In the beginning God created a pristine garden and a perfect man (Genesis 1:26). This perfect pre-fallen man was a tri-parti being: body, soul and spirit. His perfection was a body clothed in righteousness, a soul that housed the dwelling place of God, and a spirit that constantly communicated with his Creator. Take note, because His people are returning to this heavenly sweet spot, which is our primordial state AS IT WAS IN THE BEGINNING.
Let’s review the “cherubim” classification for the New Living Creature of Melchizedek before we go into how the shekinah glory (His Dwelling Presence) remains in you and me. Please refer to the TAKING ON COMMON UNION series: http://wp.me/p2k1dQ-i9.
Scripture tells us that CHERUBIM:
[1] Mark the spot for us returning to our pristine primeval state. They stand at the entrance of the Garden of Eden with a flaming sword which turns every way to keep the way to the Tree of Life (Gen. 3:24).
[2] Mark the Dwelling Place of God, because He “dwells between the cherubim” (Psa. 80:1). In God’s Dwelling Places that have been built here on earth (Tabernacle, Temple and the New Jerusalem), cherubim are the most frequently sculpted, engraved, & embroidered figures made according to a heavenly pattern given by the Lord Himself (Exo. 26:1, 26:31-33; 36:8, 36:35; 1 Kings 6:29-35; 2 Chron. 3:7).
[3] Carriers of God’s throne, which is the seat of His divine glory as well as His royal power (1 Chron. 28:18). Cherubim make up the foundation of His fiery chariot throne that bears God’s Kingdom here on earth (Dan. 7:9; Ezek. 1:22-28; 10:1). God’s royal priests set out for the goal of the high calling to become just like Yeshua — the High Priest of the eternal order of Melchizedek. His Melchizedek Company is the Messenger that will facilitate the kingdoms of this world becoming the kingdoms of our Lord, and His Christ (Rev. 11:15).
This is the context that is essential to understanding the requirements needed for the Lord’s special dwelling presence to stay. His shekinah literally requires holiness. People have tried to boil holiness down to a formula of dos and don’ts, but that will always miss the mark because holiness is a love issue. Doing what Scripture prescribes for holiness taps into the prerequisites for which God’s Presence can dwell among us, but we must always take into account that His people’s hearts must be totally engaged when we seek to lovingly obey Him.
Believers in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob need to consider that the shekinah glory dwelt in the midst of Israel for generations: “The people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption of sons; theirs the divine glory…” (Rom. 9:4). First century believers understood the biblical holiness requirements, which facilitated God’s dwelling presence. When the Holy Spirit fell at Pentecost, the church experienced His manifest presence. They additionally sustained a multi-generational revival for more than three hundred years, because they understood how to live in God’s presence.
For the church to sustain His awe-filled presence today, we need to accurately grasp His minimum requirements for purity and their relevant application in our lives. Please let us learn from history, so we don’t repeat it. God’s dwelling presence departed from the Christian church when the pagan holidays were assimilated into it. Historical proof is seen in the departure of daily miracles from among them. Scriptural proof is spelled out in Ezekiel 8-11. We are not going into this passage in detail today. Please note, as you personally read it that God’s presence slowly and sorrowfully departed, for He longs for His people to repent so His presence may return or remain.
“Son of man, do you see what they are doing … things that will drive Me far from My sanctuary?” (Ezekiel 8:6). The four idolatrous practices listed in Ezekiel 8:3-5, 9-12, 14, 16 originated in Babylon, and the Bible says that they are detestable to God. BTW – These all have to do with pure worship. Today, we will only peek at the fourth and most detestable practice in His eyes that drives Him far from His sanctuary: “So He brought me into the inner court of the LORD’s house; and there, at the door of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men with their backs toward the temple of the LORD and their faces toward the east, and they were worshiping the sun toward the east” (Ezekiel 8:16 NKJV).
The fourth and most detestable practice was performed in the inner court of the house of the Lord between the porch and the altar. The inner court symbolizes those who are intimately acquainted with God. The porch is a place of traversing back and forth. It can be akin to a heaven and earth connection. The altar was a platform of sacrificial worship, where worshipers endeavored to meet with their God. So these twenty-five or so men, who were bowing down to the sun with their backs toward the temple of the Lord, were His close companions. They were people who knew and loved the Lord; yet they still grievously bowed down to and worshiped the sun, whether they acknowledged the fact or not.
It is not until Ezekiel 9:3 that the departure of God’s presence begins. His shekinah glory moves over His fiery chariot throne – a set apart remnant of His people. Then, His shekinah glory is carried by the Living Creature from the inner court to the threshold of His sanctuary. The Lord hesitates there to see if His people will notice His leaving. Will they repent and welcome His manifest presence back? He waits, then in Ezekiel 10:19 God’s glory moves further away to the eastern gate. He waits again. His people still won’t repent of their idolatry, so God’s shekinah glory moves out of Jerusalem (the city of our God) across the Kidron Valley to the Mount of Olives (Ezekiel 11:23). Then God waits again for the people to turn from their idols. Where’s does Scripture say that the Lord will return? The Mount of Olives both spiritually and physically (Zechariah 14:4).
The pagans in the fourth century recognized their own solar cults in the church’s adoption of the Nativity of the Unconquered Sun (Mithra’s Winter Festival). They recognized the church assimilation of their pagan practices in the orienting cathedrals to the east, worshiping on “sun day,” and celebrating the birth of the sun god deity at the Winter Solstice. Throughout antiquity, all sun gods across all cultures celebrated their birthday on the ancient winter solstice – December 25th – before the Roman shift in time. The Catholic Encyclopedia even documents that the Nativity or Mithra’s Winter Festival has a strong claim on our December 25th date. Never mind the fact that Constantine had the Vatican built atop the hill where the Mithras cult worshiped the sun. History records that it had become common practice in the fifth century for worshipers entering St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome to turn at the door, put their backs to the altar, and bow down to worship the rising sun. See Ezekiel 8:16.
When the Lord says that “Christmas will be the golden calf of America,” He is telling us that it is idolatry in His eyes. The Lord has given each of us the responsibility to prepare a place for Him: “Everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure” (1 John 3:3). His shekinah glory cannot dwell where there is idolatry; therefore, His dwelling presence can not, and will not, coexist with this golden calf we call Christmas. Idolatry is the crux that determines whether His shekinah glory will merely visit His people or dwell among them. If it’s your heart-of-hearts to be part of Yah’s glorious Melchizedek and Bridal companies, you will have to pass through this fire.
Written December 10, 2013 – Sapphire Throne Ministries – Robin Main. Copyrighted – If you are going to copy this, please copy it right by giving attributions to this source.
The glorious path through His Winter One-der-land is paved with mystery. Do you hear wisdom crying out speaking a mystery among those who are aiming at being made into His exact same image (1 Corinthians 2:7)? Do you know the great mystery concerning the Messiah and the Church (Ephesians 5:32)? Do you know the mysteries of the Kingdom of God (Mark 4:11)?
