Tabernacle Gifts: Our First Day In Heaven
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About this ebook
Did you know that the Bible describes our rewards and the exact actions we are to carry out in order to receive them? In the New Testament, the apostle Paul uses the Old Testament examples of the Tabernacle and Day of Atonement ceremony to teach us which actions, called gifts, we can bring to God for our rewards. Paul also teaches us that the Tabernacle and the Day of Atonement conceal the secret of what our first day in heaven will be like.
We work hard in this life to retire well. Yet earthly retirement lasts for a short time. Our life in heaven will last for an eternity. Don't you want it to be a well-rewarded time?
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Tabernacle Gifts - Michael Zarlengo
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Foreword
The book of Hebrews teaches that Jesus is our great High Priest. Building on the imagery of the Old Testament sacrificial systems and the Day of Atonement, Hebrews affirms in the strongest terms the perfect sacrifice of Christ and His finished work as High Priest. Jesus Christ made propitiation for our sins (Heb. 2:17), did away with sin (Heb. 9:26), bore sin (Heb. 9:28), and offered a perfect and final sacrifice for sin (Heb. 10:12). Because of what Jesus did on the cross at Calvary, God remembers our sins no more (Heb. 10:17). There is no longer a need for sacrifice for sin (Heb. 10:18), and sin has been forgiven (Heb10:18). The way of the Law and the levitical priestly system could not effectively deal with our sin (Heb. 10:1– 4,6,11). In contrast, the blood atonement of Jesus has dealt with sin once and for all (Heb. 10:10–12). He has paved the way for free and bold access even into the Holy of Holies by His blood (Heb. 10:10). Look at sin anyway you will, Jesus has dealt with it.
The work of Jesus is multifaceted. It would never be possible to exhaust its meaning and fathom its implications. In this work, Tabernacle Gifts, Michael Zarlengo gives attention to the tabernacle and the Day of Atonement, and especially what the Book of Hebrews says concerning Christ’s relationship to these important Old Testament realities. Michael explores possible understandings of Christ’s work in Heaven and present implications for the life of the believer. He has pursued his thesis diligently and with zeal. His goal is to challenge all believers to respond in faithful obedience to the Glorified Christ, who rightly deserves our very best. This book will make you think, challenge you, and, I pray, inspire you to love and obey Jesus with greater fervency than ever before. That is Michael’s desire, and I believe our Lord will reward his labors.
Dr. Daniel L. Akin
Dean, School of Theology, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
Chapter 1
A Well Rewarded Eternity
There is more to heaven than our admission. As Christians, when we arrive in heaven God will evaluate us on our action or inaction while on earth. Of course, this assessment has nothing to do with our eternal salvation. That was decided by our belief and confession of the Lord Jesus Christ while we were on earth.
This heavenly evaluation will result in many Christians receiving astonishing rewards and yet others will receive little or no reward at all. In heaven, some will live a more rewarded eternity than others. You will want to be one of those well-rewarded Christians. One might ask, Why? Isn’t it good enough that I am saved?
Christ requires that each one of us seek to be well rewarded in heaven. This is not greed on our part, but in fact obedience to our Lord.
But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. (Matt. 6:27 KJV)
Furthermore, if we are well rewarded in heaven we will have a higher position with greater opportunities to serve God. As the apostle Paul teaches, our treasure will become a foundation for eternal life, which is considered the true life.
In this way they [Christians] will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life. (1 Tim. 6:19)
Finally, Jesus taught that on our first day in heaven each Christian will have the opportunity to bring sacrificial actions or gifts to God. God will then evaluate these gifts and reward us accordingly. It will be especially important for each of us to hear God say, Well done.
"His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ (Matt. 25:21 NKJV)
This all sounds very good, but how do we know exactly what actions will result in being well rewarded? We must know which gifts of ours are considered rewardable by God so that we can be sure of pleasing Him.
The Tabernacle Picture
The New Testament provides us the answer to this question by using the tabernacle and the Day of Atonement from the old covenant as a picture guide to understanding our new covenant truth.
In other words, the New Testament briefly re-describes the tabernacle and the Day of Atonement and then explains its meaning to us. Using these examples, we are taught precisely which gifts God the Father is looking for. We are also provided with the fascinating New Testament description of Jesus Christ’s return to heaven after His resurrection. A spectacular ceremony took place in heaven when Christ brought His seven precious gifts to God the Father and received His seven incredible rewards. This event is our example of what God also desires for us. Finally, the New Testament supplies us with the amazing and detailed description of our own first day in heaven.
In order to discover which gifts we are to bring to our Father, along with the description of our first day in heaven, we too will first briefly look at the depiction of the tabernacle and the Day of Atonement.
When you examine the picture of the tabernacle, what do you see? Do you see a tired old tent, the picture of antiquity? Perhaps you see symbols having little application for our daily Christian lives. How can this picture be relevant to Internet-age Christians? Yet, we will discover that this picture is not only relevant to us currently, it is critical to our future.
The Bible has over fifty¹ chapters describing the tabernacle. Fifty chapters, not verses! The tabernacle must be very significant to God. In the Old Testament, God had Moses build the tabernacle. While in the desert, and for a time in Canaan, the children of Israel used the tabernacle as their place of worship; later, King Solomon built a permanent place of worship by converting the tabernacle into the temple.i God used the tabernacle to meet with His people. It was there that God had his people offer specified gifts and it was also the place where He rewarded them.
The most important gift-giving and reward-receiving day was the Day of Atonement. On this day, which occurred just once each year, God required His people to bring Him seven gifts. It was also on this day that God would present His people with seven wonderful rewards.
Astonishing Rewards
Does the Bible really list our heavenly rewards? Yes, in addition to describing the seven gifts we are to bring, the Bible describes the seven rewards available to Christians.
In Revelation 2 and 3, Lord Jesus provides the apostle John with seven distinct messages concerning His Church. Each message is initially directed to a specific first century church in existence at that time, e.g., Ephesus, Smyrna, etc. Within each message there is a particular praise or warning and instruction concerning activities and issues that church was experiencing. Lord Jesus also describes a particular reward He will give to certain individuals of the seven churches in heaven. He states that if they overcome the issues of their church and focus on certain activities for Him, they will receive a precise reward for their actions. One example is the reward given to Ephesus described below:
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. (Rev. 2:7)
What makes these seven messages even more unique is that the seven churches are also the names of seven exact time segments given to Christ’s overall Church for the last two thousand years. That is, from the time of Christ’s resurrection through today and until He returns, He has divided His Church on earth into seven time segments. Each of these time segments also experiences the activities and issues described by Lord Jesus and must also obey His instructions. Christians today are living in the last time segment called Laodicea. Therefore, Christ’s seven rewards apply not only to those seven first century churches, but also to all the overcoming Christians living during each time segment.
Therefore write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after these things.
As for the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches,