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I'm gonna give you the first three minutes that is. All right, amen. Daniel chapter number 11. I'll explain this here in just a minute. But let me give you the title first and kind of what we're gonna be talking about. So the title of the sermon this evening is The Sanctuary of Strength, The Sanctuary of Strength. We're gonna take a look at what that means and what that is, what it was, everything to do with that. And this is part of a series I'm starting today called The Temple of Doom, The Temple of Doom, okay? This is gonna take several weeks to get through, but basically if you've ever had any questions surrounding the narrative of the third Jewish temple and things of that nature, we're basically going to be dealing with that. If you're confused on things, my goal is to answer those confusing questions and things of that nature. We're gonna be responding tonight to a challenge that someone sent me not too long ago. And as I was preparing for this, I was just listening to what some of the Christians out there say. Who's ever heard of CBN? Christian Broadcasting Network. Used to be pretty popular. I think they still are pretty popular. But I was listening to some stuff that they said about the third Jewish temple. And you know, these people think it's great. In fact, I heard one news anchor refer to it as a kiss from heaven. And she got that statement from a Orthodox rabbi. And so just real quickly, regarding this third supposed Jewish temple that's being attempted, I guess I should say, there's an attempt to build it. There's blueprints, there's certain things going on. We'll get into that much later. But, you know, regarding that, even the Jews can't come together collectively over in Israel and agree on this, okay? There's a lot of resistance from the unorthodox Jews, as what I call them, versus the Orthodox Jews. And again, we'll come back later and break that stuff down. But this temple is a big point of contention among a lot of Christians, okay? And I'm just gonna start off with this challenge that I received. And I'm not mad at this guy, okay? I think this is a great challenge. I think this is a great question. A great thing to respond to, okay? And so basically, this is what the challenge was, okay? It's basically, what he's doing is he's challenging our position on the Jews, okay? This person believes in the pre-trib rapture. He believes that the Jews are gonna build the third temple, and that basically that's gonna be the sanctuary of strength and so on and so forth, and that God's gonna look at that as a great thing. I'm gonna show you tonight why that is false, why that cannot, absolutely cannot be true. But basically, his challenge is this. Okay, so the rapture happens. The Jews have the temple set up with the Levitical priesthood. They're doing sacrifice. Over time, Antichrist, through doing his work, sets up the abomination of desolation and pollutes the sanctuary of strength as stated in Daniel chapter number 11. Thus, the sanctuary of strength has to be referring to the temple of God, and so God recognizes the Jews' third temple as a place of strength. Deal with it is basically what he said. And my response tonight is gonna be very embarrassing for this individual, okay? It's gonna expose the lack of biblical knowledge that this person has, and I'm not trying to be mean. It just is what it is, okay? So let's break down this chapter real quick. If you've never read Daniel chapter 11 or you've maybe only read through this a few times, it could be very confusing. This is probably the most difficult chapter in the entire book of Daniel, if not one of the more difficult chapters in the Bible to understand. And part of the reason for that is we're so far removed from these events in the chapter. Another reason is because of the different kings that are listed, the king of the north, the king of the south. And the reason that the Bible lists those kings in that manner is because a lot of these kings, like Xerxes, Antiochus Epiphanes, a Grecian king, there's a lot of different ones of those. Okay, that's why it's like Xerxes the first, Xerxes the second, Darius the mead, Darius, there's a lot of different kings with the same title, if you will. So that's why the Bible just cuts all that out and describes him, the king of the north, king of the south. So basically an easy way, just for tonight, to give you context so that you can remember what this chapter is talking about is basically this fills in the gap that is between, I would say, what, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, till the Roman Empire. Okay, this chapter really plugs all that information in between that gap. And so in other words, this entire chapter, as you read it, everything has already been fulfilled to a T, okay? So Daniel's receiving this vision from the angel. And just real quickly, if you would, look back at chapter number 10 and verse 21 and look at what this angel who's giving this vision from God to Daniel says in chapter 10, last verse of the chapter. He says this, but I will show thee that which is noted in the scripture of truth. And there is none that holdeth with me in these things but Michael your prince. And so if you look at the very next verse in chapter 11, it says, also I, in the first year of Darius the Mede, even I stood to confirm and to strengthen him. Then he says in verse two, and now I show thee, or now will I show thee the truth. Behold, there shall stand up three kings in Persia, and the fourth shall be far richer than they all. And by his strength through his riches, he shall stir up all against the realm of Grecia. So you can see right there what that's basically talking about, it's what I said. It's basically giving you a prophecy in real time in the time that Daniel lived from the Persian Empire through the Grecian Empire and then obviously bringing in Rome and the Roman Empire. But it's the angel that is giving this vision to Daniel. And notice what the angel says at the end of chapter number 10 there. He says the scripture of truth. We always want to go to the scripture to get truth. We never want to go to a rabbi, some orthodox guy, you know, or anything like that. But that's where Christians today are going to to get their prophecy and to get their truth, and that's why so many people are misled and so many people are confused concerning these things. Now, just before we get started here, there's obviously a lot of interesting stuff in this chapter, and one thing that, or a couple things that are interesting. For example, in verse number three, there's a reference to Alexander the Great. Okay, most people are somewhat familiar with who he is and what he did. There's also a reference to the Battle of Thermopylae between Ahasuerus and obviously the Greeks, the Greek city-states, and who's ever heard of that movie, 300, the Battle of Thermopylae, right? You know how Hollywood depicts Xerxes, because Ahasuerus, his name in different languages, in his own language, I believe, is Xerxes, okay? So you know when you read through the Book of Esther, you know Ahasuerus who marries Esther and seems to have a good heart against, or towards God, doesn't seem vile, doesn't seem evil. Well, what does Hollywood do? Well, they take Xerxes and make him this weird freak-looking thing, and it's just bizarre. But again, it just goes to show you that Hollywood hates God, they hate the Bible, and we don't wanna trust them for absolutely, positively anything. Now, as you're reading through Daniel chapter number 11, when you get to verse 21, there's a major shift, and it starts to talk about a guy, doesn't give his name, but this is who it is, a guy named Antiochus Epiphanes, who basically has declared