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Temporary tokens of Moses

The First Covenant is a Figure of Christ
by Second 8th Week Ministries

Hebrews 9:1-14
1. Then verily the First Covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary.
2. For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary.
3. And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all;
4. Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid roundabout with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;
5. And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly.
6. Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle,
accomplishing the service of God.
7 . But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people:
8. The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing:
9. Which was a FIGURE for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience;
10. Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.
11. But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;
12. Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
13. For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:
14. How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
_____________________________

This may look like a lot to cover, but it isn’t. God is simply showing us the temporary nature of the Mosaic Law. From verse 1 and verse 9, God let us know that the First Covenant tools were only a figure. The word “figure” means that the Mosaic Law was only standing as a temporary token for the time until Christ would come. Moses’ tools, laws, and commandments were only for that covenant. God had not intended them for you.

There are 2 words God uses to show this to you. The first word is “carnal”. In your notepad or in your Bible, put the word “carnal” over the word “worldly” sanctuary in verse 1 (you will see that confirmed in verse 10 “carnal ordinances”).

Temporary tokens of Moses

Why does God call the tokens of Moses “carnal”? Because the tools of Moses cannot purge the conscience of sin. So, underline the word “conscience” in verse 9. That is the second word that tells us about the temporary nature of the tools of Moses.

The tools of Moses cannot purge the conscience of sin.

These carnal tokens could not make him (the priest that did the service) perfect as pertaining to the conscience (verse 9).Where the Spirit says in verse 10, “which stood”, He means that “the powers of faith and justification were only in those tokens until I will come to provide you My justification.”

God teaches us about the righteousness of the Law by pointing out to us that the ordinances of divine service (tools of service) under the First Covenant stood only in meats and drinks and divers washings, which were baptisms, carnal ordinances, being earthly things. These laws and usage of these tools were designed for their activity and was imposed on them. Meaning, you have to do this or you will die in your sins.

The tools of Moses Cannot Purge the Conscience of Sin

Can you see that the righteousness of the law is not the righteousness of Jesus Christ? The righteousness of the Law is the standard God set for the faith of the people under the First Covenant; the yoke He imposed upon them. Notice in verse 10, it was imposed on them until the time of reformation when Christ would come and shed His own blood.

For those under the First Covenant, it was the blood of bulls and of goats and the ashes of a heifer that was purifying the flesh (verse 13). They had to accept that token as their purification. They were looking at this and asking, “How can the ashes of an heifer and the blood of a beast redeem my soul?” They had to believe it, and in their mind looked towards
Christ, their Messiah. When He comes He will save us from our sins. And we have to believe the same thing. Not the blood of an animal, but we have to believe the blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ, that Jesus’ blood sanctifies us.

We are not saved by the blood of the cow. We don’t say, “By the blood of the cow I am saved.” No, we say, “By the blood of Jesus I am saved.”

In the ancient times they had to believe , they had to accept the yoke. That yoke which they accepted was the testimony of their confession. This is my testimony and therefore I am a man of faith awaiting my time of redemption, that God will receive my soul because of the blood of this beast.

So Jesus, upon His death, when yielding up the ghost, when He went down to the lower parts of the earth, now completed that promise. He went down to the center of the earth and led captivity captive, saying, “You who have washed by the blood of the beast are now washed by My blood. You that have received forgiveness of sins by the cow and by the ox, by the goat, by the lamb, by the turtle doves and have waited patiently for me, I am now the fulfillment of that. Now come unto Me.” And so Jesus took Adam by the hand and received him and he took Abraham, and king David, and Noah, and Daniel, and the all righteous, He took that train right up to heaven.

How much more is the Lord going to receive us? We that believe on the blood of the Lamb will also be gathered to Him when He comes back and we see Him in the sky. He is going to say,
“Now come to me you that believed My testimony, the shedding of My blood.” And He will receive us to himself with great rejoicing.

