Part two: ‘God’s Arks, His glory and “Five,” the number of God’s grace
There are a multitude of spiritual metaphors and wondrously deep mysteries in the scriptures. The meaning of these treasures are revealed to the person who has a passion for Jesus and a burning desire to know Him. Jesus will reveal Himself to us through His word by the power of His Holy Spirit. To the passionate believer, His Holy Spirit is a continuous fountain, a river of living water, filling us with the deeper revelations of Jesus and His word. The greatest revelation of all is that Jesus is the glory of God, Jesus is the revelation of the Father. Jesus is the embodiment of God’s glory and grace and these are together revealed to us in the New Testament.
Some of the ancient prophetic truths of the Bible, are the truths that are contained in God’s Arks. The Hebrew word for ark is aron, which is defined as a “gathering or collection in a box,” “a sarcophagus,” in this case, a holy treasure box. It also can be defined as a container or vessel. The first Ark that man (Noah) built as instructed by God, was constructed to preserve a remnant of humanity and animals. Then there is the wonder of the Ark of the Covenant (Ark #4). The Ark of the Covenant was literally the earthly seat and dwelling place of God’s awesome 1)presence, 2)law, 3)power, 4)provision, and His 5) place of atonement for man. “.....You who dwell between the cherubim, SHINE FORTH!” (PS. 80:1) This is just one of the verses that confirms that as He willed, God dwelt and inhabited the space over the Ark of the Covenant, between the cherubim. His glorious presence would shine forth in the glory cloud over the Ark, which became known as the shekinah glory. God spoke from the glory cloud. Perhaps the movie; “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” although fictional, was not that far off the mark in portraying the power attributed to the Ark of God’s presence.
Jesus (Ark #1) Himself, is the fulfillment who is prophesied in all of the God given earthly Arks that preceded Him. They all were a prophecy of our ultimate Ark. There is no greater Holy Treasure Ark than our Jesus. He is the ultimate Treasure Vessel of Salvation! We were created to eternally abide IN HIM! I will go on to show how the earth itself is a type of vessel forshadowing God’s salvation. The earth (Ark #2) itself is an ark, the first manifestation of His presence to man and the first vessel of salvation for it was created to carry mankind and all those who would be saved. “And He built His Sanctuary like the heights, like the earth which He has established forever” (Psalm 78:69). Noah’s Ark, (Ark #3) is really a prophetic picture of Jesus, and how as believers we need to enter into and abide in Him for salvation, protection and deliverance. The Ark of the Covenant (Ark #4) was a manifestation of the heart of God. It was a Holy dwelling place of God's Presence.... the place of the revelation of God’s very countenance. It was a solid terminal of God’s presence to man, which revealed His future eternal intent toward us: God’s desire to dwell with and in man, and man in God, though pre-figured in the Old Testament.
The fifth ‘ark,’ are those in whom Christ dwells (Christians Ark#5). Christians are now the earthen vessels that Jesus inhabits. It makes perfect sense that we would become the 5th and final Ark because God shed enormous grace to forgive and cleanse us! Christ means “Anointed One,” and we are His anointed ones! This observation about the five sacred arks is special in that the number five, is also the number associated with the grace of God. His arks, are all gifts of His grace to mankind, and all point toward the ultimate vessel of grace and glory; our blessed Jesus. He is the FIRST TRUE ARK, because He existed before all things, “slain from the foundation of the world.” All of the other Arks are shadows, types and copies of the real One! Now is the time for all true believers to enter deeply into Jesus, our Heavenly Tabernacle and Ark, “for as it was in the days of Noah (Ark #3), so shall it be at the coming of the Son of Man.” In a short while our Heavenly Ark will come to gather us unto Himself. In the Old Testament, there are great revelations found about the Ark of the Covenant, a prophetic/ symbolic metaphor for Jesus, who is the full embodiment of God!
When the Ark was captured by the Philistines, the glory of God departed from Israel (1Sam. 4:22). Under the disobedient Judge Eli, grievous sins and errors of judgment were made that caused the Israelites to take the Ark from Shiloh and bring it to the battlefield without God’s leading or permission. Thirty thousand Israeli soldiers were slaughtered and the Ark was captured. When the news reached Eli that his sons and his army were all slaughtered, he fell backward off of his seat and broke his neck. Phineas, a daughter-in-law of Eli’s, went into labor and after giving birth, gave her son the name; “Ichabod,” and then she died. “Ichabod” means; “where is the glory.” The glory of God had departed from Israel when the Ark was captured, causing intense mourning and sorrow. The glory and presence of God did not depart from the Ark however. Isn’t it true that “we sometimes don’t know what we got till it’s gone?” Israel was suddenly aware that God had withdrawn His glorious presence from them. This is the great danger of taking God for granted and being disobedient to Him!
The Philistines brought the Ark to their pagan house of worship as an offering to their “god,” (dagon) only to find their “god,” “fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark.” (1Sam. 5:3) The next morning, the Philistine priests found their pagan God without hands or head! (5:4) “But the hand of the Lord was heavy upon them of Ashod, and He destroyed them, and smote them with emerods (hemeroids & tumors), even ...the coasts thereof.” (5:6) God sent a plague of tumors and mice? Could this be called divine comedic punishment? It would seem to be comical, if it weren’t so pestilential. The Lord’s presence with the ark, brought about a slaughter of the Philistines and in every place that it remained; God destroyed. The Philistines decided to plead for mercy and returned the Ark of God to it’s rightful possessors but not without an offering of 5 golden emerods and 5 golden mice as God instructed them! It seems that even pagans can develop a holy fear of God and can even receive His deliverance, grace and mercy. (6:4-5) The 5 golden mice and 5 golden emerods were to be a memorial to God’s gracious sparing of the Philistines. God’s intentional use of the number 5 once again. The Philistines were also forced to give glory to God to receive this deliverance (6:5) and pay special homage to the method of God’s destruction; the emerods and the mice, which were an offering to God. God didn’t need any human assistance or soldiers to destroy the enemy. (WE MUST ALWAYS REMEMBER THIS! ) It is His presence that goes forth to subdue our enemies and win our battles; “for the battle is not ours but God’s...stand still and see the victory of the Lord on your behalf.” (2Chron. 15,17) “But there came a time when Israel's sin became so gross that God allowed the Ark of the Covenant to be removed. The Ark represented 5 things: His presence, promise, protection, power and provision(5) But Israel came to the place where His presence, power, protection, promises, and provisions meant nothing to them; so God allowed the Ark to be taken.” (Kirkpatrick) 2
The ark was allowed to be taken because of the sin and disobedience of Israel but His power never departed from the Ark JUST LIKE HE WILL NEVER DEPART FROM US, though we may stray from Him and fall into sin. He may withdraw somewhat at times because He cannot fully abide in a willfully unclean vessel but He will never leave us. The Philistines returned the Ark after experiencing firsthand, what it meant to “fall into the hands of the living God.” “For our God is a consuming fire.”
