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Five Essential Bible
Truths – Part 5
The Temple of God
page of 5 of 6
: 1 : 2 : 3 : 4 : 5 : 6 :
The
observance of Passover and the Feast of
Unleavened Bread are inseparably joined together.
The Passover was celebrated on the 15th
day of the first month and the Feast of
Unleavened Bread began on the same day. The term
“feast” is somewhat misleading since
God required Israel to search and rid their homes
of all yeast and eat yeast free bread that was
“hard as a rock” for seven days. What
was God trying to illustrate with this
“feast?” The Hebrews knew that yeast
operates through the process of fermentation. A
little bit of yeast will “infect” the
whole batter. (1 Corinthians 5: 6-8) On the other
hand, pure bread has no yeast. God connected the
Passover service with the Feast of Unleavened
Bread because He wanted Israel to see the
connection between deliverance and purity of
heart. God’s goodness and grace do not
lessen His demand for a pure heart. (Revelation
21: 27; 22: 15) The Hebrews were to thoroughly
search their houses for yeast and remove any
trace of yeast before Passover began. This annual
feast was to remind them of their constant need
to be on guard against the yeast of sin in their
homes and lives. If this were true, how much more
so today? We, too, mush search our hearts often
and remove any known sin. The devil is master at
gradualism. Sin creeps in slowly, but steadily.
Sin will overtake an individual, as well as a
nation, if it is not firmly resisted. The history
of Israel (indeed, all nations) fully confirms
this point.
In the
Scriptures, yeast represents sin and is
demonstrated by the vain, foolish – even
fermented ideas of man. (Mark 8:15; Luke 12:1)
Men and women may try to excuse sin, justify sin,
defend sin, rename sin, promote sin, exalt sin or
extol the benefits of sin, but make no mistake
– sin is deadly! God hates sin and those who
love it! God forbade the Jews from presenting any
offerings to Him that contained yeast! (Exodus
23:18) Jesus warned the disciples, “…But
be on guard against the yeast of the Pharisees
and Sadducees.’ Then they understood that he
was not telling them to guard against the yeast
used in bread, but against the teaching of the
Pharisees and Sadducees.” (Matthew 16:
11-12) Today, we can see a parallel in the
following way: There are seven religious systems
in the world today. Each one is full of yeast.
The doctrines of the world’s religious
systems have fermented and are unacceptable to
God. In the last days, God is going to present
the pure bread of truth about Jesus and His
commandments. The gospel will be proclaimed and
every person on earth will have the opportunity
to choose life or reject the truth.
Revelation’s story indicates that many, if
not most, will reject the pure bread of life
because they love the yeast of sin.
One last
point. On the morning after the Passover (the
third day after the Passover lamb was killed) the
high priest presented the “firstfruits”
of the winter harvest before the Lord. (Leviticus
23:11) This presentation of firstfruits (wheat,
barley, oil and wine) pointed forward to the
presentation of Jesus before the Father as
perfect firstfruits of the harvest. (1
Corinthians 15:20; Luke 24:7) In other words,
Jesus was the Passover Lamb, slain for the sins
of the world. He was also the pure, unleavened
Bread of Life that came down from Heaven. (John
6:35) Further, Jesus took with Him, at the time
of His ascension, the firstfruits of their
Passover harvest. (Matthew 27: 52,53; Ephesians
4:8) The Bible also speaks of two more harvests
that presented firstfruits – one at
Pentecost and the one in the fall at the Feast of
Tabernacles.
The
Feast of Weeks (Pentecost)
“Count
off fifty days up to the day after the seventh
Sabbath, and then present an offering of new
grain to the Lord.” (Leviticus 23:16)
When the Passover week ended, the fist day of the
following week (Sunday) began the count for the
Feast of Weeks. The count continued through
seven, seventh-day Sabbaths. The day after the
seventh Sabbath was when the feast of Weeks was
celebrated. In Christ’s day, this feast was
known as Pentecost (from pente which means
fifty) because the feast was held 50 days after
the Passover week was completed. This one-day
feast was a celebration of the winter harvest
that was gathered in early Summer (June/July).
