(03/09/2017) Restoring the Divine Presence?

 

Today, focus is on why King David wanted to build a Temple at Jerusalem.  The incontestable evidence of divine acceptance for Israel as a peculiar people belonging to GOD was to be the abiding presence of God among them, first, within the Sanctuary of the Tabernacle as they journeyed through uninhabited areas on their way to the Promised Land, and later within the Temple that would be a fixed and permanent structure provided at Jerusalem through the house of David.  A fighter at “Yahoo! Answers” using the ID “Kamram Masood” (Level 1 with 221 points, a member since December 10, 2016) posted the following:

 

Why did King David want his son King Solomon to build a temple? I don t understand the reason why?

 

THE GOLDEN ARROW:  Then David the king stood up upon his feet, and said, Hear me, my brethren, and my people:  As for me, I had in mine heart to build an house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and for the footstool of our God, and had made ready for the building:  But God said unto me, Thou shalt not build an house for my name, because thou hast been a man of war, and hast shed blood.  Howbeit the LORD God of Israel chose me before all the house of my father to be king over Israel for ever:  for he hath chosen Judah to be the ruler; and of the house of Judah, the house of my father; and among the sons of my father he liked me to make me king over all Israel:  And of all my sons, (for the LORD hath given me many sons,) he hath chosen Solomon my son to sit upon the throne of the kingdom of the LORD over Israel.  And he said unto me, Solomon thy son, he shall build my house and my courts:  for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father.  Moreover I will establish his kingdom for ever, if he be constant to do my commandments and my judgments, as at this day.  Now therefore in the sight of all Israel the congregation of the LORD, and in the audience of our God, keep and seek for all the commandments of the LORD your God:  that ye may possess this good land, and leave it for an inheritance for your children after you for ever.  And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind:  for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts:  if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.  Take heed now; for the LORD hath chosen thee to build an house for the sanctuary:  be strong, and do it.  Then David gave to Solomon his son the pattern of the porch, and of the houses thereof, and of the treasuries thereof, and of the upper chambers thereof, and of the inner parlours thereof, and of the place of the mercy seat,  And the pattern of all that he had by the spirit, of the courts of the house of the LORD, and of all the chambers round about, of the treasuries of the house of God, and of the treasuries of the dedicated things:  Also for the courses of the priests and the Levites, and for all the work of the service of the house of the LORD, and for all the vessels of service in the house of the LORD.  (1st Chronicles 28:  2-13, King James Version, KJV)

 

THE DOUBLE DAGGER:  First Seeking the Kingdom (03/03/2017); Thoughts On The Kingdom? (11/18/2015); Solomon Punished For Sins Of David? (08/28/2015); GOD Rules (07/07/2015); Ark of the Covenant? (03/17/2015); Was David a “Good” Man? (01/13/2015); The House Ye Build Unto Me? (07/31/2014)

 

“Kamran Masood”, King David had multiple purposes for himself seeking to establish a holy temple as a dwelling place for divinity among the people of Israel.  Included were:  (1)  petitioning for forgiveness and demonstrating repentance for sin; (2) reviving the relationship established through Moses that GOD would be present among the covenant people; (3) lifting the curse upon the Aaronic priesthood that was incurred by Eli with his sons Hophni and Phinehas; and (4) relocation of the Holy Place so that the King would have immediate access to the prophetic counsels of GOD available through the regalia of the High Priest (the ephod, Urim and Thummim) as well as the Mercy Seat above the Ark of Covenant.  When denied by GOD on the basis of “uncleanness” (i.e., unfitness) as one having repeatedly shed blood in war, like Abraham, David sought to “bring about” promise and prophecy that he would be father to a dynasty of kings, and through them the will of GOD would be accomplished in the earth.  David began to stockpile and  prepare materials that could be used in building a “house of GOD;” and the work of the temple was to continue the ongoing relationship between heaven and earth.”  The purposes of Solomon included (1) obeying his father David; (2) fulfilling prophecy; and (3) displaying a greater, more prosperous kingdom than that of his father.  Neither David nor Solomon conceived the new covenant in blood, the eternal kingdom, and the “habitation of GOD” through the imparted, indwelling Spirit that would be established by Jesus Christ as the Son of Man, the son of David, and the Son of GOD.  Consider again the following verses from the Bible:

