#79: Meeting In the Clouds

Luke’s fifteenth chapter holds one of my favorites of Jesus’ parables—the story of the prodigal son (Lk. 15:11-32). My favorite moment is in verse 20, when the father sees off in the distance the son he has missed so much, prayed for so long, ached to hold in his arms. The father doesn’t wait at the door. He doesn’t wait in the driveway. He can’t wait. He drops everything and runs, races toward his son, embracing him and kissing him—ecstatic to be reunited.

Hang on to the vision of that father’s joy, as you pick up your Bible.

Read Mark 13, thinking back over our studies of the past three weeks as we looked at the future plans of Jesus for His followers, His teachings about His return (and the events that would take place in the meantime), and our need to be alert and ready at all times.

Among all His words of prophecy are two wonderful verses:

“And then, they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds
with abundant power and glory. And he will send the
angels and they will assemble his chosen out of the four
winds, from the extremity of earth to the extremity of
heaven.” (Mk. 13:26-27, my translation)

His chosen. Beloved, that’s us He’s talking about! The hosts of heaven will be sure every godly soul from every corner of heaven and earth is present. (The unsaved aren’t invited to this party. They’ll have His attention later, but His first priority will be to celebrate with His own.) Listen as Paul sheds a bit more light on that “Day of the Lord”:

“For the Lord himself, with a commanding shout, with the
voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God, will
come down from heaven, and the dead in Christ will
arise first. Then we living who remain will be caught up
together with them in clouds to a meeting with the
Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.”
(1 Thess. 4:16-17, my translation)

The wait will be over—for us and for Him. Did you catch how He’ll come? In clouds. Did you catch where we’ll be caught up to meet Him? In clouds. He’s so anxious for our eternity together to begin that His feet will never make it to earth; He’ll catch us up to meet Him in the air! Just like that dad, weary of the long separation, ran toward a reunion with his son, so the Lord—on His way to us—will cause gravity to let us go and will draw us right to Him. In an instant we’ll be with Him, never to be separated again. Take a mental picture of the crazy joy of that moment.

When you’re weary, when you’re being tested or tempted, when you’re overwhelmed by sorrows, when you’re not sure how much longer you can hold on, turn your Bible’s pages to these two scriptures—or better yet, memorize them for just such times. Open your mental photo album and see the day (maybe today?) when every bond of earth will drop away and you’ll fly to meet Him.

Let this old song ring in your heart this week.

“Some glad morning when this life is o’er,
I’ll fly away
To a home on God’s celestial shore.
I’ll fly away!

Just a few more weary days and then
I’ll fly away
To a land when joy shall never end.
I’ll fly away!

I’ll fly away, oh glory,
I’ll fly away!
When I die—Hallelujah!—by and by,
I’ll fly away!”

© Diane McLoud 2014

I’ll Fly Away © 1932 in Wonderful Message, Hartford Music Co., Owner. © 1960 Albert E. Brumley and Sons, Renewal.