PRAYER

PRAYER

1. We find none of the Patriarchs or Prophets of old, whether Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, or Elijah praying very much. Instead they built altars and worshipped God by offering sacrifices, and God spoke to them. (Gen. 22:17)

2. The massive brass Altar was just opposite the door of the Tabernacle. No one entered the door without a sacrifice. The worshipper put his hands on the animal and confessed his sins and slaughtered it himself. The blood was spinkled on the four corners of altar and the entire animal was burnt, unless it was a Peace or a Thanks offering. (Deut. 16:16)

3. God declared my house shall be called the House of Sacrifice and on the day of  the dedication of the Temple King Solomon offered 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. (2 Chron. 6:12-42; 7:5).

4. The entire tabernacle was anointed with holy oil, made from sweet spices from many nations. The Tabernacle represented all the nations, Israelites were only the keepers of the temple; You shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation.” (Exo. 19:5,6; 30:2-27)

5. The Temple had two parts, the Holy Place (Heykal) and the Holy of Holies (Debir). The entire temple complex and its rituals were only shadows symboling the coming Yeshua Messiah.

6. The Holy of Holies is called, ‘The oracle of God’ (debir). Debir literally means “Speaking Place”. The Lord spoke to Moses, “I will meet with you there, and I will speak with you from above the mercy-seat…”( Exodus 25:22).

7. The Holy Place had a table for the Show Bread that was replaced every Sabbath. Bread represents submission. Seed has to die in order to bring forth grain. It is then crushed, ground, kneaded and baked in an oven, then made available to be broken and eaten. Yeshua submitted himself, saying, “I am the bread of life.” (John 6:51)

8. On the other side, the massive gold Menorah with its seven branches burnt continuously, a symbol of Yeshua “I am the light of the world.” Light is the symbol of the  church, replaced with a cross, a symbol of death, by  Constantine in 325 AD. (John 8:12; 9:5; Rev. 1:20)

9. The offering of sacrifices was not done haphazardly but orderly. First, the sin offering which represented repentance and purification. Next, the burnt offering, representing total surrender to God. Then, the peace offering symbolizing restoration of relationship with the Lord. Finally, the meal offering signifying the gift or tribute of thanksgiving to the King.

10. After making their sacrifices, the congregation went outside the door into the outer court and waited until the Priest took the fire, soaked with the sacrifice from the Brazen Altar to the Altar of Incense in the Holy Place and offered up with plenty of incense. The smoke bellowed across the veil onto the Mercy seat, where God would accept or reject their offerings. Then they raised their hands to pray. (Exo 25:22; 1Kings 6:19; Lev. 16:13)

11. Any other fire, on which sacrifice from the fruit of one’s labor not been offered, was called “strange fire” and was not acceptable to God. Nadab and Abihu, died instantly for offering strange fire (without sacrifice). No one can mock God and get away. (Num. 26: 61; Gal. 6:7)

12. The High Priest entered the Holy of Holies once a year to sprinkle blood on the Mercy Seat, the earthly residence of God. During Yeshua’s time, the Ark  was missing. Babylonians took it away in 586 BC, so the blood was sprinkled on the rock. (Lev. 16:11-19)

13. The incense was made of several exotic aromatic ingredients which came from many nations along the Silk Road. Thus the smoke of the incense that wafted across the Mercy Seat, was prayer for all nations.

14. Worship (sacrifice) completed, the devotee walked out side the door with the remains of the Peace offering, and raised his hands and prayed for the Messiah to come.

15. The Door of the entrance of the Tabernacle had multiple colors. Blue represented Heaven; Red represented Blood; White represented Purity; while Purple represented Rulership. Yeshua said, “I am the door.”

16. At the Laver, the priest washed  his hands (works) and his feet (his walk with God) and examined himself in the brass mirror (lest he die), before taking the fire from the brazen altar to burn incense upon the Altar of Incense in the Holy Place (Heykal). We are asked to examine ourselves before taking the Lord’s Supper, lest we take it unworthily. This was a shadow of the Altar of Incense in heaven whence the smoke goes up to God with the prayers of saints. (Exo. 38:8; 1 Cor. 11:28; Joel 2:17; Rev. 5:8; 8:3,4; Dan. 12:3; Ps. 50:5)

17. The door, altar, fire, sacrifice, sword, laver, light, salt, bread, incense, the veil and the covenant box, all typified Yeshua Messiah. We are now that temple of the living God and our ministry is to offer sanctified Gentiles as sweet smelling sacrifice. (Ex. 30:34; Heb. 7:25:13:10).

