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There is so much about Jesus’ coming to earth that we can celebrate – it is the greatest gift, given to the greatest number of people, by the greatest Giver, moved by the greatest love ever known. As Fredrick Lehman wrote in his timeless hymn in 1917, there is no way that words can describe the love of God:

Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade;
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry;
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.

The Love of God is truly a gift that keeps on giving; from the day that He wooed us away from the world to the day that we will breathe our last, we draw strength from the knowledge that the Creator of all things loves us. His love is the power that keeps us, the strength that moves us forward, and the anchor that holds in the storms of life.

Contrary to human love, God’s love is without condition. He loves us because He is love, and cannot deny Himself. Our failings and missteps don’t diminish God’s love for us, and that is our security as we walk through the minefield of temptations, the filth of the world, and the mistakes that we make. Where would we be without the love of God?

Not only did God reach out to us in love while we were running away from Him, He poured His own unconditional love out into our hearts so that we may share it, unconditionally as it is, to the unloveable in our sphere. Everybody needs love – and responds to it – if it is genuine. Few things give hope to the hopeless as love extended can.

Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Romans 5:5

The God-kind of love, poured out in our hearts, enables us to love with His love! No wonder it is the first fruit of a Spirit-filled life!

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. Galatians 5:22

You cannot have joy or peace without love; you cannot be patient (longsuffering), kind, flow in goodness, be faithful, be gentle, or exercise self-control, if it is not fuelled by the love of God. While you can do it in your own strength under ideal circumstances, it requires the love of God to display these traits when things don’t go your way. The love of God is the oil that keeps your lamp burning on your darkest day.

God didn’t have less love when He poured it out in our hearts – He multiplied it!

By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 1 John 3:16

God gave His Son to us, then Jesus gave His life for us – all because of love. Now it is our turn to give ourselves, because love compels us. When we give, we receive.

Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” Luke 6:38

Love shines like a lighthouse in a world filled with hatred. Anybody can hate, but it takes a life surrendered to Christ to truly love, for love is the trademark of the new creation man and woman.

The tremendous power of faith that has the potential to move mountains, even if as small as a mustard seed, is powered by love. (Galatians 5:6) Love never fails, and is greater than hope and faith.

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

When you received Jesus into your life, you also received His love because He cannot be separated from it. He made that deposit in our lives, now we have to grow it by giving it away. This is the true spirit of His coming. Merry Christmas everybody!

We constantly think about value, whether we are shopping, assessing a cause, weighing options, considering a friendship, or even contemplating our own worth. An inferiority complex is near fatal to your life’s destiny, and is very common, even among Christians.

What is value? It depends on who you ask! It is said that one man’s trash is another’s treasure – a true statement, especially when it comes to spiritual matters. Outward appearance can be very deceptive, which is why you don’t judge a book by its cover. What you see is not necessarily what you get.

History is replete with examples of people that would never win a contest, yet were handpicked by God to do great exploits for Him. There is a stark difference between the value that God places on a person, and the opinions of those around you.

Moses killed a man, but God used him to write the law for the Jewish nation. Gideon was a coward, yet God used him to free Israel from the oppression of the Midianites. David was a murderer and adulterer, but God called him a man after His own heart. Rahab was a Canaanite prostitute, but her name found a place in Jesus’ genealogy. Paul brutally persecuted the church, but God called him to write two-thirds of the New Testament. A highly trained Pharisee, he was sent to take the gospel to Gentiles, while Peter, an uneducated fisherman, known for speaking before he thought things through, became the apostle to the Jews. God’s value system makes no sense to the natural mind.

He calls light to shine from darkness, and then destroys darkness with it – 2 Corinthians 4:6

He hides His treasures in earthen vessels – 2 Corinthians 4:7
He uses the foolish of this world to put to shame the wise – 1 Corinthians 1:27-28

Judas valued Jesus at thirty pieces of silver, but God highly exalted Him, and gave Him a name that is above all names, and a seat above all power and principality, so that every knee will bow before Him, and every tongue confess that He is Lord.

