Monthly Archives: June 2010

Heavens Light 6-27-10 1 Thessalonians 4:15-5:11 The Rapture and the Day of the Lord – Part 4

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1 Thessalonians 4:15-5:11

The Rapture and the Day of the Lord  – Part 4 

Mark 13:24, 27

“But in those days, after that tribulation, …….

He will send forth the angels, and will gather together His elect from the four winds,

from the farthest end of the earth, to the farthest end of heaven.  NASB

 

1 Thessalonians 5:3-4 –  3 While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape. NASU

A. Notice then, as the unbelieving world is caught in the web of Antichrist’s deception, they actually think of it as “Peace and safety.” Note the terms, “While they are saying,” seems to indicate that right at the time of the parousia they will be saying this, then the Lord appears “suddenly.” This happens as they do not realize that the looming judgment of Christ which has been brewing for some 6000 years of man’s rebellion against God, is finally upon them. Paul describes what happens next as… “then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape.” This is exactly how Jesus described His coming. On the very day He rescues the righteous, then sudden destruction comes upon the wicked and unbelieving.

Luke 17:25-37 –  26 “And just as it happened in the days of Noah, so it shall be also in the days of the Son of Man: 27 they were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. 28 “It was the same as happened in the days of Lot: they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building; 29 but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. 30 “It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed. 31 “On that day, let not the one who is on the housetop and whose goods are in the house go down to take them away; and likewise let not the one who is in the field turn back. 32 “Remember Lot‘s wife. 33 “Whoever seeks to keep his life shall lose it, and whoever loses his life shall preserve it. 34 “I tell you, on that night there will be two men in one bed; one will be taken, and the other will be left. 35 “There will be two women grinding at the same place; one will be taken, and the other will be left. 36 [“Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other will be left.”] NASB

Not only is the Second Coming of Christ inevitable, but when it comes, there will be no way of escape for anyone who is not ready (being a born again Christian, living in Christ). Notice, “then destruction will come upon them suddenly” and the end of the world as we know it will be upon mankind, and with utter finality and fierce judgment the wrath of God will come down upon the kingdoms of this world, and upon all the ungodly and unbelieving sinners who have ignored God’s warnings and rebelled against His authority and “they will not escape.” Paul gives a more comprehensive and vivid description of what happens here in 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10.

2 Thessalonians 1:7-11 – 7 and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, 8 dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 And these will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, 10 when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed —  for our testimony to you was believed. NASB

Isaiah 13:9-13 – 9 Behold, the day of the Lord is coming, Cruel, with fury and burning anger,

To make the land a desolation; And He will exterminate its sinners from it. 10 For the stars of heaven and their constellations Will not flash forth their light; The sun will be dark when it rises, And the moon will not shed its light. 11 Thus I will punish the world for its evil, And the wicked for their iniquity; I will also put an end to the arrogance of the proud, And abase the haughtiness of the ruthless. 12 I will make mortal man scarcer than pure gold, And mankind than the gold of Ophir. 13 Therefore I shall make the heavens tremble, And the earth will be shaken from its place At the fury of the Lord of hosts In the day of His burning anger. NASB

God has warned of this looming judgment from even before the flood, as far back as 5000 years ago God’s prophets were warning of His coming global judgment upon all mankind.

Jude 14-15 – 14 And about these also Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones, 15 to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.” NASB

 

1 Thessalonians 5:4-6 –  4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; 5 for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; 6 so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober. NASU

A. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief  – This important truth needs to be held in correct balance. On one hand Jesus taught us that we do not know the day or hour, but at the same time was saying that we should be aware of the events surrounding His coming so that we would not be caught unaware. Jesus made explicit statements about the fact that we were to “be on the alert” and to pay attention to the signs of His coming so that we would not be caught unaware and that this day would not overtake us as a thief.

Mark 13:23 – 23 “But take heed; behold, I have told you everything in advance. NASB

Mark 13:28-29 – 28 “Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender, and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. 29 “Even so, you too, when you see these things happening, recognize that He is near, right at the door. NASB

Matthew 24:24-25 – 24 “For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. 25 “Behold, I have told you in advance. NASB

Luke 21:27-36 – 27 “And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 “But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” 29 And He told them a parable: “Behold the fig tree and all the trees; 30 as soon as they put forth leaves, you see it and know for yourselves that summer is now near. 31 “Even so you, too, when you see these things happening, recognize that the kingdom of God is near. 32 “Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all things take place. 33 “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away. 34 “Be on guard, that your hearts may not be weighted down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that day come on you suddenly like a trap; 35 for it will come upon all those who dwell on the face of all the earth. 36 “But keep on the alert at all times, praying in order that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.” NASB

In fact the parable of the Ten Virgins was designed to explain this truth very clearly.

Matthew 25:10-13 – 10 “And while they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut. 11 “And later the other virgins also came, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open up for us.’ 12 “But he answered and said, ‘Truly I say to you, I do not know you.’ 13 “Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour. NASB

Other Apostles made it very clear that this knowledge was to cause us to be alert and on our guard. 

2 Peter 3:17-18 – 17 You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard lest, being carried away by the error of unprincipled men, you fall from your own steadfastness, 18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen. NASB

On this basis then, Christians are to be well aware of the signs of Christ coming and not be deceived by date setters or false teachers, or to fall into a lifestyle of complacency or drunkenness and be caught in a state not ready for the Lord’s return but in fact busy about the Master’s business. Notice here, “But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief.” Paul’s point couldn’t be clearer, the parousia will not “overtake” Christians “like a thief,” but rather we will be well aware that the day is upon us and expectantly waiting for it. This is because “you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness,” and have our hearts and minds illumined by the knowledge of these things. Christ has brightly shown us these things and we are not “in darkness” and unaware, but rather “sons of light” and know full well that these things are coming upon the world. In response to this then, Christians are not to be slumbering or complacently getting drunk and living in dissipation, “so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober.” Paul gives an apt description of what our lifestyle should be like in light of these truths in Romans chapter 13.

