FEAST OF TABERNACLES - DAY 5

Fred Coulter - October 15, 2003

And greetings, brethren. Welcome to the fifth day of the Feast of Tabernacles, 2003. Let’s ask the question: will there be a temple in Jerusalem with animal sacrifices, and with the Aaronic priesthood and the Levites carrying out the sacrifices? Now a little later we’ll review the chapters in the book of Ezekiel from chapter forty on, and we will see, is that really talking about a millennial temple or not? So let’s ask the questions: does God need a temple? Now we know, we’ll see a little later, but we know in Isaiah 2, it talks about the “house of the Lord” during the millennium. And we also know that the temple of God was also called “the house of God.” So does that mean that there will be a temple, as we know the temple as we have covered quite a few times concerning what was the tabernacle, then the temple of Solomon, then the temple which was rebuilt after the days of the Babylonian captivity.

Let’s come to Isaiah 66 first because let’s look at a profound principle, which tells us about God’s purpose, and whether a temple is really necessary, and what God is really looking to, and what God wants human beings to do in relationship to Him. Now let’s come here, Isaiah 66:1.

            Ok, let’s begin right here in verse 1, “Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool: where is the house that ye build unto Me? and where is the place of My rest?” Now during the millennium Christ is going to be on the earth, is He not? Yes, He is. And will not the millennium be the rest of God, which is called “the glorious rest of His reign?” Yes, it will be. So with God on earth, Jesus Christ and the saints - God the Father’s still in heaven – will there be a need for a temple?

Let’s go on. “For all those things hath Mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at My word.” So what is God interested in most of all? Is it a temple? Is it elaborate rituals? Or is it a converted heart and mind, a willing attitude? Now remember how many times we have said and referred to, when God says, “If indeed you will hearken unto My voice?” And that, we see, is what God really wants. Will a physical temple make people listen to God even more? Well, it didn’t with the Jews, did it? It didn’t with the Israelites, did it? No, it didn’t. Let’s look at some other scriptures here. Let’s see some things that we’ll just review just a couple things that we covered concerning that God calls us the temple of the Holy Spirit, and we are a temple that He is building up. So let’s go back here to 1 Corinthians 3 and let’s just review a couple of scriptures, and then we’ll ask the question as we go all the way through, of what need will there be for another physical temple to be build in Jerusalem, in the same manner and with the same rituals that was in existence when the temple was destroyed in 70 AD? And we can also ask the question: since we don’t need a temple today will we really need a temple during the millennium? So we can put all those questions together and we’ll begin to answer them.

Now 1 Corinthians 3:16, “Know ye not [or that is, don’t you know] that ye are the temple of God,…” See, God’s plan and purpose with human beings is so profound and important that He calls each one that has the Holy Spirit a temple of God, and then that means part of the spiritual temple of God, and then all the brethren together down through all history will then form that spiritual temple. Not in the sense that we will be resurrected to become a stone in a building or a pillar standing to hold up the temple, but that we will be doing the work of the temple as kings and priests, as we’ll see a little bit later. He says, “…that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are” (1 Cor. 3:16-17).

Now let’s come over here to 1 Corinthians 6. Just turn the page – 1 Corinthians 6:19. And again we find, just like we started out there in Isaiah 66, that God is interested more in a converted heart, and mind, and attitude, then He is in a physical building, see. God says of the universe and everything there is, He says, “Well, My hands have made these.” Now verse 19 of 1 Corinthians 6, “What? Know ye not [or that is, don’t you know] that your body is the temple of the Holy [Spirit] Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?” You belong to God. And if you belong to God then you’re part of the temple of God. “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Cor. 6:19-20). And this is what God wants us to do.

Now let’s ask a question today: how do we worship God today? How did Jesus say we were to worship God? Let’s come to John 4. Now we’ve covered this before but it’s very important for us to understand this and have this as a basis and as a foundation for answering the question: will there be a full-fledged, bonafide temple during the millennium with the Aaronic priesthood, and the Levites, and all the sacrifices and everything like that? Now there are many people who believe that that will be so. Now let’s see what Jesus says concerning what is the important thing in worshiping God. Is it the building? Is it the place? Or, is it the heart?

