This is Part 2 of my earlier post -- "The Secrets of the Trinity!" at http://www.fivedoves.com/letters/apr2004/tng421.htm.

God continues to comfirm to me the four symbols of the 8th feast -- water, light, temple and eternity. In this article, I wish to take a grand sweep of redemption history, from eternity past to eternity yet future, and show the mind of God in the eternal scheme of things. By no means have I understood the full mystery of God, but I think I may be close to the truth of God. You be the judge.

I want to begin with one of the four symbols -- the Temple. From this one symbol, the remaining three symbols are woven in to form a beautiful pattern of the Trinity Code. I want to show there are four temples altogether in God's eternal plan. As you know, Christians and Jews alike are waiting with bated breath for the Third Temple to be constructed, thus hastening the return of the Messiah. It is clear from Ezekiel there will be a stupendous Millennial Temple built -- a house of prayers for all nations, "that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles." (Zech 14:16)

It would seem the Millennial Temple would be the 4th Temple. However, I want to introduce a new concept, that of viewing these four temples as ONE Temple! Think of it this way. Christians have never been commanded by God to build a temple since we are the Temple of the Holy Spirit. It is DIFFERENT with Israel. Jews must have a temple, be it King Solomon's Temple or the Millennial Temple. The religious life of the Jewish nation centers around the Temple.

If the Tabernacle of David (a.k.a. Solomon's Temple) is only one temple, what are the other three temples? One temple immediately comes to mind is the Church -- the Temple of the living God (2 Cor 6:16). Another temple has to be the Temple of God in Heaven (Rev 11:19). Whatever happened to this temple at the end of the 7th Millennium since no temple seems to be visible in eternity according to Rev 21:22? As God will make all things new (Rev 21:5), the Temple of God in Heaven will also be made new at the renewal of all things. The reason why no temple seems to be visible in Rev 21 is because the entire New Jerusalem now becomes the Temple of God! To enter into the gates of the City of God is to enter into the eternal Temple of God. This is consistent with God's progressive enlargement of His Temples from the humble beginnings of the Tabernacle in the wilderness, through the splendor of King Solomon's Temple, King Herod's Temple, the Tribulation Temple and the Millennial Temple, and to the ultimate everlasting temple -- the New Jerusalem Temple.

Lastly, the Lord Jesus is also a temple since He said in John 2:19, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." The Apostle John sealed the matter by adding these words two verses later in John 2:21, "But he spake of the temple of his body."

To summarize, the four temples are: Jesus, the Church, the Tabernacle of David (Amos 9:11) and the New Jerusalem Temple, in the chronological order.

1) Jesus is the Temple of the Father since "in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily." (Col 2:9) The Apostle John describes Him to be one with the Father as the Temple in Rev 21:22.

2) The Church is the Temple of the Son since the Church is the Body of Jesus -- one with Jesus (Eph 5:30).

3) The Tabernacle of David is the Temple of the Spirit since the Shekinah glory resides in the Temple, an indication of the presence of God. No earthly temples this side of eternity will shine with greater glory than the Millennial Temple.

4) The New Jerusalem Temple is the Temple of the Trinity since it is "a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands." (Heb 9:11) It is the renewed Temple of the Trinity which existed before Genesis.

 

Please note the order of the four temples: Father, Son, Spirit, Trinity. God is Three Persons yet One. It is true Jesus is both the Temple of the Father and of the Spirit, just as it is true the Church is the Temple of the Son and of the Spirit. However, the preeminence of a Person in the Godhead is evident when we consider the correspondence of the four temples with the feasts shown in the table below.

Feasts	Temple
Passover	Jesus
Pentecost	Church
Tabernacles	Millennial Temple
8th Day	New Jerusalem Temple

Jesus clearly manifested as 'temple' on the third day on the Feast of the Firstfruits when He rose from the dead as recorded in John 2:19, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." (The first three spring feasts are grouped together and are known as Passover collectively just as the three fall feasts are grouped together and are known as Tabernacles collectively.)

