Visits to someone’s home are among the best ways to get to know them. This is so that a person can express who they are in their home. If a house is tidy and clean, we can assume that someone neat and clean lives there. If a house is tastefully decorated, we can infer its owner’s values and aesthetics. With God, the idea is the same. To understand God, we must learn where He resides and what His home is like.
Where does God live? God does not reside in structures constructed by humans. Consequently, we do not need to travel to a physical form to encounter God and come to know Him. Furthermore, heaven is not where God resides. God’s throne is in heaven, and the world is His footstool, but neither is a place of rest for Him.
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What Does The Bible Say About Where God Lives?
Do you not realize that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” the apostle Paul asked in his letter (1 Corinthians 3:16). God also dwells among His followers, the church. The Greek word for “live” in this context is the same as the word for “home.” It denotes settling down in a location—in this case, the believer’s body.
The Tabernacle
The tabernacle was a place for God to dwell among His people, starting in the Old Testament (Exodus 25–31). Israel received comprehensive building instructions from Him. He made it so they could disassemble it, move it around, and reassemble it as they traversed the wilderness.
The Solomonic Temple
King Solomon replaced this portable construction with a larger, physical building known as the Temple a few years after they arrived in the Promised Land (1 Kings 6). When Babylonian troops captured Israel centuries later, they demolished this temple.
The Millennial Temple
Another temple, likely functioning in the millennial kingdom, is described by the prophet Ezekiel. There will be a thousand-year gap between the seven-year tribulation[1] and the afterlife. This temple will be more impressive and substantial than any previous Temple.
Revelation 21:8
However, those who are cowardly, faithless, and hateful, as well as murderers, sexual perverts, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, will have their share in the lake of fire and sulfur, which is the second death.
Revelation 19:7–9
The marriage of the lamb has come, and his bride has prepared herself. She was told to cover herself in fine linen, bright and spotless, because fine linen represents the saints’ righteous work. Let us rejoice, exult, and give Him glory. Moreover, the angel said, “These are the real words of God,” and he said to me, “Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage feast of the lamb.”
Revelation 5:9
“Worthy are you to take the scroll and open its seals, for you were murdered, and by your blood, you ransomed people for God from every tribe, language, country, and nation,” they sang in a new song.
Hebrews 1:3
He is the exact representation of God’s nature and the source of God’s glory, and He sustains the cosmos with the force of His word. He made atonement for His crimes and then took a seat at the right hand of the Majesty on High.
1 Thessalonians 4:16–17
Because the Lord Himself will come crashing down from heaven with a trumpet blast from God, an archangel’s voice, and a cry of command. Moreover, the first to rise are the dead in Christ. Then, those of us still alive and standing will be taken up with them in the clouds to be with the Lord in the air, where we will be with Him forever.
Ephesians 4:11–13
To equip all the saints for ministry and to build up the body of Christ, He also gave the apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers. He will do this until we have all attained the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, mature manhood, and the stature of the fullness of Christ.
John 8:44
We are children of the devil and have his desires as our own. Because he is devoid of reality, he has always been a murderer and cannot stand in the truth. He talks out of character when he lies, since he is both a liar and the father of lies.
Matthew 23:23
Woe to you, hypocritical scribes and Pharisees! Because you have overlooked the most critical aspects of the law, such as justice, mercy, and fidelity, you tithe mint, dill, and cumin. You should have completed these without skipping the others.
Nehemiah 9:27
As a result, you placed them in the hands of their adversaries, who punished them. They cried out to you throughout their pain, and you heard them from heaven. In response to your tremendous mercy, you sent them saviors who delivered them from the hands of their foes.
Where Does God Live Today?
We yearn to be near God after accepting Him and believing in Him. He also desires to be near us. God wants to live inside of us and have a close, personal relationship with every one of us. He made some critical moves to make this feasible.
God Formed The Human Spirit
God never intended to be a distant deity, only revered from afar. This is why God gave us a specific portion that enables us to receive and communicate with Him: the human spirit. He created our spirit so that He could live within us.
God Took On Human Form
The eternal, infinite God took on human form as Jesus Christ. He was sinless even though He lived on earth. The Lord Jesus could suffer on the cross for our sins to atone for them and reconcile us to God because He had a physical body made of flesh and blood.
Christ Incarnated As The Holy Spirit Of Life
Jesus died on the cross for us, was buried, and then rose from the dead three days later. The unique scripture in 1 Corinthians 15:45 states, “So also it is stated, “The first man, Adam, became a living soul,”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.” The last Adam, Christ our Savior, became the life-giving spirit in the resurrection. He can now come into everyone who believes in Him because He is the spirit.
Christ Redeemed Us Spiritually
When we placed our faith in Jesus Christ, we accepted Him as our Savior, and He also entered our human spirit as the spirit. Because of how we were united to Christ, Christ now resides in us. The Bible has the solution: “Abide in Me, and I in you” (John 15:4).
The Entire Church Is Where God Resides
Peter and Paul refer to the worldwide church as “God’s abode.” In both instances, we are referred to as an ongoing construction project growing on the rock-solid foundation of Jesus Christ and the apostles’ ministry as documented in the New Testament.
Does God Have A Dwelling Place On Earth?
God made humanity in His image so that He might interact with them on this planet. God’s earthly abode was the God-man Jesus. He was God manifest as a man, and God manifests as a man. On the cross, He completed redemption via death, and in the resurrection, He changed into a spirit that people can accept. God is now able to live inside of a man as the spirit.
God Desires Interaction With People
People cut off their relationship with God by sinning, and as a result, we were exiled from His presence. However, since He cared for us, God used Moses to construct a tabernacle to rule over people according to His holy laws and commands. In such sanctity and purity, God could interact with the planet. The tabernacle showered blessings and glory on all who structured their lives according to God’s word.
Our Hearts Contain A Home For God Here On Earth
God created us because He preferred to live in our hearts, where He could carry out His work, rather than in a house built by human hands. The Living God will only raise His habitation and do His great work in such hearts.
God Is In Our Hearts Through Faith
Christ appears high and distant to the majority of people, but we can receive Him into our hearts through faith. Through His Spirit, He communicates with us and brings His message to life for our benefit. By the splendor of His riches, He gives us strength through His Spirit in our inner man, allowing us to execute His will joyfully. His fullness increasingly lives in us, and He fills us with every desire to do good.
A Two-Legged Home For God
When God walks around in this terrible and dark world, we become such tiny dwellings for God on two legs, revealing God’s light, life, and nature. The main cornerstone is Jesus, who has provided us with the blueprints for this magnificent and eternal structure.
Conclusion
God is inside of us if we are followers of Jesus Christ. He is also beside and above us. God is always with us, keeping watch over us. It becomes clear that nothing—not even death—can keep us from God’s love as we watch the events following the crucifixion.
Jesus was exalted following His crucifixion. From this one instance alone, we may be confident that we can trust God’s word that He will never leave us or forsake us, even though we cannot sense His presence in the middle of our suffering.
