Posts

Showing posts with the label Temple

The True and Greater Temple

Image
Jesus is the true Sanctuary of God that was foreshadowed in the ancient religious structures and worship rituals of the nation of Israel. He is the dwelling place of God’s presence and glory and the true and final mediator between Heaven and Earth. The man from Nazareth was the Temple “made-without-hands” that was destroyed by evil men but restored when his Father raised him from the dead.

House of God

Image
The Gospel of John presents Jesus as the True House of God and the open way of access to the presence of God. He is the Greater and True Bethel , the “ House of God .” From now on, Heaven is open to all men, and angels are seen “ ascending and descending ” on the “ Son of Man .” What Jacob saw in a vision long ago has become a concrete reality in Jesus of Nazareth.

The Final Temple

Image
Jesus is the True and Final Sanctuary where the glory of Yahweh dwells, the substance foreshadowed by the old Temple . In the second chapter of John , the disciples discover that Jesus is the True and Final Temple of God. The era in which God “ dwelt ” in portable tents and stone buildings in Jerusalem came to an end with the arrival of the Messiah. God does not dwell in structures “ made-by-hand ,” nor can His presence be contained within physical walls or geographical boundaries.

Living Waters - True Worship

Image
To the woman in Samaria, Jesus of Nazareth revealed the proper form and location for worshipping the Father. With the arrival of the Messiah of Israel, concepts and traditions about holy space and holy time have become irrelevant, and his presence in Judea and Samaria rendered the historical debate over the location of the Temple irrelevant. From now on, the worship of the one true God must be performed in truth and spirit.

He Dwells in Jesus

Image
The  Gospel of John  presents Jesus as the place where the glory of God is seen, the Greater Tabernacle in which His presence resides. With the advent of Jesus, the worship desired of men by the Father no longer is limited to buildings or geographic locations. It takes place “ in the spirit and truth .” Men and women experience the majesty of God and  behold His nature  in the “ face of Jesus Christ. ”

Ekklésia - Assembly of God

Image
The New Testament usage of the term “ assembly ” is based on the language and imagery of Israel when the nation was assembled before Yahweh for worship in front of the Tabernacle. The Greek noun rendered “ church ” in many English translations is ekklésia . It means “assembly, congregation, convocation.” In secular Greek, it could refer to an “assembly” of citizens gathered to conduct matters of state. However, that is not the sense found in the Greek New Testament.

The Sanctuary of God

Image
Apart from the contacts between Jesus and the early church with the priestly authorities from the Temple, the New Testament shows minimal interest in the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. Far more frequent are the applications of temple language and imagery to the New Covenant community built by Jesus and his original apostles. What the old Temple and its predecessor, the Tabernacle, foreshowed is coming to fruition among his disciples, the “ Body of Christ .”

THIS Generation

Image
In his ‘Olivet Discourse,’ Jesus provided his disciples with a chronological key – they would know the time of the demise of the Temple when they saw all “ these things ” coming to pass - Before “ this generation ” reached its inevitable end. That was his definitive answer to the question, “ When will THESE THINGS come to pass? ” Within one generation, Jerusalem and its Temple would be destroyed, and some of his followers would live to see it.

Fruitless Temple

Image
The  Gospel of Mark  divides the story of the barren fig tree into two sections and places the “cleansing” of the Temple between them. The two incidents are closely linked. The fruitlessness of the fig tree and its cursing highlighted the failure and fate of the Temple, and the actions of Jesus foreshadowed its destruction. After his arrival in the city of Jerusalem, he first visited the Temple and “ looked around on all things .”

Abomination of Desolation

According to Jesus, the “ Abomination of Desolation ” will appear in Jerusalem - It will be a local, not a global event. And his admonition for disciples to flee is applicable to Jerusalem and the immediate vicinity. Disciples must flee to the hills to escape the imminent calamity signaled by this abominable thing or person.

Geographic Scope

In his ‘Olivet Discourse,’ Jesus describes key events that will occur in the future, especially the destruction of the Temple and the “ coming of the Son of Man .” In doing so, he provides geographic details related to each event that alternate between the local and the universal, depending on which event he is under discussion.

In the Temple

Image
The ‘ Olivet Discourse ’ in the thirteenth chapter of  Mark  is the last recorded block of teachings by Jesus given shortly before his death on the Mount of Olives. It followed a series of confrontations in the Temple between him and the Pharisees and the priestly authorities, disputes that set the stage for his trial and execution. Thus, his “trial” effectively began in the Temple, and inevitably, it concluded with his unjust death on a Roman cross.

The Desolate Temple

Image
Before his final departure from the Temple, Jesus fielded challenges from the “ Scribes and Pharisees ,” confrontations that set the stage for his arrest and trial, as well as his execution by the Roman authorities. As he left the building, he pronounced its impending judgment and destruction. From start to finish, priests, Scribes, Herodians, Sadducees, and especially Pharisees resisted him, and some of the Temple authorities became complicit in the plot to put him to death.

Triumphal Arrival

At the end of his journey, his destination was the Temple in the center of the city.  The next several stories prepare the reader for his final days, A full third of Mark’s gospel account concerns the events of that week that culminate in his death and resurrection. All that preceded his arrival in the city was moving inexorably forward to his arrest, trial, and execution in the city of David and the prophets.