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3D architectural abstract blueprint.
For which of you, intending to build a tower,
does not first sit down and estimate the cost,
to see whether he has enough to complete it?
Luke 14:28 NRSV
Change is coming to the House of Israel, the House of Desolation. Radical change.
The degree of change is so amazing that, when people hear of it, they will undoubtedly scoff and fall around laughing! People will be more dismissive than the House of Israel were when they dismissed Ezekiel:
And I said, “Ah, Lord GOD! They say of me: He is just a riddlemonger.” (Ezekiel 21:5 (Tanakh))
But in dismissing Ezekiel they dismissed the Lords words:
1 The word of the LORD came to me: 2 O mortal, set your face toward Teman, and proclaim to Darom, and prophesy against the brushland of the Negeb. 3 Say to the brushland of the Negeb: Hear the word of the LORD. Thus said the Lord GOD: I am going to kindle a fire in you, which shall devour every tree of yours, both green and withered. Its leaping flame shall not go out, and every face from south to north shall be scorched by it. 4 Then all flesh shall recognize that I the LORD have kindled it; it shall not go out. (Ezekiel 21:1-4 (Tanakh))
Nevertheless, we have the Lord's assurance that He will restore David's fallen Tent (qv). The seeming impossibility of the Lord's task is to be found in Ezekiel, chapter 37. The 'dry bones' belong to the House of Desolation (Eze. 37:11), those who are Dead because their names are not to be found in the Book of Life. Yet, although they are [spiritually] Dead, [when they turn back to Him (Mat. 23:39-40),] the Lord will raise them up to life by His Spirit (Eze. 37:5; and 13-14). And the Lord goes on to explain how Israel will be united under one King...
Consequently, when they are united under one King, they will no longer exist as the State of Israel (the current state of affairs) but as the Kingdom of Israel. In other words, the nations of the world will doubtless look on in amazement when they see, with their own eyes, how the Lord will make Israel holy, set aside for Himself, forever:
And when My Sanctuary abides among them forever, the nations shall know that I the LORD do sanctify Israel. (Ezekiel 37:28 (Tanakh))
This, in itself, it should be noted, is a major change which will require major readjustment:
[Dissertation: Discuss the implications arising from the epigraph (Luke 14:28).]
[Analysis and implications: Ezekiel, chapter 37.]
In what order will the changes take place? And does Scripture offer any semblance of a Blueprint?
14 Hear now the word of the LORD,
You men of mockery,
Who govern that people
In Jerusalem!
15 For you have said,
“We have made a covenant with Death,
Concluded a pact with Sheol.
When the sweeping flood passes through,
It shall not reach us;
For we have made falsehood our refuge,
Taken shelter in treachery.”
16 Assuredly,
Thus said the Lord GOD:
“Behold, I will found in Zion,
Stone by stone,
A tower of precious cornerstones,
Exceedingly firm;
He who trusts need not fear.
17 But I will apply judgment as a measuring line
And retribution as weights;
Hail shall sweep away the refuge of falsehood,
And flood-waters engulf your shelter.
18 Your covenant with Death shall be annulled,
Your pact with Sheol shall not endure;
When the sweeping flood passes through,
You shall be its victims. (Isaiah 28:14-18 (Tanakh))
The House of Desolation had distorted and defiled the Mosaic Covenant to such an extent that it had become a Covenant with Death. It is a covenant the Lord promises to annul (verse 18). Jesus, knowing the Jews will reject Him, says:
Look, your house is left to you desolate. (Matthew 23:38 NIV)
And it is that desolate state which applies to the House of Israel today. Nevertheless, Jesus offered hope to Israel:
For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.' (Matthew 23:39 NIV)
The House of Israel stands alone, apart from the Lord. So, how can they find forgiveness and restoration?
In order to go forward, it will be necessary to go back. Jesus explains:
[46] If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me.
[47] But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say? (John 5:46-47 NIV)
Those of the House of Desolation who wish to live, need to return to the Mosaic Covenant and understand it in the same way as Moses understood it.
Acceptance of Jesus as Messiah - that tower of cornerstones (v 16) - together with a study of the Gospels and the Book of Revelation, will then allow them to understand the Messianic Amendment.
The Men of Mockery who govern the people in Jerusalem (v 14) will be subject to judgement and retribution (v 17). They will be victims of the sweeping flood which will pass through (v 18).
