LIFE ON EARTH

Gloria Phifer

Ps. 57:5 “Be exalted O God above the Heavens. Let Thy glory be above all the earth. “Psalm 104.

We have been experiencing how God (Elohiym) has taken this dismal earth and brought forth order and Light.

Lab footnotes: The vast galaxy we live in is spinning at the incredible speed of 490,000 miles an hour. Even at this breakneck speed our galaxy still needs 200 million years to make one rotation. God did not need to create the universe; He chose to create it. God is love and love is best expressed toward something or someone else. God created the universe because He loves us. (Gals can you believe we are spinning at this incredible speed...Wow!) Also, if we were any farther from the sun, we would freeze. If we were any closer, this earth would burn up.

The waters are in their boundaries…God named them “seas”. Dry ground has appeared and God named it “earth”.

Genesis 1:11-13. Can you smell the vegetation? See the trees loaded with fruit…flowers…color…the beginning of life. He was preparing this earth for us…mankind. What are your thoughts about these being seed bearing plants and trees with seed-bearing fruit?  (Hebrew says producing, yielding seed, to be sown.) I thought of self-sustaining…to produce more.

And God SAW that it was good. Evening passed and morning came, marking the 3^rd day. I love that God was watching His creation come into being. How satisfying. What joy!!!

Vs 14-19. When God said…”said” in Hebrew it is active and powerful…when God speaks it is explosive!!!  “Amar” “With great latitude. Challenge, command, declare, demand, desire, expressly.” I would have loved to hear God’s voice commanding everything into existence. To watch this creative process.

“Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night.  Lights “maowr” (maw-ore) a luminous body or luminary light. Cheerfulness; specifically a chandelier…bright. Break of day. Glorious, kindle, set on fire, shine.” We know our sun is a ball of fire.

Hydrogen generally determines a star's nuclear lifetime because it is used as the main source of fuel in a main sequence star. ... As an example, the Sun's nucleartime scale is approximately 10 billion years. Wikipedia

Vs. 14 what was their purpose?  The greater light ruled the day. The lesser light ruled the night.  Stars “kowkab” “in the sense of rolling. In the sense of blazing. Star…Messiah.” I thought it was interesting that Messiah was in this description.

And the evening and the morning were the 4^th day.

Vs 20—22. Now we have sound. There are fish filling the waters and birds flying, landing in the trees. Life. I love life. I love to hear the birds singing. I am amazed at the fish in the sea. A friend and I visited an Aquarian in Florida…there were fish with big Blue eyes. Also saw dolphins etc. I love the Omaha Zoo with the large fish tank. I am always amazed at the colors in God’s creation.” According to the best estimates of scientists, there are 3,500,000,000,000 (3.5 trillion) fish currently living in the ocean.”

New Study Doubles the Estimate of Bird Species in the World

https://www.amnh.org/about-the-museum/press-center/new-study-doubles-the-estimate-of-bird-species-in-the-worldNew research led by the American Museum of Natural History suggests that there are about 18,000 bird species in the world—nearly twice as many as previously thought. The work focuses on “hidden” avian diversity—birds that look similar to one another, or were thought to interbreed, but are actually different species.

And the evening and the morning were the 5^th day.

Vs. 24-25 every kind of animal. The beast of the earth. The only thing I’m not sure about it is the creepy things (lol). Oh there went a butterfly.  More life. More sounds. The lion roaring, the cattle mooing, (even the purring of my cat (J And God saw that it was good.

MANKIND vs. 26-31. To create “bara” “To create, shape, form, fashion. God created man in His Own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created he them.”  Man in Hebrew is “Adam” ( aw-dawm). A human being.  To show blood in the face. Flush or turn rosy be (dyed, made) red (ruddy).

Image “Tselem” (tseh’lem) meaning to shade. Resemblance. A representative figure. Semblance.

Male…”to record, to make a memorial, make remembrance. A male of humans.”

Female “from the sexual form. Woman.

LAB footnote: “God made both man and woman in His image. Neither man nor woman is made more in the image of God than the other. From the beginning the Bible places both man and woman at the pinnacle of God’s creation. Nether sex is exalted and neither is depreciated.” Thoughts?

