Jehovah’s Great Spiritual Temple

“We have such a high priest as this, . . . a public servant of the holy place and of the true tent, which Jehovah put up, and not man.”—HEBREWS 8:1, 2.

1. What loving provision did God make for sinful mankind?

JEHOVAH GOD, out of his great love for mankind, provided a sacrifice to take away the sins of the world. (John 1:29; 3:16) It required transferring the life of his firstborn Son from heaven to the womb of a Jewish virgin named Mary. Jehovah’s angel clearly explained to Mary that the child she would conceive would “be called holy, God’s Son.” (Luke 1:34, 35) Joseph, who was engaged to Mary, was told about the miraculous nature of Jesus’ conception and learned that this one would “save his people from their sins.”—Matthew 1:20, 21.

2. What did Jesus do when he was about 30 years old, and why?

² As Jesus grew up, he must have grasped some of these facts about his miraculous birth. He knew that his heavenly Father had a lifesaving work for him to do on earth. So, as a full-grown man of about 30 years of age, Jesus came to God’s prophet John to get baptized in the Jordan River.—Mark 1:9; Luke 3:23.

3. (a) What did Jesus mean by the words, “Sacrifice and offering you did not want”? (b) What outstanding example did Jesus set for all who want to become his disciples?

³ Jesus was praying at the time of his baptism. (Luke 3:21) Evidently, from this point on in his life, he fulfilled the words of Psalm 40:6-8, as later indicated by the apostle Paul: “Sacrifice and offering you did not want, but you prepared a body for me.” (Hebrews 10:5) Thus Jesus showed his awareness that God “did not want” animal sacrifices to continue being offered at Jerusalem’s temple. Instead, he realized that God had prepared a perfect human body for him, Jesus, to offer as a sacrifice. This would remove any further need of animal sacrifices. Showing his heartfelt desire to submit to God’s will, Jesus continued praying: “Look! I am come (in the roll of the book it is written about me) to do your will, O God.” (Hebrews 10:7) What a magnificent example of courage and unselfish devotion Jesus set on that day for all who would later become his disciples!—Mark 8:34.

4. How did God show his approval of Jesus’ offering of himself?

⁴ Did God show approval of Jesus’ baptismal prayer? Let one of Jesus’ chosen apostles give us the answer: “After being baptized Jesus immediately came up from the water; and, look! the heavens were opened up, and he saw descending like a dove God’s spirit coming upon him. Look! Also, there was a voice from the heavens that said: ‘This is my Son, the beloved, whom I have approved.’”—Matthew 3:16, 17; Luke 3:21, 22.

5. What was pictured by the literal temple altar?

⁵ God’s acceptance of the presentation of Jesus’ body for sacrifice meant that, in a spiritual sense, an altar greater than that in Jerusalem’s temple had come to the fore. The literal altar where animals were presented for sacrifice foreshadowed that spiritual altar, which was in effect God’s “will” or arrangement for accepting Jesus’ human life as a sacrifice. (Hebrews 10:10) That is why the apostle Paul could write to fellow Christians: “We have an altar from which those who do sacred service at the tent [or, temple] have no authority to eat.” (Hebrews 13:10) In other words, true Christians benefit from a superior sin-atoning sacrifice, which most Jewish priests rejected.

6. (a) What came to the fore at the time of Jesus’ baptism? (b) What does the title Messiah, or Christ, mean?

⁶ The anointing of Jesus with holy spirit meant that God had now brought forth his entire spiritual temple arrangement, with Jesus serving as High Priest. (Acts 10:38; Hebrews 5:5) The disciple Luke was inspired to pinpoint the year of this momentous event as being “the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar.” (Luke 3:1-3) That corresponds to the year 29 C.E.—exactly 69 weeks of years, or 483 years, from the time that King Artaxerxes had given the command for Jerusalem’s walls to be rebuilt. (Nehemiah 2:1, 5-8) According to prophecy, “Messiah the Leader” would appear in that marked year. (Daniel 9:25) Many Jews were evidently aware of this. Luke reports that “the people were in expectation” about the appearance of the Messiah, or Christ, titles that come from Hebrew and Greek words that have the same meaning, “anointed one.”—Luke 3:15.

