The following link is to an interesting Bible Study Guide on "The Lost Sanctuary:

http://www.blueprintgps.com/

Feel free to discuss this here.

It is a list of Bible studies dealing with a subject that a couple of the members on this forum rather strongly oppose.
But they seem to be good studies on this important subject.


Lesson ONE

The war in heaven: The fall of angels

SCRIPTURES
Ezekiel 28:13–18 Subject: the cherub (angel) created prefect, anointed as the covering cherub in God's Holy Mountain
Who is this referring to?
| Hebrews 8:1–5 Earthly sanctuary a shadow of the true heavenly sanctuary
| Exodus 24:12 Earthly sanctuary contained God’s law, given by God Himself.
| Exodus 25:17–21 Ark in the Most Holy has two cherubs, their wings covering the mercy seat, with God’s law in the ark under the mercy seat.

Old Testament Scripture tells us a covering cherub stood at each end of the ark, covering the mercy set.
| 1 Chronicles 28:2 The ark of the covenant in the sanctuary is God’s footstool.
| Psalm 99:1 God dwells between the cherubim
| Psalm 99:5 Exalt the Lord, worship at His footstool
| Psalm 132:7 Go to His tabernacle, worship at His footstool.
Exodus 24:12,10 God called Moses up the mountain, God gave him two tablets of stone containing His commands which He had written.
| Romans13:10 Love fulfills the law
| Song of Solomon 8:6-7 Love as a seal, stronger than death
| Deuteronomy33:2 The Lord came from Sinai with His law for them.
| Isaiah 14:12–14 Lucifer seeks to exalt His throne above God, but is fallen.
| 1 John 3:4 Sin is the transgression of God’s law.
| Psalm 103:20 Angels who do God’s will, excel in strength
Proverbs 28:4 The wicked praise those who forsake God’s law.
| Revelation 12:7–9 There was war in heaven, Satan and his angels were cast out.
| Isaiah 59:1-2 Your iniquities separated you from God.
| Romans 6:23 Sin brings death, but the gift of God is eternal life.

Sin began with Lucifer, who exalted himself, separated himself from God, broke God’s law of love, went out to deceive
first – other angels
secondly – mankind.

Thank you, dedication, for making the site more accessible for the rest of us on this forum.

The question was asked, "Who is this referring to?"

Well, you needn't have gone flying off to the ends of the earth to find out, searching diligently in the depths of the sea or looking intently up to the clouds.

The answer is right there, staring you in the face: THE KING OF TYRE.

Ezekiel 26:12b-19 is a lamentation that was to be taken up when God would have judged the King and he would have been no more. The place of his residence was like the Garden of Eden for beauty and he was like Adam, a glorious being and the first, in it; and so when all would have been said and done and he had been overthrown, this was going to be the dirge:

• You were the seal of perfection,
  Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
  You were in Eden, the garden of God;
  Every precious stone was your covering:
  The sardius, topaz, and diamond,
  Beryl, onyx, and jasper,
  Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold.
  The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes
  Was prepared for you on the day you were created.
  
  You were the anointed cherub who covers;
  I established you;
  You were on the holy mountain of God;
  You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones.
  You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created,
  Till iniquity was found in you.
  
  By the abundance of your trading
  You became filled with violence within,
  And you sinned;
  Therefore I cast you as a profane thing
  Out of the mountain of God;
  And I destroyed you, O covering cherub,
  From the midst of the fiery stones.
  
  Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty;
  You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor;
  I cast you to the ground,
  I laid you before kings,
  That they might gaze at you.
  
  You defiled your sanctuaries
  By the multitude of your iniquities,
  By the iniquity of your trading;
  Therefore I brought fire from your midst;
  It devoured you,
  And I turned you to ashes upon the earth
  In the sight of all who saw you.
  All who knew you among the peoples are astonished at you;
  You have become a horror,
  And shall be no more forever.

The use of the word "sanctuaries" was a reference to his places of rest or royal residences like the US President has "sanctuaries" in the White House, the Trump Tower, Mar-o-Lago, and Martha's Vineyard. The King of Tyre was using those places to plan and have executed all kinds of ruthless designs on others, imagining himself to be like God, holding life and death over them in his hands.