Right now an invitation is going out to get lost in the mystery of His love. For indeed, love is an endless mystery where we shall lose it all in order to find ourselves in Him. The Lord of Love Himself is bidding us to come into His chambers of revelation (Rom 16:25), so He can kiss us with restoration.
Winter is key to not only unlock the treasury of snow, but the treasure trove of the mystery of His will for the purpose of gathering all things together in ONE in Christ (Ephesians 1:9).
A MYSTERY is a religious truth that one can only know by revelation. Come to His Beautiful Gate. All mysteries are right before our eyes at His Gate of Awe. When the wind blows, the holy mysteries of God unravel, as we meet Him face-to-face with our bridal veil blowing. Walk in His Winter One-der-land, which is full of His truth and His righteousness that brings a person into the beauty of His holiness. If you’d like to know the fullness of the mysteries of the Messiah and God’s Kingdom via the seven-fold Spirits of God, you will have to step into the way, the truth and the life of His Winter One-der-land.
Not only does Scripture speak of the mysteries of the God’s Kingdom, but its antithesis Mystery, Babylon the Great and its mystery of iniquity. I was surprised that one of the definitions in my Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary revealed that a MYSTERY is a secret religious rite believed (as in Mithraic cults) to impart enduring bliss to the initiate and a cult devoted to such rites.
This little statement may mean nothing to you, but to someone like me, who has studied Christmas for over 10 years, bells started going off. You see Mithraism gave us our modern Christmas Day, which PR says imparts bliss to its participants, but in fact it actually hinders true eternal Bridal bliss for those who worship at the table of Mithra’s Winter Feast. The pagan sun worship of Mithraism, with its hybridized sun god Mithra, had a winter festival called “The Nativity,” or “The Nativity of the Sun,” or “The Nativity of the Unconquered Sun,” which the Catholic Encyclopedia admits has a strong claim on the responsibility for our December 25th date. In fact, Mithra’s Winter Festival was assimilated into the official church calendar in 379 AD. The roots of Christmas speaks of it being a cult devoted to worshiping the birth day of the sun god on the ancient winter solstice before the Roman shift in time. Its origins are from Mystery Babylon. Its practice include sorcery (lies, control, and manipulation); sun god worship; and the land of merchant status (materialism). It’s original image was a golden calf said to represent the divinity of Saturn (Saturnus), which was the same golden image Aaron fashioned to be worshiped. BTW – Saturnalia in Rome is the most immediate predecessor for our modern Christmas Season.
Please see the following links for more Scripturally and historically accurate information about Christmas’s connection to Mystery Babylon:
Written December 4, 2013 – Sapphire Throne Ministries – Robin Main. Copyrighted – If you are going to copy this, please copy it right by giving attributions to this source.
Right now an invitation is going out to get lost in the mystery of His love. For indeed, love is an endless mystery where we shall lose it all in order to find ourselves in Him. “Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned” (SS 8:7).
The glorious path through His Winter One-der-land is paved with mystery. A treasure trove of the mystery of His will for the purpose of gathering all things together in ONE in Christ is found in winter (Eph. 1:9).
Not only does Scripture speak of the mysteries of the God’s Kingdom, but its antithesis Mystery, Babylon the Great and its mystery of iniquity. The choice is ours to make. Choose this day who you will serve: the Mysteries of Yah, the Messiah and His Kingdom — OR — Mystery Babylon. In spite of the Church’s ardent efforts to bury the truth about its assimilation of Babylonian traditions, reference after reference can be sited of Christmas’ connection to Mystery Babylon.
The first time God’s people came out of Babylon was at the Tower of Babel where they had been trying to make a name for themselves (Gen 11:4). The Bible says that the people of Babel exerted a tremendous amount of energy building a tower of bricks – lest they be scattered. What they feared actually happened. The year of the dispersion of the seventy nations from the Tower of Babel has been recorded in Hebrew History to be 340 years after the flood. Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth were still alive; and Abraham was 48-years-old. “But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be” (Matt. 24:37 NKJV).
The next time the set apart people of God come out of Babylon, they also will have one heart and one mind; but this time, unlike the first time, God’s Holy Priesthood of believers will truly be set on loving the Lord our God with all their heart, soul and strength (Deut. 6:5). This Bridal Company will be one with a common purpose to make God’s name great – totally surrendering all to Him and His Kingdom ways. Coming out of Babylon in this Kingdom Day will result in the One New Man in the Messiah coming into its fullness (Eph. 2:15; 3:14). To do this we must forsake all, but the Lord; and then He will ONEdrously make heaven and earth His Sons of Righteousness’s oyster.
The mystery of His love invitation has gone out: “Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb” (Rev. 19:9 NLT). Obedience to YHVH’s truth and righteousness will bring each of us into the beauty of holiness. Won’t you lose it all that you may find yourself in Him?
DISCUSSION: Please select how you’d like to involve others (there’s freedom to do whatever the Spirit leads):
[1] What mystery was revealed to you today?
[2] What could be better than losing oneself in mystery of His love?
Aim to hit the bull’s eye of HOLINESS in our high calling of God in Christ Jesus!!! We can’t hit the mark, if we don’t set our heart on it! His command (not a suggestion) is to “be holy, as I am holy” (Leviticus 20:7; 1 Peter 1:16).
On Your blood-shot target, Lord, are Your concentric circles where our life’s perfection moves on from obedience to righteousness to holiness (Romans 6:16,19). Be it done unto me, LORD!
Written November 7, 2013 – Sapphire Throne Ministries – Robin Main. Copyrighted – If you are going to copy this, please copy it right by giving attributions to this source. Blessings!
• SANTA-TIZING: What’s wrong with Christmas and how to clean it up book => https://amzn.to/3S5AxGG. This book was written to fulfill a vow made to Yeshua’s face to tell the Christian Church that “Christmas will be the Golden Calf of America.” It took 10 years of full-time research, a golden scribe angel and the Spirit’s leading to unearthing His Truth in the sands of time.
Are You Ready For the Testing of Your Works by Fire?
No matter what our future holds, mature sons of the Most High God need to perform periodic heart checks to see if we are producing eternal fruit. One thing we all need to acknowledge is that we can build upon the foundation of Jesus Christ with perishable materials. Most people assume that’s other people are doing that, but that’s not me. Behold, in this Kingdom Day, our works will reveal by fire (1 Cor 3:11-15).
When I heard that a comet called ISON was going to fly by the sun on the same day that Thanksgiving Day coincides with the first day of Chanukah, my spirit sat straight up. Additionally, when I heard the word ISON, I immediately went to the “hayah” place. If you’ll recall from the October 12, 2013 post, “hayah” can be simplified into a righteous State of Being that resonates at the same frequency in which it was originally created. “Hayah” is a unique verb. It carries a meaning in the past of what was done. It carries a meaning in the future of what will be done, but a presence tense does not exist for this verb. Instead, it is given that the verb “to be” is just there. It’s who you are, like “I SON” the “am” in “I am SON” is already understood to exist, and it manifests in what a person is actually doing. It begs an answer to the question: “How am I currently exhibiting righteousness, holiness and truth?”
