But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET AND THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.     Matthew 24:29-31 NASB

If you are from Louisiana or have watched a lot of Saints football, then today’s title may sound familiar. It comes from a black spiritual song recorded by Louis Armstrong in May of 1938. If you watched the Saints win the Super Bowl in 2010, then you may have seen people holding black and gold umbrellas and doing what looks like a parade, but what we call doing a “Second Line” here. The original lyrics to this song closely follow our scripture passage for today. The song begins by saying, “When the Saints go marching in, I want to be in that number”.  Now I will skip the repetition that is in the lyrics, but they include when the drums begin to bang, when the stars fall from the sky, when the moon turns red with blood, when the trumpet sounds it’s call, and ends with, “Oh Lord, I want to be in that number when the Saints go marching in.”

Our scripture passage today speaks of the time once the tribulation is completed and God and His angels will gather all of the saints (those of us who are saved). I definitely want to be in that number, how about you?

The great thing about this song is how it is played by jazz bands in Louisiana with an upbeat tempo. It’s a happy song. I think the problem often times is that people see a relationship with the Lord as a funeral where there is no fun and we just sit around and read the bible and pray all day. I think some people see it as their end of a good time and therefore are afraid to commit to Christ. My friend, trust me, it is nothing like that.

Life with the Lord is upbeat. It’s a fun number to perform, if you will. I used to think I was having fun when I was hanging at the bars with my friends and living a life that no doubt broke God’s heart. But all of that led to drama. There was always heartache and drama at the end of that rainbow.

When I gave it all over to God, I overcame my desire for that kind of drama. I overcame my desire for that life. My only desire now is to please God. In doing so, I am able to live in this peaceful, joyful existence. Of course there are times when the devil tries to distract me and will rattle my chains a bit, but as soon as I get my focus back on God all is well again.

In a few days, God willing, I will sit in Radio City Music Hall with my family and a dear friend and watch the Rockettes perform. In order to perform, they must go through years of extensive training. This is evident in their performance. They don’t just walk in off the street and say, “Hey, I want to be a Rockette!”  In order to be in these numbers, they must measure up.

So, I ask you today do you want to be in that number when the saints are gathered up by God and His angels? Do you want to go and spend eternity in glory, in this upbeat peaceful, joyful place? If so, start now. You need to start practicing for your life in glory. Share the love of the Lord with those around you. Develop a close relationship with your Lord and Savior. Be in constant communication with Him. Rejoice in the Lord. Sing praises to Him. These are some of the things that will fill our days in heaven, so why not start your extensive training now. You do want to be in that number, right?

Have a great day!