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Parallel Temples
Lesson 35
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The point of what we are
saying is this: We do have such a high priest,
who sat down at the right hand of the throne of
the majesty in heaven, and who serves in the
sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the
Lord, not by man.
Hebrews 8:1,2
Introduction
The above text indicates
that Jesus serves in the true tabernacle that is
located in heaven. The author of Hebrews used the
word “true tabernacle” to contrast the
sanctuary in Heaven with the “pseudo
tabernacle” that Moses erected on Earth.
(Hebrews 8:5) Did you know that certain processes
or ceremonies in the heavenly tabernacle have
direct parallels with the
EARTH-LINKAGE-LAW.” Activity in the temple
of Heaven and Earth are linked together by law!
For example, did you know that more than fourteen
end time events are synchronized with special
ceremonies in Heaven’s temple? The book of
Daniel and Revelation are based on ceremonies in
Heaven’s temple; therefore, it helps to
understand the ceremonies in Heavens temple to
correctly understand Bible prophecy. The only way
to properly understand the ceremonies that take
place in Heaven’s temple is to examine the
services that were conducted as a parallel on
Earth. “This is why Moses was warned when he
was about to build the tabernacle: ‘See to
it that you make everything according to the
pattern shown you on the mountain.’”
(Hebrews 8:5)
Duel Purpose
Palace
The ways of God are
revealed in ceremonies that take place in His
temples. Because we cannot attend the services in
Heaven, God commanded Moses to create a parallel
temple system on Earth. God’s temple in
Heaven is a duel purpose palace. It is like a
courthouse and a church. On Earth, church is a
place where God’s will is studied and
examined, and people are encouraged to obey
God’s will. The courthouse is a place where
social needs are codified and implemented through
the force of law. To a great extent, the balance
of power between church and courthouse defines
the unique culture of every nation on Earth. The
same is true in Heaven. Heaven’s temple
functions as a courthouse and church. In Jesus,
there is a perfect balance of church and state,
He is King of kings and Lord of lords. He is the
revealer of God’s will and He is the
Executor of the justice of God. These are the
privileges and the responsibilities of man’s
Creator, Jesus Christ – the Alpha and the
Omega.
God has unilaterally
imposed the rule of His law throughout the
universe. If there is no law, chaos would rule.
The decisions and declarations of Jesus in
Heaven’s temple are subject to law. God is
not arbitrary. God’s rule of law does not
have a political bias, nor is it temperamental in
nature. Nothing less than “the whole
truth” is accepted in Heaven’s court,
so justice and fairness are always present.
Because the truth is more important than winning
an argument, God is open to the closest scrutiny.
God has nothing to hide. In fact, each issue and
investigation only magnifies the righteousness of
God! Malice and mischief are not found in
Heaven’s temple. During the temporal
presence of sin in the universe, justice and
fairness are faithfully maintained in
Heaven’s temple. Highly intelligent angels
observe God and they are delighted to serve Him.
They never stop singing His praise because He is
flawless and magnificent in everything He does.
A Working Model
Of all the concepts
taught in the Bible, the services in God’s
temple are among the most profound, intricate and
beautiful. A proper understanding of these
services ties all bible themes together and they
provide a backdrop against which all conclusions
about God’s will and the ways can be tested
and verified. This is a crucial point. The truth
about the ways of god may appear to be abstract
(that is, not tangible or verifiable), but this
is not the case. God remedied this problem a long
time ago by commanding Moses to set up a careful
parallel or shadow of Heaven’s process so
that human beings could study, test and validate
their understanding of His marvelous ways. Moses
was warned to follow the pattern that God gave
him. This makes sense for if the model were
flawed, our study of Heaven’s temple would
also be flawed.
Rituals Were
Shadows
Few people know anything
about the temple services God gave Moses. I
suspect there are two reasons for this: (a)
“because they are Jewish,” or (b)
“they were nailed to the cross.” In my
opinion, both reasons have contributed to the
hopelessly confused state of Christianity today!
