The Parable Of The Temple 1

"The sacred tent, given by God to Moses at Sinai was replaced by The Temple not commanded in Torah. Built by The Son of David, the old was replaced by The New." 

     Line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little, The Word of God illustrates a greater picture for those who seek it; waiting at it's gates daily. It's literal, historical events act out spiritual lessons for readers in every age, and even the feasts God gave were actually "rehearsals" and patterns of those in heaven; those truths God revealed only to Israel in Tanakh (The Christian Old Testament) and not to any other nation at that time.
     When God gave Moses the design of the holy tent of meeting and all it's implements of divine service in Exodus, He cautioned Moses to make everything according to the pattern showed to him in the mountain in God's presence, that being the earthly representation and rehearsal of actual heavenly things; presented in shadows to man.
    The Torah, the first five books of the Bible, all written by Moses, are considered the holiest of all scripture to Israel and Judaism even today. In the Roman era of the first century AD, in the gospel of John chapter 4, the Samaritan woman referred to Torah's authority in her discussion with Jesus of Nazareth at the well delclaring 'our fathers worshipped in this mountain, and you [the Jews, Israelites of the southern kingdom of the tribe of Judah] say that Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship'; challenging the authority of the supremacy of Jerusalem as the place where God set His name and house; a belief based on the tribe of Judah's prophets, The Judaen monarchy out of David the son of Jesse, the psalms and history in Chronicles, Kings and Samuel-together making up the Tanakh (Old Testament). The Samaritans [Northern Israelites, ten of the original twelve tribes who broke away from following the Judaen monarchy after king Solomon's death] rejected the Tanakh, except for the Torah (Genesis through Deuteronomy), and don't consider the prophets in the Bible, the Chronicles and Kings, psalms, etc to be the inspired Word of God, or the descendants of King David to be inheritors of any promises from God to reign as king over all Israel, nor for the Messiah to be a descendant of King Davd [i.e. "The Son of David"]. This belief persists until this day.
    While Torah described in detail the mobile tent of meeting, it spoke nothing of a permanent Temple in one God-chosen city as a house of worship for the God of Israel (2 Samuel 7:7, 1 King 8:16) to replace it and it's functions of service and worship to God. But that's exactly what happened, by the prophecy given to King David the son of Jesse of the tribe of Judah, king over Israel.Most of Israel did not accept this anointed one's God ordained plan to build a house for The Name of The Most High for very long, and the ten northern tribes with a capital in Samaria, split from the southern tribe of Judah, headquartered in Jerusalem, which was under the kings of David's lineage. Only a remanant of Israel, mostly the southern tribe, held to the messiah-the king anointed by God, as prophecied in Torah that the sceptre would not depart from Judah until Shiloh-the sent one-come. The majority of Israel rejected him for their own idols, and works of their hands; for salvation is of The Jews. Samaria, as the Judaen prophets said, would cease to be a nation-which it did after the Assyrian invasion in the seventh century BC. God showed in power which words were His, and which weren't.
    But that was not the ultimate fulfilment, but only a pre figure or type; the greater was then still to come. The tent of meeting was replaced by the permanent temple built by The Son of David in Jerusalem, where God chose to place His Name; and ceasing to wander, in a type, the people who believed entered into His rest-as the old was replaced by the new. And as the tent and temple were used as symbols, they are an illustration of the old given to Moses being replaced by-and yet fulfiled by-the new, given to The Son of David: the sent one of God. It happened again centuries later under the one who, after three days, raised The Temple which most of Israel rejected. (John 2:19-21) To Him give all the prophets witness that through His the name every one that believes unto Him recieves remission of sins. (Acts 10:43) And under this promised New Covenant, and New Temple, we enter His rest by faith in the redemption purchased by and found only in His death and resurrection for us, as the old was replaced by the New.  

The Parable of Moses 1

Title: The Parable of Moses: Part 1      [Oil on acrylic primed masonite  approx 24"x36"  2007]

Description: "The Prince of a king called 'a living God' / Left His throne to live among His people He loves / Their Savior, He delivered them from bondage to sin / And became the mediator between God and man."

