Earthly Sanctuary

(Hebrews 9:1-10 – Earthly Sanctuary)

One of the things we note with all religions is they have an earthly sanctuary. These are places where believers meet to worship their god or gods. Jews meet in synagogues, Muslims meet in mosques, Buddhists meet in temples, pagans have Ashrams, Christians go to church.

In these verses we see the original Jewish earthly sanctuary for God, which was a tent or tabernacle. It was built according to God’s instructions to Moses. Later, during the reign of King Solomon, the Temple in Jerusalem was built based on the original tabernacle/tent layout. Today, there is no Temple as it was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD.

This section of scripture refers to the forms of worship and things associated with worship in the Jewish tent and Temple. It was an earthly sanctuary for God where people could congregate to praise and worship God.

Church buildings are built to copy some of the forms and processes of the original Temple worship, but they are not identical by any means. Church buildings are places of worship for people to congregate. Some churches even mimic parts of the forms and structures of the original Temple worship. They retain elements of the Temple worship, but not all of it. It varies from church to church to greater or lesser degrees.

But do we need these church buildings that mimic the old Temple worship these days? Should we even build any buildings as places or houses of worship? These are interesting questions, and the Bible gives us great insight into these matters.

What this scripture says about the Earthly Sanctuary

This is the scripture under review:

1 Now even the first covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly sanctuary. 2 For a tent was prepared, the outer one, in which were the lampstand and the table and the bread of the Presence; it is called the Holy Place. 3 Behind the second curtain stood a tent called the Holy of Holies, 4 having the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, which contained a golden urn holding the manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant; 5 above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail. 6 These preparations having thus been made, the priests go continually into the outer tent, performing their ritual duties; 7 but into the second only the high priest goes, and he but once a year, and not without taking blood which he offers for himself and for the errors of the people. 8 By this the Holy Spirit indicates that the way into the sanctuary is not yet opened as long as the outer tent is still standing 9 (which is symbolic for the present age). According to this arrangement, gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper, 10 but deal only with food and drink and various ablutions, regulations for the body imposed until the time of reformation. (Hebrews 9:1-10)

This describes the basic forms and processes of Jewish worship in the Temple and tabernacle. But the Christian faith is different from the Jewish faith. We worship the same God, but the forms and processes of worship have changed.

The Samaritans Earthly Sanctuary

Jesus often taught in the synagogues and the Temple in His day. He was bringing a new message to the Jewish people and the house of Israel. Naturally, the best place to do ministry is where people congregate to praise and worship God.

But when He was speaking to the Samaritan woman at the well, He made an interesting statement.

19 The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain; and you say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.” 21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for such the Father seeks to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:19-24)

The Samaritans were not pagans as some people may think. They were actually descendants of Israel, members of the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh. The original tent/tabernacle of worship resided in their lands for many years at Shechem. When it was moved to Jerusalem, and when Solomon built the Temple, with the Holy Place and Holy of Holies, it was proclaimed as the holy place of worship. But the Samaritans rejected it. They claimed the true holy place, and therefore the residence of God with men, remained where the tent had been in their lands. After the tent was moved and the Temple was built in Jerusalem, the Samaritans built a duplicate temple as an earthly sanctuary on the mountain referred to by the woman at the well.

However, that temple was destroyed by the Jews in 135 BC. The destruction of it was the major point of hatred between Jews and Samaritans. This was why they had nothing to do with each other and there was great animosity between them.

What Jesus said about the Earthly Sanctuary

If you look at the words of Jesus to the woman at the well, He made it clear about where the true sanctuary would be. First, He showed that the Samaritans had no idea who or what they were worshipping. He made it clear that salvation would come from and through the Jews. But then He added that neither of the two earthly sanctuaries or places of worship would matter in the future.

Jesus showed that God is Spirit, and God wants people to worship Him in Spirit and truth. The earthly sanctuary, whether the Jewish or Samaritan temples, were of no importance. The only thing that is important is to worship God as He seeks worship: in Spirit and truth.

The methods of worship under the teachings of Jesus lead us to learn how to worship God in Spirit and truth. When Jesus spoke to the woman at the well, He was explaining that this new ministry He was preaching would become the way of salvation, and how to truly worship God. And it had nothing to do with buildings made by the hands of men.