This
feast illustrates the work of the Holy Spirit in
the first phase of His ministry. (The second
phase will be described in the Feast of
Tabernacles.) The primary work of the Holy Spirit
is to soften and influence the human heart toward
spiritual matters. (1Corinthians 2:14) Unless a
person is Spirit born, they cannot enter the
kingdom of God. (John 3:5) The Feast of Weeks
(Pentecost) began with a presentation to the Lord
of the firstfruits from the late winter harvest.
This feast was to be a lesson illustrating how
God is able to bring life, even a bountiful
harvest, from the cold soil of human hearts. God
wanted the Jews to understand that men may work
the soil of the heart and plant seeds of truth,
but it is God’s Spirit that brings spiritual
life.
Acts 2
records a wonderful demonstration of the meaning
of this feast, which happened shortly after
Jesus, went to Heaven. The Holy Spirit descended
on the disciples of Jesus on Pentecost and 3,000
people were converted that day! (Acts 2:41) This
harvest came from the toil of Christ Himself. He
had traveled from village to village, healing the
sick, lame and blind. He had preached freedom to
the slaves of twisted religions and superstition,
and had penetrated the smokescreen of foolish
religious dogma with words of life. As a result,
3,000 people were baptized into Christ as the
firstfruits of the Gospel of Christ. (Matthew
7:29)
God’s
timing is always perfect and this was no
exception! Pentecost was a time when Jewish males
came to Jerusalem from many nations to attend
this feast. (Acts 2:9-11) The Holy Spirit used
Peter to boldly take advantage of this precise
moment in time. What a tremendous opportunity to
preach a risen Jesus to the Jews! As a result of that
Pentecost, Israel came to know about the
appearing of Messiah, their corporate guilt in
killing Him, and the victory of the risen Savior!
Because of the powerful outpouring and indwelling
of the Holy Spirit, 3,000 people were able to
“see” that Jesus was the fulfillment of
Scripture! (Acts 2:22; Acts 13:48)
To
summarize, the Passover harvest was the first
presentation of a harvest to the Lord and the
Feast of Weeks was the second presentation.
Remember, Passover pointed to a harvest
representing those who die in the Lord, Jesus
Himself was “THE firstfruits” of the
harvest. The harvest of the Feast of Weeks came
next and the firstfruits of this harvest were the
3,000 people baptized at Pentecost in Acts 2. If
the Passover harvest reveals Christ’s power
over death (resurrection), then the Feast of
Weeks reveals the “quickening”
“born again” person. (Romans 8:5; 1
Peter 4: 3-6) Indeed, the Gospel of Christ spread
throughout the world after Pentecost (Colossians
1:6) and the reverberations of the event
continue, even down tour day! The gospel of the
kingdom is still alive, but the time has come for
another, even greater harvest!
The
Feast of Trumpets
The Feast
of Trumpets was the first of three convocations
in the Fall. According to Jewish history, a feast
marked the arrival of the seventh month where
priests blew warning trumpets all day long!
Afterwards, trumpet blasts would sound throughout
the camp each morning and evening for eight more
days. The Bible says, “On the first day
of the seventh month hold a sacred assembly and
do no regular work. It is a day for
you to sound the trumpets.” (Numbers
29:1)
Unfortunately,
the Old Testament does not say much about the
Feast of Trumpets. However, the purpose of the
Feast of Trumpets is not reduced by our lack of
information. Every Jew understood the primary
purpose of the Feast of Trumpets. In effect, the
Feast of Trumpets was designed to warn every man,
woman and child that the Day of Atonement was
about to arrive. God’s mercy has always
moved Him to warn people before He executes His
judgments and the Jewish nation was to take this
warning very seriously. God required that all
sins be transferred to the sanctuary before
sundown on the ninth day if the seventh month.
(Leviticus 16: 23:27-32) In fact to show the
children of Israel just how serious He was, God
told Moses that if any household was found guilt
of unconfessed sin on the Day of Atonement, that
household was to be cut off from the camp. In
other words, the heritage of each Jewish family
was at stake on the Day of Atonement. Therefore,
the Feast of Trumpets served as an impressive
announcement, as the priests trumpeted a warning
throughout the entire camp for eight days,
heralding the Day of Atonement.
