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And 41.
5.
Psalm 145.
Oh, verse 15 and 16.
The eyes of all wait upon thee.
Now give us them their meat in due season. Now openness thy hand, and satisfy us the desire of every living thing.
We ask is help and blessing. Father we look up to thee once more. Thank you for the privilege that we've had being together like this. We thank you for the scriptures that we can have open and come together with no man forbidding.
Now we just would ask the our God that thou would open thy hands and give us meat in due season once more.
Pray that Thou would feed our souls with heavenly things and that would lead our hearts out after Thy Son, the Lord Jesus. We pray that the Spirit of God would be free this afternoon. Take the things of Christ and to show them unto us. Now we ask these things for others. We wait before thee in the name and for the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
We'll go into 510.
First Thessalonians chapter 4, beginning at verse 13. But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep that you sorrow not even as others would have no hope for. If we believe that Jesus died and rose again, Even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with that with him.
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 them which are asleep. 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, 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 one another with these words. But of the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I write unto you before yourselves. Know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them.
As petrovelled upon a woman with child, and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light and the children of day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep as do others, but let us watch and be sober.
For they that sleep, sleep in the night, and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and for an helmet the hope of salvation.
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For God hath not appointed us to us, but to obtain salvation.
By our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.
How thankful we can be that as we read these scriptures, we can understand them by the grace of God. For back many hundreds of years ago, they lost the sense of this truth and the church went into what was known as the dark ages. And that's what brought on the dark ages was the loss of the sense of the Lord's soon return. And how thankful we can be that the Lord and His mercy and his grace.
Has recovered to his Saints the nullage of the Lord. Soon return, and it might be today.
I like the 14th verse the way it reads in the new translation.
We believe that Jesus has died and has risen again, so also God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep through Jesus.
Another rendering has been put to sleep by Jesus. It's a very precious thought that.
Those that have died in faith in this present dispensation of Christian dispensation have been put to sleep by Jesus. Very sweet.
He speaks here of those who have no hope. And I suppose there's nothing worse than a hopeless situation. Remember reading about, yes, 4 submarines was hit off the East Coast of the United States, rammed by a ship and it went to the bottom. And divers went down to see if they could be of assistance in getting the crew out, which they couldn't. And as one of those divers put his ear to the to the side of the submarine, he heard tapped in Morris code.
Is there any hope? And there's nothing worse than a hopeless situation. Hope, someone has said, is an indispensable quality of life. Isn't it tremendous, brethren, that we are not those who have no hope? There are those in this world today who have no hope. One of the hardest things I ever did was stand up and take the funeral of an unbeliever, because there's no hope. There's no hope for the person that's died. There is hope for those who are living. And you present the gospel because that's what a funeral is for. It's for those who are living. But what a solemn thing to realize that when one draws that last breath without Christ.
There's no hope but here it tells us not that, as we said earlier, not that we don't sorrow, but we sorrow not as others who have no hope. But I want to make it very clear that when we speak of hope in the sense that we have it here and in Scripture, it's not hope in the sense that it may or may not happen. We hope to return to our homes after these meetings, but something may come in and we may never return to our homes. We, we, we speak of hoping to do this and hoping to do that. Many things I hope to do that I've never been able to.
To bring to fruition or to do because of circumstances. But just go over to Romans for a moment, chapter 8, to get the sense of the hope of the believer. Speak of our hope, the blessed hope we have in Titus and Peter had spoken of as a living hope. It's spoken of as a Good Hope in Second Thessalonians, spoken of in different ways. But just notice Romans chapter 8 and verse 24. For we are saved by hope.
But hope that is seen is not hope for what a man hath, what a man seeth, why does he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it? Well, this gives us really the sense of what hope is in the light of the New Testament. It's in no way uncertainty. It's only hope. Rather, in the sense that we're not in the full reality of it yet, we speak of the hope of the Lord's coming because the Lord hasn't come yet.
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But here it tells us that what a man hath, why does he yet hope for? If you have something in your hand, you don't hope for it. It might be a child here and they're hoping for something special for their birthdays. And maybe mom or dad says, well, we've already got it. It's it's hidden away in the closet. And when your birthday comes, we're going to get it. We're going to bring it out and give it to you. But it's already been bought and secured. But nevertheless, until the birthday comes, they're not in the full possession of it yet.
Even though it's been promised to them. And so there's hope in that sense. They're waiting for the moment when it will be placed in their hand. Now, brethren, the hope of the Lords coming is not uncertainty. It's only hope in the sense that it hasn't happened yet.
In Ephesians, I think.
Two, I think 11:00 to 12:00 it says those without hope are like this, without Christ, having no hope, without God in the world. Could there be anything worse than that to die that way? Then it's second death, and second death is eternal separation.
From a holy God whose love and life that is worth than the condition described there. There are many having no hope. But you know the verse for us is be ready always to give an answer to every man that asks you the reason of the hope that's in you with fear and reverence. When I was working I remember getting home sometime in a real busy day.
And I said to myself, why didn't?
Anybody asked, they didn't see any difference. You know, that's a solemn thought. We are responsible because we have what the world needs. And if we don't give it out like the four lepers, you know, who sat at the gate of Samaria and they were being starved to death and by thirst in Samaria. The lepers, of course. 4 is universal number lepers speak of.
Sin and evil.
