This post is one of a series of readings from the book, If You Only Knew … Who I AM!
To listen to all posts in this series, go to the archives and click “February.” You will see links to all that have been posted so far. To go back to the beginning of February, you may need to click “previous” on the February screen.
To listen to the author’s reading of Section Five: Chapter Fourteen from the book, If You Only Knew … Who I AM!
click the audio link below.
If there is one recurring theme in the Bible, it seems to be “Look up!” David the Psalmist spoke of the heavens declaring The Glory of God.
After the Great Flood, God established His Covenant with earth, using the symbol of the rainbow in the sky.
When God led His People out of Egypt, He guided them by placing a pillar of cloud over them by day and a pillar of fire by night.
God verified His Presence by appearing in a cloud over the Mercy Seat in the tabernacle. And there are many more examples of God’s revealing His Presence in the clouds.
When Jesus ascended to heaven, He did so through The Cloud, where God had revealed Himself many times before. At the time of Revelation of Jesus to everyone on earth — the event many call The Second Coming — Jesus will become visible through the clouds.
“Look, He is coming with the clouds,”
and “every eye will see Him …”
Revelation 1:7
And then the real party will begin!
Are you missing loved ones who have preceded you to Heaven? God in His Love and Mercy has given you an everpresent picture of those who sit in the grand viewing seats of Heaven. They are sitting in The Cloud Section, able to see us, cheer us on and intercede for us. Paul called them the “great cloud of witnesses.”
Not only will Jesus become visible to all on the day of Great Revelation, but the clouds will also reveal their true identities.
God will bring with Jesus
those who have fallen asleep in Him.
1 Thessalonians 4:14
After that, we who are still alive and are left
will be caught up together with them in the clouds
to meet The Lord in the air.
And so we will be with The Lord forever.
Therefore, encourage one another with these words.
1 Thessalonians 4:17-18
But until that day, we have work to do on earth. You were sent here for a reason. You are a part of The Mission of The One. You have been given everything you need to fulfill your part of The Mission. Jesus has given us a very detailed training manual through His Words and His Live Demonstrations of how to live as a human with The One inside of us. In addition, He has provided a cheering section. And He has given us a preview of the Great Joy that will happen on that day when the witnesses come out of the stands with the coach and we all celebrate together!
Therefore, since we are surrounded
by such a great cloud of witnesses,
let us throw off everything that hinders
and the sin that so easily entangles,
And let us run with perserverance the race marked out for us,
fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfector of faith.
For the joy set before Him, He endured the cross,
scorning its shame,
and sat down at The Right Hand of The Throne of God.
Consider Him Who endured such opposition from sinners,
so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Matthew 12: 1-3
Chapter Fourteen prepares us for the critical question that will begin Section Six tomorrow. Will you accept your part in The Mission Jesus came to lead? Do you want to be a Disciple?
For information on how to order the book, visit the book web site at
http://www.christianreading.com/cjones
