THE HIGH PRIEST ON THE THRONE AT THE
ENTRANCE
MF Blume
October 23, 2011
Zechariah 6:12-13 KJV And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh
the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and
he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the
LORD: (13) Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and
he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he
shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be
between them both.
Matthew 16:18 KJV And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter,
and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall
not prevail against it.
Hebrews 4:12-15 KJV For the word of God is quick, and powerful,
and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing
asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a
discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (13)
Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but
all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have
to do. (14) Seeing then that we have a great high priest,
that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast
our profession. (15) For we have not an high priest which
cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all
points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
The bible teaches Jesus shall be PRIEST while on His throne.
- And we know He is priest, so
that must mean He is also on his throne.
- And sure enough, He is seated
at the right hand throne.
Picture a High Priest stationed at the entrance of the garden of Eden,
spiritually – not literally.
- And he has a SWORD in his
hand.
- And the SWORD stands for His
Word.
- He wants us INSIDE the garden
where Adam had dominion over the earth.
- So he has to CUT AWAY with
the SWORD OF HIS WORD.
- He does so from the THRONE of
His kingdom.
Exodus 25:17-18 KJV And thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure
gold: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit
and a half the breadth thereof. (18) And thou shalt make
two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two
ends of the mercy seat.
Exodus 25:22 KJV And there I will meet with thee, and I will
commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two
cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which
I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.
God speaks his word from the mercy seat.
Now the mercy seat of the ark is the throne model.
Isaiah 6:1 KJV In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the
Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled
the temple.
Isaiah 6:2 KJV Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six
wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his
feet, and with twain he did fly.
So we have cherubims, throne, God speaking his word from between the
cherubims and that word is represented by a sword.
- All of this is seen at the
entrance of the garden.
Genesis 3:24 KJV 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.
There is the sword of the word.
- Turning every way to cut
anywhere it needs to cut.
- Cut away all the unbelief in
our hearts that hinders us from Kingdom power and lifestyle.
And it’s like the ARK because there are cherubims around the
sword, just like the cherubims were on either side of the WORd God
spoke to Moses on the ark’s mercy seat.
Notice this:
Genesis 3:8 MKJV And they heard the voice of Jehovah God walking
in the garden in the cool of the day. And Adam and his wife hid
themselves from the presence of Jehovah God in the middle of the trees
of the garden.
H6963
קל קול
qôl qôl
kole, kole
From an unused root meaning to call aloud; a voice or sound: - +
aloud, bleating, crackling, cry (+ out), fame, lightness, lowing,
noise, + hold peace, [pro-] claim, proclamation, + sing, sound, +
spark, thunder (-ing), voice, + yell.
THUNDER.
Ezekiel 1:4-6 MKJV And I looked, and behold, a windstorm came out
of the north, a great cloud, and a fire flashing itself, and a
brightness to it all around, and out of its midst, like the color of
polished bronze out of the middle of the fire. (5) Also out
of its midst came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was
how they looked; they had the likeness of a man. (6) And
four faces were to each, and four wings to each.
Ezekiel 1:24 MKJV And I heard the sound of their wings, like the
sound of great waters, like the voice of the Almighty, in their going
was the sound of tumult, like the sound of an army. In their standing
still, they let down their wings.
SAME HEBREW WORD! “KOLE KOLE.”
THUNDER.
This NOISE scared the living daylights out of Adam and Eve so they hid
themselves.
Ezekiel 1:28 KJV As the appearance of the bow that is in the
cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round
about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the
LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of
one that spake.
SAME WORD AGAIN,
- It was driving them out as
that same glory covered Israel in the wilderness and went before them
driving out the enemies and the wild beasts there might be as they were
in Exodus.
And look at what we read about the THRONE after we read about the sword
of the word and Jesus as high priest:
Hebrews 4:15-16 KJV For we have not an high priest which cannot
be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points
tempted like as we are, yet without sin. (16) Let us
therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain
mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
THE THRONE IS A ROYAL SEAT.
- We go there to OBTAIN MERCY.
