EDEN AND JUDGEMENT JOINED - PART 2
THE TEMPLE OF THE LORD

`So Solomon sat on the throne of the LORD in place of his father David'
When attempting to dig into the rich veins of Scripture we find three main schools of interpretation (and occasionally a mixture of these three, which causes its own problems). First of all we will look at the Literal approach, which has its limitations when coming across obvious symbolism. Secondly, we will look at the method of Allegory, which can disturb the harmony of Scripture and hide the central message. Finally, we will look at the method of Typology, which draws out a truth which is already lying within the written word, taking the `shadow' forward to reveal the `substance'. The Literal approach coupled with Typology has produced rich gold from the veins of Scripture, inspiring countless numbers of people over the centuries - and the `veins' are not exhausted for the Word of God is truly a living Word! But we would suggest that there is yet another way of approaching Old Testament Scripture, and this has been largely lost to our Greek-thinking minds which like clearly defined lines of thought. Even giving a title to this different line of approach will no doubt bring cries of outrage, but in order to open up this subject we shall brave the cold words of disapproval!

Clearly before the Canon of Old Testament Scripture was formed and closed there would have been much heated discussion, with much acceptance and rejection of the various manuscripts. Certainly the editing of certain of the manuscripts is undeniable to all except those with a closed mind of scholarship, but under the guidance and inspiration of the Holy Spirit the Canon of the Old Testament was finally formed and closed and passed down to us in the Bible as the final and total revelation of God's Will and Purpose. However, hiding within those pages were precious truths which would have meant so much more to those ancient Hebrew scribes, who under the anointing of the Holy Spirit wrote them down for those who would follow on and read them and seek to understand them. But due to the onslaught of Greek philisophy (which spread rapidly over the known world), and the subsequent translation of the Old Testament Scriptures from Hebrew into Greek, much of that rich gold still lies buried. Certainly the early Jewish Christians, coming as they did from the cradle of Judaism, would have had a deep understanding of these things for their thinking would have been formed by Hebrew writing and culture, based on and totally centered around the Temple rituals and worship in Jerusalem. Of course it is impossible to `enter their minds' to gain this understanding, for we know that we only have to talk to the younger generation of today about events which occurred even thirty years ago to see their eyes go `blank'. Their ears may hear the words we speak but their minds can have no actual comprehension of a time outside their personal experience, and the stories that `old men tell' are the stories of myths and legends - as far as the new generation is concerned. If, therefore, we are to give a title to this fresh approach we must grasp hold of those two words `myth and legend'. One dictionary gives a definition of `myth' as `fictitious narrative, usually involving supernatural persons and embodying popular ideas on natural phenomena' - whereas `legend' has a meaning of `a traditional story popularly regarded as historical'. As we have already said, to use either of these two words to introduce the subject of interpretation of Scripture would probably raise cries of protest, but we would suggest that the Hebrew mind (within the cultural timescale of the Old Testament Scriptures at the height of Israel's power and glory) would have had no difficulty with these two words in relation to their religious rituals centered in the Temple in Jerusalem. If we used these words in this study, however, we would run the risk of offending some, or even closing their minds to what follows, so we shall stay with the more familiar `typical interpretation' - or even the more familiar word `typology'. The usual way of using this approach is to take the `shadow', or the `type', and project it foward to the `substance', whilst always ensuring that there is a shadow to take foward to lest we move into allegory. We would also suggest that if we take the `shadow' back into the Scriptural past `substance', before taking it forward into the future `substance', important truth may well be revealed. This will further enrich our understanding of God's Will and Purpose and enable us to be more effective in our openess to His leading in our lives today. Having arrived at this understanding we feel that we may now open up our subject.

A passage of Scripture (2 Chronicles 3:6) tells us that `Solomon began to build the Temple of the LORD in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the LORD appeared to his father'. Continuing on from the reign of Solomon we find that the worship of the One True God and the religious rituals then developed into full cult status, centered on the Temple in Jerusalem and Israel's king. This was to last for over four hundred years - until the destruction of the first Temple and the southern Kingdom of Judah being taken into captivity in Babylon. But we need to pause for a moment to consider the word `cult', for it has so many sinister connotations today, living as we do in an age that abounds with very strange cults. So once again we have to turn to our dictionary for the meaning, which is, `a system of religious worship with devotion and homage to a person or an object'. We feel that we may therefore use the expression `cult status' (within the true meaning of that expression) to describe the nation of Israel of the Old Testament Dispenation as a cultic religious nation centered on the Temple in Jerusalem and its anointed kings and priests - seen first in King David. There is here the seedbed of the developing theology of the nation of Israel . . of a Messiah . . a King Priest Who would come from God Himself . . from the God of Israel . . and take His place on the throne of David and lead the nation of Israel into an even more glorious kingdom than that which was seen during Solomon's reign.

