1. Heaven: “Heaven is my throne; and the earth is my footstool”. “The heaven and the heaven of heavens is the Lord’s but the earth has He given to the children of men”. “Our Father who is in heaven”. Each time we think of where God lives, our minds run to a location outside, and above, the earth. So, it is common to look up, towards heaven, in worship. As children in Sunday School, each time we were asked, “Where is God?”, our answer was “God is in Heaven!” It is also a popular belief that God has buildings in heaven, for Himself and His children, as men have buildings on earth. Jesus said, “In my Father’s house are many mansions; I go to prepare a place for you”. The common understanding is that the Father’s house of many mansions is in heaven; where the righteous will be raptured to, and spend eternity with God. Jesus taught His disciples to say in prayer, “Our Father, who is in Heaven”. Heaven is God’s abode but He wants an abode on earth as He has in heaven!
2. Bethel: ‘Bethel’ means ‘the house of God’. In Genesis 28, Jacob had a dream of a ladder connecting heaven from the earth; and angels were descending and ascending the ladder. The Lord also spoke to him from above the ladder. “Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it. ” And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!” Then Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put at his head, set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on top of it. And he called the name of that place Bethel; but the name of that city had been Luz previously” (Genesis 28:16-19 NKJV). It is important to notice that there was no physical house where Jacob called ‘the house of God’. What mattered to him was the presence of God. The wandering patriarchs built altars wherever they encountered God; and that altar was the house of God for them. God, to them, was not tied to one location. He was with them wherever they went.
3. The Tabernacle: In the time of Moses, God demanded that Israel build Him a tabernacle. He gave Moses the specifications. That tabernacle was a movable tent for God. It became the place where people could access God. The people could not meet God, or offer sacrifices to Him, outside the tabernacle. When Israel came into the Promised Land, they gave the tabernacle a fixed location. ‘High places’, common with Canaanites, were also adopted by Israelites as the place to meet God and offer sacrifices; although the Law of Moses did not prescribe that. Solomon offered his great sacrifice in the high place that was at Gibeon. That was where God appeared to him.
In this season, when the Lord is speaking to His people about the restoration of His house, It is important for us to have a scriptural, New Covenant, redefinition of the house of God. Where is the House of God today? There are about seven expressions of the House of God in the Bible. They are as follows:
1. Heaven: “Heaven is my throne; and the earth is my footstool”. “The heaven and the heaven of heavens is the Lord’s but the earth has He given to the children of men”. “Our Father who is in heaven”. Each time we think of where God lives, our minds run to a location outside, and above, the earth. So, it is common to look up, towards heaven, in worship. As children in Sunday School, each time we were asked, “Where is God?”, our answer was “God is in Heaven!” It is also a popular belief that God has buildings in heaven, for Himself and His children, as men have buildings on earth. Jesus said, “In my Father’s house are many mansions; I go to prepare a place for you”. The common understanding is that the Father’s house of many mansions is in heaven; where the righteous will be raptured to, and spend eternity with God. Jesus taught His disciples to say in prayer, “Our Father, who is in Heaven”. Heaven is God’s abode but He wants an abode on earth as He has in heaven!
2. Bethel: ‘Bethel’ means ‘the house of God’. In Genesis 28, Jacob had a dream of a ladder connecting heaven from the earth; and angels were descending and ascending the ladder. The Lord also spoke to him from above the ladder. “Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it. ” And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!” Then Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put at his head, set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on top of it. And he called the name of that place Bethel; but the name of that city had been Luz previously” (Genesis 28:16-19 NKJV). It is important to notice that there was no physical house where Jacob called ‘the house of God’. What mattered to him was the presence of God. The wandering patriarchs built altars wherever they encountered God; and that altar was the house of God for them. God, to them, was not tied to one location. He was with them wherever they went.
3. The Tabernacle: In the time of Moses, God demanded that Israel build Him a tabernacle. He gave Moses the specifications. That tabernacle was a movable tent for God. It became the place where people could access God. The people could not meet God, or offer sacrifices to Him, outside the tabernacle. When Israel came into the Promised Land, they gave the tabernacle a fixed location. ‘High places’, common with Canaanites, were also adopted by Israelites as the place to meet God and offer sacrifices; although the Law of Moses did not prescribe that. Solomon offered his great sacrifice in the high place that was at Gibeon. That was where God appeared to him.
The ‘House of God’ has had different meanings in history; but we must operate with what it means for us today. (To be continued)
THE HOUSE OF GOD: ESSENTIAL REDEFINITIONS (1)
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