Sinners. But for us they are all sinners. And they said, if we go in, we but die. If we stay out here we die. Without realizing it, though, they threw themselves in the hands of the Lord, and they went right into the enemy's camp. And the Lord had already cleared the enemy out, and they found gold and silver and food and water.
And Remix. And they took it and went and hid it. They went back and found more and they went and hid it. And after a while they said one to another, we do not. Well, there's enough here for all Samaria. And so they told the King of Samaria that there's hope there. That's like us.
You know, we keep it, store it, enjoy it, but do we realize we do not? Well if we don't tell the world, isn't it precious to know, beloved brethren, that we have the privilege of being taught of God? I was just noticing the first words of that 13th verse there. I would not have you to be ignorant, brother. And all that is true of a loving God for each one of us be be taught from His precious Word.
Job speaks of.
He says, Who teacheth like him? And so here, that I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, turning concerning them which are asleep.
That she sorrowed not as others which have no hope. Who can measure the sorrow of those who have no hope without hope and without God in the world? And lovely to see here too, when it speaks of of being asleep. It's not that evil doctrine that Satan would suggest to some that the soul sleeps. Nothing in scripture would justify that. It's only the body like Lazarus who fell asleep.
Let's read a portion just in connection with Hope, not to belabor it, but in Hebrews just, I believe it goes along with what we've been saying in Hebrews chapter 6.
And I'll read from verse 18, Hebrews 6, and verse 18, that by two immutable things in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation. Who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hopes set before us. Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil, whether the forerunner is for us. Entered even Jesus made in high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.
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Isn't it interesting here, brethren, that he speaks of our hope as sure and steadfast? Now, what other hope connected with this life could we set speak of in that way? Hope connected with this life is uncertainty at best. We'd be presumptuous if we said we had some hope connected with this life and with time that was sure and steadfast. But hope connected with Christ, as we've been saying, is in no way uncertain, and it's only hope connected with Christ that can be spoken.
Of sure and steadfast. But what I want to point out is because we took up at some length the subject of the resurrection at the beginning of these meetings. And what I want to point out is that our hope is sure and steadfast. Our hope of being in glory in the Father's house is sure and steadfast because the forerunner has already entered there. The Lord Jesus who came forth in resurrection, entered the Father's house, went back to the Father in ascension, and at that moment the Father's house was prepared.
It's someone has put it this way, his work on the cross prepared the people for the place, but his entrance into the Father's house has prepared the place for the people. It's prepared now. And the fact that he's there as a man bodily, as a man, as the forerunner is our assurance. And that's why we can say we have a hope that sure and steadfast. Do you ever doubt your hope? You ever?
Find you just waver a little bit, just look up and realize that the forerunner is already there. The Lord Jesus as a man in Hebrews 6 end of verse 13 Hebrews 613. At the end God swear by himself for Abraham. That was a unilateral promise covenant and it will come true and it said for men verily swear by the greater we know that.
And you take an oath, usually swear on the Bible or by God himself. They don't do that anymore, but you swear by yourself here and today bad. But anyway, men verily swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is to them the end of all strife, wherein God willing more abundantly to show under the heirs of promise the immutability of His consul confirmed it by an old.
That by two immutable things in which it was impossible for God to lie. Titus 1-2. It's impossible, it says there, for God to lie. We might have a strong consolation to have fled for refuge, to lay hold upon the hope set before us, which hope we have as an anchor for the soul, both shore and steadfast.
Well, it's wonderful. He swore by himself. So you have this wonderful thing in First Corinthians. I think it's 120. But don't turn. It says all the promises of God are in Christ. Yeah, and in him. Amen. That's swearing by themselves. God has suggested what he wanted Christ to do.
Christ said yeah, and he did it. And God said Amen. And it's sealed every promise, all the promises of God. If we started to individually, as we could think of them, name the promises in the word of God to us as believers, we could take the rest of this day and tomorrow wouldn't complete them. But it's wonderful. They're all yeah and Amen.
In Christ, he said he would come or come from the sea. And in Pleasantville, Nova Scotia years ago, there were a couple of brothers that used to go out on the fishing scores. They had no power but the wind, but they also had rope, one that they reserved for emergencies and if they needed to, they could roll out with an anchor in a small boat and the rope attached and they could go right into the harbor.
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And drop that anchor over and then from the ship, they would turn this capstan and bring the ship right up to the anchor. What a picture that is of this wait, we're attached. The anchor is already there. The Lord is already there. And we have that hope. That's a rope that attaches us to him. And it's a, it's a secure thing. There's no falling away from that.
In view of what we have experienced, beloved brethren, so many of us, I think of the number of the large dear people who we know that have recently gone home to be with Him. And it brings our thoughts, does it not even more to this very issue. What happens to the soul after death? What about our future in Christ? And how lovely it is to consider these things.
It says here that for if we believe 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, that we which are alive and remain to the coming of the Lord, shall not prevent or precede them which are asleep for the Lord Himself.
I just love that the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout.
And the with the voice of the Archangel, 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 cloud, to meet the Lord in the air, and sold them. Shall we ever be with the Lord? Just thinking a little bit of this.
Dear brother recently went home with the Lord and the verse that was so comforting to.
His dear wife was this that as we read in Second Corinthians.
Chapter 5, verse eight, I believe it is, it says absent from the body present with the Lord. That would be the intermediate state. And then you turn to the 16th Psalm and we read those lovely words, the 11Th verse, the last verse of that Psalm, it says.
