THE
CHRISTIAN’S SIX-FOLD JOURNEY AT DEATH
Dick D.
Christen
Let’s call
it a journey. Or we could use the terms ‘sojourn’, ‘adventure’ or
‘transmigration.’ This last word is defined secondarily in a dictionary as “the
passage of a soul after death into another body.”
A believer
in Jesus Christ has it from the lips of the Savior Himself that going from
earth to heaven will effectively take place, either at the rapture of the
Church or at one’s death.
1
Thessalonians 4:13-18 definitively describes the rapture as the sudden
appearance of Jesus in the atmospheric heavens: “For the Lord Himself will
descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the
trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive
and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord
in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one
another with these words” (vv 16-18). No date is assigned in Scripture. It
could happen at any moment and will be an event of world-wide proportions. It
will be an atmospheric drama choreographed by God Himself and witnessed by all!
People on earth will gaze on it. When Jesus appears He will have with Him
believers who already died. They will be reunited with their earthly bodies
and, together with Christians then living on earth, will congregate in the
heavens. At some point during this spectacular event the souls and bodies of
those lifted from the earth will be changed “in a moment in the twinkling of an
eye.” They will be freed from the troublesome miseries of sin’s curse. This
amazing, God-wrought occurrence is also set forth in 1 Corinthians
15:50-58.
But in the meantime and until the rapture every believer dies at his or her appointed time. In spite of all the daily
evidences in life, the graveyards and passing hearses, too many still remain in
a state of denial concerning the inevitability of death. As a believer in Jesus
Christ, I WILL DIE, unless first swept up in the rapture of the Church.
Some monks
in the Middle Ages kept skulls in their rooms inscribed with the words memento mori, meaning “remember your
death.” I wouldn’t recommend such an eerie practice today, but more openness
about the reality of our common mortality should certainly be in vogue.
That people
avoid the subject, never raising the issue, never asking a Christian about it,
and never searching the Bible for answers, is most disconcerting. To such,
ignorance is deemed bliss. Nevertheless, the Word of God speaks forthrightly
about death and tells us the Lord even sovereignly determines the when and the
how. We may well struggle with God’s timing and even think it wrong, too soon
or unfortunate (especially in the case of a child). And we may well question
Him when anyone near and dear to us passes on. At times we may find ourselves
hastily sympathizing with Carl Jung when he said, “It (death) is a period
placed before the end of a sentence.” But, remember, dear hurting one, our days
are numbered (Psalm 90:12), and this by the God who is too loving to be unkind
and too wise to make a mistake. In His all-knowing overview of the beginning to
the end of all things, He makes all such determinations perfectly so. He even
sees horrible happenings that may await anyone if he or she lived additional days.
Eternity will reveal just how wisely and precisely he did the counting. The end
of our earthly sojourn will come, and so, like the Psalmist, we find solace
saying, “My times are in Your hand” (Psalm 31:15). And, we do this fully
trusting and resting in His sovereign care.
Jesus
possibly referenced both the rapture and this moment of personal demise when He
said, “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you
to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:3). It is surely
most comforting and soothing to the soul to mull the fact that Jesus wants His
followers with Him; and this, in the very place He has gone to prepare for
them. How intimate! The One of infinity desires just such intimacy.
The Psalmist
anticipated the believer’s personal departure from this earth when he said, “As
for the days of our life, they contain seventy years, or if due to strength,
eighty years, yet their pride is but labor and sorrow; For soon it is gone and
we fly away” (Psalms 90:10). What? At death the believer flies away? What does
this mean? How does it happen? Does he or she sprout wings? Or, does the
departing soul obtain some kind of jet pack which enables a swooshing, rapid
upturn, like a departing jet? Perhaps the Lord sends some kind of heavenly
chariot to whisk us away like Elijah? How do Christians fly away? In the above
passage I believe the “it” refers to the earlier mentioned “strength.” With
God-given strength we may live to 80 or beyond. Then, God, the giver and taker
of life, cuts it off and we’re out of here. Again, our life struggles as well
as our times are all in His hands.
But, an
inquisitive mind wants to hear the details about this ‘at death’ experience
which takes the Christian from earth to glory.
