A foretaste of the gospel

The season of goodwill has come just at the right time.

Appreciating the rich symbolism of Old Covenant metaphors and their fulfilment in Jesus – and in us.

At Christmas time especially, we all have an enhanced appreciation of light and its capacity to decorate and illuminate, brightening up the gloom. As our Editor-in-Chief expands on elsewhere in this final 2018 issue of Prophecy Today UK, the scriptures emphasise that God is light, and in that light we find life (1 John 1:5; John 1:4).

That we might learn this lesson, the Lord has written it into the DNA of Creation. Life on this planet is completely dependent upon light: for energy, warmth and food. It is from light that Earth gets its vibrant colours, its daily and seasonal rhythms and its water cycle. Since the dawn of civilisation, light has been central to human culture and communication, giving comfort, guidance and security – whether warming fires or the gentle glow of evening lamps.

Put simply, in light is our life: and this physical and social lesson points us towards a greater spiritual reality.

The Bible reminds us that the world’s physical light originated in the spoken, creative word of God. The immortal words of Genesis 1: “Let there be light!” spoke light into darkness and life into a lifeless void. Revelation reminds us that at the end of history, physical light sources will be replaced by God himself (Rev 21:23, 22:5). Intentionally, the Bible is book-ended with references to God as the eternal and true source of Light.

In light is our life: and this physical and social lesson points us towards a greater spiritual reality.

But not just the Light – God is our light, personally as well as universally. We see this most clearly in Exodus, where God’s presence leads the Children of Israel through the wilderness towards the Promised Land, appearing as a pillar of fire by night “to give them light on the way they were to take” (Neh 9:12).

It is here that we learn that God desires to lead his children in the way they should go, illuminating their path. This idea was built into the communal life and worship of Israel through the rich symbolism of the menorah. Though this is celebrated most prominently at Hanukkah, it is worth meditating on again as we approach Christmas and celebrate the coming of Messiah, the True Light, into the world.

The emblem of the State of Israel.God with Us

The distinctive seven-branched candleholder is apparently the oldest continuously used religious symbol in the Western world (perhaps the entire world) and serves as the main symbol on the official emblem of the State of Israel, referencing the miraculous endurance of the Jewish people. Scripturally, it first appears in Exodus 25, where God instructs Moses on how to make this elaborate lamp to light the Tabernacle, the community’s place of worship and meeting with God.

Shining continuously in the centre of the Israelite encampment, the menorah signified the presence of God dwelling in the midst of his people. It was David who later sang: “You are my lamp, O Lord, the Lord shall enlighten my darkness” (2 Sam 22:29).

Known in rabbinic culture as the ‘light of the world’, the menorah was a constant reminder to Israel of their God-given mandate to display his glory, truth and faithfulness to the nations. And it was close to the menorah in the Temple courts in Jerusalem that the Son of God later dared to declare “I am the light of the world. He who follows me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life” (John 8:12).

Beautiful Detail

But there is more meaning within God’s instructions for the menorah that often gets missed. Made of pure gold and all of one piece despite its ornate details, the menorah speaks of God’s majesty, purity and his all-sufficiency. We have no need to attach anything to the Lord; he is more than enough.

Beaten and hammered into shape, the menorah speaks of God the Son: sinless and pure, but afflicted and stricken – made perfect through suffering (Heb 2:10). Similarly, the menorah’s light was fuelled by pure olive oil, the crushed fruit of the ‘eternal’ olive tree, just as Jesus was “crushed for our iniquities” (Isa 53:5). The oil also speaks of his anointing as our King and Great High Priest.

Shining continuously in the centre of the Israelite encampment, the menorah signified the presence of God dwelling in the midst of his people.

The unique, distinctive shape of the menorah - three branches on one side, three on the other and one in the middle – is also full of meaning. The six branches, biblically the number of fallenness, symbolise imperfect humanity while the seventh represents Yeshua, dwelling in our midst, making us perfect. The six branches are traditionally dependent on the central candle, the shamash or ‘servant’, from which the others are lit, just as Yeshua, the Servant of Isaiah 42, humbled himself to become “a light to the Gentiles”.

So, hidden in the branches of the menorah is a picture of our Servant King, and a picture of us, his people, together living in the pattern of our Master: children of the light (Eph 5:8). This new community of faith shines forth light in the darkness, as God always intended. Indeed, some see in the menorah a picture of the olive tree of Romans 11, in which Jew and Gentile are joined together in Yeshua, or the vine of John 15, symbolising Yeshua as the source of life and love for all believers.

