Participants: Pr. Shawn Boonstra
Series Code: TPR
Program Code: TPR000005
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01:09 Good evening, once again, and welcome to The Presence
01:12 with Shawn Boonstra, It is Written Television. 01:14 I'm going to say a special welcome to all of you 01:16 who are here in our studio audience, 01:17 and a special welcome also to those of you who 01:19 are joining us by satellite or by DVD somewhere in this world. 01:24 You know, there was a news story that some of you 01:27 may have heard about where a little girl in India 01:29 was trapped, 60 feet down in a well shaft. 01:33 This little girl was trapped down there, scared, you can 01:36 imagine the emotions she must have been going through, 01:38 and the whole nation of India, as well as the world, 01:41 was focused on this particular event, trying to get 01:44 this little girl out of that well shaft. 01:47 They even drilled a vertical shaft down along side 01:50 so they wouldn't injure her at all, and they had to go 01:53 across, and they had to target it just right, 01:55 and they were successful in finally pulling her through 01:58 and bringing her up the other shaft, can you imagine 02:00 as she broke the surface of the earth 02:03 how her family and friends were so glad to see her? 02:06 Not only that, can you imagine how glad she was 02:09 to see them? 02:11 Tonight's presentation is called "The Deliverance". 02:14 I tell that little story to give you a little bit of a sense 02:17 of what it may be like, just a little idea of what 02:20 it might be like, and we can't imagine what that is, 02:23 but when Jesus comes the second time to rescue us 02:27 from this sin laden planet and all the difficulties 02:30 and problems that we have, isn't that going to be a glorious day? 02:34 Tonight Pastor Boonstra's topic is "The Deliverance". 02:37 Would you please welcome Pastor Shawn Boonstra. 02:41 [Audience Claps] 02:46 Good evening. 02:48 Welcome back to The Presence, night #5, 02:52 and wherever you're joining us around the world tonight, 02:54 I'm glad you're here. Can you believe we are on our 02:57 final subject? Now, just because we're on 03:00 our final subject that doesn't mean that you 03:03 can't keep studying. Right there where you are 03:05 across the world tonight, there are activities planned 03:08 in the hall, the location, the church where you are at. 03:11 You can keep studying the prophecies of the Bible, 03:14 and you can keep unpacking what we've only had time 03:17 to skim the surface of. Now, tonight's subjects is one 03:21 of my all-time favorites: "The Deliverance", 03:24 and we're going to delve into the big picture tonight 03:27 and look at what the Sanctuary's basic, underlying message is. 03:31 But before we do that, because it will be based on the word 03:35 of God, let's bow our heads for a word of prayer. 03:39 Gracious Father in heaven, tonight it's with joy 03:42 in our hearts that we turn to the pages of the Bible 03:45 because we know that as we listen to these words 03:48 we are hearing the voice of Jesus; 03:50 we're hearing a message of love, You're telling us 03:53 that You have a plan to save us for all eternity, 03:56 that we can be in Your presence. 03:59 It's our prayer tonight that You would bless our study, 04:02 we would hear Your voice, and that we would know 04:05 Jesus better, for we ask it in His precious name, amen. 04:09 Tonight, let me start with a famous promise that Jesus made 04:13 almost 2000 years ago, so famous that I'm guessing that most 04:17 of you watching and listening tonight around the world 04:20 can recite this promise by heart, and the reason 04:23 I want to start with this promise is because 04:26 it really shows us what God has been up to 04:29 all these years with the underlying purpose 04:32 for the whole Sanctuary and it's services has been. 04:35 It's found in John 14:1, most of you know this by heart: 04:41 [text on screen] 05:07 There it is, that's what it's all been about. 05:10 This has all been about God wanting sinful human beings 05:14 back in His presence for all eternity. 05:17 Jesus tells us that He went to prepare a place for us 05:20 and He's coming again, why? 05:22 Because God doesn't want to be separated from us 05:25 by the veil, He doesn't want to be inside 05:28 the Most Holy Place with His people on the outside. 05:31 God doesn't enjoy the barrier that was thrown up 05:34 by human rebellion and sin, God desires to be with His people 05:39 above all else, and the Sanctuary proves it 05:42 beyond the shadow of a doubt. 05:44 Tonight let's review for just a moment 05:47 some of the things that we've studied in the last few nights 05:50 together. On one night we looked 05:52 at the Sanctuary with all of its furniture, where it was laid out 05:57 and what that furniture meant, and we walked through 05:59 the Sanctuary seeing that everything there 06:02 pointed without a shadow of a doubt to Jesus Christ. 06:05 There was the altar of burnt offering in the courtyard, 06:09 which pointed to what Jesus did on the cross of Calvary. 06:13 There was the laver, which showed us that Jesus not only 06:17 died for us, but He washed us from our sins so that we can 06:20 step again into the presence of God. 06:23 Inside the Sanctuary was the lamp stand with its 7 lamps, 06:28 its 7 lights, showing us that Jesus is that light of the world 06:33 and then on the other side, on your right 06:35 as you walked in, was the table of the show bread, 06:39 also known as the Table of the Presence, 06:42 with 12 loaves of bread on it, pointing to Jesus, 06:45 because Jesus said "I am the bread of life. " 06:50 Then there was the altar of incense, the smoke from this 06:53 altar of incense would go up over the curtain, the veil, 06:56 into the Most Holy Place, and we discovered that that 07:00 represents the prayers of God's people. 