The construction of the house of God is the central issue of the Scriptures. Notice how this was revealed when Stephen was speaking in the Spirit (above).

Heaven is not the house of God. Heaven is the Throne of God, the place from which He rules His creation.

The earth is not the house of God. The earth is the footstool of God, the place on which His feet rest.

What, then, is the house of God? The house of God, according to the writings of the Apostles of the Lamb, is the Church, the Body of Christ, the Lord's saints.

The Lord Jesus Christ is Zion. He is the eternal Temple of God, the dwelling place of God, the house in which the Father finds rest.

Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. (John 14:10)

"But the Father that dwelleth in me."

Compare:

"This is my rest for ever: here will I dwell," referring to Zion, the "hill" of God (Psalms 132:14).

God dwells forever in the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ is the Temple of God, the Rest of God. Christ dwells eternally in God and God dwells eternally in Christ.

Christ is the House of God.

Heaven is the Throne of God. Earth is the footstool of God. Christ alone is the House of God.

Notice carefully:

"In my Father's house are many mansions: . . . ." (John 14:2)

The word mansion is misleading, and yet is the basis for much of our tradition concerning Heaven. The Greek noun should be translated dwelling place.

Is the Lord Jesus telling us there are many dwelling places for us in Heaven? No.

Is the Lord Jesus telling us there are many dwelling places for us on the earth? No.

Is the Lord Jesus telling us that there are many dwelling places for us in Himself? Yes.

Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. (Psalms 90:1)

The Father's House is Christ. The Father dwells always and only in Christ. In God's eternal House there are many dwelling places, many places of abode, many rooms in which the Father can find rest.

The obedient saints are the rooms in God's eternal House. We are living stones in the Temple of God, the great Booth of God, of which Christ is the chief Cornerstone and Capstone.

Christ is the Habitation, the Sanctuary, of the Lord God of Heaven. We are members of the Body of Christ, the Body of the Habitation, the Body of the Sanctuary, of the Lord God of Heaven. The Christian Church is the complement of Christ, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

God is creating an eternal dwelling place for Himself. This is the central mystery of the Scriptures. The incarnation of God is continuing in the members of the Body of Christ. The whole Christ—Head and Body—is the Incarnation of God.

The Lord Jesus Christ is the chief living Stone, the Cornerstone, of the eternal Temple. The saints, the elect of God whose names were written from the creation of the world, also are living stones of the eternal Temple of God.

The Temple, the Tabernacle, the dwelling place, of God is the new Jerusalem, the holy city, the Wife of the Lamb.

To be continued.