Mark 11:15-18 The Temple and Sacrifice

¹⁵And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves; ¹⁶And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple.¹⁷And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves. ¹⁸And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him: for they feared him, because all the people was astonished at his doctrine. -Mark 11:15-18 Bible, King James Version

I would like to address two issues raised by this incident in the Temple. The first is the sacrifice of animals for the forgiveness of sins. The second is the significance of temples.

The Sacrifice of Animals

The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ by Levi H. Dowling

CHAPTER 13.

³Now in the hills were many caves. The cave of David was a-near in which the Hermit of En­gedi lived. ⁴This hermit was Matheno, priest of Egypt, master from the temple of Sakara. ⁵When John [the Baptist] was seven years of age Matheno took him to the wil­derness and in the cave of David they abode. ⁶Matheno taught, and John was thrilled with what the master said, and day by day Matheno opened up to him the mysteries of life. ⁷John loved the wilderness; he loved his master and his simple fare. Their food was fruits, and nuts, wild honey and the carob bread. ⁸Matheno was an Israelite, and he attended all the Jewish feasts. ⁹When John was nine years old Matheno took him to a great feast in Jerusalem. ¹⁰The wicked Archelaus had been deposed and exiled to a distant land because of selfishness and cru­elty, and John was not afraid. ¹¹John was delighted with his visit to Jerusalem. Matheno told him all about the service of the Jews; the meaning of their sacrifices and their rites. ¹²John could not understand how sin could be forgiven by killing animals and birds and burning them before the Lord. ¹³Matheno said, The God of heaven and earth does not require sacrifice. This custom with its cruel rites was borrowed from the idol worshippers of other lands. ¹⁴No sin was ever blotted out by sacrifice of animal, of bird, or man. ¹⁵Sin is the rushing forth of man into the fens of wickedness. If one would get away from sin he must retrace his steps, and find his way out of the fens of wickedness. ¹⁶Return and purify your hearts by love and righteousness and you shall be forgiven.

Significance of Temples

 

            Egyptian Hall By Curious Expeditions

The amazingly lavish Masonic Temple in Philadelphia, PA, erected in 1873

In his book The Hidden Life in Freemasonry C. W. Leadbeater reveals concerning the Masonic Temples: In Egypt… [six thousand years ago p10] there was a Grand Lodge… of which the Grand Master was the Pharoah… (p28-29) Moses, of whom it was said in the biblical story that he was “learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians.” He passed on his knowledge (of the Mystery teaching of Egypt) to the Jewish priestly line, and thus it survived in a more or less defective form till the time of David and Solomon. When Solomon built his temple he erected it on Masonic lines, and made it a centre of Masonic symbolism and Work. …King Solomon… judaized the entire ritual, substituting Hebrew words for the original Egyptian, though in some cases at least preserving the original meaning…(p35-36) Much of the ancient wisdom has been allowed to slip into oblivion, and so some of the true secrets were lost to the great body of the [Masonic] Brn. [Brethren] But among the Hierophants [or wise Master teachers] of the Great White Brotherhood the true secrets have ever been preserved and they will always reward the search of the really earnest Mason. (p38)

       Salt Lake Temple Terrestrial Room

The Terrestrial Room represents the Terrestrial Kingdom, the 2nd degree of glory, also called the glory of the moon.

In the Mormon Temples members receive their Endowment, the purpose for which is explained by the prophet Brigham Young: Your endowment is, to receive all those ordinances in the House of the Lord, which are necessary for you, after you have departed this life, to enable you to walk back to the presence of the Father, passing the angels who stand as sentinels, being enabled to give them the key words, the signs and tokens, pertaining to the Holy Priesthood, and gain your eternal exaltation in spite of earth and hell. (Journal of Discourses Vol. 2:31) The Mormon Church teaches there are three kingdoms of heaven; the Telestial, the Terrestrial and the Celestial. Within the highest of these three heavens, the Celestial, they believe are three degrees of glory. These kingdoms of heaven are symbolically passed through in the Endowment room or rooms. Before passing through the veil into the Celestial room the Temple patrons must first give the right key words and the right answers to questions from behind the veil as well as signs and tokens. As these patrons enter into the Endowment room they receive a secret key word. This unfortunately is only a symbolic Name, or Word of Divine Power, just as the veil is symbolic of the division between the inner and outer worlds and the Celestial Room symbolizes the Celestial Kingdom of Heaven.

Salt Lake Temple Celestial Room

The Celestial Room of the temple represents The Celestial Kingdom, the highest of all the glories, also called the glory of the sun.

