Jesus in the Desert Tabernacle: The Gate to the Sheep Pen

By Jean Burney Braid

During His last night on Earth, why was Jesus robed in royalty purple, but then was whipped, scorned, and crucified as a common criminal? Who put the purple robe on Him, and why, and how did this action fulfill prophesy?

Also, if He was both king and priest, why wasn't He robed in the priesthood blue? 

Scriptu

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trilogy Christian Publishing
• Release date: Oct 8, 2021
• ISBN: 9781647739362

Book preview

Chapter One

Wilderness

The Lord is Powerfully Supernatural

Beautifully Created and Loved by Lord Elohim

Humans in the Second Wave Rebellion

The Lord’s First Earthly Court Hearing

And so the Wilderness:

The Earth’s now Devasted by the Fall

The Wilderness is a Place Where the Lord Leads

Chapter Two

The White Linen Fence of the Tabernacle

Instructions for the Tabernacle Court

The Posts of the Tabernacle

The White Linen Fence was One Curtain of 490 feet

All The Curtains Were Handmade from Flax

All The Curtains Were Handmade from Flax

Chapter Three

The Wooden Posts

The Acacia Tree of the Wilderness

Scripturally Wood Symbolizes Our Humanity

Chapter Four

Silver: the Symbol of the Price of Our Salvation

There were Three Silver Items on Each Post of the Perimeter Fence

Chapter Five

The Solid Brass Bases of the White Linen Fence

Pure Brass Symbolized Judgment

The Fence Stood Nine Feet Tall

Chapter Six

The Curtains

The Curtains of the White Linen Fence

The Curtains of the Outer Gate

The Curtains of the Door

The Curtains of the Veil

The Curtains of the Holy of Holies

Chapter Seven

One Entrance to the Outer Court

These are the Instructions for Making the Courtyard and its Outer Gate

On the Floor in the Wilderness: An Obvious Contradiction!

The Height and Width of the Gate

In the Gate the Typology is Jesus: I am the Gate…

The Brass Bases Represent the Laws and Statutes of the Lord

Chapter Eight

Silver Speaks of Ransom and of Salvation

As the Heavenly High Priest, Jesus Took His Own Blood into the Holy of Holies; He Entered Also as The First Fruit Grain Offering

Chapter Nine

There were Three-Colored Curtains In the Outer Gate

The Gate Faced East

The Gate was the Only Entrance

Jesus in the Sheep Pen of Israel

Chapter Ten

Blue, the First Curtain, Represents Jesus, the Son of God

Chapter Eleven

The Second Curtain Was Purple

Chapter Eleven

The Story of Jesus and the Unnamed Syro-Phoenician Woman

The Purple Curtain Reveals Jesus as the Son of Man

Bethsaida: House of The Hunt

Both Herod and Pilate wore Beautiful Purple Robes

Chapter Twelve

The Red Curtain

Zion Has to Come First

How Did David Establish A Kingdom of Peace, in the Ever-Contentious Middle-East?

Threshing And Light Are Two Inter-Related Meanings of the Name Jebusite

High Up on Mount Moriah Was A Threshing Floor

It is now a Different Season

Now Another Season

The Epilogue

The Role of Jesus as the Curtain in the Gate

References

Main Ongoing References

Journal Articles

Introduction

In 1994 in an open-eyed vision from the Lord,

I saw Moses’ Tabernacle in the Wilderness.

I had fallen on a road the year before, and

Fractured the third vertebrae of my lower spine.

I had a lot of pain and

There were times when I couldn’t walk.

I was injured and handicapped by the injury.

In this condition of extreme pain and limited movement,

I went one afternoon to my room to pray.

As I prayed, I visualized a poster of the feet and ankles of Jesus,

And as I looked at His feet, I cried.

I could not walk where He walked.

My ability was limited, and with this injury, now even physically.

I cried to Him my loss and damage, my sin and anguish,

And in tears began to worship His Strength and His Enabling.

And as I did so, this vision appeared.

Far out across the sands and stones of the desert

Stood the white linen fence of the Tabernacle;

A slight wind was blowing, and I could see the fence move with the breeze.

