The Blessed Hope
Titus 2:13"Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ"
1 Thessalonians 5:2-3”For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. 3For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.”
Sudden destruction will come upon those in darkness when they think peace has finally come. The Lord will only come as a thief in the night to them but not to us.
1Thessalonians 5:4-5"Ye brethren are not in darkness that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light children of the day, we are not of the night nor of darkness."
Revelation 3: 10 "Because you have obeyed my command to persevere, I will protect you from the great time of testing that will come upon the whole world to test those who belong to this world. 11 Look, I am coming quickly. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take away your crown."
Luke 21:36"Watch ye therefore and pray always that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and stand before the Son of man".
1 Thessalonians 5:6"Therefore let us not sleep as do others but let us WATCH and be sober."
1 Thessalonians 5:9-10"God hath not appointed us to wrath but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ who died for us that whether we wake or sleep we should live together with Him. Wherefore COMFORT yourselves together and edify one another."
Romans 5:8-9"...while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. Much more then being now justified by His blood we shall be saved from wrath through Him."
You do not have to go through that and be a martyr to go to be with the Lord. In Luke 21 Jesus mentions many things that will come to pass before He comes in power and great glory. He says when you see these thinks BEGIN to happen (not afterwards) LOOK UP your redemption is near.
Luke 21:28 "And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh."
This is refered to as the BEGINNING OF SORROW in Matthew 24:8. He tells us to not be caught up in the things of this world or that day will "come upon you unaware".
Luke 21:34”And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. “
1 John 3:2-3"...we know when He shall appear we shall be like Him for we shall see him as he is, and every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself even as He is pure."
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17"For the LORD HIMSELF will descend from heaven WITH A SHOUT, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 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. Wherefore COMFORT ONE ANOTHER WITH THESE WORDS."
Notice he does NOT come back down to the earth. We are caught UP to meet Him in the air.
1Cor.15:52"Behold, I shew you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible and we shall be changed."
In Thessalonians it said the Lord HIMSELF will SHOUT: We will hear His voice that will sound like a trumpet as John heard when he said,
"I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day and heard behind me a GREAT VOICE AS OF A TRUMPET ,saying I AM ALPHA AND OMEGA the FIRST and the LAST..." (Rev 1:10).
This is the Voice of the LORD giving the LAST CALL to the church at the end of the church age, the end of the age of grace. In 1 Corinthians the last trump is also referring to the LAST CALL by the VOICE of God. The CHURCH which comes from the Greek word 'EKKLESIA' meaning "A CALLING OUT" will be with the Lord forever. After this period is a different age: when He will deal with the Jews. Then Israel will have their last chance to receive Him also; the Gentiles who receive Him at this time are NOT the Church. Those who give their lives to the Lord then are called the tribulation saints.
Revelation 7:13"And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? 14And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."
The church has gone to be with the Lord and will return to earth WITH the Lord at the end of the tribulation.
Titus 2:13"Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ"
1 Thessalonians 5:2-3”For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. 3For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.”
Sudden destruction will come upon those in darkness when they think peace has finally come. The Lord will only come as a thief in the night to them but not to us.
1Thessalonians 5:4-5"Ye brethren are not in darkness that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light children of the day, we are not of the night nor of darkness."
Revelation 3: 10 "Because you have obeyed my command to persevere, I will protect you from the great time of testing that will come upon the whole world to test those who belong to this world. 11 Look, I am coming quickly. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take away your crown."
Luke 21:36"Watch ye therefore and pray always that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and stand before the Son of man".
1 Thessalonians 5:6"Therefore let us not sleep as do others but let us WATCH and be sober."
1 Thessalonians 5:9-10"God hath not appointed us to wrath but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ who died for us that whether we wake or sleep we should live together with Him. Wherefore COMFORT yourselves together and edify one another."
Romans 5:8-9"...while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. Much more then being now justified by His blood we shall be saved from wrath through Him."
You do not have to go through that and be a martyr to go to be with the Lord. In Luke 21 Jesus mentions many things that will come to pass before He comes in power and great glory. He says when you see these thinks BEGIN to happen (not afterwards) LOOK UP your redemption is near.
Luke 21:28 "And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh."
This is refered to as the BEGINNING OF SORROW in Matthew 24:8. He tells us to not be caught up in the things of this world or that day will "come upon you unaware".
Luke 21:34”And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. “
1 John 3:2-3"...we know when He shall appear we shall be like Him for we shall see him as he is, and every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself even as He is pure."
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17"For the LORD HIMSELF will descend from heaven WITH A SHOUT, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 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. Wherefore COMFORT ONE ANOTHER WITH THESE WORDS."
Notice he does NOT come back down to the earth. We are caught UP to meet Him in the air.
1Cor.15:52"Behold, I shew you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible and we shall be changed."
In Thessalonians it said the Lord HIMSELF will SHOUT: We will hear His voice that will sound like a trumpet as John heard when he said,
"I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day and heard behind me a GREAT VOICE AS OF A TRUMPET ,saying I AM ALPHA AND OMEGA the FIRST and the LAST..." (Rev 1:10).
This is the Voice of the LORD giving the LAST CALL to the church at the end of the church age, the end of the age of grace. In 1 Corinthians the last trump is also referring to the LAST CALL by the VOICE of God. The CHURCH which comes from the Greek word 'EKKLESIA' meaning "A CALLING OUT" will be with the Lord forever. After this period is a different age: when He will deal with the Jews. Then Israel will have their last chance to receive Him also; the Gentiles who receive Him at this time are NOT the Church. Those who give their lives to the Lord then are called the tribulation saints.
Revelation 7:13"And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? 14And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."
The church has gone to be with the Lord and will return to earth WITH the Lord at the end of the tribulation.