Finding Peace in Times of Distress

When the hour is dark, when the situation is desperate, when we are humbled and brought very low, we finally begin looking and longing for God’s peace. Trembling, we grope through the darkness, longing to know that all will be well.

When the angel of Jehovah appeared to Gideon (Judges 6), he was crouching in the dark confines of a winepress, threshing wheat in secret to protect it — and himself — from the Midianite invaders. This was not a new way to thresh grain, it was cowardice. Listen to how the angel of the Lord addresses Gideon.

The angel of the LORD appeared to him and said to him, “The LORD is with you, O valiant warrior.” Then Gideon said to him, “O my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? …the LORD has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.” The LORD looked at him and said, “Go in this your strength and deliver Israel from the hand of Midian. Have I not sent you?” (Judges 6:12-14)

At first Gideon questioned this angel of the Lord and complained about his circumstances. How could God really love Israel? How could God really care about Gideon when they were all in such distress, danger, and poverty?

Gideon did not yet know to Whom he was speaking. This angel spoke as Jehovah Himself, and when Gideon finally realized he’d been discussing politics and religion with God — face to face — he was rightfully terrified:

“Alas, O Lord GOD! For now I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face.” The LORD said to him, “Peace to you, do not fear; you shall not die.” Then Gideon built an altar there to the LORD and named it The LORD is Peace. (Judges 6:22-24)

When do we first encounter the name Jehovah-shalom? Where does God first reveal His name as The Lord is Peace?

In the presence of a man who is desperately afraid… a man who is literally walled in by circumstances… a man who is worried and discouraged and has no peace in his heart.

When Gideon’s eyes were at last opened to see that the Lord had taken a personal interest in his situation, that God was present with him in the midst of all this darkness and fear, he worshiped the Lord by a new name — Jehovah-shalom, The Lord is Peace.

In the days to come, the Lord was going to put Gideon in some very unpeaceful situations. In some ways Gideon would face more stresses and challenges than he had ever faced in his young life. Learning this business of being a “valiant warrior” wasn’t going to be easy.

But no matter what happened from this point on, Gideon could look back to an altar. He could look back at a moment in time when Jehovah-shalom said to him, “Peace to you, do not fear.”

Beloved, do you ever feel as if you’re trying to thresh wheat in a winepress? Surrounded by an enemy who presses in on you and tries to steal every grain of peace and gladness out of your life? Do you ever begin to wonder where your God is in the midst of your hurt and worry?

How rightly Gideon named that altar, The Lord is Peace. True peace cannot be found in any other place than in a right relationship with God.

We cannot base our peace in the circumstances and situations of life.We must not let our peace be centered in another man or woman — no matter how dear they are to us.

We dare not allow peace to depend on sunny skies, a full stomach, a balanced checkbook, a healthy body, or a harmonious home. I believe the Lord sometimes allows situations that strip away the shallow, surface peace on which we have come to depend. He allows us to be distressed and in turmoil and unable to find the answers we need from our husbands, wives, friends, or counselors.

In those times, as with Gideon, we need to discover that God is Jehovah-shalom.

As Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “He Himself is our peace” (Ephesians 2:14). Once you really understand this and worship God as Jehovah-shalom, you can have peace no matter what storms sweep over the horizon.

Jesus told His disciples this very thing in the last few hours before the Cross. These men were in terrible turmoil, and things were about to get much worse. Here is Jesus’ promise:

“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Do not let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” (John 14:27)

“These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

Where do you run when you need peace? Is your first response to go looking for a person or to pick up the phone?

Before you do, Beloved, run into the shelter of His name. When you find Him, you will find peace because He is Peace.

Fear Not My Child

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.
I John 4:18
Fear is something that entered the world as a result of the Fall. Before they sinned by eating the forbidden fruit, the Bible says that Adam and Eve walked and talked with God being transparent to the point of nakedness. Yet after the deed was done God came to spend time with them in the cool of the evening only to find them hiding. His inquiries brought out the sad fact that their eyes had been open to things that God did not intend for them to see. At the same time, fear became a factor not only for Adam and Eve but also for all of mankind.

God found them hiding because they were naked and afraid—thus the beginning of a battle that rages in each of our lives at one time or another. Often times we become fearful, afraid and, as a result, we too hide from God or stand paralyzed to the point that the enemy finds us to be easy prey. It is a horrible state to be in and one we have all experienced from time to time.

I have been thinking a great deal about fear with all that is going on in the world today. We have experienced terrorist attacks, bomb scares, and the threat of biological warfare. Many Americans have been shaken to the very core of their beings. People are coming to the Lord, and others are coming back to the Lord. Even the sale of Bibles has risen some 40% since the bombing of the Twin Towers rocked our world. Those are some of the blessings that come from an otherwise devastating occurrence. I see God’s hand at work as always to use even this terrible tragedy that He did not cause but did allow for a purpose: That purpose is to conform us into the image of His Son Jesus, according to Romans 8:28-29. My heart is warmed by many of the stories that have emerged from the rubble, and I find myself thanking God for His faithfulness at all times.

As all of you have, I have had discussions with many people about what is happening in America. Everyone seems to want to talk about what is going on, but I have noticed that many of the people I have talked to, though they are Christians, are extremely fearful. They are bogged down with fear even to the point of becoming ill with worry. Recently I asked God why so many of His people were so afraid. His reply was, "Because they are not all My people. They worship Me with their lips but their hearts are far from Me." That totally blew my mind for a moment, but as I studied the Word the statement became much clearer to me. I would like to share some of my findings with you:

There are several reasons why people who claim to be Children of God are very fearful at this time. Ezekiel 33:31 says, "So they come to you as people do, they sit before you as My people, and they hear your words, but they do not do them; for with their mouth they show much love, but their hearts pursue their own gain."

There are many folks attending church regularly who profess salvation but refuse to obey the Word of God—they say the right things but they have impure motives. Many of them have been doing this for so long that they have deceived themselves into believing that these actions make them a Christian…a Child of God. Sadly enough, they are mistaken. God’s kids are known by their love for God and each other; they are also known for purity and obedience. If you are in a state of fear, perhaps it is time for you to examine yourself and see that you truly are a blood-bought, born-again believer for if you find evidence lacking, there is no time like the present to surrender to Him.

