Animals, Colors, Metals, Numbers and Signs in Scripture.

Eight, Fifty – New Beginnings

New Manner of Worship

In the Old Testament the manner of worship was predicated on observing the ordinances and the feasts that God gave to the children of Israel according to the pattern that God had shown Moses. These ordinances and feasts required perfection. For instance, the High Priest and his sons the priests had to wear clothes that were particularly fashioned and were particularly colored and with particular ornaments. They had to be washed and then they had to wash before they went into the holy place.

The priests had to be without blemish to enter the holy place:

Lev. 21:17 "Speak unto Aaron, saying, Whosoever he be of thy seed in their generations that hath any blemish, let him not approach to offer the bread of his God. 18 For whatsoever man he be that hath a blemish, he shall not approach: a blind man, or a lame, or he that hath a flat nose, or any thing superfluous, 19 Or a man that is brokenfooted, or brokenhanded, 20 Or crookbacked, or a dwarf, or that hath a blemish in his eye, or be scurvy, or scabbed, or hath his stones broken; 21 No man that hath a blemish of the seed of Aaron the priest shall come nigh to offer the offerings of the LORD made by fire: he hath a blemish; he shall not come nigh to offer the bread of his God. 22 He shall eat the bread of his God, both of the most holy, and of the holy. 23 Only he shall not go in unto the veil, nor come nigh unto the altar, because he hath a blemish; that he profane not my sanctuaries: for I the LORD do sanctify them."

The offerings were also to be without blemish:

Lev. 22:21 "And whosoever offereth a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the LORD to accomplish his vow, or a freewill offering in beeves or sheep, it shall be perfect to be accepted; there shall be no blemish therein. 22 Blind, or broken, or maimed, or having a wen, or scurvy, or scabbed, ye shall not offer these unto the LORD, nor make an offering by fire of them upon the altar unto the LORD. 23 Either a bullock or a lamb that hath any thing superfluous or lacking in his parts, that mayest thou offer for a freewill offering; but for a vow it shall not be accepted. 24 Ye shall not offer unto the LORD that which is bruised, or crushed, or broken, or cut; neither shall ye make any offering thereof in your land. 25 Neither from a stranger's hand shall ye offer the bread of your God of any of these; because their corruption is in them, and blemishes be in them: they shall not be accepted for you."

Leaven is a symbol of sin and as such, the meat offerings with one exception were to be of unleavened bread as they pointed to the perfect sinless body of Christ.

Furthermore, the manner in which the ordinances, feasts, and offerings were to be made were specifically spelled out in the Old Testament and all of them pointed to perfection.

The one exception to the offering of unleavened bread is set forth for us in the ordinance of the feast of weeks, otherwise known as Pentecost. In the feast of weeks, the children of Israel at the beginning of their harvest were to bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of their harvest and the priest was to offer it as a wave offering on the morrow after the Sabbath. Then the children of Israel were to number seven weeks unto the fiftieth day which is the 1st day of the eight week and then offer among other things a new meat offering consisting of leavened bread.

The feast of weeks or Pentecost observed in the 2nd chapter of Acts was exactly fifty days after the resurrection of Christ from the grave. Christ arose early the first day of the week and fifty days later, many of the Jews were gathered to gather to observe the feast of weeks. On that day, the Holy Spirit filled all the house where the church was gathered and this brought to pass the promise that Jesus had made that he would send another Holy Comforter for the disciples. Manifesting his coming the Holy Spirit showed forth great sign gifts on the day of Pentecost and for several years after that.

The church did not start on the day of Pentecost, but the Holy Comforter manifest his presence on the day of Pentecost and the disciples began to offer the new meat offering in leaven or sinful bodies. The blood bought children of God have been made a spiritual priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices unto God. We are to present our bodies a living sacrifice, which is holy and acceptable unto God.

One of the spiritual sacrifices set forth for us in the book of Psalms is: Ps. 51:17 "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise." When the multitude on the day of Pentecost had heard the preaching of Peter "they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?"

By all evidence, they had a broken spirit and a broken contrite heart.

"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers."

In this new form of worship, the people, though they be sinners are to offer spiritual sacrifices unto God. The days of the animal sacrifices are fulfilled as the perfect Lamb of God has come and satisfied God's just demands under the law and become the perfect sacrifice for us. We no longer offer animal sacrifices and observe the temple service, but we offer spiritual sacrifices in sinful bodies and worship God in Spirit and in truth and this pleases God.

New Nature of the Flesh

Lev. 25:8 "And thou shalt number seven sabbaths of years unto thee, seven times seven years; and the space of the seven sabbaths of years shall be unto thee forty and nine years. 9 Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubilee to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land. 10 And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubilee unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family."

The year of Jubilee is only spoken of in the 25^th and 27^th chapters of the book of Leviticus.  There is never any mention in the scriptures as to whether the children of Israel ever observed this ordinance.  Because it is not mentioned, the implication is that they never observed it. 

The children of Israel were to number seven Sabbaths of years and on the first year of the eight Sabbath of years, they were to proclaim a jubilee.  In the year of jubilee, every man was to return unto his possession and to return unto his family from any bondage he may have been under.  For those who lost possessions or who had sold themselves into bondage this would have been great news and a great time. 

The trumpet was to sound in the seventh month and the tenth day of the fiftieth year in the day of atonement and liberty proclaimed throughout the land. 

Through the sin of Adam and through our own sins we were sold as the bond slaves of sin and along with Adam had lost our possession in the Garden of Eden and from the state of innocence that Adam had prior to the fall into sin.  There is coming a day when a trumpet shall sound and there will be a greater jubilee that is greater than that which should have been proclaimed in the land of Canaan by the children of Israel. 

This greater jubilee shall be proclaimed in the morning of the resurrection.  At that time, the elect of God shall be carried to a greater possession than Adam and his posterity lost in the Garden of Eden.  Furthermore, we shall not be returned to a familial state of innocence, but to a far greater family and a far greater state than was lost in the Garden of Eden.  In the resurrection, these mortal bodies shall put on immortality (1 Cor. 15:53), and these bodies sown in weakness shall be raised in power (1 Cor. 15:43).  These bodies sown naturally, shall be raised into spiritual bodies (1 Cor. 15:44).  These corrupt bodies shall put on incorruption (1 Cor. 15:42).  Our possession will not be the Garden of Eden but into Paradise itself and our inheritance shall not be a portion, but we shall be joint-heirs with Jesus Christ (Rom. 8:17). 

This greater jubilee is tied by a covenant to the atoning blood of Jesus Christ.  This covenant is the covenant of redemption and stated for us in Rom. 8:29, 30, "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.  Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified." 

At the time of this greater jubilee a trumpet shall sound: 1 Cor. 15:51 "Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed."  In addition, there will be a great shout: 1 Thes. 4:16 "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." 

This will truly be a jubilee like no other.  What a great new beginning this shall be for the flesh.

New Testament 

The Old Testament contained the law and the prophets and served many purposes.  It testified of Jesus and showed forth the need of a redeemer.  It was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ.  The Old Testament contained examples for us in how that we ought to live.  It has many types and shadows.  However, the Old Testament ends with a curse, i.e., the last word of the Old Testament is "curse."  The Old Testament declared unto us the exceeding sinfulness of sin and showed us our need for a redeemer. 

We read in John 1:17 "For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ."  Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ and the New Testament declares unto us this grace and truth.  The last sentence in the New Testament testifies to us of God's grace: "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen."

In delivering the New Testament unto us, the Lord used eight men to pen the words of the New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, Peter, James and Jude.  The New Testament is our guide for worship today.