The Tabernacle — G.W. North

I'm together. On Sunday morning a gentleman came up to me and he said.

Something you said this morning confused me. Oh I said well what was it. And he made an inquiry along a certain line. So I want tonight to make that our starting point. I want to clarify that and go on from there.

Washing by the Mediator in the Old Covenant

It was concerning the statement I made about the water and the blood. You may recall we were referring to the sea the gigantic laver the sea a tremendous size of a thing 15 cubits across and you know the old cubits from the elbow to the fingertip 15 of those in diameter much much bigger than those that he made as lavers copying what Moses had done at the beginning.

And I pointed out that in the sea that is that great big place the priests were washed. They had their initial cleansing. They were plunged into it and they were washed all over by the mediator. They didn't wash themselves in it for a beginning.

Now keep that very clear. They were washed by Moses the mediator of the old covenant God's man God's representative. Then they were dressed in their priestly clothes and anointed. And all the things which I hope you know about in that you are more and more acquainting yourselves with the Bible it's all in there and all you have to do is to read it.

And I also from there pointed out that these lavers were where the priests had to wash the offerings. You will know for instance that the first offering mentioned in the book of Leviticus. Well I'll tell you what.

Let's read it. That's why I stood up with my Bible tonight. It's best that we read it exactly as it is in the book of Leviticus which follows hard. I was going to say on the heels of Exodus as though Moses had written it on the run.

But in verse 1 of chapter 1 of Leviticus. And the Lord called unto Moses and spoke unto him out of the tabernacle of the congregation saying speak unto the children of Israel and say unto them if any man of you bring an offering unto the Lord ye shall bring your offering of the cattle even of the herd and of the flock.

If his offering be a burnt sacrifice of the herd let him offer a male without blemish he shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord. And he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.

And he shall kill the bullock before the law. And the priests heir and sons shall bring the blood and sprinkle the blood round about upon the altar that is by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

And he shall flay the burnt offering and cut it into his pieces. And the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire upon the altar and lay the wood in order upon the fire. And the priests Aaron's sons shall lay the parts the head and the fat in order upon the wood that is on the fire which is upon the altar and is inwards and his legs shall he wash in water.

And the priests shall burn all on the altar to be a burnt sacrifice an offering made by fire a sweet savor unto the Lord. So you will see the parts of the offering were washed. The whole burnt offering of course was had not to do with sin.

There were in the Old Testament the sin offerings trespass offerings peace offerings meal offerings. Here was the great burnt offering which a man just voluntarily without commandment from God but in sheer gratitude to him and love would bring this most precious spotless best animal of his flock and give it all to God now that was very wonderful.

So there you have an instance of the offering being washed. So then in the Solomon's Day when the temple was built and he went in for these great things in a big big way a permanent way. For that's what the temple signified.

The days of tabernacling and moving around are not knowing where the temp the tabernacle might be tomorrow if the cloud lifted in the night or in the day they just had to go on and pitch the tent somewhere else.

And it was here it was there it was somewhere else. Now the days of permanency had come in Solomon's Day in the days when the kingdom was established in a great way. And there were the labors. And that's where the animals were washed.

And I pointed out that that's where the blood and the water are combined in the Old Testament. Tremendous thing. It is beloved then to see that there was a time when the water and the blood were mingled together.

And also that glorious thing that God did is clear if you want the figure of baptism equating something like what we have today as water baptism that is by immersion it was in the labor all right. They were put in that sea and they were scrubbed.

Well I suppose they were. And that was it. And it was done by Moses wasn't done by themselves. It wasn't done by any man except the God man as we may speak of him there for you will remember this is what God said to Moses.

He said I have made thee a God to Pharaoh. You may read that in the opening part of the books of a book of Exodus. In that sense he was to bring judgment upon them. Egypt's being representative of the world and the great outpourings of God's wrath not just upon the people of the land but upon the things that they worshiped.

That he may destroy idolatry in the eyes of Israel. And that was a tremendous thing. Unfortunately he didn't destroy it by his many judgments in the eyes of the worldling idolatry can never be destroyed from the eyes of the worldling cannot be done more.