In thy presence present with the Lord. In thy presence is fullness of joy.
At thy right hand there places forevermore. And to think of this, the apostle Paul with the great joy that it was his as he walked through this world in communion with the Father, communion with the Lord. He could say to depart to be with Christ, which is far better, he could say to the thief. And I love to think of that beautiful scene, that solemn scene on Calvary, the Lord Jesus there on that center cross and the we find first that those two thieves.
That they had cast the same in his teeth. They had both said, If thou be the Son of God, come down to the cross.
But all brethren, how thankful we are. He did not come down, but he stayed there and he went to death for us. But the moment that same thief who had earlier accused him turned to him and said, Lord, Remember Me? I love to think of the Lords immediately immediate response, the beautiful response of our Savior. This day shalt thou be with me in paradise. What is heaven like?
It's to be with Christ, and the more we know of Him and learn of Him, the more thrill our souls as to the portion of everyone who knows Him.
Verse verses 15 to 18 very important to see this are a parenthesis so I'm going to read it without the parenthesis. Verse 14 if we believe that Jesus died and rose again.
Even so, them also which sleep in Jesus, or have been put to sleep through Jesus, will God bring with him? That's not the rapture, that's his appearing. We'll skip those parentheses and go to chapter 5. Will God bring with him? But of the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I write unto you. And when it speaks of times and seasons, it's always Speaking of an earthly event.
There's no times and seasons in heaven. Those are earthly things. So how do they get to be with him so that when he returns to set up his Kingdom and to subdue his enemies under his feet, how do they get to be with Him? That's what we have in verses 15/16/17 and 18. The parenthesis. We don't have a parenthesis in the King James, but it should be there as it is in the new translation. The parenthesis gives us the truth of the rapture, which is a brand new truth.
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That they didn't have yet in the first chapter they waited for God's Son from heaven.
They were waiting for him to come back and set up the Kingdom. The Kingdom hasn't been set up yet. We've been in this parenthetical time when he's away and he's going to come and take us to be with himself 1St and then he'll come back with us and establish the Kingdom. So the one is the the rapture and the other is the appearing. And the appearing continues on into the 5th chapter, but the rapture is the last four verses.
Of chapter 4. If you don't see that, you don't understand the truth of the rapture.
It's interesting, Chuck, that when he gave them the 14th verse, they probably asked the question, and I'm not throwing things in here, but they probably said, well, how's that going to happen? And so then he, as you say, then he gives him the actual truth of the rapture. And that's a point, you know, in, in that First Thessalonians, Second Thessalonians, the Lord's rapture is mentioned.
Coming is mentioned, but the Lord's coming is mentioned about twice as many times as the rapture. Oh yes, and it's interesting because in the Second Thessalonians, Second Timothy, you know, we do get ourselves occupied with the rapture, and there's nothing wrong. That's good because that's our hope. But you know, what is the thing that is uppermost in the mind of the person of Christ? Not just to have us.
But to have His canyons, and that's what we have in Second Timothy. There is therefore now a crown of righteousness laid up for me, and not for me only, but for all of them that love is occurring. And that's one way we get a crown is to look forward with anticipation, not just to the rapture, but to the fact that He is coming back and setting up a Kingdom. And that's the next chapter that we haven't got. And as you said, Dave, the word coming is used.
For both the rapture and the appearing.
When you say coming, it's indefinite. When he comes for us, that's the rapture. When he comes with us, that's the appearing. When he'll establish his rights down here. But they're both his coming. They're coming in two stages.
He comes it's it's like a victorious army that's defeated the enemy and it's coming back. And then those who are his that have been held captive in the city that he's.
Come back to reestablish under his authority. They go out to meet him. That's the rapture.
And then He keeps coming with them to the key to the city that has kept his own in captivity. That's a good illustration of the Rapture. He goes out to be with him, and when he comes back, He brings us with Him to establish His rights down here. Both are His coming. It's His coming 1St to get us. And then he keeps coming and establishes the Kingdom. And isn't it beautiful that it's the Lord Himself?
You alluded to it, Brother Larry, but I think just to.
Stop and meditate on this little expression. When the Lord Jesus comes and gives the shout, what we refer to as the rapture is coming for his Saints. He's not sending a messenger, He's coming himself. We find through the Old Testament God often used messengers in connection with His people. But it says at midnight there was a great cry. Behold, the bridegroom cometh, not his sending his servants, but coming himself. And brethren, He's not going to send an Angel for us.
Not going to send Gabriel for us. He's going to come himself. He's going to give that shout. We're going to rise to meet him in the air, and he himself is going to have the joy of escorting us to the Father's house. He hasn't left it up to anyone else. When he came the first time into this world, he came himself. He offered himself without spot to God, the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. It must be solved. And the one who gave himself.
Is the one who himself is going to come back and get us. You know you get that in Luke 16. I'll read verse 22. It came to pass that the bigger died and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom. That's not the rapture. That's angels that take it. So he had angels as his pallbearer and it doesn't say a word about the anything that the imagine the rich man had a very, very rich and lofty funeral doesn't say a thing about it.
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Just as the rich man died. But it tells about the pallbearer that the poor beggar had the angels taking him into Abraham's bosom. Beautiful. Can you read Acts 111?
Acts, chapter one, verse 11.
Read it please. Which also which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye get? Well, let me back up to the 10th verse.
