the Homecoming

         In America, one can drive 3,000 miles and still speak the same language. There are a few different accents here and there but basically, English is the language of the nation. While in Spain, if you drove over 300 miles, you would be speaking different languages. You can sometimes tell where a person if from simply by listening to their accent. While in a class in Baltimore, Maryland, I mentioned taking the square root of a number and the class broke out in laughter because of my pronunciation of the word “root.” My home town is in the state of Indiana and my speech still bears some of the sounds of that locality. I have only been back to Indiana for funerals and now most of my family is gone so I probably won't be going back any time soon but my voice still betrays me as to where I am from. John 14:3 says, “ 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.”

        There must have been accents even in Israel as Peter was known to be from a certain area based upon his speech. It was said about the Lord Jesus Christ that He never traveled outside of the country of Israel. Well, that does apply to His earthly home but certainly not to His true residence if you would want to call it that. In the above passage, Jesus reminds the disciples that He would be leaving this earth but that He was going to be coming again in the future. It was a disturbing thought for the disciples at that time but they would eventually understand what He was talking about. We all probably remember our “home town” wherever it might be. The Lord Jesus Christ was made incarnate in Bethlehem. He then traveled to Egypt and later came back to Nazareth and then at around the age of 30 years of age, He began His ministry which would go through about 3 more years until the crucifixion and then the resurrection and ascension back into heaven. Philippians reminds us that the Lord Jesus Christ left the glory of heaven and came to this earth. Acts reminds us that He left this earth and returned back to heaven and both the Lord Jesus Christ and the angels on the day of ascension remind us that Jesus in indeed coming again. Christmas reminds us of the first advent of Christ but the Scriptures also remind us of the second advent which is to come. This fact should be an encouragement to each and every believer. All of the difficulties, the discouragements, the depression, the activities of daily life will all pass away along with the aging process and all of its problems. The world has lost its direction when it comes to the first advent of Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ is hardly even mentioned or even thought about during this time of year but that will change in the future when the beginning of the second advent takes place. The outlook for the believer is one where he or she will be going to the “hometown” of the Lord Jesus Christ to be with Him for all eternity. How great is that? Believers today are waiting patiently for the second advent based upon the promise that the Lord Jesus Christ made so many years ago. May we be praising Him for His first advent and also looking forward to His second advent.