The Most Holy Place

A curtain hung between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place in the tabernacle and temple and separated the presence of God from the Israelite priests who served there.

Only the high priest was allowed into the Most Holy Place, and only after a strict regimen of cleansing. Jesus cleanses us from our humanity, so that we may serve the Living God through His divinity within us (Hebrews 9:14).

As Jesus took His last breath on Calvary's cross, the temple curtain split in half from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51). Most scholars believe that God orchestrated this torn Temple curtain as an object lesson for us.

It illustrates and signifies the fact that we cannot earn our way to heaven, but we can now enter the presence of God by the blood of Jesus with confidence in our salvation (Hebrews 10:19).

When we accept Jesus as our Savior, He sets His seal of ownership on us and gives us His Spirit as a down payment of our inheritance (2 Corinthians 1:22).

Once we repent of our sins, ask for forgiveness and surrender our will to Him, He moves into our Born Again spirit and resides within us all through our lifetime. He places us in His Body and we work together for His glory.

We are the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). Christ lives in us (Colossians 1:27). Our Spirit is the Most Holy Place where God resides. God makes us a holy sanctuary in which He can dwell (Exodus 25:8).

Cleansed from sin by the blood of the perfect Lamb of God (1 Peter 1:19), we are His priests and we shall reign with Him during the Millennium for 1000 years and then serve Him throughout eternity (Revelation 20:6).

Prayer:

Father God, You are our safe haven and our power to deal with temptation and persecution (Psalm 46:1). Even in the most unthinkable and earth shattering circumstances, with our faith in Your faithfulness, we have no reason to fear (Psalm 46:1-3). We consider trails as a time of great joy, because they are an adventure with You (James 1:2).

We stop our stressing and watch You work in our behalf (James 1:2; Psalm 46:10). We are Your children (Romans 8:15). You promise never to leave us or to forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). You are our Mighty God who saves us and abides within us. You celebrate over us with delight. You calm us with Your love. You even rejoice over us with thunderous singing (Zephaniah 3:17).

Thought for the Day:

Our hope in Christ is the sure and steadfast anchor for our soul. – Hebrews 6:19

A Building Made without Human Hands

David wanted to build God a proper house on this earth in which He could visit His people. David's heart continually focused on God, and he realized that he lived in a palace and God still dwelt in a tent from Israel's days in the wilderness (Acts 13:22).

As a man of war, David was disqualified from building this holy place (1 Chronicles 28:2-3). Yet, God allowed David to gather the materials and for his son Solomon to build this grand palace for the Lord.

When they completed the temple, God's glory filled the Holiest Place and He spoke to His chosen people (2 Chronicles 5-7). His main request was that Israel repent of all sin and to live holy before Him.

Characteristically, Israel sinned before the Lord, and God did as He warned them that He would do. He anointed a warring country to destroy the temple and to take the people captive.

Yet, God allowed a faithful remnant of His people to eventually return to the chosen land. 

They were able to rebuild Jerusalem and a smaller temple. This actually grieved those who experienced the former glory, which they lost because of their sin (Ezra 3:12).

God's plan all along was to build a house for Himself using living stones, acceptable to Him through our relationship with Jesus Christ (1 Peter 2:4-12). We are His temple, and His Spirit dwells in our midst (1 Corinthians 3:16).

The building where the church meets is not holy nor is it God's house. It is simply a place for Believers to actively worship God who dwells within us. God's Spirit builds Believers together into a holy dwelling place for Him (Ephesians 2:22; Hebrew 3:6).

Heaven is God's throne and the earth is His footstool. There is no temple grand enough for us to build for Him, which is more awesome than the myriad of galaxies, which He created (Isaiah 66:1; Genesis 1:1).

Prayer:

Father God, remind us that our behavior is a reflection on You (Psalm 23:3, 1 Timothy 3:14-15). You are holy and You call us to be holy as well (1 Peter 1:16). You want us to have clean hands before we lift them up in worship to You (Psalm 24:1-6, 134:2).

Search the hidden recesses of our inner being and see if there is any wicked way in us, and lead us in Your everlasting way (Psalm 139:23-24). Heal us from the deep wounds inflicted on us by other people (Proverbs 18:8). Fill us instead by Your deep, spiritual riches (Proverbs 24:4).

Thought for the Day:

God never wanted to dwell in buildings made with human hands; but in the hearts of His People. - Acts 17:24

Temple of God - Application

God gave specific instructions for the construction of both the Tabernacle in the wilderness and the Temple built by Solomon. Interestingly, the individual items in the Temple relate to our walk and calling in Christ.

As Born Again Believers, we are the Temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16; John 2:21 Psalm 139:14). We are the church of the Living God, who is our pillar and the foundation of all truth (1Timothy 3:15).

We start with the door of the Temple. We cannot enter God's Temple without first coming through the door of Jesus Christ (John 10:7, 9). He is our way, truth and life; and no one comes to God except through Jesus (John 14:6).

Next is the slaughter on the brazen altar (Exodus 39:39). An innocent, unblemished animal is sacrificed for sin, just as Jesus is our ultimate sacrifice (1 Peter 1:19).

With Christ's blood on our hands, we come to wash at the laver, which typifies washing in the water of God's Word (Ephesians 5:26). Once we are cleansed from our sins, we can enter the Holy Place.

We grow in our relationship with God in the Holy Place. We learn to pray at the altar of incense (Exodus 35:15; Revelation 8:4). We come to the candlestick, for light in this dark and dying world (2 Chronicles 4:7).

We also feast on God's Word, and with Jesus who is our bread of life (Exodus 25:30; John 6:25-59; Matthew 4:4). Jesus gave His life for us to open up our fellowship with God in all of His glory (1 John 5:20; Hebrews 9:3).

As we mature in our walk with God, we can enter into the Holy of Holies. This symbolizes our spirit and is the place of God's very presence in our life.

The clay tables of the Ten Commandments is housed in the Ark of the Covenant. This is covered by the Mercy Seat, giving us full access to God's mercy and grace, as well as His presence residing between the wings of the two cherubim (Exodus 25:17; Hebrews 9:5).

Prayer:

Father God, if we enter the Most Holy Places in your temple with any sin hidden or blatant in our life, we will "die" in Your presence (Leviticus 16:2-34).

Remind us about the stages of Your tabernacle and that we can only enter into Your presence through Jesus who is our door, our sacrifice, our cleanser, our bread of life and our high priest.

Thought for the Day:

It is only as we cleanse our sins by the blood of Jesus and dedicate our life to Him, regardless of our vocation, that we can survive in the presence of our holy God.