The glory of God and His powerful presence wasn’t meant to be relegated to history. There are many churches that talk about His glory and His presence but never know Him in this way. Many churches go to great lengths to prevent the supernatural glory of the Lord from happening in their churches, out of fear of the supernatural! I can understand this fear to some degree because there are some Pentecostal/charismatic churches and believers, that accentuate the supernatural experience while bypassing Jesus, truth, holiness and His word. Even the labels that some have put on themselves may indicate a primary focus other than Jesus [IDOLATRY]. I don’t want to be known as “charismatic,” I just want to be known as a lover and follower of Jesus- I just want to be known as a Christian! We must focus on the Manifestor, not on the manifestation! Because they lost their true focus on Jesus, He has withdrawn His glory. Many of these churches have grown spiritually cold or even closed their doors, though there may be a remnant of true believers within them. The remnant, grieves along with the Holy Spirit and cries out from their hearts: “where is the glory”? This reminds me of; “where’s the beef?” Perhaps we could say “where’s the meat” [of the Word] so that His glory {Presence of the Lord} can be made manifest in the body of believers whose lives have been supernaturally changed, forever. There can be no awesome presence of God and His power, without the bold proclamation of the truth of God’s Word, and those that rightly obey, apply and live it. Those that know Him in Spirit and in truth, know of Whom I speak!
Like Moses, we must seek the Lord’s face and not His hand. We must long to abide in His presence and must not proceed without Him. The great secret of living a victorious Christian life lies in: 1. trusting Jesus for everything; 2. dying to self, 3. obedience to His word, 4. hungering and thirsting for Him; pursuing Him with a passionate love and 5. dwelling in His presence, (abiding in Jesus) through the in filling of His Spirit and through ongoing praise and worship. It is then that Jesus will live through us! The number of verses in the bible that speak about seeking His presence, face, glory or countenance, are in the thousands. The psalmists constantly speak of coming before and into His presence and seeking His countenance and His face. They proclaim the need to be hidden in His Tabernacle, His SECRET PLACE. I proclaim to you that the SECRET PLACE whom we can all enter and dwell in, is the very heart of Jesus! Jesus longs to have an intimate relationship with every believer.
“O Jehovah, who shall dwell in your tabernacle? Who shall live in Your Holy Mountain? He who walks uprightly and works righteousness, and speaks the truth in his heart.” (Ps. 15: 1,2) How is it that a Christian may enter into the Holy of Holies? Only by having God’s truth (His Word) engraved on and in our hearts. Erroneous doctrines and unbiblical beliefs will curtail our ability to enter into Him. We must know and obey His Word to be able to enter into His wonderful presence. Assimilating and practicing wrong doctrine, will blind us to the truth, bit by bit. When anything other than Jesus becomes our focus, our walk will falter. The presence of idolatry in our hearts of any kind will quench His Spirit and will eventually destroy our fellowship with Him. We must never look at His hand and lust for or idolize what He has to offer us but rather always looking into the glory of His face, we must fix our eyes on Jesus, not on His gifts! We are “entitled” to nothing and worthy of nothing until we die to all of our personal desires and designs and want only Jesus! A true child of the King does not act like a spoiled, self-deserving brat but rather, has discovered his true destiny and identity IN the loving person of Jesus!
Jesus is the ultimate, perfect High Priest and his body is the living fulfillment of what the Holy of Holies in the Temple symbolized. This symbolism was made clear in the gospels when they report that the heavy veil, which surrounded the Holy of Holies, was torn from top to bottom when Jesus was crucified. That is also why I believe that the entire Holy of Holies is symbolic of Jesus, the veil symbolized His flesh, which was torn for us on Calvary. The Heart (Spirit and Soul) of Jesus, is the ‘Living Ark’ of the second and completely perfect Covenant. The Lord's 5 major piercings and wounds; His hands, feet and heart reveal that Jesus was God's most gracious gift to us- Jesus the complete embodiment of God's grace! Christians are able only through the Holy Spirit, to enter into oneness, with Jesus, yet our focus must be Jesus, not His Spirit. We have access through Jesus our ‘Ark’ and High priest into the very presence of God. In sending us His precious Holy Spirit, God has made it possible for us to be His living temples. Christians are little arks. Some of us tend to spring a few leaks because we are earthen vessels (imperfect) but we contain His very essence. His laws, His Word and His Holy Spirit, reside in our hearts. The prophetic foreshadowing and truth of this is found in the Arks, which preceded His incarnation.