Another reason why people who claim to be Children of God are very fearful is because they have not fully accepted the love of God in their hearts. For many reasons, people often have certain areas in their lives that they are not willing to let God help them deal with. That is because they are not confident of God’s love and, as a result, have secret areas that they want left untouched.

II Timothy 1:7 says, "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." Also, I John 4:18 tells us that, "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love." If you find yourself to be ridden with anxiety and extremely fearful, then you need to go to God and begin accepting His perfect love. It will cast out fear and give you a sound mind.

There is much more that could be said concerning our frailties and the reasons we find ourselves fearful. Sometimes we do not seek God in times of fear so He can deliver us (Psalm 34:4.) At other times, we do not let the Peace of God rule our hearts, and we not thankful for His Blessings and Presence in our lives (Colossians 3:15.) People often live in fear because they are "god" in their lives and eventually experience something that is far outside their realm of control. They never really let Jesus be the Lord of their life. They never learned to walk in the Spirit. Most grievous of all they never developed a relationship with God. They did the things that they were taught when they should have sought the Lord for the truths of His Word.

The good news is that it is not too late. Many are already surrendering themselves to God, and others are coming back to Him. It is my burden and the cry of my heart that the Holy Spirit will convict with an increased intensity. As He examines the heart of all who claim to be a Child of the King, may the bondages of religious spirits be broken and the truth illuminated. People need the Lord. They need Him on Sunday. They need Him on Monday too. In the good times and the bad times, He alone will get people through.

I am so glad I have such an Awesome Heavenly Father. I once lived a life in bondage to fear and anxiety but He sent His Word and healed me. As we talk to people in the days ahead, let’s keep our spiritual antennas up. When we hear fear, let’s do a little investigating. This is to be a great time of harvest…even within the four walls of the church. Don’t miss it! Don’t let others miss it either.

"Fear not my Child, I have redeemed you. I have called you by name…you are MINE." Clasp tightly onto this truth and you will see fear flee.

Beware of Missing God's Plan for Your Life

It is possible for a believer to miss God's perfect will for his life. Saul was chosen by God to be king over Israel, but eventually as a result of his impatience and disobedience, God had to reject him. True, he remained on the throne for some years more, but he had missed God's will for his life. Solomon is another example. He pleased God in these earlier years, but fell away later through marrying heathen women.

Twice in the New Testament we are exhorted to take a warning from the example of the Israelites who perished in the wilderness. God's perfect will for them was that they should enter Canaan. But all except two of them missed God's best through unbelief and disobedience (1 Cor. 10:1-12; Heb.3:7-14). Many believers have similarly missed God's perfect plan for their lives through disobedience and compromise - often in marriage or in the choice of a career.

G Christian Weiss in his book, `The Perfect Will of God', tells of a teacher in a Bible School who told his students one day, "I have lived most of my life on God's second best". God had called him to be a missionary in his younger days, but he had turned aside from that calling as a result of marriage. He then began a selfish business life, working in a bank, with the primary purpose of making money. God continued to speak to him for a number of years, but he refused to yield. One day his little child had a fall from
a chair and died. This drove him to his knees, and after a whole night spent in tears before God, he put his life into God's hands completely. It was too late for him to go to Africa now. That door was closed. He knew that had been God's best for him, but he had missed it. All that he could do was to ask God to put the rest of his life to some use. He became a teacher in a Bible School, but could never forget that this was only God's second-best.

Weiss continues to say, "I have since met numerous people who have borne similar testimony. Usually these testimonies have been bathed, or at least marked, with bitter tears. For while, thank God, He has ways of using even those who have sinned and have gone past that single entrance into the channel of His perfect will, life can never be the way He originally intended it. It is a tragedy to miss the perfect will of God for one's life. Christian, mark well these words and this testimony lest you too miss His
first choice. God, doubtless, will use any life that is submitted to His hands, anywhere along life's pathway, but let us be among those who have sought and surrendered to His will at the outset of life's journey, and thus avoid those painful and shameful detours along the way."

We just cannot live the victorious life or be of maximum use to the Lord, or be a blessing to others in any place we choose. Some may feel that they can choose their own career and their place of residence and then seek to be a witness for the Lord wherever they are. The Lord may in His mercy use such believers in a limited way. But their usefulness in God's vineyard will be only a fraction of what it could have been had they earnestly sought His plan and remained in the center of His perfect will. Stunted spiritual growth and limited fruitfulness are but the consequences of a careless disregard of God's laws.

If you have disobeyed God in some matter, turn to Him in repentance now, before it is too late. It may yet be possible for you, as in Jonah's case, to come back into the mainstream of God's plan for your life.

Each of us has but one life. Blessed is the man who like Paul, can say at the end of it, that he has finished his God-appointed task (2 Tim. 4:7).

"The world and all its passionate desires will one day disappear. But the man who is following God's will is part of the Permanent and cannot die" (1John 2:17-JBP).

"Live life then with a due sense of responsibility, not as men who do not know the meaning and purpose of life, but as those who do. Make the best use of your time, despite all the difficulties of these days. Don't be vague but firmly grasp what you know to be the will of God" (Eph. 5:15-17- JPB).

What are things we can do to remain faithful to God?Acts 2:42

They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

Think of this verse as a recipe for faithfulness. All of the things stated in the verse are very important. If you leave out an ingredient when baking something, the end result is not what was desired. These disciples devoted themselves to four necessary activities that spiritually fed them and strengthened their faithfulness. Let's examine each one.

The Apostles' Teaching
The apostles' teaching is something that should be important to you. As recorded in John 14-16, Jesus told the apostles the night before His crucifixion that He must go back to heaven and send the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was to teach them all truth and remind them of all that He had said. When we read what the apostles were inspired by the Holy Spirit to write, we are looking at the truth. Two things convinced the early Christians that what the apostles taught was true: the Old Testaments documents (Acts 17:11) and the miraculous signs that accompanied their message (Mark 16:20; Acts 4:29-30; 5:12-16; 8:6; 1 Peter 2:2; Romans 10:17; 2 Peter 1:3)


Fellowship
The second ingredient in the recipe for faithfulness is fellowship (Acts 2:42). Fellowship comes from the Greek word koinonia, which means "lives interwoven together, interdependent on each other." Christians in the first century were of constant encouragement to one another. The same should be true of Christians today, that we build each other up and spur each other on (Hebrews 10:23-25).
Hebrews 10:23-25
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Believers trusted and encouraged each other every day. They had all things in common, meaning they shared their blessings with one another. Their lives were interdependent and interwoven. This is what helped them remain faithful to the Lord.