They don't worship scarabs and the Nile and Pharaoh and the young heir to the throne that was slain during the Passover. They worship cars and money and televisions and rock stuff. I don't mean what you get out of the ground.

They worship all kinds of things that they worship their stomachs. They worship their sexuality. They worship all kinds of things like that. That's what they do. But God wants us to understand that he poured out his wrath there and he made Moses the symbol of God to Pharaoh.

You may remember he called him to the burning bush. And Moses didn't want to go. He was more afraid than Peter was on the platform tonight. And God had to make him go. And he went loathe to go. But unless he was going to judge Pharaoh and the blatant sins of the Egyptians he would never be their Savior.

For God sent him down to be a Savior to bring his people out of Egypt. And it was the God man then. He wasn't the God man in the sense that Jesus is the God man. I I suppose I've got to make this very plain.

I don't want to leave confusion in anybody's minds tonight. Jesus was the only God man man God marvelous praise his name. But Moses in type was fulfilling this blessed ministry. And that was a wonderful thing.

The Sinai Covenant and Its Conditions

Now you will notice that Moses did not wash all Israel. Keep that clear. He only washed those that were going to be priests. I think you better get that very clear now. Let the significance of that sink into your heart.

He only washed. He only immersed scrubbed cleansed did what you want. All right. He only did that to the priests. No one else not even the priests relatives that is the Levites. He never scrubbed all the rest of the tribes.

Oh fairly exclusive wasn't it. Indeed it was in this 24th chapter of the book of Exodus the Lord said under Moses this was after they had come out of Egypt and he had brought them to himself at Mount Sinai as he said preparatory to taking them into the promised land.

That's what he had done. He stopped them at Sinai to receive his law. And it was the law that they were to get into their hearts before they entered the promised land. They were not going to be allowed by God to live in his land the land he had chosen for them the promised land unless they would go there under his rule.

Not just because of his redemption. The redemption led to the rule. All right. I'll say yes or no. Good. And let's understand it. So he stopped them to receive his rule. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

You can say rules. But I have left off s. He was showing them that he was the king. He's the sovereign hallelujah. That's why he'd had Pharaoh killed because he did when the crossing of the Red Sea. It's why he'd had the worshipped child of Pharaoh slain so that both that they are the terrible King and his heir was slain.

Keep that right. For you must understand that the heir of the Satanic King on the human level is the old man. Get that very clear. And God then dealt with them and brought them to himself. And in verse 1 of chapter 24 we read that he said unto Moses come up unto the Lord.

No wonderful that the the reading of Scripture. You must linger tarry long. You must not read it. Gavel gavel gavel. He didn't he said he said to Moses. He didn't say now listen. Are you read. Are you following it.

He didn't say come up to me. He said you come up to the Lord. If you're coming up here Moses you've got to realize and recognize that I am the Lord. Just don't come to me. You come to the Lord. It was him.

Of course I want you understand the language in which he spoke for him. We're living in days of such total disrespect where honor and respect is given to no man. And you can't do that if you become a Christian.

Come up unto the Lord. He said speaking of himself thou Aaron Nadab by whom and seventy of the elders of Israel and worship ye afar off. And Moses alone shall come near the Lord. He had to be the mediator.

Do you understand. I'm just building up the great truth here. They shall not come nigh. Neither shall the people go up with him. Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and all the judgments.

And all the people answered with one voice and said all the words which the Lord has said. Will we do. Moses came to the people and brought these things. And Moses wrote all the words of the Lord and rose up early in the morning and builded an altar under the hill and twelve pillars according to the twelve tribes of Israel.

And he sent young men of the children of Israel which offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen unto the Lord. Now I want you to notice something here. It's very important that you do it.

I must be aware that I don't stop on every little step which we shan't get away till midnight. But here is the truth. Until now there had been no sin offering made at all. It is important for us to understand that in the land of Egypt there was no offering to God.

None. God would not accept offerings. While people are in the world. You understand that clear the lambs they slew in the land they had to eat. They were not offered to God. I don't want the me my he said I'm going to put it in language anyway.