The Bible
sets forth at least SIX DISTINCT STEPS OR PHASES involved:
1. For whatever cause, at death THE BELIEVER'S SOUL LEAVES THE BODY. How do we know? Well, centuries ago the Old Testament
saints, Jacob and Rachel, while journeying, alarmingly became aware that Rachel
was going to give birth. The baby was born but not without much pain and agony.
Sadly, Rachel died. The Scripture spells it out this way: “Rachel began to give
birth and she suffered severe labor. When she was in severe labor the midwife
said to her, ‘Do not fear, for now you have another son.’ It came about as her
soul was departing (for she died), that she named him Ben-oni; but his father
called him Benjamin” (Genesis 35:16-18). Ponder the phrase “as her soul was
departing (for she died).” This undergirds the statement that at death THE
PERSON OR SOUL LEAVES THE BODY.
A father was
at the beach with his children when his four-year-old son ran up to him,
grabbed his hand, and led him to the water’s edge where a seagull lay dead on
the sand. “Daddy, what happened to him?” the son asked. “He died and went to
heaven,” the dad replied. The boy thought for a moment and then said, “Did God
throw him back down?” The lad did not understand that a living being, the soul,
lives inside a body, and is still a living being, whether in a body or out of
it.
Well then,
what is a “soul?” The soul is the person. What is the “person?” A person is the
soul. What is its make-up? What are the constituent parts of a person or soul?
Three things
comprise a person: Firstly, INTELLECT. A
person thinks, reasons and ponders. Knowledge is stored up. It is remembered.
It is used for life purposes. Action is the proper fruit of knowledge. Thomas
Watson said, “Knowledge is the eye that must direct the foot of obedience.”
And, secondly, EMOTION. A person or soul feels. The range of emotions is wide,
all the way from joy to despair. It includes negatives (anger, wrath, jealousy,
etc.) and positives (joy, happiness, pleasurableness, etc.). We feel deeply,
lengthily or at times fleetingly. Then, there is the last part of personhood, WILL
OR VOLITION. A person or soul makes decisions. I like Frederik P. Wood’s
statement: “The will is the deciding factor in everything that we do. In every
sphere of life it settles alternatives.”
And so, by
way of summary, these three factors, intellect, emotion and will, constitute a
person or a living soul. It is dignifying to remember that God is a person. He
is what we are because He made us in His image. He is the eternal soul. We, His
creatures, are but everlasting souls. Every soul will exist forever either in
heaven or in hell. The Bible is very clear about this. At death, the soul
redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ, leaves the body and goes to heaven to be
with Jesus. Jesus’ desire, expressed in John 14:3, is thus fulfilled. Remember,
He said, “that where I am, there you may be also.” He wants us close to Him.
Once, while
walking by a casket and holding my three year old daughter, I explained that
grandma wasn’t in the body anymore. She is in heaven. I said to her that the
body is like a turtle shell. She has left her shell behind. She’s gone.
Interestingly, she grasped the idea and seemingly was satisfied.
At this
point, Henry Scott Holland’s illustrative words are so beautiful to
contemplate: “I am standing on the seashore. A ship spreads her white sails to
the morning breeze and starts for the ocean. I stand watching her until she
fades on the horizon, and someone at my side says, ‘She is gone.” Gone where?
The loss of sight is in me, not in her. Just at the moment someone says, ‘She
is gone,’ there are others who are watching her coming. Other voices take up
the glad shout, ‘Here she comes,’ and that is dying.”
2. At death
A CHRISTIAN FLIES AWAY. This idea isn’t just the fancy of an old southern
gospel song. It is wonderfully spelled out in the Bible. Psalm 90:10 clearly
says that at death, “we fly away.” But, how does this happen? Again, “What does
this mean? Do we sprout wings? Or, does the departing soul take on some kind of
jet pack which enables a swooshing, rapid upturn like a departing jet? Or, does
the Lord send some kind of heavenly chariot to whisk us away, even as He did
with Elijah? Do we have any answers to these questions?
Informatively,
a story in Luke 16:19-31 gives us some details. We are told of a rich man who
lived most sumptuously; also, there was a poor man living in misery. They knew
of each other. Often the bedraggled man lay at the rich man’s door begging for
food while the dogs licked his sores. God gives us the name of the bereft
sufferer. He was Lazarus.
God delights
in personalizing or naming the objects of His grace. John 10:3 declares that
when Jesus enters the sheepfold “the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own
sheep by name and leads them out.” And so, in another story and amidst the
masses of Jericho, Jesus, making His way through town, notices a little man
climbing a tree. He stops, looks up into a tree and warmly, but directly says,
“Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house” (Luke
19:5). Soon in his own home Zaccheus believes in Jesus and with promised amends
gives positive evidence of a wonderfully changed life.
Now, back to
the Luke 16 passage. We hear the name ‘Lazarus’ but never do learn the name of
the rich man who died and went to Hades. At the Great White Throne judgment he
will be consigned a place in gehenna (hell) forever. But when Lazarus died we
are told this: “Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to
Abraham’s bosom” (v22). Think about this! He flew away by means of angel wings!
Isn’t this an eye-popping tidbit of God-ordered aerospace experience? His soul
leaves his body and the angels are there to greet him. Lovingly they take his
soul and zoom upwards. Lazarus hears the
flutter of their wings and gains reassurance of his promised destination. They
talk with him just like Moses and Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration
discussed with Jesus His return to heaven after the resurrection. They offer
some glimpses into what he will experience once on the golden streets. Perhaps
they tell him something about the dwelling place Jesus has built for him.
Heaven, being rich with color, they clue him in on the color scheme and the
mansion’s layout, the furniture and other homey accoutrements. When nearing
glory they begin to hear singing, ever so faintly but then louder and louder.
It’s beautiful and possesses that mysterious and substantive essence of many
waters tumbling. In describing heaven, the Apostle John says, “Then I heard
something like the voice of a great multitude and like the sound of many waters
and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying, ‘Hallelujah! For the
Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns’” (Revelation 19:6). After winging through
the darkness of space, the light of the city, at first dim and distant, now
becomes brilliant. It’s the brightness of glory. Jesus shone with this
brilliance on the Mount of Transfiguration. The soul of Lazarus can tolerate
it. He’s changed. No sunglasses are needed because his innate sinfulness, along
with all weaknesses of his earthly sojourn, fade into his recent past. God
bestows all properties suitable and needed for the eternal state. Lazarus and
the angels chatter about other details while nearing the threshold of heaven.
In other words, when a believer in Jesus Christ dies, he does not wander alone
and cold in outer space searching for a path upward. No, he at once, without
any hesitation, travels heavenward.
Soon after
he died in l993, country singer Conway Twitty’s duet partner, Loretta Lynn,
strangely pleaded with Twitty’s spirit to return to his body. Lynn was visiting
a Missouri hospital when Twitty, who had suffered an aneurysm, was brought to
the hospital’s intensive care unit. He died. “I’d always heard that the spirit
stays right there above the body for a while, so when I went back to intensive
care, I stood beside Conway’s body and tried to talk him back down,” Lynn said.
“I said, ‘Conway, don’t die on me. You know you don’t want to go.’” Lynn told
the story in “The View From Nashville,” by Ralph Emery the longtime broadcaster.
The Bible
dispenses all such erroneous notions about death. Rather, as would be expected
from a loving and caring heavenly Father, a deceased believer at once receives
a warm personal escort to his promised abode. Hallelujah, what a Savior! Dear
reader, do you have the certainty of such a transition at death? Paul prayed
for the Roman believers, “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and
peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy
Spirit” (Romans 15:13). The Apostle said, “We are…well pleased to be absent
from the body and to be present with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8).
Joseph
Parker (1830-1902) was a beloved preacher in England. When his wife died, he
didn’t have the customary wording inscribed on her gravestone. Instead of the
word died followed by the date of her
death, he chose the word ascended.
Joseph Parker found great comfort in being reminded that though his wife’s body
had been placed in the grave, the “real” Mrs. Parker had been transported to
heaven, into the presence of her Savior. When Parker himself died, it’s no
wonder that his friends made sure that his gravestone read: Ascended November
28, 1902.
3. Leaving this earthly scene and arriving in
heaven, A BELIEVER IN JESUS CHRIST IS PERSONALLY WELCOMED BY JESUS HIMSELF. Can
we not arrive at such a conclusion remembering that He promised to prepare a
place just for us? If this is so, will He not want to be on hand to witness us
seeing it for the first time?