Even now, His Holy Spirit within us acts as a “restrainer” of evil coming upon us and the world. His presence within us makes us the “light and salt” (illumination and preservative) of the earth, that prevents Lucifer from completely ruling the world. The Lord has a message for us about salt that is a visible, physical lesson. When you look at salt under magnification, you can see that salt crystals are all square, like little building blocks! We are also little building blocks to be used in the building of His body the Church. Stone upon stone, for the edification and the indwelling of His presence. We are being fashioned into the ultimate temple of the Lord. When the Lord raptures His Church, it will immediately result in a temporarily Christless vacuum in the world. The spiritual battle on earth, is over human vessels and when the Lord takes His church, the “restrainer” will be gone and the devil’s vessels will (at least temporarily) far outnumber the Lord’s. The Holy Spirit will not completely leave the earth when we are raptured however, this is indicated by the many martyrs in Revelation that will accept Jesus during the tribulation. But after the rapture, Satan will literally be able to rule the earth for 7 years. He already is “the prince of the power of the air.” But if you are IN Christ, you have nothing to fear. Jesus has overcome the flesh, the devil and the world for us!
Oh, if the whole Body of Christ would only walk in the power and victory that we have in Jesus which occurs when we rest in Christ and dwell in His Presence. For most Christians, this seems either too strange or impossible. It is not something done via “visualization” or with our imaginations. We must press in by faith! “Without faith it is impossible to please God” (Heb. 11:6). The wonderful thing about God is that He supplies the faith as we seek and desire more of Him. Faith that is based on the truth of His word is powerful. He longs to give us more faith, hope and love. When these three things are in full bloom within us, we will be fully abandoned and fully available to Jesus. The spiritual gifts will not be necessary in heaven but the power of faith, hope and love will never cease! He longs to transform us into His image. It is we that stand in the way of receiving all that God has measured out to us, the fullness of which cannot be described in words!
He does not give to us, that which we do not or never would want. Our “wills” are the cork that stops up our vessels. It is our wills, that decide what we allow into our minds and hearts. It is an act of our wills that decides if we will respond to the conviction of the Holy Spirit or not. By our “wills,” we determine whether we will trust Jesus to have His way within us and fill our inner vessels or not. Jesus already knows how our “wills” will react in every situation because He is all knowing. Some leave the “cork” of their “wills” firmly in place and do not allow Him to come in and reign daily. We must open the door for Him to come in ( “If any man hears my voice and opens the door [THEN] I will come into him and sup with him and he with ME.” Rev. 3:20) We can never have too much of Jesus in our vessels, though we do receive the potential of His fullness right when He initially comes into us.
We never “arrive”at a place in our walk with God when we have received all that He has for us. Even Moses, Elijah, and Paul continued to grow in the knowledge of God, while they walked this earth. These great men of God continued to have faults and quirks. They were all sinners, saved by God’s grace till the day that they died but holiness had been imputed to their accounts. To say that we are filled with all of the Holy Spirit that we will ever receive when we get saved, is spiritual and biblical ignorance. We receive the potential of the Holy Spirit when we are born again and like the mustard seed parable, the potential for flourishing fullness, but until all the rooms in our lives have been opened, cleansed and surrendered to Jesus, He cannot fill them all. The mustard seed cannot grow up to fill the rooms when the rooms are still full of rocky soil and thorns! “Be ye filled” is an ongoing commandment, not a one time merit badge. “Be ye filled,” means that we can and must receive more and more, all the time as we deliver more of ourselves to Him for surrender! The Lord has never intended for us to stunt our own growths by thinking or proclaiming that we have received all we’re ever going to receive from Him at one time. The Holy Spirit indwells us at the time of our rebirth in Jesus but as we yield more of ourselves, He then can fill us that much more! Though we receive the potential of His complete fullness when we are born again, most of us take a while to walk in Him and learn about Him before even knowing about the power that has been made available to us. Why would He completely fill us without us having any knowledge or maturity in His word? Such a believer would become self sufficient, shallow- ceasing to press into Jesus. This also goes against the truth of “abiding” in Jesus. Abiding in Jesus intimates a constant and growing dependence on Him. It also intimates that as we abide in Him, we will know more of His presence all the time, through His indwelling Spirit. If that were not true what would be the purpose of consuming the word and prayer? I consume the word so that Jesus will be made more manifest in my life and so that I may dwell more continuously in His presence. I in Him and He more in me. This is the very meaning of Sanctification. The new wine skin must be in place in order to contain the new wine. For some, this may happen all at once but not for all. The spirit certainly indwells all believers immediately upon conversion but as reported in Acts, the Baptism in the Spirit may take place at a later time (Acts 8 &19). Salvation and the Baptism, certainly didn’t happen all at once for me. We won’t be perfect (though perfection has been imputed to our heavenly accounts) until we are raptured or we die, when we will finally see Him as He is and are completely transformed into His image. Until then, He is at work within us from the minute that we receive Him, convicting us and changing us as we yield to Him and abide in Him.
When you are truly in love with someone, you just can’t get enough of that person! You want to get closer and closer, you want more of that person all the time, especially when you first fall in love. Jesus wants us to be filled with that first love for Him. He is jealous for us to be filled with a passionate love for Him. If you need further proof, look at Revelation Chapter 2 where it is said that the Ephesians had lost their first love for Jesus. There is only one way to be constantly more in love with Jesus. It is possible only by being continuously filled and refilled (anointed) with His Holy Spirit in our vessels or lamps (Matt. 25). The precursor to being filled with His Spirit is being emptied of ourselves, dying to self and being crucified with Christ. The cross is not only our starting place but a place of daily passage for every believer. The Apostle Paul said that we must all die daily to the flesh. The more that our flesh is dead to sin, the more that He can fill and use us! His presence within us is what makes us, ‘God’s little arks’.