Just because the Mosaic covenant with its shadows
and parallels were nailed to the cross, this does
not mean the significance of the shadows and
parallels became useless after the cross. The
first five books of the Bible are very valuable
in helping us understand Jesus because He does
not change. He is the same forever. Therefore,
the temple services taking place right now in
Heaven’s true tabernacle are still parallels
of temple services that took place 3,000 years
ago on Earth. The Old Testament sanctuary rituals
had no divine efficacy or potent powers within
themselves. (Isaiah 1:11-17; Hebrews 10:1-4)
Contrary to what many religions teach today,
religious rituals do not have value in
themselves. Instead, God wants man to understand
the object lessons that He illustrates through
temple ceremonies or rituals. The temple rituals
that God commanded the children of Israel to
observe were shadows or parallels of actual
processes that take place in Heaven.
Consider the
illustration. A $5.00 bill (U.S. Federal Reserve
Note) has no value within itself. It is merely a
small piece of paper with writing on both sides.
However, it is a symbol of value and most people
think of it, use it and treat it as though it had
value, even though it does not. As long as the
United States government will exchange something
of value for a $5.00 bill, it will have value. My
point is that $5.00 bill is a symbol of value,
even though it is only a piece of paper. But if
the U. S. government ever decides to terminate
the use of the $5.00 bill, then all $5.00 bills
in the world would be worthless. Some currencies
are worthless pieces of paper because the
government who initially printed the currency is
unable to back it with anything of value. For
those worthless currencies, the old saying is
true, “it not worth the paper it is printed
on.” In like manner, temple rituals have no
value within themselves. They are symbolic of
real things that God has done, is doing and will
do for the salvation of the human race. In terms
of a working model on Earth, God required the Old
Testament rituals to function until the reality
appeared. So, when Jesus came to Earth and
died on the cross, the rituals came to an end,
even though the processes they represent are
still ongoing. Even though the rituals are now
null and void as far as God is concerned, they
contain the keys that explain the ways of god in
Heavens’ temple. Therefore, a basic
understanding of the earthy temple rituals
remains vitally important today.
The Tabernacle
The earthy temple built
by Moses primarily consisted of seven items: the
Ark of the Covenant, the Table of the Presence
(also called the Table of Showbread), the Alter
of Incense, the Alter of Burnt Offering, the Lamp
stand, the Laver and the Tent of Meeting (the
tent building was about 18 wide by 55 feet long).
God designed each piece of furniture and gave the
pattern to Moses. The purpose and function of
each item offers insight into the ways of God.
For example, the Bible teaches that even though
God forgives sinners, He does not blot out the
sin. Instead, He transfers the guilt of the
sinner to the Alter of Burnt Offering. This may
sound confusing at first, but here is how it
works: The wages of sin or penalty for sin is
death by execution and there are no exceptions.
God’s law is not subject to change (an
omniscient God is quite capable of declaring an
everlasting law.) If the sins of Adam and Eve
could have been forgiven (blotted out, ignored or
overlooked), Jesus would not have had to die.
Think about it. If there had been any other means
to save Adam and Eve from the penalty of sin, the
Father would not have allowed Jesus to die. But
within the Plan of Salvation, God allows the
penalty for sin (which is death by execution) to
be transferred away from the sinner through the
death of a perfect substitute. This transfer
occurs under specific conditions (faith). So,
sinners who put their faith in Jesus can be set
free of the condemnation of death (Romans 8:1-5)
even though their specific sins are never
forgiven! (Please do not throw any stones at me
just yet. Hear me out!)
To understand this point
a little better, consider the sin offering
ceremony that took place in the earthy temple.
Sinners were required to bring a perfect lamb to
the Alter of Burnt Offering at appointed times.
The innocent lamb on the alter served as a
perfect substitute for the penalty of sin which
requires death by execution. (Keep in mind that
the wrongdoer should only seek God’s
forgiveness at the temple after he has
voluntarily made restitution to the victim of his
wrong actions. Exodus 22; Leviticus 6; Matthew
5:24) When the sinner presented his lamb at the
Alter of Burnt Offering, it was firmly secured so
that it could not escape (certain death). Then,
the sinner placed his hands on the head of the
lamb and stated his sin. Then, the sinner
executed the lamb by cutting the jugular vein
with a knife. As blood spilled from the throat of
the dying lamb, an attending priest captured some
blood in a small bowl. The priest dipped a branch
of hyssop into the bowl and applied the warm
blood to the four corners of the alter – one
horn on each corner on the alter. The priest also
sprinkled some blood on the alter. This ritual
confirms a truth that most Christians do not
understand; sin is not forgiven. Instead, the
sinner’s guilt was transferred by the death
and the blood of the lamb to the horns of the
alter. This transfer made the Alter of Burnt
Offering unclean and it remained defiled all year
long until the Day of Atonement took place. On
the Day of Atonement, the alter was restored to a
pure state by the shedding of blood (the
Lord’s goat) and the guilt that had
accumulated upon the horns of the alter all year
long was transferred once again, this time to the
head of the scapegoat. The scapegoat was then
taken out into the desert to die a very slow and
painful death.
