After John saw the vision of what is to come and how amazing it was, he ended the entire Bible with this prayer: “Come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20).
For most of my forty-plus-year relationship with Christ, my prayer has not been like John’s. It has more honestly been, “I am glad you are coming, Lord, but I would prefer You not come today!” This is the secret prayer of most Christians I know. Why? Well, for me it was because I didn’t see the vision as John saw it. I thought the afterlife was all about exiting my body and going up into the heavens as a disembodied spirit, floating in space and singing songs for all eternity.
I sing more than anyone in my family. I almost exclusively sing worship songs. If I am not talking, I am singing. And yet the idea of being a naked spirit, singing 24/7 for all eternity, just falls short of an exciting vision to me. But my early vision of heaven was woefully under-informed. Now that I have a much better understanding of Life Forever on the new earth and my place in the new city with an imperishable body in community with other believers, without the presence of sin and death but with the perpetual presence of God, I find great cause to sing now and throughout eternity. I will even sign up for the choir if one is assembled.
How about you? Where are you on this journey? I have tried my best to be honest with you about my struggles so that you might be encouraged to do the same. Sweeping our fears, doubts, confusion, and anger under the rug is not a healthy solution. Simply getting so busy with life that we don’t leave any time to ponder our future is a denial that the end of Life Now is rapidly approaching in light of eternity. It is a clock that can’t be stopped. In our journey together we have opened up God’s Word to see and understand what He has promised. You have to admit:
all that God has in store for those who know Him and have received this gift of eternal life is pretty compelling.
And you know what? I am quite sure we have only scratched the surface of all that God has planned for us. So enter into the rush of anticipation. As of today, we are one day closer.
Let’s commit to joining John and wake up every day praying with passion and anticipation, “Come, Lord Jesus.”
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Excerpted with permission from What Happens After You Die? by Randy Frazee, copyright Randy Frazee.
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Your Turn
Do you pray “Come, Lord Jesus?” or “Later, Lord Jesus”? Maybe your understanding of Heaven doesn’t make it sound all that appealing. Today, let’s get before the Lord and be honest about our thoughts about the afterlife and how that affects our desire for His return. Come share our thoughts with us on our blog. We would love to hear from you about the hope of Heaven!