When we think of Passover, the mental picture of the Passover Lamb comes to the fore of our mind. While the Son actually offerred Himself as the sacrificial lamb, He is not preeminent in this feast! The Father is. Is not the Son "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Rev 13:8), slain by none other than God the Father as typified by father Abraham who "stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son" (Gen 22:10)?

The main theme of Passover tells of God the Father, who provided the Son as the saviour of the world, "for God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16) The Father is the hero. It makes perfect sense to regard Jesus, the Passover Lamb, as the Temple of the Father.

When we think of Pentecost, the mental picture of the coming of the Holy Spirit comes to the fore of our mind. While the Spirit actually came and filled the Body of Christ on Pentecost, He is not preeminent in this feast! The Son is. Jesus said in John 15:26, "But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me."

The main theme of Pentecost tells of God the Son, who provided the Spirit as the Comforter and Spirit of Truth to the Church, to guide the Church into all truth. The Son is the hero. Hence, it makes perfect sense to regard the Church, the Body of Christ, as the Temple of the Son.

The Feast of Tabernacles will be fulfilled in the Millennium. "And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles." (Zech 14:16) This scripture makes it clear all nations will worship God the Father -- an unprecedented time in history. However, in no time in history will we witness a more preeminent manifestation of the glory of the Spirit than in the Millennium. The Spirit is the hero.

Isa 4:4-6
When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning. And the LORD will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night: for upon all the glory shall be a defence. And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the daytime from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm and from rain.

The entire city of Jerusalem during the Millennium will shine literally with the Shekinah glory of God -- an unprecedented time in history when the veiled glory of God shall be unveiled for all to see. Hence, it makes perfect sense to regard the Millennial Temple as the Temple of the Spirit.

 

The Perfect Plan of God

The four temples I have covered so far turn out to be four latter temples! The perfect plan of God is laid bare when we consider the four former temples, the lesser temples of the four latter temples -- which are greater temples. The latter temples are second temples whereas the former temples are first temples.

The risen Christ is the Second Temple of the Father at Passover. The First Temple of the Father is King Solomon's Temple, dedicated at the time of Tabernacles and born on the 8th Day (2 Chr 7:9-11).

The risen (raptured) Church is the Second Temple of the Son at Pentecost! The First Temple of the Son is the Son Himself when He was born at the time of Tabernacles (see http://www.aloha.net/~mikesch/sukkoth.htm). The Holy Spirit left us a clue in John 1:14 that suggests strongly that Jesus was born at the time of Tabernacles. We read in John 1:14, "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us." The Greek word for 'dwelt' is skenoo (NT:4636) which means to tent or encamp. It is derived from skenos (NT:4633) which is translated as 'tabernacle' in the KJV. When the Eternal Word was made flesh (born), he tabernacled among us.

The risen (raised; Amos 9:11) Tabernacle of David is the Second Temple of the Spirit, raised at the Feast of Tabernacles. The First Temple of the Spirit is the Church when she was born at Pentecost!

There is design and symmetry! Examine the table below:

Former (Lesser) Temples	Latter (Greater) Temples
First Temple of the Father Tabernacle of David was born at the time of the 8th Day.	Second Temple of the Father Jesus was raised at the time of Passover.
First Temple of the Son Jesus was born at the time of Tabernacles.	Second Temple of the Son Church will be raised at the time of Pentecost.
First Temple of the Spirit Church was born at the time of Pentecost.	Second Temple of the Spirit Tabernacle of David will be raised at the time of Tabernacles.

The Father, Son and the Spirit work in complete harmony in the redemption history of man.

The First Temple of the Father is raised as the Second Temple of the Spirit.
The First Temple of the Son     is raised as the Second Temple of the Father.
The First Temple of the Spirit  is raised as the Second Temple of the Son.

The Former Temples were born (left column).
The Latter Temples are reborn (right column).

