He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
Psalm 91:1-2
In the post, God's Veiled Message, it was mentioned that a secret message is found in the dimensions and the overall design of the Ark of the Covenant. That message is that God by grace gives man new beginnings. Furthermore, the net (a net is a two dimensional representation of the three dimensional shape that can form that shape when folded--sorry! I used to teach math. :) that is formed when the shape of the ark--a rectangular prism--is unfolded is that of a cross. The cross is the instrument of God's grace and the message is not really a secret. It is the master theme of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. It is the Holy Spirit, then, who is continually placing the idea of salvation by the work of Christ at the cross repeatedly in the scripture directly and indirectly so that all might see how important it is. Eternal destinies are at stake, and God wishes that none should perish but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).
Salvation is such a consistent theme that it shows clearly the divine inspiration of scripture. This age is bombarded by many relativistic concepts that place all religions equal and having none being the absolute truth. This lie is also accompanied by an anti-supernaturalist viewpoint which removes God from His word and all of human history. This is why many documentaries on the Bible always have a natural explanation to explain away the miraculous. "Fish were bigger in Jonah's day as were loaves of bread in Jesus' day", are but a few of the plethora of excuses to take away the divine hand. However, the word alone is so amazing and so consistent on its own merit as to force any serious reader to carefully consider the absolute necessity of God's design and inspiration in its writing. Simply put, the Word of God, the Bible, is amazing.
If we consider that the Bible claims the Holy Spirit inspired the writers then it means that even the smallest things it says have meaning. Maybe this is why Jesus, Himself, said, "For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. (Matthew 5:18)." Jots and tittles are punctuation marks and Jesus ascribed meaning to them.
Consider the shape of the ark again. It is a rectangular prism:
Therefore, the Ark of the Covenant, like any other rectangular prism, would have had 6 faces, 12 edges, and 8 vertices. (YHWH who wrote the Bible and created all things surely created mathematics as well.) Again, Six is the number signifying man. Twelve is the number related to perfect government--perfected in Christ. Eight is a new beginning. When man accepts the governing presence of Christ the LORD there is a new beginning. The inspired Word of God is simply amazing!
It is more amazing when you consider what the lid of the ark was. It was the mercy seat, but it was also a throne. A throne! The very symbol of leadership. Christ wants to reign in our lives wholly and completely. When we allow it, all things become new. "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new (2 Corinthians 5:17)."
Finally, It may have been Doug Small who once shared the meaning of the word "ark" in a Bible study I attended. The Hebrew word translated into English as "ark" is 'arown. This is the same word translated as coffin in Genesis 50:26. This gives a whole new meaning to the New Testament thoughts such as these, "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it (Matthew 16:25)." and, "Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 6:11)."
This is the purpose of quoting Psalm 91:1-2 above. The secret place where Christ reigns is that place where we die to self and live fully for Christ. He reigns supreme. When we bury ourselves in the ark (coffin) Christ sits as King in the place of lordship over of our lives. The ark is the "secret place". That is why His shadow is above us in Psalm 91. What about you? Have you died to self that Christ may have complete control? Men who die to self allow Christ's reign over them and they add a whole new dimension of spiritual usefulness in His KINGDOM work. It is literally a new beginning like the one soon coming when the King returns to reign physically from Jerusalem.
Salvation is such a consistent theme that it shows clearly the divine inspiration of scripture. This age is bombarded by many relativistic concepts that place all religions equal and having none being the absolute truth. This lie is also accompanied by an anti-supernaturalist viewpoint which removes God from His word and all of human history. This is why many documentaries on the Bible always have a natural explanation to explain away the miraculous. "Fish were bigger in Jonah's day as were loaves of bread in Jesus' day", are but a few of the plethora of excuses to take away the divine hand. However, the word alone is so amazing and so consistent on its own merit as to force any serious reader to carefully consider the absolute necessity of God's design and inspiration in its writing. Simply put, the Word of God, the Bible, is amazing.
If we consider that the Bible claims the Holy Spirit inspired the writers then it means that even the smallest things it says have meaning. Maybe this is why Jesus, Himself, said, "For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. (Matthew 5:18)." Jots and tittles are punctuation marks and Jesus ascribed meaning to them.
Consider the shape of the ark again. It is a rectangular prism:
Prisms have 3 main surface structures. First, there are the faces. These are the smooth parts or flat surfaces. Next, there are the edges where two faces meet together. Finally, there are the vertices where three or more edges meet. Notice how I explained the last two using the prior definitions? They are most often counted in this manner--faces, edges, and vertices.
Therefore, the Ark of the Covenant, like any other rectangular prism, would have had 6 faces, 12 edges, and 8 vertices. (YHWH who wrote the Bible and created all things surely created mathematics as well.) Again, Six is the number signifying man. Twelve is the number related to perfect government--perfected in Christ. Eight is a new beginning. When man accepts the governing presence of Christ the LORD there is a new beginning. The inspired Word of God is simply amazing!
It is more amazing when you consider what the lid of the ark was. It was the mercy seat, but it was also a throne. A throne! The very symbol of leadership. Christ wants to reign in our lives wholly and completely. When we allow it, all things become new. "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new (2 Corinthians 5:17)."
Finally, It may have been Doug Small who once shared the meaning of the word "ark" in a Bible study I attended. The Hebrew word translated into English as "ark" is 'arown. This is the same word translated as coffin in Genesis 50:26. This gives a whole new meaning to the New Testament thoughts such as these, "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it (Matthew 16:25)." and, "Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 6:11)."
So much more could be mentioned here, but this post is long enough already. Just let Jesus have control. As always, He is Soon2Come. Blessings
Another good one....I could spend all day reading your posts!!
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