The death of Jesus proves
that sin cannot be forgiven (overlooked, erased
or forgotten). If Jesus could have excused Adam
and Eve from the penalty of sin, He would not
have had to die. The stain of animal blood on the
horns of the Alter of Burnt Offering confirms
that sin is not forgiven, but instead is
transferred. This is very good news. God allows
the penalty for my sins to be transferred from me
to the horns of the Alter of Burnt Offering
through the death of Jesus, the flawless Lamb of
God. The blood of animals symbolizes the actual
price of God’s grace (the blood of His own
Son). Keep in mind; the blood of animals did not
actually transfer the guilt of sin. The sin
offering is a parallel of how God deals with sin.
The reality to which the sin offering pointed
occurred at Calvary. Jesus, the Lamb of God, died
for our sins and if put faith in Him, our guilt
is transferred to the Alter of Burnt Offering in
Heaven’s temple. (Hebrews 8:1-5; 10:1-4;
Romans 8:1-8)
Two Alters
There were two alters in
the earthy temple because there are two alters in
Heaven’s temple. The Alter of Burnt Offering
was located near the entrance of the courtyard
that surrounded the Tent of Meeting and the Alter
of Incense was located in the front room of the
tent, or the Holy Place. There is two alters for
atonement because God is concerned with two
levels of sin: individual sin and corporate sin.
The Alter of Burnt Offering was covered with
bronze and the alter of incense was covered with
gold. This difference in medals indicates there
is a difference in processing these two types of
sin. The bronze Alter of Burnt Offering served
the needs of individuals, and the golden Alter of
incense served a higher purpose, the needs of the
whole community. Both altars had four horns
jutting from their four corners. Throughout the
Bible, horns symbolize an entity of power.
(Psalms 75:10; 112:9; Jeremiah 48:25; Luke 1:69;
Revelation 17:12) Within the context of these
altars, the four horns represent the omnipresent
work of the Holy spirit throughout the four
corners of Earth: North, East, South, and West.
(Zechariah 1:18-21; 4:6; John 16:7-11) He is
everywhere at once!
Do Not Sin
Against the Holy Spirit
Since the beginning of
sin, the Holy Spirit has had an indispensable
role in God’s administration of grace. The
Spirit must soften the human heart before
repentance can occur. The Holy Spirit does much
more than impress the conscience. In fact, the
only sin that cannot be forgiven is rejection of
the Holy Spirit! (Matthew 12:31) Carefully
consider this point: A sinner could present his
offering at the Alter of Burnt Offering because
the law of Moses required it, or a sinner could
present his offering at the alter because he was
sorry for his sin and wanted to be free of the
condemnation that was upon his head. The motive
makes a big difference. In the latter case, if a
sinner was sincerely repentant, he proved his
sorrow for sin by voluntarily making restitution
for his sin before he came to present his
sacrifice to God. Again the essential point so
many people overlook on this topic is that
killing animals never atoned for sin. (Hebrews
10:1-4) In other words, presenting a sacrificial
lamb at the alter did not guarantee that God
would accept the sacrifice and allow the transfer
of sin even though the external requirements of
the sin offering were met. “The sacrifices
of God are not a broken spirit; a broken and
contrite heart, O God, you will not
despise.” (Psalms 51:17) God is not
impressed or moved with religious rituals. Not
until the Holy Spirit produces a heartfelt sorrow
for sin is the guilt of sin actually transferred.
(1 John 1:9; 1 John 2:1-6) When people conclude
that atonement with God is possible through some
religious ritual, you can be sure that apostasy
has taken place!
