THE BODY OF HEAVEN

“THE BODY OF HEAVEN”

(Exodus 24:10)

Taught by:  Carolyn Sissom

Sunday, April 27, 2008

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Exodus 24:10:  “And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone and as it were the BODY OF HEAVEN IN HIS CLEARNESS.  And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand; also they saw God, and did eat and drink.

This is the Mount of Transfiguration of the Old Testament.  Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and the 70 Elders are called up to God in the Mount.  The Voice of the Lord will always call us to come up higher.   (Rev.4:1) “After this I looked, and behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, ‘Come up hither’, and I will show you things which must be hereafter.”  

Only Moses could draw near to the Lord. (Vs. 2) “And Moses alone shall come near the Lord: but they shall not come near; neither shall the people go up with him.”  Moses was kept waiting at a respectful distance for 6 days before God called him to draw near.  God was about to reveal His plan for a habitation and the due order of worship. 

In retrospect, we can see three spheres of God’s Government:

1. 20: 1-16 – Man’s Moral Life (actions, right or wrong).
2. 21: 1-24; 11 – Man’s Social life (relationship to fellowmen).
3. 24: 12-31; 18 – Man’s religious life (relationship to God)

(Verses 3-5)  “And Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord, and rose up early in the morning, and built an altar under the hill, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel.  And he sent young men of the children of Israel, which offered burnt offerings, and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen unto the Lord.  And Moses took half of the blood and sprinkled on the altar.  And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people; and they said, all that the Lord has said will we do and be obedient.

The people agree to the covenant.  They agreed to commit themselves to:

1. Worship – “An altar under the hill”
2. Government – “and twelve pillars”
3. Dedication – “offered Burnt Offerings”
4. Fellowship – “and sacrificed peace offerings.

Moses sprinkled the altar and the people with the blood of the Covenant, thus welding them to the Word of God.

We know the story of the Israelites.  Sadly, they did not keep the Covenant of the Old Testament and through Jesus Christ the Lord established a New Covenant.

Hebrews 8:  “Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum:  We have such a high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; a minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man…(5) Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, says he, that you make all things according to the pattern showed to you on the mount.  But now has he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established under better promises.  For if the first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.  For finding fault with them, he said, ‘Behold the days come says the Lord when I will make a New Covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. Not according to the covenant that I made  with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, says the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people… (12) I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more…  (9:11) Christ being come as a high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;.”

Moses, Aaron, Nadab and Abihu and the 70 elders see the Lord God of Israel in the beauty of the Body of Heaven.  There was under his feet a paved work (Libnah #3840, 3835,  This means “whiteness or transparency, clearness”).  This is the people of God in His Image and partaking of worship (11 Chron. 7:3, providing the King a place of habitation (Esth. 1:6).  They are mature (Ezek. 40:17), having tasted of the place of crucifixion.  (John 19:13)

The Sapphire Stone is the Tribe of Simeon (“he who hears”).  "Faith Comes by hearing".  The paved stones are those members of the Body who hear and believe.

What does the Body of Heaven mean in this verse?  I don’t know, but I have some suggestions that work for me.  This is the Body of Christ.  “The Body of Heaven in HIS clearness.  His means God; Father, Son and Holy Ghost.  The clearness (Tohar, #2892, 2891) means brightness or purification, clearness, glory; to be bright, pure, sound, clear, unadulterated, uncontaminated, innocent, holy”) describes again the people of God in the image of Jesus.

Eph. 1:23:  “And has put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is HIS BODY, the fullness of him that fills all in all.”

Eph. 2:16: “And that He might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:

Phil. 1:20 “According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, and always so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.”

Phil 3:21”Who shall change out vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto HIS GLORIOUS BODY, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto Himself”

Romans 12:5 “So we being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.”

1 Cor. 15: 44-49:  “It is sown a natural body; it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body.  There is a natural body, and  there is a spiritual body.  So it is written, the first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.  The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.  As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.  And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.”

