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Building the Temple

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Building the Temple

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Building the Temple

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Discover the importance of keeping our temple beautiful, adorned with the fruits of God’s Spirit, with holiness, quiet and peaceful. And most of all, ready to be assembled in the most beautiful temple that’s ever been built – the temple of God.

Transcript

 

On a Sunday morning in 1984, we'd been watching the broadcast in Mr. Armstrong's home, the doorbell rang.  I went to answer it, and outside there were three men in black suits, white shirts, yarmulkes - curls where their sideburns were, and waist cloths with tassels on it, and I figured they were Orthodox Jews…several clues there!  They wanted to talk to Mr. Armstrong. They wanted to discuss building the temple, because they wanted the Messiah to come back, and if only Mr. Armstrong would help finance building a temple, the Messiah would have something to come back to.

They knew we had done a lot of things in Israel, particularly in Jerusalem with Mayor Kollek and several of the Prime Ministers of the country.   In fact in the 1960's, after the six-day war, Mr. Armstrong was asked to help excavate in Jerusalem, where the temple mount was.  Professor Mazar wanted us to participate in an archeological excavation.  He didn't know if the church would do such a thing or not.  He knew that Christ was going to return to David's throne, and not so serious a matter, he thought we could just clean it off for him, so it would be ready to build on.  And so he agreed, which led the way for several hundred students to go to Jerusalem.  It became known as "The Dig".  In 1973 I went there, along with 90 other students from the three campuses we had then.  Randy and Linda Stiver both went there, which proved you could find more than artifacts at the dig! 

We were not really archaeologists …we were "earth movers."  We were more concerned with just clearing the rubble off than we were trying to find anything.  Although occasionally we did find little pieces of pottery, or pieces of statues, idols, and we found a bag of coins, actually, in the cistern that we were digging in.  There weren't very many coins and they weren't gold, they were copper, but probably during some war someone threw it in the cistern trying to hide it – they never did come back later to get it, and apparently died, because he never got it.  It was still there, the bag was rather beat up, but the coins were there. But it's interesting – it's always been a fascination in Jerusalem with the temple, historically and prophetically for our future.  There have been a lot of grand and glorious buildings built over the centuries, but I don't think any was grand as Solomon's temple.

I'd like to go there, if you would.  Turn to 1 Chronicles, Chapter 22.  Israel had been wandering in the wilderness and a home for God was in a tent that they moved around with them, and when they moved, it moved.  It had the artifacts in it, the Ark of the Covenant, manna, Aaron's rod that budded; the first five books of the Law etc. were carried around. But David wanted to build a home for God in Jerusalem…and Verse 5 of I Chronicles 22:

I Chronicles 22:5  David said, "Solomon my son is young and tender, and the house that is to be built for the Lord is to be a highly magnificence, for a name and for beauty to all the lands.  (And David had subdued all the landsaround him.)  I will now prepare for it".  And David prepared abundantly before his death.

Verse 6:  Then he called for Solomon, his son, and commanded him to build a house for the Lord God of Israel. 

Verse 7:  And David said to Solomon:  "My son, as for me, it was in my mind to build a house to the name of the Lord my God; - but he couldn't.

Verse 8:  "but the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘You have shed much blood and have made great wars; you shall not build a house for My name, because you have shed much blood on the earth in My sight. 

So David wasn't allowed, but he could still do what he could.

Verse 9:  "Behold, a son shall be born to you, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies around.  (It's hard to build anything during a war – you need rest; peace.)  His name shall be Solomon, for I will give peace and quietness to Israel in his days.   

Verse 10:  ‘He shall build a house for My name, and he shall be My son, and I will be his Father; and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.' - (A promise given to David, as well.)

Verse 12:  "Only may the Lord give you wisdom and understanding, and direct you concerning Israel, so that you may keep the law of the Lord your God.  (Keep the law – it's important.)

Verse 13:  "Then you will prosper, if you take heed to fulfill the statutes and judgments with which the Lord charged Moses concerning Israel.   Be strong and of good courage; do not fear nor be dismayed.

It would go well with Solomon and the building.  And in his trouble, they would say in Verse 14: 
Verse 14:  I prepared for the house of the Lord one hundred thousand talents of gold…one talent equals about 300 shekels, and that's about six or seven pounds of gold…I brought about a tenth of a talent here with me today.  It looks nice, a tenth of a talent, so if you take this, and multiply it by what we have there, you'd have about a million of these to be set aside to build the temple – a lot of gold.  Along with that…he set aside a million talents of silver…that's about thirty-five hundred tons of silver…and bronze and iron without weight…so much he didn't even bother to weigh it…for it is so abundant.  I have prepared timber and stone also…and Solomon, you can add to this.

