And I heard a great voice out of heaven
Either of an angel, or rather of Christ, or God himself; since
the Alexandrian copy and Vulgate Latin version read, "out of the
throne",
saying, behold the tabernacle of God is with
men;
in allusion to the tabernacle being with the Israelites, and the
"Shechinah", or divine Majesty, being in the midst of them, and
as an accomplishment of the promise in ( Ezekiel
37:27 ) in the fullest sense of it; and designs something
distinct from the spiritual presence of Christ in his church, as
his tabernacle and temple, and in the hearts of his people; and
from the heavenly glory, or ultimate state of happiness, in which
they will be "with him", and that not as in a tabernacle, but as
in a city, which has foundations: the phrase seems to denote the
personal presence of Christ with his saints in human nature,
like, though different from, that in the time of his humiliation;
then he dwelt or tabernacled with men on earth, but it was in the
form of a servant; but now he will appear in a glorious body, and
indeed in all his personal glory, and reign among them as their
King:
and he will dwell with them;
in person and not by his Spirit, or by faith, as before, nor as a
wayfaring man only for a night; but he will dwell with them for
the space of a thousand years, and after that for ever: Christ
and his church will now be come together as husband and wife:
and they shall be his people;
that is, they shall appear to be his covenant people, that will
be out of all doubt; this is made manifest in some measure in the
effectual calling; but it does not yet appear neither to the
saints themselves, nor to others, what they are, and shall be,
but now it will be evident and unquestionable.
And God himself shall be with them;
the "Immanuel", God with us; not by his Spirit, as he was after
his ascension to heaven, and since is; but in person, he himself
will descend from heaven, when his church, the new Jerusalem
does; the Lord their God will come in person with all the saints,
and will be King over all the earth.
[And be] their God,
as Thomas styles him, my Lord, and my God, ( John 20:28 ) . The
covenant of grace, with all its blessings and promises, are in
him, and now will it have its full accomplishment, and the saints
be in a state inexpressibly happy; see ( Psalms
144:15 ) .