If you don't eat it or burn it burn it didn't say on an altar. He said burn it. The blood that was put on the houses was not put there as a sin offering. It was put as the mark. What a marvelous thing.

It was put there as the token on those houses he said that is the Lord. He said when I see the blood I will pass over you. And that's what happened. So the lamb offered in or slain in Egypt was not offered to God.

The blood of the lamb was used as a token. It was not poured upon an altar. All right. It wasn't for sin. The next offerings spoken of are these that we have read together. The next offering in 24. Verse 5 burnt offerings and peace offerings.

Hallelujah. Not yet was God dealing with sin. Because there was no law except embryonic allay. It had not yet been established in Israel. He had not told them thou shalt not or thou shalt now. God is very meticulous about this.

And it was so tremendous. God never acts out of line. So they offered burnt offerings which we read about in the book of Leviticus. They weren't there for sin offering. He told them afterwards that the bodies of those whose blood is brought into the the tabernacle their bodies had to be burned outside the camp.

God would have nothing to do with them at all. God never has anything to do with the sin offering. In other words he doesn't want them on his altar. He doesn't want them offered to him. Keep that very clear burned rubbish outside the camp.

The blood was brought in making you think isn't it that's good for you. It's been good for me. Here's the great thing. So they did that sacrifices of peace offerings sacrifices of burnt offerings. Lord I'm so grateful.

Lord I'm so thrilled. You can do what. Say what you like. And God off. And they were accepted. But now look at the blood before the blood was on the houses. Let's read it. Verse 4. Roses wrote all the words of the Lord.

He rose up early in the morning and build in an altar under the hill. And twelve tribes pillars according to the twelve tribes of Israel unshakably surrounding the altar. There they stood. The pillars were a stone and beside them rose the stone mass Sinai the rock the immovable rock they were.

If I may use a phrase the Lord will excuse. I'm sure they the pillars were chips off the old block. If you know what I mean you know what that means in our phraseology. And that's where they were put rock round an altar undoubtedly made of stone beside the great rock and the top of the great rock.

God their rock. Amen. That was very very wonderful. And then Moses in verse 6 took half of the blood put it in basins and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. And he took the book of the covenant not the two tablets of stone they were yet to be given him.

And they were put on if I may say it again chips off the rock. That's where they were put. The whole picture is of immovability. Well he takes the blood half he sprinkles on the altar. And he took the book of the covenant and read in the audience of the people.

And they said all that the Lord has said will we do and be obedient. And Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people and said behold the blood of the covenant which God hath made with you concerning all these words.

Now the covenant was made with them concerning the things that God had said. And Moses was written down. It wasn't a willy-nilly. Yeah. I'll cover you. Great big covenant I made. Do this this. Oh no.

No. It was only a covenant or covenanted only on the conditions that they would obey God. He will not enter into covenant with you just because you say you want your sins forgiven. The root of all sin in mankind is this very thing disobedience.

God said to Adam you shall not eat of this tree. That's it. And he did. And that's the root of all sin so far as man and woman was concerned. And he's not prepared to marry a defiant will. He's not prepared to save.

He's not prepared to covenant with anybody unless they come down to his feet and tell God thou do everything he says now. That's the solemnity of it. And this is why so many people never get into the real glorious fullness and overflowing life.

That's right. Listen to Paul. He says that the carnal mind that's the mind of the flesh. That's we all had one. If we still haven't got it is enmity against God. It will not do what God says. Won't. You can't convert it.

It has to be exterminated. And that's a tremendous thing for us to understand. And this is what we owe to the great Apostle Paul when he takes up his pen or someone takes up a pen that his dictation and he writes that great letter to the Romans.

Here is the great truth for us to understand. Moses took the blood and he sprinkled it on the people and he said behold the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you concerning all these words.

That's marvelous truth. Well behold this blood behold it. Half of it was on the altar. Some of it was on the book that he'd written. The sum of it was on them on the altar on the book of the covenant.

That's the words of the covenant. And on the people that's where it was now. That was a completely external thing. When we come into the New Testament you will recall that in that upper room before he went to get seminate and then onto the cross the Lord instituted the new covenant at least the practice of it.

