Article - We Shall Behold Him

We Shall Behold Him

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a
shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the
trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up
together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in
the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Wherefore comfort one another with these words. - 1
Thessalonians 4:16-18

The truth of the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the
heart of our Christian faith. It gives life to all
that we hold dear as God's people. In 1 Corinthians
15, the Apostle Paul states that if Jesus were still
buried in a tomb, preaching and our faith would be
empty (v. 14). Our witness would be false (v.15) and
we would yet be in our sins (v.17). We would indeed be
miserable creatures!

In our introductory verses Paul writes to a group of
young Christians who were worrying about their
deceased loved ones. They were worried about the
eternal destiny of those who died without the benefit
of the preached gospel. Paul's good news to them was
that the Lord is coming down from Heaven to gather all
of His people. This includes an innumerable host that
died without the benefit of the preached word. Jesus
is coming back to call ALL of His elect home. Those
who are dead in Christ will rise from the graves and
meet Him in the air! None of His sheep shall be lost.

Jesus' return is going to be powerful. The Bible
states that He is coming back with a shout! In the
midst of battle, generals will shout orders to their
obedient soldiers, who in turn dutifully heed the
instructions of their commander. In like manner, when
our King of Kings and Lord of Lords returns on the
last day, we will heed the shout to get up! The dead
in Christ will obediently rise first and then those
who are alive will follow. When Jesus shouts,
everything obeys!

The voice of the archangel marks the final victory
over the devil and his angels. In Jude 9 we read about
Michael the archangel contending with the devil. On
the resurrection day, there will be no contending.
The archangel will simply cry, "Surrender!" to Satan
and his emissaries. The Bible states that at the end
of time, the enemies of the Lord will be made His
footstool (Hebrews 10:13). They will be cast into the
everlasting lake of fire (Matthew 25:41). The return
of the Lord will mark the end of the warfare that we
fight with the devil and his angels.

Finally, the trumpet of God will be sounded. The
trumpet was another important communication device on
the ancient battlefields. Certain sounds directed
armies into certain formations on the battlefield. It
directed them to press forward in the midst of
conflict. Sometimes it was sounded to command a
retreat. When Jesus returns, the trump of God will
play the tune of victory and will direct His people to
go up unto Him. Dear child of God, on the resurrection
day you will be called up to meet Jesus in the air. He
will personally lead you into Heaven's eternal glory.
Paul wrote that we will be with Him in Heaven forever
(1 Thessalonians 4:17). It is comforting to know that
when we enter the gates of glory there will be no more
battles to fight. There will be no more sickness,
sorrow, or pain. Our days will be filled with the
majesty of God and we will be in the presence of our
Savior forever and ever. All for whom Jesus died will
be with Him in Heaven forevermore. Comfort one another
with these words!

Michael Green, Jr. is pastor of Palm Chapel Primitive
Baptist Church (www.palmchapel.org) in Crestview, FL.
Palm Chapel meets every Sunday at 10:30am and
Wednesday at 6:00pm. Pastor Green can be contacted at
(850) 689-3383 or by email at
pastormichael@palmchapel.org. Pastor Green warmly
invites you to come and worship at Palm Chapel
Primitive Baptist Church.