The Former Temples shone with a lesser former glory.
The Latter Temples shines with a greater latter glory.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The pattern is incomplete without considering the 4th temple -- the New Jerusalem Temple, which will descend upon the New Earth at the start of eternity on the 8th Day. The New Jerusalem Temple is the Second Temple of the Trinity. I believe it is the renewed, reborn, raised version of the First Temple of the Trinity -- the original Temple of God in Heaven (Rev 11:19). God can certainly build a new temple for Himself since He will make all things new at the start of eternity (Rev 21:5).

There remains one last piece to the puzzle. The four latter temples are born-again temples (right column). The pre-condition for rebirth is birth. For the Latter Temples to be born again, the Former Temples must first exist or come into existence. We saw clearly how the first three temples were born: King Solomon's Temple was born on the 8th Day, Jesus was born on Tabernacles and the Church was born on Pentecost.

When did the Temple of God in Heaven first exist? We are certain the Temple of God existed before Adam, however, we do not know when it first came to be. For the purpose of finding a pattern in God's redemption plan in all history, which began at the start of Genesis, we turn our attention instead to finding the first appearance of the Temple of God in redemption history. It is in this sense that we talk about the 'birth' of the Temple of God.

There are indications that the Temple of God was on Earth for a while after Adam and Eve were created. God was on Earth, "walking in the garden in the cool of the day." (Gen 3:8) The tree of life was in the Garden of Eden. Indeed, Eden was paradise. Cherumbims stood guard "at the east of the garden of Eden" (Gen 3:24) to keep Adam and Eve out of reach of the tree of life. These all point to the presence of the Temple of God on Earth at the time of Adam and Eve.

Let us put all the eight temples together to see if there is design and symmetry.

Former (Lesser) Temples	Latter (Greater) Temples
First Temple of the Father Tabernacle of David was born at the time of the 8th Day.	Second Temple of the Father Jesus was raised at the time of Passover.
First Temple of the Son Jesus was born at the time of Tabernacles.	Second Temple of the Son Church will be raised at the time of Pentecost.
First Temple of the Spirit Church was born at the time of Pentecost.	Second Temple of the Spirit Tabernacle of David will be raised at the time of Tabernacles.
First Temple of the Trinity Temple of God was 'born' (or first appeared) at the time of ????????.	Second Temple of the Trinity New Temple of God will be raised at the time of the 8th Day.

Looking at the pattern, symmetry demands that God created the world at the time of Passover! The debate over the world's exact birthday is not new to the Jews. There is a dispute about this in the Talmud. Was the world created on Rosh Hashana, or on Passover? The Tosfot resolves the issue:

Rabbi Yehoshua says differently from Rabbi Eliezer that the world was created in Nissan (the month of Passover) but these and these are words of the living God. And we should assume that in Tishrei, the thought to create came up in [God's] mind, but it was not brought into creation until Nissan. (Tosfot Rosh Hashana 27a) LINK

[For more evidence, please see http://www.vbm-torah.org/roshandyk/hol1-3.htm]

The Trinity Code in the Redemption Plan of God

There are multiple Trinity codes in the redemption blueprint of God. This is not surprising since the Author of our salvation is the trinitarian God. It would be surprising if the trinitarian signature were absent in the redemption plan. To look for this trinitarian signature, we look for the four symbols: water, light, temple and eternity. These four symbols point to omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence and the everlasting God. (see http://www.fivedoves.com/letters/apr2004/tng421.htm)

We first encounter the symbol of the temple in the eight temples -- 4 former temples and 4 latter temples. The 4 former temples experience rebirth and are transformed into the 4 latter temples. Notice the birthing of the 4 former temples and the rebirthing of the 4 latter temples are intimately associated with water. Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3:5, "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." It is a fact all men came into this world via water in the womb, including our blessed Lord Jesus. It is true also the first man Adam came from water! The meaning of the name Adam is literally 'red earth' as he was taken from the ground. In the Genesis account, the Earth only came out of water on the third day -- a type of resurrection, baptism and birth! Since Adam came from the Earth and the Earth came from water, therefore Adam came from water.

