(written January 18, 2010)The Tabernacle is inscribed 10 times (10 signifies the perfection of Divine order) as “the Tabernacle of Witness,” or the “Tabernacle of Testimony.” (Exodus 25:8;38:21; Numbers 1:50,53;10:11;17:7,8,10, 18:2; 2 Chronicles 24:6.
In Exodus 38:21 and Numbers 1:50,53; 10:11, we see the Tabernacle as the dwelling place of God. In Exodus 25:8 the Lord expresses His hearts desire of Divine relationship with those within His Temple. He desires “to dwell” (shahcan) in His Tabernacle, and for us to comprehend that His Tabernacle is His dwelling place, (mish-kahn - “the dwelling place of God).
On the day of Pentecost, we know from the New Testament there was a problem with the heart of ancient Israel entering into the covenant with God (Heb.3:10-2; 8:7-8), and therefore He made a New Covenant (1 Pet.2:9-10; Rev.21:3) with a people who were once not a people, but are now the people of God, who had not attained mercy, but now have attained mercy – praise the Lord! Our Father in His incredible ingenuity had the absolute perfect Covenant for what He desires to attain. His plan, which will be accomplished, is for His Temple of Witness, not made with hands (Acts 7:48; 17:24; Heb.9:11); to be a testimony to the world in who He is.
It is a deep passionate desire of our Father to have a people who want to “know Him”, not just know about Him, but “know Him” (to apprehend, comprehend, experience, familiar with, intimate, understand, wisdom).
"Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts, boast about this; that he understands and knows Me..." (Jer.9:23-24).
Our Father is zealous for His people to be an example, a witness, to the rest of the world of Who and What He is; this is called “the Tabernacle of witness" (Num. 17:7; Acts 7:44). We may be in the world, but we are not to be of the world (John 17:15,16; 1 John 4:4).
When Jesus went through the temple with a whip driving out sacrilege, the Jews asked Him for a sign, a verification of His divine mission. Jesus said, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will build it up.” (John 2:19)
The Lord at that very moment in time was standing within the Jewish temple. You can imagine their blind judgment at His statement. It had taken them 46 years to build the temple and this carpenters son was going to build it back up in three days!! Jesus made no explanation, nor did He attempt to justify Himself for no man at that time would understand that He was speaking of the
On Resurrection Day the Lord came “into” the
You and I who have received Christ are God’s temple. He abides within us.
“Do you not know that you are the
Since we are the temple we must understand that He will cleanse His Temple. There have been a few “Godly balanced” prophetic words given, especially over the last 10 years exhorting God’s people to examine themselves and prepare themselves for the coming days. When we apprehend the not so delightful side of God; allowing Him to put His prophetic finger on those areas that are holding us back from His best, our soul is set free from the entanglement of our flesh.
Where is the Kingdom? Is it not within us (Luke 17:21)?
Before we see a lasting revival we will see a powerful cleansing of God’s Kingdom. The Kingdom is within the
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord’, shall enter the Kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?” And then I will declare to them, “I never knew you, depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness”.
Signs, wonders, and miracles can manifest through a carnal person, and also a demonically influenced person (false signs, and wonders - Ex.7:11,22; 8:7; Matt.7:22; 24:24; 2 Thess.2:9; Rev.13:11-13; 16:14. If we look at signs, wonders, and miracles as the "approving" of God over someone's life we will be greatly deceived. God is after the fruit of the spirit in His people as well as the gifts. It MUST be both the fruit of the spirit and the gifts working together.
So why would God use such a person?
"For the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable (NKJ- Rom.11:29)
"For the gifts and callings of God are without repentance". (KJ - Rom.11:29)
"For God's gifts and His call are irrevocable - He never withdraws them when once they are given, and He does not change His mind about those to whom He gives His grace or to whom He sends His call." (Amplified Bible - Rom.11:29).
The Lord is after a people whom He can trust with His gifts. He is testing the hearts of His people (Ex.20:20; Ps.11:4; 1 Cor.13:13). What will we do, and what are we doing with His
In the parables of the Wheat and the Tares (Matt.13:36-43) we see in verse 41 where the Lord sends His angels to gather out of His Kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness. Since the Kingdom is within “living stones”, we can certainly understand that the wheat and tares are within us. Never before has there been so many who are dealing with sin and old sin issues as well as sin they never knew they had. Some are aware of their issues and dealing with them, while others have made excuses and continue to harden their hearts and hide the sin (Heb.3:8-14). We cannot do this, and we must know it will soon be shouted from the roof-tops if we are practicing lawlessness.
May I strongly advice you to examine your own life and not someone else’s. Self-righteousness will constantly examine the speck in their brother’s eye while completely overlooking the plank in their own (Matt.7:3).
The Word of God says we all sin, and those who say they are without sin are liars (1 John 1:8); however, a follower of Christ will not be a practitioner of sin. We may accidently sin and therefore repent from the heart, but to practice lawlessness with no remorse, making excuses for our sin and spitting on God’s grace is inexcusable (1 Cor.6:9-11).
It’s vital during this time of exposing that we be honest with ourselves, allowing the angels to gather out of us those things that are undesirable in the sight of our Lord. Gary and I have encouraged our congregation to be patient with one another as the tares are coming up and out of them. Insecurity, temptation in self-promotions, anger, jealousy, competition, lying, twisting the truth, boasting, lust, vain imaginations and addictions are just a few things the Corporate Body of Christ has and is dealing with. The Refiners Fire and pressure to change has been turned up, and some have turned back to a false comfort while others have turned full force into the world. Like
This year is the beginning in the workings of Divine order. It is not our intention to offend anyone, but we are really tired of reading prophecies every year about the coming year and all the great things that will happen. Great things are happening to those who prepare themselves and come into the Divine order of the Living God. Gary and I believe every prophetic word should have a great big “IF” at the front of the word given. There are conditions to the promises of God.
Never before has there been so many of God’s people running to and fro looking for something self-seeking. Divine Order conflicts with the present form of Christianity.
In 2 Timothy 4:3-4 Apostle Paul warns Timothy, "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables."
We are seeing great apostasy in the lack of true, God-called, governmental leaders (Eph.4:11). The Lord has a remnant of governmental leaders whom He has called and placed. He is also strengthening His leader’s who for years have been caught up in false order, but their heart desire is for all of Him and they are turning towards the Divine. The Spirit of the Lord has raised up a standard and we are about to see the spiritual stature of His standard come forth with powerful consequence.
The Lord is saying to those with the Spiritual receptivity to “apprehend” and “do” - “You are My witnesses,” says the LORD, “And My servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe Me, and understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, nor shall there be after Me. I have declared and saved, I have proclaimed, and there was no foreign god among you; therefore you are My witnesses,” says the LORD, “that I am God.” Isaiah 43:10, 12.
The Lord desires full possession of his temple, His people. When He has full possession of those who have prepared themselves (the five virgins who did – Matt.25:1-13) they will be His Tabernacle of witnesses to the world. He is returning to be glorified in His saints (a holy people who abide in the Holy of holies) - 2 Thess.1:10. Within His saints first, He shall establish His glory and be revealed in "power". These are a people who are in the present truth, and they shall rule the earth in God's power (Rev.2:26). He is returning as the King of a kingly anointed people, and Lord of a people who manifest their lordship and office in the holiness of the Holy God Himself.
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