Â

40. THE TEMPLE ETERNAL - ITS COURT

This Earth the Court of the Heavenly Sanctuary. In the court of the earthly sanctuary, the typical sacrifices were slain and their blood was ministered in the sanctuary for the repentant sinner. The sin offering was then burned without the camp. Lev. 16:27. Likewise, Jesus, the antitypical sin offering, the Lamb “roast with fire,” He who suffered and bled and died for our sins, was sacrificed on Calvary, without the camp, and He now pleads His blood in the heavenly sanctuary for repentant sinners. Also, as the typical sacrifices were washed and cleansed in the court of the earthly sanctuary, so on this earth, the candidates for redemption must be cleansed and prepared for their heavenly home. This earth, then, is the court of the heavenly sanctuary.

Therefore, when John was given a vision of the heavenly sanctuary, he was not shown the altar of burnt offering or the laver - he saw nothing relating to the court of the earthly sanctuary. And when he was given a reed to measure the temple, he was told to "leave out" the court, "which is without the temple, and measure it not." Rev. 11:1,2. It was "given unto the Gentiles," those who are of the earth, and whose names are "written in the earth" Jer. 17:13 - those "who depart from" God and do not accept Christ as their Sacrifice.

The New Earth the Court of the Temple Eternal. As this earth is the court of the heavenly sanctuary, so the glorified new earth becomes the court of the temple eternal. Also, as the court of the earthly sanctuary entirely surrounded the sanctuary proper and was enclosed with the white linen wall, symbol of the righteousness of Christ, likewise the new earth "wherein dwelleth righteousness" 11 Peter 3:13, will entirely surround the holy place and the most holy place of the temple eternal, and will be its court. In the temple eternal, there remains one trace - only one - of the great Sacrifice, as a memorial to the redeemed throughout eternity of what their salvation has cost: He has "horns coming out of His hand; bright beams out of His side;" "and there was the hiding of His power." Heb. 3:4, margin. These "horns" and "bright beams," sparkling like brilliant diamonds, or "a lightning blaze" as Moffatt has it, in the glorified body of Christ, have taken the place of the ugly wounds caused by the cruel nails and the soldier's spear.

No Animals Sacrificed in the New Earth Court. In the court of the temple eternal, the blood of animals will not be shed in sacrifice. Oh, no! That all belongs to the court of the first, the earthly sanctuary. In the new earth court God promises to "make a covenant for them (the redeemed) with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven, and with the creeping things of the ground. . . and make them (the redeemed) to lie down safely." Hos. 2:18. When this covenant is made, His original plan will be restored, and man will "have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle (the beasts) . . . and over every creeping thing that creepeth over the earth." Gen. 1:26,28, and as their ruler, he will "subdue" them and they will obey him. Thus will be fulfilled the prophecies of Isaiah regarding the animal kingdom: "The wolf and the lamb shall feed together." Isa. 65:25. They “shall dwell” together; "the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.. And the cow and the bear shall feed, their young ones shall lie down together." Isa. 11:6, 7. The animals will roam together, contented and happy. "They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the Lord." Isa. 65:25.

The "Excellency" of the Court Eternal. In the new earth court "the wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing; . . . for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert." In the thirsty land there shall be "springs of water." Even "the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands." "The redeemed shall see the glory of the Lord, and the excellency of our God." Isa. 35:1,2,6,7; 55:12.

No Trace of Sin Remains. "Instead of the thorn (which is a result of sin,) Gen. 3:18, shall come up the myrtle tree." Isa. 55:13. Instead of decay and death, which first appeared in drooping flower and falling leaf, and which caused Adam and Eve more sorrow than men now feel over their dead, PP 62, instead of these evidences of the curse, the fields will be decorated with never-fading flowers, the grass will be "living green with a reflection of silver and gold as it waves proudly to the glory of King Jesus," and the trees will be "light and all over glorious." EW 18. In the new earth there will be no drought, no floods, no extremes of heat or cold. Instead of weeds, depleted soil, destructive insects and other pests - instead of these blights of sin which now appear on every hand, there will be nothing to hurt or destroy in the court of the temple eternal. "For the Lord shall comfort Zion: He will comfort all her waste places; and He will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord: joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving and the voice of melody." Isa. 51:3.

No Trouble in the New Earth Court. In that land "the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick." Isa. 33:24, nor will there be any cripples. "Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing." Isa. 34:5,6. Weary pilgrims "shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." Isa. 40:31. In that land there will be no lonely, aching hearts, for "God setteth the solitary in families." Ps. 68:6. Our Father champions the cause of orphans and widows and all who have been bereaved. In our eternal home no one will be harassed by financial worries, "for all things are yours; . . . and ye are Christ's and Christ is God's." I Cor. 3:21,23. Ye are "heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ." Rom. 8:17. Here the redeemed "shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them;" Isa. 49:10; - these experiences are all in the past, never again to be repeated.