When I recently discovered that Comet ISON was more than merely interesting with the potential to literally rock our world, a supernatural calm came over me, as I checked in with the King of the Universe. I asked LOVE the implication of the Comet ISON ricocheting by the sun on the day when Thanksgiving and Chanukah coincides. I understood that momentous signs in celestial stars portend new seasons in God. The significance of this can not be understated, because the last time that this kind of sign was seen in the stars, the fullness of time came and Yeshua (Jesus) was born. Now another divine administration of the fullness of times has come where Christ’s Mature Head – Yeshua – will be ultimately united with His mature Body.
I believe that this I AM SON sign in the stars is a clarion call to the Bride of Christ. For 15 days, our planet will be revolving in the debris trail of a huge comet. Can this ISON be a Revelation 8 trumpet with the potential to fulfill the destruction of one-third of our earth? It is a possibility, but only God knows. Personally, I’ve already settled long ago that to live is Christ, and to die is gain. I’m mainly focused on His Kingdom coming and His will being done. The safest place to always be is holy-wholly in the center of His perfect will and way.
What I do know is that He is readying a pure and spotless Bride in this hour. Brace yourselves, because the celebration of Christmas, and everything associated with it, is going to be shaken to its core. Christmas is idolatry and mixture in His eyes. How do I know this? Yeshua visited me in person on Dec 21, 1998 and told me so. He epiphaneously came to me weeping and said: “The mixture of Christmas grieves My heart.” Talk about a bombshell! At the time, I celebrated Christmas to the hilt! After Yeshua paused to let that bolt-from-the-blue sink in, He then added: “Come out of Babylon and lay down Christmas, for I WILL have a pure and spotless Bride.” Then about a year later on Dec 1, 1999, He appeared to me again along with Gabriel. His earth shattering message that He wanted me to share with Christians who love Him was: “Christmas will be the Golden Calf of America,” which is the preeminent symbol of idolatry.
His glorious church without spot or wrinkle isn’t automatic. It happens by the work of His Spirit in our lives, as we lovingly obey Him walking in faith and grace. After 14 years of full-time research of Christmas in both Scripture and History, I can tell you what Yeshua told me is true. Christmas – as an eternal work and reward – will be burned up when it is tested by fire, but those who believe on the Son of God will still be saved (1 Cor 3:15), which means: A Christian can be saved by faith through grace and still celebrate Christmas, and they will go to heaven and still be part of God’s family… BUT they will not be deemed pure and spotless according to His Word; and thus, they will be counted as a foolish virgin (believer), not a wise one, and the door to His marriage will shut to them (Matt 25:10). When the All-Consuming Fire is our shelter in life’s storms, we must become the same essence of the fire to not get burned.
Mature sons build a house for God’s sanctuary (1 Chr 28:10) while His Bride literally makes up His house. She is the glorious exalted space where He can and will dwell (Rev 21:3). One must become a mature son before one can be part of His glorious Bridal Company. Please refer to http://wp.me/p158HG-xC. Let us BE a pure manifestation of a mature son of God – I AM SON – who only holds tightly to Yeshua Himself, not things said to worship Him. In this Kingdom Day, we will not sanctify things for Him, He will sanctify Himself in us.
~ Robin Main
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References: Gen 1:14; 1 Chr 28:10; Matt 25:1-13; 1 Cor 3:11-15; Gal 4:4-6; Eph 1:10-11; 2:8-9; Phil 1:22; Heb 5:13-14; Rev 8; 21:3.
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If you would like more information, here’s some good articles as well as the book I wrote in obedience to fulfilling the vow I made to Yeshua’s face to tell the Christian Church that “Christmas will be the Golden Calf of America”:
The Sabbath is a mine where the Spirit’s precious metal can be found with which to construct the palace in time, a dimension in which the human is at home with the divine.
Have you ever thought about the restoration of all things? “All things” include the dimension of time. Hebrews 4 tells us that there’s a promise left to us. That promise is entering into His rest. I love how Hebrews 4:9-10 puts it: “There remains therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into His rest, he also has ceased from his own works.” If we aim at Endless Love, the way of trust and truth in yieldedness will result in our ceasing from our own works.
There are many glorious facets to be mined about God’s rest, but one of the most fundamental is mentioned in Hebrews 4:4 “For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: “And GOD RESTED ON THE SEVENTH DAY FROM ALL HIS WORKS.” Just a thought for those Bridal & Melchizedek hearts out there. For those pressing into His grace and setting out to be holy, as He is holy:
“And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.” (Genesis 2:2-3 NKJV).
“ ‘And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.” (Exodus 19:6).
“’AND A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE.’ They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed. But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:8-9 NKJV).
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” (Exodus 20:8 NKJV)
Written September 7, 2013 – Sapphire Throne Ministries – Robin Main. Copyrighted – If you are going to copy this, please copy it right by giving attributions to this source. Blessings!
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RESOURCES AVAILABLE:
• ALEF-TAV’s Hebrew Living™ Letters: 24 Wisdoms Deeper Kingdom Bible Study book => https://amzn.to/3NCDXy9
• Dwelling in the Presence of the Divine: A Commonplace Book of theHebrew Living™ Letters book => https://amzn.to/41y1lCJ
• SANTA-TIZING: What’s wrong with Christmas and how to clean it up book => https://amzn.to/3S5AxGG. This book was written to fulfill a vow made to Yeshua’s face to tell the Christian Church that “Christmas will be the Golden Calf of America.” It took 10 years of full-time research, a golden scribe angel and the Spirit’s leading to unearthing His Truth in the sands of time.
Have you ever thought about what would be the perfect building block for God’s Dwelling Place — the New Jerusalem? We are talking about a permanent habitation with God where those who overcome go no more out (Revelation 3:12; 21:3).
Picture, if you will (by the Spirit of the Living God), gently rolling around in these soft ethereal particles from the color red-to-blue-to-red-to-blue, which is the essence of the revelation of His love. After you’re simply coated in and out, a royal purple poof of color reveals a pear-shaped Bride before a gateway.
Let’s think about a pear for a moment. The flesh of the pear fruit contains stone cells. Notice how apples float in water while pears sink. They are called stone cells, because their hard cell walls fill nearly all the cell’s volume.
The word for “stone” in Hebrew is a contraction of two words: 1) av = father, 2) ben = son. Therefore, a stone is a picture of the Father and Son being so integrated that you can’t seem to figure out where one begins and another ends. It’s their essence of ONENESS, as proclaimed in John 17:21.
Yeshua is the living stone described in Isaiah 28:16 and 1 Peter 2:4. The white stones of Revelation 2:17 are also living stones (1 Peter 2:5), which no man knows the new name written on them, except the recipient. One dimension of this white living stone picture coincides with the watch word for Israel – The Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4) – which communicates that a person only truly knows when one hears, understands and does. BTW – This is equivalent to loving the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, and strength (Deuteronomy 6:5).
