When Are You Coming?

 

Quotation

 

I truly believe, once we have asked Jesus into our lives, once we have faith in Jesus, once we have turned complete control of our lives over to Him, then, and only then, we will begin to do His will for our lives. I feel at that moment, we begin to fulfill God's plan for our life. Thank you Lord Jesus, for leading me. I thank God for helping me to wake up each morning, trying to please Him. I know by pleasing Him, I will be fulfilling His plan for my life, in His grand plan of salvation for the world.

 

Barry Denzil Haney

 

Verse

 

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 so, 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

 

 

Reflection

 

In the evening, when I was a small boy, I would spend hours with my face pressed against the front window, the window would fog with my breath, as I waited for the lights from my father’s truck. When I saw my Dad get out of the truck and begin walking toward the house, I would run to the front door as fast as I could. When the door finally opened, I would jump up into his arms and he would greet me warmly, wrestle me down to the floor, then begin tickling me, making me laugh until I couldn’t stop!

 

         This boyhood scene is what I imagine will happen when I see Jesus for the first time. Jesus will gather me into His arms, hug me, and tell me how much He loves me. I will be overwhelmed with inexpressible joy, like the joy I felt when my father tickled me!

 

         People have been asking the question, when is Jesus coming back since Jesus died on the cross. To many, the second coming of Jesus will mean the end of the world as we know it. Many have predicted this destructive event will happen through floods, fires, comets, you name it!

 

         Many failed doomsday predictions are on the record. I invite you to go onto the internet and search “failed doomsday predictions”. I will share with you the following – The Prophet Hen of Leeds:

 

In 1806, a domesticated hen in Leeds, England, appeared to lay eggs inscribed with the message “Christ is coming.” Great numbers of people reportedly visited the hen and began to despair of the coming Judgment Day. It was soon discovered, however, that the eggs were not in fact prophetic messages but the work of their owner, who had been writing on the eggs in corrosive ink and reinserting them into the poor hen’s body. (Cole)

 

Why are Christians so obsessed with the rapture? Simple answer, because it’s in the Bible. In the article, “Why Are So Many Christians Obsessed With Predicting The Rapture,” Laura Turner answers this question in this way:

 

There is another, final reason Christians may be so obsessed with the Rapture, and it isn’t high-minded or Biblical: It’s the simple truth that none of us know with absolute certainty what will happen to us when we die. We all want to be sure that something good will happen to us, or, at the very least, that nothing particularly bad will befall us once we’ve shuffled off this mortal coil. Maybe heaven is a story we tell ourselves in order to live.

 

In the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, the 2021 Doomsday Clock Statement is as follows: It is 100 seconds to midnight. This is the closest the Doomsday Clock has been to the ultimate catastrophe since 1953.

 

The Bible tells us the old world will end but a new heaven and a new earth will come. The Bible does not say mankind will end. In second Peter 3:5-13, Peter describes the destruction of the old earth:

 

And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:

 

But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

 

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

 

You need not be afraid and anxious like I was anticipating my father’s return home, if you know Jesus. When you repent from sin, ask God for forgiveness, confess belief in Jesus Christ, and accept Him as Lord and Savior, you begin a relationship with God.  You will spend an eternity with Him in the new heaven and new earth.

 

Illustration

 

The story is told of a generation ago when an old farmer brought his family to the big city for the very first time. They had never seen buildings so tall or sights so impressive. The farmer dropped his wife off at a department store and took his son with him to the bank—the tallest of all the buildings. As they walked into the lobby, they saw something else they had never seen before. Two steel doors opened. A rather large and elderly woman walked in, and the big doors closed behind her.         

 

The dial over the door swept to the right and then back to the left. The doors opened and a beautiful young lady came walking out. The farmer was amazed. He turned to his son and said, “You wait right here. I’m going to get your mother and run her through that thing.”

 

At the Rapture, we will be taken up. But we will be transformed and come back with resurrection bodies. (Green)

 

Prayer

 

Our Heavenly Father,

 

When are You coming? I can’t wait! I know

You have work for me to do still here on earth,

but I can’t wait to meet You in Heaven, to

receive a big Hug from You, and to stare into

Your beautiful eyes and say I love You!

 

Help me not to worry when I am exposed to the

chaos in today’s world. It seems like everything

is out of control! People all around me are hurting!

They are searching for anything to fill the emptiness

they are experiencing deep down in their soul.

If they could only discover, all they need is Jesus!

 

In the precious name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior,

 

Amen!

 

Worship

 

Are You Ready For His Coming?

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f70kUDgbreI

 

God Bless You,

Barry

 

 

Cole, Rachel. “10 Failed Doomsday Predictions.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. Accessed April 29, 2021. https://www.britannica.com/list/10-failed-doomsday-predictions. 

 

Green, Michael P.  1500 Illustrations for Biblical Preaching. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2000. Print.