I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Revelation 6:9-10
There is a good–better–best pattern to the Christian life.
To be in Christ is good. No matter how bad things get in this world, if you are in Christ, you are blessed with every spiritual blessing (Eph. 1:3). But to be with Christ is better by far than anything you’ve ever known, can know, or will know in this world. And for every Christian, even those who are in heaven now, the best is yet to come.
In Revelation 6, the souls of believers in the presence of Jesus are experiencing the better. Yet these believers are crying out to God, “How long?” (Rev. 6:10). How long until the evils of this present world and the sufferings of God’s people are brought to an end? How long until King Jesus returns in glory, and we get to come with Him? They are told that they must wait (6:11).
Herman Bavinck, the great Dutch theologian, has a fascinating comment on the experience of believers in the presence of Jesus: “They have a past which they remember, a present in which they live, and a future which they are approaching.”
Jesus Christ will come again in glory. On that day, our loved ones who have gone ahead will be with Him, and we will be forever with the Lord (1 Thess. 4:17).
As you think about loved ones who have died in Christ, remember that the coming of Jesus is getting nearer.
