The ark of the covenant was kept in the inner sanctum of the Most Holy Place in the tabernacle and the first temple. There was a heavy veil or curtain that separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. The mercy seat was the golden lid that covered the ark. It had two golden cherubim figures on each end that faced one another. “You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the Testimony that I will give you. And there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the Testimony, about everything which I will give you in commandment to the children of Israel” (Exodus 25:21-22).

The mercy seat in the tabernacle was where God, in His Shekinah Glory, would speak to Moses or Aaron. “And you shall put it before the veil that is before the ark of the Testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the Testimony, where I will meet with you” (Exodus 30:6). “Now when Moses went into the tabernacle of meeting to speak with Him, he heard the voice of One speaking to him from above the mercy seat that was on the ark of the Testimony, from between the two cherubim; thus He spoke to him” (Numbers 7:89).

The Shekinah Glory of God was always concealed within a cloud when He appeared to the children of Israel. “Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tabernacle of meeting, because the cloud rested above it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Whenever the cloud was taken up from above the tabernacle, the children of Israel would go onward in all their journeys. But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not journey till the day that it was taken up. 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” (Exodus 40:34-38).

The “ark” and all the furnishings that were in the tabernacle and later in the temple were patterned after the Most Holy Place in heaven. “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” (Hebrews 8:5). It is thought by most theologians that God is surrounded by cherubim in heaven. The mercy seat represents God’s throne in heaven, where He judges mankind.

After the tabernacle had been set up, anointed, and consecrated, the leaders of the 12 tribes of Israel brought an offering for the dedication of the altar. At the end of the offerings, “Moses went into the tabernacle of meeting to speak with the LORD. He heard the voice of One speaking to him from above the mercy seat that was on the ark of the Testimony, from between the two cherubim; thus He spoke to him” (Numbers 7:89). In 1 Samuel 4:4 and other places, God is described as being enthroned between the cherubim over the ark. Whenever the glory (shekinah) of the Lord filled the tabernacle or the first temple, you can be assured the Lord was above the mercy seat of the ark of the covenant in the Most Holy place.

While in the wilderness, God gave the children of Israel three things that separated them from other nations: the Law, the Levitical system of sacrifice and worship of Yahweh, and His heavenly provision and sustenance in the form of manna. The ark contained three objects that God had given them to signify they were indeed His chosen people (Hebrews 9:4). However, these objects also represented the Hebrew’s rebellion against God. This rebellion was against His word, authority, and law, including the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd commandments (by making the golden calf) and the 5th commandment (not keeping the Sabbath).

Each item represents a particular type of sin committed against God. The first item was the two tablets of stone on which God had written the 10 Commandments. Ironically, the children of Israel violated the first commandment, “You shall have no other gods before me,” before God actually wrote the 10 Commandments on the two tablets of stone. This occurred when Moses went up the mountain to speak with God and the Hebrews pressured Aaron to make them a golden calf idol (Exodus 32). Throughout the ages, Israel proved they were totally incapable of obeying the Lord’s laws.

The second item in the ark was the budded rod of Aaron. This occurred after the rebellion of Korah and about 250 men who rose up and challenged the authority of Moses and Aaron, especially in spiritual matters between the LORD and the children of Israel. After the earth had swallowed Korah and his household and fire devoured the other rebels, Moses gathered 12 rods from the leaders of each tribe and placed them in the tabernacle of meeting in front of the Testimony (mercy seat of the ark) where God met with Moses. The Lord told Moses, “And it shall be that the rod of the man whom I choose will blossom; thus I will rid Myself of the complaints of the children of Israel, which they make against you” (Numbers 17:5).

The next day Moses went into the tabernacle, and sure enough, there was Aaron’s rod which had put forth buds, produced blossoms, and yielded ripe almonds. “And the Lord said to Moses, Bring Aaron’s rod back before the Testimony, to be kept as a sign against the rebels, that you may put their complaints away from Me, lest they die” (Numbers 17:10).

