“For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.” (1Thessalonians 4:16-18).
The grand theme of the Apostle Paul’s letters to the Thessalonians is the return of the Lord Jesus Christ for His Church, those who have received Him as their personal Savior.
The text specifically states that it is the Lord Himself that will be coming (not an angel or anyone else). Also the Lord will descend from heaven (no other place). And it will be with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God.
At the time of Jesus’ departure from earth to heaven, two angels announced to the disciples who were looking steadfastly toward heaven: “This same Jesus who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:11).This is another promise in the Scriptures that the ascended Lord Jesus will come again. What a great day that will be when we see the One who loved us and gave Himself for us.
The Apostle Peter responds to those who doubt the Lord’s return. Peter refers to them as “scoffers” who “will come in the last days . . . following their sinful desires. They will say “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” (2 Peter 3:4).
Peter goes on to explain “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9). This means that the Lord is extending the day of grace for the unsaved to reach repentance. “And count the patience of our Lord as salvation.” (2 Peter 3:15).
There are absolutely very good reasons why the Lord is delaying His return. Because of his long-suffering, He has no pleasure in the death of the unsaved. As the KJV of the Scriptures put it “the long-suffering of our Lord is salvation.” Ezekiel 18:23 God says, “Have I pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord GOD, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live?” It is definitely not God’s intent that anyone should perish because of unbelief.
No one knows exactly when the Lord will return, although there have been many false teachings on the subject. The Lord says this about Himself and His return, “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.” (Matthew 24:36). Note, the Father only. However, the one thing we know for certain is that the Lord’s return will definitely take place. That’s why we are urged to keep on watching. “Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know what day your Lord is coming.” (Matthew 24:42).
He may come at the dawning,
He may come at noon.
He may come at the twilight
Or at the midnight hour.
— John Rankin
In his commentary on the uncertainty of the Lord’s return, William MacDonald writes, “In view of the uncertainty as to the day and the hour, men ought to watch. If someone knows his house is going to be broken into, he will be ready, even if he doesn’t know the exact time. The Son of Man will come when least expected by the masses, Therefore, His people should be on the tiptoes of expectancy.” (Believer’s Bible Commentary, p. 1297).
In Matthew 25, the Lord Jesus gives the parable of the ten virgins, of which five were wise, and five were foolish who took their lamps to meet the bridegroom. “For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps.” (Matthew 25:3,4). At midnight, the bridegroom appeared, and a call for the virgins to meet him. “Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ (Matt. 25:7,8).
However, the wise virgins denied the request of the foolish and suggested they go and buy oil for themselves. The Lord continues with the parable saying, “And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut.” (Matt. 25:10).
When the other virgins returned, it was too late. They said. “Lord, lord, open to us. But he answered, Truly, I say to you, I do not know you. Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour” (Vs. 11,12). How sad the response, I do not know you.
There is an important and timely message from this parable. Firstly, Christians must be alert to the coming of the Lord Jesus, since no one knows neither the day nor hour. Secondly, it is also a warning to the unsaved to accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior before it will be forever too late.
How can a person be saved? The Scripture says, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” (Romans 10:9,10). The word “justified” means God declares a person “righteous” who trusts Jesus Christ as his or her personal Savior. May the Lord help you to do this now. Amen.