From the Garden of Eden through the Exodus into the church today, God's desire remains the same.
God had a RIVER He desired to flow to all the world from THE GARDEN OF EDEN.
Gen 2:10 KJV And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads. Gen 2:15 KJV And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. Man had a vital role to play. Adam failed, and God called out of the many nations that resulted from him a single man named Abraham, whose people became a NATION CALLED ISRAEL.
Eventually, Israel became salves in the very Egypt from which this SLAVE WOMAN came from, named Hagar.
All through the Exodus, God had a destination. 1Ki 11:36 KJV And unto his son will I give one tribe, that David my servant may have a light alway before me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen me to put my name there. A city to put His name there. 1Ki 9:3 KJV And the LORD said unto him, I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication, that thou hast made before me: I have hallowed this house, which thou hast built, to put my name there for ever; and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually. THE HOUSE OF GOD in Jerusalem would be how He put HIS NAME THERE in that city. But all through this issue, people always put idols up where HIS NAME should be. 2Ki 21:7 KJV And he set a graven image of the grove that he had made in the house, of which the LORD said to David, and to Solomon his son, In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all tribes of Israel, will I put my name for ever: And when Israel came out of Egypt, precisely at the time Moses was descending Sinai to Give Israel God's law.... Exo 32:1-4 KJV And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. (2) And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me. (3) And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron. (4) And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. If you read back a bit in Exodus, God had just spoken to Moses about a tabernacle with golden and brazen altar and golden ark of the covenant, candlesticks and table of shewbread.
And all through history of the bible, God shows us people who were intended to praise God turned by satan into people who praised the beast or worshiped idols. God wants a LOVE!
When all Israel seemed to be so disobedient, God saw something in Moses that cries out to my heart today. Exo 24:12 KJV And the LORD said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them. Moses is to go and get God's law. Exo 24:14-18 KJV And he said unto the elders, Tarry ye here for us, until we come again unto you: and, behold, Aaron and Hur are with you: if any man have any matters to do, let him come unto them. (15) And Moses went up into the mount, and a cloud covered the mount. (16) And the glory of the LORD abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud. (17) And the sight of the glory of the LORD was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel. (18) And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights. Moses ENTERS THE CLOUD OF GLORY as though he PASTS THE VEIL OF HEAVEN'S TRUE TEMPLE! This is the place where He would get the law on tablets of stone.
And when Moses comes down the people worship a calf of gold!
Exo 33:3 KJV Unto a land flowing with milk and honey: for I will not go up in the midst of thee; for thou art a stiffnecked people: lest I consume thee in the way. Exo 33:7 KJV And Moses took the tabernacle, and pitched it without the camp, afar off from the camp, and called it the Tabernacle of the congregation. And it came to pass, that every one which sought the LORD went out unto the tabernacle of the congregation, which was without the camp. Moses removes the tabernacle of his tent, before the greater tabernacle was built, and separates it form the unholy people around him. Exo 33:9 KJV And it came to pass, as Moses entered into the tabernacle, the cloudy pillar descended, and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the LORD talked with Moses. The CLOUD descends and Moses talks with God. Exo 33:13 KJV Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people. HE WANTS TO KNOW GOD!
Phi 3:10 KJV That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; Exo 34:4-6 KJV And he hewed two tables of stone like unto the first; and Moses rose up early in the morning, and went up unto mount Sinai, as the LORD had commanded him, and took in his hand the two tables of stone. (5) And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. (6) And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, God passes by Moses. Exo 34:29-35 KJV And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him. (30) And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him. (31) And Moses called unto them; and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned unto him: and Moses talked with them. (32) And afterward all the children of Israel came nigh: and he gave them in commandment all that the LORD had spoken with him in mount Sinai. (33) And till Moses had done speaking with them, he put a vail on his face. (34) But when Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he took the vail off, until he came out. And he came out, and spake unto the children of Israel that which he was commanded. (35) And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face shone: and Moses put the vail upon his face again, until he went in to speak with him. MOSES SHINES LIKE GOD'S OWN GLORY! Church, God's glory was behind the VEIL in the tabernacle Israel was supposed to make with the earrings of gold from Egypt.
Moses shows us that THOSE WHO WISH TO KNOW GOD, enter into a UNION WITH GOD. That was where MOSES GOT THE TABLES OF LAW. 2Co 3:3 KJV Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart. Here we read of tables ON OUR HEARTS instead of tablets of stone. And speaking of tablets of stone, we even read: 2Co 3:13 KJV And not as Moses, which put a vail over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished: THE VEIL Moses put on His face. 2Co 3:15 KJV But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart. But it is ON PEOPLE'S HEARTS! The people of Israel had hearts that did not love the Lord.
