The
End-Time Temple
Is
it the Church?
Among the commandment keeping
people of God today, there has been much misunderstanding concerning exactly what the
‘temple’ is. It is hoped that this article will help to clarify what God tells us in
His word concerning this matter. Prophecy will become clearer than ever before, and
one’s faith may even be strengthened. But before elaborating about the temple, there is
another matter that needs to be addressed first.
What is God’s deepest desire?
Many possible answers come to mind, but there is one single desire that is undeniable, and
when understood, puts the whole Bible in proper perspective. What is it?
When a man and woman marry,
almost always, one of their deepest desires is to have children. Some want their name to
be carried on, some want more hands to help work, and some simply want a family of their
own. Of course, there are many other reasons for people to want children. In this regard,
we are much like God, our wants and desires, when uncorrupted, can be equated to God’s
own. We are made in the likeness and image of our Father. We can and should have
personality traits, and goals, and ideas, and hopes, and desires, and on and on, just like
His. Is it strange to consider that we could have some of the same, or at least similar,
attitudes and desires as our Father, the Creator? Human "families" actually
reflect a "pattern of God" given to us by our Creator Father. He created the
idea of family first and we just naturally follow the plan since we are made in His image
and likeness. Although many people disregard or even destroy their own families, many
other people desire a family and are committed to it above all distractions, influences,
and impediments. Loving fathers and mothers are often even willing to die for family or
children. That would surely qualify as a deep desire on their part, would it not?
Family is God’s deepest
desire. The entire Godhead put everything on the line for the opportunity to have a
family. God chose for himself one particular family, the family we know of as Israel. He
loves them. He punishes them. He blesses them. He fights for them, He even offered up His
only born Son to die for them! Look at Exodus 4:22 and Jeremiah 31:1,9,33. They will be
examined in more detail later, but it should be perfectly clear who the sons of God are.
Many understand that the Bible was written to Israel, about Israel and for Israel. Could
God’s desires be expressed any plainer? God looks forward to the day that He will be
able to dwell with, and in, Israel. In the future, obedience and blessings will be a way
of life in Israel, and love will be the basis of all decisions and actions. The future
"Israel of God" will follow in their father’s footsteps, as did God’s own
son. Those people who comprise the Body of Christ have a place in this deepest of all
desires, they are the "firstfruits" of God, but even that is for the purpose
which God has planned for the redemption of Israel. Now, let us begin to see just
"what is the temple."
It is indisputable that the
"Temple" in ancient Israel was a physical building, which in the case of
Solomon’s Temple housed the glory of the Lord (Yahweh) God. More specifically though,
what does the temple refer to in the Greek scriptures (New Testament)? Is it a
"spiritual" temple made of spirit, or is it "physical". Is there some
other explanation? Is there only one temple spoken of in the "latter days", or
is there more than one? Are we to expect a temple to be built on or near the temple mount
before, or after the return of God and His Christ? How many temples are spoken of in the
Greek scriptures? Does the temple always refer to the same thing, or different things?
Precisely what is the temple that Jesus Christ will be returning to? Is the ‘church’
that temple or is it a building? If we are servants of the Most High God, then it would be
logical that we should want to know for certain, shouldn’t we? It is our intent to
provide you with enough information, in this article, to be able to answer these questions
for yourself.
Today Bible students are ‘finding’ the “church” throughout many
of the prophecies in the Hebrew scriptures (Old Testament). Many claim that God has
directed these various prophecies at the ‘church’ and that they are to be somehow
applied ‘spiritually’. Did God really mean to direct His ancient prophecies for the
‘end-time’ at the ‘church’? The first step in making these ancient prophecies
apply to the church requires making the church a ‘spiritual temple’. Is it true? Is
the church a ‘spiritual temple’? Another step is to substitute the ‘church’ into
the other prophecies directed at Israel, Judah, etc. Thus making any prophecy for Israel,
etc. automatically “dual”. Is this legitimate? Is the church a 'spiritual temple' and
are the many nations and people to whom God has previously directed His Word, now just a
‘partner’ in prophecy along with ‘the church’? If the temple is really the temple,
and so many temple scriptures are misapplied, wouldn't the error extract a high cost at
some point, not the least of which is a lack of understanding the Truth of God?
Let’s begin with a look at
what many people today have traditionally considered to be the "temple". In the
book, Mystery of the Ages, it states on page 202 of the paperback version, that "The
CHURCH is the spiritual Body of Christ – not a secular or worldly organization, club or
institution." Later, on page 203, it adds, "The Church, then, is to grow into a
HOLY TEMPLE – the spiritual TEMPLE to which Christ shall come – even as he came to a
material temple of stone and metals and wood the first time." This represents the
feelings and beliefs of many who call themselves ‘Christian’ today. In fact, most
denominations, in what is called Christendom, maintain that the ‘church’ is presently
a ‘spiritual temple’, and that this is "part of their doctrine", as they
would phrase it. The scriptures which are most often used to support this premise are
found in John 2:21; I Corinthians. 3:16 and 6:19; II Cor. 6:16 and Ephesians 2:21-22.
