Updated: Three Temple Ages Make A Plan
The plan of God connects the Old Testament to the New Testament with a unique pattern in the Biblical record. Christ's people, written of by the prophets in the Old Testament, are the same people of the New Testament. Yet, we New Testament people are unaware of who we are. We are not gentiles, nor are we Judah, the Jews. "As for you, Ezekiel, son of man, describe to the House of Israel [this excludes the House of Judah, the Jews1] the temple that they may be ashamed of their iniquities; and they shall measure the pattern ... the House of Israel, are My people says the Lord GOD [Yehovah] ... so He was their Savior." [Eze. 43:10, also 34:30; Isa. 63:7, 8].
Consider this, our Lord Yehovah's command to Ezekiel is directed towards the same House of Israel in the New Testament to whom Jesus Christ [Iēsous, Hebrew origin יְהוֹשׁוּעַ Yĕhowshuwa` meaning Yehovah is salvation] was only sent. [Mat. 15:24]. It's the same House of Israel that Jesus Christ only sent the apostles. [Mat. 10:5, 6]. And it's the same House of Israel the apostle Peter addressed his remarks to on the first day of Christianity in Jerusalem. [Acts 2:36-38]. This is not coincidence. It's all part of our ancestry, and the plan of our Lord GOD Jesus Christ, from Genesis to Revelation, of which our Adversary wants us to remain ignorant.
Our continuing theological and historical ignorance keeps us, the nations of House of Israel in these last days, homeless. We're tramping about in a literal dead-end maze, in the same situation as our ancestors before their divorce from our LORD, and subsequent enslavement. As the last times prophecies make clear, this time will be worse for us. Our only way out is to throw off our collective blindfolds of deceit, and united, heed the truth of the words of our Savior. [See the Sneakers article, This Old House].
So, chances are, unless you are a reader of articles on this site, you've never even heard of the House of Israel, much less who we are, and the pattern of God's plan for us from before the beginning of the ages [2 Tim. 1:9], as written of from Genesis to Revelation, and in the ages to come. Yet, it permeates the entire Biblical record with all the books in their original ordained order. We could say, it's a key reason why we have the Bible. Knowledge of the temple is of vital importance for Christians because our Lord Jesus Christ "who truly was foreordained before the foundation of the world [Greek, kosmos] ... was made known in these last times for you." [1 Pet. 1:20; see Eze. 34:30].
The last times here refers specifically to the Christian age, the time from Christ's first coming to his return. This was the plan for the House of Israel all along. As the apostle Paul made very clear to the ekklesia in the first century, Christians with the Spirit of God in us are the temple of God in the Christian age. A temple building in Jerusalem now is a redundancy given the New Testament and the promise of our eternal inheritance. Any temple built by Babylon the Great in Jerusalem, the Beast and False Prophet, by definition and the plan of God, is a fake. It will be a temple to a false god. There is no Spirit of God there, nor will there be. [1 Cor 6:19; for details, see the Feature article, The Little Horn: First Century Antichrist]. But, unless we know who we are in the Biblical record, it is easy for us to be fooled by deceits. [Mat. 24:24].
The word temple here in Hebrew is bayith. It means house. By extension, it refers to the house of our LORD, his chosen people in the Christian age, hence the House of Israel. [Jer. 31:33; also the new Feature article, Ordained To Eternal Life]. The word measure is madad and means to measure or to stretch or extend as we would with a tape measure today. The plan, tokniyth, is a measurable pattern. This is the plan of God we can measure. It stretches out from our past, to the present and into the future for us, the three temple pattern for the House of Israel. It is a big picture view of God's plan, which, by the way, does not include anyone going to Heaven as the Roman church would have us believe.
Yet this was lost to us over the centuries due to our following after false prophets and Jerome's Latin Vulgate Bible translation with its corrupted order of books, which has led to ignorance of our heritage and calling. [See the Feature article, Moving Forward]. Christians, the House Of Israel, are not gentiles. The Old Testament is our book as much as is the New Testament. When we know God's plan, the pattern of the truth, it makes Christianity's deceitful fables stick out like the proverbial sore thumb.
Therefore, as God pointed out to Ezekiel, we should be ashamed of our iniquities, which in Hebrew is ‘avon. It means perversity, and depravity implying guilt. On this count, we have no choice but to plead guilty as charged. Unless, of course, we decide to change our situation and depart the iniquities as our Lord encourages us to do. [The Normalization Of Depravity In US And The West; also Pro. 6].
Beginning with the commanded ordinances of the Law Covenant, all the males of Israel, as Christ and the apostles did in the first century while the Law Covenant remained in effect [Zec. 11:10-12], were to appear before the LORD God in the temple three times of the year … in the early spring feast of the Passover/Unleavened Bread, the late spring/early summer feast of Weeks [Pentecost], and the autumn feast of Tabernacles. There is no feast or holy day in the dead of winter. [Exd. 23:17, Deu. 16:16; see the Feature articles, Three Times In God's Plan; The Relevance Of The Holy Days In The Last Days In The Plan Of God].
The Passover/Days Of Unleavened Bread go back to Israel's being brought out of the land of Egypt, leading to the law covenant and the building of the first temple by Solomon. Pentecost marks the coming of the Spirit of God for those called and chosen of the House of Israel. And Tabernacles marks the return of Christ, the first resurrection, the rejoining of Israel and Judah as one people again [Heb. 8:8, 9], and the eventual new Jerusalem.
This pattern, the three times of the year, has gone missing for the House of Israel. It has been replaced by spurious gentile fables and idols. As discussed at length in the article Moving Forward, we have come to accept the millennia long false flag op that we are gentiles, hence the need for the prophetic command from our LORD to Ezekiel to the House of Israel in these last times. [See Eze. 3:1]. The pattern we can measure portrays the three manifestations of the temple of God, his house, and his presence among us, and not the gentiles of the world. As noted, it makes known to us the big picture of the plan of God. [For a complete understanding, read The Hijacked Elephant, now a complimentary PDF book on our Home page; also see the Feature article, We're Abraham's Seed And Heirs, Not Gentiles].
The first temple of our LORD, the past, occurred in Israel's Age of the Old Law Covenant given to Moses and all the children of Israel. [See 1 Kng., chapters 6-8]. For all the nations of Israel, that earthly temple housed the presence of our LORD, the Ark of the Covenant and the Mercy Seat, or place of atonement. They were located in the holiest part of the temple. A thick veil, a curtain partitioned the entrance to this part of the temple symbolizing a wall of separation between God and our ancestors, the children of Israel. [Exd. 26:31-34; 29:45, 46].
And only once a year did the high priest, on behalf of all 12 nations of Israel, go beyond the veil on the Day of Atonement to make restitution for the sins of Israel. He did so by sprinkling the blood of a bull and a goat with his finger eastward, and then on and before the Mercy Seat seven times, reconciling Israel to God. [See Heb. 9:6-11; Exd. 25:22; Lev. 16:14-19; also Mat. 27:50, 51]. And during this age, all the children of Israel had life in the flesh through the spirit of man. [See the Book Excerpt, Three Creations Of Life: A Bridge To Understanding].
