The Temple

God Will Show Up

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

The Temple the Ark the Glory of God
 
Book of 2 Chronicles Chapter 5
 
 
After seven long years, the Temple and all its furnishings were completed.
 
1Ki 6:38 And in the eleventh year, in the month Bul, which is the eighth month, was the house finished throughout all the parts thereof, and according to all the fashion of it. So was he seven years in building it.
 
Solomon gathered the entire nation and its leaders and its priests to the dedication of the Temple.
 
This gathering was no longer to Gibeon the site of the Tabernacle, but to Jerusalem the place God had chosen Himself.
 
Even today the Jews are looking forward to the day they can reestablish their worship of the Lord God Jehovah in a Temple dedicated to Him.
 
We certainly need a place to worship to honor God.
 
Heb 10:22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
Heb 10:24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
Heb 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
 
God Himself says it is more important to gather together today than it was back in the day of the dedication of Solomon’s Temple.
 
If we do not dedicate our places of worship to be used for the worship of the Lord, then they will be used for anything other than that.
 
Dedicate means to set apart for sacred use.
 
Sacred means consecrated; dedicated; or devoted to.
 
We also need to dedicate ourselves to the Lord for His use!
 
Most every nation at this time had a temple dedicated to some false god, and some had many.
 
This was the drive that moved King David. He wanted a magnificent temple dedicated to Jehovah the One True God.
 
Most people do not realize that God is about worship, and not about buildings!
 
Pagans built temples for gods who could not see, who could hear, and who could not speak to them.
 
2Co_6:16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the “temple of the living God”; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
 
There is only one “Living God”!
 
Jhn_6:69 And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, “the Son of the living God”.
 
Psa_84:2 My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the “living God”.
 
How can anyone serve a dead god or a god that does not exist?
 
The Living God is the God we need to have reverent fear of, and even actual fear.
 
Heb_10:31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
 
2 Chronicles Chapter 5 verse 1
 
2Ch 5:1 Thus all the work that Solomon made for the house of the LORD was finished: and Solomon brought in all the things that David his father had dedicated; and the silver, and the gold, and all the instruments, put he among the treasures of the house of God.
 
The Temple was King Solomon’s greatest work.
 
It was the Temple of Solomon that made the greatest impression on the known world at that time.
 
People would come far and wide to see this Temple of God.
 
The importance of the Temple was to ensure a central place of worship and more important a central place to offer sacrifices for sin.
 
The object of the Temple was to bring about a unity of faith and national unity among the people of Israel.
 
The object of the Temple was to fulfill the commandment of God to Moses.
 
Moses said, when you shall obtain possession of the land and have become established, then you shall have one place in which to appear before the Lord.
 
Deu_16:16 Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the LORD thy God “in the place which he shall choose”; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the LORD empty:
 
The Temple did provide a fixed habitation for Jehovah.
 
The Temple did provide a central place of worship where all the tribes of Israel might assemble at the three annual feasts.
 
It is these things that would preserve the unity of Israel.
 
According to the Book of Leviticus, there must be:
 
1) A place to meet Jehovah on the throne of “Grace”.
2) Sacrifices made for sin.
3) Priests as intermediaries between Jehovah and the people.
4) Times in which they could approach Jehovah with daily, weekly, monthly, and annual offerings.
5) A ritual telling how to approach God.
 
The Temple was in fact, a type of the most glorious building which is the individual believer!
 
1Co_3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
 
King David had not only provided the plunder he had taken for his conquest for the building of the Temple, but he also provided his riches to be dedicated to the upkeep of this Temple and to pay the priests.
 
David had also dedicated all the musical instruments he had to the Temple. Some he had made himself.
 
These instruments are listed in First Chronicles chapter 15.
 
1Ch 15:16 And David spake to the chief of the Levites to appoint their brethren to be the singers with instruments of musick, psalteries and harps and cymbals, sounding, by lifting up the voice with joy.
 
1Ch 15:24 And Shebaniah, and Jehoshaphat, and Nethaneel, and Amasai, and Zechariah, and Benaiah, and Eliezer, the priests, did blow with the trumpets before the ark of God: and Obededom and Jehiah were doorkeepers for the ark.
 
1Ch 15:28 Thus all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the LORD with shouting, and with sound of the cornet, and with trumpets, and with cymbals, making a noise with psalteries and harps.
 
So, we know of psalteries, harps, and cymbals, trumpets, and cornets.
 
A psaltery is a lyre or another type of harp just as a cornet is another type of trumpet.
 
Solomon next brought the Ark of the Covenant into the Temple according to the instructions of God.
 
The Ark was placed in the new Holy of Holies, the Most Holy Place in the Temple.
 
2Ch 5:2 Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the chief of the fathers of the children of Israel, unto Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of the city of David, which is Zion.
2Ch 5:3 Wherefore all the men of Israel assembled themselves unto the king in the feast which was in the seventh month.
2Ch 5:4 And all the elders of Israel came; and the Levites took up the ark.
2Ch 5:5 And they brought up the ark, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and all the holy vessels that were in the tabernacle, these did the priests and the Levites bring up.
 
Many of these things from the time of Moses and those remade after the destruction of the Tabernacle by the Philistines were no longer usable for the new Temple and were stored at the Temple and preserved as relics.
 
Things such as the tent and a great many of the old-time utensils, including the Brazen Serpent.
 
The Feast of the Seventh month is the Feast of Tabernacles, sometimes called Booths, and also known as the Feast of the Ingathering.
 
It was to last seven days but for the dedication of the Temple, it lasted fourteen days.
 
1Ki 8:65 And at that time Solomon held a feast, and all Israel with him, a great congregation, from the entering in of Hamath unto the river of Egypt, before the LORD our God, seven days and seven days, even fourteen days.
1Ki 8:66 On the eighth day he sent the people away: and they blessed the king, and went unto their tents joyful and glad of heart for all the goodness that the LORD had done for David his servant, and for Israel his people.
 
This is the feast that commemorates the forty-year wilderness journey.
 
It is also called Sukkot.
 
It is a celebration of the fall harvest and a time to build booths which are temporary shelters of branches to remember how the Hebrew people lived under God’s care during those forty years in the wilderness.
 
These things were repeated when the Hebrews returned from Babylon.
 
Neh 8:14 And they found written in the law which the LORD had commanded by Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in booths in the feast of the seventh month:
Neh 8:15 And that they should publish and proclaim in all their cities, and in Jerusalem, saying, Go forth unto the mount, and fetch olive branches, and pine branches, and myrtle branches, and palm branches, and branches of thick trees, to make booths, as it is written.
Neh 8:16 So the people went forth, and brought them, and made themselves booths, every one upon the roof of his house, and in their courts, and in the courts of the house of God, and in the street of the water gate, and in the street of the gate of Ephraim.
Neh 8:17 And all the congregation of them that were come again out of the captivity made booths, and sat under the booths: for since the days of Jeshua (which is Joshua) the son of Nun unto that day had not the children of Israel done so. And there was very great gladness.
Neh 8:18 Also day by day, from the first day unto the last day, he read in the book of the law of God. And they kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth day was a solemn assembly, according unto the manner.
 
This celebration is a reminder of God’s faithfulness and protection.
 
All Jewish males were required to go to Jerusalem to appear before the Lord and their families usually went with them.
 
Many Jewish people still celebrate Sukkot today, by building and dwelling in temporary booths for eight days.
 
There are four special plants used to cover the booths, and they are the citron, the myrtle, the palm, and the willow.
 
Lev 23:39 Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the LORD seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath.
Lev 23:40 And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days.
 
Then, the elders came and took up the Ark out of the Tabernacle of David.
 
It was necessary to put a new lid on the Ark. It was about five hundred years old and when opened, nothing remained but the two tablets of stone from the time of Moses.
 
It originally contained two tablets that contained the Ten Commandments and Aaron’s rod that budded and a pot of manna.
 
Blame was put on the Philistines for the missing items.
 
So, the steps to the dedication included:
 
1) Placing in the treasury all the things dedicated by David. Solomon could have kept these riches of his father, and no one would have known but God, but Solomon honored the wishes of His father David.
 
2) Placing all the sacred vessels and furniture in their proper position.
 
3) The offering of the many sacrifices.
 
4) The priests carrying into the Most Holy Place the Ark of the Covenant.
 
5) As the priests came from the Most Holy Place and one hundred and twenty other priests standing east of the Altar blew their trumpets, the Levite choir burst into a song of praise and thanksgiving with cymbals and other musical instruments saying “For He is good; for His mercy endureth forever.
 
6) Then the cloud, a symbol of the Divine Presence and the Glory of God filled the house.
 
Let’s read the Scriptures.
 
2Ch 5:6 Also king Solomon, and all the congregation of Israel that were assembled unto him before the ark, sacrificed sheep and oxen, which could not be told nor numbered for multitude.
2Ch 5:7 And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the LORD unto his place, to the oracle of the house, into the most holy place, even under the wings of the cherubims:
2Ch 5:8 For the cherubims spread forth their wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubims covered the ark and the staves thereof above.
2Ch 5:9 And they drew out the staves of the ark, that the ends of the staves were seen from the ark before the oracle; but they were not seen without. And there it is unto this day.
2Ch 5:10 There was nothing in the ark save the two tables which Moses put therein at Horeb, when the LORD made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of Egypt.
 
We now know what happened in the dedication of the Temple so, let’s look at some other things.
 
Many today are concerned about the location of the Ark of the Covenant today.
 
We do not know for sure if the Ark remained at the Temple when Nebuchadnezzar plundered the Temple but what we do know when the vessels were brought back from Babylonian captivity the Ark of the Covenant was not mentioned.
 
Ezr 1:9 And this is the number of them: thirty chargers of gold, a thousand chargers of silver, nine and twenty knives,
Ezr 1:10 Thirty basons of gold, silver basons of a second sort four hundred and ten, and other vessels a thousand.
Ezr 1:11 All the vessels of gold and of silver were five thousand and four hundred. All these did Sheshbazzar bring up with them of the captivity that were brought up from Babylon unto Jerusalem.
 
The staves of the Ark were at least fifteen feet long, which was about the size of the Most Holy Place.
 
The staves were that long to give room for those men who carried the Ark leaving room to stay clear of the Ark.
 
The staves were withdrawn as far as they could to the back wall so they would not protrude in sight at the front.
 
The Ark had only the tablets of stone written by the finger of God at this time.
 
Exo 31:16 Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.
Exo 31:17 It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.
Exo 31:18 And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.
 
Remember it was Moses who had broken these two tablets.
 
Exo 34:1 And the LORD said unto Moses, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first: and I will write upon these tables the words that were in the first tables, which thou brakest.
 
Deu_10:2 And I will write on the tables the words that were in the first tables which thou brakest, and thou shalt put them in the ark.
 
There was something else that was with or in the Ark.
 
Deu_31:26 Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee.
 
Probably the very same book, which (after having been some way misplaced) was found in the house of the Lord, in the days of Josiah, and publicly read by the king himself, for a witness against a people, who were then almost ripe for ruin.
 
On the side or On the inside, Some say there was a little chest fixed to the Ark for such things but it is not mentioned. Some say that this book was just placed inside the Ark. There was nothing but the stone tablets that were contained in the Ark.
 
This book was found later.
 
2Ch 34:14 And when they brought out the money that was brought into the house of the LORD, Hilkiah the priest found a book of the law of the LORD given by Moses.
2Ch 34:15 And Hilkiah answered and said to Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the LORD. And Hilkiah delivered the book to Shaphan.
2Ch 34:16 And Shaphan carried the book to the king, and brought the king word back again, saying, All that was committed to thy servants, they do it.
 
The Shekinah Glory of the Lord
 
2Ch 5:11 And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place: (for all the priests that were present were sanctified, and did not then wait by course:
2Ch 5:12 Also the Levites which were the singers, all of them of Asaph, of Heman, of Jeduthun, with their sons and their brethren, being arrayed in white linen, having cymbals and psalteries and harps, stood at the east end of the altar, and with them an hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets:)
2Ch 5:13 It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of musick, and praised the LORD, saying, “For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever”: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the LORD;
 
Once the Ark was in place God gave His stamp of approval!
 
