Key Passage: Revelation 21–22
Devotional:
“There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home.” This iconic phrase from Dorothy in the movie rendition of The Wizard of Oz represents her longing to return to Kansas—the place she dearly loves, with the family she dearly loves, living in the comfort of what is deeply known. Trapped in a foreign land, she desires the rest she knows can only be found in her true home. Much like this aspect of Dorothy’s journey, believers in Christ live in the current broken world, longing to return to their true home. However, this home is not simply a place but a person.
Throughout the Old Testament, the Israelites traveled with a portable place of worship—the tabernacle. In the tabernacle, they had the opportunity (through the mediation of a high priest) to meet with the presence of God. It was there that they were able to experience the glory of His goodness and offer acceptable worship. The tabernacle was set in the midst of their camp to dwell among them as a reminder of the God they loved. But the curtains and the thick veil kept them separated from enjoying His presence.
With the dawn of the new covenant, we see Jesus sent to earth in the form of a human to dwell among men (See John 1:14.). The Greek word skēnoō, used in this passage, means “to tabernacle.” Jesus took up His residence amid humanity— “our camp” —so that we might have the opportunity to fully commune with God. He donned flesh and conquered death to win our redemption. It was upon His finished work on the cross that the veil in the temple (the permanent tabernacle) was torn. Access to God was unfettered, no longer mediated by a high priest, and people could freely come to meet the God they loved. But Jesus spoke still of a day when believers would be united in perfect fellowship with God forever.
Revelation 21:3 gives us a glimpse of that coming day. Speaking of the New Jerusalem, it says, “The dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be His people.” The word used in this passage is, again, “tabernacle”! The focus is not on the location but the relationship. In this glimpse of Heaven, we see how God dwells in perfect communion with His people. The whole story of Scripture points to the reunification of humanity with God, and it is in Heaven that God dwells in the midst of His people in unbroken fellowship. It is there that believers will find the home we were created for and so desperately long for. It is there—with the presence of God dwelling in our midst—that we will fully know and understand Him, be restored in perfect relationship, be rid of the brokenness from sin, and be filled with the rest that comes with being home.
Song Reflection: “Singing in Heaven the songs of your praise/And laughing for joy cause you’re our everything/We praise you, we praise you”
Application Question: What do you imagine Heaven to be like? Using Revelation 21-22, make a list of characteristics used to describe life in Heaven.
Further Reading: John 14:1-7; 1 Corinthians 13:12; Revelation 4:1-11
Written by Alexandra Gibson
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