boards.

That middle bar running through all the boards standing upright side by side is our God “who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” That’s why those boards had holes drilled through them to hold that bar. And the word “God” in this passage where it says “One God and Father of all” is from the Greek word “theos” which is also translated as Godhead and so the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are one in agreement here in that all this should be as it is because since they are on the same page throughout eternity, so shall the bride of Christ be even here on earth before eternity starts.

And so just as those boards represent the unity of the brethren, we see it’s because the unity between the Father, Son and Holy Ghost are in agreement, and since we strive unto the perfection that makes our Father smile, that type of desire and obedience cultivates that smile by all of us standing as one in agreement as He does with His Son and His Holy Spirit.

That middle bar runs through each board as the Holy Spirit does through each of us that stands upright in obedience and especially in how our heavenly Father, who is the "Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all” so as to keep us on the path and while on that well light path we see Jesus Christ standing as the corner boards in that very same temple, because as we all know He is the eternal Cornerstone that the world has rejected who we have accepted as the head of our church.

Moving on to the silver sockets on the boards, it says this in Exodus 38:27, "And of the hundred talents of silver were cast the sockets of the sanctuary, and the sockets of the vail; an hundred sockets of the hundred talents, a talent for a socket."

And so as we learned weeks ago, each of the forty-eight boards stood on two tenons which were considered the foundation for the boards, which were then fitted into two sockets. These sockets were made of solid silver and they were there to keep the boards in their upright position. Each socket weighed one talent or about one hundred pounds in today’s measurements. And so at least two hundred pounds of silver formed the foundation for each board. And if you add all that up, not only does this make each upright board weigh 800lbs with the socket included, it comes to at least 10,000 pounds of solid silver being used here.

Now think about this as well. All the gifts brought by the people to build the Sanctuary were brought forth on a voluntary basis. But the silver was brought via the command of God.

Exodus 38:25-26 says, "And the silver of them that were numbered of the congregation was an hundred talents, and a thousand seven hundred and threescore and fifteen shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary: A bekah for every man, that is, half a shekel, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for every one that went to be numbered, from twenty years old and upward, for six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty men."

And so we see that by the command of the Lord, a half shekel of silver was brought by each man as redemption money. And being of the age of accountability, each man giving the offering was also considered a soldier in the army of the Lord at the age of 20. So it is fitting that we see the silver sockets helping the boards to stand upright as well as stand together in the unity of the Lord in the same way the soldiers of the Lord to this day help to share truth with those the Lord sends their way throughout life and we all stand as one in agreement with the truth we are called to present. And so as we see in Ephesians 4:16, it is "From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love."

And yes, it’s no mistake the body of Christ in the Holy Spirit as well as in His people is being mentioned once again in the symbolism of the Sanctuary. This truth runs throughout and so we will come across this truth more than a few times as we study the Sanctuary.

As we learned earlier, the tenons the boards stood in that made up the walls of the temple were made as a foundation for the boards which represented the obedient people of God and the gold wrapped around them represented the righteousness of Christ this shows our openness in proclaiming Christ Lord as well as the perfection of Jesus Christ in His people. And so it is fitting that those tenons were there as a foundation to hold those boards upright because 1 Corinthians 3:11 says, "For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ."

And Isaiah 48:12-13 says, "Hearken unto me, O Jacob and Israel, my called; I am he; I am the first, I also am the last. Mine hand also hath laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand hath spanned the heavens: when I call unto them, they stand up together."

And so it is also fitting those boards stood vertically and not horizontally when building the temple of the Lord. Also keep in mind; they were in a desert when they would set up this temple. And so this is why those tenons had to be as heavy as they were, which made the most stable foundation possible for those boards, which also confirms what Jesus stated thousands of years later when He said this in the sermon on the mount. It’s found in Matthew 7:24-27 wherein He said, "Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:  And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.  And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:  And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it."

Those tenons represented the foundation of truth based in and on Jesus Christ. And as we all know Jesus is represented as the Rock in Scripture and so it is fitting that those tenons were there to support those boards else they would have sunk into the sand of that desert they traveled in for 40 years in the same way so many people have sunken into the worldliness of sin over the ages.

And just to share a little more truth from on high regarding the pure foundation and righteousness of Christ upon His obedient bride, Proverbs 10:24-25 clearly says, "The fear of the wicked, it shall come upon him: but the desire of the righteous shall be granted. As the whirlwind passeth, so is the wicked no more: but the righteous is an everlasting foundation."

Now do you see why it says in Psalms 91:7-11 regarding the end result of obedience and disobedience? It says, “A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.  8,  Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.  9,  Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;  10,  There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.  11,  For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.”

 

As students of prophecy we know the term whirlwind means plagues in prophecy. Hence the reason so many of us have dreams about tornadoes. And in those dreams we are often frustrated in how even though we warn those people gathered near us in our dreams, be they family, friends or strangers, they never seem to be able to see the danger we see. And so when plague #7 falls upon the wicked we will see their reward if we are to stand in the number, and as Proverbs said, the wicked will be no more once the whirlwind passes.

Now there’s one last thing I would like to mention regarding the use of gold in the Sanctuary. As we know the portable sanctuary of Moses did not have a golden floor in the temple because it stated clearly in Numbers 5:17 that when a woman was accused of adultery that there was a certain service the priest had to perform to verify whether or not the curse from God was to be upon her. And part of that service was where “the priest shall take holy water in an earthen vessel; and of the dust that is in the floor of the tabernacle the priest shall take, and put it into the water:"

It goes on from there of course, but my point was that it does mention the floor of the portable tabernacle was bare ground. However notice this. When speaking of the house Solomon constructed that we know to be the first permanent temple it says this in 1 Kings 6:30, "And the floor of the house he overlaid with gold, within and without."

What a fitting symbol that points to the streets of gold in New Jerusalem is it not?

And just so you know, whenever the Sanctuary was set up by Moses it never rained because the cloud of protection from the Lord would prevent that from happening. Basic truth is that if it did rain the dust of the floor would of course become mud. That means each time they did stop to make camp and set up the temple, it was the divine decision of Christ Himself to pick the location, and so He would most assuredly protect it from the elements. In fact it says in Isaiah 4:6, "And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the daytime from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm and from rain."

And in the previous verse in Isaiah it says that cloud was also a defense unto the people and so it is obvious the Lord protected them as He guided them day by day in the same way He protects us as we travel our desert of trial to this day. Even though we cannot see the cloud as they did in that desert each and every day proving the Lord’s presence was among them, we know that if we remain obedient, the Lord’s presence is always among us as He promised when He said He will be with us always even unto the end of the world.

And yes, this is also why it is understood to this day that even though they were in a desert, the heat of the sun did not fall upon them because that cloud protected them from the heat all day long and it illuminated the night as well. In fact it says this in 1 Corinthians 10:1, "Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;"

And when speaking of how our Lord guides us in life as well as in the great commission placed upon every obedient soul to proclaim the coming of the Lord, notice what He says in Isaiah 49:8-10  Thus saith the LORD, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages;  9,  That thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Shew yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places.  10,  They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them: for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them.”

 

And yes, this passage also declares the end of the earthly road and the beginning of the eternal road when we see how we will never again hunger or thirst and the heat of the sun will never again smite us when we enter into New Jerusalem. And so it is fitting that the tabernacle was protected by the cloud that our forefather traveled under.

And so even though we go through many trials in life as we are guided by our Lord to the Heavenly Canaan, we know His protection is upon us as well to the point we not only have smiles during the trials, we have perfect peace when they that persecute come upon us to the point like Paul and Silas we would sing praises unto Him while in prison.

And it also stated in Numbers 9:15-16, "And on the day that the tabernacle was reared up the cloud covered the tabernacle, namely, the tent of the testimony: and at even there was upon the tabernacle as it were the appearance of fire, until the morning. So it was alway: the cloud covered it by day, and the appearance of fire by night."

And so it is as we have witnessed through our lives even unto this point. The Father provides for us, the Son died for us and the Holy Spirit is the promised guide unto us.

Ok now let’s look at the roof of the Sanctuary which has four large coverings to make up the roof. And again, remember that the Lord prevented rain from falling upon it or the sun from shining on it so as to preserve it for 40 years.

Looking into Exodus 36:8-19 we read this concerning the roof of the tabernacle; there’s a lot here so please bear with me., "And every wise hearted man among them that wrought the work of the tabernacle made ten curtains of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet: with cherubims of cunning work made he them. The length of one curtain was twenty and eight cubits, and the breadth of one curtain four cubits: the curtains were all of one size. And he coupled the five curtains one unto another: and the other five curtains he coupled one unto another. And he made loops of blue on the edge of one curtain from the selvedge in the coupling: likewise he made in the uttermost side of another curtain, in the coupling of the second. Fifty loops made he in one curtain, and fifty loops made he in the edge of the curtain which was in the coupling of the second: the loops held one curtain to another. And he made fifty taches of gold, and coupled the curtains one unto another with the taches: so it became one tabernacle. And he made curtains of goats' hair for the tent over the tabernacle: eleven curtains he made them. The length of one curtain was thirty cubits, and four cubits was the breadth of one curtain: the eleven curtains were of one size. And he coupled five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves. And he made fifty loops upon the uttermost edge of the curtain in the coupling, and fifty loops made he upon the edge of the curtain which coupleth the second. And he made fifty taches of brass to couple the tent together, that it might be one. And he made a covering for the tent of rams' skins dyed red, and a covering of badgers' skins above that."

So as we see here, the first ten curtains as they were called, which is what a tent roof is made up of even to this day, but these first ten curtains were "of fine-twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet; with cherubims of cunning work." We will get into more detail on these curtains later. And so when you waked into the holy place and looked up that is what you saw as a ceiling in the tabernacle.

Next they were to place 11 more curtains made of goats hair on top of that more in the same way you see a tent roof to this day wherein it is fastened to the ground by stakes. In fact it says in Exodus 38:31, "And the sockets of the court round about, and the sockets of the court gate, and all the pins of the tabernacle, and all the pins of the court round about."

The “pins” mentioned here are obviously those stakes to hold everything in place. Thanks to the strength of the boards that we discussed earlier that stand upright and were connected together in unity all around the tabernacle which stand firm in their silver tenons; one can see how strong this building must have been. For it to withstand the weight of all those goatskins alone illustrated its firmness of structure. And then finally we see they “made a covering for the tent of rams' skins dyed red, and a covering of badgers' skins above that.”

So picture it if you will. The bottom layer which was visible from within was of fine twined linen, the goats hair layers were all white, the ram skins where dyed red and then the badger skins were placed on top of all that.

As we move ahead in the study we will learn why the Lord wanted the roof to be made like this and by the end you will see how each covering represents a different stage in the life of the Christian who accepts Jesus Christ as Lord, Saviour and King.

Starting from the outer side of the rooftop we see the first visible one being of course the badger skins. Back then the skin of this animal was used for expensive leather works as well as the soles for sandals as it was very durable. So durable in fact that some even polished it as show leather back then. Being on the outside would allow for absolute protection. Not from rain of course due to the cloud, but the color was often a dark brown or even black so as to blend well into the desert landscape and so it kept the tabernacle hidden from the eye of the traveling thieves that roamed the desert. Of course the thieves would also be sidetracked by the Lord and the multitude of the people would also scare them off. But our Lord leaves no stone unturned when it comes to how He keeps His obedient bride safe.

One can see this protection as a fitting symbol of Jesus Christ who has promised to be with us and protect us as we wander the desert of life. Is it not written in Psalms 91:3-10, " Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling."

And yes, one can easily replace the word “habitation” with “sanctuary” here in this passage. And just so you know, this very durable leather is a proper representation of how Christ walked in a strong manner to the point of perfection among us. This also represented His willingness to walk a mile in our shoes. At the same time it shows how He was willing to step off His throne to be as one with us as for it is also written in Philippians 2:6-10 that this Jesus we love, trust and worship, "Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:  But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:  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;"

One can also see the perfection of Christ in how this covering had no outward beauty as it was not polished in any way just as Isaiah 53:2 predicted when it comes to our Lord when he was moved by the Lord to declare, "For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him."

Had Jesus been the “pretty Jesus” we see via the Vatican’s demonic depiction of Him in their paintings and statues, people would have been drawn to Him due to His fleshly beauty and stature instead of His truth and love filled message. Case in point, how well did that work out for king Saul who was As 1 Samuel 9:2 described him as “…a choice young man, and a goodly: and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he: from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people."

Satan knows how mankind is lured to other men by their beauty in whatever way it is defined but 1 Samuel 16:7 says that we should, “…Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart."

And as we all know, Christ’s heart was perfect. And so we that strive unto that same perfection must also put away those fleshly desires to not only look upon others due to their beauty but we must also put down any desire to draw others unto us by our beauty for the truth we present must be the means by which Christ is glorified. And so if you truly seek perfection in Christ, then come unto Him in the same way He came unto us wherein He allowed Himself to be humbled so as to better reflect the truth that offers eternal life instead of the flesh that will eventually get old, diseased and die.

Now let’s look at the next covering of the Ram skins dyed red. As is obvious, this represents the next step in Christ’s work for His precious bride in that the color red represents the spilling of his blood as a sacrifice for our sins.

When I think of the Atheist, Buddhist, Muslims, Jews and others that refuse to acknowledge what He did for them on that cross as well as all the lukewarm Christians who act as if His death wasn’t that big of a deal due to the fact they sin openly claiming His death covers their unrepentant sins, it saddens my heart greatly.

A truth such as this need to be seen and understood by all before it’s too late. The importance of this cannot even be explained properly. The language of man cannot depict the urgency any more than it can express the love of the Father who gave His only begotten Son as an offering for the sins of billions.

Every man and woman alive needs to realize what He did that day for all of us. Isaiah 45:21-22 says, "Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the LORD? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me. Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else."

Since Jesus gave His all and He did so in a way that would shock most people today if they were allowed to snap back in time to literally see Him whipped and then nailed to that cross. But sadly, if they cannot see this as it is written in His Word, snapping back in time would not move them anymore than it did the Pharisees.

And what’s really sad and frustrating when you think about it is that it is a free gift! There is nothing man can do to atone for the sins of his past because the only sacrifice that can be offered for such sins has to be one that never sinned. Else how could it be considered a proper payment for the sins when the sacrifice itself is sinful? That would mean no sacrifice was made in that the offering was one that delved into sin like everyone else.

The Word of God says in Romans 6:23 that, “the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Jesus shed His blood so we wouldn’t have to die in hellfire. And the only reason that fire is there is to prevent all of this happening again which is a promise our Lord made unto all of us long ago. Nahum 1:9-10 says, "What do ye imagine against the LORD? he will make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time. For while they be folden together as thorns, and while they are drunken as drunkards, they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry."

And so again, another passage that rightly declares no one will be living for eternity in hellfire. But for some reason, those that refuse the truth are actually looking at Romans 6:23 and seeing it rewritten in their minds to say the wages of sin is eternal life for some strange reason. But then, this is to be expected of the lost who believe things like there is no God, flat earth, or a big bang theory just to name a few.

The lost gather together like birds of a feather, or as Nahum put it, as thorns folded together. And not just the Atheists and their strange mindset is the issue here, the drunkenness mentioned here is the wine of false doctrine that billions of Christians embrace to this day who will be in that number that “shall be devoured as stubble fully dry” or as ashes at the prophet Malachi declared in Malachi 4:3.

And so why were skins of a Ram used as a covering? In nature the Ram is a male lamb which obviously represents Jesus Christ and His loving sacrifice for all and according to Revelation 19:13 Jesus "was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God." And so that Ram skin was to be dyed red to represent all that. In fact the Ram was used in many different offerings in the service of the Sanctuary.

You have the burnt offering, the peace offering, the trespass offering the offering of consecration and of course the wave offering. Leviticus 1:3 says, "If his offering be a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish: he shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD."

This free will offering was significant in that it represented the sinner’s absolute repentance and dedication unto the Lord. It made available unto the sinner the heartfelt reconciliation and biblical acceptance with God through the blood of Christ as the true Sacrifice on Calvary. It was also a way to acknowledge the promise made by the Lord to Abraham back when God presented the Ram trapped in the thorn bush by his head as an offering for sin instead of Isaac his son. And yes, this is why the Romans placed a crown of thorns on the head of our precious Saviour. That thorn bush, which we found earlier represented the bondage of sinful man, also represented the first mention of the burnt offering of the Ram long ago by Abraham. Genesis 22:13 says, "And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son."

What’s amazing and what’s missed by many is that Abraham knew God would either resurrect Isaac that day or He would supply the offering for the sin, for it is written in Genesis 22:5 that “Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.”

 

Abraham knew he was about to sacrifice Isaac, but he still told his servants that he and his son would return. And later Abraham said this to Isaac when he asked his father where the lamb was for the sacrifice. Genesis 22:8 says, “And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.”

This Sabbath we come to the peace offering which accompanied the burnt offering that was done as an expression of thanksgiving unto the Lord for the peace that was promised for doing so. Remember what Jesus said in John 14:27 which was, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

As ordained by our God, the offering can bring about consecration when the one offering is serious about his walk in the same way a Christian who accepts Christ as Saviour confesses and repents and then goes forth to share his or her faith with all the Lord sends their way. This dedication to the service of God every obedient Jew of the past and every obedient remnant child of God today is a fitting example as to why this was done in the Sanctuary service first.

In fact, it was this dedication the Lord sought to cultivate in the hearts and minds of His people back in Pharaoh’s day when He stated to Moses in Exodus 8:20, "…Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh; lo, he cometh forth to the water; and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Let my people go, that they may serve me."

And so this same ram that was used as a trespass offering regarding their sins wasn’t understood at first in the way 1 John 1:9 helps us to see it this day. We don’t bring a lamb sacrifice today because we have the perfect Lamb of God who takes away our sins as our offering. The difference is in that we look back to the cross that has already been done, but the Jews looked forward to it and so when they sinned they had to bring the sacrifice for their sins, but we only need to confess and repent of our sins. But we cannot even hope to have our sins removed any more than an empty handed Jew who brought no offering unless we present the Lamb of God who taketh away the sins of the world. The Jew brought the sacrifice to be killed for their sins back then acknowledge the coming Messiah. But for us He has come, He has died as our sacrifice and we declare Him Saviour and in so doing 1 John 1:9 is a promise that grants us full assurance of salvation.

A thought came to mind as I was doing this study regarding how so many Christians today that accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour who then commit a sin after accepting Him like all of us always do, they are then led astray by Satan to think that because they sinned they are no longer worthy to walk with Christ and then go back to their old ways.

To them I say show me in the Scriptures where those that brought sacrifice in the Old Testament for their sins only did so one time in their lives. Seriously, have you ever thought about that? The Jews brought a sacrifice for their sins many times a year and on the annual Day of Atonement they had their sins erased when that temple vail was miraculously cleansed from all the rotten blood of that year that represented their sinful tendencies. And so if they sinned and then are forgiven by the blood of the lamb sacrifice each Day of Atonement, why do so many Christians get sidetracked by Satan to just give up the second they commit a sin after accepting Jesus as Lord. It’s because once finding Him they either get lazy in the reading of the Word, or they stay in a church that refuses to teach the true meaning of salvation.

Notice what it says in Leviticus 5:15-19, "If a soul commit a trespass, and sin through ignorance, in the holy things of the LORD; then he shall bring for his trespass unto the LORD a ram without blemish out of the flocks, with thy estimation by shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for a trespass offering: And he shall make amends for the harm that he hath done in the holy thing, and shall add the fifth part thereto, and give it unto the priest: and the priest shall make an atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering, and it shall be forgiven him. And if a soul sin, and commit any of these things which are forbidden to be done by the commandments of the LORD; though he wist it not, yet is he guilty, and shall bear his iniquity. And he shall bring a ram without blemish out of the flock, with thy estimation, for a trespass offering, unto the priest: and the priest shall make an atonement for him concerning his ignorance wherein he erred and wist it not, and it shall be forgiven him. It is a trespass offering: he hath certainly trespassed against the LORD."

Amazing how merciful our Father is.

And then finally let us look at the waive offering, which like the four horns on the altar that pointed North, South, East and West to indicate all of mankind can gain salvation, this offering was waved about indicating salvation was offered unto all of mankind as well. Leviticus 8:29 says that “Moses took the breast, and waved it for a wave offering before the LORD: for of the ram of consecration it was Moses' part; as the LORD commanded Moses."

Not only did this offering illustrate salvation was offered to the four corners of the earth, it showed that the God of creation had the Heavenly right to rule all of earth regardless of what the Pagans declared in their false religions with their speechless idols set up as gods that could only be seen in a single area and only by those looking on from that area. Our God is the God of all that is seen and unseen and can be embraced from the deepest valley t the highest mountain.

All these offerings represent the true nature of Christ who according to Ephesians 5:2, "…hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour."

And were not these offerings considered to be that sweet savor? Yes they were according to well over 40 passages in the Word of God. And so as 2 Corinthians 2:15-17 says, “we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:  To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?  For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ."

And for those that wonder what “the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life” means, this is why it is so important to "study to show thyself approved" (2 Timothy 2:15) in the Word of God. We know that Romans 10:17 says that “faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” With this Heavenly knowledge of Christ we can have a sanctified boldness guiding our conscience. That boldness makes it not only easy to stand firm in Christ when rebuking sin, we are also blessed with Christ's love in how we rebuke.

 

In other words, some of us may be the only Bible some people read. Therefore, seeing how the Word is never changing, we too must be never changing in our walk. That way, those that are blessed by the truth we share can be blessed with a desire to seek eternal life, while on the other hand, those that ignore the blunt facts we share will stand with no excuse as to why they are worthy of eternal life when death comes upon them in the end. We won't be used by them as an excuse for their reasons to sin. But praise God we can be used by many as an example to those who did decide to seek a closer walk with Christ due to our rebuke and our unchanging walk.

But getting back to the sacrifice, today one can sacrifice unto God without killing the ram because Christ our Saviour did all that on the cross and so to sacrifice today is simply to please Him by our walk wherein the fruit of the Spirit is made visible. And those fruits are as Galatians 5:22-26 describe, which are, "…love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,  Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.  And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.  If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.  Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another."

And so when someone wrongs you, offer up the smile when they expect the frown because anything else is allowing them to remove your loving fruit of the Spirit so as to display the lusts of the flesh and therefore rob you of your sweet smelling savour that is so pleasing to your God.

As we looked into last Sabbath, that covering of rams' skins dyed red clearly represents the sacrifice of Jesus Christ in every way. From the blood He spilled to the ultimate sacrifice of His life for us so as to finish the work of salvation for all that would believe in Him.

When Israel brought their offerings for the construction of the sanctuary that Moses was given the pattern of, among the gifts listed in Exodus 25:3-8 was in fact goats' hair. And Exodus 35:26 says, "And all the women whose heart stirred them up in wisdom spun goats' hair." And knowing the region wherein Egypt got that goat hair which was then given unto the Jews when they left Egypt, that hair was white. In fact, some of it was silky white as the hair of the Angora goat was in the mix. And since white is a symbol of purity and perfection in prophecy, and since this goat hair was the covering that followed the rams’ skins dyed red, one can conclude that this was done to illustrate the truth in Jesus Christ was perfected through suffering. And yes, as we have seen quite often in the Sanctuary, this also represents the progress of the Christian as he walks in Christ Jesus the Lord. In fact, notice what it says in Isaiah 1:18. It says, "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."

As we learned earlier in Exodus 26, this roof covering for the tabernacle was composed of eleven curtains which were four cubits wide and thirty cubits long. It was just long enough "to cover" the sanctuary. And on the long edge of each of these large curtains were fifty loops, or one hundred loops in all. And into these loops there were fifty taches which are actually what we call clasps today that they used to connect the tent roof together into one large covering.

As we learned earlier, these taches were made of brass which represent the Christian’s trials and tribulations in life as well as our victories in Jesus. And keep in mind that these brass taches were next to the inner most covering or ceiling we learned of earlier made of fine twined linen with the gold embroidered angels on it. This represents our last trace of earthly struggle during the time of the mark of the beast and right before we enter into the presence of the heavenly angels that are illustrated by the embroidered ceiling that is seen by all that walk into the tabernacle by looking up.

One can see how when we stand in New Jerusalem on our first day there how all of us will be amazed by all the angels floating above us in their daily and eternal duties in the city and so that ceiling also represents the daily experience of the people of God in Heaven throughout eternity. I can see how even after 1000 years of living in such a city that when the fire that destroys the devil, his angles and the lost souls; that even though we have permission to now leave the city which by this time is on planet earth that for some of us may be hard to leave if even for a moment due the presence of the Lord as well as all those angels flying about every moment of every day. But since we have the Holy Spirit in us, we can bring Heaven’s bliss with us wherever we go, as some of us have discovered even now.

And so why goat’s hair? Leviticus 9:3 says that the people of God were to “…Take ye a kid of the goats for a sin offering.." In other words, the goat was the animal mostly used for the sin offering, and was always used when the priest cleansed repentant Israel of their sins.

Atonement means to be one with God. And this peace can only come after we have had or war with Satan. Truth is, how can peace come unless there was a lack of peace beforehand. And that lack of peace was the enemy of souls doing as he has done to each and every one of us our entire lives.

And so the goats' hair covering represents a type of the righteousness which Christ assigns to all who come unto Him in a perfect surrender; kind of like waving the white flag of surrender after seeking the Lord who will help us to defeat the enemy that attacks us.

The Lord's goat, which was the last offering of year on the Day of Atonement, is all that was to be done to remove sin from the camp. And so just as their spiritual garments were cleansed on that day, we too are having our garments washed in the blood of the Lamb as we head for our day of atonement wherein Revelation 7:13-14 prophetically says, "…What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?  And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

And so it is fitting that as you look up in the tabernacle you see the fine twined lined as the end result of the repentant Christian, who right above that ceiling is the goats hair covering that was our walks being washed by the blood of the lamb which was represented by the ram skins dyed red which was then covered by the natural skins of the badger that one can see as the natural man before meeting Christ as Saviour.

One can also see each curtain representing Christ Jesus. The outer covering of the unattractive badger skin represents how Jesus appeared to the people in an uncomely manner so as to place emphasis on the truth He spoke rather than His flesh as we learned earlier was prophesied in Isaiah 53:2.

The ram skins dyed red was obviously to represent the sacrifice of Christ. The goats’ hair represents the day of atonement wherein Jesus willingly died for us as an offering for our sins. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."

The final covering or ceiling of fine twined linen as we know it represents the perfection of Jesus Christ. And next Sabbath we will look into the inner covering more deeply.

Ok.. let’s look at the inner covering this Sabbath. The Lord blessed certain women with wisdom on how to create this inner covering in the same way He blessed certain men to carve the wood and precious metals. It says in Exodus 35:25-26 that “all the women that were wise hearted did spin with their hands, and brought that which they had spun, both of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine linen. And all the women whose heart stirred them up in wisdom spun goats' hair."

When we look at the colors alone we see wonderful symbols of truth and obedience to the truth even unto death. As we know the blue represents obedience and this is why the Ten Commandments were carved by the Lord in blue sapphire stone. And I honestly believe this is why the sky is the same color of that stone so that when we lift our hands and eyes to Heaven in prayer, the first thing we see is the color of obedience reminding us that unless we obey we cannot hope to be blessed by the God we pray unto. The red of course can mean everything from death to sacrifice and so we also know that when our precious Lord, Saviour and King was obedient unto death we can see why He was mocked by the Romans when they placed the purple robe upon Him. Mixing the color of obedience with the color for death and sacrifice we see the purple color of royalty. For even though they mocked Him, it was both a prophetic as well as doctrinal fact that He should stand as King of kings and Lord of lords.

Mark 15:16-20 says that “the soldiers led him away into the hall, called Praetorium; and they call together the whole band.  And they clothed him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns, and put it about his head,  And began to salute him, Hail, King of the Jews!  And they smote him on the head with a reed, and did spit upon him, and bowing their knees worshipped him.  And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple from him, and put his own clothes on him, and led him out to crucify him." 

And as we have seen so many times already in this study, the fine twined linen represents the purity of Christ and all those that have His Holy Spirit within them.

But getting back to how the women spun the fabric; these different colored threads were woven in ten long strips of fabric to the length of four cubits wide and twenty-eight cubits long. In today’s world that would be 6 feet wide by 42 feet long. Then it says in Exodus 36:8, "And every wise hearted man among them that wrought the work of the tabernacle made ten curtains of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet: with cherubims of cunning work made he them."

If you recall, Aholiab was one of the men God blessed to do such work. It says in Exodus 35:34-35, "And he hath put in his heart that he may teach, both he, and Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. Them hath he filled with wisdom of heart, to work all manner of work, of the engraver, and of the cunning workman, and of the embroiderer, in blue, and in purple, in scarlet, and in fine linen, and of the weaver, even of them that do any work, and of those that devise cunning work."

When the ten curtains were finished, they were instructed to connect five of them together so as to make two larger curtains, each twenty cubits wide and twenty-eight cubits long. On each edge they had the fifty loops of blue representing obedience with the fifty taches that were made of pure gold, and as we know the gold represents the God we worship and so it is fitting the blue and the gold were attached in such a way to show how Jesus and those that follow Him were obedient unto the God of Heaven. And then of course these two large curtains were joined together to make one large covering. And once done it was declared to be the "tabernacle."

To summarize all this we see that is says in Exodus 36:8-13, "And every wise hearted man among them that wrought the work of the tabernacle made ten curtains of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet: with cherubims of cunning work made he them. The length of one curtain was twenty and eight cubits, and the breadth of one curtain four cubits: the curtains were all of one size. And he coupled the five curtains one unto another: and the other five curtains he coupled one unto another. And he made loops of blue on the edge of one curtain from the selvedge in the coupling: likewise he made in the uttermost side of another curtain, in the coupling of the second. Fifty loops made he in one curtain, and fifty loops made he in the edge of the curtain which was in the coupling of the second: the loops held one curtain to another. And he made fifty taches of gold, and coupled the curtains one unto another with the taches: so it became one tabernacle."

Now notice this. Exodus 26:33 says, "And thou shalt hang up the vail under the taches, that thou mayest bring in thither within the vail the ark of the testimony: and the vail shall divide unto you between the holy place and the most holy." And then it defines the meaning for this vail that is placed between the taches of this covering with the brass taches of the goats’ hair covering as representing the humanity of our Lord who was born of a virgin so as to walk in the flesh we have and die in that same flesh without sinning, for it is written in Hebrews 10:20 that this Jesus we call Lord, "By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;" Brings new meaning to the temple veil being torn at the moment His body was torn unto death now doesn’t it?

When we look at this covering and see all the beauty within it which included the angels embroidered in using wires of pure golden thread we can see how not only were the angels connected to the work of building the sanctuary that represents all that Christ did for us and at the same time what we do in Him, we can see those very same angels ministering unto each of us as well.

And to top it off, not only does this beautiful work in this covering represent the walk of Christ and His people, it is also what our Father in Heaven would have us dressed in. Notice what it says in Ezekiel when the Lord is speaking unto Jerusalem, which represents the obedient people of God in prophetic and doctrinal truth.

It says in Ezekiel 16:1-2 that “the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations,"

And so it is obvious what comes next is declared unto God’s people. It then goes on to say in Ezekiel 16:9-13, "Then washed I thee with water; yea, I throughly washed away thy blood from thee, and I anointed thee with oil. I clothed thee also with broidered work, and shod thee with badgers' skin, and I girded thee about with fine linen, and I covered thee with silk. I decked thee also with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon thy hands, and a chain on thy neck. And I put a jewel on thy forehead, and earrings in thine ears, and a beautiful crown upon thine head. Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver; and thy raiment was of fine linen, and silk, and broidered work; thou didst eat fine flour, and honey, and oil: and thou wast exceeding beautiful, and thou didst prosper into a kingdom."

Yes it goes bad from there on for the disobedient people at this time in their history, but the declaration is clear. This is how those that follow Jesus were to be adorned. This is why when we declare it is the righteousness of Christ upon us that makes us worthy for the citizenship of New Jerusalem that it’s only because Christ wore these garments first. None of us can walk in such a way because our righteousness is nothing but filthy rags as Isaiah the prophet puts it.

It is only because of Christ Jesus the Lord that we can stand before anyone as Heaven bound. In fact it says in Acts 4:10, "Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole." 

Philippians 2:5-11 says, "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:  Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:  But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:  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."

So if we were to summarize the four coverings; we can see that the skin of the badger represents a gentle and lowly Saviour. When speaking of Jesus our Saviour Philippians 2:8 says, "And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross."

The rams’ skin that was dyed red obviously speaks of Jesus as the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world wherein Philippians 2:8 also said He was obedient unto death. Then the white goats’ hair is seen in how Hebrews 2:10 describes Jesus where it says, "For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings." And then finally the royal covering that symbolizes the exalted glory of Christ that is declared in Philippians 2:9 which says, "Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:"

These coverings perfectly illustrated the glorious Saviour Jesus Christ. But they also symbolize the obedient child of God who strives unto that same perfection in Christ our righteousness who we know can do nothing unless Jesus is within us. And just as all the royal colors and embroidered coverings are all beneath the plain covering of the badgers’ skin, as Psalms 45:13 illustrates, "The king's daughter is all glorious within…"

And so we too look at these coverings as the path we must follow to gain the perfection in Christ. We start out humble and then sacrifice our own lives unto obedience to His will and perfect truth and then eventually become overcomers that are to blessed to walk in the perfection of Christ as ambassadors for Him throughout all eternity and even reign with Him for a thousand years. For is it not written in Revelation 20:6 that, “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.”

The Temple structure is now finished and before moving unto the furnishings, we need to look back over the last few months to see that the Sanctuary was built in a very obvious way to represent Jesus Christ, and those of us that strive unto that perfection which can only be found in Christ as well. In any event, one can simply say it’s all about Christ because even when we do gain that perfection it’s only because of Christ we stand before mankind whole.

Absolutely every part of the Sanctuary speaks of many different beauties of our Lord, King and Saviour Jesus Christ. He was typified in the gate, the sacrifice at the altar, the ark in the most holy place, the silver foundation, the corner boards and even the coverings that formed the roof of the temple just to name a few.

In fact, when speaking of the temple in Jerusalem, it says this in John 2:15-21, "And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables;  And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise.  And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.  Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things?  Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.  Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?  But he spake of the temple of his body."

As we see how Jesus chased all the wicked money changers out of His Father’s temple that day, one can see even unto this day how Jesus chases the demons out of our temples wherein His Holy Spirit makes His abode as well as moving us to look upon the things of Heaven instead of the riches of the World when He tips over our tables wherein we stack our money in ways that show we place more importance on them than we do Him.

Did not Jesus declare in His sermon on the mount that “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Matthew 6:21) And yes, this is why some of us go through some very intense financial hardships. The Lord turns our tables over so as to make us realize what true riches mean.

That temple even then was to represent Jesus in perfection and those moneychangers were doing exactly as the wolves on the pulpits today do and that upset Jesus. Literally hundreds of millions are taught today by those wolves to trust in the riches of the world over and above the true and eternal riches of Heaven wherein gold is nothing more than pavement. The prosperity message has spun off into every denomination on earth and so one can expect a lot of table tipping over the coming years.

The money changers were using His temple which represented His body in a way to make merchandise of the people like the prosperity preachers of today do that ask for money each time to present a sermon. In fact it was prophesied they would be this way for it is written in 2 Peter 2:1-3 “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.  2,  And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.  3,  And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.”

 

Look around today and you will see that the way of truth is most assuredly declare evil against those of us that seek to follow the Lamb withersoever He goeth. When we declare we cannot stand in apostasy, the SDA’s declare us evil, when we say we cannot declare homosexuality normal, the homosexuals declare us unloving, when we declare the Pope is the man of sin, the son of perdition and Antichrist, the Catholics declare us hateful, when we declare Allah is not God the Muslim seeks to kill us and when we declare the Sabbath is the seventh day of the week, all of Christendom ridicules and persecutes us.

 

We seek to warn them of their damnable heresies because we love them enough to tell them the truth, but as Jesus declared long ago, when speaking of His truth it will make them hate us just as much as they hated Him when He spoke His truth 2000 years ago and still does to this day through His loving and obedient bride.

 

As for the money changers of today that through their fleshly covetousness speak with feigned words as the Bible says which is actually defined as man-made theologies so as to make merchandise of the people in their pews by moving them to donate, their long prophesied judgment is racing towards them as we speak.

 

If you read on you find that seeing how our “God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;” So will He do unto these wolves that cripple the faith of the people so as to make money off them. These hirelings do not care for the sheep, they only want to fleece the sheep for personal gain and so if their sermon guarantees them hellfire if embraced by the people, so be it as long as the pastor pays his bills.

And yes, this is why we in the SDR church never once have asked for money from the people to support the pastors because #1, it’s already the duty of the obedient child of God to tithe where they are fed His truth and if they refuse they are guilty of robbing God and #2, it is better to ask the Lord when we need funds to do the work He has called us to do than to rely on mankind.

And #3, since the church we meet in each Sabbath, be it online in our homes or in the brick and mortar churches in foreign lands, this church must represent the temple of the Lord and we will not soil it in the same way the Jews of old and the wolves of today do by using it to benefit the pastor at the desk.

In fact, notice what Paul says in Ephesians 2:19-22, "Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;  And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;  In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:  In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit."

And then Hebrews 3:4-6 says, "For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God.  And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after;  But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end."

And notice the prophetic utterance on this in Zechariah 6:13,15, "Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both. And they that are far off shall come and build in the temple of the LORD, and ye shall know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto you. And this shall come to pass, if ye will diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God."

The term “far off” in that prophecy has a dual meaning. #1, it obviously means far off in distant lands for the regular reference here, but the word far comes from the Hebrew word “rachowq” (RAW-KHOKE) which is also translated far off in time. And so this prophecy does speak of the Temple of the Lord 2000 years ago, but it also applies to the churches or temples of the Gentiles in the future who have accepted Christ as Lord and built churches to meet and be taught of Him each Sabbath day.

And to reiterate regarding the Sanctuary that represents Jesus Christ; of which His followers seek to emulate, that temple also represents us for it is written in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, "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."

And so again, this is why we do not do as the wolves do who seek to make merchandise of the people of God. For if we do, one can expect that whip of cords used by Jesus when He chased out the moneychangers, will be used to bring His wrath upon us. But we don’t obey Him to avoid His wrath. We obey Him because we love Him and want to gain even more of His love in return so as to bring even more souls into a loving relationship with Him. But because the world is more about the flesh, they don’t know of this love and so they are unable to discern how their actions bring the wrath of God upon them. Even here many people become their own worst enemies.

And yes, this is also why we meet together as we do after leaving all those apostate churches for it is also written; and some can even see prophesied regarding His bride today in 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 which says we the people of God will, "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?  And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?  And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.  Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,  And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty."

When speaking of the temple it says in 1 Kings 6:7 that “when it was in building, was built of stone made ready before it was brought thither: so that there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building."

Remember what it says in Acts 7:47-50, "But Solomon built him an house.  Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet,  Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest?  Hath not my hand made all these things?"

In other words, even though mankind carved the stones, those stones were made by the Lord. And so to allow for the prophetic illustration to be seen by all, each stone was carved far away from the temple’s location so as to prevent even the sound of the chiselers to be heard in the temple area. So again we see the far away in distance as well as far off in time once again applied in His prophetic Word.

To God be the glory and not mankind. And so they were instructed to build the temple in a way that only the Lord thy God was to be glorified and not the men that carved the stones God had already supplied for the work. In fact, look at the dust of the earth and how mankind was created from it.

I recall as a young man reading about the chemical makeup of each human on earth. There was a man that wanted to prove a point that pointed back to creation week and so what he did was scoop up some dirt from his own back yard and he placed it in a grinder until it became a fine power. He then proceeded to clip his finger and toenails and placed them in a blender along with some hair and a tooth that was recently extracted. He again grinded all that up into a fine powder. He placed both piles in separate envelopes and sent them off to a laboratory to have them analyzed. Both piles came back to him weeks later labeled as earth.

And so even though we are mere dust at one time, the Lord allowed up to be created to glorify Him as He did with the temple. In fact, notice what Peter said in 1 Peter 2:5, "Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ."

And so this is why the Temple had to be built in a perfect and certain manner. Since it was to represent Jesus Christ, it had to be perfect. And so we must be perfect as well.

And so just as the men were instructed to carve off the useless bits of stone on the rocks supplied by the Lord, we too must allow our Lord to secretly chip away at the sinful dross that hangs all over our bodies. For if we put wood, hay, and stubble into our character’s temple, it will all be burned up for it is written in 1 Corinthians 3:12-13, "Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;  Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is."

And as we know, wood, hay and stubble is easily burned away. And so as the temple illustrates we must walk accordingly. Romans 12:1-2 says, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye 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."

Now let’s look at the Table of Shewbread

Let’s take a look at the table of showbread right now, of which I am sure will be mentioned more than a few times later on in this study series. When speaking of this table, Exodus 25:23-30 says, "Thou shalt also make a table of shittim wood: two cubits shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof. And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, and make thereto a crown of gold round about. And thou shalt make unto it a border of an hand breadth round about, and thou shalt make a golden crown to the border thereof round about. And thou shalt make for it four rings of gold, and put the rings in the four corners that are on the four feet thereof. Over against the border shall the rings be for places of the staves to bear the table. And thou shalt make the staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold, that the table may be borne with them. And thou shalt make the dishes thereof, and spoons thereof, and covers thereof, and bowls thereof, to cover withal: of pure gold shalt thou make them. And thou shalt set upon the table shewbread before me alway."

As we see, once again the valuable and labor intensive shittim wood was used to make this table, which then was also covered in pure gold. We learned earlier about the significance of why this was done. All the scraping and sanding needed to make the wood usable is a fitting representation of the obedient Bride of Christ who seeks to reflect the perfection of Jesus Christ who was persecuted like no other the entire time He spoke His message. We are constantly scraping the dross from our souls in the same way that they had to scrape the thorns off the shittim wood. And of course the overlaying of gold declared the beautiful righteousness of Christ that His bride also strives unto as they too go through many trials in life.

We will get into the golden dishes which were "upon the table" like the bowls, the saucers, the spoons, the pitchers and the goblets for the wine later on, as well as why the Lord wanted this set before Him always in the temple. But for now let’s look at the showbread itself.

1 Chronicles 9:32 actually makes it quite obvious what the showbread represents as we see how “the sons of the Kohathites, were over the shewbread, to prepare it every sabbath."

This is why I like to often thank the Lord for the shewbread that is about to be changed each Sabbath day when we gather as a church family. It is food for the soul that we come to dine on each Sabbath and so this bread represents the Bread that came down from Heaven to nourish the hearts of God’s people. And yes, this is why Jesus used the manna the Jews had daily in the desert to illustrate His mission when He said in John 6:57-58  As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.  58,  This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.”

Just as the Lord provided for the people in the desert for forty years with the manna that fell each and every day so as to provide for the physical needs of the people, this showbread is also given unto God’s people each and every day when they open their Bibles so as to provide for the spiritual needs of the people. But if you notice in both cases, the only way for the blessing to be received; mankind has to do his part in either picking up the manna to dine on or picking up his Bible to dine in daily study. Our God will not force us to do this act. We must want to do it if we are ever to be blessed by Him.

Notice the beautiful prophetic utterance of Isaiah the prophet when he speaks of what we the people of God experience whenever we eat of this bread. Isaiah 55:10 says "For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:"

And yes, the inference to rain is obvious here. And then notice Jeremiah 15:16 that says, "Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts."

And then of course our precious Saviour spoke in a way that makes all this very clear as to why that showbread is on that table in the holy place. Jesus said in John 6:31-35, "Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.  Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.  For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.  Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.  And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst."

The First Step in Sanctification.

Just as we saw how the brazen altar of burnt offering and the lavar in the courtyard represented reconciliation and justification as well as other wonderful and righteous truths, the furnishings in the holy place also represent reconciliation and justification. The golden table of showbread, the golden altar of incense, and the golden candlestick all symbolize among others things, reconciliation and justification.

As we walk into the holy place the first thing we are to approach is the table of showbread just as we are to approach His Word every morning if we are ever to grow into the Christians we hope to be. And I say morning because many Christians, including myself have come to realize morning study is much better in that we start the day on a heavenly note. In fact, king David declared in Psalms 63:1, "O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;" And Proverbs 8:17 also says, "I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me."

Now yes, this can also be seen as seeking the Lord very early in a trial, for it is also written in Hosea 5:15, "I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early."

And so the inference here is seen that whether we seek Him in the Word so as to learn more truths, or we seek Him when in trial so as to seek His will, in both cases we must always got to Him first without question.

But as we look around today we see most people wait until their affliction has grown off the chart before ever contemplating their need to approach the Lord on this. Take the woman with the issue of blood 12 years for a perfect example of how most people are today. It says in Luke 8:43, "And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any,"

Think about that for a moment. Had she sought the Lord early in her trial she would have been healed long ago and would still have the money she wasted on the doctors. The fact she was healed instantly the moment she touched the robe of our Lord proves this in a big way.

And yes, this is also why doctor assisted suicide has been legalized in these last days. Satan knows that many people can be healed by Jesus even to this day and he also knows some of these people either have Christians nearby that may educate them on how to trust Christ or they themselves may have a small seed deep within their hearts that may lead to a healing and he simply cannot allow that; and so doctors, who supposedly took an oath to never take a life do so now because Satan tempted them to ignore their oath for the money they can make in killing people. And it’s all perfectly legal today.

But like the woman with the issue of blood, most people go to the AMA first to be healed with their dangerous drugs and when they are not healed or after their insurance money runs out like the woman who spent all her living on those physicians, the doctors walk away richer but the poor soul sees they are now banging on death’s door with no help from man. And with some, it is then they finally seek the Lord and His healing which comes from natural methods or even by a wondrous miracle. And so how fitting is it that we see the table of showbread first in the holy place? Are we not all dying of a spiritually fatal disease called sin which unless cleansed we will all die a grievous death in hellfire? And so again, it is fitting that the Word of God or table of shewbread as it is depicted in the holy place is the first place the sinner approaches in the holy place.

And no, when it comes to reading His Word in the morning, this is not to say that we only seek the Lord’s truth in Bible study in the mornings. We should read it in the evening as well. It’s just that it’s far easier to read in the morning due to the fact we won’t be tempted with sleep at that time. We should still reads at night, but unless you can withstand the physical weakness so as to not drift off to sleep, I would suggest reading from Pslams or Proverbs or even a daily devotional of Scripture that is short to prevent sleepiness from clouding the mind. For Joshua stated in Joshua 1:8, "This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success."

That book of the law that Joshua speaks of was what Moses penned. It was the first 5 books of the Bible. It was and still is called the Torah by the Jews of today. And then David reiterates in Psalms 1:2 when he said, "But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night."

Another good practice that comes to mind thanks to David mentioning how he meditates is to re-read some of what you read in the morning that may have been a tad confusing to you so that as you lay in bed awaiting rest you may meditate on those verses and perhaps new light will come upon you as you drift off to sleep.

The table of showbread provides the first opportunity for the Christian to grow in Christ by learning what is and what is not sinful in his life because he has already declared Christ Lord and obeyed Him in both placing his sinful ways on the altar of burnt offering and then baptized before witnesses before even entering in the holy place and when the Christian walks back out of the holy place the last furnishing they pass by is again the table of showbread so as to once again indicate reading His Word when you start and finish the day is wise.

Approaching the showbread at the start and end of the day becomes that much better for growth and character perfection as well as for sanctification. After all, is it not written in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 that "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:  That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works."

And so when we do as His Holy Spirit instructs we are then sanctified so as to used of our God for a holy purpose. But unless we embrace His Word daily, sanctification and our understanding of His will will eventually grow very dim and the work we were ordained to do will be put aside and this is why the patriarchs and prophets of old declared they would open His Word morning and evening. For they also knew that this is the warp and woof of Christian growth that will eventually bring us that which Ephesians 4:13 speaks of which is, “…the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:”

Now let’s look at the golden table a little closer.

Exodus 25:23-30, "Thou shalt also make a table of shittim wood: two cubits shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof. And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, and make thereto a crown of gold round about. And thou shalt make unto it a border of an hand breadth round about, and thou shalt make a golden crown to the border thereof round about. And thou shalt make for it four rings of gold, and put the rings in the four corners that are on the four feet thereof. Over against the border shall the rings be for places of the staves to bear the table. And thou shalt make the staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold, that the table may be borne with them. And thou shalt make the dishes thereof, and spoons thereof, and covers thereof, and bowls thereof, to cover withal: of pure gold shalt thou make them. And thou shalt set upon the table shewbread before me alway." (Also see Exodus 37:10-16)

When we look at the overview of the Sanctuary we see the table was located on the north side of the holy place. Again we see shittim wood being used that we learned earlier was not only very laborious to work with it was extremely beautiful when done and as we also learned it represented humanity. This table was also covered in pure gold so as to represent the divinity and perfection of Jesus Christ upon His obedient bride thereby declaring like the other items that mankind can come to a place wherein humanity and Divinity unite.

And seeing how this is the table where the showbread is placed, wherein we know the showbread represents the Word of God; it is fitting once again that shittim wood and gold was used because if you look at the Bible you see it was inspired by our God but written by man. Humanity and Divinity worked hand in hand in the Word of God and yes, this generates a real sore spot with the lost and especially the homosexual and atheist who cannot see the truth as it is declared in the Sanctuary or anywhere in His Word for that matter so as to see how it really is a perfect union of humanity and Divinity in the pages of the Holy Writ. They only use this wonderful union of man and God as a way to speak against it. After all, how many of us have heard them shout over our entire lifetime that mankind wrote the Bible and not God and so it’s not worth reading. But a few moments after saying that they will pick up books of fiction or even demonic books like Harry Potter and read them cover to cover because it is the flesh that rules them and Divinity has no place in the mortal when immortality is the promise for those that do see the perfection of Christ, who most assuredly is man and God as one which in and of itself even illustrates how the Scripture was written. Man and God as one in the truth.

When we look at the obedient child of God we see the Holy Spirit inside the man wherein if they stay on the path will bring about the Divine nature they seek which Jesus Himself walks in to this day. But when we look at the people of the world that cannot see this, their union is with humanity and the unholy spirit of demonism and so instead of eternal life they are promised eternal death. There are no gray areas in the Word of God. Either you are blessed unto eternal life or you are cursed unto eternal death. For idolatry always counterfeits the truth of the Lord and uses its structure as a way to appear valid and so as we have seen so often with mankind, they usually mingle their gold with demonic items as a rebellion to the gold in the sanctuary that is mingled with the well prepared shittim wood. The lost on the other hand will mix their gold with everything from the golden calf to the Vatican statues of Jesus that are dipped in gold to declare they too have a divine nature when in fact it’s nothing more than a lie built with the same structure our God set up in the first place. It’s actually quite amazing and annoying at the same time to watch how Satan always does that. He knows God’s way in New Jerusalemn speaks of His eternal government and so Satan will counterfeit it at every turn knowing that it will appear holy unto those he has deceived. This is why he moved them to make religious items wrapped in gold in the same way he created his own Sabbath. If God depicts truth in a certain way so as to help His children see His love, then Satan will depict his lies so as to help his children experience his hatred even though they think it is love. This is why it was prophesied that when we get this close to the end evil will become good and good will become evil in the eyes of the majority. That is why they believe it is good to kill their babies, marry of the same sex and keep Sunday holy the world over. And yes this is why they hate those of us that embrace the truth because truth is the enemy to their dying god who is the author of lies. And so I echo what the prophet Isaiah said long ago…

Isaiah 5:20-24  Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!  21,  Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!  22,  Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink:  23,  Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!  24,  Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the LORD of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.

One more point of interest needs to be addressed here. As we see here in Exodus, the Table was two cubits long, one cubit wide, and one and one-half cubits high. That’s the exact same height as the grate in the altar of burnt offering. And so again we see a fitting marriage of symbols in that promised reconciliation and sanctification offered unto all and so become a fitting symbol for those who walk as the obedient Christian.

Looking a bit closer at the table of showbread, we see a “a crown of gold round about" the table as per Exodus 37:11. And then we see in Exodus 37:12 that it also had “a border of an handbreadth round about; and made a crown of gold for the border thereof round about."

And just so you know; a handbreadth is about 5 inches depending upon the man making the border. The table also had a shelf to hold the dishes and other items as Exodus 37:16 says that “he made the vessels which were upon the table, his dishes, and his spoons, and his bowls, and his covers to cover withal, of pure gold."

And like many other items in the Sanctuary, this had rings and staves to carry the table from place to place. It says in Exodus 37:13-14, "And he cast for it four rings of gold, and put the rings upon the four corners that were in the four feet thereof. Over against the border were the rings, the places for the staves to bear the table."

The table had two crowns round about for the top and the shelf and these crowns have a twofold significance. As we all know, a crown is always worn by a king so as to declare authority and power. And again the Bible is symbolized here by the bread on the table which we also know has a heaven sent significant power offered freely unto every soul that embraces it. In fact it says in Hebrews 4:12, "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."

Not only does the Word of God speak and even read the hearts of man, this very same Word of God created all things. For it is written in John 1:1-4, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  The same was in the beginning with God.  All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.  In him was life; and the life was the light of men."

Remember those two videos I did showing how the split second an egg is fertilized it has a flash of light burst from within it? That is the hand of the Creator granting life unto that soul. And so again, for them to say the human life doesn’t start until 22 weeks is a bold faced lie spewed from their own hearts as an obedient gesture of faith towards their dying god, Satan. And yes, this is why they fight so hard to keep that option open so as to continue offering human sacrifice unto Satan in the same way the Moabites and others like them offered their children unto Molech or Chamosh. Satan has been demanding this hellish act for literally 6000 years as it all started when Cain killed Abel.

And for a more blunt way of saying the Word of God is in fact the essence and power of the God who created all things, Psalms 33:6 says, "By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth." And since Habakkuk 2:20 says that “the LORD is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him." We see that it is only possible for God to speak His Word unto the hearts of His people and those that love Him dearly will happily obey whatever it is He speaks.

And so those crowns fittingly represent both the Lord thy God who is King of kings and Lord of lords as well as the promised reward unto those that reign with Christ in His eternal kingdom. And so we all do as Jeremiah stated in Jeremiah 15:16 which was, "Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts."

And so fitting is the Bread that is upon that table while at the same time fitting that the crowns are there that declare the power of our God upon all those that come to that table of showbread to eat as Jeremiah did in His day. And so just as there are two crowns we see the reward of our Lord upon us in both the spiritual and physical way He has granted life to His obedient people.

Moving ahead we see in Exodus 37:16, "And he made the vessels which were upon the table, his dishes, and his spoons, and his bowls, and his covers to cover withal, of pure gold."

Now the Bible doesn’t give any detail as to their exact number of dishes here, but we find in Numbers chapter 7 that it does show how certain items were presented in the offering that no doubt ended up on a shelf that is under the tabletop. But when I looked online I could not find this table with a shelf too often. Most show it without a shelf, but I did find a study done by Stephen Haskel a pioneer of the early church which was titled “The Cross and its Shadow” wherein a table is illustrated with a shelf. The reason I believe a shelf is necessary as the bread, which was upon the dishes and under the covers, no doubt took up most of the space on the tablet top. And so the other items like the spoons and bowls needed a place to rest as well.

As for the golden covers mentioned in Exodus 37:16 again, not much clarity as to their reason but one can assume they were used to cover the bread on the table. The golden bowls were apparently used for the incense as there was no shelf on the altar of incense before the veil. Which I find interesting in that unless you eat of this bread you see no need to go forth in prayer and since the incense represents the prayers of the saints, it is fitting the dishes would be on the same table as the bread.

When speaking of the shewbread and other items it says this in Leviticus 24:5-9, "And thou shalt take fine flour, and bake twelve cakes thereof: two tenth deals shall be in one cake. And thou shalt set them in two rows, six on a row, upon the pure table before the LORD. And thou shalt put pure frankincense upon each row, that it may be on the bread for a memorial, even an offering made by fire unto the LORD. Every sabbath he shall set it in order before the LORD continually, being taken from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant. And it shall be Aaron's and his sons'; and they shall eat it in the holy place: for it is most holy unto him of the offerings of the LORD made by fire by a perpetual statute."

I am looking for this as I study and have not found it as of yet, but I believe the reason there were two stacks of shewbread was to depict the Old and New Testament just as the 66 objects on the candlestick, of which we will get into later, represents all 66 books of the Bible which by the way confirms beyond a shadow of doubt that the Vatican’s apocryphal writings are not inspired of God and should not be considered part of the Bible.

And yes, the reason they ate the showbread on Sabbath was to illustrate what every true believer does on Sabbath day while in the congregation of the faithful. The showbread represents the Word of God and so every obedient child of God in Old Testament times knew that to eat this bread was to study the Word of God. This is why the prophet Jeremiah stated the following in Jeremiah 15:16, "Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts." And this is also why Jesus said what He did in John 6:51 which was, “I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”

The Shewbread

Looking a little deeper into this showbread sitting on the table we find in Leviticus 24:5-9, "And thou shalt take fine flour, and bake twelve cakes thereof: two tenth deals shall be in one cake. And thou shalt set them in two rows, six on a row, upon the pure table before the LORD. And thou shalt put pure frankincense upon each row, that it may be on the bread for a memorial, even an offering made by fire unto the LORD. Every sabbath he shall set it in order before the LORD continually, being taken from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant. And it shall be Aaron's and his sons'; and they shall eat it in the holy place: for it is most holy unto him of the offerings of the LORD made by fire by a perpetual statute."

Each loaf of bread was made of "two-tenths” of an ephah of flour. This would actually equate to about 3 pints today but others believe it would be about 3 quarts instead. And so we cannot know for sure at this point just how large these loaves actually were. But according to the Lord those loaves were to be consumed by Aaron and his four sons; Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar each Sabbath and yes, just as the prophet Jeremiah said in Jeremiah 15:16, which was, "Thy words were found, and I did eat them..” This showbread does represent the Word of God. And I only repeat that for the sake of those listening in each Sabbath that may be new. And so the eating of that same bread represents the all-consuming study done by the leaders in the church so as to have the inspired sermon that blesses the congregation each Sabbath who also seek to dine on the Word of God as obedient believers in the Lord.

And yes, for those of you that already did the math on this. Those twelve loaves do in fact represent the 12 tribes of Israel. And seeing how those loaves were 12 in number, it was the norm for it to take all week for Aaron’s sons to eat those loaves in the same way each of us study or eat the Word of God each day in our own private Bible studies throughout the week. 

We also know the showbread itself represents Jesus Christ our Lord who, as was stated in John 1:14 that “the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father) full of grace and truth." And later on in the same book Jesus Himself stated in John 6:35, "… I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst."

In John 6:32-33 we read, "Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.  For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world."

And so just as the believers in Moses’ day, when that manna came down from Heaven each and every day, and then a double portion on the day of preparation, they were educated as well as fed from the Lord that trusting Him for their needs on a daily basis is how it will work. And studying His Word daily and then even more so on the Sabbath day shows our dedication unto the Lord in seeking His will in our lives. And yes, the reason we study more on Sabbath is because if obedient we do our daily studies on Sabbath just as we did all week and then we gather with the brethren to do study and listen to a sermon on Sabbath day.

As the worms in the manna proved, a fresh reading of the Word daily is a must. The Lord not only wanted them to rely on His Word daily, this symbol of the bread carries across the centuries to where we too can learn more of His truth if we have it fresh each day and even more so on Sabbath.

What I mean is.. if the people in Moses’s day stored the manna two things happened. #1, it would become inedible the very next day, or as the inference to His daily Bible study intimates, what they ingested or studied the day before from His manna or the Word of God would not be sufficient for the needs of the following day. And so #2 would have to be the end result would be a lack of faith and trust.

All too often when people call or email me who are in difficult trials that are quite overwhelming to them, I usually ask them when was the last time they read the Bible. Like in the desert back then, eating the manna that day helped them get through that particular day. And so why is it people to this day think they can open their Bibles on Sabbath thinking that which they read on that particular day can hold them over all week long. Try that with regular food and see how hungry your body gets in just a few days. Doing that with spiritual food will sicken the faith just as much as starving oneself of physical food will. You cannot open the Bible on one day thinking that manna for that day is designed to help you get through the next few days. It’s just not possible. A personal relationship with Jesus means just that.

For example, if you’re married; and especially so if you’re a newlywed. How well will your relationship hold up if you only seek to be in their presence once in a while? Why then do you think your faith would be any better by doing the same? Or how will your relationship with your parents suffer if you only see or call them once every few months?

Did Jesus say in John 6:48  I am that bread of life. That verse doesn’t say I am the bread of Tuesday or September or even of a certain week. He is the Bread of your entire life. And like physical food, if you refuse to eat of this Bread you will die.

Jesus Christ is to be there every single day of the year and especially so on Sabbath day when the promise of a new blessing in His truth is assured, even if you don’t realize it right off. After all, how many of us better understand a Bible verse long after reading it when a certain situation or trial comes upon us that the Holy Spirit uses to better illustrate the truth presented in that verse? Hence the reason the showbread was brand new each Sabbath day in the Temple of the Lord.

And just so you know; the bread and the wine being on the same table also represents the Lord's communion table. Yes we do a formal communion service every few months, but we can also be in communion with Him daily as well. For those of you that may think it’s ok to read your Bible once in a while, explain the how the manna fell? As we know, our Lord never wastes a word here or a symbol there when speaking unto His children. If the manna that fell on a Thursday was inedible on a Friday, then reading your Bible on a Tuesday and expecting the truth presented on that day to give you what you need on a Sunday, well then you’re prophetically, Scripturally, and symbolically mistaken according to the Word that you should be reading.

In John 6:53-54 we read, "Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.  Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day."

If our spiritual life depends on doing as the prophet Jeremiah said in Jeremiah 15:16 which was, "Thy words were found, and I did eat them..” Then that same truth applies to this day for those of us that know dining on the Heavenly manna each morning is what allows us to live the life Jesus ordained for each of us to live on a day by day basis. But if we only give Him a smattering of our attention throughout the week, then we must expect only a smattering of His protection and wisdom to overcome when the promised trial comes our way. For just as the poor that doesn’t have the food they need daily becomes physically weak and unable to handle the physical trials that come their way, so shall the poor in Christ become spiritually weak and unable to handle the spiritual trials that come their way until they get back to the heaven sent dinner table of the shewbread.

And yes, this lack of Bible reading isn’t new to the end time church. Paul commented on it way back at the birth of the early church when he said what he said in 1 Corinthians 11:28-30, "But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.  For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.  For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep."

Yes, this speaks of the communion service which as we know by can be done daily by opening His Word and so if we refuse to open His Word as He prefers for His bride, then we will eventually become unworthy of His truth and therefore we become worthy of the lies that will most assuredly become the norm by sheer neglect, because Satan is literally chomping at the bit and is literally camped out at every Christian’s doorstep just waiting for them to put down the Word of truth so he can present the word of lies that he knows will become believable with lack of true study. This is why there are so many different denominations and traditions of demons being uplifted as if they are the truth for today when the Bible clearly says otherwise. Once Satan presents his hellish dogma to that sleepy virgin, that bride is no longer worthy to be married to the eternal Husbandman Jesus Christ because the main stipulation put forth by Christ Himself is that when a spouse commits adultery that spouse can be left behind.

The Fine Flour used.

We left off last Sabbath at the FINE FLOUR and so let’s see what we can find here shall we? If we look at the ingredients of the bread we see that not only as a whole, each of its four ingredients in the shewbread symbolized Jesus Christ. The flour was ground very fine making sure all large bits within it were either crushed down or removed. This represented Christ our perfect Saviour who was made perfect through suffering for each and every one of us when they whipped and crucified Him. And so if we are to walk His walk then we too as Christians must pass through the same grinding process that removes all the unwanted bits from our lives. But praise His name that most of us won’t have to go through what He did for it was plainly prophesied in Isaiah 53:5 which says, “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” And the prophecy was declared confirmed when Peter said what He did in 1 Peter 2:24 which was, “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.”

Like the fine silver at the bottom of the furnace that is used to represent the obedient Christian who goes through the trials in life, we too must be refined to reflect Jesus Christ perfectly. That means all dross, all coarseness and all unChristlike fruit must be removed from our lives. And especially now that His return is so much closer. This removal of dross must be permanent so as to emulate the eternal character of Jesus Christ, who according to Hebrews 13:8 is “the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever."

As for the other ingredients in the showbread. As we know the word “meat” in Scripture pertains to everything from the meat of an animal to the meat of a fruit or even a loaf of bread. In fact, we can even look upon the Word of God as both milk and meat when it comes to how a babe in Christ takes of the milk in the Word until they grow in wisdom and then able to chew on the meat of the Word and so this show bread can be seen as a true meat offering on top of everything else it represents. For it is written in Leviticus 2:5, "And if thy oblation be a meat offering baken in a pan, it shall be of fine flour unleavened, mingled with oil."

Besides the fine flour, there was also oil, salt, and water in the ingredients of the shewbread. And like our communion bread, no leaven was allowed in this bread for the same reason. And just as the finely ground flour that represented the suffering of Christ for His obedient people, the other ingredients also had reasons for being there.

As students of prophecy we know that the oil represents the Holy Spirit working within us as we dine on His Word. This is why Jesus used the oil lamps as an illustration regarding the ten virgins. This Comforter, or Holy Spirit as most call Him today not only brings all things to our remembrance regarding all that we have learned in His Word, (John 14:26) He also guides us into new truths each time we break bread on Sabbath, or study His Word daily as we all should be doing morning and evening.

We all receive the truth of Jesus Christ as well as grow in the walk of Christ by reading and studying His Word; and the Holy Spirit in us helps to open the Word of God to our understanding. This is how we grow in Christ. When we study His Word, the Holy Spirit plants His truth deep in our hearts each and every day. But if we neglect a day of study here and there throughout the week, we literally rob ourselves of the much needed truth that will help us stand firm even if a bloody guillotine is set before us. We will eventually forget what He has said unto us because we show no desire to learn more of Him and His guiding truth. Notice what Paul said long ago unto those that had the same problem…

Hebrews 5:11-14, "Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing.  For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.  For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.  But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil."

Think about that for a moment. If you neglect your Bible study now, and then you find yourself standing before a guillotine, the fear of Satan will well up so much in your heart that you will accept the mark of the beast so as to not die on the table. Or what if they place your young child on it? If you have not been reading your Bible so as to allow the Lord to place all sorts of powerful peace filled seeds of truth within you of which He promises to strengthen you at the very moment you need it, you will not only declare you will take the mark to spare your child’s life, you will cause your child to be damned as well. But if you have been in the Word daily and never missed a day of reading, all the seeds you may not have known were placed there by the Holy Spirit will be given an increases from Heaven that allows you to actually have joy deep within that you were counted worthy to suffer for your Lord. Remember what Peter and the Apostles said the day the Pharisees persecuted them? After they left the Jewish Council that attacked them for their faith, Acts 5:41 says that as “they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.”