The posts that held the linen and shape of the Tabernacle,

were clearly visible despite the distance,

and as I looked, I realized that without His help,

I could not cross to the Tent of His Dwelling.

Between me and the Tabernacle

were logs of wood, sticks, and jagged-edged rocks,

Spiders, scorpions lingering near, and snakes…

waiting for my woundedness to pass

so they could attack and wound me more.

And I cried again, in grief and sorrow.

Then the Lord came.

He picked me up and carried me

To the white linen fence.

My Righteousness, He said

and wrapped the white linen cloth around me.

"In Me, you are clean…

In Me, you are forgiven."

He wrapped and wound the cloth around me,

Until I felt His Deep Peace abiding in and surrounding me.

Then, to please my curiosity,

He carried me to the Gate and put me down in the entrance.

It was so big. Unbelievably big. I hadn’t realized how wide,

nor how this Gate demonstrated His all-encompassing Love for us.

I stood there looking in for a while,

Awed by the immensity of it and the open courtyard,

for it too was huge, beyond my former understanding.

Tentatively, I stepped inside.

until in front of me high and big,

Big enough to climb onto,

was the Brazen Altar.

I climbed up into it as I wished to offer sacrifice.

I laid myself down as a living Sacrifice,

well-pleasing and reasonable to the Lord.

And I worshipped as I lay,

Imagining black smoke rising from my offered body.

But His Voice came in rebuke and said,

"Not Black. Your offering is acceptable to Me,

White, clear smoke rising to show the acceptance of your offering,

An incense, a fragrance, an offering to Me in the beauty of simplicity.

For I have made you clean. You belong to Me.

You are Mine, and you are Free."

I ran to the Laver for priestly washing.

It was so big I didn’t know if I would be able to climb up and into it,

but I managed, swinging like a small animal, dangling from the edge

until I clambered over the lip of the basin

and sat immersed in the water for washing.

Sitting there, I desired to be baptized afresh into Him.

And so, placing my hand on my head,

I immersed myself beneath the water, and joy filled me.

I laughed with Him, rejoicing in His Presence and His Love for me,

Rejoicing in His full provision for me, His daughter.

He didn’t take me further that day; I lacked the keys to understand

some of the remaining types and shadows beyond.

At that time, too, I was content to stay near the Laver,

immersed in the Warm Waters of His Kindness.

But now…now I want more.

And I want you to have more too.

So, let us walk together

Through The Gate and Outer Court,

available for all who would come in.

Let us go into the Holy Places of His Dwelling.

***********************************************************

The Ancient Rabbis say,

And it is often repeated in those learned halls today,

That "In the heavens above Jerusalem,

Is the Place where God,

(Elohim, Creator God, above all gods)

Stood and Commanded the Light to shine out of darkness…"

Above the Heavens, Above the Earth,

Before either Heaven or Earth existed.

In the midst of the Nothingness, of Uncreated Worlds

He stood.

And out of nothing, He commanded

Let there be Light.

And it came!

Light!

Orbs and circles and spheres of Light.

Cylinders and domes and cubes, with myriads of colors,

Rectangles and squares, planes and triangles.

Angles of angles, with ceaseless designs,

quivering, shimmering, shivering, swirling, and

Twirling in whirl-wind, life-giving abandonment…

Light…and Realms of Light!

It all came forth at His Asking.

And He Loved it all so much that He declared,

This is My Home.

And from that place of standing

In what is now Jerusalem, He continued speaking…

All of Creation came forth at His Voice!

Heavens and Suns and Stars and Earths

And so forth.

Until He made a Garden, which He called Eden,

Right there, in the middle of it all.

And then, the most exquisite of His designs was made!

Not by His Voice, but rather

In the deepest expression of His Love,

Elohim bent down, and

Taking dust from the Earth

He made with His very own Hands, humanity.

Gently, He breathed into this form

His own Ruach Qodesh, His own creative Holy breath,

And in love imparted His own Eternal Nature.

Male and Female He made them,

With equal relationship to Himself.

