Do you know you can exchange your earthly tent to a permanent building?

“Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.” 2 Corinthians 5:1

Did you ever think what is in store for you after death? Where can you find an answer? People who already gone before us would not give any testimony to us. All cemeteries are filled with dead bodies 6 feet under and you see no one is going to talk to us or come back from there. In short, I am almost sure we won’t find a reliable answer anywhere else other than in the Bible. Historians, Philosophers and smart thinkers may give their own opinions or wild imaginations. People, in general, know this – one day they are born, and one uncertain future day they all would die but not sure what day they would depart from this world. But where are they going? No one knows. Only the Bible and Christ Jesus reveal the truth about where we would be after death.

Bible gives us no confusion or doubt about this matter. It does not matter if you die as an infant, young man/woman, older person, disabled. Moreover, it does not matter where you died – in the ocean, in the desert, in hospital, on the road or in your own home. Bible informs us we do not need to be the nervous or fearful period if you have a relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ!
Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:1 to the believers in Jesus Christ, “Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.”
It does not say I believe, I suppose, or I imagine, but the verse gives an affirmation of the truth -We know for sure. This means this is the truth of what is going to happen after our death. In other words, death by no means an end by itself. You see all those born into this world would die one day. The only exception to this rule is those people who live at the time of the rapture. The believers in Christ who live on the day of the rapture will not see death, and they would be immediately translated to heaven with glorified bodies. However, all who die before the time of the rapture would have to go through the door of death. However, do you want to hear the truth the Bible loudly and emphatically tell us?– Death is not an end.

Our weekly insight says “we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.”

Few observations from this passage:

• It says now people live in a tent. My children are excited about making a tent and living in it. When my neighbor has kids birthday parties, they pitch a tent outside the house. In a day or so, the tent is not there anymore. Why? A tent is temporary and is not permanent. Bible says our bodies are like a tent. Now if you make a tent and leave it there, pretty soon it will subside or sag, and the pins and screws will get loosened. Our current body is like a tent. Our beauty and strength fade away over the years, lose eyesight and hearing abilities, skin gets wrinkled and right youthful colors, vitality and energy will disappear pretty soon. When we are at a young age, we do not think about seriously. However, when we get older, we will be more aware of the limitations and weaknesses of our bodies. You see, it is like a vanity. Solomon, the wisest person, ever lived said, “vanity of vanities. All is vanity.” He wrote Ecclesiastes when He became old and looked back he says all is vanity. Very soon youth life will be gone, and we enter into old age. Then we will look back and remember the excellent youth ages of our lives. Our body surely is like a tent. Indeed, the Bible says our body is an earthly tent.

• Secondly, the truth is the earthly tent will be destroyed one day. None of us would know what the last day we live in this tent is. But it is certain that one day with no prior notice or knowledge when we least expect, this earthly tent will be destroyed. My nephew’s body was destroyed in a car wreck on the way back from the library after his studies. Full of youth and many dreams. However, all gone in the flash of a moment. It was heartbreaking for all of his. I am sure you have incidents like this in your family or friends circle. Truth is this body will be destroyed in so many different ways- diseases, accidents, aging and in some other ways. We can go to fitness centers, take the right vitamins and healthy organic foods. We may feel good by doing all these things. However, the truth is our body, which is this earthly tent will one day stop to breathe. Enjoy each breath now and be thankful to God for each breath. Every day and each breath is a beautiful and amazing gift from God. However, the solemn truth is our earthly tent will undoubtedly be destroyed one day.

• Aren’t you glad God says death is not an end? Praise God! It would have been vanity without this knowledge. This is why Solomon at the end of his book Ecclesiastes concludes that life is just vanity if we don’t have reverence and grab hold of God in faith. He says, Ecclesiastes 12:1, “Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth,
Before the difficult days come”. In other words, if we remember God in our youthful days, we would be much more blessed. Turning to God when we become older becomes hard. Therefore, remember God your creator in the days of your youth. Later when difficult things we may say I don’t want to hear about God. Why? Because the conscience became dull, and no more we hear from God because we already hardened our hearts by saying no to Him many times. Bible says we have a building from God. Now compare a tent to a building. A tent is for a short-term purpose, but a building is for a permanent purpose. A tent is not strong but the building is permanent. A tent is for the purpose of constant moving, but the building is a permanent structure. No need to move around. It is strong, build on the strong foundation and short-term in nature. You see death is not the end and death is not changing the body as reincarnation informs people. Our earthly tent is not moving into another tent of short-term life. No, not at all. Once this earthly tent, our body, is destroyed, we have a strong building from God. Tent is going to be replaced with a building.