It’s quite clear that an ark, is a vessel of God’s salvation, a gift of God’s grace to mankind. For that matter, the whole world is a type of ark; “For God so loved the WORLD that He gave His only begotten Son.” “And He built His Sanctuary like the heights, like the earth which He has established FOREVER.” (Ps. 78:69) His word speaks of God laying the foundation of the earth. The Lord says in Genesis that the earth has pillars, as if it were a temple itself. “The earth and all of it’s inhabitants are melting away; I SET FIRM IT’S PILLARS.” (Ps 75:3, GLT). Isaiah says in 66: 1, that the “earth is God’s foot stool.” Before the fall of man and before their was life on earth; “the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters” (Gen. 1:2) and covered the earth with His Shekinah glory- the presence of Jehovah, much in the same way God’s Shekinah glory dwelt over the Ark of the Covenant. The ultimate pillar, in the Biblical and spiritual sense, was the pillar of smoke by day and pillar of fire by night, that led the Jews through the wilderness. This pillar led the Jews through the wilderness and God would speak from it. “He spoke to them (Moses, Aaron, Samuel, His Priests) in the cloudy pillar, they kept His testimonies and the law [that] He gave to them.” (Ps. 99:7) Pillars represent the awesome power and glory of God and His presence among us. The cloudy pillar gave shade by day and the pillar of fire gave heat and light by night (and undoubtedly kept away burglars and wild animals as well!). How glorious it must have been and yet they took His presence for granted and disobeyed God! (We were no better)
The massive pillars of Solomon’s temple, beautified the portal of entrance to God’s House. They were also integral to the support of the temple and symbolic of the Lord who built His House and who also supports it by His power. Jesus is the pillar that protects and supports His House. There are also God’s pillars that stand before Him day and night, often interpreted to be the pillar of the law: Moses, and the pillar of the prophets: Elijah.
The earth is truly a special type of ‘ark’, which makes a total of 5 types of ‘arks’ in the Bible; the earth; Noah’s Ark; the Ark of the Covenant; Jesus (the ultimate Vessel of Salvation) and lastly; Christians. We are the replications of Jesus, His new dwelling places, His vessels and temples on the earth. Three of these Arks, are prophetic metaphors (types) and precursors of the coming Messiah. Christians as arks, are the fruit and replication of the original, preexisting, eternal ark; Jesus our Messiah. This revelation shows forth the eternal attributes of Jesus. It shines a light on His eternal nature of ‘Alpha and Omega,’ the Beginning and the End. This revelation glorifies Jesus as Lord of all and the One by whom and for whom ALL things were made.
The number five, is a very special number in the Bible. We can observe the intricate hand of God at work and his attributes, even through certain numbers and patterns that occur and reoccur in His word. The patterns and numbers found in the design of the Temple are all, extremely meaningful. The number 10 is extremely significant in the Temple. It is the number of completion. The number five, is also found in the patterns of the Temple and in relation to God’s plan for man’s redemption. The number 5, is indicative of God’s reaching out to man with His gracious love. It is the number associated with God’s grace. The Torah, contains the Penteteuch, the 5 books of the law. There are 5 books that comprise the Psalms as well. That number is an underlying, foundational, and organizational number in the Old Testament. The number 5, is representative of God’s gracious gifts to man. Is it any wonder that God’s grace undergirds and motivates His revelation to man? It makes perfect sense that the number that represents God’s grace, would be found in connection with God’s Arks. God’s Arks, are all expressions of His gracious message of redemption and love for man. Instead of destroying all of mankind, He sent a succession of Ark’s to show and provide a way of salvation and relationship with Him. The number 5, being representative of God’s grace, is also significant in other places of importance in the bible.
There were 5 golden pillars that adorned the outer court entrance of the Tabernacle, symbolic of the fact that it is only by His grace that we may enter His courts. The number five is manifested throughout the Sanctuary and Tabernacle of the temple. The number five is also manifested in the very path to God in the Temple, in the five major sacred stations of worship. The first four sacred stations were literally, places of ritual sacrifice and preparation for the priests. These stations were especially important for the High Priest, for they enabled him to enter into the Most Holy place (one day a year on the Day of Atonement) where God would appear over the Ark.
The first station in the Outer Court was the “Brazen Altar” (#1). The prophetic symbolism and truth in the court is that we may not enter into the holy place, without offering up our sin as a sacrifice upon the altar. We must offer ourselves to God as a living sacrifice. We must die to self, through Jesus’ sacrifice on the altar of Calvary, to be able to enter into His presence. More sacred symbolism is found on the Brazen Altar, which has 4 “horns” at every corner. When I asked the Lord what the four horns (one at each corner) represented, in my mind I saw His pierced hands and feet stretched out upon the cross for us, just as the animal sacrifices were bound to the four horns of the altar. I also understood that the four horns on the altar represent the four corners of the world, and then He reminded me of John 3:16, “For God so loved the world...” The 4 horns were also a memorial to first sacrifice made by Abraham... God’s provision of the ram that was caught in the thorny thicket BY IT’S HORNS!
By the door of the Holy Place, was the “Shining Laver” (#2) where sacred water was drawn to ritually wash and purify the hands of the priest (foreshadowing of baptism) after making the sacrificial offering on the Brazen Altar. “....by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost.” (Titus3:5)
“Leaving the court and it’s Brazen Altar and Shining Laver behind, we now, by the beautifully colored embroidered door, enter the first apartment of the sanctuary, called the “holy place” 2 (from “The Tabernacle”by William Brown p.58). In the holy place is found the (#3) Table of Shewbread and the (#4) Golden Altar. The Table of Shewbread was a prepared table “in perpetuity,” that held major spiritually symbolic items. There were always 12 loaves of bread (symbolic of His provision of sustenance for the 12 tribes and for us!) which also proclaims, “I am the Bread of life,” we all must partake of His word and be filled with His goodness to be able to enter into His presence. When I asked Him for meaning here, God made it clear that the Table of Shewbread, is a prophecy of the future wedding feast and of the banqueting table that He has prepared for His Bride.
