As worshippers complete their divinely-inspired plans for repentance (with assistance from the priests as needed), they continue their journey through the temple into the Hall of the Slayers (see Picture 10). The worshippers walk through rectangular doors into this vast hallway. It is only about 25 feet wide at its smallest point and 45 ft. wide at its largest point, yet it is about 143 feet long. The ceiling in this area is much higher than that of the Community Confession Room and the Hall of Repentance. In fact, it is 75 ft. higher than the ceiling in the Hall of Repentance, which is 40 ft. high, making this ceiling 115 ft. high. The ceiling in the Hall of Slayers is about 12 ft. higher than the top point of the tallest Slayer Window.
When worshippers first enter into this room, they are facing the rectangular doors of the (Outer) Sanctuary. However, priests and prophets direct worshippers to turn around and look at the 7 Windows of the Slayers from one side to the other. As worshippers view these windows, one window will stand out to them (this is explained more during training in the North and South Buildings). Whichever window grabs their attention most (for whatever reason) depicts the sin with which they are still currently struggling. This is the sin from which ADONAI wants to deliver them immediately, prior to their worship in the Sanctuary. After determining the sin, the worshippers are instructed to return to the Hall of Repentance to receive instructions about repenting of this sin in their hearts. The Hall of the Slayers reveals the sin that is hidden in the hearts of men, and God’s will to eradicate it in them. Repenting of secret sin (even sin unknown to us) is essential prior to entering the Sanctuary to worship ADONAI and Messiah.
Worshippers may also access men’s and women’s restrooms from the Hall of the Slayers (see Picture 10). These restrooms are approximately 30 feet by 30 feet, and they are decorated to remind worshippers of the Garden of Eden. The doors to the restrooms are rectangular and approximately 8 feet by 5 feet. The restrooms are very bright, but the light seems to be natural light (though it actually is not). The ceilings are painted to look like the sky and even seem to sparkle. The walls have painted scenes on them that depict the Scriptures in Genesis about creation. Adam is depicted in the men’s restroom with animals, and his wife is depicted in the women's restroom with animals also. Vines run along the walls of the restroom as a part of the creation scene. The sinks look like natural pools with water falls, as opposed to man-made fixtures, and the stalls are individual rooms (with their own ceilings and lights) seemingly carved out of a large rock in the restroom.
Though there are seven sins depicted, only four cherubim are assigned to slaying them. Each slayer destroys two forms of sin, except one cherub: the Slayer of Envy. All four cherubim represent the likenesses of humans from the four corners of the earth, depicting a complete annihilation of sin on the earth. Each cherub wields a different type of sword, and the swords are all pointing in a different direction throughout the depictions on the windows: from right to left, they point to the southeast, the east, the northeast, the north, the northwest, the west and the southwest. The position of the swords reminds me of the way the sun rises over the earth—appearing first in the east and setting in the west. However, before you see the sun in the east, you see its light in the east, meaning its position would be southeast first. Similarly, you can see the sun’s light even after it has set over the horizon in the west, making its final position (within our view) southwest. This reminds me of Psalm 113:3-4, “From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the LORD is to be praised. The LORD is exalted over the nations, his glory above the heavens.” The slaying of these sins throughout the earth makes it possible for ADONAI’s name to truly be praised in all nations.
When I entered the Hall of Slayers, the first window I was shown was the window all the way to the left that depicts the destruction of lust (Picture 5). In this window, a cherub with dark hair, dark eyes and reddish-brown skin points a large sword (more than half the size of the cherub) at a couple found in sexual immorality (fornication or adultery). The Slayer of Lust wields a huge sword to slay the sinful flesh fed by this sin. This same cherub slays gluttony also, found in the window to the far right (Picture 5). Both lust and gluttony are sins that feed man’s flesh, thus the need for the same slayer.
In the window depicting lust, both the man and the woman are naked, representing the will of God to uncover this sin, which often lies hidden behind closed doors. Those who commit sexual sins cannot hide their sins from God, even if they are hidden from man. In the window depicting gluttony, the woman gorging herself on food is sitting in the courtyard of the temple. This picture makes clear the utter disrespect of people for the temple of the Living God (our bodies) when they are gluttonous. Rather than worshipping God in the temple, the woman depicted is worshipping food, thus defiling the temple. Both lust and gluttony defile the temples of the Living God, which are our bodies. As this slayer slays the flesh of people caught in lust and gluttony, they are set free from the overwhelming power of their flesh to continue to pull them into these sins.
