Peace and grace in the love of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Revelation 1:17
1:17 And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, "Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last.
John, the apostle, was exiled in Patmos Island to suffer in the flesh not because of sinning or doing evil things, but the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. He could fall down at Jesus’ feet or worship God with a contrite heart until the flesh does not speak anymore as dead. As a result, he could be touched by God’s right hand and experience these three things.
ad. 2. I am the First and the Last.
According to Tabernacle teaching, the First refers to the Altar of Burnt Offerings or Jesus as the Savior. It refers to Jesus’ first coming in the world to die on the cross and save the sinners. It means the first love.
Then, the Last refers to the Ark of the Covenant or Jesus as the King of all kings who will come a second time to perfect and lift us up on the glorious clouds. It means the perfect love.
Thus, we can get the first love that increases to the perfect one through falling down at Jesus’ feet and the touching of God’s right hand.
Matthew 24:12
24:12 "And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.
We need the increasing love of God because we face the increasing rebellion in the last days until the love grows cold or there is no more love. All things are meaningless and useless without the love, even they perish.
The process of the growth of God’s love in Tabernacle system is as follows.
God blesses you.
Revelation 1:17
1:17 And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, "Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last.
John, the apostle, was exiled in Patmos Island to suffer in the flesh not because of sinning or doing evil things, but the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. He could fall down at Jesus’ feet or worship God with a contrite heart until the flesh does not speak anymore as dead. As a result, he could be touched by God’s right hand and experience these three things.
- Do not be afraid! It means the renewal to the feelings until there is no fear. The fear is the main killer either physically and spiritually, even to cause forever perdition. We have the renewal to our feelings until there is no more fear, but confidence or boldness towards God.
- I am the First and the Last.
- I am He who is alive.
ad. 2. I am the First and the Last.
According to Tabernacle teaching, the First refers to the Altar of Burnt Offerings or Jesus as the Savior. It refers to Jesus’ first coming in the world to die on the cross and save the sinners. It means the first love.
Then, the Last refers to the Ark of the Covenant or Jesus as the King of all kings who will come a second time to perfect and lift us up on the glorious clouds. It means the perfect love.
Thus, we can get the first love that increases to the perfect one through falling down at Jesus’ feet and the touching of God’s right hand.
Matthew 24:12
24:12 "And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.
We need the increasing love of God because we face the increasing rebellion in the last days until the love grows cold or there is no more love. All things are meaningless and useless without the love, even they perish.
The process of the growth of God’s love in Tabernacle system is as follows.
- We must receive the first love. It refers to the Court of Tabernacle.
The first love is the love of God that is poured through the sacrifice of Christ or the cross.
Acts 2:36-40
2:36"Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredlythat God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."
2:37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?"
2:38 Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
2:39 "For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call."
2:40 And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, "Be saved from this perverse generation."
The process of receiving the first love is as follows.- Knowing assuredly or having faith in Jesus as the only Savior. It refers to passing through the Gate of Tabernacle.
The faith comes from hearing the Word of Christ that is anointed by Holy Spirit.
Romans 10:17
10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
The anointing of Holy Spirit cannot be limited by anything. The results of hearing the Word of God in the anointing of Holy Spirit are as follows.- Holy Spirit encourages us to be fervent in spirit in hearing the Word.
Luke 24:32
24:32 And they said to one another, "Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?" - We can be cut in our heart or touched by the Word. It means that we can believe in Jesus as the Only Savior. Holy Spirit makes us realize our sins, regret, and confess them to God and other people, so that we get the remission of sin by the blood of Jesus and we are not condemned.
Judas Iscariot is never touched in his heart. He always rejects or avoids the Word. He never confesses his sins, but blames others. His sins heap in his entrails that gush out, become rotten, and perish.
- Holy Spirit encourages us to be fervent in spirit in hearing the Word.
- Repenting. It refers to the Altar of Burnt Offering.
It means stopping sinning to return to God. We are fervent in spirit and seriously stop sinning or judging others. We die to sin. - Being baptized of water and Holy Spirit. They refer to the Brazen Laver and the Door of Tabernacle.
It means being renewed of water and Holy Spirit to get new life or heavenly one.
Romans 14:17-18
14:17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
14:18 For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men.
Heavenly life means that we serve and minister to God in righteousness or in line to the Bible, in peace or without any envy, revenge, uncleanness, and so on, and in the joy of Holy Spirit, so all things are done in order with faithfulness, and fervency in spirit.
The results are as follows.- Our service and ministry can be acceptable to God and approved by men.
- We live in the atmosphere of heaven in the midst of the cursed world.
- Our food, drink, and future are God’s concern and He never fools us.
- Knowing assuredly or having faith in Jesus as the only Savior. It refers to passing through the Gate of Tabernacle.
- Taking careful heed to ourselves that we love God. It refers to the Holy Place.
Joshua 23:11
23:11 "Therefore take careful heed to yourselves, that you love the LORD your God.
It means persevering in the shepherding pen or being shepherded well and correctly by persevering in doing three main services as follows.- Golden Candlestick or perseverance in doing General Service.
