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Source: https://www.sermonindex.net/speakers/william-skates/the-coming-of-the-lord-2/
1 Thessalonians 5. And we'll read at verse 2. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord. And if you have a Newbery you'll notice in the margin it is the word Jehovah, the day of Jehovah. So cometh as a thief in the night.
For 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. But ye brethren are different just to paraphrase what follows.
But ye brethren are not in darkness that that day should overtake you as a thief. You're all the children of light and the children of the day. We are not of the night nor of the darkness. Notice verse 9.
For God hath not appointed us to wrath but to obtain salvation deliverance by our Lord Jesus Christ who died for us. And so on. Now back to chapter 4. I'm going to kind of work backwards from that point.
Chapter 4 and verse 15. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent or anticipate or go before them which are asleep.
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout with the voice of the archangel and 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 ye comfort one another with these words. Notice back to the end of chapter 2. Verse 19. First Thessalonians 2 19. For what is our hope or joy or crown of rejoicing.
Are not even ye in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ at his coming. For ye are our glory and crown. Let's go back to song of Solomon chapter 2. Song of Solomon chapter 2. Notice verse 16. My beloved is mine and I am his.
He feedeth among the lilies. Verse 10. My beloved speak and said unto me rise up my love my fair one and come away. John chapter 14. John chapter 14. Verse 1. Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God.
Believe also in me. In my father's house are many mansions. If it were not so I would have told you I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you I will come again and receive you unto myself that where I am there ye may be.
Also the Lord will bless to us the further reading from his word. Sometimes when tragedies happen in this world people ask the question where is God. Why would God allow such things to take place. Remember back to 9 11.
That was a question that was frequently asked. Where was God on 9 11. Obviously it's recognized that this world has something wrong with it. And if God is all powerful and he is and if God is good and he is then how come he allows such evil to take place and wrong to be perpetrated in this world.
People that speak that way have lost sight of the fact that God has a program and God is working through history. And in the long suffering of God he is allowing men time to repent to give heed to the gospel to turn from their wickedness and come to Christ.
But God hasn't forgotten the wickedness of this world. God has not forgotten what this world did to the Lord Jesus. And payback time is coming. The day of the Lord shall so come as a thief in the night and God will move again and intervene in the affairs of this earth.
The Lord Jesus Christ again will take up the reins of earthly government. And in that process that we refer to as the tribulation he will progressively assert his rights in this wrong world. That's what the book of revelation is all about as he makes his presence felt on planet earth.
It is a day of darkness and gloominess according to the prophecy of jewel the day of the Lord. And it will culminate in the great and terrible day of the Lord. That tribulation time will reach a climax and then the heavens are opened and the presence of the Lord will be revealed.
Revelation 19 when he comes upon that white horse and so on the armies of this world are put down the battle of Armageddon and so on. The remnant of Israel delivered the great and terrible day of the Lord.
Tremendous times are yet ahead of this world and very soon to take place. But ye brethren are not of the night year of the day and our relationship to God through Christ is far more intimate than mere earth dwellers.
I'm linking this now with the ministry of our brother Scott earlier today song of Solomon I am my beloved's my beloved is mine. And there is that intimacy that we enjoy with Christ that sets us as believers in this day of grace totally apart and unique in all the purposes of God.
So I want to take a look just briefly this afternoon at the coming again of the Lord Jesus for his own when he'll come to the year to take us home. I want to notice from John chapter 14 that really in terms of chronology that is the first mention of the Lord's return for his own.
The first stage of his coming. Remember one coming two stages. The first stage is the rapture of the church and it is mentioned first of all at first. Mention John chapter 14 just in embryo form. The fact that he's coming back again to take his people home.
Notice the context in which he's speaking in John chapter 14. It is against the background of the hostility of this world. He says I'm going away that involves the cross that involves the outpouring of the hatred of man's heart against him.
And the Lord said if the world hate you you know that it hated me before it hated you. And against the background of him leaving them here in a world that is hostile to the name of Christ and he's leaving them.
He says if I go I will come again and receive you unto myself. It was to be a comfort to their hearts. But against the background of the hostility of this world that hostility continues to this day. And it is wrong.
And it must be made right. And it's going to be made right. And the initiation of it all will be when he comes again for his people to take his waiting people home. Then all scripture concerning him and the purposes of God will be fulfilled right from the very beginning of our bible.
Genesis chapter 3. You remember the seed of the woman will bruise the serpent's head. Yes the victory was won at calvary but satan is still alive and well on planet earth. Paul says that the god of peace shall bruise satan under your feet shortly.