Jewish
records also indicate that the Jewish people also
considered these feasts as a time of judgment and
a time to be reconciled to God. It was a time for
soul searching, reflection, and to make certain
that the sins of every person in the household
were transferred to the Alter of Burnt Offering.
This period of spiritual reflection shows
God’s desire to summon His people to
repentance before the great and terrible
Day of Judgment. He does not want one person to
be lost. (Isaiah 55:6,7; Matthew 18:14)
For
individuals who understand the seven trumpets of
Revelation, the parallel is quite obvious. In the
very near future, seven trumpets will sound in
Heaven and corresponding events on earth will
lead up to the close of god’s mercy (His
generous offer of salvation). The seven trumpets
of Revelation will be a time of judgment and deep
reflection for the people of Earth. The events
associated with the trumpets and the resulting
devastation will ultimately produce a Sabbath
Rest Test and a time when the Mark of the Beast
will be implemented. Just as the Feast of
Trumpets aroused the children of Israel to their
spiritual condition and the need for
reconciliation with God, the seven trumpets of
Revelation will also arouse the people of the
world to recognize their need to be reconciled to
God. The motives of people’s hearts will be
revealed by the course of coming events and those
who oppose God will be exposed for whom they are.
(Ecclesiastes 12:13,14) Yes, God’s mercy is
great, His patience is longsuffering and His
salvation is free, however, there is an end to
God’s patience with sin and sinners.
God’s grace for sinners is beyond
comprehension, however, it does not last forever.
(See Genesis 6: 5-7; Romans 2: 5-8; Revelation
14: 9-10; and Revelation 18: 4-5)
The
Day of Atonement
The Day
of Atonement occurred on the 10th day
of the 7th month. This was the most
serious day of the year for the Hebrews. The Day
of Atonement focused on the termination of
judgment and the disposing or elimination of sin.
If any personal sin was left unresolved, the
Israelites considered it to be a life or death
matter. Remember in god’s economy sin is
never forgiven, but instead, the guilt of the sin
is transferred to either a perfect substitute or
the sinner pays the penalty for the sin. To
appreciate the significance of this matter,
consider the sequence of events that took place
in ancient Israel on the Day of Atonement. After
we look at the basic process, we will consider
the parallels.
Note: There
is not always a direct parallel between the
Earthy and Heavenly Day of Atonement services.
Some people have mistakenly tried to defend a Day
of Atonement in Heaven. This event does not
exist. The Earthy Day of Atonement services are
better understood as a grand process in
Heaven that leads to the full disposition of sin
over a period of several thousand years. Keep
this point in mind so the beauty and intended
meaning of this service will produce a better
understanding of law, sin, penalty, grace and the
orderly ways God uses to redeem man.
The first
order of business on the Day of Atonement focused
on the worthiness of the high priest. Before the
high priest could officiate on behalf of Israel,
his own sins and the sins of the household had to
be resolved. How sobering it must have been for
the high priest to realize that it was the Lord
God, Himself, who would carefully examine the
motives of his heart before he could officiate
for the children of Israel as their Earthy high
priest intercessor. To show the seriousness of
this event, the high priest had to offer a perfect
bull from his own flock, which was very
expensive, as an atonement for his own sins and
the members of his own household. Then, with
censer and atonement blood in hand, the high
priest went behind the veil to stand in the very
presence of God. There, he sprinkled some of the
blood from the bull on the atonement cover of the
Ark. If God considered the high priest’s
offering acceptable, only then could he continue
on to perform the next service, which is the
cleansing of the temple. As the high priest left
the Most Holy Place, he set the blood of his
sacrifice aside for a short period of time. (See
Leviticus 16, 21 and 22.)
The
cleansing of the temple involved several steps.
