Prayer – Heavenly Father, I am so anxious to see what my new home in heaven is going to be like, but I am forcing myself to be patient. Help me to be prepared for Jesus’ return. Give me wisdom to know what to do as I wait. I joyfully look forward to sitting at Your banquet table, feasting with You, singing praises to You at Your throne, and living in the home that Jesus promised to prepare for me.
Don't
let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more
than enough room in my Father's home. If this were not so, would I have told
you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I
will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. John 14:1-3
Meditate. Build? Prepare?
In the
marriage customs of the Hebrew people after the betrothal or engagement of the
couple, the bridegroom must build their home, adding onto his father’s existing
home. When it was ready, the father of the groom would invite people to the
wedding, sometimes providing special wedding clothes for them. The bride would
be taken by her guests from her family’s home in a procession in the middle of
the night through the streets to the bridegroom’s home. The bridegroom would
not be at home when she arrived, giving her time to have her hair done by her
maids in waiting. He would be having dinner at another relative’s home and his
wedding guests would accompany him back to his own home where his bride waited
for him. People along his procession route would call out “There he is. He is
coming!” The bride’s maids in waiting would come out with oil lamps to light up
the entrance as the groom and his guests arrived. After the bridegroom
procession entered, the doors were shut and no other guests were received. Then
the bride and groom would be seated under a colorful canopy and for the next
three to five days the father of the groom hosted an elaborate and elegant
banquet.
Ancient ruins of homes in Capernaum, Israel
Jesus is that bridegroom—His bride is His believers. He’s gone to heaven to prepare a place—a magnificent home for us. It is so exciting. I’ve only lived in a brand-new house once in my life. When I was eight years old my parents built a new house—and it was so beautiful to us. It was really lovely three-bedroom home with pastel plastered walls, lots of windows, and a full unfinished basement that gave us kids lots of playroom when the weather was too hot or too cold to be outdoors. What will our home in heaven be like?
Jesus was a carpenter—actually a stone mason. Since Jesus created the heavens and the earth, He probably has some really good design ideas and is keeping those angels busy creating just the perfectly exquisite domicile for each of us. I like to imagine that those who are creative here on earth—will probably continue that in heaven and that Jesus will provide a space for people to do artistic projects to glorify the Father. Perhaps there will be elaborate kitchens for all the chefs, bakers and cooks to resourcefully prepare daily feasts. I image glorious gardens—and even dreamed once that I was planting pansies along a golden brick road. What could be better?
The book of Revelation tells us that we will be singing around the thrones where God the Father and Jesus Christ are seated. Knowing that we’ll have a wonderful home and lots of singing does make heaven appealing to me. How about you? Do you want to go there? Where do you stand in your faith in Jesus Christ? He said that the only way to the Father, i.e. heaven, is through Him. So those who believe in Him can be assured that He is building a home attached to our Heavenly Father’s home. Hope to see you there!
Verse of Salvation ~ Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, "I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!" Jesus responded, "Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost." Luke 19:8-10 NLT
Adapted from September 2, 2017, Banquet With The King blog
All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless
otherwise noted.
New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale
House Foundation.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream,
Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.
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