(1.)  1st Samuel 2:  30-35, King James Version (KJV):  30 Wherefore the LORD God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever:  but now the LORD saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.  31 Behold, the days come, that I will cut off thine arm, and the arm of thy father’s house, that there shall not be an old man in thine house.  32 And thou shalt see an enemy in my habitation, in all the wealth which God shall give Israel:  and there shall not be an old man in thine house for ever.  33 And the man of thine, whom I shall not cut off from mine altar, shall be to consume thine eyes, and to grieve thine heart:  and all the increase of thine house shall die in the flower of their age.  34 And this shall be a sign unto thee, that shall come upon thy two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas; in one day they shall die both of them.  35 And I will raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which is in mine heart and in my mind:  and I will build him a sure house; and he shall walk before mine anointed for ever.

(2.)  Daniel 7:  21-27, KJV:  21 I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them;  22 Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.  23 Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.  24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise:  and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.  25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws:  and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.  26 But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end.  27 And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.

There is far more to be said, correctly applied, and spiritually apprehended.  (For example, (3.)  Ephesians 2:  13-22, KJV:  13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.  14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;  15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;  16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:  17 And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.  18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.  19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;  20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;  21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:  22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.)  Even so, I trust this fragment will be useful.  Be it unto you according to your faith.

THE BLACK PHOENIX
Washington, DC

(10/04/2014) Begotten Unto A Lively Hope?

A Scripture study is shared, today, on the hope among Christian believers pertaining to adoption, glory, mercy in divine judgment and eternal life.  Expectations and expressions of hope for the believer are all generated by godly utterances.  Thus, the basis for hope is no different than that for belief, such aspects of sacred life as atonement, baptism, commandments, doctrine, healing, forgiveness, sacraments, sacred law, proclamations, promises, and prophecy.

SOME THOUGHTS ON

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,

5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.  (1st Peter 1:  3-5, KJV)


Psalms 42:  10-11 (KJV)  10 As with a sword in my bones, mine enemies reproach me; while they say daily unto me, Where is thy God?  11 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God:  for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.

Psalms 39:  6-8 (KJV)  6 Surely every man walketh in a vain shew:  surely they are disquieted in vain:  he heapeth up riches, and knoweth not who shall gather them.  7 And now, Lord, what wait I for? my hope is in thee.  8 Deliver me from all my transgressions:  make me not the reproach of the foolish.

Psalms 33:  21-22 (KJV)  21 For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name.  22 Let thy mercy, O LORD, be upon us, according as we hope in thee.

Job 11:  13-20 (KJV)  13 If thou prepare thine heart, and stretch out thine hands toward him;  14 If iniquity be in thine hand, put it far away, and let not wickedness dwell in thy tabernacles.  15 For then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot; yea, thou shalt be stedfast, and shalt not fear:  16 Because thou shalt forget thy misery, and remember it as waters that pass away:  17 And thine age shall be clearer than the noonday:  thou shalt shine forth, thou shalt be as the morning.  18 And thou shalt be secure, because there is hope; yea, thou shalt dig about thee, and thou shalt take thy rest in safety.  19 Also thou shalt lie down, and none shall make thee afraid; yea, many shall make suit unto thee.  20 But the eyes of the wicked shall fail, and they shall not escape, and their hope shall be as the giving up of the ghost.

Psalms 16:  8-10 (KJV)  8 I have set the LORD always before me:  because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.  9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth:  my flesh also shall rest in hope.  10 For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

Psalms 119:  48-50 (KJV)  48 My hands also will I lift up unto thy commandments, which I have loved; and I will meditate in thy statutes.  49 Remember the word unto thy servant, upon which thou hast caused me to hope.  50 This is my comfort in my affliction:  for thy word hath quickened me.

Psalms 130:  3-5 (KJV)  3 If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?  4 But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.  5 I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.

Psalms 147:  11  (KJV)  11 The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.

Lamentations 3:  24-33 (KJV)  24 The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.  25 The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.  26 It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.  27 It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.  28 He sitteth alone and keepeth silence, because he hath borne it upon him.  29 He putteth his mouth in the dust; if so be there may be hope.  30 He giveth his cheek to him that smiteth him:  he is filled full with reproach.  31 For the Lord will not cast off for ever:  32 But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.  33 For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.

