STAND, NEW JERUSALEM
“Come here,” the angel summoned the Apostle John. ” I will show you the Bride, the Lamb’s Wife”. And what did John see? A city!
“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.”(Rev. 21:2-4)
This song, written many years ago, seems so fitting for our day:
Lord make ready Your queen now
She waits in hope
Watching the clouds
Clouds of rain
Washing her clean now
Soon she’ll be seen
Ready to have and to hold
The bride to be is waiting
Clothed in purity
Getting ready for the wedding to begin
And now she sings her love song
Watching for the Son
And she knows, yes she knows
He’ll come again
She hears of war and famine
As her Love foretold
Sees the nations rushing blindly to their doom
But she lifts her head rejoicing
Watching for the Son
For she knows the world will bow
Before her Groom!
Stand, New Jerusalem
Dressed in white linen
Take His hand, take His hand ye lovely Bride of the Lamb!
“…..Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” Eph. 5:25-27.
We long for Your appearing – Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!
YOU CAN’T GO HOME AGAIN
Have you ever been homesick? I have. I remember, as a child, that stifling feeling that would overwhelm me at a friend’s house when twilight began to gather, that nostalgic longing to return home. And it still hits me, a desire to return to that past secure world where I grew up. But here’s the thing. What do you find when you return? People and places change. Old friends move on, lose contact, pass away. Your memories clash with reality. Nothing stays the same.
So let’s consider this. Abraham was homesick too. The writer of Hebrews tells us, “By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.” (Hebrews 11:8-10).
He looked beyond time and saw his eternal home. We, children of Abraham by faith in Christ, have joined him in looking for that city. Earth will disappoint us, but as the old song reminds us, Jesus never fails. Even now the Holy Spirit gives us a longing for and a foretaste of the glory to come. We are on our way home!
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