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Light of the World, Chapter Sixteen, From Tent to Temple

July 20, 2026 / / 0 Comments

According to Mark’s account of the life and message of Jesus, His ministry began with the announcement of Good News from God. This Good News was that the time was fulfilled, and that the kingdom of God was at hand. His call to the Galileans and to all Israel was for them to repent and believe His message of Good News. (Mark 1:14-15)

What were these expectations? Exactly what expectations were about to be fulfilled?

In previous chapters I have attempted to emphasize the importance of understanding the history that led up to the events surrounding the appearance of Jesus to His people. In our modern day, people seem to struggle to even understand our need for a Savior like Jesus. So often they hope that science or philosophy or political change can help us. And sometimes it does!

The Bible, however reveals that our real and deepest need is to return to a pure relationship with our Creator, God and Father who loves us. We too often go our own way, forgetting about Him and the true abundant life that flows from Him. So we search for substitutes that often just create more confusion and misery.

From the early chapters in Genesis, the story began to unfold of how that pure relationship with God would be restored unto us. God called Abram out of his country to start a new life, a new family, a new culture based upon trust in Him. God promised to prosper Abram with the land of Canaan and that through him and his son, all of the families of the earth would be blessed (Genesis 12:1-4). This is the Gospel, the Good News of the Kingdom of God in one of its earliest forms. (Galatians 3:8). This plan might be easy to miss in a study of the bible, but the thread of restoration runs throughout its pages.

When God established His covenant with Abram, He changed his name to Abraham, which means “father of many nations.” (Genesis 17:5) In his old age, he fathered Isaac, whom he was willing to offer to God as a sacrifice. Isaac would be spared, showing how God Himself would provide that very sacrifice 2,000 years later! (Genesis 22:8, John 3:16).

Abraham’s grandson Jacob would soon become the focus of the story. He would eventually face a crisis that led him to meeting his grandfather’s God for himself. In this crisis he had a dream where he saw a place where heaven and the earth were joined. Then God renewed His covenant with Jacob and restated His promise to give him Canaan, and to bless all the families of the earth through his descendants. (Genesis 28:12-19) Jacob recognized the place where he heard the Voice of the LORD and named that place Bethel, which means “House of God.” This began a pattern of acknowledging “sacred space and time” that continued with Moses, who met God at the burning bush near mount Sinai. The descendants of Jacob had been held as slaves for over 400 years, and here Moses was called to deliver them. After he led them out of Egypt, Moses was instructed by God to build for Him a place where He could regularly meet with His people. (Exodus 25:22)

The Tabernacle in the Wilderness was a fascinating environment that is described in great detail in Exodus chapters 25-27. It was designed to be portable for their 40 year journey to their promised inheritance. This is a wonderful study in itself. The important thing is that the God of Israel, whose Name is I AM, was reaching out to meet with humanity. He provided a way for sinful humans to approach Him, to worship Him and to learn of His ways.

Several generations passed before a permanent temple was built in Jerusalem. Gone was the tent which was taken down and moved by the priestly tribe of Levites to the next encampment. After their first king Saul was replaced by David, Solomon took the throne, and built this beautiful structure. On the day the temple was dedicated, the glory of the Lord filled the house. The priests could no longer stand for the cloud of His Presence was so strong! Heaven had come to earth again! Yet even Solomon knew that this building could not contain an infinite God (1 Kings 8:26-28, 2 Chronicles 2:5-6). It could only represent God’s great interest and love for us.

David also remarked that God was everywhere present, and the Lord through Jeremiah declared the same. (Psalm 139:6-12, Jeremiah 23:23-24) Yet, God understands that we are beings who live in a three dimensional world. We need His help in comprehending Him. He has at times revealed Himself in extraordinary signs and miracles, but He has established His teachings as the normal way of meeting, learning about and knowing Him.

Think about it! In John’s gospel, Jesus, the Son of God is synonymous with The Word of God (John 1:1,14). The Eternal Word of God that spoke the universe into existence, took up residence in a human body, born of a virgin, Jesus of Nazareth! This is a great mystery! Yet those who have been confronted with the reality that Jesus is God’s revelation of Himself to humanity cannot deny it! Jesus Himself claimed that to see Him was to see the Heavenly Father (John 14:9). Paul declared that Jesus is the very image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15-16). The writer of the letter to the Hebrews states that “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being” (Hebrews 1:3 NIV).

