--The first thing the Israelites were commanded to do upon entering the promised land was to take twelve stones from the Jordan, while it was parted, and arrange them in a circle in the land. The place of these stones would come to be known as Gilgal, which is a Hebrew word meaning "wheel or circle".

Gilgal has the same root word as Galilee, which also speaks of a wheel or circle. Galilee got its name from the lake that dominates the region. This lake was known at times to be smooth as glass which reflected the sky above it on its clear surface. In ancient times the sky was known as the "wheel of Heaven" because it appeared to revolve around the earth like a wheel, so in time, the people, seeing the revolving sky reflected in the lake, would come to call the lake Galilee, or "wheel of Heaven".

Twelve is the number of the Kingdom.

Consequently, when Joshua entered the promised land the first thing God wanted him to do was set up this Gilgal, or wheel, of 12 stones to remind the people of their holy mission -- to establish the Kingdom of Heaven in the land of Canaan. This why the Lord sent His angel to Joshua...

When Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in His hand. Joshua approached Him and asked, "Are You for us or for our enemies?" "Neither," He replied. "I have now come as commander of the LORD's army." Then Joshua bowed with his face to the ground in worship and asked Him, "What does my Lord want to say to His servant?" (Jos 5:13-14)

The Alpha and the Omega

I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord...
(Rev 1:8)

Jesus here declares Himself to be the “Alpha and the Omega” which means He has established, by His eternal word, what will be, from first to last, beginning to end. But notice that the title is not Alpha or Omega. The two are meant to be inseparable. This says to me that Christ is obligated, by His word, to complete only what He has begun.

Consider that though I might be a believer who reads my Bible daily, prays without ceasing, and maintains my faith in God’s word, I could still be under the enemy’s jurisdiction in my marriage, workplace, ministry etc. simply because I have never dedicated them to the Lord. In so doing, I’ve failed to make Jesus the “Alpha” over my marriage, workplace, ministry, etc. since it was I who originated them not Him. And if He’s not Lord over these things, He is under no scriptural obligation to provide counsel, protection, or provision concerning them. In short, if He’s not the “Alpha” (beginning) over these things, He will not be the “Omega” (ending) either.

But my wedding happened years ago. I’ve been working the same job for decades. What can I possibly do about this now? The answer is, repent of not committing these things to Christ at the beginning, and dedicate them to His Lordship from this day forward.

The moment we do this, Christ becomes the “Alpha” of these areas of our life, and if He’s the Alpha, He is also the “Omega”, which means that…

…He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: (Philippians 1:6)

What is Revelation?

The scriptures teach that faith is born in us as we hear the rhema word of God (Romans 10:17). Since “rhema” is just another way of saying “revelation”, we can confidently say that faith also comes by revelation, without revelation it is impossible to please God, and revelation without works is dead.

For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ. (Galatians 1:12)

That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
(Ephesians 1:17)

How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery… Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; (Ephesians 3:3-5)

Revelation comes when the Holy Spirit opens our understanding of scripture in a way that 1) surpasses conventional wisdom, and 2) is always confirmed by two or more diverse scriptural passages (witnesses).

But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken. (Isaiah 28:13)

The prophet is saying here, by the Holy Spirit, that the word of God is meant to be understood through inspiration of God, “line upon line, here a little, there a little”, not by merely reading and studying the text, but by bringing it to God in prayer for revelation of the deeper meaning. He warns that all who deny this approach to learning scripture will “fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken”.

Jesus said much the same thing in the book of Matthew:

Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. (Matthew 13:13)

The Lord says here that He spoke in parables for a reason, so that the ones who desired to learn the true meaning of the parable would come to Him in private to receive this “revelation”, while the rest would simply go away confused without receiving the hidden blessing.

Far too many in the body of Christ today get their understanding from reading Bible commentaries or listening to teachers in their local church or the media. This may well explain why the church is in the state she’s in, “having a form of Godliness but denying its power.” This was never the Father’s intention. He has always desired that we come to Him directly to receive revelation of His word, for it’s only through revelation that a genuine faith is born in us, a faith to move mountains in Jesus’ name.

It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.
(John 6:45)

The Lord's Table

And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God. (Rev 19:9)

A meal consists of both food and drink. Drink alone is not a meal, neither is food alone. What we drink is easily absorbed into the body as it requires no chewing at all to make it digestible. What we eat does require chewing, for if we were to gulp it down like a drink, we’d have a very difficult time digesting it into the blood stream.

We have a great deal to say about this, and it's difficult to explain... everyone who lives on milk is inexperienced with the message about righteousness, because he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature--for those whose senses have been trained to distinguish between good and evil.
(Heb 5:11-14)

Infants must drink their meals because they have no teeth for which to chew solid food and their digestive systems aren’t fully developed. But when an infant becomes a child, they can no longer be sustained by milk alone and must begin to eat solid food.

The same is true in the spirit. If I hope to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord and His Kingdom, I must learn to “chew” my spiritual food -- the word of God. This means to meditate before the Lord on the things I don’t understand, rather than simply spit them out like a child. And like a child, the one who spits out the strong meat because he prefers milk simply will not grow at the rate of his peers. For a healthy body requires both milk and meat.

