The New Homestead

And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.      – Revelation 21:23 

Homesteading is a popular movement that has been developing across America since the early 2000s. With growing inflation and expanding housing costs, young families are increasingly choosing to “live off the grid.” Millennials and Gen Z, in particular, are casting aside city life for self-sufficiency. For many, it means abandoning all the conveniences of electricity to “be more wild and free,” as one homesteader said. Some utilize solar panels or wind turbines for power sources, but many opt for an 18th-century lifestyle. 

In John 14, Jesus told His disciples He was going “to prepare a place for you” (verses 2 and 3). Revelation 21 provides more details about that place, its dimensions, its construction materials, and its glory. Indeed, as today’s verse says, the city is illuminated by the glory of God. The light of God’s glory is often referred to as shekinah, a word introduced by Jewish rabbis in their literature, which references the presence of God. You may recall its use in discussing the Holy of Holies of the tabernacle and the temple. Only the Ark of the Covenant was present there. There was no light source. But when the high priest entered it once a year on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, it was illumined by God Himself, by His glory. His light removes all darkness. And so it will be in the new City of God. 

“God is light and in him is no darkness at all,” John writes in 1 John 1:5. In Revelation 21, all will walk in the light of God’s glory. Until then, you are instructed to “walk in that light” (1 John 1:7). Believe in His light and walk in it (John 12:35-37), and you will be a light to the world (Matthew 5:14). While you await your new heavenly “homestead,” stay connected to the power source that is Christ Jesus. Pray for officials in the Department of Energy and for the men and women responsible for maintaining the nation’s power grid.