- So, like the ark of the
covenant, IT IS A MERCY SEAT.
- And the MERCY and GRACE that
we get from THE THRONE FROM WHICH HE SPEAKS is THE WORD OF TRUTH THAT
SPEAKS TO US AND TEACHES US ABOUT THE CROSS WHERE WE DIED TO SIN AND
ANYTHING ELSE THAT TRIES TO KEEP US DEFEATED.
All of this word is a projection from Him ON THE THRONE of the kingdom.
- Because the word is intended
to bring us into that kingdom position.
It’s like LIGHT shining from off the mercyseat.
- That SWORD was ON FIRE.
- BURNING out the unbelief.
- LIGHT that eradicates
darkness of unbelief.
- TRUTH DESTROYS UNBELIEF.
And because the TRUTH of the cross sheds light on us and encourages our
faith to remove unbelief, we rise in confidence KNOWING we can APPROACH
THE THRONEROOM where the dominion is enjoyed, and pick up where Adam
left off and have dominion over sin.
Notice how the sword works in the hands of the high priest.
Leviticus 1:6-9 MKJV And he shall skin the burnt offering and cut
it into its pieces. (7) And the sons of Aaron the priest
shall put fire on the altar and lay the wood in order on the
fire. (8) And the priests, Aaron's sons, shall arrange the
parts with the head and the fat on the wood that is on the fire on the
altar. (9) But its inward parts (HEART) and its legs (OUR
WALK) he shall wash in water. And the priest shall burn all on the
altar, a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor to
Jehovah.
The sword cuts and the washing occurs in the INWARDS AND LEGS.
- The INWARDS speak of the
inner man.
- Where the attitudes are, and
the thoughtlife.
- AND ONCE THE INWARD is dealt
with, the WALK will be dealt with.
- THE LEGS!
The washing of the water of the Word.
Ephesians 5:26-27 KJV That he might sanctify and cleanse it with
the washing of water by the word, (27) That he might
present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle,
or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
So we have a high priest on HIS THRONE, like the ark at the entrance of
the Garden with Cherubims aside the SWORD of the WORD, while the priest
uses that sword of the word to cut away unbelief.
And all through Hebrews we have been reading of entering the rest and
the place of dominion.
1 John 1:1-3 KJV That which was from the beginning, which we have
heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and
our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (2) (For the
life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew
unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was
manifested unto us;) (3) That which we have seen and heard
declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and
truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.
Notice John, just like His Gospel, starts by referring to THE BEGINNING.
- Genesis.
- And he focuses on LIFE.
- But He calls it the word of
Life.
- Jesus is that WORD OF LIFE.
- John’s GOSPEL mentions
in the beginning and mentions IN HIM WAS LIFE and that LIFE WAS THE
LIGHT OF ALL MEN.
John 1:4-5 KJV In him was life; and the life was the light of
men. (5) And the light shineth in darkness; and the
darkness comprehended it not.
He also said the WORD was manifested and made flesh.
John 1:14 KJV And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us,
(and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the
Father,) full of grace and truth.
1 John 1:2 KJV (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it,
and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with
the Father, and was manifested unto us;)
ETERNAL LIFE like the FRUIT OF LIFE in the Garden.
Jesus is the tree of life and the fruit of life is given to us.
When John said these things are meant to make our joy full, and for us
to have fellowship with God, he meant that these truths will cause us
to ENTER the GARDEN by removing our unbelief so we can really live and
do what the Lord created us to do in dominion.
It’s the same picture we see in reading of Jesus’ face
shining the knowledge of the glory of God.
2 Corinthians 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.
His face SHINES TRUTH – KNOWLEDGE.
This is the FORM OF GLORY that was represented by MOSES’ FACE
exposed to the AFTERGLOW GLORY that passed by.
Moses actually went behind the veil.
Exodus 24:5-18 MKJV And he sent young men of the sons of Israel
who offered burnt offerings, and sacrificed peace offerings of bulls to
Jehovah. (6) And Moses took half of the blood, and put it
in basins, and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar.
