The second chapter of John tells us about the first Passover in Jesus’ ministry. It was a Passover of judgment and of miracles; and as such it applies also to the time in which we are living. The Lord is revealing to His people that there will be exploits and judgments visited upon the earth, and this is the time of believing for them to come to pass.
As we pray and prophesy, binding things over to the will of God, He is reversing situations where our country is being exploited. The Lord’s hand is upon us. Instead of a recession in employment being an experience of the Body, it is just the opposite, exactly as we prophesied. A smaller percentage of our people are unemployed now than in the days when we were supposed to be enjoying prosperity. The Lord is truly opening a door for His people. As far as their giving is concerned, you would think there was no recession at all. It is not a time to be fearful and to draw back into a recession; for this hour we were raised up. If anything, this is the time that we have to move ahead in whatever God sets before us. We are doing exactly that, and we are praying and believing for one another. And that is the way it should be.
What we are facing at this time is very similar to the situation at the very first Passover in Jesus’ ministry. The first portion of the second chapter of John tells about the miracle of turning water into wine at the wedding at Cana of Galilee. When His mother told Jesus that they had no wine, He answered, “Woman, what have I to do with you? My hour has not yet come.” Christ was well aware that His ministry was to follow a timetable. According to the chronology of His life, He started His ministry about four months later. Both at the beginning of His ministry and during the last week of His ministry, He cleansed the temple.
Caiaphas, the high priest, and his entire family became immensely wealthy through the various concessions that they had in the temple. Herod’s temple was a fabulous structure of gold and white marble. It covered a large area, about four city blocks. Surrounding it on all sides were dazzling columns, forty feet high, each of which was a solid piece of white marble. This temple was forty-six years in construction, and it was destroyed at the fall of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. under the assault of Titus of Rome. Troughs, filled with highly flammable pitch, had been built into its structure. When the Jews saw that Jerusalem would fall, they threw torches into the pitch and created a blazing inferno, rather than to see the temple defiled. When Titus saw the molten gold covering the stones, he gave orders that the stones should be pried apart and the gold salvaged for the coffers of Rome. Thus was fulfilled the prophecy of Jesus, “Not one stone shall be left upon another” (Matthew 24:2). In an amazing way He foresaw and prophesied what would take place.
On the east side of the temple, and extending its full length, was Solomon’s porch. It was about one thousand feet in length, and would have reminded us of a county fair. In it were cattle and various concessions. Here the money-changers had their business set up. People had to change their money into regular temple currency, which was the only valid money that could be used to buy the various animals and other sacrifices. Of course, no one would want to lead an animal through the streets of Jerusalem, advertising the fact that he had been committing adultery and was coming to repent of it. Instead, he would slip in the back way and give the priest some money for an animal. The priest would then kill the animal, and the sinner could go out feeling that he was clear and free. The priests were violating the old system that Moses had given them, involving repentance and sacrifice which would bring a release from sin.
And the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And He found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the moneychangers seated. And He made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the moneychangers, and overturned their tables; and to those who were selling the doves He said, “Take these things away; stop making My Father’s house a house of merchandise.” John 2:13–16.
Here the emphasis was on driving out the cattle and all the other animals. He said they were making the temple a house of merchandise. The cleansing of the temple that occurred at the end of His ministry is described in Matthew 21, Mark 11, and Luke 19. Then He concentrated on the money-changers and said, “You have made My house a den of robbers.” Of course, touching the pocketbooks of the powers in the religious system is the quickest way to get crucified.
God is troubling the denominational world and dealing with everything that has made a racket out of religion, from the lowliest church right up to the Vatican. The largest corporation in the world is the Vatican. Do you have any concept of how much of your world is controlled by Roman Catholic domination, how many major oil companies and other corporations are owned by the Jesuits? Many of the largest corporations today are found not only under Roman Catholic control; they are found also in the other denominations. Although the high priest and his family were very wealthy, they were penny-ante operators compared to what exists in organized religion today. Reports have been published of ten major denominations that have invested in munition and war products. They have their peace marches, and at the same time they are making money for their churches by investing in companies that make arms and ammunition. It is a very lucrative business. We ought to start believing God that He will purge and cleanse His temple again. There is a need to see this happen.
There is an interesting sidelight in the account of the second cleansing of the temple in Mark 11:16: And He would not permit anyone to carry a vessel through the temple. Jesus was exercising strong authority in the presence of the temple soldiers and guards. How could one man, with a scourge of whips, upset the whole procedure and not allow even one person to carry a vessel through the temple? It must have been a miracle. He had so completely sanctified the temple that people could only come to seek the face of God. It must have been the miracle power of His authority that was being manifested.
After such an action, the Jews plotted all the more to kill Jesus. No one can interfere with commercial religion and get by with it. The same applies today if you try to buck against the system. You cannot believe in a restoration of the New Testament Church—with something more wonderful from God for people to walk in—and interfere with the ambitions and politics and retirement programs in the denominational system, without having them turn on you and persecute you and say all manner of evil against you.
Let us buck the system all the way. What do we have to lose? Just the chains that we have carried with us from Babylon—that is all. By the grace of God, we will lose them all. We must be brainwashed by the Holy Spirit, so that our old conditionings and corrupted responses will be taken away from us. Then we can walk with God with all of our hearts.
His disciples remembered that it was written, “ ‘Zeal for Thy house will consume Me.” The Jews therefore answered and said to Him, “What sign do You show to us, seeing that You do these things?” John 2:17–18. Why would they suddenly ask that? Their tradition stated that when the Messiah came, He would oppose the ruling clique. There was probably much rejoicing in the temple that day and many questions in the people’s minds, while they were wondering, “Is this the Messiah?”
