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Yesterday we jumped into the New Testament to uncover how this theme of God's desire to dwell with us continues beyond the Old Testament. Jesus came and tabernacled among us, and the veil was torn! But the story does not stop there. In Acts 2, the Holy Spirit comes, and the Lord dwells with all believers through His promised Spirit.
In John 16, while speaking with his disciples, Jesus recognized that it was better that he leave so that the Holy Spirit would come. Why is this? When Jesus took on human flesh, He limited Himself to that flesh. This body of human flesh could only be at one physical place at a time. We don't see Jesus teleporting between areas of the world to be with anybody at any given moment, and we don't see Jesus multiplying Himself to be in multiple physical locations at once. He confined Himself to human flesh and the limitations thereof. However, before Jesus ascended into heaven, He promised that the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, would come. The Holy Spirit is God Who indwells believers. Every believer now could have this intimacy with the Lord in a way that was impossible when Jesus was confined by human flesh. God could now dwell with all of His people through the Holy Spirit at all times.
On Wednesday, we considered the Temple and how God dwelled there among the people, yet only a select few could actually step into his presence in the Holy of Holies. But in the New Testament, we learn that we are each now the temple of God. Every Christian is a temple of the Holy Spirit, because the "temple" is the place where the presence of God dwells. If you are a believer, that is now you! Take a look at these verses:
"Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" (1 Corinthians 3:16)
"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?" (1 Corinthians 6:19)
Dear friend, if you are a believer, God dwells with you, in you. The Spirit of Christ makes His home in the hearts of believers. What was once only accessible by the high priest- the Holy of Holies- is now accessible to anyone who would turn and follow Jesus. The presence of God is accessible to all through the Holy Spirit indwelling each and every believer. Do you feel far from God? That feeling is not reality if you are a Christian. We may feel far from God when we are not following His ways. But He is not far from you. You can call on Him. He is near. You are His dwelling place.
Yet even still, the story is not over. When Jesus returns to make all things new, the book of Revelation speaks of how this theme comes to its ultimate fulfillment.
I will leave you with these words from Revelation 21:3-4:
"And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.'"
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