NOW, let us peep inside of that house, and see how happy they are! The children are all around their mamma, the little ones jumping and clapping their hands, while the two oldest ones are close to mamma, looking intently on a piece of paper, which she holds in her hand but their faces express fully as much delight.
What does it all mean? Why, the postman has just come and, the same as other mornings, has brought a letter from papa, but this one tells them, that he is coming home and he will not send any more letters, the next thing they can expect, is, to see him.
The little tots say, “O! how soon will papa be here, mamma; may I go meet him at the corner as he gets off the car?” Mamma says, “I don’t know how soon he will be here, he may be here right away and he may not be here till night.”
How their faces beam with joy at the prospect of seeing him so soon.
L. says, “Let’s keep ourselves nice and clean.” Little E. says, “I go and watch for papa.”
But in an hour or two after, they say, “Mamma, why don’t papa come?”
“Have patience, my children, he will come soon,” she says.
But one got tired waiting and went to play and very nearly forgot that papa was coming.
Listen! the door bell has rung;—just look at all of them run. They are sure it is papa and when the door is opened, what joy!
All are happy, he is happy to see them, and they are happy at having him back again and see! they don’t want to leave him, they stay right with him and sit as close to him as they can and tell him all that happened while he was gone.
Do you wonder, dear children, they should be so glad to have the news, that their papa was coming home and should rejoice when he did come?
I am sure you will say “No! they love their papa and their papa loves them,” so, it was just what was to be expected.
Now, let me ask you a question. Would you be very happy to read a leer from the Lord Jesus which tells us that He is coming back, or would it fill your heart with fear?
If you know the Lord Jesus has loved you so much that He came down from Heaven, to die on the cross for you and bear the punishment which you deserved on account of your sins, surely you will be very happy to know from His own words that He is coming back again.
Now open your bibles to John 14:33And 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 14:3). The Lord Jesus says, “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.”
Then in 1 Thess. 4:15-1715For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16For 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: 17Then 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 4:15‑17), “For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive, and rain unto the coming of the Lord, shall not prevent them which are asleep, 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.”
The verse in John 14 tells us that He is coming for His own—all the children and grown people, who trust in Him for salvation and they shall be with Him where He is, and those verses in 1 Thess. 4 tell us, How He is going to come and take all believers up to be with Himself.
He will not send an angel but He will come Himself, from Heaven with a shout and then the “dead in Christ”—that is, those who have died, knowing the Lord Jesus was their Saviour—shall rise first, then all the believers who are alive on the earth at that time, shall be caught up with them to meet the Lord in the air and shall be with Him forever.
The father came home to his children and they ran to the door, when they heard the bell ring. So, when the Lord Jesus will come in the air for His own, they will hear the shout and by His power, they will go up to meet Him. What a happy time that will be!
But, perhaps, some of you say, “When will that be, how soon will He come?”
I can not tell you, but He is coming soon, and the scripture says, “Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour.” Matthew 25:1313Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh. (Matthew 25:13).
Don’t be like that little one who got tired waiting for his papa and nearly forgot he was coming home but may you be watching and have great joy at the happy and sure prospect of soon seeing and being with the Lord Jesus, Who loves you and gave Himself for you.
ML 05/28/1899