Romans 13:11-14 – 11 And this do, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. 12 The night is almost gone, and the day is at hand. Let us therefore lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts. NASB

B. 5 for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; 6 so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober – Here the great contrast between the believer and the unbeliever is seen. The unbeliever is “in darkness,” the believer has been transformed, “for you are all sons of light and sons of day.” Of course here “light” and “darkness” have to do with our illumination to the soon coming of Christ and destruction upon the wicked. Those who are “sons of light all sons of light and sons of day” are able to clearly see what is coming upon the world, the “sudden destruction” of verse 3, to which unbelievers are “in darkness” and cannot see. The contrast here is between those who can see and will not be “overtaken by the sudden destruction like a thief,” and those who are “of night and of darkness” who will in fact be “overtaken” by the sudden coming of Christ, the great day of the Lord. Paul goes on here, “We are not of night nor of darkness; 6 so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober.” His point here is, since we are “sons of light and sons of day” and can see clearly the looming judgment of the great day, and because we are “not of night nor of darkness,” that we should NOT behave like sons of darkness but rather like “sons of light.” This teaching is very clear in other places in Scripture.

Ephesians 5:5-14 – 5 For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not be partakers with them; 8 for you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), 10 trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 And do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; 12 for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. 13 But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light. NASB

Jesus warned in the Olivet Discourse concerning His Second Coming that His people should not be “weighted down” by vain things or worries of life or in “drunkenness.” But in contrast to that, we should be “alert at all times” eagerly looking for our “escape” from these things.

Luke 21:34-36 – 34 “Be on guard, that your hearts may not be weighted down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that day come on you suddenly like a trap; 35 for it will come upon all those who dwell on the face of all the earth. 36 “But keep on the alert at all times, praying in order that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.” NASB

Matthew 24:45-51 – 45 “Who then is the faithful and sensible slave whom his master put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46 “Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. 47 “Truly I say to you, that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48 “But if that evil slave says in his heart, ‘My master is not coming for a long time,’ 49 and shall begin to beat his fellow slaves and eat and drink with drunkards; 50 the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour which he does not know, 51 and shall cut him in pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites; weeping shall be there and the gnashing of teeth. NASB

The contrast between the “sons of light” and those “in darkness” is one that can be clearly discerned by our lifestyle. True Christians honor God by the way they live, both in their abstaining from sinful activities like drunkenness and immorality, and live holy lives of purity and sobriety before the Lord.

2 Peter 3:11-13 – 11 Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, on account of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! 13 But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.  NASB

On this basis Paul tells the Christians to live “alert and sober,” like people of the day, not to be asleep and unaware, like people sleeping at night. We are not to “sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober.” His point is clear, in regard to the Second Coming of Christ, we are not to be asleep, but awake and alert, paying attention to the events of day, being sure to not be overtaken suddenly by His coming, but living in holiness and eagerly awaiting our deliverance.

 

1 Thessalonians 5:7-8 – 7 For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night. 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. NASU

A. For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night – His point again is clear, in regard to the looming judgment of Christ’s Second Coming, we shouldn’t be unaware like we were sleeping, or morally uncontrolled as if we were drunk, “For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night.”

B. 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 – Instead, “since we are of the day,” we should be aware and “sober.” Then he uses yet another analogy of the Christian life stating “having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.” Here he is describing that our Christian faith is like being prepared for battle with the all the gear needed for warfare. The emphasis here is on being prepared, as if for warfare. This he describes as faith, love and hope, that beautiful triad of Christian virtue which is the possession of all who trust in Christ. This kind of armor imagery is common in Paul’s writings. See Eph 6:11-18, Rom 13:12-14 

Romans13:12-14 – 12 The night is almost gone, and the day is at hand. Let us therefore lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts. NASB

 

1 Thessalonians 5:9-11 –  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. NASU

A. For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, – Here Paul is saying, “God has not destined us,” that is, the sovereign God is the One who holds our destiny. And that destiny is absolutely clear, it is not “for wrath, but instead for obtaining salvation.” God did not save us to destroy us, but instead to set His love upon us, deliver us and set us apart from sin, and to glorify His greatness by a mighty salvation which has come to us by His grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. Here Paul is continuing his thought from verse 5:1-2, describing what it will be like at the coming “day of the Lord.” The unbelieving world will be unaware of His coming and “suddenly destroyed…..like a thief in the night.” But the Christians will not be “overtaken by that day as a thief,” but instead being “alert and sober” will in fact be delivered from the coming wrath, as verses 4:15-17 so clearly portray. First comes the deliverance and rescue, THEN comes the wrath and destruction. I repeat here that this is abundantly clear in the teaching of our Lord.

