The begining of the return--------------------------The plagues in Egypt ---------------------------------------- The Tabernacle
TABERNACLE
The LORD said to Moses, "Tell the Israelites to bring me
an offering. You are to receive the offering for me from each man whose
heart prompts him to give.
(Ex., 25, 1-2)
The Israeli people have to bring offerings to the Lord, and these offerings are needed to create Tabernacle, the place for residence of the Lord, the place to make holy rituals. The Lord states the main condition – the offerings should be brought voluntarily. The list of the required items is extensive and each man has to bring whatever he can.
The Holy Tabernacle
"Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell
among them. Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like
the pattern I will show you.
(Ex., 25, 8-9)
As the Lord created man He put him to Eden. After the fall the man was
banished from Eden. The sin pushed man further and further away from God.
With the help of God man can never come back and the Lord shows his mercy
unveiling the way of the Return. The Lord comes to people to dwell among
them to guide them. The Lord deprived people of spiritual unity in the
land of Shinar (as it was opposition to God) and confused the languages
of people and scattered people around the earth.
The command of the Lord to make exactly as He said Moses shows the importance
of all the items and elements of the Tabernacle. There would be no minor
details in Tabernacle, it could be compared with unread book with unlimited
pages, or it could be compared with a seed that was not brought to soil.
We will discuss the items of Tabernacle as it was described in the Holy
Scripture. As we analyzed the commandments we noted that the order of
commandments meant the Way of the Return.
The Ark
"Have them make a chest of acacia wood-two and a half cubits
long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high. Overlay it
with pure gold, both inside and out, and make a gold molding around it.
Cast four gold rings for it and fasten them to its four feet, with two
rings on one side and two rings on the other. Then make poles of acacia
wood and overlay them with gold. Insert the poles into the rings on the
sides of the chest to carry it. The poles are to remain in the rings of
this ark; they are not to be removed. Then put in the ark the Testimony,
which I will give you.
"Make an atonement cover of pure gold-two and a half cubits long
and a cubit and a half wide. And make two cherubim out of hammered gold
at the ends of the cover. Make one cherub on one end and the second cherub
on the other; make the cherubim of one piece with the cover, at the two
ends. The cherubim are to have their wings spread upward, overshadowing
the cover with them. The cherubim are to face each other, looking toward
the cover. Place the cover on top of the ark and put in the ark the Testimony,
which I will give you. There, above the cover between the two cherubim
that are over the ark of the Testimony, I will meet with you and give
you all my commands for the Israelites.
(Ex., 25, 10-22)
The Ark should be made of special wood, that wouldn't be touched by time,
wouldn't change the form and would not deteriorate. It should look like
a case covered by gold inside and outside with four golden rings. Poles
would be put into the rings to carry the Ark. The Covenant give by the
Lord should be put into the Ark. The Ark is Eden, which is open for people
and with these people the Lord made covenant. Eden was open for people
before the fall and before the banishment. "After he drove the man
out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming
sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life".
Now a cover is made with two cherubim, those which protected Eden, to
protect the Ark. People are banished, the covenant is put into the Ark
and protected by cherubim. The people are banished by with of the Lord
God and only on His wish they could have get the way back to Eden. Cherubim
make a unified single upon the cover symbolizing the fundament of the
Lord's throne, while the land is the base of it. The Lord would unveil
to people over the cover between the two cherubim. The Ark is placed in
the Sanctum Sanctorum of the Tabernacle, only once a year in the Redemption
day the priest can enter this place to make clean the people's sins. Only
spiritual sins should be cleaned in Sanctum Sanctorum.
The Table
"Make a table of acacia wood-two cubits long, a cubit wide
and a cubit and a half high. Overlay it with pure gold and make a gold
molding around it. Also make around it a rim a handbreadth wide and put
a gold molding on the rim.
(Ex., 25, 23-25)
… And make its plates and dishes of pure gold, as well as its pitchers
and bowls for the pouring out of offerings. Put the bread of the Presence
on this table to be before me at all times.
(Ex., 25, 29-30)
The table with the bread of the Presence is the second holy item after
the Ark in Tabernacle. The table should be positioned in the northern
part from the Holy, bread of the Presence should be put on it in two piles
each one consisting of six bread pieces, as well as bowls and other items.
The bread should be made of unleavened dough, the bread is salted and
covered with incense. The chief priest should change the bread of Presence
every Sabbath and the bread is to be passed to the priests.
The lampstand
"Make a lampstand of pure gold and hammer it out, base
and shaft; its flowerlike cups, buds and blossoms shall be of one piece
with it. Six branches are to extend from the sides of the lampstand-three
on one side and three on the other. Three cups shaped like almond flowers
with buds and blossoms are to be on one branch, three on the next branch,
and the same for all six branches extending from the lampstand. And on
the lampstand there are to be four cups shaped like almond flowers with
buds and blossoms. One bud shall be under the first pair of branches extending
from the lampstand, a second bud under the second pair, and a third bud
under the third pair-six branches in all. The buds and branches shall
all be of one piece with the lampstand, hammered out of pure gold.
"Then make its seven lamps and set them up on it so that they light
the space in front of it. Its wick trimmers and trays are to be of pure
gold. A talent of pure gold is to be used for the lampstand and all these
accessories. See that you make them according to the pattern shown you
on the mountain.
(Ex., 25, 31-40)
Lampstand (Menohra) is the third holy item in Tabernacle. The lampstand is located to the south of the Holy, in front of the table with the bread of the Presence. The lampstand is symmetrical to its shaft, symmetrical like the two piles of bread of the Presence on the table. The best oil should be put into the cups of the lampstand (the oil of the ripe olives). Oil is the spirit of man, while priests are the spirit of the nation. The oil gets in touch with Holy Spirit in the lampstand in the form of fire and yields the light of the Truth and shows the way to Sanctum Sanctorum – like prophets and righteous men open on wish of God the way to Him.
