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CHAPTER 7
THE STRUCTURE
 he Tabernacle was more of a building
than a tent. It looked like a tent from the outside with the cloths of blue, purple, scarlet and linen, and with
the goats' hair, rams' skins and badgers' skins hanging down on either side and over the top of it. There was also
the glint of glittering gold to be seen on the sides of it, which is hardly discernible under the hangings which
drape the sides.
It was constructed of 48 boards of one and a half cubits wide, which were overlaid with pure gold, and rather
looked like long bars of gold. Twenty boards on one side made it 30 cubits long, and six boards on the width made
it 9 cubits wide, with two extra boards at the corners for reinforcement.
The figures must never be changed to feet, because this would spoil the symbolic meaning of the measurements.
The corner boards were coupled together with two golden rings, and all the boards were set in silver sockets,
each with two tenons set in two mortises. This construction was three sided, having only one entrance at the east
side which was made of curtains.
SYMBOLIC MEANINGS
No board was visible in the Tabernacle. Board is one of the types of flesh, and we can see that in God's business,
there is no place for flesh. All through the checkered history of the church, privileges and positions have been
given to this one and that one, for reasons other than that the person is the chosen of the Lord. When we speak
of flesh, we mean man's reason and selfish motives. The gold is a type of the nature of Almighty God, and the only
acceptable manifestation in the church is that of God in man. The last act of the Outer Court before entering through
the Door of the Tabernacle was symbolic of Death to Self. This must be so, because all the baser metals (brass)
did the last of their work at the door of the Tabernacle, and could not have any place in the Holy Place.
THE WOMEN'S LOOKING GLASSES
Looking glasses speak of vanity, which was sacrificed to symbolize Death to Self. The woman dies in the Outer
Court. Only Christ lives in the Holy Place.
It is interesting to note that the laver, which was the last piece of furniture the priest used in the Outer
Court, was made of womens' looking glasses. It would appear that the women either used brass-handled looking glasses,
or the brass was so highly polished and of such good quality, that this was ideal for the use of making this wash
basin. The spiritual implication here is that even the things of the women, (which the women used), could not find
their place into the Holy Place, but they were used to signify the message of death to self. Woman in the scripture
carries much more significance than in our English language. In one sense, woman means complement to man. The assumption
is that man is not complete in himself. He needs the woman to reproduce himself. Both physically and spiritually
he needs the woman. On the other hand, there is a meaning to the word attached by scripture, which shows that woman
means weakness. This meaning is derived from the fact of the woman having been tempted and deceived by the devil
in the garden of Eden. The truth of the matter is that God created one being in His image which was male and female,
and separated him into male and female. Thus, the woman basically is more soulish (emotional, thinking, caring)
than man. The word soul in scripture is a synonym of woman. Spiritually speaking, a woman is more susceptible to
spirit work than a man. Some good sister will ask here if that is good or bad. It is both, but mostly good. No
church can exist without women. God endows women with the ability to function spiritually as a delicate seismograph,
and the record shows that the women were in the forefront in every missionary venture! Last at the cross and first
at the tomb, even bringing the first resurrection message.
LET THE WOMEN BE SILENT?
The Holy Place is the type of being IN CHRIST. Therefore, Christ as the head of the church is the MASCULINE;
natural sex does not count into the business of God. Therefore, in the Holy Place, God does not recognize physical
man or physical woman. When man or woman has matured in the Spirit to a point of dying to self, and allowing the
Christ to come forth in them, then they can be trusted in God's business not to allow any form of flesh to rise
up in the congregation of the saints. Nevertheless, there are those who have not matured, but the Spirit of God
will manifest Himself through them. HOW DARE ANYONE rebuke the Spirit of the Lord when He works through a vessel!
WOMEN CAN BE WOMEN AT HOME WHEN THEY GIVE THEIR CHILDREN SUCK, and at the same time IN THE CHURCH SPEAK WITH
THE WORD OF AUTHORITY WHEN IN THE SPIRIT.
There are some who contend that the Bible says in 1st Timothy 2:11, "Let the woman learn in silence
with all subjection;" that it means that the woman must be silent in the church. But the same apostle
of the Lord in Galatians 3:27-29 says,
"For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek,
there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye
be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise."
IT CLEARLY SHOWS HERE that if the first statement was right, the second must be speaking to a different order
of persons.
Some teachers teach that women who are spiritual are in the masculine because they are in Christ. They even
say that a woman who is more spiritual than her husband is the head of the house. This is error. I have seen this
kind of doctrine destroy scores of homes across the United States. The truth is, however, that in CHRIST there
is no male nor female, which means that if the woman claims to be male because she is spiritual, then she is out
of place in the Gospel of Jesus as much as the man who is asserting his manhood in God's business. SEX is not considered
in the Gospel. It surely has no place in spiritual things. Sex is absolutely a physical, earthly arrangement. It
does not go beyond the resurrection.
The following quotes, however, need some clarification.
1st Timothy 2:8-12, "I will therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath
and doubting."
Here the apostle Paul addresses the men, which shows that he was putting matters in order which were needed.
He was apparently addressing specific problems. We can see, therefore, that there was a problem in getting the
men to raise their hands and praise the Lord.
Verses 9-10, "In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness
and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; But (which becometh women professing
godliness) with good works."