The menorah is quite obviously shaped like a tree – which in Scripture connotes both life and wisdom (e.g. Prov 3:18). The ornate almond blossoms are reminders of our authority as a priesthood of believers, just as Aaron’s staff budded with almond blossoms to symbolise God’s approval for the Levitical priesthood. Some see the buds and blossoms on the menorah as a symbol of believers being the ‘first fruits’ of a greater harvest to come, since almond trees blossom early, heralding the spring.

In the menorah we also see a tree that is continuously ablaze but not consumed: a vivid reminder of the burning bush where God met Moses so powerfully, as well as the Day of Pentecost when tongues of fire appeared over the heads of the disciples. We are reminded that as living sacrifices, God desires to indwell us with his glory - not consuming us but shining out through our lives to the rest of the world. We are also reminded of the need to be filled continuously with the oil of the Holy Spirit, that we might be prepared for his return (Matt 25).

Children of Light

The menorah is a beautiful Old Covenant picture of God dwelling with/in man and man dwelling in/with God: a picture fulfilled in Jesus’ first coming and also in us, “sons of light and sons of the day” (1 Thess 5:5). “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness’, made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God's glory displayed in the face of Christ” (2 Cor 4:6).

As we receive the light and life of Yeshua within our souls and become part of his Living Menorah, so we ought naturally to shine in the midst of a dark world, radiating his light to the lost. Just like the nation of Israel was and is called to be a light to all other nations, so we are called to “let our light shine before men, so they will see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matt 5:14-16).

The menorah is a beautiful Old Covenant picture of God dwelling with/in man and man dwelling in/with God: a picture fulfilled in Jesus’ first coming and also in us.

Christmas affords us all opportunity in this respect, that through us others might be drawn to “the true Light which gives light to every man” (John 1:9).

What an incredible gift: that our God, who “dwells in unapproachable light” (1 Tim 6:16), laid aside his garments of light (Ps 104:2) and took on human flesh, that we might become “children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as stars in the universe, holding fast the word of life” (Phil 2:15-16). Glory! This is what Christmas should celebrate – and it is what the world desperately needs.

Our Resources Editor Paul Luckraft pays his own visit to the Tabernacle Christian Centre, near Grenfell Tower.

When my friend Sally Richardson told me of her visit to the Tabernacle Christian Centre in the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire, I decided to follow this up with a visit of my own and spend some time talking with Pastor Derrick Wilson. Here is what I learnt.

The setting for the interview was the strangest I had ever encountered. The main church and all the other smaller rooms were full to overflowing with racks of new clothes, boxes of household goods, mattresses and many other items. Where to sit was the first problem! Eventually we squeezed into a tiny space in a corner of the crowded main room, set up a couple of folding chairs and began to talk. Meanwhile, volunteers continued to work around us, organising the items and talking to anyone else who came in.

Derrick has been a pastor for 24 years, and has led the Tabernacle Christian Centre since 2005. Before then he was engaged in similar work, including being a street preacher, totalling 30 years in ministry overall. His wife Paulette has been an integral part of this, including being Principal of the Tabernacle School, which is a Christian school nearby.

He admitted that at times it has been a difficult role to sustain, with many challenges and hardships, both financially and in terms of opposition. But Derrick is a man that rises to a challenge, and with God’s help he has already overcome many obstacles. Another challenge has now come, but God has been preparing his man.

Looking Outwards

Recently God had been speaking to Derrick about a new move which would impact the church and the community. Derrick is a prophetic pastor with a clear teaching ministry. The Gospel and the Cross are central to all he proclaims.

God had been speaking to Derrick about a new move to impact the church and community.

He also encompasses an evangelistic and missionary focus. But he admitted to having been frustrated. The small congregation he leads were not always responsive. How could this change? How might they become more community-focussed, more mission-orientated? For a while, Derrick had sensed that God was saying he would be bringing people to them, from all directions. Did this make sense?

People from All Directions

Pastor Derrick Wilson. © Prophecy Today UK

On the Tuesday evening before the fire broke out (in the early hours of Wednesday 14 June), Derrick had led their usual Bible study from the Letter to the Hebrews. At the end they took up an offering and Derrick began to pray. As he did so, he felt a word from God, along similar lines to before but more specific: “As from tonight there will be a spiritual shift over this church. You will see people come here from north, east, south and west, to do the job you should be doing.”

It felt like a rebuke. Was it of the flesh, Derrick wondered? It seemed to be a warning, but what did this mean? Who were these others that would suddenly come from all directions?

A few hours later, the phones started ringing. Immediately it was clear a major incident was happening less than half a mile away. Was this what God had spoken about? The doors of the Tabernacle were immediately opened. Derrick and his wife began to search the streets. Messages flooded in from friends and relatives. Then, from nowhere, people started arriving - some local, others total strangers.

