Word Count: 877

Send Article To Friend

Print/Use Article

Contact Jerry Ousley

---

Coming Together When Jesus Returns

by Jerry Ousley  
8/24/2018 / Christian Living

            I love getting together with my family, both my immediate family consisting of my son and his wife and their child, and my daughter and her husband and their four children.  I also love getting together with my extended family consisting of my father, my brothers and sister and their families.  We always have a great time together.  We are fortunate in that we don’t fight and bicker.  We get along very well and always have a great time.  Before my mother passed away she dearly loved it when the entire clan came over.  She always commented on how well we got along.  It wasn’t hard because we wanted to get along.  Besides, as adults we still remember when she carried a little green switch in her purse.

 

            The Bible talks about a day when we will all (believers in Christ) come together in Heaven.  Paul wrote about it in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 which 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.  Therefore comfort one another with these words.”  That sounds like a wonderful time to me!  Whether you believe in the pre-trib rapture (before the tribulation), the mid-trib rapture (in the middle of the tribulation, after the tribulation of man but prior to the tribulation from God), or the post-trib rapture (those who believe the Lord won’t return until it is all finished) the day is coming when the dead in Christ will be called up first, then followed by all those believers who are alive and remain on the earth.  We will hear His voice, we will hear the shout and we will hear the trumpet sound and will be caught up in the clouds and have a great reunion with Jesus Christ in the air.

 

            Folks, that day is surely coming.  No one knows for sure when it will happen but by the signs of the times as given by Jesus Himself in Matthew 24 I believe that day is quickly approaching.  Just think of it; all who are true born again children of God will then be together forever more.  We will share a new earth, and all live in God’s house. 

 

            But wait a minute … can we really all get along when that takes place?  After all, we can’t seem to get along now worth a hoot!  We have divided ourselves up into denominations, we separate ourselves by these walls and some even believe that if you don’t belong to their denomination then you aren’t really a Christian.  I’ve heard of some that go so far as to say that if you don’t attend their church you aren’t really ready to go.  What’s up with that?  - A bunch of whooey if you ask me.  You see we need to learn to get together now.  We need to love each other as Christ loved us.  In fact Jesus told His disciples in John 13:34-35 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.  By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”  Now that’s a tough, radical statement if I ever heard one.  He didn’t say that people would know we were His disciples by the way we dressed or the uniform we might wear.  He didn’t say that the world would know we were His by the denomination we were a member of or what church we attended.  He said that the world would know that we were His disciples by the love we had for each other.

 

            We live in a day when churches fight and bicker because of their differences.  They falsely accuse each other and slander each other.  It is no wonder that it is so hard to win a soul for Christ.  We not only have to convince them that the devil is out to get them but also that there really is love in the Church.

 

            If there was ever a day when Christian people needed to learn to truly love each other that day is here.  The time we are living in demands a sign to prove Christianity and by Jesus’ own words that sign is the love we have for each other.  It is time to tear down the denominational barriers.  It is high time we forget about our petty differences and learn to love each other.  When we do and we can get together down here then we will be ready to get together in Heaven. 

 

            Paul ended that chapter by saying that we were to comfort each other with those words about coming together with the Lord in the air.  When we can really love each other and come together here then it will be a great source of comfort to know that we will come together up there.

Jerry D. Ousley is the author of ?Soul Challenge?, ?Soul Journey?, ?Ordeal?, ?The Spirit Bread Daily Devotional and his first novel ?The Shoe Tree.? Visit our website at spiritbread.com to download these and more completely free of charge.

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com-CHRISTIAN WRITERS

If you died today, are you absolutely certain that you would go to heaven? You can be! Click here and TRUST JESUS NOW

Read more articles by Jerry Ousley

Like reading Christian Articles? Check out some more options. Read articles in Main Site Articles, Most Read Articles or our highly acclaimed Challenge Articles. Read Great New Release Christian Books for FREE in our Free Reads for Reviews Program. Or enter a keyword for a topic in the search box to search our articles.

---

Enter comments below. Due to spam, all hyperlinks posted in the comments are now immediately disabled by our system.

Please type the following word below:

Not readable? Change text.

The opinions expressed by authors do not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.

Hire a Christian Writer, Christian Writer Wanted, Christian Writer Needed, Christian Content Needed, Find a Christian Editor, Hire a Christian Editor, Christian Editor, Find a Christian Writer