“Heaven and earth will pass away,
but my words will not pass away.”
Luke 21:33

As I read the gospels, I see plenty of warning for believers to be prepared for Jesus’ return. I actually get jazzed up thinking about it. I believe everything Jesus says to be true, and I genuinely am eager to see him return.

You know what the crazy thing about that is? Jesus’ actual body is in heaven, right now. It will be that same body that will return. He left this world and went up. That’s all we know about that. Heaven is “up.” We can’t see him anymore, but he is coming back.

He’s not coming back from the dead. He already did that. Now he’s coming back from heaven, from “up”, and will come back. His body. A resurrected body, to be sure, but a body all the same. A resurrected body is different than ours in that it is indestructible; it will last forever and ever. It can suddenly appear and disappear. It can change form so that you might not recognize the face. It is quite different, but it is still a body.

We’re going to have a body like that. Just like the one Jesus has. Some day.

I’m not sure how that day will all unfold. There are different schools of thought (pre-trib, post-trib, etc.). One way or another, Jesus will come back for his elect.

Mark 13:26-27 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.

That’s going to be a grand day!

In the meantime, Jesus was very determined to warn us to be prepared, to watch for his return, to be ready. This one was in my bible plan for yesterday:

Luke 21:34-36 “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you like a trap. For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. But stay awake at all times, praying you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

I’ll be perfectly honest; the coronavirus and the riots have gotten to me. My heart has hardened. I find resentment and anger close at hand. These both are related to hatred. I listened to a preacher yesterday who said affliction brings out the evil in one’s heart, like a hand squeezing a wet sponge.

Now, I don’t necessarily know if I was weighed down with dissipation. That word is often used in relation to sexual sin and drunkenness. But it’s also associated with letting sin take over. In that, I’ve found myself preoccupied with thoughts that are not godly. No matter how I dice it, I have sinned; and it has made me miserable.

Jesus told us plagues and wars were all to be expected. They have providential purpose. They are part of God’s wrath. They give God glory. Yet, I allowed them to harden my heart.

So, I guess I’m watching myself and making adjustments. It’s proving more difficult that I would have guessed. That’s OK. It’s proof that God is working in my life.

Hebrews 12: 5b-7 “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?

So there you have it! God loves me!

Thank you, Father. What great mercy you have granted me. I am not worthy. I am yours. Use me as you desire. Amen.

Copyright © 2020 Scott Powers

Photo by Sam Schooler on Unsplash