These quotations, along with the scriptures just cited, essentially represent the thinking
of many, maybe even most of God’s commandment keeping people in this age, and this is
exactly as many had been taught.
To determine whether or not
this teaching is scripturally correct we must first review the scriptures referenced as
"proof" of this "spiritual" temple. The first scripture is John 2:21. To understand this "proof" we must begin in verse 13 for
the context and the story flow.
13) And the Jew’s passover was at hand, and Jesus
went up to Jerusalem, (14) And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and
doves, and the changers of money sitting: (15) And when he had made a scourge of small
cords, he drove them out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the
changers’ mon(ey, and overthrew the tables; (16) And he said unto them that sold doves,
"Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house a house of merchandise."
(17) And his disciples remembered that it was written, THE ZEAL OF THINE HOUSE HAS EATEN
ME UP. [Ps. 69:9] (18) Then answered the Jew’s and said unto him, What sign show you
unto us, seeing that you do these things? (19) Jesus answered and said unto them,
"Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." (20) Then said the
Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and will you rear it up in three
days? (21) But he spoke of the temple of his body. (22) When therefore he was risen from
the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the
scripture, and the word, which Jesus had said.
Jesus was very much affected by
the physical actions of physical people in a physical temple. The physical actions of the
moneychangers and animal sellers revealed a spiritual problem, or perhaps better stated, a
spiritual deficiency. Then, in verse 18, after He had "cleaned house", so to
speak, the Jews asked Him who He thought He was that He would think that it was His duty
to do what He had done. The Jew’s asked for a sign from Jesus to prove that He had the
authority to ‘clean house’. Christ’s response to their request was to offer an
"encrypted" prophecy to them inferring that His body would be resurrected three
days after his death. Neither the Jews, nor the disciples, realized that He was referring
to His own body as the temple, which would be raised in three days.
So let’s ask the question,
does this scripture support or prove that the temple is "spiritual"? The temple
Christ referred to was His own body. His body would be destroyed in death. What is
spiritual in a dead body? A body is physical if it can die. Christ died. Therefore His
temple was dead and ceased to exist for three days. Verse 21 states that "he spoke of
the temple of his body". In verse 19 He said, "Destroy this temple",
meaning ‘kill this body’, clearly demonstrating that this temple, His body, could be
killed and die. There is no indication here that the temple (His body) was spiritual, but
rather that it was physical and mortal.
Secondly, after His
resurrection, He had his body back. But what body was it? Was it still a temporal body?
Yes, it was the same one that had been destroyed and lay dead in the tomb for three days
and three nights. That physical temple had been killed and ceased to be a temple for 72
hours. Then, in an instant, God put the Spirit back into that dead body and it was
resurrected to life. But remember, Jesus had not yet been glorified. Later that same day
He was seen again, and by this time He had received His glorified body, meaning that His
temple could no longer be destroyed! In John 2:21, there is absolutely no support for a
purely spiritual temple. Let’s look at another scripture used as "proof" of a
spiritual temple.
I Cor. 3:16-17:
Know you not that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in
you? (17) If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of
God is holy, which temple you are.
Here again, the temple is the
body and it can be defiled, which means to be destroyed. However, we are holy, as well as
a temple if the Spirit of God dwells in us. So, what makes our body a temple? It is the
Spirit of God dwelling in us that makes it a holy temple of God, or God’s temple. Thus
far, nothing makes the temple spiritual. Every
indication is that our body (a temple) is physical and mortal, but with "spirit"
dwelling in it.
The next scripture is similar:
I Cor. 6:19-20:
What? know you not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, which is in you, which you have of God, and you are not your own? (20) For you
are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are
God’s.
This scripture restates much of
what we have already covered, but then it adds a bit more. We are not to pollute our
physical body with improper, inappropriate, or unlawful physical materials because we, who
have God’s Spirit dwelling in us, no longer own our own body. We belong to God and are
sanctified (set apart, vs. 11) to God for HIS holy purpose. Our body is a member of Christ
(vs. 15), and we are now one spirit when we are joined to the Lord (vs. 16-17). Is our
body "one spirit"? The Bible says, "he that is joined unto the Lord is one
spirit." What is it that has been joined "unto the Lord" making any such
individual, "one" spirit? The answer is found in verse 20, "For you are
bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are
God’s." God’s Spirit does not join with our body; it joins with our spirit, the
spirit of man dwelling in him. Our spirit dwells and exists in our body, but when God puts
His spirit in us, it joins with our spirit and we become begotten of God and united with
God through His spirit. Thus, our spirit becomes God’s property and then in turn, our
physical body becomes God’s body, or dwelling place, or temple, which now becomes
God’s property as well.
