There is something about “going home” that touches our heart. Probably because “there’s no place like home.” One of our pastors used to have a saying, “There’s no place just like this place so this must be the place.” Yes, “THE place,” that is like no other.
Most of us can probably remember “going home” times when we were children. The moments seemed like hours. We had been away, and “going home” took so long, we could hardly wait. But we had to.
Can you imagine that right now Jesus might be thinking about “going home”? This planet is HIS. It’s “HOME”! The whole earth is to be His kingdom, from sea to sea. There is no place like this place because it is HIS place.
WE are going home. Our hearts are beating fast in anticipation. Where are we going? We are going home to Mount Zion, the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. Listen as the author of Hebrews describes it.
Hebrews 12:22–24 22But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels,
Who will be present at that happy homecoming?
Think about that sight: “an innumerable company of angels.” Jesus said of himself, that He will be coming “with his angels” (Mat. 16:27). How many? “An innumerable company of angels”—it sounds like more than we can count.
Who else will be there? We are coming…verse 23,
23to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven,
Who is in the “general assembly”? It is the whole family of believers, from righteous Abel to the very last one in our day to be included among Christ’s associates.
Notice also these are the “church of the firstborn.” Why? Because they belong to Christ, who is the “firstborn from the dead,” and the firstborn to immortality.
How are all these “registered in heaven”? The record of their lives is on file in the heavenly office. They are named among those to be redeemed, to be blessed with immortality. Yes, homecoming is a great and glorious event, the greatest ever seen on planet Earth! It is the moment of high honor for every high achiever.
And there is more. Continuing in verse 23, we are coming
to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
To be “made perfect” is to have our mortal bodies changed into that perfect, glorious, incorruptible substance that Jesus has now. It is something new to us, beyond our experience, but the Bible describes it as better than flesh and blood, a substance that does not decay but continues to grow stronger and stronger. Made like the angels of God, no longer subject to death!
Hebrews continues: verse 24,
24to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.
Jesus our “Mediator,” and the “new covenant,” a covenant of life! How blessed we are to have Jesus approaching the heavenly Father in our behalf.
What is the “blood of sprinkling” that “speaks better things than that of Abel”? One possible explanation is that it represents the words of the prophets, apostles and Jesus which are sprinkled on us from Scripture. It is a logical link, because this life giving “blood…speaks” to us. Scripture “speaks,” and now that we have the completed Bible, it speaks much more than Abel had. It does everything for our spiritual lives that physical blood does for our bodies. It is life giving, and life-supporting. Scripture warns, strengthens, heartens, cautions, stimulates, supports, feeds, alerts. All of this we can get from this spiritual, life-giving blood!
What else do we have in Scripture about the happy homecoming? There will be music like you’ve never, never heard. John on Patmos had an audio sampler. Listen:
Revelation 5:11–14 11Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands,
Better start counting… it will take a while to add up “ten thousand times ten thousand,” and then add “thousands of thousands!” Isn’t that a good start on Hebrews’ “innumerable company of angels”? What will that choir sound like! Verse 12:
12saying with a loud voice: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing!”
And there are more who join. Verse 13:
13And every creature which is in heaven [the new heaven, the rulers]and on the earth [the new earth, the populace]and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: “Blessing and honor and glory and power Be to Him who sits on the throne, And to the Lamb, forever and ever!”
Who will be there? ALL the family. It sounds like God will send His own heavenly recruiters.
Isaiah 43:6–7 (KJV) 6I will say to the north, Give up; And to the south, Keep not back: Bring my sons from far, And my daughters from the ends of the earth;
7Even every one that is called by my name: For I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.
They are all family members, all approved sons and daughters of God, all brothers and sisters of Jesus, made in the likeness of the family. And they all have the family name—“every one… is called by my name,” says the Lord. All “formed” and “made” according to one godly standard.
Jesus included His own disciples in the number to be gathered. And besides the meeting and greeting and music there will be a feast! Jesus said,
Luke 22:29–30 29And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me, 30that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”
He said also,
Luke 13:29–30 29They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God. 30And indeed there are last who will be first, and there are first who will be last.”
Isaiah foretold this same grand occasion:
Isaiah 25:6–9 6And in this mountain The Lord of hosts will make for all people A feast of choice pieces, A feast of wines on the lees, Of fat things full of marrow, Of well-refined wines on the lees.
7And He will destroy on this mountain The surface of the covering cast over all people, And the veil that is spread over all nations.
8He will swallow up death forever, And the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces; The rebuke of His people He will take away from all the earth; For the Lord has spoken.
9And it will be said in that day: “Behold, this is our God; We have waited for Him, and He will save us. This is the Lord; We have waited for Him; We will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.”
Going home? YES! There’ll be meeting and greeting and music and feasting far beyond anything we can imagine.
Going home? YES! It’s the greatest homecoming ever—we can hardly wait when we think about it.
But oh, we must be getting ready. NOW. While the time seems to tarry.
We don’t want to be missing there!