Matthew 24:37-42 – 37 “For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. 38 “For as in those days which were before the flood they were eating and drinking, they were marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so shall the coming of the Son of Man be. 40 “Then there shall be two men in the field; one will be taken, and one will be left. 41 “Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken, and one will be left.  42 “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. NASB

Noah was eagerly awaiting the coming judgment of God. He didn’t know the day or the hour, but He knew that God had said he would judge, and it would be in his lifetime. Therefore he was about the master’s business of building an ark, all the while the mocking rebels of the world looked on with amazement while he built the great ark in the middle of a place where it had never rained. But when the judgment came, Matt 24:38 says, “Noah entered the ark.” But the people of the world “did not understand until the flood came and took them all away, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be.” First came Noah’s deliverance, then came the sudden destruction of God’s “wrath,” of which the world was unaware, likely thinking it was a time of “peace and safety,” or at a minimum, another day as usual, eating, drinking, marrying, etc…

B. 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 – Can we have a greater proof that God will not destroy us than the fact that He sacrificed His Son so that we could live? Can He say in greater terms that He intends for our good and that our salvation is of such importance to Him that He would sacrifice the most valuable thing in the world to Him, even His only begotten Son? Indeed the Christ “who died for us” is proof of God’s love toward His called and chosen people, and sufficient means to save us from the wrath to come.

1 Thessalonians 1:10 – 10 and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come. NASB

Paul now refers all the way back to 4:13-15 when he says, “so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him.” His point here is, whether we Christians are alive now, or have passed away in death, “we will live together with Him.” Christian believers are now in Christ and shall never be separated from Him. Nothing in life, nor even death, can separate us from Him.

Romans 8:38-39 – 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. NASB

Colossians 3:3-4 – 3 For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. NASB

 

 
 
 You can hear this lesson taught on audio here… http://www.abqhcf.com/sermons/09-10/abc/05-02-2010_SundaySchool.mp3
 
 
 
 
 

If you would like to know how to know Jesus Christ and be ransomed from your sins and enter into eternal life…..click here to find out how….. http://www.gty.org/Resources/Articles/2425
 
Or read about the Christian Gospel here:  http://www.ligonier.org/welcome_whatisthegospel.php
 
 
If you have comments or questions, please do respond to shaan@heavenslight.org
 
If you would like to be added or add someone to this email list, just reply with “sign me up” and the address you want it sent to. May the Lord bless you and keep you!
 
 
Shaan Sloan
Heritage Christian Fellowship – ABQ
505-348–5092
The Lord is the Strength of My Life

 
 
 
 

I Love My Brother LANCE… Happy Birthday!

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Today is his birthday. Happy Birthday Lance! Lance is quite a guy. For starters he is one of the most brilliant telecom engineers around. He knows more stuff about communications while he is sleeping than most engineers know when they are working. If you have a telecom problem, and Lance can’t solve it, your in trouble. When I first started in telecom, it was with a company where Lance was working and he got me the job there. Then he trained me for years and years, in spite of my hard head, he taught most everything I know about telecom engineering. He has been a great mentor in my professional life.
Lance is also a great brother. He has taught me so much about life….hunting, fishing, guns, having a blast, and getting into mischief (he was good at that when we were growing up), how to live and how to love. He is a great guy. Lance has taught me how to love others and do what is necessary to help people who are in need. He is a very generous man and can frequently be seen giving sacrificially of his time and money to help people with thier problems. He even took me in when I was a wayward teenager to live with his new family for some time. And I am not the only one. Lance and Leanne (his wonderful wife) have taken in many people over the years to help them when in a tight spot, and many times this has come at a costly price for them. But they do it because they are loving. Many people could tell how much they have done for them. Lance is also a good father. He and Leanne also raised three great kids, Jeremy, Stacy and Amanda. He also faithfully serves in our church where he has always been a leader with the youth in the Adventurers ministry teaching all the kids so many life skills and things, organizing huge campouts and adventure trips. He has also taught the Bible to the youth for many, many years because he loves the Lord. Anyone who knows Lance, knows he loves the Lord, and he frequentlt ries to help people grow in their faith. 

He has also been a great Uncle to my kids. They really think of him fondly. Partly because he just a great uncle, and partly because he is such a funny guy. He is always pulling somebody’s chain and making them laugh. He has been a good influence in their life, and always pointing them to Christ when they needed to hear it.

So this is my post to honor my brother Lance, to whom honor is due. I just want to say to Lance, you are a great brother and I love and respect you. Thanks for being you. I am grateful to God that He made you my bro.

Shaan

Heavens Light 6-15-10 1 Thessalonians 4:15-5:11 The Rapture and the Day of the Lord – Part 3

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1 Thessalonians 4:15-5:11

The Rapture and the Day of the Lord  – Part 3 

Mark 13:24, 27

24 “But in those days, after that tribulation, …….

He will send forth the angels, and will gather together His elect from the four winds,

from the farthest end of the earth, to the farthest end of heaven.  NASB

 

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 – 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. NASU

C. 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 – The word “then” in this context explains that the event which is described happens after the prior event he just mentioned, “the dead in Christ will rise first.” This of course was Paul’s point in verse 4:15 when he said “we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.” After the dead in Christ are raised, “we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.” Now of this spectacular event there is much said in Scripture, it is in fact the event referred to as the rapture. The Greek word for “caught up,” harpazo, is the Latin rapio from which we get the English word rapture. It is the translation of living saints from the earth, to the sky, by a powerful act of God which will also transform the bodies of those living saints into glorious immortal bodies. This is in fact the blessed hope of the church, the Second Coming of Christ and the transformation of our bodies to be like His glorious body.

Titus 2:13 – 13 looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus; NASB

Colossians 3:4 – 4 When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. NASB

At this time, there will be a powerful transformation of the bodies of living saints, from mortal to immortal and never again to be subject to death.

1 John 3:2 – 2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is. NASB

Philippians 3:20-21 – 20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; 21 who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself. NASB

1 Corinthians 15:50-54 – 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 shall not all sleep, but we shall 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 shall 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. NASB

Notice also, that the translation of living saints united them to both the “dead in Christ” who were just raised, and the Lord Himself, “together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.” The raptured saints will meet “together with them,” and also “in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.” Notice that the common picture of the Second Coming of Christ is “in the clouds,” and this is where the raptured saints meet the resurrected saints in 1 Thess 4:15-17. This is a key indicator that these events (the rapture and the Second Coming), happen at the same time (post-tribulationism) and are not separated by a period of seven years (pre-tribulationism).

Acts 1:9-11 – 9 And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 10 And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was departing, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them; 11 and they also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.” NASB

Revelation 1:7 – 7 Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. Even so. Amen. NASB

Nevertheless, Christ will be coming again in the clouds and will raise His people from the dead and gather them together with His living saints “and so we shall always be with the Lord.” Don’t miss this last phrase, and very important part of the text. When Jesus returns for His Church and gathers us together, we shall never be separated from Christ again, but rather, “and so we shall always be with the Lord.” This is the primary reason why verse 13 explains that Christians “do not grieve as those who have no hope,” and the main support of that statement. Why we should we not grieve without hope? Because we have the hope that we will ultimately be rejoined with our deceased loved ones and better yet, united with them and Christ and never again separated henceforth.

D. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words – I suppose of all the comforting words that we Christians possess, none are so profound as these, verses 15-17, which tell us of our ultimate future beyond the grave and describe our eternal destiny with closure and finality. Not only do we “not grieve as them who have no hope,” but on the contrary, we have great hope that our future lies in the hands of the powerful and sovereign God who has purposed to save us from sin and death, and cause us to stand in His presence without fault and with great joy, when He comes again to finally deliver His people from this sin cursed and fallen world which we now live in. Moreover, it is at this point in history that His people will be eternally united to Him, as we are glorified together with Him on that day. There could be no greater hope then to have a sure victory over that great enemy death which has plagued us with its woes since we have fallen into sin. On this basis then, Paul states, “Therefore comfort one another with these words.” These promises are in fact a very comforting and reassuring truth that can give us hope and encouragement, even in our darkest trials and our bleakest day. We are therefore to actually speak this truth to grieving and downcast Christians when so needed, that things will not always suffer and grieve, but that a brighter and everlasting Day is soon approaching, and this Day will come with power from the God who is all-powerful and has promised to bring it to pass with glory, might and finality. Even our Lord Himself, on the night before He was crucified, encouraged with this truth.

John 14:1-3 – 14 “Let not 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 “And 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. NASB

 

1 Thessalonians 5:1-2 – 1 Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. 2 For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. NASU

A. Concerning the timing of these great events mentioned in 4:15-17, Paul explains that they had ample knowledge. He states, “Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you.” The words here for “times and epochs” clearly speak of the timing and order of these events. Paul again employs that tactic he had used with several times earlier in this letter where he calls them to account of their own knowledge saying “you yourselves know full well.” He wants them to recall the truths he had formerly taught them, and here specifically, “that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night.” Even Paul himself did not know the day or the hour of Christ’s return, and he points out here that this truth is plain. It was surely taught by Jesus Himself.

Matthew 24:36 – 36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. NASB

Acts 1:6-8 – 6 And so when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; NASB

This should cancel any fancy notions by people setting dates of Christ’s return, which is usually a ploy to garner a following and the financial benefits derived thereof. On the contrary Paul explains, that God has designed the Second Coming of Christ to overtake the unbelieving world unawares stating, “that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night.” He goes on to explain however in verses 3-5 that Christ’s coming will not overtake Christians in this way because, although we do not know the exact day or hour, the season of His coming will be very apparent to those discerning Christians who know full well the signs of His coming and of the end of the age. The main focus of Jesus telling us this was to cause us to be on the alert and be ready for His return, expectantly waiting and busy about His business with the treasure and talents He has entrusted to us. See comments on verse 4-5 for a more extensive explanation. 

Matthew 24:36 – 36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. NASB

Matthew 24:42-44 – 42 “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. 43 “But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. 44 “For this reason you be ready too; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will. NASB

It is significant that Paul equates the parousia or coming of Christ with the Old Testament terms “the day of the Lord.” By doing this Paul makes it clear that the events spoken of in the Old Testament concerning the Day of the Lord will happen at the Second Coming.

Isaiah 13:9-13 – 9 Behold, the day of the Lord is coming, Cruel, with fury and burning anger,

To make the land a desolation; And He will exterminate its sinners from it. 10 For the stars of heaven and their constellations Will not flash forth their light; The sun will be dark when it rises, And the moon will not shed its light. 11 Thus I will punish the world for its evil, And the wicked for their iniquity; I will also put an end to the arrogance of the proud, And abase the haughtiness of the ruthless. 12 I will make mortal man scarcer than pure gold, And mankind than the gold of Ophir. 13 Therefore I shall make the heavens tremble, And the earth will be shaken from its place At the fury of the Lord of hosts In the day of His burning anger. NASB

Joel 2:1-2 – Blow a trumpet in Zion, And sound an alarm on My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, For the day of the Lord is coming; Surely it is near, 2 A day of darkness and gloom, A day of clouds and thick darkness. As the dawn is spread over the mountains, So there is a great and mighty people; There has never been anything like it, Nor will there be again after it To the years of many generations. NASB

Joel 2:30-32 – 30 “And I will display wonders in the sky and on the earth, Blood, fire, and columns of smoke. 31 “The sun will be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. 32 “And it will come about that whoever calls on the name of the Lord Will be delivered; For on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem There will be those who escape, As the Lord has said, Even among the survivors whom the Lord calls. NASB

Obadiah 15 – 15 “For the day of the Lord draws near on all the nations. As you have done, it will be done to you. Your dealings will return on your own head. NASB

Zepheniah 1:14-18 – 4 Near is the great day of the Lord, Near and coming very quickly; Listen, the day of the Lord! In it the warrior cries out bitterly. 15 A day of wrath is that day, A day of trouble and distress, A day of destruction and desolation, A day of darkness and gloom, A day of clouds and thick darkness, 16 A day of trumpet and battle cry, Against the fortified cities And the high corner towers. 17 And I will bring distress on men, So that they will walk like the blind, Because they have sinned against the Lord; And their blood will be poured out like dust, And their flesh like dung. 18 Neither their silver nor their gold Will be able to deliver them On the day of the Lord’s wrath; And all the earth will be devoured In the fire of His jealousy, For He will make a complete end, Indeed a terrifying one, Of all the inhabitants of the earth. NASB

2 Peter 3:10 – 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. NASB

Note well here the severity of the full scope of events described in these passages. It is obvious that the full scope of these events cannot all happen immediately upon the Second Coming of Christ, for the whole earth will be destroyed and this will not take place until the end of the Millennial Kingdom. This is made clear in the chronology of events given in Revelation 20:1-15. Therefore the Day of the Lord actually has its inauguration at the Second Coming, but its full consummation is not completed until the end of the Millennial Reign of Christ, when He hands over the Kingdom to God the Father having subdued all His enemies, including death, the last enemy to be destroyed according to 1 Corinthians 15:26.

1 Corinthians 15:22-26 – 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming, 24 then comes the end, when He delivers up the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. 25 For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. 26 The last enemy that will be abolished is death. NASB

The chart below depicts this concept by viewing a chronology of events spanning from before the Second Coming of Christ until after the consummation of the ages and the Eternal State have begun. Notice the boxes in the upper right explaining the inauguration and consummation of the “Day of the Lord.”

 

 

Therefore the “day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night” to the unbelieving world and they will be swept away in judgment and Christ will destroy the earthly authorities and establish His righteous rule in Jerusalem. In fact, they will be so unaware, that they will think all is well the world’s economic problems have been finally solved by the Antichrist’s wicked and idolatrous system of supposed economic stability.

 

You can hear this lesson taught on audio here… http://www.abqhcf.com/sermons/09-10/abc/04-18-2010_SundaySchool.mp3

 
 
 

If you would like to know how to know Jesus Christ and be ransomed from your sins and enter into eternal life…..click here to find out how….. http://www.gty.org/Resources/Articles/2425
 
Or read about the Christian Gospel here:  http://www.ligonier.org/welcome_whatisthegospel.php
 
 
If you have comments or questions, please do respond to shaan@heavenslight.org
 
If you would like to be added or add someone to this email list, just reply with “sign me up” and the address you want it sent to. May the Lord bless you and keep you!
 
 
Shaan Sloan
Heritage Christian Fellowship – ABQ
505-348–5092
The Lord is the Strength of My Life

 
 
 
 

Heavens Light 6-8-10 1 Thessalonians 4:15-5:11 The Rapture and the Day of the Lord – Part 2

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1 Thessalonians 4:15-5:11

The Rapture and the Day of the Lord  – Part 2 
 Mark 13:27 
“And then He will send forth the angels, and will gather together His elect from the four winds,  
 from the farthest end of the earth, to the farthest end of heaven. NASB

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 – 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. NASU

A. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God – Now Paul begins to describe the parousia or coming of the Lord he mentioned in verse 1:10, 2:19, 3:13 and the preceding verse 4:15, as the term “For” connotes. As he has expectantly told them, “the Lord Himself will descend from heaven.” His meaning here is plain, this will not be some spiritual appearance or some esoteric revealing in the minds of enlightened people but rather a powerful inbreaking of the King of Heaven into the physical realm of time and space. “The Lord Himself will descend from heaven,” and He will do so “with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God.” Here notice He comes “with a shout,” or in the Greek a command. One cannot dismiss the account of Lazarus being raised from the dead, or the Lord’s words speaking of the resurrection of the dead in John 5:25-29, in regard to this resurrection as His powerful voice does in fact raise those who are “in Him” from the dead.
John 5:25-29 – 25 “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear shall live. 26 “For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself; 27 and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man. 28 “Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs shall hear His voice, 29 and shall come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment. NASB

The loud command of the Lord will be accompanied by “the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God.” The scene here is one of a general commanding his troops into the heat of battle. The Second Coming of Christ is often seen in Scripture as the triumphant conquering King coming to take what is rightfully His and to destroy those who oppose Him. Further, the Second Coming is in many places accompanied with angels and trumpets, the trumpets being a common feature in ancient middle eastern battle scenes. Note here then that the Lord is coming with His powerful angels, including “the archangel” himself. The word archangel is the Greek archaggelos, meaning a chief angel. Note the angel’s role in many end times passages. 
Mark 13:26-27 – 26 “And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.  27 “And then He will send forth the angels, and will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth, to the farthest end of heaven. NASB

Matthew 16:27 – 27 “For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and will then recompense every man according to his deeds. NASB

2 Thessalonians 1:7 – 7 and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, NASB

This trumpet however is “the trumpet of God” and this term gives it the utmost significance, relating it to the most significant trumpets in Scripture. The trumpet in the Bible is usually used for the gathering of God’s people for a significant event, feast, battle or otherwise. Here Christ’s first order of business at His coming is the gathering of His people, together with His powerful angels and a loud trumpet call. 
1 Corinthians 15:50-52 – 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 shall not all sleep, but we shall 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 shall be changed. NASB

Matthew 24:30-31 – 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. NASB

Notice in the above two passages, key passages on the Second Coming and resurrection, the accompaniment of both angels and trumpets.
Moreover, it should be noted that as many orthodox doctrinal statements testify, the Second Coming of Christ will be personal, bodily and visible. These facts are important because up until the Second Coming Christ’s presence is only spiritual, and non-visible. Therefore in many places the Bible speaks of the revealing or appearing of Christ as He shall appear personally and in the body.  This is most clearly indicated by our text, “The Lord Himself will descend from heaven.”
Hebrews 9:27-28 – 27 And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, 28 so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, shall appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him. NASB

1 Timothy 6:14-15 – 14 that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which He will bring about at the proper time —  He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords; NASB

2 Timothy 4:1-2 – 4 I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: NASB

1 Peter 1:7 – 7 that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;  NASB

Not only will He come personally and bodily, but He will come visibly so that His coming is witnessed by the entire world. This coming is said to be with power and great glory as He will be feared and marveled at by both the unbelieving world and those who have eagerly awaited His coming.
Revelation 1:7 – 7 Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. Even so. Amen. NASB

Mark 14:62 – 62 And Jesus said, “I am; and you shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” NASB

Matthew 24:30 – 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. NASB

Matthew 16:27 – 27 “For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and will then recompense every man according to his deeds. NASB

Mark 13:26 – 26 “And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. NASB

B. and the dead in Christ will rise first. – Here Christ’s first order of business at His coming is the gathering of His people, and this is done through the resurrection of dead saints and the translation of living saints to meet together in the air. Here is what Paul was describing in verse 15, “the dead in Christ will rise first,” and not “precede we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, v-15.” Note the order of events, “the dead in Christ will rise first,” THEN, “we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them.” But don’t miss these very key words and the significance of them, “the dead in Christ will rise.” It is very significant here that the resurrection of the dead takes place at the Second Coming. This resurrection must be understood in light of the whole context of Scripture in its teaching on the resurrection of the dead, for the resurrection of dead people is mentioned in many places in Scripture. There were miraculous healings of dead people who were raised by prophets in the Old Testament, Apostles in the New Testament, and also by our Lord Himself (1 Kings 17:20-24, 2 Kings 4:32-37, 13:21, Mark 5:41-43, John 11:43-44, Acts 9:40-41, Acts 20:9-12). Of course the most significant resurrection is that of our Lord Himself after His crucifixion, death and burial.
1 Corinthians 15:2-8 – 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; 7 then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; 8 and last of all, as it were to one untimely born, He appeared to me also. NASB

The Two Resurrections

There are many resurrections of dead people in Scripture, but the hope of a general resurrection of all people is a clear teaching in Scripture. This appears in the Old Testament.
Job 19:26-27 – 26 “Even after my skin is destroyed, Yet from my flesh I shall see God; 27 Whom I myself shall behold, And whom my eyes shall see and not another. My heart faints within me. NASB

Isaiah 26:19-21 – 19 Your dead will live; Their corpses will rise. You who lie in the dust, awake and shout for joy, For your dew is as the dew of the dawn, And the earth will give birth to the departed spirits. 20 Come, my people, enter into your rooms, And close your doors behind you; Hide for a little while, Until indignation runs its course. 21 For behold, the Lord is about to come out from His place To punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity; And the earth will reveal her bloodshed, And will no longer cover her slain. NASB

Ezekiel 37:12-13 – 12 “Therefore prophesy, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God,” Behold, I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves, My people; and I will bring you into the land of Israel. 13 “Then you will know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves and caused you to come up out of your graves, My people. NASB

And it also appears in the New Testament.
Mark 12:24-27 – 24 Jesus said to them, “Is this not the reason you are mistaken, that you do not understand the Scriptures, or the power of God? 25 “For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 26 “But regarding the fact that the dead rise again, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the burning bush, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’?  27 “He is not the God of the dead, but of the living; you are greatly mistaken.” NASB

1 Corinthians 15:20-24 – 20 But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. 21 For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming, 24 then comes the end, when He delivers up the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. NASB

1 Corinthians 15:50-54 – 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 shall not all sleep, but we shall 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 shall 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. NASB

Hebrews 6:1-2 – 1 Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, 2 of instruction about washings, and laying on of hands, and the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. NASB

Revelation 20:4-6 – 4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the 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 upon their forehead and upon their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years. NASB

In fact, there are two resurrections that are spoken of in Scripture which have yet to happen in the course of history and are clearly taught as separate events. They are referred to as the resurrection unto life for the righteous AND the resurrection unto judgment or contempt for the wicked.
Daniel 12:1-3 – 12 “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 “And 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 “And 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. NASB

John 5:28-29 – 28 “Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs shall hear His voice, 29 and shall come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment. NASB

Acts 24:14-15 – 14 “But this I admit to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect I do serve the God of our fathers, believing everything that is in accordance with the Law, and that is written in the Prophets; 15 having a hope in God, which these men cherish themselves, that there shall certainly be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked. NASB

But these resurrections are separated by a period of 1000 years and clearly taught as separate events. Notice Revelation 20 verse 5.
Revelation 20:4-6 – 4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the 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 upon their forehead and upon their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years. NASB

Revelation 20:11-15 – 11 And 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. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. 14 And death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. NASB

Notice in these two passages the contrast behind the statements in 20:5 about “the first resurrection,” over whom “the second death has no power v-20:6,” and “the second death,” of verse 20:14. Those who are raised in the first resurrection shall become immortal and never again be subject to death. They will live forever from that point forward.

Now when considering the resurrection mentioned in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 it is important to realize that this resurrection must of course be the resurrection of the righteous unto life, as these are God’s people, the church who have been promised eternal life and in fact those who do not have to “grieve like the rest who have no hope,” because the Christian hope is that we will be raised again to eternal life and forever be with the Lord Jesus Christ. Further, the “first resurrection” is the first order of business at Jesus Second Coming as the passage tells us, as the living saints join “the dead in Christ” who have risen first.
If you would like to know how to know Jesus Christ and be ransomed from your sins and enter into eternal life…..click here to find out how….. 
http://www.gty.org/Resources/Articles/2425

Or read about the Christian Gospel here:  http://www.ligonier.org/welcome_whatisthegospel.php

If you have comments or questions, please do respond to shaan@heavenslight.org

If you would like to be added or add someone to this email list, just reply with “sign me up” and the address you want it sent to. May the Lord bless you and keep you!
Shaan Sloan
Heritage Christian Fellowship – ABQ
505-348–5092
The Lord is the Strength of My Life

Jesus Lover of My Soul

1 Comment
 

I recently read at Ray Ortlund’s blog …. Dr Martin Lloyd Jones once said… 

 

 “In one sense the whole object of being a Christian is that you may know the love of Jesus Christ, his personal love to you; that he may tell you in unmistakable language that he loves you, that he has given himself for you, that he has loved you with ‘an everlasting love.’  He does this through the Holy Spirit; he ’seals’ all his statements to you through the Spirit. . . .  You believe it because it is in the Word; but there is more than that; he will tell you this directly as a great secret.  The Spirit gives manifestations of the Son of God to his own, to his beloved, to those for whom he has gladly died and given himself.” Romans: An Exposition of Chapters 7.1-8.4 (Edinburgh, 1973), page 61

 

Jesus loves me! Oh my soul rejoice! I am loved by God the Son! That Christ would love me, wretched man that I am and so unworthy of His love! But this is His emphatic declaration to me. In fact it is the central theme in God’s plan of redemption and the message of the whole Bible? Yes Indeed…he tells us again and again…

 

Galatians 2:20 – 20 “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me. NASB

Revelation 1:5 –  5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the first-born of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us, and released us from our sins by His blood, NASB

Ephesians 5:25 – 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her; NASB

Ephesians 5:1 – 1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; 2 and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you, and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. NASB

Romans 8:37-39 – 37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. NASB

 

Even in Sunday School as a child we learned….

 

“Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so”…..

 

Let us not doubt it once, but let us bask in this great truth…..we are loved by Christ. Let us take this glorious cup of salvation and drink it to the full!

 

Jesus loves me! Has He not whispered this great secret in your ear? If not, dear one, delay not another moment, but come to Him today, repenting of your sins, trusting in His righteousness alone, and embracing His divine love.

 

Shaan Sloan
Christ’s Servant at
Heritage Christian Fellowship ABQ
The Lord is the Strength of My Life

Heavens Light 6-2-10 1 Thessalonians 4:15-5:11 The Rapture and the Day of the Lord – Part 1

53 Comments
 

1 Thessalonians 4:15-5:11

The Rapture and the Day of the Lord

 Mark 13:27

“And then He will send forth the angels, and will gather together His elect from the four winds,  

 from the farthest end of the earth, to the farthest end of heaven. NASB 

 

1 Thessalonians 4:15 – 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. NASU

A. 15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord – Now Paul is about to make a statement of incredible magnitude, “for this we say to you,” and he wants to assure his readers that this pronouncement is not his own, but in fact the Lord is the author of it. Calvin points out that what is about to be said is “incredible to the human mind and also promises what is above the power and choice of men, he premises that he does not bring forward anything that is his own, or that proceeds from men, but that the Lord is the author of it. It is probable, however, that the ‘word of the Lord’ means what was taken from His discourses.” Consider the supernatural nature of such an event as the Second Coming of Christ coming to resurrect those who are “asleep” in Him and to gather them with His living saints in the sky by an amazing appearance in the clouds. This is in fact an incredible statement. Here Paul makes specific reference to “the word of the Lord.” Some argue that Paul is giving an authoritative prophetic utterance of knowledge here while others maintain he is simply quoting a saying of Jesus, either from one of Jesus sermons or from an actual Gospel account such as Mark or Matthew’s record of the Olivet Discourse. Regardless of which of these may be true, the Lord Himself did give extensive teaching about His coming ‘parousia’ in the Olivet Discourse and in many other places as well which are recorded for us in the Gospels. In fact several commentators believe this is a direct reference to the Olivet Discourse, specifically the passage in Mark 13:24-27 and Matthew 24:30-31. I certainly do believe this myself. An analysis of this passage alongside of the Olivet Discourse reveals remarkable similarities (see attached chart on Text Comparison 1 Thess 4 and Matt 24).

Mark 13:24-27 – 24 “But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light,  25 and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken. 26 “And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.  27 “And then He will send forth the angels, and will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth, to the farthest end of heaven. NASB

Matthew 24:29-31 – 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. NASB

Not only this but it is very apparent that resurrection of dead saints along with translation of living saints is a key feature in the Second Coming, one must acknowledge that this feature exists as a key component of the Second Coming in every passage that speaks of it, whether or not it gives further details about this feature or not. In one context the writer my have in view a specific feature of the Second Coming such as the destruction of the wicked and unbelieving (2 Thes 1:7-10), or of the establishment of the Kingdom on earth (Rev 20:1-10), but that does mean then that the Second Coming does not include key features which are spoken of in other passages where the writer has that feature in view. Rather, we get a much clearer picture in our minds of all of the events which culminate at the Second Coming, and the order in which they do, as we piece together all the different passages which refer to it. And even though there are many passages which give many features and chronological order of events, the Second Coming is an event of such magnanimous proportions and supernatural intervention into the natural order of events that it we cannot get a perfect picture nor can we comprehend the whole nature and sense of what will happen, but will instead “marvel at” His glorious appearing with much wonder and awe (2 Thes 1:10).  In summary, Paul’s specific reference to “the word of the Lord” in my view is a reference to the Olivet Discourse, either a direct quotation from Paul’s memory or his paraphrase of an Olivet passage. Regardless of the validity of my position on this, we understand that Paul is making the point that what he is about to say, he says as a direct quotation of God’s Word and by God’s authority, whether that be a previously recorded quote or not.

B. that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep – This statement by Paul actually continues into verse 16-17, where Paul further clarifies his meaning. It is clear from this verse however that Paul expects the  Lord to return during his lifetime, or at the very least expects living believers to live in light of that expectation. This is clear from the words that “we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord.” This clearly shows that the Lord is coming and that there will be those who are “alive and remain until the coming of the Lord.” But Paul’s main point in this verse is to show that the believers who have “fallen asleep in Jesus, v-14,” are going to precede those who are “alive and remain.” The meaning here is, that they who would be alive at “the coming of the Lord” Jesus, would not be ‘changed‘ and received up into glory before those who were in there graves were raised up. This is his design in the words “will not precede those who have fallen asleep.” This point is very clear therefore, that is, at the Second Coming of Christ He will gather together His elect, and there will be a resurrection of dead believers which will precede the translation of living believers into the air to meet Christ when He comes. This is also clear from other passages.

John 11:25-26 – 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this? ”  NASB

1 Corinthians 6:14 – 14 Now God has not only raised the Lord, but will also raise us up through His power.  NASB

Romans 8:11 – 11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who indwells you.  NASB

1 Corinthians 15:50-54 – 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall 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 shall be changed. NASB

2 Corinthians 4:14 – 14 knowing that He who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and will present us with you. NASB

Mark 13:26-27 – 26 “And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.  27 “And then He will send forth the angels, and will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth, to the farthest end of heaven. NASB

 

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 – 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. NASU

A. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God – Now Paul begins to describe the parousia or coming of the Lord he mentioned in verse 1:10, 2:19, 3:13 and the preceding verse 4:15, as the term “For” connotes. As he has expectantly told them, “the Lord Himself will descend from heaven.” His meaning here is plain, this will not be some spiritual appearance or some esoteric revealing in the minds of enlightened people but rather a powerful inbreaking of the King of Heaven into the physical realm of time and space. “The Lord Himself will descend from heaven,” and He will do so “with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God.” Here notice He comes “with a shout,” or in the Greek a command. One cannot dismiss the account of Lazarus being raised from the dead, or the Lord’s words speaking of the resurrection of the dead in John 5:25-29, in regard to this resurrection as His powerful voice does in fact raise those who are “in Him” from the dead.

John 5:25-29 – 25 “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear shall live. 26 “For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself; 27 and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man. 28 “Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs shall hear His voice, 29 and shall come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment. NASB

The loud command of the Lord will be accompanied by “the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God.” The scene here is one of a general commanding his troops into the heat of battle. The Second Coming of Christ is often seen in Scripture as the triumphant conquering King coming to take what is rightfully His and to destroy those who oppose Him. Further, the Second Coming is in many places accompanied with angels and trumpets, the trumpets being a common feature in ancient middle eastern battle scenes. Note here then that the Lord is coming with His powerful angels, including “the archangel” himself. The word archangel is the Greek archaggelos, meaning a chief angel. Note the angel’s role in many end times passages. 

Mark 13:26-27 – 26 “And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.  27 “And then He will send forth the angels, and will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth, to the farthest end of heaven. NASB

Matthew 16:27 – 27 “For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and will then recompense every man according to his deeds. NASB

2 Thessalonians 1:7 – 7 and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, NASB

This trumpet however is “the trumpet of God” and this term gives it the utmost significance, relating it to the most significant trumpets in Scripture. The trumpet in the Bible is usually used for the gathering of God’s people for a significant event, feast, battle or otherwise. Here Christ’s first order of business at His coming is the gathering of His people, together with His powerful angels and a loud trumpet call. 

1 Corinthians 15:50-52 – 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 shall not all sleep, but we shall 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 shall be changed. NASB

Matthew 24:30-31 – 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. NASB

Notice in the above two passages, key passages on the Second Coming and resurrection, the accompaniment of both angels and trumpets.

 

Moreover, it should be noted that as many orthodox doctrinal statements testify, the Second Coming of Christ will be personal, bodily and visible. These facts are important because up until the Second Coming Christ’s presence is only spiritual, and non-visible. Therefore in many places the Bible speaks of the revealing or appearing of Christ as He shall appear personally and in the body.  This is most clearly indicated by our text, “The Lord Himself will descend from heaven.”

Hebrews 9:27-28 – 27 And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, 28 so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, shall appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him. NASB

1 Timothy 6:14-15 – 14 that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which He will bring about at the proper time —  He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords; NASB

2 Timothy 4:1-2 – 4 I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: NASB

1 Peter 1:7 – 7 that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;  NASB

Not only will He come personally and bodily, but He will come visibly so that His coming is witnessed by the entire world. This coming is said to be with power and great glory as He will be feared and marveled at by both the unbelieving world and those who have eagerly awaited His coming.

Revelation 1:7 – 7 Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. Even so. Amen. NASB

Mark 14:62 – 62 And Jesus said, “I am; and you shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” NASB

Matthew 24:30 – 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. NASB

Matthew 16:27 – 27 “For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and will then recompense every man according to his deeds. NASB

Mark 13:26 – 26 “And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. NASB

 
 
 
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Shaan Sloan
Heritage Christian Fellowship – ABQ
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The Lord is the Strength of My Life