We can now step into the Temple of Solomon to look for the `shadows' and then look both backwards and forwards to find the substance revealed there. The Temple lay-out is well known to most Bible students and we therefore need spend little time in setting out the details. The Temple itself was a rectangular building divided into three parts - the Porch, the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place. The House of the LORD was surrounded by an Inner Court, and beyond that was set the Great Court. This gives us an understanding that as the people went up to the House of God there was a sense of an increasing sanctity, the Temple itself being raised up on the highest part of the mountain. (A study on the size of the Temple indicates that the Most Holy Place - a perfect cube - was the heighest point of all.) In fact the Mishnah declares that the whole land of Israel was holy and that there were ten degrees of holiness within the land, rising to the height of holiness in the Most Holy Place. We quote:

" The Holy of Holies (the Most Holy Place) is still more holy for none may enter therein, save the High Priest on the Day of Atonement at the time of the service. "

This sense of increasing holiness is to be seen as we move through the Temple compound with its furnishings of bronze . . up through the entrance to the Temple itself, guarded by the two bronze pillars . . into the Holy Place, with its walls and floor covered in gold and studded with precious stones . . and finally into the most Holy Place, with its two enormous cherubim carved from olivewood and overlaid with gold, with its `golden Chariot, or Throne of the cherubim, who spread their wings and covered the Ark of the Covenant'. But once we manage to take our eyes off the dazzling display of gold and precious stones we can perhaps notice that the Temple is in fact a stylized Garden. We can also see that this stylized Garden is placed in the centre of another Garden, with the Most Holy Place raised high as the most sacred part of the Garden of the LORD. The Temple itself is guarded by two bronze pillars decorated with pomegranates and lilies and `wreaths of chain work', and as we move into the Holy Place we see the same suggestion. On the walls around the Temple, in both the inner and outer rooms, there are carved cherubim, palm trees and open flowers, all studded with precious stones, and this stylized garden motif continues right through into the Most Holy Place. Clearly the Great Lamp (the Menorah) is in the form of an almond tree complete with almond blossoms on its branches. As we move out again into the Courtyard we see that even the great `Moulten Sea' is decorated with Knobs or Gourds, and `its rim was like the rim of a cup, like a lily blossom'!

We can of course marvel at its beauty and merely see the Temple as a beautiful building decorated to the Glory of God. We might also consider the implications of it being a highly stylized Garden Sanctuary, the Most Holy Place being at the heighest point of the Garden, the Most Holy Place on earth, and those going up to Jerusalem (and in particular to the Temple) would be truly going into the Presence of God Who dwelt in the Most Holy Place, seated upon the Chariot Throne of the mighty cherubim. This understanding is certainly exactly that of the people of the land of Israel, and a rabbi of the second century, Rabbi Pinhas-bar-Ya'ir, goes further and elaborates on their thinking:

" The House of the Holy of Holies was made to correspond to the highest Heaven; the outer Holy House was made to correspond to the earth, and the Courtyard was made to correspond to the sea. "

Others spoke similar words:

" The Courts surround the Temple just as the seas surround the world. "

This gives an understanding of the thought involved in the rituals of the Temple of Solomon. To use a modern expression: The Temple was understood to be the crossroads of heaven and earth. The Divine spiritual world of God was seen in the gold and precious stones which overlaid the earth wood. Yet in both were to be seen the fruit of a garden - the lilies, pomegranates, almond trees and flowers, all set on a rising Mount which was surrounded by the courts (suggesting the `seas' of the earthly world). In short, the Temple, seen in this light, was the place where heaven and earth were joined. Only a curtain, a veil, separated the heavenly Most Holy Place from the earthly Holy Place - separating men from God Who was seated on the glorious golden Chariot Throne of the mighty cherubim who guarded His Holiness.

This was a place of absolute power and judgement - for if there was a Throne, a King must sit on it, and if there was a King, he must rule and judge. Here, in the Temple . . in the Most Holy Place . . we see the absolute power of God ruling and reigning over the `seas of the earth' surrounding His Garden Sanctuary. The Psalms in particular are full of this Garden Sanctuary imagery of a creative God ruling over the affairs of the world:

Psalm 29:10
" The LORD sits enthroned over the flood; the LORD is enthroned as King for ever. "

Psalm 23:1-3
" The earth is the LORD's and everything in it; for He founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters. Who may ascend the Hill of the LORD? Who may stand in His Holy Place? "

As you read other similar Scriptures you will see a clear picture emerging of God seated and ruling on a `High Hill' in His Temple over the earth He has formed, and over the seas He has subdued by His power flowing down from His Holy Hill. This imagery is not limited to the Psalms alone; you will find it also in Daniel 7:2-3:

" . . . and I looked and there before me were the four winds of heaven churning up the great seas. Four great beasts, each different from the others, came up out of the sea. "

Clearly out of the `great sea' (the world) four great beasts would emerge, but the following verses reveal that God was ruling from His golden Chariot Throne. The Books of Ezekiel, Isaiah, Micah and Zechariah all reveal detailed imagery of God sitting enthroned, ruling and judging over `the seas of the world'.

Now we need to pause for a moment and remember our opening words - that not only are we seeking to look at the `shadow' set in the Old Testament Scriptures and then look forward to the substance, but we are also looking for the `shadow' and taking it back to the `substance'. It is then we shall see the Old and New Testaments joined together and revealing God's purposes as surely as the Temple Mount revealed the joining of heaven and earth. We can of course regard the stylized garden motifs seen in the Temple as merely extravagent ornamentation of a holy place. On the other hand we can believe that as God instructed David on the plans for building the Temple, each and every part of it would remind those who worshipped there of something truly significant in the life of the nation of Israel. To discover what this was we have to take seriously the implication that the Temple built by Solomon was a Garden Sanctuary and `look back' into Scripture to discover its meaning. The Scriptures will of course take us back to the Book of Genesis, where we see: (Genesis 2:8-9)

" Now the LORD God had planted a Garden in the east, in Eden; and there He put the man He had formed. And the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground - trees that were pleasing to the eyes and good for food. In the middle of the Garden were the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. "

