Parallel Temples
Lesson 35
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If the
High Priest Sins
If the high priest
sinned, his atonement had to be
presented on the Alter of Incense
rather than the Alter of Burnt
Offering because his sin was
considered a corporate offense.
As a living parallel of Jesus,
God held the office of high
priest to a higher standard of
accountability than that of
ordinary people. If the high
priest sinned, his actions were
considered more denigrating in
God’s sight than anything a
political leader of a country may
have done! Therefore any sin
committed by a high priest was
sin against God and Israel (a
corporate offense) and atonement
was required on the Alter of
Incense. (Leviticus 4:3-7)
Incense
Pleasing to God
The Alter of
Incense derives its name from its
most obvious function; namely,
the continual burning of incense.
The object lesson for burning
incense before God is this:
Approach God with reverence. The
sweet smell of incense
predisposed God for grace and
favor. If we want God to hear us
and receive us, then we must
approach Him with the sweet
fragrance of humility and
reverence. Although it has been
more than 25 years now, each
evening after her bath, our
daughter would come running from
the bathroom and jump into my
lap, ready for a bedtime story. I
still remember the scent of
freshly shampooed hair that was
neatly tied in a ponytail. How
could I refuse such a
sweet-smelling bundle of love and
curiosity? Of course, there were
moments throughout the day when
she did not smell so good, but
all that was forgotten at
bedtime…
An offering of
sweet-smelling incense is
pleasing to the God who made the
roses and the fresh smell of
spring. The fragrance of incense
invites Him to hear the prayers
and petitions. Of course, the
need for incense says much about
man’s true condition as a
sinner. In our cleanest state, we
stink! I am not talking about
body odor, but rather the stench
of sin. Even the pagans burned
incense to predispose their gods
for favor. (1 Kings 11:8) In
other words, God uses the burning
of incense as an object lesson to
demonstrate our degenerate and
offensive condition to Him. We
are sinners and we live in the
pigsty of sin. Therefore, it is
not possible for us to comprehend
our sinful, degenerate state as
God sees it. A bath or a shower
does not remove the guilt of sin.
The ever-burning Alter of Incense
confirms man’s hopeless
condition before God, but it also
confirms God’s faithful
promise. Daily, He masks our
offensiveness with the fragrance
of our prayers so that we can
draw near Him with our requests.
The burning of incense on this
alter is directly associated with
the prayers (petitions) of the
saints. (Revelation 8:4) He hears
our prayers. Few things move the
arm of Almighty God like the
sweet prayers of humble and
contrite believers. (Luke
18:10-14; Hebrews 11:6) It has
been said that if you wish to
receive God’s favor, call
Him by the name that He likes
most, “Father.”
Alter of
Incense Summary
1.
The Alter of Incense was
dedicated to corporate services
for the whole community.
2.
The daily services on this alter
provides continual or daily
around-the-clock atonement.
3.
The services conducted on the
Alter of Incense point backwards
to the covenant that was
established between the Father
and the Son the day man sinned.
4.
The daily intercession of Jesus
in Heaven will terminate at a
point in the near future and the
Great Tribulation will begin.
5.
Twice a day, evening and morning,
atonement was placed on the
alter.
6.
The Alter of Incense was cleansed
of defilement or recons crated on
the Day of Atonement.
No Veil in
Heaven’s Temple
The earthy
tabernacle had a veil that
divided the tiny building into
two rooms. The first room was
called the Holy Place and the
room in the back was called the
Most Holy Place. It appears that
the Heavenly Temple does not have
or need a veil. Even if there had
been a veil in Heaven’s
temple, just like the earthy
veil, its function would have
terminated at the time of
Jesus’ death. The veil in
the earthy temple is important
for three reasons:
1.
First, as a practical matter, the
veil was a wall of protection for
the priests who ministered before
the presence of the Lord in the
tabernacle. The veil protected
them from the consuming Skekinah
Glory of God. (Exodus 40:3;
Leviticus 16:2) Of course our
High Priest, Jesus, would not
need such a veil in Heaven. He
sits at the right hand of the
Father and is not threatened by
the glory of the Father. In fact,
Jesus shares in that Glory! (John
17:5)
2.
The presence of two rooms in the
earthy temple confirms that in
Heaven’s temple there is two
distinct phases in the Plan of
Salvation. Just as there were two
altars that had unique roles in
the earthy process of atonement,
there are two rooms representing
two unique phases of service. The
first room shadows the daily
services of Jesus as our High
Priest in the heavenly temple.
