Manning Pastor Sam Livingston: When is it going to drop?
In the retail and entertainment industry, we often hear this phrase, "When is it going to drop?" The scenario may be played out when a professional athlete is about to present a new sneaker to the general public. Depending on who the athlete is, potential buyers may spend the night outside of the store to clear out the first shipment of shoes. I know - who in their right mind would spend the entire night in a tent erected on concrete or asphalt when they could be on a nice firm mattress? People of all ages do it all the time in countries all over the world. Then, if it isn't bizarre enough to spend the night in a parking lot, these same people get up with morning breath and spend twice as much money for a pair of sneakers. This is why we see some of these purchasers walking around on their heels when they wear these expensive sneakers to prevent permanent wrinkles in the shoe.
We hear music artists talk about dropping a new record label. The producers and marketing team spend thousands of dollars building up to the release or dropping date. People anxiously wait for the release of the song and track of songs that they have heard bits and pieces of. Unlike sneakers, the songs once dropped are then mass produced illegally to be sold on the black market. Nevertheless, people go to great lengths to be among the first to possess something, be it a sneaker or a simple song.
Finally, people from all over the world come to New York's Times Square to watch a ball drop from a pole at 11:59 p.m. to rest at midnight, representing the beginning of a new year. Thousands of dollars are spent on airfare, hotels, meals, etc., just for the dropping of the ball at Times Square. This group spends the entire night walking throughout the plaza. Those who have watched the dropping of the ball in person return home with all kinds of stories to tell.
Sir Isaac Newton said, "What goes up must come down;" the statement was based on the gravitational pull of the earth toward anything that has weight. His statement, however, is both material and immaterial. In layman's terms, the statement is natural and spiritual.
Luke recorded an event in his last chapter pertaining to his gospel of Jesus Christ. "And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them. And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven" (Luke 24:51-52).
The last citing of Jesus by his disciples according to Luke was when he departed from them and was carried up into heaven. The question that has eluded theologians for centuries is, when will Jesus return? I firmly believe that we will never know exactly the time or hour of Jesus' return for his church.
We were given Scriptures promising us that one day he will return again. The Apostle Paul made it clear that an instrument player (The Lord himself) will one day drop from heaven and sound a musical instrument that will make a sound that will wake the entire world. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet 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 (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17).
The Lord is going to drop down from heaven, and we who are saved will defy gravity and meet him in the sky. The saying of "What goes up must come down" will be a thing of the past.
Lord, help us to claim our space on the Ship of Zion that will carry us out of the world. Amen!
Sam Livingston is pastor of Antioch Missionary Baptist Church in Manning.