The Tabernacle
"Make the tabernacle with ten curtains of finely twisted
linen and blue, purple and scarlet yarn, with cherubim worked into them
by a skilled craftsman… Make curtains of goat hair for the tent over the
tabernacle-eleven altogether… Make for the tent a covering of ram skins
dyed red, and over that a covering of hides of sea cows.
(Ex., 26, 1-14)
The Tabernacle was closed with four curtains on top: curtain of twisted
linen, curtain of goat hair, curtain of ram skins and curtain of blue
skins. Only the courtyard was open on top of it. This multi-layered cover
shows that the Tabernacle was closed on wish of God for celestial and
spiritual world. Even Jesus Christ made the offering of his life to bring
people to a new spiritual stage and he didn't know the future spiritual
history of mankind as it was the secret of the Lord.
Inside the Tabernacle
Make a curtain of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted
linen, with cherubim worked into it by a skilled craftsman. Hang it with
gold hooks on four posts of acacia wood overlaid with gold and standing
on four silver bases. Hang the curtain from the clasps and place the ark
of the Testimony behind the curtain. The curtain will separate the Holy
Place from the Most Holy Place. Put the atonement cover on the ark of
the Testimony in the Most Holy Place. Place the table outside the curtain
on the north side of the tabernacle and put the lampstand opposite it
on the south side.
(Ex., 26, 31-35)
The curtain hiding the way to the Most Holy Place is set on four poles,
which make three entrances in between them. Those three entrances represent
the three flocks for which Jacob opened the well to water them: Judaism,
Christianity and Islam.
The Entrance To The Tabernacle
For the entrance to the tent make a curtain of blue, purple
and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen-the work of an embroiderer.
Make gold hooks for this curtain and five posts of acacia wood overlaid
with gold. And cast five bronze bases for them.
(Ex., 26, 36-37)
The curtain to the Most Holy Place is supported by five posts and four
entrances give way to the Holy Place. Three ways are represented by faith
on the basis of commandments, laws and decrees of Judaism. The fourth
way, the way of belief was opened by the Lord to heathens.
The Altar of burnt offering
Build an altar of acacia wood, three cubits high; it is to be
square, five cubits long and five cubits wide. Make a horn at each of
the four corners, so that the horns and the altar are of one piece, and
overlay the altar with bronze. Make all its utensils of bronze-its pots
to remove the ashes, and its shovels, sprinkling bowls, meat forks and
firepans. Make a grating for it, a bronze network, and make a bronze ring
at each of the four corners of the network. Put it under the ledge of
the altar so that it is halfway up the altar. Make poles of acacia wood
for the altar and overlay them with bronze. The poles are to be inserted
into the rings so they will be on two sides of the altar when it is carried.
(Ex., 27, 1-7)
The altar of burnt offering is located in the courtyard, on the straight
line between the entrance to the courtyard and entrance to the Holy Place.
The altar is designed to clean sins connected with the animal nature of
man. But as the people grew up spiritually the lustration becomes complex
taking into account the tripple nature of man.
The Courtyard
Make a courtyard for the tabernacle. The south side shall be
a hundred cubits long and is to have curtains of finely twisted linen,
with twenty posts and twenty bronze bases and with silver hooks and bands
on the posts. The north side shall also be a hundred cubits long and is
to have curtains, with twenty posts and twenty bronze bases and with silver
hooks and bands on the posts.
For the entrance to the courtyard, provide a curtain twenty cubits long,
of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen-the work of
an embroiderer-with four posts and four bases.
(Ex., 27, 9-19)
The curtain of the courtyard is fixed to four posts, i.e. three ways lead to the courtyard. These are the ways of the commandments, laws and decrees.
Oil for the lampstand
Command the Israelites to bring you clear oil of pressed olives
for the light so that the lamps may be kept burning. In the Tent of Meeting,
outside the curtain that is in front of the Testimony, Aaron and his sons
are to keep the lamps burning before the LORD from evening till morning.
This is to be a lasting ordinance among the Israelites for the generations
to come.
(Ex., 27, 20-21)
The oil for the Lampstand should be made of "pressed olives",
i.e. without any impurities. This oil is produced from ripe olives, you
need only to push a little the olive and you get the clear golden oil.
Oil is the spirit of man lighting his way, righteous men are the oil for
the nation. If the nation looses righteous men it will loose the light
in the Lampstead.
Have Aaron your brother brought to you from among the Israelites,
along with his sons Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, so they may
serve me as priests. Make sacred garments for your brother Aaron, to give
him dignity and honor. Tell all the skilled men to whom I have given wisdom
in such matters that they are to make garments for Aaron, for his consecration,
so he may serve me as priest.
(Ex., 28, 1-3)
Ephod
Have them use gold, and blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and fine
linen. Make the ephod of gold, and of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and
of finely twisted linen-the work of a skilled craftsman.
(Ex., 28, 5-6)
Take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel
in the order of their birth-six names on one stone and the remaining six
on the other.
(Ex., 28, 9-10)
Breastpiece
Fashion a breastpiece for making decisions-the work of a skilled
craftsman. Make it like the ephod: of gold, and of blue, purple and scarlet
yarn, and of finely twisted linen.
(Ex., 28,15)
Whenever Aaron enters the Holy Place, he will bear the names
of the sons of Israel over his heart on the breastpiece of decision as
a continuing memorial before the LORD. Also put the Urim and the Thummim
in the breastpiece, so they may be over Aaron's heart whenever he enters
the presence of the LORD. Thus Aaron will always bear the means of making
decisions for the Israelites over his heart before the LORD.
