The question, “Which came first – the chicken or the egg?” causes many to scratch their heads, but scientists have the answer: Scientific consensus states that the egg came first.
But if we believe the Bible to be factual, we know that the “scientists” are wrong, because the Bible tells us that the chicken came first. God created adult creatures, including an adult man and woman.
Similarly, secular archeologists and anthropologists propose that the Hebrew sanctuary was patterned after the heathen temples common at the time.
But if we believe the Bible to be factual, we know that the archeologists and anthropologists are wrong. The Hebrew sanctuary was built on a heavenly pattern. 1
Worldly “wisdom” points to the similarities between the Hebrew sanctuary and heathen temples as evidence that the Hebrew sanctuary was built after the pattern of heathen temples, directly contrary to the biblical teaching that the earthly sanctuary was built on a heavenly pattern given by God Himself.
According to the biblical record, blood sacrifices were not invented by the heathen. They were prescribed at the gates of Eden as representatives of the atoning death of the “Seed of the woman” – the Savior to come. (Gen. 3:15)
Satan imitates the things of God to deceive. He didn’t invent the sacrificial systems of the heathen religions. Instead, he twisted the lamb sacrifices that were to represent a Savior for people who couldn’t save themselves into sacrifices (most commonly pigs in many parts of the world) by which people could save themselves. 2
The Bible tells us very little about Satan before his fall. But we do know that he served next to the throne of God. 3 Thus, Satan knew a bit about the arrangement of the heavenly sanctuary. When he inspired his followers to build temples to worship him and his demons, [The Bible clearly tells us that the heathens worshiped demons. See Lev. 17:7 NKJV; Deut. 37:12 NKJV; 1 Cor. 10:20 NKJV] he used the heavenly pattern for his counterfeit temples. And that way, when God elected the Israelite nation to be His representatives on this planet, systems of worship built on the bastardization of the heavenly pattern already existed. However, as Maurice Ashton pointed out in a couple of comments here and here, there were significant differences between the Hebrew sanctuary built according to God’s direct instructions and the heathen temples Satan inspired his followers to build.
Chief among the visible differences was the absence of a representation of the God of the Hebrews. The Creator of heaven and earth transcends human imagination and representation.
The services themselves were solemn affairs, intended to remind the people that their sins would cause the death of the Messiah to come. That contrasted sharply with the revelry and loud demonstrations, glossolalia, chanting and dances that accompanied much heathen worship.
The Bible provides only broad outlines, but we know that the Hebrew priests were expected to instruct the people about God and the plan of salvation. 4 That meant that they were supposed to teach them that they could not save themselves but had to cast themselves wholly on the mercies of a loving God. That was in stark contrast to the meaning of heathen sacrifices, which were intended as payments to appease angry gods.
Next time someone asks, which came first, remember what the Bible teaches. This world has not progressed from a dim knowledge of God to a brighter knowledge. Adam and Eve talked with God face to face.
We are in the process of recovering the knowledge of God which our first parents possessed. We have the promise that God will reveal Himself to all who will seek Him with the whole heart. (Deut. 4:29; Jere. 29:13)
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