A free access to the most prestigious Palace in the Universe
Will you accept this special opportunity?
Very few today understand the privilege they have to be able to spend their life in a palace!
We are not speaking about any palace on earth, but about the most prestigious one in the whole universe:
THE TEMPLE OF YEHOAH!
If we could grasp the meaning of this offer, we would choose a quite different behaviour, a one full of humbleness to meditate about the privilege we have by this access to the Palace of our Creator Elohim. This behaviour would also encourage us to teach our family how to behave within this marvellous neighborhood which is given to us.
Paul knew that and let us read how he draw the attention of Timothy
(I Timothy 3: 1-15):
" This is a true saying, if a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.
A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;
Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;
One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity;
(For if a man knows not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of Elohim?)
Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.
Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.
Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre;
Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.
And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless.
Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things.
Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.
For they that have used the office of a deacon well purchase to themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Yeshuah.
These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly:
But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of Elohim, which is the church of the living Elohim, the pillar and ground of the truth."
(I Timothy 3: 1-15)
If we really want to become the guests of Elohim in His Palace, please follow the examples of the deacons, the bishops, Paul and especially the Lord Yeshuah Christ. They will guide us on the way of success.
We must understand a first rule: When you are the guest of somebody else, it is your duty to respect the habits of the owner of the guesthouse. In other words, it means that in order to start a life in Elohim's Palace, we must first accept and follow all the rules and laws applied by Elohim in His Kingdom.
To behave according to this new way of life means to become what the Bible defines as a Christian.
We must invest all our efforts to fill our lives with deeds showing our
Christianity; it will occur once we will live by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of Elohim!
If we do so, we will become true witnesses of Elohim in the present world and people around us will recognize by our behaviour that we belong to another world, the one of the house of Elohim. But this membership means much more!
The knowledge of the house we are living in.
To keep this hope to live in Elohim's palace, with His prestigious family, we must become and remain useful servants and sons or daughters for our Yehoah.
To reach this position, we must first build a good knowledge of the house we want to live in. Please remember that this house is
the Temple or Palace of Elohim.
It is important to know the character of our Host and to know how to adapt to Him. We can easily understand from the Bible that a good method is to put the ten commands of our Creator in our heart.
But let us start by a short visit of this marvellous Palace whose
doors are opening before us and let us follow the way given by our Lord Yeshuah-Christ (Hebrew 3: 1-3 and 6):
"Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Yeshuah;
Who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house.
For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who hath builded the house hath more honour than the house…
…But Christ as a SON over his own house; WHOSE HOUSE ARE WE, IF WE HOLD FAST THE CONFIDENCE AND THE REJOICING OF THE HOPE FIRM UNTO THE END."
(Hebrew 3: 1-3 and 6)
We will try to give you a better understanding of the house of Elohim and we will start with a return to the past to read about the Tabernacle which is a figure for the true Palace. Moses built the Tabernacle and Paul described it quickly as follows (Hebrew 9: 1-10):
Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary.
For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary.
And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all;
Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;
And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly.
Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of Elohim.
But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people:
The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing:
WHICH WAS A FIGURE FOR THE TIME THEN PRESENT,
in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience;
Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.
(Hebrew 9: 1-10).
This Tabernacle, as described by Paul, is not the Temple but however it was built after THE MODEL THAT WAS SHOWN BY YEHOAH TO MOSES.
The raw materials used to build the Tabernacle are VERY EXPENSIVE ONES.
Moreover all the raw materials are OFFERINGS FROM PEOPLE GIVING THEM WILLINGLY WITH THEIR HEART.
Let us read that in Exodus 25: 1-9:
"And the YEHOAH spake unto Moses, saying,
Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering.
And this is the offering which ye shall take of them; gold, and silver, and brass,
And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats' hair,
And rams' skins dyed red, and badgers' skins, and shittim wood,
Oil for the light, spices for anointing oil, and for sweet incense,
Onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod, and in the breastplate.
And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.
According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it."
By the way, you may observe that the offerings made by the children of Israel are in excess compared to what is necessary.
The important keypoint of this building is to keep it in mind all the time:
The Tabernacle is not built according to the taste and ideas of the children of Israël but in accordance with the plan of Elohim!
This is confirmed to us at the end of the book of Exodus (Exodus 40: 16-33) :
"Thus did Moses: according to all that YEHOAH commanded him, so did he.
And it came to pass in the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, that the tabernacle was reared up.
And Moses reared up the tabernacle, and fastened his sockets, and set up the boards thereof, and put in the bars thereof, and reared up his pillars.
And he spread abroad the tent over the tabernacle, and put the covering of the tent above upon it; as YEHOAH commanded Moses.
And he took and put the testimony into the ark, and set the staves on the ark, and put the mercy seat above upon the ark:
And he brought the ark into the tabernacle, and set up the vail of the covering, and covered the ark of the testimony; as YEHOAH commanded Moses.
And he put the table in the tent of the congregation, upon the side of the tabernacle northward, without the vail.
And he set the bread in order upon it before YEHOAH; as YEHOAH had commanded Moses.
And he put the candlestick in the tent of the congregation, over against the table, on the side of the tabernacle southward.
And he lighted the lamps before YEHOAH; as YEHOAH commanded Moses.
And he put the golden altar in the tent of the congregation before the vail:
And he burnt sweet incense thereon; as YEHOAH commanded Moses.
And he set up the hanging at the door of the tabernacle.
And he put the altar of burnt offering by the door of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation, and offered upon it the burnt offering and the meat offering; as YEHOAH commanded Moses.
And he set the laver between the tent of the congregation and the altar, and put water there, to wash withal.
And Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet thereat:
When they went into the tent of the congregation, and when they came near unto the altar, they washed; as YEHOAH commanded Moses.
And he reared up the court round about the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the hanging of the court gate. So Moses finished the work."
Seven times we are told that Moses acted as commanded by YEHOAH . And please note that Moses completed ALL his work in time being ready for the second feast of Passover.
Moses took utmost care to get a full knowledge of the house of Elohim and we read earlier that he remained faithful in all the house of Elohim.
The glory of the Yehoah took residency in this Tabernacle at the beginning of the second year of the stay of the children of Israel in the desert. With the coming of Passover and the festival of unleavened breads, the Yehoah agreed to come back IN the camp of Israel which he had left after the event of the golden calf. Yehoah decided indeed to stay OUTSIDE the camp in order not to be obliged to kill the children of Israel because their impurities.
Isn't it possible to compare this event with the tear of the veil in the Temple of Jerusalem when Yeshuah died? It was also at the start of the festival of unleavened breads? Let us read about this in the Bible, in the New covenant (Luc 23: 44-46):
"And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour.
And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst.
And when Yeshuah had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost." (Luc 23: 44-46)
And also in Hebrews: 6: 19-20:
"Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;
Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Yeshuah, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec."
(Hebrews: 6: 19-20)
The Tabernacle did not stay at the same place but first it travelled during 39 years in the desert. Afterwards, it crossed the Jordan river to start its 400 years journey in in the Holy Land.
THE TEMPLE OF JERUSALEM
A long time after the building of the Tabernacle, David is chosen by Elohim to rule over all the children of Israel. But he is not authorised to build the TEMPLE for Elohim. It will be the task of his son Solomon. David
made nevertheless everything ready by collecting all the raw materials
necessary for this building. Here also the Bible (I Chronicles 29: 1-19)
tells us that everything collected for the Temple is, as for the Tabernacle, an offering coming from people GIVING THEM WILLINGLY WITH THEIR HEART:
"Furthermore David the king said unto all the congregation, Solomon my son, whom alone Elohim hath chosen, is yet young and tender, and the work is great: for the palace is not for man, but for Yehoah Elohim.
Now I have prepared with all my might for the house of my Elohim the gold for things to be made of gold, and the silver for things of silver, and the brass for things of brass, the iron for things of iron, and wood for things of wood; onyx stones, and stones to be set, glistering stones, and of divers colours, and all manner of precious stones, and marble stones in abundance.
Moreover, because I have set my affection to the house of my Elohim, I have of mine own proper good, of gold and silver, which I have given to the house of my Elohim, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house.
Even three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the houses withal:
The gold for things of gold, and the silver for things of silver, and for all manner of work to be made by the hands of artificers. And who then is willing to consecrate his service this day unto Yehoah?
