Zechariah 14:21 And every pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be holy to the LORD of hosts, so that all who sacrifice may come and take of them and boil the meat of the sacrifice in them. And there shall no longer be a trader in the house of the LORD of hosts on that day.
Matthew 21:12 And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”
John 2:15 And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.”
Isaiah 4:3 And he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy, everyone who has been recorded for life in Jerusalem,
Isaiah 35:8 And a highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Way of Holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it. It shall belong to those who walk on the way; even if they are fools, they shall not go astray.
Ezekiel 44:9 “Thus says the Lord GOD: No foreigner, uncircumcised in heart and flesh, of all the foreigners who are among the people of Israel, shall enter my sanctuary.
Joel 3:17 “So you shall know that I am the LORD your God, who dwells in Zion, my holy mountain. And Jerusalem shall be holy, and strangers shall never again pass through it.
1 Corinthians 6:9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
Ephesians 2:19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
1 Peter 4:17 For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?
We know from scripture why the temple was built, what it’s purpose was, and how people were to revere God. Over time man turned what was intended to be Holy into something it was not intended for. Outward appearances of obeying through performance of acts deemed to be in line with God’s expectations. We see it became a house of trade where people were making money selling animals for sacrifice. Christ walked into the temple and drove out these merchants and buyers. Their heart was not inline with obedience to God but rather to a system of false seeking of God for forgiveness. The old form of temple worship is gone and God replaced it with Jesus Christ the corner stone. “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.” True worship begins with the heart, mind and soul in absolute reverence to God. We must be mindful of “drifting away” as those in history have done. Man seems to keep lowering expectations of what it means to serve God. There are many things in life, just as there was in the past, that water down and dilute what it means to serve God which always results in drifting away from God, but still thinking you are alright. Humbly serving, honoring, following, obeying God should always be growing. Anything less is drifting away – Having a form of Godliness but lacking the heart, mind, and soul commitment. We all do well to ask God to search our heart and lead us down paths that honor Him.