Verse 15:  There are many workmen with you: cutters and workers of stone and timber, and all kinds of skillful men for every kind of work. 

It was amazing, what he had set aside for them!  Not only that, you can read in I Chronicles 29 that David, of his own purse, it says on his own he gave, prepared, gold and silver for the temple as well…three thousand talents he personally gave, and seven thousand talents of silver…about twenty tons of gold and about forty-five tons of silver out of his personal wealth - a lot of wealth in Israel at that time, because of the conquests of the nations. 

I Chronicles 23:1   David was old and full of days; he made his son Solomon king over Israel.

Verse 2:  He gathered the rulers of Israel, with the priests and the Levites.

Verse 3:  The Levites were numbered from the age of thirty years and upward; and the number by head, man by man, was thirty-eight thousand. 

Verse 4:  Of these, twenty-four thousand were set for the work of the house of the Lord; six thousand were officers and judges,

Verse 5:  four thousand were gatekeepers, and four thousand praised the Lord with musical instruments, which David made for praising. 

The noise would be that of praise for God in the temple.  It was interesting, seeing what David set up.  In I Kings 6, if you'll turn there, we read of Solomon building the temple that his father had prepared for him to do. 

I Kings 6:1  And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the sons of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, - Saul reigned forty years and David forty years and there were four hundred years with judges – the second month, he began to build the house of the Eternal.

It goes through the size; the cubits and the things there…Verse 6 it says:

Verse 6:  The lowest chamber was five cubits broad, the middle was six cubits broad, and the third was seven cubits broad; and around the outside of the house he made narrow ledges for the house, all around, so as not to lay hold on the walls of the house.    

Because it was going to be holy and they could walk by and not touch it – it was holy.

Verse 7:  When it was being built, the house was built of stone, made ready before hand, and there was not heard in the house a hammer or the axe or any iron tool while it was being built.

A pre-fab temple!  With no noise to clutter it up – the Levites singing and praising God while it was happening. 

Verse 11:  Then the word of the Lord came to Solomon, saying:

Verse 12:  "Concerning this house which you are building, if you walk in My statues, and do my judgments, keep all My commandments, and walk in them, then I will perform My word with you, which I spoke to David your father. 

Verse 13:   "I'll live among the sons of Israel, and not forsake My people Israel."  

God wants to live with His people! 

Verse 14:  So Solomon built the house and finished it.

But it goes on – in Verse 18 it says:

Verse 18:  The cedar of the house – the building inside was carved with gourds and open flowers.  All was cedar; there was no stone seen. 

Verse 19:  And he prepared the Holy of Holies in the house inside, and set the Ark of the Covenant.

Verse 20:  And the Holy of Holies in the front part was twenty cubits...by twenty by twenty, about thirty feet by thirty by thirty (if you can figure 18 inches to a cubit) – a room there.  And he overlaid it with pure gold, and covered the altar of cedar with gold.

Verse 21:  He overlaid the inside with pure gold.  And he drew chains of gold across, before it, before the Holy of Holies and overlaid it with gold.

Verse 22:  and overlaid the whole house with gold…all through it.  You cansee him doing this. 

Verse 23:   Inside the Holy of Holies he made two cherubim of olive wood, each ten cubits high. 

Verse 26:  The height of one cherub was ten cubits; the other cherub was the same -fifteen feet. 

Verse 28:  And he overlaid the cherubs with gold. 

Carved out of olive wood – I brought some olive wood – I have some carvings carved up.  This is about the hardest wood you can find.  I can imagine carving something fifteen feet long and trying to make it right.  And then overlaying it with gold…I didn't overlay mine with gold…I'm not Solomon! 
And he goes through, Verse 29:

Verse 29:  Then he carved all the walls of the house around, with carved figures of cherubs and palm trees and open flowers inside and out – he carved things…it would be beautiful like that.  Imagine all the walls, inside and out carved ornately.  And then overlaid with gold – what it would look like, inside and out. 

Verse 32:  Two doors with olive woodcarved them, made carvings of cherubs and palm trees and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold and spread gold on the cherubs and the palm trees – what a sight to see!

