God, Indwelling of

God is omnipresent, continuously existing everywhere at once. That said, He has implemented three sequential practices of specifically indwelling places to facilitate His relations and interactions with people.

The first mention of His “locating” Himself in a specific place was His indwelling of the Tabernacle, later replaced by the Temple. He said His presence would be encountered in the “most holy place”, Hebrew “Naos”, nicknamed the “holy of holies.” When the Tabernacle was completed God showed His entry into that place by allowing the people there, mostly Israelites, to see His glory visibly entering the Tabernacle and then illuminating it from within (Exodus 40.34-35). God spoke of Himself “dwelling in a tent” in 2 Samuel 7.6. Later when King Solomon completed the Temple to replace the Tabernacle, God entered it in a similar way (2 Chronicles 7.1-3). Generations later the prophet Ezekiel recorded in Ezek 10.4 his prophetic vision of God ending His “occupation” of the Temple’s Naos in response to Israel’s apostasy.

From that time until Pentecost God, always omnipresent, did not “indwell” any specific place; though from time-to-time throughout the Old Testament narrative God had temporarily indwelled individuals. The thought titled, “Before Pentecost the Holy Spirit temporarily indwelled/moved/empowered people” lists 22 such instances.

In Acts 1.8 Luke records Jesus’ promise that believers would be filled with the Holy Spirit, empowering them to become worldwide witnesses. In Acts 2.1-12 he records when this happened. That this indwelling of redeemed individuals was continuous and permanent is shown by Paul’s writing in Romans 8.9 which unambiguously states anyone lacking the indwelling Holy Spirit does not belong to Christ.

Therefore, since redeemed people belong to Christ permanently, continuously, and eternally, they will experience God’s indwelling them via His Spirit continuously and eternally.

In the Millennium, in the rebuilt Temple, God will additionally reoccupy the Temple, as recorded by Ezekiel’s prophesy in Ezekiel 43.2.