So … why is this Sanctuary important? Why is the Temple important?
An Orthodox Jew may build all the Temples he wishes in modern-day Jerusalem and he has that right and privilege, but the Christian will not support it because it denies the validity of Christ’s sacrifice. Jerusalem will prosper and I’m very glad for it. All one needs to do is read Jeremiah and other prophecies concerning the returning of the Jews and expansion and growth of the “Holy Land” in modern times.
Now, back to the point. To address my friend’s concerns I need to retrace a little.
[Ref: Revelation, Ch. 11]
During the 1,260 years (42 months) the two witnesses, the old and new testaments; also called the two lampstands; also called the two olive trees, laid dead (dormant) as the Beast raged against them.
After 3 1/2 days (symbolic of the 1,260 years), the breath of life reentered them and they stood on their feet – alive once again! They were taken up to heaven (symbolic). Where is the most reliable place to find preaching of the gospel now? The airwaves, satellites, television, the Internet, etc. The gospel is reaching the ends of the earth, into every home, every place – slowly preparing for the end.
[Note: the etymology of the word “heaven” used in Ch. 11 is;
ουqρανός
ouranos
oo-ran-os' … meaning sky. There are 3 different “heavens” spoken of in the Bible. “Heaven” the sky where the birds fly, “Heaven” where the stars and planets are, and “Heaven” where God lives. Just so ya know, the idea of a multi-level heaven and hell are pagan concepts – the Bible does not endorse such thinking.]
Many died in earthquakes during this period. For additional reading, see here.
Sprinkled throughout the New Testament (1 Peter 1:4; Luke 23:43; John 14:1-3; Hebrews 12:22; Rev. 21:2, 20:9, 22:17) references are made to the New Jerusalem, on being there with Jesus, in heaven for a thousand years, returning to earth and that ultimately their will be no Temple – because Jesus is our Temple!
[Read all of Revelation, Chapter 21]
Now, let’s get back to where I left off:
Rev 10:9 So I went to the angel and said to him, "Give me the little book." And he said to me, "Take and eat it; and it will make your stomach bitter, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth."
Rev 10:10 Then I took the little book out of the angel's hand and ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. But when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter.
Rev 10:11 And he said to me, "You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings."
[Revelation, Chapter 11, Jesus restates the history to John]
Rev 11:1 Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood, saying, "Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there.
[Measuring: a passing of judgment to see who is worthy and who is not. The “Standard”, BTW, are the Commandments of God. His love is expressed within these 10 Commandments and our behavior is measured according to them. This use of symbolism with the Temple is a “measuring” of God’s people who make up the spiritual Temple – Christ being the cornerstone – the Temple; also called the Body of Christ. Question: was the Temple historically located in Jerusalem at this point in history"? No, of course not!]
Rev 11:2 But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months.
[The Gentiles, symbolic of the false church, did indeed trample “the city” (with God’s spiritual Temple) for 1,260 years]
Rev 11:3 And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth."
Rev 11:4 These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the God of the earth.
Now, what happened in the Old Testament after the “measuring” of the Jewish people occurred and Atonement was made?
The Sanctuary had to be cleansed!
Now, the heavenly Sanctuary has to be cleaned.
Rev 11:19 Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple. And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail.
Christ could not come yet, however, because the whole world, “peoples, and nations and tongues, and kings” must be given an opportunity to realize that now, in the courts of heaven, we have a faithful high priest (Hebrews 8:1); that He is, “a minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man” (Hebrews 8:2); that He died for our sins on Calvary’s cruel cross to purchase forgiveness for all; that He stands now as our “Advocate” in the courts of heaven with the power of His blood to cleanse the sins of the “whole world” (1 John 2:1,2).
[BTW, all due respect, admiration, and appreciation given to Pastor Doug Bachelor for the above quote!]
Wow! Did ya get all that? Folks! I don’t know how much clearer it can be! The desire for a new man-made Temple in Jerusalem to reinstate the Old Testament sacrifices SHOULD BE ANATHEMA to a Christian!
If you still don’t believe Christ has replaced the old Sanctuary/Temple, look at this:
First, a diagram of the old sanctuary:
Please notice how the “Most Holy Place” is located on the West side of the Tabernacle. Ancient Israelites would kneel, facing the West (the Ark). What do some Christians do on Easter morning? Why, they kneel and face the East – the rising sun. It’s called sun worship! You know, like celebrating the Sabbath on Sunday.
Eze 8:12 Then He said to me, "Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the room of his idols? For they say, 'The LORD does not see us, the LORD has forsaken the land.' "
Eze 8:13 And He said to me, "Turn again, and you will see greater abominations that they are doing."
Eze 8:14 So He brought me to the door of the north gate of the LORD's house; and to my dismay, women were sitting there weeping for Tammuz. [Tammuz is a sun god]
Eze 8:15 Then He said to me, "Have you seen this, O son of man? Turn again, you will see greater abominations than these."
Eze 8:16 So He brought me into the inner court of the LORD's house; and there, at the door of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men with their backs toward the temple of the LORD and their faces toward the east, and they were worshiping the sun toward the east.
Eze 8:17 And He said to me, "Have you seen this, O son of man? Is it a trivial thing to the house of Judah to commit the abominations which they commit here? For they have filled the land with violence; then they have returned to provoke Me to anger. Indeed they put the branch to their nose.
Eze 8:18 Therefore I also will act in fury. My eye will not spare nor will I have pity; and though they cry in My ears with a loud voice, I will not hear them."
Now, keep the diagram of the Sanctuary available somehow and read the following concerning Jesus’ relation to it:
I would have placed it all here on the blog but I’m getting too long already.
Folks, I apologize for leaving so much out, but as you probably already know, this subject is humongous!
As you can see from Scripture, one does not need a physical Temple, we have one already in Jesus Christ. When the end time Anti-Christ "stands in the Most Holy place" (spiritually) he will be claiming to be Jesus returned, claiming to be our Most High priest, he will declare LAW to establish WORSHIP according to his desires - Sunday Worship! The Anti-Christ will be the ABOMINATION! Christians are already "primed" for this deceit.
[Which day of the week do most Christians already call, "the Lord's Day"? Why Sunday, of course! What day does the New Testament say is the "Lord's Day"? Why, Saturday, of course! - Matt. 12:8, Mark 2:28, Luke 6:5]
People will be fooled! The false Christ will perform "miracles". Every person still alive on earth must decide if he will follow the true Word of God, or follow this Satan possessed man who very convincingly appears to be CHRIST on earth.
[Did Ya Know Hint: At the Second Advent and according to the Bible, Christ's feet don't even touch the ground, every eye shall see him (all at once, coming to earth in His glory), and the whole planet is destroyed!]
I recommend two sources for further study:
Unlocking Revelation Study Guides
Revelation of Jesus Christ: Commentary
Oh my! I almost forgot! I was going to tell you when the "wound was healed" and the "whole world marvelled at the Beast". In 1929 Benito Mussolini, the Fascist, enacted his "executive order", the Concordat of 1929, which gave the RCC back all the properties it had lost with Napolean. A new Pope was actually declared "King" and given sovereign authority over what is now known as Vatican City. Most all the countries on earth have an Ambassador to the "City" and only last year, the European Union almost passed legislation to set aside Sunday as a legal day of rest in the E.U. The RCC will eventually succeed and America will follow suit. America has an Ambassador to Vatican City and our State Department regularly refers to the Pope as; "The Holy Father" and "The Holy See"!
... you didn't realize we had an official Federal religion did you? It's Roman Catholicism.
The Observer
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