So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. Ephesians 2:19-22

Early in my walk with the Lord, I attended a Sunday school class taught by a sister in Christ who was a Messianic Jew. She will forever be one of my absolute favorite bible teachers. She taught this particular class on the Second temple in the scriptures (the one Jesus and the disciples visited). Because in Judaism the study of the old testament is so in depth and rich in history, she had a knowledge that was incredible and a teaching that allowed you to feel as though you were walking in the very courts of the temple.

In that class she spoke about the Various aspects and areas of the Temple. Such as the Court of the gentiles which was the only area the gentiles could occupy, they could go no further than that outer gate. Inside there were areas where people could buy the oils, wood, and animals for their sacrifices (these would be the tables that Jesus turned over when He found that the merchants were taking advantage of those who were trying to sacrifice and reconcile with His Father). There was the Court of the Women, although men were allowed in the Court of Women, like the gentiles, the women could go no further, they were not allowed access to the actual temple. Then one would come to the Abattoir, the area designated for the slaughter, cleansing and preparation of the animals for sacrifice. Then there was the Brazen (Bronze) Altar, on which the sacrifices were made. The interior of the Temple was where the presence of God was. The first room one would enter into was the Holy place where the men worshiped. Then there was a large veil that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies. The Holy of Holies is where the ark of the covenant was kept and, although God is omnipresent (everywhere) the physical presence of God dwelt in the Holy of Holies. A priest was allowed to enter this area once a year and His garment had bells on it, and it is believed that a rope was tied to him as well, so that if something went wrong and God struck him dead for disobedience or uncleaness, he could be pulled out.

On the surface it seems like that Holy of Holies must have been a scary place to enter, but also that it must have been incredibly honoring, to be the one chosen to enter and how AWESOME must it have been to enter into the very presence of God.

The temple was an incredibly important place. It was the place of obedience, where people went to worship God and bring their best to Him. It was the place that repentance took place, the place people went to sacrifice to God. It was the place of forgiveness, where God forgave those who were disobedient and in sin but who exhibited hearts of repentance. It was the place where the very presence of God dwelt.

That temple has since been destroyed and lies in ruin. But at the cross, Jesus death tore the veil that separated the people from the Holy of Holies and the presence of God (And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. Matthew 27:50-51). The presence of God, upon Jesus death, was now accessible to all.

Jesus referred to his own body as a temple in John 2:29 He said that it would be destroyed and raised again in three days – “Jesus answered them, ‘“Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”‘. And, in Luke 24:34-36, we see Him, the temple, raised (34“It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” 35 Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread. 36 While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”).

Jesus physical body was the temple spoken of in these verses. It was the place of obedience, where people went to worship God and bring their best to Him. It was the place that repentance took place, the place people went to sacrifice to God. It was the place of forgiveness, where God forgave those who were sinful but exhibited hearts of repentance. One of the best places in scripture that I think we see this exhibited is in Luke 7 (⁴⁴ Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. ⁴⁵ You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. ⁴⁶ You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. ⁴⁷ Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” ⁴⁸ And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”). 

Jesus – the temple – was also the place where the very presence of God dwelt. (And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness. Luke 4:1).

Our bodies too are temples.

Our physical bodies should be a place of obedience, where people see that we worship God and that we desire to bring our best to Him and our bodies should be a place where repentance is constantly taking place, our very bodies should be a sacrifice to God (I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Romans 12:1). It is a place of forgiveness, where, when we exhibit a heart of repentance and God forgives us, His very presence begins to dwell therein. (Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 1 Corinthians 6:19.).

Like the Holy of Holies, where the presence of God dwelt, the Holy Spirit dwells within us (when we know Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior).

Our lives and our bodies should glorify Him (I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death Philippians 1:20). And, everything done in this temple should glorify God (So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31). Even down to how and what we eat and drink. Remember, the Holy Spirit lives inside this Body that we abuse. It was created to glorify Him and we somehow think that, this means are our speech or actions sinful. It means everything we say and everything we do. Not just whether we are sinning, but, is what we are doing being done for God and to glorify Him?

Today, I pray that we would begin to revere the Holy Spirit the way that He deserves reverence. I pray that we would have a fresh understanding of our bodies as the temple of the Holy Spirit. I pray that through revelation of the Holy Spirit we would understand that we are no different than the merchants (whose tables Jesus overturned) when we use the temple (our bodies) for our purposes and for what we desire and not God’s will and purposes. And, that we defile the temple (our bodies) by the things we put into it, whether books and shows that have content that we know we should not expose ourselves (and the Holy Spirit) to and through the things that we put into it, i.e. food and drink that we should not or need not consume. I pray that through every word, act and even what and how we eat and drink, we would treat our bodies with the reverence and respect given, by the priests, to God in the Holy of Holies. Your body is a temple, treat it like one and glorify your Father in Heaven who created it, glorify your Holy Spirit who lives in it and never leaves you and glorify your Savior who gave up His temple (body) that you might be forgiven and dwell with Him in eternity.

If you do not know Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, and have spent your life abusing your body and disregarding the incredible creation that it is, I pray that you would go to our Life Preserver page (https://forgiven-n-loved.com/life-preserver/) and pray the prayer that is outlined there. Our Father in Heaven, who loves you, is longing to hear your voice and forgive you, our Savior is longing to rescue you from the penalty of your sin and our Holy Spirit is tugging at your heart right now, desiring that you would repent and be forgiven so that He could come and indwell in you and help you navigate this land mine we call life.

Please pray this prayer and when you do, reach out to me at admin@Forgiven-N-Loved.com and let me know. I would love to be i prayer for you.

Luv Ya!