Therefore, in No Man’s Land, there is a place where the Pear Bride manifests. These are people who daily yield to the crucifixion process (i.e. the Baptism of Fire – Matthew 3:11; Matthew 16:24; Galatians 2:20), which enables their Kingdom of Self to disappear and the Kingdom of God to appear. The perfect building block for the New Jerusalem (which is God’s Dwelling Place in the Spirit) is white living stones. The holy temple, which is the Lamb’s wife, His Bride, is made up of triumphant overcomers who have divinely become incorporated into an oneness matrix with the Father and the Son by His Spirit, and who continually aim at manifesting His righteousness, holiness and holiness in their lives.
Written July 19, 2013 Sapphire Throne Ministries – Robin Main. Copyrighted – If you are going to copy this, please copy it right by giving attributions to this source. Blessings!
First Corinthians 10:11 tells us: “Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.” What things? Passing through the Red Sea, eating manna, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. It’s what happened to the Israelites in the wilderness after they left Egypt, which is spoken of throughout the Old Testament, especially the first five books of the Bible. Yeshua (i.e., Jesus) and His disciples taught from the Old Testament and so did Paul. If it’s good enough for Yeshua, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Paul, it’s good enough for the followers of Yeshua too.
BRAZEN LAVER
The priests washed their hands and feet in the Temple Laver before they entered the tent where they met God. “You shall also make a laver of bronze, with its base of bronze, for washing; and you shall put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and you shall put water in it.” (Exodus 30:18 NASB). Many Christian Bibles call the Temple Laver the Bronze Laver. This is a misnomer, for it was actually made of copper.
The copper laver was an open circular basin that was set upon a copper base. The Hebrew Sage Rashi[1] said it had two spouts at the bottom through which the water would flow[2] keeping it from becoming stagnant. In the Hebrew language the term “for washing” carries the idea that the laver was “for sanctification;”[3] therefore the actual purpose for the priests washing their hands and feet was for holiness and sanctity rather than cleanliness (Exod. 30:17-21).
The hands and feet represent the upper and lower extremities of the human body. By sanctifying their appendages, it was symbolic of the servants of the Lord’s total devotion to the service they were engaged in. It set apart their acts as righteous.
A most literal picture of this is presented to us in Exodus 30:19. The Hebrew Sage Or HaChaim said that the conjunction in the phrase “their hands together with their feet” (Exod. 30:19) indicated that the hands and feet must be washed at the same time.[4] Consequently, the right hand was placed on the priest’s right foot and washed together at the same time, followed by his left hand together with his left foot. Concentration and balance were key to accomplishing this hand-foot sanctification feat. Try it some time in your bathtub. I had the kids in my Children’s Church class try to do this by simply standing next to their chairs. It was a lot more difficult than they thought and funny too. It’s quite the image of proper service to God requires all of a body’s faculties, and those faculties must be directed toward the same goal.[5]
The laver was not made of copper from the regular contributions. The laver was made exclusively from the brightly polished sheets of copper that women used as mirrors in Egypt (Exod. 38:8).[6] When the call went out for freewill contributions, devout women, who used to come to Moses’ tent to sit at his feet like Mary did with Jesus,[7] came with their copper mirrors and piled them up at Moses’ dwelling, which was the God’s dwelling place prior to the tent of meeting being built (Exod. 33:7). Moses was said to be reluctant to accept such gifts for the tabernacle due to his initial thinking that the mirrors had been used to incite lust.
The story goes that God told Moses that he was wrong, because these very mirrors had been instrumental in saving the nation. In Egypt, when the men came home exhausted every night from heavy labors, their wives used these mirrors to get all dolled up to entice their husbands to continue normal martial relations. Thanks to these brightly, polished copper mirrors, legions of Jewish children were born. God not only told Moses to accept these precious mirrors, but they were to be used exclusively to fabricate the laver. The Bible doesn’t give the specific size of the laver due to that fact that every single mirror had to go into fashioning it, no matter how big it would become – so sacred were those mirrors. [8], [9] Of note, these devout women could no longer gaze upon themselves with any vanity, because they had to fix their eyes upon the laver to see themselves. The laver represents bridal lovers fixing their eyes upon the Author and Perfecter of their faith (Heb. 12:2).
The extreme reach of the body of Christ should be set apart for a sacred purpose. The farthest boundary of the One New Man in Christ should be free from sin due to our special tie (i.e. connected relationship) with Yeshua. The word “tie” is from a Greek verb, which means“to bind.” It has many nuances. We can think of the concept of being restrained by authority, influence, agreement, or obligation. We can also think of a special tie that binds people together romantically. A marital tie binds two people together physically, mentally, and spiritually.
If our lives yield to the Lord of Love and His sacred purposes, then we will not be tied hand and foot to be thrown out of the wedding feast (Matt. 22:1-13). I sought My Love about what it means that one of his friends would be cast outside for not having the proper clothing, and I believe that He told me: Once the friend saw the glory of the wedding feast, “outside” the feast would appear as darkness for he or she would weep at glimpsing, yet not being able to partake of the marriage feast. It is noteworthy that this place outside the wedding feast is also assigned to hypocrites – where people’s actions don’t line up with their words (Matt. 24:51).
SELFLESS LOVE
The priests of old washing their hands and feet in the laver before entering the tent of meeting represents purity of what they did and where they went — obedience. Obedience in our actions is a symptom of the condition of our hearts. God cleans our hearts through confession of sin. “If we confess our sins, then He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). It is interesting to note that the Brazen Laver in Exodus was put between the tent of meeting and the bronze altar. We must first accept that Yeshua died for our sins before we can request to be cleaned up (Acts 22:16; 1 Cor 6:11).
In fact, our cleanliness, our right standing before God, is that Father God sees Yeshua not us. Yeshua basically runs interference for us. He is our covering before Father to the dismay of the Accuser. Believers have their own part to play. Remember there needs to be relationship, or some say agreement, between heaven and earth, God and man. Looking at 2 Chronicles 7:14 we see that God’s people have requirements for cleansing (i.e. healing). “If My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray, and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
First, believers are to admit the truth, which immediately leads to humble position. “I fall short. I’ve sinned. I can’t do it on my own.” C. S. Lewis is quoted to have said: Pride is the national religion of hell. Spirit inspired prayer will follow as a natural reaction to godly humility. Second, our spirit-led prayer results in greater intimacy with God. God says in Matthew 7:7 that if you continually seek Me, you will find Me. Third, believers are not just supposed to confess their sin; they are called to turn from their sin in repentance. This is not just an outward turning from sin, but a conscious shift from self to God. Once these three conditions are met, God then hears the people’s prayer request(s) and cleanses the land from sin. Land can either be the physical ground or people.
Please stick with me as I re-iterate probably the most significant concept connected to the Brazen Laver. In the Old Testament, God gives us a picture in how the Mosaic purification vessel (i.e., laver) was made. “Moreover, he made the laver of bronze with its base of bronze, from the mirrors of the serving women who served at the doorway of the tent of meeting” (Exodus 38:8). These women served at the point of entry into the tabernacle where there was a screen separating those who could come into the tabernacle from those who could not. The screen’s material was hung upon five pillars. Five has the spiritual meaning of grace. We can only come into God’s tabernacle by grace (Ephesians 2:8-9).
