Destroy This Temple

Every one of God’s houses throughout Bible history has “former days” and “latter days.” This pattern of construction and reconstruction is a process of death and resurrection.

Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple,
and in three days I will raise it up.” (John 2:19)

Each House of God was constructed (according to divine directions), then due to disobedience it was torn apart and eventually torn down. When reconstructed, each new house was like a resurrection body, recognisable to those who had eyes to see, but possessing a greater spiritual glory, and much greater authority.

Due to the sins of priests and king in the days of Samuel, the Tabernacle was “beheaded,” the Ark of the Testimony seized by the Philistines. After the death of Saul, it was finally returned to Israel’s king, but the “Tabernacle of David” was a different kind of tent. The original “body” had been silent as a lamb, but this new “bridal” version was filled with music and dancing, and worship which included representatives from the nations.

Likewise, due to sacrilege in the Temple and abominations in the Land, Solomon’s Temple was torn apart. This time the Ark of the Testimony was taken for good, most likely to heaven, since it makes an appearance in Revelation 11:19. But that is another story. The new Temple founded by Ezra did not possess the same earthly glory, but it is described spiritually in Ezekiel 40-48, where we discover that the entire resurrected nation of Israel was now a priesthood in an enormous “social” Temple built of Jews and Gentiles across the empire, or oikoumene, which means “inhabited.” Yahweh’s name was now “dwelling” in a larger household than the building in Jerusalem. Although Solomon’s palace and Temple had been parts of a single elevated complex (1 Kings 6-7), the Lord would never again dwell next to a human king (Ezekiel 43:8). This Temple prefigured the New Covenant order (Acts 7:48).

So, each of these houses went through a process of death and resurrection, a “purification by fire.” In every case, it was the house of God which was completely cut off for the sake of Israel, allowing them a remnant which could be restored (Romans 11:1-7). With Christ as the ultimate Temple, the final remnant of Israel became the foundation of the Christian Church (Revelation 21:14).

Since this repeated process of death and resurrection always follows the same “Bible Matrix” pattern, we can overlay its various historical occurrences as horizontal “archaeological layers.” Since the central fiery “purification” of every row has a Day 4 symbol, that is, something related to “the governing lights,” the all-seeing eyes of heaven, this not only creates a grid which reveals the same “Bible Matrix” vertically, it allows the central points to form a gigantic cross, the cruciform Tabernacle woven in both directions, X and Y, as an enormous tent, or perhaps a gigantic veil of flesh to be torn. Bible history has veins of gold running through it, and they reveal that true kingdom comes only via priestly submission, the way of the cross.

These lights at the centre of each line (both vertical and horizontal) are kings, good or evil, those who have the power of gods, given to them by the true God, or seized from him in rebellion. The seven lights are also represented by the Lampstand, which explains the references to “the light of the lamp” being taken from Israel’s temple in Jeremiah 25:10 and Revelation 18:23. When the Spirit departs, the house becomes desolate:

1. For the mighty men in Genesis 6, this meant a shortened life span (Genesis 6:3).
2. For the Egyptians, it was the end of a dynasty as the pillar of fire departed with Moses (Exodus 13:21-22).
3. For the Philistines, it was also the humiliation and destruction of their god (Joshua 19:27; Judges 16:23; 1 Samuel 5:1-5).
4. The only “mighty men” in the transfer from Tabernacle to Temple are the great kings, David and Solomon, although we might include the sponsorship of the believing Gentile, Hiram of Tyre.
5. After the end of the Davidic kingdom, the rulers are now world emperors (Daniel 7:17), with the Temple destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar as the “bondslave” of God (Jeremiah 27:6; 43:19), and restored by the decree of Cyrus, God’s “shepherd” as prophesied by Isaiah (Isaiah 44:28-45:1).
6. Whereas the first emperors of the first two empires were converted, as Priestly and Kingly hands of God, Israel was trodden underfoot by Greece and Rome. Hellenistic syncretism and Roman statism among the Jews respectively culminated in the defiling of the Temple by Antiochus Epiphanes (Greece) and its destruction by Titus Vespasian (Rome) (Luke 21:24).
7. As true king, Christ holds the seven-star “Pentecostal” lampstand in Revelation 1. Whereas tongues of fire appeared above Jewish believers, these lights are the rulers of seven model Gentile churches (Revelation 1:12; 1:16).

Further observations:

• In the first three rows of the chart, purification is serpentine, a culture resulting from the sin of Adam, men as gods.
• Circumcision and baptism as social demarcations (root and fruit, or identity and ministry) are matched chiastically at Division and Conquest.
• It is interesting that the Egyptians died in waters which represent the waters of Day 2, and the Philistines, who were the grandchildren of the Egyptians, lived in the Land and appear at Firstfruits.
• In the final three rows, purification comes by beasts, that is, multi-national empires. Thus, the top half of the chart is Adam against the serpent (head-to-head), and the lower half is the Woman against the dragon (“body combat”).
• All the “Evian” houses are true resurrections except that of the Herods, which was only bridal in pretense, especially following the Day of Pentecost, becoming the harlot of the Revelation.
• Overlaying this chart on the Covenant process as expressed in the Ten Words would be interesting. Already I can see Murder and Adultery (“knife and fire”) in David and Solomon at the Ethical heart of the construct.
• The final “mighty men” are the apostles of Christ, who fought not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual powers, founding a spiritual house which is completely multinational, fulfilling the seventh festival in Leviticus 23, the Feast of Booths.

If you are new to this method of interpretation, please visit the Welcome page for some help to get you up to speed.