07:02 In the Sanctuary there was sweet smelling incense, 07:08 certain spices that were added to that fire 07:10 to make the smoke sweet smelling and we discovered 07:13 that even though our prayers and personalities are tainted 07:17 by sin, Jesus mixes them with His own righteousness 07:20 and makes us perfectly acceptable before the throne 07:24 of God. 07:25 Then, in the Most Holy Place we had the Ark of the Covenant, 07:28 it had the 10 Commandments inside, it had the Mercy Seat 07:31 on top - made of solid gold, and 2 angels on top, 07:34 certain kind of angels, who knows what kind of angel 07:37 it was? Cherubim on top. 07:39 This was a symbol of the throne of God, and the presence of God 07:43 would literally be manifested between those 2 cherubim. 07:48 This whole structure, all the furniture, showed us how God 07:52 intends to bring us back into His presence; 07:55 it's through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God. 07:59 It all points to Jesus. Then, on another night 08:03 we looked at the feasts of the Sanctuary, and this didn't 08:06 show us exactly how God intends to bring us in, 08:09 as much as it tells us when God intends to bring us into 08:13 His presence again. 08:14 We saw the Passover, which pointed to the Cross of Christ, 08:18 Jesus is the Passover Lamb; 08:21 we looked at The Feast of First fruits 08:23 where Jesus rose again from the dead on the third day 08:26 as a pledge that one day when He returns all graves 08:30 will be opened and we will live again, death having been 08:33 conquered. Then we looked at 08:35 The Feast of Pentecost where Jesus in heaven's Sanctuary 08:39 was anointed as heaven's Great High Priest, 08:42 at the same time, the church on earth was anointed 08:45 to go and spread the gospel, share the good news 08:48 of what Christ had done with the whole world, 08:51 that was the feast of Pentecost. Then we had a long period 08:54 of time, the Church Age, just like there was long summer 08:57 period during the feast times. In the fall we had The Feast 09:00 of Trumpets, which was a great awakening, a warning 09:04 that something was coming, and we discovered that here on earth 09:07 there was indeed in the late 1700's, 1800's, a warning 09:11 that went to the whole world, that Jesus was coming soon. 09:14 Then The Feast of the Day of Atonement took place, 09:17 The Solemn Day of Judgment, and we discovered the other 09:21 night that that is where we sit in history right now: 09:24 The Solemn Day of Atonement, the great judgment in heaven 09:27 is already under way. 09:30 Then as we closed the meeting last night I shared with you 09:34 that there is only 1 more feast to go in Leviticus 23, 09:37 and that last feast is the feast of Tabernacles. 09:42 Leviticus 23, and what was The Feast of Tabernacles? 09:46 It was the last feast in the religious year 09:49 for the nation of Israel, and not only was it the last feast, 09:53 it was probably the happiest feast of all 09:56 because The Feast of Tabernacles finishes off 09:59 where the Feast of Passover began. 10:02 If you remember, The Feast of Passover celebrated 10:05 the Exodus from Egypt. When they left slavery 10:08 and headed for the Promised Land, 10:10 and The Feast of Tabernacles really celebrates the fact 10:14 that Israel got there safely and God took care of them. 10:18 How does The Feast of Tabernacles celebrate 10:21 that God took care of them and brought them 10:23 to the Promised Land safely? Well, for an entire week 10:28 the nation of Israel would move into little huts 10:30 made out of branches, this is why sometimes it's referred to 10:34 as The Feast of Booths. In essence, the entire nation 10:38 of Israel went camping in huts for a week, 10:41 and they were remembering as they did that 10:44 the exodus, they were celebrating the fact 10:47 that God had kept them safe in the wilderness 10:49 when they had to live in tents on their way to the land 10:52 of Canaan, The Promised Land. It's a celebration, 10:56 The Feast of Tabernacles, of a successful journey. 11:00 It is a celebration of God making good on His promise 11:04 to Abraham. The Israelites are celebrating 11:07 in The Feast of Tabernacles the fact that they made it 11:11 home, so how does that apply to you and I? 11:16 This is easy, most of you have already figured this one out. 11:20 One day soon, you will and I are going to be home. 11:25 Listen to what the book of Revelation says, 11:27 and this has got to be, without a doubt, my favorite 11:29 passage in the entire Bible. Revelation 21:1, 11:34 listen carefully, John is writing: [text on screen] 11:47 Let me pause there for a moment, it used to really bother me 11:50 that John said there was no more sea, because frankly, 11:54 I like the beach, I like to go to the beach and listen 11:56 to the waves crash on the rocks, and stick my toes 11:59 in the water, although I have noticed that here in California 12:03 the water is much colder than it is in the Gulf of Mexico. 12:07 I love the beach! And it's always bothered me: 12:10 no more sea? Why would there not be any more sea? 12:12 And then it occurred to me, John is in exile when he 12:15 writes this, he's sitting on the Isle of Patmos. 12:18 The Roman emperor tried to boil him alive in a cauldron 12:21 of oil, history tells us, and when he failed to kill him 12:24 that way, exiled him to this little rock in the middle 12:27 of the Aegean Sea, hoping that if he got rid of John, 12:30 he could kill off Christianity. John sat there day after day 12:35 looking across the ocean, knowing full well 12:37 that his church, his family, his friends were on the other side 12:40 of the water. 