But wait, those
who say the temple is spiritual say God is really
referring to the mind (as opposed to ‘brain’) as being the temple of God, and that it
is spirit. They say the temple of God is spiritual after
all. My response is to refer back to John 2:19-21 when Christ said he would raise up the
temple of His body. If the temple is only the mind of the individual, why resurrect the
body? Why not just resurrect the mind? Why bother to mention that the body is the temple
at all, if it is in the mind or spirit of man? In addition, how could God’s Spirit be
the temple that His Spirit dwells in? Since we become "one" spirit when our
spirit is joined with God’s spirit, the "mind" or spirit of man cannot be the
temple because this "one" spirit cannot dwell in itself. The spirit requires
something to dwell in, and that just happens to be within our physical bodies. Do not even
Satan and his demons look for "bodies" to dwell in?
Now, with I Cor. 6:19-20
clearly in mind (..."your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, which
is in you..."), let’s add one final point from John 2:21 But he spake of the
temple of his body. According to the Companion Bible, the word translated
"of" in "of the Temple", is "peri", and it means
"concerning". The second "of" from "of his body" means
"that is to say", or "consisting of". Therefore, verse 21, restated
reads: "But he spoke concerning the temple, which is to say
(or consisting of), his body. This matches
perfectly with I Cor. 6:19-20 and also eliminates the possible notion that the mind is the
temple. So, just what kind of temple are we? Are we a "spiritual" temple, or a
"physical" temple housing spirit?
Also, is God’s church the temple Jesus is going to return to? Let’s continue.
Next examine II
Cor. 6:16. This scripture has to do with being unequally yoked with unbelievers and
includes verses 11-18 at a minimum. Verses 16-18 state:
(16) And what agreement has the temple of God with
idols? For you are the temple of the living God; as God has said, I WILL DWELL IN THEM,
AND WALK IN THEM; AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE. (17) Wherefore
COME OUT FROM AMONG THEM, AND BE YOU SEPARATE, says the Lord, AND TOUCH NO UNCLEAN THING;
AND I WILL RECEIVE YOU, (18) AND I WILL BE A FATHER UNTO YOU, AND YOU SHALL BE MY SONS AND
DAUGHTERS, says the Lord Almighty.
Verse 16 is taken from Lev. 26:
11-12, and is a promise directed to physical Israel which will soon be fulfilled by
physical Israel. Leviticus 26 also discusses not becoming yoked to idols, keeping the
Lord’s (Yahweh’s) Sabbaths, walking in
the statutes and commandments, and maintaining reverence for His sanctuary (see also Jer.
31:33; 32:38; Ezekiel 37:26-27). Since God does not change and God is not a respecter of
persons, this promise is available to anyone who will comply with the requirements and
conditions specified by God. It means that those who are begotten of God now can meet
these requirements and, in deed, are obligated to do so. God will then dwell in them as
previously covered.
Verse 17 is taken from Is.
52:11. Isaiah 52 discusses the re-gathering of Israel from captivity during the
"Day of the Lord". This is the same context as found in Rev. 18:4, which states:
And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that
you be not partakers of her sins, and that you receive not of her plagues.
This can only be referring to
the House of Israel, which was thrust into the Great Tribulation and taken into captivity
by the Assyrians. The time frame is before the millennium. Why else would it be necessary
for Yahweh to go before them, and the God of Israel to be their rear guard (Is. 52:12 -
all the same God.)? There will be no threat to Israel as the millennium begins.
Furthermore, since the plagues have not struck yet, there is a threat to Israel from the
Beast power, and perhaps even Gog and Magog, at the time of this re-gathering since none
of them will have been destroyed yet. Therefore, just as with ancient Israel, while coming
out of Egypt, Israel will have the pillar of smoke and fire to protect them. God does not
change.
Verse 18 is taken primarily
from two places. First, notice Jeremiah 31:1,9:
(1) At the same time, says the Lord (Yahweh),
will I be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people.
(9) They shall come with weeping, and with
supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a
straight way, wherein they shall not stumble: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.
Next, consider Exodus
4:22:
And you shall say to Pharaoh, Thus says the Lord (Yahweh), Israel is my son, even my firstborn:
Again we see that the House of
Israel is the son of Yahweh God, and He will tabernacle (dwell) with them, and ultimately,
in them. Physical human bodies will become temples for God then, just as those called out
and begotten of God are now. Even in II Cor. 6:16, the temple is to avoid idols and told
(vs. 17) not to "touch" the unclean. Touching is another physical act. There
continues to be the physical vessel housing the spirit.
