Christine

'And thou shalt set the altar of gold for the incense before the ark of the testimony, and put the hanging of the door to the tabernacle. And thou shalt set the altar of the burnt offering before the door of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation. And thou shalt set the laver between the tent of the congregation and the altar, and shalt put water therein. And thou shalt set up the court round about, and hang up the hanging at the court gate.' (Exodus 40:5-8) Praise God!

The Tabernacle Erected 'And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, On the first day of the first month shalt thou set up the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation. And thou shalt put therein the ark of the testimony, and cover the ark with the vail. And thou shalt bring in the table, and set in order the things that are to be set in order upon it; and thou shalt bring in the candlestick, and light the lamps thereof.' (Exodus 40:1-4) Praise God!

And they brought the tabernacle unto Moses, .. the tent, .... and all his furniture, ...... his taches, ........ his boards, .......... his bars, ............ and his pillars, .............. and his sockets, ................ And the covering of rams' skins dyed red, .................. and the covering of badgers' skins, .................... and the vail of the covering, The ark of the testimony, .. and the staves thereof, .... and the mercy seat, The table, .. and all the vessels thereof, .... and the shewbread, The pure candlestick, .. with the lamps thereof, .... even with the lamps to be set in order, ...... and all the vessels thereof, ........ and the oil for light, And the golden altar, .. and the anointing oil, .... and the sweet incense, and the hanging for the tabernacle door, The brasen altar, .. and his grate of brass, .... his staves, ...... and all his vessels, ........ the laver and his foot, The hangings of the court, .. his pillars, .... and his sockets, and the hanging for the court gate, .. his cords, .... and his pins, and all the vessels of the service of the tabernacle, .. for the tent of the congregation, The cloths of service to do service in the holy place, .. and the holy garments for Aaron the priest, .... and his sons' garments, ...... to minister in the priest's office. According to all that the LORD commanded Moses, .. so the children of Israel made all the work. .... And Moses did look upon all the work, ...... and, behold, they had done it as the LORD had commanded, ........ even so had they done it: .......... and Moses blessed them. (Exodus 39:33-43) Praise God!

Thus was all the work of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation finished: .. and the children of Israel .... did according to all that the LORD commanded Moses, ...... so did they. (Exodus 39:32) Praise God!

Making the Priestly Garments 'And they made coats of fine linen of woven work for Aaron, and for his sons, And a mitre of fine linen, and goodly bonnets of fine linen, and linen breeches of fine twined linen, And a girdle of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, of needlework; as the LORD commanded Moses. And they made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold, and wrote upon it a writing, like to the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD. And they tied unto it a lace of blue, to fasten it on high upon the mitre; as the LORD commanded Moses.' (Exodus 39:27-31) Praise God!

The Making of the Priestly Garments (cont. ,,,) And he made the breastplate of cunning work, like the work of the ephod; of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen. It was foursquare; they made the breastplate double: a span was the length thereof, and a span the breadth thereof, being doubled. And they set in it four rows of stones: the first row was a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle: this was the first row. And the second row, an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond. And the third row, a ligure, an agate, and an amethyst. And the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper: they were inclosed in ouches of gold in their inclosings. And the stones were according to the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the engravings of a signet, every one with his name, according to the twelve tribes.' (Exodus 39:8-14) Praise God!

Making the Priestly Garments (cont. ...) 'They made shoulderpieces for it, to couple it together: by the two edges was it coupled together. And the curious girdle of his ephod, that was upon it, was of the same, according to the work thereof; gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen; as the LORD commanded Moses. And they wrought onyx stones inclosed in ouches of gold, graven, as signets are graven, with the names of the children of Israel. And he put them on the shoulders of the ephod, that they should be stones for a memorial to the children of Israel; as the LORD commanded Moses.' (Exodus 39:4-7) Praise God!

Making the Priestly Garments 'And of the blue, and purple, and scarlet, they made cloths of service, to do service in the holy place, and made the holy garments for Aaron; as the LORD commanded Moses. And he made the ephod of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen. And they did beat the gold into thin plates, and cut it into wires, to work it in the blue, and in the purple, and in the scarlet, and in the fine linen, with cunning work. (Exodus 39:1-3) Praise God!

