Over the Moon

“I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.’”
Revelation 21:2 (NIV)

‘She is over the moon’ my friend enthused about a mutual friend’s good news.  The literal meaning of the phrase struck me as being really odd.  I researched the meaning only to find many theories on its origin – the principal being the nursery rhyme ‘Hey Diddle Diddle.’  The phrase appears to go back to the sixteenth century; however the implication of the phrase is unadulterated joy.

As Christians we can take a deeper meaning from this phrase. Our Father has such incredible plans for us so—amazing that we cannot cope in our human capacity with these plans. In 1 Corinthians 2:9 it says, “However, as it is written: ‘What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived—the things God has prepared for those who love him.”

Mankind has spent countless hours trying to work out what happens after death, still without agreement.  We know that eternal life is promised to the righteous as we read in Matthew 25:46, “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” A New Testament word for “eternal” is aiónios, which carries the idea of quality as well as quantity. In fact, eternal life is not really associated with “years” at all, as it is independent of time.

In Hebrews 11:10 we read of a city over and beyond the moon, the New Jerusalem, “he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.” In Revelation 21:23 this wonderful city is described with these words:  ‘The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.” While Revelation 21:10-12 gives us John’s description, “And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates.”

At the moment this fabulous new city is beyond the moon, sun and stars, it will come to earth at God’s appointed time and then it will not be ‘over the moon’ but here on earth and a real reason for continuous joy.  Haste the day!

Prayer
Oh Lord, what a wonderful future you have for those who love you – thy Kingdom come!
Amen

Study by Irene Wilson

__________________________________________________

About the Author:
Irene Wilson is a Deaconess in the Watford Congregation of the Worldwide Church of God UK, where she also serves on the Pastoral Council.

Local Congregation:
Worldwide Church of God Watford
St. Peter’s Church
61 Westfield Avenue
Watford,
Herts.
WD24 7HF

Meeting Time:
Saturday 11AM

Local Congregational Contact:
George Henderson
Phone:  01923-855570
Email: george-sue.henderson@tesco.net