Webster’s defines
"spiritual" as follows: 1) of, relating to, or consisting of spirit:
INCORPOREAL. Webster’s defines "incorporeal": 1) not corporeal: having no
material body or form.
Nothing we have seen so far
"proves" that the "temple" today is "spiritual". At best it
is ambiguous, to outright disproof, of that statement/ position/ doctrine. What has been
proven is that the physical body becomes a temple for God when that body houses God’s
Holy Spirit. But are these physical bodies of true believers the "temple" that
Christ is going to return to? (At this point I would mention that this article is not
intended to discuss just ‘who’ is returning. Revelation 11:5, Acts 4:26 and other
scriptures leave no room for doubt that God the Father is coming as well as “His
Christ”!)
Are there any scriptures that
would help to clear up this "temple" question? Actually, there are several
relevant scriptures. One in particular affects both the understanding of the "end
time" temple and prophecy. Zechariah 6:9-15
discusses the crowning of Joshua. This is the Joshua who was the high priest and served
with Zerubbabel. He was crowned as a king-priest, at the instruction of Yahweh,
through Zechariah. This had never been done before and was not legal in Israel. It had
already cost one king of Israel his life when he tried to do it previously. Verse 12 states:
"Thus speaks the Lord (Yahweh) of
hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The Branch; and he shall grow up out of his
place and he shall build the temple of the Lord (Yahweh)."
Now, some think that the man
(#376, ish in Hebrew) called The Branch is just
a reference to Jesus (Joshua is the English name as translated from the Hebrew scriptures.
More technically it might be better written as, ‘Yahowshua’, but there are a number of
accepted spellings). Some think that this refers to Zerubbabel, a few others think that
this refers to the person being crowned, Joshua the king-priest. The answer to this will
be covered at another time, but whoever the man is, he shall "build the temple of the
Lord" (verse 12,13).
Keep in mind that the
construction of the temple, at the time of this prophecy, had been stalled for 14 years. Zerubbabel had
built and finished the foundation of the temple 14 years earlier. It took two years to
build the foundation, then difficulties were encountered and the construction of the
temple ceased. Later, Zechariah and Haggai came on the scene and told Joshua and
Zerubbabel to get back to work. They complied and the construction of the
"second" temple was resumed.
So, is this temple prophecy
about a spiritual temple or a physical one? Notice verse 14. It states that this
"elaborate crown" is for a memorial "in the temple" of Yahweh. How
could this crown, then or now, be for a memorial in some kind of a "spiritual temple"? This crown was to be a memorial; physically located inside a physical
building, which is just what Joshua was in the process of building. Then verse 15 adds:
"they" that are far off shall come and
build in the temple of the Lord.... People or "they", who are "far
off" is in reference to time, not distance. Therefore, in the "end time"
"they" would "build" just as Joshua was to build a temple. If this is
just referring to spirit-begotten humans or the "church" as being the temple,
how would this "they" (humans) build in others (humans) the temple of Yahweh?
Can this be "spiritualized" away? They were constructing a physical temple then.
The word of Yahweh concerned the structure of a physical temple. Are we somehow to presume
that this is some kind of a coded message to the priesthood in the end time to build a
group of humans together (a church?) to form a spiritual temple for the Christ to return
to? Once again, these scriptures give no evidence whatsoever to support such a premise.
Everything thus far, in type and anti-type, specifies a physical building. But let’s
continue.
Haggai had much to say about
the temple. Haggai 1:2 states:
Thus says the Lord (Yahweh) of hosts,
saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the Lord’s house should be
built.
At that time, approximately 519
BC, the building of the temple was stalled as mentioned previously. However, Joshua and
others had built their own houses, and may have even used some of the wood paneling
originally intended for the temple. The word "ceiled", in verse 4, means
paneled, so it would appear that their homes were quite nice. Remember, too, these
leaders, Joshua, Zerubbabel, and several others were of royal lineage, and by that date
Joshua was the high priest and Zerubbabel was the governor.
If these verses in Haggai are a
prophecy for the "end time", then the analogy, and spiritualizing of this into
being the church, doesn’t quite fit. How could "people", who supposedly are
the temple, be accused by God of not thinking it was time for the temple (church) to be
built yet? If the temple is the "Church of God", then we all know that we need
to grow (be built) in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ
(II Pet. 3:18), not to mention many more scriptures, which apply here. The emphasis in
Haggai 1:2 is on timing. The only way timing could be a problem for anyone today, or in
the "end time", would be if they did not think there was going to actually be a
temple built on Mt. Zion. Even today, which is not quite the "end time", the
majority of God’s people are not expecting a physical temple to be built. They
understand that any temple not built by and through God’s direction would not be
"His" temple. It would only be a Jewish temple, or the temple of whomever else
might be the builder. Because these Christians think that the temple is spiritual,
they do not even consider the possibility that an "end time" temple might be
built by servants of the Most High God. These misunderstandings occur because so many
people believe that the temple scriptures are spiritual rather than physical in
fulfillment.