18. Later at the camp, there would be instructions from the Torah and the prophets followed by a fellowship meal.

19. At the Altar, the fire burnt continuously. Twice a day, morning and evening, “at the Hour of Incense,” burnt offerings were accompanied by congregational prayer. “The ninth hour” was probably today’s three o’clock in the afternoon. Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist saw an angel “at the hour of Incense.” Peter and John healed a cripple “at the hour of prayer.” Elijah sacrificed oxen on an altar at Mount Carmel, at the hour of evening sacrifice. The Jews accross the wold spread their prayer mats and prayed facing Jerusalem, at the hour of incense. (Exo. 30:6-9; Luke 1:10, Acts 3:1-2; 1 King 18:36)

20. Yeshua cried out his last prayer on earth, “Father forgive them for they not what they do” and died at the Hour of Incense. He is now interceding for the saints who have  covenanted with God with a sacrifice to be blessing to others. (Luke 23:34;44-46; Ps. 50:5; Heb.7:25; Rev. 8:3)

21. In the OT, God called the temple as “House of Sacrifice” (Beth Zebach = House of Slaughter) while in the NT Yeshua called the temple “House of Prayer” for all nations”. Offering sacrifice and offering prayer were two sides of the same coin. Worship consists of sacrifice first, followed by prayer. The one was incomplete without the other. (2 Chron. 7:12,14; Mark 11:17).

22. Under the Old Covenant, Israel offered four-legged animals (the shadows). Under the New Covenant, we offer two-legged, broken and contrite, repentant hearts (the reality) to glorify God and make our prayer fruitful. This is our sweet smelling, well pleasing gift to God. (Ps. 50:5; 51:17) 

23. The fire of God (Holy Spirit); the toil of man’s hand (sanctified sinners offered as sacrifice) and the intercession of Saints (those who have made a covenant with God with a sacrifice), have the power to shake the world as nothing else. (Rev. 8:3-6; Ps. 50:5)

24. “Let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.” Sacrifice of Thanksgiving was always accompanied with bloodless sacrifice, “As an expression of thankfulness, he is to offer cakes of bread made without yeast, well-kneaded and mixed with oil” (Heb. 13:15; Lev. 7:12)

25. All other offerings have stopped except the bloodless Thanksgiving offering of lost souls, which will  continue until the kingdoms of this world have become the Kingdom of our Lord. God will then hand over the kingdom, and the dominion and the greatness of the Kingdom to His saints. (1Cor. 14:24,25; Rev. 11:15; Daniel 7:18,27)

26. In the closing chapters of the OT, God shifted the venue, timing, sacrifice, prayer and priesthood from the temple to heathen homes, “From the rising of the sun even unto the going down my name is great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense (Prayer) is offered unto my name, and a pure offering (sanctified lost souls): for my name is great among the heathen” Prayer must always be accompanied with an offering.” (Malachi 1:11) 

27. It is widely believed by the Jews that the Old Covenant was given to Israel in the wilderness on the day of the Pentecost. Pentecost is now the birthday of the church, when Yeshua gave his church a new Harvest covenant.

28. The continual Fire at the altar was replaced with Holy Spirit which came down like the tongues of fire. The metal sword for slaughtering the sacrificial animals was replaced with the two edged sword, the Word of God and the animal sacrifice was replaced with 3000 souls whose hearts had been pierced. This was the first worship in truth and in spirit where active participation of the Sword, the Fire and the Sacrifice, resulted in the birth of the church. (Eph. 6:17; Acts 2:1-3, 37-41) 

29. The contemporary church recognizes only two sacraments, Baptism and the Holy Communion but it is time to reinstate the Third Ordinance of offering broken and contrite hearts as central to our worship.

30. Warning: God gave very specific instructions to Moses about the making of the tabernacle, which was to be the shadow the sanctuary in heaven and warned him, "Be sure to make everything based on the pattern I showed you on the mountain." We are now the holy priesthood offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God for building His spiritual house. This is to be done on the pattern shown to us and not through any manmade structures, lest it be mocking God by offering “strange fire.” (1 Pet. 2:5, 9; Heb. 8:5, Gal. 6:7)