Before the entrance to Holy of Holies, stands The Golden Altar where fragrant and sweet smelling spices were offered and burned as incense. This is symbolic of the holy praises of adoration that we must offer up to Jesus perpetually as a sacrifice of praise, before we may truly abide in the holiest place of all. “Let my prayer be set before You as incense, The lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice” (Psalm 141:2). The burning incense is also symbolic of the fact that the Holy of Holies is the prophetic portrait of an intimate and fragrant wedding chamber... It is a prophecy of what Christ has prepared for His Bride! The Ark of the Covenant (#5) is the heart of the Temple. It is in the holiest place of all and only a sanctified, fully prepared high priest could enter in, on only one day a year, the Day of Atonement. Sanctified Christians may now enter into the spiritual Holy of Holies daily because Jesus entered in before us and has graciously made it possible for us to enter in and dwell perpetually, unlike the high priests who could enter in fear and trembling only once a year. Jesus is our Holy of Holies and our Ark, which has always been symbolic for Jesus- the Dwelling Place of God’s fullness!
The Golden Lamp stand or Menorah, was in the Holy Place and was in it self, an extremely important sacred artifact, reminiscent of the fact that Jesus is the light of the world. It’s purpose was to light the Holy Place and needed to be replenished on a regular basis but it did not serve as a “station” necessary for purification or offering. The other sacred stations served as stations for the priests and were places that were constantly used and maintained for sacrifice and worship but of course, without the light of the Menorah, sacrifice and worship would not have been possible. The Menorah is highly symbolic for Jesus: “....I saw seven golden lamp stands, and in the midst of the seven lamp stands ONE like the Son of Man.” (Rev. 1:13). The seven lamps also symbolize the seven Spirits of God, which burn eternally before the throne of God (Rev. 4:5). The oil in the Menorah lamp is symbolic of the indwelling Holy Spirit in our temples, which causes His glory to shine forth from within us. The Menorah is an integral sacred artifact in the Tabernacle and extremely indicative of God’s desire to indwell us and be our power and our light. One could also say that five important sacred artifacts prepare the way of entrance so that the High Priest could enter in before the Ark into God’s very presence in the Holy of Holies. Both observations are valid and symbolic of God’s grace. Significant sacred patterns and symbols are present in the sacred artifacts of the Tabernacle, which were the patterns given unto Moses by God.
“Jesus Christ is the fragrance that is manifested by the divine action of the Holy Ghost. When the Lord gave Moses the formula for the art of the apothecary and the oil of anointing, there were five elements to be included. Four of them were principle spices, while one element was olive oil. The four principle spices were all types of the Son of God and only one type was an expression or type of the Spirit. The olive oil was that expression of the Spirit and the purpose of the oil was to combine and manifest the united fragrances of the spices. That presents a perfect picture of the Holy Ghost baptism. He comes from the Father to manifest all the fragrance and beauty of the person of Jesus Christ. The oil is obscure, as the fragrances of Jesus are manifest. (Read Exodus 30:22-33.) This kind of true Pentecost will still turn the world upsidedown.”Dr. Joseph Chambers, Paw Creek Church web site
David went to slay Goliath with his sling shot, touting only five smooth stones (in case he had to kill Goliath’s 4 brothers or sons, which his servants eventually did! 2Sam. 21:20-22). The message there is that the grace of God is much more powerful than any enemy! The grace of God, surely rested upon His chosen King David, to enable him to slay Goliath! There is also a powerful confirmation in the five-fold Apostolic ministry gifts of Apostle, Evangelist, Pastor, Prophet and Teacher. The very hands of our Savior which were stretched out to mankind on Calvary’s cross, proclaim the grace (five fingers on God’s hands) and completeness (ten total) of God reaching out to touch all who would call upon His name! Realize, that we were made in God’s image (spirit, soul and body), which is even further confirmation that Jesus is the complete embodiment of God, being the embodiment of the Father (Soul, personality), Son (Body) and Holy Ghost (Spirit). There are, as a reward to the persevering saints; crowns that will be rewarded to us at the time of judgment.
By God’s gracious gift, there will be 5 different crowns that will be awarded to the saints that are clearly mentioned in the Bible: There is the “incorruptible crown” in 1Cor. 9:25, given to those who have gained mastery over the old sinful nature. There is the “crown of rejoicing” mentioned in 1Thess. 2:19 that is a crown for soul winners. The “crown of life,” is for those who have endured much temptation, found in James 1: 2. There are those who patiently await the return of Jesus, in 2 Tim. 4: 8, it is said that a “crown of righteousness” awaits them. Then there is the “crown of glory” in 1 Peter 5:4 for those that are devoted to serving Him. These are all crowns that we will offer back to our Lord as we all acknowledge that what was accomplished through us, was only by the gracious presence of our Lord Jesus within us! We will all throw our crowns before Him, in a moment of ecstatic adoration! All glory to Jesus!! There are also 5 basic modes or attitudes of prayer and worship: Adoration, Confession, Petition, Intercession, and Thanksgiving!
There are also 5 basic doctrines of our faith that all who are truly born again supernaturally believe in even if they don‘t understand all of the details through their intellect:
1. The Trinity: God is one "What" and three "Whos" with each "Who" possessing all the attributes of Deity and personality.
