We have been hearing a lot of talk about the Rapture and going home to be with Jesus lately. Many pastors are preaching on the topic of the Rapture of the Church and the coming Seven-year tribulation. It would seem that the Holy Spirit is prompting these servants of the Lord to bring a new and refreshing relevance to the topic of Eschatology that is much needed and timely. As a student of Eschatology myself I am prompted to ask the question, ‘What am I looking forward to regarding heaven?’ As I pondered that thought I came up with seven different things that I am looking forward to regarding going to heaven that I should like to share.
- Being with Jesus. The marriage supper celebration and the joy associated with marrying Jesus.
- Being with those who love Jesus, those previously lost, former family and friends, now reunited forever.
- Experiencing the beauty and splendor of heaven with all of God’s creativity and joyful atmosphere.
- Being in a new supernatural body of perfection that can move, think, and feel without being hampered.
- Not being on earth anymore with its sin-ladened curse. This includes missing the tribulation judgment.
- Fulfilling my heavenly purpose by doing the God-given task that will be given to me by the Master.
- My personal Bema Seat Judgment. I long to hear the Lord say, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.’
A closer look at the above seven reasons reveals an even deeper truth and the joy that comes with the hope of heaven; more specifically, the blessed hope of the Rapture of the Church.
- Being with Jesus. I long to be able to interact and embrace the Master. While I do enjoy my daily devotions, prayer, worship, and other spiritual life disciplines associated with being a Christian in the here and now; I long to be with the Lord in the there and then, forever then.
When I think of a romantic exchange that a young couple (or older for that matter) experiences and the euphoria of emotion that is associated with such a relationship, I get excited about going to heaven and being part of that ‘bride’ that the Lord also longs to embrace. He went through a lot of trouble to make a way for us to be with Him; we are His bride and He loves us so. While our worship and praise can only proclaim what we think it will be like when we see the Lord, we know that when we do see the Lord it will be in a perfect state without any sin or sin related degradation that we are so accustomed to on this side of the veil.
People in a bad marriage, but who long for a good marriage, can really appreciate this promise and hope because it’s what they long for; to be loved by someone who loves them, and to love as they are loved. People in a healthy marriage can really appreciate this because they are enjoying a healthy prototype of what is to come when we see Jesus. I personally believe that I will never die, more specifically, I believe that I, along with my entire family, will be raptured into heaven in the very near future. I believe this because the Holy Spirit within me has prompted me to write this blog and articulate what it is that I am truly longing for in going to heaven.
Since I was a young child I was raised in the ways of the Lord. I would go to church with my family and we would sing songs like, ‘Heaven is a wonderful place, filled with glory and grace, I’m going to see my Savior’s face for heaven is a wonderful place.’ We would talk about the Lord and listen to sermons on the Lord and what He did for us in providing us with a desperately needed salvation. While our lives may have been tarnished a bit because of the environment we were in; we always had hope in the Lord. I still have this hope and now that we are so close to the Master’s return, I am really feeling that hope, the blessed hope.
There are so many people who long to be with Jesus but they never spend time with Him in prayer, meditation, in His Word, or other spiritual life formation disciplines. It’s as if they long to go to heaven, but in the meantime they just live their life in whatever manner seems best for them, not realizing how precious every day is. As I continue to see this world list and spin out of control, I am even more desirous of being with Jesus in more than a devotional way. I want to be with Jesus, like with Him, face to face, arm in arm, walking with and being in a pure relationship with the Master, experiencing all that He has for me. The Marriage Supper of the Lamb will be a wonderful time in heaven, it will last seven earth years that we will enjoy as we celebrate Jesus.