The second temple of our LORD, the present, occurs in the House Of Israel's Age of the New Faith Covenant. Remember, Christ was sent only to the lost sheep of the House of Israel in this age, with the seven eras of the church beginning in the first century. [See Seven Prophecies, Seven Churches]. Being called and chosen, we atone for our sins, which is repentance, and with faith in the truth of the word of God, we are baptized. And with the laying on of hands, we receive the Spirit of God. We become the temple of God, the sons of God. “Don’t you know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God." [1 Cor. 3:16; Rom. 8:14].
Christ, our high priest for the lost sheep of the House of Israel [Heb. 3:1-6], broke the Law Covenant, including all its ordinances, made with all the children of Israel, and brought us a better covenant established on better promises. [Zec. 11:10-12; Heb. 8:6]. The temple veil, the physical partition, which symbolized our separation from God, was rent in two at Christ’s death. It opened the door to a new relationship, the new covenant with God. The children of the House of Israel now have direct 24/7 access to God with Christ as our only mediator. [See Acts 2:36-38, Mat. 27:51; also the Sneakers article, The Veil Was Rent].
“Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter in the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say his flesh; and having a high priest over the house of God ….” [Heb. 10:19-21].2 In the first temple, the high priest only could access the holiest place in the temple on one day a year, the day of atonement, to atone for the sins of all Israel. It was where the ark of the covenant and mercy seat were located. Now with Christ as our high priest, and our bodies the temple of the Spirit of God, we have received mercy, forgiveness of sins, and can access our Father directly through prayer daily being born from above. [1 John 3:9; see the Feature article, Can A Christian Sin?]. And the Ark of the Covenant is now in heaven as well. "Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple. [The third temple]. And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail." [Rev. 11:19].
A temple building is no longer needed in this age. [See John 2:18-22]. However, the parallel betweeen the Old Covenant temple and the New Covenant temple, the pattern, should be very clear to us of the House of Israel. And when we are resurrected to immortality, our physical bodies, the temples of the Spirit of God in this age, no longer will be required. "So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption ...." [1 Cor 15:42].
The third temple of our LORD, the future, will occur in the New Heaven and Earth Age of Promise, the new heaven, the new Earth and the new Jerusalem. The promises, made to Abraham and his seed Christ, will be fulfilled. As the apostle John witnessed, “And I saw no [earthly, mortal] temple therein, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.” [Rev. 21:22]. God’s presence will be with men on the new Earth in the new Jerusalem. “And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them and be their God.’” [Rev. 21:1-3; see the Feature article, Heaven Can Wait II].
These three ages, the three manifestations of the temple, God's house, all point to the promise of eternal life with God, not in heaven, but on a new Earth. We know God’s plan from the gospel according to the power of God. [See the Feature article, What Exactly Is The Gospel?]. “[God] … who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works [keeping of the law], but according to his own purpose and grace [God's plan], which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began [Greek, chronos aionios, time without beginning or end], but is now manifest by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel [good news].” [2 Tim. 1:9, 10; see the Feature article, The Good News Colour Revolution].
The promise of eternal judgement, one of the seven basic doctrines of Christianity, was manifested at his first coming. [See the Sneakers article, Name Those Tenets]. Therefore, eternal judgement refers to being resurrected and judged either to eternal life or eternal death, the second death [Rev. 20:6; Rev. 21:8], and not to locations, such as the commonly portrayed Heaven, Hell or Purgatory, which are Roman church fictions, as was the now abolished Limbo.
Put another way, "Even as he [God the Father] has chosen us in him before the foundation of the world [Greek, kosmos], that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: having predestined us to the adoption of sons by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will ...." [Eph 1:4, 5]. The good pleasure of his will is another way to say God's plan. It is our Father's will, his plan that we were predestined as sons of God through Christ before this universe began. [Again, see the new Feature article, Ordained To Eternal Life].
The three temple ages are three transition stages from before the beginning of time to this end. It's all part of the purpose for the existence of this world in which we live, including past ages and the ages to come. But due to our following false prophets, God's plan for us has become a lost treasure. But now, it is discovered by you. [Mat. 13:44].
God began with his Spirit housed in a temple of stone and wood in Jerusalem for our ancestors. In the Christian age, the Spirit of God is housed in each of us individually, a temple of flesh and blood "fitted together growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit." [Eph. 2:21, 22; see Eph. 1:13, 14]. And ultimately, we are resurrected to eternal life, alive in the fullness of the Spirit as the immortal sons of God on a new Earth in the new Jerusalem. [See Rev. 21:1-4].
This is why Ezekiel was directed to "describe to the House of Israel the temple that they may be ashamed of their iniquities; and they shall measure the pattern.” We are not patternless gentiles who are "destined to go to Heaven." We are the House of Israel, Christ's chosen people destined, from before the beginning of time, to be the immortal sons of God, kings and priests in the kingdom of God on the new Earth. [Eze. 34:30; Rev. 5:10]. This is a bit different than the Church of Rome's fictitious idea of sitting around Heaven for eternity.
We aren't saved, called and chosen by Buddha, Joseph Smith, Martin Luther or the Pope. We are saved, called and chosen by our Father through his Son Jesus Christ. [See John 6:65]. As we are the temple of the Spirit of God, " ... what agreement has the temple of God with idols? for you are the temple [Greek, naos]3 of the God of the living [those ordained to eternal life versus eternal death]; as God has said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people." [2 Cor. 6:16; see Tts. 3:7, also the Sneakers article, What About Everyone Else?].
When we change from our carnal ways of following the deceits of this world, and the false religious holidays and practices, to seeking first the power and authority of God by committing ourselves to the truth delivered to us by Christ, and receive the Spirit of God, we are sons, the children of God. [See Psa. 82:6]. "Beloved, now we are the sons of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be [when immortal]: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is." [1 John 3:2].
This is our Father's plan for us, the House of Israel before time began. We are born from above into the family of God in this age.4 It is the Spirit of God that gives life to our mortal bodies, the temple of God, when this happens. No more do we have the spirit of man giving us life as when we were born in the flesh. "But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you." [Rom. 8:11; see 2 Tim. 1:8-10; also Chapter 1 in The Blind Man's Elephant].
The good news is that Jesus Christ, our LORD God and Savior, redeemed and reconciled the House of Israel into the covenant made with Abraham, which was promised to us before time began. [Mat. 15:24; Luke 1:68] This is what John 3:16 refers to when it says, “For God so loved the world ….” The word world here too is the Greek kosmos, which references God’s plan for us before time began. This is why, as noted at the beginning of this article, Ezekiel was directed by our LORD, " ... describe to the House of Israel the temple that they may be ashamed of their iniquities; and they shall measure the pattern." It does not, and never has referred to the gentiles of the world. [For details, see the Feature articles, Mirror, Mirror On The Wall and Moving Forward].
God's plan for us to be sons of God remained a mystery in previous ages. "Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: but when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law [the divorced House of Israel, not gentiles of the world], that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because you are sons [" ... saved us and called us with a holy calling before time began," 2 Tim. 1:9], God has sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore you are no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God [with an eternal inheritance] through Christ." [Gal. 4:4-7; see the Feature articles, Ordained To Eternal Life and And It's Still A Mystery].