 

But without the daily reading of the Word of dining on the Shewbread as we understand it, they would not have been able to see the blessing they had just received.

 

The Apostles weren't self-destructive sadists; it's just that Jesus predicted those that share this Heavenly Truth will suffer and at the same time be considered beautiful in the eyes of God. So, when trials like this came upon them, THEY KNEW they were pleasing the Lord when it was obvious His enemy was angry enough to persecute them.

 

As Christians we are all about making our Father smile and if He needs us to step up and do something that will glorify Him, as did Peter and the Apostles back then, we too will know He is smiling upon us and that realization alone makes it easy to walk right up to that guillotine as did the martyrs that sang as the Vatican burned them alive before the people. Because even here you can be the preacher some people need to hear. None of us know who is looking on as we smile during the trial and many seekers, myself included, make the final decision to seek Christ as Lord when they see Christians refusing to budge in their faith no matter how crazy it gets.

Ok, as you recall, we left off last Sabbath in the middle of discussing how reading the Word daily, which the Shewbread represents in the holy place, is a must for all of God’s children. And what is also a must as the ingredients of the Shewbread illustrate, we too must share our faith with those the Lord sends our way. After all, many of us, myself included, were led to Christ first by His Word and second by the expressed evidence of His Word in those that believe His Word.

 

What I mean is, yes we mostly found Jesus Christ by opening His Bible, but some of us may have seen Christ first in those that opened His Bible before us. How many times have you heard me say that some of us may be the only Bible some people read.

 

Romans 10:14-15 says “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?  15,  And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!”

 

And Isaiah 52:7 echoes that same truth from thousands of years in the past when the Holy Spirit moved Him to declare, "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!"

 

He is our King! Do not men of old consider it an honor to suffer for their king? Have not men of renown gladly died for their king all throughout history? We serve the Eternal King! It is an honor to suffer and even die for this King because we know in so doing not only glorifies Him as King of all creation, our obedient act cuts the hearts of all looking on and yes, this is why some of us will end up in courtrooms to declare our faith because there will be people in those courtrooms that need to not only hear the truth we present, they also need to see how we have absolutely no fear in our hearts when we declare things that everyone knows will get us jailed or even killed!

This is why the five wise virgins gained entry to the Wedding at the midnight cry Jesus spoke of in Matthew 25. They had plenty of that Oil in their Lamps because they feasted on this Bread daily so as to keep their Lamps trimmed and bright enough to see the path set before them. And so it is fitting Oil is used in the making of that Shewbread.

Sadly, the five unwise virgins neglected their daily studying in His Word and their Lamps went out, just like many people that claim Christ Lord over the years have left the church due to a lack of Bible study. It’s a strange fruit of the human spirit to gravitate away from people that stay in the Word because of how uncomfortable they become in their presence. There’s a reason birds of a feather flock together. They are in union as a species. Well, are we not new creations in Christ when we find Him as Lord? And being born again we will naturally gravitate towards like-minded brethren. Hence the reason churches were built so as to make it easier for people of the same faith to join together in worship. It literally becomes a home unto them. But when you stop reading the Word daily, eventually one of two things will happen. If not both. #1, you tend to feel unworthy to be in church with those you used to call brethren due to the guilt welling up from within that comes from allowing their flesh to weaken their faith be it by simple laziness in reading the Word, or of temptation by Satan making them think it’s not helping them to read it, and #2, when they stop reading, lies become more believable and truth becomes hard to believe and so such persons leave the church and even declare it a cult after leaving it.

And so I implore all of you, each and every one of you in this church family to stay in the Word of God daily. Read your Bibles in the morning and in the evening so as to have the proper spiritual food needed to stand firm in the coming days. This is an absolute must if you are ever to be counted worthy of the Latter Rain as well as to have the promised power from above to stand firm in Jesus when that long prophesied hour of temptation comes upon all of mankind. For if you neglect this duty to grow in Christ by studying His Word, then not only will you be passed by as the Latter Rain falls, you won’t even gain the seal of God to stand firm when the guillotines are rolled out. You will eventually accept the mark of the beast because without a daily dining on the Shewbread, the peace of Jesus within your heart will diminish, and the fear of death fostered into your heart by Satan will gain absolute control. This fear that does not come from above will make you fear to lose your job if you keep Sabbath holy and if you make it past that point to refuse the mark in the buy and sell temptation by either clamoring near to those with the faith who you believe will supply your needs, you will eventually fear the guillotine later on and die in hellfire instead of by the gentle sting of a falling blade.

If you have not the faith that the dining on Shewbread builds up within you, then you will fear to lose your livelihood and even your life when the mark is enforced. Jesus plainly said in Matthew 16:24-25 That, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.  25,  For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

 

Think on this as well. Jesus went to the cross for you. That was a torturous death. But some Christians cannot deal with the withdrawal of putting down the cigarette, the glass of alcohol, the drug or even the porn. They seek to save their way of life on earth and in so doing will lose their eternal life in Heaven. But if you deny self and walk away from such things and do so for the Lord Jesus Christ, then even if they were to kill you in this life, you will gain life eternal in Heaven.

That Oil used in the bread also speaks of the gladness and joy of heart that is given unto us for studying His Word. It also represents the fact we are anointed by that same Oil when we obey and trust His Word. For it is written in Psalms 45:7, "Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows."

We have already looked into why the Lord had them use fine flour and Oil in the showbread; now let’s look at why SALT was used.

As we all know salt is a preservative. Not too long ago before they invented refrigeration, salt was used to keep meat and other things from spoiling and so salt in this prophetic context is seen as a symbol of incorruption. And yes, this is why some brands of beef jerky tastes so salty. Some beef jerky is made today in the same way it was made during the 1800’s. No, I don’t suggest ripping through a bag of beef jerky; I just recall how it was when I ate it before coming into the health message.

But getting back to the salt being used in the showbread, studying the Word of God keeps the obedient child of God away from the awful influence of false or corrupt doctrines we see all over the world. It literally preserves our faith and even our eternal life by reading it each day. And so it is fitting that it be used in the Shewbread.

One thing I’ve noticed when people that come around us with strange doctrines that cause others to join their ranks in fanaticism and absolute heresy, is that when asked; most of them don’t study or even read their Bibles each and every day. In fact, some from the SDA church that tried to infiltrate the SDR church who openly came against the people of God some years ago not only admitted they never read the entire Bible, they also admitted they only read Spirit of Prophecy each day and that also leads to doctrinal corruption and heresy because Spirit of Prophecy, be it as blessed and inspired as it is, does not cover the entire Bible as we all know. Like the New Testament that gives a better understanding unto the Old Testament, the Spirit of Prophecy does the same for the Old and New Testament. But again; only in key areas of importance wherein the Lord knew we needed additional light which never contradicts the original light given. After all, did Matthew, Mark, Luke or John write on every aspect of the truth as it is declared in all of the Old Testament? No, they did not, nor did Peter, James, Jude or Paul. And so why would anyone think the Spirit of Prophecy does that?

And so again, studying the Word of God each day will preserve the child of God and keep them from the spiritual rottenness of the worldliness that causes so many to fall. The Word of God preserves us and so this is why salt was used in the shewbread.

By the way, and I don’t advise doing this except in emergencies as this will ruin concrete rather quickly. But salt is used to this day as a way to keep people from slipping and falling on icy walkways. And so we see another way salt is used as a symbol by our God. It helps us keep surefooted on the path and in so doing helps the child of God from slipping off the path to eternal life.

And notice this. Salt is a symbol of permanence. 2 Chronicles 13:5 says, "Ought ye not to know that the LORD God of Israel gave the kingdom over Israel to David for ever, even to him and to his sons by a covenant of salt?” Yes, I am sure many babes in the truth never realize that verse ever even existed. But it’s there.

Jesus Himself said in the sermon on the mount in Matthew 5:13, "Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men."

And how are Christians the salt of the earth? Our godly influence on the people all around us actually blesses them. I can tell you all sorts of testimonies in how people came to Christ and were even protected from destruction simply because they had a Christian as a friend, a Christian as an employee, or even just a Christian as a neighbor or tenant in their homes.

One such time I recall, as I shared last Sabbath was how there was a hailstorm in our area wherein over 5000 acres of crops were completely destroyed. But as the man from ATT attested to; who drove through all that damage to get to my home to help me with our internet issues some years ago, our land and the farmer who is our friend that owns the land surrounding us; had absolutely no damage at all. But the farms next to him were destroyed. And we all know about 1 Corinthians 7:14 that says, "the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy."

So even in a spiritually split household, the influence of the salt of the earth, or Christians as we know them to be, can bless the family in ways most in the family may not see right off. But hopefully will see and come to be one with the Lord as well.

You know, if Atheists, homosexuals, and Muslims finally came to their senses and realized how they are blessed by the Christians near them, they would stop pushing for the passing of the prophesied unjust laws to outlaw Christianity. And especially when the mark is enforced and they openly persecute the obedient Christians who are moved by the Holy Spirit to keep God’s law. And yes, that is why the calamities have increased lately. And again, yes, the plagues will also literally fall on those that persecute God’s people in the coming days.

Mark 9:50 also says, "Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another."

Looking back to Jacob’s day, we can see why his father in law did not want him to leave. Everything Jacob touched was blessed and since he was under the promise to work 7 years for Rachel’s to gain her as his bride, her father was also blessed during those years.

And so not only does salt represent those that gain salvation who then escape corruption in a biblical sense as well as a positive influence and blessing upon those around them, it also represents the peaceful character of Jesus Christ every true Christian grows to emulate. The word salt actually appears 35 times in the KJV Bible and so I can go on for some time as to all that it can symbolize. But I would think it has become quite obvious as to why salt was used in the showbread of the temple.

And so, moving on, we now see that the water used in the ingredients also had a reason for being there. Yes, you can’t quite make bread without water. But this is no ordinary bread. It is a prophetic symbol as well as a Scripture message unto all those with eyes that see. After all, instead of water the Lord could have used any liquid as a symbol when making the bread. He could have used goat’s milk, pomegranate juice or even filtered grape juice for that matter. But no, He commanded water to be used in the recipe of this bread.

Psalms 119:9 says the following. “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.” And so it is fitting that water that which every person alive knows can be used to cleanse the body, this bread which represents the Word of God had water in its list of ingredients to depict the cleansing power of the Word of our God.

 

And yes, what Jesus said in John 4:14 plays a part in this as well, which was, “But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”

 

To further lock this down in prophetic as well and doctrinal reality; notice what it says here in Ephesians 5:26, 27. It says this after previously declaring how Jesus Christ loved the church enough to give His life for it, it says He did so “That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.”

 

And so water was the obvious symbol used here that would illustrate the cleansing power of the Word of God.

 

Kind of gives a whole new perspective on Baptism now doesn’t it? After all, is it not the Word of God that always moves people into accepting Jesus Christ as Lord who is also the Word made flesh that brings them in a loving relationship with Him that leads the filthy soul to baptism so as to be cleansed even more by the Word of God that revealed their filthiness unto them in the first place? And yes, this is also why Jesus said what He did in John 15:3 which was, “Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.”

 

In fact, if you look a little deeper into how His truth reveals our sinfulness that leads to salvation and baptism; the foot washing we do in obedience unto His command at the last supper also shows how our daily walk in the world can cause the dust of worldliness to soil our walk and so daily studying the Word can help to keep us clean as well as the occasional communion service that can better freshen up our walk with Christ while at the same time remove any alienation between us as brothers and sisters in the Lord. Kind of hard being angry at someone when you bow before them to pray and wash their feet don’t you think?

 

And so I repeat as I have said so often before, stay in the Word daily and you will be better prepared for whatever comes your way in life. Being in this sin sick world makes us all targets of the devil who seeks to knock us off the path to Home and so again, stay in the Word and you will easily stay on the path.

In fact, the Word of God sanctifies His obedient people so they can be used for a holy purpose. Jesus literally said the following during His prayer in the garden before being arrested. He asked His Father to "Sanctify them through Thy truth: Thy Word is truth." In John 17:17.

But do many people think all they need to do is go to church once in a while to hear a preacher and they feel sanctified. But this is not true and that is why the Lord used showbread instead of something like a golden cup or even a piece of wood. As created beings we do not require a golden cup or even a piece of wood to survive. But the Lord knows we need food, and so He used the showbread to illustrate how important it is to eat of His Word daily. And unless we do this, we cannot hope to be sanctified by the Word of truth.

Notice what it says in 1 Peter 1:22-23, "Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:  Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever."

We are actually born again by the truth put forth in the Word of God. In fact, it is by His Word "Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." (2 Peter 1:4)

This is why I implore all of you to read your Bible every single day. There is no other way to be ready for the latter rain and there is no other way to escape the corruption of the world through lust. If you’re a Christian of many years and you skip a day I am sure you will literally feel the grieving of His Holy Spirit. I can’t actually speak on experience here as I have never skipped a day since I met Him. Worse yet, if you skip another day. It becomes less noticeable. Skip again and again and eventually you can no longer here His voice and before you know it, like so many before you, you end up back in the world to join the billions who take on the evil nature of Satan so as to glorify him instead. And the scary thing is, you literally have no idea it’s happening to you.

I have met many true Christians in my life and I can recall how some, who were daily in the Word, were a true blessing unto me and many in the church. But suddenly one day they started to have problems, and when they sought counsel I asked them when was the last time they read their Bibles and every one of them that I have counseled over the years that eventually fell off the path said they had stopped reading it days, weeks or even months ago and they are very confused as to why their lives were a mess. And as we talked further I would discover that what they used to refer to as sin was now no big deal I recall one man who after he ignored the council of numerous brethren about marrying a woman who was not a Christian that not long after he not only left the church, he started drinking, eating unclean foods and even became a member of a Sunday keeping church. And he now declares us to be a cult. That’s how easily Satan can control those that don’t eat of the showbread daily.

Basic reality is, it is only through the Word of God that we can ever hope to gain the perfection in Jesus Christ. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 clearly says that "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:  That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works."

And so, unless we eat the Word of God as is depicted in the Sanctuary as the showbread. Remember what Jeremiah 15:16 said? He said, "Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts."

And yes, this is the same truth Jesus presented in John 6:53 when He said, "..Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you."

And why would He say such a thing? John 1:14 says that “the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”

 

He also said in John 6:57-58, “As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.  58,  This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.”

 

And so again it is fitting that He used the showbread as a symbol of His Word. For it is obvious, just as we cannot live without physical food, we cannot survive spiritually without eating the showbread of God. And that is why the prophet Hosea stated long ago in Hosea 4:6, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children."

Proverbs 4:20-22 also says, "My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh."

Frankincense on the Bread.

Now I am sure many in attendance will understand the reasoning behind this next item in the Sanctuary services when it comes to the shewbread. Leviticus 24:7 says, “And thou shalt put pure frankincense upon each row, that it may be on the bread for a memorial, even an offering made by fire unto the LORD.”

This frankincense was the same incense used daily at the golden altar of incense. The fact it says while placing the incense on the bread it says it was also “an offering made by fire unto the LORD” which means it was the same incense that was placed in the burning dish of the golden altar. The priests would bring hot coals from the altar of burnt offering and place many ingredients that made up the incense and one was of course frankincense. We will get into this later on in the series. But if you look up frankincense in Scripture you find it is mentioned 17 times and it was used in many services of the Sanctuary.

As we know the bread represents the Word of God and the altar of incense represents the prayers of the saints for it is written in Revelation 8:4 that “the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand.” And as we will discuss later, the reason the altar was placed right in front of the curtain that acted as a wall preventing entrance into the most holy place until the Day of Atonement when the High Priest entered in, this altar of incense was purposely put there before curtain which was splattered daily with the blood of the sacrifices which of course represented the sins of the people. It was splattered unto that curtain daily all year long and the incense was there to cover up the foul odor of it all, just as our prayers that ascend unto Heaven cover up the stink of our sinfulness.

Notice this as well. Behind the vail was the presence of God hovering above the ark of the covenant. That blood on the vail shows how our sins prevent access into the presence of the Lord. And then, as the day of atonement arrived, the High Priest who represented Jesus on this day who would wash away our sins can then step into the presence of the Lord once the miraculous gift of salvation was presented that washed the blood off that vail. No man can walk past that vail due to our sins and because there are none righteous, no not one, only Jesus can step in.

But why was the frankincense on the bread? That incense; which was offered to the baby Jesus 2000 years ago also represents His righteousness and without His direct influence in our lives, reading His Word would come to no avail and we would come no closer to the Lord than that blood upon the vail. In other words, as that incense also represents the prayers of the followers of Christ who seek His righteousness, this means never should we open His Word before seeking Him in prayer first. And that is why this incense was placed on the bread.

That incense on the bread was a constant reminder of the need for prayerful study of His Word each and every day. After all, if you fail to seek His face in prayer before opening His Word, then rest assured Satan will be very close by to offer you all sorts of demonic twists and turns making the Bible appear less sacred as well as hard to understand. This is why some people who are actually rather intelligent cannot understand anything in the Bible because they peer into it looking for ways to circumvent their duty as created beings.

Take the educated Atheist who opens the Bible only to attack it. He or she only seeks verses they can purposely twist out of context so as to vindicate their rebellious stance. Unless you open the Word of God to seek ways to find out what His will truly is for you, He will not open the Word to such a person.

And yes, this is also why all the churches of the world that have pastors claiming to be intelligent cannot see the prophesied events happening all around them because like the Atheist, they are openly sinning against God as well. Only difference is, wherein the Atheist declares there is no God, the apostate leaders embrace another Jesus and so they sin by keeping Sunday holy, celebrating Pagan holidays as well as joining their churches with the State, just to name a few. Just as the Lord won’t open His Word to the Atheist who seeks to mock Him, He won’t open His prophetic Word or even His doctrinal truths unto apostate pastors because as I have said before and will say again, the only way to understand the Bible and all it has to offer is to obey the God that wrote it.

Getting back to the Shewbread and how our Lord would have us read and better understand His Word, notice what it says here in Exodus 25:30, “And thou shalt set upon the table shewbread before me alway.”

In other words, that showbread was on that table 24/7. This is why it is called the “continual bread” in Numbers 4:7 which says, “And upon the table of shewbread they shall spread a cloth of blue, and put thereon the dishes, and the spoons, and the bowls, and covers to cover withal: and the continual bread shall be thereon:”

1 Chronicles 9:32 also says, “And other of their brethren, of the sons of the Kohathites, were over the shewbread, to prepare it every sabbath.”

 

These sons of the Kohathites were a division of the Levites who did work in the Sanctuary. Each Sabbath day the newly baked bread was to be placed on that altar. When we look at it this way we can see how the student of Bible is moved to have the Word continually before him or her as well.

 

Since the Bible says Sunday is the start of the secular work week, but Sabbath day is the start of the spiritual work week in that each Sabbath day when we gather together to take part in this bread, we know this means we come together to gain new truths and wisdom so as to begin the secular week the very next day. And so one can see how the Sabbath is very nicely separated and given special blessings upon it in a way only our God can do. Yes, it is the seventh day which declares it the end of the week. But it can also be placed in a way that says it is a day unto itself in the which no other day in the week can compare to it.

 

The Lord blessed and hallowed this day in the perfect position He did so 6000 years ago for a reason. He could have easily picked any other day of the week for Sabbath but since the first day is Sunday wherein He also started His work of creation, having the last day placed where it was becomes obvious to the obedient child of God that it is there to both bless the soul with spiritual as well as physical rest; it is also a good day to gain that which is needed to start a new week on Sunday. And what better way to do that than to dine on the precious showbread of our Lord.

 

As we learned earlier, the showbread that was replaced is then given unto the priests to eat all throughout the following week so as to seal the covenant between God and His people as per Leviticus 24:8 which says, “Every sabbath he shall set it in order before the LORD continually, being taken from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant.”

 

This shewbread was said to be received from and even offered by the obedient children of Israel. It was even bought with the money they contributed throughout the year. And so this was to represent an ongoing covenant between the Lord and His people. And since they do their part the Lord does His part and so they work together to the point the Lord loves to declare them to be His people and He is their God. And so as to further represent how this covenant between God and man should never be broken, the new shewbread was brought before the old was even taken away.

And so eating this bread with the brethren each Sabbath day as they gathered in worship, and then eating of it daily when they read their Bibles each morning and evening, one can see why the shewbread is both on the table to represent the sermon given unto the people each Sabbath day as well as how the priests consume the old shewbread throughout the week to represent the people of the church going about their week wherein they too have their own personal bible studies each day of the week until they come again on Sabbath day to receive a new and fresh portion of His Word.

In other words, just as the pastors today that are obedient do their work for the Lord all week as well as study His Word daily, they set an example unto the people of God to do the same. Well the priests of old were no different. What they did when it came to bettering their walk in the Lord was an example unto the people of God.

Remember what Paul said in Philippians 3:14-17? He said, “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.  15,  Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.  16,  Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.  17,  Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.”

 

And just so you know, Paul is not saying to follow him as the Popes of Rome and Pastors in the Apostate churches demand their people do. He is saying that as he understands the truth, others would do well to agree with and follow his example in the truth. The truth is the foundation not the man walking in it. But we are to be the good example unto others so as to reflect Jesus more perfectly. Truth is, some of us may be the only Bible some people read and so walk vigilantly before the Lord so as to point the way to Jesus Christ.

Having the Word of God before our eyes each day and then even more so on Sabbath day in a fresh manner as the sermon presents, makes it easy to understand why the Psalmist stated in Psalms 119:11, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”

And yes, eating the Word as Jeremiah said is a symbol of taking the Word deep within us.

To have it “hid in the heart” is to have it taken deeply within us and the only way to have it get so deeply placed within the heart of God’s people is to gather in assembly each Sabbath day to partake in the Shewbread as well as to consume it each day of the week all throughout our entire life. And even unto eternity for we all know we will be blessed to do so even in New Jerusalem. But in that blessed city all the darkness of this sin sick world will be removed and the scales will fall from our eyes and the Shewbread will become the highlight of each day in Heaven and even more so on Sabbath day when new truths are presented in a way that no man on earth could ever hope to describe.

And have you ever noticed this? It says this in John 1:1 & 14, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”

It is essential unto sanctification and the perfection we hope to attain that we come to understand that there is no substitute for earnest prayer of which the frankincense represents as a must before we study the Word of our eternal God. It is absolutely imperative that all of us come to understand this. So please listen very carefully now.

Just as Jesus Christ is the Word that was made flesh; so must the Word of God in us become our flesh. It must be part of us in the same way it is for our King Jesus if we are ever to emulate His character. The only way to get there is to read and study His Word daily and be there each Sabbath to dine even more so on His truth so much so that we not only know the Word of our God, we become one with His Word in a way that we and others looking on can see Jesus glorified. So much so that when those suffering in the bondage of sin look upon us, our actions and our message can help them come to know that we have met Jesus Christ personally in the same way the lost souls 2000 years ago knew the Apostles had been with Jesus just by the way they spoke. Jesus changes the heart of His people that much. But again… as the frankincense shows, reading the Word without praying is not wise. We must pray first so as to be in the presence of the Lord who wrote the Word in the first place. After all, would it not be better to have Him close by when we open His book of instruction so that when we have questions He can answer them directly through His Word. Remember He said in John 14:26? He said, “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”

 

How often have we been reading His Word that when we come to a Bible verse that may be a bit confusing that suddenly another Bible verse comes to mind as we study? John 14:26 isn’t just to give us verses to help the lost on the street find their way to Jesus, it’s also there to help us better understand His Word.

Now I know I’ve said this many times before, but something this important needs to be declared often so as to make sure we all understand just how important this truly is. If you look around in the world you will see that most Christians never seem to grow up in Christ. They step into the courtyard, they accept Him as Saviour, they get baptized so as to profess Him Lord, but when they walk into the Holy Place they stop dead in their tracks and let their pastors take it from there. But for the most part, the pastors of today are wolves and they are doing what Satan needs them to do to keep the babes as babes who will never able to discern the Lord’s will for them. And so they never come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:" - Ephesians 4:13

Daily study in the Word of God is absolutely essential unto every person alive today that has come to know Jesus as Lord. It doesn’t matter if you embraced Him as Saviour an hour ago or a decade ago, a daily eating of the showbread is the only way any of us can stay healthy in our spiritual lives.

In this age of convenience wherein you can buy fast food already cooked and prepared in a few minutes to having your oil changed in your car in under 20 minutes, most people have come to expect everything should be done in the most convenient manner possible. And so this is why most babes stay babes because they step into a church and let the pastor do all the studying for them because they look at the idea of Bible Study each morning as being very inconvenient to them. And when they refuse to dine on the Word of God each morning as King David did, they become spiritually sick and literally crippled as Christians. So much so that the wolf on the pulpit takes advantage of them so as to preach everything from a secret rapture to eternal life in hellfire and because they trust their pastor over the Lord’s promise to teach His Word to them, they end up joining the ranks of the lost all around the world traveling on the wide road to destruction.

Now do you see why it says what it says in Hosea 4:6 which is, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children."

Seriously, how hard it is to get up an hour earlier each morning to make sure you spend quality time with the Lord before going off to work? Ever notice how backwards society has become on this? What I mean is, people will pack in as much work each day, sometimes working 10 to 12 hours a day just to get the dollar they need to make their secular life happier even though that life eventually ends with old age. And so after decades of worshiping the dollar, they go to a Christless grave. But when it comes to their spiritual life that if nurtured will grant them an eternity of peace and happiness, it’s like pulling teeth to get them to spend more than five minutes in His Word each day to assure they stay on that path that leads to eternal life. Me thinks their priorities are a mess.

And when some of them do take time to read His Word, their hearts are focused on the trivial concerns of everyday life making it impossible for them to understand what they read. And so they zip through the Bible without getting a single solitary blessing from it. And as Jesus stated long ago in Matthew 13:15, "..this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them."

They surface read the Bible thinking that’s all they need to do to gain salvation and so I have to ask, isn’t that the exact same thing Catholics do with their medals and crucifixes? Think about it. They wear those idols thinking it’s their duty and in so doing they will gain Heaven and so when you pick up a Bible with the thought that just reading it as fast as you can is all you need to gain Heaven, then the Bible no longer becomes a book of truth to you. It literally becomes an idol just as much as a cross or scapular does for the Catholic. 

Have you ever heard of the acronym someone made up for the word BIBLE? It means “Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth” I would actually prefer it to be BLESSED instructions before leaving earth because while basic instructions is how most people find Christ, once found we need to get much deeper into His Word to receive the many blessings within it. Still, the reality in both acronyms holds true in that without the Bible being our anchor we cannot hope to make it through life let alone gain eternal life.

As we study deeper into His Word and not just surface reading to get it over with, we find that Pearl of great price as well as a treasure trove of other riches that help us in life as well as help us to see how to help those the Lord sends our way.

In these last days wherein we can already see how probation has closed on all the churches wherein Revelation 18:4 now applies in that it says they need to come out of them, and this includes the fallen SDA church wherein we now know probation has truly closed on the corporate body; if we don’t study the Word earnestly we will be attacked by the dying god of this world who knows the Bible much better than any of us. This doesn’t mean we are all sitting ducks of course because if we are honest students of the Bible, the promises contained therein are most assuredly for us. And so when we do the best we can to discover our Father’s will for us in His Word, the promise found in 1 Corinthians 10:13 which says, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”

And so it is fitting that the showbread is where it is in the temple so that we can see it clearly by walking in and it is also fitting the priests ate of this bread daily throughout the week after replacing it with the new bread on Sabbath day. Like today, we come to church on Sabbath day to hear His Word, and that which the babe learns on Sabbath can be brought to mind throughout the week as they dine on the bread each morning in their own studies.

By the way, studying in the mornings is good, but if you want a way wherein you study even more and it becomes enjoyable, ask the Lord to give you a ministry wherein it causes people to email you or call you with Bible questions. You can make YouTube videos that generate questions in the minds of people who then post them in the comment section for you to respond, or write tracts that do the same and give a PO Box or email address for them to send in their questions.

It is said in Matthew 5:6 that, “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” And what better way to get hungry than to not only study His Word for yourself, but for someone the Lord sends your way who has many questions. Sadly however, most prefer to let the minister do all the studying for them and that is why so many have become lukewarm today just as the prophecy said they would. Not only do they neglect their own much needed guidance from the Holy Spirit in the reading of His Word, when they rely on mankind to give them the Heavenly Manna they will always fall short. And especially in these last days when the pulpits are approached and taken over by a pack of ravenous wolves.

And don’t fall for the Vatican contrived lie that the common man cannot understand the Bible and so they must rely on the leaders of their church to help them understand. Yes, there are at times a valid need to approach an elder, minister, pastor or friend for help with some meaty Scripture. But that’s wherein the iron sharpening iron comes in. But I found very early on in my Christian walk that for people to think that the God of all creation cannot write a book His own children can understand is to fall into the arms of Rome who demand their people stop reading their Bibles because they claim it will confuse them. But I must ask, how can a God that created the Universe and all it contains be unable to write His Word down in a way that even the uneducated can embrace and understand it? And so again, if you’re honest and true in your approach to the Bible as the only source of truth; the Lord sees this honesty deep within you and will bless you accordingly. And so don’t worry about not knowing it all. Satan will never be given any permission to attack you in ways you cannot understand. As I shared earlier, 1 Corinthians 10:13 is a promise unto all of mankind. If you are sincere and you truly do your best to know His Word, then Satan cannot use hard to understand areas of the Bible to get you to be confused and fall into sin. The promises of the God of the Bible are Rock hard.

And so , if the Christian desires to have his or her spiritual power daily improved, then a daily study of the Word is a must. We must all eat and digest the Word of God if we are ever to know His will for us. And as we eat a small loaf of His bread at a time, as Jesus did when He fed the 5000, He will multiply that bread within us to the point we are filled with His truth.

And just so you know, I looked into the word showbread in the Smith’s Bible dictionary and found something rather interesting and so I saved it for when we were mostly done regarding this portion of the study. Reason I went there is because Strong’s only speaks of the showbread as bread or food in general. But in Smith’s Dictionary it states the following.

Shew-bread. Exo_25:30; Exo_35:13; Exo_39:36; etc. Literally, "bread of the face" or "bread of faces". Shew-bread was unleavened bread placed upon a table, which stood in the sanctuary, together with the seven-branched candlestick, and the Altar of Incense. See Exo_25:23-30, for description of this table. …The title, "bread of the face", seems to indicate that bread through which God is seen, that is, with the participation of which the seeing of God is bound up, or through the participation of which, man attains the sight of God, whence it follows, that we have not to think of bread merely as such as the means of nourishing the bodily life, but as spiritual food as a means of appropriating and retaining that life, which consists in seeing the face of God”

And that is one beautiful way of putting it in that all of us know about the power of the Bible and how it allows us to not only learn of Christ and His Father, the Holy Spirit in us allows us to look a little deeper into His Word as we grow closer to see the face of God in a spiritual way. For we all know that know man look upon the face of the Father and live and so this is one of the best ways to look into our Father’s face in a blessed way in that doing so helps us to understand His will for our lives.

And since we also know the Shewbread represents the Word of God and the Word of God was made flesh in the Messiah Jesus Christ who also stated to Phillip when He asked Him to show Him the Father in John 14:9 it says, “Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?”

Next let’s look at the Golden Altar which is the second step in sanctification. This altar of incense is an altar of prayer. When we walk into the holy place and step up to the table of Shewbread, that is the obvious first step. We open our Bibles seeking the Lord Jesus more clearly. The obvious next step in the life of the Christian is to seek Him deeper in prayer. Just as eating of the bread of life daily is a means by which to grow in Jesus, so is daily prayer an essential part of the growth process of our faith. Yes, the Frankincense on the showbread shows we must pray before studying the Word, but this altar of incense deals directly with prayer itself and how we must pray throughout the day. And since we know king David, Daniel and all the patriarchs and prophets prayed in the morning, mid-day and evening, then we too must pray in like manner. One can actually look at the Word of God as our spiritual food and then prayer can be seen as our spiritual breath. We cannot live without food any more than we can live without air to breath.

And just so you know, all three items in the holy place were to be done in unison. For example; incense was placed on the bread to show how praying before reading the Word of God is a must and when the lamps were lit, which symbolizes; among other things, that Christ’s Word is to be that light unto our path, the incense was also burned on the altar at the same time depicting the obedient Christian on the path who while in obedience seeks their Lord in fervent prayer all throughout the day.

The obedient Christian who walks always in the holy place with the Lord will live a life of constant prayer, because constant communion with Christ is the only way we can gain the perfection we strive unto. And even though you can be one like many of us in the church wherein we prayer every hour of the day the enemy of souls will still attack us and so when prayer becomes the norm in such a way, it becomes that much easier to overcome when the enemy tempts us.

And yes, we can all be in constant prayer throughout the day. Even if it’s just in a quick thought directed to Heaven while standing in a group of people at work, or in prayer as we drive home from work, or in prayer as we kneel morning, mid-day and evening we can get to a place wherein Jesus becomes a real part of our day.

Yes, that kind of relationship with Him can take years to perfect, but the trip on that path to get to that perfection makes it an amazing journey to say the least. You will literally find yourself seeking quite time with Him in a mid-day prayer wherein the din of the street or the clatter of a crowd makes it impossible for you to go into any great detail. When Jesus becomes that close to His people it makes it that much harder for the enemy of souls to get anywhere near you. And no, that dying god will not give up. You may not experience as many temptations to do or think of evil acts as you did in your past because of your closer walk with Jesus, but you will notice those around you seeking to get to you in ways that are not good. Because when Satan cannot get to you as easy, he will use those around you to try and tempt you to anger or even into complacency as we see so many Christians who strive unto perfection while still inside an apostate church. If they ever leave they will see what the remnant of her seed sees in how striving becomes that much easier without all the bad company around us.

When the devil finds it difficult to get to you in ways to upset you or slow your forward pace in Jesus, he will go after those around you to try and crippled your walk. And so why make it easy for him by attending an apostate gathering? Remember how Sanballat was unable to get to Nehemiah in his day? Satan knew Nehemiah wasn’t an easy pushover and so he opted instead to get Sanballat to mix bad stones in with the good stones so as to slow the work Nehemiah was doing to rebuild the wall. And since we too are called to be repairers of the breach, one can expect we too will see the same demon that used Sanballat appear in some all around us. But this doesn’t mean we become hateful towards them. Because even here we can learn to grow in the love of Christ by sharing a smile when they expect a frown because something as soft as a smile can move a heart to seek the peace we have in Jesus and so by that gentle method of response, we can literally preach Jesus unto people without ever saying a word. Because in some cases, and this is especially true with siblings, parents, or spouses that do not believe as we do, we know sharing the Word of God with them just upsets them and so emulating the gentleness of Jesus can preach volumes unto their hearts instead.

And so when we look at little closer into the golden altar we see that it says in Exodus 30:1-10  And thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon: of shittim wood shalt thou make it.  2,  A cubit shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof; foursquare shall it be: and two cubits shall be the height thereof: the horns thereof shall be of the same.  3,  And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, the top thereof, and the sides thereof round about, and the horns thereof; and thou shalt make unto it a crown of gold round about.  4,  And two golden rings shalt thou make to it under the crown of it, by the two corners thereof, upon the two sides of it shalt thou make it; and they shall be for places for the staves to bear it withal.  5,  And thou shalt make the staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold.  6,  And thou shalt put it before the vail that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with thee.  7,  And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning: when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it.  8,  And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at even, he shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations.  9,  Ye shall offer no strange incense thereon, nor burnt sacrifice, nor meat offering; neither shall ye pour drink offering thereon.  10,  And Aaron shall make an atonement upon the horns of it once in a year with the blood of the sin offering of atonements: once in the year shall he make atonement upon it throughout your generations: it is most holy unto the LORD.

 

There is a reason such detail was placed into making this altar and like the table for the shewbread the golden altar was also made of shittim wood overlaid with pure gold. Like the brazen or altar of burnt offering it was foursquare and it had four horns, one on each corner; but unlike the brazen altar, it actually had a "crown of gold round about" it. This altar also had the staves and rings needed to carry it. But unlike the brazen altar this altar was in "in the tent of the congregation before the veil" as per Exodus 40:26 but the altar of burnt offering was in the courtyard.

 

And just so you know, nothing but the sacred fire which was kindled by the Lord Himself in the same way His Holy Spirit kindles our hearts to pray which the incense that represents our prayers wafting up to Him were for the most part the only things ever offered on this altar, except of course on the day of atonement when the sanctuary was cleansed. It was at that time the high priest touched its horns with the blood of sacrifice as we just read in Exodus 30:9,10.

As we learned before, the gold used here and everywhere is a type representing the Lord our God which then covers humanity which as we also learned earlier is represented by the shittim wood that is overlaid by that pure gold of the righteousness of Christ.

The altar was "foursquare" to represent how we too, like Jesus Christ must be foursquare in life. And just as we saw on the altar of burnt offering, the four horns point to how we approach Christ as well as Christ Himself. Those horns on each corner of the altar of burnt offering which point to the North, South East and West declare the same invitation of the gate with its four pillars that offered the gracious invitation to “come unto me” to all peoples around the world. And so these four horns on the altar of incense represent the same invitation to cry unto the Lord from all points of the compass on earth. But those horns also represent the strength, power, victory, and eternal honor of Jesus Christ.

Prayer is the obedient Christian's personal Heavenly granted strength in overcoming sin. It is also the power of Christ in how we are called to work for others He sends our way. And as is very obvious, prayer does bring victory unto the obedient child of God in a myriad of ways. And when it comes to the honor of Jesus Christ; as His children we do see it as an honor to be invited by our Creator to commune with Him at the place nearest to His throne and even unto His heart.

On earth, we can only appeal to men to do things that may move the affairs of man when we reach out to our leaders. But when we pray, we see Heaven itself moved; and that is an honor no man can even imagine this side of eternity. Basic reality is, how many of us can even reach the ear of a king or president of any nation? Yet the God of all creation bends His ear towards us, His precious children whenever we pray.

And that crown on this altar. Most of you already know what it represents. But for the babes in Christ I will say this. That crown not only represents the royalty and true power of Jesus Christ, it represents the reward of His obedient people.

In the brazen altar of sacrifice we see represented there the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for us when He walked among us 2000 years ago. But in the golden altar of incense we behold Him doing His intercessory work in heaven just for us every hour of the day. For is it not written in Hebrews 7:25 that “he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.”

And so it is fitting that the altar of incense that represents the prayers of the saints has that crown of gold on it declaring Jesus is right there with us when we pray and our reward is ever before our face as we walk in His Holy Spirit all throughout life.

That altar is actually an altar of continual atonement. By His blood upon the veil right in front of it, and by the incense burning before that veil that, our God was to be approached by His people. Hence the reason 1 John 2:1 was penned wherein it says “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:” That altar of incense is a major part of every praying Christian’s life for a valid reason.

It is only because we believe that we can attain the promised salvation that says we are forgiven for the sins that caused that blood to be spilled upon that veil in the first place. And because that blood is there, it allows us to get that much closer to the Father as we pray unto Him. Our prayers cover the stench of that blood as it rots all year long and so only through Jesus Christ can we approach the throne. And so it is fitting that our prayers are that close to that blood in that holy place. We are the reason that blood is there. And only through Jesus Christ can we hope to obtain the mercy and salvation promised unto every repentant and believing soul.

Now, let’s look a little closer at the incense itself and how it was made. The incense was composed of "four" different sweet spices. Exodus 30:34 says, “And the LORD said unto Moses, Take unto thee sweet spices, stacte, (STACK TEA) and onycha, (AWN NIGH KA)  and galbanum; these sweet spices with pure frankincense: of each shall there be a like weight:”

The term “like weight” obviously means the spices were mixed together of the same weight. When these four spices were gathered of equal weight and then “tempered together" as verse 35 says, which just means to rub them together with some salt, they produced a fragrant perfume and especially so when burned. Now think about that. When does our Lord shine the most? When we are in the midst of a trial right? And when do Christians shine the most, when we overcome the trial due to the Lord’s help. And so it is fitting that the incense would smell very good and even more so when it is rubbed and then burned.

As bittersweet example as this would have to be the millions of Christians that were burned at the stake by the Popes for their undying faith in Jesus. Not only did Jesus prevent the pain of the flame to come upon them as many witnessed in the Foxe’s book of Martyrs, the martyr and ex-Roman Catholic priest John Huss actually sang hymns unto the Lord as he burned and many souls looking on were blessed because of it. Singing while on fire is obviously way beyond just offering a smile when they expect a frown, but the same principle applies here in that many were no doubt moved to leave the awful church of Rome when they heard Huss sing. They witnessed the trust and faith in Jesus moving deep within Huss and others killed by Rome. Many saw how they refused to step away from that love they had for Him even unto death. That act alone glorified the Lord in such a way that many souls came to Christ when they saw the martyrs’ burn. This is one of the reasons Rome stopped burning or even torturing the obedient Christians in public near the end because it was causing many people to leave the church to gain the true love and obvious peace of Christ they saw clearly with their own eyes in those that died for their faith.

In fact, this is one of the reasons the veil that covered the entrance to the ark of the covenant was called “the testimony” as we see in Exodus 30:36. When speaking of the incense and where it was placed it said, “And thou shalt beat some of it very small, and put of it before the testimony in the tabernacle of the congregation, where I will meet with thee: it shall be unto you most holy.”

The Lord is that close to us when we are in trial. And that ark behind the vail contained His law, the manna and Aaron’s rod that budded as a testimony of the Lord’s eternal love filled promise to be a caring Father to His people as long as they kept His law.

In the incense we also find the number four when we see the four ingredients as in the bread that represented Christ, the living Bread which came down from heaven. And so these four sweet spices in the incense also represent His perfect righteousness. And just as the incense was beaten to where it was "very small," so was Christ made "perfect through sufferings," while at the same time His precious bride is also made perfect through suffering. His suffering as our merciful and faithful High Priest made reconciliation for the sins of His precious bride. And so our sufferings in this walk with Him lead us to the prayer altar, which the incense represents as well and in prayer we seek to gain more faith so as to help those He sends our way.

And speaking of the incense, the fire upon the golden altar was actually kindled by God Himself and that was the only fire that would be allowed to ignite the incense. It says this in Leviticus 9:23-24 “And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of the congregation, and came out, and blessed the people: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto all the people.  24,  And there came a fire out from before the LORD, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat: which when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces.”

 

And so as is obvious, this fire was of the Lord and therefore the coals in that fire could be used to ignite the incense because it says in Leviticus 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:”

And so, bringing fire into the sanctuary that was kindled by sinful man showed a trust in man over and above the Lord as we see so often today in all the churches.

What I mean is, does it not say in Deuteronomy 4:24 “For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.” And in Hebrews 12:29 “For our God is a consuming fire.”

That fire in the Sanctuary was a direct connection with the Lord Himself. For mankind to bring in fire kindled by his own hand is deadly. In fact it said in Leviticus 10:1-2 that “Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not.  2,  And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD.”

Today we see all sorts of strange fire offered on the pulpits of the government preachers. And I call them government preachers because as of December 02, 2017 all preachers with a 501c3, and yes this includes 100% of every single SDA pastor who receive a payroll check via the General Conference, all of them are now considered official Government agencies as George W. Bush put it during his administration when he signed the Executive Order that Trump then signed and made permanent by law. And executive order, be a prophetic fulfillment in this case, is still just an executive order wherein the next president can nullify as we saw with Trump and his many nullifications set forth by Obama. But once that law was signed, no president can remove it without a congressional approval. Which as we know can take months and even years.

So, these preachers of filthy lucre that have joined their churches with the state so as to create an image to the church & state beast system in Rome, instead of being protected by the Lord as is their duty so as to illustrate unto the people what it means to be an obedient Christian, all these apostate pastors are standing behind pulpits in what’s called an incorporated church which in layman terms means, they joined their church with second beast of Revelation who they now trust to protect them more than the God of the Bible.

This reminds me of how the Jews did this when they demanded a king over Jerusalem in Samuel’s day. The SDA general conference and every pastor under the Vatican inspired hierarchal rule has openly denied the God of the Bible as the one that will keep them safe.

And so how does this strange fire appear in these fallen churches of the world including the SDA church? Look at their doctrines for one thing. Everything from the Vatican Sunday Sabbath to the trinity of Rome declares unto all with eyes that see that they have brought strange fire into the Sanctuary and so the incense that is to be ignited by the sacred fire so as to allow for the prayer of the saints to waft up heavenly unto the Father is never ignited.

The replacing of the Lord’s Sabbath with a common day, and yes the SDA church has already agreed with Rome to do this in the way they now have dozens of Sunday keeping churches the world over, or the replacing of Biblical doctrine with the doctrines of demons that every church on earth preaches is in fact strange fire and o these many false pastors, preachers and leaders will burn up in the exact same way Nadab and Abihu did on the very day they thought to replace the holy fire of God with the common fire of sinful men.

But getting back to the incense. Just as the shew bread was a continual offering unto the Lord, the incense was as well. 24 hours a day that incense burned before the vail. It says in Exodus 30:6-8 “And thou shalt put it before the vail that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with thee.  7,  And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning: when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it.  8,  And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at even, he shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations.”

And since the incense represents the prayers of the saints, one can see how this fits perfectly in that as we pray the Lord meets with us in a very intimate manner. And as we know, Christians have been praying all throughout their generations and so again this fits in that it is truly a perpetual act of the people of God as well as of our Father in Heaven who has promised to meet with His people whenever they pray. And the nice thing is, no matter what time of the day we are moved to bow in prayer, we know that our Father promised to meet with us no matter where we are or what time it is when we pray unto Him. And with that said I echo 1 Thessalonians 5:17 that quite clearly says unto every Christian alive, “Pray without ceasing.”

And so when it comes to the incense, who’s duty was it to present it to the Lord? It says in Exodus 30:7-8 that “..Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning: when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it.  8,  And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at even, he shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations.”

And so there you have it. Just as we pray daily, that incense was placed before the curtain that covered the most holy place each and every morning so as to burn all day long. And as we in the SDR faith are being moved closer to perfection we now see first hand how it is fitting that the incense burns all day long as most of us have come to place wherein every hour of the day we offer prayer and praise unto our Father.

When Aaron offered incense, the Shekinah glory rested upon the mercy seat which then indicated to Aaron or any high priest after him since then, that the Lord God accepted the offering. And so our prayers are also presented to our Heavenly Father by our Lord, Saviour, King and heavenly High Priest Jesus Christ, who while offering the incense also offers His perfect qualities continually in our behalf as a heavenly counselor defending us from the accuser of the brethren, who we all know is the dying god of this world.

Our prayers are presented as sweet incense before our God; and just so you know, our heavenly Father has promised to answer every single request of His precious Son. And so when you pray, keep in mind all that’s entailed and who is directly involved in that prayer you’re offering each time. That’s right, it’s none other than Jesus Christ Himself that is presenting your heartfelt prayers unto the Father so as to bless you in ways you can’t even contemplate this side of eternity.

As we know personal daily prayer is very important. But gathering with brethren to pray is important as well. And family prayer, that something very few families today know about and their crippled lives speak volumes unto the expected end result.

Notice what it says Luke 1:10. It says that “the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense.” And they did this because they understood the prophetic and doctrinal reasons for every item and service in the Sanctuary. Every single morning and evening the people would have prayer in their homes.

This time in prayer was considered and still should be considered a sacred hour of worship for Christian families today. All of the people of God back then would rededicate themselves to the Lord each time they gathered in prayer. And yes this is also why Daniel and the Patriarchs and other prophets prayed as they did. They too knew about the Sanctuary and what happened at certain times of the day. And you can rest assured that after the Christian church started they would also continue to pray as they should because even though they saw the apostasy of the Jewish leaders, they knew as we do today that the Sanctuary is an eternal reality and no matter how corrupt the leaders would become, the people of God would still do as the Lord commanded them all along.

In fact, look at the SDR church today. Even though the SDA leaders have become one with Rome, God’s people separated from them as the Christians of old did to avoid the wicked leaven of the Pharisees and we embrace the original statement of faith of the 9th hour pioneers and not that of the apostate church of today that have, like the Pharisees, rewritten everything from doctrine to tradition to gain control over the people instead of doing their duty wherein the Lord would have a closer influence with the people. 

So even after 70AD when that building fell as Jesus prophesied it would 40 years prior in Matthew 24, the early Christian church continued to pray at certain times of the day as well as keep Sabbath every seventh day. Yes, I know all the lost souls and many false prophets of today declare the Sabbath was changed to Sunday when Jesus arose, but just as we see all the fake news today, over the centuries Rome pushed their fake theology just as much to the point the lukewarm churches echo that same fake theology today. Just because it’s old doesn’t mean the fruit is guaranteed. If that were the case we might see churches following after the dogma of Cain who killed his brother.

Historic records prove the obedient Christians never stopped keeping the true Sabbath of the Lord. In fact I have a page on the site that documents Christians keeping Sabbath in each century since the Lord ascended. In other words, we have historic proof Rome and every Sunday keeping pastor that bows to her counterfeit Sabbath have been lying since day one. Historic record confirms that it wasn’t until Rome pushed the Sunday Sabbath into a religious law on March 7, 321AD that the already well weakened Christians started to keep it holy out of sheer fear of being killed for refusing.

And so the obedient Christian of the past who have been declared the bride of Christ chose to obey the Lord out of love for Him and His law. And in so doing, this upwardly ascending love of the people moved the Father to look upon His Son’s bride with great pleasure. And since He is a God that never changes; when we bow before Him each morning and evening, and yes even during the mid-day prayer as Daniel and the others did, His loves comes upon us in so many ways it would take quite some time to illustrate. In fact this is why we have testimony service each month. And even this isn’t enough to declare all that He has done and is doing as we speak. And think about this as well. When we bow in prayer as families before the Lord each time Exodus 30:6 says the Lord will meet with us each time we do this.

Notice what happens in the Sanctuary each time the priests present the incense before the vail. It says in Exodus 30:6  And thou shalt put it before the vail that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with thee.”

And so one can see why it’s so important to gather in prayer like this as it not only blesses everyone in prayer to experience the Lord’s promised presence, it allows for His blessing to flow outside the home and into the daily life so as to keep us in His will as well as protected by His promised hedge of angels all throughout the day. When we show a serious commitment to His will He knows we love Him. And because we love Him He will then do all that He promises to do for us.

And so all of us need to gather in prayer each morning before the cares of the day have a chance to deprive us of His blessed presence. This is what always shocked me with some Christians. They jump out of bed, hit the shower, eat breakfast and bolt out of the door without so much as praying or even reading His Word and then they wonder why life is so filled with turmoil that they feel they can’t handle. No, I am not saying the turmoil ends when you pray and read His Word. But the promised peace of our Lord is upon us all through the day when we start it with Him and so when the turmoil comes it doesn’t affect us like it does everyone else around us. Why on earth would we want to step into any day without His loving and peace filled blessing upon it? Especially in these last days when wickedness abounds at every turn.

And by the way, it’s not just family prayer that can place the blessings upon us, we also have the extra blessings granted by our own private prayers wherein we kneel one on one with the Father.

As is obvious, family and public prayer is important, but when we go to our private place to be alone with our Lord, that is where the soul gets the promised manna from heaven that blesses them with peace and joy and every other blessing promised from the Father. And the nice thing is, when done daily the peace never leaves.

When Moses was in private prayer all alone with the Father he was given the pattern of that wonderful building we are actually studying right now. And so as the Sanctuary building is being studied by His obedient children, as each item is placed in its proper place, our character is being built as well so as to fashion the perfect temple of the Lord and only by daily study and prayer will it ever come to place wherein we can actually stand as the Gideon band we hope to come to so as to glorify He that created Heaven and earth who sits on the Throne between the two cherubim. And so His will is made perfect within us and as promised He says through his prophet in Jeremiah 24:7, “I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the LORD: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart.” And then in Ezekiel 37:27 He says that, “My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”

And if you notice, the altar of incense was nearer to the ark than any other article in the holy place except of course the vail itself. It was purposely placed before the veil that is by the ark of the testimony and the mercy seat that is over the testimony where our God has promised to “meet with thee."

And notice this from Revelation 8:3  It says , 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.

 

So this is absolute when it comes to the way He not only designed how we pray, it’s also absolute in how He designed how He plans to listen to our prayers. We are His dear children and so He is very immovable in how He will make sure every prayer is heard, that is of course if the one praying believes that He is. For it is also written in James 1:5-8, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.”

When the priest offered the incense before the Lord, he always looked toward the ark of the covenant that was behind the veil. He couldn’t see the ark of course any more than we can see the Father when we pray. And when those prayers are offered, which is when the incense is placed on that altar, the cloud of the incense arose and the Shekinah glory descended from above to rest upon the mercy seat and it filled the most holy place. And at times it even filled both the Holy and Most Holy place back to front. When that happened the priest would often step back to the door of the tabernacle. One can see here that the Father was getting even closer at times wherein no human interaction was to be a part of the prayer so as to prevent mankind getting the glory over the Lord. One can also see how groaning in one spirit works at times like this. No words are needed, just be in His presence and trust Him and His perfect will for you and all will be well.

And by the way, being the obedient child of God as we strive unto be, all our prayers are presented to the Father by our Heavenly High Priest Jesus. This is why the priest approaches the altar of incense as he did.

Revelation 5:8 says, “And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.” And then in Revelation 8:5 it says that “the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.”

 

What many fail to realize is that the prayers of the obedient people of God will be answered no matter what historic record says about all the apostate churches the past 2000 years. Theirs’ is a sad lot indeed, but they brought all of it upon themselves by how they followed the beast who is clearly exposed in the Word. And so they did not study His Word so as to be sufficiently warned. Even before the knowledge was increased as the prophet Daniel predicted for the last days, common sense was all a man needed when reading the Word of God after Martin Luther translated the Latin Bible into the common language. But, as they were taught to do before the Bible was open to them, most still sat in the pews complacent to allow the preacher to do all the Bible study for them. In so doing Rome saw the perfect opportunity to step right back into the pulpit so as to better control the people.

 

But when it comes to stopping the wickedness of mankind under Satan’s awful reign, the Lord has heard the prayers of the saints and His judgment has been seen falling upon those that persecute them. This was very apparent in fact in the infancy of the USA. But Satan did not give up and so he moved mankind to invent awful forms of entertainment as well as the idea of racism to get him away from his God and fighting amongst themselves.

 

Changing gears a bit as we move on, if you read on in Revelation 8 you see that after that censer is cast to the earth the trumpets began to sound. These trumpets have been blowing since 100AD and according to historic record and prophetic definition, trumpet #6 is blowing as we speak and it won’t be long till #7 blows and it’s all over. I have an offline study on this and have not yet put it on the site because I still have some “T’s” to cross and some “I’s” to dot on it. Suffice it to say, everyone needs to get very serious about their walk as Jesus is very soon to return.

 

And just so you know, the reason the high priest brought the incense and presented before the veil is because Jesus does the same thing in the Heavenly temple for His bride. But, the main reason Jesus has to do this for us is because of how our prayers are corrupted by the inherent wickedness of mankind whether they realize it or not and so, our great high priest Jesus Christ purifies the prayers before presenting them to the Father.

 

Without doing this those prayers are not acceptable unto our perfect Father. Christ’s righteousness must bless them to be acceptable unto the Father in the same way His righteousness upon us as individuals blesses us to be acceptable. And so, unless you are truly obedient to Christ as His Word depicts regarding His law, and no man or woman can do that without accepting Him as a true Saviour and not the fake Jesus Rome and the so called Protestant churches offer, your prayers will never be heard, unless of course it’s the prayer of the sinner who finally asks Jesus to be their Saviour.

 

Next Sabbath I will touch a bit more on that and why prayers are not answered for most Christians today.

This week let’s touch on why some prayers are not answered. This actually has to do with all of Christendom wherein Satan, as he planned, was unable to defeat Jesus Christ when He visited us and so now has placed his focus on the people of God to try and cripple the Gospel message as well as the present truth message of today.

 

So many different denominations out there confirm Satan has been busy and due to mankind accepting the doctrine of demons and traditions of man as if they are of God, their sinfulness has separated them from the Lord they claim to be close to. In fact it says in Isaiah 59:2, “But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.”

Of course there are many many reasons as to why prayers go unheard in today’s world and so I cannot possiblly cover every reason on this single Sabbath and so we will touch on this again I am sure.

And by the way, if you recall, it was when Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist was tending to the altar of incense 2000 years ago when the angel Gabriel appeared and told him that he and Elizabeth’s prayers were finally answered regarding a baby. And so it was fitting that such a prayer would be answered when John’s father was tending to the altar that represented the prayers of the saints themselves. 

Jesus Christ our eternal High Priest loves to listen to and receive the requests of His bride as well as present them to His Father. When speaking of Jesus Christ as our High Priest, Hebrews 7:22-28 says that “…Jesus made a surety of a better testament.  23,  And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death:  24,  But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood.  25,  Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.  26,  For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;  27,  Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.  28,  For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated for evermore.”

 

And so again, seeing how He ever liveth to do this for His bride, one can rest assured that His bride’s prayer will always be presented to the Father. But as is the topic in this part of the study, some prayers are not answered and so let’s look at a few reasons why this happens to some Christians.

 

First and foremost, Hebrews 11:6 says that “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.”

 

If you don’t believe in Him and the promises He made to you, then how on earth will you ever be able to get a prayer answered? Jesus said in John 6:37 “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” And so unless you come to Jesus, which then declares you believe in Jesus, He will no cast you out.

 

After all, is it not written in 1 John 5:10 that He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.

 

Just as prophecy cannot be understood unless you believe in and obey the God that wrote it; Bible doctrine cannot be understood unless you believe in and obey the God that wrote that as well. And so, having your prayer answered relies on believing, obeying and trusting the God that hears it. Therefore, unless you ask in faith you cannot hope to have your prayer answered. It’s like walking into an empty grocery store hoping to find food on the empty shelves. If you pray wherein you don’t really believe there is a God in Heaven hearing you, then you are walking into an empty heaven presenting a useless prayer.

 

James 1:6-8 says, But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.  7,  For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.  8,  A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

 

And just so you know, a double minded man is what the majority of Christians are today. They claim Jesus is Lord, yet they still smoke cigarettes because they don’t believe His promises regarding how He will help them overcome. This is true with the alcoholic, the drug addict or any other fleshly lust known to man.

 

Many Christians also stand as being double minded in how they stay in churches they know to be in apostasy. Jesus Christ is quite plain in His Word about coming out of churches that you have unchecked leaders that see no sin in joining their church with the State. Such churches have no choice to obey the government over the God of the Bible because once that contract was signed they were locked into political correctness on the pulpit. That is why the SDA church declares Allah is God, homosexuality is no longer an abomination, they have women pastors, their hospitals perform abortions and they even openly defend the man of sin in Rome to the point their pastors not only wear the robes of the Jesuit, they declare the Pope a holy leader on camera.

 

We all know every Protestant church on the planet is based on a double minded theology wherein they mix Bible Christianity with Catholicism. They all declare the truth regarding accepting Jesus as Lord, but then in the next breath declare you must disobey Him by keeping the Sabbath of the Pope, agree that people scream in hellfire for eternity, the Vatican Trinity with their one God theology is truth and Pagan rituals and holidays are sanctified by God. The Christian church is the ultimate double minded man today.

 

But when you look at the SDA church it’s worse because SDA’s used to be known to study and understand their bibles. But this is no longer true. Just as Jesus warned the people He called out of the Synagogue’s 2000 years ago in Matthew 16:6  that you must, “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.”

 

And so just as Jeremiah of old tried to warn the people to walk away from apostasy, the remnant of her seed is doing the same for the dear SDA people but like back then, we are ridiculed, threatened and even hacked and hated for telling them the truth which confirms the double minded man stands strong in the SDA church. Still, our duty is clear and we will do all we can for them. And so pray for them, because in some cases we have seen how some have left the church when they heard about how those that left before them have had their Christian walks blessed to the point their prayers are being heard.

 

Jesus must be obeyed but not like the Tyrant who threatens to kill. We obey out of love for Him and He knows it. Many claim to love Jesus but when their leaders are exposed by using Rock hard Scripture as well as documented fruits declared on camera or in writing, they choose rather to defend their leaders over and above the Lord they claim to love. THAT my brothers and sisters is what being a double minded man is all about. Just as you cannot serve God and mammon, you cannot serve Christ and an apostate pastor.

 

Romans 1:25-26 says that people like this “changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature (pastor) more than the Creator (Jesus), who is blessed for ever. Amen.  26,  For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:”

 

And yes, this is why the SDA church has stated on camera and in writing that homosexuality is no longer an abomination unto God. Yes, many SDA’s will say their pastors never said that word for word. But what of their actions that say they are double minded when it comes to homosexuality? What of the on camera statements in 2011 from a Loma Linda pastor that promoted homosexual marriage and was never rebuked by the General Conference?

 

Or what of SDA Elder Clifford Goldstein who declared not too long ago that "I’m sure Jesus looks approvingly on ‘loving, monogamous, and committed’ homosexual sodomy."

 

Or what of Ben Carson who refused to defend the Bible when asked the question on camera regarding homosexual marriage being the law of the land regardless of how the Bible says it is sin. He caved because he too is a double minded man.

 

This is why so many people in the SDA church have such a weak prayer life. Again, it says in James 1:6-8, But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.  7,  For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.  8,  A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

 

And so I ask, do you want your prayers answered? All of us have a plethora of things we pray for and yes we know sometimes our Father answers no because we also know we often ask amiss. But wouldn’t you want absolute assurance that He hears your prayers and regardless of how He answers all will be well? You cannot have that while disobeying His Word when He says in Amos 3:3  Can two walk together, except they be agreed?

 

Seriously; do you know what that means? If your pastor or General Conference president or any leaders in the GC says things you know are not in line with the Word of God, why do you stay in such a church? It’s because you are in fact double minded. You know their fruits are sinful, you know Jesus said when the leaders are corrupt you need to leave the church, but most SDA’s refuse and so that means they are in 100% agreement with their leaders that homosexual marriage is ok, Allah is God, abortion is acceptable and women can be pastors just to name a few.

 

Yes, some will say they don’t agree with that, but Amos was plain. Staying in the SDA church means you are walking with and in agreement with the apostate General Conference. You are boldly exposed as being double minded and that is why your prayer life is so very weak. You cannot hope to have prayer answered when you use strange fire to ignite the incense and that is what all SDA’s do by walking in lockstep with their apostate leaders.

 

Next Sabbath we will continue on with the reasons some prayers are not answered.  

Last Sabbath we started to share reasons why some prayers are not answered. This week we will do the same as there are many reasons. This next reason regarding how prayer is not answered has to do with what James 4:3 says which is, “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.”

 

All too often people have a tendency to pray for things that will not benefit them spiritually and it will not glorify the Lord in any way shape or form. Notice what happened when Solomon sought the Lord for something that would help the people instead of himself.

 

2 Chronicles 1:7-12  In that night did God appear unto Solomon, and said unto him, Ask what I shall give thee.  8,  And Solomon said unto God, Thou hast shewed great mercy unto David my father, and hast made me to reign in his stead.  9,  Now, O LORD God, let thy promise unto David my father be established: for thou hast made me king over a people like the dust of the earth in multitude.  10,  Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people: for who can judge this thy people, that is so great?  11,  And God said to Solomon, Because this was in thine heart, and thou hast not asked riches, wealth, or honour, nor the life of thine enemies, neither yet hast asked long life; but hast asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself, that thou mayest judge my people, over whom I have made thee king:  12,  Wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee; and I will give thee riches, and wealth, and honour, such as none of the kings have had that have been before thee, neither shall there any after thee have the like.

 

And then notice what the Lord said in the sermon on the mount many centuries later. It says this in Matthew 5:44  But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

 

You may be the only one praying for that soul and so you need to pray for them. You may not become a king or a queen in this lifetime; nor even gain riches beyond compare as Solomon did. But you will be blessed in many ways by the Lord and when it is all said and done you will reign with Christ in Heaven. Christians need to realize that not only is all the world a stage wherein our Father watches each and every one of us. Each life experienced is in a state of spiritual flux no matter how strong or weak of a Christian they may be. We are all being tested and educated so as to reign with Christ in Heaven and if Christians would keep that reality forever before their mind all forms of selfishness would fall off as the dross it is.

 

Just to share one reason some people ask amiss. And we have seen this happen more than once in this church family alone. Many people are desperate to find a spouse and they will do whatever their flesh demands to assure that end. When they lack patience waiting on the Lord to send a godly spouse, these seekers of love will be tested to see if they’re even worthy to be blessed with a godly spouse. For before the Lord sends their true spouse; He allows someone that is not of the faith to test them to see if they love the Lord more than their own selfish lusts. Praise the Lord I have known more than a few in this precious church family that have denied their flesh and stood firm in the Lord to await His will. And each time they did this the fruit of the one that approached as a possible spouse was made known and disaster was averted. But sadly we have also seen some bow to the flesh and take on the spouse outside the faith and not only suffered for it personally, they left the faith entirely so as to vindicate their bad decision.

 

Another reason people never have their prayers answered, and this is something most every Sabbath keeper has seen before meeting Christ. In fact the obedient church though history has seen this since 321AD when most Christians decided to disobey the Lord to bow to Constantine and the Roman Bishop when the Pagan Sabbath of Sunday was first initiated and then made law of the land. The disobedience of the church in general has crippled their prayer life and so this is why so many billions of Christians have no real prayer life wherein the Lord God of creation has been active in their lives. And yes, this is why we have a testimony service each and every month. I cannot tell you how many people have emailed me over the years after hearing the SDR people praising the Lord the way we do to echo praise unto our God right along with us. And it’s not always the big miracles that move them. It’s quite often the little ones as well because not only do they witness how our Lord takes time out of His busy eternity to bow down to pick us up in what some would consider a trivial matter, the way we, the bride of Christ react to Him doing that amazes them as well.

 

Most people look at the Lord as someone that only performs major miracles like the tornadoes and hurricanes He has moved off the path towards us after we prayed over the years. Most only consider the people getting off death beds, being released from prison, or even being healed of deafness and freed from demons as something worthy of the hand of God. They are shocked to hear how we glorify the Lord for us getting a job, an electric bill paid, a gas tank filled miraculously, or even when a butterfly lands on us as we pray in the woods.

 

And yes, it’s no mistake this change of the Sabbath to Sunday happened 1700 years ago. Satan knew what he would use as his mark in our day and so he had to make Sunday his Sabbath way back then so as to solidify it in the minds of billions by using something as silly as antiquity.

