THE GLORY OF THE TEMPLE

Time with Jesus - Monday, 19 November 2012

Hi all,

Today’s Scriptures focus on the Temple. Historically it is suggested that three temples were built on the same spot: Solomon’s Temple, Zerubbabel’s Temple and Herod’s Temple. At least, that’s what I thought. Then I read a comment that Herod refurbished the temple and extended its precincts. So it might be that Zerubbabel’s Temple was in place when Jesus walked the earth. This sheds light on Haggai 2:6-9. But there is a better understanding. We are being built up into a Spiritual house; a temple of God. (Ephesians 2:20-22) Nothing in creation is more glorious.

Blessings,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Monday, 19 November 2012			Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give
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INTRODUCTION			DAILY LIGHT EVENING SCRIPTURES	THE GLORY OF THE TEMPLE
Phyllida and I love walking round old buildings. The castles and churches of UK have a certain fascination for us and for many others. Buckingham Palace, Windsor Palace, the Tower of London. Such attractions we find irresistible. Of course the historical background helps. Westminster Cathedral and others at places like York and Durham appeal to us greatly. I think much has to do with the fact that here in South Africa there is not much in the way of great historical value prior to 1600AD. We do have the Zimbabwe ruins, located in the ruins of Zimbabwe – courtesy Bob and his mob! Being Christians, we had a desire to visit the Holy Land, since before we even met. To walk where Jesus walked and see something of what He saw has been like a magnet drawing us to Israel. We managed to get there in 2009. Apart from the over-commercialisation, we loved it. After all, tourists can’t really complain about tourists! But we did get to see places we had only dreamed of seeing. To see the Temple of God in Jerusalem would have been wonderful. It no longer exists. It was destroyed by the Romans in 70AD. All that remains is a “table” of land on which it had been located. One of the walls of this table is the Western Wall, sometimes called the Wailing Wall. On this spot, Moslems have built their grand “Dome of the Rock” mosque, sacred to Mohammed. Originally, Solomon’s Temple was built on land David bought. It was the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite, (2 Sam 24:16) located on Mt Moriah. This magnificent temple is said to have been the most expensive building ever built by man! It fell into a state of disrepair and was stripped of many of its valuables and decorations. Finally it was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586BC. Zerubbabel built another in the same place in about 516BC. This one was thought by some to be a sort of “poor relation” of the previous one! God did not agree. He said that the glory of this temple would exceed the glory of the former. Much later, King Herod refurbished the temple and extended its precincts to cover that which we now identify as the huge “table” referred to above. The question we must ask is what was there about Zerubbabel’s temple that could be more glorious than Solomon’s temple? Certainly not its expensive claddings or other trappings we so love to admire. It was more glorious because this was the temple in which Jesus ministered. This is the one He cleansed by throwing out the traders. This was the temple from which He was condemned. From this place He was taken to Pilate for the series of mock trials before the Roman authorities. (Pilate and Herod) This is where His glory shone forth with a dazzling brilliance man will never see again, until He returns. Even so, come Lord Jesus! Jim & Phyllida Strickland			13 The glory of Lebanon shall come to you, the cypress, the plane, and the pine, to beautify the place of my sanctuary, and I will make the place of my feet glorious. Isaiah 60:13 ESV 1 This is what the LORD says: "Heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool. Could you build Me a temple as good as that? Could you build Me such a resting place? Isaiah 66:1 NLT 18 "But will God really dwell on earth with human beings? The heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built! 2 Chronicles 6:18 TNIV 6 For thus says the LORD of hosts: Yet once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land. 7 And I will shake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with glory, says the LORD of hosts. 8 The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the LORD of hosts. 9 The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the LORD of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, declares the LORD of hosts.'" Haggai 2:6-9 ESV 1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. Revelation 21:1-3 ESV	There are so many buildings throughout the world today. Places of magnificence where people go to pray. Churches and cathedrals built by the toil of man. Some are very beautiful. Today few people can Afford to build a palace in which God will reside. For nothing that a man can build, is where God will abide. Heaven is God’s mighty throne. The earth is His footstool. This planet’s hardly big enough from which the Lord would rule. And yet He’s made us worshippers. We fall down at His feet. We hunger for His presence; we need His Mercy Seat, To cry out for forgiveness, for all that we have done. And come in reverential awe to Christ the Holy One! We know the former temple which Solomon had built Was so ornate and fabulous our minds would all go “Tilt”. For it was indescribable. It’s glory so divine, That it exceeds what I can state, in these poor words of mine. We understand that over time a state of disrepair Came upon the temple; God was no longer there. And then Nebuchadnezzar came in and pulled it down. He took the people captive to a Babylonian town. Some seventy years later, Zerubbabel and Co. Came back and built another one. For some this was a blow. For some of them remembered the glory that had been. They wept and said, “It’s not a patch on what our eyes have seen! They were not very happy. The Lord then said, “Indeed, The glory of the latter house, will certainly exceed, Anything that you have known. I’ll shake the sea and sky. I will shake all the nations and all the land that’s dry. The silver and the gold are Mine. Great glory shall be seen This “house” you have completed, will witness what I mean. For here, within this temple, Messiah will appear. And He is far more glorious than anything seen here. This isn’t cheap and nasty. It may look very plain. Don’t go by its appearance for you will look in vain! But when you see the Prince of Peace within these very walls, Know the Glory of the Lord upon My people falls. That’s when Solomon’s temple will be considered cheap. For every promise I have made, Emanuel shall keep.” Jim Strickland Written 19th November 2012