“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.” (NIV)

So, will we know when the Second Coming is here? I imagine that for people alive at the time it will happen in “the twinkling of an eye.” We will all meet in the clouds, both those who were alive and those who were dead. From that moment on we will be able to see, live and enjoy being with our Lord for evermore.

The promise of the resurrection is as true today as it was when Paul wrote this to the church in Thessalonica. Of course, we feel earthly pain when we lose our loved ones and feel the heartbreak when we see the suffering and tragedies occurring around the world, but Paul is reminding and encouraging us that at any moment we will all be reunited at the time of the second coming of the Lord. No-one knows when this is going to happen, but Paul is encouraging us to continue to live our lives as Jesus instructed, to stay true to him and know that we have hope and that we have something to look forward too. We must hold fast in our faith because we know that the resurrection and eternal life has been promised to us because Jesus said in John 10:27-28 “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no-one can snatch them out of my hand.”  The assurance that Jesus knows and loves us can strengthen us through trials and tribulations.

***

Application:

• Are you ready to meet the Lord?
• Is there something you need to repent and pray for before it is too late?
• How does knowing about our future resurrection influence our daily choices and actions?

Prayer:

Dear Lord, We do not know when you are returning so we pray that you will help to prepare us right now. Let us be faithful to your teachings and to love others as you love us. Let us live our lives to the full whilst we wait patiently for your return - Amen.