(Ex., 28, 29-30)
We may note that priests represent their people before the Lord and they
are responsible for spiritual positions of the people. The garments of
a priest reflect the necessary qualities the priest shall feature for
service. But the priest can wear these garments only at the Holy Place.
The priest comes before the Lord in the Most Holy Place representing only
the spiritual qualities of his people and thus the priest should come
to the Most Holy Place in ordinary linen garments.
Consecration of the priests
This is what you are to do to consecrate them, so they may serve
me as priests…
(Ex., 29, 1)
The Altar of incense
Make an altar of acacia wood for burning incense. It is to be
square, a cubit long and a cubit wide, and two cubits high -its horns
of one piece with it. Overlay the top and all the sides and the horns
with pure gold, and make a gold molding around it.
(Ex., 30, 1-3)
Put the altar in front of the curtain that is before the ark of the Testimony-before
the atonement cover that is over the Testimony-where I will meet with
you.
Aaron must burn fragrant incense on the altar every morning when he tends
the lamps. He must burn incense again when he lights the lamps at twilight
so incense will burn regularly before the LORD for the generations to
come.
(Ex., 30, 6-8)
Once a year Aaron shall make atonement on its horns. This annual atonement
must be made with the blood of the atoning sin offering for the generations
to come. It is most holy to the LORD.
(Ex., 30,10)
The Altar of incense is the symbol of individual atonement of man for
church of the Return like the basin for washing positioned in front of
the curtain to the Holy Place for Christianity.
Atonement money
Then the LORD said to Moses, "When you take a census of
the Israelites to count them, each one must pay the LORD a ransom for
his life at the time he is counted. Then no plague will come on them when
you number them. Each one who crosses over to those already counted is
to give a half shekel, according to the sanctuary shekel, which weighs
twenty gerahs. This half shekel is an offering to the LORD. All who cross
over, those twenty years old or more, are to give an offering to the LORD.
The rich are not to give more than a half shekel and the poor are not
to give less when you make the offering to the LORD to atone for your
lives. Receive the atonement money from the Israelites and use it for
the service of the Tent of Meeting. It will be a memorial for the Israelites
before the LORD, making atonement for your lives.
(Ex., 30, 11-16)
On the Lord's command Moses had to take a census of all Israeli men from
twenty years and older. Counting confuses the spiritual unity of the people
as men are separated from all the rest. Counting of people is one of the
Lord's curses. But the Lord said "no plague will come on them when
you number them" if people paid atonement money. The counting was
carried out in indirect manner: number of men was counted on the basis
of sum of the money collected. Counting was made only on command of the
Lord. When David made a census without the command of the Lord the plague
overwhelmed Israelites and seventy thousand people died.
Basin for washing
Then the LORD said to Moses, "Make a bronze basin, with
its bronze stand, for washing. Place it between the Tent of Meeting and
the altar, and put water in it. Aaron and his sons are to wash their hands
and feet with water from it. Whenever they enter the Tent of Meeting,
they shall wash with water so that they will not die. Also, when they
approach the altar to minister by presenting an offering made to the LORD
by fire, they shall wash their hands and feet so that they will not die.
This is to be a lasting ordinance for Aaron and his descendants for the
generations to come.
(Ex., 30, 17-21)
Washing by water had been long known to people, it became the prototype of Christian baptism. Entering Holy Place meant entering the Christianity of the Old Testament. This spiritual level was yet closed for people, only priest was allowed to enter the Holy Place to carry out rituals. Still the priest had to follow all the required cleaning procedures.
Anointing Oil
Then the LORD said to Moses, "Take the following fine spices:
500 shekels of liquid myrrh, half as much (that is, 250 shekels) of fragrant
cinnamon, 250 shekels of fragrant cane, 500 shekels of cassia-all according
to the sanctuary shekel-and a hin of olive oil. Make these into a sacred
anointing oil, a fragrant blend, the work of a perfumer. It will be the
sacred anointing oil. Then use it to anoint the Tent of Meeting, the ark
of the Testimony, the table and all its articles, the lampstand and its
accessories, the altar of incense, the altar of burnt offering and all
its utensils, and the basin with its stand. You shall consecrate them
so they will be most holy, and whatever touches them will be holy.
"Anoint Aaron and his sons and consecrate them so they may serve
me as priests.
(Ex., 30, 22-30)
Anointing separates the item or man for special mission, this time for
service to the Lord. At first the Tent of Meeting should be anointed and
then all the items inside and only then the priests should be anointed.
The Temple is supposed for the Lord and the priest is supposed for the
Temple.
Incense
Then the LORD said to Moses, "Take fragrant spices-gum
resin, onycha and galbanum-and pure frankincense, all in equal amounts,
and make a fragrant blend of incense, the work of a perfumer. It is to
be salted and pure and sacred. Grind some of it to powder and place it
in front of the Testimony in the Tent of Meeting, where I will meet with
you. It shall be most holy to you. Do not make any incense with this formula
for yourselves; consider it holy to the LORD. Whoever makes any like it
to enjoy its fragrance must be cut off from his people."
(Ex., 30, 34-38)
We may note that like blood of the offering animal is used to redeem sins, the "blood" of vegetation in the form of resin and aromatic substances is used for atonement of people.
Bezalel and Oholiab
Then the LORD said to Moses, "See, I have chosen Bezalel
son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him
with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds
of crafts - to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze…
(Ex., 31, 1-4)
This part of the Holy Scripture shows that scientific and technical development of mankind should follow the spiritual development. The priority of spiritual development is the provision for existence of man.
The Sabbath
Then the LORD said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites, 'You
must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the
generations to come, so you may know that I am the LORD, who makes you
holy.