 

The people actually think because Sunday Sabbath has been around so long that it must be true. That’s why I made the page on my website wherein I shared a list of seventh day Sabbath keeping Christians from all the way back to the time of Christ to our day. When the wolves and false prophets declare Sunday was kept from the day Jesus resurrected we not only have biblical evidence exposing them as liars, we also have historic record proving that long prophesied Sabbath of the devil the prophet Daniel talked about came 3 centuries after Christ arose that Sunday morning. It literally stated in Daniel 7:25 when speaking of the man of sin in Rome he said that “he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.”

 

That’s just one more reason to study the Bible. Most people don’t know about this prophetic utterance nor do they know why the word “remember” is placed in Commandment #4. But when you read the Word of your God, you know what happened in 321AD and you know why the Lord said to Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Our Father knew we would be taught for literally centuries to forget it. And so the word remember actually spans the course of 17 centuries in our day alone. And when thinking about how our God is eternal, it doesn’t matter to us if they changed the Sabbath 17 centuries ago or even 17 days ago. We are the Bride of Christ and we will follow the Lamb withersoever He tells us to go.

 

Willful disobedience to our Lord’s written commands cripples our prayer life and prevents our Heavenly Father from doing that which He so longs to do for us. Every time the priest offered incense before the Lord, he looked toward the ark because in that ark was the ten commandments written in stone. The sincere and loving obedience to God's law is the main condition of every answered prayer since time began. For it is written in  Proverbs 28:9  that “He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination.”

 

And no, do not think for a minute that you will get your prayers answered by trying to keep God’s law. No man can keep His law until the Holy Spirit enters into their heart wherein the promise is assured in 2 Corinthians 3:3 “Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the 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 fleshy tables of the heart.”

 

This is the ultimate description of a 'written' Christian. The "epistle of Christ" is His law! Hebrews 10:16 says "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;"

 

And so that’s why we as Christians declare to those that accuse us of trying to build a stairway to heaven using good works, not we do not keep the law of God to get saved, we keep the law because we are saved.

 

The basic reality here is that if the one seeking an answer to prayer knowingly breaks God’s law then that person must not think the Lord would even hear their prayers. Psalms 66:18 says that “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:”

 

Far too many people think they are Christians and some even go so far as to lie to themselves thinking that God is such a loving God that He won’t condemn them for the sins they commit. This is the end result of 2000 years of false pastors watering down the truth so as to preach smooth things unto the people just as the prophet Isaiah predicted back in Isaiah 30:10 which says, these people “Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits:” Those smooth things deal with all sorts of doctrines of demons and traditions of man that cultivate a false sense of security in the minds and hearts of those that go to such churches.

 

For example, notice how God’s Word perfectly outlines how eating unclean foods can cause disease and death in His Word and billions of people have proven that biblical fact as truth yet most keep eating things the Bible and their own doctors say are slowly killing them.

 

Take alcohol as another bold example. The Bible speaks against it and yet even though billions have died all along from drunks that become violent or drunk drivers crossing the double yellow line? Not to mention all the other confirmed alcohol related diseases and still, churches like the Catholic church who even declares in their hospitals that alcohol is one of the basic food groups, people trust their pastors above the Bible that once again is proven true.

 

As we know, the mercy seat is the same height as the altar of burnt offering. That means our Father’s wrath is in the perfect position just as His mercy is. If we sin, we die. No gray areas here. If we confess and repent, we live. No gray areas here either.

Secret sins that are cherished in the heart prevent our prayers from ever being heard. All known sin, or iniquity as the Word calls it, all of it must be put away if we are ever to have our prayers heard.

We must be willing deep within our hearts to renounce all evil attitudes and all cherished sins. Even our bad tempers, pride and covetousness must be denied and put down. In fact, even things like laziness in the faith which means when you have opportunity to either go to church or visit someone the Lord is moving you to visit to share truth with, refusing to do so can also hinder prayer. In fact, our church is the easiest one to attend. As I has said for years; there’s no excuse for people not being here that are members because you can simply roll over in bed, reach out and hit a key on a laptop and you’re in church.

We must learn to overcome all the vices the enemy sends our way from gossip to hatred and yes this is why many obedient Christians have removed TV’s from their homes because hating a villain in a fictional movie can cultivate hatred in the heart, and this is something Satan can then build on in real life. He doesn’t care if it’s real hatred or hatred built on fiction. All he needs is for you to follow his lead. All he needs is a small seed of obedience just as Jesus can use the faith the size of a mustard seed to help us grow in faith. Satan can use his seeds to help people grow in rebellion. Most people fail to realize how much Satan emulates the methods of our God but to a bad end. He does this because he used to be in the city of Heaven and he knows how well it all works and so he will use it to his advantage.

If we are ever to be blessed with the latter rain we are to put down every seed of rebellion and sin no matter how trivial we may think it is. In so doing, not only will Jesus present our prayer unto the Father with the incense of His perfect righteousness, we will see our faith and prayer life grow to a point the latter rain will be our promised and long prophesied gift of approval from our Lord, Saviour and King.

This Sabbath we will again looking into the ways the prayer life of many is crippled. One way is sadly very prevalent today. That has to do with how so many people disrespect our God and then expect Him to move His hand when they seek Him in prayer. We’ve all seen it. The rock stars who sings of all sorts of hellish things as the norm yet they wear crosses claiming they’re believers in our God. The homosexual that stands as a pastor or a priest in a church, or just your neighbor, friend or classmate that refers to the Lord thy God as the big Guy upstairs. All of this soils the character of our God and causes many to look at Christianity as a farce.

And as for the rock stars, Hollywood actors and the people that are into Gothic clothing that wear crosses. No, wearing a cross is not something the Lord would have any of us do. And especially not Christians. The Christian needs to emulate Jesus in their walk, talk and faith. Wearing a cross is not a Christian act. In fact, it’s a Pagan act as the cross was first initiated by Pagans eons ago to honor Baal. But it was more like a plus sign cross. (+) This is why you will see the Popes and prelates all the way down to a common priest wearing Pagan robes with plus signs all over them. The Romans were Pagans as well and the only reason the cross they killed people on had an elongated bottom was to lift their victim off the ground so as to allow their own body weight intensify the pain by gravity.

Why did they invent the plus sign cross? Long ago a Pagan priest was worshiping the Sun god Baal one day, which by the way is just another name for Satan, and as he looked at the Sun he had to close his eyes and peer at it through his eyelashes to protect his eyes. And guess what happened when he did that? The tears that are naturally there in the bottom eyelid would reflect a golden stripe of light in a horizontal fashion and then his eyelashes covered in oil as they normally are would then reflect another golden stripe of light vertically making a golden plus sign before his eyes. Just go outside and try this for yourself. But be very careful not to harm your eyes. Peek slowly through tightly shut eyes and you will see that cross.

Every victim killed by Rome was considered an offering unto Baal by their Pagan rulers, and so this is why they used crosses. But wearing them as a Christian today is morbid and leans towards mockery if the truth is made known and you still do it. Hence the reason satanic people in Hollywood do it. But let me ask you this. If Jesus came in our day and we killed Him on an electric chair, would you think it morbid that Christians 2000 years later hung electric chairs around their necks?

As students of the Spirit of the Prophecy we all know how when the angels of God speak of the Lord’s name they pause and cover their faces and rest in absolute reverence for a moment. But today, not only do people soil the image of our Lord, many Christians that stand in open disobedience to His law as well as His blessed Word stand up in prayer before the congregation and then claim to end the prayer in Jesus name which means in His character to the best of their ability. That is open mockery unto the God of the Bible.

Now don’t get me wrong. You can pray walking down the road, laying in bed, behind the wheel of a car, as you sit in class about to take a test or standing in a line at the DMV. Nothing wrong with that at all. But, when you stand before the people in prayer at the start of a sermon or study hour, then you are openly mocking the Lord as one not worthy of your bow of reverence.

Nearly every Protestant pastor, and as far as I have seen recently nearly all SDA pastors has been recorded on camera all over the Internet standing or sitting in prayer as they start a church service. I won’t mention names, but I know these videos are very easy to find.

And just so you know, standing in prayer is an ancient and obvious sign of the Pagan who was then moved by Satan to mix Paganism with Christianity to create Catholicism, and now every apostate church that has joined with the Pope as well as with the state they stand in by a 501c3 or 501c4 contract to glorify the image of the Vatican, all of them mock the Lord Jesus Christ by the way they stand or sit in prayer when starting a sermon or study hour. Scripture declares quite boldly that we must be on our knees when seeking the Lord in prayer before the people of God. When we stand as pastors or preachers who are called to lead by example and worse yet, it is Sabbath day when we are delivering a sermon, we MUST be on our knees!

After all, Solomon kneeled in prayer did he not? 2 Chronicles 6:13 clearly says "Solomon had made a brasen scaffold, of five cubits long, and five cubits broad, and three cubits high, and had set it in the midst of the court: and upon it he stood, and kneeled down upon his knees before all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven,"

But not only do the preachers of today stand in prayer, they fold their hands tightly shut so as to declare by their Pagan inspired actions that they seek no blessing from Heaven. The closed handed prayer is what Pagans do when praying unto Baal.

Daniel the prophet kneeled in prayer and everyone knew it. Remember when they used his prayer life against him to get him into the lion’s den? Daniel 6:10 says, "Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime."

Jumping ahead to the New Testament for lack of time, we see that many kneeled before Jesus in Mark 10:17 that said, "And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?"

In fact, Jesus Christ Himself kneeled in prayer in Luke 22:41 that stated, "And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed,"

Stephen the first martyr kneeled in prayer as he was being stoned in Acts 7:60. It plainly stated that “he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep."

That was a very obvious and open public prayer before the religious leaders who were instrumental in getting him killed at that very moment. Even as he was dying Stephen obeyed His Lord and kneeled in prayer as the stones rain down upon him. I am sure doing so made the Pharisees even more angry and so they no doubt through their stones with more violence. Think about that, Stephen was probably laying down after the first few blows to his body with those stones and still he mustered up the strength to get on his knees while being stoned! Yet these so called pastors in the churches refuse to kneel do to the inconvenience of doing so? 

Peter also kneeled in prayer in Acts 9:40 wherein it says, "But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning him to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up."

And yes, Paul also kneeled in prayer when he shared a loving goodbye as well as doctrinal instruction to the brethren gathered before him in Acts 20:36, "And when he had thus spoken, he kneeled down, and prayed with them all." Yet today it is a rare thing to see Protestant and SDA ministers kneeling in prayer? 

And I didn’t mention Catholic priests because being one who was raised as a Catholic, not one time did I ever see a Roman Catholic priest kneel before the people. Not one single solitary time and I went to mass every week, ever holy day of obligation as they call it and then the last 2 years or so my wife and I went to daily mass and still, never was one priest seen kneeling because as historic record proves, Pagans will not kneel before Christ.

But I digress. There are other ways to disrespect the throne of our God that hinders the prayer of His people.

For example, those calling Him the big Guy upstairs, you need to stop this blasphemous act for it is very displeasing to the Lord thy God. Or what of the many that use His name in vain as if it’s a swear word? And most of them claim to be Christians no less! The great, the awesome, the omnipotent and all-powerful and holy God should be addressed with eternal respect and reverence by all. Fact is, even Satan will bow to him on his last day on earth.

And think about this as well. If a king from a foreign land or a President was to stand before you, would you not show him respect? Some kings would behead you even today if you refused to bow before him. And so why is it the Creator of all things is not granted the same if not more respect? We need to remember that Jesus Christ is King of kings who dwells in a light that is unapproachable and so I have to ask, is it any wonder the Christian church has seen a weak prayer life the last 2000 years?

Matthew 5:23-24 says, “Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;  24,  Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.” And in Matthew 6:12 when Jesus was showing the apostles how to pray He said that we all need to ask His Father to. “forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.”

 

And do you remember when Peter asked about forgiving his brethren? Matthew 18:21-22 says, “Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?  22,  Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.”

 

And if you read on you see the parable of the unmerciful servant who was forgiven of owing ten thousand talents which in today’s world would be $300,000 back then; but refused to forgive his fellow servant a mere 100 pence, or 100 pennies as we call it today. He even threw that man in jail for it. Jesus stated in Matthew 18:35  that, “likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.”

 

If we refuse to forgive those that have wronged us, then we are wavering in the faith and the Lord will not answer the prayers of such a person who is double minded. On one hand they claim to be Christian and on the other they refuse to bow to Christ. Think about that for a moment. Jesus forgives us unconditionally when we come to Him; yet we place conditions on how those that sin against us should be forgiven? If that’s the case then that soul can pray till their blue in the face and the Lord will not answer or even hear such a prayer. In fact it says in James 1:6-7 “But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.  7,  For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.”

 

Another blessed way to pray is to thank the Lord for all He has done for us in life. Because you have to know He has done a lot for all of us over the years. And this includes the many things we never even notice half the time. The apostle Paul said in Philippians 4:6-8 “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.  7,  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.  8,  Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”

 

This is something all of us have to get used to doing in our private prayer life because even if you’re in the midst of a major trial and you feel as if you cannot go on or you are tempted by the enemy to despair, you can still thank your eternal Father for the joy of your salvation that brings perfect peace unto you knowing that the trial itself is allowed so as to bless you in ways you may not even contemplate at the time.

 

All too often the enemy of souls tempts the people of God to get upset with the Lord because their prayers aren’t answered as quick or even in the way they prefer they be answered. Romans 11:33 says, “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!”

 

He truly is a God that knows the end from the beginning and so when you pray in a way you think is best, He might see that your way is not at all good for you because it may destroy your faith and in some cases bring death unto us before our appointed time, and so He may answer no to the prayer or He may change it up a bit where the answer will still be yes but in a way we never expected. After all, is it not also written in James 4:3 that “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.”

 

As Christians we’re not doing that on purpose of course and so even here, thank your Father in Heaven before and even during your prayer for the way He protects us from ourselves. Satan loves to play in the land of the flesh and all too often we bow to the fleshly enticements the enemy places before us and so we must be very careful as we walk each and every day.

And yes, there are times wherein your prayer will be mixed with grieving. We have all lost loved ones or we may come across a grievous time in a different way. But can you imagine if all your prayers were answered in the exact way you prayed? Seriously, how many of us have seen the error of our prayers after praying in such a way days, weeks or even months later. Or, how many of us have finally come to realize why the Lord refused to answer yes on a certain prayer. I can recall many times where I praised His name and thanked Him for saying no to my prayer.

Take for example the house we rented 12 years ago. We liked that house and the land it was on and when it came up for sale and they were asking a very low sum, we prayed. But the Lord said no and blessed us with a better home not too long after. And, the house we wanted at first actually had an electrical issue we never knew about and a couple of years after the Lord said no to buying that house, it caught on fire and was completely destroyed. The Lord knew that was going to happen and not only did He prevent us from dying in that fire, He prevented us from being homeless for who knows how long it would have been before we could rebuild or even afford to rebuild.

And so thank Him when you pray and let Him know that whatever His answer is thank Him again for the faith and courage as well as love and trust to submit to His divine will for our lives no matter what He has planned for us.

In fact, submission to His will is essential if you seek a powerful prayer life. In other words, if that which we pray for is not in our Father’s will, we must bow to His will no matter what. A good example is when Jesus prayed three times in the garden to have the cup removed from Him that He was about to drink. Notice what happened that night.

His first prayer:

Matthew 26:39  And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.

His second prayer:

Matthew 26:42  He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.

 

And I believe He changed the way He spoke this prayer because Jesus has such a close relationship with His Father that since His heavy heart had not yet changed, He knew the Father’s will on this that quickly. Still, He prayed a third time as we see in Matthew 26:44 which says, “he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.”

 

And then when He went to the disciples it was finally time for Him to drink that cup. We need to realize that even though Jesus asked to have the cup removed three times; His Father’s will was such that He had to drink it. And since we know what 1 Corinthians 10:13 says about us not being tempted above our ability to handle it, and temptation comes in many forms including that which a martyr experiences at the moment of death, Jesus was prepared to deal with what was coming His way no matter what it entailed.

 

And think of this as well. How many of us have prayed asking the Lord to remove certain trials we were going through only to not only see the trial continue, but we were blessed with the ability to go through it, even though we don’t notice it while it is happening. What I mean is, how many of us after a major trial thank the Lord for the trial days, weeks or months later when we finally come to a place wherein He reveals to us the reason for the trial and the blessing we received at the end of it. Either we had to go through the trial to bless ourselves and our own faith, or the Lord allowed it so others can be blessed by seeing how we had the smile during the trial. I know the latter is true in how I saw this happen decades ago when I watched someone who was going through an intense trial not only stand firm, but he glorified Jesus by exhibiting the peace that is promised to every soul that comes to Him in faith.

 

Looking at Christ and His trial, one can see how literally billions could be blessed by looking back to see what He went through for all of us. And so press on brothers and sisters. Not only will your trial bring you the assured blessing, it will also help those looking on to see that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.

 

As we can now see 2000 years later, it was for our sakes that the cup Jesus was to drink was not withheld from Him. And so the same faithful submission on our part to the Father’s will is the first condition of answered prayer. Our Father in Heaven always gives us that which is for our good. Is it not written in James 1:17  that “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”

 

And so, submit to Him. If He answers yes to your prayer, praise His name. If He answers no to your prayer, praise His name again and even more because with the no answer we gain even more faith to stand firm in His will and we also know He saved us from danger we cannot foresee. And sometimes as we saw with the parents of John the Baptist, the answer of the prayer is yes, but the timing is not of our plans at all. We also want it answered quick, but sometimes it takes years.

 

Zacharias and Elizabeth wanted a child in their early lives but the Lord knew of His plans for their child and He knew they needed to be well versed in His Word by the time they have this child because they were to be called to raise their son as a prophet who would declare the arrival of Messiah and so again, submit unto the Father no matter how He answers your prayers because His ways are not our ways and again I say praise His name because could you imagine if our God was as quick to judge us and even angry as many of us are when we don’t get our way? It would be far worse on earth than it is now, or ever would be.

 

Notice what Paul went through… He stated this in 2 Corinthians 12:7-8  And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.  8,  For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.

 

Many wonder as to what thorn he is speaking of here. But if you look in Galatians 4:13-15 you see how he said, “Ye know how through infirmity of the flesh I preached the gospel unto you at the first.  14,  And my temptation which was in my flesh ye despised not, nor rejected; but received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus.  15,  Where is then the blessedness ye spake of? for I bear you record, that, if it had been possible, ye would have plucked out your own eyes, and have given them to me.”

 

In other words, the people knew of his bad eyesight and would have given him their own eyes if would have helped. And to this day many are confused why the Lord never answered his prayer. But He did answer it. Notice what Paul shared in 2 Corinthians 12:9. After asking the Lord three times to heal him Paul said that Jesus said unto Him that, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

 

A perfect surrender to the Lord’s will is key to not only having the peace Jesus promised because when we surrender we realize He’s in control and that makes us calm deep within. It is also key to a perfect surrender to however He chooses to answer our prayers. Paul did not have his eyes healed, but he was blessed with much grace from the Lord. In fact, after Jesus told him about His grace being all he needed, Paul said “Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

 

Paul went on to say in 2 Corinthians 12:10, “Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.”

 

All of us have this kind of grace in our lives but quite often we don’t see it right off as even Paul didn’t. A good way for me to explain how this grace works in one instance is how our Lord brings all things to our remembrance as He promised in John 14:26.

 

How many of us have trouble memorizing verses? And how many have seen the verse come to mind when someone needs to hear it? We too can pleasure in our infirmities in that because we cannot memorize His Word, His promise reminds us of the verse. It also prevents us from fostering self-exaltation deep within us because we know how incapable we are. We all know our limits and so we know that without Christ we can do nothing and so it moves us to study daily so as to keep as close to Him as we can.

Now let’s touch on why Christians have been saying “In Jesus name” at the end of their prayers for so long and what that actually entails. And yes we’re still in the Sanctuary study. It’s just that items like the altar of incense require much discussion in that prayer is very important just as Bible study is. And that is why we looked into much of what the Word said about the table of Shewbread just as we will with the altar of incense.

It says this in John 14:12-14  Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.  13,  And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  14,  If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.

 

A few things to take note of here; first and foremost is that we must believe that He is who He says He is. Hebrews 11:6 says, 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.

 

All too often people just recite prayers in the hopes there is a God in Heaven. Roman Catholicism is infamous in this regard in the way they offer thousands of canned or pre-written prayers. They recite these scripted prayers in the same way a witch recites an incantation. No I do not say that to offend the Catholics. Prophecy said this church would mix the Paganism of the witch with the truth of Christianity so as to move even the wicked into a false sense of security towards heaven. Their prayers are all prewritten and supposedly designed to gain the ear of the one being prayed to. The fact the Pope declared recently that Atheists can gain Heaven shows how they teach you don’t even have to believe in God when asking Him for anything. Just recite their so called prayers and the Lord will do as you please. This is how the witch and Satanist have been taught as well.

 

Case in point, the Harry Potter filth confirms this hands down. I never watched the movies or even read a book of this garbage because filth like that can affect the heart of the people reading it. But I am sure as I have seen in posters and adverts over the years, those books they carry with them are prewritten incantations unto Satan in the same way the novenas of the Catholic are scripted prayers unto another Jesus and I say another Jesus because Jesus plainly said in Matthew 6:7  But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

 

The word “heathen” here is translated from the Greek to be “savouring of the nature of pagans, alien to the

    worship of the true God, heathenish - of the pagan, the Gentile”

 

Rome has admitted many times in writing that Catholicism is in fact Paganism and so it is to be expected that the fruit of the witch will be seen in the halls of Rome. In fact, notice what the Popes stated back when Harry Potter was being popularized. “Roman Catholic St Andrews University stated on October 24, 2010 “Theologian Rev. Dr. Stephen Holmes has claimed Harry Potter should be seen as a “Christ-like” figure because he promotes Biblical values. The Acting head of divinity at St Andrews University, said some religious commentators had been hasty in their condemna-tion of the phenomenally successful series.” (online source = http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/harry-potter/8083870/Harry-Potter-is-Christ-like-claims-theologian.html)

 

And so one can see that such prayers offered in the manner of an incantation as Catholics, Muslims, Buddhists and yes the witch and Satanist are only something Satan will listen to as Jesus made it clear repetitive prayer is not how Christians are to pray.

 

And so when it comes to praying in His name, one has to realize that praying as does the witch is not something Christ would do. The term “in Jesus name” at the end of each prayer can also translate that as praying in His character. And so how can such prayer be heard when the one praying does not believe Him when He says not to pray in such a way, or worse yet, one who has the foul odor of tobacco or alcohol on their breath while praying, or one who is in open sin and has no plans to stop just to name a few. How can any of these believe their prayers will be heard?

 

Or what of those in the Catholic church that found out about their church’s bloody past in the Inquisitions or the fact their own Catholic hospitals abort babies to this day? How can this person who knows all this expect to have their prayers heard when it is written in Isaiah 1:15  And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.

 

Jesus would never shed blood like this and so this is not the character of Christ and those that pray knowing their church leaders do this means they are guilty of the shedding of blood in the same way murderer that is guilty by association can be sentenced to jail time as well. No getting around the fact that if you stay in a church that is bogged down with apostasy that you are guilty of the same apostasy because be it the Roman Catholic church, the SDA church or any Protestant church, staying in the church means you have chosen to obey men rather than God and so your judgment is absolute. But, coming out of such churches means you have repented and the Lord will accept you as His child.

 

Another way to pray outside the character of Jesus is to break God’s law without repentance. Will their prayers be heard as if praying in Jesus name after reading what Proverbs 28:9 says which is, He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination. Yet billions of Christians break His law each week when they keep holy the Sabbath of the man of sin over and above the Sabbath of the Son of man.

It was "in His name that the disciples were to present their petitions unto the Father. In so doing they would have a blessed assurance that they would receive an answer. Every prayer that bears His name will be presented to the Father who has promised to answer every petition made of His Son and since we come in His Son’s name, that prayer will be heard.

We also have to understand that even when we do pray in His name; which can be easily done by confessing and repenting of every known sin before praying, we may still ask for something our Father cannot allow. Hence the reason James 4:3 stated, Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

 

That verse can be directed to the unrepentant sinner praying unto God as well as the obedient Christian who simply isn’t aware that the prayer is selfish in nature. In fact, all of us as babes have no doubt prayed such prayers often and even unto our old age as Christians will continue to ask amiss simply because we cannot know the end from the beginning and sometimes we have no clue as to how selfish we can be at times. 

And so, as our heavenly Father delights to answer every request of His Son through His obedient bride, our Lord, Saviour and King Jesus simply cannot present some of these prayers to His Father knowing they are asked in error. Hence the reason all of us have been taught by our King Jesus that some of our prayers will be answered with a no. Jesus simply cannot endorse such a prayer to the Father in His name and we have to be in a place that we are perfectly ok with that because He truly does know what’s best for us.

In fact, how many of us have prayed for something years ago that was answered no to and it wasn’t until years later we discovered how wrong we were in asking for such a thing? I can recall quite a few prayers that I have prayed that I am so praising His name for today that He said no to those petitions.

And think on this as well. As we know, the incense in the temple represents the prayers of the saints. Exodus 30:9 says, Ye shall offer no strange incense thereon, nor burnt sacrifice, nor meat offering; neither shall ye pour drink offering thereon.

 

The high priest knew not to bring strange incense into the holy place and so if a mere man knew this, our Heavenly High Priest Jesus Christ would most assuredly never bring strange incense into the Holy Place as well. And so praise the Lord for His mercy unto us because He knows full well of our limitations as He truly did walk a mile in our shoes without ever once slipping off the path.

 

When we ask amiss Jesus cannot present that strange incense unto the Father because in so doing He would soil His own character unto the Father. And He’s simply not going to do that. Ever. And so this is no doubt the reason His disciples asked Him in Luke 11:1, “Lord, teach us to pray.”

Now for those seeking assurance that your prayers are answered, we all need to get to a place in our faith wherein we know the Father is more willing to give good things unto us that most of us are even aware we need or even care to ask. And we need to come to a place that we have absolutely no doubt He is listening to our prayers as He promised He would.

 

Jesus said in Matthew 7:7-11  Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:  8,  For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.  9,  Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?  10,  Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?  11,  If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

 

For the child of God that walks in obedience, this promise is absolute and is the foundation of our prayer life. But when we look around today, billions of people declare themselves Christians but never do they see a single prayer answered or even have the faith to believe they are even heard because the wolves on the pulpits the last 2000 years have slowly but surely watering down the faith of Christendom across every single denomination. Especially in the Roman Catholic church where they won’t even pray to the Father and Jesus instructed. Instead they pray to Mary, Anthony, Stanislous, Therese and even Karol Jozef Wojtyla VOY TEE LA aka Pope John Paul II. And so it is easy to see why the people have no faith their prayers cannot be heard because deep inside the person praying has to know when prayers are directed to the rotted corpse of men and women the Creator God is nowhere in the equation and since mankind is infamous for letting their fellowman down, it cultivates the mindset that their prayers are a waste of time. Still.. some desperate people will try because they have no choice.

 

The reality here is that we are in the last days and regardless of what the lost and hopeless do to try and gain the attention of the God they do not trust, the faith of some in this world will grow stronger than ever and some of us will even be blessed to be part of that number that walks in the latter rain that falls more abundantly that the early rain did on Pentecost because our God, praise His holy name, has blessed us with eyes that see and ears that hear and with such blessings that can only come from reading His Word, we know He hears our prayers and we know His hand will move.

 

Now some may say I am being mean when I say only the obedient can gain this promise. But I am not the one that wrote the Bible and so they need to re-direct their reasoning elsewhere. Still, the prayer of every sinner seeking salvation is heard and answered with the gift of salvation without question. That is always the key to entrance into the door of Hope that is in Jesus. But sadly, thanks to the many false prophets who are actually wolves, those babes in Christ never come to a true understanding as to what it means to truly have Jesus as Lord. The long prophesied fake Jesus has become the god of choice today and that is why the other prophesied reality of a one world church has come to fruition just 6 weeks ago. As prophesied “another Jesus” has been preached and now all the churches, and this includes the apostate SDA church, are now under the same roof worshipping the same false god that will soon stand on earth claiming to be Jesus Christ and they will accept him because each of their denominations have rewritten the biblical Jesus into the one the true Author of the Bible called antichrist.

 

And sadly, even though they claim to read their Bibles, an Old Testament prophecy established by a New Testament confirmation from the Lord describes these lost souls of today perfectly.

 

I was prophesied by the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 29:13  Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:

 

And Jesus our Lord, God and King declared in Matthew 15:8 that, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.

 

Obedience is a major key in having this full assurance of faith as well as the assurance of answered prayer. Yes, sometimes we may not recognize the way our Lord answers the prayer, but that’s only due to the dark glasses we are wearing as Paul put it in 1 Corinthians 13:12.

 

A good way to see how the answer is sent but our flesh gets in the way is to think of the man that asks the Lord for more peace in his heart as well as patience. The prayer is answered by placing someone in his life that makes peace harder to find wherein the person tries their patience almost daily. Some may think that’s not a good answer; but it is perfect in that it allows the person to learn to ignore the idiosyncrasies of those around them to the point nothing disturbs the peace they have within. After all, even the weight-lifter knows that in order to build up the bicep he must increase the burden upon the arm. And so now that which is written in James 1:3 is understood when it says, “Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.”

 

When we get home and have the dark glasses removed we will come to a place that makes it clear to us that when we felt ignored or annoyed by the way the Lord worked His will upon us it was then that what we thought to be an unanswered prayer was actually some of the greatest blessings that ever came upon us. 

 

We all need to realize that our prayers reach His throne each time we pray. And as soon as our Father sees it is good to answer the prayer, He will do so just as promised. Jesus said in John 14:13 that, “whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”

 

Because of our lack of faith, the Lord sometimes allows a certain trial to come upon us to help us understand His will so as to grow in faith. The answer to some of our prayers may take years to be answered. And yes, some prayers will not be answered until the close of probation when we need the answer the most. For if you think your trials are difficult now, when those plagues begin and you are blessed to be part of the Gideon band, the trial you experience then will be mountainous compared to today. But not to worry brothers and sisters for if you are called to be in that number and blessed with the Latter Rain of His Holy Spirit upon you, then even though you see the trial as something you never experienced before, you will stand firm knowing 1 Corinthians 10:13 was a promise you were moved to recall many times in life before that rain fell and it is now a promise you know is still assured as you stand during the plagues of Revelation without so much as a boil upon you. For that promise clearly says in 1 Corinthians 10:13  There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

 

Just because the plagues are falling doesn’t mean His promises cease to stand firm or even exist. The prayers of all His saints are logged and registered on the altar of incense before the throne in Heaven and so stand firm brothers and sisters. He is an eternal God. Not a fly by night god that like Dagon falls flat on his face at the slightest touch of an angel.

 

Case in point, when speaking on how Jesus Christ stands to intercede for us all the way until the end of the world, and so that means after the plagues end, it is declared in Revelation 8:2-5 the following words, “And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets. 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.  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.  5,  And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.”

 

As we understand it, and thanks to embracing Bible study as it was declared the remnant people will do in these last days to gain more truth, this angel in Revelation 8 that holds the golden censer is in fact the Arch angel or ruler and Creator of the angels, Michael.

 

If you notice it says in verse 2 that 7 angels stood before God but then also notice that it says “another angel” stepped up with the prayers of the saints all on His own. Now before going further in this, we know as Christians that it is only Jesus Christ who stands as our mediator for it is written in 1 Timothy 2:5  For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

 

And we learned earlier, the incense is also the righteousness of Christ that He blends with the prayers of the saints before presenting them to His Father. And so again we see God and man working together in the Divine nature of Christ. But here is where it gets a bit cloudy for some Christians.

 

As students of prophecy and of the Bible itself we understand via many passages from the Old to the New Testament that Michael is the name our Lord claimed when He came before His people as the Angel of the Lord. (PROOF = 6BC 1077.12 – 1078.2  - EW 32:3)

 

And we need to keep in mind that it was the high priest alone that was ordained to offer the incense upon the golden altar in the sanctuary services here on earth. (See Exodus 30:7-8, 34-38) And as Christians we all know that we have only one high priest in heaven, and His name is Jesus Christ. For it is written in Hebrews 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.

 

And so this Angel that steps up all on His own to present the prayers of the saints unto the Father, that Angel is in fact Jesus Christ.

 

Yes, many people cannot wrap their minds around such meaty truths as these, even though they openly accept Jesus Christ who is God coming in the form of a man unto them 2000 years ago and so it is fitting that He stands as the Ruler of all angels as well. Hence the term ARCH angel which when defined simply means Chief Angel of which means there is only one. The word chief can also be defined as leading, main, preeminent, prime, principal and capital just to name a few.

 

With that understanding, and hear me out on this, it is easier to see why it says in Revelation 12:7, “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,” - Common sense dictates that only Christ can lead and win such a war as this.

 

If you do the study this up and have the patience needed to hear Him speak from His Word, this is undeniable. For since we only have one Advocate with the Father as John put it in 1 John 2:1 and the term advocate also means one that intercedes or mediates for us, then only Christ could be the one that presents the prayers to His Father on our behalf. Hence the reason this angel is understood to be Michael the archangel or ruler of the angels. For those seeking all the verses from the Old to the New Testament that confirm this in undeniable detail, I have the in-depth study online at http://www.remnantofgod.org/Michael.htm

 

And yes, this is why Rome commands their flock to pray to Mary, which is not actually Mary but the demon that first declared himself “Queen of Heaven” back in Jeremiah 7:18 wherein we find this title does in fact anger our God. As it is known in Heaven and in the heart of His bride on earth, it is only Jesus Christ that intercedes for His bride and since everything the Bible says to do that is right wherein Rome says the opposite from their Sunday Sabbath to claiming the Pope is god on earth, we have to expect Satan will work through them to remove Christ from the place He agreed to stand for His bride so that their prayers will be heard by the Father, and yes, this is why priests demand you call them father and the Pope demands you blaspheme and call him Holy Father. The title “Holy Father” which is only declared one time in Scripture wherein Jesus Himself is praying unto and addressing our Father in Heaven. Praying to a demon calling itself Mary effectively prevents the prayer from ever being heard by the Lord because the one praying made the decision all on their own to ignore that which is written with that which was spoken by the wolves. For they are openly worshipping another god before Him who declared in Commandment #1 such an act is deadly to one’s soul.

 

As we are still standing before the altar of incense in our study of the Sanctuary, and for those of you wondering why we go so deeply into certain area of the Sanctuary, Psalms 77:13 says, “Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary: who is so great a God as our God?” And so we as the remnant of her seed or as the original spirit of prophecy declared long ago, we are the remnant OF the church. Yes, the SDA leaders keep saying they are the remnant church, but you will only find those claims in their edited books. See SOP V1 pages 10 and 11 when you get time and you will see how they lied. – but getting back to the topic at hand..

 

Prayer is very important in the same way talking with those we love each day is very important. Seriously, ever think about that? How would you feel if someone you loved very deeply that actually lived with you in the same house yet made it a point never to say one word to you for days on end? Would you not feel unloved? As Christians we are in the Lord’s presence daily knowing His Holy Spirit is within our body, or temple as He calls it, and so we must pray unto Him daily so as to not only bring a smile to our lives which also makes our faith grow, it brings a smile to our Father’s face as He cherishes that time He spends with us when we pray because in so doing shows we do have faith that He hears us and that makes Him very happy.

 

And so, this Sabbath we will touch on how being in the last days, all the pastors in the one world church echo Vatican lies that are designed to get the people in the church to trust the men on the pulpit instead of the God above so as to cripple their prayers which will also cripple their faith in their Heavenly Father which then leaves them no choice but to place their faith in their earthly pastors because they know deep inside they have no real faith in God. It’s a vicious satanic circle of deception that has worked well for Satan the last 6000 years and especially the last 2000 years because you have to know, Jesus promised to send us the Comforter into each heart that loves Him and that Comforter is the Holy Spirit and Satan fears that blessing we have with a passion and so he will most assuredly focus on us in ways that he hopes will weaken our faith so as to conquer us. This is why the church of Christ over the centuries has not seen the blessings or even the miracles the apostles saw when the Holy Spirit came upon them when the Early Rain fell on Pentecost. Satan knows the Latter Rain is about to fall more abundantly and so he will do all he can to make sure as few Christians as possible are ready to receive it.

 

This actually reminds me of what Jeremiah spoke of in his book long ago. It’s found in Jeremiah 35. Bear with me a little while on this as I believe it’s wise to share this truth for those that may think obeying mankind is important. And yes they do this by grasping the man-made creeds that all churches place above the Bible and even demand obedience unto. In fact we talked about this the last Sabbath we gathered after the sermon in our fellowship hour online.

 

Jeremiah 35:1-2 says that “The word which came unto Jeremiah from the LORD in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, saying,  2,  Go unto the house of the Rechabites, and speak unto them, and bring them into the house of the LORD, into one of the chambers, and give them wine to drink.”

 

Now, don’t go running off to the nearest liquor store thinking our God is saying it was ok to drink fermented wine here anymore than it was ok for Abraham to kill Isaac when the Lord asked him to. It’s a test, nothing more nothing less.

 

The basic reality here is we know the Lord told the prophet Daniel later on in Scripture to never to drink fermented wine. And I say fermented because the word wine has two definitions in the Bible. New wine which we call grape juice today is clearly seen defined as such in Isaiah 65:8 that said, “Thus saith the LORD, As the new wine is found in the cluster..” The wine we know today is in fact fermented. Or old wine as Jesus called it in Matthew 9:17 when He explained that “Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.”

 

Back then wine bottles were made out of animal stomachs. When you put new wine in them, if you didn’t drink it right away the juice would naturally ferment and in so doing release a gas that expands the tightly sealed bottle as they called it. And so, once the skin of that bottle is stretched you do not put new wine in it because you know it will burst.

 

Anyway, getting back, when it came to the wine being mentioned here, the Lord was testing these people to see if they would obey Him over their forefathers and you will see why in a moment. He knew they would react to such an invitation to imbibe by Jeremiah in a certain way and so He used it to test their loyalty to Him.

 

It goes on to say in Jeremiah 35:6-11  But they said, We will drink no wine: for Jonadab the son of Rechab our father commanded us, saying, Ye shall drink no wine, neither ye, nor your sons for ever:  7,  Neither shall ye build house, nor sow seed, nor plant vineyard, nor have any: but all your days ye shall dwell in tents; that ye may live many days in the land where ye be strangers.  8,  Thus have we obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab our father in all that he hath charged us, to drink no wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, nor our daughters;  9,  Nor to build houses for us to dwell in: neither have we vineyard, nor field, nor seed:  10,  But we have dwelt in tents, and have obeyed, and done according to all that Jonadab our father commanded us.  11,  But it came to pass, when Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon came up into the land, that we said, Come, and let us go to Jerusalem for fear of the army of the Chaldeans, and for fear of the army of the Syrians: so we dwell at Jerusalem.

 

And as we see here they boldly declared they will obey their forefathers over and above what the prophet of the Lord said was commanding them to do. It goes on to say this in Jeremiah 35:12-14  “Then came the word of the LORD unto Jeremiah, saying,  13,  Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Go and tell the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Will ye not receive instruction to hearken to my words? saith the LORD.  14,  The words of Jonadab the son of Rechab, that he commanded his sons not to drink wine, are performed; for unto this day they drink none, but obey their father's commandment: notwithstanding I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking; but ye hearkened not unto me.”

 

Now look around.. today all the churches teach Sunday Sabbath, eternal life in hellfire, 7 year tribulation, the Roman Trinity, 1000 years of peace on earth and so on and so forth. They also teach it’s ok to eat unclean foods regardless of the scientific and historical proof it’s killing them with all sorts of disease. They teach it’s ok to drink alcohol even though it has also been proven to destroy the body as well as families and the lives of innocent people when the drunk crosses the double yellow line at high speed, and they declare it’s ok to smoke tobacco even though it was proven to be killing people in a court of law and they admitted it was laced with addictive properties to keep the people smoking, or what of how the Vatican promoted Harry Potter as a Christ-like character in October of 2010 even though the Bible clearly says witch craft is so evil that in Exodus 22:18 it says “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.” And no I am not saying to kill witches, the Lord will take care of that in plague #7 as well as at the second death. After all, is it not written in Romans 12:19 that “…Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.”

 

I could go on and on of course but me thinks you get my point here. The Lord tested the people in Jeremiah’s day to see who they would obey; their forefathers or their God. The traditions and doctrines of men as well as the manmade creeds of the churches are to be turned from if they go against the written Word of the Lord. These creeds that move people to trust their forefathers above the Lord have been so destructive that we now have over 44,000 different so called Christian denominations out there. That’s no mistake. Satan purposely focuses on Christianity because it’s a major threat to him. And yes, this is why you only see 2 or 3 sects of the Muslim, one or two of the Buddhist and only one Atheistic church. In fact there is only one church of Satan as well because he has them horn, chain, and anchor under his thumb and so he needs not generate a schism.

 

But Christianity with its foundation in truth needs to be constantly attacked and re-twisted because even while sitting in apostasy some people obviously still find Jesus Christ and leave the fallen churches and that is why when the child of God discovers they’re in an apostate church Revelation 18:4 comes to their heart and mind thanks to the Comforter hugging them from within and He moves them out because it is plainly declared in that verse that the Lord said to “…Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” He loves them and He doesn’t want them to suffer and die.

 

And so to get back to the sons of Jonadab who refused to obey the Lord over and above their own forefathers, it did not go well with them anymore than it has been going well for the lukewarm Christian church the last 2000 years that do as mankind teaches them to do instead of simply trusting the Lord and what He specifically states in His Word. This is why most people have no prayer life to speak of, they never see the Lord’s hand move upon them when they pray throughout their lives and when the doctor tells then their loved one is dying and all they can do is pray, they collapse in tears knowing prayers have never worked for them in the past because they trusted their forefathers and their corrupted creeds all their lives.

 

The prophecies of our day are very clear. Within this evil and adulterous generation of end time people, our God still has an obedient people out there that know all about getting back into His Word, back into prayer and back into submitting to Him above and beyond those that claim to pastor over them no matter how well they fabricate their traditions or creeds. Primitive godliness is something the Gideon band understands and this is why those of us that seek to be part of that number that is soon to be bathed in the Latter Rain do all we can to get back to worshipping the God of the Bible in the same way His patriarchs and prophets of old did for eons.

 

And so remember.. the prayers of "all saints" are always recorded and heard from the altar of incense that is always before the throne of our God in heaven. His obedient children are never forgotten or definitely never ignored by the Father that loves them. And sadly, some people’s prayers are actually ignored even though they claim to be Christians because they have hatred towards the Father’s obedient children when we try to help them see the error of their way; for when speaking of these hateful souls, it is written in Isaiah 1:15 that “when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.”

 

Not only does this mean the prayers of those that are part of a church that has literally killed God’s people for their faith during the Inquisitions as well as how they’re doing it today using the Muslims as their pawns in the same way Rome used Hitler, those that are not Catholic that hate us for our faith are also killers in the eyes of God because to stay in an apostate church, and worse yet as we saw on February 04, 2019 wherein all the churches including the SDA church officially became one with the Pope’s one world church, all of the people in such churches are now in a contractual agreement with those that have killed God’s people and therefore guilty of the blood of the saints by proxy for as long as they refuse to separate from them. Those individuals in the fallen churches who hate us when we share Scripture proving their creeds are evil and their leaders apostate, their prayers are also ignored for they too are guilty of murder for Jesus said to hate your brothers is to murder Him in the heart. Is it not written in 1 John 3:15 that “Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.”

 

And so when you pray, forgive those that have sinned against you brothers and sisters. Do good to those that persecute you. And have mercy on those that despitefully use you because when you pray you are coming to the throne where your precious Lord resides and He will hear you clear as day. And you also know He will not listen to any prayer when it comes from the heart of someone that hates.

 

Also keep in mind that every unselfish prayer and every prayer wherein we declare it to be prayed "in His name," each prayer must be prayed to the best of our ability as obedient Christians and at the same time understood deep within that whatever the prayer request is, as Jesus stated in the Garden that night, we must always surrender to the fact that the prayer will be answered however the Father in Heaven decides. If it is good for Him to answer yes, then it will be done so. And if it good for Him to answer no, then it will be done so as well. And regardless if He answers yes or no, we need to have patience in how He sends the answer. All too often we want our prayers answered at a time in our lives when we simply aren’t spiritually ready to experience the answer.

 

Also remember this… as you pray, your Father knows the motive that prompted your prayer in the first place for according to Hebrews 4:12 He is "a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." And so don’t get anxious or worried in any way shape or form when you pray. Totally surrender to His perfect will for you on whatever you pray for. And yes brothers and sisters, this includes when very intense situations come upon you and He seems to be answering the prayer a bit slow for our taste. His peace must reign even here as you pray, for a fearful heart is one that will unveil a lack of faith. Even if you must die a martyr’s death, we must not shy away from that as that poor soul in Korea did a few weeks ago wherein she said she loves Jesus but chose to deny Him so they wouldn’t kill her. If she continues to believe that way when the mark of the beast is enforced, she will most assuredly receive the mark so as to prevent being killed on the guillotine.

Now let’s look at the candlestick which was made entirely of a talent of pure gold. Which means it weight was anywhere from 120 to 125 pounds depending on which historic value you depend on that defines a talent. As becomes very obvious to us now after so long a time in studying the Sanctuary, this candlestick represented the Word who is Jesus Christ, who according to John 1:9 is “..the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” And did you see my two videos I did on this light? The one I did in April of 2016 is titled “Literal 'spark of life' caught on camera! -The real BIG BANG!” and the other one I just recently did a couple of months ago titled “Science CONFIRMED God gives human life at Conception.”

 

Both videos show a clip scientists made to show how at the exact moment of conception the egg flashes with a spark of light confirming what the prophet John the Baptist said about Jesus in the first chapter of John. That candlestick is a testimony onto that light in more than one way. Of course we see it as the light of truth that is brought into the heart of every God fearing Christian who first opens a Bible and accepts Jesus as Lord allowing for spiritual life to come upon the soul, and then of course at conception when physical life comes to the soul. And we cannot forget the fact that Jesus keeps our paths well lit in how His promised gift of the Holy Spirit lights the way we should walk. But this same Light causes us to be born again and so it is fitting that this Light is seen at physical as well as spiritual conception. And when we are given our new bodies we will be bathed in this light as robes upon us for all eternity.

 

When I think of this I see how that light flashing at the moment the egg is fertilized is given unto every man who as he lives makes the decision all on his own as to how bright that Light will become. In Heaven it is obvious that it will glow greatly from the heart, but I can’t help wonder that as Moses came off the mountain with his face all aglow, was not our Lord allowing the Light Moses experienced at conception to come forth even brighter due to his obedience unto the Lord? Looking forward unto the day the Gideon band stands bathed in this Light as the wicked mobs seek to kill us we can see all of us have this Light within us.

 

And yes, this is why when the obedient child of God begins to speak of Christ with zeal unto all they can once they met Him as Saviour because that Light grows more once born again and so as Luke 8:16 clearly says, “No man, when he hath lighted a candle, covereth it with a vessel, or putteth it under a bed; but setteth it on a candlestick, that they which enter in may see the light.”

 

When we look at the candlestick, which by the way is a very important part of the Holy Place as it speaks of the importance of reading and trusting God’s Word; as we look upon it we see the central shaft wherein all the branches are joined unto and yes that shaft represent Christ Jesus who walks in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks which has always been His way of bringing His truth to all the world via the churches He walks among.

 

In other words, when John the apostle was in vision on the Isle of Patmos he record in Revelation 1:10-13  I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,  11,  Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.  12,  And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;  13,  And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.

 

And then it is later defined in Revelation 1:20 that “…the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.”

 

There are some very amazing aspects to this candlestick that not only illustrates light and truth, the fact it has 66 objects on it proving the Catholic Bible with its added books of the Apocrypha can in no way be the true Bible. That candlestick alone proves the Catholic Bible to be a lie. And so when the Catholic people are moved to echo the lies of their Popes and prelates by saying their church compiled the Bible we have today, those that study this Word and especially when they peer into the Sanctuary itself, we can see why Rome has done all it can for centuries to prevent the people from studying the Word because in so doing we find they lied when they claimed to be used of God to compile His Word. As if God would use those that hate His Word to gather the books for His people. And yes they hate the Word of God with a passion. Besides their false doctrine that claims Sola Scriptura to be a lie, which in English means, the Bible and the Bible only. We have many actual quotes from the Catholic leaders expressing their hatred of the Bible as well as those that read it. Here are just a few of many…

 

Thomas Moore tortured and killed many people in London. Their crime? They owned a Bible in English. Worse yet, the Vatican made him a Saint in the last century. And then in the year 2000 Pope John Paul II made him the patron Saint of politicians.

 

Catholic priest Dr. Cahill declared that "he would rather the Catholic should read the worst books of immorality than the Protestant Bible-that forgery of God's Word, that slander of Christ." - (Roman Catholic Tablet, December 17, 1853, p. 804).

 

"Do you allow your flock to read the Bible at all?" said a writer in the Contemporary Review to a friend of his, a parish priest. "No, sir, I do not; you forget that I am a physician, not a poisoner of souls." -Contemporary Review April, 1894, p. 576.

 

The decree set forth in the year 1229 A.D. by the Council of Valencia... places Bible on The Index of Forbidden Books. The doctrine withholds "it is forbidden for laymen (common man) to read the Old and New Testaments. - We forbid them most severely to have the above books in the popular vernacular." "The lords of the districts shall carefully seek out the heretics in dwellings, hovels, and forests, and even their underground retreats shall be entirely wiped out." Council Tolosanum, Pope Gregory IX, Anno. Chr. 1229

The church Council of Tarragona ruled that: "No one may possess the books of the Old and New Testaments in the Romance language, and if anyone possesses them he must turn them over to the local bishop within eight days after the promulgation of this decree, so they may be burned." D. Lortsch, Histoire de la Bible en France, 1910, p.14.

"Socialism, Communism, clandestine societies, Bible societies... pests of this sort must be destroyed by all means." The encyclical Quanta Cura Issued by Pope Pius IX, December 6, 1866

 

They even stated more than once that the Bible is a dead letter and in the Roman Catholic publication “The Question Box” on page 67 said the Bible is "...A dead and speechless book."

 

See more quotes here.. https://www.remnantofgod.org/beastword.htm

 

Look closely at the candlestick and you will see that on each side of the main shaft of candlestick it has 3 branches of 9 objects each which then totals 27 objects on each side. When you add these 27 objects to the 12 objects on the shaft itself you have 39 objects. Where you aware there are 39 books in the Old Testament?

 

Then on the other side of the shaft is an additional 27 objects on the 3 branches of the candlestick. Those 27 objects represent the 27 books of the New Testament. In other words, the golden candlestick has in total 66 objects on it and the King James Bible has 66 books within it.

 

And notice this as well. When Jesus preached to the people during His years visiting us, He only used the Old Testament. This is why the one side with the 27 objects fits well with the main shaft that we now know represents Jesus Himself as well as His work of declaring His light unto all people. And because His light spreads to dispel darkness, the other side of that shaft will also have 27 objects representing the New Testament light which His apostles preached via His voice from Heaven as promised when He sent them the Holy Spirit after He ascended to Heaven.

 

Now think of this as well. When the light of truth is in its perfect form, those that go forth to preach it are part of that form. What I mean is, the candlestick has 66 objects, yes. But the main shaft can also be seen as an object all on its own and the 6 branches that protrude through the main shaft jutting out on either side which means 3 more objects can be added to all that is needed to proclaim this light bringing that total to 4. The 66 objects represent the 66 books of the truth and the 4 objects that make up the structure of the candlestick itself is the evangelical means by which it goes forth because you cannot have the 66 objects without something holding them up. And if you add the 66 objects to the 4 objects that hold them up you come to 70. And this is why we can see this candlestick on its own as an evangelical tool to bring forth the 66 books of the Bible. But then check this out. When Jesus first sent out the disciples to evangelize the people he chose to send, 70 men!

 

Luke 10:1  After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come.

 

And, if you look into how the original church or synagogue was set up, the Sanhedrin was comprised of 70 elders. And so one can see when Jesus sent out the 70 He was replacing the 70 elders in the Sanhedrin with 70 Christians further confirming replacement theology being legit.

 

And yes, the gold had to be beaten to form this candlestick and so as 2 Timothy 3:12 says, “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.”

 

We all know about Christ’s persecution, and most assuredly heard about how Rome attacks His people to this day and so it is fitting that this candlestick was placed in the Holy place as it was.

 

And remember when Jesus said in Matthew 28:20 that we must for forth “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

 

Now check this out. Exodus 30:7-8 says that “Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning: when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it.  8,  And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at even, he shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations.”

 

Every morning and evening the lamps were “dressed” or oil was placed in them as we would say today. We all know Oil means Holy Spirit in prophecy, right? And so as Jesus promised, He really will be with us each and every day, from morning to evening to help us do this work as we read His Word each morning and evening.

Continuing this week with the candlestick, we need to understand that when we step up to the golden candlestick in the holy place we are actually coming to a place that makes us understand the need to go forth as we are sanctified to do for the Lord. Not only does it move us towards perfection in Christ, because faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God and we know that candlestick represents His Word which is a light unto our path, it also moves us to share the light of His truth with others and that is what we are sanctified to do the very moment we accept Jesus as Saviour.

No, I am not saying the babe in Christ is to step up to a pulpit and preach a sermon or present a study as they are still on the milk of His Word. But they can immediately present what Jesus did for them to all their loved ones because they have an absolute experience in the matter and can explain it easily as they saw it happen with their own eyes.

Another thing we need to understand is the importance of studying the Word daily. If any of you listening have ever stopped studying His word for any length of time you know how your walk falters almost immediately and the "the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ," as Ephesians 4:13 describes it, falls short of its mark upon our hearts and we literally fall off the well-lit path and start to experience confusing problems in life. I can recall many emails and phone calls from people who were confused as to why their life has become a mess to the point of losing faith in certain areas to even losing jobs. When this happens I know to ask them when “was the last time they read the Word” and 100% of the time they admit it had been days, weeks or even months.

As is obvious by now for most that have found Christ as Lord, it is not enough to be born again by reading His Word one time. We need to study it daily just as a newborn babe needs its milk.

But even the babes eventually get off the milk to dine on the meat of His Word. 1 Peter 2:2-3 says that “As newborn babes, (we) desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:  3,  If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.” And Ephesians 4:14-15 says, “That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;  15,  But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:”

 

And so it is fitting that the candlestick brings light into the temple just as much as our temples bring light unto all those the Lord sends our way. As I have said before I will say again. You might be the only Bible some people read and so, do as 1 Peter 3:15 says to do, which is, “sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:”

 

Sadly, as we see far too often, many souls that come to His Word and drink of the milk found there have a tendency to remain only on the milk. Their study never brings them to the meat because they become complacent with just a smattering of truth by skimming through the Bible as if it is a chore instead of a meal. Hence the reason Paul said what he did in Hebrews 5:12-14, which was “For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.  13,  For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.  14,  But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”

 

We must never let our light grow dim brothers and sisters. We need to keep trimming that lamp so as to see the path before us. Christ cannot use us to do the work if we stay in the milk. Seriously, when was the last time you saw a baby working a 9 to 5 job in reality? Just as the baby needs to grow up into all things, students of the Bible need to “grow up into Him in all things” as Ephesians 4:15 said so as to better put forth His light unto all He sends our way.

 

And so, if you lack in anything in life, study His Word more diligently so as to go forth “speaking the truth in love” as Paul said to the Ephesians in that same verse. That candlestick proves we cannot but shine forth in His Word if we are faithfully studying it morning and evening. Jesus said in His sermon on the mount in Matthew 5:14-15 that “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.  15,  Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.”

 

This light within us is not only evidence of our understanding what His will is for us as well as the fact we are walking in it, it’s also an open declaration from Heaven itself that we have been called to go forth with a holy purpose. We are sanctified brothers and sisters. In other words, every Christian that comes to Christ who studies and then grows in His Word are called to be bearers of the light of Christ unto all the world. And what better time to understand that than in these last days when nearly everyone we meet are shrouded in darkness.

Now let’s look at some of the parts of the Candlestick.

The candlestick, or lampstand as many call it to this day, has one main shaft as we learned earlier. From this main shaft are three branches projecting from each side. These branches are identical wherein they each have three bowls that were formed from gold to appear as almonds. As we learned earlier, there are nine ornaments in each branch. The main shaft also had four bowls formed to look like almonds. In all, the shaft and the branches had a total of sixty-six items or ornaments on them. And as we also learned earlier, under each of the branches was a knop, and so if you include the base that the candlestick had, there is a total of seventy ornaments to represent the 70 elders the Lord ordained to do the work all along. And just so you know, this lampstand wasn’t the type you see in peoples’ homes like a candelabra. This thing was huge. Check out this picture I found online. It’s about the same height as the priest.

Like everything else in the Sanctuary, this was specifically designed by our Lord who told Moses in Exodus 25:40 that he should “make them after their pattern, which was shewed thee in the mount.” And so it is wise that we look into everything found on this candlestick to see just what the Lord wanted us to see.

 

Exodus 25:31-40 says, And thou shalt make a candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work shall the candlestick be made: his shaft, and his branches, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, shall be of the same.  32,  And six branches shall come out of the sides of it; three branches of the candlestick out of the one side, and three branches of the candlestick out of the other side:  33,  Three bowls made like unto almonds, with a knop and a flower in one branch; and three bowls made like almonds in the other branch, with a knop and a flower: so in the six branches that come out of the candlestick.  34,  And in the candlestick shall be four bowls made like unto almonds, with their knops and their flowers.  35,  And there shall be a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, according to the six branches that proceed out of the candlestick.  36,  Their knops and their branches shall be of the same: all it shall be one beaten work of pure gold.  37,  And thou shalt make the seven lamps thereof: and they shall light the lamps thereof, that they may give light over against it.  38,  And the tongs thereof, and the snuffdishes thereof, shall be of pure gold.  39,  Of a talent of pure gold shall he make it, with all these vessels.  40,  And look that thou make them after their pattern, which was shewed thee in the mount.

 

When we look at the candlestick we also see how it represents Jesus Christ who as we know is “the Light of the World,” and stepping back we see how we too must emulate our Lord to be the same light unto all those He sends our way. Being obedient means His Holy Spirit will be within us blessing us with all we need to share our faith. And yes, even if we have no words come to mind, a smile instead of a frown or even just a helping hand offered to someone who’s down can affect some people in ways we can never contemplate; especially in today’s world wherein the love of many has waxed cold.

 

There are some people out there that have come from broken families which led them into crime or some live in cities wherein daily attacks are upon them in dangerous areas, or some were simply bullied by classmates or beaten by parents. Some of these poor souls may never have experienced a loving gesture in their lives and so your Christ like demeanor could be the way our Heavenly Father uses you to give increase unto the seed a Christian that came before you years ago planted within them. We truly never know the life stories or experiences of the people we meet and so as Christians we need to act accordingly.

 

The seven branches of that candlestick also shows how all seven churches are called to go forth in every way possible to bring the Light of Christ unto the world throughout the ages. And that Main center shaft especially represents our Lord walking among the candlesticks as John saw Him in vision that day on the Isle of Patmos. Ever notice that? Revelation 1:12-13 said, “And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;  13,  And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.”

 

Jesus appeared unto John in the midst of those seven candlesticks and so it is fitting that the main shaft is also in the midst of that candlestick in the holy place. Rather amazing isn’t it?

 

The Main shaft of that candlestick or Jesus Christ Himself is there to uphold the churches as they go forth throughout history to do the work of the Gospel. Is it not written in Revelation 1:20 that “The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.”

Last Sabbath we were talking about the candlestick and we got on the subject of the number seven in regards to the candle stick with its seven branches and main shaft. And so we will pick it up from there this week briefly as I hope to go into detail on this later on in the study series. As seven not only represents both perfection and completion as we saw in creation week when our Lord created all things in six days and then rested on the seventh day Sabbath, which in so doing also caused the weekly cycle of 7 days to come to fruition as well as being locked down for all eternity. Which by the way has irked the Vatican and their dying god for centuries; so much so they have done all they can to try and change the weekly cycle so as to create their own seventh day and after failing they had to hide the truth about the seventh day.

 

In fact, I did a page on the website all about how they sought to change the calendars with the hope of changing the week itself. That page is in the prophecy section under the Antichrist tab and it’s titled “Changing times and laws.” Not only did the Vatican admit to changing the Sabbath from the seventh day to the first day for their followers, they claimed that act alone proved they are above the Bible just as Daniel prophesied they would claim in Daniel 7:25, "And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time."

 

The weekly cycle of seven days is so important that our Lord chose to create His Sabbath and that’s why Rome under the guidance of their dying god sought to speak great words against the most High by claiming they are above His Bible as well as try to change His Sabbath.

 

And just so you know they tried to do this in the year 1582 in October. On October 4th they removed 11 days from the calendar but God still prevented them from changing the weekly cycle and His Sabbath because October 4 was a Thursday and the very next day that they commanded to be October 15 was still a Friday. The weekly cycle never changed.

 

As obedient Christians it is our duty to do as we have been created to do. Not only is the church complete in Christ Jesus, it is also perfected by Him as well. When speaking of His love for the church it is declared in Ephesians 5:25-27 the following words. “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;  26,  That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,  27,  That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.”

 

And so if you are one who claims Christ Lord, then you are one who has a duty in the church of Jesus Christ. And what is that duty? Jesus said this in His sermon on the mount 2000 years ago.

 

Matthew 5:13-16  Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.  14,  Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.  15,  Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.  16,  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Now let’s look at those almond ornaments in the candlestick. If you recall in the breastplate of the High Priest, all of those that do the work of the Lord are represented as His jewels in that breastplate. And in the candlestick they are depicted as His ornaments. But why did He command Moses to make them to look like almonds?

Exodus 37:20 says, “And in the candlestick were four bowls made like almonds, his knops, and his flowers:”

 

If you look at the Hebrew meaning of the word Almond you find it means diligent, to strive, to be wakeful as well as steadfast and hasten. Reason being is, the almond tree blossoms very early in the season as should those who find Christ not waste any time in their duty to spread the truth. The almond blossom was actually regarded by the Jews as the first sign of Spring and new life after the dead of Winter and so it is a fitting symbol of the resurrection of the Lord as well as the rebirth of His obedient people. And so one can see that these almonds represented Jesus Christ who is said in John 11:25 “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:”

 

And so as Christians we too must be diligent, we must strive, be wakeful, steadfast as we hasten to let our light so shine before the world. After all, is it not written in 1 Samuel 21:8 that “the king's business required haste.”

And do you recall what the Lord showed Jeremiah in vision that day? Jeremiah 1:11-12 says, “Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Jeremiah, what seest thou? And I said, I see a rod of an almond tree.  12,  Then said the LORD unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it.”

 

Jeremiah knew all too well about the Sanctuary, its furnishings, its services and especially what the almond meant in biblical definition. After all, was he not the son of Hilkiah who was a priest in the Sanctuary?

 

These almonds illustrate the commissioned work of every Christian as well as the work Jesus did for us. And as we know, when speaking of His work it says in Psalms 121:4, “Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.”

 

And yes, this is why many Christians have a zeal deep within them that cannot be quenched. And this is why I have said for so many years that I love this church because for the most part it is a working church. We have come into the truth as individuals and have for the most part gone about to spread the truth we learned immediately. That is one major fruit of the remnant church of the last days. And so I say praise the Lord for His Holy Spirit that has lit a zealous fire within the hearts of His obedient people.

Now, we discussed the seventy ornaments on the candlestick before, but I want to go into a little more detail about the seventy as it pertains to the men Jesus sent out.

As we know, when the Lord sent out the 70 it proved He not only gave His commission to the twelve apostles to go into all the world and preach the gospel. It says in Luke 10:1&17; that “After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come. 17  And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.”

As is so obvious, and this is what we as end time believers hope to attain to once the Latter Rain falls, and even now as it is drizzling, the seventy were connected with Jesus in a way that illustrates the true Light of the world as we discussed earlier when speaking of the light that comes from the golden candlestick. And because they were connected to Jesus in such a way, Heavenly blessings were upon them and perfect success attended their efforts when doing as the Lord sent them out to do. Just like the apostles, the seventy also received supernatural talents that made their mission obvious in the eyes of all looking on that the work they were called to do was approved of God. One can say a Heavenly seal was upon their work. And so again, it is fitting that when you add up all the ornaments on the candlestick that not only represent each book of the Old and New Testaments in the perfect number of 66 books, adding that which was on the center staff in the way of the 6 branches came to the perfect number of 70 just as divine intervention would have it from day one when Moses was given the patter upon the mount, and the candlestick being the ultimate symbol for the Light of truth means these seventy were consecrated by God as trustworthy laymen whose heavenly zeal moved them to evangelize or even hold up that golden candlestick of true Light in a way that lit up the path of those that beforehand could not see the path laid out for every man that brings them to Christ Jesus as Lord.

And so again, this is fitting even to this day in that, it’s not just the leaders in the church that are called to do the work of spreading the Gospel. When Jesus sent out those 70 who were not numbered with the 12 apostles, He declared that this great commission to spread the Gospel is the duty of every Christian that calls Jesus Christ Lord and so if you fear to do this work, if you are a bit shy to share your faith, pray and ask the Lord to give you the boldness in Christ to not only stand firm in Jesus, but to uplift Him and share Him with those He sends your way. Because He will send them as every Christian is not only called to share their faith, they are also tested to do so. Remember the woman with the issue of blood who after being healed wanted to just scurry away to accept her healing in private? Jesus forced the issue in a loving way that made her proclaim her faith in Him publicly which obviously gave her the courage from that day forward to do so again and again. Because anyone who was shy to do the same realized that after doing so the first time, the second and 100th time after that was so much easier now that they did it on day one. I know this for a fact as I too was very shy to share my faith on a pulpit decades ago the first time but while on that pulpit I realized my calling with absolute clarity.

That golden candlestick is not to be held just by preachers and teachers in the church. If that were the case, then explain how Jesus gave that light to both the apostles and the 70. This light of truth is to be held up by every member of the church.

And by the way, as the Christian does the work in obedience, the Lord that calls them to the work in the first place grants them with even more abilities and talents from on High so as to be even more effective in the work. Notice this from Exodus 24:1. It says, “And he said unto Moses, Come up unto the LORD, thou, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; and worship ye afar off.”

