Peace and grace in the love of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Revelation 1:8
1:8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, theBeginning and theEnd,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
The Alpha means the beginning. The Omega means the end.
This morning, we learn about the Alpha and the Omega related to the Tabernacle.
God blesses us.
Revelation 1:8
1:8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, theBeginning and theEnd,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
The Alpha means the beginning. The Omega means the end.
This morning, we learn about the Alpha and the Omega related to the Tabernacle.
- The Alpha refers to the Altar of Burnt Offerings.
In the Old Testament, the Israelites must bring animal for offering and burn its flesh on the Altar of Burnt Offerings to get forgiveness of their sins.
In the New Testament, the Altar of Burnt Offerings has been destroyed, but it refers to the cross of Christ in spiritual meaning.
Thus, all animal sacrifice has been fulfilled by the sacrifice of Christ on the cross.
John 19:30
19:30 So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.
Before Jesus dies, He drinks the sour wine that represents our whole sins. Afterwards, He says “It is finished!”. It means He dies on the cross to reconcile all men’s sins so they are saved and blessed by God.
"I am the Alpha" refers to the first love from Jesus that is revealed through His sacrifice on the cross to save and bless sinful men. All sins have been reconciled, the rest is whether we are willing to be reconciled or not. But be watchful because there are sins that cannot be reconciled by His blood, that is sin of unbelief and sin that is not confessed. It equals to rejecting Jesus as the Alpha, and it means perdition forever.
How can we receive Jesus as the Alpha or salvation or the first love? The process is as follows.- Our heart believes Him through hearing the Word of God, that is the Word anointed by Holy Spirit. It equals to believing and having faith to Jesus as the Savior. In Tabernacle, it refers to the Gate.
Romans 10:10
10:10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. - Repenting. In Tabernacle, it refers to the Altar of Burnt Offerings.
Repenting is started from our mouth confessing Jesus, meaning confessing sins to God and the others. If the blood of Jesus forgives us, we must not sin anymore. It equals to stopping sinning to return to God, dying to sins or repenting.
1 John 1:8
1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
If we do not confess our sins, we deceive ourselves.
If we still do sins after being forgiven, the forgiveness is cancelled.
If we do not confess our sins but blaming the others, it is the self-truth.
This kind of life cannot repent. He will keep sinning until experiencing the curse of sins. He will live in tears, weariness, and bear heavy burden, up to perdition forever. - Water baptism. In Tabernacle, water baptism refers to the Brazen Laver.
Mark 1:4-8
1:4 John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.
1:5 Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.
1:6 Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.
1:7 And he preached, saying, “There comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose.
1:8 I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
One who has died to sins and repented, must be buried.
Romans 6:4
6:4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. - Holy Spirit baptism. In Tabernacle, it refers to the door of Tabernacle. We leave the Court and enter the Holy Place.
Mark 1:9-11
1:9 It came to pass in those days thatJesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan.
1:10 And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove.
1:11 Then a voice came from heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
When Jesus comes up from the grave of water, the heaven parted. We are anointed and fulfilled by Holy Spirit, so we experience new life, that is Heavenly life. God acknowledges us as His son. The proof is living in righteousness and being always in the house of God. In Tabernacle, it means we enter the Holy Place. Inside it, there are three types of equipment that refer to perseverance in three main services as follows.- Golden Candlestick refers to perseverance in General Service. It is a fellowship with Holy Spirit God in His anointing and gifts.
- Table of Showbread refers to perseverance in Bible Study Service and Holy Communion. It is a fellowship with the Son of God in His Word and the sacrifice of Christ.
- Golden Altar of Incense refers to perseverance in Prayer Service. It is a fellowship with Father God in His love.
Psalm 92:12-15
92:12 The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
92:13 Those who are planted in the house of the Lord Shall flourish in the courts of our God.
92:14 They shall still bear fruit in old age; They shall be fresh and flourishing,
92:15 To declare that the Lord is upright; He ismy rock, and there isno unrighteousness in Him.
Dwelling in the house of God is like a tree planted by the water. The results are as follows.- Growing like a cedar tree, meaning being strong and keeping on following and ministering God until His second coming.
- Growing like a palm tree, meaning bearing sweet fruits, being blessed and becoming a blessing to the others up to our descendants.
- Golden Candlestick refers to perseverance in General Service. It is a fellowship with Holy Spirit God in His anointing and gifts.
- Our heart believes Him through hearing the Word of God, that is the Word anointed by Holy Spirit. It equals to believing and having faith to Jesus as the Savior. In Tabernacle, it refers to the Gate.
- The Omega refers to the Ark of Covenant.
I am the Last refers to the Ark of Covenant or love. In shepherding, we experience the growth of love until we have the perfect love or the bride’s love. Jesus is the bridegroom and we are the bride.
Colossians 3:14
3:14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.
The perfect love unites and perfects us as the perfect church.
The Ark of Covenant consists of two parts as follows.- The mercy seat with two cherubim made of pure gold.
The first cherub refers to Father God. The mercy seat with the sprinkling of blood refers to the Son of God. The second cherub refers to Holy Spirit God. Thus, the mercy seat with two cherubim refers to the Lord Jesus Christ in glory as Heavenly bridegroom. - The ark is made of acacia wood overlaid with pure gold outside and inside so the wood cannot be seen anymore. It refers to the perfect church of God as the Heavenly bride.
The proofs of becoming the throne of God are as follows.- There is revelation of the Word of God.
Exodus 25:21-22
25:21 You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the Testimony that I will give you.
25:22 And there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which areon the ark of the Testimony, about everything which I will give you in commandment to the children of Israel.
Now it means a verse explains other verses in the Holy Bible. The revelation of the Word aims to sanctify our heart and mind.
Matthew 15:19
15:19 For out of the heart proceed (1)evil thoughts, (2)murders, (3)adulteries, (4)fornications, (5)thefts, (6)false witness, (7)blasphemies.
If our heart and mind are sanctified, our deeds and words will also be sanctified. Our whole life will be sanctified until we are perfect. - There is anointing of Holy Spirit.
Revelation 22:1
22:1 And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb.
Romans 12:11
12:11 not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;
Thus we can be faithful and fervent in spirit in doing the ministry up to the end line.If there is anointing of Holy Spirit, we can serve God orderly.
Living in holiness and being faithful and fervent in spirit is the signs of the servant of God who is as a flame of fire.
Hebrews 1:7
1:7 And of the angels He says: “Who makes His angels spirits And His ministers a flame of fire.”
Daniel 7:9
7:9 “I watched till thrones were put in place, And the Ancient of Days was seated; His garment waswhite as snow, And the hair of His head waslike pure wool. His throne wasa fiery flame, Its wheels a burning fire;
The throne of God is as a flame of fire. Thus, a servant of God who is holy, faithful, and fervent in spirit, becomes the throne of God.
Revelation 1:14
1:14 His head and hair werewhite like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire;
The eyes of God are like a flame of fire. Thus, a servant of God who is holy, faithful, and fervent in spirit, becomes the apple of His eye.
Psalm 17:8
17:8 Keep me as the apple of Your eye; Hide me under the shadow of Your wings,
Being the apple of His eye means we are miraculously cared and protected by God, so there will be no problems and sins that hurt and make us fall. Sins and problems may appear, but we do not fall into them.
Until we are evacuated to the wilderness far from the eye of the serpent. We are cared and protected by God for three years and a half. - God cares, understands, has mercy on us, and struggles for us.
Psalm 11:4
11:4 The Lord isin His holy temple, The Lord’s throne isin heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men.
One of the forms of God’s attention is tempting our life through the sprinkling of blood or suffering without any sins. It can be in the form of fasting prayer, night prayer, being slandered, being blamed although we are right.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18
4:16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward manis perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.
4:17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding andeternal weight of glory,
4:18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen aretemporary, but the things which arenot seen are eternal.
Flesh suffering is to renew our life from flesh man to become a spiritual one as Jesus is. It is started with being strong and of good courage, meaning as follows.- Keeping living in righteousness, not doing any sins.
- Keeping holding fast to the true teaching Word.
- Keeping worshiping Him, believing and fully surrendering our life to Him.
- Keeping living in righteousness, not doing any sins.
- The mercy seat with two cherubim made of pure gold.
- If spiritual miracle happens, the physical one will also happen. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego keep being strong and of good courage and keep worshiping God. As the result, they experience physical miracle.
When Jesus comes for a second time, we will be renewed as glorious as Him.
God blesses us.