Verse 38:  And in the eleventh year, in the month of Bul, which is the eighth month, the house was finished as to its part; as to all its plans.  So he was seven years in building it. 

All delicately crafted off-sight – fitted, and then put together on-sight, without noise – fabulous - So much so that the kings of the earth came to see Solomon, and to see Jerusalem, and to see the temple.  The Queen of Sheba came…it talks about that in II Chronicles 9…I'm not going to turn there.  How she was so impressed…she said she was told of all these things, but it wasn't half of what she was told.  She said you exceeded the fame - And his wisdom, and the beauty of the house.  The queen of Sheba brought with her 120 talents of gold to give to Solomon…about a half ton - And spices and precious jewels.

When the Queen surrogate came to Pasadena, she presented Mr. Armstrong with a couple of peacocks, and they were on display for all those who came from '85 on…could see these.  They weren't supposed to be given as a gift, but she was so impressed with the campus, and with the students and everything, that she gave you the protocol gift, to be displayed.  The silver posts were solid silver – pure silver.  The peacocks themselves were solid gold – twenty-four carat…very soft.  And you could see the coloring and a few diamonds scattered here and there in them – beautiful pieces.  It was impressive – it was special. 

And inside the temple, when he made all the artifacts, the urns and the serving things, they also were made of gold.  And he put them out…so much gold.  And it talks about the other gold that Solomon put together.  Just the tribute he got from the nations around him was six hundred sixty-six talents – each year.  And he ruled for forty years.  Besides the gifts and all the things he was given, constantly, beautiful things, inside the temple.  And it was magnificent.  And he kept pulling out gold and overlaying everything.  It's interesting; the temple unfortunately didn't last, with the gold and the things there, because every time someone came, and the kings of Judah forsook God, they would demand a tribute.  And so the things that God had given Solomon, and David, as they would concede, and just pay it, the things would disappear.  And then along would come another group, and they'd put back things, and more things would disappear.  The things seemed important…they were to the people who tried to conquer them. 

Hezekiah, unfortunately, when he was sick…it talks about this in II Kings 20…he was healed and the Babylonians sent a representative to Hezekiah to talk to him, and he showed them all the treasures.  And Isaiah was in the court and he came back to Hezekiah and he said, "What did you show them?" And he said, "I showed them everything."  And God, to Hezekiah, said that everything would be taken.  And so the temple was destroyed in 585 B.C.  through a series of wars that lasted from 604 to about 585.  At the end, all the wooden things were brought, were taken, were destroyed…the temple itself was destroyed.  And all the things that you could see were gone.

But, Isaiah 44 and Verse 28, if you'll turn there…there was a prophecy and Isaiah prophesied to Israel about 700 B.C.  He prophesied before Judah was even taken captive…the temple wasn't destroyed.  Yet in Isaiah 44:28 we read, after he relates several prophecies from God about the future, he continues in Verse 28 - God says:

Isaiah 44:28   Of Cyrus (he names Cyrus), ‘He is My shepherd, and he shall perform all My pleasure, even saying to Jerusalem, "You shall be built," and to the temple, "Your foundation shall be laid."'

I wonder if there was hope…some of the Jews and the Levites.  And reading Isaiah, having the temple having been destroyed, that this prophecy, when Cyrus came, and indeed…If you turn to Ezra 6, Verse 1 it's fascinating, because a prophecy written two hundred years before, basically, coming to pass.

Ezra 6:1  Darius the king made a decree, and a search was made in the house, where the scrolls, where the treasures were laid up in Babylon.

Verse 2:  There was found at Achmetha, in the palace that is in the province of the Medes, a scroll and therein was a record thus written:

Verse 3:  In the first year of Cyrus, the king…the same Cyrus the king…made a decree concerning the house of God at Jerusalem: "Let the house be built, the place where they offered sacrifices; and let the foundations thereof be strongly laid, the height thereof three score cubits, the breadth thereof three score cubits…the same as we read before…

Verse 4:  With rows of great stones and one row of new timber.  Let the expense be given out of the king's houseout of my house, Cyrus says. 

Verse 5:  And also let the gold and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple which is in Jerusalem and brought them to Babylon, be restored and brought again to the temple of Jerusalem, everyone to its place; and place them in the house of God" –

Indeed, the temple was rebuilt.  There was a joy to have a temple…again, one for the Messiah to return to.  Turn to Haggai, Chapter 2…well - what was this rebuilt temple like?  Was it like Solomon's with tons and tons of gold and huge cedars…none of the wood even showing over the gold?  So as prophesied, the second temple was built…

Haggai 2: 3  ‘Who is left among you who saw this house in her first glory?  How do you see it now?  Is it not your eyes in comparison, as it was nothing?