" 'Observe the Sabbath, because it is holy to you. Anyone who desecrates
it must be put to death; whoever does any work on that day must be cut
off from his people.
(Ex., 31, 12-14)
… It will be a sign between me and the Israelites forever, for in six
days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he
abstained from work and rested.' " When the LORD finished speaking
to Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two tablets of the Testimony,
the tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God.
(Ex., 31, 17-18)
The way to the Lord begins with the commandment about the Sabbath. If
people do not observe the Sabbath they demonstrate their intention not
to follow the Lord's commands, to get closer to the Lord. As the Israelites
made a covenant with the Lord desecration of the Sabbath was regarded
as a crime. Observing the Sabbath people showed their attitude towards
the Lord.
While Moses was on Sinai mountain the Israeli people had to go through
the test. Test is an integral part of any education. Father will sometimes
take off his had as he is teaching the child to walk, the same way the
Lord takes off His spiritual assistance and leaves man on his own to allow
his to learn how to find the necessary spiritual way.
As time passed by people began to ask Aaron to make them gods as they
didn't know what happened to Moses. Aaron gave his consent, he collected
gold earrings and made a golden calf.
Then they said, "These are your gods, O Israel, who brought
you up out of Egypt." When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front
of the calf and announced, "Tomorrow there will be a festival to
the LORD."
(Ex., 32, 4-5)
The collective intelligence of the people was on animal level and only
the influence of the Lord allowed the Israelites to overcome the animal
nature. Making gods was just the response of the animal nature. As the
Lord took off the Holy Spirit from the Israeli people they returned to
the basic animal level. It's but natural that people decided to make a
calf as a god and they attributed to the calf all the qualities of the
Lord who had brought them away from slavery. In fact they made their collective
comprehension of animal world as their god.
In the future as the collective intelligence of people took the human
fundament people started to worship human image despite the qualities
of such a person (even if it was one of the Lord's images). They would
also worship persons not God as they would have reduced the Lord to the
level of human collective intelligence.
In those days the Lord took off His spiritual help while Moses was away
and the animal nature dominated in people: they made animal gods and started
to worship them attributing the deeds and the glory of the Lord to those
gods.
On the next day the people sacrificed burnt offerings afterward they sat
down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry as heathens did.
The people immediately forgot what the Lord had done for them, they forgot
all the promises they had given to the Lord as they made the covenant.
The people refused from the Lord!
Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go down, because your people,
whom you brought up out of Egypt, have become corrupt. They have been
quick to turn away from what I commanded them and have made themselves
an idol cast in the shape of a calf. They have bowed down to it and sacrificed
to it and have said, 'These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up
out of Egypt.'
(Ex., 32, 7-8)
The Lord saw the people worshipping the golden calf as the god, which brought them out of Egypt, and the Lord refused from this people.
"I have seen these people," the LORD said to Moses,
"and they are a stiff-necked people. Now leave me alone so that my
anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will make
you into a great nation."
(Ex., 32, 9-10)
But Moses, who had passed the long way of spiritual education began to preach the Lord not to be angry with the people and to have mercy on them. Moses recollected the promises the Lord gave to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and that the Lord promised them numerous descendants and new land. The Lord had mercy on them and didn't destroy them.
Moses turned and went down the mountain with the two tablets
of the Testimony in his hands. They were inscribed on both sides, front
and back. The tablets were the work of God; the writing was the writing
of God, engraved on the tablets.
(Ex., 32, 15-16)
Obviously Moses still had some hope that something could be done and
he kept the great holy, the Lord's stones with the Lord's words on them.
Both parties making the covenant are coming one to another and the commandments
written on both sides of the tablets of stones could read the following:
If the initial sin comes over you again and you are not able to overcome
the animal desires and strive for alien gods choosing the way of adultery,
stealing and even killing, you will not have the land given to you by
the Lord;
And if you do not honor your fathers and mothers, if you do not observe
the Sabbath, the day of rest blessed by the Lord, and if you do not honor
and worship the name of God and start to worship foreign gods and idols
making sins against the Lord, you will be punished and your children,
grandchildren and even great grandchildren; you will get into slavery
and I, the Lord Almighty, will never be your God!
When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing,
his anger burned and he threw the tablets out of his hands, breaking them
to pieces at the foot of the mountain. And he took the calf they had made
and burned it in the fire; then he ground it to powder, scattered it on
the water and made the Israelites drink it.
(Ex., 32, 19-20)
As Moses saw the golden calf and people dancing around it his hope to
redeem the situation vanished. The God saved the Israelites, leading them
to the promised land. Moses left them for some time only and the Lord
turned to be useless for them. Only on wish of the Lord Moses broke the
tablets of stone at the foot of the mountain.
He said to Aaron, "What did these people do to you, that
you led them into such great sin?"
(Ex., 32, 21)
Moses was right to blame Aaron for the blasphemy of the Israeli people. The priest was responsible for spiritual conditions of the people. Aaron would pay a high price for his sin but the Lord said:
"However, when the time comes for me to punish, I will
punish them for their sin…"
(Ex. 32, 34)
Aaron tried to justify his deeds blaming his people: "You know
how prone these people are to evil," – he said. Moses called the
Levites who were faithful to God and told them to kill those who still
continued the feast. The Levites did as he said and about 3,000 people
died.
On the next morning Moses returned to the Lord and said:
So Moses went back to the LORD and said, "Oh, what a great
sin these people have committed! They have made themselves gods of gold.
But now, please forgive their sin-but if not, then blot me out of the
book you have written."
The LORD replied to Moses, "Whoever has sinned against me I will
blot out of my book. Now go, lead the people to the place I spoke of,
and my angel will go before you. However, when the time comes for me to
punish, I will punish them for their sin."
(Ex., 32, 31-34)
Moses couldn't imagine his life without his people, he preached to the Lord saying he was prepared to die with his people if the Lord could not forgive the Israelites. But the Lord would not accept his offering, the Lord commanded him to take the people and leave this place saying an angel would go before them pushing alien people away from Israelites. The plague sent by the Lord and the fact that the Lord would not come with the Israelites made the people comprehended what sin they had committed and they took off all their ornaments.
Now Moses used to take a tent and pitch it outside the camp
some distance away, calling it the "tent of meeting." Anyone
inquiring of the LORD would go to the tent of meeting outside the camp.
(Ex., 33, 7)
As Moses went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and stay
at the entrance, while the LORD spoke with Moses. Whenever the people
saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance to the tent, they all
stood and worshiped, each at the entrance to his tent. The LORD would
speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend;
(Ex., 33, 9-11)
The people committed sin but Moses didn't partake in this sin and the
Lord kept on talking to Moses. People wanted to redeem their sins and
worshipped the Tent of Meeting standing away. The Lord spoke to Moses
"face to face" and it proved the high spiritual nature of Moses.
None of the prophets could speak to the Lord in that way.
Time passed and Moses asked the Lord whom the Lord would send with the
people of Israel and the Lord said:
The LORD replied, "My Presence will go with you, and I
will give you rest."
Then Moses said to him, "If your Presence does not go with us, do
not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with
me and with your people unless you go with us?"
(Ex., 33, 14-16)
And the LORD said to Moses, "I will do the very thing you have asked,
because I am pleased with you and I know you by name." (Ex., 33,
17)
The Lord knows the rest of the way and the death of Moses at the border
with Canaan. Moses was distinguished by his spiritual level from all the
others and the Lord would come with the people because of Moses. The redemption
of the people and the spiritual purity of Moses would mollify the anger
of the Lord and the Lord agreed to lead Israeli people and Moses had his
award, he could see the Glory of the Lord and to hear the name of the
God.
The LORD said to Moses, "Chisel out two stone tablets like
the first ones, and I will write on them the words that were on the first
tablets, which you broke.
(Ex., 34, 1)
So Moses chiseled out two stone tablets like the first ones and went up Mount Sinai early in the morning, as the LORD had commanded him; and he carried the two stone tablets in his hands. Then the LORD came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the LORD. And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, "The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation." (Ex., 34, 4-7)
The presentation of the first stone tablets was made in festive conditions
and the people was awaiting Moses at the foot of the mountain, but this
time even stocks were banned to come close to the foot of the mountain.
The Lord didn't change the behavior towards Moses while the inclination
of Moses to bring his life as offering for his people made the Lord to
increase the blessing of Moses. The Lord came in front of Moses and announced
him the twelve (the classical Hebrew comment says thirteen) names of God,
as a whole making the Lord's holy mercy. The first name, the Lord, Lord,
is regarded as the first and the second names of the God. This name unveils
the name Elohim, representing unity of spiritual and material parts of
the world. The name Lord, Lord reflects two parts making impact upon on
the world – spiritual and material unity is represented by name God. The
meaning of the name could be interpreted like this: I, the Lord make you
closer, I, the Lord, banish you away. We may wonder how banishment could
be related to mercy? Starting with Adam when the man began to learn the
good and evil the Lord would never leave man without His attention, as
the man chose the hardest way of learning through the learning of good
and evil. One of the teaching could take place in Eden before God. But
the man chose the sinful way and despite the banishment made by the Lord
the man kept on learning all his life as this was the way to Return. The
banishment is not the eternal exile and oblivion, the banishment is the
method to generate redemption of sins, banishment is the change of man
aimed to bring him back to God.
As Moses dropped on his face and asked the Lord to come with the Israeli
people the Lord agreed.
Then the LORD said: "I am making a covenant with you. Before
all your people I will do wonders never before done in any nation in all
the world. The people you live among will see how awesome is the work
that I, the LORD , will do for you.
(Ex., 34, 10)
And the Lord repeated the main covenants with the Israeli people. When
Moses descended from the mountain his face was radiant as "because
he had spoken with the LORD".
Afterward all the Israelites came near him, and he gave them
all the commands the LORD had given him on Mount Sinai.
(Ex., 34, 32)
When Moses was not talking to people he put a veil over his face.
But whenever he entered the LORD's presence to speak with him,
he removed the veil until he came out. And when he came out and told the
Israelites what he had been commanded, they saw that his face was radiant.
Then Moses would put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak
with the LORD.
(Ex., 34, 34-35)
Moses gathered all the Israeli people and told them what the Lord commanded,
about the Sabbath and gifts of the Lord. And people started to bring gifts
required to build Tabernacle. The work was done by Bezalel, Oholiab and
other skilled masters. They made the Ark and the cover, special table
and all the items, the lampstand and altar of incense, bronze basin for
washing and support for it, fencing for the courtyard and garments for
the chief of priests and other priests.
As the work was completed every item was demonstrated to Moses.
The Israelites had done all the work just as the LORD had commanded
Moses. Moses inspected the work and saw that they had done it just as
the LORD had commanded. So Moses blessed them.
(Ex., 39, 42-43)
For the first time in many years the Israelites were spiritually unified. The people made the work in short period of time and they did it as the Lord commanded Moses on Sinai mountain.
Then the LORD said to Moses: "Set up the tabernacle, the
Tent of Meeting, on the first day of the first month. Place the ark of
the Testimony in it and shield the ark with the curtain. Bring in the
table and set out what belongs on it. Then bring in the lampstand and
set up its lamps. Place the gold altar of incense in front of the ark
of the Testimony and put the curtain at the entrance to the tabernacle.