Sinners are
Forgiven
Many Bible writers speak
about our sins being forgiven (Leviticus 5:13;
Romans 4:7), but it is sinner who is forgiven,
not the sin. This distinction is so important
because we need to understand that God has a
process to deal with the disposal of sin. The
disposal of sin involves a legal concept called
vengeance. God’s vengeance is a twofold
process that will finally culminate at the end of
the 1,000 years of Revelation 20. God’s
vengeance involves the extraction of restitution
from those people unwilling to provide
appropriate restitution (judicial equilibrium),
and His vengeance also involves destroying
everyone who refused the indwelling authority of
the Holy Spirit. Judicial equilibrium is the
balance between our behavior towards others and
our accountability for the welfare of others.
Judicial equilibrium is found in the golden rule:
“As you do unto others, the same shall be
done unto you” and “For in the same way
you judge others, you will be judged.”(See
Matthew 7:2,12) God’s kingdom is not a
republic or a democracy. It is a monarchy.
Sin is Not
Forgiven
Sinners can be freed from
the penalty of their sins even though their sins
are not forgiven. At first, this statement may
appear contradictory. Many Christians believe
that Jesus died for us and that somehow all of
our sins have been forgiven! But there is much
more to the disposal of the toxic waste of sin
that is commonly known. All sinners are under the
curse of eternal death unless our guilt is
removed. The wages of sins death. (Romans 6:23)
Sin is the transgression of God’s law.
(Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 28; 1 John 3:4)
However, if a person is ignorant of a specific
sin, God does not hold that sinner accountable
for that sin until the sinner becomes properly
informed. (Leviticus 4; 1 Timothy 1:13; James
4:17) When a person commits any sin, he or she
violates the whole law. (James 2:10) Sinful acts
cannot be recalled or erased because they are a
matter of record. The unrelenting claim of
God’s law is this: “Once a sinner,
always a sinner.” This is why God evicted
Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden. (Genesis
3:22-24) The consequences for violating
God’s moral law occur whether we are
knowledgeable or ignorant of the offense. This is
why the Bible says,”Be sure your sin will
find you out.” (Numbers 32:23) Do not let
this discourage you because the Plan of Salvation
offers a way out of condemnation. The Father has
provided a perfect substitute to receive the
guilt of our sins and through the blood of Jesus;
our guilt can be transferred to the horns of
Heaven’s Alter of Burnt Offering! The result
is that repentant believers who put their faith
in Jesus are no longer under condemnation. (See
Romans 5 and 8:1-12.)
The Sin Offering
When God gave Moses the
earthy temple pattern, God defined categories of
offerings for different categories of sin.
Different offenses required different methods of
atonement or resolution. Each offering helps us
understand how God deals with various issues
involving sin. Because there are different types
and variations of sacrificial offerings, the
following examples demonstrate a typical process.
Although every temple service is not explained in
the Old Testament, we can be sure that God has
preserved the essential details so we can
understand the larger process in Heaven’s
temple. Likewise, while the New Testament does
not contain everything that Jesus said while He
was on Earth, we can be sure that God preserved
what was essential. (John 21:25.) Do not become
overwhelmed by the sheer number of rules and
offerings used in the earthy temple services.
Concentrate instead on God’s orderly and
consistent ways in dealing with sin. I have found
that diligent study on this topic brings great
rewards. As you study system surrounding the
earthy temple services, you will begin to see the
beauty of the Plan of Salvation unfold.
God’s ways are truly marvelous to behold!
Unintentional Sin
The sin offering covers
two types of personal sin. Willful and
unintentional sin. Notice what the law says about
unintentional sin: “If a member of the
community sins unintentionally and does what is
forbidden in any of the Lord’s commands, he
is guilty. When he is made aware of the sin he
committed, he must bring as his offering for the
sin he committed a female goat without defect. He
is to lay his hand on the head of the sin
offering and slaughter it at the place of the
burnt offering. Then the priest is to take some
of the blood with his finger and put it on the
horns of the alter of burnt offering and pour out
the rest of the blood [into a small basin] at the
base of the alter.” (Leviticus 4:27-30,
insertion mine.)
If a person is aware that
he had committed an unintentional sin, he had to
appear at the Alter of Burnt Offering with the
required sacrifice. If he could not afford to
offer the required animal, items of lesser value,
such as birds or even flour, were acceptable to
the Lord. (Leviticus 5:7) A priest, ever present
and willing to serve, received the sinner’s
substitute. The priest examined the sacrificial
animal very closely. He was concerned about the
condition of the animal as well as the
sinner’s restitution and heartfelt
confession. The sacrificial offering had to be
perfect, without defect or blemish for it
represented God’s Son. After the sinner
killed the animal, the priest placed the
animal’s blood on the horns of the alter as
a record of sin. (Leviticus 4:7) Although
the sinner could not escape the guilt of sin, he
was at least free of condemnation until he sinned
again. (Leviticus 4:26)
Willful Sin
The process of atonement
for willful sin is more serious than that of
unintentional sin. Before an individual could
seek atonement at the tabernacle, he or she had
to make generous restitution to the victim Notice
what God said: “Say to the Israelites:
‘When a man or woman wrongs another in any
way and so is unfaithful to the Lord, that person
is guilty and must confess the sin he has
committed. He must make full restitution for his
wrong, add one fifth to it and give it all to the
person he has wronged. But if that person has no
close relative to whom restitution can be made
for the wrong, the restitution belongs to the
Lord and must be given to the priest, along with
the ram with which atonement is made for
him.’” (Numbers 5:6-8)
Defiance Not
Tolerated
Obviously, a person
cannot continue very long in a pattern of willful
sin and be able to meet the financial demands for
restitution required by law. This is why Paul
wrote: “If we deliberately keep on sinning
after we have received the knowledge of the
truth, no sacrifice for sins is left.”
(Hebrews 10:26) It is interesting that God does
not see willful sin in the same light as defiant
sin, although the penalty is the same in both
cases. Notice that defiant sin demands immediate
action. “But anyone who sins defiantly,
whether native-born or alien, blasphemes the
Lord, and that person must be cut off from the
people.” (Numbers 15:30) The term “cut
off” meant exile, total banishment from the
camp. In the wilderness, banishment meant
starvation. So, it is important to understand the
meaning of defiant sin. According to Webster,
defiance means open and bold rebellion. God
declares that there is no other God beside
Himself. (Isaiah 45:5) God is King, the
owner/master of man and naturally; He would
interpret defiance as a willful act of
insubordination. Therefore, He told Moses,
“Whoever sacrifices to any god other than
the Lord must be destroyed.” (Exodus 22:20)
God is a jealous God! (Exodus 20:5) In His great
wisdom, He knows that defiance is rebellion and
defiant rebellion is unforgivable. (1 Samuel
3:14; Matthew 12:31) God did not offer a plan of
salvation for Lucifer and his angels because of
their open defiance.
One Sin Contains
Two Violations
Temple services reveal
that one sin can contain two violations. When a
person sins against his neighbor, he or she sins
against God as well! Therefore, the sanctuary
service demonstrates that God requires a two-step
process when we sin against a neighbor. First,
the Lord required that a sinner make restitution
to the victim, and then, the sinner could make
atonement for the sin committed against God at
the tabernacle. The amount of restitution varied.
In minor cases, amount of restitution 20%. (See
Numbers 5:6-8) In more severe cases, the amount
of restitution could be as high as 500%. (See
Exodus 22.) When Zacchaeus became a “born
again” believer in Christ, he gave 50% of
his wealth to the poor, and then he restored 400%
to anyone that he had wronged! (Luke 19:8) The
purpose of restitution is very important in
God’s government. In fact, the earthy
tabernacle teaches that at a future appointed
time, God will ensure that every wicked person
suffers appropriately for every wrongful deed,
plus an added penalty. The golden rule is an
ironclad rule of God’s kingdom and universe.
At the end, God will ensure that everyone is
treated just like they treated others. (Matthew
7:12) This is the larger meaning of vengeance or
judicial equilibrium.
For personal injuries,
notice the following decree: “But if there
is serious injury, you are to take life for life,
eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot
for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise
for bruise.” (Exodus 21:23-25; Leviticus
24:19-21; Deuteronomy 19:18-21) The basic idea of
punitive law in the Old Testament is judicial
equilibrium. In other words, if someone plans to
maliciously harm another person, the law demands
complete restitution before he or she can make
atonement before God. For personal injury, the
offender must experience the same pain he or she
willfully inflicted! Restitution retards the
growth of sin, so God placed man under the
operation of the golden rule. The rule states:
“It will be done to you as you intentionally
did to your victim, plus interest and
penalty.” When Jesus was on Earth, the Jews
twisted the golden rule for self-serving
purposes. They used it as legal justification for
personal revenge, especially against their hated
enemy, the Romans. Jesus rebuked them for not
understanding the intent of the law when He said,
“You have heard it was said, ‘Eye for
eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you,
do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes
you on the right cheek, turn to him the other
also.” (Matthew 5:38-39) Jesus was affirming
an important truth, revenge belongs to god and He
will extract every ounce of the restitution that
His law demands, plus interest. Paul wrote,
“Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave
room for God’s wrath, for it is written:
‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’
says the Lord.” (Romans 12:19) This verse
should be especially meaningful for people who
have been victims of a painful injustice. God
ensures that judicial equilibrium will be
extracted from the wicked before He creates a new
Heaven and a new Earth.
Reviewing the Sin
Offering
The services at the Alter
of Burnt Offering lays a conceptual foundation
for other temple services, so keep the following
seven points in mind as we progress through this
study:
- The
bronze Alter of Burnt Offering served the
needs of individuals.
- The
sinner was required to make restitution
before presenting a sacrificial offering.
- The
guilt of the sinner was transferred to
the lamb by confession and death of the
lamb transferred the guilt to the horns
of the alter.
- The
blood on the horns of the alter was a
record of sin. Until the alter was
cleansed on the Day of Atonement, the
temple was in a state of desecration.
- Excess
blood from the sacrifice was poured into
a small basin at the base of the alter.
(Leviticus 4:25)
- Sin,
whether unintentional or intentional,
requires atonement.
- Defiant
sin cannot be forgiven (atoned for).
The Alter of
Incense
The golden Alter of
Incense was physically located in the first room
of the earthy temple called the Holy Place. Like
the Alter of Burnt Offering, this alter also had
four horns, one on each corner of the alter.
However, there are several significant
differences between the two altars. For example,
it was the priests’ responsibility to keep
the fire on the Alter of Burnt Offering burning
around the clock (Leviticus 6: 12,13), but it is
believed the Alter of Incense burned perpetually.
Miraculously, God Himself ignited and sustained
the fire on the golden Alter of Incense and it
never went out.
(Note: This conclusion is
reached by harmonizing the following two points:
Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, carried
“foreign” or man-made fire into the
Holy Place and God struck them dead for it.
(Leviticus 10:1-3) Further, the Bible does not
indicate that the priests maintained the fire on
this alter as it does for the other alter. These
two points suggest the fire on the Alter of
Incense was sustained by divine power.)
Evening and morning, the
priests burned a special formula of incense on
the Alter of Incense. God forbade anyone from
duplicating this incense. (Exodus 30:34-38) In
the wilderness, the Israelites could smell the
distinctive aroma of this incense, depending upon
the wind, at the limits of the camp. (Exodus
30:7,8) Like the Alter of Burnt Offering, the
Alter of Incense was named according to its
primary purpose that was the continual burning of
incense.
Corporate
Atonement
The services at the
golden Alter of Incense represent a higher level
of atonement than those at the bronze alter in
the courtyard. These services are a little more
difficult to understand at first because they are
shadows of a larger process that takes place in
Heaven. The Alter of Incense was reserved for
corporate atonement, that is, intercession on
behalf of the whole community. Priests conducted
services at the Alter of Incense, evening and
morning, every day of the year. God required
continual atonement, night and day. This was done
so that Israel could dwell in His continual
presence. In other words, atonement for sin was
ongoing, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If an
individual or a group of individuals sinned, the
continual sacrifice on the Alter of Incense
provided atonement for everyone until they could
present their necessary sacrifices at the Alter
of Burnt Offering. The daily atonement made on
the Alter of Incense allowed the Israelites to
dwell in God’s continual presence without
being destroyed. (Exodus 25:8) The object lesson
found within this service is stunning. We know
that sinners cannot approach God or live in His
presence without mediation or atonement. (Numbers
8:19) But through the sacrifice of Jesus, God
extends much grace to us, hoping that we will
eventually show up at the Alter of Burnt Offering
for the purpose of reconciliation with Him and be
saved. The beauty of grace can be observed here
since we are not consumed while wandering about
in foolish rebellion! “For if, when we were
God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him
through the death of his Son, how much more,
having been reconciled, shall we be saved through
his life!” (Romans 5:10)
Called the Daily
or the Continual
The evening and morning
services presented on the Alter of Incense were
called “the daily” or “the
continual” because they were administered
evening and morning – every day of the year
– continually. The services included the
sacrifice of a perfect one-year-old lamb each
evening at twilight and each morning just after
sunrise. After the priest killed the
“daily” lamb on the Alter of Burnt
Offering (in the courtyard), he carried some of
its blood to the alter of Incense and applied it
to the horns and sides of the alter. Then the
priest placed a scoop of the special incense
(using God’s specifications) on the glowing
coals of the alter. Then the fragrant incense
flowed freely throughout the tabernacle. In
addition to the blood and incense, priests also
placed small servings of wheat or barley flour,
oil and wine before the Lord as offerings.
