I would like to begin the third part of this four part study on the Sanctuary by reviewing some of the key points that were made in the first segment. When I have done that, I will move into the major point. The major point is this: Jesus Christ Himself is the embodiment, personification and fulfillment of the Sanctuary.

Now, lets quickly review the purpose and function of the Sanctuary in the Old Testament. If we can recognize, isolate, and state the function and purpose of the Sanctuary, it will be very helpful in terms of our understanding of the whole in the face of a myriad of minutia.

The first mention of the term, "Sanctuary", is found in Exodus 15v17&18. It reads: "Thou wilt bring them and plant them in the mountain of Thine inheritance, The place, O Lord, which Thou hast made for Thy dwelling, The Sanctuary, O Lord, which Thy hands have established. The Lord shall reign forever and ever. In Exodus 25v8, the second time that the term is used, we hear God speaking to Moses: "Let them construct a Sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them". From these passages it is clear that the Lord’s purpose for that first Sanctuary was for it to be a place for God to dwell among His people. We dare not overlook this or under estimate the importance of this statement. God’s purpose and desire is to dwell among His people. The statement and reiteration of this fact is mentioned again and again throughout the Old and New Testaments in the covenant catch phrase, "I will be your God and you will be My people".

In order to affect His purpose, God has used the Sanctuary to restore the broken relationship that sin has caused and thereby bring about reconciliation. As we have already seen, the Sanctuary was the place where man in sin could have access to God and the forgiveness of his sins. The Sanctuary was the place where sin was atoned for, judged and forgiven. Therefore, it was the place of sacrifice and worship. At the Sanctuary, the covenant people of God celebrated the feasts, rejoiced and found rest. The glory of God was manifested at the Sanctuary.

The first Sanctuary was a portable tent that the children of Israel carried with them through the wilderness and into the promised land. After some years in the promised land, the Israelites desired to have a king rule over them as the nations around them did. It was King David, the second king of Israel, who after capturing Jerusalem, desired to build a permanent temple in his capital Jerusalem in the midst of God’s people. David is a "type" of Christ, the Messianic King who would ultimately sit and reign on the throne of God.

Because David wanted to build a house for God, God promised to build a house for David. The ultimate house that God promised David was not a building, but a dynasty. The second book of Samuel chapter 7 states this: v11 "The Lord will make a house for you." v12 "When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant (seed) after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom." v13 He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever." v14 "I will be a father to him and he will be a son to me;" v16 "And your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever." David, as we have just seen, was promised a son who would sit on the throne forever. The house that God promised David was not a building but a Person. We must recognize that we are seeing Someone who is greater than Solomon in this promise. This person, this seed of David, is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ.

David gathered the materials, but it was his son Solomon who was permitted to build the temple. As magnificent as Solomon’s temple was, it was incapable of fulfilling God’s purpose. It was a shadow and not the reality. It was a parable, a teaching tool, a kindergarten play set. Wonderful as it was, it could never bring God’s purposes to fruition. It offered access to God but limited it at the same time. It was incapable of providing the intimate fellowship, the close connection and relationship that the Lord wanted to have with mankind.

After a time, the Sanctuary was defiled; not only by the kings of invading armies, but by the kings and priests of Israel. What had been a beautiful gift was misunderstood and misused. Paradoxically, the Sanctuary which God originally purposed to be a house of prayer for all the peoples became a barrier and stood in the way of God’s purpose. (Isa.56v6-8)

The prophet Ezekiel recorded Israel’s idolatry and apostasy. He prophesied while he was in captivity in Babylon. In the meantime, God was using Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, to judge and punish the rest of His people who were still in Jerusalem. The king of Babylon would take many of them captive, burn down the temple, burn down the houses in Jerusalem and break down Jerusalem’s walls. (2Kings 25v1-12)

In spite of Israel’s apostasy, God gave Ezekiel a message of hope for His people. God promised that He would act in such a way as to change Israel’s rebellious heart. He would offer her a new covenant, a new King, and a new Sanctuary thereby Himself fulfilling His own purpose and covenant promises which He had made to the fathers.

I now quote from Ezekiel to illustrate this point. The entirety of these passages need to be studied carefully but for the sake of brevity, I am stating the highlights.

Ezekiel 36 v24-28 states: "For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands, and bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all you filthiness and all your idols. Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances. And you will live in the land that I gave to your forefathers; so you will be My people and I will be your God."

Ezekiel 37 v21-28 states: "And say to them, Thus says the Lord God, Behold, I will take the sons of Israel from among the nations where they have gone, and I will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land; and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king will be king for all of them; and they will no longer be two nations, and they no longer be divided into two kingdoms. And they will no longer defile themselves with their idols, or with their detestable things, or with their transgressions; but I will deliver them from all their dwelling places in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them. And they will be My people and I will be their God. And My servant David will be king over them, and they will have one shepherd; and they will walk in My ordinances, and keep My statutes and observe them. And they shall live on the land that I gave to Jacob My servant, in which your fathers lived; and they will live on it, they, and their sons, and their son’s sons, forever; and David My servant shall be their prince forever. And I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will place them and multiply them, and will set My sanctuary in their midst forever. My dwelling place also will be with them; and I will be their God and they will be My people. And the nations will know that I am the Lord who sanctifies Israel, when My sanctuary is in their midst forever."