The third item that was kept in the ark was a golden bowl of manna. Manna was a supernatural bread from heaven that God had rained down on the children of Israel when they were in the wilderness. This occurred after the Hebrews had complained to Moses and Aaron (and ultimately God) that they didn’t have meat and bread to eat like they did in the “good old days” in Egypt. The Lord commanded Moses and the people to only gather the manna for six days and not on the Sabbath. The first time the word “Sabbath” is mentioned is in Exodus 16:23, referring to not working on the seventh day by gathering manna. One was not to work when gathering the bread from heaven.

But once again, the children of Israel did not obey the Lord. “Now it happened that some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather, but they found none. And the Lord said to Moses, ‘How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My laws? See! For the Lord has given you the Sabbath; therefore He gives you on the sixth day bread for two days. Let every man remain in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.’ So the people rested on the seventh day” (Exodus 16:27-30).

These God-given objects were all kept in the ark of the covenant with the mercy seat covering on the top. When God dwelt in the tabernacle (and later the first temple), He resided or appeared in the cloud (Shekinah Glory) above the mercy seat. On the annual Day of Atonement, Aaron or the High Priest at the time would bring the bull of the sin offering, which was for himself, and make atonement for himself and for his house.

“Then he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from the altar before the Lord, with his hands full of sweet incense beaten fine, and bring it inside the veil. And he shall put the incense on the fire before the Lord, that the cloud of incense may cover the mercy seat that is on the Testimony, lest he die. He shall take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the mercy seat on the east side; and before the mercy seat he shall sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times” (Leviticus 16:12-14).

Once Aaron (and later his lineage) was appointed High Priest, the LORD gave Moses the instructions for the Day of Atonement, which was to be an annual event. On this day, Aaron would offer blood sacrifices for himself and the children of Israel. Here is what happened on that first day of Atonement: “Then Aaron lifted his hand toward the people, blessed them, and came down from offering the sin offering, the burnt offering, and peace offerings. And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of meeting, and came out and blessed the people. Then the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people, and fire came out from before the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar. When all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces” (Leviticus 9:22-24).

Of course, the Levitical High Priest performing his duties on the annual Day of Atonement is a typology of the High Priest in heaven (not of the Levites but of the order of Melchizedek), Jesus Christ, making intercession before God for the sins of the “saints” on earth. The “cloud” of smokey incense represents the cloud of God which accompanies His Shekinah Glory. Sprinkling the blood on and around the mercy seat “seven times” represents Jesus’ holy blood, as seven represents spiritual perfection and completeness. This is, however, where the typology ends. Jesus does not need to offer His blood on the mercy seat in heaven. It is “by” His blood as the sacrificial Lamb of God, which was offered only one time on the cross, that sins are forgiven. The rituals of the Day of Atonement do not need to be repeated every year in heaven. Atonement was achieved at the cross.

So, what’s in the ark of the covenant in heaven? I believe it is empty, except for one thing… Grace. God’s grace is granted to those who have faith. “But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith” (Galatians 3:11). The old covenant of the Law, represented by the objects in the ark on earth, have been replaced by the new covenant of grace. The 10 Commandments written on the two tablets of stone have been replaced by the new covenant of Jesus Christ. The budding rod of Aaron, which represents the Levitical priesthood, has been replaced by the order of Melchizedek’s priesthood, namely Jesus the Christ. The bowl of manna has been replaced by the true bread from heaven, Jesus Christ. He will supply all our needs.

The High Priest, Jesus, does not need to place any blood on the mercy seat, for the blood of atonement has already been shed on the cross, once and for all. Our sins – past, present, and future – are not only “covered up,” they are forgiven and forgotten forever. “For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father pities his children, So the LORD pities those who fear Him” (Psalm 103:11-13).

“Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all (as it is written, ‘I have made you a father of many nations’) in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did; who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, ‘So shall your descendants be'” (Romans 4:16-18).

We will examine Jesus’ blood atonement more closely in my next article.

Randy Nettles

rgeanie55@gmail.com

Search Results – Rapture Ready

There seem to be two different sets of tears. One set is the various kinds of human tears, and the other is the various kinds of heavenly tears.

Only those with hardened hearts do not shed tears of some kind, at least occasionally.

Some of the human types of tears are, for example, tears of physical pain, tears of loneliness, tears of frustration and bitterness, tears of grief and regret, and tears of sorrow.

Heavenly tears, on the other hand, are, for example, tears of devotion, tears of gratefulness and thankfulness, tears of deep compassion, tears of awe, tears of joy, and sometimes, this side of the Rapture, tears of sorrow like the ones Jesus shed looking upon Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives. Matthew 23:37-39 “And when He drew near the city, He wept over it.”

It is my experience that tears, at times, can be a type of indicator of a believer’s growth as a Christian. I mean, and I am speaking to believers here, think about what made you cry before you knowingly became born again compared to what makes you cry after a few years or a lot of years walking with the Lord.

Recently, I was lying awake in bed most of the night pondering the connection between two scripture verses and their effect on these two different sets of tears, especially in regard to “heavenly tears.”

The two verses are these: “Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” and “He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it” (Proverbs 9:10 and Philippians 1:6).

If fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, what does more mature wisdom look like after the passage of time?

I thought about that and about how I hope I have changed in ways pleasing to Him who began a good work in me many years ago.

As these two thoughts began to intertwine, I began to see how my tears over the years have shifted from the human kind to tears heavenly in nature, and I began to see how tears can be a kind of indication of where we are at, so to speak, in regard to maturing in wisdom and to beholding how we are coming along in the good work He began in us.

I realized that the fear of the Lord, which was the beginning of wisdom, has changed in me over time into pure awe, trust, and thankfulness, as well as a burning desire that God’s Will be done on earth as it is in heaven. This certainly was not the case before I turned to Jesus and He began a good work in me.

My tears reflect the good work my Lord and Savior has been doing in me, and I suspect the same is true for all who really do love Jesus and are truly born again.

Before I turned to Jesus for salvation, I don’t recall shedding too many heavenly tears and not very many human tears either. I am older now and much more in tune with God’s amazing love, and as a result, I weep more often. Beautiful heavenly tears.

There is a heavenly “well of tears” where the tears of deep compassion, the tears of devotion, the tears of gratefulness and thankfulness, tears of awe and tears of joy, and yes, even tears of sorrow spring forth from.

The tears of sorrow mixed with the tears of compassion are the kind we weep over those who are suffering and those who are lost. When I see suffering as a result of natural catastrophes such as earthquakes, fires, hurricanes, or floods, for example, things that can bring tragic human loss and sorrows of all kinds, I often find tears running down my cheeks. When I see decent, hardworking people suffering at the hands of the wicked or believers being persecuted or even killed for their faith, the tears sometimes begin to roll in a steady stream.

For believers, there are just more of these kinds of tears in the last days before the Rapture, as wickedness of all kinds has infested the entire planet Earth. Devastating natural and man-made disasters are in the news pretty much every day as well.

One of the things the Lord instills in believers as He goes about completing a good work in us is “The Heart of God.” Being that it is not God’s will that any should perish (2 Peter 3:9), we as believers are brought over time by the Holy Spirit into attunement with His awesome mercy and compassion, and like Him, we weep for the lost. We know firsthand about the amazing grace, forgiveness, and love they are missing out on, as well as what awaits them should they continue to choose to remain lost by willfully rejecting Jesus, the only one capable of saving and restoring them (John 14:6 and Acts 4:12).

Jesus shed tears for the lost when He wept over Jerusalem. If Jesus wept for the lost, I can only be grateful that He has instilled in me a heart to weep for the lost also (Luke 19:41; Matthew 23:37-39).

We all have loved ones and dear friends who are lost, and if they only knew how many prayers have been said and how many tears have been shed, and how many miracles have been requested on their behalf.

As long as we have breath, we should continue daily with these prayers, be reminded of the thief on the cross next to Jesus who got saved at the end of the last day of his life, and not give up hope no matter how many more tears well up from the fountain of His mercy. If our prayers are not answered on this side of the Rapture, there is an excellent possibility that they will be answered on the other side and that our dear friends and loved ones will be part of the great multitude that is saved during the Tribulation (Revelation 7:9-17; Revelation 20:4).

In Matthew 24:12, Jesus speaking of the end times, said, “Because of people breaking the law and sin being everywhere, the love in the hearts of many will become cold.”

It makes me weep thankful tears just to know my Precious Jesus has softened my once-hardened heart. I do not want anything to do with a hardened heart. A blessing and a gift are these heavenly tears.

I wonder if other believers are also weeping heavenly tears. It is in no way a sign of weakness to admit that we weep heavenly tears of sorrow mixed with compassion quite a bit more these days than ever before.

With all of the ungodliness and the onslaught of predatory wickedness that is going on all over the world and in my home country of America in these end times, I find myself quite often being moved to tears, and yet at the same time, these tears do not disturb the peace that surpasses all understanding that Jesus has placed deep inside my heart, which in itself is amazing and supernatural (Philippians 4:7). Knowing God is in control makes the difference, even while you weep heavenly tears.

It is true that fear of the Lord is only the beginning of wisdom. The realization that our Creator is All-Powerful in every way. Jesus said to not fear what men can do to you, but rather fear Him who has power over life and power over death and power over our eternal destiny (Matthew 10:28).

As time goes by in our walk with Jesus and we realize more and more just who He really is, the original fear of the Lord that is the beginning of wisdom becomes trust. We began to understand how much He loves us and that the perfect love of Jesus casts out all fear and replaces it with perfect trust. We can now declare with confidence, “If God be for us, who can be against us” (Romans 8:31). Our Heavenly Creator is wonderful beyond our wildest imagination, inspiring tears of awe.

His ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9). His thoughts and His ways are not just higher than ours but also much better than ours. His ways are a tremendous blessing to all.

The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. One and One and One is Three. Three as close as One can be. All on the same page and in perfect agreement, and yet each with unique characteristics. It is truly beautiful, wonderful, and supernatural. Only because of the Holy Spirit within us, leading and revealing to us the truth in all things, can we even begin to comprehend such a thing.

When He begins a good work in each of us, He starts the work of transforming us, building our faith, and teaching us through His Word (the Bible), through worship, prayer and fellowship, through everyday conversations with Him, and sometimes through dreams and visions, and yes, even through the gift of tears.

The years pass by, and the next thing you know, your life totally revolves around the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. You now trust in God Almighty, the Holy One of Israel, with all of your heart. You have read the Bible all the way through and studied the Word of God that you have come to love. You began to understand that referring to God as awesome is not a religious cliché but rather something you’ve come to know is absolutely 100% accurate.

God is able to declare the end from the beginning because He really can do that, and with the help of the Holy Spirit, you come to realize and know that this is truth, and that inspires more tears of thankfulness and tears of complete awe (Isaiah 46:10).

You know all future Bible prophecy will be fulfilled because you have seen how all Bible prophecy has been perfectly fulfilled up to this present time here at the end of the church age.

We are watching and anticipating the swiftly-approaching day of our Blessed Hope when the Lord calls home the dead in Christ and the remnant church (Titus 2:13).

In the more distant future, but not too far distant future, all tears and sorrows will be wiped away (Revelation 21:4). Meanwhile, here on this side of Eternity, it is not abnormal or unnatural to shed tears of joy or tears of sorrow moved by a heart filled with compassion, just as Jesus did.

Lord, thank you for the blessed tears of gratefulness and thankfulness and for the compassionate tears combined with constant prayer for all who are hurting and all who are lost. Thank you for inspiring each of us to do what we can to share the good news of Salvation by Grace and of the Rapture, which is our Blessed Hope. Thank you for your promise to us of spending Eternity in your Holy presence, with new incorruptible bodies that never age or get sick or are tempted by sin.

Our Heavenly Father sometimes gives us a glimpse of how much He loves us all, and the heavenly tears that flow when this happens are the most beautiful tears of pure wonder.

We watch with joyous anticipation for our Blessed Hope, and yet we wait with great patience for our Lord to save every last possible soul that will hear His call and be saved.

Anyone who has read these words and has not turned to Jesus as Lord and Savior, please do so today. If you believe in and trust in Him and allow Him to begin a good work in you, He will be faithful to complete it. Jesus will save you, wash away your every last sin, give you the gift of salvation and eternal life, and be your best friend starting today and lasting for all Eternity.

All praise, honor, and glory to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the spirit of awe and gratefulness.

Your friend in Him who has Risen, King Jesus, King of Kings,

Rick Segoine

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Please feel free to visit ricksegoine.net for free downloads of my book From God to Eternity or to order a paperback copy, as well as downloads of original gospel songs and story songs also free of cost.