When Will the Shekinah Return to Jerusalem?
(The John Tablet from the First Century Church)
I named this tablet the John Tablet because the key to the translation of the ancient Greek inscription is John’s name in the middle. The message in the inscription is fabulous but the message in the icons in conjunction with the inscription has not only changed my theology, it has changed my life.
The inscription reads, “I pray the Exceeding Mighty One whom John proclaimed, that one I will see.” This inscription is a snapshot of the Early Church. They lived to see the next step in God’s eternal plan come to life. They understood the next major event in God’s plan is for His kingdom to be established on earth. The Temple will be rebuilt, the Shekinah glory of God will return to the Temple, and the Messiah will come back. This is the vision and passion that drove the Early Church.
The icons that surround this inscription relay a message the Bible declares and the Early Church understood well. The icons on this tablet are icons that relate to the Temple. The most familiar of these icons are the two pillars which stood in front of the Temple: Yachin and Boaz. We have established in previous writings that the two pillars represent the first or the third Temple. The second Temple is represented by four pillars. Since the message of the inscription looks to the future, it is logical that the Temple represented here is the third Temple, which will be rebuilt in the last days.
The little squares at the bottom represent a place in the Temple complex, which was very important to the Early Church. It represents Solomon’s Porch. This is where the Church met on the Day of Pentecost. Christ often taught from here. This is where the Church was meeting when Peter confronted Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5). Peter and John healed a lame man here (Acts 3:11). From all clear references in the Bible it appears this is where the Early Church met in Jerusalem.
The triangle on top of the pillars represents the Holy of Holies. This is the inner most room in the Temple. This is where the Ark of the Covenant was kept. The Shekinah Glory of God would appear as a pillar of cloud in the day and a pillar of fire at night. Although the Ark of the Covenant was not always in the Holy of Holies and the Shekinah Glory of God was not always on the Temple, virtually everyone who saw the Temple knew of the power of the Shekinah.
After Israel returned from captivity in Babylon, they longed to see the Shekinah return to the Temple. They believed that when the Shekinah returns to the Temple the power and blessing of God will return to Israel.
The Bible declares that it will happen (Ezekiel 43:1-4; Isaiah 60:19; Revelation 15:8).
Jesus promised His disciples that he would not leave them alone (John 14:16). Fifty days after He was crucified He sent the Holy Spirit of God on His followers. The Holy Spirit allows believers to be filled with the Shekinah glory of God.
This is the basis upon which Paul says, “your body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you” (I Corinthians 6:19). The word for Temple in this passage (naos) is a specific word meaning the inner sanctuary where the divine being resides. Since the Day of Pentecost the believer is the Holy of Holies. The Shekinah glory of God no longer resides in the Temple but in the Church. This truth is why Christ told His disciples “ye shall receive power (the Shekinah) after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you” (Acts 1:8).
How does the Shekinah glory of God being in believers relate to the prophecies concerning the Temple? These icons relay the Early Church’s understanding of the relationship between the Shekinah, the Temple, and the believer. The icon that normally appears in the Holy of Holies is the starburst, which represents the Ark of the Covenant with the Shekinah radiating form it. The icon in the Holy of Holies on this tablet is not the icon for the Ark of the Covenant with the Shekinah. It is something amazing that explains prophecy clearly.
The icon in the Holy of Holies is the Church! The four-leaf rosette is the icon of the Early Church. When the exceeding Mighty One returns the Church will be united and the Shekinah will shine in the Temple!
The truth of this tablet is earth shattering! The Shekinah glory of God will shine in Jerusalem once again when God’s people come together. Believers across the world are splintered into a myriad of tiny groups. Each group dogmatically holds to its idiosyncratic beliefs. This keeps the body of Christ from unifying.
In the end times God will unite His children with one vision and one passion. I do not know what that vision and passion will be but we know what it was in the Early Church whom Christ Himself taught. It was a vision and passion to see the Temple rebuilt and the Messiah return. This will not happen until the Church unifies around one purpose: to prepare for God’s kingdom. When the church is consumed with this vision and passion, then the Shekinah will shine brightly in Jerusalem once again!
