The House of GOD is the Awesome Church of GOD! 

 

The "House of GOD" is mentioned over 75 times in Holy Scripture (RSV), and over 220 times as the "House of the Lord", but in all cases it is used in the singular, not in the plural.
How many "houses" of GOD are there?
There is only one, as Holy Scripture so very clearly tells us in a plenitude of verses.
In the Old Testament there was only one House of GOD. What began as a tent (tabernacle), culminated in a magnificent temple in Jerusalem.
There was only one tent, followed in time by only one temple.

2Chronicles 30:1, "Hezeki'ah sent to all Israel and Judah, and wrote letters also to E'phraim and Manas'seh, that they should come to the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, to keep the passover to the LORD the God of Israel."

Genesis 28:16-17, "Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, "Surely the Lord is in this place; and I did not know it."
And he was afraid, and said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of GOD, and this is the gate of heaven."
Did you notice that the "house of GOD" is not only "awesome", but it is also the "gate of heaven"?
Note also, that the word "awesome" is only for the singular "house of GOD", and the singular "gate of heaven."
 
2Chronicles 3:1,  "And Solomon began to build the house of the LORD in Jerusalem, in mount Moria, which had been shewn to David his father, in the place which David had prepared in the thrashingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite."

1Kings 7:51, "Thus all the work that King Solomon did on the house of the LORD was finished.
And Solomon brought in the things which David his father had dedicated, the silver, the gold, and the vessels, and stored them in the treasuries of the house of the LORD."

1Kings 8:10-13, "And when the priests came out of the holy place, a cloud filled the house of the LORD, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD. Then Solomon said, "The LORD has set the sun in the heavens, but has said that he would dwell in thick darkness. I have built thee an exalted house, a place for thee to dwell in for ever.""
So GOD will dwell in His House forever.

Psalms 127:1, "Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain."
If it was not founded by GOD, it simply is not the House of GOD."

Micah 4:1-2, "It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised up above the hills; and peoples shall flow to it, and many nations shall come, and say: "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and we may walk in his paths." For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem."
And the word of the Lord did go forth from Jerusalem and it did indeed encompass the whole world.
Acts 1:8, "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses for me  in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and even to the very ends of the earth."

"The New Testament lies hidden in the Old, and the Old Testament is revealed in the New." Saint Augustine
Typology is the key which unlocks this relationship between the Old and the New Testaments.
See how the Old Testament types above, point to the New Testament realities below.
Likewise, in the New Testament, there is only one House of GOD.

1Timothy 3:15, "But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the House of GOD, which is the Church (singular) of the living GOD, the pillar and ground of the truth."
How many "pillars" and "grounds of the truth" can there possibly be? 
Truth is one and it is a person, John 17:17-23, James 2:10.

Hebrews 10:21, "And a high priest over the house of GOD:"

1Peter 4:17, " For the time is, that judgment should begin at the house of GOD. And if at first at us, what shall be the end of them that believe not the gospel of God?"

Elucidation:
Since Saint Paul in 1Timothy 3:15 clearly equated the House of GOD to the Church of GOD, we can with certainty, make some very substantial and irrefutable conclusions from verses presented in this writing, and by using Holy Scripture ALONE.
I believe the common term for this Protestant invention is Sola Scriptura!
By using your very own GOD given common sense and reasoning power,
the end result should be obvious for "He who has wisdom" (Revelation 17:9).
Therefore.....