Then the chief of the fathers and princes of the tribes of Israel and the captains of thousands and of hundreds, with the rulers of the king's work, offered willingly,
And gave for the service of the house of Elohim of gold five thousand talents and ten thousand drams, and of silver ten thousand talents, and of brass eighteen thousand talents, and one hundred thousand talents of iron.
And they with whom precious stones were found gave them to the treasure of the house of Yehoah, by the hand of Jehiel the Gershonite.
Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with perfect heart they offered willingly to YEHOAH and David the king also rejoiced with great joy.
Wherefore David blessed Yehoah before all the congregation: and David said, Blessed be thou, Yehoah Elohim of Israel our father, for ever and ever.
Thine, O Yehoah is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O Yehoah, and thou art exalted as head above all.
Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all.
Now therefore, our Elohim, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name.
But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee.
For we are strangers before thee, and sojourners, as were all our fathers: our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is none abiding.
O Yehoah our Elohim, all this store that we have prepared to build thee an house for thine holy name cometh of thine hand, and is all thine own.
I know also, my Elohim, that thou triest the heart, and hast pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of mine heart I have willingly offered all these things: and now have I seen with joy thy people, which are present here, to offer willingly unto thee.
O Yehoah Elohim of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, our fathers, keep this for ever in the imagination of the thoughts of the heart of thy people, and prepare their heart unto thee:
And give unto Solomon my son a perfect heart, to keep thy commandments, thy testimonies, and thy statutes, and to do all these things, and to build the palace, for the which I have made provision."
(I Chronicles 29: 1-19)
By the way, David recognised also that all these offerings like anything else in the universe belong to Elohim in any event!
Solomon, just like Moses, will not build the Temple according to his
design and his taste: NO, ALL HAS BEEN BUILT FOLLOWING EXACTLY THE PLANS OF ELOHIM! Let us verify it by reading verse 19 of chapter 28 in the first book of the Chronicles:
"All this, said David, Yehoah made me understand in writing by his hand upon me, even all the works of this pattern."
Regretfully the first Temple was completely destroyed by the
armies of Babylon under the reign of king Nebucadnetsar. We will have to wait the fall of Babylon and the reign of Cyrus before the start up of the building of the second Temple.
The order to rebuild is given by Elohim to Cyrus. Still this time, you can
check by yourselves in the book of Ezra that once again it will be made WITH OFFERINGS FROM CYRUS AND PEOPLEGIVING THEM WILLINGLY WITH THEIR HEART.
This time also, the Temple is not rebuilt after the ideas of Cyrus but according to the very precise instructions given by Yehoah to Cyrus.
Each time, our Creator leaves each one free to take part in the building, nobody is forced to do so, but if we decide to join Him and His team, it will be according to His will.
THE CHURCH OF ELOHIM
History teaches us that the second Temple was destroyed in its
turn by the Roman army 70 AC. An important question thus should be raised:
Where is the House of Our Yehoah today?
We must find where we can honour our Father as He wishes us to do. The
Word of our Creator is as a lamp onto our path to help us to find the answer and the way in order not to be lost like a wanderer.
And indeed, Yeshuah gives us the answer to that question by making a wonderful promise in John 14, verse 23:
"Yeshuah answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him."
And a little earlierYeshuah explained what means "to love him"; you can read it verse 15 in the same chapter:
"If ye love me, keep my commandments."
Isn't the answer very clear and very simple? The Father and His Son will agree to elect their residency in those who love Yeshuah-Christ! Our living bodies may become the House of the Father and of His Son if we invite them to do so. All this can become a realty thanks to the gift of the Holy Spirit:
"Know ye not that ye are the temple of Elohim, and that the Spirit of Elohim dwelleth in you?"
(I Corinthiens 3:16)
But this new Temple described by Paul is not yet finished, it is still in a building stage. Like for the previous buildings made for Our Yehoah, you will see that the same basic rules are followed:
First we must offer ourselves willingly with our hearts:
"Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto Elohim, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto Elohim."
(Romans 6:13)
We must start to build ourselves as a living stone of the House but not according to our particular taste and ideas like it is usually seen in all the christian sects which appeared already during the early time with the Catholic Church and going through the few thousands of other churches you can find today in this world! Quite to the contrary, this residence must be built according to the precise plan of Elohim carried out by Yeshuah-Christ. By the way, we find here a big change: the builders are not only human beings but the team is including also the Son of Elohim himself and he will make sure that we will perform this work till its end.
"Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, all evil speakings,
As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:
If so be ye have tasted that Yehoah is gracious.
To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of Elohim, and precious,
Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to Elohim byYeshuah Christ."
(I Pierre 2:1-5)
Unfortunately the Church of Elohim is fattening and her heart is so full of pride that she will forget her Yehoah and His advice given few thousands year ago:
"When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless Yehoah thy Elohim for the good land which he hath given thee.
Beware that thou forget not Yehoah thy Elohim, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day:
Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein;
And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied;
Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget Yehoah thy Elohim, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage;"
No the Church of Elohim will not keep in mind this warning and she will follow the same way as her spiritual ancestors, the way of apostasy. The
same causes produce the same effects!
The Church of Elohim will be in her turn destroyed just like the two temples before her!
Read this dark prophecy in the book of the Daniel, the prophet (Daniel 8: 10-24):
"And it (the little horn) waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them.
Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of the sanctuary was cast down.
And an host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practised, and prospered.
Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot?
And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.
And it came to pass, when I, even I Daniel, had seen the vision, and sought for the meaning, then, behold, there stood before me as the appearance of a man.
And I heard a man's voice between the banks of Ulai, which called, and said, Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision.
So he came near where I stood: and when he came, I was afraid, and fell upon my face: but he said unto me, Understand, O son of man: for at the time of the end shall be the vision.
Now as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep on my face toward the ground: but he touched me, and set me upright.
And he said, Behold, I will make thee know what shall be in the last end of the indignation: for at the time appointed the end shall be.
The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia.
And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king.
Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power.
And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up.
And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people."
(Daniel 8: 10-24)
Paul informs us also implicitly about this destruction to come and he confirms that the destructor will go then to his end:
"If any man defile the temple of Elohim, him shall Elohim destroy; for the temple of Elohim is holy, which temple ye are."
(I Corinthiens 3:17)
Yeshuah-Christ the Builder to follow!
Yeshuah, our Saviour, is represented by the sheaf of barley which was waved before Yehoah shortly after the Sabbath in the seven days of the unleavened breads, at the time of Passover. He is the Leader of the people who are building the Church of Elohim. This is the reason why we must follow Him and His deeds.
First you must note that He offered Himself willingly as a sacrifice to Elohim:
"This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man LAY DOWN HIS LIFE for his friends…
These words spake Yeshuah, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:" (Jean 15: 12-13 and 17:1)
Second, Yeshuah-Christ did not act according to His desires but on the contrary according to the will of His Father and Elohim:
"Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done."
(Luc 22:42)
The New Jerusalem
The Church of Elohim, despite what we have read before, will not be overcome by the power of death. Like Yeshuah Christ, she will come back to life. The present and future history of the Church of Elohim shows that she behaves in a way very similar to the one of the Tabernacle.
Indeed, the Tabernacle was moving from place to place in the desert but also during the first 400 years of the children of Israël in the Promised Land.
The same is for the Church of Elohim: Her members do not have a defined dwelling as they are described by Peter as foreigners and travelers on earth:
"Dearly beloved, I beseech you AS STRANGERS AND PILGRIMS, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;"
(I Pierre 2:11)
To convince more about this nature of the Church, please read the chapter 11 of the epistle of Paul to the Hebrews. Today, the Church of Elohim is in the
desert of this world in which we are living today, like the children of Israël were the Sinai.
Soon, the Chruch will enter in what the book of the Revelation calls the promised millenium and this period of time will be used to purify the whole earth just like the children of Israël should have done for the Promised Land.
During the millenium, the people of believers will be like Abraham:
"For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is Elohim."
(Hebrews 11:10)
The believers will wait for the New Jerusalem!
Here is the true home of Elohim symbolized by the Temple of Jerusalem built by Solomon. It is not anymore a temporary residency but a permanent place to live.
The New Jerusalem is the last House of Elohim revealed in the Scriptures.
The Bible tells us that still today
ELOHIM IS CURRENTLY BUILDING THIS MASTERPIECE BY HIMSELF!
Elohim has entirely designed this new city. But Elohim will not bring this city out from the heaven to earth before a complete purification of earth. Indeed Elohim
cannot live in the presence of sin. For this reason, Peter has written in his second epistle (II Pierre 3: 10-13):
"But the day of Yehoah will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of Elohim, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness."
