When Jesus appears two things will happen. These two things will happen ``in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye''. The dead in Christ will rise first when the last trumpet call sounds. At the same time, those believers who are alive then will be caught up (air-lifted in modern terms) together with them in the clouds. Then all of them together, us included, will meet the Lord in the air. And all of us will be with the Lord forever.

The Bible says: ``Therefore encourage each other with these words''. Yes, God has given us this truth in advance for us to live in hope. He wants each of us to remind one another of this truth and thus encourage each other.

The encouragement comes from the hope held out to us--the hope that death does not separate us either from God or our loved ones (believers). The same hope gives us a vision of our futurea future with God Himself. The theme of our great hope definitely is the togetherness with God and fellow believers forever.

The excitement of such a future is immense. And God in His plan has kept a grand inaugural for the same. No display on planet earth would ever match with what God has planned for this inaugural. It is a great and joyous reunion of all His children; loved ones and friends, saints and heroes of faith; from all generations and walks of life, the poor and the rich, the martyr and the one who died young. All such will have a great reunion in mid-air.

A well-known hymn celebrates this thought in these words:

On that bright and golden morning
when the Son of Man shall come,
And the radiance of His glory we shall see;/
When from every clime and nation
He shall call His people home--
What a gath'ring of the ransomed that will be!
   What a gath'---ring! What a gath'---ring!
   What a gath'ring of the ransomed in the summer land of love!
   What a gath'---ring! What a gath'ring!
   Of the ransomed in that happy home above!

All gathered there will have the likeness of Jesus. The Bible says: ``But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is'' (1 John 3:2b NIV). And this shall happen quickly, for the Lord will come like a thief in the night and with the visibility of a flash of lightning. It will be swift and sudden. If we are alive then, we will be one moment here; and the other moment there!

As somebody said to sign off when he parted with friends: ``We'll meet here, there, or in the air!''

Therefore let us all be encouraged by the hope of that great reunion in the air. Let us all eagerly look forward to meet the Lord in the air as He makes His glorious appearing. What a blessed hope indeed!

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