Have you ever seen God’s temple in Jerusalem? No? Oh yeah, it’s not there!

In the Old Testament, King David desired to honor God by building Him a great temple. Instead, God assigned David’s son, Solomon, the job of building God’s house.

Hear what happened when King Solomon completed the magnificent structure in 959 BC. “Then the temple of the LORD was filled with a cloud … for the glory of the LORD filled the temple of God” (2 Chronicles 5:13b-14).

Unfortunately, after Solomon’s reign, the kingdom divided and idolatry became rampant. Jerusalem, along with her temple, was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BC and God’s people were taken into exile.

In 538 BC, the exiles, under Persian rule by then, were allowed to return to Jerusalem and encouraged to rebuild the temple. After many delays, the temple was finished and dedicated in 516 BC.

This was the same temple where more than 500 years later Mary and Joseph dedicated Jesus and where 12-year-old Jesus was found “sitting among the teachers.” It was also where Jesus performed miraculous healings and angered religious leaders.

Jesus even prophesied the temple’s destruction, “[N]ot one stone here will be left on another” (Matthew 24:2). Jerusalem’s second temple was destroyed in 70 AD by the Romans. Now what?

With the onset of Christianity, a temple building was no longer necessary. Jesus became the final sacrifice on the cross, taking on Himself the sins of the world. There was longer a need for priests. Jesus made a way for believers to speak directly to the Father. Jesus also sent the Holy Spirit to live inside the hearts of His followers.

Paul taught believers, “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16). Learning from the history of previous temples, may we be aware of the very presence of God in our lives. May we strive to be pure and holy and worship Him only. May we remember and be grateful for the sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf and live to honor God.