The Destruction of The Temple Of God Is The Easter Story
The destruction of the temple of God is the Easter story. It is complex and profound and we are first taught about it in the Old Testament.
All throughout Scripture from the Old Testament to the New Testament, the Lord gives us word pictures that turn into literal events in the future. God used the word temple to describe His place of Worship and the place where His presence dwelt.
He later describes His body as the temple of God. Lastly after Jesus’ resurrection and the distribution of the Holy Spirit upon His believers, He calls our bodies the Temple of the Holy Spirit. We are taught that disobedience will lift God’s hand of protection and the temple will be destroyed and we first read this in the Old Testament.
1 Kings 9:6-9
“But if you or your descendants turn away from me and do not observe the commands and decrees I have given you and go off to serve other gods and worship them, then I will cut off Israel from the land I have given them and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name. Israel will then become a byword and an object of ridicule among all peoples. This temple will become a heap of rubble. All who pass by will be appalled and will scoff and say, ‘Why has the Lord done such a thing to this land and to this temple?’ People will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the Lord their God, who brought their ancestors out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them—that is why the Lord brought all this disaster on them.’”
The temple was rebuilt a second time and it too was later destroyed by enemy forces due to the disobedience of the Israelites.
God desires all the people He created to live in His love and protection and we can only do that if we follow His ways.
“And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.”(2 John 1-6)
Our Escape Route Is The Easter Story
In the New Testament, Jesus gave us a way to be saved- an escape route so to speak- despite our sins and disobedience. He stood in our place and allowed His body- the Temple of God- to be destroyed to pay for our sins. All we must do to receive this gift in full, is to turn our lives over to the Lord and walk in His ways.
If we simply believe in Jesus but do not turn our lives over to Him, our body- the temple of the Holy Spirit- is open to attack from Satan. God won’t protect us where He has not lead us. Why? Because God cannot tolerate sin and will not protect us if our choices are opposed to His teachings. We are left with the consequences of our own decisions.
The choice is ours, we have free will. If we obey and follow Him, we are living from a place of victory in every area of life. Jesus conquered all the schemes of Satan at the cross. On the other hand, if we believe but live our own way, we are guaranteed a place in heaven when we die, but our earthly walk will be much harder. Our example is how Adam and Eve had increased pain in their labor after they ignored the instruction of the Lord.
“For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them…(Luke 9:56)
Jesus overcame death- there is nothing He can’t do for us. But we must make the choice to surrender our lives to Him in order to enjoy His benefits of protection, health and peace.
“Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”(John 2:19)
Let us all remember the depth of the Easter story. It was the initiation of the transfer of power from Jesus to His believers after He resurrected. We can overcome all of our problems through the power given to us in the Holy Spirit if and only if, we choose to be obedient followers.
Food For Thought,
Lisa
