The Shadow Cast Upon Earth

Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle... Hebrews 8:5

"The simple system of sacrifices instituted by the Lord in the

beginning to symbolize, or prefigure, Christ, was almost totally lost sight of during the bondage of the children of Israel in Egypt. 

Upon their return to Canaan, Moses, by divine direction, gave them a more elaborate system, designated in the Scriptures as the sanctuary and its services.
.....but if he forsakes the Lord and turns back into the world, that part of his past life which, while he was faithful, was covered Christ's righteousness, appears open and uncovered on the books of heaven; for he himself has withdrawn from Christ, and must meet the record of his entire life in the judgment. be uncovered if the who confesses them.

This is very forcefully taught in the parable of the unmerciful servant, who, after he had been forgiven his entire debt, dealt harshly with his debtors, and the Lord then required him to pay all that had been once forgiven him." 

Stephen Haskell

The Human Body in Light of Scripture

"Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in

three days I will raise it up. . . He spake of the temple of His body." John 2:19, 21. 

"Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost?" 

1 Corinthians 6:19. 

"If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are." 

1 Corinthians 3:17." 

Stephen Haskell

Symbolic

It was symbolic for the present time in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered.... 

Hebrews 9:9

"At the present day the person who comes to the study of the New Testament through the interpreting lights of the types and symbols of the Levitical services, finds a depth and richness in the study that are found in no other way. 

It is impossible to have exalted views of Christ's atoning work if the New Testament is studied without a previous knowledge of the deep, bloodstained foundations in the Old Testament gospels of Moses and the prophets. 

In every sacrifice, Christ's death was shown. 

In every cloud of incense His righteousness ascended. 

By every jubilee trumpet His name was sounded. 

In the awful mystery of the holy of holies His glory dwelt." 

Stephen Haskell

The 3 Temples of God

"There are three temples brought to view in the Bible,-the heavenly temple, the dwelling-place of the Most High, where Christ intercedes in our behalf; (We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord

pitched, and not man. Hebrews 8:1,2) the temple of the human body, where God's Spirit rules and reigns; (What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 1 Corinthians 6:19) and the earthly temple, with its typical services, designed to teach mankind how to receive divine help from the great storehouse above. The earthly sanctuary with its types and symbols is like the powerful lenses of the telescope, which make it possible to view heavenly bodies that otherwise would be invisible. (Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount. Hebrews 8:5)" 

Stephen Haskell

God's Mercy on Display in the Flour Offering

And if he be not able to bring a lamb, then he shall bring for his trespass, which he hath committed, two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, unto the LORD; one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering.
But if he be not able to bring two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, then he that sinned shall bring for his offering the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a sin offering; 

Leviticus 5:7,11

"Christ died for the most worthless, for the veriest outcast. 

Q: Who can gaze on that picture without having his heart filled with love for such a compassionate Redeemer? 

--Again he views a picture of the destitute sinner, longing to be free

from sin; 

--and beholding his wealthy brethren pass with their lambs for sin-offerings, the poor ones with their pigeons and doves, he sinks back into despondency, for he has no living thing to offer. 

--Then the light of hope springs into his face as one tells him, "Only a handful of flour will answer." 

And as the sinner watches the priest offer the crushed wheat as an emblem of the blessed body to be broken for him, and hears him say, "Thy sin is forgiven," his heart leaps for joy, as did the heart of the poor man by the pool of Siloam, who had no one to help him, when the blessed Master told him to take up his bed and walk." 

Stephen Haskell

The Great Power-House of Jehovah

"It is in this "true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man," that Christ pleads His blood before the Father in behalf of sinful men.

--There is the throne of God, surrounded by myriads of the angelic

hosts, all waiting to obey His commands; 

--and from there they are sent to answer the prayers of God's children here on earth.

The heavenly sanctuary is the great power-house of Jehovah, 

--whence all the help necessary to overcome every temptation of Satan is sent to each one who is connected with it by faith." 

Stephen Haskell

Lesson from Zerubbabel

"When Zerubbabel was trying under very adverse circumstances to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem, he came to a time when the

difficulties appeared like mountains before him. Then the Lord sent His prophet Zechariah with a message to help and encourage him. Zechariah was given a view of the golden candlesticks, and was also shown whence the oil came that supplied the lamps. He saw two olive-trees, one on the right side of the bowl and the other on the left side, which through golden pipes kept the lamps supplied with oil, that they might burn brightly.

Zechariah asked the angel the meaning of what he saw. In reply the angel said: “This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts” (Zech. 4:6). Then he gave a message to Zerubbabel to go forward, and said that the mountain of difficulties would become a plain before him, and that as surely as his hands had laid the foundations of the house of the Lord, so surely would he finish it.

Zerubbabel was walking by faith in the words of the prophets who had foretold how and when Jerusalem would be rebuilt (2 Chron. 36:20-23; Jer 25:12). But those prophets were dead, and he faced difficulties that he might think the prophets never expected would arise. Then God sent a living prophet with a message of encouragement, to keep the light burning, and enable Zerubbabel to press forward and complete the work prophesied.

We cannot comprehend the word of the Lord without the Spirit to enlighten our minds. The light shines to the degree in which we believe the word and risk our all upon it: and as we come into difficulties in following the instruction given through the dead prophets, the Lord sends messages of strength and encouragement through the living prophet, to enable us to press forward to victory." Stephen Haskell

The weakest trusting child of God.....

Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of Thy countenance. Psalm 89:15

"The weakest trusting child of God can have the blessed privilege of being guided by the light of God's countenance, safe from the pitfalls of Satan, if he will surrender his heart to God." 

Stephen Haskell

The Great Antitypical Offering

"The history of the system of types and shadows began at the gate of the garden of Eden, where our first parents brought their offerings and presented them before the Lord. Abel showed his faith in the promised Savior by bringing an animal. He not only presented the shed blood of the sacrifice, but he also presented the fat to the Lord, showing faith in the Savior and a willingness to put away his sin.

Of all the sacrifices recorded in the book of Genesis, none comes so near the great antitypical offering as the one required of Abraham when God called him to offer his only son. 

The test of faith was not simply in the fact that Isaac was his only legitimate son, but Abraham understood that through Isaac's posterity the long-promised Messiah was to come; and in offering Isaac, Abraham was cutting off his only hope of salvation, as well as that of the world. 

But his faith wavered not. 

He believed that the same God who had performed a miracle in giving him a son, could bring that son from the dead to fulfill the promise that He had made. 

(By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death. Hebrews 11:17-19)." 

Stephen Haskell

The Beautiful Symbol

"In the midst of the desert heat there was a cool, refreshing shelter

beneath the shade of the cloudy pillar for those who served in the tabernacle or worshiped in its court, while without was the scorching heat of the desert. (Each one will be like a shelter from the wind and a refuge from the storm, like streams of water in the desert and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land. Isaiah. 32:2)

What a beautiful symbol of the covering God spreads over His people in the midst of this wicked world, so that it is possible to dwell in the secret place of the Most High and abide under the shadow of the Almighty One (Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 91:1) while in the midst of the turmoil and strife of this wicked world." 

Stephen Haskell

3 Types of Temples

"There are three temples brought to view in the Bible: 

1) the heavenly temple, the dwelling-place of the Most High, where Christ intercedes in our behalf; 

2) the temple of the human body, where God's Spirit rules and reigns; and 

3) the earthly temple, with services designed to teach mankind how to receive divine pardon and power from the great storehouse above, so that God can honor them by abiding with them continually.

If the one who longs to know more of Christ and His infinite love will study the types and symbols of the earthly sanctuary, connecting each type with its glorious anti-type, his soul will be filled with rapture. 

Like the lenses of the telescope, they reveal, wondrous beauties in the character of our blessed Redeemer, beauties that are revealed in no other way.

Names given the heavenly sanctuary by different Bible writers:

“Thy dwelling-place” . . Solomon . . .  2 Chron. 6:39

“His holy temple” . . .  David . . . Psalm 11:4

“Temple of God” . . .  John . . .  Rev. 11:19

“Habitation of Thy holiness” . . . Isaiah . . .  Isa. 63:15

“True tabernacle which the Lord pitched” . . Paul . . .Heb. 8:2

“My Father's house” . . . Jesus . . . John 14:2

“Place of His habitation” . . . David, . . . Psalm 33:14

“His holy habitation” . . . Jeremiah . . . Jer. 25:30

“Holiest of all” . . .  Paul . . .  Heb. 9:8.