7. (a) When did God anoint “the Holy of Holies,” and what did this mean? (b) What else happened to Jesus at the time of his baptism?

⁷ At the time of Jesus’ baptism, God’s heavenly abode was anointed, or set apart, as “the Holy of Holies” in the great spiritual temple arrangement. (Daniel 9:24) “The true tent [or, temple], which Jehovah put up, and not man” had come into operation. (Hebrews 8:2) Also, through his baptism with water and holy spirit, the man Jesus Christ was born again as a spiritual Son of God. (Compare John 3:3.) This meant that God would in due course recall his Son to heavenly life, where he would serve at his Father’s right hand as King and High Priest “according to the manner of Melchizedek forever.”—Hebrews 6:20; Psalm 110:1, 4.

The Heavenly Most Holy

8. What new features had God’s throne in heaven now taken on?

⁸ On the day of Jesus’ baptism, God’s heavenly throne had taken on new features. The identification of a perfect human sacrifice to atone for the sins of the world emphasized God’s holiness in contrast with man’s sinfulness. God’s mercy was also highlighted in that he now showed his willingness to be appeased, or propitiated. Thus God’s throne in heaven had become like the innermost compartment of the temple, where the high priest entered once a year with animal blood to atone for sin in an illustrative way.

9. (a) What did the curtain between the Holy and the Most Holy picture? (b) How did Jesus enter in beyond the curtain of God’s spiritual temple?

⁹ The curtain that separated the Holy from the Most Holy pictured Jesus’ fleshly body. (Hebrews 10:19, 20) It was the barrier that kept Jesus from entering into his Father’s presence while he was a man on earth. (1 Corinthians 15:50) At the time of Jesus’ death, “the curtain of the sanctuary was rent in two, from top to bottom.” (Matthew 27:51) This dramatically indicated that the barrier preventing Jesus’ entry into heaven had now been removed. Three days later, Jehovah God performed an outstanding miracle. He raised Jesus from the dead, not as a mortal human of flesh and blood, but as a glorious spirit creature “continuing alive forever.” (Hebrews 7:24) Forty days later, Jesus ascended to heaven and entered the real “Holy of Holies,” “to appear before the person of God for us.”—Hebrews 9:24.

10. (a) What happened after Jesus presented the value of his sacrifice to his heavenly Father? (b) What did the anointing with holy spirit mean for Christ’s disciples?

¹⁰ Did God accept the value of Jesus’ shed blood as atonement for the sins of the world? Indeed he did. Proof of this came exactly 50 days after Jesus’ resurrection, on the festival day of Pentecost. God’s holy spirit was poured out upon 120 disciples of Jesus gathered together in Jerusalem. (Acts 2:1, 4, 33) Like their High Priest, Jesus Christ, they were now anointed to serve as “a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices” under God’s great spiritual temple arrangement. (1 Peter 2:5) Furthermore, these anointed ones constituted a new nation, God’s “holy nation” of spiritual Israel. Henceforth, all prophecies of good things about Israel, such as the “new covenant” promise recorded at Jeremiah 31:31, would apply to the anointed Christian congregation, the real “Israel of God.”—1 Peter 2:9; Galatians 6:16.

Other Features of God’s Spiritual Temple

11, 12. (a) What was pictured by the priestly courtyard in the case of Jesus, and what is it in the case of his anointed followers? (b) What does the water basin picture, and how is it being used?

¹¹ Although the Most Holy pictured “heaven itself,” where God is enthroned, all the other features of God’s spiritual temple relate to things on the earth. (Hebrews 9:24) In the temple in Jerusalem, there was an inner priestly courtyard containing an altar for sacrifice and a large basin of water, which the priests used to cleanse themselves before performing sacred service. What do these things picture in God’s spiritual temple arrangement?

