Rafiki Prophecy 06 - Above, Among, Within

WEEK OF PROPHECY: RAFIKI SDA CHURCH
LESSON #6 – THE HIGH PRIEST ABOVE, AMONG, WITHIN
Lev 16 – flow of activities:

1. The high priest offers a sacrifice for himself to be cleansed,
2. The high priest picks two goats [kids] from the congregation,
3. One kid is rendered for the Lord, and by contrast, the other for the devil,
4. The Lord's goat is sacrificed for sin,
5. The people are cleansed, plus the HOLY place [a contradiction: why does a holy place need cleansing?]
Questions to ponder:
1. Why is the sanctuary the one being cleansed?
2. Does this apply to the heavenly sanctuary as well? If yes, how?
3. When did this cleansing in the reality happen?
4. What is the practical significance of understanding this doctrine?
All these point forward to Christ. He is the High Priest but who needs no cleansing or sacrifice for He never
sinned (good thing, coz if He was to fall even once, we would all be doomed to hell forever). He is also the
sacrifice that pays for our sins. And finally, He is the High Priest that mediates on our behalf for the cleansing
of the people, and of the sanctuary. Let's read Lev. 16:16 again.
"he shall make an atonement *for the holy place,* because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because
of their transgressions in all their sins: and *so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation,*...
04/08/2021, 21:00 - Why does the sanctuary need cleansing?
KJV Revelation 11:1
1 And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, *Rise, and measure the temple of
God,* and the altar, *and them that worship therein.*
What temple is this? By the time Revelation is written (96 AD) the temple in Jerusalem was already destroyed.
We have seen from our study in Hebrews that we have a temple in heaven though. That is most likely that
temple.
KJV Revelation 11:19
19 And *the temple of God was opened in heaven,* and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament:
and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.
But if this temple is in heaven, who are the people worshipping therein?
04/08/2021, 21:05 - At least we know Jesus dwells in heaven.
Let's read another verse from John on our relationship with Jesus.
04/08/2021, 21:06 - KJV John 15:4
4 *Abide in me, and I in you.* As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can
ye, except ye abide in me.
Wait, Christ is asking us to abide in Him, yet He is in heaven and we are on earth. How do we abide in Him?
04/08/2021, 21:06 - Let's hear from Paul.
04/08/2021, 21:08 - KJV Ephesians 2:5-6
5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath *quickened [or resurrected] us together* with Christ, (by grace ye are
saved;)
6 And hath *raised us [or caused to ascend] up together,* and *made us sit together* in heavenly places in Christ
Jesus:
Question to us, is this in the past or in the future tense? Watu wa English.
04/08/2021, 21:11 - Paul says we are seated with Christ in heaven *already!* Guys, we are not here on earth, we
are there!
But that doesn't make sense, right? We certainly are still logged into an earthly WhatsApp using earthly
Safaricom bundles, so what does this mean?
Paul explains himself.
KJV Colossians 3:1-3
1 If ye then be risen with Christ, *seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth* [and we've seen that
we sit with Him there] on the right hand of God.
2 *Set your affection [other versions: mind] on things above,* not on things on the earth.
3 *For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.*
How do we dwell in heaven with Jesus? By faith. By believing and trusting in Him. By dying to self and living
*in Him* who is seated *in heaven.*
That's important to underpin. We are worshiping in the temple in heaven above with Jesus because He is there
and we are in Him.
04/08/2021, 21:14 - Let's now see.
We have seen that the sanctuary on earth is being cleansed. Can I safely assume that the fact that it is being
cleansed is because it has been dirtied (or, as some will say, dirtified)?
04/08/2021, 21:16 - Nice. But only pure priests used to access it, and right after they have atoned for their sins!
What would dirty it?
KJV Leviticus 20:1-3
1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
2 Again, thou shalt say to the children of Israel, Whosoever he be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that
sojourn in Israel, that giveth any of his seed unto Molech; he shall surely be put to death: the people of the land
shall stone him with stones.
3 And I will set my face against that man, and will cut him off from among his people; because he hath given of
his seed unto Molech, *to defile my sanctuary, and to profane my holy name.*
Do you see what Jesus is saying? When Israelites went and offered *their own children* to Molech, what was
being dirtied/defiled?
The sanctuary of God.
04/08/2021, 21:19 - KJV Ezekiel 5:11
11 Wherefore, as I live, saith the Lord GOD; Surely, because *thou hast defiled my sanctuary with all thy
detestable things, and with all thine abominations,* therefore will I also diminish thee; neither shall mine eye
spare, neither will I have any pity.
04/08/2021, 21:19 - You can also read Numbers 19:13, 20.
04/08/2021, 21:23 - KJV Numbers 19:13, 20