Breaking of Bread
The third ingredient in this recipe to faithfulness is breaking of bread (Acts 2:42). This term is used to speak both of common meals and the very special meal that Jesus instituted on the night before His death. The context helps us understand what is being talked about in individual verses.
Jesus knew that we would need a constant reminder of the price of our salvation. He took the bread and wine of the Passover (the Jewish feast reminding the Jews of their release from Egyptian bondage) and made it a memorial feast for His disciples to remember Him.
Matthew 26:26-29
While they were eating, Jesus took the bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is my body." Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father's kingdom."
1 Corinthians 10:16
Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are the one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.
Acts 20:7
On the first day of the week we came together to break bread.
Again we find the Christians meeting on Sunday for the purpose of breaking bread (Lord's Supper). This weekly reminder of Jesus' sacrifice is something that God knew that we would need. This is an important element to our faithfulness.


Prayer
The fourth ingredient in the recipe for faithfulness is prayer (Acts 2:42). The Christians were known as people of prayer. God has opened His throne room and made it accessible to us through Jesus (Hebrews 10:19). Prayer is our communication with God.
Praying for others and knowing others are praying for you is very important to your faithfulness. God wants you to depend on prayer. He says that prayer has great power.
James 5:13-16
Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call on the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
Prayer is not coming to God with a long list of our requests and asking Him to agree with us. Rather, prayer is seeking to understand and submit to God's will. Prayer is our expression of dependence on God. He knows what we need even before we ask (Matthew 6:8), yet He still wants us to open our hearts to Him.
When you pray, you need to have this same attitude. God wants you to make your requests known but at the same time to recognize that He knows what you need better than you do. You must surrender to His will (Isaiah 55:8).

When you pray, address your prayers to the Father and express your praise of Him. Surrender your requests to God by asking His will to be done. Praying for daily needs expresses your constant dependence on Him. Forgiveness of your sins is your greatest need, but His forgiveness of you depends on your willingness to forgive others. Depend on God's guidance and strength to overcome temptation. Satan wants you as his disciple.


Conclusion
The Christian life is like a race, not a sprint, but a marathon. Your faithfulness to the end is vital to your eternal destiny. Seeking godly teachers and strong Christian fellowship is crucial; otherwise, you could be deceived and led away from God. The prayers in your life will draw you closer to God as you meditate on what he has done for you while Breaking the Bread.

You find each of these crucial elements of faithfulness during our Sunday Morning time together. The goal is that while we are together we may encourage one another to live a life of faithfulness to our Alimighty God.

SEARCHING FOR A VESSEL

The Master was searching for a vessel to use;
On the shelf there were many -- which one would He choose?
Take me, cried the gold one, I'm shiny and bright,
I'm of great value and I do things just right.
My beauty and lustre will outshine the rest
And for someone like You, Master, gold would be the best!

The Master passed on with no word at all;
He looked at a silver urn, narrow and tall;
I'll serve You, dear Master, I'll pour out Your wine,
And I'll be at Your table whenever You dine,
My lines are so graceful, my carvings so true,
And my silver will always compliment You.

Unheeding, the Master passed on to the brass,
It was wide mouthed and shallow, and polished like glass.
Here! Here! Cried the vessel, I know I will do,
Place me on Your table for all men to view.

Look at me, called the goblet of crystal so clear,
My transparency shows my contents so clear,
Though fragile am I, I will serve You with pride,
And I'm sure I'll be happy in Your house to abide.

The Master came next to a vessel of wood,
Polished and carved, it solidly stood.
You may use me, dear Master, the wooden bowl said,
But I'd rather You used me for fruit, not for bread!

Then the Master looked down and saw a vessel of clay.
Empty and broken, it helplessly lay.
No hope had the vessel that the Master might choose,
To cleanse and make whole, to fill and to use.

Ah! This is the vessel I've been hoping to find,
I will mend and use it and make it all Mine.

I need not the vessel with pride of its self;
Nor the one who is narrow to sit on the shelf;
Nor the one who is big-mouthed and shallow and loud;
Nor one who displays his contents so proud;
Not the one who thinks he can do all things just right;
But this plain earthy vessel filled with My power and might.

Then gently He lifted the vessel of clay.
Mended and cleansed it and filled it that day.
Spoke to it kindly. There's work you must do,
Just pour out to others as I pour into you.

~ Author Unknown

They That Wait upon the Lord

"But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." (Isaiah 40:31)

This is one of the best-loved promises of the Bible, for it is easy to grow weary and faint in our mortal bodies, even when doing the work of the Lord. The answer, we are told, is to "wait upon the LORD."

But what does this mean? The Hebrew word (gavah) does not mean "serve," but rather, to "wait for" or "look for." It is translated "waited for" the second time it is used in the Bible, when the dying patriarch Jacob cried out: "I have waited for thy salvation, O LORD" (Genesis 49:18).

The first time it is used, surprisingly, is in connection with the third day of creation, when God said: "Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place" (Genesis 1:9). That is, the all-pervasive waters of the original creation, divided on the second day of creation, now are told to wait patiently, as it were, while God formed the geosphere, the biosphere, and the astrosphere, before dealing again with the waters.

Perhaps the clearest insight into its meaning is its use in the picture of Christ foreshadowed in the 40th Psalm. "I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry" (Psalm 40:1).

"The everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary" (Isaiah 40:28), and His gracious promise is that we can "renew our strength" (literally, "exchange our strength," our weakness for His strength!) by "waiting upon Him." We wait patiently for Him, we gather together unto Him, we look for Him, we cry unto Him, we trust Him, and He renews our strength!

THE LORD FAITHFUL, AND HIS WORD TRUE TO THE LAST

"Now I am about to go the way of all the earth. You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed." Joshua 23:14

There is no testimony to the faithfulness of God in His Word so convincing and touching as that of the dying believer. If ever a man is sincere, it is then. If ever the veil is laid aside and the soul appears real and undisguised, be it a saint or a sinner, it is at that solemn moment. No motive now exists for the false, and no cloud can conceal the true; the coin that has passed current with many for genuine is now found to be counterfeit, and that which many regarded as counterfeit--even the possessor himself--proves to be genuine! Nature now appears to be but nature; and grace, vindicating its true character, proves itself grace. The specious hope dies, and the true hope gathers life; the false faith sinks, and the real rises; and the timid believer, who went doubting and trembling all the way to Jordan's brink, plunges boldly into the river, and passes over to the other side, with the paean of triumph breathing sweetly from his lips, "O Death, where is your sting? O Grave, where is your victory?"

