1 Thessalonians 4
Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more.
2 For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is the will of God,
your sanctification:
that you abstain from sexual immorality;
4 that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor,
5 not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God;
6 that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you.
7 For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness.
8 Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.
9 Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, 10 for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more, 11
and to aspire to live quietly,
and to mind your own affairs,
and to work with your hands, as we instructed you,
12 so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.
13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.
15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord,
that we who are alive,
who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.
For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God.
And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.
Therefore encourage one another with these words.
The purpose of prophesy is to encourage and increase faith. Small prophecies make you say, "Yay God!" With joy. Large prophecies take time. Prophecy is for believers. And we are all on different paths and journeys back and forth with faith levels. Small amounts of faith can make us bounced back and forth - that can be Very Uncomfortable. Why would God say this and do this?
Ephesians 4:14a
we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine
This is why Jesus had so many learning parables of His life on the Sea of Galilee. The Golan Heights have wind sheer storm changes from the Mediterranean Ocean. The weather changes arrive on the Sea of Galilee like a jet in wind sheer. Jesus didn't work with soldiers of faith, He worked with men. And mostly the disciples were in unusual territory and unsettled and in fear. Jesus didn't ask for perfection, He asked for people who wanted to walk with Jesus and learn about God.
God wants to see us become firm in what we believe. That we encourage believers, make curiosity for wonderers and stir faith to curiosity, adventure and joy. To promote a conversation. God sometimes takes a question and if we shake it and shake it - we are left with lava lamp goo. Jesus got up and quieted the storm. Joshua's advice was similar, be centered on God. Be in courage.
For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command
Romans One tells us God speaks to all of us. John 1 tells us the Light of God is all of mankind. Statistically the large majority of people, in the USA - pray daily to God. Believe in Heaven. Google would attest to the fact - people are searching for God and Scripture - in vast proportions.
John the Disciple wondered when all of this would occur. John walked with Jesus and wanted Jesus to return quickly. John wrote The Book of Revelation expecting God shortly .
Revelation 11 The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants[a] the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant[b] John, 2 who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. 3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.
Did John's Prophesy Fail? Was John wrong? The Essenes of the Dead Sea Scrolls agreed with John's assertions. The world was coming to a close. Where they wrong? Absolutely not. John would go on to his Heavenly Home within just a few years, as a very aged man. Well into his hundreds. The Essenes were right, the end of the world was near. For them. The Roman Empire stopped in the Desert to put all of the Essenes into Eternity.
Does that indicate there is no end of the world? No. The star will fail to shine. The Word of God will be fulfilled - in a manner pleasing to God. And in God's Days, Millions of Years are a Day to Him, according to the Psalms and to Peter. The eternal will be all that holds life.
The Word is living and Active. Accurate. God uses Scripture again and again to make His point. Very little in life is permanent - beyond God and our souls. His Promises to the Faithful. God will stretch your faith, it's up to us to be strengthened - to be thrown out.
The recent 2,600 people studied in near death experiences were reported to have no brain function. The monitor of brain activity was done. And the survivors recalled seeing God, Light or Heaven. They knew where their loved ones were and saw emotions. No explanation. Except The Lord is keeping us as souls. We are the missing 5 pounds of soul after we die. This is all true and the best explanation of our existence.
Why be caustic? Why be in doubt? Hope fills the heart with His Grace.
Dear God, with You there are amazing solutions. Your Open Heart and Open Door policy is like the 12 open Gates of Heaven. You want the Creation You call Good, to be in desire of the One who is Good - Jesus. More. We pray. Amen.
♔ Lord Jesus Saves †
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