And God blessed them. “To be blessed, be adored”. I loved that He blessed them and He adored them. .  

Vs. 28 God blessed them and God said unto them, “Be fruitful, and multiply and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.

LAB footnote: “To “reign over” something is to have absolute authority and control over it. God has ultimate rule over the earth and He exercises His authority with loving care. When God delegated some of His authority to the human race, He expected us to take responsibility for the environment and the other creatures that share our planet. We must not be careless and wasteful as we fulfill this charge. God was careful how He made this earth. We must not be careless about how we take care of it.”

They were given dominion.  “To tread down. To have dominion. Prevail against. Dominate, rule, subjugate. “So all dominion on this earth was given to mankind. God made him ruler over this earth. Thoughts?

There was another time when Jesus gave us the dominion over the enemy (who will soon show up in this story).  Luke 10:19 “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”

Vs. 29-31. Notice what the man and the woman were given to eat. A vegetarian diet. They did not eat meat until after the flood. Vs. 31 And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the 6^th day. So mankind was created on the 6^th day.

Gen. 1:1-3. What did God do on the 7^th day?  He blessed and sanctified (set apart as holy) the 7^th day. +

Rested “Shabath” (shaw-bath’) “To repose, desist from exertion. Celebrate, be still.” To keep the Sabbath holy is one of the 10 commandments.

Notice vs 31 “And God saw everything that He had made and behold, it was very good.”  Hebrew “towb”. “Good, beautiful, bountiful, best, cheerful, at ease, be in favor, graciously, joyful, kindness, pleasant, pleased, pleasure, prosperity, wealth, welfare, well favored. To be good, be pleasing, be joyful, be beneficial, be happy, be right.” This is how God saw and felt about everything He had created!!! Once again I am struck with the thought that God loved the experience of what He had created…He was very pleased with it. Thoughts?

1^st day….Light (so there was light and darkness)

2^nd day…sky and water (waters separated)

3^rd day…Land and seas (waters gathered): vegetation.

4^th day….Sun, moon and stars (to govern the day and the night and to mark seasons, days and years.

5^th day…fish and birds (to fill the waters and the sky)

6^th day…animals (to fill the earth.) Man and Woman (to care for the earth and to commune with God.)

7^th day…God rested and declared all He had made to be very good.

THE FIRMANENT AND EARTH

The 2^nd day.

Gloria Phifer

Genesis 1:6-8 the firmament in Hebrews “raqiya” (raw-kee-ah). “An expanse, the firmament or visible arch of the sky. Expanded surface (solid), expanse (flat at base support) firmament (of vault of heaven supporting waters above. 

 1. Considered by Hebrews as solid and supporting waters above. To make a spreading of clouds.

Amp. Bible “And God said, let there be a firmament (the expanse) and separated the waters which were under the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse. And it was so. And called the firmament Heavens. And there was evening and morning, a second day.” (2^nd day, sky and water (water separated).

Life app footnotes: The space between waters, was a separation between the sea and the mists of the skies.

Thoughts?

Living Bible “And God said, “Let the vapors separate to form the sky above and the oceans below. So God made the sky, dividing the vapor above from the water below. 

This all happened on the 2^nd day. (Living Bible footnote “literally, “let there be a dome to divide the waters.”)

Job 26:7-10. “He created the horizon when He separated the waters; He set the boundary between day and night. (Lab study Bible).

Psalm 33:7-9 “He assigned the sea its boundaries and locked the oceans in vast reservoirs.” Vs. 9” When He spoke, the world began! It appeared at His command.”

Prov. 8:28-36. “I was there when He set the clouds above, when He established springs deep in the earth, so they would not spread beyond their boundaries. And when He marked off the earth’s foundations, I was the architect at His side I was His constant delight, rejoicing always in His presence. And how happy I was with the world He created; how I rejoiced with the human family!””(Wisdom is speaking)

LAB footnotes “God says that wisdom is primary and fundamental. It is the foundation on which all life is built. Paul and John may have alluded to some of Solomon’s statements about wisdom to describe Christ’s presence at the creation of the world. Col.1:15-20, Col. 2:2, 3; Rev. 3:14. (Solomon wrote Proverbs, doesn’t give a date but was early in his rulership.)

