SOLOMON'S TEMPLE
A TYPE OF THE LORD'S CHURCH IN THE MILLENNIUM

Introduction: The following treatise is based upon the development of the same premise as the previous writing about the Tabernacle. Briefly stated it is this; There are FOUR buildings or houses for which God either gave the pattern or built himself. These four are each, in its day referred to as the dwelling place of God. The first two, the Tabernacle and the Temple are material or physical buildings and the third, the Lord's Church is a spiritual house. The fourth is the Holy City, the New Jerusalem and is Spiritual, made material. The first two prefigured the third and the third is to endure forever. Eph 3:21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

The reader will no doubt notice that in writing about the Temple of Solomon, I do not refer to the vision of Ezekiel for descriptions or dimensions. The reason for this is, I do not accept the assumption, which seems to be common, that God was showing Ezekiel the Temple as it had once been. There are too many obvious differences. Even the standard of measurement is different. That used by Solomon was the standard Cubit while Ezekiel's vision used the 'King's Cubit' which was a span or nine inches longer. In addition to the many differences there is also a river of water flowing from under that seen by Ezekiel.

The Temple in Ezekiel's vision seems to be connected with the final regathering of Israel and Coming of the King into His reign. It is a literal temple, which is yet to be built. Perhaps it can be used as the subject for a later essay.

CHAPTER ONE

THE MOUNTAIN AND THE MEN

The Tabernacle had served the Lord and His people well during the wilderness wanderings. When the people were settled in their land, King David gave thought to the House of God. he called Nathan, the prophet and said to him, 2 Sam 7:2 That the king said unto Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in an house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains.

The intentions were good, but the timing was off. Their enemies were still besetting them in spite of the many great battles won by David's army. Before a permanent house, a temple, could be built, a king of peace and glory must be upon the throne. 1 Ki 5:3 Thou knowest how that David my father could not build an house unto the name of the LORD his God for the wars which were about him on every side, until the LORD put them under the soles of his feet.
1 Ki 5:4 But now the LORD my God hath given me rest on every side, so that there is neither adversary nor evil occurrent.
1 Ki 5:5 And, behold, I purpose to build an house unto the name of the LORD my God, as the LORD spake unto David my father, saying, Thy son, whom I will set upon thy throne in thy room, he shall build an house unto my name.
1 Chr 22:8 But the word of the LORD came to me, saying, Thou hast shed blood abundantly, and hast made great wars: thou shalt not build an house unto my name, because thou hast shed much blood upon the earth in my sight.
1 Chr 22:9 Behold, a son shall be born to thee, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies round about: for his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quietness unto Israel in his days.
1 Chr 22:10 He shall build an 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 for ever.
1 Chr 28:2 Then David the king stood up upon his feet, and said, Hear me, my brethren, and my people: As for me, I had in mine heart to build an house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and for the footstool of our God, and had made ready for the building:
1 Chr 28:3 But God said unto me, Thou shalt not build an house for my name, because thou hast been a man of war, and hast shed blood.

In the lineage of the promised seed, many prefigured Christ in some way. Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph and Moses were each types of Christ in some of their characteristics. King David, in his strength, pictured the mighty power of Christ to subdue His enemies. There is coming a time when the enemies will have been put down and Israel rests safely in her land and Christ and His Bride will reign. The swords will be beaten into plowshares and the spears into pruning hooks and the people will learn war no more. That portion of the reign of Solomon that was pleasing to the Lord foreshadowed this time.

While David yet reigned, he received the pattern for the Temple and began to prepare the material from which his son was to build the House of God. 1 Chr 22:1 Then David said, This is the house of the LORD God, and this is the altar of the burnt offering for Israel.
1 Chr 22:2 And David commanded to gather together the strangers that were in the land of Israel; and he set masons to hew wrought stones to build the house of God.
1 Chr 22:3 And David prepared iron in abundance for the nails for the doors of the gates, and for the joinings; and brass in abundance without weight;
1 Chr 22:4 Also cedar trees in abundance: for the Zidonians and they of Tyre brought much cedar wood to David.
1 Chr 22:5 And David said, Solomon my son is young and tender, and the house that is to be builded for the LORD must be exceeding magnifical, of fame and of glory throughout all countries: I will therefore now make preparation for it. So David prepared abundantly before his death. This Temple was a wonderful type of the Lord's Church during the millennial reign.

We live in a time of fighting and of preparation. For the fighting, we have the following instructions; 2 Tim 2:3 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
2 Tim 2:4 No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.
Eph 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Eph 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Eph 6:13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Eph 6:14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
Eph 6:15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
Eph 6:16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
Eph 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
Eph 6:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

Concerning the preparation for the 'MAGNIFICAL TEMPLE' which the Lord's churches shall become in that time, when the king of peace shall reign, we have scriptures such as
Eph 2:21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
Eph 2:22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

A great and glorious truth concerning the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ now comes into view: As the tabernacle in the wilderness was the dwelling place of God; So too, the Churches of today are the houses of God and the pillars and ground of the truth. It is in them that God has chosen to receive worship, service and to be glorified. Eph 3:21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. Yet the glory of the Lord's churches will be even greater during the millennial reign. It will NOT be a new or different church; it will be the same that is being prepared now. It will be shown to the world in a way that ALL NATIONS will marvel at it and honor the Lord through it. The Temple shows forth this type in a glorious way. Before the dedication of the Temple, it was just a large expensive building. There had been larger structures built for false gods. Then came the day when Solomon caused the tabernacle and its furnishings to be brought into it and the Ark of the Covenant to be set in His place. At that point the glory of the Lord filled the house as it had the tabernacle! It was no longer just a building, it was God's House. God has decreed that He will receive glory in the church throughout ALL AGES (Eph 3:21) and so He shall! It shall not be another institution or another building in which He shall dwell then. It shall be the spiritual building that the Lord is now building, and has been through the centuries of this dispensation. It has moved from country to country even as the tabernacle moved from place to place in the wanderings of Israel. It will be a glorified Church, but it will be the SAME ONE with every identifying characteristic intact.

If we can but get a small glimpse of the glory of the Church as it shall be then , perhaps we will have more incentive to serve Him faithfully in the same Church today.

There is a fascinating statement made in 1 Chr 29:22 And did eat and drink before the LORD on that day with great gladness. And they made Solomon the son of David king the second time,. David had grown old and was confined to his bed because of his weakness. His son, Adonijah, who had been born to him by Hagith, took it upon himself to proclaim himself to be king. Nathan the prophet, Zadok the high priest and Bathsheba, the mother of Solomon took steps to head off this usurping of the throne. They reminded David of his earlier commitment to make Solomon his successor. Upon being made aware of what was happening, David instructed Zadok to anoint Solomon as king. He ordered that Solomon should be made to ride through the city on David's own mule. He ordered the trumpets to sound and the people to shout, "God save King Solomon!" Yet Solomon did not sit upon the throne and begin to rule Israel then, for David's reign was not yet finished.

Christ, too, rode through the streets of Jerusalem on a mount that identified Him as the king who was to come. Zec 9:9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.
The people shouted and threw palm leaves before Him. Even Pilate recognized the legitimacy of His kingship. He had it written as the superscription to be placed over Him at His crucifixion, and refused to change it when the chief priests asked him to . John 19:19 And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS.
John 19:20 This title then read many of the Jews: for the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city: and it was written in Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin.
John 19:21 Then said the chief priests of the Jews to Pilate, Write not, The King of the Jews; but that he said, I am King of the Jews.
John 19:22 Pilate answered, What I have written I have written.
They even crowned Him, though in mockery, and placed a robe around His shoulders. Yet He could not begin His reign then, for there were more battles to be won. This King in the lineage of David must finally lay down His sword and His valiant men must perform their final feat of valor. Then shall the King of Peace and Glory begin to reign. Psa 24:7 Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.
Psa 24:8 Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.
Psa 24:9 Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.
Psa 24:10 Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah.

While it took both David and Solomon to picture Christ as king, He alone is the one who fights and wins today's battles and it is He who shall someday enter Jerusalem as the King of Glory. He, who was led out in disgrace and ignominy to be crucified, will someday return in great victory after winning single-handedly, the greatest warfare the world will ever see: the Battle of Armageddon. With the host of heaven, he shall enter the eastern or the 'Golden Gate' which is now closed and reserved for the glorious coming of the King of Glory!
Ezek 43:1 Afterward he brought me to the gate, even the gate that looketh toward the east:
Ezek 43:2 And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory.
Ezek 43:3 And it was according to the appearance of the vision which I saw, even according to the vision that I saw when I came to destroy the city: and the visions were like the vision that I saw by the river Chebar; and I fell upon my face.
Ezek 43:4 And the glory of the LORD came into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east.
Ezek 44:1 Then he brought me back the way of the gate of the outward sanctuary which looketh toward the east; and it was shut.
Ezek 44:1 Then he brought me back the way of the gate of the outward sanctuary which looketh toward the east; and it was shut.
Ezek 44:2 Then said the LORD unto me; This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter in by it; because the LORD, the God of Israel, hath entered in by it, therefore it shall be shut. Ezek 44:3 It is for the prince; the prince, he shall sit in it to eat bread before the LORD; he shall enter by the way of the porch of that gate, and shall go out by the way of the same.

When Christ returns with all His saints after winning the Battle of Armageddon, His feet shall stand upon the Mount of Olives. It will split to the North and to the South and Christ, the victorious King, shall ride into Jerusalem on His white horse. He will enter through that same Eastern Gate which is now closed.

The nation over which Solomon reigned was founded by the decree of God as He called Abraham out of Ur. The land is that which the Lord had promised to give to Abraham and to his seed after him. The spot upon which Solomon was to build a temple, and on which sacrifices were to be accepted, is the same spot chosen many years earlier by God Himself; It is Mount Moriah. To Abraham, God had said Gen 22:2 And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.

This is a great lesson on a most important point concerning faith and obedience, yet many still miss it. There were many mountains in the vicinity. Some were higher and more imposing than the one chosen. Some were certainly more convenient. Yet God had specified that it was to be a mountain of His choosing, not Abraham's. Though Abraham might have acted with the greatest sincerity, had he chosen any other spot, the end would no doubt have been tragedy, rather than victory. It was upon THIS mountain that God had prepared a ram. It was caught in a thicket by its horns and was the substitute offering. Here, the angel waited to stay the hand of Abraham as he raised the knife to slay his son! How sad it is that some will say today, "I'll serve God MY way" or, "I'll serve on my own terms and 'because I'm so sincere, God will surely accept it." The scripture declares emphatically that this course is deadly when applied to the salvation of the soul; Prov 16:25 There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. and it leads to a loss of rewards and blessings when applied to service;
2 Tim 2:5 And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully. When the Lord specified the New Testament Church as the place in which he would receive glory (Eph 3:21 again) He ruled out any other place as acceptable.

On the occasion of David's sin of numbering the people, God caused destruction to come upon Israel as David's punishment. When the time came for the hand of the Lord to be stayed, David was directed to this spot to meet the angel of the Lord. God instructed him to build an altar here and offer a sacrifice. In order to carry out God's orders David purchased the threshing floor of Ornan with the wooden threshing instruments and oxen. Upon this site and no other, Solomon was to build the Temple.2 Chr 3:1 Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD at Jerusalem in mount Moriah, where the Lord appeared unto David his father, in the place that David had prepared in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.

Mount Moriah is one of three mountains associated with Jerusalem. To the west across the old Tyropoeon Valley is Zion and to the east across the valley of the Kidron is the Mount of Olives. Of the three, the Mount of Olives is the highest. A person approaching Jerusalem from the east could see neither the Temple Mount, nor the Mount of Zion, upon which the king's house stood, until he reached the top of the Mount of Olives. No matter that the traveler was anxious to view the glory ahead, he had to wait until he reached this spot. So it is with the glorified church, which is typified by the Temple. The thought of it may make us yearn to see its glory and through the pages of the Word we understand a little of its splendor, but something is blocking our view. It is still the Mount of Olives. When our Lord returns, his feet will stand upon the Mount of Olives and it will remove to the north and to the south. Only when this occurs, will the way be clear and all will see the Bride, His Church, in all her glory!

By studying the things shown to us in the types in the Temple of Solomon, we can have a better understanding of what that time will be like. It will help us also to comprehend that the present sufferings are not worthy to be compared with the glory that SHALL be ours!
Rom 8:18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
1 Cor 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

The story of the men connected with the construction of the Temple would not be complete without mentioning the 'non-Jewish' aid upon which Solomon relied. Hiram was king of Tyre, a Phoenician maritime city north of the land of Israel. They had the capabilities of commerce and industry needed in such an undertaking. This was not a new alliance formed by Solomon, however. His father, king David, had worked with Hiram in building his own palace and in acquiring the material from which Solomon was to build the Temple.2 Chr 2:1 And Solomon determined to build an house for the name of the LORD, and an house for his kingdom.2 Chr 2:2 And Solomon told out threescore and ten thousand men to bear burdens, and fourscore thousand to hew in the mountain, and three thousand and six hundred to oversee them.
2 Chr 2:3 And Solomon sent to Huram the king of Tyre, saying, As thou didst deal with David my father, and didst send him cedars to build him an house to dwell therein, even so deal with me.
2 Chr 2:4 Behold, I build an house to the name of the LORD my God, to dedicate it to him, and to burn before him sweet incense, and for the continual showbread, and for the burnt offerings morning and evening, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the solemn feasts of the LORD our God. This is an ordinance for ever to Israel
2 Chr 2:5 And the house which I build is great: for great is our God above all gods.
2 Chr 2:6 But who is able to build him an house, seeing the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain him? who am I then, that I should build him an house, save only to burn sacrifice before him?
2 Chr 2:7 Send me now therefore a man cunning to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, and in iron, and in purple, and crimson, and blue, and that can skill to grave with the cunning men that are with me in Judah and in Jerusalem, whom David my father did provide.
2 Chr 2:8 Send me also cedar trees, fir trees, and algum trees, out of Lebanon: for I know that thy servants can skill to cut timber in Lebanon; and, behold, my servants shall be with thy servants,
2 Chr 2:9 Even to prepare me timber in abundance: for the house which I am about to build shall be wonderful great.

At first, this might seem somewhat startling; a Jewish undertaking, depending upon non-Jews to accomplish its purpose! Yet, is this not what our Lord has done concerning His Church? It began as a strictly Jewish institution, but soon the major part of the building was assumed by those who were not of Israel. The Glorified Church, which will rule with Christ, shall be of all nations, kindred and tongues. Yet, she shall still be obedient to her head, the King of the Jews and she will dwell in the midst of redeemed Israel!