12:41 And as he looks at the new Jerusalem, the New Earth, 12:44 the New Heavens, John says in heaven there is no more sea, 12:48 there's no more separation in the Kingdom of God, 12:51 you will be with your loved ones for ever. 12:53 He continues: [text on screen] 13:06 Now this is very very important: 13:08 In the book of Revelation, where is John's focus? 13:13 John's focus is on the heavenly city of Jerusalem. 13:18 John's focus is on heaven, not on earth. 13:21 Everything in the New Testament shifts 13:24 from the earthly Sanctuary to the heavenly Sanctuary. 13:27 His focus is not on the literal city of Jerusalem 13:31 in the Middle East, it's on the New Jerusalem in heaven. 13:34 The focus in the New Testament shifts away from the Tabernacle 13:37 of the Old Testament, to the Sanctuary in heaven 13:40 where Jesus is the High Priest. And I bring that up 13:43 because today there's a lot of focus on Israel 13:46 and the Middle East - that's understandable, 13:49 it's quite a tinderbox, there's always something new 13:51 happening in the Middle East, and there's a lot of talk today 13:55 about rebuilding the Temple in Israel. 13:58 Now, I'm not going to guess that that never happens, 14:01 I'm not going to guess that at all, it might well, 14:03 almost anything could happen in the Middle East, 14:05 but I would like to suggest that as you study the Bible, 14:08 if you dwell on the literal city of Jerusalem, 14:11 and the earthly temple, your focus is in the wrong place. 14:15 In the New Testament, and in the book of Revelation, 14:18 the primary focus is on the heavenly city. 14:21 It shifts from the ancient, literal temple, to the temple 14:24 in heaven; it shifts from the literal ancient city 14:27 of Jerusalem to the New Jerusalem that God gives us. 14:30 It shifts from the earthly land of promise 14:32 that Abraham went to, to the heavenly land of Canaan. 14:36 The focus is all in heaven, that is very important. 14:40 This is the focus of the book of Revelation, 14:43 and Bible prophecy. Now, if you think about this, 14:47 it was all just a symbol, the Tabernacle was a symbol, 14:51 the Sanctuary, it's services were a symbol 14:54 and even the nation of Israel was a symbol. 14:57 Think about this carefully, everything that happened 15:00 to the nation of Israel points us forward to Jesus Christ. 15:04 If you examine it carefully, you can see this. 15:07 The whole journey of Israel through the wilderness 15:10 is the story of you and I on our way to Jesus Christ. 15:14 We are leaving the slavery of sin to go to the heavenly 15:18 promised land, just like Israel. 15:20 So, Israel's experience definitely points to us, 15:23 but more than that, the experience of Israel 15:27 also points us to Jesus Christ Himself. 15:30 Think about the story: Israel comes out of 15:33 the land of Egypt, they go through the Red Sea 15:36 and in 1 Corinthians 10, I believe it is, 15:40 Paul says that that was like a baptism. 15:43 Israel went through the Red Sea and then spent 40 years 15:46 wondering in the desert. Now, compare that to the story 15:49 of Jesus. His family had to flee to Egypt 15:52 to avoid Herod and his persecution of the infants. 15:56 At some point, Jesus comes out of Egypt, He goes 15:59 to the Jordan River and He's baptized, and immediately 16:02 after His baptism where does He go? 16:04 40 days into the wilderness. 16:07 We know that in prophecy a day represents a year. 16:10 You find the principle all through the Bible. 16:13 Israel points to you and I, but it also points 16:17 to Jesus Christ. As a matter of fact, 16:19 at some point somewhere in the Old Testament, and I can't 16:23 remember where, God says of Israel: "Israel is My Son. " 16:26 Israel points to us, and it also points to Jesus Christ. 16:30 Let's keep reading, all the focus is on Jesus 16:33 in the book of Revelation: [text on screen] 16:56 Here's the whole point of the entire Sanctuary 17:01 of the Old Testament, here's the whole point of The Feast 17:04 of Tabernacles, The Feast of Tabernacles points us 17:08 to the second coming of Jesus Christ, because that is when 17:12 the veil is gone, that is when we are escorted 17:16 into the presence of God, that's the whole point 17:19 of the whole Sanctuary, it's all about God's plan 17:23 to bring you and I back into His presence. 17:26 His heart, the Sanctuary says, has been aching for you 17:31 for years. Let me show you something 17:34 tonight, that a lot of people haven't noticed 17:37 in the book of Genesis, back in the original story 17:41 of our rebellion against God. 17:44 In Genesis 3:24, man has just sinned. 17:49 For the first time in human existence, when man hears 17:53 God coming to visit with Him, he feels the need to go and hide 17:57 in the bushes, and put some kind of a barrier 17:59 between himself and God. For the first time 18:02 in human history man feels fear, he never felt it before 18:06 that day, and he's hiding in the bushes. 18:09 And God, the Bible says, in the cool of that evening 18:11 walks into the Garden and cries out "Adam, where are you?" 18:17 "What have you done?" 18:20 You can almost hear the tears in God's voice, 18:23 He's just lost His family, and now He has to drive Adam 18:27 and the human family right out of the Garden, 18:30 and that broke God's heart. Now pay attention carefully 18:34 to what the Bible says God does in Genesis 3:24. 18:38 The Bible says: [text on screen] 18:52 Now here's a big question: based on what you've just read, 18:56 what did God do with the way to the tree of life? 18:59 What did He do with the path to the tree of life? 19:03 Did He abolish it, yes or no? 19:05 Did He cut it off, yes or no? 19:08 No, the Bible says God guarded the way to the tree of life. 19:11 He wasn't saying to Adam "it's over now for all eternity", 19:14 He's saying "Adam, you can't come now, but I have a plan" 19:18 "to keep the path open, you will come back to Paradise;" 19:21 "you will be in My presence again. " 19:23 And how did God do it? He guarded it with Cherubim. 