The backroom, the Most Holy,
shadows the services of Jesus as
He concludes the Plan of
Salvation. In other words, the
earthy temple’s Holy Place
and its daily routine parallel
the “daily intercessory
routines” of Jesus as He
intercedes on behalf of the whole
world in Heaven’s temple.
The backroom or Most Holy Place
and its annual service on the Day
of Atonement parallels the final
phase of Christ’s work at
the end of the world in
Heaven’s Temple. (Hebrews
9:25,26) So, the veil creates two
rooms in the earthy tabernacle
because there are two distinct
phases in Jesus’ ministry in
Heaven’s temple.
3.
Paul uses the veil as an
illustration explaining how prior
to Jesus’ ministry and
death, man could only go so far
in comprehending the salvation of
God. The sanctuary service and
its shadows are wonderful, but
they are only shadows of the
reality found in Jesus. However,
when Jesus died, the temple veil
was ripped open because temple
services were no longer
necessary. Paul emphasizes that
everyone can see behind the
curtain now and watch the
ministry of Jesus our High Priest
sitting at the right hand of the
Father. Paul’s point is
that6 we now have a much better
revelation of God’s plan to
save man. (Romans 16:25;
Colossians 1:26; Hebrews 6:19,20)
The tiny earthy
sanctuary does not physically
compare to the glorious temple in
Heaven Isaiah 66:1) but there are
distinctive parallels between
them. The
Heaven-Earth-Linkage-Law connects
the two temples so that the
earthy temple reveals the
services and processes of the
heavenly. God’s response to
sin can be compared to lemon into
lemonade. God took the bitterness
of sin and used it as an
opportunity to reveal certain
characteristics about Himself and
His government that were
previously unknown. Because of
sin, the whole universe has seen
a drama and dimension of
God’s love that could not
have been seen in any other way.
Angels have a clear understanding
of the properties of law, sin,
penalty and grace. They
understand the reasons why
Lucifer was expelled much more
clearly now. They also understand
why God allowed Lucifer to live.
The sin drama has revealed to the
angels that there is no
justification for rebellion
against any of the laws of God,
for God’s laws have their
origin in infinite Wisdom.
The Ark of
the Covenant
Physically, the
Ark of the Covenant was a small
box of acacia wood, overlaid with
gold, about 3 feet wide by 5 feet
long and 3 feet tall. (Exodus
25:10) It had two rings on each
side through which poles could be
inserted. (Exodus 25:12) The
poles enabled priests to carry
the ark from place to place
without touching it. The lid or
top of the ark was called the
atonement cover or “mercy
seat.” (Compare KJV Exodus
25:17; 26:34; 30:6 with later
translations.) Two golden figures
(cherubim) stood on the top of
the box. (Exodus 25:20) The
Israelites considered the ark to
be the most holy piece of
furniture in the earthy temple
because the Shekinah glory
hovered between the two cherubim
on the ark. These items included
the Ten Commandments that were
written by God’s own finger
on two tablets of stone, a bowl
of manna and Aaron’s rod
that budded. (Exodus 31:18;
40:20; Exodus 16:33; Numbers
31:26) The ceremonial laws that
God dictated to Moses were kept
in a “pocket” attached
to the outside of the ark.
(Deuteronomy 31:26)
A Hidden
Ark
The ark was
located in the backroom of the
earthy tabernacle, inside the
Most Holy Place. The High Priest
was the only person allowed
seeing the ark and he could see
it for just a few minutes each
year on the Day of Atonement when
he entered the Most Holy Place.
When preparing the ark for
travel, the veil separating the
Holy Place from the Most Holy was
used as the first layer of
protection around the ark. Then,
the ark was completely hidden
from the view by a blue covering.
(Numbers 4:5,6) When traveling,
the Israelites kept a radius of
about a thousand yards (seven
tenths of a mile) between them
and the Ark. (Joshua 3:4) As the
priests prepared the ark for
travel, Jewish tradition says
they approached it by walking
backwards because to look upon
The Presence was certain death.
