I am a detail person. Much of my teaching from the Bible has been focused on details. It is as if I have a canvas I am painting on, as I speak. I have painted an apple, with all the right shape, color and shading, but it is just floating in space, because I have not painted the apple tree it is hanging on. And a doorknob of shiny brass, with the keyhole in it, and all the right shadow and reflection spots, but I have not yet painted the door, let alone the house.
So tonight, I would like to quickly paint a quick sketch of the whole picture. It won't have as much detail, and it might look more like a "stick" house with "stick" people, but I want to give a fuller overview of the plan God has in His word.
I will start with another small detail, but this one is easily expanded into something much greater.
The very first letter of the Bible, in Hebrew, (the original language of the Old Testament) is "beit," which is equivalent to our letter "B." The letter "beit" is the second letter of the Hebrew "aleph-beit" just as "B" is the second letter of the English "alphabet." The name of that Hebrew letter, "beit" (or "beith") means "house," and the original very ancient form of the letter was the floor-plan of a tent (or house.)
In the first verse of the Bible "In (the) beginning God created the heavens and the earth," the first letter "beit" means "In," the first word in our English versions. This letter in Hebrew is used very often as a single letter prefix for many words in Hebrew. So, "In-beginning" is just one word in Hebrew, with the "beit" as its first letter.
Now it is very appropriate that the prefix letter "beit" means "in" because you can be "in" a house.
So now this very small detail is a little hint, that has a big meaning.
The first five books of the Bible are called the Books of Moses, because they contain a record of what God told Moses when he was on the mountain, (mount Sinai) where God gave him the Law. God also gave him the instructions for how to build the tabernacle, which is a tent, a portable house. So the very first letter of that record was the floor plan of a tent, the tabernacle. God said to Moses, "And see to it that you make them according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain." (Exodus 25:40 NKJV)
So what was given to Moses on the mountain was the floor-plan of a tent. The children of Israel built the tabernacle according to the pattern that God gave to Moses on the mountain. And that tabernacle became the center of all their activities for the rest of their forty years wandering in the wilderness.
"Now these things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come."
(1 Corinthians 10:11 - Berean Study Bible)
There are three feast times of Israel given by God through Moses:
“Three times a year all your males shall appear before the LORD your God in the place which He chooses: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Tabernacles; and they shall not appear before the LORD empty-handed."
(Deuteronomy 16:16 NKJV)
The first of these three feast times, "the Feast of Unleavened Bread," commemorates the children of Israel leaving Egypt. "Passover" is a part of this first feast time.
The second feast, "the Feast of Weeks" is celebrated seven weeks after Passover, on the fiftieth day. (Seven weeks is forty-nine days, and the next day is the fiftieth day.) This feast time is in memory of God giving the Law through Moses on mount Sinai. The Greek word for fifty is "Pentecost."
And finally "the Feast of Tabernacles" is a harvest time feast.
These feast times of Israel are only a shadow picture of the reality that has been fulfilled by Jesus the Messiah. He is our "Passover Lamb" who was killed in fulfillment of the "Passover." Then fifty days later was the day of "Pentecost" where the disciples, in the upper room were filled with the Holy Spirit, and had God's law written on the tablets of their heart. Out of that experience they built the true temple of God, made of "living stones," made without hands. "God does not dwell in temples made with hands." (see Acts 7:48 and 17:24)
The fulfillment of the tabernacle picture is that awesome, beautiful church at the beginning, which you can read about in the first few chapters of Acts. This is the bride of the bridegroom, Jesus, who gave His life for her.
When we consider what God said to Moses, we do well to heed His words:
"And see to it that you make them according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain."
(Exodus 25:40 NKJV)
When we look at the "church" today... (I put church in quote marks, because...) it looks nothing like it did at the beginning, as we read in Acts 2:41-47:
41 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. 42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. 43 Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. 44 Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, 45 and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.
46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.
This is the pattern, fulfilled, that was shown on the day of "Pentecost."
From this start we see that they had all things in common, everyone's needs were met, they were continuing in the apostles teachings, they met daily in their houses, breaking bread together with gladness.
And when we read in another place where we get a little window into what their meetings were actually like; in 1 Corinthians 14:26 we see:
"How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification."
Here we see a clear fulfillment of what God commanded Moses: "... and they shall not appear before the LORD empty-handed." (Deuteronomy 16:16b NKJV)
When the believers came together, "each of you has ..." All the things there mentioned are things to speak (or sing.) In the shadow example the children of Israel were coming to a feast, and they each brought food, but in the fulfillment, each one brings spiritual food, which is speaking the words of God.
At the beginning they all met in their houses where the number was small enough that each one could actually speak what they brought. This is impossible in today's "churches" meeting in big buildings with hundreds or thousands of people. And even in the small churches were only six to ten people attend, typically the "pastor" is the only one who speaks.
How did we stray so far from the pattern given on the mountain (upper room) on the day of Pentecost?
Well we have the sobering words of Paul:
"28 Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. 29 For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves."
(Acts 20:29)
God had revealed to Paul what would happen to the church, and it was already starting while he was still alive. After Paul had spent 18 months with the Corinthians, (Acts 18:11) he later wrote a letter to them because he had heard a report that there were divisions among them: 'Now I say this, that each of you says, “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am of Cephas,” or “I am of Christ.”' (1 Corinthians 1:12) The divisions were already starting.
Here the believers were wanting to follow men that they liked. And in Paul's warning "... men will rise up, ... to draw away the disciples after themselves."
So when the people want a leader, surprise, surprise, a leader rises up and draws them away.
Again we have the example of what happened to Israel. Among the many repeating patterns throughout their history, and after Israel was divided into two kingdoms, and after the southern kingdom of Judah was carried away to Babylon for 70 years, there was a small remnant that returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple that was in ruins.
“Even so then, at this present time, there is a remnant according to the election of grace.”
(Romans 11:5)
Just as in the example of Israel, only a small remnant returned to rebuild the temple, so it is now, very few are interested in returning all the way back to the way the church was at the start. Most will be content to stay in "Mystery" Babylon.
Continue reading another amazing story from the Old Testament picture.