The New Temple Concept

UV 1432/10,000 The New Temple Concept
And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it
Revelation 21 v 22

The abolition of the concept of a physical temple, a place where God is worshipped is the ultimate revelation. It obviates the need for man-made religion or traditions or sacrifice or rituals. The physical temple made it possible for mankind to satisfy their conscience that they had done their part time duty by God. It was only a shadow or reflection of the ultimate temple. In the physical world, we find shadows being cast backward by physical beings and objects but in the spiritual world, the shadows occur forwards till it blends into the ultimate truth and reality. When Jesus said, “ I will destroy the temple and make it again in three days,” He was saying that His body is the new temple of God. He had done away with man-made religion that had the outer form without the inner power. Jesus promised to make all things new. Today, each of us are part of that temple where God is worshipped continually. He is Immanuel or God with us. The consciousness that He is with us and in us all the time makes us the temple of God. He is El Shaddai- the consciousness of His greatness and power humbles us and gives us access to His grace. He clothes us with power. He is Ebenezer- the God who helps us understand Him and serve Him. He is the source of light and we shine in His reflected glory.

Every cell in our bodies is a brick in His temple, every organ a chamber or room, every work we do in His Name a pillar. His throne is in the sanctum sanctorum, our hearts. God the Father of lights is seated thereon and beside Him the Lamb, the Son of God –Jesus. Our mouth is the fountain of the new temple. Our hearts, the spring. A continual rejoicing in the Holy Spirit, a continual singing of Psalms and spiritual songs as well as thanksgiving are the offering of our spirits in the sanctum sanctorum. Scripture records that the new Jerusalem is made up of precious stones and precious metals as a metaphor that everything we think, speak and do in His Name is precious and sacred to the Lord. Just as the first tabernacle of Israel needed a skilled craftsman called Bezalel ( the name means overshadowed by God), we need skill, craftsmanship and wisdom to build the new temple. Beliefs, attitudes, skills and knowledge (BASK) are needed to build the temple of our lives.

We are a temple that is a work in progress. The Lord is shaping us. He knows the final shape we should take. We should submit like clay to the potter and allow Him to groom us to bloom for Him. The garden of our temple should have many fruit trees and plants that produce spices which the Spirit will transport to the very nostrils of the Lord. It is not human hands that are working on us but the divine. He will make each of us a greater and more perfect tabernacle. Our sacrifice is a gentle, humble and contrite spirit. Jesus is the cornerstone as well as architect and designer of the temple. The Lamb is our lamp that lights up every dark corner of our lives. He uses the plumbline of His Word to straighten the walls of our lives. The shadows are being cast forward towards the ultimate temple. As Paul writes, “ For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face;” with the Lord, “now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known” by the Lord.

Prateep V Philip