Over the next few hours and into the next few days, they continued to arrive at the Tabernacle. Many brought items or gifts; others came to offer help. Volunteers simply appeared - literally from all points of the compass - and some from far away, in one case Bristol. Once they arrived, they stayed. Some even slept in the side rooms of the church.

Within hours the church was at the heart of a mercy mission. No-one had organised this; even today Derrick does not understand how it happened. Why his church? But God had honoured his word, and Derrick’s heart for the community and obedience to preaching the true Gospel. Although other churches nearby also became similar centres, clearly God was doing something special at the Tabernacle.

God honoured his word, and Derrick’s heart for the community and obedience to preaching the true Gospel.

A Message in the Midst of Tragedy

Many of the volunteers who came were not Christians, but they seemed to know where to come. They simply arrived; God had guided them there. And once there, they found a peace and joy in what they were doing. A sense of God’s presence and blessing surrounded them and began to change them.

The Muslim community has suffered immensely by this tragedy, and been greatly affected by it in so many ways. But they are also being significantly impacted by what God is doing at the Tabernacle. They come to receive physical goods but find they are offered so much more. They are told ‘we as a church are praying for you’, and they are so grateful. They have been shaken so much that they are responding to what the Christians are offering. In their suffering many questions remain, but at the Tabernacle they are at least finding some answers.

In the midst of tragedy, a message is getting across - the message of the cross. At the front of this crowded room full of gifts is a large wooden cross, with a crown of thorns. It stands there strong, stating clearly ‘this is what you need’. Meanwhile, with their building crammed full of clothes and other items, the church congregation has been worshipping on the streets, and is being asked what this singing means!

Just the Beginning

As has been frequently reported, the initial response from the Council was chaotic or non-existent. But God knew what needed to be done, and how to do it. He stepped in and told the Tabernacle Christian Centre they were to be at the heart of this. Derrick had prayed that somehow the Tabernacle would become a significant part of the community and now it is happening.

God knew what needed to be done, and how to do it.

© Prophecy Today UKHe had faithfully preached a Gospel of holiness and righteousness, love and service - not always a popular message, but God has honoured him for this and put the Tabernacle firmly on the map. He has woken them up and there is a sense that this is just the beginning. A harvest of souls is fully expected.

My visit was informative and emotional, amazing and at times shocking. But soon after meeting Derrick my impression was that it was a privilege for them to be so used by God at this time. This is a deeply significant event that will stay with us all for a long time, certainly for as long as the blackened shell of the tower block stands there for all to see, and no doubt the pictures and videos of it will remain for much longer.

My own first glimpse of it was unusual. As I walked from the tube station towards the Tabernacle I had no sense that I was in its vicinity. Where was it? Had I come to the right area? Suddenly it appeared from behind a similar tower block which had been blocking it from my sight. ‘Here I am’, it seemed to be saying, you will not be able to ‘block’ me out for years and years.

After meeting Derrick, he walked me back a different way, past the memorial walls and pictures, past those still standing there and wondering - past the places where the horrific events of that night had taken place.

God has honoured Derrick for his faithfulness and put the Tabernacle firmly on the map.

In such cases it is always right to ask what God is saying, what he is doing, both among the church and the community, even the nation (as Clifford Hill does in this week’s editorial). Grenfell is part of a pattern of events that is shaking our nation, our political system and social structures. Yet that shaking is aimed at producing a greater harvest, for the Kingdom that cannot be shaken. The Tabernacle Christian Centre is an example of how God works his purpose out among those who are prepared to listen and serve.

Even in the ashes, the Lord is at work.

We are delighted to feature a testimony this week from the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire. Sally Richardson, who co-ordinates London’s Israel and Prophecy Group, visited the area with a friend to pray; they were taken by surprise there as they discovered wonderful stories of God at work.

My visit to pray in the area near Grenfell Tower

Sally Richardson (Israel and Prophecy Group, London)

Dear friends,

After having attended the excellent Intercessors For Britain Prayer and Bible Day in Central London yesterday (Saturday 17 June), where prayer was made for the aftermath of the terrible tragedy of the Grenfell Tower fire and the victims and their loved ones, my friend Ralph Brockman and I went to the area of the tower to pray there in person.

We walked there from White City station, near my home on the nearby White City Estate. From North Pole Road, we walked down Latimer Road towards the Westway flyover, and the Tower. We could see its blackened hulk coming nearer and nearer as we walked towards it.

Halfway down the road, we saw a church, the Tabernacle Christian Centre, where we could see people gathered inside and out. Ralph and I went over to them, and asked them if we could go into the church and pray for the victims of the fire.