(7) And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the ears of
the people. And they said, All that Jehovah has said we will do, and be
obedient. (8) And Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on
the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which Jehovah
has made with you concerning all these words. (9) And Moses
went up, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of
Israel. (10) And they saw the God of Israel. And there was
under His feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as the
essence of the heavens for clearness. (11) And upon the
nobles of the sons of Israel He did not lay his hands. Also they saw
God, and ate and drank. (12) And Jehovah said to Moses,
Come up to Me in the mountain, and be there. And I will give you
tablets of stone, and the Law, and commandments which I have written,
so that you may teach them. (13) And Moses rose up, and his
attendant Joshua. And Moses went up into the mountain of God.
(14) And he said to the elders, You stay here for us until we
come again to you. And behold, Aaron and Hur are with you. If any man
has any matters to do, let him come to them. (15) And Moses
went up into the mountain, and a cloud covered the mountain.
(16) And the glory of Jehovah abode upon Mount Sinai, and the
cloud covered it six days. And the seventh day He called to Moses out
of the midst of the cloud. (17) And the sight of the glory
of Jehovah was like devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the
eyes of the sons of Israel. (18) And Moses went into the
midst of the cloud, and went up into the mountain. And Moses was in the
mountain forty days and forty nights.
Notice the sacrifices were made below the mountain.
- Then Moses and 70 elders went
partway up the mountain apart from the bottom where the people were,
and there was a paved work of sapphire.
- Then Moses and Joshua went up
further.
- There was a Cloud.
- LIKE A VEIL.
- And then Moses went ALONE
into the cloud LIKE IT WAS PAST THE VEIL.
But even then, that was before HIS FACE SHONE.
- Last week I preached how only
after Moses’ stood in the cleft of the rock, representing us
standing in the PLACE OF CHRIST’S BREAKING IN DEATH ON THE CROSS,
did he see glory that made HIM SHINE!
So when you experience faith and see more clearly that you are DEAD TO
SIN, for example, you are beginning to shine in glory and are readying
yourself to enter the Garden’s most holy place.
When we completely understand the whole world of the CROSS, we will
have such a boldness and confidence, that we will never be stopped from
entering this GARDEN STATUS WITH GOD.
- Satan can hurl all sorts of
fiery darts of lies about how bad we are but we know the truth too well
for him to get off with them.
- The book of Hebrews begins
speaking about the CONSCIENCE partway through the book, and how this
must be dealt with in order to enter the REST.
- We will begin to realize that
the problem is that our consciences might not be educated enough since
we never properly learned about everything the work of the cross
accomplished for us.
- We did not spend enough time
getting these truths in us.
- Learning about truth
concerning salvation is so important in order for us in order to see
the blood of Jesus deal with our very CONSCIENCES.
- Learn this until it purges
your conscience.
- If your conscience is
unsettled, you could have all you need for rest and victory, but you
will be defeated and unable to REST.
- As in Romans 6, where Paul
asked the readers if they never KNEW baptism into Jesus was baptism
INTO HIS DEATH.
- All this glorious position in
Jesus can be true of a person, yet if they are not TAUGHT it, they can
remain defeated.
- And when you really study and
“get” the message of Romans 6, the WORD slices into your
heart and CUTS AWAY UNBELIEF.
- It endows you with FAITH!
- When you learn you were
crucified with Jesus, so you can say you died, and you learn that
ANYONE WHO IS DEAD IS FREED FROM SIN, you explode in faith and THAT
PUTS YOU IN THE FRAME OF MIND AND REST where you should be.
Now, Romans 6:3 says this is only true for as many of us who have been
baptized into Jesus.
Romans 6:3 MKJV Do you not know that as many of us as were
baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death?
DEATH FREES YOU FROM SIN.
Romans 6:7 KJV For he that is dead is freed from sin.
Catch the drift of how OLD COVENANT CEREMONIES only ever touched the
FLESH – the OUTWARD – and could never PURGE THE CONSCIENCE.