Now let’s pick it up here, John 4:19. This is where Jesus was talking to the woman at the well in Samaria. “The woman saith unto Him, Sir, I perceive that Thou art a prophet. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain;…” (John 4:19-20). See, that was Mt. Gerazim, and that was the counterfeit temple that the renegade priest, who would not submit to Ezra, and who would not put away their strange wives, they went over there to Sanballat who was governor of Samaria and he says, “Look, you guys come over here and I’ll build you a temple just like the one in Jerusalem.” So they went over there, built a temple, had the rituals. As a matter of fact there are even a small number of people who still belong to the Samaritan sect. And that’s where, if you hear of the Samaritan Old Testament, what the Samaritan Old Testament has are basically the first five books of the Bible. Now they couldn’t take the rest of the Bible, because see, the rest of the Bible shows that God chose Jerusalem for the temple. So it would be a very difficult proposition to justify having a temple in Samaria when God clearly said that Jerusalem was where He placed His name. So if you only take the first five books of the Bible, then what you do, is you can read there in Deuteronomy 16 where God chooses to place His name, you go there and worship. Well, since there’s no place designated, well then Samaria is just as good as Jerusalem, see. So you see how the mind of man works to get around the Word of God. If they don’t like it, just cut it off and get rid of it, you see.

So here the woman said, “Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and Ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.” And until the beginning of the New Testament church that basically was true. “Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe Me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what:…” (vs. 20-22).

Now hold your place here and let’s come back to Acts 8, and let’s see what they were worshiping. And let’s see who was the high priest of the time when the Apostles were preaching the Gospel. And we’re going to see… And of course down through history, we don’t have time for it for this sermon, but down through history, history shows that this was actually the very beginning part of what later became the Roman Catholic Church.

Now let’s pick it up here in verse 5. Acts 8:5, “Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them.” Now this, remember, Christ already paved the way by talking to the woman at the well, and she went and told all the people what Jesus had told her, and they all came and saw Him, and then Jesus stayed there for two days, and they said, “Yes, this is the Messiah.” So there had been some preparation for this. “…Gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed. And there was great joy in that city. But there was a certain man, called Simon [this means a specific individual known], which beforetime in the same city used sorcery [which then is witchcraft], and bewitched [bedeviled, or that is deceived] the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one [great high religious figure]: to whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God” (Acts 8:5-10). So you had quite a situation going on in Samaria there, didn’t you?

“And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries. But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women” (vs. 11-12). Now then, you’ve got a close encounter of the baptismal kind, if I could put it that way, with Simon. Simon also claimed, well, he believed, but he had ulterior motive, see. He wanted the power. So Philip made a mistake – he went ahead and baptized him. And Simon continued with him. Boy, when Peter and John heard about it, the Apostles, they sent Peter and John down there to help straighten out the matter. And of course God did not give the Holy Spirit to any one of them because of this mistake, until Peter and John went down there.

Then we find in verse 17, they went down there and laid hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. And here was the motive of Simon. So it also shows that no one is going to fool God. God knows the heart, and He knows the intent. He knows what men are going to do. And so here’s Simon, and this is a tremendous warning for anyone who desires to be a great mucky-muck religious teacher, see. And that you use and manipulate the people and control them, and bear down on them with authority and control. So Simon saw this and he offered them money. See, God doesn’t want the money, He wants repentance. “Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay [my] hands, he may receive the Holy [Spirit] Ghost. But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter:…” And that means a part of the apostleship or lot, because remember to select the one to replace Judas who fell, they drew lots. And so this is referring directly to apostleship. So he was directly rebuked and rejected. “Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God” (vs. 19-21). And so that’s the key thing we’re focusing in on: will there be a temple, see? “…Your heart is not right with God.”

Now Peter said, “Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity” (vs. 22-23). So, this is what the people in Samaria were confronted with. And of course Simon would say, “Samaria is the place to worship, not Jerusalem.” So let’s come back here to John 4 and let’s see what Jesus told her.

So He said, “Ye worship ye know not what:…” Because see with sorcery, and with witchcraft what are you actually worshiping? You’re worshiping a possessed man who has power and control, and you’re worshiping demons. He says, “You don’t know what you’re worshiping.”

