THE TEMPLE BLUEPRINT

Related Articles

FULFILLMENT OF A PROMISE, THEN CONFLICT

April 6, 2023

THE CONCEPT OF ORIGINAL SIN AND THE RESPONSE OF GUILT AND BLAME

April 6, 2023

SYLLABUS for the book of GENESIS

April 5, 2023

RETURN TO SYLLABUS

EZRA: THE BELIEVER AS THE TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Lesson #03
THE TEMPLE BLUEPRINT

• Memory Verse: 1Cor 3:16
• We are the temple of God
  • Read 1Cor 3:16 and 2Cor 6:16
  • As we study the Jewish temple, we are going to see that the pattern for the Old Testament temple relates to us as New Testament believers in Jesus Christ.
  • When we studied the Old Testament tabernacle in the wilderness, we saw that the pattern for the tabernacle illustrated the nature and work of Jesus Christ.
    • To some extent that is true also of the temple. For example Luk 23:45-46 tells us that the veil in the temple represented Jesus’ flesh that was torn on the cross at the same time that God tore the veil in the temple.
    • However, the temple itself speaks more specifically about the believer in Jesus Christ than it does about Jesus.
• Background:
  • The Tabernacle:
    • The tabernacle building had three major areas.
      • The courtyard.
      • The Holy Place.
      • The Holy of Holies.
    • Man was created with three basic areas.
      • The body
      • The soul
      • The spirit
  • The first temple built by King Solomon was more intricate than the tabernacle. Solomon’s Temple was a glorious temple covered with gold, silver, bronze, iron, and precious stones.
    • The quantities of materials used were:
      • 270 tons of gold
      • 575 tons of silver
      • 610 tons of bronze
      • 3,400 tons of iron
    • The value of just the gold and silver on today’s market would amount to 755 million dollars of silver and 15.3 billion dollars of gold.
    • While Solomon’s temple was the most glorious and most extravagant temple, it does not compare with the value that God places on the individual believer in Jesus Christ.
    • Considering the blueprint of the floor plan of Solomon’s Temple, we are going to discover that this blueprint also represents the blueprint of the life of the believer in Jesus Christ.
  • Solomon’s Temple blueprint:
    • Solomon’s Temple consisted of various parts:
      • The Outer Courtyard on the lowest level.
      • The Inner Courtyard on the next lowest level.
        • Inside of the inner courtyard there was a very large altar of bronze (30X30X15 feet) for animal sacrifice.
        • Inside of the inner courtyard there was a bronze laver (45 feet circumference and 71/2 feet high and holding 11,000 gallons of water) and resting on the backs of 12 bronze oxen.
        • Inside of the inner courtyard were 10 bronze basins on 10 carts (each one with18 feet circumference and holding 240 gallons of water). Five were on the north side of the courtyard, and 5 were on the south side of the courtyard.
      • The Temple Building: The Temple building contained:
        • A 10 foot high platform on which the Temple building sat so as to raise it higher than the courtyard and reached by 10 steps.
        • A porch with two bronze pillars.

One pillar was called Jachin

The name Jachin means = by His counsel.

The other pillar was called Boaz

The name Boaz means = in His strength.

• • • • The Holy Place. This room contained:
        • Carved walls were overlaid with gold.
        • The golden lampstand from the Tabernacle was stored away.
        • Solomon’s Temple had 10 golden lampstands, five on the north side of the Holy Place and 5 on the south side.
        • There were as many as 10 tables of showbread each holding 12 loaves of bread representing each of the 12 tribes of Israel.
        • There was an altar of incense.
      • The Holy of Holies (30 feet square) (The walls were gilded with a ton of gold)
        • The veil separating the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies
        • The Ark of Covenant with two 15 foot high gold cherubim.
      • A three tiered level of hidden storage chambers around three outside walls of the Temple building.
  • Man’s Blueprint:
    • With this temple blueprint in mind, let us look at the corresponding parts of man.
    • The Outer Courtyard represents the Body (Soma) of the believer.
    • The Inner Courtyard represents the Soul (Psyche) of the believer.
      • The10 foot high platform represents the possibility of man rising to express a higher nature than the sinful nature with which he was born.
      • The porch with 2 bronze pillars represents the power of man’s free will where he is able to experience the mind of Christ.
    • The Holy Place represents man’s Heart (Kardia).
    • The Holy of Holies represents man’s Spirit (Pneuma)
    • The hidden storage chambers represents hidden facets of man’s soul (cheder).
      • It is in these parts of man’s soul that he buries the hurts, the doubts, and the fears based on his experiences in life.
  • What happens to man when he is born again receiving Jesus Christ as his Lord and savior?
    • =A= Man’s new spirit (pneuma) (The Holy of Holies in the Temple)
      • The Holy Spirit comes into man’s spirit and gives man a new spirit.
      • In other words, the light of God is lit in man’s spirit so that man can see and understand that something is lacking in his life.
        • When the Holy Spirit enters man’s spirit, man’s old spirit becomes new.
        • The Holy Spirit places a seal on man’s spirit for eternal life. (2Cor 1:22)
        • Man’s spirit is united with God’s Spirit to become one new sprit in man.. (1Cor 6:17)
    • =B= Man’s new heart (kardia) (The Holy Place in the Temple)
      • The heart is part of man’s sub-concious soul.
        • Read Pro 23:7 The “heart” in the Bible refers to the soul, not the physical heart.

