Shadows, Clouds, Idolatry, Traditions, Substance and Reality - Part 5
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| In loving memory of my father Robert Louis (Bob) Padgett July 28, 1931-May 22, 2023 |
4/30
In our previous four messages we have shared about shadows, clouds, idolatry, and traditions of men. Then we shared some differences between the traditions of men and walking in the ways of the Lord. In this message I want to start to share with you a little about substance and reality.
The word, "substance," in Hebrews 11:1, is the Greek hupostasis, which literally means to stand under, support, essence, a setting under, a standing under a foundation, confidence, assurance. For example, the legs of a table support or stand under the table itself. Now let us consider the greatest and most important Substance in existence.
In those verses God the Father is speaking of His Son, Jesus the Messiah, upon Whom the Father has put (past tense) the Holy Spirit ... Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In Verse 1 the Father says that He upholds (or stands under or supports or has full confidence and assurance in) the Son. That is Substance!
At least five different Bible translations word Hebrews 1:3 this way, "and the express image of His substance ..." Now there are many words which characterize the nature or character of God. One of the most important of such characterizations is His holiness. Now several impostors call themselves by this title of "His Holiness," including the Roman Catholic pope, the Buddhist Dalai Lama, and others. In the Eastern Orthodox Church, the ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople has the title of His All-Holiness. All such who take this title to themselves are impostors. There is only One who is holy ... our Lord Jesus Christ.
As we shared in a message quite some time ago, any time we see a word or phrase repeated three times in a verse, we better pay close attention. To the best of my knowledge a three-peat occurs only five times in the Bible. "O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord" in Jeremiah 22:29; "the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord," in Jeremiah 7:4; "I will overturn, overturn, overturn it," in Ezekiel 21:27; and "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts," in both Isaiah 6:3 and Revelation 4:8. The holiness of the Lord is so far above our imagination that a super superlative has to be used to describe it. The holiness of the Lord, like everything else of value, has to be revealed to us, just like it was to Isaiah. When Isaiah saw the Lord in His holiness, he said, in Isaiah 6:5, "Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts."
We believe that there is NOTHING that we can wear or not wear that will make us more holy. We believe that there is NOTHING that we can eat or not eat that will make us more holy; likewise there is NOTHING that we can drink or not drink that will make us more holy. See, for example Haggai 2:11-13. The only way for a Christian to partake of the holiness of God is by our voluntary, unquestioning obedience to the rhema word of the Lord through the Holy Ghost. And then it takes the grace of God to reveal His holiness to us.
"Rhema" means a specific, individual utterance on a particular matter or topic. The first time rhema is used in the New Testament is during Jesus' forty-day temptation by Satan. Jesus, after being tempted to feed himself through a miracle after fasting for a long period, responded "But He [Jesus] answered and said, "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word [rhema] that proceeds [or is proceeding] out of the mouth of God.''
Are those verses still true? Do those verses still apply to me and you? The human nature of the typical believer reads those verses, says Amen! And then we go about our daily business as if they have no real application to us.
Many years ago a true prophet of the Lord said: "Once a man has tasted one morsel from the table of the Lord, the very sweat from the pores of his skin will eat away the chains that bind him to the oars of the galley of the religious system." About 25 years ago I was invited by a good brother in another state to come to his house to share the word of God. When I arrived I saw in his meeting room a framed display of that same word: "Once a man has tasted one morsel from the table of the Lord, the very sweat from the pores of his skin will eat away the chains that bind him to the oars of the galley of the religious system."
What kind of table did David refer to? and why did the Lord prepare a table for David in the presence of his enemies? And what was David's cup that was running over? Surely this was not a natural table stocked with natural food. If we Christians want to understand the significance of a word or phrase in the Bible, a good principle to follow is to look at the first use or uses of that word or phrase in the written word. The first use of the word "table" is in
"Come up unto Me into the mount, and be there." What prophetic significance in those 10 words! The Lord still says, "Come up unto Him." The "mount" speaks of the kingdom of God. "Be there" speaks of the all-important relationship of being and abiding in Christ. It is only after we abide in Christ that we receive the pure word of God. Then and only then are we able to teach others. Also note that the LORD has written, past tense, all of His laws and commandments. That verse in Exodus 24:12 speaks of the gospel of the kingdom of God. Note that no man can come up unto Him except as he is called of God.