It was a lot less than Solomon's temple.  It didn't have the resources Solomon had with his forty years of peace – they built it while they were fighting others, if you read the story. 

Verse 4:  ‘Be strong, Zerubbabel,' says the Lord; ‘be strong, Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest; be strong, all you people of the land,' says the Lord, ‘and work; for I am with you,'

Wasn't this nice, but He was with them and they were building it.

Verse 5:  ‘According to the word that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt, so My Spirit remains among you; fear not!'

Verse 6:  "For thus says the Lord of hosts; "Yet once, and in a little while, and I will shake the heaven and earth, the sea and the dry land. 

Verse 7:  ‘I'll shake the nations, and the desires of all nations shall come, and I'll fill this house with glory,' says the Lord of hosts. 

The house wasn't as nice, but He would fill it with glory…that's what they thought. 

Verse 8:  ‘The silver is mine, and the gold is mine,'

Verse 9:  The glory of the latter house shall be greater than the former,' says the Lord of hosts.  ‘And in this place I will give peace,' says the Lord. 

I can imagine when they read this, they were wondering… "Are you kidding?"  It's not as glorious…it wasn't like the first temple.

It's interesting that men try to make the return and the rebuilding the temple, which the prophets Isaiah and others wrote about – a physical temple.  Turn to Isaiah 56 – look what they read and applied to the temple.  So many Scriptures, but every expectation was, they would come and return and worship.

Isaiah 56:7  "Even them I will bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer.  Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on My altar; for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all people."

Isaiah 66:20 "Then they shall bring all your brethren for an offering to the Lord out of all nations, upon horses and in chariots and in litters, upon mules and upon swift beasts, to My holy mountain Jerusalem," says the Lord, "as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the Eternal."

They read all these Scriptures – yet the temple fell in disrepair, even after a second building.  Josephus quotes the older historians…and talks about   Antiochus Epiphanes, when he came and desecrated the temple, and offered swine on the altar – it was an insult to the Jews.  The Maccabees came along and tried to restore, with some success, but there wasn't the wealth that had been before…it seemed there could be no hope without a temple.  And they kept building it back, and they consistently tried.  Pompey, in 63 B.C. however, came to the temple, and fought the Jews and took down one of the walls of the temple.  And they thought that would be it, but he looked at it, and didn't take anything, which surprised them. 

General Crassus, however, to fight the Parthian Empire, he intended to strip the temple to pay for his army.  But the high priest negotiated a gold beam from the temple, in a strict negotiation.  Unfortunately, that beam was worth tens of thousands of shekels, but Crassus took that and lied, and took everything else too…all the gold and all the silver.  So the temple was in very, very poor condition.  Yet from the promises they knew the Messiah was going to come, and they wanted a temple for him to come to.  They had to be distraught with the temple in such disrepair, so poor. 

Now came the setting for the temple that Jesus as a man would come to - the Messiah - not that the Jews recognized it, but the One we recognize – would be known as Herod's temple. Herod wanted to win over the people, so he decided to build a temple.  Now he told them he was going to tear it down…that scared them, because Herod was not such a friendly guy, and they didn't think he'd rebuild it – but he did, because it was in his best interests.  He considered himself a god, and self-servient to Caesar, the other god.  But he knew if he wanted to rule the Jews it would be nice to build a temple for them, so he did, beginning in about 20 B.C.  He hired 10,000 skilled workmen, and 1,000 priests as Masiers and he had 1,000 wagons with oxen to haul stones.  If you ever read Josephus Antiquities you can read those things. 

Josephus says some of the stones were forty cubits long, six cubits in height – that is about sixty feet by twelve feet by nine feet – massive stones.  Not every stone was the same size.  The largest complete stone that they found in excavations in different places was only…a small stone…was only thirty–six by nine feet by twelve feet, and only weighed 400 tons.  Massive stones!  Josephus says the blocks use no mortar to put them together, but yet you couldn't slide a paper between the seams of that temple. 

