Pastor Emmanuel Ilagan
“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. (John 14:1-3)
Saying goodbye and being separated from a loved one is difficult for me; I suppose this is true for most people.
Jesus understood this. Thus, during that last supper with His Twelve disciples He comforts them by saying that He will return to take them to Himself.
Jesus Christ will come again in glory as King. He will take with Him all those who have placed their faith in Him.
The Sciptures give us a hint of how things will be when we join Jesus in heaven. All the congenital deformities, rheumatic pains, the emotional hurts that we bear will end as our bodies are transformed like Jesus’glorious body (Phil. 3:20-21). In fact the whole universe itself will be renewed (2 Pet. 3:13).
All our griefs will end as Jesus wipes away every tear from our eyes; death shall be no more (Rev. 21:4). The King will reign with perfect justice. Evil will come to an end.
Scripture is not explicit about it but we may recognize departed loved ones. The two Emmaus disciples recognized Jesus with His glorified body (Lk.24:31). Peter, James and John recognized Moses and Elijah during Jesus’ Transfiguration (Mt.17:4). It may be that a grand reunion with loved ones awaits us in heaven!
By the grace of God and through faith in Christ — who on the cross defeated death to redeem us from sin — all these will be our inheritance as God’s children.
Covid 19 has reminded us that the Lord may come and take us any time. And so we prepare like the wise virgins who brought oil together with their lamps as they waited for the bridegroom to come. (Mt. 25:1ff). We give food to the hungry, welcome the stranger, and minister to the sick (Mt. 25:31ff). We worship Him and come boldly to His throne and open our hearts to Him with our praises and our laments (Heb. 4:16). And we acknowledge Him as King of our marriage, our job, our relationships and everything in our life.
One glorious morning our sad goodbyes and leave-takings will be replaced by jubilant praise as Christ the King returns and welcomes us into His kingdom.
Like the deer that longs for the flowing streams so does our soul long for You, O God. Come, King Jesus! Amen.