Mat 12:40, 24:27
“For as lightening flashes in the east and shines to the west, so it will be when the Son of Man comes”. Matt 24:30-31 goes on to say, “And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send out his angels with the mighty blast of a trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from all over the world–from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.”
Does this passage excite you? Are you longing for this moment in time or does it strike fear into your heart? Maybe you feel a mix of the two emotions, excitement with a little fear or anxiety for the uncertainty surrounding these events. These verses talk about events unlike anything we have ever experienced before in life! With all that is going on in the world today, many people are looking forward to the end of life on this earth. The hope of heaven is tangible in our current earthly climate. I also think it is very normal to have some apprehension around seeing the face of God for the first time in our lives, no matter how long we have had relationship with Him. When we see the reaction of others in the Bible as they experience God face to face, we see that most fall facedown on the ground. If I begin to sense worry or fear in my mind over these future events, all I have to do is concentrate on the One I will be meeting, and fear is wiped away. While the Son of Man’s majesty and Lordship will always cause unmatched respect and humility that will most likely drop us to the ground, we have to remember His other character traits that we know so well after studying them for the last year. His love for us is so perfect that He willingly gave His life to pay the price for our sin. He purchased us out of the consequences we deserve so we could have relationship with Him and live forever with Him. Seeing Him face to face will certainly be daunting since we have never experienced Him physically, but we have to remember how deeply He desires relationship with us. He is doing all of this to be with us. Being gathered up by His angels and taken to heaven has to be good!
Safety and assurance of being included when Jesus comes back is completely dependent on our choice now to accept His gift. If we do not tell Him we believe in Him and accept His death on the cross as payment for our sin, then reading these two passages in Matthew should strike fear in our hearts. Jesus’ return will be swift and sudden. If we have not chosen Him by the time He returns, there will be no chance for last minute repenting or changed minds. The decision we have already made about the truth and reality of Jesus will determine our eternal destiny. This is big, friends! I want for every one of you reading this to know for sure that Jesus is real and true. I want all of you to be experiencing relationship with Him now so that you never have to wonder what your fate will be on the day He returns.
If you are confident in your relationship with Jesus, I hope that this passage inspires you to urgency in sharing your good news with those you love and anyone you know who doesn’t have relationship with God. Since we don’t know the day or time of Jesus’ return, we have no idea how much time is left for others to choose Him. Typing these words has awakened me again from complacency in sharing my good news. Visiting this passage today gives me new fervor in praying for those I know are not open to or interested in the truth of Jesus. Matthew’s words remind me that this is life or death. I can’t be complacent or shy in conversations. I always have to be willing and able to share truth about Jesus.
Are you ready to see the Son of Man appearing in the heavens?