"Place the altar of burnt offering in front of the entrance to the
tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting; place the basin between the Tent of Meeting
and the altar and put water in it. Set up the courtyard around it and
put the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard.
(Ex., 40, 1-8)
The Lord begins the new life of a new people with the first day of the
new year, the Lord commands to set up the Tabernacle in accordance with
the holy level of each item. This order corresponds to the Way of Banishment
of man away from the Lord, the way of spiritual and human losses. Mankind
committed the sin in Eden and the cover of the Ark was closed, cherubim
were placed to guard Eden. Cain killed Abel and the curtain over the Most
Holy Place was closed. The sons of God brought knowledge to earth, but
they committed sins and people began to use this knowledge for evil deeds
and as "all the people on earth had corrupted their ways" and
the waters of the flood washed people away from earth, only Noah family
was saved. The curtain over the Holy Place closed behind him. Still people
were too pride and they decided to return to God, but they didn't choose
the way of redemption, they decided to build tower in Babel, they didn't
want to scatter around earth as the Lord commanded. As a result they were
scattered away, they were scattered away from the courtyard and the curtain
was closed behind them. Time passed and the memory about God began to
peter out, the animal nature took over and people started to worship alien
gods in form of various animals. The Lord knew that people would not be
able to find the way of the Return and the Lord disclosed them the way.
And now
So the tabernacle was set up on the first day of the first month
in the second year. When Moses set up the tabernacle, he put the bases
in place, erected the frames, inserted the crossbars and set up the posts…
as the LORD commanded him.
(Ex., 40, 17-19)
People followed the order to set up the Tabernacle as it was commanded by the Lord. The Tabernacle was made accordingly.
And so Moses finished the work.
(Ex., 40, 33)
Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the Lord
filled the tabernacle. Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting because
the cloud had settled upon it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.
(Ex., 40, 34-35)
TABERNACLE: THE WAY OF BANISHMENT
"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created
him; male and female he created them God blessed them and said to them,
"Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it…"
On the sixth day God created the Consciousness of Mankind. On wish of
God it was whole and single and free. God, mankind, animal and vegetable
worlds were unified and God was the fundament of this unity.
The Lord God created man of dust and the Lord God breathed into his nostrils
the breath of life. The Lord God made a garden on the East and put the
man into the garden. Man could eat any fruit in Eden except the fruit
from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The Ark-Eden was full
of never dying trees and vegetation. The beauty and the everlasting of
the Ark correspond to the beauty of Eden. The man was before the face
of the Lord God in unity with animal and vegetable world. His consciousness
overwhelmed the whole world, but in any way it was a grown-up child. The
words the Lord said after the flood proved that it had been the child
time of the mankind:
Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though
every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood. And never again
will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done. As long as the earth
endures,
seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night
will never cease.
(Gen., 8, 21-22)
Some day in the future as the man had stronger spirit and will the Lord
God would have allowed him to taste the fruit from the forbidden tree
and it would have not hurt him. But at that time as the man ate the forbidden
fruit his consciousness which overwhelmed the whole world shrank and deformed
in such a way that the man comprehended he was naked and regarded it as
a physical handicap. The weak spirit, immediate power of animal nature
and the deadly sin made the man mortal as the Lord had warned him. The
man is banished away, the cover of the Ark was closed and cherubim took
the place at the entrance to close the way in. At that moment the closed
Ark was placed in the Tabernacle. The man was given one commandment and
he failed. The further life of man is the way to learn good and evil.
The man had to comprehend the sin he had made, to repent, but it would
not happen. It was the first spiritual disaster in the history of mankind.
The next stage of Adam, Eve, Cain and Abel lives corresponds to the Most
Holy Place in Tabernacle. They were before the face of the Lord, but Adam
and Eve would not repent and their sin was continued by Cain. The animal
nature, the jealousy, again suppressed the spirit and Cain committed crime.
The whole mankind – Adam, Eve and Cain – committed the deadly sin, but
this time there was no repentance. The mankind was banished even further
away from God, it corresponds to the banishment from the Most Holy Place.
Man could not any more be close to God! The holy tent closed the Most
Holy Place with the Ark and separated man from the Lord. As a warning
the images of cherubim were made on the curtain. The mankind was banished
to the Holy Place. It was the second spiritual disaster.
The sons of God brought knowledge to earth. They committed sin and got
mixed with people. The knowledge they brought created violence. "Man's
wickedness on the earth had become great", "the earth was corrupt
in God's sight and was full of violence" and the Lord said: "I
will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth".
The Lord condemned people in the previous case but that time the Lord
cursed the people. The flood destroyed every living being on earth except
Noah. The deadly sins brought people to death. It was the third disaster.
It corresponds to banishment from the Holy Place to the courtyard in Tabernacle.
The Tabernacle was covered by tent and people were moved further away
from God. Mankind lost God as guardian and was left in the courtyard of
the Tabernacle.
People were banished, but they retained the memory about Single God, they
had spiritual unity and single language. Despite the command of the Lord
to move around earth they decided to build a city and a tower. They had
to accept their misdoings and to repent, but they decided to return to
God making a tower and being glorified. "We may make a name for ourselves
and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth", they decided.
But the Lord destroyed their spiritual unity – the unity resisting the
wish of God. The Lord confused their languages and they were banished
even further away from God. It was the fourth spiritual disaster. A fence
was put around the Tent of Meeting and the era of heathenism conquered
the earth.
The memory about Single God began to disappear and the spirit of man became
weaker and weaker. It was close to spiritual death. The animal nature
of man started to overcome the spiritual origin of man, people began to
make human offerings instead of animal.
Each stage of banishment is the result of deadly sins committed by people.
The banishment took place on wish of the Lord. Only the wish of the Lord
may allow mankind to get the chance to return.
