🔔Bells And Pomegranates🍅

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Bells And Pomegranates

The High Priest's robe had golden bells and woven pomegranates around its hemline. Many theories about their symbolism are mostly mystical, contradictory and unprovable. Pomegranates are perceived as a symbol of the righteousness of the Priesthood. The joyous sound of the bells notified outsiders that the High Priest was still alive after entering the Holy of Holies - he had not died.

Exodus 28:35 - "And it shall be upon Aaron to minister: and his sound shall be heard when he goeth in unto the holy place before the LORD, and when he cometh out, that he die not."

The Consecration Of-The Priesthood

The Priesthood was consecrated AFTER the Tabernacle was complete. It took a Tabernacle plan to accomplish the task. The blood sacrifices, unleavened bread, anointing oil, water of washing, garments, ephod, mitre, various offerings - ALL were necessary to make the priests holy. Similarly, the New Testament Church must be assembled before Jesus returns to ascend to His High Priesthood in Jerusalem for 1000 years.

Exodus 29:44-45 - "And I will sanctify the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar: I will sanctify also both Aaron and his sons, to minister to me in the priest's office."

The Altar Of Incense

The Altar of Incense was roughly four-feet-cubed, gold-plated, gold-crowned shittim wood, with horns on the top corners, and rings for the staves with which the priests carried it. It stood before the Veil, immediately outside the Mercy Seat, where the High Priest met God. The Priest offered holy incense morning and evening, perpetually before the Lord. Once annually, a blood atonement was made here. Incense represents the sweet odors of the prayers of the saints.

Exodus 30:1 - "...thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon: of shittim wood shalt thou make it."

The Brazen Laver

After the Priest sacrificed at the Brazen Altar, he had to wash himself at the Brazen Laver before entering the Holy Place. The laver is a typological and prophetic symbol of water baptism in the New Testament. The altar represents repentance. The laver followed, illustrating our need to be baptized for the remission of our sins after we have repented.

Exodus 30:18,20 - "Thou shalt also make a laver of brass, and his foot also of brass, to wash withal... When they go into the tabernacle of the congregation, they shall wash with water, that they die not."

A Carefree Christmas

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

– Philippians 4:6

Can you really have a merry Christmas even when you have a thousand and one pressures bearing down on you? Yes, you can--and you don't have to leave the country to do it. No matter how intense or how trivial the problems are that you're facing right now, you can have the most wonderful, most carefree Christmas season you've ever had in your life; and you can start having it today.

As a child of God, you're probably familiar with that scripture that says to be anxious for nothing. But, have you ever taken it seriously enough to put it into action? There's a good chance you haven't because you haven't understood just how dangerous those anxieties are. You probably haven't realized that they're a deadly part of the devil's strategy against you.

That's right. Worry is one of the chief weapons of his warfare. If he can get you to worry about them, he can use the financial pressures and family pressures and scheduling problems that are just a "normal" part of everyday life to weigh you down and drag you into more trouble than you think possible.

Medical science tells us that a high percentage of the people hospitalized in the U.S.A. are there with ailments caused by worry and tension. Yet, a great many believers worry without even thinking about it. They'll study over this and that and not even realize they've been sinning.

"Sinning, Brother Ashcraft?"

Yes! For the born-again, Spirit-filled person who owns a Bible--worrying is a sin. So, even if the Christmas cards are late and 25 people are coming to your house for Christmas dinner, don't worry.

Instead, do what the Bible says to do. Pray, making your request known to God...and praise Him for the answer. Then you'll have peace.

Now, go ahead and have a truly merry Christmas, you carefree thing you! 

MindChangers click

A gift is as a precious stone in the eyes of him that hath it: whithersoever it turneth, it prospereth. – Proverbs 17:8

If I could give you a gift this Christmas, the Word is what I'd give you. I'd rather give it to you than a check for a million dollars. Because you can run through a million dollars real quick, but the truth of God's Word never quits—and it will get you out of situations a million dollars can't get you out of. Sister A and I are just ordinary people. But when we latched on to God's Word, we latched on to something out of the ordinary, something that changed our lives. Every area of our lives. Nothing that's happened to us has happened because of us. It's happened because of God's Word. In fact, I don't even have to know you to promise you this: If you'll give God's Word your full attention—and not be afraid of His will for your life—you're going to be happier and more prosperous than anything you could ever dream up. Of course, if you do that, people may call you extreme. They say that about us all the time. But we don't mind. We are extreme. And if you'll set your faith on the Word of God, you can be extreme too. Extremely well. Extremely prosperous. And extremely blessed. Merry Christmas!