You see, in the Old Testament, under the Old Covenant, God's Presence was kept enclosed in
the Holy of Holies. No one dared approach the Holy of Holies except the high priest, and he
did so only with great precaution. If anyone else dared to intrude into the Holy of Holies, that
person would fall dead.
Also, it was necessary that every male in all of Israel present himself at least once a year at
Jerusalem, because that was where God's Presence was in the Holy of Holies. And the high
priest was designated by God to go into the Holy of Holies to offer sacrifices and to make
atonement for the sins of the people.
But on the Cross just before Jesus died, He said, "It is finished" (John 19:30). He was not
referring to the New Covenant when He said, "It is finished." He was talking about the Old
Covenant being finished.
The New Covenant wasn't instituted and ratified until Jesus was raised from the dead
ascended on High and entered into the heavenly Holy of Holies with His own blood (Heb.
1:3;10:12). Once Jesus obtained eternal redemption for us, as Hebrews declares, then and
only then were the terms of the New Covenant consummated and ratified.
Hanging on that rugged Cross on Golgotha's rugged brow, Jesus said, "It is finished." The
Word tells us that at that moment the curtain that partitioned off the Holy of Holies in the
Temple was rent in two from top to bottom (Matt. 27:51).
Jewish historians tell us that curtain was forty feet wide, twenty feet high, and four inches thick.
When Jesus Christ was crucified on the Cross of Calvary, God sent His messenger to rend
that curtain in the Holy of Holies from top to bottom, signifying that the Old Covenant was
finished and that God's Presence would no longer be kept shut up in the man-made Holy of
Holies.
Under the New Covenant, God would dwell in the believer (Jer.
31:33,34;Heb. 8:6-3;10:1-17).
Notice that the curtain was not ripped from the bottom to the top as might happen if that curtain
were ripped by some human agency. No, the curtain was ripped from top to bottom, indicating
that it was not of human agency.
When that happened, God's Presence which had been kept in the Holy of Holies, moved out of
that earth-made Holy of Holies and God has never dwelt in an earth-made Holy of Holies
since.
Because God now makes His abode in believers, when we call a building the house of God,
we are partly correct and partly incorrect, according to what we mean by that statement.
If we mean the building is the house of God because God lives and dwells there, we are
wrong. God does not dwell in a building. But if we mean that the building is God's house
because it is dedicated to the service of the Lord, then we are right — it is a house of God.
But
God doesn't live in a building made with hands. He lives and dwells in us through the power of
the Holy Spirit!
Relatively few Christians are really conscious of God in them — dwelling in their hearts and
bodies as His temple. If men and women were conscious of God in them as His temple, they
wouldn't talk and act as they sometimes do. Some Christians constantly talk about their lack of
power, and their lack of ability. But if they realized that God is in them, they would know that
there is nothing impossible to them.
Instead of believing what the Bible says, too many believers believe only what they feel. For
example, when people are born again, they feel wonderful. But many times, later they will say,
"I had a marvelous experience when I was saved, but God must have left me because I don't
feel now as I did then.
"
However, Jesus said, ". . . that he [the Holy Spirit] may abide with you FOREVER" (John
14:16). The Holy Spirit didn't come as a guest to stay for just a few days. He didn't come on a
vacation to dwell inside of you for just a short time. He came to dwell in you to be at home in
you forever. The Holy Spirit's home in this life is in your body — God's temple.
The Bible says, ". . . all things are possible to him that believeth" (Mark 9:23). The reason that
all things are possible to him who believes is that God our Father planned that the believing
one should have God Himself living in him through the indwelling Presence of the Holy Ghost.
And with God in the believer, nothing is impossible!
FFT: You are God's building and dwelling place.
ACTION POINT: Live daily with the consciousness that God lives in you through the Holy Spirit.
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