The street lights gave a dim, shadowy glow to the small community which had been our home for over two decades. Darkness enveloped the land, and with it, sleep was on the agenda for many after a hard day of work. Though we were back only briefly for a visit, we too felt the need for sleep. The day had been full of activities and the making of memories which would last a lifetime. Under the cover of darkness, we slipped between the sheets and closed our eyes, quickly falling asleep.

Suddenly, and without warning, there was a brilliant flash of light accompanied by a tremendous “BOOM!” of thunder. The thunder was so intense that we could feel the rumble as we now lay wide awake in bed. The storm moved rapidly into the area and we had been totally unaware of its coming presence. However, we now stayed awake as the intensity of the storm became increasingly apparent. Lightning and thunder continued in rapid succession, almost totally uninterrupted, engulfing the landscape.
Then, as quickly as it had come in all its intensity, it was gone. Though the storm was brief, it left a lasting impression on us. That incredible thunderstorm reminded me of promises found in Scripture which will someday, in God’s timing, be accomplished.

These coming events had been originally prophesied and recorded in the Old Testament. They are, again, mentioned in the New Testament with even more clarification of the coming promises. Books such as Ezekiel, Daniel, Joel, and Zachariah describe the “last days,” some of the events involved in that time frame, including the impending judgement of all mankind. However, there is one element of the “last days” which is of major interest to believers.

This event, known as “the Rapture,” is incorporated within some phenomenally visible outworking. “Immediately after the distress of those days ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken’” (Matt. 24:29). A similar description is given in the book of Revelation. “I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as late figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place” (Rev. 6:12-14).

These events precede the great and glorious day of our Lord’s return, as detailed in Scripture. “At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other” (Matt. 24:30-31).

Again, Paul taught, “According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever” (1 Thess. 4:15-17).

That night we were awestruck by the magnitude of the storm. Yet, its intensity pales in comparison to the events surrounding the coming of the LORD and these remarkable events are nothing compared to the LORD gathering the elect. That day will be unlike any other day. It will be a glorious day for believers.