Kingdom of Christ - The “City” Whose Builder and Maker is God

• Habitation of God built on the Rock "Christ" is the "eternal Church" - Sadly, God’s “congregations” who represented God's Kingdom on this earth have always rebelled against His Word in the “wilderness” of this world during the OT and NT periods. The “church” in the wilderness refers to the whole nation of Israel, which God “called out”, or “separated from”, the other nations of the world as a “congregation” or an “assembly” . In Rev 18, God is speaking about the apostate churches and congregations of the world (which He calls Mystery Babylon) that have become a “habitation”of demons. However, God has been saving a people for Himself out of this whole miserable mass of humanity and has laid the strong foundation of His Spiritual House of believers upon that Spiritual Rock , the Lord Jesus Christ. The “house” that God is “building” is the eternal “church”. It is the “household of God”, which is also called “an holy temple”. Thus, the Spiritual Body of Christ is the “habitation” (or “dwelling place”) where Triune God dwells.

Acts 7:37-38 "This is that Moses, which said unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear. 38This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively [or living] oracles [the Word of God] to give unto us:”

1 Cor 10:1-6 “Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; 2And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 3And did all eat the same spiritual meat; 4And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. 5But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. 6Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.”

Rev 18:1-5 “And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. 2And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great [apostate churches and congregations]  is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. 3For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. 4And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. 5For her [as opposed to the Bride of Christ] sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.”

Eph 2:19-22  “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; 20And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; 21In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: 22In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.”

• Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it - In the Bible God often refers to His “temple” in two ways: (1) the invisible, eternal body of true believers since “righteous” Abel, the second son of Adam and Eve, who comprise the heavenly Bride of Christ, built by God and (2) the visible, temporal congregations and denominations that have represented the Kingdom of God on earth. God refers to both types of temples as being “holy”, or “set apart” for God’s service. The temple, which is earthly, is built with two kinds of building blocks mixed together – durable materials (“gold, silver, and precious stones”) that represent saved, true believers and combustible materials (“wood , hay, and stubble”) that typify unsaved, false believers. Of course, the “fire” refers to the eternal wrath of God which will burn up the “wood, hay and stubble” in Hell. The eternal Church that Lord Jesus Christ built with himself as rock referred to in Luke 6 stands the test of the God's wrath.

1 Cor 3:9-17  “For [believers] are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.  10According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder , I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. 11For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; 13Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. 14If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. 15If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. 16Know ye not that ye [believers] are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? 17If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.”

Isa 28:16 "Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.”

Luke 6:47-49 “Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will show you to whom he is like: 48He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. 49But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.”

Psa 127:1 "Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain."

• The Gates of Hell shall not Prevail Against The Church - The eternal church is the body of true believers, who are the elect of God and who have been given eternal life through God’s salvation program. It is the True Church, which is an integral part of the heavenly kingdom of God. God’s building of His eternal church is the focus and controlling factor for all of human history from the beginning to the end.  The foundation “Rock” upon which the church is built can only be Jesus Christ Himself. Indeed, it is abundantly clear that the Apostle Peter is not the foundation “rock” upon which Christ’s “church” is built. He is just one of many “living stones” in God’s spiritual house. The “pillar and ground of the Truth” can only refer to “the Living God” and not to the earthly, institutional “church”.

Mat 16:18  “And I [Jesus Christ] say also unto thee, That thou art Peter , and upon this rock [rock is Christ] I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

1 Pet 2:3-9 "If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. 4To whom coming, as unto a living stone , disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, 5Ye also, as lively [living] stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. 6Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded [or disgraced]. 7Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, 8And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed. 9But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar [purchased] people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:”

1 Tim 3:14-16  “These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly: 15But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. 16And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.”

• Inhabitants of the "City of God" are the believers - Of course, the “city which hath foundations” that Abraham looked for was the spiritual “New Jerusalem”, the eternal body of believers. The eternal body of elect believers are those whom God has “called out” of the world (or Satan’s kingdom) and placed in His eternal kingdom – the Kingdom of Christ.

Col 1:12-13  “Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us [true believers] meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: 13Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:”

Eph 2:19-22 “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; 20And are built upon [epoikodomeo:G2026] the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; 21In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: 22In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.”

Heb 11:8-10 "By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. 9By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles [tents] with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: 10For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.”

Eph 5:25-27 "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish."

Heb 2:11-12 “For both he [talking about Jesus Christ] that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified [or the believers] are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren, 12Saying, I will declare thy name [God] unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.”

Rev 3:12 "Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name."

Rev 21:2 "And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband."

Heb 12:22 "But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,"