This second problem concerned the women. Then, as now, the women were going after the styles of the world, which
could be summed up in two words, worldliness and vanity. He was saying that the manifestations of worldliness and
vanity are not godly qualities. Now the daughters of Zion dress more like harlots than like women professing godliness.
Painting the face is almost exalted in the church as a godly virtue. Wearing pants, tights, slacks and shorts is
part of the equipment of Christians as much as of sinners. The women and men of Paul's time needed apostolic leadership
then, as much as our women do now. Paul continues with the questions about women.
Verse 11, "Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection."
"Esuchia," translated as silence, could be better translated as quietness, without heckling from the
floor and wild soulish outbursts. Here again, we see that there must have been problems along this line which needed
to be corrected. Under Jewish law, women were muzzled. But in the church, no one wants to stop anyone from speaking
in the Spirit, and no one should tolerate anyone speaking out of the Spirit.
Verse 12, "But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence."
Here again, we come upon the word "silence," and this time it is in contrast to two words: "teach"
and "usurp." We have already established the meaning of the word "silence," therefore let us
look at the word "teach." The King James translation of the verse is not as accurate as it could be,
since there is no such word as usurp in the Greek rendition.
"But to be master (head of the congregation) I do not allow, nor to exercise the authority of a man."
The Greek word used here for "teach" is "didaskein." It means "to teach, or to be lord
and master." In this specific passage, it should be translated "master" and not "teach,"
because the scripture says that the gifts of the Spirit are evenly distributed in the Body, and there are many
women who have the gift of teaching. On the other hand, we have already quoted the word in Galatians 3:27-29, which
clearly states that in Christ, there is neither "male nor female." Therefore, if one scripture says the
woman can teach, and another says she cannot teach, it means that someone translated the word wrongly in one of
the passages. It is not difficult, therefore, to see which one of the passages has the wrong translation.
The conclusive evidence, however, is in John 13:13, where the word "didaskalos" is used and translated
"Lord and Master," in reference to Jesus.
"Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am."
Rightly dividing the word of God in this passage would allow us to see that the rightful place of man is to
be head of the woman. When the woman is head, it destroys God's divine order. Paul, then, was just affirming this
position, and not putting down women.
There is a great confusion in the world today. Women no longer are striving for equality. They are striving
for headship and rulership. This is a sign of the times which will bring a great evil upon the world.
In Christ there is equality. We will not all have the same job, but we will all have equal opportunity to become
what God ordained us to be. Both men and women, bond and free, Jew and Gentile, are coming to that great meeting
point called "In Christ."
THE WOMAN'S PLACE
In view of the serious condition which persists in the church, and in the homes of our present modern age, it
is very much necessary for every preacher to lay out in very certain terms the place of the women who name the
name of the Christ.
JEZEBEL MULTIPLIED
Our modern women would make Jezebel blush, and from the account of scripture, it would be a hard thing to do.
Impropriety on the part of our women is such a common place thing, that most of us do not know right from wrong.
When things reach to this point, it becomes necessary to preach about it.
ERRONEOUS CHURCH BEHAVIOR
The church to a large extent, and some worldwide preachers, who call themselves Apostles, teach that the woman's
place is a subservient, back-seat, muzzled position. According to their teaching, if she does not have a husband,
or if she has a husband who is not forward in the things of God, she should come under the protection of the "shepherd,"
and he should play the role of "Lord and Master;" she having to get permission from him if she wants
to visit the church down the street.
This is error, and has no foundation in scripture. In the first place, as co-shepherds (pastor is an unbiblical
terminology), working with the Great Shepherd Jesus Christ, our duty is not to make disciples unto ourselves, but
to encourage the sheep to follow Christ, and not have them tagging along behind us.
In the second place, a congregation should not only have sheep, but if the Word is being taught, then there
should be every degree of maturity, and even sons will grow out of that first sheep. For this reason, a man who
sets himself up as a shepherd, and only caters to sheep, would either have to so preach as to keep everybody always
at the sheep stage, or would be out of place with his own sheep when they grow up.
God's answer to this is a plurality of Elders, among whom God will endow the varying degrees of Ministry - no
one-man-show.
WOMAN THE PATTERN OF THE CHURCH
Hebrews 9:23, "It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified
with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these."
The apostle Paul was speaking of the earthly Tabernacle being purified by the blood of bulls, etc., and the
heavenly Tabernacle being purified with the blood of Jesus Christ.
The first thought expressed in the verse shows us that the things in the heavens do have their patterns down
here.
WIVES SUBJECT TO HUSBANDS
The analogy is even more direct in Ephesians 5:23-24.
"For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour
of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every
thing."
The main error of understanding this verse comes from reading the word "subject" to mean being subservient,
or less than or inferior. This word does not mean or even imply that the wife would be an inferior person to the
husband. As a matter of fact, it suggests an AGREED POSITION, rather than a forced one. The manager of a business
or program has the authority over his workers as far as his business or program is concerned, but his posifion
should never suggest either inferiority of his workers or superiority of his own person.
We are one with Christ, brothers, but nevertheless, Christ's position as the Only Begotten Son of God and our
Saviour (Saviour of the Body) puts Him in a position of authority far above us and every principality and power.
CHRIST FIRST
The Offering of the Firstfruits under the Mosaic Law is a type of the Christian putting Jesus Christ as the
first in his/her life.
If, then, the head of the woman is Christ, then all other heads, whether it be in business or in marriage, are
subject to that one head. He is not only King of kings, but Head of heads.
UNPLEASANT SUBMISSIONS
Often in the woman's experience, she has to submit to unpleasant situations, and it is sometimes difficult for
her to draw the line when, where, and what to submit to.
Every individual should know Jesus Christ as the focal point or reason of any submission. Thus, if submission
is for Christ's sake, it is sanctified and holy.
UNHOLY SUBMISSION
When one allows oneself to be used by a devil for his own purpose, and contrary to the Spirit of God within
one's own being, then the submission is unholy and not ordained of God. In order that the reader might understand
the degree of which I speak, let me tell you a story.
There was a sister, whose husband wanted her to go to the bar with him and his friends, who spent their time
drinking and dancing. She was advised by certain "shepherds" that she should obey her husband and go.
I advised that she should tell him in love that her Lord will not allow her to do so. She obeyed the "shepherds"
and went with him, and she thought she would preach to them as they drank. She tried to speak about the Lord to
them, but soon everybody kept far away from her, and she became the laughing-stock of the party. Husband and wife
were living in a strained atmosphere, and so the wife came back to me for advice.
I told her to pray until she lost all feeling of animosity for her husband, then to approach him in love and
to show him her love, then to explain to him the reason she will never go back with him to any more parties. He
submitted to the Spirit in which she approached him, and told her he was sorry for the embarrassment he caused
her, and promised never to ask her to go again. This was not the end of the story. Some months after, he accepted
Jesus as his personal Saviour, and the other stage of the battle began - where the woman was more advanced in the
things of the Lord than the man, and had to coax him along the path of righteousness, while at the same time being
in submission to him.
God cannot agree with submission unto sin.
"Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God."
1st John 4:7.
THE BOARDS
There are 48 boards, the product of 4 x 12. Four is the number of testing, trial and tribulation, and twelve
times tribulation brings man to perfection.
1st Peter 1:7, "That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth,
though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ."
These boards were overlaid with gold, which signifies that all flesh, and all that is of man, must be completely
and permanently hidden in Christ. The only outward manifestation to the eye is the gold, which signifies the NATURE
OF GOD-LOVE.
SHUT IN
These boards constitute the second enclosure of God shutting man in. They were TEN cubits tall. This is the
symbol of government - divine order. They were ONE AND A HALF cubits broad, which is half of the divine fulness.
This signifies that no one man is going to come up to this fulness all by himself. He needs the others to make
a tabernacle.
"Till we all come... unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ."
Ephesians 4:13.
ONE PERSON CANNOT BE THE FIVEFOLD MINISTRY. This life represents only half of the circle of perfection.
BODY MINISTRY
The word "body" means an organization that is comprised of organisms. The very use of the word in
a spiritual sense makes it a unique operation. It is a SPIRITUAL body with PHYSICAL machinations. It is a machinery
of human organisms with a SPIRITUAL HEAD, moving many humans by one mind and one Spirit.
THE GLORY
The glory of this lies in the fact that the humans are not automatons or robots working under a super-lord,
as is the case of a man taken by the devil. BUT humans, who by their own free will and volition, their love of
God, their deliberate intentness, even by their hard striving upward in Godliness, HAVE USED THE TOOLS OF GOD,
AND HAVE OVERCOME THE ENEMY WITHIN, and the enemy without. By their diligent effort and dedication, they have re-created
themselves into SONS OF LIGHT, which they will forever be BECAUSE THEY WANT TO BE.
OUR MOORINGS
 That which
binds us as part of the building of God, as lively stones built up as a spiritual household, is described in the
tabernacle as FORTY SOCKETS OF SILVER. These sockets are on both sides, and hold twenty boards upright on each
side. These boards are joined together by FIVE RODS OF SHITTIM WOOD OVERLAID with gold. The WEST SIDE of the tabernacle
has EIGHT boards set in SIXTEEN SOCKETS OF SILVER.
TWENTY is the number of redemption, and FORTY is the number of tribulation and testing and the end of flesh.
It is the FORTY sockets of silver which keep the TWENTY boards upright. Thus silver, having the same symbolic meaning
as the number twenty - REDEMPTION - is that which keeps us in our place with God in the body of Christ. The two
tongues represent the Spirit and the Word.
REDEMPTION THEREFORE is that which keeps us standing in Christ; but that which keeps us from leaning each in
his own way are the five rods of WOOD overlaid with gold.
FIVE FOLD MINISTRY
These five rods BINDING BOARD TO BOARD in the tabernacle definitely represent the FIVE human agents God has
ordained on earth to keep the saints straight and together. These are specifically mentioned in Ephesians 4:11-12.
"And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors [shepherds]
and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of
Christ."
THE APOSTLE
There is one rod in the center, which goes straight through from the first board to the last. This rod represents
the APOSTLE. It is 30 Cubits long, which is the number of the matured son. The work of the apostle is therefore
like that of a mainspring. It is vital to the construction. It is CENTRAL, and lays down the line for all the other
ministries to follow. The true apostle brings the people of God together, and cannot be LOCAL in his operation,
but must encompass the whole tabernacle. Once the boards are in their place, they not only feel the power of the
apostle's message, but such a message binds them into the Body of Christ. WOOD never touches WOOD. GOLD touches
Gold.
"Deep calleth unto deep." Psalms 42:7.
Every God-ordained group, or church, must have an apostolic vision. "Without a vision the people perish."
