Isaiah 9:6-7

9:6. For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
9:7. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.
–NKJ

Isaiah talks about a king who will come in the future. One that we know as the person of Jesus Christ. He will arrive as a child who is born in the usual way. A gift of joy and pleasure to his parents. He will be a son who is to carry the weight and burden of governmental authority.

He will be the kind of person deserving of the names listed here. I looked up the original words and the list reads like this:

Miraculous, Counselor, Strong, Warrior, Father being Forever, Prince of Peace.

The comma’s (,) separate the individual words of his name.

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Matthew 16:15-19

16:15. He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
16:16. And Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
16:17. Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.
16:18. “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.
16:19. “And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
–NKJ

The events leading up to this passage has Jesus talking to his disciples and asking them what others are saying about him. The disciples named off a few prophets. Most people, even today will concede that Jesus was at least a great teacher and prophet. Jesus doesn’t stop there, next he gets personal.

Deciding who Jesus is, and what he is all about is a personal decision. You can’t take what others are saying and claim it as your own. At some point you have to turn to him face to face, and decide for yourself. Who is Jesus to you? He is who he is, and you can’t mold him into your own convenient god. Until you come to understand who he is, as Peter did, the rest of this passage can hold no meaning to you.

Now, in this passage Peter steps up as the spokesmen for the disciples. I’m sure they were silently deciding the matter and arriving at their own, similar conclusions. In simple terms, Peter claimed that he believed that Jesus was the promised Messiah, the Christ. Also that Jesus was the son of God. Doesn’t that seem like such a no brainer? But is it? Think about all those times when the disciples had to pull Jesus aside to explain a parable. Even as late as the day Jesus ascended to heaven, ten days before Pentecost they were unsure of what would happen next.

Jesus knew all about the thick heads of his students and acknowledged that this revelation of truth could only be known because it came from God. Look at what Jesus does. He addresses Peter directly. He answered him, not he answered them. Each individual has to come to make his own decision. Each individual gets a personal responce.

Due to his desire to seek after Jesus, and his new discovery by God, Peter is given his new name which means rock. Though he might only be just a little rock, he would be the beginnings of the foundation that the rest of the house of Jesus will be built upon.

The shape and strength of a building’s foundation determine the shape the building will take. Peter was being given the keys of the kingdom to unlock a little of what heaven is like here on earth. The traditions he started are to continue their patterns all through the building that would come. The things that he restricted would become the taboos of the church that would later come.

Ask that God will reveal Jesus to you so you can believe and be a part of his kingdom. As believers, we have our own part of the building. Much of the shape of the building has already been set in place. There’s still room to fit in and be part of the finished structure. The rocks of the foundation are way different from the shingles that cover the top of the roof, but all parts of the building are needed and important. There’s a place that is empty and waiting for you to fill it in.

Come face to face with Jesus. Ask God to reveal the secret of who Jesus is as his son and savior of the human race. He has a key for you as well to unlock your part of his kingdom. Get involved and be part of his building, his church, his body of believers. Through fellowship in a body of believers, start today to discover what the keys of the kingdom will unlock.

2 Corinthians 5:1–10; Revelation 21:1–4  

Summary:
That in his assured hope of immortal glory,
and in expectation of it, and of the general judgment, he labours to keep a good conscience;
A new heaven and a new earth.

5:1. For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
5:2. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven,
5:3. if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked.
5:4. For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life.
5:5. Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.
5:6. Therefore we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord.
5:7. For we walk by faith, not by sight.
5:8. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.

5:9. Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him.
5:10. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

21:1. And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea.
21:2. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
21:3. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God.
21:4. “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying; and there shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

Comments:

Everything we know in this earth comes to an end. Though our bodies may stop living and return to dust, we have a permanent place in God’s kingdom. That dwelling place should be a deep desire of all of God’s people. It only makes sense to want to ensure a place for ourselves there, so we won’t have to stand before him and be ashamed.

The writer of this passage talks about being clothed, and being ashamed. Our heavenly clothing is from Jesus. He is the one who covers our sins and clothes us in the eyes of God. Any others will have to stand without such clothing, and be ashamed, as the clothing of the excuses they might have in this life are found to be no clothes at all.

God’s purpose is for this end. He wants each of us to be in his final heavenly kingdom. We can’t really be there as long as we remain in our physical bodies. Our life here is one of faith, since we can’t see the spiritual realm. We just have to trust, have faith, and believe. Our desire should be for the time when life is ended and our eternal existance can begin.

Keep on living in a way that God would be pleased with. Live now, as if we were standing before him right now.

At some point in time, even the earth itself will pass away. God promises a brand new heaven and earth. There will be a new, holy city. A time will come when people and God will live together. A special unity will be there. No more division, no more pain, no more sorrow. God will wipe away every tear, and true life, as he intended it will begin.

Some people believe we will live on, and inherit a new earth. Maybe so. Some people believe this ending means we will go and dwell in heaven, where God is. Maybe so. Whether it is either place, we will be reunited, seeing, and experiencing God face to face.

The heaven and the earth will be made anew, refreshed, they will be recreated. The old ones will have gone away. The new city, sent direct from God will be all squeaky clean and as elaborately prepared as a bride, getting ready for her wedding. Fancy. Every detail perfect. God’s presence will live, dwell, be encamped among men. Unity. All the bad things that we know now will just be gone.

Don’t miss it.