I Thessalonians Four Part Two

I Thessalonians 4:13-18 and Revelation 7:9-17

"And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." Revelation 7:17b

What a wonderful day it will be for the child of God when the Lord Jesus Christ returns! I Thessalonians 4:16-17 tells us about that awesome day, "For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever." What an exciting and awesome promise! We will be with the Lord forever! The promise of an eternity with the Lord is what gives our lives meaning, purpose, joy, and hope!

We do not know exactly what heaven will be like, but the book of Revelation gives us some clues. Revelation 7 tells us that there will be believers from every nationality and race with us in heaven. We will together be standing before the throne of the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ. We will be clothed in the Lord's righteousness. We already have been saved from the penalty or punishment of our sins by Christ's sacrifice on the cross. In Christ's atoning blood we already have the power to say no to Satan and sin. Because of our still remaining sinful natures we do not always choose God's way, but we do have the power of Christ at our disposable to choose God's will. We are not yet, however, free from the presence of sin in our lives. When Christ returns and we are with the Lord for eternity we will even be free from the presence of sin in our lives! When we go to be with the Lord we will no longer commit any sins! What a blessed thought!

When we are with the Lord forever in eternity we will joyfully and eternally be praising the Lord for our salvation. We will be worshiping the Lord saying, "Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!" (Revelation 7:12) We will also continually be serving the Lord with joy, "and He who sits on the throne will spread His tent" of eternal protection and love over us (Revelation 7:15b)!

When we are with the Lord forever in eternity never again will we hunger or thirst. Never again will we suffer physical or emotional pain of any kind. Revelation 7:17b says, "And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." The Lord Jesus, the Lamb of God, will be our eternal shepherd and will lead us to "springs of living water" and to inexpressible joys!

Our lives on this earth are transitory and very brief compared to an eternity with the Lord. We must hang very loosely to the things of this world. This world is only a preparation for the glories of heaven. Our eternal home is our real home. Our homes on this earth are merely temporal. Let us live our lives on earth in the light and promise of an eternity with the Lord!