And he put the he gave them the wine and the cup and he said this cup is the new covenant in my blood. Drink it. It was in the old. It's inward in the new. What a glorious thing it is. And of course I need not remind you that his blood covered all the blood offerings of the Old Testament all of them there wasn't part of it for sin part of it for peace offering and part of it for a burnt offering.

And that kind of thing it was all done that which was divided up as God in grace moved down to the bare minds and beliefs of people. I say that because he couldn't move down unto their inward parts. Not in those days the inward covenant wasn't established.

But all those things that came in little bits and pieces part here part there as the Old Testament teaches you. You won't find this in the New Testament. Here a little there a little line upon line precept upon precept.

You don't get that in the New Testament. I wish people would wake up between the difference see the difference between the old and the New Testament. They quote this thing and they haven't even seen it.

That doesn't belong to the New Testament at all. Jesus never said it. They were great men who said it. But they were not in the New Covenant. And God wants us to understand this great difference. Now I'm making a gigantic leap.

The New Covenant in Christ’s Blood

I'm coming into the New Testament. Put down my entire Bible. I will go into the New Testament now. I pointed out to you earlier that the washing the cleansing the clothing the anointing blood and oil in the Old Testament was only on the priests.

Keep that clear. The priests were the greatest men of the Old Testament as a company. Unfortunately this has been carried over in some hierarchical religions. And the priest is the big man. People are afraid of him.

They have to do what the priest says that's been carried over again is confusion between the old and the New Testaments. But only the priests were washed. Only the priests were immersed in that big labor of regeneration.

Now keep this clear. Only the priests from there proceeded to make the offerings to God. Only those you say well well where would we stand in all this then. Surprise perhaps to you it not not to be. But if you read with me in say the book of Revelation seven churches which are in Asia grace be unto you and peace from him which is and which was and which is to come.

And from the seven spirits which are before the throne. Don't read that as being seven holy spirits there's only one angels and archangels are spirits. There are those special ones around the throne. God could use any of them.

And when he came into any of them now that angel spoke as though he was the Lord and he was called the angel of the Lord because the Lord all the angels belong to him like he says all the earth is mine.

But there were seven spirits before the throne in which in perfect number you know numbers for seven is the number of perfection and through which he manifested himself through the ages. And always has and I suppose always will from Jesus Christ to verse five who is the faithful witness and the first begotten of the dead.

And the prince of the kings of the earth unto him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood and hath made us. You will have kings and priests. But it's really a kingdom of priests unto God and his father to him.

Be glory and dominion forever and ever. Now turn back with me into the first epistle of Peter. And we'll find in the second chapter verse 1 first epistle chapter 2. Wherefore laying aside all malice and all guile and hypocrisy.

See if you got malice and guile and hypocrisy you'll try to slip the covenant he's made with you according to the words you understand that's all got to go as new born babes desire the sincere milk of the word that you may grow thereby.

If so be you have tasted that the Lord is gracious to whom coming as unto a living stone. Think back to what we've been talking about the rock. Okay. Disallowed indeed of men but chosen of God and precious.

May I repeat that little word. If if this is so let's read it again. And only if I may say if so be you have tasted that the Lord is gracious to whom coming as unto a living stone not just as a Savior all right.

God was their Savior on Sinai. He made them come to the rock as unto a living stone. Disallowed indeed of men but chosen of God and precious. You also as living stones are built up a spiritual house and holy priest to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

Beloved wake up shall we to the fact that every born-again one that is born again on God's terms is born a priest. Cleansing regeneration. The labor of regeneration it's only for those who are going to be priests.

If you are not a priest now you don't see me in a frock and a collar. Turn around the other way. I have a tile and you use nothing to do with that at all. Beloved you've got to see that unless you are prepared to be a priest and enter into the priesthood which has nothing to do with seminaries and colleges and elections and conferences upon people of names and titles has nothing to do with that at all.

Unless you are prepared to function as a priest you cannot be regenerate. That is your calling. The great mediator of the new covenant only immerses priests. Amen. What do you know about it. If we went into the Hebrews which we we will do we'll touch on it if possible.

