“Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, 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.”

Matthew 24:30, 31

Jesus reminds his disciples that they will face challenges that daunt the imagination.  As I read Jesus’ words I realize that I need to depend on Jesus only.  The centerpiece of the end times is Jesus, the Son of Man, who will appear for all to see.  He will appear in all his power and great glory.  He is Almighty, all-powerful, the glorious One.

Not only will the Lord appear but he will sound the trumpet call that will announce that the mighty host of angels will gather his elect from the four winds, from the one end of the heavens to the other.  In God’s embrace all believers of all times will be gathered together from all nations.  All believers will stand with the Lord, with the angels and with all who love Jesus unto the end.

We need not try to figure out how that will happen.  That is in the hands of God.  But all believers will be gathered together as united body in the Lord.

As Jesus is sharing with his disciples what God will do, we open our ears to listen, ever so carefully, as  we are overcome with the vision that pulls us along.  To be in that gathered group is worth everything.  All the struggles and challenges and set-backs that the believers experience all over the world will be rewarded!

May our meditations this season of lent rejoice our spirits by the vision, by the prophecy of Jesus, that the despised followers of the Lamb will be with their Lord forever and ever.  Amen.