In the beginning, God walked with Adam and Eve. This was interrupted by sin, which began the process of God seeking again to dwell with humanity. The Old Testament has rich imagery in the tabernacle and temple that hosted God’s presence. In fact, the word “tabernacle” is interchangeable with the word “dwell.”

God’s desire to dwell with people became clearer in Jesus Christ. He was God in human flesh, the bridge between heaven and earth. Jesus promised his followers that God’s Spirit would dwell inside them. Our reuniting with God is a process that will be fully realized in the new heavens and the new earth.

Revelation 21:3 promises, “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’” (NIV).