Read Psa 103:1-2

• • • • • The soul is the center of self-consciousness.
        • It is that part of us that lives forever (Mat 10:28).
        • The soul is the ego and the personality. It is what makes each person a unique one of a kind.
        • The soul contains 3 aspects:

The mind = intellect, reason, and memory.

The will = free choice (Psa 24:4 Eph 6:6).

The emotion = love, hate, etc. (Psa 86:4).

• • • • • The soul consists of 3 levels:

A conscious awareness (Phi 4:8-9).

A sub-conscious level: This is the memory bank of information.

• • • • In man’s heart is where the Holy Spirit of God creates man’s new life.( Jer 24:7)
        • Read Eze 36:26
      • Man’s heart is not just renewed or changed. It is made a totally new heart. (2Cor 5:17)
      • This new heart is the foundation or center of man’s new Christian life. It is the hidden man of the heart, the core of man’s being as a believer. It is Christ in us.
        • Why does man need a new heart?
        • Read Jer 17:9
        • His old heart is corrupt. (Gen 8:21)

The old heart is corrupt and deceptively wicked so that no one can understand spiritual things.

The old heart is the “old man” Paul talks about in Rom 6:6.

The “old man” is crucified with Christ when a person identifies himself with the death and burial of Jesus Christ.

The old nature of sin has no more power or authority over the born-again believer.

• • • • • The Holy Spirit in man’s new heart is like a fountain of living water. (Joh 7:37-39
        • Read Jam 3:10-11
    • =C= Man’s new willpower {dianoia) (The porch in the Temple)
      • God created man with free will. He has the will to choose or reject.
      • The born-again believer has a new willpower.
        • The unbeliever is bound by sin and is unable to choose, but the believer now has a choice.
        • The willpower is the doorway by which we enter into the presence of God.
        • The willpower is the doorway by which we permit the life of God to flow out of us to other people.
      • The temple porch had two parts:
        • =1= The golden vestibule

This represents the new will of God placed in our hearts when we are born again.

The new believer in Jesus Christ has the power of God to make new choices in his life.

• • • • • =2= The bronze pillars

This represents man’s free will to choose between God’s will in us, or our own will.

These choices are either faith choices or emotional choices.

• • • =D= Man’s soul (psyche) (The inner court of the Temple)
      • The Greek word for soul is psyche that has a double root meaning. It means = to have life or to wax cold.
      • This is the conscious part of man’s soul.
      • Therefore, the soul is a neutral area where man can make faith choices to live a Godly life or he can make emotional choices to live according to his feelings and emotions where his life becomes cold to God.
      • Notice that when man is born again he does not get a new soul. He gets a new spirit and a new heart and a new will.
        • The soul is the conscious thoughts, emotions and desires that are usually contrary to God’s will.
        • The soul is the self-life.
      • In the inner courtyard of the Temple (in man’s soul area) were three stories of hidden chambers on the outside walls of the temple building. We will discuss these chambers later in our study.
    • =E= Man’s body (soma) (The outer court of the Temple)
      • Man’s body is not changed when he receives Jesus Christ as his Savior.
      • It is not until the rapture of the church that the believer will receive his new body.

Homework
The Inner Man of the Heart

• Application of the Temple Blue Print
  • Have you become the temple of God and received Jesus Christ into your heart and life?
    • If you have, you can rejoice that you now have a new Spirit, a new heart, and a new will.
    • If you have not, you need to receive Jesus Christ to partake of his presence in your heart and life for all of eternity. You can do that by asking your pastor or your teacher to pray with you to receive Christ.
  • Preparation for The Inner Man of the Heart
    • What is the inner man that Paul talks about in Eph 3:16?
    • How do you think the inner man is strengthened?
• Memory Verse: Eph 3:16