God the Father communicates to us all through His Word which was and is fully revealed in Jesus! The Tabernacle in the wilderness and the temple in Jerusalem represented what Jesus would later become for us. He was the sacrifice on the alter. He was the Bread of Life that was laid out on the table. He was the Light of the World in the Golden Candlestick. He was our intercessor in the Golden Alter of Incense. Most of all, He became the Ark of the Covenant that radiated the glory and divine presence of heaven on earth!

Earlier we mentioned the experience of Jacob, when he saw in a dream the ladder reaching up to heaven, with angels of God ascending and descending on it (Genesis 28:12). In John 1:51, Jesus made an interesting statement. He told the young Nathaniel that he would see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on Himself, the Son of Man. Can you see the connection? Jacob acknowledged this symbol of heaven and earth coming together as the House of God. God has been pleased to establish places on earth like Mount Sinai,  the Tabernacle in the wilderness and the Temple in Jerusalem to meet with His people. Now He has established the ultimate form of communication between Himself and humanity. This perfect, sinless life — this teacher of love and forgiveness — this most fair and righteous judge — this perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world — Jesus, is the location where heaven and earth meet!

1 Timothy 2:1-6:
“First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, in order that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony borne at the proper time.” NASB

Two thousand years ago, Jesus came to announce that the time for change had come. No longer do we seek for a physical location on earth to meet with God. Those who worship God will worship Him in Spirit and Truth where ever they are! (John 4:24). Christ Himself has come to live His life in us and through us! The Holy Spirit is transforming our hearts, and His Word is renewing our minds. Heaven and earth are reconciled in Jesus as we live and breathe and walk in Him today!

(2 Corinthians 5:17-21, Colossians 1:13-20, Ephesians 1:9-10)

 

 

 

Light Of The World, Chapter Fifteen: The Time Is Fulfilled

August 1, 2025 / / 0 Comments

Up to this point we have been looking at the history of Israel, finding important and interesting connections with Jesus and New Testament times. But you may be wondering:

What do all these old testament prophecies have to do with you and me in our daily lives? Well, already we have been emphasizing the importance of knowing we have a purpose for living. Not only do we have a purpose but also a responsibility that was given unto us by God in the beginning. Part of our problem as humans is that we do not always understand God’s plan and are too often driven by our own human desires which may or may not conflict with God’s purpose. When we aim at the wrong target we inevitably miss the mark, which is by the way the true definition of sin. Then we wonder why things go so wrong. So Jesus came up with a better way to direct our lives. He taught to “seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things (our physical needs) will be added unto you.”

In these chapters I hope to increase our “Kingdom Consciousness.” According to Jesus, this will have a practical aspect when it comes to our day to day living. If you are struggling with a destructive habit or temptation, a fresh Kingdom Consciousness could very well give you a new direction to focus upon. We can develop a new habit of “looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.” It has been my experience that seeking the Kingdom first tends to help all the pieces of the puzzle come into place. Do you want to know the will of God and His general direction for you? Do you have a more immediate need for His direction even today? I believe that seeking first His Kingdom can and will make a difference in that need as well.

The entire New Testament was of course written centuries ago, but it can be relevant today if we take the time to understand it. Stay with us on this journey and hopefully you will gradually see great value in it as many already have.

Early in Mark’s narrative of the life and message of Jesus we have this passage:

Mark 1:14-15:

Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, 15 and saying, ” The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
NASB

Previously we have shown that God has a purpose and plan for His Creation and for humanity that is being worked out in time. He used people of faith like Noah, Abraham, Moses and David to advance His plan, and used prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah and Daniel to reveal mysterious aspects of that plan which would be fulfilled in Christ. John the Baptist began to prepare the people of Israel for this time by preaching “repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near!” Then Jesus came saying that the time is fulfilled, and also that the kingdom of God was at hand.

John performed no miracles, but he did draw great numbers out to hear him preach. Could it be that they believed his claim, or at least hoped that it was true? They had for many years been under the control of the fourth kingdom in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, namely Rome. Is it likely that John had convinced them that the time had come for the God of heaven to set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed? Were they preparing for that kingdom which would crush all other kingdoms and would endure forever?