The outer wall was three blocks thick – three of these massive blocks stuck together.  Each block bore Herod's trade mark of an etching around it.  And you can see those blocks all over the Middle East. The town of Gerasa, in Jordan, was built almost entirely out of the temple stone.  They cut them up to haul them, but the etchings you can see on parts of the stones - Many other places.  The foundation was sixty feet below the ground, Josephus says, and the highest point was 150 meters high – that's about 450 feet above.  They brought in fill dirt, to level off the top of the temple.  These blocks acted as retaining walls inside the temple. 

The temple proper itself was completed in about 1 ½ years.  And Josephus says it didn't rain during the days of that 1 ½ years, but at night, so they could complete it.  It took about forty-six years to build the entire temple and the complex, which if you go from the time of 20 B.C. when he started building it, would be about 26 A.D. – 25-26 A.D.  When did the Messiah start His ministry?  Was it being prepared, did not rain so it could be done – it probably gave the Jewish people working on it hope, in preparation for the Messiah, because that would be a miracle to have a year and a half with rain at night and not in the daytime. 

The Roman Tacitus describes the temple as possessing great enormous riches.  Of course the Jews only had one temple – it's nicer when you have one God to give to.  If you had ten gods and have to give tithes, you'd be in big trouble1 

How did Jesus look at the temple when He was there?  He looked at it with respect and zeal.  It represented God - His Father's house.  In Luke 2 we read of him as a boy, teaching in the temple at age 12…being about His Father's business.  When tempted in Matthew 4, Satan took Christ up to the pinnacle of the temple, and tempted him there – thinking you know, God – that's where God dwells – the temple…certainly God will be there to help you…throw yourself down.  And of course, He said you're not supposed to tempt the Lord, your God.  Turn to John 2 – all four gospels record the money changers of the temple, because they were doing business with the temple, changing money from all the people who came to visit from different nations.  It wasn't what the temple was for.

John 2:14  And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting.

Verse 15:  When He made a whip of small cords, He drove them all out of the temple, (all the animals) sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers' money and overturned the tables.    

Verse 16:  And He said to those who sold doves, "Take these things away!  Make not my Father's house a house of merchandise!"

Verse 17:  And the disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up."  

He was zealous for the temple.  It was a place of prayer and teaching - in Luke 19 - Again, going into the temple when He cast them out.

Luke 19:46  saying to them, "It is written, ‘My house is a house of prayer,' (not of merchandise) but you made it a ‘den of thieves'" 

Verse 47:  And He taught daily in the temple.  It was a place of teaching, tolearn about God…be with God.  But the chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people sought to destroy Him. 

In their own temple even, they were willing to find ways to destroy Him. 

Verse 48:  They couldn't find what they could do, because the people were very attentive to hear Him.

A place of teaching – simple teachings, for all the people.

John 7:14  In the midst of the Feast Jesus went to the temple and taught. 

Verse 15:  And the Jews marveled, saying, "How does this Man, having never learned, know letters?" 

In a degree, beyond any degree they had, in His wisdom and His knowledge, being He never was studied under anyone. 

John 8:20  These words spoke Jesus in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one laid hands on Him, for His hour had not yet come.

The people listened – he taught.  In Luke 21 we read of Christ again. 

Luke 21:5  Then, as some spoke of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts, Christ said to them,

Verse 6:  "As for these things which you behold, the days will come in which not one stone shall be left upon another that shall not be thrown down." 

We're talking 400 ton stones - small ones.  Wonder what His disciples thought when He said that?  Wonder what anyone listening…what would you have thought?  Three deep – that high – 60 x 12 x 9…400 to 600 tons - They must have thought "that's crazy."  People take a city – they may tear down part of the wall, but they breach it and then they take everything…they don't tear everything down.  But there were breaches in the church…Mr. Armstrong said in a few short years the church will quit keeping the Sabbath.
To me those were like the giant hulk stones of Herod's temple –you‘re kidding.  The Bible:  Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy.  Six days shall you labor – do your work, I mean.  That doesn't change.  I wouldn't have thought those stones would be overturned either.  A lot of things changed, physically and spiritually.

Jesus wept for the physical temple and what it represented – it was God's house – He knew what was going to happen to it.  And we can weep for physical losses also – we've had many of them in the history of the church. 

What was the disciples' view of the physical temple after Jesus' death?  Turn to Luke 24 …
Luke 24:51  It came to pass, while He blessed them, He was parted from them and carried up into heaven.

Verse 52:  And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy.

Verse 53:  and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God. 

In the temple!  They thought they needed to go to the temple.

Acts 2:46  They continued daily in the temple with one accord, breaking bread, eating…

The temple – it was special –

Acts 5:12  And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people.  And they were all with one accord in Solomon's Porch.