To our detriment, we've lost knowledge of this today duped into believing we're a bunch of gentiles who go to Heaven when we die, rather than the truth of our blessed inheritance. [To see who's behind this deceit, this false doctrine, read the Feature article, Heaven Can Wait]. God's plan came into existence before time, i.e., the creation of our temporary stage, the universe, the space-time continuum, and our current Earth. [See Job 38:3-7]. After time no longer exists once again, that is time woven into the fabric of space will no longer exist, hence a new heaven, immortal ‘man’ without sin will be with God as members of God's family. Eternal judgement is one of the basic tenets of Christianity. Going off to heaven is not. [See 1 Cor. 15:50-54; see the Sneakers article, Name Those Tenets]. The House of Israel, and Judah too, are the first fruits at the return of Christ, and later in the new heaven, new Earth and the new Jerusalem. [James 1:1, 18; read Rev. 21; see Jer. 3:18].
Solomon built the first temple, which housed the Ark of the Covenant. But, both the Houses of Israel and Judah fell short of the mark. The House of Israel was divorced from God, cast out of its covenant relationship with God, but not the promise made to Abraham and his Seed. [See Gal. 3:16-18]. The House of Judah, while no better than her sister the House of Israel [see Jer. 3:8], was removed from their land during the Babylonian Captivity. “[King] Nebuchadnezzar also carried out the vessels of the house of the LORD to Babylon, and put them in his temple at Babylon.” [2 Chr. 36:7]. The temple in Jerusalem was laid ruin, and the Ark of the Covenant disappeared from the Biblical record until we have account of it again in Revelation 11:19.
A "brick and mortar" temple isn’t needed any more. [See John 2:18-21]. We are the temple of God’s Spirit. “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit in you, which you have from God, and you are not your own?” [1 Cor. 6:19; temple here is the Greek word, naos, referring to the holiest portion of the temple, behind the veil]. The apostle Paul made God's plan clear to the Christians at Ephesus in his letter to them about 60 CE, “For he [Christ] … has broken down the partition wall [literally, the rent veil in the Jerusalem temple upon his death] between us [God and the House of Israel] having abolished in his flesh the enmity [Greek, echthra, hostility], the law of the commandments in the ordinances [See the Feature article, The Tale Of Two Covenants] … Now therefore you [ekkelsia at Ephesus] are no longer strangers and foreigners [i.e., no longer estranged from God in the divorced state as the House of Israel, hence the gospel or good news], but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God having been built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets [of the Old Testament], Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone in whom the whole building, being fitted together grows into a holy temple in the Lord in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God through the Spirit." [Eph. 2:14-22; Heb. 9:15].
It's all part of the plan. And by now you should recognize the pattern God has ordained in his word to us. Also remember, by the time Paul wrote this to the redeemed House of Israel Christians at Ephesus, they had been strangers and foreigners since their ancestors had been divorced, beginning in 732 BCE. [See the Feature article, Damascus A Heap Of Ruins].
In the House of Israel's Age of the New Faith Covenant, Christ sent us the Spirit of God. [John 15:26]. It is available to those of the House of Israel as we read in Acts 2:36-38 and Mat. 15:24. [See the Feature article, Paul Was An Apostle To The House Of Israel, Not The Gentiles]. It was marked by the day of Pentecost, the feast of the Weeks, in the first century. A stone building, absent the breath of life, no longer is the temple of God. It was destroyed, not one stone left upon another as Christ said. He built the new temple [Greek, naos] within three days with his resurrection, which was the plan for us of the House of Israel from before the beginning. [Mark 13:1, 2; 14:58].
But consider Christ’s anger at the Passover time when he went into the temple in Jerusalem. “And he found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money-changers doing business. When he had made a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changer’s money and overturned their tables. And he said to those who sold doves, ‘Take these things away! Do not make my father’s house [hieron, temple] a house of merchandise.’ Then his disciples remembered that it was written, ‘Zeal for your house [Heb. bayith, house, temple] will consume me.’” [John 2:14-17; Psa. 69:9].
Christ’s zeal for us, the House of Israel with the Spirit of God is even greater. But, having forsaken the knowledge of God's plan, we have become a house of merchandise, seeking first the riches, false doctrines and holidays of this world, rather than our God-given heritage. [See 1 Pet. 2:9; also the Sneakers articles, A Life And Death Pickle Of A Predicament, His Treasured Possession, and Better Than Gold].
If you were in charge of the temple in the first century, would you allow it to become an adulterated house of merchandise? In the first paragraph at the beginning of this article, Ezekiel was told to describe to the House of Israel the temple, the house that they may be ashamed of their iniquities; and they shall measure the plan of eternal judgement and eternal life. For in the House of Israel's Age of the New Faith Covenant, our body is to be God’s temple. Putting false gods or idols first in our lives, before the power and authority, the kingdom, of God, whether they be our jobs, our relationships, or our fleshly pursuit of this world’s merchandise, or observing the false holidays of this world, pollutes God’s temple [Greek, naos] more so than the money-changers in a temple of stone. [Isa. 30:12-14]. Our motivation for all that we do in life, all our decisions, should be filtered first through the power and authority of God guided by the Spirit of God that we may keep our temples pure and unpolluted. And, this in turn, will keep our nations right with our king and Savior Jesus Christ.
Our mortal bodies are the temple of God. “If any defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, and you are that temple.” [1 Cor. 3:17, Greek, naos]. We need to take this warning to heart. The temple of stone in the first century was destroyed as Christ said. Not one stone was left upon another. And Christ paid for our temple with his life. Why then do we repay this debt to our Savior with apathy and iniquity, being the lazy, unprofitable servant cast into outer darkness, rather than seeking first the power and authority of God daily with passionate faith, which is the conviction of the truth? [See Mat. 25:14-30; see the Sneakers article, We Don't Believe You].
We can self-righteously live our entire lives saying to ourselves, "Well tomorrow I'll start putting the kingdom of God first in my life ahead of all my earthly concerns." Tomorrow never gets here. Why would we not rejoice that in turning away from the always present everyday obstacles and excuses of mortal life [see 2 Tim. 2:15], we can live with the Spirit of God in us as his temple, each day putting first his power and authority in our lives? [See Mark 10:29, 30].
Why choose curses and death when we blessings and life are offered to us? We should wake up each morning with the zeal for the house of God that Christ has. We are that temple of God. We need to drive out all that is not of God in our lives by living the truth of the word of God. We need to take measure of the pattern we are shown in the Biblical record that we choose life and blessings rather than being being unprofitable servants bearing the fruit of misery, destruction and death. [See chapter three in The Hijacked Elephant, a complimentary PDF on our Home page].
Measuring the plan in this age, as the first fruits of God’s harvest, we’re promised, “Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.” [Rev. 20:6]. We aren't given a free pass merely because we give lip service to being a Christian in this age.
Christ’s fulfillment of the third of times begins with the millennial feast of Tabernacles, and concludes with the establishment of the new heaven and Earth and the new Jerusalem. [See Zec. 14:16]. Thinking Heaven is our ultimate end is a grossly inferior deception that we have accepted. Our true destiny is to be priests and kings on the new Earth, reigning with our Lord Jesus Christ. We should wonder why is it we have been duped into believing we are gentiles who go to Heaven in light of this clear message from our Savior. [See the Covenant Flow Chart in the Feature article, The Tale Of Two Covenants].