The symbol of water points to the omnipotence of God. It takes infinite power to raise dead bodies! This is made abundantly clear in 1 Cor 6:14, "And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power." Another scriptural support comes from Phil 3:20-21(NIV) -- "... the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body."

The symbol of light is encapsulated in the former glory of the Former Temples and the latter glory of the Latter Temples. The symbol of light points to the omniscience of God. With "the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Cor 4:6), we are able to discern between good and evil, light and darkness. Darkness is dispelled whenever light is present. The Word made flesh came as the true Light of the world (John 1:9). The Lord imparted the light of knowledge when he walked the Earth. The Jews hold the notion that when the Messiah comes He will tell them all things (John 4:25), thus enlightening their minds.

The Church received the Spirit of Truth on her birthday. The Spirit of Truth is the Spirit of Light who guides the Church into all truth.

To get a better picture of these associations, examine the table below that summarizes the Trinity Code in the redemption plan:

Symbol	Former (Lesser) Temples	Symbol	Latter (Greater) Temples
Temple Water Eternity Light	First Temple of the Father Tabernacle of David was born at the time of the 8th Day. Glory & cloud filled the Temple (1 Kg 8:10-11)	Temple Water Eternity Light	Second Temple of the Father Jesus was raised at the time of Passover. his glorious body (Phil 3:21)
Temple Water Eternity Light	First Temple of the Son Jesus was born at the time of Tabernacles. Word made flesh is True Light (John 1:9)	Temple Water Eternity Light	Second Temple of the Son Church will be raised at the time of Pentecost. Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body (Phil 3:21)
Temple Water Eternity Light	First Temple of the Spirit Church was born at the time of Pentecost. Church received Spirit of Truth/Light (Dan 5:14, 2 Cor 3:11)	Temple Water Eternity Light	Second Temple of the Spirit Tabernacle of David will be raised at the time of Tabernacles. Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. (Isa 60:1)
Temple Water Eternity Light	First Temple of the Trinity Temple of God was 'born' at the time of Passover. Let there be light at Creation.	Temple Water Eternity Light	Second Temple of the Trinity New Temple of God will be raised at the time of the 8th Day. Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; (Rev 21:11)

 

The symbol of eternity is captured by these eight feasts, arranged in the order presented above:

The 8th Day, Passover,
Tabernacles , Pentecost,
Pentecost, Tabernacles,
Passover, The 8th Day.

The cycle of the appointed feasts shall last for ever, "while the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease." (Gen 8:22) Hence the symbol of eternity is represented by the unceasing cycles of the spring and fall feasts.

Intriguingly, if we trace the feasts in chronological order (Passover, Pentecost, Tabernacles, 8th Day), the upper two rows form a circle clockwise, and the lower two rows also form a circle clockwise. Joining the two circles together the symbol of 8 -- the symbol for new life and infinity -- amazingly appears.

The 8th Day, Passover,
*                               *
*                               *
Tabernacles , Pentecost,
Pentecost, Tabernacles,
*                               *
*                               *
Passover, The 8th Day.

At this stage, let us take stock of this grand design of the Trinity Code. For each of the eight temples, there is a Trinity code. At the start of this article, we scanned the entire history of redemption for distinct temple types and came up with four distinct temples. By considering the births and rebirths of these four temples, we stumbled upon God's deepest secrets in His blueprint for redemption.

The design exhibited by the four latter temples is of a higher order of symmetry since the glory of the latter is greater than of the former (Hag 2:9). The feasts order of the latter temples is chronological. The actual fulfilment of the latter temples is also chronological. Not so with the former temples. Furthermore, the 4 latter temples are connected with the 4 'coming's of Jesus! The Immanuel entered into history two thousand years ago at His First Coming. Heaven and Earth stood still when the Prince of Life breathed His last on the Cross. The Cross is THE MOMENT in God's timetable. The Cross heads the list of the latter temples. A new day has dawned at last after 4000 years of redemption history.

The 4 'coming's of Jesus are expressible as 4 statements:

Feasts	4 Comings of Jesus
Passover	Jesus came as the 1st Temple -- the Passover Lamb (1 Cor 5:7), to provide redemption.
Pentecost	Jesus comes for the 2nd Temple -- the children of light (1 Th 5:5), to effect the full redemption of the Body (Rom 8:23).
Tabernacles	Jesus comes to set up the 3rd Temple -- the Millennial Temple, to usher in the millennial Kingdom of God (Rev 11:15, Rev 20:6).
8th Day	Jesus comes with the 4th Temple -- the New Jerusalem, to usher in the eternal Kingdom of God (Rev 22:5).

The clear division of the spring and fall feasts is evident even to the casual observer. The ministers of God -- Jesus the high priest and His brethren the priests -- are called and prepared for service in the spring season, the start of the year. The ministry of God shall be performed in the Kingdom of God in the fall season, an appropriate ending to the annual cycle.

The ministers of God appear in the form of human BODY (Jesus & Christians) in the spring season. The ministry of God manifests in the form of physical TEMPLE (Millennial Temple & New Jerusalem) in the fall season. Appropriately, ministers are PEOPLE and ministry is TEMPLE service.

The ministers of God are harvested as firstfruits (barley & wheat) in the spring season. The main harvest and the ingathering are harvested in the fall season.

The betrothal takes place in the spring season. The wedding is celebrated in festive joy in the fall season.

 

The Trinity Code in the 4 Comings of Jesus

Over above the eight Trinity codes discernible in the eight temples, there is another Trinity code embedded in the 4 latter temples which are closely associated with the 4 comings of Jesus. To unlock this code we examine the purpose of the comings of Jesus on the appointed feasts.

The key is to look at the spring feasts as preparation feasts and the fall feasts as performance feasts.

This two-fold pattern is both logical and of God. Let me take a minor detour and show the same pattern can be observed in the Creation account. The first three days of Genesis are preparation days. The last three days are population days.

Preparation (setting the stage)	Population (carrying out the work)
1st Day Light	4th Day Sun, moon, stars
2nd Day Water	5th Day Fish and birds
3rd Day Land (Earth)	6th Day Man and land animals, crawlies

(There is a breathtaking Trinity code concealed in the Creation account which deserves an article all by itself.)

The redemption plan of God is most vividly demonstrated in the great deliverance of the people of Israel at Passover at the parting of the Red Sea. The plot is simple enough to follow. In a nutshell, God led the people out by a pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire, to give the people rest and settle them in the Promised Land. End of story. Amazingly, this plot is intimated in the Genesis account! The pillar of cloud parallels the water in the second day of creation. The pillar of fire parallels the light in the first day. The Promised Land parallels the land that emerged on the third day.

The main theme of Passover is the water theme. In 1 Cor 10:1-2, the Apostle Paul connects the passing through the Red Sea with baptism -- the identifying with Christ's death on the Cross.

The main theme of Pentecost is the light theme. The redeemed people of Israel came to Mount Sinai to receive the TORAH -- the Law, on Pentecost. The question is: Why was the Torah given on Pentecost? The literal meaning of Torah is instruction, teaching. The Torah was given to Israel for instruction just as the Spirit of Truth was given to the Church to guide the Church into all truth. Beloved, right now we are going through the preparation stage of our eternal priesthood. There are plenty of truths to be learnt. Paul said it aptly in 2 Tim 3:16-17, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works."

The Church is called at Passover to cross from death to life. The Church is being equipped in the Pentecost Age, that she may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

The feast of Tabernacles immediately conjures up the image of the temple symbol. Once the priests are of age to serve, they "enter into the host, to do the work in the tabernacle of the congregation." (Num 4:3)

The main theme of the feast of the 8th day is the eternity theme. There is finality in everything that is recorded in the last two chapters of the Bible in which the 8th Millennial Day is described in detail. The priests will serve God for ever and ever (Rev 22:5).

Thus, thematically, the four latter temples with the appointed feasts are also designed according to the trinitarian pattern.

Brethren, God's perfect plan for the redemption of man shows that the rapture shall take place on Pentecost!

Maranatha!

John Tng