16 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 believers who have died will rise from their graves. 17 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 4:16-17 NLT
For the last 18 of my “blogs,” I have said, this is my last one! And then, well, I open God’s word, and the teacher in me shows up again with just one more idea, and I find myself writing just one more post.
And so here I am at NUMBER 118! Thank you for continuing to read.
I have had a number of conversations with dear friends over the past few weeks, and each one has somehow ended with the anticipated hope of Jesus coming in the clouds!
As I was reading 1 Thessalonians 1:8-10 NLT this morning, I was drawn to these words of Paul. He said, “…wherever we go, we find people telling us about your faith in God. We don’t need to tell them about it, for they keep talking about the wonderful welcome you gave us, and how you turned away from idols to serve the living and true God. And they speak of how you are looking forward to the coming of God’s son from heaven- Jesus, whom God raised from the dead.”
One interesting thing about the church plant in Thessalonica is that it took place quickly. Some scholars think Paul and Silas may have been in Thessalonica for three weeks to three months. They came, established a church, and had to leave. And when Paul left, the church there knew how to place their hope in Jesus. Did they need more teaching? Yes, but they understood some essential truths. In just a few weeks or months, they knew enough to trust in Jesus, leave their idol worship behind, and look up at the heavens for his return. These people were baby believers, yet they understood and lived out some essential foundations of the faith.
He’ll be coming in the clouds are glorious words, but we often forget to focus on this hope. We follow Jesus, but we neglect to remember that a day is coming- probably sooner rather than later when Jesus will come again- Jesus himself said that we should look up, watch, and wait for His coming. (Matthew 24:42) And in a blink of an eye, Jesus will gather his church to himself.
And then he WILL make everything right. And when he finally places his feet on the Mt of Olives again, his long-ago-planned Garden of Eden will be the norm. (Zechariah 14:4) He will restore this earth to what he originally planned for it to be.
Following in the footsteps of the Thessalonians, we need to be people who trust in Jesus, put away those idols that keep tripping us up, and wait with anticipation for that glorious day when Jesus comes in the clouds.
A Free Resource
I taught a study not too long ago entitled, “Who Am I In Christ? Finding Your Identity in Him.” This free resource resulted from that study. You can download and print it or use the digital copy to record your prayers. I hope you will send this resource to your friends to encourage them in their walk with Jesus. This resource will help you learn who you are as a believer in Jesus. May your walk with Jesus be strengthened as you take this journey.
Life is messy! Sometimes we need to own the messiness; sometimes, it is just part of living in a sinful world. God takes the struggles and hardships of this world and redeems them. We need to know this truth that God is faithfully at work as we encounter our world. Join Anne Farnum over the next five days and discover what to do with the ashes you hold.
Anne Farnum 
I’m glad your plan to stop keeps getting foiled! I love and really appreciate your thoughts and insights.
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Thank you, Diane!!
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