The past age is an example for us of the House of Israel today. Israel was isolated from God in a temple of stone. Only our physical high priest once a year on behalf of our ancestors could enter past the veil into God's presence. Today, Christ, as our high priest, has redeemed his people who are without sin when we are born of God. [1 John 3:9]. The House of Israel, through the Spirit of God, has direct access to God 24/7 by our mediator Jesus Christ. In truth, no man can claim this role as high priest and mediator between us and our Father in Heaven. [See the Sneakers article, 23 Skidoo; see Rev. 3:12].
In the future, our Father will dwell among his people on a new Earth. Yet, for all that his eternal plan offers, none of which has anything whatsoever to do with our modern days idols, Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny, we reject it in favor of the temporal, which is nothing more than fleeting vapors chasing the wind from God’s perspective. Our physical bodies, like the temple of stone, and this Earth are only temporary dwellings. [See the Feature article, Brown Paint: Quantum Potentialities].
We can measure the plan of God as his sons, being the temple of God in this age, the last days, against the circus tent of Santa and his reindeer, the Christmas tree and next spring, the Easter Bunny and all those colored and decorated fertility symbols that have nothing to do with God's plan for us. [See 1 Ths. 5:1-11]. Will we throw out these ‘moneychangers’ that pollute our temple? If we don’t, we should be ashamed of our iniquities defiling the temple of God knowing that God cannot lie. “If any defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him.” But God is also merciful. [Heb. 2:17]. But we need to do our part, " ... repentance from dead works and of faith [Greek pistis, conviction of the truth] toward God ...." [Heb. 6:1].
As Ezekiel was told, "Therefore, O you son of man, speak to the House of Israel; Thus say to them, If our transgressions and our sins be upon us, and we rot away in them, how should we then live? Say to them, As I live, says the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn you, turn you from your evil ways; for why will you die, O House of Israel? ... But if the wicked turn from his wickedness, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall live thereby." [Eze. 13:10, 11, 19].
Unlike the high priest of Israel who went into the most sacred part of the temple before the throne of God once a year to atone for the sins of the people, our high priest is the Son of God, our sole mediator, who intercedes on our behalf. As God's sons with the Spirit of God, we have daily access to our Father through the veil of Jesus Christ. [1 Tim. 2:5, Heb. 7:25].
“Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we don’t have a high priest that cannot be touched with the feelings of our weaknesses, but in all points was tempted like we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help us in time of need.” [Heb. 4:14-16].
We live in a time of great need. Mostly importantly, we need to be confident and courageous, turning to the truth of the word of God, and live it passionately. We need to forsake the lies, deceits and falsehoods that have smothered us theologically. Our merciful LORD and Savior has made us a standing offer while the door remains open. The question is, will we take it? [Rev. 3:20-22].
1 The Jews were separated from the 12 nations of Israel because of King Solomon's idolatry. Thus, they became the House of Judah [aka House of David], with the remainder of the nations of Israel constituting the House of Israel. [See 1 Kng. 12:20]. Read 1 Kings chapter 12 for the whole story. The House of Israel stepped off the right path before God almost immediately after this split with Judah. And we did so again, beginning in the first century by following after false prophets. This is the wrong temple, and pattern to be measuring. The House of Israel is separate from the House of Judah to this day; and neither House are gentiles. However, we should note that Edom, the globalist-elite-Zionists, have infiltrated the House of Judah since the first century BCE, and to the world appear as "Jews." [See Rev. 3:9]. The first century King Herod of Judea was an Edomite. For a detailed Biblical understanding read chapter six, The Genesis Birthright in our comp Homepage PDF book The Blind Man's Elephant. Also see our Feature articles, Obadiah And The Prophetic Parable Of The Tares, Is That You, Big Brother? and The Little Horn: First Century Antichrist.
2 The Roman Catholic Church has put a veil between God and men with the practice of confession to a priest for the alleged forgiveness of our sins. Christ as our sole and only mediator over the house of God has forgiven our sins. [See Heb. 9:28; also 1 Pet. 3:18]. Christ's forgiveness of our sins once means it is of eternal validity. There is no on-going forgiveness of sins by a priest or anyone else. This idea is a completely false understanding of Christ's sacrifice and the concept of sin. [See 1 John 3:9; also the Feature article, Can A Christian Sin?].
The practice of confession of sins to a priest is a Roman church fabrication to maintain power and control over its adherents. Therefore, not only is the Roman church priest an unauthorized and false intermediary with no authority from God, but their confession booth has a screened partition, a veil, further symbolizing the false mediatorial relationship between priest and the confessor. This practice contradicts Christ's death breaking down the veil between God and man as was the plan of God from before the beginning of time for the House of Israel. In their organization, then, the pope becomes the high priest in place of Christ. [See the Sneakers article, The Veil Was Rent].
3 The Greek word for temple here is naos, as opposed to the general Greek term, hieron. Naos is a reference, therefore, not to the whole temple of Jerusalem, but to the holiest part of the temple, past the veil to where the seat of God was housed, the Ark of the Covenant and the Mercy Seat. The covenant was the law covenant by which all Israel was found guilty. "Now we know that what things soever the law says, it says to them who are under the law [all Israel, not gentiles of the world]: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world [Greek, kosmos, the plan of God for all those of Israel] may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin." [Rom. 3:19, 20]. Sin, Greek, hamartia, means to miss the mark. Knowing what the mark is in this case, we cannot cliam to be innocent or ignorant of good or evil. This is what changed in the garden in Eden for Adam and Eve. [See the Sneakers article, As It Was In The Beginning, So It Is At The End].
Coupled with the law covenant in the temple, naos, however, was the Mercy Seat. "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people [Greek, laos, a people, tribe, nation, all those who are of the same stock and language]; that you should show forth the praises of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy [guilty under the law, divorced from God, Jer. 3:6-8], but now have obtained mercy [the grace of God for the redeemed House of Israel in this age, see Isa. 47:4]." [1 Pet. 2:9, 10; compare to Deu. 7:6-8, Hebrew, 'am people, single race, tribe, kinsman; see the Feature article, And It's Still A Mystery].
Thus, in reference to our bodies being the holiest part of the temple [naos] through the Spirit of God, we have access directly to God as mentioned in Heb. 10:19-21, through the veil of Christ, as our sole mediator. As Paul told us, we have the " ... boldness to enter in the holiest by the blood of Jesus." This pattern, the plan of God, which was instituted before time began, therefore is made known to the House of Israel through the temple ages from Old Testament, to New Testament to the new Heaven, new Earth and the new Jerusalem as our LORD commanded Ezekiel to do. It is knowledge the redeemed children of the House of Israel have lost throughout the centuries due to our believing the false doctrine that we are gentiles. And the destiny of the children of Israel is far greater than the false doctrine of "going to Heaven." Again see the Heaven Can Wait articles in the Feature articles menu.
4 There are three verses in the New Testament referring to Christ as the only Son of God. But they all say, "the only begotten Son of God." The Greek word here for begotten is monogenes, an adjective. According to the Strong's Concordance, this means "only-born, i.e. sole:- only (begotten, child)." As we know from other Biblical references, there are other "sons of God," ben elohiym, [See the Sneakers article, One, Two, Three More Or Less]. However, Christ was the only-born Son of God, not only of the flesh, but also born of the Spirit while in the flesh.
