Hi @Carson, I’m just reading From Eden to the New Jerusalem, by Desmond Alexander which you have recommended previously in other discussions.
The concept of God re-establishing his presence on earth is certainly supported in his overview of the Biblical narrative:
the sweep of biblical history is about how divine kingship will be established on the earth
but interestingly there is a sub theme that goes hand in hand with the overarching theme,
implicit…is the idea that God’s authority will be extended throughout the earth as people increase
Alexander looks at the divine command of Gen 1:26-27 of man being image bearers of God, reflecting “the divine delegation of authority to humankind to rule over the earth”.
A key component of this theme then is reinstating mankind’s role as priest-kings. Just as in the ancient world when the king was the “living image of a god” exemplified by Ramses II describing his own divine-image status, Alexander says that
to be made in the ‘image of God’ is to be given regal status.
About the ANE, he writes,
a ruler’s image was set up in distant parts of the kingdom in order to indicate that his authority reached there.
I love the comparison he makes to God’s command in Genesis, repeated to Noah after the flood to ‘be fruitful and multiply’.
Our design as humans to be fruitful and multiply is a direct expression of God’s sovereignty and authority over earth.
God’s reinstatement of his presence throughout creation is entwined with mankind’s multiplication: God’s image is carried throughout the world by us.