— Becoming a Burnt Offering —
We previously discussed that in the fresh dispensation that has dawned in our day, the Lord our God is causing us to want to be just like Jesus (Yeshua) so we can all be made ONE. Devout hearts everywhere divinely desire to walk in the same manner as Jesus did (1 John 2:6), including following Him in being baptized with water, the Holy Spirit and fire (Matt 3:11).
Divine series of three and seven in Scripture are keys for the hour that we live in. We will focus on the series of three in the Bible. When you see three items listed, sit up and take notice. Biblical threes list things from easiest to hardest; but more importantly, they reveal the way of life that propels us toward maturity (Psalms 16:11; John 14:6). I prefer to use the phrase “move onto perfection” (Hebrews 6:1) to the word “maturity.” Divine threes are typically progressive in nature with one building on what was previously gained or attained. Usually these steps that move us unto perfection also overlap where God can be working on two or three different levels within us at the same time, since parts of any one of us can be more mature than others. Yeshua’s three baptisms articulated in Matthew 3:11 is a good example. Being baptized by water is easier, and usually precedes, being baptized by the Holy Ghost, which is definitely easier than being baptized by fire by going to a cross.
Let’s immediately discuss exceptions for this rule. Take Cornelius for instance, the Holy Spirit fell on him and his household as Peter spoke to them prior to them being baptized with water (Acts 10:44-48). Let’s just keep open to the fact that God is large and in charge and can do whatever He likes. Granted, the Peter-Cornelius event was an extraordinary precedent-setting moment for the new dispensation of the Fullness of Time (Gal 4:4-5) around two thousand years ago when Jesus was crucified for the sins of the world so the door of faith could be opened to the Gentiles. In the first century, the Jewish paradigm of preaching to all nations made a divine seismic shift to begin to accomplish the Great Commission. Today, another earth-shattering shift on how people relate to one another has already begun to take place, and like in the first century, believers will probably be astonished, surprised, uneasy, anxious, uncomfortable and possibly even perturbed about the changes God will require us to make. According to providence, the One New Man in the Messiah and His Bride will come forth.
Let’s review some examples of divine series of three, so we can see more clearly what I’m talking about:
[1] You shall love the LORD your God with all your: (1) heart, (2) soul, and (3) strength (Deuteronomy 6:5).
[2] Abide these three, but the greatest of these is love: (1) faith, (2) hope, and (3) love (1 Corinthians 13:13).
[3] May the God of peace sanctify you entirely, so you may be preserved complete without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ: (1) spirit, (2) soul, and (3) body (1 Thessalonians 5:23).
[4] Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is: (1) good, (2) acceptable (or pleasing), (3) perfect (Romans 12:2).
[5] You are a slave to the one you obey: (1) obedience to His divine will, (2) results in righteousness, (3) which results in holiness (Romans 6:16-19).
[6] Baptism of: (1) water, (2) the Holy Spirit, and (3) fire (Matthew 3:11).
[7] Another example of a divine series of three that’s not contained within one Bible verse, like Romans 6:16-19, but this time a person must have a greater understanding of the totality of Scripture: (1) Baptized by water = See the Kingdom of God(John 3:3), (2) Baptized by the Holy Spirit = enter the Kingdom of God (John 3:5), (3) Baptized by fire = inherit the Kingdom of God (1 Corinthians15:50; Galatians 5:19-21).
[8] The Levitical priests shall never lack a man before Me: (1) to offer burnt offerings, (2) to burn grain offerings, and (3) to prepare sacrifices continually (Jeremiah 33:18).
BECOMING A BURNT OFFERING
Since the Biblical pattern for each new dispensation is first a precious son volunteers to become a worshipful Burnt Offering before a new dwelling place for God is built, it will behoove us to look further into what does it mean for one to sacrificially offer oneself as a Burnt Offering as well as what does it mean to be a precious son. In this article, we will explore the Burnt Offering that the believers must go through to begin to their journey of moving unto perfection. Our next article will search out what it means to be a precious or mature son.
The first depiction of a fire offering in God’s Word is the picture of a Burnt Offering presented in Leviticus 1. It is the first step believers will have to pass through in their Baptism of Fire. (We will discuss later the other two steps required in our personal as well as corporate immersion in His Baptism of Fire, which will enable His Bride to be prepared by clothing her with righteousness (Rev 21:7-8). For now, please note that this is merely the first stride all believers must undergo to move from the believers’ portion to the sons’ portion to the bride’s portion.) Yeshua perfectly fulfilled the Leviticus 1 image on the cross, but always keep before you that devout hearts will walk in the same way with some divine adjustments in our Kingdom day.
When Jesus walked the earth, He was Jewish and His understanding of the Baptism of Fire, which He experienced at His crucifixion, came from the picture of Burnt Offering in the first five books of the Bible. It would behoove us Christians to start with the same foundation. They were the instructions of Moses on the priests, the altars, and the sacrificial system, which (by the way) is accurate according to the Messiah’s instructions:
“For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?” (John 5:46-47 NASB).