It is important to notice the "I will" statements of God. What we are seeing here is the promise of God to soverignly act to fulfill His covenant purposes for the sake of His holy name. The covenant catch phrase is mentioned in both of these passages. (I will be your God and you will be My people.) We are seeing three of the major old testament covenants mentioned in this passage. In the mention of David, and the Davidic covenant, we see a picture of Christ, the Messianic King who will rule over His people forever. In the promise that they will live on the land and multiply, we see the fulfillment of the Abrahamic covenant. In the promise of forgiveness of sins, and a new desire to walk in God’s statutes, with the Sanctuary of God in their midst; we see the clear connections with the Mosaic covenant. The everlasting covenant, which is one and the same as the new covenant, contains the totality of the characteristics of the major covenants found in the Old Testament. Every one of these covenant promises finds its fulfillment in the person of Jesus Christ.

In the New Testament; the anti-typical fulfillment and realization of these promises explode. Here we see that the King is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the ultimate "seed" and son of David. The covenant of God is with David and his Heir. It is much more than a building, it is a dynasty that will last forever. After rising from the dead, the son of David has taken His seat at the right hand of God. The citizens of the kingdom are the universal followers of Jesus.

The land received in fulfillment of the promise is the world, as recorded in Rom.4v13. Abraham’s descendants, the heirs of the world, are now the people who have faith in Jesus Christ, as recorded in Gal.3v26 & 29.

In the New Testament, the Immanuel principle has found its fulfillment. God has set up His Sanctuary in the midst of His people in the person of Jesus the Christ, who is the anointed most holy place. God, in human flesh, has made His abode among men. Jesus Christ is the personification of the Old Testament Sanctuary and in His person has fulfilled all its purposes and functions.

A principle that we can use to guide us when we study the bible is this: if something is important, it will be mentioned many times in scripture. If something is not mentioned many times, it’s probably not important.

We need to be careful not to build textless doctrines. By postulating a certain outcome and linking deductive extrapolations together via quantum leaps that are based on texts explained without reference to their original context, we can get ourselves into a huge problem. When you do, however, hit paydirt, and you locate the truth on a particular subject; you will be surprised at the enormity of clear information on the subject. I call it the "motherlode principle". We also need to remember that the reality found in the new testament will always be much greater and more profound than the shadows and prototypes of the old testament. We need to be willing to take our theology to its ultimate and reasonable conclusion. We also need to remember that any theology that doesn’t find its ultimate conclusion in Christ is stilted and incomplete.

If Jesus Christ is indeed the embodiment, the personification, and the fulfillment of the old testament Sanctuary, and is therefore in Himself bringing the purposes of God to fruition, we would expect to find an abundance of clear texts in the New Testament that state this. If we have indeed located the motherlode, it will be like shooting fish in a barrel.

Now, let’s consider the new testament information. In Matthew chapters 11 and 12, Matthew spends much effort declaring that Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of all the Old Testament patterns, types, offices and institutions. In Matt.12v42, Jesus said: "Something greater than Solomon is here". Jesus is declaring Himself to be the ultimate son of David. He is the Messianic King. In Matt.12v41, Jesus said: "Something greater than Jonah is here". Christ is hereby declaring that He himself is the greatest of all the prophets. He was to give, not Ninevah, but the world, the greatest sign, by His own resurrection from the dead. In Matt.12v6, Jesus said speaking of Himself: "Something greater than the Sanctuary is here. These three comparisons and contrasts in the context of a multitude of connections with the old testament which have been stated and brought forward for the purpose of proving that Jesus is the antitypical fulfillment of all of them adds weight to the contention that Jesus is here telling us that He himself is the reality of everything that the sanctuary pointed to. He is telling us that He has now superseded and is the ultimate manifestation of the Sanctuary.

We have seen how Daniel chapters 8 and 9 point ahead to the end of time when God, in light of His covenant promises, would restore the Sanctuary to its rightful state. Jesus saw His own life as the outworking of that promise. He would Himself become what the building could never be. He would fulfill the purpose of God.

In the first 12 chapters of the gospel of John, Jesus in one way or another declares Himself to be the Sanctuary. John has made a paradigm shift. His gospel deals with the universal scope of Christ’s ministry. John uses the term "world" 78x in his gospel. Two other key words that John uses are "know" (94x) and "believe" (97x). John’s purpose is to tell the world about Jesus, who is the very person of God in human flesh, that we might believe in Him and come to know Him. God came, in the person of Jesus, and dwelt among men to make this revelation possible. John saw Him, understood Him, came to know Him, and entered into an intimate personal relationship with Him. He urges us to do the same.

John’s gospel makes special note of the feasts. Each one of these feasts contains a picture of Christ. All of these feasts, with the exception of the wedding feast at Cana, took place at the temple. At these feasts, in one way or another, Jesus publicly announced by word or by action, that the feasts have found their fulfillment in Him. Over and over again, Jesus reiterated that He had come to fulfill God’s ultimate purpose which is to dwell among His people as King.

There are a multitude of texts that demonstrate this point. For the sake of brevity, I will consider the major ones. Let us consider John 1v14. I quote: "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt (margin reads "tabernacled") among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth." The "Word" here is God revealed in the person of Jesus Christ. In very clear language, we read John stating how Jesus has fulfilled God’s purpose by dwelling among His people. In Exodus 40v34 & 35, and in 1 Kings 8v11, we see the glory filling the temple. In 1 Kings 8v27, Solomon; as he dedicated the temple that he had built for the Lord in Jerusalem, asked this question: "But will God indeed dwell on the earth?" In John 1v14, we are seeing Jesus, full of the glory of God, dwelling among His people as the new Sanctuary. But for John, the temple precincts have expanded, because Jesus is not only the Savior of the Jews but the Savior of the world.

The universal dimension of Christ’s ministry is stated in John 1v 9 & 10. "There was the true light, which coming into the world, enlightens every man. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him." Jesus is the ultimate Lamb of God, the ultimate place of sacrifice, (John1v29) who takes away the sin of the world.

In John 1v49, we see Nathaniel recognizing Jesus as the Son of God, the King of Israel. In the context, Andrew said: "we have found the Messiah". Let’s consider Jesus’ reply to Nathaniel. John 1v51 states: "Truly, truly, I say to you, you shall see the heavens opened, and the angels ascending and descending on the Son of Man." The significance of this statement comes to light when the Old Testament counterpart which Jesus is quoting from is considered.

Genesis 28 v10-12 states: "Then Jacob departed from Beersheba and went toward Haran. And he came to a certain place and spent the night there, because the sun had set; and he took one of the stones of the place and put it under his head, and lay down in that place. And he had a dream, and behold, a ladder was set on the earth with its top reaching to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it." This is the passage that Jesus is quoting in John 1v51. This ladder connects heaven with earth. In the gospel of John, Jesus has replaced the ladder with Himself.

Genesis 28v13 & 14 states: "And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, " I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie, I will give it to you and to your descendants (seed). Your descendants shall also be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread out to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and in you and in your descendants shall all the families of the earth be blessed." We know from the new testament, as recorded in Gal.3v16, that Jesus is the promised "Seed", (singular) in whom all the families of the earth would be blessed. Here we see the universal, world wide nature of Christ’s kingdom.

Genesis 28v15 states: "And behold, I am with you, and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I promised you." God told Jacob (Israel) "I am with you". This states the "Immanuel principle" that highlights God’s purpose which is to dwell among His people.

Genesis 28v16 & 17 state: "Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, "Surely the Lord is in this place and I did not know it." And he was afraid and said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven." Jacob woke up and realized that the place where he had rested was the house of God. Here we are seeing the point that Jesus is making in John1v51. Jesus is hereby stating that He is in Himself the house of God, the Sanctuary, the place where God dwells with us.

Genesis 28v18 & 19 state: "So Jacob rose early in the morning and took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on its top. And he called the name of that place Bethel; however, previously the name of the city had been Luz." Verse 19 repeats the same thought as verse 17. The name "Bethel" means the house of God. Jacob took the "stone" that he had "rested" his head on and "anointed" it with oil. This stone, this anointed stone, is a picture of Christ, the anointed One. The word "stone" in the Hebrew language is "eben". The word for son in Hebrew is "ben". We are seeing a play on words here. The stone of Genesis 28 was the "place" (the word "place" is a key word that rolls through this passage) of worship, access to God, rest, and the place where God promised Jacob, "I am with you". In John 1v51, Jesus is the "Son" and therefore the "stone". By obviously referring to Gen.28, Jesus wants us to see Him as the fulfillment of that passage. The "stone" that Jacob rested his head on is the same stone that would destroy all the kingdoms of this world and replace them with His kingdom. Dan. 2v34, 35, 44, 45. This "stone" is the "Son of Man" of Dan.7v13,14.

Genesis 28v22 states: "And this stone, which I have set up as a pillar, will be God’s house". At this stone, at the place where he anointed the stone, Jacob recognized that God’s Presence was in the place so he called it Bethel, the house of God. The apostle John, in recording the words of Jesus, has declared Jesus to be the new Bethel, the new house of God, the new Sanctuary.

The next text that I would like to consider is John 1v12. I quote: "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name." Jesus has changed the rules. Now, it is not your relationship to the Sanctuary, but you relationship to Jesus, that determines whether or not you are a child of God.

John 1v16-18 states: "For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. No man has seen God at any time; the only begotten God, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him." The word used to describe the revelation of God by Jesus Christ is "fullness". Certainly Moses, who is a symbol of the Law, has given us a revelation of God through the Pentateuch which is the first five books of the bible. It is in these books that we learn especially about the sacrificial system and the Sanctuary. The Sanctuary and the sacrificial system were beautiful tools which God used to communicate and explain spiritual truths to man. But they were just a parable, just a children’s primer, just picture books. The final and fullest explanation of God comes from His Son. As John said, "He has explained Him."

Let’s consider John 2v1 & 2. I quote: "And on the third day, there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.; and Jesus also was invited, and His disciples to the wedding." It was at this wedding that Jesus did His first sign, His first miracle, by making wine. He changed water into wine. The new superseded the old. The wedding of Christ and His bride, which is the church of all ages, is recognized by some scholars as the focal point of the book of Revelation. This is the goal and climax towards which God’s last prophetic book is driving towards. The wedding is a picture of the intimate union that God wants to have with His people. This passage in John is proleptic. This means that we have here a synopsis and foreshadowing of the manifestation of God’s purpose that later will be revealed.