13 Whosoever toucheth the dead body of any man that is dead, and purifieth not himself, *defileth the tabernacle
of the LORD;* and that soul shall be cut off from Israel: because the water of separation was not sprinkled upon
him, he shall be unclean; his uncleanness is yet upon him.
20 But the man that shall be unclean, and shall not purify himself, that soul shall be cut off from among the
congregation, *because he hath defiled the sanctuary of the LORD:* the water of separation hath not been
sprinkled upon him; he is unclean.
04/08/2021, 21:21 - The point here is this:
Every time we sin, we desecrate the sanctuary of God and defile His name. Why? Because we are there by faith,
and His name is in us by faith. That's why, the 3rd commandment, do not take the name of God in vain, is not
simply do not curse, but even more strictly, it is that do not carry the name of God around as His child while not
living up to its profession. By people saying, "Anafanya hivo na yeye ni Mkristo", you have taken His name in
vain and defiled His reputation.
04/08/2021, 21:26 - The point is, when the children of God sinned, because their records were in God's temple,
then His temple was defiled by our sins. He keeps a book of remembrance (Mal. 3:16; Psa. 56:8; 69:28), and we
defile it by our records of iniquities. It is these books that are opened when the judgement is set in Daniel 7.
04/08/2021, 21:26 - Remember Daniel 7 coz that's where we are going next.
04/08/2021, 21:26 - Now, what was the remedy for the desecrated sanctuary? We've seen. A cleansing.
04/08/2021, 21:29 - KJV Leviticus 16:16, 18, 30
16 And *he shall make an atonement for the holy place,* because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and
because of their transgressions in all their sins: and *so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation,* that
remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness.
18 And *he shall go out unto the altar* that is before the LORD, and *make an atonement for it;* and shall take
of the blood of the bullock, and of the blood of the goat, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about.
30 For on that day shall *the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all
your sins before the LORD.*
Notice, at no point does the priest make an atonement for the people, yet by cleansing the sanctuary, the people
are clean.
04/08/2021, 21:32 - Let me summarize what we have studied so far. Maybe the summary will give purpose to
the study.
1. God has always desired for us to be cleansed from sin. That is the plan of salvation.
2. This has been His plan both in the Old and the New Testaments.
3. In the Old Testament, God gave two key items around which Judaism found its definition: the law and
the sanctuary service.
4. The law revealed what God expected us to be, and become. But by sin we were not.
5. The sanctuary revealed what God was planning to do about sin.
6. The cleansing process involved a daily sacrifice of an animal and an annual service called atonement.
7. The animals killed represented Jesus, as our ultimate sacrifice.
8. The High Priest also represented Jesus, but now as our intercessor and mediator.
9. Jesus was first the sacrifice then the High Priest. He offered Himself first, then by His blood atones for
our sins.
10. This He does in a heavenly sanctuary.
04/08/2021, 21:40 - Now the big conundrum is this.
He cleanses us by cleansing the sanctuary. The sanctuary we now have (from our study of Hebrews) is a
heavenly sanctuary. Why is the sanctuary being cleansed? Or what does the cleansing entail? That's what I'm
hoping to make clear.
04/08/2021, 21:41 - The cleansing is the work of intercession by Christ. This work is presented in Daniel 7 as the
work of an Advocate defending His Church. It is presented in Daniel 8 as the work of a High Priest cleansing
the sanctuary.
04/08/2021, 21:43 - This is the reason Malachi says,
KJV Malachi 3:1-5
1 Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and *the Lord, whom ye seek, shall
suddenly come to his temple,* even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come,
saith the LORD of hosts.
2 But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for *he is like a refiner's
fire, and like fullers' soap:*
3 And *he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver:* and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as
gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.
4 *Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the LORD,* as in the days of old, and as in
former years.
5 And *I will come near to you to judgment;* and *I will be a swift witness against* the sorcerers, and against
the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow,
and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts.
04/08/2021, 21:46 - Notice how He combines the two tasks. He comes to His temple to do two things: to purify
(work of a High Priest), and to witness against (work of an Advocate). To the righteous He is a purifier. To the
wicked, He is a judge.
We saw in Daniel 7 that once the antichrist has persecuted the people of God, Jesus stands as Advocate for His
people against their persecutors.
However, at the same time, He is standing as a High Priest to cleanse His people. But what about the persecutors?
What is the consequence of His High Priest ministry to those who will reject Him?
04/08/2021, 21:47 - I hope the purpose of the study of Daniel 7 and 8 is a bit clearer by that summary.
04/08/2021, 21:47 - Coz I think that's a good place to pause.
04/08/2021, 21:50 - The only bit remaining in the sanctuary is to show why the devil hated the sanctuary service.
Coz it shows that ultimately, all the sins of the righteous will go back to him. He started a game of blame in the
garden of Eden, but the game of blame must go full circle until he takes all of it.
By that we will have shown that, though the problem of sin was initiated by the devil, before we are fully united
with God, it must go full circle till it returns to the devil himself. Then God will safely take the faithful ones to
heaven knowing there is no more sin.
04/08/2021, 21:52 - Mpaka mahali tumefika, late me trace the flow of sin:
The Israelite sins. The sin is in him.
He comes with a sacrifice and confesses his sins upon it. The sin goes to the sacrifice.
He kills the sacrifice himself and the priest takes the blood into the sanctuary. The sin is in the sanctuary.
Similarly, we all have sinned and our sins remain in us.
But when we go before we God in repentance, we transfer our sins to Christ who was made sin for us.
By pleading His blood in heaven, our sins are transferred to the heavenly sanctuary (or heavenly records).
When God cleanses the sanctuary, where does the sin go to? Or does it stay there forever?
01/09/2021, 21:06 - The only bit remaining in the sanctuary is to show why the devil hated the sanctuary service.
Coz it shows that ultimately, all the sins of the righteous will go back to him. He started a game of blame in the
garden of Eden, but the game of blame must go full circle until he takes all of it.
By that we will have shown that, though the problem of sin was initiated by the devil, before we are fully united
with God, it must go full circle till it returns to the devil himself. Then God will safely take the faithful ones to
heaven knowing there is no more sin.
01/09/2021, 21:06 - So, the high priest has interceded for the sanctuary, and by extension, for every sin that has
gone into the sanctuary.
01/09/2021, 21:06 - Let me back up a bit coz there is an important point here. What sins are interceded for? Sins