himself to be God, and so you just need to understand when you're reading this that he is the immediate fulfillment of all of these things in this chapter, okay? You can go on Wikipedia, you can go through a lot of different encyclopedias, and there are coins that are available, okay? There are coins that people have saved from this time period which show an inscription of Antiochus Epiphanes, okay? And on that coin, it says basically like God manifest, okay? So this guy did declare himself God, did pollute the sanctuary, he did defile the temple, and a lot of Jews back then who loved the Lord lost their lives, okay? And so we'll keep those things in mind, but for tonight, we're gonna be responding to this challenge, okay? And this challenge is, this guy reads this chapter here and says, well, you know, there has to be because Second Thessalonians chapter two, verse four talks about, or says the word temple, and so what he's saying is, well, since there's gonna be a temple and it's called the temple of God, well, then he's comparing that to this here chapter number 11 in the book of Daniel and saying, well, then you put those two together, God is saying that that temple that's gonna be built is sanctified, is holy, and so on and so forth, and I'm telling you what, that temple that they're trying to build is garbage, it's doomed, it's not holy, there's nothing holy about it, and if it does get built and does have a sanctuary, it's the sanctuary of death, okay? It's the sanctuary of stupidity, it's the sanctuary of blasphemy is what that is, okay? And I know this is gonna get a lot of people upset, whatever, we're always getting people upset, I don't care anymore, okay? In fact, I don't know if I ever did, but whatever, let's just get moving here, okay? So let's start off with the verses that this individual wants to challenge us from. Look at verse number 30, the Bible says this, Daniel 11, verse 30, it says, For the ships of Kidom shall come against him, therefore he shall be grieved, this is talking about Antiochus Epiphanes, okay, he shall be grieved and return and have indignation against the holy covenant, okay? Now what's the holy covenant at this time? It's the Old Testament, okay, it's the Jewish religion, it's all of that, okay? So this guy has a little bit of issue with Kidom, he has a little bit of issue with Rome, okay? And what does he decide to do? He decides to take it out on God's people, he's upset, you know, he's blaming God for this. So look what it says next, it says, So shall he do, he shall even return and have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant. We're gonna bring that up at the end of the sermon, okay, it's very important. Look at verse 31, and arms shall stand on his part, okay? That's talking about military might. Now if you're looking at this for some end times application, okay, I believe that the police and military, if they're not merged into one, will someday 100% totally turn against us, okay? But at this time period, this individual has the military, he has that resource at his disposal, and it says in verse 31, And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate. Now today we're gonna talk about the sanctuary of strength. Next week we're gonna talk about the daily sacrifice and what that means for today, and we might be moving on to the abomination that maketh desolate, and we'll make application. I'm not sure how that's gonna turn out yet, but if you would turn to Exodus chapter number 15. So we're gonna start from the beginning, we're gonna learn what sanctuary means, what it was, what happened, and all of that stuff, what it is today, okay? And at the end of the sermon, you will not have any problem responding to this type of a challenge from anyone, okay? So if you notice in that verse, it says, And they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength. Now the immediate fulfillment, like I already told you, has already happened, okay? Antiochus Epiphanes came in with his military setup, a statue of Zeus in the temple, just completely defiled it, but it wasn't just him alone. Obviously he had help, he had support, and that's obviously a picture of the end times, where the Antichrist will obtain, obviously, favor from a lot of people, he will demand worship, people will be willing at that time to give him their worship, so on and so forth. So again, we'll come back. A lot of the stuff that I'm bringing up tonight, okay, if it's the first time you've heard it, don't worry, there's gonna be a lot of repetition as we go through this series, but the point is, you need to learn what these things mean. We're gonna learn what the sanctuary is and what it is not, because this is very important for us, especially with the way things are going in today's day and age, okay? A lot of liars out there, a lot of just false nonsense. So you're in Exodus chapter 15, okay? Now this is, many of you are familiar with this, this is the song that Miriam, the sister of Moses, sings. Now keep in mind what we're about to read here, we're gonna read a verse here, two verses, and this is pre-tabernacle even, okay? This is pre-tabernacle, and so what are we gonna do here? We're gonna start reading in verse 17, and we're gonna obtain the definition for the word sanctuary. Keep in mind, this is pre-tabernacle, obviously pre-temple, and obviously pre-New Testament. So let's take a look here, verse number 17, okay? So this is what she says in verse 17. She says, thou, referring to God. Verse 17, thou shalt bring them in, talking about the saved, his people, okay? Thou shalt bring them in and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance, in the place, O Lord, which thou hast made for thee to dwell in, in the sanctuary, O Lord, which thy hands have established. Okay, so if we go to the Bible, the scripture of strength, as the angel referred to it as when he was speaking to Daniel. If we go to the Bible, we can see that the sanctuary just means holy place, that's what it means. That's where God dwells. Keep in mind, there is no tabernacle yet. They're in the process. Moses will be getting those instructions, obviously, a couple chapters later. But look at some interesting things in this verse here. Thou shalt bring them in and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance. So when God plants something, can anyone ever uproot that? Absolutely not, okay? So this is talking about a permanent idea, a permanent thing. So obviously, when a person gets saved, they are planted in the body of Christ, okay? When people got saved in the Old Testament, they're planted in heaven. I mean, they're still planted in Christ because his sacrifice obviously spread through eternity. So this is a reference to eternity, okay? That's very important. Look at the next part of the verse after the comma. In the place, O Lord, which thou hast made for thee to dwell in. So obviously, she's referring to people that are saved, that God dwells among his people and says, in the sanctuary, O Lord, which thy hands have established. It's gonna be very important for when we move past these verses, okay? Because what man is trying to do today is say, well, this temple that's being built, that's gonna be the sanctuary. You're gonna see why that's such blasphemy, why that's not true, that is not the sanctuary of strength. Sanctuary means holy place, okay? Now, obviously, where was that before the tabernacle? It was wherever God's people collected, okay? Wherever people that were saved were gathered, it's in heaven, okay? You know, when God met Moses with 10,000 saints, you could say that's a sanctuary because that is where God has dwelt, okay? But the main thing to understand for tonight is sanctuary means holy place, okay? Now, obviously, is God going to establish the holy place in the tabernacle? Yes, of course. And we'll take a look at that. Does that then transfer during the days of Solomon to the temple? Absolutely, under conditions, and we talked about that, right? 