I believe the mirrors of the serving women represent earthly vanity. They could no longer look at themselves in their own mirrors. These women could no longer look at the temporal, material things when their copper mirrors were melted. They had to look at the laver to see themselves. These women had to look into the mirror of truth, Yeshua, which is a picture of Him purifying them through His shed blood. Their ability to look at self was taken away. They died to self, which is true humility.
All believers are called to die daily to self through the work of the Holy Spirit to be instruments of God. “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me” (Galatians 2:20).
One other thing I’d like to zero in on is that these were serving women. These women serving at the doorway of the tent of meeting helped people to enter in and meet God. We enter in and meet God through Yeshua — the Way, the Truth and the Life. We are all called to serve God by loving our fellow man and by pointing them to the cross. Christian service is always initiated by divine love, which overflows from our hearts when we commune with the Lord. In fact, the only distinguishing characteristic Yeshua gave His disciples which set them apart is “all men shall know that you are My disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35).
I believe the first New Testament saints to personify servanthood through love were the women who followed and ministered to Yeshua. Service based on divine love was the hallmark of these godly women. They waited on Yeshua, and I believe, his disciples at every turn during His three years of ministry. These women had seen and experienced Yeshua’s deliverance from evil spirits and sicknesses. Yeshua knew/knows love is an action as well as a wonderful feeling. In fact, the Hebrew Word picture for love ahav tells us that love is what the Father’s heart revealed.[10]
We, as Christians, are bondservants of Christ called to serve God and His people. I have yet to find in Scripture where Jesus asked these women for anything. Do you think they intuitively knew Jesus’ needs and desires? I do. Do you think they studied his likes and dislikes? I do. I stumbled upon Gene Edward’s book The Divine Romance after I got this picture of service based upon divine love. Listen to the heart of our Father through Edward’s eloquent words:
“About twenty men and four women accompanied wherever he traveled. From the day of her deliverance, she did not ask, she simply became part of that little band of followers. Wherever he went, she went, and poured out her whole love and her whole life on him. In the earliest hours of the morning she could be found preparing his breakfast. When he sat down to teach, she was there, at his feet. When he departed, she departed with him. When those twenty men asked too much of him, she quietly, firmly, protested. She washed his feet, served his meals, cared for his clothes, placed fruit beside his bed in the evening. He who said of himself, “I am the living water,” always had cool water to drink – brought by her hands. When nights were cold, she made sure the house where he was guested would be warm. In the hot, blistering sun of summer, she walked with the little band of followers, village to village, city to city – always following him.
Why such devotion?
Because she adored him. Fervently, single-mindedly, she loved him. She was totally enamored, completely enraptured, and utterly in love with her Lord and Master. She was embarrassingly, unembarrassed about the matter.
The others eventually grew used to the sight of her single-minded adoration and her uninhibited out-pouring of affection, which continued unceasingly from dawn to the last light of night.
They even learned from her. Oh, they all professed a love for him that was equal to hers. But they spoke of overthrowing Rome, of abolishing the present Hebrew state, of setting up a spectacular throne, of avenging the vicious rumors that seemed always to be spread about concerning the Lord. They dreamed of wielding both political and spiritual power, of casting out demons, of throwing Caesar into a dungeon and Satan into a burning pit. They professed love, but talked power and fame. Little by little they changed. As months turned to years, they spoke less of conquest and got down to the business of loving their God.
The most amazing thing of all was this: He responded. He poured out love in return. It seemed a little odd, the Son of God, caring, affectionate, loving, and returning love … so profoundly, so totally. That God might love, with such ardor, was simply something that had never occurred to them. Nor could they quite understand why they found it so difficult to express love toward him. Her mother before her had failed at this same simple matter for centuries, but now, before all eyes, this simple girl was unfolding the highest order of the universe. To love her God.
Watching her, they learned. For though she expressed her love in service and care, she expressed her love more in eyes, in heart, in soul, and in the fervor and passion of her whole being. No abstraction, this love. An unnerving thing this. Unwavering, day after day, with total abandon loving him. You saw it in her eyes, in her kneeling, in moments of praise and rejoicing, and when she looked into his face – which was almost always.[11]
This incredible woman deeply moved Yeshua to weep right before He rose her brother Lazarus from the dead (John 11: 32-35). Her name was Mary Magdalene. Her place was at Jesus’ feet. It is written that she chose the better part by sitting at Yeshua’s feet and listening attentively to every word that proceeded from His mouth (Luke 10:38-42). There is some controversy over who Mary Magdalene actually was. I believe that she was the woman with a past where Scripture testifies that Jesus cast out seven demons from her (Luke 8:2; Mark 16:9), but I am open to correction, if proven otherwise. The Pharisees recognized her as an immoral woman (a brazen hussy), but Jesus saw her as a Brazen Believer after he had saved, healed and delivered her out of darkness into God’s glorious light.
Remember that I discussed the redemptive qualities of “brazen,” which includes contemptuous boldness — a state of being despised but being bold anyway. Can you imagine being publicly known as a harlot and being so bold as to enter a man’s house that had the authority to stone you to death? Why would she risk it? Only one thing could make her throw caution to the wind. Her beloved Savior and Deliverer, Yeshua, was in that Pharisee’s house. But, so were a houseful of legalistic men, who were probably among those who used and abused her. Now kick it up a notch due to the self-righteous, disapproving accusations over her “wasting” a year’s wages that could have gone to the poor when she poured out the expensive perfume on Jesus’ feet. She was definitely despised by this company of Pharisees, after all, they were the ones “worthy” of Jesus’ time and attention. If wetting Jesus’ feet with tears, wiping them with her hair, kissing them and anointing them with expensive perfume isn’t bold in the face of a bunch of the eyes full of daggers, I don’t know what is!
The quintessential example of a Brazen Believer is Mary Magdalene. Our Lord Jesus Christ said that she would be known forever as the one who anointed Him for His burial (John 12:7) as well as being the one who loved much because she had been forgiven much (Luke 7:40-43).
Mary Magdalene’s unwavering devotion led her to closely follow Jesus through His life, death, burial and resurrection. Mary Magdalene, Jesus’ mother and the Apostle John were the first to typify “the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes” (Rev 14:4). For example: [1] Mary Magdalene was among the small group to personally experience the agony, and thus, share in Jesus’ crucifixion (Matt 27:56). [2] Having moved Jesus to tears, it was Mary Magdalene turn to be deeply moved to weep as she watch Jesus’ dead body be placed in Joseph of Arimathen’s tomb (Matt 27:57-61). [3] Her and “the other Mary” were the first to return after Yeshua’s burial with the purpose of taking care of His body (Matt 28:1-10) to only witness the glorious appearance of an angel who rolled away the stone. While the guards shook with fear and became like dead men, the two Marys received an angelic message: “Do not be afraid; for I know you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said” (Matthew 28:56). All of this is amazing, but take another gigantic leap because this devoted heart — Brazen Believer — was the first person to see Jesus alive after His resurrection (Mark 16:9). Scripture tells us that she clung to Jesus when she saw Him (John 20:17). Can you imagine?!
The women following Jesus were so in love with their Lord and Savior that their acts of service were second nature. Yeshua walked with the anointing of the Spirit on earth. I feel that these women through their love and devotion to Christ tapped into that same Spirit to meet every need and desire prompted of God. It seemed that the only other group besides the disciples, which were consistently closest to Jesus on earth, was the women who followed Him. These women were consistently meeting the needs and desires for all who Yeshua put on their hearts. Their hearts overflowed with so much love for Jesus that they wanted and yearned to do anything and everything He asked or simply desired.
Before we move on, let’s re-emphasize that the Brazen Altar and Laver speaks of those made in God’s image keeping the priority of divine intimacy over and above anything else. Yes. We are called to do good works. In fact, if we do what Jesus did, we glorify the Father on earth by accomplishing the work that He gives us to do (John 17:4). This being said, please remember that Jesus did nothing unless He was given orders from His heavenly headquarters first (John 5:19). Even Jesus sequestered Himself away from the crowds and His friends to spend one-on-one time with His heavenly Father to see what He was doing.
We must take up our cross daily (Luke 9:23-25) to die to our own self-will in order that we can operate in heaven’s flawless will. There is a place where we will perfectly align with the flow of His extravagant Spirit as well as His faithful Word to such a degree that we will completely abide in Christ where the love of God is truly perfected within God’s Kingdom that’s within you and I. This is how Yeshua made His Father’s name known to men (John 17:6), and it’s something we need to emulate.
The Brazen Altar and the Brazen Laver were Old Testament pictures of the New Testament fulfillment of Jesus. While here on earth, Yeshua was 100% God and 100% man. Yeshua walking the earth in bodily form is the perfect picture of heaven and earth agreeing to accomplish all that the Father had sent him to do. The earthly body needs to line up with its head — the Messiah. The Greek word for head is kephale meaning that from which everything proceeds.
Written October 24, 1998 – Sapphire Throne Ministries – Robin Main. Copyrighted – If you are going to copy this, please copy it right by giving attributions to this source. Blessings!
[3] Harris, Harris, Archer, and Waltke; Theological Word book of the Old Testament: “2150 רָחַץ (rāḥaṣ) wash. With Times New Roman the transliteration might be more like: rachats. Derivatives 2150a רַחַץ (raḥaṣ) washing (Ps 60:10; 108:10). 2150b רַחצָה (raḥṣâ) washing (Song 4:2; 6:6). The initial occurrence is Gen 18:4, with over forty-eight occurrences in the Pentateuch, twenty-six in Lev. Among the parts of the body ritually rinsed were: the face (Gen 43:31); the hands (Ex 30:19, 21); the body (Lev 17:16); the feet (Gen 18:4ff). In the Levitical rituals the flesh of sacrificial animals was washed (Lev 1:9 et al.). This washing would normally take a great deal of water and perhaps suggests that Solomon’s great brazen sea was used as a reservoir for such water as well as for other rituals. Several interesting uses of the term appear in Song of Solomon giving details on Israelite cosmetology. The root rāḥaṣ describes the ritual foot washing (5:3) and an eye washing with milk (5:12). A similar usage of washing for romantic appeal appears in Ruth 3:3. But the much more serious use of the root is reserved for the notion of its representing the cleansing from sin (Isa 1:16; 4:4). It is this meaning which is carried throughout Ezek. (16:4, 9; 23:40) and on into the nt in the baptism of John and of Jesus. The nt has a number of references to the ot practices (Jon 2:6; Mt 15:2; Heb 9:10 etc.)”
[4] Scherman, The Chumash, 487: “Together with their feet. The conjunction ta, indicates that the hands and feet must be washed at the same time (Or HaChaim). Consequently, the Kohen places his right hand on his right foot and washes them, and then follows the same procedure with his left hand and foot (Rashi from Zevachim 19b). ”
[7] They prayed there and listened to the teachings of God.
[8] Scherman, The Chumash, From the mirrors of legions. 527.
[9] Exodus 38:30-31 lists the items made from copper from the regular freewill contribution: sockets of the entrance to the tent of meeting, the altar, the sockets of the courtyard all around, the sockets of the gate of the courtyard, all the pegs of the tabernacle, and all the pegs of the courtyard, all around. The laver is NOT included in this list; therefore it was not made with copper from the regular contributions but “from the mirrors of the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting” (Exod. 38:8).
[10]Hebrew Word Pictures How does the Hebrew Alphabet Reveal Prophetic Truths by Frank T. Seekins, p. 14
[11] Excerpt from The Divine Romance by Gene Edwards
Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done. Brazen believers are a place where heaven meets earth. Symbolically, we can catch a glimpse of this reality in the brazen or bronze (i.e., copper) items that were in the Mosaic tabernacle.
All the brazen furnishings symbolize the place where heaven meets earth. God meets man. Think about the earth being God’s footstool (Isaiah 66:1), and when the apostle John saw Jesus in the Spirit on the Lord’s day “His feet were like burnished bronze” (Rev 1:15). The Church is Jesus’ Body and that Body has its feet bound “with the preparation of the gospel of peace” (Ephesians 6:15). When we walk through our daily lives and reflect the radiance of God’s glory (the character of Jesus), God touches the earthly realm through us.
In the Greek, “bronze” in the burnished bronze feet of Jesus’ is the word chalkolibanon, which is a compound word made up of chalkos and libanos. From chalkos we get the idea of the hollowing out of a vessel for this glowing metal was chiefly used for that purpose. Its primary root word is chasma, which means to lower into a void or a gaping chasm. Jesus bridged the gulf between heaven and earth (God and man) “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him” (John 3:17). As we let Jesus have His way in our lives by working out our salvation with fear and trembling (Phil 2:12-13), our lives are cleansed so we may pour out His presence, to a lost and dying world “for in Him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28 NIV). Through Christ in you the hope of glory (Col 1:27), heaven touches earth.
The word libanos means the incense tree (i.e., frankincense), and by implication the incense itself. Revelation 5:8 says that the incense in the golden bowls are “the prayers of the saints” and much incense was given to an angel at the altar so he could “add it to the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne” (Rev 8:3-4). I believe this is a picture of the mixing of things that originated on earth with those originating in heaven — prayer.
Frankincense’s primary root means to become white, which additionally communicates the idea of purity. Incense is the material used to produce a fragrant odor when burned. It’s a pleasing scent to God and it causes passion or emotion to become aroused. Another word for a pleasing fragrance is “savor.” The Hebrew verb for savor is ruach. It’s the word for “Spirit,” as in the Holy Spirit. It means to blow or breathe, to smell, and figuratively, it means to joyfully anticipate. Jesus “breathed on” his disciples, “and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:22). This makes sense for the primary verb for incense is thuo meaning to rush (breathe hard, blow, smoke), by implication it means to sacrifice by fire. “They were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent, rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit …” (Acts 2:1-4).
What a picture! Yeshua’s [1] glowing bronze feet have a dual meaning in this context:
[1] Jesus personally coming to earth for the purpose of bridging the gap between God and man, not only the first time, but also today through you and I. Jesus tells His followers that the Kingdom of God is near. It is within you (Matt 10:7; Luke 10:9,11).
