When the Ark of the Covenant was put in the new Temple of Solomon there was nothing in it but the Ten Commandments. The memorial jar of manna and Aaron's rod that budded had been removed.

The memorial jar of manna represents the daily grace given to us so we learn to lean on the Lord for all things. The manna will cease when we "enter the land," that is, when we come to the fullness of God.

Aaron's rod that budded refers to two related verities: (1) the royal priesthood comprises chosen people; and (2) the Life of God comes from that which has died. These two aspects will have been fulfilled when the new Jerusalem comes to the earth.

But the Law, the Ten Commandments, endures forever. We are not saying the Law of Moses endures forever for God plainly stated He would make a new covenant with the House of Israel. Rather it is the eternal law of God, that of which the Ten Commandments are an abridged, negative, covenantal edition, that will endure forever.

Of the seven furnishings of the Tabernacle of the Congregation, only the Ark kept its carrying poles intact when the Tabernacle came to rest.

God is telling us something here. All of God's work has as its purpose our being made in the moral image of Christ and our being brought into untroubled rest in the Father. Whenever Christian teaching does not point toward moral reformation it is not serving God's purpose.

The Christian teaching of today emphasizes the grace of forgiveness (as though that were the only aspect of God's grace) as being the principal aspect of the new covenant. It is not. The principal aspect of the new covenant is the writing of the law of God in the mind and heart of the believer.

God wants righteous behavior! God wants His people to keep His commandments. We are not doing this. We have substituted a false doctrine of a perpetual unconditional amnesty in place of the commandments found in the New Testament.

We do not love Christ. If we loved Christ we would be keeping His commandments.

We are teaching error. The result is Christian churches throughout the world that are spiritually dead. In place of the New Testament emphasis on moral transformation there is an unceasing, unscriptural emphasis on being caught up to Heaven to live in a mansion.

We are in apostasy because our doctrine is not biblical. We have been grievously deceived.

Perhaps it's not too late in America. If the Christian ministry will cease emphasizing the catching up of untransformed believers and begin to teach the commandments of Christ and His Apostles the people may humble themselves and turn away from their sins. In this case God will heal our land.

But if lawless grace (antinomianism) and the catching up (can you imagine the Apostle Paul saying if by any means I may attain the catching up?) along with prosperity, magical faith, and uncontrollable laughter continue to be emphasized throughout the nineties, then we are facing a holocaust worse than that experienced by the Jews.

If one preacher turns away from the present-day myths and begins to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom our geriatric efforts will have been worth it.

Lord, help us all!