Sanctuary and Temple of God-8 quotes

1) The Urim and the Thummim were placed on either side of the Breastplate of Judgment. When counsel or direction from God was needed in some important matter, the high priest would come “before the Lord” (Numbers 27:21) and questions would be asked of God that required a positive or negative answer. God would then indicate a positive answer by miraculously causing light to shine upon the Urim stone which then made it sparkle in fiery radiance causing many lights or “bright rays darting out thence...which splendor yet was not before natural to the stone” (Antiquities, vol iii, p 8, paragraph 9, by Josephus, Whiston's translation, at http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=52&letter=U#ixzz19AyrwBaA, accessed 5-3-13). But if God did not miraculously cause light to shine upon the Urim, and also prevented the Thummim from emitting any diffusion of light at all by perhaps miraculously covering it with a shadow, then this indicated a negative answer. This meant that the needed answer to these important questions were not obtained through the often erroneous wisdom of men, but “the Lord answered” (1 Samuel 28:6) these questions Himself!

What do you think represented the Urim and Thummim? Since these stones were used to determine God’s will in any of the important questions that needed to be answered and decided, so this symbolizes that God’s followers must go to God for His direction and guidance in any and all important decisions needed to be made. If we do this, then the infallible God Himself would be guiding and directing us, and not our own fallible erring minds, or the erring minds of other fallible humans. So while it is good and proper to obtain counsel from other brothers and sisters in whom you trust, yet you must not stop with just following their counsel alone, but you must especially go to God and ask for and obtain His counsel. Thus instead of allowing fallible mankind to have the final word in your life in any important matters, you would instead be allowing God to have the final word and authority in whatever decisions you needed to make.

“Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee: Thou showest lovingkindness unto thousands...the Great, the Mighty God, the LORD of hosts, is his name, Great in counsel, and mighty in work: for thine eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men: to give every one according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings” Jeremiah 32:17-19.

2) The white holy mitre covered the hair and head from just above the eye brows to around the base of the skull. Upon this mitre was that golden plate which had the words “HOLINESS TO THE LORD” engraved upon it (Exodus 28:36) and which was secured to “the forefront of the mitre” (Exodus 28:37) directly over “Aaron’s forehead” (Exodus 28:38). It was then kept there in place with “a blue lace” (Exodus 28:37), which made it a type of a “holy crown” (Exodus 29:6, 39:30).

What do you think represented the white holy mitre and the golden plate placed over the priest’s forehead with the words Holiness unto the Lord engraved on it? As the white mitre covered over, shielded as well as enveloped the entire head or brain and mind of the priest, so Christ and His righteousness must be the covering barrier shielding us from the mental attacks and fierce temptations of the devil and preventing these from overwhelming us, and also that Christ and His righteousness must envelop our mind with holy thoughts centering in Him and His truth.

The forehead is directly in front of the frontal lobes of the brain which deal with decision making thought processes. So as this golden plate engraved with the words Holiness Unto The Lord was placed directly over the priest’s forehead, then this signified that the priests were to be holy in all their thoughts. And as the lace of blue continued to fix this golden plate directly over the priest’s forehead, and since blue symbolizes obedience, then this symbolized that it is by the priest’s as well as our continued obedience to God and His law that we all are able to maintain our holiness unto the Lord.

Through these things the Lord God Michael was teaching His priests, as well as each and every one of His followers, that they were not only to be holy or clean in their outward clothing and conduct, but were especially to be holy and clean in their mind and in all their thoughts. This meant that especially were the priests and ministers of God to “put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness” (Ephesians 4:22-24). And, just like the priest or ministers of God, we as individual followers of God are “not [to be] conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:2).

3) The outfit of the common priests was similar to the high priest’s attire, but was not as glorious. The outward garments of the common priests only consisted of the white linen coat, then the linen girdle confining it to the back and chest, and a linen bonnet upon their head (Exodus 28:40). The spiritual significance of these would be the same as we already discovered for the high priest – the white linen coat represented the righteousness of Christ fully covering over and protecting God’s people, and the girdle would represent their continued faithfulness to God thus keeping Christ’s righteousness close to and connected with them.

4) In addition to all of these outer garments, the Lord God Michael directed that the high priest as well as all of the common priests were to wear an undergarment of “linen breeches of fine twined linen” (Exodus 39:28). The purpose of these linen breeches was “to cover their nakedness...when they come in unto the tabernacle of the congregation, or when they come near unto the altar to minister in the holy place; that they bear not iniquity, and die: it shall be a statute for ever unto him and his seed after him” (Exodus 28:42-43). As these linen breeches extended “from the loins even unto the thighs” (Exodus 28:42), then there was no possible way for the nakedness of any priest to be directly seen – even if the priest should bend over, or ascend the stairs of the Altar of Sacrifice, etc. Also, as these breeches were in addition to the outer priestly garments, then this combination of garments even prevented the outline or shadow of his manly form from being indirectly seen should any priest happen to pass in front of any light.

Just as when Adam and Eve first found themselves naked in the garden of Eden after committing sin, God did not allow them to remain publically naked, but provided them with “coats of skins, and clothed them” (Genesis 3:21). So now the Lord God Michael was again making it plain and clear that He had not changed, and that no form of public nakedness was to be permitted, especially among His priests, because it was not something to be proud of, but was shameful (Exodus 32:25; Isaiah 20:4, 47:3; Nahum 3:5; Revelation 3:18). If any priest were to purposely ignore this divine instruction and expose his nakedness while being connected with any aspect in the worship of God, then the Lord God Michael made it very clear that this lewd act would make them guilty of committing “iniquity” while in sacred service to God, and they would “die” because of it (Exodus 28:42).

All the other religions believed that nakedness was not something to be ashamed of, but was something to be proud of and was even to be permitted at special times while in public. Since the pagans believed that their gods were reproduced through sexual acts, and creation itself was believed to be brought about by their gods through sexual acts, then it was only proper to include the public worshipping of the sexual organs of both male and female, and to even engage in sexual acts as part of their public religious services. They believed that these public orgies were the highest form of worship to their gods, and thus were necessary in order to please and honor them.

So then by the Lord God Michael requiring all of His priests and ministers to have on linen breeches underneath their garments distinctly set apart His system of worship from all the other pagan religions. The Lord God also made it clear that these same sensual practices of the pagans were not to be allowed or connected with His worship services in even the slightest way. And since the firstborn from all the other 11 tribes had joined in with the same sexual religious practices of the pagans during the golden calf apostasy, and had exposed their nakedness in public (Exodus 32:25), then this is one of the reasons why God refused them and instead chose the faithful tribe of Levi to become His priests!

Through all these priestly requirements, the Lord God Michael proved beyond doubt that He indeed was a God like no other on the earth! As He was “the Lord that bringeth you up from the land of Egypt, to be your God” (Leviticus 11:45) and was indeed “thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour” (Isaiah 43:3), then He expected all of His followers, especially those connected with His sanctuary and worship services, to also “be holy, for I am holy” (Leviticus 11:45, 19:2, 20:7, 26, 21:8).

5) What spiritual truth do these linen breeches teach us? Nakedness is a symbol of the sin and selfishness of an unconverted heart. As long as we remain unconverted and full of sin and self then we are without the covering of Christ’s precious robe of righteousness around us, and therefore are shamefully naked! And just as Adam and Eve used flimsy fig leaves as a substitute covering for their nakedness, so many of God’s followers today – including priests, pastors and ministers, are found using flimsy excuses to try and cover up their sins and selfishness. Yet all such excuses in continuing to allow self to live and not die just plainly reveals how “wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked” they and we really are (Revelation 3:17).

It is only when we decide to no longer live for self, but humbly come to Christ and beg Him to fully forgive and convert us and to give us “gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see” that we can then become a true forgiven, converted, holy, sanctified and selfless follower of God and thus escape from being in the unsavable condition of Laodicea (Revelation 3:18), and instead come into the savable condition of either Smyrna or Philadelphia.

Those faithful and selfless followers of Jesus in the condition of Smyrna are those who remain “faithful unto death”, and they will indeed be given “a crown of life” (Revelation 2:10). While those selfless followers of God in the condition of Philadelphia will not see death at all, but will remain alive unto the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is because Christ states that since they have “kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth” (Revelation 3:10).

