And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.” (Revelation 21:3, NIV 1984).
My Musings – Following John’s revelation of the New Jerusalem he wrote, “I heard a loud voice from the throne….” This is the last of twenty times that the expression “a loud voice” is used in Revelation (first used in Revelation 5:2). This final proclamation from the throne states that “God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and He will dwell with them.” In eternity, saints will enjoy a new intimacy with God, which has been impossible in the fallen world where sin and death are still present.
The Bible gives an interesting progression of God’s dwelling (literally tabernacling) with man.
He Walked. At first, God walked with man in the Garden of Eden.
He Dwelt. Later, He dwelt with Israel in the tabernacle and then the temple. When Israel sinned, God departed from those dwellings.
He Came. Jesus came to earth and “tabernacled” among us (John 1:14).
He Indwells. Today, God does not live in man-made temples (Acts 7:48–50), but in the hearts of His people (1 Corinthians 6:19–20) and in the Church (Ephesians 2:21–22).
He Will Live Among Us. At the consummation of all things, “God will live among the people.”
In both the tabernacle and the temple, a veil stood between men and God. That veil was torn in two when Jesus died, thus opening a “new and living way” for God’s people (Hebrews 10:19, NIV 1984). Even though God dwells in believers today by His Spirit, we still do not fully understand or fellowship with Him as we would like. But one day, we shall dwell in God’s presence and enjoy Him forever.
My Advice – Have you ever wondered what it must have been like, before the fall, when God walked amongst His creation? Can we even begin to imagine how Adam and Eve must have felt when they lost that degree of fellowship and intimacy? Why wonder what it must have been like before the fall. If you have accepted Christ as Savior, the wondering will soon be over. One way or another. If you have not accepted Christ as Savior, imagine what can be gained by doing so now.
Resources:
Walvoord, John F. (1985). Revelation. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, pp. 984–985). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 2, p. 601). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 622). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
The Brew Is A Musing 
The progression you showed of God’s dwelling with man was a lightbulb moment of “Oh yeah, that’s how it all evolved.” 🙂
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