Jesus said, “I shall [destroy this] house, and no one will be able to build it [...]”
The earthly temple in Jerusalem has been destroyed and is not to be rebuilt. Here, the Master is speaking a prophecy of the shattering of the old covenant. Yet in so doing, he is speaking of holy mysteries of the new covenant and esoteric wisdom concerning the soul of the Messiah. In the coming of the Messiah into the world, no longer is worship of God based in an earthly temple nor upon the holy mountain; it is a worship in Spirit and Truth everywhere, a worship founded within the heart, soul, mind, and life of the elect. The temple to be built is a Body of Light—hence the solar body or body of the resurrection.
For this reason, the Lord also said, “I will destroy this temple and rebuild it in three days.” The temple that will be destroyed, not to be rebuilt again, is the external earthly temple, but the temple the Lord speaks of rebuilding is the body transformed by the supernal consciousness-force. Not only are we to generate and build a Body of Light, ultimately even the matter composing the physical body shall be transfigured to shine with the Supernal Light.
The earthly temple, especially the first tabernacle in the wilderness, was constructed based upon the pattern and image of the heavenly sanctuary. All that the Lord instructed it to contain, and the whole structure itself, directly reflected the holy mysteries of the celestial temple above. Yet this temple below was but a shadow and dim reflection of that holy sanctuary above, a sign of things hidden and stored up for the righteous and elect souls. It was not the holy sanctuary itself, but a physical interpretation and image of the temple of light in heaven. Now such an earthly temple was necessary until the advent of the Messiah, preparing and opening the way for the coming into being of the Anointed One of God upon the earth. Once the Anointed One, the holy priest-king of the celestial temple, brought forth the Supernal Light upon the earth, no longer was the earthly temple needed as before. Consequently, it was destined to be destroyed and never to be rebuilt again. As an affirmation of this prophecy, the Lord inspired the faithful of the Prophet Mohammed to erect a holy place of worship upon the site of the old temple as a guardianship against attempts by the ignorant to return to old ways.
We behold the new holy sanctuary in the resurrected body of our Lord and Savior—a body transformed and radically different in nature from the gross material bodies of our current condition. It is a Body of Light that can appear in any form according to the silent will of the soul and Christ-Spirit. Likewise, it can appear and disappear at will, within any plane of existence, and it can travel incredible distances as swiftly as thinking of them, and it can pass through solid objects. By nature, this body is indestructible and incorruptible, bornless and therefore deathless. It is a self-radiant and subtle body that shines like the sun—hence the term solar body or Body of Light.
In Christ, our body and life, our mind, heart, and soul, is the living temple of the Lord, the holy house in which the Spirit of Christ dwells. To the degree that we bring our Body of Light into substantial being within our physical form, we are the holy sanctuary of the Lord, and wherever we go, that place is holy unto the Lord our God. This is a present truth. Yet at the same time, our faith and hope instruct us of a spiritual evolution and the future in Christ—that this Body of Light shall become a far brighter and greater body than it is at present, one day to become so strongly manifest as to actually transform the matter of the physical body, translating the material body into the image of the glory of the Lord. At present, we know some things of what we are to become; yet much remains a mystery to us and thus we speak of our hope in Christ, our hope for the resurrection and the great transformation. In New Jerusalem, there will be no external temple. The elect shall be the holy sanctuary of God, formed in the image of the Lord—the risen Messiah. Hence, we will be like unto the angels of the Lord, although set above even the highest of the holy angels.
Now when we speak of this Body of Light as the holy temple of the Lord, you must understand that this is the temple of which the Lord speaks in his prophets, saying of it that it is a temple not made with human hands but by the Word and Wisdom of the Lord. It is a holy sanctuary fashioned by the Holy Spirit. Indeed! It is Divine Grace that generates and builds the Body of Light, not we ourselves. Our part is merely the good works that establish the conditions in which Divine Grace can accomplish the Lord’s Will. On our part, we need only abide in faith, hope, and love, actively aspiring and surrendering to the Spirit of the Lord and letting the Holy Spirit guide and direct us in the Way, Truth, and Light. How delightful our spiritual hope in the Messiah! How awesome and wonderful are the ways of the Holy Spirit! How amazing and marvelous the good news the messenger of God has come proclaiming! We are truly blessed in the Spirit of the Lord! Praise the Lord! So great is our joy! Amen.