David wrote a psalm about our hope in Jesus, the true Messiah’s victory
Psalm 16
“Preserve (watch over) me, O God, for in You I put my trust. 2 O my soul, you have said to the Lord, “You are my Lord, my goodness is nothing apart from You.” 3 As for the saints who are on the earth, “They are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.” 4 Their sorrows shall be multiplied who hasten after another god; their drink offerings of blood I will not offer, nor take up their names on my lips. 5 O Lord, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You (uphold) maintain my lot. 6 The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; yes, I have a good inheritance. 7 I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel; my heart also instructs me in the night seasons. 8 I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved. 9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; my flesh also will rest (dwell securely) in hope. 10 For You will not leave my soul in Sheol (the abode of the dead), nor will You allow Your Holy One to see (undergo) corruption. 11 You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” – Psalm 16
- Being with Jesus, in God’s presence, is the most anticipated thing we can be looking for in heaven.
- Being with those who love Jesus, those previously lost, former family, friends and even OT saints, now reunited together, forever. It’s not just that we will see and be reunited with those we once loved in this life, it’s that they will be perfect in body, mind, and being. No more loss when it comes to mental or emotional depravation; they will be perfect and so will we. We will meet other people who lived in different times and places than us and we will be able to interact with them throughout eternity.
Have you ever lost someone in the Lord? Paul says that ‘we don’t sorrow like those who have no hope.’ He didn’t say that we don’t sorrow, just that our sorrow is not hopeless.
“But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep (died in Christ), lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep (died) in Jesus.” – 1 Thessalonians 4:13,14
For every person who has ever lost a loved one, a child, a parent, a close friend or relative who was in Christ; they will see them again when we all get to heaven. When we think of the terrible things that happen to people in this life. Things done to them by others or because of the actions of others; things that caused their death. If they died in Christ, they will be made new.
The idea of being with people we knew in this life is only part of my looking forward to heaven. Paul said that ‘we will know as we are known.’
“For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.” – 1 Corinthians 13:12
- This means that the familiarity we will have in heaven will be manifest with millions of NT believers and OT saints; they will be as familiar to us as a close friend. So many people and yet we will know them all even as we know ourselves. This is almost to awesome to imagine, and yet it will be so.
- Experiencing the beauty and splendor of heaven with all of God’s creativity and joyful atmosphere. When I think of some of the most beautiful places on this planet, I can only imagine what the beauty of heaven will be like. It’s as if this planet is only a prototype of the coming splendor of God’s kingdom.
I have heard testimonies of people who died and went to heaven and then returned to earth to tell of their experience. They said things like the colors in heaven are far more intense then what we understand as color. It’s as if the spectrum of colors go far beyond what we comprehend color to be here. Some of the colors actual make a melody that is associated with their color. It’s as if I would look at a red flower in heaven and hear a beautiful tune coming from that flower.
The Apostle Paul, quoting Isaiah 64:4, said it this way,
“But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” 10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.” – 1 Corinthians 2:9,10
- While our finite minds and hearts cannot comprehend what God has prepared for us in heaven, the Holy Spirit reveals that what God has prepared for us is as true as His Word to us.
Some of the testimonies of heaven speak of an atmosphere as being pure love, or what we would understand as God’s love. It’s as if you would wrap yourself up in a warm blanket of God’s perfect love and enjoy that atmosphere of love as a central part of heaven. One thing I really look forward to is not feeling that I am all alone in this world. It’s a very hard thing for me, to have family all around, to have the Church body in place, but to feel so alone and separated emotionally. I look forward to finally being married to the Christ, the Son of the Living God. It’s not that I don’t love Debi, because I really do. It’s just that I long for this part of my earth ride to be over with.
“The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry. 16 The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off (destroy) the remembrance of them from the earth. 17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles. 18 The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite (crushed) spirit. 19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.” – Psalm 34:15-19
Receiving a new supernatural body of perfection that can move, think, and feel without being hampered by any sin or degradation associated with the original curse of sin. The Bible tells us that ‘flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of heaven’ so whatever body we are given when we get to heaven, it will be necessary to house our soul and spirit in order to be able to exist in heaven.
I am now 57 years old. While I am in relatively good shape for my age and travels, I could still use a little toning up and trimming down. I weigh in the high 200’s and I should be in the lower to mid-200’s. My blood pressure is good and I can still do a lot of things that I used to do when I was younger; more so than most men my age. Even with all of this, I am looking forward to a heavenly body that will never age, gain weight, get sick, or wear out. I am looking forward to translating from one place to another in an instant and being able to fly like Superman and swim like Aquaman.