So, it had been when Moses finished the Tabernacle, and so it was at Pentecost after the Lord Jesus began His Church, that the Holy Spirit came down in His mighty power.
 
God’s glory has to be the most wonderful sight we will ever see!
 
Notice all the priests were in white linen robes. Does this not make us think about the white robes in Heaven?
 
Rev_7:9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
 
King Solomon now had all things in place and a platform had been erected about seven feet squared somewhat like a pulpit, so he was lifted up above the people to be seen as well as heard and it seems King Solomon acted as King and High Priest.
 
We see some typology here.
 
In reality, only King Jesus can be the true King and High priest when He returns to take us home and then sits upon His throne in Jerusalem.
 
Immediately after the priests had performed and withdrawn and the doors of the Temple were closed, the cloud of God’s Holy Presence and God’s Majestic Glory filled the Temple just as He had done when the Tabernacle of Moses was completed.
 
King Solomon was stunned:
 
1Ki 8:10 And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD,
1Ki 8:11 So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of the LORD.
1Ki 8:12 Then spake Solomon, The LORD said that he would dwell in the thick darkness.
 
Our true Holy God manifested His presence showing the public that he had accepted their labor of love in building this Temple.
 
*2Ch 5:14 So that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of God.
 
A man of God said this beautified this Temple much more than all the gold which it was overlaid and all the precious stones that adorned it. Yet even that glory in comparison does not match the glory of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
 
God had not allowed King David to build this Temple but told him that his son Solomon would have the honor of building this Temple.
 
Then King Solomon began to pray.

2Ch 6:12  And he stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands: 
2Ch 6:13  For Solomon had made a brasen scaffold, of five cubits long, and five cubits broad, and three cubits high, and had set it in the midst of the court: and upon it he stood, and kneeled down upon his knees before all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven, 
2Ch 6:14  And said, O LORD God of Israel, there is no God like thee in the heaven, nor in the earth; which keepest covenant, and shewest mercy unto thy servants, that walk before thee with all their hearts: 
2Ch 6:15  Thou which hast kept with thy servant David my father that which thou hast promised him; and spakest with thy mouth, and hast fulfilled it with thine hand, as it is this day.

And he continued therefore:
 
Amen

The Temple Solomon Built

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Solomon Built the Temple
 
Book of 1 Kings 5
 
 
One of the most important things we need to complete any building project successfully is to be committed to it.
 
We can accept the fact that King Solomon had little if any construction skills, but he now had great wisdom in all things.
 
What Solomon had was a humble spirit and he sought the Lord for His help.
 
The next thing that is needed is preparation.
 
Site preparation must be properly taken care of, and it begins with following the Word of God.

Then you must own the property you are building upon.

David first bought the threshing floor of Araunah:

2Sa_24:18  And Gad came that day to David, and said unto him, Go up, rear an altar unto the LORD in the threshingfloor of Araunah the Jebusite.
2Sa_24:21  And Araunah said, Wherefore is my lord the king come to his servant? And David said, To buy the threshingfloor of thee, to build an altar unto the LORD, that the plague may be stayed from the people.
2Sa_24:24  And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the LORD my God of that which doth cost me nothing. So David bought the threshingfloor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

Then David bought the entire area around the threshing floor.

1Ch 21:24  And king David said to Ornan, Nay; but I will verily buy it for the full price: for I will not take that which is thine for the LORD, nor offer burnt offerings without cost. 
1Ch 21:25  So David gave to Ornan for the place six hundred shekels of gold by weight. 

There should be no doubt who the Temple Mount belongs to.
 
Remember it was God who gave the dimensions and the details of this Temple to David mphasizing a solid foundation.
 
Luk 6:46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?
Luk 6:47 Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like:
Luk 6:48 He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.
Luk 6:49 But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.
 
King Solomon needed to be obedient to the Lord just as we all should be today!
 
This new Temple was to be a House of the Lord for the Lord’s people to worship Him.
 
This had been a dream of his father David for many years, and Solomon was committed to seeing it succeed.
 
Solomon’s most important task was to seek the Lord!
 
1Ki 5:2 And Solomon sent to Hiram, saying,
1Ki 5:3 Thou knowest how that David my father could not build an house unto the name of the LORD his God for the wars which were about him on every side, until the LORD put them under the soles of his feet.
1Ki 5:4 But now the LORD my God hath given me rest on every side, so that there is neither adversary nor evil occurrent.
 
King Hiram and King David had been great friends, and his son Huram wanted the same relationship with King Solomon.
 
In fact, this King Hiram had told his own son about the great God of Israel even though he was pagan and worshipped his own gods.
 
We should understand that God would not allow David to build this Temple of Worship because it would have sent the wrong message.
 
It would be like religions such as the Muslim who are forced to seek Mohammed and can never leave that religion with the threat of death if they do.
 
There is no personal relationship because there is no Allah.
 
Just as important, because David was protecting the cause of Israel in great battles with the enemies that surrounded Israel and he certainly did not have time to make such a commitment as Solomon was saying to Huram.
 
Israel was at peace all the time of King Solomon and he maintained a strong military presence in the regions.
 
To David God said: 22:8 But the word of the LORD came to me, saying, Thou hast shed blood abundantly, and hast made great wars: thou shalt not build an house unto my name, because thou hast shed much blood upon the earth in my sight.
 
This king of Tyre understood these things Solomon was saying.
 
When the Lord forbids us to do something He is serious about it!
 
King David had made this entire area to be at peace because of his conquest.
 
We could say that Israel was the honcho nation during the time of King Solomon.
 
Solomon said he had no adversaries nor was there any occurrence of rebellion to his rule.
 
In fact, the nation of Israel was very prosperous in the days of King Solomon.
 
We know that David spent time training Solomon.
 
It was Solomon who wrote the Book of Proverbs so we can see what he wrote about his father.
 
Pro 4:1 Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding.
Pro 4:2 For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law.
Pro 4:3 For I was my father’s son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother.
Pro 4:4 He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live.
Pro 4:5 Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth.
Pro 4:6 Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee.
Pro 4:7 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.
 
David did everything in his power to smooth the way of Solomon.
 
David drew up the plans for the Temple according to the plans God had given to him:
 
1Ch 28:11 Then David gave to Solomon his son the pattern of the porch, and of the houses thereof, and of the treasuries thereof, and of the upper chambers thereof, and of the inner parlours thereof, and of the place of the mercy seat,
1Ch 28:12 And the pattern of all that he had by the spirit, of the courts of the house of the LORD, and of all the chambers round about, of the treasuries of the house of God, and of the treasuries of the dedicated things:
 
David gave Solomon the funds to build the Temple:
 
1Ch 28:14 He gave of gold by weight for things of gold, for all instruments of all manner of service; silver also for all instruments of silver by weight, for all instruments of every kind of service:
 
David told Solomon that the plans for the Temple came from Jehovah:
 
1Ch 28:19 All this, said David, the LORD made me understand in writing by his hand upon me, even all the works of this pattern.
 
And again, David encouraged his son:
 
1Ch 28:20 And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the LORD God, even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD.
 
We can see that Solomon was a good student!
 
Solomon began to understand what his father was saying.
 
1Ki 5:5 And, behold, I purpose to build an house unto the name of the LORD my God, as the LORD spake unto David my father, saying, Thy son, whom I will set upon thy throne in thy room, he shall build an house unto my name.
1Ki 5:6 Now therefore command thou that they hew me cedar trees out of Lebanon; and my servants shall be with thy servants: and unto thee will I give hire for thy servants according to all that thou shalt appoint: for thou knowest that there is not among us any that can skill to hew timber like unto the Sidonians.
 
Solomon was committed to building the Temple his father David desired.
 
Solomon sought to honor the Lord by building a house of worship for the people of Israel.
 
If we do not learn anything else, we need to know that there needs to be a place to worship the Lord!
 
There needs to be set times so we can all gather together to encourage one another.
 
We will need to deal with this lost world.
 
Solomon renewed the relationship between Israel and Tyre which was Phoenicia and Solomon sought to establish a trade agreement between the two nations, and he did.
 
Solomon sought workers with skills that Israel did not know at this time.
 
Notice Solomon did not open the borders of Israel to just anybody, but Israel had a need for skilled laborers.
 
This should be a lesson for our nation.
 
Solomon knew he had no excuse to delay this work for the Lord and Israel.
 
When God calls us for a task it is time to say yes and get busy!
 
We need to yield to the call of God without hesitation.
 
The Bible explains this request to Huram from Solomon better in Second Chronicles:
 
2Ch 2:4 Behold, I build an house to the name of the LORD my God, to dedicate it to him, and to burn before him sweet incense, and for the continual shewbread, and for the burnt offerings morning and evening, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the solemn feasts of the LORD our God. This is an ordinance for ever to Israel.
2Ch 2:5 And the house which I build is great: for great is our God above all gods.
2Ch 2:6 But who is able to build him an house, seeing the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain him? who am I then, that I should build him an house, save only to burn sacrifice before him?
2Ch 2:7 Send me now therefore a man cunning to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, and in iron, and in purple, and crimson, and blue, and that can skill to grave with the cunning men that are with me in Judah and in Jerusalem, whom David my father did provide.
2Ch 2:8 Send me also cedar trees, fir trees, and algum trees, out of Lebanon: for I know that thy servants can skill to cut timber in Lebanon; and, behold, my servants shall be with thy servants,
2Ch 2:9 Even to prepare me timber in abundance: for the house which I am about to build shall be wonderful great.
2Ch 2:10 And, behold, I will give to thy servants, the hewers that cut timber, twenty thousand measures of beaten wheat, and twenty thousand measures of barley, and twenty thousand baths of wine, and twenty thousand baths of oil.
2Ch 2:11 Then Huram the king of Tyre answered in writing, which he sent to Solomon, Because the LORD hath loved his people, he hath made thee king over them.
 
We must realize that God cannot be contained in any nation but that God is bigger than our little world but He is also small enough to come into our hearts.
 
God has a purpose for each of us and God is still building upon His Church!
 
King Hiram agreed with Solomon and a pact was made between the two nations.
 
*1Ki 5:10 So Hiram gave Solomon cedar trees and fir trees according to all his desire.
1Ki 5:11 And Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand measures of wheat for food to his household, and twenty measures of pure oil: thus gave Solomon to Hiram year by year.
 
We see that Hiram gave this timber to Solomon and Solomon provided the food to feed these men while the work was taking place.
 
We can better understand that Solomon asked for cedar trees, fir trees which means cypress, and other timber that was long-lasting.
 
Solomon also needed an architect.
 
Hiram was glad to provide the things that Solomon requested.
 
We should not be confused the Phoenicians were Pagans.
 
These cities existed before Israel came into the Promised Land in most cases they worshipped Baal.
 
Baal means lord but he is identified with the false god Molech where children were sacrificed on his blazing arms.
 
Baal was also known as the Sun god and there are Pyramids and High places all around the world where Baal the Sun god was worshipped along with the Moon god, and they are still worshipped today under different names.
 
This is the reason most of these nations no longer exist today.
 
Hiram’s servants would cut the timber from the forest in Lebanon. Transport it to the Mediterranean Sea, form it into rafts, and guide it through the waters to the Sea Port of Joppa.
 
Tyre was over fifty miles from Joppa and Joppa was around thirty miles from Jerusalem.
 
This was no easy task we know because we have the problems our own military had in the Mediterranian Sea.

The Phoenicians were the masters of the sea in that day.
 
2Ch 2:8 Send me also cedar trees, fir trees, and algum trees, out of Lebanon: for I know that thy servants can skill to cut timber in Lebanon; and, behold, my servants shall be with thy servants,
2Ch 2:9 Even to prepare me timber in abundance: for the house which I am about to build shall be wonderful great.
2Ch 2:10 And, behold, I will give to thy servants, the hewers that cut timber, twenty thousand measures of beaten wheat, and twenty thousand measures of barley, and twenty thousand baths of wine, and twenty thousand baths of oil.
 
Both men kept their agreements, and Solomon paid the wages of all these workers to make it worth their while.
 
Our lesson here is that we must do everything we can to seek peace and preserve peace throughout society without compromising the Word of God.
 
We need to make peace in our homes.
We need to make peace in our schools.
We need to make peace in our workplaces.
We need to treat everyone fair as we know our Lord Jesus did.
We should have peace in our Churches, we have the same Word of God. We do not need opinions, likes, dislikes, complaints, or murmurers among our members. Again, we have the same Word of God.
We should have peace in our government whose goal should be to take care of its people and protect our nation.
 
The word peace is used 429 times in the KJV Bible so peace is important to God, but may not always be possible.
 
Rom_12:18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.
 
There were also workers with stone at this same time.
 
1Ki 5:18 And Solomon’s builders and Hiram’s builders did hew them, and the stonesquarers: so they prepared timber and stones to build the house.
 
This stone cutting was started before the death of King David, and it was time consuming.
 
David also began gathering many of the supplies needed for the Temple.
 
1Ch 22:2 And David commanded to gather together the strangers that were in the land of Israel; and he set masons to hew wrought stones to build the house of God.
1Ch 22:3 And David prepared iron in abundance for the nails for the doors of the gates, and for the joinings; and brass in abundance without weight;
1Ch 22:4 Also cedar trees in abundance: for the Zidonians and they of Tyre brought much cedar wood to David.
1Ch 22:5 And David said, Solomon my son is young and tender, and the house that is to be builded for the LORD must be exceeding magnifical, of fame and of glory throughout all countries: I will therefore now make preparation for it. So David prepared abundantly before his death.
 
The Splendor of what is called Solomon’s Temple began to come to life.
 
Work began in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign.
 
We can see this was a major undertaking with the tools that were available on that day.
 
In fact, many of those large stones and the cutting of them is not really understood today how they were able to do such things with just manual labor.
 
These stones were cut, squared, shaped, and dressed to fit together perfectly without mortar.
 
Our lesson is no matter what we do for the Lord, do it right while also making a contribution to society.
  
*1Ki 6:12 Concerning this house which thou art in building, if thou wilt walk in my statutes, and execute my judgments, and keep all my commandments to walk in them; then will I perform my word with thee, which I spake unto David thy father:
1Ki 6:13 And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel.
1Ki 6:14 So Solomon built the house, and finished it.
 
It had been four hundred and eighty years since a group of slaves led by Moses, had left Egypt searching for the land promised to Abraham.
 
This would have been around 966 BC, so the Hebrews left Egypt around 1446 BC.
 
All the materials were assembled in Jerusalem on the Temple Mount without the use of construction hand tools axes and hammers and such tool made of iron.
 
1Ki 6:7 And the house, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready before it was brought thither: so that there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building.
 
1Ki 6:9 So he built the house, and finished it; and covered the house with beams and boards of cedar.
 
Then God gave Solomon a challenge and a promise.
 
It appears to me as I read this that the stonework was first completed and then the Temple was covered with lumber and this lumber was gold plated.
 
1Ki 6:22 And the whole house he overlaid with gold, until he had finished all the house: also the whole altar that was by the oracle he overlaid with gold.
 
In the end, God said this was a worldly sanctuary and cannot compare to our Heavenly sanctuary.
 
Heb 9:1 Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary.
 
Heb 9:11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;
 
Any place of worship today simply means God is identifying with His people so it becomes a House of God.
 
God is certainly “gracious” but this does not mean it is a light thing to come into the presence of the Lord.
 
We should be reverent in the House of God and God will show up.
 
Today the body of each believer becomes the House of God and we are to honor the name of the Lord who dwells within us at all times and not just while we are in His House of worship.
 
Those large stones teach us of a solid foundation which is in Christ Jesus.
 
If our lives are not built upon Jesus Christ we are doomed to destruction.
 
Without Jesus Christ, we are separated from God and doomed!
 
Without God, there is no hope, not in this world or the next!
 
We should also understand that just being in a Church building is not enough. God only looks upon those with a pure heart as we saw in last week’s lesson.
 
A wicked person entering a church building is still a person with a wicked heart and will remain that way until they claim the Lord Jesus Christ and repent of their old life.
 
Many today do not want to repent but maintain their sinful ways and sin is according to the Word of God and not public opinion.
 
God created us to have fellowship with Him, but He cannot look upon sin and, in His wisdom, He sent the Lord Jesus to pay our sin debt and if we accept this fact then God will deal with us His own children!
 
God gave us free will to decide this on our own!
 
Amen

What Legacy Will You Leave Behind

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

David’s Last Days

Book of 1 Chronicles Chapter 29

Most of us are just ordinary people, but even as insignificant as we are in this world, we will leave behind a legacy, either a good one or a bad one.

We may be remembered only by friends and family, but to some of those we may be important to them.

So, we should ask ourselves what kind of legacy will we leave behind?

As long as we are alive, we can improve our legacy!

After we have been in the family of God for many years, we hope our past life will be forgotten just as the Lord has forgotten it.

So, again, what contribution have we made since our salvation?

We know that the Lord called all His brothers and His sisters into the Church, to begin working for His glory.

This is a much greater task than what David encouraged his son Solomon to do.

Our job is to take the Gospel to the entire world so, did we contribute to this work, we can ask ourselves?

The Lord called His entire Church, individually and collectively, to take part in this ministry!

This may not mean much to the world but it will certainly mean much in the realm of Heaven!

The Lord God our Creator builds much greater temples than the one Solomon built!

Every Temple built by the Lord is for the Lord because it is for the worship of the Living God!

This worship extends outside to the telling of the world “How Great Is Our God”!

Many people have forgotten the purpose of our gathering together.

We gather for the worship of our Creator and our Savior and all other things are secondary to this!

We should love the opportunity and the privilege to gather in the name of the Lord, and to be a part of the continuation of His ministry!

David told Solomon:

*1Ch 29:3 Moreover, because I have set my affection to the house of my God, I have of mine own proper good, of gold and silver, which I have given to the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house,

Our greatest goal should be to undertake a work for the glory of our Savior!

I admit my failure to do so but I am still working on it, to get better at it.

Many are called to specific things for the Lord, but all of us are called to be obedient to the Word of God that teaches us how to be a witness for the Lord.

Many will say, well the I have not heard the Holy Spirit speak to me but the Holy Spirit speaks loudly and boldly to us in the Word of God!

We may not have great riches to give to the House of God, but God would rather have Living Sacrifices than great riches!

Riches maybe of gold and silver but we are God’s jewels!

Rom_12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

David set his affection to the house of his God and his God is Jehovah, who came down from Heaven and took upon Himself the Body of Jesus Christ just so He could save a useless beggar like me!

On David’s death bed, he was still encouraging the nation of Israel to get closer to the Lord.

We can never get too close to the Lord!

It was time for Israel to build a house where the Lord God of all this world would come down to visit with His people!

It was a great sum of riches that King David had accumulated for this work yet, it would not be enough so, all the leaders of the twelve tribes were to share their own riches.

They would have no riches if were not for King David!

We should understand that until King David, Israel had no riches.

It was by the economy of King David that these men had accumulated their riches.

They were not to forget the blessings that God had shared with them.

We seem to forget that it is by the blessing of the Lord that we are blessed with what we have, and He only expects us to give back ten percent of those blessings.

David wanted these elders to realize that giving to the construction of the Temple would be the greatest work these leaders would ever undertake!

1Ch 22:14 Now, behold, in my trouble I have prepared for the house of the LORD an hundred thousand talents of gold, and a thousand thousand talents of silver; and of brass and iron without weight; for it is in abundance: timber also and stone have I prepared; and thou mayest add thereto.

David had given all his treasures to the building of the Temple.

If we figure the weight of a talent was around ninety-five pounds, a hundred thousand talents would weigh four thousand seven hundred and fifty tons of gold.

A talent of gold was double the weight of silver so a talent of silver was about forty-five pounds.

The silver that David gave had a weight of twenty-two thousand and five hundred tons.

We can only imagine what the values of just these two valuable metals would be worth today.

After hearing this, the chiefs of the tribes and the princes of the tribes and the captains of military in those tribes with the rulers of the king’s work, gave willingly.

*1Ch 29:6 Then the chief of the fathers and princes of the tribes of Israel, and the captains of thousands and of hundreds, with the rulers of the king’s work, offered willingly,

David challenged the national leaders to personally dedicate themselves to the Lord.

We need to challenge our own national leaders today to personally dedicate themselves to the Lord.

We need to do the same in America today!

We must stand up for Jesus and there will be a great turmoil, but until we do this, we certainly cannot claim to be Christian nation.

Remember it was Obama who said he would make sure that America would not be a Christian nation ever again, and it is he who is pulling the strings today, but he does not know the power of God or the Lord Jesus Christ and this battle is His and not ours but we must have a part in it.

If we cannot make a personal re-dedication to the Lord, we do not deserve Him!

We must be willing to consecrate our relationship with the Lord!

So much wealth was given to build the Temple that a treasurer had to be appointed to watch over it.

We should understand that the work of the Lord is enormous, and we as God’s children must give and give willingly to this work of reaching lost souls.

Far too much of God’s resources are used for elaborate buildings and many other things, other than reaching souls for Christ.

The Church has two jobs.

Reaching souls for Christ, and making disciples so they can reach souls for Christ.

Many so-called churches have forgotten the mission the Lord Jesus has given us to do!

Mat 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Mat 28:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.

The people of Israel rejoiced that there would be a “House of Prayer” built in Jerusalem.

*1Ch 29:9 Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with perfect heart they offered willingly to the LORD: and David the king also rejoiced with great joy.

It takes a perfect heart to serve the Lord and God is working on us every day to clean our hearts up to be good servants.

People must be reached with the “Gospel of salvation”!

The people of this world are suffering and only the Lord can help them!

The people of the world need the Word of God to become a part of them.

There has never been another such man as King David, who has a legacy of giving to the Lord as he did, except the Lord Jesus Christ who gave up the riches of Heaven to come to this earth to die on a wooden cross to save the people of this earth from a place called Hell!

On a day near his death, King David stood before a massive crowd of national leaders overflowed with joy with the generosity of those who were seeking a relationship with the Lord.

King David realized just how blessed Israel was to have Jehovah as her God.

The House of Prayer that was to be built for the Lord was also to be for the presentation of God’s Word and God’s worship.

Our Lord deserves to be worshiped!

Worship must include adoration.
Worship must include thanksgiving.
Worship must include confession.
Worship must include supplication.
Worship must include intercession.
Worship must include petition, a deliverance from evil.

Now we do not need a building to appear before the Lord, but if you are a child of God you will want to join with the many others who truly want to worship the Lord!

Heb 10:24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
Heb 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

The Lord God Jehovah is the God of all true believers and there are no other gods, but those of the mind of the non-believers!

*1Ch 29:10 Wherefore David blessed the LORD before all the congregation: and David said, Blessed be thou, LORD God of Israel our father, for ever and ever.
1Ch 29:11 Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all.

Keeping in mind that the word Israel means “the people of God”, then Jehovah is certainly the God of all His people and He is our Father for ever and ever.

That word “blessed” means that our Lord is the Living picture of Holiness!

He is the Father of all true believers in His Son the Lord Jesus Christ!

He will be our Father forever and ever with a life that has no ending!

Another thing we see is, just like most of us here today, the closer we get to going home the more we like to talk about it.

It is our Lord God who controls all things because all things belong to Him!

He possesses all power and all greatness.
He possesses all glory, all majesty, and all splendors.
He possesses all that is in Heaven and on Earth.
He possesses all greatness.
He is truly exalted above all!

There are many of these things He will share with us if we love Him!