What did we learn?

1. The things (tokens/tools) of the First Covenant reflected God in physical things.
2.  These physical TOOLS are things that represented God to the people and kept them in remembrance of Him.
3.  These things also represented the faith of the people to God, that He would be in remembrance of them.
4.  As long as the people honored God by restricting their faith to the terms of God’s covenant, using only those sanctified tools to worship God, they remained tethered to God, tied to Him, and they remained within the orbit of His care, presence, and promises.
5.  The tokens dictated the responsibility of the faith of the people.
6.  The tokens of Moses were temporary until Christ would come.
7.  The tokens of Moses were “carnal” for they could not purge the conscience.

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The First Covenant Tools
by Second 8th Week Ministries

The tools of the covenant dictate your faith.

Tools/tokens were explained by God in the book of Genesis and again seen when God told Moses to sprinkle the blood of an animal upon the tools of the First Covenant to sanctify them for the people to use in worship.

We are going to see the connection between the blood and God’s sanctification. We are also going to see that even though God sanctified these tools for their faith, He was already identifying the temporary nature of these tools, showing us that He did not plan for our faith to labor with them today.

Hebrews 9:18-21
18. Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood.
19. For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and SPRINKLED both the book, and all the people,
20. Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you.
21. Moreover he SPRINKLED with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry.

We studied this in the first course Covenant Faith, and will now study this further. The Bible says that the Ten Commandments, tithing laws, Jewish feast days and observances, and all vessels of the ministry (candlesticks, ark of the covenant, Shofar) were sprinkled with the blood of an animal. By this God laid upon the people their responsibility of faith. The tools of the covenant dictated their faith because they represented the responsibility of their faith.

These physical TOOLS are things that represented God to the people and kept them in remembrance of Him. These things also represented the faith of the people to God, that He would be in remembrance of them. As long as the people honored God by restricting their faith to the terms of God’s covenant, using only those sanctified tools to worship God, they remained tethered (joined) to God.

This is the blood of the testament which God has enjoined to you (verse 29). God is teaching us that we are connected to Him by the sprinkling of the blood. And this is what we see that Moses did. Moses first preached to the people, giving them knowledge, and then he took the blood and he splattered blood on them and splattered blood on the covenant tools. If you keep the covenant your soul is sealed with this salvation.

It is important for us to understand this now, because later, when we talk about the new tools of the New Covenant we need to understand that the same thing applies, that we are connected to God by the sprinkling of blood, that the tools of the covenant dictate our faith, and that it is by the tools that God lays upon us the responsibility of our faith. The blood defines your righteousness and identifies the tools your faith must be active with.

You will also soon understand another striking difference between the Old Covenant tools and the New Covenant Tools:

Old Covenant Tools = They are all PHYSICAL tools
New Covenant Tools = They are all INVISIBLE tools

The tools of the covenant dictate your faith.

It is important for us to understand this now, because later, when we talk about the new tools of the New Covenant we need to understand that the same thing applies, that we are connected to God by the sprinkling of blood, that the tools of the covenant dictate our faith, and that it is by the tools that God lays upon us the responsibility of our faith. The blood defines your righteousness and identifies the tools your faith must be active with.

You will also soon understand another striking difference between the Old Covenant tools and the New Covenant Tools:

Old Covenant Tools = They are all PHYSICAL tools
New Covenant Tools = They are all INVISIBLE tools

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The Secret Place is In God

by Maria vonAnderseck

The Secret Place is IN God. God provided all things in Himself for us to be made whole again. When we understand that, then we don’t seek any other secret place for our happiness and well being.

Psalm 91:1, “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.”

Once we are convinced that everything God wants us to know and wants us to have is found in Him, we will not seek our peace and joy anywhere else. As Jesus stated, His peace and joy is not in the world, it is in Him.