What is your personal value? One of the most foolish things you can do as a Christian is to allow other people to determine your worth. The true value of an item is what you are willing to pay for it, and that makes you priceless, for you were bought with the blood of the Son of God Himself.

…knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. 1 Peter 1:18,19

God paid that high price for you in spite of your perceived shortcomings; He thought of you highly enough to give His best so that He could call you His own. You are His workmanship, (Ephesians 2:10) and we know He did not make any failures; you are exactly what He wanted you to be. Moreover, He adopted you as His own child “according to the good pleasure of His will.” (Ephesians 1:5)

Because you were bought at a high price, God will take care of you, just as we take good care of our valuables. A low self-worth is the seedbed of worry and anxiety, but an understanding of your true value breeds hope and confidence.

Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Matthew 6:26

Shortcomings only become apparent when you compare yourself to others, but what you might see as a deficiency, is, in actual fact, your uniqueness – it is what sets you apart from everybody else. The more unique an item is, the higher its value. Stamps, coins and banknotes with flaws are worth much more than their face value, including those that are perfect. This is how you should look at yourself – you are the way you are because you were handcrafted for a specific purpose.

Instead of hiding in inferiority, develop the gift that is dormant inside of you. Rather than bemoaning your flaws, sharpen the edge that you have been given. Nobody listens when everybody sounds the same; you are different because God wants you to be heard. Originals are always more pricey than copies. Speak, write, create – be yourself with a boldness that comes from the freedom of knowing your true value in the eyes of God, and who you are in Christ.

The world is working hard to make everybody equal under the guise of tolerance, but individuality is not a threat to anyone. There is great danger though in controlling the thoughts of people, because you don’t know who is behind it. Authenticity provides the necessary checks and balances that keep society safe. Christianity is the only force for freedom in the world, empowered by men and women who understand who they are in Christ, and who appreciate what has been given to them by God. You are a greater threat to the devil than you think, and that makes you valuable in the Kingdom of God.

May the value that God places on you be your motivation to rise up to out to become all that He made you to be!

Are you a graduate of WordWise Word School? Tell us about your ministry! We are spread around the world in so many nations, but we can be a blessing and motivation to one another when we share what the Lord is doing in and through us.

Introducing Ophelia Panopio – WordWise graduate of the Class of 1998

It’s a great privilege to share with those of you who are connected with WordWise Network how I started my ministry here in Brussels. After acquiring knowledge and wisdom from WordWise Word School in 1998, where I was one of the first students under the untiring efforts of Pastor Johan & his lovely wife Gerda, I was challenged by my local pastor to start a teaching ministry among my fellow Filipinos of 11 people at Praise Center, my mother church.

By the grace of God, I was able to lead this small group by what I have learned from WordWise. Twice a month I preached according to the pattern that I have learned from WordWise School. This went on for almost 3 years. Then I started to ask the Lord why He called me to the ministry there even though I had no legal papers. I fasted and prayed so many times for it because I felt guilty as I preached the Word of God, thinking I am not a good teacher/preacher if I don’t submit to the authorities, as we are told to do in the book of Romans.

At that time I chose to go back to my country with the prayers of my pastor that I would come back to Brussels legally, with my husband and two youngest sons. Nine months after I left, my pastor sent me the legal papers that were required, with 4 airplane tickets. It stirred my faith, so we rejoiced with great hope and blessing because God’s will was done. I enrolled with my husband in Logos Bible School while still leading a Bible Study group, preaching, and leading a prayer meetings, as well as house-to-house evangelism with the help of some missionaries from the US.

It took 3 years for us to graduate, and after much prayer and motivation, my husband was ordained as the pastor of the Filipino congregation, and myself as an evangelist. After a few months, we opened a Bible Study group in Hagen (Germany) which has now grown into a church. It now also has a daughter church in Siegen, already five years old at this time.

