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How Do John’s Seven Letters Reflect the Ancient Temple? #702 · Scripture Central

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  Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my
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  God, and he shall go no more out.
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  And I will write upon him the name of my God and the name of
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  the city of my God, which is New Jerusalem, which cometh down out
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  of heaven from my God. And I will write upon him my new
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  name. Hey listeners, this is Nick from
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  Scripture Central and today's podcast addresses the question
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  How do John's 7 letters reflect the ancient temple at the start
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  of John's Revelation? John is instructed write the
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  things which thou hast seen and the things which are and the
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  things which shall be hereafter. The Revelation that begins with
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  7 brief letters to seven churches in the region around
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  Ephesus that provide significant instructions from the Lord for
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  these churches. These personalized letters in
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  Revelation chapters 2 through three end with a promised
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  blessing to those who overcome and remain true to their
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  covenants with the Lord. Significantly, each of these
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  promised blessings is drawn from the imagery and language of the
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  ancient temple. As Breck England has observed,
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  there is a ritual sequence to these promises which apply to
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  All Saints for all time. Richard D Draper and Donald W
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  Perry have also observed how each of these seven blessings
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  relate to the Garden of Eden, which was itself established as
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  a primal temple. Therefore, these blessings
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  anticipate the end time when the elect will gain access to the
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  temple in heaven and will return to the presence of the Father,
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  being welcomed back into his presence forevermore.
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  For example, the letter to the Church of Ephesus promises that
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  to him that overcometh will I give to eat of the Tree of Life
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  which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.
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  The Tree of Life was one of the central trees in the Garden of
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  Eden, and Adam and Eve were forbidden from partaking of its
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  fruit. Following the Fall, the Tree of
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  Life would continue to play an important role in the Temple, as
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  the Menorah served as a representation of the Tree of
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  Life with its seven branches. Therefore, as Draper and Perry
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  observe, John's imagery suggests that the only way to reach this
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  tree, and thus eternal life, is by going to the Temple.
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  In effect, the Tree of Life suggests that the fall of Adam
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  has been surmounted. Spiritual death can no longer
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  claim the individual who obeys God.
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  Similarly, Richard D Draper and Michael D Rhodes also note that
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  Jewish tradition held that partaking of the fruit of the
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  tree was the reward for all those who achieved everlasting
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  life as the righteous return to the Paradise of God and enjoy
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  his presence. Another clear reference to the
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  temple ordinances and its blessings can be found in the
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  Lord's blessing to the church at Sardis.
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  He that overcometh the same shall be clothed in white
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  raiment, and I will not blot out his name out of the book of
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  life, but I will confess his name before my Father and before
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  his angels. The reception of new sacred
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  clothing is a key aspect to temple worship, both ancient and
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  modern. These sacred garments are
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  connected to a variety of significant meanings in the
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  scriptures and allow Saints to emulate exalted beings in
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  preparation for entering the Lord's presence.
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  Indeed, Revelation Chapter 3, verse 4 promises that the
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  righteous will walk with me in white.
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  As Draper and Rhodes have observed, echoes of temple
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  worship can be heard, for it is in those holy buildings as one
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  wears white and enters into vicarious saving work that he or
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  she walks with God. These sacred garments can also
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  be traced back to the Garden of Eden.
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  Before being expelled from Eden unto Adam also, and to his wife,
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  did the Lord make coats, garments of skins, and clothed
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  them. After Adam and Eve received
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  these garments, the Lord declared, Behold, the man has
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  become as one of us now, knowing good and evil, and being clothed
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  in sacred garments. Finally, another noteworthy
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  parallel is found in the Lord's promise to the churches in
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  Philadelphia and Pergamos Him that overcometh will I make a
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  pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out.
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  And I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of
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  the city of my God, which is New Jerusalem, which cometh down out
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  of heaven from my God, And I will write upon him my new name.
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  Similarly the Lord will also give him a whitestone, and in
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  the stone a new name written which no man knoweth, saving he
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  that received it. This is similar to the Lord
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  naming Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden in the day that
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  God created man and the likeness of God made he him male and
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  female, created he them and blessed them and called their
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  name Adam. The reception of new sacred
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  names draws on coronation rituals throughout the ancient
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  Near East, which typically took place in a temple precinct.
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  In many cases, multiple names were given to a new king,
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  reminiscent of the divine names given to the future Messiah in
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  Isaiah Chapter 9, verse 6, and the multiple names given to the
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  temple petitioner in these two verses.
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  Additionally, the coronation of some biblical kings was also
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  connected to a pillar in the temple, which served as a
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  functional symbol of royal stability and hence the
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  institution of kingship. As such, the temple petitioner
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  who keeps their covenants are ultimately promised by these
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  blessings to become kings and Queens in the Kingdom of heaven.
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  Throughout his seven letters, John addresses these seven
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  churches collectively against the imminent dangers of
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  apostasy. As noted by Draper and Perry,
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  apostasy was running full steam, fueled by false prophets and
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  apostles. Entire branches were ignorantly
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  or willfully being overrun by it.
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  The message to the churches sounded a clear warning that God
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  would abandoned them unless they returned to him.
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  Only by remembering and staying true to their temple covenants
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  can the Saints then and now survive turbulent times, avoid
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  the pains of the second death, and hope to return to the
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  presence of God? Well, we are not necessarily
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  faced with exactly the same challenges faced by the ancient
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  church. We will likewise find ourselves
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  in need of the Lord's guidance and blessings that come through
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  the covenants we have made with Him in holy temples.
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  As recently explained by Elder Dale G Renland, keeping
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  covenants made in baptismal fonts and in temples also
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  provides us with strength to withstand mortality's trials and
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  heartaches. The doctor associated with these
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  covenants eases our way and provides hope, comfort, and
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  peace. Ultimately, those who overcome
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  all trials and remain faithful to the Lord will be heirs of the
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  ultimate blessing to Him that overcometh will I grant to sit
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  with me in my throne, even as I also overcame and am sit down
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  with my Father in His throne. This final blessing, the promise
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  of living with God and becoming like Him, is our ultimate goal
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  as we strive to draw closer to our Father in heaven.
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  Ultimately, through the temple we can gain this and all other
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  promised blessings as we strive to draw nearer to Him.
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  Thank you for listening to this presentation from Scripture
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  Central. For more information, please
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  visit scripturecentral.org.