Questions From Readers

● On page 84 of the book You May Survive Armageddon into God’s New World we read: “The worship of Jehovah was not made impossible by the destroying of earthly Jerusalem’s temple. His pure worship with spirit and truth continued on in his spiritual temple that was being built by the antitypical Solomon, Jesus Christ. That spiritual temple survived the horrible destruction of Jerusalem in the year 70. That temple is now near its completion, the last of its ‘living stones’ being yet under preparation on earth for being built into the temple in heaven. . . . The real temple of Jehovah’s worship is destined to stand eternally as the habitation of his spirit.”

Are we to understand that the Christian spiritual temple ceases to function as such at the end of Christ’s thousand-year reign when priestly services are no longer required for mankind? If so, then in what sense does the real temple of Jehovah’s worship stand eternally as the habitation of his spirit, as above stated?

By the end of the thousand-year reign of the King Jesus Christ all obedient mankind will have received the full benefits of the ransom sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. They will have been forgiven all their sins due to inheritance from the sinner Adam and will have been uplifted to human perfection in God’s image and likeness. This will furnish the foundation for them to be justified to life eternal in God’s new world after they have successfully passed the short season of trial when Satan and his demons are released at the end of the thousand-year reign in order to test the exclusive devotion of mankind to Jehovah God as the universal Sovereign. For the faithful ones whom Jehovah then justifies there will be no further need of the benefits of the ransom sacrifice of Jesus Christ. He will therefore no longer serve as a priest with a sacrifice for them.

Still he is a priest forever after the likeness of the king-priest Melchizedek and so he will reign forever and ever in the capital part of Jehovah’s universal organization. (Ps. 110:4; Heb. 5:5-10) In the Hebrew Scriptures the word for “temple” really means “palace,” such as the palace of a king. Jehovah is the great King of eternity. In Ephesians 2:20-22 we read concerning the spiritual temple or palace composed of Jesus Christ and his Christian congregation of 144,000 living stones: “You have been built up upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, while Christ Jesus himself is the foundation cornerstone. In union with him the whole building, being harmoniously joined together, is growing into a holy temple for Jehovah. In union with him you, too, are being built up together into a place for God to inhabit by spirit.”

At the end of the thousand-year reign of Jesus Christ, and after the little season of testing all men who live on earth by the releasing of Satan and his demons, Jehovah God will not withdraw his spirit from his spiritual house, his temple or palace. His spirit will always inhabit that palace as the capital part of his universal organization. According to the figure of speech used, this palace is a building, not a priesthood. As such it will continue forever for him to inhabit by spirit. Forever it will be the capital organization over Jehovah’s universal organization, including mankind on earth, over whom it will everlastingly be the “new heavens” of the new world. (Isa. 66:22, AS) Jesus Christ, exalted in heaven, is the chief part of that capital organization. For this reason it will forever be true of him, as stated in Philippians 2:9-11: “For this very reason also God exalted him to a superior position and kindly gave him the name that is above every other name, so that in the name of Jesus every knee should bend of those in heaven and those on earth and those under the ground, and every tongue should openly confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.”

Thus forever perfect mankind on earth will have to recognize the heavenly palace of Jehovah God in which he resides by his spirit. They will forever have to worship him through that celestial palace. Thus the real temple of Jehovah’s worship will stand eternally for their service in the worship of the Most High God, Jehovah, the King of eternity.