The next passage under consideration is John 2v13-22. I quote: "And the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And He found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the moneychangers seated. And He made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the moneychangers, and overturned their tables; and to those who were selling the doves He said, "take these things away; stop making My Father’s house a house of merchandise." His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for Thy house will consume Me". The Jews therefore answered and said to Him, "What sign do you show to us, seeing that you do these things?" Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple (Sanctuary), and in three days I will raise it up." The Jews therefore said, "It took forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?" But He was speaking of the temple of His body. When therefore He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He said this; and they believed the Scripture, and the word which Jesus had spoken."

This is truly a remarkable passage. Let’s think about it. Not only foreign enemies, but the people of God themselves had defiled and trampled on the temple. Here we see Jesus acting physically to cleanse and restore the temple by throwing out the moneychangers. This is but an acted parable. Christ’s ultimate act of cleansing and restoration will be revealed in His death and resurrection. In the resurrection of Jesus, the sanctuary is restored to its rightful state. Herein we are witnessing the fulfillment of Daniel 8v14 and the answer to Daniel’s prayer. The temple revealed in the person of Christ has become that holy place for God to be enthroned.

We don’t want to miss noticing that Jesus has shifted the meaning of the temple from a building to a person. (John 2v20 & 21) By comparing His body to the temple, Jesus is here stating that He himself is the temple. As the Old Testament Sanctuary was torn down, trod under and consumed, so also was Jesus. In a sense, it was more than the Jewish leaders and the Romans. The whole world is culpable. It was you and me that despised and crucified Christ. Yet, in Christ, in His death and resurrection; we are seeing the sovereign act of God to restore and reinstate the Sanctuary in the ultimatesense. The goal has always been reconciliation and restoration of the broken relationship. In His death, Christ dealt with sin, which was the cause of the alienation, in a way that the Sanctuary never could. His death also symbolizes the finality and end of the old system. His resurrection symbolizes the initiation of something new. Therefore, Jesus is in Himself, the restored Temple in the fullest sense.

As we reflect on the statements in the old testament about the Sanctuary, we remember that, even in the first mention of the Sanctuary; the Bible states that the Lord will reign forever and ever. (Exod.15v18) A key word in the Davidic covenant as recorded in 2 Samuel chapter is "forever". It is used 8 x in this passage. As we considered the message of hope and deliverance that came to the Israelites in captivity through the prophet Ezekiel, which was revealed in the promise of a New Covenant; we saw God promising that His people would return from the land of the enemy, live on the land, be guided and reigned over by their Davidic King, and have God’s Sanctuary and Presence dwelling in their midst forever. (Ezk.37v21-28) Implicit in these passages is resurrection, new life, and eternal life. The gathering of Israel under her King points forward to the new creation under the reign of the Messiah. The concept of resurrection is clearly stated in the passage of Ezekiel chapter 37 that we considered earlier. Ezekiel 37v9,11,12, &14 state: "Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they come to life. Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold , I will open your graves and cause you to come out of the graves, My people. I will put My Spirit in you, and you will come to life." Our hope of living on eternally is dependent on a resurrection from the dead and the abiding Presence of God in our midst. It is significant that our King should die and be resurrected. This acts not only as positive proof of a resurrection, but provides a way for us to be resurrected. The blood that was continually ministered in the Sanctuary spoke not of life but of death and limited access to the Lifegiver. It must pass away for God to realize His ultimate purpose of living with and dwelling among His people forever.

The thing that stands between a Righteous God and His resurrection of the ones that are dead is judgment. If putting away sin was the only criteria for a favorable judgment in the sight of God, no one would be saved. All have sinned and continue to fall short of the glory of God. Our hope is in the sovereign actions of a covenant keeping God who would act unilaterally to replace the administration of death as revealed in the Old Testament Sanctuary service with the administration of life revealed in the actions of the only begotten God who first died and then rose from the dead for our justification.

Propitiation, expiation, atonement, and reconciliation have been made. God has made peace with His creation. Therefore, John, along with the rest of the New Testament prophets, uniformly declare that the new age, the age to come, has broken into this present age. In light of the work of Christ, the promise of an eternal kingdom is "even now" a present reality. As we will see, the apostle John has woven the concepts of judgment, resurrection, and eternal life into his gospel.

I quote John 5v21-29: "For just as the Father raises the dead, and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes. For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, in order that all may honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear shall live. For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself; and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs shall hear His voice, and shall come forth: those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment."

The key words and concepts of this passage in John are similar to the information that has already been quoted in Ezekiel 37. This passage in John is also reminiscent of the book of Daniel. John 5v29, which speaks of resurrection, has a similar thought as Dan.12v2. In John 5v27, Jesus calls Himself the "Son of Man". The "Son of Man" is the title of the Messiah in Dan.7v13. The concept of judgment runs through Daniel chapter 7 and we are seeing the same concept repeated in John chapter 5. Even Daniel’s name means "God is Judge". In John chapter 5, we are seeing Jesus blending the concepts found in these passages of Ezekiel and Daniel and declaring that they have now, in some sense, found their fulfillment in Himself.

Ezekiel and Daniel and the rest of the Old Testament prophets saw the destruction of evil, the judgment, the setting up of the Messianic Kingdom under the ultimate Son of David, the end of the age, the restoration of the Sanctuary, and the resurrection of the dead as one single event, as one single mountain looming on the horizon.

We need to notice again that Jesus and John put the judgment and even the resurrection from the dead in the present. And the present for John was nearly 2000 years ago. I quote again, John 5v24 & 25 : "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear shall live." What Jesus is telling us is that acquittal in the judgment and the resurrection from the dead are a present reality for those who believe in Him. In a very real sense, the end of the former age and the inauguration of the age to come were a present reality with the arrival of Christ. And His kingdom has been a present reality for the last 2000 years.

I would now like to look at John 3v16-18 and consider how the new age, the judgment, and the resurrection are related to the Sanctuary. I quote: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." Here we are seeing the universalized scope of God’s purpose and dominion in the term "world". Christ’s kingdom and judgment therefore are universal in scope. These realities require a Sanctuary that coincides with this universal worldwide scope.

In the Old Testament, judgment came from the Most Holy Place in the Sanctuary, from the mercy seat on the ark of the covenant. What Jesus is declaring here in John’s gospel is that our disposition in the final judgment is not in the context of our relationship to the Sanctuary, but in the context of our relationship to Himself. The person who comes to the New Sanctuary, the one who believes in Him, is not condemned in judgment. He has theverdict of acquittal in the final judgment NOW, because he has placed his trust; not in a shadow, not in a building, not in a pattern, not in a type, not in a theology, not in a temple, but in the reality; in the Person of Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus has in Himself superseded the earthly and the heavenly Sanctuary in every way.

The next passage under consideration is the story of the Samaritan woman’s encounter with Jesus at the well as recorded in John chapter four. The key word in this passage is "worship". The question on the woman’s mind related to where the correct place of worship was located. Without taking the time to consider the history and the ethnic roots of the Samaritans, it is sufficient to state that they were held in very low esteem by the Jews and wouldn’t be allowed anywhere near the temple in Jerusalem. The mixed blood of the Samaritans, being in part Israelites, led them to believe that there was some semblance of authenticity in their own worship at Mount Gerizim, which is a couple miles from Shechem. As the Jews did, the Samaritans also looked upon Jacob as their Father and the God of Israel as their God.

I quote the passage in John 4v19-26: "The woman said to him, Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain or in Jerusalem, shall you worship the Father. You worship that which you do not know, for salvation is from the Jews. But an hour is coming and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." The woman said to Him, " I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us." Jesus said to her, " I who speak to you am He".

This is truly a remarkable passage. What is the question on this woman’s mind? "Where is the correct place to worship the God of her fathers?" And this "god" is the same "God" as the Hebrews worshipped. Where is the Holy Place? Listen to what Jesus is telling this woman. It’s not Mount Gerizim in Samaria and its not even the temple in Jerusalem. Jesus is telling her that He Himself is the Temple. He is the Sanctuary. He is the "place" of worship.

What a wonderful thing we are seeing here. This person has three strikes against her in her culture. She is a woman. She is a known sinner. She is a Samaritan. But Jesus plainly tells her in no uncertain terms that He is the Messiah. And He let her know that even she can have full access and total fellowship with God, (which is what worship really is) in the Person of Christ if she is willing to receive Him and believe on Him. John 4v23 says: "An hour is coming and now is when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth." For this Samaritan woman, this became apresent reality that very day, because she came to faith in Christ. In the Presence of Christ, she had seen the ultimate truth. She no longer needed to be concerned as to which physical or religious location was appointed for worship, because she was standing in the immediate Presence of the True Sanctuary who had superseded them all.

Let us consider an Old Testament passage that speaks about the place of worship. I quote Deut.12 v5-11: "But you shall seek the Lord at the place which the Lord your God shall choose from all the tribes, to establish His name there for His dwelling, and there you shall come. And there you shall bring your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the contribution of your hand, your votive offerings, and the first-born of your herd and of your flock. There also you and your households shall eat before the Lord, and rejoice in all you undertakings in which the Lord you God has blessed you. You shall not do at all what we are doing here today, every man doing what is right in his own eyes; for you have not as yet come to the resting place and the inheritance which the lord you God is giving you. When you cross the Jordan and live in the land which the Lord you God is giving you to inherit, and He gives you rest from all your enemies round you so that you live in security. Then it shall come about that the place in which the Lord your God shall choose for His name to dwell, there you shall bring all that I command you…" This is a rich passage. It speaks of the place of sacrifice and therefore of worship. It is the place where God dwells. The people are to come, rejoice, and find rest here when they enter the promised land and receive their inheritance. This takes on real significance when we come to see that Jesus Christ is Himself the Promised Land, Our Inheritance and our very great Reward, our Place of rest. In Matt.11v28, Jesus said, "Come unto Me". He didn’t say, "Come unto the Temple". He said: "Come unto Me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest." We know that God chose the Sanctuary in Jerusalem as the "place" of worship. But in a greater revelation, the ultimate "place" of worship, sacrifice, access to God, table fellowship, rest, security and peace and the Presence of God’s Name is in the Person of Jesus Christ. And the beautiful surprise is that not only the woman, but many of the Samaritans came to believe and to know Jesus as the Savior of the world. (John 4v42)

The next passage that we will consider is in John chapter 7. I quote v2,37 & 38: "Now the feast of the Jews, the Feast of Booths (Tabernacles), was at hand. Now, on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, If any man is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the scripture said, From his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water." This feast is the feast of Tabernacles. It is the end of the year. The day of atonement is over. It’s time to bring in the harvest.