The people of God cannot grow in Him without a vision of what they are, where they are going, and where they are.
The true message of God will bring the people into DIVINE ORDER. There is disorder everywhere, but it is the
business of the true apostles to bring order by the power of the message of God in them. This power is now being
asserted by the APOSTLES OF THE END TIME, and every false thing is being swept out of the way. That which many
call accidents are incidents which God is using to clear his field, and to make way for his true messengers. Someone
getting upset and leaving a group or a body might well be a blessing to that group or body. If they were of us,
then they would not have left us.
THE LAW OF LIFE
No longer are the people of God bound together by a bunch of carnal laws or church affiliation, BUT as maturity
comes to the church, we are bound by LOVE, which is the law of life.
"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another."
1st John 1:7.
This fellowship is not forced by regulations and "thou shalt nots," but the LIFE principle that "like
things adhere." We find fellowship one with another. We cannot help it. We have it.
SIXTEEN SOCKETS OF SILVER
The sixteen sockets of silver keep the boards upright or standing in their places on the west side of the tabernacle.
These are a type of LOVE kept in place by REDEMPTION. Here again, we see a beautiful lesson. Love needs to be kept
in place, but without redemption, love is unfounded and will be everything else but the pure, true "AGAPE,"
or God's love. Without redemption, love becomes SEX love, FILIAL love, that is, love for the family or love of
earthly things. Thus the sixteen boards representing love can be described by one word only, "AGAPE."
THE CHIEF CORNERSTONE
JESUS, THE MASTER OF LOVE, is that board at the right hand corner, binding all the others in love, with a ring
of gold binding the whole building together at the corner. AT THE OTHER CORNER, there is another board binding
the left hand corner of the tabernacle. This signifies that Christ would bring forth children in the earth, A PEOPLE
like HIMSELF, who would also do the work He is doing in the body. This is represented in Revelation 7 by the 144,000,
or in Revelation 12 by the MANCHILD - THE FIRSTFRUITS UNTO GOD.
The apostle, the center rod, is THIRTY cubits long, which shows him to be a more matured son of God. We know,
however, that in the past, no man has reached this maturity, which is being just LIKE JESUS. Here we see, therefore,
the possibility of man remaining in the Spirit and manifesting absolute PERFECTION, even though he himself is not
yet perfect. In the Spirit there is perfection. When we are in the Spirit, we cannot be wrong, and the apostle
is expected to remain in the Spirit.
The rods are set in THREE ROWS, as seen in the illustration at the beginning of this chapter. This shows that
they are in divine order, which is suggested by the three rows. They are set in of God. They are motivated by God.
They are sent of God from place to place. And they carry out the will of God. We know that there are some apostles
who do not abide in their calling. At present, many have the tendency of "doing their own thing," as
the phrase goes, but there will be less and less of this in the next few years, as darkness and tribulation settle
over the land, and within this time we shall see the people of God coming together more than ever before in the
history of the church. The rod is pushed through rings on the boards - golden rings, which speaks of a marriage.
The paradox is that although the rod holds the boards straight, it is the rings on the boards which hold the rod
in place. This signifies that the apostle, or any of the other ministries, cannot and should not own the church,
but the church should hold them in place, and desire them to be there.
THE PROPHET
On the first row there are two rods. Each of these rods is FIFTEEN CUBITS long. They are covered with gold so
they look like long bars of gold. These rods are pushed through rings of gold on the boards, thus forming the connecting
link between board and board.
The first rod to the left of the sketch is the PROPHET. The function of the prophet in the body is, in the first
place, to help keep the body together by the direct or indirect revelation of the Spirit.
PROPHET MINISTRY OF GOD
The prophet ministry is put into the Body of Christ by God's divine operation. No prophet can study to be a
prophet, and can only enhance his prophecy by the degree of sanctification in which he lives. A Prophet can get
his revelation by vision or dreams, or by direct word of God, or by any other means God chooses, BUT he must keep
in the will of God, or else he will not know the difference between a revelation from a deceiving spirit, or from
God.
THE NECESSITY OF THE PROPHET
The church cannot reach to its height in the Spirit without the function of the prophet ministry. By this, I
do not mean prophesying in the church. The ministry of the prophet is one which carries a power and authority in
the church next to the apostle.
SPIRITUAL AUTHORITY
The mistaken idea about spiritual authority is that men who claim to have authority in the church are mostly
those who rule over different sections of the church, BUT authority is from God. WHEN THE WORD SPOKEN is powerful
in heaven and on earth, then that is spiritual authority.
An example of this is a situation where a certain minister's preaching was being challenged, and the brethren
decided that they would not have him any more. He said nothing but went away and prayed to God. The result was
that they were sorry, and reversed their decision. The authority was exercised in the Spirit.
On the other hand, there are those who speak great swelling words, only to find that the Spirit of God was not
with them, and their words did not carry with the spiritual people.
Jesus had this to say of spiritual authority:
Matthew 20:25-27, (RSV) "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great
men exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you; but who so ever would be great among you must be
your servant, and who so ever would be first among you must be your slave."
This simply means that God will exalt such a person to a place of authority, so that "whatsoever he
binds on earth is bound in heaven." We can see clearly that God intends a Prophet to speak as the very
oracle of God.