Such is the picture which the position of Joshua now presents to our view. He is standing upon the sunny slope, and before the soles of his feet smite the cold waters, he casts a back glance upon all the way the Lord his God had brought him; and in words the most emphatic and impressive, testifies to the divine faithfulness and unchanging love of his covenant God in making good all His great and precious promises He had so graciously given, "Not one thing has failed of all the good things which the Lord, your God, spoke unto you; all are come to pass."

Such is the divine assurance with which we conclude our daily thoughts. What more precious truth, blended with sweeter melody, could linger upon the ear as we close the volume than this--God's faithfulness in the fulfillment of His Word? Let us look at this truth as confirmed by the experience, first, of the living, and then of the dying believer, for both are God's witnesses.

What is the life of the child of God but a continuous experience of the truth of His Word, and the veracity of His promises? You have, perhaps, been placed in trying circumstances; resources have lessened and demands have increased; your faith has been sharply tried; your spirits depressed; the sky has lowered and the waters have risen; but lo! the Spirit, the Comforter, has guided you to some precious promise which has just met your case. It has touched your heart, moistened your eye, uplifted the pressure, and your whole soul has been, as it were, absorbed in God. And now the harp that hung sad and mute upon the willow is taken down, and thrills with a new song of praise and thanksgiving to the faithfulness of God in the fulfillment of His Word.

Yes, my soul, you can testify to the truth that every sweet invitation and precious promise and loving word of Jesus, upon which He causes your soul to rest in its grief and desolation, has come to pass--not one word has failed. This is a clear proof of God's veracity in the making good His every word of promise. Has He not promised to provide for you? then trust Him. Has He not pledged Himself to guide you? then commit your way to Him. Has He not undertaken to save you? then believe His Word and pray--"Say unto my soul, I am your salvation."

Soon the living witness to the faithfulness of the Lord in His Word will become the dying one. When heart and flesh are failing--when the solemn curtain of eternity is rising--when the eye is darkening, and the pulse is sinking, and earth is receding, and eternity is nearing, and, heaven is opening, oh, then, like Joshua, you shall testify to the unchanging love and faithful word and precious comforts and secure supports of your covenant God and redeeming Savior, as He gently leads you down the valley, radiant with His presence, resounding with your song--up the delectable mountains, home to your Father's House--"Forever with the Lord!"

Does God Need A Temple? - part 2

Your Body is the Temple of God


A New Meaning for God's Temple in the New Testament
The house of God in this, and similar passages now refers both to the tabernacle (or the temple) and the people of God. Stephen the first martyr of the Christian church comments as follows:

"Our fathers had the tent of witness in the wilderness, even as he who spoke to Moses directed him to make it, according to the pattern that he had seen. Our fathers in turn brought it in with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations which God thrust out before our fathers. So it was until the days of David, who found favor in the sight of God and asked leave to find a habitation for the God of Jacob. But it was Solomon who built a house for him. Yet the Most High does not dwell in houses made with hands; as the prophet says, `Heaven is my throne, and earth my footstool. What house will you build for me, says the Lord, or what is the place of my rest? Did not my hand make all these things?'" (Acts 7:44-50)

These discussions pave the way for the New Testament teaching that church buildings are never to be called "the house of God." The New Testament does refer to a "temple of God," but following the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem the only temple of God is a group of people---never a building. During the entire present era of the outcalling of the church, God lives in individuals who live in a personal, covenantal relationship with Him through Yeshua the Messiah. This era of Biblical, redemptive history extends from Pentecost to the Rapture. This time period when Israel would have neither temple nor sacrifice nor national homeland was predicted by the prophet Hosea:

For the children of Israel shall dwell many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or pillar, without ephod or teraphim. Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the LORD their God, and David their king; and they shall come in fear to the LORD and to his goodness in the latter days. (Hosea 3:4-5)

Your Body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit.
When you become a believer, the Holy Spirit becomes a part of you -- is IN you. In short, your body becomes a container, or a "house," in this case, a "temple." So read in context, this verse is saying that your actual, physical body IS the Temple of the Holy Spirit. If this is not clear enough for anybody and everybody, please read this next verse:

Be ye not unequally yoked together with
unbelievers: for what fellowship hath
righteousness with unrighteousness? and
what communion hath light with darkness?
And what concord hath Christ with Belial?
or what part hath he that believeth with an
infidel? And what agreement hath the
temple of God with idols? for ye are the
temple of the living God; as God hath said,
I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and
I will be their God, and they shall be my
people. Wherefore come out from among
them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord,
and touch not the unclean thing; and I will
receive you, And will be a Father unto you,
and ye shall be my sons and daughters,
saith the Lord Almighty.
2 Corinthians 6:14-18

With Paul's logic expressed here, we could also ask: "What agreement has Christian doctrine with New Age teaching?" The answer should be abundantly clear, touch NOT the unclean thing (this applies to physical uncleanness, such as joining your body with a prostitute, or eating things God has declared unclean, and it also applies to the spiritual standing, don't partake of the doctrines of demons). The sad truth is, the false teachers that claim that God just doesn't care about your weak, fragile human body, are in grave error, because they do not know the scriptures. In a manner, they DO know the scriptures, but only as it was taught to them. They harbor the traditions of the elders in their hearts, setting aside the commandments of God for the "best thoughts" of men. They rip God's commandments out of the Bible, and paste in their own Post-It notes containing their own inarticulate scribbles.
God Himself determines what was and is and will be unclean, and what is best for you. Trust Him. But God says and then man says well I think He REALLY meant...
...these verses couldn't be clearer. YOU ARE the "temple of God," when you abide in Christ, when Jesus lives in you. Is it YOU, or YOU joined to everyone else?

The New Testament's bold assertion that man is the dwelling place---the temple---of God begins with the announcement of the Apostle John that the Second Person of the godhead had now become a man and come down to earth as Immanuel---"God with us."