 

If obedient the 70 Jesus sent out would eventfully grow in faith and duty and go forth in power. In other words, the original seventy elders weren’t just laymen as the seventy Christ sent out were. If you read Luke chapter 10 you see that Jesus sent them out 2 by 2 and commanded they trust in Him for all things and gave them special instruction on what to do. Everything from not carrying cash to how to treat those that accept or reject you was explained to them. He even told them not to go from house to house to eat.

 

But Elders knew all this before being assigned to any duty long ago and so this means as you stand obedient in the Lord day after day you will eventually be granted additional duties for the Lord. He will instruct you just as He did the seventy laymen He sent out that day. I mean our education always has to start somewhere doesn’t it? In fact, when Moses sought help for the work ordained upon him because the people never stopped complaining and they weren’t even satisfied with the manna, notice what the Lord did for Him.

 

Numbers 11:14-17  I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me.  15,  And if thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray thee, out of hand, if I have found favour in thy sight; and let me not see my wretchedness.  16,  And the LORD said unto Moses, Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people, and officers over them; and bring them unto the tabernacle of the congregation, that they may stand there with thee.  17,  And I will come down and talk with thee there: and I will take of the spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone.”

 

And so just as the Lord instructed the seventy 2000 years ago as to what they needed to do, He did so with the elders in Moses’ day as well. And those men responded immediately just as the almond blossom appears early. Numbers 11:25 says, “And the LORD came down in a cloud, and spake unto him, and took of the spirit that was upon him, and gave it unto the seventy elders: and it came to pass, that, when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, and did not cease.”

And again, to prophesy is not just to speak of things that come in the future, one can prophesy as to what God’s will is for His people in the way of doctrines of even the health message and this was a much needed blessing in their day as they did not have all 66 books of the bible as of yet and so again we see how this comes back to the golden candlestick once again.

And by the way, as I was looking into that which I am using to research all this up, it seems that these original 70 elders from Moses’ day were in fact the origin of the Sanhedrin or as we would call it today, the supreme court of the Jewish nation. But let’s end here and next week look into the pure gold that was used to make that candlestick.

This Sabbath, as we look even closer at the golden candlestick, which unlike the table and the altar that were made of shittim wood covered with pure gold, we see that the candlestick was made out of pure gold and that is actually saying a lot.

Once the person; that we learned earlier is represented by the shittim wood with all the thorns, once this repentant person comes to a place in their walk that they are now covered in the gold, they go forth as a new creature in Christ to proclaim the Gospel message. And that message is unable to be fully understood until the old man dies and the new creature appears. And so when it comes to the work of the people of God, once they go forth to share their faith with those the Lord sends their way, they are already the new creature as promised which then means the shittim wood is no longer seen. And so, just as our sins are in the sea of forgetfulness, it is fitting that no wood was to be used to create the candle sticks as they would have to represent the perfection of Christ as well as the perfected Christian that strives unto that same perfection, which is Christ our righteousness.

When speaking of the golden candlestick it says in Exodus 25:39 & 37:22 that it was “Of a talent of pure gold shall he make it, with all these vessels. (and) Their knops and their branches were of the same: all of it was one beaten work of pure gold.”

 

And when speaking of the surrendered child of God who seeks to walk as Christ, it says in Romans 8:29  For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.” And Malachi 3:3 says, “And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.”

 

In today’s world, if you were to express your desire to allow Jesus Christ to have that kind of control over your walk. If you were to declare that unto nonbelievers, they would call you old fashioned, a fanatic or even self-righteous because unless you meet Jesus Christ and truly seek to make Him smile, you cannot understand any of this; for it is also written in 1 Corinthians 2:14 that “the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

 

One thing that came to mind as I did this study was that just as the SDA church saw the leaders of the church reject Christ our Righteousness in 1888. Some years ago when the Lord moved the pastors of the SDR church to put together the study that is now titled “His Written Example” on the website, we too saw some that stood at the pulpit leave the SDR church because seeking to walk perfectly in Jesus Christ will in fact anger some people who have a mindset that it’s really not all that important to seek perfection this side of eternity. Those bumper stickers that say “Christians aren’t perfect, they’re just forgiven” uses half truths to lure many into think perfection is impossible. But not only does that candlestick made of pure gold say otherwise, Jesus Himself said in Matthew 5:48 “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”

 

Satan has so many thinking deep inside that Jesus Christ didn’t mean what He said here. And so, just as Satan was able to get Eve to believe the Lord lied to her about dying after eating the forbidden fruit, the poor souls that seek friendship with the world do the same by declaring in their own hearts that Jesus lied when He said we can be perfect.

 

By the way, Noah, who was declared perfect in Genesis 6:9 would have a tendency to argue with them on this point alone. But those of is that seek this perfection also know the Gideon band would also have issue on this as well.

 

As we learned earlier, the natural man is represented by the unworked piece of shittim wood that was loaded with thorns. And as we also discovered, when that wood is scraped free of its thorns and polished it is one of the most beautiful pieces of wood on earth. And even then, with all that beauty, it is still not worthy to serve in the temple or in the work of God unless it is covered in the pure gold which represents the righteousness of Christ.

That candlestick was made of a talent of solid gold. And it was made in that way to show just how valuable the message is that each of us carry within and are are called to present unto a dying world and so as Jesus also said in that sermon on the mount that day, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." Matthew 5:16.

And yes, with such a work we will experience trials, some of which can be quite intense. That means the way this candlestick was made must also represent the trials we go through to gain that perfection in Christ. Exodus 25:31 goes on to describe how it was made when it says “thou shalt make a candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work shall the candlestick be made: his shaft, and his branches, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, shall be of the same.”

 

Now yes, they could have poured molten gold into a mold instead, but that was not how the Lord commanded Moses on how to do this because; as we have been learning for many months, the Sanctuary and every item in it right down to the colors used in the fabrics and skins, were made in just such a way that spoke of the Gospel message and all that it entailed, including the prophetic facts surrounding it before, during and after the cross of Christ.

 

And so again, it is fitting that Isaiah 53:5  says that Jesus “…was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”

 

And since Jesus was persecuted for the truth, so shall we be persecuted as 2 Timothy 3:12 clearly prophesied that, “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.”

 

And so that candlestick could not be made by pouring molten gold into a mold. It had to be beaten to not only represent what Jesus went through to bring us this Light of truth, it is also beaten to represent those of us that are persecuted to bring the world the very same Light of truth.

 

And for those of you that wonder how can this be when you only experience slight persecution from family and friends? If you are called to be alive during the enforcement of the mark, then you will know firsthand what persecution means and some in this church family have already experienced this. Perhaps your training has yet to begin to bring you to a place of readiness to work. In any event, if you are called to be in that number, you will most assuredly be greatly persecuted.

 

Plus, what of the 200,000+ Christians that die for their faith each year at the hands of the Vatican promoted and controlled Muslims? Not to mention how other nations like the Chinese and India that have killed Christians on a regular basis all along. And we certainly cannot forget how the Vatican killed hundreds of millions of Christians during the Inquisitions as well as when the Pope used Hitler. And yes, Hitler killed many Christians. It’s just not as well-known as his attacks on the Jews.

 

Our God often permits the fires of affliction to come upon us so as to help burn off the dross from our walks. And so it is fitting that the gold used to make the candlestick was not only of the purest gold available, it was to be beaten into the perfect shape of the candlestick that brings light unto all that see it.

 

The next thing for us to look at is the oil that was used in the candlestick that was used as the fuel for the wicks that were lit to bring that light into the holy place. But due to time constraints, I would like to save this for next Sabbath as I do not want to race through the reasons behind using the oil of the olive.

Now let’s look at the pure olive oil that was used in the golden candlestick. It says in Leviticus 24:1-2, “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,  2,  Command the children of Israel, that they bring unto thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamps to burn continually.”

First and foremost, the oil was to be absolutely pure or it could not be used in the service of the Sanctuary. And why did the Lord insist on it being pure? Notice the vision given unto Zechariah. While he was in vision he saw a candlestick and two olive trees on its left and right side.

 

Zechariah 4:1-6  And the angel that talked with me came again, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep,  2,  And said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof:  3,  And two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof.  4,  So I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me, saying, What are these, my lord?  5,  Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord.  6,  Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.

 

The pure olive oil is the Spirit of God that causes the lamps to send forth light unto all that will receive it. And because we receive it we need to understand that even though we be very small, very weak and even sickly for that matter, it makes no difference at all since the light that goes forth is of the Holy Spirit Himself and so our might or our power is not part of the equation. It is the power of God that does this work, not us. Hence the reason we saw that after the little children were crying “hosanna in the highest” in the temple unto the Lord Jesus, it upset the Pharisees to the point we see Jesus responding in Matthew 21:16 by saying, “..Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?”

 

And so again we must not think we have not that which is needed to go forth and glorify the Lord for even out of the mouth babes we see God can proclaim His truth.

 

In fact, if you recall when the midnight cry was put forth in the 1800’s that many people went forth without much education to speak of the Lord and His soon return as they were moved by His Holy Spirit. Case in point, William Miller was just a gentleman farmer when he was called. And yes, this most assuredly upset Satan who had already begun his hellish work of creating the mindset that would eventually bring about the wickedness so prevalent today wherein he will soon gather his bloodthirsty troops for Armageddon. And so in Sweden laws were actually passed that no adult could legally speak out against the national church that was quite corrupt and so as the Lord moved children 2000 years ago, He once again moved children to speak before the people regarding the present truth of that day. There was no law that would prevent children from doing this and so the message spread there as well literally out of the mouths of babes.

 

This is why we the small and so called insignificant remnant church are seen proclaiming a pureness of truth wherein the strange fire of all the other churches only offers a repetitive churchianity and preachertainment wherein no soul is saved and no life is changed. For you cannot use the power of mankind to move the heart of God’s people. The fallen churches cannot offer the peace and love of Jesus because they cannot speak truth without the oil of the Holy Spirit and the heavenly fire that ignites it.

 

As we learned earlier about the showbread and the altar of incense, we are those that pray morning, midday and evening as well as study His Word in the morning and the night. There is no other way to keep the heart of God’s people filled with His oil in the same way the priest filled the cups on the candlestick day and night.

 

We cannot reflect that light from our Lord until we have that daily connection with heaven. This alone will make our light to shine before all men steadily. If at any time we step up with strange fire as Aaron’s sons did, we will die spiritually and all those in earshot that take our fleshly message to heart will die with us. And yes, this is why at the end of the plagues the people who thought they were Christians will tear their pastors to shreds because it will be then they finally realized they trusted and worshipped the creature over and above the Creator who is blessed forever. Amen?

 

This oil in this candlestick can only be replenished in the hearts of God’s people by a continual supply of new oil from the Word of God each and every day. The world believes they need only to read the Bible one time and then move on in life as if they are now considered Christians. But it simply doesn’t work that way. And sadly, when they stop reading they never even come to see how slowly and surely Satan lured them away from their first love Jesus Christ. Not long after doing so some do come to a place wherein they see their current state wherein they never realized themselves yoking unequally over the years with people that led them to embrace the world in everything from seeing no sin whatsoever in playing violent video games, watching Satan’s television programs and movies, drinking alcohol with the excuse that it can be done so by moderation when in fact a single sip defiles their body in the eyes of the Lord in the same way piercing, tattooing or scaring the body does.

 

But now notice this. It says this in Zechariah 4:2, “And said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof:”

 

Yes, this is why Jesus walked among the seven churches in Revelation 1:20 that says, “…the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.”

 

Without this "pure oil" of the Holy Spirit keeping the path before us well lit, it is impossible for us to have any Light from the Lord to shine unto this sin sick world. And keep this forever deep in your mind.

 

This same Oil was used to symbolize the promised peace and joy the Lord offers every child of God that bows before Him in worship and trust. Those of us that will be of the Gideon band, we know we will need this Oil in a big way when those plagues falls for it is written in Psalms 23:4-6, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.  5,  Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.  6,  Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.”

 

This same Oil represents the promised physical and spiritual healing unto the obedient child of God that becomes deathly ill. Is it not written in James 5:14-15, “Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:  15,  And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.”

 

And by the way, just as the candlestick itself was made from beaten gold, this Oil is also beaten as we learned earlier. Even as the candlestick was of "beaten" gold, so the oil was beaten to indicate the Holy Spirit shared the suffering that our salvation cost in the way of sorrow in the same way the Father grieved when His Son was beaten. It says in Exodus 27:20 “And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always.”

Those of us that go forth in obedience know perfectly well how this going forth to share our faith causes us to be under constant persecution and in that persecution the Light of truth continues to shine. Many of us, myself included, know how the seeker of truth often makes the final decision to follow the Lord after seeing one of His people stand firm in His truth and even share a smile during a trial brought on by those that hate the Lord.

And so, the more the obedient sons and daughters of God experience the suffering that our eternal salvation cost our loving and most precious Saviour, even though our experience is but a fraction of His, we must also go forth to let our lamps "burn always" before the people of the world.

And so when Jesus finished speaking about how we are the salt of the earth in His sermon on the mount, He also stated in Matthew 5:14-16 that “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.  15, Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.  16,  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

Walking towards the lamps, as the bread on the table was to be there 24/7 or as “the continual bread” as Number 4:7 says, and the incense on the altar was to be "perpetual" as Exodus 30:8 commands, so shall the lamps “burn continually" as Leviticus 24:2 puts it. This was to symbolize the light of truth was to be present all day and all night unto the believer of that same truth. As any obedient Christian will tell you, this Light of the Lord literally becomes a 24 hour a day experience. Whenever the Lord needs us to shine His truth forth unto those sent our way; we can be ready willing and able to do so seeing how our lamps are to never go out.

Is it not written in 1 Peter 3:15 that as believers are to “sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:” And in Ecclesiastes 11:6-7 that says, “In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good.  7,  Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun:”

 

And so, 24 hours a day and 7 days a week we are to be Christians. Unlike the Isaiah 4:1 types that only prefer to be Christian when they attend their church services wherein their pastors preach unto them the smooth things. We know this walk in Christ is a way of life and this is why it was called “the way” when it was first designed by Christ 2000 years ago. In fact; do you remember what Paul said when he was persecuting the people of God that walked in this way? When seeking permission to go to Damascus to gather whom he could find he said this in Acts 9:2 “And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.”

 

Walking with Christ is a way of life, and so it is fitting that the lamp be burning day and night in the tabernacle. After all, how else can we show unto our Lord that we truly do seek the office of “ambassadors for Christ.” As Paul put it in 2 Corinthians 5:20.

 

Next Sabbath we will look into the oil as it applies to the prophetic symbol of the Two Olive trees.

As you recall, last Sabbath we looked a little closer at the olive oil and all that entailed regarding us and the Holy Spirit who has given us this duty to perform. This Sabbath we will look at the Two Olive Trees

While in vision, the prophet Zechariah saw this. Zechariah 4:11-14  Then answered I, and said unto him, What are these two olive trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side thereof?  12,  And I answered again, and said unto him, What be these two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves?  13,  And he answered me and said, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord.  14,  Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth.

Do you recall what it says in Revelation 11:3-4 which is, “And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.  4,  These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.”

 

As students of the Bible we know that these Two Witnesses are in fact the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. If you are new to this truth it can be a bit of a shock to hear that because being in the last days the many false prophets out there that have declared the Two Witnesses to be Moses and Elijah, when in fact there is not a single Bible verse to back that up. In fact, if you’re interested I have a page on the website that shows all that the Old and New Testament speak regarding these Two Witnesses and I pray when you get time that you look into that study.

 

And no, there is not one verse or even two or three verses that can make this doctrine easily understood. It is what the Bible calls meaty Scripture. And so if you check out that study you will find that the Bible is rather clear when it comes to those Two Witnesses.

 

Amazing isn’t it? Those that claim the Two Witnesses to be Moses and Elijah have not a single Bible verse to back that up, but those of us that declare the Two Witnesses to be the Old and New Testament have many verses to back up the truth, yet most will not see it because as it is also written in 1 Corinthians 2:14, “the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

 

And so without the Holy Spirit no man or woman alive can see the things the people of God can see and yes brothers and sisters we can use this to our advantage in the coming days when they seek to persecute us either in doctrine or in the physical sense. When they peer into the Word seeking a way to discover what we see and where we will be in the Word or even in the world at any given time, they will be looking in one area when the Lord has us in another. Case in point, most Christians believe when the name Israel is mentioned regarding God’s obedient people after the cross they still think it is the Jews who denied Him in Jerusalem when in fact we are Israel.

 

But getting back to the Two Olive Trees, which we know were declared the Two Witnesses of God in Revelation a moment ago, also notice what Jesus said in John 5:39. He said that we should, Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.” The word “they” is plural in definition. Jesus also said in Matthew 24:14 that this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

 

And yes, that is why the Vatican and all the Protestant churches that preach a 7 year tribulation and a secret rapture claim those Two Witnesses are Moses and Elijah who will appear after the so called secret rapture. Satan loves to confuse the Christians and the easiest way to confuse the people is to keep them out of the Bible that speaks from the Old to the New Testament all about these Two Witnesses and even speaks on prophetic events that will surround them when the wicked kill them and cause them to lay in the streets dead for three and a half days. Which already happened centuries ago. And yes, I prove that in my Two Witnesses study on the site.

 

Satan knows if the people are allowed to read the Bible without Vatican influence he knows that if they read it intact without thousands of verses missing or even a priest sitting nearby to twist it, they will see things they never knew regarding the importance of God’s Law and His Word. And so he gets them to stay out of the Bible so that when his wolves come around acting as if they are Bible scholars; and they are in fact scholars but only as per satanic influence. These false teachers know the lies of Satan inside out in the same way obedient Christians know the truth of Christ inside and out.

 

Making those that don’t study Bibles believe the Two Witnesses are Moses and Elijah makes them once again rely on the creature more than the Creator as prophesied. They have no faith in God at all because their weak faith has never seen a prayer answered and because they don’t study His Word it’s way too hard for them to understand it, but they have a ton of faith in Moses and Elijah just as a Catholic has all sorts of faith in Mary, the Muslim has faith in Mohammed, and the Buddhist has faith in Buddha just to name a few.

 

Those that believe the Two Witnesses are Moses and Elijah also believe they will appear after the so called secret rapture to wreak havoc on the eternally damned reprobates in power during those supposed seven years of tribulation. But again, there is no Bible verse to back any of that up.

 

Keeping them out of the Bible and trusting their wolves on the pulpit keeps those poor souls locked in Satan’s trophy case for as long as it takes to seal their fate.

But I am not going to get into the prophecies that have already been fulfilled about the Two Witnesses as I have already done that in two sermons as well as that page on my website. And so again, those that would like to see the prophecies that are matched perfectly with historic record on this, see http://www.remnantofgod.org/2witness.htm

The Old and New Testament that testify of Christ are in fact the "two anointed ones" symbolized by the two olive trees that empty the golden oil out of themselves through the two golden pipes as Zechariah put it in verse 12. We are to be the light of the world as Jesus said and so that oil, or Holy Spirit as we understand oil is defined in prophecy, that Holy Spirit within us helps us to keep our lamps burning. But unless we trim the lamps, or study the Word of God as we learned is how to do this, we will never be used of God. And yes, the golden color of olive oil is an obvious fitting symbol unto the righteousness of Christ as we see Him illustrated by all the gold in the sanctuary. Amazing how that gold color is even found in the oil that is to be used in the golden candlestick.

This oil fills the lamps, which in turns fills us, His prophesied light-bearers, with the oil of the Holy Spirit to go forth to let our light so shine before all the world. And so again, daily Bible study is an absolute must here as is our time in prayer with our Lord for if we neglect to do this our oil will dry up and our lamps will go out and we know how that scary reality was depicted in the prophetic Word when it came to those foolish virgins who at the last minute found it impossible to prepare for the Lord. And so again, study the Word brothers and sisters.

In fact, it says in Romans 10:17 that ..faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Does it not? And seeing how our faith grows by reading His Word, one can see how studying the Bible helps us keep our lamps well-trimmed with the oil of gladness. And I don’t think it’s a mistake that we find smack dab in the middle of the Bible these words in the book of Psalms.

 

Psalms 119:105  Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

 

Psalms 119:130  The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.

 

Our God has given "power" unto these two golden candlesticks or two witnesses, and they are the eternal source of our power as Bible believing Christians. In fact, when Satan was attacking Christ did Jesus not defeat Him each time by simply using the Word of God? It’s that powerful! Each time Satan twisted truths to try and get Jesus to bow to him, Jesus also came back with the words “It is written.” And then echoed that which was written to easily defeat Satan each and every time. That’s how powerful the Word of God is and that’s why Satan gets billions to stop reading it because when we read it, Satan becomes the wimpiest being in the Universe. And rightly so, as the obedient people of God will walk by and be astonished when they see his puny form smeared on the sides of the pit as Isaiah put it long ago.

Through the eternal Word of God, the Holy Spirit supplies the oil to the lamps so that the lamps may burn "continually." The priest made sure that oil was topped off each morning and evening in the Sanctuary and so again, only through "continual" study of both the Old and the New Testament Bible will we the people of God be prepared to stand firm in the days ahead and even now as trials and tribulations have already come upon us.

This is why the five foolish virgins never made it home. Their lamps went out because the oil ran dry and the oil ran dry because they stopped reading the Word.

When it comes to those Popes, prelates and Protestant wolves who twist the Word of God and re-write Bibles and Spirit of Prophecy to assure Satan’s trophy case is well stocked, theirs is a fate no man would want. For it is written in Revelation 11:4-5 that “These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.  5,  And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.

For those of you that don’t know, in nature the olive tree is a slow growing tree that lives quite long as most trees do. And so it is again a fitting symbol unto the source of oil for the lamps that the Lord keeps continuously lit day by day so as to bless His Son’s bride with the life giving light they need to have to grow in Christ.

Psalms 52:7-9 says, Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength; but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness.  8,  But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever.  9,  I will praise thee for ever, because thou hast done it: and I will wait on thy name; for it is good before thy saints.

 

And praise His mighty name that those of us that have been blessed with children while we were obedient Christians; notice this. When speaking to the obedient man of God Psalms 128:3 says, Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table.

 

Next Sabbath we will look into who is allowed to light the lamps.

Last Sabbath we looked into the oil that was in the lamps of the golden candlestick in the Holy Place. This Sabbath let’s start with looking at who it is that was allowed to light the lamps. It says in Numbers 8:1-3  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,  2,  Speak unto Aaron, and say unto him, When thou lightest the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light over against the candlestick.  3,  And Aaron did so; he lighted the lamps thereof over against the candlestick, as the LORD commanded Moses.

And since we know that Aaron stood as the first High Priest, which is a type unto our Lord, Saviour, King and High Priest Jesus Christ, it is that same Jesus being represented here as our eternal High Priest who will light our lamps before we can shine for Him before those He sends our way as obedient Christians. And it is fitting seeing how the central shaft, which sends oil to all the branches of the lamp, and that oil flows without measure, that central shaft is a symbol unto "the measure of the fullness of Christ” as Ephesians 4:13 declared long ago.

As the foolish virgins who ignore their daily duty of bible study and prayer in our present day, they are about to discover that if there is not enough oil in their lamps they will go out. When that happens they cannot hope to stay on or even see the path set before them. Because without the Holy Spirit within them they cannot see the path Jesus needs them to tread. And so again, daily Bible study and prayer is a must.

Now let’s look at the lighting of the Incense. Exodus 30:7-8 says that “Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning: when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it.  8,  And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at even, he shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations.

And so, just as the lamps were dressed to assure they were lit morning and evening depicting our need for morning and evening Bible study, we see Aaron the High Priest came each morning to make sure the incense was well lit as well.

 

As we learned earlier, the incense represents the prayers of the saints. Which by the way further confirms the lies of Rome who claim you must be dead to be a saint, even though the Bible says quite a bit about what happens when you die. Just three of dozens of verses declare this…

 

 

And so the prayers of the obviously living saints is what that incense represents and like the morning and evening bible study we see prayer was to be done at least twice a day as well. And I say at least because we all know about how the patriarchs and prophets of old always prayed in the morning, the mid-day and then the evening unto the Lord. Hence the reason Daniel became such an easy target unto the wicked governors, princes and captains in his day who knew Daniel would kneel before the Lord at the mid-day as he did so every day from his window.

 

And by the way, this incense not only took away to stench of the rotting blood that was all over the veil from all those sacrifices, it showed the acceptance of the prayers of the saints by our God. The burning of the incense and the care of the lamps were very closely connected. And so as we kneel at the altar of prayer, our Heavenly High Priest who sees us in His Word and then on our knees makes sure our lamps are well trimmed with an ample supply of His Holy Spirit so that we can do as we are called and created to do. And so as I like to do often in my prayers, I echo that which was penned in Revelation 4:11 at the start of my prayers which is, “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”

 

And so, just as the candlestick was to represent the Light from our Lord, it also represents the light of the people of God that go forth as His church to proclaim present truth unto all that have ears to hear it. Remember when Jesus exposed the Pharisees as whitewashed tombs? He said in Matthew 23:27  Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.

 

They no doubt had a false light that did nothing for the truth the Lord sought to present to the world though His obedient children. This is why Aaron’s sons died by the fire of the Lord when they offered strange fire in the temple that day so long ago. Those Pharisees will also die by the fire of the Lord at the end of the 1000 years for all the strange fire they offered unto the people God commanded them to preach and teach.

 

All too often we hear of blessed teachers and preachers who like the Pharisees of old are only preaching scripted sermons so as to make merchandise of the people in the church; and that is why Sunday Laws will come upon all the world rather swiftly one day. The light of truth we present causes the people to see the strange fire of the wolves on the pulpits and therefore the people of God react accordingly. Since their pastors are preachers of filthy lucre or money as we call it today, our message which empties their pews hits home to them and so they use their church and state powers granted them under their 501c3 contract with the second beast of Revelation so as to pass Sunday laws hoping their congregants’ return with the tithe money they worship while at the same time hope such laws will quench the truth as it is presented by the remnant people. But as we also know, they will fail and the Lord will be glorified.

 

Notice how Paul described those that claim to be godly in our day. He said this in 2 Timothy 3:1-5  This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.  2,  For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,  3,  Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,  4,  Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;  5,  Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

 

As you hear of their sermons declaring Allah is God, homosexuality is no longer an abomination, consuming alcohol and unclean foods that defile and sicken the body as well as preach everything from the trinity to changing the prophetic definitions to agree with Vatican lies so as to make their sermons come off as prophesied truths when they are nothing more than a puffing up of a Vatican agenda, you can see they, like the Pharisees of old, appear beautiful outward, but are the same wherein they are full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.

 

And the reason Jesus said they were full of dead men’s bones is because their wicked sermons, traditions of men and doctrines of demons preached the smooth things the people craved and in so doing caused them all to go to Christ-less graves and so it is fitting that Jesus declared they were filled with the bones of the dead men they guided to their spiritual graves.

 

Their god is their money and so they have no choice but to present strange fire because nothing else works for them. The Lord does not send the faithful to their churches and so they need to adopt that which Rome does to fill the pews. This is why you see the SDA church embracing Pagan holidays and even opening dozens upon dozens of Sunday keeping churches now all over the world. They do that because none of them have the desire to do the work and present God’s truth door to door so as to be able to open Sabbath keeping churches. Instead, as Rome did long ago, they use the so called holy day of the Pagan witch to lure big numbers into their churches with the excuse that once there they will reveal God’s law to them, but they have been doing this for years now and all of them still keep Sunday holy because their strange fire cannot be sanctified by God to move any of them with the utterance from on High that will cut the hearts of the people. And since the tithing is coming in, they continue on with the strange fire feeling complacent in that at least they can claim to be holy so as to pay their bills. But in the aspect of eternity that is most assuredly very short lived.

 

That’s what always amazed me about the lukewarm Christians. Why even claim to be Christian if you’re not serious about it. In today’s world people place more stock in following after a certain sports team than they do the God they claim to worship. They can recite every statistic of their favorite team that revels in violence, gambling and other sinful vices but can’t quote a single Bible verse regarding the Lord who they claim died for them.

Such as these cannot possibly be considered Christian; let alone used of God to put forth the light of truth from their Holy Spirit indwelt hearts because their hearts are dark and empty of the truth. The purpose of the candlestick in the holy place was to give light unto all that entered in and as Christians we too must put forth that same light unto all the Lord sends our way. And yes, I understand completely that you cannot preach unto every soul, but you can emulate the gentleness of the meek and loving Jesus Christ unto everyone you meet. A lamp that gives no light, or that shines with a man made light as Aaron’s son’s tried to use are of no value unto the God that sparks the true light. That is why when the Loud Cry goes forth, nary a soul still in the apostate church will be used of God to prevent it. NOT ONE. To do so would be to declare it is ok to mix truth with error and so God would be guilty of sin in how he caused Aaron’s son’s to die. But our God did no sin, They that burned sinned just as they that refuse to leave the apostate church are doing today. Whenever they speak of their faith to others they are offering the same strange fire because again, pure truth cannot be presented from the lips of those that touch the unclean things daily.

As we know, 2 Corinthians 11:14 says that ”…Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.” And this is why Aaron’s sons didn’t just snuff out the light of the candle. No, Satan knows the people of God expect light to proceed from that candlestick and so he moves those he controls to put on a fake light as we see so clearly in the SDA church and all the churches of the world. They claim to be Christians but how on earth can they be Christians when instead of warning the homosexual that their lifestyle is an abomination that will lead them to hellfire they declare them to be God fearing brethren and accepted into the church on good standing when the government holding their 501c3 contract demands they do so if they want to keep receiving their tax free benefits. They fear the second beast of Revelation which those in the remnant church know is in fact the US Government; they fear this beast far more than the God that declared the homosexual lifestyle worthy of damnation. They love the money far more than the precious souls crying out for help.

 

Or what of the Muslim who has no idea his Koran was written by Rome and designed on the backbone of Roman politics so as to bring about universal control? Again, the 501c3 contract demands they declare them worthy of embrace and even declare Allah to be the same as the God of Heaven who we all know is nothing more than a demon enraging the Muslim people to torture and kill Christians on a daily basis in the exact same way as the Popes and prelates have done all along. Where is their love for their fellow man? Not only do they show no love in warning the Muslims who are also dear and precious souls in danger, they show no love to the hundreds of thousands of Christians they kill each year.

 

Like Rome, or even the Pharisees of old, the SDA leaders only have “a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: (and so) from such (we must) turn away.” As 2 Timothy 3:5 predicted.

 

Doing service onto your fellow man by sharing your faith as the pure light from that candlestick is the only reason for the existence of a church. Unless the people of God shine forth in truth, the world is left in utter darkness and Satan knows it. And so just as he moved Aaron’s sons to use strange fire, he has moved the General Conference leaders and every one of their 501c3 pastors to do the same thing in our day just as prophecy predicted they would.

Touching a little more unto the light that comes from the candlestick in the Holy Place, Jesus said in the sermon on the mount in Matthew 5:14-16 that “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.  15,  Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.  16,  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

 

But all the churches including the SDA church have joined hands with each other in the final movement of the Roman Catholic church so as to ready the world for the enforcement of the mark. They say unto the true remnant people that seek to warn them of their sin, no, shut up, hug each other and sing kumbaya so as to promote the long prophesied peace and safety mindset, while hundreds of thousands die violent deaths for refusing to denounce Christ at the hands of Vatican controlled Muslims and literally billions follow their lead unto the wide path towards destruction thinking all that they do is pleasing to the God of Heaven when in fact it’s not because they are nothing more than fake Christians, and so as Aaron’s sons who died when they brought strange fire into the temple, they too will burn when the wrath of our God falls upon them at His second coming and then they awaken later to be sentenced to eternal death by fire at the end of the 1000 years.

 

Brothers and sisters. One of the fruits that Jesus said His people will have that identifies them is how they bear the light of truth upon the world all around them regardless of how those in their families, classroom and places of employment feel about it. And no, I am not saying preach at work because you have a job to do. But you have to know that just being a Christian angers some people even if you never say a word to them.

 

Jesus said at the start of His sermon on the mount the following truth from Matthew 5:39-41. He said, “But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.  40,  And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also.  41,  And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.”

 

Going the extra mile for someone, be they a family member, a complete stranger or even an angry person who has just struck you shows you have a willingness of heart to be that light shining in a dark place for those the Lord sends your way. And yes, some he sends will not be very friendly.

 

Continuing in His sermon Jesus also said in Matthew 5:44-48  But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;  45,  That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.  46,  For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?  47,  And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?  48,  Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

 

Our calling and election is obvious. But seriously, how many of us actually do something about it? When our Lord looks at us does He see in us a desire to spread the truth? Or does He see in us a people that only acts like they want to spread His truth? Look around and you will see this is how the churches of the world play church. Jesus knows His children. He knows who He can trust and when that latter rain falls some of us in the church will have no clue it’s even drizzling. Of such as these Jesus said in Mark 7:6  He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

 

Just claiming you’re a Christian in today’s world won’t cut it. Soon the demons running the churches will have their final act to do as they did in the dark ages when over 500,000,000 Christians were killed at the hands of the Roman Catholic priests. Today, all the churches including the SDA church are now Roman Catholic to the core. And for those SDA’s that think I am lying about this, see my recent video wherein I share how your church leaders literally changed your statement of faith to honor the doctrines of Roman Catholicism. And since they like every other so called Protestant church has a 501c3 contract with the second beast of Revelation, soon they too will emulate the Vatican prelates that were moved by Satan to enforce religious laws and kill anyone that refuses their long prophesied unjust laws. Will your light shine then as you believe it does today? Unless you stay in your Bibles and pray daily, it will not.

 

And so, all of us are being tested right now; do you share your faith now when it is comparatively legal and peaceful to do? If not you will not receive the Latter Rain at all because if you cannot do the work now, you will most assuredly be too fearful to do it then and so the rain will fall on those that have the fruit.

 

In fact, I challenge everyone in the SDR church this Sabbath to seek one soul this week. Hand them a tract, discuss the truth, and invite them to church with us. If all of us did this for just one soul a week, we would not only grow exponentially in a short time, the Lord will look upon us with a smile knowing that He is not wasting the Oil He is placing in our temple lamps.

 

James 2:17-18  Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.  18,  Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

 

In today’s world many people call themselves Christians yet it’s like pulling teeth to get them to lift a finger to help someone in need, be it a physical or spiritual need. We all have a duty. And in that duty the basic reality is, what we do will dictate unto the Lord as to the work we have yielded ourselves to do for Him. Romans 6:16 is clear when it says, Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

There is only one way to stand as a Christian and that is to emulate the Lord we claim to be our King. When speaking of our King, John 1:10-12 says that He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.  11,  He came unto his own, and his own received him not.  12,  But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

This power is the promised birthright of every person that has been born again. This is why we see no infants walking up to the laver to be baptized in the Sanctuary services. Nor can an infant walk into the eastern gate on his own. Only an adult can be granted this promised birthright so as to be used of God as a light unto the people. Yes, the Lord will move His truth to come forth out of the mouths of babes as He did in Sweden in the mid 1800’s. But that’s only because the adults were too fearful and useless in His hands.

We are all fearfully and wonderfully made by an awesome God and just as he didn’t skimp when He formed us in the womb, why would anyone think He would skimp when He forms us at our second birth? We are to be the masterpiece of our God are we not? We are His building He resides in us. We are His building that is made without human hands. Do you not see Him as a busy Creator? He never stops working Have you looked up recently to see His handiwork? Does this suggest that the Holy Spirit is ok with sitting in a lukewarm heart twiddling His thumbs waiting on us to move to action? Do you not recall what He said to the Laodicean church 2000 years ago as a prophetic warning unto those that stand in theses apostate churches in our day? He said in Revelation 3:16  So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

And so again, let us keep our lamps well-trimmed and lifted high on a candlestick and not under a bushel so as to do as prophecy said the bride of Christ will do today. And don’t agree with me by nodding your head as these words reach your ears. Go forth even today, seek that soul that needs Christ and hand them that tract, or if they are interested right off, give them a booklet and invite them to worship with us online or even in your home. And remember that even if they walk away in a huff, Christ is risen and Christ will come again no matter how much the scoffer will declare otherwise and so go to the next soul. After all, they laughed at Noah did the not? Did that stop the rain then? No, every single drop found its mark, just as every single drop will find its mark today when the prophesied latter rain falls.

Revelation 4:5 also says, “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.”

This is a heavenly announcement of sorts. Just as the Gospel is called Good News, the all encapsulating truth of His Word cover to cover can be seen as a Heaven sent Newscast to every soul on earth through time. This is why we see the seven spirits mentioned wherein we all know as per prophetic utterance that there are seven churches wherein four movements of the church have been recorded through the ages. You had the early in the morning of the nation of Israel who went forth for a while to proclaim truth, the third hour of the Christian church in Acts went forth when those before them stopped, the sixth hour reformation of Luther did the same when Rome trampled the Word underfoot, the ninth hour message of the Seventh Day Adventist church proclaimed the present truth when all that Luther did was eventually infiltrated and corrupted by Rome and now the eleventh hour final prophesied movement of the remnant of her seed in the SDR church and the thousands that have yet to formally join with us but do in fact believe as we do who are actually handing out our tracts, books and videos. We are now doing what the SDA church stopped doing just as prophecy predicted. And so again, the seven branches on that candlestick are once again seen as a fitting symbol unto the truth of His Word and even His will for His obedient people far and wide.

And like our Heavenly Father who is always at work providing for His people, the people in the eleventh hour will be known globally as an active working church. And those that refuse to heed this warning and go forth in obedience to their God given duty, as we have seen for years now, they will eventually leave the church out of guilt and complacency with the world. As prophesied, this movement we find ourselves in is not one that declares the pastors, deacons and leaders in the church are the only ones worthy to do the work. As also prophesied we have no pope and we have no conference president because as we see allowing for such hierarchies only leads to worldliness. Jesus Christ is the Head of His truth remnant people. And we will follow the Lamb withersoever He goeth. 

The light from the candlestick burns bright 24/7 because like our God who never stops spreading His love; His people are all over the world in every nation now. At every moment He can find an obedient child of His who is letting their light shine. While we sleep here in the states someone in Australia is spreading the Word and when those in China sleep we in the USA are busy. When people in Africa are resting on their beds at night, people in Russia are doing God’s work and so on. And the angels; they never sleep as they minister unto those that obey the very God they love and so it is fitting that the candlestick is kept lit all day and all night.

For those of you that know what I am saying is true and you are actively doing the work, I say press on brothers and sisters. Walk in the light and be those fishers of men that bring them in. But for those that are upset at what I have just shared, hear this. If you think Heaven is a place wherein we can kick back on a cloud strumming a harp while eating bon bons all day long, think again. If our God and His angels are so busy seeking out souls for salvation right now, why would any of us think they will not be busy when we get Home? Have you seen how many galaxies are out there?  We’re going to have a blast for all eternity spreading God’s love. Why not start enjoying this Heaven sent duty now? 

And yes, just as the urge by the Lord to change our diets to an Edenic diet proves we are citizens of Heaven even now, so is the busy activity of His people a sign that we are walking in the same Light we hope to have shine unto others for all of eternity as ambassadors for Christ.

In other words, all of us, myself included are right now in an eternal job interview. Will you be hired? Or will you be fired? That my brothers and sisters in the Lord is all up to us. And remember this. When we fail to do the work when it’s legal and still peaceful to do, we will have to do when the persecution is off the chart. We can gather many more souls now, and so common sense dictates we do the most we can do right now. That way when it’s illegal to do the work, at least we will have that many more of us to do it for the Lord. I mean even a squirrel knows when it’s best to gather before the dead of winter arrives.

Switching gears a bit this week, one thing we all need to understand is the great commission of our Lord to do the work so as to not only bring many souls into the kingdom, but to better our walks and theirs to better prepare for the perfect society of New Jerusalem.

Our efforts to unselfishly help those the Lord sends our way so as to guide them to the way of a peace filled life even in these last days when persecution grows daily, a close walk in Jesus will not only benefit them for obvious reasons, but it will cause the hand of the Lord to bless us as well. In fact we see this as the purpose of our God in how He has worked with us for 6000 years.

What I mean is, the Sanctuary service itself shows how He has us play a part in the redemption of others. Just as Moses carved the second set of tablets and the Lord placed the words upon it, we too work hand in hand with the Lord so as to illustrate the fact He seeks to train all of us to partake in the divine nature wherein man and God work as one.

Luke 6:38 says that our Lord will bless us when we, “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.”

To do this for our fellowman can only be prodded from His heart to our heart via His Holy Spirit deep within us that is always on the same page as the Father and the Son. And for those that do it just to appear obedient or holy before the eyes of man, they need to realize that if it is not based on the foundation of Christ it will fail because as it is written in  Romans 3:12, "There is none that doeth good, no, not One."

By the way, were you also aware that the Candlestick is also a symbol of the Holy Spirit? As we learned earlier, the antitype of the seven-branched candlestick is actually the "seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God." According to Revelation 4:5. And in Revelation 5:6 it says that these seven Spirits of God are "sent forth into all the earth" by the Lamb that had been slain, which those of us doing the work can attest to as the fulfillment of Christ’s promise that He will send the Holy Spirit unto us who will then teach us all things so as to help those He sends our way that have yet to hear the truth. The Light we proclaim most assuredly dispels the darkness whenever the enemy rears his ugly head just as the candlestick lightens the Holy Place.

For some strange reason however, the term sanctification is often misunderstood by the people of God. To be sanctified is to be set apart to do a holy work for God. And this is something that is done for a lifetime once Christ has been given that life. This is why I cannot understand how men of God retire from being preachers when they reach 65. I can see them slowing their pastoral duties down a tad as they reach their golden years, because by then the Lord has moved younger men to step up to the desk to do that which the aging pastor did in his early years. But sanctification is the work of a lifetime where we are called to work out our own salvation. Is it not written in Philippians 2:12 “Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”

 And so it doesn’t matter if one is a pastor or a babe in Christ when it comes to be sanctified in the Lord. This work of sanctification is a life-long duty once Christ it embraced as Lord. Basic reality is; He never called anyone to salvation to have them just waddle through life sitting on their hands without ever so much as sharing their faith with a single soul. We all need to go forth and bring them in or we have to be prepared to answer the Lord when He asks us why we buried the talent He gave unto us. And we all know how that won’t end well at all. 

During this life-long experience, the righteousness of Christ is slowly but surely imparted to the Christian as each and every one of us is aware of when we see His Word open up daily or how prayers are answered, or how our characters keep changing. We put down the sins we had before meeting Him, yes. But as we walk with Him day by day, He reveals sin to us in ways we never knew existed until we eventually become one with Him and therefore worthy of the latter rain. It is then we will take part in His divine nature so as to do this work hand in hand with He that created us to do the work in the first place.

This righteousness of Christ is ascribed unto every babe in Christ that enters into the court seeking the Lord as Saviour and if they remain faithful and walk with Him throughout life they will eventually reach the point wherein we are better educated unto His will for as we all know, and especially those that have walked with the Lord for years, as we walk He opens up more truth unto us and so we are then able to continue on in the courtyard right into the holy place to receive further instruction that will help us to go forth to bring in more souls and glorify the Lord who resides in the Most Holy Place.

With this blessed understanding of His perfect will for us we can then be better fitted for the heavenly duty. This is not to say we should not share our faith on day one because every babe in Christ knows that is something that cannot be quenched because the Holy Spirit moves us to proclaim Christ Lord. In so doing our witness unto Him becomes very effective in how we share the change of heart with those closest to us. It not only blesses us with a way to witness for Him, it also allows those closest to us to see the bold and obvious change brought on by Jesus Christ because they know us better than anyone else and so that first and most precious sanctified act alone can move some hearts to seek Jesus Christ as Lord.

All too often the babe in Christ feels as if they are not worthy to share their faith. But that’s only the enemy of souls focusing on them a bit more now because they have now become a threat to him. Sure, a babe is not going to be seen on a pulpit on day one or even on a soapbox on a street corner proclaiming their faith in Jesus. But they can go forth to speak with those they know in life in the exact same way the man with the legion of demons in him did on day one when he was released of Satan’s chains by Christ.

That man wanted to go with Jesus as he left his area after the people asked Him to due to all their pigs drowning. But notice what Christ said onto the man that day and then notice what happened next.

After Jesus cast those demons out into all the pigs that then ran into the water to drown themselves, it says this in Mark 5:18-21  And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him.  

Now notice this. He was just freed from all those demons and so it is obvious as to why he wanted to stay near Jesus. He experienced perfect peace for this first time in years and probably his entire life. He could have also been a bit concerned that the demons might return and so he wanted to stay as close to Christ as possible. Some of us, myself included, know all too well how once saved we wanted to get as close to Jesus as we could on that day and every day thereafter because we knew the end result of what would happen if we neglected our studies and prayers. But instead of telling the man once possessed to jump into the boat, Jesus gave him a work to do for Him that would keep him close to Christ even though He was far away. Continuing on from verse 19 it says that “Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee.  

Jesus didn’t tell him to start a church right off. He didn’t even tell him to grab a soapbox and preach on the street. He told him to go to friends and family. And yes, He said family when He said for him to go “home” for it is in the home that family resides.

Every babe in Christ knows of this. And sadly, as I too have seen, when friends and family see the drastic and miraculous change in you, they may get very upset because again, Satan’s always nearby to prevent the truth from spreading. But in some families, and I so praise God for this as it proves unto me that there is still hope for my loved ones, some families realize the truth as it comes from someone they knew to be into all sorts of sin who is now changed and speaking truth that cuts hearts, they often come to embrace the Lord as Saviour. And that is exactly what happened with the man once possessed with those demons.

Reading on from verse 20, and speaking about the man who was just set free by Jesus, it says that “he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel.”

And just so you know, the word publish here is defined to proclaim. He went and did just as Jesus said to do and because of what he did many were blessed, for it goes on to say from verse 21 that “when Jesus was passed over again by ship unto the other side, much people gathered unto him: and he was nigh unto the sea.”

And so don’t sell yourself short. Whether you be a babe or a long term Christian. Go forth and do that which Jesus tells everyone to do.

And to finish off this study, remember, sanctification is a threefold experience which is symbolized in the holy place. #1 is the table of showbread. #2 is the altar of incense and finally #3, the candlestick. This is how it has always worked in fact. You study the Word at the table of showbread and then realize your need for a Saviour and so you go forth to the altar of incense to pray unto Him to bless you and seek His will for your life and then He moves you to the candlestick to go forth as a light unto the world to bless those he sends your way because now that you are in His Word and on your knees daily you can now be trusted to be used of Him to go forth with His truth to shed light upon the paths of those poor souls that are stumbling around in the darkness.

This Sabbath let’s look at righteousness by Faith which includes both justification as well as sanctification. Justification is by faith when we trust the promise that we are saved and blessed in Christ Jesus on day one of our surrender unto Him as true Lord and Saviour. And I say true Lord because billions claim Jesus is Lord but only a small fraction actually mean what they say. As prophesied, in today’s world most have not the fertile soil of the heart to allow seeds of truth to grow. We are justified by faith when we accept the righteousness of Christ as a free gift. And when it comes to sanctification, it can only occur once we are justified in Christ and trusted by Him to be set apart for holy use. This is why all of us that remained in the faith we discovered as babes remember how after finding Christ we were tempted by friends, family members and even vices we embraced as the norm in life for us.

In other words, to be justified is to make the decision to bow to our Father’s will for us wherein He has been saying for eons, why will ye die. He presents eternal life to us as followers of Christ on day one. And then Satan gets to work tempting us to go back to our old ways so as to present eternal death unto us. It says this in Ezekiel 33:11  Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?

And as obedient students of the Bible we know that at the present time as per the prophetic Word of God, we the people of God today that declare His Son Saviour are in fact the true Israel of today. And for those of you that are new to this truth, you need to see my short study titled “Who is Israel” on my site when you get time.

The overwhelming majority of the apostate preachers out there will never share certain verses with you regarding how the Lord replaced the Jews with Christians because Satan has them in his noose of deception and he needs to keep the Christians thinking the people of Israel are in fact the Jews who have denied Jesus Christ as Messiah for 2000 years. That is Satan’s trophy of deception that he will not soon relinquish as it shows forth his power on how easily he can deceive the masses when these very same people have access to a Bible just like everyone else does. He needs to keep the antichristian Jews to be seen as the favored people of God so as to continue on in his political agenda regarding all this.

Think about that. How on earth can a people that deny Jesus as Lord and Messiah even be considered the chosen people of God today? I am not going to get into a bunch of Bible verses that bluntly say the obedient Christians of today are called Israel by the Lord, but that in and of itself is my point. There are so many Bible verses proving if you deny Jesus as Lord you are not considered His chosen people and so Satan glories in this just as he does in the Roman Sunday Sabbath. In both cases if the people read their Bibles they will see the truth is literally very easy to find regarding Israel or even the true Sabbath of the Christian, but most won’t read Bibles today because as prophesied, when the plagues fall, it says in Amos 8:11  Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:”

That mindset of not caring to read the Bible must be cultivated before the plagues hit so that when they hit billions of people will be caught off guard who finally realize they should have read it and now that it’s too late, they do all they can to read it and find vindication that says they are not lost but because they never read the Bible before the plagues started they have no clue that it prophesied it will be too late for them once the plagues begin.

But getting back to justification and sanctification, notice what it says in Philippians 2:12-13  Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.  13,  For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

When Paul says “to will and to do of His good pleasure” here, he is actually confirming justification comes first, which is God’s will for everyone to seek salvation and not die, and to do of His good pleasure is how He moves His obedient children to do that which He needs them to do so as to bring even more into His will, which is of course salvation. And so to reread the passage one can see it saying, “it is God which worketh in you both to will (which is justification) and to do (which is sanctification) of his good pleasure.

Romans 3:24 says that we are “…justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:” And we all know the definition of sanctification is to be set apart for holy use. But we cannot be sanctified to do a holy work without first being justified in His will by surrendering to His Son as Lord and King of our salvation. And so as Paul just said, we are “justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”

Both justification and sanctification come to us through faith in Jesus Christ. From the very moment we enter into the gate of the court all the way up until we either die a natural death or are called to be of that blessed number that never dies, the entire Christian experience is a bold example of the righteousness of Christ Jesus by faith. And yes, this is why Satan moved the churches to reject Christ our righteousness because once the people understand this it will be that much more difficult for Satan to stop them from going forth to bring more souls out of his charred trophy case.

And so, being justified in Christ who then sanctifies us to do this holy work that glorifies Him, the Father will use us to bring in even more souls who too will be justified and then sanctified to do this work with us and so on and so forth all the way up until the plagues start.

And I say up until the plagues start and not till the Lord returns is because the start of the plagues are the open and obvious sign that the investigative judgment has ended. And have you ever realized how that all works? Yes, we know all about how the judgment started in 1844, but most balk at that because, and especially today since most are very sinful, they don’t like this truth because it means they are being judged right now. And so they shun the doctrine.

But think about this basic reality. Everyone knows that the world will eventually end and Jesus will return to get His people right? And so I ask, does that mean every soul on earth must be dead and buried when Jesus comes? Because that’s how they preach the judgment. Most believe you are judged after you die as you stand before Saint Peter at the gates of Heaven. But the prophecies are clear in that billions will be alive before the plagues start. And billions will be alive when the eastern sky splits. And so think about that. Since the Lord said in Revelation 22:12, “behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” It is obvious that the judgment has to have been finished by then. But billions are still alive.

But think on this as well. Before Jesus comes the plagues must fall upon the wicked, but unless the judgment was finished before He gets here, how will He know who the wicked are? And so, when the plagues start, as prophesied in Revelation 22:11  He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.”

That is why the prophecy of Amos is so shocking to the wicked. After the plagues begin they realize they messed up. But since there is a famine in the land of understanding His Word so as to gain salvation because they are unjust and remain as such, they truly have no idea how lost they are.

When those plagues begin we are no longer to go forth to seek souls for salvation because it is clearly declared in Revelation 22:11 that when those plagues begin, the lost remain lost and the saved remain saved.

Still, we can be a blessing unto those in that number we find ourselves in wherein we can hold each other up and glorify the Lord before the Universe as we stand during the plagues without a single one of them affecting us for it is also written in Psalms 91:10 that, “There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.”

It says in Romans 8:3-4  For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:  That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Our Lord did this so that we may attain to the righteousness of Christ. He took all our sins upon Him and allowed that flesh he wore that was permeated with our sin to die a graphic death so as to assure the message was clear that it is our flesh we must overcome.

1 John 2:1 says, “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:”

Our righteousness is nothing but filthy rags and so we need the righteousness of Christ upon us. And unless we consecrate all that we are unto our God we will be unable to move ahead in our walk that will bring us to a point wherein we are worthy for the latter rain.

If we stand firm in the vows we took at our baptism wherein we declared Jesus Christ as Lord, and we study His Word and bow in prayer daily and remain instant in prayer where when a trial comes upon us, even in a shocking manner, our knee jerk reaction should be to cry out to Him. When we come to this place then we will be able to trust Him day by day to supply all our needs; and even if all He chooses to send is manna from heaven, we will know it is all we require to survive both physically and spiritually that particular day.

As His obedient bride we strive unto the perfection in Christ so as to have the perfect robe of righteousness upon us. Romans 12:1-2 says, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye 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.”

And Revelation 19:7-9 says, “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.  And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.  And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.”

And because we are faithful Revelation 22:4 declares unto the bride that “they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.”

Now we finally move forward in the study wherein Christ steps into the Most Holy Place. As students of prophecy know, our Lord is our anointed and heavenly High Priest. And we also know that it was foretold when He would step into the second veil into the most holy place so as to begin the work of the judgment. Pastor Craig has an in depth sermon as we know regarding all this. It is on the poGm sermon page dated 02-21-15.

This work of judgment was symbolized by the service of the earthly high priest on the Day of Atonement. That is why we as Bible believers believe we have all been living in the spiritual Day of Atonement since the 2300 year prophecy of Daniel ended on October 22, 1844.

When the earthly high priest performed this duty on the Day of Atonement if was what they also referred to as the cleansing of the Sanctuary and this is where the Millerites were allowed to be confused as was also prophesied they would be in Revelation 10:10 that says, “And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter.”

As we know the Lord allowed them to make this mistake so as to weed out the ones that only wanted to be obedient Christians because they feared hellfire. The 50 souls that remained in the faith after the day came and went when they thought Jesus was to return; these 50 were used of God in a major way after they dug deeply into the Word of God to find their mistakes which then brought on the prophesied 9th hour church and the rest is history.

Their mistake was they thought the cleansing of the Sanctuary meant Christ was returning on that date to cleanse the earth of sinners. They thought the Sanctuary was the earth when in fact it was the Heavenly Sanctuary that Moses was given a pattern of to build in the distant past. The cleansing of the earthly sanctuary all those years was a prophetic type of what is now occurring in the Heavenly Sanctuary as we speak. When the high priest cleansed the Sanctuary it was the symbol of cleansing Israel from her sins which by obedient confession and repentance had been transferred to the sanctuary by the sprinkling of the blood of the sacrifices representing their sins.

The cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary on the other hand is not a type. It’s the actual event those days of atonement pointed to for thousands of years. What they did each year is happening right now every moment of the day until Jesus drops the censor and the plagues begin.

Notice 1 Timothy 5:24-25 wherein it says, “Some men's sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment; and some men they follow after.  25, Likewise also the good works of some are manifest beforehand; and they that are otherwise cannot be hid.”

In other words, pardon is granted unto those that confess and repent during this time, but the sins that are mentioned here that “follow after” are not removed from the book of judgment because they never confessed them or repented of them. They will stand registered against them in the books of heaven and when those plagues fall they will be forever lost because those sins can only be hid in Christ or as we say, “covered by the blood of the Lamb.”

For those unaware, the Day of Atonement always came on the tenth day of the seventh month, which in our calendars just happened to be October 22. And yes, that is why the Millerites assumed the end of the world would occur on that date due to the 2300 year prophecy wherein the angel Gabriel gave the starting date of 457bc. They got the date correct, but they got the event wrong. As prophesied the Lord allowed them to miss what was really to happen on that date. They thought cleansing the sanctuary meant the second coming wherein Jesus would return and cleanse the earth of all the sinners and take the Christians home. But what really happened on that exact date was the prophesied heavenly Day of Atonement for mankind commencing. And yes, that means the investigative judgment began on that date.

That date (10th day 7th month) was never to change. And yes, that is the reason Rome changed the calendars as the prophet Daniel also predicted. Not only does it make it difficult for the young in Christ to decipher the true date for human history so as to know the season Christ is to return, and I said season because no man will know the day or the hour for any prophetic event this side of 1844. This calendar change also allowed them to mix up the Hebrew calendar that was used for eons. Satan knew that if he allowed the original calendar to stand unmolested, wherein there we 30 days for each month, those that had the desire to study God’s Word would eventually come to a place wherein they knew the season of Christ’s return.   

What I mean is, had the calendar never changed we would all know the true date of the 10th day of the 7th month and prophecy would be a tad easier for the babes in Christ to understand or even discover for that matter. The reason this date will never change is because the Hebrew calendar is not like the Gregorian calendar we have today with some months having 30 days, some 31 and one has 28 days unless there is a leap year and then that month has 29 days. That fact alone proves the calendar given unto the Jews long ago from the Lord was perfect and the one we use today being man made is a joke for lack of a better word.

Leviticus 16:29-30 says, “And this shall be a statute for ever unto you: that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth among you:  30,  For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the LORD.”

If you obeyed the Lord throughout the year by bringing forth a sacrifice for your sins, then you were judged worthy of salvation when the Sanctuary was cleansed because the act of bringing those sacrifices declared you had faith in the coming Messiah who would be the future Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world. And so in our day long after the Lamb of God already died for us on Calvary, we see that if you accept Christ as Saviour in your lifetime and confessed and repented of each sin as you walked through life, then the work of the judgment will declare you worthy of salvation.

What many forget is that as the judgment continues day by day, the angel with the inkhorn records our unrepentant sins. If never confessed, when Jesus drops that censor and the plagues begin we are forever lost. But if the sin is confessed, then the act is removed from our record and covered by the blood of the Lamb and when the censor drops, and the plagues begins, we are forever saved.

And so praise the Lord brothers and sisters. Praise His mighty name that we have 1 John 1:9 that says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

And so the rotting presence of sin upon us which is depicted by the rotting blood on the Sanctuary vail, this filthiness is cleansed away when we repent and confess. And yes, the Jews of old had their own verse of 1 John 1:9 as well. It’s found in Proverbs 28:13 which says, “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.”

This Day of Atonement was to be done throughout their generations until Christ came and died for us as the rent temple vail confirmed did in fact happen. And so just as we confess and repent each time we sin until we die or Jesus returns, we too will be found worthy.

Leviticus 16:34 clearly says “And this shall be an everlasting statute unto you, to make an atonement for the children of Israel for all their sins once a year. And he did as the LORD commanded Moses.”

They brought sacrifices all year long, but only on one day each year were the sins to be blotted out in the same way Christ came one time to die to blot out our sins as well.

In regards to this day atonement, Paul said this in Acts 17:31, “Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.”

And Daniel said in Daniel 8:17, “…Understand, O son of man: for at the time of the end shall be the vision.” And then notice what was also stated in Daniel 8:13-14, “Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot?  14,  And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.”

And so again, they got the date correct, but they messed up on the event predicted for that date.

And by the way, that part of the prophecy regarding all this was to be hidden until the end of days for it is written in Daniel 12:4  But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.

What amazes me about this prophecy of Daniel is that it not only speaks of the Sanctuary and places it in the forefront proving it is not old fashioned or even a doctrine locked in Old Testament theology never to be spoken of again after Christ’s death. That Sanctuary is eternal and this is why many don’t want to deal with the investigative judgment for in so doing they must admit that the Sanctuary truths still hold firm today even though the services held in them are no longer needed on earth because they were transferred to Heaven due to what Jesus did for us 2000 years ago. And so not only will they have to admit the Sanctuary is still in the city of New Jerusalem and will be there for eternity, their admission that the investigative judgment as being doctrinal fact would mean what Jesus did on Calvary is also doctrinal fact and they simply don’t want to do that in any way shape or form.

Next Sabbath we will look into how Daniel was given a lot of info on all this for a reason. Especially all the dates he was told to put on paper.

Picking up where we left off last Sabbath wherein we were discussing the Sanctuary services being placed in the forefront as well as Jesus walking into the Most Holy Place; we see the Lord not only gave Daniel an in depth prophecy on this Sanctuary as it coincides with the history of mankind as well as the will of God, this prophecy is a prophecy that has more dates within it than any other prophecy in the Bible. And rightly so as it is also the last time prophecy was to have specific dates in it. And again, that too angers the many false prophets of today that like to set dates in all the apostate churches including the SDA church wherein we saw the statements of David Gates and his false prophecy place the church in further disarray and even though he was proven false, he continued to set even more dates so as to further soil the truth and the God that wrote it. His folderol made the SDA church look very confused. But then I do believe the Lord allowed that because it is now time the people finally realize the truth about that church asking Jesus to leave way back in 1888. And if they continue to ignore this, being that we are in the very last days, it will not go well for them or their families. Especially those that are the heads of their families wherein they trust them to do the study and do the legwork needed to assure all those they love are safe. And yes, it is time now that if they that lead refuse to do their duty for their loved ones, their very own children will do the studies and walk away from them as well for did not Christ declare in Matthew 10:37  He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

And when that love is cultivated perfectly did not Christ also says in the verses that led up to this one in Matthew 10:34-36  Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.  35,  For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.  36,  And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.

But getting back to Daniel’s work and confirmed obedient duty that has blessed billions with truths they never knew before, to give a quick rundown on the dates found in this prophecy, we see that its starting point is found in Daniel 9:25 which says, “Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.”

And that command to rebuild was given in Ezra 7:1-27, of which I won’t read all of that here but only share Ezra 7:12,13,23 wherein it says, “Artaxerxes, king of kings, unto Ezra the priest, a scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect peace, and at such a time.  13,  I make a decree, that all they of the people of Israel, and of his priests and Levites, in my realm, which are minded of their own freewill to go up to Jerusalem, go with thee. 23 Whatsoever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it be diligently done for the house of the God of heaven: for why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons?”

When you read up to the point of verse 12 and do the math wherein the lineage and time Artaxerxes began to publicly speak on this, you will find this command was given in 457BC.

And so looking into Daniel 9:24, we see two events are predicted here for the 70 weeks. It says that “Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.”

Yes, three things are listed, but when Christ arrives and is “anointed” that coincides with Him becoming Messiah to “make an end of sins.” So, we are to focus on two things here for now because when Jesus arrived as Messiah He was most assuredly anointed at the same time. And so we need to look at the “holy city” and “Messiah who makes an end of sin” in this prophecy. Daniel then goes into detail outlining these two factors.

He says in Daniel 9:25-26 “Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.  26  And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.”

So, doing the math we find that..

In short.. at the end of 69 weeks, Messiah does arrive. During the 70th week, Daniel said Messiah is “cut off” in the middle of that week. Doing the math we know Jesus was crucified exactly 3.5 years after arriving as Messiah and so just as prophesied Jesus was “cut off” or crucified in the midst of that prophetic week.

Jesus was baptized and anointed in 27AD. Three and a half years later Jesus was crucified via a church and state conglomeration of the Romans and the Jews. The Romans played the part of the state and the Jews played the part of the church. And yes, this is why the church and state 501c3 was prophesied in the way it was. Just as the Romans and the church of the day persecuted and killed Jesus and then His followers, all the 501c3 churches of today, and this includes the graphically apostate SDA church, will do the same to us in the very near future. In fact, the persecution of the obedient remnant has already begun. And sadly, the bulk of this attack comes from the SDA people because they have been taught the truth we present are lies and so they defend their apostate pastors because they also refuse to open their own bibles to make sure they’re doing the right thing. This is why we get the hate mail, trolls and even threats from SDA’s today.

The truth we present doesn’t so much annoy the Protestants because they think we’re spiritual crazy for keeping God’s Law and especially His Sabbath. They also see us as in error because we teach truth about the state of the dead, hellfire and even unclean foods. But the SDA people for the most part know what we preach in these areas is truth. But because we do so without embracing the world they love, that upsets them just as prophecy said it would and so those that at one time were our own brethren are those that will come against us. After all, did not Jesus prophesy that if we follow Him that which He experienced we will experience? And did not His own people reject Him?

And so getting back to the prophecy, to finish the week of Daniel we need to add three and a half more years from the time Jesus was crucified to make for a complete week and in so doing we come to the exact year of 34AD when the Jews stoned Stephen and sealed their fate wherein they no longer held the title of Israel. The title Israel was from that day forward to be the title of the obedient Christians. And look around, we have already seen all the churches fall into apostasy of every denomination except the obedient remnant people that came out of all those fallen churches and so the stage is already set and the persecution is soon to be upon us globally.

And so we now look into the prophecy that speaks of the cleansing of the Sanctuary just as we did last Sabbath. As students of prophecy we know what Daniel 8:14 means when it said, “And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.” And so I will not go into a long dissertation about that as it would take quite a few weeks to get through. Suffice it to say, I have a few pages online about this, but checking out the timeline I have online will quicken your studies on this.

Thanks to Papal influence in confusing the sermons and studies presented to the people for centuries most never studied up the Sanctuary and they didn’t realize that Sanctuary was a copy of the real one in heaven. That cleansing was to occur in Heaven so as to begin the final work of judgment that we are experiencing right now. Yes, that means we are in the sixth trumpet awaiting the seventh trumpet. And there is no 8th trumpet.

The cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary or the starting of the investigative judgment of the "house of God," was prophesied to begin at the end of the 2300 days. That date started as we learned earlier in 457BC. Count forward from there and you will see it does in fact end on October 22, 1844. And to have the judgment begin with the cleansing is fitting in that 1 Peter 4:17 says, “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?”

This is why I am so concerned for the SDA people. They know they are in apostasy. All of them know this. They actually admit it in fact. Yet they stay in the church thinking they are safe because their apostate pastors say they are safe. Worse yet, they stay in when their church is right now being looked at from above as to who in that church will be obedient unto the Lord who also said when you see apostasy you need to leave that church immediately. Revelation 18:4 isn’t just for Roman Catholics. It’s for every church that joins hands with Rome and since the SDA church along with all the other churches of the world including nonChristian faiths have agreed to allow the Pope of Rome to be their moral leader since February 04, 2019 when the One World Church became official, staying in apostasy will now guarantee eternal damnation.

Many SDA’s said they will leave when the apostasy finally goes off the chart. Well February 04, 2019 says it’s now time because staying in the SDA church now means you are in fact Roman Catholic.

The 2300 days, which began in 457 B.C. ended in the year 1844, which as Daniel called it, "the time of the end," or "the time appointed" and when "the end shall be." Dan. 8:17,19. And yes, this is why Rome changed the calendars as well as the Sabbath day because changing the calendars made most people miss the fact that the prophesied tenth day of the seventh month in the original calendar used by the Jews was actually fulfilled on October 22, of that year 1844.

