Ceu Session 01 Introduction FNDWP

INTERNATIONAL HOUSE OF PRAYER UNIVERSITY STEPHEN VENABLE
FOUNDATIONS OF NIGHT AND DAY WORSHIP AND PRAYER FALL 2010
Session 01: Introduction and Perspective

I. THE STARTING POINT
A. The Goals of this Class Related to Unceasing Devotion to Jesus:
1. Conviction of its Validity
2. Clarity on its Significance
3. Understanding of the Calling Vocationally
4. Sober Consecration
B. The Question of Perseverance
1. Necessity of Response
a. To assume that someone who has a real invitation from the Lord to be set in place as an
intercessor in night and day prayer will automatically respond to His beckoning and remain
faithful for decades is to misunderstand His sovereignty and underestimate the weakness of
the human heart.
b. As with any invitation from the Lord there is a cooperative dimension, and we must set our
hearts toward obedience.
2. The Desire for Steadfastness
a. Whether awakened to this calling recently or long ago, our desire is to be unmoved in the
face of boredom, persecution, misunderstanding, and tribulation.
17
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
18
praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end
with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints Ephesians 6:17-18
2
Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving Colossians 4:2
b. Longevity and steadfastness in the place of prayer (both devotional and intercessory) and
worship is one of the rarest virtues on the earth. Yet with living understanding of certain
truths we will persist in our commitment and at His return He will find a witness of unending
praise on the earth.
C. Sustaining Power
Of the many facets of revelation that uphold us, two primary things we must continually encounter are:
first, the beauty of the Lord and the movements of His heart for the earth, and then secondly, the biblical
understanding of incessant ministry to Him.
1. The Beauty of the Lord
a. Apart from rare exceptions, in this age we behold His beauty by faith through the ministry of
the indwelling Holy Spirit.
b. The day will surely come when our physical eyes see Him in His splendor, but throughout
this sojourn our pursuit of beauty consists of meditating upon His character, His emotions,
and His ways as revealed in Scripture.
International House of Prayer University 2010

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Session 01: Introduction and Perspective PAGE 2
c. As the knowledge of the glory of Christ and His greatness enters our soul we are fascinated
and exhilarated.
d. Yet as we stand in the posture of beholding, we begin to learn of His desires and longings for
our neighbor and our city. The fruit of intimacy is partaking in the friendship of intercession.
2. Biblical Foundations of Night and Day Worship & Prayer
The second form of knowledge that produces endurance in our commitment to a life of ministry
to the Lord is the understanding of its foundations biblically.
a. Biblical Commands & Examples
The first level of this knowledge is simply recognizing the instances in Scripture where either
the Lord commands unceasing worship or there are precedents of it actually being practiced.
b. Foundations Developing a Substructure
The second level of knowledge goes well beyond the first and actually deals with the larger
system conceptually and theologically that provides the foundation for night and day worship.
(1) It is one thing (and an important one) to observe the biblical precedent for it, but it is
quite another to understand why the Lord commanded it and why it was practiced by
the ancients.
(2) Foundations are utterly indispensable but largely unseen. The need for this class
arises in part out of the conviction that as houses of prayer become more visible on
the landscape many are attempting to evaluate the structure, or even attempting to
build the structure, without proper regard for the substructure upon which it is
founded.
(3) As remarkable as the unbroken succession of songs and prayers is, it cannot be
viewed in isolation. Its mere existence depends radically upon a much larger story.
By acclimating ourselves with this beautiful biblical narrative we discover the true
significance of night and day prayer and the power to persevere in our commitment
to it.
(4) There are two important applications this approach has related to the perspective on
the course, both of which can be explained by continuing the metaphor of a
foundation.
(a) As critical as the foundation is, it is not to be misconstrued as the house
itself. Many questions arise when a community of believers endeavors to
establish and sustain unceasing praise that simply will not be broached in the
context of this course.
(b) Often the profound importance of a foundation is not readily appreciated.
When you look at a house you dont think much about what lies under the
ground, but without it the house would have no fortitude. At times in this
course it may not be apparent how the subject under consideration directly
pertains to night and day prayer. In such cases we must remember this
metaphor and be diligent in the labor of digging a hidden bedrock of
understanding.

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II. NIGHT & DAY WORSHIP AND PRAYER

A. Perspective
1. A Dim Reflection
a. Since the dawn of time, it has only been during small slivers of history and in isolated
geographical regions that Gods searching eyes have looked upon the earth and found a
reflection of what constantly surrounds Him upon the throne incessant worship.
The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And
they do not rest day or night, saying: Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and
is and is to come! Revelation 4:8
b. To have night and day prayer in the spirit of the tabernacle of David is one of the rarest
privileges in history. In Kansas City it can be said, Praise is awaiting You, O God,
whether His eyes should turn to the city by day or by night.
Praise is awaiting You, O God, in Zion; And to You the vow shall be performed. Ps 65:1
2. The Historical Precedent
a. Alexander Akimites & the Acoemetae (the sleepless ones) began in 400 A.D.
Constantinople and the Byzantine Empire
b. Agaunum (modern-day St. Maurice, Switzerland) 522 A.D. early 9th century.
c. Bangor, Ireland - 558 824 A.D.
d. Cluny, France - 910 1089 A.D.
e. Moravians - August 27th 1727 for one-hundred years
3. Current Trend
a. In our day we are witnessing an unprecedented phenomenon. Throughout the earth the saints
are gathering with a desire to establish night and day prayer. In cities all over the world,
houses of prayer are popping up completely independent of any coordinated effort or
organization.
b. It must be emphasized that this has never happened before. As we have just seen, history
does provide some wonderful examples of night and day prayer, but nothing even remotely
comparable to the scale of the present movement.
c. We stare into the horizon and can faintly see a day when unceasing worship and prayer may
be normative. Whereas in the past it may have been possible to dismiss it as nothing more
than historical oddity of fanaticism, today it is a movement that must be reckoned with.
Even ten to fifteen years ago this class would not have existed. It would have just been seen
as an irrelevant odyssey in church history.
d. If we are looking correctly, this vision of perpetual incense rising from the cities of the earth
should raise monumental questions.
(1) What is the purpose of night and day worship and why is it so deeply significant?
(2) Why is this impulse toward it occurring now and what is the meaning of it? Is it
possible to recognize its legitimacy yet not accept the claim that it will be normative?

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(3) Why are so many people suddenly interested in it?

(4) How do houses of prayer relate to the Church as it is typically conceived of?
(5) Should people really have prayer as their vocation?
(6) What does constant worship and prayer reveal about those acts of devotion
generally?
(7) Biblically, what is the precedent for night and day prayer and what theological
ramifications does it have?
B. The Question of Perspective
1. The Protestant Local Church Model in the West and its Limitations
a. A Gap too Distant to be Crossed
(1) Often times we seek to answer these questions with the assumption that the local
church model practiced and propagated in the West is normal and therefore can
serve as a reliable plumb line for evaluating the phenomenon of ceaseless worship.
(2) Not surprisingly, the profound difference between these two entities proves a gap too
distant to be crossed conceptually and the form that appears so unusual compared to
what is familiar is therefore rejected.
b. Illusion of Time & Authority
(1) Without intending to draw criticism, it is important to clarify that just because
something has been practiced for hundreds of years, it is not necessarily authoritative.
(2) This was one of the cardinal principles of the Reformation and thus it is ironic to see
it defied in order to defend the tradition of the local church model in the West.
c. The Witness of the New Testament
(1) Peering into the New Testament, it is almost impossible to construe the description of
early Church as even remotely resembling the system that ushers people into
buildings of all sizes on Sunday mornings for a relatively short time of singing and
then hearing something from a person called a pastor.
(2) This doesnt necessarily mean that the ecclesiastical expression so common in our
day is negative, but it should be enough to jar us from the illusion that it can really
serve as a reference point for evaluating night and day worship.
C. Beginning With Heaven
1. Our Starting Point
Instead of beginning with the landscape that surrounds us and attempting to explain and justify
24/7 ministry to the LORD within that framework, we will lift our eyes and begin with heaven as
our reference point. As we apprehend a vision of heaven from Scripture we will find both the
basis of unceasing devotion and its purpose in Gods larger plan.
2. Understanding the Progression
In developing the revelation of heaven there are three very important steps, forming a specific
sequence of progressive understanding:

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a. Why?
The question of why heaven is important and why it must be the starting point for considering
unceasing ministry to the LORD (the current session)
b. How?
The question of how heaven is viewed or considered this must precede actually developing
the substance of what Scripture reveals about heaven or else the latter will misapprehended
and misapplied (this session and the next session).
c. What?
Actually understanding how the Bible speaks of the subject of heaven and what conclusions
can be drawn from that revelation (future sessions)
III. WHY HEAVEN IS THE STARTING POINT FOR UNDERSTANDING NIGHT & DAY DEVOTION
A. The Center of All Things
1. Gods Existence
a. In the revelation of Scripture God Himself is the ultimate center of all things. He dwells in
the glorious solitude of self-existence and compared to His absolute necessity all things are
feeble and frail a vapor that appears and vanishes; grass that withers away in a moment.
b. From the smallest insect to the most brilliant man, all are on a level plane in that they hang
dangling over the abyss of non-existence, upheld only by His sovereign word. This in and of
itself requires a profound shift in our thinking because we tend to view the world, our lives,
and everything in between myopically and egocentrically.
c. In truth His identity is the unshakable rock of certitude with which all must reckon and find
their orientation. This radical, all-encompassing centrality in all things means that only by
throwing ourselves into Him and moving outward can we discern the truth about anything.
It is my opinion that the Christian concept of God current in these middle years of the
twentieth century is so decadent as to be utterly beneath the dignity of the Most High God
and actually to constitute for professed believers something amounting to a moral calamity.
All the problems of heaven and earth, though they were to confront us together an at once,
would be nothing compared with the overwhelming problem of God: that He is; what He is
like; and what we as moral beings must do about Him.1
2. Contingency & Reality
a. The consequence of this truth is that the further a creature drifts from the will of God, the less
real they become. Real here doesnt denote any metaphysical qualities but simply that the
greater the discord from Gods commandment and design, the less relevant they are in the
ultimate sense.
b. This is due to the fact that only God has meaning in and of Himself because His existence
alone is essential. Consequently any significance creation possesses is a bestowed or
derivative significance and not inherent to them.
1
A.W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy (San Francisco, CA: HarperSanFrancisco,1961), p 2

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c. In other words, the importance of someone or something hinges solely upon its relation to the
Creator of all.
d. This requires quite a shift in our thinking because we typically do not view the world from
this perspective. Though the political, economic, and military leaders of the earth appear to
be so influential, in Gods eyes they are but a vapor that appears for a moment and then
vanishes.
14
With whom did He take counsel, and who instructed Him, and taught Him in the path of
justice? Who taught Him knowledge, and showed Him the way of understanding? 15
Behold, the nations are as a drop in a bucket, and are counted as the small dust on the
scales; Look, He lifts up the isles as a very little thing22 It is He who sits above the circle
of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens like a
curtain, and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in. 23 He brings the princes to nothing;
He makes the judges of the earth useless. 24 Scarcely shall they be planted, Scarcely shall
they be sown, Scarcely shall their stock take root in the earth, when He will also blow on
them, and they will wither, and the whirlwind will take them away like stubble. 25 To
whom then will you liken Me, or to whom shall I be equal? says the Holy One. Isaiah
40:14-15, 22-25
e. As those of wealth and political standing consolidate power, the derangement of their pride
leads them to believe they have become mighty when in truth they are growing more and
more irrelevant through their failure to esteem the glory of God.
3. His Good Pleasure
a. Unfortunately our minds are far from renewed, and because full-blown rebellion against the
will of God permeates the earth, we lapse into the mistake of thinking it is normal and
therefore consequential. From Gods perspective, however, it is the most ludicrous and
abnormal thing imaginable.
b. Yet there is a place where, unlike the earth, His desires are perfectly expressed and fulfilled
the place the Bible terms heaven. This total conformity to His will bestows upon it the
utmost relevance or meaning for all the reasons just stated. Furthermore, its proximity to the
supreme reference point Himself gives it a level of importance that can hardly be overstated.
B. Identity and Presence
1. Worship is Responsive
a. Worship or prayer, whether spoken or sung, is always and ever a response to a Person, and in
particular the proximity of that Person.
b. Typically when the tabernacle or temple is discussed they are done so within the context of
worship, but in reality those monumental realities in the Old Testament are primarily about
His presence.
c. The Tabernacle and Temple were the focal point of the worship of the nation precisely
because that is where they encountered the identity of God. Even before these formal
structures the biblical record describes the worship of the patriarchs occurring in relationship
to theophanies.

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d. Therefore it is impossible to develop an accurate theology of worship (incessant or otherwise)

apart from a clear theology of revelation and presence. Heaven is the supreme dwelling place
of God, the epicenter of His presence and existence where He is most manifestly seen and
known, and thus heaven must be the inception for any consideration of worship.
2. Worship & Theology
a. Stemming from this recognition that worship and prayer are both personally and relationally
oriented is the conclusion that the authenticity and vitality of worship in a community directly
corresponds to the accuracy and depth of its theology. In other words, acts of devotion must
be approached from a profoundly theocentric perspective.
b. To view the subject from this vantage point departs radically from prevailing methodology,
for the blight of pragmatism in modernity has resulted in an approach to worship and prayer
dominated by concern for the outward shape of it and the tangible results to be gleaned
from its practice.
c. When we think about worship it must evoke a flood of thoughts about a Person, not opinions
about an activity that we get something out of. As Allen Ross summarizes:
Without sustaining a vision of the holy Lord of glory, what some call the sublime worship
very quickly digresses from the revealed design of worship that God desires and becomes
routine, predictable, and even irrelevant. The starting point of any discussion of worship
must be the object of worship, the Lord God himself, who is higher and more significant and
far more glorious than life itself. This is the vision we need to inspire our worship; it is the
vision that a world lost in sin needs in order to be reconciled to God.2
d. The reason heaven does not readily come to mind when pondering worship is quite simply
that He does not come to mind very frequently when considering the subject. By turning our
eyes to heaven we are reminded that at the heart of worship lies a consuming preoccupation
with God Himself. We read of myriads of angels tirelessly lauding the glorious King
enthroned on high and we are rescued from the self-compulsion that threatens to undermine
true worship.
3. The Reality of Worship
a. The sobering consequence of these truths is twofold:
(1) The goal of worship cannot be evaluated simply by the experience a service produces
in the participants but rather only by the extent which the glory of God is truly seen
and magnified as result.
(2) The problem of worship in modern Church is not the wrong worship pastor, a bad
sound system, an incapable band, the question of traditional or contemporary, or any
other question of form. The great, looming problem is that Jesus, who is the apex of
theology because He is the fullness of the revelation of God, might actually be the
most forgotten and misunderstood person in the Church. His name is mentioned
much but He remains largely unknown, a stranger in the midst of our many services
and songs.
2
Allen Ross, Recalling the Hope of Glory: Biblical Worship from the Garden to the New Jerusalem (Grand Rapids: Kregel Publishing, 2006), p 39.

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b. Personal or corporate devotion will simply never ascend beyond the knowledge of the Person
to whom we are devoted. Where the vision of that Person is dim, obscure, or marginalized,
true adoration will be rare and fervent cries of intercession scarce.
c. Yet where Christ is treasured and exalted in the hearts of the people, worship and prayer alike
will have both their impetus and their staying power. And nowhere are we reminded of this
central place theology must hold in incessant devotion as in the heights of heaven where God
Himself is all in all.
C. A Revelation of the Throne
The third reason that heaven must be the starting point for understanding unceasing prayer is the
relationship between the throne of God and the ministry of intercession.
26
And above the firmament over their heads was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like a
sapphire stone; on the likeness of the throne was a likeness with the appearance of a man high above
it. 27 Also from the appearance of His waist and upward I saw, as it were, the color of amber with the
appearance of fire all around within it; and from the appearance of His waist and downward I saw, as
it were, the appearance of fire with brightness all around. Ezekiel 1:26-28
Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne was standing in heaven, and One sitting on the
throne. 3 And He who was sitting was like a jasper stone and a sardius in appearance; and there was a
rainbow around the throne, like an emerald in appearance. Revelation 4:2-3
1. Enthroned in the Heavens
Heaven must be the inception of the discussion of continual prayer because that is where God is
enthroned, and when the saints intercede they are addressing the King of the Universe.
The LORD is in His holy temple; the LORDS throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids
test the sons of men. 5 The LORD tests the righteous and the wicked, And the one who loves
violence His soul hates. 6 Upon the wicked He will rain snares; Fire and brimstone and
burning wind will be the portion of their cup. Psalm 11:4-6
The LORD reigns, He is clothed with majesty; the LORD has clothed and girded Himself with
strength; indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved. 2 Your throne is
established from of old; You are from everlasting. 3 The floods have lifted up, O LORD, the
floods have lifted up their voice, the floods lift up their pounding waves. 4 More than the
sounds of many waters, than the mighty breakers of the sea, the LORD on high is mighty.
Psalm 92:1-4
The LORD has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all. Psalm 103:19
You, O LORD, rule forever; Your throne is from generation to generation. Lamentations 5:19
2. His Everlasting Kingdom

Hezekiah prayed before the LORD and said, O LORD, the God of Israel, who are enthroned
above the cherubim, You are the God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have
made heaven and earth. II Kings 19:15
The LORD is King forever and ever Psalm 10:16

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Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Your dominion endures throughout all
generations. Psalm 145:13
Who would not fear You, O King of the nations? Indeed it is Your due! For among all the wise
men of the nations and in all their kingdoms, there is none like You. 8 But they are altogether
stupid and foolish in their discipline of delusiontheir idol is wood!...10 But the LORD is the
true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King. At His wrath the earth quakes, and the
nations cannot endure His indignation. Jeremiah 10:7-8, 10
3. His Absolute Dominion
And at the end of the time I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my understanding
returned to me; and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever:
For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom is from generation to
generation. 35 All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; He does according to
His will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain
His hand or say to Him, What have You done? Daniel 4:34-35
So David blessed the LORD in the sight of all the assembly; and David said, Blessed are You,
O LORD God of Israel our father, forever and ever. 11 Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and
the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the
heavens and the earth; Yours is the dominion, O LORD, and You exalt Yourself as head over
all. 12 Both riches and honor come from You, and You rule over all, and in Your hand is
power and might; and it lies in Your hand to make great and to strengthen everyone. 13 Now
therefore, our God, we thank You, and praise Your glorious name. 14 But who am I and who
are my people that we should be able to offer as generously as this? For all things come from
You, and from Your hand we have given You. I Chronicles 29:10-14
He rules by His might forever; His eyes keep watch on the nations; let not the rebellious exalt
themselves. Psalm 66:7
4. Intercession & the Throne
a. Prayer, like worship, is personally oriented. Because we are praying to Someone, our
intercession is oriented around somewhere, because Jesus has an authentic human body and
He is in an actual place in heaven.
b. In intercession we are approaching the supreme Governor in the governmental center of the
universe. That is why through faith we come before the throne of God (cf. Eph 3, Heb 4).
All intercession, therefore, is oriented around a real throne and occurs in an overtly
governmental context.3
c. Prayer is not hurling phrases into the air and hoping they are heard in some abstract way. We
are making requests that are being considered in a real place by a real Person the sovereign
King of all things.
5. The Need for Clarity Concerning His Sovereign Power in Prayer
a. By turning our eyes to heaven and acquiring a revelation of the throne, we will begin to offer
our prayers within the context of the active and absolute sovereignty of God.
3
While it may or may not impact the political sphere on the earth, this governmental context of intercession is solely His government
and has no fundamental relation whatsoever to human government as it now exists.

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b. Right now the LORD is on His throne and His kingdom rules over all. God reigns over all
things, He upholds all things, He sustains all things, and He possesses all things .
c. We have so much unbelief concerning His sovereignty that we have to embrace a radical
focus on the throne until it moves from being a fairy-tale to a reality that engenders faith in
our soul. His throne has been reduced to a metaphor and the prayer life of the church has
suffered as a result.
d. In our hearts (regardless of what adhered to in our minds) we translate Gods patient,
merciful restraint from judgment during this age of amnesty as impotence. A vision of His
throne, and faith in His total, absolute sovereignty is the remedy for this deep-seated unbelief.
D. The Pattern of His Pleasure
1. Gods Desire & the Answer of Heaven
a. The final answer to the question of why heaven? differs from the rest. Whereas the
previous three are clearly biblical, they are broad and conceptual. The final reason is very
specific and stems from a very critical exegetical relationship.
b. As we will develop in much greater detail in future sessions, heaven in not an ethereal realm
but rather a vividly real place. When the LORD set His hand to fashion His dwelling place
He had no rules, no parameters, and no template to work from.
c. Thus anything we are privy to behold in the heavenly scenes recorded in Scripture is there
because He wants it to be and is therefore a direct reflection of a desire He has in His heart.
We could never even dare to say that same thing of the earth, so soiled and stained by human
sin and rebellion.
2. Pattern
a. The critical extension of this point is that the reality of heaven and its worship is to serve as
the model for worship and prayer on earth. As we will see, this is precisely what we find God
commanding in several different instances.
b. Though it will only be introduced in this context, this is the premise and guiding principle of
the entire course that God desires worship and prayer to be on earth as it is in heaven.
3. Moses, Sinai, the Principle of Replication
8
"Let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them. 9"According to all
that I am going to show you, as the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furniture,
just so you shall construct it. Exodus 25:8-9 (NASB)
a. The Commandment
It is very clear that the meticulous stipulations of construction that run all the way through
Chapter 32 were based upon the pattern Moses SAW the tabernacle was to be replica of
whatever Moses beheld.
b. Two Important Questions
(1) Where was Moses?

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(2) What did he see?

c. The Critical Relationship
The relationship that this passage leads us to understand is that Gods dwelling among them
(which we will come to understand as the convergence of Heaven and earth) is contingent
upon the replication of the pattern. If Moses did not successfully replicate the heavenly reality
shown to him, then Israel would not have the presence of God in the midst.
E. Conclusion
1. Understanding that heaven is truly to be the ideal after which worship on earth is patterned
shatters the notion that our ideas concerning it can remain vague, generic, and peripheral.
2. In this light we can actually see that it is impossible to spend too much time gaining clarity about
what heaven is and understanding exactly what goes on there.
3. We will devote a great deal of attention to expounding this biblically but without this key concept
the thoroughness of its treatment will not make sense.
IV. VIEWING HEAVEN
A. Identifying the Problem
To say that heaven is the necessary starting point does not mean that it is an easy one at all. We have
many hurdles to overcome in forming an a perspective on heaven accurate enough to shape and inform
our understanding on worship on the earth.
1. Unfamiliarity
a. The first challenge is significant but also the easiest to remedy - it is simply our unfamiliarity
with the passages that speak of heaven or that offer a glimpse into its reality.
b. We must go on the journey of acclimating ourselves to the details of what the Bible offers on
the subject that we could have a working knowledge of the truth.
c. Though this class is very limited in what it can accomplish, it will be a step in this direction
of informing our understanding on a subject that many believers are simply ignorant of.
2. Unperceived
a. The second, and much more systemic, problem is the way we actually view that information
even once we have become familiar with it.
b. All of us, by virtue of the fact that our minds were shaped in the context of Western world in
the modern era, have an interpretive lens that we are not even aware when we read passages
about heaven. Though we are ignorant of its existence, it powerfully affects the way the
witness of Scripture settles in our minds and hearts.
c. This unperceived filter has been many centuries in the making and it is so deeply entrenched
in the Western mind that it is hard to even expose its existence, much less to dethrone its
pervasive influence on the way we understand reality.
d. This engrained perspective that so colors our every thought and idea, which so controls the
way we assimilate information, is what is typically referred to as our worldview.

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B. The Need for Clarity

1. In order to truly understand the foundations of night and day worship and prayer we must be
willing to dispense with our post-modern worldview, saturated as it is with unbiblical
philosophical constructs, and exchange it for a biblical view of heaven.
2. To think that such a switch can be accomplished in a single class would be nave, but to say
something is better to say nothing and leave these lenses unchallenged.
V. THE HISTORICAL SHAPE OF IDEAS
A. Introducing Plato
1. Plato was a philosopher who resided in Greece in the 4th century B.C. Following the death of his
mentor, Socrates, Plato founded the Academy in Athens. It was a center of learning very loosely
comparable to a modern university that attracted students from the surrounding region.
2. It is an unfortunate but very true fact of history that the ideas propagated by this man would be
some of the most influential and formative in Western civilization.
3. Though his philosophies likely would have had a measure of import regardless of what happened
after his lifetime, a series of very specific events occurred that caused the significance of his
constructs to explode exponentially.
B. Dissemination of Platonism
1. From Athens to the Macedonia
a. In 367 B.C. a young man named Aristotle arrived at the Academy in Athens to sit under
Platos tutelage.
b. After Plato died in 347 B.C. Aristotle remained in Athens for a couple of years until he went
into the region of Macedonia to tutor a twelve-year old boy named Alexander.
c. Historians would later name this lad the Great, although it seems in retrospect that only his
iniquity deserves the designation of greatness.
2. From Macedonia to the World
a. Although his tutors views differed in several important ways from Plato, Alexander was
groomed with a very specific, potent way of viewing the world rooted in the foundations of
Platonism.
b. His remarkable military conquests that would follow afforded the opportunity for the
dissemination of Hellenistic ideas in an unparalleled way. The scope of influence, the depth
of its penetration, and the swiftness with which it occurred is simply astonishing
(lamentably).
c. Everywhere he went, Alexander founded cities that acted as bastions for Greek culture and
thought to be established and spread within the region that had been overtaken by his
conquests.
3. At the Mouth of the Nile
a. What became his most famous city was located at the mouth of the Nile in Northern Egypt
the city of Alexandria.

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b. Alexandria had quickly become a thriving center of commerce, learning, and religion and
continued to be so for centuries. From the time of its founding until its eventual demise, the
bedrock of its foundation was Hellenism and as its structures grew and its inhabitants
multiplied the city took every step forward on those tenets.
c. Yet part of its success as a city was its inclusiveness welcoming people of different
backgrounds both culturally and religiously and slowly assimilated them in to their way of
thinking as they marinated in the Hellenistic atmosphere.
d. In the post-exilic period the Jewish people developed quite a presence in Alexandria, boasting
a huge population. It was there that the Septuagint was commissioned and translated, and it
was there that the infamous Philo set out to synthesize Platonic thought with the Jewish faith.
e. The history of syncretism and tolerance continued into the Christian era as well. Followers of
Jesus were so numerous in the city that Alexandria rivaled Antioch and Rome in its
significance in the early period of Church history.
f. And so it was in 185 A.D., nearly five-hundred years after the young Macedonian ruler had
commissioned its founding, Origen was born into this storied city of Alexandria.
g. His birth place was fitting, for he would secure his enormous influence in history precisely
through an intellectually brilliant but theologically disastrous fusing of Hellenistic philosophy
and Christianity.
h. You may have never even heard of Origen of Alexandria but he has dramatically shaped the
way you think about heaven.
VI. DUALISM & ITS LEGACY
A. The Wheat & the Chaff
1. Ideas do not hatch in a vacuum of neutrality. They have sources real beginnings rooted in
history. In recognizing this we are able to separate the wheat from the chaff in our minds, so to
speak, and discern what perspectives are native to scripture and which ones are foreign intruders.
As it pertains to the subject of heaven, we as Western believers have many weeds to pull.
2. Of yet nothing has been said concerning the ideas of Plato or the man largely responsible for
thrusting them into the foundation of Church history. Turning now to do so we should slowly
begin to realize that their words are like a mirror, projecting back to us a dim reflection of our
own mistaken conceptions of heaven.
B. The Cornerstone of Platonism
1. The cornerstone of Platonism4 (as it relates to the present context) is a strong distinction between
two levels of reality.5 Plato termed the world accessible to our senses the perceptual realm and
that which is beyond our observation the intelligible realm.
2. In his program of thought the intelligible realm consisted of idealized forms and ideas. It was,
in other words, a conceptual and ethereal division of existence that was immaterial, incorporeal
and insubstantial.
4
If being precise one would need to differentiate between the writings of Plato himself and Platonism, the latter being a religious and philosophical system spanning
many centuries and therefore containing considerable diversity that was not always reflective of its namesake.
5
David Noel Freedman, The Anchor Bible Dictionary (New York: Doubleday, 1996, c1992), 5:379.

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3. There was nothing concrete about it whatsoever. It was conceived of as a pristine, inert plane of
reality presided over by the Supreme Good who was itself conceived of in the most abstract
terms, often as the sole self-thinker.
4. Such was the quintessential Hellenistic view of divinity and the unseen dimension of existence.
In stark contrast and on the other side of a very wide chasm was the perceptual realm. The latter
was the domain of matter what could be seen, felt, and heard and thus the functional opposite
of the intelligible realm in all essential aspects.6
5. What must be stressed is that the governing feature inherent in this potent, comprehensive world
view divides existence into two very dissonant expressions of reality.7
C. Assimilation & its Significance
1. Introduction
a. If Platonism had just been one of the many products of the vain imagination of men that have
been set forth throughout the ages that vanished with the death of its founder and his
followers it might be of interest to historians but would certainly not have any bearing upon
this course.
b. Yet at a very early point in Church history the perspectives of this Greek philosopher were
thrust into the foundations of Christian thought, creating a deceptive amalgamation of biblical
truth and Hellenistic philosophy.
2. Process
a. One of the men bearing the primary responsibility for this synthesis was the aforementioned
Origen.
b. Origens significance derives not so much from the novelty of his thought but in the way in
which he applied and integrated platonic methods of epistemology (the way we know things)
to spiritual matters and his appropriation of biblical terms to fundamentally Hellenistic
concepts (or the other way around in some cases).
c. For he was not merely someone who claimed to be a Christian but was influenced by his
culture, he was a man who had the express purpose of merging Hellenistic thought with the
revelation of scripture.
d. Origen adhered to a specific brand of philosophical tradition called Middle-Platonism,
believing that it agreed with and provided the framework necessary for interpreting the Bible.
3. Bearing
a. Before citing specific examples of Origens synthesis, it may be helpful to put his
significance in perspective.
b. The venerable Swiss theologian Hans Urs Von Balthasar, a man of towering intellect and rare
breadth of learning, stated there is no thinker in the Church who is so invisibly all-present as
Origen.8
6
This included the strong current within Platonism (and specifically its offspring Gnosticism) that things of matter and substance are inherently corrupt and evil.
Though Origen would distance himself from the major theological heresies of Gnosticism his writings are riddled with this perspective.
7
While the other major characteristics of Platonic philosophy not relevant to the present context are without question influential and systemic, it must be understood
that the singular, governing feature is the cosmological definition of reality. All other elements of Platonism, including the dualism of body and soul (which upon a
cursory glance of scholarship on the subject would seem to take precedent), are really just an outworking of this underlying premise.
8
B. McGinn, FM Vo1 1, p 130

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c. Without knowing anything else about Origen such a dramatic statement should cause you to
quake at the thought that it just might be true. While others in the successive generations
would further the flow of the toxic conceptions of Plato into the streams of Church history,
they were all just natural progeny of the collision Origen wrought.
d. Augustine, for example, is unquestionably among the most formative individuals in the
collective theology of the Church throughout the ages but he was deeply influenced by
Origens writings and was himself profoundlyunder the spell of Platonism,9 as one
author aptly put it.
9

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Session 02: A Revelation of Heaven

I. VIEWING HEAVEN
A. Identifying the Problem
To say that heaven is the necessary starting point does not mean that it is an easy one at all. We have
many hurdles to overcome in forming a perspective on heaven accurate enough to shape and inform our
understanding on worship on the earth.
1. Unfamiliarity
a. The first challenge is significant but also the easiest to remedy - it is simply our unfamiliarity
with the passages that speak of heaven or that offer a glimpse into its reality.
b. We must go on the journey of acclimating ourselves to the details of what the Bible offers on
the subject that we could have a working knowledge of the truth.
c. Though this class is very limited in what it can accomplish, it will be a step in this direction
of informing our understanding on a subject that many believers are simply ignorant of.
2. Unperceived
a. The second, and much more systemic, problem is the way we actually view that information
even once we have become familiar with it.
b. All of us, by virtue of the fact that our minds were shaped in the context of Western world in
the modern era, have an interpretive lens that we are not even aware when we read passages
about heaven. Though we are ignorant of its existence, it powerfully affects the way the
witness of Scripture settles in our minds and hearts.
c. This unperceived filter has been many centuries in the making and it is so deeply entrenched
in the Western mind that it is hard to even expose its existence, much less to dethrone its
pervasive influence on the way we understand reality.
d. This engrained perspective that so colors our every thought and idea, which so controls the
way we assimilate information, is what is typically referred to as our worldview.
B. The Need for Clarity
1. In order to truly understand the foundations of night and day worship and prayer we must be
willing to dispense with our post-modern worldview, saturated as it is with unbiblical
philosophical constructs, and exchange it for a biblical view of heaven.
2. To think that such a switch can be accomplished in a single class would be nave, but to say
something is better to say nothing and leave these lenses unchallenged.
II. THE HISTORICAL SHAPE OF IDEAS
A. Introducing Plato
1. Plato was a philosopher who resided in Greece in the 4th century B.C. Following the death of his
mentor, Socrates, Plato founded the Academy in Athens. It was a center of learning very loosely
comparable to a modern university that attracted students from the surrounding region.

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Session 02: A Revelation of Heaven PAGE 2
2. It is an unfortunate but very true fact of history that the ideas propagated by this man would be
some of the most influential and formative in Western civilization.
3. Though his philosophies likely would have had a measure of import regardless of what happened
after his lifetime, a series of very specific events occurred that caused the significance of his
constructs to explode exponentially.
B. Dissemination of Platonism
1. From Athens to the Macedonia
a. In 367 B.C. a young man named Aristotle arrived at the Academy in Athens to sit under
Platos tutelage.
b. After Plato died in 347 B.C. Aristotle remained in Athens for a couple of years until he went
into the region of Macedonia to tutor a twelve-year old boy named Alexander.
c. Historians would later name this lad the Great, although it seems in retrospect that only his
iniquity deserves the designation of greatness.
2. From Macedonia to the World
a. Although his tutors views differed in several important ways from Plato, Alexander was
groomed with a very specific, potent way of viewing the world rooted in the foundations of
Platonism.
b. His remarkable military conquests that would follow afforded the opportunity for the
dissemination of Hellenistic ideas in an unparalleled way. The scope of influence, the depth
of its penetration, and the swiftness with which it occurred is simply astonishing
(lamentably).
c. Everywhere he went, Alexander founded cities that acted as bastions for Greek culture and
thought to be established and spread within the region that had been overtaken by his
conquests.
3. At the Mouth of the Nile
a. What became his most famous city was located at the mouth of the Nile in Northern Egypt
the city of Alexandria.
b. Alexandria had quickly become a thriving center of commerce, learning, and religion and
continued to be so for centuries. From the time of its founding until its eventual demise, the
bedrock of its foundation was Hellenism and as its structures grew and its inhabitants
multiplied the city took every step forward on those tenets.
c. Yet part of its success as a city was its inclusiveness welcoming people of different
backgrounds both culturally and religiously and slowly assimilated them in to their way of
thinking as they marinated in the Hellenistic atmosphere.
d. In the post-exilic period the Jewish people developed quite a presence in Alexandria, boasting
a huge population. It was there that the Septuagint was commissioned and translated, and it
was there that the infamous Philo set out to synthesize Platonic thought with the Jewish faith.
e. The history of syncretism and tolerance continued into the Christian era as well. Followers of
Jesus were so numerous in the city that Alexandria rivaled Antioch and Rome in its
significance in the early period of Church history.

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f. And so it was in 185 A.D., nearly five-hundred years after the young Macedonian ruler had
commissioned its founding, Origen was born into this storied city of Alexandria.
g. His birth place was fitting, for he would secure his enormous influence in history precisely
through an intellectually brilliant but theologically disastrous fusing of Hellenistic philosophy
and Christianity.
h. You may have never even heard of Origen of Alexandria but he has dramatically shaped the
way you think about heaven.
III. DUALISM & ITS LEGACY
A. The Wheat & the Chaff
1. Ideas do not hatch in a vacuum of neutrality. They have sources real beginnings rooted in
history. In recognizing this we are able to separate the wheat from the chaff in our minds, so to
speak, and discern what perspectives are native to scripture and which ones are foreign intruders.
As it pertains to the subject of heaven, we as Western believers have many weeds to pull.
2. Of yet nothing has been said concerning the ideas of Plato or the man largely responsible for
thrusting them into the foundation of Church history. Turning now to do so we should slowly
begin to realize that their words are like a mirror, projecting back to us a dim reflection of our
own mistaken conceptions of heaven.
B. The Cornerstone of Platonism
1. The cornerstone of Platonism1 (as it relates to the present context) is a strong distinction between
two levels of reality.2 Plato termed the world accessible to our senses the perceptual realm and
that which is beyond our observation the intelligible realm.
2. In his program of thought the intelligible realm consisted of idealized forms and ideas. It was,
in other words, a conceptual and ethereal division of existence that was immaterial, incorporeal
and insubstantial.
3. There was nothing concrete about it whatsoever. It was conceived of as a pristine, inert plane of
reality presided over by the Supreme Good who was itself conceived of in the most abstract
terms, often as the sole self-thinker.
4. Such was the quintessential Hellenistic view of divinity and the unseen dimension of existence.
In stark contrast and on the other side of a very wide chasm was the perceptual realm. The latter
was the domain of matter what could be seen, felt, and heard and thus the functional opposite
of the intelligible realm in all essential aspects.3
5. What must be stressed is that the governing feature inherent in this potent, comprehensive world
view divides existence into two very dissonant expressions of reality.4
1
If being precise one would need to differentiate between the writings of Plato himself and Platonism, the latter being a religious and philosophical system spanning
many centuries and therefore containing considerable diversity that was not always reflective of its namesake.
2
3
This included the strong current within Platonism (and specifically its offspring Gnosticism) that things of matter and substance are inherently corrupt and evil.
Though Origen would distance himself from the major theological heresies of Gnosticism his writings are riddled with this perspective.
4
While the other major characteristics of Platonic philosophy not relevant to the present context are without question influential and systemic, it must be understood
that the singular, governing feature is the cosmological definition of reality. All other elements of Platonism, including the dualism of body and soul (which upon a
cursory glance of scholarship on the subject would seem to take precedent), are really just an outworking of this underlying premise.

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C. Assimilation & its Significance

1. Introduction
a. If Platonism had just been one of the many products of the vain imagination of men that have
been set forth throughout the ages that vanished with the death of its founder and his
followers it might be of interest to historians but would certainly not have any bearing upon
this course.
b. Yet at a very early point in Church history the perspectives of this Greek philosopher were
thrust into the foundations of Christian thought, creating a deceptive amalgamation of biblical
truth and Hellenistic philosophy.
2. Process
a. One of the men bearing the primary responsibility for this synthesis was the aforementioned
Origen.
b. Origens significance derives not so much from the novelty of his thought but in the way in
which he applied and integrated platonic methods of epistemology (the way we know things)
to spiritual matters and his appropriation of biblical terms to fundamentally Hellenistic
concepts (or the other way around in some cases).
c. For he was not merely someone who claimed to be a Christian but was influenced by his
culture, he was a man who had the express purpose of merging Hellenistic thought with the
revelation of scripture.
d. Origen adhered to a specific brand of philosophical tradition called Middle-Platonism,
believing that it agreed with and provided the framework necessary for interpreting the Bible.
3. Bearing
a. Before citing specific examples of Origens synthesis, it may be helpful to put his
significance in perspective.
b. The venerable Swiss theologian Hans Urs Von Balthasar, a man of towering intellect and rare
breadth of learning, stated there is no thinker in the Church who is so invisibly all-present as
Origen.5
c. Without knowing anything else about Origen such a dramatic statement should cause you to
quake at the thought that it just might be true. While others in the successive generations
would further the flow of the toxic conceptions of Plato into the streams of Church history,
they were all just natural progeny of the collision Origen wrought.
d. Augustine, for example, is unquestionably among the most formative individuals in the
collective theology of the Church throughout the ages but he was deeply influenced by
Origens writings and was himself profoundlyunder the spell of Platonism,6 as one
author aptly put it.
5
B. McGinn, FM Vo1 1, p 130
6

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D. The Redefinition
1. The Future of Souls
The first example from Origens many works is within a portion addressing the fate awaiting the
saints following physical death. After describing how believers who die will remain in a school
for souls on the earth until they are enlightened enough to pass into the heavens, Origen says:
If any one indeed be pure in heart, and holy in mind, and more practised in perception, he will, by making
more rapid progress, quickly ascend to a place in the air, and reach the kingdom of heaven, through those
mansions, so to speak, in the various places which the Greeks have termed spheres, i.e., globes, but which
holy Scripture has called heavens; in each of which he will first see clearly what is done there, and in the
second place, will discover the reason why things are so done: and thus he will in order pass through all
gradations, following Him who hath passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, who said, I will that
where I am, these may be also. And of this diversity of places He speaks, when He says, In My Fathers
house are many mansions. He Himself is everywhere, and passes swiftly through all things; nor are we
any longer to understand Him as existing in those narrow Limits in which He was once confined for our
sakes, i.e., not in that circumscribed body which He occupied on earth, when dwelling among men,
7
according to which He might be considered as enclosed in some one place.
a. This excerpt is striking in that it equates the Greek conception of spheres/globes with the
scriptural use of the word heaven, making them interchangeable.
b. That he views such in an ethereal manner, lacking all substance and akin to the intelligible
realm, becomes plain through his overt endorsement of the heretical view that Jesus
dispensed with His human body at His ascension.
c. Thus in Origens schema, just as Christ shed His body and its limitations to pass into the
heavens so we, too, will follow suit once our intellects have been sufficiently enlightened.
2. The Culmination of All Things
The next quote comes from a different section of Origens writings but has thematic similarity.
As he expounds upon the promise of the future culmination of all things what was implicit in the
previous text emerges as explicit:
For it has been said that we must suppose either that an incorporeal existence is possible, after all things
have become subject to Christ, and through Christ to God the Father, when God, will be all and in all; or
that when, notwithstanding all things have been made subject to Christ, and through Christ to Godthen
the bodily substance itself also being united to most pure and excellent spirits, and being changed into an
ethereal condition in proportion to the quality or merits of those who assume it (according to the apostles
words, We also shall be changed), will shine forth in splendour; or at least that when the fashion of
those things which are seen passes away, and all corruption has been shaken off and cleansed away, and
when the whole of the space occupied by this world, in which the spheres of the planets are said to be, has
been left behind and beneath, then is reached the fixed abode of the pious and the good situated above that
sphere, which is called non-wandering, as in a good land, in a land of the living, which will be inherited by
the meek and gentle; to which land belongs that heaven (which, with its more magnificent extent, surrounds
and contains that land itself) which is called truly and chiefly heaven, in which heaven and earth, the end
8
and perfection of all things, may be safely and most confidently placed
7
Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson and A. Clevel and Coxe, The Ante-Nicene Fathers Vol. IV : Translations of the Writings of the Fathers Down to A.D. 325,
Fathers of the Third Century: Tertullian, Part Fourth; Minucius Felix; Commodian; Origen, Parts First and Second. (Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, 1997), 299.
8
Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson and A. Cleveland Coxe, The Ante-Nicene Fathers Vol. IV : Translations of the Writings of the Fathers Down to A.D. 325,

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a. Therefore, Origen safely and most confidently identifies heaven as it is referred to in

scripture as the realm above the non-wandering sphere,9 and proposes that in order for the
pious and good to abide there either an incorporeal existence must be possible or the
substance of our existence must be united to pure spirit, changing us into an ethereal
condition.10
b. The way in which Origen so swiftly redefines biblical terminology with Platonic concepts
without any evidence of reticence is simply astonishing. That such a redefinition became
normative in Christian thought through Orgiens great influence is appalling.
3. Visions & Experiences
One final segment of the Alexandrians writing serves as a remarkable example of Hellenistic
philosophy incorporated into biblical understanding. In some senses it is the most troubling but
also the most illustrative, for it clearly demonstrates how ones preconceptions about heaven
effect the interpretation of scriptural accounts of it. While discussing the opening of the heavens
in the account of the baptism of Jesus, Origen goes on to say:
in a dream impressions have been brought before the minds of many, some relating to divine things, and
others to future events of this life, and this either with clearness or in an enigmatic manner,a fact which
is manifest to all who accept the doctrine of providence; so how is it absurd to say that the mind which
could receive impressions in a dream should be impressed also in a waking vision, for the benefit either of
him on whom the impressions are made, or of those who are to hear the account of them from him? And as
in a dream we fancy that we hear, and that the organs of hearing are actually impressed, and that we see
with our eyesalthough neither the bodily organs of sight nor hearing are affected, but it is the mind alone
which has these sensationsso there is no absurdity in believing that similar things occurred to the
prophets, when it is recorded that they witnessed occurrences of a rather wonderful kind, as when they
either heard the words of the Lord or beheld the heavens opened. For I do not suppose that the visible
heaven was actually opened, and its physical structure divided, in order that Ezekiel might be able to
record such an occurrence. Should not, therefore, the same be believed of the Saviour by every intelligent
hearer of the Gospels?although such an occurrence may be a stumbling-block to the simple, who in their
simplicity would set the whole world in movement, and split in sunder the compact and mighty body of the
whole heavens. But he who examines such matters more profoundly will say, that there being, as the
Scripture calls it, a kind of general divine perception which the blessed man alone knows how to
11
discover
a. Although there is absolutely no justification for it exegetically, Origen arrives at the

conclusion that both the prophets of old and Jesus Himself were not actually encountering
anything real in their experiences of heavenly things.
b. Instead, through the faculty of enlightened knowledge (divine perception), they merely
received communication similar to a waking dream for their benefit and those who would
hear them.
c. While this should be profoundly disconcerting in the gravity of its error, at this point it should
not come as surprising. Origens views of heaven, formed and governed by Platonism,
necessitate these conclusions. In other words, his worldview enslaved his exposition of
scripture.
9
On a different occasion Origen asserts that Moses was perhaps obscurely referring to the spheres as envisioned by Plato when he wrote of Jacobs experience in Bethel
described in Genesis 28 (See Origen Against Celsius, Book VI, Chapter 21)
10
Prior to this excerpt Origen distances himself from a pure Platonic view of a world of only ideas and forms but still clearly evidences that he is working from a
substructure of Platonism with the quoted words and arrives at conclusions saturated with those philosophical premises.
11
Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson and A. Cleveland Coxe, The Ante-Nicene Fathers Vol. IV : Translations of the Writings of the Fathers Down to A.D. 325,

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E. Modern Legacy
1. Contemporary Pervasiveness
a. At first it may understandably appear overblown to claim that the ideas of these two
individuals now briefly surveyed hold such a dominant, pervasive place in the way in which
we, even as Christians, think about reality.
b. Yet this is only because, like the air we breathe, the foundations of the worldview they
propagated are so ubiquitous in the West that they are taken for granted.
c. The worldview that saturates all contemporary culture and society as we know it is built
entirely upon the movements beginning in the 15th century in Europe called the Renaissance
and the Enlightenment.
2. Influences
a. Of this heritage it has been observed, The safest general characterization of the European
philosophical tradition is that it consists of a series of footnotes to Plato.12 Specifically
related to Christian thought we find the following summary, characteristic of many others
like it:
All Christian theology is dependent, to an extent at least, on contemporary Greek philosophy,
primarily Platonism, but some Christian thinkers fall particularly strongly under Platonic
influence, and properly merit the title of Christian Platonists.13
b. And finally, to return to Origen: NeverthelessOrigens influence was immensethrough
them and others [various church fathers] Origen became the father of scriptural study and
systematic theology in the Christian tradition.14
3. Impact & Neglect
a. Quotes such as these from the learned could be marshaled for pages in support of the potency
of Platonism within Western culture and Western Christianity. Yet ultimately the real issue is
not the proving of an argument but rather evoking the awareness that we have deep-seated
assumptions about heaven that did not come from the Bible.
b. The fact that when reading Christian summaries of Platos life and philosophy his great
influence is so commonly recognized but not immediately objected to is reflective of the
systemic inculcation of modern Christian thought in his philosophical paradigm.
c. The force with which Platonism affects the way the Church understands the Bible and views
the world around them is largely responsible the most important place in all of creation
becoming marginalized and irrelevant in the body of Christ.
12
Alfred North Whitehead, Process and Reality: An Essay in Cosmology (1929); corrected edition, ed. David R. Griffin and Donald W. Sherburne (Free Press, 1979).
need to verify this is Turabian
13
14

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IV. THE CONSEQUENCES

A. The Great Switch
1. Transition of Leadership
a. Increasingly over time the center of gravity in the early church shifted from authoritative
Jewish leadership to being heavily slanted in the direction of the Gentiles. As the second
century turned into the third century there were very few Jewish leaders and the chief
proponents of the faith were entirely Greek in their background and worldview.
b. Thus, there was enough distance between the advent of Christ and the inception of the
Alexandrian school led by Origen (and his predecessor Clement) that when the trends of
Hellenization were being advanced there was not sufficient resistance.
2. Result
a. Too few arose in protest and objected that the patriarchs, the prophets, and the apostles of old
werent from Athens and when they spoke of heaven under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit
it meant something entirely different than Plato.
b. And thus the glorious heaven of the Bible, the true abode of the living God, was exchanged in
Christian tradition for a modified version of the intelligible realm of Platonic philosophy.
3. Passing Centuries
a. Tragically this switch went off largely unnoticed by the Church in later generations, mainly
because they could not imagine that heaven could mean anything else.
b. Still today, many centuries later, we unwittingly subsist in the wake of the way Origen
incorporated biblical truths into a Hellenistic worldview, unable to dream of heaven being the
dynamic, preeminently real place that it truly is.
c. The assumed and unquestioned meaning of heaven in modern Christianity vaguely resembles
the intelligible realm sketched by Plato and almost exactly parallels the portrait of heaven
painted by Origen (only without some of the philosophical language).
d. We have still not recovered from the sweeping distortion that occurred so long ago. The
implications of this, even as it relates to the conception of heaven, are numerous and far
reaching.
B. Remote
The first characteristic that dominates the contemporary view of heaven both in biblical scholarship and
across the wider landscape of Christianity is the misconception that it is exceedingly remote.
1. Heaven is perceived as a vague realm that is distant spatially and uninvolved relationally with
our world. Though doctrinally we maintain the existence of God and of heaven, practically we are
one step away from the naturalistic atheism that pervades modern society.
2. This philosophical naturalism that dominates and dictates the secular tone of Western culture and
subtly invades the Church is just an extension of the Platonism it is founded upon.
3. Once the ideological knife was wielded, dividing the seen and unseen into completely different
realities, heaven was free to drift further and further from the concern of men until it was denied
entirely and what is perceptible to human senses became absolute and authoritative.