*1Ch 29:12 Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all.
1Ch 29:13 Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name.

We must clearly understand that any wealth and any honor that comes to us in this world, came by the hands Jehovah God!

Our Lord God is the source of all things good that comes to us in this world!

One of the reasons, the main reason, is so we can give back to the Church for the work of reaching out to lost souls.

Those who have been blessed with such riches should glorify the Lord for those things!

Those who have obtained honor in this world should use it in proclaiming the truth of God!

Those who have been given the strength to overcome life’s obstacles should teach those of little strength how to do the same!

We must all be thankful for the things God has shared with us.

We may not understand why some seem to be better off than others, but we must understand that the Lord is Omnipotent and He always knows what is best for each of us! Amen.

King David acknowledged that his kingdom actually belonged to the Lord.

We need to acknowledge that the United States of America also belongs to the Lord.

Everything upon this earth belongs to the Lord because He created it all!

So many laughs at these things today, but they will one day see the truth of the Word of God!

King David then thanked the Lord for enabling the people to be able to give.

One of the reasons that our government wants us all to not have money is so we will not have to give to our God!

They are so foolish; the Lord does not need our resources!

He allows us to give for His work in order to earn rewards and we earn greater rewards from giving when it hurts us financially.

Isa_55:8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.
Isa_55:9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

If the swamp in Washington DC and in many states, capitols could understand this, they could do something beneficial for our nation rather than trying to destroy our nation.

Satan is in full control in America because the Church has been so weak!

This is why the Lord tells us this world is not worth saving and He will make all things new.

Heb_11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

Why did King David give so generously? Because God was testing the hearts of His people!

1Ch 29:16 O LORD our God, all this store that we have prepared to build thee an house for thine holy name cometh of thine hand, and is all thine own.
1Ch 29:17 I know also, my God, that thou triest the heart, and hast pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of mine heart I have willingly offered all these things: and now have I seen with joy thy people, which are present here, to offer willingly unto thee.

Everything we have belongs to God and God will test us time to time to see if our hearts are still in the right place!

God gives wealth as a test to see if that person will return that wealth to Him if He ask for it back.

David knew that God test the hearts of His people from time to time.

We should understand that without a “test”, we will never have a “testimony”!

Without making a “mess” with our lives, we will never understand God’s “message”!

God does not try to hide the terrible things in the life of King David even when He knows much of this world will exploit our mistakes to use against us.

With all the things we have read about King David we could say that David was never really a child of God but we must know that not one of us are perfect.

Not one of us can stand before the Lord and say we are worthy of His love, because we know we are not.

Those that do are self-righteous and will never get to Heaven!

So again what kind of legacy will we leave behind?

When we are in our very last days, what will we tell our children and grandchildren and many of us are blessed with great grandchildren.

In a world that is going to pots, family is still the greatest blessing the Lord gives to us!

We all need to take a pad and pen and record the time each day we spend in prayer for one week.

Most of us would see that we do not spend a lot of time talking to our Heavenly Father.

I am so guilty Lord, help me to do better!

Solomon became the third King of Israel and he sat upon the throne of his father David but watch how our Scripture words this.

1Ch 29:23 Then Solomon sat on the throne of the LORD as king instead of David his father, and prospered; and all Israel obeyed him.

Solomon sat upon the throne of the Lord instead of his father David.

That throne in Jerusalem is reserved for the Lord Jesus Christ and many impostors have tried to rule from that throne and the worst of all those impostors will soon attempt to sit upon that throne and the Lord Jesus Himself will boot him off!

Solomon was coronated a second time and the people celebrated with boundless joy.

Knowing all these things about King David, we should ask ourselves, how loyal are we to the Lord?

How committed are we to serving the Lord?

What kind of lives are we living?

We are all still sinners but we must realize that sin damages our legacy and also shames the name of the Lord.

The traits that we need to serve the Lord are loyalty, allegiance, commitment, dedication, and obedience!

As we go through our day, we must continually magnify the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

For the most part David had lived a good life.

*1Ch 29:28 And he died in a good old age, full of days, riches, and honour: and Solomon his son reigned in his stead.

All the things about King David were recorded.

The Book of Samuel was recorded and we have his records.
The Book of Nathan the prophet of which the Holy Spirit deemed not necessary to be included in the Bible.
The Book of Gad the seer which the Holy Spirit decided was not necessary to be included in the Bible.

This does not mean those records do not exist, it only means that the Holy Spirit did not see it necessary to include those records in the Word of God though He did include bits and pieces of those books in what is the Bible today.

David clearly understood that the Lord was the only living and true God and that it was He who had appointed him to be King of Israel.

If only our leaders would realize this today!

We could make America great again!

Amen

The Temple Will Be Built

/ Bobby Mayfield / 1 Comment

The Temple Will Be Rebuilt

Book of Ezekiel Chapters 43-46

Jehovah spoke to Ezekiel in visions.

We know that Ezekiel was a prophet of God and a prophet of God had to write the things that Jehovah revealed to him. It was not up to a prophet of Jehovah to question anything Jehovah revealed to them, but to accept whatever Jehovah revealed to them as the truth.

It seems that “visions” may have been a higher category of revelation, reserved for the more spiritually mature men of God.

Many of God’s prophets frequently received visions, in fact one of the names of God’s prophets was seer which comes from the Hebrew word “raah” meaning “to see”.

In Ezekiel we see the Hebrew word “mareh” which means the “act of seeing”, a supernatural vision.

It is not the same as the visions of some other prophets which would be more like being in a trance.

Abraham:

Gen 15:1 After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.

Nathan:

1Ch 17:15 According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David.

Daniel:

Dan 8:1 In the third year of the reign of king Belshazzar a vision appeared unto me, even unto me Daniel, after that which appeared unto me at the first.

Of course here in the Book of Ezekiel we see that the Lord God Jehovah revealed the future to Ezekiel. Short term future and long term, future things we have not yet seen.

What are some of the things we are most sure of?

1) Our Lord Jesus will return!
2) This will take place after He has received His Church in the clouds!
3) Our Lord will then fulfill the promises He has made to Israel.

We believe that according to the Scriptures that a third Temple will be built before the Lord returns.

We believe that according to the vision of Ezekiel there may even be a fourth Temple built during the one thousand year reign of the Lord, far different from the other Temples.

*Eze 43:1 Afterward he brought me to the gate, even the gate that looketh toward the east:
Eze 43:2 And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory.

The one thing we know for sure is when we see the Lord, He will be in His awesome glory!

He will not be the meek and loving Savior who first came but He will be seen as the Mighty Awesome Glorious Power of The Lord God and Creator of all things!

His glory will fill this Temple of Ezekiel just as He did Solomon’s Temple, just as He did in that first Tabernacle of Moses!

Exo 40:34 Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.
Exo 40:35 And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.

1Ki 8:10 And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD,
1Ki 8:11 So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of the LORD.

2Ch 5:14 So that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of God.

Our Lord is a sight to behold in all His glory!

Psa 18:6 In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.
Psa 18:7 Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth.
Psa 18:8 There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.
Psa 18:9 He bowed the heavens also, and came down: and darkness was under his feet.
Psa 18:10 And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind.
Psa 18:11 He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
Psa 18:12 At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed, hail stones and coals of fire.
Psa 18:13 The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail stones and coals of fire.
Psa 18:14 Yea, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and he shot out lightnings, and discomfited them.
Psa 18:15 Then the channels of waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were discovered at thy rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.
Psa 18:16 He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters.
Psa 18:17 He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me.

The Lord will not have to speak a word when He sets His feet back on the Mount of Olives for those who are His enemies will be destroyed just by the sight of His glory!

2 Th 1:6 Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you;
2 Th 1:7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,
2 Th 1:8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
2 Th 1:9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;
2 Th 1:10 When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.

All of His children will be with Him when He returns!

When the glory of our Lord departed, He went “Eastward”, when the Lord returns, He will return from the “East” the direction of the rising Sun and the Sun will be like a lantern compared to the “Glory of the Lord”.

Hag 2:6 For thus saith the LORD of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land;
Hag 2:7 And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts.
Hag 2:8 The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts.
Hag 2:9 The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts.

He is the God of Israel and He is the Lord God of the true Church!

Even in this vision of Ezekiel, he could do nothing else but fall upon his face in worship of the Almighty God!

Only the Almighty Jehovah God could cause such a supernatural vision!

*Eze 43:3 And it was according to the appearance of the vision which I saw, even according to the vision that I saw when I came to destroy the city: and the visions were like the vision that I saw by the river Chebar; and I fell upon my face.

Ezekiel in his visions, had previously seen the Lord leave the Temple, in all His glory, the Shekinah Glory, and now he saw in a vision the return of the Lord, in all His glory to the New Temple. The Temple described in what is now called Ezekiel’s Temple because it differs so much from the previous temple of Solomon and of Herod.

Since Ezekiel had prophesied of the destruction of city of Jerusalem, then he says, “when I came to destroy the city”, because he had spoken the exact words God had given to him to say.

Just as when Ezekiel preached to those dry bones in our previous lesson.

Just as he had followed the directions given to him in the beginning of this book of Ezekiel.

Eze 4:1 Thou also, son of man, take thee a tile, and lay it before thee, and pourtray upon it the city, even Jerusalem:
Eze 4:2 And lay siege against it, and build a fort against it, and cast a mount against it; set the camp also against it, and set battering rams against it round about.

With one stroke Ezekiel had broken the tile that represented the city of Jerusalem!

It was the Chaldean that caused the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple of Solomon, but it was the Lord that had allowed it to happen, just as Ezekiel and Jeremiah had prophesied.

Eze 9:1 He cried also in mine ears with a loud voice, saying, Cause them that have charge over the city to draw near, even every man with his destroying weapon in his hand.

It was because of the sinful leadership of Judah, that had been the true cause of the destruction of Jerusalem.

If we would just learn to do what God says for us to do and honor Him in our worship, we would be much better for it, and the world would be a much better place!

How did the Lord enter the new Temple?

*Eze 43:4 And the glory of the LORD came into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east.

The sun rises from the east.

No one can look at the sun without eye protection for any length of time, because of the glory of the sun.

The glory of the Lord is much greater than the sun we have for light and heat!

Exo_24:17 And the sight of the glory of the LORD was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel.

Num_14:21 But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD.

Isa_40:5 And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

Isa_60:1 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.

What will happen to all those who are part of the Rapture of the Church?

2 Co 3:18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

We can see that it is the Spirit of the Lord that will cause this to happen, because He has never left us and He lives within us!

The Lord will return one day, and He may return from the eastern sky, but remember He will come as a thief so He may come from any direction or in the night!

All these things happened to Ezekiel by the power of the Holy Spirit, because the Lord has not yet left Heaven!

*Eze 43:5 So the spirit took me up, and brought me into the inner court; and, behold, the glory of the LORD filled the house.

The prophet Ezekiel had remained upon His knees his face to the ground until the Holy Spirit carried him into the Temple as by his vision.

Remember this was a “supernatural” vision!

The Holy Spirit is still to this day the invisible, irresistible power upon this earth!

It is the Holy Spirit that is the power behind every true man of God! False prophets have no power, because they do not have the Holy Spirit!

It is the Holy Spirit who raises every true man of God and allows them communion with our Holy God!

The Shekinah Glory of Jehovah filled this entire Temple, but it resided in the Holy of Holies and even in the power of the Holy Spirit, Ezekiel could not enter into this place set aside for the Lord!

Again one day in the not so distant future, this entire world will be overcome by the “Shekinah Glory” of the Lord!

Isa 6:3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.

And all the family of God will gather into this Temple of the Lord!

Hag 2:6 For thus saith the LORD of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land;
Hag 2:7 And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts.

There was a voice coming from within the Holy of Holies.

*Eze 43:6 And I heard him speaking unto me out of the house; and the man stood by me.
Eze 43:7 And he said unto me, Son of man, the place of my throne, and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for ever, and my holy name, shall the house of Israel no more defile, neither they, nor their kings, by their whoredom, nor by the carcases of their kings in their high places.

