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Five Essential Bible
Truths – Part 5
The Temple of God
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Introduction
Have you ever considered
that the events that mark the end of the world
synchronize with special services in God’s
Heavenly Temple? The end of the world is not a
random sequence of calamities caused by man. On
the contrary, the Bible declares that God
strategically controls the events leading to the
end of the world. (Isaiah 45: 7-12) The
apocalyptic books of Daniel and Revelation
outline a very clear, orderly progression of divine
commands originating in Heaven’s Temple.
Angels dispatched to earth implement the commands
that culminate in Earth’s complete, fiery
destruction. Therefore, understanding the process
that will soon conclude in Heaven’s Temple
should be of utmost importance for those who are
waiting and watching for God’s salvation.
Of all the concepts in
the Bible, God’s Temple is the most
profound, intricate, sublime and beautiful. It
ties all Bible themes together as nothing else
can. Yet, today, most Christians have never
considered this topic, nor have thy enjoyed the
vast insights it reveals regarding God’s
ways. No doubt, this was the topic that captured
the heart and mind of the 12 year-old boy, Jesus,
many years ago as He stood in the temple in
Jerusalem. (Luke 2:43-47) His understanding of
the temple services was so comprehensive that He
astonished the priests who served there.
The
Heaven Earth Linkage Law
There is a direct
correlation between events in Heaven and events
on Earth. These events are described in
apocalyptic prophecy. The concept is simple:
Since the human race cannot see the Heavenly
Temple, the Father has linked events in Heaven
with the events on Earth so that His people may
know His timely movements in Heaven. This
principle is summarized by the acronym, H.E.L.L.,
the Heaven Earth Linkage Law. (This one acronym
should be easy to remember.) For example, when
each of the seven trumpets sound in Heaven, a
corresponding event occurs on Earth. The same
principle applies to the seven bowls (plagues).
When the seven angels receive each of the seven
bowls in Heaven’s Temple, a corresponding
event occurs on Earth. This synchronism will help
us determine our chronological position within
God’s strategic plan by simply observing
Earthy events. In the days to come, a great
number of meteoric showers of burning hail will
ignite thousands of forest fires all around the
world. When we see this, we will know the first
trumpet has sounded in Heaven! (Revelation 8:7)
Event
in Heaven – Event on Earth
The Bible clearly
demonstrates that Earthy events are linked with
Heavenly events. Notice this text: “While
I was thinking about the horns, there before me
was another horn, a little one, which came up
among them; and three of the first horns were
uprooted before it. This horn had eyes of a man
and a mouth that spoke boastfully. As I looked,
“thrones were set in place, and the ancient
of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white
as snow; the hair of his head was white like
wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its
wheels were all ablaze. A river of fire was
flowing, coming out from before him. Thousands
upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times
ten thousand stood before him. The court was
seated, and the books were opened…As I
watched, this horn was waging war against the
saints and defeating them, until the Ancient of
Days came and pronounced judgment in favor of the
saints of the Most High, and the time came when
they possessed the kingdom… He [the horn]
will speak against the Most High and oppress his
saints and try to change the set times and the
laws. The saints will be handed over to him for a
time, times and a half of time.” (Daniel
7:8-10, 21, 22, 25)
Daniel 7 describes four
beasts that rise out of the sea: A lion, bear,
leopard and a terrible monster. Daniel was told: “The
four great beasts are four kingdoms that will
rise from the earth.” (Daniel 7:17) The
lion represents the ancient kingdom of Babylon,
the bear represents the kingdom of Medo-Persia,
the leopard represents the third kingdom of
Grecia and the terrible monster represents Rome.
According to prophecy, the homogenous empire of
Rome would eventually be divided into ten smaller
kingdoms, the ten horns of Daniel 7:24. Then, a
new horn, little at first, would rise up and
become powerful, uprooting three of the original
ten horns. Daniel predicted this last horn would
gain dominion over the seven remaining horns.
Further, this same little horn would wage war
against the saints for a time, times and half a
time. These and other specifications can only
point to one organization that grew out of
ancient Rome. That organization was known as the
Roman Christian Church and today is called the
Roman Catholic Church.
