For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart and to be with Christ, which is far better. Philippians 1:23
One of the more unusual – and false – teachings that have crept in among Christians concerning the rapture is that only those who are living victorious and holy lives will be caught away when the Lord comes to the air to receive His own. According to this doctrine, those who do not measure up to God’s requirements at that time will be left to become purified during the time of the antichrist. This strange teaching has absolutely no backing from the Scriptures. Nor does it make any sense at all. For example, what happens to those who have already died in the Lord; how would those dead who had failed the victorious and holiness test obtain their purification? If the apostle Paul were living at the time of the rapture, he would surely have been one of the victorious and holy ones to be raptured. But his emphasis in our text is not on anything that he had done or any level that he has reached. No, his only anticipation is to be with Christ, which is far better. As it will be for every Christian.
In our text, Paul is not anticipating the rapture, but his own death. This is evident by the next verse, in which he speaks of abiding in the flesh which is needful for the Christians who remain. Paul was not suicidal; he was not anxious for death itself, but for what lay beyond that great portal into the afterlife. There were no doubt many aspects of Glory that appealed to Paul, and that should appeal to you and me as we consider our eventual destination as Christians.
Paul speaks of being with Christ. That in itself was enough to make the departure for Heaven more than worthwhile. Although he had seen the Lord Jesus in his vision on the Damascus road, Paul did not have the experience of the disciples to spend days and weeks and months in His company. You and I also did not have that unique perspective of the disciples. But we will be with Him in Heaven. We will be able to gaze upon Him, to listen to His gracious words, and to rejoice in the glory of His welcoming smile. Surely no occupation of Heaven will be as satisfying and fulfilling as being in His presence.
We often speak of the joy of leaving behind all of the world’s burdens and heartaches when we depart for Glory. To know that there is a land with no tears, no diseases, and no disappointments fills us with a joyful hope. Heaven is identified as a place of rest to the people of God (Hebrews 4:9).
Some of our loved ones are already in Heaven. We miss them, and long to see them again. The knowledge that we will surely be reunited with them is a precious comfort to us, a sweet hope amid the sorrow that is unlike the hopeless sorrow of the world. To be reunited with them, in the presence of our Lord, will be far better.
The life that is to come is not something for us to dread, because it will be far better than we can imagine. -Jim MacIntosh