- Table of Showbread or perseverance in doing Bible Study Service with Holy Communion.
- Golden Altar of Incense or perseverance in doing Prayer Service.
21:15 So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Feed My lambs."
21:16 He said to him again a secondtime, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Tend My sheep."
21:17 He said to him the thirdtime, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?" Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, "Do you love Me?" And he said to Him, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You." Jesus said to him, "Feed My sheep.
The perseverance in doing three main services to God in the shepherding pen is the same as the three times of Jesus’ questioning to Peter as follows.- The Lord asked whether Peter loved Him with the love of God/Agape love. Peter answered that he loved Jesus with the love to neighbors or Phileo love.
- The Lord asked whether Peter loved Him with the love of God/Agape love. Peter answered that he loved Jesus with the love to neighbors or Phileo love.
- The Lord asked whether Peter loved Him with the love to neighbors. Then, Peter was grieved because he had denied Jesus three times.
Although we do not have the love but rebellion as Peter, there is still the crowing of the rooster if we are inside the shepherding pen. The crowing of the rooster is the shepherding Word that God trusts a pastor to preach to the congregation faithfully and repetitively to make them realize their sins.
John 21:18-19
21:18 "Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish."
21:19 This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, "Follow Me."
When we are still young in our spirituality, we follow the will of our flesh, but when we are old or mature in our spirituality, we can have the growth of love until we can lift up our hands to God, be obedient until our flesh does not speak anymore, and we willingly sacrifice all things for God.
John 10:11
10:11 "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.
As a result, the Lord as the Good Shepherd gives us His life to make all things good in its time. The destroyed things can be made good and our future life becomes good and beautiful.
Psalm 23:1
23:1 >The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
The Good Shepherd preserves us abundantly until we can give thanks to God and perfects us until there is no weakness or blemish anymore.
James 1:12
1:12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.
We must persevere in facing temptation or test, so that we can believe and trust in the Lord more. We do not hope in others until God gives us the crown of life. - We must receive the perfect love. It refers to the Most Holy Place.
There is the Ark of the Covenant inside the Most Holy Place. It consists of two parts as follows.- The mercy seat.
Exodus 25:17-18
25:17 "You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold; two and a half cubits shall be its length and a cubit and a half its width.
25:18 "And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work you shall make them at the two ends of the mercy seat.
It is made of pure gold. It consists of these things.- The first cherub that refers to Father God or the Lord.
- The mercy seat with seven sprinklings of blood that refers to the Son of God or Jesus.
- The second cherub that refers to Holy Spirit God or Christ.
- The ark.
Exodus 25:10-11
25:10 " And they shall make an ark of acacia wood; two and a half cubits shall be its length, a cubit and a half its width, and a cubit and a half its height.
25:11 "And you shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and out you shall overlay it, and shall make on it a molding of gold all around.
It is made of acacia wood that refers to fleshy men overlaid by pure gold inside and out. It refers to the Church that is overlaid by the Word of God, Holy Spirit, and the love of God until being perfect.
Isaiah 30:26
30:26 Moreover the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, And the light of the sun will be sevenfold, As the light of seven days, In the day that the LORD binds up the bruise of His people And heals the stroke of their wound.
The perfect love is as the sun shining in its strength for us. We get the perfect love as the sun through the sprinkling of blood or suffering in the flesh without any sin and incense or worship prayer.
The functions of the love as the sun are as follows.- It is the perfect love to face the world in the last days that becomes the same as Sodom and Gomorrah.
Genesis 19:20-24
19:20 "See now, this city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one; please let me escape there (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live."
19:21 And he said to him, "See, I have favored you concerning this thing also, in that I will not overthrow this city for which you have spoken.
19:22 "Hurry, escape there. For I cannot do anything until you arrive there." Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.
19:23 The sun had risen upon the earth when Lot entered Zoar.
19:24 Then the LORD rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the LORD out of the heavens.
The perfect love protects us from the sins up to the peak, namely disobedience, sins concerning eating-drinking, and marrying-being given in marriage. We can live in righteousness, holiness, and obedience.
The love of the sun is able to preserve our life in the midst of difficulties and impossibilities in the world. God gives us beautiful future.
The love of the sun is able to help us from the shake in the world and give us peace and serenity, so that all things become easy and light. - The perfect love is the mercy of God that helps us and solves all problems, even the impossible one.
Numbers 6:25
6:25The LORD make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you;
For example, the young man from Nain who was dead could be resurrected because Jesus had compassion. - The love as the sun is useful to face the spiritual winter.
The frozen heart can melt to love God more than all things and love other people as we love ourselves, even we can love our enemy. We get the joy of heaven. - The love as the sun renews us from fleshy man to spiritual one.
Matthew 13:43
13:43 "Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!
It starts from obedience about little things.
It happens until Jesus comes a second time that we are renewed to be as perfect as He is. We become His perfect bride who is ready to welcome His second coming on the glorious clouds.
- The mercy seat.
God blesses you.