At the temple, because people came there – it was a good place to start the church because everyone came to Jerusalem to worship God.  And they told them of a God who was going to save them.  After this it doesn't talk much, though, about going to the temple.  The apostles were scattered…why?  Well persecution was part of it, but I think a better understanding as well.  So what of the temple?  Did Isaiah's prophecies refer to these temples?  Prophecies of Haggai, Isaiah; all the other Minor Prophets.  John 2:19 – if you will turn there – Jesus was talking to them again.  And they thought it was about the temple, because He used the word temple…

John 2:19  Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."

And they're thinking like you and I would…these giant boulders or stones…you've got to be kidding!  It has taken forty-six years to make this thing…

Verse 20:  Then the Jews said, "Forty-six years was this temple in building, and you'll build it in three days?"

Verse 21:  But He spoke of the temple of His body.

Verse 22:  Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered – they had heard this, but they didn't know what He meant untilthey remembered – that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said. 

After the fact - Didn't always understand everything at the time – Christ's body was the temple, where God's Spirit was, in Him, as the Son of God.  Turn to John 4:23…we're a temple of God's Spirit in us as well.  A physical temple is not where you have to worship; it's not where you have to overlay with gold and silver, and build.  In John 4 – Jesus there at the well with the woman, and He's talking to her:

John 4:23  "But the hour comes, and now is, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father seeks such to worship Him. 

Verse 24:  "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth."

It's not about a temple; it's about the spirit and the truth.  Was God or Christ really concerned about how much gold and how much silver was in the temple – Solomon's temple?  Nehemiah's temple?  Herod's temple?  Or how ornate the carvings were on the doors and the walls of any of the physical temples.  At the time it showed great respect; it meant a lot.  Showed how much David loved God, and how much the Jews wanted a Messiah.  But it was more concerned with the character of David, and the character of Solomon, when He told them to obey His law and His commands.  God was concerned with repentance, and heart and mind and the soul – again, worshipping in spirit and truth – to become part of the temple.

The temple's about God and Jesus Christ and His family.  Turn to I Corinthians 3, if you would.  It's about what He is building, not what physical humans, who love their God, build.  It's not about those physical buildings that are always decaying and being destroyed.  Even if no one had come to destroy the temple, it was still going to decay.  The pyramids are in decay in Egypt – the massive structures they are, still beaten down.  With enough time went by, they'd be gone.  We tend to look at buildings and things – we had a mindset decades ago.  We built a lot of campuses and beautiful buildings – built the finest auditorium in the world, acoustically – beautifully built – dedicated to the great God.  But that's not what it's about – the buildings. 

I Corinthians 3:16  Know you not that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

We're baptized and God places His Spirit in us…

Verse 17:  If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy. 

If you haven't built the character, you'll be destroyed – won't be the Assyrians, won't be the Babylonians, won't be Herod…for the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.

Holy…while collectively we make up the temple, we have a responsibility as individuals as well.  Turn over a couple pages to I Corinthians 6:19:

I Corinthians 6:19  What, know you not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which you have of God, and you are not your own? 

Everything on earth belongs to God, but this is a special gift…a special piece of property He gave to you – He planted in you to develop, to be like Him and His Son – the gift.

Verse 20For you are bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.   

Every part of the temple was very special, very ornate.  If anything was wrong, it was destroyed, it was taken out.  You're a special vessel to God, and we collectively are.  Turn to II Corinthians 6:16 – are you seeking purity in your vessel, in your actions and character, to be part of the temple?

II Corinthians 6:16  And what agreement has the temple of God with idols?  (Nothing in there to destroy or hurt)  For you are the temple of the living God.  As God has said:  "I will dwell in them and walk in them.  I will be their God, and they shall be My people." 

Verse 17:  Therefore "Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord.  And touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you."

You'll be allowed in…because I've been developing you.  We can't leave the earth, but we can avoid temptations and the destruction of our mind, the things around us that aren't Godly.

Verse 18:  "I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty."

He'll be our father.  Do we respect each other as sons and daughters?  How do we treat our temple, the spiritual body?  Individually and collectively.  Remember, there was no noise in the building of the temple.  Is there hammering and chiseling in God's temple today?  Is there noise, or is there peace?  Unfortunately, through 2,000 years there's been too much noise in the temple of God.  Are we a place of learning and teaching?  I found those who make destructive noise often have an agenda, and they think it's a true agenda…they often think they're doing what God wants.  Turn to Ephesians, Chapter 2 – what kind of stone will you be?  What part of the household of God?  Jesus Christ can silence the noise.

