I already hear it, "I thought God dwells in His believers"

Yes! You're absolutely right - God does dwell in His people. And that truth fits perfectly with everything we've been talking about - especially from a Preterist lens.

Let's unpack how these two realities work together:

God dwells in us (spiritually, now)
We dwell with God (in His realm after physical death)

1. God dwells in His people now - through the Spirit

1 Corinthians 3:16

"Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?"

John 14:23

"Jesus answered and said to him, 'If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.'"

Romans 8:9–11

"The Spirit of God dwells in you... If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ... will also give life to your mortal bodies..."

• These are present tense, new covenant realities.
  
  

• The indwelling Spirit is the guarantee (2 Corinthians 5:5; Ephesians 1:13-14) of eternal life and of access to God.
  
  

After the old covenant passed away (70 AD), the fullness of this spiritual dwelling was established. No more temple. No more barriers. God fully dwells in His people.

2. So how does that fit with us dwelling with God in Heaven after death?

Here's how they harmonize:

On Earth (in Christ) At Death (in Heaven)
God dwells in us We dwell with God
The Spirit is our seal We are fully united with Christ
We are His temple We join the heavenly city
We live by faith We see Him face to face

It's not either/or. It's both/and:

• Now, God's presence is in us spiritually (2 Corinthians 6:16).
  
  

• After death, we are with Him in His heavenly presence (Philippians 1:23; 2 Corinthians 5:8).
  
  

3. Revelation brings this together beautifully

Revelation 21:3

"Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God."

• This is covenantal, not physical.
  
  

• In the New Jerusalem (the church), God dwells with His people, and His people also dwell in Him.
  
  

So, even in death:

You don't leave the presence of God - you go deeper into it.

4. Jesus as the High Priest makes this access possible

Hebrews 10:19–20

"Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus... through the veil, that is, His flesh..."

• Christ opened the true heavenly realm (not a copy), so that when we die, we enter that Holy Place fully.
  
  

• He dwells in us now as the Spirit, and we go to dwell with Him fully at death.
  
  

God dwells in His believers now.

And the flip side is this:

At death, believers go to dwell in God's immediate presence.

They go together - God in us now, and us with God then. Both are fulfilled realities in the New Covenant and in the Heavenly Jerusalem.

Bottom Line:

God dwells in us now, and we go to dwell with Him when we leave this life.

No halfway realm. No delay. Just life with God, forever.

If you're in Christ, you're already a citizen of Heaven. And when you depart this life, you simply go home.

"To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord." (2 Corinthians 5:8)

So... where is Heaven?

Heaven is not a place within the physical universe or "near Earth" in spatial terms. It's a spiritual realm - God's domain - that transcends physical space and time. Here's how Scripture helps us define it:

1. Heaven is where God dwells in full glory

Psalm 115:3 – "Our God is in the heavens; He does all that He pleases."
1 Kings 8:30 – "Hear in heaven Your dwelling place…"

• God's throne is in Heaven (Isa 66:1), but not like a physical chair floating somewhere in space.
  
  

• It's a realm of divine rule, purity, and majesty - unseen by human eyes (1 Tim 6:16).
  
  

2. Heaven is where Jesus went after His ascension

Acts 1:9–11 – "...He was taken up... received out of their sight..."
Hebrews 9:24 – "For Christ has entered... into Heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf."

• Jesus didn't go to another planet - He entered the Heavenly tabernacle, the true Holy of Holies.
  
  

• That's the same realm believers now enter at death.
  
  

3. Heaven is the true reality - not a parallel Earth

2 Corinthians 4:18 – "The things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal."
Hebrews 12:22–24 – "You have come to Mount Zion... the heavenly Jerusalem... to the spirits of righteous men made perfect."

• Heaven is unseen, but real.
  
  

• It's not "just up there" - it's a dimension or realm of God's full presence.
  
  

4. Heaven is present now and accessible through Christ

Ephesians 2:6 – "...raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus."

• Even now, in a spiritual sense, we are united with Heaven because we are IN Christ.
  
  

• Heaven isn't future or distant - it's a spiritual reality already open to God's people.
  
  

Conclusion:

Heaven is the eternal, spiritual realm where God dwells, where Christ is enthroned, and where believers go at death to be fully with the Lord.
It is not a realm "near Earth," but the true dwelling of God beyond physical space and time - accessible through Christ alone.

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Part 3 of 3 https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Dutgq23Ro/