Truth Seeker - The Temple

The Temple or Tabernacle

What we have to realize from the very beginning is that any earthly temple structure is an allegory to things and events both heavenly and spiritual. As in all things, some of these matters are difficult; serious research has been done, but that does not exclude the possibility that oversights have occurred or that more can be added.

Notice: This page has been temporarily finished, April 18, 2008. Other subjects such as the river and the highpriest may be included. The page shall be reviewed as needed by scriptures, and readers may suggest subjects to include if any have been overlooked.

Index:

God's temple - the 1st application
God's temple - the 2nd application

God's temple – the 1st application

Let me start by blowing the lid off the temple, so to say.

Psalm 11:4, Jehovah is in his holy temple; Jehovah, his throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men. (ASV)

Isaiah 6:1, In the year that king Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and his train filled the temple. 2Above him stood the seraphim: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. (ASV)

Revelation 7:15, Therefore are they before the throne of God; and they serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall spread his tabernacle over them. (ASV)

Matthew 23:21, And he that sweareth by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein. 22And he that sweareth by the heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon. (ASV)

Though not usually thought connected to the temple, God's throne nonetheless is central to it. It is not a singular occurrence that God's throne is seen to be central to his antitypical temple, the heavenly realities.

From this it becomes known that God is sitting on his throne in his temple.; it also may be understood that heaven, the entire cosmos, is God's temple in this application.

Courtyard or footstool

In this application, all of the earth becomes the footstool of God's throne, perhaps appropriately, it may be termed the temple courtyard. The basis for that interpretation is in the following scripture.

Revelation 11:22, And the court which is without the temple leave without, and measure it not; for it hath been given unto the nations: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months. (ASV)
Isaiah 66:1, Thus saith Jehovah, Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: what manner of house will ye build unto me? and what place shall be my rest. (ASV)

The Most Holy and the Holy, the Curtain

Again, pay heed that we are studying spiritual things. In regard to Christ, we are told that the temple curtain represented his flesh, a hindrance preventing his heavenly resurrection. Once Christ died, this hindrance disappeared, and he was now resurrected a spirit being in a spirit body. Please see this page for a discussion of this: Jesus Christ

Luke 23:45, And it was about the sixth hour, and darkness occurred over the whole land until the ninth hour. 45And the sun was darkened, and the curtain of the temple was torn in the middle. (ACV)
Matthew 27:51, And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom, and the earth quaked, and the rocks split, (ACV)
Hebrews 10:20, which he inaugurated for us, a new and living way through the curtain, that is, his flesh (ACV)

Since the temple curtain represented Christ's flesh, Paul and God in that manner reveals to us what the Holy and Most Holy represents. The curtain stood as a barried between the two rooms; from this symbolism, it becomes clear that the Holy represented Christ as a perfect man while serving God in all holiness on earth from his baptism and anointing with holy spirit. This same symbolism also applies to the Saints who also are prevented from entering the heavenly realm by their fleshly bodies and like Christ serve God in all holiness while being fully tested.

When Christ was resurrected, he now entered into the Most Holy, the heavens, to appear before God sitting on his throne. There he sat at the right hand of the Almighty, Jehovah. Likewise, the Saints will join Christ there when they are resurrected and will eventually be co-rulers with Christ.

Hebrews 9:24-25, For the Christ entered not into a holy place made with hands, representative of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us. 25 And not so that he might offer himself often, as the high priest enters into the Holy things each year with blood by another (ACV)

Summing up, the Most Holy of the temple represents heaven. God's throne is central to this Holy temple. The Holy of the temple stood for and stands for the holy human service of Christ and the Saints prior to their being resurrected and glorified with non-human bodies. The curtain represents their flesh while alive that prevents them from entering heaven.

From this definition, it becomes clear that the Most Holy of the earthly temple or of the tabernacle represents the same as Zion does in its heavenly application since Zion also may be said to be the entire physical cosmos.

God's temple – the 2nd application

God's temple also refers to his spiritual building consisting of the foundation stone, Christ, twelve other foundation stones, the apostles, and the rest of the Saints that together make up God's spiritual temple for him to inhabit by spirit.

1 Peter 2:5-7, ye also, as living stones, are built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 It is therefore contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Zion a chief corner stone, chosen, precious. And he who believes in him will, no, not be shamed. 7To you therefore who believe is the preciousness, but for men who disobey, A stone that the builders rejected, this became the head of the corner. (ACV)

Ephesians 2:19-22 19 Certainly, therefore, YOU are no longer strangers and alien residents, but YOU are fellow citizens of the holy ones and are members of the household of God, 20 and YOU have been built up upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, while Christ Jesus himself is the foundation cornerstone. 21 In union with him the whole building, being harmoniously joined together, is growing into a holy temple for Jehovah. 22 In union with him YOU, too, are being built up together into a place for God to inhabit by spirit.

1 Corinthians 3:16-17, Know ye not that ye are a temple of God and the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy this man, for the temple of God is holy, which ye are. (ACV)

In a sense, this temple is being hijacked by the lawless man, the son of destruction. This son of destruction hijacks God's temple by claiming to represent God as a Saint, or as Saints, to speak for God in all things, and by claiming that no one may come to God except through that lawless one's teachings and by obedience to that one's dictates. The actions of this impostor group of Saints is no mere matter of confusion and of not knowing the will of their Lord; instead, the reason these are called the son of destruction is because they very well know their own wrongdoing; however, the deceptive power of authority, of money, and of being somebody in the eyes of the flock they are misleading have become snares to their egotistical desires. They have forgotten the warning that 'a little leaven ferments the whole lump.'

II Thessalonians 2:4, . . . there he revealed the man of lawlessness, the son of destruction, 4The one who opposeth and exalteth himself on high against every one called God, or an object of worship; so that he, within the sanctuary of God, shall take his seat, showeth himself forth, that he is, God: (Rotherham)

Luke 12:47-48 47And that servant who knew the will of his lord, and prepared not himself, and did not according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. 48But he that knew not, and did things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. (DRC)

Zion, City of Zion

This temple is also referred to as Zion or city of Zion.

Psalms 46:4,5, There is a river the streams whereof make glad the city of God, the sanctuary of the habitations of the Most High. 5God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her at the dawn of the morning. (Darby)

Isaiah 14:32, And what shall be answered to the messengers of the nation? That Jehovah hath founded Zion, and the afflicted of his people find refuge in it. (Darby)

Revelation 3:12, He that overcomes, him will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more at all out; and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven, from my God, and my new name. (Darby)

This Zion, this is the spiritual building, the spiritual new Jerusalem, or Jerusalem, that God and the Lamb shall inhabit as its temple.

Revelation chapter 21, assorted verses
15, and shewed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of the heaven from God,
17And he measured its wall, a hundred and forty-four cubits, a man's measure, that is, the angel's. . . .
21And the twelve gates, twelve pearls; each one of the gates, respectively, was of one pearl; and the street of the city pure gold, as transparent glass.
22And I saw no temple in it; for the Lord God Almighty is its temple, and the Lamb. 23And the city has no need of the sun nor of the moon, that they should shine for it; for the glory of God has enlightened it, and the lamp thereof is the Lamb. (Darby)

Courtyard is all of earth

When this happens, the whole earth has been cleansed of wicked ones. As such, the earth is the courtyard of God's holy temple. In that way it is part of the temple. For this reason, we read in verses three and four:

3And I heard a loud voice out of the heaven, saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he shall tabernacle with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, their God. 4And he shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and death shall not exist any more, nor grief, nor cry, nor distress shall exist any more, for the former things have passed away. (Darby)

When God's temple comes to include the earth, all prior evils will be no more. Every human will serve God in his temple. And in the holy city only those inscribed in the book of life of the Lamb, the Saints, the 144,000, may come.