1 Thessalonians 4:

How would you describe a sunset to a man born blind? So many words used to describe a sunset require eyesight to understand. A sunset is bright, beautiful, golden, red, colorful, orange and yellow, light and dark; these are all words associated with seeing. However, some words have meaning not connected to eyesight, that describe a sunset. A sunset is inspiring, awesome, magnificent, and yes even spiritual. Language is both wonderful in its ability to communicate, yet frustrating with its limitations. In spiritual matters, the frustrations of language are found in describing heaven, eternal life, end times, and the second coming.

What happens when we die is a common question asked by Christians and non-Christians alike. There is more we do not know about the answer than there is that we do know. Paul attempted to inform the Christians still living about what was happening with those who had already died. The information he shared was not complete, but it was helpful. He stated a list of things that Christians believe. We believe that Christ died and rose again. We believe that those who die in right relationship with Christ will be with Christ when he returns to earth. We believe that those Christians who die first will be with Christ first. We believe Christ will return to earth and all who believe, first the dead and then those alive will meet him in the clouds. Paul wrote it, and I believe it. However I do not fully understand it. Rising to meet Christ in the clouds may have been a figurative form of speech. It may have been literal. I suspect that Paul was attempting to describe something that was as difficult as describing a sunset to a man born blind.

However, no matter how poorly I understand what Paul was saying, there is one thing I understand totally and completely; Paul told us God has it all planned out. God is handling the scheduling details and that is encouraging; it means we don’t have to.