PT-2 Comfort Comes From Trusting Christ's Preparation (John 14:2-3)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 11/10/2016 8:00 AM

My Worship Time                    Focus:  PT-2 Comfort Comes From Trusting Christ’s Preparation

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  John 14:2-3

            Message of the verses:  “2 “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. 3 “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.”

            I want to begin this SD with a fairly long quote from the book of Revelation as this speaks of the place that Jesus is preparing for those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ alone for salvation.

            “9 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and spoke with me, saying, "Come here, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb." 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, 11 having the glory of God. Her brilliance was like a very costly stone, as a stone of crystal-clear jasper. 12 It had a great and high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names were written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel. 13 There were three gates on the east and three gates on the north and three gates on the south and three gates on the west. 14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. 15 The one who spoke with me had a gold measuring rod to measure the city, and its gates and its wall. 16 The city is laid out as a square, and its length is as great as the width; and he measured the city with the rod, fifteen hundred miles; its length and width and height are equal. 17 And he measured its wall, seventy-two yards, according to human measurements, which are also angelic measurements. 18 The material of the wall was jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass. 19 The foundation stones of the city wall were adorned with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation stone was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth, emerald; 20  the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, topaz; the tenth, chrysoprase; the eleventh, jacinth; the twelfth, amethyst. 21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; each one of the gates was a single pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass. 22 I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. 25 In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed; 26 and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it; 27 and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”  (Rev. 21:9-27)

            Next we want to look at the last phrase in John 14:3 “I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.”  The following song speaks to this section we are looking at. 

This World Is Not My Home

Jim Reeves

This world is not my home
I'm just a-passing through
My treasures are laid up
Somewhere beyond the blue.

The angels beckon me
From heaven's open door
And I can't feel at home
In this world anymore.

Oh Lord, you know
I have no friend like you
If heaven's not my home
Then Lord what will I do.

The angels beckon me
From heaven's open door
And I can't feel at home
In this world anymore.

I have a loving mother
Just up in Gloryland
And I don't expect to stop
Until I shake her hand.

She's waiting now for me
In heaven's open door
And I can't feel at home
In this world anymore.

Oh Lord, you know
I have no friend like you
If heaven's not my home
Then Lord what will I do.

The angels beckon me
From heaven's open door
And I can't feel at home
In this world anymore.

Just over…

Just over in Gloryland
We'll live eternally
The saints on every hand
Are shouting victory.

Their songs of sweetest praise
Drift back from heaven's shore
And I can't feel at home
In this world anymore.

Oh Lord, you know
I have no friend like you
If heaven's not my home
Then Lord what will I do.

The angels beckon me
From heaven's open door
And I can't feel at home
In this world anymore...

            This section refers to the Rapture of the church which can also be seen in 1 Corinthians 15:51-54 and also in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, along with Revelation 3:10.  MacArthur writes that “The absence of any reference to judgment indicates that the Lord was not referring here to His second coming to earth to judge and establish His Kingdom (Matt. 13:36-43, 47-50; 25:31-46; Rev. 19:11-15), but rather to the catching up of the believers into heaven (cf. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 Cor. 15:51-57).”  I have to say that this SD is very enjoyable to me to share as it talks about one of my favorite subjects that are in the Word of God.  Now I have always heard that this section of John 14 spoke of the Rapture, but now I understand it much better.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  It is always good to hear some uplifting and encouraging things from the Word of God and chapter fourteen brings much comfort to my heart as Jesus shares these wonderful truths with His disciples, and I can learn from them.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Tell others about this wonderful news of the Rapture of the church.

Memory verse for the week:  (Romans 6:16) “16 Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either sin resulting to death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness.”

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “Unreasonable and wicked” (2 Thessalonians 3:2).

Today’s Bible question:  “What order of Herod’s pertained to all the young boys of Bethlehem under two years of age?”

Answer in our next SD.

11/10/2016 8:26 AM