“And some of the Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, ‘Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.’ But He answered and said to them, ‘I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out’” (Luke. 19:39-40)
“You shall keep My Sabbaths and reverence My sanctuary: I am the LORD” (Lev. 19:30; Lev. 26:2)
During the Earthly Life of Christ
Christ gathers the disciples for the Eucharist in a large prepared room:
“Then he will show you a large upper room, furnished and prepared; there make ready for us” (Mark. 14:15)
Christians, after the creation of the Church, gather in the temple:
“So continuing daily with one accord in the temple” (Act. 2:46)
“and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God” (Luke. 24:53)
After the Ascension of Christ into Heaven
Christians constantly visited the temple:
“and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God. Amen” (Luke. 24:53)
“So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart” (Act. 2:46)
“Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour” (Act. 3:1)
“Now it happened, when I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, that I was in a trance” (Act. 22:17)
“because you may ascertain that it is no more than twelve days since I went up to Jerusalem to worship. And they neither found me in the temple disputing with anyone nor inciting the crowd, either in the synagogues or in the city” (Act. 24:11-12)
Christians also gathered in their own special premises:
“So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch” (Act. 11:26)
“For first of all, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it. <...> Therefore when you come together in one place, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper. For in eating, each one takes his own supper ahead of others; and one is hungry and another is drunk. What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who have nothing?” (1 Cor. 11:18-22)
“Let your women keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak; but they are to be submissive, as the law also says. And if they want to learn something, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is shameful for women to speak in church” (1 Cor. 14:34–35)
The Prophetic Depiction of the Heavenly Temple
The depiction of the heavenly temple in Revelation
The command to measure the heavenly temple
“Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood, saying, ‘Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there’” (Rev. 11:1)
The throne
“the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne” (Rev. 4:10)
“And the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped God” (Rev. 11:16)
The altar
“Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne” (Rev. 8:3)
“Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth. And there were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake” (Rev. 8:5)
“Then the sixth angel sounded: And I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God” (Rev. 9:13)
The seven-branched lampstand
“And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices. Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God” (Rev. 4:5)
Censing
“Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. <...> Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth. And there were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake” (Rev. 8:3,5)
God Commanded the Temple to Be Revered
The temple is an image of the heavenly reality. God commanded this image to be revered:
“You shall keep My Sabbaths and reverence My sanctuary: I am the LORD” (Lev. 19:30)
“You shall keep My Sabbaths and reverence My sanctuary: I am the LORD” (Lev. 26:2)
The New Testament temple is arranged after the image from the Revelation of John the Theologian.
Criticism
Did the Apostles Visit the Temple Because They Did Not Understand?
It happened that the Apostles did not understand everything well in questions of faith. For example, they thought that Christ was going to become king in Jerusalem (Mark 10:37-39), and they did not understand Christ’s words about His suffering and resurrection, being afraid to ask (Mark 9:31-32; Luke 9:45).
However, all this was only until the gifts of the Holy Spirit were sent to them on the day of Christ’s resurrection (John 20:21-23), and also on the fiftieth day after the resurrection (Acts 2:1-4). Moreover, after the resurrection Christ opened their understanding to comprehend the Scriptures (Luke 24:45). Even before the resurrection Christ promised to give the apostles wisdom that could not be contradicted (Luke 21:15), which the apostle later reports, that God made grace abound toward them in all wisdom and prudence (Eph. 1:8). The Apostle Paul reports that he may be untrained in speech (expressing himself with difficulty), but not in knowledge (2 Cor. 11:6).
When Protestants wish to show their “higher” enlightenment in questions of faith than that of the apostles, they refer to various cases before the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles. However, this is incorrect, since the Church is created and arranged later, when the apostles no longer have cases of misunderstanding the faith.
So, after the sending of the Holy Spirit, the apostles understood questions of faith and had no lack of knowledge. Even if there had been some misunderstanding, the Lord had not disappeared; He instructed the apostles. Thus, for example, through a vision He showed the Apostle Peter that the centurion Cornelius, that is, a non-Jew, should be baptized, although this caused perplexity for some in the Church at that time.
Must God Be Worshiped Not in a Temple, but in Spirit and Truth?
If we follow Scripture, this conversation is not about temples, but about the place of worship.
“The woman said to Him, ‘Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship’” (John 4:19-20)
The Samaritan woman by her question puts Christ within limits: where to worship?
on Mount Gerizim;
in the Jerusalem temple.
But Christ says that the time is coming (and has now come) when people will worship neither on the mountain nor in Jerusalem, but in spirit and truth:
“Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him’” (John 4:21-23)
As one can see, there is no talk of temples here. And if someone considers that it is about temples, then let him also forbid praying on mountains, because Christ speaks of the mountain as well. And then those who forbid temples will forbid mountains too: do you live on a mountain? — do not pray. But this is not reasonable, of course.
One should also note that Christ says that the time for this worship has already come. And nevertheless, Christ comes to the Jerusalem temple, calling it the house of the Father and a house of prayer, showing care that nothing should hinder prayer there.
That is, although the time of worship in spirit and truth has already come, this did not abolish the temple. This house was left desolate by Christ only when, after the majority of Israel rejected their Savior, Christ takes the vineyard from the former hired workers (the Old Testament priesthood) and gives the vineyard to others — the apostles, saying to those whom He rejected that their house is left to them desolate, that is, the grace of God leaves it:
“See! Your house is left to you desolate” (Matt. 23:38)
The symbol of this became the split rocks and the torn veil after the death of Christ on the cross:
“Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split” (Matt. 27:51)
From then on Christians prayed in any place in the universe, and everywhere offered the new sacrifice in the Eucharist: in buildings, and not in buildings.
Why Are Temples Needed? After All, the Veil Was Torn (Matt. 27:51), So God Left the Temple?
For salvation, temples (as buildings of stone) are not needed. Many saints of the Orthodox Church were saved in deserts. However, for salvation it is necessary to participate in the sacraments, which are performed at divine services, for which buildings are needed for natural reasons. However, when necessary, the Orthodox Church manages without buildings.
Since there is a building, the Church considers it a place dedicated to God, that is, a temple. In this place people call upon the name of God, here divine grace is manifested in the sacraments, here Christ Himself is present in the sacrament of the Eucharist. Therefore the Orthodox especially revere such places as places of God’s manifestation, as God Himself requires reverence for the places where He appears (Ex. 3:5), including requiring the temple to be revered (Lev. 19:30; Lev. 26:2).
The torn veil of the Old Testament temple points to the abolition of the Old Testament church: it points to the fact that the temple in Jerusalem was abandoned by God as the meeting place of the Old Testament church (Israel) with God. The vineyard was taken from the Old Testament church (Matt. 21:43) and given to the New Testament Church created by Christ, who changed the Covenant and the priesthood (Heb. 7:12).
The New Testament Church does not use the abandoned temple of the Old Testament church, does not celebrate divine services there and does not expect God to appear to her there.
There Was One Temple and It Was Destroyed, So Temples May Not Be Built?
The temple was destroyed not for the first time. This was already the second temple. And before that there was a portable temple — the Tabernacle of Meeting, which the Israelites moved through the Sinai wilderness. When the temple was destroyed the first time by Nebuchadnezzar, did this mean that God rejected the possibility of worship in temples? If not, then why should it be so later, when the Romans did it again?
The Jews who rejected Christ thought that one could pray and worship God only in the Jerusalem temple. They summoned the first martyr Archdeacon Stephen to judgment before the Sanhedrin, accusing him of teaching that this place would be destroyed and the customs changed (Acts 6:13-14). The archdeacon’s speech of defense consisted in showing, by recounting in detail the history of the forefathers, that they prayed and offered sacrifices to God everywhere: wherever they were, God was with them (Acts 7:2-53).
