Over thirty-five hundred years ago God called Abraham out of the land of Ur. Genesis 12:2-3 records the words of the Lord as he promised Abraham: “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness when he believed God and later again when he did not hold back his son Isaac from the Lord’s alter. The people that precipitated from Abraham and Isaac through Jacob were not as faithful and paid a heavy price for their unbelief in the desert after being rescued from Egypt. However, God’s promise of land in Genesis 12:7 and Genesis 13:14-17 constituted a permanent possession for Abraham’s descendants and that Abraham would be the father of many nations (Genesis 17:1-8). The covenant was an everlasting covenant.
Once in the promised land, though, the nation of Israel continued to rebel against God’s will and the people entered into a cycle of spiritual and political wealth (when they were faithful) followed by moral deterioration and oppression (when they were not faithful) by Gentile nations in the area. From the time of their wanderings in the desert through to the time of King David, the Israelites relied on the tabernacle that Moses assembled to be their place of worship – where God would reside.
David desired to build God a permanent house and in 2 Samuel 7:12-13, God promises the righteous King, “I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish his kingdom forever.”
The First And Second Temple Periods
Solomon followed David as king and built the first temple in 1000 BC, however, it was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BC. It was then rebuilt when the when the Jews returned from exile in Babylon (completed in 515 BC). However, things went off the rails for Israel when they rejected their Messiah and crucified Him. Jesus later built a permanent house and kingdom, as I will illustrate, fulfilling 2 Samuel 7:16. “Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.”
Knowing in advance this would happen, Jesus prophesied, “Have you never read the scriptures: ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes’? Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.” (Matthew 21:42-43).
This prediction was fulfilled in AD 70 with the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple which led to the dispersal of the Jews among the nations and in AD 135 the desolation of Judea was ordered by the Romans.
The Church Age
Since the crucifixion of Christ, the church has grown to encompass the globe. It is important not to conflate the Christian religion and the true Christian church. From within the institution of the Christian church, there is a body of true believers which is the true church. This is the bride of Christ.
When the first Gentiles became Christian, there was apprehension on the part of the disciples so they gathered in Jerusalem to discuss whether Gentiles could be saved. Acts 15 describes the proceedings and how no distinction was made between Jews and Gentiles regarding the receiving of the Holy Spirit. Paul and Barnabas shared their experiences of how God did miraculous signs and wonders among the Gentiles.
In Acts 15:13-18 we read, “When they finished, James spoke up: ‘Brothers, listen to me. Simon has described to us how God at first showed His concern by taking from the Gentiles a people for Himself. The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written: ‘After this I will return and rebuild David’s fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it, that the remnant of men may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord, who does these things that have been known for ages.’”.
Here James quotes Amos 9:10-12 where the prophet predicts the house of Israel being destroyed and reimposed. “In that day I will restore David’s fallen tent. I will repair its broken places, restore its ruins, and build it as it used to be, so that they may possess the remnant of Edom.” The Hebrew word Edom is not only the name of one of Israel’s former enemies (descendants of Esau), it also means “man” (from Adam) which James infers as mankind in his exegesis of this Amos passage.
God’s Promises Are Trustworthy
From this we can start to connect the dots of God’s promise that all nations would be blessed through Abraham’s seed. The apostle Paul further clarifies the murky waters by writing in Galatians 3:16, “The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The scripture does not say ‘and to seeds,’ meaning many people, but ‘and to your seed,’ meaning one person, who is Christ.”
He continues in verse 26, “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Galatians 3:26-29). Again in Galatians 4:7 Paul states, “So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.”
Through faith in Christ we are considered children of God. “For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by Him we cry ‘ABBA’ Father. The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are God’s children, then we are heirs – heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory.” (Romans 8:15-17).
Paul expounds on this concept in Romans 9:6-8, where he says, “It is not as though God’s word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, ‘it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.’ In other words, it is not the natural children who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring.”
Additionally, Paul states in Ephesians 3:6, “This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.” He is clear that the church (the true body of believers) does not replace Israel but are joint heirs with Israel.
As the apostle to the Gentiles it is only fitting that Paul has the most to say regarding the Gentiles. In Romans 11 he illustrates the relationship between Israel and the Gentile nations as branches that have been grafted onto an olive tree. Because of Israel’s unbelief, salvation has come to the Gentiles and their transgression means riches for the world. The Gentile believers as wild olive braches are grafted onto the cultivated olive tree because some branches were broken off due to their obstinacy against God.
He goes on to say, “I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved…” (Romans 11:25-26a). The implication here is that there is a predetermined number of gentiles who are predestined to come to Christ.
God Dwells Within Us
When we consider that when we are born again into Christ, the Holy Spirit enters us and dwells within us (Romans 8:11, 15; 2 Timothy 1:14; 1 John 2:27) and that our bodies become a temple for the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16; 1 Corinthians 6:19), the true church is indeed the restored tent (tabernacle) of God. We are truly David’s fallen tent that has been restored and we will play a pivotal role in the final unfolding of prophecy in these end times.
Although I believe a third temple will be rebuilt in Jerusalem in the last days (with plans already in place), it will not be God’s house. It will facilitate the fulfilment of Daniel 9:27, Daniel 11:31 Daniel 12:11, Matthew 24:15, Mark 13:14 and Revelation 13:14-15. The church is the temple that God is using to bring the gospel to the world and to demonstrate His love for humanity. Jesus prayed that all believers would be unified in this (John 17:20-26).
When Peter told Jesus, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:16), Jesus called him blessed because of his confession and said, “and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” (Matthew 16:18). David’s fallen tent stands once again and no weapon formed against it will prosper.
