The Dwelling Places of God
A Scriptural Survey of the Places God Has Chosen to Live
by
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The Bible Says…
From the very conception of the idea for this book, it has always been my desire to lean heavily on the Bible record, trusting the Holy Spirit to inspire me and to show me how to convey the special theme I would be presenting. While being imaginative and creative, I wanted to lean very heavily on what the Bible has to say, more than what I think. I have tried in this writing to present a reoccurring truth found in the scriptures from Genesis to Revelation. Many years ago, I remember being strongly influenced by the late Billy Graham’s preaching ministry. He was well-known for a phrase he often used as he communicated the truth of what God had inspired in the scriptures. He would declare authoritatively, and emphatically … “The Bible says …!” I also remember how that years ago one of my Bible College professors in a class on the New Testament book of Hebrews, would often accentuate his teaching with a phrase that communicated his personal belief in the authority of God’s Word as reliable, and trustworthy, and so very important. He would raise his voice and become intense in his expression, chopping his right hand into his opened left hand as if he were chopping wood, and say “the Word of God – the Word of God!” And now after all these years as a pastor and a teacher, my aim is not to tell you simply what I think, but to demonstrate its veracity and value by supporting it with ample evidence from “the Word of God.” It is with robust intentionality that I present my case with “the Bible says …”
With that said, I want you to go with me on an imaginary journey …
A biblically-inspired journey; imaginary yet based on truth found in God’s Word. It will foreshadow the events mentioned in Chapter 1 and elaborated on in the rest of the book. But here, I will forego “quoting” scripture, and simply cite scripture references where these things occur in the biblical record. (In the rest of the book, most of what I say is followed by scriptural quotations.) For now, I will speak from the perspective of a witness as if we were there seeing these events unfold, based on my knowledge and understanding of scripture. But please know that I certainly don’t claim to know all that transpired in these events, or that I even fully understand all that happened. But this imaginary journey will serve to introduce you to the biblical examination that I have undertaken in the rest of the book.
Ready? Let’s go …
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About the Book
In this book, C. F. Smith asks the question, Where does God live? As the subtitle indicates, the author has carefully surveyed the scriptures to identify and examine the places God has chosen to dwell (live or reside) on the earth throughout history. He first takes the reader on an imaginary biblical journey as an eyewitness to God’s dwelling places. And then he carefully documents what the Bible says about those dwelling places. From Genesis to Revelation, the book is an examination of God’s residences from creation to the new heavens and the new earth. The author states in his introduction, “It is with robust intentionality that I present my case with ‘the Bible says . . .’”
About the Author
C. F. Smith (Charles) is a lifelong student of the Bible, earning an undergraduate degree in Bible and Ministry in 1970, and an M. Ed in 1999. He has spent his life studying and teaching the Bible, in small church settings as a pastor, in Christian school classrooms as a teacher, and in small groups and classroom situations of a fast-growing megachurch. ( Church attendance is about 8,000 per week on six campuses.) Charles grew up in Greenville, South Carolina and married Becky Mitchell (Montgomery, Alabama) in 1970. They have been happily married for forty-eight years. The first twenty-five years Charles and Becky served in pastoral ministry in small churches across the southeast. Later Charles enjoyed twenty years in the field of education as a middle school teacher. Now retired, he is beginning to write professionally in order to continue his teaching career through books and articles. In 1995 Charles and Becky became members at Savannah Christian Church (now Compassion Christian), and he began to teach the Adult Bible Fellowship Class. After twenty years, Charles continues to teach that class, along with his good friend Dennis Meeks.