    Moses was a prince of Egypt, having been adopted and raised by the daughter of the king in Exodus 2:5-11; Pharaoh, who was regarded by the Egyptian religion and people as 'a living god' on the earth. Moses the prince voluntarily left his throne and position to visit the Hebrews, his biological people (Exodus 2:11). As God's chosen (Numbers 12:6-8, Psalm 106:23) Moses led Israel out of slavery to sinful, ungodly Egypt by the power of God (Psalm 77:20) and stood between the people and God, making intercession to save them (Exodus 32:30-32, Deuteronomy 9:18-19). That's the literal account the Torah gives of Moses.
   However,  it is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but it is the glory of kings to search it out. (Proverbs 25:2) To understand a proverb, and a figure, The words of the wise, and their dark sayings. (Proverbs 1:6) By this we know that scripture hides many mysteries which are revealed to those who seek God diligently (Proverbs 8)
   Moses was a Messiah, a Christ;-meaning an anointed one of God. He was chosen by God, given power and authority to do the works of God in order to bear witness to his audience of God's approval of his message and mission in Exodus 3. He lead the people of God out of bondage to the sinful world, taught them the ways of God and stood in the gap interceeding for them as a mediator between God and man.  He alone could approach God and reveal Him to God's people; and all who rejected him lost their inheritance promised to them and died  accursed in the wilderness. All this is witnessed to in the last four books of Moses.
   We can see that Moses was not the final, ultimate fulfilment of the description of God's Messiah, for even his successor, Joshua son of Nun, did not completely accomplish bringing the people into God's rest (Joshua 23).  "For if Joshua had given them rest, he would not have spoken afterward of another day." (Hebrews 4:8) And God did speak of another day:  "Seeing therefore it remaineth that some should enter thereinto, and they to whom the good tidings were before preached failed to enter in because of disobedience,   he again defineth a certain day, To-day, saying in David so long a time afterward (even as hath been said before), To-day if ye shall hear his voice, Harden not your hearts." (Hebrews 4:6-7)
    God even showed Moses that the children of Israel would apostasize, rebell against God , fall under the punishments promised in the covenant, and need an intercessor and mediator, just as they had in the wilderness. (Deuteronomy 31:16-18, Deut 32) [Many such fulfilments happened in the Book of Judges.] In this, the scripture prophesied a greater fulfillment of The Messiah, at that time yet to come; because not even Moses could lead the people into God's inheritance (Deut 31:2), nor Joshua son of Nun; so they knew to look forward to one that would be sent.
   At the same time, what Moses did was a blueprint for what the sent one would do-on a greater scale, as Moses prophesied of the prophet like him, whom God would raise up (Deut 18:15-19). "Jehovah thy God will raise up unto thee a prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;  according to all that thou desiredst of Jehovah thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of Jehovah my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not.  And Jehovah said unto me, They have well said that which they have spoken.   I will raise them up a prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee; and I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.  And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him."
   So Torah tells us that one like Moses was expected to come. And He has.-

 

   Jesus, The Word of God, the Prince of Peace (John1:1, Isaiah 9:6) and a prince by physical descent from King David of ancient Israel (Luke 3, 2 Samuel 7:12-14) the Son of the True and Living God YAHVEH Elohim Almighty, (Psalm 110:1, Psalm 2:7-12, Ps. 45:6-7) left the glory He had with the Father before the world was (John 17:5, Proverbs 8:22-31, Isaiah 48:16) to come to His physical people Israel first (John 1:10-11, Isaiah 8:14-22) but after being rejected by the majority (Matthew 15:13, John 8:37-47, Isaiah 53:1) and only accepted by those Jews who were 'Israel' in spirit-circumcised in heart by faith, (Romans 2:25, Jeremiah 9:26, Romans 1:17/Habakkuk 2:4) He then went to His people from the Gentiles-yet of Spiritual Israel (John 10:16, Isaiah 49:6). He delivered us from bondage to sin in the world (John 6:51, Isaiah 53:4-12) and became the mediator between God and man (Psalm 110:4, Isaiah 53: 4-12, 1 Timothy 2:5, Psalm 2:6-12, Isaiah 49:1-6 / 11:1-5).

     Key elements in the life of Moses  actually paralleled and illustrate the ministry of Jesus centuries later because they were prophecies of him that was then still yet to come. Often simply removing the names from an old testament story and simply seeing the titles and events actually illustrates the ministry of Jesus Christ specifically (Luke 24:25-27).

     All these Old testament examples are parables, types, shadows, symbols, allegories and prophecies pointing to the one true Savior they were only types of: Jesus Christ the Messiah. (1 Corinthians 10:1-12) 

"To Him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins." (Acts 10:43)