Man is a SQUARE, an oblong square. Therefore, the Temple is in man, and the church building is a type of MAN, while man is the TRUTH. How so explained?
| HEAD |
| CHEST |
| ABDOMINAL |
The first Temple is called a TABERNACLE (Exodus 26), a TYPE of Solomon's Temple of one to come. In Genesis 3:15, we see another interesting TRUTH springing forth after the Earthly Truth (Man) has fallen from Grace and had to be redeemed. However, it is not yet time, and man has to stumble in darkness (ignorance) until he masters his earthly passions (hence the apron) and set his heart and soul on those things of a heavenly nature, by being RAISED from a Dead Level of Earthly Weakness to a higher plane of Divine Intelligence (Faith).
This is an explanation of why? the Old Testament: TO PREPARE! Why? the New Testament: TO PERFECT! The three sections above, are associated with the two stones (Rough Ashlar, Perfect Ashlar) and the Trestleboard, representing the three degrees of a Masonic Lodge, namely, the Entered Apprentice (The Basic); the Fellowcraft (The Intelligence) and the Master Mason (The Spiritual). Refer to David's Psalms 51:5-19 for the ascension of Man from his lowly state of INIQUITY TO SIN (Psalm 51:5) TO SALVATION (Psalm 51:14). Throughout the Old Testament, we read of Man's imperfections to ways to attain near perfections in the New Testament. However, man cannot ASCEND, until he realizes he has DESCENDED.
BASIC MAN is represented by the ABDOMINAL SECTION: Here, he accepts all that he is taught, makes decisions as to what to keep, and what not to keep, like food in the stomach, where the brain sends a message to the stomach as to what food is conducive to the body, and what is not. The stomach makes mistakes, must as we do in Life on what to keep and what to throw away. Remember that Satan is a Liar and a Fooler. Therefore, he tells us wrongly to ingest certain foods or drinks, just as he fools us into accepting lies instead of the truth.
This is where the second part comes in: Intelligence, for it is through this medium that we make decisions; In other words, our lives are shaped by those decisions like food again in the body. We learn to make wise choices through two (2) mediums; Experience and through Listening to the wise, discerning their wisdom and benefiting from it. See Proverbs 3:5-8 and see how man cannot always depend on his own 'smarts' for they have not been tested by the adversary of all evil, TIME. Truth lives forever, while a lie is only temporary, like comparing stone foundations to those of sand.
How do you get intelligence then? It comes from applying the old ritualistic answer to the question of, "How do you improve yourself in Masonry?" The answer is, "By conversing with a well informed brother, who is just as glad to impart it as I am to receive it." It is Love on a two-way street, for if there is an absence of Love in either the giver or the receiver, the complete message will not be heard or told. It is highly important that, in the Masonic Lodge, there appears a good relationship between the older Masons who have the experience and knowledge, which gives them wisdom and the young Mason who has the get-up-and-go about them, the will and only needs the 'way' to cause the Lodge as well as the individual Mason (s) to succeed.
In the chest a transformation takes place (Romans 12:2) bring the individual Mason from 'conformity' in the world to a transformation "by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."