The first article of furniture that the Lord commanded Moses to make was the Ark of the Covenant, which we first read about in Exodus 25:10. That ark represents the presence of God in Christ, by the Holy Spirit in the midst of His chosen and redeemed people. So God begins the revelation of His Sanctuary with Himself, "In the beginning, God." Then God, dwelling in eternity, came in the flesh and tabernacled among us (John 1:14).
The second occurrence of the word "table" follows very quickly, in Exodus 25:23.
Shittim, or acacia wood speaks of the sinless, incorruptible, and perfect humanity in Christ. Shittim is translated as "incorruptible wood" in the Septuagint version. Pure gold speaks of Divinity.
The Hebrew word "shittim" means "acacia trees," which grow in semi-arid conditions of the wilderness. Acacia trees have scourging thorns. The word comes from a root word meaning to pierce. It is not specifically mentioned, but the burning bush that Moses saw may very well have been woven from acacia branches or twigs. Was the crown of thorns placed on the head of Jesus before His crucifixion made from the thorns of the acacia tree? If so, then there is much prophetic symbology here. Shittim was the last stop of Israel in the wilderness before crossing the Jordan into the Promised Land. When the fountain shall come forth from the house of the Lord and shall water the valley of Shittim, the last obstacle to entering the fullness of the kingdom of God shall be removed.
Perhaps we should note at this point that in the construction of the Table of Shewbread (as well as the construction of the Ark of the Covenant), nothing was left to the mind or imagination of even the expert builders. Everything was given completely by revelation from the Lord to Moses. Likewise, everything that the Apostle Paul received from the Lord was by revelation. And so it is, or at least should be, for each one of the Lord's chosen people.
This Table of Shewbread was the second article of furniture that the Lord commanded Moses to make. The Table of Shewbread is a significant type of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself as the Bread of Life to His people. It points to the Table of the Lord or the koinonia of the body of Christ.
The Greek word koinonia means fellowship, participation, communication, partnership, a sharing, a distribution, a having in common, or communion. Koinonia is translated four times as communion, fourteen times as fellowship. The Apostle John told us about our true fellowship or communion in
Note that verse does not say "you cannot drink what is IN the cup ... etc. In the natural realm no one drinks a cup. We drink what is in a cup. Drinking the cup of the Lord is identifying with or partaking of His suffering and death (and then His resurrection). The cup of devils is partaking of the ways of self ... the five "I wills" of Lucifer in Isaiah 14. The table of devils is the table of man's traditions and man's doctrines. The table of the Lord is the pure word of the Lord, rightly divided. Paul told Timothy and all elders over all of time, in
They who serve the tabernacle (pitched by man) have no right to eat at the altar of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.
Verse 13 says, "Let us go forth therefore unto Him without the camp, bearing His reproach." What is the camp? It is the camp or the church that man is forever trying to build. It is the camp that we are exhorted to come out of. It is the camp that first was built in the land of Shinar, in Genesis 11, when the people tried to build a tower that would reach unto the heavens. From Genesis 10:9-10, it was Babel, the beginning of the kingdom of Nimrod, the mighty warrior who was in the face of or opposed to the Lord. Babel, of course, means confusion. Forty-some years ago the Lord told me to go and stand in the middle of the Rotunda in the Capitol building in Washington, DC, and speak of word of confusion to the Federal Government. I did that. It never occurred to me until this past Monday evening that the Lord spoke a word of confusion to the men at Babel. (pronounced Baable)
What is this altar of which Paul speaks? What IS the altar whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle? It is the Altar built by God; it is the Altar of the Spirit of God; it is the Altar supplied by the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ; the Altar which was completely furnished at the cross of Calvary. This Altar has NO natural food. This Altar has spiritual food - food for the spiritual man. Any altar built by man will not suffice. Joel 2:17 is one of the most important verses in the Bible: "Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar ..." The porch speaks of the people of God; the altar speaks of the Lord Himself. That is true intercession, which very few believers understand. That verse has not yet been fulfilled in our day. It WILL be fulfilled before the Lord returns to earth.
