“For ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” (II Corinthians 6:16)

From the time that Jesus declared “Your house is left unto you desolate”, (Matt. 23:38), and “The veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom”, (Matt. 27:51), since that time our “God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that He is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands”, (Acts 17:24).

There are two Greek words, which have been translated as ‘temple’, they are: HIERON, meaning a building, and NAOS, referring to the inner sanctuary. When the veil was rent asunder, as far as God was concerned, that building ceased to be a temple, naos, and thereafter was just a building, hieron. Then Paul picks up this word ‘naos’ and uses it exclusively when speaking of THE TEMPLE, INNER SANCTUARY, which is the new, living dwelling place of God. He dwelleth no more in temples, naos, made with hands, such are only building, but He dwelleth in the inner sanctuary of your heart and mine.

“But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building (making),” (Heb. 9:11). He is forming HIS TEMPLE with the “LIVING STONES” whom He is processing and preparing through the nitty-gritty of every day living. Renewed into the mind of Christ, for His dwelling shall be all of one mind, HIS! Brought to that place where from every avenue of our being we cry out, “not my will, but Thine be done”, His will is supreme in His entire house – supreme, yes, it is also the sole delight of all who are His temple. This living temple fulfills Haggai 2:9, “The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the Lord of hosts; and in this place will I give peace”.

“The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.  Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass’s colt unto the choice vine, he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes.” (Genesis 49:10-11)

In fulfilling this scripture, significant that Jesus did not ride just one, but two.  “Tell ye the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass,” (Mt. 21:5).

What meaneth the symbolism of all this?  Jesus sat upon the ass, and placed His feet upon the colt, and rode them both into Jerusalem.  Binding together the vine and the choice vine.  Jesus Christ was both the connecting link and the transition from both the vine of the first covenant and the choice vine of the new covenant.   He rode out the law, fulfilled it, and He placed His feet firmly upon the new covenant with a full arrangement unto life and victory.

Those apprehended to become a part of the enchristed company have likewise often been placed in that position of riding both the old and the new.  Brought up under the law with all its commandments, forms, ceremonies, yet receiving a vision of the glory of the NEW, so that they can no longer stay within the confines of the old, but now would “go forth therefore unto Him without the camp, bearing His reproach.  For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come,” (Heb. 13:13-14)

Surely as He leads from the old into the new, we also “wash our garments in wine…” “The fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death,” (Phil. 3:10).   There can be no union with Him without treading this same path which He trod.  But there is a going from glory to glory, until we partake of the fruit of that CHOICE VINE, the new wine of the kingdom.