The Bible teaches that there’s no sacrifice for intentional sin that can be brought by man. However, the Bible also teaches us that, before the Law was given to Moses by the finger of God, if God brings a lamb for you, it will cover all your intentional sins and cause you to pass from death to life. It’s called the Lamb of God sacrifice and was foreshadowed via Abraham and Isaac on Mount Moriah. We need to understand that it’s because of the commandments about priests and sacrifices and altars that we can have any confidence that Yeshua’s sacrifice on the cross is able to cover our sins before a Holy Living God. This is an important basic instruction to our faith.
The Spirit and the Bride says, “Come.” Come. Let’s dive deeper into the ancient Hebraic understanding of the Burnt Offering to mine the riches of our inheritance. The Hebraic root of the word offering means “coming near,” so any type of offering was, and is, meant to bring oneself closer to God. The Hebrew word for “burnt” is olah, which literally means going up. Therefore, it was understood when one sincerely offers themselves or anything dear to themselves to the Lord for the purpose of drawing close to God, they spiritually go up to meet with the God of grace personally (Heb 4:16). By the way, any Burnt Offering was given exclusively to the LORD, and is considered to be a pleasing fragrance to God.
The Burnt Offering is also called by another name – the Elevation Offering. As it names 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. These pilgrimage feasts are also called “feasts forever.”[1] The Hebrew prophets spoke that in the end times all the nations will be coming to Jerusalem – going up physically or spiritually – and they will take part in building the temple.
The Burnt Offering was considered to be superior to all others, because it was a voluntary sacrifice and it was offered in its entirety by fire. When a person brought his burnt offering to the priests, they were required to lay both of their hands on the animal’s head, and then, confess their sins or shortcomings. By the way, leaning with both hands on one’s sacrifice alludes to leaning on the Lord through loving Him with all your strength – the highest (kingdom) form of love. (Please refer to the “Here Comes the Bride” article).
Perhaps one of the most significant realities of the Burnt Offering is unveiled when you break down the three Hebrew letters for olah. The mystery revealed is: a true olah (Burnt Offering) is that which the Shepherd brings forth. It’s such an incredible picture, because if you were going to make a burnt offering, you’d have to go to the shepherd of the flock first to get your lamb, goat, bull, et cetera. Basically, you’d ask the shepherd, “Select the best one for me,” and he’d make the judgment as to what’s best for you.
In this Kingdom Day, the Great Shepherd of our souls (John 10:11) will guide us to the best path that each one of us needs to take to become just like Him. He will sit on His blazing throne (Daniel 7:9) and judge everything in our life – or – as Hebrews 12 states it: He will shake everything that is not of Him so only His Kingdom without and within you remains. Please note that the foundation and habitation of God’s throne is righteousness and justice (Psalms 9:7; 11:4; 45:6; 89:14; 97:2; Proverbs 25:5; 29:14). Therefore, for the heavenly-minded, His just judgments in our lives will really be sweeter than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb (Psalms 19:10). Press into the fact that His righteous assessments of our lives will also be more desirable than fine gold.
Let’s sum up some ancient ways that are still true today:
[1] God’s people, who are initiated into His royal priesthood, His holy nation, through their genuine reception of the shed blood of the Lamb of God, receive forgiveness for their shortcomings once they sincerely confess their sin.
[2] We bypass animal sacrifices because Jesus Christ offered up the perfect sacrifice of His earthly body once for all (Hebrews 9:12).
[3] The ultimate spiritual principle behind the Burnt Offering, which will remain steadfast forever is: “Behold, I have come to do thy will” (Psalms 40:7-8; Hebrews 10:7).
[4] Yeshua became our Burnt Offering on the cross, and His Bride will be like Him for the purpose of the redemption of The Body (the death, burial and resurrection of a Body of Believers who make up the One New Man in Christ). This is an individual as well as a corporate work. It’s the great quickening happening now in our day.
[5] The fulfillment of the picture of the Burnt Offering in our fresh dispensation is the Baptism of Fire (i.e., crucified life; Galatians 2:20) that the mature sons of God must choose to voluntarily go through to be part of the Lamb’s pure and spotless Bride. Remember, we don’t get to choose what we will offer as a Burnt Offering. It’s Yeshua – the Great Shepherd who’s in the midst of God’s Kingdom (Revelation 7:17) – who chooses for us what our Elevation Offering will be, so every member of His Bride can resonate at the exact same frequency as our heavenly Bridegroom – the Word of God. By the way, those souls that are not totally sold-out will be open to the greatest deception that this world has ever seen.
[6] Bridal lovers as well as mature sons of God must lay everything we have been taught and everything we have known on His altar (ourselves in our entirety); and then, by His Spirit and His Truth (2 Timothy 3:16) we must sift through every thing in order to recognize what practices and beliefs actually please God, and which do not.
- “There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” (Proverbs 14:12 NASB)
- “It is the Spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profits nothing : the words I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life” (John 6:63 KJV)
- My soul cleaveth unto the dust : quicken thou me according to thy word” (Psalm 119:25 KJV).
[1] The three pilgrimage feasts of the Lord: Passover (Pesach), Pentecost (Shavuot) and Tabernacles (Sukkot).
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