Expectation – The Presidential Prayer Team

For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. – 1 Thessalonians 4:16

Early Jews eagerly anticipated the coming of the Messiah. They were confident in their Scriptures’ foretelling that He would come. Yet, when He came, Jesus did not receive the welcome He is worthy of. “He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:11-12).

Today’s Christians, who also trust in Scripture, eagerly expect His return. On the day of His ascension into Heaven, the angels said, “This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11). Revelation 1:7 says, “Behold he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him.” And following today’s verse, “And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).

As many celebrate Christmas and children wake up with expectancy to open their gifts, look forward to Christ’s return with the same enthusiasm. Be thankful for His birth, death, and resurrection. As the old hymn by John Wilbur Chapman says, “Living, He loved me; dying, He saved me; Buried He carried my sins far away; Rising he justified freely forever; One day He’s coming—O glorious day!” Pray that, as citizens and elected officials of the United States celebrate Christmas, they will have a clear and compelling awareness of who Jesus is and why He came.

Today’s Verse: 1 Thessalonians 4:16

For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.

All Scripture quotations and audio are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Recommended for further reading: 1 Thessalonians 4:9-18

⁹Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, ¹⁰for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more, ¹¹and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, ¹²so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.

¹³But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. ¹⁴For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. ¹⁵For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. ¹⁶For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. ¹⁸Therefore encourage one another with these words.