According to the folks over at Evil Bible.com, the Bible makes the claim that God dwells in temples in the Old Testament and later states in the New Testament that God does not dwell in temples. This issue is listed as the 2nd item on their contradiction list; let’s take a closer look.
Issue:
Their claim of contradiction is stated as (in Evil Bible’s words):
2 Chron 7:12,16 - God dwells in chosen temples
Acts 7:48 - God dwells not in temples
Solution:
When considering the claim made by Evil Bible.com, there are a couple questions we can ask ourselves to help us test Evil Bible’s claim to a contradiction:
- Is Evil Bible’s paraphrasing of 2 Chronicles 7:12,16 correct?
- Is Evil Bible’s paraphrasing of Acts 7:48 correct?
Evil Bible.com has represented Act 7:48 correctly. In this verse Stephen (one of the first Christian deacons, and the first Christian martyr) is defending his support for Jesus. Near the end of his defense, he makes the statement:
47 But it was Solomon who built a house [the temple] for him [God].
48 “However, the Most High does not live in houses made by human hands. As the prophet says:
49 “‘Heaven is my throne,
and the earth is my footstool.
What kind of house will you build for me?
says the Lord.
Or where will my resting place be?
The message is clear; God does not live temples no matter how amazing they might be. The weakness in the Evil Bible argument comes from their interpretation of 2 Chronicles 7:12 and 16. To understand these verses, it is necessary to read chapters 6 and 7 which are intimately connected. Chapter 6 covers the dedication, by Solomon, of the newly completely temple. In this dedication he prays that God will hear prayers and pleas from his people when they pray towards the temple. Verses 18-20 give a picture of how Solomon wants the temple to operate:
18“But will God really dwell on earth with humans? The heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built! 19 Yet, LORD my God, give attention to your servant’s prayer and his plea for mercy. Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying in your presence. 20 May your eyes be open toward this temple day and night, this place of which you said you would put your Name there. May you hear the prayer your servant prays toward this place. 21Hear the supplications of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray toward this place. Hear from heaven, your dwelling place; and when you hear, forgive.
Throughout the rest of the dedication prayer, Solomon asks over and over again for God to watch over the temple and answer prayers from his dwelling in heaven. The temple is the device Hebrews used to connect with God, it’s a place where God can be on Earth. More importantly, it represents God to his people and gives them an object to focus on when they need to connect with him. Chronicles 7:12 takes place after the dedication ceremony is complete and tells us of a conversation between God and Solomon. In this conversation, God acknowledges that he will answer Solomon’s dedication prayer and use the temple. Chronicles 7:12:
12“I have heard your prayer [the prayer of dedication by Solomon in Chapter 6] and have chosen this place for myself as a temple for sacrifices.
Chronicles 7:16
16 I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.
In no way is God claiming that he intends to dwell in the temple, although he is claiming that the temple will be his and he will use it. Solomon may or may not have believed he was building a place for God to physically live (that’s a separate discussion). God may certainly be present in the temple, but this would not violate Acts 7:48 since he is not living there. As Solomon himself states, how could God live in the temple when the heavens cannot even contain Him? Evil Bible has misrepresented and misinterpreted the meaning of 2 Chronicles 7:12 and 16 and has failed our second test. There is
