The Restored Tabernacle of David.
"Alan Mc Savage"
It is remarkable that the Lord's declaration concerning the coming of Elijah followed immediately after the Transfiguration experience, when Moses and Elijah had appeared in glory on the mount. The Lord was "transfigured," we are told, and Moses and Elijah "appeared in glory" with him. (Lk. 9:31.) The Glory was Christ's Glory, and He it was that was "transfigured," but these two men appeared in His Glory. And that, in fact, is exactly what is going to happen when Christ is manifested in the saints; the saints are to appear with Him in Glory! "When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory." (Col. 3:4.) It is participation in the Transfiguration glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, just as Moses and Elijah appeared in His Transfiguration glory. The Scriptures teach that this Transfiguration is for us.
NOT SOME DAY IN THE FUTURE BUT NOW , WHENEVER WE GATHER TOGETHER IN SPIRIT AND TRUTH.
EVERYTIME WE GATHER TOGETHER WE SHOULD BE EAGERLY LOOKING FOR THIS MANIFESTATION OF HIS TRANSFIGURATION OR GLORIFICATION.
"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed (transfigured) by the renewing of your mind . . ." (Rom. 12:2.) "But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed (transfigured) into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." (2 Cor. 3:18.) The open face is the "unveiled" face. The reference is to the veil which Moses wore over his eyes to hide the glory from the sensitive eyes of the Israelites, when he came down from the mountain. But when he went in to speak to the Lord, he took the veil off. Paul, therefore, exhorts the Corinthians to take the veil off. This is the day and hour of God's great Unveiling--even the Unveiling of the Sons of God! And as our eyes and hearts and minds become unveiled before God, we are going to be transfigured into the same image! These words are unmistakable in clearness. The same image! And this image is developed and manifested as we partake of His Transfiguration, with minds and hearts and eyes unveiled before the Spirit of God
Matt 17:1-4
And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light. NASU
Mark 9:2
2 And six days later, Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John, and brought them up to a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them; NAS
Rom 12:2
2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and NASU
2 Cor 3:18
18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit. NASU
NT:3339
metamorphoo (met-am-or-fo'-o); from NT:3326 and NT:3445; to transform (literally or figuratively, "metamorphose"):
1. to change into another form, to transform, to transfigure
a. Christ appearance was changed and was resplendent with
divine brightness on the mount of transfiguration
KJV (4) - change, 1; transfigure, 2; transform, 1;
NAS (4) - transfigured, 2; transformed, 2;
Matthew 27:51
And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;
And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom. This was the thick and gorgeously-worked veil which was hung between the "holy place" and the "holiest of all," shutting out all access to the presence of God as manifested " above the mercy-seat and between the cherubim that stood facing each other on top of the Ark of the Covenant:" - "the Holy Spirit this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest" (Heb 9:8). Into this Holiest of all none might enter, not even the high priest, except once a year, on the great day of atonement, and then only with the blood of atonement in his hands, which he sprinkled "upon and before the mercy-seat seven times" (Lev 16:14) - to signify that access for sinners to a holy God is only through atoning blood. But as they had only the blood of bulls and of goats, which could not take away sins (Heb 10:4), during all the long ages that preceded the death of Christ, the thick veil remained; the blood of bulls and of goats continued to be shed and sprinkled; and once a year access to God through an atoning sacrifice was vouchsafed-in a picture, or rather, was dramatically represented, in those symbolical actions-nothing more.
But now, the one atoning Sacrifice being provided in the precious blood of Christ, access to this holy God could no longer be denied; and so the moment the Victim expired on the altar, that thick veil which for so many ages had been the dread symbol of separation between God and guilty men was, without a hand touching it, mysteriously "rent in twain from top to bottom:" - "the Holy Spirit this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was NOW made manifest!" How emphatic the statement, "from top to bottom;" as if to say, Come boldly now to the Throne of Grace; the veil is clean gone; the Mercy seat stands open to the gaze of sinners, and the way to it is sprinkled with the blood of Him - "who through the eternal Spirit hath offered Himself without spot to God"! Before, it was death to go in, now it is death to stay out. See more on this glorious subject at Heb 10:19-22. (from Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1997 by Biblesoft)
My wife and I went to a preview of The Passion of Christ by Mel Gibson.
One of the scenes that spoke to me was when Christ "Gave up the Spirit" on the cross the same moment the Veil was torn from the top to the bottom in the Temple.
The way into the Holiest of All was graphically portrayed on film and made manifest to all who would enter therein.
And when the veil was rent from top to bottom the Shekina Glory shone forth and filled the Holy place with such an intensity of light, brilliance and Glory that it obscured the man made glory that was in the Holy Place.
"DEATH WAS SWALLOWED UP BY LIFE."
We know that the presence of the Lord is the present day Ark of the Covenant.
We Enshrine that presence in our spirit/heart and build a tent for it with our Body.
. The Presence of the Lord is enshrined in the hearts of believers as we meet together in Divine moments of Anointed Praise and Worship and we build anew the tent of meeting with our assembled body. We make manifest the Glory of the Lord Within. What I am saying my Brethren is whenever we meet together in Spirit and in truth we manifest the Transfiguration or "COMING" of the Christ through our assembled bodies the Restored Tabernacle of David.
1 Cor 6:19 "Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you,"
Temple
In Scripture, the tabernacle is sometimes called by this name. 1 Sam. 1-3.
"After this I will return
And will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down;
I will rebuild its ruins,
And I will set it up;
So that the rest of mankind may seek the LORD.
Even all the Gentiles who are called by My name,
Says the LORD who does all these things." (Acts 15: 17-18 NKJV) (see Amos 9:11-12).
Speaking to the gathering of the early church in Jerusalem, James said that the fact that the Gentiles were coming to the Lord was a result of the restoration of what David's tabernacle represented - the grace of God and a way open into the very Holiest of All (see Hebrews 6:19; 8:1-2).
The Tabernacle
A Psalm of David. LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill? (Psalms 15:1)
For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock. (Psalms 27:5)
In Salem also is his tabernacle, and his dwelling place in Zion. (Psalms 76:2)
We will go into his tabernacles: we will worship at his footstool. (Psalms 132:7)
And in mercy shall the throne be established: and he shall sit upon it in truth in the tabernacle of David, judging, and seeking judgment, and hasting righteousness. (Isaiah 16:5)
And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. (Revelation 21:3)
Alan
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