THE TABERNACLE OF GOD

"And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of 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). 

There are those who might be surprised to learn that the Bible refers specifically to six distinct temples of God. There are the four most obvious, which are: Moses' tabernacle in the wilderness which God commanded Israel to build after they made their exodus from Egypt; Solomon's great temple in Jerusalem; Ezra's temple which was built by the children of the captivity when they returned from Babylon;  and Herod's temple which stood during the time of Christ and was destroyed by the Romans.  The other two temples are less obvious because they are less visible to the natural eye.  The first of these is the temple of God in the heavens after which every other temple has been patterned.  "The point of what we are saying is this: We do have a high priest, Who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, and Who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by man.  Every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices, and so it was necessary for this One also to have something to offer.  If He were on earth, He would not be a priest, for there are already men who offer the gifts prescribed by the law.  They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven.  This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: 'See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.'"  (Hebrews 8:1-5 NIV).  The second is the Church of Jesus Christ on earth.  "Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house."  (1 Peter 2:5a).  "Now therefore ye are...built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone; in Whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: in Whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit."  (Ephesians 2:19-22).     

When the Bible refers to the church, it is not referring to a particular denomination.  It is also not meaning a church building or any other structure that has been built by man.  Instead, it describes a body of believers who have been born again and washed in the blood of the Lord Jesus.  These believers are connected by the Spirit of the living God which He has sent to indwell each of them and empower them to live lives of victory, love, peace, and moral integrity.  They are a brotherhood, and they are a family.  They have been adopted into the family of God.

The spiritual bond that exists between true believers has become strained, splintered, and even broken in many cases.  The glorious temple of God - His church and His body - has been badly damaged and divided by the doctrines of men over the ages.  We have allowed things like dress, music, spiritual gifts, grace, makeup, and an endless array of other issues, divide and separate us from our brothers and sisters simply because we cannot agree with one another on how we should live out our faith.  In many cases, a believer's fellowship is restricted to those of his or her particular denomination, and even then, there are schisms that arise which strain once solid relationships, and even split churches.  Speaking about this very thing, Paul writes, "For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?" (1 Corinthians 3:3).  The only thing that separated Christians in the New Testament was geography.  There was the church of Jerusalem, the church of Rome, the church of Ephesus, the church of Antioch; and there was only one church in each of these cities.  God has never changed that arrangement, although man certainly has.  Today, God still recognizes but one church in Rome, Italy; one church in Paris, France; one church in London, England; and one church in Marion, Ohio.  Yes, there may be various locations within each city for believers to physically meet due to sheer numbers, but it is nevertheless all the same body of Christ.  The purest form of "church" is when two or three believers meet and spontaneously begin to share their faith with one another.  This can happen at work, at the grocery store, or anywhere (See Matthew 18:20). 

We are very good at designating ourselves as God's spokesmen and God's judges.  It is the Holy Spirit's job, though, to lead each believer into truth.  "Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will show you things to come."  (John 16:13).  We must be careful not to become like the Pharisees and Sadducees of Jesus' day.  They meticulously observed every period and comma of the letter of the law, but missed altogether the spirit of the gospel by missing mercy and the love of God.  Even so today, some would even exclude others from the kingdom of God because they don't look or act exactly like themselves! 

When I was very young in the Lord, an older Christian began to reprove me every time he would see me because I had long hair.  I had been wonderfully saved and rescued from a life of drugs and alcohol, and my life had drastically changed for the better; but I still had hair past my shoulders and knew of no reason to cut it.  It was all this brother could see, however.  I was not like him and to him I was in error.  He went so far as to insinuate that I would not be saved if I didn't cut my hair.  This hurt me very much, but it also confused me.  I did not feel that the Lord was speaking to me to cut my hair; and I certainly didn't feel any condemnation from the Lord, but yet I knew this issue was killing any real fellowship that I might have with this brother in the Lord.  Finally, I went to talk to a church leader about the problem.  He told me that whatever we do, we should do from a heart of love for God and for His people, and that we should learn to mind the Spirit in all the issues of life.  Later, God did indeed speak to me to cut my hair, but it was more about pleasing the Lord in all things than it was about the letter of the law.  I learned also that it is more important that we sometimes relinquish our "freedom" in order to gain a brother.  

 

I believe that our mission in this day and age is to endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:3).  It is to seek and to save the lost sheep of the house of Israel (believers who have been cast out and rejected).  It is to repair and build up the temple of God (His church - His body).  It is to find ways to bridge the schisms that exist between Christians and learn to minister one to another that we might promote healing.  When we can learn to do this, we are going to see a bountiful harvest of souls who are anxious to know the God of love Whom we serve.  The Kingdom of God is not a system of laws for we are dead to the law in Christ.  It is not a carefully crafted doctrine aside from the doctrine of Christ.  It is, "...righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.  For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men."  (Romans 14:17, 18).  Therefore, until we all come into the unity of the faith as perfect men and women, let's concentrate on seeking to build up, and be a blessing to, our brothers and sisters in Christ.