I WILL RISE!

When He calls my name, I will rise on eagles’ wings, before my God, fall on my knees. I will rise! These are the words to Chris Tomlin’s song, I will rise! Have you ever thought about that? When He calls your name?

When I was growing up, all of us kids sat in church service (no children’s church for us) and we would have to sit with our parents and listen to the preacher. I remember hearing several sermons about what would happen to us when we died and Jesus called our name. Our pastor said that because Satan is the prince of the air “Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: “ Eph 2:2 (KJV)., that angels would be sent by God to escort our souls into heaven, because the demons would try to keep us from going there (just like they kept the angel from answering Daniel’s prayer). In my mind, I always envisioned a beautiful band of angels escorting me into heaven and these hideous demons fleeing from us.

Then there is the rapture when we will fly through the air to be with our Lord. “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. 17 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.” 1 Thess 4:16-17 (NIV). My personal opinion is that we won’t have to be escorted when we are raptured, because all of the demons will be running for their lives to get away from Jesus’ presence.

I’m looking forward to either one of those days.....how about you? Either way we will see our Savior face to face. Come to think of it, everyone saved or lost will see Jesus face to face eventually. We will all see Jesus in His entire splendor and glory, we will all see Jesus sitting on his throne, and we will all bow our knees and confess Him Lord of Lord and King of Kings. “At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Phil 2:10-11 (NIV).

If you are saved you will fly straight into the arms of your savior, if you haven’t repented of your sins and accepted Jesus as your savior, you will see Him on judgment day when He tells you to depart from me, I never knew you. "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” Matt 25:41 (NIV). Which way would you rather meet the creator of the universe?

In this uncertain world today, it is very hard to make plans and be assured that those plans will happen. But, there is one certain plan that will happen for all of us.....you will meet Jesus one way or the other....your eternity depends on your decision.

If you know that you are lost, then deep down in your soul you also know that you are on the road to eternal separation from God and an eternity in Hell. Will you open your heart and accept the sacrifice that Jesus paid for you on the cross? Will you throw away your pride and accept the fact that you are a sinner in need of the salvation that only Jesus can provide? Jesus has paid the price for you, all you have to do is lay aside your pride and acknowledge that you are a sinner and accept Him as your Savior.

Dear Father in Heaven,
My prayer today is for the people reading this who have not accepted you as their Lord and Savior. Those, who in their hearts, know that in their present lost condition they will be told on judgment day to depart from You because You never knew them. I pray that they will just lay aside their pride, acknowledge their sins and accept the free gift of salvation that You offer. I pray this in Your precious Son Jesus’ name. AMEN