According to Daniel
7:21, the little horn would wage war against the
saints until the Ancient of days took his
seat and pronounced judgment in favor of the
saints. This means the ancient of days issued a
restraining order (a judgment) against the
actions of the little horn on Earth. Then the war
against the saints ended. This sequence of events
helps to demonstrate the importance of the
Heaven/Earth Linkage Law. Since no human can
observe this Heavenly courtroom scene-taking
place, we must watch for predicted events on
Earth to know where we are in Heaven’s order
of events! Let us see what happened on Earth that
coincided with this Heavenly courtroom scene.
In February 1798,
Napoleon sent his generals, Berthier and Waller,
into the Vatican City and took the pope prisoner.
Napoleon’s “official” action broke
the dominion of the Roman Church. Historical
records may cite various “human’
reasons for Napoleon’s triumph over the
church of Rome, but the papacy’s fall was
not a matter of human prowess. God allowed the
Roman Church to have its authority for 1,260
years, and at the right moment, that power was
removed. Napoleon’s ability to inflict a
deadly wound upon the papacy came from “On
High.” Thus, because a definite link exists
between the events in Heaven with events on
Earth, we know that the Father took His seat and
pronounced judgment in favor of the saints in
1798.
The
Temple of God
The term, “The
Temple of God” generally refers to the
dwelling place or throne of God. King David
indicated the throne of God is in His Temple. “The
Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord is on his
heavenly throne. He observes the sons of men; his
eyes examine them.” (Psalms 11:4 David
also says: “Clouds and thick darkness
surround him; righteousness and justice are the
foundation of his throne.” (Psalms 97:2)
Isaiah also saw the throne of God in His Temple: “In
the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord
seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the
train of his robe filled the temple.” (Isaiah
6:1)
It is interesting to note
that God’s throne is moveable. Ezekiel saw
four living creatures transporting the throne.
(See Ezekiel 1 and 10.) Daniel saw a great
courtroom scene in Heaven in which thrones were
arranged in a special order. The Ancient of Days
(the Father) came and took His seat to oversee a
special event. (Daniel 7: 9,10) This point
illustrates that God’s Temple is not a
building per se, for what pavilion can
contain the Almighty. The Temple of God could be
considered a “campsite” setting rather
than a “building” located at one street
address. The Bible describes the absence of a
temple “address” in the earth made new:
“I did not see a temple in the city [New
Jerusalem], because the Lord God Almighty and
the Lamb are its temple.” (Revelation
21:22) No doubt, John considered it strange that
there was no Temple in the New Jerusalem, for in
his day the earthy temple and its activities were
the focus of Judaism, both geographically and
intellectually.
The absence of a Heavenly
Temple throughout eternity indicates that even
though the purpose of the Heavenly court scene
described in Daniel 7:9,10 is highly important,
it is nevertheless, temporary. However, the
throne of God will endure forever. Remember,
God’s Temple is not a building; it is a
temporary site He establishes by His Presence.
Consider this: The Earthy tabernacle that Moses
built was not intended to be a physical
description of what Heaven or God’s throne
is like. Instead, Moses’ Earthy tabernacle
reveals the issues and processes that God
addresses for man’s redemption.
Linkage
Between the Temples
Notice the linkage
between the earthy tabernacle and the Heavenly
Temple in Hebrews 8: 1-5 “The point of
what we are saying is this: We do have 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. Every high
priest is appointed to offer gifts and
sacrifices, and so it was necessary for this one
also to have something to offer. If we were on
Earth, he would not be a priest, for there are
already men who offer the gifts prescribed by the
law. They serve at a sanctuary that is
a copy and shadow of what is in heaven.
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.”
These five verses confirm
that (1) The earthy sanctuary Moses built was a
copy or shadow of what occurs in Heaven, (2)
Jesus serves in the true (real) tabernacle in
Heaven, and (3) Moses was warned to carefully
follow the pattern God gave him. The Earthy
sanctuary was to be an important teaching tool,
revealing the parallels between the copy (The
Earthy temple) and the true (the Heavenly
Temple). This text describes the relationship
between the two temples: “For Christ did
not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only
a copy of the true one; he entered
Heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s
presence.” (Hebrews 9:24)
The essential purpose for
a parallel between the earthy and Heavenly
temples is to reveal the issues involved
with law, sin, penalty and grace, as well as
God’s orderly process to redeem man. In
1798, God convened a special court session in
Heaven to deal with man’s salvation and
several Earthy tabernacle services point to this
special court. This special court setting and
this segment in the PLAN of salvation being
implemented there are both temporary. Also
remember, the PLAN of salvation has a beginning
point in time and an ending point in time.
