2 posts tagged “paul”
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.
-1 Thessalonians 4:16 NIV
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I am fascinated with verse 16, chapter 4 of Paul's first letter to the church in Thessalonica.
Thessalonica was a city of 200,000 inhabitants, the capital of ancient Macedonia, now known as Greece.
Paul wrote to the church there and, among many other things, spoke about the second coming of Christ.
When Christ comes down from heaven, three things will happen before we see Him.
- First, we will hear a loud command. I believe the command will be to look up!
- Then we will hear the voice of the archangel, Michael. He is the great warrior angel of God, leader of all the good angels. I believe he will announce that Christ is about to appear!
- Third and last, we will hear the trumpet call of God.
The trumpet call of God. It's "of God." It's from heaven. Will God the Father blow the trumpet? I don't know, but it's implied by the words "of God," I think.
In ancient Israel, they had trumpets. Perhaps the most well known instrument of God's people then was the ram's horn, also called a shofar. It was the ram's horn, hollowed out, with an opening at the narrow end. When air is blown into the ram's horn, it sounds.
There were also trumpets made from metal, looking very much like trumpet horns we see today.
It seems altogether fitting that Christ's second coming should come with a succession of events.
The loud command, first.
The voice of the archangel Michael, second.
And then, just before Christ descends to be seen, the great trumpet call of God.
Will it be one great blast of the trumpet call or several in quick succession?
I happen to think it may be three great blasts that will be sounded.
I don't think an angel will blow the trumpet.
I don't think Michael the archangel will do it, either.
I think it will be God himself.
The trumpet call of God.
Are you ready to hear it?
It sounds to signal the imminent return of Christ from the heavens.
"From whence He shall come" we say in The Apostles' Creed.
Christ has died. Christ is risen.
Christ shall come again!
I am looking forward to that Day.
I will not be surprised by it, but delighted.
Until then, I live in expectant hope for His return to claim us as His own, forever.
I live in thanksgiving for the salvation He imparts to all who believe in Him and seek to follow in His steps.
I live in joy that He is my Savior and Lord.
I walk today, tomorrow, and until He comes, in His peace, a peace that passes understanding.
Glory be to God!
1 Thessalonians 4:16 NIV:
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.
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I am studying 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 this week. I am fascinated with verse 16, above.
What is the loud command given when He comes down from heaven? Does Christ give the command or someone else?
I think the loud command is a great "Hark!" It sounds dramatic enough. Or maybe it's "Behold!" Or perhaps it is "Look out below!"
The Lord himself will come again. He will come with a loud command. We don't know what he will command us, but it will be loud. Of that we can be sure. It will be so loud that everyone will hear it, even when jackhammers are jackhammering. Will it be so loud that it hurts our ears?
It makes me remember being in school and hearing the morning announcements begin over the P.A. (public address) system.
I also think of when sailors hear their Captain say over the P.A. system, "Now hear this!"
Whatever the loud command is, it is meant, no doubt, to get our attention, to stop what we're doing, and just listen. We need to ready ourselves to do just that.
The Lord's return will happen, says Paul. He wanted to reassure the Christians in Thessalonica that Christ was coming again.
"Now hear this!" Christ will come with a loud command.
As I think about this verse, I ready myself for that moment. When it happens, I will not count it as a surprise. I will look forward to the return of Christ with joy and anticipation.
In the meantime, I will enjoy His daily presence, communicated by the Holy Spirit, by which Christ is "with us always," just as He promised!