Or I'll back up to the 9th person. When He had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up in a cloud, received him out of their sight, and while they looked steadfastly toward heaven, as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why Stan Yee gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus which is taken up from you in heaven into heaven, shall so come again in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. But this is not the rapture here.
Because when the Lord Jesus comes again to stand on this earth, it will be at His appearing. When He calls His own home, He's not coming to earth, He's coming on the cloud, and we're going to be called away from this earth to meet Him in the air. But then He is going to come in like manner. His feet are going to stand on the Mount of Olives and every eye is going to see Him and so on. But I believe that this portion in Acts refers to the time when the Jewish remnant will see Him in a coming day, comes back in like manner to intercede on their behalf.
Not in humility, the way it came before, but he's going to come in power and glory when the heavens open up, as you get in Revelation 19 where he's crowned with many crowns and he comes. Who's right? It is. Is that right, Bruce? It is, It is.
His first coming was when he came to die, wasn't it? Yes, his second coming that we often speak of is what we have in verse two of chapter 5.
But the day of the Lord cometh when he comes back. That would be at the end. Would you correct me if I'm wrong? That would be at the end of the tribulation, at the beginning of the millennial state. But in the meantime, there's this blessed time for us, for the Church.
And that's what we're Speaking of is the rapture that Brother Chuck referred to in the end of the fourth chapter, last four verses. You know, we often speak of the period in which we're living as a parenthesis. Well, verses 15 to 18, our apprentices, that that's what takes us home to be with him as part of that parenthesis. Isn't it beautiful? The word, the word rapture simply means to be caught up, taken away. And it's a very important principle to lay hold of.
Because there are Christians out there that don't believe in rapture. I remember I was working with a client one day and he found out that I'm a Christian. So he said to me, he said are you pre or post? And I looked at him dumbfounded. I had no idea what he meant. And he looked at me again. He said and I thought you're a Christian. He said yes I am. I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. He said then you don't know what pre and post means. I said no I don't. And then I had to be explained.
That some believe in what they call pre millennial rapture and the other one is post that's a very.
Wrong teaching out there. When the Lord comes that time to ****** us away up together in the clouds to be with himself, the church is snatched away on that. There is no more chance afterwards, and there's some Christian belief that you can stay behind and still proclaim the gospel.
Grace, that's the end of that time, is it not? And perhaps someone can even expand more so on that. Those that reject the the word rapture say it's not in Scripture. Well, it is in Scripture in verse 17. And we which are alive and remain shall be caught up. That's the rapture. It's just another way of expressing the word rapture. They're caught up together with them in clouds.
Just because it doesn't say rapture in scripture.
The word comes from reptory, which means the eagle, which can ****** things out of the water or out of the tree. It doesn't mean that there is no such work. Why get hung up on a word?
We're caught away. That's a good word, but a rapture makes it more spectacular, if you will. It's something like the JWS would say. The word Trinity is not in the Bible. I said what? The names of the three persons in the Trinity in our baptismal formula, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are there. What more do you want?
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The word isn't there, but the truth is there. The same thing about rapture.
If we could read the Latin Bible, that word that you pointed us to in verse 17 is that you?
Speak of, that's helpful. That's the what is it, the Vulgate I think it's called?
The very words caught up in the Latin Bible is raptura.
Well, so shall we ever be with the Lord? I think this is a tremendous statement because when He's in the Father's house, we're with Him. When He comes back to reign over the earth, we come with Him. We're going to be ever with the Lord. The whole redeemed company collectively gathered around Him for eternity. Now it's true. Individually. Now we have the Lord with us. I'll never leave thee nor forsake thee, and so on. Collectively we enjoy privileges like this.
Of coming into his presence at home on Lord's Day morning in Smiths Falls. Few of us sit down to remember the Lord. We claim on the authority of the Word and by faith his presence in the midst. We enjoy his company collectively here with a few of the Saints of God from time to time. But we're governed by physical limitations, by time and distance, by clocks and so on. And so we enjoy a time collectively in the presence of the Lord. Then we get up and we leave. We, we enjoy his company individually, but I'm speaking collectively.
But think of it rather, there's a time coming when we're going to be ever with the Lord and no empty seats there, no St. missing and everyone gathered around himself never to consciously lead or physically leave His presence again. Now if that doesn't do something to your heart and mind, I don't know what goes on within our hearts if when we realize there's a day coming when we're going to be ever with the Lord. Isn't that the springboard or motivation?
To desire his company now, individually, collectively, and to go on and to serve him here in this world. To think that he's going to gather and surround himself ever with the Lord.
He will always be. The Lord won't eat for all eternity. I was just noticing something so precious. You go back to the 45th Psalm and I believe it's verse 11 we read there. The whole Psalm is so good, but for the sake of time I won't read it.
But just in verse 11 There it says part of the verse, He is thy Lord and worship thou him. What a thought for us to meditate upon. He is thy Lord all. How it would save us so many problems if we could always remember that. And something else was called to my attention in First Corinthians, the first ten chapters where we have the subject of assembly truth 40 times.
You'll find that expression, Lord, and what a word that is to us, if we would really ever recognize that He is thy Lord and worship thou Him, and with eyes fixed upon Him. What a deliverance, what a freedom from fear, knowing that nothing is out of control for any of us. And the same one, the Lord himself, shall descend from heaven, and so shall he ever be with the Lord. And that's really what's going to make heaven. It's not going to be all the wonderful things that will be there.
