DIGGING DEEP NO. 1018 January 9, 2024 Builders and Watchmen – Part I Psalm 127:1 NKJV Laboring and Prospering with the Lord A Song of Ascents. Of Solomon.

¹ Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it;

Unless the Lord guards the city, The watchman stays awake in vain.

The Bible IS NOT a book ABOUT PRAYER, although it’s filled with prayers.

The Bible IS NOT a book ABOUT CHRISTIANITY, although it has Christianity within it.

The Bible IS NOT a book ABOUT SIN, although it addresses sin.

The Bible IS NOT a book ABOUT MONEY…

The Bible IS a book ABOUT A KING & HIS KINGDOM.

The GOSPEL is the REDEMPTION STORY of the KING’s Children BACK to HIS KINGDOM, through HIS son CHRIST JESUS by the testimony of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 6:33).

 

Desired Learning Objective:

1. What is a spiritual embassy and why are they necessary?
2. Who built and rebuilt the Temple of GOD in the Old Testament (OT) and NT?
3. What is required to maintain holiness in the NT Temple?

QUESTION #1: What is a spiritual embassy and why are they necessary?

Psalm 127:1 NKJV

¹ Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it;

1 Kings 6:1-14; 37–38 (NKJV)

Solomon Builds the Temple

6 And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the Lord. ² Now the house which King Solomon built for the Lord, its length was sixty cubits, its width twenty, and its height thirty cubits. ³ The vestibule in front of the sanctuary of the house was twenty cubits long across the width of the house, and the width of the vestibule extended ten cubits from the front of the house. ⁴ And he made for the house windows with beveled frames.

⁵ Against the wall of the temple he built chambers all around, against the walls of the temple, all around the sanctuary and the inner sanctuary. Thus he made side chambers all around it. ⁶ The lowest chamber was five cubits wide, the middle was six cubits wide, and the third was seven cubits wide; for he made narrow ledges around the outside of the temple, so that the support beams would not be fastened into the walls of the temple. ⁷ And the temple, when it was being built, was built with stone finished at the quarry, so that no hammer or chisel or any iron tool was heard in the temple while it was being built. ⁸ The doorway for the middle story was on the right side of the temple. They went up by stairs to the middle story, and from the middle to the third.

⁹ So he built the temple and finished it, and he paneled the temple with beams and boards of cedar. ¹⁰ And he built side chambers against the entire temple, each five cubits high; they were attached to the temple with cedar beams.

¹¹ Then the word of the Lord came to Solomon, saying: ¹² “Concerning this temple which you are building, if you walk in My statutes, execute My judgments, keep all My commandments, and walk in them, then I will perform My word with you, which I spoke to your father David. ¹³ And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake My people Israel.”

¹⁴ So Solomon built the temple and finished it.

…

³⁷ In the fourth year the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid, in the month of Ziv. ³⁸ And in the eleventh year, in the month of Bul, which is the eighth month, the house was finished in all its details and according to all its plans. So he was seven years in building it.

 

The specificity of the metrics for the LORD’s Temple leaves no room for ambiguity. When GOD builds, it is very CLEAR what is expected from the individual HE calls to build (remember the story of Noah?).

 

Any building, structure, or encasement that’s intended to house “spirits” will operate like an embassy.

 

In Genesis 2, GOD created the garden of Eden to “host” GOD’s laws, principles, and government in a foreign land (earth) so HE can visit at any time and commanded Adam to tend and keep* the garden. The Garden of Eden functioned as a spiritual embassy, allowing man to interact with GOD on Earth, as though HE were still in Heaven (remember the LORD’s prayer in Matthew 6*).

 

The Garden of Eden functioned as a spiritual embassy for the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth because the Earth has been given to men (Psalm 115:16). This means that we’re restricted to this Earth, and we’ve been given authority over the things of the Earth. However, through the Garden of Eden, we were able to commune with GOD on Earth. However, once Adam and Eve were banned from GOD’s embassy, because sin will NOT be tolerated in HIS Kingdom, man stumbled on another technology that brings GOD’s government to Earth; spiritual embassy and consulates better known as… altars, tabernacles, and temples.

 

Psalm 115:16 (NKJV)

¹⁶ The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s;

But the earth He has given to the children of men.

DISCUSSION: In your own words, what does a spiritual embassy mean to you?

