September 18, 2026 - Things We Can Never Understand
“For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.”
1 Thessalonians 4:14-18 NIV
These are great words of encouragement. I would love for Jesus to return while I am still alive and would love to see the dead in Christ rise only to be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord. I don't know how that will happen or what it will really look like but it is right there in the Word of God so I believe it.
Wanting so many people that I know to give their lives to Christ I don't want Him to come while they are still unsaved. So, if that means I must live a lifetime and die before He returns then I rejoice that the number written in His book of life is not yet complete so there is hope for those I love. And I will then get to join all those before me waiting for the voice of the archangel to sound the trumpet that will call us to rise and meet the Lord in the air. No matter what I look forward to living on the new earth with Christ which I can only imagine how much better that is than living here for Christ. There is no way to comprehend what it will be like to have no sorrow, pain, suffering, sadness, sickness etc. but I believe we will.
I don't have any way of comprehending how predestination works from Gods perspective, but the bible says He does it. From this earthly perspective I believe that God in some way has already predetermined every person who will come into the kingdom and Jesus will not return until they all have accepted Him. So, I try to remember that when I pray come Lord Jesus, I am praying for the kingdom to be complete. For the work on this earth to bring all those to know and give their lives to Him has been done. But sometimes I pray that as a cry for Him to put an end to all the evil and chaos in the world. In all honesty sometimes I just want to be done with all of it. Then I thank Him for understanding my frustration, concern, sadness, pain or whatever else I am feeling that has brought me to that.
It is so great that we have a God that we can be totally honest with and nothing we say or do will surprise Him. He knows it before we said a word or even thought about it ourselves. Another thing about God that we cannot possibly truly understand but we can trust in it.
Comments