And He Loved them so.

He loved them with all He had inside of Himself,

With all His Heart He Loved them;

So much so that He came,

Evening by evening,

To walk and talk

With Adam and Eve, His friends,

In the cool of the garden, placed in the East.

***********************************************************

But,

Among all the created birds and beasts,

And angels and cherubs, and Cherubim,

And Seraphim with their six wings,

All crying night and day,

"Holy! Holy! Holy! Is our God

Who was, and is, and is to come…"

There was one created more splendidly than any other.

He was clothed in royal garments, each covered with stones.

These were precious stones: amethysts, diamonds, emeralds,

Rubies, sapphires, onyx, spinnakers,

And other semi-precious gems of splendor,

There were more than I can name or even remember.

He was clothed with gold, decorated with silver, and he

Had a voice in song above any other.

Among all the created beings, he was so amazing

That none could compare with him.

So amazing was he that he was given trusted roles,

out in the spheres and realms of all created things.

And he commanded the choirs of heaven and earth.

When he conducted the music of the Throne room,

His coat shone majestically.

Each of the thousands of precious stones reflected light,

As he orchestrated in the Light,

All that had been created by Light

And the Voice of Elohim’s Imperial Love.

And how this one loved to please!

He loved the music that he planned and practiced,

In the composing and orchestra rooms and halls,

And which came forth in anthems, choruses, hymns,

Love-songs and poetic odes,

While he waved his arms and moved his hands,

Conducting the angels, and Cherubim and Seraphim

In heavenly glories.

He loved the power and glory the great God had given him.

Thousands of centuries, and more, passed by

While he commanded the choirs,

Standing resplendent in great ovals and pools of light,

And basking in the glory of sounds and swirling light.

Until one day,

Darkness threw a wicked dart into his heart.

He saw the man and his wife that Elohim had made

And became unreasonably and savagely jealous!

He threw the music he had made into chaos and disorder,

And demanded to know why he was no longer

The only one basking in the eye of the Master.

Denial, then blame, and then rebellion came.

Suddenly the light was not so bright,

And death entered into that Holy Place.

A simple and often-told story.

That, however, is not the end. Alas!

The rage and jealousy grew

And the ordered creation of Elohim

Became chaotic and unmanageable.

Demon kings ruled with passions and desires

Once unknown in this realm.

Kingdoms grew and hunted one another,

Killing as the light decreased.

Demon kings with their unclean, solicitous familiars,

Dominated the halls of political fame and religious sites,

Polluting the whole Earth with lies of trickery and deceit…

And the power on Earth became darkened,

Deceptive and strange.

Folds of darkness fell like heavy Light-forbidding curtains,

And Elohim’s Presence and Love were forgotten by most.

Foreign gods and their false fires were created by men’s hands

From clay, stone, and wood,

And men and women worshipped the gods they made,

And lay uncovered in the woods beside the shrines of demon gods,

Who were no gods.

But let me skip that part.

It is too dreadful to tell.

Instead, let me show you an invitation I received

To come into the Creator’s Rooms…

The Great God has summoned me, and I want to obey quickly.

The invitation said He had a model of heaven to show me.

If we hurry, we will be on time.

I always love to stand where He stood.

I love to talk to the One who can stand in Nothingness,

And with Words create everything…

Ah, now…We have arrived!

Come into the artist’s room.

It is clean and orderly.

The window in the angled corner gives good light,

And all is ready for His Presence to command Creation.

As I stand in this room, my breathing slows,

And the Sense of His Divine Presence

Fills my heart. Shalom!

I am reminded that the universe

Is this Artist’s Creation of Wonder,

And more expansive than I dare to imagine.

It is filled with unimaginable colors and shapes.

A juxtaposition of massively immense and minutely tiny orders:

So massive and expansive,

That rockets barely reach other shores:

So minute,

That innovative technologies only reveal intricate zones and designs,

Like the diatoms walking in my DNA!

I stand in this room and wonder what model He will show me!

Then I see it,

Dwarfed by the rock-strewn craggy mountains and desert landscape,

Standing on the rock-sand desert floor,

And surrounded by thousands of family tents,

is a fenced courtyard.