[2] The purified, Holy Spirit inspired groans and prayers of the saints (Rom 8:26-27; Eph 6:18). These are two places where heaven touches earth.
In April of 1998,[2] Cindy Jacobs mentioned that she believed that there is one body, one church in heaven and earth. I agree. Eternal life for believers necessitates that the body of Christ be one, as Jesus and the Father is one. Christ’s body, the church, is united in heaven and on earth. One of the prevalent pictures I received while studying “bronze” in Scripture was unity. The church is already united in the heavenly realm; therefore, what remains is unity here on earth. I believe we will find some of the keys to uniting the earthly church with the heavenly one by looking at copper in the Mosaic tabernacle.
BRAZEN ALTAR – HEAVEN’S WILL
Yeshua, the perfect propitiation for sin, is mankind’s bridge to God. All furnishings in the tabernacle (i.e., tent of meeting) are different pictures of Jesus’ ministry on earth. The bronze furnishings — the Brazen Altar and Brazen Laver — are no exceptions. Jesus’ blood atones and washes away the sins of the world. Objectively, once for all, and subjectively, as you apply it to your life when you confess Jesus as Lord, and believe God raised Him from the dead (Rom 10:9-10).
Our New Testament brazen altars are our hearts. That was true of the Old Testament Brazen Altar also. The sacrifices were meant to point man to God, to rededicate their hearts to God. Unfortunately, the sacrifices (things that were seen) became the focus instead of the point to the exercise – relationship with the living God. God knows we must guard our hearts in Christ Jesus to make relationship with God a reality. Psalm 24:3-4 tells us that only those who have clean hands and a pure heart can have relationship with the Lord.
The one called the “father to all who believe” had a very close personal relationship with the Lord. Abraham was 137 years old when his faith was tested when God asked him to take his dearly loved son up Mount Moriah and offer him as a living sacrifice. It gives us a new perspective on Isaac’s willingness when we understand that he was 36 years old at the time. It is at the mountain of God’s choice that Abraham was directed to offer Isaac as a burnt offering.
The Word of God tells us of at least three virtues in our lives that have eternal substance: faith, hope, and love (1 Corinthians 13:13).When God tested Abraham, He was accessing Abraham’s character to see if these and other eternal qualities abided in him. Just as Abraham’s walk was tested to see if it matched his talk, so will ours.
To comprehend why God asked Abraham to offer Isaac as a burnt offering, we need to delve into the ancient Hebrew understanding of burnt offerings provided for us in the first chapter of the book of Leviticus. The book opens with the first revelation in the new Tabernacle, which had been built with their own contributions as a place where God’s shekinah glory (i.e., His dwelling presence) would rest among His people. They were made aware of their responsibility of maintaining a high level of holiness.
By the way, no other book in the Bible is so full of divine utterance as the book of Leviticus. Moreover, the Hebrew canon for the book we call Leviticus has the divine title “HE CALLED.” For the people in Moses’ day, its directions left nothing to the imagination. God was very specific in how He wanted/wants to be worshipfully approached. The content of Leviticus expresses the divine will of our heavenly Father for those who desires to worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:23).
That Leviticus is the third book of the Bible speaks of it being stamped with completeness. For instance, the phrase “I AM Jehovah” occurs 21 times in the entire book, which emphasizes that Leviticus is marked with completeness, but it additionally proclaims that within Leviticus are keys to the complete plan of God for spiritual perfection. There’s a holy, awesomeness that accompanies His name Jehovah, for it’s the ineffable name of God – He’s incapable of being expressed in words (i.e., indescribable).
Unfortunately, most Christians have dismissed, minimized or ignored this very important slice of the word that endures forever. It’s been an enigma to most, if not all, of us. We are confused because we no longer do temple sacrifices. Or do we? This is the day where devout hearts need to sit up and take notice of this unique book that almost wholly consists of the words of Jehovah, where “HE CALLED” us to worship Him according to His will and ways. This is the day when we will worship God His way.
The rest of this Brazen Altar section endeavors to unseal Leviticus chapter 1 for Christians and examines what is required when anyone wants to bring a worshipful offering to the Lord. First, let’s note that the only name of God used in connection with offerings is Adonai. This name represents His attribute of mercy. The Hebraic root of the word “offering” means to come near. As mentioned previously, any type of offering is meant to bring oneself closer to God. Additionally, the Hebrew word for “burnt” is olah, which literally means going up; therefore, we can see that a burnt offering is brought by a person who wants to go up and draw near to God.
When a person sincerely offers themselves or anything they dearly love – especially their own way — to the Lord for the purpose of drawing close, they spiritually go up to meet with the God of mercy personally to His throne of grace.“This is what the LORD says, ‘I will restore the fortunes of Jacob’s tents and have compassion on his dwellings … I will bring him near and he will come close to me, for who is he who will devote himself to be close to me?’ ” (Jeremiah 30:18; 21 NIV).
The burnt offering is also called by another name — the elevation offering, As its name suggests, it raises one’s spiritual level. The elevation offering was brought by everyone who went up to Jerusalem for the three pilgrimage feasts of the Lord (required by everyone who was part of God’s holy nation). The Hebrew prophets spoke that in the end times, all the nations will be coming to Jerusalem — going up physically and/or spiritually and they will take part in building the temple. Don’t forget that you are meant to be God’s dwelling place.
The elevation offering (i.e., burnt offering) in the Old Testament days was considered to be superior to all others, because it was a voluntary sacrifice and it was offered in its entirety. The word “unblemished” in Leviticus 1:3 symbolizes a person coming close to God with nothing missing. All one’s faculties are wholly engaged. When a person brought his burnt offering to the priests (i.e., Kohanim), he was required to lean his hand on the head of his sacrifice. Actually, one had to literally lay both hands on the animal’s head and then confess his sin or shortcoming. Leaning both hands on one’s sacrifice alludes to leaning on the Lord with your entire strength. Loving God with all your strength is synonymous with loving God vehemently, wholly, exceedingly, diligently, utterly. It is the highest form of love and is equated to one’s resources spent according to the perfect will of God… literally being spent on Him.
The burnt offering was the very first service performed by Aaron’s descendants — the Kohanim — in God’s wilderness tabernacle. Anyone could slaughter an animal for sacrifice, but it took the descendants of the High Priest to receive the shed blood and transport it to the Brazen Altar. It’s interesting that even though there was a heavenly fire always on the altar, the Kohanim were commanded to add an earthly fire. Once the Kohanim arranged all the cut up parts on the fire, they tended the fire until the sacrifice was totally consumed. As a side, the smoke that rises up to God from the burnt offering is a symbol of the owner’s striving, and the Lord tells us that it pleases Him (Leviticus 1:9).
In our day of grace, God’s people, who become a royal priesthood through their reception of the gift of the shed blood of the Lamb, receive forgiveness for their shortcomings once they sincerely confess their sin. We bypass animal sacrifices because Jesus Christ (Yeshua ha Mashiach) offered up the perfect sacrifice of His earthly body once for all. Yeshua became our burnt offering on the cross, and Jesus’ Bride will be like Him. The spiritual principle behind the burnt offering that remains true even today is “Behold, I have come to do Thy will” (Psalms 40:7-8; Hebrews 10:7). It’s all about doing heaven’s will via sacrificing your own will on God’s altar of purification.
