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December 7 Daily Devotional

Twilight: Jerusalem Rebuilt

the Rev. Andrew Kuyvenhoven

Monthly Theme:

The Prince of Peace, the Son of David, was announced by Isaiah. The story of his coming was proclaimed by the evangelists, each with a different emphasis. Jesus made God's kingship real in this world. Today, the kingdom is here—and it is coming.

Bible Reading:

Revelation 21:9–14

Bible Text:

On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel ... and on [the foundations] were the names of the twelve apostles (Rev. 21:12, 14).

Devotional:

"I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb," says the angel. So John expects to see the redeemed people for whom Christ gave his life. But when the Spirit has enlightened his eyesight, he sees "the holy city, Jerusalem."

The city is God's people. And God's people are the city. The passage does not say that the redeemed live in Jerusalem. But rather the bride and the city stand for the same reality. Jerusalem represents the redeemed of the Lord of all ages.

When Isaiah saw the great redemption of the future, he described it most frequently as the rebuilding of Jerusalem, or the gathering of all Israel. He saw other races saved but only through coming to the one mountain (Zion) and to the one city: Jerusalem.

At the close of the book of Revelation God shows us his finished work: the rebuilt Jerusalem, the restored people of God. The names of the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles of Christ are written on the city. For the promises came to the people of Israel, and the twelve apostles are the remnant of Israel. By the apostolic witness to Christ all people are now being gathered into Jerusalem, so to speak.

"Jerusalem" consists of the redeemed people of both Old and New Testaments. We are now in the days of the ingathering. Now is God's time to rebuild.

Already we begin to see the splendor of the city.


Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published in 1994. This edition is copyright by Faith Alive Christian Resources, from whom may be ordered Daylight, the predecessor of Twilight.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this edition of Twilight are from the New International Version

Be sure to read the "Preface" and the "Acknowledgments" by the author.

 

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