“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. (John 14:1–3)

Now, the most important thing for you to understand is that He is coming again. And, secondly, that it is a comfort to you because you have believed in Him.

Be sure that the one you believe in has conquered death, otherwise he won't get you into heaven. The only way to get beyond the grave and into the Lord's presence is to place your trust in One who has gone before you and has paved the way.

I think there are at least three ways we reveal our readiness for Christ’s return.

First, we continue to walk by faith. Rather than walking by sight and shaping our lives based on the visible, we walk by faith.

Second, we continue to live in peace. We view the present and our future not with panic but with peace. We don't live worried, hassled lives.

And third, we rely on hope. The hope that gets me through the tests on this earth is the same hope that will get me through the grave at death, because the One in whom I have believed has gone before me. He is preparing a place for me. He is the embodiment of my hope. Because He lives, we shall live also. The secret of escape from the prison of this body and the pain of this planet is knowing the One who can guarantee our getting beyond the grave.

Taken from Growing Deep in the Christian Life by Charles R. Swindoll. Copyright © 1986, 1995 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. Used by permission of HarperCollins Christian Publishing. www.harpercollinschristian.com