God designed the
ark and He hid it from view of
everyone but the high priest. The
hidden ark reveals a profound
truth about God and sin. Before
sin defiled the human race,
God’s law was written in the
hearts of Adam and Eve. They
instinctively knew the Ten
Commandments and Jesus often
communed with Adam and Eve
face-to-face in the Garden of
Eden. (Genesis 3:8) But when sin
separated man from God, the
presence of God’s law
evaporated from their heart. The
nature of man changed. Instead of
having a proclivity for
righteousness, man had a
propensity toward rebellion.
Furthermore, sinners could not
survive the glorious presence of
God. (Exodus 19:21) So, God hid
Himself from man because He
desires to be close to man. At
Mt. Sinai it was necessary for
God to cover Himself with dense
darkness so He could be close to
His children without His glorious
Presence consuming them. (Exodus
19:18; 20:21) The darkness at
Calvary covered the Father’s
presence. (Matthew 27:45) No
doubt the Father wept as He bowed
near the cross. God is always
near, but we cannot physically
see Him because His glory would
consume us in a split second.
When Moses wanted to see Jesus,
Jesus would not allow it. (Exodus
33:20) Consider the paradox: The
natural eye cannot see God and
live, but the eye of faith can
behold His presence and rejoice!
(2 Kings 6:17)
The Ark of the
Covenant was hidden from view in
the earthly tabernacle because
God’s ways are hidden and
mysterious to sinners. The carnal
eye cannot see the beauty and
wisdom of God’s laws. (1
Kings 3:7-9, 14; Psalm 95:10;
Isaiah 55:8; 1 Corinthians 2:14)
God understands the tendency of
fallen man to make an icon out of
religious things. God did not
want His people worshipping the
Ten Commandments or the ark.
Instead, He wanted His people to
understand and absorb the intent
of His law through love, and
worship Him with thanksgiving and
obedience. The imprint of the law
of God within the human heart is
something entirely different from
the adoration of a stone relic.
Ark to be
Exposed
Some scholars believe that the
earthy Ark of the Covenant was
hidden away by priests in
Jeremiah’s day just before
Nebuchadnezzar captured
Jerusalem. Some people believe it
will be found before Jesus comes,
while others claim the ark has
been found – although no one
has yet produced any evidence to
verify the claim. Nevertheless,
the Bible predicts the true Ark
of the Covenant in Heaven will
some day be visible to all people
on Earth. The book of Revelation
describes the dazzling wonder at
the conclusion of the seventh
trumpet (1,260 days into the
Great Tribulation). “Then
God’s Temple in Heaven was
opened, and within His Temple was
seen the Ark of his covenant. And
there came flashes of lightning,
rumblings, peals of thunder, an
earthquake and a great
hailstorm.” (Revelation
11:19) At that time, God will
demonstrate the supreme authority
of His holy law that the wicked
have trampled upon. God will
reveal the ark and its contents,
the Ten Commandments, with a
dazzling display of power and
glory because the Ten
Commandments are the legal basis
to condemn the wicked. God’s
vengeance is always fair, just
and legal. Before He inflicts the
seven last plagues upon the
wicked of the world, God will
reveal the basis of His justice.
(Revelation 15:1; Revelation 16)
The Mercy
Seat
The golden lid on
the ark was also called the
atonement cover or mercy seat
(KJV). When the high priest
entered the Most Holy Place on
the Day of Atonement, he
sprinkled blood on this part of
the ark to illustrate atonement
for a broken law. (Leviticus
16:14) “The wages of sin is
death.” (Romans 6:23) Notice
that Paul also writes: “In
fact, the law requires that
nearly everything be cleansed
with blood, and without the
shedding of blood there is no
forgiveness.” (Hebrews 9:22)
So, blood was sprinkled on the
broken law because the law had
been defiled by sin. (Romans
3:23)
Divine
Love
The Ark of the
Covenant represents the character
of god in an interesting way. The
Ten Commandments represent
justice and the atonement cover
or “mercy seat” above
the law represents grace. The
balance between God’s
justice and God’s mercy is
defined as divine love. This is
why John says, “God is
love.” (1 John 4:8) God
placed the ark of the Testimony
in the Most Holy Place because
His character and government are
the most important things He
owns. (Leviticus 11:44,45) He
will not allow anyone to bring
reproach upon His holy name
without a response. (Exodus 20:7)
“For I am a great King, says
the Lord Almighty, ‘and my
name is to be feared among the
nations.’” (Malachi
1:14)
The Laver
“Make a
bronze basin, with its bronze
stand, for washing. Place it
between the Tent of Meeting and
the alter, and put water in it.
Aaron and his sons are to wash
their hands and feet with water
from it. Whenever they enter the
Tent of Meeting, they shall wash
with water so that they will not
die. In addition, when they
approach the alter to minister by
presenting an offering made to
the Lord by fire; they shall wash
their hands and feet so that they
will not die. This is a lasting
ordinance for Aaron and his
descendants for the generations
to come.” (Exodus 30:18-21)
The bronze basin
(NIV) or laver (KJV) has
practical and spiritual lessons
associated with it. In practice,
the previous text reveals that
God required a state of physical
purity, orderliness and
cleanliness among those that
served in the temple. The ever
present “desert dust”
soiled the hands and feet of the
priests who served in the temple
and God required them to wash
before entering the tabernacle
(tent of meeting) so they were
clean. Spiritually speaking, the
application of water on the hands
and feet reveal man’s
perpetual need to be “made
clean” of sin from time to
time. Sin (like desert dust)
defiles our hands and feet and
we, like the priests in the
desert, need to be made clean!
Notice the words
of Jesus to Nicodemus,
“Jesus answered, “I
tell you the truth, no one can
enter the kingdom of God unless
he is born of water and the
Spirit.’” (John 3:5)
Some people misinterpret this
verse to make it say that a
person must be baptized in order
to be saved. This is not the
case. The thief on the cross was
not baptized in order to be
saved, nor does salvation come
through rites, rituals sacraments
or works. (Ephesians 2:8,9)
Instead, a willing baptism
confirms submission to the
purifying experience of
God’s sanctification.
Christians need to be
“cleansed” from time to
time as they travel along the
road of life. Baptism marks the
beginning of a purifying
experience. At the Jordan River,
John baptized people into the
kingdom of Heaven after they
repented from their sins. (Acts
19:4) Washing one another’s
feet as our Lord commanded serves
as a “miniature
baptism,” representing the
fact that we need our sins to be
washed away from time to time.
The ordinance of foot washing
reminds us who we are, servants
– not masters. (See John
13:6-8.) It is so easy to
forget that our righteousness is
as “filthy rags” in
God’s sight. (Isaiah 64:6)
God requires physical and
spiritual cleanliness. The laver
teaches God does accept sinners
for what we are, but He requires,
as a minimum, that we clean up
before we approach Him. If this
is true in the physical realm,
what can be said of the
spiritual? The Psalmist wrote,
“Who many ascend the hill of
the Lord? Who may stand in his
holy place? He who has clean
hands and a pure heart, who does
not lift up his soul to an idol
or swear by what is false.”
(Psalms 24:3,4) No doubt this
text is the basis for the adage:
“Cleanliness is next to
Godliness.” Before we leave
the matter of priests cleansing
their hands and feet at the
laver, consider the implication
of this verse concerning those
who will occupy mansions in the
New Jerusalem: “Nothing
impure will ever enter it, nor
anyone who does what is shameful
or deceitful, but only those
whose names are written in the
Lamb’s book of life.”
(Revelation 21:27)
The Golden
Lampstand
“Make a
lampstand of pure gold and hammer
it out, base and shaft; its
flower-like cups, buds and
blossoms shall be of one piece
with it…See that you make
them according to the pattern
shown you on the mountain.”
(Exodus 25:31,40) The golden
lampstand was made of one talent
of pure gold (about 66 pounds)
and it had seven lamps on top of
it. It was placed next to the
south wall of the Holy Place,
directly across the room from the
Table of Presence. (Exodus
25:37,39; 26:35) Jesus reminded
the Jews, “You are the light
of the world.” (Matthew
5:14; Acts 13:47) God wanted a
special relationship with the
trustees of His covenant (Exodus
19:1-6) and the golden lampstand
represented the union of the
human with the divine.
The lampstand was
made of pure gold. Gold is often
used to represent faith after it
has been purified by trial and
tribulation. (Revelation 3:18)
The purpose of a lampstand is
light and this was the spiritual
purpose for Israel. Israel was
chosen to be a “light to the
world,” to represent
God’s love for man. God
required the priests to refuel
the seven lamps daily with pure
olive oil so the seven lights on
the lampstand would burn
continually through the night.
(Leviticus 24:3) The oil
represents the power of the Holy
Spirit that enables the light of
God’s truth to burn
continually until the darkness of
sin has been finally removed. The
responsibility for keeping the
lights burning rested on the
priest of Israel. If they became
negligent or careless, darkness
would overtake God’s people.