The Old Testament ends with this prophecy: “Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says the Lord of hosts. Malachi 3:1. They were looking for the Messiah to come suddenly to the temple; and here was that visit to the temple, right at the beginning of His ministry. One miracle crept in beforehand—turning the water into wine—but Jesus said then, “My hour has not yet come.” Four months later He walked into the temple. Just as Malachi had prophesied, He came suddenly to His temple, and the people were wondering, “Is this the Messiah?” Therefore the Jews asked Him, “What sign do You show to us, seeing that You do these things?” In other words, “Are You really the Messiah, or have You just upset some tables of money and driven out some cattle?”
Malachi’s prophecy continues: “But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. And He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to the Lord offerings in righteousness. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord, as in the days of old and as in former years.” Malachi 3:2–4. They were waiting for this cleansing of the temple, so that the offering would come forth in Judah and Jerusalem again. Of course, by the Holy Spirit, we apply this correctly to the day in which we are living, to the spiritual priesthood that is being refined and purified for the end-time ministry. But there was a basic primary fulfillment of that prophecy when Christ walked into the temple. They had a beautiful Passover that year. The offerings were once more acceptable to the Lord because He had driven out the corruption.
Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews therefore said, “It took forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?” But He was speaking of the temple of His body (not Herod’s temple). John 2:19–21. The Jews had asked for a sign. You can understand their thinking. If you were a Jew who had a concession that was making a lot of money at the Passover, and someone came up and upset it, you would probably want a sign, too. Imagine receiving a reply like this: “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.” You might look around at this temple that had taken forty-six years to build, and you would not possibly understand what He was saying. You would leave mystified.
The Lord says some things that are not supposed to be understood. The Bible is understood when the Holy Spirit anoints you to understand the truth that is behind it. It is worded in such a way that careless ears and those who are not willing to do the will of God will never understand it. The truths are presented in parables, in visions, in some form that is not easily understood. The Holy Spirit must reveal the truths that He has hidden away in the Word.
When therefore He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He said this; and they believed the Scripture, and the word which Jesus had spoken. Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, beholding His signs which He was doing. John 2:22–23. He did more than cleanse the temple. His was not only a ministry of judgment; it was also a ministry of healing and of blessing.
This is the kind of ministry that we will be facing in the days to come. In the midst of wrath, He will remember mercy. While things are being brought to a halt in the establishment, and the Kingdom of Christ is preparing to take over, there will be the wrath of God in judgment; but there will also be deliverance in the remnant whom the Lord God shall call (Joel 2:32). Many miracles will be wrought. That is why Satan is designing his attack against us. He senses what Christ has said. And when we are ready to move in miracles, simultaneously there will be miracles all over the world. Satan will do such signs and wonders that if it were possible, he would deceive the very elect. False prophets and false Christs will arise. Satan will have to flood the market with counterfeit signs, in order to make it difficult for people to discern the difference between the counterfeit and the true. If it were possible, the very elect would be deceived (Matthew 24:24).
That is why we are on the ground floor right now of what God is doing. God is preparing our hearts and giving us discernment. He is teaching us the Word and what is going to come to pass. We know that there will be judgments in the earth, and we know that there will be great revivals and blessings. But we know also that simultaneously, people will come along who will appear very much like those whom God has raised up to do His works. But how false they will be! We need to know that it is going to come to pass and beware of it.
But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, and because He did not need any one to bear witness concerning man for He Himself knew what was in man. John 2:24–25.
Concerning any kind of publicity, if anyone phones, wanting information, or if a newspaper reporter inquires about anything, why should we tell him a word? We are not the least bit interested in advertising; that is not our purpose. You may not sense the importance of that, but you cannot trust what is in the heart of man. We do not need to court any kind of publicity. When persecutions come, we will rejoice over them. But why should we try to cater to the publicity of the world? Jesus did not entrust Himself to man, because He knew what was in man. We, too, know what is in man. We know what has been in our own natures. We do not need anyone to bear witness of the corruption that is in this system. God wants truth in the inward parts, but truth in the inward parts is not found in the newspapers, television, or other systems of communication. All of that is controlled too much like the temple was in the early days: too much money can be made by the money-changers. Figuratively speaking, the concessions of the high priest can make every member of his family a millionaire. Since we know that this is the motivation behind it, let us not be caught in the trap of Babylon. Let us not try to use Babylon’s armor in battle. Let us walk by another path.
We must strive to be quiet and to live peaceably with all men, to fulfill the obligations that are upon us as citizens of our nation. There may be some demands imposed upon us in taxation; there may be many unfair policies in the way that the government does business and spends the money. We can prophesy against that. But as much as lies within us, we are going to live peaceably with all men (Romans 12:18). We have a job to do, and we are not going to allow hindrances to precipitate against what God sets before us to do. Although we have been hindered by demonic assault in spiritual warfare—physically, mentally, and psychically—yet we constantly come up stronger and greater in the grace of God. This we will pursue. This we will continue.
We are ready for the Lord to clean house again, so there is no covetousness in our spirit. When Paul referred to covetousness he said, “Beware that there be no covetousness, which is also idolatry” (Colossians 3:5). Let us not get to the place where our worship and our reverence is greater for money than it is for the Lord. We would be an unselfish people, a dedicated people, true disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, followers of the Lamb who follow Him wherever He goes. Let us harbor no corrupt feelings within our hearts. Let us keep the feast, not with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
Stevens, John Robert: Beyond Passover. North Hollywood, Calif. : Living Word Publications, 1977, S. 71