19

PRESSING QUESTION

PRESENT DAY

“Good morning, Kyle,” Dr. McCarty answered.

Kyle was a little nervous calling the professor for the first time, but he was intrigued about what he had just read and couldn’t wait until their next meeting to sort it out.

“Good morning, sir. I got your text about the time for our next meeting. Thanks. I’ll be there. I’m sorry to bother you, but I’m perplexed about something I just read from Ezekiel’s writing. I would like to discuss it when we meet again but wanted to give you time to think about it.”

“Wow, you’re reading beyond Daniel. I’m really impressed with how you’re getting into this. You’re not bothering me at all. Any time. What do you have for me?”

“Well, Ezekiel’s writing is difficult for me to understand, but it appears that at some point, God departed from the temple in Jerusalem. Does God get so frustrated with His people that He actually abandons them?”

“This is complex and takes some study, but it is very important in understanding the nature of God. Before Christ came, God’s Spirit did not dwell with individuals as He does today. He visited certain individuals, typically prophets and leaders, for limited periods of time. However, beginning in Moses’ day, He dwelled in the tabernacle with the Ark of the Covenant. This permanent presence—later termed ‘shekinah glory,’ meaning ‘God’s dwelling’ in Hebrew—was evidenced by a cloud above the Ark and tabernacle visible to the people.

“Centuries later, after the temple was built, He dwelled with the Ark in a room visited only by the high priests. As prophesied by Moses and other prophets, this shekinah glory departed from the Hebrews just prior to Babylon’s destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. For over five centuries, God’s Spirit did not dwell among His people. Then the shekinah glory returned in the person of Jesus Christ. Shortly after Christ’s death, resurrection, and ascension into Heaven, God’s Spirit came to live in the souls of everyone in the world who became His followers. That presence of the Spirit in each Christ follower continues today. The shekinah glory of God no longer lives in a particular place but in the soul of each individual believer.”

“That’s hard for an engineering student to wrap his mind around. The Spirit of God Who dwelled with His people at a specific location for centuries now lives in each person’s soul.”

“Yes, but only in the souls of those who believe in Him and have committed their lives to Him. So, in essence, He still lives with His people, just in a more personal way. Our minds can’t fully comprehend that, but we can see and feel the evidence of it.”

“But where was God in Daniel’s day in Babylon?”

“He continued to be with His prophets and certain others as He chose and for times of His choosing. Obviously, He was with Daniel and some others in Babylon as they called on Him, and He responded. It’s exhilarating to know now that despite the disobedience of His people, God sacrificed His Son so that we no longer have restricted access to Him. He gives everyone who belongs to Him unlimited access to Himself.”

“Okay, I think I’ve got the gist of that. I’ll probably want to read more about it and talk further on it when we meet.”

“Absolutely. I look forward to next time.”

“Me, too. Thanks.”