Purpose 2 - God's Provision for His Dwelling Place in Our Day

Now, I’m coming to the third and this is the closing section of my message. God’s provision for his dwelling place in our day. Turn to 1 Corinthians 3:16–17:

“Know ye not . . .”

And almost every time Paul says “know ye not” the people didn’t know. Did you now that? And furthermore, most people still don’t know today! You can read “know ye not” maybe half a dozen times in Paul’s letters and almost always the people didn’t know what he said “know ye not.”

“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?”

Notice the word dwell? This is God’s dwelling place. The Greek word is "naos" which means a building built to be the dwelling place of a god. That’s the specific Greek word.

“If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.”

You remember that Stephen made the religious Jews mad with rage when he reminded them that the most high does not dwell in temples made with hands. But Peter says God dwells in a temple built of living stones and we are the living stones. We are the temple. We’re talking now about God’s ultimate dwelling place which is not made even of gold or silver or any of the marvelously precious materials that God lavished on the temple of Solomon, but something infinitely more precious. Bear in mind people are always more precious than things. When God wants the most precious dwelling place of all, it’s made up of people, not materials. We are the people. This is God’s dwelling place.

If God was so particular and so lavish about the tabernacle of Moses and even more so about the temple of Solomon, both of which perished, were very temporary buildings, do you think that God will be less particular or less lavish about his ultimate, eternal dwelling place? Which is you and me. I personally believe that those examples are given in the Old Testament of the tabernacle and the temple because God wants us to understand, to make and complete his dwelling place it going to cost a lot. Can you accept that? We cannot pay for our redemption. The salvation of a soul cannot be measured in terms of finance. But when it comes to preaching the gospel to all nations, bringing people into a right relationship with God and one another, presenting them with the teaching that they need, doing all the work that’s involved, in terms of the modern situation in our world I believe it’s going to cost billions of dollars. I’m talking about literal dollars. I think that’s only practical. I think it’s utterly unrealistic to talk about getting the job done without finance.

I have a kind of friendship with Bill Bright of Campus Crusade, a man whom I love and respect. I wouldn’t necessarily do everything the way he does it but I have a deep respect for him. Bill Bright has set his sights to raise one billion dollars for Campus Crusade by l980. Do you know what I hope? I hope he gets it. It won’t leave any of the rest of us any poorer. I think when Bill Bright talks in those terms financially to get the gospel to every nation—which is his aim—he’s realistic. I think it’s going to cost in terms like that. I believe God has the money ready.

Let’s look at just two scriptures and I think you’ve got the message. Praise God we’re not taking an offering. We’ll give you time to digest this before we give the punch line! Turn to Haggai. Do you know what Haggai means? Haggai means “my peace.” That’s the meaning of that name. One of the things I believe is God is going to teach his people to enjoy his feasts again. Really, I do believe that.

Furthermore, I’m inclined to think that our feasts are going to begin to coincide with the Jewish calendar. That’s just a thought that comes from somewhere. You don’t have to act on it but I think you’ll find it will work out.

We’re going to start in Haggai 2:6. For instance, at the season of the Passover or one of the Jewish feasts, when you greet people you say, Khag sameosh. Khag haggai. Khag meaning the feast, sameosh meaning happy. Have a happy feast. I’ll say that to you. Khag sameosh, have a happy feast. Enjoy yourself.

Haggai 2:6:
“Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land.”

That is quoted in Hebrews 10. It is specifically applied to the close of this age. The writer of Hebrews says when God shakes the heavens, that’s the ultimate, that’s the close of the age. I want you to see we’re talking in terms of the close of this age. That sets the historical period.

“I will shake all nations . . .”

And I believe many of us will live to see that happen. God is going to shake all nations.

“. . . and the desire of all nations shall come . . .”

That’s a legitimate translation but I think in the modern translations it says something like “the precious things of all nations shall come, the treasures of all nations,” is that right? The wealth—that’s very down to earth, isn’t it? What is the wealth of all nations coming to do?

“. . . I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord.”

What house? His dwelling place. He’s not talking about the temple that was built in the days of Haggai because that temple disintegrated, it was knocked to pieces 19 centuries ago. We’re talking about the close of this age. God’s dwelling place at this time. He says, “I’ll fill this house with glory.” But, he says in order to do that the wealth of the nations is going to come because it’s going to cost money to do it. How unspiritual!

And then God makes a very important statement, verse 8:
“The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the Lord of hosts.”

He’s the Lord of armies. If anybody contests his claim he can fight them. That’s what it means. Bear in mind silver in modern Hebrew is money. God says the money is mine. The gold is mine. You realize that. The devil has no legitimate claim to any wealth at all. It all belongs to God. You say the devil’s got a lot. That’s right. And you remember what Jesus called him. A thief. That’s how he got it. He stole it. He has no legitimate claim to it. When Jesus died and rose from the dead all the treasures of this entire earth became legitimately his. He’s the heir of all things. We are co-heirs with him. Do you realize that? We share the inheritance.

