The Temple Blog - Latest Comments

Re: Book Review: A Farewell to Mars

Sun, 06 Aug 2023 05:37:02 -0000

Great to hear your thoughts. I’ll check this out on your recommendation. Thank you for the review

Re: The Five Temples in the Bible

Carol Brown — Mon, 14 Mar 2022 16:43:53 -0000

with regards to the above, what about the temple described in Ezekiel beginning with chapter 40? It's very descriptive and seems to be a literal temple. Personally, I can't imagine God being "okay" with the building of yet another temple where animal sacrifice will again take place!

Re: Faith, Doubt, Fear

Kelly Bagdanov — Wed, 16 Sep 2020 10:51:14 -0000

I've found following fear, 'what am I really afraid of' to it's root is often reveals surprising things. Too often, it leads to ego, that I don't want to be wrong. Instead I've decided to embrace being curious when I'm afraid. I've always said, and I'm now convinced that 'God is big enough for all our questions and doubts, he is unsurprised by either. What he wants is honesty in our search."

Re: 21 Elevator Values

Kelly Bagdanov — Wed, 16 Sep 2020 10:37:25 -0000

FYI, The source of my list was a podcast, that was quoting Jay Shetty. I was intrigued with the idea. It's a bit like Mister Roger's telling us to look for the helpers when bad things happen. Our minds are quick to jump to and focus on the bad, but if we open our eyes and look, there is goodness, helpers, beauty all around us. In my life the good far outweighs the bad. Keep your eyes on what is good.

Re: Widows, Pennies, & Church at Home

Carol O'Keefe — Mon, 30 Mar 2020 15:57:42 -0000

Thanks for your thoughts on the Widow's Mite passage. I loved hearing about your Babushka Vera. The people in my life who have demonstrated love and generosity in the midst of poverty are the various Ugandan and Zambian people I have met on my missionary trips. They are materially poor but have such generous hearts, loving hospitality and above all depend on God's love for everything.

Re: Happiness

Steve Bagdanov — Wed, 26 Dec 2018 14:11:57 -0000

Thanks!
I appreciate the feedback and encouragement. I agree about the questions. It seems to make perfect sense that with the breadth and depth of the universe and nature of God that we would always have questions to ask, if not we are absorbed with a false certainty that is really arrogance.

Re: Happiness

Stephen Clarke — Wed, 26 Dec 2018 02:35:43 -0000

Keep posting, I enjoy reading this blog. I like it most when you let the reader in your head as you struggle to make sense of it all. It is brave and honest. To me, that struggle is beautiful. In my opinion, it is that struggle that keeps us closer attune to each other, and attune to God. It is ok with me if you don’t feel you always have the right answers...just keep asking the right questions. I would add pondering purposeful questions to my categories of happiness. But that’s just me. 😉

Re: Untimely Death

Sue Burton — Thu, 11 Oct 2018 05:31:15 -0000

I didn't know. Sorry for your lost.

Re: Faith, Doubt, Fear

Sue Burton — Thu, 11 Oct 2018 05:17:23 -0000

https://youtu.be/VzG6e6tq8eM

Re: The God Who Sees

Steve Bagdanov — Fri, 05 Oct 2018 17:31:53 -0000

Hey thanks for commenting, we miss you guys as well and I hope you all are doing well. Take care of that family, keep seeing!

Re: The God Who Sees

Frank N Jenny Rodriguez — Fri, 05 Oct 2018 12:56:41 -0000

Thank you so much Steve! I so needed this! I want to be a person that is “actively seeing “
God bless you my friend and brother in Christ!
We miss you! Hope to see you soon!
-jenny

Re: The God Who Sees

Steve Bagdanov — Thu, 04 Oct 2018 16:36:47 -0000

Thanks Gary.

Re: The God Who Sees

Gary W. Morriosn — Thu, 04 Oct 2018 15:53:32 -0000

Thanks Steve- I really enjoyed the analysis and the personal touch! Skills and practices that can help us all be better spouse, friends and human beings. I like the new specs too!

