The next entry for my Blog is Jesus is Coming Soon, which was first released in 1968 by The Sheltons. The original lyrics were written by W. E. Winsett in 1942, during WW II. A link to The Oak Ridge Boys performing the song is at the bottom of the Blog.
Jesus Is Coming Soon
Troublesome times are here, filling men’s hearts with fear
Freedom we all hold dear now is at stake
Humbling your hearts to God saves from the chastening rod
Seek the way pilgrims trod, Christians awake
Jesus is coming soon, morning or night or noon
Many will meet their doom, trumpets will sound
All of the dead shall rise, righteous meet in the skies
Going where no one dies, heavenward bound
Troubles will soon be o’er, happy forevermore
When we meet on that shore, free from all care
Rising up in the sky, telling this world goodbye
Homeward we then shall fly, glory to share
Oh, Jesus is coming soon, morning or night or noon
Many will meet their doom, trumpets will sound
All of the dead shall rise, righteous meet in the skies
Going where no one dies, heavenward bound
Jesus is coming soon, morning or night or noon
Many will meet their doom, trumpets will sound
All of the dead shall rise, righteous meet in the skies
Going where no one dies, heavenward bound
Heavenward bound, heavenward bound
I am writing this entry during a time when the world is experiencing a lot of chaos, fear, and transformation. Most of the world has been impacted by the COVID-19 virus for several months. We are now facing numerous protests, riots, and lootings as we struggle with racial equality issues. It is almost as if this song was written for today, although it was written over 75 years ago during the time of World War II. People are scared. They fear for their lives due to the virus pandemic that has seen millions of people become infected. Now, people are afraid of being attacked by angry mobs seeking violence, note that I am not saying that all protestors are violent, I am only referring to the individuals who are more interested in violence and looting than they are delivering a peaceful message. People are starting to ask, what’s next? Are we going to have to live through the seven plaques of Egypt before we are free again? Our freedoms have been slowly disappearing via the pandemic quarantines and the violence in our streets. Where do we turn? I think this is one of those times in life when we cannot handle the challenges before us alone. It is time for us to fall to our knees, turn our lives and challenges over to God, and put our trust completely in him. We do not want to be beaten by the wickedness of our world. By putting our hearts completely in God’s hands, we have hope knowing that he can overcome every challenge put in front of us. Psalm 25:9 reminds us of the value of being submissive to God, “He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them His way.” It is time to put our fears behind us and trust in God and to let him lead the way. The lyrics of the song say to “seek the way pilgrims trod” and I view this as us putting ourselves out there as Christians and following the path that God has commanded us to follow. It doesn’t mean we have to take a pilgrimage to Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Mecca or any other location known for its place in religious history; to me it means we follow the unique path that God has laid out for each of us. As Christians, we have the same savior in Jesus, we have the same eternal home in Heaven, but our paths are unique in that God has a special purpose for each of us. The real question is, what are you waiting for to get back on your path and letting God lead you?
Everyday puts us a day closer to the day Jesus will be returning and taking us to our eternal home. As long as we have accepted him as our personal savior, our home/mansion in heaven awaits us. Maybe he will come the day you are reading this, maybe tomorrow, or maybe fifty years from now. The day and time of his return is not what we should focus on, the real focus should be on making sure our hearts are ready! Our hearts are ready if we know him as the only way to heaven. When Christ returns, the heavenly trumpet will sound and all of those who are bound for heaven will meet him in the skies as he takes us to our new home where there is only eternal life. We find this good news in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.” Sadly, there will be millions of people across the earth who are left behind, those who have rejected Christ as their savior.
Once we get to our final home and arrive on that heavenly shore, there will be no more sadness and no more troubles; we will only know love and happiness. Imagine being in a place with no worries, no pain, no depression, no death, no wars, and everyone is equal and treated as equal. Think about telling this despairing world goodbye as you rise up in skies. I keep envisioning meeting those who went on before me, to hold them in my arms once again, and knowing I will be spending eternity with my savior as well as those I loved during my brief time on earth.
As the world seems to be crumbling around us, are you prepared to join our savior in our heavenly home?