Just as God held the priests
accountable for keeping the
“lights on” on the
temple, they were also
responsible for carrying the
“light of truth” to His
people. The priests were
“the keepers of the
flame.” Unfortunately,
Israel’s priests failed and
Israel apostatized many times.
History also confirms that,
“As priests go, so go the
people.” In fact, much of
today’s social rot continues
to escalate because of the poor
leadership of pastors, priests
and rabbis.
The Table
of the Presence
“Make a table
of acacia wood – two cubits
long [44 inches], a cubit wide
[22 inches] and a cubit and a
half high [33 inches]. Overlay it
with pure gold and make a gold
molding around it…And make
the plates and dishes of pure
gold, as well as the pitchers and
bowls for the pouring out of
offerings. Put the bread of the
Presence on the table to be
before me at all times.”(See
Exodus 25:23-30, insertions
mine.) This table represents the
throne of God. All blessing flow
from His throne. The idea that
the Table of the Presence
represents God’s throne may
surprise you, since in the earthy
tabernacle, the focus is always
directed toward the
“hidden” Ark of the
Covenant located in the Most Holy
Place. The Shekinah glory lived
within the Most Holy Place, so
the second room in the Earthy
tabernacle was holier than the
first room. The veil obscured the
Most Holy Place from the view of
everyone but the high priest,
indicating its extreme
sacredness. These physical facts
have led many people to conclude
that the Ark of the Covenant must
represent the throne of God. Here
are three reasons why I believe
the Table of the Presence
represents the throne of God:
Reason # 1 –
Name
“Put the
bread of the Presence [shewbread,
KJV] on this table to be before
me at all times.” (Exodus
25:30) The table received its
name from the twelve loaves of
bread that were placed on it each
Sabbath morning. (Leviticus 24:8)
The priests baked the loaves on
it each Sabbath morning and
placed them on the table while
they were still hot. (1 Samuel
21:3-6) At first, this practice
seems contradictory to the
instructions God gave Israel in
regards to appropriate Sabbath
behavior when He forbade them to
cook and bake on the Sabbath.
(Exodus 16:23) However, this
bread was “special.”
The twelve loaves represent
“a serving of the bread of
life” for each tribe. Jesus
is the bread of life. (John 6:48)
The fresh bread represented a
spiritual meal for the twelve
tribes from God rather than an
offering from the twelve tribes
to God. Putting “hot fresh
bread” on the table each
Sabbath morning was a shadow of
the responsibility given to the
priests. They were to offer
“freshly prepared”
spiritual food from God’s
Word every Sabbath morning.
(Matthew 12:5; Luke 4:16) The
Hebrew words lechem
(Strong’s: #3899) and paneh
(Strong’s: #6440) mean
visible food, having presence,
within sight or showing. KJV
translators indicate the bread
was clearly visible – as in
“the bread is showing.”
Thus they gave it the name
“Table of Showbread”
(Exodus 25:30). The presentation
of spiritual food on Sabbath
morning through “freshly
prepared” words of life is
the primary meaning of the twelve
loaves of fresh
“showbread.” It is
interesting to me that Jesus fed
great multitudes twice with
loaves and fishes. When the first
multitudes of over 5,000 people
were fed, Jesus used 5 loaves.
(Matthew 14:19) When the second
multitude of over 4,000 people
was fed, Jesus used seven loaves.
(Matthew 15:36) In all, Jesus fed
Israel with twelve loaves of
bread.
Twelve loaves of
bread (along with other items),
one loaf for each of the twelve
tribes, were placed on the Table
of the Presence for the priests
to consume at regular intervals.
The table also had cups, bowls
and pitchers. (Exodus 37:16) When
a person looks at the Table of
Showbread in terms of the
utensils and the food placed upon
it, it became obvious that this
Table represents “A
King’s table.” The
priests were invited to eat from
the King’s table because
they were highly honored to serve
in His earthy temple. Eating from
the King’s was not only a
great honor, but also it also
showed intimacy with the King. It
was common for Kings in ancient
times to honor special friends by
inviting them to eat at their
table for as long as they lived!
(2 Samuel 9:7) Even the wicked
Jezebel knew the value of good
cooking! She controlled
Baal’s prophets by feeding
them well at her table. (1 Kings
18:19) It would not surprise me
to learn that Jezebel coined the
phrase, “A way to a
man’s heart is through his
stomach.”
