What The 21 Mnemonic 3:16 "Three Sixteens" Of The New Testament Tell Us ~ Part Four: First Corinthians

1 Corinthians 3:16
“Don't you know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?”
 
oikéō (oíkos, "a house, dwelling, habitation")properly, to make a home; living "at home" (i.e. comfortably) because it is one's residence; "to be at home."

naós (from naiō, "to dwell") – properly, a sanctuary (divine dwelling-place); a temple (sacred abode),
the place of divine manifestation.
 
“Don’t you know that you are the place where the Lord makes his home
and reveals His presence?”
 
In the New Covenant the Spirit is within us as well as upon us. In the Old Covenant the Spirit came upon those who served the Lord. In the Old Testament we see there is a Temple. The reason for the Temple is the Ark. The Ark is where the Lord was to be found between the wings of the cherubim. Before there was a temple to house the ark. After Jesus ascended to heaven and sent the Holy Spirit something very radical happened. When the wind of heaven filled the Upper Room on the Day of Pentecost, those who were there, breathed in the Holy Spirit. Jesus was baptizing them in living water being poured out from heaven. As they were baptized their hearts caught fire and they immediately erupted with the super natural ability to speak in the language of heaven. As they filtered out into the streets of Jerusalem to a crowd of ten thousand people or more they continued to praise God and reveal that God’s new dwelling place, His new sanctuary was those that were filled with the Holy Spirit. In one moment of time Jesus fulfilled His prophecy that “He would build a new temple to house the presence of God.”
 
The church was born! The language of the Church was heard like preaching and praise. Those who came to see what was going on in the Upper Room came from every part of the world. The great miracle was that when the 120 spoke in heaven’s language the Holy Spirit translated the messages into the language that each person spoke. The miracle caused the church to grow from 120 to 3,120 in one day! There was a new temple in town and it wasn’t made of brick and mortar it was inside the flesh of human beings. This was always God’s intention. In effect the Kingdom of God found a throne in the hearts of all who believed. The King of Peace ignited a new citizenship, a new humanity, which allowed Him to govern within the hearts of each individual. Further, as a servant King, He prepared His Table each day with gifts to be found in each morsel and sip that He blessed.
 
The Bread of Life and the Wine of the Covenant, once presented to and then blessed by the High Priest in the heart fed the new humanity with a new kind of food. He took the sacrifice of the elements presented and blessed to become something else. The bread and the wine had, within it, the food to keep the spirit alive. They shared this holy meal from house to house. Here were no New Testament Bibles for 400 years. There was Jesus, King and High Priest, the Holy Spirit and the New Passover meal. The sacrifice was no longer the daily sacrifice of animals being killed and burned upon the altar of stone or poured out wine. Now the Temple activities had to do with the relationship of individuals with the King of life in the new reality of the eternal Kingdom. Jesus shared that the new prayer should be ‘Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth – as it is in heaven’. Our prayer should anticipate learning about the new eternal reality of Christ as Savior, Lord and King. The more attention we give to heaven the more it replaces the temporal reality we are so used to. Knowing Jesus and the leading of the Holy Spirit through Communion reveals the greater reality. It’s the exchange of the divine for the sublime, the super natural for the natural, the eternal for the temporal and life for death.
 
Then ‘Give us this day our day-to-day bread’ had to do with heaven’s groceries to feed our spirit, soul and body not peanut butter and jelly sandwiches that just feeds the body. It has the power to remind us of the depth of Christ’s sacrifice as both the victim and the High Priest to reassure us of His authority to forgive and power to protect. When we realize how much He forgave us that reality would now overflow from the believer as forgiveness for others. The new Passover meal also reassured each believer that the Holy Spirit would not lead us into the way of evil and death but into the way of righteousness and eternal life. We are fed on the eternal and shown the reality of Jesus smile, beauty, grace and presence by the action of the Holy Spirit, who is the Lord, at His Table every time we sit down with Him. Like the priests of Israel who were fed by the meat, bread and wine of the sacrifices we are now the priests of the new Temple. We feed on the bread of Jesus’ flesh and drink the wine of His blood. It is the food of heaven and has within it the power to reveal our new life one morsel and one sip at a time.
 
Eight Arks

“Pitch was used in the first two” representing the Blood. Noah and Moses Basket and then the Ark of the Covenant became the mercy seat for the Blood of The Lamb. From then on the Ark was of “Flesh and Blood”.  
 