And the Word became flesh and dwelt (Greek: eskenosen = tabernacled) among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father. (John 1:14)

Shortly after at Passover in Jerusalem Jesus confirmed that He was in some special sense the actual temple of God, greater and more important that the Second Temple he was visiting:

The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers at their business. And making a whip of cords, he drove them all, with the sheep and oxen, out of the temple; and he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. And he told those who sold the pigeons, "Take these things away; you shall not make my Father's house a house of trade." His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for thy house will consume me." The Jews then said to him, "What sign have you to show us for doing this?" Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." The Jews then said, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?" But he spoke of the temple of his body. When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken. (John 2:13-22)


Paul the Apostle in his clear reaffirmations of the moral demands of Torah and their applications to Christians of the present era teaches that the Shekinah---the Holy Spirit---of the living God now makes His sanctuary in the body of all those who believe in Jesus and who subject themselves to his Lordship:

Our normal, reasonable, daily service, he says, is to present our bodies, as temples to God's service:

I appeal to you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:1, 2)

and
Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If any one destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and that temple you are. (1 Corinthians 3:16-17)

Paul continues,

Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I therefore take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! Do you not know that he who joins himself to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, "The two shall become one flesh." But he who is united to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Flee immorality. Every other sin which a man commits is outside the body; but the immoral man sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God? You are not your own; you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. (1 Corinthians 6:15-20)

In his Second Letter to the Corinthians the Apostle again speaks of God's people as a collective temple,

Do not be mismated with unbelievers. For what partnership have righteousness and iniquity? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, "I will live in them and move among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore come out from them, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch nothing unclean; then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty." (2 Corinthians 6:14-18)

The New Testament also teaches that God corporately in the midst of the gathered community of his people. Each believer, a living stone, has been fitted into an invisible building which constitutes a dwelling place for God in the Spirit:

Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called the uncircumcision by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands---remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near in the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who has made us both one, and has broken down the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law of commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby bringing the hostility to an end. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; for through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built into it for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit." (Ephesians 2:11-22)


The Ultimate Meaning of the Temple

There remains yet much mystery as to the meaning of the Jewish tabernacle and temples with their precise measurements, strange appliances and rituals, all given by God according to a precise set of divine blueprints. What does God wish us to learn from all this?

Some things are clear. Sinful men can not approach a holy God without a suitable sacrifice. The shedding of blood is somehow necessary to make atonement for human evil. Even forgiven sinners need washing and regular cleansing in order to enjoy fellowship with their Creator. No man can approach God directly without a proper Mediator. Men are weak and need not only a Savior, Kinsman-Redeemer (Goel), but a priest to intercede for them. The problem of human sin is deep, troublesome and persistent. Men sin against one another, against nature and above all against God. Yet God in His love wishes to teach us the depths of his love and forgiveness and mercy through the symbolism of the temple.

The temple, therefore, is a picture for all time of man as in relationship with God, a picture of God as man intended him to be.

"Behold, the dwelling of God is with men. He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away." And he who sat upon the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." Also he said, "Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true." And he said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the fountain of the water of life without payment. He who conquers shall have this heritage, and I will be his God and he shall be my son. (Revelation 21:3, 7)

Does God Need A Temple?

Does God Need A Temple?
The word which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it, and many peoples shall come, and say: "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths." For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. (Isaiah 2:1-4)

Why a Temple?

Primitive religions are replete with examples of buildings and shrines as a house or shrine to an idol or a god. Animistic religionists believe that spirits live in trees, rocks, caves, or sacred groves. The Egyptians deified crocodiles, cats, cows, birds and beetles. The Greeks and Romans assigned to their gods splendid mansions and palaces as their dwelling places.

But the God revealed in the Bible is fundamentally different than the gods of the nations. He does not need houses or temples to dwell in---the entire universe is God's house, "the heaven of heavens cannot contain Him" and His infinite Spirit can not apparently be confined in any way to man-made dwelling places:

Thus says the LORD: "Heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool; what is the house which you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest? All these things my hand has made, and so all these things are mine, says the LORD. But this is the man to whom I will look, he that is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word." (Isaiah 66:1)
"Am I a God at hand, says the LORD, and not a God afar off? Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? says the LORD. Do I not fill heaven and earth? says the LORD. (Jeremiah 23:23, 24)
Disturbed in his spirit by the profusion of false gods, images and shrines when he visited Athens, the Apostle Paul boldly reasserted that God assuredly did not dwell in buildings made by men:
...while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols. So he argued in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the market place every day with those who chanced to be there. Some also of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers met him. And some said, "What would this babbler say?" Others said, "He seems to be a preacher of foreign divinities "--because he preached Jesus and the resurrection. And they took hold of him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, "May we know what this new teaching is which you present? For you bring some strange things to our ears; we wish to know therefore what these things mean." Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new. So Paul, standing in the middle of the Areopagus, said:
"Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I passed along, and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, `To an unknown god.' What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all men life and breath and everything.

And he made from one (man, i.e., Adam) every nation of men to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their habitation, that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel after him and find him. Yet he is not far from each one of us, for `In him we live and move and have our being'; as even some of your poets have said, `For we are indeed his offspring.' Being then God's offspring, we ought not to think that the Deity is like gold, or silver, or stone, a representation by the art and imagination of man. The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all men everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man (Jesus) whom he has appointed, and of this he has given assurance to all men by raising him from the dead." (Acts 17:16-31)


The Tabernacle of Moses

Yet in spite of these clear teachings throughout the Bible that God does not live in man-made buildings there is an apparent paradox the moment we join the Jews in the wilderness at Mount Sinai: God Himself, at Mount Sinai gave Moses specific instructions concerning the building of a remarkable tent, or tabernacle, in which, He, the Most High God would dwell:

And let them make me a sanctuary [Hebrew, miqdosh, sanctuary, i.e., a holy place], that I may dwell in their midst. According to all that I show you concerning the pattern of the tabernacle [mishkan, dwelling-place. This word gives rise to the Hebrew Shekinah which denotes the personal presence of the Divine God], and of all its furniture, so you shall make it...And see that you make them after the pattern for them, which is being shown you on the mountain. (Exodus 25:8,9; 40)

The tabernacle, mishkan, is referred to 139 times in the Old Testament, primarily in Exodus and Numbers. 100 times it is referred to as the "dwelling place" of God! Incidentally, in the New Testament (1 Cor. 10, Hebrews 3,4) may be found specific references concerning the personal presence of Yeshua, the Son of God with His people in the wilderness. The Tabernacle gave tangible evidence that God was with His people as did the Pillar or Cloud by Day and the Pillar of Fire by Night (the Shekinah).