TABERNACLE: THE WAY OF THE RETURN
Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among
them. Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern
I will show you.
(Ex., 25, 8-9)
As we discussed the Banishment of mankind we noted that four spiritual
disasters (the sin of Adam, killing of Abel, the flood and the Babel)
banished mankind away from the courtyard of Tabernacle if we compare the
banishment with the design of Tabernacle. As people got beyond the courtyard
of the Tabernacle they started to loose the memory about Single God.
The unified spiritual comprehension of mankind was maintained by the deeds
of the Lord. People got scattered around the earth as a result of banishment
from Babel. People started to be influenced by animal world and natural
phenomena. They began to create heathen cults, the people got into a "spiritual
trap" and they would not be able to get out with the help of the
Lord. The Lord created new nation to bring the peoples of earth on the
path of the Return. This nation should become the "kingdom of priests"
and the keeper of the truth. God revealed Himself to forefathers and the
memory about God helps the people to survive in slavery and to belief
in salvation. The Lord unveiled to them and gives them "commandments,
laws and decrees". The Lord described to Moses on mount Sinai the
Tabernacle, the movable temple, the place the Lord would reside among
the people of Israel. The Tabernacle is made according to all the instructions
and Glory of the Lord filled it. The new way of Israeli people and all
mankind began from that moment.
Courtyard: Judaism
The people of Israel was the first to turn to the Way of the Return.
Abraham was the first man to start on the Way of the Return, the Lord
made Covenant with him. In accordance with the Covenant Abraham and all
men in his household and all his male descendants had to make circumcision.
Male child had to be circumcised on the eighth day. Circumcision is the
offering making the covenant with God, it's the internal and external
purification. But the curtain over the courtyard remained closed for people
like the line at the foot of Sinai mountain, which was not to be overcome
under the fear of death. Two offerings had to be done on the Redemption
day. Two human offerings had to be made to purify people (as a whole)
from sins and to redeem the sins of Babel. These offerings were purifying
the consciousness of people, they helped to suppress the desire to worship
alien gods. It was required to confirm the commandments, laws and decrees.
The offerings of Nadab and Abihu raised the curtain of the courtyard and
open the way to the first stage of the Return to the people. On wish of
the Lord they opened the way to Judaism to people of Israel. Judaism is
the courtyard of the Tabernacle as people had access only to the courtyard
of the Tent of Meeting. The curtain of the courtyard was supported on
four posts, i.e. there were three ways between the posts. The three ways
led to Judaism: the way of commandments, the way of laws and the way of
decrees and accordingly the spiritual consciousness of people is characterized
by three levels. What were the main spiritual and historical tasks Judaism
had to solve? That people had the mission to lead the mankind on wish
of God and with the help of God to the way of the Return. What was left
as the Israelites deviated from this way refusing from it? The people
had to maintain without modifications the memory of what the Lord had
given them to allow people in thousands years to read the Truth destined
for the future mankind.
The altar of burnt offering was located in the courtyard. Various offerings
were made on the altar. The examination of the offering tradition in Judaism
shows that Judaism had to suppress the animal nature of man and to create
the spiritual unity with God. It was the main task of Judaism. Judaism
had to return the unified spiritual consciousness of people which had
been lost as a result of scattering from Babel. The Israeli people had
to keep the Truth given by the Lord, it was the main historical destination
of Israeli people for thousand years. The Truth is the fundament of the
way of the Return to God.
The Lord created people in very severe conditions of slavery in Egypt.
The Lord brought people out from Egypt demonstrating miracles and punishing
everyone who resisted the will of God. Forty years the Israeli people
wandered in the desert – those were the forty years creating the unified
spiritual consciousness of the people. The Lord commanded to make sacred
meetings to keep and develop spiritual unity as the sacred meetings allowed
people to unveil spiritual emotions of the people and relation to God.
The people of Israel stepped on the first stage of the Return to God and
it had impact upon Edomites and Egyptians: their children could enter
the Covenant with the Lord in third generation. If Israelites were faithful
to the Lord the Lord's Presence among Israelites guaranteed orderly disclosure
of Truth at all the stages for whole mankind. The Lord promised and led
His people to better life in promised land. The people had to go towards
the Lord fulfilling all the commandments. As the Israelites ruined the
union with God the chances of any further spiritual development in Judaism
began to vanish. They were not able without the help of the Lord to disclose
the spiritual treasury, which they received in Torah and in the books
of the prophets. On wish of the Lord Christianity came to replace Judaism.
We'll be using the name "Old Testament Christianity" for the
Pentateuch of Moses as it was the spiritual teaching of the Holy.
The Holy: Old Testament Christianity
Then the LORD said to Moses, "Make a bronze basin, with
its bronze stand, for washing. Place it between the Tent of Meeting and
the altar, and put water in it.
(Ex., 30, 17-18)
Only anointed priest was allowed to enter the Holy Place. The priest
had to wash his hand and feet in the wash basin, which consisted of a
basin and a separate pedestal. The Holy Place was separated from the courtyard
by the curtain. It meant the next spiritual stage for man and people on
the way to God. Later this stage would be named Christianity, the washing
procedure required before the entrance to the Holy Place was the prototype
of Baptizing. The basin with water and the washing procedure protected
the priest against the death as he entered the Holy Place. It symbolized
Jesus Christ, who brought his teaching and purified man inside and outside
(spiritually), He allowed people to go up on the next spiritual level.
The pedestal and the basin with water was the prototype of John the Baptist,
who asked the Hebrew people to repent and purified them in waters of Jordan
river.
