The Holy One calls to me this morning. Temporal life is about to change and with it the need to adapt is pressing down. Temporal life as we know it never ends well. As hard as we try to avoid it: from dust we came and to dust we will return. Gen 3:19
Physical death is the end of temporal life no matter how we live it. It has been that way since the very beginning with two exceptions that we are told about in the Word of God: Enoch and Elijah. These men were the two exceptions, and their lives are the model for those of us who believe in a rapture (sudden taking up) of the Body of Christ when the Lord returns for His own. Scripture tells us:
1 Thessalonians 4:
"16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
18 Therefore encourage one another with these words." NIV
Not knowing the day or time of that epic event on our earth calendar, we will be wise to live out each day as if it could be today. Both of these men lived in Old Testament times but since our God is a precedent setting and honoring Sovereign, we can be sure that their lives and translation out of this reality has significance to us today.
If nothing else the thought of a sudden evacuation out of planet earth should have an impact on how we live our temporal lives in light of eternity. For me this means to see the events here with eyes on the long range of Heavenly purpose.
Paul exhorts us over and over to get our temporal lives in a bag so we can focus on the much more of the Kingdom of Heaven and God's purpose in what He allows to transform us.
2 Corinth 4:16-17, "Therefore we do not lose heart though we are outwardly wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So, we fix our eyes not on what his seen but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary but what is unseen is eternal."
Make no mistake the Lord is preparing us for life post this earth. His word tells us that He is not content that ANY should perish but that all might come to the saving knowledge of Jesus; that Jesus was sent to rescue us and return us to a personal relationship with our Creator. That potential was accomplished when He paid the price for a sin nature that all humanity is born with, was crucified in flesh, and resurrected as a model of our own future resurrection from the dead. Only, that is, IF we accept His death in place of our own.
There is a way to live out our days here in light of eternity and I, for one, want to live that way. Since everything that makes up this realm materially will be turned into ash one day, the focus then must be on the only thing that will survive the burn and that is our relationships, beginning with our most important one which is with HIM! Once that is firmly established, we look to those we know and love to share such Great News of God's Love, Jesus' Sacrifice and the gift of eternal life that we have been given.
We will not enter into eternity with things, but we will enter in with people. All those who share in a love relationship with our Savior God, will be gathered together and inhabit a New Heaven and a New Earth. These are just the cliff notes and an overview, but the complete story is EPIC, and we are a vital part of God's plan.
Believers in Jesus are advancing our Kingdom one day at a time, seeing our Kingdom enlarged one life at a time! We have our marching orders called the Great Commission and we are to share what Jesus has done for us and what He is willing to do for all who call upon His Name.
Is today THAT day when you meet Him? Are you that "one life" He has left the 99 to save? I pray so!
The Holy Spirit is calling. Can you Hear Him?