“…We know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.” And that means through Christ Himself. He’s referring to Himself there. “But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship Him” (John 4:22-23). So this is what God is concerned about. Now can we say without a doubt, and we’ll see a little bit later, that all during the millennium that people are going to be worshiping God in spirit and it truth? Well, that’s going to be the whole basis of why Christ is here and we’re serving as kings and priests.

Now notice verse 24, “God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in truth.” Now then it’s going to be even better because God will be on the earth, Jesus Christ, He will be manifest so people can see Him. We will be on the earth ruling and reigning with Christ, and we will be manifest and people can see us. So it’s going to be a great improvement. And we’re also going to see what God is going to do to change the heart, and change the mind, and so forth, and that all these things will work together.

Now let’s come here to…we’ve already covered this scripture so we’ll just refer to it. It says in Isaiah 10 that during the reign of Jesus Christ during the millennium, that the knowledge of God is going to cover the earth as the seas cover the earth. Now with all that knowledge of God will there be any need for animal sacrifices? Now why were there animal sacrifices? Well, we’ll see here in just a little bit. That was because they couldn’t see God. God was removed from them, and especially after what they had done in the wilderness. See, right at first God was right with them. Then after their sin He removed outside the camp and Moses had to have a separate little tabernacle that he met God in outside the camp. He would not associate directly with the people anymore because of their sins. So all of the sacrifices, and all of these things were only temporary. And all of them were a form of worship to have people justified only in the physical sense as the New Testament says “in the flesh,” and were justified to the temple. They were not justified to God the Father in heaven above, or Jesus Christ in heaven above, Who’s at the right hand of God now. So when Christ is on the earth what need will there be for a priesthood after the order of Aaron, and after the order of Levi? Well there won’t be.

Now let’s see. Let’s come back here to Hebrews 7, and here we find that there is a new priesthood which replaces Levi, and that is the priesthood of Melchisedec. Now we’ve read the scriptures going through the series there on the priesthood of Melchisedec where God said that He swore, and He would not go back on His word that you (that is the one Who became Jesus Christ) are a priest forever after the order of Melchisedec.

Now let’s pick it up here. Let’s come right here in verse 11. “If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood,…” And that means spiritual perfection. The Levitical priesthood couldn’t do that because all of the sacrifices and the rituals and the incense and the things that they had were all exterior. And that which is done without cannot change that which is done within. And what is done within is done through the power of the Holy Spirit of conversion, repentance, character, growing in grace and knowledge. Repentance in all of those things are done within from the heart. So perfection could not be through the Levitical priesthood. That’s the key. “…(For under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron?” So if you have the order of Melchisedec, which is a superior priesthood, why then would you reestablish an inferior priesthood? You wouldn’t do that.

“For the priesthood being changed,…” Now is Christ going to give up being a high priest today at the right hand of God, and in the millennium actually right here on the earth? Is He going to give that up and give it to a physical descent of Aaron? Is He going to have us go through all the things that we do and build the character and qualify to be kings and priests, or we could say like the princes and elders of Israel and the priests, so that we can qualify to do that. And then when we are resurrected and are given that office we in turn go ahead and give it back to the Levitical priesthood? You see, it wouldn’t make any sense at all.

Now let’s go on and we’ll see here. Let’s talk about this a little bit further. Now verse 12. “For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law.” And there was. All the things that Jesus fulfilled, the law and the prophets, and you can read that in the Harmony, and “How Did Jesus Fulfill the Law and the Prophets.” And also there was a change in the priesthood, a change in the priesthood laws, because now instead of a high priest at the temple offering animal sacrifices, etc., etc., etc., then we have Christ Who is doing that at the right hand of God the Father.

Now let’s come down here to verse 15. “And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchisedec there ariseth another priest [that is, Jesus Christ], Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life. For He testifieth [now notice, he says this twice here, see], Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.” And then he quotes it again. Now verse 22, “By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better [covenant] testament” (vs. 15-17, 22). Now that means a superior covenant. So is God going to give an inferior covenant to those during the millennium? I think not.

