By Dick VanHuss

“Rapture hotline, Are you ready for Jesus’s return?”  There was an old Isaac Air Freight comedy routine where guys would call a hotline number to see if those Christians were still around. It ends with them calling and no one answering.  As a teenager most of the emphasis on Jesus’s return was a stick used to keep us in line.  “You better behave, or Jesus will come back you will be left behind.”  In fact, there was a whole movie series based on being left behind.  The truth is, the Bible never uses Christ return to inspire fear!  

What?  Wait a minute.  We shouldn’t use the rapture or Jesus’s return to create fear? Then what should we use it for?

Titus 2 says ¹¹For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. ¹²It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, ¹³while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, ¹⁴who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.  Notice the focus isn’t fear, its joy and excitement!  This is our Blessed Hope the thing we are looking for, not avoiding.

When we think of Jesus as our returning king we should put the emphasis on the fact that Jesus is coming to claim us, his people!  He is taking us to a glorious place where we will live with him forever. Its our hope because we will see our loved ones again. We will have resurrected bodies with no sickness or pain.  We eagerly await Jesus coming back for us because it really will be our blessed hope.

Prayer: Jesus, thank you for demonstrating your love to us by coming and dying on the cross to redeem us. Thank you that you promised to come back for us and take us to heaven to be with you. Help us look forward to that moment and not be afraid.  Help us to live in a way that anticipates your soon return.  

Questions to think about.

• Have you ever been afraid of missing the rapture of the church?  How did you respond to that fear?
• Think of five things that you look forward to in Jesus returning as our king.
• During the past 30 days,  if you have been doing the devotions, have you felt like there has been a renewal in your life?