NOTE
For
reference purposes, we will consider the
"end time" period to be the last seven, or possibly eight, years of this age
leading up to the Kingdom. It contains two periods of 1260 days each, with the Great
Tribulation being the second 1260 day period. Virtually all "end time", "in that day", and "latter
days" prophecies are fulfilled within this period, and most of it pertains to the
"Day of the Lord". Misunderstanding what and when the "end time" is,
leads to making the "church" the focal point of end time prophecy, rather than
Israel. Some will agree with this assessment while others will disagree. Neither position
negates the main thrust of this article. If you have material evidence that would allow
for a different "end time" time span or sequence, please forward it to us. It is
our belief that at this time in church history, no single church "organization"
or individual has everything 100% correct, but several have a piece or pieces. Therefore
we are open to considering any well thought out presentation and would encourage such.
Notice Haggai
2: 3-9,
Who is left
among you that saw this house in her first glory? and how do you see it now? is
it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing? (4) Yet now be strong, O
Zerubbabel, says the Lord; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and
be strong all you people of the land, says the Lord, and work: for I am
with you, says the Lord of hosts: (5) According to
the word that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt, so my spirit remains among
you: fear you not. (6) For thus says the Lord of hosts; Yet once it is
a little while, and I will shake the heaven, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; (7) And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall
come: and I will fill this house [The temple] with glory, says the Lord of hosts. (8) The
silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the Lord of hosts. (9) The glory of this latter
house [The latter temple] shall be greater than of the former, says the Lord of hosts: and
in this place will I give peace, says the Lord of hosts.
Numerous points can be made
here, many of which have already been discussed in other scriptures, but consider this
one. In verse 7, Yahweh (the Lord) said that He would fill this house with glory. The
Shekinah glory never filled the second temple. It did fill the first temple (I Kings
8:11). It will fill the last temple (verse 7), but that time is not until the time that
He, Yahweh (or YHWH), shakes the world. When does He do that, is it not during the
"end time"?! The way that the first temple was filled with glory was when YHWH
was inside of the physical temple structure. He promised that that
house would receive His presence once more, but it never happened in the structure that
was built by the captives who returned from Babylon. That structure no longer exists. How
is YHWH going to keep His word? He equated the house of 1 Kings 8 with the
"second" temple, in verse 3, when He asked, "Who is
left among you that saw this house in her first glory?" Both are not only considered
to be His house, but both are considered to be the same house according to this scripture.
Therefore, any new structure built at His direction/ command will automatically be
considered to be His house, and in turn the same house as well. The Ezekiel temple
[described in chapters 40-48] that will be built on Mt. Zion, in the end time, will be
Yahweh’s house and He will enter that house/ temple and His glory will then fill it,
just as He has promised! So, which temple, 1st, 2nd, or 3rd, does not matter. YHWH said
that He "would," in the future, fill His house/ temple with his glory. It did
not have to happen then. Verses 6 and 7 have not yet been fulfilled. The glory does have
to fill the temple and will in the "end time" temple, when verses 6 and 7 are
also fulfilled.
What about Malachi
3:1:
Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the
Lord (Adoni) whom you seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the
covenant, whom you delight in: behold, he shall come, says the Lord (YHWH)
of hosts.
Here we see the Messenger of
the covenant, Jesus, coming to his temple. How can this be a church or “the” church?
If it is the church, or those who are spirit begotten, then they already have Christ (this
messenger of the covenant) DWELLING in them as was made abundantly clear earlier. How can
He come to where He already is? Who is this message for, is this a prophecy to, or for the
church? What is the covenant being brought by this messenger? Isaiah 40 is connected to
this scripture; notice the context of the whole chapter. Who is it directed to, the church
or possibly Israel? What is the time frame of Isaiah 40 and Malachi 3? They both pertain
to the re-gathering of Israel during the Day of the Lord. Therefore, neither of these
prophecies is yet fulfilled. No one has performed this yet. The messenger of the covenant
will fulfill it! See Luke 1:68-75, therein is the same covenant spoken of in Malachi 3.
