THE APOSTLE PAUL TO THE THESSALONIANS 1

a.BASED ON THE DEFINITION OF THE WORD, IMMINENT, WHICH WE STUDIED LAST WEEK, WE CAN CONCLUDE, 1)THE NEXT COMING OF CHRIST IS ALWAYS, IS CONSTANTLY, IS ALWAYS CLOSE AT HAND IN THE SENSE THAT IT CAN HAPPEN AT ANY MOMEMT. 2)OTHER THINGS MAY HAPPEN BEFORE HE COMES, BUT NOTHING ELSE MUST HAPPEN BEFORE HE COMES. 3)IF SOMETHING ELSE MUST HAPPEN BEFORE HE COMES, THEN CHRIST’S COMING IS NOT IMMINENT. 4)THE NECESSITY OF SOMETHING ELSE HAVING TO HAPPEN FIRST DESTROYS THE CONCEPT OF THE IMMINENT COMING OF CHRIST. 2

b.WE ALSO STUDIED THE TERM, RAPTURE, i.e., THAT IT IS MOST CLEARLY PRESENTED IN 1 THESS. 4: SPECIFICALLY, IN VERSE 17, “THEN WE WHICH ARE ALIVE AND REMAIN SHALL BE CAUGHT UP TOGETHER WITH THEM IN THE CLOUDS, TO MEET THE LORD IN THE AIR: AND SO SHALL WE EVER BE WITH THE LORD. “ 1.WHERE THE ENGLISH PHRASE “CAUGHT UP” IS FROM THE GREEK WORD “HARPÁZÔ,” WHICH MEANS “TO SEIZE UPON WITH FORCE” OR “TO SNATCH UP.” 2.SO, THAT AT THE RAPTURE, YOU AND I, WILL BE “SNATCHED UP/CAUGHT UP” IN THE AIR. 3.THEREFORE, SINCE WE NEVER KNOW EXACTLY WHEN AN IMMINENT EVENT (RAPTURE) WILL TAKE PLACE, WE SHOULD ALWAYS BE PREPARED FOR IT TO HAPPEN AT ANY MOMENT. “THE RAPTURE CAN HAPPEN TODAY!! 3

ARE YOU PREPARED? ARE YOU PREPARING? 4

c.WE BEGAN VALIDATING THIS TRUTH BY USING SCRIPTURE ITSELF: “AWAITING EAGERLY THE REVELATION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.” (1 COR. 1:7) “FOR OUR CITIZENSHIP IS IN HEAVEN, FROM WHICH ALSO WE EAGERLY WAIT FOR A SAVIOR, THE LORD JESUS CHRIST.” (PHIL. 3:20) “THE LORD IS NEAR.” (PHIL. 4:5) “TO WAIT FOR HIS SON FROM HEAVEN.” (1 THESS. 1:10) “SO THEN LET US NOT SLEEP AS OTHERS DO, BUT LET US BE ALERT AND SOBER.” (1 THESS. 5:6) 5

“THAT YOU KEEP THE COMMANDMENT WITHOUT STAIN OR REPROACH UNTIL THE APPEARING OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.” (1 TIM. 6:14) “LOOKING FOR THE BLESSED HOPE AND THE APPEARING OF THE GLORY OF OUR GREAT GOD AND SAVIOR, CHRIST JESUS.” (TITUS 2:13) “SO CHRIST... SHALL APPEAR A SECOND TIME FOR SALVATION WITHOUT REFERENCE TO SIN, TO THOSE WHO EAGERLY AWAIT HIM.” (HEB. 9:28) “BE PATIENT, THEREFORE, BRETHREN, UNTIL THE COMING OF THE LORD... FOR THE COMING OF THE LORD IS AT HAND... BEHOLD, THE JUDGE IS STANDING RIGHT AT THE DOOR.” (JAS. 5:7-9) “I AM COMING QUICKLY!.” (REV. 3:11; 22:7, 12, 20) 6

d.PAUL WROTE THIS SECTION OF HIS EPISTLE TO ALLEVIATE THE THESSALONIANS’ GRIEF AND CONFUSION. “.... ABOUT THOSE WHO ARE ASLEEP, THAT YE SORROW NOT, EVEN AS OTHERS WHICH HAVE NO HOPE.” (1 THESS. 4:13) 1)“ASLEEP” - MORE OFTEN USED IN SCRIPTURE TO REFER TO BELIEVERS WHO HAVE DIED. IN OTHER WORDS, “THE DEAD IN CHRIST.” “AND THE GRAVES WERE OPENED; AND MANY BODIES OF THE SAINTS WHICH SLEPT AROSE.” (MATT. 27:52) “OUR FRIEND LAZARUS SLEEPETH; BUT I GO, THAT I MAY AWAKE HIM OUT OF SLEEP.” (JOHN 11:11) “FOR THIS CAUSE MANY ARE WEAK AND SICKLY AMONG YOU, AND MANY SLEEP.” (1 COR. 11:30) 7

2)IT IS IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT IN THE NT “SLEEP” APPLIES ONLY TO THE BODY, NEVER TO THE SOUL. 3)“SOUL SLEEP,” IS THE FALSE TEACHING THAT THE SOULS OF THE DEAD ARE IN A STATE OF UNCONSCIOUS EXISTENCE IN THE AFTERLIFE. “THEREFORE WE ARE ALWAYS CONFIDENT, KNOWING THAT, WHILST WE ARE AT HOME IN THE BODY, WE ARE ABSENT FROM THE LORD.” (2 COR. 5:6) “FOR I AM IN A STRAIT BETWIXT TWO, HAVING A DESIRE TO DEPART, AND TO BE WITH CHRIST: WHICH IS FAR BETTER.” (PHIL. 1:23) 4)BOTH OF PAUL’S STATEMENTS TEACH THAT BELIEVERS GO CONSCIOUSLY INTO THE LORD’S PRESENCE AT DEATH. 8

5)JESUS PROMISED THE REPENTANT THIEF ON THE CROSS, “TRULY I SAY TO YOU, TODAY YOU SHALL BE WITH ME IN PARADISE [HEAVEN]” (LUKE 23:43) 6)AFTER DEATH THE REDEEMED GO CONSCIOUSLY INTO THE PRESCENCE OF THE LORD, WHILE THE UNSAVED GO INTO CONSCIOUS PUNISHMENT. “AND IT CAME TO PASS, THAT THE BEGGAR (LAZARUS) DIED, AND WAS CARRIED BY THE ANGELS INTO ABRAHAM‘S BOSOM: THE RICH MAN ALSO DIED, AND WAS BURIED; AND IN HELL HE LIFT UP HIS EYES, BEING IN TORMENTS, ” (LUKE 16:9-31) 7) PAUL IS NOT SPEAKING ABOUT NORMAL GRIEVING WHEN SOMEONE DIES; RATHER THE GRIEF LIKE “OTHERS WHO HAVE NO HOPE.” “HAVING NO HOPE AND WITHOUT GOD IN THE WORLD.” (EPH. 2:12) 9

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