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The Bible is...Pictures, pictures, pictures
It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words
Bible is a book of types, examples, and demonstrations through history.
Pictures transcend language, and to some degree culture. His covenant
is for all people in every generation so God uses the universal
language of pictures to help us understand his covenant.
Sometimes we must look into the "framework" of the historical picture God has given us to understand the picture.
For example: Paul defines the relationship between husband and wife,
Eph 5:25-27, 32-33
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave
himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with
water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant
church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and
blameless...
... This is a profound mystery-but I am talking about Christ and the church. NIV
and then he reveals that what the husband and wife relationship
really represent is the relationship between Christ and the church. So
every godly marraige relationship is meant to be a demonstration of
God's covenant love for us as.
But the secrets and mysteries of God are not always so clearly stated.
There are many secrets or mysteries, the simple hidden in the obvious for those who have eyes to see
Ps 25:14
The secret [of the sweet, satisfying
companionship] of the Lord have they who fear (revere and worship) Him,
and He will show them His covenant and reveal to them its [deep, inner]
meaning. [ see also, John 7:17; 15:15.] AMPLIFIED BIBLE
Here are just a few examples to give you an idea of what I am talking about:
Three in one pattern
We find that God is Father, Holy Spirit and Son separate and yet one.
Many arguments and ideas surround this concept but it is all through
the Bible. Man is made in the image, or the likeness of God and we too
have three parts to our selves, we are Spirit, Soul, and Body and yet
one person. The three in one pattern is found in the Temple, the
Tabernacle of Moses, the prescribed Feasts, and many other things. As
we study the details of these pictures and patterns, we can understand
in detail the operation of the Kingdom of God. All of these things
show the same truths, so when we discover the things that agree we
have found some of the secrets or mysteries of the covenant.
God's secrets are often quite simple, but our initial understanding is often clouded by our own notions and erroneous teaching.
For man in his image - being formed into the image of Christ
Tabernacle and Temple Worship...
... is a true and accurate pattern of heavenly things. They are there
so we can understand and recognize their fulfillment by Jesus, our
"Great High Priest"
Heb 8:1-6
Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have
such a High Priest, [Jesus] who is seated at the right hand of the
throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a Minister of the sanctuary and
of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man.
For every high priest is appointed to offer
both gifts and sacrifices. Therefore it is necessary that this one also
have something to offer. For if He were on earth, He would not be a
priest, since there are priests who offer the gifts according to the law; who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things,
as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the
tabernacle. For He said, "See that you make all things according to the
pattern shown you on the mountain." But now He [Christ] has obtained a
more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better
covenant, which was established on better promises. NKJV
History of Israel
1 Cor 10:1 - 12
For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our
forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through
the sea....
...6 Now these things occurred as examples (meaning, "a model" or a "warning")to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did.
...11 These things happened to them as examples ("model" or "warning")and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. NIV
Parables of the Kingdom
The parables are stories of common life experiences that reveal the secrets and operation of the Kingdom of God.
Ps 78:1-4
O my people, hear my teaching;
listen to the words of my mouth.
I will open my mouth in parables,
I will utter hidden things, things from of old--
what we have heard and known,
what our fathers have told us.
We will not hide them from their children;
we will tell the next generation
the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD,
his power, and the wonders he has done. NIV
Here Jesus explains that without being born of the Spirit of God, which
is believing as Abraham believed. You will not have the ability to see
anything but the story line in His parables of the Kingdom.
Matt 13:10-13
Then the disciples came to Him and said, Why do You speak to them in parables?
And He replied to them, To you it has been given to know the secrets
and mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been
given.
For whoever has [spiritual knowledge], to him will
more be given and he will be furnished richly so that he will have
abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken
away.
This is the reason that I speak to them in
parables: because having the power of seeing, they do not see; and
having the power of hearing, they do not hear, nor do they grasp and
understand. AMP
"Having the power of seeing" refers to the ability and choice we all
have to yield over to the authority and covenant of God. God is a god
of freedom, not a God of restriction as many people think. You can
only enter into covenant with Him BY YOUR OWN CHOICE.
It does not matter your condition, habits, history of offenses or
benevolent works, you can choose to surrender all your own ideas,
priorities and thinking over and believe the promises and integrity of
God's covenant. This is covenant is freely offered to all as long as
you have a breath in you. You are ...
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