Another trace of sin that will be destroyed, is found in the confusion of languages now spoken. In the beginning, for nearly two thousand years, "the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech." Gen. 11:1. What that language was, no one knows, but with all of one speech it would be comparatively easy to acquaint them with a knowledge of salvation. However, this proved to be a broad avenue to lead many away from God. Finally, at the time of the Flood, the wickedness of man had become so great that it grieved God "at His heart," and He destroyed the wicked from the face of the earth." Gen. 6:5-7.

For many more years, one language preveiled. But at the building of the tower of Babel (which name means confusion), it became manifest that one language in a wicked world was more of a curse than a blessing. Then, in order to save the inhabitants of earth from the tragedy of denying God and thus losing their chance of eternal life, God confounded their language so that they could "not understand one another's speech." Gen. 11:5-9. This confusion of tongues has continued to increase until at the present time, in order to give the world a sure knowledge of God and of salvation, the Bible has been printed in more than a thousand languages and dialects. When this earth is redeemed and every trace of sin removed, God's original plan will be carried out, for then "thou shalt not see. . . a people of a deeper speech than canst perceive. a speech that thou canst not understand." Isa. 33:19.

“Peace on Earth” an Everlasting Reality. In this new earth court, Heaven's promise of "peace on earth" meets its complete fulfillment. "He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth," and all implements of warfare shall be eternally destroyed. Ps. 46:9. "1 will break the bow and the sword and the battle out of the earth, and will make them (the redeemed) to lie down safely." Hos. 2:18. "Violence shall no more be heard in the land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call they walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise." Isa. 60:18. "My people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places." Isa. 32:18. This is the promise of the "Prince of Peace." No more need for peace conferences, for "the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance forever." Isa.

32:17. How blessed is the assurance that in the new earth court, families shall be no more separated by war; the redeemed shall pursue their various occupations in peace and safety!

Permanent Homes for the Redeemed. To those who have left home and loved ones, and have gone to the ends of the earth, moving from place to place to carry the good news of "Peace on earth," how grateful is that other promise: "I will appoint a place for My people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as beforetime." 11 Sam. 7:10. "For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before Me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain." Isa. 66:22.

Eden Homes in the Court Eternal. In this court eternal "they shall build houses and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat; for as the days of a tree are the days of My people, and Mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labor in vain." Isa. 65:21-23.

"They shall build houses." And such houses! They will be like the Garden of Eden which God built for Adam and Eve, and which He designed as "a pattern for other homes as their children should go forth to occupy the earth." PP 49. In this model home, "the blue heavens were its dome; the earth with its delicate flowers and carpet of living green, was its floor; and the leafy branches of the goodly trees were its canopy. Its walls were hung with the most magnificent adornings - the handiwork of the great Master-Artist." PP 49.

On this present sin-cursed earth, homes are made by destroying the life of stately trees, but in the new earth, where nothing shall destroy, Isa. 11:9, the redeemed shall "build houses" of living trees with wide-spreading branches and glistening foliage. They will make arbors and bowers by training graceful vines, drooping with sweet-scented, never-fading flowers, or laden with luscious fruit. In these homes of delight, "they shall dwell safely. . . and sleep in the woods." Eze. 34:25.

In the court of the temple eternal, there is "no more sea," Rev. 21:1, no more vast oceans such as now occuply three-fourths of the earth's surface. Instead of these vast uninhabitable areas, will be lovely lakes reflecting the blue sky above, on whose bosom sail graceful, pure white swans, or ducks more beautiful than our bright-colored mallards. In their waters swim fish whose beauty exceeds even the famous fish of Hawaii. Through the air, bright-colored birds fearlessly flit about singing their happy songs; humming birds dart from flower to flower, while here and there the lyre bird and the bird of paradise add their rare beauty to the garden. The court of the temple eternal will be dotted everywhere with these beautiful Eden homes, having spacious gardens of flowering shrubs and fruitful trees, and extensive lawns of "living green" watered by streams from the river of life. Gen 2:10. "Beside these living streams, God's people, so long pilgrims and strangers, shall find a home," - a home in the country, "A better country, (better than the earthly form which they came out), that is, an heavenly," Also God "hath prepared for them a city" home. Heb. 11:14-16; GC 675.

Is this mere idle dreaming? Is the picture overdrawn? Listen! "Let your imagination picture the home of the saved, and remember that it will be more glorious than your brightest imagination can portray." SC 91. It is utterly impossible adequately to describe these Eden-like homes or picture their attractions, for it is written that "since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, 0 God, beside Thee, what He hath prepared for him that waiteth for Him." “Neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.” Isa. 65:4; 1 Cor. 2:9. To attempt such a description, we can but exclaim with Paul that to do this we should need "unspeakable words," or as Moffatt translates it, words "which no human lips can repeat." II Cor. 12:4.