It is here that we must pick up the Temple motif once again, although this time there is no mention of an actual Temple - any more than in the account of the building of the Temple is there any mention of a garden - yet the same pattern can clearly be seen in both accounts but with a different emphasis. Here in Genesis we find the Garden described in detail, and yet there is a `Temple theme' within the narrative. Just as the Temple in Jerusalem was at the centre of God's purposes (the place where He chose to dwell) so in the newly created world He planted a Garden in Eden (the centre of His world). There is no mention of the Most Holy Place in this Garden, but we do find the Tree of Life. In the Temple we have seen that those who passed through the veil into the Most Holy Place passed into the heavenly world where God dwelt above the cherubim overlooking the Ark of the Covenant. Now in the Garden in Eden man was forbidden to eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil - for him to do so would be to pass through the `veil'. In the Genesis account we read that God now said: (Genesis 3:22)

" The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the Tree of Life and eat, and live for ever. "

There, in the centre of God's Garden, stood the Tree of Life! Do we see it next in the Temple as `the great Menorah'. . the great Candlestick of the Holy Place . . formed and hammered out of pure gold, speaking of Divinity with its almond flowers and petals shaped out of its branches? Can we perhaps see the Tree of Life in the Temple of Solomon? Man (embodied in Adam) was not intended to `eat of the fruit' and pass `through the veil': Genesis 2:15)

" The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. "

We see this in the requirements of God for the nation of Israel, for they were planted in the Land of Promise as a witness to the surrounding nations of the presence of the God of Israel. The `Garden' Temple was for the tribe of Levi to minister in as priests before God, but because of the nation's idolatry and disobedience He drove them into captivity, their glorious Temple destroyed just as surely as He drove Adam and Eve from the Garden Sanctuary in Eden and their `world' destroyed: (Genesis 3:23)

" So the LORD God banished him (Adam) from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. After He drove the man out, He placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword fashing back and forth to guard the way to the Tree of Life. "

Do we see these Edenic cherubim again in the two bronze pillars, (bronze speaking of judgement) Jakin and Boaz, guarding the entrance to the Temple, sculptured with lilies and capped with fire baskets, their very names meaning `God will establish His strength'?

For a while we shall leave the four headstreams flowing from Eden and pick them up later in a more formal Temple setting, tracing them through Ezekiel's Temple . . and beyond into the Eternal Order and the closing chapters of the Book of Revelation. But first we must step back beyond the Edenic Age and find an earlier Garden Sanctuary! In earlier studies we have seen the world which `was' before Genesis 1:1. God's judgement had come upon that earlier creation because of the rebellion of a created spiritual being of great power:

" Now the earth became formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. " (Genesis 1:2)

Ezekiel 28 describes that earlier Garden Sanctuary and tells of a mighty cherub of great beauty. God is speaking: (Ezekiel 28:12-16)

" You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the Garden of God; every precious stone adorned you . . . . You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the Holy Mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones . . . . you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the Mount of God. and I expelled you, O guardian cherub. "

A passage in the Book of Isaiah shows in more detail the extent of that rebellion. God is still speaking: (Isaiah 14:13-14)

" You said in your heart, `I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God. I will sit enthroned on the Mount of Assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend to the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High'."

Here we see again the Garden motif in a Temple setting - covered in precious stones - which we last saw in the familiar setting of the Holy Place in Solomon's Temple. The wording of Genesis 1:2 suggests a judgement on an earlier created `earth', such as is described in the passages of Isaiah and Ezekiel. But as we can go no further back in Scripture, we suggest that this points to the probability that here was the original Eden, under the authority of a mighty angelic being named by Isaiah as `star of the morning, son of the dawn'. Clearly the original Eden was in a Temple setting - although somewhat different in description to the account of the later Eden, as recorded in Genesis 2. The mighty cherub spoken of in Isaiah and Ezekiel had a Sukkah (a covering), and the Hebrew meaning of this word points to more than we can catch hold of in our imagination with the word `tent'. We see this word again in Amos 9:11, describing David's Booth (tent), but it could more accurately be described as a `shrine'. In the Ezekiel passage we see this `son of the dawn' thrown down from his shrine (his sanctuary) and his fall related to the fall of the proud `ruler of Tyre', whose pride also caused his own downfall.

In these various passages of Scripture we see three distinct Temple settings: The original Eden under the authority of a mighty angelic being, who said `I will ascend to heaven. I will raise my throne above the stars of God. I will sit enthroned on the Mount of Assembly.' He was judged and cast down to earth and so `the earth became formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep'. The second Garden setting is found in Genesis, where we read: `Now the LORD God planted a Garden in the east, in Eden . . .'. But rebellion again resulted in judgement and banishment, and judgement also passed onto the natural earth. Finally we see the Garden Sanctuary in the Temple of Solomon, built according to the plan given to him by his father David. It is in this Temple that we see the Garden motif built into the walls and furnishings of the House of the LORD, palm-trees and pomegranates . . lilies and almond blossoms . . all studded with precious stones. Within the Temple was also the Ark of the Covenant of God; the mighty cherubim; the Tree of Life (the great Menorah); all guarded by the two bronze pillars, Jakin and Boaz. It was in the reigns of David and Solomon that the nation of Israel - at whose heart stood the Garden Temple where the Presence of God was known to dwell - rose to its height of glory and power: (Psalm 2:6-7)

" I have set My King on Zion, My Holy Hill. I will proclaim the decree of the LORD. He said to Me, `You are My Son; today I have become Your Father'. " A little while remained before that Temple too was judged - because of the idolatry and rebellion of the people and their kings - but now, in the time of Solomon, we do see the king installed on Mount Zion, the Garden Sanctuary of God, and the nations of the world lay subdued and quiet because of the greatness of David's son, King Solomon! Solomon sat on his throne in the Temple and ruled and judged the nations. His power and authority which flowed from that Temple setting overcame and subdued the hostile nations (the seas of the world) that surrounded the nation of Israel.