1st Peter 2:  1-5 (KJV)  1 Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,  2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:  3 If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.  4 To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,  5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

Romans 5:  1-8 (KJV)  1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:  2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.  3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also:  knowing that tribulation worketh patience;  4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope:  5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.  6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.  7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die:  yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.  8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Titus 3:  3-8 (KJV)  3 For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.  4 But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,  5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;  6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;  7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.  8 This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.

Romans 15:  13 (KJV)  13 Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.

1st Thessalonians 5:  7-9 (KJV)  7 For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.  8 But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.  9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

Again, there is far more to be said and made a permanent part of our understandings.  Even so, I trust this fragment will be useful.  Be it unto you according to your faith.

THE BLACK PHOENIX
Washington, DC

(08/17/2014) Filling the House With Glory?

A brief Scripture study focused upon prophetic visions, the raising of a temple at Jerusalem, and the active presence (some say, the glory, the Shekhinah) of GOD.  Much of what we now account as affliction, horror, scourging, and war are intended to prepare us for the fulfillment of visions, and to supply clarity and sobriety for the realization of awe and sovereign power that are soon to be revealed.

SOME THOUGHTS ON

3 Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory? and how do ye see it now? is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing?

4 Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the LORD; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the LORD, and work:  for I am with you, saith the LORD of hosts:

5 According to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so my spirit remaineth among you:  fear ye not.

6 For thus saith the LORD of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land;

7 And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come:  and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts.

8 The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts.

9 The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts:  and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts.  (Haggai 2:  3-7, KJV) 


1st Kings 8:  10-11 (KJV)  10 And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD,  11 So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud:  for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of the LORD.


2nd Chronicles 5:  11-14 (KJV)  11 And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place:  (for all the priests that were present were sanctified, and did not then wait by course:  12 Also the Levites which were the singers, all of them of Asaph, of Heman, of Jeduthun, with their sons and their brethren, being arrayed in white linen, having cymbals and psalteries and harps, stood at the east end of the altar, and with them an hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets:)  13 It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of musick, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever:  that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the LORD;  14 So that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud:  for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of God.


2nd Chronicles 7:  1-3 (KJV)  7 Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD filled the house.  2 And the priests could not enter into the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD had filled the LORD’s house.  3 And when all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the LORD upon the house, they bowed themselves with their faces to the ground upon the pavement, and worshipped, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.


Isaiah 6:  1-9 (KJV)  1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.  2 Above it stood the seraphims:   each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.  3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts:  the whole earth is full of his glory.  4 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.  5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips:  for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.  6 Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:  7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.  8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.  9 And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.


Ezekiel 10:  1-8 (KJV)  1 Then I looked, and, behold, in the firmament that was above the head of the cherubims there appeared over them as it were a sapphire stone, as the appearance of the likeness of a throne.  2 And he spake unto the man clothed with linen, and said, Go in between the wheels, even under the cherub, and fill thine hand with coals of fire from between the cherubims, and scatter them over the city. And he went in in my sight.  3 Now the cherubims stood on the right side of the house, when the man went in; and the cloud filled the inner court.  4 Then the glory of the LORD went up from the cherub, and stood over the threshold of the house; and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of the LORD’S glory.  5 And the sound of the cherubims’ wings was heard even to the outer court, as the voice of the Almighty God when he speaketh.  6 And it came to pass, that when he had commanded the man clothed with linen, saying, Take fire from between the wheels, from between the cherubims; then he went in, and stood beside the wheels.  7 And one cherub stretched forth his hand from between the cherubims unto the fire that was between the cherubims, and took thereof, and put it into the hands of him that was clothed with linen:  who took it, and went out.  8 And there appeared in the cherubims the form of a man’s hand under their wings.