Regeneration, Sanctification, and the Priestly Calling

Sometime tonight you will see that our Lord Jesus was and is the great high. Now he didn't walk about in flowing robes. There were no golden bells and pomegranates tinkling wherever he went. He had no great mitre on his head with a holy with a plate of gold saying holiness unto the Lord.

He only immerses in his precious labor of regeneration. If I may use the term those who are prepared to be a to be priests. In fact they were only made priests by that immersion. But everyone in Israel knew what they were.

Every priest to heir to the priesthood knew he was going to be a priest. He went for that reason to be immersed. But today they say come to Jesus and have your sins forgiven. You see. Of course it's so right.

But have you never heard this phrase. And how true it is that the good stands in the way of the best. People want that which is good. They don't want the best. Now glory glory glory to God. This is where we see the great truth.

Turn with me into the book of the revelation. I'm sorry to the book of Hebrews. Let's look at another verse so plainly written here you will know the wonderful 10th chapter. I'm sure about verse one. It only had a shadow of good things to come.

Not even I put the word even in the very image of the things as the miles away from being the image of what was to come. If you like it was a faint faint picture. For it was all done in things. Stone gold silver hangings clothes crowns miters jewelry.

The best they could do. I suppose then which earth could produce no better. They took it up for God. It always troubles me when I hear stories about mighty buildings in England or anywhere else these wonderful cathedrals.

And they built to the glory of God. Of course they didn't. They've built it to the glory of man. They labored long and lovingly. It took them centuries sometimes to put the topmost stone on all right.

And so people go and worship at these shrines a lot of rubbish. And God will show you it's rubbish gonna burn it all up. He doesn't burn up precious things. And God wants us to see this beloved. But when you come into this great 10th chapter it says in verse 1 that the law only had a shadow of good things to come and not the very image of the things.

But in those sacrifices there is remembrance made again of sins every year. For it's not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. And so he goes on. Now as we go down to the chapter we read these things.

Here they are. Verse 14 by one offering Jesus has perfected forever them that are sanctified. Well hallelujah. When those priests of old were immersed in that great seed they were sanctified utterly unto their ministry.

They were not even allowed to go out of the tabernacle anymore with one or two exceptions. They had to live there. When they went in they said goodbye to mum. They didn't say goodbye to dad because Aaron was in there.

Their father was in there. Okay. They said goodbye to all outside things. And that's where they lived. You should read about it. It's a real eye-opener to read the Bible. You know you'll come out of all fantasy land.

If you'll do that you'll come out of all false ideas. If you'll just read the Bible. That's why we have it. They were sanctified holy unto the Lord at if at their new birth when they were taken out of the world where they'd been living and they rose up and they became a priest unto the Lord.

Hallelujah. Therefore there should be no division between regeneration and sanctification should not be doctrinally. And God wants to see. Of course there had to be then the ongoing sanctification. What is it.

You stay there. You don't go out of it. You don't take those robes off. You don't do this. You don't the other. You're here. You're sanctified unto me. And that's why the chief had to wear the golden plate which said holiness or sanctification.

Whichever word you want to use unto the Lord. Sanctification unto the Lord everywhere he went towering above everything else. This man representatively of God. What a marvelous thing it is. Now may I ask you this question beloved.

Are you entirely sanctified unto the Lord. Did someone not preach the truth to you. You answer that so anxious for you to get your sins forgiven. They should be too inside. If you'd be quiet. Is the accusation going on.

You're a sinner yourself. So you say well I'm only a sinner. I'm trying to help other sinners. What a disgraceful thing to say. We're all sinners who said so we were all sinners as though salvation is a predestination to sin.

At least till we leave the earth. So when this great man writes this letter you may think it was Paul. Others don't think. It was doesn't matter. But this is what it says by one offering. Verse 14. He has perfected for ever them that are sanctified whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us.

Now let me ask you a question. Is the Spirit witnessing to you that you are perfected forever. I'm asking you the question. You shall answer it. I'm not quoting out of a book according to mr. North. I'm quoting from the Bible.

