The house of God . . . is the church of the living God. (1 Timothy 3:15) In the New Testament, when God speaks of church or of house of God, He is not referring to the building where the church meets, but rather to the gathering of the people into whose presence God comes with His angelic hosts.
Jacob dreamt about the house of God and when he awoke, said: Surely the Lord is in this place, and I knew it not. And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven. (Genesis 28:16,17)
Notice that when Jacob realised that the Lord was in that place, he exclaimed that place was the house of God. This is because the place where any man dwells is his house. So, as the church is called the house of God, God must be there. So going to church on Sunday may be an awesome experience, as when Christians gather, God is there: But ye are come unto . . . an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church . . . to God the Judge of all . . . whose voice then shook the earth. (Hebrews 12:22-26) Do we realise that when we gather as a church, God and the angels are in attendance?
The details of Jacob's dream are recorded in Genesis 28:12,13: And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac. The ladder speaks of access to God, and for Jacob, it meant he could commune with God. So also can we commune with God when we gather as a church, by praying to God and hearing His word preached.
This ladder is a picture of Christ, as we learn by comparing Jacob's dream with John 1:51: Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man. It is only through Christ that we can have access to God in heaven. Remember Christ's words: I am the door. (John 10:9)
Calling the church the house of God, reminds us of the house of God in the Old Testament. This house of God fulfilled a useful function; it was where God dwelt when He met with His people: let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. (Exodus 25:8)
This Old Testament house of God also teaches us about the church in the same way that a shadow teaches us about the true form of an object. If we were equal to God, God would no doubt teach us everything directly, but because we are not equal, God teaches us some things from shadows, such as the Old Testament house of God.
In the Old Testament, the house of God was built three times. The first house, built of cloth by Moses was called the tabernacle, and the latter two houses built of stone were called temples. That there is a heavenly meaning to the earthly construction of the houses, is seen in Hebrews 8:5: the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle.
Several hundred years after Moses built the tabernacle, King David had a desire to beautify God's house, and he said to Nathan the prophet: See now, I dwell in an house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains. (2 Samuel 7:2) God was pleased that David had this desire and said to him: thou didst well that it was in thine heart. (1 Kings 8:18) The Lord also promised him a reward for his intention, saying to him: thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever. (2 Samuel 7:16) So it is with us, that God is well pleased if we desire to build God's house. David's desire was so strong that he said: I will not give sleep to mine eyes, or slumber to mine eyelids, until I find out a place for the Lord, an habitation for the mighty God of Jacob. (Psalm 132:4,5)
However David was not allowed by God to build the temple because he was a man of war, the LORD saying to him: thou shalt not build the house; but thy son . . . he shall build the house unto my name. (1 Kings 8:19)
The house that David's son, Solomon, built for God was called the temple, so the words house of God, and temple, are synonymous. Although Solomon built the house or temple, God gave to David its plans, according to 1 Chronicles 28:19: All this, said David, the Lord made me understand in writing by his hand upon me, even all the works of this pattern.
Before David died, he gave 100 tons of gold and 240 tons of silver to be set aside for the temple, and other people also gave gold and silver and precious stones. So the temple was magnificent and this was fitting, as it was the dwelling place of God. Today church buildings are not the dwelling place of God, so there is no need for them to be magnificent. But what must be magnificent are our lives for the Scripture says: If we love one another, God dwelleth in us. (1 John 4:12) So whether God dwells in us, His house, depends not upon the state of the church building, but upon whether we love God and our neighbour in deed and in truth.
Solomon's temple was built primarily of stone. These stones correspond to Christians: ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house. (1 Peter 2:5) Stones, like our bodies are made of earth. But into this earth may come the glory of God, as Paul writes: But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. (2 Corinthians 4:7) The stones in the temple were panelled with cedar or cypress and overlaid with gold and would have appeared glorious. Similarly, our lives should show the glory of God as: we all . . . beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. (2 Corinthians 3:18)
Having now established that we represent the stones of the temple into which the presence of God came, I will now look in more detail at the lessons we can learn from the Old Testament representations of the house of God.
The mystery of the house of God is that when Christians gather together it is as though the stones of a house had been assembled, and into that house God comes. This is why the church is called the house of God, as God dwells there: 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 2:21,22)
Christ comes into our midst, even when we gather with only a few, as He said: Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. (Matthew 18:20) So whether with a few or with the whole church, the Son of God comes into our midst in a fuller way when we gather, than when we are alone.
Not only does the Son of God come into our midst, but also the Heavenly Father: 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 will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. (2 Corinthians 6:16-18)
The meaning of our gathering as a church, was represented by the Old Testament house, when Ezekiel says of God: I heard him speaking unto me out of the house . . . And he said unto me, Son of man, the place of my throne, and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for ever. (Ezekiel 43:6,7) So God speaks to us in church and dwells among us when we are in church. As it is also the place of God's throne, God must be reverenced in church.
So the Old Testament pictures of the house of God, and the glory and presence of God that would fill it, teach us that we should experience the glory of God more when we gather together than when we stay by ourselves. But this may not be the case if the church does not honour and obey God.
The Old Testament house of God had two rooms, the larger room called the Holy Place where the priests would minister regularly, and a smaller room called the Most Holy or the Holy of Holies where only the High Priest could enter and that only once a year, with the blood of a sacrificial bullock.
The room called the Most Holy or Holy of Holies speaks of heaven. This is clear from Hebrews 9:8, which says that the reason that the priests could not normally enter that room was that: the way into the Holiest of all (heaven) was not yet made manifest. The letter goes on to say: Christ is not entered the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself. (Hebrews 9:24)
There was a veil separating the Most Holy Place (heaven) from the Holy Place (representing the church on earth). This veil is spoken of in Exodus 26:33: The veil shall divide unto you between the holy place and the most holy. So those on the earth cannot presume, on their own merit, to have access to heaven.