They also changed the calendars because they knew this 2300 year prophecy was the last “time prophecy” that was ever to be given before the plagues. We are that close. And so yes we know what will happen next, we just don’t know when. And why do I say this is the last time prophecy or dated event to watch for this side of the plagues? Revelation 10:6 clearly says when speaking of this event that "there shall be time no longer.”

And yes, this is why men like David Gates and others who keep giving dates regarding prophesied events are easily exposed as false prophets as well as confirmation we are very near the end when the Lord sais these false prophets and ravenous wolves will appear. And as we have seen, some will twist the Word by claiming Jesus only said we won’t know the day and hour of His second coming. But Revelation 10:6 is quite clear and 100% of every false prophet, including David Gates, that have set dates since October 22, 1844, all of them have failed. Each and every one of them! That in and of itself confirms, if you defend such men, you are in grave danger of joining them in hellfire.

Next Sabbath I want to share how this prophecy is so remarkable in that it revealed the exact time of two of the most important events in the history of the plan of redemption. The first one happened 2000 years ago and the second one 175 years ago.

As I intimated in closing last Sabbath, another feature that makes the prophecy we discussed remarkable is that it reveals the exact time for two of the most important events in the history of the plan of redemption; namely the time when Christ Jesus would die for our sinful ways 2000 years ago on Calvary and the time when He would begin the long prophesied investigative Judgment which must begin at the church and then the world at large because as we know judgment must always start at the church because it is in the church that His truth is revealed so as to prepare us to go forth and preach unto the lost souls of the world. But if the church that is called to do the work refuses, then they are judged unworthy to receive the means by which to actually be used of Him. And that which the obedient will receive to do the work is in fact the latter rain.

In this 2300 year prophecy we see the week of Daniel wherein Jesus is baptized in the exact year Daniel prophesied and then three and a half years later He is killed as the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world. And then at the end of the 2300 year prophecy we see the investigative judgment commence in 1844. Which was prophesied by the prophet Amos in 4:12 “Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel: and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel.”

And because he is our Father and not a tyrant as the man of sin in Rome claims He is, we who are now called Israel are given ample time to make straight our paths so as to meet the Lord when He returns. And yes, this is why all the churches are in apostasy today and most Christians still trapped in that apostasy trust the edited Bibles because Satan also knows all about the investigative judgment as well as the power of the Word that defines it both prophetically as well as doctrinally.

If the people are allowed to have real Bibles; the dying god of this world knows they will eventually come to see the apostasy in the in church much easier and then leave the darkened halls of Babylon. Hence the reason even the SDA church uses the NIV which was authored by the man of sin in Rome wherein thousands of verses have been removed and re-written so as to not only hide the truth regarding judgment, but to protect the beast system in Rome as well as here in America. These altered Bibles also make it difficult to find the verses that expose their lies about eternal life in hellfire, their devilish dogma of a secret rapture and even their demon inspired Sunday Sabbath just to name a few and I share those missing verses to prove all that as fact on my bogus Bibles page.

Satan also knows when the people rely on the NIV and other such bogus Bibles they aren’t getting all the truth they need to prepare and so they become complacent with trusting their pastor to give them what is missing in the exact same way he used the pagan priests of Rome wherein they got 2 billion people to trust the very priests that promote homosexuality and even pedophilia worldwide.

When you have a corrupted Bible in hand thinking it is your main source of truth the people will most assuredly get lazy in their faith and eventually learn to read it as if it is a novel instead of studying the Bible as a lesson book for life. In so doing they miss vital truths that their pastors will never mention from the pulpit for they know to preach such things will empty their church which then empties their pockets and that is not something they are prepared to do.

Case in point is of course the so called seven year tribulation that was invented by the Jesuits of the Roman Catholic church. Many of the verses that prove it to be a lie have been removed or rewritten on the bogus bibles so as to foster but trust in Rome as well as doubt in God’s Word. It also fosters confusion in the hearts of the people wherein they have no choice but to trust their pastors because they cannot find a clear cut definition of that so called prophecy in the Word. And yes, even the leaders cannot find the clear verses and so to ok and even sanction their expected confusion, they invent terms like the Scofield gap theory. They call it that because there are so many holes in that false prophecy about a secret rapture and seven year tribulation that declaring it a sanctified gap in the truth makes many believe that one day soon the gap will be explained but how can this be when the verses don’t even exist in the first place? But because lies have become the comfort zone of billions, only another lie can keep them in peace. Hence the reason they keep publishing new versions of the Bible. The old lies are being exposed and so they need brand new lies to keep the people in the pews.

The wolves know there are so many unanswered questions regarding how it all works because the so called truth of man is not a perfect science and never can be because the Author of truth will never sanction it. And so again, the people in the apostate churches must rely on their pastors in the same way Catholics rely on the priests when it comes to Catholic dogma that is nowhere to be found in the Word.

And yes, as prophesied, that kind of Christian will never be ready to prepare himself for the second coming of Christ because their pastors will never and simply have not the means by which to teach them on how to be ready. That’s why 2 Peter 3:10 says, “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.”

These poor souls will be caught off guard because of the way Babylonian confusion has entered into all the churches including the SDA church. Seriously, do you recall those two videos I made about Pastor David Gates of the SDA church who said Sunday Laws will come 1260 days after the Pope met with Congress? When I made the first video warning the dear SDA people that his prophecy could not be fulfilled many months before the date Gates claimed for fulfillment, many SDA’s slandered me on YouTube. And after March 7, 2019 came and went those same SDA’s attacked me even more and actually defended Gates after his prophecy failed because they don’t read their Bibles at all. They have not the truth deep within and so their comfort zone has become the lie and so they have no choice but to defend their lying pastors and false prophets because they truly have no other means of defense. Even now after Spring has ended when some that defended their false prophet David Gates as having a truth that will fulfill by the end of Spring, even now after he failed they still refuse to open their Bibles. Yes, they now know he is a false prophet, but they are way too embarrassed to admit it and so they will stay in apostasy seeking the next lying pastor or false prophet to worship.

All of these poor souls even quoted from the edited SOP books as proof David Gates was trustworthy. Worse yet, when I shared with them the Bible verses thye not only confirmed they were lied to which also confirmed their SOP books were edited, they got even angrier with me which then confirmed to both God and man that they are those Isaiah 4:1, and 30:10 said about such people. But then that was to be expected since it was also prophesied the SDA people would embrace the exact same evil spirit of Korah and Sanballat of old.

As for what Isaiah said, I will share in context so that all can see how even if you share Rock hard verses and SOP references the people choose rather to defend their false prophets and demand the God of the Bible cease from being before them. Check it out…

Isaiah 30:8-11  Now go, write it before them in a table, and note it in a book, that it may be for the time to come for ever and ever:  9,  That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the LORD:  10,  Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits:  11,  Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.

And what did Isaiah say earlier about such as these?

Isaiah 4:1  And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach.

If the prophetic symbols are defined in this verse alone one can see that this is what’s actually being said today about the SDA people that ignore the Bible that exposes their lying pastors and false prophets.

Definign the symbols and placing the passage in plain English it says that in the last days, all the churches will claim Christ Lord, but they will still read the Bible the way they please and they will walk in a way that pleases the flesh but at the same time they will demand we call them Christians to take away their obvious and open shame.

What’s worse, and this is why we have a mighty work to do brothers and sisters, all of these poor souls are doing all these evil acts during the very time the Bible says they are being judged in the investigative judgment.

Worse yet, those that use hatred, lies, name calling and even threats have been lured away from the truth that actually has the warning of Jesus Christ Himself when he said what He did in Matthew 12:36 which was, “But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.”

Please pray for these precious souls, brothers and sisters. Because they refuse to leave their apostate church and refuse to put down the bogus Bible and edited SOP books, none of them will be ready when Jesus comes. To them He will most assuredly come as a thief in the night. But those of us that obey the Lord have the blessed promise found in 1 Thessalonians 5:4-6 that says, “But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.  5,  Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.  6,  Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.”

On this Sabbath let’s look at how the earthly administration of the Sanctuary services have the two divisions. In other words, there was the daily sacrifice as well as the annual, or Day of Atonement. And so since the earthly did it this way, that means there will be two divisions of the services in Heaven as well. But we must keep in mind that eternity is not like it is down here.

The first area of the heavenly services started when Jesus Christ ascended to act as High Priest for us and the second is what we call the investigative judgment that began at the end of the 2300 year prophecy of the prophet Daniel. That is why we call what we are going through right now the Heavenly Day of Atonement; which confirms once again why we, the remnant people of God do not keep the feast days. Not only did Christ say it was finished in John 19:30 when He died for us confirming those feast days pointed to the cross and so they ended there as well.

Feast days were done in succession and were never stacked up. What I mean is, each feast day had its own period of time to be kept. They did not overlap. And so, since Jesus said the physical feast days ended at the cross when He said “it is finished” we are now going through the spiritual Day of Atonement as we speak, which depicts the annual Day of Judgment in the physical feast days. That means we cannot keep the feast days now as they would all overlap unto the spiritual Day of Atonement we are experiencing now as well as belittle what the Bible says the Lord is doing right now as well as mock Him when He said it is finished.

Truth is, that is actually why Satan wants people to keep the feast days today. #1, even if it’s only by slight assumption, it makes them assume that when Jesus said “it is finished” in John 19:30; His declaration meant nothing and we need to keep the feast days anyway. #2, it makes the heavenly services in the Sanctuary that Moses received a pattern of on the mount appear less important than our physical and imperfect activities down here; which is another way for Satan to glorify the flesh as well as mock the Lord and His Word. #3, it readies the people that keep the feast days in direct violation to God’s Word to become a people that will be easily moved to seek a third temple so as to make Calvary as a whole appear insufficient all along. For with a third temple must also be the altar of burnt offerings thereby blaspheming the Lord and what He did for us on Calvary. And finally #4 it helps Satan ready a people to accept Antichrist as Jesus incarnate when he makes his long prophesied appearance; because when you trust the lies over and above the truth as it is written you are declaring that Satan’s lie is truth and God’s truth is a lie.

Basic reality is, Jesus said it is finished and Satan is saying no it is not. And so there will be people today that will be confused by Satan who knows they have a zeal for the Lord to do as they believe will please him. Satan will take advantage of that love for Christ and twist the Word they refuse to study properly and they will become a prey he can use to lure even more into deception.

And so, just so we are clear, the first service in the Sanctuary wherein Jesus stood as our High Priest on a daily basis continued until 1844. The second service or Day of Atonement has been what He has been doing since October 22, 1844. And so the entire period of time mankind has experienced from 1844 to the close of probation when the plagues begin is the antitype of the ancient Day of Atonement.

And yes, in case you’re wondering, the intercession of Christ still continues during the Judgment and so none need be concerned on that point. Your sins are still forgiven. On the Day of Atonement, the high priest not only performed the special service in the most holy place before the Father’s presence in the Shekinah glory, but if you recall, in the courtyard the priests were also active in offering the daily sacrifice as well. This is why it said in Numbers 28:3-4 that “thou shalt say unto them, This is the offering made by fire which ye shall offer unto the LORD; two lambs of the first year without spot day by day, for a continual burnt offering.  4,  The one lamb shalt thou offer in the morning, and the other lamb shalt thou offer at even;”

The term continual burnt offering meant that as long as the services were valid upon the earth, they held those services each and every day.

Not only that, but in the holy place on the golden altar, the high priest also burned the daily incense which we learned earlier was both the symbol of the merits of Christ's righteousness to which all of us have access to and as is also declaring the desire to be one in the Divine Nature of Christ, and that that incense also depicted the prayers of the saints that trusted Christ in the first place wherein we eventually come to a place wherein we stand in Christ where our righteousness is.

As the earthly high priest performed his duties on the typical day of Judgment; in the courtyard and in the holy place we see the priest standing as intercessor, while on the Day of Atonement he also stands in the most holy as our perfect judge. And so this blessing can be seen in how Jesus Christ, our heavenly High Priest stands as our Intercessor as well as our Judge during the actual investigative Judgment wherein He continues all the way up until probation ends at the start of the soon to come plagues so as to plead His own blood as evidence of our salvation unto the Father, and He declares the merits of His own righteousness that is upon us unto the Father as well even though we are sinners.

Such a love is this that says he is doing all he can to help us make it home safely. But if you don’t read Bibles and never pray then your education must come from the street or in the apostate churches led by the wolves and so to you the Father in heaven is not a loving God. Instead you will believe he is angry as well as one who loves to listen to the screams of sinners as they burn in hellfire for all eternity. There is not a single Bible verse to back that up. The Bible says Hellfire kills them all for eternity. It even says we the obedient people of God will walk on their ashes the day they die in Malachi 4:3. But again, if you don’t read a Bible, you have no choice but to believe what you hear from the liars on the street and the wolves on the pulpits who are moved by Satan who truly does hate you and the God of Heaven; And so the tongues of liars and wolves are easily moved to make their lies appear as truth to you and so God will come off as hateful, angry and bloodthirsty.

The purest definition of the God of the Bible is love, not hate. Satan is hateful and most people on earth today are walking on his path, for as Jesus said in Matthew 7:13 that “wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:”

If you refuse to read a Bible, you will not be on the straight and narrow path. If you only listen to liars and wolves, then you like everyone else will be on the wide path.

As the Investigative Judgment is moving forward, all of us are going to be at one time or another discussed in detail in the presence of the Father regarding our eternal fate. No getting around that and this is why so many Christians hate the theology of the investigative judgment because it scares them. But we must never forget that the ladder Jacob saw that night shows even our prayers in faith and sincerity are brought into the throne room of our God and those promises in the Bible about having all our sins wiped clean are absolute. And so if you’re a hardened sinner, you too can be judged worthy of heaven but only if you seek the Remedy of sin which is Christ the Lord. For if you refuse to believe Jesus was sent to die for your sins, then you must die for them yourself because with every sin must be a death. That is why the Sanctuary service was set up and that is why we saw the Jews bringing their sacrifices for sin to the priest each and every day. They had their own version of 1 John 1:9 that says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

As we know with justification; which we all experienced when we entered into the courtyard as seekers of salvation, we know that accepting Christ as Lord comes with the guarantee of every promise in His Word to help us make it Home. 1 John 1:9 is just one of thousands. If we remain faithful and do not follow those that received the truth with zeal and then fall away the moment Christianity appears too difficult to them, we will gain Heaven. But looking around we see that Christianity todays comes off as weak because as prophesied most Christians stopped trusting God’s Word and this is why we only see prayers answered and miracles realizes in the lives of the very small remnant church which was also prophesied for today. Most seek out Buddha, Islam, Judaism and even Atheism because like everyone else they don’t see God’s hand move and rightly so. He is not going to bless nonbelievers with answered prayer and He is not an order taker either.

That is how the majority of Christendom is seen today. In fact, since the majority of Christians fell into apostasy out of fear of Rome centuries ago, that which Isaiah 4:1 spoke of has been seen in all the churches of the world today with only one exception just as prophecy predicted. As I illustrate on my Sabbath history page, there have been obedient Christians all throughout historic record. But because their numbers have been small due to most people seeking the wide or easy path Satan set up for them making them think it’s Christianity, we are not known by many. But does that matter? No, not at all, for we seek to please our Father and not mankind. The true and obedient church of Christ has always been there somewhere in historic record. Jesus was not kidding when He said what He did in Matthew 16:18 regarding how “the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

If we have fertile soil in our hearts and have been all along growing day by day in Bible study and prayer with the occasional periods of fasting to reflect deeper within ourselves to assure we are not in sin; we can see by walking into the Sanctuary on day one has granted us the Heavenly permit or permission to enter into the Most Holy Place once we come to that place in our walks wherein we reflect the Divine Nature Christ promised us. Being the obedient bride of Christ we all know this is the goal of our journey towards the perfection in Christ and so press on brothers and sisters, for as we look around today at the wars and rumors of wars, love of many waxing cold wherein they kill their babies in and outside the womb, more earth quakes per week than earth has seen the last 6000 years combined, homosexuality going global just as it did before the flood of Noah, 200,000 Christians being slaughtered each year by those that hate us and the calamites in nature that have nothing to do with global warming as the man of sin in Rome claims but have everything to do with what our own Bibles said will be happening in the very last days before our King Jesus arrives, press on and stand firm, for Christ has risen, and Christ will come again!

Next Sabbath I will share even more detail as to what happens when we finally have the faith to walk into the second vail of the temple of our God.

Now as we walk towards the second veil, we need to understand why the Lord commanded Moses to put the veil behind the altar of incense and right before the ark of the covenant. Hebrews 9:2-4 says, “For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary.  3,  And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all;  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;”

This veil was similar to the first one which hung at the entrance to the holy place in that it had certain colored threads within it. Notice what it says in Exodus 26:31-36, “And thou shalt make a vail of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen of cunning work: with cherubims shall it be made:  32,  And thou shalt hang it upon four pillars of shittim wood overlaid with gold: their hooks shall be of gold, upon the four sockets of silver.  33,  And thou shalt hang up the vail under the taches, that thou mayest bring in thither within the vail the ark of the testimony: and the vail shall divide unto you between the holy place and the most holy.  34,  And thou shalt put the mercy seat upon the ark of the testimony in the most holy place.  35,  And thou shalt set the table without the vail, and the candlestick over against the table on the side of the tabernacle toward the south: and thou shalt put the table on the north side.  36,  And thou shalt make an hanging for the door of the tent, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework.”

This veil has many significant features of which we will look into over the next few weeks. But starting right off we need to understand that this veil; and this includes the pillars holding it up; both represent Jesus Christ in many different ways. The obvious royal colors of blue and purple and scarlet that we see used as a mockery by the Roman soldiers against Christ at his scourging, which actually confirmed His eternal kingship and glory unto those with eyes that see; all the linen, sockets, wood, gold and silver which was used here are what we discussed earlier in this study series and all of it represents our Lord, Saviour and King Jesus Christ in one way or another, and so it is proper that we look into this veil to see how and why it was made.

Notice how Paul describes that veil in Hebrews 10:19-22 He says, “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,  20,  By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;  21,  And having an high priest over the house of God;  22,  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.”

Many may think we are in error for saying as Christians we can enter into the most holy place. But Paul states otherwise and it is obvious here that among other things, that veil represents the body of Christ of which without us walking in His righteousness we can never enter into that holy place.

We have been studying the Sanctuary now since February 17, 2018 and I believe it has finally become obvious in the hearts of most here that we can see why the apostate pastors stopped preaching or teaching it in any real detail that last 2000 years. Yes, they touch on it here and there, but I have only known one of them present it in any sort of depth in my lifetime. No, I do not use that which I saw in the study of that man as he was still in an apostate church when presenting it, and therefore he would be quite confused when it comes to speaking on things that say he must leave apostasy behind if he is to be worthy to gain entry into the most holy.

But the reason Satan removed this amazing truth from the pulpits over the centuries is obvious in how it opens up the Bible in ways never before seen. How many times have we seen over the last year and a half or so how certain items in the Sanctuary bring forth truth in areas of the Word we never understood before. When we dig into this truth we find prophecy and even hard to understand doctrinal truths open up to us and that is why the Lord moved us back in 2018 to start studying this because the days are coming when prophetic events will come to fruition in ways most will miss. In fact that day has already come. Case in point, look what happened in 1844. Their great disappointment was all based on a misunderstanding of what “cleansing the Sanctuary” meant due to Vatican infiltration into many areas of Christian theology. And today, even the SDA church is openly embracing Vatican dogma and tradition as truth.

Soon; and even now prophetic events are fulfilling all around us and unless we understand all aspects of this Sanctuary we will not know where Jesus is in all this we see happening and we certainly would not know where we need to be at any given time as well.

The veil represented Christ in the flesh who as we know was made sin for us. And the fact that huge veil was hung on four pillars clearly illustrates Jesus Christ as He is described in the four gospels.

This veil separated the priest from the most holy place where as we know is the Shekinah glory of our Father in Heaven that floats above the mercy seat. And so we can see that this veil that splits the tabernacle in two shows how we are separated from our God by the sins we have within and of the flesh. But Jesus Christ took all our sins upon Himself when He hung on that cross. He allowed His flesh to veil His divinity so as to be that perfect sacrifice which allowed Him to remove that separation from the very God we seek after and then once we accept Him as Lord and Saviour we are no longer separated from the Father.

Hebrews 12:24 says that it is “Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.” And so He became the Mediator between God and sinful man which then allows us to see Him as He is. This is why that temple veil ripped the moment He died. We now have access to the Father like never before. And when all that is entailed in salvation right down to the day that eastern sky splits and the act of redemption is finished, we will then see the prophecy as it was penned in Revelation 21:3 which is, “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.”

That in and of itself makes heaven truly heaven unto us as such a blessing as this will remove those dark glasses we look through from that day forward unto eternity.

Looking again at that torn veil we can also understand why it was torn. Paul declared it to be His flesh and the reality is that Jesus Christ’s flesh was indeed torn for us when He died so as to grant us eternal access to the Father. In fact it was also a prophetic sign given by Daniel who declared in Daniel 9:27 that Jesus “shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease...”

Now do you see why the Jews to this day declare Daniel a false prophet; and Rome twisted the week of Daniel to make it comes off as a seven year tribulation instead of the most loving act of God ever recorded in the history of the universe?

The Jews declare Daniel false because this week of Daniel exposes them as the killers of Messiah. The week began the very moment Jesus was baptized, and then three and a half years later He dies at their hand and the veil rips, and then to finish the prophetic week we see them stoning Stephen exactly 7 years after Jesus was baptized. Daniel’s week not only confirms the Sanctuary truth regarding the loving act of Messiah dying for His people, it also shows the true nature of the Pharisees as bloodthirsty animals who hate Christ and anyone that follows Him and so they were prophesied to not only kill Messiah, using a church and state means of doing so as we will soon see all 501c3 pastors do onto obedient Christians of today, they were also prophesied to kill the first Christian martyr which again we will see all 501c3 pastors take part in when they lobby for and get religious Sunday laws passed to cause all Sabbath keepers to be prophesied targets of their hatred of Christ.

And yes, this is why men like Stephen Bohr and others in the SDA church say the 501c3 is not the image of the beast. They claim only the government will mark and then kill the Christians when in fact the structure of the 501c3 calls them bold faced liars because as we saw with the Jews who used a church and state to kill Messiah and His followers, or we saw Rome using their church and state to kill 500,000,000 Christians during the great tribulation as Jesus called it, men like Bohr, Batchelor, Veith and all the rest in the SDA church will use their church and state power granted them under their 501c3 to lobby for religious laws and then persecute and even kill those of us that will not receive Rome’s mark.

But why does Rome twist the week of Daniel itself? Think about it.. This week of Daniel confirms the Sanctuary truths regarding salvation while at the same time gives a better understanding of prophetic definition. As I stated earlier, when we study the Sanctuary it opens up doctrinal and prophetic areas of the Word of God in ways that not only bless God’s people with a better view of the past, present and future state of the remnant church and wherever Jesus is standing in the prophetic history of things; Rome knows allowing Christians to have such truths terrifies the Pope to no end because once the Christian understands the Sanctuary, he or she also has a better grasp on the doctrinal as well as the prophetic Word of God. In so doing they can easily point out who the man of sin is and therefore define the spirit of Antichrist and his beast system in Rome with uncanny accuracy. And so of course the Popes of Rome had no choice but to burn Bibles as well as torturing and killing Christians who refused to burn their Bibles and then eventually rewrite the Bibles of today to invent their easily exposed prophetic heresies like a secret rapture or seven year tribulation.

Understanding truth like this is not only a major blessing unto God’s people, it is a major threat unto Rome and that is why when the loud cry gets extremely loud exposing Rome’s final agenda, its mark and even its fake Jesus who stands beside the Pope when Antichrist appears in his so called flesh, it is then they will pass laws to do as the Pharisees did unto Stephen so as to try and quench the truth we preach that moves many to repentance as well as the truth that Jesus is coming soon, and He will judge all who break His law unworthy to reside in the eternal city.

And yes, this is also why most Christians feel we keep the law to get saved. Their pastors have so twisted the truth about God’s law that the people have no idea that the mark is actually a religious law designed to belittle the eternal law of God. They actually think that we keep the law to gain Heaven by good works when in fact we don’t keep the law to get saved, we keep it because we are saved; and so as Isaiah 4:1 prophesied so long ago, most people will claim to be Christians even though their theology has nothing to do with that which is written. They will all think they are worthy of Heaven when in fact they are not. This is why it is so important to read your Bible on your own and stop basing your faith on what those wolves on the pulpits have been declaring as truth using edited Spirit of Prophecy books and Vatican approved altered Bibles. As of December 07, 2017 when the 501c3 was passed as permanent law, they are all government sanctioned Roman prelates now. Every one of them are Catholic men and women in the SDA leadership and they have all created the image of the beast in Rome to show their loyalty unto this world and all it has to offer. They can lie and say only the government will enforce the mark, but we have the unedited SOP books and unaltered Bibles that clearly say the mark is enforced by a church and state image of the church and state entity known as the Roman Catholic church.

Bottom line is this.. if someone told you the pilot was a drunk, would you still get on that airplane? No, of course not. You don’t want to lose your mortal life. And so why is it when someone tells you your pastor is drunk on the wine of Babylon that you still walk into his lair when in so doing guarantees you eternal damnation? It’s because of the long prophesied strong delusion that is upon most Christians of today. 

This Sabbath, let’s look once again at the veil in the tabernacle. And just so we are all clear on this. The temple veil is actually a record of the sins of the people, but this record was expunged each year. In the Sanctuary service it is obvious each sin offering is a confessed sin that was in transferred to the sanctuary. But just so you also know, it was not always done in the same way.

What I mean is, when the priest sinned or when the people of God sinned, in both cases we see that the priest dipped his finger in the blood of the sin offering that was presented and then sprinkled it seven times "before the veil." As it said in  Leviticus 4:6. And yes, doing it seven times was symbolic of complete reconciliation. And doing that seven times with every sin confessed, one can imagine just how bloody that veil was by the end of the year; which is fitting in that by the time Jesus returns to seal salvation unto the souls of many the confessed sins of mankind will be in the billions by then. And when He came to the cross He was covered in blood head to toe.

For the priest to use his own finger to sprinkle the blood shows the human connection of Christ in that which He did on Calvary for all of us. That priest represented our High Priest Jesus Christ. Dipping his finger in that blood means the priest’s own being was symbolically part of the equation that brought salvation to the sinner. But when Jesus hung on that cross, He was literally hanging there as the ultimate gift of salvation unto all. For it is written in 1 Peter 2:24 that “his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.”

With each sprinkle of blood made by the priest unto that veil he made a record of the sin and the fact it was confessed by the obedient child of God. And so confess brothers and sister, for it is also written in Proverbs 28:13 that “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.” And seeing how we know for a fact that probation has already closed on all the churches including the SDA church meaning it is time for the people to come out of them, soon probation will close on the individual people as well and we must not be found with unconfessed sin when that day comes or we will die in the plagues with all the wicked.

Each and every one of those sins remained on the veil until the Day of Atonement when they were all blotted out and the Sanctuary was miraculously cleansed. But if Christ returns at the finalization of the spiritual Day of Atonement that we are living through now; as the doctrine of the Investigative Judgment confirms, then every unconfessed sin will not be blotted out for us because the Lord will only cleanse the spiritual veil that has the blood of the sin offering on it. And that blood will never be on that veil unless we confess the sin that moves the Priest to sprinkle the blood seven times.

In other words, those that refuse to confess and repent, His blood shed at Calvary is never sprinkled on the veil for them and so the sin remains on the sinner. That is the prophesied New Covenant that so many twist out of context claiming the New Covenant says we no longer have to keep His law. The fact He literally died on that cross proves even He, the Creator of the Universe could not abolish His own law. And since sin is defined in such a way, we must heed the warning and obey the Lord. 1 John 3:4 says, “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.” That statement alone means the Law is permanent, it is eternal and it is rock solid.

In other words, just as king Darius was unable to change the law of his kingdom to prevent Daniel from being thrown into the lion’s den, Jesus Christ your King is unable to change His law to prevent your plight; for the law is the law be it in the kingdoms of men or the Lord’s kingdom of the entire Universe.

After all, who would want to live in an eternal kingdom that has wishy washy laws? At any moment the law could be changed placing everyone in the city in peril. But if the law is eternal, everyone gaining citizenship in there has perfect peace as residents of that city knowing what is expected of them and they also know how the Lord will respond on every point of the law. After all, is it not written in Malachi 3:6,  For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. Or what of Hebrews 13:8 that says Jesus Christ [is] the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

As we learned earlier the veil was cleansed of all the rotting stench of the blood that represents the sins of the people each year on the Day of Atonement. And no, they did not remove the veil and then wash it by hand, nor did they make a brand new veil to replace the soiled one each and every year. And it wasn’t just the blood on the veil either. There was blood all over the place. It was sprinkled as an offering for sin on the mercy seat, the golden altar and any other items wherein the priest transferred the sins of the people by the blood of the sacrifice they had offered.

Some may think that the priests would wash the items, and some people to this day think they can atone for their own sins by performing good works. But notice what it says in Jeremiah 2:22  For though thou wash thee with nitre, and take thee much soap, yet thine iniquity is marked before me, saith the Lord GOD.

In other words, scrub all you like, you will never remove the stain of sin from your life at all. It is forever before the eyes of God upon those that refuse to do as His will says is necessary for the atonement of sin. And as Bible believing Christians we know that can only be accomplished by the perfect sacrifice of Christ who spilled His precious blood all over the place on Calvary.

And so it is fitting that the veil, the mercy seat, the golden altar and all the other items in the sanctuary had blood all over them; for when Christ finally came to present Himself as the sacrifice, those that were reveling in their illegal powers which also performed the sanctuary services were in fact very bloody men.

That blood could only be cleansed in a miraculous manner just as Salvation is miraculous unto the sinner who knows his or her mind is changed. The washing away of our sins can be realized in reality by looking back on Calvary for the people of God back then and for all of us that accept Jesus as Saviour to this day. And so one can see the connection here when the sinner accepts Jesus as Saviour, all their sins are miraculously removed from their soul. And so again, it is fitting that all that blood was miraculously cleansed on the Day of Atonement in the same way we were cleansed when meeting Christ. After all, is it not written in 1 John 1:9 that “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Since the temple was to be cleansed to prophetically portray salvation which also illustrated the purity of Christ as well as a purified new born Christian, one can better understand the truth as it is presented in 1 Corinthians 3:16 when it says unto the new born soul, “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and [that] the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?”

And here’s another thing that shows the miracle of salvation.

Remember when Jesus was talking about how difficult it was for a rich man to gain heaven because he worships his riches more than His God? Jesus used the analogy of it being easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle to describe it. And no, He wasn’t talking about a needle we use today to sew clothing with. On Sabbath all the large gates of the city were closed to prevent trade on Sabbath wherein fully loaded camels could walk through easily. The only gates left open were needle gates that were a little larger than our doorways today. That means, if someone wanted to bring a loaded camel into the city on Sabbath they had to unload the camel, bring his load in piece by piece and then force the camel to literally crawl through the gate on his knees which I am sure was for the most part either impossible for some camels or a task that would take more than an hour to perform, if in fact the owner of the camel had already trained the animal to do such a thing. And so notice what the apostles said next; and then notice how Jesus responded…

Matthew 19:25-26  When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?  26,  But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

In other words, just as the blood that represents our sin on the temple veil was miraculously cleansed on the Day of Atonement in a way no man could ever hope to do himself, our sins are cleansed from our soul temples in a way we could never contemplate doing. Only Jesus could cleanse our hearts in such a way that would make us worthy of salvation. We can actually build a stairway all the way up to heaven and still never be able to enter into the city through the gate. And so praise His mighty name brothers and sisters. Praise the Lord for the heavenly and miraculous gift of salvation that is freely given unto all that believe in Him. That is why the prophet Isaiah was moved by the Lord to share this passage long ago. Isaiah 1:18  Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

I still find it amazing how the services in the Sanctuary illustrate the blessing of salvation in so many wonderful ways. But unless we study the Sanctuary and its services as most Christians today never do; then when we come across such statements like this from Isaiah, we don’t see the inner meaning to it nor do we see all that transpired to wash of us those awful sins. Yes, we can see the blessing of salvation in it, but seeing how it echoes that which happens on the Day of Atonement for all of mankind that has accepted Jesus Christ as Saviour, no most in the churches have no idea such a loving truth even exists in their very own Bibles.

Now it is time for us to actually walk behind the veil brothers and sisters. What an amazing place to be as children of God. Some think it strange that while on earth, our Lord, King and Saviour Jesus Christ never stepped into the holy Place let alone the Most Holy Place. But if the people were to study the Sanctuary itself, they would know that He had a much better plan in mind that exemplified all that the Sanctuary spoke of all along. And many forget that Hebrews 9:24 clearly says that “For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:”

Like every other citizen of Israel back then with the exception of the priest, Jesus remained in the courtyard. It wasn’t until His long prophesied work on earth was done at the cross that He could then continue this work for us. But now as our High ,Priest in Heaven.

When He ascended, He was then anointed to the priesthood and literally went into the Holy Place to do the work that we have been studying since March of 2018. And when the Investigative judgment commenced just as the prophet Daniel prophesied in his 2300 year vision, He went in behind the veil for us. 

And so, what does it mean to His obedient child to enter within the veil? One can see that to stand outside the veil means we are unable to follow the Lamb withersoever He goeth and since it is prophesied we the remnant people will follow Him and we do so right out of the claws of apostasy, what does it mean for us to be with Him behind the veil? I mean after all, even the Jews back then that did follow Him knew that when He left the court of the earth at His ascension, that He was to walk into the Holy Place and then later as Daniel declared, into the Most Holy Place. And since we are prophesied to follow Him, we shall.

Sadly however; the Jews that knew of the earthly Sanctuary as the norm for their way of life 2000 years ago, these poor souls were moved by Satan to deny the prophet Daniel as a true prophet of God because he also prophesied they would kill the Messiah. And so they were never taught how Messiah would never step into the Holy or Most Holy on earth because He had a much higher and perfect work to do in the Heavenly Sanctuary. 

Is it not written in Hebrews 9:11-14  But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;  12,  Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.  13,  For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:  14,  How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

But they knew not of His mission to save them because they persecuted, beat and even killed the prophets before Him and ignored those that warned them of their apostasy just as the apostate church does today. But we are a people of God and we will follow the Lamb withersoever He goeth no matter what the wolves and their offspring claim. To refuse to do so would be to call our God a liar.

We follow Him; for to refuse is to reject Him as did the Jews of old did as well as every lukewarm and apostate Christian on earth does to this day who by their actions refuse to truly see Him as Lord. Sure, as Isaiah 4:1 prophesied they do claim He is their Lord, but offering lip service is not what guarantees salvation. And so to enter within the second veil and into the Most Holy Place means we the people of God today accept the investigative judgment message of the first angel found in Revelation 14:7-12 and being obedient as we are we also declare angels number two and three so that when angel number four goes forth we will be blessed with the task to proclaim the Loud Cry.

But those that claim Christ is their Lord while openly denying His call to come out of apostasy while at the same time claiming to be the remnant people, are seen by the very Lord that wrote the Word to be in open sin. And so no, they will never enter into the Promised Land. In fact, they are those that are prophesied to weep at the end of those 1000 years right before the hellfire turns their body and soul forever into the ashes that will be under the soles of our feet. For it is plainly declared that the nonbeliever cannot understand what’s lost on that long prophesied day. Only those who claimed with their lips to be Christian but declared with their fruit to be sinful will weep for they will know exactly what it is they have lost. And they gave up eternal life just so they can sit in a pew with their family and friends worshipping a lying pastor over and above the Creator of man.

And yes, to obey the pastor over and above the Lord Jesus Christ and His written Word means that like Roman Catholics, the SDA people have been taught and do most assuredly worship the creature over and above the Creator Jesus Christ by ignoring the Lord’s written will for the will of the man they call pastor.

In short, if we don’t walk in this Light He has placed before us on the path to New Jerusalem; we shall be as the unbelieving Jews that rejected Him 2000 years ago. We cannot be double-minded or rudderless boats brothers and sisters. We cannot declare ourselves to be obedient workers for the Lord our God before our brethren and then go home to sit on our hands or worse yet delve into sinful things behind closed doors. There can be no half-hearted work from the remnant people who are following the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world. Preach, teach and share present truth about that which is going on right now behind the veil brothers and sisters. We must go forth and preach the truths as they are declared by all three of those angels for if we refuse we will never be blessed under the fourth angel to give the loud cry message.

And so ignore the flashy church buildings of the apostate government agents of Rome in all the 501c3 funded churches who use their filthy lucre to create high definition videos and television presentations to lure people into thinking they are blessed by their riches just as the Vatican prelates have done for centuries. Just as Jesus is not of this world, we too are not of this world.

We the remnant of her seed will struggle to put forth the message with the meager means we have at hand. And for those of you looking on in wonder if all that is proclaimed in the SDR church is truly that which must be declared, look again at the SDA church and stop lying to yourself. You know they are in apostasy, you know they preach error on many counts from Allah being their god to homosexuality being an acceptable lifestyle. Yes, it’s true that like Rome not all the SDA leaders will agree with those that preach sin as acceptable. But notice that the so called ultimate leaders in the General Conference have never rebuked these apostate pastors that declared sin to be acceptable.

So again, stop lying to yourself about such things so as to sit in a padded pew. For in so doing only sets you up to become ashes under the souls of our feet 1000 years from now.

Thousands of God fearing people all over the world are embracing the truth as it is presented by the obedient people of God in the true and final 11th hour remnant church. Even this cannot be denied as the apostate pastors are visibly angered at how their million dollar presentations cannot keep the obedient souls in their pews pumping the cash they need to keep their pockets bulging.

For it is written in Joshua 24:14-15, “Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD.  15,  And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

Stepping into the Most Holy Place we see the Shekinah glory of the Father. This is where the Father would have close contact with His obedient children through His High Priest. On earth, it was the High Priest who was allowed access into the presence of the Father one time a year on the Day of Atonement, and in Heaven it is our eternal King Jesus Christ who is right now standing in the Most Holy Place as our perfect Saviour, Judge and Advocate and when this spiritual day of Atonement finally ends, which we understand to be the Investigative judgment on earth, Jesus will drop the censor when the last soul is sealed by God or marked by Satan.

The Most Holy Place is without question the most sacred place in all the sanctuary.  As we also know it contains the ark wherein we will find the two tablets of God’s Law that are the perfect foundation of judgment of all of mankind further confirming their eternal permanence. For like any nation on earth with their laws, New Jerusalem, the city of the living God also has a law, and that law was there long before mankind was even created. This law was obeyed by the angels until one third fell in unison with Satan, who then tempted Adam and Eve with the hope of capturing all of mankind, which as we know failed 2000 years ago on Calvary when the perfect sacrifice for sin, our Lord, Saviour and King Jesus defeated him once and for all.

In that ark is also the pot of manna collected by Moses when they wandered the desert for those 40 years. That manna proved beyond a doubt that not only is our God capable of supplying our daily needs even in a lifeless desert, and not only food but clothing for as we also know not even their sandals wore thin those 40 year, this manna shows the power of our God in that He did all this and supplied their every need from the water they drank to the manna they ate in a desert of all places. And then we see the lifeless staff of Aaron that actually budded as a way to declare God’s choice so as to stop the murmuring of the people. Aaron and the house he came from, which is the tribe of Levi, were at that moment declared priests unto the Lord to perform the services of the Sanctuary.

And then looking at the lid of the ark of the covenant we see the mercy seat which resting upon it between the angels is the golden censer. And for those of you that never knew that, it says this in Hebrews 9:3-4  And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all;  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;

This was placed in there on the Day of Atonement, but the other days of the year it was in the Holy Place on the altar of incense as they were both used to burn incense.

On the walls as we learned earlier are planks of shittim wood covered in pure gold. The golden angels on the mercy seat as well as the veil and the inner covering which had pure gold wires embroidered into it must have been a sight to see. And with the smoke of the incense diffusing the pure light of the Father’s Shekinah glory all throughout the tabernacle; one can only imagine the beauty of it all. Not to mention the blue, purple and scarlet colors of the ceiling and veil, with all the gold reflecting a golden hue unto them could be seen as a fitting representation of the rainbow around the throne of our God.

As beautiful as all that was to look upon, it can’t even compare to a fraction of the glory of the true Throne of our God in Heaven. And to think, mankind prefers the darkness and putrid stink of Satan and his fleeting delusions of grandeur on earth and man even grasps at these ropes of sand as he grows old and wrinkled ignoring even his own body warning him of impending death.

But we, the remnant people will stand for all eternity in the unadulterated vigor or eternal youth before the God of all creation. And it’s all a gift unto those that simply believe and then accept Jesus as Lord.

This Sabbath we will touch on the Day of Atonement when all the sins that soiled the holy and most holy place were cleansed in a miraculous way by the Lord. But what many fail to realize is here is that only the confessed sins were blotted out.

Notice what it says in Psalms 32:5  I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.

And why does the Lord forgive us our sins? 1 John 1:9 says that “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

In other words, unless you acknowledge your sin unto the Lord as the prophet king David said, or as John puts it, you confess the sins, then the Lord will forgive you.

1 John 1:7 also says that “if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”

And since 1844 we as a Bible studying prophecy understanding people of God know, we have all been living our lives day by day going through the antitypical Day of Atonement. Not only can this be proven by serious Bible study as we already know, and not only can this be seen as valid when we see what Jesus said in Revelation 22:12 which was, “behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.”

How I ask can He have the reward of eternal life or the reward of eternal damnation already decided unless He had previously investigated every case dead and alive on the earth?

Plus notice this. And what I am about to share is something Baptists with their once saved always saved theology need to look into. Notice Revelation 3:5 that clearly says, “He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.”

And so the question that arises here is, how can He blot the name of the Christian out of the book of life after they have already accepted Him as Lord? Again, the Baptist needs to look into this as this once saved always saved doctrine can’t hold water here. The basic biblical and common sense reality here is; to be in the book of life as we see He is saying here in verse 5 actually means they are slated as being heaven bound. This is why so many hate the doctrine of the investigative judgment. It not only scares the daylights out of them, it also flies in the face of their false theology and in these last days wherein all denominations, including the SDA church, place their man-made creed above the Heaven inspired Bible of the Lord Jesus Christ and believe that as long as they claim Jesus is Lord they need not confess.

But if He really was Lord they would actually confess. This is how crafty Satan is when it comes to changing the truth into a lie. The fact people believe in a Sunday Sabbath, eternal life in hellfire, or even a secret rapture proves this all hands down simply because none of what I mentioned and more similar heresies are nowhere to be found in the Word of our God.

Those that prefer to revel in sin just as the dog that returns to his vomit because they don’t like the idea that they can come to know Jesus one day as a real and literal Saviour from the hellish damnation and then continue to be judged to see if they are still worthy of salvation the next day as well. Or even the next 1000 days or the rest of their lifetime. That means they think they have to watch their p’s and q’s every step of the way and that scares them to no end because they know the flesh cannot do this. They forget somehow that they declared Jesus as Lord who promised to be with them even until the end of the world. It seems they also forgot what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:31 “…I die daily.”

The only reason they believe these lies is because these are they that don’t read their Bibles daily, and even if they do read it once in a while they do not believe or trust the Word. They have forgotten that they can confess their sins and have them cleansed off their souls just as we see done on the Day of Atonement. And since we are going through the great antitypical Day of Atonement as we speak, they can have those confessed sins wiped away each and every day they confess them just as easily as the Jews did each year they came unto the Day of Atonement.

And they have also forgotten what David said in Psalms 68:19 which was, “Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation.”

And for those that need a bit more clarity on what he just said, notice what Paul said in Philippians 2:12. He said, “Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” And how often did Paul declare this should be done? Again, in 1 Corinthians 15:31 he plainly said “I die daily.”

And so die daily brothers and sisters. When your flesh demands you sin in this manner to that manner, put down that sin and let that part of your sinful flesh die that day. The next day when the Holy Spirit speaks of yet another sin you never knew was wrong to do, put that one down as well and so on and so forth. We are in the last days brothers and sisters and Satan knows his time is short and so you must expect that at every turn he will place something in or near your path so as to distract you even if only for a moment to get you headed back towards his path of death and destruction and so keep the faith, fight the good fight and die daily of self until you emulate Jesus Christ in such a way that the Latter Rain falls upon you in such abundance that when they come against you on that great and dreadful day their weapons will fall useless as their side as you look upon your King Jesus who is splitting the eastern sky globally to the point that even the reality of the wicked souls all around us shudder in abject fear knowing that Christ is risen and Christ has just come again.

Never forget brothers and sisters, today, in fact every day until the censor drops from our Lord’s hand in the Most Holy Place, the Judgment is set, and the books are and have been opened for 175 years.

And so even today, the cases of the dead in Christ who served the Lord with love and obedience whose names have been written in the Book of Life the day they claimed Christ Lord. Their lives now spent are coming in review before the greatest Judge in the Universe. At the same time, those of us that are still standing, we too are being judged because common sense dictates that sooner or later those plagues will start to fall and when they do judgment is done. Our God just can’t end all life on earth one day just to make it easy to judge us all. He must and will be glorified just as He was in Moses’ day at the Red Sea but only now on a global scale. And again, that’s what scares those that look at loving Jesus Christ as a future duty they must work on at a later date instead of a daily walk with Him right now.

This reminds me of when my wife and I used to go to daily mass before leaving the Catholic Church. It was always a short mass of around 15-20 minutes and only a few attended. At most we saw upwards of 7 or 8 people besides ourselves sitting in the pew. And all of them were 60 years old and older. The mindset of the Catholic is reminiscent of the mindset of the entire world wherein they all think that when they are young they can party on embracing sin on a daily basis and when they finally grow too old to enjoy it, they figure then they can repent and make it home to heaven. But it doesn’t work that way. In 2 Corinthians 6:2  “…behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”

But Satan has many thinking they will never die till they get old and so they party it up and plan to make their paths straight when they are so old that the Lord cannot use them to do much work for Him due to the fact their ill spent youth has diseased their bodies so much that they can no longer work effectively for Him; they figure it is then they will stop all their sin and make things right with the Lord as if that’s even possible.

That is why so many hate the truth about the fact they are being judged right now. They come to realize this means Jesus can come at any moment as they romp and frolic in sin long before they are old and broken-down. They want the option to sin when they are young and beautiful and repent when they are old and crippled.

Worse yet, even now a shaking is occurring wherein many, young and old alike who think it is ok to sit in apostasy hoping their pastors are correct without so much as opening a Bible to see for themselves and so they decide to believe these wolves that like the Pharisees of old said it is wise to stay with the sinking apostate ship.

When that final day arrives, they will have no one to blame but themselves. And this is especially true in the SDA church wherein they had the truth at one time, and still do if they just open the KJV Bible and get the original Spirit of Prophecy books from Vbates.com.

A sobering thought today is that all that they do today will make them hear the Words of Christ as a distant and bone chilling echo regarding their fate on that great and dreadful day knowing they should have followed Jesus and not the wolves they call pastors. For when He was instructing His apostles on how to deal with those that refuse the truth they preached, He said this in Luke 10:10-16 “But into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you not, go your ways out into the streets of the same, and say,  11,  Even the very dust of your city, which cleaveth on us, we do wipe off against you: notwithstanding be ye sure of this, that the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.  12,  But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable in that day for Sodom, than for that city.  13,  Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon, which have been done in you, had a great while ago repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.  14,  ..it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment, than for you.  15,  And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted to heaven, shalt be thrust down to hell.  16,  He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me.”

Did you catch that? After warning them of their fate if they remain in sin He declared that if they despised the apostles and those of us to this day that preach exactly as His Word declared it be preached, that would mean that they deny Him, Jesus Christ as Lord. For it is plain before the eyes of many already that the remnant of her seed who are not defiled by those apostate churches do in fact preach as it was prophesied to be preached and so to deny the facts laid out by God’s remnant people that stay absolute to His Word is the same and denying the very God that wrote that book because we know we have not written a single line in the Holy Writ. All we can do is echo that which brings them in, or angers them that hate His truth. So be it, for that too was prophesied.

And so, as we stand in this antitypical Day of Atonement, Which fate is yours by choice brothers and sisters? Will you be cleansed by the blood of the Lamb of God who takes away all sin? Or will you be forever cut off for ignoring the Lamb of God that shed His blood for you so as to bless you with a free gift of eternal salvation?

Not many know this, but as I was doing my research on this I found that the Most Holy Place was also called the Glory Room by some Jews because of the Shekina Glory of the Lord being in that room. But that all being said, how does this pertain to us? Notice what Jesus said in John 17:5 which is, “And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.”

This wonderful glory that Jesus had with the Father since day one is key here. That statement Jesus is making here was made when He was praying in John 17, which by the way proves the “Our Father” as some call it is not actually a prayer. It’s an outline on how to pray. The fact Jesus gave this outline after the apostles said “teach us to pray” in Luke 11:1 confirms it as such for if Jesus wanted us to repeat this as a prayer over and over again, then why would He have prayed in the way He did in John 17, wherein He uses that very outline He gave them in Luke 11. For Jesus also stated in Matthew 6:7 that “when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.”

And as we learned earlier in our studies, the word “heathen” that is used here is actually what they called Pagans back then. It comes from the Greek word “Ethnikos” and it’s found in Strong’s # 1482 . It has a few definitions like strange, foreign, pagans, alien to the worship of the true God, or of the pagan, the Gentile.

And yes, this is why the Roman church commands their flock to repeat novenas and rosaries every day. Roman Catholicism is based on Paganism to the core. I have covered it so often here that I don’t feel I need to repeat myself or even share Vatican quotes wherein they admit all this with a strange pride.

Bottom line is, if the Bible says don’t do it, the prelates in Rome will always find a way to confuse the truth to make the people do it because as card carrying Satanists as the Vatican prelates were recently exposed as per the prophetic fulfillment of 2 Thessalonians 2:3, they are hell-bent on the glorification of Satan and so this is to be expected today.

But getting back to this glory Jesus has had all along, notice what He said later on in the prayer He prayed just before being arrested. He said this in John 17:22 “And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:”

By the way, why haven’t those that declare Jesus, the Holy Spirit and the Father are a one God blob like the Vatican preaches; why have they never used this passage in their theology? It is because they know to have all of us to “be one” even as Jesus and the Father are “one” exposes their lie about a one God blob. But that is what they preach, and since they preach it that way, then they must also declare by their own printed standard of definition that there is only one Christian on this planet that walks with God. Yes, there are hopefully millions today all around the world, but because Jesus said we will all be one as He and His Father are one, these people are exposed and in error because since they define Jesus, the Father and His Holy Spirit are all one, and the same terminology is used by Jesus Himself about His followers, and we all know there is not a million headed blob on earth calling itself Christian, they are again easily exposed as preaching for Rome.

But getting back again, how do we obtain this glory Jesus says we will be one with Him and the Father in?

It can only be granted through a personal life long Christian experience. When we walked into the courtyard of faith, the righteousness of Christ was then given unto us. This righteousness of Christ covered all our past sins the very day we accepted Him as Saviour. As we walk day by day towards that Most Holy Place He is always blessing us with reconciliation and justification as we follow His will regarding how we work out our own salvation daily as Paul said.

In other words, once we walk into the holy place, His righteousness now being upon us, which by the way has freed us from the power of sin, as we continue to obey and stay on the path that leads to a sanctified life, and if we remain faithful all the way till the end of life or when the latter rain falls and we stand alive at His coming, it is then we will be given our glorified bodies as is illustrated in the most holy place.

Justification leads to sanctification which then leads to glorification; which again will happen on that great and dreadful day our King returns.

In detail we see this in 1 Corinthians 15:49-58 “And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.  50,  Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.  51,  Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,  52,  In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.  53,  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.  54,  So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.  55,  O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?  56,  The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.  57,  But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.  58,  Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”

If we want to overcome and be part of that number, We need to be sanctified "wholly." Day in and day out our focus must be on preparing for the coming of the Lord. In fact, we are to do a work no other have done and so more is expected of us than any other time in the history of man. And rightly so for is it not written in Luke 12:48  “… unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.”

And some may wonder how is it much has been given us when it doesn’t appear that way even now. But look around; in fact look back a few decades or even a generation or two. We have seen so many prophetic events fulfill in our generation and even more so in the last few decades that yes, much has been given us in the way of seeing that which the patriarchs and prophets wanted to look at and better yet, we are then called to declare such truths as they are revealed and so much will be expected of us to do just that.

And by the way, when someone calls you a prude or old fashioned because you keep the Sabbath, refuse to eat unclean foods, or even refuse to have a TV in your home so as not to be affected by that which the world is drenching everyone else with on a daily basis; let them know about Enoch, who was in the midst of a very evil generation yet was able to overcome such things and be translated to heaven in the same way the Gideon band will be translated very soon without seeing death, or even Noah and his family who in the midst of a disgusting and perverse generation with even more evil than there was in Enoch’s day and just as evil as our day is racing towards today, all 8 of them on that ark refused to follow all the people of the world.

Think about that for a moment. Today we can find like-minded brethren in the world. Granted they are far and few between and that is why we meet online on Sabbath because most of us live hundreds and even thousands of miles apart, at least we are in agreement with the same truth our Father in Heaven has revealed and we stand alive during this wicked time on earth seeking to overcome and be blessed of God with the Latter Rain. Noah and his family were 100% alone on this one. As they waited for the rain that would bring about the end as they knew it, there were no people anywhere near them or anywhere else on earth for that matter that believed as they did by the time the rain started to fall. Within 7 short days after the Father closed that ark door they had confirmation more blunt than any man before that what they did for the Lord regarding that ark was done in absolute faith and obedience because all those people that laughed and ridiculed their every move for 120 years were now either banging or clawing at the walls of the ark while those they claim were loved ones were drowning under them. And as I see how the love of many has waxed cold today, I am sure some of those people stood on the bodies of their own children to gain every last breath of air they could as the waters rose upon them.

Yes, there were some that were close in faith as Noah and his family were; but they were allowed to die off before the flood came just as many will die off in our day that are close in faith. They will of course make it to heaven safely yes, but in order to get there many will have to die as they cannot handle what’s coming upon the earth when probation closes on mankind and especially those that refused to obey the Lord about coming out of apostate churches. Those plagues are global and will be a very intense time for all. And so the loving and merciful father allows them to go to sleep during such times.

My point is that like Enoch who stood alone in his day, Elijah in his, Noah and his family not only stood alone, there were absolutely no one else on earth that could join them on that ark. Knowing how wicked the people were, for as Jesus said in Matthew 24:37 “But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” One can rest assured that they were mocked daily for their faith in the Lord’s warning that a flood was coming when up until that time nary a drop of rain ever fell from above. As science recently proved, the planet watered itself from the great deep and the dew that was upon every living thing each morning.

Think about that. Every person on earth; the poor and uneducated to the learned man who could craft words in ways to convince many that a lie is truth and the truth is a lie, Noah and his family had all sorts of people slamming them for believing in something no one else on the planet believed. The peer pressure must have been off the charts if in fact Noah was weak enough to contemplate man’s claims over God’s command. But he wasn’t that kind of man. In fact, 2 Peter 2:5 says that “…Noah – [was] a preacher of righteousness..”

And so ignore what the world is saying. Ignore what your loved ones that do not believe the truth are saying. For it was also declared by Jesus Himself in Matthew 10:34-38  Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.  35,  For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.  36,  And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.  37,  He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.  38,  And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.

And so as Paul put it succinctly 2000 years ago in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-23,  Rejoice evermore.  17,  Pray without ceasing.  18,  In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.  19,  Quench not the Spirit.  20,  Despise not prophesyings.  21,  Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.  22,  Abstain from all appearance of evil.  23,  And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

I would like to start this Sabbath study off with a question: Do you, as a brother or sister in the Lord have a consecrated spirit in your heart? I am not talking about the Holy Spirit. I am talking about the spirit of the person. Do you have a loving way about you? Or are you one that is combative all the day long like Nabal of old? I would think most of us know the story of Nabal, but for those that don’t I will share two verses regarding his character.

1 Samuel 25:3  Now the name of the man was Nabal; and the name of his wife Abigail: and she was a woman of good understanding, and of a beautiful countenance: but the man was churlish and evil in his doings; and he was of the house of Caleb.

And to give you an idea of how churlish or cruel he was, notice what it says in 1 Samuel 25:14  But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal's wife, saying, Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to salute our master; and he railed on them.

And as we know, his wife Abigail went to David with that which he needed from Nabal and calmed the situation down. And then later on after Abigail told Nabal what happened he being sobered up now became very fearful as he no longer had the demon inspired courage he had previously from being drunk and he now appears to have gone into what we call a coma and died 10 days later. In fact it sounds like he was paralyzed with fear as it says he was like a stone. 

In fact, in 1 Samuel 25:37-38 it says that “it came to pass in the morning, when the wine was gone out of Nabal, and his wife had told him these things, that his heart died within him, and he became as a stone.  38,  And it came to pass about ten days after, that the LORD smote Nabal, that he died.”

All of us need to strive unto a consecrated or sanctified spirit within us. We need to have the Christlike spirit so as to reflect His image perfectly. Remember what the damsel said to Peter 2000 years ago?

Matthew 26:73  And after a while came unto him they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also art one of them; for thy speech bewrayeth thee.

I am sure that as today, back then the norm was to speak in a tone that depicted an angry or even a vulgar heart when asked to do things we do not want to do or even fear to do. I believe this is why after the young girl said what she did about Peter being a disciple of Jesus that he started to curse and swear so as to convince her he was not one that was changed by Jesus. Everyone knew of the gentle meek demeanor of Jesus and His followers and it surprises me how most that call themselves Christian today don’t have that same blessed conduct that can only come from a heart bridled by the Holy Spirit. After all, is it not written in James 1:26 that “If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain.”

Truth be known, James 1:26 is an Old Testament echo found in Psalms 39:1 & 50:23 which says, “…I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me. Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God."

This is one of the many reasons I block people that slander me in email or YouTube comments because such words can lead to damnation. I know what Jesus said in Matthew 12:36 what was, “But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.”

I can recall the first time I noticed this change in my life and it blessed my heart deeply. I no longer used the four letter words as part of my conversation and no longer did I desire many other things, like drinking and such. They all just stopped suddenly and I never noticed it till much later. Even many years later when a young man that I was befriending so as to introduce Christ to him said he thought it strange that I never used curse words, even though it was years later it still struck me as amazing even though I didn’t let on about it. Jesus really does change the heart. He really is that close to us when we accept Him as Lord.

But this is not to say that I am perfect. As I still wrestle at times with being tempted to be angry and lash out. But praise His mighty name that His Holy Spirit is still working with me on this as I even to this day see changes in me. But again, I am not perfect, and so I am striving unto that perfection as we all are.

Satan knows all our weak points because he is the one that cultivated them from day one and so as Paul said, we need to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling and even die daily of self if ever we are to be one with Christ.

We all have our issues and the enemy of souls will not give up on tempting us to embrace them as we did in the past and so be prepared brothers and sisters. And for those of us that will be part of the Gideon band. Satan will especially focus on us in ways that would overwhelm most Christians but we have a precious promise in the Word of our God that says in 1 Corinthians 10:13  There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

And keep this in mind while standing in obedience to Christ during the plagues. Revelation 3:10 says that “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.”

It will be rough, yes. After all, it’s the plagues that build up to a much worse time called Armageddon. But we worship a God that does not lie and so when He said He will keep us from being tempted to despair or any other temptation from the dying god of Rome, I believe wholeheartedly that we will stand firm.

But we need to keep in mind that before that day comes we have to have the character of Christ which leads to being partakers of the divine nature or we will crumble into the plague ridden fog that is running rampant all across the globe. And how do we get there?

Well first and foremost we must prepare now, right now in fact. We know what’s coming because we trust our God and His 100% accurate prophetic Word and promises. But what we don’t know can and will kill off some of us and that is the timing behind all this.

What I mean is, yes, we know what’s coming next every step of the way, but we do not know the day and hour of any of it. This is besides the fact that some like SDA pastor David Gates who more than a few times has proven you cannot set dates when the Bible you claim to trust says only false prophets do that. We know what’s on the horizon but we don’t know if it will come next week, next month or even next year. And so if we sit on our hands now we will most assuredly join those that not only set dates, but sit in the pews trusting those that do set dates. We will die in sin and nothing we can do will prevent that and so preparation is exceedingly important. And so how do we do that you ask? Remember what King David said that has blessed billions the last few thousand years?

Psalms 51:5-12  Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.  6,  Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.  7,  Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.  8,  Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.  9,  Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.  10,  Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.  11,  Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.  12,  Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.

We need to be ready for the return of Christ right now, this very second because even though we can know all about what’s coming next, without knowing the day or hour means to become lukewarm we are taking a chance by thinking we can coast along hoping we will get closer to Christ by taking baby steps towards Him.

Now yes, every step towards Christ is a good step. But as prophecy clearly reveals; eventually we need to start taking bigger steps. We need to leap forward towards Christ starting today. And so again, how do we do this?

There is one chapter from the Bible that all of us should consider studying and even reading on a daily basis so as to make sure all that is declared here is not something any of us lack in. The divine nature of Christ is not one that would have issue in any area here listed. All of us; myself included have much work to do in many areas mentioned in this chapter and so please listen as I share this chapter with you. And I pray sometime this very Sabbath you read it again in the place you like to be when in private prayer so as to concentrate on hearing what is being said here so as to take stock in ourselves to see if we lack in any area that is mentioned here in 1 Corinthians 13:1-13, which says, “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.  2,  And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.  3,  And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.  4,  Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,  5,  Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;  6,  Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;  7,  Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.  8,  Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.  9,  For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.  10,  But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. 11,  When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.  12,  For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.  13,  And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.”

As we still head towards to most holy place in our studies we must understand that as Christians we are to not only walk in obedience to the Holy Spirit, we also need to realize our human spirit can get in the way of this walk as I shared last Sabbath.

And so what is a wholly consecrated spirit? What does this entail? The basic facts is that it is a Christlike Spirit. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 says that “Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,  5,  Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;  6,  Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;  7,  Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.”

Does that sound like you? Or do some of us experience the guilt of conviction in those words? I know I do. And so we all need work in this area do we not?

Remember what David prayed in Psalms 51 last Sabbath regarding his desire to have the Lord create in him a clean heart and renew a right spirit within him? What I didn’t read was what he then said afterwards. He says in verses 12-14 the following. “Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.  13,  Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.  14,  Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.”

If we are serious then we will be blessed when the Lord uses us to reach the people in need. If we bow to the Lord here then we will grow to become perfected in Christ and the best way to get there is to teach yourself to hold your tongue. James 3:2-5 says, “For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.  3,  Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body.  4,  Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth.  5,  Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!”

I have seen my tongue declare things that have hurt people I love and I have cried myself to sleep many times over the years due to my unruly tongue. And so I praise the Lord for His Holy Spirit that helps us to grow in Christ and even bridle our tongue for it is also written in James 1:26 “If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain.”

In other words, if you cannot bridle the tongue it’s because you’re human spirit is either moving towards demanding the Holy Spirit leave you or He has already left. This is why David prayed as he did wherein He sought the Lord to renew a right spirit within him so as to prevent the exodus of the Holy Spirit.

We need to keep in mind that for us to gain perfection in Christ so as to walk in the divine nature and gain entry to the most holy place we need to come to a place wherein we are measured not by the feelings that subdue us, but in how we subdue the inner man from lashing out. If we do this day by day and yes even hour by hour we will come to a place wherein we will reflect the love and meekness of Christ the Lord and then gain the abundance of His Latter Rain so as to go forth as we have been striving unto for years.

All of us need to understand that when we finally come to a place wherein we walk perfect in Christ we will be as it says I shared earlier in 1 Corinthians 13. We will be, patient, kind, without jealousy, we won’t seek to be exalted, we won’t get angry at the drop of a pin, we won’t be fabricating evil thoughts of our brothers and sisters in the Lord or anyone for that matter, we won’t rejoice in the sinful but instead be happy when the truth is embraced and we will have a blessed hope for those around us and even endure hardship for their sake.

David prayed, "create in me a clean heart, 0 God; and renew a right spirit within me." In Psalm 51:10. And so if we have a right spirit, our words and actions will be right. I am sure many of us have heard the old saying garbage in garbage out?  I did a video some years ago wherein I shared that as the Bible says, it truly comes to pass in the minds of the people. 2 Corinthians 3:18 says that “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

And so when we seek the purity of Christ we will come to emulate that same purity. But as I shared in that video sermon, if we want to watch violent sports, violent video games, violent movies or even violent music we will become violent.

Yes the scoffers of the world always chime in and say such things do not affect the human mind. I can recall as a child how the preachers warned the people about the dangers of Rock music and everyone laughed and said it’s only music. But had they done just a little bible reading they would know Satan is the angel of music and he knows how such things can change the minds of man.

Case in point. As a young man I had to memorize things so as to be able to help my father in business. He gave me a hand written script and told me to read each paragraph ten times. And when done with the first paragraph, read the second one 10 times along with the first and so on to the end. And then repeat it ten times. It took hours; but by the next day I was able to recite the script word for word without issue and did so daily multiple times in the office for years. But today, I cannot remember a single line from that script.

However, if I am in a grocery store wherein they are playing music from 40 or 50 years ago, I can recite the script or lyrics of that song word for word in my mind because it was locked down with music. And most of the songs I only heard a few times as they were not my favorite songs.

Now think about the people today who listen to the devil’s music over and over again all day. Or watch violent movies repeatedly, and so on and so forth. I titled that video sermon “By beholding we become killers” because what we see happening today in the world is exactly what was prophesied to happen. Satan is gathering and training his troops for Armageddon and so regardless of the fact scientists declare and prove with hard facts that violent music, games, movies and sports do in fact affect people in a bad way, Satan’s subjects will declare otherwise by the millions to make the truth appears to be a lie when in fact we all know it’s true.

As Christians we need to embrace God’s Word and the righteousness of Christ in ways that will bless us. And so instead of pumping garbage into our minds so as to spew garbage out. If we do as Philippians 4:8-9 says we will eventually emulate Christ. Instead of garbage in and garbage out, it will be Christ in and Christ out. For it plainly says in Philippians 4:8-9  Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.  9,  Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.

Paul isn’t just saying that without knowing it’s all absolute truth. If we, the true remnant people of God can see how the evils of this world affected us before we met Christ, then biblical instruction like this makes perfect sense and on top of that, we do see how Jesus takes the reins of the heart and we do come to reflect Him. And if we strive on harder each and every day with a consecrated heart, mind, body and soul we will be counted in that number.