Jeremiah 5:22 “fear you not me? Saith The Lord: will you not tremble at My presence, which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it: and though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it. “(Though the ocean and sea toss their waves and roar they cannot go over God’s limits. His command prevails!!!)

This is perhaps a better question than how much rain a cloud can hold. Scientists estimate that one inch of rain falling over an area of one square mile is equal to 17.4 million gallons of water. That much water would weigh 143 million pounds!

You'll Be Shocked at How Much the Average Cloud Weighs - Heads Up

https://headsup.boyslife.org › Science

According to scientists, the weight of the average cumulus cloud is 1.1 million pounds!

The Water Cycle: Water Storage in the Atmosphere

New!

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Water cycle

The atmosphere is full of water

The water cycle is all about storing water and moving water on, in, and above the Earth. Although the atmosphere may not be a great storehouse of water, it is the superhighway used to move water around the globe. Evaporation and transpiration change liquid water into vapor, which ascends into the atmosphere due to rising air currents. Cooler temperatures aloft allow the vapor to condense into clouds and strong winds move the clouds around the world until the water falls as precipitation to replenish the earthbound parts of the water cycle. About 90 percent of water in the atmosphere is produced by evaporation from water bodies, while the other 10 percent comes from transpiration from plants.

There is always water in the atmosphere. Clouds are, of course, the most visible manifestation of atmospheric water, but even clear air contains water—water in particles that are too small to be seen. One estimate of the volume of water in the atmosphere at any one time is about 3,100 cubic miles (mi³) or 12,900 cubic kilometers (km³). That may sound like a lot, but it is only about 0.001 percent of the total Earth's water volume of about 332,500,000 mi³ (1,385,000,000 km³), as shown in the table below. If all of the water in the atmosphere rained down at once, it would only cover the globe to a depth of 2.5 centimeters, about 1 inch.

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN:“Another way to illustrate the relative lightness of clouds is to compare the total mass of a cloud to the mass of the air in which it resides. Consider a hypothetical but typical small cloud at an altitude of 10,000 feet, comprising one cubic kilometer and having a liquid water content of 1.0 gram per cubic meter. The total mass of the cloud particles is about 1 million kilograms, which is roughly equivalent to the weight of 500 automobiles. But the total mass of the air in that same cubic kilometer is about 1 billion kilograms--1,000 times heavier than the liquid!

So, even though typical clouds do contain a lot of water, this water is spread out for miles in the form of tiny water droplets or crystals, which are so small that the effect of gravity on them is negligible. Thus, from our vantage on the ground, clouds seem to float in the sky.”

How cool to think that in the atmosphere around us right now are these small particles of water. Thoughts? Oh, the magnificence of God Almighty. The One Who gives us gravity, air and water…clouds and seas.

Genesis 1:9-10. And Elohiym said, “Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called He Seas: and God saw that it was good.”

 This is the 2^nd time that God SAW “That is was good.” The 1^st was when He saw the Light and He said “it was good.” Now He calls the dry land Earth and the water Seas and God SAW that it was good.

Said in Hebrew “To say with great latitude. Appoint, certify, challenge, charge, give command, declare, demand, desire, determine, expressly, name, promise, publish, Use Speech.”

What stands out to you? I like all of these. Especially appoint, charge, challenge, command, desire, use speech…actually I like them all (:

Together in Hebrew is “quvah” (kaw-vaw) “To bind together (perhaps by twisting) To expect, collect, gather together, to wait, look for, hope, expect. To be collected. To wait for, linger for. Thoughts?  (to gather the waters together.)

Dry in Hebrew is “yabbashah” (yab0baw-shaw) “dry ground. Ground, land. To make dry, be dry, become dry, be dried up, and be withered. To exhibit dryness.”

Appear “raah”. “To see, appear, approve, behold, consider, discern, make to enjoy, have experience, gaze, joyful, view, and visions. To see, have vision, observe. “ So God saw the water go into place and the ground appear.

We saw last week with the coming of The Light God had a wonderful experience. Now it looks like He enjoyed this experience of the earth appearing dry. Thoughts?

God called “qara” “to call out, proclaim, cry, and utter a loud sound. To call with the Name of God. To summon, invite, commission, appoint, endow, to call, name, and give name to. Be proclaimed, be read aloud, be summoned, be named, and be chosen.

