I love Old Testament types and foreshadows of Christ in Scripture. Charles Spurgeon said, when he preached, he would read his text and make a bee-line to Christ. Just as all roads in England lead to London, all biblical roads lead to Christ, he proclaimed.
The tabernacle, God’s mobile worship center in Israel, was later replaced by a more permanent structure, the temple. Built by David’s son King Solomon in 960BC, the temple was a structure unlike anything else seen in its day — Its beauty exceeding anything built before it. But it’s outward beauty was no match for its symbolism. The riches that it took to build such a structure filled with gold and silver was nothing compared to the riches of of the one who it pointed to; the one who would come and say, “destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up again!”
Rose Publishing has put out a great resource on the OT Temple. This 12-page fold out pamphlet is beautifully done with both rich illustrations and content packed pages. Rose does more than just give raw historical data (which it does do and does it quite well) but goes further in explaining the significance behind the Temple and all of it’s features, furniture and priestly attendants. Here are some notable sections that I personally found helpful:
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Historical timeline from Tabernacle (1446 BC) to the last Temple (Herod’s in AD 64)
- Jesus in the Temple
- Fascinating facts about the Temple in Jesus’ Day
- “Then” and “Now” compare and contrast of the Temple with the ultimate fulfillment of the Temple in the man Christ Jesus.
I have yet to meet a Rose Publishing resource that I haven’t liked and used (see my other reviews). These high-gloss pamphlets are especially enjoyed by my children who love the pictures and drawings to go with the written content. And they are very affordable both online and in your local Christian bookstore. I was provided a free copy of this pamphlet from Rose Publishing for a free, unbiased, honest review.