But it's the one who's going to captivate our gaze for eternity. It's interesting in the 14th of John where the Lord introduced the subject of His coming in anticipation of His leaving the disciples and going back to the Father. He didn't say I will come again and receive you to heaven. That's true, He will. He didn't say I will come again and receive you to glory. That's true, it will be glory. But he said, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am.
There ye may be also, and that's really what's going to make heaven, is to be received to himself, to be gathered around himself. Because as often been said, four walls and fine furniture don't make a home, it's the presence of those that dwell there. Sometimes use this little illustration, but often when I get home from a trip during my absence, my wife has made some changes. Maybe rearrange the living room furniture, maybe done a little painting or papering or whatever it might be.
And after I'm home, a day or so, she says to me, don't you notice anything different? And I haven't noticed. She's disappointed because I didn't notice those changes. But when I get home, I go home, not because I have a comfortable home in Smiths Falls. I am thankful for a comfortable home, but I go home because of the presence of those that dwell there. There's loved ones there. And when I get home, what am I occupied with? Not so much the things that make up that house, but it's those that dwell there. I'm just glad to be back with my loved ones and occupied with them.
00:40:29
Well, brethren, when we get to the Father's house as the children of God, we're going to be home perfectly at rest, comfortable in His presence, and we're going to be occupied with Himself. His presence is what is going to make the place, and His desire is not merely to have us in heaven or in the Father's house, but to have us with Himself. When it says at the end of verse 14, it says, will God bring with Him? When will that be? I'm going to read it in Revelation 19.
And I saw heaven opened, and behold a White Horse. And he that sat upon him was called faithful and true, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns. And he had a name written, that no man knew but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood, And his name is called the Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses.
Clothed in fine linen, white and clean. That's us, that's us. God will bring us with him. Out of his mouth goeth the sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations, and he shall rule them with a rod of iron. And he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written King of kings and Lord of Lords. What a day that will be will be with him to see his victory.
Displayed as he subdues all his enemies under his feet.
Interesting, isn't it, that the last glimpse that this world got of the Lord Jesus was hanging on a cross of shame, crowned with a crown of thorns. That's what this world awarded the Lord Jesus with. That was their estimation of the the King of kings. That was their estimation of the Messiah, their estimation of the Lord of life and glory. But the next glimpse this world gets of Christ, and it's so tremendous, brethren, to think about the next glimpse this world gets of Christ.
He's going to come forth wearing many diadems, Mr. Darby's translation. He's going to come forth. Who's right? It is.
And He's not coming in humility, but he's going to come with many crowns, many diadems, and every eye is going to see him, and it's going to be in power and glory, and God's heart will never be satisfied until His Son comes forth. You know what's interesting? In the interim between the crown of thorns and these crowns that Chuck has read to us about in Revelation 19, now he's in heaven, crowned with a crown of glory and honor. That's God's estimation.
Because the resurrection, the ascension, and the glorification of Christ are God's Amen to the work of Calvary. And God has crowned him with many crown with with a crown of honor and glory. But it says there in that portion we see not yet all things put under him. He has his rightful place in heaven. He's crowned with a crown of honor and glory, but glory and honor. But God will never be satisfied till he has his rightful place on this planet that spit in his blessed face.
This planet that beat a crown of thorns into his blessed head, they're going to see him and they're going to bow and own him as King of kings and Lord of Lords, and he's going to reign in righteousness. And that and that alone is going to satisfy the heart of God to see his King, his Son vindicated. And brethren, to think that we're going to be associated with him. Those that the world despises now are going to come and reign with Christ. Oh, it ought to motivate us to follow him. Now. God allowed, God allowed wicked men.
To mishandle his beloved Son, to crown him with thorns, to spit in his face, to whip him and scourge him. God allowed them to do that and nail him to a cross. God allowed wicked men to do that. But once he said, it is finished, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit. God didn't allow any wicked man to touch him after that, only his own took him down and laid him in a new tomb where a man had never been laid. God, once man had done his worst.
And he had died and put away that our sins. It was only his own that handled him after that. And Chuck, it was only his. It was only his own that saw him too. In resurrection. Sorry, Tom. Yeah. What'd you say, Tom? I didn't mean to contradict, but the spear died. And after he said it was finished, it had to be after he died. Otherwise it would have been said he bled to death. Blood was shed necessarily, but it had to be after he died. But they didn't touch him.
00:45:21
No.
But I think it is important to realize too, that in resurrection then he only appeared to his own. And that's why I said the last glimpse this world, God of the Lord Jesus, was with that title, Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews, crowned with the crown of thorns. The next glimpse they get, he'll be crowned with many diadems.
Well, wherefore comfort one another with these words now, brethren, what comfort would we have? Let's just stop and think for a moment. What comfort would we have in this sad old world that's right for the judgment of God? It's not getting better, it's getting worse. I remember one time visiting a couple in North Carolina that we were asked to go and see and not a Christian couple. And it was just that during at the end of the Gulf War. And the lady said, I think after the Gulf War, this world is going to be on a course that leads to better and better things.
This is going to straighten out everything. Well, we can see in the years that have followed, have things got better? Are things better in the Middle East than they were back when the Gulf War came to an end? No, they're only worse. And brethren, what hope would we have? What comfort would we have? And as we see our loved ones pass on and older brethren that no longer take their seats in the meeting room because they're absent from the body and present with the Lord, what comfort would we have? Apart from this hope that we've been Speaking of, we would have no comfort. Now just go over to 2nd Thessalonians for a moment.
