“Preparing For The Second Coming of Christ Jesus!”

“Preparing For The Second Coming of Christ Jesus!”(I Th.4:13-18).
Today is next Sunday before Advent. Next Sunday will be first Sunday in Advent. Advent season covers the four weeks before Christmas. The readings of Advent prepares us not only for the celebration of the birth of Christ Jesus but also for his Second Coming.
Advent season is a reminder that the life that was given to us on Christmas is the life that was already given for us on Calvary, and will come again.
The song writer says, “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness… On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.” But he has not explained what his hope is.
Hope is defined as ” a feeling of expectation and desire for a particular thing to happen.” We may hope for different things at different times, but our final hope, our last bus stop is “to meet the Lord…and …be with the Lord forever.”
Once we are with the Lord forever, hope dissipates. Hope ceases to be part of our vocabulary.
Early believers were often confused about the fate of departed brethren at the resurrection. At Corinth, people worried about their relatives who died without receiving baptism. They received baptism on behalf of the dead(I Cor.15:29).
In Thessalonica there was the worry about the fate of the dead at the second coming of the Lord. The questions may have been whether only the living were to be privileged to witness the second coming? What if I die before then? Etc! Such issues could plant seeds of doubts in the minds, thus breeding discouragements.
Paul answered them, and by extension us, that there are deep truths we should not be ignorant about. Jesus Christ who died and rose again and went to heaven will come again. The rapture will take place as the dead in Christ will arise and together with those who are still alive, “we will be with the Lord forever.”
We are asked to use these clarifications to encourage each other.
Dear friend, plans are being finalized in various groups on what to buy for the celebration of Christmas. Included on the list are cow, rice, oil, etc. These items are to feast and celebrate during the Christmas season. The text reminds us to see Christmas as a Second Coming of Christ and so prepare spiritually, rather than materially only. Imagine that Christmas day 2022 turns out to be the day of Rapture, will you meet the Lord Jesus Christ and be with him forever? As we reflect on the Second Coming, let us do the needful rightfully.
Sunday prayer: Holy Spirit take away the mist of ignorance that shrouds our proper understanding of the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen!
Have a blessed Sunday! Peace be with you!
Rev Babila Fochang.