A KJV BIBLE STUDY

THE TEMPLE
NOT MADE WITH HANDS

Why Scripture Does Not Require a Rebuilt Temple
and Why God Now Dwells in His People

“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” 1 Corinthians 3:16 (KJV)

 

Larry G. Truitt

Ramblings of a Country Preacher

 

Scripture and Purpose

All Scripture quotations in this booklet are from the King James Version (KJV). This study is offered as a biblical interpretation for prayerful consideration. It does not claim that a physical structure could never be attempted in Jerusalem. It argues that the New Testament does not plainly require such a building before the return of Christ and that the controlling New Covenant meaning of the temple is found in Christ and in the people indwelt by His Spirit.

Bible prophecy should be read with humility. Possibility must not be confused with certainty, and present-day activity must not be turned into a divine requirement unless Scripture plainly says so. The sure hope of the Church is not the laying of another earthly cornerstone. Our sure hope is the return of Jesus Christ.

Contents

·        Introduction — Where Does God Dwell?

·        1. The Temple in the Old Covenant

·        2. Jesus Christ, the True Temple

·        3. The Veil Was Rent

·        4. One Sacrifice Once for All

·        5. Ye Are the Temple of God

·        6. A Holy Temple in the Lord

·        7. The Temple of God in Prophecy

·        8. The Man of Sin and the Professing Church

·        9. Measuring the Temple in Revelation

·        10. What About Modern Temple Plans?

·        11. The Abomination That Desolates

·        12. Living as God’s Holy Temple

·        Conclusion — Look for Christ, Not a Building

 

Introduction — Where Does God Dwell?

“Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet,” Acts 7:48 (KJV)

 

Many Christians have been taught that the final events of Bible prophecy cannot begin until a Jewish temple is rebuilt in Jerusalem. News about the Temple Mount, red heifers, priestly garments, altar stones, or political agreements is quickly treated as proof that prophecy is about to be fulfilled. Some speak as though a future building were one of the clearest promises in the New Testament.

But where does the New Testament plainly say that a temple must be rebuilt before Jesus returns? It does not. A building may be attempted. Religious movements may desire it. Political events may make people talk about it. Yet human plans do not establish prophetic necessity. We must let the plain teaching of Scripture govern the uncertain details, not force the plain teaching to fit a popular chart.

The great movement of Scripture is not from one stone building to another stone building. It is from shadow to substance, from sacrifice to the Lamb of God, from an earthly priesthood to our great High Priest, and from a holy place entered by a few to a living temple filled with the Holy Ghost. God has not left Himself without a dwelling place. He lives in His redeemed people.

This booklet will examine the Old Covenant sanctuary, the words of Jesus, the book of Hebrews, the apostles’ temple language, and the prophetic passages often used to demand a future structure. The purpose is not to win an argument. The purpose is to lift our eyes from stones in Jerusalem to Jesus Christ, the chief corner stone, and to call every believer to live as the holy dwelling place of God.

 

CHAPTER 1

The Temple in the Old Covenant

“For now have I chosen and sanctified this house, that my name may be there for ever: and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually.” 2 Chronicles 7:16 (KJV)

 

A House Chosen by God

Solomon’s temple was not a pagan invention or a meaningless building. God chose Jerusalem, accepted the temple, and filled the house with His glory. The sanctuary taught Israel that the LORD is holy, sin separates, blood is required for atonement, and sinful people need a priest and a sacrifice. Every furnishing preached: the altar spoke of sacrifice, the laver of cleansing, the candlestick of light, the shewbread of fellowship, and the mercy seat of the presence of God.

Yet the building was never large enough to contain the Creator. Solomon confessed, “behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house which I have built?” (1 Kings 8:27). The temple was a place where God put His name and revealed His glory, but it was never a box in which men could confine Him.

A Conditional Covenant Sign

Israel sometimes treated the temple as a guarantee of safety while refusing to obey God. Jeremiah stood at the gate and warned them not to trust in “lying words, saying, The temple of the LORD” (Jeremiah 7:4). A holy building could not protect an unholy people. When they made the house a den of robbers, judgment came. The first temple fell to Babylon, and the second was later destroyed by Rome.