EVANGELIST MINISTRY
The ministry of the evangelist is that which takes to the church the revealed word of God. In doing this, the
evangelist must be equipped not only with the power of the Holy Ghost, but with the gifts of the Spirit, sufficient
to vindicate the Gospel in the wide range of circumstances into which he will fall.
The ministry of the evangelist is by far above the ordinary, evangelistic outreach of the local church. This
ministry must be one of extraordinary power to cope with the hurdles which the enemy will set in its way. Jesus,
in speaking to the apostles just before His resurrection, gave them some idea of the preparation which precedes
an evangelist going into "all the world."
Acts 1:8, "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses
unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judeae, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth."
Jamaica is my Jerusalem, but for you, some of my readers, it might be your Judea, Samaria, or the uttermost
part of the earth.
There is a deep revelation in this, which is the reason behind this instruction.
Where you are born is your Jerusalem (where you grew up). The people of your town, county and country who know
not God submit to that prince of devils which rules over that part of the world. For you to preach the Gospel effectively
in your own hometown, state or country, you must first overcome this devil to a marked degree. After this is done,
God will lead you to the area of a neighboring spirit (not necessarily geographically), one allied to the type
of sin that overcomes your people.
When you have overcome this Judean spirit, then God will lead you on to also battle and overcome the Samaritan
spirit, the spirit of witchcraft.
After you have gained these three notches in your gun, the Lord will lead you into all the World.
Whenever this process of training is not accomplished in the life of the evangelist - that is, he went without
being directly sent of God - then he generally makes shipwreck, and sometimes causes a lot of heartache and confusion
in the body.
THE MINISTRY OF THE SHEPHERD (PASTOR)
The word in the Greek is "Paimenos," which means "Shepherds." The position of "Pastor"
was created by the fallen church, and is contrary to every spiritual concept of what a Shepherd should be. A ministry
is not a position, but an endowment of the Spirit. In our modern, ecclesiastical terminology, we have made the
word "pastor" to mean a person who holds the position as head of the congregation. This in the church
is not scriptural, according to Matthew 20:25-27. We cannot make a person Shepherd of a congregation, no more than
we can make an apostle. GOD MAKES THE INDIVIDUAL SHEPHERD IN THE BODY OF CHRIST. The word "shepherd"
erroneously translated as "pastor" in Ephesians 4:11 is a spiritual endowment, a ministry, or the spiritual
ability to seek out and care for God's sheep. This generally manifests itself in a local situation, but nevertheless
the spirit of the shepherd is one which has a care for God's sheep everywhere.
This is represented in the chart by the left lower bar which is 15 cubits long.
The word "shepherd," translated "pastor," does not give any minister absolute charge over
any congregation. It gives him the responsible position of being answerable to the "Chief Shepherd" for
the ministry to care for the sheep given to him. Therefore, while he is caring for sheep in the congregation, there
are others who would be caring for lambs, and others neither sheep nor lambs, but sons - little sons and big sons.
Therefore, in God's Order, we FIND A PLURAL MINISTRY OF ELDERS WORKING TOGETHER.
THE TRUE SHEPHERD
It is very easy to discern the true God-appointed shepherds, as different from the man-appointed ones or the
self-appointed ones. In Ephesians 4:11, we notice that the Word says that "He gave some, Apostles, etc."
A man-made apostle is an alien creature in God's business, yet all the churches appoint their own trainees to
positions. Divine Order is totally rejected in the modern church as recorded in 2 Thes. 2:3.
"Let no man deceive you by any means: For that day shall not come, except there come a falling away
(rebellion) first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition."
History is repeating itself. Just as Israel turned away from God to the dumb idols of the nations, even so,
90% of the church has turned from God to worship buildings, and pews, money and status - rebelling against God.
Jesus Christ, our Lord, said that this would happen before His return. He gave a parable of the wheat and the tares
in Matthew 13:24-30. Then from 37-43, He gave the meaning of this parable of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Matthew 13:37-43, "He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; The
field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked
one; The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.
As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of
man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather OUT OF HIS KINGDOM all things that offend, and them which
do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall
the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear let him hear."
The above passage outlines the condition of the church before Christ comes. It clearly shows that there is at
this time a rebellion in the church, against the Master of the Vineyard, and that He is waiting for the time of
His judgment to separate the wheat from the tares. From what I can observe, the tares have taken up the chief corners
of the streets of our cities with magnificent edifices. They occupy the major positions of authority in the vast
majority of the congregations of the world. They are the richest institutions on earth, but we understand that
the time of harvest is very near, even at the door.
The true shepherd seeks the glory of the Lord. The false shepherd seeks the glory of his denomination, or group,
or nondenominational denomination, or something else beside Jesus. The question here arises, what is meant by seeking
the glory? The question brings us back to the teaching of the "firstfruits." Whatever is the focal point
of our operation and programs is the thing that is first in order of priority. Are we more interested in holding
our members than in their spiritual growth? If we are more interested in their spiritual growth, even if we lose
them, then Christ is first. Are the shepherds God-trained, God-appointed men, or man-appointed pastors, herdsmen,
cowboys, man-appointed, Seminary-trained after the order of man, Romish? As God-appointed shepherds, they would
be laying down their lives and not looking after their own enrichment or status. Then that is putting Christ first.