Jesus told His
disciples, “And I confer on
you a kingdom, just as my Father
conferred one on me, so that you
may eat and drink at my table in
my kingdom and sit on thrones,
judging the twelve tribes of
Israel.” (Luke 22: 29,30)
So, the Table of the Presence in
the earthy temple is associated
with special privileges granted
to priests. It is associated with
Jesus as the Bread of Life (John
6:35) who has come down from
Heaven. The Table of the Presence
reflects the source of these
blessings because the Bread of
Life was served to the people
each Sabbath from the table.
Reason # 2 –
Location
The Table of the
Presence was located on the north
side of the tabernacle. In
ancient times, the direction of
“north” was regarded as
the direction of divine
residence, divine judgment or
divine authority. Divine
destruction and /or judgments
always came from the north.
Notice these five examples
(Italics mine.):
Isaiah 41:25
I have stirred up one from the
north, and he comes – one
from the rising sun who calls on
my name. He treads on rulers as
if they were mortar, as if he
were a potter treading the clay.
Jeremiah 1:14
The Lord said to me, “From
the north disaster will be poured
out on all who live in the
land.”
Jeremiah 4:6
Raise the signal to go to Zion!
Flee for safety without delay!
For I am bringing disaster from
the north, even terrible
destruction.
Jeremiah 46:20
Egypt is a beautiful heifer, but
a gadfly is coming against her
from the north.
Jeremiah 50:9
For I will stir up and bring
against Babylon an alliance of
great nations from the land of
the north. They will take up
their positions against her, and
from the north she will be
captured. Their arrows will be
like skilled warriors who do not
return empty-handed.
Now, notice the
location of the Table of the
Presence: “Place the table
outside the curtain on the north
side of the tabernacle and put
the lampstand opposite it on the
side of the south side.”
(Exodus 26:35) No matter where
Israel moved the earthy
tabernacle, the Table of the
Presence always sat on the north
side. Look closely at the
following text to see what the
north side of the temple
suggests: “How art thou
fallen from heaven, O Lucifer,
son of the morning! How art thou
cut down to the ground, which
didst weaken the nations! For
thou hadst said in thine heart, I
will ascend into heaven, I will
exalt my throne above the stars
of God: I will sit also upon the
mount of the congregation, in the
sides of the north: I will ascend
above the heights of the clouds;
I will be like the most
High.” (Isaiah 14: 12-14,
KJV) Lucifer conspired to place
his throne “in the sides of
the north” because this is
the location of God’s
throne. He wants the adoration
that God alone deserves. The
following text underscores the
importance of the “north
side” of Jerusalem:
“Beautiful for situation,
the joy of the whole Earth, is
mount Zion, on the sides of the
north, the city of a great
King.” (Psalms 48:2, KJV)
The Psalmist describes the
location of God’s throne as
being “on the sides of the
north.” These verses suggest
the north side of the temple is
where the throne of God is
located. Since the Table of the
Presence was located on the north
side of the temple, it is
reasonable to say the Table of
the Presence represents the
throne of God. But, there is one
final reason that brings the
question to a close.
Reason # 3 –
The Seat of Christ
Remember that the
Ark of the Covenant represents
the character of God. The ark
symbolizes the divine balance
between justice and mercy.
Because God is consistent and
reasonable, it is possible that
He can be understood to some
extent by finite minds. God is
thoughtful and purposeful in
everything He does. God designed
the earthy tabernacle to teach
men and women about Himself
without resorting to an
overpowering spectacle. The
vastness of god’s beauty is
always below the surface. The
tent of the Meeting was covered
with common black sealskins.
(Exodus 36:19) In other words,
God could have “wowed”
the Israelites with a Sinai
cathedral dwarfing the tombs and
pyramids of Egypt. He could
ensconce Himself in some lofty
and glorious grandeur that would
have utterly embarrassed Pharaoh
and the Philistines. He could
have intimidated the Israelites
into submission each week by
showing great displays of power,
miracles, sign and wonders from
the mountain. On several
occasions, God did perform
marvelous miracles on behalf of
Israel, but He does not want to
be worshipped because He happens
to be the greatest King in the
entire Universe who has great
authority and owns everything.
