Letters to the Church

The New Testament usage of the term “ assembly ” is based on the language and imagery of Israel assembled before Yahweh for worship in front of the Tabernacle in the wilderness. The Greek noun rendered “church” in many English translations is ekklésia , and it means “assembly, congregation, convocation.” In secular Greek usage it could refer to an “assembly” of citizens gathered to conduct matters of state. However, that is not the sense found in the Greek New Testament.

The Apostle Paul consistently applies the Greek term rendered the “Sanctuary of God” to the church, the Body of Christ, and he uses related temple language when describing congregations of believers. Many of the same Greek terms are applied in the Septuagint translation of the Hebrew Bible to the Tabernacle in the wilderness and the Temple in Jerusalem. While his usage is metaphorical, it illustrates the identity of God’s people under the New Covenant inaugurated by Jesus.

Jesus will not “ arrive ” to gather his “ elect ” until two events occur: The “ Apostasy ” and the “ REVELATION of the Man of Lawlessness ,” and they are inextricably linked. It is not just the presence of this dark figure but his unveiling in the Assembly that will signal the imminence of the “ Day of the Lord .” Not only will he cause many to abandon faith in and allegiance to Jesus, but his “ revealing ” will take place when he “ sits down ” in the “ Sanctuary of God .”

In John’s Gospel, Jesus is presented as the true Tabernacle where God dwells and His glory is seen. Unlike the ancient structure with its inner sanctuary that only the high priest could enter, His glory is manifested for all men to see. No longer is His presence limited by physical walls and geographic boundaries. And in Jesus of Nazareth, the Father and the Creator of all things is worshipped anywhere and anytime “ in spirit and truth .”