From above the eastern gate of the outer fence,

I see two solid structures arranged in a line,

And leading to the door of a tall building.

Black animal skins sewn together cover this tall building,

And emerging from the roof at the western end

Is a huge plume of Cloud.

Despite the volcanic-like appearance of this smoke

It seems that nothing is being destroyed by fire,

And the building is not damaged in any way!

My memory stirs, and I hear Lord Elohim’s Voice whispering,

"This is Moses Tent of Meeting,

Later to become the Tabernacle of Moses."

Impressive!

Yet it draws my attention because it looks so humble and simple!

It is simple! There are no permanent buildings.

All is tent-like, built on sand, which is easily blown away!

These ancient Hebrew people came out of Egypt,

Yet this has little similarity to what they left behind.

The relics of Ancient Egypt are huge,

And the Valleys of the Kings and Queens

Reveal gigantic images, in turn dwarfed by their temples.

My face plainly revealed my questions, and again His Voice spoke to me.

"This is a model of my Tabernacle in Heaven.

It is a shadow to help them see…"

His great Rod of Authority came and pointed.

I saw around and between the tents, animals moving,

and people cooking, hanging up rugs, mats, and washing…

quite a homely atmosphere.

I listened and heard the noise of families, of animals…

From dust, the Voice continued.

"From the dust I made them.

And I must show them My Way

Of escape from the devastation

That has crushed them down."

But to dwell in a tent, Lord? I asked Him.

It seems so earthly, so plain, so fragile—

It is. Elohim gently answered. "It is all of those!

"But aren’t you fragile? Aren’t you soft like a linen cloth

and easily corrupted, persuaded, tricked, and deceived?

Come and see what I have done in Wilderness."

"You are a part of My Tent in the Wilderness.

Maybe a post, a base, a fragile linen curtain, a thread…

Come, and see the model.

For our enemy wanted this Wilderness to destroy you,

But I laid Myself down as a Highway through life’s Wilderness,

For you to walk on."

Then the sound of loud blowing shofars interrupted us,

And I saw two men dressed in the regal-blue priestly garments,

Taking the central place in the Gate.

One stood there to blow the shofar

While the other

Opened the scroll, ready to read.

Behind them, the eastern tribes gathered in support.

Lord, Who are they? I asked.

And Lord Elohim replied,

"These are the collective Eastern tribes—

Judah, Issachar and Zebulon,

And those in the Gate are the priests of Issachar.

They revere My Holy Writings highly and have earned the right

To present My Word at the Gate, as one of their sacred duties."

My mind flipped. What other tribes besides Issachar

Were in the Eastern Gate of the Tabernacle?

And what other duties were performed there?

Look! continued Elohim,

"Watch them raise their Flags and Standards.

Judah is the Leader. He has three banners:

The Lion, the Crown and the Sceptre of Authority

All on a red background.

"Now watch Issachar stand in the middle of the Gate

To read My Word. His banner is the Scroll,

Gold leaf on a green background.

"Now watch Zebulun; third, yet strong and adventurous.

His banner is the Merchant Ships.

He likes the sea and to bring the spoil home.

"Three half-brothers, but Judah earned the right to lead,

When he laid his life down for Benjamin

In the prisons of Egypt."

I was about to ask more, but the shofars blew more powerfully,

As the day dawned and the Priests began to sing,

Their voices harmonizing across the desert sand-hills,

Rising and falling in beautiful cadences,

The sounds forming clouds of inspiration in the hot desert air,

Inviting others to join in chorus,

"From the rising of the sun

To the going down of the same,

The Lord’s Name is to be praised."

Women began to dance, shaking tambourines.

Young men began to chant, forming lines of solidarity.

Small percussion and stringed instruments joined

This anthem of thanksgiving for the new day,

Rising in chorus to the Lord.

Children joined their families in the singing,

Dancing and moving to music. They sang,

"Praise you, the Lord; praise you, the Lord!

Praise Him, all you servants of the Lord,

Praise the Name of the