We visit my hometown in the Philippines every two years to do house-to-house evangelism, and a church has also been planted there. We also work with other ministries there to do Bible Studies and an outreach into the local prison. Another church was added, and we support their prison ministry – the only church that is authorized by the government to work inside the prison. We minister salvation to the prisoners, including rehabilitation for drug addicts in coordination with the City.

Glory to God for more souls that are added every 2 weeks! Even though we are not there physically, we oversee the church through the pastors there.

All of this is possible because of the Word of God in Matthew 28:19,20 – the Great Commission! We are doing what WordWise is doing in line of teaching, training, and seminars to poor churches in some parts of the Philippines. We now go home once or twice a year to equip God’s servants who were not able to go to well-known Bible Schools, yet they pastor their churches because their heart’s desire is to stand in the fulness of their calling.

We realize that to have a kingdom mindset we ought to help people outside of our own church affiliation, and we can serve each other by encouraging those that we have taught through the internet, whether they are pastors or lay leaders. We see some quick conversions when they apply what we shared with them. Praise the Lord, they are growing in faith and in numbers, which is a reward on our efforts, love and faith.

To all of Wordwise Network, we covet your prayers for us to continue what God has started in us until Jesus comes back with His reward. Hallelujah! We expect greater things to come because we do what we have learned from our beloved school “WordWise” in the persons of Pastor Johan & Sister Gerda du Toit.

The Holy Spirit is the most misunderstood, misrepresented and under-appreciated person in modern theology. Fake news abounds when it comes to the Holy Spirit and His work, and the church is weaker and poorer for it. A sober look at what the Bible has to say about Him will introduce you to a living, caring, truth-revealing and omnipotent Person who has been assigned to be our companion, helper, comforter and guide in a world that is hopelessly lost and confused. He has all the answers that you need and all the power to destroy the works of the devil, and He wants to live in you. God is the Father above us; Jesus is Immanuel, God with us, and the Holy Spirit is God in us. You need to know Him.

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Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!
Romans 11:33

Augustine (354 – 430) made a statement that rings ever true, especially in our day of superficial insight in the Scriptures. “The Old (Testament) is in the New (Testament) revealed; the New is in the Old concealed.” Only a heart steeped in the Word can come up with such a powerful discovery!

The apostle Paul wrote about this intricate weaving together of the Old and New Testaments, and called them shadows and types.

So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ. Colossians 2:16,17

Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. Romans 5:14

For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. Hebrews 10:1

The Old Testament is filled with hints of what was to come in the New Testament, written by a diverse group of men over hundreds of years and who had no idea that they were recording future events in advance. Not only does it prove that Scripture was dictated by Someone outside of time who saw it all playing out before Him from beginning to end, it also proves that the Bible, as we have it today, is complete as one integrated message.

With all the types, shadows and symbols in the Old Testament that point to New Testament truths, we have an unfailing set of checks and balances that guarantees the infallibility of God’s plan for our salvation and reconciliation with Him.

God, who foresaw man’s weakness and failure to obey His simplest command, finalized His plan for our redemption even before the fall, and hid it in His dealings with them. They were rehearsals of His grand scene to be revealed centuries down the road. The shadows are gems to be discovered by diligent students of the Scriptures, those who are driven by an appetite for the meat of the Word.

But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. 1 Corinthians 2:9-12

As Paul says in Colossians 2:16-17, quoted earlier, the substance of shadows, types and symbols is Christ. It is all about Him – His birth, death on the cross, resurrection, High Priestly ministry, and return as King of Glory.

And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. Colossians 1:17,18

He is the head of the body, the church. As far as He is concerned, it was always about the church, His beloved bride. As the Last Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45) He did what first Adam failed to do: when first Adam realized that his bride was going to die because she ate of the forbidden fruit, he chose to die with her and ate of the fruit also. While it seems very romantic, he considered only the moment without thinking of the consequences of his disobedience. His love for his bride was greater than his love for God. Jesus, the Last Adam, saw His bride, spiritually dead in her sin and trespasses, and decided to die in her place so that she may live.