Ex. 24:11 – Amplified:  “And upon the nobles of the Israelites He laid not His hand to conceal Himself from them, to rebuke their daring, or to harm  them; but they saw the manifestation of the presence of God , and ate an drank.”

(Verses 12-18) – Moses is invited to come up into the Mount of God to receive the tables of stones which the Lord had written.  He is accompanied by his Minister, Joshua.  Aaron and Hur are left in charge of the people.  The Cloud of Glory covered the Mount for six days.  On the 7^th day, God called to Moses out of the midst of the Cloud, which was like a devouring fire.  Moses went into the midst of the Cloud and remained in the Mount 40-days and 40-nights.  It was at this time that God gave him the revelation and the pattern. (Ex. 25:9) of the Tabernacle.

The study of the Tabernacle of Moses is inexhaustible.  It is the revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ, The Law, The Church and the Kingdom of God.  It is the pattern of the local church.  Historically, it is the restoration of the Church and Experientially, it is the three levels of Christian Maturity.  Everything speaks of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Tabernacle as a whole speaks of:

1. Christ the head Who was tabernacled in flesh.  (JESUS)
2. Christ the BODY who is tabernacled in flesh, (universally, locally and individually)

I handed out to each of you a chart of the Tabernacle furniture with their types:

1. BRAZEN ALTAR – (EX. 27:1-8) – This is fulfilled in the Cross.  There is one way to God, for this was the only altar for the nation, the only place of offering sacrifice.  This is JUSTIFICTION BY FAITH.  The Lord Jesus is Savior and Healer.
2. BRAZEN LAVER – (Ex.30: 17-21) 38:8)  Here we see the washing of regeneration (Titus 3:5), WATER BAPTISM  in the Name of the Lord (Acts 2:38), and Sanctification (Eph. 5:26)
3. BOARDS, BARS (Ex. 15: 15-30; 30: 11-16);  Here is the Priesthood of Believers, the Many-membered Body of Christ (Eph. 2:19-22) and the Ministries of Eph. 4:11.
4. CANDLESTICK – (Ex. 25: 31-40)  The two main principles are LIGHT AND LIFE.  These principles flow into several avenues of truth.  The Lord Jesus, the Church, The Fruit and Gifts of the Spirit which flow with the Holy Ghost Baptism, the  Anointed Word given and revealed through the Apostles’ Doctrine, and the Overcomer.
5. TABLE – Ex. 15: 13-30 – Here we see Jesus  the Bread of Life, The BODY OF CHRIST, the communion table or the Lord’s supper, Principles of Fellowship and the concept of the Covenant, and the five-fold or “hand Ministry of Eph. 4:11.
6. GOLDEN ALTAR – Ex. 30: 1-10).   Here we see Jesus Christ in His ministry as High Priest for the Church, and prayer, praise and worship through the power of the Holy Ghost working in and through the church.
7. The Vail – (Ex. 16: 31-33)  This speaks of the incarnation of Jesus Christ.  We now can step through he rent Vail. (Heb. 10: 19-22).
8. ARK AND THE MERCY SET – (Ex. 15: 10-22)  here we see the Lord Jesus as King of Kings and Lord of Lords Who is Risen and Exalted, Seated at the right hand of the Father, resting in His Victory over all enemies.  We see the principle of propitiation (Rom 3:25), the throne of God, the Glorious Church and Jesus the head of the Church.  We see the Melchisedec Priesthood (Heb. 7), the Feast of Tabernacles and the great Day of Atonement (Lev. 16).  The fullness of Son ship, the realm of full maturity and coming to the fullness of the stature of Christ, and obtaining our full inheritance, which includes the redemption of the BODY  and immortality (Rom 8; Eph. 4:13; 1 Cor. 13: 8-13)

Taught by:  Carolyn Sissom, Pastor

Eastgate Ministries, Inc.

www.eastgateministries.com.  We stream our messages weekly.

Scripture from KJV and Amplified.  Quotes on the Tabernacle of Moses from Principles of Present Truth by:  Kelly Varner.