Participants: Pastor Charles Byrd
Series Code: IST
Program Code: IST000006
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00:01 Welcome back to In Search of the Truth.
00:03 I'm Karen Byrd. 00:05 The camping industry has grown to be quite impressive. 00:08 If you didn't know this then chances are 00:10 you haven't been to Cabela's. 00:12 They only have 12 Retail stores across the country 00:16 but those things are the size of a shopping mall! 00:19 You can actually go fishing, rock climbing or 00:21 do some target practice in the store! 00:25 Some people wonder why anyone would want to go camping. 00:28 Camping means no mattress, no bathroom, 00:30 no refrigerator, and no microwave. 00:33 But you can't experience the close association with friends, 00:36 the stunning vistas, or the fellowship around 00:39 the evening campfire quite like you can when you're camping. 00:43 You just feel more alive in the early morning, 00:46 whether you're camping near civilization where you 00:48 can do fishing or boating, or whether you are 00:50 roughing it along the less traveled trails 00:53 where wild animals still chance upon your path. 00:56 Though one enjoys his time in the great out of doors, even 01:00 the most avid camper is usually very happy to get back home. 01:04 Camping is great for a weekend or even a week or two 01:07 but then one longs for the comfortable kitchen, 01:10 the softer chair, the plush carpet and the warm shower. 01:15 How would you like to go camping 01:16 with millions of people for over a year? 01:20 Today Charles is taking us to the place where God 01:23 actually went camping with over 2 million people. 01:26 Not for a week or even a month. 01:29 He will be taking us to a place where God camped out 01:31 for more than a year. 01:34 From this Mountain in the Sinai peninsula 01:36 God actually spoke in the hearing of all the people. 01:38 He even developed a dramatic play that went on daily. 01:42 This dramatic illustration not only opened to the people 01:46 His plan for their salvation but predicted what His plans were 01:51 for those living in the 21st century. 01:54 Over the next two programs you can join Charles 01:57 in the same search for the truth 01:59 traveled by this former nation of slaves as they went 02:02 camping with God. 02:09 [Text on screen] 02:21 [Text on screen] 02:28 [Text on screen] 02:52 Some three thousand five hundred years ago, 02:54 far away in the land of Egypt, 02:57 about 2 million slaves were preparing to leave. 03:00 The God of creation had convinced the reluctant Pharaoh 03:03 to "let His people go. " 03:06 God led them out through the most inhospitable terrain 03:09 and provided wonderfully for them. 03:12 He provided water from rocks and food from the skies. 03:16 A pillar of cloud led them by day keeping them cool. 03:19 And this pillar changed to a pillar of fire by night 03:22 providing the light and I assume warmth 03:25 on those cold desert nights. 03:27 Finally God brought them to Mt. Sinai where He purposed 03:31 to educate this large group of people about His character, 03:35 about His plan for their complete salvation. 03:38 To help them understand things that they could not see, 03:41 to comprehend things of an eternal nature, 03:44 he created a living illustration 03:46 in the giant sand box of the desert. 03:49 God gave to Moses full instructions for constructing 03:52 a building called the sanctuary, 03:55 which would serve as a dwelling place for God. 03:58 This sanctuary and its services were to demonstrate 04:01 the plan of salvation to this former nation of slaves. 04:04 One thousand years later, an angel told the prophet Daniel 04:08 that the date for the judgment to begin in heaven 04:10 was revealed in the sanctuary service. 04:12 Further, the book of Revelation reveals 04:15 that God's end-time people will announce to the world 04:19 that the heavenly judgment has begun. 04:21 All these points will become clear as you continue your study 04:25 of the three angels' messages of Revelation 14:6-14. 04:30 Today we're going to go back to the desert 04:32 and explore the sanctuary and discover its meaning, 04:36 not just for the sons of Abraham, 04:38 but also for our lives today. 04:41 Moses spent 40 days and nights on the mountain with God. 04:44 While there God asked Moses to have the people 04:47 "Make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. " 04:51 Imagine it, the God of the universe 04:53 wanting to tabernacle, to go camping with us human beings. 04:58 The sanctuary was an elegant, tent-type structure 05:01 15' x 45' based on an 18 inch cubit 05:05 where the supernatural presence of God 05:08 dwelt and special services were conducted. 05:12 The walls were made of upright acacia boards. 05:15 On our recent trip through the desert of Sinai 05:18 we found acacia trees still growing in the desert. 