Rendezvous In Space


Copyright by Joe Crews.
  All rights reserved.

Redbook magazine made a survey of the eight leading seminaries 
in America and discovered that only one percent of the students 
believed in the second coming of Jesus.  The reason for this 
astonishing skepticism may be revealed by the experience of D. 
L. Moody, the great lay evangelist.  After explaining that he 
had been in the church for fifteen years before hearing his 
first sermon on the subject of Christ's return, he stated, "Now 
I know why the devil does not want this subject to be preached.  
Nothing would wake up the church so much as the doctrine that 
Jesus is coming soon."
Does that also explain why the modern church is so strangely 
quiet about this glorious future event?  Has Satan been 
successful in throwing a blanket of silence over the one great 
truth that could revive the Laodicean churches of today?  It 
certainly seems to be the case.  Even the evangelists are saying 
little about this spectacular occurrence which is mentioned 331 
times in the New Testament alone.
There is no event of the past, present, or future which has a 
stronger basis for belief.  Jesus spoke about it with such 
unmistakable clarity that no one need be in doubt or confusion.  
He said, "I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and 
prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto 
myself; that where I am, there ye may be also."  John 14:2, 3.  
It is biblically clear that God's complete plan for this world 
will not be fulfilled until we are transferred into that perfect 
home He is now preparing.  The plan of salvation has made 
infinite provisions for our justification and sanctification, 
but the restoration of all things will not be accomplished until 
we are freed forever from the contaminating presence of sin.
When and how will Christ's second entry into earth's history 
take place?  Before answering that question it is very important 
to understand how it will not happen.  Millions have been 
deceived by an incredible array of false theories which have 
spread like wildfire among evangelical Christians.
When His disciples approached Him on the Mount of Olives with 
the anxious question "What shall be the sign of thy coming and 
the end of the world?"  Christ answered, "Take heed that no one 
deceive you."  The implication is clear that there will be an 
unusual amount of misleading information about His return.
Then Jesus proceeded to outline the major signs that would mark 
His second coming.  Almost the whole of Matthew 24 is mingled 
with warnings about the endtime program of Satan to delude the 
whole world on this issue.  According to Jesus, the very elect 
will be assailed and threatened by the cunning impersonations of 
the evil one. He declared that false Christs and deceiving 
prophets would appear in the last days working undeniable 
miracles.  "For there shall arise false Christs, and false 
prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, 
if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect."  
Matthew 24:24.
Have such bold religious frauds made their appearance?  Indeed, 
they have been announced through the pages of the world's most 
prestigious newspapers.  Highly sophisticated advertising copy 
has proclaimed the imminent appearance of the divine 
"Incarnation" who will have the answers to all our problems.
Even though many of the claims of such charlatans are being 
rejected, the world community is subtly being prepared for a 
supernatural manifestation of a counterfeit Christ.  Because of 
their lack of biblical knowledge, millions of Christians will be 
ready to receive the spurious claims of this brazen impostor.
Jesus declared that He would not return to any localized area of 
the earth.  "Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is 
Christ, or there; believe it not. ... Wherefore if they shall 
say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth:  
behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not."  Matthew 
24:23-26.
Those who are well-versed in the truths of the Bible cannot be 
swept by the massive hysteria which will mark Satan's attempt to 
impersonate the advent of Jesus.  When popular television news 
commentators announce, with great excitement, that Christ has 
appeared in London, New York or Rome, the vast majority of 
listeners will believe it is true.

