Something Better Is Coming

When I go to my Mother's house, there are certain things I can expect to happen. I can always expect my Mother to make me feel welcome and loved. I can always expect my Mother to greet me with a loving smile and a hug. I can always expect my Mother to ask me if I want anything to eat or drink. And every time I go to my Mother's house to eat a meal, I can always expect to have my favorite dessert. Chocolate pie. These are just some of the wonderful things I can expect to happen when I go to see my Mother.

There are also many wonderful things I can expect to happen when I leave this body and go to see Jesus. The Bible gives us many pictures of what we can expect to happen when we see Jesus. 2 Cor. 5:8 says, "We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord." And so, for those of us who are trusting in Jesus as Lord and Savior --- if we die before Jesus comes, the Bible says, that our bodies will remain here but our soul will be with Jesus.

And when Jesus returns to the earth, we will come with Him. Col. 3:4 says, "When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall you also appear with Him in glory."

1 Thess. 3:13 says, "so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints." And so, the Bible says that we shall appear with Him and Jesus will come with all of His saints.

When Jesus comes back --- He's not coming back alone. He'll be coming with angels and with all of the people who have ever trusted in Him.

As we are coming with Jesus, our soul will be reunited with our body. 1 Cor. 15:51-52 says, "Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." 1 Thess. 4:16-17 says, "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord." And so, those who have died before Jesus comes, will come back with Him. Those who are still alive when Jesus comes will meet Him in the air as He is coming. And all of our bodies will be translated into new bodies. We will join Jesus and all of the saints as they are coming back to earth.

And the whole world will see Jesus and all of His followers coming back to earth.

The bodies of the dead will be resurrected from the grave and reunited with their soul. But our resurrected body will not be the same body we have now. It will be a brand new body. It will be a body that will be like the resurrected body of Jesus. In Phil. 3:21, the Bible says that Jesus "will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body." And so, our bodies will be changed in a twinkling of an eye to be like the resurrected body of Jesus.

And then, we will live with Jesus on the earth for 1,000 years. Rev. 20:6 says, “Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.” And then after the 1,000 years, the devil will be let loose again for a little while and then he will be thrown into Hell forever. “Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison. The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever “ Rev. 20:7,10.

Jesus will renew the heavens and the earth. There will be a brand new heaven and a brand new earth. The Bible says in Rev. 21:1-5a, “Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.’ Then He who sat on the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new.’” Jesus will bring peace and rest to all of the earth and everything on it. Jesus makes all things new.