"Preparing for the Kingdom"
When Moses was with God for 40 days receiving the law, God told him, “I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God. And they shall know that I am the Lord their God, that brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them” (Ex 29:45). God longs to dwell with His people, especially when they are content with Him as He is. He liberated the Hebrews from Egyptian bondage and gathered them to Mt. Sinai to dwell with them, but they refused. While Moses fasted on the mount, the mixed multitude among them begged for another god. They finished the golden idol and frolicked naked before it, satisfying the carnal appetites inherent in all sinners. No wonder Moses broke the tablets God had made!
Moses returned to the mount after the Levites executed the 3000 who refused to choose God’s side. He begged God to turn away His wrath, reasoning that He could not fulfill His promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob by destroying their descendants. Despite knowing that He could raise seed from rocks as John the Baptist later observed, He agreed to the covenant that Moses mediated. That covenant was similar to the one God made when the Hebrews first reached Mt. Sinai, but He removed the celestial parts engraved on the first tablets, giving the oral law in their place. God also limited how He would dwell with the rebellious Hebrews by commanding Moses to build a portable tent, saying, “Let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them” (Ex 25:8). When He dwelt there, the Shekinah, a Hebrew word denoting God’s presence, appeared as a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. Their enemies even saw it.
God also commanded the Hebrews to observe the Feast of Tabernacles as a perpetual remembrance of their tabernacles in the wilderness. He said, “Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the Lord” (Lev 23:34). He added, “Ye shall dwell in booths seven days . . . that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt” (Lev 23:42-43). During the observance they were to remember “I am the Lord your God” (Lev 23:42-43), perhaps recalling that He lived among them in His Tabernacle.
When Solomon dedicated the Temple, He brought the Ark of the Covenant into its Holy of Holies. God immediately filled the building with His presence: “When the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the Lord, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of the Lord” (1K 8:10-11). Like the Tabernacle in the wilderness, the Shekinah remained on the Temple, showing that God was dwelling with His people, but the Hebrews could not remain loyal. Neither could they repress their carnal appetites. They continued to worship false gods and observed paganism’s repugnant practices. Sometimes, it was only a few people, but other times it was a majority. Human discipline alone is not sufficient to restrain fleshly desires. The people frequently fell victim to those impulses. They needed transformation. They needed a new heart.
In a surprising and sublime effort to win our hearts, God added humanity to His deity and took our flesh. The Bible teaches, “He took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted” (Heb 2:16-18). Jesus took our flesh and endured its limitations, weaknesses, and sicknesses for the single purpose of bearing our sins on a Roman cross. There, He suffered the death that we deserved. He made an infinite atonement, answering God’s justice for every person’s rebellion. His willingness to endure one of the most grueling and painful deaths possible demonstrates how much He loves us. When we understand what He endured to save us, not just people in general, but you and me, we are humbled. We love Him back. John wrote, “We love him, because he first loved us” (1J 4:19).
I am a sinner. I like to hide that fact, but I cannot in the presence of the Holy Ghost. Although I am embarrassed by my weaknesses, He loves me anyway. How can I not love Him? How can my love for His merciful presence not motivate me to stop sinning? As one of Shane and Shane’s songs says, “If He did not love me first, I would refuse Him still.”
Jesus’ victory on the cross satisfied God’s justice and His resurrection opened heaven’s door to those who believe in Him. It also established His kingdom and dethroned that usurper, Satan. The devil was “cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him” (Rev 12:9). John added, “When the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child” (Rev 12:13). The history of Christianity since Jesus’ ascension details how Satan has used worldly powers to persecute and execute Jesus’ followers, first the Roman Emperors, and then the Roman Pope. After the Reformation, he used European kings until America provided refuge. Today, sophisticated networks transcend vast distances and hurdle oceans, executing the machinations of clandestine adversaries who oppose Christ’s kingdom and the freedom it provides. It gained assistants, some of whom won elected offices while others attained influential positions. Some became our children’s teachers and professors. They use those positions to mock, accuse, and persecute believers. While they recently martyred Charlie Kirk in America, they have been martyring Christians in nations around the world for some time. God will not let wickedness destroy His kingdom. He will yet dwell with His people. Jesus is coming back. When the King of Heaven comes, He will right every wrong, end tyranny, and establish worldwide peace.
The Feast of Tabernacles that the Jews celebrate this month from October 6-13 not only remembers when God tabernacled with them in the wilderness, but it looks forward to the time when He will Tabernacle with them in His earthly kingdom. That time is soon. The Jews call days until then the footsteps of the Messiah, for it is so soon that we can hear Him approaching. Until then, Satan, his angels, and the people that they recruit will shout their accusations, pass judgment, and if possible, execute those who uphold Jesus and His kingdom.
God placed Yum Kippur as a feast day five days before the Feast of Tabernacles. It is the day of atonement in which the High Priest offered the goat to atone for the sins of all Israel and sprinkled its blood on the Mercy Seat. That yearly observance foreshowed the sacrifice of the Son of God to atone for the sins of the world. The redemption that Jesus achieved almost 2000 years ago can wash anyone clean. We cannot only believe the gospel, the good news of salvation, but we can obey it and have our sins remitted. The abiding presence of the Holy Ghost can transform us after we receive Him, especially if we nourish His companionship. His presence can prepare us for Jesus when He tabernacles again among us. Soon, He will reign among us. This October, let each of us prepare to receive Him and submit to His rule.