The Temple of God.
After the Israelites' Exodus, during their wilderness wanderings, God instructed them to
make a"tent of meeting” (tabernacle). There they were to place the"Ark of the Testimony” (Ark of the Covenant) in
the rearmost part of the tent, the"Holy of Holies”, and put a curtain in front of it so that this area was
separated from the front part, the"Holy Place” (Ex 26:31-34).
And in this Holy of Holies, in a cloud between the two cherubim placed on the left
and right of the lid of this ark of the testimony, God spoke to Moses when necessary and gave him instructions.
When Solomon then built the first temple in Jerusalem, the rearmost part of the temple was also extended there
as the"dwelling place of the Almighty” and it was the same with the second temple, which was built by Zerubbabel
from 520-516 BC and dedicated in 515 BC, later to be greatly extended and remodeled by Herod from 21 BC onwards.
When the Israelites then condemned the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, to death on the cross and the Romans
crucified him, upon the death of his Son God abandoned the temple and rescinded the Old Covenant with the Israelites
(Mt 27:51-52; Lk 16:16).
This was also the beginning of a New Covenant, and thus the beginning
of a new relationship between God and mankind. Not only is it no longer necessary or possible to offer sacrifices
for the forgiveness of sins, as there is no longer a temple or altar of burnt offering in Jerusalem – the only place
where sacrifice could be offered (Deut 12:14; Jh 8:24 and our Lord Jesus Christ has already died on
the cross for our sins.
Nor is there any longer any need for a temple, a"house of God”, in
order to encounter God (Acts 7:48-50; ). For God has been merciful and now comes to
mankind.
Nor do we need a temple or a "house of God" to encounter God (Acts 7:48-50).
For God has had mercy and now comes to human beings.
If anyone loves Me, he will follow My word; and My Father will love him and We will come to him and make Our dwelling with him.
Jh 14,15 "If you love me, keep my commands. 14,16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever – 14,17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 14,18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
14,19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 14,20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 14,21 Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them."
14,22 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, "But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?" 14,23 Jesus replied, "Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 14,24 Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me. 14,25 All this I have spoken while still with you." Jn 14,15-25;
At first glance, it seems astonishing and somewhat incomprehensible that God and his Son should
come to us and take up residence with us. But if you know the biblical background, you will recognize the full
reality of this statement.
«God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth».
Jn 4,23 But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. 4,24 "God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." Jn 4,23-24;
As the Son of God tells us here, God, the Father, is spirit. And this now is not to be understood "symbolically", but literally! Not only is it true that God is spirit, but the mode of existence of all creatures in the heavenly dimension of God – including that of already resurrected human beings (1Cor 15:44) – is of a genderless spiritual nature. However, according to Scripture, they also possess the ability to appear in physical, human form (Lk 24:36-39; Rev 20:6) and to disappear (Lk 24:31; Jn 3:8).
(See also Discourse 85: "True and false rebirth.".)
As we can see from many biblical statements, communication between God and His Son always
took place on a spiritual level. God is in the spirit of the Son, and what the Son speaks is God’s word.
Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me?
Jn 14,10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. 14,11 Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves. Jn 14,10-11;
It is therefore obvious that it is in the nature of spiritual beings to integrate both in the spirit of a human
being and in other spiritual beings. In their spiritual form, they are non-material
and can merge into one another, just as when you empty one glass of water into another on the material level and both
waters become one (consider the Trinity; and Rev 3:21 where all (billions!!) are envisaged as sitting with the Lord
on his one and only throne!)
And just as the Father dwelt in the Son, both will also
dwell in us, in our spirit, if we love the Son and keep his word. God dwelt with the Israelites in the Holy of Holies of
the temple, but in the faith of the New Covenant God no longer dwells in temples made with hands.
That is why the
biblical Christian faith is not a religion like the worldly religions. It is a relation, a connection or relationship
with God and his Son. The believing person – as a child of God – is the temple, and his spirit is the Holy of Holies,
where both Father and Son dwell with us.
Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
1Cor 3,16 Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 3,17 If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are. 1Cor 3,16-17;
Here, however, it must be pointed out that the presence of God in our spirit does not
manifest itself with"jumping, dancing, laughing, crying, rolling on the ground” and such other well-known
phenomena. This is not the presence of God – it is rather the case that these people are possessed by demons, the
angels of Satan, who were thrown to earth after the lost
battle in heaven two thousand years ago.
(See also the Youtube video:"The astronaut John Glenn speaks of ‘myriads of stars’")
The Spirit of God in our spirit is practically imperceptible. We only recognize it
afterwards when we see that – almost against our will – we have displayed behavior that is pleasing to God; or when
we ourselves are amazed at how seemingly difficult problems can suddenly be solved (Lk 16:16).
So let us also remember that there are many false teachings in circulation. Worldly Christianity does not keep the word of our Lord (in Catholicism we find priests as child abusers Mt 7:16; ], in Protestantism gays as superintendents and bishops [Rom 1:27]) – they are bad fruit from a bad tree, literally incapable of producing good fruit! (Mt 7:18) – and the Mosaic rite came to a provisional end two thousand years ago.
God is no longer to be found in a"house of God”. It has been
revealed that people (“lay” people, as they are supposed to be) have been cut off from any contact with their God,
which has been reserved for a priest – who then more often than not regards this as a tedious obligation.
And so there is no need for either a"consecration” or a"communion”, with which Catholicism
tries in vain to establish union with the Lord. The Son of God does not come through the"hocus-pocus” (a medieval
corruption of the words of consecration Hoc est [enim] corpus meum) of a Catholic priest – who perhaps
goes on to abuse children after Mass is finished.
For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, "I will dwell in them and walk among them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people."
2Cor 6,14 Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? 6,15 Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? 6,16 Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols?
For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, "I will dwell in them and walk among
them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 6,17 Therefore, come out from their midst and be
separate," says the Lord. "And do not touch what is unclean; and I will welcome you. 6,18 And I will be a father to
you, and you shall be sons and daughters to Me", says the Lord Almighty.
(2Cor 6,14-18;)
In biblical Christianity, communication between God and the child of God does not take place by the mechanical rattling off of prayers but is direct and personal. God is our father, we are his children, so we behave as children should behave towards a beloved father. Love for God, dear brothers and sisters, still needs to be explained to humanity. They have heard quite enough about the love of their neighbor for the last two thousand years.
Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.
Mt 23,9 9 "Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. Mt 23,9;
But you, when you pray, go into your inner room and pray to your Father who is in secret.
Mt 6,5 When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners
(or in front of the Catholic idol altars ["Mary" and the cult of the dead "saints"] and the Jewish "Wailing
Wall"! / FH), so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. Mt 6,5;
Deut 4,15 You saw no form of any kind the day the Lord spoke to you at Horeb out of the fire. Therefore, watch yourselves very carefully, ,4,16 so that you do not become corrupt and make for yourselves an idol, an image of any shape, whether formed like a man or a woman
(e.g. a "statue of Mary"). Deut 4,15;
Mt 6,6 But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door (Mt 10:21-22; Mk 13:12-13;) and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. 6,7 And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. 6,8 So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. Mt 6,6-8;
So we should not"babble like those of the nations”. But then what are we supposed to do? – We should just speak to God. In our spirit – where his spirit also is, if we are children of God. This does not require any external"signs”. These are only used by hypocrites to impress the ungodly.
Our conversation with God takes place in a spiritual way. And even if maybe billions of people speak to God at the same time, the omnipotence of God and his grace make it possible for him to be present and listen to every single one of his children in their spirit.
And if we love God and his Son, we have what many of us perhaps never had on earth: a beloved and loving, absolutely righteous Father. He will never abandon us, and if we do not separate ourselves from him of our own free will, he will be our beloved and loving Father for all eternity. Amen.
(See also Discourse 85: "True and false Rebirth.".)
(See also Discourse 1042: "The battle in heaven.".)
From child of man to child of God
The development of a child of God is comparable in every respect to that of a human child.
Just as the egg in the female body marks the beginning of a human child’s existence, the spirit in the human brain
is the starting point for the child of God (Jn 6:63).
Just as the female body is constantly ready for fertilization - a few days each month - the human spirit is also
usually ready to be fertilized. And then, if the woman allows it, the egg in the womb is fertilized by male semen.
And if the man allows it, his spirit is fertilized by divine seed ( 1:13; Jas 1:18; 1Pet 1:3; 1:23;
1Jn 2:29; 3:9; 4:7; 5:1; 5:4; 5:18; 1)) - when reading the Word of God, the Bible.
If no physical
fertilization takes place in humans, the woman’s eggs are excreted every month up to a certain age. The human
spirit, however, remains ready for fertilization for the rest of its life. If it has not been spiritually
fertilized, it will be disposed of at the Last Judgment (Mt 25:41).
If, after conception, the time of pregnancy for a human child is nine months, as a
child of God the human being remains"pregnant”, so to speak, for his or her entire life.
The further development of the human child in the womb, during
pregnancy, therefore corresponds to the spiritual development of the child of God over an entire lifetime. During
this time of growth, all conceivable complications are still possible for both the human child and the child of God
(Eph 4:14), even up to and including stillbirth (Hebr 6:4-6)!
At birth, the human child emerges from water (amniotic fluid) into a new, hitherto
unknown world with completely different living conditions (breathing, food intake, movement) (Jn 3:5-6).
And likewise the child of God, on being reborn (Mt 19:28, 25:31;: both biblical passages relate to resurrection and the Last Judgement!!) and resurrected from the spirit (Jn 3:6-7) will be faced with a different and eternal dimension, with completely new conditions of
existence (Jh 3,8).
But while the human child usually grows up with its parents and only later leads an independent
life, the child of God – as a human being – has been its own"mother” (the brain as the"womb” of the spirit) and
now, after its rebirth as a spiritual being, has an eternal life (Lk 20:36) and a spiritual, heavenly father (Jn 4:24).
God will give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
Rom 8,11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.. Rom 8,11;
And then – only then – the children of God, having been born again of the Spirit in the
resurrection, will have reached that state of being which the Lord prophesies to us in Jn 3,8, which is the state of
being enjoyed by God, the angels and the Lord himself after his resurrection and in which He was able to walk
through closed doors and through walls (Jn 20:26):
"The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going;
so is everyone who is born of the Spirit."
(Jn 3,8)
What is born of flesh is flesh, what is born of spirit is spirit. And that, now, is also the form of existence – namely as spiritual beings – of which the Lord promises us in Jh 3:3 that this is the way we can enter the kingdom of God (heaven).
Unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.
(Jn 3,3)
Humans are in a prenatal phase in their life as intelligent mammals on earth. Rebirth takes place
after his physical death and the resurrection of the spirit in the timeless heavenly dimension, the kingdom of God, as
an immortal, sexually liberated spiritual being.
Humans are in a prenatal phase in their life as intelligent
mammals on earth. Rebirth takes place after his physical death and the resurrection of the spirit in the timeless
heavenly dimension, the kingdom of God, as an immortal, sexually liberated spiritual being.
1Jn 5,10 Whoever believes in the Son of God accepts this testimony. Whoever does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because they have not believed the testimony God has given about his Son.
5,11 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 1Jn 5,10-11;
Phil 3,20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 3,21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control,
will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.
(See also "Quantum theory proves that consciousness [the spirit] never dies!")
Many people did not understand this two thousand years ago, and some still do not understand it today.