Remember, He
kindly gave us details about what He would do after His ascension. He said, “In
My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have
told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for
you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you
may be also…” (John 14:2-3). He wants us to be where He is.
All the
Bible is a grand invitation to come to God through Jesus Christ not only for
freedom from the guilt and penalty of sin, now, but ultimately for grand and glorious
communion with the hosts of heaven, the redeemed who have gone before, and with
Jesus Himself. It seems only reasonable to assume His ‘in- person’ welcome in
heaven. He wants us with Him! May I ask, how much more blessed and endearing
could it be?
Ronald Sider
reminds us that “for the early Christians koinonia
was not the frilly ‘fellowship’ of church-sponsored by-weekly outings. It was
not tea, biscuits and sophisticated small talk in the Fellowship Hall after the
sermon. It was an unconditional sharing of their lives with the other members
of Christ’s body.” Certainly heaven will maximize this “unconditional sharing.”
Talk about transparency! Talk about the absence of hypocrisy! This will be true
friendship. A friend is someone who comes in when the world goes out. Jesus is
a friend who sticks closer than a brother and when we leave this world, there
He will be! In the rapture, all are gathered unto Him in the atmospheric
heaven! We meet the Lord in the air! “Then we who are alive and remain will be
caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so
we shall always be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:17). Should we expect any
less at our personal death and arrival in heaven? And, since He held little
children in His arms on earth, is it unreasonable that we, being His children,
can expect a warm embrace from Him! Think about it! Embraced, hugged and patted
by the nail pierced hands of our Creator and Savior. And with this, we’ll also
experience the concomitant closeness for which we’ve eagerly longed with
loved-ones gone before.
Given these
beautiful realities, would any departed person desire to return to earth, even
if they could? If, with the poet we would say,
“If tears
could build a stairway
And memories a lane,
I’d walk
right up to heaven
And bring you home again,”
…do we really
think any gloriously departed saint would respond to such an invitation?
4. Arriving
in glory THE CHRISTIAN RECEIVES A HEAVENLY BODY. When believers die and arrive
in heaven, are they bodiless? Are they just wandering souls? Or, are they
floating ghosts merely whisping here and there?
To answer
such questions let us remember that the place Jesus has gone to prepare for His
own is described in explicit material or physical detail. Twice Jesus called it
a place. He said, “I go to prepare a place
for you. If I go and prepare a place
for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself” (John 14:2-3). It is not
a figment of the imagination. Nor is it mere dreamy ‘pie in the sky.’ It is
real, touchable and alive to the senses. Because it is described so minutely we
must conclude it to be substantive, physically so.
Let us ask,
what did the Apostle John see in his heavenly visit? He says, “The material of
the wall was jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass. The
foundation stones of the city wall were adorned with every kind of precious
stone…. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; each one of the gates was a
single pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass”
(Revelation 21:18-21). In a nearby verse we are told the entire city is gold.
Now, for such a place to be appreciated it seems logical that a body with
sensory perceptions would be incumbent. God never created living beings to be
without bodies. Indeed, when the Apostle Paul reveals the fact that believers
in heaven will have bodies, he says, “inasmuch as we, having put it on, will
not be found naked” (2 Corinthians 5:3). Could not the “it” refer to a
celestial body? In 1 Corinthians 15, the very instructive resurrection chapter in
the Bible, the Apostle Paul tells us about different kinds of bodies. “All
flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one flesh of men, and another flesh
of beasts, and another flesh of birds, and another of fish. There are also
heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is one, and
the glory of the earthly is another” (1 Corinthians 15:39-40). When believers
arrive in heaven could there be a heavenly body awaiting their occupancy?
Note also
that when Jesus cast out evil spirits from the wild Gadara demoniacs, the
demons desired earnestly to inhabit the bodies of nearby pigs. The story goes
like this: When Jesus, traveling, “came to the other side, to the country of
the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met him, coming out of the tombs, so
fierce that no one could pass that way. And behold, they cried out, ‘What have
you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the
time?’ Now a herd of many pigs was feeding at some distance from them. And the demons begged him, saying, ‘If you
cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs.’” (Matthew 8:28-31). In other
words, all living beings, whether animal or human, apparently are meant to
indwell bodies.
There are
two passages of Scripture that seem to clearly set this forth. One is 2
Corinthians 5:1-9. It says, “For we know that if the earthly tent which is our
house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands,
eternal in the heavens. For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be
clothed with our dwelling from heaven, inasmuch as we, having put it on, will
not be found naked. For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being
burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that
what is mortal will be swallowed up by life. Now He who prepared us for this
very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge. Therefore, being
always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we
are absent from the Lord— for we walk by faith, not by sight— we are of good
courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home
with the Lord.” It seems reasonable to equate the terms “earthly tent” “a
building from God” “this house” “our dwelling from heaven,” set forth in the
early verses of this passage, with the word “body” used twice in the last
verses of the passage. Again, the Apostle Peter also, clearly referring to his
present body, calls it “my tent.” In 2 Peter 1:14 he talks about “the laying
aside of my earthly dwelling” as imminent, as also the Lord Jesus Christ had
made clear to him. The word “dwelling” can be translated as “tent.” Our
conclusion can well be that when we die we leave our earthly bodies behind,
arrive in heaven, and are at once clothed upon with some sort of a celestial
body.
Again, in 1
Corinthians 15 Paul declares, “There are also heavenly bodies and earthly
bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is one, and the glory of the earthly is
another” (v 40). Angels have bodies. Jesus has a body in heaven. Those who have
gone before, Moses and Elijah, showed up on the Mount of Transfiguration
visibly and bodily, both seen and recognized. Luke reports, “And behold, two
men were talking with Him; and they were Moses and Elijah, who, appearing in
glory, were speaking of His departure which He was about to accomplish at
Jerusalem. Now Peter and his companions had been overcome with sleep; but when
they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men standing with Him”
(Luke 9:30-32). Peter and his friends saw Moses and Elijah! Their earthly
bodies could see the celestial bodies. When it says Moses and Elijah appeared
“in glory” it means “in splendor.” Hereby, we are apprised of the spectacular
nature of our heavenly bodies. Unimaginable!
And so, can
we not believe that Christians are clothed upon with celestial bodies when they
arrive in glory? When returning with Christ in the rapture of the Church, it
could well be that somehow the celestial bodies are fused or meshed with the
resurrected earthly bodies. Perhaps the celestial bodies are in appearance
similar to what the earthly resurrected bodies will be. If so, this would allow
for instant recognition by believers of one another in heaven even though vast
improvements may well be the case also. Thereupon, with their celestial/resurrected
bodies Christians will forever live, eating (as Jesus did with His resurrected
body), and functioning bodily (as Jesus did in many ways), and all this forever
upon their return to heaven. What hope! What understanding God gives. No
wonder, that when Christians die, although grieving (but not as others who have
no hope) we sometimes call our funeral services, Celebrations.
In AD 125, a
man named Aristides sent a letter to an acquaintance to give this explanation
for the rapid spread of Christianity: “If any righteous man among the
Christians passes from this world, they rejoice and offer thanks to God, and
they escort his body with songs and thanksgiving as if he were setting out from
one place to another nearby.”
5. Once in
heaven, CHRISTIANS WILL EXPERIENCE THE BEMA REVIEWING STAND OF JUDGMENT AND THE
MARRIAGE SUPPER OF THE LAMB. Amidst all the wonders of heaven, two highly
important events will transpire:
First, THE
BEMA SEAT OF JUDGMENT. This appointment should not be confused with the Great
White Throne Judgment Seat. This latter place of judgment happens just after
the 1,000 year millennial reign of Jesus and is for unbelievers (Revelation
20:11-15). The Bema Judgment happens in heaven soon after the rapture. Do we
not sense an immediacy for this when Scripture declares, “Behold, I am coming
quickly, and My reward is with Me…” (Revelation 22:12). Jesus calls His people
to a time of accountability.
There are
several key passages of Scripture that give us the details. 1 Corinthians
3:10-15 sets forth the event in this way: “According to the grace of God which
was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is
building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. For no man
can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones,
wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it
because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the
quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built on it remains,
he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss;
but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.” Romans 14:10 forthrightly
declares: “But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you
regard your brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment
seat of God.” No excuses will be valid. We “will” stand there.