This history gives a warning to every generation. Religious architecture is no substitute for repentance. Men can honor stones while dishonoring God. They can defend sacred ground while neglecting mercy, truth, and holiness. The LORD has always wanted an obedient people more than an impressive building.

A Shadow Pointing Forward

The law had “a shadow of good things to come” (Hebrews 10:1). A shadow is real, but it is not the substance. The temple system pointed beyond itself to Christ. If we rebuild the shadow in our theology after the substance has come, we risk lowering the finished work of Jesus. We should understand the Old Covenant temple with reverence, but we must read it through the fulfillment announced in the New Testament.

 

CHAPTER 2

Jesus Christ, the True Temple

“Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” John 2:19 (KJV)

 

The Temple of His Body

When Jesus cleansed the temple, the leaders demanded a sign. He answered with words they misunderstood: “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” They thought He meant Herod’s building, but John explains, “he spake of the temple of his body” (John 2:21). Jesus deliberately moved the meaning of temple from a structure of stone to His own person.

In Christ, God and man meet. In Him dwelleth “all the fulness of the Godhead bodily” (Colossians 2:9). He is the true meeting place, the true mercy seat, the true sacrifice, and the true High Priest. We do not come to God by traveling to one earthly location. We come to the Father by the Son.

Greater Than the Temple

Jesus declared, “in this place is one greater than the temple” (Matthew 12:6). That statement must control our thinking. The building was sacred because it pointed toward Him; He is not important because He supports the building. Christ is greater. To make a future temple the center of Christian expectation is to place the shadow back in front of the substance.

The disciples admired the temple stones, but Jesus warned that not one stone would be left upon another (Matthew 24:1–2). He did not then command His followers to await their replacement. He directed them to faithfulness, endurance, watchfulness, and His coming.

The Chief Corner Stone

The rejected Christ became “the head of the corner” (Psalm 118:22; Matthew 21:42). The New Covenant house begins with Him. Every believer is joined to Him, aligned by Him, and supported by Him. A temple without Christ is only a religious structure. A people built upon Christ become the habitation of God.

Questions for Reflection

1. What is the clearest truth established by the Scriptures in this chapter? 2. How does this teaching direct attention away from speculation and toward Christ? 3. What change should this truth produce in the life of a believer?

 

CHAPTER 3

The Veil Was Rent

“And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;” Matthew 27:51 (KJV)

 

God Opened the Way

At the moment Jesus died, the veil was torn from top to bottom. Man did not climb up and tear it; God opened the way. The veil had separated the holy place from the most holy place. Its tearing announced that the blood of Jesus had accomplished what the blood of animals could never accomplish.

Hebrews tells believers to have “boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus” through “a new and living way” (Hebrews 10:19–20). Access to God is no longer guarded by the old order. The believer approaches through Christ.

No Return Behind the Veil

If God rent the veil, why should Christian prophecy demand that history sew it back together? A renewed system of restricted access would not advance the gospel. It would return to the pattern that Christ fulfilled. The New Testament never tells the Church to anticipate renewed animal blood as a step in its redemption.

This does not mean Jewish people are rejected or beyond God’s mercy. The gospel is “to the Jew first, and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16). Jews and Gentiles are saved in the same way: through faith in Jesus Christ. The torn veil announces mercy to every nation.

A Better Hope

The Christian hope is not entrance into an earthly inner room. It is fellowship with God through Christ now and perfect communion with Him in the world to come. We possess something better than proximity to a building: the indwelling Holy Ghost and a living High Priest at the right hand of God.

Questions for Reflection

1. What is the clearest truth established by the Scriptures in this chapter? 2. How does this teaching direct attention away from speculation and toward Christ? 3. What change should this truth produce in the life of a believer?

 

CHAPTER 4

One Sacrifice Once for All

“But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;” Hebrews 10:12 (KJV)

 

The Finished Work

The repeated sacrifices of the law testified that the work was not finished. Priests stood daily because their ministry continued. Jesus offered one sacrifice and sat down because His atoning work was complete. Hebrews uses strong language: “once for all” (Hebrews 10:10), “one sacrifice for sins for ever” (10:12), and “by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified” (10:14).

No animal sacrifice can add to Calvary. Hebrews 10:4 says, “it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.” To treat restored sacrifices as spiritually necessary would deny the sufficiency of Christ.

