Words of Grace: Comfort In Jesus
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13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. 15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.
1 Thessalonians 4:
The letter to the church in Thessalonica is likely one of Paul's earliest letters, perhaps his second letter (after Galatians) and was penned from Corinth.
Specifically, the Holy Spirit led Paul to pen this inspired epistle in order to meet several needs. He encouraged his children in the faith to persevere despite their persecution. He refuted false charges made by the local enemies of the gospel: that the missionaries had preached in order to fatten their wallets and gain other personal benefits; that Paul had left Thessalonica hurriedly and had not returned because he was a coward and a hypocrite. Paul also wrote to correct some errors that had cropped up in the church: an inclination to moral laxity and laziness, and a tendency not to respect the church’s spiritual leaders. Paul gave instruction too on the subject of what would happen to Christians who would die before the Lord’s return.
There is a unity in the church of Thessolinica, a living to please God, a walking in sanctification and a desire to endure and continue as such. While the church is standing upon the completed work of Christ, and seeking to live daily upon that completed work, the comfort is in His future promise. It is my prayer that the Heavenly Father will open our eyes to such comfort, that our foundational standing, our daily walk, may not be swayed by finding comfort in the imediate but rather in the future and assured hope of God that is in Jesus Christ our Lord.
This will be the last sermon in our "Words of Grace: What God Has Done For Us" series. We have looked at what God has done for us and sought a deeper understanding of that. We have spent the past few weeks learning how to live in light of what God has done for us or, how to live in light, by the light or under the power and freedom of the salvation of God having already been redeemed. This closing week then will turn our attention towards the comfort of our future hope, or what we have yet to experience as to what God has done for us.
We will look at verse 13-18 of , will highlight 7 things that we know are yet to come and seek to know the comfort that we are to comfort one another with.
Though the main purpose is not to go into a specific order of events, we may touch on it briefly.
However, ultimatley we are seeking a general knowledge of such things that we might begin to understand the comfort spoken of in verse 18.
So while not diving into a eschatalogical study, it is most fitting that any soteriological study should end with an escatological emphaisis and view forward.
The Holy Spirit in the prior passage has addressed the church in her walking in sanctification, in her brotherly love and proper behavior towards the world.
Our text this morning, is following directly on the heals of the church being challenged to
1. live quietly,
2. attend to their own business and
3. work with their hands (to conduct themselves uprightly). From other passages we know that this is so that she may be ready to help those in need.
The section prior to what we will look at this morning began by saying, "you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another."
We deduce from this section that the church has the teaching of God, they have a understanding in it and all of the recource that it needs to be successful in it. The church is merely being encouraged to continue in it.
However immediately following that, we see this in our text this morning: "But we do not want you to be uniformed..."
There is a mysterious type ring to it.
As we are learning to walk in light of salvation, the practice of our walk and endurance of such is comforted by our knowing and being reminded of or rather, not being ignorant of a certain coming hope.
This highlights that we live not for the present but we live knowing God as the one who is caring for His children and has a great eternal plan already in place that cannot be thwarted no matter what our circumstance may look like.
Now, immediatley following this section, at the begining of chapter five, where the times of certain events are about to be spoken of we go back to, "you have no need of anything to be written to you."
This section is then followed by a request of the brethren to appreciate those who labor diligently (presently) among the church and have charge over them in the Lord and give instruction.
Also as part of the charge is to live properly, and lovingly towards the brethren and to hold fast to the good and abstain from every form of evil.
These encouragments or request bring us back to living in light of salvation, but as it concludes with the understanding of our being presented without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
It is worth highlihging that our enduring and being presented to our Lord as blameless, is brought to pass by by Jesus who is the faithful one. "24Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass."
Most noteworthy is that the "comfort of the Lord's return" is in the section to "not be ignorant of, but need to be made aware of"....while the following section on, "the arrival of the day of the Lord" is discussed for the "having no need to write to you"...the assumption that what is to be known as far as time and season is known already.
This passage highlights not only our certain hope in Christ Jesus, but key aspects of that hope. First it is built off of the knowledge of your redemption...that you are indeed a sheep of Christ, that you are wheat and thus know that Christ Jesus died and rose again.
