The status of the lower worlds as an abode for God is not a current reality.
It is a challenge we are faced with, a quest we must embark upon.
It is incumbent on us to prepare this world for the ultimate purpose of creation, which will transpire in the World to Come.
Our work toward this goal began with the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, a glimpse of the culmination of existence as an abode for God, and continues through our keeping the Torah and its mitzvot in this world for all generations until the end of time.
Through the study of Torah over the course of history and throughout the generations, we create spiritual infrastructures within our souls and the world that function as a sort of code, allowing us to connect with supernal holiness.
By means of continual Torah study and wholehearted devotion to the Torah’s timeless message, we gradually attain a certain level in which this at times enigmatic code will be decrypted and rendered intelligible.
At that time, there will be a sudden revelation of all that was previously hidden.
At that point the Torah and its mitzvot will illuminate the entire world, which will join them in extolling God’s glory.
Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz