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==The Lord Is There 3==

<p>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." (Revelation 21:3—NIV) </p>
<p>The "dwelling of God," mentioned above, is the Church of Jesus Christ, as described in Ephesians 2:19-21. "The dwelling of God (the Christian Church) is with men, and He will live with them." </p>
<p>This means the Church, when it is without spot or wrinkle, will descend from God in Heaven and come to rest on a high mountain of the new earth. On the earth will be nations of saved people, such as the "sheep nations" of the twenty-fifth chapter of the Book of Matthew. </p>
<p>Then the King will say to those on his right, "Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world." (Matthew 25:34—NIV) </p>
<p>The Kingdom of God is the Church. The Church is being prepared to bring justice and the very Presence of God to the saved nations of the earth. </p>
<p>The reason God deals so carefully with each saint is that we are being prepared to bring the Presence of God to the people on the earth and usher them into the liberty of the glory of the children of God. </p>
<p>Please think very carefully about the preceding few paragraphs. They are key to your understanding of the Scriptures. Otherwise you will not comprehend why God has called out from the world a body of people called the "Church." God has not called the Church out of the world in order to be saved. We were called from the world in order to bring the Presence of God to the nations. </p>
<p>If we belong to Christ we are Abraham's Seed. The promise is that in Abraham's Seed all the nations of the earth will be blessed. In other words, if you belong to Jesus Christ and He has become your Life, your eternal destiny is to be a blessing to mankind. </p>
<p>God in the Midst of People </p>
<p>I have found that one of the hardest concepts to get across to Christian people is that there will be nations of people on the new earth who are not part of the Church. </p>
<p>You probably have heard many times that we are going to rule with Christ. Did you ever wonder over whom we are to rule? </p>
<p>You may have heard that we are members of the royal priesthood. Did you ever wonder whom we are going to serve as a priest? </p>
<p>The answer is, the nations of saved people of the earth. </p>
<p>The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. (Revelation 21:24—NIV) </p>
<p>I do not see why people have such a hard time understanding that the purpose of the Church is to govern the saved peoples of the earth. Perhaps it is because the concept is new to them, do you suppose? </p>
<p>In any case, Isaiah, Chapters 60-62 presents clearly the two classes of saved people, the Church and the nations. Let's take a look at them. </p>
<p>Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. (Isaiah 60:3—NIV) </p>
<p>Can you see that when the Glory of God comes upon the Christian Church the nations will come to that light? </p>
<p>'''To be continued.''' [[The Lord Is There 4]]
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<p>''Words of Righteousness author Robert B. Thompson.''