The Daily Word of Righteousness

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #59

Then I said to them, "You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace." (Nehemiah 2:17—NIV)

God in Christ in the saints will be available to whoever chooses to come up to the new Jerusalem and ask for life, healing and guidance. Jerusalem will be the very Throne of God.

The story of mankind is that of restoration. We receive the blessing freely; we forfeit through our foolishness what was given to us; then we begin the long process of seeking to regain what we lost. Once we regain our inheritance we do not lose it again because we have come to understand the value of it.

This is the story of Adam and Eve, of the prodigal son, of Samson, of the Christian Church, of all of us. We might say we can receive and hold nothing of value until we have obtained it twice.

God is not going to restore eternal residence in Heaven to us because the world of spirits is not what we lost. What we lost was visible fellowship with God and Paradise on the earth. What will be restored is visible fellowship with God, and Paradise on the earth. What was lost shall be fully restored.

The various jewels and pearls of the new Jerusalem speak of the perfected character of the saints. The jasper wall represents the resistance to sin that is formed in us as we struggle to conquer sin through Christ. The gates of pearl are created as we patiently deal with the irritations and frustrations of life on the earth.

The future is glorious indeed for those who receive and obey Jesus Christ. The future is grim indeed for those who refuse to come under the lordship of Christ, who seek to preserve their own way.

We have been given another chance to serve God in a paradisiac environment. Let us make the most of it. He who overcomes will inherit all that God has promised us.

At that time they will call Jerusalem The Throne of the LORD, and all nations will gather in Jerusalem to honor the name of the LORD. No longer will they follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts. (Jeremiah 3:17—NIV)

When he came to his senses, he said, "How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you." (Luke 15:17,18—NIV)

To be continued.