This heavenly body will not have plumbing so I won’t have to deal with this ‘pressure/release’ system and all that it entails. It will be nice to just have a body that doesn’t require anything to keep it going, emotionally or otherwise. Younger people don’t seem to appreciate this as much as older folks do, but in time, we learn to better care for our earth suits because when they finally wear out, we’re dead. Suffice it to say, it will be wonderful to dawn my eternal threads and enjoy the body that the Lord has created for me, forever.
“For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. 23 Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. 24 For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.” – Romans 8:22-25
The idea of being part of the firstfruits of the Spirit, that is, our resurrection, the redemption of our body. We are going to be raised to life, incorruptible, either from Paradise or from the earth.
“Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption.” – 1 Corinthians 15:50
>>> We need a new, heavenly body, one that will last forever.
- Not being on earth anymore with its sin-ladened curse and missing the tribulation judgment. Only a person who believes in and understands that the soon coming Rapture of the Church will occur before the seven-year tribulation. This being the premise of my thought, missing the tribulation will be a very good thing. For everyone left behind, it will be sad; but not for us because we’re hidden in Christ.
I am watching news reports from all over the world right now and I am seeing massive weather related destruction that is being attributed to ‘climate change.’ We understand them to be ‘birth pangs.’ I am watching troop movements (aka saber rattling) and alliances being made with Russia, Iran, and Turkey. They are poised on destroying Israel. I am watching China undergo massive flooding and thousands of her people being swept away while their Communist government plays down the crisis.
Here in America I am seeing the west coast dry up at an exponential rate. Just today (8/6/21) it was announced that a hydro-power plant that is serviced by Lake Oroville has shut down for the first time in its history, cutting off 800,000 customers. The I-70 was cut off due to a massive rockslide in Colorado that has hampered trucking along the northern route. This has affected transport efforts to keep the supply chain moving in that part of the country. Fuel costs are rising, food costs are rising, and shelves are becoming more bare as more and more people are trying to stock up, while less and less product is available.
The local economy is relatively strong, but I see a crash on the horizon that, like a house of cards, will come down as the result of a certain event or series of related stimuli. Debi and I are working hard at being good stewards of our lives, our resources, our family, and our calling. She is preparing for another school year at a local Christian school in Kansas City and I am continuing to work and serve as an interim pastor and all that it entails. We are not afraid and have prepped as best we can, fortifying our home as best we can with relevant supplies and such for the coming crisis. In my heart I feel as if I am prepping for someone else, but I prep because it’s the prudent thing to do.
I feel a strong sense of the closeness of the Lord’s return for His Church. I put the word ‘Rapture’ on my office calendar for Thursday, August 12, 2021, along with the words, ‘Debi’s Birthday.’ I told Debi about it and she laughed. We are in a mega high-watch from now until the end of the Fall feasts, but as I look at all of the destruction happening around the globe and the uptick in the interest in UFO’s and such, I am thinking this may be the season of the Lord’s return. One thing is for sure, it’s not business as usual anymore and the normal that we knew even 18 months ago is gone baby! Moving here was the right thing, the ‘God thing’ for us, but what I am really looking forward to is not being here anymore and finally going home.
I understand that the various weather patterns occurring around the world are all part of what Jesus said would be happening when He returns for His Church. We all know this and were instructed to ‘not let our hearts be troubled’ over it. We don’t fear what the world fears, but I sense that the second part this month is going to be very apocalyptic to say the least. I hope we’re gone by then.
I am being reminded of a dream that I had as a little boy. I went to Toys-R-Us in Rosemead with my dad and I got a green plastic army truck with black plastic wheels. It was a very simple toy, but I was glad to have it. Then I began to wake up and I realized that I was only dreaming. When I woke up the truck was obviously gone and I was a little disappointed about that. I feel the Lord telling me that all the stuff that He has blessed me with in this life is going to be like that green army truck. When I wake up from this long dream, all of the stuff and such in this life will be gone. The only thing we can take from this world is other people, beginning with our family. While I am looking forward to leaving the earth, I am glad my family is all coming with.
