Later on, after John was arrested, Jesus
went into Galilee, where he preached God's Good News. "The time promised
by God has come at last!" he announced. "The Kingdom of God is near!
Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!" Mark 1:14-15 NLT
 |
| Model of the City of Jerusalem. The Old will pass away...and a New Jerusalem will appear-- with foundations stones of precious jewels and streets of gold.. |
The
Kingdom of God is near! That is a phrase that has been heard around the
world…for thousands of years. Old Testament references to God’s Kingdom include
a couple found in 2 Chronicles and in the book of Daniel.
Praise the LORD your God, who delights in
you and has placed you on the throne as king to rule for him. Because God loves
Israel and desires this kingdom to last forever, he has made you king over them
so you can rule with justice and righteousness. 2 Chronicles 9:8
During the reigns of those kings, the God of
heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed or conquered. It will
crush all these kingdoms into nothingness, and it will stand forever. Daniel
2:44
God’s
Kingdom will last forever—as foretold in Daniel—and described by Jesus.
Then Jesus said, "What is
the Kingdom of God like? How can I illustrate it? Luke 13:18
So what is
the Kingdom of God like? Heaven is a wonderful place—depicted in Revelation.
And I saw the holy city, the
new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully
dressed for her husband. ... It shone with the glory of God and sparkled like a
precious stone--like jasper as clear as crystal. The city wall was broad and
high, with twelve gates guarded by twelve angels. And the names of the twelve
tribes of Israel were written on the gates. There were three gates on each
side--east, north, south, and west. The wall of the city had twelve foundation
stones, and on them were written the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
The angel who talked to me held in his hand a gold measuring stick to measure
the city, its gates, and its wall. When he measured it, he found it was a
square, as wide as it was long. In fact, its length and width and height were each
1,400 miles. Then he measured the walls and found them to be 216 feet thick
(according to the human standard used by the angel). The wall was made of
jasper, and the city was pure gold, as clear as glass. The wall of the city was
built on foundation stones inlaid with twelve precious stones: the first was
jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth
onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth
topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. The
twelve gates were made of pearls--each gate from a single pearl! And the main
street was pure gold, as clear as glass. Revelation 21:2, 11-21
Worshiping
God forever and walking on streets of gold. Can you imagine anything more
glorious? It all begins with repent and
believe.
Prayer
~ Lord God, Worshipping You forever… heaven’s gates will never be closed at the
end of day because there is no night there. And all the nations will bring
their glory and honor into the city. Nothing evil will be allowed to enter, nor
anyone who practices shameful idolatry and dishonesty—but only those whose
names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life. Revelation 21:25-27. Glory.
Glory. Glory.
Daily
Bible Reading:1 Samuel 4-8
©
2018 Text and photos by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
All
scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted
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