As Paul says, "For whom he [God] did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he [God's Son Christ] might be the firstborn among many brethren." [Rom. 8:29]. Firstborn is the Greek, prototokos, an adjective. In other words, Christ is the first born, and at the time in the first century, the only born Son of God on Earth, among many who are the sons of God by being born from above with the Spirit of God according to the purpose of our Father's will as intended before time and the beginning of our universe. [See the Feature article, Our Corrupted Compass].
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"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: according as he has chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: having predestinated us to the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he has made us accepted in the beloved."
Consider this, our Lord Yehovah's command to Ezekiel is directed towards the same House of Israel in the New Testament to whom Jesus Christ [Iēsous, Hebrew origin יְהוֹשׁוּעַ Yĕhowshuwa` meaning Yehovah is salvation] was only sent. [Mat. 15:24]. It's the same House of Israel that Jesus Christ only sent the apostles. [Mat. 10:5, 6]. And it's the same House of Israel the apostle Peter addressed his remarks to on the first day of Christianity in Jerusalem. [Acts 2:36-38]. This is not coincidence. It's all part of our ancestry, and the plan of our Lord GOD Jesus Christ, from Genesis to Revelation, of which our Adversary wants us to remain ignorant.
Our continuing theological and historical ignorance keeps us, the nations of House of Israel in these last days, homeless. We're tramping about in a literal dead-end maze, in the same situation as our ancestors before their divorce from our LORD, and subsequent enslavement. As the last times prophecies make clear, this time will be worse for us. Our only way out is to throw off our collective blindfolds of deceit, and united, heed the truth of the words of our Savior. [See the Sneakers article, This Old House].
So, chances are, unless you are a reader of articles on this site, you've never even heard of the House of Israel, much less who we are, and the pattern of God's plan for us from before the beginning of the ages [2 Tim. 1:9], as written of from Genesis to Revelation, and in the ages to come. Yet, it permeates the entire Biblical record with all the books in their original ordained order. We could say, it's a key reason why we have the Bible. Knowledge of the temple is of vital importance for Christians because our Lord Jesus Christ "who truly was foreordained before the foundation of the world [Greek, kosmos] ... was made known in these last times for you." [1 Pet. 1:20; see Eze. 34:30].
The last times here refers specifically to the Christian age, the time from Christ's first coming to his return. This was the plan for the House of Israel all along. As the apostle Paul made very clear to the ekklesia in the first century, Christians with the Spirit of God in us are the temple of God in the Christian age. A temple building in Jerusalem now is a redundancy given the New Testament and the promise of our eternal inheritance. Any temple built by Babylon the Great in Jerusalem, the Beast and False Prophet, by definition and the plan of God, is a fake. It will be a temple to a false god. There is no Spirit of God there, nor will there be. [1 Cor 6:19; for details, see the Feature article, The Little Horn: First Century Antichrist]. But, unless we know who we are in the Biblical record, it is easy for us to be fooled by deceits. [Mat. 24:24].
The word temple here in Hebrew is bayith. It means house. By extension, it refers to the house of our LORD, his chosen people in the Christian age, hence the House of Israel. [Jer. 31:33; also the new Feature article, Ordained To Eternal Life]. The word measure is madad and means to measure or to stretch or extend as we would with a tape measure today. The plan, tokniyth, is a measurable pattern. This is the plan of God we can measure. It stretches out from our past, to the present and into the future for us, the three temple pattern for the House of Israel. It is a big picture view of God's plan, which, by the way, does not include anyone going to Heaven as the Roman church would have us believe.
Yet this was lost to us over the centuries due to our following after false prophets and Jerome's Latin Vulgate Bible translation with its corrupted order of books, which has led to ignorance of our heritage and calling. [See the Feature article, Moving Forward]. Christians, the House Of Israel, are not gentiles. The Old Testament is our book as much as is the New Testament. When we know God's plan, the pattern of the truth, it makes Christianity's deceitful fables stick out like the proverbial sore thumb.
Therefore, as God pointed out to Ezekiel, we should be ashamed of our iniquities, which in Hebrew is ‘avon. It means perversity, and depravity implying guilt. On this count, we have no choice but to plead guilty as charged. Unless, of course, we decide to change our situation and depart the iniquities as our Lord encourages us to do. [The Normalization Of Depravity In US And The West; also Pro. 6].
Beginning with the commanded ordinances of the Law Covenant, all the males of Israel, as Christ and the apostles did in the first century while the Law Covenant remained in effect [Zec. 11:10-12], were to appear before the LORD God in the temple three times of the year … in the early spring feast of the Passover/Unleavened Bread, the late spring/early summer feast of Weeks [Pentecost], and the autumn feast of Tabernacles. There is no feast or holy day in the dead of winter. [Exd. 23:17, Deu. 16:16; see the Feature articles, Three Times In God's Plan; The Relevance Of The Holy Days In The Last Days In The Plan Of God].
The Passover/Days Of Unleavened Bread go back to Israel's being brought out of the land of Egypt, leading to the law covenant and the building of the first temple by Solomon. Pentecost marks the coming of the Spirit of God for those called and chosen of the House of Israel. And Tabernacles marks the return of Christ, the first resurrection, the rejoining of Israel and Judah as one people again [Heb. 8:8, 9], and the eventual new Jerusalem.
This pattern, the three times of the year, has gone missing for the House of Israel. It has been replaced by spurious gentile fables and idols. As discussed at length in the article Moving Forward, we have come to accept the millennia long false flag op that we are gentiles, hence the need for the prophetic command from our LORD to Ezekiel to the House of Israel in these last times. [See Eze. 3:1]. The pattern we can measure portrays the three manifestations of the temple of God, his house, and his presence among us, and not the gentiles of the world. As noted, it makes known to us the big picture of the plan of God. [For a complete understanding, read The Hijacked Elephant, now a complimentary PDF book on our Home page; also see the Feature article, We're Abraham's Seed And Heirs, Not Gentiles].
The first temple of our LORD, the past, occurred in Israel's Age of the Old Law Covenant given to Moses and all the children of Israel. [See 1 Kng., chapters 6-8]. For all the nations of Israel, that earthly temple housed the presence of our LORD, the Ark of the Covenant and the Mercy Seat, or place of atonement. They were located in the holiest part of the temple. A thick veil, a curtain partitioned the entrance to this part of the temple symbolizing a wall of separation between God and our ancestors, the children of Israel. [Exd. 26:31-34; 29:45, 46].
And only once a year did the high priest, on behalf of all 12 nations of Israel, go beyond the veil on the Day of Atonement to make restitution for the sins of Israel. He did so by sprinkling the blood of a bull and a goat with his finger eastward, and then on and before the Mercy Seat seven times, reconciling Israel to God. [See Heb. 9:6-11; Exd. 25:22; Lev. 16:14-19; also Mat. 27:50, 51]. And during this age, all the children of Israel had life in the flesh through the spirit of man. [See the Book Excerpt, Three Creations Of Life: A Bridge To Understanding].
The second temple of our LORD, the present, occurs in the House Of Israel's Age of the New Faith Covenant. Remember, Christ was sent only to the lost sheep of the House of Israel in this age, with the seven eras of the church beginning in the first century. [See Seven Prophecies, Seven Churches]. Being called and chosen, we atone for our sins, which is repentance, and with faith in the truth of the word of God, we are baptized. And with the laying on of hands, we receive the Spirit of God. We become the temple of God, the sons of God. “Don’t you know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God." [1 Cor. 3:16; Rom. 8:14].
