George Warnock — Ecclesiology
b5 — From Tent to Temple
The Church as Habitation of God in the Spirit
In the Preface Warnock states the central thesis of the book: all previous temples were merely preparatory stages; the only temple God ever desired is the human temple of the redeemed:
“The only temple God ever desired is now in the making, a holy Temple of the redeemed ones of the earth, a ‘habitation of God in the Spirit.’ And when God finds His home in the hearts of His redeemed, He is totally at rest.” — George H. Warnock, From Tent to Temple, Preface
“Whenever the purpose of the temple was perverted to mean something that man had built ‘for the glory of God,’ God did not hesitate to forsake it.” — Preface
Warnock cites Isa. 66:1-3 as a divine indictment against human temple-building: God is not looking for temples or sacrifices, but for the man who is poor in spirit and trembles at His Word.
Interpretation: The ‘from tent to temple’ schema is a salvation-historical progression model for Warnock: Wilderness Tabernacle → Tent of David → Solomon’s Temple → Ezekiel’s Temple → Temple of Zerubbabel → Herod’s Temple → the Church as His Body. Each station was a ‘means of grace’ until the ultimate dwelling place was revealed in Christ and then enlarged in His Church.
The Church as Enlarged Body of the Incarnation
In chapter 7 Warnock sharply distinguishes the Church from a ‘second body’ of Christ: she is the same Holy Spirit who prepared the body of Jesus, now at work in a larger body:
“This enlarged Body (for the Church is not another Body, but rather a greater fullness of the one Jesus lived in when He was here), this enlarged Body that is in the process of formation shall be just as miraculously conceived of God, and just as carefully disciplined and nurtured as was the Only Begotten Son of God.” — George H. Warnock, From Tent to Temple, chap. 7
“And this Body shall reveal the full glory of the Christ in the same manner that the Lord Jesus revealed the full glory of the Father.” — chap. 7
The parallel with the preparation of Jesus’ birth body is developed by Warnock: Mary, Joseph, Simeon, Anna, John the Baptist — all had a small but sovereignly planned role. So too the Church is now in preparation:
“To wait and wait and wait for this Body to come forth in the earth, without trying to manufacture one of our own by studying the blueprints of the New Testament Church.” — chap. 7
Interpretation: Warnock places the Church in direct incarnational continuity with Christ. [TENSION with common incarnation-ecclesiology: Warnock differs from Nee/Lee by locating the continuity in the operation of the same Spirit, not in the extension of the sevenfold Spirit or Trinitarian indwelling as such.]
The Church as Fullness of Christ (Pleroma)
Warnock discusses Eph. 1:23 and Eph. 3:19 as the ecclesiological norm for the Church:
“We do not have any problem believing that the ‘fullness’ (Gr. Pleroma) of the Godhead dwelt in Christ, fully revealing the character and nature of God. But so many have a problem with the statement that the Church is ‘his body, the fulness [Gr. Pleroma] of him that filleth all in all’ (Eph. 1:23).” — George H. Warnock, From Tent to Temple, chap. 7
“Now this is not just a positional sort of arrangement, something beyond our attainment, and reserved for Heaven; for the apostle goes on to pray for the people of God that in union ‘with all saints’ they might come to that glorious realm of immeasurable love, and immeasurable grace, even into that realm where they are ‘FILLED with all the fulness [Gr. Pleroma] of God’ (Eph. 3:19).” — chap. 7
Warnock emphasises that Paul prayed this from the Holy Spirit, not from human enthusiasm, and that this prayer has been preserved for the end-time Church for a reason.
Unity of the Church: Trinitarian, not Institutional
Chapter 7 contains an explicit polemic against the ecumenical use of John 17:
“This is usually abbreviated to a six-word slogan, so common these days in ecumenical circles: ‘THAT THEY ALL MAY BE ONE…’ But this is not what Jesus prayed for!” — George H. Warnock, From Tent to Temple, chap. 7
“In fact the Lord has consistently showed His displeasure with any ecclesiastical system which has had for its objective the gathering together of a people into any kind of unity that is not the work of the Holy Spirit. Such an objective merely brings about another outworking of a Babylonish system.” — chap. 7
True unity is trinitarian in character: “As thou Father art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us” (John 17:21, cited by Warnock).
“Joined in vital union with the Son and the Father with that same character of oneness that exists between the Father and the Son? Impossible! Certainly… if we try to make it happen. But possible with God!” — chap. 7
Interpretation: Warnock places the ecumenical movement within the Babylon typology (cf. b1 and b3). True unity is not institutional but pneumatological-organic: it arises as each member of the Church is joined in vital union with Christ. [Consistent with b2 chap. 5 and b3 chap. 6.]
Church Government: Theocratic, not Democratic
In chapter 3, in the discussion of the preparation of Solomon’s temple, Warnock formulates his view of church government:
“God has never authorized a democratic order for His people in any age, and certainly not for His Church.” — George H. Warnock, From Tent to Temple, chap. 3
He contrasts the lot (as instrument of divine appointment) with the secret ballot: the secret ballot is intended to ensure the will of man is done, while the lot ensures that God’s will is done.
“‘Government’ is as clearly a gift and ministration of the Spirit, as are miracles, healings, tongues, prophecies, and so forth (1Cor. 12:28). And God will yet displace this democratic system that we have in the Church, as well as in the world.” — chap. 3
The 24 priestly princes of Solomon’s temple correspond for Warnock with the 24 elders in Rev. 4:4 — clothed in priestly garments but with golden crowns: both kings and priests (Rev. 5:10). They were not elected by the people but appointed by God.
[Consistent with b3: authority flows from communion with Christ, not from office or democratic appointment.]
Critique of Human Church-Building
In chapter 3 Warnock explicitly opposes attempts to reconstruct the New Testament church order:
“All over the earth Christian leaders are eagerly trying to rebuild the Church in a vain attempt to bring it back to New Testament pattern and order, and it is all in vain. God has something better in mind than the Tabernacle of David, something better in mind than the early Church.” — George H. Warnock, From Tent to Temple, chap. 3
“Let us be content to do just what we know God wants us to do in this hour. Let us just walk in the Spirit, and allow the Master Builder to build His own Church.” — chap. 3
In chapter 7 Warnock applies the principle of John 15:5: “Without me ye can do nothing” means not that we can do many things with His help, but that apart from the life-flow of Christ nothing is accomplished that will endure:
“Too long has it been assumed that because we are enriched with spiritual gifts… or because we are apostles or prophets or teachers… or whatever… that we have been authorized of the Lord to go forth and make these gifts and ministries work, and build His Church.” — chap. 7
Eschatological Completion: the Glorious Church and the Final Temple
In chapter 3 Warnock describes the future Church as the harvest Church:
“The ‘glorious Church’—not having spot, or wrinkle, or blemish, or any such thing—is the harvest Church.” — George H. Warnock, From Tent to Temple, chap. 3
In chapter 7 Warnock connects the eschatological endpoint of the temple movement to Rev. 21:
“And I John saw the holy City, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband… And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the Temple of it.” (Rev. 21:2, 22, cited by Warnock) — chap. 7
“Christ will receive unto Himself a glorious Church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or blemish… or any such thing. And God will have found that habitation for Himself for which His heart has longed through times eternal.” — chap. 7
Interpretation: For Warnock the abolition of the temple in Rev. 21 is not a negation of the Church but her completion: God and the Lamb themselves are the temple, and the Church is taken up into that. The ‘from tent to temple’ schema ends in the abolition of all intermediate symbols.