in the sanctuary. How do sins get there? By confessing on the head of the lamb. How does John explain this? *IF
you confess* your sins, Christ is faithful and just to *forgive* (1 John 1:9). Only confessed sins are forgiven. Lev.
4:27-28 will talk of an offering for sins committed in ignorance *once they come to knowledge*. In Acts 17:30
Paul will say that God overlooked our sins of ignorance but once you *come to knowledge* He expects
repentance. James 4:17 will say that anyone who *knows* he ought to do good, and does it not, sins.
01/09/2021, 21:06 - Basically, there's nothing like forgiveness for sins of ignorance. It is not needed. The blood
of Jesus covers that. However, *willful* ignorance is not excused. Achan was willfully ignorant when he touched
the ark to stop it from falling. And the guilty know just what they ought to repent of. They know when they
have been selfish, or proud, or unkind. They know when they have departed from the law of God, or wounded
a child of God. Of all these sins, God expects repentance that they may be forgiven. Otherwise, we will meet
them in the judgement.
We have *confessed* our sins and *turned away* from them. The blood of Jesus has *covered* our sins (Psa 32:2),
and we know that something covered is still there under the covering (and now we know where it is, in the
sanctuary), but the final accounts are yet future. When shall the sin be completely done away with? One final
step in the sanctuary:
01/09/2021, 21:06 - You remember Israel gave two young goats to the High Priest, one for the Lord (which
represented Jesus and was killed), and the other, Azazel or the scapegoat, which is still alive? What happened
to it?
01/09/2021, 21:06 - Leviticus 16
20 And when *he hath made an end of reconciling* the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and
the altar, [the work of intercession is ended and God is now at peace with all who confessed their sins] he shall
bring the live goat [the other goat, not the Lord's goat, so who does it belong to?]:
21 And *Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of
the children of Israel,* and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat [so,
someone will eventually take all the blame for the sins of righteous men], and shall send him away by the hand
of a fit man into the wilderness [note this word]:
22 And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and *he shall let go* the goat
in the wilderness [notice, this goat is not killed, it is left in a desolate place].
01/09/2021, 21:06 - Who does this goat represent?
01/09/2021, 21:06 - There's a text in Revelation 20 that I did not understanding for quite some time. Let's go
there.
Revelation 20
1 And I saw *an angel* come down from heaven, having the key of the *bottomless pit* and a great chain in his
hand.
2 And *he laid hold on the dragon,* that old serpent, *which is the Devil, and Satan,* and bound him a thousand
years,
3 And *cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up,* and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the
nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
01/09/2021, 21:06 - Where is the bottomless pit? I have struggled with understanding this but let me share what
I have gathered so far.
The word in the Greek is _abussos_, English, _abyss_, which means, "The abyss, unfathomable depth, an
especially Jewish conception, the home of the dead and of evil spirits. Depthless, i.e. 'abyss'." The Jews used it to
refer to the home of the dead but we now know the dead are just in the grave and not anywhere else, and the
demons (or fallen angels) are not in another world but here on earth deceiving us and leading us to sin.
01/09/2021, 21:06 - Where do we first find this word? It translates the Hebrew word _tehom_ (don't worry about
the complex words), which is used in Genesis 1:2 to describe the world as formless and void. Ok, so the world
in its formlessness and voidness was an abyss.
01/09/2021, 21:06 - But will the world ever be like that again? In a prophecy describing what God would have
done to ancient Babylon if Israel had been faithful (but was not thus will be done to the world in the end, to
spiritual Babylon - Revelation 18 - when spiritual Israel, i.e., the church) will be faithful, God says in Jeremiah 4,
23I beheld the earth, and indeed it was *without form, and void;* (Hebrew: tohu, Greek: abbusos)
And the heavens, they had no light.
24I beheld the mountains, and indeed they trembled,
And all the hills moved back and forth.
25I beheld, and indeed *there was no man,* (in a different study we will see than when Christ returns, all the
wicked are destroyed by the brightness of His appearing and all the righteous are taken to heaven so that earth
remains without an inhabitant)
And all the birds of the heavens had fled.
26I beheld, and indeed *the fruitful land was a wilderness,* (remember Lev. 16)
And all its cities were broken down
*At the presence of the Lord,* (Rev. 6:17 - the second coming)
By His fierce anger.
01/09/2021, 21:06 - Notice, what the earth becomes when God comes back the second time (and remains like
that for a 1000 years), is a desolate place with no human to deceive. It is in this abyss that the devil, I believe, is
cast.
01/09/2021, 21:06 - What's the point?
Eventually, sin goes full cycle to the scapegoat, who is the devil.
But question, who originated the evil that was found in the sinner? In a past study, we saw that it is the devil
Himself.
01/09/2021, 21:06 - How does the sin flow now?
1. *The devil* originates sin. It is in him.
2. The devil leads *the man* to sin. It is in him.
3. The man confesses on a lamb/Jesus takes the penalty. It is on *Christ* (2 Cor. 5:21).
4. Blood is sprinkled in the sanctuary/Jesus presents His blood in the heavenly sanctuary (Heb. 9:14). The
sin is in the *sanctuary.*
5. Christ does intercession. Once His intercessory work is complete, the sins are laid on *Azazel/the devil.*
Sin has gone full cycle from the devil, back to the devil.
01/09/2021, 21:06 - And that is why he hates the sanctuary service. Because it will eventually make him pay for
all the sins he leads the children of God to commit. If all of us did not confess our sins, the devil will only pay
for his own sins. The rest of us? We owned our sins. But the moment we confess our sins? We reject them and
their true owner has to take them up. Remember, God does not want to destroy any of His creatures, He only
wants to destroy sin. But sin is destroyed together with all who cling to it. The devil will be destroyed together
with all the sins of the righteous.
01/09/2021, 21:06 - And that is the good news of the sanctuary. That we are washed clean, white as snow,
because the real bad guy will eventually suffer for misleading and deceiving us. And being washed clean, we
are restored to oneness with God, like He always desired, on the merit of the blood of Jesus.
01/09/2021, 21:06 - This is the theological side of the cleansing of the sanctuary. But how do we experience this
theory practically?
The prophecy plane is landing, we have finished with the "complex" things, but I believe everything that's in
Scripture is understable and to be understood, though it may take time.
Why do people cling on to sins if we just need to let it go through repentance?
01/09/2021, 21:22 - Good question. In fact, this question is wonderfully. Chiefly for this reason, we, _all of us
here without exception,_ are these people who cling on to sins. So, maybe a good way to phrase it would be,