Earth “eh-rets”. “Whole earth (as opposed to a part).Land, country, territory, land of the living, to be firm.” What are your thoughts?

Seas “Yam”. An unused root meaning to roar; a sea (as breaking in noisy surf or large body of water. Seaward.

When God saw His work, accomplished by His Word, He saw that it was “Good.” I love that God had enjoyed this experience of Creation.

How about you?

THE LIGHT WAS GOOD

Creation by Gloria Phifer.

Gloria Phifer

Last week we saw The Beginning…God created the heaven and the earth. The earth was without form and void and darkness covered the face of the deep. We saw, that with great energy, The Spirit of God (Eloyim) moved upon the face of the waters and God spoke…Let There Be Light!!!

Genesis 1:3-5. God declared, demanded, expressly speak, to say with great latitude, appoint “Let there be Light!!!” As we saw last week the sun and moon had not be brought forward yet.  Notice that The Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters…the darkness and then spoke “let there be light.”

2 Corinthians 4:6 “For God, Who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the Face of Jesus Christ.”

When we were in darkness God commanded the Light to shine in our hearts…that Light is The Face of Jesus Christ. I thank God that He came against the darkness and let us see The Light in the face of Jesus Christ. How great is That Light and that knowledge God has given us. He brought light into our darkness…He brought us out of darkness into His glorious Light in The Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.

 That means to be “enlightened, to see, the power of understanding, esp. moral and spiritual truth. “ What are your thoughts about being “enlightened”?

Genesis 1:4 And God saw the light that it was good…God (Elohiym). Saw in Hebrew “Raaw.” “To see, advise self, appear, approve behold, consider, to enjoy, have experience, gaze, inspect, perceive, to see. To look at each other, face.”

I thought this was so wonderful that God enjoyed and had this experience. When I saw to look each other in the face…I thought of God The Father looking into The Face of The Light, Jesus Christ. Jesus is The Light.

We saw in 2 Cor. That we received the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the Face of Jesus Christ.

Vs 4 Notice God saw the light, that it was good. Hebrew “towb” “welfare, benefit, good things, good, excellent, pleasant, sweet, beautiful, be beneficial”

What are the benefits of light? Without light nothing will continue to live.

Vs. 4 God divided the light from the darkness. “To divide, separate, distinguish, differ, select, and make difference, to divide into parts.”

Vs. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. And the evening and the morning were the 1^st day.

Light was called “Day.” Hebrew “yowm”. “From an unused root meaning to be hot; a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset or from one sunset to the next. A space of time defined by an associated term. “

Night “lawil”. “A twist (away of the light). Adversity. Mid-night season.  Of gloom, protective shadow. From an unused root meaning to fold back.”

Thoughts?

Vs. 5 “And the evening and the morning were the first day.” Evening means “dusk, evening tide, night. Sunset. Through the idea of covering with a texture. Through the idea of covering with a texture; to grow dusky at sundown; be darkened, toward evening.”

Morning “Dawn (as the break of day); at end of night, of coming of daylight, coming of sunshine, beginning of day. Of bright joy after night of distress. Break through.  To see, look for. To consider, reflect.” What do you think of “Daylight…the break of day…break through?

Lab footnoted: “God did not need to create the universe; He chose to create it. “Why? God is love and love is best expressed toward something or someone else. So God created the world and people as an expression of His love. We should avoid reducing God’s creation to merely scientific terms. Remember that God created the universe because He loves us.”

What are your thoughts?

 Lab footnotes: “the creation story teaches us much about God and ourselves. First, we learn about God: 1…He is Creative. 2. As The Creator, He is distinct from His creation. 3. He is eternal and in control of the world. We also learn about ourselves. Since God choose to create us, we are valuable in His eyes. “

Remember your value. You were created by God.

GENESIS…THE BEGINNING CREATION

CREATION.

Gloria Phifer

Genesis was written by Moses. The original audience was the people of Israel. Date written 1450-1410 B.C. It was written in the wilderness during Israel’s wanderings, somewhere in the Sinai Peninsula.

Welcome to “The Great Adventure.” Our traveling clothes are on and we are returning to the very beginning “Genesis.”