In conclusion he points out that this temple too was built by Solomon at the wish and prayer of the forefather David, although God made it clear that He had no need for a house to be built for Him:
“who [David] found favor before God and asked to find a dwelling for the God of Jacob. But Solomon built Him a house. However, the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands, as the prophet says: ‘Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool. What house will you build for Me? says the LORD, or what is the place of My rest?’” (Acts 7:46-49)
So even before the making of the Old Covenant the righteous prayed and offered sacrifices everywhere. Later, God established for Israel a centralized form of worship with one temple and one high priest, since geographically they were always close. Such a form of worship was meant to secure the unity desired by God.
But when the Lord, according to the prophecy (Isa. 66:18-21), calls all nations into the Church, He also creates the conditions for performing divine services among all nations everywhere. He Himself becomes the High Priest (present everywhere as God), sends grace and gives authority not to some one person only, but to many apostles (Matt. 18:18), not tying the Eucharistic sacrifice to any locality (Luke 22:19), sending the apostles throughout the world (Mark 16:15).
It is precisely around the Eucharist that the divine service of Christians is built. A temple is not needed for this. Those who say of the Orthodox that we necessarily need a temple to celebrate divine services simply invent about us what we do not teach. Divine services, when necessary, are celebrated in any place: in a hospital, in the army, in prison, while traveling on a ship, a plane, a train, in a forest.
We do not teach that temples (as buildings of stone) are needed for salvation. Many saints of the Orthodox Church were saved in deserts. However, for salvation it is necessary to participate in the sacraments, which are performed at divine services, for which buildings are needed for natural reasons. When necessary, the Orthodox Church manages without buildings.
Since there is a building, the Church considers it a place dedicated to God, that is, a temple. In this place people call upon the name of God, here divine grace is manifested in the sacraments, here Christ Himself is present in the sacrament of the Eucharist. Therefore the Orthodox especially revere such places as places of God’s manifestation, as God Himself requires reverence for the places where He appears:
“Then He said, ‘Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground’” (Ex. 3:5)
And He also requires His temple to be revered (Lev. 19:30; Lev. 26:2).
The New Testament Church of Christ does not teach that one may worship only in Jerusalem, only on the Samaritan mountain, or even only in a temple. One may worship God and pray to Him everywhere.
The Orthodox do not build temples in order to enter the Old Covenant or to fulfill the Law of Moses. The Old Covenant is finished, and the Law of Moses has been abolished.
We build premises for common assemblies, in which we pray and offer the sacrifice. No one ever forbade building such premises.
The Old Testament temple is important as an idea. God commanded it to be built by analogy with the heavenly reality. That is, the temple by design was to be an icon of heaven.
In detail, with all the necessary references to Scripture: https://bibleox.com/ru/ru/w/храм-образ-небесной-реальности
In the times of the Old Testament God was invisible, and in heaven there were only angels.
In the New Testament Christ God visibly takes His throne in heaven, and besides angels people also appear there. Therefore, when Christians come to have premises for assemblies, they arrange them according to the same design of God as before — so that the temple depicts heaven.
Since heaven has changed, the temple has also changed. The temple now depicts God incarnate, and besides angels other inhabitants of heaven are also depicted — righteous people.
God never created empty and meaningless premises, as Protestants often demand. He arranged the world itself so that, looking at it, we should learn something about its Creator. That is, the world preaches to us. And the temple is arranged so as to preach about Christ and His Heavenly Kingdom, and not about empty white walls.
Temples in Honor of Icons
Orthodox temples are built only in the name of God. Inside, divine services are performed only to God. 95% of the prayers are offered to God, the rest to His saints: the angels and the righteous in heaven.
Every temple is associated with sacred commemorations. For example, there are temples in honor of the Transfiguration of Christ, or the Ascension of Christ. This does not mean that people pray there to the events of the Ascension and the Transfiguration. There are also temples in which it is commemorated how this or that icon was given (miraculously), or how the deliverance of a city from enemies was connected with an icon. These are sacred commemorations. When a temple is named in honor of a sacred commemoration, this does not mean that people pray there to the sacred commemoration. The divine services in all temples are the same.