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Our Lord will return for us! All of Heaven is anticipating our reunion with Him as they busily prepare our reception banquet! Right now, Jesus' horse is stomping the ground, ready to take flight at a moment's notice! Jesus is patiently biding time, waiting for the hour when the Father will say, "Son, go and get your Bride!"


The return of Jesus Christ should be the most prominent subject of Christian aspiration and desire. We should be praying and interceding daily, welcoming Him with joyful and exuberant praise.

Some people believe that Jesus isn't coming back for us. Others believe we will meet Him only when we die. I believe in the rapture of the Church. I also believe I am going out on the first load! I'm going to the marriage supper of the Lamb! Now, if you want to stay here, enjoy yourself, I'll keep your food warm. If you want to eat yours years later you can, but I'm getting mine hot off the grill!

I personally believe He will return during my lifetime. Someone asked me, "Well, what happens if He doesn't." I said, "Well if He doesn't come to get me, I'll go get Him. Either way, I'm going."

In John 14:1-3 Jesus says, "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also."

Verse one says, let not your heart be troubled. The church world has left out the "not" for years enforcing it with "If you endure until the end, you will make it, bless God."

Many have criticized me because of my joy. But I can't help but be joyful; it's a fruit of the Spirit and it sure beats sadness. I've had some people say, "Well, you haven't had any tragedy." Man, I've had more tragedy than you can shake a stick at, and I sure didn't enjoy it, but I did not allow it to steal my joy.

You see, many people think joy and happiness are the same thing. They are definitely not. Happiness is an emotional feeling which trouble can temporarily rob. But joy is a spiritual force that cannot be moved by the devil's attacks.

In John 14:3 the scripture says, "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again." This is written in red. Jesus said it and He cannot lie. He continues, "I will come again...." therefore He will return to the earth for us. "...And I will receive you unto myself," Jesus reveals the reception of He and Church. "...That where I am, there you may be also." He further illustrates that He will be reunited with His Bride.

That one verse has three attributes that are very powerful: the return, reception and reunion of Christ.

Return
Why hasn't He come yet? The return of Christ is connected with the Spirit's presence and power in the Church. The reason Christ hasn't come is because we aren't ready. He's coming for a clean church: "That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish" (Eph. 5:27). There are many of us that need bleaching and ironing. The Church has stains on it.

There has been such an upheaval, especially in the last few years, of great sin being exposed, because God is cleaning house. He's got us in the washer and the dirt is coming to the top. Wait until He starts to spin-dry it. More dirt will surface. Just let the Lord do His business. When it's all said and done, the Church will be clean and free of any blemish. We will be ready for the return of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

None of us know the exact time of His return. The Father hasn't even told Jesus which day He's going to come. The Father knows that if He told Jesus the exact time, Jesus would tell us! He wants to see us more than we want to see Him! He can't keep a secret from us, because He loves us too much. I'm pretty sure He's at the throne tonight asking His Dad, Jehovah, "Can I go get them? Are we ready?"

Our salvation depends on something more stable than ourselves. It depends on the uncompromising Word of God and His Word will never pass away. We'll still be reading from the Word of God even when we get to heaven because it will take eternity to understand the depths of the Lord God Jehovah.

A theologian asked me, "Do you believe Jesus Christ is physically coming?" Yes I do and I can prove it to you. His return will be just like His departure. It will be visible, personal, literal and local.

There were two angels standing on the side of Jesus when He ascended into heaven. They said, "Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven" (Acts 1:11). His return will be just as His ascension.

Jesus is coming back and I am ready. I want Him to come NOW! If I lift one leg, that's Hallelujah! If I lift the other one, that's Praise the Lord. If I lift both, that's the rapture!

First Thessalonians 4:17-18 says, "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."

Another reason I believe and preach on the rapture is because it is comforting both to myself and others. Scripture says that we should comfort one another with the knowledge that Jesus is coming back for us. So don't live in stress, be comforted! Jesus is coming soon! Some may say to you, "Even if He is coming, you may have to go through the tribulation." Don't argue, be comforted. The tribulation is the wrath of God and we are not appointed unto wrath.

Reception!
When we do arrive, we will have the greatest reception ever. The Body of Christ, the Church, will finally stand with Jesus as Bridegroom and Bride, as one. When we get to Heaven, angels will be flapping their wings together, shouting and hollering for joy of our arrival!

The Bride of Christ will march in and Jesus will say, "There they are, the redeemed of the Lord." All of Heaven will shout and glorify the Son of the Living God when His Bride comes home to be with Him forever.

Cathy and I were married in June 6, 1970 at 11:00 in the morning. There were 22 people in our wedding party. We were married at Holy Rosary Catholic Church. When you're from South Louisiana, you've got to be Catholic at least once.

In those days, I was good looking. I had on a black Tuxedo with bell-bottom pants and a blue ruffled shirt. I was standing in front, near the altar and everyone was looking at me. I was the center of attention. All of a sudden, the music started, the crowd stood up and they didn't look at me any more. They turned their back on me because Cathy, the bride, had come in. No one recognized me any more.

At the reception, when Jesus receives us to Himself, all of Heaven will be looking at us as we walk down the aisle. They will say, "Wow, that's the prettiest bride we've ever seen." Jesus will be saying, "There she is, there's My Body." The Father will be guiding us by the arm down the aisle.

As we reach the front, Jehovah will take the veil off of us and present us to His Son, Jesus. Jesus will say, "How are you doing? Are you ready for eternity?" We will take His arm and Jehovah, who is presiding, will walk up to the throne. He will turn around and say, "the King of Kings and His Bride, the Body, will forever rule and reign over all things of my creation."

Reunion
During our reunion we will have uninterrupted communion and complete consecration to Jesus forever. We will be able to talk to Him all at once and it will still be personal. The communion we have now is veiled. We only see in part what we will experience in fullness in heaven.

Jesus wants uninterrupted communion with us. John 14:3 says, "Where I am, there you may be also." Our reunion in heaven will mean constant communion with the Father. We will be totally consecrated to Him.

When I stand before the judgment seat under the divine appointment, I want God to say, "Jesse, hey come here. I want you to meet some people. You did good, boy. Let me give you a hug. Come on, I want to show you your house." I want Him to know me as a friend. Our meeting will be a true reunion.

There is more to be found in God than you could possibly think of. If you think it has been glorious to live for Jesus on earth, wait to see what you're going to do there! Your highest anointed moment will be nothing compared to being with Him in a physical body.

It will be glorious, but you won't make it just going to church. To understand His return, reception and reunion, you have to understand Jesus and His tremendous love for us.

At the end of the world, the great white throne of judgment will be fierce. Some people believe God will enjoy that. But during my visit to Heaven, the Lord said to me, "That great and final judgment day will be the hardest day of my existence. Tears will be flowing from my eyes, for I will have to pronounce judgment. My own creation, my life, will be doomed to eternal death for I am bound by my Word."

At that great throne there will be no smiling and laughing. Tears will flow from the Father's eyes. He won't be able to do anything if you have tied His hands with your will to reject Him.
Receive Him into your heart today and be ready for His return, reception and reunion with you!

Jesse Duplantis Ministries
All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Author Biography

Jesse Duplantis
Web site: Jesse Duplantis Ministries
 
Jesse Duplantis is a dynamic evangelist who has traveled throughout the world since 1978 preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He is the founder of Jesse Duplantis Ministries (JDM), which has its International Headquarters in America and additional offices in the United Kingdom and Australia.
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