We were welcomed with open arms and hugs and warmly invited in, where we were told we could pray wherever we wanted. We found two chairs near an open door, and prayed for the victims and for the aftermath of the fire.

The church itself was small and simple, with a large wooden cross centrally displayed, and nearby, a table with a menorah on it. We both really felt the presence of the Lord in this precious little church.

We both really felt the presence of the Lord in this precious little church.

After we had finished praying, members of the church, including the Pastor, Pastor Derrick, came to talk with us. They again thanked us for coming, and told us how they had opened the church at 2am on the night of the fire, and that people had almost immediately began to come in for refuge and shelter. Soon after that, donations of food and clothing, blankets, items of furniture, etc. began to arrive, so much so that the whole church, the rooms off it, the yard at the front and the garden, were full of donations. People had come from all over the country to give, and some had been divinely directed there; arriving in the area, and not knowing where to go, the Lord had then spoken to them and said, "Go to Tabernacle Christian Centre!". So they had done just that.

Pastor Derrick also told us that, on the Tuesday evening as they were praying and having their Bible study, the Lord broke in and gave a word, which was that they must be prepared, as the Lord was going to bring many people to the church. The fire broke out a few hours later; how this Word has been fulfilled, and still is being!

The church has seen a steady flow of victims and survivors of the fire, most very traumatised and in a state of shock. They have come alongside each one in love and compassion, giving them food, water, goods and money, and offering a listening ear and prayer, which some have accepted - including Muslims. We are praying that some of the victims will return to attend the services there and turn to the Lord and be saved; may He be their solace.

As we were speaking, Pastor Derrick pointed to the large wooden cross, so centrally displayed, and said, "The cross is central here; we preach Christ crucified." This is a church which really lives out the Gospel; they practice what they preach.

They also love Israel and the Jewish people and pray regularly for them, as Pastor Derrick told us when we asked him about the menorah. He also told us that their oldest member is a dear Welsh lady 100 years old, who is still very active in the service of the Lord.

Hours before the fire, the Lord warned the church that they were to prepare, for he was about to bring many people.

Family members of those still missing have also come to the church, asking for help in finding their loved ones, and leaving pictures of them on trees and lamp-posts all over the area, including at the church, asking if anyone has seen them and to contact them if so. Some of them also asked for prayer.

Later, as Ralph and I walked round the area, we saw the pictures of the missing, from the the young, including small children, to the elderly, whom, in all probability, have perished in the inferno. We prayed that they had cried out to the Lord as the flames consumed them. It was truly heart-wrenching seeing these pictures, and the tears were never far away.

We finished by going underneath the Westway flyover to a grassy knoll overlooking the tower to pray. As we began, we could see firemen on the roof, obviously conducting part of their investigation. We brought all the members of the emergency services who will be investigating the causes of the fire before the Lord; they will be undoubtedly be seeing some terrible sights in the next few days and weeks.

We can thank God for all the local churches that have opened their doors, day and night, to the victims of the tragedy. They have provided a listening ear, comfort both spiritual and practical, and have fed, clothed, and watered all those who have come to them; what a contrast to the local Council and TMO, whom, according to the victims, have done absolutely nothing and were seemingly deaf to their oft-expressed concerns as to the safety of Grenfell Tower. In the rich borough of Kensington and Chelsea, it seems that North Kensington, where the tower is situated, is very much the poor relative whom everyone ignores.

I also want to mention another church in the area, which I visited for a meeting a few weeks before the tragedy, and which has also been open 24/7 to victims, family members and friends of those missing and which has given continuously and unstintingly. That church is Latimer Christian Centre.

We thank God for the local churches that have opened their doors to the victims of the tragedy, providing a listening ear and both spiritual and practical comfort to all who have come to them.

We also prayed that people's very understandable anger at the lack of response and action by Kensington and Chelsea council, and the TMO, which is real and palpable, would not turn to rioting and civil disobedience such as we saw in Tottenham and other areas following the shooting of Mark Duggan nearly six years ago in 2011. "Lord, contain their anger", we prayed.
I am reminded of the words of the Oxford martyr Latimer, whom, as they burned at the stake, turned to his fellow martyr Ridley, and said, "Play the man, Master Ridley; we shall this day light such a candle, by God's grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out."

Grenfell Tower has burned, but let us pray that a candle will burn in North Kensington that will NEVER be put out.

May the surviving victims of the tower tragedy find Him to be THEIR tower of refuge and strength (Proverbs 18:10).

In Him,

Sally Richardson
18/06/17

In our series on the Jewish High Holy Days, Helen Belton examines Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.