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

(All Hebrew and Greek are taken from Strong’s Concordance). Hebrew for “beginning is “re’shiyth (ray-sheeth) “The first, in time, in place, order or rank. (Specifically, a first fruit) First, chief, choice part.” It came from another Hebrew word “rosh” “which means “to shake.”

Remember, Jesus was the First fruits raised from the dead.

God in Hebrew is “elohiym” (el-o-heem). The word is plural. Deity. God.”

 Here we see that Elohiym is plural…The Trinity. As we will see, God The Father, God The Son, and God, The Holy Spirit were all involved in creation.

Created in Hebrew is “bara’” (baw-raw) “To create, shape, form. To shape, fashion, create (always with God as subject.) Something new. Of miracles. Of birth. As formative processes. Of new conditions and circumstances. Of transformations.”

Heaven “shamayim” (shaw-mah-yim). “To be lofty, the sky as aloft; the dual, perhaps alluding to the visible arch in which the clouds move, as well as to the higher ether where the celestial bodies revolve. Air, Heavens, sky, as the visible universe the sky. As abode of stars. Atmosphere. Heaven, (as the abode of God.).

Earth “erets” (eh’rets) “Meaning to be firm. Whole earth (as opposed to a part).

This was just the first sentence of Genesis in Hebrew…What stands out to you?

What stands out to me is that God is plural…showing the Trinity. Also, the very beginning. The formative process of creation. The visible universe that we can see in the sky. Also the visible arch that the clouds move in. 

I remember sitting on a plane and as we flew I could see the arch of the sky over the earth.

Genesis 1:2 The earth was without form and void.  This Hebrew word for form is “tohuw {(to-hoo) “From an unused root meaning to lie waste. A desolation: a worthless thing, in vain: confusion, empty place, without form, nothing, waste, wilderness. Formlessness, confusion. Formlessness (of primeval earth) nothingness, empty space. Wasteland, wilderness (of solitary places) place of chaos.”

Wow what are your thoughts?    I find it interesting that it was a place of chaos and confusion, a wasteland, a solitary place.

Void in Hebrew is “bohuw (bo’hoo) “an unused root meaning to be empty. A vacuity, and undistinguishable ruin: emptiness, void.

(This reminded me of when we do not have Christ in our lies. There is an emptiness…a vacuity, a void. A wasteland longing to be filled.”)

Darkness was over the face of the deep. “Choshek (kho-shek). “The dark, literally darkness; misery, destruction, death, ignorance, sorrow, wickedness, night, obscurity, secret place. To be or become dark, grow dim, be darkened, be black, be hidden. To cause to be dark, to hide and conceal, confuse.”

What are your thoughts about this darkness that covered the face of the deep?

This darkness was upon the face of the deep. Hebrew for deep is “thowm” (the-home’) “As abyss (as a surging mass of water), especially the deep (the main sea or the subterranean water –supply): deep, abyss, the grave, primeval ocean, deep. To make an uproar, or agitate greatly, destroy, move, make a noise, murmur, roar discomfit, be moved. To be in a stir. To show disquietude.”

 This deep was noisy. Agitating. To made a roar. It was stirred up. And darkness was on the face of this deep.

 What are your thoughts?  I would not have liked this. I do not like darkness and this agitation and this roar.  Thank God for the next sentence.

And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.  Hebrew for Spirit is “ruwach” (roo-akh). Wind, by resemblance, breath. A sensible (or even violent) exhalation; figuratively, Life, anger, blast, breath, wind, breath, mind, spirit. Of Heaven. Spirit of God, the third Person of the triune God, The Holy Spirit, coequal, coeternal with the Father and The Son. Imparting warlike energy and executive and administrative power. As energy of life. As manifest in The Shekinah Glory.

To blow, breathe of delight.”

Wow, The Holy Spirit, The breath, the energy of life, the manifestation of the Shekinah Glory of God. The Breath of life.  Warlike energy.

The Holy Spirit is Elohiym…part of The Trinity.

Moved in Hebrew “rachaph” (raw-khaf) “To brood, to be relaxed, flutter, move, shake. To hover.

