In First Kings, chapter nine, verse seven, God said He will no longer manifest His presence, power, and glory in the Temple if the people fail to follow His ways sincerely, as in verses six through nine of this chapter: the warning applies under the new covenant as well. If a church fails to obey the words of Christ and the teachings of the New Testament apostles, turning instead to false doctrine and the ungodly ways of the world, then God’s spirit and power will withdraw from it, and God will remove it from His kingdom.
It is undeclared what shall be the consequence of God’s disregard, but the idea of destruction must have been present to him who heard of God’s face turning away. It is the opposite of what the king had prayed, for God’s eyes should always are open toward the Temple. These warnings were repeated with terrible force by Jeremiah on the eve of their fulfillment. Details are in Jeremiah seven, verses twelve through fourteen, chapter twenty-four, verse nine, and twenty-five, verse nine, respectively. The destruction of the Temple is by him compared with that which fell on Shiloh after the great defeat by the Philistines in the time of Eli in First Samuel chapters four and five, although history gives no record of it.
God warned Solomon, now he had newly built and dedicated the Temple, that he and his people might not be high-minded but fearful. After all the services we can perform, we stand on the same terms with the Lord. Nothing can purchase us the liberty to sin, nor would the truthful believer desire such a license. The follower or honest child of God would prefer to be chastened by the Lord than be allowed to go on with ease and prosperity in sin.