(Psalms 95:3; Malachi 1:14) No,
God desires His children to
worship for different reasons. He
desires our worship because a
loving relationship between the
Creator and the created is the
only way to the fullness of life
that He designed for us. Last,
God desires our worship because
the more we exalt Him the more we
become like Him. The more we
understand His character, the
more we can appreciate His ways
and government.
God seeks our
worship, but it is for our good,
not His. God will not force
Himself on one creature because
He is love. Jesus’ life is
an excellent example of this
point. He could have chosen any
high-ranking, wealthy parents on
Earth, but He chose to live and
look like a common person. To
God, our understanding of His
character, ways and government
are of greater value than
beholding His glory. The bible
says of Jesus, “He grew up
before him [the Father] like a
tender shoot, and like a root out
of dry ground. He had no beauty
or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we
should desire him. He was
despised and rejected by men, a
man of sorrows, and familiar with
suffering. Like one from whom men
hide their faces he was despised,
and we esteemed him not.”
(Isaiah 53:2,3, insertion mine.)
When Jesus
returned to Heaven, He was seated
at the right hand of the Father.
(Hebrews 8:1-5) If the Table of
Presence represents God’s
throne, then the physical
location of Jesus (at the right
hand of the Father) puts Him
between the Ark of the Covenant
and the Father – the perfect
place for an intercessor!
Consider the work of Jesus: He
sits on His throne upholding the
righteousness of God’s
government (to His right); He
sits on His throne exonerating
the righteousness of the Father
(to His left) and while in this
middle position He is man’s
representative before
Heaven’s watching host! What
a High Priest!
During the days of
the earthy tabernacle, the Ark of
the Covenant in the Most Holy
Place was the focus of worship.
The Shekinah glory hid behind the
veil in the Most Holy Place
because God wanted mankind to
focus on the principles of His
government of love and the
righteous ways more than His
veiled glory. Still, the evidence
indicates that the banquet Table
of the Presence was the source of
the Bread of Life. In addition,
the Table of the Presence was
always physically located on the
north side of the temple. The
Table of the Presence symbolizes
the throne where His presence is
located. If these
conclusions are true, then the
physical location of Jesus at the
right hand of the Father makes a
great deal of sense. Jesus sits
where you would expect a mediator
to sit, between God the Father
and the Ark of the Covenant.
Summary –
Temple Furniture
We have briefly
examined the purpose of each item
in the earthy temple and how it
parallels a corresponding item in
Heaven’s temple. Much more
could be written on this topic,
so much more, that it could fill
many books. We know that God is
thoughtful and deliberate in all
that He does and the parallels
between the earthy and the
heavenly temple are no exception.
The essential purpose for
understanding the earthy
tabernacle today is twofold.
First, the services of the earthy
temple provide a backdrop against
which we can test our ideas and
understanding of the Plan of
Salvation. Second, parallel
operations between the earthy
temple and the heavenly temple
explain a number of processes and
events that take place in the
book of Revelation. The ways of
God in redeeming man are revealed
in His temple. We have covered a
lot of information, so perhaps a
brief summary about temple
furniture will be helpful.
1.
Services at the Alter of Burnt
Offering pointed forward to the
death of Jesus as man’s
perfect substitute.
2.
Daily services at the Alter of
Incense pointed backward to the
day intercession by Jesus began
for sinful man. The covenant
Jesus made with the Father to
save man currently stands between
the wrath of God and a condemned
world.
3.
The Ark of the Covenant
represents the government of God.
The wonderful balance between
justice and mercy is called
divine love.
4.
The Laver illustrates the
spiritual cleansing that man
regularly needs.
5.
The Lampstand represents the
agents or trustees of God’s
salvation who are to let their
light shine before others for the
glory of God.
6.
The Table of the Presence, on the
north side of the temple,
represents the throne of God.
7.
The Heaven-Earth-Linkage-Law
indicates that earthy tabernacle
services and processes are
parallels of heavenly tabernacle
services and processes.
Memory Verse:
“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)
Quiz:
1.
After reading this lesson, what
are Heaven’s Temple two
major functions?
2.
God is concerned with levels of
sin: ___________ and
_____________sin.
3.
What is the only sin that cannot
be forgiven?
4.
What is God’s vengeance?
5.
Can sinners be forgiven?
What process does God take with
the sin of sinners who have asked
for His forgiveness?
6.
What is the purpose of
restitution in God’s
government?
7.
Explain what is defiant sin is.
Can God forgive this sin?
Notes:
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