05:21 These boards were to be overlaid in pure gold 05:24 and set up in sockets of silver. 05:27 The roof was made of four layers of coverings: 05:31 linen, goat's hair, ram's skin, and badger skin. 05:35 It had two rooms: the holy place and the most holy place. 05:39 A thick, heavy veil or curtain separated the two rooms. 05:45 The courtyard area around the sanctuary was 75' x 150'. 05:50 It was fenced with fine linen cloth supported 05:53 by 60 pillars of brass. 05:56 And what did God expect His people to learn 05:58 from the sanctuary? 06:00 The same things that we can learn. 06:02 We can learn about Him, His plans and the way He works 06:06 in the affairs of men. 06:08 Psalms 77:13 tells us, 06:10 "Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary: 06:14 And who is so great a God as our God?" 06:17 God's way, His plan of salvation, is revealed 06:21 in the earthly sanctuary. 06:23 Even future events of judgment are prophesied 06:26 in the types and services the Israelites 06:29 were invited to participate in. 06:31 In fact, did you know that the Bible teaches that everything 06:36 in the sanctuary or connected with its services was a symbol 06:40 of something Jesus would do in saving us? 06:43 This means that we cannot fully comprehend the plan of salvation 06:47 until we understand the symbolism 06:50 connected with the sanctuary. 06:52 It was important to God that mankind would get 06:56 the correct picture of who He is and what His plans are 07:00 so he admonished Moses, 07:02 "See... that thou make all things according to the pattern 07:06 showed to thee in the mount. " 07:09 The sanctuary blueprints and the full specifications 07:12 for its construction were given to Moses by God. 07:15 And here is an interesting point that we should not miss. 07:20 The sanctuary on earth was a copy of the sanctuary in heaven. 07:24 Jesus acts as the High Priest in that sanctuary as our minister. 07:29 "We have such an high priest," Paul tells us, 07:31 "who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty 07:35 in the heavens; a minister of the sanctuary, 07:38 of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man. " 07:44 All this serves as "[an] example and shadow of heavenly things. " 07:49 Remember, Moses' desert sanctuary was a copy 07:54 of the original sanctuary in heaven. 07:56 Let's take a tour of this ancient structure 08:00 and see if there are any lessons for us today. 08:02 As you enter the courtyard of the sanctuary, 08:05 the first thing you would see is the altar of burnt offerings 08:08 where animals were sacrificed. 08:11 This altar represented Jesus, the ultimate sacrifice. 08:17 Next you'd find the laver, located between the altar 08:20 and the entrance of the sanctuary. 08:22 This large washbasin was made of brass. 08:24 Here, priests washed their hands and feet 08:27 before offering a sacrifice or entering the sanctuary. 08:32 The water represented cleansing from sin, or the new birth. 08:36 Leaving the temple courtyard we next visit the holy place. 08:40 What furniture would you find there? 08:42 First, on the right you'd find the table of shewbread. 08:46 This represents Jesus, the living bread. 08:50 On the left you'd see the seven-branch 08:51 candlestick or menorah. 08:53 This oil lamp was kept burning night and day 08:56 and represents Jesus, the light of the world. 08:59 The Oil represented the Holy Spirit that Jesus sends 09:03 to all those who believe in Him 09:04 and receive the gift of repentance and are baptized. 09:08 Last, you'd find the altar of incense standing just before 09:12 the curtain separating the holy place from the most holy. 09:16 The altar represented the prayers of God's people 09:19 and the work of our High Priest, Jesus, in praying for us. 09:24 The only piece of furniture in the most Holy Place 09:26 is the Ark of the Covenant. 09:29 This box, or chest also made of acacia wood 09:32 and overlaid with gold was the center 09:34 of this whole symbolic training tool in the wilderness. 09:37 Symbolized here, on top of the chest and between the two angels 09:41 was his throne in Heaven. 09:44 What work is Jesus doing for us beyond the veil? 09:48 Let's look into the most holy place and see. 09:51 There are two things that we should notice about this box 09:54 in the most holy of the sanctuary. 09:56 First we should notice what was inside the ark. 10:00 Do you know what was in it? The Ten Suggestions. 10:03 That is what some people try to make of them. 10:05 No, it was the Ten Commandments, which God wrote 10:08 with His own finger on tables of stone 10:11 which His people will always obey. 10:14 This is the law that is as enduring as God himself 10:17 for it is His own character! 