(Exodus 29:40,41; 30:9) The reality in Heaven
which is represented by the daily services at the
golden alter on Earth is very meaningful. Whereas
the sin offering on the Alter of Burnt Offering
pointed forward to the death of Jesus as the Lamb
of God at Calvary, the service on the Alter of
Incense pointed backwards to the day sin began.
On that day, the Father and Son established a
mutual covenant to save the whole world! (Palms
2)
Psalms 2
When Adam and Eve sinned,
Jesus entered into a covenant with the Father
agreeing to die as man’s substitute. (Psalm
2; Genesis 3:15; Romans 5:19; Matthew 26:28; John
17:4) When Jesus submitted to the terms and
conditions required in the Plan of Salvation, He
agreed to overcome the power of sin by living a
perfect life and dying the death of a condemned
sinner. (Romans 5:10; 2 Corinthians 5:21) In
fact, from the very day that Adam and Eve sinned,
Jesus was called the “Son” of God.
“I will proclaim the decree of the Lord [the
Father]: He said to me, ‘You are my Son;
today I have become your Father. Ask of me, and I
will make the nations your inheritance, the ends
of the earth your possession. You will rule them
with an iron scepter; you will dash them to
pieces like pottery.’” (Psalms 2:7-9,
insertion mine.) The word son means “one
subject to” or “one in submission to
someone like himself.” Consequently, Adam is
called the “son of God” and so are the
believers because we are created in God’s
image. (Luke 3:38; Matthew 5:9; 1 John 3:1 [KJV]
The covenant between the Father and Jesus to save
man stopped the destroying angel who was about to
execute Adam and Eve. On the basis of an
agreement between the Father and Jesus, Jesus
became man’s intercessor the day sin began
and He remains in this position even on this very
day. (Hebrews 7:25)
The daily intercession of
Jesus in Heaven’s temple is reflected in the
daily ministry of the priests on Earth. “The
point of what we are saying is this: We do have
such a high priest, who sat down at the right
hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, and
who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle
set up by the Lord, not by man.” (Hebrews
8:1,2) The Father allowed Adam and Eve and their
offspring to live because of the daily
intercession of Jesus. The corporate
benefits to Christ’s atonement for the whole
world became effective immediately the day sin
began. The covenant to save man is called
the Plan of Salvation and it remains intact to
this very day. The corporate intercession of
Jesus on behalf of the whole world will continue
until the beginning of the Great Tribulation. The
Great Tribulation begins when Jesus declares the
end of His corporate intercession. (Revelation
10:6) When this happens, the censer at
Heaven’s golden Alter of Incense (Revelation
8:2-5) will be cast down indicating the services
required at the alter are finished. A few days
after the censer in Heaven is cast down, the
long-delayed wrath of God for the whole world
will begin. God’s wrath will come in two
phases, seven first plagues and seven last
plagues. Although the corporate intercession of
Jesus comes to an end at the beginning of the
Great Tribulation, the door of salvation remains
open for individuals because Jesus continues to
intercede on behalf of individuals for 1,260 days
– until the time of the seventh trumpet.
Corporate Process
The idea of corporate
atonement is new to many Christians, so a short
study may be helpful. Notice this text: “If
the whole Israelite community sins
unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any
of the Lord’s commands, even though the
community is unaware of the matter, they are
guilty. When they become aware of the sin
offering and present it before the Tent of
Meeting. The elders of the community are to lay
their hands on the bull’s head before the
Lord, and the bull shall be slaughtered before
the Lord. Then the anointed priest is to take
some of the blood and sprinkle it before the Lord
seven times in front of the curtain. He is to put
some of the blood on the horns of the alter that
is before the Lord in the Tent of Meeting. The
rest of the blood he shall pour out at the base
of the alter of burnt offering at the entrance to
the Tent of Meeting.” (Leviticus 4:13-18)
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