why do I still cling to sin if all I just need to do is let go and let God?
01/09/2021, 21:29 - I would say for three reasons:
1. Selfishness/self-seekingness: despite the evil-ness of sin, there are those which serve us some purpose so we
choose what Hebrews 11:25 calls "the pleasures of sin for a season". E.g. fornication, stealing/corruption, lying,
etc.
2. Self-dependence/unbelief: we know something is wrong, we don't want to do it (the experience of Paul in
Romans 7), but because we trust in our own efforts, we feel there's nothing else we can do. We don't think God
can do something about it to deliver us from the situation/temptation. E.g. bribing a cop so that we don't go to
jail. We don't trust that God may be planning to either open the prison gates or convert a prisoner there thru
you.
3. Rebellion. There are things we do in full knowledge of the law of God but just for the sake of breaking the law
of God. We also cannot explain why we did the wrong when we could do the right. We gained nothing good by
it, avoided nothing bad by it, but did it either way. It is just the depraved mind in us.
01/09/2021, 21:30 - What we need is:
1. Love. Supreme love for God and selfless love for man.
2. Faith. Total trust in God's ability to deliver us from every trial and temptation.
3. Conversion. As David prayed, a clean heart and a right spirit.
08/09/2021, 20:56 - Let's back up a bit. What is a sanctuary?
08/09/2021, 20:56 - A modern dictionary says, "a sacred or holy place."
08/09/2021, 20:56 - An older one says, "A house consecrated to the worship of God; a place where divine service
is performed. Psalms 73:17. Hence sanctuary is used for a church."
08/09/2021, 20:56 - One writer defines it in this manner:
“The word ‘sanctuary’ signifies ‘holy place,’ and every abiding place of God is necessarily holy. *The sanctuary
of God is therefore His dwelling-place.”* (E.J. Waggoner, The Everlasting Covenant, p367)
08/09/2021, 20:56 - A Bible text to show this connection:
“In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an *holy temple* [or sanctuary] in the Lord: In
whom ye also are builded together for an *habitation of God* through the Spirit.” (Eph 2:21-22)
08/09/2021, 20:56 - Therefore, the sanctuary is where God dwells.
08/09/2021, 20:56 - Remember why God instituted the sanctuary? That He may dwell among His people. Ex.
25:8, 40.
08/09/2021, 20:56 - And we saw that when Jesus ascended into heaven, He went into a sanctuary in heaven to
intercede for us before the Father. Hebrews 7-10.
08/09/2021, 20:56 - But, what else did happen when Jesus ascended into heaven?
08/09/2021, 20:56 - "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be
witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth."
Acts 1:8.
40 days Jesus was on earth after resurrections (1:3), then He said this words to His disciples before ascending for
the second time (1:9-11). The disciples return back to the upper chamber (1:13) and continued in prayer and
supplication, certainly remembering their past 3 years with Jesus, their own hardness of hearts to understand
things, how often they had failed Jesus, and how patient He had been with them. Certainly these ten days were
spent in cleansing of hearts and in repentance of sins one to another, for at the end "they were all with one accord
in one place". 2:1.
08/09/2021, 20:56 - At this time, Jesus has entered *into heaven,* into a sanctuary there, to begin intercession.
But something is about to happen *on earth.*
08/09/2021, 20:56 - And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all
the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon
each of them. *And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost,* and began to speak with other tongues, as the
Spirit gave them utterance.
08/09/2021, 20:56 - 2:2-4
08/09/2021, 20:56 - What is happening? The Spirit is entering into people.
08/09/2021, 20:56 - Let us revisit a text I had posted earlier.
08/09/2021, 20:56 - Eph. 2:19-22
So then, you are no longer strangers and aliens, but are fellow citizens of the saints and of the household of God,
And *are built* upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being *the chief corner
stone;* In whom *all the building* fitly framed together *groweth unto an holy temple* in the Lord: In whom ye
also *are builded together* for *an habitation of God through the Spirit.*
08/09/2021, 20:56 - Notice the sanctuary language there. God is building another house for Himself, but it is
now not a house of stone, but of people (1 Cor. 6:19; 1 Pet. 2:5). And how will He dwell in this temple? Through
the Holy Spirit.
08/09/2021, 20:56 - Hear the words of Jesus in John 14:16-18,
And I will pray the Father, and *he shall give you another Comforter,* that he may *abide with you for ever;*
Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye
know him; for *he dwelleth with you,* (present tense: Jesus is still on earth) and *shall be in you* (future tense:
after ascension).
08/09/2021, 20:56 - Jesus promised He will come and leave IN US!
08/09/2021, 20:57 - Basically, God through the Son enters the heavenly sanctuary to cleanse it of all our sins,
thereby reconciling Himself to us.
God through the Holy Spirit enters the earthly sanctuary of His church, to cleanse it from sin and reconcile it to
Himself~!
08/09/2021, 20:57 - While God dwells in heaven, where does He want to dwell? Let's hear from Isaiah:
“Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: *where is the house that ye build
unto me?* and *where is the place of my rest?* For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things
have been, saith the LORD: *but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit,* and
trembleth at my word.” (Isa 66:1-2)
08/09/2021, 20:57 - God asks, where is my house? Then He answers, it is with the man that is humble at heart.
08/09/2021, 20:57 - Paul says,
“And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for *ye are the temple of the living God;* as God hath
said, *I will dwell in them,* and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” (2 Cor 6:16)
08/09/2021, 20:57 - Consider this comment from the book _Desire of Ages_ on why Christ cleansed the temple
in Jerusalem:
*“In the cleansing of the temple, Jesus was announcing His mission as the Messiah,* and entering upon His
work. That temple, erected for the abode of the divine Presence, was designed to be an object lesson for Israel
and for the world. *From eternal ages it was God’s purpose that every created being, from the bright and holy
seraph to man, should be a temple for the indwelling of the Creator.* Because of sin, humanity ceased to be a
temple for God. … *In cleansing the temple* from the world’s buyers and sellers, *Jesus announced His mission
to cleanse the heart from the defilement of sin* …” (The Desire of Ages, 161)
08/09/2021, 20:57 - How does Christ work on our hearts?
“For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, *hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the
knowledge of the glory of God* in the face of Jesus Christ.” (2 Cor 4:6)
We have studied before that the glory of God is His goodness (Ex. 33:18) which is His character of love. God has
shone in our hearts His character. How?
08/09/2021, 20:57 - “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the
Lord; *I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts:* and I will be to them a God, and they
shall be to me a people:” (Heb 8:10)
08/09/2021, 20:57 - God writes His laws in our hearts/minds/intellect. It is in us keeping His laws that He is
able to abide in us.
08/09/2021, 20:57 - “And *he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him,* and *he in him.* And hereby
we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.” (1 John 3:24)
It is among the commandment-keepers that God dwells. Why? Remember our definition of a sanctuary: a holy
place. Our hearts must be holy.
08/09/2021, 20:57 - “Because *the carnal mind is enmity against God:* for *it is not subject to the law of God,*
neither indeed can be.” (Rom 8:7)
A sinful heart cannot keep the law of God. That is why the Spirit is sent with power to transform us that it may
write God's law in our hearts.
08/09/2021, 20:57 - It is the Spirit, then, that cleanses our hearts from sin and makes us law-abiding citizens.
“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy *he saved us, by the washing
of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;”* (Titus 3:5)
08/09/2021, 20:57 - Remember, our sins first exist in our hearts/minds before they are manifested in actions.
“O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for *out of the abundance of the heart the
mouth speaketh.”* (Matt 12:34)
08/09/2021, 20:57 - So, in summary, Jesus went to heaven to cleanse the sanctuary off the record of our sins. The
Spirit came into our hearts to cleanse us from the existence of sin, whether as actions or thoughts or attitudes, or
moods, etc.
08/09/2021, 20:57 - What will be the eventual consequence of this work?
08/09/2021, 20:57 - Now unto him that is able *to keep you from falling,* and to *present you faultless* before
the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, Jude 1:24
08/09/2021, 20:57 - We shall eventually be presented faultless before God.
08/09/2021, 21:06 - Valentine BS: This is very reassuring atleast we have the holy spirit who is able to cleanse
is for our sins because on our own we do not have the power to save ourslelves
08/09/2021, 21:14 - My prayer is that we may now go out there knowing that the work of God reconciling
Himself to us is the work of Him removing sin from our hearts because it is sin that separates us from Him (Isa.
59:1-2). Do not be deceived, there shall not be one sinner in heaven. Who is a sinner? Someone who sins (sounds
simple, right?). What is sin? Breaking God's law (1 John 3:4). Where do we get the power to keep God's law? In
His Spirit (Rom. 1:16-17). May prayer for you today is a life of divine holiness - holiness that exists first in our
hearts and minds, that is, our desires, motives, thoughts and purposes, and then in our thoughts and actions.
22/09/2021, 20:51 - So far we've seen how God restores us legally (through the work of Jesus in the heavenly
sanctuary) and experientially (through the work of the Spirit in the sanctuary of our minds).
22/09/2021, 20:52 - We'll now turn to see how he restores us theologically through the work of the sanctuary of
the Christian church.
22/09/2021, 20:53 - Peter says we are as living stones, building up a temple for God. Notice: we, individually,
are stones. Together, we build up a temple or sanctuary.
22/09/2021, 20:53 - KJV 1 Peter 2:5
5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices,
acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
22/09/2021, 20:54 - Yet this temple seems to be in tatters.
22/09/2021, 20:54 - Everywhere there is an apostle, an evangelist, a prophet, a pastor, etc. New light here, new
doctrine there, and yet a new ministry at the other corner, and a tabernacle right next to it.
22/09/2021, 20:55 - Leave alone the new scandals, new tricks, erm, miracles, and new shame on public media.
Christianity is largely becoming a laughing stock because of Christians.
22/09/2021, 20:55 - What happened to the church of God?
22/09/2021, 20:56 - The sincere inquirer seeking after truth asks, "Where is the place of truth?"
22/09/2021, 20:57 - Paul answers,
KJV 1 Timothy 3:15
15 But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is
*the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.*
22/09/2021, 20:57 - Not the universities, or the newspapers, or the science labs, or the government printers, but
the church is to be the centre and source of truth!
22/09/2021, 20:58 - Do we still find truth in church, or mere excitement and sentimentalism?
22/09/2021, 21:00 - True. Prosperity gospel is taking over, and no one cares about doctrine anymore
22/09/2021, 21:00 - The book of Revelation is called revelation chiefly because it is God's final revelation in
Scripture of Himself. Yet funny, many people believe it is sealed. Revelation. Hidden. Ironic, right?
22/09/2021, 21:01 - Revelation, simply understood, is a series of repetitions of the history of the church from
Christ's time to the end of the world. Many understand the seven churches of Revelation 2 and 3 this way.
However, most Christians believe that the mythical secret rapture then happens at Revelation 4, the church goes
to heaven, and the rest of the chapters do not concern us.
22/09/2021, 21:02 - But this understanding poses a problem because we see Jesus being born in chapter 12,
ascending into heaven, and a conflict ensuing after that.
22/09/2021, 21:04 - Anyway, that's for your personal study.
This may help you in studying that book. John says the same story 4 times using different symbols:
1. Using the seven churches (ch. 2-3)
2. Using the seven seals (ch. 4-8:2)
3. Using the seven trumpets (ch. 8:3-11)
4. Using various symbols (ch. 12-20)
Each time beginning at Jesus' first coming and ending with the second coming.
Ch. 1 is an introduction, and chs. 21-22 is conclusion in new heaven and new earth.
22/09/2021, 21:06 - In all these recounting, you'll see a chronological pattern:
1. Formation: the church is formed during the time of the apostles,
2. Deformation: through persecution and/or compromise, the church loses its original purity,
3. Reformation: God raises up men who attempt to correct the failures of the church, and
4. Restoration: God finally has a church that has a likeness to the apostolic church
22/09/2021, 21:06 - Once again, all these may sound like very advanced stuff, but I hope we follow.
22/09/2021, 21:07 - Do your own study of Revelation, or of church history, and you will notice that this is true.
22/09/2021, 21:07 - So, today, we will look at the four horsemen of Revelation. They have been a subject of much
speculation, but once you see the point of the Book of Revelation, it becomes clear.
22/09/2021, 21:08 - Let's go to Revelation 6
22/09/2021, 21:08 - Notice our aim: we are studying the history of the church to see how we lost God, and how
He's worked to restore us back to Him
22/09/2021, 21:09 - Revelation 6:1
“Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals;...
22/09/2021, 21:09 - Question: Who is this Lamb?
22/09/2021, 21:09 - Valentine BS: Christ
22/09/2021, 21:11 - If you read ch. 4, you'll see a view of heaven with God, the Holy Spirit, some four funny-
looking creatures, and 24 elders. But no Jesus, and no angels.
22/09/2021, 21:11 - In ch. 5, Christ arrives as a Lamb slain.
22/09/2021, 21:12 - Basically, the setting is, ch. 4: heaven before Christ's ascension, and ch. 5: Christ has now
ascended to take His place in heaven as the Lion of Judah, yet the Lamb slain
22/09/2021, 21:13 - So, the time is 31AD or thereabouts, when Christ ascended into heaven after ascension.
22/09/2021, 21:13 - The verse continues,
"... and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, ‘Come and see.’”
22/09/2021, 21:14 - Now, Christ is about to unfold the history of the church from His time onwards
22/09/2021, 21:14 - IMG-20210922-WA0023.jpg (file attached)

22/09/2021, 21:15 - We will see four horses galloping in the sky, one after the other. The horses are used as
symbols of God's church
22/09/2021, 21:15 - Now, what is the colour of the first horse?
22/09/2021, 21:16 - +254 710 345828: White...
22/09/2021, 21:16 - What does white symbolize in the Bible?
22/09/2021, 21:18 - I think we see the righteous wearing white robes in heaven. We also see Isaiah saying we
shall be made white as snow.
22/09/2021, 21:18 - White represents purity
22/09/2021, 21:19 - If you read the first church (of Revelation), called Ephesus, He is told that He as found out
the false apostles and rejected them.
22/09/2021, 21:20 - The church during the early years was pure.
22/09/2021, 21:20 - And the Bible says, He goes out “conquering and to conquer.”
22/09/2021, 21:20 - Consider this quote from an early Roman author complaining about the church then:
Literally, as Paul says in Col. 1:23, the gospel was preached in all the then known world!
22/09/2021, 21:21 - Nothing could stop the progress of Christianity in the 1st Century (31-around 100AD). Like
a white horse victorious, like a white horse conquering, the Christian Church galloped across the sky. The power
of the gospel could not be stopped.
22/09/2021, 21:21 - +254 710 345828: How about the sacrificial lamb without blemish during passover feast!?..
22/09/2021, 21:22 - Also good point. The purity of the sacrifice of Christ, who was represented by that Lamb
22/09/2021, 21:23 - You see, when Christians do not compromise truth in their own life the church has power.
When we live and die for the truth, we see the Holy Spirit poured out and the gates of hell cannot prevail against
us.
22/09/2021, 21:24 - We do not make the weak prayers we are accustomed to. We do not cry "Holy Ghost power!"
while the devil is rolling on the floor laughing. We do not even have lengthy conversations with demons. We
just command them to leave and they obey.
22/09/2021, 21:25 - Why? Because God cannot sanctify sin and error. God cannot cover our disobedience with
His Spirit of power. But God is waiting for a people who, as Jude says, will "contend for the faith once delivered
to the saints".
22/09/2021, 21:24 - Valentine BS: Was this not a good time for the end of the world since the gospel has reached
everyone?
22/09/2021, 21:25 - It was, it really was. Ni vile tu bado haikua imefika China, Africa na America. Mungu alitaka
hata sisi tuonje huu utamu
22/09/2021, 21:26 - Lakini unajua kuna watu wawili huwa hawalali. Mungu na shetani. Usiku mzima wako tu
wanapiga mahesabu.
22/09/2021, 21:26 - Shetani kuona the conquest of victory, akasema zii.

