Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. (NKJV)
"And so we shall always be with the Lord." What a wonderful promise! The passage from which this is excerpted begins with verse thirteen, where Paul clarifies God's plan for those who die ("have fallen asleep") before Jesus returns. But it also provides a dramatic "snapshot" of His second coming. Picture this - For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words" (I Thessalonians 4:15-18, NKJV).
Jesus is coming with a shout. One has to wonder what that will be like - the voice of an archangel has to be powerful! And just how big a sound might be made by the trumpet of God? Paul writes that it will literally wake those sleeping saints and bring them up from their burying places. And then? Together all of God's faithful believers will rise into the air to meet Jesus and begin our journey homeward, to the places He has made ready for us. Maranatha! I can hardly wait!
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