PUT YOUR HOUSE IN ORDER: PART 2
February 5, 2022 2:54 AM
MY HIDING PLACE
youtube.com/watch?v=eMOjQ0o6ypA
Shared Feb.16, 2021
Dear brothers and sisters,
As I meditated on the ‘PUT YOUR HOUSE IN ORDER’ prophetic word, our Heavenly Father completely blew my mind with this amazing revelation. I pray that this message reaches you in the manner the Holy Spirit has intended and that it will encourage you as much as it has encouraged me.
In this Word, the Holy Spirit will take us through a journey and draw a parallel between us -the temples of the Holy Spirit, and the physical temple King Solomon built for the Lord. I am thankful to the Holy Spirit for His direction and revelation and for His instruction to go back to 2 Chron.3 to analyze the various components of the Jewish temple and to study how they relate to us.
1 Cor. 6:19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit?
Acts 7:48 However, the Most High does not live in houses made by men. As the prophet says: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me? Says the Lord.
Praise the Lord that His presence does not dwell in a temple that is constructed by human hands, but rather inside us! But just like King David adopted great care in laying out the various aspects of the temple building, we also, in the same manner, need to pay special attention to the building of our spiritual temples where the Most Holy God dwells. King David, who had a heart after God’s own heart, went out of his way by summoning his officials to instruct them on the particulars. He spent time designating the weight of each of the various articles needed for the temple. He hired the most skilled craftsmen in the land, and he ensured that his son Solomon had full understanding on what this endeavour was going to require. Likewise, brothers and sisters, we need to take this project to heart and position ourselves in an adequate manner to allow the Holy Spirit to work in us, and to guide us in accomplishing spiritual temples that are worthy of the presence of the Lord.
Please refer to 2 Chronicles 3 for an account of the elements that composed the temple: the threshing floor, the portico, the various overlaid golden items, the precious stones, the carved cherubim, the Most Holy Place, the sculptured cherubim, the curtain panel and the two majestic pillars.
In verse 1, we learn that King Solomon’s temple was built on the threshing floor of Araunah. The threshing floor was a place where the grain, once collected, was laid and caused to be trampled by donkeys such that the hard husks would separate from the grain. You can read more about the specifics of this process in a past prophetic word I released entitled, ‘God’s Glorious End Time Church’. In our spiritual temples, this threshing floor represents a place of brokenness, of weakness. It is when we find ourselves in this humbling position, that the Holy Spirit finds the perfect ground to begin doing His work of restoration to take us from a state of defeat, trampled over to becoming the Lord’s masterpieces. It is when we are placed with our backs to the wall, sort of speak, that oftentimes we learn the biggest lessons and realize that NOTHING else matters except for Jesus. For only He can give us true peace, hope, love, compassion, grace, joy. Interesting to notice that ‘Araunah’ means ‘joyful cry’. Although when we are going through the storms in our lives we feel defeated and broken, thanks be to Jesus that once we come out of that state we can elevate a ‘joyful cry’ to the Lord as we attest that His faithfulness never ends.
The portico, in verse 4, was part of the external structure surrounding the temple. We can interpret this as our external selves. We are instructed to take care of our physical bodies as they house the Holy Spirit. We must also be diligent in guarding our hearts against jealousy, ambition, strife, anxiety, unfaithfulness, anger, resentment, hatred. We must clothe ourselves of Christ’s character and His righteousness. Inherit Christ’s nature, that is, His meekness, His grace, His love, His patience, His selflessness and shine forth His light in this dark world. Let us ask ourselves: What do people see when they see us? Do we portray the love of Christ? Do we shine forth the fruits of the Spirit?
Next, is the gold -pure gold from Parvaim. King Solomon made sure everything inside the temple was laid out with pure gold: the ceiling beams, the door frames, the walls and doors (verse 5). Through our pressing and crushing seasons, we are transformed and refined into pure gold as the interior of our spiritual temples are coated with purity, holiness, sanctity. Thank you, Holy Spirit for your assistance in stripping us of the pleasures of this world and by raising a godly standard. For taking us from a life lived in the flesh to one that is led by the Spirit. If you are not sure what the voice of the Holy Spirit sounds like, I invite you to spend time with the Lord in your secret place and to seek his face. Ask the Lord to manifest His presence to you in a tangible way and to fill you with His Spirit, His revelation, His godly wisdom. Reach out to brothers and sisters in Christ, if you feel you need someone to pray over you. We are living in a season where deception is so thick and it is only going to get worse. And so, it is essential for us to have the Holy Spirit’s prompting to discern the truth from the lies of the enemy.