An altar, by definition, is a place of sacrifice and a place of worship. The word "right" means "ability, capacity, or privilege." Several people, such as Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, built an altar unto God before the law was given. No description or method of construction of those altars is given in Scripture. Then, under the law, the Lord told Moses,
So the Lord's first choice of material for an altar was earth. I have yet to find any Scripture which says that anyone built an altar of earth. The earth speaks of us ... of humanity. "We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us" (2 Corinthians 4:7). Verse 24 says that everything we have shall be sacrificed unto the Lord. Note that the altar belongs to the Lord (Mine altar, in Verse 26). Only the Lord can build an altar of earth.
From Exodus 20:25, an altar of stone was acceptable, provided it was not made of hewn stone. In other words, the stone must be completely formed by God, not man. No human handiwork is to be used in approaching God in worship. Man's work, in this sphere, pollutes. Christian man has devised many different methods and formats which he calls "worship." None of those are acceptable to God. Only deep can call unto deep. Only the Spirit of God within us can adequately and acceptably worship God. Jesus said,
From Exodus 20:26, "to go up by steps" speaks of a progression or a journey to a higher place. The Lord told Moses (and us) that we are not to try to journey to His altar or worship Him through any effort of our own. To do so only exposes our nakedness (blemish or uncleanness) Why? Because the essence of worship is given in Verse 24: "In all places where I record My Name I will come unto thee." Our humanistic approach to God is not only secondary but not acceptable. Whether by "tool" or "steps," it either pollutes the Divine or exposes the human. The song, "We are climbing Jacob's ladder," is not scriptural. No man can climb Jacob's ladder except the Lord Himself.
No one understood what Jesus said in that verse. To the Jews, that was heresy, because God had told Moses that they could not eat the flesh with the blood thereof. The result was,
Because the Jews misunderstood, they soon killed the Lord of Glory. Many believers today also want to reduce everything to natural terms so that they can understand with their natural minds. Many years ago the Spirit of God quickened that there will be a repeat of John 6 in the Body of Christ, with the same result that Jesus received. The Lord's Supper is His Word and the Spirit of God. The Lord's Table was fully stocked at Calvary and made known (revealed) to the early disciples at Pentecost. Jesus said,
Jesus was (is) the green tree; we are the dry (tree).
Many years ago, the Lord gave the following poem to one of the very few true prophets of the Lord that I have ever met (name supplied upon request).
Six different Psalms (Psalm 4:1, Psalm 6:1, Psalm 54:1, Psalm 55:1, Psalm 67:1, and Psalm 76:1) begin with "To the chief Musician on Neginoth ..." The chief Musician is the Lord Jesus Christ. Neginoth is a ten-stringed instrument, which is you and me ... those who allow the chief Musician to vibrate us with eternal harmony.
Psalm 139 contains 37 references to the Lord (Thee, Thy, Thou, Thine, etc.). In Verse 1, the chief Musician is none other than the Lord Himself. Psalm 139 is a one-way conversation from David to the Lord. David acknowledges the complete sovereignty of God. He praises God for His all-seeing providence. David is expressing the proper fear of God, which fear seems to be rather lacking in the church today. He is the potter; we are the clay.
All of those last five sets of verses speak of the sovereignty of God, which was the very first thing that the Lord quickened to me after He sovereignly apprehended me.
If those verses have been made flesh within us, they are enough to keep us on our faces before the Lord forever! Blessed be the name of the Lord! Amen.
In our previous four messages we have shared about shadows, clouds, idolatry, and traditions of men. Then we shared some differences between the traditions of men and walking in the ways of the Lord. In this message I want to start to share with you a little about substance and reality.
