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The Temple of God

Worksheet 1: The Tabernacle -- Exodus 25-31

We have all dreamed of and longed for heaven – where we can live with God, without the entanglement of sin and sickness and disappointment. Yet from the very beginning of mankind, God has desired to live among us. God has always had a dwelling place in the midst of His people. In the next few weeks we are going to study those dwelling places of God – houses He instructed man to make so that He could be our Guide, our Teacher, our Friend, and also be worshipped as our God. There are at least seven such dwelling places of God mentioned in the Bible – so if you want a challenge, list them and the Scripture reference – through what you already know, or through a Bible Concordance, or whatever means you have.

In this lesson we will discuss the first of God’s places of dwelling on earth – the Tabernacle, for which He gave Moses the pattern atop Mount Sinai while Israel camped in the wilderness below. First of all, we need the background – why was Moses in the wilderness of Sinai with the tribes of Israel? (Scan Exodus 1-14 if you need.)

Now read Exodus 25 carefully. What was the first thing God told Moses to do (verses 1-8)?

Who was to give…what was the most important part of the gift…what were they to give…

and what was the reason for it? Where did these people get such valuable things since they had been slaves in Egypt for over 400 years? (Exod 12:31-36)

After they had left Egypt, how had God given again and again to them, showing His glory and provision for them? (Exod 14, 16, 17)

Let’s skip a few chapters and see how Israel responded to God’s invitation to give of themselves. Read Exodus 35:4-10, 20-29 and Exodus 36:3-7. What was the result of God’s invitation to give?

Read Exodus 36:1-7. God not only asked for their material possessions, He also asked for their abilities. Who were the two artisans chosen for the detailed furniture? Who chose them? Did they already know how to do all that had to be done – or what was the special ‘help’ they were given? Has God ever asked you to do a job that you felt was out of your league? How did He equip you to do it?

The Temple of God – Lesson 1: Tabernacle, Part 1

Amazingly, the pattern God gave for the Tabernacle is that of the Temple of God in heaven – which also became the pattern for the Temple in Jerusalem. No wonder then that such detail was given and such precious metals and materials were used. It was to be God’s House!

Have you ever wondered if there is a Temple in heaven? Read these Scriptures and write a few words of what they describe.

Isaiah 6:1-5.

Revelation 7:9-17

Revelation 15:5-8

Hebrews 8:1-6

Hebrews 9:23-28

God’s Tabernacle is where He meets to talk to His own. What have you said to Him today in the Tabernacle within your heart? What has He said to you?

When life gets rough this week – when you think you might not make it, think on these verses! There’s a glorious Temple above us we cannot see – yet! One day we will! God reigns on that

throne in that Temple – let Him reign in the throne of your life today!

The Temple of GodLesson 1: The Tabernacle -- Exodus 25-31 Page 1

We have all dreamed of and longed for heaven – where we can live with God, without the entanglement of sin and sickness and disappointment. Yet from the very beginning of mankind, God has desired to live among us. He made us in His own image (Genesis 1:27), and just as there are three aspects of God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit), so He has made us mind, body and soul that we might commune with Him in every way.

God planted a garden in Eden, and in the beauty and coolness of that place He walked among Adam and Eve (Gen. 3:8). He never intended to make this world and mankind and then walk off and leave them to their own destruction. John 3:16 says it is because of His great love for us to redeem us from our sin that He has given us the ultimate sacrificial Gift, His Son, so that we could forever live with Him, and He with us.

Since man is on earth and God is in heaven, He also provided a plan and means by which He could meet with man, talk to Him, give direction and wisdom, and actually live among us. God has always had a dwelling place in the midst of His people – first in the Tabernacle, and later in the Temple. In the next few weeks we are going to study those dwelling places of God – houses He instructed man to make so that He could be our Guide, our Teacher, our Friend, and also be worshipped as our God. There are at least seven such dwelling places of God mentioned in the Bible – so if you want a challenge, list them and the Scripture reference – through what you already know, or through a Bible Concordance, or whatever means you have.

In this lesson we will discuss the first of God’s places of dwelling on earth – the Tabernacle, for which He gave Moses the pattern atop Mount Sinai while Israel camped in the wilderness below. First of all, we need the background – why was Moses in the wilderness of Sinai with the tribes of Israel? (Scan Exodus 1-14 if you need.) Jacob and his 11 sons and families had gone to Egypt during the severe famine and were fed and cared for by his son Joseph, and their families remained there and prospered under the loving care of Joseph. But after Joseph died, and his influence for good had been forgotten, the succeeding pharaohs enslaved the following generations of Israel for over 400 years. Even so, God blessed Israel and grew them into a mighty nation, and raised up Moses to deliver them from slavery. After their miraculous deliverance and crossing of the Red Sea out of Egypt, they followed God’s lead thru his Presence in the pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night (Exod 13:21) eastward to the area southeast of Egypt – to the valley below Mount Sinai.

In Exodus 24, we see that God told Moses, “Come up,” and “the glory of the Lord rested on Mount Sinai, and the sight of the glory of the Lord was like a consuming fire.” The Hebrew word for ‘rested’ is shakan which means ‘to dwell’. The word for ‘tabernacle’, mishkan, is from the same word root. Consider this: God took six days to create the universe and mankind, and yet he took 40 days to tell Moses how to build the Tabernacle! Why do you think that is true? The universe was created to be the living place of mankind – but the Tabernacle was erected so that God could continue to ‘dwell’ among His people as He had dwelt on Mount Sinai with Moses for 40 days and nights!

Now read Exodus 25 carefully. What was the first thing God told Moses to do (verses 1-8)? Who was to give, what was the most important part of the gift, what were they to give, and what was the reason for it? To raise a contribution from the people – a willing gift from their heart to their God – of precious metals of gold, silver and bronze, of fine colored linens and skins,

The Temple of God – Lesson 1: Tabernacle, Part 1 Page 2

oil, spices, and precious stones that would be used to make a sanctuary in which God would dwell among them. Notice it was not important what they gave, but that they gave with a willing heart. Where did these people get such valuable things since they had been slaves in Egypt for over 400 years? (Exod 12:31-36) We aren’t talking about a little group of people that were camping out beside a mountain – it was at least two million people! In Numbers 1, the men of each tribe are listed, 603,500 – and that’s not women and children – just men! So when that many people asked for gold and silver and clothing from the Egyptians who had endured 10 plagues, they were given whatever they asked for and told, “Just leave!”

After they had left Egypt, how had God shown His glory and provision for them? (Exod 14, 16, 17) Through the crossing of the Red Sea – the final barrier between them and the Egyptians – then the miraculous delivery of manna, heavenly food provided six days out of seven – the seventh being the day of rest and they were to eat of the food already collected; and then the miraculous delivery of water out of the rock for their water supply. Through all this, God had given and given and given – and this was their first opportunity to give back to God. Can’t you imagine their excitement that they had an opportunity to be part of the raising of the tabernacle of God! Have you ever had such an opportunity? Are you sitting in that place right now?! People of Hebron gave with a willing heart, glad for the opportunity to build a house of God where we can come and worship Him and invite others to come and know Him.

Let’s skip a few chapters and see how Israel responded to God’s invitation to give of themselves. Read Exodus 35:4-10, 20-29 and Exodus 36:3-7. What was the result of God’s invitation to give? They brought continually – day after day – of a willing heart – of what they had – of what they could do – until Moses had to stop them! Can you imagine what it would be like for Larry Wynn to get up one Sunday and say, “Please hold off on your giving – we have more than enough to do the work here – to provide for all our mission projects – we have more than enough workers to do every job needed at this time – please don’t give any more!” I think half the congregation would be in shock for weeks! But that’s what happened there at the foot of Mount Sinai – they gave willingly of what they had and of themselves! If we don’t get anything else from today’s lesson, let me challenge you to do this in your own life! I promise you – you will never out-give God! You may think, “Oh, I’ll go broke – I’ll lose my home – I’ll run myself ragged!” No – when you listen to Him – when you do what He puts on your heart to do, it will always be a blessing back to you – every time! God promises it! Malachi 3:10 says, “…and try Me now in this…if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.” Do you want God’s greatest blessings and abundance in your life? Then give to Him with a willing heart – all you have and all you are! There is a sweet freedom when you know that all you have and are and will do is in the hands of God!

Read Exodus 36:1-7. God not only asked for their material possessions, He also asked for their abilities. Who were the two artisans chosen for the detailed furniture? Bezalel and Aholiab. Who chose them? God. Did they already know how to do all that had to be done – or what was the special ‘help’ they were given? If they had already been so skilled to do the job, God would not have needed to fill them with His Spirit. Has God ever asked you to do a job that you felt was out of your league? How did He equip you to do it? How many times we have felt, “It’s just too much – it’s more than I can ever do myself – surely God wouldn’t ask me to do this big thing!” It’s true – it is too much by ourselves! But all He asks first is the offering – the willing heart – the available mind, body and soul – that will listen and then obey what He tells us to do.


Moses didn’t have to wonder how to build this Tabernacle – he just had to be willing – for God gave him step by step instructions of the pattern of the Tabernacle, as well as detailed descriptions for each of the furnishings that would go inside of it. Amazingly, the pattern God gave for the Tabernacle is that of the Temple of God in heaven – which also became the pattern for the Temple in Jerusalem. No wonder then that such detail was given and such precious metals and materials were used. It was to be God’s House!

Have you ever wondered if there is a Temple in heaven? Read these Scriptures and write a few words of what they describe.

Isaiah 6:1-5. Isaiah was given a glimpse of the Temple of heaven, where the Lord sat on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple, where angels shouted, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!” And would not your response to such a sigh be like Isaiah’s – who said, “Woe is me, for I am undone – for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”

Revelation 7:9-17 gives another account of the same scene in heaven – when the believers of all nations and tribes martyred for their faith during the Tribulation appear before the throne of God, and with the angels praise and serve Him in His Temple in heaven.

Revelation 15:5-8 states that the heavenly Temple “was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power, and no one was able to enter the Temple till the seven plagues (of the Tribulation) of the seven angels were completed.”

Hebrews 8:1-6 tells us about Jesus as our High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, “a Minister of the sanctuary (Temple) and the true Tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man.” These verses confirm that Moses was given divine instructions to build the Tabernacle according to the copy or pattern of the Temple in heaven.

Hebrews 9:23-28 tells us that Jesus did not enter into the holy places made with hands to present sacrifice for sins, as priests do – but into heaven itself into the Most Holy Place once and for all, with the sacrifice of His own blood.

Next week we will look at the Tabernacle structure itself and the furnishings that God gave instructions to make for it, each having a special purpose in worship and approaching God – and each having special significance to how Jesus Christ fulfilled that purpose in His own life.

As we close today, I’m reminded of the offerings the people gave to God – their precious stones, the precious metals, the valuable linens and tapestries – and a song comes to mind that reminds me that His Presence within me is of much greater worth!

Lord, You are more precious than silver,Lord, You are more costly than gold.Lord, You are more beautiful than diamonds,And nothing I desire compares with You!

Amen! Go this week in the blessed assurance that within you dwells a great treasure!

The Temple of God

Worksheet 2: The Tabernacle Part 2 Exodus 26-27, Numbers 2 (written while on the Atlanta Ocean – south of Miami!)

Begin your study by reading Psalm 84:8-12. We are about to enter the door of the house of God! Take your shoes off – this is holy ground!

Read Numbers 2:1-34. As you read, make note here (or on the back) of which tribes were on which side and the total for each tribe, and then the total of all.

Read Exodus 27:9-19 and make note of the size of the outer court and what it was made of.

There was only one entrance to the accessible presence of God – regardless of age, gender, or status – all entered God’s sanctuary the same way. How many ways do we have to God today – and how is that? (Read John 14:6)

Read Exodus 26:1-37. There were four layers of this Tabernacle tent inside the courtyard, given in these verses from the inside layer to the fourth outer layer. Describe what each was, the color and fabric. Think through this – picture it – and put down why you think it was like this – the purpose.

It would help you tremendously if you would make a simple sketch on a single sheet of paper, (the back of this sheet, or another sheet), adding to it as we go along. A cubit is about 1 ½ feet (if that’s how your Bible gives it), so you can change cubits into feet. If you turn your 8.5x11” paper sideways (long side going across), making the outer court in the middle of your paper as a rectangle 6” across your paper and down 3”, it will be simple to add the Tabernacle tent inside it, divide it in thirds later as we place the different elements into place. Label the top of the page N, the bottom S, the right E, and the left W to give you the directions it would face. Outside the courtyard, list the three tribes on each side and the number of that tribe – then the total for all tribes given. Remember, these are only the man 20 and older. (I’d suggest a pencil rather than a pen!)

Worksheet 2: The Tabernacle Part 2 Pg 2

As you enter the Eastern gate of the outer courtyard, what is the first thing you would see, and what was done there? (Exodus 27:1-8, Leviticus 6:8-13)

Now read Hebrews 9:11-28. In your own words, describe how Christ is the fulfillment of what you read in Exodus 27.

How does it affect you personally?

Stop now and pray to God, thanking Him for how this has brought you peace and fellowship with Him.

The Temple of God

Lesson 2: The Tabernacle, Part 2 Exodus 26-27, Numbers 2 Page 4 (written while on the Atlanta Ocean – south of Miami!)

The first earthly Temple of God, the Tabernacle built like a tent, housing the patterns of the heavenly Temple, is so basic to our study of all the Temples that we will spend at least two weeks looking at the significance of each part, for all the other Temples are based on this first one. Not only that, they are the exact picture of how we approach God and fellowship with Him – so we will not rush this study. But before we look at the furnishings, let’s look at the Tabernacle itself that was to house it all.

You remember last week how we talked about the gifts the people brought – and how anxious and willing they were to give – because the tabernacle represented to them the fact that God desired to live among them – and it represented their faith in Him – it was their foundation – what they could count on. In the New Testament we see our one and only true foundation is Jesus. So in studying the Tabernacle, we will see how it is a picture, or a ‘type’ of Christ Himself.

The Tabernacle was a tent – made to move around. Pat and Charlie have a modern-day version of a tent – a camper – that they use to travel from place to place, as they can’t take their whole house with them! So the tent Tabernacle gave them the ‘move-ability’ to take the House of God with them as He gave them indication to move by the pillar of cloud or fire. But the tent also served another purpose – that of separating a sinful people from a holy God. The Tabernacle was set apart as a holy place – and within the most inner part of the Tabernacle was the Holy of Holies, where God “rested” or “dwelled” among them.

But this tent was not your typical tent – it was put together with elaborate and costly materials. According to a recent study of the precious metals used, there were at least 1,900 pounds of gold, 6,437 pounds of silver, and 4,522 pounds of Bronze! (Peake’s Commentary of the Bible, 1962). The use of these metals in the different areas was according to their nearness to the Holy of Holies – for example, bronze was used at the outside entrance, and the more precious metal of gold was used in the Holy Place and Holy of Holies, where God’s Presence dwelled.

Not only was it costly, but it was a real work of art in its materials and workmanship – a reflection of the excellencies of God. This structure was built of greatest quality – and built to last – much longer than the 40 years in the wilderness!

I asked you to read Exodus 26:1-37, 27:9-19, and Numbers 2:1-34, so we won’t read all this today, but will just look at highlights. God was specific in what He told Moses – there was no guessing on Moses’ part. Obedience to God’s directions was absolutely essential – no short cuts could be taken – no measurements or materials could be substituted. Although God gave Moses the instructions beginning with the inner most part (the Holy of Holies), the most holy and important part of His dwelling, then outward to the door of the Tabernacle – today we will approach the Tabernacle as if we were looking at the outer perimeter of tribes encamped outside the Tabernacle courtyard and holy tent, then entering at the door of the outer courtyard and walking toward the back, where the Holy of Holies was located.

I asked you to make a rough sketch of the Tabernacle and the tribes camped around it -- How many of you were able to do this? Did it help you to ‘see’ it? Keep this and we’ll add to it in the next couple weeks. For today, we will use our large board here in the class to roughly sketch it.


Which tribes were on the East side – where the entrance would be? Judah (74,600) Issachar (54,400) Zebulon (57,400) = 186,400 on East

Which tribes were on the North side? Dan (62,700) Asher (41,500) Naphtali (53,400) = 157,600 on North

Which tribes were on the West side? Ephraim (40,500) Manasseh (32,200) Benjamin (35,400) = 108,100 on West

Which tribes were on the South side? Reuben (46,500) Simeon (59,300) Gad (45,650) = 151,450 on South

So according to Numbers 2, how many men were in all these tribes together? There were 603,550 – not counting women and children, and not counting the tribe of Levi, the priests, who cared for the Tabernacle and did not participate in the battles. You may have noticed that Joseph’s two sons (Ephraim and Manasseh) took his place in the listing of the 12 tribes. This placement strategy protected the Tabernacle, and when they moved to another spot, they marched in this same formation, while the Levites disassembled and carried the Tabernacle in transportable sections in the center of the other tribes. At all times, whether stationary or moving, God’s Presence was recognized by the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night – thereby they knew when to break up camp and move, and in which direction, according to where the cloud or fire moved.

You read Exodus 27:9-15 – tell us how the outer court was laid out. There were sets of linen curtains sewn together about 8’ high, hung on bronze posts with silver hooks to make an outer wall 150’ long (north and south sides) by 75’ wide (east and west sides).

You read in Exodus 27:16-19 about the outer court gate. There was only one entrance to the accessible presence of God – regardless of age, gender, or status – all entered God’s sanctuary the same way. How many ways can we reach God today – and how is that? The only way to God is through Jesus, His Son – who said, “I AM the Way, the Truth, the Life (John 14:6) ….I AM the gate of the sheepfold….all who enter come through Me. (John 10:7)”

The gate into the Tabernacle was placed on the East side of the outer courtyard – just as the entrance to the Garden of Eden was on the East side of the garden (Genesis 3:24). Picture white linen curtains hung on from hook to hook and from pillar to pillar on all four sides, forming the outer walls of the holy Tabernacle. The gate was also made of these linen curtains, but they were embroidered with blue, purple and scarlet yarns, providing a breathtaking contrast to the white linen curtains that surrounded it.

You read Exodus 26:1-37 this week – what were the four layers of this Tabernacle tent inside the courtyard, from the inside layer to the fourth outer layer.

Curtains of finely twisted linen and blue, purple and scarlet yarn embroidered of cherubim (verses 1-6).

Curtains of goat hair hung outside the linen curtains (verses 7-13). Curtains of ram (sheep) skins dyed red hung over the goat hair curtains Curtains of sea cows (like fine leather) hung on the outside

Why do you think they were arranged like this? Each layer was designed to give protection from the weather and light, from the fine linen inside to the leathery coving on the outside.


As you enter the Eastern gate of the outer courtyard, what is the first thing you would see, and what was done there (Exodus 27:1-8, Leviticus 6:8-13)? The Altar of Burnt Offering and Sacrifice (Exodus 27:1-8) was just inside the outer courtyard entrance. Animal sacrifices were offered on this altar by the priests, and the blood was sprinkled on the four horns of the altar to make atonement for the sins of the priests, as well as the sins of the people. The altar was made of bronze to withstand the heat from the fire that was not permitted to go out. Leviticus 9 tells us that when the first offering was made on this altar, the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people and fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed the burnt offering – and the people saw it and shouted for joy and fell facedown. God commanded its construction – and anointed it with His holy fire.

This altar of sacrifice reminds us of our own sinfulness – our need for atonement so we might be in fellowship with God. Read Hebrews 9:11-28. Would anyone like to give in their own words what these verses mean to you, and how they affect you personally? The Altar of Sacrifice was pointing the way to the Messiah, the Son of God, who would make one sacrifice forever – and there would not need to be such sacrifice ever again. He did not enter the Holy of Holies here on earth to present His blood as atonement for our sins – He entered the heavenly Holy of Holies, and there He made the one-time, final sacrifice that covers our sins today – ALL our sins! Praise God that the sacrifices made in the Tabernacle and later Temples have today been fulfilled and completed by the work of Christ – all done because of God’s love and desire to have us in complete fellowship with Him!

Just past the Altar of Sacrifice, we take a few more steps and see the Brazen Laver – what our grandmother might have called a wash stand that you had to take part in before coming in the house for lunch! Let’s read Psalm 24:3-4: “Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who shall stand in His holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart.” According to Exodus 30:17-21, the laver was used for washing of the priests’ hands and feet before they entered the Holy Place, otherwise they would die, having not obeyed the instructions of God. They had to be pure to enter the presence of God. Although Exodus 29 tells how Moses was to consecrate them initially so they could minister as priests, this ongoing cleansing had to occur from day to day. They took off their shoes and washed their feet, for they were about to enter holy ground.

Let’s read Exodus 38:8. What was this brazen laver made from? The brass mirrors given by the Egyptians, finely polished to show their reflection, were graciously given by the women when Moses asked for a willing offering. How fitting that they yielded what might have represented vanity – it was a beautiful Old Testament expression of dying to self. The purpose is clear – before we can truly come before God for cleansing, we must examine ourselves to discover how we have sinned. I Corinthians 11:28 says, “Let a man examine himself.” We cannot just say, “Lord, forgive me of my sins.” What sins? Surely we know – and if we don’t, God would be glad to bring them to mind if we ask Him to. Unless we recognize and identify our sin, how can we repent and turn from it? We have a laver today that reflects our deeper self – it’s the Word of God. Every time we read it, God touches our heart to show us what stands in the way of our fellowship with Him. What does James 1:22-25 say to us about the mirror of God’s Word? Unless we look into God’s mirror of His Word, and see ourselves, and make the changes we need to make, we will never have pure fellowship with God. God initially cleanses us at salvation, but an on-going cleansing is needed day by day for living – for the relationships we are part of – for the words we say – for the actions we take – for the attitude in our heart. What has God shown you recently in His mirror?! Do you wash your hands in it – daily? Don’t let the dirt of attitude and self build up in your heart and mind – come each morning and let your Father clean your hands and keep your heart pure.

The Temple of God

Worksheet 3: The Tabernacle, Part 3 Exodus 25-38 Page 1 (written while at port at Labadee, Haiti!)

After we have washed our hands and feet in the brazen laver, we take a few more steps and come to the Tabernacle tent – and the door that leads us into the Holy Place. Only priests are allowed to enter here – so, can you enter? What allows you to do so? Read I Peter 2:9.

Exodus 26 and 36 give us the dimensions for this holy tent – it’s length (North and South side) was 30 cubits, or 45’ – it’s width (East and West – front and back) was 10 cubits, or 15’. Please add that into the sketch you had drawn last week, placing it toward the back – with the brazen laver in front of it, and the altar just inside the courtyard gate? Divide the Tabernacle into approximate thirds in your mind, leaving the back third untouched for now. Put the Table of Showbread on the north side (right) inside the door and the Golden Lampstand on the south side (left) inside the door. And the Altar of Incense past them, placed in the center, and a line representing the Veil just behind it. These three furnishings go in the front 2/3 of the Tabernacle tent.

How do Exodus 25:31-40 and 27:20-21 describe the special furnishing that stood in the Holy Place?

In John 8:12 how did Jesus compare Himself to this furnishing?

As we look across the inside of the Tabernacle from the Lampstand, we see its light reflecting on a table covered in gold, called the Table of Showbread. How do Exodus 25:23-30 and 37:10-16 describe this next furnishing just inside the Holy Place?

In John 6:35-51, how did Jesus compare Himself to this furnishing?

We turn toward the back of the tent now – and the light of the Lampstand shines on another furnishing just in front of a beautiful curtain that separates us from the very back of the tent. Read Exodus 30:1-10, 34-38 and write a brief description of this next furnishing.

Worksheet 3: The Tabernacle, Part 3 Exodus 25-38 Page 2

According to David’s inspiration in Psalm 141:2, what does this incense represent?

According to Revelation 8:3-4, what did John see in heaven that is the pattern for this furnishing in the Tabernacle?

Have you ever imagined that your prayers reach God as a pleasing aroma – something from our very heart given over to God – His child trusting in His strength and love to hear and answer a need? This golden Altar of Incense points us to the Lord Jesus Christ, and of His ministry of intercession today on our behalf.

Offer that sweet incense before your heavenly Father right now – and just imagine Him immediately breathing in the smell of your prayer to Him! Amen! Praise the Lord that we have constant and immediate access to the throne of God – He’s only a prayer away!

Inside the holy tent we come to a veil that separates the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies. From Exodus 26:31-33, describe this magnificent curtain that is 15’ across – and what it would feel like to actually be standing there so close to the Presence of God.

What are the three colors woven into the veil separating the Holy of Holies – and what do you think of when you think of each color?

What happened to the veil in the Temple when Jesus died (Mark 15:37-38, Matt 27:50-51)?

What did that mean for me and you (Hebrews 10:19-22)?

The Temple of God

Lesson 3: The Tabernacle, Part 3 Exodus 25-38 Page 7 (written while at port at Labadee, Haiti!)

Last week we studied the outer perimeter of the Tabernacle – the encampment that surrounded it, the outer courtyard that was built around it in the middle of the tribes, and the Tabernacle tent itself, as well as the Altar of Sacrifice and the Brazen Laver, which we saw when we entered the outer courtyard gate to the East. Today we will look at the furnishings inside the Tabernacle tent. All of these are part of the plan God made for his people fellowshipping with Him in His dwelling place. Last week we ended at the Brazen Laver, where the priests washed their hands and feet before entering into the Tabernacle tent. Only priests are allowed to enter here – so, can we enter? Read I Peter 2:9 about God’s chosen people, whom we are: “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.” If you have accepted Christ’s gift of salvation, you are a part of the royal priesthood of His kingdom – you have permission to enter!

Exodus 26 and 36 give us the dimensions for this holy tent – it’s length (North and South side) was 30 cubits, or 45’ – it’s width (East and West – front and back) was 10 cubits, or 15’. Did you add that into the sketch you had drawn last week, placing it toward the back – with the brazen laver in front of it, and the altar just inside the courtyard gate? If you divided the Tabernacle into approximate thirds, you then put the Table of Showbread on the north side (right) inside the door and the Golden Lampstand on the south side (left) inside the door. And the Altar of Incense past them, placed in the center. These three furnishings go in the front 2/3 of the Tabernacle.

Do you remember from last week the coverings of this holy tent – the four large canopies layered one atop the other that hung in perfect order? Visible from the outside were the leathery hides of badger skins (the NIV calls them ‘sea cow hides’ that were native to the Red Sea and used to make sandals). The outside wasn’t what you’d marvel over – only those that dared enter the holy tent of the Tabernacle could see the beauty within – the linen curtains embroidered in blue, purple and red designs of cherubim on the walls. The red rams’ skins and the goat skin layers were not visible between the inner and outer layers.

As we hold our breath and raise the beautiful embroidered curtain door, our eyes are drawn immediately to the left to the light of the Golden Lampstand, or what Jews today call a menorah. Made from a talent of gold (about 75 pounds), it would be worth about $30,000 by today’s standard. How do Exodus 25:31-40 and 27:20-21 describe this special furnishing that stood in the Holy Place? It held seven lamps, flat bowls in which a wick lay with one end in the oil of the bowl and the lighted end hanging out. It was hammered from one piece of gold, with one central branch with three lights on each side, each resembling an almond tree with buds and blossoms. It had to be kept burning, and was the only earthly source of light inside the Holy Place. In John 8:12 how did Jesus compare Himself to this furnishing? Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” The center branch represents Jesus, as the side lamps represent the believers – just as Jesus said He is the Vine and we are the branches (John 15:5). Through the Light of the Holy Spirit within us, we are presently the light that must be kept burning in the midst of darkness in this world, pointing them to the true Light, Jesus Christ.


As we look across the inside of the Tabernacle from the Lampstand, we see its light reflecting on a table covered in gold, called the Table of Showbread. How do Exodus 25:23-30 and 37:10-16 describe this next furnishing just inside the Holy Place? It was 3’ long by 9” deep, set on four legs – all made of acacia wood and covered with pure gold. The utensils of plates, dishes, pitchers and bowls were also made of pure gold. The Showbread, 12 loves of bread representing the 12 tribes, was also called ‘Bread of the Presence’ because it was to always be in the Lord’s presence. It represented God’s willingness to fellowship and commune with man – an invitation to share a meal – a friendship – always an open invitation to man.

In John 6:35-51, how did Jesus compare Himself to this furnishing? Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst….your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh (my body), which I shall give for the life of the world.”

This bread of God on the Table of Showbread was without leaven or yeast – just as Jesus, the Bread of Life, was devoid of spot or blemish – no sin was found in Him. Jesus was the Bread from heaven offered to all who partake of the Lord’s table and fellowship with Him. Bread is satisfying – it sustains us – it feeds us to make us stronger to be able to do the work we need to do. There is no one that satisfies, sustains, feeds, and strengthens us like the Lord Jesus – He is truly our Bread of Life.

We turn toward the back of the tent now – and the light of the Lampstand shines on another furnishing just in front of a beautiful curtain that separates us from the very back of the tent. Read Exodus 30:1-10, 34-38 and write a brief description of this next furnishing. The Altar of Incense was 18” square and 3’ high, made of acacia wood and covered with pure gold – also with rings and poles for transporting. A special incense which God gave Moses the instructions for was burned at this altar every morning and evening when the burnt offerings were made in the courtyard. It was a pleasing aroma to the Lord, just as our prayers are to Him as they go up to Him. According to David’s inspiration in Psalm 141:2, what does this incense represent? David said, “Let my prayer be set before You as incense, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.” According to Revelation 8:3-4, what did John see in heaven that is the pattern for this furnishing in the Tabernacle? “Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand.”

Have you ever imagined that your prayers reach God as a pleasing aroma – something from our very heart given over to God – His child trusting in His strength and love to hear and answer a need? This golden Altar of Incense points us to the Lord Jesus Christ, and of His ministry of intercession today on our behalf.

Inside the holy tent we come to a veil that separates the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies. From Exodus 26:31-33, describe this magnificent curtain that is 15’ across. It is of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen with cherubim worked into it by a skilled craftsman, hanging from gold hooks on gold-covered posts set in silver bases.


What do you think of when you think of blue? – the heavens – Ezekiel 1:26 says, “above the heavens (sky) – God’s throne is like a sapphire stone.” What do you think of when you think of purple? – the most valued color among ancient cultures, represented royalty, kingship, and elegance – Judges 8:26 speaks of the “purple robes of kings” – Mark 15:17-18 speaks of how Jesus was clothed with a purple robe to mock Him as King before crucifying Him. What do you think of when you think of scarlet? -- denotes the bloodshed, pain and sacrifice – Isaiah says our stains are as crimson red – and Jesus’ own blood was shed to cleanse our sins to make them white as snow – one of those mind-boggling statements – that red washed in red makes white!

As you stand there, with the soft glow of the lampstand just behind you, the fragrance of the incense filling the entire tent, – what it would feel like to actually be standing there so close to the Presence of God. You must sense that you are truly standing on holy ground…and you know, and see, that there are angels all around….we surely must bow and praise Jesus now….for we are standing in His Presence….on holy ground! It makes you wonder if the songwriter had been reading these verses when he wrote that special song!

The veil hangs there to separate all but one man of all the tribes of Israel from God – for only one priest was allowed once a year to enter behind that veil to present the blood atonement for himself and the people on the Day of Atonement, known today as Yom Kippur. That veil was still in place in the Temple of Jerusalem when Jesus died on the cross – doing the same function it did in the Tabernacle. But we know that when Jesus died, the veil was torn from top to bottom (Mark 15:37-38, Matthew 27:50-51). It was too high and thick to be torn by human hands – 60’ high by 30’ wide and 4” thick (a larger proportion than the one in the Tabernacle). You wonder if the priests in the Temple that day realized that this indicated that Jesus had given us access to God through His death.

This was not just for the priests, but anyone that would come to God through Him. Hebrews 10:19-22 says, “Therefore…we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us thru the curtain, that is, His body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.”

Today the veil is no longer present – there is no barrier between us and God – we can live with His Presence within us at all times. But we can never partake of God’s glory without His Presence bringing about a change in us – and maybe that is why we avoid His Presence. When Moses beheld the glory of God, he was not aware of the radiance that was reflected on his face – but those around him were. In much the same way, as God makes us more like Him, reflecting Him, He keeps us protected from the pride that might develop by veiling to some extent our progress in our own eyes. The closer you approach the glory – the light of God – the brighter it shines on you – and reflects from you.

The Temple of God

Worksheet 4: The Tabernacle, Part 4 Exodus 25-40 Page 1 (written while at port at Montego Bay, Jamaica!)

In the weeks before, we have seen how God desires our fellowship – as we walk toward Him – to the altar of sacrifice – where we laid down self and accepted His atonement for our sins and yielded ourselves to Him. As we continued to walk closer to Him, we were reminded that even though He has cleansed us through Jesus’ sacrifice for us, we still need to come daily and have Him wash our hands and feet – looking into the perfect mirror of His Word and seeing what has become soiled by our daily walk and actions. Coming closer still, the Light of the World reveals the path He has set before us, making our way clear – and the Bread of His Presence feeds and sustains us daily through His Word. And yet He desires more for us – drawing us yet closer and closer from our fellowship into a very intimate relationship with Him. We will find that in the Holy of Holies.

There are at least two other references to an ark in Scripture – what are they – and what was their purpose? (hint – Genesis 7:7, Exodus 2:3)

Read Exod 25:10-22 and describe the most holy furnishing.

Read Exodus 40:17-38. Can you picture – and in words describe the excitement of that day – and the crowning touch God put on it all?

Worksheet 4: The Tabernacle, Part 4 Exodus 25-40 Page 2

Forty years from the time they left Egypt (about 1400 BC), Moses died at the age of 120, just as the camp of Israelites reached Mount Nebo on the eastern side of the Jordan River, and Joshua was appointed by God to become the new leader.

Read Joshua 3:1-7. What happened when the priests reached the Jordan with the Ark of the Covenant – and what was God’s purpose in this?

Now that we have studied the Tabernacle, can you answer these questions:Why were we created?

What was our greatest loss in the garden of Eden?

What is the human heart like apart from fellowship with God?

How did God choose one nation, the nation Israel, for Himself?

How did God first present the gospel of His great salvation?

The Temple of God

Lesson 4: The Tabernacle, Part 4 Exodus 25-38 Page 10 (written while at port at Montego Bay, Jamaica!)

In the weeks before, we have seen how God desires our fellowship – as we walk toward Him – to the altar of sacrifice – where we laid down self and accepted His atonement for our sins and yielded ourselves to Him. As we continued to walk closer to Him, we were reminded that even though He has cleansed us through Jesus’ sacrifice for us, we still need to come daily and have Him wash our hands and feet – looking into the perfect mirror of His Word and seeing what has become soiled by our daily walk and actions. Coming closer still, the Light of the World reveals the path He has set before us, making our way clear – and the Bread of His Presence feeds and sustains us daily through His Word. And yet He desires more for us – drawing us yet closer and closer from our fellowship into a very intimate relationship with Him. It is an intimacy like no other relationship – one we cannot describe to others – and yet its reassurance and warmth gives us such great security and peace. We will find that in the Holy of Holies. But if we were there in the Tabernacle, and we entered the Holy of Holies behind the veil, we would see a room that is 15’ high, wide and high – a cube in size – and on the sides and over your head are the beautiful curtains, the inner most layer of the Tabernacle. The only furnishing inside the room is the Ark of the Covenant, also known as the Ark of the Testimony (Exodus 25:22), which means ‘witness’.

There are at least two other references to an ark in Scripture – what are they – and what was their purpose? (Genesis 7:7, Exodus 2:3) The ark which God had Noah to construct was to protect his family until the storm was ended and preserve his life. The ark (called ‘basket’ in some translations) which God had Moses’ mother to make was to protect her baby from death, as she prayed he would be found and kept safe. So, preservation was the common purpose of the both these arks. In the same manner, the Ark of Covenant was to preserve God’s testimony – His witness. An Ark is defined as a chest to keep things safe, sure or secret. Psalm 132:8 says, “Arise, O Lord, to Your resting place, You and the ark of Your strength.” The Ark in the Tabernacle, as is the Ark in heaven, is the seat of God’s powerful and glorious Presence, from which He displays His strength in behalf of His people.

Read Exod 25:10-22 and describe this most holy furnishing. The Ark was the first object God commanded to be made for His Tabernacle – it had priority over all other construction and furnishings and was the most sacred. It was 45x27x27” in size, made of acacia wood and overlaid inside and out with pure gold, with rings in the corners so it could be transported by priests using poles. It was made to carry three things – Aaron’s rod that had budded, a portion of manna that God fed the Israelites with for 40 years in the wilderness, but especially to carry “The Testimony” – the tablets of stone on which God wrote the commandments and then gave to Moses (Exodus 20 and 34). Deuteronomy 9:1 - 10:5 tells us that the first tablets were broken when Moses came down from Mount Sinai and saw the people dancing before the golden calf, but God gave a second set, written with His own finger. Do you remember when Jesus knelt to the ground in the midst of the adulteress’ accusers and wrote on the ground with His finger – possibly the commandments that these men were guilty of – and realize that it was this same finger that carved out the tablets of commandments in the first place? And yet He did not point His finger at these guilty men or this woman – He let their own hearts convict them.

Lesson 4: The Tabernacle, Part 4 Exodus 25-38 Page 11

The most important aspect of the Ark of Covenant was the Mercy Seat, the flat lid that covered the Ark, atop of which the golden angels knelt, for God said, “There I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the Ark of the Testimony, about everything which I will give you in commandment to the children of Israel.”

Jesus Christ is our mercy seat – He is the One that extended mercy to us and made atonement for our sins. The word for ‘mercy seat’ can also be translated ‘atonement’ or ‘propitiation’ – and Romans 3:23-26 says God set forth Jesus Christ as a propitiation…that He might be the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. I John 4:10 says, “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the atoning sacrifice (or propitiation…or mercy seat) for our sins.”

We will talk more about the Ark of the Covenant in later lessons. I believe we will see the Ark of Covenant one day – and that when God’s timing is right, it will be ‘found’ so it can be the center piece of the Holy of Holies in the Tribulation Temple. As with all the other aspects of the Tabernacle that reflect the heavenly pattern, Revelation 11:19 gives us a glimpse of the Ark in heaven: “Then God’s Temple in heaven was opened, and within His Temple was seen the Ark of His Covenant.”

After six months of construction, Exodus 39-40 tells us that the Tabernacle and the outer courtyard was completed and anointed by Moses according to all the Lord had commanded Moses. It was set up in one single day, the first day of the first month in the Jewish calendar – just 14 days before Passover.

Read Exodus 40:17-38. Can you picture – and in words describe the excitement of that day – and the crowning touch God put on it all? One by one, Moses put into place all God had commanded him to make – exactly as God had said – the outer courtyard, the curtains, the Tabernacle itself, the Eastern gate, the Altar, the Laver, the Table of Showbread, the Lampstand, the Altar of Incense, the Veil, and the precious Ark of the Covenant. “Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle….so the cloud of the Lord was over the Tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel during all their travels.”

God is so very wise – sometimes we think He is cruel – we think He has forgotten us – and yet all the while He is preparing us for His best. So, for 39 more years after the Tabernacle was built, the Israelites wandered in the wilderness – perhaps wondering why God had not brought them to the land where they could live the good life. Yes, they knew they had lacked faith to believe that they could enter immediately into the Promise Land – but God also knew that they had been slaves for 400 years – obeying the commands of the Egyptians – forgetting that they belonged to the Almighty God. God wisely gave them those years in the wilderness to relearn that He was their God – that their strength and direction and liberty gave only through Him. How long has it taken us to learn that lesson? 40 years? 60 years?!!!!

Lesson 4: The Tabernacle, Part 4 Exodus 25-38 Page 12

Forty years from the time they left Egypt (about 1400 BC), Moses died at the age of 120, just as the camp of Israelites reached Mount Nebo on the eastern side of the Jordan River, and Joshua was appointed by God to become the new leader. What happened when the priests reached the Jordan with the Ark of the Covenant – and what was God’s purpose in this? Read Joshua 3:1-17. The Jordan stood still and was cut off while the Israelites walked over on dry land – just as they did at the Red Sea coming out of Egypt over 40 years earlier. God said He did this so they would know “the loving God is among you and will certainly drive out before you the (godless people who live in this land).”

First Samuel 3 tells how the Ark was then kept at Shiloh (30 minutes north of Jerusalem) in North Israel where the Tabernacle was set up, where Eli was a priest and the boy Samuel was trained and called by God to be a prophet. But when Israel took the Ark out to the battlefield where the Philistines were defeating them, it was captured by the Philistines, and it caused disease and disaster among them. They realized God’s power within the Ark was against them, and they returned it to Israel (I Samuel 4-6). The Ark was at Kirjath Jearim for about 100 years, from about 1100 BC to 996 BC, when David retrieved it to bring it to the City of David (what we know as Jerusalem) (II Samuel 6:1) where he set it into its place in the midst of the Tabernacle David had erected there. For 485 years (from Moses to Solomon) the Tabernacle served Israel, moving from place to place.In every aspect of the Tabernacle, Jesus Christ is represented – in what He would come and fulfill in God’s plan of redemption for each of us who would believe and accept Him.

Now that we have studied the Tabernacle, can you answer these questions: Why were we created? To be God’s treasure – to fellowship with Him – to fulfill a

specific plan God has for our life. What was our greatest loss in the garden of Eden? The intimate, innocent relationship

with God. What is the human heart like apart from fellowship with God? Emptiness Why did God choose one nation, the nation Israel, for Himself? To provide a people

from whom would come the Savior. How did God first present the gospel of His great salvation? Through the Tabernacle

God desires fellowship with His own people. We have come today to study His Word and then gather to worship Him. Here in this classroom – and there in our sanctuary – where two or more are gathered together in His name, He is present. Too often we forget that we are in the midst of The King – The Creator – God Almighty! As we worship today, say a prayer that God will remind you to not take it lightly when you come into His presence to worship Him. We come before Him, recognizing His holiness – and yet He desires to communicate with us just as we are – who we are. It is an awesome privilege!

The Temple of God

Worksheet 5: The First Temple I Kings 2-8, II Chronicles 2-7 Page 1 (written while at port at Georgetown, Grand Cayman!)

Much history passed in the life of Israel in their new homeland – but the Tabernacle and Ark still were the focal point of the nation. When David ruled Israel in Jerusalem, about 1000 BC, he brought the Tabernacle and Ark to the City of David (today the southern tip of Jerusalem) where he set up the Tabernacle and placed the Ark of the Covenant within it. Why was Jerusalem, often called Zion, the place for the Tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant to come to rest and remain settled? Read Psalm 132:13-18.

Read II Samuel 22 – and write down the most important phrases that describe the intimate relationship with God near the end of David’s life.

What were Solomon’s wishes and prayers for his son?

What were Solomon’s remembrances of his father?

How has God fulfilled His promise to each of them? (Matthew 1:1-17)

Worksheet 5: The First Temple I Kings 2-8, II Chronicles 2-7 Page 2

One of the most encouraging aspects of David’s life as a father is found in I Kings 3, after David had died and Solomon is left to be the king – and he realizes he cannot fall back on his father being alongside – and he prays to God. Read it in I Kings 3:5-15. Would you stop now – and write a prayer that God will bring your children to realize this great truth…what greater thing could you pray for your children!

I Kings 5-7 gives us the details of the Temple God gave David the plans for – and that Solomon then built. Read these chapters and write down some of the highlights of what went into the building of this elaborate Temple of God – and what you find that is the same as the Tabernacle.

If you only read one Scripture in preparing for this lesson, please read I Kings 8 – it will thrill you! What phrases stood out to you?

Close today’s study with some of David’s most well-known words – Psalm 100!

The Temple of God

Lesson 5: The First Temple I Kings 2-8, II Chronicles 2-7 Page 13 (written while at port at Georgetown, Grand Cayman!)

Much history passed in the life of Israel in their new homeland – but the Tabernacle and Ark still were the focal point of the nation. When David ruled Israel in Jerusalem, about 1000 BC, he brought the Tabernacle and Ark to the City of David (today the southern tip of Jerusalem) where he set up the Tabernacle and placed the Ark of the Covenant within it.

Why was Jerusalem, often called Zion, the place for the Tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant to settle and remain? Read Psalm 132:13-18. God chose it for His dwelling place forever. The Jews say Jerusalem is the center of the earth – the very foundation stone of the earth –

the center of the earth itself. It is the mountain top where God called Abraham to sacrifice Isaac in faith. It is also where Jesus died on the cross that we might believe in faith. It’s all the same place –the mountaintop called Mount Moriah, where the city of Jerusalem

was built. Whether exactly geographically or not, we know without a doubt it will be the capitol of the

whole earth when Jesus reigns as King. Just recently Jerusalem was denounced – saying it is not the capitol of Israel. But just wait! Soon they will see! Not just the capitol of Israel, but the capitol of all the earth!

I’ve seen many places, but Jerusalem draws me with incredible force – I cannot get enough of it – I’m always planning my next trip. You feel it – you are drawn into the past and the future at the same time. It’s a passion I’m glad to have and will never tire of! One day we’ll go there together – for sure! Revelation 21:1-4 at the end of the Bible describes the New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven….the Tabernacle of God will be ever among men, and He will dwell among them. But….we are getting ahead of ourselves! Let’s return to the first Jerusalem and the first Temple built there!

It was about 960 BC – David was nearing the end of his 40-year reign over all Israel. We have many times read his Psalms – his personal times of victory and defeat – and through it all, David grew in his love for God. I think he had reached the intimacy of the Holy of Holies with God.

