Greetings and it is our joy once again to come to you this week, as we spend time looking at the scriptures concerning the rapture of the church. We had read earlier from 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, verses 13 through 18, where the apostle Paul had described exactly how the Lord will come to take His church, take the people away. Right after he describes that, he continues writing and remember when the apostle wrote, he wasn’t writing in chapter and verse, he was writing a continuous sequence of thought. So, right after he describes the rapture of the church, he writes this in 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, verses 1 on, ‘But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you.    For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.    For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore, let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.’ Then he says this in verse 9, ‘For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.’ This is right in connection with what he has described in the rapture of the church, 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, verses 13 to 18, that those who have fallen asleep and those who are alive are all going to meet Him in the air and in verses 9 and 10 of chapter 5, he tells us clearly why God is going to do this. He says, ‘For God did not appoint us to wrath’, the word wrath is another way of saying judgement. So, For God did not appoint us to judgement, but He has appointed us to experience this salvation, so whether we are alive or dead, we are going to be together with Him. So, what is the purpose of the rapture of the church? It is to take us out of the way, so that we, the people of God are not going to go through the wrath/ judgement- the seven years of tribulation. So, people ask, how do you know the rapture of the church will take place before the tribulation? Well, he tells us right here in 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, verses 9 and 10 so that we don’t have to go through the wrath/ judgement, but whether we are alive or dead, we are going to be alive with the Lord in the air. Here is such convincing evidence that we the church are going to be kept from the judgement- the 7 years of tribulation that will come upon the earth which is described for us in Revelation chapter 6 through 19. We are not going to be there; we will be taken out of the way. What an exciting time looking forward to it! Let’s pray, Father, we thank you for your goodness and mercy, that you’ve not appointed us for judgement but experience salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ and we look forward for this great rapture of the church to meet you in the air, in Jesus’s name, Amen.

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