| “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.” |
| —1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 |
One of the most important sources of encouragement for those who believe in the life-transforming power of the risen Lord Jesus Christ arises from the hope we have in the future. No matter how frustrating this life may seem to be, we know that heaven waits for us. We will spend eternity in the most wonderful possible place. Providing this encouragement to each other, especially when we feel particularly set upon by the difficulties in this world, fulfills an important role that believers play in each other’s’ lives.
The Apostle Paul offered exactly this kind of encouragement to the “Christ’s-ones” gathered in the church at Thessalonica. Notice what Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18:
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.
If we remain alive until the Lord Jesus Christ returns, this is exactly that to which we may look forward. We can take great comfort from these words and derive genuine encouragement from knowing what our ultimate future holds. An old Southern Gospel song sums it up this way:
Heaven, I’m going there glories untold I’ll share;
All of it’s beauty will unfold.
Inside those pearly gates, Jesus and loved ones wait;
This is why I want to go.
Refrain:
I’ll see my father and my mother my sister and my brother,
Praying through all eternity.
But best of all I’ll see my Savior and share His blessed favor,
This is why I want to go.
River of life that flows, sadness unknown I’m told;
All will be glory on that day.
Living and basking in sunlight that shines within,
This is why I want to go.
Refrain:
I’ll see my father and my mother my sister and my brother,
Praying through all eternity.
But best of all I’ll see my Savior and share His blessed favor,
This is why I want to go.
Let’s make every effort to encourage each other this day. After all, we will spend eternity fellowshipping with each other.
Based on a blog originally posted on Friday, July 29, 2016