Read II Samuel 22: What are some of the most important phrases that describe the intimate relationship with God near the end of David’s life. Quite a different man from the young, innocent, tender shepherd many years ago, isn’t he? David’s praise to God was, “The Lord is my rock, my fortress, my deliverer, my refuge, my savior…in my distress I called to the Lord…from His temple He heard my voice, my cry came to His ears…He reached down from on high and took hold of me…He drew me out of deep waters…because He delighted in me…As for God, His way is perfect…His Word is flawless….who is God besides the Lord? The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God, the rock, my Savior!....therefore I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations….He gives His king great victories…He shows unfailing kindness to His anointed, to David and his descendants forever.” What a great testimony!

Lesson 5: The First Temple I Kings 2-8, II Chronicles 2-7 Page 14

David had loved God, and his heart sought to build a beautiful Temple at Jerusalem in which God could dwell and be worshipped. But because of David’s life of war and bloodshed, God gave all the plans for it to David, but said it would be his son Solomon who would actually build the Temple (I Kings 8:17-20). First Chronicles 28 tells the details – how David had written down all that was given by the Spirit of God of the exact details for the Temple – every porch – the weight for the lampstands – the wingspan of the cherubim that would sit atop the mercy seat in the Ark of the Covenant – every single detail. It was David’s dream come true of building the Temple – if only in his mind! David shared this with Solomon, and encouraged him again to follow God, for he knew that if Solomon and Israel’s success and purpose in life were accomplished, it would only be if they individually walked with God and kept His Word.

Years before David had purchased a threshing floor piece of land (or rock!) atop Mount Moriah from Araunah, the Jebusite, (Jerusalem was once called Jebus) at the advice of the prophet Gad to stop a pestilence from the Lord by building an altar and offering sacrifices there (II Sam 24:18-25). Chronicles identifies this place as Mount Moriah, where Abraham had been willing to offer Isaac (II Chronicles 3:1; Gen 22:1-14). This same threshing floor became the Temple Mount when Solomon began construction for the first Temple.

Read I Kings 2:1-4, 10 (David’s last words to his son) and 8:17-20 (his sons words about him). What were Solomon’s wishes and prayers for his son? That Solomon would be strong and prove himself to be a man – that he would keep the ways of the Lord so that he would prosper in all he did. And God promised David that there would always be a king of Israel from his blood line. What were Solomon’s remembrances of his father? That David’s heart was to build a Temple for the name of the Lord God, but it would be Solomon who would build it. How has God fulfilled His promise to each of them? Solomon built the Temple by the plans David received from God – and the ultimate King of Israel and all the world, Jesus Christ, came from the blood line of David. (Matthew 1:1-17)

One of the most encouraging aspects of David’s life as a father is found in I Kings 3, after David had died and Solomon is left to be the king – and he realizes he cannot fall back on his father being alongside – and he prays to God. Read it in I Kings 3:5-15. David raised a son that knew the value of wisdom from God. Yes, he was a brilliant young man – he was a writer, a builder, a diplomat, and was loved by the people. Yet, with all these traits, he still knew that above all, he needed God’s wisdom. I pray that our children will grow up to realize this same great truth.

I Kings 5-7 and II Chronicles 2-5 give us all the details of the construction of the Temple – and there was no expense withheld – it was the most elaborate and beautiful building in all the world, and people from all over the world came to see it – to admire it and hear Solomon’s wisdom. As you read these chapters, what were some of the highlights of what went into the building of this elaborate Temple of God – and what you find that is the same as the Tabernacle? Because we have studied the plan for the Tabernacle, we only have to multiply the size of the Tabernacle twice and we would have the Temple. The elaborate furnishings were also adapted to the larger size. Solomon had great cedars and pines from Lebanon cut and hauled down the Mediterranean Sea on rafts and then across land to Jerusalem – and with them the inside structure was made. Just imagine the smell of it all – although after they were put into the structure, it was all covered with gold – the floors, the walls, the pillars, as well as the furnishings.

Lesson 5: The First Temple I Kings 2-8, II Chronicles 2-7 Page 15

Solomon contracted 30,000 men from Lebanon to bring in the trees. There were also 70,000 men who brought in huge stones – and 80,000 stone cutters – and over 3,000 who supervised the work! This was no small construction job!

The Temple itself was 90’ long, 30’ wide and 45’ high, exactly twice the dimensions of the Tabernacle, with porticos (porches) outside. No hammer or chisel was heard at the Temple site – for all the materials were prepared at the individual work sites and then brought to Mount Moriah and put into place. Just as the plans called for in the Tabernacle, Solomon took one-third of the Temple at the rear and placed the veil to separate the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies, a perfect cube, 30’x30’x30’, gilded throughout with 23 tons of gold!

The Temple was 7 years in construction (I Kings 6:38) – and was ready to be dedicated to the Lord. Now all the furnishings were in place – all the plans from the Spirit of God that were given to David and passed on to Solomon had been followed exactly. Solomon summoned all the elders and heads of tribes of Israel, and the priests brought the Ark of the Covenant up from the original Tabernacle in the City of David – which was only about 1000 yards south of the Temple. By this time there was nothing left inside the Ark except the two stone tablets that Moses had placed in it – there is no explanation of what happened to the manna and Aaron’s rod. And just as when the Tabernacle was complete and the ark was set in place, so in this new Temple in Jerusalem “the cloud filled the Temple of the Lord, and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled His Temple.” (I Kings 8:10-11)

I love I Kings 8 – it thrills me every time I read it! What phrases stood out to you? Solomon spoke to the people and confirmed that God had promised his father David that his son would build the Temple, even though it was in David’s heart to do so. He then stood before the Altar of the Lord and prayed such a prayer, you must read it for yourself – I Kings 8:22-61. He said, “O Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like You in heaven above or on earth below—You who keep Your covenant of love with your servants who continually wholeheartedly in Your way…But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this Temple I have built! Yet give attention to Your servant’s prayer…may Your eyes be open toward this Temple night and day, this place of which You said, “My Name shall be there,’…hear the supplication of Your servant and of Your people Israel when they pray toward this place…so all the peoples of the earth may know Your name and fear You, as do Your own people Israel, and may know that this house I have built bears Your Name.” And Solomon stood and stretched his hands out toward heaven and blessed the whole assembly of Israel in a loud voice, ‘Praise be to the Lord, who has given rest to His people Israel just as He promised…not one word has failed of all the good promises He gave through his servant Moses…may He never leave us nor forsake us…but your hearts must be fully committed to the Lord our God, to live by His decrees and obey His commands, as at this time.”

Let’s close today’s lesson with some of David’s most well-known words – Psalm 100:“Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations.” Now, go with this same blessing – and worship this same God at Hebron!

The Temple of God

Worksheet 6: The Second Temple, Part 1 Ezra, Nehemiah, Jeremiah Page 1 (written while at port at sea in the Atlantic Ocean!)

The day of the dedication of the Temple in Jerusalem was a peak in the history of Israel. God had brought them to the Promised Land – they had defeated their enemies – the Temple had been built – and Solomon, chosen by God as king, led the people to obey and worship God. This grand Temple would stand for almost 400 years. Today we will discover what happened to cause these great words of Solomon to be forgotten.

How important is it to keep your relationship and fellowship with God pure – free from idols – or ‘things’ in life that keep you from God? How important is it in that relationship that you listen and do as He asks – in His Word, as well as in what the Spirit speaks to you about? If you want to see how important it is to Him, you only need to study this lesson. God will not allow you to stray from Him without bringing you back – bringing your heart and mind and will back to Him – thru whatever means it takes.

Does it sadden you to read Romans 3:10 – Jeremiah 17:9 – Isaiah 53:6 – What do they have in common? And what brings you hope after reading those verses?

Scan through the titles of the books following Song of Solomon – who were some of the men God sent to warn Israel of the consequences of their sin?

Read Jeremiah (7:1-15; 26:12-16) – what was Jeremiah’s warning to God’s people? And was their relationship with God taken from them – or given up? And how do you relate that to today – in our nation – in our church – in your life?

Read Jeremiah 52 – how did Jeremiah’s warning become real to Israel?

Worksheet 6: The Second Temple, Part 1 Ezra, Nehemiah, Jeremiah Page 2

What happened to the gold and silver treasures of the Temple? (Jer. 52:23, Dan. 1:1-2; 5:1-4)

Yet in all this, Jeremiah did not lose hope! Read what he wrote in Jeremiah 25:1-14 and Lamentations 3:19-24. What was Jeremiah’s greatest hope?

What verses has God given you that bring you hope when it looks like all around you in crumbling?

Jeremiah’s hope was realized -- Read Ezra 1 – what took place to give Israel hope?

Who were the three very unlikely men God used to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem? (Ezra 1:1-4, 6:1-12, 7:1-7)

Read Ezra 3 – How did the rebuilt Temple compare to Solomon’s Temple?

Although the Temple had been rebuilt, Jerusalem was still in shambles in many ways. God used Nehemiah, who had a great burden to rebuild the walls around Jerusalem. Read Nehemiah 12:27-43 and describe the joyful celebration of the day the completed work was dedicated to God.

Now – what do you remember about the joyful day of dedication of our new worship center here at Hebron?!

The Temple of God

Lesson 6: The Second Temple, Part 1 Ezra, Nehemiah, Jeremiah Page 16 (written while at sea on the Atlantic Ocean!)

The day of the dedication of the Temple in Jerusalem was a peak in the history of Israel. God had brought them to the Promised Land – they had defeated their enemies – the Temple had been built – and Solomon, chosen by God as king, led the people to obey and worship God. This grand Temple would stand for almost 400 years. Today we will discover what happened to cause these great words of Solomon to be forgotten.

How important is it to keep my relationship and fellowship with God pure – free from idols – or ‘things’ in life that keep me from God? How important is it in that relationship that I listen and do as He asks – in His Word, as well as in what the Spirit speaks to me about? If we want to see how important it is to Him, you only need to read His Word and see that He will not allow His own to stray from Him without bringing you back – bringing your heart and mind and will back to Him – thru whatever means it takes.

Does it sadden you to read Romans 3:10 – Jeremiah 17:9 – Isaiah 53:6? What do they have in common? And what brings you hope after reading those verses? “There is none righteous, no, not one. (Romans 3:10)” “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. (Jeremiah 17:9)” “All we like sheep have gone astray – we have turned every one to his own way. (Isaiah 53:6)” But….God in His awesome mercy will not let us stay there – His love for us is greater than His judgment. Yes, as a perfect Father, He will discipline and correct – but not to hurt us – but rather, to turn our heart back to Him.

Israel had gone through many kings after David and Solomon – some were Godly – some were evil, and they gradually and yet decidedly turned away from God to living with idols – but God was so longsuffering – and yet, there comes a limit. Who were some of the prophets God sent to warn Israel of the consequences of their sin? Jeremiah, Isaiah, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah – all were sent to warn them – to plead with them to turn back to God, or He would have to bring judgment on them. What was Jeremiah’s warning to God’s people in Jeremiah 7:1-15; 26:12-16? Jeremiah (7:1-15; 26:16) in his great Temple sermon warned all who came into the Lord’s house in Jerusalem that if they trusted primarily in the Temple, instead of the Lord, then God could destroy the Temple. God tried for many years to put up roadblocks – but they would not listen – they continued running the opposite way – taking up the sin of the countries around them – those who had intermarried with them.

Was their relationship with God taken from them – or given up? Little by little they gave up their relationship with God. It wasn’t taken from them – they gave it up. The Temple was still in place, but it was a mockery – it did not reflect true worship of God – it was merely a traditional ritual they did to placate their minds – so the rest of the week they could live and play and flirt with sin – and then embrace it eagerly. Does this sound familiar to you?! How do you relate that to today – in our nation – in our church – in your life?

God said, “My Spirit will not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh (Genesis 6:3).” God gives warnings – He did so with Israel – the prophets became more urgent – yet the people sinned more. Then in 586 BC, on the 9th day of the Jewish month of Av, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon brought his armies and destroyed Jerusalem – and the Temple.

Lesson 6: The Second Temple, Part 1 Ezra, Nehemiah, Jeremiah Page 17

And for 70 years God withheld from them their privilege to gather at His Temple and know they were in His Presence. They were reaping the penalty of the sins they had sown. Imagine all the time they had to remember – to pray to God – to repent of their sins while making that long trek by foot to Babylon – while they served as slaves under the rule of King Nebuchadnezzar. Surely they thought again and again of the words of the Psalmist, “If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its skill! If I do not remember you, let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth—if I do not exalt Jerusalem above my chief joy.” (Psalm 137:5-6)

King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon took treasures from the Temple when he destroyed Jerusalem according to Daniel 1:2, and then King Belshazzar, his descendant, later used this treasure of gold and silver in his drunken feast in the final night of his reign (Daniel 5:3).

Yet in all the records of the Bible, there was no mention of Babylon taking the Ark of the Covenant – for if they had, it surely would have been written down. Many believe that Jeremiah had it moved to one of the secret recesses that are like hundreds of tunnels and rooms beneath the city of Jerusalem, and especially under the Temple Mount. Books have been written – Harrison Ford featured it in “Raiders of the Lost Ark” – and yet today we still wonder what happened to the Ark. We’ll study this more in later lessons. We haven’t seen the last of the Ark!

Yet in all this, Jeremiah did not lose hope! Read what he wrote in Jeremiah 25:1-14 and Lamentations 3:19-24. What was Jeremiah’s greatest hope? Through it all, Jeremiah was comforted by God’s endless compassion and faithfulness! And to confirm it, God revealed to Jeremiah that the captivity would not be the end of Israel – that it would only last for 70 years, and then they would return to their homeland and rebuild the Temple. What verses has God given you that bring you hope when it looks like all around you in crumbling?

After the Mede/Persian empire overtook Babylon in 539 BC, Israel began to realize the hope that Jeremiah had been assured of. Read Ezra 1 – what took place to give them hope? Ezra 1 tells us that “in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm…that…the Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and He has appointed me to build a Temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Anyone of His people among you—may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem in Judah and build the Temple of the Lord…who is in Jerusalem.” So about 538 BC the families of Judah, Benjamin and Levi (the priests) prepared to go back to Jerusalem. They were given silver, gold, valuable gifts and freewill offerings – as well as the gold and silver articles from the Jerusalem Temple – a total of 540 articles of gold and silver! The returning Israelites numbered 42,360, besides servants – and the singers! After all, a worship service in the rebuilt Temple had to have singers! So, in faith, they took the singers and priests!

Ezra 3 tells how the Altar of Sacrifice was begun – and they sacrificed burnt offerings on it to the Lord, both the morning and evening sacrifices. But the foundation for the Temple had not yet been laid. Logs were again brought from the area near Lebanon, as authorized by King Cyrus of Persia. A year later, Zerubbabel, a descendant from David (I Chronicles 3:19), organized the rebuilding of the foundation – but they were discouraged and halted their work after much opposition from many sides. The prophets Haggai and Zechariah encouraged and worked alongside Zerubbabel – but still, the opposition continued from the surrounding neighbors. When a letter was written to the then-current King of Persia, King Darius, about 520 BC, reminding him of the earlier purpose of King Cyrus, he sent orders for the surrounding neighbors to stay away – that the Temple would be rebuilt


and the gold and silver articles sent by King Cyrus would be placed in the rebuilt Temple. However, the Ark of the Covenant was not rebuilt again, fulfilling God’s word in Jeremiah 3:14-16.

So, accordingly, the Temple was completed in 516 BC – exactly 70 years after the destruction of the First Temple built by Solomon. There is no coincidence with God – there is exactness of His promises! The second Temple is often called Zerubbabel’s Temple because of his leadership throughout the work. Read Ezra 3 – How did the rebuilt Temple compare to Solomon’s Temple? Built in stages, the initial labor done by returning exiles from Babylon, they lacked the resources to achieve the majestic appearance of the first Temple. Those who had remembered the first Temple of Solomon wept and grieved that this rebuilt Temple would not compare to the first.