10:19 That law cannot be changed and the penalty 10:22 for breaking the law is death. BUT look closer at the box. 10:27 The top of the ark where the angels surround the Shekinah 10:31 or the glory of God's own presence 10:33 is called the mercy seat. 10:37 Mercy would be extended to them through the blood 10:40 which was sprinkled on the mercy seat by the priest. 10:43 The blood of the animal represents Jesus' blood 10:47 that was shed for us to bring us forgiveness of sin. 10:50 Most regular readers of God's word already know that Jesus 10:54 is our only hope of getting out of this world of sin 10:57 and being citizens of the colossal city in space 11:00 that He is preparing for those who love Him. 11:02 But why did animals need to be sacrificed 11:05 in the Old Testament sanctuary services? 11:08 We can begin to understand what the reason is 11:12 by reading from Paul's letter to the Hebrews. 11:15 "And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; 11:20 and without the shedding of blood is no remission. " 11:24 The sacrificing of animals was necessary to help 11:27 people understand that without the shedding of Jesus' blood, 11:32 their sins would never be forgiven. 11:35 The ugly, shocking truth is that the punishment for sin 11:38 is eternal death. 11:40 Since all of us have sinned, all of us should die. 11:44 When Adam and Eve sinned, they would have died at once 11:47 if Jesus had not stepped forward and offered 11:50 to give His perfect life as a sacrifice 11:53 to pay the death penalty for all people. 11:56 That's what Jesus was telling us when he said, 12:00 "... this is my blood of the new testament, 12:03 which is shed for many for the remission of sins. " 12:07 After sin, God required the sinner 12:10 to bring an animal sacrifice. 12:12 The sinner was to kill the animal with his own hand. 12:16 It was a bloody and disturbing thing. 12:19 And it indelibly impressed the sinner with the solemn 12:22 reality of sin's awful consequences - eternal death 12:27 and the desperate need of a Savior and a substitute. 12:30 Without a Savior, no one had any hope for salvation. 12:34 The sacrificial system taught, through the symbol of the slain 12:38 animal, that God would give His Son to die for their sins. 12:42 That's why John the Baptist cried out, 12:44 "Behold the lamb of God, 12:46 which taketh away the sin of the world. " 12:49 How were the animals sacrificed in the sanctuary service? 12:53 God's directions read like this... 12:55 "And he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering; 12:59 and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him. " 13:03 "And he shall kill it on the side of the altar 13:06 northward before the LORD: and the priests, Aaron's sons, 13:09 shall sprinkle his blood round about upon the altar. " 13:13 When the sinner brought a sacrificial animal 13:16 to the entrance of the courtyard, a priest joined him. 13:19 The sinner then laid his hands on the animal's head 13:22 and confessed his sins. 13:25 They symbolized the transfer of the sin 13:28 from the sinner to the animal. 13:30 At that point, the sinner was considered innocent 13:33 and the animal guilty. 13:35 Since the animal was now symbolically guilty, 13:38 it had to pay the sins' wage - death. 13:42 The priest then handed him a knife and a basin 13:45 and the sinner was required to take the innocent life 13:48 of the animal with his own hand. 13:51 Each sinner was thus graphically taught 13:54 that sin caused the innocent animal's death 13:57 and that his sin would cause the death of innocent Jesus. 14:02 While there were regular sacrifices 14:04 from individual sinners, there was another sacrifice 14:07 that happened in this symbolic theatre. 14:09 Sometimes the priest offered a sacrifice 14:11 for the whole congregation. 14:14 What animal was it and what did the priest do with the blood? 14:17 We can read about it in Leviticus 4:16-17. 14:21 "And the priest that is anointed shall bring 14:26 of the bullock's blood to the tabernacle of the congregation: 14:30 And the priest shall dip his finger in some of the blood, 14:33 and sprinkle it seven times before the LORD, 14:37 even before the veil. " 14:40 When a sacrifice was offered for the sins 14:42 of the entire congregation the blood was taken by the priest, 14:46 who represented Jesus 14:47 into the sanctuary and sprinkled before the veil 14:51 which separated the two rooms. 14:53 The presence of God dwelt on the other side of the veil. 14:57 Thus, the sins of the people were removed and symbolically 15:01 transferred to the sanctuary. 15:03 This ministry of the blood by the priest 15:07 foreshadowed Jesus' present blood-ministry for us in heaven. 15:11 After Jesus died on the cross as our sacrifice for sin, 15:16 He arose and went to heaven as our Priest to present His blood 15:21 in the heavenly sanctuary as the atoning sacrifice. 