But should any of us – including the ministers and pastors connected with the work and Remnant church of God – instead choose to cling to our sins and selfishness, then we actually choose to remain shamefully naked and unclothed by Christ’s robe of righteousness. In this unsavable condition, we then face being removed from our place and position and being set aside by our God, to then be forever lost!

6) The high priest’s responsibilities included bearing the names of the “children of Israel...before the Lord” (Exodus 28:12), bearing “the judgement of the children of Israel” (Exodus 28:30), bearing “the iniquity of the holy things, which the children of Israel shall hallow in all their holy gifts” (Exodus 28:38); bearing “the iniquity of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the Lord” (Leviticus 10:17); bearing “the iniquity of the sanctuary” (Numbers 18:1); and bearing “the iniquity of your priesthood” (Numbers 18:1). This signified that his responsibilities were of a much higher and of greater importance than any of the common priests’ responsibilities, because he and he alone was bearing all these important things upon himself!

The responsibilities of the common priests included helping the high priest perform and accomplish some of the duties connected with the Sanctuary. Especially were their services needed in handling and properly officiating over the many offerings and sacrifices which the people brought to the Lord each day (see Leviticus chapters 1-7). Also these priests were a type of health inspectors which had power to confine diseased people, or to exclude others from the camp due to plague (see Leviticus chapters 13-15).

The services of the common priests were mainly confined to the outer court of the sanctuary, and especially centered around the Altar of Sacrifice, the handling of the sacrifices, and of taking some of the shed blood of the sin offerings and placing it upon the horns of the Altar of Sacrifice (Exodus 29:12; Leviticus 4:25, 34). But these common priests could also enter into the first apartment of the sanctuary, and place some of this shed blood from the sin offerings upon the horns of the Altar of Incense before the Lord (Leviticus 4:7, 18).

But not a single one of the common priests could enter into the most holy place or the second apartment of the earthly Sanctuary. Only the high priest could enter into this sacred place and stand directly before God Himself, and he could only do so on just one day each year – which was called the Day of Atonement.


