Jesus is busy right now: please make an appointment
Paul was quite cheered by the prospect of death. He knew that in the twinkling of an eye he would experience the power of the resurrection and, far more importantly, that he would swiftly be united with his Saviour, Jesus Christ (Phil. 1:23). Union with Jesus lies at the very heart of the "so great salvation" He brought, wrought, and taught. (See "Related blogs" at far right.) Stop and think. Paul did not say that he yearned to be reunited with all his friends and loved ones but to be with Christ. Union with Christ (and eventually with the Father) will bring deeper satisfaction and higher pleasure than reunion with every human being we have known and loved!
How can that be so? After all, won't we have to line up to get a few words with Him? Imagine there were only one million glorified saints in the kingdom of God. (Of course, the kingdom family will be much larger than that.) How long would you have to wait to get one minute of Jesus' time if we all had to take it in turns? Almost two whole years! You could expect a ten minute chat only once every twenty years. You could hardly describe such access to Jesus as being "with Him" (1 Thess. 4:17). If you draw the short straw and
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end up in the lowest table in the crowded banquet hall you would be lucky to get a glimpse of him from that distance. Hardly sounds like "eating at His table" (Luke 22:30).
What is the problem with this scenario? It lacks imagination. It lacks understanding of the nature of the glorified Jesus Christ. The resurrected, glorified Jesus Christ is an integral part of God. He will be the Father's user-friendly interface with thoroughly upgraded yet still-limited glorified saints. Jesus is God. He knows no limits. "All things were made through Him" (John 1:3), and He "upholds all things" (Heb. 1:3). Jesus is not limited by constraints of time and space. He is in touch with all the universe's atoms. He is judging every human heart (John 5:22), a task that requires moment-by-moment awareness of every human thought. He is plenty "big enough" to commune with every saint constantly. Repeat; constantly. While He is conversing with you about your kingdom responsibilities, He can be teaching worshipers in the temple. And, I would like to think, taking me on a personal guided tour of earth's hidden places. Not a challenge to Jesus Christ! "Being with Jesus" means having personal, intimate, uninterrupted access to Him, our best friend and older brother. Can you imagine it? Sounds too good to be true, but true it is.
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