Pastor Tricia's Ramblings

“For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of the archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. 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 (ESV)

I grew up hearing it all the time — “Jesus is coming soon.”

It was written on church signs, sung in the old hymns, and preached from pulpits with conviction. “We’re living in the last days,” they said. And for decades, many of us have heard those same words and wondered, “When?”

It’s easy to get numb to it, isn’t it? When you’ve heard something your entire life, it can start to sound like background noise — until you look around and realize that the world doesn’t look like it used to. Morality has shifted. Truth is treated like opinion. Evil is celebrated. Good is mocked.

And somewhere deep inside, that old message starts ringing again:

“The Lord is coming back.”

We don’t talk about that enough anymore in the modern church. We talk about purpose, calling, blessings, and breakthroughs — and all of that is good. But if we lose sight of Christ’s return, we risk getting too comfortable in a world that’s not our home.

The Hope of the Church

The Thessalonian believers had the same questions we have today. Some of them were worried about those who had already died. Were they lost? Would they miss out on Christ’s return? Paul wrote to assure them — and us — that death is not the end for the believer.

He says,

“We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.” (1 Thessalonians 4:13)

What a powerful phrase — “as others who have no hope.”

You and I grieve, yes, but not without hope.

Paul clarifies it more in 2 Corinthians 5:8:

“To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.”

For the believer, death isn’t a full stop — it’s a transition. The moment a follower of Jesus takes their last breath here, they take their first in the presence of God. While we weep on earth, they’re rejoicing in heaven.

That’s the hope we stand on. That’s the comfort we cling to.

A Coming Reunion

Paul’s words in 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17 paint one of the most breathtaking pictures in all of Scripture:

The Lord Himself descending from heaven.

A shout.

A trumpet blast.

The dead in Christ rising.

And then — those still living, caught up to meet Him in the air.

We call this the rapture — the “snatching away” of the Church. Some debate the timing. Will it happen before the Tribulation? In the middle? At the end? But as you said, that’s not the point of this discussion. The point is that it will happen.

And when it does, what a moment it will be.

Imagine graves breaking open as the saints of old rise to meet their Savior. Abraham and Sarah. David. Esther. Isaiah. The apostles. The martyrs. Our grandmothers and grandfathers who loved Jesus. Every believer through the ages — all rising in one great procession of glory.

Then, in the blink of an eye, those of us who remain will be changed.

Paul describes it this way in 1 Corinthians 15:52:

“In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet… the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.”

What a sight that will be. No more pain. No more tears. No more brokenness. Just eternal joy in the presence of the One who redeemed us.

This isn’t fantasy — it’s the promise of God.

And it’s coming soon.

Imminent, Not Immediate

That word “soon” has confused a lot of people. For years, I heard preachers say, “Jesus is coming back now! Any day!” And I’d think, “But what if He doesn’t?”

The word “imminent” changed that for me.

Imminent doesn’t mean immediate. It means it could happen at any moment. Nothing has to happen before it. There’s no countdown clock, no warning siren. The sky could split open today — or fifty years from now. The timing is God’s.

But that means we must live ready.

“Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

— Matthew 24:44

If we truly believe Jesus could return at any moment, it changes how we live.

We forgive quicker.

We love deeper.

We share the Gospel bolder.

We stop wasting time on things that don’t matter, and we start living like eternity is real — because it is.

When the Sky Splits

Let’s be honest: the thought of Christ’s return excites some and terrifies others.

For the believer, it’s our blessed hope.

For those far from God, it’s a wake-up call.

When Jesus returns, there won’t be time to “get right” in that moment. There won’t be time to decide later. The time to decide is now.

Jesus told a parable about this in Matthew 25 — the ten virgins waiting for the bridegroom. Five were wise and kept their lamps full of oil. The other five were foolish, unprepared when the bridegroom arrived.

When the door was shut, the foolish ones were left outside.

That’s sobering. It’s not meant to scare us — it’s meant to stir us. To remind us that spiritual complacency is dangerous.

Too many of us are living like there’s an endless tomorrow.

But friend, tomorrow is not guaranteed.

A Wake-Up Call to the Church

If there’s ever been a time for the Church to wake up, it’s now.

Our world is unraveling — not just politically, but spiritually.

We’ve seen the shift in culture. Darkness is no longer hiding in the shadows; it’s celebrated in broad daylight.

Isaiah 5:20 warned of this long ago:

“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness.”

Sound familiar?