Hebrews 8:7-9:10 MKJV For if that first covenant had been without
fault, then no place would have been sought for the second.
(8) For finding fault with them, He said to them, "Behold, days
are coming, says the Lord, and I will make an end on the house of
Israel and on the house of Judah; a new covenant shall be,
(9) not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers
in the day I took hold of their hand to lead them out of the land of
Egypt," because they did not continue in My covenant, and I did not
regard them, says the Lord. (10) "For this is the covenant
that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the
Lord: I will put My Laws into their mind and write them in their
hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
(11) And they shall not each man teach his neighbor, and each man
his brother, saying, Know the Lord, for all shall know Me, from the
least to the greatest. (12) For I will be merciful to their
unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities I will remember no
more." (13) In that He says, A new covenant, He has made
the first one old. Now that which decays and becomes old is ready to
vanish away.
Notice he begins saying there is a fault with the OLD COVENANT.
- We are going to find out what
that fault is.
9b… because they did not continue in My covenant, and I did not
regard them, says the Lord.
- They could not CONTINUE in
that covenant.
Hebrews 8:9 MSG I'll throw out the old plan I set up with their
ancestors when I led them by the hand out of Egypt. They didn't keep
their part of the bargain, so I looked away and let it go.
That was the problem.
- When we are given laws to
keep in order to be righteous and fail to keep them, we cannot do so.
- A covenant with just a set of
laws to keep, without an added something special, will not cut it with
us.
Look what the new covenant has in it that the old covenant DID NOT HAVE.
Hebrews 8:10-12 MSG This new plan I'm making with Israel isn't
going to be written on paper, isn't going to be chiseled in stone; This
time I'm writing out the plan in them, carving it on the lining of
their hearts. I'll be their God, they'll be my people. (11)
They won't go to school to learn about me, or buy a book called God in
Five Easy Lessons. They'll all get to know me firsthand, the little and
the big, the small and the great. (12) They'll get to know
me by being kindly forgiven, with the slate of their sins forever wiped
clean.
Now, if the first had FAULT so that people could not CONTINUE in it
(but fail), and the second one solved it by WRITING THE LAWS IN OUR
HEARTS AND NOT JUST ON STONE, then writing the laws in our hearts IS
SOMEHOW GOING TO ALLOW US TO CONTINUE THIS TIME!
But notice it!
- It has to get INTO OUR HEARTS.
- THIS IS WHERE OUR CONSCIENCES
ARE.
- If you hesitate, and are
stuck, the word has not gotten into your heart well enough.
Notice this very important part.
- (We have been discussing
entering the REST)
Hebrews 9:8-14 MKJV the Holy Spirit signifying by this that the
way into the Holiest of all (SYMBOL OF THE REST) was not yet made
manifest while the first tabernacle was still standing. (9)
For it was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered
both gifts and sacrifices that could not make him who did the service
perfect as regards the conscience, (10) which stood only in
meats and drinks, and different kinds of washings and fleshly
ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation. (NEVER
FORGET THIS. SOME WILL TELL YOU TO KEEP KEEPING ORDINANCES, BUT
THEY ARE FLESHLY AND THEY WERE ONLY IMPOSED UNTIL THE TIME OF
REFORMATION)
This is showing us that the FIRST TABERNACLE WAS SYMBOLIC OF THE FIRST
COVENANT BEFORE CHRIST CAME.
- As long as THAT covenant was
there, nobody was going to get into the REST.
- Until that covenant is taken
out of the way, we’re out.
- UNTIL REFORMATION.
- Until the meats and drinks,
and different kinds of washings and fleshly ordinances are FINISHED
WITH, we’re going nowhere.
- The first tabernacle
represents all the system of FLESHLY ORDINANCES AND RITUALS THAT DO NOT
AFFECT OUR CONSCIENCES AND HEARTS.
(11) But when Christ had become a high priest of good things to
come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands,
that is to say, not of this building (12) nor by the blood
of goats and calves, but by His own blood He entered once for all into
the Holies, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
He did something that obtained ETERNAL REDEMPTION FOR US.