The Secret Place of God’s joy

Jesus said, “These things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves,” John 17:13. Jesus is saying that He wants His joy to be IN us. It is important for us, who are believers in Christ, to understand that God’s joy is not an emotion — it is His mind that He shares with us. As we stand before Him — He will continue to give us reassurances of knowledge and this knowledge – as we reflect on it gives us confidence.
• What God DELIGHTS in —- we DELIGHT in
• What brings JOY to God — brings JOY to our hearts

There is a connection God wants us to understand between His knowledge and our strength and JOY in Him. Each revelation is a calling forth to fellowship with Him. He is sharing His thoughts with us because He wants to be our JOY.

It is a fearful thing to stand before the living God!
You’re talking about standing before the Creator of all things!
So we stand before Him to take on His mind – His testimony – His joy.

This is why God provided richly for our faith in Jesus Christ by giving us His knowledge and His spiritual tools. God gave us everything we need to set what is in Him, in us.

I want to take us to Ezra chapter 6:22. This is where the Spirit opens this up to us further. The scripture states, “And (they) kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with joy: for the Lord made them joyful, and turned the heart of the king of Assyria unto them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.”

The Lord also makes us JOYFUL IN HIM and STRENGTHENS our hands. Let’s see how that happens. . .

Going back to verse 2 of Ezra 6: “And there was found at Achmetha, in the palace that is in the province of the Medes, a roll, and therein was a record thus written:

3 In the first year of Cyrus the king the same Cyrus the king made a decree concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, Let the house be builded, the place where they offered sacrifices, and let the foundations thereof be strongly laid; the height thereof threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof threescore cubits;

4 With three rows of great stones, and a row of new timber: and let the expenses be given out of the king’s house:

5 And also let the golden and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took forth out of the temple which is at Jerusalem, and brought unto Babylon, be restored, and brought again unto the temple which is at Jerusalem, every one to his place, and place them in the house of God.

The treasure of God’s house then is like God’s knowledge to us now. As the treasures of the Lord’s house beautified the temple, the knowledge of Jesus Christ beautifies the soul. What did we learn? We learned that knowledge is necessary to come into that Secret Place of the Lord. For the joy that is in God to be in us, we need to have His mind.

You Become What You Pursue

If you pursue the mind of God then He fills your mind with His thoughts. This is what you accept as His joy. That is why you delight yourself in the thoughts of His heart.

If you pursue the mind of the world then the pollution of the world fills your mind and you take on that understanding.

You may remember how God teaches us that from the example of Gehazi the servant of Elisha, when he ran after Naaman to take from him the riches that Elisha had refused, and how that when Gehazi ran after Naaman for his riches, that he also took upon himself Naaman’s leprosy. There was a pursuing going on there (2 Kings 5:20-27).

25 But he went in, and stood before his master. And Elisha said unto him, Whence comest thou, Gehazi And he said, Thy servant went no whither.

26 And he said unto him, Went not mine heart with thee, when the man turned again from his chariot to meet thee? Is it a time to receive money, and to receive garments, and olive yards, and vineyards, and sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and maidservants?

27 The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever. And he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow.

What was Gehazi after? He wanted to enrich himself of Naaman. We can then see what God is saying to us today, that we should not pursue the world. Our peace is not IN the world, our joy is not IN the world, wisdom, knowledge, and understanding is not IN the world—it is IN God.

The Substance of Faith

Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

We, who are in covenant with God, often speak of the substance of charity that God forms in the soul through our cycles of growth; we speak about joy being the substance of faith; we speak of the need for the substance of Christ to be born in the heart. We can see look at Naaman’s leprosy to look at what “substance” means.

The word “substance” first of all means: that of which a thing consists; physical matter or material: form and substance (Dictionary.com); the essential nature, the tangible matter of which a thing consists (Free Online Dictionary). Every substance has a characteristic set of properties.

Substance also is something that materialized that identifies a condition that exists. Such as, the sticky substance on the leaves of a fruit tree is most likely the work of common fruit tree pest. Or the white substance left behind from boiled tap water.

