A question regarding a statement of Art Katz

Brethren,

Art, in his message "Come Unto Me" speaks about Moses, in Exodus 24:12, being called up into the presence of the LORD on Mt. Sinai. It is there that Moses is told by God, "Come up unto me and be there..." and Art expounds on how doing flows from being and so on and so forth, it was an excellent sermon.

What puzzles me is this: he said that for 6 days, Moses was in the smoke that surrounded God on the mount, and on the seventh day he was actually called into the presence of God. Art said that during these 6 days, Moses' self-ambition, self-determination, legitimate saintly desires, etc., etc. were all being "smoked out" of him so that he could enter the presence of God purely for the glory of God, and purely for the fact of God's worthiness. I really like this idea, but what concerns me is: where else in Scripture would we be able to verify that this is what is happening in the smoke? Was this simply something that Art liked the idea of for this passage and so he taught it this way? Is there anything else in Scripture that would support this idea? I searched and haven't found anything, but I thought that maybe I was missing something.

Thank you for your prayerful responses!

Preachers sometimes take a bit of licensing from the text. Art's interpretation of this grows out of a fire he was once in. The time he spent in the smoke of a burning building, and his reflection of that event, helped fuel this interpretation of this text. There is nothing in Scripture that directly says what was going on in Moses' head during those days. But, what Katz has taught in this regard is definitely in keeping with the spirit of Scripture.

No kidding!

I listened to the sermon twice yesterday. It blew my mind. It really is extremely insightful, and I'm not disagreeing with Art necessarily, I just didn't know if there was any other Biblical precedent for the idea of "smoking out", basically.

Hi brothers and sisters

I'm in awe! I know this isn't a coincedence! I listened to this sermon the week before last for the first time and like many I was challenged by how Art explained the six days in the smoke before coming into the presence of God

I did not question it biblically but rather felt that the Holy Spirit was teaching us how we can come fully to the presence of God. What I got from it was that even my most sincere godly desire if it is coming from the flesh it will hinder my entering into His presence. I must completely humble myself, empty self and wait on Him before I can enter into His presence

Love in Christ