Gather the elect:

Mark 13:27

27     “And then He will send forth the angels, and will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of heaven.

Matthew 24:31

31     “And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

            These verses demonstrate that no matter where we are when Jesus returns, His angels will collect us together to be with Him. This is true whether we’re dead or still alive when He returns. Like most doctrines in the Church there is debate and disagreement as to what this actually means. In this case, there is much dispute as to when this will happen. A very popular view is that this will happen right before the Great Tribulation that is mentioned in the verses prior to these two passages. Thus, the believers, dead or alive, will be “raptured”, receive their glorified bodies, and be taken to Heaven to be with Jesus for the seven years of the Tribulation. Some believe it will occur half-way through. Others believe it will be at the end of the Tribulation. And still others believe it won’t happen until after the Millennium … the thousand year reign on earth by Jesus during which Satan is chained. In the end, we shouldn’t be concerned about when it will happen. We should get our lives in order so that if He comes before the Tribulation, we’ll be ready to meet Him in the air. If it’s during or afterward, we need to be prepared to rely on Him to supply our every need. That’s because it’s going to be rather nasty during it.

 

If you could hear God speak to you, I believe this is what He would say:

            "The time is soon coming when my trumpet will sound. It will be a blast heard round the world. No one can escape it. It will be a sound of great joy to you, but a sound of terrifying expectation for those who do not know Me. I have chosen you, and I will come to gather you together on that Day. It will not come as a surprise to you, for I will announce My coming to you My people. I will tell you when I am about to come. I will signal you through those who listen to My Spirit. I will not hide it from you. If you diligently harken unto My Spirit, you will know when I am about to come. I will not hide it from you, but will tell you as the time approaches. Do not hesitate to prepare yourself for Me. Those that wait will lose their desire to please Me. They will turn back from the plow. They will say it is not time and is not worth the loss of freedom. What they don’t understand is that My yoke is actually one of freedom. Accept My guidance in your daily life, and you will come to know My peace. It is one that worries not at the future, but looks eagerly forward to My coming and My Kingdom.”

            106. When Jesus returns He will send forth His angels and gather His elect, which includes me, from wherever we are located in Heaven, on earth, or under the earth.

Chapter 10

 

Second Coming

 

            Jesus is coming again. Many people think it will be soon; but whether it’s in the next few days or the next few decades, He is coming back a second time. What does that mean to us? What is our destiny when He returns? The following verses give us some insight into exactly what our destiny is in regards to His second coming.

Process:

            Raise us up on last day:

John 6:39-40

39     “This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day.

     40     “For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”

John 6:54

54     “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.

 

1 Corinthians 6:14

14     Now God has not only raised the Lord, but will also raise us up through His power.

 

            It is not the Father’s will that we not make it to the end. It is His will that Jesus raise us up on the last day. We have believed in the Son, and so we have eternal life and will be raised up on the last day (remember our assumptions). He is not going to leave us stuck in the ground with no hope. It is not the end when we die. The world has no hope when it dies. We have an awe-inspiring hope. Again, hope is not wishful thinking. It is confident anticipation. This resurrection is not something that we have to work for to achieve. It is going to happen when Jesus returns.

If you could hear God speak to you, I believe this is what He would say:

            "I have not chosen you to fail. I have chosen you to succeed … to be established in the earth as a great people. I have not chosen you to let you wither on the vine. I have chosen you to be a great success. I will not abandon you like others have abandoned you. I will always be with you no matter what may come against you. You shall dominate the kingdoms of this world as you walk in My Spirit. I will not abandon you to disgrace. I will raise you up. Your faith in Me will not go unrewarded. You will be raised up in My glory. I will not abandon you to the grave, but will raise you up on the last day to My glory.”

             105. I have believed in the Son and so I have eternal life. He will not abandon me to the grave when I die. He will raise me up on the last day.

We need each other. God designed the system so that we would. Otherwise, some would go off into a corner of the world with their own little group and never associate with other believers. When we work together, the whole becomes bigger and better than the sum of its parts. It is our destiny as a group. We can’t become individually what He wants without becoming collectively what He wants and vice versa.

Other:

            Chosen race; Royal Priesthood; Holy nation:

1 Peter 2:9

9     But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

     

            Look at some of the things we are! We’re a chosen race. That doesn’t mean race in the natural. We’re a brand new race … Christian. We’re also a royal priesthood. There was a separation between those related to the king (David), and those who were of the priesthood (Aaron). The two didn’t mix, but we do. We’re also God’s possession. Why are we all this? So that we may proclaim His excellencies. That people can see what God desires in His children. We were all living in darkness. He called us out; but not just out of darkness. That would be great in itself. He called us into something … His marvelous light. He brought us out to bring us in … just like He did for the children of Israel … out of Egypt into the Promised Land.

 

If you could hear God speak to you, I believe this is what He would say:

            "You are My chosen ones. I did not choose you from the world to be nothing. I chose you to be great among the nations. I chose you to show forth My glory in the earth. There is no other people that can compare to you when you walk in My Word. There is nothing that I would not do for you, My people. I have a plan for you in the earth, and you cannot know it apart from Me. I have a plan for you to conquer the world and all that’s in it. It is not a plan for failure, but a plan for success. You shall be a great people and a great nation in the midst of all the nations of the world. You shall become a part of My Kingdom as you walk in My Word and listen to My Spirit as He gives you directions. Then you shall reign as priests in My Kingdom. You shall do great exploits as you work together to bring about My Kingdom throughout the earth.”

            104. I am of a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession. I will proclaim His excellencies for he has called me out of darkness into His marvelous light.