THE “EARTHLY TABERNACLE” AND THE “BUILDING FROM GOD”
A. G. Mair
Paul, in writing to the saints at Corinth in his first epistle, draws attention in chapter 15 to the resurrection, that great event that will take place very soon, when the saints, those who have put their trust in Jesus, will be caught up. Now in the second epistle he is drawing attention to the heavenly side of this matter. I have read this scripture, at this moment of great sorrow, so that we may see things from God’s side. We can take account of our sister as one loved amongst us. She was a model, a sister who was very commendable and had no worldly traits.
She was occupied with her Lord. On her last Lord’s day with us she remembered the Lord Jesus in the breaking of bread. She answered to His request.
I would like to draw attention to what Paul refers to as “our earthly tabernacle house”. This is a temporary thing. These bodies that we have are temporary bodies. We are here for a purpose. We are here to carry out the will of God in our bodies. As carrying out the will of God in our bodies we are pleasurable to Him. Now our sister was that.
The earthly tabernacle house reminds me of the tabernacle in the wilderness. The tabernacle was basically a tent. I want to make a point of that. There was nothing great outwardly in the tabernacle system. What was precious was inside that tent. I want to emphasize that. What is precious at a moment like this is the work of God. That is the only thing that is going through. We can take comfort that the work of God in our sister is going to go through. It is like God finishing her testimony. He has completed His work and the tent has been taken down. God has done that. He has ended her testimony. Man may say,
‘an untimely death’, but, my dear friends, the believer says that there is nothing untimely about it. She has finished her course. The work of God in the believer is perfect. We can therefore take courage that although we mourn the loss of our sister, there is that which is going through. These bodies, as I have said, are only temporary, primarily for carrying out the will of God.
Now this raises the question with each one of us, Are we carrying out the will of God in our bodies? Are we amenable to the operations of God? God desires to work something out in us.
Nothing can destroy the work of God. “If our earthly tabernacle house be destroyed, we have a building from God”. This building from God is a wonderful thing. Solomon built the house of Jehovah. That would link on with the building from God, and when you think of that, it is lasting. This is something that no corruption can overtake. The body placed in the grave will, if the Lord tarry, go to corruption.
It will, of course, be raised at the rapture, but I want to stress this side that we have a building from God. At this moment our sister is with Christ. She is awaiting this building from God. It is a house “not made with hands”. There is nothing that can mar that body that we are going to receive. Every believer that has put his trust in Christ is going to receive a body of glory.
Now what is the pattern for that body? Paul in writing to the Philippians tells them that we shall have bodies conformed to His body of glory (Philippians 3: 21). That is the pattern. The work of God in the believer is really the features of Christ that have been formed in the time scene. It says, “Now he that has wrought us for this very thing is God”. So that it is the features of Christ that are being worked out in us. This makes us equal for that body of glory.
Our sister will be equal for her body of glory. What was in our sister, what is now with Christ, is perfect. Nothing can mar that, and it will be clothed with a body of glory. What a wonderful thing! What a comfort that the work of God has been completed in our sister and nothing can touch it.
God has been pleased to take our sister very early. The work was complete. Her testimony in that earthly tabernacle house had been completed and now she is amongst those who are awaiting the time when the Lord will come into the air. “For indeed we who are in the tabernacle groan, being burdened”. The work of God is greater than what our bodies are able for and therefore we groan, being burdened. Do we know anything of this groaning? Paul speaks of his desiring rather to be with Christ. The work of God will then be completed. We must wait the Lord’s perfect time.
We have also been given “the earnest of the Spirit”. The Spirit is drawing our attention, not to this scene of death, but to a blessed Man who has been installed in glory, our Lord Jesus Christ. I want to draw your attention to Christ in glory at this moment. He is there; He is beyond death. He has been into death and has taken away its power. Our sister is with Him.
The believer can look into heaven by the Spirit and see a Man there—Jesus. We have been given the earnest. We have been given the enjoyment of these things. Our sister enjoyed them. It says of the house not made with hands that it is eternal in the heavens; it goes right into eternity. How wonderful!
Then it says we are “always confident”. I would like to encourage each one of us to see that we have this confidence, knowing that if we are absent from the body we shall be present with the Lord. That refers only to the believer. I do not know if there are any here who have not committed themselves to Jesus yet. If that be so, now is your opportunity. The Lord may be speaking directly to you, to win you, so that you also may have this confidence and be able to look forward with confidence. Our sister was ready to go.
“We are zealous, whether present or absent, to be agreeable to him”. Our sister was agreeable to Him, her Lord. I want to draw attention to the lordship of Jesus. Lordship involves authority. It is against all evil and is for our blessing. But there is more than that. It involves ownership. Are you under the sway of Jesus as Lord? Are we amenable to God’s workings?
“We are zealous”—it is a great time for being zealous. Many have slipped away. This world is a scene of decay and decline, but that should not mark the Christian. The Christian should go through this scene zealous to be agreeable to Him. Our sister was zealous to be agreeable to Him and He has taken her to be with Himself. What a wonderful touch! The Lord Jesus has done that. Nothing that man could do could stop that happening. It is final, but think of the love behind it. The Lord Jesus has been satisfied with her testimony and has taken her to be with Himself. May each one of us be encouraged by, that.
God makes no mistakes; “As for God, his way is perfect”, Psalm 18: 30. God has taken down the earthly tabernacle; her career on this earth is finished. She is now awaiting that body of glory, and it shall be like unto His own body of glory. May our hearts be thus encouraged, for His name’s sake.