Home > Bible studies > Tabernacles The Feast of Glory and Fire Part 3
A FASCINATINGLY ‘GLORIOUS’ STUDY
God’s Favorite, but Forgotten, Holiday !
Reprinted with permission from John Roy Bohlen and John 5:30
One of the most interesting subjects one could study in the Bible, is the Presence or Glory of the Lord, to study out those occasions when God spoke up or showed up, or otherwise revealed Himself. We encourage you to go through the entire Bible, and pay special attention to every reference to God when He reveals Himself. Most of all, to me, the most fascinating, are those words that relate to God's glory, the Shekinah glory of God!!!
THE VERY SAME IMAGE!!!
Would you please turn to 2 Corinthians, chapter 3. I will show you where the Apostle Paul proves himself to be verbose and repetitive, loquacious, and wordy. Read verses 7 and 8: “But if the ministry of death, in letters engraved on stones, came with glory, so that the sons of Israel could not look intently at the face of Moses because of the glory of his face, fading as it was, 8 how shall the ministry of the Spirit fail to be even more with glory ?”
Here, you will see that Paul is making a speech and is referring his readers to a portion of Scripture from the Old Testament that he expects his readers to know about. For example, if I mention "The Prodigal Son", or, "David and Goliath", or "The Fiery Furnace", or "The Handwriting on the Wall", most every Christian knows the story, and the details of it. So, also, Paul mentions the time when Moses went up on the Mount, he saw the Glory of God, he came down from the Mount, his face shining like the sun, so brilliantly that no one could look at him, so he had to put a veil over his face so people could stand to talk to him. Then, in verse 8, God, through Paul, makes the point that the glory that was on Moses' face was nothing, by comparison to the glory that is available to us today.
Then, read verse 9: “For if the ministry of condemnation has glory, much more does the ministry of righteousness abound in glory.”
Same thing: Moses went up on the Mount, he saw the Glory of God, he came down from the Mount, his face shining like the sun, so brilliantly that no one could look at him, so he had to put a veil over his face so people could stand to talk to him. Here, in verse 9, God, through Paul, makes the point that the glory that was on Moses' face was nothing, by comparison to the glory that is available to us today.
Then, read verse 10: “For indeed what had glory, in this case has no glory on account of the glory that surpasses it.” Same thing: Moses went up on the Mount, he saw the Glory of God, he came down from the Mount, his face shining like the sun, so brilliantly that no one could look at him, so he had to put a veil over his face so people could stand to talk to him. Here, verse 10, God, through Paul, makes the point that the glory on Moses' face was nothing, "NO GLORY" by comparison to the glory that is available to us today.
Then, read verse 11: “For if that which fades away was with glory, much more that which remains is in glory.” (NAS) Same thing: Moses went up on the Mount, he saw the Glory of God, he came down from the Mount, his face shining like the sun, so brilliantly that no one could look at him, so he had to put a veil over his face so people could stand to talk to him. Here, in verse 11, God, through Paul, makes the point that the glory that was on Moses' face was nothing, by comparison to the glory that is available to us today. Note the words, "Much more! Much more!! MUCH MORE!!!". In other words, God wants your face to shine much more brightly, now, than did the face of Moses, as bright as it was.
The grand conclusion comes in verse 18: "And we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a (looking) glass (or, mirror), the Glory of the LORD, are transformed into the very same image”!!! What image? The image of the Glorified Christ
1 John 2:6 "If any one says that he abides in Him (Jesus), he ought also, himself to walk, even as HE walked!!!" The same walk. No difference.
1 John 4:17b says: "As He (Jesus) is, so are we, in this world!!!"
Who? US!
Where? HERE!!
When? NOW!!!!!
