The Tabernacle in the time of Moses and the Temple in the time of King David were built according to God’s blue print given from heaven (heavenly authority). They were patterns of the perfect Tabernacle in heaven, but they were built with hands and made of earthly materials. The Lord’s New Testament church first established at Jerusalem was also established by a heavenly authority although the New Testament church is not a building made with hands, but a people in whom God dwells. So, we can say that the Lord’s House today, the New Testament church (1Tim 3:15) is a closer type of the final and perfect Tabernacle (dwelling place of God) which is in heaven now where Christ is seated at the right hand of God the Father.
The following study give us a preview of the earthly dwelling places beginning with the Tabernacle during the time of Moses, follow by the Temple in Solomon’s time and then the scriptural New Covenant church of today. Of course not all ‘churches’ are the Lord’s dwelling place because of the lack of the heavenly authority. A careful study of the outline below should lead you to see the importance of heavenly authority for the Lord’s church to be scripturally called the House of God. Without being a part of the Lord’ scriptural House, we cannot worship God acceptably, because as Christ said, “They that worship God must worship Him in Spirit and in truth.” It is only in the Lord’s scriptural House where the Spirit (1Cor 3:16,17; 2Cor 6:16) and the truth (1Tim 3:15) are.
> The Ark in the Tabernacle (Shiloh)
Exo 25:8,9,22,40; 26:30
> God’s Glory Filled The Tabernacle – Exo 40:16,20-38.
> Heavenly Authority (Where God Chose To Put His Name) - Deu 12:5-14,18,26,27;
14:22-26; 16:1,2,5,6,7,11,15,16; 26:1,2; Josh 18:1; 22:9-34 (v.19,29); Jer
7:10-14,30.
> The Ark in the Temple (Jerusalem) – 2Sam 7:1-17; 1Kin 5:1-3; 6:1,2,11-14; 1Chr
28:1-6,9-13,20
> Pattern Given By The Spirit Of God - 1Chr 28:1-6,9-13,20; 29:1; Acts 7:44
> The Glory Filled The Temple - 1Kin 7:51-8:11,19-21,29 (also 2Chr 5:1,13,14)
> God Hallows His House – 1Kin 9:1-9; 2Chr 7:11,12,16.
> Israel Broke Covenant With God & Cut Off
Hos 5:6; 6:7; 8:1,4,14; 9:15-17; 10:1. 11:7; 13:1-3,6,9; 14:1; Rom 11:20-23.
> Israel Was Cut Off From The Covenant – Hos 5:6; 8:4; 9:15,17; 11:7; 13:1-3,6,9;
14:1.
> The NC Promised - Jer 31:31-34; Psa 53:6 (Eze 37:21-28).
> Change Of Order (House of God & Priesthood) – (**Num 8:24-26) Acts 7:44-50;
Heb 7:1-10:39.]
THE NEW COVENANT TEMPLE
Authority Of John, The Messenger à Heavenly Authority - Mal 3:1-3; 4:5,6; Isa 40:3-8; Mat 17:10-13; Mk 1:1-3; Lk 1:11-17; Jn 1:6,33 (Mat 11:7-15)
Jesus Defended John’s Authority – Mat 3:13-17; 21:23-28; Lk 7:29-30
Christ, The NC Messenger & Mediator - Heb 7:6-13,22; 8:6; 9:15-24; 12:24.
Christ therefore is the messenger of His NC church and the Mediator as well, between the faithful members and God. He intercedes for us as long as we are faithful.
The coming of Christ is a prophetic fulfillment of Scripture – Mat 1:21; Lk 1:67-79; 4:14-21,43 (Visitation – Psa 80:14,15; 130:7,8); 7:11-17; 24:13-27; Jn 1:11; Acts 3:11-26; 13:46,47; Rom 15:8-12; 9:1-5.
Jesus’ Heavenly Authority – Lk 4:14-21,43; Acts 10:37,38; Jn 3:25-27,34,35; 4:34; 5:30,36-38; 6:37,38,57; 7:14-31; 8:42; 17:8,11-25.
Christ Is The Founder & Head Of His Ture Churches – Mat 16:18; 1Cor 3:11; Eph 1:22,23; 5:23; Col 1:18. All the denominational churches today can either trace their origin back to a human founder or one of the Protestant founders which eventually traces them further back to the Roman Catholic church founded by Emperor Constantine. Scriptural New Testament assemblies believe and practice the principle of a true church being the one to authorize the organization of another true church and so on. This principle and practice of scripture is imperative in order to safeguard an assembly's origin as coming from Christ and not from man. Christ was sent by the Father and He received the Father's authority in heaven and in earth (Mat 28:18). He organized the first disciples who had been baptized by John the BAPTIST, into the first scriptural New Covenant assembly.
Christ Authorized His First Church Disciples To Establish Other Scriptural Chruches - Mat 28:18-20; Lk 9:1,2; 10:1-3; Jn 3:22-4:2; 20:21. The New Covenant Order – Heb 12:18-24; Col 1:12,13. The first assembly in turn was given the New Covenant Commission (Mat 28:19-20) to plant other scriptural New Covenant assemblies throughout the world. Churches established by the authority of man or by a denominational authority apart from that of a scriptural assembly cannot in the eyes of the Lord be recognized as a the Lord's New Covenant assembly, but merely an organization. A true local assembly is God's house, the temple or dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, the place where God has put His name and this identifies it as one of the Lord's assembly.
True churches of the Lord today have scriptural authority to establish other scriptural assemblies. This pattern is a heavenly pattern as we see the way the churches in Bible times were established by this same pattern. Churches established upon man’s authority are not the Lord’s churches and have no promised indwelling Spirit (1Cor 3:16,17).
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