The Soundtrack of the Second Coming

Almost the first mention of ‘The Day of the LORD’ comes from Isaiah 13:9: “Behold, the day of the LORD comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger, to make the land a desolation and to destroy its sinners from it.”

Studying this momentous day, I was intrigued by the graphic language used to describe the Day of the LORD. The Bible uses vivid imagery so that we can imagine – and prepare for – this day. In fact, by studying the clues left throughout Scripture, we can create the ‘soundtrack’ of the second coming. What will this day sound like? How will it greet our ears?

1. Perhaps the clearest noise during the Second Coming of Christ will be Jesus himself, shouting with a ‘cry of command’ (1 Thessalonians 4:16). This word refers to an authoritative, shouted command, such as the orders of an officer to his soldiers in the middle of a heated battle. Christ will be returning as a conquering king, shouting his victory for the world to hear.
2. The ‘voice of the archangel’ will also be distinct (1 Thessalonians 4:16), and while there is debate as to who this archangel is, he is named ‘Michael’ in Jude 9. The idea is clear: the angelic leader will be present, commanding the legions of heaven.
3. We are also informed of the blaring notes of the trumpet of God (1 Thessalonians 4:16), not (I imagine) playing a peacful melody, but sounding the notes to a triumphant, military tune of conquest, loud enough to be heard over the din.
4. Peter mentions that the heavens will pass away ‘with a roar’ (2 Peter 3:10). As if there was not already enough noise, the visible atmosphere around this planet will be ‘passing away,’ perhaps in a spectacular implosion, producing a tremendous roar.
5. The earth will also burn up with fire (2 Peter 3:7), and so we can add the crackling of a blazing inferno of fire to this sound, a dramatic background to this spectacular event.
6. Finally, and perhaps most terrifying of all, will be the shouts and despairing screams of human beings who have lived their lives opposed to God, trifling their time away on godless thoughts. They will run, terrified, toward the hills and mountains, crying out, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?” (Revelation 6:16).

Fortunately, this scene of deafening chaos will not overtake those who have prepared for it. The Bible gives us ample warning about the Day of the Lord, and calls us to make our peace with God. This happens through the blood of the Lamb: the same Lamb who will come as a conquerer, and who gave His life two thousand years ago on a wooden cross to bridge the gap between man and God.