¹² In the case of Jesus Christ, the inner priestly courtyard pictured his sinless condition as a perfect human Son of God. Through exercising faith in Jesus’ sacrifice, anointed followers of Christ are credited with righteousness. Thus, God can justly deal with them as if they were sinless. (Romans 5:1; 8:1, 33) Hence, this courtyard also pictures the imputed righteous human condition that individual members of the holy priesthood enjoy before God. At the same time, anointed Christians are still imperfect and subject to committing sin. The water basin in the courtyard pictures God’s Word, which the High Priest uses to cleanse the holy priesthood progressively. By submitting to this cleansing process, they have attained a splendid appearance that honors God and draws outsiders to his pure worship.—Ephesians 5:25, 26; compare Malachi 3:1-3.

The Holy

13, 14. (a) What does the Holy of the temple picture in the case of Jesus and his anointed followers? (b) What does the golden lampstand picture?

¹³ The first compartment of the temple pictures a condition superior to that of the courtyard. In the case of the perfect human Jesus Christ, it pictures his rebirth as a spiritual Son of God destined to return to heavenly life. After being declared righteous on the basis of their faith in Christ’s shed blood, these anointed followers also experience this special operation of God’s spirit. (Romans 8:14-17) Through “water [that is, their baptism] and spirit,” they are “born again” as spiritual sons of God. As such, they have the hope of being resurrected to heavenly life as spirit sons of God, provided they remain faithful till death.—John 3:5, 7; Revelation 2:10.

¹⁴ Priests who served inside the Holy of the earthly temple were unseen by worshipers on the outside. Likewise, anointed Christians experience a spiritual condition that is not shared or fully understood by the majority of worshipers of God, whose hope is to live forever on a paradise earth. The golden lampstand of the tabernacle pictures the enlightened condition of anointed Christians. The operation of God’s holy spirit, like the oil in the lamps, sheds light on the Bible. The understanding that Christians gain as a result, they do not keep to themselves. Rather, they obey Jesus, who said: “You are the light of the world. . . . Let your light shine before men, that they may see your fine works and give glory to your Father who is in the heavens.”—Matthew 5:14, 16.

15. What is pictured by the bread on the table of showbread?

¹⁵ To remain in this enlightened condition, anointed Christians must regularly feed upon what is pictured by the bread on the table of showbread. Their primary source of spiritual food is the Word of God, which they endeavor to read and meditate upon daily. Jesus also promised to provide them with “food at the proper time” through his “faithful and discreet slave.” (Matthew 24:45) This “slave” is the entire body of anointed Christians on earth at any particular time. Christ has used this anointed body to publish information on the fulfillment of Bible prophecies and to give timely direction on the application of Bible principles in modern daily life. Hence, anointed Christians appreciatively feed on all such spiritual provisions. But the sustenance of their spiritual lives depends on more than taking knowledge of God into their minds and hearts. Jesus said: “My food is for me to do the will of him that sent me and to finish his work.” (John 4:34) Likewise, anointed Christians experience satisfaction by daily applying themselves to doing God’s revealed will.

16. What is pictured by service at the altar of incense?

¹⁶ In the morning and in the evening, a priest offered incense to God upon the altar of incense in the Holy. At the same time, nonpriestly worshipers would pray to God while standing in the outer courtyards of his temple. (Luke 1:8-10) “The incense,” explains the Bible, “means the prayers of the holy ones.” (Revelation 5:8) “May my prayer be prepared as incense before you,” wrote the psalmist David. (Psalm 141:2) Anointed Christians also treasure their privilege of approaching Jehovah in prayer through Jesus Christ. Fervent prayers that flow from the heart are like sweet-smelling incense. Anointed Christians also praise God in other ways, using their lips to teach others. Their endurance in the face of hardships and their integrity under trial are especially pleasing to God.—1 Peter 2:20, 21.

17. What was involved in the fulfillment of the prophetic picture provided by the first entry of the high priest into the Most Holy on the Day of Atonement?

