God’s precious promises – Day 6

The highlight of temple worship in Jerusalem took place once a year on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). Only on that day was the High Priest permitted beyond the curtain into the inner sanctuary of the temple. It was the Holy of Holies. There he would offer to God a blood sacrifice to atone for the sins of his people: “For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life” (Leviticus 17:11).

Matthew records that when our Lord Jesus Christ died, the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51).

No longer was there any need for a High Priest to offer blood sacrifices each year for the forgiveness of sins. Jesus had shed his life’s blood to secure forgiveness and salvation for all who embraced him as Saviour. Henceforth all God’s children would have direct access to God through the Lord Jesus Christ. He is our High Priest, who even now is interceding in heaven on our behalf.

Today on the site where once stood Solomon’s temple and the second temple, which Herod had extensively renovated, now stands an Islamic shrine. A man-made temple in Jerusalem is not crucial for our faith. For by the grace of God, we ourselves are God’s temple and God’s Spirit lives among us (1 Corinthians 3:16). Glory, hallelujah.