Matthew 21:12-14, “And Jesus went into the temple of God and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and over threw the table of the money changer, and the seats of them that sold doves, And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but you have made it a den of thieves. And the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple; and He healed them.”

Have you ever stopped to think what these money changers were doing in the temple? The selling of the sacrificial animals was not new; it happened in the Old Testament, also. The people forgot the true meaning of the sacrificial system.  They brought in animals for people to buy for their sacrifice. In the times past a lamb, of your own flock, that was without blemish was used as a sacrifice. Once the lamb was chosen, it was kept and nurtured before being used as a sacrifice. This sacrifice was a foreshadow of the Messiah to come. These people that were in the marketplace were making money selling the animals to those who were coming to the temple for atonement. Jesus was upset and for good reason.

Have you ever really thought about the sacrificial system that was put in place so long ago? I am thankful that Jesus has come and saved us through His sacrifice, which did away with the animal sacrifices. Colossians 2:13-14 reads, “And you being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath He quickened (made alive) together with Him, having forgiven all trespass: Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way nailing it to His cross” (see Deuteronomy 31:26 for the ordinances that were against the people). And remember the Ten Commandments are in the Ark of the Covenant under the mercy seat of Jesus.

The whole temple service was about Jesus and He has promised to be with us always (see Matthew 28:20)

The Priest: Hebrews 9:11-15, “But Christ being come an High Priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood He entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ, Who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this cause He is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.”

The Altar: 1 Peter 1:19-21 “But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in the last times for you, Who by Him do believe in God, and raised Him up from the dead, and gave Him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.”  Revelation 5: 6, “And I beheld, and , lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beast, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.” And then there is this warning in Revelation 13:8, “And all that dwell on the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”

The Laver (cleansing): 1 John 1:7, “But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin” and this one from Revelation 1:5, “And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood,”  

The golden candlestick: John 8:12, “Then spake Jesus again unto them, Saying I am the Light of the world, he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” and Luke 2:32 speaks about baby Jesus, “A Light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people.”

The table of shew bread:  John 6:35-48, “And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to Me shall never hunger; and He that believeth on Me shall never thirst. But I said unto you, That ye also have seen Me , and believe not. All that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me, and him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do Mine own will, but the will of Him that sent Me. And this is the Father’s will which hath sent Me, that all which He hath given Me I should loses nothing, but should raise it up again in the last day. And this is the will of Him that sent Me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day. And the Jews then murmured at Him because He said, I am the bread which came down from heaven. And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that He saith, I came down from heaven? Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves. No man can come to Me, except the Father which hath sent Me draw him: and I will raise him up in the last day. It is written in the prophets, And they shall be taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto Me. Not that any man hath seen the Father save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father. Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on Me hath everlasting life. I am that Bread of Life…” and verse 50 states, “This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof and not die.”

Altar of Incense (Prayers) – John 14: 6, Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me” and Revelation 8:3-4, “And another Angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense which came with the prayer of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand.”

The Most Holy: it has the Ark of the Covenant, which has the Ten Commandments inside. The mercy seat is Jesus.  John 14: 15-17 Jesus says, “If you love Me keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever; Even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him: but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.”  And from the Ten Commandments, Deuteronomy 5: 8-9, “Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God , visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me, And shewing mercy unto thousands of the that love Me and keep My commandments.” So going back to the beginning of this post regarding the money changers and sellers, they forgot that the services all pointed to the Messiah and they did not recognize Him when He was in their midst. “He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not. He came to His own, and His own received Him not” (John 1:10-11).

They had become so worldly that they failed to recognize Him (see 1 John 4:4-6). Do we sometimes do the same? Do we get so caught up in this world that we do not recognized Jesus when He is right there knocking at the door to let Him enter and abide with us (see Revelation 3:20)?