¹⁷ On the Day of Atonement, Israel’s high priest had to enter the Most Holy and burn incense on a golden censer containing fiery coals. This had to be done before he brought in the blood of sin offerings. In fulfillment of this prophetic picture, the man Jesus kept absolute integrity to Jehovah God before offering his life as the one lasting sacrifice for our sins. Thus he demonstrated that a perfect man could keep his integrity to God no matter what pressure Satan brought upon him. (Proverbs 27:11) When put to the test, Jesus made use of prayer “with strong outcries and tears, and he was favorably heard for his godly fear.” (Hebrews 5:7) In this way he glorified Jehovah as the righteous and rightful Sovereign of the universe. God rewarded Jesus by resurrecting him from the dead to immortal heavenly life. In this lofty position, Jesus gives attention to the secondary reason for his coming to earth, namely, to reconcile repentant human sinners with God.—Hebrews 4:14-16.

The Greater Glory of God’s Spiritual Temple

18. How has Jehovah brought outstanding glory to his spiritual temple?

¹⁸ “Greater will the glory of this later house become than that of the former,” Jehovah foretold. (Haggai 2:9) By resurrecting Jesus as an immortal King and High Priest, Jehovah brought outstanding glory to his spiritual temple. Jesus is now in a position to bring “everlasting salvation to all those obeying him.” (Hebrews 5:9) The first to show such obedience were the 120 disciples who received holy spirit at Pentecost in 33 C.E. The book of Revelation foretold that these spiritual sons of Israel would finally number 144,000. (Revelation 7:4) Upon death, many of them had to lie unconscious in the common grave of mankind, awaiting the time of Jesus’ presence in kingly power. The prophetic chronology contained at Daniel 4:10-17, 20-27 points to 1914 as the time for Jesus to begin ruling in the midst of his enemies. (Psalm 110:2) For decades in advance, anointed Christians keenly awaited that year. The first world war and accompanying woes on mankind furnished proof that Jesus was indeed enthroned as King in 1914. (Matthew 24:3, 7, 8) Shortly thereafter, the time having arrived for “judgment to start with the house of God,” Jesus would fulfill the promise to his anointed disciples who had fallen asleep in death: “I am coming again and will receive you home to myself.”—1 Peter 4:17; John 14:3.

19. How will the remnant of the 144,000 gain access to the heavenly Most Holy?

¹⁹ The 144,000 members of the holy priesthood have not all been finally sealed and gathered to their heavenly home. A remnant of them still live on earth in the spiritual condition pictured by the Holy, separated from God’s holy presence by the “curtain,” or barrier, of their fleshly bodies. As these ones die in faithfulness, they are instantaneously resurrected as immortal spirit creatures to join those of the 144,000 already in heaven.—1 Corinthians 15:51-53.

20. What vital work are the remaining ones of the holy priesthood performing at this time, and with what results?

²⁰ With so many priests serving along with the great High Priest in heaven, God’s spiritual temple has received added glory. Meanwhile, the remaining ones of the holy priesthood are performing a valuable work on earth. Through their preaching, God is ‘rocking all the nations’ with expressions of his judgment, as foretold at Haggai 2:7. At the same time, millions of worshipers described as “the desirable things of all the nations” are flocking into the earthly courtyards of Jehovah’s temple. How do these ones fit into God’s arrangement for worship, and what future glory can we expect for his great spiritual temple? These questions will be examined in the next article.

The Triumph of True Worship Draws Near

“Jehovah must become king over all the earth.”—ZECHARIAH 14:9.

1. What was the experience of anointed Christians during World War I, and how was this foretold?

DURING the first world war, anointed Christians suffered many hardships and imprisonments at the hands of the warring nations. Their sacrifices of praise to Jehovah were severely restricted, and they fell into a spiritually captive state. All of this was foretold at Zechariah 14:2, which describes an international attack on Jerusalem. The city of this prophecy is “heavenly Jerusalem,” God’s heavenly Kingdom and the location of “the throne of God and of the Lamb.” (Hebrews 12:22, 28; 13:14; Revelation 22:3) God’s anointed ones on earth represented that city. The faithful ones among them survived the attack, refusing to allow themselves to be exiled “from the city.”a

2, 3. (a) How has the worship of Jehovah triumphed since 1919? (b) Since 1935, what development has taken place?

² In 1919 faithful anointed ones were set free from their captive condition, and they immediately made use of the period of peace that followed the war. As ambassadors of heavenly Jerusalem, they seized the grand opportunity to preach the good news of God’s Kingdom and to assist in gathering the final members of the 144,000. (Matthew 24:14; 2 Corinthians 5:20) In 1931 they adopted the fitting Scriptural name Jehovah’s Witnesses.—Isaiah 43:10, 12.

³ Since then, God’s anointed Witnesses have never looked back. Not even Hitler with his Nazi war machine could silence them. In spite of worldwide persecution, their work has borne fruit in all the earth. Particularly from the year 1935, they have been joined by the international “great crowd,” foretold in the book of Revelation. These too are dedicated, baptized Christians and have “washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb,” Jesus Christ. (Revelation 7:9, 14) However, they are not anointed ones, with the hope of heavenly life. Their hope is to inherit what Adam and Eve lost, namely, perfect human life on a paradise earth. (Psalm 37:29; Matthew 25:34) Today, the great crowd numbers more than five million souls. The true worship of Jehovah is triumphing, but its final triumph is yet to come.

Foreigners in God’s Spiritual Temple

4, 5. (a) Where do the great crowd worship Jehovah? (b) What privileges do they enjoy, and in fulfillment of what prophecy?

⁴ As foretold, the great crowd “are worshiping [God] day and night in his temple.” (Revelation 7:15, footnote) Since they are not spiritual, priestly Israelites, John likely saw them standing in the temple in the outer courtyard of the Gentiles. (1 Peter 2:5) How glorious Jehovah’s spiritual temple has become, its precincts being filled with this large throng who, along with the remnant of spiritual Israel, are praising him!

⁵ The great crowd do not serve God in the condition pictured by the inner priestly courtyard. They are not declared righteous for the purpose of being God’s adopted, spiritual sons. (Romans 8:1, 15) Nevertheless, by exercising faith in Jesus’ ransom, they have a clean standing before Jehovah. They are declared righteous with the purpose of being his friends. (Compare James 2:21, 23.) They too are privileged to present acceptable sacrifices upon God’s spiritual altar. Thus, in this large crowd, the prophecy of Isaiah 56:6, 7 is undergoing a glorious fulfillment: “The foreigners that have joined themselves to Jehovah to minister to him and to love the name of Jehovah, . . . I will also bring them to my holy mountain and make them rejoice inside my house of prayer. Their whole burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be for acceptance upon my altar. For my own house will be called even a house of prayer for all the peoples.”

6. (a) What kind of sacrifices do the foreigners offer? (b) Of what does the container of water in the priestly courtyard remind them?

⁶ Among the sacrifices that these foreigners offer are “the fruit of lips [like finely prepared grain offerings] which make public declaration to [God’s] name” and “the doing of good and the sharing of things with others.” (Hebrews 13:15, 16) The large container of water that the priests had to use to wash themselves is also an important reminder to these foreigners. They too must submit to spiritual and moral cleansing as God’s Word is made progressively clearer to them.

The Holy and Its Furnishings

7. (a) How do the great crowd view the privileges of the holy priesthood? (b) What additional privileges have some foreigners received?

⁷ Do the Holy and its furnishings have any meaning for this great crowd of foreigners? Well, they will never be in the condition pictured by the Holy. They are not born again as spiritual sons of God with heavenly citizenship. Does this make them feel envious or covetous? No. Rather, they rejoice in their privilege of supporting the remnant of the 144,000, and they show deep appreciation for God’s purpose in adopting these spiritual sons, who will share with Christ in uplifting mankind to perfection. Also, the great crowd of foreigners cherish God’s great undeserved kindness in granting them an earthly hope of everlasting life in Paradise. Some of these foreigners, like the Nethinim of old, have been given privileges of oversight in assisting the holy priesthood.b (Isaiah 61:5) From among these Jesus appoints “princes in all the earth.”—Psalm 45:16.

8, 9. What benefit do the great crowd derive from considering the furnishings of the Holy?

⁸ While they will never enter the antitypical Holy, the great crowd of foreigners learn valuable lessons from its furnishings. Just as the lampstand needed a constant supply of oil, so the foreigners need holy spirit to help them grasp progressive truths from God’s Word, channeled through “the faithful and discreet slave.” (Matthew 24:45-47) Further, God’s spirit helps them to respond to this invitation: “The spirit and the bride [the anointed remnant] keep on saying: ‘Come!’ And let anyone hearing say: ‘Come!’ And let anyone thirsting come; let anyone that wishes take life’s water free.” (Revelation 22:17) Thus, the lampstand is a reminder to the great crowd of their obligation to shine as Christians and to avoid anything in attitude, thought, word, or deed that would grieve God’s holy spirit.—Ephesians 4:30.

⁹ The table of showbread reminds the great crowd that to remain spiritually healthy, they must regularly partake of spiritual food from the Bible and from publications of “the faithful and discreet slave.” (Matthew 4:4) The altar of incense reminds them of the importance of earnestly praying to Jehovah for help so as to keep their integrity. (Luke 21:36) Their prayers should include heartfelt expressions of praise and thanksgiving. (Psalm 106:1) The incense altar also reminds them of the need to praise God in other ways, such as through their wholehearted singing of Kingdom songs at Christian meetings and by their preparing well to make effective “public declaration for salvation.”—Romans 10:10.

The Complete Triumph of True Worship

10. (a) To what grand prospect can we look forward? (b) What development must take place first?

¹⁰ Today “many peoples” out of all nations are streaming to Jehovah’s house of worship. (Isaiah 2:2, 3) Confirming this, Revelation 15:4 states: “Who will not really fear you, Jehovah, and glorify your name, because you alone are loyal? For all the nations will come and worship before you, because your righteous decrees have been made manifest.” Zechariah chapter 14 describes what follows. In the near future, the bad attitude of the majority of the people on earth will reach a climax as they gather for the last time to wage war against Jerusalem—the representatives on earth of the heavenly Jerusalem. Then Jehovah will act. As a Warrior-God, he “will certainly go forth and war against those nations” who dare to make this attack.—Zechariah 14:2, 3.

11, 12. (a) How will Jehovah respond to the coming global attack upon worshipers in his temple? (b) What will be the result of God’s war?

¹¹ “This is what will prove to be the scourge with which Jehovah will scourge all the peoples that will actually do military service against Jerusalem: There will be a rotting away of one’s flesh, while one is standing upon one’s feet; and one’s very eyes will rot away in their sockets, and one’s very tongue will rot away in one’s mouth. And it must occur in that day that confusion from Jehovah will become widespread among them; and they will actually grab hold, each one of the hand of his companion, and his hand will actually come up against the hand of his companion.”—Zechariah 14:12, 13.

¹² Whether this scourge is literal or figurative, we will have to wait and see. However, one thing is certain. While God’s enemies are moving to make their global attack on Jehovah’s servants, they will be stopped by awesome demonstrations of God’s almighty power. Their mouths will be silenced. It will be as if their tongues of defiance had rotted away. Their united goal will become blurred to their vision, as if their eyes had rotted away. Their physical powers, which emboldened them to make the attack, will waste away. In confusion, they will turn upon one another with a great slaughter. Thus all the earthly enemies of God’s worship will be wiped out. At last, all nations will have been forced to recognize Jehovah’s universal sovereignty. The prophecy will be fulfilled: “Jehovah must become king over all the earth.” (Zechariah 14:9) Thereafter, Satan and his demons will be bound as the Thousand Year Reign of Christ commences with great blessings in store for mankind.—Revelation 20:1, 2; 21:3, 4.

The Earthly Resurrection

13. Who are the ones “left remaining out of all the nations”?

¹³ Zechariah’s prophecy continues at Zec chapter 14, verse 16: “It must occur that, as regards everyone who is left remaining out of all the nations that are coming against Jerusalem, they must also go up from year to year to bow down to the King, Jehovah of armies, and to celebrate the festival of the booths.” According to the Bible, all people alive today who continue living to the end of this wicked system and who are judged to be enemies of true worship will undergo the “judicial punishment of everlasting destruction.” (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9; see also Matthew 25:31-33, 46.) They will not have a resurrection. Likely, then, the ones “left remaining” include the members of the nations who died before God’s final war and for whom there is a Bible-based hope of a resurrection. “The hour is coming,” Jesus promised, “in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who did good things to a resurrection of life, those who practiced vile things to a resurrection of judgment.”—John 5:28, 29.