- Something that did not
require ANY MORE WORK TO BE DONE TO deal with all that was keeping us
out.
- THIS COVENANT DID NOT HAVE
FAULT.
(13) For if the blood of bulls and of goats and the ashes of a
heifer sprinkling the unclean sanctifies to the purifying of the
flesh, (14) how much more shall the blood of Christ (who
through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God) purge
your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
Hebrews 9:8-10 MSG This was the Holy Spirit's way of showing with
a visible parable that as long as the large tent stands, people can't
just walk in on God. (9) Under this system, the gifts and
sacrifices can't really get to the heart of the matter, can't assuage
the conscience of the people, (10) but are limited to
matters of ritual and behavior. It's essentially a temporary
arrangement until a complete overhaul could be made.
The truth of the blood of Jesus will knock out your ideas and concerns
for good works to please God.
- You will serve the LIVING GOD.
- DEAD WORKS are sinful actions.
- VERSE 13: The blood of
beasts could not remove the guilt of committing sinful acts.
- It never removed guilt.
- It only allowed for
ceremonial involvement.
- Let you take part in rituals
– nothing more.
- But Jesus’ blood GOES
ALL THE WAY.
- You are baptized into HIS
DEATH, so that YOU DIED and are therefore FREED FROM SIN! (Rom 6:6-7).
- Look at Old Judaist Law as
trimming hedges because the branches keep going wild and out of order,
but the wild out of order mess never stops.
- SO THE NEW KEY IS TO CUT THE
WHOLE MESS DOWN.
- WE DIED WITH JESUS.
BOOM!
People’s CONSCIENCES are what SUFFERS GUILT.
- Guilt because they know they
have to face God due to sinning.
- But the blood of bulls and
goats cannot remove that guilt.
- The blood of beasts could not
bring peace to a troubled conscience.
- They only purified their
fleshliness, so they could outwardly get involved with ceremonies.
- This is why entrance to the
HOLIEST was not allowable when these ordinances were imposed.
- The things that trouble us
because we violated a holy law could not YET AT THAT TIME be dealt with.
- You think of death and
judgment and get troubled, since the blood of animals from old
testament sacrifices cannot remove that guilt.
Hebrews 9:22 MKJV And almost all things are by the law purged
with blood, and without shedding of blood is no remission.
ALMOST ALL… BUT NOT THE CONSCIENCE.
We are talking about ENTRANCE INTO REST.
You cannot rest if you feel guilty before God.
The confidence we need to hold firm to until the end comes when OUR
CONSCIENCES ARE PURGED.
- We need to grasp what it
means to be freed from sin by our deaths with Christ.
- If we don’t grasp this,
our consciences will not be purged either, and we will hesitate and
never get into the holiest -- the Garden status – the REST
– where God can GET ON WITH HIS ORIGINAL PLAN WITH US.
Hebrews 6:18-20 MKJV so that by two immutable things, in which it
was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who
have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us,
(19) which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and
steadfast, and which enters into that within the veil, (20)
where the Forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become a
high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.
Hebrews tells us that we need to enter into the most holy presence of
God.
- You know very well that guilt
and a feeling of not being good enough is not going to allow you to
enter.
- It’s too holy for
guilty people to let themselves enter.
Remember that he quoted Jer 31 in chapter 8 where we learned the old
covenant had a fault, and the remedy was a new one that would put his
word in our hearts?
He repeats that passage.
Hebrews 10:16-22 MKJV "This is the covenant that I will make with
them after those days, says the Lord; I will put My Laws into their
hearts, and in their minds I will write them," (17) also He
adds, "their sins and their iniquities I will remember no more."
(18) Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering
for sin. (19) Therefore, brothers, having boldness to enter
into the Holy of Holies by the blood of Jesus, (20) by a
new and living way which He has consecrated for us through the veil,
that is to say, His flesh; (21) and having a High Priest
over the house of God, (22) let us draw near with a true
heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an
evil conscience and our bodies having been washed with pure water.