7/7/2023

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE READING:

“Then one of the seven angels with the seven bowls full of the seven final plagues came and said to me, ‘Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.’ He carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the holy city of Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God….”

(Revelation 21. 9-10)

TODAY’S REFLECTION ON GOD’S WORD:

You can certainly read the whole of Revelation 21’s description of the “New Jerusalem.” Its image challenges our imagination as to the beauty and the singularity of its existence…as it will be. It is not yet completed. Jesus told His disciples that He was going away to prepare a place for them [and all believers] in His Father’s house. The endeavor He mentions, as recorded in John’s gospel, falls in line with the practice of preparing for an impending wedding. It is the promise and purpose of the groom to build a house that would become the home for his bride. We hardly consider that this is what David and Solomon were doing when they took on the call to build the Temple in Jerusalem. Extending back to the days of Melchizadek in the time of Abraham, Jerusalem was not merely an important city in the region but a place where the footprint of God existed. Melchizadek was a priest, prophet and king. He had been established in that place and on those hills because of his faithfulness to God. His commitment to serve God was rewarded with the coming of a people and a generation of God’s choosing. God was building up a dwelling place there for those who would be His bride; His intended. To this day, Israel remains framed within this image as does the world to whom Israel has always been “intended” to bear witness. From the Psalms we read, “Unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.” (Psalm 127.1-2) The struggle has always been framed by this question “Who is building this house and who is watching over it.” The dynamic exists on the spectrum of man on one side and God on the other. In today’s culture and climate, it is so heavily weighted on humanity’s side that God is virtually unseen.

In the Revelation given to John, we find the vision of what results when that which was spoken of throughout the New Testament becomes reality. The word of God speaks of “a house not built with human hands that is eternal in the heavens.” Not being built by human hands indicates it is not flawed in its intention and in its conception. It is fashioned in the image which the Creator has conceived and called into being. It reflects His purpose, His will and His intentionality to “let love live.” If we have any question as to why relationships and “marriages” fail in all kinds of venues, then we need only to gaze upon what has been revealed and called truth. The truth is “If God is not the builder, then the laborers toil in vain.” This does not mean we shouldn’t build relationships, marriages, communities, places of worship and the like. These are all ordained by God with the purpose of revealing Him in our midst and honoring Him with our service/worship.

But, let the reader beware: when we seek to do so upon our own volition, interpretation and personal satisfaction we will be confronted with the impossibility of the task. Thus we can hear the word of God at this point: “With human beings this is impossible but all things are possible with God.” (Matthew 19.26) I would invite you to read that chapter for yourself. Doing so, you will find its introduction speaks to the practice of marriage and its conclusion giving heed to the fruit of responsibility for commiting one’s faith to the service of God. Matthew 19.28 is prophetic in its pointing the disciples to the day when “all things are made new.” The Temple revealed to John in Heaven is the fulfillment of that prophecy which Jesus uttered as the Christ. This prophecy is spoken as He sets His face toward Jerusalem and the “rebuilding of the Temple” which shall be on earth as it will be in Heaven. It is far more than a city set on a hill. It is far more than a building of great value and worth. It is far more than an expression of power, authority and domination. It is where the people of God shall dwell with God forever and ever. It defies imagination though our imagination continues to wrestle with grasping it. Its streets of gold, never-ending cloudless day, gates of pearl set upon foundations of jewels, great walls and unhindered glory of God become the verses which hymns are made of. Lost in the wonder of it all is the fact that a new mountain will have to be fashioned on which to establish it. There is a reason why all things had to be made new. Life as it is now cannot contain nor accommodate life as it will be. Our God far exceeds what we are attempting to do and make of ourselves in this world. We do not need to dream big. We need only to allow the bigness of God to fill us up to overflowing. We need to allow God to exceed our expectations. We need to let God be the architect, builder and sustainer of our lives and the community in which we live. Doing so not only promotes but guarantees “…nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who practices an abomination or a lie….” (Revelation 21.27) And isn’t that the kind of place we really want to live in? Isn’t that the world we would hope would be our true home? If it is, and it should be, then why are we not pursuing it today with every fiber of our being? Why are we still attempting to “recreate the wheel,” so to speak? As Jesus taught, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all else will be provided.” (Matthew 6.33)

A PRAYER FOR TODAY:

You are our God and we shall be Your people in spirit and in truth. Continue to dwell among us. Let the revelation by Your Holy Spirit inspire us to greater service in a more refined identity. We do not live as ourselves for ourselves. Rather, we live in Christ as He lives in us. We declare it with all the elders and angels in Heaven, saying “Holy, holy, holy is He who was and is and is to come.” In Jesus’ name we live, serve and pray. AMEN.