Ephesians 2:18  For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.  (That holiness.)

Verse 19:  Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and of the household of God,

That's who we are – individuals being put together, as a temple. 

Verse 20:  having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and the prophets, with Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone,

Without a corner stone, the building's not laid straight.  If you have the wrong cornerstone, you won't be built straight.

Verse 21:  in whom all the building, fitly framed together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.  - The temple that God wants.

Verse 22:  in whom you are also built together for a habitation of God through the Spirit. 

The parts of Solomon's temple were built off-site; they were assembled on-site.  The family of God has also been built off-site – and off-time.  The people scattered around the world.  The people 6,000 years ago with Abel; 2,000 years ago, the apostles; the prophets before them, and the saints since then - In different time periods – off-site and off-location.  We will perfectly fit though, when God puts us together, through His Spirit.  If we don't fit, we won't be there.  I Peter, Chapter 2 - if you will turn there...  It doesn't make any difference what time or what place you are called in – God is carving you to make you fit.  I Peter 2:5, it says:

I Peter 2:5  you also, as living stones, are built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

If we're not acceptable now as we prepare for the Passover, through Him we can be accepted…

Verse 6:  Therefore it also is contained in the Scripture, "Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes on Him shall not be confounded."

Will not have that noise – will be seeking quiet -

Verse 7:  Unto you therefore which believe, He is precious; (that's us - we believe He's precious) – but to them who are disobedient, (they disallow –they rejected – the world has rejected)

Verse 8:  "A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense."

That God certainly couldn't be hung on a tree and crucified and scourged – it's offensive to them.  Without that cornerstone, we wouldn't be straight.

Verse 9:  You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation of peculiar people His own special people - but we will (as it says) show forth the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. 

Revelation 3:12it says we'll be pillars in the temple, if we overcome. 
We'll be there – we talk of pillars in the church – people whose lives reflect Jesus Christ.  We must be helping one another to get to the point of holy, righteous character, so we can be part of the temple – whatever part it may be. 

Turn to James 5…we need to help each other.  How does helping each other...what does it do for us?  I've always liked this verse – James 5, Verse 19 – if we read there, it says:

James 5:19  Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him,

Verse 20:  let him know that he which converts the sinner from the error of his ways shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins. 

We help each other – God forgives us…He helps us.  He understands the desire to help…did not Christ convert all of us and hide all of our sins?  Are we to be like Him?  He took our infirmities and became the subject of ridicule for us, so we could be part of something better…part of the temple of God.  Well, we're to be like Him, and help each other.  God's focus is on a temple that cannot be destroyed.  Physical things are always destroyed.  Christ respected the temple, as God's house, but the physical temple had boundaries. Only the right people could come into the physical temple…gentiles couldn't come into the court; women had a spot they could come, and nowhere else…but that's not what God is about.  God did away with the ranking like the gentiles.  We come before God's throne, and Christ…it's about service, about fitting where God places us - whatever way He's carving us to be. 

When we sin, there's noise in the temple of God, and there's confusion.  We know God's not the author of confusion (I Corinthians 14).  If you're about to make a noise in the temple of God, you should think of that temple; think of the gold inlay, the delicate carvings, how much time it took  And think, God's doing that to you…do you want to damage other people?  The Scriptures of Isaiah and the other prophets were not really for the physical temples…they were for us, for the spiritual temple, for God and for Christ, and for the saints that He's calling.

The Orthodox Jews who visited Mr. Armstrong, they wanted the Messiah to come.  They knew the Scriptures well, in the Old Testament, but it wasn't about that.  Revelation 21, if you'll turn there…there isn't even a temple in the New Jerusalem, as far as the physical place…Revelation 21:22:

Revelation 21:22  I saw no temple therein, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.

Verse 23:  And the city had no need of the sun, or of the moon, to shine in it, for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb the light thereof.

Verse 24:  And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor to it

We'll be kings and priests with God; we'll be there, and bring honor to it. 

Verse 27:  There shall in nowise enter into it anything that defiles – no noise, no hammering, no destruction – neither whatsoever works an abomination, nor makes a lie, but they which are written in the Lamb's Book of Life.    