The Holy Ghost witnesses that we are perfected forever witnesses that the perfect offering has been made. What is that lovely phrase that you know about. I never was in the Church of England one full perfect sufficient ablation.

Come and say it to them. You can just see him with a dog collar on. Can't you. He used to be decent on a platform then. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I'll leave it to him tomorrow. Here's the truth beloved. We've got to see it.

Do you see following it with me. Verse 16. This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days saith the Lord. That's after the days that the old covenant was finished. I will put my laws into their hearts and into them.

And in their minds will I write them so that they won't have to repeat them. But that they will think them. They won't have to talk themselves into some creedal acceptance of repetitious things. They will think this way they will.

And because you will really think deep down in the subconscious realm that's where he'll write it. You understand when God writes in a human being he puts that human being in one sense to sleep. What's the man talking about all.

Right. I'll tell you the great covenant that God cut with Abraham the father of circumcision. You may read about it in the book of the Genesis. He told Abraham what to do to cut the sacrifices into halves stack them up as a great gateway.

And he then put Abraham to sleep. And when he was in a deep deep sleep God came and cut his covenant into him. That was made Abraham's secret. He could persist and insist and go through where there was no leader and no teacher because it was cut into his being by God.

God cleanses the subconscious mind. Whereas what use is this salvation. Is it just a ticket to heaven. Can't I be changed on this earth. Can't I become a new person on this earth. Can't I become all that God wants me to be while I'm on this earth.

Cannot I be that. Why bid me hope. Then here is the great and glorious things. I fear that so few people have got hold of this. Right. The Holy Ghost. Listen. I'll put them in their hearts. I'll write them in their minds and their sins and their iniquities.

Well I remember no more. He doesn't say I will not remember your sins. And then I'll write it. You notice the way it's put. I will write it first. And then he says I will not remember their sins anymore.

Because you have written into your subconscious being right down there. It was there in your unconscious being when you were a little bay and you never knew you were you here is the great thing he says.

Now where remission of these is. There's no more offering for sin. God has made no provision for offering for sin beyond that glory be to the name of the Lord. That's a very very wonderful thing. The ever-present supreme permanent sacrifice is here with us.

Hallelujah. And it's also wonderful now now that's glorious. And remember he's talking about. That's what the opening part of the chapter is about. Because God is only dealing with priests. Do you understand this.

You may call yourself a missionary. You may call yourself a pastor. You may call yourself a prophet. You may call yourself a church member. You may call yourself this that and the other. God is only dealing with priests.

It doesn't matter who they are what other name they may bear. The fundamental thing is that you're a priest and you are to give yourself to it. And all the elders in every fellowship is to see that their members give themselves to it.

But don't crack whips. Now we're going to read on here it goes having therefore 19 brethren boldness to enter into the holiest of all that was spoken of into the holiest by the blood of Jesus by the new and living way which he hath inaugurated for us through the veil that is to say his flesh.

And having an high priest over the house of God. Let us draw near. Are you listening close to now or reading it closely with a true heart that is a true heart that has the laws of God written in it. Having our heart in full assurance of faith having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

The labor of regeneration. It's nothing to do with water. Baptism. It was done by immersion in the Old Testament. If you thought that baptism by immersion was something of the New Testament. And you've had an eye-opener tonight.

The Tabernacle as a Picture of Christ’s Fullness

The greatness of the temple was that God began something gloriously new through the tabernacle. They had come right through and to that place. And then God revealed to David something greater and something better.

He said when he drew up the plans for the temple. Isn't it marvelous. He was an architect as well as a king and a shepherd and a fighter and a killer of Giants. I don't know what he wasn't. This tremendous man David.

And and and he drew up the plans. And he said God made me understand this in writing by his hand upon me. I sat down. Now you'll know the secret of true inspiration when you read your Bible. God's hand came on him covered his head and he wrote it.

And what everybody must have thought. He's gone beyond Moses. He's gone beyond Moses. What's this sea business. He was introducing us to the New Testament. That's what he was doing. David's greater son Solomon kingdom of peace.