The Temple
DAY 17 WRITTEN BY: Ben biesecker-
Revelation 21:22
I did not see a temple in it, because the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.
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In the closing vision of the Revelation given to John, God reveals the fortune lying in wait for Christians upon the arrival of the new heaven and new earth. In this restored world to come, there is no more chaos, no more tears, no more heavy-heartedness, no more decimating loss, no more dark days. By contrast, our new home is dazzling and radiant, every detail crafted with precious stones, running through the land is the river of life, and at the center—the throne of God. There is no temple in the holy city for, in this place, God dwells unhindered with mankind. The fulfillment of temple purposes. God is our temple.
To grasp the magnificence of our future, we must understand the past. God’s presence is an all-consuming fire. As He exhibits His unblemished holiness, it engulfs anything less than. How could a broken and sinful human being experience the nearness of a blazing, holy God, if not for a designated space by His design? In 1 Kings 6, Solomon constructs the temple of God, according to His specifications, which becomes the center of worship and life for Israel. At the height of the temple age, God’s glory descended upon the people by way of this sacred space where the priests would atone for the unholiness of the people. Now, in the presence of the Lord, Israel experienced the blessing of His glory spilling out into the community—abundance, protection, and life.
Maintaining a space suitable for the fiery presence of God required daily shedding of blood, tedious observance of rituals, and a multitude of priests in service. You and I have never endured such a brutal and laborious experience to sense God’s nearness. That’s because Jesus is our high priest, He observed God’s law, and He shed His own blood to purify us so that we might become the living temple of God (1 Cor. 6v19). For now, we carry the presence of God in a broken, suffering, and faithless world. But our destiny is to live in a holy city, where the presence of God is unleashed into every corner of the earth, then God Himself will be our temple.
You probably have a glorious vision of the new creation. But any glory in the life to come is merely spillover from the God who will be the temple among us.
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Father, thank you for your presence in my life. Raise my awareness of your daily mercy, guidance, and provision that comes with it. Lift my expectations for the coming day when your presence will be unleashed in the entire earth. And help me remember what it cost — the suffering of your Son, Jesus.