Just as first Adam was asleep when God took his bride from his side, (Genesis 2:21-23) Jesus was “asleep” on the cross when a Roman soldier pierced His side. Water and blood gushed from that open wound – the blood that purchased His bride, the church. First Adam looked at his bride and said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh…” Paul, writing about the relationship between Christ and the church, and comparing it to the relationship between a husband and wife, looks back to the birth of the first bride, and saw the fulfilment of that shadow in Christ:

For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. Ephesians 5:29,30

When God put Adam to sleep to take his bride from his side, He looked down the ages to the day when His own Son would have His side pierced by a Roman spear to give birth to His bride. When Adam saw Eve for the first time she must have been the most beautiful of all of God’s creation, but most of all, he realized that she was born from him, of his very own kind, and therefore one with him.

Where was Eve before she was shown to Adam? She was in him, although hidden. Wonderful as that thought is, the substance is more glorious:

If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. Colossians 3:1-3

We are bone of His bones, and flesh of his flesh! How do you see yourself? A sinner? Did Christ die in vain? Wasn’t He able to raise you to newness of life, from death in your sin to be His bride, the object of His longing?

Jesus, witnessing the birth of Eve, fully knew what it meant for Him. He saw the cruelty and horror of the cross, the pain inflicted on His body and the weight of the sin of the world pressing down on His shoulders, yet He went to the cross voluntary because His love for the church was greater than His own integrity, comfort and safety.

Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:9-11

Jesus could face the cross because He looked past its pain, and fixed His eyes fixed on His bride, who was about to be taken from His side:

…looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2

The joy that was set before Him was His bride, the church!

Having paid so high a price for us, we can never doubt His love is love for us. Let us now look at ourselves as His bride, made worthy even though we were born in sin to be sinners. Let us also look at Him, our Saviour, as David looked at the Lord after he was rescued from hopelessness:

Oh, magnify the Lord with me, And let us exalt His name together. I sought the Lord, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears. They looked to Him and were radiant, And their faces were not ashamed. Psalm 34:3-5

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Genesis 1:26,2

By saying it three times in two verses, God wanted us to understand that He made man in His image. “Let us make man in Our image;” “So God created man in His own image;” “in the image of God He created Him, “male and female He created them”. After the first man and woman were created, they could boldly say, “I am holy and righteous for I have been created in God’s image.” “I look like God because He created me in His image.”

Prior to their disobedience and fall from God’s presence, the first two humans were sinless and perfect. They had free access to God with nothing in between that hindered them from fellowship with Him. God actually came down looking for them in the garden. They were the only creatures on earth that He could fellowship with, and it seems that He desired to spend some time with them. All through Scripture we see God longing to be with His people, desiring their companionship. As Creator, He must have found the same kind of satisfaction in these two people as a painter who proudly put his signature on a work of art, so that everybody who saw it, might know it. The signature on a work of art identifies it with its creator.

At some stage however, Satan, a fallen being banned from heaven, approached Eve and deceived her to disobey God’s instruction to them, and she ate from the forbidden tree. Adam, knowing the consequences of her disobedience, refused to let her die alone, and ate from it also, triggering a spiritual law that caused his entire posterity to be infected with the spiritual death that he brought upon himself.

Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? Romans 6:16

Spiritual death, the very nature that we were born with, became man’s greatest need. It changed Adam’s likeness to God into the likeness of the fallen angel that deceived him, and he became a fallen man himself. The same lot that befell Lucifer, fell on Adam, and he became separated from God – a major defeat for man, and the ultimate disappointment for God.

If God turned His back on man at that time there would be no hope for him, with torment his only prospect in an eternity without God. It would also mean a decisive victory for Satan over God. Thank God, His grace is sufficient for us, and His love endures forever! His love is greater than the power of the devil’s deceptions and His wisdom far beyond the craftiness of Satan.