Satan Impersonates Christ

If you feel you would be insulated from deception, just imagine 
yourself in the presence of such a personage.  Perhaps you have 
rushed to the scene to expose the crafty pretender, but you are 
not prepared for the awesome reality facing you.  A majestic 
being, dressed in a glistening robe, towers above all the 
thousands who try to press in to his side.  A tremendous aura of 
power circulates around the Christ-like figure.  He speaks in 
the same gentle tones that you imagine Jesus used when He was 
upon the earth.  You watch in amazement as he puts forth his 
hand to touch the blind, lame, and diseased who prostrate before 
him.  Instantly they seem to be healed of every infirmity and 
weakness.  The cry goes up from hundreds of voices, "Jesus has 
come!"  You are strangely affected by the waves of joyful 
emotion which seem to immerse the adoring multitude who fill the 
streets.
Then, suppose that this noble benefactor proclaims that he is 
indeed the Messiah who has returned to resume his work of 
healing and preaching.  How easy would it be to resist the 
impulse to hail him as the Son of God?  The evidence of your 
physical senses would be overwhelming.
Why could the whole world be captured by such a dazzling 
demonstration?  Because there is a natural response in every 
human being to the unusual and the spectacular.  People will go 
anywhere at any cost to witness a promised miracle.  Satan will 
exploit this fleshly foible to his own advantage.  No wonder the 
very elect will be in danger of being deceived.
Now that we know how Jesus will not return, let us discover how 
His coming will actually take place.  Our only safety is to 
understand the truth as it is revealed in the Bible.
Two angels came all the way from heaven to give the clearest 
declaration on record concerning the manner of Christ's return.  
The circumstances of that dramatic moment leave no room for 
quibbling over what they meant:  "And when he had spoken these 
things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received 
him out of their sight.  And while they looked stedfastly toward 
heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white 
apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing 
up into heaven?  this same Jesus, which is taken up from you 
into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go 
into heaven."  Acts 1:9-11.
Five colorful words in these verses indicate beyond question 
that the ascension of Jesus was a very real event--beheld, 
sight, looked, gazing, and seen.  This was not some mystical 
dream or vision.  They were literally watching our Lord with 
their physical eyes as He disappeared into the distant sky.  
Said the angels, "This same Jesus ... shall so come in like 
manner as ye have seen him go."
His return will be just as visible and literal as His going 
away.  Since He left in a cloud, He must also come back in a 
cloud.  Do the Scriptures confirm this?  John wrote, "Behold, he 
cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him."  Revelation 
1:7.
In a few brief words the Revelator 
reveals one of the most astounding facts about the advent of 
Christ.  He will be seen by every living soul in the world as He 
gradually descends through the atmospheric heavens.  The good 
and evil inhabitants of all nations on earth will look up 
together and behold the glory of His train filling the sky.  
Jesus described it this way, "And then shall appear the sign of 
the Son of man in heaven:  and then shall all the tribes of the 
earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the 
clouds of heaven with power and great glory."  Matthew 24:30.

One Hundred Million Angels

Man and devils may be able to counterfeit many aspects of His 
coming, but they will not be able to duplicate the manner of His 
celestial entry into our atmosphere.  At no time or place will 
so much glory and grandeur be exposed to the eyes of man. We are 
told in Matthew 25:31 that "all the holy angels" will be in 
attendance when He comes.  According to John the Revelator there 
are many times more than a hundred million angels in heaven and 
all of them will be with Him as He returns.   "And the number of 
them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of 
thousands." Revelation 5:11.
On occasion single angels have appeared to human beings in the 
strength of their heavenly glory and the results have been 
devastating.  One angel smote the Assyrian army during the night 
and 185,000 were dead the next morning.  2 Kings 19:35.  
Multiply that kind of glory by a few hundred million and you can 
imagine the brightness of the Advent.
Will it be visible to every person alive in the world?  Jesus 
said, "For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth 
even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man 
be."  Matthew 24:27.  No wonder all tribes and peoples will be 
audience to that spectacular sight.  Just as a vivid flash of 
lightning on a dark night penetrates to every corner so that no 
one can hide from it, so will His coming be.  The earth will be 
illuminated from one 
horizon to the other.
Already we can see that the final events will not be done in a 
corner somewhere.  In addition to being highly visible, there 
will be some very loud sounds associated with the second coming 
of Christ.  Paul wrote, "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."  1 
Thessalonians 4:16.
That mighty demonstration of sight and sound will be such that 
even the dead will be awakened out of their dusty beds.  The 
shout, the voice, and the trump will be audible to every 
creature under the sun.  I have never played a trumpet, 
personally, but my two sons tried to learn the art when they 
were children. I can only say one thing about trumpets with 
absolute certainty and that is:  They are not silent!  Trumpets 
were made to be sounded and to be heard.
Will there be other global phenomena to mark the close of time 
as we know it?  Yes, there will also be a convulsive, world-wide 
earthquake, more destructive than any ever seen before.  "And 
there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a 
great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, 
so mighty an earthquake, and so great. ... And every island fled 
away, and the mountains were not found."  Revelation 16:18-20.
Envision the universal terror which will accompany the shock 
waves which cause inhabited islands to disappear into the sea.  
Huge mountain chains will be shattered into fragments, according 
to the graphic language of the prophet.
As the picture unfolds, it becomes more and more apparent that 
our Lord's return will be the most cataclysmic event ever to 
occur.  Not one person in the world will be able to hide from 
it.  The wicked, in particular, will be profoundly affected by 
the approach of those myriads of heavenly 
beings, as they escort Jesus toward the earth.  John described 
how they will try to avoid the presence of the One whom they 
have rejected and denied.  
"And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; 
and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.  
And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, 
and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, 
and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks 
of the mountains;  And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on 
us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, 
and from the wrath of the Lamb:  For the great day of his wrath 
is come; and who shall be able to stand?"  Revelation 6:14-17.
As Christ returns to execute judgment upon the earth, His 
presence is a consuming fire upon all sin and sinners.  The 
wicked try to escape into the caves of the mountains and pray to 
be blotted out of existence rather than face a holy God.  
Intense and awful is their sense of shame and fear.