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4. Thus, we give intellectual assent to the idea that God and His angels are somewhere else doing
something but view it as entirely separate in an ontological sense from life here under the sun.
5. Heaven, its inhabitants, and their activity are seen as fundamentally disconnected and removed
from the contours of reality as we know it. The frequent use of the word realm to speak of
heaven betrays this underlying distinction present in peoples thoughts of heaven.
C. Ethereal
The second common, but mistaken, characteristic ascribed to heaven is that it is ethereal.
1. Interpreting Scripture
a. Despite the fact that scripture almost categorically presents heavenly things in the most
tangible, vivid terms it remains in the minds of many believers abstract and insubstantial.
b. The reason that the latter impression persists unmoved is not because that is what the Bible
reveals but rather because the revelation found therein is filtered through a worldview that
eliminates the possibility of something that we cannot see being palpable. In the Bible,
invisible does not mean immaterial.
c. And similar to the characteristic of remoteness, this false conception corresponds almost
identically to the intelligible realm of Platonism where all things were envisioned as
incorporeal and immaterial.
2. Understanding what is Spiritual
a. In general a great error occurs when recognizing that we do not have complete revelation of
heaven, or that such an epiphany transcends the ability to describe, we go on to conclude that
we do not have a concrete revelation of heaven.
b. We certainly do not know everything, but what we do know is clear. Heaven is filled with
real sights, real sounds, real creatures, and real objects. Although we are not able to see them
right now, they are all very much able to be seen because they have a distinct form and
substance that doesnt not change from one moment to the next as though they were some
sort of heavenly hologram.
c. Angels say things, hold objects in their hands, interact with people, fly from place to place,
and reside in a place with real dimensions. In the practical sense we would say that heaven
possesses physicality, the furthest thing from ethereality.
d. Physicality is often set as an opposite against spirituality, yet this is philosophical
juxtaposition rather than a biblical one.15 Spiritual, in the biblical sense, simply refers to
something that is divinely authored or that is invisible (which means not able to be seen by
us, not that it cannot be seen at all).
e. Spiritual wisdom is that which is given by God, not wisdom that is ethereal or intangible.16
The spiritual body we will inherit in the resurrection refers to the physical form that
originates directly from God rather than that which was given us through human procreation.
15
The NKJV renders the original text as physical only three times in the entire Bible. The ESV just twice, both occurring in Romans 2:27-28 where the term is
descriptive and has no theological connotations whatsoever.
16
In context the contrast is not between spiritual wisdom and physical wisdom, but spiritual wisdom and carnal wisdom. The latter clearly does not simply refer to the
body, but has sinful connotations.

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f. Thus, it is accurate to say that heaven is thoroughly spiritual, but that does not in any way
exclude the assertion that it is tangible and substantial. Unfortunately the term spiritual also
suffered the fate of heaven in the Platonic exchange brought about by Origen and his
counterparts and came to mean something the authors of scripture never intended.
It is high time that this perfectly good term should be rescued from the abuse it has suffered
at the hands of theologians who, either consciously or otherwise, have been under the spell of
Platonic philosophy.17
D. Irrelevance
The final characteristic, irrelevance, is in some ways the application of the previous two. When viewed
as remote and ethereal, heaven in turn becomes extraneous to the theology and the life of the Church.
1. The Irony of the Marginalization of Heaven
a. Although in truth it is heaven that is ultimately meaningful and supremely real, and we on
earth who are peripheral, the exact opposite is the case functionally. Instead of weighing
heavily upon our hearts and minds, the dwelling place of God scarcely receives prolonged
attention.
b. Rather than pondering with great reverence and awe what transpires in the cosmic throne-
room, realizing that it is the source of all life and power and order, our neglect and
thoughtlessness reveals just how inconsequential we view that place to be.
c. Thus, the question of how those who dwell in heaven worship the LORD and what that
reflects concerning His desire doesnt bear down upon us with the gravity it ought, if at all.
What really presses upon much of the Church instead is what kind of music will get people in
the door so the offering will be enough to keep the whole system going.
2. Application to Prayer & Worship
a. The systemic unbelief and corresponding prayerlessness is but a facet of this crisis of
irrelevance. Confidence and perseverance to contend in intercession for power from on high
comes from the revelation that by coming to God in Christ through prayer one can actually
engage in the government of heaven.
b. Yet from the common vantage point, entrenched in so many false conceptions of heaven, how
could a soul dare stir itself to believe for an angel to come and set someone free from prison
when in their hearts angels might as well be on quasar somewhere?
c. How can we come boldly to the throne of grace in our time of need if deep within we believe
that throne to be an ethereal projection given for Johns edification that exists in a remote,
abstract realm we know nothing about?
d. And finally, what inspiration will we find to emulate the unending songs of praise found in
those heavenly courts when it is scarcely more than a vague, fleeting dream in our hearts?
When we stand before the judgment seat, terrible in its glory, what reason will we muster to
explain why the preoccupation of the four living creatures was not ours?
17
Alva McLain, the Greatness of the Kingdom (Winona Lakes, IN, BMH Books: 1959), p 66

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Session 03: Understanding Heaven

I. THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE ANCIENT REDEFINITION OF HEAVEN
A. The Great Switch
1. Transition of Leadership
a. Increasingly over time the center of gravity in the early church shifted from authoritative
Jewish leadership to being heavily slanted in the direction of the Gentiles. As the second
century turned into the third century there were very few Jewish leaders and the chief
proponents of the faith were entirely Greek in their background and worldview.
b. Thus, there was enough distance between the advent of Christ and the inception of the
Alexandrian school led by Origen (and his predecessor Clement) that when the trends of
Hellenization were being advanced there was not sufficient resistance.
2. Result
a. Too few arose in protest and objected that the patriarchs, the prophets, and the apostles of old
werent from Athens and when they spoke of heaven under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit
it meant something entirely different than Plato.
b. And thus the glorious heaven of the Bible, the true abode of the living God, was exchanged in
Christian tradition for a modified version of the intelligible realm of Platonic philosophy.
3. Passing Centuries
a. Tragically this switch went off largely unnoticed by the Church in later generations, mainly
because they could not imagine that heaven could mean anything else.
b. Still today, many centuries later, we unwittingly subsist in the wake of the way Origen
incorporated biblical truths into a Hellenistic worldview, unable to dream of heaven being the
dynamic, preeminently real place that it truly is.
c. The assumed and unquestioned meaning of heaven in modern Christianity vaguely resembles
the intelligible realm sketched by Plato and almost exactly parallels the portrait of heaven
painted by Origen (only without some of the philosophical language).
d. We have still not recovered from the sweeping distortion that occurred so long ago. The
implications of this, even as it relates to the conception of heaven, are numerous and far
reaching.
B. Remote
The first characteristic that dominates the contemporary view of heaven both in biblical scholarship and
across the wider landscape of Christianity is the misconception that it is exceedingly remote.
1. Heaven is perceived as a vague realm that is distant spatially and uninvolved relationally with
our world. Though doctrinally we maintain the existence of God and of heaven, practically we are
one step away from the naturalistic atheism that pervades modern society.
2. This philosophical naturalism that dominates and dictates the secular tone of Western culture and
subtly invades the Church is just an extension of the Platonism it is founded upon.

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Session 03: Understanding Heaven PAGE 2
3. Once the ideological knife was wielded, dividing the seen and unseen into completely different
realities, heaven was free to drift further and further from the concern of men until it was denied
entirely and what is perceptible to human senses became absolute and authoritative.
4. Thus, we give intellectual assent to the idea that God and His angels are somewhere else doing
something but view it as entirely separate in an ontological sense from life here under the sun.
5. Heaven, its inhabitants, and their activity are seen as fundamentally disconnected and removed
from the contours of reality as we know it. The frequent use of the word realm to speak of
heaven betrays this underlying distinction present in peoples thoughts of heaven.
C. Ethereal
The second common, but mistaken, characteristic ascribed to heaven is that it is ethereal.
1. Interpreting Scripture
a. Despite the fact that scripture almost categorically presents heavenly things in the most
tangible, vivid terms it remains in the minds of many believers abstract and insubstantial.
b. The reason that the latter impression persists unmoved is not because that is what the Bible
reveals but rather because the revelation found therein is filtered through a worldview that
eliminates the possibility of something that we cannot see being palpable. In the Bible,
invisible does not mean immaterial.
c. And similar to the characteristic of remoteness, this false conception corresponds almost
identically to the intelligible realm of Platonism where all things were envisioned as
incorporeal and immaterial.
2. Understanding what is Spiritual
a. In general a great error occurs when recognizing that we do not have complete revelation of
heaven, or that such an epiphany transcends the ability to describe, we go on to conclude that
we do not have a concrete revelation of heaven.
b. We certainly do not know everything, but what we do know is clear. Heaven is filled with
real sights, real sounds, real creatures, and real objects. Although we are not able to see them
right now, they are all very much able to be seen because they have a distinct form and
substance that doesnt not change from one moment to the next as though they were some
sort of heavenly hologram.
c. Angels say things, hold objects in their hands, interact with people, fly from place to place,
and reside in a place with real dimensions. In the practical sense we would say that heaven
possesses physicality, the furthest thing from ethereality.
d. Physicality is often set as an opposite against spirituality, yet this is philosophical
juxtaposition rather than a biblical one.1 Spiritual, in the biblical sense, simply refers to
something that is divinely authored or that is invisible (which means not able to be seen by
us, not that it cannot be seen at all).
1
The NKJV renders the original text as physical only three times in the entire Bible. The ESV just twice, both occurring in Romans 2:27-28 where the term is
descriptive and has no theological connotations whatsoever.

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e. Spiritual wisdom is that which is given by God, not wisdom that is ethereal or intangible.2
The spiritual body we will inherit in the resurrection refers to the physical form that
originates directly from God rather than that which was given us through human procreation.
f. Thus, it is accurate to say that heaven is thoroughly spiritual, but that does not in any way
exclude the assertion that it is tangible and substantial. Unfortunately the term spiritual also
suffered the fate of heaven in the Platonic exchange brought about by Origen and his
counterparts and came to mean something the authors of scripture never intended.
It is high time that this perfectly good term should be rescued from the abuse it has suffered
at the hands of theologians who, either consciously or otherwise, have been under the spell of
Platonic philosophy.3
D. Irrelevance
The final characteristic, irrelevance, is in some ways the application of the previous two. When viewed
as remote and ethereal, heaven in turn becomes extraneous to the theology and the life of the Church.
1. The Irony of the Marginalization of Heaven
a. Although in truth it is heaven that is ultimately meaningful and supremely real, and we on
earth who are peripheral, the exact opposite is the case functionally. Instead of weighing
heavily upon our hearts and minds, the dwelling place of God scarcely receives prolonged
attention.
b. Rather than pondering with great reverence and awe what transpires in the cosmic throne-
room, realizing that it is the source of all life and power and order, our neglect and
thoughtlessness reveals just how inconsequential we view that place to be.
c. Thus, the question of how those who dwell in heaven worship the LORD and what that
reflects concerning His desire doesnt bear down upon us with the gravity it ought, if at all.
What really presses upon much of the Church instead is what kind of music will get people in
the door so the offering will be enough to keep the whole system going.
2. Application to Prayer & Worship
a. The systemic unbelief and corresponding prayerlessness is but a facet of this crisis of
irrelevance. Confidence and perseverance to contend in intercession for power from on high
comes from the revelation that by coming to God in Christ through prayer one can actually
engage in the government of heaven.
b. Yet from the common vantage point, entrenched in so many false conceptions of heaven, how
could a soul dare stir itself to believe for an angel to come and set someone free from prison
when in their hearts angels might as well be on quasar somewhere?
c. How can we come boldly to the throne of grace in our time of need if deep within we believe
that throne to be an ethereal projection given for Johns edification that exists in a remote,
abstract realm we know nothing about?
2
In context the contrast is not between spiritual wisdom and physical wisdom, but spiritual wisdom and carnal wisdom. The latter clearly does not simply refer to the
body, but has sinful connotations.
3
Alva McLain, the Greatness of the Kingdom (Winona Lakes, IN, BMH Books: 1959), p 66

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d. And finally, what inspiration will we find to emulate the unending songs of praise found in
those heavenly courts when it is scarcely more than a vague, fleeting dream in our hearts?
When we stand before the judgment seat, terrible in its glory, what reason will we muster to
explain why the preoccupation of the four living creatures was not ours?
II. APPROACHING THE STUDY OF THE HEAVENS
A. Gods Creation
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth Genesis 1:1
1. Created Reality
a. It is important to emphasize that both the mid-heavens and the third heavens were created in
the beginning, just as the opening verse of the creation narrative indicates.
b. Everything from the skies to the throne of God itself was made and did not exist eternally.
The passage just referenced, Colossians 1:16, makes this explicit. Extolling the glory of
Christ, Paul says:
For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and
invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created
through Him and for Him. Colossians 1:16
c. As obvious as this is in some ways, at times those aspects of heaven unseen by us can
inadvertently be imagined as existing eternally and thus thought of as devoid of time. To the
contrary, all of the heavens had a real beginning point just like the earth and exist within real
succession.
d. In the heavens there are real events things that happened in the past, things occurring this
very moment, and things still yet to come. In the book of Revelation John describes how
there was silence in heaven for about a half an hour.4
e. This is not to say that those in heaven experience time in the same manner as we do on earth,5
but simply to underscore the fact that the heavens and the earth are part of one unified
creation that subsists together in Him and thus shares the sequential nature that all of Gods
creation is bound within.
2. Coming to Clarity
a. The opening words of the Bible hold within them much instruction if observed carefully.
From the beginning there was one unified, integrated creation of God with two primary
expressions the earth and the heavens.6
b. Earth is a familiar place, the heavens not so. Having focused on what the heavens are not, we
are prepared now to embark on the journey of discovering the truth of what they are.
c. For reasons already established, many have the impression that scripture does not speak much
on the subject of heaven, and thus there isnt much that can be said with any confidence
4
Revelation 8:1
5
Even children and adults experience time quite differently, thus it should not be difficult to accept that cherubim, for example, can exist within time but experience in
very different respects than we do.
6
Although less emphasized, it could also be argued that under the earth would represent a third category.

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d. As those unacquainted with themes that were very important to biblical authors we are often
guilty of overlooking the care and precision with which they speak of heavenly matters,
instead lumping terms and descriptions into one generic category. This proves to be an
awkward semblance at best. Particularly as it relates to the subject of unceasing worship and
prayer, the power is in the details.
B. Perspective & Faith
So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk,
in the futility of their mind, 18 being darkened in their understanding Eph 4:18
1. Our Condition
a. Apart from the real, active work of the Holy Spirit through the witness of Scripture, our
minds are futile and our understanding is darkened. Without illumination our state is one of
total illusion and deception, and we will come to wrong conclusions about everything.7
b. We readily accept our need for the Holy Spirit to lead us into the truth about God and the
truth about His saving work. Yet we are equally dependent upon the Holy Spirit to give us
understanding of the world that He created. In other words, our minds are just as inept at
discerning the truth about cosmology as with theology and soteriology.
c. The Bible simply does not give us the option of recognizing that Jesus is our source of truth
about spiritual matters but the intelligence of humanity (i.e. science) is our light for coming
to clarity on everything else. This is a dichotomy impossible to maintain if Scripture is
actually our authority.
d. The way in which God both created and structured the universe is part of the teaching of the
Bible. Our choice is either faith or unbelief. Currents of rationalism run very swiftly in our
culture and if we do not humble ourselves and stand under the word of God we are at risk of
being swept along with them.8
C. A Case Study of Rationalism: the Location of the Heavens
1. The Biblical Perspective
a. Biblical cosmology9 is based on the idea of height, with the earth being the reference point in
the middle. Everything over or above the earth was thought to be part of the !"mayim, or
heavens in Hebrew, including both what is visible to us and what is beyond our sight.
b. Beginning with what was observable, the heavens are presented as continuing upward in
ascending gradations. In Jewish tradition from Second Temple period the heavens were often
thought to be seven in number.10
7
Epistemologically we can maintain that man has a certain capacity, by virtue of being made in the image of God, to observe that which is around him and come to
definitive conclusions about its properties. God has created a beautifully ordered world that is knowable. This means that unregenerate men can come to authentic
conclusions in various disciplines of knowledge. Yet it would seem there is a clear threshold of limitation when considering transcendent matters that are either too vast
for observation or not able to be observed. The analogy of a fish in a fishbowl is a helpful one in this case. Supposing a fish possessed intelligence, it may be able to
come to an accurate knowledge of other fish, of the fake seaweed in its bowl, and the water around it because they are all quite accessible in its experience. However,
the perspective of the fish severely limits its ability to make real conclusions about the room where the bowl sits, or its owner, or the house that the room is in, or the
neighborhood where the house sits.
8
Rationalism generally refers to any system of epistemology with its foundation in human reason. Its older meaning as an approach to philosophy in contrast to
empiricism is not intended.
9
The manner in which the universe was understood based on divine revelation.
10
The Second Temple period refers to the years that correspond to the existence of the post-exilic temple built under the leadership of Zerubbabel and Joshua the high
priest and continuing until its destruction in 70 A.D. by the legions of Rome. See 2 Enoch , the Ascension and Martyrdom of Isaiah, and the Testament of Levi for
examples of the way in which the seven-tiered heavens became standardized in Jewish tradition.

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c. Yet the only figure that is validated biblically is three, allowing for the heavens to be divided
conceptually into the first heavens, the mid-heavens, and the third-heavens.11
2. Our Challenge
a. Are we really to conceive of the mid-heavens and the third heaven as above us, just as we
think of the skies, the clouds, and the stars?
b. Though there is no need to flatly deny or ignore the images of the world around us that have
come about through the technological age, one should be very wary of simply dismissing the
views of the ancients as primitive and nave.
c. The conviction that the Bible is the inspired, infallible word of God means that it is far too
simplistic to chalk up the cosmology of scripture as merely reflective of more general ancient
near-eastern religious beliefs, discounting its relevance in the process.12
d. Certainly the authors of scripture were real men in a real historical context and the orthodox
view of scripture does not view the channels through whom God inspired His word to be
obliterated in the process.
e. Yet there was a reason that those very authentic personalities in antiquity thought the way
they did about the world and it wasnt because they possessed crude mental capacities. It was
the LORD Himself who gave them that impression through His revelation and by continually
coming down from the sky and going back up in Old Testament theophanies.
3. The Witness of Jesus
a. This continues in the New Testament, including the ascension of Christ when He was taken
up into the clouds and at His glorious return when He will split the sky and come down.
Consider for a moment the following statements of Jesus as recorded in the Gospel of John:
For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the worldFor
I have come down from heaven, not to do my will, but the will of Him who sent MeI am
the living bread which came down from heavenDoes this offend you? What then if you
should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before?...Even if I bear witness of Myself,
My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am goingYou are from
beneath; I am from above.13
b. In our intellectual arrogance are we truly prepared to supersede the wisdom of the One who
formed the human brain and then took on flesh for our sake? Jesus view of the world was
not a product of His socio-historical context.
11
See Pauls statement in I Corinthians 12:2
12
Belief in a literal, inspired cosmology in Scripture still allows for poetic or figurative descriptions of observable realities, just as we still make use of today in our
culture: The heavens are frequently described in figurative language as having windows (Gen 7:11; II Kgs 7:2; Mal 3:10, though the word here is more likely sluice-
gates such as are used in irrigation, see #$rbb), gates (Gen 28:7), doors (Ps 78:23), pillars (Job 26:11), and foundations (II Sam 22:8). They are stretched out and spread
out like a tent or a curtain (Isa 40:22).The use of such figurative language no more necessitates the adoption of a pagan cosmology than does the modern use of the term
sunrise imply astronomical ignorance. The imagery is often phenomenological, and is both convenient and vividly forceful. Thus a disobedient Israel would find the
heavens to be like iron (Lev 26:19) or like bronze (Deut 28:23), not yielding the much-needed rain. Note that if the heavens were conceived of as a metallic vault, as is
commonly suggested from Gen 1:8, 14 etc., the above passages would be meaningless, since the skies would already be metal. The word r"q%a& (q,v.) comes from the
verb meaning to hammer out and stretch (a piece of metal) out as an overlay, It is the idea of spreading out that carries over to the noun, not the idea of a metallic
substance." Hermann J. Austel, writing in R. Laird Harris, Robert Laird Harris, Gleason Leonard Archer and Bruce K. Waltke, Theological Wordbook of the Old
Testament, electronic ed. (Chicago: Moody Press, 1999, c1980), 935.
13
John 6:33, 38, 51, 61b-62; John 8:14, 23

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c. By Him and through Him all things were made, in Him all things consist, and by His word
He upholds all things.14 As Jesus walked the earth He knew all things, as the fourth gospel
repeatedly states, and He knew where He came from and He said it was up.
d. When we stand face to face with the Creator of all things, what excuse will we give for
denying His word in favor of believing the opinions of flesh that is like the grass that is
blown away in a moment?
Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you thinks that he is wise in this age, he
must become foolish, so that he may become wise.19 For the wisdom of this world is
foolishness before God. For it is written, He is THE ONE WHO CATCHES THE WISE IN THEIR
20
CRAFTINESS; and again, THE LORD KNOWS THE REASONINGS of the wise, THAT THEY
ARE USELESS. I Corinthians 3:18-20
III. BRINGING DEFINITION TO THE TRUTH OF HEAVEN

A. The Cosmological Framework of Scripture & the First Heavens
1. Clarifying the Purpose of this Study
a. As we develop a revelation of heaven, our focus will increasingly narrow until we are
beholding an extremely specific facet of the heavens which serves as the site of its worship.
b. The specificity, however, cannot be accurately perceived apart from a clear apprehension of
what the Bible reveals more generally about the heavens.
c. A cardiologist cannot rightly study or understand the heart without knowing what the human
body is and how the heart functions within it. Similarly, we simply cannot appreciate the
worship that goes on around Gods throne without seeing the larger anatomy of heaven.
2. Basic Description of First Heavens
Biblically the first heavens are what we would understand to be the sky and the atmosphere that
which is visible to our eyes.
a. Abode of Birds (cf. Gen. 1:20; 2:19; Dan. 2:38; etc.)
b. Abode of Rain, Snow, Thunder, etc. (cf. Gen. 8:2; Job 38:29; Is. 55:10; etc.)
c. Abode of Sun, Moon and Stars (cf. cf. Gen. 1:14ff; Deut. 4:19; Ps. 8:3; etc.)
3. Continuity
a. Though the first heavens only refers to what is visible to us, in biblical cosmology there was a
profound continuity between that which was observable and that which lies beyond our sight.
b. This is seen (among other ways) through the fact that although it is not reflected in English
translations, on all but four occasions in the entire Old Testament the plural form of heavens
occurs.15
14
John 1:1-4, Colossians 1:16, Hebrews 1:3, 10
15
The significance of these four instances will be discussed in future sessions. In the New Testament the Greek word for heaven/heavens is split between plural and
singular. While there is some overlap in meaning depending on context and authorial distinctive, in general the singular is used to refer to the third heavens (the
dwelling place of God).

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c. Thus, the birds and God both have their abode in the heavens. As we proceed we will see
that it is very legitimate to draw distinctions between various facets of the heavens, but this
linguistic observation demonstrates how seamlessly the Bible presents the unity between
them all.
d. This deeply challenges our presuppositions concerning heaven because we are prone to thrust
a sharp wedge in between the sun, moon, and stars on the one hand and the seraphim,
cherubim, and elders on the other. To do so, however, is to depart from Scripture and chart
our own course.
4. Arrangement
There are four basic concepts that allow one to have a working understanding of the way creation
is ordered according to Scripture. A careful study of all the relevant texts would yield many more
details, but if one can have clarity on these four points it provides the correct framework for
moving toward more specific understanding.
a. In the beginning God created the waters (Gen 1:1-8, II Pet 3), and then divided them in a vast
circular or spherical shape.
For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens
existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, 6 through which the
world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water. II Peter 3:5-6
The LORD possessed me (Wisdom) at the beginning of His way, before His works of old. 23
From everlasting I was established, from the beginning, from the earliest times of the
earth 26 While He had not yet made the earth and the fields, nor the first dust of the
world. 27 When He established the heavens (amidst the waters), I was there, when He
inscribed a circle on the face of the deep, 28 when He made firm the skies above 30 then
I was beside Him, as a master workman. Proverbs 8:22-30
He stretches out the north over the void and hangs the earth on nothing 9 He covers the
face of the full moon and spreads over it his cloud. 10 He has inscribed a circle on the face
of the waters at the boundary between light and darkness. 11 The pillars of heaven tremble
and are astounded at his rebuke. Job 26:7-11 ESV
b. At the boundary of light and dark there is a solid firmament that holds back the waters. The
heavens are to be understood as this expanse that divides the waters that lie outside of His
ordered creation (Genesis 1:1-8).16
Praise Him, highest heavens, and the waters that are above the heavens! Psalm 148:4 17
c. The LORD Dwells within that solid firmament not outside of His creation (Isaiah 40:22,
Psalm 104:1-4).18
16
If these biblical statements are given any credence (which they usually arent even by conservatives), the biggest mistake in understanding is believing that the waters
are somehow within the visible heavens rather than completely beyond it. Up until the Renaissance it was considered a matter of orthodoxy to believe that there were
literal waters outside a solid firmament: The answer is that water above the firmament was conceived in the Ancient Near East not as terrestrial clouds, nor vapor,
but as a sea of water above a dam-like firmament which serves a ceiling to the universe with the sun, moon, and starts beneath it. This historical definition of the water
above the firmament as an ocean above a solid sky (under which are the sun, moon, and stars) is also the historic doctrine of the Jews and the Christian churchIndeed
it was thought to be a necessary part of the Christian faith to believe in accordance with Genesis 1 that there was a real body of water above the solid skyTo define
the water above the firmament as being located in any other place than literally above the solid firmament is to hold the biblical context in contempt; and no one did
this until the Renaissance. Paul H. Seely, The Firmament and the Water Above: Part II: The Meaning of The Water Above the Firmament in Genesis 1:6-8, (WTJ
54 [1992]), p 31-46.
17
The apocryphal Song of the Three Holy Children, parallels this invocation in v 38: O all ye waters that be above the heaven, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him
above all for ever.

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It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers,
Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.
Isaiah 40:22
d. Everything within creation is arranged vertically from that which is under the earth to the
highest of heavens.
B. Second or Mid-Heavens
1. Introduction
a. Related to night and day worship the real significance is in understanding the third heavens.
Thus the primary importance of the mid-heavens (in this context) comes in delineating
between this reality and the third-heavens.
b. The lack of this distinction can lead to confusion because passages that speak of the mid-
heavens are forced into the image of the third-heavens that Scripture presents.
2. Basic Delineation
a. On a number of occasions scripture refers to heaven not in exclusively positive terms but
rather as a place of conflict where evil has some influence. For example, in Ephesians 6:12
Paul says:
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers,
against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the
heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12 19
b. This is quite a departure from the portrait of the pristine dwelling of God where He is
enthroned and adored. Consider two further examples:
12
Then he said to me, Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to
understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have
come because of your words. 13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me
twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had
been left alone there with the kings of Persia. 14 Now I have come to make you understand
what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision refers to many days yet to
come. Daniel 10:12-14
7
And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the
dragon and his angels fought, 8 but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in
heaven any longer. 9 So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil
and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast
out with him. Revelation 12:7-9
c. In short, the mid-heavens can be understood not as the dwelling place of God but as the
domain of angels (the place of their delegated authority) where both good and evil purposes
for the earth are contended for.
18
The most common error on this point derives from ambiguity on the third. The cosmic waters are the only thing beyond the solid firmament and God dwells within it.
When some sort of solid dome is recognized by scholars, God is almost always placed above it rather than within it, causing a complete breakdown in the way Scripture
presents the framework.
19
The specific form of this Greek word, transliterated epouraniois, is used exclusively in Ephesians and can also refer to the third-heavens as in Eph 1:3, 1:20, and 2:6.
Its root also has limited usage in the book of Hebrews and in Pauls correspondence with the Church in Corinth.

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3. Gods Activity
a. As a result there are certain dramatic instances in which God is depicted as descending from
His throne, calling all to account, and rendering judgments.
There is the eternal abode of God, a place of perfection, the place to which Jesus ascended
after His resurrection (Heb 1:3, 4:14, 7:26). Then there are the angelic regions (the
heavenly places of Ephesians 6:12), a place not without evil. This is the region where God
on occasion takes His place in the midst of His angel rulers, hears their reports, and
supervises their activities a place where Satan at present has access (Ps 82:1, Job 1:6, 2:1;
Rev 12:10).20
I Kings 22:19-23
Daniel 7:9-14
b. Thus the issue in this plane of heaven is not His ultimate sovereign authority but His
will/purposes imposed, executed, and enforced as it relates to the earth and its inhabitants.
c. Revelation 12 and Daniel 7 both point directly to the ultimate eschatological hope of the
expulsion of darkness from the mid-heavens and this glorious imposition of His gracious will
upon the earth.
d. This was what Jesus passed through (Hebrews 4:14) and is now exalted far above as He sits
upon His throne (Ephesians 1:20-23).
4. Conclusion
a. Although the mid-heavens are the least defined by the record of scripture it is still presented
in profoundly concrete terms.
b. Gabriel is described as flying swiftly in Daniel 9:21from one location to another then in
10:13 is physically detained by the prince of Persia.
c. Michael and his angels are embroiled in war with the demonic host, causing Satan to be
physically removed and cast down to the earth. And finally if Daniel 7:9-14 is in fact an
account of the mid-heavens then thrones, the garments of God, fire, thousands of angels, and
books are all recorded in the context of an actual moment or event when God descends and
the court of judgment is called to session.
d. Obviously the arena of the mid-heavens is not readily visible to us but it is a real place that is
surely observable to those who are there and have access to it. There is no exegetical basis
for viewing the mid-heavens as an ethereal realm where good and evil have some level of
abstract influence.
e. Certainly many things remain that we do not know about this expression of the heavens, but
once the presuppositions addressed in the previous chapter are removed the text is free to
speak of a concrete, tangible reality clearly differentiated from the first-heavens and third-
heavens.
C. Third Heavens (see next section)
20
David J. MacLeod, The Adoration of God the Creator: An Exposition of Revelation 4 [BSAC 164:654 (April-June 2007)], p 202.

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IV. INTRODUCTION TO THE THIRD HEAVEN

A. Third Heavens
1
It is doubtless not profitable for me to boast. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord: 2 I
know a man in Christ who fourteen years agowhether in the body I do not know, or whether out of
the body I do not know, God knowssuch a one was caught up to the third heaven. 3 And I know such
a manwhether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows 4 how he was caught up
into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. II Corinthians
12:1-4
1. Introduction and Definition
a. There are two very simple, but critical, affirmations that serve as the foundation for defining
this part of Gods creation. The third-heavens are first, the dwelling place of God, and
secondly the everlasting home of the redeemed.
b. By far this is the way the word heaven is most frequently used in the Bible. From these two
very general truths about heaven it is possible to take the scriptural testimony on the subject
and forge very specific conclusions.
2. Dwelling Place of God
Heaven is referred to as Gods dwelling place so often in both the Old and New Testament that it
is accurate to say that it is the most prominent descriptive feature as well as the most important.
a. Old Testament
And may You hear the supplication of Your servant and of Your people Israel, when they
pray toward this place. Hear in heaven Your dwelling place; and when You hear, forgive.
I Kings 8:30
and said: O LORD God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven, and do You not rule
over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so
that no one is able to withstand You? II Chronicles 20:6
Therefore You delivered them into the hand of their enemies, Who oppressed them; and in
the time of their trouble, When they cried to You, You heard from heaven; and according
to Your abundant mercies You gave them deliverers who saved them from the hand of their
enemies. Nehemiah 9:27
The LORD looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men. Psalm 33:13
God looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who
understand, who seek God. Psalm 53:2
b. New Testament
(1) Jesus refers to His Father being in heaven fourteen times in Matthew alone
(2) Jesus descends from heaven and is described as ascending to heaven and exalted at
the right hand of the throne of God in heaven
(3) Jesus will come from heaven when He returns

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3. Everlasting Home of the Redeemed (or the place of eternal reward)

a. Treasure is in heaven (Matthew 6:20)
b. Hope is in heaven (Colossians 1:5)
c. Reward is in heaven (I Peter 1:4)
d. Citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20)
e. Immortal habitation is from heaven (II Corinthians 5:1-5)
f. Names are registered in heaven (Luke 10:20)
4. Moving Toward Definition
a. As familiar as many of these passages are, it is important not to gloss over them and instead
allow the biblical witness to focus and sharpen our perception. There is a distinct place called
heaven which Scripture points to again and again as the habitation of God and the
destination of the righteous.
b. As clear as this is, it is also evident from the classifications already presented and the way in
which the word occurs in context that neither the first-heavens nor second-heavens could be
what is referred to.
c. Important as this is, so much hinges on taking one further step and not being content to allow
this distinct facet of heaven to remain ambiguous conceptually. One would think that the
Bible would speak with some detail to a subject as important as the center of Gods existence
and the everlasting abode of the people of God.
d. Such an assumption would be true in His mercy the LORD has not left us with generalities
and consigned us to ignorance for the rest.
B. The End of the Story
1. The Revelation of Heaven
a. The Holy Spirit knows no rivals and as the ultimate source of the authorship of Scripture He
closes with three chapters that bring the narrative of redemption to a triumphant, breathtaking
conclusion and yet at the same time seize our hearts with yearning for a twenty-third chapter
of Revelation.
b. These remarkable chapters contain within them a clearer epiphany of both the dwelling place
of God and the eternal home of the redeemed than anywhere else in the Word of God.21 It as
though the Holy Spirit wanted to leave this vision of the majesty of the Father and the Lamb
in their splendid habitation and the glory of our dwelling playing over and over in our
thoughts.
c. From this unique glimpse into sublime things it becomes abundantly and emphatically clear
that the abode of God and the abode of the just are indeed the same place, and that the place
is none other than a mountain-city of colossal proportions and unrivaled beauty. Heaven is
not an ethereal, immaterial realm. Heaven is a city.
21
To a lesser extent this could legitimately be said of the entire book of Revelation, particularly the fourth and fifth chapters.

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2. Reorientation
a. The Holy City seen at the close of the canon is not an innovation in or addition to heaven; it
is and has always been heaven the dwelling place of God and the home of the redeemed.
b. Once false views of spiritual and unseen things have been dislodged, this thought moves from
being odd and inconceivable to wonderfully fitting. If Scripture presents and assumes very
concrete, tangible, material contours of heaven then it is not surprising to find a physical
description of what it is like.
c. Therefore it may be novel, and astonishing certainly, but there should not be any reason
conceptually to reject heaven as being synonymous with the Holy City. Ultimately the
important question is what the Bible discloses. Once our perspective is correct we are
liberated to hear the testimony of Scripture without distortion.
V. HEAVEN - THE HOLY CITY
1
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no
longer any sea. 2And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as
a bride adorned for her husband. 3And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle
of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be
among them, 4and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there
will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away." 5And He who sits on
the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new " And He said, "Write, for these words are faithful and
true." Revelation 21:1-5
A. Categories
1. The Dwelling Place of God
a. As John describes his initial vision of the Holy City descending to the earth he hears the
proclamation that the tabernacle of God, or His dwelling place, is with men.
b. In other words, the place where He now dwells (His tabernacle) is going to descend and be
relocated to earth.
c. This is because His throne and dwelling place are within the New Jerusalem, as described
explicitly in Revelation 21:22-22:5.
d. This is very different than what took place in the Incarnation, in which God dwelt
(tabernacled) among us. (see John 1:14)
2. The Home of the Redeemed
Understanding the Holy City as the everlasting home of those in Christ is a more familiar idea.
This is stated in many and various ways throughout chapters twenty-one and twenty-two.
a. The City is referred to as the Bride, indicating that the inhabitants are those pictured earlier in
Revelation 19:11-18 those who are in covenantal relationship with Christ.
b. One of the most dominant themes in this description of the New Jerusalem are the conditions
of those who are permitted to enter and dwell there and the stark contrast between those who
reside in the City and those who do not (Revelation 21:27, 22:14-15).
c. Therefore the New Jerusalem is clearly presented as the destination of the righteous and the
place of their inheritance.

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3. Conclusion
Thus it is clear scripturally that the New Jerusalem is both the dwelling place of God and the
home of the redeemed, which are the two primary descriptions of heaven (when understood to
refer to the third-heavens).
B. Foundational Conclusions
1. Heaven is not an ethereal realm but rather a mountain-city of colossal proportions and unrivaled
beauty.
2. The consequence is that when we read Heaven in the Bible and in context it is not referring to the
first two classifications then in our hearts and minds we need to equate it with the Holy City.
3. Heaven and earth coming together is not the merging of two distinct realms but simply the
descent of the Holy City to the earth as described at the close of Revelation.
4. The main question that remains to be clarified is whether the Holy City has always been Heaven
or if John was only seeing a future reality (i.e. the New Jerusalem will be Heaven).
VI. CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CITY
10
And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem,
descending out of heaven from God, 11 having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper
stone, clear as crystal. 12 Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names
written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: 13 three gates on the east, three gates
on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west. 14 Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and
on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. 15 And he who talked with me had a gold reed to measure the
city, its gates, and its wall. 16 The city is laid out as a square; its length is as great as its breadth. And he measured the city
with the reed: twelve thousand furlongs. Its length, breadth, and height are equal. 17 Then he measured its wall: one
hundred and forty-four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of an angel. 18 The construction of its wall was
of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass. 19 The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds
of precious stones21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city
was pure gold, like transparent glass. 22 But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.
23
The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light1
And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2 In
the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its
fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. Revelation 21:10-19, 21-23; Rev 22:1-2
A. Importance
1. The purpose of considering the Holy City in this context is merely to define the setting of the
worship that takes place there. Therefore we will not go into much depth in our treatment of the
subject.
2. Yet the details held within this description have a relevance to our lives that would be difficult to
exaggerate.
3. Relative to the entire scope of our existence, the seven or eight decades spent in a frail body and a
fallen age form but the tiniest fraction. For endless (literally) years we will be thinking, feeling,
working, playing, and most importantly adoring Jesus and we will be doing it all largely within
the Heavenly Jerusalem our everlasting home.
4. Contemplation of the City, therefore, should therefore be an absorbing pleasure of great personal
significance to us rather than an afterthought.

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B. Ancient
The first characteristic to clarify is the Holy Citys ancient existence. In the previous session it was
asserted that Heaven is a created place, as opposed to an eternal realm. This place is and always has been
the mountain-city called the Heavenly Jerusalem.
1. Perspective
a. What in the description of the Holy City indicates that it has always been the habitation of
God? It would seem that the question should actually be reversed - placing the burden of
proof on the view that Heaven is not presently the Holy City.22
b. If the close of Revelation indicates that at its descent the throne of the Father and of the Lamb
are within the New Jerusalem, what reason can we find biblically to postulate this dramatic
relocation from His hypothetical location presently?
c. The biblical evidence outside of Revelation 21-22 actually points decidedly in the opposite
direction. Some of this will be considered now and some (perhaps the most compelling) will
be in future sessions.
2. Galatians
But the Jerusalem above is free; she is our mother. Galatians 4:26
a. In its immediate context the historical city of Jerusalem present at the time of the apostles
words is compared to the covenant established at Mount Sinai, whereas the Jerusalem above
corresponds to the New Covenant.
b. Without question we are presently included in the New Covenant, and therefore it would be a
very odd point for Paul to make if the Heavenly Jerusalem was merely an idea on the horizon.
c. The fact that Pauls refers to the city above as our mother (representing the relationship to the
covenant) in the present-tense strengthens the impression that as Paul wrote about two
decades after the ascension of Jesus he understood the Holy City to be a reality.
3. Hebrews
a. The book of Hebrews contains four distinct references to the Eternal City (11:10, 11:16,
12:22, 13:14). Taken together they indicate, just as the passages from Revelation already
examined, that the Great City is our future hope but also a present reality.
b. Just as Abraham looked for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is
God, we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come.
c. The most significant reference to the City is found in Hebrews 12. There, in a way very
similar to Galatians 4, the author of Hebrews states that unlike Sinai we have come (present-
tense) to:
22
to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of
angels, 23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven,
to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, 24 to Jesus the Mediator of
the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.
Hebrews 12:22-24
22
Randy Alcorn in his insightful book, Heaven, takes this perspective but offers no compelling reason as to why it seems to be more of an assumption

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d. In addition to the same covenantal reality already stressed in the treatment of Pauls words,
this passage describes our coming to the heavenly Jerusalem in precisely the same way as
we now come to God the Judge and Jesus the Mediator without any chronological distinction.
e. Also striking is the way in which the presence of God and Jesus are described in tandem with
the general assembly, the church of the firstborn registered in heaven and the spirits of just
men made perfect. In other words, right now when we come to the city of the living God by
faith we find the LORD Himself and His people - precisely what the previous descriptions of
heaven indicated.
4. Significance
a. Another point that can be easily missed is that Paul and the author of Hebrews are talking
about the Holy City before the book of Revelation had been written. Galatians is Pauls
earliest letter aside from the Thessalonian correspondence.
b. How is it that in both books where the Heavenly Jerusalem is mentioned the authors do so
without any explanation? Paul and the author of Hebrews (who some would view as
synonymous) are not introducing a new concept but elaborating upon a familiar one.
c. The fact that they could do this when writing to an audience from which they were separated
by geographical and chronological distance indicates an astonishing confidence in an
understanding of the Heavenly Jerusalem which they assumed would be present in the early
Church as a whole.
d. Furthermore, how is it that the author of Hebrews could simply state that Abraham was
looking for the City whose builder and maker is God when he walked the earth approximately
two-thousand years before the advent of Christ?
e. Apparently the Holy City was not an apocalyptic epiphany finally unveiled to John the
Beloved late in the first-century. It was present in the expectation of the faithful just
generations after the flood. How can this be?
C. Mountain
1. Introduction to Understanding the Description in the Book of Revelation
10
And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me
the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, 11 having the
glory of God Revelation 21:10
a. In the opening verse of Johns description of the Holy City he tells how he was carried to a
great and high mountain. Typically this verse is rendered in English as though the mountain
was a distinct vantage point from which John observed the descent.
b. While this is a possible meaning, there is nothing in the syntax of the Greek that prevents the
passage from also being understood as John including the mountain within the description of
being shown the Holy City descending.
c. Understanding verse ten in this way also resolves the oddity of why John would have needed
to be on a great and high mountain in order to see something as enormous as the Heavenly
Jerusalem.

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d. Irrespective of the passage itself, there several major lines of reasoning that weigh heavily in
favor of understanding the New Jerusalem in this manner, one of which will be developed in
a different context. Together they hold the potential to inform the interpretation of the
opening words of Johns description.
2. Hebrews
a. The passage from Hebrews just referenced begins, But you have come to Mt. Zion and to
the city of the living God23 From the following verses it is clear that two distinct places
are not in view.
b. This corresponds with the way Mt. Zion is used as an interchangeable term with Jerusalem
and the city of David in the Old Testament. Commenting on this verse, William Lane notes:
The biblical declaration that God laid the foundations of the city of Jerusalem on Mount Zion
(e.g., Ps 47:9 [MT 48:8]; Ps 86[MT 87]:1-7; Isa 14:32 LXX) was extended to the
foundations of the glorified heavenly city as well (e.g., Isa 28:16; 54:11-14 LXX), and this
theological motif is echoed in later Jewish and Christian apocalyptic literature.24
3. Two Cities
a. Thus the second, and very interrelated, way Scripture points toward a conception of the New
Jerusalem as a mountain-city is through the eschatological vision of Jerusalem presented in
the Old Testament.
b. Jerusalem as it will exist in the millennial kingdom of Jesus (Revelation 20:4-5) will be an
earthly reflection of the Jerusalem above, just as the historic Jerusalem was in some respects.
c. Though this notion may be unfamiliar in our day, such was not the case in the Biblical era.
F.F. Bruce clarifies:
If the moving tabernacle in the wilderness was constructed according to the pattern of the
sanctuary on high, so the temple and city of Jerusalem were material copies of eternal
archetypes. Both in Jewish and in Christian thought the heavenly counterpart of the earthly
Jerusalem is familiar--the rabbis inferred the existence of the heavenly archetype from the
words of Ps. 122:3..., which they rendered: 'Jerusalem, which is built like the city that is its
fellow'...In the Syriac Apocalypse of Baruch, which is to be dated soon after A.D. 70, Baruch
is told on the eve of the destruction of the First Temple that this is not the true city of God;
the true city was revealed by God to Adam before his fall, to Abraham when God made a
covenant with him, and to Moses at the same time as he was shown the pattern in the mount.25
d. In antiquity Jerusalem was consistently presented as a mountain-city, and the future city as it
will be restored following the return of Jesus is described in precisely the same terms only on
a far grander scale.26
e. Thus, when the Heavenly Jerusalem is rightly seen to be the archetype rather than the
projection then the extensive references to the eschatological Jerusalem as a mountain-city
are a compelling reason to view the Heavenly Jerusalem in the same way. Cognizant of this,
Grant Osborne in his commentary on Revelation concludes regarding verse 10:
23
Hebrews 12:22
24
William L. Lane, Hebrews 9-13, Word Biblical Commentary 47B, p 466.
25
FF. Bruce, The Epistle to the Hebrews, p 356.
26
See Psalm 48:1-2, Psalm 87:1-3, Isaiah 2:1-2, Isaiah 27:13, Isaiah 60:13-14, Isaiah 66:20, Ezekiel 40:2, Joel 3:17, Zechariah 8:3

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Mountains have always been important to Jewish religion...As several have shown (Caird,
Wall, Beale), Jewish tradition placed final eschatological city on a mountain (Isa. 2:2; 4:1-5;
Mic. 4:1-2; 1 Enoch 18.8; 24.1-3; 25.3; Jub. 4.26), and some (Michaels, Giesen) think that
with 14:1...this is Mount Zion here and the Holy City will rest on it....27
4. Physical Implications
a. Conceiving of the Holy City in this way runs counter to notions that it is cubical in its
structure.
b. Yet nothing in the text indicates that it is in fact a cube, only that its height is as great as it
length and breadth (21:16). Nor in the account of the size of the wall (v17) is it clear whether
the height or the thickness is being described.
c. While in the light of the towering height of the city it does seem that the one-hundred and
forty-four cubits (approximately 216 feet) likely refers to the width, a wall of this height
would still be quite formidable (imagine a twenty-one story building).
D. Size
1. Perhaps the most awe-inspiring feature of the external view of the City is its sheer size.
Depending on the exact distance of the Greek stadion, the city measures between 1400 and 1500
miles in its length, width, and height.28
2. Its enormity is difficult for the mind to grapple with and thus many comparisons have been
drawn. Relative to the United States the city would cover a land mass comparable to the
combined area of forty-one of the fifty states in America.29
3. Randy Alcorn offers another example:
A metropolis of this size in the middle of the United States would stretch from Canada to Mexico
and from the Appalachian Mountains to the California Border. The New Jerusalem is all the
square footage anyone could ask for.30
4. Lifting our eyes beyond the borders of The United States, it has been noted that if placed upon the
earth with its present topography the city would cover a land mass half the size of the continent of
Europe.31 Furthermore, the length of one of its sides would stretch from London to Athens or
from Delhi to Rangoon.32
5. This is simply staggering - such is the grandeur of the dwelling place of God, and your
everlasting home as one who is Christ.
6. As we seek to develop a functional picture of heaven, all of what has now been set forth should
cause our minds to cling to a truly marvelous image of a colossal mountain that is home to a vast
city of shining splendor and glory.
27
Grant.. R. Osborne, Revelation, Baker Exegetical Commentary, p 748. It is not necessary to concur with Osbornes understanding of Revelation 14:1 in order to
acknowledge the validity of his larger point.
28
Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 8-22: An Exegetical Commentary, p 466-477
29
Thomas, Revelation, p 467 the nine excluded are Montana, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, Washington, Oregon, California, Alaska, and Hawaii.
30
Randy Alcorn, Heaven, p 250.
31
T. D. Alexander, From Eden to the New Jerusalem, (Nottingham, England, Inter-Varsity Press: 2008), p 11.
32
Thomas, p 467

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Session 04: The Habitation of God

I. HEAVEN - THE HOLY CITY
1
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no
longer any sea. 2And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as
a bride adorned for her husband. 3And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle
of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be
among them, 4and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there
will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away." 5And He who sits on
the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new" And He said, "Write, for these words are faithful and
true." Revelation 21:1-5
A. Categories
a. As John describes his initial vision of the Holy City descending to the earth he hears the
proclamation that the tabernacle of God, or His dwelling place, is with men.
b. In other words, the place where He now dwells (His tabernacle) is going to descend and be
relocated to earth.
c. This is because His throne and dwelling place are within the New Jerusalem, as described
explicitly in Revelation 21:22-22:5.
d. This is very different than what took place in the Incarnation, in which God dwelt
(tabernacled) among us. (see John 1:14)
2. The Home of the Redeemed
Understanding the Holy City as the everlasting home of those in Christ is a more familiar idea.
This is stated in many and various ways throughout chapters twenty-one and twenty-two.
a. The City is referred to as the Bride, indicating that the inhabitants are those pictured earlier in
Revelation 19:11-18 those who are in covenantal relationship with Christ.
b. One of the most dominant themes in this description of the New Jerusalem are the conditions
of those who are permitted to enter and dwell there and the stark contrast between those who
reside in the City and those who do not (Revelation 21:27, 22:14-15).
c. Therefore the New Jerusalem is clearly presented as the destination of the righteous and the
place of their inheritance.
3. Conclusion
Thus it is clear scripturally that the New Jerusalem is both the dwelling place of God and the
home of the redeemed, which are the two primary descriptions of heaven (when understood to
refer to the third-heavens).
B. Foundational Conclusions
1. Heaven is not an ethereal realm but rather a mountain-city of colossal proportions and unrivaled
beauty.

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Session 04: The Habitation of God PAGE 2
2. The consequence is that when we read Heaven in the Bible and in context it is not referring to the
first two classifications then in our hearts and minds we need to equate it with the Holy City.
3. Heaven and earth coming together is not the merging of two distinct realms but simply the
descent of the Holy City to the earth as described at the close of Revelation.
4. The main question that remains to be clarified is whether the Holy City has always been Heaven
or if John was only seeing a future reality (i.e. the New Jerusalem will be Heaven).
II. CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CITY
10
And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem,
descending out of heaven from God, 11 having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper
stone, clear as crystal. 12 Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names
written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: 13 three gates on the east, three gates
on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west. 14 Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and
on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. 15 And he who talked with me had a gold reed to measure the
city, its gates, and its wall. 16 The city is laid out as a square; its length is as great as its breadth. And he measured the city
with the reed: twelve thousand furlongs. Its length, breadth, and height are equal. 17 Then he measured its wall: one
hundred and forty-four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of an angel. 18 The construction of its wall was
of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass. 19 The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds
of precious stones21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city
was pure gold, like transparent glass. 22 But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.
23
The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light1
And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2 In
the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its
fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. Revelation 21:10-19, 21-23; Rev 22:1-2
A. Importance
1. The purpose of considering the Holy City in this context is merely to define the setting of the
worship that takes place there. Therefore we will not go into much depth in our treatment of the
subject.
2. Yet the details held within this description have a relevance to our lives that would be difficult to
exaggerate.
3. Relative to the entire scope of our existence, the seven or eight decades spent in a frail body and a
fallen age form but the tiniest fraction. For endless (literally) years we will be thinking, feeling,
working, playing, and most importantly adoring Jesus and we will be doing it all largely within
the Heavenly Jerusalem our everlasting home.
4. Contemplation of the City, therefore, should be an absorbing pleasure of great personal
significance to us rather than an afterthought.
B. Ancient
The first characteristic to clarify is the Holy Citys ancient existence. In the previous session it was
asserted that Heaven is a created place, as opposed to an eternal realm. This place is and always has been
the mountain-city called the Heavenly Jerusalem.