Secondly this is built off of a comfort which is a fulfillment of desire and that desire is communion. A desire to have a unhindered communion with God as well as all of those who are in Christ. A desire that the saints of God should not be separated in any form from their God or from each other.
Jesus has predestined you as His own possession... you who hear His voice. His Word has been given that you might know all that needs to be known in life and conduct that you might walk properly in this world and not be entangled in that which would rob you of the joy that is in Him.
Jesus who has been faithful unto death, overcoming in life will be faithful also to complete that which He has begun in you that you also may overcome all in Him.
Now, there is a concern of grief with no hope overcoming the overcomers.
Hope is a testament of belief. We hope because we believe.
There is a concern of grief with no hope. Hope is a testament of belief. We hope because we believe. We believe that Jesus died and rose again. If that is true then all those who have fallen asleep in Jesus are with Jesus. The great hope that overcomes the black whole of grief is that whether the child of God is awake or asleep, together or seperated, at the trumpet of God, we shall all be together with Christ - resurrected, just as Christ is...that is in refrencing not only spirtual but also physical bodily form!
We believe that Jesus died and rose again. If that is true then all those who have fallen asleep in Jesus are with Jesus. The great hope that overcomes the black whole of grief is that whether the child of God is awake or asleep, together or seperated, at the trumpet of God, we shall all be together with Christ - resurrected, just as Christ is...that is in refrencing not only spirtual but also physical (glorified) bodily form!
So all of this is leading us to discuss what is yet to come, though it is built off of what has been. (ex. the resurrection of the saints is built off of the resurrection of Christ…)
So naturally we are discussing prophecy.
Many times when prophecy comes into the picture, people treat it almost as a different language, rather than a literal Word from God that we can stake our lives on.
I would encourage you to note however, that every fulfilled Bible prophecy has been done so literally.
Read it that way, read it to know what the Lord says.
The theme of 1 Thessalonians is the Return of Jesus Christ.
These studies are directed to those who “know and love the Lord”
So I want to begin with what we know.
What we know…when God speaks of what we know He puts it in the perfect tense because God has given us all that we need to know.
These are certain things that you know…no matter what camp you are in.
If you do not know these things then you don’t believe the scripture.
Christ is coming again (,
64 Jesus said to him, “You have said it yourself; nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
Matthew 26:
2 In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.
2. The living members of the church will be called up to meet Him in the air
whatever you want to call that is up to you
16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
“in Christ” - I believe this term is unique to the church…that is why I worded #2 that way. If you want you could say “believers” will be called up.
Some would call this the rapture. I have no problem with that. If you were reading the Latin text then you would have the word rapture. To be raptured or called up is the same thing.
I am well aware that there are those who will get bent that the word “rapture” isn’t in the Bible. That is not a big deal to me. The word trinity isn’t in the body, but the teaching of it is. If you don’t believe in the teaching of the trinity then you don’t hold to scripture even though that specific word is not in the Bible. So friends…don’t get caught up in that.
Now when that takes place…I’m not touching on that right now.
3.There will be a falling away
3 Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.
Some take this to be the rapture. I don’t think so.
2 Thess
11 Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many.
11 Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. 12 Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold.
There will be a falling away or apostasy before the day of the Lord
4. A man of sin (the Antichrist) will be revealed
3 Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.
5. A Great Tribulation
1 “Now at that time Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise. And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued.
Daniel 12
Matthew 24:
29 “But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
6. There will be a Kingdom Age (1000 year period)
4 Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
Revelation 20
There are different fields which argue the time period of the 1000 years. Thats not what I’m getting into. There is a Kingdom Age 1000 year period spoken of in scripture, yet to take place, that is what I am saying.
7. There will be a judgment of the unrighteous
11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds.
Revelation 20:11-12
So those are at least 7 spoken truths of God yet to take place.
Coming back to our text this morning we read that, because we have been set apart for God and are sanctified we are looking for His return.
Because we have been set apart for God and are sanctified we are looking for His return
been put to sleep (passive voice) in Jesus.
8 in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.
12 instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, 14 who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.
This is not only a blessed hope for the last generation, but from the first generation after the resurrection of Christ, throughout the ages, even now and unto the end.
Let me say that again,
Every generation of the church has been looking for and anticipating the immanent return of Christ.