For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance [living thing] that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth. Genesis 7:4
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence [proof, conviction] of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1
The word, "substance," in Hebrews 11:1, is the Greek hupostasis, which literally means to stand under, support, essence, a setting under, a standing under a foundation, confidence, assurance. For example, the legs of a table support or stand under the table itself. Now let us consider the greatest and most important Substance in existence.
Isaiah 42:1-4, "Behold My servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom My soul delighteth; I have put My spirit upon Him: He shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.
He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause His voice to be heard in the street.
A bruised reed shall He not break, and the smoking flax shall He not quench: He shall bring forth judgment unto truth.
He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till He have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for His law."
In those verses God the Father is speaking of His Son, Jesus the Messiah, upon Whom the Father has put (past tense) the Holy Spirit ... Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In Verse 1 the Father says that He upholds (or stands under or supports or has full confidence and assurance in) the Son. That is Substance!
Hebrews 1:1-3, "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom He hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds;
Who being the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;"
At least five different Bible translations word Hebrews 1:3 this way, "and the express image of His substance ..." Now there are many words which characterize the nature or character of God. One of the most important of such characterizations is His holiness. Now several impostors call themselves by this title of "His Holiness," including the Roman Catholic pope, the Buddhist Dalai Lama, and others. In the Eastern Orthodox Church, the ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople has the title of His All-Holiness. All such who take this title to themselves are impostors. There is only One who is holy ... our Lord Jesus Christ.
Leviticus 20:7-8, "Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God.
And ye shall keep My statutes, and do them: I am the LORD which sanctify you."
1 Peter 1:15-16, "But as He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;
Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy."
As we shared in a message quite some time ago, any time we see a word or phrase repeated three times in a verse, we better pay close attention. To the best of my knowledge a three-peat occurs only five times in the Bible. "O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord" in Jeremiah 22:29; "the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord," in Jeremiah 7:4; "I will overturn, overturn, overturn it," in Ezekiel 21:27; and "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts," in both Isaiah 6:3 and Revelation 4:8. The holiness of the Lord is so far above our imagination that a super superlative has to be used to describe it. The holiness of the Lord, like everything else of value, has to be revealed to us, just like it was to Isaiah. When Isaiah saw the Lord in His holiness, he said, in Isaiah 6:5, "Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts."
We believe that there is NOTHING that we can wear or not wear that will make us more holy. We believe that there is NOTHING that we can eat or not eat that will make us more holy; likewise there is NOTHING that we can drink or not drink that will make us more holy. See, for example Haggai 2:11-13. The only way for a Christian to partake of the holiness of God is by our voluntary, unquestioning obedience to the rhema word of the Lord through the Holy Ghost. And then it takes the grace of God to reveal His holiness to us.
"Rhema" means a specific, individual utterance on a particular matter or topic. The first time rhema is used in the New Testament is during Jesus' forty-day temptation by Satan. Jesus, after being tempted to feed himself through a miracle after fasting for a long period, responded "But He [Jesus] answered and said, "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word [rhema] that proceeds [or is proceeding] out of the mouth of God.''
But meat commendeth us not to God: for neither, if we eat, are we the better; neither, if we eat not are we the worse. 1 Corinthians 8:8
For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. Romans 14:17
25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
Matthew 6:25-26, 31-34
Are those verses still true? Do those verses still apply to me and you? The human nature of the typical believer reads those verses, says Amen! And then we go about our daily business as if they have no real application to us.
Many years ago a true prophet of the Lord said: "Once a man has tasted one morsel from the table of the Lord, the very sweat from the pores of his skin will eat away the chains that bind him to the oars of the galley of the religious system." About 25 years ago I was invited by a good brother in another state to come to his house to share the word of God. When I arrived I saw in his meeting room a framed display of that same word: "Once a man has tasted one morsel from the table of the Lord, the very sweat from the pores of his skin will eat away the chains that bind him to the oars of the galley of the religious system."
David said, in Psalm 23:5, "Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over."
