The Local Churches Typified in the Book of Psalms

The City of God as a Type of the Local Church

In the Old Testament, there is the temple of God and the city of God. The temple of God, upon which the glory of God abides, represents God’s expression. The city of God, Jerusalem, with its fortified gates and walls, represents a sphere in which God’s interests are protected and God’s dominion is exercised. The New Testament church fulfills the twofold function of the city of God and the temple of God. God’s glory resides in the church today (Eph. 3:21) as His dwelling place, and the church today functions to carry out God’s interests and resist Satan’s will (Matthew 16:18-19). In this passage, Witness Lee presents the scriptural basis for referring to the city of God as a type of the church, particularly in the aspect of its building up.

We now see that the temple, the house or the city were indeed not the church, but types of the church. Similarly, we do not say that the Passover lamb and the manna were Christ, but that they are types of Christ.

How may we prove that the building up of the temple and the city in the Old Testament are types of the building up of the church? It is important that we have a strong basis and proof for this in order to substantiate our position that the building up of the temple and city are types of the building up of God’s house today. We have such proof in Psalm 68:18, “Thou hast ascended on high. Thou hast led captive a train of vanquished foes. Thou hast received gifts in man, and even for the rebellious, that the Lord God might dwell with them.” The key is in the last part of this verse: “That the Lord God might dwell with them.” The purpose of Christ’s ascending on high and receiving gifts was that the dwelling place of God might be built up. Surely, according to Psalm 68:18, this refers to the building up of the temple. We all know this, and we all agree with this. But Paul the Apostle quoted this very verse in reference to the church: “Wherefore he saith, when he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto man…and he gave some apostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists, and some shepherds and teachers, for the perfecting of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ” (Eph. 4:8, 11-12). When we put these two passages in Psalm 68 and Ephesians 4 together, we have strong proof that the building up of the temple in ancient times was a type of the building up of the church today. This is the ground we have in saying that the temple and the city are types of the church. We do have the basis for saying that all the verses in the Psalms concerning the temple, the house and the city are verses which typify the building up of the church.

(Witness Lee, Christ and the Church, 220-221)

Below, Witness Lee refers to Psalm 68:28-29 to explain that a local church as “a house of God” can be strengthened by the Lord to become “a city of God.”

Next we need to pray that God will strengthen that which He has wrought for us out of the church. “Thy God hath commanded thy strength: strengthen, O God, that which thou hast wrought for us out of thy temple” (vv. 28-29). God has wrought everything and all has been accomplished; what we need today is the strengthening. God has put Satan to death already. We do not need God to repeat this act, but we do need Him to strengthen us. God has put our self, our old man, on the cross already—God has wrought this, and He need not re-enact it. However, we do need God to strengthen this experience within us. The Bible tells us that we have ascended with Christ to the heavens—God has wrought this already. Today what we need is the strengthening of this experience within us. This strengthening is in the temple. It is in the local church that God does everything to strengthen what He has wrought for us. We must pray, “O God, strengthen what You have wrought for us out of Your temple!” We do not need a repetition, but we do need a strengthening. We need God to make all that He has wrought for us so real to us, out of His church, out of His dwelling place.

I cannot tell you how much strengthening of God I have enjoyed since being in the local church. In the house of God there is the strengthening of God Himself. We must stand upon this verse. God has wrought everything for us, and now He would strengthen all that He has wrought for us out of His house.

Then in verse 29 we read, “Unto Jerusalem (or, thy temple at Jerusalem) shall kings bring presents unto thee.” Now we encounter not only the temple, but also Jerusalem; not only the house, but also the city. We must understand this in a poetic way. When we experience the strengthening of God in the local church, the church is transformed from a house to a city. The temple becomes Jerusalem. The house is surrounded, protected, and safeguarded by the walls of the city. Then, because we are so victorious, so overcoming, so transcendent, we have the sense that all the kings of the earth shall bring presents to the Lord. Revelation 21:24 corroborates this word: “The kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it (the city).” I wish to add a further word here in the way of interpretation: If you are so victorious in the local churches, many presents will be brought in through you. What presents? Many souls, many persons, who will be released and brought by you into the local churches as presents to the Lord.

(Witness Lee, Christ and the Church, 115-116)

God desires that His local churches today be the New Testament temple of God and the city of God. For this, the believers in the local churches need to seek the Lord and pray that God would strengthen that which He has already wrought for them out of His temple. The Lord applies His accomplishments to us as we dwell with him in the local church. In this way, the local churches not only function as the temple for God’s dwelling place and expression, but the local churches also become a city to safeguard and protect God’s interests.

Main

God’s House

Zion

City of God

Bride

Practical Salvation

Built Up

Victory

Bibliography

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