There is no mistaking the fact that Jesus claimed that this was about to happen just then. He went even further by teaching how that transfer of power would actually come! Really? What am I saying? It is difficult for us, two thousand years or more later, to comprehend the changes that were actually taking place back then. We today can easily take for granted the progress that has been made by the kingdom of God since then. We are not content of course, and rightly so. Only a fool would accept that the fullness of all the promises of God are all actually here.

Well actually some have taken this position and others the cowardly position that all that happens on this, God’s Creation, is irrelevant. To them all that really matters is in the eternal realm. If the devil controls this earth, what does it matter? We who believe have a glorious eternity in the clouds of heaven awaiting us. In this view, the kingdom of God is only an invisible, spiritual realm. There are few risks to be taken from this perspective.

This series of teachings does not support such a view. When Jesus appeared and made His announcement, great things began to happen in the material world. Certainly His emphasis was in the spiritual work that began in each individual heart. However every change of heart that He inspired brought physical changes and physical actions. The reign of Christ begins in the heart, which in turn transforms the mind and body. If the mind and body is not affected, we only can have what James in his letter exposes as a dead faith.

Jesus Christ came and established a new order, a new government, a new humanity. The Gospel of the Kingdom is the Good News that the penalty of our sins has been paid for by the death of Jesus on the Cross. But that is not all! His resurrection is the promise of a new life in Him. We become part of a New Creation by faith in Him! We are being changed from glory to glory, into his very image, the image of God! The Kingdom of God advances through every transformed heart, and God expects to see the fruit of that in our every day lives. (2 Corinthians 3:18)

Surely great changes have taken place in society over the past two thousand years, but I wonder if our unbelief has hindered some of these changes. We can become “so heavenly minded that we are not earthy good,” as one song writer claimed. But what if our understanding of God’s plan for His creation was greater, and our faith in His ability to work through us could grow? Could there be even more progress be made in our calling to be the “light of the world,” and “a city set on a hill that could not be hid?”

The 12 apostles of Jesus did not have a great organized plan that I can find in the New Testament. Their secret was that they had been with Jesus. They witnessed His life, His teachings, His death, resurrection, and also His ascension to the Right Hand of God over all the earth. They believed in His message that the time had come for the Kingdom of God to appear in the earth. They participated in it with their lives and their testimonies. They obeyed Him. This resulted in their being empowered by the Holy Spirit to bear witness to His Lordship — His reign in the earth.

Some would say that the age of miracles has passed. It certainly has passed for them. They assert that the miracles were mainly for the purpose of affirming the truth of the message, that Jesus died and rose again, and now sits at the right hand of the throne of God. This is certainly true. (Hebrews 2:1-4) They further assert that the written Word that has been preserved for us in the New Testament has eliminated the need for miracles and supernatural signs. As should be more than evident in these writings, I thank God for the Written Word of God as found in the bible. In fact, the existence of the bible is a miracle in itself. The very fact that the study and preaching of the bible has changed my life and many others actually proves that miracles are for today! At the same time, we are living in a day where confusion about the truth is greatly increasing.

God is still in the business of giving witness to the resurrection of Jesus through His people. Based on what is found in the scripture, I believe we should to expect to see even more of the power of God in His church in the days to come. While we do not need more circus side show demonstrations in great auditoriums and on the television, we do need more faithful people living supernatural lives. A clear vision of Christ in His Church, and His ever-increasing Kingdom can strengthen the faith of many for the amazing times that are ahead of us!

 

 

Light Of The World, Chapter Fourteen: The Promised Peace

September 22, 2023 / / 0 Comments

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My generation came after the end of world war 2 and during the end of the US involvement in the Korean Conflict. After Korea there was generally a time of peace and prosperity in America. We had emerged from this period as a major world power. Later when the government began sending our young men to fight in Vietnam, many in our generation did not see our involvement there as justified. By the late 60’s antiwar protests began along with the equal rights movement.

As a teenager I was impacted by the hippie movement that spread from California to my area in the Midwest. Peace, Love and Freedom were major themes of that time in the hearts and minds of many of us. Songs were written and played on the radio about “A New World Coming.” The Beatles sang on the first world-wide satellite broadcast, “All You Need Is Love.” The time was ripe to question the value of killing one another with the ever increasing effectiveness of modern technology. This was not the first time in history when people became sick of war, but this movement definitely gained greater momentum than those before it.