Ezekiel 44:  1-9 (KJV)  1 Then he brought me back the way of the gate of the outward sanctuary which looketh toward the east; and it was shut.  2 Then said the LORD unto me; This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter in by it; because the LORD, the God of Israel, hath entered in by it, therefore it shall be shut.  3 It is for the prince; the prince, he shall sit in it to eat bread before the LORD; he shall enter by the way of the porch of that gate, and shall go out by the way of the same.  4 Then brought he me the way of the north gate before the house:  and I looked, and, behold, the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD:  and I fell upon my face.  5 And the LORD said unto me, Son of man, mark well, and behold with thine eyes, and hear with thine ears all that I say unto thee concerning all the ordinances of the house of the LORD, and all the laws thereof; and mark well the entering in of the house, with every going forth of the sanctuary.  6 And thou shalt say to the rebellious, even to the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; O ye house of Israel, let it suffice you of all your abominations,  7 In that ye have brought into my sanctuary strangers, uncircumcised in heart, and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in my sanctuary, to pollute it, even my house, when ye offer my bread, the fat and the blood, and they have broken my covenant because of all your abominations.  8 And ye have not kept the charge of mine holy things:  but ye have set keepers of my charge in my sanctuary for yourselves.  9 Thus saith the Lord GOD; No stranger, uncircumcised in heart, nor uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter into my sanctuary, of any stranger that is among the children of Israel.


Leviticus 26:  18-21 (KJV)  18 And if ye will not yet for all this hearken unto me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins.  19 And I will break the pride of your power; and I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass:  20 And your strength shall be spent in vain: for your land shall not yield her increase, neither shall the trees of the land yield their fruits.  21 And if ye walk contrary unto me, and will not hearken unto me; I will bring seven times more plagues upon you according to your sins.


Leviticus 26:  40-46 (KJV)  40 If they shall confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers, with their trespass which they trespassed against me, and that also they have walked contrary unto me;  41 And that I also have walked contrary unto them, and have brought them into the land of their enemies; if then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled, and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity:  42 Then will I remember my covenant with Jacob, and also my covenant with Isaac, and also my covenant with Abraham will I remember; and I will remember the land.  43 The land also shall be left of them, and shall enjoy her sabbaths, while she lieth desolate without them:  and they shall accept of the punishment of their iniquity:  because, even because they despised my judgments, and because their soul abhorred my statutes.  44 And yet for all that, when they be in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly, and to break my covenant with them:  for I am the LORD their God.  45 But I will for their sakes remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the heathen, that I might be their God:  I am the LORD.  46 These are the statutes and judgments and laws, which the LORD made between him and the children of Israel in mount Sinai by the hand of Moses.


Matthew 20:  9-16 (KJV)  9 And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny.  10 But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny.  11 And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house,  12 Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day.  13 But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong:  didst not thou agree with me for a penny?  14 Take that thine is, and go thy way:  I will give unto this last, even as unto thee.  15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?  16 So the last shall be first, and the first last:  for many be called, but few chosen.


Luke 14:  16-24 (KJV)  16 Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many:  17 And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready.  18 And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it:  I pray thee have me excused.  19 And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them:  I pray thee have me excused.  20 And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.  21 So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind.  22 And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room.  23 And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.  24 For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.


Acts 2:  1-4 (KJV)  1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.  2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.  3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.  4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.


There is much more to be said, correctly understood, and spiritually apprehended.  For example, rather than conceal and hide ourselves from GOD as did Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, mankind is to expose and offer himself in welcome to the presence and operations of divinity.  Here again, readers are asked to add those verses or passages from Scripture that they would like to share in the comments area (below).  Even so, I trust this fragment will be useful.  Be it unto you according to your faith.


THE BLACK PHOENIX
Washington, DC

(08/10/2014) A House Of Prayer For All People?

A brief Scripture study is shared, today, focused upon points of consideration for the building of a third Temple at Jerusalem.  While I found several verses that spoke of the temple in the last days as well as the temple in heaven, I found no results when I searched for “third temple,” “another temple,” and “next temple” per se.  I am convinced that the platforms of ethnic pride, inheritance, and national pride, can not replace those of humility, repentance, reverence, and Bible truth.  In my experience, the holy writings have shown that the conditions for the founding of any new temple must be a new covenant, new proclamation of divine law, new fulfillment of prophecies, and continuing operations by the Holy Spirit.  Thus, we see Cyrus, a Gentile, stirred by the Spirit to rebuild the Temple (in effect ending the Exile) in accordance with things proclaimed to Jeremiah.  Erecting a modern day house dedicated to GOD will also require response to prophesies that seem not to be available among Jews and Islamic believers, yet, have been proclaimed for a millennium throughout the earth by followers of Jesus Christ.