The substance of leprosy was seen in Naaman’s condition. Naaman’s leprosy disfigured his flesh, decreased his mobility, threatened his life, and greatly restricted him. This is why leprosy is a type of sin. Satan’s knowledge brings a plague to the soul. The substance of Satan’s kingdom is likened to leprosy. When you use his knowledge it immobilizes disfigures the soul and robs the heart of faith.

On the other hand, when we leave the presence of the Lord we carry with us the substance of His kingdom. God, having shared His mind with us, we retain His joy and peace and confidence. Our condition reflects Him. God is the substance of our faith because our faith consists of Him. Now we know why The Secret Place is IN God.

The author serves the Body of Christ as a confirmed Teacher in the government of God. She is a Second 8th Week Apostolic Institute of Theology course instructor and course author, she serves her local assembly, is a contributor to the Prophetic Path, is the co-author of the book Breaking the Anti-Christ: The Blueprint of Deception, and co-founder of Second 8th Week Ministries. Maria is a certified IDCCST® Christian Counselor, serves as host and panelists on Simple Faith and Apostle Today programs, and is a regular contributor to Apostles Today Digital Magazine. Our Free online Bible courses will help you take the first step to return your faith to true Second Covenant teaching for which Jesus shed His blood.

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You Are What You Eat

by Apostle Eric vonAnderseck

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We are what we eat. This is why the substance of God cannot be birthed within the heart by false knowledge. Therefore, no matter how much knowledge you have of the word, the soul remains in a state of unrest, vexation, and vanity if you continue to reach for and draw from the tree of false knowledge.

Romans 6:1, “what shall we say then, shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?” No. We don’t, but the False Religious System does. Satan’s lie that holiness can come from the flesh drives man to want to market sin, or put sin within the gospel. Satan wants men to preach the conflict rather than the cure. This is what it means to continue in sin.

On the other hand, God wants us to preach the cure for sin, which has to do with the covenant priesthood. So then, Satan would have man preach the conflict, which is the state of the conscience while God preaches to us the cure for sin in Jesus Christ.

Should We Sin That Grace Will Abound?

The reason for man to preach the conflict is that they are trying to obtain more grace by sinning. That does not make a lot of sense, and it isn’t how God works. To put the pieces back where they belong we need to start by first putting the word “sin” into context. Sin has to do with Satan’s persuasion. All of mankind is under that shadow. Should we continue under that shadow after we are converted, that God would continue to issue grace for salvation? Of course not. Grace does not abound in that kingdom. It only abounds in the house of God.

To this agrees the Spirit. Reading from Romans 6 verse 2, “God forbid. How should we, that are dead to sin live any longer therein?” When you are talking about “sin” you are talking about that kingdom, and that tether of Satan’s kingdom. How shall we who are dead continue to live in that kingdom?

Now, what are we dead to? We know that we are dead to the aspiration. We are crucified to Christ; we have crucified the aspiration, which is the projections of the signature. So instead of building foundations within our signature with false knowledge we are building the foundation of Christ in the heart with His knowledge. We are building a completely different foundation. One has to die while the other has to come to life.

So he says, “God forbid, how shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein?” (verse 2) So over the word “sin” you can write “Satan’s kingdom”. By the word “sin” Satan is being identified as that kingdom that stands indifferent and in direct opposition to the house of God.

Satan Wants To Compete With The House of God

Satan wants to compete with the house of God by false knowledge. False knowledge does not produce substance so the soul cannot enter into rest. Truth brings the substance of God within the heart. Therefore by faith you enter into His rest.

In the kingdom of darkness, substance cannot be birthed within the heart so therefore no matter how much knowledge you have of the word, the soul remains in a state of unrest–vexation—vanity if you continue to reach for and draw from the tree of false knowledge.