Even though God prepared the PLAN before any
creatures were made, the PLAN is only effectual
during the existence of sin – and this PLAN
will be studied and reviewed throughout eternity.
What
does John say about Heaven’s Temple?
For reasons beyond the
scope of this article, the prophet John was
zoomed forward in time to view the
“campsite” as it would appear around
1798. (Revelation 4-6) John saw the brilliant
glory of God’s throne and saw the same four
living creatures that Ezekiel did. John, like
Daniel, saw myriads of angels gathering around
God’s throne. John, however, mentions that
he saw 24 elders, each sitting on a throne,
arranged around God’s throne. John also
mentions several pieces of temple furniture. This
is very important because descriptions of the
Earthy tabernacle include similar furniture! If
we understand the function of the Earthy
furniture, we should be able to learn the purpose
of the Heavenly furniture. John saw seven golden
Lamps stands (Revelation 1:12-20; Exodus 25:
31-37), the Alter of Incense (Revelation 8:3;
Exodus 30:1-6), the Alter of Burnt Offering
(Revelation 6:9; Exodus 29:12) and the Ark of the
Covenant (Revelation 11:19). John does not
directly mention the Table of the Presence
(Shewbread) or the Laver.
Even though there are
many similarities, there are also important differences
between the earthy and the Heavenly tabernacle (a
direct parallel does not exist for every aspect).
For example, animal blood was routinely placed on
the horns of Earthy altars. Obviously, this does
not occur in Heaven. The annual feasts associated
with the Earthy tabernacle services have never
been celebrated in Heaven. Rather, annual feasts
and animal sacrifices that accompany them reveal
certain elements about God’s process to save
man. Obviously, the scale and structure of the
Earthy temple is different from the Heavenly
Temple since the Earthy wilderness tabernacle a
tiny tent structure, only 18 by 55 feet in
length. Moses did not build a tabernacle in the
likeness of Heaven’s Temple. Rather, Moses
followed the pattern that was given to him, and
the resulting construction reflects the details
of the pattern that Moses was shown. (Exodus
25:9)
The Earthy tabernacle was
a temporary teaching device, a shadow of reality.
Contrary to what many people believe, the Earthy
temple and its services held no efficacy then or
now. The sacrifices of animals and/or
accompanying rituals did not/cannot
provide atonement for sin. (Hebrews 10:4)
Instead, these services reveal the properties of
law, sin, penalty, grace and the orderly process
God follows to restore man. The ceremonial system
of laws God gave to Moses pointed toward the
issues God has to resolve. Sin’s presence in
God’s Universe introduced three problems for
Him. These problems will be resolved to every
creature’s satisfaction even though the
process takes thousands of years.
First, God must
demonstrate the righteousness of His government
to all His creatures. It is not sufficient for
God to declare His government righteous;
He must demonstrate that it is righteous.
(This is the one reason why God allowed Lucifer
and his angels to live after their expulsion from
Heaven.) Second, God must demonstrate that He is
a God of love and that He really does offer each
of His creatures the power of choice. He must
prove He does not manipulate His creatures
through omnipotence or omniscience. Last, God has
to reveal the lawful (fair) process that
determines that some creatures will be eternally
destroyed and other creatures restored and
granted eternal life. These three issues will be
resolved when sin is removed from God’s
Universe.
Practical
and Informative
The functions of the
earthy tabernacle consisted of three levels of
operation. First, there was the administration of
some of the practical aspects of the tabernacle
that included the livelihood of the ministers
– the Levites. Not only did the Levites eat
much of the meat that was roasted as sacrifices,
they also received produce from offerings people
gave to the Lord. In Addition, they received
wages from the contributions of gold and silver.
