patrick jane forums

I bolded what you say you believe above--

Yes, but not 'sometimes'  --- always.  There is always a duality of physical and spiritual, for this is our nature and how we were made.[/quote] I have to disagree here....the parables for example do NOT have a literal understanding just a spiritual one.

The image above 'symbolically' might relate to a rodeo, or bronc' bustin' or something like that to anyone familiar, but as a concept it's much more as it relates to horse and rider which have meaning far beyond the symbolic usage.

The ark and the cherubim that 'hover' over it's cover of course are symbolic of a heavenly scene and anyone even today never having 'seen' the ark with their own eyes can recognize an image of what is used to represent the ark and relate it easily to the time of Moses, and then David and Solomon and so on.  To a person of the Jewish faith and tradition- the symbolism is enough and they relate it to God's presence in the tabernacle and then the temple and the cherubim are present with His presence.  They don't recognize the greater concept, which expresses the presence of God in us... the greater concept of us being His temple-- His ark our hearts, His presence overshadowing our lives through even such as angels who hover over US-- his physical footstool (that we are the physical expression of where He conceptually places His feet.  It's a much stronger concept and far beyond any simple symbolic usage.

I have a problem accepting what I THINK YOU ARE SAYING HERE in that God gave specific instructions and told Moses that those instructions were to be followed exactly.  Yet there is no detailed description of the cherubim not to mention that they were not only to make three dimensional cherubim on the ark but two dimensional woven cherubim as well.  If there was not detail of what they looked like, then just putting wings on the curtains and on the ark would not seem like enough to claim following the instructions exactly.

As for literal?  Yes, there was a literal ark and tabernacle and temple... but these are not literally where He is/was present.  In the passage I posted earlier concerning Solomon's dedication of the temple, Solomon was clear on this understanding... God dwells in the heavens (spiritually) and on earth He rests his feet on the ark, but the gold-covered physical ark is no more again, than a symbol-- of you.

of course no "building" can contain the Living God but that isn't the discussion which might be why I confused your previous post where you claimed by posting that you were talking about the OP question but no apparently you wanted to change the topic.