Forever Home in the Eternal Family of God

Daily Encouragement for the Family of God by Kenton Cheek

8 September 2024

Reading From Ezekiel 40-41

“In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after the city was struck down, on that very day, the hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me to the city. In visions of God he brought me to the land of Israel, and set me down on a very high mountain, on which was a structure like a city to the south. When he brought me there, behold, there was a man whose appearance was like bronze, with a linen cord and a measuring reed in his hand. And he was standing in the gateway. And the man said to me, “Son of man, look with your eyes, and hear with your ears, and set your heart upon all that I shall show you, for you were brought here in order that I might show it to you. Declare all that you see to the house of Israel.”

–Ezekiel 40:1-4

     In this passage, Yahweh reveals to the Prophet Ezekiel visions of glory in which are descriptions of a place calling it a very high mountain, a city, and a temple.  The One showing Ezekiel this place of wondrous beauty is most likely a pre-incarnate manifestation of Jesus Christ.  What Ezekiel sees surpasses the splendor of the temple which Zerubbabel rebuilt, and King Herod expanded.  This glorious vision finds fulfillment in the future which the Apostle John saw as the New Jerusalem coming down from Heaven. 

     The New Jerusalem is the Church, the Bride of Christ.  On Earth, in our present reality, the Lord God dwells within us and among us, His people.  But in Heaven, we will dwell with Him.   Every born again believer in Jesus is an individual temple of God and we are being joined together by the Spirit as a mighty Temple, a dwelling place for Him.  Acts 17:24-25 shows us this truth, “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.”

     When I pray with my children before they go to sleep each night, I often pray that the Lord would guide them into His Kingdom and that they would dwell in His House forever.  What I am praying for them is not that they would one day live in a church building.  My fervent desire is that they will always join together with like-minded believers in worshipping God and growing in Him.  As each of my babies makes their own decision to follow Jesus, they will be sealed by the Holy Spirit to Jesus and His Church forever.  The House of the Lord is the Church and is composed of every blood-washed, Holy Spirit-sealed believer who has ever lived.

     No matter where or when we live in this present reality, if we have genuinely repented, confessed, and believe, we are born again and we can enjoy fellowship with other followers of Jesus Christ all over the world.  It is truly an exciting experience to worship with other believers in other nations.  When we visit them, even when if there is a language barrier, we feel an instant and deep bond with them. 

     Believers are not only united with one another through our common faith and trust in Jesus and His Word the Bible, but Scripture says we are also surrounded spiritually by our brothers and sisters who have gone on before us.  Hebrews 12:1-3 reveals this connection we enjoy, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

     This spiritual bond is made by the Holy Spirit who has cleansed all of us spiritually in the blood of Jesus, baptizing us all into the same Church universal.  We are sealed by the Spirit unto the day of redemption when all of us will be part of the New Jerusalem and dwell in the New Heaven and the New Earth.  We will enjoy perfect unity and fellowship with one another and with God.  What a magnificent Temple we are part of!  Our bond with one another on the common ground of the essentials of our faith transcends any non-essentials of politics or theology or culture.  No matter what happens, we must focus on Christ and His Word and in all things love one another.

“Lord, I pray that You would show us how much we have in common with one another.  I pray against divisive factions within the Body of Christ.  May we resolve to be like the Apostle Paul and focus on communicating the Good News of Jesus, crucified, risen and coming again!  Reveal to us what is essential, what is not essential and help us to extend Your great love and truth to everyone.  In Your Wonderful Name I pray, Amen.”

For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.

 –I Corinthians 2:2

In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, whois the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

–Ephesians 1:13-14

One Lord, one faith, one baptism,

One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

–Ephesians 4:5-6

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

–I Corinthians 6:19-20

As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual houseto be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in Scripture it says:

“See, I lay a stone in Zion,
    a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him
    will never be put to shame.” –I Peter 2:4-6

He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

–Ephesians 2:17-22

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.

I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”

Then one of the seven angels who held the seven bowls containing the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come with me! I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.”

So he took me in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and he showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God. It shone with the glory of God and sparkled like a precious stone—like jasper as clear as crystal.

I saw no temple in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.

–Revelation 21:1-4, 9-11, 22