16 For the Lord himself shall 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:
Art used by permission by Pat Marvenko Smith, copyright 1992. To order prints visit her “Revelation Illustrated” site. www.revelationillustrated.com
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.
18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
Matthew 25:13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
Matthew 24:42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
Mark 13:33 Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.
Mark 13:34 For the Son of Man is a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch.
Mark 13:35 Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning:
Mark 13:37 And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.
Luke 12:38 And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blesssed are those servants.
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 to stand before the Son of man
Revelation 3:3 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.
Revelation 16:15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
2 Timothy 4:8 (King James Version)
Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-18
16 For the Lord himself shall 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:
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.
18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
The believer’s reigning as king with the King of kings is conditioned upon faithfully enduring for Him in this life. Something of the meaning and significance of this will be explored later.Art used by permission by Pat Marvenko Smith, copyright 1992.
To order prints visit her “Revelation Illustrated” site. www.revelationillustrated.com
What if a believer chooses not to “endure” but, like many believers at Corinth prefers to blend in with the world system and not be clearly identified with Christ? …….denial of Christ will bring denial from Christ. ……. Our “denial” is the opposite of our “enduring,” ……. In other words, Christ’s “denial” is not the banishment of a person to hell but rather the denial of reigning with Him in His kingdom. Those who deny Him here and now will be denied the right to rule later on in His kingdom. Paul has already exhorted believers to endure….
Denial does not refer to momentary lapses and failures that are realities in the lives of all believers. Every believer has “denied” the Lord Jesus many times and in many ways. Peter’s denial of Christ is well documented in the gospel record…….. “Denial,” rather, is looking at a settled , characteristic way of living life. Most believers will not deny Christ as blatanly as Peter did, but that is not the only form denial takes. When we do not live obediently according to the dicates of Scripture, we are in essence not identifying with Christ, but are in fact denying Him…….
…….. He will fulfill His word and bring believers into His kingdom in spite of their unfaithfulness. He will remain faithful to His own words and nature, which means the believer’s unfaithfulness will not be rewarded by Him. There will be differences in His dealings with those who belong to Him.
These truths were well known and well accepted in Paul’s day even if they may not be so in our own day. These verses teach the conditional nature of reigning as kings with the King of kings. The privilege of ruling is conditioned on faithfully enduring for Christ in this life. The old song of the church is certainly correct when it says “it will be worth it all when we see Jesus.”
——-
Benware, Paul. The Believer’s Payday. Chattanooga, Tennessee: AMG Publishers, 2002 , pp. 32-33.
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Joel 3:1 For, behold, in those days, and in that time, (Right Now!) when I shall bring again the captivity (Captives, Exiles, 'Fortunes') of Judah and Jerusalem, (1949/1967+)
Joel 3:2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, (see Gill's Exposition) ('Armageddon') and will plead with
them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land. (Gaza Forsaken - August 2005 - Zephaniah 2:1-3 ? -- A Palestinian State a Possible soon future viable thing) - (words in parentheses: victor)
Defiance: Man is Judge & not God — ‘The Handwriting is on the Wall’ :: Gay Marriage Legal in all States in the U.S. – June 26, 2015. Jesus Return like The days of Lot – Bible
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Do they not err that devise evil? but mercy and truth shall be to them that devise good. — Proverbs 14:22 (KJV)
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Luke 14:23 And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.
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The Number 7
The Epistle of Barnabas ! -- The Book of Enoch has something similar too.The Number 7 is The Number of Completion (7 Continents, 7 Spi[...]
The Book of Revelation Events will all take place within a 7 Year Time Frame
The Seven Seals = 'The Long Story'
The First Seal - Revelation 6:1[...]
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Daniel’s 70th Week Watch — A Seven Year Peace Deal With Israel and Many Begins the 7 Year End of The World — This is Possibly Very Serious News & Serious Times
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Daniel's 70th Week Watch -- No-nonsense, Grave, Important, Exceptional video at this Time of History in Relation to Jesus (Yahshua's) Return/Bible Prophecy. Rapture Soon, God willing