no more tears – Song Dive

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?

Click to Hear The Oak Ridge Boys Sing Jesus is Coming Soon

The next entry for my Blog is He’s Coming Back Again, which was written by and performed by the Galileans in 1977. A link to the Shiloh Quartet singing the song is at the bottom of the Blog.

He’s Coming Back Again

All the pain and shame they caused my blessed Savior,
All the scars that marred the body of my Lord;
All the miles between this earth and God’s blue heaven,
Could not keep Him from returning back to earth.

He’s coming back again and I’m the only reason,
Like a groom He’ll be returning for His Bride;
Preparations have been made; I’ll soon be going,
I’ve a mansion over on the other side.

When He comes again, He will not need a manger,
Earthly man will not be mocking His sweet name;
King of Kings and Lord of Lords He’ll be returning,
With great triumph He’ll be rapturing the saints.

We often hear about the pain and suffering that Christ endured for us. We read a lot about this in our bibles and hear it often in church. As Jesus entered his ministry, he was constantly attacked. The Jews wanted him dead, claiming he was a false prophet. Many considered him a type of devil because of the miracles he performed and the messages he delivered. He had to leave almost every town he entered because they were upset with him claiming to be the son of God and working miracles in the name of God. They beat him, spat upon him, threatened to stone him, yelled at him, and mocked him. If we look at his life from a pure human perspective, his life on earth would have been miserable.

I am not sure that any of us know where heaven is; it could be a long way away or it could be in skies above us. All we know for sure is that it is our eternal home if we have accepted Christ as our personal savior. So, we don’t know how far Jesus has to come to get back to us on earth, but we do know that he promised he would return. He will first come in the clouds and bring his people home, as told to us in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. He will later return and establish his kingdom on earth.” As the song says, wherever heaven is, it is not too far away for Jesus to return for his people. His return also shows us how much he truly loves us; he is coming back despite the way he was treated while he was in human form. Yes, he has the scars from his time on our earth, but his love is so much stronger than the scars and the pain he endured.

As I look at the chorus, one line that really stands out to me is the one: He’s coming back and I’m the only reason. I suppose the question is, isn’t he coming for everyone and not just me? It is true that he is coming for all of those who loved him and accepted him as their personal savior, but he is also coming back for each of us as individuals. When I try to make sense of this, I relate it to a father or mother who has been away from their children for a long period of time. When the parent returns home, they are so glad to see all of their children and give them a group hug; but they also hug each child individually and have special words for each one. This is the type of relationship Christ has with us. We are not just part of the church or just part of the Christian family, we all have our own personal relationship with Christ. It is true that each of us are the only reason he is coming back.

The songwriter also compares the return of Jesus to the groom returning home to his bride. The church is often referred to as the bride of Christ and I believe the church to be those who have accepted Christ, not necessarily everyone in a church or a denomination. We don’t know when Christ is returning, but we as loved ones need to be ready. His return tells us that our heavenly home is ready and he is taking us home to the new home he has prepared for us. Just as he told us in John 14:2-5 that he will come back and bring us back with him to our mansion in heaven, “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.” We don’t know when he will return and when our heavenly mansion will be all set for us, so we better be ready to go at any time.

When Jesus comes back, he will be seen as the person he always claimed to be. He will come back in power and majesty and with his angels. He will not come as a baby depending on others for its care. Those who have mocked him in the past will tremble in fear upon his return; there will be no more humiliation of him or mocking. He will be the all-powerful King of Kings and Lord of Lords that no one would dare challenge. As his glory shines upon the world, the believers will rise up to go with him to their heavenly homes. The days of sadness, tears, and earthly despair will be over.

One day, he is coming back for each of us as individuals and taking all of his family to our eternal homes. Now is the time to think about what you need to do to be ready.

Click to Hear the Shiloh Quartet Sing He’s Coming Back Again