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1. Perspective
a. What in the description of the Holy City indicates that it has always been the habitation of
God? It would seem that the question should actually be reversed - placing the burden of
proof on the view that Heaven is not presently the Holy City.1
b. If the close of Revelation indicates that at its descent the throne of the Father and of the Lamb
are within the New Jerusalem, what reason can we find biblically to postulate this dramatic
relocation from His hypothetical location presently?
c. The biblical evidence outside of Revelation 21-22 actually points decidedly in the opposite
direction. Some of this will be considered now and some (perhaps the most compelling) will
be in future sessions.
2. Galatians
But the Jerusalem above is free; she is our mother. Galatians 4:26
a. In its immediate context the historical city of Jerusalem present at the time of the apostles
words is compared to the covenant established at Mount Sinai, whereas the Jerusalem above
corresponds to the New Covenant.
b. Without question we are presently included in the New Covenant, and therefore it would be a
very odd point for Paul to make if the Heavenly Jerusalem was merely an idea on the horizon.
c. The fact that Pauls refers to the city above as our mother (representing the relationship to the
covenant) in the present-tense strengthens the impression that as Paul wrote about two
decades after the ascension of Jesus he understood the Holy City to be a reality.
3. Hebrews
a. The book of Hebrews contains four distinct references to the Eternal City (11:10, 11:16,
12:22, 13:14). Taken together they indicate, just as the passages from Revelation already
examined, that the Great City is our future hope but also a present reality.
b. Just as Abraham looked for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is
God, we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come.
c. The most significant reference to the City is found in Hebrews 12. There, in a way very
similar to Galatians 4, the author of Hebrews states that unlike Sinai we have come (present-
tense) to:
22
to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of
angels, 23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven,
to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, 24 to Jesus the Mediator of
the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.
Hebrews 12:22-24
d. In addition to the same covenantal reality already stressed in the treatment of Pauls words,
this passage describes our coming to the heavenly Jerusalem in precisely the same way as
we now come to God the Judge and Jesus the Mediator without any chronological distinction.
1
Randy Alcorn in his insightful book, Heaven, takes this perspective but offers no compelling reason as to why it seems to be more of an assumption

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e. Also striking is the way in which the presence of God and Jesus are described in tandem with
the general assembly, the church of the firstborn registered in heaven and the spirits of just
men made perfect. In other words, right now when we come to the city of the living God by
faith we find the LORD Himself and His people - precisely what the previous descriptions of
heaven indicated.
4. Significance
a. Another point that can be easily missed is that Paul and the author of Hebrews are talking
about the Holy City before the book of Revelation had been written. Galatians is Pauls
earliest letter aside from the Thessalonian correspondence.
b. How is it that in both books where the Heavenly Jerusalem is mentioned the authors do so
without any explanation? Paul and the author of Hebrews (who some would view as
synonymous) are not introducing a new concept but elaborating upon a familiar one.
c. The fact that they could do this when writing to an audience from which they were separated
by geographical and chronological distance indicates an astonishing confidence in an
understanding of the Heavenly Jerusalem which they assumed would be present in the early
Church as a whole.
d. Furthermore, how is it that the author of Hebrews could simply state that Abraham was
looking for the City whose builder and maker is God when he walked the earth approximately
two-thousand years before the advent of Christ?
e. Apparently the Holy City was not an apocalyptic epiphany finally unveiled to John the
Beloved late in the first-century. It was present in the expectation of the faithful just
generations after the flood. How can this be?
C. Mountain
1. Introduction to Understanding the Description in the Book of Revelation
10
And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me
the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, 11 having the
glory of God Revelation 21:10
a. In the opening verse of Johns description of the Holy City he tells how he was carried to a
great and high mountain. Typically this verse is rendered in English as though the mountain
was a distinct vantage point from which John observed the descent.
b. While this is a possible meaning, there is nothing in the syntax of the Greek that prevents the
passage from also being understood as John including the mountain within the description of
being shown the Holy City descending.2
c. Understanding verse ten in this way also resolves the oddity of why John would have needed
to be on a great and high mountain in order to see something as enormous as the Heavenly
Jerusalem.
2
To translate the sentence in a way where the mountain and the city are identical syntactically is awkward only because the mountain and the city have different
genders in Greek. I believe this is to emphasize the dual realities of the physical structure of the mountain/city and the people who inhabit the city. When taken in the
larger narrative context of the story of the Mountain of the LORD and Jerusalem this seems like the best conclusion.

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d. Irrespective of the passage itself, there are several major lines of reasoning that weigh heavily
in favor of understanding the New Jerusalem in this manner, one of which will be developed
in a different context. Together they hold the potential to inform the interpretation of the
opening words of Johns description.
2. Hebrews
a. The passage from Hebrews just referenced begins, But you have come to Mt. Zion and to
the city of the living God3 From the following verses it is clear that two distinct places
are not in view.
b. This corresponds with the way Mt. Zion is used as an interchangeable term with Jerusalem
and the city of David in the Old Testament. Commenting on this verse, William Lane notes:
The biblical declaration that God laid the foundations of the city of Jerusalem on Mount Zion
(e.g., Ps 47:9 [MT 48:8]; Ps 86[MT 87]:1-7; Isa 14:32 LXX) was extended to the
foundations of the glorified heavenly city as well (e.g., Isa 28:16; 54:11-14 LXX), and this
theological motif is echoed in later Jewish and Christian apocalyptic literature.4
3. Two Cities
a. Thus the second, and very interrelated, way Scripture points toward a conception of the New
Jerusalem as a mountain-city is through the eschatological vision of Jerusalem presented in
the Old Testament.
b. Jerusalem as it will exist in the millennial kingdom of Jesus (Revelation 20:4-5) will be an
earthly reflection of the Jerusalem above, just as the historic Jerusalem was in some respects.
c. Though this notion may be unfamiliar in our day, such was not the case in the Biblical era.
F.F. Bruce clarifies:
If the moving tabernacle in the wilderness was constructed according to the pattern of the
sanctuary on high, so the temple and city of Jerusalem were material copies of eternal
archetypes. Both in Jewish and in Christian thought the heavenly counterpart of the earthly
Jerusalem is familiar--the rabbis inferred the existence of the heavenly archetype from the
words of Ps. 122:3..., which they rendered: 'Jerusalem, which is built like the city that is its
fellow'...In the Syriac Apocalypse of Baruch, which is to be dated soon after A.D. 70, Baruch
is told on the eve of the destruction of the First Temple that this is not the true city of God;
the true city was revealed by God to Adam before his fall, to Abraham when God made a
covenant with him, and to Moses at the same time as he was shown the pattern in the mount.5
d. In antiquity Jerusalem was consistently presented as a mountain-city, and the future city as it
will be restored following the return of Jesus is described in precisely the same terms only on
a far grander scale.6
The REAL temple and the REAL city exist in full form in heaven. Just as the temple is a copy
of the a celestial work of architecture, so also The Heavenly Jerusalem was created by
God at the same time as Paradise, hence in aeternum. The city of Jerusalem was only an
approximate reproduction of the transcendent model 7
3
Hebrews 12:22
4
William L. Lane, Hebrews 9-13, Word Biblical Commentary 47B, p 466.
5
FF. Bruce, The Epistle to the Hebrews, p 356.
6
See Psalm 48:1-2, Psalm 87:1-3, Isaiah 2:1-2, Isaiah 27:13, Isaiah 60:13-14, Isaiah 66:20, Ezekiel 40:2, Joel 3:17, Zechariah 8:3
7
John M. Lundquist, The Temple of Jerusalem: past, present, and future (Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers, 2008), p 225.

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e. Thus, when the Heavenly Jerusalem is rightly seen to be the archetype rather than the
projection then the extensive references to the eschatological Jerusalem as a mountain-city
are a compelling reason to view the Heavenly Jerusalem in the same way. Cognizant of this,
Grant Osborne in his commentary on Revelation concludes regarding verse 10:
Mountains have always been important to Jewish religion...As several have shown (Caird,
Wall, Beale), Jewish tradition placed final eschatological city on a mountain (Isa. 2:2; 4:1-5;
Mic. 4:1-2; 1 Enoch 18.8; 24.1-3; 25.3; Jub. 4.26), and some (Michaels, Giesen) think that
with 14:1...this is Mount Zion here and the Holy City will rest on it....8
4. Physical Implications
a. Conceiving of the Holy City in this way runs counter to notions that it is cubical in its
structure. Yet nothing in the text indicates that it is in fact a cube, only that its height is as
great as it length and breadth (21:16). Nor in the account of the size of the wall (v17) is it
clear whether the height or the thickness is being described.
b. While in the light of the towering height of the city it does seem that the one-hundred and
forty-four cubits (approximately 216 feet) likely refers to the width, a wall of this height
would still be quite formidable (imagine a twenty-one story building).
D. Size
1. Perhaps the most awe-inspiring feature of the external view of the City is its sheer size.
Depending on the exact distance of the Greek stadion, the city measures between 1400 and 1500
miles in its length, width, and height.9
2. Its enormity is difficult for the mind to grapple with and thus many comparisons have been
drawn. Relative to the United States the city would cover a land mass comparable to the
combined area of forty-one of the fifty states in America.10
3. Randy Alcorn offers another example:
A metropolis of this size in the middle of the United States would stretch from Canada to Mexico
and from the Appalachian Mountains to the California Border. The New Jerusalem is all the
square footage anyone could ask for.11
4. Lifting our eyes beyond the borders of The United States, it has been noted that if placed upon the
earth with its present topography the city would cover a land mass half the size of the continent of
Europe.12 Furthermore, the length of one of its sides would stretch from London to Athens or
from Delhi to Rangoon.13
5. This is simply staggering - such is the grandeur of the dwelling place of God, and your
everlasting home as one who is in Christ.
6. As we seek to develop a functional picture of heaven, all of what has now been set forth should
cause our minds to cling to a truly marvelous image of a colossal mountain that is home to a vast
city of shining splendor and glory.
8
Grant.. R. Osborne, Revelation, Baker Exegetical Commentary, p 748. It is not necessary to concur with Osbornes understanding of Revelation 14:1 in order to
acknowledge the validity of his larger point.
9
Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 8-22: An Exegetical Commentary, p 466-477
10
Thomas, Revelation, p 467 the nine excluded are Montana, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, Washington, Oregon, California, Alaska, and Hawaii.
11
Randy Alcorn, Heaven, p 250.
12
T. D. Alexander, From Eden to the New Jerusalem, (Nottingham, England, Inter-Varsity Press: 2008), p 11.
13
Thomas, p 467

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III. GODS HABITATION: A CLOSER LOOK

A. David & the Temple
1. A Window to Glory
a. King David is one of the most important figures in the biblical story in general and has much
relevance to the subject of this course.
b. In the Psalter the word temple occurs a scarce ten times.14 Seven of those instances are in
Davidic psalms. Two of these will be referenced later, thus five remain:
In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried out to my God; He heard my voice from
His temple, and my cry came before Him, even to His ears. Psalm 18:6
2
I will worship toward Your holy temple, and praise Your name for Your lovingkindness
and Your truth; for You have magnified Your word above all Your name. Psalm 138:2
7
But as for me, I will come into Your house in the multitude of Your mercy; In fear of You
I will worship toward Your holy temple. Psalm 5:7
One thing I have desired of the LORD, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of
the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in His
temple. Psalm 27:4
Blessed is the man You choose, and cause to approach You, that he may dwell in Your
courts. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, of Your holy temple. Ps 65:4
2. The Problem
a. At first glance these passages appear relatively straightforward. As all ancient Jews would
have, David was orienting his worship around the most sacred place in the land of Israel the
Jerusalem Temple.
b. The problem, of course, is that the Temple wasnt built until after David had died. 15 Psalm
18 was written before David was even made king and dwelt in Jerusalem, yet could the other
references perhaps be speaking of the centers of worship that did exist during his lifetime?
3. Terminology
a. Neither the tabernacle that David had erected for the ark in Jerusalem nor the tabernacle of
Moses in Gibeon could be the referent of these passages because the Hebrew word used
(hk!l) means a physical structure or complex. Of the eighty occasions when this specific
word occurs in the Old Testament, twenty-three are actually translated nave or palace. 16
b. Thus it simply cannot function as a synonym for the house of God as other Hebrew words
sometimes translated temple can be at times.17 As a Sumerian/Akkadian loan-word it does
not even necessarily have connotations of a sacred place, and thus in three of the five
occasions David couples it with a word indicating hallowedness (q!da").18
14
This varies slightly depending on the translation used
15
Some biblical scholars with more liberal persuasions have looked at this intriguing question and suggested that these Psalms arent actually Davidic in authorship.
Not only is this very difficult to argue (particularly in light of the parallel in II Samuel 22:7 with Psalm 18:6), but it is not compelling historically. Whoever assembled
the Psalter was not doing so for ignorant Gentiles two-thousand years later who would not be aware of the fact that the Jerusalem Temple was not build in Davids
lifetime. For any Jewish reader up through the time of Christ it would have been a glaring discrepancy.
16
As rendered in the English Standard Version
17
There are only two possible exceptions to this that could be argued, occurring in 1 Samuel 1:9 and 3:3. However, this was after the Tabernacle of Moses had been
settled in Shiloh and was thought by all to have come to a permanent place of rest (no one anticipated the rebellion of the priesthood, the capture of the Ark, and the

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c. For David to be using hk!l to refer to the tabernacle that housed the Ark on Mt. Zion would
have been the equivalent in modern English of looking at a camping-tent and remarking at
what a fine building it was. You might call a tent a shelter, or a canopy, but you would not
call it a building.
4. The Palace of God
a. In the highest of heavens, at the very crown of the Holy City, there is a place like no other
the Heavenly Temple. It is the culmination of the revelation of heaven that has been
progressively developed and the most important place in the universe.
b. For it is there specifically (and not Heaven generically) that God Himself dwells, and it is
there that David was directing his worship. Though it would be his son Solomon that was
chosen to carry it out, the reason it was in Davids heart to build the temple for the Lord was
because he had seen the true temple in heaven and wanted a place on earth that emulated it.19
IV. SCRIPTURAL REFERENCES TO THE HEAVENLY TEMPLE
Before discussing how the Heavenly Temple relates to the revelation of the heavens already discussed and
ultimately what goes on inside its walls, its basic existence must be strengthened in our minds. As we will see,
Scripture has much to say about this most glorious of places. Three references come from the minor prophets:
A. Jonah
4
Then I said, I have been cast out of Your sight; yet I will look again toward Your holy temple. 5 The
waters surrounded me, even to my soul; the deep closed around me; Weeds were wrapped around my
head. 6 I went down to the moorings of the mountains; The earth with its bars closed behind me
forever; Yet You have brought up my life from the pit, O LORD, my God. 7 When my soul fainted
within me, I remembered the LORD; and my prayer went up to You, into Your holy temple. Jon 2:2-7
There are a number of reasons why this must be referring to the Heavenly Temple and not to the Temple
in Jerusalem.
1. First, II Kings 14:25 reveals that Jonahs ministry took place in general time period of 800 B.C.
This was during the era of the divided kingdom and as a prophet to Israel rather than Judah,
Jerusalem would not have been the focal point of Jonahs religious life.
2. Second, the preposition before the second reference (up) together with the striking reference to
Sheol and the deep in verses two and three, the deep closing around him in verse four, and the
moorings of the mountains in verse six all present a contrast on the cosmological spectrum
between Jonahs place in the lowest depths of the earth and Gods presence in the highest of
heavens in His holy temple.
3. Finally there is the parallel of verse one and verse seven in Jonahs prayer with Psalm 18:6, which
clearly refers to the Heavenly Temple. Though generations after David, Jonah also understood
that the ultimate temple was not in the rival city of Jerusalem but rather in the temple of God in
heaven.
election of the tribe of Judah). As a result the narrative seems to indicate that a semi-permanent structure was built to house the ark, therefore warranting the use of the
word on both physical and theological/historical grounds.
18
Though clearly the context of the passage and most importantly the presence of God clearly define it as a holy place, regardless of whether it is joined with this word
or not.
19
The story of David, His tabernacle, and his desire to build a permanent house for the LORD will be developed and substantiated later in the course

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B. Habakkuk
20
But the LORD is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before Him. Habakkuk 2:20
1. The pairing of words in Hebrew that are translated as holy temple corresponds to those seen in
the Davidic Psalms and Jonah.
2. Although the historical circumstances of Habakkuk make it plausible that this could have referred
to Solomons temple, when compared to the ways in which the term is used elsewhere in
Scripture it would stand as a significant aberration if this was in fact the prophets intent.20
3. The preceding context of Habakkuks statement also points to the conclusion that the Heavenly
Temple is in view. In verse 14 it is promised that the knowledge of the glory of the LORD will
fill the earth, followed by a denunciation of wickedness and idolatry, and then the charge for all
the earth to be silent before Him.
4. Therefore Habakkuk is looking to heaven where God sits enthroned in His sovereign power over
all the nations and not merely to the expression of His dwelling in Jerusalem and its uncertain fate
in light of impending Babylonian aggression (1:6-11).
5. Kenneth Barker comments on the passage:
the temple probably meant not only the temple in Jerusalem but also the heavenly sanctuary
(Mic. 1:2). From the heavenly temple, the Lord ruled over heaven and earth and received the
honor due him alone. The proper response to such a God who is enthroned above the Cherubim
is awed silence.21
C. Micah
Hear, all you peoples! Listen, O earth, and all that is in it! Let the Lord GOD be a witness against
you, the Lord from His holy temple. 3 For behold, the LORD is coming out of His place; He will come
down and tread on the high places of the earth. 4 The mountains will melt under Him, and the valleys
will split like wax before the fire, like waters poured down a steep place. Micah 1:2-4
Of the three surveyed so far, this amazing utterance requires the least analysis. Aside from the now
familiar mention of His holy temple in the second verse, all question marks are dispelled when Micah
prophesies of the Day of the LORD when God will arise and come down from His place to tread upon the
high places of the earth.
V. HIS HABITATION
This sobering, awe-inspiring image of God emerging from His Heavenly Temple and descending upon the nations
to render His judgment is further elaborated in a parallel passage from Micahs contemporary, Isaiah:
15
Look down from heaven, and see from Your habitation, holy and glorious1 Oh, that You would rend the
heavens! That You would come down! That the mountains might shake at Your presence2 As fire burns
brushwood, as fire causes water to boilTo make Your name known to Your adversaries, that the nations may
tremble at Your presence! 3 When You did awesome things for which we did not look, You came down, the
mountains shook at Your presence. Isaiah 63:15, 64:1-3
20
There is no instance when the coupling of Hebrew words that produces the rendering of holy temple clearly refers to the temple in Jerusalem or any other edifice on
earth. Furthermore, the occurrences of hk!l which do have a religious connotation in speaking of the temple on earth are all (without exception) used in the context of
an actual activity that is taking place in its precincts or in describing the construction of the physical anatomy of the structure. Thus if Habakkuk uses hk!l for
Solomons temple when the purpose is clearly to draw attention to the glorious presence of God, it would be the only such case in the entire Old Testament.
21
Kenneth L. Barker, vol. 20, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, electronic ed., Logos Library System; The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman &
Holman Publishers, 2001, c1999), 349.

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A. Focusing Our Vision

1. Alternative Descriptions
a. The remarkable symmetry from this passage at the close of the book of Isaiah provides an
important doorway into a series of verses that describe the Heavenly Temple.
b. It is clear upon comparison that the heavenly habitation of Isaiah 63:15 and the Heavenly
Temple of Micah 1:2 are synonymous. The Hebrew noun used in Isaiah 63 is found a mere
five times in the entire Old Testament but the point of relevance is that this very specific
place in view called the Heavenly Temple can be referred to in other ways.
c. For example, Habakkuk 2:20 also has an almost exact parallel in Zechariah 2:13:
Be silent, all flesh, before the LORD, for He is aroused from His holy habitation!
2. Specific References
a. This important link scripturally and conceptually allows for far greater clarity when the
sanctuary or habitation of God in heaven is mentioned by the biblical authors.
b. They were not throwing out generic terms for heaven but rather using very purposeful
language in order to direct attention to a specific place in the heavens synonymous with the
Heavenly Temple (but in most cases not synonymous with Heaven - i.e. the third heavens).
c. Yet how can heaven be referred to as the dwelling place of God (as demonstrated in the
previous session) and the heavenly sanctuary be described in the same way and the two not
be interchangeable?
d. Imagine beholding a scene where a certain man sits reading a book in a chair next to his bed.
Aware of this, you state that the man is in his house. Then someone else comes along and
says that the very same man is in his bedroom. Both statements are correct, and the man can
accurately be dwelling in his house and his bedroom, but that doesnt in any way make
house and bedroom synonyms.
e. Having our understanding sharpened on this point is so highly important because it allows us
to fix the descriptions offered of His sanctuary on high to a real locale, savor those details
through prayerful reflection, and apply their meaning related to worship.
B. The Heavenly Sanctuary
There are several Hebrew words that constitute the majority of occurrences of sanctuary or habitation
in English translations and do not evidence much difference in meaning when applied to the dwelling
place of God.22 Though in some select cases it is true that difficulty exists in determining precisely
whether the earthly or heavenly sanctuary is in view, context typically makes it quite clear. When the
ambiguous cases are removed, a total of ten distinct references to the Heavenly Temple emerge in the Old
Testament through the language of sanctuary (this does not include the references above where the word
temple is found).
15
Look down from Your holy habitation, from heaven, and bless Your people Israel and the land
which You have given us, just as You swore to our fathers, a land flowing with milk and honey.
Deuteronomy 26:15
22
Primarily qodesh, miqdash, ma`own

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26
So there was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the time of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel,
there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem. 27 Then the priests, the Levites, arose and blessed the
people, and their voice was heard; and their prayer came up to His holy dwelling place, to heaven. II
Chronicles 30:26-27
2
Hear the voice of my supplications when I cry to You, when I lift up my hands toward Your holy
sanctuary. Psalm 28:2
5
A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy habitation. 6 God sets the solitary
in families; He brings out those who are bound into prosperity; but the rebellious dwell in a dry land. ..
17
The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of thousands; the Lord is among them as
in Sinai, in the Holy Place 24 They have seen Your procession, O God, the procession of my God, my
King, into the sanctuary. Psalm 68:5-6, 17, 24
6
Honor and majesty are before Him; strength and beauty are in His sanctuary. Psalm 96:6
19
For He looked down from the height of His sanctuary; from heaven the LORD viewed the earth
Psalm 102:19
1
Praise the LORD! Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in His mighty firmament! Psalm 150:1
30
Therefore prophesy against them all these words, and say to them: The LORD will roar from on
high, and utter His voice from His holy habitation; He will roar mightily against His fold. He will give
a shout, as those who tread the grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth. Jeremiah 25:30
VI. A KING & HIS TEMPLE
A. The Heavenly Throne
1. A theme far more familiar than the Heavenly Temple is the heavenly throne. Psalm 103:19,
characteristic of many verses like it, declares:
The LORD has established His throne in heaven, His kingdom rules over all.
2. Nearly every time heaven was opened and men were given entrance into the majesty above the
experience included glimpses of Gods throne.
3. Echoing Isaiah 66:1, Jesus affirmed that heaven was the place of Gods throne (Matthew 5:34)
and the author of Hebrews states that Jesus ascended to the right hand of the throne of the
Majesty in the heavens (Hebrews 8:1). Thus the direct association between the throne of God and
its placement in heaven is clear biblically.
B. The Throne & the Temple
There is also a direct relationship biblically between the Heavenly Throne and the Heavenly Temple. At
least three times in the Psalter this relationship is established.
The LORD is in His holy temple, The LORDs throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids test
the sons of men. Psalm 11:4
1
Give unto the LORD, O you mighty ones, Give unto the LORD glory and strength. 2 Give unto the
LORD the glory due to His name; Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness. 3 The voice of the
LORD is over the waters; The God of glory thunders; The LORD is over many waters9 The voice of
the LORD makes the deer give birth, and strips the forests bare; and in His temple everyone says,

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Glory! 10 The LORD sat enthroned at the Flood, And the LORD sits as King forever. 11 The LORD
will give strength to His people; the LORD will bless His people with peace. Psalm 29:1-3, 9-1123
1
The LORD reigns, He is clothed with majesty; the LORD is clothed, He has girded Himself with
strength. Surely the world is established, so that it cannot be moved. 2 Your throne is established from
of old; You are from everlasting. 3 The floods have lifted up, O LORD, the floods have lifted up their
voice; the floods lift up their waves. 4 The LORD on high is mightier than the noise of many waters,
than the mighty waves of the sea. 5 Your testimonies are very sure; Holiness adorns Your house, O
LORD, forever. Psalm 93:1-5
1. With the possible exception of the reference in the eighteenth Psalm, Psalm 11:4 is the most overt
and indisputable acknowledgement of the Heavenly Temple in Davidic writings. And
remarkably, the way David expresses the location of the temple (hk!l) is by identifying it with
Gods throne in heaven.
2. Both of the other two passages look with awe upon Gods ancient, everlasting throne in heaven
and describe His dominion over all things as typified through His sovereignty over the flood.
3. And both set forth His temple, or house, as the place where He sits enthroned in His majesty.
Bearing resemblance to verses like Psalm 103:20-21 and Psalm 148:1-4, the first passage even
begins with an invocation for the angelic host to offer the praise to God which He is due.24
C. The One Who Dwells Between the Cherubim
1. Beyond these instances of direct relationship the unity of the throne and the temple on high is
established by implication through one of the primary ways Scripture describes Gods royal seat.
2. On numerous occasions in the Old Testament the LORD is described as being enthroned between
or upon the cherubim (see I Samuel 4:4; II Samuel 6:2, II Kings 19:15; Psalm 80:1; Psalm 99:1).
3. Once it is remembered that cherubim are consistently embedded deep within the imagery of the
dwelling place of God, the import of this way of referring to Gods throne becomes clear:
The cherubim are considered to be associated with the throne of a king, in this case with God the
king, but in the OT they also figure prominently and almost exclusively in both sanctuary and
temple (Ex 25:19; 26:31; I Ki 7:36; 8:6). Consequently, the heavenly throne of God, complete
with living cherubim, may be placed in a heavenly sanctuary, according to the OT.25
D. Beholding the Throne
As powerful as these descriptive portions of Scripture are, the force of the unity of temple and throne may
be more readily felt when considering passages that narrate the experience of someone actually beholding
it with their eyes. Up until this point the New Testament witness to the Heavenly Temple has not been
introduced, yet this is not due to a lack of relevant material. Nowhere is the Heavenly Temple revealed in
greater detail than the Book of Revelation.
There is no other place in the canons of either the Hebrew Bible or the New Testament where we get
such a vivid description of the Heavenly Temple.26
23
Together with Psalm 11:4 this completes the seven total references to the Heavenly Temple in the Psalms of David previously mentioned
24
It could be argued that when developed exegetically Psalm 103:19 has the context of the Heavenly Temple implied in its reference to the throne because of the
invocation that immediately follows it.
25
Niels-Erik Andreasen, The Heavenly Sanctuary in the Old Testament, in The Sanctuary and the Atonement, The Review and Herald Publishing Association,
Washington D.C. (need to put in Turabian format) See also David Noel Freedman, The Anchor Bible Dictionary (New York: Doubleday, 1996, c1992), 3:90.
26
John M. Lundquist, The Temple of Jerusalem: past, present, and future (Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers, 2008), p 225.

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1. Introducing the Temple in Revelation

a. In Revelation 11:19 John says that before his eyes the temple of God was opened in
heaven. Throughout the unfolding of the Apocalypse John continues to describe things that
transpire within the Heavenly Temple (15:5-8, 16:1, 17-18).
19
Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in
His temple. And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail.
Revelation 11:19
4
Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. For
all nations shall come and worship before You, For Your judgments have been
manifested. 5 After these things I looked, and behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the
testimony in heaven was opened. 6 And out of the temple came the seven angels having the
seven plagues, clothed in pure bright linen, and having their chests girded with golden
bands. 7 Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls
full of the wrath of God who lives forever and ever. 8 The temple was filled with smoke
from the glory of God and from His power, and no one was able to enter the temple till the
seven plagues of the seven angels were completed. Revelation 15:4-8
17
Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the
temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done! 18 And there were noises and
thunderings and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great
earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth. Revelation 16:17-18
b. While his view of the glorious sanctuary of God may have been unparalleled in it scope, what
should be apparent by now must be stressed: John was not seeing something novel.
Although clearly overwhelmed by the sight, John did not have to acclimate himself to the
idea of God dwelling in an actual temple in heaven.
2. Ancient Reality
a. Like all Jews of his time he believed in what Moses, David, Jonah, Isaiah, Micah, Habakkuk,
Jeremiah, and Zephaniah all testified to in very straightforward (but reverent) terms.27
b. Likewise, any ancient Jewish reader would have discerned the focus on the Heavenly Temple
even before an explicit reference to it because of the details John records after being
summoned through the door in heaven.
c. The breathtaking scene found in the fourth and fifth chapters of Revelation is riddled with
descriptions that would cause one well-versed in the Old Testament to recognize that John
was beholding the interior of the heavenly sanctuary.
d. And thus the centrality of the exalted throne of God throughout these two chapters
underscores the placement of the throne within the Heavenly Temple.
E. Conclusion
13
Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where
did they come from? 14And I said to him, Sir, you know. So he said to me, These are the ones who
come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the
Lamb. 15 Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And
27
Evidence for the extensive, if not ubiquitous, belief in the Heavenly Temple during Second Temple Judaism will be furnished in a different context.

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He who sits on the throne will dwell among them. 16 They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst
anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat Revelation 7:13-16
1. It would be difficult to imagine a clearer statement of the existence of the Heavenly Temple and
the location of the throne within it. And joined to these affirmations is the promise that those who
reside there will be occupied with the worship of Him day and night!28
2. We may unabashedly conclude: the Heavenly Temple is the Heavenly Throne-Room. There is no
distinction whatsoever between the two, and both refer to a vividly real, tangible locale.
3. The implications of this are simply staggering and if truly reckoned with would send shockwaves
through our theology of worship and our understanding of Gods government.
28
The word translated serve in verse 15 (latreuo) is a thoroughly priestly term that can be translated minister or worship.

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Session 05: The Heavenly Temple

I. DISTINGUISHING THE HOLY CITY FROM THE HEAVENLY TEMPLE
A. Introduction
1. Understanding the connection between throne and temple is enough to place the heavenly
sanctuary within the Holy City based on what Revelation 21-22 reveals about the placement of
the everlasting throne of God within the city. However, I believe it is accurate to assert that the
Heavenly Temple is actually located at the peak of the mountain-city.
2. While it doesnt necessarily alter its significance to view its position in a different manner, there
are biblical reasons that undergird this belief. Though, as stated before, we almost certainly do
not know even close to the majority of what there is to know about heaven, we are charged to
have as much clarity as possible on what has been revealed to us in the Lords wisdom.
3. As highly relevant as comprehending the Heavenly Temple truly is, fascination must supersede
function as our motivation for doctrinal acumen. This is the most dazzling place that exists, and
it is where our Beloved Jesus dwells right now.
4. Beyond its pertinence for the foundations of night and day prayer, this alone should cause us to
press past the unfamiliarity with these subjects and remain discontent until ambiguity is eclipsed
by lucidity related to Heavenly Temple.
B. Distinction
1. Different Entities
11
Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown. 12
He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no
more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New
Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new
name. Revelation 3:11-12
Before addressing the question of where the Heavenly Temple is located within the Heavenly
Jerusalem it must be clear why these are indeed different entities, as this passage points to.
a. Although we are clearly limited in our knowledge of the details of the Holy City and the
Heavenly Temple, we must think about both in concrete terms. They are real, physical places
and once we think about them in this manner it becomes clear that the descriptions the Bible
offers make it impossible to see them as synonymous.
b. Jesus is clear that in the Fathers House there are many dwelling places (John 14:2). Within
the Holy City is a vast infrastructure of streets, houses, rooms, etc. where the saints will live,
eat, work, and worship forever.
c. The LORD Himself dwells within the Holy City in His temple where He is enthroned.1 In the
previous session we have seen that this is called His habitation, or sanctuary.
d. When placed within the larger framework of the New Jerusalem we can see that this clearly
distinguishes it from our dwelling places. Our rooms are not to be confused with His room -
the majestic temple where He sits upon His throne.
1
It would be very strange for John to emphasize the fact that the throne of God and of the Lamb are within the city if the throne-room and the city were synonymous.

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Session 05: The Heavenly Temple PAGE 2
e. Finally, the specific descriptions of the city offered at the close of the book simply do not
correspond to the way the Heavenly Temple is depicted up until that point (the details of
which have yet to be developed).
2. Is the Holy City a Temple?
It is often noted that the dimensions of the Holy City resemble the cubical dimensions of the Holy
of Holies in Solomons Temple. As a result, the entire city has been said to be a temple. This
seems to be confirmed by the interesting notice in Revelation 21:22 in which John states that he
saw no temple in it. The conceptual question will be addressed first, then the exegetical one.
a. When considering that the temple does serve as the context for the dwelling of God with man
then it seems correct to think of the Heavenly Jerusalem as a temple in a sense, since it is
the abode of God and the perpetual home of the saints.
b. In this way the dimensions offered can be instructive in the way they evoke memories of the
construction of Solomons Temple (though it must be remembered that the city was
antecedent and not the other way around).
c. Still, the actual size of the city was not given so that we could deduce symbolic significance
from it, but rather so that the people of God would know the enormity of their future
residence and marvel with gratitude.
d. Maintaining this perspective on the limits of symbolism together with the fact that the city is
never referred to as a temple in a book that is filled with that theme is very important.
3. The Question of the Temple
But what then of the perplexing observation of John related to the absence of a temple within the
city? Doesnt this flatly contradict the notion that the Heavenly Temple exists within it?
The LORD is in His holy temple, The LORDs throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His
eyelids test the sons of men. Psalm 11:4
13
Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, Who are these arrayed in white robes, and
where did they come from? 14And I said to him, Sir, you know. So he said to me, These
are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them
white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him
day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them. 16 They
shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any
heat Revelation 7:13-16
a. When it comes to exegesis, context is everything. The larger picture painted by the Bible in
general, the book within which the passage occurs, and the immediate chapter must inform
the interpretation of the text and not simply the words that follow the superscripted number
on the page.
b. The Old Testament, other passages in the New Testament (c.f. Hebrews 9), and the book of
Revelation itself are all very clear that Gods throne is within the Heavenly Temple. If this
truth is clear (which it should be if we are cognizant of the rest of the Bible), then the
meaning of temple in the passage becomes very straightforward and the passage quite
simple to interpret.

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c. In context, John is not looking at the New Jerusalem in a chronological vacuum but rather at
the final consummation of the story when the great city will actually rest upon the earth
forever.
d. It has already been alluded to that the tabernacle or temple on earth was intended to be
patterned after a heavenly model. This was the dominant theological concept that stood
behind the Jewish understanding of the temple.
e. Thus, John is joyfully stating that there is no temple within it because the pattern upon
which all previous temples were based had finally arrived. His statement, therefore, was
pointing to the absence of the earthly temple because John was beholding the climactic
moment when the age of replication has ceased and the age of fulfillment has dawned at last.
f. The whole purpose of the earthly temple was to somehow attain and facilitate the presence of
God (who was in Heaven) on the earth. John is seeing the moment when the dwelling place
of God was coming to earth and therefore there was no need for the temple on the earth as it
has always existed.
g. This is why his words are immediately followed by, for the Lord God Almighty and the
Lamb are its temple. There would have been no meaning to this contrast if John had the
Heavenly Temple in view because it was well established in the Bible that the Heavenly
Temple already had the presence of the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb in it.
h. Yet precisely what the earthly city of Jerusalem (and the earth as a whole) lacked was the
presence of the Lord Himself in the temple, and thus the poignancy of the juxtaposition.
II. PLACING THE HEAVENLY TEMPLE WITHIN THE HOLY CITY
A. The Crown of the Cosmos
1. The Concept of Height
a. We must recall that the concept of height stood at the center of Jewish cosmology, with
ascending gradations being equated with greater holiness and increasingly exalted status.
b. As Richard Bauckham says, the Bible portrays God as the universal emperor, high on his
heavenly throne, inconceivably exalted above all he has created and rules.2
c. The pinnacle of exaltation would therefore correspond to the pinnacle of height. Based on
this broad framework of thought it would be expected that the unique habitation of God
would be at the peak of the Holy City, which itself is situated above the mid-heavens.
2. God Most High
a. Beginning in the book of Job there is testimony to the LORD dwelling in the highest of
places:
Is not God in the height of heaven? And see the highest stars, how lofty they are!...14
Thick clouds cover Him, so that He cannot see, and He walks above the circle of heaven.
Job 22:12, 14
2
Richard Bauckham, Jesus and the God of Israel, p 44-45

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b. It is not coincidental that the premier book of worship in the Bible also contains some of the
most potent revelations of Heaven. Just as we have already seen that the Psalter has much to
say about His throne and habitation, the Psalmists also stand in awe of the exalted height of
His dwelling place:
For He looked down from the height of His sanctuary; from heaven the LORD viewed the
earth Psalm 102:19
O LORD, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth, Who have set Your glory
above the heavens! Psalm 8:1
The LORD is high above all nations; His glory is above the heavens. 5 Who is like the
LORD our God, Who is enthroned on high, 6Who humbles Himself to behold the things
that are in heaven and in the earth? Psalm 113:4-6 NASB
c. Abiding in the height of His sanctuary, Gods glory is above even the rest of the heavens.
The final verse in that series is particularly potent in the way that it calls us to understand the
LORD as so highly exalted that He must humble Himself even to behold the lofty things in
the heavens.
d. Added to these statements would be those like Psalm 97:9 which declares, For You, LORD,
are most high above all the earth; You are exalted far above all gods. Throughout the
Psalms and elsewhere, Yahweh is often referring to as God Most High, or similar variants.3
e. In both cases it is clearly His exalted status and identity which is in view, but we note again
that in biblical thought and imagery this was synonymous with the supreme elevation of His
physical locale in the heavens.4
B. His Upper Chambers
Bless the LORD, O my soul! O LORD my God, You are very great: You are clothed with honor and
majesty, 2 Who cover Yourself with light as with a garment, Who stretch out the heavens like a curtain.
3
He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters, Who makes the clouds His chariot, Who
walks on the wings of the wind, 4 Who makes His angels spirits, His ministers a flame of fire. Psalm
104:1-4
The LORD God of hostsThe One who builds His upper chambers in the heavens Amos 9:5-6
1. Probing Deeper
a. While the richness of this remarkable Psalm (and it parallel in Amos) strikes the soul, its
precise meaning can appear elusive initially. What precisely are the upper chambers of the
LORD (referred to again in verse 13) and what does the perplexing reference to the beams
and waters refer to?
b. Hopefully the context now established allows for His upper chambers to be readily
understood as speaking of the Heavenly Temple. This almost makes the second question
more baffling until the context of biblical cosmology is recalled.
3
See Genesis 14:18, 19, 20, 21; Numbers 24:16; Deuteronomy 32:8; 2Samuel 22:14; Psalm 7:17; 9:2; 21:7; 46:4; 47:2; 50:14; 57:2; 73:11; 77:10; 78:17, 35, 56; 82:6;
83:19; 87:5; 91:1, 9; 92:1; 97:9; 107:11; Isaiah 14:14; Lamentations 3:35, 38
4
Here we must once more guard against the arrogance of simply acknowledging that this was the way the ancients conceived of Him, as though we are under no
obligation to agree. Their statements were not merely personal opinions that they sought to express to others, but rather what they understood to be the definitive truth
concerning God and His creation. In acknowledging the Holy Spirits work in the inspiration of Scripture we are submitting our reason to His wisdom and therefore
charged to understand reality in the way it is presented biblically.

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2. At the Fringes
a. In the beginning the LORD stretched out an expanse within the primordial waters to house
both the heavens and the earth. Outside of what we would term the visible universe and the
invisible (to us) heavens is water.
b. When thinking in vertical terms, this would mean that above the highest of heavens the
ancient waters dwell. Nothing exists above the beams of His upper chambers (literally the
physical structure that forms the roof of the Heavenly Temple) aside from those waters.
c. Thus as odd as it seems at first reading, this description actually confirms the placement of
His dwelling at the very summit of the heavens, on the very edges of all He has made.
3. Praise in the Highest Places
Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens; Praise Him in the heights! 2 Praise Him,
all His angels; Praise Him, all His hosts! 3 Praise Him, sun and moon; Praise Him, all stars of
light! 4 Praise Him, highest heavens, and the waters that are above the heavens! 5 Let them
praise the name of the Lord, For He commanded and they were created. 6 He has also
established them forever and ever; He has made a decree which will not pass away. Psalm
148:1-6 NASB
a. In a beautiful invocation for all of creation to praise Yahweh, Psalm 148:1-6 actually
summons these waters and those who abide near them to worship.
b. The Psalmist looks to the very highest of heavens and then to the waters that sit above,
calling them to join in the song of the cosmos.
III. THE UNIQUENESS OF THE HEAVENLY TEMPLE & THE PATTERN FOR WORSHIP
With the existence of the Heavenly Temple established and its relationship to the Holy City defined, we are now
prepared to advance toward more specific conclusions related to its bearing upon worship and prayer.
A. The Sanctuary of the King
Taken cumulatively the biblical witness compels us to understand Gods unique dwelling place as a
definitive locale called the Heavenly Temple that is found at the uppermost heights of the Holy City.
1. The Old Testament Witness to the Uniqueness of Gods Dwelling Place
a. Unlike all the cities of the earth, there is one great city that God Himself made. It is more vast
and more glorious than any creation of man and has an infrastructure fashioned by infinite
brilliance. Although throughout history men have attempted to construct a metropolis that
eclipses all others, there is simply nothing that compares to the city of God.
By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents
with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise; 10 for he was looking for the city
which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. Hebrews 11:9-10
b. We have gone a step further and seen that Scripture testifies to the truth that just as a king
would have his own special chambers within his castle, the LORD Himself has a sanctuary in
which He dwells within the vast mountain-city of His making.
17
You will bring them and plant them in the mountain of Your inheritance, the place, O
LORD, which You have made for Your dwelling, the sanctuary, O Lord, which Your hands
have established. 18 The LORD shall reign forever and ever. Exodus 15:17-18

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c. This passage from the song of Moses when Israel came through the Red Sea is one we will
return to often. It is one of the most significant verses about the temple in the Old Testament.
As the context indicates, it was interpreted in ancient Judaism as referring to the heavenly or
eschatological temple.
d. As was the case with the Holy City, throughout history men have built multitudes of temples
and places of worship, but there is only one sanctuary which the LORD Himself fashioned
with His own hands. It is unrivaled in the beauty and perfection of its design.
2. A House of His Own Making
The New Testament affirms and elaborates upon the truth of the uniqueness of the Heavenly
Temple in profound ways.
Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is
seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, 2 a Minister of the
sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man. Hebrews 8:1-2
11
But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect
tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. Hebrews 9:11
Our fathers had the tabernacle of testimony in the wilderness, just as He who spoke to Moses
directed him to make it according to the pattern which he had seen.However, the Most High
does not dwell in houses made by human hands Acts 7:44, 48
a. Often these passages are grossly misinterpreted by making the contrast between a physical
dwelling on the earth versus a spiritual/immaterial dwelling in heaven. Or, equally as
erroneous, they are used as the basis of drawing a contrast between the physical temple and
the spiritual temple of the Church.
b. In its Old Testament context, however, the contrast in each of these is between the physical
sanctuaries (including Israels) made by human hands and the physical structure in the third
heaven made (erected Hebrews 8:2) by His own hands.
The contrast expressed in Stephens speech is not one of temple and Christ or temple and
church; rather it is between a house made with hands and a house made without hands: a
contrast between the earthly temple and the heavenly temple (the latter being the pattern for
the former, Acts 7:44).5
c. At the towering summit of the New Jerusalem, made not with human hands but by God
Himself, He fashioned a majestic hall in which He would be enthroned forever.
B. Answering Questions
1. Now, with this uniqueness in mind and a clear foundation of the biblical revelation of heaven,
questions raised previously can be addressed. When Moses was on Mount Sinai he saw
something that he was commanded to replicate through the building of the tabernacle in order that
God might dwell among His people. In the second session the question was posed, what did
Moses actually see?
5
Martin, Ralph P. ; Davids, Peter H.: Dictionary of the Later New Testament and Its Developments. electronic ed. Downers Grove, IL : InterVarsity Press, 2000, c1997

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2. It was asserted that in the answer to this question lies the significance of the revelation of heaven
and the foundation of ministry to the LORD on the earth. Moses saw the Heavenly Temple, and it
was this matchless place specifically (and not the New Jerusalem or the heavens generally) that
all of the dwelling places on the earth were to be patterned after. Tabernacles and temples made
by human hands were all designed to mimic the one in the highest of heavens built by His hands.
C. The Worship of Heaven
1. We have allowed the truths scattered throughout Scripture to guide us to the base of the Holy City
and turned eyes of faith upward until its soaring heights reach their peak. With wonder we have
gazed at the celestial pinnacle and beheld a Temple there.
2. At the summit of all things, in the lofty fringes of the universe where time and the everlasting
mingle, He sits enthroned in His resplendent palace. Now we must permit the words of the
sacred text to lead us within His upper chambers and look upon what transpires within those
walls.
3. We can only imagine the time required for the ascent through over a thousand miles of the
cascading tiers within the Holy City. Yet it would matter not when we arrived, for the LORD
never slumbers or sleeps and those who surround Him do not rest day or night. Drawing near at
last we would begin to hear echoes of a thunderous song that has resonated through His lofty hall
for ages, rising up to the beams that sit in the cosmic waters: Holy, Holy, Holy is the LORD GOD
Almighty
IV. PEERING INTO THE HEAVENLY TEMPLE
A. A Revelation of the Heavenly Temple
1
If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the
right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you died, and
your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear
with Him in glory. Colossians 3:1-4
17
that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and
revelation in the knowledge of Him, 18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may
know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19
and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of
His mighty power 20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at
His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all principality and power and might and dominion,
and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. Ephesians 1:17-21
1. Moving From Concept to Reality
a. Even with the careful preparation taken to avoid such an effect, we are still in peril of peering
within the Heavenly Temple similar to the way someone reads a fairy tale it is of great
interest, even intriguing, but not devastatingly real.
b. The derangement of sin is such that as men run to and fro throughout the earth few possess
any cognizance of the highest of heavens where God dwells. Yet as orphans languish, as
rulers conspire, and as the poor faint for bread, and the righteous yearn for their King, there is
a real place where the unending cries of the living creatures are echoing and elders are
falling.

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c. We need a revelation of the throne room and a vision of God in His glorious habitation. The
experiences of our senses seem so dominant and forceful but in truth what our eyes can see
and our fingertips can feel is all so feeble and frail. It is a vapor that vanishes and grass that
withers.
d. By the Spirit we must reorient our perspective to where we are deeply aware that when
beholding the celestial landscape we are looking upon the unshakeable, immovable rock of
certitude the center of reality. Though we must be faithful to fix our mind upon this scene,
this is not a transition that can occur merely through intellectual exertion. Our foundation
must be laid and our plumb line set by the revelation of the Holy Spirit.
2. Changing Our Perspective
Acquiring living understanding of the Heavenly Temple begins with changing the way we think
and approaching the subject in very concrete ways in our hearts and minds. There are three ways
to consider the Heavenly Temple that will aid in beginning this process.
B. Thinking About the Heavenly Temple Physically
1. The Size
a. Though uncertain, it would seem probable that the Heavenly Sanctuary contains within it
multiple chambers.6 Among the reasons for the idea of plurality is its sheer magnitude. As
the focus moves increasingly to specificities we must not allow the overwhelming enormity
of Gods dwelling on high to drift from our perspective.
b. Even if the peak of the Holy City narrowed to ten-percent of its base, the interior of the
Heavenly Temple would be approximately one-hundred and forty miles in both length and
width (if square), or roughly twenty-thousand square miles. This would be about the size of
Massachusetts and Vermont combined.7
c. If the peak of the Holy City narrowed to five-percent of its base, the interior of the Heavenly
Temple would still be approximately seventy miles in both length and width (if square), or
four-hundred and ninety square miles. This is roughly comparable to the land mass of the
entire city of Los Angeles, California with all of its millions of inhabitants.
d. Of course this is entirely speculative but it hints at the grandeur of what is before us. Why
such a colossal scale? Though the Heavenly Temple is specifically the abode of the Godhead
and not the angelic host or the redeemed, all of His servants will congregate there many times
throughout the ages of eternity.
e. We will convene from throughout the rest of the New Jerusalem and indeed the New Earth in
its entirety to magnify His glory with one accord and celebrate His manifold works.8 In
short, it is the worship center of the universe and when the LORD proclaims a festal
gathering He will have a very large family to accommodate.
6
This assumption is due largely to the size of the Heavenly Temple and the specific description offered in Isaiah of the doorposts, etc. There is also some support for
this is the writings of Second Temple Judaism.
7
Even if the view was adopted that the City-Mountain was approximately 320 miles on its sides, the same ratio would translate into an enormous area of nine square
miles.
8
That this is indeed the case is indicated by the role the Temple played in the national life of Israel as well as the clear depiction of the Heavenly Sanctuary as a place of
assembly for countless angels in the Book of Revelation

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2. The Expanse
6
Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. Revelation 4:6
2
And I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire Revelation 15:2
a. The size also contextualizes one of the first features of the scene that begs for explanation,
namely how could there be a sea within the structure of the Temple?9 Stretching out before
the throne, the floor of the Heavenly Sanctuary is a majestic, shimmering surface John
describes as the sea of glass like crystal.
b. Within the scriptural witness there are only two other men who record a glimpse of this, both
of which lived long before John and yet used strikingly similar language to covey what they
experienced.
c. When Moses and the elders of Israel ascended Sinai they looked and beheld a paved work of
sapphire stone, and it was like the very heavens in its clarity.10 Ezekiel describes the
likeness of an expanse, shining like awe-inspiring crystal.11
d. Like the fourth chapter of Revelation, both of these encounters include a dramatic revelation
of the throne of God, for indeed they are all referring to the same place.12
e. The final chapter of the Psalter begins with a summons to worship that is directed to those
assembled upon the shining celestial sea: Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary;
Praise Him in His mighty expanse.13 The Hebrew word for expanse (raqiya`) is identical to
that used in Ezekiel 1:22.
f. Its pairing with the sanctuary of God in this remarkable invocation leaves little doubt that it is
the crystal sea which the Psalmist has in view. Imagining the brilliant deep blue firmament
receding beyond our sight as it extends for mile after mile at the upper reaches of the
Heavenly Mountain, mighty surely seems like a fitting word.
So first, where he is to be praised. Praise God in his sanctuarythe word for God is not
the usual Hebrew word, elohim. Instead, the word is el, as in names like Immanuel, God
with us, or Gabriel, mighty man of God. El signifies the high God, the creator God, who
dwells in the uttermost height of heaven. The sanctuary refers not to the place where we
praise God, but rather to the place where God receives praise, that is, the heavenly
sanctuary, the divine throne-room, revealed to Moses as a pattern for the earthly sanctuary.14
C. Thinking About the Heavenly Temple Relationally
1. The Heavenly Temple is a real place, where the LORD sits on an actual throne, surrounded by a
vivid scene that He looks at all the time. God actually lives there, like you and I live in a house,
only He has never moved and doesnt have any plans of leaving.
2. To crystallize the permanence and significance of the Heavenly Temple in our hearts, let us
consider the story of Jesus. The LORD, of course, has no beginning and no end. Together with the
Father and the Spirit He is gloriously eternal and free from the boundaries of age.
9
!"#"$$"% simply means sea and cannot be construed otherwise. Thus the size cannot realistically be disputed.
10
Exodus 24:10. The heavens of course speaks of the sky, thus the NASB rendering: as clear as the sky itself.
11
Ezekiel 1:22 ESV
12
Just how it was that Ezekiel and Moses were peering within the Heavenly Temple will be reserved for a different context.
13
Psalm 150:1 NASB
14
David Mitchell, Psalm 150: The Psalms as Musical Worship

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3. Yet let us suppose that it was approximately six-thousand years ago that out of the joyful solitude
of Trinitarian existence, God created the heavens and the earth. Of those six-thousand years,
Jesus has spent about 5,967 (or 99.5%) of them in the Heavenly Sanctuary.
4. And aside from a thousand year stint in Jerusalem during the Millennial Kingdom, He will spend
the billions of years to come occupying the same place. How do you think Jesus feels about that
place?
D. Thinking About the Heavenly Temple Aesthetically
15
Look down from heaven and see, from your holy and beautiful habitation. Where are your zeal and
your might?... Isaiah 63:15 (ESV)
Honor and majesty are before Him; strength and beauty are in His sanctuary. Psalm 96:6
1. If the LORD took such care to ensure that our habitation on the earth was replete with astonishing
beauty, what might the palace that His own hands fashioned as His everlasting abode look like?
2. And if fallen humanity invests great time and cost into decorating homes so they are pleasing to
the eye, how much more the supreme Artist for His own dwelling? God did not relegate beauty to
the periphery of the universe or only to the domain of His image-bearers. At the center of it all, in
the uppermost heights of Heaven, is the apex of aesthetics.15
3. Beauty in all its myriad forms can be traced to that towering mountain-city because enthroned at
its uppermost heights is the majestic King in all His splendor. He is the Maker of all things, and
He is the fountain from which all beauty springs.
4. When we are looking at God of jasper and sardius seated upon His throne, we are seeing the
architect of anatomy, the maker of music, and the creator of crisp Autumn days. The lavish feast
the LORD set before our senses through His creation screams volumes about who He is and what
He is like, and we must listen and be wise.
5. Mending this breach in our hearts between the Sovereign Creator upon His throne and the
splendor of His handiwork will carry us much closer to the reality of the scene in the Heavenly
Temple. There is simply no one like God He is the origin of all beauty and the loveliest of all.
6. The Heavenly Temple is Gods own habitation, and it is the most beautiful place that exists. If we
could look inside the Heavenly Temple, it would shatter all of our pale, insipid imaginations and
strip our tongue of speech.
7. Within those vast walls is a dazzling tapestry of form, color, sound, light, and life that utterly
defies our ability to envisage. Everything there is perfectly pleasing to the LORD and in total
conformity to His boundless brilliance of design. To stand upon the sea of glass and look around
would be to have your senses completely overwhelmed, before you even looked at Him.
V. THE WORSHIP OF HEAVEN
A. Introduction
1. The first task in exploring heavenly worship is to underscore, both biblically and historically, the
truth that the Heavenly Temple is a place of ministry to the LORD. All of us would likely affirm
the idea that in some way or another God is worshipped in Heaven. After all, isnt that what you
do in temples?
15
Aesthetics generally refers to the study or philosophy of beauty.

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2. This is a good starting point, but generalities wont do if you are giving your life to something.
We need the centrality of worship in the Heavenly Temple crystallized in our minds so that we
might have deep convictions in our hearts. In order to do this we will look with greater depth at
the subject of angels.
3. Worship, of course, is not an abstract atmosphere it requires participants. By seeing how
angels are clearly presented in a role of worship in Heaven our perspective on what transpires
inside the Heavenly Sanctuary will be greatly sharpened.
B. Angelic Worship in the Old Testament
Angels are primarily depicted in the Bible as messengers who do the bidding of God. While it would be
exaggerated, therefore, to claim that their role as worshippers is predominantly focused upon in Scripture,
we will see it is not too much to say that it is a very significant theme.
1. Historical Writings
Job 38:7 is the first explicit reference to angelic worship, describing the joyful praise given to
God at the laying of the foundations of the earth.16 Moving canonically, the next book offers a
rich witness to this reality.
2. The Psalms
a. The book of Psalms does this largely by invocations rather than descriptions. Angels are not
seen worshipping, per se, but are called upon do so, which of course reveals their created
purpose. In two of these (Psalm 103:19-22, 104:1-4) the angels are referred to as ministers,
a term used of the Levites and Priest in their special vocation of worship before the LORD.17
19
The LORD has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all. 20
Bless the LORD, you His angels, who excel in strength, who do His word, heeding the
voice of His word. 21 Bless the LORD, all you His hosts, you ministers of His, who do His
pleasure.22 Bless the LORD, all His works, in all places of His dominion. Bless the LORD,
O my soul! Psalm 103:19-22
1 Bless the LORD, O my soul! O LORD my God, You are very great: You are clothed
with honor and majesty, 2 Who cover Yourself with light as with a garment, Who stretch
out the heavens like a curtain. 3 He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters,
Who makes the clouds His chariot, Who walks on the wings of the wind, 4 Who makes His
angels spirits, His ministers a flame of fire. Psalm 104:1-4
b. Perhaps the most dramatic of these invocations from the Psalter we have already seen but
revisit it here because of its great relevance. Note the way in which this passage links the
ministry of the angels with their position in the highest heavens:
Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens; Praise Him in the heights! 2 Praise
Him, all His angels; Praise Him, all His hosts! 3 Praise Him, sun and moon; Praise Him,
all stars of light! 4 Praise Him, highest heavens, and the waters that are above the heavens!
5
Let them praise the name of the Lord, For He commanded and they were created. 6 He
has also established them forever and ever; He has made a decree which will not pass
away. Psalm 148:1-6 NASB
16
Though it may not be apparent upon first reading, it is very clear from looking at the way the phrase sons of God is used elsewhere in Scripture and its context in
Job that this passage refers to angels. The NRSV and NIV reflect this by translating the phrase heavenly beings and angels respectively.
17
See also Hebrews 1:7

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3. Prophetic Literature
a. The final example from the Old Testament to be considered is drawn from the prophet
Daniel. In the remarkable vision found in the seventh chapter, Daniel says:
A fiery stream issued and came forth from before Him. A thousand thousands ministered
to Him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him...18
b. This dramatic picture of the vast scale of angelic worship is strikingly echoed in two passages
from Revelation:
Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living
creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand,
and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice: Worthy is the Lamb who was
slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and glory and
blessing!Revelation 5:11-12
All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell
on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying: Amen! Blessing and glory
and wisdom, thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and
ever. Amen. Revelation 7:11-12
c. In piercing, vivid fashion all three of these texts attest to the importance of worship in the
identity and function of the angelic host. The extent to which they shed light on the activity of
the Heavenly Temple is less certain.
d. Despite their similarities, the marked differences in the chapters from which the passages are
drawn support the position that the scene described in Daniel transpires in the Second
Heavens, whereas the context for those from Revelation is unquestionably the Heavenly
Sanctuary.19
e. Although the physical setting for the three scenes may differ, it would seem that all have a
similar chronological setting. This eschatological backdrop means it is difficult to determine
what elements of Revelation 5:11-12 and 7:11-12 can be considered a reflection of what is
normal around His throne.
C. Angelic Ministry in the New Testament
1. General
a. Approaching the New Testament more broadly, it is not long in the gospel narratives before
an instance of this theme is found. Appropriately, the birth of Christ was the occasion for a
multitude of the heavenly host to be found praising God and giving Him glory.20 The
author of Hebrews further informs this moment: And again, when he brings the firstborn
into the world, he says, Let all Gods angels worship him.21
18
Daniel 7:10
19
I would still maintain (as in Chapter 3) that the scene in Daniel 7 is not synonymous with Revelation 4 or Isaiah 6 and instead depicts the eschatological session of
judgment (see Revelation 12) that occurs in the Second Heavens. The strength of Daniel 7:10 in this context is that it does clearly portray a great host of angels
ministering to God on His chariot-throne which definitely leads to the conclusion that they would be in the same posture before His immovable throne.
20
See Luke 2:13
21
Hebrews 1:6 ESV

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b. The way this passage reveals Christ as the object of angelic worship is stunning, but should
not be surprising. For thousands of years at that point the angels had been worshipping the
Son of God in the Heavenly Temple, and thus it was quite fitting that they would continue to
do so at His entrance into the world.
2. The Festal Gathering
a. Continuing in Hebrews, chapter twelve offers the clearest testimony to the heavenly worship
of the angels in the New Testament outside of the Book of Revelation:
But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly
Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering. Hebrews 12:22
b. Used only here in the entire New Testament, the Greek word at the end of the sentence
literally means a national feast or celebration, usually religious in nature. By setting the
passage in context it is plain that the author of Hebrews very clearly intends the vast number
of angels to be understood as gathered for worship.
c. Verses 18-21 describe the coming of the people of God to Sinai, which is then contrasted in
verses 22-24 with the way individuals in the New Covenant come by faith to the heavenly
Mt. Zion, the city of the Living God. Consider the following passages describing the impetus
for the journey to Sinai from Egypt:
And He said, Certainly I will be with you, and this shall be the sign to you that it is I who
have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God at
this mountain They will pay heed to what you say; and you with the elders of Israel will
come to the king of Egypt and you will say to him, The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has
met with us. So now, please, let us go a three days journey into the wilderness, that we may
sacrifice to the LORD our God. Exodus 3:12, 18 NASB
And afterward Moses and Aaron came and said to Pharaoh, Thus says the LORD, the God
of Israel, Let My people go that they may celebrate a feast to Me in the wilderness.
Exodus 5:1 NASB
Moses said, We shall go with our young and our old; with our sons and our daughters,
with our flocks and our herds we shall go, for we must hold a feast to the LORD. Exodus
10:9 NASB
d. Like the other elements in this biblical paragraph, the festal gathering in Heaven is being
contrasted with something. As these excerpts from the Exodus narrative demonstrate, the
children of Israel were being summoned to Sinai for a national religious festival. And as the
verses from chapter three make so clear, this feast in the wilderness was first and foremost a
matter of worship.
e. The implications of this direct parallel on the understanding of the Heavenly Temple are quite
remarkable. When Israel went out to Sinai to worship the LORD it was a reflection on earth
of the convocation of worship in the heavenly Zion. As we have seen previously, all of the
elements in this passage that believers are said to approach by faith in the New Covenant are
present-tense realities.
f. The festal gathering of worship by innumerable angels is therefore happening right now just
as much as Jesus is presently the mediator of the New Covenant. Here in one of the most
potent revelations of the Holy City in the New Testament, we find what may be the most
direct canonical affirmation that the Heavenly Temple is perpetually filled with thousands
upon thousands of worshipping angels.

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Session 06: The Worship of Heaven

I. OVERVIEW OF ANGELIC WORSHIP (CONT)
A. Jewish Tradition
1. Specificity
a. Perhaps above anything else what is striking about the way the worship of the angels of
Heaven is spoken of during the Second Temple period is how detailed the descriptions are.
b. For us who are so accustomed to thinking of Heaven in such vague terms, their specificity is
arresting. Assumed, of course, in the precision of the accounts of worship is the utter
physicality of the Heavenly Temple. It was overwhelmingly understood as a heavenly
archetype of the earthly temple with very direct correspondence in terms of what was found
there and its concreteness.
c. Among all of the references in the Second Temple period to the Heavenly Temple, only Philo
of Alexandria describes the Heavenly Temple as the cosmos (or the heavens).1 It is important
to remember that Philo intentionally set out to assimilate the Jewish faith and Platonic
philosophy. The philosophical constructs that dominated his worldview made it impossible
for him to take the Heavenly Temple literally.
2. Second Temple View of Heavenly Worship
Specifically regarding angels and their worship, we may summarize the following from the
writings of the Second Temple period:
a. The angelic hosts are ministers in Gods Temple in Heaven who sing to Him and give Him
praise.2
b. This worship is continual, occurring always, and not ceasing even through the night.3
c. There is a fully developed liturgy in the Heavenly Temple in which the angels participate and
lead.4
d. The angels were divided into various ranks and classes and the position in the hierarchy in
some cases dictates their role in the worship of Heaven.
e. In some writings even asserted that there was special dialect that angels used to worship in
Heaven.5
3. A Glimpse Into Angelic Worship
a. Irrespective of the extent to which these views are correct, the fact that the Jewish people
understood the revelation found in our Old Testament to provide the basis for belief in a real,
concrete Temple in Heaven and a great entourage of angels who worship there cannot be
missed.
1
It is important to remember that Philo intentionally set out to assimilate the Jewish faith and Platonic philosophy. The philosophical constructs that dominated his
world view made it impossible for him to take the Heavenly Temple literally.
2
I Enoch 61:9, 12; II Enoch 20:4, 21:1; Apocalypse of Abraham 18:1-4, 11-12
3
See Jubilees 30:14, I Enoch 14:21-23, I Enoch 39:12, II Enoch 21:1Testament of Levi 3:4-8
4
See in particular The Book of Jubilees and the Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice
5
T. Job 48-50, Apocalypse of Zephaniah 8:4. We may see hints of this in Pauls statement in I Corinthians 13:1.

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Session 06: The Worship of Heaven PAGE 2
b. One of the most striking examples of this is the Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice, a document
found in the Dead Sea Scrolls of the Qumran Community. Composed sometime prior to 100
B.C., the work presents an angelic liturgy in thirteen distinct cycles or songs. The following
summary of the middle portion of these cycles captures the heart of how vividly the Heavenly
Temple and its worship was viewed:
Songs 68 differ strikingly. Characterized by repetitious formulas in which the number seven
figures prominently, the sixth and eighth songs enumerate the praises and blessings uttered
by the seven chief and deputy princes respectively. The central, seventh song elaborates the
initial call to praise into a series of seven increasingly elaborate calls to praise addressed to
each of the seven angelic councils. After these calls to praise the song then describes the
heavenly temple itself bursting into praise, concluding with a description of the chariot
throne of God and the praise uttered by multiple attendant chariot thrones (merkabot), their
cherubim and wheels (!ophann"m). The seventh song serves as an anticipation of the final
group of songs (913), which progressively describe the heavenly temple and its praises,
culminating in an extended description of the divine chariot throne and the angelic high
priests in their priestly robes.6
c. Not only should texts such as these strengthen our confidence in interpreting the Old
Testament in the same literal manner, but also cause us to realize that the perspective found in
the writings of the Second Temple period was the seedbed of thought for both the authors and
hearers of the New Testament.
d. It is both possible and necessary to identify the points of similarity that Hebrews and
Revelation share with the view of the Heavenly Temple and its worship found in the
Pseudepigrapha without blurring the stark line in our hearts between that which is inspired of
the Spirit and that which is not.
e. The LORD is sovereign over the contours of Israels history, and His heavy hand of
providence present in the canonization process made use of it rather than obliterating it.
4. Shaping Our Perspective
a. One of the most dynamic and influential insights from this period, which seems well-founded
biblically, was the conclusion that the priests and Levites who served in the temple in
Jerusalem corresponded to the angels who ministered in the temple in the heavenly
Jerusalem.
b. This exegetical conclusion was a key that opened the door for Gods commandments
concerning the priesthood on earth to inform the picture of the heavenly priesthood.
c. Regardless of the exact details, this vein of tradition challenges us to break from very narrow,
stagnant views of what perpetual worship in the Heavenly Temple may be like. We must
accommodate in our thoughts the possibility, and even likelihood, that within the unyielding
constancy there is variety, creativity, and spontaneity.
d. Are there times of the day when attendance in the Heavenly Temple swells? Do certain days
of the week have special significance there? Are there convocations during the year when all
the angels and saints are summoned to the sapphire expanse? Do some angels have specific
roles and assignments in the symphony of worship in Heaven? What part might you play?
6
C.A. Newsom writing in Porter, Stanley E.; Evans, Craig A.: Dictionary of New Testament Background : A Compendium of Contemporary Biblical Scholarship.
electronic ed. Downers Grove, IL : InterVarsity Press, 2000.

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II. BIBLICAL SUMMARY OF HEAVENLY WORSHIP

It is important to keep in mind premises established earlier in the course. When we are looking at these qualities,
we are beholding the pattern of worship that God desires to be established on the earth.
A. Melodiously
1. Heaven the Home of Music
a. Christian Rosetti, a poet of the 19the century, said Heaven is revealed to earth as the
homeland of music.7 Three accounts of the liturgy of the Heavenly Sanctuary in particular
form the foundation for the first feature of heavenly worship to be considered. All are found
in Revelation:
Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell
down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are
the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song Revelation 5:8
And I heard the sound of harpists playing their harps. 3 They sang as it were a new song
before the throne, before the four living creatures, and the elders; and no one could learn
that song except the hundred and forty-four thousand who were redeemed from the earth.
Revelation 14:2-3
And I saw something like a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who had been victorious
over the beast and his image and the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass,
holding harps of God. 3 And they sang the song of Moses, the bond-servant of God, and
the song of the Lamb Revelation 15:2-3
b. The fact that the Bible so clearly places songs and instruments around the throne of God must
not be viewed merely as an interesting fact, but as a theological epiphany that inflicts a blow
to our hearts from which we never hope to recover.
c. What does it say about God that in His sovereign freedom He could have had it any way He
desired and we find that He chose to have melody filling His governmental palace? Of all the
things that He could have employed creatures and servants to do, He fashions them and then
commands them to sing and play. The ramifications of this are far-reaching.
2. Our Maker & Our Design
a. The reason we are so moved by music and drawn to it is not because of an aberration from
our design caused by sin. The magnetism to melody is due, rather, to the truth that our Maker
is the author of music.
b. God enjoys music, we are made in His image, and so we have the capacity to enjoy and make
music. Zephaniah 3:17 describes how Yahweh will sing when He comes to Zion at the end of
the age: The LORD your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over
you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.
c. One of the massive applications of this truth is that we do not include music in our worship
on earth because it makes it easier or more exciting but because it is integrally woven into the
fabric of Gods desire and design for it.
7
Quoted in the article by David MacLeod, The Adoration of God the Creator: An Exposition of Revelation 4, Bibliotheca Sacra 164 (April-June 2007), 198.

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d. There is not a heightened level of holiness attained or perseverance points earned when we
try to praise or pray without music. The LORD has joined music and devotion and foolish is
the man who seeks to separate them.
B. Antiphonally
1. Introduction
Antiphonal means to answer responsively, and although even in the modern era it is deeply
embedded in the liturgy of the Catholic Church (as it has been for fifteen-hundred years) it is
virtually unknown in Protestantism. It is, however, no stranger to the heavenly order of worship.
2. Antiphonal Worship in the Heavenly Temple
a. In several of the accounts of heavenly worship we find a very clear presence of response
between the characters involved in the ministry around the throne. The first comes from
Isaiah and the prophets description of the seraphim:
...I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the
temple. 2 Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face,
with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one cried to another and said:
Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!
b. Here we draw attention to the fact that the seraphim are crying out to one another. The
burning ones utter declarations of His glory responsively as they hover around the throne of
God. The parallel scene in Revelation 4 does not include the antiphonal interaction between
the seraphim but does present a dynamic relationship of response between the seraphim and
the elders:
9
Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the
throne, who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits
on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before
the throne, saying: 11 You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for
You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created. Revelation 4:9-11
c. It is the proclamation from the seraphim that incites a response of praise in the elders, causing
them to fall down before God and laud His worthiness. Even with their own unhindered
vision of God, the elders see and experience something unique of the glory of God through
the praise of the seraphim.
d. The pattern of response is also found in Revelation 7:9-12 when all of the angels, and living
creatures fall down in worship before God because of the praise of the great multitude who
has come up from the tribulation.
e. It is clear that the two respective acts of adoration are deeply interrelated from the way verse
12 begins with an emphatic Amen! The normal participants in the heavenly symphony are
overwhelmed by the praise coming forth from those who have joined them in the Heavenly
Temple and they cry out in agreement.
3. Climatic Scene
a. A final instance of antiphonal worship comes from one of the climatic scenes in Revelation
and in the Bible as a whole:

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After these things I heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, Alleluia!
Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God! 2 For true and
righteous are His judgments, because He has judged the great harlot who corrupted the
earth with her fornication; and He has avenged on her the blood of His servants shed by
her. 3 Again they said, Alleluia! Her smoke rises up forever and ever! 4 And the twenty-
four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sat on the
throne, saying, Amen! Alleluia! 5 Then a voice came from the throne, saying, Praise
our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both small and great! 6 And I
heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the
sound of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! 7
Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and
His wife has made herself ready. Revelation 19:1-7
b. A careful look at this dramatic passage reveals there are three distinct players in the
crescendo of worship being depicted. Chapter 19 begins with the voice of a great multitude of
the redeemed praising God for the destruction of the great harlot in two successive utterances.
c. At this the four living creatures and the elders fall down once more and cry Amen!
Alleluia!. Then a voice originating from the throne issues a grand call to worship, and the
entire Heavenly Temple erupts in thunderous, jubilant praise.
4. Order
a. With the reality of antiphonal worship in Heaven established, the looming question of why
still remains. It happens over and over again in the worship of heaven, but what is the point?
b. Of one thing we can be sure it isnt random. There is a specific order of worship in Heaven,
and that order has a design. Understanding this gives us confidence to reproduce it on the
earth even when we have not yet discovered Gods wisdom in ordaining it to the extent we
desire.
C. Prayerfully
1. The Prayers of the Heavenly Temple
a. A revelation of the Heavenly Temple explains why worship and prayer must always be
inextricably bound together.
8
Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders
fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which
are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying Revelation 5:8
b. Several chapters later a more detailed picture of this reality is found:
Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given
much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden
altar which was before the throne. 4 And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the
saints, ascended before God from the angels hand. 5 Then the angel took the censer, filled
it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth. And there were noises, thunderings,
lightnings, and an earthquake. Revelation 8:3-5

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2. Prayer & Worship

a. The King is enthroned in the place where He is worshipped incessantly. His sovereign rule
over heaven and earth proceeds forth from His glorious temple; His everlasting decrees are
uttered in the midst of the never-ending choirs of angels and the cries of the living creatures.8
b. In intercession we are beseeching Him and partnering with Him in His desire to release His
power and accomplish His purposes; in worship we are lauding Him and extolling His great
worth. The two go hand in hand, just as the picture of the elders indicates.
3. The Prayers of the Saints
a. It is difficult to exaggerate the magnificence of what emerges upon careful examination of the
disclosures we possess related to this theme. In both Revelation 5 and Revelation 8, the
intercession that fills the Heavenly Temple originates from the saints.
b. Prayer and worship are inseparable in the Sanctuary of God, but it is the weak groans, tears,
and petitions uttered on the earth that accompanies the angelic worship. There is no indication
biblically that the privilege of intercession is bestowed upon any creature besides the ones
made in the image of God.9
c. Prayer is a human endeavor, birthed in the Divine heart. As the angelic host stand before the
throne in festal array, stretching off in the distance row after row, not one dares to break rank
and file and approach the throne in order to ask for something.
d. Ancient as the mountains and without sin, yet they do not request anything of the One upon
whom they gaze. And we who are as fleeting as the flowers of the field and the mist of the
morning, so broken and fractured by sin, have longings whispered as we go to and fro
throughout our day carried into His very presence for His consideration.
e. For while the angels themselves do not pray, some of them are responsible for presenting our
intercession before Him, as the scenes from Revelation indicate.10Although our prayers leave
our mouths and seem to vanish into the air, in truth they find a physical, sacramental
representation in the Heavenly Temple in the form of incense.11
4. The Incense of Prayer
a. All major translations insert the word with in Revelation 8:3-4: He was given much
incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which
was before the throne. 4 And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints,
ascended before God from the angels hand.
b. Although it is not in the original Greek text they do this because the idea that incense is the
prayers of the saints seems difficult to digest conceptually. This, however, is not the best
translation, as renowned Greek scholar Robert Mounce clarifies:
8
From this truth it would be theologically accurate to derive the terms governmental intercession or governmental worship. Yet it must be understood that what is in
view here is far removed from the fleeting governmental structures of men, and the legitimacy or extent of Christian influence in those spheres does not find any basis
in this revelation. The validity of the latter must be established on other grounds.
9
In I Enoch 15 a fallen angel is rebuked for not making intercession, which would imply that angels are supposed to do that ideally. However there is reasonable cause
to see the section as a symbolic polemic against the priests in Jerusalem, in which case the author would actually be launching criticism against a human figure. Either
way, this still does not establish the idea biblically, which is the key issue. There is also biblical basis for angelic figures bringing an accusation against someone in the
divine council of the second heavens but this is very different than the ministry of intercession or petition.
10
There is also considerable precedent for this in the writings of the Second Temple period. See Testament of Levi
11
In the Protestant Church there is little room for sacramental theology, but it is a very biblical concept. Pauls handkerchiefs healed people, as did Peters shadow, and
there are trees with leaves that are for the healing of the nations.

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The clause has been variously understood, but the major options are two. Either the incense
is mingled with the prayers of the saints or the incense is the prayers. The majority of
commentators and English translations favor the former alternative. The RSV translates,
and [the angel] was given much incense to mingle with the prayers of all the saints and
the smoke of the incense rose with the prayers of the saints. It is preferable, however, to
follow the second option, which is to take the dative case in vv. 3 and 4 (translated by the
preposition with) as equivalent to the Hebrew le of definition and to translate, he was
given much incense to offer, consisting of the prayers of all the saints. This interpretation
harmonizes with 5:8, where the bowls of incense are definitely identified with the prayers of
the saints.12
c. Doesnt God actually know what we say to Him? Of course He does, but if the LORD desires
a tangible representation of the cries of our hearts, who are we to argue with Him?
5. A Revelation of Intercession
a. It is of tremendous significance in the ministry of corporate and personal intercession to
realize that our prayers affect the physical environment of the most important place - the
most beautiful place in the universe.
b. The incense of our prayers causes real smoke to rise before God as He sits on His throne.
When the body of Christ unites in a city to offer Jesus unceasing devotion there is actually
more incense that rises before Him as He is enthroned in His temple. If we actually believed
this it would change everything. Oh for a revelation of the privilege and power of prayer!
D. Universally
1. God is worshipped by everyone in the Heavenly Temple. There is no one there who dissents
from recognizing the supreme worth of God. Rebellious angels were not permitted to remain in
His presence they were judged and cast out.
2. Although evil spirits retain some influence in the mid-heavens, no darkness has entrance into the
Holy City (i.e. Heaven) much less the Heavenly Temple.
E. Exclusively
1. Only God is worshipped in the Heavenly Temple. To us this might seem like an unnecessary
extension of the first affirmation, but not in the ancient world. Despite the religious plurality in
the modern world, most people only ascribe to one object of worship.13
2. This was not the case in the religious landscape of antiquity where there were many deities and
focal points of veneration. Within polytheism it could be asserted than a deity was worthy of
universal worship but this was very different than asserting that only that deity was worthy of
worship.
3. There are not competing objects of attention, affection, or allegiance in the Heavenly Temple
there is only one, all-consuming , absorbing focus of adoration. The LORD alone is exalted in the
Heavenly Temple. No angel, living creature, or elder is subtly elevated as to detract from the
glory of the only One who is worthy.
12
Robert H. Mounce, The Book of Revelation, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1997),
174.
13
The major exception to this very sweeping generalization would of course be the Far East, from which we are very far removed.

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F. Incessantly
7
The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature like a calf, the third living creature
had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle. 8 The four living
creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or
night, saying: Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come! Revelation4:7-8
1. The Seraphim & their Worship
a. As it has hopefully been shown, the worship of the Heavenly Temple far transcends the
activity of the seraphim. Yet at the same time both here in Revelation and the parallel in
Isaiah 6:1-7 they are presented as the focal point of the scene. The reason for this is that it
seems as though they actually function as the leaders of the worship in the Heavenly Temple.
b. The words that tell of their ministry to the LORD are unmistakable in their meaning and
breathtaking in their significance: the seraphim worship incessantly. Never resting, never
ceasing, they declare the glory of God continually and have done so since the beginning.
Roughly eight-hundred years before John, Isaiah saw them and they were doing the same
thing:
2
Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two
he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one cried to another and said: Holy, holy,
holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory! Isaiah 6:2-3
2. Literally Unending
a. It is their ancient service around the throne that stands as the clearest and most definitive
testimony that the worship of Heaven always has been and always will be perpetual. There is
simply no way to evade the way the text portrays them in a posture of constant devotion.
b. The suggestion that the way the seraphim are depicted is just symbolic of the fact that they
are always in a worshipful attitude ignores that an action is what is being ascribed perpetually
to them.
c. They are saying something all the time, not just thinking or feeling something as they go
about their duties in the Heavenly Temple. Together with Johns explicit statement that they
do not rest, this also undermines the attempt to view day and night as just being
comparable to regularly.
d. It is true that there are instances biblically when that phrase is used in a figurative sense, but
such is not the case here.
3. Other Activities
a. But doesnt Revelation describe them doing other things? Yes. In addition to the passages
already considered in this chapter, Revelation 6:1-8 involves them in Johns vision of the
opening of the first four seals. How are we to understand the discrepancy?
b. Without delving too deeply into the structure and content of the book of Revelation, it can
generally be said that chapter 4 describes a constant reality, and chapter 5 begins the account
of the things that must take place after this (Revelation 4:1).

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c. All of the descriptions of the seraphim found later in the book are, therefore, within a very
specific eschatological context. This means there is no basis for concluding that doing other
things is necessarily normal for the seraphim at all. Strengthening the literal, straightforward
understanding of Revelation 4:8 is the fact that this was how the activity of the seraphim was
understood in Jewish tradition:
And the Cherubim and seraphim standing about the throne, the six-winged and many-eyed
ones do not depart, standing before the Lords face doing his will, and cover his whole
throne, singing with gentle voice before the Lords face: Holy, holy, holy, Lord Ruler of
Sabaoth, heavens and earth are full of Your glory. II Enoch 21:114
4. The Bigger Picture
a. It must also be remembered the seraphim are not solely responsible for the worship that takes
place in the Heavenly Temple. While biblically they do receive the most attention in this
regard, the incessant worship of Heaven does not hinge on them.
b. Thus, if there was in fact a pause in their activity, eschatologically or otherwise, the
innumerable company of angels continues to laud Him ceaselessly. Beyond the way in which
the passage from Hebrews 12 attests to this truth, the writings of the Second Temple period
offer ample confirmation so much so that Mounce can say, Continuous adoration is a
common feature in apocalyptic descriptions of heaven.15
c. Two of the clearest of these references are from I Enoch, which was a profoundly influential
book prior to the New Testament era. After saying, And the most holy ones who were nigh
to Him did not leave by night nor depart from Him (14:23), I Enoch goes on to elaborate:
And before Him there is no ceasing. He knows before the world was created what is for ever
and what will be from generation unto generation. 12. Those who sleep not bless Thee: they
stand before Thy glory and bless, praise, and extol, saying: "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of
Spirits: He filleth the earth with spirits."' 13. And here my eyes saw all those who sleep not:
they stand before Him and bless and say: 'Blessed be Thou, and blessed be the name of the
Lord for ever and ever.' I Enoch 39:11-1316
d. It is remarkable to see such clear instances of the belief in incessant, unbroken devotion from
angels in Heaven long before Johns revelation of the throne room.
5. Leadership
a. The recognition that both the living creatures and the angels have an integral part to play in
the perpetuity of the heavenly symphony brings us back to the previous mention of the
seraphim functioning as leaders in some manner.
b. With the emphasis placed upon them in the text it appears their presence is the backbone of
the constancy of adoration and their proclamation the anthem that unites the symphony.
c. Lacking the clarity sufficient for certainty, we may suggest that the Trisagion17 is the refrain
to which the seraphim always return rather than the only thing they say.
14
There is no conclusive date for the composition of II Enoch but it is highly probable that it predates the Book of Revelation
15
Robert H. Mounce, The Book of Revelation, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1997),
125.
16
See note 34 for a more extensive list of these references
17
A traditional name for the words on the lips of the seraphim originating from the Greek for thrice holy.

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d. Many songs, hymns, and musical arrangements fill the Heavenly Temple but to that chorus
they always return. And it is when the seraphim lead the symphony back to that ancient
anthem of Gods glory that the revelatory crescendo of praise found in Revelation 4:9-11
occurs.
6. The Impetus of Incessant Worship
The what of the worship of Heaven is vitally important, but even more so is the why of the
activity that ceaselessly surrounds the throne in the Heavenly Temple. We must peer in through
the windows Scripture offers us until we can feel the heartbeat of all that goes on there.
a. The Seraphim and the larger angelic host who are enraptured with ministry to Him have
never had a single sin forgiven, never an ailment healed, and never a financial need met and
yet their testimony is that His unending glory warrants their unending praise.
b. As they take in the glory of God with all of their eyes, it is so overwhelming and so severe in
its magnitude that it necessitates their unbroken adoration. In other words, their ceaseless
worship is based solely upon the glory of who He is.18
9
the throne, saying: 11 You are worthy, O Lord,To receive glory and honor and power; For
You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created. Revelation 4:9-11
c. Furthermore, the only purpose of their worship is to magnify, extol, and proclaim His
surpassing glory. They are not changing the atmosphere in the Heavenly Temple or doing
it so that revival will break out in the Holy City, nor will they have any change in vocation or
personal advancement because of their activity.19
d. In summary, both the motivation (the sustaining force) and the aim (the purpose for which it
is done) of the incessant worship of the Heavenly Temple is solely His glory.
18
Fourteen times in the Book of Revelation the glory of God is specifically focused upon (Revelation 1:6, 4:9, 4:11, 5:13, 7:12, 11:13, 14:7, 15:4, 15:8, 16:9, 19:1,
19:7, 21:11, 21:23)
19
This is not necessarily to say that their worship does not have indirect consequences due to the unity of the throne and temple, but it is very difficult to make the case
exegetically that this has any direct causation for their incessant preoccupation. Furthermore, if their worship is independently effectual for the governance of God
being established on the earth it is difficult to understand the stress on the replication of the heavenly order on the earth in order for convergence to occur.

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Session 07: Heaven on Earth

I. THE UNITY OF CREATION
A. In the Beginning
1
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Gen 1:1
1. Already great care has been taken to establish the fundamental unity of all created reality and the
present condition of the heavens and the earth as set forth in biblical cosmology. Yet we must be
aware that things have not always been as they are now. We are living in an evil age in which
things are profoundly skewed from Gods original design.
4
who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according
to the will of our God and Father Gal 1:4 (cf. Ephesians 5:15)
2. Though the moral and relational implications of this are apparent to us, the Fall had profound
cosmological implications as well.
3. The New Testament is very clear that through His mercy the Lord Jesus has reconciled us to God.
One can only be reconciled to someone with whom they were formerly in relationship. As
applied to our salvation we understand very clearly that this reconciliation can indeed occur
because of the primal intimacy that man shared with God.
4. Yet it is not merely God and man that are to be reconciled. Paul is explicit that all things in
heaven and earth will be gathered together and reconciled. The reason for this is because there
was a time, now long-forgotten by Adams wayward sons, when Heaven and earth dwelt together
in complete unity.
10
that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things
in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earthin Him. Eph 1:10
19
For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, 20 and by Him to reconcile
all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace
through the blood of His cross. 21 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind
by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled Colossians 1:19-21
B. Unity
1. It must be emphasized that this was a real and actual union between heaven and earth and not just
an abstract agreement of principle and purpose. The dichotomy between the two is so powerfully
engrained in us that it is tremendously difficult for us to reckon seriously with this historic reality
and not just give mental assent to it.
2. In Gods original design there was unhindered interchange between heaven and its inhabitants
and the earth and its inhabitants. There was no separation or breach whatsoever.

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Session 07: Heaven on Earth PAGE 2
II. EDEN AND ITS GARDEN

A. Understanding Eden
1. Introduction
a. When we apply the truth of the original unity of heaven and earth to the biblical framework
of heaven previously established, it leads us toward the conclusion that in the beginning the
Holy City was on the earth.
b. It would seem that Heaven, the vast mountain-city of God, once sat on the pristine expanses
of the earth when all was new and unspoiled at the dawn of time. Out of the native beauty of
fertile plains it rose ever higher until at last it disappeared in the heights of the sky.
2. Introduction
a. While at first such a conception seems foreign to the biblical description of the creation of the
earth, upon closer examination there are hints that we are in fact to view the primal world in
this manner.
b. It is very important to understand that Eden is not synonymous with the garden the LORD
later placed within it. The creation narrative describes it as the most prominent of a number of
different geographical regions.
3. Eden: A Mountain
a. When all the evidence is taken into account, it seems probable that Eden should be
understood as the region within which the vast area of the Holy City and its precincts was
situated on the primal land-mass of the earth.
b. That Eden is itself to be understood as a unique dwelling place of God (and not merely the
Garden within it) is indicated by its name (which has been translated as delight or fruitful), by
the way it is referred to later in the Old Testament, and by the fact that when Cain is driven
from the presence (lit. face) of the LORD He is banished not just from the Garden but from
the land of Eden in its entirety (see Genesis 4:16).
c. That we are to understand Eden as a mountain becomes quite clear in an often-overlooked
passage from the prophets:
13
You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering: The
sardius, topaz, and diamond, Beryl, onyx, and jasper, Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald
with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes was prepared for you on the day
you were created. 14 You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; you
were on the holy mountain of God; you walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones.
15
You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in
you. 16 By the abundance of your trading you became filled with violence within, and you
sinned; therefore I cast you as a profane thing out of the mountain of God; and I destroyed
you, O covering cherub, from the midst of the fiery stones. Ezekiel 28:13-16
d. This passage will be surveyed more carefully in a later session but the point at present is to
see that in addition to the association with the Garden, Eden is very explicitly referred to as
the Mountain of God.1
1
In the Book of Jubilees, Enoch is said to have burned incense upon the mount in Eden (4:25)

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The presence of the cherubim later in the narrative (Gen 3:24), and the description of the
garden as the place where the Lord God walks (Gen 3:8), all contribute to understanding it
as a cosmic mountain where heaven and earth are united and from which the divine rule is
exercised.2
B. The Relationship Between Eden and the Garden
8
The LORD God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He
had formed. 9Out of the ground the LORD God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight
and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good
and evil. 10Now a river flowed out of Eden to water the garden; and from there it divided and became
four rivers. Genesis 2:8-10
1. Three important facts are communicated clearly in this passage:
a. God planted the Garden within the Eastern part of Eden
b. The Tree of Life was specifically placed within the Garden
c. A river went out of Eden and flowed into the Garden
2. Once Eden is understood as referring to the area that was the location of the Holy City then it
becomes likely that the Garden was actually within the great walls of the city.
3. Presumably the Garden (which itself was likely very large) was located at the Eastern extremity
of the colossal area and thus the entrance that the cherubim was stationed to guard following the
Fall was synonymous with one of the gates to the Holy City as described in Revelation 21:12,
which also describes angels protecting the entrances.
12
Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and
names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:
Revelation 21:12
24
So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a
flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life. Genesis 3:24
4. A Vision of the Garden
All of these reflections from Genesis actually become far more explicit when we consider the
vision of the Holy City recorded at the close of Revelation.
And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of
God and of the Lamb. 2 In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of
life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree
were for the healing of the nations. Revelation 22:1-2
a. Without question John is looking within the Holy City and describes a river of water of life
flowing from the throne and behold the Tree of Life. The fact that no qualification
whatsoever is offered assumes that this is one and the same with the Tree of Life described in
the Garden of Eden in Genesis.
b. Though the Greek prepositions in this passage are notably difficult to translate, the picture is
clear enough that we can say with certainty that John sees the Tree of Life in direct
relationship with the river in some way.
2
Stephen G. Dempster, Dominion and Dynasty: A theology of the Hebrew Bible (Downers Grove, Illinois, Inter Varsity Press: 2003), p 62. See also Beale p 53, 73.

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c. Yet nowhere does the passage indicate that the Tree of Life is necessarily in proximity to the
throne, and in fact the access that the nations have to it would seem to indicate the opposite
that its location is closer to the walls and gates of the city rather than to the exalted throne at
its height.
d. Therefore we may conclude that the primal Tree of Life is both within the Holy City and
watered by the life-giving river proceeding from the throne. As we have seen, Genesis is
clear that the Tree of Life is within the Garden of Eden, and thus we may conclude that the
Garden itself is within the Holy City.
e. Of course no one would argue that the Tree of Life was not actually on the earth originally,
and thus it is difficult to argue that the Holy City was not as well. The river of the waters of
life that John described flowing forth from the throne was none other than the river which
flowed out of Eden to water the Garden.
III. PARADISE
The statements from Genesis, Ezekiel, and Revelation are jarring. They hold in them a force and directness
pertaining to Eden, the Garden, and the Mountain of God must prevail over our presuppositions. Yet within
Scripture there is another vein of these treasures that has not been mined, and in terms of piercing clarity it may
be the richest.
A. Paradise Lost
1. Long before the first edition of John Miltons epic poem was published in 1667 have men been
fascinated and wounded by the idea of paradise. In our day it is has degenerated into a term used
for vacation spots that indulge the lusts of the flesh, but in centuries past it had nobler
connotations more fitting of its origins.
2. Paradise is not an invention of man but the creation of the living God. It was birthed in His heart
and graven upon ours. This is why men with restless hearts have imagined, against all logic, that
somewhere in the distance there is an untainted land of perfection, a hidden city of splendor,
waiting to be discovered.
3. Ancient ruins, legendary cities, remote tropical islands, mist laden mountains, and landscapes of
sweeping grandeur awaken places in our souls often dormant. It is only by turning to Scripture
that we can actually understand paradise lost, and how it can be regained.
B. Terminology
1. The Greek word !"#$%&'()* (paradeisos), from which we derive the English word paradise,
came from a ancient Persian term for a park or an enclosed garden. Its first adaption to Greek by
Xenophon of Athens referred to the royal parks of the Persian king and nobility.3
2. When the word found its way into the Greek of Judaism (from the LXX on) it took on a very
specific meaning referring most often to Edens garden.4 While in the Septuagint it typically
appears in the form + !"#$%&'()* ,)- .&)-!(the paradise of God) or something equivalent in order
to distinguish it from secular use, in later Jewish writings it came to stand alone and have the
technical sense of the Paradise of God in Eden.
3
J. Jeremias, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament. The etymology of the word underscores the points made previously in the chapter concerning how we
should picture the garden of Eden.
4
In the canonical portions of the Septuagint it is found thirty times, with all but six instances referring to the Garden of Eden. See Genesis 2:8ff, Genesis 13:10, Joel
2:3, Isaiah 51:3, Ezekiel 28:13, Ezekiel 31:8-9.

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3. That this exclusivity was retained is seen from the fact that a completely different Greek word is
used in the New Testament to refer to a garden (/0!)*"#
C. New Testament References to Paradise
The implications of this are simply, and joyfully, enormous. Two verses, when rightly informed by this
perspective on paradise, point to the truth that the Holy City was indeed on the earth in the beginning.
1. Paul & Paradise
With A.D. 55 as a reliable date for the writing of II Corinthians, then it was about ten years after
the ascension of Christ when Paul was caught up into Paradise:
I know a man in Christ who fourteen years agowhether in the body I do not know, or
whether out of the body I do not know, God knowssuch a one was caught up to the third
heaven. 3 And I know such a manwhether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God
knows 4 how he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not
lawful for a man to utter. II Corinthians 12:2-4
a. We recall that Paul here is writing to Greek speaking Christians in Corinth whose scripture
was the Septuagint. Thus, when the apostle says he was caught up into !"#$%&'()* there was
no question what he was talking about.5
b. Paul uses the exact word that occurs almost twenty-five times in the bible of the Corinthians
to refer to the Garden of God/Eden6, and that had since gained an even more exclusive and
technical meaning when used in the Apocrypha and Psuedepigripha. A general, vague
realm is not being spoken of here. Paul says quite clearly that he went up to the Garden of
God.
2. Jesus & Paradise
a. The second passage comes from Jesus Himself, the One who made Paradise. His precious
words complete the picture and vault us to further conclusions. At the close of his address to
the church in Ephesus, the Lord says:
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who
overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of
God. Revelation 2:7
b. This remarkable text transcends II Corinthians 12:2-4 in two distinct ways. First, Jesus is
directly quoting the Old Testament when He says the Paradise of God (+ !"#$%&'()* ,)-
.&)-), which is the full form of the way the Septuagint translates the explicit references to the
Garden of Eden found in Genesis 13:10, Ezekiel 28:13, and Ezekiel 31:8 (see also Isaiah
51:3).
c. Jesus, therefore, is unambiguously offering a promise of a future inheritance in the Garden
that was in Eden historically to those who overcome.
d. Secondly, the tree of life is mentioned. In addition to powerfully underscoring the first point
through the increased specificity, this provides a crucial link to the view into the interior of
the Holy City we have already discussed.
5
The suggestion that Paul is referring to two different places by saying the third heavens and paradise is not only very unnatural but also proven errant by observing the
very careful linguistic structure that guides the statements (see NICNT II Corinthians).
6
By this I mean in the canonical writings of the Septuagint

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e. The reference to the tree of life in Revelation 22:2, 14, 19 cannot be divorced from its context
earlier in the book. In Revelation 2:7 there can be no question of the continuity between
Jesus promise and the ancient reality found in Eden.
f. Hermeneutically, we must allow this to inform Revelation 22:2, 14, 19.7 Therefore, the Tree
of Life inside the Holy City found in the references at the end of the book are also in the
midst of the Paradise of God and synonymous with the original Tree of Life in Genesis, just
as it is so clearly presented in Revelation 2:7.
D. Conclusions
1. What conclusions can now be drawn from the meaning of the word paradise and the brief
exegesis of these two passages? In sum, the conclusion is solidified that Paradise of Eden, the
Paradise Paul visited around A.D. 40, and the eschatological Paradise promised in Revelation are
all the same place and that beautiful place was, is, and always will be located within the walls
of the Holy City.
2. Consider the following from Joachim Jeremias in the Theological Dictionary of the New
Testament:
That we do not have three distinct entities in the Paradise of the first, the last, and the intervening
time, but one and the same garden of God, may be seen quite indubitably from both the
terminology and the content of the relevant statements. As regards the terms, Paradise in all
three ages is !"#$%&'()* in the Gk., +,-./ +012 in the Heb., +,-./3- 456037082 in Aram. As regards the content,
identity is proved especially by the common mention of the tree of life in statements about the
intervening and the eschatological Paradise.8
3. This dispels any question of whether the Holy City, including the Temple that crowns its lofty
heights, was in fact on the earth in the beginning. Just as much as the Tree of Life in the midst of
the Paradise of God was a real place in the land called Eden, the colossal Mountain of God also
adorned those verdant plains when the earth was young.
E. Ancient Truth
1. Although the testimony of Scripture is enough, it may be helpful to know that this understanding
of Paradise is not at all new it is, in fact, very old. Once again we find that we stumble when our
vantage point two-thousand years later inadvertently becomes the litmus test for what is
normative and what is odd related to perspectives on Scripture.
2. Jewish writings prior to the time of Christ are riddled with references to Paradise, with the
majority attesting to the belief that the eschatological Paradise was synonymous with the first.
One of the clearest statements of this belief comes from the Testament of Levi:9
And he [Messiah] shall open the gates of paradise, and shall remove the threatening sword
against Adam. And he shall give to the saints to eat from the tree of life, and the spirit of holiness
shall be on them. Testament of Levi 18:10-11
7
The point here is that you have two identical references (the tree of life) by the same author and within the same book. Every rule of biblical interpretation says that
you assume the phrase means the same thing. There is no basis for imposing a dichotomy between the two.
8
Joachim Jeremias writing in the Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, Vols. 5-9 Edited by Gerhard Friedrich. Vol. 10 Compiled by Ronald Pitkin., ed. Gerhard
Kittel, Geoffrey William Bromiley and Gerhard Friedrich, electronic ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1964-c1976), 5:768. So also, James Charlesworth writing in the
Anchor Bible Dictionary says, Jews did not think about diverse places, but only one and the same Paradise.
9
The date of the authorship of the Testament of Levi is uncertain but it is considered pre-Christian apocalyptic literature and is included in all modern collections of Old
Testament psuedepigraphical writings. Even if one were to assert that its composition was in the first-century, which is plausible, it is not considered a Christian work
and therefore supports the claim that it is reflective of the Jewish view of Paradise. See also 2 Esdras 8:45 for the reopening of Paradise

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3. This belief naturally led to the question of where Paradise was in the present, intervening time
before it would reappear. The speculation on this matter was varied, with some suggesting it was
in some distant place in the earth and others that it was caught up into the heavens.10
4. Although inconsistent in its answers, the diversity of possible locations posed in the Second
Temple period is indicative of how widespread the conviction that it still existed truly was.
Closest to the biblical tradition is I Enoch 24-25, which places Paradise on a high mountain of
precious stones where the throne of God is located.11
5. A parallel is also found in the Apocalypse of Moses (40:2) where Paradise is located in the third
heaven.12 Second Baruch, a Jewish work dated sometime following the destruction of Jerusalem
in A.D. 70, overtly links Paradise with the Heavenly Jerusalem and states that it is preserved in
the heavens with God.13
IV. THE GARDEN: A CLOSER LOOK
A. The Garden as Sanctuary
1. The greatest indication that the Garden is to be understood primarily as the first sanctuary is seen
through the way in which future sanctuaries and temples described in Scripture are clearly
patterned after it. This will be examined later in the course.
2. For now, however, there are two very clear indications from the biblical descriptions of the
Garden (aside from the later references back to it) that lead us to view it as a sanctuary.
The garden of Eden is not viewed by the author of Genesis simply as a piece of Mesopotamian
farmland, but as an archetypical sanctuary, that is a place where God dwells and where man
should worship him. Many of the features of the garden may also be found in later sanctuaries,
particularly the tabernacle or Jerusalem temple. These parallels suggest that the garden itself is
understood as a sort of sanctuary.14
3. Gods Presence
a. In Genesis 3:8, the verbs used to describe God walking through the Garden are used later in
the Old Testament to describe Gods presence with Israel in His tabernacle and Temple.15
12
I will walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people. Leviticus 26:12
14
For the LORD your God walks in the midst of your camp, to deliver you and give your
enemies over to you; therefore your camp shall be holy, that He may see no unclean thing
among you, and turn away from you. Deuteronomy 23:15
6
For I have not dwelt in a house since the time that I brought the children of Israel up
from Egypt, even to this day, but have moved about in a tent and in a tabernacle. 7
Wherever I have moved about with all the children of Israel, have I ever spoken a word to
anyone from the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd My people Israel, saying,
Why have you not built Me a house of cedar? II Samuel 7:6-7
10
The question of what happened to the Holy City and the Paradise within will be addressed later . II Enoch 8 and also places the Paradise in the third heavens, but this
is in a schema of seven.
11
I Enoch is a compilation of various Jewish traditions and also contains references to other locations of Paradise. It is difficult to determine whether the mountains
described are to be understood as sitting on earth or in heaven.
12
II Enoch 8 and also places the Paradise in the third heavens, but this is in a schema of seven.
13
See Second Baruch 4:2-6
14
G.J. Wenham, Sanctuary Symbolism in the Garden of Eden Story, Proceedings of the World Congress of Jewish Studies 9 (1986), p 19.
15
See Ross, Hope of Glory, p 90 and T. Desmond Alexander, From Eden to the New Jerusalem (Nottingham, England: Inter-Varsity Press, 2008), p 23

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b. This corresponds to the statements later in Scripture that refer to it as the Garden of God. It
was His Garden His place to dwell and commune with man.
10
And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered
everywhere (before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the
LORD, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar. Genesis 13:10
3
For the LORD will comfort Zion, He will comfort all her waste places; He will make her
wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD; Joy and gladness will be
found in it, thanksgiving and the voice of melody. Isaiah 51:3
c. Of course the primary feature of the tabernacle and temple was the fact that it was Gods
dwelling place.
4. Sanctuary
a. The second major reason is found in that the lamentation of Ezekiel 28 where the subject of
the oracle (to be addressed later) is said specifically to have defiled the sanctuaries.
b. This plural way of referring to the dwelling place of God was adopted in biblical and
historical tradition to speak of the temple (see Leviticus 21:23, Jeremiah 51:51), but
regardless of whether a single place or multiple sanctuaries are in view it is clear in context
that the Garden must be included as the referent.
Ezekiel 28:18 is probably, therefore, the most explicit place anywhere in canonical literature
where the Garden of Eden is called a templeWe are not left, however, with a collection of
similarities that show now comparable Eden is to a temple. Indeed, Ezekiel 28 explicitly calls
Eden the first sanctuary, which substantiates that Eden is described as a temple because it is
the first temple, albeit a garden-temple.16
5. This perspective on the Garden makes far more sense conceptually when we realize that gardens
in Ancient Near Eastern culture were very different than we understand them. They were walled
and enclosed - very special places associated with royalty and divinity.
Next we need to understand the designation garden. The word generally refers to a parklike
setting featuring trees and what we could call landscaping. This is in contrast to the American
usage of garden, which, more often than not, refers to a small rectangular plot of ground with
rows of vegetables or flowersIn the same way that a garden of the palace would be adjoining
the palace, Eden would then be the source of the waters and the residence of God, and the garden
would adjoin Gods residence. Gardens of this variety were a common feature in palace
complexes in the ancient worldThey were planted with fruit trees and shade trees and generally
contained watercourses, pools and pathsTemple complexes also sometimes featured gardens
that symbolized the fertility provided for by the deity.17
6. Thus, while it is very appropriate to imagine the Garden as a place of remarkable fruitfulness and
beauty, we should also picture it as including structural features such as walls and streets and
gates and chambers, etc.
16
G.K. Beale, The Temple and the Churchs Mission, (Downers Grove: Inter-Varsity Press, 2004), p 75-6, 80.
17
IVP Dictionary on the Pentateuch under the entry on Eden, p 203.

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B. A Tale of Two Sanctuaries

1. With this perspective we can now more fully sketch the original picture of Gods design. At the
uppermost heights of the Holy City in Eden there was the Heavenly Sanctuary Gods habitation
and the ultimate place of worship.
2. At the base of the mountain-city God formed another sanctuary specifically suited for
communion with man the pinnacle of His creative work and the steward of the newly formed
earth. These served two different purposes but were in complete, unbroken unity.
3. The first was specifically Gods dwelling place in Heaven (the City) where man would ascend to
worship and commune with Him. The second was mans dwelling place on the earth (within the
larger precincts of the city-complex) where God would descend and commune with man.
V. SIGNIFICANCE
A. A Vision of Eschatology
Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may
come from the presence of the Lord, 20 and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you
before, 21 whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken
by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began. Acts 3:21
Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory,
you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Matthew
19:28
1. Understanding Restoration
a. Both of these words, translated restoration of all things and regeneration respectively, are
very pregnant terms meaning restitution, renovation, and recreation.
b. Much of the reason we struggle to take these passages seriously and find ourselves strangely
immune to their gravity is because of the lens through which we see the first two chapters of
Genesis.
c. We tend to read those chapters with an air of fatalism, as though it was all just a big set up for
failure that God didnt really care about because He knew what was about to happen.
d. The LORD certainly did know what would eventually transpire with the sin of Adam and all
of its terrible ramifications for humanity and the earth. Yet Gods foreknowledge of what was
to come did not cause Him to hold back in Genesis 1-2 and only make a demo version of
the heavens and the earth because it was just going to get tarnished anyway. This is not
biblical.
2. The Perfection of Creation
a. When the LORD created everything, He called it good. The dream of His heart that led to the
universe coming forth out of nothing actually found expression in Genesis 1-2. It was the way
that He wanted it. It was perfect.
b. And Gods plan of salvation is to restore everything and make it as it once was. He is going
to fix all things so that the heavens, the earth, and all that is them are conformed to the way
He desired it to be in the beginning.

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c. This is not to say that Gods original creation is the ceiling for what He will do in the future,
or that there will not be things that are more glorious than they were at the outset. Clearly
there is ample room biblically for Gods surpassing grace, but this does not undermine the
point at hand. Genesis 1-2 may not be the boundary line for salvation, but it is the blueprint.
3. The Beginning and the End
a. Consequently, we simply cannot understand the destination without knowing the point of
origin. The restoration of all things is meaningless to our hearts, our lives, and our theology
apart from apprehending the way all things were in the beginning.
b. Apathy related to glorious hope of the future that is held out over and over again in the New
Testament is symptomatic of the fogginess that surrounds our perspective on the past.
c. The Tabernacle of God with men is not some novel eschatological innovation but rather the
restoration of the way things once were. In this light, one of the most compelling reasons for
believing that the Holy City was on the earth at the beginning of the story is simply that we
see it descend to the earth in the end.
B. The Pattern of Replication in the Biblical Narrative
1. Progressive Unfolding
a. Thankfully the LORD does not wait until the restoration of all things to act. Instead He gives
tokens of hope and signs of promise along the way. Throughout His sovereign leadership of
redemptive history, God has offered glimpses of the reality of Heaven on the earth in order to
remind humanity of what things used to be like and assure us of how they will be again.
b. This consistent pattern of replication is not a neat addendum to the story of Scripture, it is the
story of Scripture.18 Getting even a dim glimpse of Eden and its Garden is like finding the top
of the box to a puzzle we can at last see how all the pieces fit together, whereas before all
we could see was fragments of biblical and historical truths that appeared to have no larger
context to unite them.
c. In this way, recovering the vision of Heaven on earth allows us to recover the biblical
narrative. In other words, seeing the beginning is not just indispensable to seeing the
destination, but also all the stops along the journey that get us there.
2. The Story of Worship
a. Applied to the subject of this course, we can see that a biblical theology of worship and
prayer is impossible apart from a blazing vision of how it all began.
b. The festal gathering of innumerable angels enthralled in perpetual adoration at the summit of
the Mountain of God in Eden and the sanctuary called Paradise far below together serve as
the pattern for ministry to the LORD.
18
No exaggeration is intended here. As we will see later in the course, the center of this all is Gods glorification and creation fully given to the worship of His majesty.
So in no way is anything less than God Himself being presented as the crux of the biblical narrative. Yet His self-glorification and the commensurate response of
humanity does not happen in a vacuum- it occurs through the restoration of all things.

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c. Ignorance of this design means that we can read the Bible and still miss the point of what
God is ultimately trying to produce through His commands related to devotion. The care
being taken to restore the biblical vision of the Holy City and Paradise is aimed at remedying
this ignorance in the hope that an indelible conviction would be forged concerning Gods zeal
to be worshipped on earth as He is in Heaven.
C. The Cosmic Mountain
1. General Definition
a. Without going into too much detail, this term can be said to entail a pervasive belief among
some Ancient Near Eastern religions (though varying between them) related to the beginning
of the earth and affecting their contemporary practice as a result.
b. Cosmic does not indicate that somehow it was related to space or the cosmos but simply that
it related to the relationship of heaven and earth, the activity of deities, and to the order and
stability of creation.
2. Description
While some variance exists between regions and cultures the following characteristics are
typically associated with the tradition of the cosmic mountain in Ancient Near Eastern religion:
a. A primordial mountain or hillock located at the center of the earth that reached to the
heavens.
b. The belief that this mountain served as the home for a deity or deities where counsel was held
in order to issue decrees.
c. An archetypical tree of great size that contained within it the life-giving principle of all
things.
d. Primal or subterranean waters that were the source of fertility in the earth and associated with
the abode of gods.
3. Importance
a. The similarities with Eden and the Garden as sketched above scarcely need to be pointed out.
Yet it is also important to note that there are significant departures from these traditions
contained within the inspired text.
b. These elements of overlap strengthen confidence in the accuracy of the conception of Eden
set forth previously and the original unity of the Mountain-City of God and the Earth.
c. Yet more generally, the prevalence of the tradition of the cosmic mountain and all that is
associated with it should also bolster our assurance of the truthfulness of Scripture and cause
its revelation to be more real to us.
d. When considering the fact that almost all ancient cultures have a flood narrative, the only
reasonable conclusion is that there really was a global flood. Similarly, the presence of the
cosmic mountain in the religion and myth of Ancient Near Eastern culture should be a
compelling witness to us that there really was a vast mountain on the earth in the beginning it
was graven upon the memories of those who saw it and heard of it through their testimony.

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4. Jewish Tradition
Within the writings of Second Temple Judaism there is also a tradition attesting to Eden & the
Garden being a mountain or associated with a mountain.
a. The Book of Jubilees In chapter 4:23-26 Enoch is described as being translated into the
Garden of Eden and then offering incense before the Lord on the Mount.
b. In I Enoch, chapter 18 and 25 taken collectively testify to seven distinct mountains being
associated with the region of Eden. The central and chief one is described as being made of
alabaster, reaching to the heavens, being the throne of God, and being made of sapphire at the
summit. The Lord will be sitting upon this throne at the summit of the mountain when He
descends to visit the earth with goodness.
D. Reaching to the Heavens
1. Postdiluvian World
a. With this general context both theologically and historically we are better prepared to
appreciate the significance of events and trends that occurred following the Flood.
b. Quite possibly the Holy City had been on the earth until the time of the Flood. After being in
the ark for nearly a year total, Noah emerged and realized that Heaven had departed and no
longer would God dwell upon the earth.19
c. As children were born and humanity began to multiply once more, Noah and his sons told of
the former days when the great mountain-city sat at the center of the earth and reached into
the very heavens.
d. Following the Flood the strength of humanity began to decline rapidly. This was due to
several factors but the diminutive trend physically (people were getting smaller in stature)
coupled with the dramatically shorter life-span must have been agonizing for the postdiluvian
world.
e. Furthermore, there was no longer the landmark at the center of the earth to serve as the
reference point for all of its peoples. Large bodies of water now covered the surface of the
world and many mountains rose up from its planes. Waters continued to rise and slowly
separate geographical areas from one another.
f. Thus mans strength was fading and humanitys geo-centric unity was threatened by the
dramatic changes that had come about.
2. Babel
1
Now the whole earth had one language and one speech. 2 And it came to pass, as they
journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there. 3
Then they said to one another, Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly. They
had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar. 4 And they said, Come, let us build
ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest
we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth. Genesis 11:1-4
19
In a fascinating excerpt a church father named Hippolytus (lived approximately160/170 236) and reported to be a disciple of Irenaeus, who was a disciple of
Polycarp, who was a disciple of John) describes how prior to the Flood, Noah and his sons are summoned by God and warned of the Flood. They are then ordered to
descend from the holy mount and build the ark to prepare. When the time came for the destruction they wept for the loss of Paradise, embracing the stones and trees
of the holy mount before entering the ship.

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a. It is very importance to notice that what we refer to as the Tower of Babel was actually an
attempt to build a city with a tower whose top is in the heavens. The word translated tower
almost certainly refers to a temple-tower.20
b. Babel was an attempt to forge a connection between heaven and earth in their own strength in
order to recreate the conditions prior to the Flood. In other words, Babel was a counterfeit
Holy City motivated out of a desire for the former greatness of humanity rather than a sincere
yearning for the true and living God to dwell among them again.
c. It is absolutely astonishing that concurrent with this uprising the LORD appears to Abram and
in essence offers humanity the assurance that He was going to restore the unity of Heaven
and Earth.
3
I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you;
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Genesis 12:1-3
3. Temple-Towers
a. In addition to the tradition of the cosmic mountain, and very much related to it, was the
nearly ubiquitous presence in Ancient Near Eastern religions of temple-towers, or ziggurats.
b. These staples of the Ancient Near Eastern religious cultures were associated with many
different gods and have been found in the ruins of a host of prominent cities of that era.
c. Though varying somewhat in size and design, essentially they were large structures shaped
generally like a pyramid with a low temple adjoining or near the bottom and a high temple
at the pinnacle.21
d. They were also often characterized by a walled precinct enclosing a large, open space, with
a monumental structure set in the middle and with one or more planned courtyards within the
precinct.22
e. We must remain cognizant of the reality of both the Heavenly Temple atop the Holy City and
the way in which the Garden was truly a sanctuary within its great walls. Although it is
striking, it should not be surprising to find the religious cultures of the Ancient Near East
trying to emulate this by building very large, tiered structures within a walled precinct that
had both a temple at the top and the bottom.
f. In this light it would seem that the attempt at Babel to build an entire city was replaced over
time by the ziggurat. This temple-complex served as a miniature representation of the
mountain-city.
g. Although as time passed the design became more obscure it is simply remarkable to observe
the presence of this type of structure in Egyptian culture and even in the temple complexes of
Mayan and Incan civilizations.
20
The word migd9l occurred in many biblical place names that may refer to fortresses, fortified towns, or towns dominated by a towered temple (e.g., Migdol, Ezek
29:10; 30:6; Migdal-Shechem, Judg 9:4649; Migdal-Eder, Gen 35:21; Migdal-el, Josh 19:38; Migdal-gad, Josh 15:37). Among the former we should probably include
one or more fortresses along the border of Egypt and many fortified Asiatic settlements that appear in art of the Egyptian New Kingdom. A number of towns with
names incorporating the word migd9l may owe their names to temples that were their principal landmarks during the MB and LB ages. Prominent temples with thick
walls and a pair of towers flanking the doorway have appeared in excavations at Shechem and several other sites in Palestine. While modern archaeologists often label
some of these buildings migdal temples, they are not necessarily the ones that ancient Hebrews meant by migd9l. Only the Migdal-Shechem has good support from
both biblical and archaeological evidence (Wright 1965: 12328). The tower of Babel (Gen 11:45) probably represents another case where migd9l refers to a
temple. There is little doubt that the account recalls the ziggurat temples of Babylonia. David Noel Freedman, The Anchor Bible Dictionary (New York: Doubleday,
1996, c1992), 6:623
21
The Sanctuary and the Atonement, Wallenkampf & Lesher, Editors, (Washington, D.C., The Review and Herald Publishing Association: 1981), p 68.
22

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h. The fact that this general architectural design transcends the gods being worshipped and a
particular geographic area is best (and arguably only) explained by a concrete historical
reality, the importance of which was so deeply engrained in ancient peoples that it went with
them wherever they settled.23
i. While the object of their worship and homage was false and empty, the manner in which they
sought to express devotion to deities and garner their favor by forging a connection between
heaven and earth bears the imprint of the original truth of Eden.
j. Men of old yearned for heaven (as the dwelling of deities) and earth to come together this
was in many senses the foundation of religious belief and practice. This seems odd to us only
because we possess a worldview that has made heaven either irrelevant or nonexistent
altogether.
E. The Early Story of Humanity
The final piece of evidence explained by the original unity of Heaven and Earth is the way the Bible
describes the early history of humanity after their expulsion from the Garden.
Genesis 4:3-22
1. Proximity
a. The first characteristic that should be striking is the dynamic proximity to the LORD the first
families of the earth were privy to.
b. From the impression of the text it would seem that Cain and Abel both presented offerings
directly to the LORD. Though not explicit, it certainly seems as though He was in a specific
place and they knew where to find Him.
c. This makes far more sense through the realization that Heaven was still on the earth at the
time of their offerings.
d. As mentioned above, Cains grief was over the fact that he was forced to depart from the
region of Eden and move to the East (to the land of Nod). The banishment from the direct
access to the LORD due to his sin was what was so devastating about his punishment.
2. Knowledge
a. If Eden and the Garden of the LORD were merely fertile areas with an abundance of growth
the notice that Cain immediately built a city upon leaving Eden is almost incomprehensible.
b. Yet once we understand that he was accustomed to the glorious presence of the ultimate city
then his act becomes quite natural.
c. In a similar vein, Jubal is described as being the father of those who played the harp and the
flute. Adam had seen (and in all probability played) the instruments of the Heavenly
Sanctuary and thus imparted this knowledge to his descendants.
d. The image of primitive men roaming through pastures and fruit trees offers no explanation
for this remarkable understanding and skill musically, nor the craftsmanship in bronze and
iron noted in v 22.
23
It is noteworthy that Far Eastern religious sites also bear a similar design and that temples are often built upon the tops of mountains.

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Session 08: Heaven on Earth & the Priesthood of Humanity

I. THE PRIESTHOOD OF ADAM
A. Introduction
1. Having established that the Garden of Eden was the first sanctuary, we now turn to consider the
corresponding reality that Adam was to be understood as the first priest.1
2. Aside from the logical correlation that can be made through Adams residence within the
sanctuary, there are many stirring and surprising lines of evidence both biblically and historically
that substantiate this idea.
3. It would be difficult to exaggerate the significance of this understanding as it relates to
understanding the purpose of humanity. The original and archetypical man was fashioned first
and foremost to minister to the LORD.
B. The Garden of Eden & Adams Charge
15
Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. Gen 2:15
1. Introduction
a. As a result of the typical view of the Garden of Eden as little more than a lush, verdant grove
of fruit trees, this verse is most often understood as a command for Adam to be the first
farmer.
b. While this understanding is questionable purely on the grounds of the perfection of the place
and the notice that their punishment after their sin was precisely that they had to work the
ground, a closer look at this passage reveals that much more is intended.
2. Placed in the Garden
a. Verse 15 reiterates the placement of the man within the Garden of Eden. Yet conjoined as it
is with the purpose of his presence there, a different Hebrew word for put is used.
b. The choice of language in verse 15 literally means that Adam was set to rest in the Garden.
This word is later used in the Old Testament to describe Gods Sabbath rest and His desire for
a resting place.2
c. Thus this specific word conjures those images and corresponds to the understanding of the
Garden as a sanctuary.
3. Priestly Purpose
a. It is true that the word often translated cultivate in Genesis 2:15 can have an agricultural
meaning when standing alone.
b. Yet whenever these two words are paired together throughout the rest of the Old Testament
within a fifteen word range, they always refer to either the Israelites serving God and keeping
His commandments or to priests who serve the Lord and guard His sanctuary.3
1
For general affirmations of the idea of Adams priestly identity and status in addition to specific footnotes cited, see T.D. Alexander, From Eden to the New
Jerusalem, p 25
2
Ross, Hope of Glory, p 105
3
Beale, TACM, p 67; Also Ross, Hope of Glory, p 105-106

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Session 08: Heaven on Earth & the Priesthood of Humanity PAGE 2
Numbers 3:7-8
Numbers 8:25-26
Numbers 18:5-6
I Chronicles 23:32
Ezekiel 44:14
c. Thus the best rendering for this passage is likely that Adam was set to rest within the Garden
in order to serve and guard [i.e. the sanctuary]. This does not necessarily preclude the idea of
Adam actually stewarding the physical features of the Garden but clarifies that this was an
overtly priestly service (just as priests and Levites were later to care for the
tabernacle/temple).
Thereforeif the garden was an archetype or pattern of the sanctuary, then humans were
there archetypical Levites. Accordingly, Adam and Eve were created to serve the LORD, not
the ground-they were like the priests who had the responsibility for the care of all the divine
institutions in the sanctuaryAll the details of the text then indicate that God created human
begins to serve him in a spiritual capacity. 4
d. That this was indeed the case is further clarified by the consequences following Adams sin.
Beale summarizes:
When Adam failed to guard the temple by sinning and letting in a foul serpent to defile the
sanctuary, he lost his priestly role, and the cherubim took over the responsibility of
guarding the Garden templeThe guarding function of the cherubim probably did not
involve gardening but keeping out the sinful and unclean, which suggests that Adams
original role stated in Genesis 2:15 likely entailed much more than cultivating the soil, but
also guarding the sacred space.5
C. The Mountain of God & the First Man

We return now to Ezekiel 28 to consider its relevance to the identity and purpose of Adam. Norman
Habel, in a detailed article specifically on the six verses of particular relevance to this context offers the
following translation of the text:
Then the word of Yahweh came to me: Son of man, raise a lamentation over the king of Tyre and say
to him, Thus say the Lord, Yahweh: You were a perfect signet, filled with wisdom and flawless in
beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; all the precious stones adorned you (carnelian, topaz,
jasper, chrysolite, beryl, and onyx; sapphire, carbuncle, and emerald); your ornaments were wrought
in gold, and your own engravings. On the day you were created they were made. With an anointed
guardian cherub I appointed you. You were in the holy mountain of God; you walked among the
stones of fire. You were blameless in your way from the day you were created until a sin was found in
you. Through the abundance of your wealth you became filled with violence and you sinned. So I
rejected you from the mountain of God as a profane thing, and guardian cherub banished you from
among the stones of fire Ezekiel 28:11-16 6
4
Ross, referencing the work of Cassuto, has here argued that the linguistic features of the Hebrew in the passage should be understood as reflecting that the serving
and keeping were overtly spiritual acts before the Lord and do not need to be referencing the Garden itself in the agrarian sense. Hope of Glory, p 106.
5
Beale, TACM, p 70
6
Norman Habel, Ezekiel 28 and the Fall of the First Man, Concordia Theological Monthly, Volume XXXVIII, September 1967, Number 8, p 516-28

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1. Exegesis
a. The purpose of bringing attention to this passage in the context of this course is simply to
underscore the priestly identity of Adam, not to give a thorough exegesis of the passage.
b. It is important to note that the passage is a prophetic oracle that oscillates between the king of
Tyre and Adam. At times it is very clear when the subject changes but at other times it is not
explicit and doesnt necessarily need to be in order to get the basic meaning of the text.
2. The First High-Priest
a. When understood as a glimpse into the earliest days of the human history when Adam walked
in the Garden on the Mountain of the LORD, the implications of the passage are simply
stunning.
b. Adam is described as being adorned by various precious stones. The names found in Ezekiel
correspond to nine of the twelve stones on the breastplate of the high-priest as described in
Exodus 28:17-20 and 39:10-13. In the Septuagint, Ezekiel 28:13 has all twelve of the stones
and they correspond in order to the lists in Exodus.
c. Thus we are to understand Adam as being depicted as the first high priest. The translation of
13b-c in the New King James Version adds to this striking picture of ministry to the LORD
by adding a musical dimension to Adams responsibilities.
13
You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering: The
sardius, topaz, and diamond, Beryl, onyx, and jasper, Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald
with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes was prepared for you on the day
you were created. Ezekiel 28:13
d. Not only is Adam described in this fashion as he walked in the Garden but also on the
mountain of God (i.e. in the Holy City itself and not merely within its outer walls). As we
have already seen, we should recognize that the Heavenly Temple and the Garden
represented two distinct sanctuaries joined in total harmony.
e. Therefore it is at least implied that Adam was both a priest in the Garden-sanctuary but also
in the Heavenly Temple itself. Though clearly an inference that is not described, we may
joyfully imagine Adam standing on the sapphire expanse and joining in the worship (perhaps
even with his own instruments, c.f. Ezekiel 28:13 in NKJV) of the seraphim and the angels in
the infancy of their ceaseless adoration of Yahweh.
f. This perspective better explains why the plural, sanctuaries, is used to describe Adams
transgression (Ezekiel 28:18) as Ezekiel applies it to the king of Tyre in a specific sense.
D. Jewish Tradition
Outside of the biblical testimony itself, it is helpful to consider the way the Jewish writings in the Second
Temple period understood Adam as a priest:
1. Targums
a. The Aramaic translation of Genesis 2:15 states that Adam was placed in the Garden to toil in
the Law and observe its commandments.
b. The point here isnt that the verse should be translated in this way but simply that the ancient
Jewish understanding of the passage placed it squarely within a priestly context.7
7
Beale, TACM, p 67.

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2. Holy of Holies
Jewish tradition held that the Garden of Eden was the original Holy of Holies:
This indicates that a sanctuary was an integral part of creation itself from the outset: indeed, the
Garden of Eden was specially created on the third day (2:7). More specifically, Jubilees states
that Eden is holier than the rest of the earth (3:12). According to 8:19, Noah knew that the
Garden of Eden is the holy of holies, and the dwelling of the Lord It would appear, then, that
Adam and Eve were brought into the Holy of Holies prior to their disobedience: their expulsion
from Eden thus signifies their removal from the place where Gods Presence on the earth is most
immediate for Israel.8
3. The First High-Priest
Corresponding to this is the now familiar idea that Adam was the original high-priest and first in
the line of priestly succession:
Both ben Sira and Jubilees, in their different ways, bring Adam into direct association with the
Temple understood as Eden. According to Jubilees, the first ritual act of worship was offered by
Adam immediately after his expulsion from the gardenAdam is thereby constituted the first
priest in a succession which will lead to Levi, and then to Aaron and his sons.9
The tradition that Adams garments were the high priestly robes, handed down through
successive generations until they reached Aaron, is well known from Rabinnic writingsIt also
occurs in Syriac sources, a fact which very likely indicates its antiquityGiven that Jubilees
elsewhere delights in showing how the patriarchs followed the prescriptions of the Law before it
was given at Sinai, the implication may be that Adam wore priestly garb to burn the incense. In
this regard it may be significant when Jacob appoints Levi as priest, Jubilees merely notes that he
put the garments of the priesthood on him (32:3). We are not told the source of these garments:
they appear ready to hand, thereby Jubilees encourages speculation on their origins.10
4. Later Ministry to the LORD in the Garden
In the fourth chapter of the book of Jubilees (v 23-25) Enoch is said to have been taken into the
Garden of Eden where he then writes down the condemnation of the world and burns incense of
sweet spices before the Lord on the Mount. Thus we have here in the tradition three significant
points attested to:
a. The Garden of Eden remained on the earth at least through the days of Enoch
b. It is to be understood as a mountain or adjoining a mountain
c. It was a place of priestly service that was performed by Enoch, just as Adam had originally
8
C.T.R. Hayward, The Jewish Temple: A Non-Biblical Sourcebook, (London: Routledge, 1996), p 89
9
Ibid. p 90
10
Ibid. p 45, 46

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II. APPLICATION
A. The Significance Related to Ministry to the LORD in General
1. Starting Point
a. Often discussion on the subject of worship or prayer has as its staring point all the
inconsequential things that humanity (and even believing humanity) is preoccupied with and
then seeks to argue why we should cease from these things for a little while in order to
engage in these priestly activities. After all, it is argued, they may seem very foreign to our
lives of productivity and efficiency but the Bible says they are important and so we need to
try to carve out some space for them.
b. With the context of Eden as a sanctuary and Adam as its priest before us we are now prepared
to come to the crucial realization that Scripture moves in the exact opposite direction related
to these subjects. In the most primal, fundamental sense, humanity was created to be occupied
as priests and from that very overt purpose, identity, and action then move outward.
2. Implications
a. Thus from the biblical standpoint, the priestly activities are the assumed starting point and the
other tasks and commissions the secondary elements the very antithesis of how the subject
is talked about and thought about in modern Christianity.
b. A very large and important theme outside of the scope of this class is the way in which Adam
was to serve as a vice-regent over Gods handiwork and have authority over the earth. Yet
this reality, which could be called the dominion-mandate, was always intended to proceed
forth from Adams identity as a priest and his fellowship with Yahweh.11
c. Numerous scholars have argued extensively that his commission to subdue the earth was
simply the charge to make sure that as the population of humanity increased the atmosphere
of the Garden was proliferated globally until the entire earth was a place focused on and
hospitable to fellowship and communion with God. This is precisely what the Second Man,
the Lord from Heaven, will do as He subdues all things to Himself by His sovereign power.
d. Therefore to seek to defend the validity or legitimacy of a priestly-life is an idea foreign to
Scripture because from the Divine perspective to be human is to be called to be a priest.
Though the consumerism machine of Western Christianity has reduced it to a trite saying, we
were truly created to worship.
B. Worship Defined
1. Introduction
a. While this affirmation is important, distortions in our perspective render it incomplete. We
must clarify what worship actually means in Gods design. This vision of Adam as a priest
before the LORD serves to excise from the concept of worship all of the layers of mans ideas
that have been laid upon it in the modern era.
b. As we behold Adam with arms outstretched in adoration of Yahweh his Creator we are able
to quickly penetrate to the essence of what worship actually means.
11
As the first man, Adam is the prototypical priest-king. While it certainly does have significance in relation to Israels story, the real heart of Jesus identity as a
priest-king goes back to the beginning and the way in which Jesus is starting a new humanity altogether. He is the Second Man, the father of a new race of men like
Adam was. As the perfect recreation of humanity Jesus is therefore the new and ultimate priest-king. The life of David as a priestly king both harkened back to the
Adamic design and prefigured its consummation and rebirth in Christ.

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2. Worship at the Dawn of Creation

a. Originally Adam had no sin to be forgiven, he had no circumstantial needs, he had no
physical needs. There was nothing that Adam lacked and he had no history of God answering
his petitions.
b. Consequently it was impossible for the basis of Adams worship to be his life, his
circumstances, or even his gratitude for the gift of salvation.
c. On the most practical level the application is that 95% of our worship songs would not
have worked in the either of the sanctuaries Adam served within. If this is so, how could
Adam have been preoccupied with worship and the archetypical priest?
III. GIVING GLORY TO GOD
A. A Faulty Foundation
1. Modern Redefinition of Worship
a. The answer is that worship in the modern Church has in many cases degenerated into an
activity that has mans transient well-being as both its impetus and its goal.
b. People worship because they are grateful that God has given them all the stuff they want
and forgiven the bad things they have done and because the music and the singing stir their
emotions and makes them feel good.
c. The same basic motivation of utilitarianism (worshipping because of its function) can be
expressed just as potently in approaching worship as an activity which softens our hearts or
provides fuel for the mission and ministry of the Church.
2. The Motivation for Worship
a. In either case, regardless of the form, the real value of worship in modernity is often seen
primarily through its relationship to man and his need.
b. Often we arent worshipping simply because He is God were worshipping because of what
He does for us or what the experience of worship does for us.
c. How can this be? How have we drifted so far from what we have at least glimpsed in the
worship of Adam?
B. Our Design
1. For Him
36
For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.
Romans 11:36
16
For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and
invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created
through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. 18 And
He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that
in all things He may have the preeminence. Colossians 1:16-18
a. Earlier in the course we considered how God is the ultimate center and reference point for all
reality. One of the chief ways this is expressed biblically (and in ancient Jewish tradition) is
through this formula.

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b. Another way of stating and applying the final clause is that we exist to bring Him glory. He
does not need anything from us, as though He was wanting, and therefore the way in which
we are for Him is by using the strength He has given us to make much of Him. It is in
doing this that we actually bless Him or bring Him pleasure.
2. Glorification
31
Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. I
Corinthians 10:31
Everyone who is called by My name, whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him,
yes, I have made him. Isaiah 43:7
19
For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of
the Spirit of Jesus Christ, 20 according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I
shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my
body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. Philippians
1:19-21
a. The Westminster Confession expresses these truths by saying that the chief end of man is to
glorify God and enjoy Him forever.
b. Both the Old and New Testament explicitly direct our attention to our purpose of magnifying
the Lord in all things that we do.
c. We exist for Him, and our enjoyment of both His person and His gifts is intended to reflect
back upon His worth and majesty before the eyes of men.
3. Worship
But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit
and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who
worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. John 4:23-24
a. Although our purpose of glorifying God in all things is broader than our worship, it is the
only context in which true worship can flourish. Worship is simply the action that naturally
flows out of a life set upon bringing Him glory.
b. As we have now seen, the foundational impetus and the ultimate goal of worship is the
glorious identity of God. We are compelled to worship in response to who He is and the goal
of worship is that who He is would be celebrated and magnified by our praise.
c. The only basis for Adams worship was the beauty and majesty of the One before Him and
the goal of his priestly service was simply to esteem and laud His great worth.
C. The Worship of Heaven & the Worship of Adam
This dynamically corresponds to the quality and motivation of the worship of heaven.
1. The Importance of Heaven
a. Heaven is so glorious because it is the place where He dwells and where He is perfectly
honored. It is not a place of arbitrary happiness detached from His identity. An unregenerate
man would be utterly miserable in Heaven.

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b. Its gravity derives from the fact that it is where the beauty of Christ is beheld without
hindrance and adored without rival. In other words, Heaven is so important and pleasing
because the Godhead is supremely glorified there all of its inhabitants are absorbed entirely
with His greatness. Above all else this is why God desires the earth to be like Heaven.
Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised; And His greatness is unsearchable. Psalm
145:3
c. There are not competing objects of attention, affection, or allegiance in Heaven there is
only one, all-consuming , absorbing focus of adoration. The LORD alone is exalted in the
Heavenly Sanctuary. No angel, living creature, or elder is subtly elevated so as to detract
from the glory of the only One who is worthy.
2. The Burning Ones
8
The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And
they do not rest day or night, saying: Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is
and is to come! Revelation 4:8 (see parallel in Isaiah 6:1-6)
a. The Seraphim and the larger angelic host who are enraptured with ministry to Him have
never had a single sin forgiven, never an ailment healed, and never a financial need met and
yet their testimony is that His unending glory warrants their unending praise.
b. As they take in the glory of God with all of their eyes, it is so overwhelming and so severe in
its magnitude that it necessitates their unbroken adoration. In other words, their ceaseless
worship is based solely upon the glory of who He is.12
9
the throne, saying: 11 You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For
You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created. Revelation 4:9-11
c. Furthermore, the only purpose of their worship is to magnify, extol, and proclaim His
surpassing glory. They are not changing the atmosphere in the Heavenly Temple or doing
it so that revival will break out in the Holy City, nor will they have any change in vocation or
personal advancement because of their activity.13
d. In summary, both the motivation (the sustaining force) and the aim (the purpose for which it
is done) of the incessant worship of the Heavenly Temple is His glory.
D. The Crisis of the Modern Church
With this perspective we can now return and more accurately diagnose the challenge in our day related to
worship and how it is viewed.
1. The Assimilation of God into our Worldview
a. Tragically and disastrously this bedrock of reality and the God-centered vision of all things is
often glaringly absent from our life as the people of Christ because of the naturalistic
orientation of our culture (which is potently narcissistic).
12
Fourteen times in the Book of Revelation the glory of God is specifically focused upon (Revelation 1:6, 4:9, 4:11, 5:13, 7:12, 11:13, 14:7, 15:4, 15:8, 16:9, 19:1, 19:7, 21:11, 21:23)
13
This is not necessarily to say that their worship does not have indirect consequences due to the unity of the throne and temple, but it is very difficult to make the case exegetically that this has
any direct causation for their incessant preoccupation. Furthermore, if their worship is independently effectual for the governance of God being established on the earth it is difficult to
understand the stress on the replication of the heavenly order on the earth in order for convergence to occur.

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b. Instead of meeting Christ and having everything turned upside down through a radical
reorientation of our entire existence, the Gospel is presented in such a way that God is merely
assimilated into our preexisting view of the world.
c. As a result of this anthropocentric view of reality, existence (including Gods existence) is
evaluated with ourselves as the reference point. Therefore we see God in terms of His relation
to man rather than mans relationship to God. In our hearts we believe that God exists for us
rather than us existing for Him.
d. Whereas the gifts of God, which are too bountiful to number, exist to lead us into the
exaltation of the Giver, we have instead come to believe that the Giver exists to bestow the
gifts.
e. The cumulative effect of this distortion is that through salvation our self-fulfillment remains
the final goal rather than the glory of God, and Christ simply becomes the means to achieve
that goal.
f. The two greatest ways (not the only ways) that the human experience in this age can be
transformed into a vehicle for Gods glory are when we offer Him joyful praise in the midst
of pain and suffering (either voluntary or involuntary), and when in the midst of
circumstantial ease we shed tears of yearning for Him.
g. In both of these acts Christ is revealed to be of greater worth than all the things that men give
their affections to. Yet it is precisely both of these things that are undermined when we use
Jesus as the means to gain circumstantial ease and eliminate the call to suffer from the normal
Christian life.
2. Specific Application to Worship
The two greatest enemies of true worship are idolatry (we give our allegiance to something else)
and offense (the response of worship is quenched within us). We will now see how the
misperceptions of both God and humanity serve as hospitable ground for these two enemies and
make it nearly impossible for true worship to flourish.
a. True worship is the overflow of a life that has been freed from its self-compulsion and is now
radically set upon giving God glory in all things. This freedom and the commensurate
capacity to savor the beauty of Christ is the primary fruit of the Holy Spirit in the life of a
believer.
b. Yet lacking the broader perspective on who God is (i.e. much of the Church is theologically
superficial and hollow) and on what we were made for (i.e. to make much of His surpassing
worth) worship instead becomes an overflow of our real object of devotion (idol) our self-
fulfillment.
c. Therefore for many in the modern Church, worship is simply not relevant to this goal and
thus they do not desire to do it very often (much less incessantly). Yet it may be tolerated for
thirty to forty minutes once a week as long as all of the conditions are ideal and God is
fulfilling His obligation to provide for our wants.
d. In other words we are content to worship Christ because He is seen (and almost exclusively
preached) as the means to obtaining the real object of our allegiance.
e. Thus, when His sovereign hand disrupts our circumstances, shakes our health, afflicts our
comfort, or subverts our aspirations we are so filled with offense that it is nearly impossible
to muster selfless adoration for Him.

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E. Application to Night & Day Worship and Prayer

1. The Potency of Night and Day Devotion
a. The outcomes of 24/7 worship and prayer are powerful, dynamically important, and must be
understood clearly. Among the many glorious consequences stand the following: the fruition
of Gods purposes for Israel, corporate revival and effective witness, cultural impact, personal
vibrancy in Christ, unity and community in the body of Christ, eschatological revelation, and
apostolic sending.
b. As necessary as these are, we must distinguish between that which is central and supreme and
that which is very important but secondary. Although unceasing worship and prayer does
have dramatic results, it is first and foremost an end in itself. This can be established in two
primary ways.
2. Worship is an End because Gods Glory is His End
One thing I have desired of the LORD, that will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the
LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD. Psalm 27:4
a. Incessant worship and prayer does not exist primarily because there is so much need that we
must petition Him unceasingly, but rather because the glory of God and the worth of Christ
demand perpetual adoration.
b. A house of prayer has its inception when someone beholds the majesty of Jesus and in
wisdom concludes that the only reasonable response is for men to laud Him ceaselessly. This
is the testimony of the heavenly assembly and it must be ours too.
c. The desire that His indescribable glory would be seen and His matchless worth treasured
above all else must be the cornerstone upon which night and day prayer must be founded and
the chief reason it continues each passing moment.
d. In the age to come, when the long-awaited reign of righteousness has finally dawned upon the
earth and all injustice has been eradicated, He will still be worthy of unrelenting worship.
e. Our worship must be mingled with fervent intercession for the Church and the lost, but at the
center of night and day devotion stands a breathtaking Beauty that knows no rivals, and His
splendor alone is more than sufficient to warrant 24/7 devotion in Heaven and on earth.
3. The Effects are Unto the Ultimate End of Gods Glory in Worship
Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship
doesnt. Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not manWorship is
therefore the fuel and goal of missions.14
a. Scripture is clear that any result we might imagine coming from our adoration and
intercession is for the express purpose of His glory. We must allow the weight of this theme
to bear down upon us and shape us. You could not assemble a list like the one below with
any other idea or theme in the Bible:
14
John Piper, Let the Nations Be Glad, (Grand Rapids, Baker Books:1993), p 11.

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b. Revival of the Church Eph 3:21; Power & Healing Matt 15:31, Mk 2:12, Luke 5:26, 7:16,
John 11:4, 40; Salvation of Souls I Peter 2:9, Eph 1:6, 12, 14; Righteousness &
Sanctification Matt 5:10, I Peter 2:12, Phil 1:11, I Cor 6:20; The Salvation of Israel Isaiah
43:7, Jer 13:11, Ez 36:22-23; Apostolic Ministry John 15:8, II Cor 4:15, 8:19; Phil 1:18, 20,
2:21; Answers to PrayerJohn 14:13; Calling of the Elect II Peter 1:13; Unity Rom 15:5-
715
IV. REFLECTIONS ON THE PRIESTHOOD
A. Corporate Calling
12
So He said, I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: When
you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain. Exodus 3:12
1
Afterward Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh, Thus says the LORD God of Israel: Let My
people go, that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness. Exodus 5:1
9
And Moses said, We will go with our young and our old; with our sons and our daughters, with our
flocks and our herds we will go, for we must hold a feast to the LORD. Exodus 10:9
5
Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special
treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. 6 And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests
and a holy nation. These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel. 7 So Moses
came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before them all these words which the LORD
commanded him. 8 Then all the people answered together and said, All that the LORD has spoken we
will do. So Moses brought back the words of the people to the LORD. Exodus 19:5-8
1. Ministering to the LORD
a. When the Lord called Israel to Himself and set them apart in the first corporate invitation into
covenant they were commissioned to be a kingdom of priests.
b. This was not random it was an expression of Gods ultimate design to restore all things to
its original order. Israel was called to be a corporate Adam, ministering to God and serving
Him through their worship and devotion.16
2. The Principle of Israels Priesthood
a. When we understand that the entire nation of Israel was called to be a priestly people then
we can see the principle inherent in the unique calling of ministry to the LORD of the Levites
and the house of Aaron.
b. The entire nation was to minister to the LORD and give glory to Him in their identity and
purpose, yet the tribe of Levi was to give themselves to this purpose vocationally.
c. To be in covenant with God is to be a priest before Him. This is because covenant is about
returning to right relationship with God (reconciliation) and we were made to relate to Him as
priests. That is the order which the idolatry of sin disrupted.
15
This is just a sampling of the theme and is drawn in part from a list found on p 17-21 of Let the Nations Be Glad by John Piper
16
The fact that this priestly design is inherently human is accentuated by the following: Every culture in the ancient Near East developed a priesthood. Only the
Bedouin tribes did not set these individuals aside to perform priestly duties exclusively. Their role was to function as a part of a priestly community, serving temples,
performing sacrifices, conducting religious services and staging festivals. Priests would have been educated within the temple from an early age, and their position in
the priestly class was hereditary in some cases. They would have been among the few literate persons in their society and thus were relied upon to keep records of major
events and tie them to the will of the gods. This process was known as divination, and it, along with ritual sacrifice, was the chief source of priestly power and authority.
There was a distinctive hierarchy among priestsranging from a chief priest, who sometimes rivaled the king in power, to midlevel individuals who performed daily
rituals and sacrifices, to musicians, and on down to temple servants, who performed the mundane housekeeping and custodial tasks necessary in any large community.
Matthews, Victor Harold ; Chavalas, Mark W. ; Walton, John H.: The IVP Bible Background Commentary : Old Testament. electronic ed. Downers Grove, IL :
InterVarsity Press, 2000, S. Ex 28:1-14

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d. Yet within His covenant people there are those whom He has reserved for Himself in a
distinct way. Thus while the fundamental purpose is the same, it is the expression that varies.
11
Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 12 Now behold, I Myself have taken the Levites
from among the children of Israel instead of every firstborn who opens the womb among
the children of Israel. Therefore the Levites shall be Mine, 13 because all the firstborn are
Mine. On the day that I struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I sanctified to Myself
all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast. They shall be Mine: I am the LORD.
Numbers 3:11-13
B. Application
9
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you
may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once
you were not a people, but now you are Gods people; once you had not received mercy, but now you
have received mercy. 11Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the
flesh, which wage war against your soul. 12Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that
when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of
visitation. I Peter 2:9-11
1. This reality is instructive as it relates to the New Covenant. His covenant people, whether
formerly through the Mosaic Covenant or now through the New Covenant, are His priestly
people. Therefore we find in I Peter that that those in Christ are a kingdom of priests, just as
Israel was.
2. In this light there is nothing in affirming the priesthood of all believers that precludes that idea
of vocational ministry to the LORD comparable to Levi and Aaron. In fact it would seem that this
is very likely and even assumed to be the case when the larger picture is in view.

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Session 09: A Theology of Replication and Convergence

I. OVERVIEW & INTRODUCTION TO THE GUIDING PREMISE
A. Overview of Progression
1. The course began with the premise that in order to understand night and day worship and prayer
we must recognize its broader theological and narrative substructure. Incessant ministry to the
LORD, in other words, cannot be studied in isolation.
2. In its most summary form, this foundation was set forth to be based in the revelation of Heaven
and Gods desire for the realities therein to be replicated on the earth.
3. Having now established the biblical contours of Heaven, the worship that transpires there, and the
original unity of Heaven and Earth we now turn to following the story of the replication of those
realities unto ultimate restoration.
B. The Principle of Replication
1. Basic Premise
8
"Let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them. 9"According to all
that I am going to show you, as the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furniture,
just so you shall construct it. Exodus 25:8-9 (NASB)
a. The key relationship previously established through this passage as it related to the
Tabernacle of Moses was that the dwelling place of God was contingent upon the replication
on earth of the prescribed heavenly pattern.
b. This points to a broader principle evidenced throughout Scripture, namely that replication is
unto convergence. Stated more fully: the means by which God brings about both the partial
and consummate unity of Heaven and Earth is through replication on the Earth of the realities
of Heaven. Thus in its full, eschatological application it could be said that replication is unto
restoration.
c. The final component of this principle is the order in which it occurs. This includes two
principles:
(1) In general, the order of replication moves from the center outward both in measure
of significance and chronologically. Therefore we would expect to see the realities of the
Heavenly Temple replicated first and be of the greatest importance with other elements
following in various ways.
(2) In general, the replication is successive and unfolding with elements progressively
being added until completion. Therefore we would expect to see the lowest degree of
replication in the early period of the human story and the greatest in the millennial age of
Christs reign.
2. General Application of the Principle of Replication
This refers to the elements of Gods movements in biblical history that mirror the original design
of the Holy City on the earth (as previously discussed in class) and the story of God restoring a
remnant of humanity to be a priestly people. This will be secondary in our consideration
throughout the remainder of the course.

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Session 09: A Theology of Replication and Convergence PAGE 2
a. A Mountain-City of His Dwelling

b. The Story of the Priesthood
3. Specific Application of the Principle of Replication
This facet of the replication in view refers to that which mirrors both the physical features of the
Heavenly Temple and its worship. This will be primary in our consideration throughout the
remainder of the course (and most directly relevant to night and day prayer).
a. The Dwelling Place of God Structural Replication
The ways we see the features of the Heavenly Temple as revealed in passages like Isaiah 6
and Revelation 4 & 5 replicated in the story of Israels tabernacle and temple
b. The Worship of the Sanctuary Liturgical Replication
God desires to be worshiped universally, exclusively, and incessantly on the earth just as He
is in the Heavenly Temple. This worship will be prayerful, antiphonal, and musical.
C. Application to Night and Day Ministry to the LORD
Unceasing ministry to the LORD is just one narrow facet of Gods purpose of liturgical replication but
there are two very important reasons why we must understand the broader principle of replication and not
merely focus on night and day worship and prayer:
1. Validity
The first reason is that in seeing the principle of replication and convergence expressed in a
comprehensive way biblically, the assertion that God desires the incessant worship of the
Heavenly Sanctuary to be copied on the Earth becomes much more compelling.
2. Importance
a. The second reason is that it is simply stunning to behold the broader principle of replication
and the drama of its expression in the biblical story and realize that ceaseless worship and
prayer is the very center of it all.
b. It is difficult to overstate the importance this attaches to night and day ministry to the LORD.
Apart from this larger theological schema such claims of significance seem overblown and
exaggerated.
D. Liturgical Replication: A Closer Look
1. Guiding Premise
Beyond the general affirmations of Gods desire to bring Heaven and earth together (Eph 1:10,
Col 1:19, Matt 6:10, Luke 11:2-3), Scripture makes clear that God desires the worship on the
earth to mirror that of Heaven (see in particular Exodus 25:8-9 & I Chronicles 28:19).1
2. General Features of Heavenly Worship
a. Universally God is worshipped by everyone in the Heavenly Temple
b. Exclusively Only God is worshipped in the Heavenly Temple
c. Incessantly God is worshipped continuously in the Heavenly Temple
1
This is further demonstrated by the numerous direct parallels between the features of the tabernacle/temple and the Heavenly Temple. The idea that the structure of the
tabernacle/temple and the ministry that takes place there corresponded to the heavenly archetype fills Jewish literature of the Second Temple period.

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3. Specific Characteristics of Heavenly Worship

a. Musical There is a melodious quality to the worship in the Heavenly Temple
b. Antiphonal There is a responsive quality to the worship in the Heavenly Temple
c. Intercessory There is a prayerful quality to the worship in the Heavenly Temple
4. Summary of Thesis Related to the Replication of Heavenly Worship on the Earth
a. With this in view we can look now to the story of Gods unfolding plan and expect to see
Him acting in such a way that He would be worshipped universally, exclusively, and
incessantly on the earth just as He is in Heaven. Furthermore, we would expect this worship
to be musical, intercessory, and antiphonal in nature.
b. Although it occurs progressively through the passing centuries, this pattern of replication is
indeed what we find when surveying the biblical evidence. Looking back and beholding what
He has already done, we can look ahead with confidence that He will accomplish His purpose
and bring Heaven and earth together.
E. Perspective on Liturgical Replication
1. Relational
a. It is important to keep before us that ultimately the story of replication is about relationship
with His people unto His own glory.
b. Captivated adoration in response to who He is defines the Heavenly Temple and that is what
the LORD desires to be reproduced on the earth.
2. Dynamic
a. Flowing out of the first, we see that liturgical replication is dynamic. The term here is not
used in the vernacular sense of exciting, but rather as an antonym of static.
b. Replication is something birthed out of His heart, not just a blueprint that God is following.
Therefore we should not expect the realities of the earthly sanctuary to mimic that of the
Heavenly Temple in a mechanistic, exact way.
c. Recognizing this preserves an element of mystery as we search out these subjects and guards
us from inordinately pressing details beyond biblical bounds.
d. The parallels between what is revealed of the Heavenly Temple and what we see commanded
through the divine pattern for tabernacle//temple are simply stunning but we should never
think that we have the entire picture.
3. Progressive
Without too rigidly drawing delineations we may say the following:
a. The primary purpose of God in the Tabernacle of Moses was the structural replication of the
Heavenly Temple.
b. The primary purpose of God in the Tabernacle of David and the Temple of Solomon was the
replication of the specific qualities of the order of worship in the Heavenly Temple.

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c. The primary purpose of God in the Millennial Temple will be the scope of the worship of the
Heavenly Temple (it will be the global center of universal and exclusive worship).
II. MOUNT SINAI THE MOUNTAIN OF GOD
A. Introduction to the Significance of Sinai
1. Context
a. The dramatic events surrounding Israels encounter with the LORD at Mount Sinai must be
viewed in context to the larger narrative to which they belong.
b. The themes of exodus and covenant that so powerfully shape the Old Testament story are
typically (and rightfully) traced back to Mt. Sinai as their focal point and origin.
c. Yet the themes relevant to this course and the broader theology of the tabernacle//temple also
spring forth from the slopes of Sinai when the LORD called a people to Himself.
2. Mt. Sinai Recalls the Past and Points to the Future
With the perspective established in the course thus far we should be prepared to look at the events
surrounding Sinai with fresh eyes and realize that it very clearly points back to the original order
of Gods creation and also anticipates His plans and purposes in the future.
a. Retrospectively - Sinai stands as a potent glimpse of Eden and the Mountain of the LORD
and is prefigured by the patriarchal mountain-sanctuaries.
b. Prophetically (future) - Mount Sinai reveals Gods purpose for the land He was giving Israel,
at the center of which was Zion//Jerusalem. Yet it also points far beyond to the
eschatological mountain of the LORD and ultimately to the Holy City returning to the earth.
3. Convergence
a. The reason behind the gravity of its meaning and why it can simultaneously point backward
and forward is due to the unprecedented (up until that point) convergence of Heaven and
Earth that transpires through Gods sovereign initiative.
b. Thus, it stands as a powerful picture and blueprint of what replication is supposed to
produce. This both informs Gods command for the building of the tabernacle and must
shape its subsequent theological understanding.
B. Heaven touches Earth on the Mountain-Sanctuary
1. A Mountain-Sanctuary
12
So He said, I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you:
When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve (worship) God on this
mountain. Exodus 3:12
17
"You will bring them and plant (or establish) them in the mountain of Your inheritance, The
place, O LORD, which You have made for Your dwelling, the sanctuary, O Lord, which Your
hands have established. Exodus 15:17
The scriptural witness when taken collectively very clearly calls us to view Mt. Sinai as a
mountain-sanctuary. This is crucial to understanding what transpires there as well as its larger
significance. Aside from the explicit reference of Exodus 15:17, there are a number of other
direct ways Sinai is presented as a sanctuary//temple:

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a. Sinai is called the mountain of God in Exodus 3:1, 18:5, and 24:13. This term is very
specific biblically and points back to Eden and the Garden (which we have seen should be
understood as a sanctuary), as well as to Israels temple on Mt. Zion both historically and
eschatalogically.
b. There are increasing gradations of holiness, just as in the tabernacle//temple:
Mount Sinai was divided into three sections of increasing sanctity: the majority of the
Israelites were to remain at the foot of Sinai (Exod. 19:12, 23), the priests and seventy elders
(the latter functioning probably as priests) were allowed to come some distance up the
mountain (Exod. 19:22, 24:1), but only Moses could ascend to the top and directly experience
the presence of God (Exod. 24:2).2
c. An altar was present in the outermost gradation of holiness where Israel presented both burnt
offerings and peace offerings (Exodus 24:5-6). This directly corresponds to the unique
activity of the sacrificial system present in the tabernacle//temple.
d. The top of Sinai is described in terms used for the Holy of Holies:
not only does the top part of Sinai approximate the holy of holies because only Israels
high priest, Moses, could enter there, but it was the place where Gods theophanic cloud
and presence dweltSignificantly, the only other times in all of the Old Testament that
Gods presence is spoken of as a cloud dwelling is with respect to Gods presence above the
tabernacle (Exod. 40:35; Num. 9:17-18, 22; 10:12).3
2. An Intersection
So it came about on the third day, when it was morning, that there were thunder and lightning
flashes and a thick cloud upon the mountain and a very loud trumpet sound, so that all the
people who were in the camp trembled. 17And Moses brought the people out of the camp to
meet God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. 18 Now Mount Sinai was all in smoke
because the LORD descended upon it in fire; and its smoke ascended like the smoke of a
furnace, and the whole mountain quaked violently. 19When the sound of the trumpet grew
louder and louder, Moses spoke and God answered him with thunder. 20 The LORD came
down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain; and the LORD called Moses to the top of the
mountain, and Moses went up. Exodus 19:16-20
a. By coming down and transforming Mount Sinai into a holy mountain-temple reminiscent of
the Holy City (a mountain with a temple on top), the LORD forges a temporary unity of
Heaven and Earth in which the two converge in glorious fashion. In the biblical record up
until this point, only Bethel and Jacobs ladder compares to what transpires here (though
Bethel was of a far lower order of convergence).
b. Although the account does not describe how it occurs, the description makes it very clear that
a direct corridor was opened between the top of Sinai and the top of the Holy City:
9
Then Moses went up with Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel,
10
and they saw the God of Israel; and under His feet there appeared to be a pavement of
sapphire, as clear as the sky itself. 11Yet He did not stretch out His hand against the nobles
of the sons of Israel; and they saw God, and they ate and drank. 12Now the LORD said to
Moses, "Come up to Me on the mountain and remain there, and I will give you the stone
tablets with the law and the commandment which I have written for their instruction."
2
G.K. Beale, TACM, p 105
3
Ibid., p 105-106

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13
So Moses arose with Joshua his servant, and Moses went up to the mountain of God.
14
But to the elders he said, "Wait here for us until we return to you And behold, Aaron
and Hur are with you; whoever has a legal matter, let him approach them." 15Then Moses
went up to the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. 16The glory of the LORD
rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; and on the seventh day He
called to Moses from the midst of the cloud. 17And to the eyes of the sons of Israel the
appearance of the glory of the LORD was like a consuming fire on the mountain top.
18
Moses entered the midst of the cloud as he went up to the mountain; and Moses was on
the mountain forty days and forty nights. Exodus 24:9-18
c. In this breathtaking passage it is clear that Moses and the elders are beckoned up and then
privy to behold (in my opinion from underneath in a manner akin to Ezekiel) the floor of the
Heavenly Temple.
d. Aside from the overt reference to the sapphire pavement, Exodus 15:17 makes clear that God
was going to establish Israel in covenant with Himself at the sanctuary made by His hands.
As we have already seen, this is very specific language used elsewhere in Scripture to
describe the Heavenly Sanctuary and, more generally, the Holy City itself.
e. This reality of convergence is hinted at in a fascinating passage that in prophesying the
eschatological march of God from Sinai to Zion looks back upon what occurred in Moses
day.
17
The chariots of God are twice ten thousand, thousands upon thousands; the Lord is
among them; Sinai is now in the sanctuary. Psalm 68:17
f. Moses and Joshua then ascend and spend forty days in the Heavenly Temple upon the sea of
glass. It is immediately following (in Exodus 25:1-9) that we are told of Gods desire for a
dwelling place patterned after the heavenly pattern, and to this decree we now turn.
C. Summary of the Narrative & Theological Significance of Sinai
1. Within the biblical narrative, the extended theophany of Sinai stood as the clearest glimpse of the
original glory of Eden. The fact that God sovereignly orchestrated this temporary mountain-
sanctuary of Sinai at the inauguration of the covenant-nation of Israel cannot be stressed enough.
2. In breathtaking drama the LORD reveals His desire to dwell on the earth once more in the midst
a righteous remnant of humanity (a nation of priests). And as we will now see, the replication
God commanded was intended to be the means by which the reality of Sinai was perpetuated
continually among His people. Sinai was the foretaste that was to mark the nation with a longing
to commune with Yahweh.
In this light, Sinai was an appropriate place for God to show to Moses the pattern of the
tabernacle and the pattern of all its furniture in order that they would construct it exactly as it
was shown to Moses (Exod. 25:9; cf. 25:40). Hence, once Israel leaves the stationary
sanctuary of Sinai, the commission is passed on to them to build the mobile tabernacle in order
that Gods glorious presence continue to dwell among them during their wilderness wanderings
(Exod. 25:8). Indeed, it has been observed by others that the building of the tabernacle itself
appears to be modeled on the tripartite pattern of Sinai. The building of the tabernacle would be
a step towards the construction of the immovable temple of Jerusalem.4
4
G.K. Beale, TACM, p 107.

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III. THE TABERNACLE OF MOSES & THE PATTERN OF REPLICATION

A. The Original Command of Replication in the Mosaic Era
8
"Let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them. 9"According to all that I am
going to show you, as the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furniture, just so you shall
construct it. Exodus 25:8-9
40
"See that you make them after the pattern for them, which was shown to you on the mountain.
Exodus 25:40
30
"Then you shall erect the tabernacle according to its plan which you have been shown in the
mountain. Exodus 26:30
8
"You shall make it hollow with planks; as it was shown to you in the mountain, so they shall make it.
Exodus 27:8
4
Now this was the workmanship of the lampstand, hammered work of gold; from its base to its flowers
it was hammered work; according to the pattern which the LORD had shown Moses, so he made the
lampstand. Numbers 8:4
Older Jewish commentators claimed that Moses was shown a material structure actually existing in heaven and
that the articles of furniture he made were facsimiles of existing articles in heavenArcheological researches in this
century have shed new light on Near Eastern thought patterns concerning heavenly//earthly relationships. Behind
Ex 25, says Goppelt, stands the ancient oriental idea of a mythical analogical relation between the two worlds, the
heavenly and the earthly, the macrocosm and the microcosm, so that lands, rivers, cities, and especially temples
have their originals.Although some modern scholarship rejects the concept that the tabnith model reflects a
heavenly reality, there is a wide consensus today that it did (in view of current understanding of ancient Near
5
Eastern thought patterns).
B. Later Old Testament Developments and Jewish Tradition

1. Old Testament Revelation
19
"All this," said David, "the LORD made me understand in writing by His hand upon me, all
the details of this pattern." I Chronicles 28:19
And He built his sanctuary like the high heavens, like the earth, which he has founded forever.
Psalm 78:69 (ESV)
44
"Our fathers had the tabernacle of testimony in the wilderness, just as He who spoke to
Moses directed him to make it according to the pattern which he had seen. Acts 7:44
The contrast expressed in Stephens speech is not one of temple and Christ or temple and church;
rather it is between a house made with hands and a house made without hands: a contrast
between the earthly temple and the heavenly temple (the latter being the pattern for the former,
Acts 7:44).6
2. Apocrypha
7
Thou hast chosen me to be a king of thy people, and a judge of thy sons and daughters: 8 thou
hast commanded me to build a temple upon thy holy mount, and an altar in the city wherein thou
dwellest, a resemblance of the holy tabernacle, which thou hast prepared from the beginning.
Wisdom of Solomon 9:8
5
Arnold V. Wallenkampf writing in A. Wallenkampf & W.R. Lesher (eds), The Sanctuary & The Atonement (Washington, D.C., The Review and Herald Publishing
Association: 1981), p 5.
6

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3. Pseudepigripha
Echoing the story of the tabernacle, 2 Baruch 4:17 promises the eschatological revelation of the
heavenly temple and paradise that God created but took away when Adam sinned. On Mt. Sinai
God showed Moses the heavenly temple that was to serve as a pattern for the earthly tabernacle
and its furnishings. 7
4. Rabbinic Literature
a. Targum of Exodus 15:17
You will bring them in and plant them on the mountain of your Sanctuary. You have
established, O Lord, a place that corresponds to the throne of your Glory, made ready
opposite the dwelling place of your holy Shekinah. Your Sanctuary, O Lord, your own two
hands completed it.
b. Targum of II Chronicles 6:1-2
Then Solomon said: The Lord has chosen to cause his Shekinah to dwell in the city of
Jerusalem, in the sanctuary house which I have built for the Name of his Memra, but a thick
black cloud has concealed before him. Yes! I have built a sanctuary house before you, a
place prepared as a residence for your Shekinah, and corresponding to the throne of the
house where you dwell, which is for ever in the heavens.
c. Midrash of Numbers 4:6
Precious in Gods sight was the construction of the ark even as that of the Throne of Glory
in heavenThe [position of the terrestrial] Sanctuary corresponds with that of the heavenly
Sanctuary and the [position of the] ark with that of the heavenly Throne.
d. Midrash of Psalm 30:1
R. Hisda said: There is no difference of opinion that the sanctuary below is the counterpart of
the sanctuary above, for in the verse Thou, Lord, hast made it as place (mkwn) for Thy
dwelling (Ex 15:17), you are to read not mkwn a place for, but mekuwwan a counterpart
of. Because the two are counterparts
C. New Testament Theology of Replication in the Book of Hebrews
1
Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at
the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, 2 a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true
tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man. 3 For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts
and sacrifices. Therefore it is necessary that this One also have something to offer. 4 For if He were on
earth, He would not be a priest, since there are priests who offer the gifts according to the law; 5 who
serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about
to make the tabernacle. For He said, See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you
on the mountain. 6 But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also
Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises. Hebrews 8:1-6
11
But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect
tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. 12 Not with the blood of goats and calves,
but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal
redemption. 13 For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean,
sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, 14 how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the
7

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eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve
the living God? 15 And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for
the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the
promise of the eternal inheritance. Hebrews 9:11-15
23
Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with these,
but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ has not entered the
holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the
presence of God for us; 25 not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most
Holy Place every year with blood of another 26 He then would have had to suffer often since the
foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the
sacrifice of Himself. 27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, 28 so
Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a
second time, apart from sin, for salvation. Hebrews 9:23-28
D. Introducing a Theology of Convergence The Temple as Heaven on Earth
1. The consequence of the holy replication was that theologically it was understood that there was
complete convergence between the earthly sanctuary (Gods footstool) and His Heavenly
Sanctuary (His throne of Glory).
2
Then King David rose to his feet and said, Hear me, my brethren and my people: I had it in
my heart to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and for the footstool
of our God, and had made preparations to build it. I Chronicles 28:2
5
Exalt the LORD our God, and worship at His footstoolHe is holy. Psalm 99:5
7 8
Let us go into His tabernacle; let us worship at His footstool. Arise, O LORD, to Your
resting place, You and the ark of Your strength. Psalm 132:7-8
1
How the Lord has covered the daughter of Zion with a cloud in His anger! He cast down
from heaven to the earth the beauty of Israel, and did not remember His footstool in the day of
His anger. Lamentations 2:1
2. The theology of the temple was such that the glory of God behind the veil was not somehow a
separate glory or presence but merely the same glory of His Heavenly Temple. Due to the
convergence there was no longer a ceiling the Holy of Holies on the earth opened directly into
the Heavenly Temple.
The temple is the place on earth where God rests his footit still belongs to the heavenly sphere:
Yahweh sits on his throne in heaven as well as in the temple (R. Knierim, VT 18 [1968], p. 52).8
In the third, the sitting enthroned in the sanctuary here below and in the heaven above blend
together; for the Old Testament is conscious of a mutual relationship between the earthly and the
heavenly temple ( ) until the one merges entirely in the other.9
Hence, the ark is part of Gods heavenly throne-room, and appropriately, the space directly
above the ark is empty.10
8
Allen, Leslie C.: The Books of Joel, Obadiah, Jonah, and Micah. Grand Rapids, MI : Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1976 (The New International Commentary on
the Old Testament)
9
Keil, Carl Friedrich ; Delitzsch, Franz: Commentary on the Old Testament. Peabody, MA : Hendrickson, 2002, S. 5:537
10
Beale, TACM, p 36

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Heaven and earth are further linked together ontologically in both Old and New Testament
passages, Heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstoolThus, the earthly and heavenly
temples are the two ends of a cosmic dipole. The biblical examples have demonstrated that
ontologically the temple/palace of God may be considered as being either on earth or in
heavenThus, when a righteous person entered the temple in Jerusalem, he could contemplate
the power of God and be with him in the heavenly temple. In short, the divine temple could be
depicted as earthly or heavenly, or both together in a manner which illustrates an essential
ontological unity between heaven and earth.11
The activity of the earthly tabernacle and cultus is a reflection and an extension of a heavenly
temple and cultus where angels worship the one God.12
These observations clearly suggest that Gods residence is understood to be both in heaven and
upon earth, but probably, furthermore, that His heavenly and earthly residences were not thought
of as distinct...The ancient mind apparently was able to perceive the universe and God in a
unified way, whereby heavenly and earthly divine habitations mergeThe divine dwelling place
breaks down the distinction between heaven and earthHere in the sanctuary, heaven and earth,
the far and the near, are brought together in one experience.13
That these activities [of God in the heavenly temple] are also associated with the earthly
sanctuary only confirms the fact that though the two sanctuaries are cosmographically distinct,
their functions are conceptually inseparable in the OT. This observations becomes even more
pronounced in the visionary descriptions of the heavenly sanctuary.14
E. The Truth of Convergence Expressed in Biblical Language
Aside from the larger context being developed there are two very common expressions or affirmations
used in biblical language that typify the way in which the unity between the earthly sanctuary and the
Heavenly Sanctuary was understood.
1. The One who Dwells Between the Cherubim
We will be examining the significance of the cherubim much more closely later in the session but
here we simply note the way they are used as a reference point for both the earthly and heavenly
sanctuaries without any delineation between the two. It is important to recall that in both the
Mosaic tabernacle and the Temple of Solomon there were golden cherubim over the Ark of the
Covenant. These were, of course, intended to represent the living cherubim who dwelt in
proximity to His throne.
4
So the people sent to Shiloh, and from there they carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD
of hosts who sits above the cherubim; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were
there with the ark of the covenant of God. I Samuel 4:4
2
And David arose and went with all the people who were with him to Baale-judah, to bring up
from there the ark of God which is called by the Name, the very name of the LORD of hosts
who is enthroned above the cherubim. II Samuel 6:2
15
Hezekiah prayed before the LORD and said, "O LORD, the God of Israel, who are
enthroned above the cherubim, You are the God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth.
You have made heaven and earth. II Kings 19:15
11
Revelation 4& 5, R. Dean Davis
12
13
Sanctuary & the Atonement, p 71
14
Sanctuary & the Atonement, p 73

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1
Oh, give ear, Shepherd of Israel, You who lead Joseph like a flock; You who are enthroned
above the cherubim, shine forth! Psalm 80:1
1
The LORD reigns, let the peoples tremble; He is enthroned above the cherubim, let the earth
shake! Psalm 99:1
At this point in the course, stemming all the way back to Exodus 25:8-9, this second major way of
expressing the unity between sanctuaries should be quite obvious. Yet it is worth noting the ease
with which the biblical authors can refer so clearly to Heaven as the dwelling place of God and
yet turn around and speak of Zion or the sanctuary in Jerusalem as His dwelling place as well.
One example will suffice:
6
I shall wash my hands in innocence, and I will go about Your altar, O LORD, 7That I may
proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving and declare all Your wonders. 8O LORD, I love the
habitation of Your house and the place where Your glory dwells. Ps 28:6-815
F. Overview of Comic Unity through Temple-Convergence in the Psalter
We will now consider a small collection of biblical passages that demonstrate the unity between the
sanctuary in Jerusalem and the Heavenly Temple.
1. Psalm 5:7
7
But as for me, I will come into Your house in the multitude of Your mercy; In fear of You I
will worship toward Your holy temple.
2. Psalm 9:7-8, 11
7
But the LORD shall endure forever; He has prepared His throne for judgment. 8 He shall
judge the world in righteousness, And He shall administer judgment for the peoples in
uprightnessSing praises to the LORD, who dwells in Zion; Declare among the peoples His
deeds.16
3. Psalm 14:2, 7
2
The LORD looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who
understand, who seek God7 Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion! When
the LORD brings back the captivity of His people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad.
4. Psalm 20:2-3, 6
May He send you help from the sanctuary and support you from Zion! 3 May He remember all
your meal offerings and find your burnt offering acceptable!... Now I know that the LORD
saves His anointed; He will answer him from His holy heaven With the saving strength of His
right hand.
5. Psalm 27:4
One thing I have asked from the LORD, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the
LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD and to meditate in His temple.
15
With Andreason, Sanctuary & Atonement, p 72, I agree that bayith (house) almost exclusively refers to the earthly sanctuary in the Old Testament. Isaiah 6:4 is the
most notable exception to this.
16
R. Dean Davis, HCJ, p 48 points to this passage as an example of Gods throne being in Zion and then contrasts with Psalm 11:4-5 and the location of the throne in
Heaven to point toward ontological cosmological unity. Though I appreciate and affirm the conclusion, it seems highly doubtful that v 7-8 refers to Zion. His enduring
throne in Heaven that will not be moved (see Ps 9:4 as well) is what is in view.

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6. Psalm 65
How blessed is the one whom You choose and bring near to You to dwell in Your courts. We
will be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, Your holy temple.
7. Psalm 76:2, 8-9
His tabernacle is in Salem; His dwelling place also is in Zion8 You caused judgment to be
heard from heaven; the earth feared and was still 9 When God arose to judgment, to save all
the humble of the earth.
IV. THE MINISTRY OF CONVERGENCE: THE ROLE OF THE CHERUBIM
A. The Biblical Descriptions
The cherubim are very different than the seraphim and not to be confused with one another. Though they
are frequently mentioned elsewhere the clearest physical description of them comes through Ezekiels
theophany. The seraphim, as described in Revelation 4:6-8, have six wings, one face, and eyes around and
within. The cherubim each have four faces, only four wings, feet like those of a calf, hands beneath their
wings and eyes all around.17
Within it there were figures resembling four living beings. And this was their appearance: they had
human form. 6 Each of them had four faces and four wings. 7 Their legs were straight and their feet
were like a calfs hoof, and they gleamed like burnished bronze. 8 Under their wings on their four sides
were human hands. As for the faces and wings of the four of them, 9 their wings touched one another;
their faces did not turn when they moved, each went straight forward. 10 As for the form of their faces,
each had the face of a man; all four had the face of a lion on the right and the face of a bull on the
left, and all four had the face of an eagle. 11 Such were their faces. Their wings were spread out above;
each had two touching another being, and two covering their bodies. Ezekiel 1:5-11
1. Cherubim Guard the Entrance to the Garden
So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and
the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life. Gen 3:24
2. Cherubim were on the Curtains Surrounding the Outside of the Tabernacle of Moses
1
Moreover you shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine woven linen and blue,
purple, and scarlet thread; with artistic designs of cherubim you shall weave them. Ex 26:1
8
Then all the gifted artisans among them who worked on the tabernacle made ten curtains
woven of fine linen, and of blue, purple, and scarlet thread; with artistic designs of cherubim
they made them. Exodus 36:8
3. Cherubim were on the Veil of the Tabernacle of Moses
31
You shall make a veil woven of blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen. It
shall be woven with an artistic design of cherubim. 32 You shall hang it upon the four pillars of
acacia wood overlaid with gold. Their hooks shall be gold, upon four sockets of silver. 33 And
you shall hang the veil from the clasps. Then you shall bring the ark of the Testimony in there,
behind the veil. The veil shall be a divider for you between the holy place and the Most Holy. 34
You shall put the mercy seat upon the ark of the Testimony in the Most Holy. Exodus 26:31-34
17
As odd as these descriptions seem to us we must not lapse into viewing the creatures as symbolic. It is grieving to see biblical scholars so swiftly dismiss the reality of
cherubim and opt for seeing the text speaking only in terms of elaborate imagery. This quickly leads to undermining Ezekiels entire vision as well as casting doubt on
the historicity of the Garden of Eden.

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35
And he made a veil of blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen; it was worked
with an artistic design of cherubim. Exodus 36:35
4. Cherubim were Carved Upon All the Walls of the Temple of Solomon
29
Then he carved all the walls of the temple all around, both the inner and outer sanctuaries,
with carved figures of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers. I Kings 6:29
7
He also overlaid the housethe beams and doorposts, its walls and doorswith gold; and he
carved cherubim on the walls. II Chronicles 3:7
5. Cherubim were Carved on the Two Doors Into the Inner Sanctuary of the Temple of Solomon
31
For the entrance of the inner sanctuary he made doors of olive wood; the lintel and
doorposts were one-fifth of the wall. 32 The two doors were of olive wood; and he carved on
them figures of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold; and he
spread gold on the cherubim and on the palm trees. 33 So for the door of the sanctuary he also
made doorposts of olive wood, one-fourth of the wall. 34 And the two doors were of cypress
wood; two panels comprised one folding door, and two panels comprised the other folding
door. 35 Then he carved cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers on them, and overlaid them
with gold applied evenly on the carved work. I Kings 6:31-35
6. Cherubim were Carved on the Bases and Stands of the Lavers in the Temple of Solomon
36
On the plates of its flanges and on its panels he engraved cherubim, lions, and palm trees,
wherever there was a clear space on each, with wreaths all around. I Kings 7:36
7. Cherubim were on the Veil of the Temple of Solomon
14
And he made the veil of blue, purple, crimson, and fine linen, and wove cherubim into it. II
Chronicles 3:14
8. Cherubim are on the panels of the Millennial Temple
15
He measured the length of the building behind it, facing the separating courtyard, with its
galleries on the one side and on the other side, one hundred cubits, as well as the inner temple
and the porches of the court, 16 their doorposts and the beveled window frames. And the
galleries all around their three stories opposite the threshold were paneled with wood from the
ground to the windowsthe windows were covered 17 from the space above the door, even to
the inner room, as well as outside, and on every wall all around, inside and outside, by
measure. 18 And it was made with cherubim and palm trees, a palm tree between cherub and
cherub. Each cherub had two faces, 19 so that the face of a man was toward a palm tree on one
side, and the face of a young lion toward a palm tree on the other side; thus it was made
throughout the temple all around. 20 From the floor to the space above the door, and on the
wall of the sanctuary, cherubim and palm trees were carved. Ezekiel 41:15-20
9. Cherubim are on the Doors to the Nave of the Millennial Temple
25
Cherubim and palm trees were carved on the doors of the temple just as they were carved on
the walls. A wooden canopy was on the front of the vestibule outside. Ezekiel 41:25
10. Cherubim were Over the Ark of the Covenant
18
And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work you shall make them at the
two ends of the mercy seat. 19 Make one cherub at one end, and the other cherub at the other
end; you shall make the cherubim at the two ends of it of one piece with the mercy seat. 20 And
the cherubim shall stretch out their wings above, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and

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they shall face one another; the faces of the cherubim shall be toward the mercy seat. 21 You
shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the Testimony that I will
give you. 22 And there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy
seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the Testimony, about everything
which I will give you in commandment to the children of Israel. Exodus 25:18-22
7
He made two cherubim of beaten gold; he made them of one piece at the two ends of the
mercy seat: 8 one cherub at one end on this side, and the other cherub at the other end on that
side. He made the cherubim at the two ends of one piece with the mercy seat. 9 The cherubim
spread out their wings above, and covered the mercy seat with their wings. They faced one
another; the faces of the cherubim were toward the mercy seat. Exodus 37:7-9
23
Inside the inner sanctuary he made two cherubim of olive wood, each ten cubits high. 24 One
wing of the cherub was five cubits, and the other wing of the cherub five cubits: ten cubits from
the tip of one wing to the tip of the other. 25 And the other cherub was ten cubits; both
cherubim were of the same size and shape. 26 The height of one cherub was ten cubits, and so
was the other cherub. 27 Then he set the cherubim inside the inner room; and they stretched out
the wings of the cherubim so that the wing of the one touched one wall, and the wing of the
other cherub touched the other wall. And their wings touched each other in the middle of the
room. 28 Also he overlaid the cherubim with gold. I Kings 6:23-28
6
Then the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the LORD to its place, into the inner
sanctuary of the temple, to the Most Holy Place, under the wings of the cherubim. 7 For the
cherubim spread their two wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim overshadowed the
ark and its poles. I Kings 8:6-7
11. The LORD descends upon the Cherubim
He rode upon a cherub, and flew; And He was seen upon the wings of the wind. 2 Sam 22:11
10
And He rode upon a cherub, and flew; He flew upon the wings of the wind. Psalm 18:10
B. Understanding the Ministry of the Cherubim
In light of the biblical evidence, what can we conclude about what the cherubim do? And how does this
relate to the premise of convergence being considered?
1. When the corpus of witness biblical testimony related to the cherubim is taken together, what
emerges is the conclusion that the cherubim are responsible for guarding and facilitating the
convergence of Heaven and earth that occurs primarily (though not limited to) through the
sanctuary-dipole.
2. Under the sovereign leadership of the Enthroned One, the purpose (or function) of the ministry of
the cherubim is to unite the Heavenly Temple with a locale on the earth and then steward that
ladder or corridor.
3. Without question the golden figures over the ark are the most significant biblical reference to
cherubim and with this perspective we can understand why they are so prominently featured. As
we have seen, the essence of the Holy of Holies theologically was the intersection of Heaven and
earth, with the ark being the footstool of the One enthroned on high in the Heavenly Sanctuary.
The golden cherubim, therefore, represent the living cherubim who were actually facilitating this
mysterious intersection between the two realities.

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4. Furthermore, just as the cherubim guarded the entrance to the Holy City through the Garden of
Eden, they are woven into the veil to the Holy of Holies because the latter was the only point of
access that remained to the City on the earth. Their portraits were on the entryway to the Most
Holy Place as a reminder that mighty, living cherubim were invisibly present to strike down
anyone who dared cross that holy boundary.
5. In a general sense this twofold reality of facilitating and guarding explains the remarkable
frequency with which they are depicted in the Tabernacle of Moses, the Temple of Solomon, and
the Millennial Temple alike.
C. The Theophanies of Ezekiel & the Ministry of Convergence
Although the present context does not allow for careful study of the dramatic theophanies of Ezekiel 1
and 10, bringing this perspective into the consideration of what is described will help to better explain the
meaning of the text and strengthen our confidence that these conclusions are correct.
1. Introduction
a. Possessing a perspective on the physicality of Heaven and cognizant of the fact that both in
Scripture and in Jewish tradition the throne was understood to be and real place called the
Heavenly Temple that is located within the New Jerusalem, we are led to understand the
scene in Revelation 4 as a permanent, fixed reality.
b. Both the throne and the expanse described in Ezekiels theophany seem to be synonymous
with what is described in Revelation 4. Thus in considering Ezekiels vision we should be
reticent to presume that the sea of glass (the sapphire expanse) and the throne are indeed
moving unless the text explicitly indicates this.
c. In my opinion, the reading and interpretation of these chapters has often been inordinately
influenced by a mistaken assumption that Daniel 7 and Revelation 4 are describing the same
place and by the chariot-throne motif in Jewish apocalyptic literature which was so
influenced by Ezekiel.
d. Upon careful reading there is nothing in either Ezekiel 1 or 10 that actually states that the
throne Ezekiel sees has wheels on it, which is quite different than Daniel 7 and other
supposed visions of the throne in Jewish tradition.
e. Nor does it depict the cherubim in a static relationship to the expanse or the throne, as though
they were holding it or supporting it. In fact, the opposite impression is given they (and
their corresponding wheels) are moving autonomously from the throne which is above them
from Ezekiels perspective.
2. Understanding Ezekiels Theophany with the Perspective of Convergence
Though here we will not discuss the larger meaning of Ezekiels experience, we can now
approach the scene and perhaps better appreciate what is actually going on.
a. The whirlwind seen by Ezekiel initially is comparable to the pillar of fire and cloud that
attended the Tabernacle of Moses. Just as it moved in the days of Moses, Ezekiel was
beholding this corridor of convergence moving toward him.
The angel of God, who had been going before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind
them; and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them. 20 So it
came between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel; and there was the cloud along
with the darkness, yet it gave light at night. Thus the one did not come near the other all
night.At the morning watch, the LORD looked down on the army of the Egyptians

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through the pillar of fire and cloud and brought the army of the Egyptians into confusion.
Exodus 14:19-20, 24
34
Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the
tabernacle. 35 Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled
on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. 36 Throughout all their journeys
whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the sons of Israel would set
out; 37 but if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out until the day when it was
taken up. 38 For throughout all their journeys, the cloud of the LORD was on the
tabernacle by day, and there was fire in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel.
Exodus 40:34-38
b. The whirlwind is essentially the conduit through which the convergence of Heaven and earth
happen. When the cherubim raise their wings and move along with their wheels, the corridor
itself moves. Thus they are facilitating, and even causing, the dynamic relationship between
the Heavenly Temple and wherever the bottom of the whirlwind rests.
c. When active, they live and function in between Heaven and earth and reside permanently in
neither place because they steward the mingling of the two realities.
d. Thus when Ezekiel was enveloped by the whirlwind he was able to see the Heavenly Temple,
just as the LORD looked down through the whirlwind to see the Egyptians in the Exodus.
e. In Moses day and in Ezekiels day it was not the throne or the sapphire expanse that was
moving but rather the whirlwind//pillar of cloud and fire that served as a window from earth
into His upper chambers.
f. There are abundant examples of theophanies where the Lord literally comes down and talks
with people, visits them, etc. these would be the occasions of His chariot throne of Daniel
7:9. When He arises from His temple and comes down (Micah 1:2, Jer. 25:8) He will ride
His chariot throne but it would not seem that is what is depicted here.
g. This conclusion is even more compelling when we understand the larger significance of what
Ezekiel is seeing as it relates to the story of the Temple.
V. CONVERGENCE EXPRESSED THROUGH DIVINE REST
A. The Recapitulation of Creation & the Resting Place of God
1. Creation & the Rest of God
2
And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the
seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and
sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.
Genesis 2:2-3
a. Although we are quite familiar with the general concept of the seventh day of creation and its
association with Sabbath, our modern perspective prevents us from apprehending the true
significance of what is described in the opening chapters of Genesis.

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In the traditional view that Genesis 1 is an account of material origins, day seven is mystifying. It
appears to be nothing more than an afterthought with theological concerns about Israelites observing
the Sabbath an appendix, a postscript, a tack on. In contrast, a reader from the ancient world, would
know immediately what was going on and recognize the role of day seven. Without hesitation the
ancient reader would conclude that this is a temple text and that day seven is the more important of the
seven days. In a material account (of creation) day seven would have little role, but in a functional
account, as we will see, it is the true climax without which nothing else would make any sense or have
any meaning. How could reactions be so different? The difference is the piece of information that
everyone knew in the ancient world and to which most modern readers are totally oblivious: Deity
rests in a temple, and only in a temple. This is what temples were built for. We might even say that this
is what a temple is a place for divine restWhat does divine rest entail? Most of us think of rest as
disengagement from the cares, worries and tasks of life. What comes to mind is sleeping in or taking
an afternoon nap. But in the ancient world rest is what results when a crisis has been resolved or when
stability has been achieved, when things have settled down. Consequently normal routines can be
established and enjoyed. For deity this means that the normal operations of the cosmos can be
undertaken. This is more a matter of engagement without obstacles rather than disengagement without
18
responsibilities.
b. This is simply crucial to understand as it relates to both the Garden and the story of the
temple. With this perspective we can see that what is being described in the seventh day is the
moment when the LORD finished His creative work and took His seat within the Heavenly
Temple at the crown of the Holy City (which was on the newly fashioned earth).19
c. Subsequent references to Gods resting place must be viewed in this light and understood to
be pointing back to this protological enthronement. So, too, the concepts of God dwelling or
reigning, for they all derive from this point of origin. The Creator is the Sovereign King, and
His Temple is His throne room. Thus, when He dwells within a temple on the earth it is
synonymous with His reign and rule being established.
2. The Dwelling Place of God & Divine Rest
Thus says the LORD: Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool. Where is the house
that you will build Me? And where is the place of My rest? 2 For all those things My hand has
made, and all those things exist, says the LORD. Isaiah 66:1-2a
a. This perspective allows the significance of what occurred at Mt. Sinai and the convergence
that took place to emerge before us. In the LORD descending and resting upon the mountain
before His people it was the first true expression of His original rest in the postdiluvian world
after having subdued His enemies.
16
Now the glory of the LORD rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days.
And on the seventh day He called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud. Exodus 24:16
b. Gods purpose, therefore, in establishing a tabernacle//temple was that He might dwell, or
rest, among His people in a way that: 1) Recalled His original rest on the earth in the
beginning 2) Mirrored and converged with His sovereign rest in Heaven and 3) Pointed to His
ultimate eschatological rest upon the earth.
18
Walton, John H. The Lost World of Genesis One: Ancient Cosmology and the Origins Debate. (Downers Grove, Ill: IVP Academic, 2009), p 72-73
19
The rest of God and its connection with the concept of Temple is recognized more widely than Walton and yet is leading scholars almost categorically to conclude,
with Philo, that the temple was therefore patterned after the whole of the cosmos in some manner. This is entirely mistaken and runs counter to the entire corpus of
ancient Jewish thought being patterned after a material Temple in Heaven. The realization of protological rest/enthronement in the Temple fits beautifully with the way
the tabernacle//temple was understood when the Mountain of God //Holy City is rightly understood to have been on the earth and contain His archetypical Temple
within it.

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Exodus 15:17 confirms this by saying that God would bring Israel to 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. Gods dwelling in Israels temple was conceived as the rest of a divine
king who had no worries about opposition. Gods sitting in the temple is an expression of his
sovereign rest or reign. This is underscored by the repeated phrase who is enthroned above the
cherubim (2 Sam. 6:2, 2 Kgs. 19:15; I Chr. 13:6; Pss. 80:1; 99:1), which includes reference to Gods
actual presence in the temple as reflection of his reign in the heavenly realmJust as God ascended
and sat in the heights of the universe [to reign], after he completed the creation (The Fathers
According to Rabbi Nathan 1), so he would ascend to the temple and reign from there, after he
20
subdued all Israels enemies
B. The Tabernacle of Moses & the Temple of Solomon

1. Tabernacle of Moses
46
And they shall know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them up out of the land of
Egypt, that I may dwell among them. I am the LORD their God. Exodus 29:46
a. The similarity of language between the original creation and Moses work in building the
tabernacle (Gen 1:31, 2:1, 2:2, 2:3 with Exodus 39:43, 39:32, 40:33, 39:43): Moses saw all
the work, Moses completed the work, and blessed the people for their labor.21
b. The account of creation and the account of the building of the tabernacle are both framed
around seven acts or decrees. Compare And God said (Genesis 1:3, 6, 9, 14, 20, 24, 26)
with the LORD said (Exodus 25:1; 30:11, 17, 22, 34; 31:1, 12).22
2. Temple of Solomon
a. Although the Tabernacle of Moses was legitimately Gods dwelling place, throughout the
exodus narrative the LORD consistently promised that He would establish a permanent
resting place in the land pledged to Abraham.23
11
I will set My tabernacle among you, and My soul shall not abhor you. 12 I will walk
among you and be your God, and you shall be My people. 13 I am the LORD your God,
who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that you should not be their slaves; I have
broken the bands of your yoke and made you walk upright. Leviticus 26:11-13
34
Therefore do not defile the land which you inhabit, in the midst of which I dwell; for I
the LORD dwell among the children of Israel. Numbers 35:34
b. It was this purpose that David desired so ardently to accomplish in his lifetime after
discerning that the place God had chosen was not Shiloh but Zion.
2
Then King David rose to his feet and said, Hear me, my brethren and my people: I had it
in my heart to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and for the
footstool of our God, and had made preparations to build it. I Chronicles 28:2
c. The dedication of Solomons Temple powerfully illustrates the truth of Divine rest as it
relates to the original act of creation. Solomon completed the Temple in seven years,
dedicated it in the seventh month, celebrated with a feast of seven days, and offered a
dedicatory speech structured around seven supplications.24
20
G.K. Beale, TCM, p 63
21
G.K. Beale, TCM, p 61 citing the work of J. Walton and M. Fishbane
22
Ibid. (Here Beale cites the work of Sailhamer)
23
In addition to the following passages and those like it, see the repeated references found especially in Deuteronomy that refer to the place where His name will be
dwell or remain (Deuteronomy 12:5,12:11, 12:21, 14:23, 14:24, 16:2, 16:6, 16:11).
24
G.K. Beale, TCM, p 61

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In the fourth year the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid, in the month of Ziv.
38
In the eleventh year, in the month of Bul, which is the eighth month, the house was
finished throughout all its parts and according to all its plans. So he was seven years in
building it. I Kings 6:37-38
d. Solomons prayer at the dedication of the Temple is very important. He understood the
Temple to be the fulfillment of the promise for God to choose a place of His dwelling and
that this pointed back to His original rest and enthronement.
41
Now therefore, Arise, O LORD God, to Your resting place, You and the ark of Your
strength. Let Your priests, O LORD God, be clothed with salvation, and let Your saints
rejoice in goodness... 1 When Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven
and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD filled the
temple.2 And the priests could not enter the house of the LORD, because the glory of the
LORD had filled the LORDs house. 3 When all the children of Israel saw how the fire
came down, and the glory of the LORD on the temple, they bowed their faces to the ground
on the pavement, and worshiped and praised the LORD, saying: For He is good, for His
mercy endures forever. II Chronicles 6:41, 7:1-3
e. The fact that the LORD answered and established a point of convergence between the
Heavenly Temple and the lofty house Solomon had built (II Chronicles 6:2) was the sign
that Zion was indeed His everlasting resting place and that the son of David had completed
all things according to the prescribed pattern given to his father (I Chronicles 28:19).
We must draw an important distinction between the building of a temple and the creation of a temple.
When we look again at the account of Solomons temple we see that he took seven years to build it (I
Kings 6:37-38). Most of this time was spent on what may be called the material phase. The stone
was quarried and shaped, the precious metals were mined, the furniture built, the cedar acquired and
shipped and shaped, the veils sewn, the doors carved, the priestly vestments made and so on. When all
of this was done, did the temple exist? Certainly not. Because a temple is not simply an aggregate of
fine materials subjected to expert craftsmanship. The temple uses that which is material, but the temple
is not material. If God is not in it, it is not a temple. If rituals are not being performed by a serving
priesthood, it is not a temple. If those elements are not in place, the temple does not exist in any
meaningful way. A person does not exist if only represented by their corpse. It is the inauguration
ceremony that transforms a pile of lumber, stone, gold, cloth into a templeIn the account of the
construction of Solomons Temple the inauguration includes a seven-day dedication to which is added
25
a seven-day feast/banquet (1 Kings 8:65; 2 Chron. 7:9).
f. It is of great significance that we find the words from Solomons dedicatory prayer included
in Psalm 132, one of the Song of Ascents. The latter were likely composed and assembled
specifically for the inauguration of the Jerusalem Temple that was to occur during the Feast
of Tabernacles in the eleventh year of Solomons reign. The Psalm would then stand as a
more complete account of the intercessory cry for God to fulfill both His promise of a resting
place and His promises to David which are presented as inextricably bound together.
Let us go into His dwelling place; let us worship at His footstool. 8 Arise, O LORD, to Your resting
place, You and the ark of Your strength. 9 Let Your priests be clothed with righteousness, and let
Your godly ones sing for joy. 10 For the sake of David Your servant, do not turn away the face of
Your anointed. 11 The LORD has sworn to David a truth from which He will not turn back: Of the
fruit of your body I will set upon your throne. 12 If your sons will keep My covenant and My
testimony which I will teach them, their sons also shall sit upon your throne forever. 13 For the
LORD has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His habitation. 14 This is My resting place forever,
here I will dwell, for I have desired it. Psalm 132:7-14
25
Walton, John H. The Lost World of Genesis One: Ancient Cosmology and the Origins Debate. (Downers Grove, Ill: IVP Academic, 2009), p 88-89

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Session 10: The Story of Replication Part I

I. OVERVIEW OF REPLICATION OF THE GARDEN OF THE LORD IN TABERNACLE & TEMPLE
Previously in the course we have seen compelling reasons why the Garden of Eden should be understood as the
first sanctuary with Adam as the archetypical priest. Yet it was stated that further evidence for this conclusion
would be presented in considering how later sanctuaries were patterned after features of the Garden. To this
subject we now turn, noting the striking manner in which the tabernacle//temple harkens back the first place of
communion between God and man.
A. The Dwelling Place of God & Communion with God

(see previous sections of notes for the association of dwelling and presence related to both the Garden and
the tabernacle//temple)
B. The Priesthood
(see previous sections of notes for the significance of Adam as a priest and a brief treatment of the
importance of the priesthood related to the service of God in the tabernacle//temple)
C. The Prevalence of the Cherubim
(see above)
D. The Arboreal Lampstand
The Tree of Life !The Burning Tree of the Tabernacle of Moses & the Temple of Solomon
31
Then you shall make a lampstand of pure gold. The lampstand and its base and its shaft are to be
made of hammered work; its cups, its bulbs and its flowers shall be of one piece with it. 32 Six
branches shall go out from its sides; three branches of the lampstand from its one side and three
branches of the lampstand from its other side. 33 Three cups shall be shaped like almond blossoms in
the one branch, a bulb and a flower, and three cups shaped like almond blossoms in the other branch,
a bulb and a flowerso for six branches going out from the lampstand; 34 and in the lampstand four
cups shaped like almond blossoms, its bulbs and its flowers. 35 A bulb shall be under the first pair of
branches coming out of it, and a bulb under the second pair of branches coming out of it, and a bulb
under the third pair of branches coming out of it, for the six branches coming out of the lampstand.
36
Their bulbs and their branches shall be of one piece with it; all of it shall be one piece of hammered
work of pure gold. (Exodus 25:31-36)
For instance, the arboreal lampstand of Israels temple was analogous to the portraits of and actual
presence of trees in ancient temples that were viewed as cosmic trees, symbolizing the life-essence of the
entire world. In particular, taken together with the other cultic appurtenances of cosmic symbolism, the
tree image pointed to the temple as the cosmic center of the universe, at the place where heaven and
earth converge and thus from where Gods control over the universe is effected. The metaphorical
picture is that of a huge tree atop a cosmic mountain1
1
G. K. Beale, TCM, p 53

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Session 10: The Story of Replication Part I PAGE 2
The tree of life itself is a good candidate to be considered as the model for the lampstand placed directly
outside the holy of holies. The lampstand in the tabernacle and temple looked like a small, flowering
tree with seven protruding branches from a central trunk, three on one side and three on the other, and
one branch going straight up from the trunk in the middle. Exodus 25:31-36 pictures the lampstand
having a flowering and fructifying appearance of a tree with bulbs and flowers, branches, and
almond blossoms2
E. Eastern Entrance
The entrance to the Garden was from the East (Genesis 3:24) and the Tabernacle of Moses, the Temple of
Solomon, the Second Temple (Herodian), and the Millennial Temple are likewise entered from the East.
F. The Botanical Description of Solomons Temple
That the Garden of Eden was the first sacred space is also suggested by observing that Solomons temple
was described with botanical and arboreal imagery that gave it a garden-like appearance. The account
in I Kings 6-7 of the temple construction includes a proliferation of garden-like descriptions of the
interior, much of which are descriptions of carvings, structures or pieces of furniture covered with
precious metals: wood-carved gourds and open flowers (I Kgs. 6.18), palm trees and open flowers (I
Kgs. 6:29, 32, twice mentioned), pomegranates numbered two hundred in rows around both capitals on
the two doorway pillars (I Kgs. 7.20; cf. likewise 7:18-19), on the top of which were a lily-design (I Kgs.
7:22)ten (!) lampstands that were configured like trees with blossoms (I Kgs. 7:49), thus resembling a
small orchard (note the later Testament of Adam 4:7, which says that in Zech. 1:8-11 the prophet saw
trees in the heavenly tabernacle; cf. also Ps. 74:3-7 which includes portrayal of a thicket of trees in
Israels sanctuary)3
G. The Recapitulation of Creation & the Resting Place of God
(covered in previous session)
2
Ibid. p 71
3
Ibid. p 71-72

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II. STRUCTURAL REPLICATION OF THE HEAVENLY TEMPLE IN THE TABERNACLE OF MOSES

& TEMPLE OF SOLOMON
A. The Arrangement of the Camp4
B. The Altar of Burnt Offering (Brazen Altar)

Heavenly Temple (Revelation 6:9-11) ! Tabernacle of Moses (Exodus 27:1-8, 38:1-7); Temple of
Solomon (II Chronicles 4:1)
C. The Molten Sea
4
Diagram taken from: www.biblewheel.com

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Designations for a spectacular bronze appurtenance that is said to have stood in the courtyard of Solomons temple. It
is described in the temple text of 1 Kings (1 Kgs 7:2326) and in the parallel account in Chronicles (2 Chr 4:25). Both 2
Kings (25:13) and Jeremiah (52:17) list the Sea among the temple vessels that were broken into pieces and carried off to
Babylon when the temple was destroyed in 587. The bronze Sea (Heb y!m hann"#$%et), like the other bronze vessels of the
temple, was crafted by Hiram of Tyre, an expert in bronze work. The Chronicles preserves a tradition that the requisite
metal for the sea and other vessels was part of spoils acquired by David (1 Chr 18:8; 2 Sam 8:8). It apparently was made
by casting, since the term molten derives from the Hebrew root y&q, to cast, pour (as metal). According to the Kings
account, it was a vessel of huge proportions: 10 cubits in diameter (15 feet), 5 cubits high (ca. 7.5 feet), and 30 cubits in
circumference. When empty it would have weighed between 25 and 30 tons. Although it is not certain whether it was a
hemisphere or a cylinder, its capacity would have been enormousit can be estimated to have had a capacity of about
10,000 gallons of water (Paul and Dever 1973:257). Just as spectacular as its size was its ornamentation. Under its rim
was a series of cast decorations: two rows of gourds. The rim (brim) itself was made of lily work. Most amazing of
all was the way it was supported on four sets of bronze oxen, with three oxen in each set. Each set of oxen faced a
direction of the compass, with their hinder parts facing inward and supporting the basin. The cultic purpose of this
elaborate item among the courtyard appurtenances of the temple is not specified, except for a rather peripheral notation
in 2 Chr 4:5 that it was for the priests to wash in. Its use as a laver is dubious, since ten bronze lavers, also large and
spectacular in design, were also part of the courtyard furnishingsFurthermore, its height makes it difficult to imagine
how it was used for lustrations. The cultic purpose of the Sea may lie more in its symbolic nature rather than as a ritual
vessel.5
D. The Golden Altar of Incense

Heavenly Temple (Revelation 8:1-4) ! Tabernacle of Moses (Exodus 30:1-10); Temple of Solomon (I
Kings 6:20, 22, 7:48; II Chronicles 4:19)
E. The Lampstands
Heavenly Temple (Revelation 1:12, 20; Revelation 2:1; Revelation 4:5) !Tabernacle of Moses (Exodus
25:31-40, 37:23; Leviticus 24:1-4); Temple of Solomon (I Kings 7:49-50, II Chronicles 4:7, 19-22)
5
Freedman, D. N. (1996, c1992). The Anchor Bible Dictionary (5:1061). New York: Doubleday.

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III. SUMMARY OF GENERAL REPLICATION & STRUCTURAL REPLICATION

The symbolic nature of the Jerusalem Temple, as for all major shrines in the ancient world, depended upon a series of features that, taken
together, established the sacred precinct as being located at the cosmic center of the universe, at the place where heaven and earth
converge and thus from where Gods control over the universe is affected. When the royal capital is brought into this sphere of divine
activity through the construction of a temple, the regime acquires the might involved in the heavenly arena. A series of visual symbols,
rooted in the mythic consciousness of the Israelites and their neighbors, provided the affective power of this notion of cosmic center.
Evidence for the Israelite understanding of the symbols of the sacred center comes not only from the details of temple construction but also
from the poetic celebration of Zion in psalmody and prophecy. Perhaps chief among the symbols expressing the sacred centrality of the
Temple is the idea that Zion, and the Temple built there, is the cosmic mountain (Clifford 1972; 1984; Levenson 1985: 11175). The temple
building, on a mountain and a platform, replicates the heavenly mountain of Yahweh (Ps 48:14) and also its earlier manifestation at
Sinai. It also reaches back to the beginning of time, to the creation of the world (cf. the seven years of Solomonic temple-building activity in
relation to the seven days of creation). The foundation of the Temple thus becomes a protological event, going back to the beginnings of
time and established by God, not by either David or Solomon (see Ps 78:6970). Other symbols constitutive of the cosmic order made
visual and vital in the Temple can be identified in the exuberant presence of floral and faunal motifs in the interior decoration of the
building and in the construction and decoration of its appurtenances. The trees carved on the walls, the groves on the Temple Mount, and
perhaps even the sacred lampstands, are part of the symbolic expression of the mythic Tree of Life that stood on the Cosmic Mountain, and
in the paradisiacal garden at creation. Similarly, the waters of the Molten Sea and the great fountains of the deep present in Gods
habitation on Zion (Ps 46:4) contribute to the notion of the Temple as cosmic center. The convergence of heavenly temple and earthly
temple, with the concomitant reality of Gods presence, is further conveyed by the overriding concern to make the Temple a fit dwelling
place for the divine sovereign. The degree to which the quality and scope of the temple complex and its objects manifest the finest and
costliest materials affects the way in which the most exalted of inhabitants is understood to be nearby in this house. The very terminology
used for the building (house, palace) and the emphasis on the extraordinary nature of its design and fabrication together provide
symbolic statements that God is in residence on Zion. The furnishings meet the needs of the buildings occupant, with the glory of those
furnishings signifying the Glory within.6
IV. LITURGICAL REPLICATION IN THE MOSAIC ERA

As previously set forth, in Gods progressive plan the replication of the worship of the Heavenly Temple was not
paramount in the tabernacle Moses was instructed to build. Yet there are glimpses, and to these we now turn.
A. Sinai
So Moses arose with Joshua his servant, and Moses went up to the mountain of God. 14 But to the
elders he said, Wait here for us until we return to you. And behold, Aaron and Hur are with you;
whoever has a legal matter, let him approach them. 15 Then Moses went up to the mountain, and the
cloud covered the mountain. 16 The glory of the LORD rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it
for six days; and on the seventh day He called to Moses from the midst of the cloud. 17 And to the eyes
of the sons of Israel the appearance of the glory of the LORD was like a consuming fire on the
mountain top. 18 Moses entered the midst of the cloud as he went up to the mountain; and Moses was
on the mountain forty days and forty nights. Exodus 24:13-18
1. Following the inauguration of the Mosaic Covenant and the glorious convergence experienced by
the seventy of Israel, Moses and Joshua spend forty days and nights atop the mountain in the
Heavenly Temple.
2. In the second period of forty days that followed the harlotry of Israel with the golden calf, Moses
was specifically said to have gone without any food or drink (Ex 34:28). We may assume this was
the case with the initial meeting, and add to the list of suspended bodily needs that of sleep.
3. Though obviously not explicit, it is difficult to imagine Moses and Joshua taking naps as they
communed with the Enthroned One who never slumbers nor sleeps (Psalm 121:3). Thus night and
day, without ceasing, two men participated in the incessant liturgy of the Heavenly Temple. Oh
how this glorious perpetuity must have been graven upon their hearts as they descended the
mountain!
6
Taken from C. Meyers, Anchor Bible Dictionary, Temple Entry

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B. Tent of Meeting
Whenever Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the
tent; and the LORD would speak with Moses. 10 When all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at
the entrance of the tent, all the people would arise and worship, each at the entrance of his tent.
11
Thus the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses
returned to the camp, his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the
tent. Exodus 33:9-11
1. While this notice of Joshuas relationship to the tent of meeting need not be taken with strict
literalism, it surely does speak of a remarkable constancy of devotion from Moses servant.
2. This was, of course, the man chosen to be the successor to Moses and it was here in the constant
prostration of worship that God was training him to be the leader of the entire nation.
3. When it was Joshuas time to assume responsibility for taking Israel into the Promised Land, the
LORD spoke and reminded him that all of those years spent before His presence must shape
Joshuas course for all of his days.
6
Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I
swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do
according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the
right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go. 8 This book of the law shall
not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be
careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous,
and then you will have success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do
not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:6-9
C. The Tabernacle
1. Introduction
a. Turning to the formal liturgy of the tabernacle itself we see that God places the emphasis
upon the ritual burnt offerings in the morning and in the evening (Exodus 29:38-42, Numbers
28:3) that coincided with the trimming of the oil lamps and the burning of incense.
b. Whether this has some level of correspondence to realities of the Heavenly Temple is
difficult to say. From the pervasive presence of replication in so many other features of the
Tabernacle of Moses (and beyond), and from the importance the morning and evening
sacrifice would hold for thousands of years in Israels history, we may cautiously speculate
that it seems likely.
c. Yet beyond the ritual of the morning and evening offerings there are three major elements in
the order of service in the tabernacle that point to a perpetual element: the Brazen Altar (altar
of burnt offering), the Altar of Incense, the Golden Lampstand.
2. Brazen Altar
Command Aaron and his sons, saying, This is the law for the burnt offering: the burnt
offering itself shall remain on the hearth on the altar all night until the morning, and the fire
on the altar is to be kept burning on it. 10 The priest is to put on his linen robe, and he shall
put on undergarments next to his flesh; and he shall take up the ashes to which the fire
reduces the burnt offering on the altar and place them beside the altar. 11 Then he shall take
off his garments and put on other garments, and carry the ashes outside the camp to a clean
place. 12 The fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it. It shall not go out, but the priest

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shall burn wood on it every morning; and he shall lay out the burnt offering on it, and offer up
in smoke the fat portions of the peace offerings on it. 13 Fire shall be kept burning continually
on the altar; it is not to go out. Leviticus 6:10-13
Then Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed them, and he stepped down after
making the sin offering and the burnt offering and the peace offerings. 23 Moses and Aaron
went into the tent of meeting. When they came out and blessed the people, the glory of the
LORD appeared to all the people. 24 Then fire came out from before the LORD and consumed
the burnt offering and the portions of fat on the altar; and when all the people saw it, they
shouted and fell on their faces. Leviticus 9:22-24
3. Lampstand
You shall charge the sons of Israel, that they bring you clear oil of beaten olives for the light,
to make a lamp burn continually. 21 In the tent of meeting, outside the veil which is before
the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall keep it in order from evening to morning before the
LORD; it shall be a perpetual statute throughout their generations for the sons of Israel.
Exodus 27:20-21
Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 Command the sons of Israel that they bring to you
clear oil from beaten olives for the light, to make a lamp burn continually. 3 Outside the veil
of testimony in the tent of meeting, Aaron shall keep it in order from evening to morning
before the LORD continually; it shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations. 4 He
shall keep the lamps in order on the pure gold lampstand before the LORD continually.
Leviticus 24:1-4
4. Altar of Incense
5
You shall make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. 6 You shall put this
altar in front of the veil that is near the ark of the testimony, in front of the mercy seat that is
over the ark of the testimony, where I will meet with you. 7 Aaron shall burn fragrant incense
on it; he shall burn it every morning when he trims the lamps. 8 When Aaron trims the lamps
at twilight, he shall burn incense. There shall be perpetual incense before the LORD
throughout your generations. Exodus 30:5-8
a. Of these three articles the Golden Altar is perhaps the most important because of the clear
scriptural connection between the ascending incense and the prayers of the saints.
The Exodus passage indicates that this altar was for burning incense (Exod 30:1), a
practice that most likely symbolized Israels prayers rising to God day and night.7
2
Let my prayer be set before You as incense, the lifting up of my hands as the evening
sacrifice. Psalm 141:2
1
When He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. 2
And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets.
3
Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given
much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden
altar which was before the throne. 4 And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the
saints, ascended before God from the angels hand. Revelation 8:1-4
7
Paul R. House, vol. 8, 1, 2 Kings, electronic ed., Logos Library System; The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2001, c1995),
134.

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b. The importance that the LORD placed upon the burning of incense can be seen through one
of the more dramatic scenes of this period. Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron who
accompanied him in the ascent of Sinai to behold the sapphire expanse are judged for offering
strange fire before the LORD.
1
Then Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, put
incense on it, and offered profane fire before the LORD, which He had not commanded
them. 2 So fire went out from the LORD and devoured them, and they died before the
LORD. 3 And Moses said to Aaron, This is what the LORD spoke, saying: By those who
come near Me I must be regarded as holy; and before all the people I must be glorified.
Leviticus 10:1-3
c. Furthermore, Malachi prophesies that during the Millennial Kingdom incense will arise from
all the cities of the earth in worship of King Jesus.
11
For from the rising of the sun, even to its going down, My name shall be great among
the Gentiles; In every place incense shall be offered to My name, and a pure offering; for
My name shall be great among the nations, says the LORD of hosts. Malachi 1:11
D. The Priesthood & the Levites
1. Without going into detail, it must be stressed that the mere existence of the priesthood is
significant in that for the first time there were people on the earth specifically set apart for
ministry to the LORD. As we have seen previously, this corresponds to the angels who reside in
the Third Heaven and are specifically given to the liturgy of the Heavenly Temple.
2. From the vantage point of the heavenly assembly, how disjointed must the earth have seemed! In
the Heavenly Sanctuary the servants of God spent their days and nights ministering to the One
upon the throne, and yet on the earth men were only preoccupied with other concerns.
3. For approximately three thousand years after Adams disobedience there was no corporate
expression of ministry to the LORD and then suddenly there was a great tribe of men consecrated
to His praise. This is a stunning development.8
E. Summary of Liturgical Significance of the Tabernacle of Moses
1. With a broader perspective on the significance of Sinai, we must muse long upon the fact that the
One who never slumbers nor sleeps desired to have Moses and Joshua abide with Him for forty
days and nights.
2. Although Moses was forced to attend to the leadership of the nation, it would seem the
experience on Sinai was so indelibly impressed upon his young companion that he became known
for never departing from that blessed place of meeting.
3. After the formalization of the tabernacle and its liturgy, Scripture leads us to place the emphasis
upon the morning and evening sacrifices but also observe that the brazen altar, the lampstand, and
the altar of incense all point toward a perpetual element in the intervening times.
8
Accentuating this painful absence is the realization that there were orders of priests given to the worship of the idols of the nations and yet none to the true, living God.
Egypt had a very established priesthood and Jethro (the father in law of Moses) is called the priest of Midian. This must reflect a much broader reality that pervades the
religious culture of the Ancient Near East at the time.

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V. INTRODUCTION TO LITURGICAL REPLICATION THROUGH DAVIDIC WORSHIP

A. Three Major Timeframes
Table 1: Datable Events in 1, 2 Samuel9
1050 Saul publicly anointed king after defeat of Nahash (cf. 1 Sam 11:111; 13:1; Acts 13:21)
1045 Ish-Bosheth born (cf. 2 Sam 2:10)
1040 David born (cf. 2 Sam 5:4)
1015 Mephibosheth born (cf. 2 Sam 4:4)
1012 David flees to Ziklag near Gath (cf. 1 Sam 27:7)
1010 David defeats the Amalekites (cf. 1 Sam 30:919); Saul and three sons killed on Mount Gilboa
during Philistine battle (cf. 1 Sam 31:6); David becomes king at Hebron (cf. 2 Sam 2:14a)
1005 Ish-Bosheth becomes king over northern tribes in Mahanaim (cf. 2 Sam 2:89)
1003 Abner murdered by Joab (cf. 2 Sam 3:2739); Ish-Bosheth murdered by Recab and Baanah (cf. 2
Sam 4:112); David anointed king over northern tribes (cf. 2 Sam 5:13); David conquers Jebusites,
moves capital to Jerusalem (cf. 2 Sam 5:69)
Just as there were approximately 500 years between the Tabernacle of Moses and the inception of the
Tabernacle of David, the period relevant to the study of the Davidic order of worship spans approximately
500 years as well. This encompasses three major timeframes, all of which offer glimpses of what took
place under Davids command:
1. Davids Tabernacle (Approximately 1003 B.C. 960 B.C.)
This is the period lasting from the time David brought the Ark into the city of Jerusalem until it
was brought to rest in Solomons Temple.
2. Solomons Temple (Beginning Approximately 960 B.C.)
Though Solomons Temple stood for centuries before its destruction in the Babylonian invasion,
it was primarily while he was alive that the order of worship set in place by his father flourished.
3. Monarchial Restoration
Following the division of the nation, many wicked kings reigned in Jerusalem. They corrupted the
sanctity of the Temple and the order of worship that has been instituted quickly declined. Yet in
the midst of this tragic neglect, God stirred the hearts of His servants to bring about revivals of
the sacred order:
a. Jehoshaphat (Around 870 B.C.) II Chronicles 20:14-30
b. Hezekiah (Around 725 B.C.) II Chronicles 29:25-30
c. Josiah (Around 628 B.C.) II Chronicles 35:1-19
d. Post-Exilic Community (Ezra 537/38 B.C. & Nehemiah 445/444 B.C.) - Ezra 2:65; 3:1-
13; Nehemiah 12:27-47
9
Robert D. Bergen, vol. 7, 1, 2 Samuel, electronic ed., Logos Library System; The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2001,
c1996), 31.

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B. General Characteristics of Davidic Worship

1. Divinely Inspired
The liturgy David was instituting was, at the time, profoundly unorthodox relative to the long-
standing Mosaic tradition. Yet Scripture is clear that David was acting in obedience to divine
instruction.
19
"All this," said David, "the LORD made me understand in writing by His hand upon me, all
the details of this pattern." I Chronicles 28:19
He then stationed the Levites in the house of the LORD with cymbals, with harps and with lyres,
according to the command of David and of Gad the kings seer, and of Nathan the prophet; for
the command was from the LORD through His prophets II Chronicles 29:25
whom David and Samuel the seer appointed in their office of trust. I Chronicles 9:22
2. Musical & Choral (I Chronicles 15:16-29, 16:4-6, 42, and numerous other passages)
3. Specific Qualities of Davidic Worship
a. Intercessory (see the petitions of the Psalms)
b. Antiphonal (Ezra 2:65; 3:1-13; Nehemiah 12:27-47, the arrangement of the Psalter)
c. Continual (I Chronicles 16:6, 37)
d. Scriptural (II Chronicles 29:30)
30
Moreover, King Hezekiah and the officials ordered the Levites to sing praises to the
LORD with the words of David and Asaph the seer. So they sang praises with joy, and
bowed down and worshiped. II Chronicles 29:30
4. Governed
a. Ordered (I Chronicles 15:16-28, 16:9, 23; 25:1)
b. Skillful (I Chronicles 15:22, II Chronicles 34:12, Psalm 33:3)
c. Instructive (I Chronicles 25:1-7; II Chronicles 23:13)
C. Chart Showing Contrast with Mosaic Order of Worship
Tabernacle of Moses Tabernacle of David
Located at Shiloh (Ephraim has Priority) Located in Zion (Judah has Priority)
Silent & Solemn Musical & Joyful
Priesthood has Prominent Role in Liturgy Levites have Prominent Role in Liturgy
Blood Sacrifices for Sin Sacrifices of Praise
Ark is Veiled According to Mosaic Ordinance Ark is Unveiled in Tent of David
D. Moses & David

In light of these sweeping changes, Chronicles presents David as the founder of worship in Israel. Though
the author of Chronicles is careful to point out that David honored the ancient commandments found in
the Pentateuch, there are a number of dynamic ways in which David is depicted a New Moses:

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1. Chronicles devotes a huge portion of its narrative to the establishment of the Davidic order of
worship and the building of the Temple. The only parallel in Scripture is the extended account of
the building of the Tabernacle of Moses in Exodus (and Lev. and Num. in a secondary way).
2. David gives specific commands related to the duties of the priests and the Levites. Moses was the
only other figure to do this.
3. David was acting according to a divinely-given pattern (I Chronicles 28:9), just as Moses was
(Exodus 25:8-9).
4. David used the resource of Yahwehs defeated enemies in order to fund the building of His
sanctuary, just as Moses did.
5. II Chronicles 8:14 ascribes the Mosaic title, the man of God, to David. 10
VI. THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE TABERNACLE & ITS WORSHIP
A. Introduction
1. When considering the Tabernacle of David we must view it as its own unique timeframe and yet
at the same time our distinctions cannot be too rigid.
2. The information that pertains only to the tabernacle of David is relatively sparse, so if our
conclusions related to what transpired there were limited only to those texts we would be very
constrained.
3. Yet as we have seen, Scripture clearly attests to a very specific and divinely inspired order of
Davidic worship. Therefore when we see glimpses of this order in Solomons Temple or later in
the monarchial period we must assume the same general qualities were present in the Tabernacle
of David, though perhaps differing somewhat in scale and specific characteristics.
4. We will proceed by looking briefly at each of the major timeframes delineated above and then
develop certain characteristics in greater detail.
B. The Procession of the Ark
I Chronicles 15
That day, the dusty road leading into Jerusalem was packed. All the elders of Israel were there, and the children
lining the road caught glimpses of Davids mighty men, armor flashing in the sun, men whose exploits had been told
at every hearth in the land. At the center of the procession was the cluster of Levites in their white linen robes,
carrying the ark of the covenant, the throne of Yahweh, hidden from sight by layers of fabric. Every time they took
six steps, they stopped to offer a sacrifice before taking a seventh. The noise was deafening: the tumult of trumpets
and horns, the splash of cymbals, the eerie aching melodies of harp and lyre, the drone of the Levitical singers. And
at the head of the procession, David, the great King David, danced like a fool before his King, wearing a linen
ephod. When the procession reached Zion, the Levites took the ark into the tent that David had prepared for it, and
then sacrifices of peace offerings were slaughtered and every family was treated to a meal in the Lords presence.
They stood in wonder as Davids new Levitical choir sang praises to Yahweh before the tent. After David blessed
them, they returned home, hearts full of gladness. No one could remember a procession or a celebration like this,
and they had to reach back far into the memory of Israel for comparisons. It reminded some of stories they had read
or heard about the procession following the exodus from Egypt, when Miriam took the timbrel and led the women in
dance and song.11
10
These points are drawn from Peter J. Leithart, From Silence to Song: the Davidic Liturgical Revolution (Moscow, Idaho: Canon Press, 2003), p 25-27.
11
Peter J. Leithart, From Silence to Song: the Davidic Liturgical Revolution (Moscow, Idaho: Canon Press, 2003), p 11-12.

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1. Although it was only a single-event and not an ongoing ritual, David organized a Levitical
orchestra and choir for the dramatic bringing up of the Ark of the Covenant to the tent he had
prepared.
2. Aside from its great theological and narrative significance, the description found in I Chronicles
15 contains nearly all of the major elements of the Davidic order of worship. What was to be an
institution in the liturgical life of the nation was all anticipated here at its inception.12
C. Before the Ark
Now these are those whom David appointed over the service of song in the house of the LORD, after the
ark rested there. 32 They ministered with song before the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, until
Solomon had built the house of the LORD in Jerusalem; and they served in their office according to
their order. I Chronicles 6:31-32
1
And they brought in the ark of God and placed it inside the tent which David had pitched for it, and
they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before God. 2 When David had finished offering the
burnt offering and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD. 3 He distributed
to everyone of Israel, both man and woman, to everyone a loaf of bread and a portion of meat and a
raisin cake. 4 He appointed some of the Levites as ministers before the ark of the LORD, even to
celebrate and to thank and praise the LORD God of Israel: 5 Asaph the chief, and second to him
Zechariah, then Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-edom and Jeiel, with
musical instruments, harps, lyres; also Asaph played loud-sounding cymbals, 6 and Benaiah and
Jahaziel the priests blew trumpets continually before the ark of the covenant of God. 7 Then on that
day David first assigned Asaph and his relatives to give thanks to the LORD. I Chronicles 16:1-7
1. Placement
a. The most dramatic feature of this narrative is not the order of worship but where that order
was appointed to minister before the ark.
b. David had placed the glorious ark of the covenant of the LORD, the footstool of God, in a
tent on Zion without any veil or other furniture. It was there, before the ark, that the Levites
were to thank and praise the LORD with music and song.
c. We must recall that in the Mosaic system no one was permitted to get even close to the ark
because of how terrifyingly holy it was. Only the High Priest could go beyond that thick veil
once a year and did not even have the privilege of looking upon it.
d. Even the Davidic narrative offers a glimpse of this dread associated with the ark with the
striking down of Uzza in I Chronicles 13:9-11.
Surprisingly, this phrase [before the ark] is never used of priestly or Levitical ministry in the Mosaic
law. The phrase before the ark occurs in Exodus 40:5, be refers to the placement of the golden altar
of incense in the Holy Place. Even Leviticus 16, which describes the Day of Atonement when the High
Priest entered the Most Holy Place to sprinkle blood, does not say that the priest entered before the
ark. The chapter mentions the ark only once (v.2) and says that the High Priest ministered before
the cover that is on the ark (v.2) and sprinkled blood on the cover on the east side, also in front of the
cover (v.14)
12
See Kleinig, The Lords Song, p 44-51 for an excellent summary of Davids organization of the procession, including a chart that details its order based on the
description offered.

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Even when the High Priest goes as close as he ever got to the Lords throne, he was not described as
ministering before the ark. And nobody, of course, got any closer than the High Priest. Significantly,
when 1 Chronicles 25 describes the ministry of Levitical singers and musicians in the temple, it does
not use the phrase before the ark. Rather, the Levites were appointed to sing in the house of
Yahweh (v. 6). At Davids tent, however, lowly Levites ministered before the ark. This location was
unique to Davids tent; never before and never again would Old Covenant Israel be privileged to
worship before the ark.13
e. The sum of this evidence is that it is impossible to view before the ark as an ancient idiom
that just meant generic proximity. The Levites literally stood unobstructed before the ark.14
f. This astonishing access is also evident for David himself on a personal level. On different
occasions he is described as sitting before the LORD in the tabernacle or going into the
house of the LORD (see II Samuel 7:18, I Chronicles 17:16, II Samuel 12:20).
2. Convergence
6
a. Unlike the Temple of Solomon, there is not a description of a particular moment when
convergence was forged between the Tabernacle of David and the Heavenly Temple.
b. Despite this, it is clear from the Psalms that something dramatically different was transpiring
in the Tabernacle of David than when the ark dwelt in the house of Abinadab.
7
But as for me, I will come into Your house in the multitude of Your mercy; In fear of You
I will worship toward Your holy temple. Psalm 5:7
One thing I have asked from the LORD, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of
the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD and to meditate in His
temple. Psalm 27:4
How blessed is the one whom You choose and bring near to You to dwell in Your courts.
We will be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, Your holy temple. Psalm 65:4
c. The tent where David set the ark was the place where he longed to dwell, that he might gaze
upon the beauty of the LORD and inquire of God in the Heavenly Temple.
d. Although we cannot be certain of how it compared to the Tabernacle of Moses or the Temple
of Solomon, it is clear there was dynamic convergence and a breathtaking cosmological unity
between the Heavenly Sanctuary and those nondescript curtains on Zion.
D. The Liturgy of Sacred Song & Sacrifices
So he left Asaph and his relatives there before the ark of the covenant of the LORD to minister before
the ark continually, as every days work required; 38 and Obed-edom with his 68 relatives; Obed-edom,
also the son of Jeduthun, and Hosah as gatekeepers. 39 He left Zadok the priest and his relatives the
priests before the tabernacle of the LORD in the high place which was at Gibeon, 40 to offer burnt
offerings to the LORD on the altar of burnt offering continually morning and evening, even according
to all that is written in the law of the LORD, which He commanded Israel. 41 With them were Heman
and Jeduthun, and the rest who were chosen, who were designated by name, to give thanks to the
13
Peter J. Leithart, From Silence to Song: the Davidic Liturgical Revolution (Moscow, Idaho: Canon Press, 2003), p 35-6..
14
It is unclear whether this means inside the tent of David or immediately outside (possibly with a view to the ark). Without knowing the size of the tabernacle it is
difficult to estimate whether the service they performed could have been accommodated within it.

www.IHOPU.org
LORD, because His lovingkindness is everlasting. 42 And with them were Heman and Jeduthun with
trumpets and cymbals for those who should sound aloud, and with instruments for the songs of God,
and the sons of Jeduthun for the gate. 43 Then all the people departed each to his house, and David
returned to bless his household. I Chronicles 16:37-43
Between this description and that found earlier in chapter 16 a very clear liturgy is described. It would
seem this was the foundation of the ministry that happened for the thirty-forty years until the Temple of
Solomon was built. The ritual service can easily be broken down by the places in which it occurred:
1. Zion
a. Levites Asaph and his sons
b. Priests Benaiah and Jahaziel
c. Activity
At the time of the morning and evening sacrifice the Levites would minister with instruments
and songs, offering sacrifices of praise. There were no blood sacrifices at the tabernacle in
Zion. Instead, the priests would blow trumpets in conjunction with the Levitical service.
2. Gibeon
a. Levites Heman & Jeduthun (Ethan) and their sons
b. Priests Zadok and his fellow priests
c. Activity
At Gibeon, about 7 miles from Jerusalem, sat the Tabernacle of Moses and all its original
furniture. Zadok and his fellow priests were responsible for fulfilling all Mosaic ordinances
faithfully. Thus the morning and evening blood-sacrifices (burnt offerings) were carried out
continually. Yet unlike the original Mosaic pattern, David added the presence of the two
guilds of Levites to praise the LORD with song and instruments in conjunction with the
morning and evening offerings. In this way Gibeon and Zion were synchronized and
paralleled one another.
3. Summary
First, and most remarkably, he [David] created a single service for sacred song in two parts,
separated spatially in Gibeon and Jerusalem, yet coordinated temporally to coincide with the
daily burnt offerings. This coordination is highlighted by the repetition of the keyword tamid. By
the time of Chronicles it had become almost exclusively a liturgical term for the regular daily and
weekly performance of the sacrificial service. Thus David coordinated three things: the blowing
of trumpets by the priests in Jerusalem, the performance of choral music in Jerusalem and
Gibeon, and the presentation of burnt offerings at Gibeon. While Zadok and his associates
offered the divinely instituted daily sacrifice to the accompaniment of liturgical music from the
guilds of Heman and Jeduthun in Gibeon, the priests with their trumpets and the Asaphite
musicians with their instruments praised the LORD in JerusalemSecondly, in this reformed
order of service authorized by David, the priests with their trumpets supplemented the choral
performance at Jerusalem (16.4-6), just as the musicians with their instruments supplemented the
presentation of sacrifices by the priests (16.39-41).15
15
John Kleinig, The LORDs Song (Sheffield, England: JSOT Press, 1993), p 53.

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4. Continuing Practice in the Temple of Solomon

27
For by the last words of David the Levites were numbered from twenty years old and above;
28
because their duty was to help the sons of Aaron in the service of the house of the LORD, in
the courts and in the chambers, in the purifying of all holy things and the work of the service
of the house of God, 29 both with the showbread and the fine flour for the grain offering, with
the unleavened cakes and what is baked in the pan, with what is mixed and with all kinds of
measures and sizes; 30 to stand every morning to thank and praise the LORD, and likewise at
evening; 31 and at every presentation of a burnt offering to the LORD on the Sabbaths and on
the New Moons and on the set feasts, by number according to the ordinance governing them,
regularly before the LORD; 32 and that they should attend to the needs of the tabernacle of
meeting, the needs of the holy place, and the needs of the sons of Aaron their brethren in the
work of the house of the LORD. I Chronicles 23:27-32
14
And, according to the order of David his father, he appointed the divisions of the priests for
their service, the Levites for their duties (to praise and serve before the priests) as the duty of
each day required, and the gatekeepers by their divisions at each gate; for so David the man of
God had commanded. II Chronicles 8:14

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Session 11: The Story of Replication Part II

I. THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE TABERNACLE & ITS WORSHIP
A. Challenges Related to the Study of the Period & its Worship
1. Limitations of Revelation
a. The first challenge with studying this period is that we have so little detail about what
actually went occurred - particularly in those precious days upon Mount Zion after David
placed the Ark in the tent he had prepared for it. It is very difficult to accurately
conceptualize what happened with such sparse information.
b. The challenge therefore is twofold: First, we must avoid seeing in the text what we want to
see (namely a 24/7 reality of worship and prayer); yet secondly, we must avoid not seeing
anything at all because of unbelief.
c. Clearly something quite dramatic was taking place and we need the Holy Spirit to help us
read between the lines with faith and His illumination. Though we may not be certain about
some elements we can seek to capture the heart behind what God was doing in this season of
His story//plan.
2. The Inattentiveness of Biblical Research
a. The second major challenge is that apart from a few rare exceptions, scholarship has taken a
position on these questions that is at best apathetic and at worst outright agnostic. Davids
tabernacle is typically relegated to a sentence or a footnote in the story of the Temple even
though it lasted over three decades and defied all religious convention.
b. The widespread irrelevance with which worship is viewed in the modern Church at large
shapes the attention (or lack thereof) given to the notices of singers, musicians, and worship
in the Davidic era.
c. They are quickly passed over with virtually no commentary, nor even a thought that the
Chroniclers emphasis on the theme reflects an importance the subject holds in the Lords
heart.
d. One of the most glaring, if not astonishing, omissions regards the notice found in I Chronicles
23:5 that there were four-thousand musicians specifically consecrated for Temple-service.
Although it is roughly analogous to a government with territory the size of Rhode Island
organizing, training, and providing for a ensemble larger than the premier symphonies in the
forty most populous cities of America combined, this remarkable statement is simply lumped
together with the other divisions of the Levites without any further inquiry, as though it were
commonplace.
e. This vacuum of sound biblical scholarship on the subject constrains us even more to beseech
the Holy Spirit to aid our study, and also requires a measure of added diligence and
perseverance on the part of the student. It would seem that for the most part the LORD has
allowed this to remain a treasure heretofore unearthed.
B. Introduction to the Significance of the Timeframe
It is difficult to exaggerate the enormous importance of this period as it relates to Gods unfolding desire
for worship. This can generally be considered in terms of what actually transpired, and then secondly in
terms of the significance of the changes that occurred.

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Session 11: The Story of Replication Part II PAGE 2
1. The Shape of Devotion in Israel

a. To survey the state of ritual devotion in the nation of Israel at the time of the birth of the
prophet Samuel and then turn to 1000 B.C. and behold David and his Levitical entourage
worshipping before the Ark on Zion is quite stunning.
b. In less than two generations the worship of the nation underwent a dramatic, tumultuous
period of upheaval that resulted in the shape of devotion being almost completely changed.
c. Without the narrative of how this occurred actually being recorded in Scripture it would be
almost impossible to account for this radical transition in the way Israel expressed its homage
to Yahweh.
2. The Theological Significance of Zion & its Worship
a. These remarkable external, historical developments should raise monumental questions
related to why they happened.
b. Revelation of the Davidic order of worship springs forth out of the stupendous question mark
that hangs over the gap that yawns between the Tabernacle of Moses in Shiloh and the
Tabernacle of David in Zion.
c. In His providence the LORD brought about this great transition in order to unfold another
chapter in the replication of Heaven on earth. In the specific pattern instituted by David we
find a revelation of the liturgy of the Heavenly Temple manifested in the national life of
Israel.
C. Introduction
1. When considering the Tabernacle of David we must view it as its own unique timeframe and yet
at the same time our distinctions cannot be too rigid.
2. The information that pertains only to the tabernacle of David is relatively sparse, so if our
conclusions related to what transpired there were limited only to those texts we would be very
constrained.
3. Yet as we have seen, Scripture clearly attests to a very specific and divinely inspired order of
Davidic worship. Therefore when we see glimpses of this order in Solomons Temple or later in
the monarchial period we must assume the same general qualities were present in the Tabernacle
of David, though perhaps differing somewhat in scale and specific characteristics.
4. We will proceed by looking briefly at each of the major timeframes delineated above and then
develop certain characteristics in greater detail.
D. The Procession of the Ark
I Chronicles 15

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That day, the dusty road leading into Jerusalem was packed. All the elders of Israel were there, and the children
lining the road caught glimpses of Davids mighty men, armor flashing in the sun, men whose exploits had been told
at every hearth in the land. At the center of the procession was the cluster of Levites in their white linen robes,
carrying the ark of the covenant, the throne of Yahweh, hidden from sight by layers of fabric. Every time they took
six steps, they stopped to offer a sacrifice before taking a seventh. The noise was deafening: the tumult of trumpets
and horns, the splash of cymbals, the eerie aching melodies of harp and lyre, the drone of the Levitical singers. And
at the head of the procession, David, the great King David, danced like a fool before his King, wearing a linen
ephod. When the procession reached Zion, the Levites took the ark into the tent that David had prepared for it, and
then sacrifices of peace offerings were slaughtered and every family was treated to a meal in the Lords presence.
They stood in wonder as Davids new Levitical choir sang praises to Yahweh before the tent. After David blessed
them, they returned home, hearts full of gladness. No one could remember a procession or a celebration like this,
and they had to reach back far into the memory of Israel for comparisons. It reminded some of stories they had read
or heard about the procession following the exodus from Egypt, when Miriam took the timbrel and led the women in
dance and song.1
1. Although it was only a single-event and not an ongoing ritual, David organized a Levitical
orchestra and choir for the dramatic bringing up of the Ark of the Covenant to the tent he had
prepared.
2. Aside from its great theological and narrative significance, the description found in I Chronicles
15 contains nearly all of the major elements of the Davidic order of worship. What was to be an
institution in the liturgical life of the nation was all anticipated here at its inception.2
E. Before the Ark
Now these are those whom David appointed over the service of song in the house of the LORD, after the
ark rested there. 32 They ministered with song before the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, until
Solomon had built the house of the LORD in Jerusalem; and they served in their office according to
their order. I Chronicles 6:31-32
1
And they brought in the ark of God and placed it inside the tent which David had pitched for it, and
they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before God. 2 When David had finished offering the
burnt offering and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD. 3 He distributed
to everyone of Israel, both man and woman, to everyone a loaf of bread and a portion of meat and a
raisin cake. 4 He appointed some of the Levites as ministers before the ark of the LORD, even to
celebrate and to thank and praise the LORD God of Israel: 5 Asaph the chief, and second to him
Zechariah, then Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-edom and Jeiel, with
musical instruments, harps, lyres; also Asaph played loud-sounding cymbals, 6 and Benaiah and
Jahaziel the priests blew trumpets continually before the ark of the covenant of God. 7 Then on that
day David first assigned Asaph and his relatives to give thanks to the LORD. I Chronicles 16:1-7
1. Placement
a. The most dramatic feature of this narrative is not the order of worship but where that order
was appointed to minister before the ark.
b. David had placed the glorious ark of the covenant of the LORD, the footstool of God, in a
tent on Zion without any veil or other furniture. It was there, before the ark, that the Levites
were to thank and praise the LORD with music and song.
1
Peter J. Leithart, From Silence to Song: the Davidic Liturgical Revolution (Moscow, Idaho: Canon Press, 2003), p 11-12.
2
See Kleinig, The Lords Song, p 44-51 for an excellent summary of Davids organization of the procession, including a chart that details its order based on the
description offered.

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c. We must recall that in the Mosaic system no one was permitted to get even close to the ark
because of how terrifyingly holy it was. Only the High Priest could go beyond that thick veil
once a year and did not even have the privilege of looking upon it.
d. Even the Davidic narrative offers of glimpse of this dread associated with the ark with the
striking down of Uzza in I Chronicles 13:9-11.
Surprisingly, this phrase [before the ark] is never used of priestly or Levitical ministry in the Mosaic
law. The phrase before the ark occurs in Exodus 40:5, be refers to the placement of the golden altar
of incense in the Holy Place. Even Leviticus 16, which describes the Day of Atonement when the High
Priest entered the Most Holy Place to sprinkle blood, does not say that the priest entered before the
ark. The chapter mentions the ark only once (v.2) and says that the High Priest ministered before
the cover that is on the ark (v.2) and sprinkled blood on the cover on the east side, also in front of the
cover (v.14)
Even when the High Priest go as close as he ever got to the Lords throne, he was no described as
ministering before the ark. And nobody, of course, got any closer than the High Priest. Significantly,
when 1 Chronicles 25 describes the ministry of Levitical singers and musicians in the temple, it does
not use the phrase before the ark. Rather, the Levites were appointed to sing in the house of
Yahweh (v. 6). At Davids tent, however, lowly Levites ministered before the ark. This location was
unique to Davids tent; never before and never again would Old Covenant Israel be privileged to
worship before the ark.3
e. The sum of this evidence is that it is impossible to view before the ark as an ancient idiom
that just meant generic proximity. The Levites literally stood unobstructed before the ark.4
f. This astonishing access is also evident for David himself on a personal level. On different
occasions he is described as sitting before the LORD in the tabernacle or going into the
house of the LORD (see II Samuel 7:18, I Chronicles 17:16, II Samuel 12:20).
2. Convergence
6
a. Unlike the Temple of Solomon, there is not a description of a particular moment when
convergence was forged between the Tabernacle of David and the Heavenly Temple.
b. Despite this, it is clear from the Psalms that something dramatically different was transpiring
in the Tabernacle of David than when the ark dwelt in the house of Abinadab.
7
But as for me, I will come into Your house in the multitude of Your mercy; In fear
of You I will worship toward Your holy temple. Psalm 5:7
One thing I have asked from the LORD, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the
house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD and to
meditate in His temple. Psalm 27:4
How blessed is the one whom You choose and bring near to You to dwell in Your
courts. We will be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, Your holy temple.
Psalm 65:4
c. The tent where David set the ark was the place where he longed to dwell, that he might gaze
upon the beauty of the LORD and inquire of God in the Heavenly Temple.
3
Peter J. Leithart, From Silence to Song: the Davidic Liturgical Revolution (Moscow, Idaho: Canon Press, 2003), p 35-6..
4
It is unclear whether this means inside the tent of David or immediately outside (possibly with a view to the ark). Without knowing the size of the tabernacle it is
difficult to estimate whether the service they performed could have been accommodated within it.

www.IHOPU.org
d. Although we cannot be certain of how it compared to the Tabernacle of Moses or the Temple
of Solomon, it is clear there was dynamic convergence and a breathtaking cosmological unity
between the Heavenly Sanctuary and those nondescript curtains on Zion.
F. The Liturgy of Sacred Song & Sacrifices
So he left Asaph and his relatives there before the ark of the covenant of the LORD to minister before
the ark continually, as every days work required; 38 and Obed-edom with his 68 relatives; Obed-edom,
also the son of Jeduthun, and Hosah as gatekeepers. 39 He left Zadok the priest and his relatives the
priests before the tabernacle of the LORD in the high place which was at Gibeon, 40 to offer burnt
offerings to the LORD on the altar of burnt offering continually morning and evening, even according
to all that is written in the law of the LORD, which He commanded Israel. 41 With them were Heman
and Jeduthun, and the rest who were chosen, who were designated by name, to give thanks to the
LORD, because His lovingkindness is everlasting. 42 And with them were Heman and Jeduthun with
trumpets and cymbals for those who should sound aloud, and with instruments for the songs of God,
and the sons of Jeduthun for the gate. 43 Then all the people departed each to his house, and David
returned to bless his household. I Chronicles 16:37-43
Between this description and that found earlier in chapter 16 a very clear liturgy is described. It would
seem this was the foundation of the ministry that happened for the thirty-forty years until the Temple of
Solomon was built. The ritual service can easily be broken down by the places in which it occurred:
1. Zion
a. Levites Asaph and his sons
b. Priests Benaiah and Jahaziel
c. Activity
At the time of the morning and evening sacrifice the Levites would minister with instruments
and songs, offering sacrifices of praise. There were no blood sacrifices at the tabernacle in
Zion. Instead, the priests would blow trumpets in conjunction with the Levitical service.
2. Gibeon
a. Levites Heman & Jeduthun (Ethan) and their sons
b. Priests Zadok and his fellow priests
c. Activity
At Gibeon, about 7 miles from Jerusalem, sat the Tabernacle of Moses and all its original
furniture. Zadok and his fellow priests were responsible for fulfilling all Mosaic ordinances
faithfully. Thus the morning and evening blood-sacrifices (burnt offerings) were carried out
continually. Yet unlike the original Mosaic pattern, David added the presence of the two
guilds of Levites to praise the LORD with song and instruments in conjunction with the
morning and evening offerings. In this way Gibeon and Zion were synchronized and
paralleled one another.
3. Summary

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First, and most remarkably, he [David] created a single service for sacred song in two parts, separated
spatially in Gibeon and Jerusalem, yet coordinated temporally to coincide with the daily burnt offerings.
This coordination is highlighted by the repetition of the keyword tamid. By the time of Chronicles it had
become almost exclusively a liturgical term for the regular daily and weekly performance of the sacrificial
service. Thus David coordinated three things: the blowing of trumpets by the priests in Jerusalem, the
performance of choral music in Jerusalem and Gibeon, and the presentation of burnt offerings at Gibeon.
While Zadok and his associates offered the divinely instituted daily sacrifice to the accompaniment of
liturgical music from the guilds of Heman and Jeduthun in Gibeon, the priests with their trumpets and the
Asaphite musicians with their instruments praised the LORD in JerusalemSecondly, in this reformed
order of service authorized by David, the priests with their trumpets supplemented the choral performance
at Jerusalem (16.4-6), just as the musicians with their instruments supplemented the presentation of
5
sacrifices by the priests (16.39-41).
4. Continuing Practice in the Temple of Solomon
27
For by the last words of David the Levites were numbered from twenty years old and above;
28
because their duty was to help the sons of Aaron in the service of the house of the LORD, in
the courts and in the chambers, in the purifying of all holy things and the work of the service
of the house of God, 29 both with the showbread and the fine flour for the grain offering, with
the unleavened cakes and what is baked in the pan, with what is mixed and with all kinds of
measures and sizes; 30 to stand every morning to thank and praise the LORD, and likewise at
evening; 31 and at every presentation of a burnt offering to the LORD on the Sabbaths and on
the New Moons and on the set feasts, by number according to the ordinance governing them,
regularly before the LORD; 32 and that they should attend to the needs of the tabernacle of
meeting, the needs of the holy place, and the needs of the sons of Aaron their brethren in the
work of the house of the LORD. I Chronicles 23:27-32
14
And, according to the order of David his father, he appointed the divisions of the priests for
their service, the Levites for their duties (to praise and serve before the priests) as the duty of
each day required, and the gatekeepers by their divisions at each gate; for so David the man of
God had commanded. II Chronicles 8:14
II. INCESSANT WORSHIP IN THE DAVIDIC ORDER
A. The Organization for Ministry to the LORD in the Temple of Solomon
1. We have seen the stress within the Davidic order on the morning and evening sacrifice, and how
this was described as a continual ministry to the LORD. We now turn to the question of what
transpired in between those times and whether Scripture leads us to believe there was an
incessant element to the Davidic order of worship.
2. In this case there is more information about the liturgy of the Temple of Solomon, so we must
start there and then work backward to determine what conclusions may be made regarding the
Tabernacle of David.
B. The Organization of the Levites for the Temple Service
I Chronicles 23-27 provides an extensive description of Davids organization for the service that would be
in the temple Solomon would build. In the midst of it we find the following account:
1
Moreover David and the captains of the army separated for the service some of the sons of Asaph, of
Heman, and of Jeduthun, who should prophesy with harps, stringed instruments, and cymbals. And
the number of the skilled men performing their service was: 2 Of the sons of Asaph: Zaccur, Joseph,
5
John Kleinig, The LORDs Song (Sheffield, England: JSOT Press, 1993), p 53.

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Nethaniah, and Asharelah; the sons of Asaph were under the direction of Asaph, who prophesied
according to the order of the king. 3 Of Jeduthun, the sons of Jeduthun: Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah,
Shimei, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah, six, under the direction of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied
with a harp to give thanks and to praise the LORD. 4 Of Heman, the sons of Heman: Bukkiah,
Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shebuel, Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, Romamti-Ezer,
Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, and Mahazioth. 5 All these were the sons of Heman the kings seer in
the words of God, to exalt his horn. For God gave Heman fourteen sons and three daughters. 6 All
these were under the direction of their father for the music in the house of the LORD, with cymbals,
stringed instruments, and harps, for the service of the house of God. Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman
were under the authority of the king. 7 So the number of them, with their brethren who were instructed
in the songs of the LORD, all who were skillful, was two hundred and eighty-eight. I Chronicles 25:1-7
1. The passage goes on, in v 8-31 to describe the casting of twenty-four lots for specific duties. In
considering an incessant element in Davidic worship, much hinges on accurately understanding
what these twenty-four appointments were. At first glance it would seem like they correspond to
the twenty-four courses (or divisions) of the priests and the other Levites. A deeper investigation,
however, yields a very different conclusion.
Although the syntax links this verse to what has gone before, it in fact opens a new section, concerned with
the organization of division by lot. They system is similar to the one used for the other orders, bu the term
divisions is absent; instead we find mismeret(correctly translated as duty)We have seen that the
casting of lots among the priests was to decide the order of the fathers houses/divisions, and these were set
all alike (24.5, literally these against these.) For the Levites the lots were cast against their
brethrenBy contrast, for the singers the lots are cast for their duties or duty against duty, and those
who participate are small and great, teacher and pupil alike (v. 8). This may mean that the matter
determined by lot in this case is not the same: it is not the rotating order of the divisions, but the
composition and division of labour within the singers group themselves, each of which was to perform its
tasks according to its appointed duty. This could also account for the relatively small number of singers:
while each of the priestly divisions served two weeks per year, the divisions rotating every week, there
6
seems to be no parallel rotating system amongst the singers.
2. If the body of 288 was not separated, and instead remained a singular unit, then it begs the
question of what function the twenty-four groupings served. The most natural answer is that they
corresponded to the twenty-four hours of the day.
The singers were numbered by David into twenty-four courses. There was someone on duty in
their course throughout the twenty-four hours of the day and night praising the Lord (Psalms
134). There was a continual service of praise ascending to the Lord as the Levites waited in their
particular course. What a glorious atmosphere to live in.7
3. Therefore the picture is one of twelve singer/musicians on duty for each hour of the day in the
Temple. A portion of the Mishnah seems to offer compelling support for this idea.
The number of singers in each group, twelve, is also documented in the Mishnah for one setting
of musicians: There were never less than twelve Levites standing on the Platform, and their
number could be increased without end (Arakhin 2.6). The standard twelve were composed of
nine lyres (ibid 2.5), two harps (ibid 2.3), and one cymbal (ibid 2.5).8
6
Sara Japhet, I & II Chronicles (Louisville, Kentucky: John Knox Westminster Press, 1993), p 445-6.
7
Kevin Conner, The Tabernacle of David (Portland, Oregon: City Bible Publishing, 1976), p 184
8
Ibid. p 447

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C. Those Who Dwelt in Jerusalem

1. As noted above, priests and the other delineations within the tribe of Levi were separated into
courses. Twice a year, for seven days at a time, they would come to Jerusalem to serve in the
Temple. This practice resumed following the exile and continued through the time of Christ (see
Luke 1 and the example of Zacharias).
2. The implication of properly understanding the function of the 288 master-singer/musicians is that
they actually lived in Jerusalem, likely in the chambers of the Temple itself, and served as the
full-time presence who gave leadership to the rotating cycles of their Levite brethren.
3. Scripture offers a clear precedent for this. Although the example is from post-exilic times, it must
reflect back upon a long-standing tradition.
17
And the gatekeepers were Shallum, Akkub, Talmon, Ahiman, and their brethren. Shallum
was the chief. 18 Until then they had been gatekeepers for the camps of the children of Levi at
the Kings Gate on the east. 19 Shallum the son of Kore, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah,
and his brethren, from his fathers house, the Korahites, were in charge of the work of the
service, gatekeepers of the tabernacle. Their fathers had been keepers of the entrance to the
camp of the LORD. 20 And Phinehas the son of Eleazar had been the officer over them in time
past; the LORD was with him. 21 Zechariah the son of Meshelemiah was keeper of the door of
the tabernacle of meeting. 22 All those chosen as gatekeepers were two hundred and twelve.
They were recorded by their genealogy, in their villages. David and Samuel the seer had
appointed them to their trusted office. 23 So they and their children were in charge of the gates
of the house of the LORD, the house of the tabernacle, by assignment. 24 The gatekeepers were
assigned to the four directions: the east, west, north, and south. 25 And their brethren in their
villages had to come with them from time to time for seven days. 26 For in this trusted office
were four chief gatekeepers; they were Levites. And they had charge over the chambers and
treasuries of the house of God. 27 And they lodged all around the house of God because they
had the responsibility, and they were in charge of opening it every morning. 28 Now some of
them were in charge of the serving vessels, for they brought them in and took them out by
count. 29 Some of them were appointed over the furnishings and over all the implements of the
sanctuary, and over the fine flour and the wine and the oil and the incense and the spices. 30
And some of the sons of the priests made the ointment of the spices. 31 Mattithiah of the
Levites, the firstborn of Shallum the Korahite, had the trusted office over the things that were
baked in the pans. 32 And some of their brethren of the sons of the Kohathites were in charge of
preparing the showbread for every Sabbath. 33 These are the singers, heads of the fathers
houses of the Levites, who lodged in the chambers, and were free from other duties; for they
were employed in that work day and night. 34 These heads of the fathers houses of the Levites
were heads throughout their generations. They dwelt at Jerusalem. I Chronicles 9:17-32
4. It is important to note how this perspective powerfully informs a passage like Psalm 84.
How lovely are Your dwelling places, O LORD of hosts! 2 My soul longed and even yearned for
the courts of the LORD; My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God. 3 The bird also
has found a house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even Your
altars, O LORD of hosts, My King and my God. 4 How blessed are those who dwell in Your
house! They are ever praising You. Selah. 5 How blessed is the man whose strength is in You,
in whose heart are the highways to Zion! 6 Passing through the valley of Baca they make it a
spring; the early rain also covers it with blessings. 7 They go from strength to strength, every
one of them appears before God in Zion. 8 O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O
God of Jacob! Selah. 9 Behold our shield, O God, and look upon the face of Your anointed.
10
For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand outside. I would rather stand at the

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threshold of the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. 11 For the LORD God is
a sun and shield; the LORD gives grace and glory; no good thing does He withhold from those
who walk uprightly. 12 O LORD of hosts, how blessed is the man who trusts in You! Psalm 84
5. Psalm 84 can be understood as a song of ascent by one of the Levites (the sons of Korah) who
ministered in cycles, yearning that he could instead remain and abide in the temple rather than
having to leave. Blessed are the ones who actually dwell in the courts of the LORD because they
are ever praising Him (literally).
6. The Psalmist envies the bird because it doesnt have to leave. He would rather have his lot in
the threshold of the house of the LORD than dwell in spaciousness of the tents of wickedness.
When taken seriously, the Psalm actually doesnt make any sense unless there were actually
people who stayed there all the time in order for the Psalmist to look at them and long to be in
their position.
7. And thus we finally arrive at Psalm 134 in which this becomes explicit. The language of
standing and blessing the LORD refers most frequently to the Levites rather than the priests.
The Psalm that immediately follows confirms this by turning to those who minister by day and
addressing them with the same admonition as those who stood before the LORD in the night.
1
Behold, bless the LORD, all you servants of the LORD, who by night stand in the house of
the LORD! 2 Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the LORD. 3 The LORD who made
heaven and earth bless you from Zion! Psalm 134
1
Praise the LORD! Praise the name of the LORD; Praise Him, O you servants of the LORD! 2
You who stand in the house of the LORD, in the courts of the house of our God, 3 Praise the
LORD, for the LORD is good; Sing praises to His name, for it is pleasant. 4 For the LORD has
chosen Jacob for Himself, Israel for His special treasure. Psalm 135:1-4
III. OVERVIEW OF THE CULMINATION OF REPLICATION & CONVERGENCE IN THE
MILLENNIAL REIGN OF CHRIST
A. Introduction
1. Replication on all levels reaches its climax in the millennial reign of Christ. As a result it is the
height of convergence and dynamically anticipates the restoration of Heaven and earth when the
Holy City descends at the end of the Millennium.
2. All of the primary features of the Holy City and its Temple on high will be exactly mirrored on
the earth through the kingdom of Christ and His city.
3. Therefore, during the thousand-year reign of Christ the Millennial Temple will be in full,
unhindered convergence with the Heavenly Temple. The mountain-city of Jerusalem on the earth
with the point of intersection between Heaven and earth.
B. Overview of the Parallel Replication in the Millennial Age
1. Vast Mountain-City of Precious Stones with Temple at its Height (Ezekiel 40:2, Ezekiel 43:12,
Isaiah 54:11-12, Psalm 48, Isaiah 2:1-4, Zechariah 6:12-13)
2. River of Life Flowing from the Temple toward the East (Ezekiel 47:1-12)
3. Trees with Life-Giving & Healing Properties (Ezekiel 47:1-12)
4. God the Son Enthroned within the Temple (Ezekiel 43:7, Jeremiah 3:15-17, Isaiah 60:13)
5. Unceasing Prayer & Worship (Isaiah 62:5-6, Luke 18:7-8, Psalm 72:15, Amos 9:10-12)

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6. Yahweh will be worshipped Universally & Exclusively (see below)

C. The Great Transition Understanding Universal & Exclusive Worship
While the Davidic era saw significant replication of the liturgy of the Heavenly Temple on a continual
basis, the scope of this replication was very limited. Like the Tabernacle of David, the Millennial Temple-
Throne will be surrounded by unceasing worship that is musical, prayerful, and antiphonal. Yet unlike the
Tabernacle of David, the Millennial Temple will be a center of worship far beyond the borders of Israel.
There will truly be a house of prayer for all nations.
1. Gods passion for His glory burns brightly and the world is not aimlessly spinning into the future.
The rampant, emblazoned idolatry that fills the earth is an atrocity in the eyes of the LORD. He
is fiercely committed to the worth of Christ being extolled as it should be.
For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God. Luke 16:15
2. All that is presently exalted or esteemed among men is looked upon with abhorrence in the
LORDs eyes precisely because only He should be highly exalted by men. God has ordained a
day in which His glory and His name alone will be reverenced and magnified in the earth, just as
it is in Heaven.
11
The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and
the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day. 12 For the day of the LORD of hosts shall come
upon everything proud and lofty, upon everything lifted up Isaiah 2:11-12
For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the
sea. Habakkuk 2:14 (see Isaiah 11:9, Psalm 72:19)
10
Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted
in the earth. Psalm 46:10
13
Let them praise the name of the LORD, For His name alone is exalted; His glory is above
the earth and heaven. Psalm 148:13
!" The problem of salvation is not human discontentment. We are not being saved from our
unhappiness. We are being saved from wrath that is rightly due us because of our treasonous
rebellion away from our created purpose of giving glory to God and toward all manner of self-
gratification. The chief crisis that the great comission is intended to remedy is not that men are
going to hell but that God is not worshipped as He should be. The former view is man-centered,
the latter is God-centered. Because God is infinitely merciful, the impending doom of the
unregenerate masses is surely a crisis, but the larger calamity is the actual offense that is causing
a compassionate creator to send them to the lake of fire.#
4. The extreme disparity between the present condition of the earth and the unstoppable, global
exaltation of God alone should cause us to tremble because it will necessitate a worldwide
upheaval unlike anything we can fathom. He will arise and shake everything that can be shaken.
17
The loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be brought
low; the LORD alone will be exalted in that day, 18 But the idols He shall utterly abolish. 19
They shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, From the terror of the
LORD and the glory of His majesty, when He arises to shake the earth mightily. Isaiah 2:17-19

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D. The Great Worship Movement

1. Implications
a. Although it may not appear so initially, this transition is synonymous with a truly global
movement of worship. For His self-exaltation is not arbitrary - it is about the realization of
who He is and how the people of the earth respond to Him. Worship is simply the adoring
response to the glory of who He is.
b. At the end of the age God will shatter the religious pluralism and gross idolatry that presently
reigns among the nations and confront the earth with His identity so that all must reckon with
the truth that He alone is the living God.
c. The consequence of this radical clarification will be that men will either love Him fully or
hate Him fully. Gods unprecedented self-revelation will remove all neutrality and He alone
will be exalted - either through the loving, reverent worship of all who repent or through His
swift judgment of everyone and everything that resists.
2. Universal Worship
a. Thus, when He alone will be exalted, He alone will be worshipped. A parallel to Isaiah 2
makes this clear:
11
The LORD will be awesome to them, for He will reduce to nothing all the gods of
the earth; people shall worship Him, each one from his place, indeed all the shores
of the nations. Zephaniah 2:11
b. A day is coming when all of the nations will worship Yahweh. All across the earth, real
people with beating hearts and breath in their lungs will sing.
27
All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, and all the
families of the nations will worship before You. Psalm 22:27
Shout joyfully to God, all the earth; 2Sing the glory of His name; make His praise
glorious. 3Say to God, "How awesome are Your works!...4 All the earth will worship
You, and will sing praises to You; they will sing praises to Your name. Psalm 66:1-
4
3
Let the peoples praise You, O God; Let all the peoples praise You. 4 Oh, let the
nations be glad and sing for joy! For You shallgovern the nations on
earth 7God shall bless us, and all the ends of the earth shall fear Him. Ps 67:3-4,
7
All nations whom You have made shall come and worship before You, O Lord, and
they shall glorify Your name. Psalm 86:9
4
All the kings of the earth shall praise You, O LORD, when they hear the words of
Your mouth. 5 Yes, they shall sing of the ways of the LORD, for great is the glory
of the LORD. Psalm 138:4-5
E. The Ends of the Earth & the Living God
1. The New Testament Understanding of Gods Revelation & Exaltation

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a. Isaiah 45 is one of the pinnacles of the monotheistic worship mandated by the Old Testament.
Nine times in this single chapter the Lord emphatically declares that He is the Lord Yahweh
and that He alone is God. It also describes that great hour when the entire earth will
acknowledge His unique identity and bow before Him.
5
I am the LORD, and there is no other; there is no God besides Me 6 That they
may know from the rising of the sun to its setting that there is none besides Me. I
am the LORD, and there is no other18For thus says the LORD, Who created the
heavens, Who is God, Who formed the earth and made it, Who has established it,
Who did not create it in vain...: I am the LORD, and there is no other And
there is no other God besides Me, a just God and a Savior; There is none besides
Me. 22 Look to Me, and be saved, All you ends of the earth! For I am God, and
there is no other. 23 I have sworn by Myself; the word has gone out of My mouth in
righteousness, and shall not return, that to Me every knee shall bow, every tongue
shall take an oath. Is 45:5-6, 18, 21-23
b. Quoting the passage above, Paul makes clear that the way in which all the nations will
recognize the identity of the true living God and bow before His majesty is in the person of
Christ the Holy One of Israel incarnate.
6
who, being in the form of God, did not consider equality with God to be used
for His own advantage, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a
bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance
as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the
death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the
name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should
bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and
that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the
Father. Phil 2:6-11
c. As we know, the name above every name is not Jesus, but rather Lord. The latter is the
reverential substitute in Greek (kurios) for the divine name of Yahweh, which is clear even
from the context of Isaiah 45.
d. Jesus is the LORD Yahweh and it is He who alone will be exalted in that day, rebounding
to the glory of the Father and the Spirit.9
e. That the exaltation of the Lord alone is synonymous with the exaltation of the Lord Jesus
alone is made even more explicit when Paul quotes Isaiah 2 as he describes the return of
Jesus:
7
..give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from
heaven with His mighty angels, 8 in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do
not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9
These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord
and from the glory of His power, 10 when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in
His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony
among you was believed. II Thess 1:6-1010
9
Aside from the clear contextual and linguistic reasons for this, it can be established exegetically from observing that Jesus received this name in conjunction with the exaltation of His
resurrection. Along with thousands of other boys in Israel at the time, Jesus was known as Yeshua (Joshua) His entire life. It was only after the resurrection that men began to call on Him as
Lord (Acts 2:37). See also Ephesians 1:20-21 and Hebrews 1:4 for the receiving of the Divine Name.
10
The phrases the presence of the Lord and the glory of His power are direct references in Greek to the Hebrew phrases in Isaiah 2:19, the terror of the Lord and the glory of His
majesty. Pauls words correspond exactly to Isaiah 2:19 in the Septuagint.

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2. The Worth of Christ at the End of the Age

17
And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. 18 And He is the head of the body,
the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have
the preeminence. Colossians 1:17-18
a. Each day moves closer to one inescapable, irresistible end: the preeminence of Christ in all
things. He who is now often overlooked in the Church in the West and byword in the nations
will be revealed in all His glory and universally worshipped by all as God Himself.
3
Then the LORD will go forth and fight against those nations, as He fights in the
day of battle. 4 And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which
faces Jerusalem on the east 9 And the LORD shall be King over all the earth. In
that day it shall be The LORD is one, and His name one 16 And it shall come
to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem
shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep
the Feast of Tabernacles. 17 And it shall be that whichever of the families of the
earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, on
them there will be no rain. 18 If the family of Egypt will not come up and enter in,
they shall have no rain; they shall receive the plague with which the LORD strikes
the nations who do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. 19This shall be
the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not come up
to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. Zechariah 14:3-4, 9, 16-19
b. Every knee will bow, every idol will be crushed, and everything that now exalts itself will be
brought to the dust before the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Gods unquenchable passion
for His glory and His unstoppable plan to exalt His Son necessitate a worship movement.
F. The Worship Movement
8
I am the LORD, that is My name; and My glory I will not give to another, nor My praise to carved
images 10 Sing to the LORD a new song, and His praise from the ends of the earth, you who go
down to the sea, and all that is in it, you coastlands and you inhabitants of them!... 12 Let them give
glory to the LORD, and declare His praise in the coastlands. Isaiah 42:8-12
11
For from the rising of the sun, even to its going down, My name shall be great among the Gentiles;
In every place incense shall be offered to My name, and a pure offering; for My name shall be great
among the nations, says the LORD of hosts. Malachi 1:11
1. As the return of Jesus is drawing near and the dynamic convergence of heaven and earth slowly
begins, the Lord is establishing the prayer and worship movement unto the larger purpose of
Jesus being adored as He deserves and as He is in heaven incessantly and universally.
2. This will continue to swell in the decades leading up to His return but will not reach its climax
until after the return of Jesus with the Millennial Temple as its focal point.
3. As the Holy Spirit increasingly brings the glory of Jesus to the forefront in the Church there will
be no need to convince anyone of the legitimacy or necessity of night and day worship. Love will
compel them to stand before Him in adoration and spend their strength at His feet.
! In that day the Branch of the LORD shall be beautiful and glorious Isaiah 4:2

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17
Your eyes will see the King in His beauty Isaiah 33:1711
4. At the end of the age the deepest affections of the Church will be captured by the beauty of Jesus.
It will be our greatest joy to offer the perpetual incense of praise from the rising of the sun to its
going down, even as we await that glorious day His Day when all the people of the earth will
join in our song.
IV. JESUS THE TEMPLE
A. Jesus the Temple
19
Jesus answered and said to them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. 20 Then
the Jews said, It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?
21
But He was speaking of the temple of His body. 22 Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His
disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word
which Jesus had said. John 2:19-22
5
Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath,
and are blameless? 6 Yet I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the temple. Matthew
12:5-6
1. Introduction
a. In these passages, along with other very potent ways in the New Testament, Jesus is
presented in superiority to the Temple - He commands authority over it and embodies the
reality of it.
b. This raises the question of how Jesus can both build a temple (as we have seen in earlier in
this session) and be the Temple? Is there an incongruity between who Jesus is and what He
came to do and the narrative of the Old Testament? What happened in the coming of Jesus,
how does that impact worship, and as Christians how are we to understand the story of the
Temple? How does this inform our thoughts about the phenomenon of night and day prayer
now?
2. Incarnation
1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was
in the beginning with God14And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld
His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. Jn 1:1-2, 14
a. The Gospel of John depicts the Incarnation in very specific terms intended to clearly convey
that what happened in the coming of the Eternal Word was the fullness of the reality Israel
had formerly known in the Temple. This occurs in two primary ways:
b. First, John uses the Greek word !"#$%& to describe the manifestation of God in the flesh. The
word is rightly rendered tabernacle by some translations, for it is only used five times in the
New Testament and means to take up residence in a tent.
c. Secondly, in I Kings and II Chronicles the word used to describe the innermost part of
Solomons temple is !"#$ (dbiyr). Usually coupled with the Hebrew word for holy, the
phrase literally means the holy oracle. Finding this awkward, English translators render the
word sanctuary to try to convey the meaning.
11
Both of these passages, along with Malachi 1:11, refer directly to beholding Christ in the Millennium but they demonstrate Gods broader purpose to exalt Jesus and make Hs praise fill the
earth.

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d. Translators of the Septuagint did not even attempt to render it with a Greek word and instead
simply used Greek letters to form the sound of the word in Hebrew. If it was going to
translated into Greek, the word would be '%()*, which is comparable to the Hebrew word that
dbiyr is derived from (dabar). This is the title repeatedly ascribed to Jesus in Jn 1:1-14.
e. The cumulative effect of these two observations, together with the emphasis on the theme of
glory in John 1:14-18 and its Old Testament association with the temple, is that the identity of
Jesus is the fullness of what was present in the Holy of Holies in both the Tabernacle of
Moses and the Temple of Solomon.
B. The Theology of the Temple & the Incarnation
1. Ark
a. In this light we can see that rather than the temple as a whole, it is actually the ark which is
symbolic of Jesus and the ark is the reality which He fulfills. Although it can be used
accurately to mean the temple as a whole, the word Jesus uses in John 2 (%&'() means
sanctuary (the holy place) in the formal sense.
b. Jesus therefore, instead of the Ark, becomes the connection between Heaven and earth (John
1:51) He is the ladder and the gate to Heaven. Whereas the Ark and the Holy of Holies
were in times past the only point of access into the Holy City, or the Cosmic Throne, Jesus is
now the way of access because in His identity is the point of convergence.
to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the
church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, 11 according to the
eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we
have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him. Ephesians 3:10-12
14
Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the
heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession16 Let us therefore
come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help
in time of need. Hebrews 4:14, 16
c. Through His unique identity and work, Jesus rent the veil and opened a new and living way
into the Heavenly Sanctuary. Through Him and in Him we will ultimately enter into our
everlasting dwelling in the City, and until then we access that place by faith.
19
Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the
blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through
the veil, that is, His flesh Hebrews 10:19-20
d. Redemption and relationship has a geographic/cosmographic focal point. It was accomplished
and a real place (the Heavenly Sanctuary) by Christ and aims to get us to a very specific place
(the Holy City & the Heavenly Temple). Our relationship with God transcends spatial
constraints but is never divorced from it. Jesus stated plainly and passionately that He desired
us to be with Him where He is, and that He is the only way to get there.
33
Little children, I am with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I
said to the Jews, now I also say to you, Where I am going, you cannot come. 34 A
new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved
you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are My
disciples, if you have love for one another. 36 Simon Peter said to Him, Lord,

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where are You going? Jesus answered, Where I go, you cannot follow Me now;
but you will follow later1 Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God,
believe also in Me. 2 In My Fathers house are many dwelling places; if it were
not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. 3 If I go and
prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I
am, there you may be also. 4 And you know the way where I am going. 5 Thomas
said to Him, Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the
way? 6 Jesus said to him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes
to the Father but through Me. John 13:33-36, 14:1-6
2. An Unnecessary Presence
a. The result is that Jesus proclaimed the existence of the temple in His day an unnecessary
presence. The glory of God (the convergence of Heaven and earth) departed in Ezekiel 10
and never returned to the Second (post-exilic) Temple.
b. The mere presence of God in the Flesh standing in the vast temple-complex was the
condemnation of the institution of the temple. They rejected and reviled Him while clinging
with fierce allegiance to a hollow room.
c. The outward practices of corruption and greed that Jesus so forcefully condemned were just
symptomatic of the underlying truth that the temple had long ago ceased to be the Temple. It
was not the intersection of Heaven and earth and it was not the place above all else where
God was honored and revered. The LORD Himself had descended to the earth, pronounced
that sentence of judgment, and made it obsolete.
d. Among other things, the destruction of the temple in 70 A.D. was a dramatic display of this
great transition that had occurred. In the advent of Christ, the LORD had both judged the
historic institution of the temple and subsumed its reality in Himself.
13
In that He says, A new covenant, He has made the first obsolete. Now what is
becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away. Hebrews 8:13
3. Spirit & Truth
a. In His coming Jesus absolutely (once and for all) redefined the presence/dwelling of God and
therefore oriented worship around Himself and not a particular locale in the sense in which it
had been historically.
20
Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem
is the place where men ought to worship. 21 Jesus said to her, Woman, believe
Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you
worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we
know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But an hour is coming, and now is, when
the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the
Father seeks to be His worshipers. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship Him
must worship in spirit and truth. 25 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. 26 Jesus said to her, I who speak to you am He. John 4:20-26

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b. Yet this does not in any way mean that devotion and worship is not geographically centered,
it just means that it is now personally oriented and that Person is in Heaven (and not in a
geographic locale on the earth).
c. The contrast of John 4, then, is not one of sacramental versus completely delocalized, but
one of nationalistic allegiance (Jerusalem or Gerazim) to Christ as the object of faith. Since
devotion was now centered overtly on a Person in Heaven rather than a place, worship was
freed from the bounds of national borders
C. Conclusions
1. The Relationship of Christ to the Eschatological Temple
a. In conclusion, we return to the question of whether the theological ramifications of the
Incarnation we have examined rewrite the story that had already been told through the
prophets? We must answer a resounding no!. They do, however center the story upon
Christ and reveal that He is the focal point of the temple-narrative.
b. The Millennial Temple would only be a regression if there was a veil and a mercy seat. Yet,
as we have seen, this is not what Ezekiel envisions. The worship in the Millennial Temple is
overtly oriented around the presence/throne of Jesus.
It shall be in those days when you are multiplied and increased in the land,
declares the LORD, they will no longer say, The ark of the covenant of the LORD.
And it will not come to mind, nor will they remember it, nor will they miss it, nor
will it be made again. 17 At that time they will call Jerusalem The Throne of the
LORD, and all the nations will be gathered to it, to Jerusalem, for the name of the
LORD; nor will they walk anymore after the stubbornness of their evil heart.
Jeremiah 3:16-17
For the nation and the kingdom which will not serve you will perish, and the
nations will be utterly ruined. The glory of Lebanon will come to you, the juniper,
the box tree and the cypress together, to beautify the place of My sanctuary; and I
shall make the place of My feet glorious. Isaiah 60:12-13
And the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the
glory of the LORD filled the house. 6 Then I heard one speaking to me from the
house, while a man was standing beside me. 7 He said to me, Son of man, this is
the place of My throne and the place of the soles of My feet, where I will dwell
among the sons of Israel forever. Ezekiel 43:5-7
A throne will even be established in lovingkindness, and a judge will sit on it in
faithfulness in the tent of David; moreover, he will seek justice and be prompt in
righteousness. Isaiah 16:15
a. The key question is what else would we do if Jesus was on the earth? Of course worship will
be localized because He will be present and accessible on the earth again.
b. The idea that His identity as the Sanctuary nullifies a localized expression of worship, or that
such an idea stands in opposition to worship in spirit and truth makes the physical return
of Jesus a fairy tale.

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c. Will love be content to never see Him and never laud Him in person just because we have the
indwelling of the Holy Spirit now? If Jesus were on the earth right now, would His people not
throng to where He was?
3. The Real Problem
a. The objection to the Millennial Temple, therefore, is not a Christological one as much as an
philosophical one. The Platonic-saturated form of Christianity so rampant in the West does
not accommodate a lucid vision of Jesus actually on the earth again.
b. Even though the rhetoric of His first coming is retained, it is glossed over with a coat of
ethereality until the land of Israel and its people are distant enough to avoid disrupting the
system of thought.
c. Amillennialism, and its rejection of an eschatological temple, is not the fruit of exegesis but
rather the offspring of a worldview that precludes the restoration of the earth, the resurrection
of the body, and the reign of Jesus upon the earth. The flawed biblical interpretation only
comes after the initial leap into the philosophical perspective.
V. JESUS & THE HOUSE OF PRAYER
Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and
overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. 13 And He said to them, It
is written, My house shall be called a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves. 14 Then the
blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and scribes
saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, Hosanna to the
Son of David! they were indignant 16 and said to Him, Do You hear what these are saying? And Jesus said
to them, Yes. Have you never read, Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected
praise? 17 Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and He lodged there. Matthew 21:12-17
Our interpretation of this passage has tremendous bearing upon how we understand our present labor to build a
house of prayer because it basically determines what Jesus vision for a house of prayer actually is.
A. The House of the LORD
1. New Testament Usage
a. Everything in this passage hinges on precisely what house Jesus is referring to in the
passage. There are two times in the New Testament that the Lords house is referenced
(Ephesians 2:19-22 and I Peter 2:4-7 could also be included):
14
These things I write to you, though I hope to come to you shortly; 15 but if I am
delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the
house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the
truth. 16 I Timothy 3:14-15
3
For this One has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as He
who built the house has more honor than the house. 4 For every house is built by
someone, but He who built all things is God. 5 And Moses indeed was faithful in all
His house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which would be spoken
afterward, 6 but Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold
fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end. Hebrews 3:3-6

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b. As a result, many have come naturally come to the conclusion that when Jesus stood in
Herods temple and prophesied that His house would be called the house of prayer, He was
referring to the Church.
c. This would be a compelling conclusion if it were not for the fact that with these words Jesus
is quoting an Old Testament passage. When we turn our eyes there it becomes very clear
what the LORD had in His heart when He uttered those words.
2. Old Testament Context
6
Also the sons of the foreigner who join themselves to the LORD, to serve Him, and to love the
name of the LORD, to be His servantsEveryone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, and
holds fast My covenant 7Even them I will bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful
in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on My altar;
for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations. 8 The Lord GOD, who gathers
the outcasts of Israel, says, Yet I will gather to him others besides those who are gathered to
him. Isaiah 56:6-8
a. Here is Isaiah 56 we find the passage that Jesus was directly quoting when condemning the
temple in Jerusalem. From the context there is a very strong parallel between those who will
be brought to My holy mountain and those who will be made joyful in My house of
prayer.
b. That the mountain of the LORD is indeed the house Jesus is referring to is made clear by
taking the larger context of the book of Isaiah into account.
The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
2
Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the Lords house
shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the
hills; and all nations shall flow to it. 3 Many people shall come and say, Come,
and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; He
will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths. For out of Zion shall go
forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. Isaiah 2:1-3
c. This remarkable prophecy in Isaiah 2 clearly stands as the backdrop for the similar words
later in the book. All nations and many people will throng to the mountain of the Lords
house and the house of the God of Jacob, just as Isaiah 56 depicts foreigners being
brought to His holy mountain and His house of prayer.
B. A House of Prayer for All Nations
1. It is now clear that as Jesus stood in Jerusalem just days before His crucifixion and uttered those
remarkable words in condemnation of the temple that towered all around Him, He was not talking
about the Church at all.
2. Instead, Jesus was prophesying the eventual destruction of Herods temple and the coming day
when the Mountain of the Lord would be raised up as chief among the mountains and He would
build His temple at its heights. To those blessed courts all people would come to bow down
before the King of all the earth.
3. And there, at the crown glorious mountain-city of Jerusalem, would be the house of prayer for all
nations presided over by Yahweh in the flesh. This vision of what the house of prayer is, and
what it is not, is vital to understanding what we are doing now when we labor to build a house of
prayer.

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Session 12: Theological Synthesis: The House of Prayer

I. JESUS & THE HOUSE OF PRAYER
Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and
overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. 13 And He said to them, It
is written, My house shall be called a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves. 14 Then the
blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and scribes
saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, Hosanna to the
Son of David! they were indignant 16 and said to Him, Do You hear what these are saying? And Jesus said
to them, Yes. Have you never read, Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected
praise? 17 Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and He lodged there. Matthew 21:12-17
Our interpretation of this passage has tremendous bearing upon how we understand our present labor to build a
house of prayer because it basically determines what Jesus vision for a house of prayer actually is.
A. The House of the LORD
1. New Testament Usage
a. Everything in this passage hinges on precisely what house Jesus is referring to in the
passage. There are two times in the New Testament that the Lords house is referenced
(Ephesians 2:19-22 and I Peter 2:4-7 could also be included):
14
These things I write to you, though I hope to come to you shortly; 15 but if I am delayed, I
write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which
is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. 16 I Timothy 3:14-15
3
For this One has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as He who
built the house has more honor than the house. 4 For every house is built by someone, but
He who built all things is God. 5 And Moses indeed was faithful in all His house as a
servant, for a testimony of those things which would be spoken afterward, 6 but Christ as a
Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the
rejoicing of the hope firm to the end. Hebrews 3:3-6
b. As a result, many have naturally come to the conclusion that when Jesus stood in Herods
temple and prophesied that His house would be called the house of prayer, He was
referring to the Church.
c. This would be a compelling conclusion if it were not for the fact that with these words Jesus
is quoting an Old Testament passage. When we turn our eyes there it becomes very clear
what the LORD had in His heart when He uttered those words.
2. Old Testament Context
6
Also the sons of the foreigner who join themselves to the LORD, to serve Him, and to love the
name of the LORD, to be His servantsEveryone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, and
holds fast My covenant 7Even them I will bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful
in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on My altar;
for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations. 8 The Lord GOD, who gathers
the outcasts of Israel, says, Yet I will gather to him others besides those who are gathered to
him. Isaiah 56:6-8

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Session 12: Theological Synthesis: The House of Prayer PAGE 2
a. In Isaiah 56 we find the passage that Jesus was directly quoting when condemning the temple
in Jerusalem. From the context there is a very strong parallel between those who will be
brought to My holy mountain and those who will be made joyful in My house of prayer.
b. That the mountain of the LORD is indeed the house Jesus is referring to is made clear by
taking the larger context of the book of Isaiah into account.
The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. 2 Now it
shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the Lords house shall be
established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all
nations shall flow to it. 3 Many people shall come and say, Come, and let us go up to the
mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we
shall walk in His paths. For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord
from Jerusalem. Isaiah 2:1-3
c. This remarkable prophecy in Isaiah 2 clearly stands as the backdrop for the similar words
later in the book. All nations and many people will throng to the mountain of the Lords
house and the house of the God of Jacob, just as Isaiah 56 depicts foreigners being
brought to His holy mountain and His house of prayer.
B. A House of Prayer for All Nations
1. It is now clear that as Jesus stood in Jerusalem just days before His crucifixion and uttered those
remarkable words in condemnation of the temple that towered all around Him, He was not talking
about the Church at all.
2. Instead, Jesus was prophesying the eventual destruction of Herods temple and the coming day
when the Mountain of the Lord would be raised up as chief among the mountains and He would
build His temple at its heights. To those blessed courts all people would come to bow down
before the King of all the earth.
3. And there, at the crown glorious mountain-city of Jerusalem, would be the house of prayer for all
nations presided over by Yahweh in the flesh. This vision of what the house of prayer is, and
what it is not, is vital to understanding what we are doing now when we labor to build a house of
prayer.
4. Since clearly the New Testament does call the Church His house, and clearly we are called to be a
people of prayer, there is nothing negative about using the language of the house of prayer for
the Church, but this exegetical truth (as opposed to just a conceptual connection) must be
paramount in our understanding.
II. AN ECCLESIOLOGY OF SOJOURN THE NEW TESTAMENT WITNESS
A. Ecclesiology & Night and Day Prayer
a. Before even trying to answer the question of what the New Testament says specifically about
night and day worship and prayer our perspective must undergo a severe reorientation.
b. Instead of looking back at those writings from almost two-thousand years of chronological
distance we must evaluate their statements as best we can from their perspective.

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c. This approach can make us quite uncomfortable because we want the New Testament to be
speaking directly to us. Yet it should be quite obvious that the authors were not speaking to
us but to real people like themselves who lived at a real time, in a real place, with an
authentic historical context within which their stories were unfolding.
d. The truth contained in those writings is inspired by the Spirit and thus timeless in its
authority, but that truth was not communicated in a historical vacuum that happened to render
it immune from the contours of the first-century and favorable to the West in the 21st century
2. The Coming of the LORD
a. Although it raises a number of issues beyond the scope of this course, it is clear that the
apostles thought Jesus was to return and establish His kingdom in their lifetime or shortly
after. Stated alternatively, the apostles did not anticipate a two-thousand year delay before
the realization of their great hope in Christ.
You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. James 5:8
The end of all things is near; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the
purpose of prayer. I Peter 4:7
Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now
salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. 12 The night is almost gone, and the day is
near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.
Romans 13:11-12
Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now
many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour. I John 2:18
Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our
instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. I Corinthians 10:11
b. This perspective dominates the writings of the New Testament and its application to the
question of night and day prayer is enormous.
c. The apostles were not wondering how the story would turn out. In the Old Testament the end
of the story was already written and they were living in the unfolding fulfillment of it rather
than writing a new story. Their fundamental expectation was like that of all Jews. They
differed only in seeing Jesus as the sole means through which that fulfillment would occur.
But this I admit to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect I do serve the God
of our fathers, believing everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written
in the Prophets; 15 having a hope in God, which these men cherish themselves, that there
shall certainly be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked. Acts 24:14
And now I am standing trial for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers; 7 the
promise to which our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly serve God night and
day. And for this hope, O King, I am being accused by Jews. Acts 26:6
d. The apostles were living in the eager hope of the Day of the LORD and the resurrection of
the body. The belief in a messianic kingdom and temple are inseparable from this, and thus
their expectation that Jesus would soon return was synonymous with a belief that the
Millennial Temple prophesied in Is. 56, Zech. 6, and Ezekiel 40-48 was also soon to be built.

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e. In their vision, the ultimate House of Prayer the Mountain of the LORDs House was
possibly decades away from being realized. Jesus Himself would establish night and day
worship in Zion and the peoples of the earth would be enraptured in His praise.
3. The Church
a. The expression of the Church as we think of it was never meant to be permanent. In the
eyes of the apostles it was a holding pattern a transient form while they were waiting for
the return of Christ. The apostles were not building something they were waiting for
Someone and testifying of Him to others.
b. Therefore, the form of the Church was never intended to be a structure or institution. Instead,
it was a congregation of strangers and pilgrims living in prayerful sojourn as the transition of
the Gentile ingathering occurred. They were living in an interim state, an awkward pause
between promise and culmination.
c. Tragically, we have made what was meant to be temporary permanent, and in doing so lost
our vision of what was supposed to be permanent. This is the danger of not grounding
ecclesiology in eschatological truths.
4. The Heart & the Structure of Night and Day Devotion
a. In this light we can better understand the absence of any formal commands for a structure of
continuous devotion. In the New Testament there are virtually no formal commands for
anything structural or institutional. All that was insisted upon was the order (elders and
deacons) and that believers were not to forsake gathering.
b. At the heart of the apostolic Church was not a desire to establish a place, organization,
structure, or schedule. Yet despite this absence, it is clear that the consuming commitment to
prayer at the heart of night and day devotion was powerfully present in the early Church.
We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you For
this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask
that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and
understanding Colossians 1:3, 9
We give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers I
Thessalonians 1:2
For what thanks can we render to God for you in return for all the joy with which we
rejoice before our God on your account, 10 as we night and day keep praying most earnestly
that we may see your face, and may complete what is lacking in your faith? I Thess 3:9-10
Epaphras, who is one of your number, a bondslave of Jesus Christ, sends you his
greetings, always laboring earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may stand perfect and
fully assured in all the will of God. Colossians 4:12
Rejoice always; 17 pray without ceasing; 18 in everything give thanks; for this is Gods will
for you in Christ Jesus. I Thessalonians 5:17-18
With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the
alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints Ephesians 6:18
Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the
church. Acts 12:5

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III. A VISION FOR THE HOUSE OF PRAYER (CORPORATELY AND THEOLOGICALLY)

From this vantage point we may turn to the question of the purpose of night and day worship and prayer now and
seek to understand its significance in the Lords heart.
A. Mirror
1. Presence
a. The way we understand the presence of God has changed from the story of the Tabernacle of
Moses and the Temple of Solomon. As we have seen, the point of convergence between
Heaven and earth is now in the person of Christ.
b. The Church, as His people and body, now stand as an expression of His presence through our
union to Him and the deposit of the Spirit within us. However, since Jesus is in the Heavenly
Temple there is no longer a place of convergence on the earth or a geographic center where
devotion is centered on the earth.1
c. Once He returns, worship and prayer will not be limited to a certain locale but it will again
have a geographic focal point (the Millennial Temple). The complete delocalization of
devotion is an aberration limited to the time in between His first and second coming.
2. Worship
a. Yet the recognition that the expression of Gods presence has changed does not mean His
fundamental desire for worship has changed.
b. The Lord still desires that liturgical replication would happen on the earth even though
structural replication is unnecessary until Christ returns.
c. As we have seen, it will be Jesus Himself who establishes the fullness of liturgical
replication, but in this way present-tense incessant devotion stands as a dynamic mirror of the
reality of the Heavenly Temple on the earth.
B. Sign
1. Perpetual Intercession: A Sign of Injustice
a. Night and day intercession is a sign of an incessant protest that things are not the way they
should be and drawing attention to the hope of when they will be.
b. When His people gather to cry out for His purposes to be fulfilled in the earth or simply for
Him to return, we are militating against the illusion of contentment and progress that the earth
is entrenched in.
c. The present age is evil, all that is highly esteemed in the eyes of men is an abomination in the
sight of God, and the unceasing cries of intercession declare that things must change.
2. Incessant Worship: A Sign of His Worth
a. Incessant worship is a sign of His surpassing worth to both the Church and the nations of the
earth.
1
This does not necessarily mean that the ministry of convergence facilitated through the cherubim cannot or does not occur it just
means that it is not associated with a particular geographic place.

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b. We live in an hour when most of the body of Christ deems it entirely right and natural for gas
stations, hospitals, grocery stores, diners and drive-thru restaurants to be open twenty-four
hours a day. No one questions the use of the fiscal and human resources necessary to ensure
those services maintain a continuous presence.
c. By contrast, the thought of the worth of Jesus being extolled in incessant worship and the
burdens of Gods heart carried in perpetual intercession is met with skepticism by many of
His people. It seems unnecessary, and even adverse, to expend the money and employ the
people required to facilitate unceasing devotion.
d. Although it would never be stated explicitly, what this undoubtedly reveals is that in the
collective culture of the Church in the West our appetites, our health, and our convenience is
of greater gravity to us than the glory of God. Our own comfort, expressed in myriad forms,
is simply more necessary to maintain in our eyes than the necessity of Gods splendor to be
praised.
e. Night and day worship, therefore, stands as a provocation to Gods people to cease from
loving what is worthless and turn their eyes to behold what is precious and infinitely worthy
of devotion.
O sons of menhow long will you love what is worthless? Psalm 4:2
3. Incessant Worship & Prayer: A Prophetic Sign
a. Every expression of night and day prayer throughout history stands as a prophetic sign
pointing to the ultimate hope of His return and the true house of prayer in Jerusalem where
the entire earth will worship Him universally and exclusively.
b. The phenomenon of the house of prayer presently is happening because His return is near.
Thus it is a chronological sign of the times as well.
c. This is one of the reasons why eschatology and the hope of the Day of the LORD simply
cannot be divorced from a community endeavoring to pray without ceasing.
C. Catalyst
33
Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is. 34 It is like a man going to a far
country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded
the doorkeeper to watch. 35 Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is
comingin the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning 36 lest, coming
suddenly, he find you sleeping. 37 And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch! Mark 13:33-36
But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares
of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell
on the face of the whole earth. 36 Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to
escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man. Lk 21:34-36
1. Although clearly not all believers are called to minister to the LORD vocationally, all believers
are called to watchfulness and prayerfulness.
2. All believers should see the worthiness of Jesus to be adored night and day and the inestimable
value of the replication of the heavenly pattern of worship on the earth, but not all believers will
necessarily be called to actively engage in facilitating this.
3. The constancy of the house of prayer serves as a catalyst for the entire body of Christ entering
into sober, fervent, vigilant prayer.

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IV. A VISION FOR THE HOUSE OF PRAYER INDIVIDUALLY THE WASTED LIFE
A. Introduction & Definition
1. Cultivating the Priesthood
a. The expression, or outcome, that this course is aiming toward is steadfastness in night and
day prayer.
b. This endurance is achieved by cultivating an understanding of the nobility of standing in a
priestly posture before the Lord and a deep passion for His glory.
2. The Wasted Life
a. However, the heartbeat that sustains this reality could be called the wasted life. This is not
a strictly Biblical phrase, but refers to a very clear Biblical theme.
b. In short the wasted life can be said to refer to the wisdom of living in a way that looks like a
waste to the world, and at times to the majority of the Church, because of extravagant love for
Jesus.
c. Though broader than night and day prayer, the wasted life is at the core of it because it is the
set of heart values that serve as the foundation for a life of ministry to the Lord.
B. Significance
1. Perseverance
a. Without this understanding acting as the context for our pursuit of a life of ministry to the
Lord, it is extremely difficult to maintain with longevity.
b. In setting our course to be before the Lord for all our days, we must seriously reckon with the
question of how we persevere in a calling with almost no outward recognition or reward and
often with no visible fruit for decades.
2. Relevance
a. To go one step further, beyond merely being faithful personally in the calling, how is it
possible that such an existence is actually one of the highest expressions of wisdom in this
age?
b. It is one thing to be an intercessory missionary for three to five years, but what about thirty to
fifty years? These questions need to be answered for the sake of our own heart and so that we
can articulate it to others.
36
Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher.
She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity; 37 and
this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple,
but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. 38 And coming in that instant she
gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in
Jerusalem. Luke 2:37-39

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V. THEOLOGICAL BACKDROP
A. Worthiness of Jesus
11
Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the
elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, 12
saying with a loud voice: Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom,
and strength and honor and glory and blessing! 13 And every creature which is in heaven and on the
earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying:
Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever
and ever! 14 Then the four living creatures said, Amen! And the twenty-four elders fell down and
worshiped Him who lives forever and ever. Revelation 5:11-14
1. The Testimony of Heaven

One thing I have desired of the LORD, that will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the
LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in His temple.
Psalm 27:4
a. The testimony of heaven is that Christ is worthy of all glory, honor, and affection. This truth
concerning the One that sets the angels aflame stands at the center of night and day prayer
and all expressions of love for Him.
Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ
Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as
rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ Philippians 3:8
b. The beauty of His mercy and majesty begets love in our soul, and we are compelled to
abandon ourselves to radical selflessness in order that He might be adored incessantly.
c. We must find our strength and resolve outside of ourselves and within the consuming beauty
of Jesus Christ He is our portion and reward.
20
Then the LORD said to Aaron: You shall have no inheritance in their land, nor shall
you have any portion among them; I am your portion and your inheritance among the
children of Israel. Numbers 18:20
d. All that is lovely and comely originates in Him, the perfection and consummation of all
beauty. When His ineffable worth strikes us, no sacrifice seems unreasonable.
2. The Waste
a. Such vehement love appears to be a waste to others only because they cannot perceive His
beauty.
b. In stark contrast to the awe-struck angels and enraptured saints in the cloud of witnesses, on
the earth Christ is largely forgotten, mocked, ignored, and despised.
c. When He is revealed and all eyes see His splendor, the wisdom of devotion will be
vindicated. Yet now, in this age of waiting, to throw our lives into expressions of love that
cause us natural loss appear absurd on the surface.

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B. Wisdom
1. Hidden
1
If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting
at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you
died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is our life appears, then
you also will appear with Him in glory. Colossians 3:1-4
a. The meaning, significance, and reward of our life lie hidden in Christ, veiled from our
understanding in its fullness.
b. Just as we must behold Jesus by faith, our perception of the value of our own lives must be
discerned by faith, set within the hope of a future revealing.
c. In this brief present age God has allowed the true nature of life to remain in obscurity apart
from revelation. In other words, things are not as they seem.
2. The Great Reversal
27
But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has
chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; 28 and the
base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things
which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, 29 that no flesh should glory in His
presence. I Corinthians 1:27-29
a. Yet God has appointed a Day in which everything will be exposed for what it is, whether
righteous or evil, wisdom or folly.
b. Though we should tremble, our hope is actually in this great day of reckoning when every
decision, every word, and every movement of our heart is seen under the light of reality
instead of in dim obscurity.
c. For the most part we cannot see it or feel it, but Scripture reveals that the highest form of
wisdom is to honor Him in ways unrewarded now because it is those things that will be
rewarded openly in the resurrection.
d. Apart from this perspective, the pinnacle of wisdom would be to experience as much natural
pleasure and comfort as possible in the next fifty years of life. Yet from Gods vantage point
there is nothing that could be more foolish.
19
If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable30 And
why do we stand in jeopardy every hour? 31 I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in
Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. 32 If, in the manner of men, I have fought with beasts at
Ephesus, what advantage is it to me? If the dead do not rise, Let us eat and drink, for
tomorrow we die! I Corinthians 15:19, 30-32
18
Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him
become a fool that he may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with
God. For it is written, He catches the wise in their own craftinessI Cor 3:18-19
15
And He said to them, You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows
your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of
God. Luke 16:15

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16
Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the
inward man is being renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a
moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 18 while we do
not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things
which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. II Cor 4:16-18
C. A Life of Paradox
The result is the dramatic paradox that should characterize our lives as we pursue wholehearted love and
obedience. Though the New Testament is replete with this theme, it is not familiar in our day.
Blessed are you poor, For yours is the kingdom of God. 21 Blessed are you who hunger now, for you
shall be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. 22 Blessed are you when men hate
you, and when they exclude you, And revile you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Mans
sake. 23 Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven, for in like
manner their fathers did to the prophets. 24 But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your
consolation. 25 Woe to you who are full, For you shall hunger. Woe to you who laugh now, for you
shall mourn and weep. 26 Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the
false prophets. Luke 6:20-26
24
Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take
up his cross, and follow Me. 25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life
for My sake will find it. 26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own
soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man will come in the glory
of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works. Matthew 16:24-27
21
And He said to her, What do you wish? She said to Him, Grant that these two sons of mine may
sit, one on Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom.24 And when the ten heard it,
they were greatly displeased with the two brothers. 25 But Jesus called them to Himself and said, You
know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over
them. 26 Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be
your servant. 27 And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave 28 just as the Son of
Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many. Matt 20:21, 24-28
9
For I think that God has displayed us, the apostles, last, as men condemned to death; for we have
been made a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men. 10 We are fools for Christs sake, but
you are wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, but we are
dishonored! 11 To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and we are poorly clothed, and beaten,
and homeless. 12 And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted,
we endure; 13 being defamed, we entreat. We have been made as the filth of the world, the offscouring
of all things until now. I Corinthians 4:9-13
4
But in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God: in much patience, in tribulations, in
needs, in distresses, 5 in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in fastings; 6
by purity, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by sincere love, 7 by the word
of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, 8 by
honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report; as deceivers, and yet true; 9 as unknown, and yet
well known; as dying, and behold we live; as chastened, and yet not killed; 10 as sorrowful, yet always
rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things. II
Corinthians 6:4-10

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13
These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured
of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 14 For those
who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. 15 And truly if they had called to mind
that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But now they
desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He
has prepared a city for them 36 Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains
and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the
sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented 38 of
whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the
earth. 39 And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, 40
God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.
Hebrews 11:13-16, 36-40
VI. THE LIFE POURED OUT

The wasted life is expressed in two distinct but inseparable ways loving our unseen Beloved with the entirety of
our being and pouring ourselves out for those who cannot repay us.
A. Love For Those Who Cannot Repay
27
So he answered and said, You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your
soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself. 28 And He said
to him, You have answered rightly; do this and you will live. 29 But he, wanting to justify himself,
said to Jesus, And who is my neighbor? 30 Then Jesus answered and said: A certain man went
down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded
him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And
when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place,
came and looked, and passed by on the other side. 33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came
where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 So he went to him and bandaged his
wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took
care of him. 35 On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper,
and said to him, Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay
you. 36 So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves? 37 And
he said, He who showed mercy on him. Then Jesus said to him, Go and do likewise. Lk 10:27-37
27
But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who
curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.. 35 But love your enemies, do good, and lend,
hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High.
For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. 36 Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is
merciful. Luke 6:27-28, 35-36
43
You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. 44 But I say to
you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those
who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He
makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if
you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And
if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so?
48
Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect. Matthew 6:43-48
11
For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. 12 Then
He also said to him who invited Him, When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends,
your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid. 13

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But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. 14 And you will be blessed,
because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just. Luke 14:11-14
1. Caring for the Destitute
a. The primary expression of this realty in our lives is ministry to the outcast, the poor, and the
sick those who are marginalized by men but loved so deeply by God. Especially in our day
ministry often comes with honor from men, even when pursued with humility.
b. Yet when we embrace the compassion of Jesus and minister to the destitute there is no
reciprocation they cannot repay us in any way. This causes us to throw our reward into
Christ and realize that our reward is in another Day still to come.
c. This embodies the same value necessary for night and day ministry to the Lord and differs
only in the fact that it is expressed horizontally toward our fellow man rather than vertically
toward God.
2. Intercession
a. In a secondary way, and extremely relevant to continual ministry to the Lord, is the way
intercession expresses love for those who cannot repay us.
b. This is why incessant devotion is not merely an act of love for God but also a profound
expression of love for men. Intercession is a ministry which draws us into the servanthood of
Christ as hours are spent lifting our voices and shedding our tears for people in need of His
mercy, most of whom will never know our name or give a moment of thought to our
existence.
B. Love for an Unseen God
7
that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is
tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, 8 whom having
not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible
and full of glory, 9 receiving the end of your faiththe salvation of your souls. I Peter 1:7-9
1. Prayer In Secret
5
And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in
the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I
say to you, they have their reward. 6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you
have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees
in secret will reward you openly. Matthew 6:1-6
a. In other instances where Jesus teaches on prayer, He exhorts us to assume a posture of
expectant faith in His name in order to secure an answer to our supplication.
b. Yet here in this passage, set against the backdrop of eschatological reward, something else is
in view. Jesus points His audience toward the wisdom of secret communing prayer with the
Father.
c. Just as the Father dwells beyond our gaze in the secret place, He will surely notice the
devotion hidden from the eyes of men and reward it openly before all.
2. Adoring Worship
6
And when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, 7 a woman came to Him
having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at

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the table. 8 But when His disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, Why this waste? 9 For
this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor. 10 But when Jesus was
aware of it, He said to them, Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a good work
for Me. 11 For you have the poor with you always, but Me you do not have always. 12 For in
pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she did it for My burial. 13 Assuredly, I say to you,
wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be
told as a memorial to her. Matthew 26:6-13
a. Though of course at the time this occurred Jesus was physically seen by those surrounding
Him, His true worth was seen only by Mary of Bethany, and thus the significance of this
remarkable narrative translates to our context.
b. All present in the house of Simon the Leper, with the exception of Judas, had sincere faith in
Jesus. When Mary, however, poured out the costly gift upon Him because of her great love,
they were indignant and viewed it as a waste.
c. Despite their genuine affection for Christ, in their eyes He was not worthy of such a lavish
offering. It was perceived on that night as unnecessary, and thus a waste of resources.
d. Before them all Mary bore reproach that He might be adorned with the fragrance of her love.
By breaking the alabaster flask and pouring it upon Him she was in essence declaring that He
was now her only inheritance.
e. Jesus forever vindicates the wisdom of such extravagant devotion by coupling her offering
with the global preaching of the gospel. His validation was founded in the mystery that
broken human beings can actually minister to Him and move His heart.
C. Night & Day Prayer
1. The Waste
a. As we give ourselves to this occupation, there are no eyes watching our act of service and no
one to applaud our devotion.
b. It is in relative silence and hiddenness that we spend our strength in groaning and tears,
loving One we cannot see and pleading to Him on behalf of those we will never know and
who will never repay us.
c. As in the story of Jesus anointing, the Church looks upon the offering of love in night and
day worship and views it as a misuse of time, money, and resource.
d. The day will come when tens of thousands will be gathered to in cities throughout the earth,
and many will be indignant because all of those people could be sharing the gospel, feeding
the poor, or training other believers.
2. Wisdom
a. Yet as stated above, the testimony of heaven is that God is worthy of incessant adoration and
ceaseless praise. Night and day prayer is inevitable when the saints on the earth acquire a
living, consuming conviction of His immeasurable worth.
b. A watchmen is set on the wall when 24/7 worship stands alone as the only reasonable thing
to give themselves to in light of the beauty they have seen, regardless of the stigma and
misunderstanding they might face.
c. Prophetically the house of prayer was called the house of the watchful and the wise, and
like Mary of Bethany, Jesus thunders over the prayer movement saying leave her alone.

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Ceu Session 01 Introduction FNDWP

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INTERNATIONAL HOUSE OF PRAYER UNIVERSITY STEPHEN VENABLE

FOUNDATIONS OF NIGHT AND DAY WORSHIP AND PRAYER FALL 2010

Session 01: Introduction and Perspective

International House of Prayer University 2010

International House of Prayer University 2010

II. NIGHT & DAY WORSHIP AND PRAYER

International House of Prayer University 2010

(3) Why are so many people suddenly interested in it?

International House of Prayer University 2010

International House of Prayer University 2010

International House of Prayer University 2010

d. Therefore it is impossible to develop an accurate theology of worship (incessant or otherwise)

International House of Prayer University 2010

2. His Everlasting Kingdom

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International House of Prayer University 2010

International House of Prayer University 2010

(2) What did he see?

International House of Prayer University 2010

B. The Need for Clarity

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International House of Prayer University 2010

International House of Prayer University 2010

International House of Prayer University 2010

Session 02: A Revelation of Heaven

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International House of Prayer University 2010

International House of Prayer University 2010

C. Assimilation & its Significance

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International House of Prayer University 2010

a. Therefore, Origen safely and most confidently identifies heaven as it is referred to in

a. Although there is absolutely no justification for it exegetically, Origen arrives at the

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International House of Prayer University 2010

IV. THE CONSEQUENCES

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International House of Prayer University 2010

International House of Prayer University 2010

Session 03: Understanding Heaven

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International House of Prayer University 2010

International House of Prayer University 2010

International House of Prayer University 2010

International House of Prayer University 2010

International House of Prayer University 2010

III. BRINGING DEFINITION TO THE TRUTH OF HEAVEN

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International House of Prayer University 2010

International House of Prayer University 2010

International House of Prayer University 2010

IV. INTRODUCTION TO THE THIRD HEAVEN

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3. Everlasting Home of the Redeemed (or the place of eternal reward)

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International House of Prayer University 2010

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International House of Prayer University 2010

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International House of Prayer University 2010

Session 04: The Habitation of God

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