1 Kings chapter number eight. When Solomon dedicated the temple, what was God's response? Was it like, yes, it's this forever, no matter what? Absolutely not. There were conditions. Those conditions were not met. The veil was torn in two, and you know what that means. We're gonna get into that here in a moment. The main thing to understand, holy place, that is what sanctuary means, okay? Now, the physical nation of Israel is obviously a shadow fulfillment of what we're about to read, but it does mean holy place. Look at the next verse here for proof. Look at verse 18. The Lord shall reign forever and ever, okay? So obviously, the Lord has a sanctuary in eternity where believers are those who have gone on to rest. Go to Exodus chapter number 25. Exodus chapter 25. We're gonna look at one verse here, then we'll go to Exodus chapter number 38, or 36. Okay, Exodus 25, look at verse number eight. So the Bible says this. And let them, so this is God speaking here to Moses, and let them make me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them. So the idea here was that they were gonna make a tabernacle which was portable, and that would suffice the religious services as they were moving closer and closer into the promised land, okay? And God is letting Moses know that he wants them to make him a sanctuary. And what is a sanctuary? A place where he dwells, okay? Now, the question is, and it's gonna be answered, a lot of you already know this, does God dwell in temples made with hands? No, he does not, okay? But just for some more teaching here, go to Exodus chapter 36. Exodus chapter 36. So, so far, what have we learned? Sanctuary means holy place. It's where God dwells, okay? And here's how serious God is taking this physical tabernacle or sanctuary that we're about to look at here. So look at what God says here when he's describing how it's gonna be built in Exodus chapter 36. Look at verse number one. It says this. It says, Then wrought Bezalel and Aholiab, and every, look at this, wise-hearted man, in whom the Lord put wisdom and understanding to know how to work all manner of work, look at this, for the service of the sanctuary, according to all that the Lord had commanded. So let's just stop right there, okay? So when God established the physical nation of Israel, he said, I want you to make me a sanctuary, a place that I may dwell, okay? And he starts to set that in motion. What does God do? What does God give in order for that to happen? Well, look at verse one. It says, Then wrought Bezalel and Aholiab, and every, look at this, wise-hearted man. Now, what CBN, Clown Broadcasting Network, would lead you to believe is that these rabbis and these Orthodox Jews over in Israel are just anointed and kissed by God and wise, okay? Is it a wise thing to reject Jesus Christ? Is it a wise thing to spit on the ground every time you hear his name? Absolutely not. So why in the world are people subscribing to this ideology? It's because they're either ignorant or they hate God, okay? That, I mean, that's really it. Because when God establishes a sanctuary that's physical on this earth, what do we see? He ordains wise-hearted people, okay? Verse number two. And Moses called Bezalel and Aholiab, and every wise-hearted man, in whose heart, look at this, the Lord had put wisdom, okay? I know nobody in here wants to argue this, but God is not putting wisdom in the heart of these Orthodox Jews and these rabbis that absolutely hate God, okay? I mean, it's so crazy to me how someone could read the interaction that Jesus has with the Pharisees and the Sadducees, which is basically a picture of the two types of Jews you have today, the Orthodox and the unorthodox. It's just Pharisees and Sadducees and they all hate them, okay, I mean, that's basically what it is. But it's amazing how you could read that interaction, listen to the things that Jesus said to those guys, the challenges that they had for Jesus, and then be like, oh, but they're gonna get it in the end. But they're still the apple of God's eye. It just blows my mind. It's absolutely crazy, and I despise it so much. Verse three, and they, look at this, and they received of Moses all the offering which the children of Israel had brought for the work of the service of the sanctuary to make it withal, and they brought yet unto him free offerings every morning. That's kinda like how it is today in the New Testament, where God says, hey, you're gonna meet together, right? We have the gathering. We're told not to forsake the gathering. People offer all sorts of stuff, emotional support and things of that nature, and help inside this meeting place, right? This room that we're in right now is not a sanctuary. You all are the sanctuary. You understand that, right? And when we come together, we do a fulfillment of this even to this day, but we'll talk about that more later. Verse four, look at this, and all the wise men that wrought all the work of the sanctuary came every man from his work, which they made. Verse five, and they spake unto Moses, saying, the people bring much more than enough for the service of the work which the Lord commanded to me. Now, what would happen in Israel today if people brought much more for that third Jewish temple? Oh, those Jews would be pocketing that money big time. They wouldn't follow this, and you guys know that's true. They know that's true. The whole world knows that's true, okay? Verse six, and Moses gave commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, let neither man nor woman make any more work for the offering of the sanctuary, so the people were restrained from bringing it, okay? So we're gonna stop right there. Now, what I want you to do is to go to the book of Zephaniah, okay? Now, the book of Zephaniah is after the book of Habakkuk and before the book of Haggai. That's how you can remember. It's between the two Hs, okay? It's not a book we go to very often, but go to the book of Zephaniah. So again, real quickly, okay? As you're turning to Zephaniah, okay? We've got these charts over here if you can see them, you know, if you're not familiar with that book. Sanctuary means holy place. Miriam taught us that under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. That is what's written in the Bible. It's where God dwells. It was that way from the beginning of the world. It's that way to the end. It's eternal. That's how it is, but in the New Testament, to teach the Hebrews and to teach us, God established a physical tabernacle or sanctuary. Obviously having the holy place and the holiest place, which we'll talk about and what that means here in a little while, okay? But over time, as you all know, what happened to the nation of Israel, okay? Well, it went from tabernacle to temple, okay? They were doing good for a little bit. Solomon decided, you know, I am pretty wise. I think I can handle, you know, a thousand women. I can have these wives and these concubines who are not saved, that are heathen, and what ultimately happened? Well, they turned his heart from worshiping the Lord. God divides the nation, and things get progressively worse for both nations. Obviously, the northern kingdom goes into captivity. They're gone. They're wiped out, and then what happens to the nation of Judah? Well, Nebuchadnezzar comes in, Babylon comes in, takes the people out of the land. The temple is destroyed, obviously. 