The first Ark was (1) Noah’s Ark, then
The (2nd) Ark of Baby Moses. This was followed by
The (3rd) Ark of the Covenant designed by God. In the New Testament the Ark was ‘in the flesh’ until Jesus returns. The (4th) next Ark was Jesus Mother Mary. She gave birth to
The (5th) next Ark, the Word made flesh, Jesus. Then
The (6th) Ark became the people of the New Covenant who fed on Jesus as holy bread and wine blessed by Him – He calls His Flesh and Blood. When we dine at His Table we enter the glory and are transformed from glory to glory by virtue of what is given and revealed to us personally in the Body and the Blood. Then Jesus returns and
The (7th) is when Jesus sits upon His throne for a thousand years.  Finally... 
The (8th) New Jerusalem Ark, the Throne Room of the Lamb whose glory lights the entire city in the midst of a new heaven and new earth.

Twelve Tabernacles

The Temple, Throne Room, Tabernacle or Tent is where you found the dwelling place of God or the Ark His presence.  

The (1) first dwelling place was the Garden of Eden. It is where Adam and Eve walked in Communion with the Lord. This is always God’s intention. Disobedience by deception caused man to lose tht divine experience.

The (2) second Tabernacle was perhaps the Table of sacrifice outside of Eden nearest to the protected area of the Tree of Life where Abel, in the open air, brought the best Lambs of His flock as his offering to the Lord. He was also the first martyr for the Lord at the very hands of his brother.

The (3) third Tabernacles was where Melchizzadek presented the Bread and the Wine to Abraham at a Table in the wilderness. Melchizzadek was a priest of the most-high God and a King from (Jeru) Salem. After the worship Melchizzadek blessed Abraham and Abraham did war no more and gave a tenth of the spoils of war to Melchizzadek. This was the first Communion and the first tithe in Scripture.

The (4) fourth Tabernacle was also ‘open air’ Altar. Noah built an altar. He then sacrificed one of every kind of clean animal and bird as a burnt offering to the Lord and then the Lord made a Covenant Promise to never destroy every living thing ever again because He knew that man was hopeless without Him.
 
“Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. The LORD smelled the soothing aroma; and the LORD said to Himself, "I will never again curse the ground on account of man, for the intent of man's heart is evil from his youth; and I will never again destroy every living thing, as I have done.” Genesis 8:20-21
 
The (5) fifth Tabernacle was a tent called the Tabernacle of Meeting.  Exodus 31:7 on God’s blueprints: “The tent of meeting, and the ark of testimony, and the mercy seat upon it, and all the furniture of the tent”. This was the dwelling place of God to be always “in the midst” of His people. For 40 years this was the Tabernacle of God.

The (6) sixth Tabernacle was another tent. After entering the land of milk and honey God’s people cried out for a king like the other people had that they conquered. In the process they lost the Ark of the Covenant for 40 years!  
 
Then King David found the Ark in Kerjath-jearim (Means the Ark was lost in ‘the city of woods’). David had an 8 mile procession to return the Ark to Jerusalem where he put up a tent (like a big camping tent) on top of Mt. Zion. For the next 33 years the tribe of Levi lived on Mt. Zion worshiping the Lord 24/7. Most of the Psalms were composed at that time. They invented instruments of music and sang praises antiphonally. (This was about 1000 B.C. In 1000 A.D. St. Francis brought global revival through his ministry.) Both were times of enormous change among God’s people. In Acts 15, Jesus’ cousin (called brother) James, the 1st Bishop of Jerusalem prophesied that in the last days the Tabernacle of David would be restored! He was speaking about something like a second Pentecost, a revival like the world had never seen before. We are living in those days. There has been an unleashing of worship unlike anything since the days of David and the worship for 33 years on Mt. Zion. This worship is so infectious it is drawing people to the Lord because of its super-natural splendor.  
 
The (7) seventh Tabernacle was the building of Solomon’s Temple in the same mountains where Melchizzadek met with Abraham, Abraham offered up Isaac and the head of Goliath was buried and where Jesus would climb to Mt. Calvary and die on the Cross for our salvation. The Cross (Golgotha) was planted just above the head of Goliath. The super-natural victory of David was a symbol to the overthrow of Satan by Jesus. Solomon’s Temple was the glorious final resting place for the Ark of the Covenant and a symbol of the Millennial Temple to be constructed when Jesus returns. From the first building to the final rebuilding of this Tabernacle an entire nation would become the defined by this brick and mortar. Israel is still defined by this Tabernacle until their eyes are opened and they recognize Yehoshua. During his 108th year, before he went to be with the Lord this Rabbi met with Jesus, His Messiah on several occasions. The Rabbi has set the stage for the re-awakening of Israel to the Joy of their Salvation.
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(See http://roadturn.com/rabbi-kaduri-ariel-sharon-and-jesus-yeshua-2/ )
 