22/09/2021, 21:27 - Revelation 6:4
“Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth,
and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword.”
22/09/2021, 21:28 - What colour is this horse now?
22/09/2021, 21:28 - +254 710 345828: Red...
22/09/2021, 21:28 - +254 710 345828: Danger, anguish...
22/09/2021, 21:28 - True. And more. Blood.
22/09/2021, 21:29 - And in the Bible blood represents two things: sin and persecution. Even the blood of Jesus
is because of our sins.
22/09/2021, 21:29 - Isaiah says, "though our sins be red as scarlet, they shall be made white as snow."
22/09/2021, 21:30 - How does the devil respond? We read this history before. The Roman Caesars began a most
fierce onslaught against Christianity.
22/09/2021, 21:31 - History records that between 303-313AD, a certain emperor called Deocletian killed so many
Christians so mercilessly, that even the Romans themselves wakasema, "Aiii hii hapana. Umeenda sasa sana."
22/09/2021, 21:32 - After the pure faith of the first century, we see the blood-stained faith of the early centuries.
22/09/2021, 21:33 - But you see, persecution cannot stop the church. Btw do you know that? If Christianity was
to start being persecuted in Kenya, mtaanza kukuja hizi Bible studies zote, na kuomba na kufast, na kutoa tithe
na kila kitu.
22/09/2021, 21:33 - One early church writer wrote.
“The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the gospel. The more you persecute us the more we grow.”
22/09/2021, 21:33 - So Satan changed the strategy from persecution to something else.
22/09/2021, 21:35 - You remember we said there's that kaemperor who killed mpaka wasee wakakataa hiyo
story? A smarter emperor came in called Constantine who managed to unite the Romans and the Christians. I
mean, we are adults, aren't we? Why should we fight? Why not just talk it out and agree to disagree and unite
on the commonalities and ignore the differences?
22/09/2021, 21:35 - Sounds familiar? Like the modern day religion?
22/09/2021, 21:36 - Ever heard, "All religions are different paths up the same mountain?"
22/09/2021, 21:36 - Baaaaas. Constantine perfected that line
22/09/2021, 21:36 - What colour was the third horse?
6:5
"So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand.”
We've moved from white all the way to black. And what does the rider now have? Scales. Something to use to
judge. It was a church judged. Moved all the way from purity to error and compromise.
22/09/2021, 21:40 - Between 313AD and 538AD (the period of the development of the papal power), Satan brings
in massive adoption of pagan practices.
22/09/2021, 21:41 - Paul foresaw this in Acts 20:29, 30, when He said,
“For I know this, that after my departure *savage wolves* will come in among you, *not sparing the flock.* Also
*from among yourselves men will rise up,* speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after
themselves.”
22/09/2021, 21:41 - From without wolves attacked the church (red horse), but the worst were wolves from within
(black horse).
22/09/2021, 21:42 - The teachings of men would be substituted for the teachings of God.
In this period, religious leaders arose teaching perverse and crooked things. *By compromise, the church became
large and had political power.*
22/09/2021, 21:42 - You remember we studied about the little horn of Daniel 8? What did Daniel say in v. 12?
“. . . and he cast truth down to the ground. He did all this and prospered.”
22/09/2021, 21:43 - You remember we began with talking about the place of the truth. Now, the church has
substituted truth with theories, mysteries, theatrics, pleasing messages, emotional sentimentalism, ecumenism,
and pure compromise.
22/09/2021, 21:44 - One historian records,
“We are told by Eusebius that Constantine, in order to recommend the new religion to the heathen, *transferred
into it the outward ornaments to which they had been accustomed in their own.”*
22/09/2021, 21:45 - First, to make sure people did not leave the church, salvation through Christ was replaced
by the requirements of the Church. (Btw, it is until the 20th century that the Roman Church finally accepted that
Christians outside Catholicism can be saved and go to heaven.)
22/09/2021, 21:46 - But forever live claiming this promise:
Ephesians 2:8
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God”
22/09/2021, 21:46 - What are some pagan practices that crept into church?
22/09/2021, 21:47 - Anyone knows any?
22/09/2021, 21:47 - Lighting candles for the dead
22/09/2021, 21:47 - +254 710 345828: Use of crosses, rosaries
22/09/2021, 21:47 - Bowing down before images
22/09/2021, 21:48 - Worshipping the saints
22/09/2021, 21:48 - Praying to Mary
22/09/2021, 21:48 - Idols came into church
22/09/2021, 21:49 - And the Sabbath was replaced with the venerable day of the sun
22/09/2021, 21:50 - Now, the church has done two things:
1. Made salvation to be through the church alone, then
2. Introduce a drove of errors in church.
Now you are damned if you stay, and damned if you leave.
22/09/2021, 21:50 - +254 788 905283: Introduction of Christmas,Easter
22/09/2021, 21:50 - But they were not done.
22/09/2021, 21:50 - One more thing, Satan led powerful church leaders to unite with powerful state leaders in
the black horse period.
22/09/2021, 21:51 - So in case you decide to leave, the church now has the backing of the state and military to
come after you
22/09/2021, 21:51 - Remember the white church grew because it had divine power and purity.
The black horse also grew, but through compromise and apostasy
22/09/2021, 21:52 - So we see the fourth horse:
Revelation 6:8
“So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with
him.
22/09/2021, 21:53 - What is the colour of the horse?
22/09/2021, 21:55 - The horse is pale