What kind of table did David refer to? and why did the Lord prepare a table for David in the presence of his enemies? And what was David's cup that was running over? Surely this was not a natural table stocked with natural food. If we Christians want to understand the significance of a word or phrase in the Bible, a good principle to follow is to look at the first use or uses of that word or phrase in the written word. The first use of the word "table" is in
Exodus 24:12, "And the LORD said unto Moses, Come up to Me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them."
"Come up unto Me into the mount, and be there." What prophetic significance in those 10 words! The Lord still says, "Come up unto Him." The "mount" speaks of the kingdom of God. "Be there" speaks of the all-important relationship of being and abiding in Christ. It is only after we abide in Christ that we receive the pure word of God. Then and only then are we able to teach others. Also note that the LORD has written, past tense, all of His laws and commandments. That verse in Exodus 24:12 speaks of the gospel of the kingdom of God. Note that no man can come up unto Him except as he is called of God.
The first article of furniture that the Lord commanded Moses to make was the Ark of the Covenant, which we first read about in Exodus 25:10. That ark represents the presence of God in Christ, by the Holy Spirit in the midst of His chosen and redeemed people. So God begins the revelation of His Sanctuary with Himself, "In the beginning, God." Then God, dwelling in eternity, came in the flesh and tabernacled among us (John 1:14).
The second occurrence of the word "table" follows very quickly, in Exodus 25:23.
"Thou shalt also make a table of shittim wood: two cubits shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof. And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, and make thereto a crown of gold round about."
Shittim, or acacia wood speaks of the sinless, incorruptible, and perfect humanity in Christ. Shittim is translated as "incorruptible wood" in the Septuagint version. Pure gold speaks of Divinity.
And it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the rivers of Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain shall come forth of the house of the Lord, and shall water the valley of Shittim. Joel 3:18
The Hebrew word "shittim" means "acacia trees," which grow in semi-arid conditions of the wilderness. Acacia trees have scourging thorns. The word comes from a root word meaning to pierce. It is not specifically mentioned, but the burning bush that Moses saw may very well have been woven from acacia branches or twigs. Was the crown of thorns placed on the head of Jesus before His crucifixion made from the thorns of the acacia tree? If so, then there is much prophetic symbology here. Shittim was the last stop of Israel in the wilderness before crossing the Jordan into the Promised Land. When the fountain shall come forth from the house of the Lord and shall water the valley of Shittim, the last obstacle to entering the fullness of the kingdom of God shall be removed.
Perhaps we should note at this point that in the construction of the Table of Shewbread (as well as the construction of the Ark of the Covenant), nothing was left to the mind or imagination of even the expert builders. Everything was given completely by revelation from the Lord to Moses. Likewise, everything that the Apostle Paul received from the Lord was by revelation. And so it is, or at least should be, for each one of the Lord's chosen people.
This Table of Shewbread was the second article of furniture that the Lord commanded Moses to make. The Table of Shewbread is a significant type of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself as the Bread of Life to His people. It points to the Table of the Lord or the koinonia of the body of Christ.
The Greek word koinonia means fellowship, participation, communication, partnership, a sharing, a distribution, a having in common, or communion. Koinonia is translated four times as communion, fourteen times as fellowship. The Apostle John told us about our true fellowship or communion in
1 John 1:13, "That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ."
Another good verse that says there can be no mixture in the Church that the Lord is building is
1 Corinthians 10:21 Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils.
Note that verse does not say "you cannot drink what is IN the cup ... etc. In the natural realm no one drinks a cup. We drink what is in a cup. Drinking the cup of the Lord is identifying with or partaking of His suffering and death (and then His resurrection). The cup of devils is partaking of the ways of self ... the five "I wills" of Lucifer in Isaiah 14. The table of devils is the table of man's traditions and man's doctrines. The table of the Lord is the pure word of the Lord, rightly divided. Paul told Timothy and all elders over all of time, in
2 Timothy 2:15-16, "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness."
("profane" is that which lacks all relationship or affinity to God)
Jesus said,
Jesus said,
28 Ye are they which have continued with Me in My temptations.
29 And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as My Father hath appointed unto Me;
30 That ye may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Luke 22:28-30
They who serve the tabernacle (pitched by man) have no right to eat at the altar of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.
Hebrews 8:1-2, "Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man."
Hebrews 13:10-15, "We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle.11 For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp.12 Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered without the gate.13 Let us go forth therefore unto Him without the camp, bearing His reproach.14 For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come.15 By Him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name."
Verse 13 says, "Let us go forth therefore unto Him without the camp, bearing His reproach." What is the camp? It is the camp or the church that man is forever trying to build. It is the camp that we are exhorted to come out of. It is the camp that first was built in the land of Shinar, in Genesis 11, when the people tried to build a tower that would reach unto the heavens. From Genesis 10:9-10, it was Babel, the beginning of the kingdom of Nimrod, the mighty warrior who was in the face of or opposed to the Lord. Babel, of course, means confusion. Forty-some years ago the Lord told me to go and stand in the middle of the Rotunda in the Capitol building in Washington, DC, and speak of word of confusion to the Federal Government. I did that. It never occurred to me until this past Monday evening that the Lord spoke a word of confusion to the men at Babel. (pronounced Baable)
Revelation 18:4, "And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues."
It is Babylon, the mother of harlots and the abominations of the earth.
Now let us return to Hebrews 13:10,
"We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle."
What is this altar of which Paul speaks? What IS the altar whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle? It is the Altar built by God; it is the Altar of the Spirit of God; it is the Altar supplied by the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ; the Altar which was completely furnished at the cross of Calvary. This Altar has NO natural food. This Altar has spiritual food - food for the spiritual man. Any altar built by man will not suffice. Joel 2:17 is one of the most important verses in the Bible: "Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar ..." The porch speaks of the people of God; the altar speaks of the Lord Himself. That is true intercession, which very few believers understand. That verse has not yet been fulfilled in our day. It WILL be fulfilled before the Lord returns to earth.
An altar, by definition, is a place of sacrifice and a place of worship. The word "right" means "ability, capacity, or privilege." Several people, such as Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, built an altar unto God before the law was given. No description or method of construction of those altars is given in Scripture. Then, under the law, the Lord told Moses,
24 An altar of earth thou shalt make unto Me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee.25 And if thou wilt make Me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it.26 Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto Mine altar, that thy nakedness be not discovered thereon. Exodus 20:24-26
So the Lord's first choice of material for an altar was earth. I have yet to find any Scripture which says that anyone built an altar of earth. The earth speaks of us ... of humanity. "We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us" (2 Corinthians 4:7). Verse 24 says that everything we have shall be sacrificed unto the Lord. Note that the altar belongs to the Lord (Mine altar, in Verse 26). Only the Lord can build an altar of earth.
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. Romans 12:1
From Exodus 20:25, an altar of stone was acceptable, provided it was not made of hewn stone. In other words, the stone must be completely formed by God, not man. No human handiwork is to be used in approaching God in worship. Man's work, in this sphere, pollutes. Christian man has devised many different methods and formats which he calls "worship." None of those are acceptable to God. Only deep can call unto deep. Only the Spirit of God within us can adequately and acceptably worship God. Jesus said,
12 Saying, I will declare Thy Name unto My brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto Thee. Hebrews 2:12
From Exodus 20:26, "to go up by steps" speaks of a progression or a journey to a higher place. The Lord told Moses (and us) that we are not to try to journey to His altar or worship Him through any effort of our own. To do so only exposes our nakedness (blemish or uncleanness) Why? Because the essence of worship is given in Verse 24: "In all places where I record My Name I will come unto thee." Our humanistic approach to God is not only secondary but not acceptable. Whether by "tool" or "steps," it either pollutes the Divine or exposes the human. The song, "We are climbing Jacob's ladder," is not scriptural. No man can climb Jacob's ladder except the Lord Himself.
