Watching and Waiting

By Greg Laurie, Op-ed contributor Thursday, May 10, 2007

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.—1 Thessalonians 4:16

The Bible says that God has loved us so that in the ages to come, He might show us the exceeding riches of His grace and kindness toward us in Christ Jesus (see Ephesians 2:4–7). In other words, God is saying, "I can hardly wait until you get home so I can show you how much I love you."

So we don't need to be stressed out. Jesus is coming again. And some day, in the not-too-distant future, He will set foot back on planet Earth and say, "I have returned."

As a student of Bible prophecy for many years, I can say that I know of no prophecy in Scripture that needs to be fulfilled before the Lord returns. In my understanding of what the Bible teaches, Jesus Christ could come back for His people today. And it will happen in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye:

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. The dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 4:16–17)

It could happen at any time. He might return today for those who are watching. Do you want Him to come back? Are you ready for His return?

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