This is the first segment of a series examining the temples of the Bible and their connection to God. There will be ten or more segments and every Biblical temple will be examined. This is a much-debated subject in modern-day theology and I don’t expect that all readers will agree with my position. I welcome your comments either way. How we view the end of time and the return of Jesus will definitely affect our interpretation of temple scriptures. Basic to our understanding of the subject is our knowledge of why temples existed and why they still exist. Those who look for the return of animal sacrifices as a part of temple worship will likely miss the intended purpose of the temples as revealed in the Old and New Testaments.
Beginning and End
The Bible ends as it begins, with creation. In Genesis God created heaven and earth. In Revelation God creates a new heaven and a new earth. In Genesis, God created the first temple, the Garden of Eden. In Revelation God creates a new temple much like a city, a new Eden. The first temple had a caretaker, a priest as it were. In the last temple Jesus is the high priest and the caretaker of the temple. The first temple contained the tree of life and so does the last. In the first temple, sin was ejected and the entrance guarded against its return. In the last temple, all sin is destroyed beforehand and none will be allowed in the temple.
God dwelled in the first temple, interacting with man whom He created. God will dwell with man whom He has recreated (by rebirth) in the final temple. When man lost the right to the first temple, he lost the association he had with God. God took one family (Abraham’s) in order to create a people for Himself. To maintain His relationship with them, He ordered a temporary temple, known as the Tabernacle, to be built. It is important to note at the very beginning of our blog that this temple (tabernacle) was not permanent in structure or in purpose. Only one temple has that characteristic, the true temple of God which is not made by hands. It is fashioned as Eden was with the hands of God.
Those who look for a physical temple on this earth have not learned the lesson God gave in the scriptures. He never desired a temple of this earth. Earth is His footstool. His throne and home are not on the earth. Man built temples on the earth for God but He did not stay in them. He left the temple made by Solomon and never returned to dwell on this earth until He came in the person of the High Priest of the new temple, which is not made with hands but is a product of the Holy Spirit. More about that later.
For those who long for a third temple to be built in Jerusalem, I offer this from Revelation. “And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb.” (Revelation 21:22)
God created Eden, Moses built the tabernacle, Solomon built his temple, Jews rebuilt that temple and Herod worked on it. God built His eternal temple using born again believers and His son.
Philip Dampier's Blog 