The (8) Eighth tabernacle was the body of the Virgin Mary. The Lord resided inside her sinless body for 9 months. Can you imagine? God chose the body of this woman as the first fleshly tabernacle for the ark of His presence. The Holy Virgin Mary is a model of faith to all believers. Residing in her womb was the Word becoming flesh. One can only imagine what this must have been like. There were probably daily visits from angels and all kinds of heavenly communion going on inside her. What was it like for God to be a baby? Did He manage all of creation from His Mother’s belly? What kind of activity took place for the 30 years of giving birth to the Son of Man and the Son of God and then raising Him? Mary hid all these things inside her Temple. Her Temple became the first human dwelling place of God and demonstrated to us that He could dwell inside a human body! Mary, by virtue of her Son becoming King also became Queen of heaven and the Mother of the Church. She who gave birth to the Son of God was thereby giving birth to the new humanity. Jesus was the first born of many brethren. We do not worship Mary but we do not pass her by either. She was the chosen vessel among all women every born on this planet to become the earthly place of conception for God to become man.
 
“The Angel Gabriel entered her presence, and he said to her, “Peace to you, full of grace, our Lord is with you; you are blessed among women.” Luke 1:28
 
“Hail Mary full of grace! Blessed is the fruit of your womb!” Mary would from that moment on become the most important person outside of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, One God. It’s high time the non-Catholic population of the Kingdom show dignity, respect and adoration to the Holy Mary Mother of God. The time has come for all Christians everywhere to embrace all who are embraced by her and who embrace her as their intercessory prayer partner. Mary, the Mother of God and the Church in every aspect of her humble and holy life does nothing else but to point all individuals as a loving Mother to her Son Jesus. Some she will embrace first as any mother would and through her care and love reflect the love and care of God. She is more beautiful than any brick and mortar. As a Tabernacle for the Lord God Almighty she is truly the Queen of heaven.  I hope each reader will bow their head in humility and love to whisper their love to her for bringing their Savior into the world.
 
The (9) ninth Tabernacle is Jesus! When the heavens came to worship the newborn babe the stars selected one to be the spotlight on Bethlehem and guide for those traveling locally and from great distances. The star was also a great light and witness as a miraculous sign even to royalty. The myriads of Angels came to sing for him, the animals came and bowed their heads in worship of the newborn King! The Tabernacle of Mary gave birth to the Tabernacle where the Holy Spirit lived. The presence of God is with men. Jesus body was to be given so that He might find residence in the hearts and lives of all who would believe that He is who He said He was.
 
In John 13-17 Jesus speaks clearly about leaving so that He can send the Holy Spirit. In chapters 14-16 He mentions the Holy Spirit 5 times and explains why this is necessary.
 
“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14  
 
“Made his dwelling” (Greek) skēnóō – properly, to pitch or live in a tent, "denoting much more than the mere general notion of dwelling" (M. Vincent). For the Christian, (skēnóō) is dwelling in intimate communion with the resurrected Christ – even as He who Himself lived in unbroken communion with the Father during the days of His flesh (John 1:14).
 
God tented in the skin of a man to reveal the reality of eternal life. He gave over that tent to be destroyed by men so that He could take up residence by his Spirit in all who believe. He continues to offer His flesh and blood as the meal He provides so that we might feed our spirit with the Heavenly bread. Like the manna it is a daily event of miraculous proportions.
 
The (10) tenth Tabernacle is the Church, the Body of Christ. Individually our body is where the glory of God is to be found. On Pentecost the Church was born. Each individual was given the capacity to sit at the Table of the Lord by the action of the Holy Spirit. It is the Flesh and Blood of Jesus in the form of bread and wine that gives us His life. It is no longer I that lives but Christ who lives in me! This is the Apostle’s Doctrine. Then wherever two or more are gathered in His name He is in the midst! Jesus in us and Jesus among us. Our lives are hid with Christ in God. Communion with Jesus is the basis of Communion with one another. Jesus prayer in John 17 is being answered even as I write. Our dialog is in heaven. The leader of the conversation is the Lord of lords and King of kings. Jesus ever intercedes for this to come about, as does Mary and all of heaven’s residents. The prayer is that we become one as the Father, Son and Spirit are one. He is the only one who can accomplish this and the way He does it is taken up in the next 3:16!   
 
The (11) eleventh is the Tabernacle of the Millennial Temple built for the throne of Jesus during the 1,000 years upon His return to earth.

​The final (12) twelfth Tabernacle is the New Jerusalem. 1500 miles by 1500 miles by 1500 miles in the midst of a new heaven and on a new earth. ​