And what is a wholly consecrated body? It is a body under absolute obedience to the Lord in everything from what we look upon to what we even eat. We do this so every physical power will be in the best possible condition to do this blessed work for God. And if we do this, we will come to a place wherein Revelation 14:3-5 described us not just in prophecy but in reality. For it plainly says that “they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.  4,  These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.  5,  And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.”

And so I ask; Is this too high a standard to meet? For the lukewarm Christian who refuses to lift a finger towards obedience when it cuts into their vision of how they want to live their lives, yes. That is a standard they can never reach. But for those of us that want to be of the Gideon band, no. It is the norm because we know of all His promises unto us and especially one that is found in 1 Thessalonians 5:22-24 that says once we “Abstain from all appearance of evil.  23,  And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.”

One last thing I want to add here regarding the investigative judgment that is going on right now. Jesus says in Revelation 22:12  And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

When we look at the mercy seat we see a crown of gold all around the lid. We will get into this ark and its contents and all that entails starting next Sabbath. But suffice it to say, this crown represents the promised reward of God’s people who overcome the world. Jesus also said in Revelation 2:10 that we should not “Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.”

We are a peculiar treasure unto the Lord, and rightly so for when the world looks upon us in how we don’t do as they do, we don’t seek joy in the lies pumped into the worldy entertainment. We don’t even see joy in the violent sports. We don’t eat the same foods they do and this is all because we know and walk with the Lord. For we are undefiled virgins who follow the Lamb of God withersoever He goes and so when they mock you for obeying the Lord or persecute you because you refuse to sit in apostasy with those you love, remind them that you have a heart after God’s own heart and anything that saddens Him saddens us and we won’t so much as touch the unclean things of this world let alone embracing them as the norm.

They will not see what we do as anything special. In fact they will look down upon it. So be it. We are not of this world and we only seek to glorify Him that made the world. Not what’s in the world. And we are very much aware that it says in Romans 8:29-31  For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.  30,  Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.  31,  What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

Our Lord, our Saviour our King and Creator is the way to the court of the Sanctuary. He is also the door to the holy place and He is most assuredly the veil where we may enter into the most holy place. Just as we see the Godhead in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we see how this precious Godhead shows us the way the truth and the life as He has designed for us on day one. Jesus Christ died for us, the Holy Spirit is the promised guide for us, and our Heavenly Father is He that always provides for us. Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord indeed.

With the humbleness of Christ the high priest, who at this time was dressed in his white linen garments, entered the most holy place on the Day of Atonement. On that mercy seat is where he was instructed to place the golden censer. The smoke of that censer diffused the Shekinah glory all throughout the Most Holy. As believers in the Lord our God we know that within the ark, which is the symbol of God's throne, we find the Law of our God engraved in stone. On that mercy seat we see formed in pure gold the two cherubims whose wings touch each other and their faces bowed towards the ark of our God to show that even the angels of Heaven reverence the holy law of God, by which every soul in the Universe is judged.

Looking into the Ark of the Covenant itself and by the way, it’s called the Ark of the Covenant because it has God’s law inside of it. That law is the same law in both the old and new covenant. The only thing that changed between the two was that #1, we no longer have to kill animals as a sin offering unto the Lord because as John the Baptist said in John 1:29; Jesus is “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” And #2, the Lord promised to send His Holy Spirit to dwell inside us to help us keep His law. The law of God is eternal. And praise His name that it is so because none of us would ever want to reside in New Jerusalem unless all there were obedient to the law of the land. That law is the exact same Ten Commandments as found in the Old Testament as is also found in the New Testament. And yes, that includes after the cross of Christ wherein each and every commandment is found written in the Word after Jesus died for us.

Paul said this about how this new covenant works. 2 Corinthians 3:1-6  Do we begin again to commend ourselves? or need we, as some others, epistles of commendation to you, or letters of commendation from you?  2,  Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men:  3,  Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the 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 fleshy tables of the heart.  4,  And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward:  5,  Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;  6,  Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.

For Him to say "the letter killeth" means that when man is "under the law" his sin begets death because the Law of God (which is the letter being discussed here) cannot be compromised. If it could be compromised or even done away with as so many false prophets claim, Jesus would not have to have died for us. Sin begets death PERIOD. Anyone that breaks the law must die. And so the Lord Jesus decided to be that death for us. And so without Christ the letter of the law kills us as it was written to do. After all, is it not written in Revelation 21:27 that when speaking of that city called New Jerusalem it clearly says “there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.” But the Holy Spirit gives life back to us as we accept Christ as Lord and allow His Spirit to guide us into repentance and all Truth.

The law is eternal because the city is eternal. And to let a law breaker enter into the city as all the wolves claim can be done since their sermons declare the law was abolished at the cross, then Heaven will be no different than planet earth with all this sin and then we would have to deal with all this decadence for eternity. But no. Our God is an awesome God and He reigns in that city and His law doesn’t bow to political correctness. There is no self-serving corruption so that one man will gain power or wealth over another man. Sin defiles the temple of God and we are that temple and so this is why we confess and repent. But to claim to enter that city without acknowledging the law means we will never gain entry for it is also written in Revelation 22:14-15  Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.  15,  For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.

If you keep His law, you will live in perfect peace knowing no one will ever seek to break God’s law again so as to remove peace from society. God is not a weak God that will let power crazed politicians gain the upper hand by any means. His law is written in stone and they cannot change it.

So, onto those that accept Christ, the Word of God reveals the Spirit of life eternal. But those that do not accept Christ, the letter of the law condemns them to death eternal. Just like there are only two genders; just like there is only good or evil, there is also only life or death.

Getting back to the ark itself. Like everything else in the Sanctuary, the ark had detailed instructions unto how it was to be made. Notice what it says in Exodus 25:9-16  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.  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.  11,  And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, within and without shalt thou overlay it, and shalt make upon it a crown of gold round about.  12,  And thou shalt cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in the four corners thereof; and two rings shall be in the one side of it, and two rings in the other side of it.  13,  And thou shalt make staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold.  14,  And thou shalt put the staves into the rings by the sides of the ark, that the ark may be borne with them.  15,  The staves shall be in the rings of the ark: they shall not be taken from it.  16,  And thou shalt put into the ark the testimony which I shall give thee.

And if you notice, like many times before we hear in these instructions that the Lord repeats Himself when saying Moses was to construct the ark “after the pattern” that we all know the Lord gave him when he was on Mount Sinai.

It’s repeated because it was very important for the people to understand all that this sanctuary and especially the Ark entailed. It was a safe place to be. When the people of God went forth with the ark in an obedient manner, it became clear that God was protecting their every move. The enemies of Israel quaked in their sandals when they saw the ark because they knew God fought for them. But today, nary a Christian has any faith in God and when they go forth in spiritual battles they lose because God is not with them. He is only with those that obey Him.

Basic reality is, our God will not change His law for anyone just because that person is so loving and caring. The law is the law and it cannot be changed no matter what. But the wolves most people call pastors will not preach that and so, ever since God’s law became a byword in the church, and this is easily seen when you look at how they all break His law each week by claiming His Sabbath is changed, then it’s no wonder none of them have had any real evidence of God in their lives the last 1698 years. Rarely a prayer is answered by the Lord because since 321AD when Rome demanded people break God’s Sabbath to keep their Sabbath, the Lord stepped back because the people were now bowing to Rome.

Yes, some prayers were answered centuries later by Sunday keepers because they didn’t know the law was changed. The Bible was illegal to own or even read in the common language and so God winked at their ignorance as promised. But common sense breakage did hinder their prayers. And what I mean about that is, most knew it was sinful to do such things as steal, kill and lie. But they did it anyway and their prayer life ended.

Today; most Christians look at God’s protection as only needed whenever they’re scared about something. For some silly reason mankind seems to think he’s got it handled and nothing can befall him as far as he can see. But he ignores the fact that there are powers and principalities of the air hell bent on their destruction every waking moment. And as the last 6000 years proved; millions if not billions of times already; those fallen angels are very capable of getting mankind into their camp of death; and more often than not they do so in ways the people never even knew were possible. And yes it’s all their own fault for not reading their Bibles.

What amazes me here is that even something as secular and worldly as Webster dictionary actually defines the word ark as a place of safety or refuge. For it is clear, when you love the Lord and obey His Word perfect peace is upon you.

Yes, you still get trials like anyone else. But the obedient Christian knows their trials help them grow and so they go through the trials with smiles.

Do you recall what the Lord said to Moses after he and the people came upon that undrinkable water at Marah? After the Lord revealed unto Moses a natural method that would turn the water sweet, He said this in Exodus 15:26  And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee.

And what of this beautiful truth found in 2 Chronicles 7:14 which says If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

But because so many wolves preach the Law was done away with and it’s all Old Testament theology, they walk through life wondering where their next meal is coming from, where they can get a job before being homeless or even how will their sickness be healed.

And what’s really sad is how Jesus Himself weeps for them knowing that if they just look to Him He will change their lives in ways they will literally be shocked witnessing for the rest of their lives.

In Matthew 23:37 Jesus literally said, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!”

As we know, the law of God was put into the ark and covered with the mercy seat. And it’s no mistake that is a seat on that ark; for it symbolizes the throne of He that gave Moses the pattern for the ark in the first place. He is Creator and therefore Ruler of all in the Universe. And being His seat that would declare unto all that love Him that this seat was and still is the safest place in all the universe. Better yet, for His throne to be on top the very ark that contains His law shows how extremely consecrated and sacred our Father which art in Heaven regards His written law, for it is also His fundamental law as well as the eternal constitution of the eternal city we all call Home. New Jerusalem.

This ark of the Lord is something mankind needs to look upon as a treasure of God for in this ark is His law and unless you accept His Son as Saviour, you can never, nor will ever be able to keep His law for it is plainly stated in 2 Corinthians 3:3  Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the 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 fleshy tables of the heart.

In other words, we, the people of God that have accepted Jesus Christ as Saviour and King will obey Him due to His Holy Spirit within us helping us keep His law. This is the new covenant with mankind in fact. We do not keep His law to get saved as so many that trust the wolves who said the law was abolished believe. We keep the law because we are saved. That in and of itself is that fruit Christ said we will be known by. Only those that truly accept Him as Lord receive His Holy Spirit who promised to help us keep that law. And so when they say they are Christians, yet keep Sunday holy, then without even having to judge them, they told you point blankly that they are not Christians at all. For if Jesus was their Lord, they would be keeping His law. It’s just that simple.

Next week we will continue discussing the ark as this is a topic that has much truth contained within it.

Last Sabbath we discussed the Ark of the Covenant and how important it was to understand why the Law is in that Ark which is also the Throne of our God, we also need to understand that when the people of God promised to keep His law at Sinai they immediately fell into sin within a month of making that promise. That act alone shows how much we need God. Satan can gain that much control over us the minute we step off the path or forgot the promise we made to our Lord when we accept Him as Saviour.

The God of Heaven could have easily destroyed every one of them back then for breaking His law, of which they like us took a solemn oath to keep but again, we do not serve a tyrannical God who is chomping at the bit just waiting to snuff us out of existence the second we so much as contemplate sinning. He is our Father who will do all He can to prevent our deaths in hellfire.

But at the same time we need to keep in mind that our God is not a wimpy fabrication of the human mind wherein we can just call Him God when we feel like it. Do not think for a moment that the Lord will ignore your sin because He is so loving towards His creation. Mocking Him by claiming he won’t destroy you for your sins because He will just come up with another way for you to be saved is not how it is written. There is only one way to salvation and hellfire is a guarantee if we refuse the Remedy of sin and that Remedy of sin which leads us to salvation is Christ the Lord.

Our Father has already shown how merciful He is by giving us all a second chance and the heart tearing reality of that second chance is that He sent His only begotten son Jesus to die for us. No, Jesus did not have a brother names Lucifer as the Mormons who already bow to Satan is numerous ways claim. Jesus is the one and only begotten of the Father and therefore there is no other way to gain Heaven. The Father simply will not give anyone another chance after refusing the one and only true means of salvation.

Like those back in Moses’ day that were struck down by all those fiery serpents in the camp that refused to believe just looking at the brazen serpent lifted up on a pole by Moses would heal their mortal wounds in Numbers 21; many people today still refuse to look upon Jesus Christ who was lifted up on the cross to heal their spiritual mortal wounds that will bring about the physical eternal death of hellfire.

And so we as an obedient remnant people must do as we have been called and even prophesied to do in these last days. We need to obey this God we love by staying as far away from the edge of the path as we is humanly possible while at the same time do all we can to help those that do not see the truth as we see it.

That ark wherein His law resides was also made of shittim wood, which we learned earlier is the thorny acacia bush found in that region of the wilderness. And like everything else in the Tabernacle of God, that wood was covered by pure gold.

Exodus 37:1-2  And Bezaleel made the ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a half was the length of it, and a cubit and a half the breadth of it, and a cubit and a half the height of it:  2,  And he overlaid it with pure gold within and without, and made a crown of gold to it round about.

As we learned earlier, that gold represents Christ’s Divinity; and so this covering of gold within the ark and on its exterior represents God's all encapsulating divine protection of His law. Seriously, for those of you within the sound of my voice right now, how on earth can you believe those Sunday keeping pastors and preachers who claim the Law of God was changed when not only is He sitting on His throne wherein that law resides, but inside and outside that ark we see His divine protection all around that law preventing it ever being changed.

I mean the only way for that law to be changed would be to be both stronger than the ever living God of the Universe as well as more perfect, ever knowing, ever wise and have a divinity about yourself that far supersedes His to be able to even remove His law from that Throne He sits on.

When I look at Satan and see his ever dying ways and how even a babe in Christ with the faith the size of a mustard seed can cause him to flee in abject horror I see why our God can actually laugh at such a boast as this wherein mankind thinks God’s Law was changed. And yes, our God laughs. Check it out.

Psalms 2:1-4  Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?  2,  The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying,  3,  Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.  4,  He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.

And who is His anointed they come against as per the prophetic sense here? Three verses down it says this… Psalms 2:7  I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.

The wicked have come against the Lord since day one. And here we see how they continue to do so till the end. For in our day they claim His Law was abolished at the cross. They claim the cross was a waste of time in fact and that is why we see Jews seeking to erect a third temple and so called Christians seeking to help them do it.

If you look in the book of Acts you see how Paul exposes these people after that which was prophesied was realized. It says this in Acts 13:33-34  God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.  34,  And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David.

They came against the Lord when He walked among us, they came against Him when He arose for us, and they come against Him today when He declares His law has not changed by saying it did change at the cross and so again, because they seek to break the bands asunder wherein they can walk as they wish and still claim entrance into Heaven without keeping His law, “He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.”

Unless the lost accept Christ as Saviour that law will never be written in their hearts and they will never be saved from the wrath to come. And just as easily as our God can laugh, He is also very capable of showing His wrath. If it were possible to ask those lost that tested Him on this, I am sure the many people that drowned in Noah’s day, those that burned alive in Sodom and Gomorrah, or even those that drowned in the Red Sea just to name a few would say, there are no gray areas with a perfect God. His mercy seat is the exact same height as the brazen altar of burnt offerings.  His mercy is just as real as is His wrath; and in both cases it is the free will choice of mankind to experience either.

All the furniture items in the Temple, being made of gold and shittim wood was to represent the divine human character of Christ who was both man and God. And by the way, just as we can say it now that His Holy Spirit dwells within, so did Christ say it long ago via His prophet David in Psalms 40:8 when He said, “I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.”

And for those of you that are new to the Seventh Day Remnant truth, yes; having the law written in the heart is in fact the fruit Jesus spoke of when He said in Matthew 7:16-20 when He said, “Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?  17,  Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.  18,  A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.  19,  Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.  20,  Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.”

Many people claim to be Christians today but they break His law in many ways and especially on Sabbath day. In fact that is why Jesus said what He said next in Matthew 7:21  Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

The will of the Father is for us to be citizens of New Jerusalem. Basic reality is, if you break His law you cannot gain entry into that city any more than you can get out of a jail cell on earth after breaking man’s law. In fact ; when speaking of New Jerusalem, it says this in Revelation 22:14-15  Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.  15,  For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.

Everyone in the true and eternal city are those sinners that have had all their sins forgiven and wiped away as if they never committed them by accepting Jesus as Lord and Saviour who then wrote His law on their hearts so as to allow them eternal citizenship in Heaven. And all outside the city are those that as we know will burn to ashes at the end of the 1000 years.

And so again, when Jesus said “it is by their fruits ye shall know them” He meant that if they declare Him Lord as billions do today, yet keep Sunday holy and break other commandments without even thinking about it, they have not the fruit of real Christians. These are they that Isaiah 4:1 describes.

But if they call Him Lord and keep His law, that confirms the Holy Spirit is in them helping them keep it and so their fruit is easily discernable by those of us that also keep His law. In short, to rebuke those that declare we keep the law to gain heaven by our works, no. That’s impossible as every vling Christian knows to this day. We don’t keep the law to get saved, we keep the law because we are saved.

Next we look at the golden crown. Not only does this crown encircling the ark represent the many crowns Jesus is seen wearing in Revelation 19:11-13, which says “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.  12,  His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.  13,  And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.

And so again, not only does this crown on the ark represent Jesus, it also represents the many crowns He will put upon each of our heads if we remain faithful to His law all the way to the end; and as we know the only way to do that is to truly accept Him as Lord and not as the world does. For only Jesus can cause the promise in His Word to come to fruition in the hearts of His people.

The majority of Christians in the world only call Jesus Lord because they don’t want to burn in hell or look bad to their Christian friends as they walk through life before dying. In short, for them it’s all a masquerade that not only hurts those they influence in life, it destroys them when their life finally ends.

These Isaiah 4:1 type of Christians do not really call Him Lord. They merely use Him to their advantage. The fact they do not keep His law proves they are not His people because it is plainly declared in 2 Corinthians 3:3  Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the 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 fleshy tables of the heart.

This is the ultimate description of a 'written' Christian. The "epistle of Christ" is in fact His law! Hebrews 10:16 says, "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;"

And since it says His law is written in our hearts and He says He will put His law there when we accept Him as Saviour, that means we are His written living letter or epistle as it is called in the Word. And yes, this is why I use that term some of you are familiar with over the years. No I did not coin this phrase as far as I can remember but when I read 2 Corinthians 3:3 for the first time with eyes that see, either the thought came to mind or I was reminded of what I heard beforehand and what I mean is, how often have you heard me say, you may be the only Bible some people read.

That is what Paul is talking about here. To be an epistle of Christ is to be a walking talking example of His written Word and so be that epistle so as to bring souls into the truth wherein they too become an epistle and so on and so forth to the point there are so many epistles they become a body of believers and even a walking talking copy of the Bible itself, if in fact they are obedient and they do not soil the image of Jesus Christ.

And so, just as we see in the table of shewbread and the golden altar, this border of crowns on the Ark of the Covenant also represents the authority and power of Christ which is in fact the promised power over sin thereby making us the overcomers we strive unto so as to one day be in that number.

It is so very sad that most Christians today do not know about this promised power from the Lord because unless they read their Bibles daily they have no choice but to trust the wolf they call pastor to declare Jesus unto them, but these wolves do not know Jesus and so cannot even speak of His character to better educate anyone towards that divine nature. They only offer Christ lip service as Isaiah prophesied they would. They can in no way even reach the pinnacle of faith needed to not only represent Christ as we are all called to do, but to emulate Him in such a way that blesses many into seeking to know the Lord they love - and unless we take on the character of Christ we can never hope to gain entry into His kingdom. And no, this is not impossible to do. Remember this back and forth between Peter and Jesus one day?

Matthew 19:23-26  Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.  24,  And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.  25,  When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?  26,  But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

That’s one of the blessings with calling Him Lord in a way that our Father sees we are serious deep in the heart. Complete surrender means just that. We need to allow Him to guide us each moment of the day. When you are tempted to speak an angry word, stop at that moment and listen to hear His voice deep within you moving you to either keep silent, or restructure the words into a more loving manner. When you are tempted to look upon things you know is sinful to look at, do you even need to hear His voice at that time? Seriously, you know it’s wrong to look at such things and so it’s all on you at this point. Bowing to the flesh means you do not bow to Him as Lord as of yet and that means your god is now your flesh and your flesh cannot save you as we all know.

His voice deep within you will move you to reveal His love for you yes, but it will also allow you to move yourself at times when His love has already defined sin for you. A one sided relationship never works and so either you will learn to follow Hs lead or your will just walk away from Him altogether.

Look at it this way as well… if you were to marry a spouse who shows love to you every moment of the day yet you never show love back when the opportunity offers itself, how long do you think that relationship will last? Eventually the loving spouse will no longer appear loving to you in your eyes. You will then grow by indifference to expect your spouse to do as they have done all along as if it’s robotic in a way. And when it is time for you to do your part that can help the relationship grow, refusing to do so will ruin that relationship in your own eyes even more now because you will clearly see by then just how you cannot do as your spouse does and before long you will become angry on one hand and deaf and blind to that love offered on the other hand and then walk away completely because you no longer love them or see any benefit of being near to them in life.

As we know in the Word of God. There is no promise of a crown for those who do not accept Jesus’ love as He offers it. Accepting Him as Lord doesn’t mean He is a control freak as Satan tempts some to believe. Look at all those things Jesus reveals as sin and you will see that it’s actually Satan who is the control freak. Jesus gives us a choice to choose His love which guides us into peace and safety with every step and then eventually eternal life in His kingdom. He does not force His will on us at all. Love doesn’t work that way at all.

And, the Lord winks when we sin unknowingly. Therefore; He is not a control freak at all. But again, Satan is and when you refuse to sin as much as he commands; he will most assuredly use force when force is needed to both get you to sin as well as assure him he has you locked in his trophy case. He will torture and even maim his victims to move them to bow to his commands. And when they do so he guarantees them damnation in hellfire and then eternal death. And all of it is based solely on hatred. Not a jot or tittle of love is found in anything Satan has to offer, yet because no one reads the book of love written by their God and Creator, they don’t know what love is and assume Satan’s hate that offers them the pleasures of the flesh all the way unto disease and death is actually love because the flesh wants it and they assume then that is best.

Seriously, look at what his sinfulness grants humanity. On every point we see death and destruction. Now look at how the Christ grants humanity peace, healing and eternal life. Seems like an easy decision yes. But as Paul said long ago in Romans 7:22-25  For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:  23,  But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.  24,  O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?  25,  I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

No, Paul is not saying we can love God by keeping His law and then let our flesh revel in sin when the craving hits. He’s not saying that at all. Paul was a humble man. He was very thankful to Christ that even though he knew how weak the flesh was, Jesus was there to deliver him from the flesh. After all, Jesus walked a mile in our flesh and can relate better than any human alive, past, present or future. The flesh always wants to sin, but Paul’s mind is such that in Christ he is able to thank Him for deliverance from the flesh.

Plus when we repent of sin we still commit unknown sin the next day because of the weakness of the flesh. And when we eventually discover the sinful trait when the Holy Spirit reveals it unto us, we stop because the obedient spirit of the man is willing to obey the loving Holy Spirit in love.

To say in my mind I serve the law of God but in the flesh I serve the law of sin means my mind wants to serve God as much as my flesh wants to serve sin. It doesn’t mean I sin with the flesh and serve God with my mind. It means I have an enlightened mind thanks to the truth placed in there by the Holy Spirit so as to better fight the lusts of the flesh that I know all too well about. And this is why when the Lord reveals my sin to me, I know when I see the temptation coming my way I can make a conscious choice not to bow to it so as to bow to my Lord, Saviour and King Jesus instead.

Now let’s look at the staves that carried the Ark of the Covenant.

Like everything else in the Sanctuary the staves were also made of shittim wood and then covered with pure gold. They were then put into rings of gold on the Ark of the Covenant so the ark can be carried from place to place. And once brought to each place they were not allowed to remove the staves.

Exodus 25:12-15 says, “And thou shalt cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in the four corners thereof; and two rings shall be in the one side of it, and two rings in the other side of it.  13,  And thou shalt make staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold.  14,  And thou shalt put the staves into the rings by the sides of the ark, that the ark may be borne with them.  15,  The staves shall be in the rings of the ark: they shall not be taken from it.”

This was an obvious command of God. And in no other piece of furniture in the entire Sanctuary from the court to the Temple do we see such a command regarding the staves.

The reason for the staves to remain in the rings of gold is because once taken out of the rings a man would have to handle the rings to be able to place the staves back in and that was not allowed. Human hands are sinful and that Ark was to represent absolute purity and obedience to the Law of God that once inside the Ark of the Covenant made the Ark itself untouchable. This is why it says in Numbers 4:5 that, “when the camp setteth forward, Aaron shall come, and his sons, and they shall take down the covering vail, and cover the ark of testimony with it:”

The Ark was covered with the vail but the staves were obviously visible as they protrude from under the edges of the vail making it possible to carry the Ark of the Covenant without touching it.

Remember what happened to Uzzah when King David placed the Ark on an ox cart instead of being carried by the choicest Levites upon their shoulders using the staves? The strange thing here is that those staves were still in the ark and for some reason David only used them to place them on the oxcart. Could it be he did this because of what he knew of when the Philistines sent the ark back via a cart pulled by cows after they were stricken by the Lord for not only taking the ark, but placing it before their stone idol called Dagon, which to this day the Roman Catholic church worships. And this includes the people in the pews for they not only declare their Popes “Holy Father” which is to blaspheme the Lord, the Popes and prelates wear the mitre that is a direct copy of the fish head mitre of the ancient Pagans that worshiped Dagon.

Getting back to Uzza, notice this in 1 Chronicles 13:7-10  And they carried the ark of God in a new cart out of the house of Abinadab: and Uzza and Ahio drave the cart.  8,  And David and all Israel played before God with all their might, and with singing, and with harps, and with psalteries, and with timbrels, and with cymbals, and with trumpets.  9,  And when they came unto the threshingfloor of Chidon, Uzza put forth his hand to hold the ark; for the oxen stumbled.  10,  And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzza, and he smote him, because he put his hand to the ark: and there he died before God.

That Ark never would have faltered had it been carried as instructed by God in the first place. An ox would not know to avoid a certain dip or depression in the path ahead of him knowing it would cause the cart carrying the Ark to slip. The Lord declared that ordained Levites were the only ones allowed to touch or even look upon the ark uncovered. If this command was ignored they would die.

Numbers 4:15, "And when Aaron and his sons have made an end of covering the sanctuary, and all the vessels of the sanctuary, as the camp is to set forward; after that, the sons of Kohath shall come to bear it: but they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die. These things are the burden of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation."

Deuteronomy 10:8, "At that time the LORD separated the tribe of Levi, to bear the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to stand before the LORD to minister unto him, and to bless in his name, unto this day."

1 Chronicles 15:12-15, "And said unto them, Ye are the chief of the fathers of the Levites: sanctify yourselves, both ye and your brethren, that ye may bring up the ark of the LORD God of Israel unto the place that I have prepared for it. For because ye did it not at the first, the LORD our God made a breach upon us, for that we sought him not after the due order. So the priests and the Levites sanctified themselves to bring up the ark of the LORD God of Israel. And the children of the Levites bare the ark of God upon their shoulders with the staves thereon, as Moses commanded according to the word of the LORD."

The ark was to be carried on the shoulders of ordained Levites. Instead, David assumed it was ok to place the Ark on a cart pulled by oxen. He literally should have known better.

Some will doubt and say not so because the Philistines captured the Ark of the Covenant and placed in the house of their demon god Dagon. When the Lord smote them in a painful way for doing so they sent the Ark of the Covenant back home on a new cart pulled by cows. The Lord did not kill them for handling it or even placing it on the cart because they were not aware of God’s commands concerning it as David and all the Jews were aware or at the very least should have been aware as per their ordained positions in society. 

This reminds me of Acts 17:30 that says, And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:

The basic reality here is that Uzzah showed a distrust in God when the oxen stumbled. The fact the Lord was able to guide the ark back from the Philistines without it ever falling off the cart they built was obviously ignored by Uzzah when he put forth his hand to do what God had already done with the ark as it traveled from Philistine. Instead of waiting on God to prevent the Ark from falling Uzzah put it upon himself to do what he thought he must. And then died for it. I have to ask, how often do we as Christians put forth our hand to do something for the Lord without His calling upon us or approval of same?

The Law of God contained in that Ark was present and even kept by angels long before mankind ever bowed to that serpent in Eden. Me thinks the Lord had this one handled. But we all make mistakes in life. But when we have a thus saith the Lord and consciously choose to do it our way regardless as did David and even the Levites who were ordained to carry it, then like Uzzah, we too will die.

Next, we look at the Law of God itself in that Ark. What I find interesting is that the Law of God is also called the tables of the testimony. It says this in Exodus 32:15  And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, and the two tables of the testimony were in his hand: the tables were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were they written.

The word testimony is also defined as “witness” in Strong’s #5715. And that word is defined to this day as proof, evidence, affidavit, deposition, documentation, affirmation and so on and so forth.

This is fitting in that the “Ark of the Covenant” is also called the “Ark of the Testimony” in Exodus 30:6. This ark and the Law within it is all the proof that is needed that the God we worship is in fact an ever-living Creator God. His law is a witness unto His authority as God. In fact, it is the law of the land in New Jerusalem and so just as a criminal down here on earth is not allowed in any nation where he has been convicted of crimes which as we know are laws of the land that were broken. That criminal can however gain entry into the nation or city once rehabilitated and freed from prison. But anyone going to their graves without confessing their sins or criminal acts against the laws of the land in New Jerusalem, they have no chance at gaining entry to the city. They must confess and repent, or be spiritually rehabilitated before having their eternal fate sealed in death. For in death no man can do anything while in the grave. In fact it says this in Psalms 146:4  His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.

Pretty blunt isn’t it. But when I was a Catholic, or even after I left the Catholic church and became a Baptist, I never once heard this passage from any pulpit in either church as I recall. And now that I have been out of Babylon for so many years, I can see two reasons why this passage is avoided by them.

First of all, the obvious declaration that when you die your thoughts perish is something they cannot believe. For their man-made creed will not allow it. And like most that trust creeds over Scripture, they won’t preach or teach on it. That fact alone has caused this passage to be ignored by most.

But there is another reason at the start of this passage I can see now as to why they avoid it like the plague. It says “his breath goeth forth, and he returns to the earth.” Those that preach our souls become spirits in death can’t have this passage on their pulpits because it bluntly says the breath of life and not a bodiless spirit goes back to the God that gave it. Worse yet, the fact the Bible uses a pronoun here when saying “HE” returns to earth suggests the person that was once alive now goes back to the earth from which he came.

We all know we are made from the dust of the earth thanks to what the Lord did in creation week with Adam and what modern science has shown when you take human hair, fingernails, dead skin and even teeth wherein you grind them all up to a powder. If you bring them to a lab, as some have done, they have been proven to have the exact same properties as dirt from earth. For the Bible to use the pronoun “he” with the body that lies in the dirt and not that breath that goeth forth proves their theology of a spirit or soul going to Heaven is a lie.

Getting back to the criminal who breaks the laws of the land; if that criminal refuses to be rehabilitated he will then remain in bondage or prison as we call it today. The same holds true for the sinner that refuses to be spiritually rehabilitated by Christ when they confess and repent and then accept Christ as Lord. They too will remain in the bondage of sin and unable to freely enter the city of Heaven.

And so if they refuse Christ’s gift of salvation and never confessed their sin, then they will not be resurrected and then carried by the Lord to reside in Heaven after He splits the eastern sky. In fact, Revelation 22:14 clearly says, “Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.”

And so again, if you break the laws of the land on earth and refuse to denounce your actions, you will never be allowed in any nation or city on earth. Therefore those that refuse to accept Christ as their offering for sin as the Atheist, Muslim, Buddhists and billions of lukewarm Christians who define Isaiah 4:1 to a T do with their fake Christianity, they will not only be refused entry into the city, they will be placed on eternal death row to be burned to ash when the Lord returns with the city and the obedient people of God at the end of the 1000 years.

And did you notice? The Tables of Stone had the Law written on both sides. This is an interesting thing the Lord has done. It shows how easily human nature can be manipulated to believe certain things just because of the way mankind presents them to his fellowman.

All of us have seen the pictures of the Ten Commandments etched in stone have we not. And all of us have seen those commandments displayed on two tablets facing forward. But reading Exodus 32:15 again we see that “Moses turned, and went down from the mount, and the two tables of the testimony were in his hand: the tables were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were they written.

Notice what Deuteronomy 4:13. It says, “And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone.

Yes, we understand the Law to be on two tablets. But the word “THEM” used here indicates the Law was complete on both tablets. All ten on each tablet; the first four on one side and the last six on the other. This is why when Jesus referred to the law as numbers one and two when He said in Matthew 22:37-40 that “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.  38,  This is the first and great commandment.  39,  And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.  40,  On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

The first law is table #1 wherein the first 4 commandments are carved. And those four deal with how we show love to our God. And on table #2 we saw the last six commandments wherein if kept we show love to our fellowman.

Some church historians from long ago even stated that when the two tables of stone were folded together, you would see the first four on the cover and the last six on the back. And then opening the tables of stone you would see the first four on one tablet and the last six on the other tablet. As for it reading left to right, I am not sure but I can assume table #1 would be on the right as the Hebrew language is scripted right to left.

Keep in mind it was our God that carved those tablets. He does not have to follow our lead in how He chooses to write His law. Exodus 32:15 says "The tables were written on both their sides." If we are to take the Bible as it reads, it would appear that the commandments are duplicated, being written on both sides of the tables. That way, no matter which way the tables were folded one could see all Ten Commandments. Talk about perfect transparency when it comes to the laws of the land. This is something you will never see with mankind.

Looking into this I found some historical evidence on this wherein a Rabbi by the name of Abraham Ibin Ezra who lived from 1092-1167AD literally stated in his writings that the writing of the Law of God was duplicated on both sides. And those of us that trust the Spirit of Prophecy writings we know it was declared God’s Law was in fact on two tables that were folded like a book.

Also note that when we look at how the Lord repeats things in His Word so as to declare importance, it is fitting His Law would be repeated as well. In fact, His law is recorded Exodus 20:1-17 and then again in Deuteronomy 5:6-21. What many fail to realize is, and this is especially true in these last days; is that all Ten of the Commandments are also found repeated in the New Testament. And yes, they are also found after the cross of Christ when so many claim they were abolished on Calvary after He died for us. And so we can see the Law is spoken in the Old and New Testament, just as we expect it to be with a perfect unchanging God.

Another evidence declaring God’s repetitiveness is found in Ezekiel 2:9-10  “And when I looked, behold, an hand was sent unto me; and, lo, a roll of a book was therein;  10,  And he spread it before me; and it was written within and without: and there was written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe.”

Of course a book back then was what we call a scroll today. But notice that most scrolls were written on one side and then rolled up leaving the back blank. But this scroll was written “within and without” or on both sides just as God’s Law was. And yes, this isn’t the only time we see the Lord doing this. Notice this in Revelation 5:1  And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.

Here due to New Testament vernacular it clearly says as we would say today regarding how this scroll was written. It was “a book written within and on the backside.”  And that scroll had some very important info about the seven seals on it.

Or what of how the Lord will often repeat prophetic dreams when their content is important? Pharaoh had two dreams about the same thing that the Lord allowed Joseph to decipher and Daniel had the exact same dream as King Nebuchadnezzar so as to help the king understand the dream.

Some may look at this as not a true repeat because two men had the same dream instead of just one man having the dream but the reality is, that dream was in fact repeated symbol for symbol to both the king and Daniel. And that dream spoke of every nation till the end of time.

And by the way, if you look at the dreams Daniel had in chapter 7 and then the dream in chapter 8; you will see they are two different dreams, but the content is the same as they speak of the same kingdoms that will be on earth till the end of time that were mentioned in King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream back in chapter 2 further confirming the fact our God repeated that dream once again so as to solidify its importance as well as give us, the students of prophecy in the latter years the additional info we will need to understand it all.

In fact the ten toes in that dream of the king, speak of the New World Order that has already been declared to have split the world into ten separate nations they called kingdoms” in the transcript that was made public from the club of Rome decades ago. I have a few videos on that dream along. Just look up ten toes on my YouTube page.

And so, getting back to why God repeats things. Why then is His Law repeated on the tablets? It’s because it is very important for mankind to understand His law. In fact it says this in Ecclesiastes 12:13-14  Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.  14,  For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

This Sabbath we will look at the ultimate reason the Law of God is so important and unchangeable …

There is nowhere in the Bible a more deliberate illustration of the importance of God’s holy law than in the Most Holy Place of the Sanctuary. As we know by studying the Sanctuary, the throne of the ever living God is a blood sprinkled throne. In fact, without the spilling of blood we know that there is no other means to approach the holy God of the Bible.

And yes, this is why Satan attacks God’s holy and eternal law in the way that he has the last 6000 years. This is also why Jesus said in Matthew 7:20-21 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.  21,  Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

In other words, the fruit of the true New testament Christian has to do with obedience and how they keep God’s law. The dying enemy of our souls knows this and we see his focused attack on it in the Bible.

In Esther’s day Satan tried to force God’s people to break God’s law by passing and then enforcing laws of the land that went directly against God’s Commandment #2. That fact alone should make Christians stand up and take notice in how he works when it comes to God’s law.

I mean seriously, since we know he’s done this in the past, why wouldn’t he do it today and so all the Christians have to do is look into the church itself and see if anything is being taught that echoes something Satan did long ago.

In Daniel’s day Satan again moved his pawns in government to get laws passed against both Commandments # 1 and 2. And as prophesied in the last days he will soon get laws passed against Gods fourth commandment. In fact, this is what he has been working on since 321AD when he has moved most Christians back then and all the way up to our present day to believe God changed His Sabbath from the seventh day of the week to the first day of the week. Think about that. Satan knew if he could get the Christians to bow to his fake laws early it would be very easy for him to keep them in that lie while at the same time very difficult for the real Christians to expose his lie because today, most people think that since Christians kept Sunday holy for so many centuries it must mean it’s true. This dying angel even mocks the Creator God by picking Sunday in which every Pagan knows was originally named after the sun god Baal, which as we all know was one of Satan’s favored names for himself when he started his war against the God of Heaven 6000 years ago.

Those that keep God’s Law as Christians have the fruit of the Holy Spirit within them that Jesus spoke of and are therefore declared to be the sons and daughters of God. But those that believe the false prophets and apostate pastors who declare the Law of God is no longer binding upon mankind; these poor souls have no fruit of the Holy Spirit in them and are therefore declared to be the sons and daughters of the father of lies.

God’s law is hated by Satan in a very intense and well-focused manner because it is that very law that caused him to be forever cast out of home in heaven wherein he was the greatest angel ever created. Nary a wolf or false prophet today will read unto their congregation that which is written in Psalms 103:20 which is, “Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.”

They won’t read that passage because it shows that they lie when they say the Law is only for the Jews when the Bible says the angels kept it long before a Jew was ever born. In fact, Satan could not have been kicked out of heaven unless He broke God’s law and Adam and Eve could not have been kicked out of the Garden either unless the Law of God was already binding upon them as well.

Those that see no binding of the law upon their hearts as Christians today are those poor souls that do not have that law written on the fleshly tables of the heart as promised by our Lord in 2 Corinthians 3:3 and so they will be kicked from getting anywhere near Heaven when that day comes. Their apostate pastors do not teach them of its eternal importance because unless they truly have Christ as Lord, they cannot see the importance of the Law that is inside the Ark of the Covenant which is the Throne of the God they claim to preach for and so they are slated for hellfire because as prophesied; sin will not rear its ugly head again due to what is penned in Nahum 1:9 which is, “What do ye imagine against the LORD? he will make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time.”

As Revelation 22:14 clearly says, only those Christians that keep the law of God will be allowed into the city of New Jerusalem or Heaven as we call it. In fact, for those of us that study and understand prophecy; we know that after sharing a prophetic warning unto those that break God’s law; we know they are those that receive the mark of the beast in Revelation 14. We also see that after that warning is given unto those that need to repent, it then speaks of those that do repent as living saints. It says in Revelation 14:12 that, Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

I go into much more detail on my mark of the beast page on this, but to summarize the importance of this law we see that the obedient Christians are those who keep God’s law and in so doing will never receive the mark of the beast because that mark is specifically designed to be bold and obvious attack on God’s law in the first place by deliberately teaching all on earth must keep the admitted man-made Sabbath of Sunday holy instead of the Sabbath created by the Lord Himself as it is decreed in Commandment  #4. That is how important God’s law is to Him and that is why it is literally inside the Ark of the Covenant under the mercy seat of God Himself as He sits on His Throne. It is that blunt. It is that important!

From Genesis to Revelation we see that Satan is at war with the God of creation and so he will most assuredly focus on the one commandment in the eternal Decalogue that explicitly points out the Creator of all that is seen and unseen as well as the very God that wrote the law in the first place that caused Satan to be kicked out of Heaven long ago. And yes, you’re correct to think that this is all about revenge. Satan is that spiteful, malicious and bitter. It’s not good enough that he has taught people to abolish God’s law. He takes it one step further by slandering God by declaring that not only is it abolished at the cross, he claims to have power to change that law as well.

Like any rival king of any nation on earth who attacks an enemy and the laws of his enemy’s land so as to belittle the king before his own people, which then makes it easier to defeat and conquer that nation by fostering converts to his cause as some in the military defect to his camp out of fear of dying. They figure they can join who they think is the greater power so as to survive; Satan goes after the eternal King of New Jerusalem in the same way by focusing on His law to both belittle it as fragile which then cultivates sympathizers unto his cause of which he can then use as generals on the pulpits and troops from the pews on the long prophesied day of Armageddon which is racing towards us at this time.

And by the way, most lost souls think the Pope’s climate change has to do with global warming or simple planetary environmental deviations. When as students of prophecy we know it all has to do with all that Jesus said will happen on planet earth right before He returns. That’s right! What you’re looking at in the news is all a lie designed to cover up the fact that Jesus Christ is warning everyone on planet earth that He is coming VERY soon. The changes in nature right down to homosexual marriage, the hearts of men failing for fear, drug use, abortions, suicide, wars, mass murders, false messiahs, natural disasters, animals, birds, fish and insect die offs in biblical proportions are direct fulfillments of the prophecies of Christ regarding what must happen right before He returns. And the cherry on this prophesied cake of reality is the soon to come Sunday laws that declares God’s law can be changed by the laws of man. All of this is so blunt that I am shocked that many more Christians have not yet joined with the remnant. But they certainly will in the coming days.

The Law of the Creator God is not fragile, weak, feeble or even insignificant as Satan and his wolves proclaim from their apostate pulpits. Sadly however, most won’t come to realize this until it’s too late when the plagues begin and there is no more option to repent as per Revelation 22:11-12 which says, “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.  (12)  And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.”

That law was not etched in animal skin, it was etched in stone to declare its permanence because the Creator God that penned it is also permanent, eternal, everlasting and never ending. He was on His throne eons ago when He penned it, He was on His throne when His Son died for those that broke it to show them a way to gain salvation, He was on His throne when the investigative judgment started in 1844 just as the prophet Daniel predicted, He is on His throne now, and He will forever be on His throne all throughout eternity confirming Satan lied when He said he had the power to change that law. But nary a jot of a tittle will change because we worship a God that stated in Malachi 3:6  “For I am the LORD, I change not” and He also declared in Hebrews 13:8 that “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

Think about it.. for Satan to be able to do away with God’s law would mean Satan needs the power to defeat the God of all creation and that my brothers and sisters is nothing more than a dwindling boast of a dying fallen angel named Beelzebub. How can a created being kill its Creator? He is simply the wretched father of lies himself and those people that refuse to obey the God of truth will have no recourse but to obey the god of lies. For prophecy doesn’t only predict this holy war we find ourselves in, it predicts the utter destruction of Satan and all that follow him in hellfire as well. For when it speaks of what the obedient Christians will do unto the wicked it says this of the eternal fate of the lost in Malachi 4:3  And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts.

The obedient people of God will not only witness the damnation of the lost, they will walk on their ashes the day the Lord does His strange act. By keeping our Creator’s commandments and especially by keeping His seventh day Sabbath holy to not only glorify Him as our God and Creator, it also boldly declares Satan to be a bold faced liar. And so just as was prophesied, we will declare Him both Creator and a God worthy of worship. We show that we love our God and we embrace His Son as Saviour; who out of love for us sent the Holy Spirit who then wrote His Law in our hearts to allow us to both gain entry into New Jerusalem as well as glorify Him as God. And we do this by showing all the world and even the Universe itself that although mankind knows it is impossible to keep God’s law, when we accept Jesus Christ as Saviour we boldly echo that which was penned in Philippians 4:13 which was, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

That blessed and then forever obedient act is a visible act and undeniable fact of being a child of the ever-living God of the Bible. And so I must say that it is the hope of the Seventh Day Remnant people of God that all accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour so as to gain real and absolute peace on this violent and dying world and then as promised receive an eternal a life of eternal bliss with our King Jesus in Heaven.

Now let us look at the pot of manna and the Rod of Aaron which are also inside the Ark of the Covenant.

Some wonder as to why the Lord placed the pot of manna into the Ark alongside the Ten Commandments and Aaron’s rob which budded. We will get into Aaron’s rod a little later, but for now, notice this.

Exodus 16:16-19  This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded, Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man, according to the number of your persons; take ye every man for them which are in his tents.  17,  And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less.  18,  And when they did mete it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating.  19,  And Moses said, Let no man leave of it till the morning.

Sounds rather plain does it not? Gather as much as you need for the day and do not store any for the following day. The Lord wanted them to learn to trust Him, but some failed to listen and then this happened.

Exodus 16:20  Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and stank: and Moses was wroth with them.

Later the Lord has Moses explain that they won’t have to gather the manna on Sabbath as the Lord will then allow the manna they gathered on Friday to stay fresh when they needed it on Sabbath day. Still, they again ignored the Lord.

Exodus 16:27-29  And it came to pass, that there went out some of the people on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none.  28,  And the LORD said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws?  29,  See, for that the LORD hath given you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.

And so it became clear that they must trust the Lord and stop doubting His Word that He spoke through Moses. And so to solidify His will regarding trusting the Lord their God, we see this happening.

Exodus 16:32-35  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.  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.  34,  As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept.  35,  And the children of Israel did eat manna forty years, until they came to a land inhabited; they did eat manna, until they came unto the borders of the land of Canaan.

The reason the Lord had Moses place a pot of manna into the Ark of the covenant was to illustrate the importance of trusting Him in all things when it comes to how our God cares for His obedient people. He promised to give them that food on a daily basis and even twice as much on Friday so as to have all they needed for Sabbath but they didn’t trust Him.

This manna is also there to cultivate trust in our hearts in these last days when soon we too will be in the wilderness without any means to provide our basic needs. Like in 70AD when the people of God were warned in advance not to go back into their homes to get their cloaks or any supplies when they saw Rome surround the city. Like in Moses’ day, the people of God were to be tested to trust the Lord when it was time to flee the city.

I did a sermon on this years ago regarding how the Lord provided that mana as well as water and even firewood to cook the food on a daily basis for 40 literal years and He did this in a desert wherein water isn’t known to be the norm and firewood, even though some deserts do have small bushes and trees to supply wood, having millions of people scavenging it will most assuredly be exhausted rather quickly. Some of you may recall that sermon wherein it is now a video titled “Wow! God did that?”

One particular fact I remember from that sermon was that the quartermaster general of the US army, who’s job description entails finding what it would take to feed, clothe and water tens of thousands of soldiers per day during military deployments if need be. He said it would take 11 million gallons of water to make sure the people of God had what they needed to drink, of which would be a little more than normal because we all know how being in a desert has a tendency to dehydrate you quickly. Especially if you’re walking and breathing out of your mouth instead of your nose.

The quartermaster said that to bring that much water to 3 million troops today, as is the suggested estimate of the people of Israel in the desert back then; means it would take a freight train with tank cars filled with water that’s at least 1800 miles long! When I saw that number it shocked me! That’s a lot of water!

And just so you know, this is not counting the water they would have to give to the sacrificial animals that they had either. And again, this is a desert wherein water is not something that most find readily available.

And by the way, that 1800 mile freight train would have to return the very next day with another load of water. In fact, they would need that train to bring the water 14,600 times over the course of time; or each and every day for 40 literal years. And we don’t have time to go into how much firewood they would need to cook food, or better yet the food itself that the Lord provided on a daily basis and twice as much on Friday.

You’re talking about a massive and monumental task only a literal God can do and so when you’re on the run in the coming days due to the mark of the beast. Keep all of this in mind. If our God can feed and water 3 million people on a daily basis in a desert, he can most assuredly make sure you have all you need when on the run of obedience to His eternal law as well.

In fact, He promises you well in advance that He will do just that. That promise is found in Isaiah 33:16 which says, “He shall dwell on high: his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure.”

Our God can indeed spread a table for us in the wilderness no matter what the scoffers says. And they will say it more and more in the coming days. Of this I am sure you can count on because Satan is all about generating doubt and fear in the hearts of God’s people so as to bring them into subjection of his wicked demands.

Satan does not want any of us to have faith in the promises of our God because his foolish heart seems to think if he can get every soul on earth to bow to him before Jesus returns he thinks and literally teaches to his leaders in his cause all over the world who as we speak have great power as leaders of nations of like the pope leaders of churches. He will manipulate their speeches and sermons over and over again so as to assure seeds of doubt are planted in the hearts of mankind.

Case in point, I did a few videos some time ago wherein I exposed the current Pope who stated more than a few times that Satan is strong and Jesus is weak. In fact he also demanded the people do not oppose God or Caesar in 2017 of which we know which god he speaks of and we know how the Popes of Rome have declared themselves Caesar in writing over the years.

He also said Jesus failed in 2015 and yes I have a video on that, he then declared again in 2015 that Jesus failed at the cross, and we all know why he preaches that lie. He needs to make the people embrace the new Messiah that will demand worship of the Jews in the coming days. That being of course Satan himself who will claim to be Jesus for the Christians and Messiah for both the Jews and Muslims.

When we look around today we not only see Protestants and even SDAs embracing the Pope as a holy man, and yes the SDAs not only have their leaders declaring that in writing and on camera, the SDA church has been embracing all sorts of Vatican approved Pagan dogma and rituals. Everything from Sunday keeping SDA churches by the dozens to Sunrise Easter Sun worship services on the Pagan festival of Easter each year. The SDA church even declares their communion to be of the Eucharistic nature of the Pagan wherein it is truly the body and blood of their god hence the reason the SDA church like all Catholic churches now bury any uneaten communion bread and wine after their communion services. I just found out about them doing that at the Elmshaven SDA church last week.

Rome does this all under the guidance of Satan so as to weaken the faith of the people in the God of Heaven to keep His promises regarding how He will care for us when we cannot buy and sell in the coming days appear unbelievable. Sadly, I know just by watching the fruits of the SDA people today that the overwhelming majority will receive the mark when the buy and sell prophecy fulfills. Many of them have already been conditioned to believe it’s no big deal for their pastors to be opening Sunday keeping SDA churches and all of them know and admit they are in apostasy yet remain in the church anyway, which then shows they are primed and ready to believe whatever explanation Satan inspires their pastors to proclaim when they CONfuse them into thinking the buy and sell isn’t really the prophesied event somehow. And they will do it brothers and sisters because they have been conning the SDA people for decades into embracing Allah as god, homosexual marriage is ok, the health message is quackery, Ellen White is a false prophet, Christmas and Easter are sanctified by God, and women pastors can be ordained just to name a few.

When the people embrace the lies of men, as the SDA people have been doing since 1888, it becomes that much easier for them to ignore the truth and especially the promises of the Bible. And so when an SDA with no cultivated faith or no oil in their lamp comes to the day they cannot buy and sell, since they have been okying all the sins of their leaders and even tithing unto them so as to better fund the creation of the image of the beast under their long prophesied 501c3, they will not only bow in worship before the obedient people of God in that prophesied number of 144,000. They will be those that weep and gnash their teeth in hellfire.

That pot of manna was placed in the Ark of the Covenant so as to represent the promise of the Lord to care for those that obey Him. But if you refuse to obey Him, that manna cannot be seen in your heart as a real promise and so they will receive the mark to make sure they can buy the food and water they require for their children. That pot is inside the Ark right next to the Ten Commandments for a reason. His obedient people obey His law and in so doing have faith to trust His promises. In other words, if you keep His law, then that pot of manna says you will have all you need in life.

Now let’s look at why the Lord place Aaron’s rod inside the ark.

As students of the Bible we know, Aaron’s rod was the end result of the rebellion of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram against Moses and Aaron.

Numbers 16:1-4  Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men:  2,  And they rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown:  3,  And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD?  4,  And when Moses heard it, he fell upon his face:

Moses fell on his face because he knew what he was looking at here. It was open rebellion against the very God that had brought them all out of Egypt and Moses, His servant, was being belittled as not a worthy servant of whom the Lord Himself had chosen, and so the people were actually questing God Himself when He said Moses was the proper choice by God. They all knew and saw the Lord working through Moses daily and so it was no mystery that the Lord had already commanded Moses to instruct his brother Aaron as to his duties in the Sanctuary as well as the duties of his his tribe in Numbers chapter four. But like Satan and how he rebelled in Heaven before Eden, Korah and his crowd sought after self-exultation because they were obviously being controlled by the dying god of this world at the time.

And yes, I am rather blunt in my statements in this manner as some of you have seen over the years, but I see no issues and certainly see no sin in proclaiming the truth in God’s Word just as it is written. To do otherwise is to both belittle the God of the Bible as well as infect the people that hear the falsehoods with lies they will not look upon as truth.

For example, when someone commits a mass murder or any other awful act in a rage for reasons some declare gibberish and rantings of an insane individual, society is quick to declare the man or woman committing the act as someone in need of medication. They declare them to have mental illness instead of telling the truth as it is written. Like Legion who possessed them men in the grave yard 2000 years ago, these people are in fact and without a doubt possessed by demons. But because saying such a thing comes off as ridiculous in this modern age as if those demons somehow died off or never even existed, those proclaiming the truth about such things are considered insane themselves because in a modern world mankind doesn’t believe such things any more.

But, visit these insane asylums and you will find those people in their all agree that they do see the demons, some have even declared to me and a preacher friend of mind some years ago that the reason they bit off their own fingertips was because the demonic heads that came out of the walls told them so. But because the one making such a claim is considered insane to them being in that asylum, people just laugh it off.

The only reason this happens like this today is because as prophesied, we are in the last days wherein the demons that moved the lost souls in the past to do as they did to persecute and even kill the obedient patriarchs and prophets of old, are the exact same demons doing it today.

But because no one standing around Korah and his cohorts looked at the basic realities of biblical truth when it comes to how Satan will use people that appear to be of a sound mind, the Lord had Moses do something so as to let the people know who it was the Lord chose to actually do the work. As if the obvious wasn’t already apparent to some, the masses themselves like today are often conned into submission by something as simple as manipulating the minds of many to get all to follow their leaders regardless of their proper calling or not. The herd mentality has always been a favored tool of the devil.

Numbers 4:1-5 stated back then that “the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,  2,  Take the sum of the sons of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, after their families, by the house of their fathers,  3,  From thirty years old and upward even until fifty years old, all that enter into the host, to do the work in the tabernacle of the congregation.  4,  This shall be the service of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation, about the most holy things:  5,  And when the camp setteth forward, Aaron shall come, and his sons, and they shall take down the covering vail, and cover the ark of testimony with it:”

It goes on from there but it is clear as to the Lord’s command here. And as usual, the Lord spoke directly to Moses and then Moses spoke to the people. But many doubted thanks to Korah and his cohorts. One minute they trust Moses, the next they do not. And that decision is always based on selfish reasons. After all we all know how fearful the people became when the Lord spoke His law out loud at Sinai. ({RH, September 1, 1896 par. 2}) They demanded Moses speak for God because they feared they would die.

Quite often they questioned the decisions of God and even blamed Moses when they didn’t like what God told them what to do. This is why the Lord struck them as often as He did because even though they blamed Moses they knew full well it was the Lord that spoke through Moses.

But now it because obvious the people had to have a clear sign as to who it was the Lord chose to do the duties of the Sanctuary. And so now we read in…

Numbers 17:1-5  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,  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.  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.  4,  And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the congregation before the testimony, where I will meet with you.  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.

And so they did as the Lord commanded and then we see in verse 8 the following.

Numbers 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.

No mistaking that outcome at all now is there. And to further solidify their ordained service, like the pot of manna that was in the Ark of the Covenant next to the Commandments, we see this command being put forth by the Lord as well.

Numbers 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.

And so it becomes clear. Whom God has chosen from that day forward was not to be questioned in any way shape or form. Just as we are to trust Him in His law, we are also to trust Him in how He provides for us as that pot of manna represents and now we see the rod of Aaron being placed there to teach the people to trust those the Lord ordains to stand at the desk, BUT, and this is one many fail to realize, when those that are standing at the desk, or pulpit as we call it today, if they are declaring apostate theology, or they unequally yoked with the wicked as we see every SDA pastor doing under the 501c3 contract that places them in a signed federal contract with the second beast of Revelation or United States Government as most see it, then we have God’s Word to dictate our proper actions. Yes, God may ordain the man, but as we saw with Aaron’s own sons, some men do not obey the God that ordained them and so I have to ask, since it is plainly written from the old to the new testament that if a man of God is found to rebel against the God that ordained them, flames are to be their deserved judgment and since we know the God of the Bible cannot lie, staying in an apostate church wherein the Lord even tells those sitting in the pews to leave as we see in Revelation 18, like the pastors that will burn, so shall those that sit in the pews burn for they too refuse to obey the Lord.

And yes, as some have found out the hard way over the eons and even in the last few decades, this is why it is especially dangerous to come against those the Lord has ordained. Just as Moses was protected for standing in obedience, so will those that stand in obedience today.

But if those ordained ministers are in open sin; then it is our duty to expose their apostasy so as to help the people that are unaware of their sinfulness. For it is plainly written in 1 Timothy 5:19-20  Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses.  20,  Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear.

And so don’t think it is sin to expose the apostate leaders in the church. For it is your God given duty to do so. In fact, it says this in Ephesians 5:6-12  Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. 7,  Be not ye therefore partakers with them.  8,  For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:  9,  (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)  10,  Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.  11,  And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.  12,  For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.

And so, when the people of God see their pastors exposed as wolves, they will then fear to do the same due to the soon to fall judgment upon them and hopefully this will move them to repent and leave the apostate church. Sadly, in these last days, many of the people prefer the wolves to preach smooth things unto them, they even demand they prophesy deceits as was prophesied in Isaiah 30:10.

And so just as the people who preferred lies over truth crowded to the side of Korah in Moses day; today the majority has gathered on the side of the apostate wolves who now walk with Korah’s exact same demons, and when that eastern sky splits, they too will die just as Korah and his followers did in Moses’ day.

The law is in that ark because it is God’s law and cannot be changed. That pot of manna is in that ark because He wants us to trust that He will provide for us even when we cannot buy and sell. And that rod is in there to teach us that some will be ordained of God to do as He wills to the letter all the way until the end. And so just as the people back then had to come to the understanding that because of their sin, they had to die in the wilderness, the message of the obedient ordained men of God who declare to sin begets death and to repent begets eternal life, truth as it is presented via those the Lord has ordained to speak it must be trusted as long as it coincides word for Word with that which we know to be the written Word of God. (See Isaiah 8:20) In other words, that rod of Aaron’s was there to declare we cannot question or worse yet murmur against God’s will and His Word. (SEE {PP 403.1,2} {1SP 305.1} {1SP 308.1}    ) 

And yes, that is why I say keep reading your Bible every day. In so doing you know you are in a church that agrees with the Word of God. And those of you in apostate churches, if you started reading daily you too will see what we see and eventually leave to join God’s remnant people before the plagues begin to fall.

So, where is the ark now?

From the time of Solomon until the capture of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in B. C. 606, the ark was safe and untouched by those that sought to destroy Jerusalem. In fact, when Jerusalem was slated for destruction, Jeremiah was moved by the Lord hide the Ark of the Covenant . From what I understand it was placed in a cave at that time never again to be seen of the Jews because of their many sins.

Yes, the Temple was eventually restored after the Jews were allowed to do so in Nehemiah’s day when Sanballat did all he could to stop them. And yes, those same demons that possessed Sanballet and his friends are still tossing useless stones in with the good ones as God’s remnant people go forth today proclaiming the final message. Only now it’s in how they ridicule, persecute, dox, censor and even shadow ban us on and offline. Still, they can do as they wish for I have seen how the Lord’s hand moves regardless.

For example, as we can see the videos on YouTube no longer seem to get as many views as they used to get even though I now have three times as many subscribers, and the comment section is usually extremely low. And so yes, that is Google censoring us, but it wasn’t until a month or so back and recently Pastor Craig confirmed this that we discovered that even though people subscribe to our videos, and they ring the bell to make sure they get email alerts when new videos are posted, I know for a fact those emails are never sent. For example, I rang the bell for Pastor Craig as he did for me and I rang the bell for all the SDR people I know that make videos yet not once do I ever see an email from YouTube. NOT ONE.

Some time ago Pastor Craig created a second YouTube page for me and what I did was immediately subscribe to it using my regular account and even though I have posted quite a few videos since then, I never once got an email for videos I know I posted. And so, yes that demon that possessed Sanballet is very busy even today.

But praise the Lord those people that need to see the videos are sent by the Lord to see them. Just like those that need to see my website see it even though Google started censoring me years ago. I used to have millions of link backs, but today, in fact as of last week. If you type “remnantofgod.org” with the quotation marks in there to make sure only my URL gets scanned, you only see 12,300 link backs. That’s a far cry from 26,000,000 as I saw ten or so years ago.

I can recall many times when we would have a church service or a special Bible study, certain people that most assuredly needed to be there due to their issues in life, somehow Satan caused them to be unable to attend. I heard about how some of them got sick, got a flat tire, somehow forgot about the gathering, or simply fell asleep at the time of the meeting. These people are no longer with us now. Reason being is, they never really had a strong desire to repent or walk with the Lord and so Satan was easily able to distract them from hearing or seeing what needed to be seen.

But the good toss of the coin on this one is, those that were very serious about their walk and were growing daily in the faith somehow made it to the gatherings on and offline even though once arrived they revealed how Satan did all he could to stop them.

My point is, our numbers may be low at times on and offline, but it never was about quantity with the people of God anyway. David’s mistake in numbering Israel proved that hands down long ago. We are prophesied to be small in number. And so small in number we shall remain for our God is the one working, not us. And we all recall what happened between David and Goliath. And so no, it’s not about the number, it’s about the quality of the people that matters. All I can say is let them shadow ban and censor us all they like. The Lord God of creation is very capable of superseding their silly stone tossing. Those that will be in that number are in fact present when His Holy Spirit moves and they will be there on that day the Latter Rain falls.

But getting back to the location of that Ark. When they dedicated the foundation of the new temple we see this happening in Ezra 3:10-13  And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, they set the priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise the LORD, after the ordinance of David king of Israel.  11,  And they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the LORD; because he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid.  12,  But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy:  13,  So that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people: for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off.

Did you notice? No cloud of glory was seen at this dedication as was seen at the first Temple. The Shekinah glory was no longer to appear between the cherubim in the most holy place. And so the Ark, the mercy seat, and even the tables of stone etched with the Law of God were never to be seen again. No cloud of glory at the dedication, no voice from heaven, not even a flicker of a flame from heaven was seen by all present. But later, He that the Temple spoke in the prophetic and doctrinal sense would literally step into it. The second temple was not honored as was the first in the physical sense because the living presence of Jesus Christ who was God himself manifest in the flesh stepped into that Temple. And He even healed some in the sacred courts.

And so it is easy to see why they wept at that dedication. What’s worse here is how even though they may not have realized it as Daniel described it, even though the Shekinah was not present, He that created all that is seen and unseen was present in the person of Jesus Christ. But because of the blindness of the Pharisees, they could not see His glory any more than they could the nonexistent Shekinah. And so, one can see a prophetic tear falling from the eyes of those that wept in Ezra’s day regarding how their own people would deny the very Messiah that their own Temple and all its services pointed to all along.

And so the question remains, where are the tables of stone then if the Ark of the Covenant is still hidden to this day from the eyes of mankind?

As students of prophecy we know that at the end of the 2300 year prophecy of the prophet Daniel the Judgment of "the house of God" began in the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary in 1844. As per inspiration in the spirit of prophecy we find that the tables of stone which were in the ark that was hidden in a cave were at some time after hiding it divinely brought forth into the most holy place in heaven so as to be the eternal statement of agreement between God and man regarding the Law of God wherein every person that was ever to live on earth shall be judged worthy of eternal life or eternal destruction. Hence the reason Jesus says in Revelation 22:12 “…behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.”

"The tables of stone are hidden by God, to be produced in the great Judgment day, just as He wrote them." R&H March 26, 1908, p.8. "In the temple in heaven, the dwelling place of God, . . in the most holy place, is His law, "the tables of stone," EW 33, the great rule of right by which all mankind are tested. GC 415. Here it must remain as the standard by which the wicked will be judged during the thousand years.

As we also know, at the end of the thousand years, when the eternal city of New Jerusalem comes from heaven so as to be forever settled on earth as the absolute headquarters of the created Universe, the dying god of this world and his cohorts will surround the City with plans to take it as well as get at that tree of life so as to live in sin for eternity. But as we learned, the law of God cannot be taken or even changed as it is inside the Ark of the Covenant which is the throne of God and therefore the only way to take the city, the law of God or even touch the tree of life, Satan and his subjects must defeat the God of creation. Seeing how they are created beings themselves, they won’t even gain one step towards the city when their final day approaches as their dying leader commands them to go forward for it is that very day they will die.

"there appears against the sky a hand holding two tables of stone folded together like a book." EW 32; GC 668. "The hand open the tables, and there are seen the precepts of the decalogue, traced as with a pen of fire." GC 639. The wicked see "the tables of the divine law, the statutes which they have despised and transgressed." GC 668. They are in the hands of Christ their Author who gave His life, not "to destroy the law . . . but to fulfil" it, Matt. 5:17, and thus demonstrate that God's law, "holy, and just, and good," is eternal, Rom 7:12, as enduring as its Author Eternal. Such a law, being an expression of the mind and will of God, must be as enduring as its Author." 4T 257. This is the last mention we have of the tables of stone. From the hands of Christ, they will undoubtedly be returned to their place in God's eternal throne, "close by Jehovah." EW 255.