Judaism (the entrance to the Tent of Meeting) in terms of the Return was
focused to overcome Babel sin, but the Christianity of the Old Testament
(the Holy Place) was needed to overcome the aftermath of the flood and
to enter the era when people were living before the flood. People could
get to the next spiritual stage of the development on wish of the Lord
by means of two human offerings. One offering was needed to repent the
sin of the people and to purify the people of this sin. Jesus Christ sacrificed
His life to purify the sins of contemporary people (the Lord forbade to
preach Christianity in Arab world) and He redeemed a part of sins committed
by people before the flood had come. On wish of the Lord a man is born
to the world to bear the sins of peoples. On wish of the Lord the Purification
and Redemption took place. People's consciousness was cleaned of sins,
the people (as a whole) was give a chance to comprehend and to accept
the preached teaching. Purification of each individual person is carried
through baptism. It's one time procedure – purification of an individual
and purification of a whole people. Resurrection of Jesus Christ after
his death symbolized the redemption of sins people had committed before
the flood. This Redemption covered the sins committed after the banishment
of people from the Most Holy Place, i.e. after the sin of Cain. It means
the sins of Adam, Eve and Cain were left without redemption and they should
be redeemed at the next stages of the Return.
The curtain closing the entrance to the Holy Place is supported on five
posts, i.e. it opens four ways. One more way to the Holy Place compared
to Judaism, the one to the utmost north, gives way to heathens to accept
Christianity on the basis of their belief avoiding Judaism.
All the stages of the Return connected with the spiritual leaders nominated
on wish of the Lord were demonstrated by the history of Israeli forefathers:
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Moses. As the direction of spiritual Return
is opposite to the historical direction the return of Israeli people from
Egypt and settlement of spiritual unity with God was represented by unification
of all the descendants in Jacob-Israel. The stage of Christianity is prototyped
by the unification in Isaac (as the prototype of Jesus Christ), Jacob
(the symbol of spiritual values of Judaism) and Esau (representing heathenism).
The next post Christian stage of the Return will represented by unification
of Abraham and Isaac (Christianity) and Ishmael (Islam).
In what way can we imagine Christianity of Old Testament? First of all
the Holy Place is opened to people, it means that people basically suppressed
the animal nature and there is no more need for animal offerings. All
the other offerings are still there. Blood of animals is replaced by wine
in all rituals. In terms of spiritual growth the Christian of Old Testament
should be close to Israeli priest, i.e. the service to God should be done
for the whole people, but not only for himself. The Lord's Presence would
have impact upon numerous people – many of them would have started to
prophesize. There wouldn't be worshipping of man, his image and remnants
in Christianity of Old Testament (the place Moses was buried was unknown
on wish of the Lord). Worshipping man (images of men) destroys the connection
of man to God, it will as a result lead to opposition of mankind to the
Lord. Mankind features collective intelligence, worshipping this intelligence
is making man into "a god", the this Salvation will lead to
death.
The Most Holy Place: Post Christianity. The Return.
Mankind will be given a chance to rise to the new spiritual level, which
is symbolically represented as the Most Holy Place in Tabernacle. This
chance will be given by two human offerings. One of the offerings will
redeem the sin of Cain and his descendants, it will purify a part of mankind
of sins, it will give a chance to comprehend the Truth of the Holy Scripture.
The second offering will bring the human sins to the initial stage of
life. Both offerings will be the result of freewill – each person chooses
his way individually. The spiritual unity of people with the Lord, the
way of the Return will be named as the Church of the Return. The Church
of the Return will solve the problems after Christianity on the next spiritual
level. Priest could enter the Most Holy Place only once a year to purify
the sins of his people: the aim of the Church of the Return is to service
the Lord Almighty for the Purification and Salvation of all nations on
the basis of unified efforts of Judaism, Christianity, Islam and the Church
of the Return. It will be required for spiritual service to the Lord.
Only the unity for the service to the Lord will be able to change the
spiritual conditions of Conscience of Mankind and each individual man.
Mankind has got collective Intelligence, which is named the Conscience
of Mankind, the conditions of this Intelligence reflect the attitude towards
God and any person. Collective intelligence of a nation and mankind are
in terms of free will comparable to consciousness of any individual person.
Altar for burnt offering is positioned in front of the curtain closing
the Most Holy Place. A priest has to bring offering to purify sins for
himself and he has to make the burnt offering before he enters the Most
Holy Place. Before people can service the Church of the Return they have
to be prepared and purified. Individual purification (analog of Christian
baptism) will be connected with the altar for burnt offering.
The Ark: Messiah
The next spiritual stage for mankind is defined by the wish of the Lord,
but we can state with confidence: it will be severe time for people. Spiritual
decline of mankind will find its way through degradation and split of
traditional churches, distortion and persecution of Holy Truth. All the
traditional teachings will get disintegrated and they will be used as
the basis for unified spiritual teaching. But it will also deviate from
the truth and decline as the result of split in collective intelligence
of mankind. It will be the time of opposition – collective intelligence
of mankind will oppose the wish of God, it will be the time when the Truth
will get concentrated.
The fourth stage of the Return to God will be carried out by Messiah –
man who will feature on wish of God all the required qualities to fulfill
his destination: to separate mankind. The Ark can be accessed from top
and it's closed with the atonement cover. It could be opened only by the
Lord, by two freewill human offerings. There is only one way to the Ark
and there was only one river watering Eden. It means mankind has to reach
unified spiritual conditions and all the peoples will have to find the
single spiritual Truth. By the time of Messiah all the religions will
be unified into one stream based on the Truth. But this unified spiritual
teaching will not withstand resistance of human intelligence and it will
be destroyed. The exit of descendants of Israel from Egypt was the prototype
of the Judgment over mankind. Those who are going to be left will have
to be taught to overcome the last stage of the Return – the spiritual
purity of man should reach such high level that they won't be hurt by
the flaming sword of cherubim.
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The second book of Moses: Exodus