Jesus Has Prepared a Place for You

When a wagon train wasn’t sure what lay ahead or in which direction to go, the pioneers sent scouts ahead to test the available routes and determine the best way to the next destination. When the scouts returned, they led the entire group the way they had chosen. Like those scouts, Jesus went ahead for us by suffering and dying on the cross, paying the penalty for our sins, and then rising from the dead and ascending to heaven. Jesus promised to come back and take us to where He had gone, just as a good scout would.

But, ultimately, Jesus was doing something quite different from what any old scout would do. I don’t know about you, but I’m not particularly interested in taking the path Jesus took. Thankfully, we don’t have to. Jesus’ going ahead in His suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension was not intended to show us the way. It was intended to show us that He was the way (John 14:6). Because He traveled this path, we don’t have to! And when Jesus comes back, He will not take us down the path he chose, but will take us on a route that bypasses His path altogether.

Isn’t it amazing to know that, when the time comes for us to go to His Father’s house, Jesus Himself will usher us through the front door? Thinking about that moment may bring up the following questions:

When Will It Be?
Jesus emphatically taught that no one knows when He will return (Matthew 24:36). So this question is un-answerable. But there are certain key points in time that we know are critical:

Now!
Since we don’t know when Jesus will return, every second the clock ticks is an eligible candidate. Treat each moment as though it might be “the one”! Be ready!

When We Die.
When our life on earth is over, our opportunities to accept Jesus as Savior and Lord will have passed. If we have chosen Him, He will take us to His Father’s house so we can be there with Him forever!

When He Returns at His Second Coming.
Some of humankind will be alive on this earth when Jesus returns to usher in the new age. At this time, if we have chosen Him, rather than taking us to His Father’s house, He will bring His Father’s house to us!

What Will His Father’s House be Like?
A few prophets throughout history have been allowed to see the Father’s house and then returned to tell us about it. Their collective descriptions make one thing clear: it is beyond description. These men dazzle us with imagery, numbers, creatures, and signs to try and put what they’ve seen into words. The terms are so “out of this world” that they can be some of the most confusing passages in all Scripture. What we can derive from them is that the Father’s house is a place of amazing power, beauty, worship, light, and peace. While we struggle to grasp just what it will be like, it might be helpful to remember the most important part of it all: Jesus will be there with us, and we will be there with Him, forever. When you get right down to it, nothing else is really that important. That’s the truth.

In My Father’s house are many rooms. I am going ahead to prepare one of those rooms especially for you. When the time is right, I will come back and you and I will go together to this wonderful place. You need not travel any other way, for I AM The Way for you.

That’s the YouTruth. Jesus has prepared a place for you.

© 2009, 2011 Dan Buckhout