The eternal state The presence God with His people Revelation 21v3.
"And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, behold the tabernacle of God is with men, and He shall dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God."
Before any consideration of what life will be like in eternity, we are introduced to the very essence of eternal life......the divine presence with His people. This comes before anything else. The essence of perdition is eternal separation from God, the essence of salvation is eternal fellowship with God. Jesus defined eternal life in John 17v3 "This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent." Here we have the first glimpse of life in heaven God dwelling with His people "the tabernacle of God is with men". God has always desired to dwell with men;
- Genesis 3v8 "they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day".
- Exodus 25v8 "..let them make me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them."
- John 4v23 "... the Father seeketh such to worship Him".
- Ezekiel 48v35 "..and the name of the city from that day shall be, the Lord is there".
I recall listening to a highflyer at B.P. Grangemouth who had tragically lost his wife to cancer at the age of 35; he spoke with deep regret how he had given himself to his career, to some extent at the expense of home life, had acquired a high position , a fancy car, a big bank account and a big house; now he went home every night to an empty house, to four very expensive walls, but it all meant nothing for SHE WAS NOT THERE! His career and all about it meant nothing since his beloved was gone. The poor man had come face to face with true values. This brings into focus the reality of life; without the presence of our God, even heaven would be nothing! The tabernacle was nothing without the ark, the temple the same. The presence of God is everything........His presence with His people defines heaven.
As if to emphasise the reality of this the Holy Spirit underlines it by repeating the same in five different ways:
- "The tabernacle of God is with men.....
- and He shall dwell with them.....
- and they shall be His people.....
- and God Himself shall be with them...
- and be their God.
No one can misunderstand the meaning of this; constant personal interaction and fellowship with the God of eternity!! Nothing get's better than this.
The same is repeated throughout the verses; 21v7 "I will be his God, and he shall be my son"; 21v11 where the glory of God in the city is another indication of His presence; chapter 22v3-4 "The throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve |Him: and they shall see His face, and His name shall be in their foreheads."
The word "people" is in the plural and is very significant. Although the new Jerusalem is indeed the eternal dwelling place of the bride the church, the indication here is that there are many peoples who will share the eternal dwelling place. We should not think of the church as having exclusive rights to the city, (nevertheless she will have a prominent place); but it will be to share with all the redeemed of all ages. There is room for all the Old testament saints, the church saints, the tribulation saints, and the saints from the millennium. God will dwell amongst all His people from wherever they have come. God promised through Abraham that in blessing the men and women of faith He would bring blessing to many peoples and here is the glorious fulfillment.
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