God Lives In Us

Solomon obeyed God's laws and built the Temple, which was covered with cedar and gold. The Most Holy Place was 30 feet long and covered with pure gold. Two 15-foot-tall winged creatures made of olive wood covered with gold were placed in the Most Holy Place. The main room and inner room were decorated with carved figures of winged creatures, palm trees, and flowers. The foundation was laid in the fourth year of Solomon's reign, and the Temple was completed in the eleventh year. John saw the Holy City, Jerusalem, in a vision, coming down from heaven and shining with the glory of God. It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, each with the name of a tribe of Israel written on it.

The city's wall was jasper, and the city was pure gold like glass. The foundation stones were adorned with precious stones. The gates were pearls, and the street was pure gold like glass. (Revelation 21:10-12, 18, 19, 21). God deserves the best from us because everything belongs to Him (Psalm 24:1; Psalm 50:10-12; Haggai 2:8; 1 Chronicles 29:11-12; Job 41:11; Psalm 104:24). Many Bible characters prospered because they gave their best to God. Solomon built a house for the Lord and sacrificed many animals during the festival of shelters to put the Covenant Box in the Temple (1 Kings 8:1-11).

The Ark of the Covenant was the Oracle of God and sanctified its resting place (2 Chronicles 8:11; Exodus 30:26). The holiness of the Ark and other items in the Tabernacle resulted in death for those who were not anointed and consecrated (Leviticus 10:1-2; Leviticus 16:2). In the Old Covenant, the presence of God meant distance, and anything that came into contact with God was holy, including the ground (Exodus 3:5) and the mountain (Exodus 19:12-13). However, in the New Covenant, Jesus Christ's blood made it possible for us to draw near to God (Matthew 11:28). The veil in the Temple was torn from top to bottom when Jesus died on the cross (Matthew 27:50-51), signifying that we now have direct access to God through Jesus.

According to Flavius Josephus, the Jewish historian, the curtain of the Holy of Holies was 40 feet wide, 20 feet high, and 4 inches thick. The curtain was ripped apart during the crucifixion of Jesus, opening the way to the Holy of Holies for all. God no longer dwells in a temple made with hands but now dwells in the hearts of believers through the Holy Spirit (John 17:22-23; Colossians 1:27). We are anointed with the Holy Ghost and with power to preach the gospel and do greater things than Jesus did (Mark 16:17-18; John 14:12). As new creations, we are the temple of God and the body of Christ, anointed like Jesus was, and have the power to cause changes.

God created everything for Him and by Him (Colossians 1:16). We are born of the Word of God, not of blood, flesh, or sex (John 1:13). When we receive Jesus, our old life is supplanted by God's life, born again of the immortal Word (1 Peter 1:23). We have a new life, conceived by God himself (Message Bible). We share the same nature as the Word and have everlasting life. The oil of anointing flows from Christ, the head, to all believers, from the greatest to the least (Psalm 133:2).