JESUS CHRIST has announced a grand reception. The announcement has been printed, and is being published to earth's remotest bounds—to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people.
No event in history is of such moment as this one that is yet to occur. This occurrence is not to be a mere happening, or something brought about by some device of man, but rather in fulfilment of the foreknowledge of man's Redeemer.
This reception marks the beginning of an endless era of righteousness and true holiness, where crime and sin can not enter. Thenceforth there will be no separation of the guests, but they will always abide with the Master of assemblies. The zenith of earthly prosperity, applause, and humanly bestowed honor will then have been reached, and overshadowed by the gifts celestial from King Jesus—salvation, immortality, eternal life, all of which are His to bestow.
Christ's coming is the crowning event of all occurrences since the world began, as it has been the hope of God's people from the days of righteous Abel until now.
In that day, death yields all its usurped power, and gives right of way to an endless life, sickness to health, sin to righteousness, sorrow yields up all its claims to joy, and that joy will be full in the experience of each soul.
The Reception
Said He, "I will come again, and receive you unto myself." And the reason is, "that where I am, there ye may be also." John 14:3. He understood as none others can the unspeakable joy His personal, divine presence would afford the redeemed saints.
Paul looked forward to that great reception, or reunion day, as the time of final, unalterable salvation; for said he, "Unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation." Heb. 9:28.
Salvation of His people in that day has a deeper shade of meaning than the salvation of sinners during probation. In this time the spiritual indwelling of Christ in the heart saves from sin, and conquers, subdues, brings into subjection, all the evil tendencies in the soul to commit sin, just as long as the individual is willing to abide with the Christ.
Rev. 3:20; Gal. 2:20; 1 Cor. 9:27. No harm can befall while the soul abides—trusts—in Christ. The individual must learn the lesson not to loose "from Crete." Acts 27:21.
But in the day of Christ's second coming, when mortal men are immortalized, and "death is swallowed up in victory" (1 Cor. 15:51-53), every tendency in the child of God to do evil will be eternally annihilated in the change to immortality—swallowing up of life. When "death" is swallowed up in victory," sin, which brought death, with all its tendencies, with all their environments, will be no more forever.
Salvation, dear reader, will be obtained then in its entirety—physical, spiritual, and mental.
Christ's coming, blessed be His holy name, brings a glorious salvation, which is freedom from every possibility of sin, death, or of doubt; for all these must of necessity, being of the same family, go down, eternally down, together into utter oblivion. Freedom then in God will be the freedom of God as pertaining to man's relation to every phase of the environments of sin. It is "impossible for God to lie." Heb. 6:18. So it will then be impossible for His children to die; for they have the highest type of heavenly freedom—at liberty to be tempted no more throughout eternity. "Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection." Luke 20:36.
In the interest of this completed salvation, prophets have searched, and the angels desire to look into; should not we? "Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the Gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into." 1 Peter 1:10-12.
The General Assembly
"But ye are come unto Mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the first-born, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect." Heb. 12:22, 23.
This assembly will be the result of an individual response to the trumpet-call of King Jesus, and it involves the resurrection of all the sleeping saints of all ages, and the translation of the surviving righteous. At this time He fulfils His former promise, and appears in person.
"For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words." 1 Thess. 4:16-18. This is the culminating period. "Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." 1 Cor. 15:51, 52.
Mysterious as it is, Christ will come, the resurrection will occur, the reception will be held in the air. His attending angels5gather the resurrected ones from all parts of the inhabited globe, and the living are "caught up together with them . . . to meet the Lord in the air."
The Heavenly Home-Coming
Then Christ, the divine Son of God, escorts them heavenward to the mansions in His Father's house, which He had promised them He would prepare for them. And as6they near the heavenly courts, His voice is heard to sound forth to His attending angels, in unparalleled melodious strains, "Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in." Isa. 26:2. And the gates of pearl on their glittering golden hinges swing wide open, and the nation born in a day enters in. Home at last! And they sang, "And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honor, and power, unto the Lord our God: for true and righteous are His judgments." Rev. 19:1, 2.
All will join in singing that song. Reader, will you be there? You may be. And you will be there if you are willing to comply with the conditions. Man can not save himself. It will require the life of a divine Christ to assure us the blessing so gloriously portrayed in His Word. "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." Acts 4:12.
In that city of God we will live with Christ face to face. "And they shall see His face; and His name shall be in their foreheads." "And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof." Rev. 22:4; 21:23.
The blind eyes will be opened, deaf ears unstopped; the cripples will be perfectly sound, and the dumb will join in the song of eternal glory to the Father and the Son of all mercies. "He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus." Rev. 22:20.
