THE TEMPLE
OF REVELATION
THE CHURCH
PART 3
MF Blume
Hebrews 12:28
Wherefore
we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby
we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:
THE NEW TEMPLE
God told Haggai that He would
fill the temple with glory when the desire of all nations is come. That
desire is Jesus.
Haggai 2:7 And I will shake all
nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house
with glory, saith the LORD of hosts.
Haggai 2:9 The glory of this latter
house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in
this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts.
We must recall that the temple
that Zerubbabel and Joshua built in Jerusalem in the days of Haggai's prophecy
was not at all glorious.
Haggai 2:3 Who is left among
you that saw this house in her first glory? and how do ye see it now? is
it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing?
Ezra 3:12 But many of the priests
and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen
the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their
eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy:
The people who remembered the
glory of Solomon's house wept when they saw this new temple. Solomon's temple
was much more glorious. Yet Haggai said the glory of the latter house shall
be greater than the former house. Seeing this temple in Haggai's day was
simply less wonderful than Solomon's temple, we must realize Haggai prophesied
about the CHURCH which was foreshadowed by the temple. The Church is far
more glorious than Solomon's temple.
Solomon's' temple had the ark.
And this temple has the ark, Jesus Christ.
Then we read that a Shaking
will occur as we read about the rebuilding of the Temple in Haggai.
Haggai 2:22 Speak to Zerubbabel,
governor of Judah, saying, I will shake the heavens and the earth; And I
will overthrow the throne of kingdoms, and I will destroy the strength of
the kingdoms of the heathen; and I will overthrow the chariots, and those
that ride in them; and the horses and their riders shall come down, every
one by the sword of his brother.
This is what the twenty-four elders
heard God cry. The kingdoms of the world are become the Kingdom of God and
Christ. And it occurs after heaven and earth are shaken. The kingdoms become
God's Kingdoms and the temple is seen opened with the ark.
Truly, at the time of the shaking
of heaven and earth, the church remains, and this temple of the church is
shown to be filled with God's glory.
Solomon's temple was completed
and filled with glory. On the day of Pentecost, the 120 were filled with
the Spirit. The church, God's temple, was filled with glory. Solomon's'
temple was completed as 120 priests sounded with trumpets, and the glory
filled the temple.
2 Chronicles 5:12-14 Also the Levites which
were the singers, all of them of Asaph, of Heman, of Jeduthun, with their
sons and their brethren, being arrayed in white linen, having cymbals and
psalteries and harps, stood at the east end of the altar, and with them an
hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets:) It came even to pass,
as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard
in praising and thanking the LORD; and when they lifted up their voice with
the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of musick, and praised the LORD,
saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: that then the house
was filled with a cloud, even the house of the LORD; So that the priests
could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the
LORD had filled the house of God.
We do not read of the Revelation
Temple being opened before this point in Revelation 11, nor do we read of the Ark.
Recall in History that Solomon
took the Ark from the tabernacle of David on Zion, and put it in its place
in the temple.
1 Kings 8:1 Then Solomon assembled
the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the chief of the fathers
of the children of Israel, unto king Solomon in Jerusalem, that they might
bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of the city of David, which
is Zion.
2 Chronicles 5:7 And the priests brought
in the ark of the covenant of the LORD unto his place, to the oracle of the
house, into the most holy place, even under the wings of the cherubims:
The thunder and lightning and
earthquake occurred when God's voice shook Sinai, as commented upon by the
writer of Hebrews 12. And it was in Hebrews 12 and Haggai 2 that we read God will shake
heaven and earth in the days of the Church of Zion.
When the temple is opened, we
see the woman in Revelation 12.
Revelation 11:19 - 12:1 And the temple of God
was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament:
and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake,
and great hail. And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed
with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve
stars:
These thoughts are separated in
our modern Bibles by a chapter title, but this was not so in the original
texts. This woman is the Bride -- the Church.
Throughout Revelation 12, she
is mentioned, and then we read of the Beast in Revelation 13. Revelation
14 speaks of the 144 thousands on Zion again, while Babylon falls!
While Zechariah prophesied about
the second temple being built by Joshua and Zerubbabel, we must understand
this is a prophecy of the CHURCH, the true temple. Zechariah prophesied
that Babylon would also have a house built in Shinar.
Zechariah 5:11 And he said unto me,
To build it an house in the land of Shinar: and it shall be established,
and set there upon her own base.
It would not be built on the Rock
of God, but on her own base. Self-righteousness. A woman sat in an ephah
container called "wickedness". Jerusalem was formerly God's birde, according to Ezekiel 16, and in that same chapter she is called a harlot time and time again. She even has daughters, just as Rev. 17 speaks of the harlot and her daughters. Jerusalem rejected Jesus Christ.
Zechariah 5:7-8 And, behold, there
was lifted up a talent of lead: and this is a woman that sitteth in the midst
of the ephah. And he said, This is wickedness. And he cast it into the midst
of the ephah; and he cast the weight of lead upon the mouth thereof.
