The Mercy Seat

The Mercy Seat

We have been dealing with the teaching of the New Testament as to the significance of the tabernacle in the Old Testament. As a matter of fact, as I’ve been teaching myself I’ve come to realize more clearly than ever before that the tabernacle is a pattern of things in heaven. Under the Old Covenant they only had the pattern, the example, the shadow. Under the New Covenant we have the reality. But otherwise, they’re directly related. The writer of Hebrews says under the Old Covenant the way into the holiest was not yet made plain. Then he says in the New Covenant we have boldness to enter into the holiest. So this is something real. It’s not metaphorical, it’s not abstract; it’s experiential. We have the right to enter into the holiest. The holiest is absolutely real. It’s not just an old custom and figure. The Old Testament was the figure. The New Testament, we have the reality. But, the Old Testament is like a man: it shows us the ground plan, it shows us the way.

We studied the tabernacle as a triune building or a triune edifice or construction. The outer court, the holy place, the holy of holies. We’ve compared this to the nature of man: spirit, soul and body. Our destination is there. We start here at the outer gates, the east, with its four pillars which we have likened to the four gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John; the four aspects of Christ’s person and nature: the lion, the servant, the man, the eagle the Son of God.

The first thing we come to is the great altar of brass with the blood sacrifice, four sides typifying the cross in four aspects. The first side, the forgiveness of past sins; the second side, the dealing with sin as a spiritual power, putting away sin; the third side, the execution of the old man, the death of the rebel; the fourth side, the presentation of ourselves as a burnt offering to the Lord, total surrender.

We go on from the brazen altar to the brazen laver which was made of brass taken from the looking glasses of the Israelite women typifying the place of the word of God. First of all as a mirror showing us our true inner nature. In brass, the means of our judgment of ourselves. “If we would judge ourselves we would not be judged of God.” And the water, the cleansing, sanctifying operation of God’s word. Both are essential. We sum these up in 1John 5:6, Jesus came by water and by blood. Not by water only but by water and by blood. It is the Spirit that bears witness. When we come to this area we have the witness of the Spirit to the blood shed on the cross, to the water of the word. Jesus is the redeemer who died in our place on the cross, shed his blood. He’s the teacher who cleanses and sanctifies those whom he has redeemed. Ephesians 5, “that he might cleanse and sanctify the church with the washing of water by the word that he might present it to himself a glorious church.” It is very clear that we are to be in that company which is to be presented to Jesus as the glorious church. We must be cleansed and sanctified with the washing of water by the word. To be redeemed by the blood is essential but not sufficient.

We go on from here into the holy place, the first of the two inner areas through the five pillars which I’ve likened to the five ministries of Jesus: apostle, prophet, evangelist, shepherd, teacher, which are the ministries that operate within this area.

We have the three patterns of the shewbread representing the will set out before God, ground, molded, baked, displayed, sanctified, protected and ordered. That’s your will. You can do well to ponder over that, we’ll not go into it now.

The candlestick, the source of light: your intellect. You must be renewed in the spirit of your mind. The old worldly ways and thoughts must be purged away. The pure oil of the Holy Spirit must come in in his seven fold manifestation. Being kindled with the fire of dedication, it illuminates your inner being.

When your will and your intellect have been brought into line, you move on to the golden altar of incense which typifies your emotions. They must be purified, controlled, directed, offered up to God in dedication and worship as a sweet savor.

And at this point we come to the dividing line between the holy place of the soul, the holy of holies of the Spirit. The transition is made by the blood from the sacrifice and the incense from the altar. We go in through the blood of the cross with the incense of adoration, praise and worship. There is no other way in through the veil. Those that do not know how to worship have no access beyond the holy place. We come here where there are two items of furniture, the ark that typifies Christ and the mercy seat that typifies the atonement of Christ but also the throne of God.

In the ark there were the two tables of stone with the Ten Commandments, the golden pot with manna and Aaron’s rod that budded. The tables of stone typifying God’s eternal unchanging law to which we bow in worship and submission as we enter. The golden pot of manna signifying our fellowship, feeding upon Christ in the heart. “He that eateth me shall live by me,” Jesus said.

Let me point out—which I didn’t say—that the three entrances typify the three aspects of Jesus: the way, the truth and the life. Here he is the life. Christ is our life. What a wonderful statement that is in Colossians 3. “Ye are dead, and your life is his with Christ in God.” When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then the pot of manna will be taken out of the ark. It won’t be the hidden secret communion but the open revelation of Christ. “When Christ who is our life shall appear [be seen], then shall ye also appear with him in glory.”

