The following sermon by Pastor Patrick Ramsey, is part two of a three-part series on Israel and the Church; titled, The Temple.
The list of highlights is long because this sermon, like the first in this series, says much to undermine the widely held views of Dispensationalism. Furthermore, the information herein is extremely valuable in having a biblical understanding of the Bible covenants and their foundational role in God’s plan of redemption.
There are all kinds of views about the ‘rebuilding of the temple’ in the last days; many of those derive from Dispensationalism. If you want to have a biblical view, then please listen to this 32-minute sermon and/or read the highlight points.
I recommend listening to the sermon and if you have questions, the points may help you better comprehend some points that you didn’t have time to sufficiently consider while you were listening.
The Temple:
- Pastor Ramsey opened with a very brief review of sermon one of this 3-part series
- Many believe that the building of the temple will be the last great fulfillment of prophecy before the return of Jesus
- Some questions to consider:
- How are we to understand the Old Testament (OT) promises about the temple?
- Do they pertain only to ethnic Israel?
- What relationship, if any, do they have with the NT church?
- Must the temple be rebuilt for biblical references about the temple to come to pass?
- If the temple is rebuilt in Jerusalem, would that be significant prophetically, religiously, biblically, politically, or otherwise?
- Should we pray for the rebuilding of the temple?
- Should we work towards that politically or otherwise?
- With such questions in mind, we want to look at what the Bible has to say about in both the Old and New Testaments
- In the beginning, God created the world; He placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden
- In the Garden, was the Tree of Life; and the river that flowed out of Eden to water the Garden and was divided into 4 rivers to provide life-giving water [Genesis 2:7-11]
- In the Garden, God met and talked with Adam [Genesis 2 and 3]
- Adam and Eve rebelled and were cast out of the Garden:
- Genesis 3:24 He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.
- At Mount Sinai, we see God making a covenant with Israel that He might fellowship with them
- He had rescued them from Egypt and brought them to Himself that He might be their God and they, His people
- Leviticus 26:11 I will make my dwelling among you, and my soul shall not abhor you. 12 And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people
- This scenario is reminiscent of God in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve
- The PROBLEM is the same that Adam and Eve had when they were cast from the Garden by God, they are guilty sinners, Israel was unholy and unclean
- How can they then enter into the presence of God? Their sin bars them
- How is God going to rectify that problem, that He might fellowship and dwell with them?
- The answer is the tabernacle, and later, the temple
- The tabernacle was called the tent of meeting
- It and the temple were both called the ‘house of the Lord’
- The house of the Lord was firstly a tent because Israel was still a pilgrim people
- For God to dwell with His people, He had to live in a tent and travel with them
- Later, in the land, God chose Jerusalem to put the tent of meeting; that was replaced by the temple
- Jerusalem was already important because the King lived and ruled from it; but it became the Holy City when God chose it as His dwelling place
- Examples of the above:
- Psalm 15:1 A Psalm of David. O LORD, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill?
- Psalm 46:4 There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High
- Isaiah 2:3 and many peoples shall come, and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem
- 2 Chronicles 6:6 but I have chosen Jerusalem that my name may be there, and I have chosen David to be over my people Israel.’
- When you think of the OT temple, your first thoughts should be about the presence of God and His dwelling with His people
- Secondly, purification
- The law of Moses consisted of sacrifices for the sins of the people [see Leviticus]
- The tabernacle had priests that slaughtered animals; altars; wash basins; various festivals…
- Because Israel were sinners, needing cleansing and atonement so God could dwell with them; so they could approach God
- That is, the thing that caused Adam and Eve to be expelled from God’s presence in the Garden, had to be dealt with, removed, before they could be in the presence of God
- Hence, the tabernacle / temple, to provide purification
- That is also why the tabernacle had various rooms and the people were excluded from the innermost room, the Holy of Holies [the movie, Jeremiah, free to subscribers of Amazon Prime, shows that and much more that is relevant to this sermon]
- No one was allowed in the Holy of Holies because they were still sinners, as the animal sacrifices did not actually purify them from their sins
- Hebrews 9:9 …According to this arrangement, gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper,
- [John Gill’s commentary: …neither the priest that offered them, nor the people whom he represented, and for whom he did the service; they could not make real and perfect expiation for sin, nor justify from it, nor cleanse and sanctify…]
- All the above was taught or symbolized by the tabernacle/temple; as only the high priest could enter into the Most Holy Place, only once per year, on The Day of Atonement, after making atonement for his sins and the peoples
- The sacrifices were teaching the people that they had to be made holy and be holy because the Lord God that dwelt among them was holy
- So, purification of the people was necessary for the presence of God with them
- There is nothing special about the tabernacle or the temple in themselves; when the glory of the Lord entered into the tabernacle, it became special, holy:
- Exodus 40:34 Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. 35 And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle
- God’s presence among His people was based upon the covenant relationship He made with them
- If they kept the covenant laws, then they would experience His presence, blessing and protection
- If they abandoned the Lord’s covenant, then they would experience His covenant curses, God would depart from them
- People of Jerusalem thought they would never fall before their enemies because they had the “temple of the Lord,” they were using it like a good-luck charm, not keeping covenant laws
- Ezekiel, in chapter 10, has a vision where the Glory of the Lord departs from the temple
- God’s departure and Israel’s destruction will not be the end of the story, because God is determined to keep His covenant with their father’s Abraham, Isaac and Jacob
- That is why God promised a New Covenant, to ensure He will dwell with them forever
- In Ezekiel 36, God promised that Judah and Israel will be united and that David will be their king forever
- So the covenant will be realized and fulfilled
- In Ezekiel 43, the glory of the Lord filled the temple
- Ezekiel 47, vision of a perfect city and temple; verses 1 and 12 indicate abundant blessings:
- Eze 47:1 Then he brought me back to the door of the temple, and behold, water was issuing from below the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was flowing down from below the south end of the threshold of the temple, south of the altar.
