SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/9/2014 8:32 AM
My Worship Time Focus: What Happens
to Christians Who Die PT-5
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: 1
Thessalonians 4:15b
Message
of the verses: We begin looking at
the second main point from John MacArthur’s outline in today’s SD.
The Participants of the Rapture (1
Thessalonians 4:15b): “that we who are
alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have
fallen asleep.”
The Rapture has been the hope for
all true believers ever since Paul made this doctrine known to both the
Thessalonians and also the Corinthians.
We will learn that this event was expected to happen as far back as during
the lifetime of Paul as we can see by the use of the pronoun “we” in this
passage.
There are two groups of people who
will participate in the Rapture of the church, those who have fallen asleep,
and those who are alive at the time when the Lord returns to the clouds above
the earth to take those who are His own with Him. This is one of the main reasons that Paul was
writing this to the Thessalonians because they were afraid of two things, one
that they had missed the Rapture because of all the tribulation that they were
going through, and two that they were worried about those in their midst who
had already died in the Lord, and that is why this message is a message of
comfort and also a message of instruction.
Jesus said in Matthew 24:36 these
words “"But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of
heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.”
Paul believed that the Lord could return in his lifetime, but did not
set a date for His return unlike some of those in the church in the past and
some in the church today have done. We
see from this verse in Matthew that our Lord in is “state” that He was in when
He came to earth did not know when He would return to gather His bride, but
only His Father knew for He would set the time for His return just as He set
the time for His first coming. As
believers we are to live like He is coming today, but at the same time live
like we will be on this earth for a long time.
There have been many books and movies made in the last 40 years that
have portrayed what life would be like after the Rapture. The Left Behind series sold many millions of
books as it told the story of four people who were left behind after the
rapture and actually the 13 books in the series told about life during the
tribulation and the last book spoke of life during the millennial kingdom. The first book that I read about the second
coming was “The Late Great Planet Earth” written by Hal Lindsey who is still on
the TV talking about the end times. Now
the reason that many people are excited about the return of Christ is that the
nation of Israel is back in their land and none of the events of the
tribulation period could happen without this event taking place. People also see things like the rise of power
in China, and Europe being united, and Israel being surrounded by enemies,
along with the nation of Russia, who is also a great enemy of Israel to their
North as Ezekiel spoke about in chapters 38-39 of his book. These types of events have caused many people
to believe that the time for the Lord’s return is very near, for these events
mentioned are events necessary for the tribulation period. When I was born two years after the Second
World War none of these events happened, and the world was very much larger
than it is today. Now the world is
getting smaller because of our massive technology, and also the global economy
that is so important to the world today, and as we look from the pages of
Scripture about the end times we realize that these things are necessary to
happen to usher in the Tribulation Period and that is why I am of the belief
that our Lord’s return is very near, now mind you I will never set a date as to
when this will happen.
I will conclude with a quote from
John MacArthur’s commentary: “Paul lived
in constant expectation of Christ’s return.
But the apostle nevertheless reassured the Thessalonians that those of
their number who had died would not miss the Rapture, which will also include
those who have fallen asleep. Moreover,
the living will not precede the dead.
They will not take precedence over them or gain an advantage of
them. Those who die before the Rapture
will in no sense be inferior to those who are alive. All Christians will participate in the Rapture.”
Lord willing, we will look at the third part of John
MacArthur’s outline in our next SD which he entitles “The Plan of the Rapture,”
which will include verses 16-17 of chapter four.
Spiritual
meaning for my life today: I have believed that the Rapture of the
Church will happen in my lifetime every since I first heard about it in January
of 1974, and because of this belief I need to tell others about how they can be
a part of this wonderful comforting event.
Paul wrote to the Romans these words “9
that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your
heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes,
resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in
salvation Rom. 10:9-10).” Scripture
promises that all those who have followed these verses ever since they have
been written will be a part of the Rapture of the Church.
My Steps of Faith for Today: Tell those
who God brings into my path this precious truth.
Memory
verses for the week: Review Philippians
2:5-11.
5
Have this attitude in yourself which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although
He existed in the form of God did not regard equality with God a thing to be
grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking on the form of a bond-servant, and being
made in the likeness of men. 8 Being
found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the
point of death, even death on a cross. 9
For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name
which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow
of those in heaven on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will
confess that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Answer
to yesterday’s Bible question: “Paul
said that they would not see him again”
(Acts 20:17, 33).
Today’s
Bible question: “On what day did God
raise Jesus?”
Answer
in our next SD.
7/9/2014
9:15 AM
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