	"LET THERE BE LIGHT" Ministries home \| Sermon Quotes THE SANCTUARY AND TEMPLE OF GOD, Part 8 quotes 1) The Urim and the Thummim were placed on either side of the Breastplate of Judgment. When counsel or direction from God was needed in some important matter, the high priest would come “before the Lord” (Numbers 27:21) and questions would be asked of God that required a positive or negative answer. God would then indicate a positive answer by miraculously causing light to shine upon the Urim stone which then made it sparkle in fiery radiance causing many lights or “bright rays darting out thence...which splendor yet was not before natural to the stone” (Antiquities, vol iii, p 8, paragraph 9, by Josephus, Whiston's translation, at http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=52&letter=U#ixzz19AyrwBaA, accessed 5-3-13). But if God did not miraculously cause light to shine upon the Urim, and also prevented the Thummim from emitting any diffusion of light at all by perhaps miraculously covering it with a shadow, then this indicated a negative answer. This meant that the needed answer to these important questions were not obtained through the often erroneous wisdom of men, but “the Lord answered” (1 Samuel 28:6) these questions Himself! What do you think represented the Urim and Thummim? Since these stones were used to determine God’s will in any of the important questions that needed to be answered and decided, so this symbolizes that God’s followers must go to God for His direction and guidance in any and all important decisions needed to be made. If we do this, then the infallible God Himself would be guiding and directing us, and not our own fallible erring minds, or the erring minds of other fallible humans. So while it is good and proper to obtain counsel from other brothers and sisters in whom you trust, yet you must not stop with just following their counsel alone, but you must especially go to God and ask for and obtain His counsel. Thus instead of allowing fallible mankind to have the final word in your life in any important matters, you would instead be allowing God to have the final word and authority in whatever decisions you needed to make. “Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?” Isaiah 2:22. “It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes.” Psalms 118:8-9. “Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee: Thou showest lovingkindness unto thousands...the Great, the Mighty God, the LORD of hosts, is his name, Great in counsel, and mighty in work: for thine eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men: to give every one according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings” Jeremiah 32:17-19. “Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye....We ought to obey God rather than men.” Acts 4:19, 5:29. 2) The white holy mitre covered the hair and head from just above the eye brows to around the base of the skull. Upon this mitre was that golden plate which had the words “HOLINESS TO THE LORD” engraved upon it (Exodus 28:36) and which was secured to “the forefront of the mitre” (Exodus 28:37) directly over “Aaron’s forehead” (Exodus 28:38). It was then kept there in place with “a blue lace” (Exodus 28:37), which made it a type of a “holy crown” (Exodus 29:6, 39:30). What do you think represented the white holy mitre and the golden plate placed over the priest’s forehead with the words Holiness unto the Lord engraved on it? As the white mitre covered over, shielded as well as enveloped the entire head or brain and mind of the priest, so Christ and His righteousness must be the covering barrier shielding us from the mental attacks and fierce temptations of the devil and preventing these from overwhelming us, and also that Christ and His righteousness must envelop our mind with holy thoughts centering in Him and His truth. The forehead is directly in front of the frontal lobes of the brain which deal with decision making thought processes. So as this golden plate engraved with the words Holiness Unto The Lord was placed directly over the priest’s forehead, then this signified that the priests were to be holy in all their thoughts. And as the lace of blue continued to fix this golden plate directly over the priest’s forehead, and since blue symbolizes obedience, then this symbolized that it is by the priest’s as well as our continued obedience to God and His law that we all are able to maintain our holiness unto the Lord. Through these things the Lord God Michael was teaching His priests, as well as each and every one of His followers, that they were not only to be holy or clean in their outward clothing and conduct, but were especially to be holy and clean in their mind and in all their thoughts. This meant that especially were the priests and ministers of God to “put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness” (Ephesians 4:22-24). And, just like the priest or ministers of God, we as individual followers of God are “not [to be] conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:2). 3) The outfit of the common priests was similar to the high priest’s attire, but was not as glorious. The outward garments of the common priests only consisted of the white linen coat, then the linen girdle confining it to the back and chest, and a linen bonnet upon their head (Exodus 28:40). The spiritual significance of these would be the same as we already discovered for the high priest – the white linen coat represented the righteousness of Christ fully covering over and protecting God’s people, and the girdle would represent their continued faithfulness to God thus keeping Christ’s righteousness close to and connected with them. 4) In addition to all of these outer garments, the Lord God Michael directed that the high priest as well as all of the common priests were to wear an undergarment of “linen breeches of fine twined linen” (Exodus 39:28). The purpose of these linen breeches was “to cover their nakedness...when they come in unto the tabernacle of the congregation, or when they come near unto the altar to minister in the holy place; that they bear not iniquity, and die: it shall be a statute for ever unto him and his seed after him” (Exodus 28:42-43). As these linen breeches extended “from the loins even unto the thighs” (Exodus 28:42), then there was no possible way for the nakedness of any priest to be directly seen – even if the priest should bend over, or ascend the stairs of the Altar of Sacrifice, etc. Also, as these breeches were in addition to the outer priestly garments, then this combination of garments even prevented the outline or shadow of his manly form from being indirectly seen should any priest happen to pass in front of any light. Just as when Adam and Eve first found themselves naked in the garden of Eden after committing sin, God did not allow them to remain publically naked, but provided them with “coats of skins, and clothed them” (Genesis 3:21). So now the Lord God Michael was again making it plain and clear