(God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 1Tim 2:3-4;)
The biblical proof of the rebirth of man in the resurrection of the spirit.Lk 8,11 This is the meaning of the parable: the seed is the word of God. Lk 8,11; Reading the Bible and analyzing and interpreting the biblical texts is comparable to studying specialist
literature at university, except that if you are successful you do not receive an academic title, but are reborn after
death and resurrection as an immortal, spiritual human being and, as a child of God, have the one and only, living and
almighty God as your beloved Father. (Whereby this is not the material-optical love of people on earth, but the
immaterial-spiritual category of gratitude). 1Pet 1,23 For you have been regenerated, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God. 1Pet 1,23; And now some people think: "Well, what the Bible says …" |
The "premature births".
And then there are the spiritual"premature births”. They have not (fully) undergone
development into a child of God on earth as described above, but they have done the most important thing that needs
to be done: they have believed in Jesus Christ as their Lord and God and as their Savior. This is enough to be born
of the Spirit at the resurrection.
After their spiritual birth, in the kingdom of God, the heavens, they are
then provided with the information that strengthens them as a child of God and enables them to recognize their
decision as the right one. It is comparable to a human child that comes into this world as a premature birth, but
can already think completely rationally and decide whether it should remain in this world or return to the womb and
be stillborn.
Anyone who has once seen the glory in heaven and experienced the joy and love that the children
of God feel for their Savior and Redeemer Jesus Christ – by contrast with the wicked, who are also immortal spirit
beings and must spend their eternal existence in the fiery magma of hell – does not have to think long to realize
that they have made the right choice.
But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God
Jn1,6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was "John". 1,7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 1,8 was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. 1,9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. ,10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 1,11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 1,12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 1,13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. Jn 1,6-13;
I pray for all those people who are reading this and are still among the undecided. Please
accept this final offer from our Lord and God Jesus Christ. He has been given all power in heaven and on earth by
the Father, and what he says holds good. You cannot imagine the glory that prevails in the kingdom of God, and the
despair and gnashing of teeth that will reign for eternity in hell. Receive Jesus Christ!
Before his death,
our Lord Jesus Christ addressed the following prayer to the Father for all people who would come to believe in him:
The prayer of Jesus for all human beings who believe in him. The prayer of Jesus for all human beings who believe in him.
Jn 17,1 Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You, 17,2 even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life. 17,3 This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.17,4 I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do. 17,5 Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.
17,6 I have manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. 17,7 Now they have come to know that everything You have given Me is from You; 17,8 for the words which You gave Me I have given to them; and they received them and truly understood that I came forth from You, and they believed that You sent Me. 17,9 I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom You have given Me; for they are Yours; 17,10 and all things that are Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine; and I have been glorified in them. 17,11 I am no longer in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are. Jn 17,1-11
MAKE HEAVEN MATTER
The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.
1Cor 2,1-16; And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.
We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
However, as it is written:
«What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived – the things God has prepared for those who love him».
these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.
For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no-one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words.
The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, for, ‘Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?’ But we have the mind of Christ. (1Cor 2;)
1)
The ancient Greek verb gegennhtai (gegengätai = begotten or born) is
to be translated with "begotten" and not with "born" in the entire first letter of John: 1Jn 2:29; 3:9; 4:7; 5:1,4,18,18;
as well as in the following biblical passages: Jn 1:13; Jas 1:18; 1Pet 1:3, 23; (also not "born again" but "begotten
again") - spiritually begotten again after being fertilized by the Word of God. (See also Discourse 85:
True and false rebirth.)
Rabbi Chofetz A visitor came to Rabbi Chaim Chofetz one day to ask his advice. When the man saw that the rabbi’s apartment consisted of a tiny room with only a couch, a table with a chair and a row of books, he asked the rabbi in amazement, "Master, where do you have your furniture and household goods?" (See also Discourse 152: "The Chofetz Chaim on Aliyah – Are we living in the end times?.") |