2
Corinthians 5:10 tells us: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of
Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body,
according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” This momentous occasion is
not to determine whether or not a believer can stay in heaven. No, Scripture is
clear. “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ
Jesus” (Romans 8:1). The believer’s sin was judged on Jesus’ Cross. The
purpose, as the text clearly says, is that “each one may be recompensed for his
deeds.” This has to do with rewards for the life lived on earth. He saves
sinners, not by their good works, but He does save them unto good works or
Christ-honoring behavior. This is crystal clear when the Apostle Paul states:
“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it
is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we
are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk
in them” (Ephesians 2:8-10). These works of righteousness will be noted and
honored. This fact may well indicate degrees of enjoyment in heaven. Hence the
books are open. All will be agog with the splendors of the New Jerusalem, but
the ability to appreciate it may well be of differing degrees. Those living a
more Godly life on earth will possibly have a deeper sense of meaning or
aesthetic appreciation than others. Again, all will be wonderful, but some will
sing “the wonder of it all” more ardently.
The Bible
also sets forth the five crowns that will be given, if earned, in these
passages: 1 Corinthians 9:24-27; 2 Timothy 4:6-8; James 1:12; 1 Peter 5:1-4 and
1 Thessalonians 2:19.
And then,
the second major happening, THE MARRIAGE SUPPER OF THE LAMB. In the context of
heaven we read this: “Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for
the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready. It was
given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine
linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Then he said to me, ‘Write, ‘Blessed
are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’ And he said to
me, ‘These are true words of God.’ Then I fell at his feet to worship him. But
he said to me, ‘Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and your
brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God. For the testimony of
Jesus is the spirit of prophecy’” (Revelation 19:7-10).
Probably
toward the end of the seven years in heaven this marriage of the Lamb (Jesus)
to the Bride (the Church) will take place. The language “for the marriage of
the Lamb has come” really means “is come.” It is an aorist tense indicating the
fact in an immediate sense. Her clothing speaks of “the righteous acts of the
saints” thereby indicating that the Judgement Seat is past and she now comes
perfectly arrayed to the marriage.
Paul
anticipated this when in 2 Corinthians 11:2 the longing of his heart for
believers is expressed in this way: “For I am jealous for you with a godly
jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present
you as a pure virgin.” So, in effect, the Church now and during the initial
time in heaven is betrothed or engaged to Jesus. Then, before returning with
the Lord to reign with Him in His Kingdom, the wedding comes.
6. Finally, when the seven years in heaven are
expired (during which time the judgments of God fall upon the wicked earth),
CHRISTIANS RETURN WITH JESUS TO EARTH TO DEFEAT ALL THE NATIONS CONVERGED
AGAINST ISRAEL, SAVE HER, AND ESTABLISH HIS 1,000 YEAR MILLENNIAL REIGN.
The
Apostle John says, “And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He
who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and
wages war. His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and
He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. He is clothed
with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the
armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following
Him on white horses. From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may
strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He
treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe
and on His thigh He has a name written, ‘KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS’”
(Revelation 19:11-16). Victory at last!
“The armies
which are in heaven” are the Church. We come back to earth to reign with Him.
Notice, we will be clothed not in military garb, but “in fine linen, white and
clean” because the battle will not be ours but His. And we will reign forever
and ever with Him. After the Kingdom is established, the Church continues to
dwell in the New Jerusalem which descends out of heaven, lingering in the air,
until the great cleansing conflagration of 2 Peter 3 is accomplished. The earth
now being completely purged, the New Jerusalem settles forever on the “new”
earth. This will be the dwelling place, eventually, for all the redeemed saints
of both Israel and the Church, peace between them forever wrought by the blood
of the Lamb. The names of the twelve tribes (Israel) are over the gates while
the names of the Apostles (representing the Church) are scripted on the twelve
foundations of beautiful stones. What is true now spiritually for both Jews and
Gentiles, being made one in Christ in the Church, will then find its physical
actuality in the New Jerusalem. “But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were
far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our
peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing
wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments
contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new
man, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God
through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity” (Ephesians 2:13-16).
And to brighten our hope, Jesus says, “Yes, I
am coming quickly.” And we say, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.” “Therefore comfort
one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:18).