70 years later, they come back and start to lay the foundation, and they start to build, and 70 AD, what happens? The temple is destroyed, okay? But in the process of this here, so before the temple that Solomon built or had built in the people, before that was destroyed, okay, there was a lot of wicked kings. There were several wicked kings of Judah, okay, like Manasseh and Ammon, things like this, but even prior to that, there were a lot of wicked kings. Now, we're in the book of Zephaniah here. The book of Zephaniah, so Zephaniah was a prophet during the time of Josiah, and I believe that, you know, he helped facilitate that revival that we read about when we're reading about the life of Josiah. If you're not aware, I'll just give you a quick rundown. I mean, this guy found the word of the Lord, or the word of the Lord was brought to him, the Bible, basically, and he read it, or it was read to him, and he was like, wow, we're not doing any of this stuff. You know, no wonder our nation's in peril. No wonder we're in so much trouble. And so what does he do? Besides, you know what, we're gonna follow this, okay? And he ordains a feast, like hadn't been followed for, you know, obviously several, several, several years, just many, many, many years, and it's a good thing. He gets revival in the land, but what happens after Josiah? Things start to decline. Zephaniah is basically addressing those issues, okay? The central theme of Zephaniah's message is judgment, not just to Judah, but also to a lot of the other nations of the world. Now, again, like so many things in the Old Testament, like so many things in the Book of Daniel, okay? Zephaniah has things that are fulfilled immediately, that are a picture of things that will be fulfilled at the last days. But let's look at some language here regarding the polluting of the sanctuary, okay? So at this point in time, remember, the sanctuary had been moved to the temple. God said, I agree to dwell here, as long as you guys, you know, hold up your end of the bargain. You don't go and turn and worship other gods, or wreck Baal, you know, all these other things, okay? But look what Zephaniah says in chapter number three. Zephaniah chapter number three, look at verse number one. It says this, Zephaniah chapter three, verse one. Woe to her that is filthy and polluted to the oppressing city. She, verse two, obeyed not the voice. She received not correction. She trusted not in the Lord. She drew not near to her God. Stop right there. It's interesting here what we're about to read. Now, remember when I talked, when we read Daniel, and we read that verse, I think it was verse what? Verse 30, where it talks about how Antiochus Epiphanes, how he had intelligence, okay? He had intelligence with people that knew the covenant. Basically, Zephaniah is gonna be addressing those types of people here. And look at the attitude that God has towards those who would pollute his teachings, pollute his covenant, pollute his word, okay? Look at verse three. Her princes within her are roaring lions. Her judges are evening wolves. They gnaw not the bones till the morrow. Okay, this is obviously a statement of judgment. This is not a good thing regarding these people. Look at verse four. Her prophets are light and treacherous persons, okay? Well, if you're a light and treacherous person, okay? For example, we would maybe say, if you're blown around with every wind of doctrine, okay, what would we be saying? That you're pretty much a new evangelical. You're a Joel Osteen. You're a Stephen Furtick. I mean, take your pick. There's a whole host of these types of people. That's basically what you have as the predominant teaching force in Judah at this time, at the time that Zephaniah is prophesying for here, okay? And notice what it says, treacherous persons. So people that are vain, people that are light, people that are not steadfast, foundational, fundamental in the word of God, God says that they're treacherous. They are dangerous people because we're led to believe in a lot of churches. Even some King James only, you know, old IFP churches, well, they're not really that bad, okay? They're just a little off on some things. That's not what God would say. God would say, no, they are light and treacherous people. They are dangerous and you oughta beware. You oughta not fellowship with them. You shouldn't give them compliments. You shouldn't endorse or make it even seem like you endorse what they're doing, okay? But let's finish the verse here. So her prophets are light and treacherous persons. Her priests have what? Polluted the sanctuary. They have done violence to the law. And so here it is, these Pharisees, I'll just call them, or these Sadducees, these Orthodox, these unorthodox Jews, if you will, these liberal Jews here, okay? These people literally pollute the sanctuary. And these are the types of people that helped Antiochus Epiphanes come in and do what he did to the Holy Covenant. Now, leave your place there, but go to Hebrews chapter number eight, Hebrews chapter eight. So that's just a really basic, quick rundown from the sanctuary as we learned it in the beginning, first time it appears in the Bible, Exodus 15, the Song of Miriam. We learned that it means holy place, okay, where God dwells. Verse 18 in Exodus 15, it confirms that, okay? We saw God's attitude when it was to be built, that God established wise-hearted men to build it. And when it was built and they had access, they said, okay, hold off, it's enough, okay? God admonished Moses, remember Paul talked about this, to make sure that he does everything line upon line and not to leave out any details, okay? And then what do we see? Well, you get to the end of the nation of Judah and you see that the priests, the people that are supposed to be teaching, the princes, the bigwigs, the rulers, if you will, in Judah or Israel, whatever you wanna call it, they have polluted the sanctuary. How did they pollute it? By not being fundamental, by not endorsing the law. In fact, Zephaniah says it this way, they have done violence to the law. Now, we live in a day and age where just about every church around here does violence. They violate the word of God, don't they? They assault the Bible on a daily basis, okay? So, that's kinda how that's left, okay? Now, remember, this is physical here, okay? Remember, the first mention in the Bible, it's eternal, okay? It's where God dwells, but then God sets up a physical tabernacle, it goes to temple, what happens? It gets defiled, it gets polluted by its own people and eventually Daniel tells us that there was a time where it really got polluted and people lost their lives, so on and so forth. Now, if you type in the word sanctuary into your Bible software, you're gonna see that it appears four times and it's in the book of Hebrews. I don't think that that's a coincidence. I don't think that that's by mistake. I think that the Holy Ghost is trying to teach us something. Now, there's nothing wrong with that word. It means holy place, that's what it means, okay? But what is the Bible trying to say by doing that? Well, obviously, God knows that there's gonna be people that rise up that want to bring these old ways back, okay? And that's really a lot which you're dealing with in the book of Hebrews, okay? You have these Judaizers coming into churches and coming to the Jews and trying to make them feel guilty and, oh, what about the sacrifice? Oh, what about the stuff we used to do? You're not doing any of that. You turned your back on God and the whole book of Hebrews is literally, who I think is Paul writing, it doesn't matter, God wrote it, okay, ultimately, saying, no, the New Testament's just better. It's a better covenant. It is what it is. Take it and deal with it. Here it is, it's a better covenant, okay? So let's take a look at what the sanctuary is now and what the New Testament says about the old physical sanctuary, okay? So Hebrews chapter number eight, look right at verse number one, what the Bible says. It says, now of the things which we have spoken, this is the sum, we have such an high priest, talking about Christ, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the majesty in the heavens. Look at this in verse two, a minister of the sanctuary. So who is the minister of the sanctuary today in 2022 right now? It's Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the one who did the ultimate sacrifice. Remember, back in the Old Testament, in the sanctuary, in the temple, they would do sacrifices, okay? Now, were those sacrifices able to atone for sin? No, not at all, absolutely not. But we all know that the sacrifice that Jesus gave, that he did atones for sins from, I mean, from the first day to the last day, all of them. Past, present, and future for everybody. Once you're saved, you're always saved. That's why we're able to teach that because of how magnificent and wonderful his sacrifice was. Okay, so look what it says in verse number two, that Christ, it says, a minister of the sanctuary. Okay, so he has a sanctuary. Sanctuary means holy place. Sanctuary is where God dwells. This also proves that Jesus is God, okay? Fully man, fully God. But he is a minister of the sanctuary and of the what? True tabernacle, which the Lord pitched and not man. So again, this lines up exactly with what Miriam taught. Okay, so we're back to that timeframe, okay? So to speak, figuratively speaking. So verse number two, this is very important. This roasts our challenger. This takes that challenge and throws it in the trash, okay? Do you, does anybody here literally think that Jesus would write this down, preserve this for us, put this in the Bible, tell us that he's the minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle, and then go back to the old one? That is extreme blasphemy, is what that is. That is blasp, that's not just, oh, they're a little off. That is blasphemy, the highest level that I can possibly think of. That is, I mean, you wanna talk about polluting the sanctuary of strength. That teaching pollutes the sanctuary of strength because we who are saved are the sanctuary. Look, when you get saved, you're placed into the body of Christ, right? What did Jesus say? Destroy this temple and I'll raise it again in three days. And he spoke about the temple of his body. We are in him, okay? So if we're in him, he is the minister of the sanctuary. He helps us on a daily basis, then it says of the true tabernacle. So if there's a true tabernacle, then there has to be a false tabernacle, okay? And so what he's saying is that temple that was still up during the writing of this book was not true, it was false. Again, a minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched and not man. I mean, I feel like just going on a tirade and not man and not man and not man, okay? Because what do we have today? We have so-called men over in the nation of Israel. We've got so-called men in this country and in other countries of the world giving their hard-earned money or stolen money if you, in some cases, okay, to the building of this third Jewish temple, which they say is the sanctuary of strength, okay? Anybody who identifies as a Christian and is giving their money, and there are people that are saved that do this, and I'm not saying you lost your salvation because that's impossible, but what I'm saying is you're extremely ignorant, and I believe this is gonna cost you rewards because it's blasphemy. You're literally saying that the sacrifice that you did, Lord, is not enough. You're gonna come back and set up that same old fault system that had to be replaced because it was never possible to take it away. It doesn't make any sense. It's not true, and the question has been answered. Is God building the new temple or man? Well, it's man, and we see right here that our Lord is the minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle, so therefore, we collectively, as saved Bible-believing Christians, are the true tabernacle and the true sanctuary, okay? Now, are there people today that are polluting that? Well, obviously. I mean, the Catholic Church is polluting it on a daily basis. Just about every new evangelical church denomination that's out there are constantly polluting it, and how are they doing that? By promoting human achievement, by teaching things like, well, yeah, you're saved, by grace through faith, but you gotta give your life to Christ, and then he gives you the power to live right. You're polluting, okay? You're polluting the sanctuary of strength. Look at verse three. So the writer says this. For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices. Wherefore, it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer. Verse four. For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law. Verse five. Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle. For see, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shown to thee in the mount. So what does all that mean? Well, all that means that that tabernacle, that physicality of it all, was meant to teach us. It was supposed to be a reflection. In just about every area of that story, if you dig into the building of the temple, you can find Christ throughout all of that, in his grace, in his mercy, in faith, everything. Verse six. But, okay, but now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry. There was a visitor here when I went through Hebrews chapter number eight and he called the next day. And he said, I've been scouring the Bible all day. And I can't find anywhere in the Bible where it says that the New Testament is better or more excellent. Do you think I called it back? No, okay. I mean, it's right here. He must have been reading the NIV or something. I mean, I don't know, but this here says, but now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry. Obviously, he, Christ, obtained a more excellent ministry by how much also is he the mediator, here it is again, of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. You know, when I first heard this guy's voice message, I was like, for a split second, I was like, maybe he's just, no, then you guys, I'll mention his name later, you guys, oh, no, no, he's out to lunch, dinner, breakfast, brunch, everything. Okay, this guy's about three and a half quarters short of a dollar, okay? So, yeah, three times a more excellent ministry, okay? So what we have today is more excellent, better, this is a better covenant, and then built upon better promises. There's your three, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Obviously, that ties together, that's endorsed by God, verse seven. For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. But yet, we're led to believe today that somehow this third Jewish temple is gonna somehow be faultless? I don't know, I mean, to me, it's bizarre, I read this, and I'm like, okay, for if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second, and then we're led to believe there's gonna be a third? And somehow that third time's a charm, and that's gonna be better than the second and the first. No, it's not, it's blasphemy, it's stupid, and that's why the title of the series is The Temple of Doom, because people who believe that, people that are supporting that, are doomed, in some way, shape, or form. If you're lost, obviously, you're doomed anyways. If you're saved and you're giving your money to that, you're doomed because you're gonna, look, you're gonna get chastening somehow. It's gonna happen to you, because that is blasphemy. You're literally saying, your sacrifice wasn't enough. That's what you're saying, because we need to have a new temple with new