Scripture Text – Matthew 24:3-14

He Is Coming With a Shout

Paul says, “The Lord shall descend from heaven with a shout.” Christ Jesus is now in heaven. He has been there for nineteen hundred years plus waiting for the time of His coming again. He is there to look after our interests and prepare a place for us. In the meantime, through the Holy Spirit, He is gathering out His bride here upon the earth. When the number determined for that bride has been brought in, through the preaching of the Gospel and the work of the Holy Spirit, the Lord Himself will come again.

He will come with a shout. It will be the shout of the omnipotent Christ of God. In Revelation 1, John pictures Him as the one with head and hair as white as snow, with feet like burnished brass, with a priestly robe and a golden girdle, with eyes like a flame of fire and a voice like the sound of many waters. It will be the same voice that brought into being the heavens and the earth at the beginning of creation. By the word of the Lord were the heavens made and the earth. It was His voice that spoke on Sinai and shook the earth and heavens. It was His voice that said to a dead man in a tomb, “Lazarus, come forth.” It was His voice that said to the angry waves of the sea, “Peace, be still,” and the hurricane heard that voice, fell on its face on the glassy, watery floor, and came and licked its Master’s hand. It was this same voice that cried at that zero hour of all eternity, as He hung on the Cross, “It is finished.” At that voice the veil of the Temple was torn in two, the earth quaked, the rocks burst open, the graves of many of the saints were opened and they that slept arose. This same voice will again be heard. How soon we do not know. When that time comes, the graves once more will be opened and all those that sleep in Christ will come forth to be raptured first and mere moments later living believers will be changed to meet the Lord in the air.

The Lord shall descend from heaven with a shout. That shout will be heard only by believers, either dead or alive. None of the wicked dead will hear it. They shall remain in their graves. Nor will any of the unbelieving living hear that shout. It may be that they will know something has happened because every true Christian will suddenly be gone, but the shout will be heard only by those who are the Lord’s. If you ask, “How can some hear and not others?” we have the answer. The radio has made it possible for sounds to be heard by some and not by others. You know the reason, of course. Some are tuned in to the right wave length, whereas others are tuned in to other wave lengths. Thus it will be at the coming of the Lord. Only those who are tuned to Station “BLOOD” will hear that shout. Only those who are tuned to the wave length of heaven will hear that call, “Come up hither.” The others will be tuned to earth and will be unaware of that shout.

O friend, are you under the blood? Is your heart tuned by faith to the voice of God? If it is, when He comes you will be caught up. If not, you will be left behind to face the wrath of God. Prepare to meet your God. The Lord shall descend from heaven with a shout and every believer will be caught away to meet the Lord. Will you be one of them?

“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31).

To Be Continued

Adapted and modified excerpts from M. R. De Haan, The Second Coming of Jesus.
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.