The city shall be eighteen thousand cubits all around; and the name of the city from that day shall be, ‘The LORD is there. (Ezekiel 48:35)

The one who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name. (Revelation 3:12)

And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among the people, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:3-4)

I heard that there are people who try to build a temple for God on the earth. The Bible simply tells us that we cannot and do not build a temple for God on the earth. Revelation 3:12 says that the new Jerusalem comes down out of heaven from God. I also heard of stories that some people try and have tried to find the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark is in heaven so no one can find it on the earth.

And the temple of God which is in heaven was opened; and the ark of His covenant appeared in His temple, and there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder, and an earthquake, and a great hailstorm. (Revelation 11:19)

All people were born totally depraved. And they worship idols until the Holy Spirit comes to them. They say they believe in God but do not understand what the Bible teaches. God does not live in a building that men made. In 1 Samuel 4, the Israelites thought they had the control of divine power because of the Ark. God taught them a lesson when the Ark was taken by the Philistines. Even now, there are Christians who think God is something they can possess. They worship pictures, statues, objects they call relics, buildings, etc. What they really want is material prosperity, power, and a sense of security on the earth. The Bible teaches that the earth is the very opposite of their definition of a paradise. The earth is only a training ground. The real kingdom is coming.

The Ark and the Tabernacle/Temple in the OT symbolizes the real kingdom, where God dwells with His chosen people forever. The saints will see God face to face. And God will wipe away every tear from our eyes.

Earlier I mentioned that the temple shows the Law of God. In other words, the temple is the words or the Word of God, Christ. The Father and the Son are one (John 10:30). And the chosen people who are united with God through Christ and the Holy Spirit are the bride of Christ, the kingdom of God. God as the temple dwells in the midst of His people (kingdom).

Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “It took forty-six years to build this temple, and yet You will raise it up in three days?” But He was speaking about the temple of His body. (John 2:19-21)

And Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all those who were selling and buying on the temple grounds, and He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves. And He said to them, “It is written: ‘MY HOUSE WILL BE CALLED A HOUSE OF PRAYER’; but you are making it a DEN OF ROBBERS.” (Matthew 21:12-13)

Ezekiel speaks of the river flowing from the temple in Ezekiel 47. John also mentions of this river in Revelation 22. Water is Christ, the Word of God (John 1:1). And the river nourishes the tree of life (Revelation 22:2) that bears twelve kinds of fruit and the leaves that heal the nations. The temple does not need regular maintenance or repairing like a building on the earth. God is the same yesterday, now, and future. His words never fail. He is faithful and true.

The right to become the children of God is freely given to those whom God has chosen before the time began. Everyone goes as destined by God.

Let the one who does wrong still do wrong, and the one who is filthy still be filthy; and let the one who is righteous still practice righteousness, and the one who is holy still keep himself holy.” “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to reward each one as his work deserves. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they will have the right to the tree of life, and may enter the city by the gates. Outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral persons, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying. (Revelation 22:11-15)