So, in actual fact, we have a legitimate right to the silver and the gold through Jesus Christ. Then God returns to the theme of the glory.

“The glory of this latter house . . .”

The ultimate house of God. Or, the glory of this house. You can translate it either way.

“. . . shall be greater than that of the former, saith the Lord of hosts: and in this place [in this house] I will give peace.”

It’s very obvious that that does not refer to the temple that was built in the days of Haggai because that perished in war. It’s perfectly clear that the reference is not to that temple. It is the dwelling place of God at the close of this age.

What is God’s dwelling place at the close of this age? You and I, his people, his completed church, his body. The Lord says for that purpose the wealth of the nations will come. God states any money that’s needed, bear in mind, I own it. You don’t have to go pleading to the devil for money. What you’ve got to do is pry it loose from his dirty fingers. He doesn’t have a claim to it. I believe every word I’m preaching.

Maybe you think I’m being super-dramatic but I’m not. I actually believe what I’m saying. If I can convince you, things will happen.

One last picture and it’s very close. It’s in line with the one in Haggai. Isaiah 60:1–5. This is one of my favorite passages. This is spoken to God’s people again at the close of this age. It’s very clear.

“Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.”

This is a sovereign act of God. It’s nothing we’ve earned, it’s God’s program.

“For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people . . .”

That’s happening, that sets the scene.

“. . . but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.”

In nearly all the prophecies that relate to the close of this age the are two themes. Darkness and light. The darkness is getting darker, the light is getting brighter. And there is less and less possibility of confusing the two. Many interpreters of prophecy have focused almost exclusively on the darkness. They’ve spoken about the antichrist, the great tribulation and all that. All that is true but it’s not the whole truth. Just as the darkness is getting darker, so the light is getting brighter.

I want to remind you we were never commissioned to wait for the antichrist. We are commissioned to wait for the Christ. So many, I would have to say, preachers are almost advertising agents for the antichrist. He doesn’t need them. Our business it to proclaim the Christ. I want to tell you that Jesus is already reigning and he’s going to reign without ceasing until every enemy has been put under his feet. So, in the midst of the enveloping and surrounding darkness God says, “My light is going to come upon you in a way it’s never come before.”

Then he says in verse 3—and this is the Prince version which is slightly different from the King James but probably the same as the New American Standard:

“Nations shall come to thy light . . .”

I like that translation. I believe at the close of this age God is going to deal once again with whole nations. For a long period God has been dealing primarily with individuals. At the beginning of this dispensation or this period of God’s dealings, God dealt with Israel as a nation. The Messiah came to Israel, Israel as a nation rejected him. It says in John 1 he came unto his own people, his own people received him not. Then it becomes an individual matter. But as many as received him . . . After that it’s no longer national, it’s individual. Any individual in any nation who receives him. So it has been for maybe nearly 19 centuries.

I believe at the close of this age the emphasis is going back to nations. God is going to deal with whole nations as collective units.

It says in Matthew 25 when Christ sits on the throne of his glory, all nations shall be gathered before him. And he will separate them as nations the sheep from the goat. Bear in mind the basis of his separation is how they have dealt with the Jews.

“Nations shall come to thy light, and their kings to the brightness of thy rising . . .”

I believe we have a message which many of earth’s rulers need. I think it’s a standing reproach to the church of Jesus Christ in America that presidents have had to seek to a fortune teller in Washington D.C.

Why didn’t they come to the church? The answer is because we weren’t ready for them. I believe God is going to raise up men like Joseph and Daniel who will have the counsel that’s needed by the rulers of earth’s greatest empires. Verse 4:

“Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side. [verse 5] Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged . . .”

I believe that’s happening in our day. We are seeing what God is doing. Because we see we are flowing together. This meeting is a group of groups who have flowed together. Is that right? Our heart fears. I tell you, when you see what God is going to do it will cause a hold awe. God said that all nations would fear because of the prosperity he would procure for Israel. And then be enlarged. If there’s one thing that God’s people need in a spiritual and not physical sense is an enlarged heart. We’ve been so small minded and so narrow in our vision that we didn’t make room for what God intended to do.

“. . . because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee . . .”

That’s fascinating. I believe that’s a secret. This is my own private little theory. I believe there is great wealth in the sea which is yet to be recovered and made available to man. Anyhow, the next part of the verse is perfectly clear.

“. . . the forces [or wealth] of the nations shall come unto thee.”

Do you believe that? I believe that. Why will it come to us? That we can complete the dwelling place of God which is made up of what? Living stones, people. Millions and millions of people, many of whom have never yet been reached even once with the gospel message of Jesus Christ. Nearly one billion people in China practically unreached. It’s going to cost a lot, it’s going to cost lives, it’s going to cost time, it’s going to cost everything we have. It’s going to cost money. I just want you to believe that God will make all abundance available to us for the work of completing his dwelling place. Amen.