19:28 And what do we know about Cherubim? 19:31 Cherubim are always where God's throne is. 19:35 Remember this passage? Psalm 80:1: [text on screen] 19:46 Is it a coincidence that there are 2 cherubim at the gates 19:50 to the Garden of Eden, and a brilliant flashing sword 19:53 of light between them? 19:55 Is it a coincidence that they are the angels who stand 19:58 by God's throne at the gates to the Garden of Eden? 20:01 Not at all. It's quite deliberate. 20:05 Think about this carefully, here at the gates 20:08 to the Garden of Eden is a picture of God's throne: 20:13 2 cherubim, a brilliant presence between them. 20:16 God is giving Adam a little glimpse of the Sanctuary. 20:22 Already at the gates to the garden of Eden, 20:25 just as all hope is gone, just as man is driven out 20:28 to live a life of despair, just as Adam has to go out 20:31 and dig the soil for a living now, and get his hands dirty, 20:34 and thorns in his flesh, just as Adam has to bury 20:37 his own son and lay him in a grave, 20:40 Adam can look over his shoulder at the gates 20:43 to the Garden of Eden, and he can see that God has a plan. 20:47 God sets 2 angels, 2 cherubim, and a brilliant, flashing sword 20:50 of light between, and God is saying: 20:54 "Adam, don't give up, I've got a plan. " 20:57 "There's a way to come back. " 20:59 Now, a lot of scholars over the years have noticed this: 21:02 there was a Sanctuary at the gates to the Garden of Eden. 21:05 Jamieson, Faucett and Brown, for example, 21:07 the famous commentator said: "The passage" - Genesis 3:24, 21:11 "should be rendered thus", and then they give 21:14 a literal translation from the original language: 21:16 [text on screen] 21:22 "Shekinah" - that word's always used for the presence of God, 21:26 [text on screen] 21:42 God places cherubim at the gates to the Garden of Eden, 21:45 as a matter of fact, when it says "God placed", 21:48 the word is "shaken" in the original Hebrew language, 21:52 it's the same root word as "Shakinah", the very presence 21:55 of God. It's like at the gates 21:58 of the Garden of Eden the very first Feast of Tabernacles 22:01 takes place; God sets up a Tabernacle with the sinful 22:04 human race. Before we every sinned, 22:07 God is already celebrating the fact that Christ would come. 22:10 Remember, He was slain from the foundation of the world. 22:13 He already had a plan, God at the gates 22:15 of Eden says: "I'm celebrating already that there is hope," 22:18 "and you will come back into the garden of Eden. " 22:21 "Don't lose hope Adam, you're going to come back in. " 22:25 But that's not all, go through the history of the Bible. 22:28 In Genesis 15 God promises Abraham, 22:32 "Abraham, you are going to have lots and lots and lots" 22:37 "of descendants, so many you will have as many children" 22:41 "and grand children and great grand children" 22:43 "as the stars in the sky, and all of your descendants" 22:46 "are going to inherit the Promised Land. " 22:49 Now, we know God made good on that, that was His promise 22:52 to Israel, and The Feast of Tabernacles celebrates the fact 22:55 that Israel came back to the Promised Land. 22:58 But was it really the land of Canaan in the Middle East 23:01 that Abraham was looking for? Is that really what the promise 23:04 was about? Not at all. 23:07 Ultimately, the Bible says that Abraham was looking 23:09 for something else, as the book of Hebrews tells us 23:12 in Hebrews 11:10, it says: [text on screen] 23:23 Abraham, yes, he was looking for the literal land of Canaan, 23:26 but ultimately, according to the Bible, He knew what God 23:29 was promising. He was looking forward 23:31 to the New Jerusalem when God would lift the veil, 23:34 and we would be again in the presence of God. 23:38 Genesis 15:17 talks about the night that God makes 23:41 this promise with Abraham, it's fascinating. 23:44 [text on screen] 23:54 Abraham had just offered sacrificial animals 23:56 and put the pieces on the ground [text on screen]. 24:04 "Lord, I believe there's going to be a promised land. " 24:06 "I believe my descendants are going to be there. " 24:11 "How do we sign the deal? Sign me up Lord. " 24:14 God tells him to sacrifice animals, and sacrificial animals 24:18 pointed to who? To Jesus Christ, no question. 24:20 And the animal pieces are put on the ground, 24:23 and then in the darkness of the night the very presence 24:25 of God shows up and passes over those offerings. 24:28 What is God trying to say? 24:31 He's trying to tell Abraham: "My promise is permanent. " 24:34 "It's as permanent as death, just like these animals" 24:37 "will never come back from the dead, My promise is good. " 24:40 "You can count on it for all eternity. " 24:42 "And just like My Son will die on the cross of Calvary," 24:45 "you can't change that covenant once it's been made. " 24:48 It is as final as death, God never changes a promise. 24:52 As a matter of fact, you know that expression we use 24:55 "to cut a deal", you can date that back, linguistically, 24:59 all the way back to the days of Abraham, 25:01 when to make a covenant they would cut up the animals 25:03 and lay them out on the ground. 25:05 They called it cutting a deal, 25:07 we still speak that way today, and God's is saying 25:10 that's how reliable this promise to you is. 25:12 Jesus, if He says you will come back from the grave, 25:15 He means it, you can count on it, He cuts the deal. 25:18 And Jesus, if He says: "I go to prepare a place for you," 25:20 "and if I go I will come again" you can count on that, 25:23 it's reliable, Jesus cuts the deal. 25:25 Check the Bible, the whole Book, the entire Bible 25:30 is the story of God, His presence, desperate to be 25:34 reunited with the sinful human race. 25:36 Think about the burning bush, the Bible makes it clear 25:39 who's in that burning bush, we studied that the other night, 25:43 it's God's presence, it's God in the burning bush, 25:46 and specifically, it is Jesus Christ in that bush, 25:49 we know that, we studied it the other night. 