The return of Christ
is the blessed hope of the church.
The Lord himself shall descend
from heaven with a shout.
And so shall we ever be
with the Lord.
The return of Christ is the future coming of the Lord for His people and to the earth. In 1 Thessalonians 4 the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God. The dead in Christ shall rise first. Then those who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them to meet the Lord in the air. This is the Rapture. The Second Coming of Christ is His return to the earth to judge and to reign. Both are aspects of the one return of the Lord. The church is told to wait for Him and to comfort one another with these words.
- The return is personal. The Lord Himself shall descend.
- It includes the resurrection of the dead in Christ and the catching up of the living.
- It is the blessed hope.
- The church in Thessalonica was taught to wait for His Son from heaven.
- Believers are to live soberly, righteously, and godly, looking for that blessed hope.
He is coming. The dead in Christ will rise. The living will be caught up. We will always be with the Lord.
The Lord himself shall descend from heaven.
The dead in Christ shall rise first.
Then we which are alive and remain
shall be caught up together with them.
And so shall we ever be with the Lord.
- 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 describes the descent and the catching up.
- 1 Thessalonians 1:10 speaks of waiting for His Son from heaven.
- Titus 2:13 calls the appearing the blessed hope.
- The return includes both the gathering of the church and the later coming to the earth.
- Comfort and holy living are the proper responses.
- The Person – The Lord Himself.
- The Descent – From heaven with a shout, the voice of the archangel, and the trump of God.
- The Dead – Rise first.
- The Living – Caught up together with them.
- The Meeting – In the air, to be always with the Lord.
- The Hope – The blessed hope of the church.
- 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 – “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 1:10 – “And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.”
- Titus 2:13 – “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.”
- John 14:3 – “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.”
- Revelation 22:12 – “And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.”
The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout.
The dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them.
And so shall we ever be with the Lord.
The return of Christ is the blessed hope. Comfort one another with these words.
Entry compiled for the JESUSaves.com Bible Glossary. Optimized for wiki.js Visual Editor.