The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, and majestic in his radiant splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18,
Paul provided comfort and assurance for those who had lost believing loved ones. These believers, as all have, had been told that placing their faith in Jesus Christ would bring them into God's own family. This being the case, it sets an anticipation for the Lord's return for us to bring these things to fulfillment. But what of those who had by now passed away, believers whose bodies were now decomposing in the ground? Are they going to miss out on meeting the Lord when he comes for us - the big event? Not at all! As a matter of fact, they will rise first, while those who are still alive when the Lord comes for those who are his, will join them "in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air." Wonderful news!!
Not just wonderful, but very exciting! Exceedingly so! And we are to be encouraging one another with this coming event.
This scene that Paul provides of us of believers meeting the Lord in the clouds, rising to meet the Lord in the air, is the very same scene described to us when Jesus was last seen, at his ascension into heaven. When Jesus left this world following his resurrection, we read, "After he [Jesus] said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 'Men of Galilee,' they said, 'why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.'" Acts 1:9-11.
Paul, who was not a witness to Jesus' ascension on that day, provides for us the completed picture. Just as the Lord rose in the air, up in the clouds to go to heaven, so he "will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven." And we, likewise, will rise in the air to meet him when he comes from heaven for us. There is nothing in these accounts that lend them to some kind of a metaphorical interpretation, but are presented to us as quite literal accounts of what happened when Jesus ascended and what will happen when he comes back for us from heaven. In my mind, although separated by millenia, the two accounts are really two halves of the same account - Jesus leaving to go to heaven in the clouds in the air and then returning for us in the same way, but this time with us all joining him in the clouds in the air.
"And, so we will be with the Lord forever."
Somehow, I don't think my fear of heights will be an issue on that day...
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
"Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord's word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 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. Therefore encourage one another with these words."
Paul provided comfort and assurance for those who had lost believing loved ones. These believers, as all have, had been told that placing their faith in Jesus Christ would bring them into God's own family. This being the case, it sets an anticipation for the Lord's return for us to bring these things to fulfillment. But what of those who had by now passed away, believers whose bodies were now decomposing in the ground? Are they going to miss out on meeting the Lord when he comes for us - the big event? Not at all! As a matter of fact, they will rise first, while those who are still alive when the Lord comes for those who are his, will join them "in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air." Wonderful news!!
Not just wonderful, but very exciting! Exceedingly so! And we are to be encouraging one another with this coming event.
This scene that Paul provides of us of believers meeting the Lord in the clouds, rising to meet the Lord in the air, is the very same scene described to us when Jesus was last seen, at his ascension into heaven. When Jesus left this world following his resurrection, we read, "After he [Jesus] said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 'Men of Galilee,' they said, 'why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.'" Acts 1:9-11.
Paul, who was not a witness to Jesus' ascension on that day, provides for us the completed picture. Just as the Lord rose in the air, up in the clouds to go to heaven, so he "will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven." And we, likewise, will rise in the air to meet him when he comes from heaven for us. There is nothing in these accounts that lend them to some kind of a metaphorical interpretation, but are presented to us as quite literal accounts of what happened when Jesus ascended and what will happen when he comes back for us from heaven. In my mind, although separated by millenia, the two accounts are really two halves of the same account - Jesus leaving to go to heaven in the clouds in the air and then returning for us in the same way, but this time with us all joining him in the clouds in the air.
"And, so we will be with the Lord forever."
Somehow, I don't think my fear of heights will be an issue on that day...
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
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