First, two perfect goats were cast to determine
which goat would die for the penalty of
sin. Then, the high priest killed the Lord’s
goat. With the censer and atonement blood in
hand, the high priest entered the veil a second
time to stand in god’s presence. There he
sprinkled blood on the cover of the Ark and
communed with god. If the offering was
acceptable, the high priest was permitted to
continue with the final phases of the cleansing
service. After leaving the Most Holy Place, the
high priest retrieved the blood from his personal
sacrifice, mixed it with the blood from the
Lord’s goat, and placed it on the horns of
the Altar of Incense. Then, he returned to the
courtyard and also placed it on the horns of the
Altar of Burnt Offering. After all this was done,
the high priest approached the scapegoat and
placed his hands on the head of the goat.
Solemnly, a capable man led the goat far into the
desert to cause the goat to die of starvation.
The
Worthiness of the High Priest
Several
features are present in the Day of Atonement
services that need consideration. First, the
worthiness of the high priest parallels the
worthiness of Jesus in Revelation 5. Here is the
point: Before the high priest could cleanse the
temple, he had to be found worthy. Parallel:
Before Jesus (man’s High Priest) could sit
as man’s judge and cleanse Heaven’s
Temple; He had to be found worthy to do so.
Understand that judgment of human beings is a process
that cleanses Heaven’s Temple. The guilt of
righteous people is transferred to the scapegoat
(the devil will provide whatever restitution is
necessary) and the sins of the wicked are placed
on their own heads (the wicked will provide their
own restitution).
The issue
on the Day of Atonement was whether or not the
high priest was qualified to cleanse the temple
– to eliminate the record of sin. The scene
described in Revelation 5 focuses on the question
of who is worthy to break open the seals.
At first glance, there does not seem to be any
connection or parallel between “who is
worthy” and the cleansing of the temple.
However, a very strong parallel does exist.
Consider the following: The Earthy temple was
cleansed by removing guilt that had been
transferred to the temple by sin and guilt
offerings. (Leviticus 16:19) When the high priest
placed “mixed blood” on the horns of
the altars, he returned them to a state of
holiness (through Christ’s blood). When he
placed his hands on the scapegoat’s head,
the guilt of the temple was transferred to
the scapegoat. (Leviticus 16:21) (Remember, the
first goat paid the penalty for sin.)
Thus, at the end of the day, the sanctuary was
cleansed because sin had been removed. So, how
does this relate to the worthiness of Jesus and
the opening the seven seals? The third seal
identifies a point in time (1844) when Christ
began to examine the record books of Heaven to
determine who will be saved and who will be lost.
Before Jesus could begin to cleanse Heaven’s
Temple – that is, before Jesus could sit in
judgment - the Father and the host of
attending angels had to find Jesus worthy to
judge man.
To
clarify this further, let us review the process.
When a person sinned, he brought his sacrifice to
the temple, confessed his sin and slaughtered a
perfect lamb. The priest transferred the blood to
the horns or sides of the Altar of Burnt
Offering. The sinner went away from this process
“clean,” but the temple was considered
“unclean.” On the Day of Atonement, a
goat that had been chosen as the Lord’s goat
suffered the penalty of sin and was executed. The
temple was restored to “Holiness” when
the high priest applied the goat’s blood.
Conversely, the temple was made
“unclean” by the blood of the
sinner’s lamb. This illustrates the point of
“mixed blood” which the high priest
used on the Day of Atonement. Through the blood
of Jesus, a sinner’s guilt is transferred
into the temple. It is also the blood of Jesus
that makes the temple holy. Consider the
parallel: When a sinner receives Christ as
his/her perfect substitute, the sin is
transferred into the Temple in Heaven. When Jesus
judges the life record of that particular sinner,
Jesus demonstrates to all created beings that the
sinner lived by faith. Jesus then
declares, by virtue of His shed blood for the
human race, that sinner is now holy. The
restitution for the wrongs committed by this
sinner will be placed on the head of the
scapegoat (the devil) at the end of the 1,000
years. (Revelation 20) The opposite can also be
true. If Jesus judges the life record of a sinner
and determines that he or she did not live by
faith, then Jesus, by virtue of His worthiness,
declares the sinner to be condemned. Sadly, in
this last scenario, the restitution for the wrong
committed by the sinner will remain on his/her
own head.
Again,
the worthiness of the Earthy high priest on the
Day of Atonement can be correlated with the
worthiness of Jesus in Revelation 5.
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