Sixty years later the dream of a new world full of peace, joy and love has been all but forgotten. Conflict persists among nations, races, cultures, religions, neighborhoods and families. War did not seem to make sense in the 60’s and it still does not make sense today. How can the human race continue to fight in its inherent inclination for self interest but not see that this tendency actually leads to its own self destruction?

Can peace loving people do anything to change this situation?

Well, in my opinion the first thing we must do is to reject the despair that creeps in as we consider these issues. Our God is a god of hope, not despair. (Romans 15:13) In the preceding chapters we have looked at the amazing and important connections between the Hebrew bible, which Christians call the Old Testament, and our New Testament. The Old Testament tells the story of the children of Abraham, who settled in a land to be called Israel. It also tells of the future of the entire world, and how the nations who did not descend from Abraham in a physical sense will later be connected to this same family. This will come about by the life, the ministry, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, a native of that land.

You may have heard of the greeting used by Jewish people even today. I was told as a boy that “shalom” meant both “hello” and “goodbye” in Hebrew. It is used in a similar way that we say “hello” and “goodbye” today, but the word in Hebrew is literally “peace.” “Shalom” is a way of pronouncing a blessing of health, happiness, safety, prosperity and peace to a friend in both meeting and parting. It is about much more than just the absence of war. It harkens back to the time before sin entered into the world, before paradise was lost. In the garden, Adam and Eve were at peace with God, with one another and with nature. There was no death, no disease, no war.

Outside of the garden, it was only a matter of time until war broke out. Their first born son killed his own brother, and violence continued to increase from that point forward. In the New Testament letter from James, he asks this question:

James 4:1-3
4:1 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
NIV

The peace that God promises is one that includes health, happiness, safety and prosperity, but it is a peace that first must begin in the heart. The real source of war is in our struggles for things other than God Himself. Only He can satisfy our most basic needs. Our separation from Him and our resistance to Him will always result in discontent. The Beatles were right when they said all you need is love. Sadly, this knowledge did not save them from the conflict that broke them up. Jesus Christ came to repair the breach between God and humanity. He accomplished this by absorbing all of our sins and putting an end to them on the Cross. Those who trust in His sacrifice for us and trust Him with our lives can take part in that promised peace. Being reconciled to God they also gain the capacity to love in a way that is beyond normal, selfish human love.

The enemy who started the trouble long ago was defeated by Christ on the Cross. Unfortunately he does not seem to realize this and sometimes we do not realize it as well. He continues to mislead people into doubting God and His love for us. He manages to pit us against one another instead of facing our own inner failures. When we do see our own failures he tries to press us into despair instead of trusting in God to heal us and empower us toward victory.

God has provided for us a full suit of armor that we absolutely must utilize in Christ’s victory. We must be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might! We must stand in the Truth, covered with His righteousness, walking in the Good News of peace with God, protected by the shield of faith and the helmet of salvation, holding in hand the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Finally it is prayer in the Spirit for one another that holds us together and strong! (Ephesians 6:10-19)

In this current age, many seek to gain peace through compromise. This could be due to a sense of insecurity. With God on our side and within us we are secure. We have nothing to prove and no one to please but Him. His love is one that keeps us in the midst of misunderstanding and disagreement. He loved us when we were His enemies, and He challenges us to love our enemies! How can this be? It is impossible for us, but all things are possible with God!

Jesus gave us a peace that the world could never give. Now He wants to make of us peacemakers, who will be identified as the very children of God! The Peace on earth that was announced at the birth of Jesus begins in us, but it does not end there! In these writings I hope to inspire to you a great vision and a great hope based on the Word of God! Will you participate in it?

Micah 4:3-4:
3 He will judge between many peoples
and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide.
They will beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
nor will they train for war anymore.
4 Every man will sit under his own vine
and under his own fig tree,
and no one will make them afraid,
for the LORD Almighty has spoken.
NIV

A vision of this time that lays ahead of us can and should embolden us in His purpose for us. We are designed by God to be the makers of peace and the light of the world. (Matthew 5:9, 14) Will we answer the call? Will we give ourselves to it?

Paul wrote about this mission in his letter to the Philippians chapter 2, verses 12-16.

12 So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. 14 Do all things without grumbling or disputing; 15 that you may prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, 16 holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may have cause to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain.
NASB

Amen!

 

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