“Thank You, Lord Jesus, that You are returning soon. You have revealed to us the events surrounding Your return. Teach us, Lord Jesus, to look up and wait expectantly for Your return. Lord, as we wait, we will be busy with the things that You have given us to do. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.”
Acts 1:9-11 Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. (10) And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, (11) who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”
We have seen the transition of the ministry of our Lord from Him to His church. As the disciples were watching, Jesus was taken up from them and a cloud received Him out of their sight. This was how the physical ministry of the Lord Jesus, on earth, came to an end. This was when His ministry began through His church, under the enablement of the His Holy Spirit. The disciples were told that Jesus would return in like manner in which they had seen Him go into heaven. These were words of encouragement and strength for the disciples. These are words that should encourage each of us, that our Lord and Master, will so come in like manner as He was taken up into heaven. We, therefore, carry on the task that has been entrusted to us, faithfully, till the very end.
Luke 21:27 “Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.” We see here, that the Lord will return in like manner as He was taken up into heaven but there will be other things that will take place as He returns. He will come back in a cloud but with power and great glory. This will be a phenomenal experience. Matthew 24:30-31 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. (31) And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
The world today is rejecting Jesus. The message of Jesus is being shared all over the world. People in every nook and corner of the world are able to hear the message of Jesus. God’s witnesses are everywhere. Nevertheless, except for a few, the majority in the world are not repenting and surrendering their life to Christ. God’s word tells us that when the world sees the Son of Man return in the clouds with power and great glory, they will mourn, for they will know that they have rejected Jesus. Many have interpreted this following passage as though everyone in this world will repent and surrender to the Lordship of Christ. Let us be careful. Yes, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess Jesus as Lord but this will be with mourning, for, they will know at that time that they had rejected Jesus. Philippians 2:9-11 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, (10) that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, (11) and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Not only will Jesus return with power and great glory, we understand that He will return with angels. There will also be the sound of the trumpet of God. The angels will be sent to the four corners of the earth to gather the elect, those chosen of God. I Thessalonians 4:16-18 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. (17) 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. (18) Therefore comfort one another with these words. As we look at these different passages of Scripture and we get various sides and angles of the Lord’s return, we are able to place the pieces in the appropriate places. We are able to see a wonderful picture emerge of how it will be when the Lord returns.
We are told that the dead in Christ, will rise first. This is a great encouragement for those who are mourning for loved ones, who have left them and gone on ahead. We know that we will meet our beloved, in the air, with the Lord. We will always be with the Lord.
“Lord, it is truly exciting to know that You will return and we will always be with You.”