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The Daily Word of Righteousness
The Temple of the Holy Spirit, #5
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God." (Revelation 21:3—NIV)
According to my understanding, the new Jerusalem is the joining together of the glorified bodies of Christ and His saints in order to form one eternal tabernacle of God, one everlasting dwelling place for the God of Heaven.
It has been God's purpose all along to have a living temple through which He can have fellowship with the nations of people whom He has created (the "men" in the verse above) and whom He loves. As we have stated, the Father's house is Christ—Head and Body.
Perhaps we have understood that we have been created to be the dwelling place of the Lord. What may be new to us is the emphasis on our body. Our body was given to us so God might have a visible expression among people. This is the calling of the saints, the Israel of God.
Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him." (John 14:23—NIV)
What kind of temple God has in Heaven is difficult to say. We think He has one, from the following passage:
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. (Isaiah 6:1—NIV)
However, the above verse may be referring to the temple built by King Solomon.
In any case, God has told us of His desire to have a temple.
This is what the LORD says: "Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house you will build for me? Where will my resting place be?" (Isaiah 66:1—NIV)
The extraordinary importance of this question is revealed by the fact that it was repeated by the Holy Spirit at the time of the death of the first martyr, Stephen.
Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me? says the Lord. Or where will my resting place be? (Acts 7:49—NIV)
Man was created to be the house of God, His resting place. The plan of redemption proceeds on its course until we become the eternal tabernacle of God. This pattern is revealed in the seven feasts of the Lord. These are found in the twenty-third chapter of the Book of Leviticus, and in other passages.
The first feast, Passover, speaks of the blood of the cross.
The second feast, Unleavened Bread, portrays our repentance and baptism in water.
The third feast, Firstfruits, typifies our born-again experience.
The fourth feast, Pentecost, tells us about the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
The fifth feast, Trumpets, speaks of the coming of the Lord Jesus to declare war on His enemies, beginning with the enemies that dwell in the members of His Body.
The sixth feast, the Day of Atonement, points toward the long struggle we endure as the Lord deals with the worldliness, lust, and self-will that dwell in us.
The seventh feast, the feast of Tabernacles, reveals the ultimate intention of God—that He might dwell in the bodies of the people He has created.
To be continued.