Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 29:42-44

42 This shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord: where I will meet you, to speak there unto thee.

43 And there I will meet with the children of Israel, and the tabernacle shall be sanctified by my glory.

44 And I will sanctify the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar: I will sanctify also both Aaron and his sons, to minister to me in the priest’s office.

The Israelites would make a continual offering to the Lord, morning and night, and now God promises that He will respond by coming to the doorway and speaking to them directly. He states that He “will meet with the children of Israel,” and that His glory will sanctify the tabernacle, the altar, and the priests.

This is the overlap of two worlds, a special place where man and God would be in the same place at the same time. These are precious portals between heaven and earth, very rare and only ever attained by the condescension of God Almighty. We may have our spiritual experiences, but they are generally invisible and immeasurable, occurring only on a spiritual plane that resides within us. What makes these world-overlapping moments so special is that they are times where the things of Heaven are physically and tangibly perceptible by the denizens of the Earth.

Records of such special worlds-overlapping moments including Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, Moses at the burning bush, and the voice of God at Jesus’s baptism. Of course, the greatest of all the world-overlapping events was the entire life of the Lord, Jesus Christ.

As I said, these moments are very rare, and I think it is fair to say that most people live their entire lives without experiencing this sort of occasion even once. It may well be that there will not be any such large overlapping moment until the second coming. Suffice it to say, if ever such a moment does occur in your life, be sure that you attend to it!

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Genesis 2:21-24

21 And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;

22 And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.

23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.

24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

Verse 24 is curious, no matter how you read it. Is it a continuation of Adam’s speech upon seeing Eve, or is it an insert by Moses? Because if it is the former, then it is very interesting that Adam already understood the concept of a “father and mother,” giving that he and Eve were to become the first ones. If it is the latter, though, it is a fascinating bit of foreshadowing by Moses.

Because as that verse states, man shall indeed leave father and mother to remain with the woman. Adam will soon make a choice between taking the fruit that Eve offers him, or else remaining alone in the garden with his heavenly parentage. And he is going to choose the woman, the one who is a part of him, the one that is “bone of his bones, and flesh of his flesh.”

And the language of verse 24 seems to be approving this decision. It seems to suggest that this is a right and natural thing for Adam to do. Condescending from his cozy paradise to remain a partner with his soulmate, to face even death together, this is a beautiful concept. The classic marriage vow today echoes this sentiment with its pledges of “for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health.” In fact, Adam’s choice is itself foreshadowing another individual: the Savior that will leave heavenly parentage to also be a partner to the fallen.