"FROM TABERNACLE TO TEMPLE"

November 15, 1998 pm
MF Blume


Exod 28:4  And these [are] the garments which they shall make; a breastplate, and an ephod, and a robe, and a broidered coat, a mitre, and a girdle: and they shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, and his sons, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office.

Exod 28:15-24  And thou shalt make the breastplate of judgment with cunning work; after the work of the ephod thou shalt make it; [of] gold, [of] blue, and [of] purple, and [of] scarlet, and [of] fine twined linen, shalt thou make it. Foursquare it shall be [being] doubled; a span [shall be] the length thereof, and a span [shall be] the breadth thereof. And thou shalt set in it settings of stones, [even] four rows of stones: [the first] row [shall be] a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle: [this shall be] the first row. And the second row [shall be] an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond. And the third row a ligure, an agate, and an amethyst. And the fourth row a beryl, and an onyx, and a jasper: they shall be set in gold in their inclosings. And the stones shall be with the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names, [like] the engravings of a signet; every one with his name shall they be according to the twelve tribes. And thou shalt make upon the breastplate chains at the ends [of] wreathen work [of] pure gold. And thou shalt make upon the breastplate two rings of gold, and shalt put the two rings on the two ends of the breastplate. And thou shalt put the two wreathen [chains] of gold in the two rings [which are] on the ends of the breastplate.

Exod 28:28-29  And they shall bind the breastplate by the rings thereof unto the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, that [it] may be above the curious girdle of the ephod, and that the breastplate be not loosed from the ephod. And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart, when he goeth in unto the holy [place], for a memorial before the LORD continually.


Aaron was the first High Priest of Israel.

He represented the real High priest who was yet to come.... Jesus Christ.
Hebr 2:17  Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto [his] brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things [pertaining] to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.

Hebr 3:1  Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;


And we read that we are upon his heart also.

Hebr 4:15  For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as [we are, yet] without sin.
He is touched by the feelings of our infirmities. Now the breastplate that he wore upon his heart was made of gold, blue purple, white linen and precious stones. The Most holy place was ten cubits by ten cubits by ten cubits
Reve 21:16  And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.
It is wonderful to see that the breastplate made of gold and precious stones, reminds us so much of the new Jerusalem... a city that is foursquare with street of gold and precious stones. John said in his first epistle that God has given us writings of the Bible so that we do not sin.
1Joh 2:1-2  My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for [the sins of] the whole world.
We are not supposed to sin, but if we do sin, if we confess those sins we are alright. He will save us to the uttermost seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for us.

It is a picture of bearing us on His heart before the Father during our weaknesses, interceding for us, with the GOAL of what is represented on His heart.

That is the goal of the High Priest. He will bear us on His heart as many times as He needs to in intercession, in prayer on our behalves, sunlit we are perfected and matured and are the New Jerusalem.

We are weak, but we are growing!

When the Bible calls us the temple of the Holy Ghost, the actual Greek word for temple here, NAHOS, actually means MOST HOLY PLACE.

The Bible says the High Priest sprinkled the mercyseat with blood, but we read that Jesus sprinkles our consciences with the blood of sprinkling. We are being purged and growing stronger. The temple was not merely covered in crude badger's skins.
 
1Kin 6:22  And the whole house he overlaid with gold, until he had finished all the house: also the whole altar that [was] by the oracle he overlaid with gold.
What a difference! The temple was not mobile, but it was where God wanted the people to live and be at home in. So down here in this world we are not fully united to Him. We are the wife and are going to a wedding.

We are being changed from Tabernacle to Temple.

The High Priest has a goal. The temple had many things that make one think of the Garden of Eden.
2Chr 4:2  Also he made a molten sea of ten cubits from brim to brim, round in compass, and five cubits the height thereof; and a line of thirty cubits did compass it round about.
A molten sea holding much water.
2Chr 4:5  And the thickness of it [was] an handbreadth, and the brim of it like the work of the brim of a cup, with flowers of lilies; [and] it received and held three thousand baths.
It looked like a giant water lily.
1Kin 6:29  And he carved all the walls of the house round about with carved figures of cherubims and palm trees and open flowers, within and without.
Cherubims were all over the walls. There were doors in the temple.
 
1Kin 6:32  The two doors also [were of] olive tree; and he carved upon them carvings of cherubims and palm trees and open flowers, and overlaid [them] with gold, and spread gold upon the cherubims, and upon the palm trees.

1Kin 6:34-35  And the two doors [were of] fir tree: the two leaves of the one door [were] folding, and the two leaves of the other door [were] folding. And he carved [thereon] cherubims and palm trees and open flowers: and covered [them] with gold fitted upon the carved work.

There were two giant pillars of solid brass and 400 pomegranates on the top of each of them.

The ark was placed inside the Holiest of holies and notice this:
 

1Kin 8:9  [There was] nothing in the ark save the two tables of stone, which Moses put there at Horeb, when the LORD made [a covenant] with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt.
Now formerly the ark held three things.


But it is the WORD THAT WILL LAST FOREVER.

Everything in the tabernacle was in the temple, but the tabernacle, for example, had one candlestick, whereas the temple had ten candlesticks. The Temple represents the Church finally at home.
2Cor 5:2-4  For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. For we that are in [this] tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.
It is then that we will be united with the Lord and one again.
Deut 32:30  How should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, except their Rock had sold them, and the LORD had shut them up?
This verse shows us that one alone will only put a thousand to flight.


We will be united with Jesus and all will be ten times the amount of what we have now.

We are not stationary yet. They carried the ark with rods or staves.
1Kin 8:7-8  For the cherubims spread forth [their] two wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubims covered the ark and the staves thereof above. And they drew out the staves, that the ends of the staves were seen out in the holy [place] before the oracle, and they were not seen without: and there they are unto this day.
No more travels.


In the grounds of the territory by the Garden were all the materials we read are built in the New Jerusalem.

Gene 2:11-12  The name of the first [is] Pison: that [is] it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where [there is] gold; And the gold of that land [is] good: there [is] bdellium and the onyx stone.
Gold, precious stones and bdellium, or pearl.
Reve 21:18-19  And the building of the wall of it was [of] jasper: and the city [was] pure gold, like unto clear glass. And the foundations of the wall of the city [were] garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation [was] jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald;

Reve 21:21  And the twelve gates [were] twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city [was] pure gold, as it were transparent glass.


We may not be perfect yet and matured totally, but Christ is still in us in the holiest of holies.


But we are being changed.

We are being made more like Him.

Ephe 4:8  Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.

Ephe 4:11-15  And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we [henceforth] be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, [and] cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, [even] Christ:

We are growing to the full stature of Jesus Christ. When John was in the spirit on the Lord's day, he heard a voice behind him, and he turned to see the voice and saw a candlestick. Since Jesus was ONE with the Churches, and the people of God, John fell dead. This same pattern is seen in 2 Cor 3.
2Cor 3:15-18  But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart. Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away. Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord [is], there [is] liberty. But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, [even] as by the Spirit of the Lord.


John was at the WORD, the table of shewbread, if he had to turn around and see the candlesticks.

The Bible says when we TURN our hearts to the Lord, a veil is removed and we see a revelation. We see that we died with Him. This is how we are growing.
SERMONS