The Reality of the Future

God Whispers: "And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads. And there will be no night there - no need for lamps or sun - for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever. Then the angel said to me, 'Everything you have heard and seen is trustworthy and true. The Lord God, who inspires his prophets, has sent his angel to tell his servants what will happen soon.'...He who is the faithful witness to all these things says, 'Yes, I am coming soon!'" Revelation 22:4-6, 20

Sounds a bit too good to be true, doesn't it? Or maybe it seems like a nice idea but will it ever really happen?

Last November, my precious grandfather, Butch as we like to call him, caught pneumonia and was not able to recover. He had spent a couple of years dealing with many health issues and he was just too weak to defeat this one. On Thanksgiving, he was able to have Thanksgiving dinner with my parents. I remember how happy he was, heard him crack his usual jokes, and witnessed joy in his eyes that had been scarce lately. Little did I know that he was in the last days of his life. The very next day, it was a struggle for him to breath and he was in the hospital gasping for air. I walked in the room to see his two sons along with our minister. At that sight, I realized that this was going to happen. The day I saw my grandfather pass from this earth seemed as though it would never come. Here we were, just hours away.

It was actually going to happen.

The next two days, Butch was quiet and still. But his hospital room was the most popular room on the floor. Many friends and family stopped by and it was as if we held a big family reunion! We laughed and reminisced of old stories, celebrating his life. But still, the reality of the situation was not comprehended. That was, until Sunday evening approached. Most of the visitors were gone except for family members. The laughing and joking quieted down as we began to embrace the finality of the situation. And then in a single moment, as if we were all being moved by the Holy Spirit, everyone encircled his bed to watch him pass from this earth to eternity. And he was gone. All was silent. All was still.

It actually happened.

Sometimes we do not comprehend the reality of the future. Certain events we thought would never happen catch us off guard in the moment that it becomes a reality and we sit around astonished by it, even though we knew it would happen. I must confess that Jesus' return can seem that way to me sometimes...like a nice story or a good idea. But we must come to reality that Christ's return is inevitable. And we better not be caught off guard when it does occur. How horrific it would be to be caught off guard and to spend eternity with regret. So pray hard, study God's Word and be prepared!

It will actually happen!

Here's a song to give you a glimpse of what it could be like. Press "play", close your eyes and prepare yourself for eternity with Christ!