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Caught Up to Be With Christ Forever, December 19
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together
with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we
ever be with the Lord.
1 Thessalonians 4:17
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Jesus is coming, but not as at His first advent, a babe in Bethlehem,
not as He rode into Jerusalem, when the disciples praised God with a loud
voice and cried, Hosannah; but in the glory of the Father, and with all the
retinue of holy angels with Him, to escort Him on His way to earth. All
heaven will be emptied of the angels. The waiting saints will be looking
for Him, and gazing into heaven, as were the “men of Galilee” when
He ascended from the Mount of Olivet. Then, those only who are holy,
those who have followed fully the meek Pattern will, with rapturous joy,
exclaim as they behold Him, “Lo, this is our God; we have waited for
him, and he will save us.” And they will be changed “in a moment, in the
twinkling of an eye, at the last trump,” that wakes the sleeping saints, and
calls them forth from their dusty beds, clothed with glorious immortality,
shouting Victory! Victory! over death and the grave. The changed saints
are caught up together with them to meet the Lord in the air, never more
to be separated from the object of their love
To His faithful followers Christ has been a daily companion and a
familiar friend. They have lived in close contact, in constant communion
with God. Upon them the glory of the Lord has risen. In them the light
of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ has been
reflected. Now they rejoice in the undimmed rays of the brightness and the
glory of the King in His majesty. They are prepared for the communion of
heaven; for they have heaven in their hearts....
With rejoicing that their redemption draweth nigh, they go forth to
meet the Bridegroom, saying, “Lo, this is our God; we have waited for
him, and he will save us.
[361]
35
The Review and Herald, June 10, 1852
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36
Christ’s Object Lessons 421
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374