What is a theophany? We must understand that Jehovah will only reveal Himself in one way and that way is the Lord Jesus Christ. Every “theophany” is then the Lord Jesus Christ!

When Ezekiel says a man stood with Him then that would be the Lord Jesus Christ!

So let’s listen to the conversation:

In the Israel of old, the bodies of kings at least 14 in number were buried in Jerusalem adjacent to the Temple complex, separated only by a wall, but here we see that Christ, the man speaking to Ezekiel, considered those graves to be an infringement of upon His holy place and an act of spiritual defilement and that would not be allowed in the New Temple.

Some of those kings had even been buried along with the idols they worshiped.

The prophet Ezekiel was to inform the people that this practice would come to an end!

As the Lord says, this Temple would be a place where He would walk among His people!

This New Temple would no more be defiled!

When we get to the Lord’s Heavenly Temple, there will be nothing dead at all. Life, Life, Life, and Life eternal is the theme in God’s Heavenly Home!

There will be nothing that will be allowed to defile the Temple that the Lord will build!

Remember our mansion will be inside the Lord’s house, much like the priests had houses inside the Temple!

Rev 21:3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
Rev 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
Rev 21:5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

What is happening in our places of worship today?

We have forgotten that the places where we worship are to be Holy, Sanctified for the work God has given us to do!

*Eze 44:1 Then he brought me back the way of the gate of the outward sanctuary which looketh toward the east; and it was shut.
Eze 44:2 Then said the LORD unto me; This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter in by it; because the LORD, the God of Israel, hath entered in by it, therefore it shall be shut.

We must clearly understand there is only One who is to be worshiped and that One is the Lord Jesus Christ.

There is “NO ONE” higher than the Lord Jesus Christ! Lord of lords and King of kings!

Once the glory of the Lord has been seen, there is no room for those who would seek their own glory because they have none.

The nation of Israel has always trusted in their own good works, holding to the Laws of Moses which is nothing more than guide for righteous living.

Our true measurement in life, is the Lord Jesus Christ and we have no goodness in us at all to compare to the Lord!

When we walk into the House of God, we are walking on Holy Ground and if we cannot be holy in our own life after we know the Lord, then we will defile His Temple!

Not everyone will be allowed in the Messiah’s Temple!

Those that are allowed must worship the Lord in the correct manner!

Joh 4:21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.
Joh 4:22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.
Joh 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
Joh 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Psa 50:23 Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God.

Psa 86:12 I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore.
Psa 86:13 For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell.

Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Not one unbeliever will be allowed in the Temple of the Messiah!
Not one person who rejects any portion of the Word of God will be allowed in this Temple of the Messiah!

We must understand that once the glory of the Messiah enters into His Temple through that Eastern Gate, then that gate will be closed for He will never leave His Temple ever again.

There will be a passageway.

*Eze 44:3 It is for the prince; the prince, he shall sit in it to eat bread before the LORD; he shall enter by the way of the porch of that gate, and shall go out by the way of the same.

There are so many things written about this prince that the only one that makes sense to me is what is written in the Book of Hebrews.

Heb 9:11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;
Heb 9:12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
Heb 9:13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:
Heb 9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

But these words do not refer to this prince in the Book of Ezekiel

Also in Chapter 45:22 we see these words:

Eze 45:22 And upon that day shall the prince prepare for himself and for all the people of the land a bullock for a sin offering.

The reality is that Lord Jesus Christ has no sin, so He needs no sin offering for Himself.

This prince is a father with sons and Jesus has no sons, but He does have children and brothers and sisters and friends!

Eze 46:16 Thus saith the Lord GOD; If the prince give a gift unto any of his sons, the inheritance thereof shall be his sons’; it shall be their possession by inheritance.
Eze 46:17 But if he give a gift of his inheritance to one of his servants, then it shall be his to the year of liberty; after it shall return to the prince: but his inheritance shall be his sons’ for them.
Eze 46:18 Moreover the prince shall not take of the people’s inheritance by oppression, to thrust them out of their possession; but he shall give his sons inheritance out of his own possession: that my people be not scattered every man from his possession.

This prince could not enter in by the Eastern Gate!

He is a prince, possibly a prince of the 12 tribes or possibly a prince in the civil government of Israel.

What we know for sure is that the Lord Jesus Christ is the only way to get to Heaven!

Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Joh 14:7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.

This prince maybe just someone who will lead the worship service. Remember Lucifer had failed to do this job and he exalted himself and lost!

Maybe this prince is the Born Again child of God.

Rev_1:6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Rev_5:10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

All these are guesses so we must just trust the Word of God.

*Eze 44:4 Then brought he me the way of the north gate before the house: and I looked, and, behold, the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD: and I fell upon my face.

In his vision Ezekiel is now on the outside of this new Temple, the Easter Gate is closed, and he walks north until he comes to the Northern Gate.

Twelve times in his writing, Ezekiel mentions a view from the gate to the North in this Temple.

With the Easter Gate closed, the best entrances into the Temple complex will be the Northern and the Southern gates.

What we notice is, that no matter where Ezekiel entered, he was overcome by the Shekinah Glory of the Lord.

How did the Shekinah Glory of the Lord affect Daniel?

Dan 10:8 Therefore I was left alone, and saw this great vision, and there remained no strength in me: for my comeliness was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no strength.

In this passage from the book of Daniel, he also has a supernatural vision of the Shekinah glory of the Lord!

How will the Shekinah Glory of the Lord affect all of us?

Two things:

1) We will be no different that Daniel or Ezekiel, we will fall upon our faces in total fear until the Lord comforts us with His voice of peace.
2) Then we will be like Him!

1Jn_3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

Ezekiel was told to pay strict attention to the things he was seeing in His vision.

Ezekiel moves on to the gates of the inner courts where the discussion will be about worship.

The inner court would be the place of the altar.

*Eze 46:1 Thus saith the Lord GOD; The gate of the inner court that looketh toward the east shall be shut the six working days; but on the sabbath it shall be opened, and in the day of the new moon it shall be opened.

Eze 46:2 And the prince shall enter by the way of the porch of that gate without, and shall stand by the post of the gate, and the priests shall prepare his burnt offering and his peace offerings, and he shall worship at the threshold of the gate: then he shall go forth; but the gate shall not be shut until the evening.

I believe the modern church has forgotten the reason we gather together at the appointed times of the church. We gather to worship!

We gather to worship Jehovah!
We gather to worship the Lord Jesus Christ!

The Lord lays down some specific things for the Jewish people in this Millennial Temple.

We must remember, they have never understood how to relate worship in the Tabernacle nor the Temple, to the Lord Jesus Christ!

The Sabbath signifies “rest”! Jesus Christ is that “rest” because He causes the weary to rest!

Isa 28:12 To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.

It is the Sabbath of the soul that is of most importance!

Mat 11:27 All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.
Mat 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Mat 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
Mat 11:30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

The soul can never rest until it returns to the Lord!

Psa 116:6 The LORD preserveth the simple: I was brought low, and he helped me.
Psa 116:7 Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the LORD hath dealt bountifully with thee.
Psa 116:8 For thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling.
Psa 116:9 I will walk before the LORD in the land of the living.

The moon was created by Jehovah on the fourth day, and approximately every 30 days there is a New Moon, and this is the basis for the Jewish calendar and all the Jewish festivals.

The Sabbaths and the New Moon required a sin offering to the Lord, and we know that our Lord Jesus became that sin offering for the entire world until the day He returns to get His Church!

This prince, which is not the Lord, could not enter into the area of the offerings, but he had to stop at the threshold to worship at that location.

This burnt offering, “in type”, represents the consecration of the one who offered the sacrifice, which was this prince at this time.

Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

The truth is that Jesus Christ gave Himself as the whole burnt offering on the altar of the cross!

Eph 5:1 Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;
Eph 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.

Heb 9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

We talk a lot about the nail scared hands of Christ Jesus.
We talk a lot about the hole in the side of Christ Jesus.
We need to talk a lot about the back of Christ Jesus and see where His back was laid upon that burning altar and the imprint of my cross and the imprint your cross, and the cross of every believer is scared for ever upon the back of our Savior!

The Jews have never recognized these things, but they soon will!

*Eze 46:3 Likewise the people of the land shall worship at the door of this gate before the LORD in the sabbaths and in the new moons.
Eze 46:4 And the burnt offering that the prince shall offer unto the LORD in the sabbath day shall be six lambs without blemish, and a ram without blemish.

With the Lord on site, the Jews and this prince will be taught the relationship of all the sacrifices of the Temple.

As we have seen the burnt offering was upon the altar of the cross!

The meal offering represented the crushing of the wheat(the body of our Savior) to become the bread of life.

Joh 12:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.

Joh_6:33 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.
Joh_6:35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
Joh_6:48 I am that bread of life.
Joh_6:51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

The peace offering was “in type”, being reconciled to God.

Rom 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
Rom 5:2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Col 1:20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.

The sin offering, ‘in type” represents the expiation (pardon). Remember a pardon means all penalty has been erased!

2Co 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

1Pe 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
1Pe 2:25 For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.

The trespass offering “in type”, was to make restitution for our sin.

Col 2:13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
Col 2:14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;

2Co 5:14 For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:
2Co 5:15 And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.

Worship at the Tabernacle and at the Temple was designed by the Lord to match the Word of God, so that the Jewish people would not miss the coming of the Messiah, but they missed the most important time of their lives and by the “mercy” and the “grace” of God and because of the promises Jehovah made to Abraham and King David, they will get one more chance to see where they went wrong.

Yes, this Temple of the Book of Ezekiel will be built!

Praise the Lord.

Let’s Pray!

Solomon The Dedication Of The Temple

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

The Dedication Of The Temple

1 Kings 8:1-9:28; 2 Chronicles 5:1-7:22

Focus On: 1 Kings 8:3-6, 10, 11, 18-20, 22, 23, 33, 34, 46-51, 63, 66

In our last lesson we saw part of the construction of the Temple and it’s furnishings.

It took seven years from start to finish in the construction of the Temple, not for the lack of skills but only because of the lack of modern machinery.

And as brother Buddy can attest to, it would have taken a great skill to assemble material that was custom made and processed in so many different places.

This glorious Temple built under the direction of King Solomon had as one of it’s purposes to be a witness to the world in that day.

Since God will not live in temples made by hands but only in temples that He constructs Himself, we that are saved have this same purpose, to be a witness of the glory of God to this world we live in!

So now it was time to “dedicate” this marvelous Temple.

To “dedicate” this Temple meant “to set it apart for God’s use”!

It was not just the building itself that was dedicated for God’s use. It was the building, all the furniture, all the vessels, all the altars, and all the tools that were a part of this glorious Temple.

Another word for this “dedication” would be “sanctification”.

The Temple of Solomon could only be dedicated one time.

The Temple of Solomon could never be perfect.

We know that God will not live in man made structures but He will live in a “Born Again” child of God and it is the work of the Holy Spirit to take that dedicated child of God on to perfection!

1Co 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
1Co 6:20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

Rom 6:13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
Rom 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

These temples that are made by the hands of God are built upon our own “Faith”!

Gal 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

So let’s see the dedication process for the Temple of Solomon and relate what we see to each Christian.

*****1Ki 8:3 And all the elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark.
1Ki 8:4 And they brought up the ark of the LORD, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and all the holy vessels that were in the tabernacle, even those did the priests and the Levites bring up.

We must realize that this entire Temple complex and all the things associated with it were designed to house the Ark of the Covenant.

It was the Ark that was the symbol of God’s presence and without the presence of God, this Temple would be just a building and of no use for the work of God!

King David had made the mistake of moving the Ark in his own way the first time and not obeying the Word of God and it had caused the death of a good man, Solomon was not about to make that same mistake.

God had said the Ark could only be moved one way.

Num 3:30 And the chief of the house of the father of the families of the Kohathites shall be Elizaphan the son of Uzziel.
Num 3:31 And their charge shall be the ark, and the table, and the candlestick, and the altars, and the vessels of the sanctuary wherewith they minister, and the hanging, and all the service thereof.
Num 3:32 And Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest shall be chief over the chief of the Levites, and have the oversight of them that keep the charge of the sanctuary.

The movement of the Ark had to coincide with the proper time.

This was not only the time of the Feast of the Tabernacles but it also fell a Jubilee year and the fulfillment of the words of Moses!

Deu 16:16 Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the LORD empty:
Deu 16:17 Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD thy God which he hath given thee.

It was in Jerusalem where God chose to have the Temple that was built by Solomon.

It was also the time of the Jubilee that is considered the acceptable year of the Lord:

Isa 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
Isa 61:2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;
Isa 61:3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.

We know that Jesus Christ also used this same passage when He began His ministry.

So the purpose of the Temple was:

1) To provide a fixed place for all the Nation of Israel to worship.

2) To provide a central place where all the tribes of Israel could assemble at the time of the three feast as directed by God to preserve the unity of Israel.

This was the place to meet Jehovah.

This was the place to offer sacrifices, the blood atonement, the propitiation.

This was the place to meet the Priests, the intermediary between Jehovah and the people.

This was the place to meet Jehovah at the right time which was, daily, weekly, monthly, and especially yearly at the annual feast.

This was the place to learn how to approach God in the proper way.

3) This was the place that was to be a type of the buildings that God would build.

1Pe 2:5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

Isa 28:16 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.

And as many as believed Word Of God showed up.

*****1Ki 8:5 And king Solomon, and all the congregation of Israel, that were assembled unto him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen, that could not be told nor numbered for multitude.
1Ki 8:6 And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the LORD unto his place, into the oracle of the house, to the most holy place, even under the wings of the cherubims.
1Ki 8:7 For the cherubims spread forth their two wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubims covered the ark and the staves thereof above.

We need to remember that this entire Temple complex was designed to house the Ark of the Covenant and only then to become a house of prayer!

Isa 56:7 Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.
Isa 56:8 The Lord GOD which gathereth the outcasts of Israel saith, Yet will I gather others to him, beside those that are gathered unto him.

The Temple was never to be just for the people of Israel but for all people. The Temple was never to be just some royal chapel nor become some tourist attraction.

It Jesus who showed God’s wrath at what was taking place in the Temple in Jerusalem as He trained the disciples.

Mar 11:15 And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves;
Mar 11:16 And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple.
Mar 11:17 And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.

To the Church, the Ark emphasizes the “Person” of Jesus Christ just as the “Mercy Seat” portrayed by the Cross, emphasizes the “Purpose” of Jesus Christ!

The Cherubim on the Mercy Seat faced each other as a sign they observed the mysteries of God’s Grace.

1Pe 1:12 Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.

The Cherubim in the Holy of Holies faced the Holy Place where the congregation were, as a sign that they also observed the ministry of God’s people.

1Co 4:9 For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men.

Once put in the Most Holy Place, the staves were withdrawn enough to guide the High Priests but not far enough to be seen by the congregation.

Mat 7:14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

*****1Ki 8:8 And they drew out the staves, that the ends of the staves were seen out in the holy place before the oracle, and they were not seen without: and there they are unto this day.
1Ki 8:9 There was nothing in the ark save the two tables of stone, which Moses put there at Horeb, when the LORD made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt.
1Ki 8:10 And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD,

Originally the Ark had contained not only the stone tablets but also the “golden pot that held manna” and also “Aaron’s rod” that had budded but these had been removed leaving only the two stones.

Heb 9:4 Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;

The Ark has since disappeared and may never be found again!

Rev 11:19 And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and “there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament”: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.

This Ark was originally called the Ark of the Testament:

Exo 25:22 And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon “the ark of the testimony”, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.

It was then that God showed up!

This is the same Cloud of Glory that had filled the Tabernacle when it had been completed.

This cloud was the symbol of the divine presence of the Lord and a symbol of God’s acceptance of the Temple as a place of worship.

Exo 40:34 Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.
Exo 40:35 And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.

Just as Moses had been awestruck by this obvious sign of the presence of God, so it was with all of Israel this day of the Temple dedication.

*****1Ki 8:11 So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of the LORD.

The glory of the Lord is known as the “shekinah”.

Exo 13:21 And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night:

Today in our churches it is that presence of the Holy Spirit!

Jo 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

And in another parallel it is God’s presence in each believer.

Eph 2:21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
Eph 2:22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

Solomon spent a great price in building the first Temple but God paid an even greater price for the living temples He builds with the blood of His Son Jesus!

And so the Temple became a place where the divine glory of God is revealed to His people and just as Solomon establish his royal residence in sight of this Temple, the Lord Jesus will one day establish His residence in the New Jerusalem and become our Temple.

Rev 21:22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.

It was not Solomon that had caused this to happen as much as it was his father King David.

*****1Ki 8:18 And the LORD said unto David my father, Whereas it was in thine heart to build an house unto my name, thou didst well that it was in thine heart.
1Ki 8:19 Nevertheless thou shalt not build the house; but thy son that shall come forth out of thy loins, he shall build the house unto my name.
1Ki 8:20 And the LORD hath performed his word that he spake, and I am risen up in the room of David my father, and sit on the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised, and have built an house for the name of the LORD God of Israel.

On this day of dedication Solomon acted as King and High Priest in other words a royal priest, a priest that sat on a throne!

Solomon had rule over the civil power.

Solomon had rule over the priestly power.

Solomon had rule over the religious power all the days of his life.

Solomon was given a tremendous responsibility and Solomon failed!

BUT, on this day of dedication Solomon made the nation of Israel aware that God will always keep His promises!

God in His “Goodness” and His “Grace” had made a covenant with David concerning his family and this House of God.

What God speaks with His mouth, God accomplishes with His hands.

1Ki 8:15 And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, which spake with his mouth unto David my father, and hath with his hand fulfilled it, saying,

What God promised to David, God fulfilled through Solomon.

But we must not believe that God did these things to glorify Solomon nor his father David.

God did these thing in honor of His own name Jehovah!

We can see the title LORD mentioned 14 times in this prayer of Solomon.

Solomon was very careful to give God the glory for what he had accomplished.

When we come together to worship we must remember why we came to the House of God for it must be to worship God, by the Holy Spirit and through His Son Jesus.

We must give God the glory for what He has done in our lives and even if God only saves us He has done much more than what we deserved!

We must also certainly never forget that when God makes promises, God uses people to fulfill those promises during this time of God’s “Grace”!

Solomon rejoiced in his being the son of promise to his father David but the true Son of Promise is the Lord Jesus Christ!

Rom 1:2 (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,)
Rom 1:3 Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;
Rom 1:4 And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:

Solomon began his prayer of dedication while standing but Solomon just as soon went to his knees.

*****1Ki 8:22 And Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven:

Our prayers are not to be a request only thing!

It is by Prayer that we have fellowship with the Lord.

It is by prayer that we have communion with God.

And it is by prayer that we are identified with God.

True prayer is a soul that knows who his true Father is and pours out his heart in loving devotion!

*****1Ki 8:23 And he said, LORD God of Israel, there is no God like thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath, who keepest covenant and mercy with thy servants that walk before thee with all their heart:

There may be many religions in our world but there is only One Jehovah God.

Sure He is the God of Israel but He is also the God of joy of all those that believe but also the God of wrath to all those that do not believe!

There are many in our world that think they can loose their salvation but that could only happen if we did not have an Intercessor who is dedicated to keeping us saved!

Rom 8:34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

The Lord Jesus is not just preparing us a place in our new home but He is also saving us to the uttermost so we can get there!

Heb 7:24 But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood.
Heb 7:25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

Even when we make a sinful mistake, and we all do, it is our Intercessor who restores us to fellowship when that fellowship is broken.

1Jn 2:1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:

No, there is no other god like unto the LORD!

Mic 7:18 Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.
Mic 7:19 He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.

All these things are just as true for the nation of Israel!

*****1Ki 8:33 When thy people Israel be smitten down before the enemy, because they have sinned against thee, and shall turn again to thee, and confess thy name, and pray, and make supplication unto thee in this house:
1Ki 8:34 Then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy people Israel, and bring them again unto the land which thou gavest unto their fathers.

If we need a time piece to know where we are in Biblical fulfillment, then we need only to look toward Israel!

Israel has been restored as a nation and as small and as vulnerable as they are, Israel stands firmly and boldly before the world.

This is a sign to the “Born Again” Christian that we are also to stand boldly before the world!

Solomon recognized that Jehovah God rules all His creation and has complete provincial control of all nature and all of Heaven.

Solomon realized that prayer changes things!

If prayer could not change the outcome of things God would not teach us to pray!

The hope of Israel is the ultimate restoration of all things under the Messiah!

Mic 5:4 And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.

The hope of the Church is the Rapture!

1Co 15:51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
1Co 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
1Co 15:53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
1Co 15:54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

The Rapture has not taken place and God is not through with Israel but these things get closer with every passing day.

Most all remaining prophesy concerns Israel as the Church could be removed at any moment!

*****1Ki 8:45 Then hear thou in heaven their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause.
1Ki 8:46 If they sin against thee, (for there is no man that sinneth not,) and thou be angry with them, and deliver them to the enemy, so that they carry them away captives unto the land of the enemy, far or near;
1Ki 8:47 Yet if they shall bethink themselves in the land whither they were carried captives, and repent, and make supplication unto thee in the land of them that carried them captives, saying, We have sinned, and have done perversely, we have committed wickedness;
1Ki 8:48 And so return unto thee with all their heart, and with all their soul, in the land of their enemies, which led them away captive, and pray unto thee toward their land, which thou gavest unto their fathers, the city which thou hast chosen, and the house which I have built for thy name:

What is the truth of repentance?

To repent is to “bethink”, which is to recall to the mind.

Repentance is a complete change of mind followed with a complete change of direction!

Repentance is not just saying I’m sorry!

And how are we to love the Lord?

Moses taught the children of Israel with these words:

Deu 6:5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

Jesus taught the disciples:

Mat 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

God said the way to get restored after wickedness Israel would have to return to the Lord with all their heart and all their soul, even if they were in the land of their enemies!

This is a picture of the “Grace of God” and God tells the Church to do the very same thing!

1Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1Jn 1:10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

The God of the Old Testament is the same God of the New Testament!

And all these things come about when we pray.

*****1Ki 8:49 Then hear thou their prayer and their supplication in heaven thy dwelling place, and maintain their cause,
1Ki 8:50 And forgive thy people that have sinned against thee, and all their transgressions wherein they have transgressed against thee, and give them compassion before them who carried them captive, that they may have compassion on them:
1Ki 8:51 For they be thy people, and thine inheritance, which thou broughtest forth out of Egypt, from the midst of the furnace of iron:

How do we know that God will hear our prayers?

1st) Psa 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:

If we have not repented then we can be sure God will not hear our prayer!

2nd) If we confess our sins, God is faithful to forgive our sins.

If we have confessed our sins we can be sure that God is listening to our prayers.

The truth is that God will answer every prayer that reaches into Heaven!

And, God will always provide the things that meets His will for our lives!

What is the will of God?

Col 1:9 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;
Col 1:10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;

Being able to get our prayers answered is the will of God!

Being filled with knowledge and understanding of God, we will have the wisdom of God’s will for our lives.

Walking worthy of the Lord Jesus is being in the will of God!

We can know that our prayers will be answered if we belong to God!

Not one Word out of the mouth of God will ever fail!

*****1Ki 8:54 And it was so, that when Solomon had made an end of praying all this prayer and supplication unto the LORD, he arose from before the altar of the LORD, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread up to heaven.
1Ki 8:55 And he stood, and blessed all the congregation of Israel with a loud voice, saying,
1Ki 8:56 Blessed be the LORD, that hath given rest unto his people Israel, according to all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant.

