Waiting

Revelation 19:7
Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready;



For those who trust in Jesus for their eternal and temporary lives; dying not only is not to be feared but actually looked forward to. No one looks forward to the getting dead part, the physical pain and the pain of others that are left. There is, however, the anticipation of freedom from the weight of the flesh that we do not yet have here and most of all we will be home with Jesus. We wait here on earth to either die or for Jesus to come again. If we die before He comes we will still be waiting. It will be a much better waiting but we will still be waiting.

All heaven waits for the day of the Lord. They wait for the day when Jesus will return for His bride and judge the earth. All of heaven waits for the fullness of God’s purpose to be completed. We all wait for the full number of those who belong to Jesus to come in. Romans 11:25 tells us that there is a fullness of the gentiles to come in to God’s kingdom. In Revelation chapter 6 we are told of a vision of those who had been killed for the word of God and for their witness crying out and asking “how long?’ They were waiting for God to judge the earth and were told to wait a little longer until the number of their fellow servant and brothers should be complete. There is a waiting for Jesus even in heaven.

Entering heaven is not the same as receiving the full inheritance of Jesus Christ. Entering heaven upon death will no doubt be awesome but we wait for all to be completed before we come into our true reward. We wait for the full number to come in. Shouldn’t this truth just take the wind out of our selfish, competitive, individualistic ways?! We will receive our reward when we are one; in number of fullness, not before. God will not leave a single one out and none will inherit without the other. God’s word does speak of each being judged according to his own labor, but judgment, whether good or bad, will not occur until all have been brought into the kingdom.

Jesus prays for all believers in John 17. He desires that those who believe in Him would be with Him. All the citizens of heaven will be recalled from earthly duty to be with Jesus. He wants us ALL. He is quite adamant that we be one. He prays that we be one with each other, with Him and with the Father. There is a completeness that must take place before we can truly know this perfect oneness. Certainly, we have the wonderful privilege of fellowship with Jesus now; which we tend to enjoy too little and take too lightly. That is only a beginning portion of what will be received at the end. Not our personal end of life here but the end of it all.

So if you can imagine being in heaven waiting for the fullness of God’s people to come in; can you imagine the celebration of the angels when the last believer is saved? Can you imagine how all of heaven will be silent and listen to his or her profession of Jesus and then – the beginning of the real end? Can you imagine sitting in heaven and wishing you had brought a few spiritual children with you? Can you imagine waiting and wondering if anyone was doing their duty or if they were still just tinkering with their toys? Can you imagine wondering if anyone was loving your remaining family members as Christ loved you on earth? Wouldn’t it be wonderful to spend your time waiting with the restful knowledge that you had been faithful to live entirely for the purpose of God to bring about this blessed end. Wouldn’t it be great to know you had been a part of the REAL plan; not just a life plan, a financial plan or a retirement plan? I’m pretty sure heaven is not a a fretful place but we are warned many times in scripture that if we are not about the loving work of God, we will be ashamed at Jesus’ coming.

We cannot go home for eternity without each other. We may be in the waiting room, but the complete and glorious prize is only given out when the last of us is received into our Lord. Pray that God will open our eyes to each other and our real needs; our spiritual battles and victories and blindness. Pray that God will open our hearts and hands to those who are at this moment captives, waiting to be set free. Pray to God that He will send forth laborers and that you might be one. Pray these things for the sake of Jesus’ glorious name and for the sake of us all and for the sake of yourself.