© Dr. Steven L Smith 2016
The inscription reads, “I pray the Exceeding Mighty One whom John proclaimed, that one I will see.” This inscription is a snapshot of the Early Church. They lived to see the next step in God’s eternal plan come to life. They understood the next major event in God’s plan is for His kingdom to be established on earth. The Temple will be rebuilt, the Shekinah glory of God will return to the Temple, and the Messiah will come back. This is the vision and passion that drove the Early Church.
The icons that surround this inscription relay a message the Bible declares and the Early Church understood well. The icons on this tablet are icons that relate to the Temple. The most familiar of these icons are the two pillars which stood in front of the Temple: Yachin and Boaz. We have established in previous writings that the two pillars represent the first or the third Temple. The second Temple is represented by four pillars. Since the message of the inscription looks to the future, it is logical that the Temple represented here is the third Temple, which will be rebuilt in the last days.
The little squares at the bottom represent a place in the Temple complex, which was very important to the Early Church. It represents Solomon’s Porch. This is where the Church met on the Day of Pentecost. Christ often taught from here. This is where the Church was meeting when Peter confronted Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5). Peter and John healed a lame man here (Acts 3:11). From all clear references in the Bible it appears this is where the Early Church met in Jerusalem.
The triangle on top of the pillars represents the Holy of Holies. This is the inner most room in the Temple. This is where the Ark of the Covenant was kept. The Shekinah Glory of God would appear as a pillar of cloud in the day and a pillar of fire at night. Although the Ark of the Covenant was not always in the Holy of Holies and the Shekinah Glory of God was not always on the Temple, virtually everyone who saw the Temple knew of the power of the Shekinah.
After Israel returned from captivity in Babylon, they longed to see the Shekinah return to the Temple. They believed that when the Shekinah returns to the Temple the power and blessing of God will return to Israel.
The Bible declares that it will happen (Ezekiel 43:1-4; Isaiah 60:19; Revelation 15:8).
Jesus promised His disciples that he would not leave them alone (John 14:16). Fifty days after He was crucified He sent the Holy Spirit of God on His followers. The Holy Spirit allows believers to be filled with the Shekinah glory of God.
This is the basis upon which Paul says, “your body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you” (I Corinthians 6:19). The word for Temple in this passage (naos) is a specific word meaning the inner sanctuary where the divine being resides. Since the Day of Pentecost the believer is the Holy of Holies. The Shekinah glory of God no longer resides in the Temple but in the Church. This truth is why Christ told His disciples “ye shall receive power (the Shekinah) after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you” (Acts 1:8).
How does the Shekinah glory of God being in believers relate to the prophecies concerning the Temple? These icons relay the Early Church’s understanding of the relationship between the Shekinah, the Temple, and the believer. The icon that normally appears in the Holy of Holies is the starburst, which represents the Ark of the Covenant with the Shekinah radiating form it. The icon in the Holy of Holies on this tablet is not the icon for the Ark of the Covenant with the Shekinah. It is something amazing that explains prophecy clearly.
The icon in the Holy of Holies is the Church! The four-leaf rosette is the icon of the Early Church. When the exceeding Mighty One returns the Church will be united and the Shekinah will shine in the Temple!
The truth of this tablet is earth shattering! The Shekinah glory of God will shine in Jerusalem once again when God’s people come together. Believers across the world are splintered into a myriad of tiny groups. Each group dogmatically holds to its idiosyncratic beliefs. This keeps the body of Christ from unifying.
In the end times God will unite His children with one vision and one passion. I do not know what that vision and passion will be but we know what it was in the Early Church whom Christ Himself taught. It was a vision and passion to see the Temple rebuilt and the Messiah return. This will not happen until the Church unifies around one purpose: to prepare for God’s kingdom. When the church is consumed with this vision and passion, then the Shekinah will shine brightly in Jerusalem once again!
© Dr. Steven L Smith 2016