Key Thought

Today's Prayer

O Father, I can only imagine how glorious the day of Jesus' return will actually be. I look forward to being reunited with those who have gone on before me to be with Christ. I look forward to being with those whose language I cannot now speak, but with whom I will enjoy the praise and celebration of heaven. Thank you for such a great hope that rests in my future with Jesus! In his name I pray. Amen.

Today's Verses in Context

"You will see 'the terrible thing that causes destruction.' You will see this thing standing in the place where it should not be." (You that read this should understand what it means.) "At that time, the people in Judea should run away to the mountains. People should run away without wasting time to stop for anything. If a person is on the roof of his house, he must not go down to take things out of his house. If a person is in the field, he must not go back to get his coat. At that time, it will be bad for women that are pregnant or have small babies. Pray that these things will not happen in winter. Why? Because those days will be full of much trouble. There will be more trouble than has ever happened since the beginning, when God made the world. And nothing as bad as that will ever happen again. But God has decided to make that terrible time short. If that time were not made short, then no person could continue living. But God will make that time short to help his special people that he has chosen. At that time, some person might say to you, 'Look, there is the Christ !' Or another person might say, 'There he is!' But don't believe them. False Christs and false prophets will come and do great things and miracles. They will do these things to the people God has chosen. They will do these things to try to fool his people, if that is possible. So be careful. Now I have warned you about all this before it happens. "During the days after this trouble happens, 'The sun will become dark, and the moon will not give light. The stars will fall from the sky, and everything in the sky will be changed.' "Then people will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with power and great glory. The Son of Man will send his angels all around the earth. The angels will gather his chosen people from every part of the earth.

Related Scripture Readings

We believe that Jesus died. But we believe that Jesus rose again. So, because of Jesus, God will raise to be with Jesus those people who have died. What we tell you now is the Lord's own message. We who are living now might still be living when the Lord comes again. We who are living at that time will be with the Lord, but not before those people who have already died. The Lord himself will come down from heaven. There will be a loud command. That command will be given with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God. And the people who have died and were in Christ will rise first. After that, we people who are still alive at that time will be gathered up with those people who have died. We will be taken up in the clouds and meet the Lord in the air. And we will be with the Lord forever.

But listen, I tell you this secret: We will not all die, but we will all be changed. It will only take the time of a second. We will be changed as quickly as an eye blinks. This will happen when the last trumpet blows. The trumpet will blow and those {believers} who have died will be raised to live forever. And we {also} will all be changed.

Now, a crown (reward) is waiting for me. I will get that crown for being right with God. The Lord is the judge who judges rightly. He will give me the crown on that Day. Yes! He will give that crown to me. He will give that crown to all people who have wanted him to come again and have waited for him.