EYES HAVE NOT SEEN, EARS HAVE NOT HEARD
We’ve just celebrated Good Friday, and then followed by Resurrection Sunday to commemorate the great sacrifice and triumph of our Lord Jesus Christ a week ago. God’s grace to men when we were hopelessly lost was the age-old secret that was unfolded at Calvary two thousand years ago. I am inferring to eternity lost; without God and being tormented in the eternal fiery lake of fire. The same mystery that Paul alluded to in his epistles, the mention in the gospels, and the brief reference in the book of Isaiah chapter 53, were harbinger of the greater things that God has lined up for us who believe.
So, what are the greater things that await the saints as we approach the tail-end of human history? Every Good Fridays and Resurrection Days reminded us of God’s wondrous Gift of Salvation; that His beloved Son was the sacrificial Lamb of God for this sinful world. But that is not all the wondrous things and events that were lined up for those who love Him. In Christ and the coming future, we who are saved by the Grace, will be ushered into many unspeakable offerings that the cross brought when Christ hung on it. In Ephesians 4: 8, it stated that When He ascended on High, He took captives (Old Testament and us saints) and gave gifts to His people. Here, the verse resembled Psalm 68:18 but the only difference; it mentioned the victor’s act of giving instead of receiving from its train of captives’ the gifts of the spoils of war. This controversy sparked many theologians into various interesting thoughts but the conclusion is that they all agreed that Paul was referring to the administrative gifts to the building of the infant body of Christ; that is the church. My personal belief that the verse 8 of the chapter 4 in the book of Ephesians stated exactly what it said, I quote, “When He ascended on high, He took many captives and gave gifts to His people”, that was when our Lord went to hades after He died, He took captive of the Old Testament saints and brought them with Him into heaven. But that is not all that is to the fulfillment of the mystery of God’s grace that was hidden from ages and from the generations which was revealed to His saints now as stated in 1 Colossians 1:26. To the Old Testament saints and us, the victory of death and the gift of the Holy Spirit are only earnest, deposit or installments of His marvelous gifts in the coming ages and hence forth, under the reign of Christ.
The moment a pre-believer accepted salvation through Christ that mystery gift, all of it, will gradually unfolds for him/her. He’s now not only guaranteed his eternity with God but will participate in His rich offerings installed for him when His time finishes on this mortal world. His time finishes on this mortal world would sound morbid. Some may infer my reference to physical death. Yes and no. I am also referencing to Rapture if this “twinkling of an eye” event happened before our physical death. In both cases, that is the time we finish our time in this sinful mortal world. But wait, that is not the end of all things for us who believe in the Lord Jesus for eternity salvation. We are not just doing nothing by staying buried, or cremated with our ashes placed into some urns. Our soul and spirit are ushered into heaven to be with the Lord, while we wait for the replacement of our corruptible bodies with the incorruptible ones.
When rapture happens, with the shouts of the archangels, in a moment or twinkling of an eye, we who are alive will be caught up to meet our Lord in mid heaven. The dead in Christ will be raised first, and then those who are alive at this grand momentous event will be translated into the mid heaven to be gathered together with all the saints, from the past and the present. Together, we will be brought into heaven where the wedding feast begins and ends on the seventh year. Fellow saints, we who are caught up to the Lord are His bride. The wedding feast was perhaps another mystery that will not be comprehended by the non-believers. To me that is indeed another wonderful gift. I am certain that the people who are left out and are still alive on earth after the rapture would have wished that they too have this free pass or “invitation” to the grandest wedding in heaven. Sadly, the remains or remnants that were left behind will goes into the Great Tribulation that was prepared for those who opposed the salvation of Christ under grace.
After the seven years of Jacob’s Troubles, comes the millennium under the government of Christ on earth. The saints will be with our Commander, King and Lord, Jesus Christ when He returns to the earth to rule the world. Slowly but surely as the age-old mystery unfolds, we will see how great and awesome our God the Father is to those who love Him. On the topic of Millennium, a touchy subject in the study of eschatology, the theologians were again divided into their different schools of beliefs. I am intrigued to wonder why are there so many different thoughts and opinions with regards to God’s words and His prophecies. If only we are able to accept the Words of God at its face value, like a little child we would not be driven into dissension and various denominational grouping. How sad!
The climactic event will be the final battle between God and Satan after the thousand-year reign of Christ on earth. This apocalyptic war is also known as the Battle of Gog and Magog. The end would be the eternal incarceration of Satan, his cohorts, death and hell at the lake of fire.
New heaven and earth will be the abode of His faithful saints and people. In that era, the word “utopia on earth” is a misnomer a word to describe what would take place. It will be the return to Eden, a better paradise than the one that was lost to sin. The book of Revelation chapter 21, gave us an elaborate detail of what to expect for the saints, His bride, in the new heaven and earth where Christ will reign eternally. Eyes have not seen; ears have not heard of the great offerings and gifts the Father has in store for us who love Him. Only then can we surely say that there will be no more tears from our eyes, no more death, or mourning or crying or pain. Our beloved savior and God will wipe every tear from our eyes. God’s dwelling place in now among us, and He will dwell with us. Hallelujah! What a day that would be, when my Jesus I shall see. When I look upon His face, it is the one who saved me by His grace. He will take me by His hand and lead me to the Promised Land. What a glorious day that will be.
Finally, it is a small wonder that the book of Revelation ended with Apostle John hastening the return of the Lord, I quote, “Amen, come Lord Jesus” when the Lord said, He will be coming back soon. But the important verse to heed is found in chapter 21, verse 27. The verse or “warning” was that nothing impure, shameful or deceitful will enter in but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Take heed of the warning as we see the evil days approaching. We do not want to be left out in the cold literally when our Lord returns for His bride, the church. Eternity matters!