MJ,
It seems to me that the WTS article you quoted is arguing from a negative position. (i think?)
They are assuming that God being with his people means he would have to be on earth as a fleshly being. Wouldn't it fit more into the scriptures many have quoted on this thread that his walking with his people would occur in a spiritual setting, free from the bondage to our physical body? Wasn't it Paul who discussed being free from our physical bodies to be with Christ and God?
I have often wondered about this:
As a dub I always read the OT scriptures that discussed the paradise earth. I always applied those scriptures to the future of mankind. The reason I recall was that the promised land did not fulfill those prophecies so they must still have a future fulfillment.
I never thought of this as a dub but I have since. Why couldn't those scriptures have a spiritual fulfillment? Why must it be physical for physical. Why couldn't it be physical pointing to the better, more perfect, spiritual?
There must be examples in the OT of prophecies which used physical things to discuss spiritual things. The Holy and Most Holy comes to mind, as do the sacrifices. I'm sure there are more.