God had promised David that the reign of King Solomon would be a time of peace for the nation of Israel!

Joshua had seen the same thing as Solomon was seeing.

Jos 23:14 And, behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth: and ye know in all your hearts and in all your souls, that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the LORD your God spake concerning you; all are come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath failed thereof.

And if all the good things will always come true, then all the bad things will certainly be true when we ignore the Word of God!

Jos 23:15 Therefore it shall come to pass, that as all good things are come upon you, which the LORD your God promised you; so shall the LORD bring upon you all evil things, until he have destroyed you from off this good land which the LORD your God hath given you.

But what is the pure truth of God?

When we become part of the family of God, He will never leave us or forsake us!

1Sa 12:22 For the LORD will not forsake his people for his great name’s sake: because it hath pleased the LORD to make you his people.

God will simply not ever do anything that goes against His own nature!

Why?

*****1Ki 8:57 The LORD our God be with us, as he was with our fathers: let him not leave us, nor forsake us:
1Ki 8:58 That he may incline our hearts unto him, to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and his statutes, and his judgments, which he commanded our fathers.
1Ki 8:59 And let these my words, wherewith I have made supplication before the LORD, be nigh unto the LORD our God day and night, that he maintain the cause of his servant, and the cause of his people Israel at all times, as the matter shall require:
1Ki 8:60 That all the people of the earth may know that the LORD is God, and that there is none else.

If we will just walk in the ways of God’s Word.

If we will just keep the two “royal commandments” of the Lord Jesus Christ.

If we will just study the Word of God we will be able to know how God deals with sin.

And all the world will know that the LORD, He is God!

2Jn 1:7 For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.

1Jn 2:22 Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.

1Jn 4:2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
1Jn 4:3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

1Jn 5:1 Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.

There is no other way to be in the family of God except by Jesus Christ!

If we walk in His ways, then all the world will know that the LORD, He is God!

Not Allah, not Confucius, not Buddha, not any other false thing!

*****1Ki 8:61 Let your heart therefore be perfect with the LORD our God, to walk in his statutes, and to keep his commandments, as at this day.
1Ki 8:62 And the king, and all Israel with him, offered sacrifice before the LORD.
1Ki 8:63 And Solomon offered a sacrifice of peace offerings, which he offered unto the LORD, two and twenty thousand oxen, and an hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the children of Israel dedicated the house of the LORD.

The pure truth of the Lord is that He provides the needs that we require daily.

With the nation of Israel observing his actions, Solomon had prayed directly to the Lord.

Solomon was dedicating the new Temple to the Lord.

Now Solomon was asking the entire nation of Israel to rededicate themselves to the Lord.

It was a time of national revival and we need this in America today!

We need to let our hearts be as perfect as humanly possible with the Lord.

We need to walk in the statutes of the Lord, the “royal law” of Jesus Christ.

We need to keep all the commandments of God and see that no man-made laws are written that go against the statutes of God.

And We Must Then Sacrifice Ourselves To The Lord!

Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

We can see that a godly national leader can have a tremendous impact on the any nation.

We must dedicate ourselves to the Lord!

We must dedicate our places of worship to the Lord!

We must dedicate our Nation to the Lord!

*****1Ki 8:66 On the eighth day he sent the people away: and they blessed the king, and went unto their tents joyful and glad of heart for all the goodness that the LORD had done for David his servant, and for Israel his people.

A nation that knows Jehovah God will truly be blessed and they will know it!

A nation that knows the Lord will also be a blessing to it’s leaders.

1Pe 2:13 Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme;
1Pe 2:14 Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.
1Pe 2:15 For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:
1Pe 2:16 As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.
1Pe 2:17 Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.

Today we find America is even more divided than it was at the time of the Civil War!

AND, it is not because of States Rights as it was in those days though that is a major part of it.

It is not because of slavery because slavery does not exist in that form today in America even though it is still in much of the world.

America is divided because we do not follow the statutes and the commandments of God!

America is divided because our national leaders do not accept the Word of God as the basic tool for humanity!

America is divided because God’s people have allowed Satan’s worldly system to dominate over the truth of God!

Solomon dismissed Israel to go back home hoping they would return to the ways of God.

Our leader has dismissed America in all things, because he has exalted himself above not only the office that he holds but he has exalted himself above God!

We “may” get one more opportunity to use our vote to change things but if we fail once again we may never have that same opportunity again!

Questions?

Let’s Pray!

The Construction Of The Temple

/ Bobby Mayfield / 1 Comment

The Construction Of The Temple

Text; 1 Kings 5:1-7:51; 2 Chronicles 2:1-4:22

Focus: 2 Chronicles 2:1, 3-5; 3:1-10; 4:1, 2, 6-8, 19-22

Solomon’s Temple was built in 960BC and we should understand that the Temple had a specific purpose.

Most of the world may disagree but the truth is that Jehovah God made this world we live in and it is our Creator who has established all the rules of life!

When God made Adam, God told him that the results of not obeying His rules would result in death. Not the death of the body but the eternal death of the soul!

Adam disobeyed and sin, death, and disease entered our world!

In spite of this our God still loved all His creation and God had mercy on His people.

God had already made a plan of salvation even before He sent His Son Jesus.

God provided a way to atone for sin so that all people could still remain close to God!

God allowed the blood of a perfectly healthy animal to temporarily take the place of the sinners life. Note this was only temporary until the true sacrifice was to come.

Heb 9:11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;
Heb 9:12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

It is by the blood of Jesus that the final sacrifice was made!

Heb 10:26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
Heb 10:27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.
Heb 10:28 He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:
Heb 10:29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?
Heb 10:30 For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.

Since these things are true and they are, then it ought to be a fearful thing to not acknowledge the sacrifice that was offered by God Himself!

Heb 10:31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

The Temple took seven years to build and this place of worship was to be a quiet place to worship so with that theme, all materials were manufactured in other places, and then delivered and assembled on the threshing floor of Ornan in the place that was purchased by King David.

The truth is that the Temple was the most holy sight on this planet until it was destroyed by Titus in 70AD.

Now the most holy sight on this planet is the the believer, the Holy Ghost filled Body of Christ!

1Co 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
1Co 6:20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

Let’s begin:

2Ch 2:1 And Solomon determined to build an house for the name of the LORD, and an house for his kingdom.

The duty of building the Temple was reserved for Solomon even before he was born of King David and Bathsheba.

God told Moses.

Deu 12:5 But unto the place which the LORD your God shall choose out of all your tribes to put his name there, even unto his habitation shall ye seek, and thither thou shalt come:
Deu 12:6 And thither ye shall bring your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, and your tithes, and heave offerings of your hand, and your vows, and your freewill offerings, and the firstlings of your herds and of your flocks:
Deu 12:7 And there ye shall eat before the LORD your God, and ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your hand unto, ye and your households, wherein the LORD thy God hath blessed thee.

God told David.

2Sa 7:12 And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.
2Sa 7:13 He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.

Solomon realized that to build the Temple was his purpose in life and as soon as Solomon became King of Israel, he committed himself to the work.

And just as Solomon had this purpose, this is the same purpose for each believer to build upon the House of the Lord!

Since the time of Seth the third born son of Adam, certain men have called upon the name of the Lord.

Gen 4:26 And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD.

The Temple that Solomon built was the first time a specific building had been set aside to worship in the name of the Lord!

We would be foolish not to see the hand of God in all these things because God Himself had a purpose for the Temple.

Solomon was also determined to build his own house but the building of the Temple was to come first.

Just as Solomon we as Christians we need to keep our priorities in order. As the “living temples” of God we will never be able to properly build our own homes and families until we have determined to be a living house of God.

Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

So Solomon gathered his work force together to build the Temple and if our minds are right with God we can see that God is in fact using this time of Grace to gather His own work force together to build His temples!

*****2Ch 2:2 And Solomon told out threescore and ten thousand men to bear burdens, and fourscore thousand to hew in the mountain, and three thousand and six hundred to oversee them.
2Ch 2:3 And Solomon sent to Huram the king of Tyre, saying, As thou didst deal with David my father, and didst send him cedars to build him an house to dwell therein, even so deal with me.

This verse is also important because we can see that Solomon first gathered Gentiles to build God’s Temple.

2Ch 2:17 And Solomon numbered “all the strangers” that were in the land of Israel, after the numbering wherewith David his father had numbered them; and they were found an hundred and fifty thousand and three thousand and six hundred.

And, What is God doing today?

Rom 11:25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.

God is using Gentiles to build His Church!

The Temple that was to be built was to be a solid structure and as permanent as man could make it.

The materials were to be durable to last as long as humanly possible.

The Temple was to be built by experienced builders as directed by the King.

How does God build His Temples?

Rev 3:12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.

God uses permanent materials that will last through eternity!

God uses Holy Ghost experienced builders directed by God Himself!

This is the purpose of our own King Jesus!

Joh 18:37 Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. “To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world”, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.

And we must dedicate our own temple to the Lord!

*****2Ch 2:4 Behold, I build an house to the name of the LORD my God, to dedicate it to him, and to burn before him sweet incense, and for the continual shewbread, and for the burnt offerings morning and evening, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the solemn feasts of the LORD our God. This is an ordinance for ever to Israel.

Notice this house that was built in the name of the Lord and it was not built to live in.

This House Was Built To Worship The Lord In!

Jesus said these words:

Mar 11:17 And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.

Woe to us all when we make our own temple a den of thieves which robs God rather than a temple of worship in the name of the Lord and a house of prayer.

The Church can only survive in this world because we serve a Great Big God!

*****2Ch 2:5 And the house which I build is great: for great is our God above all gods.

Psa 145:3 Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.

Our God is great, so to the Christian we are very aware that God is in control of not only our lives but God also has absolute control of the happenings in our world.

We all know that there are many bad things that happen in our world and God does not do bad things but God does allow them to happen when He could stop them if He so wanted to!

God has a plan in place and He will not allow anything to alter that plan!

It is also a fact that our world would destroy itself if God allowed it to!

The Lord Jesus Christ is to be our example in everything in life and the Lord Jesus Christ never ignored God. Jesus Christ always lifted up His Father that is in Heaven!

We need to be more like Jesus and we need to seek the Lord daily for we serve a Great Big God!

Act 17:26 And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, “and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation”;
Act 17:27 That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:
Act 17:28 “For in him we live, and move, and have our being”; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.

So Solomon began to build the House of the Lord.

*****2Ch 3:1 Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD at Jerusalem in mount Moriah, where the LORD appeared unto David his father, in the place that David had prepared in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.

The location of the Temple was very important.

1) Where do we first see Mount Moriah?

Gen 22:2 And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.

Mount Moriah was the same place where Abraham was sent to sacrifice his promised son Isaac by his wife Sarah.

What was the truth of that sacrifice?

Gen 22:8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.

Abraham and Isaac both went up to Mount Moriah and they both returned because God’s plan for God to provide “Himself” to be that sacrificial Lamb!

Gen 22:14 And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.

Jehovahjireh means “Jehovah will see to it”. In other words our salvation was a personal thing to God and He would handle this thing Himself and not allow any human to be that sacrificial lamb!

2) Next it was this same location where the Lord met with King David

2Sa 24:18 And Gad came that day to David, and said unto him, Go up, rear an altar unto the LORD in the threshingfloor of Araunah the Jebusite.
2Sa 24:19 And David, according to the saying of Gad, went up as the LORD commanded.
2Sa 24:20 And Araunah looked, and saw the king and his servants coming on toward him: and Araunah went out, and bowed himself before the king on his face upon the ground.
2Sa 24:21 And Araunah said, Wherefore is my lord the king come to his servant? And David said, To buy the threshingfloor of thee, to build an altar unto the LORD, that the plague may be stayed from the people.
2Sa 24:22 And Araunah said unto David, Let my lord the king take and offer up what seemeth good unto him: behold, here be oxen for burnt sacrifice, and threshing instruments and other instruments of the oxen for wood.
2Sa 24:23 All these things did Araunah, as a king, give unto the king. And Araunah said unto the king, The LORD thy God accept thee.
2Sa 24:24 And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the LORD my God of that which doth cost me nothing. So David bought the threshingfloor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.
2Sa 24:25 And David built there an altar unto the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the LORD was intreated for the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel.

