Good evening, everybody. On this fourth day of January 2,023, I was thinking it was 2,022, and I wrote a check, and it could bounce because I had the wrong year.
So okay, I thought I'd be better at this after all these years of
New Years. So we're in first the Salonians.
Were in first setup. Thessalonians, chapter 4.
Really like this this chapter, and I'm so glad you're here with us tonight to discover some things we hope about.
Well. First Thessalonians, chapter 4. So I'd like to just begin by reminding you that that Thessalonians begins with these 3 sort of themes in in chapter one, verse 3, where it says, remembering without ceasing your work of faith your labor of love and your patience of
hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God our Father.
And so, father, we bless the reading of your word. And the instruction it has for us even today, and we thank you for the Word of God, which is sacred to us, and we what wish to honor it and know it, and to and to live it.
And so help us through your Holy Spirit to do so, as we bless our our study tonight in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen!
So these Thessalonians. This is an an early epistle, and they were.
They were visited by Paul in Thessalonica, on the Gnc.
Kind of up there. It was a kind of a crossroad city that the Romans had.
It was quite a a worldly city, and there were, but it was a huge city, maybe, like Athens or Corinth, but it was.
It was an important one. So and there were many problems in the society there, and you can see this from some of the comments in Chapter 4.
But call really in the first 3 chapters is talking about some personal things and some interactions with with the believers there, and more of a general nature, and then, and he talks about their work of faith, how they became you know, believers in Lord Jesus Christ and and how they they were growing in their faith and
Then their labor of love. They they no, I love the Lord, but they loved each other, and we're working at that.
Or labor of love, and then their third thing is their patience of hope and interesting combination.
Of words there, that you have patience of hope. And really, in chapter 4.
It's revealed what what they're hoping for, which is the return of the Lord Jesus Christ, or the call of the Lord.
Jesus Christ I pointed out last week that Chapter 4 begins with the term.
Finally, or furthermore.
And and then sort of notes, a change of subject. We're gonna change now from from these general comments.
And yeah, things about their faith and their conversion. Encouragement by Timothy to to things I need to to work on in in their lives.
And and and really it does. I think it leads the chapter 4 and 5 gives a nice sort of I don't know if I can say chronological timeline, but I feel a practical timeline.
In other words, once you a Christian, confessing the Lord Jesus Christ, will then what?
What's next for you? And then and how could that be enriched, enriched, and combined?
And then what are we waiting for? What is the next event that when we'll that will happen to us?
Well in this chapter is famous for the rapture of the Church, and that would be the next thing.
And then in chapter 5, it goes on to a a subsequent event.
We believe we can. The day of the Lord. And so it's a is a nice progression
So why do I say? Finally? Because in the first part there of Chapter 4, Paul exhorts the Christians to to be pure.
To, to abstain from, as he says, sexual immorality or borneia.
I was reminded no of the thinking about that we're reminded of well known comment.
By the the justice of the Supreme Court justice. In 1,964, when they were having a a case in front of the Supreme Court about pornography, and what is pornography?
I need to identify pornography, and this justice was his name Potter Stewart says, well, I'm not sure how to define it, but I I know it when I see it.
And so the sexual immorality term is a broad term.
That includes, you know, all kinds of what we would see as sexual immorality.
Using that term, and so Paul's injunction to the believers there is in cause.
It was really common there, and that society like it, is today in ours, was to abstain from it from fleshly lust, and and sexual immorality.
And and so he says in verse 3 of the chapter it says, This is the will of God.
So, boy, you know we we talk about the will of God.
We pray for the will of God. But here is an explicit will of God that we abstain from from.
Sexual and immorality
And it's our sanctification, our separation are growing in holiness, and and remembered that it was a progressive thing.
We get better and better at it hopefully. And and so we want to, as Christians abstain from fleshly lesson.
We want to get more pure and more sanctified as a day of meeting.
The Lord is, is coming to
And then, of course, he says, Well, then, and then after that, what you know I'd like you to do more and more is she'll brotherly love to one another in the in the fellowship, in the church, in Thessalonica, and we want you to grow more and More in that and so
there's another progression where we can continue to do better, I said last time.
The only only limitation on brother love is the number of opportunities we have, and we certainly should think about that in our local assembly.
Well, it was a Bible chapel, but there are other opportunities, and when and we can demonstrate them, grow more and more, and that, and then I think there's an interesting no verse in 11 and 12 where he urges Paul urges the thessal and I can Tooth
Thessalonians to to be industrious. So it says.
We urge you, brethren, to increase more and more that you aspired.
Lead a quiet life, and to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands as we commanded you, that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing.
So these people were in the world. They had to make a living in the world, and even though they had heard from Paul about the the coming of the Lord, you know Perusia of the Lord, and they had some questions about it.
But they they were urged not to just sell all their things and go out on a hill and wait for the coming of the Lord.
I think there's some examples in history where certain people have been. Oh, this is when it's gonna gonna happen.
And and let's let's let's just and depart from the world and and live just for that, for that coming and and they sold their possessions and and so on.
I don't think they read that passage, because this is what you want.
They want us to walk properly to those where outside not be dependent on on alright of a care from the outside, but be able to supply for themselves, and then they were promised to lack nothing, would like nothing, and so next comes the the passage we're studying tonight in detail.
But I think it's interesting that we're we're have this time sequence.
And at the end of as we're waiting for the coming alert, we should be an example to the world of being productive and with our hands and and being a quiet life, and and yet having having honor among our citizens so with that I read the passage we're looking at verse 13 but i
Do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, God will bring with him those who sleep in Jesus.
Where we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep for the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout with the voice of an archangel with the trumpet of God and the
Dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them.
In the clouds to meet to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord
Wonderful conclusion. There, therefore, comfort one another with these words, and so, as we think about these verses, when you and there are there are 3 basic passages of about the rapture or the coming of the Lord, that that we could consider and like to point them out, namely, the the basic passage which is
From from John, chapter 14, John, chapter 14. I'll read just the verses, but this is to the disciples in the upper room, and they were distressed about the Lord, leaving them, and we're and what what would be you know what would happen to them.
And so the Lord says in verse one, let not your heart be troubled.
You believe in God, believe also in me, in my Father's house there are many mansions.
If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you, and verse 3 of time 14.
And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again.
And receive you to myself, that where I am, there you may be also. And what else?
Great encouragement it was to those disciples, and he promised and another Comforter would come with them, and when he would be away, and they would be, you would dwell in them, and what assurance and provision the Lord Jesus Christ made for his disciples, when he said, I go to prepare a place for
you, and so it kind of is, gives you an idea of a definite place or a as opposed to maybe didn't just say I'm going to heaven, and I'm coming back.
But I'm going to prepare a place for you.
And I will come again and receive you to myself and this kind of the wording that's in first Thessalonians.
Chapter 4. The Lord will come with a shout, and descend with a shot, and and where I am, there you may be also, and so that's what the promise was to the believers in the disciples, and an important passage, for us.
Of course. Then the next passage you're familiar with is the resurrection chapter.
From first Corinthians, 15. First Corinthians, 15, and explains the gospel, for I'm not ashamed of the gospel Christ where is the power of God under salvation?
Is from Romans, but the first Corinthians pass.
It says that that Jesus Christ was crucified, buried, rose again, and was seen by many.
And so the good, the gospel of the Lord is is highlighted.
There in the beginning versus Romans, first Corinthians, 15, one to 2 and 3.
But it goes on to say many things about the resurrection.
It's the longest chapter in the Bible or in the New Testament, at least as far as I know, and dealing with the resurrection and the and the the I think the Corinthians were in somewhat of a denial of the resurrection how can the resurrection, be
True, and and Paul goes on to explain a good deal about it.
And
What do I want to read next? I would like to tell you that no Paul talks about.
In these chapters, really, for versus 20 to 58.
So I mean that 38 versus the body will will receive, that we will receive will be based on the resurrection body of the Lord Jesus Christ.
So the proof is that Jesus Christ rose from the dead, and that the body we will receive will be like the Lord Jesus.
It will be. As you can tell from John, chapter and 20, when Jesus appear, appeared, in a miraculous way.
Yet he had showed exhibited signs of his human body with his hands and his, his scar on his side.
And and and and people could see that they were. Thomas was offered to put his hand in in his side, and so it was a real body.
But yeah, it was a glorious body. Could coin, appear into the room, and and then make appearances.
Different places, and finally, ascend to heaven. And so Jesus had his own body.
One we can identify with. But it was a a transform body, and that will be our our case as well.
Ours will be a transform body. Paul and Corinthians.
15, talks about how the seed is sewn and dishonor, and then it comes up and yields a full harvest kind of comparing that to a resurrection theme.
He talks about the the different kinds of flesh, of of men and and animals, and fish and birds, and how?
Yeah, we will have a celestial body, so our body will be be suited for the environment, that of heaven.
That was be in, and then he also compares the astronomical features of the resurrection to to the the sun and the moon and the stars, namely, the sun reflective of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The moon, I should say reflective of the church. No, that reflective body, and then the stars compared to the saints, and so trying to put an into a context that that could be more a graph.
And so I read from from first Corinthians 50 and
Verse 23, but each one in an in a, in his own order, Christ, the first fruits.
After that those who are crisis is coming, and then going down the verse 51.
Behold, I tell you a mystery mystery! We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment.
In the twinkling of an eye, the last trumpet the trumpet was sound.
Then that will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed, and we look for that.
That that event happening to us, and this time of the rapture alright, continuing on, then, in the in the Thessalonian world, they they not they, weren't denying the resurrection they just had dogs about the resurrection, because the dogs.
Were well might happen to the people who were dying, or who are, you know, dying in front of us, and and will they miss out on on the on the right the promised resurrection and the promise coming of the Lord Jesus?
And so Paul is wanting to assure them of that.
And so in verse 13 of of chapter 4, of the Salonians, one.
Paul says, I do not want you to be ignorant.
Brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep.
Less to sorrow, as those who have no hope, and so the comparison here with with with some people who have died are is that they're asleep.
They're asleep, and it compares with their resurrection.
The body is in a state, and it's going to be awakened, and so we'll be awakened from sleep resurrection is is comparable to that.
It's a temporary state for the for the Christian.
It's a restful state. The body is resting in the grave, they, the soul and spirit, are with the Lord in glory, and and then it can be awakened with a with a shout
Daniel had this thought in Daniel, chapter 12, where he said, in many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth, shall awake some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt, is what he wrote, and then those who are wide shelves shine like the brightness
of the firmament. Comparing these stars again, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars, forever and ever.
So this is a, this is concept from from the Old Testament.
But
I I do want to point out that the you test them in words.
Never describe the Lord Jesus Christ in in the context of death as being asleep, he died and I think it's kind of sort of a profound concept that Jesus Christ completely that he went to the depths of judgment, and in and torment for for us to to redeem us, to
God to a tone for our our sins. And what a wonderful Savior we have who tasted dust for for many!
And and yet he he rose again, but he was never described as sleeping.
He was. Yeah, as Zoom says in the first verse of of 2 verses of Corinthians, 15
Here's the thought, when you have the idea of this, of the of sleeping I don't know if you know that the the New Testament or the Christian era writers were describing where people are placed for rest, there's a cemetery which I think in
Greek has some some notion of a sleeping place as opposed to.
Yeah, anything else. That's what with the interpretation of cemetery, is a sleeping place.
No, yeah, for Christians. That would be true.
Yeah, in the New Testament the body is is seen to be sleeping only the body, not the not the soul.
The soul, as we know is, is, goes to be the Lord with the Lord at death.
If you take Philippians 1, 23 versus 4, I'm hard pressed between the 2, having a desert to deploy, says Paul, to be with Christ, which is far better, so is one of the other, and he wanted to be with Christ, so he would be with with his solid body, be
Rusty and Second Corinthians, 5, 8. We are confident.
Yes, we are well pleased to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord so our body is sleeping in the cemetery, so to speak.
You, and we are present with the Lord, and I think this is something we can be, I think, grateful, for, as we, I remember that Dorothy Wellskop passed away.
Was it on on Monday? And and and his his body's resting has sleep, and one day it'll be reunited with her soul.
Has as a first as Thessalonians describes, but we have confident that confidence said, we don't have to agree, as others who have no hope, as it says in verse 13, and what a sad thing is read obituary pages these days!
So many have no reference to Christian life or I'm on a Christian burial, and who any sort.
And so we think of those people who must be grieving for, or they're lost loved ones who they have no hope, and they themselves on or in the same predicament.
So we go to 14 for for if as it says in the new King James, for if but in the English standard version says, for since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, God will bring with him those who sleep in Jesus, and here we have the the toman work, of the Lord Jesus Jesus died and rose
Again. And he will bring with them who sleep in Jesus. Interesting use of the word here Jesus is human word, that he was a he was a man.
He was told, the the angels told. Hmm.
Joseph in Matthew, chapter one, I believe, is Joseph.
That he would be. He would save their people from their sins, his work as a Savior, and and we're so grateful for the good news.
Then Jesus rose again. So the human name here I I was reading that in Thessalonians the word Jesus, or the Lord, or the Lord Jesus, or even Lord Jesus, is used about how many times 24 times and 8 chapters I think it was 24 times, and if you look at apparently
Let's say Romans, or an axe. You have it used about 18 times in a longer book, in the Z.
Chapters of Thessaloni, and in in Romans. I think it's 17 times it might have them reversed.
But there's a great emphasis on, you know the the humanity of the Lord Jesus and the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and we we're just so grateful for and knowing these these Cssalonians were were intimately and involved and dependent on the Lord Jesus and his
Return, but they were worried about their ones, who had already died, and would they be?
Would they be missing out
And so we get to verse 15, where it says, in 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 by no means precede those who asleep, and here we have a word that is interesting the coming of the Lord the word
Perusia, and this word is used about 6 times in Thessalonians, the coming of the Lord.
Those 2 2 books I think it's probably used about the same number of times, and yeah, among the rest of the uses in the New Testament.
Peter has quite a few, I think, in second, Peter, but as a kind of a is a good word that Paul was using for the the Thessalonians, because they were told about the coming of the Lord, they just didn't quite room or or having questions about how does that connect with some doubts about how that
connects with those who already died
And
Another phrase in years by the word of the Lord.
So here we have another demonstration of the connection of the resurrection, and the rapture with with the 3 things.
Really one is the toning work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross.
The next is his resurrection from the grave, and a third evidence would be the inspiration of the of the Word of God is stated here by the Word of the Lord.
We were alive, and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.
So confirmation of of the inspired word.
Here, and this is phrase, and was 15
Alright! Are you ready for the rapture getting close to it for the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, and with a voice of an archangel, and with a trumpet of God and the dead in Christ will rise first.
So.
John remember said in verse 3, there of 14, I will come again and receive you to myself.
He's he's coming back for his bride.
And how is he coming? He's coming with a shout.
Yes! A shout, and it says it's a it's a military word like the word attention.
When you call a a company people, or your platoon together, you say Canada.
And so this is a an intention getting word, and I see that.
And Jesus is, use the shout before I think you know, he shouted when he said to Lazarus, Lazarus, come forth something.
Maybe he'll say I've heard and preached that he'll say Frederick F.
Come forth, or something like that, and is it? Maybe that's what I'll hear, and I guess.
And so also he did shout at the cross he showed, it is finished, and praise the Lord for that work was was done.
No! The voice of the archangel, the voice of an archangel.
Yes, I don't know. Is it? Is it a named Arkangel?
We know 2 names, Gabriel and Michael. Michael's got a kind of a big role with angelic appearances using involved in revelation.
Chapter 12, yeah. As a leader of the angelic forces. And here we are passing now through from ground 0 through the air through the air, to meet the Lord near.
Yeah, we remember that the air is the domain of the enemy.
And so maybe we'll have an angelic escort from from from our place here to to the close
Alright, and
And angels. Well, we see them at many points in the life of the Lord Jesus thrive his life, except there's no sign of them.
At Calvary those darkest hours. No angels. The Lord Lord was there on his own, and and he died.
And yet at the grave they were angels, and and at His ascension, or angels at that phase of of His, His zoom existence.
And and yet we don't really know much more about wha what it is.
But there are going to be 3 sounds. One is a shout, one is the voice of the archangel, and one and the other one is the trumpet of God.
Now, here's an interesting idea or concept
Truth, I guess, would be a better work in First Thessalonians.
One, verse 8, there is a term that is is called sounded out.
The word of the Lord, they, the Thessalonians, sounded out the word of the Lord, and that actually checked me out, is in in the original.
Is they? They trumpeted it, they trumpeted the word of the Lord, and so we have here in Desssonians a trumpet at the beginning of their Christian life.
In, verse. In chapter one of Thessalonians, their work of faith trumpeted, and then, at the end of their Christian existence on on the earth as the rapture comes, there's going to be a trumpet, a trumpet that will call them out and so it begins and ends
With a trumpet. The Christian life! Oh, how nice is that!
Once I I remember talking about this silver trumpets from from Deuteronomy.
Chapter numbers chapter 10. There's silver trumpets, and they have 6 different uses in in that area.
In that chapter, but the last one, that the W that is used was a signal for the nation of Israel.
Okay, this is the sixth trumpet. Let's back up.
Let's get. We're gonna move out. And so how about that? For a comparison?
For for the trumpet that was sound. Oh! Along with the voice of the archangel, with the shout will be the third third sound, and then we who are alive in verse 17, and remain shall be caught up, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and thus we
Shall always be with the Lord.
Alright. The rapture this word caught up is his, a Latin derivative that has been become known as
As the rapture caught up, means, sees out, or or taken away, or something like that, or catching up, you can see the same word in the original language is used with with with Philip, and when he was in the chapter 8 and x, and then he's caught up and was taken away, and so
That was how it was used there, I think, in in Paul's Life and Corinthians, chapter 12 or 10.
It. It says that Paul was caught up and taken away, and so hmm!
This is, this is the next great event in the redemptive plan that we're we're regarding is imminent.
We're not waiting for any other thing we heard from Phil Kearney was preaching on Matthew 24 and 25 in there about the Virgins.
Were sleeping, and they were. They were
I don't know. They were just weren't ready.
They weren't ready. And so he was making. This could be a long period of time.
Well, we've got 2 years already, and and is there more?
We have to. We have to go another 2,000 years, or could it be no, or could it be zoom?
And and so this is what we're waiting, waiting for, linking of an eye that will hear shout, an archangel and a trumpet
So this is kind of an important passage to me, and when I really came alive in Christ Jesus, if I can use that term, and and in my former teaching, really didn't have an emphasis on a a yeah a shout or pulling away or catching up, but rather, we're gonna
Have a the day of judgment, and then, you know, if you're good and bad and indifferent, and so just a general notion of settling up.
And yet this is this is more special, is it's catching up and out of here.
And not only that, but we're gonna meet the and meet the Lord in the air together with them, so we'll be together with the ones who are deceased and they're asleep, and their souls come with with the Lord Jesus are reunited with their body and then they're together
With us, and we meet the Lord in the end. And so I think, is a pretty good passage to ratify the fact that we, our that we will recognize our loved ones and and and others, and and and know each other cause.
We'll be together. This is the word coin ania.
The fellowship. And so I I think that's an implicit there, and and to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord, and
Yes, nice.
Interesting. This is in the second, yes. Chapter 2,
Says, let me see, you guys.
Accept your
So.
Alright, so so Ray is saying that a writer to modern writer, Tommy Ice, was quoting the Geneva Bible that was written before the King James.
I believe in and in Thessalonians. Second Thessalonians.
There's saying before, there's this they have the Lord there'll be.
There will have been a departure departing, referencing the passage in first Cecilonians, I think, is the point, and so it's interesting, and didn't know that.
And and so here, here we have these words, and I'd like to just read another passage that always impresses me when I think about when the rapture will happen.
And this is from road revelation. Chapter 4. This is after the intro of revelation, and then those 7 churches of Revelation.
And then after that it says, and revelation 4, verse one is says, after these things I looked, that would be John the Apostle, and behold the door standing open in heaven door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I heard was like the trumpet, speaking with me saying, I trumpet again, come up
Here! Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this, and so it's kind of a it's at the end of the church age a way the sequence and revelation goes and and the writer says you these things.
I looked, and behold! The door was standing open in heaven, and in the first voice I heard was like a trumpet speaking to me, saying, Come up here!
And so maybe that's what the show is. Come up here
So with that I close with these nice verses in the eighteenth verse. Nice passage.
It says, therefore comfort one another with these words, and maybe so for us we have the comfort of the Scriptures.
The Lord Jesus wanted to comfort his disciples in Matthew, in John, chapter 14, and he even provided his Holy Spirit. Who can give us victory over all these?
And and he does, you know, as we battle in the heavenlys, but comfort one another with these things.
With these words, from for Cssalonians, for alright, I'm thinking about the events about the remember, the year 2,000, and we were thinking about 2,003, just a little while ago, when my daughter and Neil got married but 3 years before that we were all worried about we're never gonna see
2,003, because everything's gonna get stuck in the computer.
And and the world's gonna end. And people are packing their fridge with stuff.
And people are some people call me Christians coming? What do you?
Think about this. And and I remember thinking, you know, I don't know.
I'm just gonna go with that rapture passage which I favorite, and know that I can comfort one another with these words that yeah, the Lord's gonna call us at the right time and we'll be ready.
And we look for that right and glorious day when we hear the show, and we hear the archangel and the trumpet calling us to come up here.
Thank you very much for listening. I well, I'd like to close with a prayer, and then we will have time of prayer.
So, father, we are impressed with your your word. We thank you that the Lord Jesus Christ is so prominent in Thessalonians and in our lives today, and we can agree with Paul at this is a good turning point in the book.
Finally, there's some things we want to live by, namely, purity.
And the brotherly love, and and and and busy ourselves, and in, and being ready, and we thank you that He has given us of his Holy Spirit, and also he's confirmed it with the word of the Lord.
And so maybe look to you for comfort. And as the days go on we see the stress in the world, and so many different points.
And yet we know
The believers who preceded us we'll take a precedence.
They'll be there before us momentarily. That quickly, and then we'll be joining them with the Lord in the air, and forever be with the Lord.
And his name we pray, Amen.
Thank you.