Can you see, in your mind’s eye, the Spirit of God with His presence expanded over this roaring darkness of deep? The Holy Spirit is The Spirit of Life.

The Holy Spirit brooded and hovered over the darkness. This is what He does in our lives when we are in darkness. He begins to work…to brood, to hover over our darkness…showing us that we need a Savior. We need Light.

Lab footnotes: “The image of The spirit of God hovering over the earth’s surface is similar to a mother bird caring for and protecting its young (Deuteronomy 32:11-12, Isaiah 31; 5) God’s Spirit was actively involved in the creation of the world (Job 33:4; Psalm 104:30) God’s care and protection are still active.”

vs. 3 “And God (Elohiym) said (To say with great latitude, command, declare, demand, speak, use speech, to be told.) “LET THERE BE LIGHT!!!” AND THERE WAS LIGHT.”    (THE WORD SPOKEN!!!)

(This was before the sun and the moon and stars in vs 14-19.)

So, what was this light?  I believe it was God’s presence…He spoke and there was Light!!! Somehow, in my thinking, the earth had been cut off from God’s presence…His light…it had been hidden in darkness.

Light in Hebrew is “owr” (ore) “Illumination, luminary (in every sense, including lightning, happiness, etc.) Light of day. Day break, dawn, morning light. Light of prosperity. Light of instruction. Light of face. Jehovah as Israel’s Light. To be or  become Light!!!”

In our lives, after The Holy Spirit has been working in our heart, He shows us “The Light” Jesus Christ…and when we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior…the darkness is vanquished…we have come into the Presence, The Light of God. No longer does darkness reign in our lives…Light reigns.  Matthew 4:16, Luke 1:79, John 1:4, 9, And 19, John 9:5, And Colossians 1:13.

THE BRONZE LAVER

Gloria Phifer

Ladies, we are in the Tabernacle Courtyard. Last week we looked at the Burnt Altar. It is a picture of the cross…where the sacrifice was made for our sins. Jesus was our sacrifice. He was The Pure Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. In Hebrews 10:4 “For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins.” Vs. 5 “Wherefore when He cometh into the world, He saith, “Sacrifice and offering Thou wouldest not, but a body You have prepared me:” vs 6 “In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin Thou has had no pleasure.” Vs 7 “Then said I, “Lo, I come (in the volume of The Book it is written of Me,) to do Your will O God.”

In the volume of The Book. As we have been seeing in our studies…all of The Bible is showing us God’s plan for salvation…revealing to us our Savior.

Jesus said to the religious leaders of the day… John 5:39 “Search The Scriptures; for in them you think you have eternal life: and they are they which testify of Me.”

Last week we saw that Jesus is The Cornerstone…the Capstone that holds everything together. He is The One! But the builders, religious leaders rejected Him. They rejected and stumbled over The Cornerstone.

There is only One Way to God and that is through His Son Jesus Christ.

Exodus 30:17-21. Exodus 38:8 The laver was of brass. Brass is for “judgment.” It was made from the looking glasses (mirrors) of the women.” The mirrors that they used to see themselves.

The priests were to wash in this bronze (brass) laver before ministering before The lord…and as they went about their duties. Notice, no one washed there but the priests. As they washed what would they see?  This was a place of cleansing. They washed their hands and feet. Thoughts?

The Rose Guide: “Between the bronze altar and The Tabernacle stood a large, shallow basin of water, gleaming as brightly as a mirror. Priests had to bathe their hands and feet in it before offering sacrifices and before entering the 15 foot tall Tabernacle and Holy Place.  Washing hands and feet stood for sanctification, or becoming holy and pure. Serving God requires not just cleansing from sin but striving for holiness.” Thoughts?

The Brass Laver is a picture of The Word. John 15:1-3 “Now, you are clean through The Word which I have spoken to you.”  John 17:17 “Sanctify them through Thy Truth, Thy Word is Truth.”

1 Cor. 6:11. Washed and sanctified and justified in The Name of The Lord Jesus and by The Spirit of God.

When you look into the Word of God how does it judge you and cleanse and set you apart?   The Word of God is revealing…it is the discerner of hearts, sharper than a two edged sword. Hebrews 4:12. What are your thoughts?  What about the discerner of the heart? What does the Word do to you when you read it?

