1 Thessalonians 4: 16 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.

God is always speaking to us and making his presence known through his magnificent creation which we are privileged to inhabit, through his messengers, his Word and through his Holy Spirit. There have been times when He himself showed up. In the Garden of Eden, He came looking for Adam and asked “Where are you?” It was a call to responsibility. (Genesis 3)

God spoke again to the shepherds when the Babe of Bethlehem came on the world stage. “An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them: Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:9-11). This was a call to reconciliation for one and all.

When Christ suffered and died, his Father made his presence known through signs and wonders as “the curtain of the temple was torn from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life.” (See Matthew 27:51-52) After his burial, Jesus himself was raised to life again. All this was a display of pure redeeming love, a call to repentance and to new life in Christ Jesus here and now.

The next call will be the trumpet call for resurrection of the dead in Christ and the gathering of believers who are still alive to meet the Lord in the air.

The final call will be to a rewards ceremony. “Behold I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” (Revelation 22: 12-13) What have you done so you may receive your reward? When your name is called, what will be your reaction? May God help us to drown out the other voices so we can listen to His voice and reset our priorities while there is still time.

“The voice of God resounds like no other. It wakes the dead, silences all opposition, sets the tone, changes the atmosphere and invades the human consciousness in a way that is incomparable. There is authority, finality and magnificence like no human can imitate. It is the voice of the Almighty, all powerful God.”