Let’s come over here to chapter 8 and let’s see beginning right here in verse 6. “But now hath He [that is Christ] obtained a more excellent ministry,…” And when He comes as King of kings, and Lord of lords is that not going to be an exceedingly far greater ministry when He’s right here on the earth? Of course it will be. “…By how much also He is the mediator of a [superior] better covenant [not just better – this means superior], which was established upon [superior] better promises.” Now let me ask you which is better: the promise of having long life, peace from your enemies, plenty of food, have prosperity, healthy children, healthy crops, a blessed land, or you have the promise of eternal life to rule and reign with Christ? Of course. It’s superior. Eternal life is superior to anything physical.

Let’s read on. Verse 7, “For if the first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. For finding fault with them,…” And of course the fault went right back… Right after Aaron was named as high priest, what happened? Well, Moses went up on the mountain. He was there for forty days and forty nights, and the children of Israel persuaded him to make the golden calf. So it was at fault right from the beginning because there was not a repentance and change of heart and the giving of the Holy Spirit. The fault was with them because they sinned. “…Then should no place have been sought for the second.” So what we can say is when the covenant for the millennium comes will that be a third covenant? Because the covenant for the second covenant for us for the first resurrection will have been fulfilled at the resurrection, correct? And then at the resurrection, as I already covered on the Feast of Pentecost, then we are going to enter into a new covenant with Christ for the work that we are going to do. And so likewise God is going to enter into a new covenant with the children of Israel and Judah when He returns. Let’s see this.

Verse 8, “For finding fault with them, He saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:…” And what happened from the time of Christ from His first coming to His second coming was just a down payment of that. And that was only for those whom He called. That was not for all the house of Israel, and all the house of Judah. And He says, “…Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in My covenant, and I regarded them not,… For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put My laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to Me a people:…” (vs. 8-10). That hasn’t happened yet, even with us that hasn’t happened in the second part of the fulfillment. Yes, we have the laws of God written in our hearts and minds today, don’t we? Yes, we do through the power of the Holy Spirit, through the Word of God.

But notice verse 11. Here’s the other part of this. And this fits in with the knowledge of the Lord shall cover the earth as the seas cover the earth. Verse 11, “And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all [all, every one] shall know Me, from the least to the greatest.” And of course that won’t happen until Christ returns and establishes this covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. And He says, “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. In that He saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away” (vs. 11-13). And it doesn’t show that it will be replaced. So that’s quite a thing.

Let’s come over here to chapter 10, let’s see a little bit more about this. Let’s ask the question: do animal sacrifices have any effect in removing sins spiritually? Let’s come to Hebrews 10. Let’s begin in verse 1, “For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.” Question: during the millennium, is Christ going to take that which He has perfected and then use something which is not perfect? Is He going to take and go back to the Old Covenant? Now, if there is going to be a temple like the first and second temple, and if there are going to be sacrifices like some people claim, and we’ll go back in the book of Ezekiel and we’ll read those things a little bit later on and we’ll understand them a little bit more, then Christ indeed is going from the superior to the inferior. And that doesn’t make any sense because God is the one Who is going to be perfecting.

Now verse 2, “For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins.” Now hold your place here and come back to Hebrews 5, just a few pages back, and let’s look what it says about the sacrifices that the high priest had to offer and compare it to what Christ had to offer.

Now let’s pick it up right here in Hebrews 5:1. “For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins: who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity. And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins. And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron. So also Christ glorified not Himself to be made an high priest; but He that said unto Him, Thou art My Son, to day have I begotten Thee.” And then he quotes again, “…Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec” (Heb. 5:1-6). And then it shows that Christ offered His body, as we will see here in a bit. So God would indeed be going from the superior to the inferior.

Now let’s come back to Hebrews 10:3. And I think when we understand this we will be able to look at those chapters in Ezekiel 40 onward and see the reality of what it’s really telling us. Now verse 3, “But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year.” Now notice verse 4, “For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins” (Heb. 10:3-4). Now if it’s not possible to take away sin, question: why reinstitute them? If the Levitical priesthood under Aaron was inferior and was done away to the destruction of the temple and the scattering of the Jews and the Levites, why would God when He brings perfection to the earth in the time of the millennium and the kingdom of God, resort back to an inferior system? It makes no sense.