2. The Person of Jesus Christ: Jesus is 100% God and 100% man for all eternity.
3. The Second Coming: Jesus Christ is coming bodily to earth to rule and judge.
4. Salvation: It is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
5. The Scripture: It is entirely inerrant and sufficient for all Christian life.
There are 5 major characters in the bible to whom God made promises and 5 major covenants, that ushered in 5 major kingdoms and dispensations of government to man. The grace of God is made manifest to man, beginning with Noah and his ark. God made a covenant with Noah and his seed, never again to destroy the earth with a flood (Gen.9:9). Noah’s children, created the first kingdoms to whom God had made a covenant. God’s covenant with Abraham created Israel- the land and the nation, a covenant made also unto the seed of Abraham, which created a holy kingdom. Under the Abrahamic covenant, a major promise was made to Israel, that “Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates.” (Gen. 15: 18) God made several promises to Moses and the Israelites, but of greatest importance was the covenant of the law, which was basically a marriage contract between God and His chosen people. (Ex. 34: 10) This ushered in the fulfillment of one of the other covenants that God had made to Israel to “inherit the land of Canaan.” (Ex. 6: 4) This established the kingdom of the promised land. All of the Old Testament covenants and kingdoms, are a foreshadowing of the ultimate and eternal kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Davidic covenant and kingdom, is a powerful foreshadowing of the coming Messiah and His kingdom. In 2 Sam. 23:5, God’s covenant with David is called everlasting, for it is through David’s lineage that Jesus was born. Jesus ushered in His kingdom spiritually into the hearts of men and will soon usher in the fullness of His kingdom. (Thy kingdom come) His kingdom was made possible when Jesus was crucified for us, thereby creating the “New Covenant in His own Blood.” God initiated all of these promises (covenants) and by His grace they were given to man, though we did nothing to deserve them. His promises, (covenants) to #1)Noah, #2)Abraham, #3)Moses, #4)David and through #5) Jesus, ushered in the 5 most important kingdoms in the history of the earth, and also; God’s plan for the redemption of man and the coming Kingdom of our Lord. Though it has come spiritually, we now await the physical arrival of the 5th kingdom; the Lord’s kingdom, “and He shall reign forever and ever”! His Kingdom already exists and is alive and ruling in the hearts of devout Christians.
The fifth and final Kingdom on earth, which is our Lord’s Kingdom, is also the Kingdom that is prophesied in Daniel chapter 2. Christ’s Kingdom will smash the last of the four pagan kingdoms that Daniel interpreted in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, represented by a giant image. “...a stone was cut without hands, which smote the image upon his feet...” (v.34) Jesus is that, “stone cut without hands...(who) became a great mountain, and filled the earth.” (vv.34, 35) He is the Rock that will crush all of the pagan kingdoms of this world. It is also of great significance, where the Lord was introduced as “the Rock” in scripture. It was Moses who was first introduced to “the Rock.” The songwriter understood the true identity of the rock which sheltered Moses: “Rock of ages cleft for me, let me hide myself in thee.” There is a reference to “the Rock,” in Deuteronomy 32 that is repeated five times and reveals “the Rock” to be much more than an ordinary stone. The “Rock” in Deuteronomy 32 is said to have “sold them” (Israel) because they had “forgotten and forsaken; THEIR ROCK.” “The Rock,” is obviously a preincarnate reference to Christ. Jesus is “the Rock whom the builders rejected.” This “Rock” in Deuteronomy, is not a reference to a thing, but is a manifestation of God! To complete this revelation is the fact that Moses and Aaron were prevented from entering the Promised Land because they had“smitten the Rock” twice, instead of “speaking to the Rock” (Num. 20:7-11) as God had instructed them. This was no ordinary rock, this was a Rock with divine personality- a Rock with feelings that when disobeyed, carried out chastisement against the most holy man alive: Moses! Moses had bruised the “Rock of Ages.” This was prophetic of the fact that it was we who bruised Him-- that none of us is righteous without His provision-- not even Moses. It was our actions, our sin that caused Him to be struck and smitten, and necessary that even the most righteous of Israel (Moses) was sinful and at times, disobedient. Even Moses was needy of the Savior! Jesus the Rock, is the embodiment of the grace of God. Jesus is the “Rock, whom the builders rejected.... cut without hands.” It is highly significant that the symbol of the law, (Moses) could not enter the Holy Land as the others did; by the grace of God! I have learned of a recent prophetic “sign in the sky,” that also involves the number five. The bible tells us that there will be “signs in the sun moon and stars” that will proclaim His return!
Perhaps the most powerful revelation and fulfillment of God’s grace lies in the order of truth found in God’s ancient festivals, four of which were fulfilled when Christ came as our Suffering Servant and the FIFTH FULFILLMENT, which is prophesied in the next Feast which Christ will fulfill, which is the Feast of Trumpets, Roshashana. Roshashana is a celebration of the Jewish new year but it’s importance and meaning is deeper and more pertinent to our present time than ever! Roshashana is the feast that celebrates the marriage of God and His holy people. The trumpets found in Roshashana are prophetically symbolic of the “Last Trump” that the Apostle Paul says will sound at the time of the Rapture. Jesus LITERALLY fullfilled the first four Holy Jewish Feasts (Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, Pentecost) and will also literally fulfill Roshashana when He comes for His bride and snatches her off the face of this earth and into His marriage chamber (heaven). That doesn’t mean that the Rapture will ncessarily happen on a Roshashana but Roshashana is the foreshadowing of the Rapture, which could happen at any time! The Rapture will be the ultimate fulfillment of His grace, as Jesus brings the 2000 (+?) year old church age to a close and finishes His work with Israel during the 7 year period known as the ‘time of Jacob’s trouble’ or Tribulation.
There is a powerful prophetic ministry that blesses me to my core. Prophetic ministry, in their case means; interpreting prophecy in the word and wisely assessing current events in view of biblical prophecy. The ministry of J. R. Church and Gary Stearman of ‘Prophecy in the News’ has been used by God to reveal some rich treasures in the word. Their’s is a deeply spiritual ministry, revealing the attributes of Jesus (and all that He came to fulfill), in almost every chapter in the bible, it is not a “doom and gloom” tabloid. In their April ‘97 magazine, they explored how the gospel is proclaimed in the heavens (“the heavens are telling the glory of God” ). I have recently heard the same scientific observations confirmed on the 700 club!
There are precise alignments in the planets and stars in the zodiac that have occurred, or will occur, that herald the second advent of Jesus (1st advent and second coming) and prophetic fulfillment concerning Israel. They have done intensive research as to the alignments in the heavens at certain crucial moments of Judeo-Christian history. Astronomers with powerful computer programs can now show us these precise cosmic alignments and exact pictures of the ancient cosmos. (“knowledge shall increase”) The heavens are a giant and infinitely complicated time piece! This fact is extremely important and revealing because of all of the eclipses, stars and planets that are referred to in the bible and integral to biblical history and the gospel story, which is portrayed in symbolic form in the heavens. This is not astrology! Astrology stole and perverted this important message written in the heavens. Conservative evangelicals like Dr. James Kennedy have also proclaimed the truths found in the Judeo-Christian zodiac.