22/09/2021, 21:55 - It is the colour of death
22/09/2021, 21:55 - And who is riding it?
22/09/2021, 21:56 - Actually the Bible says, "Death"... which is proof that these are not literal horses as some
have imagined and taught but symbols
22/09/2021, 21:57 - The church had now fallen into apostasy and "And power was given to them over a fourth
of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth.”
22/09/2021, 21:57 - From a blood-stained faith to a blood-staining faith. The church itself is now the instrument
of death.
22/09/2021, 21:58 - Consider this interesting observation by a historian:
“Christianity became an established religion in the Roman Empire and took the place of Paganism… Christianity
as it existed in the Dark Ages might be termed Baptized Paganism.” — Church History Century 2, Ch. 2, Sec. 7
22/09/2021, 21:59 - The church enthroned apostasy at its helm and truth was the casualty. All those who
opposed these compromise and infiltration suffered the pain of death.
22/09/2021, 22:00 - You can check out the Waldenses, the Huguenots, the Albigenses, etc, as communities which
were decimated for their faith.
22/09/2021, 22:01 - A good place would be the Bathorlomeo Massacre, when the church planted a forest of
crosses with burning protestants lighting a field of spectators.
22/09/2021, 22:01 - So, where are we in history?
22/09/2021, 22:02 - Let us quickly see the steps the church took into compromise then we'll stop at that for today.
22/09/2021, 22:02 - There has been a union of church and state
22/09/2021, 22:03 - The decrees of the church have taken the place of the Bible (and conveniently so, remember
the printer was not yet invented so copies of the Bible were comparatively few)
22/09/2021, 22:03 - Faithful Christians are facing the stake, the faggot or the sword for their commitment to
truth
22/09/2021, 22:04 - The traditions of man have taken the place of the word of God. You will often hear the
church fathers quoted as authority even above the Bible
22/09/2021, 22:05 - Penance (doing works of self-humiliation to earn forgiveness and living as monks to avoid
sin) took the place of grace
22/09/2021, 22:05 - Indulgences (paying gold coins to buy yourself or your loved ones out of purgatory, another
invention of the church) took the place of the blood
22/09/2021, 22:05 - Images came in in droves...more than selfies
22/09/2021, 22:06 - The church hierarchy was established with great bureaucracy and minimal room for the
leaders to be corrected by the members (btw, almost all of Christianity ended up carrying this as part of their
heritage from the past)
22/09/2021, 22:07 - Human dogmas became doctrine. The Sabbath was supplanted with Sunday.
22/09/2021, 22:08 - And the cry of the faithfuls down the ages was, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou
not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?"
22/09/2021, 22:08 - Revelation 6:10
22/09/2021, 22:08 - So how long would God let the truth be trodden underfoot?
22/09/2021, 22:10 - Jude 3
“Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to
write to you exhorting you to *contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.”*
Soon there would arise a people who would fulfil this and contend for the truth.
22/09/2021, 22:11 - We have seen the formation and the deformation. Next we shall look at the reformation, and
culminate with the call for restoration.

Rafiki Prophecy 06 - Above, Among, Within

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Rafiki Prophecy 06 - Above, Among, Within

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WEEK OF PROPHECY: RAFIKI SDA CHURCH

LESSON #6 – THE HIGH PRIEST ABOVE, AMONG, WITHIN

Lev 16 – flow of activities:

04/08/2021, 21:23 - KJV Numbers 19:13, 20

22/09/2021, 21:14 - IMG-20210922-WA0023.jpg (file attached)

22/09/2021, 21:26 - Shetani kuona the conquest of victory, akasema zii.

22/09/2021, 21:55 - The horse is pale

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