Is the shepherd striving to do the will of the Father, rather than to please his congregation and the other church
leaders around? Then he is Christ centered. Is the shepherd making plans for bringing in money in the church? Then
he is NOT Christ centered but otherwise centered. Is Christ the whole motivation of the church? If so, then they
are putting Christ in His rightful place - first. A shepherd, therefore, is not an hireling. He cannot be bought
or fired, because he is working with God Himself who trained and sent him, and he will teach every sheep to follow
Jesus Christ. Every God-appointed shepherd knows that the word shepherd is not a title like the "Names of
Blasphemy" - Reverend, Pastor, Father, Holy Father, Pope etc., (Revelation 17:5) - but that it is a spiritual
endowment, a deep compassion in the heart for God's children everywhere. It is a gift of the Spirit, and we should
only be under-shepherds with Jesus Christ.
MY SHEPHERD
This is a warning to those who have human, man-appointed, pastor-shepherds here. Anyone who usurps the position
of Jesus in your life is an impostor, for it is written in the word,
"The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want."
If you are starving spiritually, then you have the wrong pastor. Make sure that you have "MY Shepherd."
In the New Testament, the word "shepherd" ("poimne" in Greek),
is mentioned about eighteen times. IN ONLY ONE INSTANCE, THIS WORD IS TRANSLATED AS "PASTOR." - Ephesians
4:11. One cannot help but notice some design by the translators to foster the Roman Catholic position of hierarchy
in the church. Jesus said we should not have a hierarchy among us. He said it was for the rulers of the world.
Matthew 20:25-27, "But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles
exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. BUT IT SHALL NOT BE SO AMONG
YOU: But whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister (servant). And whosoever will be chief
among you, let bim be your servant (slave)."
THE MINISTRY OF THE TEACHER
A congregation can appoint a teacher, but it cannot give him/her a ministry. God alone sets ministries in the
body. The ministry of the teacher must come directly from God. From my own experience, when God tells me what to
tell His people, He tells me how to tell it. I teach sometimes with a chalkboard, and the drawings I put on the
board are those things which I see in the Spirit.
There are, however, many, many different administrations of the Spirit. Although God deals with me in this way,
He may deal with someone else in an entirely different way, BUT with the same result - His people will get the
message, and it will be directed by Him.
THE MINISTRY AND THE GIFTS
There are ministries with the same name as gifts of the Spirit, but the ministry is different from the gift.
The gift is the manifestation of the Holy Ghost within the believer, working whatever gift God sees fit to bring
forth through the individual.
On the other hand, the ministry is a special and more powerful endowment to the church. The minister, therefore,
is the gift of God to the church. His endowment is not his own. He cannot preach where he wills, do what he wants,
but as an important part of God's machinery, he must move when and where God wants him to move or go.
Every human being is capable of some gift of the Spirit if he or she surrenders to God, but not everyone is
an anointed preacher of Christ. It must be remembered that every believer, as part of a body, is a ministering,
functioning part. In a sense, everyone who is born of God is expected to work with the ministry in one capacity
or another. Without these sinews of the body, the ministries could not function effectively.
These are the five bars of the tabernacle.
We should not forget one important observation. The golden rings which hold the bars are attached to the gold
on the boards, thus signifying that the nature of God in the body is that which holds the ministry, and not the
ministry or minister holding the congregation.
THE FIVE PILLARS
This is the DOOR OF THE TABERNACLE through which only DEAD MEN ENTER: men and women who have died to SELF in
the Outer Court, and now are being resurrected in CHRIST. Jesus, speaking to his disciples in John 10:7 said, "I
am the door of the sheep," and intimated that there was no entering in except through Him.
Galatians 2:9 speaks of James, Cephas, and John as pillars of the church. We see here, not only Jesus Christ
being a pillar of gold, but God setting men in the body as pillars. Thus the five pillars, representing the ministry
which God would set in Christ, have the quality of man, which is the wood, and the quality of God, which is the
GOLD. They were nevertheless seated in brass, which signifies that their foundation is in judgment and justice,
and that there is no levity of permissiveness in the God-ordained minister. He must abide in that which he preaches
and "die daily" as Paul said in 1st Corinthians 15:31.
FOUR PILLARS AT VEIL
The veil of the tabernacle is the THIRD doorway, and the entering into the HOLY OF HOLIES or HOLIEST OF ALL.
Here we find FOUR pillars of wood overlaid with gold and set in SILVER sockets to keep them upright.
Genesis 3:24, "So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and
a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life."
Cherubim were on the veil, and cherubim were on the mercy seat.
When a man enters into the Holy of Holies, he has to pass through FOUR pillars, which is a type of testing and
tribulation. If man is to return to Eden (the realm of complete oneness with God), he must pass through the flaming
sword. The burning of the incense on the altar of incense is the type of the complete offering of the soul of man
to God. Man at the height of his achievement in righteousness, loses himself and becomes absorbed into God.
Exodus 13:21-22, "And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way;
and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: He took not away the pillar of the
cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.
Here we are speaking of the God who overshadows His people, and protects them as a mother protects her young
ones, sheltering them with an umbrella when the sun is hot, and giving them fluorescent light when the night is
dark. El Shaddai is the Big Breasted Mother. Like a hen gathering her brood under her wings, God cared for them
and cares for us.
The covering of the tabernacle was in four parts:
1) Embroidery - ten curtains of blue, purple, scarlet and white, fine twined linen
2) Goats' hair
3) Rams' skins
4) Badgers' skins
The top covering of the tabernacle, made of embroidery work, was the work of the women, which before God, was
just as much an offering as the other coverings.
The coverings of 2, 3 and 4 are the skins of dead animals. This is symbolic of the fact that the only men who
can cover another are dead men. The embroidery covering represents the work of the church which is motivated of
God.
The fifty curtains for the covering were joined together in two groups of fives. The length of them joined were
28 cubits. They were two cubits short of 30 cubits, which was the full length of the tabernacle, and also the number
of a full-fledged son of God.
The symbolism of the fives tells us that the ministries (not the minister), which bring about the covering of
the body of Christ in the earth, are those which are joined by the GOLDEN RING, or the symbol of God's love and
union in the earth - one with another. The ministry moves in their labors in 1) Spirit and 2) Word.
The symbolism of the 28 cubits shows that this covering is short and incomplete, even when it is absolutely
right and in the will of God.
We have already dealt with most of the symbolism of the curtains; therefore, we proceed to deal with those which
have not been fully dealt with. You will notice that the symbolism is repeated in many areas of the tabernacle,
but each time there is something added which did not come in, in the first instance. FIFTY LOOPS OF GOLD bind TWO
curtains of FIVE together. The fifty here speaks of the fiftieth year, which is the year of JUBILEE in which all
captives are set free and all debts forgiven in Israel. It is of great note that JESUS DIED, ROSE AGAIN, AND GAVE
US PENTECOST ON THE YEAR OF JUBILEE. Moses lived for 120 years, and there were 120 saints at Pentecost. One hundred
and twenty multiplied by fifty brings us to 6000, the year of the FINAL JUBILEE when the sons of God will COME
FORTH. This is written in the ceiling of the tabernacle. The two sets of curtains here again represent God's two
great witnesses in the earth, THE SPIRIT AND THE WORD.
EMBROIDERY
Let us deal with the symbolic meanings of the ten curtains of a) blue, b) purple, c) scarlet and d) white fine
twined linen.
These colors were hand-woven with cherubim woven into them, and were made by the women.
THE KEY
Woman means the church.
Embroidery means her work and labor of love in the Spirit directed wholly and absolutely by the Lord in the
same way they were directed by Moses.
Cherubim means Spirit fellowship. When we move in the Spirit, the heavenly host joins us, and this becomes a
covering. Not that I cover you, but that the Spirit in the body covers us, just like the flesh covers the bones.
Without this, we are nothing but "a valley of dry bones."
Isaiah 30:1, "Woe to the rebellious children, saith the Lord, that take counsel, but not of me; and
that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin."
The symbol of the cherubim is the symbol of covering. Wherever they occur in scripture, they depict a covering
of some sort.
God forbid that I should presume to cover another, not even my own WIFE. I cannot cover her, since there is
no strength in me to will or to do, but my strength is in Christ. In the hour of trouble, I have to turn her over
to Jesus and trust Him with her safety.
THE FOUR DIMENSIONS OF THE EMBROIDERY COVERING
It has already been stated that the embroidery means the work of the church directed by the Holy Spirit. This
work has four dimensions, which are represented by the four types and colors of thread used in its construction.
HOLY SPIRIT COVERING
- BLUE thread means sanctification. This is the process by which the nature of the Spirit is burned into my flesh,
like the cattleman uses his branding iron. When He has finished His work on me, I not only bear the mark of Christ,
but I am all His.
CHRIST COVERING
- PURPLE thread pertains to the King. The son who is clothed with his father; his nakedness is covered by the
presence and power of the King.
BLOOD COVERING
- SCARLET thread means sacrifice as opposed to self-preservation. This symbolizes a deliberate and careful work,
"fine twined."
ANGELIC COVERING
- WHITE, fine twined linen thread means purity; holiness. This is a deliberate and careful work, "fine twined."
These colored threads represent the work of the church, which forms a covering to the believer.
WE ARE DIVINELY COVERED
Psalm 91:1, "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High (between the cherubim on the
mercy seat) shall abide (remain stable and fixed) under the shadow of the Almighty."
Verse 2, "I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I (confidently)
trust!"
Verse 4, "He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings (symbolic for power) shalt
thou trust: His truth shall be thy shield and buckler (weapons of defense)."
Verse 11, "For he shall give his angels (special) charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways."
THE COVERING SYMBOLIZED IN SCRIPTURE
As the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses in Egypt to the promised Canaan land, God provided every form
of care and deliverance possible, so that they might survive what would be an impossible journey for women and
children, for old men and cattle, in a parched and dry wilderness void of sustenance for a few people, let alone
hundreds of thousands or perhaps millions. The following scriptures will give us an idea of the vastness of the
miracle of provision which brought them out and carried them in.
"Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto
myself." Exodus 19:4
The symbolic term "eagles' wings" means wings of power. This is borne out by the circumstances which
prevailed in the wilderness.
Exodus 23:20 speaks of an angel who went before Israel to protect them and deliver them.
"Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which
I have prepared."
Verse 21, "Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions:
for my name is in him."
Verse 23, "For mine Angel shall go before thee, and bring thee in unto the Amorites, and the Hittites,
and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites: and I will cut them off."
(Gergashites omitted - Joshua 24:11).
Seven nations were cut off before the Israelites, and today some of these people are saying the land of Palestine
is their land to this day.