1. GOD’s First Embassy

An embassy is the main diplomatic mission of one country in another country’s capital city. It represents the sending country’s government and serves as the highest level of diplomatic representation. Governed by an ambassador, embassies are responsible for maintaining political, economic, and cultural relations between the two nations. They handle diplomatic matters, issue visas and passports, and provide consular services (such as; providing assistance during emergencies, and helping with legal and administrative matters) to their citizens living or traveling in the host country.

 

Revelation 12:7–12 (ESV)

Satan Thrown Down to Earth

⁷ Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, ⁸ but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. ⁹ And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. ¹⁰ And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. ¹¹ And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. ¹² Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!”

 

Genesis 2:15 (NKJV)

¹⁵ Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.

 

Genesis 3:8 (NKJV)

⁸ And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

 

Genesis 3:20–24 (NKJV)

Paradise Lost: GOD’s Judgement

²⁰ And Adam called his wife’s name Eve because she was the mother of all living.

²¹ Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.

²² Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”—²³ therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. 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.

 

The Garden of Eden functioned as a spiritual embassy, a derivative of the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth, the laws and government of heaven functioned on earth as though they would in heaven. But because Eve was deceived and Adam rebelled, just as the fallen angels were deceived and Lucifer rebelled, they were all cast out of Heaven and GOD’s embassy (the Garden of Eden).

 

BIBLE LOGIC:

– GOD will judge you based on your obedience, not your understanding

– It is in obedience that you derive spiritual understanding

However, the concept of a spiritual embassy on earth was not lost forever, Noah discovered the spiritual technology of making sacrifices on altars to compel the government of Heaven on earth. Several priests and prophets replicated this divine technology following Noah’s pattern.

 

Genesis 28:10–22 (ESV)

Jacob’s Dream

¹⁰ Jacob left Beersheba and went toward Haran. ¹¹ And he came to a certain place and stayed there that night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep. ¹² And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! ¹³ And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. ¹⁴ Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. ¹⁵ Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” ¹⁶ Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” ¹⁷ And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”

¹⁸ So early in the morning Jacob took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. ¹⁹ He called the name of that place Bethel (Hebrew: בֵּית אֵל means “the House of God”), but the name of the city was Luz (Hebrew: לוז means “almond tree” or “almond wood”), at the first. ²⁰ Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, ²¹ so that I come again to my father’s house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God, ²² and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God’s house. And of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you.”

 

Then JESUS came and taught us directly the wisdom behind accessing Heaven, and authorizing the government of GOD’s Kingdom on earth when HE said:

 

Matthew 16:19 (NKJV)

¹⁹ And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

 

Matthew 18:18–19 (NKJV)

¹⁸ “Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

¹⁹ “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.

 

ANSWER #1: According to scripture, a prayer altar functions like a spiritual embassy. A citizen of the sending nation will function as an ambassador (priest/disciple), representing the sending country’s government and serving as the highest level of diplomatic representation. The prayer altar executes similar duties as physical embassies in that they are responsible for maintaining pomeansical, economic, and cultural relations between the two nations. And although the ambassador (priest/disciple) is IN the host nation, the ambassador is NOT OF the host nation.

2. BUILDING a NEW Embassy

QUESTION #2: Who built and rebuilt the Temple of GOD in the Old Testament (OT) and NT?

 

In regards to temples, because King David’s hands were unclean from wars and bloodshed; King Solomon (derived from the Hebrew word ‘Shalem’ שָׁלוֹם, means. ‘peace‘), David’s son with Bathsheba, was appointed to build the temple. The temple was directed by GOD to be built by Solomon. Building a temple for GOD is not something that just anyone can undertake. It must be done at the commission of God.

 

1 Chronicles 22:7–10 (NKJV)

⁷ And David said to Solomon: “My son, as for me, it was in my mind to build a house to the name of the Lord my God; ⁸ but the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘You have shed much blood and have made great wars; you shall not build a house for My name, because you have shed much blood on the earth in My sight. ⁹ Behold, a son shall be born to you, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies all around. His name shall be Solomon, for I will give peace and quietness to Israel in his days. ¹⁰ He shall build a house for My name, and he shall be My son, and I will be his Father, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.’

 

As such, King Solomon (“King of Peace”) was to build in Jerusalem‎ (Hebrew: יְרוּשָׁלַיִם means “City of GOD” or “City of Peace”) the capital* city of Israel. This took seven** years to complete.

