Peace restored;- Living in the presence of God

The Bible identifies God’s people Israel as a community living in the presence of God.

This began when they encountered God at Sinai. Yet there was never any tradition of pilgrimage to Sinai, as might have been expected. For the good reason that when the Israelites left Sinai, their God had already agreed to go with them.
Moses made the request “If thy presence will not go with me, do not carry us up from here”, and God had promised “My presence will go with you and I will give you rest” (Exodus ch33 vv14-15).

On the journey, the visible sign of his presence was the pillar of cloud and fire.
The more permanent symbol was the Ark of the Covenant. The attached “mercy seat” and the attendant cherubim show that God was deemed to locate himself above the Ark in meeting with Moses and his successors. When the Ark was carried across the Jordan, that signified the moment when God entered the land along with his people (Judges ch3 vv14-17). The event is obliquely celebrated in the Song of Solomon; “What is that coming up from the wilderness like a column of smoke?” (Song of Solomon ch3 v6)
There was also the Tabernacle, enclosing the space within which God met with Moses. Exodus records elaborate instructions about the making of the tent, but it was probably renovated from time to time. Fabric does not keep as well as wood.

During the time of Judges, the central sanctuary was at Shiloh. At the end of this period, the Ark and the Tabernacle were separated for a while. The Ark was taken into battle, to signify the presence of the Lord in battle, and was captured by the Philistines. On being returned to the Israelites, it found at least two temporary locations.
Meanwhile the sanctuary of Shiloh had been destroyed around this time, perhaps in the same campaign that captured the Ark. David found the priests taking refuge at Nob and continuing the Tabernacle practice of presenting the shewbread.
Then when the Ark was brought into Jerusalem, it was kept inside the tent which David had pitched for it (2 Samuel ch6 v17).

The building of the Temple, like the institution of kingship, was an imitation of “the nations round about”. In both cases, God did not ask for this development and did not really want it. Once they were in place, however, they provided a symbolism which became useful for teaching purposes.
The Temple inherited the role of “the presence of God” when the Ark and the Tabernacle were brought into it, as confirmed when “the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord”. Nevertheless. Solomon admitted that the real dwelling place of God is in heaven, and even the highest of the physical heavens cannot contain him. Even the Temple was only a symbol, a reminder that God was always with his people (1 Kings ch8).

Their sense of living in the presence of God was undermined when the kingdom was destroyed, and especially when the Temple itself was destroyed. The sense of loss is demonstrated by the vision of Ezekiel, in which the glory of the Lord leaves the Temple and the city (Ezekiel ch11 v23). Yet Ezekiel himself, in the first chapter, had encountered a vision of God in the plains of Mesopotamia, underlining the point that the presence of God is not limited by space.

Some of the prophets of the Old Testament promise a final battle in which the enemies of God’s people will be overcome conclusively. I looked at this theme in The Last Battle in Old Testament prophecy
Following this final victory, God’s people are able to return to the land, and the restoration of the people is to be accompanied by a renewed sense of God’s presence.

Restoration of God’s presence; Old Testament version.

“I will return to Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem” (Zechariah ch8 v3).
“You shall know that I am the Lord your God, who dwell in Zion, my holy mountain” (Joel ch3 v17).
“The king of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you shall fear evil no more” (Zephaniah ch3 v15).
The last portion of Ezekiel shows us a picture of the renovated Temple, but this is really about the restoration of the presence of God; “This is the place of my throne and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the people of Israel for ever” (Ezekiel ch43 v7).
For, as God says elsewhere;
“Heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool; what is the house which you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest?” (Isaiah ch66 v2)

Restoration of God’s presence; New Testament version

In the New Testament, we find ourselves in God’s presence through Jesus.

Believers are already in the presence of God;
“See that you do not despise one of these little ones [who believe in me]; for I tell you that in heaven their angels [i.e. their representatives] always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew ch18 v10).
We find the same promise in the epistles;
“God has raised us up with [Christ] and has made us sit with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians ch2 v6).

The community of believers in Christ ARE the Temple of God, as the dwelling-place of God. That is, the Holy Spirit is dwelling in them as a corporate body (which is why breaking the unity of the corporate body is an act of sacrilege);
“Do you not know that you [plural] are God’s Temple, and that God’s Spirit dwells in you [plural]? If anyone destroys God’s Temple, God will destroy him. For God’s Temple is holy, and that temple you [plural] are” (1 Corinthians ch3 vv16-17).

We will be in the presence of God, or will continue to be in the presence of God, after the Resurrection.
“In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?” (John ch14 v2)
“… So we shall always be with the Lord” (2 Thessalonians ch4 v17).

The promise in Revelation is that the believer will be made “a pillar in the temple”, meaning that he will never leave it (Revelation ch3 v12).
God says “Behold the dwelling-place of God is with men. He will dwell with them and they shall be his people” (Revelation ch21 v3).
That is why there is no temple in the new Jerusalem (v22), because the unmistakable presence of God is all the temple that is needed.

In this way, the Old Testament prophecies will find their fulfilment.

This new series keeps the promise made in the recent “Old and New” thread, viz-

This thread will be followed up by a short series considering what happens after the Day of the Lord, in what might be called “the state of lasting peace”.
[The series title has been changed, to express more clearly the contrast with our present condition]
The overall story can be summed up in this way;
There is a final and conclusive defeat of the enemies of God.
Once the battle is over, the exiles come home.
They are safe in their own land.
Their God rules over them, and their Temple is restored.
They are re-united with their brethren, and even reconciled with their former enemies.
They are holy to God.
And they will have the full blessings of life.

I’ll be taking different aspects of the story in turn. In each case taking the message of the prophets in the Old Testament, and then considering how the New Testament is reinterpreting the message in the light of Christ.
Thus, like the wise householder, making the best use of the old and of the new.

a reply to: DISRAELI

The Jewish people are the most belligerent people on the planet. I'm not sure the word "peace" applies.

a reply to: dfnj2015
In this thread, "Peace" is described as a condition of the future.
The first two posts should be read in conjunction; in the New Testament, the definition is expanded beyond the limits of the Jews themselves.

originally posted by: DISRAELI
a reply to: dfnj2015
In this thread, "Peace" is described as a condition of the future.
The first two posts should be read in conjunction; in the New Testament, the definition is expanded beyond the limits of the Jews themselves.

There's one thing I know about God. And that is there is not going to be peace in the Middle East ever. The Middle East has shown that even our God with omnipotent powers has limitations.

a reply to: dfnj2015
The scriptural statements (already quoted in the OP) say otherwise.

originally posted by: dfnj2015

originally posted by: DISRAELI
a reply to: dfnj2015
In this thread, "Peace" is described as a condition of the future.
The first two posts should be read in conjunction; in the New Testament, the definition is expanded beyond the limits of the Jews themselves.

There's one thing I know about God. And that is there is not going to be peace in the Middle East ever. The Middle East has shown that even our God with omnipotent powers has limitations.

As we are 'GOD' refining the way it defines itself (one individualization/personality at a time) one could say God is just having fun playing with itself even if this involves conflict.