They were provided shelter from the blazing sun, and high protein food to keep them strong and vigorous. Shoes
and clothing were provided by God supernaturally, and there was never any people mothered and cared for by a loving
God ever in the history of humanity to that time. Let me quote the scriptures for you.
UMBRELLA OF GOD
Exodus 13:21, "And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud to lead them the way; and
by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night."
CLOTHED, HEALED AND FED WITH MANNA
Nehemiah 9:21, "Yea, forty years didst thou sustain them in the wilderness, so that they lacked nothing;
their clothes waxed not old, and their feet swelled not."
Exodus 16:4, "Then said the Lord unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the
people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law
or no."
WATER FROM THE ROCK
Exodus 17:6, "Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the
rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders
of Israel."
YESHUA
God is a provider. There is provision in Him to cover all our weaknesses and to heal all our diseases.
Some who read these lines may be in grave physical danger as war and revolution sweep the earth; but remember,
David faced danger every day of his life, and the Holy Spirit spoke through him more than any recorded writer,
of the deliverance of God from the enemy.
Psalm 23:1-5, "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want: He maketh me to lie down in green pastures;
He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul; He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His
name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with
me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me; Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies: Thou
anointest my head with oil; My cup runneth over."
This and more represents the response of overshadowing which God gives to the church, as she moves in the Spirit.
The embroidery covering is symbolic of all this.
GOATS' HAIR
Exodus 26:7, "And thou shalt make curtains of goats' hair to be a covering upon the tabernacle."
The goat is a sacrificial animal, and here we see it giving up its own covering for the covering of the tabernacle.
This speaks of the accumulated sacrifice of the saints, which increases the anointing, or the covering, as the
tabernacle comes to its completion. We are inheritors of the labor and lives of millions of brethren who have gone
before. As we build, we are conscious of building on the foundation of the labors and sacrifices of others. In
a metaphorical sense, I can see Paul's hair and his skin hanging in the pattern of that which God has built in
me. Not only Paul, who is outstanding, but my mother repeating in my ears day after day, "Omni vincet amos,"
(love overcometh all things), or some other little remembered soul who gave a word of life sometime, somewhere.
We labor upon the lives of others for good or evil. Blessed are those who hang a permanent piece of their hair
or skin to adorn another's tabernacle.
RAMS' SKINS
When man sinned in Eden, God slew two animals and took their skins for a covering for man's nakedness. In the
building of the tabernacle, many animals paid the supreme sacrifice, so that their skins might make a covering.
Here again, we see the principle of death to self. THE RAMS' skins were dyed red, and this color more than any
is a DEATH TO SELF MESSAGE. Self has absolutely no place in the tabernacle of God. Those who are in Christ are
all dead men in a sense: dead to self and the world, and ALIVE unto God. The greater the deadness, the more glorious
the anointing or covering.
The HOLY PLACE IS THE TYPE OF THE SOUL. All the goodness of the soul, which God has sanctified and cleansed
for His own purpose, is not to be used by man, but to be laid down before God for His use. Jesus went to the pool
of Bethesda, and His heart of compassion went out for all the sick folk there awaiting the moving of the water.
But it was God's will that day for Him just to heal the man who was lying there for 38 years, and He did just that
and no more. Some of us would have set up a tent there, and made a big healing service out of it. The gift can
be right and the individual wrong. The general consensus of opinion seems to be that when the GIFT SEEMS RIGHT,
it puts an approval upon the person and his doctrine. THIS IS FAR FROM THE TRUTH. The gift can work because God
wants to work, and the person be as wrong as wrong can be.
Romans 11:29, "For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance."
This scripture simply means that God's gifts are irrevocable, permanent and good. The degree of the use of the
gift depends upon the person who received them, but God never withdraws them once they are given.
SIN AND THE GIFTS
Because of the above fact of scripture, SOME of the persons using gifts, while these gifts are of God, not living
a holy life, become a source of confusion to many Christians. We should not be confused. A gift is a gift. The
person's righteous behavior depends upon the extent of the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer.
If we had to do anything to receive them, then it would be of works and not of grace.
BADGERS' SKINS
The whole message of the covering of the tabernacle is a message of sacrifice. There were no badgers in that
part of the country, but the Israelites could have brought with them badgers' skins from Egypt, which was a highly
commercialized nation. Nevertheless, we know that there were goats' hair, and rams' skins, and badgers' skins.
The badgers were a third class of animals. Their skins, used to cover the outside of the tent, were able to withstand
all the rigors of the climate and to remain intact. It could be that these animals came from a different climate
and had tougher skins, but we do know that God used this to build the tabernacle, and it was just the right thing
to use. God uses the right material, and wherever He puts us, that is just where we should be, and the purpose
for which we are best suited. Of course, this is contrary to our thoughts for ourselves.
This covering or anointing faces the sun, the wind, the rain, the heat and the cold, and remains intact, and
it covers all the covers.
God is raising an army of people in this hour, who will not be beaten, but who are THE OVERCOMERS. They will
overcome all things and receive the prize, even the fulness of CHRIST within their mortal bodies. THEY WILL MANIFEST
CHRIST TO THE EARTH. They represent the badgers' skins - the last covering of the tabernacle of God.
Isaiah 30:1, "Woe to the rebellious children, saith the Lord, that take counsel, but not of me; and
that COVER WITH A COVERING, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin."
All human covering is vain. Let us seek for the covering of the Spirit of God provided in the body, and let
us be satisfied with none other.
 
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