No Two-Phase Coming

Paul adds to the information about the final fate of those who 
are not ready for Christ's coming:  "And to you who are troubled 
rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven 
with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them 
that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord 
Jesus Christ:  Who shall be punished with everlasting 
destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of 
his power; When he shall come to be glorified in his saints." 2 
Thessalonians 1:7-10.
At the very same time that the righteous are glorified, the 
rejecters of His grace will be slain by the brightness of His 
presence.
This interesting revelation brings us face to face with a 
massive deception which has misled millions of Christians.  
Obviously, there will be nothing secret about the rapture of the 
saints, and the so-called "secret rapture" is only a figment of 
the imagination.  We have just read the clear Bible statement 
that the wicked are dealt with at the same time the righteous 
are given 
immortality.
There is absolutely no scriptural indication that the return of 
Christ takes place in two phases.  The popular concept that 
Jesus comes secretly seven years before the end of the world to 
snatch away the good people has no Bible support whatsoever.  
The wicked do not continue living in the earth for seven years 
after the mythical rapture of the righteous. They are slain, 
Paul says, "When he (Jesus) shall come to be glorified in his 
saints."
Recently, there came to my desk a mockup of a newspaper which 
was supposed to represent the typical news flashes on the day 
after the rapture occurs.  It was filled with horror stories and 
pictures 
beyond description.  Terrible accidents were reported to have 
occurred simultaneously around the world, killing thousands of 
people.  As millions of Christians suddenly vanished without a 
trace, driverless cars and pilotless planes careened out of 
control.  The paper carried many articles about little children 
who had apparently disappeared into thin air while on their way 
to school.  Only the spiritually careless and uncommitted were 
left behind to pick up the pieces of a shattered society.
What a perversion of truth!  The wicked will also see Christ 
when He comes.  Paul says He shall "appear the second time," and 
Peter declared, "When the chief Shepherd shall appear."  Hebrews 
9:28; 1 Peter 5:4.  If His coming were secret or invisible, it 
should be written that He will not appear.  When Paul and his 
companions suffered a storm at sea and the clouds were dark and 
lowering, he described it as "when neither sun nor stars in many 
days appeared."  Acts 27:20.  To appear is to be seen.  Will 
Jesus appear or not when He comes?  Many verses say He will 
appear.  Can we trust the Bible, or should we put some strange, 
twisted meaning to that word "appear" in order to support what 
we want to believe?

Coming As a Thief

I am convinced that the confusion has been largely the result of 
misinterpreting two phrases which Jesus used in describing His 
coming.  And the interesting thing is that He gave such a clear 
explanation of the phrases that hardly an unprejudiced mind 
could be misled.
Now let us take a close look, in context, at the two expressions 
of our Lord which have been used to support a secret rapture--
"as a thief in the night," and "one taken and the other left."  
If we are willing to accept the Bible definition of terms, there 
can be no ambiguity about what Jesus said.
What did He mean when He said His coming would be like a thief 
in the night?  He carefully explained in Matthew 24:42-44: 
"Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.  
But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in 
what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and 
would not have suffered his house to be broken up.  Therefore be 
ye also ready:  for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of 
man cometh."
There it is!  So simple that a child can understand it.  It will 
be unexpected.  The advent will take the world by surprise. His 
coming will burst upon this earth when people least expect it.  
They will be just as unprepared for it as they would for a 
midnight thief.  These words do not convey the least idea that 
our Lord will come sneaking around like some common criminal.  
He was just using a striking illustration of the unexpectedness 
of His return.  Jesus reinforced the point He was making in 
verse 50,  "The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he 
looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of."
Peter used exactly the same words in 
describing the coming of Christ.  He said, "But the day of the 
Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens 
shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt 
with fervent heat." 2 Peter 3:10.  This verse alone contains all 
the evidence we could ever desire about the meaning of the 
disputed term.  When Jesus comes as a thief, Peter says, the 
heavens will pass away with a great noise.  Could that be 
secret?  Does this portray the silent snatching away of millions 
of people while others are totally unaware of what is taking 
place?  It is the very opposite of that.  That great noise 
corresponds to the shout and trumpet of Paul's epistle--a sound 
so 
intense that even the dead are awakened.

One Taken and One Left

The amazing thing is how people have taken such obvious verses 
and twisted them out of context to support a doctrine which does 
not even appear in the Bible.  The same thing has been done with 
the illustration of two woman grinding together.  Jesus did say, 
"The one shall be taken and the other left," but what does the 
context tell us about the meaning of those words?  Is there any 
indication whatsoever that Jesus was teaching a secret rapture 
of the saints?
The words in question are found in Luke 17:24-27, but let's read 
the verses before and after in order to get the full picture.  
Beginning in verse 26 Jesus likened His coming to the days of 
Noah:  "And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in 
the days of the Son of man.  They did eat, they drank, they 
married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that 
Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them 
all."
The similarity is beyond question. Before the flood some were 
taken and some were left.  The ones taken were taken into the 
ark and saved.  The ones who were left were all destroyed by the 
raging water.
Christ continued His discourse with another illustration.  
"Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they 
drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But 
the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and 
brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall 
it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed."  Verses 28-
30.
Again, the parallel is obvious.  Some were taken out of the city 
to safety and some were left.  What happened to those who were 
left?  They were all destroyed by the fire.
Now we come to verses 34-36: "I tell you, in that night there 
shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the 
other left.  Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall 
be taken, and the other left.  Two men shall be in the field; 
the one shall be taken, and the other left."
Please keep the continuity of Christ's previous illustration in 
mind as you consider these words.  In every case there had been 
a separation of the good from the bad, and then the wicked were 
slain.  If the context teaches us anything at all, we must 
conclude that the one who is left will be left dead, just as it 
was in Noah and Lot's days.  And when we read the next verse, 
there can be no doubt that this is exactly what Jesus was 
saying.  "And they answered and said unto him, Where Lord?  And 
he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the 
eagles be gathered together."  Verse 37.
After Jesus said one would be taken and the other left, the 
disciples asked where they would be left.  His answer clearly 
reveals that all who were left would be dead.  Their bodies 
would be food for the eagles to 
devour.  This is in perfect harmony with what the rest of the 
Bible says on the subject.
There is not the slightest hint that this final separation of 
the saved and lost will be done in any secretive manner.  Yet, 
this connotation has been applied by those who are desperately 
trying to find inspired support for an empty tradition.  The 
unscriptural two-phase coming has been repeated so 
often and so persistently that millions believe it must be true.  
There is probably no more dangerous doctrinal distortion in the 
world than this, because it could delude the majority of 
professed Christians into being lost.  No wonder Jesus warned: 
"Take heed that no man deceive you."

