Meeting Place | Season 4 Ep 8

There has been a lot of talk about the rapture happening these days. I always knew that there was debate about when it would take place. Meaning, whether it would be before or during or after the period of tribulation the book of Revelation speaks about. I vote for the before tribulation option. I did not know until recently that there are lots of believers that don’t believe in any kind of rapture happening. To each his own, I guess. Honestly, it doesn’t matter what any scholar or theologian or guru or preacher or professor says because they don’t know any better than you or me. Only God knows the day and the hour. Jesus says in Matthew 24:36 that even he does not know.

 

On top of this I read a verse in Job while looking for something else and it really made me stop and think. Job says, “I know that you are bringing me to death, to the meeting place for all the living.” (Job 30:23) This doesn’t sound like the kind of verse you want to memorize, but I am about to change your mind. See, Job has been through a lot leading up to this statement. He has lost his wife, children, wealth, livestock…absolutely everything. Yet he remains faithful to God. At his point in the story Job and God were having a conversation. And while Job is saying that he is sure his death is coming, remember what I just told you, that he will be heading “to the meeting place of all the living”. That doesn’t sound too bad and here’s why. This means that he is set to meet up with the family he just lost.

 

David says much the same in 2 Samuel 12:13-23. He had just lost a child, a baby born out of his fateful mistake with Bathsheba. He weeps and fasts and stays on the ground during the seven day sickness of the child. But when the child dies, he gets up, cleans himself, goes to worship, and eats. His servants are shocked. They were expecting his weeping and attitude to be worse. I love what David says to them, “While the child was still alive, I fasted wept. I thought, ‘who knows? The Lord may be gracious to me and let the child live.’ But now that is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.”

 

Isn’t that beautiful? Yes, these men lost people. But there is hope of seeing them again. As believers we should be comforted by this. We have HOPE.

 

“Therefore, we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. We live by faith and not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 5:6-8

 

Not only do we have the hope of seeing loved ones again, but we will BE WITH JESUS.

 

“Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 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 each other with these words.” 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

 

So there you go. Heading toward the meeting place…caught up in clouds with Jesus. Yes, please.

 

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