(II Pierre 3: 10-13)
This purification will start during the reign of Yeshuah Christ and will be
finished before the apparition of the New City where Elohim will live with the mankind:
"And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
And I John saw
the holy city, new Jerusalem,
coming down from Elohim out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying,
Behold, the tabernacle of Elohim is with men,
and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and Elohim himself shall be with them, and be their Elohim.
And Elohim shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."
(Revelation 21:1-4)
And a little latter, John writes for us:
"And I saw no temple therein: for Yehoah Elohim Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it."
(Revelation 21: 22)
Let us follow John in his tour of this prestigious city and admire its beauty:
"And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of Elohim and of the Lamb…
And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for Yehoah Elohim giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever."
(Revelation 22: 1 and 5)
"AND HE SAID UNTO ME, THESE SAYINGS ARE FAITHFUL AND TRUE!"
(Revelation 22: 6)
If like the tree of life, we continuously bear the fruits of the Spirit and if we persevere to do so, then we may become living pillars in the Temple of the New Holy City, coming down out of heaven; in other words, it means that we may become the pillars of Elohim himself!
"Him that overcometh will I (Yeshuah) make a pillar in the temple of my Elohim, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my Elohim, and the name of the city of my Elohim, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my Elohim: and I will write upon him my new name."
(Revelation 3: 12)
Do you start to understand the true character of our Elohim? We have seen what He is preparing for us. Such a Divine work cannot be compared with anything else in the course mankind's existence till now. But all this was announced and to some extent proven in advance.
Our Great Creator does not lead us to the unknown; on the contrary, He is guiding us to a City of light, a City lightened by His own glory!
Do you wish to see the appearance of this attractive City? If your answer is yes, then Elohim has set up specially for you a TESTIMONY which will help you on your way. This testimony has always been a part of the
residence of Elohim! If you keep this testimony preciously with you, you will also be
part of the House of Elohim.
THIS TESTIMONY IS THE SAME AS THE TEN COMMANDMENTS!
Here is what Isaiah is prophesying about our time:
"Bind (Yehoah is speaking) up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples.
And I will wait upon Yehoah, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him.
Behold, I and the children whom Yehoah hath given meare for signs and for wonders in Israel from Yehoah of hosts, which dwelleth in mount Zion.
And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their Elohim? for the living to the dead?
TO THE LAW AND TO THE TESTIMONY!
if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.
And they shall pass through it, hardly bestead and hungry: and it shall come to pass, that when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves, and curse their king and their Elohim, and look upward.
And they shall look unto the earth; and behold trouble and darkness, dimness of anguish; and they shall be driven to darkness."
(Isaiah 8: 16-22)
It means simply but strongly that the people of Elohim have recourse to two important supports:
THE LAW AND THE TESTIMONY.
Let us find in the Scriptures the meaning of this testimony which
interests us more particularly now. If we go back to the time when Moses received for the first time from Yehoah the ten commandments written on two tables of stone. Moses stayed forty days on the mount Sinai without eating nor drinking and he received many instructions from Yehoah, in particular the one we will read in the book of Exodus in chapter 25, verse 16:
"And thou shalt put into the ark the testimony which I shall give thee."
The testimony must be found in the ark located itself in the Tabernacle. In order to get more information about this famous Testimony, we invite you to read in the book of Deuteronomy 10: 1-5,
"At that time Yehoah said unto me, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first, and come up unto me into the mount, and make thee an ark of wood.
And I will write on the tables the words that were in the first tables which thou brakest, and thou shalt put them in the ark.
And I made an ark of shittim wood, and hewed two tables of stone like unto the first, and went up into the mount, having the two tables in mine hand.
And he wrote on the tables, according to the first writing, the ten commandments, which Yehoah spake unto you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly: and Yehoah gave them unto me.
And I turned myself and came down from the mount, and put the tables in the ark which I had made; and there they be, as Yehoah commanded me."
Here we see that the testimony are the ten commandments written with the finger of Yehoah as that is confirmed in the book of Exodus 31: 18:
"And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone,written with the finger of Elohim."