In 458 BC, a priest of the tribe of Levi named Ezra, who had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord and to its teaching, led a second pilgrimage back to Jerusalem with about 1500 men, besides the families and servants to reinstitute the teaching of God’s Word in the Temple. His journey was endorsed and richly supported by King Artaxerxes of Persia, as they carried with them a huge fortune in silver and gold. Isn’t it an ongoing amazement how in God’s right time He uses the most unlikely of people to bring about His plans! Who were the three very unlikely men God used to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem? (Ezra 1:1-4, 6:1-12, 7:1-7) Cyrus, Darius, Artaxerxes, three kings of Persia who were moved by God to not only allow these Jews, who were their servants, to return, but totally financed their trip and the building of the Temple!

With all this wealth Ezra was carrying, he was faced with a hard decision: how could he ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to protect them when he had told the king, “The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to Him.” So instead, Ezra and the people fasted and prayed to God for protection, and He answered their prayer – bringing them safely to Jerusalem.

In 445 BC another man of God, Nehemiah, was likewise sent by King Artaxerxes to Jerusalem – for Nehemiah had a great burden to return and rebuild the walls of the city that were still broken down, and the city was not in a good situation for defense. The king not only sent Nehemiah, but provided timber for the new gates of Jerusalem, as well as army officers and cavalry to transport it. (Nehemiah 1-2) After arriving in Jerusalem and surveying the work to be done and organizing the people all around the city to help with the work near their homes, the wall was begun, although the fierce opposition from neighboring people forced them to divide their number in half – and while one group worked, the other half defended them with spears and bows and armor. Even amidst all the opposition, the wall was amazingly completed in 52 days! (Nehemiah 3-6)

Read Nehemiah 12:27-43 and describe the joyful celebration of the day the completed work was dedicated to God. A grand day of dedication of the wall was held, when Nehemiah had the leaders from all the region around Jerusalem go to the top of the wall, along with two large choirs – two groups going in opposite directions around the ramparts of the wall – and ended at the rebuilt Temple with great singing and rejoicing – “the sound of rejoicing in Jerusalem could be heard far away.”


One other day of unusual dedication occurred when Ezra was asked to bring out the Book of the Law (the Torah) of Moses, which the Lord had commanded for Israel. Read Nehemiah 8 and describe what happened that day. We cannot imagine how it would be to go for 70 years and not assemble in our church and hear the Word of the Lord read – to not have a Bible to read it for ourselves! It’s no wonder the people stood for hours – for days – and wept and raised their hands to God and praised His Name!

What if you had the opportunity to ask those who had returned to Jerusalem, “How important is it to keep my relationship and fellowship with God pure – free from idols – or ‘things’ in life that keep me from God? How important is it in that relationship that I listen and do as He asks – in His Word, as well as in what the Spirit speaks to me about?” What do you think their answer would be?

Every word recorded in the Bible is not just that we know history – but rather, so that the history we make will have the advantage of knowing what happened before us. People have not changed – they are still the same as they were 2000 years ago – 4000 years ago – 6000 years ago. God still gives us prophets to warn us – we call them preachers today! But the great advantage we have today is that within us dwells the very Spirit of God, who speaks to us individually and continually – if we will only hear. If He warns us, or speaks to us, and we ignore Him and do what we want instead, then we will repeat the history we just read about.

When you read the book God has written about your life, will He say, “Well done, My good and faithful servant”?

The Temple of God

Worksheet 7: The Second Temple Rebuilt, Part 2 The Gospels Page 1 (written at port in Cozumel, Mexico!)

Last week we studied about the Second Temple that was rebuilt in stages and completed in 516 BC. After 200 years of Mede/Persian rule, Greece conquered the land about 336 BC and became the rulers of Israel. The Temple went through much abuse and desecration. Rome defeated Greece and took control of Israel in 63 BC and appointed Herod the Great as ruler over the land. When he came into power in Israel in 37 BC, he wanted to gain the favor of his Jewish subjects, so several years later he began a refurbishing and enlargement project of the existing Temple.

What do you know of Herod that first concerned Jesus, the babe? (Matthew 2:1-21)

The second event in the life of Christ recorded after His birth in Bethlehem took place in this Temple. Read Luke 2:22-40 and describe it.

Every Jewish family observed Passover each year. Each family took a lamb to the Temple in Jerusalem, where they offered it up to the priest to slay it, and then the whole family ate it on Passover night. Read Luke 2:41-52 and describe the very next record in Jesus’ life when He went to Passover at the age of 12.

Worksheet 7: The Second Temple Rebuilt, Part 2 The Gospels Page 2

Read John 2:12-22 and describe another Passover Jesus attended at the Jerusalem Temple as a grown man.

The southeastern corner of the Temple Mount was the highest on the Temple Mount, and known as the pinnacle of the Temple. This was most likely the place that Jesus was tempted by Satan. Read it in Matthew 4:5-6 and briefly tell what was said. (Matthew 4:5-6)

Read Mark 13:2 – what prophecy did Jesus make to the disciples concerning this Temple?

Do you know what finally happened to the Temple in Jerusalem – and when? (a ‘challenge’ question!)

The Temple of God

Lesson 7: The Second Temple Rebuilt, Part 2 The Gospels Page 20 (written at port in Cozumel, Mexico!)

Last week we studied about the Second Temple that was rebuilt in stages and completed in 516 BC. After 200 years of Mede/Persian rule, Greece conquered the land about 336 BC and became the rulers of Israel. In 169 BC the Greek general Antiochus Epiphanes desecrated the Temple in Jerusalem by sacrificing a pig on the altar and declaring himself as a god, fulfilling in part the prophecy of Daniel 8:23-25; 11:21-35.

Rebellion among the Jews grew until three years later, when a Jew named Judas Maccabeus led a group of men who stormed into the Temple that had been consecrated to the worship of the Greek gods for three years, and ceremonially cleansed it amid great rejoicing from the Jews of the city. Judas and his men found the Temple in ruins – the altar on which an image of the god Zeus had been set was desecrated and defiled. The great gates had been used as firewood, and the courts that once had been kept immaculate by the priests were tangled with three years’ growth of weeds. He restored the Temple and the furnishings and courtyards, then established a permanent garrison of loyal Jewish fighters to be stationed there. The Jews decided to make an annual festival to celebrate this victory – today it’s called Hanukkah, which means Dedication or the Festival of Lights. Judas’ successors appointed themselves as high priests, and the Temple became more a political institution.

In 63 BC the Roman general Pompey marched into Jerusalem to put down the rebellion between the Jews and the Romans and slaughtered 12,000 Jews in a fierce battle for control of the city. He entered the Holy of Holies, provoking outrage among the priests and Jewish leaders.

When Herod the Great was appointed by Rome as ruler over Israel in 37 BC, he wanted to gain the favor of his Jewish subjects, so several years later he began a refurbishing and enlargement project of the existing Temple. Work began about 19 BC, and the central part of the Temple itself was completed in 7 years, but finishing touches continued for 75 more years. It is still considered the second Temple, the same one rebuilt 500 years earlier by those returning from Babylon – as the Jews’ criteria for ‘a new Temple’ is only for one built following complete destruction, or when the sacrifices had ceased to exist.

This rebuilt Temple Herod planned was equivalent to a 15-storey building, yet the Temple floor area was about the same as earlier Temples. The plans followed the pattern of Solomon’s Temple closely – with the doorway opening into the Holy Place, and a curtain separating the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. The building was finished with a covering of gold leaf – and was said to have eclipsed Solomon’s Temple, lying buried beneath the new Temple. He surrounded the whole enclosure with magnificent porches, gates, arches, and stairways.

King Herod the Great, who proclaimed himself as the king of the Jews, was not even of Jewish blood, but an Idumaean – of Edomite descent of Esau. He had eliminated all rivals to the throne – with his slyness and violence – killing his own wife, her brother the high priest, and three of his sons. Herod was an able general, shrewd politician, excellent administrator, enlarged his domain, his hospitality was magnificent, his building lavish – he could not get enough power – he could never feel secure in the fortresses he had built to protect himself. Having clung to the throne for over 30 years and rebuilding the Temple, he died an excruciatingly painful disease of worms.

Lesson 7: The Second Temple Rebuilt, Part 2 The Gospels Page 21

Do you wonder why God would allow godless men – even one such as Herod, who slew the baby boys at Jesus’ birth, to build the Temple of God? Yet look how God used a pagan king such as Nebuchadnezzar to bring discipline to Israel when they continually for hundreds of years denied the Lord…and King Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes of Persia, whom God used to provide funding and materials for the rebuilding of the Temple after the Babylonian captivity. Kings may have their own agenda, but the Bible says, “The heart of the king is in the hands of the Lord.” He uses them to bring about His own agenda.

What do you know of Herod that first concerned Jesus, the babe? (Matthew 2:1-21) When Herod learned from the wise men of a Babe born in Bethlehem who was ‘king of the Jews,’ he ordered the death of all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under.

The second event in the life of Christ recorded after His birth in Bethlehem took place in this Temple. Read Luke 2:22-40 and describe it. The offering by Joseph and Mary at the circumcision of baby Jesus was brought to this Temple. Simeon, to whom the Holy Spirit had revealed that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ, recognized the Babe when they entered the Temple. Anna, a prophetess who stayed day and night in the Temple also recognized the Babe and “gave thanks to God about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.”

Every Jewish family observed Passover each year – and they had done so for over 1400 years since it first took place in Egypt the night the Israelites were freed from slavery. Each family took a lamb to the Temple in Jerusalem, where they offered it up to the priest to slay it, and then the whole family ate it on Passover night. Read Luke 2:41-52 and describe the very next record in Jesus’ life when He went to Passover at the age of 12. After these special days had ended, Joseph’s family began the return trip to Nazareth – most likely with a large extended family that traveled together. It would be easy to assume Jesus was with friends and family – a boy of 12 that was beginning to show his own independence. But when they couldn’t find Him, they returned to Jerusalem and found Him – in the Temple courts, “sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard Him was amazed at His understanding and His answers. When His parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to Him, ‘Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for You.’ ‘Why were you searching for Me?’ He asked. ‘Didn’t you know I had to be in My Father’s house?” But they did not understand what He was saying to them.”

Read John 2:12-22 and describe another Passover Jesus attended at the Jerusalem Temple as a grown man. When Jesus “found men selling cattle, sheep and doves in the Temple courts, and others sitting at tables exchanging money…He made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the Temple area…and overturned their money changer tables…He said, ‘Get these out of here! How dare you turn My Father’s house into a market.’ Then the Jews demanded of Him, ‘What miraculous sign can You show us to prove Your authority to do all this?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Destroy this Temple, and I will raise it again in three days.’ The Jews replied, ‘It has taken 46 years to build this Temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?’ But the Temple He had spoken of was His body.” His cleansing of the Temple was a focal point as He prophesied His death.


Jesus knew no earthly temple was necessary to the worship of God, for He told the woman at the well, “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and His worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”

The stairway Herod built that led up to the Temple Mount from the City of David on the south side of Jerusalem has today been excavated and is fully visible – I’ve walked up it several times. It was most probably the stairway Jesus and His disciples used in entering the Temple, and the steps from which He may have taught on several occasions.

This same southeastern corner of the Temple Mount was the highest on the Temple Mount, and known as the pinnacle of the Temple. This was most likely the place that Jesus was tempted by Satan. Read it in Matthew 4:5-6 and briefly tell what was said: Satan said, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He will command His angels concerning You, and they will lift You up in their hands, so that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’ Jesus answered him, “It is also written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” (Matthew 4:5-6)

Read Mark 13:2 – what prophecy did Jesus make to the disciples concerning this Temple? “Do you see all these great buildings? Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”

We also know that it was this Temple in which the veil in front of the Holy of Holies was torn in two when Jesus died on Calvary – a sign that Jesus had broken the barrier of separation between God and man. (Mark 15:37-38, Matthew 27:50-51.)

After the death of Jesus, several events are recorded of the disciples coming to the Temple to worship and to heal. But in a very short time, the persecution of the Christians grew to the extent that they began to flee Jerusalem – and in the same way, the Gospel was spread throughout the world.

Do you know what finally happened to the Temple in Jerusalem – and when? In AD 70, on the 9th day of the Jewish month Av (August), the second holy Temple was engulfed in flames as the Roman general Titus soldiers in their attack on Jerusalem. The soldiers plundered the golden vessels from the Sanctuary, and the grandiose buildings Herod had built to endure the ages barely outlived the completion of the Temple. Do you remember this date from a previous destruction? When the rabbis discovered that both the first and second Temple were destroyed on the same day, they realized it was proof that it had been part of God’s predetermined plan rather than a historical coincidence. The lesson that emerged was that God was just as much in control of the Temple’s destruction as He had been in its construction. If that were indeed true, then the Jews knew they had reason to be hopeful, for they knew that God’s plan included the rebuilding of yet another Temple.


Several attempts have been made in the past hundreds of years to rebuild the Temple, but God has intervened in each to make them unsuccessful. One case was written up by Philip Hammond, who studied the earthquake in AD 363 that destroyed Petra as well as much of Jerusalem: “The stones were piled and ready. Costly wood had been purchased. The necessary metal was at hand. The Jews of Jerusalem were rejoicing. Tomorrow – May 20, 363 AD – the rebuilding of the Temple would begin!....Suddenly, and without warning, at the third hour of the night…the streets of Jerusalem trembled and buckled, crushing 200 years of hope in a pile of dust. No longer would there be any possibility of rebuilding the Temple.”

Since 70 AD there has been no Temple in Jerusalem. The main archaeological remnant of Jesus’ time is the retaining wall of the Temple area that Herod expanded, known today as the Wailing Wall or the Western Wall. Jews still pray there to the Name of God, who said His Name would always be there.

Have you ever considered what would happen to our Christianity if all the churches were burned down and Christians were persecuted and could not meet together? What do you think would happen? During this next week you will study about the Temple of God which does exist in the world today – although it is not centrally located in Jerusalem! It’s much closer than you think!

The Temple of God

Worksheet 8: The Temple Within Us Many Scriptures! Page 1 (written while at port in Cozumel, Mexico!)

There is a Temple in which the Lord reigns today. It is not centrally located in Jerusalem – but much closer than you might think! Do you know where this Temple is located? The present Temple of the Lord is the in heart of the believer. There the Lord reigns until the day when the Messiah will return and set up His earthly kingdom and the Millennial Temple.

What does each of the following verses tell you about God’s Tabernacle or dwelling place within you?

Ephesians 2:19-22:

I Corinthians 3:16-17

II Corinthians 4:6-10:

Romans 8:9-17:


Worksheet 8: The Temple Within Us Many Scriptures! Page 2

John 14:15-21, 26:

Psalm 79 speaks of how the nations defiled God’s Temple – and we have studied these times during this study – the Babylonians in 586 BC, the Greeks 170 BC, the Romans in AD 70 – and yet we do not consider that we have also done this to the Temple of His Holy Spirit. What do the following verses say about defiling His Temple?

I Corinthians 6:15-20:


The Holy Spirit puts certain gifts in us – certain characteristics and ‘heart abilities’ that we will have what we need to do the work His purposed for us. Read I Corinthians 12:1-11 and list these gifts.

This is a major work of God’s Spirit dwelling in us. What has He put in you – do you look for every opportunity He brings to use it? Let us not just be an empty Temple of God – but one that actively serves Him and reflects His glory through the Holy Spirit who lives in us. Amen!

The Temple of God

Lesson 8: The Temple Within Us Many Scriptures! Page 24 (written while at port in Cozumel, Mexico!)

There is a Temple in which the Lord reigns today. It is not centrally located in Jerusalem – but much closer than you might think! Do you know where this Temple is located? The present Temple of the Lord is in the heart of the believer. There the Lord reigns until the day when the Messiah will return and set up His earthly kingdom and the Millennial Temple.

What does each of the following verses tell you about God’s Tabernacle or dwelling place within you?

Ephesians 2:19-22: Each believer makes up the ‘house of God’ – for each of us is His Temple. “In Him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy Temple in the Lord. And in Him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit.”

I Corinthians 3:16-17 As a believer in Christ, I am God’s Temple and His Spiritlives in me – if I destroy that Temple, God will destroy me – for His Temple is sacred.

II Corinthians 4:6-10: Within this body of clay is an unseen treasure – the glory of God in the form of the Holy Spirit. How amazing that the Mighty God of Creation has chosen His own creation of frail flesh – our own body – to dwell in, so that His mighty power might be made known inside the weakness of our own. It’s like Him placing His shekinah glory inside a clay jar, and it reflecting that glory through the clay walls, so that people don’t notice the jar, but the miraculous light within! God’s strength displayed and made perfect through human weakness!

Romans 8:9-17: We know we are His because His Spirit dwells in us – because He enables us to do what we could not do on our own – because He constantly leads us with His voice within us. The Spirit of God within us takes away the fear in us – and assures our own spirit that we belong to God.

II Corinthians 5:1-10: When you purchase something, you might put a down payment on it and will complete the contract in the near future – it is like putting earnest money down to guarantee it is yours – it cannot be sold to anyone else. We can liken this to God putting His Spirit within us – His guarantee that we are already His – but our final redemption – the completion of our salvation – will be when Christ raptures us and we are made incorruptible – like Him – and dwelling at His side in heaven! Thus we are in a win/win situation! We cannot lose! When we take our final breath in this frail human body, we will immediately be at home with Him! Compare it to the initial earthly dwelling place of God – the Tabernacle – the tent (like our body is our temporary ‘tent’ – compare that with the grand Millennial Temple that the Lord will build at the end of this earthly age. There is no comparison in splendor and beauty! So is the comparison with this earthly body – this present tent of ours – with our final body – one that has no earthly limitations – will not be sick – will not age – will not sin – will not fail – will not grow weary – will never be disappointing! Amen! Aren’t you ready?! I am!

Lesson 8: The Temple Within Us Many Scriptures! Page 25

John 14:15-21, 26: God placed His ‘Helper’ – His own Spirit – within me to teach me what I need to know to obey Him – to convict my heart of sin and bring me to repentance and back into fellowship with Him. He guides me to know truth in the midst of a world that is full of Satan’s lies. As hard as it is to realize, His power to move over the waters at creation through His Spirit to bring about a universe – is the same power He has put inside of me! I ask God to help me grasp that – to take it in – to rely on that power – trust that wisdom in all He tells me. I ask Him to create in me a holy sanctuary in me.

How can I release this power in me – to allow His full work to be done in my life? Luke 11:9-13 says, “Ask and you will receive – knock and it will be opened – seek and you will find. If you, a sinful person, can give good things to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?”

It’s easy to imagine a Temple – a visual, actual, material location. But to imagine God’s dwelling – His Temple – within me – within other believers – brings it down so personal. It’s not a physical body within mine – but God’s own Spirit – that can, and does, reside in me. How it must frustrate and hurt Him when my personal desires of flesh override the thoughts and inspiration the Spirit gives me. I don’t think we take it seriously – as if we know it as fact/belief – but it hasn’t really registered.

Since the heavenly and earthly Tabernacles relate, we can also compare these two with the tabernacle of man. As we said earlier, as God is three parts – Father, Son and Holy spirit – so He made us soul, body and spirit. The spirit part of man corresponds to the Most Holy Place in the heavenly and earthly Tabernacles, and the soul part of man to the Holy Place, and the body part to the Outer Court. As the only entrance from the Holy Place into the Most Holy Place of the Tabernacle was thru the Veil, so the only entrance from the soul part of man into the spirit part is thru the gate of the will. And it is only when the will surrenders to the Holy Spirit that God can take up His abode in the spirit part of man, as He took up His residence in the Most Holy Place of the Tabernacle on the mercy Seat, and man became a regenerated soul.

Psalm 79 speaks of how the nations defiled God’s Temple – and we have studied these times during this study – the Babylonians in 586 BC, the Greeks 170 BC, the Romans in AD 70 – and yet we do not consider that we have also done this to the Temple of His Holy Spirit. What do the following verses say about defiling His Temple?

I Corinthians 6:15-20: My body is part of Christ Himself – how can I defile it with immorality – my body is the Temple of God – He lives within me – I do not own my body, for Christ has paid the price and I belong to Him.

II Corinthians 6:14-16: I cannot join myself with an unbeliever – being unequally yoked – for I am the Temple of God, and God has said, “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be My people.”

Lesson 8: The Temple Within Us Many Scriptures! Page 26

Have we made special time to take care of our physical body, that it will remain as healthy as we can be? Do we in the same degree of care guard what defiles us spiritually, so that we remain pure in words and actions?

What we watch that goes into us through our eyes – what we hear in our constant noisy world that defiles us many times makes us almost numb to the Holy voice within us. Larry recently that it comes down to hearing and obeying one thing at a time – always open to His voice in us – always willing to follow His lead. If we could ever realize that each time it’s for our own good, our life would be so much better. We all have fallen short, but with God, we can begin today and ask Him to give us the strength to make the changes we should make.

My strongest motive for trying to keep my body pure and healthy is that God has made it His dwelling place! Yes, it will deteriorate and grow weaker every day – but with His help, I am committing to Him and myself that I will make every effort to make it a fitting dwelling for Him.

The Holy Spirit puts certain gifts in us – certain characteristics and ‘heart abilities’ that we will have what we need to do the work His purposed for us. Read I Corinthians 12:1-11 and list these gifts. Serving – as we serve others in kindness and love, we are directly serving God. Teaching, preaching – sharing God’s truth. Mercy – compassion – forgiving others as God has forgiven us so many times. Helping – those that have willing hands to get a job done. Evangelism – a passion to win the lost to Christ. Administration – the everyday organization and director/leader of workers. Discernment – to see thru deception. Encouragement – to strengthen those who are struggling or suffering by sharing the personal

experiences that god has brought you through.

This is a major work of God’s Spirit dwelling in us. What has He put in you – do you look for every opportunity He brings to use it? Let us not just be an empty Temple of God – but one that actively serves Him and reflects His glory through the Holy Spirit who lives in us.

The Temple of God

Worksheet 9: The Tribulation Temple, Part 1 Matthew 24, Ezekiel 36-37

Many people have assumed there will never be a Jewish Temple on the Jerusalem Temple Mount again – since the Dome of the Rock, a Muslim mosque, sits there now. But there will be a Jewish Temple built there, and it could very well be in your lifetime, for the Jews will be worshiping there when the Antichrist shows his true colors to all the world.

Read Matthew 24:1-31 to see what Jesus had to say about Israel and their future. What are the signs of the last days before the second coming of Christ that Jesus gave them – signs that would distinctly begin and gradually intensify like the pains of a woman’s labor? (I Thess. 5:1-3)Make a check mark beside those that are taking place today. (List these on the back.)

Read Matthew 24:32-35. In view of all this, Jesus then gave them the parable of the fig tree – which has been the symbol of Israel throughout the Bible. Do you think Jesus was referring to the generation of people He was talking to then – the disciples? Did they see all these things come to pass? Or was He telling them this prophecy, so its words would be written down and recognized by the generation that would be in the midst of these signs when they happened – who would see the beginning of the signs and live to see the end?

And what is a generation – how long is it – the average lifetime of a person today? (Read Psalm 90:10)

The fig tree of Israel began to bud again in your lifetime when it once again became a recognized nation in our society – do you know the date? Read the prophecies of Ezekiel 36-37. What will the Lord bring about to happen on behalf of Israel? Place a check beside the prophecies you know have been or are being accomplished even today?

The Temple of God

Lesson 9: The Tribulation Temple, Part 1 Matthew 24, Ezekiel 36-37 Page 27

Two weeks ago we talked about the last Temple that was in Jerusalem – the Second Temple that was then restored by King Herod, but later destroyed by Rome in AD 70 when Jerusalem was destroyed and the Temple burned and dismantled. Many people have assumed there will never be a Jewish Temple on the Temple Mount again – since the Dome of the Rock, a Muslim mosque, sits there now. But you may remember the painting I brought in here a year or so again that the Jewish artist did of the prophetic Temple sitting there on the Mount – instead of the Dome of the Rock. As I continued to gaze at that picture in his shop – and he saw I was obviously moved by it – he said, “This is what we pray for everyday.” I said, “We do too!” Jew and Christian – praying and waiting for the same thing – for the day when the Messiah will reign in Jerusalem, and the Temple He builds will be the focus point of all the earth. And we will be there! What a day! I can hardly wait!

But even before that day comes, there will be a Jewish Temple built there, and it could very well be in your lifetime, for the Jews will be worshiping there when the Antichrist shows his true colors to all the world.

Let’s begin today in Matthew 24 and take time to see what Jesus had to say about Israel and their future. As Jesus and His disciples were leaving the Temple just two days before the Passover – two days before He would be crucified – He looked around at the Temple and said, “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” He was speaking of the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple that would come about 40 years later – in AD 70 – when Rome would take the stones of the Temple apart – one by one – looking for gold and hidden treasure in the melted charred ruins of the fire they set.

But Jesus wanted them to look beyond even that coming time to a time that would be over 1900 years away – though He did not put a time on it – and they surely did not realize the time involved. They walked across the Kidron Valley just east of the Temple and Jerusalem, and they asked Him, “Tell us – when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” What are the signs of the last days before the second coming of Christ that Jesus gave them – Let’s read Matthew 24:4-31 and talk about these signs that would distinctly begin and gradually intensify like the pains of a woman’s labor? (I Thessalonians 5:1-3):

Many will come in My name, saying they are the Messiah and will deceive many. There will be wars and rumors of wars – but the end is not yet. Nation will rise against nation. There will be famines – where people are starving and without food. There will be pestilences – diseases that cannot be controlled. There will be earthquakes in many places around the earth. The Jews will be delivered up and killed – and hated by all nations for My name’s sake. Many will betray one another and hate one another. There will then be many false prophets who will deceive many, even with miracles. Lawlessness will be rampant – and the love of many will grow cold. The Gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world. The ‘abomination of desolation’ (the Antichrist) prophesied by Daniel, stands in the Holy

Place (the Temple) – defiling the Temple – declaring himself as God. Then there will be great tribulation as never before (the last 3 ½ yrs of Tribulation).Lesson 9: The Tribulation Temple, Part 1 Matthew 24, Ezekiel 36-37 Page 28

The heavens will be shaken – when the sun and moon will be darkened – the stars will fall. As fast as lightning, Jesus will return in the clouds and will be seen by all the world in His

power and great glory.

And in view of all this, Jesus then gave them the parable of the fig tree – which has been the symbol of Israel throughout the Bible (Judges 9:10; I Kings 4:25; Luke 13:7; John 1:50): “Now learn this parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors! Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.”

Do you think Jesus was referring to the generation of people He was talking to then – the disciples? Did they see all these things come to pass? Or was He telling them this prophecy, so its words would be written down and recognized by the generation that would be in the midst of these signs when they happened – who would see the beginning of the signs and live to see the end? I think it’s obvious which generation He was talking about.

And what is a generation – how long is it – the average lifetime of a person today? In ancient Israel a political generation was considered to be a period of 40 years – and if you study the judges and kings of Israel, you will see most of them served for 40 years. But let’s read Psalm 90:10, which speaks of the frailty and life of man – “The days of our lives are seventy years; and if by reason of strength they are eighty years, yet their boast is only labor and sorrow.” You say, “But many live to be 80, 90, and 100.” Yes – and many die much earlier. But if you were to take a census – and I’m sure it’s been done – it would not surprise me to find the average years of life – or a generation – is between 70 and 80 years.

Over the past 1900+ years, after many unsuccessful attempts to rebuild the Temple, and after attempts to totally annihilate the nation of Israel, it seems God has refocused on Israel again – and is setting up the prophecies of both the Old and New Testaments to restore this nation and then use this nation to bring glory to His name throughout all the nations.

The fig tree of Israel began to bud again in your lifetime when it once again became a recognized nation in our society – do you know the date? When survivors of the Holocaust headed toward Israel to reclaim their homeland – and after much battle with their surrounding neighbors, on May 15, 1948 – 60 years ago this May – the British ended their mandate of Palestine and opened the door for Jews to form an independent State of Israel. This was a monumental point in fulfilled prophecy, for the fig tree had begun to bud.

In 1967 Israel regained possession of Jerusalem, which had been controlled by the neighboring Arab countries – but General Moshe Dayan, in an attempt to find a negotiable peace with the Arabs, returned the Temple Mount to the Arabs – and again, the hope of the Temple was taken from the Jews. The only portion of the Temple Mount the Jews are allowed to partake of is the Western Wall (or Wailing Wall) – which is the extended outer wall of the Temple that Herod had built nearly 2000 years ago. The Jews still flock to that place – as well as people from all over the world – as I have done many times – and pray to God, and write their prayers on slips of paper and put them between the crevices of the mammoth stones.

Lesson 9: The Tribulation Temple, Part 1 Matthew 24, Ezekiel 36-39 Page 29

Read the prophecies of Ezekiel 36:24-38. What will the Lord bring about to happen on behalf of Israel? And which of these prophecies are being accomplished even today? He will gather them from all the places on the earth where they have been scattered. He will cleanse them of their unfaithfulness to Him and give them a new heart and spirit and

place His Spirit within them that will turn their heart toward Him again. They will again live in the land of Israel that was given to Abraham and his seed. He will multiply the harvest of the land with fruit trees and grain so that they will have a

land of plenteous food – a land that was a desolate wasteland will be like a garden. The cities will be rebuilt and inhabited by those returning to Israel. And through it all, the people of Israel, as well as the other nations, will recognize that God

has done this and that He is God.

Since the rebirth of Israel in 1948, these prophecies have begun to come true. Just as Ezekiel 37 describes the dry bones coming to life, the Jews have multiplied, having come from the death gas chambers of Hitler, they have become a strong nation, as thousands of Jews immigrate to their homeland every year. The cities Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth, Jericho, Hebron, Caesarea and Tiberias have built new office buildings, hotels, apartments, and restaurants – and everywhere you look today, there is new construction. The fields and hillsides, as far as you can see, are covered with trees of every kind – and crops of fruit of every kind, like the garden of the Lord (Isaiah 51:3). In your grocery store today you can find fruit and vegetables that have come from Israel! Their exports have increased a whopping 4,000% in the past 30 years! What you would think is a dry desert and worthless land has now been made to bloom profusely!

But not only has God blessed Israel in these resources of agriculture and worldwide acceptance as a nation, they are today beginning to see the first signs of God’s promise to build up significant wealth from a hidden source. Next week we will discover what IS being discovered even today in Israel – and see how this will provide the incentive for the war of Gog and Magog, as seen in Ezekiel 38, which prophesies about the armies that will invade Israel (led by Russia) who are seeking to capture their great wealth.

We are entering into a very intense time of prophecy – where Israel’s welfare and security will be the chief focus of all the world. Are you already beginning to see that? Well, you haven’t seen ANYthing yet! You are living in a very special time in God’s prophecy! Let’s not be ignorant of what He tells us is about to happen! As vital as the time of Moses and Solomon and Ezekiel were – they would give about anything to be living today where you are!

What does that tell you? You cannot waste the time God has given you! You cannot save the world – but He is showing you how you can make a unique difference where you are! Don’t miss out on that! We don’t have much time left to do it!

The Temple of God

Worksheet 10: The Tribulation Temple, Part 2 Ezekiel 38-39

But not only has God blessed Israel in these resources of agriculture and worldwide acceptance as a nation, they have also been promised much more valuable resources. What do these verses say regarding this ‘last days’ blessing on Israel?Genesis 49:1, 25

Deut. 33:13, 19, 24

Isaiah 45:3

Challenge: Search ‘oil in Israel’ on the Internet and see what you find!

It’s not for olive oil, or pomegranates, or fig trees that countries invade their neighbors – but when such great wealth as this reserve of oil is positively identified, that will be enough reason for Russia to lead its ally Iran and others to swarm down on Israel – in a war known as Gog and Magog. Read Ezekiel 38-39 that describes the events of this war – who defeats this great army?

And somewhere near that timeframe, Israel will build the next Temple in Jerusalem! It seems it is then that Israel truly will find their God again! In seeing with their own eyes – just as Israel saw 3500 years ago that same Almighty God Jehovah defeat the armies of Egypt – present-day Israel will not only be physically reborn – they will be spiritually reborn – for God says, “And then they will know that I AM their God.” Over and over again, 64 times in Ezekiel, God says this of Israel – as over and over again He shows them there is none like Him! And their rekindled zeal for the Lord will also rekindle their fervent desire to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem! Amen! It’s coming!

The Temple of God

Lesson 10: The Tribulation Temple – Part 2 Ezek. 38-39, Revelation Page 30

Last week we began studying about the conditions in the world that will bring about the prophecy concerning the next Temple in Jerusalem – when Israel will have gathered back to their land – when the land will be blooming as a garden, filled with all kinds of trees and agriculture – when once again the nation of Israel will play a predominant role in the temperature that sets this world’s global politics.

And yet one more aspect of this scene has recently begun to unfold – the surprising revelation of what God long ago hid as treasure on behalf of His people Israel – and the timely aspect of this discovery.

What do these verses say regarding this ‘last days’ blessing on Israel?Genesis 49:1, 25 “Jacob and his sons….in the last days…blessings of the deep that lies

beneath”Deut. 33:13, 19, 24 “Of Joseph…blessed of the LORD be his land…from the deep lying

beneath… and the hidden treasures of the sand…may he dip his foot in oil.”Isaiah 45:3 “I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden wealth of secret places,

so that you may know that it is I, the LORD, the God of Israel, who calls you by your name.”

Challenge: Search ‘oil in Israel’ on the Internet and see what you find! September 2000 – New York Times: “Gas deposits discovered off Israel and Gaza” April 2004 – Jerusalem Post: “Natural gas, oil found in Dead Sea” May 2004 – Arutz Sheva: “Israel strikes black gold” September 2005 – WorldNetDaily: “Is Israel sitting on an enormous oil reserve?”

It’s not for olive oil, or pomegranates, or fig trees that countries invade their neighbors – but when such great wealth as this reserve of oil is positively identified, that will be enough reason for the nations surrounding Israel to swarm down on Israel – in a war known as Gog and Magog – and they will expect to overwhelm the tiny land of Israel with their enormous armies and military machines.

You already know some of Israel’s enemies – it’s constantly in the news. Read Ezekiel 38-39 that lists the allies drawn together against Israel – does your Bible note identify them? Most importantly, how are these vast armies defeated?

Ancient nations: Modern nations: Magog, Rosh, Meshech, Tubal Russia and the former Soviet republicsPersia IranCush Sudan, EthiopiaPut Libya, Algeria, TunisiaGomer Turkey, possibly Germany and AustriaBeth-togarmah Turkey, Armenia, Asia MinorMountain countries bordering Israel Syria, Lebanon, northern JordanSheba, Dedan Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, and the Gulf states


Imagine the size and power of this many nations lining up to invade little Israel! It’s a replay of David and Goliath, isn’t it! But, these nations – like Goliath – fail to recognize Israel’s greatest resource: their God – Jehovah – the Almighty God! God will intervene on Israel’s behalf and will defeat the armies with His supernatural power – and Israel will be years in burying those armies and cleaning up their land from all the war machines.

People have asked if this war will take place before the Rapture of the Church – and the Bible doesn’t tell us this. But this war could bring about a great spiritual awakening – as the world views the forces of God used to defeat Israel’s enemies. And would it not be in keeping with God’s character to use this event to shake the spiritual apathy of millions around the world – giving them one more chance to accept His grace and salvation before taking the Church out of this world and then beginning the terrible events of Tribulation? If the Gospel of Jesus Christ is already being preached in all the world, imagine the influence that event would have on those hearing the Gospel.

Could it be that after Israel’s astounding victory over Russia and these allies that the scene will also be set to make a peace agreement between Israel and the surrounding nations? Is this when the Antichrist comes on the scene? It all seems to fit into place.

Ezekiel gives us a timeline for the future of Israel: Ezekiel 36-37 prophesies the regathering of Israel, the desert land becoming a fruitful

garden, the cities rebuilt to house the rapid growth in population – the rebirth of Israel as a nation.

Ezekiel 38-39 prophesies the war of Gog and Magog, where the nations surrounding Israel swarm down on them to capture their discovered wealth.

Ezekiel 40-46 prophesies the coming Temple.

Prophesies don’t give dates – but we can see we are already down to Ezekiel 38-39, waiting for the combined forces of Israel’s enemies to invade the land. And somewhere in that timeframe, Israel will begin to build the next Temple in Jerusalem! It seems it is then that Israel truly will find their God again! In seeing with their own eyes – just as Israel saw 3500 years ago that same Almighty God Jehovah defeat the armies of Egypt – present-day Israel will not only be physically reborn – they will be spiritually reborn – for God says, “And then they will know that I AM their God.” Over and over again, 64 times in Ezekiel, God says this of Israel – as over and over again He shows them there is none like Him! And their rekindled zeal for the Lord will also rekindle their fervent desire to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem! Amen! It’s closer every day!


Since the destruction of the Second Temple by the Romans in AD 70, the Jews have prayed for the Temple’s rebuilding. Today’s Orthodox Jews recite three times daily the words, “May it be Thy will that the Temple be speedily rebuilt in our own time.”

The JERUSALEM TALMUD, YOMA 1:1 says, “Each generation in which the Temple is not rebuilt is considered as if they destroyed the Temple.”

Rabbi Chaim Richman said, “The Holy Temple was not just some magnificent building or synagogue rooted in Jerusalem’s ancient biblical past; it was…a place where man could meet with his Creator…it is the living memory of that relationship as it once was, and the dream of its renewal—as promised by G-d Himself—that keeps the fires of the Temple altar burning within the collective heart of the nation of Israel, and the hearts of all those who cherish Israel’s G-d and His message for humanity.”

According to the Jewish legal expert Maimonides, a chief obstacle to rebuilding the Temple is that it cannot be built until a majority of the Jewish people live in the land of Israel (taken from Ezekiel 36:37-38; 37:15-28; Zech. 8:7-8). Until recently this objection was reasonable because only about 30% of Jews lived in Israel. But in the past 20 years, it has doubled, and today Israel has the largest Jewish population in the world – with almost the same number of Jews living in the USA.

When Dodie and I were in Jerusalem last year, we visited the Temple Institute, which was organized in 1988 to rekindle the flame of the Holy Temple – and to prepare for the reality of the next Temple being built. Since that date, over 70 Temple vessels and instruments have been made, such as the large golden menorah, or lampstand, which will stand outside the Holy of Holies, the altar of incense, the showbread table, the high priests golden crown – and many more furnishings that were once part of the Tabernacle and the first two Temples. One man has made hundreds of harps – all ready for service in the new Temple!

In 2005, just three years ago, the modern-day Sanhedrin was formed to provide leadership and guidance for rebuilding the third Temple – just as Ezra reinstituted the Great Sanhedrin when the second Temple was about to be built after the Babylonian captivity. This council dates back 3500 years – to the time when Moses was exhausting himself in trying to judge the affairs of the people on his own, and God commanded him to assemble 70 elders from all the tribes to share in this responsibility. There are many issues that are being discussed – and one of the main issues is the exact location of the new Temple.

Most people have assumed that the Dome of the Rock, the present-day Moslem mosque, is the original location of the Temple – and that the large stone bed in its center is the rock where Abraham sacrificed Isaac (although it’s said that the Arabs believe it was Ishmael, not Isaac!). But after many years of research and actual digging under these foundations, a second possibility has become predominant – in that the site just north of the Dome of the Rock, that aligns perfectly with the ancient Eastern Gate – as well as the Garden of Gethsemane – is the actual location of Solomon’s Temple. I personally believe this is the actual site – but no matter where it is, I believe God will give that wisdom and discernment to those who will begin its construction. The Sanhedrin has also made plans to quarry the necessary material off site, and then quickly assemble the stones in silence on the Temple Mount, as Solomon’s Temple was erected – all this when God provides a sign that the time has come to begin the work. So with all these preparations, the Temple could be in use within a couple years of its beginning.


From the many sources that I have read on this, I believe that the great spiritual affect of the Gog/Magog defeat by God in His supernatural way – along with the immergence of the Ark of the Covenant, hidden for over 2500 years – will mark the time for the rebuilding of this Third Temple.

We do not know if we will be alive and left on earth when this rebuilding begins – but if the same generation that saw Israel become a nation in 1948 lives to be 80 years of age – and they see the fulfillment of all the signs Jesus gave for Israel’s last days before his return – then the clock is ticking fast! Realize too, that the seven years of Tribulation that takes place after the Rapture of the Church, is also included in that timeframe!

One fact that lets us know we are very close to its beginning is that it will be in use for sacrificial offerings when the Antichrist declares himself as God in the Temple – and the False Prophet has an image of the Antichrist made that the world is forced to bow to and worship. Those who refuse will be in the multitude of martyrs we see standing before the throne in heaven in Revelation 6:9-11. We will not take time to study about the Antichrist in depth today – but we will look at those verses that involve his rebellion against God and his sacrilege in the Temple.

II Thessalonians 2:1-4 “….for that Day (of the Lord’s second coming) will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin (the Antichrist) is revealed….who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the Temple of God, showing himself that he is God.”

Daniel 9:27 “Then he (the Antichrist) shall confirm a covenant with many for one week (7 years); but in the middle of the week (3 ½ yrs into the Tribulation) he shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering.”

Daniel 11:36-37 “And then the king (Antichrist) shall do according to his own will: he shall exalt and magnify himself above every god, shall speak blasphemies against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the wrath has been accomplished; for what has been determined shall be done.”

Revelation 13:8, 11-15 “All who dwell on the earth will worship him (the Antichrist), whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world (those who have not accepted Jesus as Lord)…..And another beast (the false prophet)...caused the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast (the Antichrist)…and as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed….and that they would receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads.”

So we know from this that the Temple will be built and in use during the Tribulation before the Antichrist reverses the peace covenant with Israel and takes over the Temple. But after 3 ½ more years of his reign on earth, this evil kingdom of the Antichrist will be destroyed by the word of Jesus and His glory when He returns to earth and comes down on the Mount of Olives across from the Jerusalem and the Temple. Read Revelation 19:11-21! It will be an awesome day – and we will be right there with the Lord and see it all with our own eyes!

And as Romans 12:1-2 says, “I beseech you therefore…that you present your bodies a living sacrifice!” Our time for service is short – the days we have to be a sacrifice on behalf of our Lord is coming to an end – make it your priority from every day here on out! Amen and Amen!

The Temple of God

Worksheet 11: The Millennial Temple Ezekiel 40-48(written while in the Gulf of Mexico, southwest of Miami!)

As we discussed last week, the Bible tells us that at the end of the seven years of Tribulation, King Jesus will return to the earth with those who are in heaven, the believers of the Church who were previously raptured and taken out of this world before the Tribulation, as well as those who have been martyred for their belief in Christ during the Tribulation.

Read Zechariah 14:12-15 and describe in your words what will happen on that Day of the Lord.

Psalm 96:10-13 speaks of this time – what does it say the Lord will do?

One of the most wonderful aspects of the Millennium Temple era is that not only will exterior things be changed, but the inside – Read Ezekiel 35:26-27 – what will the Lord do ‘on the inside’?

The Temple of the Millennium is described in great detail in Ezekiel 40-46 – it’s a lengthy Scripture – but it gives you a very broad idea of what will take place. If you have time, read these chapters and make notes as you go of some of the changes to take place – and the details of the Temple. (do this on the back!) Note especially Ezek 41, 43, 47.

The Millennium Age of Christ as King is the Sabbath of the Lord! “One day is as a thousand years to the Lord…. (II Peter 3:8).” For six days, or six thousand years, God wrote the history of mankind – four thousand years from Adam to the birth of Jesus, then two thousand years from then to now (the ‘last days’). We have our days and years figured out in our way of calculating, but the Jewish calendar is different. We will leave it to God to work out the days and weeks and years – but we can be sure – He is always exactly on time! But the ‘week’ has to end on the seventh day – the Sabbath – the 1000-year day of rest and earthly kingdom of Jesus Christ.

The Temple of God

Lesson 11: The Millennial Temple Ezekiel 40-48 Page 34 (written while in the Gulf of Mexico, southwest of Miami!)

As we discussed last week, the Bible tells us that at the end of the seven years of Tribulation, Jesus will return the second time to earth with those who are in heaven, the believers of the Church who were previously raptured and taken out of this world before the Tribulation, as well as those who have been martyred for their belief in Christ during the Tribulation. At that time, the nations will have gathered to war against Jerusalem at the Valley of Armageddon all the way down to Jerusalem in the Valley of Jehoshaphat, also known as the Kidron Valley that is just to the east of Jerusalem.

Read Zechariah 14:12-15 and describe what will happen on that Day of the Lord. “Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations, as He fights in the day of battle. And in that day His feet wills stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the East. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, from east to west, making a very large valley…..thus the Lord my God will come, and all the saints with You ...where those surrounding Jerusalem in battle will die – their flesh shall dissolve while they stand on their feet, their eyes shall dissolve in their sockets, and their tongues shall dissolve in their mouths (Zech 14:12-15).”

The climax of this war will initiate the beginning of the 1000-year reign of King Jesus, also known as the Millennium Kingdom, when Jerusalem will not only be the capitol of Israel, but of the whole world! Are you starting to understand why I’m so drawn to Jerusalem?! It’s not only the past of where Jesus lived, but the future that will happen there – and we will be right in the middle of it!