Then they will come from east and west, from north and south, and recline at the table in the kingdom of God.
(Luk 13:29)

Faith vs. Acceptance

For faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the (rhema) word of God.
(Rom 10:17)

This scripture clearly says I can’t have true faith until I’ve heard God speak to me. “Rhema” is a Greek word meaning “utterance”, as opposed to the Greek word “logos”, which generally refers to a “written word”. The bible is the “logos”, or written word of God. But faith doesn’t come by hearing or reading the “logos” it comes only by hearing the “rhema” word of God.

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
(Joh 10:27)

It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.
(Joh 6:45)

The anointing you received from Him remains in you, and you don't need anyone to teach you. Instead, His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie; just as it has taught you, remain in Him.
(1Jn 2:27)

My “acceptance” of the truth of God’s word, no matter how strong, is simply not enough. Even when I add works to my acceptance it will not produce so much as a sprig of the promised fruit of the Spirit. And why not? Because God created me for intimacy, first with Him, then with others. It would be contrary to God’s own purpose to grant me my requests, no matter how well meaning they may be, when they are founded on acceptance of His truth rather than true intimacy with Him. This is why Jesus said…

…"For I assure you: If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. (Mat 17:20)

Whether my faith is born of a whisper from God (mustard seed) or a shout is not the issue. The issue is, did I hear from Him at all, because if I did, and I act on what I heard, The Lord says nothing will be impossible for me. But by the same token, if I didn’t hear God and act instead on what is written or what I accept or believe to be true, I should expect nothing from the Lord, which is exactly what I will receive, for His purpose trumps everything else, and His purpose has been and always will be -- intimacy.

For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. (Rom 1:17)

For without faith it is impossible to please God, for the one who draws near to Him must believe that He exists and rewards those who diligently seek Him. (Heb 11:6)

The Golden Altar

Unlike the brazen altar which stood in the outer court where all of Israel could see it in the light of the sun, the golden altar was hidden from public view in the Holy Place of the temple. Only the priests could see it in the light of the golden lamp stand. As Jesus said...

When you pray, go into your private room, shut your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. (Mathew 6:6)

While it's certainly possible and profitable to pray in almost any setting, the Lord's desire is that I would set myself apart from any distractions, so I might hear Him clearly when He speaks. This is to be my version of the "golden altar". And like the old testament priests, it should be a place I visit daily, with a heart to "hear what the Spirit is saying". For it's only in "hearing" God speak that true faith is born in me.

And without faith it is impossible to please God... (Hebrews 11:6)

And we know that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the (rhema) word of God. (Romans 10:17)

..."For I assure you: If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. (Matthew 17:20)

...Nevertheless when the Son of man comes, will He find faith on the earth? (Luke 18:8)

The Pattern on the Mountain

These serve as a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was warned when he was about to complete the tabernacle. For He said, Be careful that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown to you on the mountain.
(Hebrews 8:5)

God showed Moses a pattern for the building of the tabernacle, an eternal blueprint that left no room for error in its duplication, for this tabernacle would become the very house of God on the earth.

This pattern, being eternal, exists today and is relevant for all who would desire the manifest Presence of God in their lives and ministries. Understanding the pattern is critical if we hope to avoid the snares and pitfalls the enemy has laid to keep us out of the place of blessing and provision – the Presence of God.

From the ALTAR to the LAVER (the outer court)

The pattern God revealed to Moses began with the BRAZEN ALTAR. It was here the sacrifices of Israel were offered and accepted. By their daily offerings the people were declaring God’s sovereignty over their lives. There can be no entrance into the Presence of God until He is declared LORD of all we possess or control.

The LAVER was placed at the entrance to the holy place for the washing of the priests hands after ministering before the altar. There can be no entrance into the Presence of God until we have washed ourselves of the idols and other worldly influences the enemy uses to keep us out of the inner court.

From the Laver to the Golden Altar (The inner court)

The Priests would daily offer incense on the GOLDEN ALTAR as a “sweet savor unto God”. It was here the priests would hear God speak His holy counsel for Israel. While prayers may be offered at any time and in any place, hearing the voice of God requires that we set ourselves apart for this purpose.

From the GOLDEN ALTAR to the LAMP STAND

The LAMP STAND provided all of the light in the Holy Place and, once lit by fire from the brazen altar, was to be kept continually burning. God’s rhema word spoken into our hearts ignites the candle of our faith which produces the works through us that will become our testimony (light) to others.

From the LAMP STAND to the SHOWBREAD

Twelve loaves of bread were to be displayed on a golden table each day. Only the priests were permitted to eat from these loaves. It is the power and love of our faith-born testimony that makes our words palatable (as bread) to the nations.

From the SHOWBREAD to the MERCY SEAT (Holy of Holies)

The lid of the Ark of the Covenant was composed of solid gold. It was here, on the MERCY SEAT, the Shekinah Glory of God would appear in a cloud. The highest goal of any child of the Kingdom is to both know and make known the unfathomable riches of God’s mercy and love.

From the MERCY SEAT to the ARK OF THE COVENANT

The ark contained three holy objects – Aaron’s rod that budded, a golden jar of manna, and the tablets upon which God wrote the ten commandments. When I have learned to trust completely in God’s election of me (Aaron’s rod), provision to me (manna), and righteousness in me (ten commandments) then I will have entered into His promised rest (Covenant).