WHEN THE TENT HOUSE IS FOLDED

2 Cor. 5:1

Morning Meditation 10/21/2012

"For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens."

One of these days, unless prevented by the rapture of the saints, and the resurrection of the dead, we will all have to fold this tent house we live in and bury it to go back to the dust from whence it came.

This is a dreaded event that none of us like to think about. Even we who are saved will be going down a path that we have never trodden before. However we are not alone. The psalmist David said, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.” This was probably not penned to set forth David's attitude as much as his trust in God when in the presence of danger. I saw what could have been the valley that inspired this psalm. It lies between Jerusalem and Jericho on the old road. Our tourist bus stopped probably around 9 A.M. We got off the bus and walked up to the edge of a deep gorge or valley. The sun was bright but to our surprise the deep valley was dusky dark. It was deep with a road that wound around through these valleys as the shepherd led his sheep to the sheep fold for the night. One can easily see where the sheep would be vulnerable to wolves and other predators on their route home.

The sheep were perfectly at peace as they followed their shepherd. He would protect them. He had done it more than once.

Our text says “For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God. . .” The word “tabernacle” in this verse means a movable tent. It is one that will eventually have to be replaced because it was constantly put up and taken down. Here Paul is comparing our body to a tent. He says, “if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved,” we do not have to worry because, “we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." The words “we have” means, "...we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. " The words “we have” mean to have and to hold in the hand. It is a present tense verb therefore a present possession. This means that the house that the Lord has prepared for us to indwell, between death and the resurrection, has already been prepared and is waiting for us to move in.

My friend, Dr. John Phillips, says he believes that this teaches that at death we will have a body that the Lord has prepared for us. Then when the resurrection takes place it will be united into one with our resurrection bodies. There are times when truth like this overwhelms me with estatic praise. Someone hold my mules!!! Hallelujah!!!

By nature we live as though this life were all of it. But when we met Jesus we discovered that this life is just a stepping stone on the way to enter God's eternal purpose for man. What happens here is totally insignificant compared to the glory that will be experienced by the believer when caught up to meet the Lord in the air to forever be with Him.

Dr. Adolph Saphir, in his Expository Lectures on the Epistle to the Hebrews, relates the following:

“Are you afraid of death? Said a friend to a German pastor.” “Which death do you mean?” replied the dying man. Jesus. My Saviour, saith, 'he that believeth in Me shall never die. 'Why then should I be afraid of what I shall not even see.'”

When Henry Reed of Tasmania was dying, he said: “I find no shadow of death in the valley; it is to me full of light, green pastures, and living water. I was never so happy since I was born. Glory, glory, glory to the triune God.”

May the Lord bless these words to your hearts.

In Christ

Bro. White