And I will make my abode among you, and my soul shall not abhor you. And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and you shall be my people. I am the LORD your God, who brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, that you should not be their slaves; and I have broken the bars of your yoke and made you walk erect. (Leviticus 26:11-13)

The First Jewish Temple

Whereas the tabernacle was mobile, and served Israel for forty years in the wilderness, during the conquest of the land, and for nearly 400 years at Shiloh during the time of the Judges, the temple was anchored to bedrock at a fixed, specific spot on Mount Moriah, the Temple Mount, in Jerusalem,

Now when the king (David) dwelt in his house, and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies round about, the king said to Nathan the prophet, "See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells in a tent." And Nathan said to the king, "Go, do all that is in your heart; for the LORD is with you." But that same night the word of the LORD came to Nathan, "Go and tell my servant David, `Thus says the LORD: Would you build me a house to dwell in? I have not dwelt in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent for my dwelling. In all places where I have moved with all the people of Israel, did I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, "Why have you not built me a house of cedar?"'

Now therefore thus you shall say to my servant David, `Thus says the LORD of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel; and I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. And I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in their own place, and be disturbed no more; and violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly, from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover the LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house. When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He (Messiah) shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever. (2 Samuel 7:1-13)

David desired to build a temple in Jerusalem after the unsettled years of the Exodus, the conquest, and the period of the Judges. His son Solomon was given the actual task. Yet even Solomon recognized that God could scarcely be contained in a stone building:

"But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain thee; how much less this house which I have built!" (1 Kings 8:27, cp. 2 Chron. 2:6, 6:18)

The First Temple, usually called Solomon's Temple, was finished after a construction period of seven years, employing some 30,000 workmen in the task. That God approved of this building and accepted it as his house is more than evident from the record of the temple dedication service recorded in 2 Chronicles:

When Solomon had ended his prayer, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple. And the priests could not enter the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD filled the LORD's house. When all the children of Israel saw the fire come down and the glory of the LORD upon the temple, they bowed down with their faces to the earth on the pavement, and worshipped and gave thanks to the LORD, saying, "For he is good, for his steadfast love endures for ever." Then the king and all the people offered sacrifice before the LORD. King Solomon offered as a sacrifice twenty-two thousand oxen and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the people dedicated the house of God. The priests stood at their posts; the Levites also, with the instruments for music to the LORD which King David had made for giving thanks to the LORD ---for his steadfast love endures for ever---whenever David offered praises by their ministry; opposite them the priests sounded trumpets; and all Israel stood.

And Solomon consecrated the middle of the court that was before the house of the LORD; for there he offered the burnt offering and the fat of the peace offerings, because the bronze altar Solomon had made could not hold the burnt offering and the cereal offering and the fat. At that time Solomon held the feast for seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great congregation, from the entrance of Hamath to the Brook of Egypt. And on the eighth day they held a solemn assembly; for they had kept the dedication of the altar seven days and the feast seven days. On the twenty-third day of the seventh month he sent the people away to their homes, joyful and glad of heart for the goodness that the LORD had shown to David and to Solomon and to Israel his people. Thus Solomon finished the house of the LORD and the king's house; all that Solomon had planned to do in the house of the LORD and in his own house he successfully accomplished.

Then the LORD appeared to Solomon in the night and said to him: "I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place for myself as a house of sacrifice. When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place. For now I have chosen and consecrated this house that my name may be there for ever; my eyes and my heart will be there for all time. (2 Chronicles 7:1-16)

The downward course of spiritual and national life in ancient Israel from the time of Solomon to the Babylonian captivity is thoroughly described in the books of Samuel, Kings and Chronicles, as well as by the prophets, both major and minor.

A vivid summary of the Lord's displeasure with both the whole house of Israel was recorded about the time of the captivity of the ten northern tribes:

...Then the king of Assyria invaded all the land and came to Samaria, and for three years he besieged it. In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria captured Samaria, and he carried the Israelites away to Assyria, and placed them in Halah, and on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes. And this was so, because the people of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods and walked in the customs of the nations whom the LORD drove out before the people of Israel, and in the customs which the kings of Israel had introduced.

And the people of Israel did secretly against the LORD their God things that were not right. They built for themselves high places at all their towns, from watchtower to fortified city; they set up for themselves pillars and Asherim on every high hill and under every green tree; and there they burned incense on all the high places, as the nations did whom the LORD carried away before them. And they did wicked things, provoking the LORD to anger, and they served idols, of which the LORD had said to them, "You shall not do this." Yet the LORD warned Israel and Judah by every prophet and every seer, saying, "Turn from your evil ways and keep my commandments and my statutes, in accordance with all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets."

But they would not listen, but were stubborn, as their fathers had been, who did not believe in the LORD their God. They despised his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and the warnings which he gave them. They went after false idols, and became false, and they followed the nations that were round about them, concerning whom the LORD had commanded them that they should not do like them. And they forsook all the commandments of the LORD their God, and made for themselves molten images of two calves; and they made an Asherah, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal. And they burned their sons and their daughters as offerings, and used divination and sorcery, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking him to anger. Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight; none was left but the tribe of Judah only.

Judah also did not keep the commandments of the LORD their God, but walked in the customs which Israel had introduced. And the LORD rejected all the descendants of Israel, and afflicted them, and gave them into the hand of spoilers, until he had cast them out of his sight. (2 Kings 17:5-20)

Some of the events leading to the destruction of the Second Temple and the fall of Jerusalem on the 9th of Av in the year 586 BC are known from secular sources. The Assyrians who plundered and pillaged the ten Northern tribes, finally capturing the capital of Samaria in 722, had disappeared from power by 586 BC, (136 years later) exactly as foretold by prophets such as Isaiah who warned that the threat to Jerusalem would come from the rise of the new power known as Babylon.