Christ, our high priest for the lost sheep of the House of Israel [Heb. 3:1-6], broke the Law Covenant, including all its ordinances, made with all the children of Israel, and brought us a better covenant established on better promises. [Zec. 11:10-12; Heb. 8:6]. The temple veil, the physical partition, which symbolized our separation from God, was rent in two at Christ’s death. It opened the door to a new relationship, the new covenant with God. The children of the House of Israel now have direct 24/7 access to God with Christ as our only mediator. [See Acts 2:36-38, Mat. 27:51; also the Sneakers article, The Veil Was Rent].
“Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter in the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say his flesh; and having a high priest over the house of God ….” [Heb. 10:19-21].2 In the first temple, the high priest only could access the holiest place in the temple on one day a year, the day of atonement, to atone for the sins of all Israel. It was where the ark of the covenant and mercy seat were located. Now with Christ as our high priest, and our bodies the temple of the Spirit of God, we have received mercy, forgiveness of sins, and can access our Father directly through prayer daily being born from above. [1 John 3:9; see the Feature article, Can A Christian Sin?]. And the Ark of the Covenant is now in heaven as well. "Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple. [The third temple]. And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail." [Rev. 11:19].
A temple building is no longer needed in this age. [See John 2:18-22]. However, the parallel betweeen the Old Covenant temple and the New Covenant temple, the pattern, should be very clear to us of the House of Israel. And when we are resurrected to immortality, our physical bodies, the temples of the Spirit of God in this age, no longer will be required. "So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption ...." [1 Cor 15:42].
The third temple of our LORD, the future, will occur in the New Heaven and Earth Age of Promise, the new heaven, the new Earth and the new Jerusalem. The promises, made to Abraham and his seed Christ, will be fulfilled. As the apostle John witnessed, “And I saw no [earthly, mortal] temple therein, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.” [Rev. 21:22]. God’s presence will be with men on the new Earth in the new Jerusalem. “And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them and be their God.’” [Rev. 21:1-3; see the Feature article, Heaven Can Wait II].
These three ages, the three manifestations of the temple, God's house, all point to the promise of eternal life with God, not in heaven, but on a new Earth. We know God’s plan from the gospel according to the power of God. [See the Feature article, What Exactly Is The Gospel?]. “[God] … who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works [keeping of the law], but according to his own purpose and grace [God's plan], which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began [Greek, chronos aionios, time without beginning or end], but is now manifest by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel [good news].” [2 Tim. 1:9, 10; see the Feature article, The Good News Colour Revolution].
The promise of eternal judgement, one of the seven basic doctrines of Christianity, was manifested at his first coming. [See the Sneakers article, Name Those Tenets]. Therefore, eternal judgement refers to being resurrected and judged either to eternal life or eternal death, the second death [Rev. 20:6; Rev. 21:8], and not to locations, such as the commonly portrayed Heaven, Hell or Purgatory, which are Roman church fictions, as was the now abolished Limbo.
Put another way, "Even as he [God the Father] has chosen us in him before the foundation of the world [Greek, kosmos], that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: having predestined us to the adoption of sons by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will ...." [Eph 1:4, 5]. The good pleasure of his will is another way to say God's plan. It is our Father's will, his plan that we were predestined as sons of God through Christ before this universe began. [Again, see the new Feature article, Ordained To Eternal Life].
The three temple ages are three transition stages from before the beginning of time to this end. It's all part of the purpose for the existence of this world in which we live, including past ages and the ages to come. But due to our following false prophets, God's plan for us has become a lost treasure. But now, it is discovered by you. [Mat. 13:44].
God began with his Spirit housed in a temple of stone and wood in Jerusalem for our ancestors. In the Christian age, the Spirit of God is housed in each of us individually, a temple of flesh and blood "fitted together growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit." [Eph. 2:21, 22; see Eph. 1:13, 14]. And ultimately, we are resurrected to eternal life, alive in the fullness of the Spirit as the immortal sons of God on a new Earth in the new Jerusalem. [See Rev. 21:1-4].
This is why Ezekiel was directed to "describe to the House of Israel the temple that they may be ashamed of their iniquities; and they shall measure the pattern.” We are not patternless gentiles who are "destined to go to Heaven." We are the House of Israel, Christ's chosen people destined, from before the beginning of time, to be the immortal sons of God, kings and priests in the kingdom of God on the new Earth. [Eze. 34:30; Rev. 5:10]. This is a bit different than the Church of Rome's fictitious idea of sitting around Heaven for eternity.
We aren't saved, called and chosen by Buddha, Joseph Smith, Martin Luther or the Pope. We are saved, called and chosen by our Father through his Son Jesus Christ. [See John 6:65]. As we are the temple of the Spirit of God, " ... what agreement has the temple of God with idols? for you are the temple [Greek, naos]3 of the God of the living [those ordained to eternal life versus eternal death]; as God has said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people." [2 Cor. 6:16; see Tts. 3:7, also the Sneakers article, What About Everyone Else?].
When we change from our carnal ways of following the deceits of this world, and the false religious holidays and practices, to seeking first the power and authority of God by committing ourselves to the truth delivered to us by Christ, and receive the Spirit of God, we are sons, the children of God. [See Psa. 82:6]. "Beloved, now we are the sons of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be [when immortal]: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is." [1 John 3:2].
This is our Father's plan for us, the House of Israel before time began. We are born from above into the family of God in this age.4 It is the Spirit of God that gives life to our mortal bodies, the temple of God, when this happens. No more do we have the spirit of man giving us life as when we were born in the flesh. "But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you." [Rom. 8:11; see 2 Tim. 1:8-10; also Chapter 1 in The Blind Man's Elephant].
The good news is that Jesus Christ, our LORD God and Savior, redeemed and reconciled the House of Israel into the covenant made with Abraham, which was promised to us before time began. [Mat. 15:24; Luke 1:68] This is what John 3:16 refers to when it says, “For God so loved the world ….” The word world here too is the Greek kosmos, which references God’s plan for us before time began. This is why, as noted at the beginning of this article, Ezekiel was directed by our LORD, " ... describe to the House of Israel the temple that they may be ashamed of their iniquities; and they shall measure the pattern." It does not, and never has referred to the gentiles of the world. [For details, see the Feature articles, Mirror, Mirror On The Wall and Moving Forward].
God's plan for us to be sons of God remained a mystery in previous ages. "Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: but when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law [the divorced House of Israel, not gentiles of the world], that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because you are sons [" ... saved us and called us with a holy calling before time began," 2 Tim. 1:9], God has sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore you are no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God [with an eternal inheritance] through Christ." [Gal. 4:4-7; see the Feature articles, Ordained To Eternal Life and And It's Still A Mystery].
To our detriment, we've lost knowledge of this today duped into believing we're a bunch of gentiles who go to Heaven when we die, rather than the truth of our blessed inheritance. [To see who's behind this deceit, this false doctrine, read the Feature article, Heaven Can Wait]. God's plan came into existence before time, i.e., the creation of our temporary stage, the universe, the space-time continuum, and our current Earth. [See Job 38:3-7]. After time no longer exists once again, that is time woven into the fabric of space will no longer exist, hence a new heaven, immortal ‘man’ without sin will be with God as members of God's family. Eternal judgement is one of the basic tenets of Christianity. Going off to heaven is not. [See 1 Cor. 15:50-54; see the Sneakers article, Name Those Tenets]. The House of Israel, and Judah too, are the first fruits at the return of Christ, and later in the new heaven, new Earth and the new Jerusalem. [James 1:1, 18; read Rev. 21; see Jer. 3:18].