25:51 Jesus said to the rulers of Israel: "Before Abraham was" 25:55 "I am. " He just told the leaders 25:58 of Israel He was the one in the burning bush 25:59 who told Moses "I am that I am", 26:02 "go tell them the I am sent you". 26:04 It's Jesus in that bush, and if you read Exodus 3 26:08 there's another little clue that it's Jesus. 26:11 It's something that I don't have conclusive evidence for, 26:14 but it's very interesting. If you read Exodus 3, 26:17 Jesus calls Moses from the bush and He does it in a special way, 26:21 He calls him twice: "Moses, Moses", I've gone all through 26:25 the Bible and I find there's one person in particular 26:28 that had the habit of using people's names twice. 26:31 "Martha, Martha", He does it all the time, "Saul, Saul," 26:35 "why do you persecute Me?" Oh, Jesus has character traits, 26:40 I believe it's Jesus in the burning bush, 26:42 you can hear Him calling "Moses, Moses, there's hope," 26:45 "I'm with the nation of Israel. Israel will come out" 26:49 "of slavery and go to the Promised Land", 26:51 and that same voice calls your name tonight twice. 26:54 Come out of sin, you can be in the Promised Land, 26:58 God moved heaven and earth to save you. 27:01 Think in the Bible of the story of the first temple 27:03 that was built in Israel, when the Ark of the Covenant 27:06 had a permanent home. The Israelites are now in 27:09 the Promised Land and they built this great temple 27:12 and Solomon dedicates it, and the Bible tells us 27:15 that as Solomon prays and comes to the end of his prayer, 27:18 fire falls from heaven, consumes the sacrifice 27:21 and the glory of God fills the temple such 27:24 that everybody has to back off and run away. 27:27 God says: "I'm taking up residence among My people. " 27:30 "I know I have to be in the temple, I know there's" 27:32 "a barrier now, but I want you to know I need to be with you," 27:36 "I can't think of any place I'd rather be", says God, 27:39 "than with you. " Then the story takes a rather 27:43 sad turn. Israel turns its back on God. 27:47 In specific, as we read the writings of Jeremiah 27:50 we know that Israel began to deliberately break 27:52 the 10 commandment law that was located inside 27:55 the Ark of the Covenant, they turned their backs on God. 27:58 Because they turned their backs on God, God says: 28:00 "I'm not going to force you into the kingdom of heaven;" 28:02 "I'm not going to force you to love Me," 28:04 "I'm going to let you go", 28:05 but what does God do? He sends Israel back 28:09 to where Abraham came from. Abraham came from the land 28:12 of the Chaldees, and God says: "I'm going to let you go" 28:15 and He sends them back to the nation of Babylon, 28:18 at least for the time being. And that's the last we ever hear 28:22 of the earthly Ark of the Covenant. 28:25 After that it's simply missing. The years go by, 70 years 28:29 of Babylonian captivity, the Persians destroy 28:32 the Babylonian government, and as we saw the other night, 28:35 the Persians, Artaxerxes in 457 B.C. allows Israel 28:39 to go back to the Promised Land, and when they get there, 28:42 using Artaxerxes' money, they rebuild the city 28:46 and they rebuild the temple. 28:48 But this time, when they rebuild the temple, 28:52 there is no Shekinah, presence of God. 28:55 There is no glory of God that falls on the temple, 28:57 imagine the disappointment. 28:59 When they dedicate the temple and the presence of God 29:02 doesn't show up, what does it mean? 29:05 Does it mean that God has abandoned them 29:07 for all time, that they've just gone too far this time 29:10 and God's not interested? 29:11 Not at all. Through the prophet Haggai 29:14 He sends them an interesting message, listen to this 29:18 in Haggai 2:9, God promises Israel: [text on screen] 29:26 God says: "This temple's going to be greater", 29:28 and Israel says: "How can that be? There is no glory of God," 29:32 "the presence of God didn't show up this time. " 29:34 "That's not possible, how can it be?" 29:36 "Oh yes" says God, "it's true. " He says in the same passage, 29:40 back in verse 7: [text on screen] 29:50 What's that a prophecy of? It's a prophecy of Jesus Christ. 29:55 God comes in the flesh, He steps out from behind the veil 29:59 in the Sanctuary and He says: "I want to be with you so badly" 30:03 "I'm going to take on human form", and He steps out 30:06 from behind the veil, and begins to literally walk the streets 30:10 with His people, Israel. 30:11 Now we can see God, and we can hear God, 30:14 and we can touch God, and we can be with Him 30:16 on a daily basis, imagine that: 30:18 God in human flesh. 30:23 And then we put Him to death. 30:26 And that moment, the veil in the temple was torn in 2 30:30 because the earthly Sanctuary was finished 30:32 and the focus now shifts away from the earthly Sanctuary, 30:35 with its lambs and sacrifices and festivals, 30:38 and it shifts to our earthly High Priest in heaven's 30:41 Sanctuary, who pleads His blood for sinful human beings, why? 30:44 Because it is still, even after the cross, the desire of God 30:48 to be with you for all eternity. 30:51 Jesus, our Heavenly High Priest. 