Will the Shekinah return to the Church?
The torn veil in the Temple when Christ died on the cross is one of the most significant events to the church theologically and practically. The Early Church understood and captured the significance of that event. It is obvious God was sending a clear message to His people concerning something that was prophesied. God expected His people to understand what was happening.
Although they had not seen it themselves, believers during the time Christ was on this earth understood the power of the presence of the Shekinah Glory of God. What is the message God expected His people to understand? When God tore the veil in the Temple the Holy of Holies was opened, but the Shekinah was not there. Where was the Shekinah?
John 14:16 records that Jesus told His disciples that He would not leave them alone but would send the Holy Spirit to dwell in them. After Jesus rose from the grave, He told them to wait in Jerusalem for that promise to be fulfilled (Acts 1:4). Jesus said that they would receive power and after that the Holy Ghost would come upon them. This power and the Holy Ghost would make them a witness in Jerusalem, in Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth. This is exactly what happened. On the day of Pentecost about 3,000 were saved, baptized, and joined the church. The Early Church spread like wild fire throughout the land of Israel and even into Africa, Turkey, Rome, Asia Minor. The Church was alive and on fire! No one could stop her! Not even all the powers of Rome.
Is God finished with the Church? Will the Church ever see this demonstration of power again? The key to understanding the answer to this question is to understand what God’s plan is. Ezekiel 11 is very clear about God’s plan for His people. The prophet says,
“Thus saith the Lord God; I will even gather you from the people, and assemble you out of the countries where ye have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel. And they shall come hither, and they shall take away all the detestable things thereof and all the abominations thereof from thence. And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and I will give them an heart of flesh that they may walk in my statutes.”
This new covenant God promised to His people was not to replace the old covenant but to change it to bring His people one step closer to the Messianic kingdom. He did not eradicate His plan for His people. He simply modified it.
What does it mean He would take away their stony hearts and give them hearts of flesh? The answer is in the last phrase of the quote above. The purpose is so that they might walk in His statutes. Which statutes? The Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments were written in stone and housed in the Ark of the Covenant under the Shekinah in the Holy of Holies. In the millennial kingdom the Ten Commandments will be written on His people’s hearts and the Shekinah will shine from the believers. They will become the Holy of Holies.
I am sure some of you are asking which believers? The pre-church Jewish believers or the Gentile believers in the church? The answer is both. In the Early Church there were not Jews and Gentiles. There were Jews who believed in Jesus as the Messiah and Gentiles who believed in Jesus as the Messiah and together this group was called Christians. If you have not read my paper on the etymology of Ekklesia, please do so. It will explain the constituency of the Early Church.
Hebrews chapter 9 indicates that the first covenant was with physical elements (the Tabernacle). The physical elements were given to teach us about the spiritual elements. When the true elements came there was no longer a need for the physical. When Jesus died on the cross as the final messianic sacrifice for our sins, there was no longer a need for the physical sacrifices. The Shekinah in the Holy of Holies is no longer there because now it can live in our hearts (I Corinthians 6:19). The Ten Commandments are no longer there because God intends for them to live in our hearts.
Am I suggesting that we get the Shekinah by keeping the Ten Commandments? Not at all. Isaiah 64:6 says all of our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. Then why try to keep the Ten Commandments? Because they show us the heart, character, morals, and ethics of God.
So is it possible to see the Shekinah on the church once again? Will we ever experience the church on fire as it was in the first century?
The result of the body of believers being filled with the Shekinah is a mass witness and a worldwide evangelistic effort (Acts 1:8). In the vision John saw in the book of Revelation he saw a multitude so great that no man could number it (Revelation 7:9). In the preceding verses John had counted 144,000 so this multitude had to be much larger than that. John asked the angel who these people were. John answered they were the ones who came out of the great tribulation. The Greek word translated “out of” is a very specific preposition. It means they were in it and came through it. These are believers in the Messiah. There will be more people come to God in the last days than ever in history.
What will start this mass evangelism? God’s people coming together and being filled with the Shekinah. Our selfishness, our pride, our differences, and our greed are preventing the church from being what God has called her to be.
© Dr. Steven L Smith 2016
Although they had not seen it themselves, believers during the time Christ was on this earth understood the power of the presence of the Shekinah Glory of God. What is the message God expected His people to understand? When God tore the veil in the Temple the Holy of Holies was opened, but the Shekinah was not there. Where was the Shekinah?
John 14:16 records that Jesus told His disciples that He would not leave them alone but would send the Holy Spirit to dwell in them. After Jesus rose from the grave, He told them to wait in Jerusalem for that promise to be fulfilled (Acts 1:4). Jesus said that they would receive power and after that the Holy Ghost would come upon them. This power and the Holy Ghost would make them a witness in Jerusalem, in Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth. This is exactly what happened. On the day of Pentecost about 3,000 were saved, baptized, and joined the church. The Early Church spread like wild fire throughout the land of Israel and even into Africa, Turkey, Rome, Asia Minor. The Church was alive and on fire! No one could stop her! Not even all the powers of Rome.
Is God finished with the Church? Will the Church ever see this demonstration of power again? The key to understanding the answer to this question is to understand what God’s plan is. Ezekiel 11 is very clear about God’s plan for His people. The prophet says,
“Thus saith the Lord God; I will even gather you from the people, and assemble you out of the countries where ye have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel. And they shall come hither, and they shall take away all the detestable things thereof and all the abominations thereof from thence. And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and I will give them an heart of flesh that they may walk in my statutes.”
This new covenant God promised to His people was not to replace the old covenant but to change it to bring His people one step closer to the Messianic kingdom. He did not eradicate His plan for His people. He simply modified it.
What does it mean He would take away their stony hearts and give them hearts of flesh? The answer is in the last phrase of the quote above. The purpose is so that they might walk in His statutes. Which statutes? The Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments were written in stone and housed in the Ark of the Covenant under the Shekinah in the Holy of Holies. In the millennial kingdom the Ten Commandments will be written on His people’s hearts and the Shekinah will shine from the believers. They will become the Holy of Holies.
I am sure some of you are asking which believers? The pre-church Jewish believers or the Gentile believers in the church? The answer is both. In the Early Church there were not Jews and Gentiles. There were Jews who believed in Jesus as the Messiah and Gentiles who believed in Jesus as the Messiah and together this group was called Christians. If you have not read my paper on the etymology of Ekklesia, please do so. It will explain the constituency of the Early Church.
Hebrews chapter 9 indicates that the first covenant was with physical elements (the Tabernacle). The physical elements were given to teach us about the spiritual elements. When the true elements came there was no longer a need for the physical. When Jesus died on the cross as the final messianic sacrifice for our sins, there was no longer a need for the physical sacrifices. The Shekinah in the Holy of Holies is no longer there because now it can live in our hearts (I Corinthians 6:19). The Ten Commandments are no longer there because God intends for them to live in our hearts.
Am I suggesting that we get the Shekinah by keeping the Ten Commandments? Not at all. Isaiah 64:6 says all of our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. Then why try to keep the Ten Commandments? Because they show us the heart, character, morals, and ethics of God.
So is it possible to see the Shekinah on the church once again? Will we ever experience the church on fire as it was in the first century?
The result of the body of believers being filled with the Shekinah is a mass witness and a worldwide evangelistic effort (Acts 1:8). In the vision John saw in the book of Revelation he saw a multitude so great that no man could number it (Revelation 7:9). In the preceding verses John had counted 144,000 so this multitude had to be much larger than that. John asked the angel who these people were. John answered they were the ones who came out of the great tribulation. The Greek word translated “out of” is a very specific preposition. It means they were in it and came through it. These are believers in the Messiah. There will be more people come to God in the last days than ever in history.
What will start this mass evangelism? God’s people coming together and being filled with the Shekinah. Our selfishness, our pride, our differences, and our greed are preventing the church from being what God has called her to be.
© Dr. Steven L Smith 2016