Ecclesia - The Temple of God

Ecclesia - The Temple of God (2)

But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the festal gathering and assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel. Hebrews 12: 22-24

Introduction

From the beginning, God’s purpose has been to dwell with His people. From Eden to the tabernacle to the temple to the church, Scripture tells one continuous story: God making His dwelling among us. When the church gathers, heaven and earth meet, and our worship becomes participation in the worship of heaven.

Creation as the First Temple

The first temple wasn’t built by human hands — it was built by God Himself. In Genesis, creation isn’t presented as a random arrangement of matter, but as a dwelling place for God. Isaiah echoes this:

Thus says Yahweh, “Heaven is My throne, and the earth is the footstool of My feet. Where then is a house you could build for Me? And where is a place that I may rest? Isaiah 66: 1

In Genesis 2, God plants a garden in Eden and places Adam there. We read that Adam was to work and keep the garden (Genesis 2:15). Those same Hebrew verbs — to work (abad) and to keep (samar) — are later used of the priests who served in the tabernacle (Numbers 3:7–8).

That’s no coincidence. Adam was the first priest. His work was worship. His obedience was liturgy. The garden was sacred space where God walked with man — the first temple where heaven and earth overlapped.

So from the very beginning, humanity’s calling was priestly. We were made for worship because we were made for God’s presence.

The Temple: The Meeting Place Between Heaven and Earth

After the fall, humanity was exiled from God’s presence. But God’s desire to dwell with His people did not end. The tabernacle — and later the temple — was His gracious way of returning to dwell among them.

In Exodus 25, God commands Moses:

And Let them make a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them. According to all that I am going to show you, as the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furniture, so you shall construct it. Exodus 25: 8-9

The tent was built after a pattern. Hebrews 8:5 later explains that this pattern was a heavenly one. The earthly sanctuary was a copy and shadow of heavenly realities. That’s why the tabernacle was called the “tent of meeting”.

I will meet there with the sons of Israel, and it shall be set apart as holy by My glory. Exodus 29: 43

The temple was not just a building; it was a meeting point where heaven and earth touched. When Israel gathered there — offering sacrifices, feasting, praying — they weren’t performing empty rituals. They were coming before the living God. Their worship was participation in the divine presence.

The temple made visible what humanity lost in Eden: communion with God.

The Church: The New and Living Temple

When Jesus came, He identified Himself as the true temple.

Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. John 2:19

Through His death and resurrection, God’s dwelling moved from stone to flesh. The glory that once filled a building now filled the Son. After His ascension and the coming of the Spirit, this temple expanded. The Spirit now indwells all who belong to Christ, forming them together into one holy dwelling place for God.

“In Him you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.” Ephesians 2:22
You also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 2:5

The temple is no longer made of stone but of Spirit. God’s dwelling is now His gathered people.

Our Gathering: Heaven and Earth Overlap Again

Texts: Matthew 18:20; Hebrews 8:5; Hebrews 12:22–24; Acts 2:1–4

When the church gathers, something extraordinary happens. Jesus said,

Where two or three are gathered in My name, there am I in their midst. Matthew 18:20

That means our gatherings are not merely human meetings. They are encounters with the living Christ.

The same “pattern” that shaped the tabernacle helps us understand what happens in corporate worship. The tabernacle was patterned after heaven — a copy of the heavenly temple. Likewise, our worship on earth mirrors and participates in the worship of heaven.

Hebrews 8:5 reminds us that the priests served “a copy and shadow of the heavenly things.” Then Hebrews 12 says:

But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the festal gathering and assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel. Hebrews 12: 22-24

So when we gather, we don’t begin worship — we join it. We enter into a reality already in motion. The angels are worshiping. The saints in glory are worshiping. Christ Himself is interceding. And when we come together, by the Spirit, we are drawn into that same heavenly assembly.

This means Sunday worship is not a show we attend; it’s a reality we enter. The Spirit unites the songs of the church on earth with the songs of heaven. Our prayers rise with the incense before the throne (Revelation 8:3–4).

The early church called Sunday the “eighth day” — a foretaste of eternity. When we gather, we taste the life of the world to come. Heaven and earth meet again.

Spiritual Sacrifices: Worship Empowered by the Spirit

Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that confess His name. And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. Hebrews 13: 15-16

In the old covenant, priests offered physical sacrifices — animals, incense, and grain. In the new covenant, we offer spiritual sacrifices. That doesn’t mean less real; it means Spirit-powered.

Every act of obedience, generosity, and love becomes a sacrifice when done in the Spirit.

But I have received everything in full and have an abundance; I have been filled, having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. Philippians 4:18

Living as God’s Temple People

To call the church God’s temple is to confess that God’s presence now defines our identity.

It means:

  • God is present among us. We come with reverence and expectation, knowing that God Himself meets us when we gather.
  • We are priests. Worship is not a performance to watch but a ministry to share. Every believer has a part to play.
  • We are His dwelling. Holiness, unity, and love are not optional — they are what it means to be God’s house.

The temple was patterned after heaven, and the church now participates in that heavenly pattern. When we gather, we live out what creation was meant to be — a world filled with God’s glory.

Reflection & Application

  • Expectation: Do you come to church expecting to meet God or simply to attend a service?
  • Participation: Do you see worship as something happening on earth — or something happening in heaven that you are invited into?
  • Holiness: If the Spirit dwells in us, what does that mean for how we treat one another?
  • Unity: How would our gatherings change if we saw ourselves as one body joining a worship already in progress in heaven?