The Spirit brings out, “How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” How shall we who are dead to sin, having buried the aspirations, which is the old man, live any longer in that house, under that perception, that shadow, being fruitless.

So we can see that the God-Code working with faith will produce the substance of Christ in the heart. Whereas the God-Code working with the moral code will not bring that living substance. It will keep the soul in a state of frustration and oppression.

Oppression is Birthed From False Knowledge

Oppression is birthed from false knowledge. Where false knowledge is, oppression exists. What is oppression? Oppression has to do with the soul being without direction. When the soul is without direction it is under a form of oppression. No substance is being born and it wanders in the broad way. That is a form of oppression. So false knowledge births this.

False knowledge also keeps the soul in that state of derision: the wandering, the frustration, the anxiety. Whereas in the kingdom of God, being tethered to Christ, substance is born in the heart, and the peace of God rules. The soul enters into rest, and that is because we have substance. The foundation of God is real.

We Are Dead To Satan

So over the word “sin” you can put the word “Satan”. We are dead to Satan. We are dead to these things that bring demonic oppression. When we say demonic oppression we are not talking about possession of the soul. Rather, how the mind wanders looking for clarity and purpose of life.

The movie The Island is an excellent example of this. It’s about human cloning for the purpose of extending one’s life. The people who have themselves cloned are told that their clones are in a vegetative state and are not self aware. You can imagine that when a person’s heart, or lung, or kidney fails they could harvest the needed parts from their clone. What the clients did not know was that the “product” had become self aware and had begun to ask purpose of life questions. And grace is like that. It causes us to be aware of God—to awaken to Him.

If we look for a moment at verse 8 we will learn a few more things: “Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him.”

If you be dead with Christ, which means putting to death the voice of the aspiration and signature. If we be dead with Christ we believe we shall also live with Him by this new testimony. By this new testimony we are living with Him.

This is why God communicates in dreams and visions, and words of knowledge. For what purpose? For the edification of the Body. Building up the Body has to do with that choice of will. So Speaking by the Spirit you are taking on the Spirit’s perspective. Now you are risen with Christ. By this the old man is dying, but the new man is renewed day by day. That is the new perspective. It is also providing the tools for circumcision. it is also providing you a token of cleansing. This is your baptism. God accepts your faith as you take spiritual showers every day.

Now, verse 11, “Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

We Are Alive To Christ

Now if you be dead with Christ, we believe we will also live with Him. Knowing that Christ, being raised from the dead, dies no more. Death has no more dominion over Him. As long as we are in this dimension we can see that the presence of death is here. This is what we are overcoming and this is why the rewards are so enormous. You are making choices against all contradiction and contrariness.

You are making choices of will to serve Him in the midst of great contradiction. You are making choice of will against prejudices. Prejudices of tradition, prejudice of friends, prejudice of employers. You are standing against an enormous weight for the exceeding weight of glory that God has promised us.

Likewise recon. This is your confession now. This is what you should see in the mirror now. Not death, life, not despair, but hope. That death is only the door to life and we are experiencing that every day as we die to the voice of the aspiration we are lving unto God each day.

Satan is the author of sin as Jesus is the author of grace. When we are alive to grace we know that we are alive to the author of grace, we are alive to Him. Satan presence is sin, death, iniquity, despair confusion, derision, confounding. We are dead to sin. It’s seed, it’s value, its fruit, its kingdom, and its prince.

Apostle Eric vonAnderseck

The author is an apostle of Jesus Christ according to the biblical pattern. The burden God placed upon Apostle Eric was to see restored to the church the Second Covenant gospel, spiritual tools, and priesthood. The Apostles Today Network of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers stand together as a bridge of hope for the church and the world. Apostle Eric is founder of Second 8th Week Ministries, and author of the books Breaking the Anti-Christ Code: Blueprint of Deception and Pure Praise. Our Free online Bible courses will help you return your faith to true Second Covenant teaching for which Jesus shed His blood.

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