///

Not surprised by your response. I realize the king of Tyre is given as a "type" of Lucifer, exhibiting his attributes.

But consider -
Is the king of Tyre a CHERUB?
Was the king of Tyre created PREFECT?
Was the king of Tyre in EDEN?
The situation, goes far beyond the situations of the literal king of Tyre.

The Bible often uses types to explain more ultimate realities.


The king of Tyre, showed the characteristics of Lucifer.
A cherub in the Biblical view, is a created angel , he is not God. Yet this king of Tyre (a created human) was claiming Divine status, just as Lucifer (a created cherub) wanted Divine status "to set his throne above the throne of God" (Is. 14). and just as the king of Tyre with his kingdom ended, so Lucifer/Satan will come to an utter end.

But what is interesting.
Do you know the NAME of the king of Tyre who ruled during Ezekiel time? The name BAAL !!!

Baal I 680 - 660 BC
Ethbaal III 591 -573 BC
Baal II 573 -564 BC
Yakinbaal 564 BC

Israelites were worshipping Baal when they were taken into Babylonian captivity.
They were worshipping Baal many years earlier as well.
Jezebel (Ahab's infamous queen) was the daughter of Ethbaal 1, king of Tyre, an ardent worshiper of Baal.
Baal is the demon god of Phoenicia, (Tyre is a Phoenician port city). Baal was the chief "god" in direct conflict for worship with the God of heaven.

The Ugarit tablets (14th cent. BC) show Baal as the chief of the Canaanite pantheon -- the source of life and fertility, mighty hero, lord of war.

The worship of Baal was propagated by real people who took his name -- like the kings of Tyre -- claiming a status of divine godhood, in the realm of Baal/Satan their chosen "god".

So yes, the ultimate figure in Ezekiel's prophecy, is Baal, the "fallen angel god" to whom the divinity aspiring kings of Tyre, Baals gave their worship and allegiance, and exhibited his attributes.

Why did you run off into the desert, shouting "Baal! Baal! Baal!" Does the name mean anything at all? Does Donald Trump mean he is a musician? Or that he one of the seven trumpets of the Apocalypse? Of course not! What significance is there in the name King David, or King Nebuchadnezzar? It is nothing at all.

The King of Tyre was not the only one said to have been in the Garden of Eden. Here, (just 3 chapters later in Ezekiel 31) in the following quote, the Pharaoh of Egypt was said to be the VERY Tree of Life itself.

• Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his multitude:
  
  Whom are you like in your greatness?
  
  .
  .
  
  Indeed Assyria was a cedar in Lebanon,
  With fine branches that shaded the forest,
  And of high stature;
  And its top was among the thick boughs.
  The waters made it grow;
  Underground waters gave it height,
  With their rivers running around the place where it was planted,
  And sent out rivulets to all the trees of the field.
  
  Therefore its height was exalted above all the trees of the field;
  Its boughs were multiplied,
  And its branches became long because of the abundance of water,
  As it sent them out.
  All the birds of the heavens made their nests in its boughs;
  Under its branches all the beasts of the field brought forth their young;
  And in its shadow all great nations made their home.
  
  Thus it was beautiful in greatness and in the length of its branches,
  Because its roots reached to abundant waters.
  The cedars in the garden of God could not hide it;
  The fir trees were not like its boughs,
  And the chestnut trees were not like its branches;
  
  No tree in the garden of God was like it in beauty.
  I made it beautiful with a multitude of branches,
  So that all the trees of Eden envied it,
  That were in the garden of God.
  
  .
  .
  
  To which of the trees in Eden will you then be likened in glory and greatness?

READ! READ! READ! READ THE BIBLE FOR YOURSELF!

///

Those "trees in Eden" are analogies or metaphors.

It's a different form of literary expression.
Ezekiel in chapter 28 is describing characteristics of Baal, the king of Tyre who has taken on both the attributes and the name of the chief pagan "god" representing Satan. Thus he is a type of the greater rebel.

This ultimate rebel WAS in Eden
He WAS created perfect till iniquity was found in him
He was the anointed cherub who covers;
He was in the Holy Mountain of God
He walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones.
etc.

He is not being likened to a tree in Eden.


Likening a flourishing nation or people to a TREE
is a metaphoric expression.

-
Daniel 4 Nebuchadnezzar has a dream in which he is represented as a tree --
"The leaves thereof were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it was meat for all: the beasts of the field had shadow under it, and the fowls of the heaven dwelt in the boughs thereof, and all flesh was fed of it."
The tree is cut down but the stump is left --
What is the lesson being taught?
" the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will,"

And yes, these nations owe everything to the God of heaven.

Genesis 2:9
Out of the ground the LORD God caused to grow every tree

And guess WHO was in the garden of Eden already luring mankind to rebel against their Creator and pretend they could be "gods"?

Gen. 3:4=5 "And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods."

There was an intelligent being there in the garden of Eden, that was already in rebellion against God his Creator before mankind sinned.
He is clearly identified in Revelation 12:9 "that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world"


So the whole "war" unfolds.
God created mankind, and gave him dominion over the earth. Gen. 1:27
But that old serpent the devil was already there IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN. His heart was already set to place his throne above the throne of God. (Is. 14) He was cast down from heaven, so his ambition turned to setting up his throne over humanity, imbue them with his rebellion and fill them with selfish ambition. It all started in Eden.

So we have the metaphors of the beautiful trees (human beings) who were granted the favors of God and given intelligent, creative minds. But nation after nation gave their allegiance to the wrong "god". Following the pattern of Lucifer.

The nations are likened to trees -- their talents and all their abilities came from God, they were given opportunity to show righteousness and goodness, but they gave their allegiance to Baal, to the serpent, and bought his lies that they could be their own gods, if they obeyed him.

So
Ezkiel 31:14 To the end that none of all the trees by the waters exalt themselves for their height, neither shoot up their top among the thick boughs, neither their trees stand up in their height, all that drink water: for they are all delivered unto death, to the nether parts of the earth, in the midst of the children of men, with them that go down to the pit.

Following Lucifer, exalting self, deifying self, playing god, does not offer what it seems to offer -- it ends in destruction.

But those who follow Christ --

Isaiah 60: 2, 13 For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee...
The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee, the fir tree, the pine tree, and the box together, to beautify the place of my sanctuary; and I will make the place of my feet glorious.

The covering cherub

The position of covering cherub is revealed in the sanctuary.

Exodus 25:17–21 Shows the ark of the covenant with the shekinah glory (the presence of God) in the Most Holy as having two cherubs, their wings covering the mercy seat, with God’s law in the ark under the mercy seat.

The covering cherub's place was by the throne of God.

Ex 25:19 And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: [even] of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof.
25:20 And the cherubims shall stretch forth [their] wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings,

Ezek 28:14,16 You were the anointed cherub who covers;
I established you;
You were on the holy mountain of God;
You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones....
I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.

So who were the TWO (not one but TWO) cherubim that were depicted over the Mercy Seat?

///

Yes, on the ark of the covenant stood two covering cherubim, there were two. Who was the second one? Another cherubim -- probably one that did not fall for Lucifer's lies. Scripture doesn't give us a definite answer on that question.
So any answer is just speculation.

There are ideas --
that it is Gabriel, that he was the second and was promoted to first, after Lucifer defected.

Scripture shows that Gabriel occupies a high place in heaven.
In Luke 1:19 we read: " "I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God," So he holds a position of high honor close to God's throne.

So it is possible,

In Solomon's temple, he had two huge golden cherubim standing over the ark. Plus of course, the two that were already on the ark.

So it's likely there are actually four cherubim by God's throne.
That's what we see in Ezekiel -- chapter 1 and chapter 10.
Are these the same as the four living creatures in Revelation 4?
They don't look like the common artist's conception of angels.

Scripture gives us only glimpses into heavenly things, not a full "who is who" description of the thousand times ten thousand, thousands of thousands that stand before His throne.

What about the Scriptures that New Testament writers apply to Jesus? Could it be said that they do not refer to Jesus?