Old and New Temples

Prior to the construction of the Temple the people of God wandered around in tents and had a special tent or tabernacle for God to live in.

When the people became settled King Solomon built a fabulous Temple that included the “Holy of Holies” for God to dwell in.

God inspired Nebuchadnezzar to punish his people Israel for their sins and destroyed the magnificent Temple that took Solomon seven years to build.

Seventy years later God inspired Cyrus King of Persia to rebuild the Temple under the guidance of Zerubbabel. That project lasted twenty-one years and was not as magnificent as Solomon’s Temple. Some of the older people who remembered Solomon’s Temple wept at what they considered a far lessor structure.

Perhaps some of that sorrow was because of what Ezekiel the prophet predicted what the new Temple would look like (Ez. 40-48). They took Ezekiel’s prophecy literally.

Later King Herod would take 45 years to rejuvenate and expand the second Temple and it was astoundingly beautiful to the disciples of Jesus.

But the Jews made the mistake again of a horrible sin and killed Jesus Christ. God sent the Romans in AD 70 and totally destroyed the Temple.

There won’t be anymore structural Temples for God to live in because God chose to live in his peoples… in their hearts… with his Holy Spirit and that is a far, far superior Temple than anything carpenters and builders could construct. And one that cannot be destroyed.

Make your lives and your bodies a place that God is proud to live in.