Re: The Five Temples in the Bible

Steve Bagdanov — Tue, 22 May 2018 02:40:38 -0000

Hey Natalie,
Thanks for reading and commenting.
The best resource on this topic is a book called "The Temple and the Church's Mission" by GK Beale. I highly recommend it.
Everything we know about God we know by analogy, and all of our descriptions of him are limited by our humanity. As a result we are left with pictures and symbols that communicate truth to us about God and they are imperfect. The temple is one such vehicle, it is an attempt to communicate the nexus where God and man meet. Jesus describes himself as a temple - he is the epitome of the nexus.
I think part of the challenge is that we try and make too much of the symbols and lose sight of their target. The temple analogy is used to speak to us about God, and each picture of them should be seen in context and limited by the context. Sometimes I think we make too much effort to make the symbols do too much, give us too much information and connect them in ways they were never intended to be connected. What I mean by that is the temple is not as important as the reality to points us to, that part of our purpose in life is to connect to God, wherever God dwells with humanity, that is a "temple". Or more importantly, the ultimate purpose is the unity of God and humanity...the picture painted in Revelation 21-22.

On a side note, as to your reference to Lucifer, I have written other posts if you are interested:
http://thetempleblog.com/20...
http://thetempleblog.com/20...

Re: The Five Temples in the Bible

Natalie Rodriguez — Wed, 16 May 2018 11:18:20 -0000

I'm trying to get clarity on where the sanctuary began in the Garden? I thought the first three chapters of Genesis were the fall of man. The last three chapters of Revelation are God reconciling us back to Himself. The pattern of the temple was not given to a human being until Moses. I thought the first temple was in heaven. It was never cleansed because sin did not exist. That's why the pattern of it was given to Moses. So God could dwell with his people and teach them the way of salvation.
Another question that perplexes me is: why the sanctuary existed in heaven when there was no sin. Everything about the sanctuary was made to lead us to salvation. Show God in his working for us in every aspect of the courtyard, holy and most holy places. But why was this necessary in heaven before the fall of Lucifer and the creation of man?
Also I thought our bodies were the temple of God. 1 Cor. 6. this is why we no longer have a building but after the death of the Jesus. We became the living temples. He dwells within us.
Thank you so much for your information and verses. They were vey helpful to me. I look forward to your response.

Re: The Five Temples in the Bible

Steve Bagdanov — Tue, 09 Jan 2018 19:25:43 -0000

it's Russian. Parents came over after WW2.

Re: The Five Temples in the Bible

cjae — Tue, 09 Jan 2018 17:27:19 -0000

Maybe you should get a dog to walk or a couple of rescue cats. What kind of name is Bagdanov?

Re: The Five Temples in the Bible

Steve Bagdanov — Tue, 09 Jan 2018 17:15:50 -0000

I can't move on, this is my blog, I have 13 readers and your comment was the first in three months. The most significant thing I have to do today is make the bed and reply to you.

Re: The Five Temples in the Bible

cjae — Tue, 09 Jan 2018 12:17:33 -0000

One could say the same for your comment. Move on

Re: The Five Temples in the Bible

Steve Bagdanov — Tue, 09 Jan 2018 02:27:57 -0000

uhm...great comment: specific, constructive, engaging.

What's the point? if you didn't like the post couldn't you just move on? If it was worth commenting on then maybe add some specificity as to your "concern."

Re: The Five Temples in the Bible

cjae — Mon, 08 Jan 2018 15:22:08 -0000

Wow talk about reading into something which is not there.

Re: The Five Temples in the Bible

Steve Bagdanov — Mon, 09 Oct 2017 00:06:02 -0000

Great observation, and I would say yes if we are defining the temple as the place where heaven and earth meet, where God's presence is made known and felt.

Re: The Five Temples in the Bible

daniel ferguosn — Sat, 07 Oct 2017 19:09:20 -0000

Could the rock that Jacob set up in Bethel (Genesis 28) be considered a temple? Jacob said that it would be the house of the Lord.

Re: Brothers from…in Moscow

Stephen Clarke — Tue, 13 Sep 2016 01:14:33 -0000

I hold a slight grudge with the author of this blog. Once, many years ago I had arranged to walk around a lake with him. The walk was canceled by this blogger and never rescheduled. Much time has passed. I humbly ask again, if this blogger could fit me in his schedule, I would very much enjoy hearing his wisdom as we walk around a lake. Though time and circumstance pulled me away, I miss the good man that led a small church for so many years. I would be just as proud now, as I would have been then, to take that walk with him. Actually, I think I would be more proud now. In fact, I am sure of it.(I just wish I still had his phone number!)

Stephen Clarke

Re: No, They Don’t Happen in Threes.

stevebag — Wed, 24 Aug 2016 20:08:53 -0000

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