J.R. Church has a computer program that identifies exactly when all of these important stellar events happened, such as the planetary alignment of Jupiter and Venus that created the ‘Star of Bethlehem,’ beginning in 2 BC. There was an extraordinary alignment of the star ‘Regulus’ between the paws of Leo, (the royal sign of the zodiac, the LION of JUDAH) around September 10th, 3 BC. Regulus is known as the ‘king’ star. Based on these specific alignments there are many who now believe that Jesus was actually born around the time of Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur in 3BC. (this is what the Magi saw in the skies!) What more appropriate day or time for the Savior to be born, than on or near the ‘Day of Atonement’? Jesus was truly “born to die,” the “...LAMB slain from the foundation of the world!” There is also documented proof that there was a strange darkening of the sun on April 14th, 32 AD on Passover. This strange darkening lasted from 12 noon until 3pm! (while Jesus was agonizing on the cross) It was not an eclipse! An eclipse did take place prior to the afternoon ‘darkening’ at the third hour, (9 a.m.) as they began to crucify Jesus. The light of the world was temporarily snuffed out when the King of Glory was crucified. The solar record does not lie. There was no other day like it historically! This proves just how sovereign and omniscient (seeing and knowing ALL things, past and future) our God is, that the entire solar system has been set like a giant time piece, that declares to the second, the glorious acts of our powerful God! (“The heavens declare the glory of God” Psalm 19:1) This confirms mightily that our God reigns and is in control!
God is omniscient! He sees and knows all things. He views human history and our lives from any perspective that He desires. He knows everything that we will ever do! He knows the intricacies of the universe from beginning to end and from end to beginning and knows every choice that we will ever make, whether good or bad and is able to say that He chose us because He knew from creation, just exactly who would receive Him. Certainly He died for every human and desires for everyone to be saved but it is only to those who receive Him that He is able to save, call and preordain. This core attribute of God, shows us how He has “predestined us to be conformed to His image,” because He has known from the beginning of time, who is going to willfully receive Him! “To them that receive Him, to them gave He power to become the Sons of God!” This does not eradicate our “freewill” at all, but only indicates that He knows what our wills are and what they will be, whether we will accept His free gift of salvation or not. That is why He is able to choose, call, predestine us and “order” our steps- steps that we take even before giving our lives to Him. We have been predestined by God because of our own decision to accept Him! Even that is by the grace of God alone- “lest anyone should boast!” He is able to say that; “For those whom He FOREKNEW He predestined to be conformed to HIS image”! Strict Calvinism totally discounts the freewill of man. Certainly God’s salvation is available to everyone but only some choose to receive Him.
The significance of the number five is also found in correlation to a recent set of remarkable cosmic occurrences: There have been 5 recent lunar eclipses on full moons that were also High Holy days of the Jewish calendar; Passover, April 15th, 1995; Tabernacles, Oct. 8, 1995; Passover, April 3rd, 1996; Tabernacles, Sept. 27th, 1997; and Purim, March 23rd, 1997. These are also known as ‘blood moons’ because at a point in the eclipse, the moon turns bloody red. Perhaps the cycle of ‘blood moons’ are not complete but they now stand at five (perhaps there will be ten?). This may be partial fulfillment of the “signs in the skies,” including the “moon turning into blood,” that Joel prophesied in Joel chapter 3.
Now, I have a prediction to make: there have been four rare, ‘solar eclipse comets’, over the last 118 years (Comets appearing simultaneously with a solar eclipse) that have all occurred in years of utmost significance for Israel and the Jewish people. On May 17th, 1882; “Comet Wells” was seen in conjunction with a solar eclipse. The year 1882 was the first time that foreign (14 Russian Jews that came; “from the north”) Jews returned to Israel with the onset of modern Zionism. On May 20th, 1947, another ‘solar eclipse comet’(SEC), arrived in the year that the United Nations allowed self determination for the Jews. In November 1948, another ‘SEC’ occurred, the same year that Israel once again became a state. Fifty years later on March 9th, 1997; another solar eclipse comet (Hale-Bopp) and we don’t yet know what it is signifying. Could it be signifying the return of Messiah or the return of the Ark of the Covenant or the rebuilding of the temple or the war of Gog and Magog? The return of the Jewish people to their Promised Land, is truly by the gracious hand of God “as at the first” and in accordance with His prophetic word! Whatever is going to happen, I guarantee that it is in correlation with the destiny of Israel! Perhaps there will be a 5th ‘soar eclipse comet.’ I predict that there will be another Solar Eclipse Comet or SEC, within the next few years (making it #5), heralding yet another important prophetic event. (update: My original prediction was made in 1997. The 5th SEC occurred on August 11th, 1999 with comet Lee, which was not discovered until 4/99!)
The comet Hale-Bopp, was last seen approximately 4200 years ago. There are scholars and scientists that say that it was last seen around the time of Noah. I don’t believe that it is mere coincidence that it was a heavenly sign , present during the time of the first Ark. Is Hale-Bopp’s return, a heavenly sign of the closure of God’s salvation plan for mankind? Is it an indicator of God’s coming wrath against this wicked generation, one that is comparable to or worse than the one of Noah’s time? I believe that it is in fact, another heavenly sign that once again reveals the supremacy of Jesus as the Alpha and Omega. That comet is a sign of the end of the age. It is an indicator of God’s closure with this era of human history- the end of the 6th day. It will soon be God’s time of vengeance and judgment on the wicked. The bible does say that there will be “signs in the skies.” (Another fascinating fact about Hale-Bopp lies in it’s vapor trails. It has three distinctly different vapor trails or tails. One of them cannot be seen with the naked eye. They are different in color and direction of plume. Is this phenomenon symbolic of the Trinity? All emanate from the same source but are different!)