The third thing in the ark is Aaron’s rod, a type of authority that comes by divine revelation and attestation setting apart Aaron as the appointed priest. So the three activities of the Spirit in relationship to God in the holy of holies are worship, fellowship and revelation. Revelation comes by the route of worship and fellowship. Beware of revelation that does not come through worship and fellowship.

Now, we’ve dealt with the ark. Let’s look at the mercy seat for a moment, that which covered the ark. Praise God there was a crown around the top of the ark, too. And that crown was to keep the mercy seat in place. So, the mercy seat could never get jolted off the ark. Whence you’re in the ark, you’re under the mercy of Almighty God. There’s no other place of mercy but in the ark. The ark is Christ. Outside of Christ: no mercy, no acceptance, no life. But there’s a crown that always keeps the mercy seat on top of the ark. So if you’re in the ark, you’re under the mercy.

Romans 3:24–25 uses the Greek word for mercy seat though it isn’t translated that way in the King James.

“Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom God has set forth to be a propitiation [the Greek word is a mercy seat] through faith in his blood...”

So, Christ’s atonement is the mercy seat, the place that covers the broken law, the tables of stone that all of us have been unable to accept and keep. We approach to the mercy seat.

Now, the mercy seat becomes God’s throne. Hebrews 4:16 says we can come boldly to the throne of grace because God sits on the mercy seat, on Christ’s atoning work that covered the broken law.

Then the cherubims, one at each end, their face is inward toward the mercy seat with their wings bowed forward to touch exactly over the middle of the mercy seat represent the place where God reveals his glory. Again we have the same three activities. Worship, fellowship, revelation. The bowed wings of the cherubim are worship. See, position of the body. Their faces toward one another are fellowship, face to face. Then God said where the wings meet and the faces meet, I’ll reveal my glory. We should look, I think, at that scripture there. Exodus 25:22. We’ll read from verse 20 and then I think you’ll get the beautiful picture. Exodus 25, beginning at verse 20:

“The cherubims [that’s really incorrect because “im” is the plural anyhow] shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubim be.”

That’s fellowship in God. See, our faces toward one another and toward the mercy seat.

“And thou shall put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony [that’s the two tables of stone] that I shall give thee: and there [where’s that? Over the mercy seat.] I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.”

There is the place of revelation. So, we get in this picture of the holy of holies the three activities twice. Worship, fellowship, revelation.

Here Christ sits as a king and a priest upon his throne. Let’s look back at Zechariah 6:11–13. This is an Old Testament type and it centers around the man named Joshua who was the high priest at that time. And Joshua is a type of Jesus the great high priest. In fact, the name Joshua is the same as the name Jesus—you’re probably aware of that—in Hebrew. So, beginning at verse 11 and going on:

“Then take silver and gold, and make crowns, and set them upon the head of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest...”

So Joshua did not just wear a crown, he wore crowns. And in Revelation 19, when Jesus appears in glory there’s upon his head many crowns, diadems. Not the laurel wreaths of the victor but the diadem of the monarch. So here he’s typified as king of kings and Lord of lords with the many golden crowns upon his head.

“Take silver and gold, and make crowns, and set them upon the head of Joshua [that’s Jesus] the son of Josedech, the high priest; and speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Behold the man...”

Notice first and foremost he’s presented to us as a man, a human being. That’s the acacia wood of the ark.

“...whose name is The BRANCH [the title of the Messiah]; and he shall grow up out of his place [as a root out of a dry ground, Isaiah 53:1], and he shall build the temple of the Lord. [Now he’s the builder of God’s temple, the church.] Even he shall build the temple of the Lord; and he shall bear the glory...”

The full glory of the Lord shall rest upon him. In John 17:

“The glory which God gavest me I have given them.”

None of us can take that glory individually but the whole body of Christ united will bear the full glory. What he can bear individually, his body can bear collectively. But now, first and foremost, the glory is placed upon him: the king, high priest upon his throne.

“He shall bear the glory and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne [this is the high priesthood after the order of Melchizedek, king and priest in the one person]; and the counsel of peace [perfect harmony] shall be between them both [the Father and the Son].”

So there is the prophetic picture of Christ in the holy of holies. That’s where we approach, that’s our destination, that’s the direction in which God has set our faces. I believe it requires a decision on our part to move in.

