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Answer for yourself: Are you aware that within the Hebrew Scriptures that there exists a "Pattern of Worship" given by God that was followed by both Jews and non-Jewish believers in God both in the Old Testament and New Testament times?
Answer for yourself: Are you aware that both historically and archeologically we can attest that this "Pattern of Worship" continued until early in the 4th-5th Century A.D. when Rome for all practical purposes changed it for everyone and today we seldom if ever stumble onto this prior existing pattern that God had intended that all His children, both Jew and non-Jew, observe in their worship of Him?
Answer for yourself: Are you aware that the tabernacle was built according to the divine blueprint given to Moses by the Lord that followed this "Pattern" that exits in Heaven (Ex. 25:8-9)?
Ex. 25: 8 And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. 9 According to all that I show thee, the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the furniture thereof, even so shall ye make it (Tanakh, 1917).
When attempting to understand the higher or Spiritual meaning in the Bible, the patterns of the Bible must be observed, marked and understood. If our beliefs go against the patterns in scripture we are in error. It is from Moses and the subsequent oral tradition that we have received the first five books of the Bible. When you read these books you see patterns occurring again and again. For example, again and again, you see the pattern of six periods of work, one of rest, which is the sabbath. We begin to see a cycle of repeating "appointed times with God" that exist not only in this world but the Spiritual World as well. At Bet Emet Ministries we try to point out these patterns along with their original intended meanings before so much of them were distorted by aberant theology down through history. Not only in the books of Moses do you see these patterns, but in all the books of the Bible.
Answer for yourself: How did Moses, a Pharoah no less, learn of these "Patterns of Worship of God"? Why did Moses and others write down these patterns? It is because God directed this to be done. In Moses' case, Moses was directed to make the tabernacle and all its furniture by the pattern shown to him on the mountain:
Exodus 25 8 And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. 9 According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it.
Exodus 25 40 And look that thou make them after their pattern, which was shewed thee in the mount.
Exodus 26 30 And thou shalt rear up the tabernacle according to the fashion thereof which was shewed thee in the mount.
Numbers 8 4 And this work of the candlestick was of beaten gold, unto the shaft thereof, unto the flowers thereof, was beaten work: according unto the pattern which the LORD had shewed Moses, so he made the candlestick.
Acts 7 44 Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as he had appointed, speaking unto Moses, that he should make it according to the fashion that he had seen.
Hebrews 8 5 Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.
Hebrews 10 1 For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.
1 Corinthians 10 6 Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.
In fact there was a "law of the burnt offering, the grain offering and the sin offering and the guilt offering and the ordination offering and the sacrifice of peace offerings, which the LORD commanded Moses at Mount Sinai in the day that He commanded the sons of Israel to present their offerings to the LORD in the wilderness of Sinai." (Lev 7:37-38) These laws were a shadow of things to come (Heb 10:1).
Hebrews 10 1 For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.
In Leviticus, chapter 23, it describes the appointed times ("feasts") of God: "And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say to them, Concerning the appointed times of the Lord, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my appointed times" (Lev 23:2).
Paul will later go on to state that these "appointed times with God" were types that revealed the whole plan of God to manking including God's true salvation. The examples of blessing and punishment to Israel as well as their obedience unto God and His appointed times were examples whereby not only first century Israel but all of God's children were intended to learn from by God's Holy Nation and Royal Priesthood revealing them and their Divine messages to the non-Jewish world.
1 Corinthians 10 6 Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.
I Corinthians 10:11 11 Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
The Old Testament festivals and Sabbaths were typical representations of things that not only had valid meanings to those alive in the first century but to others who would come afterwards. We will explain these appointed times and show their higher meanings as we go through this website. We will see that the appointed times or seasons pictured in the special times with God reveal God's overall plan for mankind and his salvation to both the Jew as well as the non-Jew. These Divine Messages in these appointed times with God is the true salvation message of God.
Answer for yourself: Are you aware that Aaron and his sons were consecrated to their priestly vocation according to a "Divine Pattern" as well, and they offered the prescribed sacrifices unto God according to this same "Divine pattern"?
Answer for yourself: Are you aware that King David was given the same pattern when told to build the Temple, set aside the Priests, and oversee the work of the service (worship) within the Temple (I Chron. 28:13)?
1 Chr 28:10-15 10 Take heed now; for the LORD hath chosen thee to build an house for the sanctuary: be strong, and do it. 11 Then David gave to Solomon his son the pattern of the porch, and of the houses thereof, and of the treasuries thereof, and of the upper chambers thereof, and of the inner parlours thereof, and of the place of the mercy seat, 12 And the pattern of all that he had by the spirit, of the courts of the house of the LORD, and of all the chambers round about, of the treasuries of the house of God, and of the treasuries of the dedicated things: 13 Also for the courses of the priests and the Levites, and for all the work of the service of the house of the LORD, and for all the vessels of service in the house of the LORD.
Let us look and examine the the Hebrew word for :service and see what we find hidden in the Hebrew:
Strong's Concordance:
5656 `abodah (ab-o-daw'); or `abowdah (ab-o-daw'); from 5647; work of any kind: KJV-- act, bondage, + bondservant, effect, labour, ministering (-try), office, service (-ile, -itude), tillage, use, work, X wrought.
