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Haggai spoke to a discouraged people who had returned from exile and were rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem. Some could still remember the splendour of the former temple, and what now stood before them seemed small by comparison. Yet through Haggai the Lord gave them an extraordinary promise: “The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former.” To appreciate the significance of those words, this message follows the story of God’s dwelling place through Scripture – from the tabernacle in the wilderness, through the temple in Jerusalem, and ultimately towards something far greater than gold, stone or human workmanship.
The story begins in Exodus when God told Moses, “Let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them.” The tabernacle became a visible reminder that the Lord had chosen to dwell among His covenant people. Generations later, David desired a permanent house for God, and Solomon eventually built the magnificent temple in Jerusalem. It was filled with gold, sacrifice, priestly service and symbols of God’s holiness and presence. Yet no matter how magnificent the structure became, it was never intended to be the end of the story. Buildings could be destroyed and rebuilt, but God was preparing His people to understand a much greater way in which He would come near.
Jesus brings that truth into focus. He declared that “One greater than the temple is here”, and in John 2 He spoke of the temple of His own body: “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The meeting place between God and humanity would no longer finally be understood through a building in Jerusalem. In Christ, God Himself had come among us. Through His death and resurrection, Jesus opened the way for people to be reconciled to God, and after His ascension the promised Holy Spirit was poured out upon His people. Paul could therefore write, “Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you”, and elsewhere, “You are the temple of the living God.”
That is the remarkable application for every believer. God’s purpose has moved from a tent, to a temple of stone, to Christ dwelling among us, and now to the Spirit of God dwelling within His people. The same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead is at work within those who belong to Him, bringing new life where there was brokenness and transforming us from the inside out. And even this points forward to something greater. Revelation shows the New Jerusalem where no temple building is needed, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple and God dwells fully with His people. From stone to Spirit, the story has always been about God coming near – and in Christ, He has made His dwelling with us and within us.
The message follows the unfolding story of God dwelling with His people:
1. The Tabernacle – God dwelling among His people
In Exodus 25, God instructed Israel to build a sanctuary so that He might dwell among them.
2. The Temple – a permanent place of worship and presence
David desired a house for the Lord, and Solomon built the magnificent first temple. After its destruction and the exile, Haggai encouraged the returned people as they rebuilt.
3. Jesus – One greater than the temple
Jesus identified His own body as the true temple that would be destroyed and raised again. God’s presence was now revealed personally and perfectly in Christ.
4. The believer – the temple of the Holy Spirit
Following Christ’s resurrection and the outpouring of the Spirit, Paul teaches that God now dwells within His people.
5. The New Jerusalem – God dwelling fully with His people
Revelation brings the theme to completion. The final hope is not another earthly temple, but God Himself dwelling with His redeemed people.
The central movement is:
Tabernacle → Temple → Christ → Holy Spirit within believers → God dwelling eternally with His people.
Take some time to trace this theme for yourself through Exodus 25, Haggai 2, John 2, 1 Corinthians 6 and Revelation 21. Then consider what it means personally that, through Christ, the Holy Spirit dwells within you. Ask the Lord to help you stop measuring His work only by what you can see outwardly and to recognise the greater work He is doing within.