And let me read a couple of verses here in the end of the chapter, Second Thessalonians 2, verse 16. Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us and hath given us everlasting consolation and Good Hope here it's called a Good Hope through grace. Now notice this. Comfort your hearts, establish you in every good word and work. Now I just want to say this, Not only would we not have any comfort if we didn't have the truth of the Lord's coming.
But I believe that those who do not have the truth of the Lord's coming or understand it, I'm talking about believers. They are not really established in every good word and work. What is it that gives us ballast and direction in our Christian life? It's to have the hope of the Lord's coming clearly delineated in our mind and have it as a reality in our soul. But you talk to Christians who are mixed up as to the the rapture and the appearing and.
Post and pre and all this kind of thing that we've been Speaking of.
Are they established in their Christian life? They're really like a ship without a rudder. They turn into the wind and they drift, and they'll go with every wind of doctrine. And brethren, that's why it's important for us to hold tenaciously to the truth of the Lord's coming and to be able not to be ignorant. I would not have you ignorant concerning these things. We might be ignorant of many things, of the deep things of Scripture, but He doesn't want us to be ignorant when it comes to understanding.
The truth of the Lord's coming, because if we are, we're going to be just drifting. We're not going to be to have the proper character of strangers and pilgrims. We're going to be out lobbying for the betterment of this world, all this kind of thing. So it not only is our comfort, but it's our ballast and stability. It gives us that direction that keeps us on the right path. It's like a puzzle, and every piece has to be in its right place. Then you see the picture that God wants us to see.
And you can't see the picture in its entirety if one piece is out of place. It just doesn't work. And so we have to be clear as to the to the Rapture and the clearest to the appearing and on and on and on every. We have it all in the book.
No wonder that as Satan is so busy in propagating a false doctrine in regard to this, and I don't know, I'm sure we're all aware of the fact that there are many, many out there that disparage the thought of the rapture. They write against it. They preach against it.
That's Satan's work, because as you've said, Jim, if we don't have the.
Imminent return of the Lord in our heart. Well, what are we waiting for?
There's nothing there and Satan knows that and Satan is using that to to turn the hearts and the minds of many who really are Christians against the truth of the Lord's coming for his Saints, the rapture. Someone once gave me a book that was denying this, the rapture truth as we know it this way. And they were saying things like, well, ask your friends that believe in this.
00:50:24
What scripture do you have that it's a secret rapture, you know, kinds of things like this. Well, as they went on, they found themselves trapped and they said, of course there are some things that we can't understand. Well, of course they can't understand it. And we were putting the puzzle together. You mentioned one time and we had the whole border. You usually start with the border, and we thought we had it right, but there were two pieces transposed and we didn't know until we got to the end and had six pieces leftover and six spaces that didn't match.
Until we swapped the two that were wrong and it didn't fit together. So they have a couple of pieces missing and they can't figure it out. And yet they're mocking what we believe. And I think that it's a proof to us that we haven't made a mistake. We're understanding this because it all fits together properly.
Now, how does a right understanding of these things affect us?
Practically.
Just leaving.
How does it affect your life and mine?
What would it be if each and everyone of us in this room knew for a fact?
That at the stroke of 5:00 the Lord would come.
What changes would we make in our own thoughts, in our own minds? What changes if we knew for a fact that at 10:00 tonight the Lord would come? What changes would we make in our lives, in our positions, in our homes? It's a good question, Chuck. Brother Dave, I read one time if a farmer normally milked his cows at 6:00 and he knew that the Lord was coming at 8:00.
What should he do?
But the answer was milk his cows at 6:00. If he was to do anything different, he should have been doing it now. So he he goes ahead. So if we knew that a certain hour the Lord was coming, we should keep going on and we should be going on the right path to begin with. In the past. That's according to what we have in our hand. The Word of God shouldn't make any change. Well, we say all run out and give out tracks. OK, let's do it. I wouldn't want to know. He's coming at 10:00.
That would take my hope away. I expect him any moment. And dear brother Tansley, he was wrapped up with finding out when the Lords coming and he's over that now. But he's still in the body. But he I went with him once and and sister Dunderdale warned me. He's going to tell you all the proof he's got when the Lord's coming.
She knows right where? So when he opened the door, he said go to Bowman. I know when the Lord's coming. I said, if it's one second after now don't tell me you've ruined my hope. And that if you didn't talk about it, we got reading. Well, knowing the tendency of our hearts, the Lord hasn't told us because I'm not so sure. I'll be very honest. If I had cows to milk and I knew the Lord was coming this evening, I'm not so sure I'd go out and melt the cows.
And God knows the tendency of the human heart, and so He hasn't told us because, brethren, He wants us to be on tiptoe. Expectation, expecting the Lord has been said to come at any moment. Let's go to Luke 19 and see a couple of verses there in this regard.
Luke 19 and verse 12.
He said, Therefore a certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a Kingdom, and to return. And he called his 10 servants, and delivered them 10 lbs, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. Now, brethren, that's our responsibility. I like to connect this little expression, Occupy till I come. With the Lord's promise in John 14, I will come again.
