Forever Home in the Eternal Family of God

Daily Encouragement for the Family of God by Kenton Cheek

12 March 2025

Reading From Mark 13:1-20

“As Jesus was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!”

“Do you see all these great buildings?” replied Jesus. “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”

—Mark 13:1-2

     Revelation is not the only apocalyptic book found in the Bible.  End times prophecies are found in Daniel, I and II Thessalonians and in many other passages, including the Gospels.  This prophecy of Jesus concerning the temple in Jerusalem was fulfilled in the year 70 AD when the Roman Emperor Titus destroyed the temple and the city.  This is one of the most convincing proofs that Jesus was a true Prophet.  It is a cruel irony that many of the Jews were expected the Messiah to be a military and political ruler who would overthrow Roman rule in the Holy Land.  The first advent of Jesus brought about the spiritual Kingdom of God and the second advent will bring everything and everyone on planet Earth under His rule in every way possible. 

     God is so much greater and more expansive than any building made with human hands.  His desire has always been to be with and even within His people.  This dream was realized through the atonement and resurrection of Jesus, God the Son.  By grace through faith in Him, we become temples of the Holy Spirit.  As we yield to the work of the Spirit, surrender each area of our lives to Him, allow Him to change each aspect of our personalities to be more like Him, our unity with Him and with our brothers and sisters increases.  We are being built together as one Body to become a mighty Temple in which God lives by His Spirit.  In the book of Revelation, it is revealed that we are the New Jerusalem, the Bride of Christ. 

     We will enjoy perfect and complete unity and harmony with Him, partaking of His divine nature and sharing in His glory.  How we get there is very practical to our every day lives in the here and now.  We must make choices daily to walk in the Spirit rather than operate according to the flesh.  Rather than do what comes naturally to us as humans, we must choose to do what comes supernaturally to us through the knowledge and wisdom, power and strength of the Spirit.  In this same chapter of Mark, Jesus says, “Everyone will hate you because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.”  We must encourage one another and rely on God in order to stand firm to the end and be saved.  If we do continue to surrender to Him and yield to His work in and through us, we will be part of that great Temple, the New Jerusalem.

“Lord, life on Earth is so hard.  Walking by faith and not by sight is difficult.  I pray that You would strengthen Your sons and daughters.  Continue to show us how wonderful life is with You and how it is so worth it to surrender to You.  Doing life our way only leads to trouble, darkness and death but with You and Your way, You lead us to peace, light and life.  Thank You Lord Jesus.  Increase our faith and the unity we have with one another in the Spirit.  Make us one with You and with Your eternal family.  In Your Name I pray.  Amen.”

“Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”

“Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

—John 4:19-24

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

—Galatians 5:22-23

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.

—Acts 17:24

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 2:19-22

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 21:1-5