MONDAY, NOVEMBER 4
“No, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless thousands of angels in a joyful gathering. You have come to the assembly of God’s firstborn children, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God Himself, who is the judge over all things. You have come to the spirits of the righteous ones in heaven who have now been made perfect (believers in OT). You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people…”
Hebrews 12:22-24 (NLT2)
SOMEDAY SOON: THERE WILL BE A REUNION
Kwibi was a hand raised lowland gorilla. He was raised by conservationist Damian Aspinall at his Howletts Wild Animal Park in England. When he was five, Kwibi was released into the forests of Gabon, West Africa as part of conservation program to re-introduce gorillas back into the wild. Another 5 years passed, and Damian went to visit Kwibi, who was now 10 years old. Kwibi had attacked the last two humans he had been in contact with, so Damian was uncertain how the animal would react when he saw him. After a few days of calling for him, Kwibi emerged from the forest. In a video of the reunion, Kwibi is seen lovingly embracing Damian. After a few days not only did Kwibi emerge but he also brought out the family he had raised to meet Damian.
This was truly a unique reunion! And many of us have seen other similar animal reunions with their human trainers. It’s always a touching scene. And as unique as this reunion was, it is nothing compared to the reunion Christians will have when we get to heaven. One point Mike made clear on Sunday was that in Genesis 25:8, when Abraham died he was “gathered to his people.” These were people of faith who had died before him. The Bible is full of many other examples of Christians being reunited in heaven.
On Sunday, Mike went to great lengths to explain who would be in heaven. If you missed the message go back and watch it. A couple of big questions emerge when we think about heavenly reunions. One question is, “Do you have the faith in Jesus required to be a part of this heavenly reunion?” The other question is, “Who do you most look forward to being reunited with in heaven?”