So he's promised I will come again. What is my reaction to be in connection with that occupy till I come. And you'll notice he gave them responsibility here. He gave them each 10 talents. 10 denotes responsibility. Now in Luke's Gospel, you find there's a variance in the responsibility and or in Matthew's Gospel, I'm sorry, there's a variance in the responsibility and the same reward on his return because there it's God's sovereignty.
00:55:06
But here it's just the opposite. They all get the same responsibility and then reward it in connection with how they've used that. And so, brethren, the Lord is coming, but he wants us to occupy until he comes. Right up until the moment that the Lord Jesus comes, we are to be occupied with those things that are for his glory, whether it's the encouragement and blessing of the Saints of God and building one another up in our most holy faith, whether it's propagating the gospel.
Whatever it is, we need to live in light of the Lord's return, because in Christianity.
That's the pivotal point. Everything in Christianity is in view of the Lord's return, the moment when He's going to come back. And brethren, if we're living in view of that, then it's not going to make us lazy. It's going to give us spiritual energy to take what He's placed in our hands as to our responsibility and to use it in His absence, knowing that He's going to return. At any moment. It could be Jim fixing supper for the family.
Very good occupying till he comes very good. You know actually was as you were saying that was think of scriptures matching quite a few things for us to until he comes because the word of God knows that our heart has that lazy tendency. I'd like to turn to a passage in first Corinthians Chapter 11.
We know that well because we have to read his on Lord's Day morning. You know the, the, the disciples of old, when this was written almost 2000 years ago, they had the same hope that we have today. The Lord didn't say to them that, well, you got 19150 years to go. No, that that same hope was just as real then as today. And this was written to them in First Corinthians. The Chapter 11 verse 26 says for as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup.
He do show the Lord's death until He come. Oh, that's one of the first thing of how we can be occupied, isn't it? Do you remember Him? You know the Lord still leave us here tomorrow morning. Do we remember that as a special privilege? And it's not a one time, it's often. But how long do we do it for? Till He comes. It could be the very last one tomorrow, and we may not even see tomorrow, but at the meantime we have that privilege to do so till He come. But what else are we to do to keep ourselves occupied?
Let's turn to Timothy, I think in First Timothy, the chapter 4.
It tells us another passage of what to do while we're waiting for him. First Timothy chapter 4 in verse. In verse 13, he said until I come, but what are we to do? He opened up with this. Until he come, he sits here. Give attendance to reading, to exaltation.
To doctrine.
Oh, how much do we need to take heed to this, give attendance to reading? Now, correct me if I'm wrong in this. I don't believe back in the days, as the apostles have written this, that they can talk about reading at home. You know, often people will say, well, I can read at home. I take this a little bit differently. I believe it's referring to the assembly reading because in those days they did not have the privilege we have today. What we all have a Bible in our home. In fact, we have many Bibles. And in some homes we've been to, if it's like ours, you can go downstairs. You'll find one. You go into the bathroom.
You'll find one there too. So we have been blessed with that. But they have to share the manuscripts that was available. So I believe it's referring to give attendance to reading meeting and how sad it is. You know, sometimes people say how many are your assembly? And sometimes we look at it with shame. We don't know how to answer that because what they mean on Lord's Day morning or do they mean at a reading meeting night or do they mean at a prayer meeting night?
And we should say that with shame because the prayer, especially, as many have said, that's the powerhouse, isn't it? And the judge in the sense of the polls of the Assembly. So we're to give attendance to reading, to exaltation and to doctrine. But what else do we have to? Should we do? Let's go to when.
Another portion in Revelation, the Book of Revelation chapter 2.
Revelation chapter 2, verse 25.
But that which you have already, something that you already have, you said here, hold fast. Oh, you know, hold fast is a word that we often don't even use. We're the cold fast till he come. What we a minute now if we don't have something that we have laid hold of.
01:00:23
We have not bought the truth if we have not something that we value. How are we to hold fast and dear young people, we have to look into our hearts. What is it that you want to hold fast to the word of God want us to do so. Now there are a few other things that we can refer to, but we won't turn to it. We know that yesterday the young people we talked about, Samuel came and anointed David looking for his sons to be one of the sons to be anointed as kings. And if you remember, we didn't read further down. Samuel said he won't sit down.
So it's something that we're to do now. I'd like to turn to one more passage that we didn't have time yesterday is First Corinthian chapter 15 that we will add. That chapter ended with a comment. We talk about that. There were three parts to it. We talked a lot about the third part.
In chapter 51St Corinthians 15, verse 58, is that therefore so? It's something that's summing it up for us. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, for as much as you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. We spent a lot of time yesterday on the work of the Lord, but I'm thinking particularly the two words here that we often don't use.
We just talked about holding fast a minute ago. Here it says be steadfast, steadfast. We don't hear that often, do we? And you know, sometimes it's a glorious sight to see someone working for the Lord. It seems to be so glorious to hear someone coming back in a foreign country. You know, we get, we tend to gravitate to that. But in the meantime, we forget there are those who are quietly in their own way, holding fast. So here is a species steadfast.
Unmovable And brethren, I believed that if we do what we just talked about till he come, remembering him being steadfast in our assembly, in the reading, giving attendance to the reading. And we were exalted about continuing like the Corinthian, the the apostles of old in reading and in prayer. And I believe we can learn to be steadfast and unmovable and decide of the Lord.
In connection David with.
Give attendance to reading. There's an underground church in China and maybe only one person has the Bible so he has to read it to the rest. Every one of us has a Bible in our lap and how privileged we are. But that's not the case in many places, right?