Memorial Is Not Necessity

Some argue that future sacrifices might be memorials rather than atoning offerings. But the New Testament gives the Church its memorial: the Lord’s Supper, which proclaims His death till He comes (1 Corinthians 11:26). Scripture does not command Christians to look for another altar.

Even if a religious body begins sacrifices, the event would prove human intention, not divine necessity. Scripture must interpret the news. The news must never become the authority by which Scripture is forced into a system.

Our Altar and Our Priest

Hebrews says, “We have an altar” (Hebrews 13:10), and we have a great High Priest, Jesus the Son of God (Hebrews 4:14). Christian worship is centered upon His finished work. We offer “the sacrifice of praise to God continually” and do good and communicate, “for with such sacrifices God is well pleased” (Hebrews 13:15–16).

Questions for Reflection

1. What is the clearest truth established by the Scriptures in this chapter? 2. How does this teaching direct attention away from speculation and toward Christ? 3. What change should this truth produce in the life of a believer?

 

CHAPTER 5

Ye Are the Temple of God

“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” 1 Corinthians 3:16 (KJV)

 

The Church as God’s Dwelling

Paul’s words are direct. He does not say believers are merely like a temple. He says, “ye are the temple of God.” In 1 Corinthians 3 the “ye” is plural: the gathered people of God form His temple. The Spirit dwells among them. The local church may meet in a beautiful sanctuary, a country meetinghouse, a home, a prison, or under a tree. The building does not create the Church. The presence of Christ among His people does.

This truth should change how we treat the congregation. Division, pride, false teaching, and cruelty damage what belongs to God. Paul warns, “If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy” (1 Corinthians 3:17). God is serious about the holiness and unity of His people.

The Body as God’s Temple

Paul also applies temple language to the individual believer: “your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you” (1 Corinthians 6:19). Salvation reaches the body as well as the soul. What we do with our eyes, tongue, hands, appetites, sexuality, time, and strength matters because we belong to God.

The body is not ours to worship, abuse, or use for sin. We are “bought with a price”; therefore we must “glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:20). The question of the temple is not merely a debate about Jerusalem. It is a call to personal holiness.

The Indwelling Spirit

Under the Old Covenant, the glory filled a house. Under the New Covenant, the Spirit fills believers. Pentecost was not the dedication of another stone temple; it was the coming of the Spirit upon living people. God’s fire rested upon disciples, and His gospel began moving into all the world.

Questions for Reflection

1. What is the clearest truth established by the Scriptures in this chapter? 2. How does this teaching direct attention away from speculation and toward Christ? 3. What change should this truth produce in the life of a believer?

 

CHAPTER 6

A Holy Temple in the Lord

“In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:” Ephesians 2:21 (KJV)

 

One New Humanity in Christ

Ephesians 2 describes Jews and Gentiles reconciled to God in one body by the cross. Gentiles who were once strangers are now “fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God” (Ephesians 2:19). The foundation is “the apostles and prophets,” and Jesus Christ is “the chief corner stone” (2:20).

This temple grows as people are joined to Christ. Its stones are alive. Its unity is not based upon race, nationality, party, or earthly boundary. It is created by the blood of Christ. In Him both Jew and Gentile have access “by one Spirit unto the Father” (2:18).

Living Stones

Peter uses the same language: “Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood” (1 Peter 2:5). The New Testament does not leave us guessing about the identity of the spiritual house. Believers are the stones, Christ is the cornerstone, and spiritual sacrifices are offered through Him.

A stone building can be photographed, measured, defended, or destroyed. Christ’s living temple is spread among nations. Persecution may scatter it, but scattering often spreads the gospel. Earthly powers cannot bomb the Holy Ghost out of His people.

A Habitation of God

Ephesians concludes that believers “are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit” (2:22). This is the answer to the question, Where does God dwell? He dwells in His people through the Spirit. The Church must therefore seek the presence, purity, and power of God—not merely bigger facilities or political influence.

Questions for Reflection

1. What is the clearest truth established by the Scriptures in this chapter? 2. How does this teaching direct attention away from speculation and toward Christ? 3. What change should this truth produce in the life of a believer?

