“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.” (1 Thessalonians 4:16)

On August 27th, 1883, the world experienced an event so powerful that its sound echoed across the globe. At precisely 10:02 a.m., a volcano erupted on the island of Krakatoa in Indonesia, with a force that literally split and tore apart the island. The eruption itself destroyed the island and caused a tsunami with waves over 100 ft. high, wiping out entire coastal villages.

It’s estimated that the disaster claimed up to 120,000 lives.

The explosion was heard over 2,000 miles away in Western Australia and as far as 3,000 miles across the Indian Ocean on the island of Rodrigues. Imagine standing in Boston and hearing a noise that originated in Dublin, Ireland. That’s how far this sound traveled. And at that speed of sound, it was heard 2,000 miles away in just a few hours.

In total, the sound was detected in more than 50 places worldwide. This single event broke records for the loudest sound ever heard in recorded history. Even more incredible, the pressure waves from this explosion circled the Earth multiple times. For days after the eruption, the shockwaves could be felt reverberating around the planet about every 34 hours.

The Bible tells us of another sound that will one day be heard around the world—the sound of the trumpet announcing Christ’s return. Just as the eruption of Krakatoa reached the farthest corners of the earth, so too will the sound of God’s call reach every soul, and all will respond. The graves will open up and release the dead, and all will stand before the Lord.

Let this verse stir in us a sense of urgency and awe as we wait for the day when every ear will hear the voice of the Lord: 1 Thessalonians 4:16 says, “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.”

Prayer
Lord, prepare our hearts to hear Your call. Make our hearts ready, for when we hear that sound throughout the world—the sound of Your trumpet calling us to salvation. And until that day, help us to share Your good news with those whom we encounter this day, so that when they hear that trumpet call, it’s a trumpet call for their salvation as well, into Your Kingdom. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.