Rebuilding Ruins

I was recently watching NOVA about the World Trade Center being destroyed but more importantly rebuilt into a new building, museum, and memorial.  I sensed the Holy Spirit highlighting to me the parallels between restoring this icon of the New York skyline and rebuilding the temple of God which is the Body of Christ.  I had never reflected on this before, that the Body of Christ is called His temple being built up on the chief cornerstone being Christ with apostles and prophets (Ephesians 3 & 4).  We individually are also called the Temple of the Holy Spirit and Jesus said that He was the temple that they could destroy and God would rebuild in 3 days.  As NOVA described needing to move 1.8 million tons of debris from Ground Zero to get down to the bedrock, I see how the Holy Spirit needs to remove tons of orphan thinking, living, and strongholds that have become devastation in our lives.  There are lies we have believed, vows we have made, judgements we have made against those who have hurt us, sin we have committed in response to the hurt that has being visited on us, and broken hearts from those who have sinned against us.  Like the World Trade Center this is massive undertaking to restore the Body of Christ to her intended glory.  Of course, the architects of the new One World Trade Center wanted to build a safer, more secure, and more stable building then the original World Trade Center.  The World Trade Center was the only steel structure skyscraper to ever implode on itself because of fire.  The Lord often gives us prophetic symbols in the natural world to point to what He is doing in the unseen Spirit realm.  I believe the World Trade Center is one of those type of symbols, if we are willing to see what He sees.  In Isaiah 61 the anointing that is on the coming Messiah is described, "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, Because the LORD has anointed me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives And freedom to prisoners; To proclaim the favorable year of the LORD"  (Isaiah 61:1-2).  Jesus stops mid-sentence when He is quoting this Scripture in the Synagogue(Luke 4:17-21) because the second part of this Scripture refers to the time period of His second coming.  Jesus Christ is about bringing Good News from God about the redemption and restoration of people who are in need of a Savior.  The second half of this Scripture is, "And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, To grant those who mourn in Zion, Giving them a garland instead of ashes, The oil of gladness instead of mourning, The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.  Then they will rebuild the ancient ruins, They will raise up the former devastations; And they will repair the ruined cities, The desolations of many generations." (Isaiah 61:2-4).  Resurrected a temple of God made up of people who have yielded their lives to total surrender and dependence on the One who created them and now is recreating them "in Christ" is a much more amazing feat than the millions of tons of steel, concrete, and glass it is taking to rebuild One World Trade Center.  Like the account of Nehemiah rebuilding the desolation of the walls of Jerusalem, this is a tremendous undertaking with much risk, lots of resources, energy, and time committed.  Yet since God took such care to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem which is a city, can you imagine what He is willing to do raise up His Bride and His Body.

Former desolation being rebuilt,
Bret