As long as our God rules, which we know is for eternity, those tablets that were carved out by mankind in the person of Moses and then etched with the Law of God by His own finger from Heaven, they will forever remain as evidence that God's law is the eternal foundation of His throne. It also shows the divine nature of mankind wherein God and man can walk together just as Jesus illustrated for us because looking back just a few more thousand years we see it was Moses who made the tablets of stone after breaking the originals and it was our God who carved the commandments in them for all eternity. And so Satan and his cohorts won’t have even a nano second of victory when they make their way towards the gates of the city let alone the throne of God wherein the Law of our loving God is now resting for all eternity.

For to take the law by force would be to overthrow the government of God which is quite literally the most foolish boast ever uttered by a tongue be it from a fallen angel or a man controlled by same. And so for those Sunday keeping Pastors that declare the Sabbath was changed from day seven to day one and the SDA General Conference leaders who declare in writing that “it’s no big deal” to have dozens upon dozens of Sunday keeping SDA churches all over the world is laughable at best, for in their mortal and soon to be rotting and then eternally damned bodies if they so choose not to repent, they will soon discover how big their lie is that they cannot in any way possible change the Law of God that is literally under the mercy seat on the throne of the God of the Universe as we speak.

How foolish is mankind that thinks he can force his own Creator off His throne so as to somehow force Him to bow to mankind’s commands over and above the God that created them and all that is seen and unseen.

That actually reminds me of the dogmatic lies of the Vatican wherein they claim via their transubstantiation folderol that Satan is more powerful than Jesus. What I mean is, a few decades ago they claimed a homosexual child molesting priest has the power to remove Jesus Christ from His throne and force Him into their little cookie called the Eucharist for their so called holy communion, yet when the Pope himself tries to remove a demon from a 19 year old girl during a Vatican mass before many witnesses, the demon not only easily pushed off the Pope’s head exorcist like he was a rag doll, that demon laughed outloud in front of everyone when the Pope stepped off his pulpit to exorcise that demon. And yes, I made a video about that some years ago. Just look for, “Pope Declares: Satan Strong - Jesus Failed! (SDA SHOCKER INSIDE) (Change Lord's Prayer)”

Also keep in mind that when the Judgment was set in 1844, when "the time of the dead that they should be judged" (Revelation 11:18) arrived exactly as the prophet Daniel predicted (Daniel 8:14) one can see why it was at this time obedient Christians started to keep the Sabbath holy as it was commanded to be kept in the law because it was now that their knowledge was increased as Daniel put it in chapter 12:4. The obedient hearts were finally blessed with an understanding of His law for it was also the time the investigative judgment began wherein the law was the foundation of that same judgment. And so those that loved the Lord were enlightened with this long-prophesied increase in knowledge because for many centuries the law was buried in dogmatic confusion by the Vatican under a mountain of pagan ritual and tradition.

This is also why we the remnant people of God have been declaring for decades now that God’s people need to come out of Babylon because judgment has already commenced and if we are found in the apostate churches when the plagues begin, we will be judged unworthy of salvation for nary a jot or tittle of the law or the Word of our God itself can be changed no matter how eloquent or loving the apostate pastors otherwise proclaim. Not only will they die with their congregation on that great and dreadful day, their own congregants will rip their bodies to shreds with their own hands because it will be then that the truth we the remnant people have been declaring all along will finally be made crystal clear in their minds on that day and they will finally realize too late that they chose to obey man over and above the Creator of man just as the prophet Amos predicted.

Now let’s look at the mercy seat itself.

Exodus 25:17-21  And thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof.  (18)  And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat.  (19)  And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof.  (20)  And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be.  (21)  And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee.

 

What a perfect name for the seat on the Throne of our God. Seriously; think about that for a moment. What’s under the seat? His Law is under that seat. And the people of God have shown for literally eons how weak we truly are in that we break His law quite often. In fact, Romans 3:10 says, “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:”

 

And I have to wonder, when Paul says “as it is written” I cannot help to wonder if he’s speaking of Isaiah 57:1 that says, “The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart: and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come.”

 

And so as is obvious, there are none from the Old to the New Testament and even unto today 2000 years later that one person on earth has ever stood in righteousness as Christ Jesus who walked in our flesh without a single sin upon Him. He was and still is the ultimate spotless Lamb of God that was offered up for our sins, and again this covers from the Old to the New Testament and even unto this day. After all, did He not say in Malachi 3:6, “For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.”

 

And just so you know, when He said “therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed” here, that means even His promises won’t change so we will not be consumed if we stay obedient.

What I mean is. Those who are still alive when the intercession of Christ shall cease in the sanctuary above will be called to stand in the sight of a holy God without a mediator. I am of course speaking of the 144,000 that stand faithful during the plagues. Their foundations must be on the Rock of Christ and their robes must be spotless before the Lamb, and so their characters must emulate Jesus. That all being said, if you think the attacks on your faith are rough now, you haven’t seen nothing when it comes to the time of Jacob’s trouble. But through the grace of God and our own faith in His promises we will overcome and that is why the Lord said what He did in Malachi 3:6 when He said “ye sons of Jacob are not consumed."

 

What the churches of today cannot teach is that which Paul said in Romans 9:6-8, which was, “…For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:  (7)  Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.  (8)  That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.”

 

Today they all declare the Jews in Israel are the chosen people even though the Old Testament declared they will lose the name Israel, the Lord Himself echoed that prophetic fact when He spoke to them in person 2000 years ago and His apostles confirmed the fact more than a few times after He ascended. My favorite verse besides the one Paul shared with the Romans has to be what he first said to the Jews that long prophesied day when their favored nation status ended. He said in Acts 13:46, “…It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.”

 

But getting back to the mercy seat of our Lord. His long suffering and patience with us is so amazing. Even after we accept His Son as Saviour we still find ourselves in need of His mercy when we cry out in repentance and He grants us His mercy in the words of 1 John 1:9 wherein He says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

 

And so it is fitting that the seat of His throne be declared the mercy seat. And it is also fitting that unlike the ark of the covenant itself which we know was made of shittim wood covered with gold inside and out, the mercy seat itself however was made entirely "of pure gold” as we just read in Exodus 25:17.

 

As we learned earlier, the Shekinah glory of our Lord floated above the mercy seat between the two cherubims and again this too is fitting because in Heaven, where the original Ark of the Covenant is wherein Moses was commanded to make a pattern of. Had the Millerites remembered that pattern they never would have made that long prophesied mistake in 1844. But then that mistake was ordained of God so as to weed out the weak ones. And it did just that.

 

To further proclaim His mercy we see this in Psalms 80:1, which says, “Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth.” And in Psalms 99:1 we read, “The LORD reigneth; let the people tremble: he sitteth between the cherubims; let the earth be moved.”

 

Like any other throne on earth, our God's throne is a seat as well. But His is a seat of mercy. For it is also written in Psalms 103:8  The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.

 

But do not mistake His mercy and love for weakness for as we also learned earlier in our study of the Sanctuary, the altar of burnt offering is of the exact same height as is His mercy seat and so; there are no gray areas here with our God. If you obey Him, and this includes confession and repentance after He reveals sin unto us; and if you do this as He commands in His law via the prodding of His promised Holy Spirit then His mercy is eternal and you will never die in the second death or hellfire as most understand it to be.

 

But, if you are one like the billions on this planet that forsake and ignore His love and mercy, then His wrath is of the same measure as is His mercy unto His children. Obey Him and you will live for eternity. Disobey Him and you will be dead for eternity.

 

And no, this doesn’t make Him a tyrant. If you honestly read His Word and understand His will for mankind you will see that what He shares with us in His Word is what people have been seeking all along for eons. Mankind has always sought perfect peace, love, health, happiness and a life that is blessed. When you do those things His Word said is wise to do, then none of those things that cause turmoil in life will be upon you.

 

For example, some say God is wrong for declaring alcohol is bad for mankind because when the man drinks he finds joy deep within and that’s not a bad thing. But like many other areas in life that are dangerous unto both the soul and body, look at what drinking has to offer mankind. Everything from disease and death, and not just for the drinker either. We all know about how the drunk causes turmoil in the lives of those nearest to him and quite often complete strangers are harmed and even killed due to a drinker of alcohol driving cars in such a way that kills many people every single day.

 

When you read the Word of God daily you can’t help to realize that all the peace and happiness man seeks is found in how the God of Heaven reveals His love for us through His perfect law that is located under that mercy seat as being the best way to live a happy life. Think about all that for a moment. Since Heaven is a place wherein all have overcome the desires of the flesh they once thought was fun and even loving towards them, people that have not overcome would not want to be in heaven anyway because until they stop doing that which harms them they will never be able to overcome the lusts of the flesh and so they would be miserable in Heaven because of the simple fact those things they found happiness in are simply not to be found in Heaven and so allowing them to burn to ashes in the second death is a merciful act upon them.

 

The ark was made specifically to be the innermost sanctuary of the tables of stone on which were engraved God's law with His own finger. And as Christians we know that transgression of this law is how sin is defined. For it is plainly written in 1 John 3:4  Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

 

No getting around that eternal reality. And Romans 3:23 clearly says that “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” And as transgressors of His law who has accepted His Son as the Remedy for that sin, Colossians 1:21-22 says that “you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled  (22)  In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:”

 

Again, such mercy as this can only be displayed by a God for even the wisest most loving man ever to live can never come near such mercy as this unless that man is Christ Jesus the Lord. We were His enemies at one time and instead of destroying us as enemies, He offered a merciful Remedy wherein we can become His children. And so again, how fitting is it that His Throne would be declared a mercy seat?

 

Deuteronomy 7:9 plainly declared long ago that we should, “Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;”

 

And Ecclesiastes 12:13 says that we should “hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.”

 

And the only way to keep His law is to accept Jesus Christ His Son as the means of salvation from damnation promised unto all sinners for when we accept Him, He then literally helps us keep His law by writing His Law upon our hearts for it is also written in 2 Corinthians 3:3  Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the 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 fleshy tables of the heart.

 

And so now we can clearly see why John said what He did in 2 John 1:6  And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.

 

The only difference between the Old and New Covenant is that in the Old, mankind agreed to keep God’s law and God agreed to grant them eternal life for doing so. But because mankind failed to keep God’s law, the Father who sits on a mercy seat agreed to send His only begotten Son to keep His covenant perfectly in the same flesh we have without sinning and so when we accept Him as Saviour, He the Holy Spirit to help us keep His law because mankind proved at Sinai to be unable to keep it without His help. Hence the reason Jesus said, you know who His followers are by their fruits. If they keep His law it’s because they have His Holy Spirit in them. If they don’t keep it, they do not Have His Holy Spirit. In short, we do not keep His law to get saved, because mankind can’t do that. We keep His law because we ARE saved, because as Paul said in Philippians 4:13  I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

This Sabbath we need to look at the Cherubim that was made of beaten Gold that sit on the mercy seat. Just as the seat was made of pure gold so are the cherubim that stand on the mercy seat. And by the way, these Cherubim can help the Catholic see God’s law a tad bit clearer. What I mean is, the Vatican prelates declare that because the Lord told Moses to made these golden angels that they too can make statues of angels, saints, animals and even insects and pine cones, which as we know were first fashioned into idols by Pagans eons ago. I have even had some Catholic priests declare unto me over the years that if I declare they are in sin for having such statues, that I too have broken Commandment #2 by having a picture of my wife and children on my desk at work or in my wallet. This is a favored tactic and often works well on those that don’t read Bibles, but this does not work on God’s people due to the fact we do embrace the Word as a daily walk in the Lord’s truth for us.

Of course when they seek to slander or even manipulate us into falling for such transparent lies, notice if you will that these priests will never mention that they completely removed Commandment #2 from their Catholic creed, but at the same time they use that Commandment as a way to declare they are not in sin for making those statues. But, what they always ignore when proclaiming such things is how Commandment #2 was penned. It says this…

Exodus 20:4-6  Thou shalt not make unto 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 water under the earth:  (5)  Thou shalt not bow down thyself to 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;  (6)  And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

They always leave out the fact that in that Commandment it says not to bow to the statues. Making them is no big deal as we clearly see by the two Cherubim in the Most Holy Place. The sin of breaking God’s law comes into play when after making the statues they not only bow to them, which is sinful all on its own, they also serve these statues in how they parade them before the people, they cover them in donations as per order of the priests on certain holy days of obligation as they call them wherein they place gifts before them in the hopes their prayers are answered; and we have all seen the many photos of how they worship them openly before all with eyes that see by kneeling in prayer to these very same statues.

But getting back to the Cherubim, they had wings as we know and their wings stretched forth above the mercy seat and actually touched each other. These angels of pure gold faced each other, but so as to show reverence unto the Law of our God, they were made to have their heads bowed towards the mercy seat wherein the Law of our God which rested directly under that seat in the Ark of the Covenant.

These cherubim were not just solid gold either, that gold was beaten to make their shape. As we learned earlier, the candlestick in the Holy Place which we know represents both the Word of God as well as the Light of Christ unto all the world who is the Word made flesh, was also made of beaten gold and the oil used for the lights that we know represents the promised Holy Spirit unto God’s people. That oil was also made by beating the olives to bring about the oil. And notice also that the gold threads that formed the angels that were embroidered in the vail; they too were made from beaten gold.

All this gold that was beaten to make whatever form it was needed to be fashioned into was beaten as we learned earlier to represent the sorrow and suffering of our Lord Jesus Christ as well as all inhabitants of Heaven, including the Father who looked on as mankind; who was so greatly loved of God, were moved by Satan to beat His Son to death for sins He never committed.

Isaiah 63:9 says that “In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old.”

 

And just so you know, these solid gold angels were there on each side of the Shekinah glory who were to represent the guardians of God’s eternal law and His throne in the same way we have seen guards standing next to kings, queen and even Pharaoh’s over the ages. These angels however are much more powerful than any man or even an entire modern-day armed force can comprehend.

To give you an idea of their power, one of them is actually named in the Bible and all of us are very aware of his power to this day. His name before he fell into sin was Lucifer, the light bearer, was "the anointed cherub that covereth." As it says in Ezekiel 28:14.

Some assume Satan was just some common angel who one day fell and then conned a third of heaven to let him rule over them. But he had power in heaven and all the angels knew of it. He used that power to manipulate his victims just as he does to this day.

It has always amazed me when I hear of Satanists who think they will reign with Satan in hellfire. If they just read a few verses in the Bible concerning him and his soon to come destruction they would realize they are believing a lie. But then, super intelligent angels who fell with him were also easily taken in and so as I have said so often before I repeat now. If you don’t stay in your bibles each and every day and bow before the Lord in prayer as did the Patriarchs and prophets of old did 3 times a day, you will be easy prey for this dying angel who wanders the earth seeking whom he may devour.

And so considering those cherubim that stand guard at the mercy seat protecting God’s law, keep in mind how powerful they are when you think about how only one angel destroyed all the first-born of Egypt in Pharaoh’s day. When David offended the Lord by numbering Israel, it only took one angel to cause all that destruction. And so again I say, if you think Satan or any other fallen angel can force God to change His Law that is under that mercy seat think again. Not only can they never get the God that created them off that throne to get to His law, they will never get past those Cheribum to even get to God. Most forget that the Sanctuary on earth is just a pattern of what’s in Heaven. Down here those Cheribum are merely angels formed out of Gold. In heaven they are living breathing angels that guard the throne of God.

And to think, when it is all said and done on the very day the Lord performs His strange act and burns up Satan, his angelic cohorts as well as all those people that rebelled against the God of Heaven, none of them including their dying god can give any reason for their sin. Even the first sin of satan makes no sense. He was in a perfect kingdom wherein sin had no power or even a reason for being there as everyone knew that kingdom was and still is perfect without sin. And so when they all burn up, none of them, not a single angel or person can offer a reason or a cause for their sin. Not one. They will truly burn for no good reason!

All that understand the inspiration of the spirit of prophecy would do well to read chapter 24 of the 1884 Great Controversy titled “Origin of Evil” to see how sin came to be, and even though all have embraced it, none that die in sin will have a reason for their sin any more than Satan can explain why he rebelled when he was not only in a perfect Universe, he stood guard next to the Throne of God. He used to be one of the Cherubum. And because of his refusal to repent, our God could not have that rebellious angel stand next to Him in glory for doing so would soil the image of our perfect God. Lucifer was closely connected and identified with the administration of our God's government and he was blessed above the other angels. Sadly, he took advantage of his position and beauty and it was because of his position that he was able to gather one third of Heaven in sympathy to him.

And yes, this is why we cannot yoke unequally with unbelievers like all the fallen angels did when they stood with Satan, we have to know that in so doing, as Christians such an act as this not only soils the image of our Lord, it places us in the camp of His enemy wherein we can be used by Satan in the same way he has used all those fallen angels for the last 6000 years as well as billions of Christians over the same span of time to get many more to join them in sin that from day one Satan knew all along meant certain death.

And for those wondering who took Lucifer’s place as guardian of the Law and Throne of our God, notice what the angel told Zacharias the father of John the Baptist that day he went to burn incense that day in the Holy Place wherein he questioned the command of God and went mute for 9 months. Luke 1:19  And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings.

That “presence of God” is the Shechinah glory that floats above the mercy seat that Zacharias knew all too well about. Those golden angels are there for a reason in the earthly Sanctuary just as they are there for a reason in the Heavenly Sanctuary.

Now some may find this hard to hear, and if so I suggest you check out a study I did online some years ago regarding Michael the Archangel. But as I am one that has a burden to help answer questions for those the Lord has placed in my path, I think I need to touch on this to some extent this Sabbath day.

As we know the ark is called the "the ark of the covenant" in Numbers 10:33 and Hebrews 9:4 because inside that ark is the covenant, or tables of stone that our God gave to Moses etched on stone.

Exodus 25:16 “And thou shalt put into the ark the testimony which I shall give thee.” That word Testimony can also be defined as witness, and we all know how the Lord refers to His Law as a covenant between us and Him in many verses, one such verse is Exodus 19:5  Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:

 

And for those that may be a bit confused on this, Deuteronomy 4:13 also says, “And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone.”

 

Now we all know about how the Lord Himself spoke His law unto the people from Sinai. If you read past the Ten Commandments as they are listed in Exodus 20, you will see how fearful the people became when they heard His voice that day. It says in Exodus 20:1  And God spake all these words, saying,” and then of course He listed the Ten Commandments. But then we see in Exodus 20:18-19 that when “all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.  (19)  And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.”

And so we know it was the Lord our God that spoke this that day. Now notice this however. Malachi 3:1 says, “Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.

Those of us that study the Spirit of Prophecy know, the Messenger of the covenant is also referred to as the Sun of Righteousness; or Jesus Christ as He is often called by quite a few obedient children of God the last 2000 years.

We also know that it was Christ that spoke to Moses as well as Christ that declared His covenant or His law at Sinai. For it is also declared when speaking of the people of God in the desert those 40 years, it says this in 1 Corinthians 10:1-4  Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;  (2)  And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;  (3)  And did all eat the same spiritual meat;  (4)  And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.

With all this declared in His Word, and because it is stated in the Spirit of Prophecy that Christ was the “Angel of the Covenant” some believe that Jesus was one of the covering cherubim in the Most Holy Place that were looking down on the mercy seat. But that’s impossible for Jesus Christ is not a created being. For the truth is that He is the one that created all that is seen and unseen.

 

It is plainly stated in John 1:1-4 that, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  (2)  The same was in the beginning with God.  (3)  All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.  (4)  In him was life; and the life was the light of men.”

 

It says here that the Word was God and all things were made by Him and so who is the Word of God? John 1:14 says, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”

 

And for those just seeking this truth for the first time ever, who is the begotten of the Father you ask? Have you ever seen this verse displayed before the eyes of the people? It’s found in John 3:16  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

 

Jesus Christ is the only begotten of the Father which then means He is the Word made flesh and therefore also the same Word that made all things that are seen and unseen.

 

Those that believe Jesus was one Cherubim and Lucifer before his fall was the other, it appears they got confused when Jesus was the one that declared the law at Sinai because in so doing He was doing so as God’s messenger.

Their confusion comes in because the angels are often depicted as messengers in the Word from the old to the new testament. Some can easily be confused here. But Christ is the Creator of the angels and therefore the term archangel or as today’s language would define Him as “leader of all the angels” to put it in layman’s terms.

Yes,  I am sure some of you listening may have an eyebrow or two raising up because I just declared Jesus Christ is in fact Michael the Archangel. But as most babes in Christ as well as long educated child of God knows; there is both milk and meat of Scripture. Some easy to hear and others not so easy. In fact, this is why Peter said what he did in 2 Peter 3:16, which was, “As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.”

 

In other words, the unlearned and even some fanatics wrestle in the Word of God because they cannot understand the Word without serious and daily study. But because they seek to stand at the desk as learned men they run with their assumptions as to what the Bible says instead of doing the in depth study to verify the truth.

 

For example, most keep Sunday holy using the traditions of man because they are not able to understand the truth about the Law of God without having Christ as true Saviour wherein He promised to write the Law on our hearts making it that much easier to understand. Well the meat of Scripture is actually quite easy to understand as long as you have been fed and weaned on the milk of Scripture.

 

What I mean is. Something like accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour to escape damnation is perfectly designed to be a milky or easy to understand doctrine. That way all of mankind no matter what their stage in life is, they can see the truth for what it is. Once they embrace that truth and start reading His Word daily, they begin to create a relationship with Him and soon they start getting some solid meat of Scripture to chew on. But if they skip over the meaty portions of the Word because they are too busy to dig in, or just too lazy to do the study, then they will remain on the milk and never grow in Christ. In fact, Paul touches on that when rebuking some lazy Christians in 1 Corinthians 3:1-2 wherein he said, “And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.  (2)  I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.”

 

In other words, just as those that are confused about who the Cherubim are that stand over the mercy seat to this day, Paul is saying unto these Christians back then that they are still not ready for some of the meat in Scripture. Worse yet, some that were supposed to be ready were actually unready which appears to have upset Paul in Hebrews 5:12-14 when he said, “For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.  (13)  For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.  (14)  But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”

 

And so, this Bible doctrine regarding the Cherubim can and does confuse some people because they have not studied the Word of God as it must be studied to understand the deep truth. And it is fitting our Lord does this so as to prevent the scoffer from seeing things God’s people see so as to use powerful truths against them.

 

Take the doctrine of Michael the Archangel as a perfect example here. Unlike John 3:16 wherein that one verse can declare the doctrine of salvation, not all truths are that easy to see. In fact, Isaiah 28:9-10 says, “Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.  (10)  For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:”

 

In other words, you need to go all over the Bible to verify doctrine so as to be assured it is the truth you are presenting. Hence the reason the Bereans double checked the messages of the early churches.

 

The reason it is hard form some to understand why Jesus and Michael are one in the same or why some patriarchs and prophets of old looked upon Jesus Christ as the “angel of the Lord” in their day wherein they openly bowed in worship of Him and He never told them to stop as the regular angel in Revelation 19 did for the apostle John is because the Word of God has extremely meaty truths in it that can only be understood by in depth study.

 

That study I did many years ago regarding Michael the Archangel was to date the longest in-depth study I had ever done before in my life. It took me many months to find every verse in the Old and New Testament that spoke of Michael so as to have a clear understanding of this truth.

Again, I go into a lot more detail on this in my Michael the Archangel study online. In that study I show many verses that speak of an angel that is declared to be God Himself wherein the patriarchs and prophets literally bow in worship to. And we all know mankind cannot look upon the Father and live, and the angel in Revelation tells John while in vision not to bow in worship to him, we can clearly see that it is Jesus that spoke and appeared as he did.

If read in context and I do share a lot of verses to back this up in that study, Jesus is not an angel. He is the Creator. And if you look deeper you will see that the word angel is often used in regards to a heavenly messenger, hence the reason for the confusion when Jesus Himself presents a message as He often did in the Old Testament Scripture.

Perhaps one day I will share that in depth study of Michael as well as whatever else the Holy Spirit moves me to share in a sermon series. For now, that study I have online should suffice. And I purposely used all the verses I could find, and there’s a lot of them, so as to prevent any doubt regarding the doctrine. I literally did the precept must be upon precept, line upon line as well as the here a little, and there a little just as the Bible teaches we must do to erase all doubt.

As we know, the Shekina glory of the Lord was floating above the mercy seat as a symbol of Jehovah sitting upon His throne in New Jerusalem wherein the original Sanctuary resides, of which Moses was given a pattern of on the mount.

It says in Leviticus 16:2  And the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the vail before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark; that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat.

The light that came forth from the miraculous manifestation of the presence of our God was too bright for human eyes to look upon. And just so you know, the word shekinah is actually not found anywhere in the Bible. It was a word used by the Jews and then later by Christians to describe what was happening in the Most Holy Place above the mercy seat. In fact, the word itself is defined as a dwelling place. Its root can actually be found in the word “tabernacled.”

For most of the time the cloud was visible; but on certain occasions the glory of the Lord appeared within the cloud much stronger. Hence the reason Moses was unable at times to approach for it is written in Exodus 40:34-35  Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.  (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.

 

And again in 1 Kings 8:10-11  And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD,  (11)  So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of the LORD.

 

Just as we learned regarding the Urim and Thummim regarding how the Lord revealed His will unto the people; the Shekinah glory was also a means by which the Father revealed His will at times. In Exodus 25:21-22 it says, “And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee.  (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.”

 

Now some may wonder how this was done, but it clearly says in Numbers 7:89 that “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 spake unto him.”

But then we already knew of how close Moses walked with the Lord. And we also know when the presence of the Lord came forth in the form of that cloud it also declared unto the people what direction they were to travel in their 40 years in the desert.

Better yet, we also understand as we learned earlier in our studies with the Urim and Thummim and how they were used by the high priest to discern the will of God in tough situations wherein they had yet to receive a thus saith the Lord that was not yet penned in Scripture. The stone that was for “light” was white and the one for “darkness” was a black stone. These stones were used to get a “yes” or a “no” answer from the Lord.

In other words, when the white stone glowed, it meant the answer was yes. When the black stone glowed, it meant the answer was no.

And yes, this too was counterfeited by Satan himself. Those of us that dabbled in the darkness of the occult before meeting the Author of the light of truth, we know all about the yes and no sections of the Ouija board. And so be very careful when seeking a thus saith the Lord. No, I am not suggesting some in our number use the Ouija board, but I do know some like to watch sermons from apostate leaders thinking they can pick the meat from the bones, but take heed lest ye fall brothers and sisters. We have all 66 books now, and so that means we have all we need to understand our Father’s will. We must not be in a hurry to find an answer in His Word because we are too lazy to study it up ourselves. Many have found over the years that when they take the easy way out by seeking a Bible answer online regardless of the source that defines it; two things happen. #1, they never come to a place wherein they have the truth locked down in their hearts and so they soon forget it because they didn’t do the legwork themselves. That is of course if they found a trustworthy preacher. And #2, if the preacher is apostate and they don’t do as the Berean’s of old did wherein they double check his work, then they are lured off the path of truth and the end result is not good by any stretch of the imagination.

But getting back to how the Lord would reveal His will via the Shekinah glory, inspiration tells us that sometimes a light would rest upon the golden angel at the right to indicate the Lord’s approval or acceptance of the statement made by the priest; or a shadow would rest upon the one at the left to show His dissatisfaction of the statement made by the high priest. (verified in PP 349.)

And so like the Urim and Thummim wherein one stone was white wherein a yes answer was given and the other stone was black for the no answer. When the light shown on the angel on the right the answer was yes, and the shadow on the angel on the left was like the dark stone that meant the answer was no.

And so all of this is fitting in that as we go into private or even prayer with the brethren, we approach the Throne of our God seeking a yes or no on any given situation in the same way the high priest did when he stood before the mercy seat.

Just as the ark upheld the mercy seat like a foundation for our God to sit on, the law of our God within the ark represents the foundation of God's throne and His eternal government in Heaven and this is the sole reason Satan attacks it as he does.

As is obvious, the means of this holy war are in now is not the same in how mankind fights his wars. Mankind seeks for the most part to wear down those they oppose by killing their soldiers and even their citizens when they gain entry into their land. With Satan he goes against the law of our God because he knows how everything in Heaven is based upon this law. Right down to the way Jesus died for us on that cross. If the law was changeable and able to be abolished as Satan claims then why did Jesus die? Even mankind knows laws cannot be changed in a whim for in so doing the king who does so would compromise the foundation of his own position as ruler of the land.

For example, when Daniel was thrown into the lion’s den the king did all he could to find a loophole in the way the law was written to prevent Daniel’s sentence. But as we know, even though he tried all day long with all his lawyers and such, he was unable to change the law. Daniel was ten tossed into the lion’s den. And as we see in the Word, the Lord God Himself superseded the command of the king not by demanding he change the law. No, that law was allowed to stand as written. Instead the Lord closed the mouths of the lions to prevent Daniel’s death as well as glorify Himself at the same time.

And so if the laws of mankind cannot be changed, how can God’s law be changed when the way His law is written nary a man or angel alive can find a single solitary loophole for the God of creation wrote that law in such a perfect way that the only way to declare it faulty is to actually lie. And since we know Satan is the father of lies, that’s all he has in his arsenal against our God. A wimpy little lie claiming God’s law can be changed when that is 100% impossible.

Now because Satan knows his lies cannot actually change anything in Heaven, he has to somehow make mankind think his lies have truth in them. And so this is why he attacks God’s Word. The easiest way for him to attack the Word is to make mankind think it’s not inspired and so the man that believes the lie never reads the Bible and Satan has him locked up tight in his charred trophy case. But for those that do read the Bible, Satan inspires his wolves to step up to pulpits to twist God’s Word out of context and then many souls are led astray that way as well. But then Satan also knows some like Martin Luther during the 6th prophetic hour or even Ellen White in the 9th hour will step up and clarify the Word of God in ways that people come out of Roman confusion in droves and so Satan then does as was prophesied all along in the defiled bread prophecy wherein he not only gets his wolves to rewrite the Bible, he gets them placed on SDA pulpits as we have seen him do the last few decades. And so now the twisted bible theology of Satan has some trusting it because the apostate pastor uses the NIV or New King James Bibles with thousands of verses missing. The people in the pews have no idea they are being lied to because they’re too lazy to verify what’s being preached and it cannot be verified with a bogus Bible.

My point in all this is; that again we see the law was never changed at all. Only the message from the pulpit changed so as to keep the people in confusion so as to move them to believe the law was changed.

It’s amazing how much legwork had to be done by Satan the last 6000 years so as to cultivate such a global mindset against the Christian God that I cannot but wonder how that attack alone was never seen by the people of God all along the path. Yes, all the patriarchs and prophets saw it as they spoke out against it all along and still do so to this day as their work follows them via those unedited 66 books of the Bible. What amazes me is how easily mankind was conned into thinking they didn’t have to read the Bible each and every day so as to keep their armor well-polished to prevent the darts of Satan from affecting them in this holy war.

When speaking of our God upon His throne Psalms 97:2 says that “Clouds and darkness are round about him: righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne.” And so again we see His mercy and His truth or His love and His law are still as one. Or as Psalms 85:10 puts it, “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.”

For the enemy of souls to destroy the law of God's government would mean he had the strength and wherewithal to undermine His throne and overthrow His government. And as I stated earlier, I repeat now. That is the most foolish boast of any living being since time began. Satan is that pretentious when it comes to the basic reality that he can in no way change one jot or tittle of that law. But; he knows full well that he can get mankind to think he has changed that law and that is what he has been working on for literally 6000 years. The fact he still uses the foundation to his lies in the same way he did in the garden of Eden confirms this hands down. What we’re seeing today is his last hoorah. It is what he planned on day one when he discovered how easily he was able to get Eve to believe a lie over the truth that Jesus shared with Adam and Eve each day as He walked with them the cool of the day.

This Sabbath let’s look at the Silver Trumpets.

Our Lord said to Moses in Numbers 10:2; 8-10  Make thee two trumpets of silver; of a whole piece shalt thou make them: that thou mayest use them for the calling of the assembly, and for the journeying of the camps. (8)  And the sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow with the trumpets; and they shall be to you for an ordinance for ever throughout your generations.  (9)  And if ye go to war in your land against the enemy that oppresseth you, then ye shall blow an alarm with the trumpets; and ye shall be remembered before the LORD your God, and ye shall be saved from your enemies.  (10)  Also in the day of your gladness, and in your solemn days, and in the beginnings of your months, ye shall blow with the trumpets over your burnt offerings, and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; that they may be to you for a memorial before your God: I am the LORD your God.

 

When I read this, I not only see how the trumpets were blown in obedience unto the Lord who I am sure heard the sound of the trumpets each and every time they were blown, I can see they were blown so as to call the people before God into assembly. Not only that, but that sound of the trumpet would go beyond the camp itself as we all know, sound travels as far as it wants to, and so that means even those people in that vicinity that are not of Israel would be able to hear the sound of the trumpet as well which as we know will bring to mind the God of the Bible because they would investigate the reason for the trumpet because at that time a trumpet was usually a sound of warning or a call to battle.

 

The trumpets can be seen representing how God’s people today go forth to preach, teach, hand out books and tracts so as to gather the people in assembly before the God of the Bible when the day of their final reward draws near worldwide.

 

Joel 2:1 says, “Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand;”

 

The Lord declared that they must blow the trumpets when going out to war, again at the start of their feast days as well as during their days of gladness or even solemn days. In other words, nothing should distract the people of God from doing that which the Lord called them to do. I you’re having a good day or a bad day, blow the trumpet in Zion.

As they were in the wilderness those 40 years, two trumpets would be all that was needed to be heard throughout the camp. But when they finally came to the promised land, they would need many more so as to relay the calling all throughout the land from region to region as they were given a lot of land and so again one can see how many people regardless of their faith would hear the calling of God as the trumpet sounded across a massive region.

But why did the Lord command these trumpets be formed out of one piece of silver?  As we learned earlier, silver was a symbol of redemption and especially so on the day of atonement. And so, just as the priests' garments were woven from one piece so as to represent his life was to be immersed to the one great purpose given him of God just as every Christian who has become a new creature in Christ should do to this day and especially leaders in the church, one can see why these trumpets were made from one piece of silver. And rightly so, for when the trumpets were blown, no matter if the person was headed to war, a feast day, readying to offer sacrifice or even on a good or bad day, when the trumpet sounded, they all had one purpose in mind. To assemble themselves in obedience before the Lord.

In fact, in Leviticus 23 wherein we find the truth needed to show the error of those that claim the Sabbath was abolished at the cross by using Colossians 2 out of context, for in Leviticus 23 we clearly see all the feast days listed as annual Sabbaths and the clincher being found in verse 38 that says those feast days are all besides the weekly Sabbath of the Lord therefore proving the Sabbaths in Colossians 2 that ended at the cross are feast days and not the weekly Sabbath, we then see this in Leviticus 23:23-25  that “the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,  (24)  Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation.  (25)  Ye shall do no servile work therein: but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD.”

And so again, those trumpets were a command of the Lord that was to be obeyed by His people. This blowing of the trumpets by the priests alerted the people that the feast days were soon to come. But especially so for the day of atonement so that the people would know to use the next ten days to confess and repent of all their known sins before the high day came. And yes that is why the present truth was put forth by obedient men and women of God 10 years before 1843. Amazing how the Sanctuary even highlights that prophetic period of time as well eh? I will go into a little more detail on this in a few moments.

And so, like the sermons, studies, books and tracts we hand out, those trumpets granted the people ample warning and a specific period of time to make the necessary preparations so as to present themselves obedient at the time of the cleansing of the sanctuary.

Leviticus 23:28-30 says, “And ye shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the LORD your God.  (29)  For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people.  (30)  And whatsoever soul it be that doeth any work in that same day, the same soul will I destroy from among his people.”

In other words, "in that same day," every case in Israel was to be decided for life or death. This was in the type the final separation of the sinner from his sin once he or she had received Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. And for the bad toss of the coin, if their sin had not been confessed; there would be a removal of that lost soul from the house of Israel. Which in the prophetic means, when the eastern sky splits, if you have not repented before the plagues that fell directly before the Lord returned, you will then be forever cut off from among God’s people which means you will not be in Heaven with them.

When we look at the Day of Atonement and then look at what happens at His second coming, we can see that the wicked are separated from the obedient people of God who are about to ascend to Heaven with Jesus on that great and dreadful day, we see the antitypical Day of Atonement being represented here.

And for those of us that studied the prophecies, we know, the second coming of Christ is not the day of judgment as Rome and nearly every church teaches today. Judgment actually started as per the prophecy of Daniel 8:14. In fact, we are going through the judgment right now.

As we learned by studying the prophetic calendar, we know that ten days before "the tenth day of the seventh month," the priests were instructed by God to blow the trumpets so as to ready the people of the Day of Atonement. And since Numbers 14:34 and Ezekiel 4:6 both say the day equals a year in prophecy, then at some time in the year 1833/34 the people of God were moved to warn the nations of the coming judgment that would commence ten years later on the tenth day of the seventh month which in the Vatican version of the calendar would be October 22, 1844.

Digging a little deeper into this I found that William Miller did just that in the United States and many others were moved by the Lord all over the World at the same time. They did this for the exact same reasons the Jews did it in their day. Those trumpets announced the coming Day of Atonement in the same way the sermons that were spoken from the pulpits all over the world for ten years warned the people of the coming day of judgment. In fact, this is where the prophecy of Revelation 14:6-7 was fulfilled which says, “And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,  (7)  Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.

That by the way was angel number one of the three angels’ message we now preach. Did you notice how the warning was given though? Not only did it say the judgment was coming, which then solidifies our Biblical doctrine of the investigative judgment starting in the exact year the prophet Daniel spoke of, but this message went forth to highlight who it was that does the judgment when it used the exact same terminology to describe the Creator God who will do the judgment as He is described in commandment 4. Check it out…

In the commandment that declares we must keep Sabbath it also says this in Exodus 20:11  For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

And in Revelation 14 it says this “worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.”

Now do you see why the people of God not only declared the warning of His judgment beginning on October 22,1844? Not long after that they became known as a people that had 2 fruits no other Christians had the world over. These people not only declare Christ Lord, they also started to keep the seventh day Sabbath wherein the description of the Creator is mentioned in the exact same way it was mentioned when the message to be ready for judgment commenced in the years leading up to 1844. The God of the Sabbath was warning His people He was beginning His final judgment.

And so not only was this a fulfillment of Revelation 14,6,7, we see that which is penned in Joel 2:1 which says, “Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand;”

Now let’s look at the Cleansing of the Earthly Sanctuary.

All throughout the year we see the services in the Sanctuary symbolize the Lord’s plan for our salvation. And when it comes time for us to be judged worthy of His reward unto us, we come to the Day of Atonement.  It is now that the high priest, who we know from our studies is there to represent Jesus Christ as God, Creator, King, Messiah and Saviour. The high priest first offered a bullock, which is the largest and most expensive of all the sacrifices offered in the Sanctuary as a sin offering so as to make atonement "for himself and for his house." Notice what it says in …

Leviticus 16:4-7  He (the high priest) shall put on the holy linen coat, and he shall have the linen breeches upon his flesh, and shall be girded with a linen girdle, and with the linen mitre shall he be attired: these are holy garments; therefore shall he wash his flesh in water, and so put them on.  (5)  And he shall take of the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering.  (6)  And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself, and for his house.  (7)  And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

The high priest did this while dressed in the plain white linen garments to symbolize the purity of Christ and this was worn only in the most holy place and only on the day of atonement. And as we also know, the high priest must walk alone into the sanctuary just as we know only Christ can be in the presence of the Father and live in the Heavenly Sanctuary.

Hebrews 9:3-7  And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all;  (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;  (5)  And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly.  (6)  Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God.  (7)  But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people:

When the high priest did this, he did this atonement for his own sins and for his house. Doing it in this way qualified him to stand as mediator for the people in the exact same way Jesus is declared to be in more than a few places in the Word of our God.

1 Timothy 2:5  For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

Hebrews 8:1,6-10  Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; (6) But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.

And those “better promises” are in how now our Lord actually helps us keep His law by writing it in our hearts as this passage will confirm in a moment. Continuing it says …

 (7)  For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.  (8)  For finding fault with them, (in other words, the Lord didn’t break the covenant, mankind did) he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:  (9)  Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.  (10)  For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:”

Then continuing in the next chapter we see this in

Hebrews 9:13-15 it says “For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:  (14)  How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?  (15)  And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.”

 

Hebrews 12:24  (IT IS) Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.

 

And so, this is why the Day of Atonement only came one time in the year. And the reason the high priest dressed in the pure white linen robe and mitre only one time a year is because Christ would only die for us that one time wherein He literally said in John 19:30 “it is finished.” He said this to confirm, He is Messiah, He is the perfect Sacrifice, and only He can mediate for mankind with the Father for Jesus is the only begotten Son of the Father wherein He came in human form to die for all of mankind. It is simple as understanding that it was man that sinned and so it is that man must die. But because He loved us so much He came to die for us so “that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” As Jesus said in John 3:16.

 

But when we look at Rome we see them blaspheme this perfect mediation between God and man. And they teach Jesus lied when He said in John 19:30 that “it is finished.” To this day the Popes and prelates of Pagan Rome continue to offer a bloodless sacrifice for sin upon their polluted altars each and every day of the year. In so doing they declare what Jesus did on Calvary was not enough. And because they have done this for so long in obedience to their dying god, billions of people are being readied for Antichrist to appear who will echo all sorts of Vatican dogma so as to belittle the Son of God while at the same time ready the people to kill those that love, trust, follow and worship Jesus Christ as Lord, Saviour, Messiah, King and Creator.

And so as we continue in the service on the Day of Atonement, we see Aaron cast lots on the two goats, one lot for the Lord, and the other for the scapegoat.

Leviticus 16:5-8  And he shall take of the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering.  (6)  And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself, and for his house.  (7)  And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.  (8)  And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat.

The Lord’s goat was killed as "the sin offering for the people" which represents our Lord Jesus Christ who died for our sins. Once done the high priest brought the blood into the sanctuary. This was done to signify how Christ took upon himself the sins of His repentant people and then presented His spilled blood to His Father. The high priest then sprinkled the blood "seven times," so as to signify those that will overcome in complete reconciliation unto the Lord. This is sprinkled upon the mercy seat wherein we know the law that is under that seat was transgressed by every soul for there is none righteous, no not one as Romans 3:10 puts it.

As we also know via all that declared in Leviticus 16:14-20 that this all done “on the altar that is before the Lord" in the court for in so doing it makes atonement for "all the congregation." Or “all the world” in reality.

Leviticus 16:20 said that ”when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat:

In other words, the services of the day were soon to end, and so while the sun was sinking in the west, anyone who still had unconfessed sin was cut off from Israel in the exact same way anyone that has unconfessed sins when the 7 last plagues begin; which is here depicted by the soon to set Sun in the West. Those that were ready for the setting Sun will be blessed with eternal life, and those that did not confess their sin, will be forever cast out into eternal damnation. And yes, this is why this was penned in Revelation 22:11. It says, “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.”

And so now, the final event for the Day of Atonement begins. Remember there were two goats? One for the Lord and the other called the “scapegoat?” That scapegoat represents Satan. He made the decision in his own heart 6000+ years ago to embrace sin and therefore every soul that he has been able to convince to embrace sin with him will now have their judgment. For those that accepted Jesus as Saviour, their sins went into the Lord’s goat or as we understand the prophetic nature of this, Jesus died on Calvary for our sins in Him. And so those sins have been dealt with. Jesus was to die in our place so as to have a death presented for the sins we committed. His death represents the payment for the sin. He then resurrected so that we can have eternal life without any of those sins upon us. That is why it says in Revelation 1:5  that “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”

But those that refuse Christ as Saviour will then have to have their decision represented on the Day of Atonement as well. And so the goat on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, was presented alive before the Lord. Leviticus 16:10 says “But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness.”

That goat is not killed like the goat of the Lord was because his sins had no Saviour. The unrepentant does not believe in Jesus at all. And so, the high priest lays both hands on the head of the live scapegoat to confess all the sins of repentant Israel into him. This act transfers all the sins from the high priest who represents Christ to the goat that represents Satan. The scapegoat was then sent away. It says this in Leviticus 16:21  And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness:

Now keep in mind. That scapegoat is alive for a reason. The Atonement was done for those that accepted the Remedy for sin, that being the death of Jesus Christ. But Satan and his followers never accepted the death of Christ on Calvary and so they stand alive on this great and dreadful day without a mediator between them and the God of Heaven. Instead of Jesus dying for them, they must now die for their own sins, but first their dying god Satan must be led off into the wilderness to deal with the 1000 years wherein his true name Beelzebub comes to fruition. He wanders the wilderness of earth with nothing but broken cities and dead bodies all over the place. Then at the end of the 1000 years, their decision to refuse the death of Christ as payment for their sins, they all resurrect for a little season wherein their own choice for atonement sins must be carried out. And since Romans 6:23 says “the wages of sin is death” and they refused to accept Jesus as their Saviour who came to be that death for them, they must all, and this includes Satan himself; they must all then die for their own sins. And when they die, all the Universe will be forever cleansed of sin.

Next Sabbath we will look at the cleansing of the Heavenly Sanctuary. -  We just saw how the earthly was cleansed, and so next we see how the Heavenly is cleansed.

This Sabbath we need to look at the cleansing of the Heavenly Sanctuary. As in the earthly sanctuary, so it is done in the heavenly sanctuary because the heavenly is as we know, the true sanctuary that Moses was given a pattern of on the mount.

The work of our Lord, King, Saviour and heavenly High Priest Jesus Christ, on the great day of His final great and dreadful day of judgment for the obedient Israel as well as the disobedient lost throughout time, is the antitype of the work performed in the earthly sanctuary by the high priest on the day of atonement. As we learned earlier, some are cast into outer darkness and some are brought into the eternal light.

When this final work of Judgment began as prophesied by Daniel at the end of the 2300 days, which we now know was in 1844, our heavenly High Priest Jesus Christ passed from the holy place of the heavenly sanctuary into "the Holiest of all," as Hebrews 9:3 calls it, or most holy place as we also understand it to be. It is at this time that Jesus stepped in to begin the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary.

1 Peter 4:17 says, “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?”

Since "Judgment must begin at the house of God," as Peter confirms here, the judgment is at this point in time all about those that were members of the house of God on earth. Or true Israel as we are prophesied to be and named by our God. All those whose names have been written in the Book of Life, are considered, or investigated, at this time that begun on October 22, 1844 as per the prophecy of Daniel 8:14.

This investigation is to determine who among God’s professed people have endured to the end. This is what we call the "Investigative Judgment." And what have they endured besides overcoming the flesh. Notice what Jesus said in Matthew 10:22  And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.

 

But those who never accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour throughout time, who have never become members of the house of God, these lost souls are not judged at this time. Why have they not been judged you ask?

 

Let me ask you this. If a man with slurred speech wobbled up to you wreaking of alcohol, do you need to investigate his fruits so as to see if he is in sin or not? No, this man openly declares himself in sin. There is no need to judge people that openly declare themselves to be in sin. Their cases need no investigation. Instead, their Judgments only need to be executed at the end of the 1000 years.

In the earthly sanctuary, the sin offering, or Lord’s goat pointed to Christ as a perfect sacrifice. On the other hand we see the scapegoat pointed to Satan. As the high priest, which we know represented Jesus Christ in the earthly Sanctuary, by virtue of slaying the sin offering, which was the Lord's goat, he then received this blood of the Lord’s goat and therefore took the sins of Israel upon himself, as Jesus did in reality at Calvary. The high priest then comes out of the sanctuary to then place these sins upon the scapegoat.

And so Jesus Christ, at the close of His ministration for all sinners, and by the virtue of His own blood, then removes or blots out the sins of the truly repentant people of God from the record books in the heavenly sanctuary. He then places all those sins upon Satan who we all know is worthy of those sins seeing how he is the originator and instigator of all sin; he (Satan) will then bear the punishment for each and every sin that has ever been committed. That means from the sin of Adam all the way to the last sin committed by man.

It is now the scapegoat, who as we know is bearing all the sins of repentant and forgiven Israel, it is now that he is sent away into the wilderness, which students of prophecy knows is the uninhabited land of a broken planet earth wherein Satan will wander for 1000 years. It is here where Satan will eventually perish with his angels in the fire prepared for them along with those men and women that refused to step into the mansions in Heaven that were prepared for them.

Jesus said in Matthew 25:41  Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

 

But notice this, Jesus also said this in John 14:2  In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

That means, hellfire was prepared for Satan and mansions were prepared for mankind. But for some strange reason, most of mankind prefers the fires of damnation as we that are obedient will see at the end of the 1000 years when the executive judgment, or our God’s “strange work -or- strange act” of damnation is performed upon them as Isaiah 28:21 puts it. And it is a strange act as He is a God of love, but we need to remember His wrath is at the same level as His mercy. There are no gray areas here. You are either saved or you are lost. And so all of this is on the head of mankind on an individual basis. If you obey God, you will gain eternal life. If you disobey God, you will gain eternal death. And so again, why will ye die when life is offered to you?

And since that scapegoat was led into the wilderness to perish, as we saw in the earthly sanctuary, that goat was never again to be seen in the camp of Israel because it was clearly prophesied in Nahum 1:9 “What do ye imagine against the LORD? he will make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time.”

When the Investigative Judgment closes at the start of the plagues; Revelation 22:11 will come to fruition. It says “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.”

 

When that judgment closes, all the sins of redeemed people of God will have been forever blotted out for all of eternity never to come to mind or ever mentioned again. And sadly, all the names of the unrepentant people of Israel will be forever blotted out as well from the eternal record books. As with the scapegoat, they are forever "cut off" from Israel. Remember what it says in Revelation 3:5? Jesus actually says here, “He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.”

 

To say He will not blot the name out means some names will be blotted out. That verse alone without all the dozens of other verses that we can find in the Word proves the theology of the Baptist that says once saved always saved is a lie by the devil to cultivate a false sense of security.

 

It is at this time that the eternal destiny of the entire human family is forever decided. And so it is fitting to declare that blotting out of the sins of the obedient people of God from the books of Heaven constitutes the long prophesied cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary.

Jesus Christ, our heavenly High Priest, voluntarily gave up His life for the sins of the whole world. John 3:16 confirms this. Those who accept His sacrifice for their sins have them placed on the great Sin-bearer, Jesus Christ. In so doing we are all freed from the penalty of sin which is in fact the damnation by fire.

Paul declared in Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” And he also said in Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” This means all of us, every single man and woman alive is in need of a Saviour. But since Jesus said in John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” We now have a remedy for our sins. And yes, this is why Satan makes so many people believe the Law of God was abolished at the cross. Satan knows what is penned long after the cross of Christ when most are taught the law was taken away. Even Satan himself knows it says this in 1 John 3:4.. “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.”

 

And since the unavoidable consequence of sin is death, and since the Father loves us so much that He doesn’t want us to die, He sent His Son to be born of a virgin and literally walk in the exact same flesh we have but without ever bowing to sin so that He can be the perfect sacrifice for sin. This is why the people of God in the Old Testament made sure the lamb they offered for their sins was without spot or wrinkle. Christ had no sin in 31AD. A sinful man could never atone for his own sins because of the simple fact he has sinned and Paul confirms this fact when he said what he did in Romans 3:10 which was, “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:”

 

Since nary a man was born that has not sinned in some way, there is not a man anywhere on earth that can be that perfect offering for sin. Because the offering must be sinless for it to be considered capable of taking on the sins of mankind. For to have just one sin in the heart means that man is also a sinner and therefore incapable of being used as a sinless offering wherein all the sins within him are not one of his own making. The only man that can do that is the Son of man Christ Jesus.

 

When we look at the two goats we see one dies to remove the sins of God’s people so as to grant them eternal life. The other goat dies with all those sins upon him so as to never allow sin to rear its ugly head again. Sin had to be put away with forever and that is what will happen.

 

In closing, I am going to read something that a brother in the faith not too long ago found out the hard way was illegal to read out loud to the people on the streets of Jerusalem. It is Isaiah 53:1-12 which prophesies of a man that was to come 2000 years ago to be the Messiah and sin bearer for all people who will literally die for their sins. It says this.

 

“Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?  (2)  For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.  (3)  He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.  (4)  Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.  (5)  But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.  (6)  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.  (7)  He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.  (8)  He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.  (9)  And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.  (10)  Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.  (11)  He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.  (12)  Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

 

This Sabbath I would like to first off look at the timing of the Day of Atonement. What I mean is, the Lord instructed Moses as to an appointed time of year for this day as well as how things were done throughout the day itself.

First off we have the set day of the year commanded in Leviticus 23:26-28 which says, “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,  (27)  Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD.  (28)  And ye shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the LORD your God.”

And as we see by reading on, it says in Leviticus 23:29-32  For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people.  (30)  And whatsoever soul it be that doeth any work in that same day, the same soul will I destroy from among his people.  (31)  Ye shall do no manner of work: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.  (32)  It shall be unto you a sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath.”

 

Before moving on, the reason it says they began to keep the Day of Atonement in the evening of the 9th day is because the ninth day at even, or at the setting of the sun as we call it today, is what marked the beginning of the tenth day. And the Day of Atonement was to start on the 10th day of the 7th month each and every year until Christ would come to do all that the feast days said He was to do.

 

And so like the seventh day Sabbath  of each and every week since creation week, we see the feast days and the Day of Atonement were kept in the very same manner. And yes, this is where the confusion comes in for those that believe the Sabbath was abolished when they see what they see in Colossians 2:14-17 which says, “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;  (15)  And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.  (16)  Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:  (17)  Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.”

Many confused pastors or actual false prophets have declared these ordinances are the Ten Commandments and so they no longer need to keep the Sabbath. Yet they do demand you keep the other 9 commandments for some strange reason. But this is how easy it is to expose the error in this.

First and foremost. Notice this overlooked reality in these two verses:

Exodus 31:18  And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.

 

Deuteronomy 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.

Did you catch that? It says here that God wrote the commandments on stone. But the ordinances mentioned in Colossian 2:14 were handwritten by man. Plus, that very same verse says the ordinances were “nailed to the cross” which does mean something was forever finished at that cross. But we all know the Word and Law of God is eternal, for is says in Psalms 111:7-8, "The works of his hands are verity and judgment; all his commandments are sure. They stand fast for ever and ever, and are done in truth and uprightness." And it also says in Luke 16:17, "And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail."

And then it also says of those ordinances in Colossians 2:16 that we should “Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:” Yet I have to ask, where do we find meat, drink, holy days or new moons in the Ten Commandments? Nowhere at all. But it does say Sabbath days doesn’t it. But then we just learned in Leviticus 23 that all the feast days, and this includes the Day of Atonement, were declared to be Sabbath days as well. But these Sabbath days were kept on an annual basis and not a weekly basis like the seventh day Sabbath. It even stated in Leviticus 23:27 that one particular annual Sabbath was to be kept “on the tenth day of this seventh month” and that Sabbath was called the “day of atonement.” And so, the Sabbaths mentioned in Colossians 2 were obviously the annual Sabbath days and by no means the weekly Sabbath of the Lord.

In fact, after listing all the annual Sabbath days in Leviticus 23 we see this declared in Leviticus 23:37-38. It says, “These are the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD, a burnt offering, and a meat offering, a sacrifice, and drink offerings, every thing upon his day:  (38)  Beside the sabbaths of the LORD, and beside your gifts, and beside all your vows, and beside all your freewill offerings, which ye give unto the LORD.”

Did you catch that? It calls all the annual Sabbath days that were just listed feast days. And then in verse 38 it says these annual Sabbath days are “besides the Sabbath of the LORD.”

When speaking of the Day of Atonement it is called “YOUR Sabbath” was it not? In Leviticus 23:32 it actually said “from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath.” And as we just saw in verse 38, it said all their annual Sabbaths were to be kept “beside the Sabbaths of the Lord.”

The Sabbath of the Lord was instituted in Eden before sin came unto mankind. The feast day or annual Sabbath came so as to educate the people as to the Remedy that will atone for their sins. The Sabbath of the Lord has nothing to do with sin. The feast days illustrate the great price paid by our Saviour because of sin.

And one more thing to notice. It said in Colossians 2:17 that all those ordinances which we know to be feast days are declared to be “a shadow of things to come.” Is this not the basic reason for the feast days themselves?

I have more info on this on my feast days are abolished page on the website for those that want more study in this. But to summarize, if you look at why these feasts were kept or even the Day of Atonement itself, all of them are prophetic statements. This is why Jesus said “it is finished” in John 19:30 right before He breathed His last. All those feasts prophesied regarding what Christ would do that spoke of salvation and His death on the cross were the “shadow of things to come” as Paul said in Colossians 2. What they said will happen happened and so Jesus simply confirmed it all by saying “it is finished” and then died.

Picture the cross of Christ with the light of truth shining upon it in the future. The Jews would look forward to that cross and see the act of salvation, or light of salvation directly behind the cross because after the cross it truly is finished. And so as they see the cross from the past, with that light behind it which is their future blessing, a shadow is cast from the cross all the way back to their present day. And so as they walk that shadow they will eventually meet Christ at the foot of that cross and that is where the shadow stops. For the light behind the cross can have no shadow at all, for the ugliness of sin will not appear again forever in eternity and Jesus did say IT IS FINISHED while on that cross and so as Paul said, all those feasts prophesied what Christ would do for us at Calvary and therefore the “shadow of things to come”

And so again, when we look at Colossians 2, which is used by the many confused Pastors and actual false prophets that claim the Law of God was done away with, we know for a fact they are preaching lies for those ordinances were handwritten by Moses and not by the finger of God. Those ordinances were prophetic statements that would end or “be nailed to the cross” when Jesus died for us, the law of God has nothing in it about meat and drink offerings or even new moons and holy days, but the feast day ordinances are literally replete with such things. The clincher is that after all those feast day ordinances were listed in Leviticus 23 it plainly stated in verse 38 that all those annual Sabbaths were to be kept besides the Sabbath of the LORD.

But getting back to the timing of all this which we know pointed to a place in the future when the Lord would warn His people of His coming judgment so as to be prepared for His arrival. Likewise, the time of the beginning of the real day of Judgment, when the heavenly sanctuary is to be cleansed, is divinely appointed; It says in Daniel 8:14 that it was to be "Unto 2300 days, then shall the sanctuary be cleansed."

Now we know that Rome was also prophesied the change times and laws as Daniel also prophesied in Daniel 7:25. And so we know they not only changed the law of God by removing commandment #2, splitting number 10 in two to fill the gap and then changed the day of the week for Sabbath, they also changed the calendars from the biblical format of 30 days each to the Gregorian calendar we have today. That was not just done to make it difficult to know the exact year we are in in correlation with the Bible’s timeline. It also makes it hard to know the dates for the prophecies that Daniel was given that had exact dates in them.

And so, thanks to the people of God that have done much of the legwork for us in researching this all out in the prophesied 9th hour of the church. We now know that the day of the year for the Day of Atonement, which was the tenth day of the seventh month in the Bible calendar, was actually October 22, 1844 in our calendar.

And being students of prophecy, we know that it was in fact on October 22, 1844 that the Investigative Judgment began in the heavenly sanctuary just as Daniel predicted and so again, we can see why Rome messed with the calendars. They fear allowing the people to know when God’s hand is about to move as well as see how accurate His Bible is because that very same book also exposes the Popes and prelates of Rome to be Antichrist and so Satan will most assuredly do all he can to prevent the Word of God from being available to those he has trapped in his charred trophy case.

And so, as on the ancient day of atonement when the people of God had been cleansed from all sin in a proleptic manner wherein the high priest of the day pronounced his blessing upon the people, the true and long prophesied final day of judgment all sins of the obedient people of God will be forever blotted out, then Christ the heavenly High Priest will pronounce His long awaited blessing upon His precious bride by saying, "He that is righteous, let him be righteous still. and he that is holy let him be holy still." Revelation 22:11.

And so, just as all the feast days were finished at the cross 2000 years ago, the final Day of Atonement will be fulfilled on the exact date our Father saw from the foundation of the earth. And because no man can know the day or the hour of any prophecies from when the end times began on October 22, 1844 till the plagues fall on all of the lost souls the world over, we do not know the exact date of that great and dreadful day. But we can and do know the season we live in and that season is when the Son of God returns to take home His bride.

This Sabbath I’d like to touch on the services of the Sanctuary on the day of atonement in a little more detail. The services are just as important as the time of year they were to be held on. Aside from the actual duties of the high priest in the temple, there were four duties given unto the people by the Lord as well.

In Leviticus 23:27-28 it says, “Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD.  (28)  And ye shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the LORD your God.”

And so, they had to declare and acknowledge the tenth day of the seventh month to be a holy convocation unto them. In other words, they were to specifically gather as a body of believers on that day. In so doing, they had to also afflict their souls on that day. Then they had to make an offering by fire unto the Lord and seeing how it was considered an annual Sabbath, they could not do any work on that day either.

If they failed to do anything as the Lord commanded on this holy day, they would be cast outside the camp to be forever separated from the Israel of God. And so, this is why we see what we do at the start of the 7 last plagues and especially at the end of them when the Lord returns. The people that did not prepare for the coming of the Lord that His obedient remnant people have been trying to warn all the world about by this time, these souls will be cast out and forever separated from the Israel of God. And since the obedient people of God, or Israel as our Lord likes to call us, since we are prepared, we will be in Heaven alive with Him for all eternity; but those that were cast out, no, they will be forever separated by eternal death.

The day of atonement that was in their day both symbolic and prophetic, in our day it’s purely symbolic for the prophecy was fulfilled on Calvary, all of what we see with physical Israel back then was connected with the earthly sanctuary and when they gathered for this holy convocation, it was an all-day service and not a single obedient child of God was to be absent for any reason whatsoever.

In other words, no matter how many times someone declares Christ Lord, if they are disobedient in any way shape or form when our current day of atonement ends, which we know is when the plagues start, if any of us have any unconfessed sin in our hearts on that day we will be without excuse. We knew it was sin, and we knew we never overcame it and so just as an Israelite of old who was purposely absent from this holy convocation, we too will be forever cast out unless we seriously confess and repent before the plagues start.

And just so you know, making excuses to stay in an apostate church when you know the Word of God defines apostasy as the main fruit of Babylon, be it the mother of harlots, or just one of her daughters of which the SDA church has been confirmed to be a daughter in so many bold examples from declaring Allah is God to just last month declaring to all the world that they are happy to give the LGBTQ movement in America one million dollars to help educate children on how to be part of the homosexual community and mission. I did a video on that 2 weeks ago. All of these awful fruits cannot nor ever can be found on an obedient tree.

Jesus clearly said in the sermon on the mount that we should “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:  (14)  Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.  (15)  Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.  (16)  Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?  (17)  Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.  (18)  A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.  (19)  Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.  (20)  Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” - Matthew 7:13-20 

We are traveling right now through the long prophesied investigative judgment and if we don’t prepare ourselves for the coming of the Lord, we will certainly be cast out.

Excuses like I don’t want to leave the church until my parents see the light or die; I don’t want to leave until I can gain the hand of the spouse I lust after, or I cannot leave because there are no other churches in my area, all of these are excuses Satan offers and Jesus watches to see how His bride will respond to His loving truth as opposed to Satan’s hateful lies.

Every single person I have ever met that is in the SDA church has told me they know their church is in apostasy. Yet most of them stay in using all sorts of excuses like the ones I shared and more.

Jesus said in Matthew 14:25-29, "And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.  And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.  But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.  And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.  And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus."

As we know,. there are to be "seven churches and four movements" according to our Lord in Matthew 20:1-7. (See detail study on this here) And as we also know, our Lord always used every aspect of His message to be used in the literal and prophetic sense quite often. Notice if you will that it is at the FOURTH WATCH that our Lord tells Peter to come out of the SHIP. Yet as we all stand in the fourth and final movement, or watch as prophecy calls it, the SDA leaders keep saying to stay with the ship in direct denial of what Jesus said to Peter.

And that’s no mistake by the way. It’s Satan’s way of testing the faith of the people so as to mock the Lord in bold ways. Like the Catholic church that demands people call their priests “father” when Jesus said to call no man on earth your father. And no, Jesus wasn’t talking about your dad. The term father here is translated as teacher, guide or even provider in the spiritual manner. Yet all Catholic priests admit their term father also defines them as teachers and guides of the people. So it is a direct twist on the Lord’s Word so as to conjure the evil grin and even laughter from Satan himself when he sees how their church leaders command the exact opposite of the Bible says that they actually have in their own hands.

Worse yet, when we look deeper in Matthew 23:9 wherein Jesus said we should “call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.” We see Jesus bringing up the fact that we already have a Father in Heaven. And what did Jesus call His Father while in prayer? In John 17:11 Jesus called Him “Holy Father” did He not? And the direct twist on that which makes Satan smile is that the Pope declares himself holy father on earth and billions of people echo that blasphemous title each and every day.

The Bible also declares not to touch the unclean thing or embrace Pagan festivals or that the Sabbath is day seven and not day one just to mention a few. Yet like Rome, the SDA leaders partake in many unclean acts from the stock market to funding homosexuals, they embrace the pagan festivals of both Christmas and Easter and not only did the General Conference say “it’s no big deal” to be opening Sunday keeping churches all over the world, they have actually had dozens of Sunday keeping churches open for many years.

And so as we look around we can see that we are going through our own spiritual day of atonement as we speak. Yet all around us we see many poor souls with like minded doctrines absent from the remnant number and so they are soon to be forever cast out. This was not a time for idleness thousands of years ago when Israel prepared for and embraced this extremely important day of atonement and since that which was shall be from the type to antitype, the spiritual day of atonement is just as important.

And just so you know, the few of us in the SDR movement that are doing the work, we are being slandered, persecuted, censored and even blocked online by all sorts of lost and confused souls who think it is proper to do so just as Korah and his friends told Moses to stop telling them about their errors. Satan is doing all he can to slow the work as the day approaches exactly on time.

But can you image if just a few hundred of us were to take the videos, tracts and studies the workers are making now so as to hand them out offline, or post the videos, tracts and studies online in chat rooms? Better yet, if only 100 of the SDR people were to make pages on YouTube, vimeo or other video portals and then post the videos we are making and this includes my videos, Craig videos and the videos of the other SDR workers. If we had 100 SDR brothers and sisters posting them online, it wouldn’t matter at all that those of us that have been doing it all along are shadow banned, censored and blocked. The truth would still get out.

When the trumpets blew 10 days in advance to announce the coming day of atonement; and even as the people of God gathered on the day of atonement when it finally came; we see in the Word that it was a day of deep heart searching and earnest prayer. Are we doing this today brothers and sisters? Our heavenly High Priest is right now officiating at the mercy seat so that every one of our confessed sins might be forever put away. Not one repentant soul could take the chance back then to let that day come to a close with even one known sin still residing upon their hearts. For if they did, that poor sinner was no longer counted among Israel.