Second, the tabernacle was the center of
Israel’s economy. Issues like public health,
civil and social governance all centered in the
tabernacle. Originally, under God’s direct
leadership, Israel was to be a
“church/state,” but God modified that
plan when they rejected Him as their King. (1
Samuel 8:7) Last, the highest function for the
Earthy tabernacle was to reveal divine law, sin,
penalty, grace and salvation. This third level of
operation explains why god established a linkage
between the Earthy and Heavenly Temples. He wants
us to understand the properties, even the price
of our salvation.
The subject of God’s
temple is expansive (as the wonders of God always
are). It is not difficult to grasp the essential
lessons of the Earthy tabernacle and its
services. Wonderfully, God has placed the basic
issues of life and death just beneath the surface
of the Bible. Why does God put such important
information beneath the surface? He does it
simple to separate “surface readers”
from “Bible students.” There is a
significant difference between Bible reading and
Bible study. Six thousand years of recorded
history proves that God is very cautious about
revealing Himself. If He revealed too much at one
time, the truth would be more than we could bear.
(John 16:12; Daniel 10:7) If God were too
aggressive, His created beings would regard Him
as a cosmic bully. Instead, God chooses either to
cloak Himself in brilliant unapproachable light
or dense darkness. Truth can be obtained if a
person sincerely wants to see the wisdom of God
(John 16:13) and God only reveals His wonders to
people who seek diligently. God told Jeremiah, “You
will seek me and find me when you seek me with
all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13)
Heaven
and Earth Parallel is Necessary
Before we examine the
contents of the Earthy tabernacle – en route
to understanding the actual processes of the
Heavenly Temple – there are a few points
that need to be clarified so you can quickly
grasp why certain things are the way they are.
When studying this subject, it is important to
remember that a Heavenly Temple/Earthy temple
parallel is necessary because sin entered into
and affected both realms. The following series of
ten statements are basic concepts that will help
you see the perspective of salvation from
God’s point of
view:
1. When God created
Lucifer, he was perfect in every way. In time,
Lucifer became jealous of the archangel, Michael
(Jesus). Lucifer wanted to take Michael’s
place on the throne as the Archangel. The more
Lucifer brooded, the more determined he became.
To gather followers, he mounted a very
intelligent assault against God. The assault was
so effective that one-third of the angels
rebelled against God. Here are some issues that
Lucifer distorted to mislead the angels:
a. God is purposeful and deliberate in all He
does; however, sometimes it takes His
creatures several thousand years to understand
His actions. Therefore, during the interval
between creation and understanding, God’s
creatures must choose to “blindly”
trust that God’s actions are righteous (not
evil or harmful to existing creatures)
b. God is Sovereign King
of His universe. Heaven is not a democracy. God
declares
that He is
righteous. God claims that He does not use His
great powers of omnipresence (being everywhere
simultaneously), omnipotence (having the power to
do anything) or omniscience (knowing everything
about everything) to manipulate His creatures.
God claims that all creatures have the power of
choice. They can choose to serve Him or they can
choose to rebel. God claims to always act in the
best interest of His subjects.
c. God’s ways are
not the ways of His creatures. He is infinite,
but they are finite.
2. Lucifer distorted the
truth and cleverly misrepresented God’s
character and government, causing doubt to fill
the hearts of influential angels. Lucifer preyed
upon other angels in Heaven, asking questions
which seemed to have no solid answers at the
time. (Sometimes, God’s plans require 7,000
or more years to clearly understand – as in
the PLAN of salvation.) Using the advantage of
doubt against Michael, Lucifer eventually led
one-third of the angels to believe he was more
deserving of the position of archangel than
Michael. When the Father informed Lucifer that
Michael was a member of the Godhead, in the form
of an angel (Jesus), Lucifer and his angels
defiantly rebelled against God. This resulted in
Lucifer and his angels being cast out of Heaven.
3. God foreknew the
actions of Lucifer – even before Lucifer was
created. Foreknowing the rise of sin and the
allegations Lucifer would make against His
character and principles governing the universe,
God prerecorded the whole story of sin before
Lucifer or any angel was created. He wrote a book
called the Book of Life and perfectly sealed it
with seven seals so no creature could know the
contents until a specific, future moment in time
arrived.
4. Then Jesus created
Earth. He gave Adam and Eve access to the Tree of
Life that would keep them alive indefinitely.
They could sty in the Garden as long as they
believed and obeyed God. (Genesis 3:22-24) Jesus
placed them under the obligation of law on their
first day of life. Jesus commanded them not to
eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil
or they would die. (Genesis 2:16, 17)
5. Lucifer entered the
Garden and lied about God’s command. Eve
believed the devil’s lie and followed him in
rebelling against God. Before they rebelled, Adam
and Eve were naturally predisposed to live
righteously, believe and obey God. After they
sinned, they became prone, by nature, to
disbelieve and disobey God. Today, human beings
are born with a sinful nature in rebellion
against God. (Romans 8:7) The devil’s
greatest deception is to make people believe they
are in a “born again” state when in
reality; they remain in their “natural
state” of rebellion. (John 8:39) The devil
remains the Father of lies. (John 8:44)
6. Jesus warned Adam and
Eve they would be executed the day they ate the
fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.
However, Adam and Eve’s execution was stayed
because Jesus agreed to be executed in their
place. The covenant between the Son and the
Father (the Plan of salvation) offers release
from execution for those who put their faith in
Christ as their substitute. However, the stay of
execution for those in rebellion is not
indefinite. It will take place at the end of the
1,000-year millennium. (Revelation 20:14)
7. God implemented the
PLAN of salvation for Adam, Eve, and their
offspring because their sin was not in open
defiance of God. When Lucifer deceived
Eve, Adam’s love for Eve proved to be
stronger than his love for his Maker that
prompted his willful disobedience. Lucifer’s
rebellion, on the other hand, defiantly
challenged God and His principles of government.
8. The PLAN of salvation
stipulates the following:
- The
penalty for sin is death by execution.
- The
result of sin is death through
degeneration.
- Atonement
requires restitution.
Any
violation of law is sin.
- A
sinner’s execution can be
transferred to a perfect substitute
provided the guilty party submits to a
life of faith in the perfect substitute.
- The
essence of living by faith in Christ is a
GOBEDO attitude. This means a person is
willing to go, be and do all that God
requires.
- The
actions of every creature are accurately
recorded in Heaven’s book of deeds.
- The
judgment of mankind requires three
prerequisites: First, the judge must be
worthy to judge man. Second, the
substitute for man must be perfect;
otherwise, the substitute is condemned
for his own sins. Last, man is saved on
the basis of whether or not he or she
submitted to the authority of Christ in
faith.
- The
character of God must be fully exonerated
from having any selfish or evil traits.
9. At the end of the
1,000-year millennium, God will resurrect wicked
people for three reasons: First, God will reveal
to each rebellious person why he or she cannot be
saved. Second, He will review the PLAN of
salvation with each person and show him or her
everything He did to help him or her obtain
eternal life. At that moment, every knee will bow
before God admitting that He is fair and His
judgment righteous. (Isaiah 45:23-25) Last,
God’s law requires people to provide
restitution for any wrongs committed and any
unconfessed or unforgiven sins. The saints will
determine the amount of restitution justice
requires while they reign with Christ during the
1,000 years. The restitution will be accomplished
through suffering by fire. Some wicked people
will vanish quickly, while others will suffer for
days. Lucifer and his angels will perhaps, burn
for years.
10. Just before God
destroys the wicked with fire from Heaven, Jesus
breaks open the last seal on the Book of Life.
This final act will clear God’s Holy Name of
any wrongdoing. Of course, by the time the book
is opened, everyone (including Lucifer and His
angels) will have admitted that God is fair and
His judgment righteous. The opened Book of Life
will reveal and confirm to all created beings
that God knew from the beginning – even
before sin originated. The truth about three
things will be confirmed: First, God did not use
His foreknowledge to prevent sin. Thus, His
creatures do have the power of choice. Second,
God did not use His powers to manipulate the
choices of any creature. Every creature is in the
eternal condition that he or she chooses to be
in. Third, every creature, including Lucifer and
the angels that followed him, voluntarily agrees
that there is no evil in God
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