 

DISCUSSION: What do you perceive by King Solomon building the Temple of GOD in Jerusalem?

 

The temple was destroyed, and then Zerubbabel, at the decree of King Cyrus, was commissioned to rebuild the temple. Zerubbabel (Hebrew: זְרוּעַ בָּבֶל means “the one sown of Babylon”, in Assyrian-Babylonian means “Seed of Babylon”).

 

John 2:19-21 NJKV
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. 

 

2024 PROPHESY: Zerubbabel Will REBUILD the LORD’s Temple.

 

This temple will operate as a consulate of GOD; with the capital city being the Heavenly city of Zion (Hebrew: זְציון means “highest point”). Many will be developed and dispersed to many foreign lands. The faithful church’s sitting capacity will decrease whilst her sending capacity will increase.

 

It took Zerubbabel 46 years to rebuild the temple of GOD (John 2:20) but starting in mid-2024; what took JESUS three days to rebuild will take us, HIS covenanted disciples through sacrifice, three years to rebuild the LORD’s Temple (Psalm 50:5). This apostolic building project will take us from 2024 to 2027 for the new buildings will capture the true worship, sacrifice, altars, and Temple of GOD in Babylon.

 

WARNING: If you are a disciple and minister in the Kingdom of GOD and you decide to build ANYTHING apart from the Temple of GOD; GOD will destroy “it” and destroy you! A true builder follows plans to ensure their final goal is actualized. If we follow your teachings throughout the year (building blocks) from January to December and we cannot see/perceive the building (temple) of what you’re building; you’re in ERROR!

 

CHRIST Begins Building the New Temple; Matthew 16:13–20

 

 

Jesus takes the disciples aside, as he has done before*. They go to Caesarea Philippi, about 25 miles north of Capernaum and barely inside Israel’s borders. Philip the tetrarch* son of the King Herod, (power is divided in four between his sister Salome I and his sons Herod Archelaus, Herod Antipas, and Philip) was the city’s assigned ruler (governor), reporting only directly to emperor Caesar Augustus. At this time, Philip the tetrarch began several civil engineering and building projects throughout Caesarea including erecting idol statues. Philip adorned the town and renamed it Caesarea Philippi to honor himself and to distinguish the foundation from his father’s similarly named port of Caesarea.

 

  

 

The city became the capital of the Roman province of Judaea in 6 CE. The population and ethos here were largely Gentile — “Caesarea” manifested the city’s dedication to emperor Caesar Augustus, and the worship of Pan* — a Greco-Roman fertility deity, often depicted as a half-man, half-goat figure, with goat horns on his head and goat legs — was common in the region (remember Disney’s Peter Pan and Hercules?).

The NT importance of Caesarea Philippi is that, in its environs, Christ gave His last teaching to the apostles (Matt 16:13-20).

Matthew 16:13–20 (NKJV)

Revelation of the Person of the King

¹³ When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?”

¹⁴ So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

¹⁵ He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”

¹⁶ Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

¹⁷ Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon (Hebrew: שִׁמְעוֹן means “reed/wavering”) Bar-Jonah (Hebrew: בר-יונה means “son of wine-bibber/alcoholic”), for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.

Revelation of the Church

¹⁸ And I also say to you that you are Peter πέτρος (Greek: petros means “rock/stone”) and on this rock πέτρα (Greek: petra means “rock/stone”), I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. ¹⁹ And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

²⁰ Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.

Mind you, in Greek, there are two words for “rock”; petros and petra. Petros (Peter) is the masculine form of “rock” and it’s the small pebble type of rock. Whereas, Petra (Church) is the feminine form of “rock” and it’s the boulder/mountain. Petros is birth, derived from, and cut-out of petra.

The Tomb of Jesus

Jesus did not say to Peter, “You are “rock” and on this “rock” I will build my church.” Jesus said, “You are Petros (Peter), and upon this petra (mountain), I will build my church*.”

ANSWER #2: According to scripture, King Solomon (“King of Peace”) built the Temple of GOD and Zerubbabel (“the one sown of Babylon) rebuilt the Temple of GOD in the OT. This was a prophetic sign of what was to come, pointing to the new covenant where JESUS (“Prince of Peace”) built the NEW Temple of GOD in the NT and we, the disciples who have made a covenant with JEHOVAH in sacrifice will rebuild the Temple of GOD in the NT. 

