The Bible testifies that God is Spirit. He is not limited by a body of flesh and blood, which binds Him to a certain time and place, but it is possible for Him to be everywhere at the same time: in his holy dwelling heaven and on earth with his creatures, especially with whom He to love and serve in humility and humility (see also Psalm 51:19, Matthew 5: 3):

For thus says the High and Exalted One, who eternally enthrones and whose name is the Holy One: in the high and in the holy house I dwell and in the shattered and humble in spirit ... (Isaiah 57:15)

God created the people to live in communion with Him. That's why He wants to be close to them. In many places in the Bible we, therefore, see that God is among people He loves:

When they heard (Adam and Eve) the sound of the LORD God, who walked in the garden in the evening chill ... (Genesis 3: 8, compare Genesis 5:24, Leviticus 26:12, 1 Kings 19: 11-13)

I will dwell in the midst of the Israelites and I will be their God. (Exodus 25: 8, compare Numbers 35:34, Deuteronomy 6:15 and 7:21)

... for I the LORD have my habitation in the midst of the children of Israel. (Numbers 35:34)

However, after the people of Israel had been disobedient and rebellious in disbelief for centuries, the prophet Ezekiel saw in a vision how the Lord departed from their midst (chapters 10 and 11, especially 11:23). But he and other prophets could at the same time announce God's promise that He would again live with believing and obedient people in the future:

Jubilate and rejoice, you daughter of Zion! For, behold, I come and dwell in your midst, says the LORD, and many people shall seek communion with the LORD in that day, and they shall be my people, and I will dwell in your midst ... he shall yet again to Jerusalem. prefer ... because He is getting out of his holy home. (Zechariah 2: 10-13, compare Ezekiel 43: 1-9 and 44: 4)

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Behold, the tent of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God will be with them ... (Revelation 21: 3)

Because his presence as a Person for people is not visible, the Bible speaks of the presence of "the Spirit of God" and "the glory of the Lord". Already in the first verses of the Bible, it is said that God's Spirit is on earth, and the prophet Haggai spoke of "the Spirit" in Israel:

And the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. (Genesis 1: 2)

... for I am with you, says the LORD of hosts, according to the word that I have promised you when you came forth out of Egypt, and my Spirit stood among you ... (Haggai 2: 5-6)

God has always been present on earth, because He continues with his work, reaching his stated goal. But in a special way, He was present among Israel in the Angel of the Covenant, because the prophet points to him. He is called "the Angel of God's face" or "Face". In this angel was the Spirit of God, so that He spoke and acted in the same mind, spirit, as God himself does. The people, therefore, regarded him as God himself:

Behold, I send an angel before your face ... Respect him and listen to him ... because my name is in him. (Exodus 23: 20-23)

My Face will go with you and I will give you rest. (Subtext of Exodus 33: 14-23)

The LORD your God will cover you for yourself; He himself will drive and annihilate those nations before you so that you can take possession of their land. (Deuteronomy 31: 3, compare Exodus 33: 2)

I will mention the Lord's mercies, the glorious deeds of the LORD, according to all that the LORD has done for us ... He said, "They are my people ... and He became their Savior ... and the Angel of his face has made them saved ... But they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit ... (Isaiah 63: 7-11, compare Ephesians 4:30)

And as God was present in Israel in the person of this angel, He is now in Christ Jesus:

Behold my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased; I will put my Spirit upon Him. (Matthew 12: 18-21, Isaiah 42: 1-7, Matthew 3:11)

This is my Son, the beloved, in whom I am well pleased. (Matthew 17: 5)

For He who sent God speaks the words of God, for He does not give the Spirit in moderation. (John 3:34)

After his revival from the dead to eternal life, He is no longer a man of flesh and blood, but a perfect spiritual Man. He is no longer visible to His disciples, but He has received a glorified way of life in which, like God, He is "in the Spirit" on earth. In this way He dwells among his followers and even in each of them individually:

And I'll pray to the Father, and He'll give you another Comforter to be with you forever, the Spirit of truth ... He stays with you and will be in you ... I will not leave you as a man. I come to you ... In that day you will know that I am in My Father and you in Me and I in you. (John 14: 15-31, 15: 26-27, compare Romans 8: 26-27)

Behold, I (Christ) stand at the door, and I knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him ... (Revelation 3:20)

You ... are ... in the Spirit, at least if the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. If Christ is in you ... And if the Spirit of Him (God), who raised Jesus from the dead, dwells in you ... (Romans 8: 9-11) compare Galatians 4: 6, 1 Corinthians 3:16 and 6: 19; Ephesians 2:22)

Under the New Covenant, "the Spirit of God" is actually Christ Jesus, who after his ascension acts as God's omnipresent authorized shepherd and leader of believers on earth:

For where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in their midst. (Matthew 18:20)

In spite of the fact that God and Christ cannot be among us because of our unholiness (see Hebrews 7:26), they are still present in the Spirit and in all who believe. The Spirit of God can, therefore, be God or Christ himself, or an angel. It is, therefore, meant God's power and influence on earth and not a separate Person of Deity.

The manifestation of God

When we speak of God as "the Spirit," it means that He is invisible to us. God can obviously manifest, make visible, but He does not because we sinful people can not bear the sight of the holy and almighty God. Even when God sent an angel, people could not bear or hardly bear his sight and thought they would die because they had seen "God" (Judges 13: 21-22). Even Moses and Elijah could only catch a glimpse of the Angel who spoke to them (Exodus 33: 18-23, 1 Kings 19:13). God's presence often appeared from certain (sometimes terrifying) natural phenomena (Exodus 19: 16-19 compare Hebrews 12: 18-21, 1 Kings 19: 11-12, 2 Samuel 5:24). The cloud and fire column in the desert also testified of the presence of God in the people of Israel. This hid the glory of God before the eyes of the people. The sight of the glorified Lord Jesus is now also unbearable (Revelation 1: 12-17). The Tabernacle and later the Temple was built as the visible dwelling place of God among men. A cloud testified at the inauguration that He wanted to be present in this place among His people (Exodus 40-34-35, 1 Kings 8:11, 2 Chronicles 5: 13-14 and 7: 1-3).

Thanks for reading.
Remain blessed.
Shalom.

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