After Jesus died, we read: And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom. (Mark 15:38) The veil speaks of the body of Christ and the rending of the veil signified that the way into heaven had been opened by Christ's atoning death, so that we can now have access to God in heaven, according to Hebrews 10:19,20: having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh. We do not have to wait until we die to experience something of heaven because we can draw near to God now. Paul continues: Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith.
To gain some appreciation of what it means that the way into the holiest has been opened, I will look at what was in the representation of the heaven: after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all, which had . . . the ark of the covenant . . . and over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercy seat. (Hebrews 9:3-5) The mercy seat symbolises the throne of God as we read of: the Lord of hosts which dwelleth between the cherubims. (1 Samuel 4:4) No image of God was made, as this would have encouraged idolatry.
So when it is written that we can enter the Holiest, we learn that in the house of God, we may come into the presence of the Lord of Hosts who dwells between the angelic cherubim.
The whole church is lifted up in Spirit into heaven before His throne: God . . . raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places. (Ephesians 2:4-6) Thus the Old Testament picture of the veil being rent to allow those in the house of God to have access to the God who dwells between the cherubim, is fulfilled in us when we gather as a church to pray and worship.
Jesus, who is in our midst, joins with us in worshipping His Father, as according to Hebrews 2:12 He says to His Heavenly Father: In the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.
God then speaks to us from His throne as He spoke to Moses from above the mercy seat: there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat. (Exodus 25:22) Can we see the fellowship Moses had with God. God wishes also to have fellowship with us, speaking to us from His throne between the cherubim. This is what is happening as the minister preaches.
The tabernacle was covered above by curtains, which were woven with: fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet: with cherubims of cunning work. (Exodus 26:1) In a similar way to that by which those in the Old Testament could see the glory and beauty of these curtains, those meeting now as the church should be conscious of the heavenly glory and sovereignty of God, and of the love of the atoning death of Christ. Although today they may not see the cherubim as depicted on the Old Testament curtains, they should know that angelic beings are in attendance and can see them.
If the Old Testament temple is a picture of the New Testament church, the glory which filled the temple can fill the church. Isaiah saw the glory of God in the temple and spoke of Him saying: I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims; each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. Then said I, Woe is me . . . for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts. (Isaiah 6:1-5)
That Isaiah could not see the face of God suggests that it was God the Father rather than the Son of God that Isaiah saw in His temple, as men have seen the face of the Son of God and lived, but of the Father it is written: Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live. (Exodus 33:20)
Although God visited the house of God, His full glory could not remain in the Old Testament house of God, as Solomon says: will God in very deed dwell with men on the earth? behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house which I have built! (2 Chronicles 6:18) I think that heaven referred to here is the atmosphere (Genesis 1:20) that the heaven of heavens refers to the stars (Psalm 8:3). God dwells in what Paul refers to as: the third heaven (2 Corinthians 12:2), with the angels and faithful saints. Yet it is into the glory of that heaven that we come when we meet as a church, if the Old Testament picture is true of the veil to the Holy of Holies being torn!
Ezekiel also saw the glory of the Lord fill the temple in a vision: And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory . . . And the glory of the Lord came into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east . . . and behold, the glory of the Lord filled the house. (Ezekiel 43:2-5) We must pray that the glory of the Lord fills the church when we gather.
As we see the glory of the Lord filling the temple in the Old Testament, so we also see the glory of the Lord leaving the temple, and the Lord tells Ezekiel why: Son of man, seest thou what they do? even the great abominations that the house of Israel committeth here, that I should go far off from my sanctuary? (Ezekiel 8:6)
Although the glory of the Lord will fill the gathering of God's people as the glory filled the Old Testament temple, the glory of the Lord will depart from us just as surely as the glory departed from the Old Testament temple if the church commits abominations. God tells Ezekiel what they must do for God's glory to return: Now let them put away their whoredom, and the carcasses of their kings, far from me, and I will dwell in the midst of them for ever. Thou son of man, shew the house to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities. (Ezekiel 43:9,10)
Any iniquity will cause the glory to depart from us, so there is a price to be paid if we are to sense the glory of God. We must value the Lord above all else and be like David, who said: One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple. (Psalm 27:4) Not all will see the glory of the Lord in His temple, but this should be our desire and prayer. Were it no longer possible to see, as David saw, the beauty of the Lord, God would not have included Psalm 27:4 in the bible, as: All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine . . . for instruction in righteousness. (2 Timothy 3:16)
We are instructed from David's example, of the reward given to those who have one desire. Jesus also promised this blessedness, saying: Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. (Matthew 5:8) Also Hebrews 12:14 says: Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.
It is also important to place our confidence in the word of God, and in particular the words of Christ, who with authority is: a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end. (Hebrews 3:6) Such an obedience provides God with the living stones He needs to form His house in which He will dwell.
For the glory of God to fill His house, not only must the living stones be pure, but they must also be assembled in accordance with God's word, even as Moses was careful to obey God in all matters pertaining to the construction of the house of God: Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after. (Hebrews 3:5) We must for example, be baptised as a believer, as God's word instructs.
In Exodus chapter 40 which describes the setting up of the house of God we read these words seven times: as the Lord commanded Moses. Also Exodus 40:16: Thus did Moses: according to all that the Lord commanded him, so did he. The result of this total obedience was that: a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. (Exodus 40:34)