After the Israelites left Egypt, they lived in tents, in booths. But their God also dwelt in a tent in their midst. God also provided His cloud above them as a covering and a shelter for them. He sustained them in their pilgrimage to the promised land with bread from heaven and water to drink. The Feast of Tabernacles commemorated their redemption and their protection by their God who tabernacled with them along the way.

Jesus always arrives at these feasts at prime time. Here we see Him arriving on the last day, the great day of the feast. He then cries out publicly, with a loud voice, to draw attention to Himself. "If any man is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. (not to the Sanctuary), but to Me!’ The tent of God in the wilderness, and even the tabernacle in Jerusalem which King Solomon dedicated on the occasion of the Feast of Tabernacles, is but a foreshadowing and picture of the God, Immanuel, who continues to dwell among and is a covering over His people on their journey to the ultimate promised land.

We know that water, life giving water, the water of life, came from the Sanctuary depicted in Ezekiel 47v1,9 & 12. I quote: "Then he brought me back to the door of the house; and behold, water was flowing from under the threshold toward the east… And it will come about that every living creature which swarms in every place where the river goes, will live. And there will be very many fish, for these waters go there, and the others become fresh (are healed); so everything will live where the river goes. And by the river on its bank, on one side and on the other, will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. They will bear every month because their water flows from the Sanctuary, and their fruit will be for food and their leaves for healing.." The house is the Sanctuary. The water which began as a trickle became a river. The river flows and it gives life to everything in its path. But now, at the feast of tabernacles, on the last day, the great day of the feast, we hear Jesus crying out to be recognized as the fulfillment of everything that this feast pointed to. Jesus is essentially saying: Come to Me, I am the true Sanctuary. I will give you the true water of life. He is hereby announcing Himself by word and by deed that He is the ultimate Sanctuary, the ultimate manifestation of the God who covers, sustains, heals, gives life to, and tabernacles among any man who will believe on Him.

The next passage that I would like to consider is in John chapter 10. In John 10v7, Jesus states that He is the door of the sheep. It was at the door in the Sanctuary in the Old Testament where God would meet with His people, and provide them access to Himself that He might have fellowship with them. But in John, Jesus calls Himself the door. Exodus 29v42-46 gives us some insight into the concept of access. I quote: "It shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the doorway of the tent of meeting before the Lord, where I will meet with you, to speak to you there. And I will meet there with the sons of Israel, and it shall be consecrated by My glory. And I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the altar; I will also consecrate Aaron and his sons to minister as priests to Me. And I will dwell among the sons of Israel and will be their God. And they shall know that I am the Lord their God who brought them out of the land of Egypt, that I might dwell among them; I am the Lord their God." Once again we are seeing that the purpose of the Sanctuary in the Old Testament was for it to be a place where God could not only communicate with His people but it was a place where He could dwell in their very midst.

A root passage of John chapter 10 is Ezekiel chapter 34. A study of this passage would help us understand that the Old Testament priesthood had defiled the temple. They didn’t and couldn’t care for the people of God as God himself could.

The Sanctuary was to be a house of prayer for all the peoples, a place of spiritual sustenance, a place of healing and restoration for the downtrodden. But instead, it became itself a barrier to the worshippers who couldn’t have a door of access to the Lord, because uncaring hirelings stood in the way. The "abomination of desolation" is ultimately anything that perverts or prevents the true worship of God.

Once again, in John 10, we see Jesus arriving on the scene at prime time. The occasion is the feast of "Dedication"; which the Jews call Hanukkah. After the defilement of the temple in Jerusalem by the Grecian King Antiochus Epiphanes, Judas Maccabees cleansed and rededicated the temple in 164 B.C. Here we see Judas Maccabees foreshadowing what Christ would do. Christ would restore and cleanse the religious system of the Jews which in its perverted state had become a manifestation of the abomination of desolation.

I quote John 10v22-25, 30 & 31. "At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem; it was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple in the portico of Solomon. The Jews therefore gathered around Him, and were saying to Him, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly". Jesus answered them, " I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father’s name, these bear witness of Me. I and the Father are one. The Jews took up stones again to stone Him." In the context, we see that there is a division among the Jews as to who Jesus is. (John 10v19) They ask Him: "Are you the Christ?" In other words, are you the Anointed Messianic King? And when He tells them, and states that His works bear witness to who He is, they don’t want to believe Him. They want to kill Him.

Consider the irony. The nation of Israel is celebrating the feast of Dedication, which commemorated the rededication of the temple after it had been cleansed from its defilement. This feast is a memorial of their deliverance from a wicked king who defiled their Sanctuary, who caused them on pain of death to forsake their laws and religious customs, who forbade Sabbath worship and circumcision, who forced them to participate in sacrificing to idols, who profaned the priesthood, and who murdered approximately 80,000 Israelites.

