For we tell you this by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will surely not go ahead of those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a shout of command, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be suddenly 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. (1 Thessalonians 4:15-18)

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Our sermons in recent weeks have talked about the event described in the scripture passage above. The day that Jesus Christ will return and gather all those who believe in Him to Himself. The Thessalonians were worried about those in their church who might have died before Jesus returned and wanted to know how things would work for them on that day. Paul wrote that Jesus Himself had explained what would happen on that day.  There's going to be a shout and trumpet blasts that will be heard around the world. Then Jesus Himself will appear in the sky, and those who've died (fallen asleep) will be quickly reassembled into new glorified bodies that will be reunited with their souls and rocket into the sky to join Jesus. A moment later, followers of Jesus who are still alive will also be transformed and fly up to join Jesus and we'll all be with Him forever. You can read more about that day in 1 Corinthians 15:35-44.

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Have you noticed that more people are talking about the End Times, Jesus' return, the antichrist and such things these days?  Even non-believers are sensing that something big is coming, a major event that could change life as we know it. That's not a coincidence. And the call of God is that we be ready for Christ's return, living each day as if we knew he'd come back that day. Christians can disagree on the timing of the Rapture, whether it occurs before, during, or after seven years of tribulation, but each of us should heed the Bible's warnings to watch and be ready. When Jesus returns, it will be sudden. Scripture says people will be going about their days as usual when, suddenly, Jesus will appear.

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Jesus' return isn't something to be afraid of, if you're a Christian believer. The Bible tells us that what awaits us after this life is so amazing that our human minds can't even imagine it.  What we do know is that there will be no more sorrow, no more pain, and all things will be new. For those with chronic health problems, they'll be no more sickness. These are wonderful things that await those who love Jesus. No wonder Paul says to encourage each other with such words.