Based on Ezekiel 42 (New King James Version)
“Then he brought me out into the outer court, by the way toward the north; and he brought me into the chamber which was opposite the separating courtyard, and which was opposite the building toward the north. Facing the length, which was one hundred cubits (the width was fifty cubits), was the north door. Opposite the inner court of twenty cubits, and opposite the pavement of the outer court, was gallery against gallery in three stories. In front of the chambers, toward the inside, was a walk ten cubits wide, at a distance of one cubit; and their doors faced north. Now the upper chambers were shorter, because the galleries took away space from them more than from the lower and middle stories of the building. For they were in three stories and did not have pillars like the pillars of the courts; therefore the upper level was shortened more than the lower and middle levels from the ground up. And a wall which was outside ran parallel to the chambers, at the front of the chambers, toward the outer court; its length was fifty cubits. The length of the chambers toward the outer court was fifty cubits, whereas that facing the temple was one hundred cubits. At the lower chambers was the entrance on the east side, as one goes into them from the outer court. Also there were chambers in the thickness of the wall of the court toward the east, opposite the separating courtyard and opposite the building. There was a walk in front of them also, and their appearance was like the chambers which were toward the north; they were as long and as wide as the others, and all their exits and entrances were according to plan. And corresponding to the doors of the chambers that were facing south, as one enters them, there was a door in front of the walk, the way directly in front of the wall toward the east. Then he said to me, ‘The north chambers and the south chambers, which are opposite the separating courtyard, are the holy chambers where the priests who approach the Lord shall eat the most holy offerings. There they shall lay the most holy offerings—the grain offering, the sin offering, and the trespass offering—for the place is holy. When the priests enter them, they shall not go out of the holy chamber into the outer court; but there they shall leave their garments in which they minister, for they are holy. They shall put on other garments; then they may approach that which is for the people.’ Now when he had finished measuring the inner temple, he brought me out through the gateway that faces toward the east, and measured it all around. He measured the east side with the measuring rod, five hundred rods by the measuring rod all around. He measured the north side, five hundred rods by the measuring rod all around. He measured the south side, five hundred rods by the measuring rod. He came around to the west side and measured five hundred rods by the measuring rod. He measured it on the four sides; it had a wall all around, five hundred cubits long and five hundred wide, to separate the holy areas from the common.
Does God really want manmade temples? This is something that has caused many problems within our congregations for a long time, much after the Apostles left us. Some sort of building “may” be useful, but is it so necessary to invest so much money, resources, and time to be able to have a building (or some buildings) to do the Lord’s work? It would be very convenient for me to greatly affirm this, because of my degree, training, and work, because my education and training is in architecture, and my employment is in commercial construction, and by God’s grace and provision, I have overseen many significant projects through the years. But thanks to my faith in Christ and to my background, I can give a more exact teaching based on the Word of God, because if we believe in God, then everything should be seen through His Word, and we should never be guided by our opinions, or far less, by what is convenient to us.
Let us go for a moment to where our faith began, to Abraham. Abraham existed much before Jerusalem was established as the center for Israel and before the temple was built. The promise started with Abraham, the covenant that God made personally with man. What started it all? This is what the Word says: “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.” Hebrews 11:8-10. So then, we see clearly the vision that God gave Abraham, something what was going to be built by God and not by man. We also see the following through the Apostle Paul: “Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, ‘Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you: God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands.’” Acts 17:22-24.
So then, what is God truly looking to build? Through my background, I can tell you that a building needs a good foundation, but to be able to build upon the foundation itself, the superstructure, it is completely necessary to start with a corner so that the rest of the building can be located and given the proper orientation. The corner is the most important piece, the one that gives the location and order to all of the superstructure. So then, that principal piece, per se, is Christ. He is the One that gives the beginning and the orientation to this building that the Father is truly looking to build, as it is written: “Let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:10-12. And this is the final product that the Holy Trinity desires to complete: “Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown. He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name. ‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’” Revelation 3:11-13. We are the building that God the Father desires to build through Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. We are those components that were created and that need to be formed according to certain specifications so that the building can be and function as it must. There is a precision to the whole design. That’s why we cannot be whatever we want, but rather, we need to allow the Almighty to form us.
And this is the final part, to help understand what is most important. The masterpiece of God’s ministry did not occur in a building, but rather, through Christ at Calvary. The Lord fulfilled His greatest work far away from a building, where He was nailed and raised upon a cross to shed His blood to wash away all of the sins of the world. So then, do you understand your part in the temple that God truly wants to build, and that you must be made to the necessary specifications to be able to fulfill your eternal function? Lord bless! John