3. MAINTAINING Holiness in the NT Temple
   QUESTION #3:What is required to maintain holiness in the NT Temple?

Exodus 25:1-9 NKJV

Offerings for the Sanctuary

25 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ² “Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring Me an ^[a]offering. From everyone who gives it willingly with his heart you shall take My offering. ³ And this is the offering which you shall take from them: gold, silver, and bronze; ⁴ blue, purple, and scarlet thread, fine linen, and goats’ hair; ⁵ ram skins dyed red, ^[b]badger skins, and acacia wood; ⁶ oil for the light, and spices for the anointing oil and for the sweet incense; ⁷ onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod and in the breastplate. ⁸ And let them make Me a sanctuary,^[c] that I may dwell among them. ⁹ According to all that I show you, that is, the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings, just so you shall make it.

1 Corinthians 3:16-17 (NKJV)
¹⁶ Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? ¹⁷ If anyone ^[b]defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.

In the order of appearances, sacrifices and offerings came first, then altars, eventually tabernacles, and finally temples.

God required animal sacrifices to provide a temporary covering of sins and to foreshadow the perfect and complete sacrifice of Jesus Christ (Leviticus 4:35, 5:10). Animal sacrifice is an important theme found throughout Scripture because “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (Hebrews 9:22).

Hebrews 9:22 (NKJV)

²² And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.

When Adam and Eve sinned, animals were killed by God to provide clothing for them.

Genesis 3:21 (NKJV)

²¹ Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.

After the flood receded, Noah sacrificed animals to God.

Genesis 8:20-21 (NKJV)

God’s Covenant with Creation

²⁰ Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. ²¹ And the Lord smelled a soothing aroma. Then the Lord said in His heart, “I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination[a] of man’s heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done.

God commanded the nation of Israel to perform numerous sacrifices according to certain procedures prescribed by God. There are several sacrifices made daily such as: the Burnt Offering (Leviticus 1:4-5), Fellowship or Peace Offering (Leviticus 4:6-7), Guilt Offering (Leviticus 6:1-7), and Principle of Substitution (Romans 3:25). In all cases of offering sacrifices; three commonalities remained throughout.

 

First, the animal had to be spotless.

Second, the person offering the sacrifice had to identify with the animal.

Third, the person offering the animal had to inflict death upon it.

 

When done in faith, this sacrifice provided a temporary covering of sins. Another sacrifice called for on the Day of Atonement, described in Leviticus 16, demonstrates forgiveness and the removal of sin. The high priest was to take two male goats for a sin offering. One of the goats was sacrificed as a sin offering for the people of Israel (Leviticus 16:15),

Leviticus 16:15 (NKJV)

¹⁵ “Then he shall kill the goat of the sin offering, which is for the people, bring its blood inside the veil, do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bull, and sprinkle it on the mercy seat and before the mercy seat.

While the other goat was released into the wilderness (Leviticus 16:20-22). The sin offering provided forgiveness, while the other goat provided the removal of sin.

Leviticus 16:20–22 (NKJV)

²⁰ “And when he has made an end of atoning for the Holy Place, the tabernacle of meeting, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat. ²¹ Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, confess over it all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions, concerning all their sins, putting them on the head of the goat, and shall send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a suitable man. ²² The goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to an uninhabited land, and he shall release the goat in the wilderness.

This is where we get the term “scapegoat”, it’s an abbreviation of the word “escape” and it’s a reference to the sin offering.

Romans 12:1–2 (NKJV)

Living Sacrifices to God

12 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. ² And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

 

ANSWER #3: According to scripture, to maintain a lifestyle of holiness in the NT Temple (our bodies). First we must offer ourselves as sacrifices… sacrifices that are spotless, secondly, we must offer ourselves only after we can identify with Christ, particularly in both suffering and obedience, and lastly, we must inflict death on our bodies… actively dying to our fleshy desires, daily, and wasting our lives on the desires of GOD and not our own. 

Luke 22:42–43 (NKJV)

⁴² [JESUS] saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done.” ⁴³ Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him.

2 Corinthians 5:20–21 (NKJV)

Be Reconciled to God

²⁰ Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. ²¹ For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

REVIEW Desired Learning Objective:

1. What is a spiritual embassy and why are they necessary?
2. Who built and rebuilt the Temple of GOD in the Old Testament (OT) and NT?
3. What is required to maintain holiness in the NT Temple?

QUESTIONS?