THE TEMPLE OF GOD
[p. 242] THE TEMPLE OF GOD
Numbers 7: 89; 1 Corinthians 3: 16; Revelation 16: 1
What I have before me is to seek to show that God would have His people in the knowledge of His mind. It was said of old that “God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets” (Amos 3: 7), thus indicating that he would take His servants into His confidence, and make known to them what He had in mind to do. We have throughout the scriptures thoughts parallel to this; from the days of the patriarchs, God had introduced the idea of friendship with men. “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing?” He said, Genesis 18: 17. Abraham had the place of friendship with God. God had called him out. He did not make known His thoughts to Abraham in Mesopotamia. He called him out of that country, directing him to go into a land that He would show him. The principle of separation was set forth at that early date, separation from country, from kindred, and from father’s house. It was very drastic. But if one were to enquire from Abraham at the time of his old age whether he had lost anything through answering to the call, his answer would be definitely in the negative. Indeed the Spirit of God tells us that he could have returned to Mesopotamia at any time. If he were minded to have returned he could have returned. But Scripture says that he sought with others “a better country, that is, an heavenly” (Hebrews 11: 16), so that God was not ashamed to be called his God, and Scripture further says, “he hath prepared for them a city”, and that was what Abraham sought. If, therefore, one were to enquire of him as to what he had lost in leaving Mesopotamia he could answer by citing the great wealth of blessing that had accrued to him as having hearkened to the God that had appeared to him. He had now the Living God as his God. Set Him over against what he had had in Mesopotamia! What did he have there? Dumb idols. Abraham could [p. 243] answer that he had a city and a heavenly country. He was, therefore, beloved, well off.
I spoke of that so as to lead up to what I have to say, namely, that being called out, he was qualified to receive a visitation from God, and then divine secrets, divine communications. So it is that christians now are said to be “friends”. “The servant knoweth not”, saith the Lord, “what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you”, John 15: 15. This position of friendship rests on obedience to what the Lord commands (John 15: 14). As speaking of friends, one may refer to the friendship of the world. Friendship is probably one of the best known things in the world, but it says, “the friendship of the world is enmity with God”, James 4: 4. That is a solemn word for anyone who fraternises with the world. The privilege open to us as christians is friendship with God. There can be nothing, in a sense, more desirable than to be in the possession of the secrets of God. It is open to everyone of us, beloved friends. But in order to find out the secrets of God we have to know the temple. That is what I want to speak about. In using the word ‘secrets’ — the secrets of the Lord — we must learn to fear Him. As I remarked, nothing in a way is more blessed than to be in the current mind of God, to know, in as real a way as you can know anything, what God is doing and what He is about to do, and then to be in full sympathy with Him.
I bring forward the thought of the temple because the temple of God is that in which His mind is. Anyone visiting the temple has to understand it, and as I speak of it I would remind you that He “dwelleth not in temples made with hands” (Acts 7: 48) lest anyone here has the thought that the temple of God is in any way material. If anyone thinks thus let him be undeceived. The epistle to the Corinthians states plainly “ye are the temple of God” (1 Corinthians 3: 16), that means christians. Sad things existed at Corinth; the saints there were, nevertheless, God’s temple, because the Spirit of God dwelt in them. The Corinthians had a very remarkable beginning. They lived in a city that was famed [p. 244] for its architecture, and for its learning, yet one might say some very bad things about it; indeed, its morals were of the worst. The apostle of the gentiles arrived there in the course of his ministry and abode with a man and his wife, named Aquila and Priscilla, “because they were of the same trade”, Acts 18: 3. The only link, in an outward way, that existed between them was that they were tent-makers. There was not much in that to commend them to the inhabitants of such a city, but if you were to listen to the conversation of these three people, in their lodging house, you would have heard wonderful things. In one of them, at least, who was apparently a simple, insignificant man, there was the light of God by the Spirit. Paul knew what all the learned men of Corinth did not know, that Christ had died and had risen and was in heaven; and he knew that God had appointed a day in which He would judge the world in righteousness by that Man. Further, he knew that that Man had a body down here composed of persons, some of them at Corinth, some at Ephesus and others elsewhere. He knew all that, and yet, beloved friends, Paul could be seen toiling with Aquila and Priscilla as a tentmaker. It is possible that some who knew him questioned the wisdom of his occupying any time in making tents, for others, perhaps, could make a tent as well as Paul; but that the apostle was employed in the city of Corinth in making tents should be well noted. And Aquila and Priscilla were his companions. If one could have heard them converse, it would undoubtedly be in regard to God, in regard to Christ, in regard to the assembly. Their conversation would cover the great subjects that involved the light of God in this world.
Well, that was how the matter began at Corinth; Paul preached and the Jews became aroused. When Silas and Timotheus came, he waxed bold in his ministry, as if to indicate that the ministry is aided by sympathy on the part of the saints. The Lord said to Paul, “Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace: for I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city”, Acts 18: 9, 10. So for eighteen months he [p. 245] preached and taught, and now he is gone and he writes to them. He says, “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God”. Were he to have expressed his mind fully on this point he could have said, ‘I wish you to know that I am not the temple of God, nor is Peter, nor are the twelve at Jerusalem: no; you are it!’ We must think of this, beloved brethren. It is not what is at a distance; it is what we have that we have to work with. Of course, the apostles were in the temple; I am speaking of the force of Paul’s words locally. But then what did they have at Corinth? They had the Holy Spirit. Just dwell on that for a moment. “The Spirit of God dwelleth in you”, he says. Not in any class among them, but the saints in that city were the temple of God. Then he says, “The temple of God is holy, which temple are ye”, 1 Corinthians 3: 17. It is not, ‘Ye should be’ but ‘Ye are’. Now suppose that you lived there and that you were exercised, what would you think of this? You might say, ‘Now this is a new thought, but then what does it mean? If we are the temple of God and the Holy Spirit dwells in us, then what about the saint that lives next door to me and all the saints in this town? I must look at them in a new light. I must take account of them in an entirely new way if I am to get the gain of this great truth here at Corinth. There is light in every one of them, if I can only get at it. There is power in every one of them, if I can only get at it. Hence I must not suffer sin on any one of them, or anything of that kind; any influence or evil associations render ineffective this great truth that Paul has just written us about. I must look at them in a new way’. It is in viewing the truth of the temple of God thus that we get the good of it now, beloved brethren.
