The Temple of God

God’s dealings with Christian believers always are based on a specificpurpose. God has a definite plan in Christ that Heis carrying out. If we are to enter the life of victory in Christit is important that we recognize we are part of God’s plan that is movingtoward fulfilment according to His wisdom and unlimited power.

Central to God’s plan is His desire to dwell in a living temple. Theliving temple of God is Christ—Headand Body. Christ is the House of God. The members ofthe Body of Christ are many rooms in the one House of God.

The construction of an eternal dwelling place for Himself is one of theprincipal purposes of God in the Christian Church.It is difficult for the Lord to come into a satisfying relationship with Hiscreatures. The Body of Christ, which is the Temple of God,removes that difficulty by becoming the hand and heart of God extended to people every where.

It is God’s will for us that we, by diligent and consistent faith inChrist, enter our individual role in the Divine plan and then rest with Christas the Father brings all the enemies of Christ under His feet.

GOD’S SOVEREIGN PURPOSE

The purpose of this book, The Temple of God, is to portray thedestiny of the Christian Church. Because Christians havenot understood what the Olive Tree, the Seed of Abraham is, theyhave not been able to relate the Hebrew prophecies to the role or future of the Church.

Once it has been determined who "Israel" is, that Israel isthe elect of God from the time of Abraham regardless of Jewish or Gentileracial origin, then the believer can perceive the destiny of the Church, theBody of Christ, the eternal Temple of God.

The role and future of the Christian Churchhas been described in the Scriptures, both in the Old and New Testaments, allthis time. But we have not had eyes to see.

Hopefully the devout reader will begin to understand that all propheciesrelated to the Kingdom of God, its past, itspresent, and its future, are referring to him. He (or she) is God’s Israel, asaint, a member of the Body of Christ.

The eleventh chapter of the Book of Hebrews defines "faith" interms of the response of Old Testament personages to God’s commands andinterventions. We are one with all of them. They and we shall be made perfecttogether.

There is only one Israel of God, one anointed of God. There is only one Christ, one Servant of the Lord. There is only one Church,one holy city, one new Jerusalem.

The Lord Jesusis Christ. God is adding to the Lord Jesus a Body. The Lord Jesus the Head, plusthe Body, constitute the true Israel,the true Servant of the Lord.

The true Israel,the true Servant of the Lord, is one Olive Tree.There never has been and never shall be another olive tree, another place ofanointing, another Christ that God will accept.

The true Olive Tree began with Abraham and Sarah.The Olive Tree continued with the promise to Isaac, to Jacob,and to the sons of Jacob. This is trueIsrael,the true Seed of Abraham.

The Olive Tree came in perfection in theLord Jesus Christ, who, being the Word of God from eternity, actually wasbefore Abraham. The Olive Treecontinued with all who have become part of Christ,whether Jewish or Gentile by physical birth.

In the last days, the promise, the anointing, the Olive Tree,shall return to the physical land and people of Israel. Then the Redeemer shallcome out of Zion and all Israel, all ofthe elect, all of the true Olive Tree, shall be saved in the Lordwith an everlasting salvation.

God has had, and shall continue to have, a special role for the physicalland and people of Israel.Physical Israelis the only nation that has been set apart as holy to the Lord.

The true Olive Tree is the Kingdom of God.In order to enter the Kingdom of God both Jew andGentile must be born again. The Jew and the Gentile then become new creationsin Christ. In this manner, that which began with Abraham becomes eternal.

The Olive Tree, Christ,the Servant of the Lord, is the eternal dwelling place of the most high God.The Olive Tree is the House of the Father. Thefirst, and principal room in the Father’s House is the Lord Jesus. But there are to be manyrooms in the Father’s House, the eternal Temple of God.This book is about our becoming a room in that eternal House, the everlastingTabernacle of God.

Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of thineinheritance, in the place, O Lord, which thou hast made for thee to dwell in,in the Sanctuary, O Lord, which thy hands have established. (Exodus 15:17)

"In the place, O Lord, which thou hast made for thee to dwellin."

The above passage is the beginning of the revelation of the eternal purposeof God.

And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. (Exodus25:8)

He shall build me an house, and I will stablish his throne for ever. (I Chronicles 17:12)

Why leap ye, ye high hills? this is the hill which God desireth to dwellin; yea, the Lord will dwell in it for ever. (Psalms 68:16)

When the Lord shall build up Zion,he shall appear in his glory. (Psalms 102:16)

For the Lord hath chosen Zion;he hath desired it for his habitation. This is my rest for ever: here will Idwell; for I have desired it. (Psalms 132:13,14)

He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I inhim. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he thateateth me, even he shall live by me. (John 6:56,57)

Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him,and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. (John 14:23)

That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee,that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe thou hast sent me.(John 17:21)

Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye buildme? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest? (Acts 7:49)

For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members ofthat one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.(I Corinthians 12:12)

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christliveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith ofthe Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)

My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you, (Galatians 4:19)

In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holytemple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation ofGod through the Spirit. (Ephesians 2:21,22)

And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists;and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the workof the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: (Ephesians 4:11,12)

To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of thismystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: (Colossians 1:27)

Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and heshall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and thename of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out ofheaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name. (Revelation 3:12)

Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, andopen the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.(Revelation 3:20)

And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacleof God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people,and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. (Revelation 21:3)

God’s work in Christian believers, individually and collectively, alwaysis based on a specific purpose. God has a definite plan in Christthat He is carrying out. Paul states:"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God,to them who are the called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28)

If we are to enter the overcoming life of victory in Christit is important that we recognize we are part of God’s plan that is movingtoward fulfillment according to His wisdom and unlimited power.

It is God’s will for us that we, by diligent and consistent faith inChrist, enter our individual role in the Divine plan, and then rest with Christas the Father brings all the enemies of Christ under His feet.

The Sovereignty of God’s Working

God is the Creator and we are "his workmanship, created in Christ unto good works" (Ephesians 2:10). What Godbegins He also finishes (Hebrews 12:2). He is following a blueprint and a timeschedule. He knows exactly what He is doing with every creature in Heaven andon the earth (Acts 15:18). God is God.

We recognize, certainly, that man is commanded to seek and to serve Godfaithfully. We recognize also God is God and that all people, things, andevents are in His power.

The sovereign workings and initiative of God are illustrated in themanner in which he apprehended Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus. Saulwas not on his way to church. He was not proceeding down an aisle in responseto an altar call. He was on his way to arrest and torment Christian believers.

In complete command of the situation, as always, Jesusordered Saul to "Arise and gointo the city." Jesus then madeknown to him that God has a purpose concerning the Gentiles as well as theJews, and that he, Saul, had animportant part to play in this purpose.

God had laid out a design for Saul’slife in which he would become the Apostle to the Gentiles. Saul was to have an understanding of the plan ofsalvation and of the way in which grace operates to redeem people. Christ gaveall this to Saul at the moment of his becoming a Christian—in fact, while Saulwas in the midst of putting Christians to death (Acts 26:11-18).

God’s purpose, which He is pursuing in line with His sovereign willaccording to His own Divine counsel and foreknowledge, with people whom He haschosen (we are not in any way minimizing the role of our will in choosing toserve Christ), is to bring to full stature the Body of Christ.

Christ is God’s anointed King and Deliverer.The Church of Christ is His Body, "the fullnessof him that filleth all in all" (Ephesians 1:23). Christis the Lampstand of God. The Body of Christ is the second"lampstand," of Revelation 11:4. The Lord Jesus Christ is the eternaldwelling place of God Almighty and the chief Cornerstone of the habitation thatGod is building for Himself. We Christians, being members of His Body, are partof the same dwelling place. We are being "builded together for anhabitation of God

The Divine Program

The eternal purpose of God is to dwell among the peoples of the earth,whom He has created. God did not create mankind with the idea that God wouldremain in Heaven and punish people continually because they are of the earthand behave in an earthly fashion; neither is it His will that human beingsleave the earth and abide forever in Heaven, as though the creating of theearth were an unfortunate mistake. This would be to suggest that God is notquite sure what He is doing, that He gets caught by surprise, that He does notwork in a reliable manner.

God created the physical heaven and the earth. God formed angels,cherubim, seraphim, and other types of spiritual personalities in the spiritualHeaven. He formed man—male and female—in the image of God and placed him on the earth.

God created men as sons of God, in His image, intending to give themdominion, fruitfulness, and glory. More than that, God has designed eachindividual as male or female so each person is incomplete and can realize hisor her eternal destiny only in union with Christ andother people. Man’s highest motivation is love. This is true also of man’sCreator, the Lord God.