Every generation, living as though Christ was returning in their generation.
You may have had a wonderful day and in the same breath that it is joyful to come to a time of rest, so it is also a little sad that it is over. In the same way however we do not go to sleep hopeless, but ready for what the new day will bring.
13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. 15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.
This text deals with the return of Christ. This is one passage that deals with such.
Don’t be ignorant - we are about to be informed of something. Again let me remind you, this phrase is sandwiched between two teachings highlighting that there is no need to be further informed on those topics, only reminded of them or encouraged in them. This is different. This is unique.
about those who are asleep - perfect passive. It is God who has put his children asleep.
You don’t die beloved, you are put to sleep in Jesus.
My brother did not die. He went to sleep.
In the shadow of death, the Lord was there and took unto Himself my beloved brother.
Absent from the body, is to be present with the Lord.
Friends, death has no sting, death has no victory.
55 O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; 57 but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Understand this brethren, that the work of Christ has overcome sin and the power of sin to convict us in the law, because we are in Him, we are perfectly righteous. If we are in Him then we don’t die as does the world but we sleep in Him…or…we are made to sleep in Him, by Him.
You ought to know this so that you...
Do not sorrow as others who have no hope - “no” is the intensive or absolute negative. Only God can speak in this strength without being wrong. Those outside of Christ have absolutely and emphatically no hope.
For if we believe - 1st class condition…meaning, it should be written, “if we believe and indeed we do”...
Jesus died - statement of fact
Rose again - statement of fact
In the same way God will bring with Him those who have been put to sleep in Jesus
sleep - again, sleep is the word from which we get the bedroom/cemetery…meaning resting place.
So, we who believe that Jesus died, and rose again, with the same certainty we also know that:
Those who God has put to sleep in Jesus will be with Him when He comes.
How will He come?
We say this by the Word of the Lord, that we which have been permitted to remain (present passive - God has you here when He comes if you are here)
Shall not (absolutley not) come before those who have been put to sleep
How will He come?
The Lord Himself - Jesus Christ - the YAWEH of OT is the Christ of the NT.
This is where we must be sharpened in our doctrine.
Important to Biblical Doctrine:
That Jesus is God and has come in the flesh vs.2&3, vs. 6&7, vs. 16&17
(Jesus & God are both one in the same displaying that God almighty has become flesh)
For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God,
I would note here that what is specified in the “how” of His coming in this passage is a calling out a coming of the Word, of the trumpet of God.
and the dead in Christ will rise first.
Shall not (absolutley not) come before those who have been put to sleep
For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
“In Christ” - a characteristic term of His church. It is one of the mysteries revealed in scripture
Then we who are alive (here because God has you here) shall be called up (passive - we won’t have anything to do with it)
with them in the clouds to meet
(many think that meet is a technical term…I struggle to see any word in it’s final analisys as a technical term/one which means the same thing every-time no matter where it occurs. The technical term is that you meet a monarch and bring him into his town. There are however other passages where it does not mean that. The picture here doesn’t seem to be that we come back to earth but that we go to be with the Lord. )
and so shall we always be with the Lord.
Here is a great comfort…I would say at least two:
We will in no way, in no part be separate from the Lord again.
We will in no way, in no part be separate from each other again.
Is that not a beautiful fufillment or conclusion of the two greatest commands. Is that not a wonderful truth! Can you not see in that the wonderful joy that Christ had before Him and by His grace has put before us?!
Therefore comfort one another with these words.
Think of it:
1. Our loved ones in Christ are with the Lord
not in hell, not in suspension, not in soul sleep, not in pergetory
2. That we also will be called up to be with the Lord.
It appears that if we are to comfort one another with these words that this is the first event that we are looking for in Jesus Christ.
That Jesus has come in the flesh vs.2&3, vs. 6&7, vs. 16&17 (Jesus & God are both one in the same displaying that God almighty has become flesh)
1 “Now at that time Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise. And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued. 2 Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt. 3 Those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. 4 But as for you, Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the book until the end of time; many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase.”
5 Then I, Daniel, looked and behold, two others were standing, one on this bank of the river and the other on that bank of the river. 6 And one said to the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, “How long will it be until the end of these wonders?” 7 I heard the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, as he raised his right hand and his left toward heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time; and as soon as they finish shattering the power of the holy people, all these events will be completed. 8 As for me, I heard but could not understand; so I said, “My lord, what will be the outcome of these events?” 9 He said, “Go your way, Daniel, for these words are concealed and sealed up until the end time. 10 Many will be purged, purified and refined, but the wicked will act wickedly; and none of the wicked will understand, but those who have insight will understand. 11 From the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. 12 How blessed is he who keeps waiting and attains to the 1,335 days! 13 But as for you, go your way to the end; then you will enter into rest and rise again for your allotted portion at the end of the age.”
1 Behold, a day is coming for the Lord when the spoil taken from you will be divided among you. 2 For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city will be captured, the houses plundered, the women ravished and half of the city exiled, but the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city. 3 Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations, as when He fights on a day of battle. 4 In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south. 5 You will flee by the valley of My mountains, for the valley of the mountains will reach to Azel; yes, you will flee just as you fled before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord, my God, will come, and all the holy ones with Him!
6 In that day there will be no light; the luminaries will dwindle. 7 For it will be a unique day which is known to the Lord, neither day nor night, but it will come about that at evening time there will be light.
8 And in that day living waters will flow out of Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea and the other half toward the western sea; it will be in summer as well as in winter.
9 And the Lord will be king over all the earth; in that day the Lord will be the only one, and His name the only one.
10 All the land will be changed into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem; but Jerusalem will rise and remain on its site from Benjamin’s Gate as far as the place of the First Gate to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king’s wine presses. 11 People will live in it, and there will no longer be a curse, for Jerusalem will dwell in security.
12 Now this will be the plague with which the Lord will strike all the peoples who have gone to war against Jerusalem; their flesh will rot while they stand on their feet, and their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongue will rot in their mouth. 13 It will come about in that day that a great panic from the Lord will fall on them; and they will seize one another’s hand, and the hand of one will be lifted against the hand of another. 14 Judah also will fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the surrounding nations will be gathered, gold and silver and garments in great abundance. 15 So also like this plague will be the plague on the horse, the mule, the camel, the donkey and all the cattle that will be in those camps.
16 Then it will come about that any who are left of all the nations that went against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Booths. 17 And it will be that whichever of the families of the earth does not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, there will be no rain on them. 18 If the family of Egypt does not go up or enter, then no rain will fall on them; it will be the plague with which the Lord smites the nations who do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Booths. 19 This will be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all the nations who do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Booths.
20 In that day there will be inscribed on the bells of the horses, “HOLY TO THE LORD.” And the cooking pots in the Lord’s house will be like the bowls before the altar. 21 Every cooking pot in Jerusalem and in Judah will be holy to the Lord of hosts; and all who sacrifice will come and take of them and boil in them. And there will no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the Lord of hosts in that day.
1 Praise the Lord!
Praise God in His sanctuary;
Praise Him in His mighty expanse.
2 Praise Him for His mighty deeds;
Praise Him according to His excellent greatness.
3 Praise Him with trumpet sound;
Praise Him with harp and lyre.
4 Praise Him with timbrel and dancing;
Praise Him with stringed instruments and pipe.
5 Praise Him with loud cymbals;
Praise Him with resounding cymbals.
6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord!
Psalm 150
1 Thus says the Lord,
“Preserve justice and do righteousness,
For My salvation is about to come
And My righteousness to be revealed.
2 “How blessed is the man who does this,
And the son of man who takes hold of it;
Who keeps from profaning the sabbath,
And keeps his hand from doing any evil.”
3 Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord say,
“The Lord will surely separate me from His people.”
Nor let the eunuch say, “Behold, I am a dry tree.”
4 For thus says the Lord,
“To the eunuchs who keep My sabbaths,
And choose what pleases Me,
And hold fast My covenant,
5 To them I will give in My house and within My walls a memorial,
And a name better than that of sons and daughters;
I will give them an everlasting name which will not be cut off.
6 “Also the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord,
To minister to Him, and to love the name of the Lord,
To be His servants, every one who keeps from profaning the sabbath
And holds fast My covenant;
7 Even those I will bring to My holy mountain
And make them joyful in My house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be acceptable on My altar;
For My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples.”
8 The Lord God, who gathers the dispersed of Israel, declares,
“Yet others I will gather to them, to those already gathered.”
9 All you beasts of the field,
All you beasts in the forest,
Come to eat.
10 His watchmen are blind,
All of them know nothing.
All of them are mute dogs unable to bark,
Dreamers lying down, who love to slumber;
11 And the dogs are greedy, they are not satisfied.
And they are shepherds who have no understanding;
They have all turned to their own way,
Each one to his unjust gain, to the last one.
12 “Come,” they say, “let us get wine, and let us drink heavily of strong drink;
And tomorrow will be like today, only more so.”
1 The Mighty One, God, the Lord, has spoken,
And summoned the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting.
2 Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty,
God has shone forth.
3 May our God come and not keep silence;
Fire devours before Him,
And it is very tempestuous around Him.
4 He summons the heavens above,
And the earth, to judge His people:
5 “Gather My godly ones to Me,
Those who have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.”
6 And the heavens declare His righteousness,
For God Himself is judge.
Selah.
1 The word of the Lord which came to Micah of Moresheth in the days of Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.
2 Hear, O peoples, all of you;
Listen, O earth and all it contains,
And let the Lord God be a witness against you,
The Lord from His holy temple.
3 For behold, the Lord is coming forth from His place.
He will come down and tread on the high places of the earth.
4 The mountains will melt under Him
And the valleys will be split,
Like wax before the fire,
Like water poured down a steep place.
5 All this is for the rebellion of Jacob
And for the sins of the house of Israel.
What is the rebellion of Jacob?
Is it not Samaria?
What is the high place of Judah?
Is it not Jerusalem?
Micah 1:1
Matthew 24:27-
27 For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. 28 Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.
29 “But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. 31 And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.
31 “But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats;
:
The great debate is that which centers around Israel and the church.
Do you believe that the church is that mystery spoken of in the NT?
I observe that the expression “in Christ” is a unique expression used for the church not to Israel.
I believe the church is the mystery which means that the church is not present in or 25.
1 “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. 3 If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.
John 14:
Not a reference to the rapture. Again this is prior to the mystery revealed. It is a comfort for Israel just as it is for us. This is given imeedietly after Peter is told of his denial of Christ. This is a comfort to Israel who also denies Christ as Peter is the apostle to the Jew.
50 Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; 57 but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.
This text seems to connect to .
1 Corinthians 15:50-58
10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.
This is clearly the end of the Kingdom age and doesn’t fit any of the others. All OT deal with Israel and God establishing His Kingdom and coming to fight for His people.
Wo what we appear to have are two passages of scripture that indicate a sudden change in us the church and seem to reference it as a mystery.
We will be changed - the corruptible will put on the incorruptible.
Do you believe that Jesus could come today?
Every generation has believed and watched for the soon return of the Lord.
If you believe that Jesus could come at any moment - then you believe in the rapture.
If you do not believe that there are at least two major aspects to the return of the Lord (1 for the church and 1 for Israel) then you can not believe that Christ could come today.
If there is only one coming then what you are anticipating is the revelation of the Antichrist and a revelation such as the world has never known.
worse than AD 70, worse than the Jew under Hitler...
Now I return again to our text and the teaching before us and the inference or conclusion that is reached in verse 18...
It is that built upon the truth that:
No need to write: The church is by the grace of God living sanctified (v1-12)
Don’t be uniformed: The asleep in the Lord first and then those who remain will be called up to be with the Lord forever (v13-11)
No need to write: The church is by God’s grace not destined for wrath but knows of the coming day of the Lord (ch5:1-11)
This portion actually reiterates 4:18 in 5:11 and further clarifies our current sanctified living and our comfort to one another:
8 But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation. 9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.
1 Thessalonians 5:8-
In that coming day of the Lord…here is your comfort as clear as it can be.....
You are not destined for wrath.
Whether you are presently awake or asleep in the Lord you will in that time and season will be with the Lord forever. You have been destined to obtain salvation/deliverance through Christ Jesus our Lord. How? You will be with Him, by His calling.
13 But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. 14 It was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us.
16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace, 17 comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word.
2 Thessalonians 2:13