Abstract

This white paper explores the biblicist theology of “knowing where God has placed His name,” examining how Scripture defines, reveals, and limits the proper sites of worship. It further investigates how this principle guides the location of the Feast of Tabernacles and other religious gatherings within a biblically consistent framework. Through a study of the Torah, prophetic literature, New Testament revelation, and ecclesiological application, it argues that the sanctity of place is not a matter of arbitrary human selection, but of divine designation and spiritual discernment rooted in covenantal fidelity.

1. Introduction: The Question of Divine Place and Human Understanding

The command to worship God “in the place which He shall choose to put His name” (Deuteronomy 12:5) has long formed a cornerstone of covenant theology. The biblicist approach seeks not to reinterpret this command allegorically, but to understand it through the literal, moral, and prophetic senses that the Scriptures themselves reveal.

The Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot), among other appointed times, exemplifies this principle by requiring faithful observance where God has placed His name. This requirement integrates geography, theology, obedience, and community under divine sovereignty. The purpose of this study is to define how a biblicist theology discerns such places and applies this discernment to contemporary Christian observance.

2. Scriptural Foundations: God’s Name and the Sanctification of Place

2.1 The Torah Pattern

In Deuteronomy 12, the Israelites were instructed to destroy pagan high places and seek the singular location where God would establish His name. This command restricted worship to a divinely chosen site, emphasizing:

Unity of worship (one God, one sanctuary); Purity of worship (free from idolatrous contamination); Covenantal presence (God’s dwelling among His people).

Key verses:

“But you shall seek the place where the LORD your God chooses, out of all your tribes, to put His name for His dwelling place; and there you shall go.” — Deut. 12:5 (NKJV)

“Take heed to yourself that you do not offer your burnt offerings in every place that you see.” — Deut. 12:13 (NKJV)

These verses establish God’s prerogative in determining where His name abides and, consequently, where worship is acceptable.

2.2 The Davidic and Solomonic Fulfillment

In 1 Kings 8:29, Solomon’s temple is described as the house “where My name shall be there.” The Ark of the Covenant’s relocation to Jerusalem marked the convergence of divine election and human obedience. The temple thus became the physical emblem of God’s chosen dwelling on earth—an intersection of heaven and covenantal reality.

2.3 The Prophetic Continuation

Even after the temple’s destruction, the prophets affirmed the theology of divine name placement. Jeremiah rebuked Judah for assuming that God’s name could sanctify a building regardless of obedience (Jer. 7:4–14), and Ezekiel condemned the profanation of His holy name through idolatry (Ezek. 36:20–23). The locus of God’s name therefore depended not merely on location, but on covenantal integrity.

3. The New Covenant Transformation: From Temple to People

3.1 Christ as the Embodied Temple

The incarnation of Christ redefined sacred space. Jesus declared:

“Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” — John 2:19

In this statement, He identified His body as the true dwelling of God’s presence—the new and living temple. Henceforth, the place where God’s name resides is bound not to stones but to the Son, through whom the Father is revealed (John 14:9).

3.2 The Church as the Temple of the Holy Spirit

Paul expands this principle:

“Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” — 1 Cor. 3:16 (NKJV)

The collective body of believers becomes the living house of God. This transition means that knowing where God has placed His name involves discerning where His Spirit and truth are honored—not necessarily a geographical site, but a spiritual community.

3.3 The Eschatological Temple

Revelation concludes with the declaration that:

“The Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.” — Rev. 21:22

The ultimate destiny of worship transcends place entirely, resting in eternal communion with God. Yet, the typological observances like the Feast of Tabernacles continue to bear prophetic witness to this future reality.

4. The Feast of Tabernacles and the Theology of Chosen Place

4.1 Historical Observance in the Old Covenant

Under the Mosaic covenant, the Feast of Tabernacles required pilgrimage to the place of God’s name (Deut. 16:13–15). Jerusalem thus became the annual center of joy, unity, and remembrance—where Israel celebrated God’s deliverance and provision in the wilderness.

4.2 Spiritual Fulfillment and Continuation

In the New Covenant context, the Feast’s physical pilgrimage yields to spiritual obedience—a gathering of believers in the Spirit of truth to commemorate divine dwelling among men (John 1:14; Rev. 21:3). The principle of “the place of His name” remains binding in essence: God still determines where He is to be honored.