But it has not yet happened. And the lord is coming and will take that matter in hand. Genesis chapter 22. Verse 18. The seed of abraham. And how god promised to abraham that israel would be the the head of the nations.
That hasn't happened yet. Israel isn't failure. Genesis chapter 49. The scepter of judah shiloh shall come the peace bringer. And israel will come into peace again. That hasn't happened yet. They're trying all these peace treaties but they're not working out.
And they won't work out until he comes. Who's right. It is to reign. And he will be the peace bringer. Numbers chapter 24. You read about the the star of jacob. And he shall come and have dominion hasn't happened yet.
Isaiah chapter 9. Wonderful counselor. The mighty god the everlasting father the prince of peace of the increase of his government there shall be no end. He's the son of david. Isaiah chapter 9 hasn't yet appeared to bring all that about daniel.
Chapter 7. The son of man comes with clouds of heaven. He's given dominion and glory and a kingdom and all nations shall serve him. It hasn't happened yet. All these scriptures need to be fulfilled. And when he comes to the air it is the trigger that brings all this about.
It's the start if you will of the clock of prophecy again. And the purposes of god have been hearing so much about will be unfolded. And and even though in our day evil blossoms and violence seems to rule unhindered this world has gone awry.
Yet the lord is coming. And when he comes he's going to initiate events. He's going to start opening those seals. And he's going to reclaim planet earth. And he's going to impose his presence again so far as the government of this world is concerned.
But the first thing is this i will come again and receive you unto myself when you come to first thessalonians chapter 4 and chapter 5 we have paul now taking up the same subject. If the truth of his coming the rapture was introduced by john we have the timing of the rapture revealed to paul.
And it is found in his writings. Those saints in thessalonica they have a concern because they are feeling that those that have died already they're going to miss out when the lord comes. Uh somehow they've missed the coming of the lord jesus again and what's going to happen to them.
And they're very concerned about what that situation will be. But paul is writing to show that they're not going to miss out at all. In fact he says they're going to rise first. And then we which are alive and remain will be caught up.
That's the word rapture will be caught up with them to meet the lord in the air. And so shall we ever be with the lord. He says the lord himself shall descend from heaven with the shell. It is not an angel that's coming but it is the lord himself to claim what he has himself has purchased with his own blood.
All the redeemed of this dispensation will be brought up to heaven. Sins are gone bodies redeemed sealed with the holy spirit of promise. And now the fullness of redemption will burst upon us as we leave earth for heaven.
All the movement is from earth to heaven. The lord comes to the air. He doesn't leave the heavens at that point but we rise to meet him in the heavens. And so shall we ever be with the lord. That is the trigger for the day of the lord that we read about in first thessalonians chapter 5.
You'll notice that paul is diligent in how he records that in chapter 5 to show the distinction between true believers of this dispensation and those that will experience the judgments of that day. He says that day shall come upon them as a thief in the night.
But ye brethren are not in darkness that that day should overtake you as a thief. We are not of the night nor of darkness. So he's pointing out that we are not involved in that calamity that's going to come upon the earth dwellers when the judgments are poured out.
That's why we took in verse 9 as well. God hath not appointed you unto ross but to the obtaining of the glory of our lord jesus christ. The first event in the prophetic program is the rapture of the church.
When we're taken out of this scene of hostilities that will burst upon planet earth. When the day of the lord is unfolded the presence of the lord is asserted so far as the wrongs of earth are concerned.
And he pours out his wrath upon a world that has rejected him. He that sitteth in the heaven shall laugh. The lord shall have them in derision. Then he shall speak unto them in his wrath and vex them with his sore displeasure.
I like to like to link that scripture with the book of revelation. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh. The lord shall have them in derision. Link that with the seals that are open and the the irony of those seals that are open he shall speak unto them in his wrath.
And the next thing you come to in the book of revelation is the speaking of the trumpets all seven of them and vex them with his sore displeasure. As that tribulation period reaches its climax and the vials of wrath are poured out he'll vex them with his sore displeasure.
But the church is already home in heaven. I want to think for a moment not only of the coming being revealed and the catching up at the rapture. Think of the change of resurrection. We didn't read it but first corinthians chapter 15 would bring that before us.
Remember in that chapter it is not the timing of resurrection that is primarily in view but rather it is number one the necessity of resurrection it must take place. And then number two the nature of resurrection.
With what body shall they come. And paul will will deal with that in that chapter and points out that christ is risen from the dead. He has become the first fruits of them that slept. He's the first fruit.