The surprise is that the Jews are demonstrating the same spirit as the apostate Jews who linked hands with Antiochus Epiphanes while, at the same time, they are observing the feast. In a very short time, they would commit the ultimate abomination. They would set their face against the God of heaven by murdering His Son. But for those who would believe, they see in the Person of Jesus, the newly dedicated temple, a place where all believers may come boldly and unhindered to the throne of grace in the very Presence of God. By attending the feast which memorialized the rededication of the temple after its defilement, Jesus is making a statement. The implication is clear. Jesus seesHimself as the embodiment of the restored temple. Type has met anti-type. Jesus sees Himself as the fulfillment of Daniel 8v14.

Now, let us consider John chapter 12. In John 12v1, we see that the Passover is at hand. In verses 11 through 16, the multitude recognize Jesus as King. It is important to note that in John chapter 12, Jesus blends the Passover with the final judgment. The hour for which His entire life has been a preparation has arrived. We are at the climax!

We have here a truly remarkable passage. John has linked the Day of Atonement with the Passover. The hour has come for the Son of Man, which is Daniel’s Messianic title for Christ, to be glorified, to be lifted up. The hour has come for Satan, the ruler of this world, to be judged and cast out. The multitude will hear thunder, which is reminiscent of the voice of God that shook the mountain at Sinai when God gave Israel the ten commandments. On the Day of atonement, judgment took place at the Sanctuary. Now, we are seeing judgment and atonement taking place at the cross. Type has met anti-type. As High priest, Jesus presents the sacrifice which is His body. After His resurrection, He presents Himself before the Father and is enthroned as King.

In one blow, He has deposed sin, Satan, and death. At the cross, Jesus Christ has acted decisively to fulfill the purpose of the Old Testament Sanctuary. Once and for all time, God has acted in Christ to reconcile the world to Himself. The solemn ceremony of the Day of Atonement has found its fulfillment at Calvary. All future judgment must be considered in light of the judgment of the cross. The judgment of the rebellious and the vindication of the repentant, which is what took place on the Day of Atonement, is being linked by John with the Passover, where God judged the enemies of His people but passed over His own people in judgment, because they had put the blood of the Lamb on their door posts.

As we consider the passage, notice the key words and concepts. We will read key words like "hour", "glorify", "judgment", "now", and "come". The terms "serve" and "servant" are akin to worship. I now quote John 12v23-31: "And Jesus answered them saying, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who loves his life loses it; and he who hates his life in this world shall keep it to life eternal. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there shall My servant also be; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him. Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say. Father, save Me from this hour? But for this purpose I came to this hour. "Father, glorify Thy name." There came therefore a voice out of heaven: " I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again." The multitude therefore, who stood by and heard it, were saying that it had thundered; others were saying, "An angel has spoken to Him. Jesus answered and said, "This voice has not come for My sake but for your sakes. Now judgment is upon this world: now the ruler of this world shall be cast out."

On the day of atonement and judgment in the Old Testament, the covenant people of God gathered around the Sanctuary in worship. When the High Priest had competed his work in the Most Holy Place, and the ritual was finished, the living goat "Azazel" was taken out alive into the wilderness. In John 12v31, we are seeing the anti-typical fulfillment of this when Satan, the ruler of this world, is cast out.

I now quote John 12 v 31-34: "Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world shall be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself." But He was saying this to indicate the kind of death by which He was to die. The multitude therefore answered Him, "We have heard out of the Law that the Christ is to remain forever; And how can you say, " The Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?"

The sacrifices were made daily in the Old Testament Sanctuary until the yearly day of atonement. What we are seeing here in John chapter 12 is the once and for all time sacrifice. Calvary, the lifting up of Christ on the cross, is the ultimate day of judgment. We each need to ask ourselves the important questions. Do I want acquittal in the judgment? Do I want eternal life? Do I want acceptance in the Father’s eyes?

What we do in our hearts with Christ and Calvary is therefore decisive in terms of our judgment. We have heard the Lord calling to us over and over again throughout the gospel of John. We are to receive Christ. We are to believe on Him. We are to come to Him.

The passage that we have studied here in John chapter 12 is pivotal in terms of its value in understanding prophecy in general and the book of Revelation in particular. For example, the connection between John 12 and Rev. 14v7 is incontrovertible. Revelation 14v7 states: "Fear God and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgmenthas come and worship Him". When John wrote the book of Revelation in approximately 94 A.D., the judgment of the cross had come. It was in the past. The first rule of exegesis is that we must ask ourselves what the writer of the passage in question was saying to the people that he had originally written it to.

The term "worship" is picked up in John 12v 26 & 28 and is stated in the terms "serve", "servant", and "glorify". The only way that we can worship the Father in spirit and in truth is to exalt the finished work of Christ on the cross of Calvary as we preach the gospel to all men. Those who have cherished the Savior’s work for them will take up their own cross and will hate everything else in comparison to following and serving Him.

