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We have seen that the Beatitudes suggest 7 steps that we must accept to climb if we wish to achieve at-one-ment with God. The same seven steps are found in God’s Creation week. In seven days He changed a dark world which had become chaotic to the paradise of Eden where God could interact one on one with His created beings. Interestingly the same seven steps are symbolized in the sanctuary service. In the sanctuary the high priest passes over each step before arriving in the presence of God at the Mercy Seat in the Most Holy Place. Since the children of God were called to become priests (Exodus 19:6), thus they were all called to follow in the steps of their high priest all the way to the presence of God at the Mercy Seat. This is where fallen beings were to learn from God how to become merciful as He is (Luke 6:36). Let us review the parallel symbolism of the seven steps in all three situations:

Step 1. Repenting from the past: This is recognizing the importance of humility of heart, because no one can change without recognizing one’s own flaws.

– In Creation Week: On Day One light made it possible to recognize chaos and the need to make the necessary changes to drive away darkness and modify the state of chaos. In a person’s life this is repentance.

– In The Beatitudes: Blessed are those who recognize that they are spiritually limited. This is the enlightenment that leads to repentance.

– In The Sanctuary: The sinner confesses sins at the brazen altar. This is recognizing the need for change from self-centered and pagan thinking, with a vow to allow one’s old self to die and to burn all former idols. This is repentance.

Step 2. Accepting that God is the only Leader who can help us depart from thinking self-centeredly as we all do from our natural birth.

– In Creation Week: On Day Two atmosphere called firmament (KJV) was created. God’s atmosphere of peace must be accepted to depart from the atmosphere of chaos to that of God’s love.

– In The Beatitudes: Blessed are those who regret mournfully their self-centered past and accept to change with God’s help.

– In The Sanctuary: At the Laver the sinner’s past is washed away because he or she accepts to listen to God’s way to make the change.

Step 3. Recognizing God as the only Teacher of the Way to the truth that gives life in true freedom forever.

– In Creation Week: On Day Three God separates water and dry land on which vegetation can grow. This is recognizing that ORDER is necessary to maintain life. Likewise, the Spirit of God must be separated from the spirit of destruction and chaos.

– In The Beatitudes: Blessed are the meek because they recognize the need to separate themselves from the spirit of destruction to accept the Spirit of God’s orderly mind.

– In The Sanctuary: One must recognize the Seven Branch Candelabra as the light that comes from God. The only source of light that leads to Truth.

Step 4. Seeking God by studying His message from Scripture in depth, and particularly through the life of Jesus.

– In Creation Week: On Day Four the realities of daylight and minor light in darkness imply that truth should be sought in daylight

– In The Beatitudes: Hungering for truth implies seeking truth in its proper light, not in the dim light of darkness.

– In The Sanctuary: To seek God one must go to the table of bread and wine at the light of the Candelabra. Man shall not live by bread alone (Deuteronomy 8:3; Matthew 4:4).

Step 5. Learning to apply God’s message to life: A. what true love is; B. how to love; and C. how much we are to love – like Jesus, all the way to the last drop of blood.

– In Creation Week: The animal life created on Day Five shows that light is essential to produce a source of food for all living creatures. From this we learn that to maintain life the light of God’s love must be ever-present in all our interactions, animate and inanimate.

– In The Beatitudes: Indeed, blessed are the merciful. Thanks to the previous steps one learns that love must grow to the level of mercifulness.

– In The Sanctuary: The only place where learning can take place is where the light of God is combined with His message in the Holy Place. When this occurs the Altar of Incense sweetens the air throughout the sanctuary. The combination of light from God with His word produces the sweetness of love capable of mercy.

Step 6. Developing with God’s help the willingness and the skills to implement love at any cost to self, even if like Jesus, we are led to bear a cross (Matthew 16:24).

– In Creation Week: The two humans created on Day Six represent at-one-ment. Indeed, when male and female come together as one in mutual love they produce life – atonement with God leads to the development of life eternal.

– In The Beatitudes: The pure in heart are those who develop love by coming into at-one-ment with God’s mind. This is His Spirit in us that we also call the Holy Spirit.

– In The Sanctuary: To develop God’s character one must go beyond the Veil where the Mercy Seat is located, and where the sinner comes to see God so intimately that he or she wants to become like Him. This is where the restoration of His character in us takes root.

Step 7. Becoming unconditionally “merciful as God is” (Luke 6:36) leads to peace.

– In Creation Week: On Day Seven God rested His case. He had shown the universe how to convert darkness and chaos into the peace and safety of Eden – and this can only happen if we become evermore like Him.

– In The Beatitudes: Blessed are the peacemakers. The more loving we become the more we become peacemakers.

– In The Sanctuary: Having seen God’s character of mercy beyond the Veil, we grow in mercifulness. We become increasingly more like God; we are being restored into His image. This is the healing we call salvation.