August 19,2021

. . . The enemy has damaged everything in the sanctuary. Your enemies roar in the midst of Your meeting place; They set up their banners for signs . . . They have defiled the dwelling place of Your name . . . Psalm 74:3b,4,7b

This very prophetic passage from Psalm 74 shines a bright light for the student of God’s Word who understands the purpose of the sanctuary: to point toward, magnify, and testify to the work of the Son of God in the process of reconciling the world unto Himself. After the final destruction by the Romans of the physical temple in 70AD, attention was properly directed toward the heavenly sanctuary, which the Lord pitched, and not man (Hebrews 8:2). Believers in Christ who rely on the heavenly ministry of Jesus, our High Priest, are a threat to the purposes of the enemy, for this heavenly sanctuary was targeted for obscurity by the devil, working through the little horn power, just as the prophet Daniel foresaw. Once again we read:

A little horn which grew exceedingly great . . . and it grew up to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and some of the stars to the ground, and trampled them. He even exalted himself as high as the Prince of the host . . . and the place of His sanctuary was cast down. Daniel 8:9-11

The Prince of the host is, of course, Jesus! He is also known to us as the Word of God (John 1:1, Revelation 19:13). The table of showbread in the holy place of the tabernacle represents the written Word, or Bread of Life, for us to feed upon daily. Throughout the Dark Ages and even beyond, the masses were told that they must not read or see the written Word, but that the priests will interpret it for them. God’s Word was kept away from the spiritually starving people. Instead, they were taught that church tradition has authority over the Word of God. This was actually nothing new. Remember Jesus had addressed the Jewish religious leaders of His day for their practice of placing tradition above God’s Word (see Matthew 15:3,6; Mark 7:9,13). 

Today the Bible is more accessible than at any other time in history. Yet, Biblical illiteracy is at an all-time high. Beloved, make your time in God’s precious Word of Life top priority. Our enemy is at work to defile the dwelling place of God’s name, which is your mind, your temple. Commit to stay in His Word daily! As you go forth, expect victory over snares that previously tripped you up. Go forth in Christ and have Him in you! This is reconciliation in practice.

This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world . . . He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. John 6:50,51,56