This is Israel,
a woman who filled up her iniquity and was called Wickedness when she rejected
Jesus and crucified Him. Israel was scattered and in effect bound in Babylon's
confusion for a long time. This is represented by the Ephah sitting in Shinar.
As Israel was bound in Babylon for a long time beforehand, she would be bound
there again in final judgment.
The whore of Revelation 17 can also be a representation in pattern of all humanity who likewise reject Christ, and is all
Babylon to be judged and to fall. Primarily, though, it concerns Jerusalem and her rejection of Christ. Babylon falls while the Church of Zion stands forever.
Babylon was built on sand, but
Zion is a Rock upon which the Temple of the Church stands. The whore is
Jerusalem who rejected Christ and built her houses on sand. We must not ignore
the references to the house on the rock and the house on sand when considering
the 144 thousands and the reference to Babylon in Revelation. The parallel
is too obvious for these to not be connected and speaking about the same
message.
If the house on sand is Babylon,
and the house on the Rock is the Temple of the Church, then Babylon is Jerusalem who did not accept Jesus' words.
Matthew 7:26 And every one that heareth
these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish
man, which built his house upon the sand:
Shinar is a desert where Babylon
was built literally on sand, depicting the house of fools who reject Christ.
Revelation has the multitude
who praised God with palms in Revelation 7:9. So we see the 144 thousands
and a multitude praising God in Revelation 7, and in Revelation 14 and 15.
Revelation 15:2-3 And I saw as it were
a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over
the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his
name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. And they sing the
song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great
and marvelous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways,
thou King of saints.
They got victory over the mark
of the beast. They stand on the sea of glass and fire. In Revelation 7
they stood before the throne. This region before the throne was a sea of
glass.
Revelation 4:6 And before the throne
there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne,
and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.
So the multitude of Revelation
7 and Revelation 15 are the same group.
REVELATION 15
The temple is opened in heaven,
and seven angels walk out with seven vials of plagues, wearing white robes
and golden girdles. One of the cherubims gives the vials to the angels.
The temple is filled with smoke from God's glory and power.
God's glory filled the temple
of Solomon when it was completed and fully built.
These seven vials parallel the
seven days of Genesis 1 and seem to cancel out the creation in of Genesis
1 in judgment due to rejection of God.
Day one - LIGHT and DARK
Vial One - a noisome sore falls upon those with the mark.
It separates those with the mark from those without the mark, as light
is separated from darkness
Day Two - waters separated
Vial Two - sea becomes blood
Day Three - dry land appears
and fresh water
Vial Three - fountains of waters become blood, making people drink blood.
Day Four - Stars, sun and moon
appear
Vial Four - sun scorches men with heat
Day Five - sea creatures and
fowl created.
Vial Five - The Beast's Kingdom is filled with darkness
Day Six - man and land creatures
created
Vial Six - Euphrates dries up and unclean spirits like frogs come from the
beasts mouth to gather men to Armageddon.
At this point we see a notable
warning:
Revelation 16:15 Behold, I come as a
thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk
naked, and they see his shame.
SEVENTH VIAL
Revelation 16:17-21 And the seventh angel
poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the
temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. And there were voices,
and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was
not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.
And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations
fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her
the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. And every island fled
away, and the mountains were not found. And there fell upon men a great hail
out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed
God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding
great.
God cries, "it is done." Rest.
The Lord rested on the seventh day of Genesis. The world is shaken in an
earthquake, and God remembers Babylon. Babylon would fall.
Revelation 18:21 shows how Babylon
is to be thrown down and fallen.
Revelation 18:21 And a mighty angel took
up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus
with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found
no more at all.
When Jesus was rejected of Jerusalem in Matthew 21, he spoke to the disciples about a fig tree that bore no fruit for Him to take. This tree represented Jerusalem. She had all the pomp and temple ceremony of religious activity, -- all the "leaves". But the "tree" did not bear any fruit of praise. And he told them, after they saw the tree died, that they could speak to this mountain and command it to be cast into the sea, and it would do so. This was an allusion to the destruction of Jerusalem, as we read here in Revelation as well.
After all this is done, and Satan
is bound in the pit, we read of the Bride coming to Christ and Jerusalem
descends, forming the union between the spiritual and the physical.
The Revelation of Jesus Christ
in all His glory is seen in this book of Revelation. This is witness of
His true glory considering the rejection of Jerusalem when men would not
praise Him as King in the Temple. This revelation is given to all who serve
Him (Rev. 1:1). The multitude in Revelation 7 serve Him day and night in
His temple, after the former temple in Israel was destroyed.
All of this truth surrounds
the grace of God in the New Covenant age of the Temple of Christ. Babylon
is Jerusalem who rejected Christ and was thrown down to be destroyed.
Let us hold fast to the Rock
of Our Salvation -- Jesus Christ -- Zion. There, we shall never fall.
