dehabilitated

Many people today fear that they will be 'de-cited'. But people who belong to the Lord Jesus Christ are not bothered by that. Because they have already been 'depopulated'.

We live in a special time; you probably won't meet a person who disagrees. For some time now, a new dichotomy seems to be emerging in society. The one group of people who think we should be vaccinated as soon as possible, so that we can go back to 'normal' without fear of 'the virus'. But on the other hand, there is also a group that finds everything that happens so bizarre that they are afraid that the old 'normal' will never return. They believe that the freedom of their children and grandchildren is at stake and want to prevent the country from ending up in a dictatorship.

Quite simply, on the one hand you have the 'comfortdenkers’ and opposite theconspiracy theorists'. I'm not going to say anything more about that, except that the latter group fears that the so-called 'vaccination passport' will create a split in society. On the one hand, the citizens with a vaccination passport and on the other hand, the unvaccinated. The latter was said to become 'de-cited'. They would no longer be citizens with normal civil rights.

the decipherment

The new word 'deburgering' reminded me of the fact that I'm actually already 'deburgering'. Paul says that "our citizenship is in heaven' (Philippians 3:20). For Christians it is 'normal' when they have no rights as citizens. After all, we live in a world that we do not belong to and that hates us, just as they hated the Lord Jesus (John 17:14, see also here). In most places on this earth this is also the harsh reality and the fact that we do not or hardly experience it in this country is only undeserved grace from our Lord. 

A Christian
does not put his trust in so-called civil rights and does not wonder if he is deprived of rights.

But basically we have no laws or rights here on earth that protect us. We have passed out of the world into the kingdom of the Son of God's love (see more here).

Perhaps we should get used to entering a time when we have fewer 'rights', so that we are thrown back to biblical reality. And then it is good to realize how the Bible speaks about this.

We are on our way to our heavenly homeland

 “All these have died in faith. . . . they have confessed that they were strangers and sojourners on the earth. For those who say such things clearly show that they are seeking a homeland. (…) But now they long for a better, that is, for a heavenly homeland.” (Hebrews 11:13-16)

Abraham's faith meant that he was aware of the fact that he did not belong here on earth. He obediently went out to the land that God had promised him, without knowing where he would come. In that same faith he died without receiving the promise. While he knew that he was on his way to the city that has foundations, of which God is the Builder and Designer (11:10).

A stranger is someone from elsewhere, someone who is 'different', from whom you can tell in all sorts of ways that he is different. A sojourner is someone who lives somewhere, but actually has another homeland – his homeland. You could see this in Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and they confessed it; they longed for a future homeland.

How much more should this be true of us: that we are different and long for our heavenly homeland?

Housemates of God

“Therefore you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.” (Ephesians 2:19)

But we don't have to ramble down here, 'cause we're 'fellow citizens of the saints and members of the household of God'.

We are not alone, but God has given us in His grace'fellow citizens' given; saints, people who also live separate, devoted lives for the Lord. It is a great privilege to know such fellow citizens with whom we can associate.

Then we're together'housemates of God'. We belong together to the same household of God. We are closely related by having received the same life; as children in the same family of God.

“For we have not here a permanent city, but we seek the city to come. Let us therefore always offer an offering of praise to God through him, even the fruit of lips confessing his name.” (Hebrews 13:14-15)

And so we can go together and, as we make our way to the city to come, continually offer an offering of praise to God. We can't do anything better along the way! It reminds you of the pilgrim songs the Israelites sang on their way to Zion (Psalms 120-134).

Come, praise the LORD, all the servants of the LORD,
you stand night after night in the house of the LORD.
Lift up your hands to the sanctuary and praise the LORD.
The LORD bless you out of Zion, He who made heaven and earth. – Psalm 134 –

Without rights down here,
but singing on the way to the father's house!

We expect our Savior

“Our citizenship, however, is in heaven, from which we also look for the Saviour, even the Lord Jesus Christ, who will change our vile body, that it may be conformed to His glorified body, according to the operation whereby He can also subject all things to Himself. ” (Philippians 3:20,21)

So we're on our way to the father's house. Meanwhile, we look up to heaven from which we await our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ!
We live in special, you can call it exciting times, in which a lot is happening and the darkness is getting bigger. Many people sense an impending doom in one way or another. Let's pray that many more will receive the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ and be saved!
But for us it's a time when 'the morning star rises in our hearts' (2 Peter 1:19).

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