14. (a) What must resurrected ones do to gain everlasting life? (b) What will happen to any who refuse to dedicate themselves to Jehovah and practice true worship?

¹⁴ All these resurrected ones must do something in order for their resurrection to turn out to be one of life and not one of adverse judgment. They must come to the earthly courtyards of Jehovah’s temple and bow down in dedication to God through Jesus Christ. Any resurrected ones who refuse to do this will suffer the same scourge that befalls the present-day nations. (Zechariah 14:18) Who knows how many resurrected ones will gladly join the great crowd in celebrating the antitypical Festival of Booths? Doubtless, there will be many, and Jehovah’s great spiritual temple will become even more glorious as a result!

The Antitypical Festival of Booths

15. (a) What were some outstanding features of the ancient Israelite Festival of Booths? (b) Why were 70 bulls offered during the festival?

¹⁵ Each year, ancient Israel was required to celebrate the Festival of Booths. It lasted for one week and came at the conclusion of the gathering in of their harvest. It was a joyful time of thanksgiving. For the duration of the week, they had to live in temporary shelters covered with the leaves of trees, especially palm branches. This festival reminded Israel of how God had saved their forefathers out of Egypt and how he cared for them as they dwelt in booths while moving about for 40 years in the wilderness until they reached the Promised Land. (Leviticus 23:39-43) During the festival, 70 bulls were sacrificed upon the temple altar. Evidently, this feature of the festival was prophetic of the perfect and complete lifesaving work performed by Jesus Christ. The benefits of his ransom sacrifice will eventually flow to countless descendants of the 70 families of mankind that descended from Noah.—Genesis 10:1-29; Numbers 29:12-34; Matthew 20:28.

16, 17. (a) When did the antitypical Festival of Booths commence, and how did it proceed? (b) How do the great crowd share in the celebration?

¹⁶ Thus the ancient Festival of Booths pointed to the joyful ingathering of redeemed sinners into Jehovah’s great spiritual temple. The antitype of this festival started at Pentecost in 33 C.E. with the commencement of the joyful ingathering of spiritual Israelites into the Christian congregation. (Acts 2:41, 46, 47) These anointed ones appreciated that they were “temporary residents” in Satan’s world because their real “citizenship exists in the heavens.” (1 Peter 2:11; Philippians 3:20) The joyful festival was temporarily eclipsed by the apostasy that resulted in the formation of Christendom. (2 Thessalonians 2:1-3) However, the festival was resumed in 1919 with the joyful ingathering of the final members of the 144,000 spiritual Israelites, followed by that of the international great crowd of Revelation 7:9.

¹⁷ The great crowd are depicted as having palm branches in their hands, which shows that they too are joyful celebrators of the antitypical Festival of Booths. As dedicated Christians, they joyfully share in the work of gathering more worshipers into Jehovah’s temple. Furthermore, as sinners, they appreciate that they do not have permanent dwelling rights on earth. They, along with future resurrected ones, must keep exercising faith in Christ’s ransom sacrifice until they reach human perfection at the end of the Thousand Year Reign of Christ.—Revelation 20:5.

18. (a) What will happen at the end of the Thousand Year Reign of Jesus Christ? (b) How will the true worship of Jehovah finally triumph?

¹⁸ Then, God’s worshipers on earth will stand before him in human perfection without the need of a heavenly priesthood. The time will have come when Jesus Christ “hands over the kingdom to his God and Father.” (1 Corinthians 15:24) Satan will be let loose “for a little while” to test perfected humanity. Any unfaithful ones will be destroyed forever, along with Satan and his demons. Those who remain faithful will be granted everlasting life. They will become permanent dwellers in the earthly Paradise. Thus the antitypical Festival of Booths will have come to a glorious, successful conclusion. True worship will have triumphed to Jehovah’s everlasting glory and mankind’s eternal happiness.—Revelation 20:3, 7-10, 14, 15.