Yet even in this chaos, there’s hope. Revival is stirring. You mentioned the cultural shift after the shooting of Charlie Kirk — that tragedy sparked prayer, repentance, and people flooding altars again. Across the nation, churches are seeing young people returning to faith, worship nights breaking out in schools, and baptisms happening in rivers and parking lots.

It’s as if God is shaking the earth one more time to get our attention.

Hebrews 12:26–27 reminds us,

“Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens… so that what cannot be shaken may remain.”

What’s happening right now isn’t random — it’s a divine shaking. God is calling His people back to Himself. He’s reminding us that this world is temporary and that we must live for what lasts.

The Urgency of the Hour

This truth should both comfort us and convict us.

Comfort because our hope is secure in Christ.

Convict because there are people in our lives who don’t yet know Him.

Who will you bring with you?

When that trumpet sounds and the sky opens, who do you want standing beside you in that great parade of saints?

Your family? Your friends? Your coworkers?

There’s still time — but the clock is ticking.

Romans 13:11–12 says,

“The hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand.”

Every day brings us one step closer to eternity. That’s not a reason to fear — it’s a reason to act.

We’re not called to sit and wait for Jesus to come back.

We’re called to occupy until He does. (Luke 19:13)

That means staying faithful, sharing the Gospel, loving the lost, and living set apart.

Living Ready

Being ready isn’t about living in fear — it’s about living in faith.

It’s not about stocking up on supplies or decoding every headline to find hidden prophecy clues. It’s about making sure our hearts are right with God and our hands are busy doing His work.

Jesus said in Matthew 24:46,

“Blessed is that servant whom his master will find doing so when he comes.”

Let that sink in.

When Jesus returns, what will He find us doing?

Scrolling? Arguing? Worrying?

Or serving, praying, and reaching people for His Kingdom?

Living ready means staying watchful but not idle. Hopeful but not complacent.

Illustration: The Midnight Knock

I once heard a story about a man who received a late-night knock on his door. Startled, he looked out the window and saw an old friend he hadn’t seen in years. The friend said, “I was just passing through and thought I’d stop by.”

The man panicked — his house was a mess. Dishes piled high. Laundry everywhere. He’d been meaning to clean for weeks but kept putting it off. He opened the door halfway, embarrassed, and said, “I’m sorry, I wasn’t expecting anyone.”

How often do we treat our lives like that spiritually?

We keep meaning to “get things in order” — to start reading our Bible again, to forgive that person, to surrender that sin — but we keep putting it off. Then, when the Lord knocks, we find ourselves scrambling.

Friend, don’t wait to get ready. Stay ready.

Encouraged, Not Afraid

Paul ends this passage with one simple command:

“Therefore encourage one another with these words.” (1 Thessalonians 4:18)

The coming of the Lord is not meant to fill us with fear but with hope.

It reminds us that the pain of this life is temporary. The heartbreak, the confusion, the chaos — it all ends when Jesus returns.

Revelation 21:4 paints the picture beautifully:

“He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

That’s the promise we’re holding on to. That’s the joy that anchors us when the world feels heavy.

So yes — Jesus is coming soon.

We don’t know the day or the hour, but we know the signs. And every day, those signs are getting clearer.

A Call to Boldness

Now is not the time to be silent.

Now is not the time to blend in.

Now is the time to be bold.

You and I have the hope the world is desperately searching for.

We can’t keep it to ourselves.

Romans 1:16 says,

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.”

The world doesn’t need more opinions — it needs truth. It needs Jesus.

And God has placed you exactly where you are — your family, your workplace, your community — to be His witness there.

So speak up.

Shine bright.

Live holy.

Love fiercely.

Because at any moment, the sky could split open and eternity could begin.

Final Thought

When Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, he wanted them to find hope — not in this world, but in the One who is coming to redeem it. That same message rings true for us today.

Look around: we are watching prophecy unfold before our eyes.

The world is shaking, but the Kingdom of God is unshakable.

The Lord is coming back — and soon.

The question is: Are you ready?

Are you living like eternity is near?

Are you sharing the hope of Christ with the people who need Him most?

Let’s not just talk about the return of Jesus — let’s live in light of it.

Because when that trumpet sounds, and we rise to meet Him in the air, I want to be found faithful. I want to see faces beside me — friends, family, neighbors — all because I didn’t stay silent.

He’s coming.

Be ready.

Stay faithful.

Live bold.

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Live bold. Live set apart. Live for Christ.