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. (1 Thess. 4:17)
Stop for a moment and blink your eyes. The return of Christ will be quicker than that! One moment you’re at the stove cooking supper, and the next moment you’re flying like Superman. One second, you’re hugging your grandchild, the next you’re in the air. We will be here one minute and gone the next to be with the Lord forever.
There will be a Christian generation who won’t face death. First Corinthians 15:51 says, “Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed.” Like Enoch or Elijah in the Old Testament, some believers will bypass death and be taken directly to heaven. All Christians, dead or alive at the time, will be changed. Those who have gone ahead will go from perishable to imperishable. Those still alive will undergo a mighty change, one we can’t comprehend! The mortal must put on immortality, and our bodies will be made fit to inherit the kingdom of God. We will be reunited with believers who have already passed and come face-to-face with the Lord. And we will be with them forever!
In the meantime, are you ready for his return? In a split second, the time to prepare will be gone. Turn to him, put your faith in him, and trust him with your life and eternity. He is waiting for you!
Ask yourself, “If Christ were in the room, would I do this?”
Yolanda Moore is a retired school teacher, a women’s group leader, Bible teacher, and former state co-coordinator for the Christian Motorcyclists Association.
© 2019 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission.