Now we have altogether, as I pointed out to you, seven ministries. The body building ministries are in this area of revealed truth. Here are the five pillars: apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, teachers. But when you get in here there’s two ministries that are very little spoken of today—I think you’ll agree—the priest and the king. I believe myself, but God has told us it’s time to move in and take our rights in Christ. God wants us to enter into and share with Jesus every one of these ministries.

I was thrilled a few years ago when I began to see the truth about apostles and prophets. That’s nothing to the thrill which I feel today when I begin to see the truth about kings and priests. I do believe there’s an order, we’ve got to go that way. If you don’t come into the body building I doubt whether you’ll ever come into the priest and king ministry. You see, God wants to share all these ministries with us.

Let’s look at the body building ministries first. Romans 5:17:

“For if by one man’s offense death reigned by one [who’s the one man’s offense? Adam.]; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign [by the last Adam who is] Jesus Christ [and reign where?] in life.”

You believe that means in the next life? I believe it means in this life. But, I believe you’ve got to be in there to be able to reign in life.

Let’s look at the comparisons. 1Corinthians 3:9–10, we have the body building ministries shared by the ministers of Christ.

“For we are laborers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry [that’s tillage, farm], ye are God’s building. [Who’s ye? It’s the church, it’s God’s building.] According to the grace of God which is given to me [as an apostle] as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation...”

So Paul says we are builders together with God, of God’s building the temple which is the church. We share in this. He gave some, apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, teachers. But there’s a higher level.

Now let’s move on to 1Peter 2:9. Speaking to believers:

“Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people...”

Various different phrases are used but look at the phrase “a royal priesthood.” What’s royal refer to? Kings. So we are a kingdom of priests. We’re kingly priests. What order is that? Melchizedek, who was priest of the most high God, king of righteousness, king of Salem.

Then look on in Revelation 1:5, the second part and going into verse 6:

“Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his blood, and has made us kings and priests unto God and his Father...”

I think the modern translations will say a kingdom of priests, is that right? And then again, Revelation 5:10:

“And thou has made us unto our God kings and priests...”

Or a kingdom and priests, or a kingdom of priests.

“...and we shall reign on the earth.”

I think the Lord made it very clear to me that if you want to be a king, you’ve got to be a priest. It’s a kingdom of priests. The people who qualify for the kingdom are priests. Everybody would like to reign but how many would like to minister as priest? The qualification for reigning is learning to be a priest. When you can serve as a priest you can begin to reign.

Let’s face it, there’s lots of statements in the scripture we say amen to but they don’t work out in our lives. Isn’t that right? We’ve been raised up together and made to sit together with him in the heavenlies. Well, we say amen. But is it theoretical or experiential? We’re kings and priests but are we really living like kings? Let’s be honest. In many cases the answer is no. I really believe God showed me nobody can reign like a king who won’t serve as a priest. It’s a kingdom of priests. If you want to be in here, the holy of holies, the two ministries are priest and king. That’s what God has been aiming at, what he offered Israel. They passed it by. He said, “I’ve brought you unto myself on eagle’s wings to be unto me a kingdom of priests.” Exodus 19:6, they would rather choose the tables of stone. They said, “No, we’ll do it ourselves. We’ll go for the laws.”

See, the great tragedy of God’s heart is he’s always tried to bring his people to himself and they’ve always wanted something more than God. The blessing, the power, the Promised Land, the ministry. God says, “I’m the end, here’s where it ends. In here. There’s nothing in here to seek but me.” That’s why many people never come in, because they want something, not God.

I believe the life inside the ark must precede or go before the life upon the throne. It’s the hidden life in the ark that gives you access to the throne. There’s got to be the inner life of worship, bowing before the eternal law. How can you have a lawless person on the throne of God? It’s ruled out. If you don’t submit in prostration before that law of God, you have no access. You’ve got to learn to feed upon the hidden manna. You’ve got to have the rod that buds supernaturally with divine revelation.

See, the thing about the rod was it went through all its phases in one period. It was bud, blossom and fruit. I believe this is true about divine revelation. When God shows you something, the time element isn’t there. God knows the end from the beginning. See, if you will accept it, when God showed me this in my mind, not by a vision, he showed me the whole thing as one finished process. I saw every stage of it at the same time. That is spiritual revelation. When we come into the ark we can step up on the mercy seat and sit on the throne. But if you don’t go that way you’ll never be a king and a priest upon the throne. Jesus wants to share his throne with you but there’s an appointed way step by step by step. I don’t believe you can bypass any of these stages. The way into the holiest, there’s only one way and that’s it. It’s like a map, it’s sketched out so plain that an intelligent child of ten can easily understand once God opens it up.

Now let me seal this teaching about the life within the ark before the life on the throne about suffering. 2Timothy 2:11–12:

“It is a faithful saying [you can trust it]: For as we are dead in him, we shall also live with him...”

But if we’re not willing to die with him we cannot share his life.

“...and if we suffer, [what will we do?] we will reign...”

But if we don’t suffer we cannot reign.

Now I want to say something more about suffering. For years I disliked teaching on suffering. It wasn’t because I was totally unwilling to suffer but because I didn’t understand a distinction. I saw a lot of Christians doing silly things and using religious language and suffering and it didn’t appeal to me. I didn’t want to be like them and I still don’t want to be like them. I want to point out to you there’s two totally different kinds of suffering and most Christians are suffering the wrong kind of suffering. Look in 1Peter 4:1–2. This is a remarkable statement. Its depths go beyond my power to expound.

“Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind...”

You’re going to have to suffer in the flesh. Put on the armor. Be prepared. Don’t let it come as a shock.

“...for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin...”

Isn’t that an astonishing statement! I’m not sure that I can fully expound it but I’ll tell you, suffering in the flesh, I don’t mean it means necessarily lashes across your back. It might. It could come to that. But, I think it means the continual denial of that carnal nature in me that’s going to assert itself every way it can and has got to be put to death, in a sense, by stages. Now I know it’s done on the cross. I fully acknowledge that, I preach that about as clearly as anybody I know. It’s done on the cross but it’s got to be worked out in you and me. You come to the end of one problem with the old man and say, “There you are, it’s dead.” And a completely different problem emerges. You wrestle with that one and it’s agonizing.

Let’s say you’re a spiritual woman married to an unspiritual man. You’ve got every temptation to tell him all about it, tell him how to do it, push him around. You can do it. But you know that it isn’t scriptural. So you decide you won’t and sure enough, he does the wrong thing. You get over that one and he does the wrong thing again. There’s something inside you boiling, bursting. That’s suffering. If you’re doing that in obedience to the word of God, it’s doing you good. When you’ve suffered long enough you’ll be dead! Glory to God!

I mean, I know areas in me that have died. Ten years ago they were very much alive. Today you could do anything. That particular thing wouldn’t get any reaction from me. See, what it means to be dead to sin is this, this is my definition and I’ve got it in one of my books. Sin has no more attraction for you. Sin produces no more reaction from you. Sin has no more control over you. Every one of those statements is true about a dead man. He doesn’t react to anything. As long as you’re reacting, you may be under control but you’re not dead. But if you go on long enough you’ll end up dead—in that area—and then say, “Praise the Lord, it’s done.” God says, “We move on to the next area. What about your children? When they provoke you, when they do the things you don’t want them to do?” You manage your husband, you’ve surmounted that problem. Now we’ll take the children.”

And basically, I think you’ll agree with me. God usually deals with us most severely through the people closest to us. That’s the way he can really put the screw on. I mean, I can back off from somebody at a distance but when it’s my wife, that’s on my doorstep. Or when it’s my husband, that’s on your doorstep. I don’t claim to be able to interpret that passage completely, I’ve puzzled it over in my mind for years. “He that hath suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin.” But I think there does come a time when there’s just no more reaction. You’re dead, you’ve ceased. There’s no tendency to sin there in that respect any longer.

Now that’s the kind of suffering we have to go through. Everybody has to go through it. Jesus went through it, I’ll show you that in a moment. It’s the denial of the ego. It’s the denial of the carnal nature. It’s the denial of anything that’s opposed to the will of God. Verse 2 is beautiful. When you’ve been through verse 1 and said ouch, go on to verse 2:

“That he should on longer live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lust of men, but to the will of God.”

Do you want to live in the flesh to the lust of men or do you want to live to the will of God? Well, you’ve got to go through this process. Arm yourself with that mind. Don’t let it come as a shock. You’re going to suffer. I don’t mean people are going to pick up stones and throw them at you. I mean you’re going to have to deal with something inside you which hurts.

But then let’s look on in 1Peter 4:15–16:

“But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as an evildoer...”

Isn’t that remarkable when that’s written to Christians? Must have been Charismatics! Well, they were. All the early Christians were Charismatics.

“...or as a busybody in other men’s matters.”

You see, there’s all sorts of suffering which doesn’t do you any good. If you suffer as a murderer or a thief, that’s not redemptive, that doesn’t change you into the likeness of Christ.

Most of you are not likely to suffer as a literal murderer though the Bible says he that hateth his brother in his heart is a murderer already. And a lot of people suffer for that. But that’s not redemptive. You can hate somebody for years and years and suffer agonies, it’s not doing you any good. It’s not redemptive suffering. Don’t deceive yourself and say after I’ve suffered long enough it will be all right. It won’t. What you need is not to go on suffering, you need to repent.

But if you ask me the real problem that most of you are likely to face, it’s suffering as a busybody. You may be shocked at that statement but most religious people are liable to be busybodies. Let none of you suffer as a busybody. If your nose is too long, a little piece may get snipped off! That will be suffering but it won’t be redemptive suffering. It’ll do you no good.

What’s the kind of suffering that is redemptive? I’ll show you. It’s Hebrews 5:8–9. I’ve been in this way over 30 years, my wife has been in it 40. Listen to us a little bit because there aren’t any new mistakes. And why should you make all the same mistakes all over again? There’s no progress made by making all the same mistakes again. Hebrews 5:8–9, talking about Jesus:

“Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered...”

What’s the key word? Obedience. If you suffer in obedience, that will conform you to the image of Christ. But if you’re suffering as the result of disobedience, don’t kid yourself it’s going to do you any good—except maybe stop you being disobedient is all it could do. That’s the negative result, you may get tired of disobedience. The suffering that’s redemptive, the suffering that we’ve got to go through to reign with him is the suffering that comes from obedience. He learned obedience by the things which he suffered. He learned what it was to obey by suffering as a result of obeying. If you obey, you will suffer. You’ll be a partaker of the sufferings of Christ.

I could not understand that statement by the apostle Paul. I mean, I read it and I believed it was in the Bible. Philippians 3:10:

“That I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings...”

Can you really say you want that? I was honest with myself. “Lord,” I said, “I haven’t got to the place where I can say amen for that one and I won’t try to be religious and say what I don’t mean.” But I’m beginning to because I’ve begun to see it in a totally different light. You see, I’ve seen religious people suffer, and they’re unattractive. Very. But the sufferings of Jesus didn’t make him unattractive. There was a beauty in him. Why? Because it was the result of submission to the will of the Father and obedience. Don’t go out and indulge yourself and be proud and stubborn and disobedient and then say “I’m suffering and it’s doing me good.” It won’t do you any good at all. None whatever unless it stops you being disobedient. It’s the suffering that comes from obedience.

Listen, don’t call your sickness your cross. Do you mind my saying that? A cross is something that can be taken up or put down. You don’t have to carry your cross. Jesus said, “If you want to follow me, then you can take it up.” Your husband isn’t your cross because you can’t take him up and put him down. You might laugh, I’ve met many women that told me their husband was their cross. If I were somebody’s cross, I’d be cross, believe me! If my wife had that attitude toward me it wouldn’t make for a harmonious marriage.

Now, if you’ll turn to Leviticus 23 there are seven feasts of Jehovah, or the Lord, ordained under the Mosaic covenant. They all have tremendous significance for us as Christians. I’ll go through them very quickly. The Passover which was immediately followed by the seven day feast of Unleavened Bread [which is still observed by the Jews today.] The first fruit, the waving before the Lord by the priest of the first stalk of corn that grew up and had completed ears in it. Then Pentecost. Pentecost means fifty. Pentecost followed fifty days after this one, that’s why it’s called Pentecost. It’s also called the feast of the wheat harvest. Then we get to the seventh month and there are three feasts in the seventh month. The first day of the seventh month there’s a feast called the blowing of trumpets. On the tenth day of the seventh month there’s the feast called the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur which is the Hebrew for the day of atonement which is what the Jews still call it today. And then the last of all the feasts, on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, the feast of tabernacles, or booths. So called because every Israelite was supposed to go out and make a kind of tent of tree branches and live under it seven days.

Now, in Exodus 23 God said there are three feasts every year for which every male must come up to Jerusalem. That’s the feast of unleavened bread, the feast of Pentecost and the feast of tabernacles. That immediately throws particular emphasis on the feast of tabernacles.