30:54 And after many years, as He serves in heaven's Sanctuary, 30:57 pleading His blood, and as God's people spread 31:00 the good news of the Gospel to the entire world, 31:03 the judgment hour begins, and Daniel 7 tells us 31:06 that at the end of the judgment hour 31:09 Jesus is given His kingdom and He comes in glory, 31:13 the second coming, and at the second coming 31:16 of Christ, God will Tabernacle with us for ever. 31:21 The Feast of Tabernacles is the second coming of Christ, 31:25 and it is the only one left to go. 31:29 Jesus said: "I go to prepare a place for you," 31:32 "and if I go, I will come again. " Jesus said: 31:34 "In My Father's house are many mansions. " 31:37 What's He saying? "I want you to live with Me" 31:40 "and be in My presence for ever", 31:42 and that's the whole point! 31:43 That is the entire point of the Sanctuary, 31:46 if we walk away from the Sanctuary with nothing else, 31:49 we should know that in His heart, God is desperate 31:52 to be with you. 31:54 Listen tonight to the voice of God, Revelation 21:3: 31:58 [text on screen] 32:15 It's the whole point. God says: "I want to dwell with you," 32:18 "I want my presence among you, I want you to live with Me," 32:21 "I want the veil to be gone. " It's the next event 32:25 in God's great Sanctuary prophetic calendar. 32:29 God is going to show up on this earth in person, 32:33 Jesus is coming again, and that's what was behind it 32:37 the whole time. 32:38 Let me show you something absolutely amazing. 32:43 There's this picture of heaven found in the book of Revelation, 32:47 a description of the New Jerusalem, the heavenly city 32:51 that will be our home. I want you as we study this, 32:55 to pay very careful attention to the details 32:57 in the New Jerusalem, the heavenly city, 33:00 Revelation 21:12: "Also she" - that's the city, 33:05 [text on screen] 33:29 The Holy City has 3 gates on each side of it. 33:33 It has 3 gates and above those gates are the names 33:37 of the tribes of Israel, and that is very very important. 33:44 Why? Let me show you something: 33:47 in the book of Numbers 2, there's this description 33:51 of the camp of Israel that tells us that on each side 33:55 of the Old Testament Tabernacle 3 tribes would pitch camp. 33:59 Now, they had to pitch camp a long ways back 34:03 from that Sanctuary, my good friend Palmer point this out 34:06 to me just the other day, he said: 34:08 "You know, they're at least 1 km, or 0.6 miles away" 34:12 "from that Sanctuary. " This about that, 34:15 that means if you sin, if you stole your neighbors lawn mower, 34:20 or I suppose they wouldn't have a lawn mower, 34:21 you stole his broom, and you had to make things right, 34:24 you couldn't sneak down to the Sanctuary. 34:27 You had to take your lamb and walk that great open space 34:30 and publicly confess your sin, so all would know 34:32 you were a sinner, amazing. 34:34 3 tribes camped on each side, you read it in Numbers 2. 34:38 Now, even though 3 tribes camped on each side, 34:41 there was 1 dominant tribe on each side of the Sanctuary, 34:45 and the group of tribes on each side of the Sanctuary 34:48 was known by the 1 tribe that was dominant, 34:52 this is fascinating. Each one of them 34:54 flew a flag and it had a symbol of that tribe on it. 34:57 The dominant tribe on the East side was the tribe of Judah, 35:00 and everybody knows the symbol for the tribe of Judah, 35:03 it is the lion, that is the flag that flew on the East. 35:07 To the south, the tribe of Reuben, their flag 35:09 was the symbol of a man. Over on the western side, 35:13 the tribe of Ephraim, their symbol flying on the flag 35:16 representing that whole camp on that side, was a bull. 35:19 To the north was the tribe of Dan, who flew an eagle 35:23 on their flag. You see all the symbols 35:25 of the tribes, by the way, and I believe it's Genesis 49, 35:28 but Dan was originally known as a snake, and history tells us 35:31 and the Jews tell us, they changed it to an eagle, 35:34 they would rather be known as a snake killer than a snake. 35:37 And they would fly the eagle, now this is fascinating. 35:41 Notice what's dominant on each of the 4 sides of 35:43 the Sanctuary, the Lion, the Man, the Bull and the Eagle. 35:46 What's it trying to tell us? Pay attention to the book 35:50 of Revelation, and you'll notice those are the living creatures 35:52 around the throne of God: [text on screen] 36:04 The camp of Israel was not just where they met God, 36:08 it was a picture of God's plan for heaven itself. 36:11 It was a picture of God's people in His throne room 36:14 in the New Jerusalem for all eternity. 36:17 It's a picture of you with God, but there's more, it's amazing. 36:25 3 tribes on each side, at the center of the camp 36:29 is the Most Holy Place, and what's inside 36:31 the most Holy Place? What's inside there? 36:33 The Ark of the Covenant, the very throne of God. 36:35 Here's what's fascinating, that Most Holy Place 36:38 is 15 feet deep, it is 15 feet wide, and it is 15 feet high. 36:42 What does that mean? It is a perfect cube, 36:45 and the presence of God is inside. 36:47 What's really interesting is that when you read 36:49 Revelation 21:16 and you see the description 36:52 of the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, 36:54 it is as high as it is wide and deep, it also is described 36:58 as a perfect cube, and on each side there are 3 tribes, 37:01 and the gates are open to those tribes, what is it saying? 37:05 Back in the desert God is saying to Israel: 37:07 "I want to be with you, I'm sorry about the sin problem" 37:11 "you've caused, I've got a solution. " 37:13 "Watch the lambs being slain, I've got a plan to remove" 37:16 "the veil. Yes, you've got to be" 37:18 "camped all that distance from Me, and there has to be a veil", 37:21 but in the end when Jesus comes back, God throws open 37:25 all the gates on the city and says: "Now, you can come in" 37:30 "and you never have to leave again!" 