01122019 Rapture

Dear Missionary Lady,

The words of a certain hymn have been a blessing to me in recent weeks, with these words running through my mind often.

Jesus may come today, Glad day! Glad day!
And I would see my Friend;
Dangers and troubles would end
If Jesus should come today.

Glad day! Glad day! Is it the crowning day?
I'll live for today, nor anxious be,
Jesus my Lord I soon shall see;
Glad day! Glad day! Is it the crowning day?

Certainly, that day - whenever it comes - will be the crowning day of our lives and the crowning day for the history of the world! There are many reasons to long for heaven. This first stanza mentions two: I would see my Friend, and dangers and troubles would end.

I would see my Friend! As the years go by and I grow in my relationship with Him, this aspect becomes more and more meaningful. Oh, to finally be united and in the presence of the One who is so dear to me! If He is so precious without seeing Him, it will be a great delight to finally see Him.

Dangers and troubles would end! This world does have pleasures and beauty, but it is not an ideal place by any means. This world is filled with sorrow and trial and challenge. The continual struggle is wearying and discouraging, but in heaven that will all be over. No more sin, death, sickness, sorrow, tears!

I will be made perfect! The struggle with the sin nature is a daily battle with far too many failures. Even when I want to do right, it is so hard to be consistent, and my flesh is so weak. But in that glad day, I will leave this sin nature behind forever, and I will be like Him, for I shall see Him as He is!

The supernatural struggle will end! Since the garden of Eden, there has been a spiritual warfare and conflict of an immense nature. Principalities and powers and rulers of the air have battled in this great arena that is beyond our comprehension. Even the earth itself groans for resolution, and in that day it will come. God will completely and unquestionably defeat and silence the realm of evil once for all. The universe will be at peace!

I will enjoy the blessed rest! Heaven is the ultimate rest that God has prepared for His children. Such blessings will be there - such beauty and splendor - the gates, the streets, the foundations. It will be filled with joy and light and praise. It will be a glory that we cannot imagine!

My labors will be rewarded! Finally, all the toil and service and faithfulness will be completed, and the results will be revealed. Words of commendation and approval will be spoken. Crowns will be given. And then we can turn and give those rewards back to the One who has made it all possible and who was the reason for our devoted service.

Reunions will be enjoyed! I don't have a lot of close people waiting for me yet - my grandparents, a cousin, an aunt, a few former coworkers. Unless the Lord tarries, that list will grow, and there probably will be people that I miss very much and long to see. In heaven we will be reunited and will never be separated again. Additionally, we will be joined with thousands and perhaps millions of other saints throughout history. What a meeting that will be!

Perhaps there are other reasons to look forward to heaven as well. These are the ones that come to my mind. I realize that in a few cases I have consolidated end time events that begin with the rapture. Some of those results will have to wait till after the millennium and battle of Armageddon. For the most part, however, those wondrous blessings will begin when Jesus comes in the clouds to call us to heaven.

It certainly will be a glad day, and it is no wonder that God specifically offers the hope of heaven as a source of comfort. To the sorrowful disciples, Jesus said, "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not se, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also" (John 14:1-3).

Paul shares these words: "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord" (I Thessalonians 4:16-17). And then he says, "Wherefore comfort one another with these words" (v. 18).

The hope of heaven is intended by God to calm our troubled souls and to comfort our sorrowing hearts. It is the hope that keeps us going when times are tough. It helps us through discouragement, setbacks, and disappointments. It is the expected hope and the anticipated reward that carry us through the dismal times of seemingly fruitless labor, and it is the assurance that multiplies our joy when good things happen and blessings come. What you do today matters for eternity, and it will all come together on that glad day when we see our Friend!

It could be this year. It could be today. Look for the blessed hope, and continue faithful until that day, whenever it is.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt
member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA
www.pressingontohigherground.blogspot.com