The Materials for the Tabernacle (cont..) 'And of the hundred talents of silver were cast the sockets of the sanctuary, and the sockets of the vail; an hundred sockets of the hundred talents, a talent for a socket. And of the thousand seven hundred seventy and five shekels he made hooks for the pillars, and overlaid their chapiters, and filleted them. And the brass of the offering was seventy talents, and two thousand and four hundred shekels. And therewith he made the sockets to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the brasen altar, and the brasen grate for it, and all the vessels of the altar, And the sockets of the court round about, and the sockets of the court gate, and all the pins of the tabernacle, and all the pins of the court round about.' (Exodus 38:27-31) Praise God!

The Materials for the Tabernacle (cont..) 'All the gold that was occupied for the work in all the work of the holy place, even the gold of the offering, was twenty and nine talents, and seven hundred and thirty shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary. And the silver of them that were numbered of the congregation was an hundred talents, and a thousand seven hundred and threescore and fifteen shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary: A bekah for every man, that is, half a shekel, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for every one that went to be numbered, from twenty years old and upward, for six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty men.' (Exodus 38:24-26) Praise God!

The Materials for the Tabernacle 'This is the sum of the tabernacle, even of the tabernacle of testimony, as it was counted, according to the commandment of Moses, for the service of the Levites, by the hand of Ithamar, son to Aaron the priest. And Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that the LORD commanded Moses. And with him was Aholiab, son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver, and a cunning workman, and an embroiderer in blue, and in purple, and in scarlet, and fine linen. (Exodus 38:21-23) Praise God!

How lovely, @turtletwo, That you were able to have this discussion with your son. Praise God! * I agree with him regarding his thought that this letter was 'meant to go beyond Ephesus'. I believe the message it contains is intended for all the faithful in Christ Jesus, both then, and throughout the centuries since. * If you compare the interview Paul had with the Ephesian elders in Acts 20, prior to his imprisonment at Rome, in which he summarises the doctrines he had preached to them to that date; with the content of the letter written to the believers in Ephesus subsequently; you will see no mention of the unique teaching found in this letter. Which indicates that what we read in the epistle to the Ephesians was received by revelation from God by Paul, during that period of imprisonment; which indeed is what Paul maintains in Ephesians chapter 3. * Could this further revelation, described in Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians be the cause of the subsequent 'turning away' of many from Paul, which he tells Timothy about in 2 Timothy 1:13-15, written immediately prior to his death. 'Hold fast the form of sound words, .. which thou hast heard of me, .... in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. ...... That good thing which was committed unto thee ........ keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us. This thou knowest, .. that all they which are in Asia .... be turned away from me; ...... of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes. (2 Timothy 1:13-15) * Timothy was at Ephesus when he received that letter from Paul, and if you look at the context of the passage in which 2 Timothy 2:15 is written, you will see the atmosphere that prevailed there at that time, for he was surrounded by strife and argument about words, which were to no profit but to the subversion of those who heard it: and he was exhorted by Paul to rise above it; by studying to show himself approved unto God, rightly dividing the Word of Truth. Only by so doing could he maintain his objectivity, and be true to the form of sound words that he had heard from Paul. * How needful is that exhortation for us today too, isn't it? who seek to walk worthy of the Lord in our generation. With love to you and your son, (do thank him for his contribution) In Christ Jesus Chris

Thank you, @turtletwo What a blessing this is! Jodi Erickson's life has touched mine, through her testimony, since way back in my teens, and now on this spring day, with the sun shining on the flowers blooming in the garden, has touched me again, through your entry of this video clip this morning. I thank God for her life and witness, and thank Him for giving her the strength, and the means of fulfilling all that He had for her, to the glory of His grace, and His superintending care. * My thoughts were with you, turtletwo, this morning, when I wrote down these thoughts on paper You and I have been greatly blessed, through sunshine and shadow. By a gracious Heavenly Father's hand, with showers of blessing and the comfort of the warmth of the knowledge of His love and grace. With a mind filled with words of praise, for such superintending grace, and a heart warmed by the knowledge of the security and enveloping love which attends each passing day. Praise God! With love in Christ Jesus Chris

'Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:' (Ephesians 1:1) Hello again, I have read through each open-hearted entry, from the beginning, and thank you all for your contributions. To add or subtract, question or comment on any one of them, other than I have already done, would be an intrusion, for I feel that each one is a reflection of the walk with God that each one of us is engaged upon by His grace, in Christ Jesus. What a beloved Lord and Saviour we have, haven't we? How blessed we are to know Him, and to be the objects of His love and grace. My love to you all, in Him. Thank you for being a blessing to me by sharing as you have. Praise His Holy Name! In Christ Jesus Our risen and glorified Saviour, Lord and Head Chris

@Not me @Jostler @SelahSong Thank you for your entries, I am just too tired to take anything in at the moment, but shall come back to them afresh in the morning. My thanks also, once again, to @BeauJangles and @In Him for their responses. Good night all. With love in Christ Jesus Chris

Making the Court 'And he made the court: on the south side southward the hangings of the court were of fine twined linen, an hundred cubits: Their pillars were twenty, and their brasen sockets twenty; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets were of silver. And for the north side the hangings were an hundred cubits, their pillars were twenty, and their sockets of brass twenty; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver. And for the west side were hangings of fifty cubits, their pillars ten, and their sockets ten; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver. And for the east side eastward fifty cubits. The hangings of the one side of the gate were fifteen cubits; their pillars three, and their sockets three. And for the other side of the court gate, on this hand and that hand, were hangings of fifteen cubits; their pillars three, and their sockets three. All the hangings of the court round about were of fine twined linen. And the sockets for the pillars were of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver; and the overlaying of their chapiters of silver; and all the pillars of the court were filleted with silver. And the hanging for the gate of the court was needlework, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen: and twenty cubits was the length, and the height in the breadth was five cubits, answerable to the hangings of the court. And their pillars were four, and their sockets of brass four; their hooks of silver, and the overlaying of their chapiters and their fillets of silver. And all the pins of the tabernacle, and of the court round about, were of brass. (Exodus 38:9-20) Praise God!

Making the Bronze Basin 'And he made the laver of brass, and the foot of it of brass, of the lookingglasses of the women assembling, which assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. (Exodus 38:8) Praise God!

* This is your passion, @frienduff thaylorde, and is on your heart to make known: I agree there is only One Who can save, and that is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, through the sacrificial offering of His Only Begotten Son. As Peter said, by the power of the Spirit in Act 4:12:- 'Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.' Praise God! In Christ Jesus Chris

* I too have benefited from the instruction of such, to whom I will be eternally grateful, '@In Him'. * These are useful verses that you have provided, and refer to those who have received a 'trust', which they are called upon to faithfully administer to others. Which brings to my mind another passage of Scripture: words spoken by Paul to Timothy:- 'Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us.' (2 Timothy 1:13-14) * I believe that the content of the epistle to the Ephesians, along with that of Philippians, Colossians, 1&2 Timothy and Titus, contain a trust, a deposit of truth, for which faithfulness in Christ Jesus was, and is still, a vital requirement. It was not the gospel of salvation, or of justification by faith, vital though those are, but the knowledge of the administration of the church which is the Body of Christ, of which Christ Himself is the Head. The content of which I believe was the substance of the 'form of sound words' which had been heard and entrusted to Timothy by Paul: and was so vehemently opposed: prompting the following words of Paul, in 2 Timothy 1:15:- ' This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me; of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes.' * These epistles were written to believers, to whom God would make known the truth that is, ' Christ in (or among) us', which is, 'our hope of glory, as members of the Church which is the Body of Christ. This was unique at the time of writing, as was the hope and sphere of blessing spoken of in these pages. A unique unity, in which the Jew had no prior place, a unique calling, and a sphere of blessings which are spiritual, and all ours in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. A completeness and acceptance in Christ, a standing of holiness in which there is no blame to be found; and a spirit of Sonship which could call the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 'Father'. Forgive me for getting carried away with the glory of this, @In Him.. With love in Christ Jesus Chris