Verily, verily I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink His blood, ye have no life in you. John 6:53
No one understood what Jesus said in that verse. To the Jews, that was heresy, because God had told Moses that they could not eat the flesh with the blood thereof. The result was,
After these things Jesus walked in Galilee: for He would not walk in Jewry, because the Jews sought to kill Him. John 7:1
Because the Jews misunderstood, they soon killed the Lord of Glory. Many believers today also want to reduce everything to natural terms so that they can understand with their natural minds. Many years ago the Spirit of God quickened that there will be a repeat of John 6 in the Body of Christ, with the same result that Jesus received. The Lord's Supper is His Word and the Spirit of God. The Lord's Table was fully stocked at Calvary and made known (revealed) to the early disciples at Pentecost. Jesus said,
For if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?Luke 23:31
Jesus was (is) the green tree; we are the dry (tree).
Many years ago, the Lord gave the following poem to one of the very few true prophets of the Lord that I have ever met (name supplied upon request).
Symbol to Substance
To reach the substance through the symbol I must dance
til leaving my shell, for the higher I advance.
When the source I have found, the cup I no longer take;
the eternal bread I eat, the wafer I forsake.
At my Father's table, feasting from the vine,
I forget grainless husks and pulp void of wine.
I must know the silence to reach the music
where the cords of life lie in passive state -
Ready to vibrate with eternal harmony
awaiting the instrument which is me.
Six different Psalms (Psalm 4:1, Psalm 6:1, Psalm 54:1, Psalm 55:1, Psalm 67:1, and Psalm 76:1) begin with "To the chief Musician on Neginoth ..." The chief Musician is the Lord Jesus Christ. Neginoth is a ten-stringed instrument, which is you and me ... those who allow the chief Musician to vibrate us with eternal harmony.
1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. O LORD, Thou hast searched me, and known me.2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, Thou understandest my thought afar off.3 Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.4 For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, Thou knowest it altogether.5 Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid Thine hand upon me.6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.7 Whither shall I go from Thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from Thy presence?8 If I ascend up into heaven, Thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, Thou art there.9 If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;10 Even there shall Thy hand lead me, and Thy right hand shall hold me.11 If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.12 Yea, the darkness hideth not from Thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to Thee.13 For Thou hast possessed my reins: Thou hast covered me in my mother's womb.14 I will praise Thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are Thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.15 My substance [body, power] was not hid from Thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.16 Thine eyes did see my substance [a wrapped and unformed mass, as the embryo], yet being unperfect; and in Thy book all my members were written, which in continuance [a day] were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.17 How precious also are Thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!18 If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with Thee.
19 Surely Thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, ye bloody men.20 For they speak against Thee wickedly, and Thine enemies take Thy name in vain.21 Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate Thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against Thee?22 I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies.23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.Psalm 139:1-24
Psalm 139 contains 37 references to the Lord (Thee, Thy, Thou, Thine, etc.). In Verse 1, the chief Musician is none other than the Lord Himself. Psalm 139 is a one-way conversation from David to the Lord. David acknowledges the complete sovereignty of God. He praises God for His all-seeing providence. David is expressing the proper fear of God, which fear seems to be rather lacking in the church today. He is the potter; we are the clay.
Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands? Isaiah 45:94 For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what He hath prepared for him that waiteth for Him.5 Thou meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness, those that remember Thee in Thy ways: behold, Thou art wroth; for we have sinned: in those is continuance, and we shall be saved.6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.7 And there is none that calleth upon Thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of Thee: for Thou hast hid Thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities.8 But now, O LORD, Thou art our Father; we are the clay, and Thou our potter; and we all are the work of Thy hand. Isaiah 64:4-8
O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.Jeremiah 18:6
14 What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.15 For He saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.16 So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.
17 For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew My power in thee, and that My name might be declared throughout all the earth.18 Therefore hath He mercy on whom He will have mercy, and whom He will He hardeneth.19 Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will?20 Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to Him that formed it, Why hast Thou made me thus?21 Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?22 What if God, willing to shew His wrath, and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:23 And that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had afore prepared unto glory,24 Even us, whom He hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?Romans 9:14-24
All of those last five sets of verses speak of the sovereignty of God, which was the very first thing that the Lord quickened to me after He sovereignly apprehended me.
If those verses have been made flesh within us, they are enough to keep us on our faces before the Lord forever! Blessed be the name of the Lord! Amen.
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