The Rapture
Rooted in Catholicism

The foundation of the rapture theory was laid over 400 years ago 
upon the specific orders of the Catholic Church.  Every 
Christian needs to understand how this fabrication of error was 
designed to neutralize the great Protestant Reformation.  If the 
facts of history were known by Protestants today who defend with 
such great emotion the rapture theory and the futurist 
antichrist doctrine, they would be horrified.
Luther and his fellow reformers boldly identified the pope as 
the "man of sin," and labeled the Catholic Church as the 
antichrist of prophecy.  In response to those charges, the 
hierarchy assigned two Jesuit priests to develop counter-
interpretations which would turn the onus away from the Catholic 
Church.  In spite of the fact that the two men founded opposing 
schools of interpretation, their theories have survived to form 
the basis of most modern Protestant theology today.  Not only 
did they effectively blunt Luther's assessment of the papacy as 
the antichrist, but they cleverly divided and diluted the 
"protest" of all the churches which grew out of the Reformation 
movement.
Modern religious observers were astounded in January, 1984, when 
men like Billy Graham and Jerry Falwell meekly 
accepted and defended the establishment of United States 
political ties with the Vatican.  Why could those famous 
Protestant spokesmen see no danger in being allied with the 
Church of Rome?  Because they are deceived, along with millions 
of others, by the Catholic-contrived theories of those two 
priests which have almost eclipsed the historic, biblical 
position of the Reformers.  If the spiritual descendants of 
Luther and Wesley now had the same doctrine which they taught, 
not a single Lutheran or Methodist would favor any kind of 
alliance with the papacy today.
Now let's take a look at these two Spanish priests who flooded 
the sixteenth century with their counter-Reformation propaganda.
Alcazar of Seville applied all the beast prophecies to Antiochus 
Epiphanes, who lived long before the popes began to rule in 
Rome. His system of interpretation came to be known as the 
Preterist School of prophecy.
On the other hand, Jesuit Francisco Rivera invented a system 
known as the Futurist School of interpretation.  He taught that 
the antichrist was to be some future superman who would appear 
near the end of time and continue in power for three and a half 
years.  It is his clever, unscriptural theory which has been 
resurrected by modern evangelical Protestant Christians.  And 
today millions of Baptists, Methodists, Pentecostals, etc., hold 
this anti-Protestant concoction of the Jesuits as some kind of 
infallible doctrine.  Yet, those same denominations claim to be 
faithful supporters of Protestant theology.  Luther and other 
stalwart protestors against Catholic errors would be astounded 
if they were suddenly resurrected to hear what is being taught 
in the name of Protestantism.
In the early 1800s the futurist view of Jesuit Ribera passed 
through certain refinements and additions, including the seven-
year tribulation and the snatching away of the saints.  For the 
first time, it was espoused by Protestant teachers who were 
seeking ways of reconciliation with Rome. Through the influence 
and writings of John Nelson Darby of the Plymouth Brethren 
Church in England, the new doctrine spread to the United States.  
During the middle and latter nineteenth century, it received its 
biggest boost from Cyrus Scofield, who incorporated it into the 
notes of his Scofield Reference Bible published in 1909.

Rescue and Reward

Now we turn to the most exciting aspect of this subject.  Why 
will Jesus come back to this earth the second time?  John was 
inspired to write the answer in the exact words of our Lord:  
"And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give 
every man according as his work shall be."  Revelation 22:12.
After long, oppressive millenniums of suffering, God's people 
will finally be delivered from the bondage of Satan's evil 
influence.  The mark of his power is etched upon the cemeteries 
of the land and on the war memorials of the dead.  The cries and 
tears of the saints have filtered through all the years of every 
generation since Adam sinned.  What a day it will be when the 
curse of transgression is lifted, and the most dreaded of all 
human enemies is eternally banished.
Paul described it in these words:  "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:  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."  1 
Thessalonians 4:16, 17.
The reward which Christ brings with Him has so many facets that 
no language on earth could ever adequately portray it, but the 
resurrection of the righteous dead will be the grand focus of 
that moment.  Some who have been sleeping for centuries will 
awake as from a night of dreamless slumber.  For others it will 
be the first moment in memory free from the searing throb of 
pain.  The eyes of the blind will be opened to gaze in rapture 
upon the immortal faces of loved ones who have been recognized 
before only by touch or sound.
Paul describes the split-second change which will forever place 
the saints beyond the range of pain or death:  "Behold, I shew 
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 
trump:  for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be 
raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.  For this 
corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put 
on immortality."  1 Corinthians 15:51-53.
As the resurrected ones rise to meet Jesus in the air, all the 
living righteous are instantly translated into the same body of 
immortal youth.  Jesus' feet will not touch the earth at that 
time, but all the redeemed will be caught up to meet Him as He 
descends.
That rendezvous in space will surely be the most ecstatic and 
emotional moment in the long history of planet earth.  It is no 
wonder that so much of the Bible is laced with glowing 
descriptions of that climactic event in time.
Do most Christians truly understand the nature of Christ's 
coming and how it will affect the inhabitants of the earth?  Let 
the facts speak for themselves.  Most churches have accepted the 
claims of the rapturists, who have rejected the historical view 
in favor of these recent revisionist errors.  As a result, 
millions of contemporary church members are looking for events 
that will never take place.
For countless others, our Lord's return is a subject of great 
fear and consternation.  The nominal Christian (which is the 
majority) holds very mixed feelings about the event, largely 
because they lack the personal assurance of being ready to meet 
him.

Stolen Sweets

It is this lack of preparation which has created such a confused 
attitude toward our Lord's return.  Many do not know whether 
they want to see Him or not.  What a sad commentary on the state 
of the modern church!  Why should we not be eager to see the One 
we love--the One who died for us?  Every true Christian should 
be excited about His coming.  We should talk it, sing it, and 
preach it!  As Paul said, we should love His appearing.  It is 
the blessed hope of every child of God.
My mother was a wonderful cook, and without question she made 
the best chocolate cake that ever was baked.  As a child I would 
watch her put the layers together, and then apply the delicious 
icing to the top and sides.  The high point came when mother let 
me lick the pan, or clean out all the icing that was left 
sticking to the pan.
Sometimes, unfortunately, there wouldn't be very much left, but 
I always managed to scrape up at least a spoonful.  Then I would 
look longingly at all that delectable icing on the cake as it 
slowly settled into place.  Often it would be so heavy on the 
sides that the icing would droop and accumulate on the plate.  
It was always the most terrible temptation for me to clean up 
all that excess icing on my finger, but Mother had given very 
specific instruction not to do it.
My real test came on the day Mother left me alone at the house 
with a big, beautiful cake sitting right in the middle of the 
table.  It was freshly decorated, and I watched in fascination 
as the thick chocolate icing oozed almost imperceptibly toward 
the bottom of the cake.  Finally, it seemed almost ready to 
spill over the edge of the plate, and I could resist no longer.  
Carefully and cleanly, I slid my finger around the rim of the 
place accumulating a gob of the forbidden frosting.
Then, suddenly, I heard footsteps on the porch, and before I 
could dispose of the evidence, Mother was in the room. Without  
any reservation I can assure you that I did not want to see my 
mother come at that moment.  And I believe this is the reason so 
many are afraid to see Jesus come--their hands are filled with 
the stolen treats of this world.
Make no mistake about it.  There will be some dramatic changes 
when He appears.  The old familiar places will disappear and 
nothing we know now will be unaffected by that event.  Some 
people fear the changes, but those fears are ungrounded.  
Everything will be better and more wonderful than we have ever 
known or imagined.  One moment in the presence of Jesus will 
compensate for all the suffering and self-denial of a lifetime 
on earth.

Back to Paradise

God will return the human family to the sinless ideal which He 
designed from the beginning.  All four of God's original gifts 
to man will be restored, including the perfect conditions of the 
Eden paradise.  But there will be one tremendous difference 
between the quality of life in the new Eden and the old.  Adam 
received only a conditional grant of immortality, whereas the 
redeemed will be given an absolute and unconditional access to 
the life of God.  And even though the power of choice will 
remain, not one of those immortalized saints will ever choose to 
disobey God again.  Because of the demonstration of God's 
character and Satan's character, as revealed in the age-long 
controversy, the universe will be secure from any further 
rebellion or disobedience.  Every created being will see the 
results of such a course, and none will choose to repeat the 
painful experiment.
It is this prospect of eternal security which makes the coming 
of Jesus such a glorious doctrine.  The world is sick of 
fractured peace plans, broken treaties, and disappointed hopes.  
Mankind longs for a peace where fear and uncertainty will be 
entirely eliminated. Christ's coming will bring an end to 
everything which could produce human anxiety.  Poverty, disease, 
war, and death are the most common sources of stress, and those 
conditions will cease to exist when He returns.
But the most exciting prospect of all is to know that we will 
see the face of Jesus and dwell in His presence for all 
eternity.  Surely that moment will be the climax of all the 
fondest hopes and dreams we have ever cherished.  May the 
preparation for it be the focus of all our thoughts and actions.  
And God forbid that any day should pass in which we do not pray 
with longing desire for our Lord to come soon.

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