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God Refers to Our Present Housing as a Tent!

Although I am an eternal, by God’s decree and design, I was placed in a tent of this earth which was selected by God without any input from me; I had nothing whatsoever to say about how it looked or what it would or would not include. It became my responsibility, however, to make the best use of what I had been given.

I am not unique in this matter; all of us, without exception, must face the same situation; while each of us are eternal, none of us had a choice in the selection of our tents. The only thing of which we can all be sure, is our occupancy of these tents is a short-term proposition.

While we, as spirit beings, are eternal, created in the image of God, our bodies, our tents, are of this earth and only intended for our use for a brief period of time.

Part of the Challenge

The on-going challenge we face, is that our tents are only aware of other tents and cannot even see us in our spiritual eternality. We, as spirit beings, created in the image of God, are totally invisible to the tents we occupy. God has made it clear that the time we are to occupy these tents has been precisely determined by God and the time of our departure is a fixed date known only to God.

God has also revealed that when the time has come for our departure from these earthly tents; we will, at a time already set by God, be joined to heavenly bodies which we will occupy for all eternity. We are given God’s promise in 2 Corinthians 5:1-8 where it is written:

5 For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. ² For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, ³ if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. ⁴ For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. ⁵ Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.

⁶ So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. ⁷ For we walk by faith, not by sight. ⁸ We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.

I find the terminology refreshing, we move from a tent to a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. Home at last!

Some Reflections on my Tent

My tent is now 88 years old and is showing clear signs of the wear and tear that has resulted from the passage of time; each year that passes makes the thought of a heavenly body all the more intriguing!

I’ll freely acknowledge my tent has served me faithfully so I do not condemn it in the least for the wear and tear with which it has been afflicted by life and time. I will admit my care of the tent I occupy has not always been of the highest order, but has been adequate to keep it operating in a reasonably functional manner.

A Built-in Self-Destruct Mechanism

Many years ago, I became aware of the significant role Telomeres play in the process of aging. It appears we’re born with an internal self-destruct mechanism. When enough of our cells stop working as intended, the tent is quietly folded up and laid aside. This normal aging process happens in the life of each individual in strict accordance with God’s timetable for that individual’s life.

On the “T. A. Sciences” website I found the following summary “What is a Telomere?”

Telomeres protect the vital information in our DNA⁴

DNA makes up all of the cells in our body. It is the genetic material that makes us who we are. And every organ in our body (skin, liver, heart, etc.) is made up of cells. So, telomeres are vital to our health.

Our cells replenish by copying themselves. This happens constantly throughout our lives. Telomeres get shorter each time a cell copies itself, but the important DNA stays intact.⁴

Eventually, telomeres get too short to do their job, causing our cells to age and stop functioning properly.^3,4,5 Therefore, telomeres act as the aging clock in every cell.

© What is a Telomere? | Human Cellular Aging | TA-65 TA Sciences
Source: https://www.tasciences.com/what-is-a-telomere.html
© Protected by WebToMed

A Brilliant Future!

The idea of the aging process results in the sure knowledge that, should the Lord tarry, we shall leave our tent, when it can no longer work properly, and all of us who have received Jesus Christ as Savior and been born-again by the power of God, the Holy Spirit, will join our Savior and God, Jesus Christ, King of kings and Lord of lords in heaven for all eternity!

By God’s grace, we are provided with information about the coming new world; and, in our heavenly bodies, will enjoy the great blessings which are coming soon and rejoice in the loving Creator who has made all this possible!

Even so, come Lord Jesus!