Dear Friend,

The Lord Jesus is in Heaven today, seated at the right hand of God. He has all power in Heaven and in the earth. One day He is coming back to take us to be with Him in Heaven forever.

Jesus said, "In My Father’s house are many beautiful homes: 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 you may be also." John 14:2-3

How do we know that the Lord Jesus is coming again? We know because He said, "I will come again." For those of us who have received Jesus as our Savior, His coming will be a time of great joy. Why? Because He is coming to take us to be with Him—forever!

The first believers were excited about the fact that the Lord Jesus was coming someday to take them to be with Him. Many of them thought that Jesus would come in their lifetime, and they were very sad when some of their loved ones died. They thought that those who had died would somehow miss out on the wonderful blessings when Jesus comes again. Let us see what happens when a believer dies.

The body is the “house” in which the soul lives. We can understand this because we live in a house. The house is not us; it is just the place where we live. Likewise, my body is just the “house” in which I live.

When a believer dies, the real person simply moves out of the “house” in which he or she has lived. The body is buried, but the person goes immediately to be with Christ.

Paul said, "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21). Why did Paul say that it was “gain” to die? He knew that the moment he died, he would go to be with Christ.

When a Christian loved one dies, we are sorrowful because we love them and we miss them. But we must remember that they are with Christ and this is far better than being here. And one day we will be with them, and we will never again have to say goodbye.

When Jesus comes, all believers—both those who have died and those who are still living—will be caught up [taken up] to meet the Lord in the air. The Bible says,

"For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God: and the dead in Christ [the believers who have died] 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." 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

God is letting us in on a strange and wonderful secret.

The Bible says, "Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep [die], but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised with new resurrection bodies, and we shall be changed" (1 Corinthians 15:51-52).

The bodies of believers who have died will instantly come alive. The very first thing that will happen when Jesus comes is that there will be a trumpet blast from the sky, and the bodies of all believers will be raised from the dead. Believers will have glorious, new resurrection bodies!

Believers who are living when Jesus comes will be instantly changed. The second great thing that will happen is that we who are still alive when Jesus comes will be instantly changed. Our bodies will be made like Christ’s glorious resurrection body.

All believers will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. The third wonderful event is that all believers, those who have been made alive and all those who have been changed, will be caught up together to meet the Lord Jesus in the air.

All of this will happen in a moment of time. We will be taken instantly to Heaven with the Lord Jesus. We will not need space suits or space ships. The Lord Jesus Himself will take us to Heaven instantly, and "so shall we ever be with the Lord."

When Jesus comes, what will happen to those who have never taken Him as their Savior? They will be left behind to face a time of great trouble on earth. There will be devastating earthquakes, terrible wars, horrible diseases, and millions of people starving to death. Jesus said, "For then shall be a time of great trouble, such as was not since the beginning of the world…" (Matthew 24:21).

I am sure that you understand now why it is so important for you to tell your friends and loved ones about the Lord Jesus. We want them to go with us to be with the Lord Jesus when He comes, and not be left behind to face this terrible time on earth.

When the believers go to Heaven with the Lord Jesus, there will be a judgment called "the Judgment Seat of Christ." This judgment is not to see whether or not we are saved. Every believer is saved forever. But believers will be judged to receive rewards. It is very important for us to understand the difference between salvation and rewards.

Salvation is a GIFT and we have it NOW. Eternal [everlasting] life is the most wonderful gift we could ever receive. The Bible says, "The wages of sin is death; but the GIFT of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:23).

When someone gives you a gift, all you have to do is reach out and take it, and it is yours. You do not have to work for a gift. You do not have to pay for a gift. All you have to do is take it and it is yours.

Because His Son died for our sins, God gives us the gift of eternal life when we take the Lord Jesus as our Savior. You receive eternal life the moment you take Jesus into your heart. And you know that you have eternal life because God says so! The Bible says, "This is the record, that God has given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that has the Son has [eternal] life…" (1 John 5:11-12).

Rewards are earned by faithfully serving the Lord Jesus. We will receive rewards when we get to Heaven. God gives rewards to His children for the good things they do. When we tell others about Jesus and show them how they can be saved, God will reward us for this.

The Bible speaks of some very special rewards for those who serve the Lord Jesus faithfully. They are called “crowns.” These beautiful crowns will be given to believers as rewards.

Remember, salvation is a gift and we receive it the moment we take Jesus as our Savior. Rewards are earned, and we will receive them when we get to Heaven.

We live in an exciting time. The most wonderful event is about to happen—the Lord Jesus is coming for His believers to take us to Heaven, to be with Him forever. Jesus said, "Behold, I come quickly; and My reward is with Me, to give every man according as his work shall be" (Revelation 22:12).

God’s Word is clear! Some day Christ is coming for His believers. There are five mighty "shalls" in these verses. Underline them in your mind.

Does anyone know exactly when Jesus will come? No, no one knows exactly when He will come. Jesus said, "Be you therefore ready also: For the Son of Man comes at an hour when you think not" (Luke 12:40).

The Lord Jesus is coming soon! There are four words which tell us how we can be ready for His return. These words are: Love, Obey, Serve, and Look.

Love the Lord Jesus. The Lord loves us with all His heart, and He wants us to love Him. There is nothing more important for us than loving the Lord Jesus with all our heart.

Obey the Lord Jesus. Believers are obeyers! If we truly love Jesus, we will obey Him. Jesus said, "He that has My commandments, and keeps them, he it is that loves Me: And he that loves Me shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him and will show Myself to him" (John 14:21).

When you wonder whether or not you should do a certain thing, ask yourself this question, "Would Jesus like to see me do this?" If you think that He would not like to see you do it, do not do it!

Serve the Lord Jesus. The time to live for Jesus is now! The time to serve Him is now!

Do you know some people who do not know the Lord Jesus as their Savior? Would you like to win them for Him? Then start praying for them. Tell them about the Savior. Tell them about the Mailbox Club lessons. Help them to join this free UBDavid.org online program.

Look for the Lord’s coming. When the Lord Jesus comes, He wants to find His believers "watching and waiting" for His return.

The Lord Jesus is coming, and He is coming soon! Jesus said, "Behold I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work" (Revelation 22:12).

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