In His Temple
129
“In three days I will raise it up.” In the Saviour’s death the powers
of darkness seemed to prevail, and they exulted in their victory. But
from the rent sepulcher of Joseph, Jesus came forth a conqueror. “Hav-
ing spoiled principalities and powers, He made a show of them openly,
triumphing over them.”
Colossians 2:15
. By virtue of His death and
resurrection He became the minister of the “true tabernacle, which
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the Lord pitched, and not man.”
Hebrews 8:2
. Men reared the Jewish
tabernacle; men builded the Jewish temple; but the sanctuary above, of
which the earthly was a type, was built by no human architect. “Behold
the Man whose name is The Branch; ... He shall build the temple of
the Lord; and He shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon His
throne; and He shall be a priest upon His throne.”
Zechariah 6:12, 13
.
The sacrificial service that had pointed to Christ passed away;
but the eyes of men were turned to the true sacrifice for the sins of
the world. The earthly priesthood ceased; but we look to Jesus, the
minister of the new covenant, and “to the blood of sprinkling, that
speaketh better things than that of Abel.” “The way into the holiest of
all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet
standing: ... but Christ being come an high priest of good things to
come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands,
... by His own blood He entered in once into the holy place, having
obtained eternal redemption for us.”
Hebrews 12:24
;
9:8-12
.
“Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that
come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession
for them.”
Hebrews 7:25
. Though the ministration was to be removed
from the earthly to the heavenly temple; though the sanctuary and our
great high priest would be invisible to human sight, yet the disciples
were to suffer no loss thereby. They would realize no break in their
communion, and no diminution of power because of the Saviour’s
absence. While Jesus ministers in the sanctuary above, He is still by
His Spirit the minister of the church on earth. He is withdrawn from
the eye of sense, but His parting promise is fulfilled, “Lo, I am with
you alway, even unto the end of the world.”
Matthew 28:20
. While He
delegates His power to inferior ministers, His energizing presence is
still with His church.
“Seeing then that we have a great high priest, ... Jesus, the Son of
God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest
which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was