But when Moses spoke to God, he took the veil off.
2Co 3:16-18 KJV Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away. (17) Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. (18) But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. And when your HEART TURNS TO JESUS, THE VEIL IS REMOVED.
Verse 17 says the LORD IS THAT SPIRIT.
Moses turned to see God's presence in a fiery bush and had to take his shoes off because he was on HOLY GROUND.
Rev 1:10 KJV I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, Like entering the CLOUD on Mount Sinai, John WAS IN THE SPIRIT! Rev 1:12 KJV And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; JOHN'S HEART TURNED! John turned and saw JESUS BURNING AS GOD'S GLORY IN CANDLESTICKS SHAPED LIKE TREES, as Moses saw the BUSH BURNING. Notice He walked in the midst of the candlesticks and these candlesticks are called the churches. Rev 1:13 KJV And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. The candlesticks were LIT WITH FLAMES OF FIRE.
Rev 4:5 KJV And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. And around the throne in a new vision, HE SEES SEVEN LAMPS again! Rev 1:4 KJV John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne; Chapter one calls these seven lamps SEVEN SPIRITS OF THE LORD. Rev 5:6 KJV And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. We read the LAMB HAS SEVEN EYES, WHICH ARE THE SEVEN SPIRITS OF GOD.
7 candlesticks, seven lamps by the throne, seven eyes of the lamb.... seven spirits of God sent into all the earth. When John ENTERED IN THE SPIRIT INTO THIS REALM, He was LOOKING INTO THE HOLIEST OF HOLIES in HEAVEN.
He saw the SEVEN CHURCHES as seven branches on a candlestick IN UNION.
Just like in Exodus, when Moses was in God's holiest of holies coming into union with God, on God's pathway to having a CITY OF HIS NAME, while others are worshiping the image of the beast, the book of Revelation shows churches that are IN the most holy place with Jesus, and in UNION WITH HIM that they share HIS EYES!
We already read in 2 Cor 3 that God wants to go further with us than having his law on tables of stone.
When WE ARE LIKE HIM, IT IS BECAUSE HIS LAW HAS BEEN PUT INTO OUR HEARTS.
Exo 33:23 KJV And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen. 2Co 4:6 KJV For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. WE SEE HIS FACE! Jesus had not yet come, so Moses could not yet see His face!
MOSES DID LATER! Mat 17:2-3 KJV And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. (3) And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him. So the LAW needs to get into our hearts. Deu 6:4-6 KJV Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: (5) And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. (6) And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: Deu 6:8 KJV And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. Notice that PUTTING LAW ON FOREHEAD AND HAND IS ASSOCIATED WITH PUTTING IT IN HEART!
That is where God wants His law!
And all of this was in the Exodus after the GOLDEN CALF episode. Rev 13:15-16 KJV And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. (16) And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: We see the same pattern in revelation.
Our hearts are to be MARKED by God's LAW.
Strong's No. G5480 "MARK" χάραγμα charagma khar'-ag-mah From the same as G5482; a scratch or etching, that is, stamp (as a badge of servitude), or sculptured figure (statue): - graven, mark. Hearts of people are not towards the Lord, but towards the devil's image in this picture! Jesus is the image of God, and we are to be conformed to HIS IMAGE!
But a faithful few stand out as virgins who did not commit adultery with other false gods, but were faithful to Jesus!
Rev 14:1 KJV And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads. Rev 14:4 KJV These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. Just as Moses had people come to his side, apart from those who worshiped the image of the beast, we find believers separated from those who have the mark of the beast in their foreheads or hands, and these have their Father's name, INSTEAD, on their foreheads! Jerusalem is called a GREAT CITY where Jesus was crucified, and is later destroyed... Rev 11:8 KJV And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. Rev 19:2 KJV For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand. We later find a NEW Jerusalem with RIVERS OF LIFE FLOWING FROM HER. Rev 21:2 KJV And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. Rev 22:1 KJV And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. VEILS are on BRIDES.
The veil in the temple had cherubims on it, which were first seen blocking the Garden entrance.
2Co 4:3-4 KJV But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: (4) In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. The god of this world wants the image of the beast to be worshiped... not the image of God! Let us ensure all our hearts are given to JESUS!
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