Verse 6 tells us about the precious stones that adorned the temple. The adornments we should be wearing are the fruits of the Holy Spirit manifest through us. These are described in Galatians 5:22-23. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. These beautiful jewels will shine through us if we are living a life that is pleasing to our Heavenly Father. Lord, equip us in a copious manner of all the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
King Solomon had beautiful cherubim carved on the walls of the temple (verse 7). These carved or engraved cherubin represent the seal of the Holy Spirit in us. This seal is visible and recognized not only by our Lord and all the Heavenly Hosts, but also by Satan and his demons. It’s a way to make them aware that we are children of God, bought with the precious blood of the Lamb, co-heirs with Christ and therefore carry inside ourselves the same power that raised Jesus from the grave and that can operate miracles. Hallelujah!!
Next is the Most Holy Place. That was the most sacred of places which was only accessible by the High Priests once a year, after having purified themselves and dressed themselves with specialty ornate garments. This is also the place where the glory of the Lord resided. If the priest entering was found not to be holy, He was struck by the presence and the holiness of God. The priests’ garments had bells attached along the bottom hem so when the priest walked, people would know by the noise of the bells if the priest was alive. This may be interpreted as the deepest part of our soul, our heart and our being that only the Lord would know. This may be a place where we hold our secrets, things we have never shared with anyone. Yet, we invite the Holy presence of the Lord, like King David did, to search our hearts and our motives and to make them pure.
The Most Holy Place was also overlaid with pure gold which was equivalent to 600 talents. The significance of ‘600’, ties back to the story of Noah’s Ark and to the year of the flood. The flood tells us about a new beginning that occurred in the time of Noah. In the same manner, this translates into a ‘new beginning’ for us when we first allow the Lord to transform us and build our spiritual temples.
Additionally, the Most Holy Place had 2 sculpted cherubim. I believe these cherubim represent our heart and will that are chiseled by the hand of the Master from the time we accept Jesus until the day we are completely changed into His likeness. As our relationship with our Saviour deepens, our desires change. As we forsake more of the sinful/carnal/worldly nature we adopt more of Christ’s. And, as we no longer conform to the patterns of the world, we are transformed by the renewing of our minds so we are able to test and approve what God’s will is -His good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2
The curtain panel in verse14, was made of fine blue, purple and crimson linen. Just like the gifts baby Jesus received from the Wise Men, these colours are associated with divinity (blue/incense), kingship (purple/gold) and sacrifice (crimson/myrrh). The fine linen in these blue, purple and crimson colours represent the garments He’s clothing us while we here on earth. But, once we are changed into our glorified bodies we will receive white garments to symbolize Christ’s righteousness.
1 Kings 7:21 tells us about the 2 enormous pillars that were erected at the front of the temple, one on each side of the main entrance. These were named Jachin and Boaz and they boasted the greatness and the magnificence of the Lord’s temple. Jachin means ‘He establishes’. Whereas Boaz means ‘strength’. The Lord reminds us that it is He who establishes our temples, the ones He dwells in, which will last forever. And it is His strength alone that can carry us through our biggest challenges and allow us to do all things in Jesus’ mighty name. If we can grasp the meaning of this, we can find comfort and refuge under the wings of the Most High.
Psalm 28:7 The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.
Phil. 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
If you read through the Scripture given, you will notice how the measurements used for the various components are either 20, or a multiple of it (40 and 60). The number 20 in the Bible symbolizes a cycle of completeness. As our Lord continues to work in us and making us into His magnificent temples, we are reminded that one day we will reach completeness when our eyes will behold the king. Thank you, Jesus!!
The last and most important point takes us back to our beloved Saviour’s sacrifice on the cross. When Jesus was made to endure atrocious sufferings at the hands of the Roman soldiers. His broken body became the threshing floor and set a perfect example for us through His selfless act. Jesus is also referred to as the Cornerstone. He was the first stone that was laid for God’s eternal temple, the Bride of Christ. Then, we, the Living Stones, are stacked together on Him as we continue His work for the advancement of His kingdom.
1 Peter 2:4-6 As you come to Him, the living stone, rejected by men but chosen and precious in God’s sight, you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in Scripture: “See, I lay in Zion a stone, a chosen and precious cornerstone; and the one who believes in Him will never be put to shame.”
May the name of the Lord be forever praised! Hallelujah!!
