Perfect Communion with God (2 Chronicles 3:8)

And he made the Most Holy Place. Its length, corresponding to the breadth of the house, was twenty cubits, and its breadth was twenty cubits. He overlaid it with 600 talents of fine gold.
—2 Chronicles 3:8

When you read this verse, you hear the dimensions of the most holy place, which was the center of the temple. So the place where the glory of God dwelled, the presence of God in the middle of his people; you see this picture of basically a cube, with a length corresponding to the breadth of the house. Its breadth was twenty cubits.

What’s really interesting is when you get to the book of Revelation. You see the dimensions of heaven described in Revelation 21 and 22; you see the dimensions of heaven described as a cube, and its length and its breadth are equal to each other. To read from Revelation chapter 21, verse 16, the Bible describes the holy city as lying four square. Its length is the same as its width. And you measured the city with its rod 12,000 stadia; its length and width and height are equal. And that’s not a coincidence.

2 Chronicles 3:8 teaches us to look forward to dwelling with God forever.

This whole picture of the design of the most holy place in the temple that we see being constructed in 2 Chronicles is a picture that we see again, as heaven is described in the same kind of dimensions as the most holy place. And the picture is in heaven; we will be in the dwelling place of God, like the whole imagery of heaven, and Revelation chapter 21: from the very beginning of that chapter, behold, the dwelling of God is with man, and he will dwell with them. God himself will be with them as their God.

The awesome thing about heaven, the hope to which we all long who have placed our faith in Jesus, is that one day we’re going to experience perfect, pure, uninterrupted, uninhibited communion with God, for all of eternity, free from sin, free from sorrow, free from death, free from mourning, free from pain, free from crying.

All the fallen things of this world will have passed away, and we will experience eternal perfect communion with God. This is the hope we all have who are in Jesus. And I just want to encourage you today. I don’t know all that you are walking through in this fallen world and all the challenges that it brings. But I want to encourage you that one day, all the effects of sin in this fallen world will be no more. One day we will be with God. So hold on to the hope of that day to come and trust. Trust today in the God who promises to bring all those who have placed their faith in him to himself.

2 Chronicles 3:8 reminds us to hold fast to hope amid suffering and death.

God, we pause today, and we praise you for the hope that we have in Christ. And the words of Romans 8, that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. To us, for in this hope we were saved, but hope that is seen is no hope at all, who hopes for what it already has. But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. God, we long for your coming. Lord Jesus, we long for your coming. God, we long for perfect, unhindered, uninterrupted, pure communion with you. We pray that today you might draw us closer to yourself. And that we would hold fast to hope amidst the effects of sin, evil, sorrow, and death in this fallen world.

God, we long for the day when we will dwell perfectly in the most holy place, where you dwell with us. We long to see your face and be with you forever. And we pray, God, that you would use us today to lead other people to be there with us. God, help us to proclaim the gospel today. To people right around us, God, to people around the world.

A Prayer for the Beja People

God, we pray for people right around us, for people around the world, for the Beja people of Egypt, tens of thousands of them, no known followers of Jesus.

God, we want them to experience unhindered, uninterrupted, eternal, everlasting communion with you. That’s only possible through Jesus. God, we pray for the spread of the gospel to the Beja of Egypt. And to every people group in the world. As we look forward to your coming, we pray that you’d help us to live and lead others. To be with us, with you on that day. With this hope, in Jesus’ name, we pray according to this picture of the most holy place in 2 Chronicles 3:8. Amen.