- Reminiscent of the Garden of Eden
- Eze 47:12 And on the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither, nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing.”
- Sin will be dealt with such that paradise will be restored so God can dwell with His people
- The OT indicates that the people of Israel will not be the ones who will build the promised new temple:
- Exo 15:17 You will bring them in and plant them on your own mountain, the place, O LORD, which you have made for your abode, the sanctuary, O Lord, which your hands have established
- 2Samuel 7:11 from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house. [2 Sam. 7:1-17 are about God’s covenant with King David]
- NEW TESTAMENT
- The purpose and goal of the temple and all the promises pertaining to a restored glorious temple are all fulfilled by Jesus and His people, the church
- Remember the two key points of the temple: Presence of God and purification from sin
- Both are fulfilled in Jesus
- John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
- Dwelt = tabernacled among us
- God pitched His tent in and among His people via Jesus
- John 1:29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
- That is, in Him, we are purified, cleansed, forgiven and made holy
- Presence and purification are both found in Jesus, in a greater way than were found in the OT tabernacle / temple
- Matthew 12:6 I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. [Jesus said of Himself]
- He made similar statements regarding Jonah and Solomon
- John 2:19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” 21 But he was speaking about the temple of his body
- God will build His temple via the Messiah; it will not be a brick and mortar temple; Jesus Himself will be the temple
- John 4:23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
- Ephesians 2:18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father
- Philippians 3:3 For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh—
- In Jesus and through the Spirit, we worship at the true temple
- Hebrews made clear that the tabernacle / temple were not the dwelling place of God, but only a copy of that:
- Hebrews 8:5 They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things. For when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God, saying, “See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.”
- Heb 12:22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, 23 and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect,
- Hebrews- we come to Mount Zion, the real temple, the real dwelling place of God
- John 4:10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water”
- John 7:37 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”
- Reminiscent of Ezekiel’s vision: temple, water, healing, Tree of Life, Garden of Eden
- Jesus is the fulfillment of Ezekiel’s vision
- Jesus is the temple; also, He is the one who brings us to the true temple; the one who builds His temple
- He builds the temple by building the church
- Throughout the NT, the church is described as the temple of the Living God:
- 1 Corinthians 3:16 Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?
- 2 Cor 6:16 What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. (Paul citing Leviticus 26:11, 12)
- God now walks among us because of Jesus and the Holy Spirit that has been poured out upon us and dwells within us
- The goal and purpose of the temple finds its realization and fulfillment in the church through Christ; God dwells among His people via the Holy Spirit
- Ephesians 2:19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit
- 1 Peter 2:5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ
- This temple will not be completed until Christ returns
- Then heaven, God’s holy temple, will come down to earth
- The heavenly Jerusalem is described descending down to earth, see Revelation 21:1-27
- Therein, John uses imagery from Ezekiel’s vision of the temple in 43-47, including the water of life; the leaves of the tree
- Rev 21:22 And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb.
- God will dwell in and with His people forever, no need for a temple
- When Christ died, the temple veil was ripped asunder giving believers access to God through Christ
- As Paul says, all the promises of God find their yeah and amen in Christ Jesus; that ‘s why we don’t ask for or pray for a rebuilt temple
- Even if one was rebuilt, it will mean nothing. It won’t have blessing; and won’t provide atonement or purification
- Jesus has already come to restore Israel and is drawing all people to Himself by means of his death and resurrection – why the veil was torn in two when He died
- That is, sinners may enter and dwell with God
- In Christ, those in Him experience presence of God and purification
- Some might argue the following points:
- The above and the rebuilt temple; No. Because the temple was only a copy of the true temple; and since the true temple has been opened up to us and is being built, you don’t return to the copy that has passed away – to do so would be an insult to Christ
- If the OT temple was rebuilt, then Jesus could not minister or serve in that temple, as He is from the tribe of Judah, not Levi; He cannot be part of the Levitical priesthood
- Heb 7:18 For on the one hand, a former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness [read Hebrews 7:11-28]
- Jesus is the true temple, the Way, the truth and the life; go to Him and worship the one true living God
Link to sermon 1, Israel and the Church, Israel: https://sheeplywolves.com/israel-and-the-church/
The following link is a free book on Israel recommended by Pastor Ramsey, I found it online in PDF format:
Israel-of-God_-Yesterday_-Today-O.-Palmer-Robertson
Link to Pastor Ramsey’s sermons at Sermon Audio: https://www.sermonaudio.com/search.asp?speakeronly=true&currsection=sermonsspeaker&keyword=Patrick_Ramsey
You may listen and download Mp3 sermons at SA.