n of the blessed
hope in its manner of fulfilment. Nothing like it is found anywhere in
the Old Testament Scriptures. In writing later to the Corinthians Paul
mentioned it again: "Behold I show you a mystery; we shall not all
sleep, but we shall all be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of
an eye, at the last trump; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead
shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed" (1 Cor.
xv:51-52).

The Lord _Himself_ will descend from heaven. He is now at the right
hand of God in glory, crowned with honor and glory. There He exercises
His Priesthood and advocacy in behalf of His people, by which He keeps,
sustains and restores them. When the last member has been added to the
church, which is His body, and that body is to be with Him, who is the
head, He will leave the place at the right hand and descend from
heaven. He will not descend to the earth, for, as we read later, the
meeting-place for Him and His saints is the air and not the earth.
When He comes with His saints in His visible manifestation, He will
descend to the earth. When He comes for His Saints He comes with a
shout. It denotes His supreme authority. The Greek word is "Kelusma,"
which means literally "a shout of command," used in classical Greek for
the hero's shout to his followers in battle, the commanding voice to
gather together. He ascended with a shout (Ps. lxvii:5), and with the
victor's shout He returns. The shout may be the single word "Come!"
"Come and see" He spoke to the disciples who followed Him and inquired
for His dwelling place. Before Lazarus' tomb He spoke with a loud
voice, "Come forth." John, in the isle of Patmos, after the throne
messages to the churches had been given, saw a door opened in heaven
and the voice said "Come up hither" (Rev. iv:1). "Come" is the royal
word of grace, and grace will do its supreme work when He comes for His
own. But there will also be the voice of the archangel (Michael) and
the trump of God. The archangel is the leader of the angelic hosts.
As He was seen of angels (1 Tim. iii:16) when He ascended into the
highest heaven, so will the archangel be connected with His descent out
of heaven. All heaven will be in commotion when the heirs of glory,
sinners saved by grace, are about to be brought with glorified bodies
into the Father's house. Some teach that the voice of the archangel
may be employed to summon the heavenly hosts and marshal the
innumera