Fast forward to the New Testament. God, in His great love for man, executed His master plan of redemption to bring us back into fellowship with Him. His image, imprinted on man in creation, but scarred by the devil’s craftiness, is brought back to its former glory. He did not just paint over the scars to hide them from view, no, He painted a brand new picture!

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17

For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21

We no longer identify ourselves with the fallen angel, the deceiver, accuser of the brethren, Satan, Lucifer. It would mean a failure of the work of Jesus on the cross if there was but a trace left of Satan’s destruction on the redeemed. Jesus did so much more than just cleaning us from our sins; He was judged for it on our behalf, and received the prescribed death penalty for it.

And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Colossians 2:13,14

There is nothing that we can add to that; Jesus did what had to be done. We are new creations in Him, and righteousness has been restored to us who put our trust in Him.

It must be noted though that God is Spirit (John 4:24), and Adam and Eve were spirit-beings when they were made in His image. Their bodies did not look like God because He doesn’t have a body of flesh. They existed in Him before they received their bodies in Genesis chapter 2; they were hidden in Him, just as we are now hidden in Him:

For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. Colossians 3:3

This truth gave Paul, understanding of the substitutionary work of Christ on the cross, to boldly confess:

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. Galatians 2:20

Your new identity is not found in your ancestors, but is spiritual; your body is not the real you, but merely the tent in which you live as an earth dweller. Identity with your outward appearance is fatal for a Christian; it is like a dual personality disorder when you identify with death and life at the same time. It also opens the door to the many social ills that plague those in the world without Christ. Spiritually there are only two races: those that were naturally born once, or those that were born twice through the new birth – you are either a descendant of the first Adam or the Last Adam.

Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him… Colossians 3:9,10

Who do you see? Are you a sinner or a saint? Are you spiritually dead or alive? What can you do, and where are you heading? What is the purpose of your life? Whose image do you bear? If you don’t know who you are in Christ, your uninformed mind will default to what it knows, and continues to project you as a sinner, as many Christians do.

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. 2 Corinthians 3:18

Discover your true identity as a new creation as you see yourself in the mirror of the Word, and be transformed into the image of God in Christ Jesus, then render yourself to Him as you discover who you are in the Word!

Discover your true identity as a new creation as you see yourself in the mirror of the Word, and be transformed into the image of God in Christ Jesus, then render yourself to Him as you discover who you are in the Word!

Supplement your Bible studies with these Kindle books, or use it to teach/encourage others. Download the free Kindle app where these books are found on Amazon, and read it on your phone, tablet or computer.

While most Christians believe the that Lord will return, the debate of how and when it will happen is not settled. Views vary, each with their own Scriptural interpretation. The Bible does not give us a clear outline in a single passage to explain this event, or events, as it appears to be, so we have to look wide and deep to gain some understanding. For this reason I approach the subject of this circular very cautiously, fully aware that other views exist, as I certainly do not want to alienate good friends because we have different opinions.

As we consider the coming of the Lord, two separate events come into view, as the verses below indicate:

Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 1 Thessalonians 4:17

And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you, so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints. 1 Thessalonians 3:12,13

Two different events: being caught up to meet Jesus in the air to be with Him always, and Jesus coming down to earth with all His saints.

The first event is known as the rapture, an event that can happen at any moment; it is imminent, and without prior warning signs. The second event is when Jesus comes back to set up His millennial reign on the earth at the conclusion of the seven year tribulation period that ends with the battle of Armageddon: two events that must take place before Jesus comes back to earth, also known at His glorious appearance. Since the tribulation period must first come to an end, and the Battle of Armageddon must commence, it is therefore not imminent – the timing can actually be determined, based on the fulfilment of these two preconditions.