sacrifices, and all the red heifer, and all they figured out how to make the die to die the priest's garments. Stupidity is what that is. It's not true, it's not true, it's not true. Verse eight says this, for finding fault with them, he saith, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, or with the house of Judah, which we are. Go to Hebrews chapter number nine. Hebrews chapter number nine. Let's look at verse number one, and let's see what the writer says about that old sanctuary. Verse number one, Hebrews nine, says, then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary. Okay, let's stop right there. Okay, then verily the first covenant, okay. The first covenant is not as good as the new covenant. The new one's better. You're told three times in one verse in Hebrews chapter eight Okay, but he says, then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service. Okay, so obviously God ordained the services of the sanctuary, of the tabernacle in the Old Testament. Okay, but we're told that today in the New Testament, we are the sanctuary, we are the true tabernacle, and he is our minister. Okay, so there's your new divine service in the sanctuary, which is not worldly, it is eternal. Verse two, he says, for there was a tabernacle. You see the language here? All past tense, all old, all the first. Okay, for there was a tabernacle made, the first wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shellbread, which is called the sanctuary, and after the second veil, the tabernacle, which is called the holiest of all. Verse four, which had the golden censer and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant. We broke that down during our Hebrew series. I'm not gonna go into that, but look at verse five. He says, and over it the cherubims of glory, shadowing the mercy seat, of which we cannot now speak particularly. So it's kind of interesting that all of a sudden, well, the Orthodox Jews are gonna get some magical revelation from God, and they're gonna be able to figure this out here. False, not true, not true at all. Verse six, now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God. It's interesting, if you were a Hebrew during this time, before 70 AD reading this, you'd be thinking like, why does he keep talking about this in the past tense? Like it's not a thing, you might be confused. Okay, but today we're not confused. We know that this is talking about that old system. Okay, that old system wasn't better than the new system. It's not coming back and gonna be better than the new system. It's a lie, it's a fraud. Verse seven, it says, but unto the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the heirs of the people. Okay, so you wanna tell me, we're gonna go back to that. After Jesus died for the sins of the entire world, you're gonna tell me, oh no, they're gonna go back. Oh no, no, we're gonna be all out of here, right? We're gonna be raptured. In the apple of God's eye, they're all gonna turn to him, right, and they're all gonna turn to him. And then they're gonna be the sanctuary of strength, and then they're gonna accept the Messiah. Where's that in the Bible, where? Oh, it's not there. That's a lie, okay? Even in the old system, these priests had to offer for their own sins, they had to offer for their own heirs. They had their own issues, okay? You wanna say that Jesus had sin? I mean, because that's almost where it seems like these people are headed. It says in verse eight, the Holy Ghost, this signifying that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest. Now, don't miss this. While as the first tabernacle was yet standing. Okay, so this third tabernacle or temple that they're trying to build is nothing but a blinder. That's all it is. That's what it has to be, okay? Because when the first tabernacle was standing, the way of the holiest was not yet made manifest. It reflected, it was a picture of the things to come. But we're supposed to believe that, oh no, that's gonna be good to go, that's gonna be what it is. That's ordained by God. No, it isn't. Verse nine, which was a figure for the time then. For the time then. He doesn't say and will be again in the future. No, he says for the time then present in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices that could not make him that did the service perfect as pertaining to the conscious. Verse 10, which stood only in meats and drinks and diverse washings and carnal ordinances imposed on them until the time of reformation, okay? Look at verse 11. But Christ being come, an high priest of good things to come by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, again, look at this, not made with hands. Not made with hands. That is to say, not of this building. We're gonna stop right there, go to Hebrews chapter number 13. So again, there's no debating this. This is not up for grabs. This is not all, it's pretty vague. No, it's pretty clear, okay? It's pretty clear. Sanctuary means holy place. We are called over and over and over and over again in the Bible, the holy people. Okay, go read Romans chapter two. Where does God dwell? In the sanctuary. He is the minister of the sanctuary. I mean, there's so much imagery going on here, you know? When he's listing down the cherubims and that stuff, obviously that's a reflection, that is a picture of the angelic battle and the war that goes on that we can't see but we know exists. You know, today we understand the angels are the ministers for them that are gonna inherit eternal life, okay? So obviously all of that stuff has application, all of that stuff has meaning. The point is we are the sanctuary and Jesus Christ is our minister, not some Levitical priest in the future. How are you gonna get that lineage? Tell me that. Yeah, good luck at figuring that out. Oh, well, no, they'll hear the voice of God. Well, that sounds like a sign. In my Bible and your Bible says that the only sign they're getting, the only sign that's getting till Christ comes back is the sign of the prophet Jonas. Hebrews chapter number 13, look at verse number eight. Jesus Christ, the same yesterday and today and forever. Verse nine, be not carried about with diverse and strange doctrines, for it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace, not with meats, which have not profited them. Okay, remember your chronology, remember the book here, remember what's going on. The writer here is simply comparing the old to the new. Okay, and he's saying, hey, at this point, obviously it's very clear who Christ is, what he's done for you, and he's letting these Hebrews know, look, you're saved, but you shouldn't let these people who don't partake, who don't believe in Christ, pull you back into the old system. And look what he says here, he says in verse nine, he says not with meats which have not profited them that have been occupied therein. So at the time that he's writing this, right, he's talking about the people that are just occupied with the old system, and he's saying that they have not been profited by those meats. Okay, those sacrifices are not profiting them anymore at all because the veil was torn, it's done. It's absolutely done. The only sacrifice that will profit anybody is the sacrifice that Jesus Christ did on the cross. Okay, that's why he says this in verse 10. We have an altar whereof they, now who are the they? They are the them in verse nine, okay, which have not been profited by being occupied with the old system. So he says we have an altar whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle. Okay, serving that old tabernacle. But yet today we're supposed to believe that they're gonna build this new temple and this new tabernacle, these Orthodox Jews, and they're gonna start sacrificing again, and somehow