Sunday, January 23, 2011

Question about the Ark of the Covenant/Temple

We know that the ark of the covenant is somewhere, right? It has to be if we are going to build a new temple. Could it be possible that Aaron's descendent's are still around? God ordained them to be the priests forever, right? When the new temple is built, won't they have to come forward? Can you tell I've been reading Leviticus? lol I don't know how the new covenant fits in with the old but if there is someone out there that does know, enlighten me! :)

4 comments:

Chris said...

Are you sure the temple is going to physically rebuilt? Are not Christians the temple now? Revelation says that there is no temple in Heaven because God is the temple.

Crystal said...

No, I'm not sure. That's what I've been taught but I have never studied it myself. That's why I'm asking about it. :)

Chris said...

I see. One thing to consider in studying this is looking at the fact that the temple veil was torn in two at the moment of Christ's death. Before Christ's death, the temple represented God's dwelling place with man. However, since He has died and is now resurrected and sitting at the right hand of God the Father, we do not have need of the physical temple. Some scriptures to consider in light of the New Covenant:

1 Corinthians 3:16

Do you not know that you1 are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?

Footnotes
[1] 3:16 The Greek for you is plural in verses 16 and 17

1 Corinthians 3:17

If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.

1 Corinthians 6:19

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,

2 Corinthians 6:16

What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said,

“I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them,

and I will be their God,

and they shall be my people.

Ephesians 2:21

in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.

Revelation 21:22

And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb.

It's a lot to digest, but just look at the physical temple as pointing to Christ, and you can get the bigger picture. Revelation 11:19 mentions the ark appearing in a heavenly temple. There is a lot of misinterpreting based on human ideas. Oh, and Jesus also prophesied the destruction of the temple in Matthew 24.

Crystal said...

The following verses have always lead me to believe that there was going to be a physical temple.


Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains; let him who is on the housetop not go down to get the things out that are in his house; and let him who is in the field not turn back to get his cloak. (Matthew 24:15-18)

I was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told, "Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count the worshipers there. But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months. (Revelation 11:1-2)