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)
Two points
regarding corporate sacrifice
stand out: First, it was possible
for the whole community to sin
against God unintentionally!
Again, ignorance does not mean
innocence. God’s universal
laws have no boundaries. When the
community becomes aware of its
sin, God requires the whole
community to make atonement and
this atonement is presented at
the corporate Alter of Incense,
not the Alter of Burnt Offering.
Second, a sacrificial bull is
required for corporate atonement
for sin of an entire community. A
bull was the most valuable animal
in the herd. This points to the
fact that the Father gave His
most valuable gift, the blood of
His only Son, to redeem the whole
world! Many Christians believe
John 3:16 is the most beautiful
text in the Bible, but notice
what the text really says:
“For God so loved the world
that he gave his one and only
Son, that whosoever believes in
him shall not perish but have
eternal life.” (John 3:16,
italics mine.) Did you notice
that this text is actually a
“corporate” text?
“For God so loved the
world…” To appreciate
the entire scope of the Plan of
Salvation, we must understand
that it is much larger than an
individual matter. The plan
involves all of the descendants
of Adam and Eve, and in order to
include all the nations of the
world, the plan has to include
the entire human race over a
period of 6,000 years.
When the community
sinned, the bull’s blood was
sprinkled seven times on the
front of the veil (or curtain)
that separated the Most Holy
Place from the Holy Place in the
temple. This action signified
that as a community, Israel has
violated the law that was written
on tablets that were behind the
veil on the Ark of the Covenant.
(The high priest could not enter
the Most Holy Place except on the
Day of Atonement. Leviticus 16:2)
In order to provide atonement for
the community, the priest
sprinkled the blood as close to
the law as possible. Then he
placed blood on the four horns of
the Alter of Incense and the
crimson record of sin defiled the
Alter of Incense until the
cleansing that occurred on the
Day of Atonement. (Leviticus
4:7,18)
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