In the Garden Temple of Ezekiel 28 we saw `the ruler of Tyre' prosperous and wealthy, for as long as he kept his rightful position as a `ruler'. But when pride entered his heart he fell as surely as had the mighty `star of the morning' when he did not keep his rightful place in the Sanctuary. In the `Genesis' Garden of Eden we saw the same prosperity and wealth in the form of ` river watering the Garden: (Genesis 2:10-14)

" A river watering the Garden flowed from Eden, and from there it divided; it had four headstreams. The name of the first is Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold (the gold of that land is good; pearls and onyx are also there). The name of the second river is Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush. The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Asshur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. "

Don't waste too much time in trying to identify those rivers for they depict the streams of God's authority flowing out of the Garden Sanctuary in Eden, where in the centre of the Garden stood the Tree of Life - separated from man by the veil of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The lands surrounding the Garden Sanctuary in Eden were prosperous and wealthy - whilst Adam kept his rightful place and `tended the Garden in Eden'!

Finally we see it in the Kingdom of Israel, under the kingship of Solomon. He was enthroned on Mount Zion, God's Holy Hill, ruling the surrounding nations. They came and paid homage to the great king who was seated on the golden Chariot Throne of the LORD: (Psalm 72:2-8)

" He will judge your people in righteousness, your afflicted ones with justice. The mountains will bring prosperity to the people, the hills the fruit of righteousness . . . . He will rule from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth. "

We shall see this Temple setting again in the Books of Ezekiel and Revelation, where `wealth and prosperity' flow to the surrounding lands from the Throne Room of God in the Temple - the rivers of God's Righteousness and Justice `water the earth' as He sits enthroned on His Holy Mount. But first we must turn our attention to this king who sits on the Throne of the LORD in the Temple and seek to enter into the minds and thinking of the people who worshipped in that Temple. We are at last in the position of looking from this `shadow' forward to the Substance - revealed in Scripture as the Messiah `Who shall be named Jesus, for He will save His people'. As He takes His rightful place as King of kings and Lord of lords on David's Throne in the Holy Temple, God's living streams will once again bring wealth and prosperity to the surrounding nations.

By the time David had been anointed King over all Israel something very significant had happened in the theology of Israel. David had come to understand that a personal relationship with a personal God could only come through a personal meeting with Him. Under the Aaronic priesthood a meeting with God came through a mediator, seen in the person of the High Priest. He alone - and that just once a year on the Day of Atonement - could pass through the veil separating the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place, moving from the earthly world of man into the spiritual world of God. David, as God's anointed king, was the person who would point forward to the Mediator, David's Greater Son, who would come and who would combine priest and king in the One Person. We see this first in David's son Solomon. Under him Israel and the Temple worship rose to unknown heights of glory, and, as we have said earlier in this study, formed the foundation of the royal cult of Priest-King to the one true God of Israel.

But first we must step back to the very beginning, seen once again in Genesis, where we meet the shadowy figure of `Melchizedek, King of Salem . . priest of God Most High'. The writer to the Hebrews tells us this: (Hebrews 7:2-3)

" First his name means `king of righteousness'; then also `king of Salem' means `king of peace'. Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, like the Son of God he remains a priest for ever. "

We now find in the first Book of Chronicles (chapters 13 to 16) that under the directiom of the Holy Spirit David knew that it was time to establish the City of Righteousness, the City of the Great King, in Jerusalem - and for that to happen the Ark of the Covenant of God's Presence must be brought to the city: (1 Chronicles 15:1 and 16:1-2)

" After David had constructed buildings for himself in the City of David, he prepared a place for the Ark of God and pitched a Tent for it . . . . Then they brought the Ark of God and set it inside the Tent that David had pitched for it, and they presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before God. After David had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD. "

David did not bring the Ark and place it in the Tabernacle of the LORD at Gibeon. He knew that a priest-king would once again be ministering to God Most High in the City of Peace and Righteousness before the Ark of the Covenant of God - and that he would be that king. And so he sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before the Ark in the Tent he had pitched for it.

We now move on to see the extent of David's understanding. He said: (1 Chronicles 17:1)

" Here I am, living in a palace of cedar, while the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD is under a tent . . . "

The remainder of the story is familiar and need little recounting. Nathan the prophet, hearing the word of the LORD, tells David that indeed a House (a Temple) would be built for God's Presence, but that it would be built by `one of your own sons': (17:10-13)

" I declare to you that the LORD will build a house for you. When your days are over and you go to be with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a House for Me, and I will establish his throne for ever. I will be his Father and he will be My son. "

This was seen in the `shadow of the Substance' - in David's son Solomon, who followed on from him. It was under Solomon that the Temple was built and God's Presence . . His Glory . . filled the Temple. During that time the land and the nation of Israel rose to the height of glory as the power and holiness of God enthroned in the Temple subdued the surrounding nations.

However, we must not lose sight of the priest-king who sat upon the throne, and we catch sight of this in David's plans for building the Temple: (1 Chronicles 28:11)

" David also gave him (Solomon) the plan for the Chariot (the Throne), that is, the cherubim of gold that spread their wings and shelter the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD. "

When Solomon completed the Temple we read: (1 Chronicles 29:23-25)

" So Solomon sat on the Throne of the LORD as king in place of his father David. He prospered and all Israel obeyed him. All the officers and mighty men, as well as all of King David's sons, pledged their submission to King Solomon. The LORD highly exalted Solomon in the sight of all Israel, and bestowed on him royal splendour such as no king over Israel ever had before. "

As a king-priest David had broken through the mediatory Aaronic priesthood and sat on the golden Chariot Throne of the cherubim before the Ark of the Covenant. Solomon his son - pointing forward to David's Greater Son - sat on this golden Throne of the LORD before the Ark of the Covenant in the Most Holy Place in the Temple `in place of his father David'. And so the royal cult of the king, centered on the Temple in the City of Righteousness, rose to full grandeur.

We saw earlier that the veil between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place was the meeting point between earth and heaven - the High Priest passing through the veil brought the two together. (This is the reality of what we call `the Incarnation'. This time, however, it was God who came through the veil from heaven, clothing Himself with humanity - God dwelling in a fully human body amongst His people.) This was the reality of the Aaronic High Priests: On removing their priestly earthly robes (in which they were clothed to minister to God in the earthly Holy Place) they clothed themselves in fine white linen robes and passed through the veil into the Most Holy Place and into the Presence of God now clothed in white robes of righteousness. But now, in Solomon, a King was seated on the Throne of the LORD (the golden Chariot Throne of the cherubim) and he passed through the veil from the Holy Place to the Most Holy Place and sat there as the LORD.

How, then, could the LORD be seen in His Temple? He was seen in a human king who had passed through the veil and sat as the LORD on his golden Chariot Throne! In the Temple that Solomon built there was a Throne . . it was the Throne of the LORD in the Most Holy Place . . before the Ark of the Covenant of God. The Chariot Throne of God, under the wings of the cherubim, was the place where the Aaronic priesthood met with God. Whoever sat on that Throne would rule and reign as representing the LORD. In Solomon the two became one . . earth and heaven joined in David's son, seated on a golden Throne - pointing forward to the coming of David's Greater Son. Read the Bible again with this understanding and it will take on a deeper meaning than ever before.

Psalm 24:7-10
" Lift up your heads, O you gates;
be lifted up, you ancient doors,
that the King of Glory may come in.
Who is this King of Glory?
The LORD strong and mighty,
the LORD mighty in battle.
Lift up your heads, O you gates;
lift them up, you ancient doors,
that the King of Glory may come in.
Who is He, this King of Glory?
The LORD Almighty - He is the King of Glory! "

The king (Solomon) entering the Temple . . passing through the veil separating earth from heaven . . seated on the golden Throne of the LORD . . was now as the LORD. As he was seated there on the golden Chariot Throne the two became joined - a human king and the Divine LORD - and he ruled with justice and equity. Psalm 2:1-6 reveals the same understanding:

" Why do the nations rage and the people plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the LORD and against His Anointed One. `Let us break off their chains,' they say, `and throw off their fetters'. The one enthroned in heaven laughs; the LORD scoffs at them. Then He rebukes them in His anger and terrifies them in His wrath, saying, `I have installed My King on Zion, My Holy Hill'. "

Space alone limits the recording of more Scriptures, but we shall bring in one further Psalm to show the beauty and majesty of what David understood to be required by God for his house - which God would establish for ever for one of his sons: (Psalm 68:24-29)

" Your procession has come into view, O God,
the procession of my God into the sanctuary.
In front are the singers, after them the musicians;
with them are the maidens playing tambourines.
Praise God in the congregation;
praise the LORD in the assembly of Israel.
There is the little tribe of Benjamin, leading them,
and there are the princes of Zebulun and Naphtali.
Summon Your power, O God,
show us Your strenth, O God, as You have done before.
Because of Your Temple at Jerusalem kings will bring You gifts. "

Once again the king had become as the LORD as he passed into the Temple to take his place on the golden Chariot Throne beneath the great cherubim. The king was ruling, and in ruling he was also judging, and the LORD would show His strength as He had done before.

But with the death of Solomon the Royal Cult fell into decline through kings who did not have the vision of God and His requirements for ruling as a priest-king. This decline ended in disaster, for what had been was only a `shadow' of the `Substance' to be revealed in all its fulnes in the Messiah Jesus. But throughout the Dispensation of the Kings we still catch glimpses of what had been seen in King Solomon. Indeed it pervades the whole of Scripture through the prophets who would use it to urge the people to rebuild the Temple which was destroyed by the armies of Babylon. We see it recorded by the prophet Isaiah, when King Hezekiah was threatened by the King of Assyria. He went into the Sanctuary and spread out the letter received from the King of Assyria before the LORD: (Isaiah 37:16)

" O LORD Almighty, God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim,
You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. "

Earlier in Isaiah 6 we hear the prophet crying out at what he saw:

" I saw the LORD seated on a Throne, high and exalted,
and the train of His robe filled the Temple. "

