This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “When I bring them back from captivity, the people in the land of Judah and in its towns will once again use these words: ‘The Lord bless you, you prosperous city, you sacred mountain.’ People will live together in Judah and all its towns—farmers and those who move about with their flocks. I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.”

Jeremiah 31:23-25

We can interpret the prophesies about return from exile as a foreshadowing of the home we look forward to in heaven; for the Christian, especially the Gentile Christian, we are not looking for an earthly homeland with borders and an army. We seek a city with gates that never close because there is no Enemy and no army because there is no death or killing. We will no longer wander as nomads with no permanent home, but will settle down and rest in the presence of the Lord.

Ethan Kirl