When I am in Africa , ministering, I ask the people: "Is Jesus' face, your color, or my color. They smile and point to themselves and say, "My color!" I ask, with a challenge, "Is the color of Jesus eyes, your color or my color?" They laugh and shout, thumping themselves on the chest, and say, "My color!!" Then I taunt them and say, "I can prove to you from the Bible, the color of Jesus' face, the color of Jesus' eyes." I have their attention. "Do you want me to show you?" "Yes", they cry. So, I take them to Revelation, chapter one:
Rev.1:14 & 2:18 “His eyes were like a flame of fire” "His face shone, like the sun in its strength ." Then, I ask the people, "What color was Jesus' face?" and I get them to repeat after me, with great volume and drama, "Like the sun in its 'POWAHHHHHHH'!!!!" " What color was Jesus' eyes? "Like a flame of FYAHHHHHHHH!!!" (FIRE). "What color does God want your eyes to be?" "Like a flame of fire!" What color does Jesus want your face to be?" "Like the sun in its power!!" "As He is, so are we, in this world!!!"
Joel's Army: Joel 2:1 "Blow a trumpet in Zion , And sound an alarm on My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, For the Day of the LORD (Yahweh) is coming; Surely it is near, 2 A day of darkness and gloom, A day of clouds and thick darkness. As the dawn is spread over the mountains, So there is a great and mighty people; There has never been anything like it, Nor will there be again after it to the years of many generations. 3 A fire consumes before them, And behind them a flame burns. The land is like the garden of Eden before them, But a desolate wilderness behind them, And nothing at all escapes them. 4 Their appearance is like the appearance of horses; And like war horses, so they run. 5 With a noise as of chariots they leap on the tops of the mountains, Like the crackling of a flame of fire consuming the stubble, Like a mighty people arranged for battle. 6 Before them the people are in anguish; All faces turn pale. 7 They run like mighty men; They climb the wall like soldiers; And they each march in line, Nor do they deviate from their paths. 8 They do not crowd each other; They march everyone in his path. When they burst through the defenses, They do not break ranks. 9 They rush on the city, They run on the wall; They climb into the houses, They enter through the windows like a thief. 10 Before them the earth quakes, The heavens tremble, The sun and the moon grow dark, And the stars lose their brightness. 11 And the LORD (Yahweh) utters His voice before His army; Surely His camp is very great, For strong is he who carries out His word. The Day of the LORD (Yahweh) is indeed great and very awesome, And who can endure it?"
NAS
Who are these people? Not the Russians. Not grasshoppers. The Bible clearly tells us who these people are! Verse 11: His camp! His army! His camp. Here is; "He who carries out His Word!!!" Those who do God's will! Please note, what the Bible has to say about those who do God's will. You will find a theme that runs through the course of the entire Bible. Those sons of God who are led by His Spirit! ( Rom. 8) Jesus said, in Matt 12:50, "For whosoever shall do the will of My Father Which is in Heaven, the same is My brother, and sister, and mother." KJV
Who are these people? The saints! What are they able to do? Ps 149:5 "Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds. 6 Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two edged sword in their hand; 7 To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people; 8 To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; 9 To execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all his saints. Praise ye the LORD (Yahweh). KJV "What soever you bind, shall be bound!" You shall do the "greater works"! "If two of you agree, it SHALL be done!" Have we seen this? Not to any great extent. Will we see this? Of course! When?
Sukkot OR Sukot OR Booths OR tabernacles (NAS)
(Please note: In every place “Booths” is mentioned in the NAS, “Tabernacles is mentioned in the KJV, the NIV, and the ASV.