In Rev.14v7, we see the words "hour" and "judgment". John uses the same words in John 12v23 & 31. Rev.14v7 says "give Him glory". John 12 uses the word "glorify" 3x. Rev.14v7 says: "The hour has come". John 12v23 says: "the hour has come". Rev.14v7 says: "The hour of His judgment has come". John 12v31 says: "Now judgment is upon this world". The connection between these two passages is clear. It would be a mistake to attempt to interpret Revelation chapter 14 without bringing John chapter 12 into consideration. We must remember that it was the apostle John who wrote both the gospel of John and the book of Revelation. One half of the gospel of John is dedicated to the last days and last hours of Jesus Christ. For John, the cross is pivotal, as revealed in his gospel as well as in Revelation. It should be pivotal for us as well.

Since His victory at Calvary, since His resurrection, (for the last 2000 years), the Christian church has been gathering around Jesus Christ. The Christian church has been worshipping Him and has been preaching the gospel that reconciliation and at -one-ment was made between God and men at Calvary.

Christ has replaced the Day of Atonement ceremony that took place at the Old Testament Sanctuary with His ultimate Atonement at the cross. Type has met anti-type. Prediction has met fulfillment. By the act of the cross, Christ was now able to draw all men (universal application), not to the Sanctuary, but to Himself. When Christ died, the veil in the temple was ripped from the top the bottom by the hand of God, exposing the Most Holy Place. Jesus is the Most Holy Place. He is the embodiment, the personification, and the fulfillment of the Sanctuary.

In Rev.21v22, we read a remarkable statement. John is speaking of the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God. He says: "And I saw no temple in it , for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple." In Rev.21v3, we read: "Behold the Tabernacle of God is among men, and He (not it), and He shall dwell among them, and they shall be His people and God Himself shall be among them. Here we are seeing the fulfillment of the ultimate purpose of God, which is to dwell and to tabernacle among His covenant people. The holy city, the new Jerusalem, is as a bride adorned for her Husband. This is the wife of the Lamb. What we are seeing here is the marriage of the church, which is composed of the faithful of all ages and Jesus Christ. The wedding is a picture of the intimate union that God wants to have with His people. This is the goal and climax towards which the entire bible has been driving towards. Wedded union, which is the highest and deepest covenant metaphor in the bible, is used to depict the ultimate purpose of God. Jesus has invited His bride to come in, not into the sanctuary, but into Himself. (Rev.21v2,3,9,10; 19v7-9)

In Revelation chapter 21v1-7, we are seeing the antitypical fulfillment of all the major Old Testament covenants. John saw a new heaven and a new earth. He no longer saw any sea. The sea is a symbol of the sea of humanity who have rebelled against God. A new heavens and new earth in which righteousness dwells is the hope of the Noahic covenant. God will ultimately separate those who worship Him from those who will not. John saw a new Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God. This reminds us of the Abrahamic covenant. Abraham is the father of a multitude, who was looking for the city whose Builder and Maker is God. John heard a voice saying, "behold, the tabernacle of God is among, (in the midst of) men, and He shall dwell among them". This is reminiscent of the Mosaic covenant in which God stated His desire to be with and tabernacle among His people. In Rev.21v4, we hear the promise of God to wipe away every tear and that there should no longer be any death. Here we have the fulfillment of the Adamiccovenant. Here we see God restoring mankind and creation to its Edenic condition. The water of life, eternal life, is restored. In Rev.21v7, God speaks to the heirs. These promises are for Abraham and his descendants. The promise has narrowed to the Seed (singular) and has widened to include all the sons and daughters who possess a like faith as Abraham. It states: "I will be his God and he will be My son". This is the fulfillment of the Davidic covenant. None of these covenants was able to capture the essence of the everlasting covenant, but they each give us a piece of the picture. They are grouped here together to demonstrate the totality of God’s purpose.

The Lord has one city and one bride. Believing Jews and Gentiles from all generations are symbolically depicted in the one city. The dimensions of the city are to the same scale as the Most Holy Place in the Sanctuary. Its length and width and height are equal. The precious stones of the city are reminiscent of the high priest’s breastplate, who alone was permitted to minister in the Most Holy Place. But now, we see all the believers finding unimpeded access to God. The Lamb in the middle of the throne has replaced the earthly and the heavenly Sanctuary as our point of focus. Even now, He walks among and is in the midst of His people.

The kingdom has been inaugurated. We still await the consummation. We have not entered the "face to face" that Rev.22v4 speaks about but we stand on the threshold.

In summation, and by way of review, let us consider what we have today because Jesus is our Savior, our King and our Sanctuary. We, who have believed, have the certain knowledge that the atonement of Christ covers all of our sins. Because our sins are forgiven, we have entered rest, spiritual rest. We have access to God in a way that the Old Testament believers never had. Access presupposes acceptance. We are accepted in the Beloved. Access and acceptance speak to the relationship that we have with Christ. Christ is on the throne. He is in control. This means that the King of the universe is intensely interested in His subjects. He guides, directs, blesses, empowers, covers, and protects His people.

We have entered the King’s service, and service to Him produces the joy and the sense of fulfillment that our hearts crave for. In His worship, we are able to be lifted up and taken away from this world, even taken away from this body of sin and death that is our house, and brought into the beautiful place of His Presence.

We’re already in the kingdom. We’re already heirs. And our inheritance is God Himself. He is our portion. And His Spirit, who is our engagement ring and pledge, continues to bear witness with our spirit that we are children of God.

Jesus Christ, Immanuel, God with us is truly our Sanctuary.