Forever Home in the Eternal Family of God

Daily Encouragement for the Family of God by Kenton Cheek

30 December 2024

Reading From Revelation 19-22

“Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.”

At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers and sisters who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus.” —Revelation 19:9-10

“Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.” —Revelation 20:6

“Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away,and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” —Revelation 21:1-4

“One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.” —Revelation 21:9-10

“I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.” —Revelation 21:22

In discovering our identity, community and destiny in Christ Jesus, it is imperative to use terms and phrases carefully to avoid confusion. Words are powerful. Words matter. Born again followers of Jesus will not become gods and goddesses in their own right.

John was corrected by the angel who served as guide on this tour of the End Times. The Apostle was not to worship him as the angel is our fellow servant. Only God Himself is worthy of worship. Rather, our destiny is to be perfectly united with God in glory. This harmony with Him is so seamless that healthy human marriage is the closest illustration we have available to us. In holy matrimony, two become one. The Bride comes together with the Bridegroom to form the Body of Christ.

This unity is also represented by the concept of the temple in Heaven. Elsewhere in Scripture we are told that we are temples of the Holy Spirit and that as we grow spiritually and are brought along in the process of sanctification, we are being brought together as living stones to form a massive Temple in which God dwells by His Spirit. But here in Revelation we find that God and the Lamb are the Temple. We become one with God. What a marvelous mystery we experience in Jesus.

We will receive exaltation in that we are called, ordained and anointed as prophets, priests and kings, prophetesses, priestesses and queens and will judge and reign with Christ. However, even as we will receive our resurrected bodies and are partakers of His divine nature, the focus and goal of our faith is to bring honor and glory to our Heavenly Father. We will have the privilege and pleasure of enjoying the warmth and light and love of His Presence in His celestial kingdom forevermore.

“God thank You for this glorious vision of our identity, community and destiny we have in You! All worship, glory, praise and honor belong to You, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords! In the matchless Name of Jesus Christ I pray all these things, Amen.”

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 house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. ¹⁰ Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God;once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. —I Peter 2:4-5, 9-10