As you walk out of a building today, heading toward your vehicle, all at once – BAM – it happens! Maybe you’re walking from your house to the mailbox to get the mail and you look up and see Him coming! Perhaps you’re driving down the road and all of a sudden Jesus appears! Life on earth is over in a flash – the history of the world from beginning to end – in the twinkling of an eye – DONE! Jesus comes to earth for the second time. He will bring judgment to those who have rejected Him and He will deliver and save those who have lived by faith in Him. Bottom line: it’s a matter of faith.
The first century Christians in Thessalonica lived on the edge of their seats as they waited for Jesus to hurry it up and come back to get them. They had been delivered from their pagan wrath to come and instead had the beautiful hope of heaven for the first time in their lives. Paul writes, “…you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come”. (I Thessalonians 1:9-10). Wait – for – His – Son doesn’t do justice to the ultra, eager anticipation these Christians had for Jesus’ second coming.
As you contemplate the future reality of Jesus’ return what thoughts run through your mind? Excitement? Panic? Terror? Joy? Relief? Are you like the Thessalonians? Do you live by faith in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus? Like them, we can know we are ready to meet the Lord. We imitate Jesus – just like Jesus died, was buried and was raised from the dead, we die to ourselves, are buried with Christ in baptism, and rise from the watery grave to walk in newness of life. We can AND should have that same kind of joyful anticipation of Jesus’ second coming. It’s really just a matter of faith.
After Jesus appeared to the apostles and others over a period of 40 days He went back to heaven BUT He is coming back. Luke records, “And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. They also said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven’” (Acts 1:9-11).
Read I Thessalonians 4:13-18. Then listen to Matter of Faith by Peter Furler. Then look up to see if Jesus is coming! Do the same thing tomorrow and every day for the rest of your life as a matter of faith.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as indeed the rest of mankind do, who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose from the dead, so also God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep through Jesus. For we say this to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who remain, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore, comfort one another with these words.