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Doors of the temple


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Guest shiloh357

 

Hi, i would really appreciate comments on this, maybe there is someone out there with historical knowledge who can shed some light on this.

 

I have been doing a bit of a bible study on doors mentioned in the bible (both physical and symbolic) and one which really interests me is the doors of the temple.  I use to think the descriptions of the tent of meeting and the temples were a bit of a dry subject, but now I have come to view them in a different way.

 

1 Kings 6 v 31

For the entrance to the inner sanctuary he made doors of olivewood; the lintel and the doorposts were five- sided. He covered the two doors of olivewood with carvings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers. He overlaid them with gold and spread gold on the cherubim and on the palm trees.
 So also he made for the entrance to the nave doorposts of olivewood, in the form of a square, and two doors of cypress wood. The two leaves of the one door were folding, and the two leaves of the other door were folding. On them he carved cherubim and palm trees and open flowers, and he overlaid them with gold evenly applied on the carved work.
 
I have been wondering what the significance was to the decorations on the doors, maybe this is way off but so far I have found the following possible links.  (i don't mind if you tell me I have got this completely wrong).
 
Isaiah 35 v 1 mentions about how the wilderness will rejoice and blossom, like the crocus it will burst into bloom, it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.
 
i Kings 7 v 19,22,26 refers to lilles in the temple furnishings.
 
Song of Songs 2 v 11 refers to for behold, the winter is past;
 the rain is over and gone.
 The flowers appear on the earth,
the time of singing has come,
and the voice of the turtledove
is heard in our land
 
I was wondering if the symbolism on the doors referred to peace, the spiritual winter being over in the sense that God dwelt with his people with the temple being symbolic of this.  This later being fulfilled in Jesus in the NT who was the ultimate door.
 
Any thoughts from anyone?

 

All of the imagery of the temple goes back to the Garden of Eden.  The flowers, trees the cherubim is all Edinic imagery.  The rabbis used to call the temple, "Eden in stone."  

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find a Greek Orthodox Church. ask this question, they will have an answer for you to consider

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Remember to keep in mind the ultimate goal for having a temple. The goal is to symbolically represent fallen mankind preparing to enter the presence of God by ritual sacrifice, washings, anointings, clothing, and gaining heavenly instruction as the person symbolically travels from a fallen state to a state of perfection in the presence of God. So, any decorations, designs, and symbols on the temple are geared to reinforce in the mind of the person of the path they are taking. As you enter the outer court, you would have offered a sacrifice in the similitude of the Only Begotten Son of God. You were still outside of the temple proper, you were presented before the priest where he made the sacrifice for you, sprinkled the blood on the altar, and then escorted to the laver, or washing basin. You would then receiving a washing of water and anointing of oil, been clothed and prepared to enter into the actual building, or the holy place. There you would have walked through those doors, leaving the world behind and would be remind of the peace and holiness that you were going into. I think your interpretation of the doors is perfect. Your mind would have been turned to heavenly things as you left the profane world behind. You would have been instructed inside of the ways of God, and then presented before the veil to gain entrance into the holy of holies, or the presence of the Lord. This would signify, symbolically, the journey we all take from our fallen state to a state of being able to be in God's presence and have eternal life.

 

Unfortunately, the children of Israel were a disobedient and rebellious people. When the temple instructions were given to Moses on Mount Sinai, each and every Israelite would have gone through this process when they appeared at the temple. But when Moses came down from the mountain and found them in their gross sin of sexual fornication and idolatry, the Lord altered the temple ceremony. Only the tribe of Levi would have any temple priesthood to perform the ceremony and only the High Priest would be allowed to take that journey all the way through to the holy of holies, or presence of God. The High Priest acted as a proxy for the individuals, who were not yet ready to do it for themselves.

 

So yes, all of it is symbolic of this journey. There would be items reminding you of the Garden of Eden, of the fall of Adam and Eve, of Lucifer's plan to ruin us, of the redemption made through Christ, etc.  These symbols were all around.

Edited by Ozzy
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I have never really thought about the temple as being on a journey, but yes i suppose it was, a journey of going deeper and deeper into his presence.

 

Oh now you have got me thinking about Exe 47 the chapter about the river from the temple.

 

 

I had an astonishing dream about this a few years ago which I touched on a bit in my previous post about the passover.

I had a dream in which I was standing in a circle with a group of christian friends praying.  

We were standing on a mud surface, not sinking into it, just stood on top of it and while we were praying, an unknown person with a rod or long pole started walking among us and made holes in the mud using the rod.

 

Out of the holes blood came bubbling up but it did not feel unclean or scary and at first it was ankle deep, but it got higher and fish wear swimming in it.

 

Then I sort of started to have a dream within the dream, in which i was telling everyone that this blood covers us and God sees it when he looks down on us and we carry it with us wherever we go.  

 

I suppose the question to ask is how deep are we (including me) willing to go.

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The blood applied to the doorposts and lintel was symbolic of covenant.  Those who ate the Passover within a house so annointed were entering into a "blood covenant".

Books which might interest you:  "The Threshld Covenant" and "The Blood Covenant" by H. Clay Trumbull

 

Heaven itself is "the true Tabernacle" according to the writer of Hebrews (Heb. 9:24).  I do not believe that Heaven is divided into two compartments.  I believe the Tabernacle with it's priesthood and the process by which sin was "moved" from the sinner, to the animal, to the priest, to the Tabernacle, was a representation for us of the process by which God deals with sin. 

 

Consider the outer veil of the Tabernacle.  The outer veil of Herod's Temple was 80 feet high, and 3 inches thick.  On the veil was depicted beautiful pictures representing the heavens and the earth.  At the moment when Jesus died, an unseen "hand" tore the veil from top to bottom.  From the Mount of Olives (the most probable spot for the crucifixion) the Roman centurion and others could see across and down into the Temple court.  He saw the Temple Veil rent.  In that culture it was the custom for a father to rend his robe upon hearing of the death of a son.  When the Roman centurion saw the veil rent, he uttered the words, "Truly this was the Son of God."  His Father rent His robe. 

 

Every detail has great significence.  There was a custom in the Ancient Middle East called a "meal covenant".  When you ate a meal with someone, especially if you shared salt, you were considered to have entered into a covenant with the other person, and would then do that person no  harm.  Consider the sacrifice:  Each sacrifice was offered with a grain offering, and a drink offering and salt.  Every sacrifice was "salted with salt".   This symbolized those who ancient Israelites, a "meal covenant" and a "salt covenant". 

 

In Revelation Jesus says, "Behold I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears my voice and  opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him."  (Rev. 3:20). 

 

Blessings,

Rachel

Edited by 8thdaypriest
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