Thank you @Beaujangles, Though written to the Ephesians I believe it was used as a circular letter sent to the Churches under Paul's care. Also, for it to be included in the collection of writings chosen to make up the Scriptures of the New Testament, it must have been intended for future reading too, and to be understood by we who read it in this century in the same light as it was originally intended. With love in Christ Jesus Chris

Making the Altar of Burnt Offering 'And he made the altar of burnt offering of shittim wood: .. five cubits was the length thereof, .... and five cubits the breadth thereof; ...... it was foursquare; ........ and three cubits the height thereof. And he made the horns thereof on the four corners of it; .. the horns thereof were of the same: .... and he overlaid it with brass. And he made all the vessels of the altar, .. the pots, and the shovels, and the basons, .... and the fleshhooks, and the firepans: ...... all the vessels thereof made he of brass. And he made for the altar a brasen grate of network .. under the compass thereof .... beneath unto the midst of it. And he cast four rings for the four ends of the grate of brass, .. to be places for the staves. And he made the staves of shittim wood, .. and overlaid them with brass. And he put the staves into the rings on the sides of the altar, to bear it withal; .. he made the altar hollow with boards.' (Exodus 38:1-7) Praise God!

Making the Altar of Incense 'And he made the incense altar of shittim wood: .. the length of it was a cubit, and the breadth of it a cubit; .... it was foursquare; ...... and two cubits was the height of it; ........ the horns thereof were of the same. .......... And he overlaid it with pure gold, ............ both the top of it, and the sides thereof round about, and the horns of it: also he made unto it a crown of gold round about. .. And he made two rings of gold for it under the crown thereof, .... by the two corners of it, ...... upon the two sides thereof, ........ to be places for the staves to bear it withal. And he made the staves of shittim wood, .. and overlaid them with gold. And he made the holy anointing oil, .. and the pure incense of sweet spices, .... according to the work of the apothecary.' (Exodus 37:25-29) Praise God!

Making the Lampstand 'And he made the candlestick of pure gold: .. of beaten work made he the candlestick; .... his shaft, and his branch, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, were of the same: And six branches going out of the sides thereof; .. three branches of the candlestick out of the one side thereof, .... and three branches of the candlestick out of the other side thereof: ...... Three bowls made after the fashion of almonds in one branch, a knop and a flower; ........ and three bowls made like almonds in another branch, a knop and a flower: .......... so throughout the six branches going out of the candlestick. And in the candlestick were four bowls made like almonds, his knops, and his flowers: .. And a knop under two branches of the same, .... and a knop under two branches of the same, ...... and a knop under two branches of the same, ........ according to the six branches going out of it. .......... Their knops and their branches were of the same: ............ all of it was one beaten work of pure gold. And he made his seven lamps, and his snuffers, and his snuffdishes, of pure gold. .. Of a talent of pure gold made he it, .... and all the vessels thereof.' (Exodus 37:17-29) Praise God!

' Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:' (Ephesians 1:1) Hello there, Paul's epistle to the Ephesians, is addressed to the 'Saints' and those who were the 'Faithful in Christ Jesus'. I ask for your thoughts on this, please. Saints are believers in the Lord Jesus, yes, but this goes further, doesn't it? To 'the faithful in Christ Jesus'. What is your understanding of what is meant by this? What is meant by being 'faithful in Christ Jesus' in your estimation, or more importantly in the estimation of God and His Word. Thank you In Christ Jesus Chris

Hello there, I have been very aware as I have entered each post, and read those of others, of the significance each part of the tabernacle must have. Some are obvious, but all must have a part to play, a glimpse to give of the Lord Jesus Christ, I just haven't made a study of it, to be sure enough to make comment. The mercy seat being not only overlaid with gold, but made entirely of pure gold is significant. I believe, 'And thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof.' (Exodus 25:17) Praise God!