SOME THOUGHTS ON

Matthew 21:  12-14 (KJV)  12 And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves,

13 And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.

14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them.


Ezekiel 28:  25-26 (KJV)  25 Thus saith the Lord GOD; When I shall have gathered the house of Israel from the people among whom they are scattered, and shall be sanctified in them in the sight of the heathen, then shall they dwell in their land that I have given to my servant Jacob.  26 And they shall dwell safely therein, and shall build houses, and plant vineyards; yea, they shall dwell with confidence, when I have executed judgments upon all those that despise them round about them; and they shall know that I am the LORD their God.


1st Chronicles 22:  18-19 (KJV)  18 Is not the LORD your God with you? and hath he not given you rest on every side? for he hath given the inhabitants of the land into mine hand; and the land is subdued before the LORD, and before his people.  19 Now set your heart and your soul to seek the LORD your God; arise therefore, and build ye the sanctuary of the LORD God, to bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and the holy vessels of God, into the house that is to be built to the name of the LORD.


2nd Chronicles 36:  22-23 (KJV)  22 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying,  23 Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth hath the LORD God of heaven given me; and he hath charged me to build him an house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? The LORD his God be with him, and let him go up.


Isaiah 56:  4-7 (KJV)  4 For thus saith the LORD unto the eunuchs that keep my sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant;  5 Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters:  I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off.  6 Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant;  7 Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.


Ezra 6:  14-19 (KJV)  14 And the elders of the Jews builded, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they builded, and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia.  15 And this house was finished on the third day of the month Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king.  16 And the children of Israel, the priests, and the Levites, and the rest of the children of the captivity, kept the dedication of this house of God with joy.  17 And offered at the dedication of this house of God an hundred bullocks, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs; and for a sin offering for all Israel, twelve he goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel.  18 And they set the priests in their divisions, and the Levites in their courses, for the service of God, which is at Jerusalem; as it is written in the book of Moses.  19 And the children of the captivity kept the passover upon the fourteenth day of the first month.


Isaiah 2:  1-3 (KJV)  1 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.  2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.  3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths:  for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.


Isaiah 2:  11 (KJV)  11 The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day.


Micah 4:  1-3 (KJV)  1 But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it.  2 And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.  3 And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks:  nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.


John 2:  13-22 (KJV)  13 And the Jews’ passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.  14 And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting:  15 And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables;  16 And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise.  17 And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.  18 Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things?  19 Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.  20 Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?  21 But he spake of the temple of his body.  22 When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said.


1st Corinthians 6:  15-20 (KJV)  15 Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.  16 What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh.  17 But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.  18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.  19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?  20 For ye are bought with a price:  therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.


Acts 17:  22-33 (KJV)  22 Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars’ hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious.  23 For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, To The Unknown God. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.  24 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;  25 Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;  26 And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;  27 That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:  28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.  29 Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device.  30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:  31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.  32 And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked:  and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter.  33 So Paul departed from among them.


John 17:  17 (KJV)  17 Sanctify them through thy truth:  thy word is truth.


1st Timothy 4:  1-5 (KJV)  1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;  2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;  3 Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.  4 For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:  5 For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.


Ephesians 5:  25-32 (KJV)  25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;  26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,  27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.  28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.  29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:  30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.  31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.  32 This is a great mystery:  but I speak concerning Christ and the church.


1st Corinthians 14:  29-33 (KJV)  29 Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge.  30 If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace.  31 For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted.  32 And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.  33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.


Romans 16:  25-27 (KJV)  25 Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,  26 But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:  27 To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen.


There is far more to be said, correctly understood, and spiritually apprehended.  The third temple does not have to miraculously appear to be a benefit for all mankind—not just Israelis, Jews, or those of the Middle East—however, the third temple would have to be cleansed, sanctified, and set apart as a holy dwelling by GOD.  The same mechanisms and tools given that we might avoid idolatry, materialism, superstition and worldliness must now be used to authenticate and endorse prophecy.  Prophets among us, today, also must be in obedience to earlier prophets and prophesies; and all things are to be done decently, and in order.  Once more, readers are asked to add those verses or passages from Scripture that they would like to share in the comments area (below).  Even so, I trust this fragment will be useful.  Be it unto you according to your faith.