 

CHAPTER 7

The Temple of God in Prophecy

“Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.” 2 Thessalonians 2:4 (KJV)

 

Begin With Apostolic Usage

This verse is often presented as proof that a Jewish temple must be rebuilt. Yet the verse itself does not say “a rebuilt temple in Jerusalem.” That phrase is supplied by an interpretive system. We must ask how Paul normally uses the expression “temple of God.” In his letters, he repeatedly calls the Church the temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16–17; 6:19; 2 Corinthians 6:16).

It is therefore reasonable to understand the “temple of God” in 2 Thessalonians 2 as the professing Church—the spiritual sphere in which a power exalts itself, claims divine authority, and usurps the place belonging to Christ. This interpretation has deep roots in historic Protestant reading and does not require construction in Jerusalem.

A Spiritual Usurpation

To sit in God’s temple is to intrude into God’s place and demand what belongs to Him. The danger may be greater than a single man sitting on a chair in a building. The spirit of antichrist works wherever human authority replaces the authority of Christ, falsehood replaces truth, and worship is directed away from the Father and the Son.

John said that “even now are there many antichrists” and identified the antichrist spirit by its denial of Christ (1 John 2:18, 22; 4:3). Paul likewise described a “mystery of iniquity” already at work (2 Thessalonians 2:7). These expressions point to a spiritual conflict operating through systems and persons across history.

Hold the Interpretation Humbly

This reading should not be turned into a weapon of pride. Other sincere believers interpret the passage differently. The essential point is that the text does not plainly command belief in a future rebuilt structure. We may present the Church interpretation as persuasive without claiming every detail is beyond dispute.

Questions for Reflection

1. What is the clearest truth established by the Scriptures in this chapter? 2. How does this teaching direct attention away from speculation and toward Christ? 3. What change should this truth produce in the life of a believer?

 

CHAPTER 8

The Man of Sin and the Professing Church

“For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.” 2 Thessalonians 2:7 (KJV)

 

Already at Work

Paul did not tell the Thessalonians that all danger belonged to a remote future. The mystery of iniquity was already working. The final unveiling would grow from a present spiritual corruption. This agrees with John’s testimony that the spirit of antichrist “even now already is it in the world” (1 John 4:3).

When Christians insist the entire warning requires a future building and a future individual, they may overlook the iniquity working within religious institutions now. Whenever a church gives to a man the obedience owed to Christ, tolerates sin for power, turns the gospel into merchandise, or persecutes truth in God’s name, the sanctuary is being profaned.

A Warning to the Visible Church

The visible or professing church contains wheat and tares until the harvest. Not everyone who says, “Lord, Lord,” belongs to Christ (Matthew 7:21–23). Apostasy does not have to occur outside Christianity; it can occupy Christian language, offices, pulpits, and institutions while denying Christ by doctrine and conduct.

This is why the temple interpretation is pastoral, not merely prophetic. We must test spirits, try teaching by Scripture, refuse blind loyalty to leaders, and keep Christ alone as Head of the Church.

The Victory Belongs to Christ

Paul does not end with the success of evil. The Lord shall consume the wicked power “with the spirit of his mouth” and destroy it “with the brightness of his coming” (2 Thessalonians 2:8). Our confidence is not in correctly guessing every headline. It is in the victorious appearing of Jesus Christ.

Questions for Reflection

1. What is the clearest truth established by the Scriptures in this chapter? 2. How does this teaching direct attention away from speculation and toward Christ? 3. What change should this truth produce in the life of a believer?

 

CHAPTER 9

Measuring the Temple in Revelation

“Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.” Revelation 11:1 (KJV)

 

People Are Included in the Measurement

Revelation 11 is another passage used to require a future temple. Yet John is told to measure not only the temple and altar but “them that worship therein.” The inclusion of worshippers points beyond architecture to a people identified, protected, and known by God. The language is symbolic in a book filled with symbols.

Revelation elsewhere explains its own temple imagery. The faithful are made pillars “in the temple of my God” (Revelation 3:12). The heavenly temple is opened (11:19; 15:5). In the New Jerusalem, John sees “no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it” (21:22). The movement culminates not in an everlasting earthly building but in the immediate presence of God and the Lamb.