He saw in a vision what he had seen and experienced in some form or other in the kings of Israel - it was part of his understanding. Many years later Jeremiah also experienced something of his understanding of the now-debased Royal Cult: (Jeremiah 8:19)

" Listen to the cry of my people from a land far away.
Is the LORD not in Zion? Is her king no longer there? "

The people would go into captivity and bewail the loss of their king who had once sat upon the Throne of the LORD in Zion. Little needs to be said of Ezekiel's visions of the Chariot Throne of God and of the Glory of the LORD departing from the Temple through the East Gate. It is also recorded in the Book of Daniel: (Daniel 7:13-14)

" In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was One like a man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into His Presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshipped Him. His dominion is an ever-lasting dominion that will not pass away, and His Kingdom is one that will never be destroyed. "

With one last Scripture we record what Zechariah saw at a time yet to come in the Messianic Kingdom of Righteousness, centered in the Temple in Jerusalem: (Zechariah 14:16)

" Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD Almighty, to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. "

These Scriptures (and there are so many more which could be listed) show the deeply ingrained understanding of what was seen in the first king who had sat upon the golden Chariot Throne - one, who although fully human, had passed through the veil in the Temple and sat as the LORD, ruling over the land of Israel and the surrounding nations. But the Temple of Solomon had been destroyed and the Presence of the LORD had long since departed, even though the ceremonies no doubt continued right up to the time the armies of Babylon had come as the LORD's arm of judgement on the sin of idolatry of His people.

Yet the promises of God remain for His people: (Haggai 2:1-9 in part)

" Speak to Zerubbabel . . to Joshua . . and to the remnant of the people. Ask them, `Who of you is left who saw this House (the Temple) in its former glory? How does it look to you now? . . . But be strong, O Zerubbabel,' declares the LORD. `Be strong, O Joshua . . Be strong, all you people of the land,' declares the LORD, `and work, for I am with you', declares the LORD of Hosts . . The glory of this present House will be greater than the former House,' declares the LORD of Hosts. `And in this place I will grant peace'. "

However, the LORD dwells in a Temple amongst His people, so it is time to look for the Temple in which He would again one day reveal Himself. Centuries passed - the Temple still stood but was rebuilt beyond the pattern given by David to his son Solomon! The veil was still there . . the Most Holy Place still lay in darkness beyond the veil . . but the manifestation of the Presence of God was no longer there for the Ark of the Covenant of God had either been lost or destroyed! The priests still conducted their rituals in the Holy Place; the sacrifices were still made and the blood spilled, but no longer were they able to sprinkle the blood on the atoning Mercy Seat. Was the golden Chariot Throne still there beneath the mighty cherubim? If so there was certainly no king to sit upon it. Yet the people of Israel still awaited their sure and certain hope: (Isaiah 11:1)

" A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. "

The nation of Israel waited for the LORD to outwork His promise to David: (2 Samuel 7:16)

" Your house and your kingdom shall endure for ever before Me;
your throne shall be established for ever. "

Not even the curse placed upon the line of Jehoiachin (spoken through the prophet Jeremiah) stopped them believing in the faithfulness of God to His promise to David. And yet there was no king of the royal line of Judah to sit upon the Throne of David - the Throne Room in the Temple was empty. They would wait four hundred years before God once again manifested Himself in a Temple: (Luke 2:8-14)

" And there were shepherds living out in the fields near by, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the LORD appeared to them, and the glory of the LORD shone around them, and they were terrified! But the angel said to them, `Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you. He is Messiah the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger'. Suddenly a great company of the heavenly Host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying:

`Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favour rests'. "

The veil was still in place, separating the earth from heaven, but this time God Himself came through the veil and clothed His Deity with the robe of humanity - God Himself added humanity to His Deity and took the form of a man to save His people from their sins.

The Garden Sanctuary was still in place (seen in the land of Israel), where Jesus outworked His human life and ministry). The Temple within the Garden Sanctuary of Israel was still there, this time in the form of Jesus. The Throne of David was once again occupied by One who came from the royal line of David and was therefore a King. His kingdom was not of this world - yet He was seen by all as the King of the Jews as He hung upon the cross of shame! He was also a Priest as He offered Himself in His humanity as a sacrifice - a perfect sinless Lamb of Sacrifice. Then he passed back through the veil into heaven as a High Priest, the two joined together for ever as God and man in Christ Jesus. But Matthew records in his Gospel that at the moment of the death of Jesus a most incredible event occurred in `Herod's Temple': (Matthew 27:51)

" At that moment the veil in the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom. "

With that Scripture in mind we pass into the next `Temple' in which God would reveal Himself - and no doubt before we even mention that Temple our minds are full of the words of the apostles as they wrote their letters to the new believers in Jesus. With their whole world of culture and tradition centered on the land of Israel and the Temple in Jerusalem, they understood at last the world-shattering message of their Master Jesus and the depth of the meaning of the Kingdom of God. No longer was it limited to the land of Israel - no longer limited to the narrow confines of physical birth as Jews - the Kingdom of God was open to both Jew and Gentile alike! A new Temple had been raised up by God, this time not made by the hands of man but built out of the living stones of people who believed in and acknowledged Jesus as Lord and Saviour. This time the Garden Sanctuary in which the Temple was placed would be in any town or city in which the believers who make up the `Temple' are placed. The veil of the old Temple had been split, opening the way directly into the spiritual world of God. The meeting point between earth and heaven was fused into one just as surely as it had been when the ancient kings of Israel sat enthroned on the golden Chariot Throne beneath the cherubim in the Most Holy Place. God and man were now met in the One Person of Jesus:

Ephesians 2:19-22
" Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow-citizens with God's people (the believing Jews) and members together of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ Jesus Himself as the chief corner-stone. 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 place in which God lives by His Spirit. "

Hebrews 10:19-22
" Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the Blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, His body, and since we have a great High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. "

Ephesians 2:6-7
" And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages, He might show the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus. "

Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, was the first to have the amazing revelation of what had happened. God needed a `Hebrew of Hebrews and a Pharisee of Pharisees' who was steeped in the Hebrew Scriptures to reveal to him the `mystery of the Church . . the Temple of the living God . . the veil torn in two . . heaven and earth once again joined, with Christ Jesus from the royal line of Judah, King David's Greater Son, enthroned on the golden Chariot Throne in the heavenly Temple and with a Body to rule on earth. This Temple, built out of living stones, is the only place where God chooses to dwell in this Dispensation of the Church. And if it is a Temple with a Priest King enthroned on the golden Chariot Throne, then He is indeed ruling and judging for that is the purpose of a king. It is for this reason that a king is appointed - to rule and to judge - and it is His Body on earth which is the means through which He now rules and judges. His physical Body, the Church of the Firstborn, is the appointed means of `subduing the chaos of the nations' which lay outside the `Garden Sanctuary' with its Temple and the enthroned King in the Most Holy Place!

If only the believers in Jesus who live out their lives in villages, towns and cities could understand with their minds the reality of what it means to be a `holy Temple in the Lord', and if they would actually seek to outwork this in their church lives it would transform the places in which they live. This is no boastful triumphist message of `taking the world for Jesus', but rather for us to seek to build the church in whichever village, town or city where we live. This is not about building a strong `Super Church', nor is it about joining in compromising indifference any church of our own liking, but building the Body of Christ which would be the channel through which true peace would flow - one Church in a town or city, yet possibly composed of many small churches, with elders appointed in one accord and in agreement and submission to one another! This would be to enthrone Jesus as Priest King in the `Temple' where God has placed us. Wealth and prosperity would flow from the Chariot Throne of the King; peace and righteousness would be seen amongst the people; the powers of darkness would be pushed back and in that place of peace the Gospel of the Kingdom would be preached and produce a harvest. Time is short - and the signs around us confirm this - when the words of Jesus, spoken to His disciples in answer to their question `Tell us, when will this happen, and what will be the sign of Your Coming and of the end of the age?', will come to pass! The time is coming soon when the true Body of Christ (the Bride) will be taken from this earth to join with others that are His, `and so we shall be with the Lord for ever'!

What, then, of His Temple? When shall we see the next manifestation of the Temple of the LORD? For that we need to look at the Book of Revelation, and it needs to be looked at with eyes that are yet again seeing a Temple - a heavenly Garden Sanctuary. The Most Holy Place is there, and within it is the Chariot Throne of God: (Revelation 5:6)

" Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the centre of a Throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. "

Now the Lord is ruling and judging in heaven, for with the catching away of the true Bride of Christ (the channel for His rule on earth) the Lord rules and judges directly from heaven. The Book of Revelation is `the revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants what must soon take place' (Rev.1:1). No longer is the true Church involved for the Bride of Christ has been joined in a one-flesh relationship with her Bridegroom in heaven and now there is nothing to stop God outworking His final purpose as His Son, the Lamb, stands in the centre of the Throne and opens the scrolls of judgement.

But there is yet another Temple to be seen in the Scriptures. We shall give it the title of `Ezekiel's Temple' and we find it in chapters 40-48 of the Book of Ezekiel. The dating of it ties into the historic period of Revelation 20 and the Milleniumm reign of Christ Jesus, David's Greater Son, who now rules over the affairs of the nations for one thousand years. Once again we see the Garden Sanctuary and the Temple set in the heart of Jerusalem, with the King - the Lion of Judah - ruling His people. The fact that the Temple which Ezekiel describes is established in the Millenium Kingdom of the Messiah hardly needs to be mentioned. No Temple like it has been seen through the entire history of Israel. Its splendour far exceeds that of Solomon's Temple and it is rich in symbolism and typology, confirming what we have already set out from Scripture - a Temple set in a Garden Sanctuary, the place where God reveals Himself as a King who is enthroned and ruling over the heavens and the earth. It is for this reason that we break into the historical sequence of judgements from the Throne of God which we see in the Book of Revelation: (Ezekiel 40:4)

" The man said to me: `Son of man, look with your eyes and hear with your ears and pay attention to everthing I am going to show you, for that is why you have been brought here. Tell the house of Israel everything you see'. "

We can tell from the first verse of Ezekiel 40 that the vision was given to Ezekiel at the time of the Feast of Tabernacles - also known as the Feast of the Ingathering. All those who participated in the rituals of this Feast at the Temple knew that they were crying out for the coming Kingdom of God to be established in Jerusalem, a Kingdom which would last for ever. The Feast of Tabernacles has within it the meaning of `God coming to dwell with His people', as He did in the days when they journied through the wilderness. The Feast itself lasted for seven days, with a final eighth day added on. This extra day was God's appointed Day . . the eighth day of resurrection life for the nation of Israel as they entered into the Kingdom of God.

