Meditate. Focus on Jesus as the immortal God who has promised to return for His church.
But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have confessed so well before many witnesses. And I charge you before God, who gives life to all, and before Christ Jesus, who gave a good testimony before Pontius Pilate, that you obey this command without wavering. Then no one can find fault with you from now until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. For at just the right time Christ will be revealed from heaven by the blessed and only almighty God, the King of all kings and Lord of all lords. 1 Timothy 6:11-15
Jesus is
immortal. He was in the beginning. He lived on earth for over thirty years. He
died, rose from the grave, and ascended into Heaven. He will be coming back to
earth…to gather and bring His church to heaven. He told His disciples…and us that
He will return…when everything is ready .
Don't let your hearts be troubled.
Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my
Father's home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to
prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so
that you will always be with me where I am. John 14:1-3
Paul wrote to
the church at Thessalonica about this event that is now called “The Rapture” because
of the Greek word harpazo meaning to catch up or catch away.
We tell you this directly from the
Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of
those who have died. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a
commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of
God. First, the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. Then,
together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be
caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the
Lord forever. 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17
Jesus is
immortal and sacrificially died so that we could have eternal life…obtain
immortality, too. At just the right time…unknown and unpredictable as to a
specific date and time…Jesus Christ will be revealed as the King of kings and
Lord of lords from Heaven. Listen for that trumpet sound. It will be an
impressive sight—the dead in Christ bodily rising from their graves all over
the earth. How could anyone miss that sight? It will be glorious. Those alive
will be able to see all those Christian rising from their graves…and then it
will be our turn…we will be caught up in the clouds to be with the Lord
forever. Immortal. Just like Jesus Christ.
We are also
told about when Christ will return, commonly known as The Second Coming,
with His army to fight the enemy. When that will occur…only the Father knows.
At that time, after the anguish of
those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will give no light, the stars
will fall from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. Then
everyone will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds with great power and
glory. And he will send out his angels to gather his chosen ones from all over
the world--from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven. ...However, no one
knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in
heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows. And since you don't know when
that time will come, be on guard! Stay alert! Mark 13:24-27, 32-33
A final word: Be strong in the Lord and
in his mighty power. Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to
stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against
flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen
world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in
the heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of God's armor so you will
be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will
still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the
body armor of God's righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from
the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these,
hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on
salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word
of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and
be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere. Ephesians
6:10-18
Stay alert. Be persistent. Are you relying on this warning? Will these encouraging words draw you deeper into your relationship with Jesus?
Prayer ~ Dear Jesus…Now I have every spiritual gift I need as I eagerly wait for Your return, You, my Lord Jesus Christ. You will keep me strong to the end so that I will be free from all blame on the day when You, my Lord Jesus Christ, returns. From 1 Corinthians 1:7-8
Verses of
Salvation ~ But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives.
And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. Philippians
3:20
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