If we were neither male nor female, would we find much meaning in theSong of Solomon? Isn’t the Song of Solomon the key to our understanding of therelationship between Christ and His Bride, betweenthe eternal Lord and His Temple, His Body?

Angels, cherubim, and seraphim are neithermale nor female. Also, it is true that none of these ever can become a livingstone in the Temple of God.

The Divine intention is not that man go to Heaven to live there forever;but, as we read in the last two chapters of the Book of Revelation, that theLord God of Heaven dwell forever among men on the earth.

And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacleof God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people,and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. (Revelation 21:3)

Why, then, did the sovereign God permit the rebellion of Eden? What isthe significance of the terror of Sinai? How could the great and terrible"Lord" of Moses permit Roman soldiers to spit on Him and place a mock crownof thorns on His head?

If we view the historical appearances of God among His creatures, andHis dealings with mankind, as tragedies in which God unsuccessfully attemptedto have fellowship with us, we fall short in our concept of the sovereignty ofGod. We do not grasp His Divine foreknowledge and absolute authority and power.How can God make mistakes when He is all-powerful?

If we perceive the fall of Adam and Eve, the flood of Noah, the awfulgrandeur of Sinai, the carrying away of the Jews into Babylon, and thecrucifixion of Christ as necessary aspects of a marvellous plan and purpose, werest in the fact that God knows all His works from the creation of the world;that the Divine purpose has been accomplished from the beginning of time. Weenter this rest of God—the rest based on the finished work (Hebrews 4:3).

What could God achieve by placing a forbidden tree in the middle of thegarden, and then allowing Satan, a master deceiverof ancient experience, to persuade the first, innocent babes to sin againstGod?

Given God’s high ambitions for His sons, it does not requireextraordinary wisdom in order to understand the necessity for the rebellion of Eden.

At some point in prior eternity the governing lords of the spirit realmdecided to usurp God’s absolute ruler ship. Sin was conceived in Heaven, not onthe earth. Sin is a spiritual reality. The flesh and blood of human beings provide a vehicle for theexpression of spiritual personalities.

Sin is the defilement of God’s holiness. Self-will, which is worse thansin, is the desire of a creature of God to seek its own purposes apart fromsubmission to the Majesty of the everlasting Throne.

Sin proceeds from Satan. Sin is practiced byhuman beings who have been enslaved by Satan.

He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from thebeginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifest, that he might destroythe works of the devil. (I John 3:8) Self-will is demonstrated in Satan’s behaviour.

For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I willexalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of thecongregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of theclouds; I will be like the most High. (Isaiah 14:13,14)

"I will. I will. I will. I will."

Self-will is the main problem of the human beings whom God has createdin His image. Self-will is prominent among God’s chosen people and resulted inthe murder of Christ.

For two thousand years the Church of Christ has beencharacterized by self-will, by the desire to minister and build apart from thesupervision of Christ through the Holy Spirit.

Self-will and self-centeredness are found in the human baby and remainthrough adulthood.

Self-will is the basis of the Antichrist spirit. The true saint of Godlearns that he must be pressed ever more deeply into union with God through Christ, forsaking his self-will. It is the believer’s crossthat does the pressing.

No person can become a living stone in the eternal Temple of Goduntil his will has been brought into oneness with the will of God in Christ.

When God decided to make man in His image, and then to assign to himauthority and power over all the works of God’s hands, He had to provide forthe eventuality that man would turn against God.

For God to have created man in His image, to have given him authorityover all the works of God’s hands, and then not to have provided for theproblems of sin and self-will would have been foolish indeed. God is notfoolish.

A human being who is in slavery to Satan andwho is unwilling to forsake his independence and enter union with God through Christ (submission to and union with Christare the main issues), cannot be assigned authority and power over all the worksof God’s hands. He or she would be a monster. Do we not behold monstrous behaviouron every hand today, within and outside the churches?

Therefore God allowed Adam and Eve to sin. God did not tempt them to sin or causethem to sin. God made it possible for them to sin and then permitted them to doso. Why?

In order to make God’s royal heirs immune to sin.

There is only one immunity to sin and self-will. The immunity is theLord Jesus Christ. Dying physically does not provide immunity to sin and self-will. Dyingphysically brings us into the spirit realm, where we are judged and placed withspirits like ourselves.

Going to Heaven does not provide immunity to sin and self-will. Sin andself-will were born in Heaven around the Throne of God.