Solomon built the first temple, which housed the Ark of the Covenant. But, both the Houses of Israel and Judah fell short of the mark. The House of Israel was divorced from God, cast out of its covenant relationship with God, but not the promise made to Abraham and his Seed. [See Gal. 3:16-18]. The House of Judah, while no better than her sister the House of Israel [see Jer. 3:8], was removed from their land during the Babylonian Captivity. “[King] Nebuchadnezzar also carried out the vessels of the house of the LORD to Babylon, and put them in his temple at Babylon.” [2 Chr. 36:7]. The temple in Jerusalem was laid ruin, and the Ark of the Covenant disappeared from the Biblical record until we have account of it again in Revelation 11:19.
A "brick and mortar" temple isn’t needed any more. [See John 2:18-21]. We are the temple of God’s Spirit. “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit in you, which you have from God, and you are not your own?” [1 Cor. 6:19; temple here is the Greek word, naos, referring to the holiest portion of the temple, behind the veil]. The apostle Paul made God's plan clear to the Christians at Ephesus in his letter to them about 60 CE, “For he [Christ] … has broken down the partition wall [literally, the rent veil in the Jerusalem temple upon his death] between us [God and the House of Israel] having abolished in his flesh the enmity [Greek, echthra, hostility], the law of the commandments in the ordinances [See the Feature article, The Tale Of Two Covenants] … Now therefore you [ekkelsia at Ephesus] are no longer strangers and foreigners [i.e., no longer estranged from God in the divorced state as the House of Israel, hence the gospel or good news], but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God having been built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets [of the Old Testament], Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone in whom the whole building, being fitted together grows into a holy temple in the Lord in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God through the Spirit." [Eph. 2:14-22; Heb. 9:15].
It's all part of the plan. And by now you should recognize the pattern God has ordained in his word to us. Also remember, by the time Paul wrote this to the redeemed House of Israel Christians at Ephesus, they had been strangers and foreigners since their ancestors had been divorced, beginning in 732 BCE. [See the Feature article, Damascus A Heap Of Ruins].
In the House of Israel's Age of the New Faith Covenant, Christ sent us the Spirit of God. [John 15:26]. It is available to those of the House of Israel as we read in Acts 2:36-38 and Mat. 15:24. [See the Feature article, Paul Was An Apostle To The House Of Israel, Not The Gentiles]. It was marked by the day of Pentecost, the feast of the Weeks, in the first century. A stone building, absent the breath of life, no longer is the temple of God. It was destroyed, not one stone left upon another as Christ said. He built the new temple [Greek, naos] within three days with his resurrection, which was the plan for us of the House of Israel from before the beginning. [Mark 13:1, 2; 14:58].
But consider Christ’s anger at the Passover time when he went into the temple in Jerusalem. “And he found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money-changers doing business. When he had made a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changer’s money and overturned their tables. And he said to those who sold doves, ‘Take these things away! Do not make my father’s house [hieron, temple] a house of merchandise.’ Then his disciples remembered that it was written, ‘Zeal for your house [Heb. bayith, house, temple] will consume me.’” [John 2:14-17; Psa. 69:9].
Christ’s zeal for us, the House of Israel with the Spirit of God is even greater. But, having forsaken the knowledge of God's plan, we have become a house of merchandise, seeking first the riches, false doctrines and holidays of this world, rather than our God-given heritage. [See 1 Pet. 2:9; also the Sneakers articles, A Life And Death Pickle Of A Predicament, His Treasured Possession, and Better Than Gold].
If you were in charge of the temple in the first century, would you allow it to become an adulterated house of merchandise? In the first paragraph at the beginning of this article, Ezekiel was told to describe to the House of Israel the temple, the house that they may be ashamed of their iniquities; and they shall measure the plan of eternal judgement and eternal life. For in the House of Israel's Age of the New Faith Covenant, our body is to be God’s temple. Putting false gods or idols first in our lives, before the power and authority, the kingdom, of God, whether they be our jobs, our relationships, or our fleshly pursuit of this world’s merchandise, or observing the false holidays of this world, pollutes God’s temple [Greek, naos] more so than the money-changers in a temple of stone. [Isa. 30:12-14]. Our motivation for all that we do in life, all our decisions, should be filtered first through the power and authority of God guided by the Spirit of God that we may keep our temples pure and unpolluted. And, this in turn, will keep our nations right with our king and Savior Jesus Christ.
Our mortal bodies are the temple of God. “If any defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, and you are that temple.” [1 Cor. 3:17, Greek, naos]. We need to take this warning to heart. The temple of stone in the first century was destroyed as Christ said. Not one stone was left upon another. And Christ paid for our temple with his life. Why then do we repay this debt to our Savior with apathy and iniquity, being the lazy, unprofitable servant cast into outer darkness, rather than seeking first the power and authority of God daily with passionate faith, which is the conviction of the truth? [See Mat. 25:14-30; see the Sneakers article, We Don't Believe You].
We can self-righteously live our entire lives saying to ourselves, "Well tomorrow I'll start putting the kingdom of God first in my life ahead of all my earthly concerns." Tomorrow never gets here. Why would we not rejoice that in turning away from the always present everyday obstacles and excuses of mortal life [see 2 Tim. 2:15], we can live with the Spirit of God in us as his temple, each day putting first his power and authority in our lives? [See Mark 10:29, 30].
Why choose curses and death when we blessings and life are offered to us? We should wake up each morning with the zeal for the house of God that Christ has. We are that temple of God. We need to drive out all that is not of God in our lives by living the truth of the word of God. We need to take measure of the pattern we are shown in the Biblical record that we choose life and blessings rather than being being unprofitable servants bearing the fruit of misery, destruction and death. [See chapter three in The Hijacked Elephant, a complimentary PDF on our Home page].
Measuring the plan in this age, as the first fruits of God’s harvest, we’re promised, “Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.” [Rev. 20:6]. We aren't given a free pass merely because we give lip service to being a Christian in this age.
Christ’s fulfillment of the third of times begins with the millennial feast of Tabernacles, and concludes with the establishment of the new heaven and Earth and the new Jerusalem. [See Zec. 14:16]. Thinking Heaven is our ultimate end is a grossly inferior deception that we have accepted. Our true destiny is to be priests and kings on the new Earth, reigning with our Lord Jesus Christ. We should wonder why is it we have been duped into believing we are gentiles who go to Heaven in light of this clear message from our Savior. [See the Covenant Flow Chart in the Feature article, The Tale Of Two Covenants].
The past age is an example for us of the House of Israel today. Israel was isolated from God in a temple of stone. Only our physical high priest once a year on behalf of our ancestors could enter past the veil into God's presence. Today, Christ, as our high priest, has redeemed his people who are without sin when we are born of God. [1 John 3:9]. The House of Israel, through the Spirit of God, has direct access to God 24/7 by our mediator Jesus Christ. In truth, no man can claim this role as high priest and mediator between us and our Father in Heaven. [See the Sneakers article, 23 Skidoo; see Rev. 3:12].