15:26 The blood ministered by the earthly priest 15:30 represents Jesus applying His blood 15:33 to our record of sins in the sanctuary above, 15:36 showing that they are forgiven 15:39 when we confess them in His name. 15:41 But if the sins of the people are symbolically taken 15:44 into the sanctuary over and over during the year 15:47 it seems that symbolically they would begin to pile up there. 15:51 What happens to them? 15:52 The Prophet Daniel piques our interest 15:55 with this prophetic insight regarding all those sins. 15:59 "And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; 16:02 then shall the sanctuary be cleansed. " 16:05 Daniel was talking about a literal cleansing 16:08 in the heavenly sanctuary. 16:10 Can we understand what he was saying 16:13 by looking at the symbolic sanctuary in the wilderness? 16:14 I believe we can. 16:18 Once a year there was a most solemn ceremony. 16:21 You can read about it in Leviticus 23 verses 27-28. 16:26 "And on the tenth day of this seventh month 16:29 there shall be a day of atonement: 16:32 it shall be an holy convocation unto you; 16:35 and ye shall afflict your souls, 16:38 ...ye shall not do any work in that same day: 16:41 for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you 16:45 before the LORD your God. " 16:48 Once each year, on the Day of Atonement, 16:51 a solemn Day of Judgment took place in Israel. 16:53 All were to confess every sin. 16:56 Those who refused were that very day cut off forever 16:59 from the camp of Israel. 17:01 Then two goats were selected: 17:04 One, the Lord's goat; 17:06 the other, the scapegoat, representing Satan. 17:10 The Lord's goat was slain and offered 17:12 for the sins of the people. 17:13 But on this day the blood was taken into the most holy 17:18 and sprinkled upon and before the mercy seat. 17:22 Only on this special judgment day 17:24 did the high priest enter the most holy place 17:26 to meet God at the mercy seat. 17:30 The sprinkled blood, representing Jesus' sacrifice, 17:33 was accepted by God, and confessed sins of the people 17:37 were transferred from the sanctuary to the high priest. 17:40 He then transferred these confessed sins to the scapegoat, 17:44 which was led into the wilderness. 17:46 In this manner the sanctuary was cleansed 17:48 of the sins of the people, which had been transferred there 17:51 by the blood sprinkled before the veil 17:54 and had been accumulating for the year. 17:56 God takes upon Himself the penalty of our bad choices 18:00 as illustrated in the Lord's goat. 18:02 But the scapegoat, which represents Satan, 18:04 bears the blame and final punishment for the sins 18:07 he has led men to commit. 18:10 Remember we said that we cannot fully comprehend 18:12 the plan of salvation until we understand the symbolism 18:15 connected with the sanctuary? 18:18 Then what part in the plan of salvation are we to understand 18:22 in the Day of Atonement? 18:24 What does this service foreshadow? 18:27 The prophet Daniel saw in vision 18:29 the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary. 18:32 In Daniel 8:14 he says, "And he said unto me, 18:35 Unto two thousand and three hundred days; 18:38 then shall the sanctuary be cleansed. " 18:41 Well we already know what has made the sanctuary dirty. 18:45 It is all the sins that have been carried into the holy place 18:48 symbolically by the priests during the year. 18:52 What does it take to "cleanse" those sins away? 18:55 Paul tells us in Hebrews 9:23, "It was therefore necessary 19:00 that the patterns of the things in the heavens 19:03 should be purified with these. " 19:06 The pattern was the sanctuary in the wilderness. 19:09 That pattern used the Lord's Goat 19:11 to symbolically cleanse the sanctuary. 19:15 Paul finishes, "but the heavenly things themselves 19:19 with better sacrifices than these. " 19:22 The Day of Atonement service 19:24 pointed to the blotting out of sin by the real High Priest 19:27 in the heavenly sanctuary. 19:29 Through His blood applied to those 19:31 written in the book of life, Christ would confirm 19:34 the decisions of His people to serve Him eternally. 19:38 This special judgment day, like Israel's Yom Kippur, 19:42 foreshadowed the final atonement to be made for planet Earth. 19:46 From the yearly type of the ancient Day of Atonement, 19:50 all of humanity is assured that our faithful High Priest, Jesus, 19:55 still mediates in heaven for His people 19:58 and stands ready to blot out all the sins 20:01 of all who exercise faith in His shed blood. 20:04 The final atonement leads to the final judgment, which settles 20:08 the sin question in the life of every individual, 20:12 culminating in either eternal life or death. 20:16 The next time we are together we're going to look 20:18 at the judgment in great detail. 20:19 After all, if we are going to be judged by the God 20:22 of the universe we might as well know 20:25 when that judgment is going to take place, 20:27 and what the standard is by which we are going to be judged 20:31 so there are no surprises. 