Luke 21:5-6

Luke 21:5-6 Some of his disciples were remarking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God. But Jesus said, “As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down.”

A true temple of God, where his spirit inhabits, will last forever, but a manmade temple, no matter how magnificent, how architecturally imposing, will be short lived in view of eternity. This story reminds me of the many impressive edifices built for God's glory throughout the world. We especially find many of these elaborate, imposing churches in Europe where they are the pride of the community. Tourists flock to them. People from all over the world marvel at these awe-inspiring structures and the sculptures and artwork within them. Many people in these cities sacrificed greatly to build these churches. These buildings were all dedicated to God, built for his glory, and intended as special consecrated places where people would meet God. But God does not inhabit places of masonry; He does not inhabit places built by man's hands. He is a Spirit. All that exists is his domain. What structure can contain his omnipresent Spirit? Where does God dwell? Where do we meet God? All elaborate, beautiful, manmade structures, no matter how consecrated, will end up as rubble. As with the temple in Jerusalem, one stone will not remain upon another. The process might take a couple of millenniums, but manmade edifices will eventually all end up the same: as refuse and dust. But the true temple of God will last forever.

The Bible says, we are the temple of God. God inhabits us. For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people." (2 Corinthians 6:16) The Holy Spirit came to sup with us, to inhabit us. Jesus Christ said that He must go away so that the Holy Spirit could come to counsel us, to console us, to guide us, to live within us. We are where the mighty Holy Spirit of God dwells; we are his edifice. Therefore, we are never alone because He is with us. As we go through Luke 21, we will see some frightening things predicted for the end times. We might even surmise that this very earth might be shaken from its axis, but God says, "Do not fear; I will be with you forever." The Bible gives us authority to stand tall, to face the end times, believing even if the heavens and Earth pass away, we will overcome, for He is in us, with us forever. This is our great hope. Our spirits exist beyond the reality of this world and the heavens, beyond time. We are IN GOD, AND HE IS IN US. God has promised us his presence, his life, and He is not a liar. He will do that which He has promised: He will never leave us or forsake us.

This earthly domain will pass away. Temples will end in dust; all living things will return to dust. Time constrains all physical existence. But God tells us, we are his temple where He dwells. Our lives IN CHRIST will go on forever in bliss, in harmony with him. No dust, no sure demise, no nothingness for us. God's chosen, the newly created in Christ, are eternal creatures IN GOD, and He will be IN US forevermore. That is the great mystery: He in us, we in him--the circle within a circle, a life within a life. God paid a great price for us: Jesus Christ's death on the cross. He watched his Son humiliated and killed by his created. This price of humiliation and death paid for our redemption, for our birthing as his eternal children. But He did not allow his lovely one to see corruption; He raised him from the dead that we might become his children with his DNA, his Spirit abiding within us. We are now eternal beings, beloved of the Father. Therefore, lift up your heads, temples of the Most Holy God. God will abide with you forever.