The Temple of God

We are all familiar with the historic Temple of God, aren't we?  The physical Temple was built by David's son Solomon.  God's spirit resided there and it was the center of the Children of Israel's worship of God.  Animal sacrifices were made there as a way to temporarily atone for sin, before the "Lamb of God" came to "Take away the sin of the world" (Joh 1:29).  It was a physical precursor to the final spiritual Temple of God, spoken of by Peter and John the Apostle, and directly revealed by Jesus Himself in Rev 3:12:

Rev 3:12  Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God ...

God's final plan for the salvation of man does not include a physical temple that His Spirit resides in, no, it is all about Jesus Christ.  To deny this is to deny the truth and to deny God the Father and His only begotten son.  In the finished work of Christ on the cross is all that is necessary for the believers.

Php 3:18  (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: 
Php 3:19  Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.) 

The physical Temple was destroyed twice, once by the Babylonians and finally by the Romans.  Some misguided shepherds of the Lord's sheep would have you believe that the physical temple must be rebuilt.  As you are reading this many Christians and Jews are working to rebuild the physical temple.  You have to ask yourself why?  As we're going to show you, there are no scriptures that prophesy a rebuilding or a need to rebuild the physical temple a third time.  The Scriptures show clearly that believers in Jesus Christ are now the true Temple of God:

1Co 3:16  Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? 

Why would Christians want to align themselves with unbelievers?  Why would they worry about a physical temple being rebuilt?  Why would they feel any kind of affinity with those that pray to a wall of rocks?  Is the Spirit of God in the wailing wall ... or is it inside of believers? If the temple were to be rebuilt, would the Spirit of God reside there?  The scriptures couldn't be more clear, read the scripture above again, we believers are the temple of God:

2Co 6:16  And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 

And as Peter tells us, we believers are indeed the Temple of God, and together we make up a "Spiritual house" filled with the Holy Spirit of God! And if we'll overcome to the end Jesus will make us "pillars in the temple of my God"! (Rev 3:12)  We are not to be looking for a rebuilt temple here on earth, as the unbelieving Jews were and are, their fathers were also looking for earthly things which led them to reject the Messiah at His first coming:

1Pe 2:4  To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, 
1Pe 2:5  Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. 
1Pe 2:6  Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. 
1Pe 2:7  Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, 
1Pe 2:8  And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed. 
1Pe 2:9  But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: 
1Pe 2:10  Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. 

Will we all be turned into rocks? No, of course not, it's an analogy relating to the original physical Temple.  And in place of the animal sacrifices we offer "Spiritual sacrifices".  Clearly we are shown that God has no plans for a third physical temple, where then do the misguided shepherds get this doctrinal error from?  Well, they've completely missed the Scriptures which describe the spiritual nature of God's true Temple, and the fact that they are told that God no longer dwells in temples made by human hands:

Act 7:48  Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands ...

They also seem to have missed the fact, just as the religious leaders of the Jews did and do, that Jesus refers to Himself as the Temple:

Joh 2:19  Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. 

Did Jesus rebuild the physical temple three days after His death on the cross, or did He arise from death in three days?  Isn't that clear enough proof of what the true temple of God is?

If your religious leaders are telling you that a physical temple must be rebuilt to bring about Jesus' return, then as you've been shown, they are wrong, and their focus in on the things of this world and not the things of God:

1Jn 2:15  Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 
1Jn 2:16  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 
1Jn 2:17  And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. 

Their minds are set on the flesh, not on the Spirit (Rom 8:6-7).  They don't love the truth and cannot tell it to you, because they don't know it (2 Th 2:10-12).  They cannot rightly divide the Word of God, they cannot understand the difference between the physical temple or the spiritual, neither can they understand the difference between physical and spiritual Israel 2 Ti 2:15, Rev 3:12, Heb 12:22-24).  Just as those that were the Children of Israel's teachers at Christ's first coming misled their flock, and caused most to die in their sins for rejecting their Messiah (Joh 8:24), so too will your religious leaders of today lead you on the wide gate to destruction:

Mat 7:13  Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 
Mat 7:14  Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. 
Mat 7:15  Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. 

Don't be deceived Brothers and Sisters, those that preach a different gospel are indeed cursed, and you will be too if you don't flee from their houses of idolatry, falsely called the "Church" (Gal 1:6-8).  Come out of the darkness of the carnally minded "Church" into the marvellous light of the truth (1 Pe 2:9, Rev 18:4)!  Claim your rightful inheritance as "the People of God" (1 Pe 2:10)!

Eph 2:19  Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; 
Eph 2:20  And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; 
Eph 2:21  In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: 
Eph 2:22  In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit. 

Daniel Mark

disciple@perverted-christianity.com

http://www.perverted-christianity.com