Noah’s Ark was the initial rescue vessel to mankind of God’s grace and salvation, but actually, it’s the second ‘Ark’ of five. I’d like to call this observation: “poetic, prophetic closure!” Are these signs in the skies, graciously warning mankind to get right with God without haste? I believe that they are! Are these observations trivial or insignificant? Not by any means! It is these kinds of revelations that show us the very hand of God at work and His Holy and powerful attributes. (These revelations are meant to increase our awe of God and assures us that He is in control, regardless of how things look). It is the study of such things that deepen our knowledge of God and our relationship with Him! To live in this present age as a Christian and be ignorant of the signs of His imminent coming, is to be ignorant of His word! To further this revelation, is the fact that in the Jewish calendar, the year 1997-1998 (5758 in Hebrew) which is actually spelled in letters; tahv, shin, nun, and chet can also be pronounced “ta’ shanoach” (letters also stand for numbers in the Hebrew) is an astounding message to Jews and believers. This means; “you shall rest.” It’s final two letters spell the proper name of “Noah,” as in Noah’s Ark fame. His name, is the Hebrew name for “rest.” Is the Bride of Christ about to enter into our heavenly rest? Are we, the final ‘Arks,’ being prepared for the ultimate voyage home? Is it shear coincidence that Noah’s name appears at this particular time within a message about “entering into rest?” Noah is the first one who prophetically personifies the rescue of a righteous man from God’s wrath. I am certainly not predicting the year of Christ’s return because no man knows the hour, nor will we know the exact date or year (He will come as a Thief in the night) but the encouragement and the stirring hope of His return is intoxicating to the spirit. He is coming soon! The Jewish year; 1995-1996 literally meant “all of you shall change” (ta’ shinu). It was a year of great change in Israel (Rabin’s murder, Netanyahu’s victory) but isn’t “all of you shall change” also reminiscent of; “you shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye”? I see this incredible metaphoric message as another sign that Jesus, the Alpha and Omega, is coming quickly. It is a symbolic manifestation and sign of how Jesus is the beginning and the end! For with the completion of the mission of Noah’s Ark, came a promise from God not to pour out His wrath and judgment to destroy all flesh again with a flood. Mankind has lived by God’s grace under that covenant ever since but is there a prophecy in what God instructed Noah to do? For before the rain, God had Noah fill the Ark with those who would be saved. Is this a prophetic picture of how God will end this long era that started with Noah’s Ark? Yes, Jesus will come for His waiting Bride just prior to the unbridled wrath and judgment of God being poured out upon the earth once again. There is powerful prophetic symbolism in Genesis, in how God “set (His) rainbow in the cloud...” (Gen. 9:13) as the sign of His covenant with man not to destroy all flesh with a flood ever again. He set the rainbow, a symbol of His glory (the Light of the World) and also a prophetic promise of His coming in the clouds to snatch us out of this world right before the deluge of God’s wrath. This doesn’t mean that we won’t face intensive persecution before He does come for us! Christians in the third world have long suffered persecution and are being martyred for their faith. Hatred of Christians is on the rise in America as well.
September of 1999 may well have been the 2000th celebration of our Messiah’s first advent, if He was born in 3 BC, (not later) as the zodiac indicates! The Lord said that there would be “signs in the skys” heralding His return. The chances of these current signs being just a coincidence, are astronomical. Is it just a coincidence that we entered a meteor shower produced by the tail of Hale-Bopp, which commenced on Hanukkah, (‘97) the “festival of lights”? December 24th is now held by some scholars as the possible day of the conception of Jesus based on biblical clues of high priests service in the temple. On Hanukkah, a celebration of a very special light takes place, a light that burned miraculously, without a supply of oil! Was it actually a prophetic symbol for the light that came into the world when the Holy Spirit incarnated Jesus into the Virgin Mary?
Some learned sages are currently proclaiming that September 11th, 1999, may be one of the most important historical dates ever. These wise men are saying that it very well could be, not only Christ’ 2000th birthday, but also the end of 6000 years of biblical history and time line, not to mention the 3000th anniversary of David’s ascension to the throne! If this is all true, then September 11th, 1999, truly is a richly significant date. This is in no way a prediction about Christ’ return, it is just another sign of the times in which we are living. Is it just a coincidence that the constellation Virgo, (originally symbolic for Israel and the Bride) is presently giving birth to a heavenly body (passing through her “womb” and completely “birthed” in September 1999!) that has long been symbolic for the Christ Child? Again, this is not astrology, this is the gospel story in the heavens, and there is the biblical metaphor in Revelation of a woman with a crown of 12 stars, giving birth to a child. This woman is Israel and the Jewish people that birthed the Messiah and will in the latter days be reborn (Israel) physically and spiritually, in preparation for His 2nd coming! What is going to happen around the time of 1999? The explosion of technology as prophesied in Daniel, has brought to light heretofore undiscovered or little known explosive truths that verify God’s word and also give us precise dates and information of importance in relation to past events in biblical history (but not the date of His 2nd Coming!). These signs are important, for an unsaved world, the church, and Israel. It is said in the bible that Israel will not believe without a “sign” from God. The “signs,” have never been more obvious or numerous, they are UNDENIABLE! Yet even most Christians don’t understand or even care about this blessing. Knowledge and understanding of biblical prophecy is increasing as was prophesied by Daniel! “Knowledge shall increase!” (Daniel 12:4)
If you are queasy about this Christian Zodiac stuff, please realize that the wise men or “Magi” in Babylon, knew that a great Jewish King (Messiah) had been born because of rare convergences in the Zodiac. The “star of Bethlehem” showed them exactly where to find Jesus and pay their homage. Their quest first led them to the royal court of Herod but their adherence to the signs in the skies, finally led them to the humble digs of a lowly carpenter and his wife, not far away. The Magi were obviously sure enough of their information in the Zodiac to ignore our Lord’s humble estate. The “Magi,” may have been wise sages heralding from the courts of Babylon where several hundred years prior, the prophet Daniel may have taught the true meaning of the Zodiac. The original meanings in the Zodiac are Godly and true, set in place by the Master Creator Himself!!
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