Now, let’s see what Christ did. Because see, if you do that what you’re actually saying is: the sacrifice of Christ was not sufficient. You’re actually saying that what Christ did was not complete. But you see, what Christ did was complete. Let’s go on. Verse 5, “Wherefore when He cometh into the world, He saith, Sacrifice and offering Thou wouldst not, but a body hast Thou prepared Me:…” Now it’s exactly the same way with us. “Know you not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit” - the same thing. Now here was a special body, the body of Christ born of the virgin Mary, especially prepared by God the Father – You have prepared a body for Me. “…In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin Thou hast had no pleasure.” And if He had no pleasure in it why reinstitute it? “Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of Me,) to do Thy will, O God.” Because that’s the most important thing. “Above when He said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin Thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; then said He, Lo, I come to do Thy will, O God.” So He repeats it. “He taketh away the first, that He may establish the second” (vs. 5-9). So why would God leave the second, which is superior, and go back to the first, which is inferior? And what you do then, you undo all the work of Christ, do you not? And does that not go against what Paul wrote, that if you seek to be justified by law Christ is of no effect to you? And that’s what would happen if they had animal sacrifices, and the kind of temple ritual that they had under the Old Covenant.

Now let’s go on here. Verse 10, “By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” And that means for all time. “And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:…” So question: what would be the purpose for those sacrifices? Why would they be needed? Let’s go on. “But this man, after He had offered one sacrifice [that is His body] for sins for ever,…” Now it says forever. Does forever include the timeframe of the millennium and the Great White Throne Judgment? But of course it does, you see. So you see it would be incongruous for God to go ahead and reinstitute the Aaronic priesthood, and the Levites, and animal sacrifices again. Ok, let’s go on. “…One sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;…” Now this time He’s going to be a whole lot closer to us, isn’t He? He’s going to be on the earth. Yes, indeed.

“From henceforth expecting till His enemies be made His footstool.” And this goes right back where we started. The heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool. Now the enemies are going to be made the footstool. “For by one offering He hath perfected [until He comes the second time] them that are sanctified.” It doesn’t say that, does it? “…He hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. Whereof the Holy [Spirit] Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that He had said before, This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more” (vs. 13-17).

Ok, let’s look at some other scriptures. You know this is quite a thing here. Let’s come and see some things in the book of Jeremiah now, so we’ll show that God is going to give a new covenant to Israel and Judah. See, God hasn’t done that yet. He’s only done that to the church. We are under the church covenant, which includes some of the things that He’s going to include with the covenant that He makes with Israel and Judah because His whole purpose is to have the world converted when Christ returns. So obviously it would contain many of the same elements. But it’s going to be a different covenant. It is going to be a new covenant. And if we could liken it unto it, it’s going to be a third covenant. And then when we come to the time of the Great White Throne Judgment then we’re going to have what? A fourth and final covenant, won’t we? And all of those things will be to bring all those who love God and serve Him, bring them into the kingdom of God. So it’s going to be quite a thing, isn’t it?

Now let’s come back and let’s look here in the book of Jeremiah. Let’s look at some important things that we’re going to see here and what God is going to have them do. Let’s come to Jeremiah 32. God is going to do some things for the people of Israel and the people of Judah. And then of course we know the principle in the New Testament, which is what? The principle in the New Testament is to the Jew first and then to the Greek. So whatever He does for Israel, He’s going to do for all nations.

Jeremiah 32:37, “Behold, I will gather them out of all countries, whither I have driven them in Mine anger, and in My fury, and in great wrath; and I will bring them again unto this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely: and they shall be My people, and I will be their God: and I will give them one heart,…” See, so God is going to change their hearts – conversion. “…And one way, that they may fear Me for ever, for the good of them, and of their children after them: and I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them to do them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from Me. Yea, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will plant them in this land assuredly with My whole heart and with My whole soul” (Jer. 32:37-41). So there is what God is going to do for the children of Israel and Judah when He brings them out of captivity as the millennium begins.