- Fulfilling my heavenly purpose by doing the God-given task given to me by the Master. While I don’t fully understand this premise, I believe it to be true. Heaven will be a wonderful place, but more than all of that, we will have a divine purpose in our being there. We will have a job, a responsibility to God.
We know it all begins with a seven-year (earth years) wedding celebration between Jesus and His bride, that’s us, individually and collectively. How that all works is also a mystery, but the layout is understood. It’s during this time that we will receive our heavenly and eternal rewards, our eternal home, and our calling and purpose. After the tribulation, the Lord will descend to the earth, with his bride, that’s us, and He will retake the planet and establish His millennial kingdom.
During the tribulation, many trib-saints who have come to faith in Christ, post Rapture, will die in their faith and be ushered to heaven and sequestered under the altar of God in the heavenly temple. When John saw this, he inquired of one of the 24 elders to describe what he was seeing,
“And I said to him, “Sir, you know.” So he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them. 16 They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; 17 for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to (fountains) living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” – Revelation 7:14-17
- Here we can see these precious saints who missed the Rapture and came to faith afterward, being given access into heaven. The Bible says that they will ‘serve Him day and night in Hi temple.’ While we don’t fully understand what this kind of service is so much as we know that we will have a purpose in heaven. This group is not the Church, but if they are given responsibilities, it’s a good bet that we will also, all in God’s perfect timing.
In our heavenly bodies, will be able to translate between earth and heaven instantly. We will also be able to interact with each other and the surviving mortals on the earth, along with their progeny throughout the millennial reign. While the first part of our task will be to reset the earth, the majority of the millennium will be an expression of heaven on earth as Jesus rules the planet from Jerusalem and we will co-rule with Him as he has ascribed it. It’s as if we, as individuals, will play a key role in God’s cosmic plan for eternity. He has invited us to join Him in this process; it will be our honor to serve with Him because this is what we were created for; good works in Christ Jesus.
The Apostle Paul reminds us,
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” – Ephesians 2:10
- My personal Bema Seat Judgment. I long to hear the Lord say, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.’ I have written sermons on this topic and in a few short days I feel that I will be standing at the Bema, my bema, and being judged (rewarded) for my life’s activities, good or bad. While I am confident that my sins were forgiven at the cross of Christ, I still have to give an account of all of my non-sin issues.
I am not afraid of the Bema Seat of Jesus because the Bible says that we are to approach the throne of grace with boldness and confidence. I am confident that Jesus has forgiven me of all my sins and that I am in right standing before the Father because of the Son. Jesus is my personal Lord and Savior and I am looking forward to being with Him in glory.
In correlation to the coming seven-year tribulation, Jesus said it this way,
“But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing (dissipation), drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. 35 For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36 Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy (have strength) to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.” – Luke 21:34-36
In this passage we find three key words that depict what is happening here:
- The phrase ‘that Day’ is the seven-year tribulation and all that it entails.
- The word ‘escape’ is a pre-tribulation Rapture.
- The phrase, ‘to stand before the Son of Man’ is the Bema Seat Judgment.
The Bema is not something to be feared or dreaded no more than your next paycheck is. While we wish it were for more, we’re thankful for what we do get. The Bema for the believer is likened to a payday for an employee. Whatever and however God rewards us at the Bema, we will be more than grateful for what He gives us. Jesus told us to ‘lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven’ and this is what the Bema is all about, our eternal treasures.
The Bema is only for believers in Jesus, it’s not for unbelieves no more than a paycheck is rewarded for a person who doesn’t work. Of course people do get paid for not working, but I am referring to God’s economy.
There you have it, my top seven things I am looking forward to in going to heaven. They are in review, being with Jesus, experiencing the beauty and splendor of heaven, being in a new supernatural body, not being on earth anymore with its sin-ladened curse, fulfilling my heavenly purpose, and being rewarded at the Bema Seat Judgment.
I really do long to hear the Lord say, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your Lord.’
Maranatha
Encourage Men 