7TH STEP: GOLDERN INCENSE ALTAR.
THEN:
Prayers were offered at the gold Altar of Incense where special sweet incense required by God was burnt.
TODAY:
The prayers of God’s people are sweet incense to God. (Exodus 30:35-37; 1 Kings 6:22; 2 Chronicles 4:19; Revelation 5:8).
8TH STEP: THE VEIL. (Curtain and doors of olive wood).
THEN:
The veil separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place where the Ark of the Covenant rested, separating a holy God from sinful people. Once a year only the High Priest entered here.
TODAY:
Believers in Jesus may enter God’s presence through prayer they are made acceptable to God by the blood of Jesus, the great High Priest. When Jesus died, the Temple veil tore in two from top (Heaven) to bottom (Earth), (Exodus 25-26; 1 Kings 6:31-35; 2 Chronicles 3:14; Matthew 27:51; Hebrews 10:19-22).
9TH STEP: MOST HOLY PLACE.
THEN:
The Most Holy Place was God’s throne room where He would meet and give His commands, between the two cherubim, on the Mercy Seat over the Ark of the Covenant. The high priest sprinkled blood on the Mercy Seat on the Day of Atonement to atone for the sins of the people for that year.
TODAY:
Believers can come boldly before God’s throne of grace, (Hebrews 14:16).
10TH STEP: CHERUBIM.
THEN:
Massive olive-wood sculptures of cherubim, winged creatures, represented the guardians of God’s divine presence. These cherubim were overlaid with gold and touched each other, wingtip to wingtip and wall to wall. When God banished man from the Garden of Eden, He placed cherubim and a flaming sword to guard the way to the tree of life, (Genesis 3:24; 1 Kings 6:19-29).
TODAY:
11TH STEP: ARK OF THE COVENANT.
THEN:
The Ark was a carved wooden box overlaid with gold. Inside was the Law of God (the Ten Commandments) inscribed on two tablets of stone. Its lid, the Mercy Seat, represented the meeting place between God and man (Exodus 25:10-22).
TODAY:
God wants to commune with us today. He made it possible to know Him through Jesus (John 14:6; Hebrews 9:4; 10:22).
12TH STEP: STOREROOMS (Treasures).
THEN:
Three-floors of store rooms contained the treasures of God’s Temple and the dedicated gifts. These treasures were plundered several times.
TODAY:
We are commanded by Jesus to not lay up treasures for ourselves on earth, but to lay up treasures in heaven. (1 Chronicles 28:11-12; Matthew 6:19-21).