Read Psalm 96:10-13 that speaks of this time – what does it say the Lord will do? He will judge the world with righteousness. All of our life we have seen lies and corruption fill our governments – we have seen people use the system for their personal gain. But Jesus will judge and rule in truth! Read Ezekiel 35:26-27 – Jesus will not only change the exterior things – but what will He do ‘on the inside’? He will change the very heart of man – to put a new spirit there, replacing the heart of stone that keeps mankind from hearing and following the Words of God. We know that exterior circumstances don’t change people – you can take a drunk and put him in the Hyatt Hotel with the best of rooms and the best of food – yet he will still get drunk. So not only will the Lord change the outside things in the Millennium, the most important thing He will do is change the inside of man. Just imagine what that will be like! When people’s hearts are open to hear and obey the Lord – and have a heart for kindness and generosity and mercy! The people, as well as the earth, will live as they once were intended to live – in the bounty and completeness of God’s creation – without the curse of thorns and pollution – without the curse of sin and all the distortion it has brought into our lives. The desert will bloom like a rose. There will be no war – no need for peace treaties. And in the midst of it all, the Lord will build a Temple where His throne will be established and He will judge the people and be worshiped by all the people of the earth.

The Temple of the Millennium that Ezekiel described (Ezek. 40-46) in great detail is the final Temple to be constructed. The land changes in the area around Jerusalem due to the massive earthquake that happens when Jesus’ feet come down on the Mount of Olives, splitting it from East to West, and forcing the mountain where Jerusalem sits higher than those around it, make its exact location impossible to determine, but it is needless to say that this Temple in its glory will be located somewhere in the proximity of present-day Jerusalem.

Lesson 11: The Millennial Temple Ezekiel 40-48 Page 35

What will the Temple be like? As we talk about this, please tell us the notes you wrote on it. Chapters 40-42 describe the actual Temple – a three-story sanctuary, surrounded by an

inner court, and then an outer court, and around it all will be a 9’ wall with East, South and North Gates into the Temple area. It will sit in the midst of a holy area of land approximately 6 miles east to west and about 3 miles north to south, with the Temple Mount area in the center about a mile square.

The interior floor the Temple is decorated with wood, as well as the walls, which are carved with cherubim and palm trees. (41:13-26)

From the center of the Throne in this Temple will flow actual living water, symbolic of the beautiful picture of God as the Source of life for a world that thirsts for spiritual truth. o But there will be a literal living water that flows from the Millennium Temple Throne

that will flow west in one direction (toward the Mediterranean Sea) and will flow east in the other direction (toward the Dead Sea), where its waters will make that sea alive again and it will be full of the same kinds of fish as the Mediterranean! (Ezek 47:1-12)

Ezekiel saw in his vision the glory of God returning through the East Gate to dwell once again in His nation (43:1-12). God said the new Temple is to be the place of His throne – the place where He will live among the Israelites forever (43:6-9). As the glory of God filled the Tabernacle after its construction at the beginning of Israel’s history (Exod 40:34-38), and as it filled the Temple following its construction by Solomon (I Kings 8:10-11), so Ezekiel was assured in a vision that once again God’s glory will reside with Israel. His glory was manifested as a bright light that signified His Presence. It is called the shekinah glory – coming from the Hebrew word sakan, which means to rest or to abide. The shepherds of Bethlehem also experienced the glory of God at the announcement of Jesus’ birth (Luke 2:8-10).

1. This Temple will be the throne house of God (Ezekiel 43:7). As a part of the restoration, God promised He would again be the Shepherd of Israel and would dwell with them in a unique way (Ezek 34:30).

2. This Temple will be a reconfirming sign of God’s election of Israel and selection of Jerusalem, where His name would be enshrined forever. (Ezekiel 43:7).

3. This Temple will be a visible sign of God’s holiness (Ezekiel 43:7). Isaiah (2:2-3) speaks of the coming Millennial Temple, “The mountain of the house of the Lord will be established as the chief of the mountains…and all the nations will stream to it…many peoples will come and say, “Come let us go up to the mountain of the Lord (the Temple Mount), to the house of the god of Jacob (the Temple); that He may teach us concerning His ways, and that we may walk in His paths.” For the law will go forth from Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”

4. This Temple will be a visible witness of God’s redemptive love. He promised He would gather Israel from among the nations and return them to their land – and the reconstructed Temple during this Millennial age of peace and the reign of Jesus Christ will be a confirmation to this promise and witness to its fulfillment (Ezekiel 43:10-12, Amos 9:11-15)

Lesson 11: The Millennial Temple Ezekiel 40-48 Page 36

5. This Temple will be a physical sign of the new covenant (Ezekiel 43:11-12). All the significant covenants of the Old Testament had a visible sign of their confirmation and everlasting nature. a. Adam’s covenant was sealed by the sign of the seed of the woman (Gen 3:15)b. Noah’s covenant was sealed by the rainbow (Gen 9:11-13)c. Abraham’s covenant was sealed by the sign of circumcision (Gen 17:1-14)d. Moses’ covenant was sealed by the observance of the Sabbath and the Tabernacle

and its laws (Exod 24:1-18; 25:8-10)e. David’s covenant promise of a permanent dynasty for his descendants was sealed by the

Temple his son Solomon built for God’s glory (II Sam 7:13-14)f. Ezekiel and others envisioned a covenant of peace, whose spiritual sign would be the

outpouring of the Holy Spirit (36:26-28). The Temple, the vision of which unfolded in chapters 40-42, would be the physical confirmation of that covenant and of the future restoration (Ps 48:1-14). It will stand as a witness to the immutability of God’s covenant of peace with Israel and with all humanity (43:11-12)

Not only will the Temple area be considerably larger, but the perimeter around the city of Jerusalem will be about five miles, whereas today it is about 2 ½ miles. There will be 12 gates into the city, three on each side, and they will be named for the 12 tribes – as will the New Jerusalem we will talk about next week. Ezekiel 48:35 says, “…the name of the city from that day shall be ‘THE LORD IS THERE.’”

The Millennium Age of Christ as King is the Sabbath of the Lord! “One day is as a thousand years to the Lord…. (II Peter 3:8).” For six days, or six thousand years, God wrote the history of mankind – four thousand years from Adam to the birth of Jesus, then two thousand years from then to now (the ‘last days’). We have our days and years figured out in our way of calculating, but the Jewish calendar is different. We will leave it to God to work out the days and weeks and years – but we can be sure – He is always exactly on time! But the ‘week’ has to end on the seventh day – the Sabbath – the 1000-year day of rest and earthly kingdom of Jesus Christ.

It may be a small thing to you – but to me it’s reaffirming when He puts these thoughts into my mind, and then shows me in another way. Immediately after writing the above thought, I walked out on our private porch on the ship, leaned against the rail, and saw seven little white birds flying – the size of doves – the seventh was flying a little behind the others, then flew up to fly with the rest! Out in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico – many, many miles from any shore – and here are these little seven white birds, right beside my porch! God is good!

The Temple of God

Worksheet 12: The Eternal Temple Revelation 21-22

In the past ten weeks, we have taken a good look at the past and future Temples of God – can you name these seven Temples?!

According to the Scriptures and the lessons we have studied, what is ahead for people of this world?

It is the last time period – eternity itself – that we will discuss today, and with which we will end our study of the Temples. Let’s begin by reading John 14:1-3, then Revelation 21:1-2. What is Jesus NOW preparing for us – and will that ever be on this earth?

Read verses 3-8. What will be the conditions of life at that time?

Read verses 9-21. What will New Jerusalem be like?

Worksheet 12: The Eternal Temple Revelation 21-22

Read verses 22-27. Describe the Temple that we shall come to worship in there.

Read Revelation 22:20-21. All these things are coming – they are in our future. Maybe you are concerned – even worried – about the future. You needn’t be! Everything that is happening in our world today is setting the scene for this final time. Isaiah 26:3 says that God will keep you in perfect peace we your mind is focused on Him. Our trust – day by day – is in God. He holds us today – and will hold us for every day ahead.

During the ministry of Christ, many wanted to draw near to Him. In I Corinthians 15:6, how many? By what name were they called?

In Luke 10:1-2, how many? How were they described about the depth of their intimacy? They were chosen to go ahead of

In Matthew 26:17-30, who were sitting at the table with Jesus? how many?

In Matthew 17:1-8, Mark 5:22-43; 14:32-52, what is the number given who shared the closest fellowship with Christ? Who were they?

Through all these lessons on God’s earthly Temples, we have discussed the same principle aspects of how God fellowships with us – drawing us closer to Him. Could it be that you stand in the outer court and do not draw into that Holy Place of dwelling with your God? How deep you will allow God to draw you into His dwelling place is a choice only can make.

How did God speak to you today?

What was your response to Him?

Describe what it would mean for you to dwell in the Holy of Holies with your Lord and Savior. Write a prayer to Him that speaks your heart about this.

The Temple of God

Lesson 12: The Eternal Temple Revelation 21-22 Page 38

In the past ten weeks, we have taken a good look at the past and future Temples of God – can you name these seven Temples?! The Tabernacle (which Moses received plans for from God and built in the wilderness) The first Temple (which David received plan for from God and Solomon built in Jerusalem) The second Temple (which Zerubbabel built in Jerusalem after the captives returned from

Babylon) The enlargement and refurbishing of the second Temple (which Herod had done) The Temple within us, where the Holy Spirit of God dwells in each believer today The Tribulation Temple (which is built before or during the Tribulation years, that will be

overtaken by the Antichrist and where he will proclaim himself as God) The Millennium Temple (which King Jesus will build and from which he will rule over the

whole earth)

According to the Scriptures and the lessons we have studied, what is ahead for people of this world? Rapture of the Church, the believers who have trusted in Jesus Christ, taken up into heaven The Battle of Gog/Magog (could be before or after the Rapture), when Russia and its allies

will swarm down on Israel and be defeated by God’s power The building of the Tribulation Temple (could be before or after Rapture) The seven years of Tribulation, when Israel will first live in peace, but then will be

persecuted by the Antichrist – and the whole world will live under the worst conditions imaginable

The coming of Jesus Christ with those who have put their trust in Him, when He will end the Tribulation with His Word – His very voice and power

The Millennium Kingdom, when King Jesus will rule over all the earth The Great White Judgment, when all the dead will be raised (those who were not believers

and raised earlier) and they will be judged according to their works – but if their name is not written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, they will be cast into hell

The New Heaven and New Earth, which will be eternal – when God will dwell with us forever

It is that last time period – eternity itself – that we will discuss today, and with which we will end our study of the Temples. Let’s begin by reading John 14:1-3, then Revelation 21:1-2. What is Jesus NOW preparing for us – and will that ever be on this earth?

When people say that heaven is a ‘state of mind’ – not a real ‘place’ – they have not read John 14! Jesus is preparing even now a specific, literal place for us – one that He has spent 2,000 years preparing! Can you imagine that! When He created this earth in seven days! When we die, or are raptured from this earth, we will go to that place in heaven – and those who have already died are there now – and you’d have an impossible time to try and get them to come back! It must be beyond our imagination! This heavenly Jerusalem will be brought down to earth when the 1000 years of the Millennial Age is completed and God’s judgment has been completed – and He refashions a new heaven and new earth. Isaiah 65:17 says, “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former (heaven/earth) shall not be remembered or come to mind.”


Read verses 3-8. What will be the conditions of life at that time? God will wipe away every tear There will be no more pain, or sickness or death There will be no more sorrow or crying The world as we now it today will be past and a new life will have begun

The first two chapters of the Bible, Genesis 1 and 2 – and the last two chapters of the Bible, Revelation 21 and 22 – are very similar, in that there is no sin, no distortion at all from God’s original plan for fellowship with mankind. In Genesis 3, Satan approached Eve – and the world was never the same again. Even in Revelation 20, when Jesus is King of all the earth, not all sin has been removed, for a rebellion takes place at the end of the 1000 years, but is quickly ended. Before Genesis was eternity past – after Revelation is eternity future! We were not in eternity past, except in God’s mind and heart. But we will be in eternity future – forever to be with the Lord! Amen!

Read verses 9-21. What will New Jerusalem be like? (a furlong is little more than a mile, and a cubit is 1 ½ feet). The glory of God will shine throughout the city, like a most precious stone It will have walls over 200’ high, with 12 gates of pearl named for the 12 tribes of Israel It has 12 foundations (or levels), and the floor/base of each is of 12 beautiful gems – each

foundation will be about 1400 miles wide and long! That means 12 layers, each separated by about 100 miles, about the size of half the United States! You think there will be room enough for all of us to have a beautiful mansion? Jesus said He was preparing a place – and within it were MANY mansions!

It has streets made of gold, clear as glass!

A story is told is a man who entered at St. Peter’s gate in heaven, carrying all the gold he had accumulated on earth (which we know is not possible!) – and when St. Peter saw it, he said, “Oh, you can dump that in the garbage can over there – we use that for paving!”

Read verses 22-27. Describe the Temple that we shall come to worship in there. There will be no Temple as we know it today. God our Father and Jesus Christ, His Son, will be the Temple! We will worship them as

they dwell with us forever! This Temple will be the greatest of all and it will be the focus of the eternal kingdom!

There will be no need of sun – for the light and glory of God will illuminate it all – constantly – therefore, there will be no night!

Read Revelation 22:20-21. All these things are coming – they are in our future. Maybe you are concerned – even worried – about the future. You needn’t be! Everything that is happening in our world today is setting the scene for this final time. Isaiah 26:3 says that God will keep you in perfect peace we your mind is focused on Him. Our trust – day by day – is in God. He holds us today – and will hold us for every day ahead.


Through all these lessons on God’s earthly Temples, we have discussed the same principle aspects of how God fellowships with us – drawing us closer to Him. Could it be that you stand in the outer court and do not draw into that Holy Place of dwelling with your God? How deep you will allow God to draw you into His dwelling place is a choice only can make.

During the ministry of Christ, many wanted to draw near to Him. In I Corinthians 15:6, how many? By what name were they called? 500/brethren (one family)

In Luke 10:1-2, how many? 70 How were they described about the depth of their intimacy? They were chosen to go ahead of Him and be co-laborers in His field.

In Matthew 26:17-30, who were sitting at the table with Jesus? His discples – how many? 12 – those who ate with Him, talked with Him, followed Him – fellowshipped with Him.

In Matthew 17:1-8, Mark 5:22-43; 14:32-52, what is the number given who shared the closest fellowship with Christ? 3 Who were they? Peter, James and John – who were invited to witness the transfiguration of Christ – who were asked to pray with Him at the Mount of Olives before He was arrested.

How did God speak to you today?

What was your response to Him?

Describe what it would mean for you to dwell in the Holy of Holies with your Lord and Savior. Write a prayer to Him that speaks your heart about this.

We are all so blessed! Not just in our everyday blessings of how God has provided for us and our families – but in that we are living in the day of prophecy! We are seeing it opened up and fulfilled daily in the events happening around the world!

Revelation 22:20 says, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus!” We can say a hearty AMEN to that!

References:

1. Believer’s Study Bible , Edited by W. A. Criswell2. New Inductive Study Bible , Edited by Kay Arthur3. A Woman’s Heart – God’s Dwelling Place , by Beth Moore4. Exodus: Birth of a Nation , by Bob Deffinbaugh (online, Bible.org)5. Peake’s Commentary of the Bible , 1962, R.B.Y. Scott6. The Book of Revelation (online) by Clarence Larkin7. Charts from the Book of Dispensational Truth , by Rev. Clarence Larkin8. Biblia.com/jesusbible/exodus5b 9. The New Temple and the Second Coming , by Grant R. Jeffrey10. The Coming Last Days Temple , by Randall Price11. The Devotional Bible , General Editor, Max Lucado12. Epicenter , by Joel C. Rosenberg

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