I Thessalonians 4:16-17  For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.    

    It’s the time of year when students and teachers begin thinking about the upcoming school year. They may look to the new year with a mixture of anticipation and concern. It seems that in the school world we know things change with regularity, yet we are also surprised, or even shocked, when things change. But it’s not just in the school where that is true.

    People in general feel that change is something that always happens. At the same time they think change is something that only used to happen. In other words, small changes are no big deal, but no really big changes are expected. 

    Paul wrote of a change bigger than any we could imagine! There will come a day that starts like any other. Yet on that day will come a change. Jesus will come back! A loud voice, the trumpet of God, the dead in Christ rising from graves? That’s real change! Could it really be true? Surely it’s just a metaphor?! Didn’t stuff like that only happen back in ‘Bible days.’ Could something like that really be on the horizon?

    When the disciples saw Jesus ascend into the clouds they were told by the angels He would come again in like manner. They believed strongly enough that they everything changed for them. They were willing to give their lives for their belief. 

    If all this is true, should it change the way I live? Absolutely! First of all, I need to make sure that I am ‘in Christ.’ That I have a vibrant, daily relationship with Him that started with a confession and repentance of my sins and accepting Him as Savior and Lord. If I am ‘in Christ’ I look forward to the day of His coming, confident that I will see it. If I am ‘in Christ’ I will live daily in His presence, looking forward to His coming, and working to spread the Gospel so that others might welcome His appearance as well. 

    The Lord Himself will come down from heaven. The question is, am I ready?

Blessings,    

Pastor Russ