The Day of the Lord

The saints will go to the Father's house in Heaven. That they will be "caught up to meet the Lord in the air" will not be disputed by believers in the word; but some think that they will go no farther in that direction than the atmosphere of our earth—that they have no promise of going to Heaven. Let us hear the word on this point.

Our Saviour said to his disciples, "Great is your reward in Heaven." Matt. 5:12. But someone will say, "They have a reward in Heaven, but it will be brought to them, when the holy city descends to earth: they will not go to it."

Let us inquire. Enoch and Elijah have never died; they are living somewhere at present. Where are they? In Heaven, is the reply; the time came that "the Lord would take up Elijah into Heaven by a whirlwind," and it was done: "Elijah went up by a whirlwind into Heaven." 2 Kings 2:1,11. "Enoch was translated that he should not see death;" he could not be found on earth, "for God took him." Heb. 11:5; Gen. 5:24. It is reasonable to infer from these examples, that all the saints, when made immortal, will enjoy the same privilege.

But we have something better than inferences. We have positive testimony on this point. When the Lord Jesus was about to leave his disciples and "go to the Father," he said to them, as he had before said to the Jews, "Whither I go, ye cannot come." John 13:33. "Simon Peter said unto him, Lord, whither goest thou? Jesus answered him, Whither I go, thou canst not follow me now; but thou shalt follow me afterward." Verse 36. Here is a positive promise to Peter that he should, at some future time, follow him to the place where he was then going; and verse 1 informs us that the time "was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father." He said himself, "I go to the Father." Chap. 14:12, 28; 16:10, 17, 28. The word whither means "to what place." Then the question of Peter, and the Lord's answer, are equivalent to this: Lord, to what place goest thou? To what place, or, to the place where I go, thou canst not follow me now; but thou shalt follow me (there) afterward.

Peter has the promise of following Jesus to the Father's house; but is his case to be an exception to a general rule? Is he, in this, to be favored above the rest of the disciples? Not at all. Our Lord continues: "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." Chap. 14:1-3.

This is addressed not to Peter alone, but to all the disciples. The Father's house is capacious. It has many mansions. There is room there for all the saints of all ages. Jesus has gone to prepare the place for their reception. He is coming to earth again. What for? to remain here with his disciples? for them to receive him to themselves? No. Said he. "I will come again, and receive you unto myself." Or, as Campbell renders it, I will return and "take you with me," that where I am, ye may be also.

Thus it is proved by positive testimony, not only that the saints will be caught up from the earth at the second advent, but, that they will be taken to those mansions in Heaven which Jesus said were in his Father's house, the place to which he went when he left the earth.

More testimony might be brought to prove this proposition, such as that of the saints' standing on the sea of glass, which is before the throne of God in Heaven, Rev. 15:2; 4:1, 2, 6; and that of the "voice of much people in Heaven," Rev. 19:1, rejoicing at the overthrow of Babylon recorded in the preceding chapter, etc., but the testimony adduced is amply sufficient for those who are satisfied with positive declarations of the word, and therefore I will not pursue the subject further. The saints of God leave the earth and go to Heaven, at the second advent and first resurrection; and at this point of time commences their reign with Christ a thousand years.