My children were so excited about their cousins coming over that they rode their bikes to the end of our road in anticipation of their arrival. As I watched them stand sentinel at the top of our hill, ready to escort their cousins’ van to our house, I was reminded of the ancient word parousia. A parousia, or appearance of royalty, sparked a celebration in which an entire city would go out to meet the visiting king and accompany him back to town. Parousia is often used in the New Testament to describe the second coming of Jesus.

Paul wrote that when “the Lord Himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God,” then “we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).

Some people may not look forward to Christ’s return because they think this passage teaches that Jesus is coming to simply whisk us away. In reality, Paul is merely describing the first part of the parousia. We will go up and out to meet the Lord and then later return with Him to planet Earth.

Jesus is not coming to evacuate the earth, but to restore it to a beautiful thing. He’s returning to reward the righteous and punish the oppressors. And He will establish an everlasting reign of peace and prosperity, beating swords into plowshares and dwelling forever with His people on a restored and rejuvenated planet.

Are you weary of the injustice in our world? Are you groaning from the brokenness of sin? Then pray the shortest prayer in the Bible: Maranatha! meaning, “Our Lord, come!” (1 Corinthians 16:22).