Matthew 13 The Parable of the Net 47 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering fish of every kind; 48 and when it was filled, they drew it up on the beach; and they sat down and gathered the good fish into containers, but the bad they threw away. 49 This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous. 50 and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 51 Have you understood all these things? They said to Him, Yes. Matthew 8:12 But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Matthew 25 The Sheep and the Goats 31 But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; 33 and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. Exod 40:38 For the cloud of the LORD was above the tabernacle by day, and fire was over it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys. Any common Israelite could enter the courts but only the priestly tribe could go beyond and into the Tabernacle and only the high priest could go beyond still into the holy of holies once per year on Yom Kippur, The Day of Atonement. The Approach to God The words of God to Moses were very specific about how they were to approach God. They had never approached God while they were slaves in Egypt but sat at a table with Him at the Passover deliverance in their homes eating in haste as they were exiting the land of bondage and preparing for the journey to the land of promise. But in the meantime God had revealed Himself in His holiness at Mount Sinai and in their stark horror they were brought to an awareness that No Man could approach God except Moses who was their leader. But God wanted them all to be a kingdom of priests and approach Him so that there could be an ongoing relationship as with a husband and a wife. Therefore God revealed to them a pattern of worship that was consistent with His holiness, and also make it possible for sinful man to enter His presence. It was in the entire pattern of tabernacle worship that God began to reveal all that was involved in the blood of a sacrifice and atonement which they had been familiar with but not entirely. It started with the awareness of sin in the individual persons life. So when an Israelite recognized that he had sinned and that this separated him from his God, if he wanted to be forgiven he made his way to the God appointed place, the tabernacle. When he approached it he found that a wall of white linen formed a barrier against him. all the way around for 300 cubits (450 feet) except one stretch of 20 cubits (30 feet) that was different. It was known as The Entrance Gate. It was not formed of white linen but was multi-colored in woven white, blue, purple and red. It was distinctive, and marked out the one way by which a sinner could gain access to the court of Gods house. (See The Entrance Gate). Ps 84:2 My soul longs, yes, even faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. Ps 84:10 For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. The Twelve Tribes Each of the twelve tribes had a specific area of the camp to live in. When their forefathers had moved south to Egypt approximately 400 years earlier they had done so as a family of twelve households, each headed by one of the sons of Jacob, who was renamed Israel by God. While they were slaves in Egypt they preserved their family divisions and over the years the families of the twelve sons had developed into tribal families or tribes. A good example is in Joshua: Josh 7:14 In the morning therefore you shall be brought according to your tribes. And it shall be that the tribe which the LORD takes shall come according to families; and the family which the LORD takes shall come by households; and the household which the LORD takes shall come man by man. Their Positions The twelve tribes, in groups of three, were divinely situated at a certain distance around the tabernacle. Four of the tribes, Judah, Reuben, Ephraim and Dan were recognized as tribal leaders. Each had its own standard or banner identifying it as a tribal head while the other tribes had ensigns, a lesser type of banner. It is important to note that Jacob (the father of the 12 tribes) had prophesied that the senior position in his family would belong to the people of Judah: Gen 49:10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh comes; and to Him shall be the obedience of the people. Judah occupied the greatest area which was on the eastern side facing the tabernacle entrance behind the tents of Aaron. To their right was the tribe of Issachar and on the other side Zebulun. The tabernacle itself was always found in the very center of the camp with the tents of the various tribes set up at a certain distance. Judah (with Issachar and Zebulun) on the east numbering 186,400 men. Reuben (with Simeon and Gad) in the south numbering 151,450 men. West was Ephraim (with Manasseh and Benjamin) numbering 108,100 men. On the north side was Dan (with Asher and Naphtali) numbering 157,600 men. This brought the total count of men twenty years and upwards to 603,550. Not including the tribe of Levi. Num 2:2 Everyone of the children of Israel shall camp by his own standard, beside the emblems of his fathers house; they shall camp some distance from the tabernacle of meeting. The Tribe of Levi (The Consecrated Tribe) Now although there are the twelve tribes of Israel, we notice that thirteen names when we identify their places in the encampment. That is because of the special privilege given to the tribe of Levi when they supported Moses and joined his side and on the Lords side, at the time of Israels rebellion. From that moment on they were ordained for the service of God and set apart as the priestly tribe. This would have left only eleven tribes but the large tribe of Joseph was divided into two, consisting of the descendants of his sons Ephraim and Manasseh. Each was regarded as an individual tribe. Not only was the loyal tribe of Levi involved in an act of dedication but also in one of substitution. On that night of terror in Egypt when the firstborn of every Egyptian family had been slain, the Israelite firstborn son lived because a lamb had died in substitution for him. As soon as this happened God called on Moses to consecrate all those firstborn sons, and those who would be born in future, to his service. They had been saved from death while those around them had died. From then on, they were to be set apart for the service of God. But when the Levites were chosen as the consecrated tribe, in an act of substitution they took the place previously required of the firstborn son in each family. Moses and his brother Aaron belonged to the tribe of Levi, the third son of Jacob. Levi had three sons; Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. Moses and his brother sprang from the family of Kohath. Having chosen Moses to be leader of his people God gave further honor to the family of Kohath by selecting Aaron to be the first of his priests, and commanding that only the descendants of Aaron should serve as priests and represent the people to God. The rest of the men of Levi, known as Levites, were charged with the care of the sanctuary. This was a holy commission which no other group of people in Israel were permitted to participate in. Only the Levites could handle the tabernacle and its furnishings when the camp was on the march. When it came to rest they were the ones to erect it, care for it, and assist the priests (the sons of Aaron) in their work. The Levite Camp Camped just outside the tabernacle were the Levite tents. The Levites performed the priestly duties and therefore were mediators between God and the people. The tribe of Levi was divided into four families. Their tents were pitched between the tabernacle and the people, one family on each side. The Kohathites on the south numbering 8,600. The Gershonites on the west numbering 7,500. The Merarites on the north side numbering 6,200. On the eastern side were the tents of Moses, Aaron the high priest, and Aarons sons the priests. God camps with His people. His plan was always that He would dwell in us and be our God. He leads us, he cares for us and He speaks to us with the soft voice of a husband that is desperately in love with His bride. The flags of each tribe point to the real banner of God, Jesus Christ. The four faces and the four colors speak of Him. He is our standard. The Lord is called Jehovah Nissi (The Lord our banner). As the Levite stood between man and God so Jesus Christ stands between man and a holy wrathful God to be a mediator and to meet vengeance with mercy. The Christian will never see the anger side of God. He is our father and our husband and our friend. John 17:22-23 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. John 6:28-29 Then they said to Him, What shall we do, that we may work the works of God? Jesus answered and said to them, This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent. Heb 7:22-25 by so much more Jesus has become a surety of a better covenant. Also there were many priests, because they were prevented by death from continuing. But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.
Posted on: Tue, 06 Jan 2015 01:28:56 +0000
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