Brown-Driver-Briggs' Hebrew Lexicon:
5656 `abodah or `abowdah- labor, service
Now let us look a little deeper into the root word for the Hebrew word "service":
5647 `abad (aw-bad'); a primitive root; to work (in any sense); by implication, to serve, till, (causatively) enslave, etc.: KJV-- X be, keep in bondage, be bondmen, bond-service, compel, do, dress, ear, execute, + husbandman, keep, labour (-ing man, bring to pass, (cause to, make to) serve (-ingself,), (be, become) servant (-s), do (use) service, till (-er), transgress [from margin], (set a) work, be wrought, worshipper,
What we see from these words is that there is a "MINISTRY" and "SERVICE OF OR UNTO God" and a "worship of God" that was given by the Spirit of God according to a "PATTERN" that as bondservants of the Most High we are compelled to follow
Answer for yourself: Did you see the picture emerging from the above passages as these Hebrew words were explained in depth to you?
Now we see that there does for certain exist a "Pattern" of "service" or a "Pattern of ministry" of or unto God in the Hebrew Scriptures in the Old Testament but for our purposes we need to know if there exists such a "Pattern of service" or "Pattern of Worship" in the New Testament.
Answer for yourself: Can we find references to this same "Pattern of service" or "Pattern of Worship" in the New Testament? We sure can!
Heb 8:5 5 Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount. (KJV)
Answer for yourself: Did you notice that we find a similar reference to the word "service" as we did before in 1 Chron. 28:10-15? I hope so for the same reference to "service" unto God is in the New Testament as well.
The root word for "service" is very important in this context:
Strong's Concordance reveals to us the hidden meanings behind the word "service" in the above verse:
3000 latreuo (lat-ryoo'-o); from latris (a hired menial); to minister (to God), i.e. render, religious homage: KJV-- serve, do the service, worship (-per).
Now let us look at what the Thayer's Greek Lexicon has to say about this save Greek word we read translated as "service" in the above passage in Heb. 8:5:
3000 latreuo- 1) to serve for hire 2) to serve, to minister to, either to the gods or men and used alike of slaves and freemen a) in the New Testament, to render religious service or homage, to worship b) to perform sacred services, to offer gifts, to worship God in the observance of the rites instituted for his worship; used of priests, to officiate, to discharge the sacred office
Answer for yourself: Now have we see from passages taken from both the Hebrew Scriptures as well as New Testament examples that teach us that there is for certain a "Pattern of Worship" given to mankind which we are compelled to follow in our service or and worship of God? There certainly seems to be as these texts and the original meanings of the words and concepts reveal to us that this "Pattern of Worship" exists.
The very issue to which we speak is the WORSHIP OF GOD and this is connected to a "Pattern" which God intends be followed
Now it is for us to understand that there exists, whether we know it or not, a "Pattern of ministry" and a "Pattern of Worship" that exists both in the Old Testament and New Testament which is"the pattern of intended service and worship of God given to all mankind. This is called "ministry" according to the Hebrew word. I know that the term "ministry" is so overworked today but it is for us to try to discern what "this ministry" unto God is to entail:
These are powerful questions going right to the center of both our heads and hearts and the answers for them are available but only through hours of study as you personally find them for yourself. Only in this way can you be sure that no one will every lie to you about these important matters any longer in your life.
If this answers to the above questions can be discerned from both Old and New Testament examples and if they give us evidence that these modes of worship overlap as applying "unchanged" in many regards for both the Jew and the non-Jewish believer who came to God through the ministry of Yeshua's disciples and apostles then we need then only ask if our experience as Christians and followers of Yeshua is yet today according to this "pattern of ministry" or if our experience is different and if so we must ask ourselves "why?" If we find that our experiences in our worship of God are not according to this "Pattern of Worship" handed down for thousands of years but one which deviates drastically from this "Pattern of Worship" then we have to honestly ask if we have let Israel and their Spiritual message be a light unto us (Israel is a light unto the nations/Gentiles). We have got to be ruthless in such an evaluation in order to determine if we have been misled by our spiritual authorities and ask ourselves if we have "worshiped God in vain".
Matt 15:9 9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. (KJV)
In the articles that follow we will present evidence from both the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament which proves beyond any doubt that there does exist not only a "Pattern of Worship" as observed by both the Jew and non-Jew before Moses and Sinai but likewise observed and adhered to as well both before and after the New Testament's account of Jesus' crucifixion which indicates that nothing was changed by Jesus' death. One has to look to the official adoption of the Jesus Movement by the state of Rome in the early centuries A.D. in which "Christianity" became the state religion of Rome in order to see the organized changes made to this "Pattern of worship" as a Replacement Religion and Replacement "Pattern of Worship" emerges which has more in common with Sun Worship that with Heavenly Revelation from God. Today few if any know that ever happened and that we have departed from the "pattern" of worship given by God in His Holy Texts.
Most of us don't know much concerning this "Pattern of Worship" nor that one even exists today. The question that stares you right in the face after just an article of two is if you desire to want to see how as a Christian you have been taught the "deviation" from this "Divine Pattern of Worship" as well as if you, finally having seen this for yourself, can find the desire to repent and return to this "Divine Pattern of Worship of God" which was once given to the Saints.
Jude 1:3 3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. (KJV)
The "Pattern of Worship" of which I speak is alluded to by Jude in the above passage. This "Pattern of Worship" has been given to all of mankind "ONCE" and it is up to us to "earnestly contend" for "THE" faith that only once spoken to Man by God. Lost for centuries we live in an awesome age where we have the ability today to not only discover this long lost "Pattern of Worship" but recover it for our lives in order to assure that our worship of God is in Spirit and Truth; for many it will be the first time in their lives that they can say this.
Blessings
Craig Lyons M.Div.
Bennoah1@airmail.net