'God has left the building'

The Lord Jesus Christ dedicated the New Testament when He shed His blood and said, ‘This is the blood of the New Testament.’ For the Old Testament, Moses similarly said: ‘This is the blood of the covenant.’

I Peter 1: [18] Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
[19] But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
[20] Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,
[21] Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.

“He’s talking to them about being redeemed from the vain religious system that held Israel in captivity. They weren’t redeemed by silver or gold but by ‘the precious blood of Christ as a lamb without blemish and without spot,’ " explains Richard Jordan.

“The very thing Christ is going to give His life for (In John 10:15 and 17 He tells them He’s going to lay down His life) is to do what? Redeem them from the vain religious system at Jerusalem that’s holding them captive and set them apart to be a purified nation.

John 2: [18] Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things?
[19] Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.
[20] Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?
[21] But he spake of the temple of his body.
[22] When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said.

“The dedication of the temple was a type, a picture of Christ's offering of Himself to God. It was, ‘I’m setting myself apart to be the temple.’ He comes to be the temple. ‘The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.’

“The physical temple is just a picture of what He was going to accomplish. When Israel has this vain religious system controlling its temple, it’s at that point, in the dead of spiritual winter ('The summer’s past, the harvest is done, we’re not saved') that He comes talking about laying down His life.

[23] Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did.
[24] But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men,
[25] And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.

“He was at the temple at the Feast of Tabernacles, the God-ordained feast, and now He’s there at the man-ordained vain religious feast and He says, ‘I’m here and I’m going to give my life and redeem you from the vain conversation received by tradition of your fathers.’

[22] And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter.
[23] And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch.

“He walked in the temple in Solomon’s porch (somebody said that’s probably the only part of the temple left where He could go). He’s rejected and despised and put out. He could just get on the outside.

“You see Him do that at this point and it will compare with Matthew 13:1 when He goes outside the house to give the mystery parables of the kingdom. This will compare to Matthew 23's last verse when He leaves the temple and says, ‘Your house was left to you desolate.’ Why? ‘Because I’m leaving. I’m Jehovah leaving and it’s desolate.’

“When that veil of the temple was rent (people say, ‘Well, that just means the law was done away with,’ but that’s not what that’s talking about at all) after the resurrection, what that demonstrated was, ‘Who was supposed to be in that Holy of Holies?’ Jehovah God.

"When the veil of the temple was rent, they could look in and see He wasn’t there! God had written, ‘Ichabod, the glory’s departed.’ When did He depart? When Jesus Christ left.

“In light of all that,  [24] Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly.
[25] Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me.
[26] But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.
[27] My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
[28] And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
[29] My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.
[30] I and my Father are one.

“What a bunch of boobs. ‘How long will thou make us doubt?’ You see what a bunch of sorry, good-for-nothing rascals they are?! They’re blaming Him for their doubt! Hey, wait a minute, it’s not His fault they’re doubting, but they’re just shifting the blame over on Him.

“Verse 25, oh, I love that! ‘Already told you guys and you didn’t believe me. The works that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness of me.’

“He says, ‘You know what your problem is? You just don’t believe the Word because if you’d believed the Word, that’s what my sheep do.’ You remember what He told them back in chapter 5?

John 5:46: [46] For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me.
[47] But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?

“ ‘The reason you don’t believe me is you didn’t believe Moses to start with. The idea you come in and tell me, [Well, would you just quit making us doubt. How long doest thou make us doubt?’] Oh, I love that; that is SO religious. They just lay their heart bare and don’t even know they’re doing it.

“Since chapter one He’s been telling them who He is. The fascinating thing is verses 37-38: [37] If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not.
[38] But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.

“They still could have believed; they just wouldn’t. Verse 27: ‘My sheep hear my voice and I know them.’

“His laying down His life and taking it up again was going to give Him the ability (‘I give unto them eternal life’) to do just the opposite. Instead of impairing Him, it’s going to empower Him and now He’s going to be able to impart to them, and plant within them, everlasting life. That is the fundamental issue of the Abrahamic Covenant. And they shall never perish.”

(new post tomorrow)