Dearly Beloved
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Eternity, Riches, and His Kindness
Dearly beloved, God sent Jesus Christ to give his life in order to save and redeem us, and He will send him a second time on the day of redemption to claim those for whom he died.
"So the Christ, having also been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, without being offered to bear sin, to those who are awaiting him for salvation [deliverance]." Hebrews 9:28 Working Translation
As God raised Christ out from among the dead, He will raise us to life also when he sends the Lord Christ Jesus to gather us unto him. The certainty of Christ’s return for the Church is as certain as you are breathing as you read these words. He is coming!
“That in the ages to come He might shew the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 2:7
There are three things in this verse that grab our attention: the exceeding riches of His grace, the extent of time that it will take Him to demonstrate them (the ages to come) to us, and the Father’s disposition of kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
These exceeding riches of grace will come from a loving Father with an intense desire to demonstrate His kindness to His beloved children forever.
As incredible as the gathering together of the saints will be it is only the opening event of the ages to come! The dead in Christ will be raised incorruptible, and the living will be changed, and together we will ascend to meet the Lord in the air, never to leave his side again.
We will be raised up and changed to not only be with the Lord Jesus Christ, but to be like him! He will change our bodies that are today subject to death, to be like his glorious body. Christ having been raised from the dead dies no more. Death is no longer lord over him. We have the deliverance in Christ that he has.
What more can we say than, “Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
“But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” I Corinthians 2:9
Much of our hope following our gathering together unto him into the glory of the heavenlies is still an enigma yet to be revealed.
Our Heavenly Father has only drawn back the curtain of eternity and given us a peek into the future glorious realities that await us in Christ.
The Word of God reveals that we will no longer have to deal with the presence of sin. We will no longer have to wrestle with the adversary. We will be delivered from death’s reign over us. We will have glorious new bodies like Christ’s, and our minds will be healed. We will have fullness of joy. We will have eternal life. We will live in new heavens and a new earth in which God’s justice reigns. We will live in the presence of God our Father and His loving care forever.
He will wipe away all our tears, and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain for the former things will pass away. Behold, God will make all things new. Our hope is of life, rest, fullness of joy, and glory forevermore.
Since it will take God our Father the ages to come to show us all of His kindness to us in Christ Jesus, just think of the treasures He has in store for us concerning our glorious hope!
“Being confident of this very thing, that He Which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” Philippians 1:6
Each new day holds the expectation of Christ’s return for us. No one knows when he will come, but we have the certainty of God’s Word that he is coming.
Rejoice and live with thanksgiving for all that is ours in Christ. We are dearly beloved and highly favored in His sight!