For if He were on earth, He would not be a priest, since there are priests who offer the gifts according to the law; who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For He said, “See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.” - Hebrews 8:4-5
Hebrews 8:5 explains that the earthly tabernacle (of Moses and David) and temples (Solomon’s, Zerubbabel’s, and Herod's) were representations of an ultimate place in Heaven which is called the "temple of the tabernacle of the testimony" in Revelation 15:5. This is the place of God’s throne, where the triune Lord dwells in fullness and rules all of creation. This is the place of the fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16:11). Many wonderful details of this most glorious place are placed throughout the Bible, and it is an exciting and worthwhile journey to seek and find them. I recommend starting with Isaiah 6, Daniel 7, Ezekiel 1 & 10, and Revelation 4!
One really cool aspect of the Heavenly Temple is that we can learn so much about who God is from what He places around Himself. I mean, God is all-powerful and could have put anything around His throne, right? So why did He choose what is there? This is another awesome Bible study that will help us grow in knowledge of and love for God.
And behold God’s artistry in the architectural designs He gave for the earthly tabernacle and temple. As Hebrews 8:4-5 states, He directed them to be earthly copies and shadows of the Heavenly ultimate, so that even while humanity was separated from Him by our sin, we could have a glimpse and sense of Heaven…and through longing be drawn to our Savior.
In the upcoming Revelation of John set, we are super excited to introduce the Heavenly Temple, along with Heavenly Temple artifacts and various beings which God has placed near His throne!
As we unveil these new cards, we will connect them to their earthly equivalents. Notice that the special abilities of many of the Heavenly Temple-related cards connect to the special abilities of their corresponding “earthly copy” Redemption card (if there is one). And one cool thing to point out: there is one overlapping card, something found present in both the earthly tabernacle/temple and the Heavenly Temple! Can you guess what it is before seeing it below?
| Earthly Copy/Shadow | Earthly Copy Card | Heavenly Ultimate | Heavenly Ultimate Card (in RoJ) |
|---|---|---|---|
| The tabernacle of Moses The tabernacle of David Solomon's Temple Zerubabbel's Temple Herod's Temple | The Tabernacle Solomon's Temple Zerubabbel's Temple Herod's Temple | The temple of the tabernacle of the testimony (the Heavenly Temple) | Heavenly Temple |
| Book of the Law Book of the Covenant Tables of the Law | Book of the Law Book of the Covenant Tables of the Law | The Book of Life | The Book of Life |
| Altar of Incense Golden Altar (number 4:11) | Altar of Incense | The Golden Altar | The Golden Altar |
| The censers of pure gold (I Kings 7:50) and the golden censer (Hebrews 9:4) | None | The Golden Censer (Revelation 8:3-5) | Golden Censer |
| The golden lampstand with seven branches continually lit | Lampstand of the Sanctuary | The seven lamps of fire burning before God's throne (Revelation 4:5) | Seven Lamps of Fire |
| Ark of the Covenant | Ark of the Covenant | Ark of the Covenant | Ark of the Covenant |
| The mercy seat on the ark of the covenant in the holy of holies. | Holy of Holies | God's throne | The Great White Throne |
| The laver of bronze, the sea of bronze and the bronze sea | The Bronze Laver | The sea of glass like crystal (Revelation 4:6) The sea of glass mingled with fire (Revelation 15:2) Sapphire pavement (Exodus 24:10) The crystal firmament (Ezekiel 1:22) | The Sea of Glass |
| Worshipers including singers and musicians alternating in shifts 24 hours a day in the tabernacle and temple courts | Various musicians such as Asaph and people such as Hannah | The twenty-four elders and all the redeemed from every nation who worship God forever with the angels | The Twenty-Four Elders, Every Tribe and Great Multitude |
| The golden cherubim on the ark of the covenant and in the Temple | Golden Cherubim | the four living beings (from Ezekiel 1 & 10 - which are cherubim), the four living creatures (from Revelation 4, which are seraphim like Isaiah saw in Isaiah 6) | The Four Living Creatures |
| The priests and levites who were set apart for service in the tabernacle and the temple | Various priests and levites | The redeemed and angels all of whom serve the Lord in Heaven | Priests of Christ and many angels, some of which have been previewed and more to come! |
These powerful new cards are going to be a lot of fun to play! An active Heavenly Temple will make Revelation offenses a force to be reckoned with, and the Heavenly Temple artifacts are themselves versatile enough to be splashed into many different decks to greatly bolster them. Various specific themes are boosted by the new characters, too, such as musicians by The Twenty-Four Elders and The Four Living Creatures, priests by Every Tribe and Priests of Christ, and royalty by Every Tribe.
These are not all, though - stay tuned for more awesome cards to be revealed soon! The Revelation of John set is a special one…my prayer is that it reflects what is going on in Heaven and inspires us to worship the Lord!
To buy singles, sealed product, and other gaming supplies mentioned, please visit Three Lions Gaming!