(See "Who is Elijah?" for further information, and an
explanation of Malachi 3 and 4, Isaiah 40, Luke 1, Jer. 31 and related scriptures) The
covenant IS with Israel, not with the church. Yahweh made the covenant with Abraham,
centuries before Pentecost of 31 AD. That covenant did not ‘pass on’ to the
‘church’.
There are many other
"temple" scriptures in the Hebrew scriptures (Old Testament), which can be
reviewed at any time, but for now let’s consider the book of Revelation and see what
kind of temple is being referred to, as well as where Jesus is about to return to.
Rev.
11:1 states:
And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise,
and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.
If
this refers to a "spiritual temple", the church, then the altar, which many
think is the ministry in the church, is also
the temple because everyone is a "temple" if God’s Holy Spirit dwells in them.
Are they, the ministers, to be measured twice, first as a member or temple, and again as a
minister? What if the person was a terrible minister but a satisfactory member? This may
not even be possible, but consider the possibility. There are a number of individuals who
have been "elevated" to a so-called "ministry" who were pretty good
contributing members, but who have no ability to minister. Is it their fault that they
were ordained? Should or could they have refused? Did God even accept the ordination? This
really does not make sense. Then after the temple and the altar are measured, it is time
to measure "them" that worship "IN" the temple. How do you do that if
you yourself are the temple? Does not this rather simply point to a physical temple that
requires physical measurements to be made in it? In the past, many taught that this temple
would be built in the millennium. If this is so, then explain Eze. 43:10! This temple has not yet been built, so Israel has never been able
to fulfill these requirements. Verse 10 states:
You son of man, show the house [the temple] to the house of Israel, that they may
be ashamed of their iniquities: and let them measure the pattern.
If "Ezekiel’s
temple" were not built until after the kingdom is established, then what sense would
it make to show them the temple so they would be ashamed of their iniquities? Israel will
have long since repented, been re-gathered, and God will have given them a fleshly heart,
one that will not be enmity against God. God forgives us upon true repentance and then
forgets completely. This scenario of bringing up past sins, which have been forgiven,
contradicts easily discernable scriptures. Therefore, as difficult as it may be to
believe, this must be referring to an end time physical temple!
Next let’s consider Rev. 15
and 16. This discusses the seven last plagues of the Day of the Lord. Rev.
15:5 states:
And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the
testimony in heaven was opened:
Here is a temple, or the
sanctuary of the tabernacle, or the dwelling place of the testimony, and it is in heaven.
Where is heaven? You may have been taught that there are three heavens. Let’s assume
that that is true for the purpose of this discussion. The third heaven is where the
Father’s throne is. The second heaven is typically considered to be outer space. The
first heaven is the atmosphere, which includes anything in the air from the ground all the
way to outer space (but in scripture its upper limit is at the level of the clouds). It
can include anything touching the ground, but which is in a lofty or prominent position,
such as a building or other structure on the top of a mountain. For a revealing lofty look
into this ‘heavenly’ subject see our article, “The Actual Message of Matthew 24”.
Now look at Rev.
15:8:
And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power;
and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels
were fulfilled.
Did you notice what this verse
says? No man was able to enter this temple because of the smoke from the glory of God. If
this temple is in the second or third heaven how could any man enter into the temple
anyway, even if the glory of God was not in it? (This is not to mention that if the church
were the temple then no human member could be in the temple, etc.) It is possible for man
to enter this temple at other times, just not in God’s presence. Therefore, this temple
must be on earth, but where and when? The time frame is the Day of the Lord and the temple
is already there. It has been there at least
since Rev 11:1 became possible. It is not there today. It must be built in the end time to
be there during the Day of the Lord, which also means that it must be built before the Day
of the Lord and before The Kingdom.
Consider now Rev.
11:19:
And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the
ark of the testament (covenant): and there were lightnings and voices, and thunderings,
and an earthquake, and great hail.
Where is the only place an
earthquake can occur? On earth! Lightnings,
thunderings, great hail, and even voices all require air. They must all occur in an
atmosphere, therefore, in the first heaven. Where is the location of this temple in
heaven? It is right where God has always said it would be: in Jerusalem, on Mount Zion
(again, refer to the Matthew 24 article previously mentioned for information on and about
this).
Now we should be able to
examine any remaining scriptures about a, or the, temple and discern what is being
referred to. For example, consider Ephesians
2:21-22.
21 In
whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
22 In
whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
Paul was speaking to converted
non-Jewish people who were, for the first time, able to become members of the household of
God. Their bodies became temples of God because the Spirit of God dwelt in each of them.