I read the passage in Numbers because it indicates what the temple really is. It is the chapter which records the remarkable unity that existed in Israel at that particular time. The twelve princes “offered”, it says; each one offered in his order, and what you find is that in every instance they offered alike. All had typically the same appreciation of Christ. Their measure was the same; the epistle to the Ephesians contemplates this among christians.
[p. 246] There was no rivalry. They were all in abundance spiritually, and all offered alike. It was a perfect appreciation of unity in appreciation of Christ. In this last verse, we read that Moses went into the tabernacle, the holiest, to speak to God. We should all do this; there can be no better service rendered to the saints than prayer. What I have found is that, if I pray for a brother, I will get power with him. Jacob wrestled with God and prevailed (Genesis 32:24 - 28). The “Man” would have withdrawn, but the Lord had tested Jacob and Jacob said to Him, “I will not let thee go except thou bless me”. He was determined to get blessing. God says, “Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men”. If I have power with God in prayer, I will have power with the saints that I pray for. I can go and speak to them in that power, power with God and then power with men. So Moses went in to speak to Him, and being there “he heard the voice of one speaking unto him from off the mercy seat that was upon the ark of testimony, from between the two cherubims”. The Spirit of God tells us where the voice came from. The world is confused today; there is no definiteness in it. There cannot be, there are so many voices. Here is a voice that issues “from off the mercy seat that was upon the ark of testimony, from between the two cherubims”. Now think of all that is involved in that — a voice coming to us through Christ; through the One who did the will of God here. That is what the ark of the testimony testified — the mercy seat is the lid of it. In that way God speaks. What I want to show you is that the speaking is connected with unity. If we are to get the mind of God it is essential that we should be united. That is the point I want to establish from this passage. Unity is the divine thought. It is said, “Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity”, Psalm 133: 1. So the voice is heard by Moses “from off the mercy seat”. It is God Himself speaking to us through Christ. Depend upon it that if these conditions exist, there shall be no lack. We are all essential to this unity. How can I isolate myself if I see that [p. 247] I am essential to it, that I am a part of the temple? I must be there. God has thus an opportunity to speak to us by the Holy Spirit and His is a living voice.
I want to say just a word about Revelation. The idea of the temple is very prominent in this book. The word for “temple” indicates the inner house or shrine. What I wanted to call attention to is that when the seven angels that have the seven vials of the wrath of God are to administer the judgment delivered to them, the voice comes out of the temple. It is a great voice. Moses, it says, heard a voice speaking to him, but here a “great voice” comes out of the temple. That is, it is not judgment executed in an arbitrary or promiscuous way, but judgment based on careful discrimination, the discrimination of the temple. The voice says, “Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth”. It is for us, who have part in the temple of God, to note well what is said here. When God undertakes to deal with matters in this world in His righteousness, He begins with the temple. Careful discrimination is made as the judgments are poured out. First, “the men which had the mark of the beast” are affected. Judgment falls on the earth, the ordered state of things where men are banded together and organized. You see God has taken account of things as they are, as they cause the saints to suffer. The second angel pours out a vial on the sea. That is, the masses of men. We often hear of the masses being uplifted. What does it mean? Does it mean enlightened by the Gospel? Not at all. There is an influence abroad that means apostasy in the masses, and so the second angel pours his vial on the masses and they become “as the blood of a dead man”, a most remarkable figure. The third angel pours his vial on the rivers and fountains of waters. God thus carefully takes account of the different features of the world. The rivers and fountains of waters refer to the educational influences that are in the world that are teaching men and women to apostatise from Christ. All is taken account of. The fourth angel pours his vial out on the sun. The supreme authority, whatever it may be, is referred to. It becomes so severe that it scorches [p. 248] men with fire. Some think they have arrived at an ideal system of government, but God is taking account of what is going on. He is left out and Christ is left out. Is He going to let all this go on for ever? Those in the temple know He is not. The fifth angel pours his vial upon the seat of the beast, the awful person that impersonates all evil. A terrible darkness sets in in his kingdom. The sixth angel pours out his vial on the river Euphrates; ‘the eastern question’ is in the mind of God. Those of the temple know about it. It is looming up seriously now. What do statesmen know? They are groping in the dark. I am only pitying them. Whereas those of the temple know the mind of God. The seventh vial is poured into the air. It means that Satan’s power is dealt with effectively for ever.
Now is not all that important to us, as we are in the light of the fact that the saints are the temple of God? We are in a position, beloved, to have the mind of God about everything. We know His counsels, and we know what He is going to do with this world, which has revolted against Him. So I want to bring this point before you before leaving, that you may in this city see what is the idea of the temple; that the Holy Spirit is here and that in view of certain conditions which Scripture makes plain, holiness and unity, there is liberty for the Spirit to bring in the mind of God. Now if you accept this, as we are all bound to do, the saints will be viewed, perhaps, from a totally different standpoint. If I see clearly that the Spirit of God is in the saints, I want to get the good of His presence. Thus I see to it that there is nothing, as far as I am concerned, that would stand in the way of the full outshining of the light and the power and the blessing available.