Since the day of atonement was of such importance to ancient Israel, how much more important shall it be to us dear brothers and sisters? Soon, its antitype, the real and final day of Judgment will come and we will be without excuse if we are cast out because we know what sin is, we know what apostasy is, we know the will of the Lord as it is written by His own hand.

Our own Bible says we can enter "into the holiest by the blood of Jesus.” How can we ignore this?

Hebrews 10:19-27 says, “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,  (20)  By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;  (21)  And having an high priest over the house of God;  (22)  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.  (23)  Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)  (24)  And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:  (25)  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.  (26)  For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,  (27)  But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.”

Some may wonder what it means when the Lord says in Leviticus 16 and Leviticus 23 that "Ye shall Afflict Your Souls." What does this mean?

Leviticus 23:27 says, “Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD.”

The word “afflict” here is the key. The Hebrew definition of this word is as follows. It’s found in Strong’s #H6061. The word can be used in many different ways of course, but the in context definition to the word is…

“A primitive root (possibly rather identical with H6030 through the idea of looking down or browbeating); to depress literally or figuratively, transitively or intransitively (in various applications). (sing is by mistake for H6030.): - abase self, afflict (-ion, self), answer [by mistake for H6030], chasten self, deal hardly with, defile, exercise, force, gentleness, humble (self), hurt, ravish, sing [by mistake for H6030], speak [by mistake for H6030], submit self, weaken, X in any wise.”

When they afflicted their souls, they did so with fasting and repentance and this was especially true when it came to national sins for all of Israel was the obedient church back then as prophecy says it is today. Hence the reason it is so important to get out of apostate churches in these last days. If the leaders in the church condone sin as in any way as we see is the long prophesied case in all the 501c3 churches doing today wherein they create an image of the beast by signing unto the 501c3 contract, and as also prophesied, this includes the 9th hour or SDA church. As per biblical and now prophesied jurisprudence they are all committing national sins claiming to be the Israel of God when in fact they are not.

Looking back when the people of God afflicted themselves before the Lord on the day of atonement we have no doubt that as they fast, confess and repent of their sins the Lord would bring to mind sins unconfessed and so one can rest assured that had they not truly repented of what they did with that golden calf for example, they most assuredly had the option to do so by now. And since this affliction was ordained of God as a way to reconcile themselves unto Him, can we the Israel of God today do any less?

As we go through our day of atonement seeking the very day the cleansing of the Heavenly Sanctuary in finished, we can see ourselves as well as Christians all around the World miraculously coming into a truth that is very unpopular with the rest of the world. In fact, 35+ years when my wife and I stepped out of Catholicism everyone around us were shocked as we were very active in the church at that time. For example, I wasn’t just devout, as most Catholics won’t even understand what that means either. I had certain duties in the church each week and so when we left it upset my parents and all 10 of my siblings not to mention the priest who expected me to be by his side on Sunday. None of them agreed with anything we were seeing or trying to share with them.

What I’m getting at by sharing that is that the exact same thing is happening to all of you as well. No, not all of you were Catholic, but it is clear all of you stepped out of apostasy to join in the final movement of God’s church and most did it without even realizing the Lord was the one moving you into the mindset we see He prophesied the people would have when instructed to afflict themselves so as to be properly prepared for the day of atonement which then leads to that great and dreadful day of His return.

All of us saw sins we never knew were sinful and then chose to stop doing them once the Holy Spirit grieved our hearts. All of us saw the church we were in was not blessing us with any light or even helping us to grow in the Lord by something as simple as how Christian fellowship causes the iron to sharpen the iron as Proverbs 27:17 said happens when the obedient people of God walk together in the truth.

Even our characters are changing, our diets have changed and some of us have even changed our jobs. And praise God that many have already moved out of the cities and hopefully all will have changed where they live before they enforce the mark. We all stopped smoking, drinking, cursing as well as listening to the devil’s music or anything that has to do with the lies and witchcraft of Hollywood. What’s really been apparent to some is how many of us have even gotten rid of wedding rings, we no longer celebrate Pagan holidays like Christmas, Easter, Halloween or even Valentine’s day. And most if not all of the women in the church have been moved by the Lord to embrace dress reform right down to wearing clothing that does not even look like that which men wear and vice versa. I can of course go on for some time about all that the Lord has been doing to prepare His bride; but I think you understand what I mean when I say all of us have been moved by our God to “afflict our souls’ for the coming of the Lord.

Ya know.. I was thinking about this the other day while in the mid-day prayer and it dawned on me as to how easily one can see the question answered that deals with how some look at the drastic changes of obedient Christians as a prophecy that cannot truly be seen possible in that modern society which is so invasive to every aspect of life. It amazes some and will amaze them even more when the Latter Rain falls to see how God’s people choose to walk as the Apostles of old did or better yet as Enoch did during a time in the world that emulates our day to a “T” so much so that not long after Enoch was translated as the Gideon band will soon be translated, the ark of Noah was being readied for its prophesied destination when it comes to mankind and God’s will for them due to sin running rampant back then as it is today. And so as prudish and old fashioned the walk of the obedient Christian appears to most today, it is not at all impossible for a people to be called of God to afflict themselves so as to be ready for the coming of the day of atonement which culminates with the coming of the Lord.

I guess what I am trying to say is; remember when Jesus said that His second coming will come at a time in earth’s history where it emulates the days of Noah?

In Matthew 24:37-39 Jesus said, “But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.  (38)  For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,  (39)  And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”

Can you see this prophecy being fulfilled right now before your eyes? Seriously it’s actually pretty easy to see if you have eyes that see. Look around and you will see it as plain as day. As they afflicted themselves in the desert, we can see God’s people doing the same thing today in a desert of sin. And to make this boldly visible before the eyes of God’s obedient remnant people, all one needs to do is to look at your neighbor, coworker, classmate or in some sad cases, look at your family members or spouses. None of them see what you see and sadly, they are doing exactly as Jesus said the lost would do.

Instead of afflicting themselves to be ready for the coming of the Lord as the prophecies of our day shout very openly that the day of His return is very near, these poor souls are doing exactly as Jesus said they would be doing. They are “eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage” without so much as a second thought or even a care in the world that the Lord of all creation is about to return and they have not even begun to ready themselves for His return. None of them are afflicting themselves at all. Notice what the Lord moved Paul to write to Timothy regarding the people in our day.

2 Timothy 3:1-4 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.  (2)  For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,  (3)  Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,  (4)  Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;

Let me repeat that passage using the prophetic definitions as they have come to fulfillment. In the last days as we now see perilous times have been part of society since World Word I, mankind has been more concerned with selfishness as well as seeking to take or at the very least covet that which his neighbor has. Most if not all today are quick to boast of their abilities to the point they clamor after college degrees they can hang on the wall or list as credentials at the end of their signatures. All of them are proud and blaspheme in every way one can imagine to some merely taking the Lord’s name in vain as if His name is now a curse word, to some seeking worship as we see in Hollywood and how people treat them like literal gods. All of them disobey their parents and this is especially true if their parents are Christians. Most expect to be languished with gifts and offer up hollow thanks when granted what they clamor after, all see no sin in everything from lying to defiling the body God gave them. Many have no natural affection anymore to the point our leaders have legalized same sex marriages and some even seek to marry children, animals and even computers with gigs of porn on them as I saw in a news article not too long ago. You can even buy a life-sized doll to have relations with, male or female and some has sought to marry them. And yes, there is an American company and even a State or County, I don’t recall which that has legalized the purchase of life-sized dolls of children that are also anatomically correct so as to try and cut down on the massive amounts of pedophiles in their area. Like Vatican run methadone clinics that offer heroin addicts a quick fix, the pedophiles in some states are granted state sanctioned playthings.

As we also know first-hand as obedient Christians, we have seen people that have promised to help us in the spreading of the word that never did so and thereby marking them as trucebreakers. And we have seen more than our fair share of scoffers and trolls both on and offline that falsely accuse us of things we never did so as to soil the message and belittle the Lord we worship.

And when it comes to the incontinent or those that are allowed to do their evil acts unchecked, just watch the evening news and you see this in a daily basis in how Christians are attacked and even killed and no one steps up to help them or even stop those that harm God’s people. Just last week a judge shut down the banning of a film that portrayed our Lord as a homosexual while at the same time judges from all nations have declared the Bible hate speech. As for the fierce, need I mention school shootings, inner city gang wars, the Cartel, serial killers and of course government warfare. And when we look at the Atheist, Muslim, Homosexual, and every so-called Christian faith that does not agree with how the Bible truly defines Christianity, we see those that despise those that are good in the eyes of God. As for the traitor, heady and high minded, we can see such people in all walks of life today. And as Paul closes this prophetic fact sheet he says that all of them are lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God. And that can entail everything from the man that seeks the company of the disease-ridden prostitute to those that light up a joint.

And so again, as we look at how our God is readying His obedient people for His soon return by moving us to fast, confess and repent; the dying god of this world is doing the exact same thing with his people only in reverse. We are afflicting ourselves so as to be that chaste bride Jesus Christ is coming for. The world on the other hand is be readied by Satan to be the harlot he needs that will do his bidding with the foolish hope of killing off every last Christian that stands in his way.

These lost souls cannot realize the seriousness of the times and so like the rich man in the parable, they only know to "pull down their barns, and build greater;" so they can say to themselves, "Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink. and be merry." Jesus prophesied of their fate in Luke 12:18,19. And sadly, Jesus also said in Luke 12:20-21 that, “God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?  (21)  So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

And as they saw thousands of years ago in the desert; it plainly says in Leviticus 23:29  For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people.

"An Offering Made by Fire." 

When we look at the day of atonement and its services one can’t help but to see the love and mercy of our Heavenly Father. Not only does this illustrate His love for us, but it boldly shows the anger and hatred of Satan and his man of sin in Rome. Reason being is, if what they preach about our God being a tyrant and one who enjoys placing people that sin into their fake version of hellfire that has the lost burning each and every day for all eternity and worse yet, those that do confess and repent are taught by the Popes to be in another totally made up place called purgatory wherein Christians headed for Heaven must scream and writhe in the flames of Purgatory just so they can be worthy to reside in the city of Heaven where the Father lives; if all that was true, then why do we even hear of a place called the Sanctuary wherein an offering for sin is granted us wherein that burnt offering is called a "sweet savor" which depicts the complete consecration of our body, soul, and spirit unto our God in true love wherein even our heartfelt prayers are a sweet smelling incense unto Him. And the acceptance of this Sanctuary truth that is embodied the Lord Jesus Himself as an escape from the fires of damnation, how I ask can anyone that reads a Bible believe anything the Popes of Rome preach?

With a mountain of Bible verses to back this up, we worship a God of love. One who literally sent His only begotten Son to die for us so that we don’t have to burn to ashes in the flames of His wrath at the end of the 1000 years. How I ask can they not see love in that act alone? And to further confirm even His wrath is something He prefers not have to even display, when speaking of the day Satan, his many fallen angels with all the people that joined them in sinful rebellion burn to ashes it says in Isaiah 28:21  For the LORD shall rise up as in mount Perazim, he shall be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his strange work; and bring to pass his act, his strange act.

It is declared strange because being a God of love who declared many times in His Word that mankind does not have to die, in fact Jesus even said He made us mansions in His kingdom, being such a loving God as this, killing those that hated Him on that final day is very strange indeed. But truth is truth and it’s not like they were never warned. Especially in our day when the knowledge of His Word and especially the prophetic Word is increased as Daniel said so as to grant us ample evidence and truth that cuts the hearts of the lost. All this is readily available to every soul that lives. That is why we see this loving Lord say in Isaiah;

Isaiah 1:16-20 Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;  (17)  Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.  (18)  Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.  (19)  If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:  (20)  But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

And He also says in rebuke to the liars in Israel back then in Ezekiel 18:29-32, he said “Yet saith the house of Israel, The way of the Lord is not equal. O house of Israel, are not my ways equal? are not your ways unequal?  (30)  Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord GOD. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.  (31)  Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?  (32)  For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.

But if you listen to the Popes or the hellfire and brimstone preachers that claim our God is a tyrant laughing it up as sinners burn in hellfire, then it’s the people own fault if and when they die because none of what I just read about God’s love is ever uttered in churches in bed with Rome. All of them are taught that God is hateful, angry and happy to burn us all up in hellfire. Yet these two passages out of many prove these false preachers are liars working directly with the father of lies. And they were entrapped to preach these lies by something as simple as filthy lucre or money as was prophesied regarding their 501c3 contract with the second beast.

As we learned earlier the mercy seat is of the exact same height as the alter of burnt offering. That means there are no gray areas here and our God is in fact equal when it comes to judgment. Rome says God is much more hateful than He is loving, making Him unequal, yet it is Rome that made up lies like mortal and venial sin proving they are just as unequal in judgment as the Jews of old. And when you look at the Sanctuary furnishings depicting His character as well as His expressed will and love for us, the truth proves Rome is lying.

If the Lord was more hateful than He is loving as they claim, than the altar of burnt offering would be far higher than His mercy seat in the Most Holy Place. The sons of Satan have been caught lying so many times that it is shocking to see why so many people love the lie over the truth when it is so readily available.

And for those that say the Bible cannot be verified as the final say and therefore choose to walk through life without looking to the Lord as one worthy of worship;,, I say unto them that even if He never sent His only begotten Son to take the punishment of death for you, explain how all the prophecies that speaks of everything that has happened the last 6000 years have happened exactly as the Lord said would happen? If you don’t want to believe Calvary then at least look at the signs of the times. After all, isn’t that what the scoffer is always demanding? How many times have we heard them say over the years, “show me a sign and I will believe.” Well, open your eyes! They’re absolutely everywhere now from homosexual marriage to the 501c3 image of the beast.

If the Bible is not true, would not someone the last 2000 years stepped up with proof that just the prophesies of Daniel alone were untrue? How do they get around the fact that it was prophesied that after Babylon fell the Medes and the Persians would become the next global kingdom? Or what about how directly after they fell it was prophesied Alexander the Great would step up to do as he did to build up the one world government of the Greek Empire? And then what about the prophecy that stated after the Greeks collapsed Pagan Rome would step up and amazingly enough there is great detail now in both Daniel and Revelation that showed how Pagan Rome would fall to be resurrected as Papal Rome and then they would create what we now call the Club of Rome wherein the planet was separated into ten separate kingdoms that were later declared a New World Order wherein the United Nations has built up so as to grant the man of sin in Rome his day in infamy when those then kingdoms finally enjoy their one hour with the beast in the very near future? They actually stated in writing over and over again in the last month alone that they want that one world government by 2030!

And it’s not just prophecy either. If the Bible was bogus and God really was a tyrant as Rome claims, why is it there are still Christians walking this earth 2000 years after Jesus resurrected when the leaders of the Jewish Nation back then proclaimed Christianity would die off in just a few years?

I saw a list many years ago before the Internet came around that shared comments from some very infamous Atheists who claimed Christianity would be dead before they died and all of them are right now waiting in their graves for their judgment to be placed upon them at the end of the 1000 years, yet Christ is still embraced as Lord by countless souls.

I praise the Lord that we have a God that is no respecter of persons as Peter put it in Acts 10:34 proving once again that His judgment is equal. For just as there are no gray areas in His Word, wherein it says if you love the Lord you will live for eternity with Him, but if you love the devil, then you will die for eternity.

Christ Jesus gave Himself as a Perfect Sacrifice as the burnt offering depicts in the Sanctuary. These offerings were burned on the brazen altar that was to typify the place we first met Him as Lord and gave our hearts to Him. It is here that every idol of the heart and every evil thing we used to embrace was placed on that alter to be completely consumed by the fires of offering. And so it is fitting that Satan who is the scapegoat wherein at the end of the wandering in the wilderness for those 1000 years; he too is completely consumed by the strange act of our God in the flames of hellfire.

And remember brothers and sisters. 1 Corinthians 3:13-15 says that “Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.  (14)  If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.  (15)  If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.”

Does that sound like a hateful God or does it sound like He has blessed us with a way to overcome and burn up all our sinful desires on that brazen altar so as to have His perfect love and mercy bestowed upon us. For what we do at that altar depicts what He will do from His mercy seat. It’s our decision to accept His Son as Saviour from those flames as the soon coming mark of the beast will be our decision to accept it or reject it.

Let us all this very day. This Sabbath day. Let’s us all renew our commitment to the Lord and go back to our First love and echo from the heart that which the prophet and blessed king David said so long ago after the prophet Nathan revealed his sin unto him before the Lord. David said this in …

Psalms 51:1-19  Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.  (2)  Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.  (3)  For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.  (4)  Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.  (5)  Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.  (6)  Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.  (7)  Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.  (8)  Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.  (9)  Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.  (10)  Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.  (11)  Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.  (12)  Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.  (13)  Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.  (14)  Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.  (15)  O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.  (16)  For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.  (17)  The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.  (18)  Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem.  (19)  Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.

As we know by Leviticus 23, all the annual feast days were annual Sabbaths and as per Leviticus 23:25 they were instructed by the Lord that "Ye shall do no servile work” on that day. This requirement was very important for the warning was quite clear here.

Leviticus 23:28-30  And ye shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the LORD your God.  (29)  For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people.  (30)  And whatsoever soul it be that doeth any work in that same day, the same soul will I destroy from among his people.

Think about this for a moment. How many of us look at Sabbath in a fleeting manner wherein we often do things we should not do on this day. And this is especially important among the remnant people who the Lord is watching right now to see who He can trust to not only keep His day holy, but He is watching to see how we witness unto others on this day. What I mean is, do those looking upon you on Sabbath see a change in you? Or do you still call your friends on Sabbath and chit chat for hours on the phone? Or do you play video games on your cell phone of computer? Do you go shopping on the Sabbath or as most lukewarm Christians do, do you go to restaurants on Sabbath day without a single thought that you are in sin by doing so? Are we not in the last days? Are we not called to be a peculiar treasure unto our God? And has He called us to repair the breach in the wall that Rome has made by their Sunday sabbath or untempered mortar as prophecy called it?

Notice what it says in Isaiah when speaking of God’s obedient remnant who are called to do a special work in these last days.

Isaiah 58:12-14  And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.  (13)  If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:  (14)  Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

When the Jews came unto Sabbath or any feast day for that matter, they treated it just as they treated the weekly Sabbath with the exception of course of the additional services required at each particular feast day.

The entire mindset of God’s people was to be centered on the services of the day and there was to be no divided or mixed heart as we see with Rome and those bowing to their dogma in every denomination on earth today. That means all of them are ignoring the much-needed preparation that is required for the day of atonement; yet nary a preacher, priest or pastor out there in the government approved 501c3 churches are helping their flock for the coming of the Lord just as prophecy said.

All the world; and this includes sabbath keepers be they Jew, SDA or Sabbatarian Baptists; all of them break Sabbath each and every week with mixed hearts wherein God’s truth and Satan’s lies are abiding as one and have become the norm. The prophesied confusion of Babylon is what they now call Christianity.

They even passed laws in Jerusalem a few years back wherein it became perfectly legal to break the seventh day Sabbath and a few years before that they gave the national OK to keep Sunday holy so as to appease the Pope. And sadly, we see the SDA church has followed their lead with dozens of Sunday keeping churches in operation as we speak.

Truth has been mixed with error just as prophesied for our day and the prophetic time we live in regarding the much needed preparation of the day of atonement doesn’t even come to mind with most Christians.

But I praise His name that as also prophesied there is an obedient remnant people who refuse to bow to the complacency of the Laodicean churches wherein judgment has already fallen to the point probation has closed on all these churches. It has not yet fallen on the people yet as they can still “come out of her” as the Lord commands they do in Revelation 18. And so, our work is clear. But as we have seen, most prefer to stay in apostasy and even demand their pastors preach unto them smooth things and prophecy deceits. They preach peace and safety and tell the people to stay with the ship when Jesus is telling them to come out of her.

The day of atonement demanded a complete and whole-hearted consecration of each child of God who stood in obedience as we know; and as we approach the end of that day of atonement in prophetic history, we see that most have the mixed mindset of the foolish virgins with no oil. They will be cast outside the camp. For when those plagues fall, every soul still in the apostate churches will be forever lost. There are no gray areas in obedience unto a perfect God. His mercy seat is the exact same height as the altar of burnt offering.

Just as the Sabbath day must be kept holy, the day of atonement, or annual Sabbath was to be kept holy as well. And seeing how we have come into that day over a century ago in the prophetic timeline, would it not be wise to do all we can to make each day count to the point that we walk as obedient Christians each and every day of the week so that when the weekly Sabbath comes upon us we will be blessed with even more Heavenly treasures from our Lord each week?

We must not stand idle as we approach that long prophesied day that we know for a fact is at the door now. The midnight cry already occurred in the mid 1800’s. The Bridegroom is coming.

How can every prophecy that was to be fulfilled up to this date fulfilled to the letter as they have yet some believe the last few regarding the final apostate state of the church as well as how the remnant of her seed was to step out of her was not to come to fruition? Have we not seen an exodus of God’s people from every denomination on earth in just the last few decades alone?

Many know to keep Sabbath holy yes, because even in the Sabbatarian churches out there they have been taught this as biblical fact all along, which it is. But how many in that church and even fewer in the other churches know about the 3 angels’ messages to help others to prepare for the coming of the Lord and the long prophesied investigative judgment? Keeping Sabbath each week in an apostate church is no different than going to Synagogue each Sabbath wherein Jesus Christ is denied. For to remain in apostasy is to deny Christ.

Prophecy is clear, the main fruit of Babylon is apostasy and prophecy is also clear that when apostasy becomes apparent that what is penned in Revelation 18:4-5 also becomes clear. They all must now “Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.  (5)  For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.”

Do you claim Christ Lord? Do you not know how to define sin? Is not apostasy apparent in all denominations? And if all that is true, then how can one stand in a fallen church and still claim to be an obedient child of God? Jesus says to come out of her, but because we are in the age of lying wherein lies have become truth and truth has become the lie, when Jesus is saying to come out the apostate churches the wolves have taught the people to stay in the church instead. The day of atonement is about to close and they are not ready. That bothers my heart.. does it bother yours?

How can these precious souls keep this day of atonement holy when their minds are not focused and single towards their God due to their ignoring much of what is written in His Word so as to bow to that which is proclaimed from apostate lips?  Just as the Jews who deny Christ keep their Sabbath each week yet are preparing for hellfire without even knowing it, all Sabbatarian and Sunday keeping Christians are now doing the exact same thing right before our eyes. And so again, our work is plain.

If those that claim Christ Lord refuse to cleanse the soul temple when there is time left to do so, yet continue to touch the unclean thing and join those that deny the command of Christ, they shall be declared forever unjust and worthy of damnation when the plagues begin to fall. Would they not rather hope to be part of the Gideon band so as to go forth glorifying the Lord?

Yes, I am sure every Christian in every church on earth would want to do this and so we need to do all we can to better our walks and be that light unto them brothers and sisters. We cannot serve God and mammon and hope to bring them in. And mammon in this case is everything from business connections to hanging with friends in an apostate church when you know your God says to come out of her. Jesus said in Matthew 16:26  For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

Notice what Jesus also said in the midst of His sermon in the mount. In Matthew 6:21-24 we read, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.  (22)  The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.  (23)  But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!  (24)  No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”

In Matthew 19:23-26 we see also said “Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.  24  And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.  25  When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?  26  But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.”

This one verse says a lot. Since it is obvious man cannot gain Heaven on His own, an actual miracle has to take place with every soul that becomes a Christian. Just as the blood on the temple veil was miraculously cleansed on the Day of Atonement in a way no man could contemplate; the sins in our soul temple can only be cleansed in a miraculous way no man can contemplate. Only by the Lord Jesus Christ and His offered gift of salvation can man ever hope to enter in through the gates of the city of New Jerusalem.

If you seek perfection in Christ. If you seek to be in that number. If you seek to be one that glorifies the Lord even as the plagues are falling; then you need to start training your eyes to be singly focused on the Lord thy God as we walk through this day of atonement. And yes, this is why some poor and confused souls claim we need to keep the feast days in a physical manner for in so doing Satan knows this takes our eyes off the fact that we are right now in the prophesied day of atonement that is soon to end. Any distraction is what the dying god of this world is going for here and so we need to pray for the lost souls as well as lead them to Christ in any way we can. For it is also written in 2 Corinthians 6:17-18  Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,  (18)  And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

We are in that final day of atonement. But like any other Sabbath day, eventually the Sun will set, and that day will end. I pray all of us are ready to stand when that great and dreadful day finally gets here.

As we know, and we discussed last Sabbath, our Lord cleanses the Sanctuary in a miraculous manner in the same way He cleanses our hearts. But many are unaware regarding our part in cleansing the Sanctuary as well.

As Christ is cleansing the temple in heaven from 6000 years of sins from those people that have accepted Him as Lord since Adam and Eve fell, for those that refuse to accept His free gift of salvation, the filth of their sin remains on them. But as He does this for His faithful bride, should not we, His chosen people do all we can to work with our Lord as we stand on earth awaiting the day we ascend with Him? Shouldn’t we, as the obedient people of old seek to rid the soul temple of every defilement as they prepared for the day of atonement?

Not only must we do this, but as we can see by the 5:00pm studies the last few months on Sabbath day that our very own mortal bodies must be cleansed from everything that weakens them so we can receive the blessings of physical and cognitive power granted unto us. Would we not be held accountable if we eat the unclean foods that sicken us, smoke the tobacco or other harmful weeds that poison us or even drink alcohol that destroys organs wherein not only do we have biblical truths declaring all of these things weaken, sicken and defile the body, we also have modern day scientific facts confirming that people that indulge in such things do in fact die much earlier than those that do not.

If we knowingly do things to and with our bodies that we know for a fact make us unfit to either glorify the Lord or even speak of him unto those that know how we treat our bodies, then we will be held accountable. And none of us can make the excuse that smoking or drinking doesn’t affect us in adverse ways or the sickness we now have are not the end result because lying to ourselves will not lessen the judgment against us.

I recall not too long ago talking with a woman who has cancer in her body telling me that she does not believe the cigarettes she smokes has anything at all to do with it and so she will continue to smoke. This is how strong the enemy of souls is on some people. Besides all the Scripture and Spirit of Prophecy facts regarding tobacco, we have tons of legitimate science confirming that tobacco is a poisonous weed and worse yet, in the USA they legally place dozens of addictive carcinogens in the cigarettes to keep their customers. Not only did they admit this in a court of law, it was proven those toxic laden cigarettes killed people.

We have a duty to go forth in these last days and the majority of the people in the SDR movement that study the doctrinal as well as the prophetic Scripture, we know the Lord is not going to select those of us He cannot trust to work with Him in both the spiritual as well as the physical realm we walk in.

In order for us to be a church prepared to stand before Him as a perfect people, our heavenly Father demands that our appetites be cleansed. Is this not something that every Bible reader knows even if they only read up to Genesis chapter three wherein Adam and Eve succumbed to the appetite of the flesh? We need to cleanse our temples brothers and sisters.

The indulgence of appetite has proven the last 6000 years to bring about inept physical weakness to the point mankind has gone from standing in a majestic form being 16 feet tall on average to only 5 foot 6 inches in the Netherlands to 4 foot 7 inches in the tribal people from the Democratic Republic of Congo. And yes, I was shocked to see that when I looked it up online just the other day. I always thought the Pygmies of Africa were the smallest people, but they’re actually 3 inches taller than those that live in the Congo!

The diet of mankind, and this includes those things indulged in from tobacco to alcohol; has crippled the human race over time. All this deadens the perceptive organs to a point that the Word of God cannot be discerned as easily. Because even though people think indulging in such things only hurts a lung, heart, stomach or liver, they all seem to forget the brain is also an organ that feeds off the exact same bloodstream. And that’s the organ we think with. And so, if you smoke for example, you harm your ability to breathe. But were you also aware you harm your ability to think as well? Same holds true for anything we consume that harms the organs. If any organ is harmed it means the entire system cannot function as it was created to function and this means even your ability to contemplate or even discern the Word of God is harmed.

Now do you see why Christ fasted in the desert those 40 days? He put the flesh in abject submission to His own cognitive will as we all should. In so doing He was much better to understand His Father’s will as you and I can if we too fast, pray, read the Word and take care of the body temple He gave us.

And by the way, those that don’t understand the divine nature proclaimed by the walk Of Jesus Christ that shows we too can walk with God like He did; which means we too can see and understand what He saw, do a study on a man that murdered another man in Egypt who also indulged in the Egyptian diet for decades. But he then walked away from all that to the point he literally heard the voice of God and literally glowed as he walked off a mountain one day with two tablets of stone with God’s law etched on them. That’s right, that man that killed a man who indulged in the Egyptian diet, which science proved a few decades ago was the exact same diet as obese Americans after dissecting and analyzing the mummies they found, that man was called Moses. And so, if he can do it, so can each and every one of us right here in America do it. And if we change our diets and walk in the will of the Lord, we too will see the Lords hand move in ways prophecy says the Gideon band will see and walk through the 7 last plagues without so much as a single boil upon us.

Getting back to the brain, were you also aware that indulging in things that weaken it make it that much easier for Satan to tempt us? Ever hear of the term garbage in garbage out? Satan knows exactly what he’s doing with those perverted and violent Hollywood movies and video games. He knows that if we indulge the brain in those areas, we will begin to emulate them so much that he will be able to count on us to be part of his Armageddon troops on the very day he seeks to surround the Gideon band that are obedient unto God.

Remember what Paul said to the dear people of Phillipi 2000 years ago? He said in Philippians 4:4-9 that we should, “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.  (5)  Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.  (6)  Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.  (7)  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.  (8)  Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.  (9)  Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.”

Brothers and sisters, the temptation to indulge in everything from a perverted appetite to a perverted lifestyle is a direct result of ignoring that which the Word of God says is the expressed will of the Father for His obedient children who seek a happy and prosperous life. Jesus fasted so as to show us the danger we face in this holy war we have all been drafted into. Yes, there are many dangers in this warfare that are much more deadly; but none of them can be overcome or even fortified against unless we do as Paul shared with the people of Phillipi long ago. Everything from what we put in our bodies to what we put into our hearts and minds are significant because in so doing makes all the differences as to how strong our armor is when we go out into the battlefield against the roaring lion who seeks anyone he can devour. Just looking at the homosexual lifestyle or the man or woman that kill themselves with everything from heroin to crystal meth shows how far into physical and spiritual perversion this enemy can force some people into that refuse to look into the Word of God as a valid and bold escape from all that is unholy and impure.

Adam and Eve fell in the indulgence of appetite by seeking just one forbidden fruit, yet mankind today has thousands of different rotten fruits to pick from thanks to Satan building his tree of death the last 6000 years.

To put it as plainly as I know to put it, those people that are slaves to what they claim as pleasure of the flesh will ultimately fail in perfecting Christian character and they will never be in that number that grows to 144,000. Nor will they even be in that much larger number that die before the plagues begin who have the faith but not the well-honed ability to stand sinless in a global vat of sin for when those plagues fall. Billions of unsuspecting Christians who thought they could never lose their salvation in such a time as this, will weep and gnash their teeth just as Jesus warned.

And no, we cannot blame our God for making us weak and fleshly. He blessed us in every way a man or woman can be blessed. But we all chose out own path did we not? Yes we did. For we all know what it means to watch the old man die and a new creature emerge once Christ Jesus sends the Comforter to be in us and with us as we tread this sinful world. In fact, it says this in Ecclesiastes 7:27-29, “Behold, this have I found, saith the preacher, counting one by one, to find out the account:  (28)  Which yet my soul seeketh, but I find not: one man among a thousand have I found; but a woman among all those have I not found.  (29)  Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.”

In other words, as the Lord looked too and fro on the land we call earth; He saw there are none righteous no not one as Paul echoed this truth in Romans 3:10. But the truth is, our God made us to be upright, just as it was declared in Genesis 1:26, “God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.”

He did that so we can have all we need to not just glorify Him but to have peace and happiness in life. In fact Deuteronomy 30:15-19 clearly said long ago, “See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil;  (16)  In that I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it.  (17)  But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them;  (18)  I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it.  (19)  I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:”

But even though our God made us uprightly in His image, mankind sought out the many inventions put forth by Satan and his cohorts to the point we see man standing in a sickly body unable to discern wrong from right; and especially now in these last days when so much truth has been presented, so many prophecies fulfilled and so many miracles seen that even with all that evidence to declare unto all that Christ is risen and Christ is soon to come again, the minds and hearts of men are more apt to clamor after their TV shows, movies, sporting events, drugs, sex, rock music, drugs and alcohol. But not so for the remnant people who will stand exactly as prophecy declared they would. And it is the hope of this final church on earth that as many people as possible come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ who will grant us the blessing to be born again into an upright condition that will not bow to the many inventions of Satan who seeks to kill and destroy each and every child of God that has been blessed with the eternal life he forfeited 6000 years ago.

For if we cannot give up all of the "fleshly lusts, which war against the soul," as the Apostle Peter declared in I Peter 2:11, what will our Lord, Saviour, Creator and God say unto us when our names come up in this investigative judgment we find ourselves in? Do you recall what He said unto Ephraim thousands of years ago when he was judged? He said this in Hosea 4:17. “Ephraim is joined to idols: let him alone.”

And so, please listen carefully brothers and sisters. We must have all sins confessed and off our hearts when the plagues begin; for if we die before that day comes, we will be forever lost. For it is plainly declared in Revelation 22:14-15  Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.  (15)  For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.

Next Sabbath we will look at how they were instructed to close out the day of atonement.

When the day of atonement was to come to a close, the high priest who had finished making atonement for the obedient people of God, he then did as Jesus our eternal High Priest is very soon to do. Back then the high priest stepped out of the most holy place and blessed the congregation with the reward expected. And so, and hear me well brothers and sisters, when the plagues begin and the cleansing of the temple in Heaven is finally complete, Jesus will drop the censor and close His work as Mediator. He will then go forth to finally bless His people with eternal life. It is then we shall see the prophecy of Revelation 22:14 come to fruition right before our very eyes. We shall ascend and travel back to New Jerusalem with our Lord, look upon His creation on the way, and reach the city to begin eternal life. Well.. actually it began a week earlier when the plagues ended and we were all changed from mortal to immortal. But to keep it in context with all that happens at this wonderful time for the obedient Bride of Christ, I will read from verse 11 as it was shared in Revelation 22. Now keep in mind, as I begin to read, it is then that the plagues begin and eventually end therefore destroying all those that would deny the ever precious gift of salvation.

Revelation 22:11-14  He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.  (12)  And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.  (13)  I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.  (14)  Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

The antitypical day of atonement had finally ended. All the sins of the obedient people of God had been blotted out in type via the final service of the earthly Sanctuary; but in our case, and very soon at the arrival of our King and Saviour Jesus Christ, they will be forever blotted out in reality for all eternity. For when that censor drops, all sins confessed are forever gone and all sins unconfessed remain on the lost to be burned up at the end of the 1000 years.

When they did this day of atonement service in the earthly sanctuary, the people went back to their tents in the desert or some to actual homes in Solomon’s day, they returned home with joy in their hearts at the setting of the sun. The next 5 days was the ingathering of the fruit of the land and on the fifteenth day of their seventh month, which would be our calendar month of October, when the physical harvest was done, as we shall see in reality at the end of plague #7, the people of God enjoy a feast unto the Lord. The feast was actually the feast of tabernacles or the feast of ingathering.

Exodus 23:16 says, “And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field.”

This is fitting in that when we ascend to Heaven after the return of Christ, what shall be the first thing we shall do with great joy in our hearts knowing all our sins have been eternally cleansed? We shall gather for a feast. For is it notwritten in Luke 14:13-15  But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind:  (14)  And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.  (15)  And when one of them that sat at meat with him heard these things, he said unto him, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God.”

And so, to better understand the feasts, let’s look at them in summary so as to understand why they were initiated and what if anything they represent today.

The Feast of Unleavened bread: The night before this feast every family celebrated the Passover in their homes. This is why so many believe the Passover and the feast of unleavened bread are the same thing. But Passover actually occurred on a single day and the feast of unleavened bread lasted all week.

As we know they killed the Passover lamb and placed the blood upon the doorposts as a sign to the angel of death to Passover their homes. But then on the evening after the Passover, the obedient people of God were instructed to finally leave Egypt. Pharaoh’s will was finally broken when his first born son died. And so, the Lord told the people to make bread quickly and leave. So quickly in fact that they were not to allow their bread to rise. They had to just gather everything they could to travel easily and get out of there. The Passover ceremony was celebrated in this way:

In fact, when eating of the Passover lamb, it says this in Exodus 12:11  And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD'S passover.

Each family would kill the Passover lamb and then eat it along with bread that was made quickly without allowing it to rise. Yeast, in prophecy represents sin because sin, like yeast when put in dough, fills the entire person.  John the Baptist spoke of Jesus as "the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29) and Paul points out that "Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed." (1 Corinthians 5:7).

And so, since Christ is the Lamb who was sacrificed and His sacrifice has already taken place 2000 years ago, then there is no need for the obedient Christian to celebrate the Passover feast that pointed forward to the coming of God's Lamb who would take "away the sin of the world!" For all that is now in the past. That feast day was a prophesied event for their future.

In fact, the exact hour that Jesus died for us on that cross we see it was the time for the slaying of the Passover lamb in the Temple. But Matthew 27:51 describes how the "curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split." And so how I ask could they even partake of this feast now that the temple vail was torn in two? That depicted the end of the service that spoke of what just happened on Calvary.

Jesus gave us the communion service of bread and wine to commemorate His death (See Matthew 26:26-35). For Christians, the Lord's supper has taken the place of the Passover.

And so, as we look at this feast day, we see that there is no need for Christians to participate in this festival because the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ to which we now know all that it pointed to has already taken place. In other words, this feast has become obsolete. Hence the reason the temple vale ripped and Jesus literally said “it is finished” when He breathed His last in John 19:30 at the exact same moment. The Lord can’t make it any clearer. Only those who refuse to see this can’t understand. It is for these people who place their creed above the Bible that we must pray for.

Next let’s look at the The Feast of Weeks, which we know was later called Pentecost. It took place 50 days after the waving of the sheaf. This festival celebrated the beginning of the wheat harvest.

As we now know due to having a New Testament Bible in hand, the day of Pentecost was recorded to have come to fruition exactly 50 days after Christ's resurrection, which then marked the beginning of the harvest of Christ's work. It was preceded by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit wherein the former rain fell on Pentecost.

Acts 2:1-5 says, “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.  (2)  And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.  (3)  And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.  (4)  And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.  (5)  And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.”

Rome has actually use this event to declare Sunday as Sabbath, but this event occurred on what the Bible calls the first work day of the week depicting to the Apostles that it was now time to go to work.

And so, as we can now see, there is no need for Christians to celebrate this feast because the reason for the feast came to pass when the disciples began the harvest of souls in earnest. In fact, they started bringing in the souls that exact same day. They literally started their work on this day. For notice what it says next.

Acts 2:6-18  Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.  (7)  And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans?  (8)  And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?  (9)  Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia,  (10)  Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes,  (11)  Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.  (12)  And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this?  (13)  Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine.  (14)  But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:  (15)  For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.  (16)  But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;  (17)  And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:  (18)  And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:

Now one can imagine how something this amazing would have its effect on the people looking on? And so, one can expect what happened next. Notice what it says a little later on in the chapter after Peter is done preaching unto the crowd.

Acts 2:37-41  Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?  (38)  Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.  (39)  For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.  (40)  And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.  (41)  Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

And so, one can see how this feast day came and went for a specific purpose. And exactly as intended for the prophetic description of the feast day, the work had begun and 3000 people came into the truth and accepted Jesus Christ as Lord to confirm the work had actually begun. And so, as I stated earlier, the reason for the feast came to pass when the disciples began the harvest of souls.

Next Sabbath we will look at the remaining feast days.

Last Sabbath we started to look at the feast days and why we no longer keep them, this Sabbath lets us look at the last three feast days and how they were kept by the obedient people of God and why we no longer, this side of the prophesied cross of Christ, need to keep them today. We already covered the feast of unleavened bread and the feast of weeks. Now let’s look at the feast of Trumpets.

The Feast of Trumpets This is a feast that was celebrated on the 1st day of the 7th month which was actually the beginning of the civil year for the Jews. Kind of like our January 1 today. But our New Year’s Day is mostly about fiscal changes in the way of money and the worship of it as well as drunken debauchery being uplifted as the sanctioned and expected norm. I recall as a teen that on this day the police would even turn a blind eye to drunk drivers. They would often drive them home or call someone who can. Today, the police are out there to make money and January 1 as well as the so called Saint Patrick’s day makes them millions of dollars in fines and so they no longer turn a blind eye. Besides, there are so many more drunk drivers today than ever before and allowing them to run amuck would be very bad indeed.

Getting back,  this 1st day of the Jewish new year fell on the "new moon" of what we call September or October because back then they adhered to the original calendar. But because the original calendar made it easier to keep perfect time as well as decipher and outline the prophecies, Rome changed the calendars just as prophesied in Daniel 7:25. And this also allowed men like Darwin to have a way of confusing the masses by removing the original calendar which only went back 6000 years. In so doing, Darwin could make many think we evolved from apes over the course of millions of years.

The tradition of the Jews was that on their New Year’s Day, which is also celebrated to this day as Rosh Hashana, on this day the people of God were to be judged for their deeds in the past year. But even if the sinful soul remained in sin and refused to repent, he or she was not declared as such until the until the Day of Atonement. This is what’s happening now in the spiritual sense.

In fact, many think because God doesn’t strike them dead the moment they sin, or the church members don’t stone them as they did back then, they think that means God no longer exists and so they need not concern themselves. This always reminds me of the man that stands up in a row boat during a thunderstorm holding up a fishing rod shouting, if there is a God strike me dead right now. Yes, God could easily do that just as easily as He sent the fire upon the captain of fifty and his men in Elijah’s day. But because we worship a merciful Father in Heaven, we all have time to repent before that great and dreadful day.

And so again, Christians don't celebrate the Feast of Trumpets either as this day is intimately connected with the Day of Atonement, that we will now look at.

The Day of Atonement. This day occurred on the tenth day of the seventh month which was considered the most solemn day of the year, and for infinitely good reason. On this day, and as we started to discuss weeks ago, the people of God were to refrain from work like any other feast day as it was considered an annual Sabbath like all the rest of the feast days. But they were also instructed to especially afflict their souls in preparation for the day of atonement so as to make sure all their sins were confessed; in the same way we are to confess all our sins before the plagues begin. This final and most solemn truth cannot be overstated. It is so important that all need to understand this very clearly. If you have unconfessed sins before you die, or the plagues begin, you will never be allowed in Heaven because you refused to lay all on the altar of the Lord so as to allow His death to take the place of your death. Literally billions of Christians will die in the coming plagues thinking they will still be heaven bound. Do a study on the 5 unwise virgins who didn’t have enough oil to see what I mean here.

Now do you see why Satan got billions to believe in a secret rapture and a 7 year tribulation period? When the people believe that instead of the real biblical facts regarding the prophesied day of atonement, none of them will be prepared for the return of Christ. All of them think they will either be secretly raptured up before that day comes or if unready, they will have 7 years to clean up their act and prepare when in fact they should be preparing right now! The great tribulation Jesus spoke of in Matthew 24 was already fulfilled between the years 538AD to 1798AD when the Popes of Rome killed 500,000,000 Christians. But if that truth was allowed to remain in society and especially the political realm, it would prevent any Pope from ever gaining power again. And so, they changed the prophecy to make people think the great tribulation is in the future. But then, that in and of itself is a whole different study, and so let’s move on.

On the Day of Atonement all the sins of the preceding year were finally confessed and forever gone via the services performed by the priest on the Day of Atonement. And as we also know, anyone that refused to confess and repent were forever cut off from Israel from that day forward. For it was plainly declared in Leviticus 23:29  For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people.

And so, we can see the Day of Atonement was a day of final judgment for the Jews as it will be for all of mankind when our Heavenly High Priest finishes His work in the Most Holy place and drops the censor. This is also why we, the remnant people will have the same Spirit of Elijah who we first saw in John the Baptist as he declared 2000 years ago in Mark 1:3 as, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.”

Now do you see why people with exceptional zeal are lured away from preaching this present truth by Satan today? He fears this truth will garner souls away from his camp. To combat this, Satan mixes their message with lies and gets them to preach everything from a Lunar Sabbath, Jesus isn’t God, or the earth is flat just to name a few. To preach as they do will not prepare anyone for the coming of the Lord. Instead, it will distract those that don’t study the Word to join their camp so as to vindicate themselves thinking they are being used of God in a mighty way when in fact, as per all truth from Genesis to Revelation declares, they are not. Present truth is present truth. And there is nothing in the final message about Lunar Sabbaths, flat earth, or the Vatican trinity in all its diverse forms.

As we learned weeks ago, on this day two goats were brought before the High Priest. He cast lots over them to choose which one would be the Lord's goat and which one was to be the scapegoat. The scape goat was put aside for the moment, just as we will see when the Eastern sky rips open.

The Lord's Goat was killed and sacrificed on the altar, which as Christians we know happened at Calvary. Some of its blood was taken into the innermost room, called the Most Holy Place. The High Priest sprinkled some of the blood on the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant and some on the ground in front it.

As the High Priest left the Most Holy Place, he wiped some of the blood on the horns of the altar of incense that pointed North, South, East and West declaring all are welcome to receive the free gift of salvation. This altar stood before the curtain which separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. What he was doing was taking upon himself all the sins the Israelites had confessed throughout the year by bringing their animals for sacrifice in the Temple.

Coming out of the Temple, the High Priest placed his hands upon the head of the scape goat and confessed all the sins of Israel upon him. Then the scape goat was led by a strong man out into the wilderness, where he was let go to wander aimlessly until he died. One can see the fitting symbol of the removal of all sin from the nation of Israel and in our day a fitting symbol for the removal of all sin from the Universe.

The Lord's goat represented Christ who died upon the cross as a sacrifice for the sins of everyone who has ever lived. The High Priest represents Christ in His role of our great Intercessor in Heaven. He brings our names before the Father and proclaims that we have accepted Him as our Saviour. In effect, just like the Day of Atonement was a day of judgment, so the great Day of Atonement in Heaven is a day of judgment for the people of God. It is now that Christ will decide out of all those precious souls that have claimed Him to be their Saviour, who among them have really and truly accepted Him as Lord to the point they let Him reign in their hearts so as to not only change their way of thinking but to also step away from all bad habits that lured them off the path to salvation.

When judgment is finished, Christ comes to reward His servants for their faithfulness. Revelation 22:12 says, "Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.

And so, look back and you will see that the first part of the Day of Atonement has already taken place. We see how the Lord's Goat, which is Jesus Christ, was sacrificed for our sins on Calvary. We also see how Christ became our Heavenly High Priest and then entered into the Most Holy Place of the Temple in heaven. He continues to present His blood before the Father for us day by day. As this judgment goes on, Christ investigates the lives of all who have professed Him Lord from the day they were saved all the way to the grave if in fact they die before the plagues begin. Those who have been true to Him will be sealed as His people. Those who have been unfaithful receive the mark of the beast to be forever rejected.

And so again, Christians don't celebrate the Day of Atonement because we are actually passing through the Great Day of Atonement right now. We have all been keeping it since being saved. But most refuse to confess and repent. Or as they did long ago, most today refuse to afflict themselves for as prophesied, most prefer the lusts of the flesh today. But still, all of us have been keeping this day since we became born again.

And finally, the last fast day. That being The Feast of Ingathering which was also called the Feast of Booths or Tabernacles. This feast was how the people of God celebrated the ingathering at the end of harvest. Is this not fitting unto the people of God today who after the harvest on that great and dreadful day ascend unto Heaven to forever be with the Lord?

When we look back and see how the Jews finally entered into the promised land. Did they not have much joy in partaking in a bountiful harvest? They went from a desert to a fertile land filled with fruit. Are we not all wandering this sinful world in the same manner? Is this world not similar to a desert wherein death reigns?

This feast of ingathering was the last feast of the religious year and usually came during what we call October. And yes, even here in the USA that is when the farmers harvest their fields as well.

After the hard work of harvest and the blessing upon the people for standing obedient unto the Lord was made known; when the Day of Atonement was past; all sins confessed; the people had great joy in their hearts.

And so, one final time, since the antitypical Day of Atonement takes place directly before the coming of Jesus which means the harvest is done, we too will have great joy when we finally reach the promised land of New Jerusalem after wandering this sinful world for so long.  Our cries have been heard, our sins forgiven and our prayers have all been heard. When that day comes, we will finally experience the perfect joy of being a blessed and eternal child of the living God for it is now the promise of His reward is finally received by His bride.

Next Sabbath we will begin a study regarding Sabbath and its amazing connection with the Sanctuary and God’s will for His people.

Since we have covered almost all of the Sanctuary and its services and this includes the reasons for the furnishings right down to the materials they were made of as well as the colors used, something that has been repeated time and again the last few months alone has to do with the annual and weekly Sabbath of the Lord and so I think we should now concentrate our studies in this area as it will not only exemplify all that the Sanctuary speaks of when it comes to the will of a holy God, studying the Sabbath in a bit more detail in regards to both biblical as well as secular history will help us to come to see in a better light as to why the Sabbath was mentioned so often in the Sanctuary and especially why each week there was a service held in the Sanctuary on the Sabbath day. Plus, after studying this up we will then see how the Sanctuary services touch on what it means to stand before the Throne of a holy God.

As Sabbath keeping Christians, we know all about God’s Law and how it has never changed. Yes, the lost and the confused say it was abolished at the cross because as prophesied their pastors are declared to be the ravenous wolves who preach smooth things unto the people and even prophesy deceits as Isaiah 30:10 said.

Isaiah 30:10  Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits:

But as we also know, the elect cannot be deceived. From creation week, 6000 years ago we saw the Law of God being embraced by the Creator Himself when it stated in Genesis 2:1-3  Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.  (2)  And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.  (3)  And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

What amazes me is how the long-prophesied wolves of today ignore how their very own Creator kept the seventh day Sabbath holy. In fact, when that same Creator died for mankind, and this includes those that deny His law, we know Jesus actually rested in the tomb on Sabbath day and refused to come forth.

Adam and Eve kept Sabbath for if their Creator did so one can rest assured they would keep it as well. In fact, even before Adam and Eve were created we see the angels themselves kept the Sabbath day holy for it is plainly written in Psalms 103:20  Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.

And so, the Creator God, His angels, Adam and Eve, and even Abraham kept the Sabbath long before a Jew was ever even born. For when it comes to Abraham keeping God’s Law we see that in Genesis 26:5 it says, “that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.”

The angels in Heaven kept the Sabbath, the Lord kept the Sabbath in creation week, Abraham kept the Sabbath before Jews were born let alone being named Israel, Jesus Christ “as His custom was” kept the Sabbath holy as per Luke 4:16, His apostles and disciples kept the Sabbath holy to the point the women who followed Christ’s body to the tomb didn’t even anoint the body because Luke 23:56 says they “rested the Sabbath day according to the Commandment.” Yet to this day the many false prophets declare the Sabbath was changed the split-second Jesus died. But if that were the case, why did the women keep it holy and why did Jesus remain in the grave all day long on Sabbath and not arise until the first day of the week?

It's because as with anything else, when people refuse to study their Bibles and allow their pastors to teach them, the lie will become the truth and the truth will become the lie. The fact there isn’t a single Bible verse from Genesis to Revelation that says God changed the Sabbath to Sunday proves most people trust the lie over the Biblical truths. But it’s their own fault. If they open the Bible, they will know the truth and be ready for the return of Christ and avoid the plagues.

Have you ever looked at the Sabbath this way? The angels kept it, the Lord kept it, Adam and Eve kept it, Cane and Able kept it, Enoch kept it, Noah kept it, Moses and the Jewish nation kept it, Jesus kept it, His apostles kept it, His disciples kept it and then just as the prophet Daniel predicted when speaking of the beast in Rome which will “think to change times and laws” of God and then John declaring all the world will wonder after the beast, most Christians in the last days do not keep it holy.

What they are teaching and preaching is, Everyone in heaven keep the Sabbath, all the patriarchs and prophets of old kept it, Jesus kept it as did the apostles and then after the cross they teach it was changed but when we all go back to Heaven at the second coming, everyone that has permission to walk into the city will be Sabbath keepers for the final book of the Bible and the last chapter of that book says in Revelation 22:14  Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

None of what they preach from the pulpits of the many false prophets makes sense. They claim before the cross, everyone kept the Sabbath, after the cross, everyone keeps Sunday holy and in Heaven we all go back to keeping the Sabbath. And keep in mind, these are the same people that proclaim Matthew 6:9-13 is “the Lord’s Prayer” that they must repeat, yet it says in Matthew 6:10  Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. They all know His will in Heaven is to keep Sabbath, but on earth they deny that.

As prophesied there has been a great falling away to where most people claiming to be Christians declare God’s law is changed yet they have nary an in context Bible verse to back that up. The man of sin in Rome has moved all of them to worship or obey him over and above the God of the Bible. Notice what it says in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-5. Paul said unto us that we should “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;  (4)  Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.  (5)  Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?”

The word “worship” by definition is who you chose to obey is who you worship. If you obey God you worship God. If you obey the Pope you worship the Pope. And the Pope is in fact the long-prophesied man of sin who changed the Sabbath to Sunday and as I shared many times before, they admit this in writing.

First see what Daniel said regarding the Vatican’s desire to seek worship by changing God’s law wherein they knew that would move the people to obey them over the Lord. When speaking of the antichrist system in Rome he said this in Daniel 7:25 that “he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.”

Now I am not going to get into all the verses and historic records that define every word Daniel says here because even our children know these things. But for the sake of the babes new to this truth I will summarize. And if you seek proof on what I am about to say, see my Characteristics of Antichrist page wherein I outline with all the verses, prophetic definitions and historic records to back all this up. But in layman’s terms, what Daniel 7:25 said is that the Pope in Rome will declare himself  on earth, he will go forth and kill the people of God in great numbers as we saw during the Inquisitions and to this day using the Muslims, and Daniel also said the Pope will change the calendars and the law of God and power will be given him for exactly 1260 years to go forth on a rampage that the apostle John confirms twice in Revelation as happening for exactly 1260 years of which we know was from 538AD to 1798AD when the mortal would was administered by Napoleon.

And so, according to prophecy, the Popes of Rome will change the calendars, as we saw them do with what is today called the Gregorian calendar, we use that is loaded with Pagan names for each month as well as the days of the week. And yes, I have a page on the website about this as well. And so, we know all about how we went from the Biblical calendar of 30 days for each month to the Gregorian calendar with its many different lengths per month. But what about changing God’s law?

Not only did they remove Commandment #2 from their Catechism books wherein they teach their people about Catholicism because they could not keep that Commandment in there due to the fact they worship statues. We see the Popes of Rome admitting this in writing about the 4th Commandment which they also changed to be #3 in their CCD books and then split #10 in two to make it appear they still had 10 commandments.

"Not the Creator of Universe, in Genesis 2:1-3,-but the Catholic Church can claim the honor of having granted man a pause to his work every seven days."-S. C. Mosna, Storia della Domenica, 1969, pp. 366-367.

"The Pope is of great authority and power that he can modify, explain, or interpret even divine laws... The Pope can modify divine law, since his power is not of man, but of God, and he acts as vicegerent of God upon earth." -Lucius Ferraris, Prompta Ribliotheca, "Papa," art. 2, translated.

"The Pope has the power to change times, to abrogate laws, and to dispense with all things, even the precepts of Christ." "The Pope has the authority and often exercised it, to dispense with the command of Christ." Decretal, de Tranlatic Episcop. Cap. (The Pope can modify divine law.) Ferraris' Ecclesiastical Dictionary.

"Had she not such power, she could not have done that in which all modern religionists agree with her; --she could not have substituted the observance of Sunday the first day of the week, for the observance of Saturday the seventh day, a change for which there is no Scriptural authority." -Rev. Stephan Keenan, A Doctrinal Catechism, "On the Obedience Due to the Church," chap. 2, p. 174. (Imprimatur, John Cardinal McCloskey, archbishop of New York.)

"The authority of the church could therefore not be bound to the authority of the Scriptures, because the Church had changed...the Sabbath into Sunday, not by command of Christ, but by its own authority." Canon and Tradition, p. 263

"Is not every Christian obliged to sanctify Sunday and to abstain on that day from unnecessary servile work? Is not the observance of this law among the most prominent of our sacred duties? But you may read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and you will not find a single line authorizing the sanctification of Sunday. The Scriptures enforce the religious observance of Saturday, a day which we never sanctify." -James Cardinal Gibbons, The Faith of Our Fathers (1917 ed.), pp. 72, 73.

And how is this such a problem you might ask? We will get into more detail on this later on in the Sanctuary study over the coming months, but for now I will share just one more quote from the Roman Catholic Vatican regarding their Sunday Sabbath and how it will be a problem for every soul on earth soon …

"Sunday is our MARK of authority. . .the church is above the Bible, and this transference of Sabbath observance is proof of that fact" Catholic Record of London, Ontario Sept 1,1923.

The reason they say “transference of Sabbath observance is proof of that fact" is because as they also stated, there is not a single Bible verse to back up a Sunday Sabbath, yet every single Protestant church, and this includes the SDA church now with its many Sunday keeping churches and the Sunday mass they held at the Daytona Speedway last month, all of them believe Sunday is the Sabbath and since you can only find this Sabbath change in Catholic dogma that means the Christians of the world truly do believe the Pope is in fact above the Bible. And so that is why they say the transfer to Sunday is proof they’re above the Bible. As prophesied, all the world wonders after that beast in Rome.

Next Sabbath we will get into man of sin and how he counterfeited the Sabbath of God for his own Sabbath so as to control the people by force. Satan has always used that which the Lord created but in his own way because true worship as the Lord prefers is cultivated in love. Satan cannot use love. He can only use lust and when that is not the means by which to move the masses, he then uses force. Next week we will look into that.

Since we are looking at the Sabbath day itself as it pertains to the Sanctuary the next few weeks, and this includes defining the seal of God and the mark of the beast, we need to see why Sabbath is so important to the end time Christians. Why is the devil making it such an issue today?

2 Thessalonians 2:1-5 says, “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,  (2)  That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.  (3)  Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;  (4)  Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.  (5)  Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?

Remember when Jesus said this in Matthew 24:15? He said, “whoso readeth, let him understand.” At that time He was sharing the prophetic information He gave to Daniel the prophet centuries earlier regarding the abomination of desolation that was to surround Jerusalem 40 years after He spoke it which was of course 70AD. Many think it is a wonderful blessing that the Lord gave the Christians back then a major sign they could use to avoid death at the hands of the Roman power. And so it was. But today, we have hundreds of prophecies showing even more love of the Lord to try and help us get ready for what the Roman power of today plans to do.

All who claim Christ Lord must know Him as Lord. Reading the Bible once in a while or even on a daily basis won’t get you there in the time we have left. What I mean is, surface reading the Bible is not beneficial to getting the reader to a point wherein he or she understands in depth truth. We as Christians, no.. better yet, we as end time Christians need to study the Word just as those alive 2000 years ago had to study the prophecies and the Word in the doctrinal sense as well so as to be ready for what was to happen in 70AD. And because they obeyed the Lord in this, not one of the Christians died. But 1,100,000,000 Jews did die.

The Christians back then had just the one sign to watch for. We on the other hand have many. But none are as important as the signs that are to culminate when we get seriously close to the coming of the Lord. That is why what I just read in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5 is so important for us to understand. We need to understand the signs of the times and boy do we have signs. But I am not going to go over each one as I have done this many times before and I have videos, tracts, pages and even two free books on this subject for those that want a lot more info on what’s actually happening in our days.

Suffice it to say, we can easily see there has been “a falling away," and that "man of sin," "the son of perdition,"  has not only begun his crafty and deceptive work, he has been revealed to the point that even Catholics are coming to know the Popes are indeed the prophesied Antichrist that John spoke of as being in the initial stages in his day when he said this in 1 John 2:18. He said, “Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.”

Yes, many get confused when they read John saying that he was in the last time 2000 years ago. But that’s only because their pastors and teachers push evolution unto them so as to hide the fact the planet is only 6000 years old. And so, when John said it was the last time in his day, he meant it. He knew about the one year of rest every 6 years for the land was commanded by God to the Jewish farmers. This was called letting the land lay fallow and it has a prophetic connection with the timing of the second coming and he knew that the planet was 4000 years old in his day and there were only 2000 years left before Jesus was to return. And so since 4000 years already passed, knowing there are only 2000 years left as the parable regarding the good Samaritan proves, even John himself was in “the last time” in his day. And yes, that is also why the Popes changed the calendars from the Biblical calendar to the Gregorian so as to hide the fact we are in the very last days.

Seriously.. ever wonder why they say Jesus was Baptized in 27AD? According to the twisted Gregorian calendars with their BC and AD suffix, which means before Christ and after the death of Christ, how is it possible Christ was baptized 27 years after His death? It’s because they messed up when they manufactured the calendar to hide His prophesied arrival dates in the same way they messed up today when they declare global warming or climate change. Mankind is not the most reliable in such things and especially when he gets together to form a government. Yes, most people miss it all because we are in the age of lying and no one questions why the calendar is off by decades and they don’t even know the strange occurrences in nature have nothing to do with climate change and everything to do with the signs Christ spoke of as happening directly before He returns. And because most don’t study Bibles, they can no more see His soon arrival than the Pharisees, Scribes and Sadducees could see the prophesied Messiah standing right in front of them.

And so, like back then we see the same today. We that study the Bible and don’t just surface read it know who the man of sin is in the same way we can look around and see the great falling away in society. In America alone we went from a fairly loving and Christian society in the 1950’s to a literally demonic society today wherein everything from legalizing polygamy in Utah last month, legalizing homosexual marriage in one state in 2004 to all 50 states in 2015. We also see killing your baby in abortion clinics has gone from 20 weeks after inception to now being legally allowed to kill the child after it was actually born alive and outside the womb in 2019. We also saw the repealing of the 1919 prohibition laws that led to the legalization of alcohol in the 1933 which then led to methadone clinics run by Catholic nuns allowing heroin addicts to shoot up to today and we now see marijuana, a known starter drug, has been legalized in most states.

All of this and more has become the norm today simply because all of it was legalized simply because nary a pastor or preacher had either no desire to speak out against it, or those that did have the power to do so were bought off. And to prevent those that Satan knew would eventually build a coalition of serious Christian leaders from around the nation who don’t have political power, finally have a voice wherein they could eventually stop the madness. But Satan had a toehold on them as well in what we now call the 501c3 which prophecy called the formation of the image of the beast. The toehold was the fact that all these preachers bowed to their love of money over the love of the Lord and signing unto the contract forever sealed the pulpit from speaking out against that which was legally allowed in society for ins doing they would lose their 501c3. And this stranglehold on the pulpits will become very apparent when Sunday laws are passed. Those that want to say something won’t, for fear of losing the 501c3, which can literally cost them millions in excise taxes by doing so.

And how did the pastors and preachers fall for it? Besides the love of money, the understanding of truth was gone from them because for one thing, when they bowed to Rome on March 7, 321AD which was the date the first Sunday Laws came about, all the Christians with the exception of the very small number of obedient Sabbath keepers I have listed on my Sabbath through History page online, all the Sunday keeping preachers fell for the lie that worshipping on Sundays would bring the Pagans into the church so they would become Vatican approved Christians. But none of that was possible until the Bishop of Rome CONvinced them all that the true Sabbath was a Jewish thing, even though the Bible clearly shows in Psalm 103:20 that the Sabbath was already kept by angels before mankind was created as well as centuries of people keeping Sabbath before the Jews even came into existence like Adam and Eve, Enoch, Noah and Abraham just to name a few.

Because the church leaders were already compromised by Rome and they also stopped studying Bibles, none of them caught that basic biblical reality just as the most basic prophecy about the image of the beast was missed by 100% of every pastor and preacher known today that have the 501c3 and 501c4 contacts with the second beast of Revelation, the United States Government. That fact alone should have raised an alarm for even the apostate SDA leaders know the US government is prophesied to kill Christians and even join hands with Rome to enforce the mark of the beast. That fact alone should have prevented them from signing on. But, as I have been saying for decades, you cannot understand prophecy unless you obey the God that wrote it.

And so, this is why we saw what Rome did during what we call the dark ages. Once they had absolute power, which was a church & state form of government, they were able to remove the Bible from society quite easily making it quite dark spiritually. And if you refused to give up your bible for them to burn in the town square along with all the other bibles, you would burn in its place.

The only reason it got to that point is because before those days came the pastors stopped studying Scripture and then end result was that they saw no danger in joining hands with the first beast, or Roman Catholic church as we call it today, because they were blind to the prophetic facts regarding her soon to come power over them and their people. In fact, if you study Daniel 11 you will see that’s exactly how Pagan Rome was able to gain power. They made friends with people who believed their lies and then either slaughtered them or forced them under their power by coercion. As prophesied, that exact same demonic influence abounds today in all the 501c3 and 501c4 pastors who saw no danger in joining hands with the second beast, and so as also prophesied they too are powerless to stop what they helped start and since their 501c3 & 4 contracts became law on December 02, 2017, they now have the long prophesied power to lobby for and pass religious laws we know for a fact will go directly against the Law of God when it comes to the Bible Sabbath.

And for those of you that may be in the stream for the first time that think it strange that I speak of a religious law being the mark of the beast. Do a study on the mark and you will see that each time it is mentioned in prophecy, the word worship is right there with it. Check it out. I’ll share just two verses for now …

Revelation 14:9  And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,

Revelation 14:11  And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.

And since Rome has already declared twice in writing that their invented Sabbath of Sunday is their mark, they literally said that as I have shared in these study hours so many times before, we have all we need to make the proper decision when that day comes, as did the Christians in 70AD.

But, there are billions of people out there that have no clue as to the signs of the times or even that their pastors are official government agents hell-bent on their destruction for the sole purpose of packing as much cash into their government subsidized pockets. And yes, that is why we in the seventh day remnant movement never ask for donations. Just asking mankind for money shows they have not the ear to hear the Lord’s voice. Worse yet, the Lord ignores their voice as well and that is why when they pray, no financial help comes from the Lord and so that is why they invented everything from bingo nights to Pagan Christmas plays to bring money into the churches. And how do I know the Lord does not hear the voices of these apostate leaders? Besides the fact they ask for donations from the pulpit or they pass the plate during an actual church service, which if you recall when the Jews did that in the Sanctuary in Jesus’ day when He chased out the moneychangers, having the 501c3 or 4 means they joined hands with those that have blood on their hands. The USA and the Vatican have killed millions in our generation alone. Therefore, when these 501c3,4 preachers pray the Lord won’t send them help, for it is written in Isaiah 1:15, that  “when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.” 


  The Presents of God ministry