One important picture is that of His temple in Heaven. The Tabernacle is constructed according to it, as God showed Moses (see 1/3, 4 & 5/20 blog posts); and Solomon built the temple in Jerusalem according to the same pattern.
But what is God's heavenly temple? What is it built out of? What kind of stones does God use to build His temple? The city is made of gold, but the temple must be made of something even more precious than gold.
It is, God builds His temple using living stones to form the edifice of His heavenly temple.
Jesus is the Cornerstone of this building.
Psalm 118: 22-23 says,
The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This is the Lord's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.Isaiah 8: 13-15 tells us that,
It is the Lord of Hosts whom you should regard as holy, and He shall be your fear, and He shall be your dread. Then He shall become a sanctuary; but to both the houses of Israel, a stone to strike and a rock to stumble over, and a snare and a trap for the inhabitants of Jerusalem. Many shall stumble over them, then they will fall and be broken; they will even be snared and caught.Jesus, as the Head over His body that we are, is also the Cornerstone of the building we comprise.
Matthew, Mark and Luke all record Jesus' words, quoting Isaiah, and saying that those who trip over this stone will be broken to pieces, but on whom it falls it will scatter him like dust!
And Peter says that we are the living stones:
Coming to Him as to a living Stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (I Peter: 2 4-5).Then he also quotes Isaiah.
As our bodies are God's temple here and now, because He lives in us (I Corinthians 3: 16-17; 6: 19), Paul writes to the church in Ephesus, that we are,
fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God's household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit (Ephesians 2: 19-22).So we are the living stones of God's temple in heaven, we are His priests to offer the spiritual sacrifices forever in His holy presence.
And, according to the Revelation of Jesus Christ as given to John, the martyrs that have been beheaded for Christ could be the living stones of the altar in the temple of God in heaven.
When the Lamb opens the fifth Seal,
the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained seemed to be underneath the altar, crying out for God to judge their murderers. (Revelation 6: 9-10).They may have been the stones at the lower part of the altar.
Because when the third angel poured out the third bowl of judgment into the rivers and springs of water, and all the fresh water of the Earth became poison,
then the altar itself cried out praises to O Lord God the Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments, when You have judged these things; for they poured out the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink. They deserve it (Revelation 16: 4-7).So, since we are the living stones that comprise the temple of God in Heaven, and those who have shed their blood in the Name of the Lord are the altar in the temple, I wonder if He will also have us in the other different pieces of the furniture He had Moses put in the Tabernacle.
We are the light of the world. And our prayers are the incense on the altar of incense. But these are other pictures to study.
O my Father, You are Spirit, You are Life, You are our Source of everything we need. You have given us pictures of material things so that we will be able to see the reality of the actual things that are spiritual.
Father, the more I study Your written Word, the more I can understand of Your reality. I am amazed and astounded at all You have revealed to me so far, and it's all connected together into Your great Plan of the Ages, and more. Our ages are only of this creation.
You are just, and will attend to making sure that every creature will receive what is just. But You have also redeemed us by putting the wrath due us on Your own Son instead, so that You could put His righteousness on our account. This is even more amazing than all I have seen! How You could be just, and still justify the unrighteous! Incredible!
O Father, You have loved me more than I could ever imagine! And I want to love you back, with all that I am. Everything I am, I have from You. And I can only give You back what is Yours! Father, help me to do much with what You have given to me, to be able to honor You before the world.
Let me help Your children to grow to maturity, and let me increase the number of Your uncountable children, to help You fill Your house with Your family, enjoying sweet fellowship with You and the rest of Your family forever!
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will proclaim that Jesus is our Christ, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign King of all Creation, to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come swiftly, Lord Jesus!