3) David had realized that this was the very place where the Temple would be built and King David began then setting aside some the materials that would be needed.

Notice David also used Gentiles and not Jews to prepare the stones for the house of God!

1Ch 21:18 Then the angel of the LORD commanded Gad to say to David, that David should go up, and set up an altar unto the LORD in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.

1Ch 22:1 Then David said, This is the house of the LORD God, and this is the altar of the burnt offering for Israel.
1Ch 22:2 And David commanded to gather together “the strangers” that were in the land of Israel; and he set masons to hew wrought stones to build the house of God.

What did the Apostle Paul preach to the early Church?

Eph 2:19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;

Gentile and Jew alike will one day live together in the House the God Built!

Joh 14:2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
Joh 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

The time to build was also important.

*****2Ch 3:2 And he began to build in the second day of the second month, in the fourth year of his reign.
2Ch 3:3 Now these are the things wherein Solomon was instructed for the building of the house of God. The length by cubits after the first measure was threescore cubits, and the breadth twenty cubits.

It had taken Solomon 4 years to gather all the material his father David had provided and other things that he knew would be needed and to make the arrangements for the Temple construction.

We should immediately see that as wise as Solomon was, Solomon was still instructed in how to build the Temple of God.

Solomon had a set of plans and specifications that had been provided by his father King David who had received these instructions himself by the Holy Spirit!

God still uses this same method today. Every temple is to be built according to the direction of the Holy Spirit!

About 35 acres of land had to be prepared.

A water supply had to be provided such as the Pool of Siloam.

And we should know that no matter what the deceivers of our world try to tell us, it would be this Temple as built by Solomon that would set the standard for all places of worship in the ancient world!

Every foreign government wanted a part of this Temple.

Every army considered the artifacts of the Temple to be the greatest spoils of any war.

Many nations including Rome and even the Muslim made it their own goal to build things to try to surpass the Glory of the House of God and as none could do so, they then strived to destroy the House of God which they finally did in 70AD and the Muslim world will still rise up in war, if there is any attempt to rebuild God’s Temple.

God had a great purpose for allowing the Temple to be built.

God had a great purpose in allowing the Temple to be destroyed.

God has a great purpose for the Temple will be rebuilt again one day!

In reality the main structure of Temple of Solomon was about twice the size of the Tabernacle of Moses.

There were many other great structures in that day including the pyramids but we should remember that the pyramids were only tombs for the dead.

The Temple of God was built for all those who are seeking eternal life!

*****2Ch 3:4 And the porch that was in the front of the house, the length of it was according to the breadth of the house, twenty cubits, and the height was an hundred and twenty: and he overlaid it within with pure gold.

This porch later called Solomon’s porch was on the East side of the Temple.

This porch faced the Courtyard of the Gentiles and was a place that the Lord Jesus used to teach His disciples.

Joh 10:23 And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon’s porch.

Here is what Josephus wrote about Solomon’s porch:

“there is a porch without the Temple, overlooking a deep valley, supported by walls of 400 cubits, made of four square stone, very white, the length of each stone was 20 cubits, and the breadth 6 cubits; the work of King Solomon, who first rounded the whole Temple.”

Even the porch of the House of God was a magnificent place!

And even the porch of the House of God is to be a place of safety!

And even the porch of Solomon’s Temple faced the courtyard of the Gentiles!

*****2Ch 3:5 And the greater house he cieled with fir tree, which he overlaid with fine gold, and set thereon palm trees and chains.
2Ch 3:6 And he garnished the house with precious stones for beauty: and the gold was gold of Parvaim.
2Ch 3:7 He overlaid also the house, the beams, the posts, and the walls thereof, and the doors thereof, with gold; and graved cherubims on the walls.

The lumber material was not found in Israel so it had to come from somewhere else and the best wood came from the forest of Lebanon.

Since that time of the Temple, the forest of Lebanon became a victim of greed and irresponsibility!

Many nations including Rome harvested the forest of Lebanon.

During the time of the Muslim and the Ottoman Empire these wonderful forest practically disappeared!

Today these forest are almost all gone. The world we live do not want to claim Jehovah but this world sure does crave the things that Jehovah provides!

But even this marvelous wood with it’s beautiful carvings and was then covered with gold.

Remember Gold suggest the deity and the glory of God!

Those precious jewels were remind us of the New Jerusalem.

Rev 21:19 And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald;
Rev 21:20 The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.
Rev 21:21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.

Those cherubim are a marvelous subject in the Bible. The first time we see them is in the Book of Genesis.

Gen 3:24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

We know that Adam once walked with the God in the cool of the day, but after sin entered into the world there has since been only one way to approach God and that is through “Faith” in the work of the Lord Jesus Christ!

We know that Enoch walk with God by “Faith” even after the Cherubim were placed by the Lord at the garden of Eden.

Those Cherubim were actually placed at the Garden by the Lord, so it could be said that those Cherubims were not just keeping the way to the place to walk with God “but to actually show the only way to approach the throne of God”.

In the Holy of Holies, the Cherubim hovered over the “Mercy Seat” which we know represents the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is our “Mercy Seat”!

Exo 25:18 And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat.
Exo 25:19 And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof.

It is very possible to consider that these Cherubims are more an emblem of the Godhead than they are of angels.

We know that an emblem is only a representation of the real thing!

Act 17:29 Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device.

Rom 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

It is the Cherubim that will lead us to the Holy of Holies!

*****2Ch 3:8 And he made the most holy house, the length whereof was according to the breadth of the house, twenty cubits, and the breadth thereof twenty cubits: and he overlaid it with fine gold, amounting to six hundred talents.
2Ch 3:9 And the weight of the nails was fifty shekels of gold. And he overlaid the upper chambers with gold. 2Ch 3:10 And in the most holy house he made two cherubims of image work, and overlaid them with gold.

The Holy of Holies was four square.

God is building a new Holy of Holies:

Joh 14:2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

Rev 21:16 And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.

All believers will one day live with God in His new Holy of Holies!

Rev 22:5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.

Which is the New Jerusalem!

Rev 21:2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

We already know that the material for the Temple was manufactured in other places and assembled on sight without the sound of the hammer.

1Ki 6:7 And the house, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready before it was brought thither: so that there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building.

So Those nails would have been wooden pegs.

And here again we see that those two Cherubim over shadowed the “Mercy Seat”!

These two Cherubim were colossal, reaching from wall to wall inside the Holy of Holies.

The combined wing spread of these two cherubim was 20 cubits or at least 30 feet and they completely covered with gold.

Then there was the veil.

*****2Ch 3:14 And he made the vail of blue, and purple, and crimson, and fine linen, and wrought cherubims thereon.

It was the veil that separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place, where the Ark of the Covenant rested.

It was the veil that separated a holy God from sinful people.

Once a year only the High Priests could go beyond that veil.

But because Jesus became that perfect sacrifice for all of our sin that veil no longer exists!

When Jesus died that veil was ripped into by God Himself and we can now go boldly into the throne room of God Himself!

Then

Mat 27:50 Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.
Mat 27:51 And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;

Now

Heb 10:19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
Heb 10:20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;
Heb 10:21 And having an high priest over the house of God;
Heb 10:22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

Then came the altar.

*****2Ch 4:1 Moreover he made an altar of brass, twenty cubits the length thereof, and twenty cubits the breadth thereof, and ten cubits the height thereof.

God required the children of Israel to regularly sacrifice a perfect animal whether they be lambs, goats, doves or bulls for their sins but remember, this was a yearly thing.

It was “the blood” of that animal that justified the people before God and their relationship with Him was restored for one more year!

But now we have have the perfect sacrifice, Jesus Christ, and no more sacrifice of animals is required!

Heb 9:25 Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;
Heb 9:26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

At the Temple people would lay their hand on the head of that animal, symbolically putting his sins onto the animal and that animal would die in his place.

Now we know that Jesus was the Lamb of God who carried the burden of all our sin.

Today, in this time of “Grace” we are to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice!

Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God

And there is still one other sacrifice that we must make after being accepted into God’s family!

Heb 13:16 But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
Heb 13:17 Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.

We cannot live to ourselves, we must be bright and shining lights for Jesus Christ!

And then there was the sea.

*****2Ch 4:2 Also he made a molten sea of ten cubits from brim to brim, round in compass, and five cubits the height thereof; and a line of thirty cubits did compass it round about.

This was the great bronze basin where the priests would wash themselves.

This basin in Solomon’s Temple would have held more than 10,000 gallons of water.

BUT, today it is each believer who is to be God’s priest:

1Pe 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
1Pe 2:10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

Who are washed in the blood of Jesus:

1Jn 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

And then the ten lavers:

*****2Ch 4:6 He made also ten lavers, and put five on the right hand, and five on the left, to wash in them: such things as they offered for the burnt offering they washed in them; but the sea was for the priests to wash in.

These lavers were intended to wash those sacrificed animals.

The priest must be washed.

The people must be washed.

The sacrificed must be washed.

The child of God must be washed!

1Co 6:11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

The number 10 represents perfected universality!

The ten commandments contain God moral laws.

The tenth is the tithe which all belongs to God.

The ten lavers were to wash the sacrifice but they also represent those that are justified and those that will be sanctified!

To be washed is to become the New Man.

Joh 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Then there was the ten candlesticks.

*****2Ch 4:7 And he made ten candlesticks of gold according to their form, and set them in the temple, five on the right hand, and five on the left.

These ten candlesticks reflect on the perfect light in the Holy of Holies.

Today it is Jesus Christ who is the light of the world!

Joh 9:4 I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.
Joh 9:5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

Jesus Christ is the Light to the world as well as the Light of the world!

It is only the light of Jesus that can open the eyes of the blind so they can see the truth of God!

Psa 40:7 Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me,
Psa 40:8 I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.

It is only the Word of God that can teach us of His magnificent light!

Then there was the 10 tables.

*****2Ch 4:8 He made also ten tables, and placed them in the temple, five on the right side, and five on the left. And he made an hundred basons of gold.

These tables were intended to hold the bread that was made for the Temple priests.

But today we have the complete bread of life, His name is Jesus Christ!

Joh 6:48 I am that bread of life.
Joh 6:49 Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.
Joh 6:50 This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.
Joh 6:51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

It is impossible to see the construction of the Temple and not see the construction of the Born Again child of God!

And then there are all the remaining vessels for the house of God.

*****2Ch 4:19 And Solomon made all the vessels that were for the house of God, the golden altar also, and the tables whereon the shewbread was set;
2Ch 4:20 Moreover the candlesticks with their lamps, that they should burn after the manner before the oracle, of pure gold;
2Ch 4:21 And the flowers, and the lamps, and the tongs, made he of gold, and that perfect gold;
2Ch 4:22 And the snuffers, and the basons, and the spoons, and the censers, of pure gold: and the entry of the house, the inner doors thereof for the most holy place, and the doors of the house of the temple, were of gold.

We should never forget the purpose of the Church is to make disciples who will then carry the “Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world.

Isaiah said it like this:

Isa 60:17 For brass I will bring gold, and for iron I will bring silver, and for wood brass, and for stones iron: I will also make thy officers peace, and thine exactors righteousness.

People from all walks of life who accept the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and who come into the church, will be changed for the better!

And the exactors were for the tribute to be collected which would be righteousness!

Not only would the Church be peaceable and righteous but the Church is to administer peace and righteousness to all this world!

And what would happen in our world if the Church would do it’s job?

Isa 60:18 Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise.

The Temple was destroyed because it was not doing it’s job.

It should be obvious to us that the Church up to this point has also not done it’s job, in this time of “Grace”!

But this does not mean we are to stop trying!

Questions?

Let’s Pray!