  1. The House of GOD is Built by GOD. Psalms 127:1, Matthew 16:18, Acts 20:28
  2. The House of GOD is Only One House. John 17:21
  3. The House of GOD is One Fold With One Shepherd. John 10:16
  4. The House of GOD is Not Built by Men. Psalms 127:1
  5. The House of GOD is Awesome. Genesis 28:17
  6. The House of GOD is the Gate of Heaven. Genesis 28:17
  7. The House of GOD is the Narrow Gate. Matthew 7:13-14
  8. The House of GOD is the Kingdom of Heaven. Matthew 13:31
  9. The House of GOD is the Kingdom of GOD. Luke 4:43  
10. The House of GOD is the Church of the Living GOD. Acts 20:28, 1Timothy 3:15
11. The House of GOD is the Holy Mountain. Zechariah 8:3 
12. The House of GOD is the City Set on a Mountain. Matthew 5:14
13. The House of GOD is the City of the Living GOD. Hebrews 12:22
14. The House of GOD is the City of My GOD. Revelation 3:12
15. The House of GOD is the New Jerusalem. Isaiah 65:18, Revelation 3:12, 21:2 
16. The House of GOD is the Heavenly Jerusalem. Hebrews 12:22
17. The House of GOD is the Jerusalem From Above. Galatians 4:26
18. The House of GOD is the Bride of Christ. John 3:29, Revelation 21:2
19. The House of GOD is the Spouse of the Lamb. Revelation 19:7, 21:9 
20. The House of GOD is the Daughter of the King. Psalms 45:13 
21. The House of GOD is the Mother of us all. Galatians 4:26 
22. The House of GOD is the Pillar and Foundation of the Truth. 1Timothy 3:15
23. The House of GOD is the City of Truth. Zechariah 8:3 
24. The House of GOD is the Dispenser of the Wisdom of GOD. Ephesians 3:7-11
25. The House of GOD of the New Covenant, was Founded by Jesus Christ. Matthew 16:18
26. The House of GOD is Built on Rock. Matthew 7:24, 16:18
27. The House of GOD is Not Built on Sand. Matthew 7:26-27
28. The House of GOD is the House of Christ. Hebrews 3:6
29. The House of GOD is the Household of Faith. Galatians 6:10
30. The House of GOD is the Fold of Christ. John 10:16 
31. The House of GOD is Protected by Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5:23
32. The House of GOD is The Body of Christ. Ephesians 1:22-23, 5:23, Colossians 1:18, 1:24
33. The House of GOD has Jesus Christ as its Head. Ephesians 1:22-23, Colossians 1:18
34. The House of GOD is Subject to Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5:24
35. The House of GOD is The Barque of Peter From Which Jesus Christ Taught. Luke 5:3
36. The House of GOD is Without Spot or Wrinkle. Ephesians 5:27
37. The House of GOD is The Holy City. Revelation 21:2 
38. The House of GOD is Loved by Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5:25, 5:29
39. The House of GOD is Filled with The Glory of the Lord. 1Kings 8:11
40. The House of GOD is Guided by The Holy Spirit. John 14:16-17, John 16:12-13, Acts 15:28
41. The House of GOD is the Only Church Which Was Given Authority by GOD. Luke 10:16, John 20:21-23
42. The House of GOD is the Final Authority. Matthew 18:17
43. The House of GOD is Encompassing the Entire Earth. Acts 1:8, 9:31, 1Corinthians 4:17
44. The House of GOD is the Whole Church (singular). Romans 16:23, 1Corinthians 14:23
45. The House of GOD is Offering Sacrifice All Day, Every Day, and in Every Place. Malachi 1:11
46. The House of GOD is the Church of the Saints. Psalms 149:1 
47. The House of GOD Holds Periodic Church Councils. Proverbs 11:14,15:22, Acts 15:1-33 
48. The House of GOD will Last Throughout All Time. Isaiah 59:21, Matthew 28:20, Ephesians 3:21 
49. The House of GOD is the Dwelling Place For GOD. Ephesians 2:22 
50. The House of GOD is Where GOD Will Dwell Forever. 1Kings 8:13
Since there is only One GOD, and His House (Church) is always referred to in the singular*, why then do some try to justify the false belief that GOD has more than one Church? Who can name the one Church which fits all of the Sola Scriptura requirements above?

* It is to be noted that there are about 35 verses in the New Testament in which the word "churches" is used such as Acts 16:5, but in every case they refer to the multiple churches of which the Apostles, all teaching the same truth, founded in various cities. They are all likened to parishes of today, located in many cities but still the same one Church. In the Old Covenant there was only one Jewish temple and it was located in Jerusalem. Jews from miles around had to make long trips in order to visit it. This trend became an impossibility when in the New Covenant, the reach of the House of GOD extended to all the world, Acts 1:8.
Here is an important message from Bishop Fulton J. Sheen (1895-1979), which helps "He who has wisdom" (Revelation 17:9),
and GOD given common sense, and the power to reason from Sola Scriptura alone, which is the one and only House of GOD...   

"If I were not a Catholic, and were looking for the true Church in the world today, I would look for the one Church which did not get along well with the world; in other words, I would look for the Church which the world hates. My reason for doing this would be, that if Christ is in any one of the churches in the world today, He must still be hated as He was when He was on earth in the flesh. If you would find Christ today, then find the Church that does not get along with the world. Look for the Church which is hated by the world, as Christ was hated by the world. Look for the Church which is accused of being behind the times, as Our Lord was accused of being ignorant and of never having learned. Look for the Church which men sneer at as socially inferior, as they sneered at Our Lord because He came from Nazareth. Look for the Church which is accused of having a devil, as Our Lord was accused of being possessed by Beelzebub, the Prince of Devils. Look for the Church which, in seasons of bigotry, men say must be destroyed in the name of GOD as men crucified Christ and thought they had done a service to GOD. Look for the Church which the world rejects because it claims it is infallible, as Pilate rejected Christ because He called Himself The Truth. Look for the Church which is rejected by the world as Our Lord was rejected by men. Look for the Church which amid the confusion of conflicting opinions, its members love as they love Christ, and respect its Voice as the very voice of its Founder, and the suspicion will grow, that if the Church is unpopular with the spirit of the world, then it is unworldly, and if it is unworldly, it is other-worldly. Since it is other-worldly it is infinitely loved and infinitely hated as was Christ Himself. But only that which is Divine can be infinitely hated and infinitely loved. Therefore the Church is Divine."

Monsignor (at the time of writing) Fulton J. Sheen D.D..
Preface to Radio Replies Volume #1, Fr. Leslie Rumble and Fr. Charles Carty, a Tan Book.
©
Written by Bob Stanley, January 22, 2003
Updated February 1, 2003

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