Compare the temple's "entrances" to Jesus as the "door" in John 10:9. Temple Entrances in Scripture • Exodus 27:16 describes one gate into the tabernacle court—always on the east, 30 feet wide, covered in blue, purple, scarlet, and fine linen. • Solomon’s temple retained a single eastern entry into the outer court (1 Kings 6:33-35). • Ezekiel’s visionary temple keeps the same pattern: only the east gate is opened for the LORD’s glory to enter (Ezekiel 43:1-4). • Behind the first entrance stood successive barriers—inner court gates, the door of the Holy Place, and finally the veil before the Most Holy Place (Exodus 26:33). – Every doorway limited access, protecting the holiness within. – Only priests—or, for the Holy of Holies, the high priest once a year—could pass the later doors (Leviticus 16:2, 29-34). Why a Single Way Mattered • One entrance proclaimed there is only one God and one approved path to Him. • The colors and embroidered cherubim on the gate and veil preached holiness and substitutionary sacrifice (Exodus 26:31-34). • Each doorway moved worshipers from common ground to progressively greater sanctity, warning that sin bars casual access. Jesus’ Claim: “I Am the Door” John 10:9: “I am the door. If anyone enters through Me, he will be saved. He will come in and go out and find pasture.” • By calling Himself “the door,” Jesus identifies as the only lawful point of entry to God’s presence—mirroring the temple’s single gate. • “Saved” echoes the protection temple walls offered from uncleanness and judgment. • “Come in and go out and find pasture” expands the temple image: through Christ the believer enjoys continual fellowship, security, and provision (Psalm 23:2; Hebrews 10:19-22). Point-by-Point Comparison • Number of Doors – Temple: one main gate for worshipers. – Christ: one Mediator, the exclusive entrance (John 14:6; Acts 4:12). • Qualified Access – Temple: only covenant people could approach; deeper doors limited even them. – Christ: “anyone” (Jew or Gentile) may enter by faith, yet only through Him. • Sacrificial Basis – Temple: blood sacrifices at the bronze altar stood just inside the gate (Leviticus 1:3-5). – Christ: offers His own blood, opening the way once for all (Hebrews 9:11-12). • Holiness Secured – Temple: multiple doors/veils shielded the holy presence. – Christ: tears the veil at His death (Matthew 27:51), granting direct access while still upholding God’s holiness in His atonement. • Ongoing Fellowship – Temple: worshipers left after sacrifice; only priests served inside daily. – Christ: believers “come in and go out,” living daily life in His presence (Colossians 3:3-4). Takeaways for Today • Scripture’s temple architecture was no accident; it foreshadowed the one, open-yet-exclusive Door God would provide in His Son. • Religious systems that offer alternate entrances contradict both the temple pattern and Jesus’ own words. • Because the Door is living and personal, those who enter receive not just access but abundant life—security within and pasture without. • With the veil gone, every believer is invited to “draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith” (Hebrews 10:22). |
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