1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (ESV)
The Coming of the Lord
13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, 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. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.
It
seems that many today believe the imminent return of Christ to be a sort of mythological
story designed to scare people. The return of Christ, however, is certain; make
no mistake that when the Father gives the command, Jesus will return whether
people are ready or not. The Apostle Paul writes of Christ’s Second Coming here
and paints a portrait of what will occur in that moment. Prior to this portrait,
however, Paul pleads with his hearers so that they do not find themselves “uninformed”
(v. 13). We too must prepare ourselves for what will surely happen. We may not
be alive to see the return of Christ (or we may); either way, our preparedness
is vital. Believers should live life as if Christ will return at any moment
(because he will). The point of Paul’s words here is not to scare people but to
give believers the hope that awaits. Beyond the amazing hope we possess now, we
also hold to a future hope of our Messiah’s return, for he will return for his
people to share in his glory and radiance as his redeemed bride. May the people
of God stand blameless before him and live life on this earth in constant
preparation and readiness for his imminent return.