20:33 Not long ago I stood on the desert floor 20:36 looking up at Mt. Sinai. 20:39 Perhaps it was on this very summit 20:41 that God talked with Moses and gave him the blueprints 20:44 for the tabernacle, the tent from which God was planning 20:48 to teach the people about His plans for them. 20:52 It might have been in the valleys below 20:54 this desolate windswept summit 20:56 that the people worked together to make God's tent, 20:59 the tent in which He would be camping with them 21:02 in their 40 years of desert wanderings. 21:05 What a fantastic God we have to want to tabernacle with us. 21:10 What a personal God who wants us to know Him on a personal level. 21:14 To understand what He did to redeem us 21:17 from the poor choices that we've made. 21:20 Just imagine being one of the privileged ones 21:23 who saw the mountain lit up with the Glory of God, 21:26 being able to hear His voice as He shared 21:28 with mankind the Ten Commandments. 21:33 Here in this austere wasteland of the Sinai peninsula, 21:38 with nothing to distract the mind from the majestic view 21:41 of the mountain enshrouded with the glory of the Savior, 21:45 history records that God began to reveal to a nation 21:49 of ignorant slaves and to the world 21:52 His plan for the redemption of lost mankind. 21:57 We need not offer a Lamb today since Jesus is the Lamb of God 22:01 that takes away the sins of the world, 22:03 but we would be wise to open our Bibles for ourselves 22:08 and begin to read and learn about His plan 22:11 to save us and our families from eternal ruin. 22:15 You may never get to stand on the mountain of God 22:18 in the desert of Sinai, but someday, 22:21 if you choose to accept Jesus as your savior, 22:24 if you trust Him each day to live in you, to will in you, 22:27 to do in you His good pleasure, 22:30 you will get to stand on the mountain of God 22:32 with all those who allow Him to write 22:35 His covenant law in their hearts. 22:38 Someday you can stand with the redeemed from all ages, 22:42 not seeing Him in a cloud on a mountain, 22:44 or in a tent full of symbolism on the valley floor, 22:48 but you can see Him face to face. 22:50 No doubt, camping with God personally 22:53 would be a radical experience. 22:55 But how could that many people survive in the desert? 22:59 According to the story in the book of Exodus 23:01 God provided them with food and water each day. 23:04 The army is familiar with this type of logistics 23:07 and according to the Quartermaster General, 23:09 it is reported that Moses would have to have 23:12 1,500 tons of food each day. 23:16 Logistics would require two freight trains 23:19 each a mile long, to supply that much food. 23:22 The water needed would pose an even larger procurement issue! 23:26 If they only had enough to drink and wash a few dishes, 23:29 it would take 11,000,000 gallons each day. 23:32 To transport that amount of water would require 23:35 another freight train with tank cars stretched out 23:38 for 3 miles, each and every day. 23:43 The same God who looked after the physical needs 23:45 of those desert travelers 23:47 was even more interested in their spiritual needs. 23:51 And that same God is also deeply interested in you. 23:55 Would you like to learn more 23:56 about this giant sandbox illustration 23:58 called the Tabernacle? 24:00 You can with our free Bible Study guide. 24:04 I hope you'll request yours today. 24:06 Here is the information you will need. 24:10 God drew the plans 24:13 To access this powerful resource, go to: 24:16 www. amazingfacts. org 24:19 Simply select the "Studies" button 24:21 From there you can order the entire set of these study guides 24:25 or you can look and listen to this particular study guide. 24:29 You can even enroll in the free online Bible study course. 24:33 which will answer many of your Bible questions. 24:36 Again, this study guide is available to you anywhere in the 24:40 world at: www.amazingfacts.org 24:47 The same God who has the power to create life 24:49 has the power to sustain life. 24:52 And the same God that has the power to give and sustain 24:55 physical life has the power to help us understand eternal life. 25:00 What an experience! 25:03 In our next program our search for the truth 25:05 will take us into the most holy place 25:07 of the sanctuary on the Day of Atonement. 25:11 This service was a type of God's Judgment. 25:13 Might God's prophecies actually predict 25:16 the day that judgment begins? 25:19 In our next broadcast entitled, "A Date with the Judge" 25:23 we'll explore God's three phase judgment process 25:27 and how you can be ready for that promised event. 25:30 Join us next time as we go in search of the truth. |
Revised 2014-12-17