Ephesians 5:25-26. What did Christ do?  Sanctified in Greek is “hagiazo”. “To make holy…purify or consecrate. Be holy. To separate from profane things and dedicate to God. To cleanse externally. To purify by expiation: free from the guilt of sin. To purify internally by renewing of the soul.”  The renewing of the mind. The Word renews our mind. Eph. 4:17-24. Col. 3:10.

Here is the battle: 2 Cor. 10:3-5 what is the knowledge of God?  It is The Word. Bringing every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. What is the obedience of Christ?  Abiding in Him…abiding in His Word. Thoughts? 

 John 15:1-16. “You are clean through The Word which I have spoken unto you. Vs. 7 “If you abide in Me and My Words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you.” What are the promises concerning abiding in Jesus and His Words?  Why is it important that we get into The Word and know The Word?  2 Timothy 2:15 what are we to study? What are we a workmanship of? What are we to rightly divide?

2 Timothy 3:14-17. What will the scripture do? Where has all scripture come from? What does scripture do? What will it do for us?  

The Word of God is also our greatest offensive weapon. Ephesians 6:17. This Word is The Sword of The Holy Spirit. How awesome is that!

The Word discerns our hearts. Teaches us truth. Is a weapon. Thoughts?

Washing in Greek “loutron”. “A bath, baptism: washing.” From another word “louo”. “To bathe the whole person. To wash, cleanse garments.”

The “Word” in Greek is “Rhema.” “An utterance. That which is or has been uttered by The Living voice, thing spoken, Word.  As far as it is a matter of command. “Thoughts?

What happens when we read or hear The Word of God? Did you every think of it as cleansing and washing you? Or sanctifying you? Making you holy?

John 13:1-17. Jesus washed their feet. What do you think of vs.10?  Cleansing…1 John 1:5-10. 1 John 2:1-6. The blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin. He is our Advocate.

ENTERING THE TABERNACLE COURTYARD

THE TABERNACLE IN THE WILDERNESS

Gloria Phifer

Last week we studied the final piece of the linen curtains surrounding the Tabernacle Courtyard. It was the Only Entrance. Which is a picture of Jesus Christ. He is The Only Way to God. He is The Only Way of salvation. He is the Only Way to Heaven and eternal life. John 14:6 “I AM The Way, The Truth, and The Life: no man comes unto The Father but by Me.” John 10:7-9. The Door of the sheep.

Jesus Christ is The Only Entrance.  The colors of the curtain were blue (Heaven) purple (royalty) scarlet (the blood of The Lamb of God.)

As we enter through the Curtain, into the courtyard we come to the Altar of burnt offering. Exodus 38:1-7. The altar was made of Acacia wood. (Hebrew for, pierced, flogged, scourged) and it was covered with “Brass.” Brass or bronze is a picture of Judgement. This is where the sacrifice was made.

LB “The Burnt-Offering Altar was also constructed of acacia wood; it was 7 ½ feet square at the top, and 4 ½ ft. high. There were 4 horns at the 4 corners, all of one piece with the rest. This altar was overlaid with bronze (brass). Then he made (Bezalel was the workman) the bronze utensils to be used with the altar. The pots, shovels, basins, meat hooks and fire ans. Next he made a bronze grating that rested upon a ledge about halfway up (in the fire box). 4 rings were cast for each side of the grating to insert the carrying poles. The carrying poles themselves were made of acacia wood, overlaid with bronze. The carrying poles were inserted into the rings at the side of the altar. The altar was hollow, with plank siding.

This is where the sacrifice for sin was made.'

Rose Guide:” a proper sacrifice was offering what was valuable and perfect, not unwanted or flawed. Sin was serious. Only shed blood, which stands for life, could pay for sin. By laying their hands on it, the Israelites identified with the animal to be sacrificed.”

Rose: “Once the priest approved the sacrifice, the worshiper would lift it onto the huge 7 ½ by 71/2 ft. bronze-covered altar and bind it to the horns at the altar’s corners solemnly, he laid his hands on the animal’s head. The priest caught its blood in a basin below.”

There was a fire under the altar. When the Tabernacle was dedicated and the sacrifice was on the altar, fire came down from Heaven and burnt it up. Leviticus 9:24.

Leviticus 10:1-2. Nadab and abihu, the sons of Aaron offered strange fire. Only the fire from The Burnt Altar could be used. The blood of the sacrifice fell down through the grating onto the fire. The two sons of Aaron brought their fire from another source.

This Burnt Altar is a picture of the cross. In order to approach God, we must come to The Cross of Jesus Christ…the sacrifice for our sins. John 1:29 The Lamb of God, Which takes away the sin of the world. John 1:36. Jesus took our judgement upon that cross. Isaiah 53: 4-12.  “For the transgression of My people was He stricken.”

God gave His Most Valued. He gave His Son for us. He took all of our judgement. When He was on that cross, all of our sins were placed upon Him…The pure, Holy Lamb of God. His blood cleanses us from all sin. Our sins were placed upon Christ and were paid for…by His Blood.

The Burnt Altar had 4 horns where the sacrifice was bound. The cross had 4 corners, the top and bottom of the beam reaching up to Heaven and the corners of the wood where Jesus arms were stretched…stretching out for mankind.

Let’s look at Psalm 118. It begins with the House of Aaron…who were the Priests of The Lord. In vs. 6 man is against this person. There are those who hate Him. He puts His confidence in The Lord. All nations are surrounding him…nation in Hebrew is “gowy”. “In the sense of massing. A foreign nation; hence a Gentile. A troop of Gentiles, heathen, nation, people. Usually non-Hebrew people”. Who surrounded Jesus at the cross?  Gentiles. In Psalm 22 9-18. 

 The Jewish people called the Romans “Dogs.”

Vs. 20 The Gate of The Lord into which the righteous enter. Who is The Gate? How do we enter? How do we become righteous?  Through Jesus Christ our Lord.

 Vs. 21-22 “The Stone which the builders refused is become the Head Stone (Capstone) of the corner.” The very Stone that was needed was rejected.  Matt. 21:42-46.

Vs. 23-26. Matt. 21:1-11, Matt. 23:39. On Palm Sunday Jesus came riding upon a donkey…and the crowd was saying “Hosanna to the Son of David: blessed is He that comes in the Name of The Lord; Hosanna in the Highest.”

Ps. 118: 27 “God is The Lord, which has showed us Light: bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar.”

On Friday, Jesus was nailed to the cross…the altar of sacrifice…He shed His Blood for us… He took our sin and our judgement upon Himself. His blood poured out at the foot of the cross. Colossians 2:9-15.

 He took all our sins and nailed it to the cross…His Blood blotted out our sins. He also spoiled satan and triumphed over him at the cross.

THE SEED OF THE WOMAN

Gloria Phifer

Isaiah 10:27 the yoke is broken because of the anointing. Christ means Anointed One.

Gen. 3:14-15 the woman and the serpent (devil) will be enemies. Her Seed would crush the enemies head and the enemy would bruise Christ’s heel.

A woman does not have the seed for conception. She has the egg and the man has the seed that fertilizes the egg. But in this 1^st prophesy of The Bible…it is speaking of The Redeemer. A Redeemer is Someone Who buys back what has been lost. Christ Jesus suffered for us. When He crushed satans head, satan bruised His heel. Christ bought back the dominion for mankind. Ps. 69:20-21, Isaiah 50:4-7…He set His face toward the cross like a flint. Isaiah 53. Psalm 22.

Isaiah 7:14 A virgin shall bear a Child and shall call His Name Emmanuel…God with us.

Isaiah 9:6-7. Unto us a Child is born. Unto us a Son is given. His Names shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father andThe Prince of Peace. And the government shall be on His shoulders.

After Malachi was written…the last book of the OT, there was silence from God for 400 years. That silence was broken by The Cry of a Baby.

Gal. 4:3-7 in the fullness of time…sent forth His Son…made by a woman. The Seed was Christ. Our Redeemer. Who took on flesh and dwelt among us. John 1:14.

Luke 1:26 Mary the virgin.

1:46-56…the Magnificat.

Marriage was a binding contract, although it still wasn’t consummated. Joseph was betrothed to Mary. Matt. 1:18-25

Joseph believed the angel in his dream and took Mary as his wife but knew her not (sexually) until after The Child was born.