that He had not changed, and that no form of public nakedness was to be permitted, especially among His priests, because it was not something to be proud of, but was shameful (Exodus 32:25; Isaiah 20:4, 47:3; Nahum 3:5; Revelation 3:18). If any priest were to purposely ignore this divine instruction and expose his nakedness while being connected with any aspect in the worship of God, then the Lord God Michael made it very clear that this lewd act would make them guilty of committing “iniquity” while in sacred service to God, and they would “die” because of it (Exodus 28:42). All the other religions believed that nakedness was not something to be ashamed of, but was something to be proud of and was even to be permitted at special times while in public. Since the pagans believed that their gods were reproduced through sexual acts, and creation itself was believed to be brought about by their gods through sexual acts, then it was only proper to include the public worshipping of the sexual organs of both male and female, and to even engage in sexual acts as part of their public religious services. They believed that these public orgies were the highest form of worship to their gods, and thus were necessary in order to please and honor them. So then by the Lord God Michael requiring all of His priests and ministers to have on linen breeches underneath their garments distinctly set apart His system of worship from all the other pagan religions. The Lord God also made it clear that these same sensual practices of the pagans were not to be allowed or connected with His worship services in even the slightest way. And since the firstborn from all the other 11 tribes had joined in with the same sexual religious practices of the pagans during the golden calf apostasy, and had exposed their nakedness in public (Exodus 32:25), then this is one of the reasons why God refused them and instead chose the faithful tribe of Levi to become His priests! Through all these priestly requirements, the Lord God Michael proved beyond doubt that He indeed was a God like no other on the earth! As He was “the Lord that bringeth you up from the land of Egypt, to be your God” (Leviticus 11:45) and was indeed “thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour” (Isaiah 43:3), then He expected all of His followers, especially those connected with His sanctuary and worship services, to also “be holy, for I am holy” (Leviticus 11:45, 19:2, 20:7, 26, 21:8). 5) What spiritual truth do these linen breeches teach us? Nakedness is a symbol of the sin and selfishness of an unconverted heart. As long as we remain unconverted and full of sin and self then we are without the covering of Christ’s precious robe of righteousness around us, and therefore are shamefully naked! And just as Adam and Eve used flimsy fig leaves as a substitute covering for their nakedness, so many of God’s followers today – including priests, pastors and ministers, are found using flimsy excuses to try and cover up their sins and selfishness. Yet all such excuses in continuing to allow self to live and not die just plainly reveals how “wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked” they and we really are (Revelation 3:17). It is only when we decide to no longer live for self, but humbly come to Christ and beg Him to fully forgive and convert us and to give us “gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see” that we can then become a true forgiven, converted, holy, sanctified and selfless follower of God and thus escape from being in the unsavable condition of Laodicea (Revelation 3:18), and instead come into the savable condition of either Smyrna or Philadelphia. Those faithful and selfless followers of Jesus in the condition of Smyrna are those who remain “faithful unto death”, and they will indeed be given “a crown of life” (Revelation 2:10). While those selfless followers of God in the condition of Philadelphia will not see death at all, but will remain alive unto the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is because Christ states that since they have “kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth” (Revelation 3:10). But should any of us – including the ministers and pastors connected with the work and Remnant church of God – instead choose to cling to our sins and selfishness, then we actually choose to remain shamefully naked and unclothed by Christ’s robe of righteousness. In this unsavable condition, we then face being removed from our place and position and being set aside by our God, to then be forever lost! “Jerusalem hath grievously sinned; therefore she is removed: all that honoured her despise her, because they have seen her nakedness: yea, she sigheth, and turneth backward.” Jeremiah 1:8. Yet: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9. Because “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.” Proverbs 28:13. 6) The high priest’s responsibilities included bearing the names of the “children of Israel...before the Lord” (Exodus 28:12), bearing “the judgement of the children of Israel” (Exodus 28:30), bearing “the iniquity of the holy things, which the children of Israel shall hallow in all their holy gifts” (Exodus 28:38); bearing “the iniquity of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the Lord” (Leviticus 10:17); bearing “the iniquity of the sanctuary” (Numbers 18:1); and bearing “the iniquity of your priesthood” (Numbers 18:1). This signified that his responsibilities were of a much higher and of greater importance than any of the common priests’ responsibilities, because he and he alone was bearing all these important things upon himself! The responsibilities of the common priests included helping the high priest perform and accomplish some of the duties connected with the Sanctuary. Especially were their services needed in handling and properly officiating over the many offerings and sacrifices which the people brought to the Lord each day (see Leviticus chapters 1-7). Also these priests were a type of health inspectors which had power to confine diseased people, or to exclude others from the camp due to plague (see Leviticus chapters 13-15). The services of the common priests were mainly confined to the outer court of the sanctuary, and especially centered around the Altar of Sacrifice, the handling of the sacrifices, and of taking some of the shed blood of the sin offerings and placing it upon the horns of the Altar of Sacrifice (Exodus 29:12; Leviticus 4:25, 34). But these common priests could also enter into the first apartment of the sanctuary, and place some of this shed blood from the sin offerings upon the horns of the Altar of Incense before the Lord (Leviticus 4:7, 18). But not a single one of the common priests could enter into the most holy place or the second apartment of the earthly Sanctuary. Only the high priest could enter into this sacred place and stand directly before God Himself, and he could only do so on just one day each year – which was called the Day of Atonement.