4.3 Practical Application for Modern Observance

For biblicist believers who continue to observe the Feast of Tabernacles:

The selection of sites must prioritize truth, unity, and purity over convenience or tradition. The leadership’s role is to discern where God is blessing His work and presence (Acts 15:28—“It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us”). The fellowship of believers represents the tabernacle in which God dwells during the feast, symbolizing both temporary pilgrimage and eternal habitation.

Thus, even when physical sites vary (mountain camps, rented halls, or international gatherings), the determining factor is not geography but alignment with the revealed Word and Spirit.

5. Knowing Where God Has Placed His Name: Discernment and Doctrine

5.1 The Principle of Divine Election

Just as God chose Jerusalem and not Shiloh (Ps. 78:60–68), so He chooses among congregations those who uphold His Word without compromise. The placement of His name is linked to:

Faithful preaching of the truth; Covenant obedience; Purity of worship; Presence of the Holy Spirit.

5.2 The Role of Revelation and Authority

The biblicist stance rejects the notion that human councils, traditions, or hierarchies can define the place of God’s name apart from His revelation. Rather, Scripture and Spirit together testify to where His favor rests. This mirrors Elijah’s challenge at Carmel (1 Kings 18)—only fire from heaven confirms divine choice.

5.3 The Danger of Presumption

Jeremiah’s temple sermon (Jer. 7) warns against assuming divine endorsement merely from past favor or institutional continuity. When obedience fails, God withdraws His name and presence, as seen in Ichabod (“the glory has departed,” 1 Sam. 4:21). Thus, knowing where God has placed His name requires continual vigilance, repentance, and testing by Scripture.

6. The Theology of Place in Ecclesiology

6.1 Local Congregations as Embassies of God’s Kingdom

Each local assembly that upholds truth and holiness functions as a microcosm of divine presence, much like the ancient tabernacle among Israel’s tribes. The place of His name today may thus be found in small faithful fellowships as surely as in large assemblies, provided the covenantal conditions are met.

6.2 Building for His Name

When constructing or dedicating physical church buildings, the biblicist principle dictates:

The purpose must be to glorify God, not human leadership or institutional prestige. Dedication prayers (modeled after Solomon’s in 1 Kings 8) should explicitly invoke the divine name upon the building and congregation. The structure must remain a tool of service, never an idol of permanence.

6.3 Feast Sites as Temporary Sanctuaries

In the Feast of Tabernacles, temporary dwellings (sukkot) signify God’s provisional presence during the pilgrimage of life. Modern Feast sites replicate this symbolism by emphasizing simplicity, fellowship, and joy in divine presence, rather than ritual opulence.

7. The Hermeneutics of Knowing: Epistemology and Faith

7.1 Knowing Through Revelation

Knowledge of where God has placed His name is not derived from empirical criteria alone but through revelation confirmed by Scripture and Spirit.

“The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever.” — Deut. 29:29

Thus, spiritual knowledge is participatory—it grows through obedience and fellowship.

7.2 Understanding as Covenant Participation

To “understand” where God has placed His name is to enter into His purposes. Understanding is not merely cognitive but relational—it involves recognizing God’s will in action and aligning with it.

7.3 The Unity of Knowing and Doing

In Hebraic thought, knowing God’s will implies doing it (Deut. 4:6; John 7:17). Therefore, discerning the proper place of worship entails obedient response—assembling where God directs, not where convenience suggests.

8. Eschatological Implications: The Final Tabernacle

8.1 The Millennial Fulfillment

Zechariah 14:16–19 foretells that all nations will go up year by year to worship the King at Jerusalem and keep the Feast of Tabernacles. This future observance will again center upon a divinely appointed location, reaffirming the enduring theology of place even in the Messianic age.

8.2 The New Jerusalem

In the ultimate consummation, the place of God’s name will be universal:

“Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them.” — Rev. 21:3

Here, every distinction between sacred and secular ground will vanish, for all creation will be filled with His glory.

9. Conclusion

A biblicist theology of knowing and understanding where God has placed His name affirms that:

God alone determines where His name dwells. Human understanding must align with revealed Scripture and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The Feast of Tabernacles symbolizes both physical obedience and spiritual insight into divine dwelling. Modern observance and church construction must rest on discernment of divine presence, not human preference. Ultimately, the name of God resides among His faithful people—wherever truth and holiness abide.

In every age, God calls His people to seek the place of His name—not merely in geography, but in faithfulness, unity, and obedience, anticipating the eternal tabernacle where His name shall be written upon every heart.

Would you like me to expand this white paper into a full book-length outline, with chapters on “The Temple as Epistemology,” “The Spirit as the Name-Carrier,” and “Feast Geography and Theological Space”?