In the Books of the Saviour Jesus teaches His disciples how to avoid having to give any answers or tokens and yet still pass through all these veils of the lower regions to the higher kingdom of heaven where Jesus resides by knowing and using a particular one and only Word:

CHAPTER 96

"...The mystery of the Ineffable [or Indescribable] is the mystery which is in all these of whom I have spoken unto you... And it is the one only mystery of the Ineffable... |226. ...And that mystery of the Ineffable is moreover also a one and only word, which existeth in the speech of the Ineffable, and it is the economy of the solution of all the words which I have spoken unto you... He |227. then, who shall receive the one and only word of that mystery, which I have told you, if he cometh forth out of the body... and if the retributive receivers come and... free the soul which hath received this one and only mystery of the Ineffable, which I have just told you, then will it straightway, if it be set free from the body of matter, become a great light-stream in the midst of those receivers, and the receivers will be exceedingly afraid of the light of that soul, and the receivers will be made powerless and fall down and desist altogether for fear of the great light which they have seen. And the soul which receiveth the mystery of the Ineffable, will soar into the height, being a great light-stream, and the receivers will not be able to seize it and will not know how the way is fashioned upon which it will go. For it becometh a great light-stream and soareth into the height, and no power is able to hold it down at all, nor |228. will they be able to come nigh it at all. But it will pass through all the regions of the rulers and all the regions of the emanations of the Light, and it will not give answers in any region... nor giveth it any tokens; neither will any power of the rulers nor any power of the emanations of the Light be able to come nigh that soul. But all the regions of the rulers and all the regions of the emanations of the Light, -every one singeth unto it praises in their regions, in fear of the light of the stream which envelopeth that soul, until it passeth through them all, and goeth to the region of the inheritance of the mystery which it hath received, -that is to the mystery of the One and Only, the Ineffable... Amēn, I say unto you: It will be in all the regions in the time a man shooteth an arrow. Now, therefore, amēn, I say unto you: Every man who will receive that mystery of the Ineffable... -he is a man in the world, but he towereth above all angels... |230. "...He is a man in the world, but he will rule with me in my kingdom. He is a man in the world, but he is king in the Light. He is a man in the world, but he is not one of the world...

CHAPTER 97

...And Mary answered again and said unto the Saviour: "My Lord, bear with me, if I question thee, and be not wroth with me. Now, therefore, my Lord, unless we live and know the gnosis [or knowledge] of the whole word of the Ineffable, shall we not be able to inherit the Light-kingdom?" And the Saviour answered |233. and said unto Mary: "Surely; for every one who shall receive a mystery of the Light-kingdom, will go and inherit up to the region up to which he hath received mysteries. But he will not know the gnosis of the universe... unless he knoweth the one and only word of the Ineffable, which is the gnosis of the universe... But all the men who shall receive mysteries in the Light, -every one will go and inherit up to the region up to which he hath received mysteries. On this account I have said unto you aforetime: 'He who hath faith in a prophet, will receive a prophet's reward, and he who hath faith in a righteous [man] will receive a righteous [man's] reward,' -that is: Every one will go to the region up to which he hath received mysteries. He who receiveth a lesser mystery, will inherit the lesser mystery, and he who receiveth a higher mystery, will inherit the higher regions. And every one will abide in his region in the light of my kingdom, and every one will have power over the orders which are below him, but he will not have the power to go to the orders which are above him; but he will abide in the region of the Inheritance of the Light 234. of my kingdom, being in a great light immeasurable for the gods and all the invisibles, and he will be in great joy and great jubilation." (Pistis Sophia translated by G. S. R. Mead)

Joseph Smith, the Founder of the Mormon Church, was apparently a Mason so it is little wonder that there are similarities between the Mormon Temple and the Masonic Temples. The 33rd Degree Mason C. W. Leadbeater teaches: In the Royal Arch [the Holy Royal Arch of Jerusalem, a continuation of the M. M. Degree or 3rd Degree] he passes beyond the substituted secrets and learns the genuine Word. …For the true Word is the Name of God. (p277-278) The Degree of the H.R.A. [Holy Royal Arch] leads the neophyte a step further in his quest. …His vision must be so purified that He can behold His presence with eyes unveiled. This attainment of true spiritual vision is symbolized by the Passing of the Four Veils on the road to the Heavenly City, the Sanctuary of Light and Peace; for the Veils represent those limitations of consciousness which blind his vision of the Truth. (p286-287) (The Hidden Life in Freemasonry by C. W. Leadbeater)