• You see, this building we are going to get at the time of death is a building from God. God is going to give this permanent building structure to us by replacing the old temporary tent. The it describes this building is an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. You see the building that is going to replace this earthly tent will never be destroyed. The tent will be destroyed by the new building type strong, eternal body, built by God Himself. The new building type permanent, strong, beautiful and glorified bodies we will get at the time of death is heavenly built, built by God. This wonderful, new, strong and glorified bodies are not build by human hands.

• Meanwhile, as long as we live in this earthly tent, Bible says we groan. We groan because often we are burdened, worried and sorrowful over many things. Our body aches. It gets hurt, prone to diseases and accidents. We worry about our close relationships. Worry about children going in wrong ways. Worry our spouse may not be able to help us. We worry our parents may get old and suffer a lot and the list goes on and on. In addition, we groan because we get discouraged and deceived by others. We are sad because our dreams did not fulfill. Bible says this is the reality of life in this earthly tent. The previous chapter 2 Corinthians 4:7-10 says our body is like jars of clay. You see the jars of clay is very delicate, and it can break or get destroyed any time if not handled carefully. However, there it says we have this ‘treasure’ in jars of clay. What is the treasure? The building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. The permanent and glorified body with no aches, pains, sorrows, limitations or weakness. That treasure is kept in the jars of clay, earthly tent now for the time being. You see, Paul says there in the above verse that we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.”
Bible says, therefore, we do not lose heart. In other words, if we get older and weak, if we get sick and immobile or whatever happens we do not lose heart. Our outer body may be wasting away, but God has given us hope in our inner being, and that hope of the eternal house, permanent building, built not by human hands and by God himself renews day by day. Bible says in Chapter 4 that our affliction, whatever that may be, is a light one when compared to the eternal weight of glory which is beyond comparison and wild imagination. When you and I try to compare the affliction here in this earthly tent and clays of the jar to the eternal weight of glory we are going to receive at the moment of death, it is not comparable. The future glory is incalculably superior to the current sufferings, Bible promises.

• Beloved, the Bible says the Son of God, the eternal one, who is the creator of all came and lived in this earthly tent, in this jar of clay for a period. The whole purpose of His incarnation was to transform our lowly mortal bodies so that they will be like His glorious and eternal body.  Jesus Christ stood at the tomb of Lazarus who was dead for four days. You can read about this incident in John 11. He said this, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.” Read slowly and may these words of Jesus sink deeply into our hearts and minds. Martha, the sister of Lazarus, said to Jesus, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to Martha, “if you would believe you would see the glory of God.” Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. Jesus lifted up His eyes to and said, “Father I know you always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing there – that they may believe You sent Me.” Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was sent by God the Father from heaven so that we can believe in Him as our savior and Lord. The Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.”

Jesus Christ came to die for the punishment of our sins. He did it on the cross. He carried your sins and my sins on His divine shoulders and paid it all with his divine, sinless blood. You do not need to anything more to get salvation. No works or your efforts required. God did it for you. Jesus is the resurrection and life. When you come to Jesus and accept Him as your savior, you are granted forgiveness of sins. All your past that hunt you will be thrown to the deepest part of the ocean. It will never come back to give you sorrows. Your earthly tent or the jar of clay is transformed into gloried, permanent, eternal house made by God. Your future address is changed from hell to God’s beautiful heaven, in a moment when you accept Christ as your savior and Lord. Then you can face death with smile and courage. God loves you and has an excellent plan and purpose for your life.

I can lead you to Him in prayer right now.

Got a moment for today’s prayer? Father in heaven, I need Jesus Christ in my life. I believe he came, died and rose again to pay for all of my sins. Please come to my life and save me. I thank you for saving me and giving me resurrection and eternal life when I close my eyes here. In Jesus Christ’s name, I pray. Amen.”

If you prayed this prayer, I will be thrilled to hear from you. Please go to teachbible.org and then go to the menu ‘contact’ and send me a note. Please start attending a local Bible teaching and preaching church. Or go to facebook page of teachbible.org and send me a message. Thank you.