The Outer Court and the Holy People

The trampling of the holy city echoes periods when God’s people suffer under worldly power. Measuring can signify ownership and preservation, as in prophetic visions such as Ezekiel and Zechariah. Revelation assures the persecuted Church that God knows those who are His even when outward institutions are trampled.

A literal structure is one possible element in some interpretations, but it is not demanded by the text. A spiritual reading is consistent with the apostolic identification of believers as God’s temple and with Revelation’s symbolism.

God Knows His Own

The encouragement is plain: “The Lord knoweth them that are his” (2 Timothy 2:19). God measures what belongs to Him. He marks faithfulness that the world overlooks. No earthly desecration can remove a true believer from the keeping power of Christ.

Questions for Reflection

1. What is the clearest truth established by the Scriptures in this chapter? 2. How does this teaching direct attention away from speculation and toward Christ? 3. What change should this truth produce in the life of a believer?

 

CHAPTER 10

What About Modern Temple Plans?

“And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.” Matthew 24:4 (KJV)

 

Activity Is Not Fulfillment

There are organizations that desire a temple, prepare vessels, train priests, study sacrifices, or campaign for access to the Temple Mount. Such activity is newsworthy and may have political consequences. It does not by itself prove that God has decreed a rebuilt temple as a necessary step in the gospel plan. People can attempt many things that Scripture neither commands nor blesses.

Prophecy teachers sometimes reason backward: an organization exists; therefore a temple will be built; therefore certain passages must refer to that building. Sound interpretation begins with the biblical text, not with the organization. Present activity may illustrate a possibility, but possibility must not be confused with certainty.

A Building Could Be Attempted

Saying Scripture does not require a rebuilt temple is not the same as saying human beings are incapable of building one. Political conditions can change. A structure could be planned, negotiated, or attempted. If that happened, it would be a serious international and religious event. Yet even its completion would not restore the Old Covenant or cancel the finished work of Christ.

Our conclusion should therefore be precise: a future building is possible as a human project, but it is not prophetically certain from any plain New Testament statement. The Church should not build doctrine upon predictions that repeatedly change with political events.

Watch Christ, Not Sensation

Jesus warned against deception and commanded watchfulness. Biblical watching is moral and spiritual. It means remaining faithful, sober, prayerful, and ready for the Master. A person can follow every temple rumor and still neglect prayer, holiness, mercy, and the Great Commission. A heart prepared for Christ is more important than a chart updated with every headline.

Questions for Reflection

1. What is the clearest truth established by the Scriptures in this chapter? 2. How does this teaching direct attention away from speculation and toward Christ? 3. What change should this truth produce in the life of a believer?

 

CHAPTER 11

The Abomination That Desolates

“When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)” Matthew 24:15 (KJV)

 

Daniel and the First-Century Warning

Jesus drew upon Daniel’s language when warning His disciples about Jerusalem’s coming desolation. Luke’s parallel says, “when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh” (Luke 21:20). That clear first-century setting must not be ignored. The Roman armies surrounded Jerusalem, the city fell, and the temple was destroyed in A.D. 70.

Prophecy may contain patterns that reach beyond one event, but later applications should not erase the historical judgment Jesus’ hearers were told to recognize. A rebuilt temple is not necessary for His warning to have genuine fulfillment.

The Deeper Abomination

An abomination is something detestable placed where God should be honored. The deepest desolation occurs whenever idolatry, falsehood, violence, or human self-exaltation takes the place of God. The prophets condemned such abominations long before Rome came. Jesus condemned religious leaders who honored outward appearances while inwardly full of corruption.

The Church should tremble before applying these warnings only to someone else’s future building. We must ask whether we have allowed the love of money, political idolatry, hatred, pride, or false doctrine into the place that belongs to Christ.

Flee to Christ

The answer to desolation is not fascination with evil. It is refuge in Christ. He is our sanctuary, our righteousness, and our peace. Those who hear His words and do them are founded upon a rock.

Questions for Reflection

1. What is the clearest truth established by the Scriptures in this chapter? 2. How does this teaching direct attention away from speculation and toward Christ? 3. What change should this truth produce in the life of a believer?