God and Christ is the temple, with His family.   It's not wrong  to build something physical for God…we enjoy physical things, paintings and carvings…we often have our children's paintings on the wall – they're not Van Gogh's…I did own a few Picasso's – at least it looked just like his stuff!  But we loved them, because we loved our children.  But they get thrown away eventually.  It's what's inside, the love that makes a house a home; and the people, a family.  A peaceful house, without the noise – nothing physical lasts forever.  All the physical temples were destroyed, but it's not about that, it's about the spiritual family of God…pure undefiled Godly love among the pieces as they're fitted together in the temple. 

When we look at the Jerusalem temple, physically, and see the kind of preparation and planning that was put into that, how long it took to build it, how much more care has God taken to do things for us, to put us in places where we can be tested and fitted and carved.  Mr. Armstrong built an auditorium dedicated to God…where is it now?  We no longer have any control of it.  There are all sorts of things going on there that God wouldn't approve of, but when God leaves, it's not a place of God anymore.  It's not God's house; God's Holy Spirit's not there and His people aren't there – He's not there.  It's no longer special in the same way that it once was.  But Christ is building the temple in us, in you and in me.  God is building it off-site, just as Solomon's temple was. 

Some, as second-generation Christians, became partially hewn by our parents – some of the rough edges came off as we were taught about God, but yet we didn't have to chop off Christmas and Easter and Pagan things - I never had a problem with those.  But we did have to chop off our own carnality, the things that we did wrong…in some places our hypocrisy where we did the right thing, but we didn't want to.  Those things weren't always in our hearts. 
And then, some of the first generation, they probably used the jack-hammer on some of them - start trying to make it into something that would lay down and not roll over or be lop-sided.  But hopefully, God is down to a chisel as you progress - many of us for many years - where it's only the final polishing and sanding.  They said that when they polished the stones in Herod's temple, when you stood on the Mount of Olives at sunrise, that you couldn't look at it because it blinded you – it reflected so much light. 

Do we reflect that kind of light as God polishes us, in what we do with our neighbors, and with our fellow-Christians?  I wish to fit, among the stones, without annoying anyone – I don't want to have any edges to scrape other stones, or scratch the gold leaf that some of you may be part of in your spot in the temple.  I certainly don't want to damage any little ones who are coming along, and just starting.  But can you find a better craftsman than God and Jesus Christ to shape you?  I see unfinished products before me; not quite there yet – none of us, but we will be.  I learned years ago, in the world, my wife and I were traveling…we met many kings and many beggars – many people of royal descent and a lot of people just trying to eke a living out day to day.  But we saw people, individuals – they may have been royalty and they may have been beggars, but we saw them differently, because that was not their permanent station.  They were not going to be that forever.

What I saw in those people was the raw material, the raw gold, the raw silver, the raw stones, the raw wood that would be made into something eventually.  Not in this life time, but a thousand years from now, when they get a chance.  Standing in the wings, not yet taken to the core, not yet being refined, not yet being smelted down…people who don't even know their potential is to be in the family of God.  But that's how Michelle and I were taught to see them, and how all of us need to see everyone that haven't been called.

Some of you are pretty tough, strong, stand up to things - you may be part of the foundation to hold the rest of us up.  Some of you are personalities that are gold, they're ornate – go around some of these people and they make you feel good, no matter how bad things are.  They're probably part of the carved things in the walls, the statutes of gold that are beautiful.

God knows where you fit and Christ is working on you – He's working on me.  Hebrews 5, a couple verses in closing.

Hebrews 5:9  And being made perfect, Christ became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him – all those that are getting rid of the noise – and all those that are trying to do His will, following Him with heart, mind and soul…

Hebrews 12:2 – where do we look, after all the people listed in the faith chapter?  They looked to the same Being that we look to.

Hebrews 12:2  looking to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith – grinding, polishing, chiseling, making us fit – who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has set down at the right hand of the throne of God. 

Our master builder - We fit because of God, through Jesus Christ, can build something beautiful in us, an inward character and a purity, so He can present us blameless to God.  It's not the outward, physical appearance that comes and goes.  The mystery really is that we can't build it, but you have to try with all your heart and your mind and your soul and your being, and if you do that, you won't be alone, because Christ will be chipping away and making you fit.  And there is hope in Christ.  You need to think of that hope as we prepare for the Passover.  Let's keep our temple beautiful, adorned with the fruits of God's Spirit, with holiness, quiet and peaceful.  And most of all, ready to be assembled in the most beautiful temple that's ever been built – the temple of God.