Names given the earthly sanctuary:

“A worldly sanctuary” . . . Heb. 9:1

“The first tabernacle” . . . Heb. 9:8

“A figure for the time then present” . . .  Heb. 9:9

“Patterns of things in the heavens” . . . Heb. 9:23

“Holy places made with hands, a copy of the true” . .  Heb. 9:24

“The temple” . . . 1 Cor. 9:13

The body of the Christian is called the temple:

“Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. . . He spake of the temple of His body.” John 2:19-21.

“Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost?” 1 Cor. 6:19.

"If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. " 1 Cor. 3:17." 

Stephen Haskell

That Sabbath Bridge

"The Sabbath, 

like a great bridge, 

spans all time. 

---The first pier upholding this great institution was placed in Eden, when,according to the account given in Gen. 2:2, 3, God and unfallen man rested through the sacred hours of the Sabbath. 

---The second pier of the bridge was founded amid the thunders of Sinai, when God, in proclaiming the fourth commandment as found in Ex. 20:8-11, gave the fact that He had rested upon the seventh day
from the work of creation, as the reason why man should keep it
holy. 

---The third pier of the Sabbath bridge was hallowed by the
blood of Calvary. While the Son of the mighty God rested in the
tomb from the work of redemption, it is recorded in Luke 23:54-56
that Jesus' followers "rested on the Sabbath day according to the
commandment." 

---The fourth pier of this wonderful bridge will be laid in the earth made new. In Isa. 63:22,23, we are told that after the last trace of the curse of sin is removed from the earth, all flesh will from Sabbath to Sabbath come to worship before the Lord." 

Stephen Haskell

Lesson from the Amazon River: "Dip and Drink"

But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

John 4:14

 

"The Amazon river pours into the Atlantic Ocean such an
immense volume of water that for miles out at sea the water
remains fresh. 

It is said that a ship sailing in the ocean near the mouth of the Amazon, had exhausted its supply of fresh water, and signaled to another vessel at a distance, looking for fresh water.
The answer was signaled back, "Dip and drink." 

The captain thought they could not have understood, and signaled again. The same reply came back across the water. In indignation he said, "They say, 'Dip, and drink'. Throw the bucket over and try the water" To their surprise the bucket brought up fresh water and their thirst was quenched.

 
Often we think we are in he enemy's land, and the Lord is afar
off; but the stream of the river of life flows by every door. We have only to "dip and drink," if we wish to be led into the sunlight of God's presence and feel His sheltering care."

Stephen Haskell

How God dealt with Murder

"In the early history of the world, provision was made for the
punishment of the murderer. "Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed," was the decree of Jehovah. (Gen. 9:6).

The one nearest of kin to the murdered man, usually executed the murderer; but lest in the excitement of the occasion undue haste should be exercised and individuals be slain who did not deserve death, God made provision that the murderer might flee and lay hold upon his altar. None could be taken from the altar without an examination, and if it was found that the murderer had presumptuously planned to kill the man, then he was taken from the altar and slain; otherwise his life was spared. (Ex. 21:13,14).

After the children of Israel entered the promised land, six cities were set apart as cities of refuge. These were conveniently located, three on each side of the river Jordan. (Joshua 20:2,7,8) The roads leading to these cities were always to be kept in good repair, that the one fleeing before the avenger of blood might not be hindered in his flight. (Deut. 19:3) The cities were on elevated ground, and could be seen at a distance. 

When the murderer reached the gate of the city of refuge, he declared "his cause in the ears of the elders of that city," before he was given a place within. (Joshua 20: 3-5) His case was also tried by the judges of the city near where the murder was committed, and if it was not a premeditated murder, but the deed had been done accidentally or unintentionally, then the guilty man was restored again to the city of refuge whither he had fled. (Num. 35:12,24,25).

 Every time an Israelite looked upon one of the cities of refuge, God designed he should be reminded of Christ, the "tower of the flock, the stronghold of the daughter of Zion," (Micah 4:8) to whom every sin-burdened soul could flee for shelter." 

Stephen Haskell

What's in the name of Revelation?

 "God has given the book of Revelation a title different from any other book in the Bible, signifying that it is open to all. 

 

It is the "revelation of Jesus Christ." (Rev.1:1)

---He has pronounced a blessing upon every one who reads it, or even hears it read. 