Each of their bodies became the habitation of God through the Spirit (vs. 22). Their
physical mortal bodies housed His spirit. God lived in them, thus, by definition; they
each were temples of God. The Greek word for “ye” in verse 22 is in the plural and is
specifically a reference to the Ephesians. It must be referring to the entirety of the
living human beings, who comprised the congregation in Ephesus. Notice that the Ephesians
are considered to be ‘growing’ into this ‘temple’, but that the ‘prophets’,
who are all dead, are considered to be a part of the foundation on which this
‘building’ rests. This presents a problem for the ‘spiritual temple’ position.
According to verse 22 this building is for a ‘habitation’ of God through the Spirit.
How does God ‘inhabit’ dead prophets? Furthermore, the ‘prophets’ and Apostles are
considered to be the ‘foundation’ of this building (verse 20), why aren’t they all
just called the “temple”? Why make a distinction at all if we are all a part of some
kind of ‘spiritual temple’? Then let’s ask, What about Abel? What about Enoch,
Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Rahab, Gideon, Barak, Samson? Are they all prophets?
Was Rahab a prophet and therefore a part of the ‘foundation’? (Hebrews 11) Why
couldn’t Ephesians 2: 21-22 be a figurative and not a literal (excuse the pun)
‘spiritual temple’? Paul was speaking in general figurative terms here. If he were
not, he would have had to be more specific concerning his personal references to the
Ephesians. By lumping them all together with a plural ‘ye’ he created a figurative
expression. Otherwise, if it were to be literal, no one other than the Ephesians could be
a part of this temple. It is a common mistake to overlook whether the pronoun ‘you’ is
singular or plural when trying to understand the meaning of a verse. This ‘church is the
temple’ concept has come about, in part, because of such oversights.
Do verses 21 and 22 make the
church a spiritual temple? Not quite. Verse 21 states that the "building" is
growing "unto" a holy Temple. If the church is ever to become a
"spiritual" Temple, it must be after it has been resurrected, as the growing
cannot be complete while we are still in the flesh. That little word "unto" in
the Greek is eis
and it denotes motion to (toward) an object. Thus, while we are already holy, that is
‘set apart for a special purpose’ and that special purpose is called the Temple, it is
not yet fulfilled or finished until we are all
finished. Considered from another perspective one would ask the question, "If
‘we’ are the
temple, or the ‘church’ is the temple, then what about the spirit-begotten brethren
who came before us and are now dead, as well as those who have not yet been begotten, but
will be in the future? Are they different "Temples"? The only way for that to
work is for this "spiritual temple" to kind of "flow" through time.
Well, it is just not supportable. It is very difficult to maintain a logical flow to the
"spiritual" temple supposition, but it is simple for a physical one. Can we now
begin to see the “spiritual temple is the church” concept becoming a big problem? Yet
these same people claim that the “End-time Temple”, which they claim is made of living
spirit-begotten humans, will be built in the ‘end-time’, just in time for the return
of Christ. Somehow, they must completely ignore those thousands or more brethren who have
died in the faith since the first century. There are so many flaws to this line of
thinking that it is truly surprising that more people don’t challenge the concept.
Surely we cannot draw
conclusions about this scripture without first regarding or considering those other
"temple" scriptures, can we? If Ephesians 2 gives credence or evidence to the
position that the "church" is a spiritual temple, then so be it. On the other
hand, with all of the other scriptures being considered, does it not at the very least
virtually force us to look at Ephesians 2 with a somewhat more critical eye? It may be
wise to scrutinize this scripture and try to determine exactly what Paul meant, might it
not? Could it be better stated that all of these members (with God’s Spirit dwelling in
them) do indeed form a type of "sanctuary"? The Greek word for temple ultimately
does lead us to the "holy of holies" and simply means a "sanctuary".
And since the Holy Spirit dwells in these members, both individually and as a group, they
would form a holy habitation, or dwelling place, would they not? But do any of these
points make the "church" a spiritual temple? It simply does not appear to be
plausible. Could it be that Paul was not “going there” in the first place? Could it be
that we have used an assumed or preconceived notion about Ephesians 2 to define John 2:21,
and I Corinthians 3:16, 6:19, and II Corinthians 6:16, and…, or even vice versa, without
really thinking this all the way through?
Elsewhere in Ephesians, Paul
does call the true believers, who comprise the church, the "body" of Christ
(Eph. 1:23 and 4:12 in particular). The church (organism) is the body of Christ. We are
each a part of the body of Christ, but does that make us a ‘spiritual temple’? No, it
simply makes us a physical temple housing the Spirit of God! Please consider this: Can one
destroy spirit? If the church is a spiritual temple, then it cannot be destroyed! Then how
do we explain the tremendous destruction that has, and still is, taking place on God’s
people today? One could say that the church can never be "completely" destroyed.
