I Long to See Him

I LONG TO SEE HIM

I Thess.4: ¹³ But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.

¹⁴ For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
¹⁵ For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
¹⁶ For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
¹⁷ Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
¹⁸ Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

It seems in these days of self help and "how to" Christianity that these words mean precious little to the church. Several years ago I actually heard one of the property heretics say “The only people who want to go to heaven are those who are broke!” I can hardly imagine such a sentiment, and it not only exposes a demon of greed and self righteousness, but it reveals that this man does not know who Jesus is. Who but a lost man could ever, EVER, compare what this world has to offer with the glory of being in the presence of the Lord Jesus?

Phil.1: ²³ For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:

Paul did not just say it would be better to go and be with Christ. He said it would be far better. Why would Paul say such a thing? Because Paul knew Christ and His surpassing glory. He did not mention golden streets or gates of pearls or even the angelic hosts. No, Paul’s heart was to be with Jesus. And that must be the heart of every born again believer. But I fear we have lost the unquenchable anticipation that longs to be with Christ. The things of this world have captured our hearts and we now recognize the catching away of the believers as a church doctrine rather than a personal culmination of His gracious redemption.

Most of the church could not care less about this catching away. And even those who believe in it would much rather argue about when it will take place rather than salivate at its eternal implications and glory. Per-trib or mid-trib or post- trib are the usual suspects when any discussion of this catching away takes place. The post tribulation adherents suggest that the pre tribulation people will be unprepared for enduring the tribulation, but their lives are no different than any other believers. This is not an issue where you do much study so you can be correct in your eschatological chronology and exude smugness.

This event, clear in Scripture yet filled with mystery, is the beginning of a majestic plan which includes us. Jesus loves us so much that He has planned to come and get the remnant along with all those who went before. But all these pictures that show planes without a pilot and cars without a driver miss the very essence of this teaching. We will be caught up to be with the Risen Christ! And this gathering will not be some gathering around the piano and singing the old hymns. This ushering into His presence will be filled with a glory that is without imagery in this present life.

We will be changed, and we then will be able to experience eternal emotions that are centered upon Him and not the self serving emotions we so often displayed on earth. Worship will not be centered around music although there will be music, but our worship will be transfixed upon the glory of the Lamb Who was Slain. What lips can do that justice? What emotions can touch that scenario? Just to lay our spiritual eyes upon Him who was dead and now lives forevermore will be a gift of grace that is more than we ever deserved.

But the church has lost the vision of the Great Shepherd. We speak about liberals and nations and taxes and clothes and new buildings and great music and all the rest. But where in God’s Holy Name is the obsession we should have with Him? Where are the elongated times during the day where we remove our spiritual sandals and sit at His feet and consume His Words and worship His Being? In truth, where is the Lord Jesus in our lives?

Yes He is in our doctrines, and His name appears in our songs, but does He hold the place of Lordship in our daily lives? And of what importance is it when He comes in the prophetic timetable? That is already set and no man can change anything. The great truth, the surpassing glory, is that Jesus IS coming! Oh my. How have we lost the reality of that truth? That alone should shake our beings and cause us to keep our hearts pure before Him and completely resistant to the alluring influences of this world. Jesus is coming, and if we dwell upon the quintessence of that spectacular event we must be transformed.

He who created Jupiter; He who made the Sun; He who knows every atom; He who knows all thoughts; He who created space itself; it is the Sovereign Monarch, Ruler of all there is, who so desire us to be with Him that He will come for us. Can your heart even contain such a thought? There are times I do not even desire to be with myself, and yet the Holy One desires my company? Who can really understand such a Being and such a love? And when we stand before Him His redemptive power and His eternal love will overwhelm our beings in ways we have never known.

No longer we will be harnessed to our doctrines, for now those truths have been transformed into waves of power and glory. Our lips then can only speak of His glory and they can only worship Him. This transformation from the temporal into the eternal will happen in a moment of time. The Greek word for moment used by Paul comes from the word "atom" and is actually used to indicate a particle of time so small and so quick that it cannot be divided. And in an instant we will be changed from this wretched body of sin into one made like unto His. Again, who can know such a thing? To think that I will be like Him is beyond the imagination and is way beyond what I could have ever deserved.

But even in the light of this foretaste of glory divine the church is still in Martha’s kitchen attempting to clean the dishes of this fallen earth. When was the last time you paused and meditated upon your Redeemer? When was the last time you were moved to tears that was not elicited by a sad story or an animal’s death? When have you bowed your head and your heart and wept quietly in His matchless presence? Have you through prayer been so captivated by His powerful presence that you were overwhelmed and lost all sense of time? How much glory and love have we forfeited because we have become part of the fast paced culture and thereby have very little room for Him?

This event commonly called the “rapture”, will indeed be the greatest event any believer will ever experience. How many of us have watched a Passion Play at church? Or how many of us have seen the life of Jesus portrayed somehow on the television or in a theatre? And even though they usually take some license with all the facts, how many of us have been moved to tears? Have you ever been moved emotionally just by hearing a song about Jesus or heard a message lifting Him up? Well all those times will be completely irrelevant memories when we see the Risen Christ and the glory which emanates from His being and illuminates the corridors of heaven.

The rapture of all true believers both living and dead will be an incredible spectacle culminating with millions of blood washed saints worshiping Him who they have seen for the very first time. The colossal reality of everything we believed will only then take hold without doubt or shadow of turning. Yes, all the imagery which we allowed to enter into our minds has given way to the surpassing reality of His incandescent glory. Can you even think upon such a thought with trembling and a sense of awe? He not only has come for us, He has brought us forever into His presence. But think on this as well. We have so often let Him down. We have sometimes sinned in thought, word, and deed. We have not prayed as we should have. We have ignored the Spirit’s prompting to witness sometimes. Yes, and Jesus knows all of that and more, and yet that divine heart of love and the utter expansiveness of His redemption still comes to claim us as His very own!

Oh what a Savior! Oh what love is this? Let my mind be consumed with Him and Him alone. I am prone to wander and yet my Lord never is distracted for an instant and His love has never wandered a moment from me. I should never have been offered salvation, and even when He saved my soul I should never been allowed an entrance into the shimmering spectacle of His risen presence which no man can know and no lips can describe. I cannot tell you how undone I feel when I think of Him and when I think of me. This journey which began in 1975 for me has had its ups and downs because of me, but it has never lost its sense of wonder. I long to see Him.

I could have done more but I long to see Him. I should have been more surrendered but I long to see Him. I could have been a greater witness but I long to see Him. I could have prayed more but I long to see Him. I have sinned but I long to see Him. I have been selfish but I long to see Him. I have preached His gospel thousands of times but I long to see Him. And what imprisons me with amazement is that He longs for me. Oh my…oh my.

I long to see Him.