that is gonna be profitable all of a sudden. That's gonna be where it's at. It's not what the Bible teaches at all. Look at verse 11. For the bodies of those beasts whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin are burned without the camp. Okay, verse 12. Wherefore Jesus also that he might sanctify the people with his own blood suffered without the gate. So look, trying to go back to that old system is blasphemy. You're saying verse 12 doesn't mean anything to you. That's what you're saying. And you can email and text all you want to. That's not what we're saying. That's what you mean. That is what you mean whether you're ignorant of it or not. You're saying that Christ's sacrifice is not good enough. It's not eternal. That's what you're saying. A hundred percent that's what you're saying. Because what's he doing in verse 11? He's talking about that old system and how it used to be. And he says in verse 12, Wherefore Jesus also that he might sanctify the people with his own blood. John MacArthur. His own blood suffered without the gate. He died once. Okay, but what's the Catholic church do? Well, they make them die over and over and over and over again. Same thing the new evangelicals do. That's what the religion of human achievement does. You have to do these sins. But don't worry, he gives you power. You give your life to him, he gives you power. And you do daily sacrifices. And as long as you're doing that, then that's how you get to heaven. You just gotta be good and love everybody. Okay, false doctrine. What you're doing is slapping Christ in the face. It's his sacrifice with his blood once and for all. Okay, and for all, forever. Okay, so to bring any other system back and to say no, this is what we need to respect. This is what we need to watch out for. It's a lie, it's a fraud, it's heresy. And we cannot tolerate it. So leave your place there and go back to Daniel chapter 11. We're getting close to being done here. Back to Daniel chapter number 11. So, so far we have seen that this problem, this challenge that we have been issued, has been resolved, okay? First of all, it's been resolved because all that stuff in Daniel chapter 11 had an immediate fulfillment, okay? And second of all, you'll see here why it has been fulfilled. Daniel chapter 11, look at verse 30. So again, for the ships of Kedem shall come against him. Therefore, he shall be grieved in return and have indignation against the holy covenant so shall he do. He shall even return and have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant. Now all this obviously does reflect what's gonna happen in the future. The Antichrist, you know, there are still some differences. Let me back up for a second. There are some differences. For example, the way this king dies here in chapter 11 is different from the way that the Antichrist dies. He just gets tossed in hell. I mean, it's completely different, okay? So you need to understand that there is a difference but there's a lot of the same things that are gonna go on here. For example, I believe that he will have intelligence with people who know what we're about. Why wouldn't he? With all the information that's being made available today, they're gonna probably have us figured out in ways we don't even quite understand yet. You know, people keep talking about, oh, you know, Elon Musk and this, he bought Twitter and free speech is coming back. It's like, have you slowed down for a second and thought about what else he's doing? You know how big he is into this Neuralink brain implant? I call him Bafflon Musk. Yeah, I mean, that's pretty much where we're at with that. It's like, why are people just so quick to jump on these guys and be like, oh, they're gonna save us? He does not believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. God hasn't given him real wisdom in his heart and so it's people like that and I'm not saying he's the Antichrist, okay? I mean, it's, whatever. We'll get into him later. But the point is, just as Antiochus Epiphanes had intelligence with the liberal Jews, I believe that this individual will have intelligence with these new evangelicals, with the Catholic Church, perhaps, or the faux Christian sect in some way, shape, or form in our day and age, okay? And because he's gonna need that in order to get the world's buy-in on putting us all to death, okay? Verse 31, again, and arms shall stand on his part and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength. So you have seen what the sanctuary is. The sanctuary of strength is ministered by Jesus Christ, who is strength. I mean, eternal strength, infinite strength today. But people today wanna diminish that down and say, no, no, no, it's gonna be this new Jewish temple and they're gonna take over that Dome of the Rock and this and that. Again, that's the temple of doom. That's all that is. It has nothing to do. God does not look at that. He never commanded that at all. I'm gonna show you that here in a minute. Go to Matthew chapter 24. Matthew chapter number 24, okay? So obviously, you know, studying the Antichrist, which we're gonna get into in the future, you know, the Bible says that he's gonna make war with the saints. Well, that's a picture of him polluting the sanctuary, okay? But I believe a lot of this pollution is already taking place today, okay? And you can see it because, I mean, there's just less and less people, less and less places to go to today to find truth. I don't know how many Baptist churches there are in Idaho, but there's definitely a few that are right on the gospel and have the right Bible. But aside from that, everyone else, I mean, maybe a couple of community churches, maybe, I'll just throw that out there, everyone else is just messed up beyond all record. I mean, it's just bad. It's just straight up works. Works will save you. Yeah, and oh, we don't have a perfect Bible. We're just doing the best we can with all these versions. You know, the word of God's in your heart and how you feel. You know, that's the day and age we're living in, okay? And so what I'm saying is that modern day Christianity, which the worldviews is, you know, us basically, they align us with them, is just a pollution of the truth. Okay, led by a bunch of people that are light and treacherous that are committing violence against the book, against the word of God, okay? So we are the sanctuary of strength, not some Jews, okay? Not some Jews, okay? And we understand that because Daniel 11 has already been fulfilled, this already happened and people lost their lives during this timeframe here, defending the temple, defending the tabernacle and so on and so forth, okay? So Matthew 24, look at this here. Verse number 15 says this, and we're gonna talk about this several times in the series, but he says, this is Jesus speaking here, verse 15. When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, okay? So again, I'm bringing this up here because just because Daniel 11 has an immediate fulfillment does not mean that we're preterist, okay? A preterist is somebody who says everything in the Bible's already been fulfilled, we're living in the new heaven and the new earth, and that's why people can keep lions and kind of tame them in zoos. I'm serious, this is a real thing and lots of people believe this. It's bizarre, but it is what it is. Jesus said, no, what Daniel spoke about is gonna happen again, it's coming, okay? We need to look out for this, okay? But look at this parenthetical statement in this verse given to us by the Holy Ghost, and we'll talk about it. Whoso readeth, let him understand. You know what that means? That means it's not just you're gonna read this real quick and oh, okay, I get it. He's gonna establish himself in the third temple and it's