Where did the early Church worship?

If we consider the places Jesus taught, He usually taught either in the Temple or outdoors. Given the numbers of people who came to hear His teachings, often numbering in the thousands, there would be few places that could handle such numbers.

At the feast of Pentecost, the expansion of the church really began. Jesus had died and been resurrected, and at Pentecost His disciples received the Holy Spirit and commenced preaching the gospel to the world, beginning in Jerusalem. On the day of Pentecost, three thousand people received the word of God and were baptised into the name of Jesus.

We see throughout the book of Acts that the early disciples and apostles met in houses and homes. When there was a large gathering of disciples, they met in the various porticoes of the Temple.

When Paul began his ministry, as he moved from town to town, he usually started in the synagogues and preached the gospel. While he was preaching in the Jewish synagogue at Ephesus, many people believed. As a result, some of the Jews became jealous and disruptive. So, Paul left the synagogue and moved the congregation to a public hall, the hall of Tyrannus.

We note also that many of the letters of Paul, John, and the other apostles were written to house churches. People met to worship God in their homes and houses.

Do we need an Earthly Sanctuary

Now in case you haven’t yet noticed it, nowhere in the scriptures did Jesus or the disciples even preach that Christians needed to build churches. All of the ministry that was done, whether to small groups or very large groups, was done in houses, public halls, arenas, or in open air gatherings.

Jesus said that even the Jewish Temple and the Samaritan temple were to become irrelevant. He stated that the true worshippers would and should worship in Spirit and truth. So, do we need to build churches today?

Too often the churches built today and in years gone by are not places of worship so much as they are monuments to the egos of men. The design, architecture, use of expensive materials, jewels, decorations, and so on are not needed to worship God. In fact they may distract from worship and become points of pride and arrogance.

What the Law Says

Many churches today have rejected the truth of the scripture and God’s law. They have built things into the church that reject God’s law for the sake of man’s pride. And as the scripture shows, when they do this, they show a lack of understanding of the word of God. For example, consider this scripture in the law:

23 You shall not make gods of silver to be with me, nor shall you make for yourselves gods of gold. 24 An altar of earth you shall make for me and sacrifice on it you burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen; in every place where I cause my name to be remembered I will come to you and bless you. 25 And if you make me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stones; for if you wield your tool upon it you profane it. 26 And you shall not go up by steps to my altar, that your nakedness be not exposed on it. (Exodus 20:23-26)

A great many churches have rejected all of these instructions. They make altars of stone and wood, carved by the hands of men, decorated with fine jewels. God called such altars a profanity. And in almost all cases these altars are on a raised dais with several steps up to the altar. Doing so shows the nakedness of knowledge and understanding in those churches. Furthermore, there are churches with idols carved or cast in gold, silver, and wood, contrary to the words of these scriptures above. These are an abomination to God and apart from the laws in the scripture above, are a direct violation of the second of the Ten Commandments.

You may say that since Christ came we have been set free from the law. And you would be correct as all who believe and are baptised into the death and resurrection of Christ have indeed been set free from the law. But that does not mean we reject the law. The law was God’s standard for right and wrong and to do the opposite of what the law stated is to reject God. An idolater is still an idolater whether they are under the law or not.

Do we need an Earthly Sanctuary?

Given all of these things, we have to question why there is a need for an earthly sanctuary. Why do we need to build churches in the first place?

Jesus and the apostles never said to build physical churches. The only time an earthly sanctuary was recorded to be built was when God showed Moses how to build the tent/tabernacle. And later, Solomon was given permission by God to build a permanent Temple in Jerusalem.

But the only church that Jesus said to be built, was the church that is the people. He commissioned the disciples to go out and make disciples who would learn to follow Christ and worship God in Spirit and truth. Never was there a need or instruction for a physical church to be built. An earthly sanctuary was not needed then, and it is not needed now. They actually create more conditions that take people away from worshipping in Spirit and truth because physical building need repairs, maintenance, upkeep, provisions, supplies, and so on. It causes peple to focus on the physical rather than the spiritual, and it is the spirit that gives life, not the physical.

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