The Trumpet
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Christian Encouragement November 10, 2001
Hi Everyone!
<u><b>I Thessalonians 4:16-18 NIV</b></u>
--"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.
After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in
the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore
encourage each other with these words."
<u><b>I Thessalonians 4:16-18 KJV</b></u>
--"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the
archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 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. Wherefore comfort one another
with these words."
When I was a child growing up, I'd heard a lot about Hell, but very little about Heaven.
Every time I would think of E T E R N I T Y in Heaven, I would cringe because I didn't
have a clue what it would possibly be like. All I knew for sure was that Jesus was there
and that's where I wanted to someday be. Not only did I not know what Heaven would be
like, but the thought of
<b>anything</b>
lasting forever was totally beyond all comprehension!
When my grandfather filled in as our Jr. High Sunday School teacher, for a time, my eyes
caught a glimpse of that grand and glorious promise of Heaven. The trumpet sound...Jesus
calling us up to meet Him in the air. I can still hear my grandfather's voice....and see
that face as he described in great detail the Rapture and Christ's Second Coming. Wow!! I
kept telling him I just knew we'd go up in the Rapture together. He passed away in
November '94. Shortly after that day, I realized that even though he had died, I was still
right. Only now, he'll be called up first, then me (assuming of course, I am still alive),
but it will still be the same Rapture! Ha Gramps!
From the time my children were born, I had decided they would know just as much about
Heaven as they would know about Hell. When my oldest son Ryan was about 2 1/2 years old,
he knew all the words to all the verses of "When We All Get To Heaven". We'd be driving to
church and he'd be sitting there next to me, with his "bowl cut" blonde head thrown back,
just belting it out. A few years later, he accepted Christ as his Savior (Thank You,
Jesus!) When our other children, Sean and Laura, came along, the kids and I would all curl
up on the couch together and I'd read, from the Bible, scriptures like these in I
Thessalonians and from Revelation about Heaven and no more tears. Oh my, the questions!
"Does Granny Lock (
<b>my </b>
great-grandmother) still have crutches?" "Will I look the same or different?" "But Mom,
will I still know you when we get there?" "Nobody will cry anymore?" "What will we do
<i>forever?"</i>
"I just KNOW I'll be bored!" "Does this mean an angel will blow a trumpet?" "Will we hear
it?"
<b>"What if I'm watching TV and I don't hear it?!?!</b>
WILL I STILL GO TO HEAVEN?" Makes me laugh even now~~
Sean and Laura both accepted Christ as their Savior when they were younger after a day at
Vacation Bible School (Thank You again, Jesus!) I was allowed the privilege of getting on
my knees and hearing them pray the sweetest of all prayers; the prayer of repentance unto
salvation. They weren't afraid of Heaven. Of course, they didn't want to go yet, but they
knew Heaven would be grand, and yes, they would know me there!
Shortly after Sean was saved, he had been playing in the backyard and suddenly came
running into the house. I can still see that chubby round face, all hot, sweaty and dirty,
and those big blue eyes.
Breathlessly, he came flying into the kitchen and said, "Mom! I think I heard the
trumpet!"
Being pre-occupied and not paying as much attention as I should have been, I said, "What
trumpet?"
He grabbed my arm. "Mom!" His steely blue eyes were wide with excitement. "The trumpet
that goes off when Jesus is coming to get us!"
I smiled, picked him up and hugged him. "No, not yet, Sean....but someday. I'm so glad
you're listening for it though!" I was more thrilled with the fact he had been listening
during our Bible studies!
Sean is almost 18 now. Last night, he came in to chat about issues he's trying to deal
with in school. "When I pray at night, I don't want to stop", he told me. "I like being
<i>there</i>
with God. It's peaceful...." Amen and Amen.
Moms and Dads, Grandmas and Grandpas: Tell your children and grandchildren about Hell.
It's real. Tell them about Heaven. It's real too! Tell them about Jesus. Read to them from
the Bible. Smile when you talk about the Rapture. Hug them when you tell them about Heaven.
<u><b>Matthew 18:2-4 KJV</b></u>
--"And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, And said,
Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not
enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little
child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven." You know something? I can't ever
remember a time when I talked to a little child about Jesus, and got hateful words in
return. Lots of questions, yes. Nasty, ugly words, no. Sit a child on your lap or curl up
on the sofa together and tell them all about the wonderful things Jesus has promised to
those who know and love Him. Tell them about salvation, meeting Jesus up in the air, and
don't forget about
<b>that trumpet</b>
! May we and all of our loved ones....past, present and future....be patiently and
joyously waiting to hear the trumpet call of God and may no one be left behind. This is my
prayer ~ Love to you all in Christ,
Debbie Reed-Parman
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