Lev 23:34 “Speak to the sons of Israel , saying, ‘On the fifteenth of this seventh month is the Feast of Booths (Tabernacles) for seven days to the LORD.’ ” (NAS)
Deut 16:13 “You shall celebrate the Feast of Booths (Tabernacles) seven days after you have gathered in from your threshing floor and your wine vat;” (NAS)
Deut 16:16 “Three times in a year all your males shall appear before Yahweh your God in the place which He chooses, at the Feast of Unleavened Bread and at the Feast of Weeks and at the Feast of Booths (Tabernacles), and they shall not appear before Yahweh empty-handed.” (NAS)
Deut 31:10 “Then Moses commanded them, saying, ‘At the end of {every} seven years, at the time of the year of remission of debts, at the Feast of Booths (Tabernacles),’ ” (NAS)
2 Chr 8:13 “And {did so} according to the daily rule, offering {them} up according to the commandment of Moses, for the sabbaths, the new moons, and the three annual feasts-- the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Booths (Tabernacles).” (NAS)
Ezra 3:4 “And they celebrated the Feast of Booths (Tabernacles), as it is written, and {offered} the fixed number of burnt offerings daily, according to the ordinance, as each day required;” (NAS)
Zech 14:16 “Then it will come about that any who are left of all the nations that went against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, Yahweh of Hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Booths (Tabernacles).” (NAS)
Zech 14:18 “And if the family of Egypt does not go up or enter, then no {rain will fall} on them; it will be the plague with which Yahweh smites the nations who do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Booths (Tabernacles).” (NAS)
Zech 14:19 “This will be the punishment of Egypt , and the punishment of all the nations who do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Booths (Tabernacles).” (NAS)
Matt 17:4 “And Peter answered and said to Jesus, ‘Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, I will make three tabernacles here, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’ ” (NAS)
Mark 9:5 “And Peter answered and said to Jesus, ‘Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’ ” (NAS)
Luke 9:33 “And it came about, as these were parting from Him, Peter said to Jesus, ‘Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah’-- not realizing what he was saying.” (NAS)
John 7:2 “Now the feast of the Jews, the Feast of Booths (Tabernacles), was at hand.” (NAS)
THE KING’S GREATEST SECRET!
We have a small book available to you, called, The King’s Greatest Secret!, and exhort you to make sure you have a good understanding of this.
In order to have a full understanding of the Feast of Tabernacles, it is first necessary to have a full practical working understanding of the "King’s Greatest Secret!" Therefore, we recommend that you leave no stone unturned, that you not give up, until you have come to a gut level, spirit-level deep understanding of what it means for Christ Jesus to be your Life, the Holy Spirit to be your fullness, and for you to have a revelation of what it means, both, to resoundingly know and be able to teach others, the "King’s Greatest Secret", and then, to have a "Throne-Room Mentality". The bottom line is this: If you are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. If it is no longer you who live, but Christ that lives in you, then the risen glorified Christ, as your life, should shine upon, and to and through you, with the radiant glory of God, unhindered, uninterrupted, unceasingly, increasingly. As He is! How is He? Glorious. May His face shine upon you! May He lift up the light of His countenance upon you! He is the Light of the world. You are the light of the world. Let your light shine!!! Let it shine! Let it shine!
THE THRONE-ROOM MENTALITY
After one has learned the truths about “The King's Greatest Secret!”, the next greatest truth one needs to learn and have, as part of his or her walk with God, is what we refer to as "The Throne-Room Mentality". Here's what we mean:
The Bible, in 2 Cor.4:18, points out that the things that are not seen are more real and eternal than the things that are seen, which are temporary, or passing. Elisha, in 2 Kings 6:17 prayed that Yahweh would open the servant's eyes, when the servant could see the problems surrounding them, but could not see the warring angels of God which comprised a greater army than the bad army. So, God opened the young man's eyes to that which was more important, to that "unseen realm" of the real - the Spirit realm, and the realm of the eternal. Just so, our own eyes need to be open to another world that is real, the realm of the Spirit, the realm of the eternal. The Bible says in 1 Kings 17:1, and in 18:15 that Elijah stood (and stayed) before God!
When the Bible tells us that something is real and true, then we need to believe and receive and act as though it is really real. "Faith is the --- evidence of things not seen!" Heb.11:1
In Ephesians chapter 1:20, we are clearly told, and believe, that Jesus:
1. Was quickened
2. Was raised
3. Was seated at the right hand of the Father God, far above all things, on the Throne with the Father.
Eph 1:20 “Which He (God the Father) brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to come. 22 And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the Church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him Who fills all in all.” (NAS)
Sometimes when I preach here and in other countries, I obtain the local pastor's permission to borrow his biggest, most impressive religious chair that the most important dignitary sits in on the platform. I bring it forward to stage center, and place it side-ways to the audience. Then, I ask for a volunteer of a Father-God-looking gentleman from the audience, with a white beard, (or whatever), to play the part of the Heavenly Father. Then I ask for someone, perhaps his wife, to play the part of Jesus. I have her sit in a prominent part of the room, and pretend that she is dead in the tomb. Then I have the person who is playing the part of Father God, act out the raising of Jesus from the dead, from the grave, to the skies, and invite Jesus to come and sit in another large seat, at the right hand of the Father, in the Throne Room. I place this chair next to the Father's chair, but facing the opposite direction, at the right hand of the Father. I will tell you why the opposite direction in a moment.
Then I tell the people that something is missing. I direct their attention to chapter 2 of Ephesians to the part where it plainly tells us that we were also:
1. Quickened together with Christ
2. Raised together with Christ, and that we were:
3. Seated together with Christ, at the Father's right hand, in the Throne-Room of the Father, far over and above every thing that is named, in heaven or on earth.
Eph 2:5 “Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:” (KJV)
Colossians 3 also speaks of this: Col 3:1 “If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. 3 For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, Who IS our Life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.” (NAS)
Other places in the Bible also speak of this.
Job 36:7 “He does not take His eyes off the righteous; He enthrones them with kings and exalts them forever.” (NIV)
One of the most beloved Psalms is Psalm 91 that tells us: He (or she) that dwells (lives) in the Secret Place of the Most High, shall abide (continually live) under the Shadow of the Almighty."
Ps 91:1 “He (or she) who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say to (YAHWEH) the LORD, ‘My Refuge and my Fortress, My God, in Whom I trust!’
This Psalm goes on to talk about the fact that we are to continually live under our Heavenly Daddy Yahweh's chest feathers, under His wings!!!!!!! Verse 4: “He will cover you with His pinions (feathers), and under His wings you may seek refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark.”
Verse 9: “For you have made (Yahweh), the LORD, my Refuge, even the Most High, your Dwelling Place .”
So, to continue with our stage presentation, I have "Ms. Jesus", who is sitting beside the Father, to go back down into the audience and find a child who will co-operate, a small child, perhaps her own. Together they act as though they are dead, in the front row, or someplace where people can see them. Then, I have the Father get up from His Throne, go to where they are, and raise them from the dead. Jesus and we, are being quickened, or, raised from the dead, together, raised from the grave together, ascending to the Father, together, and, finally seated at the right hand of the Father, together, on the Throne.
The Bible repeatedly speaks of our Union with Jesus, with the Father, with the Holy Spirit, He in us, and us in Him. “Seated with Christ INNNNNN God!!!” Col.3.
We saw, in The King's Greatest Secret!, how we went with Jesus into His crucifixion, death, burial, and resurrection. Now, we see how we continued, in our identification with Him, in His quickening, being raised, ascended and in His being seated at the Right Hand of the Father, in Jesus!!!!!!!
Back to stage center, I then explain the reason that I have the chairs placed side by side, but facing the opposite direction, comes from those Scriptures that talk about our being seated at Heavenly Papa's right hand, and from those Scriptures that talk about Him being seated at our right hand. Psalm 16:8 "I have set Yahweh always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved." But see also verse 11: "Thou wilt show me the paths of life. In Thy Presence is fullness of joy, at Thy right hand, there are pleasures forevermore."
Psalm 63:8 (NIV) says, "My soul clings to You, Your right hand upholds me."
We will Continue with this Tabernacles' Study in Part 4 of Tabernacles the Feast of Fire and Glory from John Bohlen - until then, we encourage you to do some of your own searching and discover some of the treasure of Revelation in God's Book of the Covenant, the Bible
Be blessed, Tom Marxen
and Thanks for your interest in www.Your-Study-Bible-Online.org
For more from John Roy Bohlen Visit Great Commission Ministries website at www.great-commission-ministries.org - the ministry and writings of John Bohlen. Find the King's Greatest Secret! - free download.