God's "Glorious Plan" Realized. "In the final restoration when there shall be 'a new heaven and a new earth,' Rev. 21:1, the whole earth will be occupied by homes of the redeemed patterned after the Garden of Eden, that wonderful “garden of delight.” As the court of the earthly

sanctuary was a "holy place" Lev. 6:26, so every Eden home in the temple eternal will be a holy place. When the new earth is filled with these unspeakably beautiful homes of joy and love and peace, what a magnificent court it will be for the temple itself!

On this earth, HOMES OF RIGHTEOUSNESS where God is daily worshiped at the family altar, where Christ is recognized as the Head of the house, and where His word, daily studied, is the guide in life, are, as it were, types of the Eden homes in the court of the temple eternal; CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS are as types of the School of the Hereafter located in the holy place; the CHURCH on earth a type of the church in the most holy place. The home, the school, the church, are the three institutions divinely established to be in God's hands His saving agencies. God has not changed. This has always been His plan. It is still His plan. In the temple eternal, the home, the school, and the church, are the great and final antitype of the court, the holy place, and the most holy place of the earthly sanctuary. They are the three agencies divinely appointed to continue throughout eternity as God's instrumentalities to promote a more complete knowledge of the Eternal and of the redemption He has wrought. Thus His original plan of peopling the earth with righteous beings, reflecting His own image, will be a marvelous and eternal reality. Then, "through unending ages, the inhabitants of sinless worlds shall behold the fulfillment of the Creator's glorious plan." PP 62.

Christ Our Sanctuary. "The Lord Jesus Christ in our own humanity was the true tabernacle. . . Here on earth. . . He worked out and obtained eternal salvation for us; and now in heaven He is, in His own person and forevermore, all that the heavenly treasures in the earthly tabernacle signified." R&H Spet. 2, 1948, p. 4. In Him is fulfilled to His people that most precious and all-inclusive promise, found in Ezekiel 11:16 -

"I will be to them as

a little sanctuary."

In our study of the earthly sanctuary, we have found that in its every part Christ is symbolized. He is the gate to the court through which all may enter; He is the sacrifice entirely consumed on the altar of brass; He is the resurrection and the life symbolized in the laver. He is "the door" to the holy place, and the veil at the entrance to the most holy place. He is the building and its foundation, and its protective coverings. He is the golden table and the Bread which came down from heaven. He is the golden altar and the golden censer, and the incense His righteousness. He is the golden candlestick, the Light of the world, working through the Holy Spirit. His throne is the mercy seat which covers the ark, and He Himself is the law of God drawn out in living characters A transcript of God's character." PP 52; GC 434. His righteousness is the wall of white linen surrounding all. In the court He is our reconciliation and justification, in the holy place our sanctification, and in the most holy place our glorification. The earthly sanctuary is a complete shadow picture of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Christ is also the great center of the heavenly sanctuary; in its holy place He is our sympathizing High Priest and the KING OF GLORY: in the most holy where He now officiates, He is our righteous Judge. In heaven itself, He is KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

The new earth, wherein is located the throne of "the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb," Rev. 21:22, having been redeemed by the precious blood of Christ, becomes the center of God's entire universe, around which circle "suns, and stars, and systems, all in their appointed order." GC 677,678.

Christ is the King not only of the new earth, but "upon His shoulder" shall rest the government of newly created worlds - "the increase of His government" of which "there shall be no end." Isa. 9:6,7. This divine-human King, whose name is "Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace" - is not only our earthly and our heavenly sanctuary, but He is our temple eternal. In this temple, He is "the KING OF ETERNITY," to whom "be honor and

glory forever and ever. Amen." I Tim. 1:17. This King, the Lord Jesus Christ, is "the true tabernacle." To His people forever and ever -

He is "as a little sanctuary" Exe. 11:16;

He is "the way, the truth, and the life" John 14:6; And "His way is in the sanctuary" Ps. 77:13;

He is THE PATH TO THE THRONE OF GOD.

SIVAN

Abib 14 Passover:Ex. 12:2,13:4;

GC 399

Sivan 3 Sinai Encampment: Ex. 19:1

Sivan 5 Law Given: Ex'. 19:10,l1,16 Ex. 20.17

Sivan 12 Moses called into cloud after six,days preparation.

Ex. 24:12-18

PP 313.

SIVAN

Abib 14 Passover:Ex. 12:2,13:4;

GC 399

Sivan 3 Sinai Encampment: Ex. 19:1

Sivan 5 Law Given: Ex'. 19:10,l1,16 Ex. 20.17

Sivan 12 Moses called into cloud after six,days preparation.

Ex. 24:12-18

 Â

Â

 Â