 

CHAPTER 12

Living as God’s Holy Temple

“And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God;” 2 Corinthians 6:16 (KJV)

 

A Call to Separation

Because we are God’s temple, Paul asks what agreement His temple has with idols. Holiness is not an optional decoration. God says, “I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people” (2 Corinthians 6:16). His presence calls us away from every rival lord.

Separation does not mean pride, cruelty, or withdrawal from people who need the gospel. Jesus was the friend of sinners without becoming a participant in sin. A holy temple carries light into darkness while refusing to make peace with darkness.

A Call to Unity

Living stones must be fitted together. Bitterness, gossip, racial hatred, political idolatry, and needless division contradict the temple we claim to be. Christ broke down the middle wall of partition. We must not rebuild walls of hostility that His cross has torn down.

Unity is not agreement with error. It is shared submission to Christ, love for the brethren, patience in differences, and faithfulness to truth. The Spirit who inhabits the temple produces love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance.

A Call to Mission

The living temple is mobile. God’s people carry the gospel into homes, hospitals, prisons, workplaces, nations, and neighborhoods. The missionary spirit of the Church does not wait for stones to be assembled in Jerusalem. The command is already given: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15).

Our age does not need Christians who merely speculate about a future sanctuary. It needs believers filled with the Holy Ghost, living holy lives, bearing one another’s burdens, loving enemies, feeding the hungry, preaching Christ, and watching for His return.

Questions for Reflection

1. What is the clearest truth established by the Scriptures in this chapter? 2. How does this teaching direct attention away from speculation and toward Christ? 3. What change should this truth produce in the life of a believer?

 

Conclusion — Look for Christ, Not a Building

“And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.” Revelation 21:22 (KJV)

 

The Bible begins with God walking with man and ends with God dwelling with redeemed humanity. Between those scenes stands the temple, the priesthood, the sacrifices, and the veil—all pointing toward Jesus Christ. He is Emmanuel, God with us. He is the Lamb. He is the High Priest. He is the true Temple. Through Him, believers become the habitation of God through the Spirit.

No New Testament verse plainly says that Christians must await a rebuilt Jewish temple before Jesus returns. Passages commonly used to teach it can be understood in harmony with the New Testament’s own temple language: the body of Christ, the professing Church, the worshipping people of God, and the heavenly sanctuary. We should be honest about what is written and what is inferred.

A building may be attempted. The political world may shake over Jerusalem. Religious preparations may increase. But none of this can restore the blood of bulls and goats as a means of removing sin. Calvary is sufficient. The veil is rent. The way is open. Christ has sat down at the right hand of God.

The pressing question is not, “When will they rebuild the temple?” The pressing question is, “Is the temple God has already built holy?” Is Christ honored in His Church? Does the Spirit rule in our bodies? Are we offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ? Are we ready to meet the Lord?

Let others count stones. Let us examine our hearts. Let others chase rumors. Let us preach the gospel. Let others make uncertain events the center of prophecy. Let us make Jesus Christ the center of everything. The next great hope of the Church is not a building made with hands. It is the glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

A Closing Prayer

Lord Jesus, Thou art the chief corner stone and the only foundation of our salvation. Cleanse Thy temple. Drive from our hearts every idol, every falsehood, every hatred, and every sin. Fill us with the Holy Ghost. Fit us together as living stones. Make Thy Church holy, loving, courageous, and faithful. Keep us from deception and from pride in our own understanding. Teach us to watch for Thy coming by living for Thee today. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. Amen.

 

Key KJV Scriptures for Further Study

Christ the True Temple: John 1:14; John 2:13–22; Matthew 12:6; Colossians 2:9

The Veil and the Better Covenant: Matthew 27:50–51; Hebrews 7:22–28; 8:1–13; 9:1–28; 10:1–25

Believers as God’s Temple: 1 Corinthians 3:9–17; 6:15–20; 2 Corinthians 6:14–7:1

The Church as a Spiritual House: Ephesians 2:11–22; 1 Peter 2:4–10

Prophetic Temple Language: Daniel 9:24–27; Matthew 24; Luke 21; 2 Thessalonians 2:1–12; Revelation 3:12; 11:1–19; 21:22

Holy Temple Living: Romans 12:1–2; Galatians 5:16–26; Ephesians 4:1–6; Hebrews 13:10–16