And therefore there must follow a great harvest. It is necessary that that harvest come because christ is risen from the dead. But some man will say how are the dead raised up. And again with what body do they come.
Paul answers that question or those two questions by by saying how are the dead raised up. Well it's just like sowing a seed. How how is the seed raised up. And then with what body do they come. And he'll answer that question drawing again upon lessons from nature.
He'll speak about horticulture and biology and astronomy and point out that in these areas there are distinctions in bodies. For example in biology there is one kind of flesh of fish another of birds the bodies but they're different.
So in the resurrection there's a difference in the resurrected body. So it will certainly take place. And then it will be different from the bodies that we now have. It will have the same identity. But it will be different in character.
He says it will be sown in corruption but it's raised in incorruption. It'll never again go back to a lesser form. It will always be pristine in its character sown in corruption raised in incorruption sown in dishonor raised in glory sown in weakness raised in power not by power in power energized by power.
Spiritual power sown a natural body raised a spiritual body different from anything that we have ever known before. Our bodies now are dependent upon chemical energy as we take in food and breathe oxygen dependent upon chemical energy to function and to be energized by chemical energy.
But that body will be energized by spiritual energy. It's a spiritual body energized with spiritual power. And we won't need the glasses or the hearing aids or the mechanical knees or the pacemakers or whatever.
When that change comes it will be a demonstration of divine power. And the transformation that will take place will be marvelous. It'll be wonderful. It'll be beyond our comprehension to take in the beauty of it the glory of it the power of it.
And you know what god does it all in the twinkling of an eye just as quick as you could close your eye when you blink. And we shall be changed. Every last one of us might not be much to look at now. We'll be beautiful men resplendent with the glory of christ radiant in his glory.
The change of resurrection. I want to think just for a moment of the comfort of reunion together with them together with them. Those loved ones that have gone before that were so dear to us. We're going to be reunited again and on that at that moment for the first time ever so far as the history of this world is concerned there will be the the unfolding of the union of the body of christ.
Every redeemed believer. No schism no doctrinal differences no differences of opinion. Even the question of election will be forever settled. Thank the lord. And we'll all be together all making for christ.
He's the center of the company. He's the sole attraction together with them to meet the lord in the air. Will we know one another. I don't think it'll be any stupider then than we are now. But uh that aside paul was obviously looking forward to seeing the thessalonians there.
What is our hope or joy or crown of rejoicing. Are not even ye in the presence of the lord at his coming. So obviously paul was going to see them. Maybe they're across the circle. There they are. You know i preached to them in thessalonica and god reached them and saved them.
They turned to god from idols. What a marvelous day it was. There they are. Yes we're going to recognize one another. Recognition by revelation. To quote jack hunter of a former day. There'll be the crown of rejoicing.
There'll be the compensation of reward having time to look at that. But i want to think for a moment just of the compelling results these truths are given to us in scripture that they might have an impact upon our lives.
It's not mere theory that god is dealing with. It ought to grip our hearts. It ought to gladden our spirits. It ought to motivate us with love toward him. It is our beloved who's coming for us. And everyone that hath this hope within him purifieth himself even as he is pure.
If we are living on the tiptoe of expectancy of the any moment return of our lord jesus christ. We'll be careful in what we're doing. We'll be careful in what we're watching. We'll be careful in what we're listening to.
We'll be careful in our walk and who we're walking with. It should be an encouragement to us to render happy service to him. I think paul was ever motivated by that. He always had the the end in view.
He talked about finishing his course with joy. And he had a desire to depart to be with christ which is very far better. But he looked forward to to that crown of righteousness which the lord the righteous judge would give to him in that day.
And he says not to me only but unto all them also that love his appearing. How the purposes of god in christ are. Yea and amen. And they're certainly going to be brought about. And there is that that longing within our hearts.
There's that yearning of the spirit of god is implanted within us. That we would say like the apostle paul as he closes the book of revelation. Yes even so come lord jesus. So our time on earth. I believe brethren sisters i suggest to you this afternoon is limited at best.
Maybe you don't agree with that but i think most would so as we go out from here in view of the ministry that we've been hearing already let us demonstrate to all around that we are but strangers here.
And heaven is our home and our lord is coming. We are heaven's ambassadors here in the little while that we may be left on earth. We should be marked by diligence in our service. We should be a happy people as we march home to heaven as we anticipate the moment when our lord jesus christ himself is coming with the shout to catch us up.
Come up my love my fair one and come away. And so shall we ever be with the lord. What a glorious moment it's going to be when we see him face to face. May god bless you.