37:32 The Holy City, New Jerusalem, was shown to us already 37:36 in the camp of Israel, and it shows us God's plan 37:40 is no more veils, God is saying to you tonight: 37:43 "Come on now, it's over, I want to wipe away your tears. " 37:47 "Step in to the heavenly city. " 37:50 That's what The Feast of Tabernacles is all about. 37:55 And it is the only feast left to go. 37:59 The Major of Edgetown threw a big Christmas party 38:03 for everybody, every year, it was held in the town hall. 38:06 The people would gather, and they would eat the best food 38:09 they had had all year, and enjoy themselves very much. 38:12 Each year as the major threw the party, Patty also came, 38:16 but she stood outside the hall, out in a snow bank, 38:18 in the shadows under a tree, where nobody could see her. 38:22 And as she stood there, the winter wind, whipping through 38:25 the shawl her mother had made her, and as her hands 38:28 grew white in the frosty night, she would listen 38:31 to the festivals that went on inside that town hall. 38:34 She could smell the food they were eating, 38:36 and she remembered the Yorkshire Puddings her mom used to make 38:39 when she was a little girl. She could her the laughter, 38:42 and she would hum along as she listened to them 38:44 singing the carols inside that warm hall. 38:47 She would stand there in the shadows until at the end 38:49 of the night she would watch the people come out, 38:52 some of them carrying parcels in brightly colored paper, 38:55 climbing into their slays, underneath warm 38:57 buffalo robes, and they would disappear for the night. 39:00 Then in that cold night, she would crunch her way 39:03 through the snow back to her single roomed cabin, 39:06 and there, in her cabin, she would light just a small fire 39:09 so she didn't use too much fuel, and she would hum 39:11 a few more of those Christmas carols as she fell asleep. 39:15 Years went by, every year she showed up, nobody knew 39:18 she had been standing in the shadows, and then it came time 39:21 for Patty's life to draw to a close. 39:24 And somebody found out, so they sent the minister 39:26 to her house. The minister sat and visited 39:28 with her, he read her her favorite passage, Psalm 23. 39:32 They sat and sang her favorite hymn, 39:34 "What a friend we have in Jesus", 39:37 they prayed together, and at the end of the evening 39:39 as the minister was putting on his coat 39:41 and Patty was still lying on her bed, 39:43 as he was going he turned to her and said: 39:44 "Patty, I'm just really curious, as you look back over your life" 39:48 "tonight, is there anything you really regret?" 39:52 She said: "Not really Pastor, well, just one thing:" 39:57 "I've always wished that I'd had an invitation" 40:00 "to that big Christmas party every year. " 40:03 The pastor stopped for a moment in disbelief, 40:05 he said: "Patty, I'd always wondered why you hadn't come. " 40:10 "The whole town was invited every year," 40:12 "your ticket was at the door, and all you had to do" 40:16 "was come in. " 40:18 God says to you tonight: "I know there's a veil," 40:20 "I know there's sin in your life. " 40:22 God says: "I want to pull that veil away, and I want you" 40:25 "to come in, Jesus bought your ticket, it's time for you" 40:28 "to come home, and My plan is to be with you for all eternity. " 40:35 Tonight, as we close on our last meeting, 40:37 this doesn't have to be the end, you can give your heart 40:40 to Jesus Christ, you can begin a journey with Him 40:43 and study so much more. I want to invite you 40:46 wherever you are tonight to pull out Lesson 5 at this time. 41:22 We want to go through these passages of Scripture, 41:25 fasten them in our minds by taking and writing down 41:27 some of these Biblical answers to the Biblical questions. 41:31 I want to begin with question 1: [text on screen] 41:40 We're going to go to that famous passage of Scripture 41:43 that Pastor Shawn was saying most of us know by heart. 41:45 If you don't, we're going to read it through together, 41:47 John 14:1-3: [text on screen] 42:13 Doesn't that have a good ring to it? 42:16 I want you to write down the answer: [answer on screen] 42:26 What good news! 42:29 The purpose of Christ's return is so He can prepare a place 42:32 where we can be with Him for ever. 42:36 Question 2: [text on screen] 42:46 Can you imagine what it would have been like 42:48 to have had God over for supper? [continues reading] 43:06 We're going to look at Genesis 3:24: 43:10 [text on screen] 43:22 So we answer that question: [text on screen] 43:37 Remember Pastor Boonstra said it wasn't "to never be able" 43:40 "to go back", it wasn't "for ever off limits", 43:43 but just to keep it for another generation of people, 43:46 and for all those who would be resurrected one day, 43:48 with all the human family back together at the tree of life. 43:52 I love that idea! 43:54 Question 3: [text on screen] 44:02 We're going to look at Genesis 3:22 [text on screen] 44:26 Can you imagine evil with no boundaries, no balances? 44:31 Can do anything that it wants, lives for ever. 44:35 God could not allow that kind of corruption to occur 44:38 in His universe. So He takes man out of there, 44:43 and here is the answer to our question, you want to write 44:45 this down in your lesson: [text on screen] 44:52 He's not going to allow us to have more than what 44:55 we can handle, and He wanted to make sure 44:58 that in this process evil was held in check. 45:02 Question 4: [text on screen] 45:20 Those first animals that God brought down 45:23 and had Adam and Eve actually kill as an inauguration 45:28 of the Sacrificial System. [text on screen] 45:35 ...because they found out that the robes of light 45:38 that they had were gone, they were naked. 