With the understanding which we get from Peter that `a day is like a thousand years', we can see the setting for Ezekiels' Temple as being God's `eighth Day' - the one-thousand years reign of the Messiah Jesus. At the Feast of Tabernacles it was the custom for the kings of Israel to be enthroned on the golden Chariot Throne beneath the mighty cherubim in the Temple. The Feast was at the time of the autumn equinox, with the sun rising in the east and shining its full glory through the East Gate of the Temple compound., then the rays of the sun would rest in resplendent glory upon the enthroned king. This was the cry of Malachi - that the coming King would put an end to the apostacy of the nation of Israel:

" But for you who revere My Name the sun of righteousness will rise with healing
in its wings. " (Malachi 4:2)

With this in mind we can read of Ezekiel's Temple and understand more vividly its rich meaning. Just as we saw the Shekinah Glory of God departing from the old Temple through the East Gate (Ezekiel 10) so we now see the Shekinah returning: (Ezekiel 43:1)

" Then the man brought me to the gate facing east, and I saw the Glory of the God of
Israel coming from the east. "

This Temple is clearly set in a Garden Sanctuary, and we read of palm trees and cherubim carved all around the Temple: (Ezekiel 41:20)

" From the floor to the area above the entrance, cherubim and palm trees were carved on the wall of the outer sanctuary. "

We need not spend too much time in describing the Temple that Ezekiel saw. It must surely have been based on what he knew of the earlier Temple, but seen here as something more magnificent than anything he had experienced in Solomon's Temple. Magnificent in size and raised high above the surrounding land, it clearly speaks of the power and majesty of God, where at last the King of Israel is seated upon His Throne, ruling the nation of Israel and the whole world. Its imagery clearly points back to Solomon's Temple - and back even beyond that to the Edenic Garden Sanctuary where the mighty Menorah (the Tree of Life . . the Presence of God) stood in the centre of the Garden placed in Eden. There in the Garden of Eden we saw the authority and power of God subduing and overcoming the world of chaos outside the Garden in the form of the four headstreams coming from `the river that watered the Garden'. We saw this imagery in Solomon's Temple: The water oblations and the blood were poured on the ground at the Altar of Sacrifice, finally finding their way down from Mount Zion (where the King reigned) through drainage channels into the Kidron Valley. We also saw it briefly in the water and the blood coming from the side of the Lamb of God as He hung on the cross, bringing `healing to the nations' by His death. We see it now in Ezekiel's vision of the Millenium Temple:

Ezekiel 47:1-12 (in part)
" The man brought me back to the entrance to the Temple, and I saw water coming from under the threshold of the Temple towards the east (for the Temple faced east). The water was coming down from under the south side of the Temple, south of the altar . . . He asked me, `Son of man, do you see this?'. Then he led me back to the bank of the river. When I arrived there I saw a great number of trees on each side of the river. This water flows towards the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, where it enters the Sea. When it empties into the Sea, the water there becomes fresh . . . Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing. "

We need not be concerned with thoughts of fruit trees being perpetually renewed, or even of the clear pure water - they will indeed be a feature of the Kingdom of Righteousness! Instead, understand the message: The Glory of God in the Person of the Messiah, the King of Israel, is seated on the Throne of David, and peace, justice and righteousness flow from His Throne, restoring all things to their rightful place. This is the precious eighth day of the Feast of Tabernacles (lasting one thousand years) - God's Day of total rest and peace, flowing from the Throne of David's Greater Son, King Jesus - and they are the streams flowing from under the threshold of the Temple!

Ezekiel 44:1-2
" Then the man brought me back to the outer gate of the Sanctuary, the one facing east, and it was shut. The LORD said to me, `This gate is to remain shut. It must not be opened; no-one may enter through it. It is to remain shut because the LORD, the God of Israel, has entered through it. "

Ezekiel 48:36
" And the name of the City for that time will be: ` Jehovah Shammah ' The LORD is there. "

We now move on to the last sight that we have of the Temple within God's purpose, and we close this study with the last two chapters of the Book of Revelation:

Revelation 21:1
" Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. "

Once again we urge you not to spend too much time considering why there is now no sea. If you see the words in the context of a Temple setting you will remember that the sea has always been seen as the earthly world in disorder and rebellion. In the new heaven and the new earth there is no sea - no disorder or rebellion. It is a place for the Bride of the Lamb to dwell . . a dwelling place for all eternity for men made righteous because they have found the Fountain of Life. For the last time we see the Garden Sanctuary and the `Temple' - this time in a way never seen before:

Revelation 21:22-24
" I did not see a Temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its Temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light and the kings of the earth will bring their splendour into it."

Revelation 22:1-2
" The angel showed me the river of the Water of Life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the Throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the Tree of Life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the Tree are for the healing of the nations."

As with the Ezekiel passage, do not waste time picturing an earthly river flowing as clear as crystal, but understand its meaning: The power and authority of God is flowing from the Throne in the `Temple' of God and the Lamb, finally fulfilling the purposes of God. And that is a new heaven and a new earth . . peopled with those who belong to the Lamb . . placed within a Garden Sanctuary with God and the Lamb as its Temple . . to live there for eternity!

Revelation is thus joined to Genesis, and throughout these Books the purpose of God is revealed - a Garden Sanctuary within which is a Temple where He reigns as Priest King for ever with His people. And that City is called the Holy City, the new Jerusalem:

Revelation 22:12-15
" Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with Me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the Tree of Life and may go through the gates into the City. "

Revelation 22:20
" He who testifies to these things says:
`Yes, I am coming soon.'
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. "

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