--- "Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand."(Rev.1:3) 

---It is adapted to every mind, and is full of choice illustrations and symbols, which will not only interest, but instruct the reader. 

---It is a complete book in itself; for John was told "What thou seest, write in a book." (Rev.1:11)."

StephenHaskel

Observation on Last Night of Babylon

"Heaven and unfallen worlds watched the progress of affairs in this great city, for it was the battle-ground of the two mighty forces of good and evil. 

Christ and Satan here contended. 

 

Angels, unseen by human eyes, as they gathered the animals into the ark before the flood, had mustered forces against Babylon. 

 

---God was using men who knew him not as God,.... 

To Cyrus, the leader of the Persian army which was now outside the

city walls, God had said that he held his hand to make him strong. Before you "I will loose the loins of kings." I will open those two-leaved gates, and the gates shall not be shut; "I will go before thee and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass and cut in sunder the bars of iron." Isaiah 45:1,2

While Belshazzar and his lords drank and feasted, the army of Cyrus was lowering the waters in the bed of the Euphrates, preparatory to entering the city." Stephen Haskell

Are We Disappointing the Angelic Host?

"The attention of every angel in glory is centered upon those striving

to follow in Christ's footsteps.

 

 

"Are they (the angels) not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who · shall be heirs of salvation?''  

Heb. 1:14 

 

Q: Why should we falter by the way, and disappoint the heavenly host who are watching for us to come over the same road that our Forerunner passed as a mighty Conqueror over death and the grave?

But let us never forget that it is a blood-stained pathway. "Who, when He was reviled, reviled not again; when He suffered, He threatened not; but committed Himself to Him that judgeth righteously." (1Peter 2:23)." Stephen Haskell

CLEAN ANIMALS NOT TO BE YOKED WITH UNCLEAN

"As the Israelite started out each morning to assume his daily tasks,

another command constrained him:"Thou shalt not plow with an ox and an ass together." (Duet. 22:10).

The ox was a clean animal; the ass, or donkey, was unclean. (Lev. 11:3,4) While each was useful, yet they were not to be yoked up together.

The Savior prayed, not that we should be taken out of the world, but that we might be kept from the evil in the world. (John 17:15) While we may use the world as the Israelites used the unclean ass, yet we are not to yoke ourselves up with any of the evil of the world.

"Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers:for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? and what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?" (2 Cor. 6:14-17)

This command includes the marriage relation and every business connection. Ungodly business men often use methods in conducting their business that a Christian could not use without compromising his Christian integrity.

The Christian is to bear Christ's yoke, and engage in no business in which Christ can not help him carry the burden of cares and perplexities connected therewith. The Savior says to all,

"Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart:and ye shall find rest unto your souls." (Matt. 11:29)."  Stephen Haskell

The GARMENT MADE OF ONE TYPE OF CLOTH

"We read:"Thou shalt not wear a garment of divers sorts, as of woolen and linen together." (Deut. 22:11).

 

The question is often asked, Why was this requirement given? One of the first things God did for Adam and Eve after they had sinned, was to make clothes for them. (Gen. 3:21).

Garments are a type of Christ's righteousness, with which He clothes every one whose sins are forgiven. (Is. 61:10) Before man sinned, he was clothed with a garment of light and glory, and God designs that our garments should remind us of the heavenly dress with which He will finally clothe the redeemed. (Rev. 3:5; 19:8)

God says, "My glory will I not give to another, neither My praise to graven images." (Isa. 44:6; 42;8)

Part of our life can not be clothed with the "filthy rags" of our own righteousness, (Is. 64:6).  

 

The Savior taught the lesson that we can not patch our own filthy robes of self-righteousness with the righteousness of Christ. "No man putteth a piece of a new garment upon an old; if otherwise, then both the new maketh a rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new agreeth not with the old." (Luke 5:36)." 

Stephen Haskell

About That DESIGN

 "Every type used in the entire sacrificial system was 

---designed by God 

---to bear resemblance to some spiritual truth. 

 

The value of these types consisted in the fact that they 

---were chosen by God Himself 

---to shadow forth the different phases of the complete plan of redemption, made possible by the death of Christ. 

 

The likeness between type and antitype is never accidental, but is simply a fulfillment of the great plan of God."

Stephen Haskell 

 Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.

Hebrews 8:5