Rabbi’s Reflections – Thursday, December 23, 2021
Shalom,
Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
Thu 23-Dec-2021 19th of Tevet, 5782
Ex 3:16-4:17 2 Sa 7 Ps 75 Lk 6:1-26 (Gal 3)
Week 52
Memory Verse: Revelation 21:3 I also heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the dwelling of God is among men, and He shall tabernacle among them. They shall be His people, and God Himself shall be among them and be their God. 4 He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more. Nor shall there be mourning or crying or pain any longer, for the former things have passed away.”
256 12/20 Monday: Revelation 2
257 12/21 Tuesday: Revelation 3
258 12/22 Wednesday: Revelation 19:6-20
259 12/23 Thursday: Revelation 21
260 12/24 Friday: Revelation 22
Revelation 21 by Doug Kimball
Rabbi asked me to write a little for his RR while he is on vacation. Wow! What an honor! He suggested that I write on the reading from the F260 plan for today which is Revelation 21. Wow, again! I have always loved this chapter, for two reasons. First, we get to read about the end of the story. The part where God and His people “live happily ever after”.
“I also heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the dwelling of God is among men, and He shall tabernacle among them. They shall be His people, and God Himself shall be among them and be their God” (Rev. 21:3).
That is as good as it gets!! The second reason, as a visual artist (I love to draw and paint pictures) I am undone by the manner in which John paints, with words, a detailed and magnificent picture of the new heaven and earth and the new Jerusalem with all of its glory and majesty. What a marvelous picture of the physical and spiritual beauty that John saw in the vision that God gave him.
God always tells us what He is going to do. Amos 3:7 For the Lord Adonai, will do nothing, unless He has revealed His counsel to His servants the prophets. 8 A lion has roared, who will not fear? My Lord Adonai has spoken, who shall not prophesy? He does this so that we can be filled with the blessed assurance that He indeed, works everything for good. Romans 8:28 Now we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to His purpose.
God gave John a vision describing how He is going to make everything new. And in so doing, create a new world like He did in the beginning, detailed in Beresheet (Genesis 1). In the beginning, God created a perfect paradise with the intention that He and His creation (the pinnacle of which is mankind) would dwell together with Him in perfect peace and harmonious love for all eternity.
“Dwell together” means walking together, talking together, being together, face to face (panim al panim), side by side in love with each other like a bride and groom. God also gives us a picture of this real love relationship in Song of Songs. Song of Songs is the beautiful love poem that God wrote to us to help us understand how passionately He loves us and how we are destined to love Him.
In Revelation 21, God gives us the description of how we, His bride, will live together with Him in perfection: glory, holiness, safety, and love. Free from evil, pain, death, shame and fear. Rev. 21:4 “He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more. Nor shall there be mourning or crying or pain any longer, for the former things have passed away.”.
And yet, is this not how we can have relationship with God today? Through the Holy Spirit and faith in Yeshua the Messiah, we can experience what is described in Revelation 21. While not yet perfect, we can live today in God’s love, producing fruit such as joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (See Galatians 5:22-33)
Yes we can… walk today with God, face to face, side by side, in love with God and in perfect relationship with each other. Why wait?