Where, then, can we find immunity to sin and self-will? We can find suchimmunity in the Personality of the Lord Jesus Christ. Complete union with Christ makes us eligible to be a living stone in the Temple of God. There is no immunity to sin andself-will other than by receiving the Person of Christ into ourselves.

We may think of God’s dealing with mankind, from the time of Edento the present hour, as a school. Eden was the kindergarten. Thefirst lesson was, "The soul that sins shall die." God has given ussix thousand years in which to reflect on the truth and wisdom of the firstlesson.

Then the flood of Noah providedthe heirs of the Kingdom, the sons of God, with a lesson concerning thesternness of God’s Character. God was willing to slay every person on theearth, leaving the one human being (and his family) whom God had found to berighteous, to repopulate the earth.

The world of today needs to meditate on the flood of Noah because the Lord Jesus warned us that His return to earthwould be "as it was in the days of Noah."

Abraham and Sarah were the beginning of the Church, the Temple of God. Abrahamwas given an opportunity to express faith, was admonished concerning the needto walk perfectly before God, and then was tested in the realm of self-will, ofobedience to the Lord God of Heaven.

The faithfulness of Abraham inreturning Isaac to God remains as oneof the highest mountain peaks of human experience. We can find a greater denialof self only in the garden of Gethsemane.

Several hundred years after Abrahamand Sarah, Mount Sinai blazed with a holy light never before revealed on the earth.The dreadful holiness of God was portrayed in the Ten Commandments. The TenCommandments are the Divine judgment on the God of the present world.

Can you see in these Divine dealings the curriculum of a school, aprogressive course in the knowledge of the Lord God of Heaven?

The Law of Moses made us see our need of God’s help. Adam and Eve,at the time of their creation, possessed no deep realization in themselves thatthey were in need of immunity to sin and self-will. Adamand Eve were formed in the image ofGod but they knew very little of God’s Person and ways.

The first two people did not understand that apart from union with Godthey posed a danger to themselves and to the remainder of the creation of God.It has required thousands of years of human experience in order to bring a tinyremnant of people to the profound conviction that apart from God we always fallinto sin and enslave ourselves and our neighbours with our self-will,self-seeking, self-love, self-centeredness.

Only a small minority of earth’s billions has any concept at all of howutterly dependent on God each person is. Most human beings, believers andnonbelievers alike, journey on in slavery to sin and self-will.

In the fullness of time, God sent forth His Son, born of Mary, to live perfectly under the righteousrequirements of the Law of Moses.

Here is the Redemption for every human being. Here is the Immunity tosin and self-will. Here is the Vine of God, apart from whom we cannot bear theright kind of fruit. Here is the Divine Lord, apart from whom we cannotexercise dominion over the works of God’s hands.

If it had not been for the rebellion of Eden we would not have beenbrought to the place of willingness to seek forgiveness through the blood ofthe cross, deliverance through the power of the Holy Spirit, and finally,release from the bondage of self-will and disobedience through our fellowshipwith the suffering of the cross.

No human being can please God apart from the righteousness of Christ and the sacrifice of Calvary.No human being can be trusted with the glory assigned to the sons of God apartfrom a crucified self-life and the formation of a new creation in which hispersonality and the Personality of Christ have been made one.

No human being can find perfect joy and fulfilment until Christis abiding in him and the love of Christ is flowingthrough him to other people.

All of our inheritance as sons of God can be possessed only as we pressinto abiding in Christ, into God’s rest. The historyof the wretched circumstances of human beings without God is a principal reasonwhy thoughtful people are willing and desirous to press into the Lamb of Godwhom God has given to us.

All things of life and history work together for good to those who loveGod, to those who have been called according to God’s purpose.

Every painful episode has as its purpose the driving of us into Christ because it is only in Christthat our high destiny as sons of God can be achieved.

From the beginning the Lord God of Heaven has determined to find rest onearth among the peoples whom He has created from the dust of the ground.Therefore He is forming a living temple. Christ isthe chief Cornerstone of God’s Temple.We, in whom Christ is being created and is dwellingthrough the Spirit, are the living stones of the Temple. God has a plan and is proceeding to carry it out. He knows what He isdoing. Nothing catches Him by surprise. God is sovereign in His foreknowledge,His power, His wisdom.

God is building a tabernacle for Himself. When the tabernacle has beencompleted He will enter it in His Fullness. The Tabernacle of God willbe situated eternally on a high mountain of the new earth. It is called theBride of the Lamb, the new Jerusalem