all gonna be over, okay? No, we need to pull this stuff apart and really make sure we understand Daniel chapter 11. We need to understand this abomination of desolation. We're not gonna get into a lot right now, but we will as time moves on. Again, we're almost done here. Go to Matthew chapter 27, okay? But I mean, you read Matthew 24, 15, okay? Jesus says, when you therefore shall see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet stand in the holy place, okay? That temple is not holy. God does not look at that as a holy place, okay? He is a minister of the sanctuary and the true tabernacle, which is us, okay? That's why that parenthetical statement, whoso readeth, let him understand, is there because we need to understand some things. We need to figure some things out. And what do we figure it out today? Sanctuary means holy place. Holy place is where God dwells. Today, God dwells with believers. He dwells with us. He doesn't dwell in temples made with hands. Matthew 27, look at verse 51. Regarding the physical temple here, look at this, okay? The disciples are gonna ask him a question here. Matthew 27, verse 51. It says, and behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom, and the earth did quake and the rocks rent. Verse 52, and the graves were opened, and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, verse 53, and came out of the graves after his resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared unto many. So this here is just such a significant piece of our history here. The fact that the veil in the temple was rent in twain. That large veil which separated the holy from the holiest of holy places, that was rent. Why? That renders the entire Old Testament temple useless. That's what it does. Renders it useless. Don't ever let anyone tell you, oh, no, no, it's gonna be useful again. That is blasphemy. Those are the veil menders. Those are the same people teaching you and I that we have to work our way to heaven in some way, shape, or form. It's a lie, it is not true. That temple was rent in twain. And then if you've ever wondered why this next thing happens, here's why. So verse 52, and the graves were opened, and many bodies of the saints which slept arose. I mean, this would be crazy to see here. Verse 53, and they came out of the graves after his resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared unto many. Okay, what does that mean for us? That was a sign signifying. Okay, remember, the Jew requires a sign. Well, guess what? They got a sign the day that Christ said, it is finished, and gave up the ghost. And that veil was rent in twain, torn in half. These people rise out of the graves and they appear unto many. And so basically, this is a picture of the sacrifice, okay, initiated by that tearing of the veil, and the resurrection, nothing else in between. Christ is our mediator. So these three verses here are basically telling you one sacrifice for all, until the end. Meaning, we can't insert anything in between this here. Right, it's Jesus' sacrifice, the next thing he's gonna have, resurrection. Okay, the resurrection of the dead. That is a picture of this. So basically, God's letting us know here that that temple is done, it's over with, okay? And so the fact that the Antichrist will pollute the sanctuary of strength means that it's not that temple. It's not the one that they're trying to build because God rendered it useless, and told us right here, and gave us even a sign to look at, and said it's useless, it's done. Why go through all that trouble if it's just gonna come back? Doesn't make any sense. Go to Mark chapter 13, and then we'll take a look at this question that the disciples asked about the physical temple. Again, this is it. We're done pretty much right here. Mark 13, look at verse number one. Bible says this, so and as he went out of the temple, so as Christ went out of the temple, Mark 13, verse one, and as he went out of the temple, one of his disciples saith unto him, Master, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here. Look at verse two, and Jesus answered, or and Jesus answering said unto him, seest thou these great buildings? There shall not be left one stone upon another that shall not be thrown down. What do you have today? You have people saying, well, we need to set them up. We need to build them up. And if they do become successful at that, you know what they're gonna say? Well, Jesus was a liar. Well, he was just mistaken. He was a good teacher, but he wasn't quite, it's not quite what he meant, causing further and further deception and doubt regarding who he really is and his power. In the scripture of truth, Jesus said, it's done. It's done, so when they marveled at the temple, okay, and they were like, wow, look at these buildings. Look at this stuff. Jesus is like, this stuff's all gonna be thrown down. You know what you don't find from here on out through the rest of the entire Bible? You don't find one verse promising, guaranteeing you clearly a third temple. And I know some people are, what in the world are you talking, what about 2 Thessalonians 2 four? We'll get there, but not tonight. Last verse, you don't have to turn there. I'm just gonna read this for you because I've been quoting it all night. Acts 17 24, so Paul says this. He says, God that made the world and all things there and seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth dwelleth not in temples made with hands. So to look at that temple, look at the blueprints, had anything to do with that and say that's holy is wrong. It's not true, and I'm gonna spend several weeks proving that from the Bible. So again, sanctuary means holy place, that's what it is. God is with the holy people, that is us. Now if you wanna go down to Sam Gibson's church down the road, then you know what? You're kind of a dog under the table, feasting on crumbs. And the holy person is that Jewish individual that's Orthodox, that rejects Christ right now, that wants to build that temple, but that's not Biblical Christianity. That is not what the Bible teaches. I mean Hebrews eight just slammed, I should have just read Hebrews eight and just walked off and just gone home and got some extra sleep to get over this stupid, cold thing I had or whatever it is, but whatever, I feel good, I feel better. And this is needful because, you know, again, going back to that challenge, okay, the guy is wrong, flat out wrong for several reasons because we're the sanctuary, the New Testament tells you that. There's no verse saying that that's gonna change. And so with that being said, you know, we have to be on the lookout for false doctrine, false teachers always, we should never develop this, oh, I think you're just being a little too mean on these people. No, it is needful. It is needful because they are light and treacherous persons and they are here to pollute the sanctuary of strength, which is us. That's why we need the whole counsel of God to guard against this because it's not like just one single event, no, I believe that the devil is right now and you can see the evidence of this polluting the sanctuary of strength through laziness, complacency and all manner of weird issues that are out there, which is why the Bible says to forsake the assembling of yourselves together and even more so as you see the day approaching. So we're gonna stop it right there for tonight and let's bow our heads and have a word of prayer. Thank you so much, Lord, for your truth, for clearing these things up for us. I just pray you'd help us to remember these things, teach these things, to be a comfort to people. In Jesus' name I pray, amen. All right, amen, please grab your songbooks one more time this evening and turn to song 236. 236, no, not one.