In the future, our Father will dwell among his people on a new Earth. Yet, for all that his eternal plan offers, none of which has anything whatsoever to do with our modern days idols, Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny, we reject it in favor of the temporal, which is nothing more than fleeting vapors chasing the wind from God’s perspective. Our physical bodies, like the temple of stone, and this Earth are only temporary dwellings. [See the Feature article, Brown Paint: Quantum Potentialities].
We can measure the plan of God as his sons, being the temple of God in this age, the last days, against the circus tent of Santa and his reindeer, the Christmas tree and next spring, the Easter Bunny and all those colored and decorated fertility symbols that have nothing to do with God's plan for us. [See 1 Ths. 5:1-11]. Will we throw out these ‘moneychangers’ that pollute our temple? If we don’t, we should be ashamed of our iniquities defiling the temple of God knowing that God cannot lie. “If any defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him.” But God is also merciful. [Heb. 2:17]. But we need to do our part, " ... repentance from dead works and of faith [Greek pistis, conviction of the truth] toward God ...." [Heb. 6:1].
As Ezekiel was told, "Therefore, O you son of man, speak to the House of Israel; Thus say to them, If our transgressions and our sins be upon us, and we rot away in them, how should we then live? Say to them, As I live, says the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn you, turn you from your evil ways; for why will you die, O House of Israel? ... But if the wicked turn from his wickedness, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall live thereby." [Eze. 13:10, 11, 19].
Unlike the high priest of Israel who went into the most sacred part of the temple before the throne of God once a year to atone for the sins of the people, our high priest is the Son of God, our sole mediator, who intercedes on our behalf. As God's sons with the Spirit of God, we have daily access to our Father through the veil of Jesus Christ. [1 Tim. 2:5, Heb. 7:25].
“Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we don’t have a high priest that cannot be touched with the feelings of our weaknesses, but in all points was tempted like we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help us in time of need.” [Heb. 4:14-16].
We live in a time of great need. Mostly importantly, we need to be confident and courageous, turning to the truth of the word of God, and live it passionately. We need to forsake the lies, deceits and falsehoods that have smothered us theologically. Our merciful LORD and Savior has made us a standing offer while the door remains open. The question is, will we take it? [Rev. 3:20-22].
1 The Jews were separated from the 12 nations of Israel because of King Solomon's idolatry. Thus, they became the House of Judah [aka House of David], with the remainder of the nations of Israel constituting the House of Israel. [See 1 Kng. 12:20]. Read 1 Kings chapter 12 for the whole story. The House of Israel stepped off the right path before God almost immediately after this split with Judah. And we did so again, beginning in the first century by following after false prophets. This is the wrong temple, and pattern to be measuring. The House of Israel is separate from the House of Judah to this day; and neither House are gentiles. However, we should note that Edom, the globalist-elite-Zionists, have infiltrated the House of Judah since the first century BCE, and to the world appear as "Jews." [See Rev. 3:9]. The first century King Herod of Judea was an Edomite. For a detailed Biblical understanding read chapter six, The Genesis Birthright in our comp Homepage PDF book The Blind Man's Elephant. Also see our Feature articles, Obadiah And The Prophetic Parable Of The Tares, Is That You, Big Brother? and The Little Horn: First Century Antichrist.
2 The Roman Catholic Church has put a veil between God and men with the practice of confession to a priest for the alleged forgiveness of our sins. Christ as our sole and only mediator over the house of God has forgiven our sins. [See Heb. 9:28; also 1 Pet. 3:18]. Christ's forgiveness of our sins once means it is of eternal validity. There is no on-going forgiveness of sins by a priest or anyone else. This idea is a completely false understanding of Christ's sacrifice and the concept of sin. [See 1 John 3:9; also the Feature article, Can A Christian Sin?].
The practice of confession of sins to a priest is a Roman church fabrication to maintain power and control over its adherents. Therefore, not only is the Roman church priest an unauthorized and false intermediary with no authority from God, but their confession booth has a screened partition, a veil, further symbolizing the false mediatorial relationship between priest and the confessor. This practice contradicts Christ's death breaking down the veil between God and man as was the plan of God from before the beginning of time for the House of Israel. In their organization, then, the pope becomes the high priest in place of Christ. [See the Sneakers article, The Veil Was Rent].
3 The Greek word for temple here is naos, as opposed to the general Greek term, hieron. Naos is a reference, therefore, not to the whole temple of Jerusalem, but to the holiest part of the temple, past the veil to where the seat of God was housed, the Ark of the Covenant and the Mercy Seat. The covenant was the law covenant by which all Israel was found guilty. "Now we know that what things soever the law says, it says to them who are under the law [all Israel, not gentiles of the world]: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world [Greek, kosmos, the plan of God for all those of Israel] may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin." [Rom. 3:19, 20]. Sin, Greek, hamartia, means to miss the mark. Knowing what the mark is in this case, we cannot cliam to be innocent or ignorant of good or evil. This is what changed in the garden in Eden for Adam and Eve. [See the Sneakers article, As It Was In The Beginning, So It Is At The End].
Coupled with the law covenant in the temple, naos, however, was the Mercy Seat. "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people [Greek, laos, a people, tribe, nation, all those who are of the same stock and language]; that you should show forth the praises of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy [guilty under the law, divorced from God, Jer. 3:6-8], but now have obtained mercy [the grace of God for the redeemed House of Israel in this age, see Isa. 47:4]." [1 Pet. 2:9, 10; compare to Deu. 7:6-8, Hebrew, 'am people, single race, tribe, kinsman; see the Feature article, And It's Still A Mystery].
Thus, in reference to our bodies being the holiest part of the temple [naos] through the Spirit of God, we have access directly to God as mentioned in Heb. 10:19-21, through the veil of Christ, as our sole mediator. As Paul told us, we have the " ... boldness to enter in the holiest by the blood of Jesus." This pattern, the plan of God, which was instituted before time began, therefore is made known to the House of Israel through the temple ages from Old Testament, to New Testament to the new Heaven, new Earth and the new Jerusalem as our LORD commanded Ezekiel to do. It is knowledge the redeemed children of the House of Israel have lost throughout the centuries due to our believing the false doctrine that we are gentiles. And the destiny of the children of Israel is far greater than the false doctrine of "going to Heaven." Again see the Heaven Can Wait articles in the Feature articles menu.
4 There are three verses in the New Testament referring to Christ as the only Son of God. But they all say, "the only begotten Son of God." The Greek word here for begotten is monogenes, an adjective. According to the Strong's Concordance, this means "only-born, i.e. sole:- only (begotten, child)." As we know from other Biblical references, there are other "sons of God," ben elohiym, [See the Sneakers article, One, Two, Three More Or Less]. However, Christ was the only-born Son of God, not only of the flesh, but also born of the Spirit while in the flesh.
As Paul says, "For whom he [God] did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he [God's Son Christ] might be the firstborn among many brethren." [Rom. 8:29]. Firstborn is the Greek, prototokos, an adjective. In other words, Christ is the first born, and at the time in the first century, the only born Son of God on Earth, among many who are the sons of God by being born from above with the Spirit of God according to the purpose of our Father's will as intended before time and the beginning of our universe. [See the Feature article, Our Corrupted Compass].
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