The window to the right of lust depicts the Slayer of Greed (Picture 6). This cherub has light brown hair, fair skin and blue eyes and uses a much smaller sword, like a Roman gladius, to slay greed (to the right of lust) and wrath (to the left of gluttony) (Picture 6). Both greed and wrath are heart issues; hence, the slayer comes right into the faces of those in sin and stabs them in their hearts. Both greedy and wrathful people afflict God’s people, thereby spitting in the face of God. To deliver them from this sin, He must visit them face-to-face. It is only when a truly greedy or wrathful person sees their sin in the eyes of God, face to face, will they allow themselves to be vulnerable to Him and receive the deliverance of the heart issues driving their sin, which are usually fear and insecurity.
The sin of greed is depicted by a prostitute (hence the red dress) adorned in gold and pearls, carrying a bag of gold, a purse or briefcase full of the records of her transactions and standing on the backs of the poor and oppressed. A truly greedy person is willing to sell anything, including his/her own soul for money. Thus a prostitute depicts this sin. Wrath is depicted by a man in a red shirt, who has also made a deal with the enemy to become inflated by rage. This person is very muscular and fire is coming out of his mouth (as violence is not always physical, but also verbal). Even his eyes are aflame. To free people from greed and wrath, this slayer divides their hearts. His sword pierces into their hearts and draws out of them the secret fears, insecurities and motives that lead them into sin.
Next to greed, sloth is depicted (Picture 7). To the left of wrath, pride is depicted (Picture 7). Both pride and sloth are slain by a cherub with dark hair and somewhat fair skin. This slayer’s sword is a large saber with a curved blade. The slayer comes up behind those in pride and sloth and cuts them down in their sins. People in pride and sloth are often unaware of the impending judgment of God due to their sins. Because they have turned their backs to Him and refuse to seek His will for their lives, they are cut down unexpectedly. To save them from premature death due to sin, ADONAI ordains a sudden fall or calamity to deliver them out of sloth and pride before their own sins cause their downfall. Both pride and sloth create such captivating mindsets that those involved in the sins are usually unable to even identify the harm caused by their sin. Hence, deliverance must come in the form of punishment, being cut down by a sudden fall or calamity, to alert them to their sinful ways, giving them time to repent.
The man being cut down in the window displaying sloth is wearing only tattered pants, no shoes and no shirt—only the bare minimum. His hair is unkempt, his pants are dirty, and he is sitting in his own filth. Though the grass has grown tall all around him, no grass is growing beneath him because his excrement is killing all of the grass. Despite the fact that he is now sitting in a puddle of mud, he seems content, with a smile on his face, his eyes closed, his chin resting on his hands and his elbows resting on his knees. A person stuck in the sin of sloth will only put forth the effort to do the bare minimum required to survive, refusing to work to get up out of their own filth (sins, weaknesses, deficiencies) in order to progress in life and produce something worthwhile. Though life has progressed all around this man, he has not noticed and kept things from growing that are in his care.
The person found in pride is standing on a high hill, also with his eyes closed. He is reveling in the worship of others. This picture makes it clear that he has set himself up as king or ruler, and people have submitted themselves to his rulership. However, the glory of ADONAI is not shining upon them, because they are standing in the shadow of the man in pride. He has turned his face away from the glory of ADONAI and prohibits others from witnessing ADONAI’s glory by causing them to worship him instead. You will note that he is larger than those who worship him, reflecting his inflated self-image.
In the middle of all of the windows is the Slayer of Envy (Picture 8). This sin is so odious to God that He assigned the slayer to slay only this one. The window depicting this sin is the largest window, and the slayer assigned to this sin is by far the largest of the slayers depicted. The cherub who slays envy is dark-skinned with thick, kinky hair. This cherub carries a large, heavy sword, which, in the window depiction, is being held with the blades facing forward and backward (as opposed to side to side), with one blade almost touching the slayer’s nose.
This person in the sin of envy is crouched at a crossroad, poised to pounce on the unsuspecting “friend” approaching. Envy causes people to covet the things of others, then seek to rob, replace or destroy them in order to acquire those coveted things. This fellow is at a crossroad because he still has time to choose not to sin in his actions, though sin exists in his heart. Envy plants seeds of all of the other sins, yet before those seeds come to bear fruit, one can choose not to follow the path laid out by one’s covetous desires (see Gen. 4:3- 7). The fellow in the picture has been in envy so long that his skin has developed a greenish tint, his eyes are green and his ears and nose are pointed, resembling the demon that has incited his great sin. As a result, the slayer is poised to cut off the head of the one in envy. For deliverance, those in envy need their heads removed, figuratively, because their minds are focused only on coveting—devising plans to steal whatever pleases them—and their senses have been trained to detect more things to covet. Their eyes are always roaming the earth, their noses smell the aromas of pleasing things, their ears pick up the chatter of others about what they have and what they experience, and their mouths are set to delight in stolen food. Unless the head of their sin—envy—is removed, they will never allow ADONAI to be their Head. Hence, deliverance requires a transformation of the mind and reordering of priorities, as one learns to delight oneself in ADONAI and find contentment in whatever position He assigns in this life.