Visiting someone’s home can reveal their personality. A tidy, clean house suggests a neat resident, while tasteful decor reflects the owner’s aesthetics. Similarly, understanding God requires knowing His dwelling.
However, God doesn’t inhabit human-made structures or a physical form. Although God’s throne is in heaven and the world is His footstool, neither serves as His resting place.
Key Takeaways
- The key idea is that God’s presence is within believers, not physical structures. This is supported by scriptures like 1 Corinthians 3:16, which portray believers as God’s temple where His Spirit dwells.
- The understanding of God’s dwelling evolved from the Israelites’ portable Tabernacle, through the Solomonic Temple, to the prophesied Millennial Temple in Ezekiel’s visions. This reflects a shift from physical structures to a spiritual interpretation, symbolizing the evolving divine-human relationship.
- God’s presence is both a personal experience within believers and a collective phenomenon in the global church. The church, founded on Jesus Christ’s and the apostles’ teachings, is seen as a living entity housing God. This underscores the importance of individual faith and communal Christianity in understanding God’s presence.
Contents
What Does The Bible Say About Where God Lives?
In the Bible, God lives within His followers. As stated in 1 Corinthians 3:16, “Do you not realize that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” This suggests that God settles within believers, akin to making a home.
The Tabernacle
The Tabernacle served as God’s dwelling among His people (Exodus 25–31). God provided Israel with detailed instructions, allowing them to assemble, disassemble, and transport it during their wilderness journey.
The Solomonic Temple
King Solomon built a larger structure, the Temple, in the Promised Land (1 Kings 6), replacing the portable Tabernacle. However, this Temple was destroyed when the Babylonians captured Israel centuries later.
The Millennial Temple
The prophet Ezekiel describes another Temple, expected to function in the millennial kingdom. This Temple, more substantial than its predecessors, will exist for a thousand years between the seven-year tribulation[1] and the afterlife.
Revelation 21:8
It’s stated that the cowardly, faithless, hateful, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and liars will face the second death in a lake of fire and sulfur.
Revelation 19:7–9
The Lamb’s marriage has arrived, and His bride is ready, adorned in bright, spotless fine linen, symbolizing the saints’ righteousness. The angel declared, “These are God’s true words,” and pronounced a blessing on those invited to the Lamb’s marriage feast.
Revelation 5:9
“You are worthy to open the scroll, for your sacrifice has redeemed people of all tribes, languages, countries, and nations. This is their new song.”
Hebrews 1:3
He perfectly reflects God’s nature and glory, maintains the universe with His word, atoned for His wrongs, and now sits at the right hand of the Supreme Majesty.
1 Thessalonians 4:16–17
The Lord will descend from heaven with a commanding cry, an archangel’s voice, and God’s trumpet. The dead in Christ will rise first, and then those alive will join them in the clouds, forever with the Lord.
Ephesians 4:11–13
He gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers to prepare all saints for service and to strengthen Christ’s body. This will continue until we achieve faith unity, knowledge of God’s Son, maturity, and the full stature of Christ.
John 8:44
We are influenced by the devil, who is a constant liar and murderer, detached from reality and truth.
Matthew 23:23
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees! You neglect justice, mercy, and fidelity, focusing on tithing herbs. You should have done both without neglecting the others.
Nehemiah 9:27
You allowed their adversaries to punish them. They cried out in their distress, and you heard them. In your great mercy, you sent saviors to rescue them from their enemies.
Where Does God Live Today?
Today, God lives within us. After accepting and believing in Him, we long for His presence. He reciprocates this desire for closeness. He took significant steps to enable a personal relationship with each of us.
God Formed The Human Spirit
God never wished to be a remote entity. He gave us the human spirit to communicate with Him, intending to reside within us.
God Took On Human Form
The eternal God became human as Jesus Christ. Despite living on Earth, He was sinless. With His physical body, Jesus suffered on the cross to atone for our sins and reconcile us with God.
Christ Incarnated As The Holy Spirit Of Life
Jesus died for us, was buried, and was resurrected after three days. As stated in 1 Corinthians 15:45, the first man, Adam, was a living soul, while the last Adam, Christ, became a life-giving spirit through resurrection. Now, as a spirit, He can dwell within all believers.
Christ Redeemed Us Spiritually
By believing in Jesus Christ, we accepted Him as our Savior. He entered our spirit, uniting us with Him. As stated in John 15:4, “Abide in Me, and I in you,” Christ now lives within us.
The Entire Church Is Where God Rests
Peter and Paul describe the global church as ‘God’s dwelling.’ We are depicted as a continuous project, built on the firm foundation of Jesus Christ and the apostles’ New Testament ministry.
Does God Have A Dwelling Place On Earth?
Yes, God has a dwelling place on earth. He created humans in His image for interaction. Jesus, the God-man, was God’s earthly dwelling. He embodied God and completed redemption through His death on the cross.
After the resurrection, He became a spirit that people could receive, allowing God to dwell within humans.
God Desires Interaction With People
Sin severed our relationship with God, leading to our exile from His presence. However, out of care for us, God had Moses build a Tabernacle to govern people by His holy laws.
This allowed God to interact with the world with purity and sanctity. Those who lived according to God’s word received blessings and glory from the Tabernacle.
Our Hearts Contain A Home For God Here On Earth
God created us to dwell in our hearts, where He can perform His work, rather than in man-made structures. Only in such hearts can the Living God establish His dwelling and accomplish His great work.
God Is In Our Hearts Through Faith
Though Christ may seem distant to many, we can welcome Him into our hearts through faith. His Spirit communicates with us, enlivens His message, and strengthens us from within, enabling joyful fulfillment of His will. His fullness grows within us, inspiring us to do good.
A Two-Legged Home For God
As God navigates this challenging world, we become small, mobile sanctuaries for Him, reflecting His light, life, and nature. Jesus, the cornerstone, provides us with the blueprint for this grand, eternal structure.
Summary
As followers of Jesus Christ, God dwells within us, beside us, and above us. He is always present, watching over us. The crucifixion and subsequent exaltation of Jesus affirm that nothing, not even death, can separate us from God’s love.
Even in times of suffering when His presence may not be felt, we can trust that He will never abandon us.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where Is The Place Of God?
The place of God is everywhere, as he is omnipresent. The Christian New Testament suggests that believers themselves form the dwelling place or temple of God, as per Ephesians 2:19–22.
Where Is The House Of God?
The house of God is a place of worship, symbolized by the Tabernacle or temple among the Israelites in the Old Testament and the temple in Jerusalem in the New Testament. In Christianity, believers themselves are seen as the “House of God,” as per Ephesians 2:19–22.
What Is God’s Home Called?
God’s home is called “Heaven” in many religious and philosophical traditions. In Christianity, the term “House of God” describes places of worship like churches or temples and can also refer to believers themselves, as they are seen as God’s dwelling place.
