It is God's intention to give His royal glory, authority, and power to Christ and through Christ to the brothers of Christ. The Divine intention to give the Divine Presence and privileges through Christ to the saints is expressed in such verses as the following:

And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained. (John 20:22,23)

And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. (Matthew 16:19)

The time will soon come when the nations of saved peoples of the earth will look to the new Jerusalem, the glorified Church, instead of to the spirit Heaven, in order to approach God for their needs.

At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the Lord, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the imagination of their evil heart. (Jeremiah 3:17)

Jerusalem will be the throne of God, and the throne of God is Heaven. Heaven is coming to the earth.

Thus saith the Lord, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest? (Isaiah 66:1)

The place of God's rest is Christ—Head and Body.

The transfer of the royal glory and authority began when the Lord breathed on His Apostles and will be increased during the great tribulation. During the great tribulation people no longer will be able to gain salvation by praying to God. They will have to go to the holy remnant, by that time hidden in the wilderness, in order to obtain deliverance from Satan.

And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call. (Joel 2:32)

By the end of the thousand-year Kingdom Age the transfer of Divine glory will be complete and the new Jerusalem will descend from Heaven to be located for eternity on a high mountain of the new earth. The eternal Tabernacle of God, the glorified Church, will then be located where the members of the nations of the saved can bring their worship and their wealth to God. God at that time will be dwelling in the Lamb and His Wife. The throne of God will be in the glorified Church.

Paul informs us, in I Corinthians, Chapter 13, when that which is perfect is come, that which is in part shall be done away. That which is in part, in particular the ministries and gifts given by the Holy Spirit, are serving to bring us to "that which is perfect." That which is perfect is the fullness of God. When the fullness comes, all the tools the Spirit has used, including the church buildings and liturgies, will be done away. These have been the necessary scaffolding while the eternal House of God has been under construction.

There will be no temple, no church building in the new Jerusalem. Every saint will have the marvelous privilege of seeing God face to face.

To be continued.