The Levitical Priests have been shamed and demoted. So understanding will not come from them. Instead, the task of shepherding Israel has been handed over to the Priesthood in the Order of Melchizedek, priests after God's own heart (Jeremiah 3:14-15 (Tanakh)). The Levitical Priesthood will continue; but they will only be entrusted with the most menial tasks; and, to their added shame, some of the Gentiles who help with the restoration of David's fallen Tent, will be appointed as Levitical Priests:
20 And out of all the nations, said the LORD, they shall bring all your brothers on horses, in chariots and drays, on mules and dromedaries, to Jerusalem My holy mountain as an offering to the LORD — just as the Israelites bring an offering in a pure vessel to the House of the LORD. 21 And from them likewise I will take some to be levitical priests, said the LORD. (Isaiah 66:20-21 Tanakh)
Having studied the Covenant with its Messianic Amendment, there comes 'Decision Time'. To commit or not to commit? Commitment requires baptism by an authorised person, followed by obedience to the Messianically Amended Covenant:
[19] Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, [20] and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. (Matthew 28:19-20 NIV)
Sadly, the infrasturcture for formal commitment to the Covenant is not yet in place. However, because worship has been shifted to the Spiritual Level, there is nothing to prevent commitment at the Spiritual Level. When David's fallen Tent has been rebuilt, then formal worship will be conducted under the Priesthood in the Order of Melchizedek ... until the Ending of the Age (Mat. chapter 24) and the death of the Two Witnesses (Rev. chapter 11), when church attendance will deliver people into the hands of the ungodly (Mat. 24:15 et seq GNT). Even house-group meetings will be dangerous due to betrayal (Mat. 24:10 et seq (GNT).
Necessarily, therefore, if we are to help those who will live through the End Times, then it is necessary to ensure that the documentation of the Messianically Amended Covenant is sound (ie: the evidence supports the conclusions; and the evidence is entirely true‡ ). What is needed is a level of knowledge and understanding which will help people to defend against attack from false prophets. Jesus warns of the threat posed by the false prophets:
[4] Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you. [5] For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ, ' and will deceive many." (Matthew 24:4-5 NIV)
[23] At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'There he is!' do not believe it. [24] For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect---if that were possible. (Matthew 24:23-24 NIV)
[‡ This is just one reason why the Bible, with all its errors, has been replaced by the Book of Teaching (aka, the Scriptures).]
Jesus mentions the fate of the false prophets and their followers:
[21] "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
[22] Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?'
[23] Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'" (Matthew 7:21-23 NIV)
As regards the actual rebuilding of David's fallen Tent, that will be carried out under the direction of Priests in the Order of Melchizedek, shepherds after God's own heart.
The intention behind the Mossaic Covenant was to create a kingdom of priest, a nation set aside to serve the Most High:
5 "'Now then, if you will obey Me faithfully and keep My covenant, you shall be My treasured possession among all the peoples. Indeed, all the earth is Mine, 6 but you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words that you shall speak to the children of Israel." (Exodus 19:5-6 (Tanakh))
Isaiah's8C prophesy (Is. chapter 1) is an indictment of the House of Israel. Jesus was later to describe it as the House of Desolation (Mat. 23:38), the spawn of the lord Satan whose home is the synagogue of Satan (Rev. 2:9; Rev. 3:9). And that is the state of Israel today. Their evil has resulted in estrangement with the Lord. And so the House of Desolation go forward in their own strength, leaning on that splintered staff which is the US. The House of Desolation ceased to be a kingdom when they turned aside from the Lord God. Today, they fight a losing battle with Islam and the House of Esau.
Yet everything will change with the rebuilding of David's fallen Tent. When the House of Israel commit to the Messianically Amended Covenant, then they will once again be a kingdom of priests, and a nation set aside to serve the Lord. No longer will they lean on that splintered staff which is the US; instead they will lean exclusively on the Most High.
And so the Most High God will go before the House of Israel. And he will requite those who've hurt the apple of His eye (Zech. 2:6-12).
[Dissertation: The impact on the world resulting from Israel's transition from state to Kingdom.]
Required:
[Essay: The fractal characteristics of the Covenant.]
Worship needs to be revised and brought up to date. It also needs to be monitored in real-time since, although the context may remain stable for a time, it will change with the release of the the Beast from the Abyss, becoming exponentially worse as the age draws to a close.
For example, the places of worship where people can worship, learn, and find support and encouragement, will eventually become traps for the unwary. The spawn of the lord Satan will visit these places of worship and round up the faithful - either killing them or forcing them to accept the Mark of the Beast. Even secret places of worship will be vulnerable, for many within the church will betray these secret places to the authorities. Betrayal will be commonplace.
And so, as people flee for their lives, the church will become splintered and fragmented. There will be little honour even within families. Things will become so bad that eventually the church would be wiped off the face of the Earth, had not the Lord brought forward the date when the age would be ended.
The shift to the Spiritual Level has made education a lot more difficult for teachers.
[Essay: The history and current state of the Bar and Bat Mitzvahs.]
Understanding the theology of the Messianically Amended Covenant is only a beginning! For that theology must carry over into 'application'.
And it is here, in the Bat/Bar Mitzvah, that that application of the theology finds primary expression.
Bat and Bar Mitzvahs map straight to the Age of Discretion, and the education not only of children but also the education of converts.
Education must surely be one of the top priorities. And where better to start than with the education of children, and converts, up to AoD Level.
Nevertheless, although education is of prime importance, I have never encourtered any such policy within the Christian church geared to the education of children, or those with whom the children will interact: parents, guardians, family, schools, or even the church itself.
Even worse, is the absence of any unified strategy across the whole of the Christian church. What passes for 'education' has neither structure nor purpose nor consistency in content.
[Essay: The fake unity inherent in Pauline 'doctrine'.]
[Essay: The Lord's absolute requirement for [genuine] unity within the Church.]
One of the difficulties which has been hard to manage, has been the lack of academic purity of the content. In the Garden Annex, life would have remained so much simpler, since the focus would have been on that which was entirely true.
However, living in the real world following mankind's banishment from Eden, the situation has become increasingly dire. Not only is it necessary to reach out to a world which has rejected God, but it is also necessary to handle the deceit, evil, and treachery within the church itself.
This makes education that much more difficult. Attention is seriously divided between explaining the excellence of the Covenant, explaining the lies and deceit and treachery within church, and dealing with the attacks from a world which has no love for God.
Which all goes to make life difficult for young enquiring minds!
The starting point must undoubtedly be a comprehensove overview which is capable of being understood by the littles. Perhaps along the lines of Fig.1:
Fig.1: Children's schematic of the Covenant.
As the children grow and approach the AoD, their education must be deepened so that they will be in a position to answer the question the Lord will put to them: "Do you choose to dwell with me or not?"
Although it is a simple question, it carries deep and lasting consequences. I well remember my friend who decided to delay giving an answer ... only to slide on black ice into the path of an oncoming HGV. It left a lasting impression...
The earlier enslavement of women and girls is expressly forbidden. Hence there is to be no difference between the education of boys and girls. Perhaps the only difference worth considering is the faster growth in maturity of girls over boys at this age - though the boys do evntually catch up. Against this is the harmful precedent set by segregation at such an early and influential time of life.
Had the Garden Annex continued to exist, then there would have been neither enskavement nor segregation. The primacy of the family unit would have remained intact and undivided.
Educational strategies will be required for:
Syllabus and schedule must be discussed and worked out with the Lord.
Before the Covenant Model can be instantiated, it must first be understood and accepted...
Clearly, there is a lot going on both now and in the future if David's fallen Tent is to be rebuilt. For the moment, however, while we await the appointment of Priests in the Order of Melchizedek, those shepherds after God's own heart, we are left in a seeming vacuum. Yet, in truth, what we are experiencing is the emptiness of a site cleared in order that rebuilding work can begin unhindered.
To the naked eye, the emptiness suggests that the Architect is on a go-slow, failing to appreciate the needs of His people and the urgency of their situation...
This, however, if far from the truth!
One important factor is timing. The timing needs to be spot-on. And it is here that we need to be aware of our own ignorance. We do not see the whole picture as clearly as does the Lord!
So, look at that seemingly empty site again:
Those who have been following God's preparation work, will know that the essential services have been installed below ground, ready to be connected up - though, to change the metaphor, they are actually in God's Temple in the Heavenly Realm, well out of reach of accident or attack.
The Lord has installed the essential services which will allow rebuilding to commence. The details of which are contained in the documentation of the Messianically Amended Covenant.
We learn that 'in that day' Jesus will be the rallying point for the peoples:
[10] In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious. (Isaiah 11:10 NIV)
Jesus, lifted up on the cross at Calvary, has become that rallying point for the peoples:
[14] "Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, [15] that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” (John 3:14-15 NIV)
Now, however, Jesus will raise a banner which will draw the exiles of Israel to Himself:
[12] He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; he will assemble the scattered people of Judah from the four quarters of the earth. (Isaiah 11:12 NIV)
To look at an empty building site, is to miss the significance of that banner which Jesus Himself will raise! One might, perhaps, see the prophecy as the Lord's vision for the future, as a banner planted on Mount Zion. Micah, however, suggests that the signal is more than a banner flapping in the breeze! What we find is a hologram which cannot be tampered with or defiled, but which can be examined, explored, and which will teach what is and what is to be:
Fig.2: In the last days
...
The law will go out from Zion,
the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
Micah 4:1-2 NIV
...
...
Version: 2024-08-30