Solomon's temple was not only magnificently beautiful but adorned within with many billions of dollars in gold and silver, to say nothing of the monies and temple treasures stored in underground rooms beneath. The Babylonians had waited covetously more than a hundred years, for the opportunity to plunder the temple:

At that time Merodach-baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent envoys with letters and a present to Hezekiah; for he heard that Hezekiah had been sick. And Hezekiah welcomed them, and he showed them all his treasure house, the silver, the gold, the spices, the precious oil, his armory, all that was found in his storehouses; there was nothing in his house or in all his realm that Hezekiah did not show them.

Then Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah, and said to him, "What did these men say? And whence did they come to you?" And Hezekiah said, "They have come from a far country, from Babylon." He said, "What have they seen in your house?" And Hezekiah answered, "They have seen all that is in my house; there is nothing in my storehouses that I did not show them." Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, "Hear the word of the LORD: Behold, the days are coming, when all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have stored up till this day, shall be carried to Babylon; nothing shall be left, says the LORD. And some of your own sons, who are born to you, shall be taken away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon." (2 Kings 20:12-18)


The Second Temple
So modest was the Second Temple compared to the First that some of the old-timers who had left Jerusalem at the time of the captivity were deeply disappointed at the unimpressive, small, and unimportant temple the returning exiles were building. Encouraging them that their efforts would be blessed beyond all their expectations the prophet Haggai urged the people to finish the building and put it into service. In an amazing and far reaching prosperity the Lord declared that this Second Temple would not only come to be filled with gold and silver, but receive a higher honor than mere riches. It was into this Second Temple, enlarged and expanded by King Herod, that the Messiah himself, Jesus, Son of David would appear.

In the seventh month, on the twenty-first day of the month, the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet, "Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to all the remnant of the people, and say, `Who is left among you that saw this house in its former glory? How do you see it now? Is it not in your sight as nothing? Yet now take courage, O Zerubbabel, says the LORD; take courage, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest; take courage, all you people of the land, says the LORD; work, for I am with you, says the LORD of hosts, according to the promise that I made you when you came out of Egypt. My Spirit abides among you; fear not.

For thus says the LORD of hosts: Once again, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land; and I will shake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with splendor, says the LORD of hosts. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the LORD of hosts. The latter splendor of this house shall be greater than the former, says the LORD of hosts; and in this place I will give prosperity, says the LORD of hosts.'" (Haggai 2:1-9)

Closing the canon of the Old Testament, the prophet Malachi spoke of Messiah's forerunner, John the Baptist and also announced that the Lord Himself, Israel's true Messiah would himself visit the Second Temple:

"Behold, I send my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? "For he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap; he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, till they present right offerings to the LORD. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD as in the days of old and as in former years. "Then I will draw near to you for judgment; I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow and the orphan, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the LORD of hosts. "For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed. From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts. (Malachi 3:1-7)

God "Tabernacling" Among Men

The New Testament opens with a four-fold announcement that the long-awaited Messiah has come.

It was in the Second Jewish Temple that the month-old infant Jesus was dedicated by his parents (Luke 2:22-38). At the age of 12 at Passover, Jesus remained alone in the Temple apart from his parents in what was probably the equivalent of a Bar Mitzvah dedication to the Lord. It may have been at this age of accountability that Jesus first realized He was the promised messiah with a specific mission and calling to fulfill (Luke 2:39-52).

At the beginning of his three-year ministry (John 2:13-17), and again at the end, following his entry on Palm Sunday (Matthew 21:12-13), Jesus drove out the money-changers. On the second occasion Mark's gospel (11:15,16) records that He would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. It is likely, therefore, that he stopped the temple sacrifices (at least temporarily) on this second occasion, giving notice to all that they were no longer valid and had been set aside by God. Jesus, the Paschal Lamb of God was about to offer himself as the once-for-all-time perfect sacrifice for all sin. In weeping over the fate of Jerusalem he declared "See your house (the temple) is left to you desolate; for I say to you, you shall not see Me again until you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.'" (Matthew 23:37-38)

That same week Jesus presented his disciples with a sweeping prophecy of the next two thousand years of history. He began by speaking of the approaching total destruction of the Second Temple, "Do you not see all these things? Assuredly I say to you, not one stone will be left here upon one another, that not be thrown down."

Fulfilled literally and in detail by the total destruction of the temple during the siege of Titus in A.D. 70, this prophecy of Jesus has long since come to pass. No Jewish Temple has stood on the Temple Mount to this day. The emphasis in the New Testament after brief accounts of the early history of the church in Jerusalem in the Book of Acts shifts abruptly away from Jerusalem and Jewish community life. The temple in Jerusalem is no longer the central focus point for God's presence in the world.

In comparing Jesus and Moses and the Exodus, the writer of the Epistle of Hebrews in the New Testament comments:

Therefore, holy brethren, who share in a heavenly call, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession. He was faithful to him who appointed him, just as Moses also was faithful in God's house. Yet Jesus has been counted worthy of as much more glory than Moses as the builder of a house has more honor than the house. (For every house is built by some one, but the builder of all things is God.) Now Moses was faithful in all God's house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, but Christ was faithful over God's house as a son. And we are his house if we hold fast our confidence and pride in our hope. (Hebrews 3)

Any room for Jesus?, Give your heart to god and let Jesus in

Any room for Jesus?
Have YOU room for Him?

"Well," says one, "I have room for Him, but I am not worthy
that He should come to me." Ah! I did not ask about your
worthiness; have you room for Him?

"Oh!" says another, "I have an aching void the world can
never fill." Ah! I see that you have room for Christ.

"Oh, but the room I have in my heart is so base!"
So was the manger at Bethlehem.

"But it is so despicable."
So was the manger a thing to be despised.

"Ah! but my heart is so foul."
So, perhaps, the manger may have been.

"Oh, but I feel it is a place not at all fit for
Christ!" Nor was the manger a place fit for Him,
and yet there was He laid.

"Oh! but I have been such a great sinner! I feel as
if my heart had been a den of evil beasts."
Well, the manger had been a place where beasts had fed.

Make room for Jesus! Make room for Jesus now!

He will come to you, and He will cleanse the manger of your
heart; nay, more, He will transform it into a golden throne,
and there He will sit and reign for ever and ever!

Jesus is willing to find a home in every
humble heart that will receive Him.

Here is the Son of God made flesh,
have you room for Him?

