Revelation 21.22 22 And I saw no temple in the city, for
its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. (ESV)
In our reading plan we’ve spent some time in the prophecy
of Ezekiel and the revelation of John. In today’s reading we see the
restoration of the Temple and in John’s we see the new heaven, the new earth,
and the new Jerusalem. Ezekiel’s prophecy reminds the Jews of their special
place in God’s heart, and John’s revelation reminds the rest of us that all
mankind will be restored to that place of sinless perfection which preceded the fall in the Garden of Eden.
Mankind fell in that garden. Israel fell in their apostasy
from God. The rest of us fall everyday. But God never breaks His promises and the faithful will be saved and
restored.
In the grand finale however,
there will be no Jewish Temple; there won’t be a need for it. There will be a
new heaven, a new earth, and a new Jerusalem but no temple. The need for
temples will be replaced by the presence of God. “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with
them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their
God." (Revelation 21.3) And the God-fearing will finally and eternally
be blessed with the granting of their greatest desire: God Himself. Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who
fears the Lord. (Psalm 128.4)
As I read this I think about
the things I’ve clung to over the years that will be no more. As I think about
this I realize that Heaven will be directly attached to the new earth, and
there will be Sonshine forever (…and its gates will never be shut by day—and
there will be no night there. Revelation 21.25)
God chose to reveal Himself to
mankind through the Jewish race but He never intended for us to live according
to Jewish laws and regulations; Revelation 21 pretty well closes the chapter on
that. Ezekiel’s Temple will be restored sometime down the road, but God
really has no need for temples – His desire is to be up close and personal with
everyone who believes in and desires Him.
My desire is to be with God. My
desire is to live in the glorious light of His presence. God doesn’t want
temples or rules or laws – He just wants me. And in this present age I need to
give Him what He wants: Blessed is everyone
who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways! (Psalm 128.1) (Emphasis mine.)
Father, there will be no need
for a Temple because there will be Your presence, up close and personal. Help
me to live today as I will ultimately live then: not distracted, not deceived,
not bored, but alive and well in Your glorious presence. Thank You for Your Spirit
until that day – amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment