Was it the Tabernacle or the Feasts, which came first? That is the question that launched my study of the scriptures about thirty odd years ago. It was the early 1990’s and the internet was not really accessible. There was no Google. That didn’t happen until 1998. Even if there was a way to search the net, there were not the multitude of site we have today.
No, back then we looked things up the old fashioned way. That meant the library or Christian bookstore in search of resources. By the way, Christian bookstores were few and far between. I was lucky enough to live in Chicago, where Moody Bible Institute resides and they had a bookstore. Some churches had makeshift bookstores which was were I ran across a book that discussed the feasts of the Lord. That was a rare find at the time.
Messianic ministries like Zola Levitt offered CDs and eventually DVD’s of episodes. If you got on their mailing list you could order resources from them. There was Jewish Jewels. You could sign up for their newsletter. It was all slow learning and you couldn’t just study what you wanted. You were limited to whatever they happened to present at the time. The only alternative would have been to go to seminary or bible college. I couldn’t afford to do that so I relied upon the Lord to satisfy the longing of my heart.
I started with a thorough reading of the Torah, what Christians refer to as the Pentateuch. That’s the first five books of the bible; authored by Moses.
My guess was that the Tabernacle came first yet I read in Exodus 23 ,”Three times a year you are to celebrate a feast to Me.” (23:14) Then a little later in Exodus 25 the Lord commands Moses to build the Tabernacle. The thought of the feasts preceding the building of the Tabernacle intrigued me. And a lifelong study commenced.
Then in 2006 the Lord took me into a spiritual experience in which I was taken by the Spirit through the flaming whirling sword identified in Genesis 3.
He drove the man out and stationed the cherubim and the flaming, whirling sword east of the garden of Eden to guard the way to the tree of life.
Genesis 3:24
Upon passing through the flaming sword I knew by the Spirit that I had stepped into the original earthly tabernacle, established as a place where God could dwell with man in the earth. That place was known as the Garden of Eden. The problem was I couldn’t prove it. I didn’t possess the biblical expertise to dig into the scriptures to find proof. My quest went to a whole other level and I went into prayer. The answer to my prayer came in time.
I still don’t have language to describe what happened that day. It was as if my inner man was imprinted with spiritual blueprints. It was more than just an understanding of the structure itself. Every time I read the scriptures I started seeing elements of the tabernacle in less obvious places.
That experience caused the Tabernacle to become a more of a spiritual reality to me rather than an ancient earthly structure. It actually became a part of me. It was imprinted within me. I couldn’t get away from it if I tried. That didn’t mean I didn’t have to study. I actually studied more after that encounter than before.
What I will be sharing on Living Thru and Beyond all comes out of that initial encounter. In future posts I will share on the Feasts, the Tabernacle, Rosh Kodesh (the new moon celebration) as well as the priesthood, the Tribes and the heavenly constellations (the first calendar). Watch for new updates.
And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years,“
Genesis 1:14 NIV
To answer the question which came first we get our answer in Genesis 1. On day four of creation God created the sun moon and stars. That was the moment time began. The birthday of the calendar was day four of creation.
The planting of the Garden of Eden came afterward. (see Genesis 2) According to the account in Genesis the calendar was created, then man (the original priest unto God) and then the Garden of Eden (first earthly Tabernacle).
In future posts I will go into these subjects further. In the meantime. Read the scriptures. Pray and ask God to give you a revelation of Jesus Christ through His word. May the Lord grant you insight with understanding.
Be blessed
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