The Sound of the Trump

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They have seen the plagues inflicted upon their enemies.  They have tasted freedom they thought they never would have after their people had been in bondage for over four hundred years.  Two months of traveling the road led them to the base of this mount: Sinai.  The place where they would meet God and enter into a covenant relationship with Him.

Moses had his instructions to sanctify the people, the children of Isreal, and prepare them for this great meeting.  Rules have been put in place and boundaries marked out.  God’s commands for this meeting must be followed through correctly and He said, “When the trumpet soundeth long, they shall come up to the mount,” (Exodus 19:13).

The time has come.  With thundering and lightning enveloping the mountain (Exodus 19:16a), saturating it with the symbol of God’s awesomeness, then they heard “the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud” (Exodus 19:16b).  God is calling for His people to come for this holy encounter.  It was time for them to move forward to be where He is.

This event and these verses reminded me of Paul’s encouragement in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 and the hope that promise brings.

First, we remember when Jesus ascended into heaven and the disciples were told by two angels, “This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11).

Through Paul’s teaching, 1 Thessalonians gives a glimpse of what that time would be like when Jesus returns: “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,” (16-17). 

With His dissension, every eye shall see Him (Revelation 1:7).  And like on that ancient Mount, “the trump of God” will blow.  Rather than calling His people to come closer to the mount, He will be calling His saints to come home, and again, we read, “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,” (16-17). 

When the true King returns, it will be our turn to come closer to Him than ever before; to be where He is forever, never to be removed.  No more hopelessness.  No more sorrow.  No more pain.  No more heart-breaking acts, sicknesses, and troubles.  All the worries, questions, concerns, and hardships of this life will be gone forever.

Are you ready for the sound of the trump?

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Waiting for the Opening

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The world is waiting for the opening. Or, at least, this is what I feel.

Driving, I noticed the greenery now visible at the bottoms of the trees. Moss and ivy have begun to cover and climb the trunks. Vibrant colors tell of the season’s awakening and coming back to life.

Yet, the tops of the trees remain for the most part bare, only adorned with the sprinkling of buds throughout. And I think to myself, the world is waiting for the opening. The anticipation of full growth. The looking forward of life to take over every seemingly dead branch we see.

And, aren’t we waiting for the opening? The opening of a greater day when all will be made new.

Life has been our blessing to experience, and yet, how oft has humanity and evil abused this precious gift? How oft have we taken this grace for granted?

So, we wait for the opening. The grand event when all this will be done away with. The dreary, dead, and wrong will all be as vapor, here today, gone tomorrow, and Victory rides in on the scene of clouds in the person of our Savior.

“Behold,” the book of Revelation tells us, “He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him . . .” (1:7).

At the ascension of Christ, the gazing disciples were told, “Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11).

And again we read, “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” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).

And so, the world is waiting for the opening of those skies. It groans with longing for that day (Romans 8:22). The view of heaven and her King is so much greater than the view of confusion, hurt, and chaos that covers the land we currently see.

Continue to wait, my friend. What we see today won’t always be like this.

Continue forward in hope, knowing that one day this will all get better. One day, every tear and hurt will pass away (Revelation 21:4) and our glorious King shall take us home forever to be where He is: “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:3).

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