The fulfillment of the picture of the burnt offering in our day according to the fresh dispensation we are now operating under – “summing up of all things in Christ” (Ephesians 1:10) – is the baptism of fire that the Bride of Christ will come through to literally become the Lord’s pure and spotless Bride. God’s baptism of fire will burn off anything that is not of Him or in Him. Be encouraged, because He knows the way each one of us takes, and we will come forth as gold (Job 23:10). Christ’s Bride will live and move in His divine will – the perfect will of heaven on earth. She will act as Jesus did. “And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments… but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought to walk in the same manner as He walked” (1 John 2:3,5-6).
Classically, the Brazen Altar has symbolized divine judgment. Before you freak out, please understand that the Hebrew word for “judge” is dan, and its pictograph reveals that the judge is the door of life – Jesus (i.e., Yeshua). Our Great High Priest is the One who sympathizes with our weaknesses and encourages us to draw near with confidence to His throne of grace so we can receive mercy and find grace to help in a time of need (Hebrews 4:14-16).
Most Christians rightfully and whole-heartedly tout this truth, but please let’s quit cheapening His glorious grace. You’ve seen it. I’ve done it. A person sins over and over again with the supposed safety net that we know God will forgive us. I believe that this mentality is pervasive throughout Christianity. So what should we do with this Scripture? “For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain terrifying expectation of judgment, and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries. Anyone who set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy in the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?” (Hebrews 10:26-29). God actually handles unintentional sin differently than willful sin.
All divine judgment, while we live on earth, is ultimately meant for the purpose of “I am” making us one. Psalms 19 tells us that the “judgments of the LORD are true; they are righteous altogether … more desirable than gold … sweeter also than honey … by them Thy servant is warned.” The only way we can discern some of our “hidden faults” and “presumptuous sins” (Psalms 19:12-13) is to let the living and active word of God rightly divide what is soul and what is spirit (Hebrews 4:12). The purifying effects of being washed by the water of the word (Ephesians 5:26) allows us to be an exact re-presentation of the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6).
Don’t forget that we are not alone — the Spirit of the Living God divinely assists us in our path to perfection. The way we become perfected into the image of One – His very image – is to let the fear of the Lord and the divine judgments of His Word have their way in each one of us. By the way, the fear of the Lord is not only the beginning of knowledge and wisdom (Proverbs 1:7; 9:10), but it also allows us to love what he loves and hate what He hates. Remember that it’s a good and faithful son that accepts His Father’s discipline, because he knows that his daddy loves him and is helping him to be the best person that he can be (Deuteronomy 8:56; Romans 8:14). Also, it is the sons of God that are led by the Spirit of God (Romans 8:14), and they inherit God’s Kingdom (Galatians 4:7).
The Baptism of Fire (Matthew 3:11) being released upon the earth in our day is a quantum leap above and beyond what we have known for the past 1,700 years. Get ready folks because people will actually manifest being “holy as He is holy” (1 Peter 1:16; Leviticus 11:44). By the way, when God says, “You shall be holy, for I am holy,” it’s not a suggestion but an exhortation (an actual command). Even though authentic holiness has been rare, it will be a reality of those who will do the “greater works” (John 14:12). Bridal lovers of God will surrender their ways for His. They will recognize practices and beliefs that the Church has sanctioned as “holy,” which are not. These lovers of the Spirit and Truth will recognize what actually pleases Adonai, and then they adjust accordingly, come what may. The Word of God together with the Holy Spirit will be our guide, which is at least a partial realization of the picture that the fire that consumes the burnt offering is first and foremost a heavenly fire. Our voluntary offering to give up our own (earthly) desires and practices will combine with heaven’s fiery perfect will. Like the smoke that rises up from any burnt offering, our total surrender to the All-Consuming Fire will be one of our most pleasing sacrifices as well as one of our most satisfying services.
To be continued…
Written – October 24, 1998. Revision #1 – November 17, 2001. Revision #2 – December 30, 2002. Revision #3 – April 23, 2003. Revision #4 – December 9, 2010. Revision #5 – May 29, 2013.
All Scriptures are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise denoted.
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Author’s Note
This is the day when God is unearthing treasures previously kept in darkness and uncovering hidden wealth previously kept in secret places. “I will go before you and make the rough places smooth; I will shatter the doors of bronze, and cut through the iron bars. I will give you the treasures of darkness, and hidden wealth of secret places, in order that you may know that it is I, the Lord, the God of Israel, who calls you by your name” (Isaiah 45:2-3). The Lord our God is unlocking the chambers of His vast treasure house, which speak of mysteries that have been in His heart for eternity. He’s opening the heights of the heavens and the depths of the earth.
One of these treasures of the deep is the understanding of the Biblical concepts associated with copper. Although my New American Standard Bible uses the word “bronze,” in Hebrew it actually means copper. This pamphlet is not an exhaustive study, but a tool meant to give you insight and draw you closer to the Lord. We will specifically focus on the picture copper reveals to us as it functioned in the Mosaic (Wilderness) Tabernacle, representing various parts of the Church.
It is significant that copper is the most conductive material on earth next to silver due to it having a free electron in its outer electron ring. Copper’s free electron exchanges freely with other conductive elements. In this study, we will see how Brazen Believers should naturally have a part of them that freely exchanges with other conductive materials — those made in God’s image — for that is what our heavenly Father does. We are to be wise, yet be as pure, transparent, vulnerable, sincere, and genuine as possible with others around us.
Technically, bronze is a metal alloy of copper and tin (sometimes other elements), which history records ancient man began using sometime between 4000-3000 BC. I am purposely using the word “bronze” to directly associate the Brazen Altar and Brazen Laver with Brazen Believers. I am also purposely using the word “brazen.” Brazen means to be made of brass, a harsh and loud sound like struck brass, or marked by contemptuous boldness. Believe it or not, a study of the redemptive qualities of brazen is quite rewarding; but for now let’s just focus on the idea of contemptuous boldness. Contemptuous is a state of being despised and lacking respect. Christians are to be in the world, not of it; and Jesus said we will be hated, rejected and despised by the world, just as He was. The Bible also says “because of our faith in Him, we dare to have the boldness (courage and confidence) of free access (an unreserved approach to God with freedom and without fear)” (Ephesians 3:12 AMPL). Brazen Believers boldly approach God’s throne of grace. We need to be broken enough before God to speak the truth boldly and not participate with evil motives and intentions. Without brokenness (our flesh being in the heavenly brazier), boldness is simply pride.
Brazen Believers ultimately will only see themselves though Jesus. They will literally communicate with God, like Moses did, spirit to spirit — face to face.
Written October 24, 1998 – Sapphire Throne Ministries – Robin Main. Copyrighted – If you are going to copy this, please copy it right by giving attributions to this source. Blessings!
[1]Yeshua is Jesus’ Aramaic/Hebrew name, which He was literally called when He walked the earth. It’s a shortened form of Yehoshua, which means “salvation” or “the Lord saves.”
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