A few weeks ago, I was talking to Pastor Jeff after bible study about being outside the camp. God had shown me while he was preaching two critical points concerning our position outside the camp.

1. If Jesus is outside the camp, He is not in the temple! Pastor Jeff said that the temple was a foreshadowing of things to come. The only thing that made it special was the presence of God Almighty. When the veil was rent, all that was left was a bunch of old religious relics made by the hands of men. I submit to you that, absent the presence of God, these relics were no different than idols. Just as lucifer was chief angel and the glory of God reflected off of him and lite up the heavens, absent the presence of God, he was just an image, a mirror, an object devoid of purpose who looses all significance absent the presence of God. When we begin to worship the image of the glory of God we partake in idolatry. When we attribute worth to the vessel that was used by God instead of God Himself we suffer the same fate as a third of the angels.

       Why is this important? Because just as Jehu had a zeal about him to tear down the altars of baal and cast down that wicked harlot Jezebel, God has given the call to tear down the empty, dead, man made idols of OUR worship and turn to a relationship with the one true and living God. This is not a plea, or the beggings of God. It is His mandate and God will raise up men and women who will with zeal forsake those things that are but a mirror image, cast down that wench called jezabel, and will lead this bride out of her closet.

2. In the temple there was incense that filled the inner court with the aromas pleasing to God. It also helped to act as a buffer for the priest so the would not make the fatal mistake of looking upon God. In like manner there is still incense being offered up before the Lord. In the book of Revelation 5:8 we see the four and twenty elders with bowls of incense which are the prayers of the saints. In Rev. 8:1-5 we see the angel of the Lord with a golden censer filled with fire and the prayers of the saints. Out side the camp, saints are beginning to pray. Those bowls and censers are starting to smolder. but we have to be careful that we dont offer up strange fire as the sons of Aaron did. The priest were instructed not to offer up strange fire unto the Lord. What is strange fire? In Lev. 10:3 Moses tells Aaron that,"This is it that the LORD spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified." Strange fire is that which is offered up by someone who has not sanctified themself in their hearts towards God. This is what is being offered up by those still enamored by temple worship. There is no fire there. The fire is consuming the carcases of dead sacrifices. The fire is in those who have nelt to pray beside the leper. The fire is in those who have been rejected by the status quo. The fire is in those who have died in order that they might live.

      You see, those who pray outside the camp have a reason to commune with God. They have nothing else. Oddly enough, those who fall in to this catagory are not even praying for themselves. They have seen a greater purpose through the affliction of this life; simply put, that others may be free we remain in chains. This was exemplified by Paul and Silas in prision. They remain in there prision so that the one responsible for keeping them there could be saved. This is the cry of the new testiment. No one knew this better than Paul did. He wrote about it often and yet we think God is wanting this dead form of religion to satisfy a need for selfexhaultation. You might disagree with me on the previous statement but the proof is in the arguments of atheist. They argue with truth, how ever scued they my be, they bring to light what we try to pretend doesnt exist. If those bowls in heaven really are the prayers of the saints, we have to ask our selves, how much have we contributed to the sweet fragrence? Is our bowls even smoldering at all? When God breaths in, is it the sweet smelling aroma of hearts breaking for a lost and dying world, or the stench of self righteousness that comes with temple worship?

    The good news is , when the holliest was filled with incense God showed up in a cloud of great glory!!!!!!!