In this letter we will focus on the rapture, and on the Lord’s glorious appearance in the next one. Please review newsletter #9 on The Lord’s Imminent return. Differences exist on exactly when the church will be raptured as the Bible does not say it in so many words. The popular views are pre-tribulation, mid-tribulation and post-tribulation. All opinions are conjecture, although we can form a view by looking closely at passages of Scripture where this event is addressed.

Paul’s words in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 (quoted above) makes it very clear that there will be a meeting with the Lord in the air. That implies a rapture. He alludes to the same concept in his second letter to the same church:

Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. 2 Thessalonians 2:1,2

“Our gathering together to Him…” This leaves the impression that there will be a gathering to Him, as opposed to Him coming to be with us here on earth.

Jesus told the parable of the ten virgins, discussed in our previous circular, to explain His coming for His bride. Ten girls were waiting on the groom to make his appearance. They did not know when he would come, except that he would come for his bride to take her home with him. In Jewish weddings of the time the groom would go to build a house for his bride after their engagement, and come back to fetch her once he finished his work. When the ten virgins least expected him, at midnight, a call announced his arrival. (Matthew 25:1-13) Read the passage below with this context in mind:

Let not your heart be troubled; you 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 to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. John 14:1-3

There is a belief that we will spend eternity in heaven, but that is not what the Bible teaches; we will come back with Jesus to rule with Him when He comes to set up His millennial reign on earth.

And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, from east to west, making a very large valley; half of the mountain shall move toward the north and half of it toward the south. Then you shall flee through My mountain valley, for the mountain valley shall reach to Azal. Yes, you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Thus the Lord my God will come, and all the saints with You. Zechariah 14:4,5

“And all the saints with you…” For the saints to come with Him, they first have to be with Him in heaven from where He will come. This lines up with Paul’s view expressed in 1 Thessalonians 3:12,13 quoted earlier.

All major events concerning Christ were foreshadowed by events in the Old Testament, or, as Paul called them, types, symbols and shadows. (See Galatians 4:23-26; Colossians 2:17, Hebrews 8:5; Hebrews 10:1) A strong pattern emerges when we look at events where God visited wickedness on earth with destruction, such as:

God removed Noah, a righteous man and his family, before He destroyed the world through the flood. (Genesis 7)
God removed the righteous Lot and his family before He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah with fire. (Genesis 19)
God also removed Rahab and her household, because she hid the two men when they spied the land, before He destroyed Jericho. (Joshua 6:17)

If God follows this pattern, we can expect Him to remove the righteous to spare them the destructions of the seven year tribulation. We do not know the date of such an event, but we do see the signs that point to a period of a tribulation coming on the earth. Various prophecies are being fulfilled before our eyes.

It is obvious that the world has entered into a time when pressure is mounting on so many aspects of life here. Pollution of land, sea and air is out of control. Mass immigration into stable, prosperous countries causes the destruction of safeguarding values by incompatible cultures. Looming trade wars threaten to disrupt economic stability worldwide. Wars and rumours of wars fill our daily news. Instability of weather poses a real threat to the global food supply, coinciding with an explosion in population growth. The world has become an angry place with uprisings, some very violent, in different countries. The list goes on and on.

The Lord speaks to His own through ancient Scriptures that alert us to changes that are coming. Prophecy is not to scare, but to prepare us. Let us heed His voice and be ready for His appearance!

Also read about the imminence of the Lord’s return here

We at WordWise set our hearts on studying God’s Word in depth because it prepares us for a life of purpose and fruitfulness. The study notes that we provide only open the door to important knowledge, but students make their own discoveries by doing their homework through personal Bible study. This is best done by digging deep into their own Bible. We love to see what they discovered – not some other person who put their thoughts into words somewhere else.

When homework is copied from someone else’s work, you rob yourself from revelation knowledge that the Holy Spirit wants to impart to you. It is also plagiarism, and we recognize it when we see it. We want to see you finish our courses with an arsenal of truth that brings freedom to the oppressed and inflicts defeat on the enemy. It is hard work, but the fruit is glorious. God bless you as you study His Word!