Peter came to Joppa from Lydda at the request of the friends of Tabitha.

Acts 9:38-39

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“And since Lydda was near Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent two men to him, imploring him not to delay in coming to them. Then Peter arose and went with them. When he had come, they brought him to the upper room. And all the widows stood by him weeping, showing the tunics and garments which Dorcas had made while she was with them.” Acts 9:38-39

The disciples of Christ [born-again believers, not the Apostles], who were friends of Tabitha, traveled to Lydda to implore the Apostle Peter to return with them to Joppa, where Tabitha had died. The cities of Joppa and Lydda are shown on the map below, circled in yellow.

Those who came to believe in Jesus Christ did so through the signs and wonders that Peter did by the Spirit of God. When the disciples heard that Peter was nearby in Lydda, there was hope that he would be able to raise Tabita from the dead. Their hope was in Jesus, whose name the power of God was working through Peter. When they first came to Jesus Christ through the signs and wonders of Peter, they returned home as Believers not performers of signs of wonders.

While we would all like to be physically healthy and live on this earth forever, that is not the case, we grow old and die. Earthly doctors do not have the power to grant eternal life, but can only extend life for a little while. Even so, the Holy Spirit in us is a reality and so is our born-again experience in the name of Jesus. That is the miracle of life that our faith is in, which brings eternal life in the New Jerusalem of the new heaven and earth. The Holy Spirit in us is our guarantee of our eternal inheritance, as quoted, “In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.” Ephesians 1:13-14 We are the “purchased possession”, purchased by the blood that Christ shed on the Cross to atone for sin. Our redemption comes when we are raised from the dead into eternal life with an eternal body.

We who die after living for Jesus Christ die with the goodwill, love, and kindness of the Holy Spirit within our heart and soul. Tabitha died as a faithful servant of Jesus Christ and her good works and charitable deeds to those of the way of Christ were evident. “For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister.” Hebrews 6:10 “But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be sober and watchful in your prayers. And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.” Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” 1 Peter 4:8-10

In the same way that the friends of Tabitha sought Peter in their hope of her being resurrected, we seek Jesus Christ in His mercy and in the hope of the resurrection from the dead. We mourn for those who die with their faith in Jesus Christ, and whose good works and charitable deeds were focused on Christians. In today’s culture, which is global, they rejoice at the passing of Christianity, as our Lord Jesus says, “Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy.” John 16:20

Like Peter, who was brought to the upper room with fellow Believers, our lord Jesus brings us to the “Upper Room” where our names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, “But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant…” Hebrews 12:22-24

“….to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets,“
‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.’”
“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
Revelation 2:24-25, 3:11