“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” John 14:1-3 ESV
The single question hated by moms and dads, is the one usually posed by a toddler on a trip, “How much farther?” It is an impossible question. How do you explain time and distance to a someone who doesn’t understand time and distance? They can answer “two hundred and fifty miles,” or “in about 4 hours, ” but it means nothing for the toddler. He/she will sit quietly for a little while and then asks again, “How much farther?” Sooner or later, the parents will eventually say “Just trust me. You enjoy the trip and don’t worry about the details.”
This is similar to what Jesus told His disciples. Our pre-K minds are not equipped to handle the thoughts of eternity. He does not want us to be anxious about things that we cannot comprehend. Issues like the millennium and the Antichrist are intended to challenge and stretch us, but not overwhelm and certainly not divide us. For Christians, the return of Christ is not a riddle to be solved or a code to be broken, but rather a day to be anticipated.
Jesus wants us to trust Him, so He reassures us with these truths:
- He has many rooms.
Jesus was still in Mary’s womb when the innkeepers in Bethlehem said, “we don’t have a room for you.” But when Jesus is welcomed into our heart, He gave this assurance: “In my Father’s house are many rooms.” - He has prepared a place for us, and
- He will come again to take us.
When we become His children, He laid His claim on us as His family, and promised, “I will come again, and will take you to Myself, that where I am you may be also.”
Let us not worry about the details of the end times and trust Him instead.
Angga