Now, turning to the New Testament we find that some of these feasts are historically fulfilled in Christ. 1Corinthians 5:7 says:

“...Christ our passover has been sacrificed for us...”

And then it says:

“...therefore let us keep the feast of unleavened bread...”

So the death of Jesus on the cross exactly fulfilled the passover. What I want to emphasize is it was not approximate, it was to a day and an hour that the fulfillment in the New Covenant came of Old Covenant truth in the type of the feast.

Then when Jesus rose from the dead he became the first fruit. Now it’s Christ risen from the dead and become the first fruit. The first stalk of corn to grow up out of the earth after the seed had been buried, that’s a type of Jesus. He resurrected the day after the sabbath—which is in line with this—and then they were to count seven sabbaths and the next day which would be a Sunday on our calendar, fifty days, Pentecost. Now Pentecost, as you know, as the word indicates to us, was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came. Again, it was not fulfilled approximately, it was fulfilled to a day and an hour. When the day of Pentecost was fully come, at the third hour of the day. Okay? 9:00 o’clock in the morning.

Now, there’s a kind of interval and the climax all comes in the seventh month which basically is the harvest month. By our calendar, Passover falls approximately in March. The Day of Atonement usually comes in September. So you’ve got a span of approximately seven months from March to September. The rest of the year is blank as far as the feasts are concerned. So, the first day of the seventh month is the feast of blowing of trumpets. Blowing of trumpets means stirring, activity, proclamation, warning, preaching, something’s going to happen, get ready.

Then the tenth day of the first month is the only day on which anybody ever entered into the holy of holies under the Old Covenant. The Day of Atonement, the high priest went for one short period with the blood of the sacrifice from the brazen altar with the censer full of incense from the golden altar, he went in long enough to sprinkle the blood seven times on the mercy seat, seven times before the mercy seat. Having done that he hurried out because if he tarried there he would die. And he had on the bottom of his long beautiful, blue robe bells and pomegranates. And as he moved around inside the holy of holies, the bells tinkled. And I’ll tell you, the Israelites listened for those bells because they told the Israelites that their high priest was still alive. If he died, they had not been accepted. Then their sacrifice was ineffective, they were not reconciled to God, their sins were not covered.

Well, let’s just take the type of that, it’s too beautiful to miss over. Jesus with his heavenly blue robe as our heavenly high priest entered in. And praise God, did you hear the bells tinkling? He isn’t dead. Hallelujah. How many of you know he’s still alive? You heard the bells tinkle. Do you know what the tinkling of the bells means? It means our high priest has been accepted there for us. So it’s all right, the covenant is sealed, God has accepted it. If the priest died, it was the rejection not just of the high priest but the whole nation and their sacrifices and their whole religious system.

Now what I’m saying is this: The only time that anybody ever got into the holy of holies was on the Day of Atonement. Then, almost immediately afterwards came the Feast of Tabernacles. There are things I don’t understand and I appreciate the training of the Baptist preachers: don’t preach opinions, preach facts. That’s a pretty good principle. But I’m going to go just a little beyond fact and leave you to form your own opinion. The Feast of Tabernacles is the third feast for which every male had to go up, it was obligatory. Each of the other two feasts has been fulfilled to a day and an hour exactly. I mean, no speculation, no if’s or but’s. Something inside me convinces me that this feast must be fulfilled likewise to a day and to an hour. It is sure that this is the climax, the last of the seven feasts.

Now it’s called ingathering but it was not the process of gathering in the harvest, it was relaxation and celebration after the harvest had been gathered in, as I understand it. I believe what the Charismatic movement is doing is getting us ready for the Feast of Tabernacles. I mean, there are many, many other preachers that have had the same witness. But what I want to suggest to you is there’s a definite link up between atonement and tabernacle. Only after the holy of holies had been entered could they celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.

What I’m suggesting to you is this is true experientially. We have to move out of the holy place into the holy of holies. We’ve got to move beyond this realm and into this realm which has been available to us since Jesus rose from the dead before the age can be consummated. Something has got to happen. But I do believe, in a certain sense, I’m right on the dot on God’s calendar when I start to tell you that we’ve got to get into the holiest. I believe it’s a kind of ultimatum from God that I’m giving you today. We have been long enough outside the veil. We’ve got to move in and immediately within a short, unspecified period following, glory to God, with the penetration of the veil there’ll come the culmination of the ages.