“After this I looked, and,
behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the
first voice which I heard was as it were of
a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee
things which must be hereafter.”
Instantaneously:
*Heaven is opened
*The Trumpet sounds
*The Voice calls us up
But first... John looked! As he was looking way
back then, so ought we to be looking today.
Note: Where are you looking? The Christian needs to
take 3 looks: Inward, to guard his relationship (I Cor 11:28). Outward to look
for souls for the kingdom (Jn 4:35). Upward from whence cometh our help! (Ps
121:1)
Don’t ever look down. Looking down strikes fear into
the heart.
John was the
last of the original disciples, longing for the promise that the angels gave
them in Acts 1:9 And
when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a
cloud received him out of their sight. 10 And while they looked
stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white
apparel; 11 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.
Jesus had said to Peter concerning John:
Jn 21:22 Jesus saith
unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow
thou me. 23 Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that
that disciple should not die: yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die;
but, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?
If
John was looking, anticipating, expecting then, how much closer is His coming today? He could have come at any time in
the interim, but there is an appointed season, day and time.
Mk 13:32 But of that day and that hour
knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but
the Father. 33 Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when
the time is.
But the Lord says that there are dozens of signs that do point to that
day. And we ought to be able to discern the seasons. See, He said no man knows
the day of the hour, but Paul says that we should not be ignorant of the times
and the seasons. It isn’t much of a stretch for us to imagine that all we are
seeing and hearing portend the coming of our Lord in the clouds to call us
home!
Ø
No doubt
Gabriel is prepared as the announcing angel (to: Mary, Joseph, Shepherds – “Jesus is coming!)
Ø No doubt the Mansions are being prepared as Jesus
told Thomas in John 14:1,2 “Let not your heart
be troubled…”
Ø No doubt the Bema is being prepared II Cor 5:10
Ø No doubt the Supper is being prepared Rev 19:9 (Cooks are in the kitchen, the servants are polishing the silver)
Ø No doubt the Guardian Angels are ready to return home from their earthly deployment Heb 1:14 “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent
to minister to us”
Ø No doubt the Spirit that withholds is prepared to
be taken out of the way II Thess 2:7
Ø No doubt this old world is groaning for the
end Rom 8:22
Ø No doubt our loved ones are gathering at the river
bank
Ø No doubt Jesus longs for His own to be home “So
shall we ever be with the Lord”
It all just
awaits the Father's command: "Son, go get our children!"
Are you
looking for His coming? Luke 12:37 Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find
watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them
to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.
I
wonder if, even now, heaven is about to open, if the angel is getting his trumpet
shined and lips ready, if the Lord is clearing His throat for the call home…
John was
looking, Paul was looking, the martyrs were looking, our parents and
grandparents of old were looking, the old time preachers were looking, SO
SHOULD WE!