Here is He who can forgive all sin,
have you room for Him?

Here is He who can take you up out of the horrible pit,
and out of the miry clay, have you room for Him?

Here is He who, when He comes in to your soul, will never
go out again; but will abide with you for ever, to make
your heart a heaven of joy and bliss through His presence!

Have you not room for Him?
That is all He asks, room.

Your emptiness, your nothingness, your lack of goodness,
your lack of grace -- all these will be but room for Him.

It is a splendid act of Divine grace, that He should
take us, who were heirs of wrath, and make us heirs of
God, and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ!

Appreciate purity of heart

You keep yourself pure because you appreciate purity or because you hate to be dirty. Keeping your heart pure is not possible with your own strength neither with human cleaners.

Dirty or pure?
When do you consider yourself dirty? Everybody has his own standards on dirtiness and purity. This is true concerning the dirtiness of clothes and human body and much more with the dirtiness of heart.

The things that make your heart dirty come from both outside and inside you. What you hear, see or feel can make your heart dirty and also what you think, say or do. Because your bad thoughts have been food for your inner man, you have become a sinner. You are what you have thought.

Did the ears of your spirit rejoice at a dirty thought and did the mouth of your spirit eat fruit of pride? Did the eyes of your spirit admire a filthy sight and did the eyes of your soul fasten on greediness? Did the members of your spirit feast on an unclean feeling and did the hands of your spirit reach for dissolute selfishness?

Your bad thoughts are the dirt which tempts you to do evil things that are condemned by your conscience. The being produced by your bad thoughts is the sin that lies in ambush at the door of your heart. Its desire is for you, and you cannot rule over it, if your spirit is deadened by your guilt. When you open your heart for bad thoughts sin occupies you so that you cannot make a difference between it and your ego.

Although sin has killed you, clean thoughts can make your spirit alive again. If you have not awoken to desire clean thoughts, you cannot get a clear conscience. If you don't want to face the judgments of your conscience, you don't allow clean thoughts to settle down in you either.

Of what kind of dirt you, in your opinion, should be cleansed? In this matter we usually follow the public standard. If you face someone who is more pure than you, you realize yourself to be unclean. Jesus, the Son of God is pure! Compare yourself to Him. He who loves God, adopts the opinion of Jesus about what is dirty and what is pure.

God's words can wash you pure. Let the ears of your spirit rejoice at His pure thoughts and let the mouth of your spirit eat fruit of the humbleness of Jesus. Let the eyes of your spirit admire the revelation of God's love on Golgotha and let your soul fasten on the sacrifice of God. Long for the presence of Jesus and enjoy peace given by His grace and reach the hands of your spirit for His deeds.

When Jesus purifies you with His words, your conscience will wake up from its dormancy. Then you will feel guilty and you begin to thirst after God's grace. If you confess your sins to Jesus, His atoning blood will touch your spirit and purify your conscience. Then He also separates your spirit from the ego of your bad thoughts with the sword of His word and you become a new creation, if you let Him do this circumcision of your heart! Starting from this moment your spirit has power to resist the thoughts of your old ego.

Do you appreciate the purity of God? Maybe you are satisfied if you are pure in the eyes of men, although you are unclean in the eyes of God. If you are going to get to Him, you have to be purified.

Pure heart and clear conscience
If you feel that your conscience doesn't accuse you, it doesn't mean that your heart would be pure. If the thoughts and attitudes of your heart are after God's heart then your heart is pure. If you are satisfied with getting forgiveness of your sins and having a good conscience, you are in danger of falling again.

Don't only reach for a good conscience and a salvation from the judgment of God, but ask for a change of your mind and for purging of your thoughts. The water of God's word changes your thoughts and attitudes. This means that you ask for yourself light of God's word that rebukes you.

If we live according to the thoughts of God then we live in light. If we live according to our dirty thoughts we live in darkness. The blood of Jesus cannot cleanse our conscience in the darkness of our unclean thoughts.

"But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin." 1Jo.1:7

If you don't watch over your thoughts, you will fall into the power of darkness. Let the stream of your consciousness follow Jesus. If the Holy Spirit lives in you, you are able to watch yourself just by His influence. When you notice that a dark thought tries to come into your consciousness, immediately pray to Jesus to help you to reject it.

If you didn't watch, you fell into darkness and sinned. If the Holy Spirit lives in you, He will grieve in you and wait for you to come soon away from the darkness to the light of God so that He could give you forgiveness. However if you love to be in the darkness, you will finally claim that you have done nothing wrong. "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." 1Jo.1:8


Power of the blood of Jesus
God has created for us a conscience that demands punishment for evil deeds. Therefore the sacrifice of Jesus is needed so that we could be set free from our guilt. Either you yourself suffer or the Lamb of God suffers your punishment. The conscience of many people doesn't accept a vicarious sacrifice and therefore they don't believe in Bible's Jesus. This results from some religious ceremony that has given their conscience a false peace.

Those religious acts are dead works. You can be released from their hold only after you have experienced the power of the blood of Jesus. "How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God!" Heb.9:14

You cannot serve the living God, if your conscience has gained peace by trusting on any other thing than the sacrifice of Jesus and on the power of His blood.

How can the power of the blood of Jesus affect in your heart? Firstly you must be in the faith of Jesus. To be able to experience the power of the blood of Jesus He must live in your heart by faith. If He is outside He cannot wash from the inside.

Secondly you must confess your sin just as the truth is. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1Jo.1:9

You must confess your sin to God with all your heart, in thoughts, in words and in deeds. Think about your deed deep in your heart, confessing your evilness that gave birth to your bad deed. Don't speak to God only about your bad deeds, but abhor your bad thoughts and attitudes that have caused your deeds. Repent your thoughts and accept your responsibility for your bad deeds. Prove by thinking and saying right that you want to change.

Many ask forgiveness for their bad deeds only because they are afraid of the punishment but they don't want to change their thoughts. God doesn't forgive you only because you asked. He forgives you because you repent your evilness and you confess your sins.

By confessing your sins you ask for forgiveness. By defending your sins you ask for judgment. What you confess in the light of God's words that is washed away by the blood of Jesus.

"Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus ... let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water." Heb.10:19-22

If the body of our thoughts has been cleansed by the water of God's word and our conscience has received the atonement with the blood of Jesus, we are able to enter the dazzling brightness of the face of God.