Well, OK, let’s accept that at face value for this discussion, although that, too, is a
misunderstanding. One must then ask, “Well, what about all those who have
"fallen" away, having in many cases already died physically?” Anyone in that
category is relegated to "eternal death" are they not? They have died physically
and spiritually. They have for all practical purposes been destroyed, right? So, if the
church "is" a spiritual temple, then at least part, or parts of it, can be
destroyed, which is contradictory, isn’t it. Doesn’t the spiritual temple supposition
begin to get confusing?
One major reason for bringing
up Ephesians 2 (and maybe for that matter this entire article) is to ask each of us to
consider very deeply that we, perhaps, do not have it all right. Furthermore, that we may
all still have a long way to go before we are ready for The Kingdom. Many, or probably all
of us, have been like the one who "hid" his talent rather than used it to
increase. Are we guilty of this now? Our God is not just a "maintaining" God, is
he? Isn’t the "increase of His government" without end? Could it be that,
again perhaps, the single greatest sin that we, as individual members of the Body of
Christ, have committed against God is the result of our own vanity and conceit. Have we
not, virtually every one of us, read many and in some cases nearly all the prophecies
about the "end time" and then looked around us noting what we saw, and then
applied those "end time" prophesies to us, or our own ‘church’, because they
seemed to fit? Are we to define the Bible by our time and circumstance, or ought we truly
to let the Bible interpret itself.
Throughout the history of
Christianity, church leaders have always taught that their generation was living in the
"end time". They have all been wrong. We certainly appear to be near the
"end time" now, especially with the knowledge of what is happening to the Israel
of God AND God’s secular people Israel, all twelve tribes. No one is saying that these
many prophecies do not apply to the church in "type", we are simply putting
forth the case that all of these prophecies must apply to the people to whom they were
originally intended in the first place! For example, a prophecy against Moab is against
Moab. One for Edom is for Edom. A prophecy for Judah is for Judah. One for the House of
Israel is for Israel. A prophecy concerning Ephraim concerns Ephraim, and so on.
That any of these might fit, or
seem to fit "the church" is simply because of the incredible simplicity and
consistency of a constantly recurring theme and ‘pattern’ within the Plan of God. That
theme concerns the nation of Israel and the overwhelming attention that God shows them.
The ‘pattern’ is how God deals with that nation in a consistent and constant way
through the ages. What ‘the church’ has done is to insert the ‘church’ into the
places already determined for Israel in order to be the recipient of all the desire and
attention they see God bestowing upon His People Israel. So, even a prophecy that seems to
"fit" the ‘church’, even though not yet the ‘end-time’, must then still
be fulfilled in the "end time" upon whomever it is stated to be for. But, let us
remember and understand this, that no
prophecy from the Hebrew scriptures is ‘for’ the ‘church’ unless God was teasing
Israel, Judah, and ALL the others who are identified by name in those prophecies! We
cannot legitimately take ‘partial’ prophecies and apply them to some ‘church’
while ignoring the rest of the prophecy that does not ‘fit-in’ with the ‘church’
part. That is precisely what those who claim that the 'Old Testament’ prophecies
actually apply to the church are doing. Typically, the “it is the church” crowd is
amazed when someone doesn’t ‘see’ the ‘church’ in these prophecies, but they
also typically are not willing to consider other obvious, but ‘conflicting’,
scriptures to their church in prophecy suppositions.
PLEASE CONSIDER THIS! If these
prophecies are for another person, group, or time yet ahead, then might what we have done
by thinking and teaching that ‘we’ are this ‘temple’, or that certain Hebrew
scripture prophecies are really for the church, be considered a form of idolatry? If we
have missed the mark in some of this, then it will make it more difficult for us to
correctly understand what we ought to understand as God’s people, won’t it? Please
consider the possibilities.
Finally, please read II
Thessalonians 2:4. This verse addresses another kind of temple. This one has to be built
with hands of men. It is the same one as Rev. 11, Rev. 15:8, etc. One temple is our human
physical body and the other is a physical structure built on a mountain. The common
denominator of these two types of temples is the very same thing that confuses the two
temples in men’s minds. God dwells in both!
Despite unmistakable scriptures demanding a physical building to be built for Israel’s
sake and for God (Yahweh Elohiym) to ‘occupy’, many of God’s people have
consistently rejected the necessity for an "End Time" temple in favor of some
sort of "spiritual temple", which is sort of physical and sort of spirit. Many
of those calling themselves the people of God have almost universally inserted the
"church" into plain scriptures, which refer to the House of Israel (Jacob,
Judah, etc.). When one puts Israel back into the scriptures, they become clear and
prophecy makes sense. God’s plan for Israel, the world, AND the Body of Christ, all take
their proper place in the wonderful, incredible, and awesome Plan of God!
Richard L. Fix
Written in September of 2000.
Revised November 2002.