THE BLACK PHOENIX
Washington, DC

(07/31/2014) The House Ye Build Unto Me?

Topics today include access to GOD by his imparted Spirit, and the proper center for prayer and worship.  I share a Scripture study having a Christian perspective that was sparked by an Internet project to raise funds for a third consecrated house to be established upon the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.  Many who accept that Yeshua Bar-Joseph appeared in the earth as the spiritual heir of David, as a prophet, as the Messiah promised in the holy writings, and as an appearance of GOD incarnate (i.e., in flesh, and having material form), now pray daily for the peace and prosperity of Israel as GOD’s Covenant Nation, and a peculiar people of divine promise.  Through Christ all the many covenants and peoples of GOD are revealed as joined and united within the true kingdom of GOD, for every believer is to stand as a house for his holy name.

SOME THOUGHTS ON

1 Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool:  where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest?

2 For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD:  but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.

3 He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog’s neck; he that offereth an oblation, as if he offered swine’s blood; he that burneth incense, as if he blessed an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations.

4 I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear:  but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not.

5 Hear the word of the LORD, ye that tremble at his word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name’s sake, said, Let the LORD be glorified:  but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed.  (Isaiah 66:  1-5, KJV) 


Exodus 20:  23-25 (KJV)  23 Ye shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold.  24 An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen:  in all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee.  25 And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone:  for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it.


Leviticus 22:  31-33 (KJV)  31 Therefore shall ye keep my commandments, and do them:  I am the LORD.  32 Neither shall ye profane my holy name; but I will be hallowed among the children of Israel:  I am the LORD which hallow you,  33 That brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God:  I am the LORD.


1st Kings 8:  16-18 (KJV)  16 Since the day that I brought forth my people Israel out of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel to build an house, that my name might be therein; but I chose David to be over my people Israel.  17 And it was in the heart of David my father to build an house for the name of the LORD God of Israel.  18 And the LORD said unto David my father, Whereas it was in thine heart to build an house unto my name, thou didst well that it was in thine heart. 


1st Kings 9:  1-9 (KJV)  And it came to pass, when Solomon had finished the building of the house of the LORD, and the king’s house, and all Solomon’s desire which he was pleased to do,  2 That the LORD appeared to Solomon the second time, as he had appeared unto him at Gibeon.  3 And the LORD said unto him, I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication, that thou hast made before me:  I have hallowed this house, which thou hast built, to put my name there for ever; and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually.  4 And if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, in integrity of heart, and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded thee, and wilt keep my statutes and my judgments:  5 Then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom upon Israel for ever, as I promised to David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man upon the throne of Israel.  6 But if ye shall at all turn from following me, ye or your children, and will not keep my commandments and my statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods, and worship them:  7 Then will I cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them; and this house, which I have hallowed for my name, will I cast out of my sight; and Israel shall be a proverb and a byword among all people:  8 And at this house, which is high, every one that passeth by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss; and they shall say, Why hath the LORD done thus unto this land, and to this house?  9 And they shall answer, Because they forsook the LORD their God, who brought forth their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and have taken hold upon other gods, and have worshipped them, and served them:  therefore hath the LORD brought upon them all this evil.


1st Kings 11:  4-8 (KJV)  4 For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods:  and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father.  5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.  6 And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the LORD, as did David his father.  7 Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon.  8 And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods.


Nehemiah 1:  8-10 (KJV)  8 Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations:  9 But if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there.  10 Now these are thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand.


Isaiah 52:  5-7 (KJV)  5 Now therefore, what have I here, saith the LORD, that my people is taken away for nought? they that rule over them make them to howl, saith the LORD; and my name continually every day is blasphemed.  6 Therefore my people shall know my name:  therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak:  behold, it is I.  7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!


Jeremiah 7:  3-11 (KJV)  3 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place.  4 Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, are these.  5 For if ye throughly amend your ways and your doings; if ye throughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbour;  6 If ye oppress not the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and shed not innocent blood in this place, neither walk after other gods to your hurt:  7 Then will I cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers, for ever and ever.  8 Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit.  9 Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not;  10 And come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations?  11 Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, saith the LORD.


Ezekiel 43:  5-11 (KJV)  5 So the spirit took me up, and brought me into the inner court; and, behold, the glory of the LORD filled the house.  6 And I heard him speaking unto me out of the house; and the man stood by me.  7 And he said unto me, Son of man, the place of my throne, and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for ever, and my holy name, shall the house of Israel no more defile, neither they, nor their kings, by their whoredom, nor by the carcases of their kings in their high places.  8 In their setting of their threshold by my thresholds, and their post by my posts, and the wall between me and them, they have even defiled my holy name by their abominations that they have committed:  wherefore I have consumed them in mine anger.  9 Now let them put away their whoredom, and the carcases of their kings, far from me, and I will dwell in the midst of them for ever.  10 Thou son of man, shew the house to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities:  and let them measure the pattern.  11 And if they be ashamed of all that they have done, shew them the form of the house, and the fashion thereof, and the goings out thereof, and the comings in thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the laws thereof:  and write it in their sight, that they may keep the whole form thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and do them.


Ezekiel 9:  1-6 (KJV)  He cried also in mine ears with a loud voice, saying, Cause them that have charge over the city to draw near, even every man with his destroying weapon in his hand.  2 And, behold, six men came from the way of the higher gate, which lieth toward the north, and every man a slaughter weapon in his hand; and one man among them was clothed with linen, with a writer’s inkhorn by his side:  and they went in, and stood beside the brasen altar.  3 And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer’s inkhorn by his side;  4 And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.  5 And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite:  let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity:  6 Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women:  but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house.


Revelation 2:  16-17 (KJV)  16 Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.  17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.


2nd Chronicles 7:  14 (KJV)  14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.


2nd Corinthians 6:  14-18 (KJV)  14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers:  for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?  15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?  16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.  17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.  18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.


1st Corinthians 6:  19-20 (KJV)  19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?  20 For ye are bought with a price:  therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.


Matthew 18:  19-20 (KJV)  19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.  20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.


Luke 17:  20-21 (KJV)  20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:  21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.


Revelation 21:  22-27 (KJV)  22 And I saw no temple therein:  for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.  23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it:  for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.  24 And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it:  and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.  25 And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day:  for there shall be no night there.  26 And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it.  27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie:  but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.


1st Peter 2:  5-10 (KJV)  5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.  6 Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.  7 Unto you therefore which believe he is precious:  but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,  8 And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient:  whereunto also they were appointed.  9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;  10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God:  which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.


Ephesians 2:  10-22 (KJV)  10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.  11 Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;  12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:  13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.  14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;  15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;  16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:  17 And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.  18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.  19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;  20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;  21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:  22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.


There is far more to be said, properly shared, and spiritually understood.  Christians believers are a building material for a Temple now being erected by GOD as a spiritual condition within the lives of those who are sanctified.  Thus, the peace and salvation Christians humbly request are supplied by an imparted, indwelling Spirit from GOD (we say, the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of Prophecy) that was contained within Moses, and displayed throughout the ministry of Jesus as one operating after the pattern of a divine person from heaven—not merely the presence of a sacred tabernacle, a tent, a house, or material dwelling made after the pattern of things in heaven.   Again, my readers are asked to add those verses or passages from Scripture that they would like to share in the comments area (below).  Even so, I trust this fragment will be useful.  Be it unto you according to the workings of divinity that resides within you.  Grow in grace.


THE BLACK PHOENIX
Washington, DC

(06/02/2013) Putting GOD First?

The “wisdom” of attributing primacy to GOD is the topic, today. Also, there is more on heaven and the place of GOD. The “Yahoo! Answers” writer using ID “© Secular Humanist Pacifist ©” (Level 2 with 261 points, a member since May 3, 2010) posted the following:


Do you think there is more wisdom in putting others before ”your” religions god/s?

I put your in quotes since not everyone has a religion.

Additional Details

Truth is different to all humans, so there is no direct truth that exists except that ”everything changes”.

Victoria, your quote from a primitive culture has no relation to the question.

I disagree Witness, everything does change, you just don’t want your gods to change, you probably don’t even know what your god really looks like these days.


THE BATTLE AXE: The Place of GOD? (06/01/2013)—(6) The Tabernacle prepared upon the earth by Moses and, later, the Temple erected by Solomon were respected as a physical dwelling place and “house of GOD” that was to be in the midst of his covenant people, and to be surrounded by those in priestly service to GOD upon the earth. These man-made and temporary structures are spoken of as copies of things that exist upon a firmament, and platform of celestial presence not visible to mankind, yet, having identity, integrity, process, and substance. (7) Created beings and living creatures are to exist as receptacles and vessels containing divinity. The “breath of life,” “the spark of life,” and the “soul” are language to describe aspects of the divine make-up and person that establish mankind as having being and existence. This further permits the language that says, by their own choice, men themselves are to be a “spiritual house of GOD.” (8) A holy city (the New Jerusalem) now being created by GOD through Jesus Christ is to become the eternal place of divinity, and will exist upon the earth after the conclusion of “final judgment.” Once fully transformed and supplied with the divine nature, mankind will exist as immortal and incorruptible. Because divinity will co-exist with created beings and living creatures that are independent, yet, in unity with the divine, there will be no Temple, and worship will again be transformed. Even so, GOD will continue as exalted, supreme, and to be acknowledged by all who are righteous. (See Isaiah 66: 1-3, 1st Peter 2: 1-5, and Revelation 21: 1-27,  King James Version.)


THE GOLDEN ARROW: Sing unto the LORD, all the earth; shew forth from day to day his salvation. Declare his glory among the heathen; his marvellous works among all nations. For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised: he also is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the people are idols: but the LORD made the heavens. Glory and honour are in his presence; strength and gladness are in his place. Give unto the LORD, ye kindreds of the people, give unto the LORD glory and strength. Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness. Fear before him, all the earth: the world also shall be stable, that it be not moved. Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice: and let men say among the nations, The LORD reigneth. (1st Chronicles 16: 23-31, KJV)


THE DOUBLE DAGGER: Illusion? (04/25/2013); Wanting To Have Our Way (03/09/2013); Believing Everything? (11/23/2012); The Fear of GOD (10/30/2012); The Spirit is Willing (10/20/2012); Spirit Matter (10/21/2012); Caesarea Philippi (10/22/2012); Binder 17: Awake to Righteousness (10/14/2011)


Here are some points to consider that agree with teachings from the Bible, and are in line with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and Christian belief:

(1) Belief systems that acknowledge divine being also call into awareness differences existing among the abilities, attributes, character and nature of all living creatures.

(2) Where a divine person is understood to have put forth created beings and living creatures (along with the context and sphere of their existence) a peculiar definition of “power” is established that goes beyond such finite human displays realized through deceit, emotion, forces of nature (e.g., floods, lightening, storms), lying, money, murder, passion, peer and social pressure, use of weapons, and violence.

(3) Awareness and acknowledgment of Divine Person as possessed of unique power, made up of substance that is in boundless supply, set apart and not readily detectable by human organs for sensation (hearing, seeing, touching, etc.) is in the nature of innate intelligence, and the continuous operation of sentient being (i.e., the capacity to knowing and be known) that are essential for communication among the living. More to be called “common sense” than “wisdom”, the knowing we speak of, here, does not derive from years of analysis, experience and study. Even so, awareness of the holy and invisible is not by animal instinct, argument, fantasy, imagination, intuition, logic, persuasion, or reason.

(4) Mature self-awareness, and an in-depth consciousness of human potential naturally establishes the primacy of GOD. This especially comes into appreciation as a multifaceted operation of GOD (i.e., revelation) whereby created beings and living creatures “discover” their own divine content; their possibilities for change, growth and transformation; their sacred purposes; and their dependence upon other actors having personness who remain unseen, yet are not just impersonal forces and mechanisms.

There is far more to be said, correctly applied, and spiritually apprehended. (For example, (5) Sin that opposes consciousness of GOD may dominate self-will in created beings and living creatures. Sin is not created by GOD, contains no divine substance, and cannot influence divine will. Sin is no material having physical dimension, yet sin has direction, effect and presence. Where sin overwhelms the divine nature imparted to mankind, sin is obeyed and reverenced as a false god or idol.) Even so, I trust this fragment will be useful. Be it unto you according to your faith.


THE BLACK PHOENIX
Washington, DC