45:41 The Bible says they were naked all of a sudden, 45:43 and realized they didn't have any covering, 45:45 so God made them tunics out of the skins of the animals 45:50 that they had had to kill. 45:52 [text on screen] 46:04 Genesis 3:24: [text on screen] 46:15 Sin had separated them, He had to take them through 46:18 the very first stages of the sacrificial system. 46:22 Now He blocks access so they can't live for ever 46:25 in a sinful condition, and we find out that the answer is: 46:29 [text on screen] 46:36 Isn't it interesting how all these things tie together 46:40 when you start to examine them. 46:42 Question 5: [text on screen] 47:33 We're not going to read every one of those verses, 47:34 but there's about 4 highlights we're going to look at, alright? 47:37 Numbers 2:3: [text on screen] 47:51 So on one side Judah is the standard bearer. 47:54 [text on screen] 48:04 Let's go and look at the next one, verse 18: 48:06 [text on screen] 48:16 I believe we have 1 more: [text on screen] 48:40 The Sanctuary was given as a demonstration of how God 48:43 is working through the plan of salvation, so that we can 48:46 get the picture in our minds, but it also is a miniature 48:50 of heaven, isn't that awesome? 48:54 Question 6: [text on screen] 49:06 We want to read this passage very carefully: 49:09 [text on screen] 49:46 Does that sound like a picture of God with His people, 49:50 and His people with God? I think it does. 49:54 [text on screen] 50:09 I don't know about you, but I'm looking forward to that day. 50:14 Number 7: [text on screen] 50:25 Several passages of Scripture again, very important 50:29 to note these, Isaiah 65:17,18: [text on screen] 50:52 And we're going to go on to the next verse: [text on screen] 51:42 Isn't that a beautiful picture of what God wants to recreate 51:45 for His people. 51:48 I want to go on to Revelation 21:27: 51:51 [text on screen] 52:01 All of a sudden, the Lamb's Book of Life, 52:05 the book that Jesus keeps, becomes very important 52:07 for you and I, doesn't it? 52:09 Because only those who are written in the Lamb's 52:12 Book of Life are going to be a part of this 52:14 recreation process. Revelation 7: [text on screen] 52:45 And here's one of the most beautiful passages of Scripture: 52:49 [continues reading] 52:54 Do you think that He sees the tears that come to your eyes 52:58 when you face the disappointments in life? 53:01 When you have something that just crushes you, 53:03 maybe a child that has experienced 53:06 a tragedy, and you're just aching for that child? 53:10 Or maybe it's the loss of a parent or a loved one? 53:13 We all, as human beings, have opportunity to cry, 53:16 but God has promised that He is going to wipe away 53:19 every tear from our eyes, that's good news. 53:25 [text on screen] 53:38 Have you ever had to live with pain? 53:40 Pain is a horrible thing to have to live with. 53:44 He even says Scripture He's going to take that away. 53:46 The answer that we have for this question: [text on screen] 53:58 I want you to note what is conspicuously missing: 54:03 what is it folks, what is missing? 54:06 Sin is missing from that beautiful picture. 54:10 Praise God. 54:12 Next question: [text on screen] 55:07 His longing is to be reunited with His separated people. 55:14 The sinful family that got caught up in the mess 55:18 so many years ago. He longs to be with us, 55:20 and He looks forward to a day, and He even says 55:24 in the Scripture: "I'm going to be with you again. " 55:27 [text on screen] 55:38 God Himself, dwells with us for eternity, and we'll be 55:40 with His presence. Question 9: 55:43 [text on screen] 55:47 Very important question for us tonight. 55:51 Revelation 3:5: [text on screen] 56:05 I've been written up on some lists before, 56:08 and maybe you have been on somebody's list as well. 56:11 This is one place where I want to make sure that 56:14 I am written on the list. I want to be in 56:19 that Book of Life. Revelation 21:27: 56:22 [text on screen] 56:31 Here's the good news folks, because all of us sitting here 56:34 find ourselves in the same situation, and all of you 56:37 that are watching this, wherever you are, by satellite or DVD, 56:40 you're in the same boat with all of us here, the same way. 56:43 [text on screen] 56:53 Can you say "amen" to that? [Audience] Amen 56:56 So our answer to this question: [text on screen] 57:11 I want to read this passage of Scripture 57:12 as we close our lesson tonight, Revelation 3:20,21: 57:18 [text on screen] 57:52 I want to suggest to you tonight that that little sound 57:56 that you hear, that little sense that you have 57:59 of knocking on the door of your heart 58:03 is this very Saviour who put together this entire 58:06 Sanctuary system to demonstrate that He wants you 58:09 to be with Him. And wherever you are tonight, 58:13 right now, I want to invite you to respond 58:17 as that knock comes to your heart's door. 58:20 I want to invite you to respond to that Lord 58:23 who loves you with an everlasting love. 58:26 If you want to respond right now, I want you to bow 58:28 your heads with me as I pray, and ask God to knock right now 58:32 on your heart's door. 58:34 Holy Father in Heaven. As your Holy Spirit 58:37 is present with us, and You're knocking on the door 58:43 of our heart through Your Spirit, 58:46 I pray that everyone within the sound of my voice 58:50 would respond and say: "I want my name written" 58:54 "in the Lamb's Book of Life," and would be there 58:58 to enjoy being in the presence of the Creator, 59:01 God of all the universe, for all eternity. 59:05 Thank you for the promise, thank you for revealing 59:08 Your love the way that you have in this series. 59:11 Lord, let Your presence be with us from this day forward, 59:15 and always, I pray in Jesus' name, amen. |
Revised 2014-12-17