The ten commandments are basic for the Church of Elohim: They are the
only sentences pronounced by Yehoah Himself from the top of
the mount Sinai to the millions of people who came out like us from the country of sin. Yehoah did not only pronounce these ten commandments but he also wrote them with His finger as a Testimony on two tables of stone. In other words it is a proof of His alliance with His nation of Israel.
If you want to understand better the importance attributed by Yehoah to scriptures, we invite you to read our other article on the subject.
But as you have seen, these first tables of stone with the ten commandments will not reach the ark as they will be broken by Moses once he will have seen his people worshipping the golden calf. These first two tables have been cut by Yehoah and he wrote the commandments on both sides of the stones; it was the work of Yehoah (Exodus 32: 15-16). By the way, this detail about Yehoah writing on both sides of the stone shows how He does not like to waste raw materials such as these pieces of stone.
Then, a set of two new tables of stone were prepared and these are the ones which were placed in the ark.
Do not confuse the ten commandments and the law! The law was not kept in the ark, but at side:
"And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished,
That Moses commanded the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of Yehoah, saying,
Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of Yehoah your Elohim, that it may be there for a witness against thee.
For I know thy rebellion, and thy stiff neck: behold, while I am yet alive with you this day, ye have been rebellious against Yehoah; and how much more after my death?"
(Deuteronomy 31: 24-27)
Now we can understand the meaning and the value of the law and the testimony to which the people of Elohim will have to turn. In order to understand better the value of the law of Elohim, we will read together the very last words of Moses:
"And Moses made an end of speaking all these words to all Israel:
And he said unto them, Set your hearts unto all the words which I testify among you this day, which ye shall command your children to observe to do, all the words of this law.
For it is not a vain thing for you;
BECAUSE IT IS YOUR LIFE: AND THROUGH THIS THING YE SHALL PROLONG YOUR DAYS IN THE LAND, whither ye go over Jordan to possess it."
(Deuteronomy 32: 45-47)
This law, which cannot be confused with the testimony, disappeared several times in the history but Yehoah always gives a way to find it for people with the will to seek it with love and zeal. It was in particular the case with king Josias and his country when they realized their sins and repented to turn into the good way of the life.
But where are the Law and today's Testimony?
The Temple of Yehoah is completely destroyed today but what
then became the Law and Testimony, did they also disappear? What became
the tables of stone and the written version of the law?
A first hint to find the answer is provided by Elohim in the prophecy of Jeremiah:
"Behold, the days come, saith Yehoah, that
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 that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith Yehoah:
But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith Yehoah,
I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their Elohim, and they shall be my people."
(Jeremiah 31: 31-33)
This prophecy started to be accomplished today with the Chruch of Elohim. If we are part of the true Church of Elohim, we must thus let Elohim write himself His commandments on our heart. Isn't it the way we should understand Yeshuah Christ and his teachings in the sermon of the mount. He asks us to amplify the ten commandments by having them all the time in our thoughts.
Paul confirms this to some extent when he speaks about the behaviour of the pagans:
"(For not the hearers of the law are just before Elohim, but the doers of the law shall be justified.
For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:
Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)"
(Romans 2: 13-15)
Having this in mind, we discover that the Testimony still exists today but under a different form. We should be the witnesses of Yeshuah and thus of Elohim; our words and our lives must become a testimony of Elohim, a proof that His Word is the Truth.
The Testimony is a proof of the Truth!
The devil will try everything to destroy this proof by destroying the remainders of Church of Elohim a little before the end, but it
will be in vain:
"And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our Elohim, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our Elohim day and night.
And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and
by the word of their testimony;
and they loved not their lives unto the death.
Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.
And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.
And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.
And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.
And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.
And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed,
which keep the commandments of Elohim, and have the testimony of Yeshuah Christ."
(Revelation 12: 10-17)
With this knowledge in us, let us Elohim shape us and use us as raw materials for the building of His new residency. Do not resist, He is the potter and we are the clay. Elohim is working us and not the contrary which would mean that we are shaping a god according to our images.
And now we can see again that, as in the past, if we want to be part of the new Temple Elohim, we must offer ourselves willingly with our good hearts to Elohim and He will bring us on His holy mountain:
"But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living Elohim, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to Elohim the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
And to Yeshuah
the mediator of the new covenant,
and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things that that of Abel.
See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven:
Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.
And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.
Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve E lohimacceptably with reverence and godly fear: