The Coming of Christ

We use this at times in the hopes that there will be those that will be awakened Preach the gospel But it was originally meant to give assurance to give comfort and So he writes to them I would not have you to be ignorant brethren concerning them which are asleep and that is clearly a reference to Those that have died but particularly the body of believers not the soul That you sorrow not even as others which have no hope For if we believe that Jesus died and I want you to notice that in this wonderful passage Paul dismisses with the normal Pauline unique title Christ Jesus and He splits the names Emphasizing Different points relative to the coming of the Lord For his people and in relation to Christ himself For if we believe that Jesus died Emphasizing his humanity the one who was a real man who really suffered who really died That Jesus died and rose again Even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him For this we say unto you by the Word of the Lord there He is emphasizing now the aspect of revelation from God direct communication that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of The Lord notice by the Word of the Lord the coming of the Lord Shall not prevent or precede them which are asleep for the Lord himself Shall descend from heaven the Lord Himself so many times in the Lord's public ministry he delegated you remember in times of of distribution the feeding of the 5,000 the Lord Jesus Gave to them and he said not you you give them you distribute to them you're used here in times of distribution in times of Preparation when it was time for the Passover that final Passover the Lord Jesus gave to his disciples you go and make ready the room But not here No delegation here the Lord himself shall descend. He's coming for us The Lord himself shall descend From heaven Notice these three things these associative elements of his coming He shall descend from heaven with a shout with a voice of the Archangel with a trump of God and the dead in Christ Notice that the dead in Christ earlier He has written those who sleep verse 14 in Jesus verse 16 the dead in Christ. You know what that is Sowing and reaping Resurrection glorification Those who have died physically raised now in Christ the position unassailable nothing lost The dead in Christ shall rise first Then we which are alive and remain Shall be caught up together with them in Clouds It has been pointed out that there is no definite article here Now this could very well be the reference to the Shekinah glory cloud that we will be caught up in The cloud in clouds it could be that It could also be some have suggested that there are clouds of believers from all over the world All over in different places brought up together now the dead in Christ bodies rising from the tombs from the graves from all aspects of where their bodies have been buried or at least where they have been Deposited and now brought back under resurrection power and then the living caught up together What a tremendous thing it's going to be Could happen today Caught up which were alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in clouds to meet the Lord in the air and So shall we ever be with the Lord? Wherefore comfort one another with these words Some had died obviously in Thessalonica They were those that were suffering The Apostle Paul is writing to them to comfort them to encourage them nothing is going to be lost There's not going to be any separation.

We are all going to be brought together. They will miss nothing and As he comforts them with these words, he gives them this passage of Revelation Directly a direct communication from the Spirit of God in this way It's interesting though when you look at this section here and the reminders of a number of things and how he Splits the names the titles for application Jesus in Jesus that that name that is Used to emphasize his humanity as we see it numerous times in the epistle to the Hebrews and so on here it is again He's emphasizing the one who was here the one who walked amongst men the one who suffered who bled who died He's reminding that he was really here and he's really coming back He came the first time He's coming again And as he unfolds to them these things, it's interesting. He speaks about coming to the air He will we will meet the Lord in the air Why does he say that Well, that's because he says it because that's where it's gonna happen number one.

I Think he says it for another reason You remember that Satan is the prince of the power of the air You Remember that in Colossians one is it or two where it speaks about the fact of he spoiled Principalities and powers he made a show of them openly in it triumphing over them in it a reference to the resurrection and then the ascension as he returned back and the triumphant Return In the air the realm of Satan And as now the trophies of his power and grace us we are going to meet he is going to call us to to The command will go forth and that rising from the dead and believers were in the air the very realm of Satan as an affront To The powers of darkness and the Lord Jesus is going to make that tremendous statement again, they're mine They're mine. We're his It's a day of removal World never wanted us here. Anyway, we're going home We're a thorn in their side We're a plague upon them and yet they don't realize we are apart from our Lord.

Jesus the greatest blessing to them But we're going to be removed. So brethren don't put your tent stakes too deeply here Because we're going home It's a day of removal day of resurrection The bodies how many funerals have we been to someone I was talking to a number of people here and it seems like they're Accelerating in an exponential way, maybe that's just because we're getting older too, but there are other things that are happening Funerals burials and everybody Every body that we put in the grave because some will not go to the grave So I want to divorce those two words every body that we put in the grave It's his Of those that are saved Resurrection And change coming Well, we're not going to all die. He mentions that here the we which are alive and remain Shall be caught up together so all the pains all the aches all the the the infirmities all that we go through and more not just the physical thing the Emotional trauma that people go through the loneliness the sorrow the suffering the misunderstanding all of that will be gone And we will see him The one who knows us through and through It's going to be a day of resurrection It's going to be a day of review Because that's the first thing after we meet him in the air judgment seat of Christ Will be a day of review And then No more being able to do anything for him here for reward that day is done So what we do for him here now make it count go in for it don't waste time Words to others actions deeds Encouragement obedience to the Word of God support of one another Because you're gonna be with one another forever Encourage them here Help them here.

I Think our brother said in his ministry. We need each other Well, we're gonna have each other then and we're gonna have him more than that It's gonna be a day of review. It'll be a day of reward Rewards will be given at that time The judgment seat of Christ It'll be the day of reception welcoming into the father's house Marriage feast the intimacy of that moment coming in to his presence Notice as well three things that are associated with his coming For the verse 16 for the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout the voice of the Archangel with a trump of God Why these three things We know that every word is given to us for a reason.

Why are we given? these three things in particular And in chapter 5 as he goes on to a different aspect of the coming of the Lord in terms of what will be the aftermath of this He brings in these three things You remember with a shout We have that in association with Lazarus, don't we and the Lord gave a shout Calling him by name and Lazarus rose from the dead from the tomb I Wonder if there's an association in here with those who have died and so the shout is given as well and then it says here that with Not only the shout but with a voice of the Archangel We read of an archangel don't we in the Bible his name is Michael But Michael has a unique position Michaels name me who was like God and Michael is the one that stands in a particular relationship according to the book of Daniel for the nation of Israel He has a unique relationship with that nation We read of in Revelation again his appearance in association in conjunction with again the nation of Israel What will happen after the Lord's coming after the rapture Well, we were reading in Revelation this morning Chapter 5 we're taken into heaven chapter chapter 4 rather chapter 5 then heaven chapter 6 we have the the the the horsemen coming and Then what else happens chapter 5 and then we have in chapter 7 the 12 tribes of Israel We have the awakening of the nation of Israel The voice of the Archangel As Soon as we are gone people have asked how much time is going to elapse. That's a big question I don't know why that's such a big question. I won't care really I am gonna be with him But how much time is going to elapse before the nation will be awakened? Well, I would suggest very very little time especially that chapter 7 comes very close in proximity to chapter 5 and Also for the fact that theologically in the Bible that the word of that the Lord is never never leaves himself without a witness And so when we are gone Who's going to be the witness? And so we have the nation there we have those that are sealed we have the twelve tribes and they're awakening So we have the shout those that are dead We have the voice of the Archangel the stirring of the nation and then the Trump of God and You remember that in the Old Testament that the trumpet? Was linked with marching orders for the nation of Israel, too but this is This is different This is not the last Trump that we read of but this is uniquely now for us It's marching orders We're going home No more battles Israel heard those trumpets and they were trumpets of I think this was brother Lavery's outline for many years ago I wrote down in my Bible.

I think they were trumpets of alarm trumpets of awakening Trumpets of approach They're given to us. I Don't know if you're like me, but sometimes I How often do you wake up in the morning? You think I wonder if he's coming today. I wonder if I'm going home today And there even been times on the road when when I've heard someone by me and a horn has gone off unexpectedly I thought oh No, I'm still here still here Think it sounds a little different than a car horn But everybody's gonna hear And whether we wake or sleep Chapter 5 and that doesn't mean dead or alive that actually means whether we're not doing what we should Whether we're not living the way we should but you know what we're going home so brethren Let's live as we should Let's live in the light of his coming Let's live in the light of his anticipation.

What we what we Because he wants us the Lord himself I was appreciating this morning John 14 if I come again, I will receive you period No, but that would be great. I Will receive you unto myself The Lord Jesus longing is to have us He longs to have us by his side The Lord Jesus made an interesting statement. He says I will not drink of the fruit of the vine Until I drink it new with you in my king in the kingdom of my father It's an interesting statement.

He's not simply saying that I'm putting off this for the present He's actually saying that I'm entering a period of Nazarite ship as it were Putting off of the fruit of the vine the Nazarite you remember when he did those things those things that were Normally afforded to the rank-and-file Israelite what he was saying no dead body Raise her to the head And the fruit of the vine Those are things that were allowed to the common Israelite The Lord Jesus was saying I'm abstaining for the moment for what's going to bringing me pleasure The pleasure of his heart is for us to be with him I Can't understand that except that it cost him so much to make make me his The Lord is coming let's live in the light of it