These are the things that should characterize us.
Go ahead, brother, go ahead.
I was just thinking these beautiful things that have been mentioned should characterize the child of God. And I just like to add one more and the the 1St chapter of First Thessalonians 2 verses at the end of the first chapter.
There, for they themselves show of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and notice the order of things here. And this again is something for us to to lay hold of in our hearts.
And how he turned to God, first of all, turn to God from idols to serve the living and true God. And then notice that tenth verse and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus which delivered us from the wrath to come. That's what should be should characterize us, brethren, to be waiting for his Son from heaven. If everything that we did was in view of his soon return, what an effect it would have upon our lives, would it our decision.
Excuse me, Brother Tom, I wasn't saying it. The question was asked. What does the hope of the soon coming of the Lord mean to you? And it wasn't answered, but I'll answer for myself. It means a settled peace, and you know that is worth everything.
Turn to John 14 and verse 27.
John 1427 The Lord says, Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. When you realize all is well with your soul, nothing can harm it. You're going to go to be with the Lord.
01:05:22
And forever. And that's what his soon coming really means to me. Everything is at peace with the world. Even let them do what they want. But the Lord is going to take us home and any moment it's a beautiful value to your soul. Brother Bruce, would you help us in the 5th chapter? Just give us a little outline of those verses. You don't have a lot of time.
As you said.
The times and seasons that are referred to here are really dealing with God's dealings with the earth. So now he's Speaking of a time that will take place after the rapture. And it's interesting to see in that third verse that the he changes his the and speaks of they and them, which is third person plural. And so he's thinking of a class of people that are not the same class as what we've had in our parentheses in the end of chapter 4.
For the end of chapter four, we have had we.
We which are alive and remain now he's speaking about they and them. So it's a different class of people now those who will be under the the judgment of God in that time. I might just mention about the verse two. It says the day of the Lord. Maybe some of the young are asking what that is. It's not the Lord's day. The Lord's day is a different that's the the first day of the week.
That's tomorrow, but the day of the Lord is a day when Christ will intervene upon this scene in judgment at the appearing as it says he'll come as a thief in the night. Five times you'll read about the his coming in connection with being a thief in the night, and each time it's his appearing under the rapture. And so it's the time when he will come back in judgment and deal with this earth. And the day of the Lord is not a 24 hour day as we speak of it to it's really.
A period of time that will stretch throughout the Millennium.
So it's one period of time when he will exercise His Lordship power in the earth. But then swinging on from verse four down to verse 10 or 11, we have it again, changing back to the first person plural.
He says, but ye brother, now he's Speaking of the believers again, and he gives a practical exhortation here now about the fact that we are not connected with the darkness and so we ought to live as children of the day because that's what we are. Some very practical exhortations are given to us now from verse four through 10 or 11.
When he speaks of the Lord coming as a thief in the night, which expression you get in the Gospels, it never has to do with the rapture. It has to do with the Lord Jesus coming back in judgment. Because there's two things that characterize the thief. He's unwanted and he's unexpected.
But that's not what our hope is. We're looking for the Lord to come. We want Him to come, and we ought to, as we've been saying, expect Him at any moment. But there is a day coming when the Lord Jesus is going to come back to this world and He's going to assert His rights here in this world, and He's coming as a thief in the night. This expression, the day of the Lord, is in contrast to what you have in First Corinthians 4, verse three. If you notice in Mr. Darby's translation, he speaks about man's day.
Man's day is now man is seeking to assert his rights. Not that God isn't in control behind the scenes because he rules in the kingdoms of the Most High, but man is asserting God is allowing man to assert his rights. Today. Man thinks he's pretty clever and arranging things on the world stage. This is man's day, but in contrast, there's a day coming called the Day of the Lord, when he's going to come forth from heaven and his rights are going to be asserted and owned by once looked up.
The expression The day of the Lord.
And every reference, it's the day of judgment, the day of darkness, a day of gloom, a day of trouble. So it's universally used that way, isn't it? It's constantly used that way and not another way. It's not. Certainly, as it's already been said, it's not the Lord's Day, it's the day of judgment.
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And then there's the Day of God.
The day of God is eternity, isn't it?
I think that's done in the end of Peter, isn't it? And there's no nations then yes, it's God and men like it was in the very beginning.
And righteousness dwells.
We don't have very much in Scripture about that eternal day, but if you look at the Revelation 21 verses one through 8, you find the eternal states, and as you say, there are no nations there. It says He dwells with men.
Beautiful nations have disappeared, and God dwells with men, and they accept him and receive him. And that's the character of the eternal state. That's the earth will be above that. Whenever you get nations, it's the Millennium and men, it's the eternal state.
Wonderful. Even in the church, you know you have those 3 designations of the population of the world in First Corinthians 10. Give no offense either to the Jew or the Gentile or the church so that God looks down on the man mankind and He sees the believers as part of the church. You don't need to say I'm a Gentile Christian or that's a Jewish Christian. No, either a Christian or you're one of the other.
What's interesting, Tom, in connection with that is from a heavenly standpoint.
In the eternal state, the bride remains distinct, not beautiful to see because when he takes up the subject of the eternal state in those first few verses of Revelation 21, then you find the bride coming down adorned, the church coming down adorned as a bride for her husband. I think this beautiful, brethren, eternity is not going to be a melting pot for us. We're going to remain the bride of Christ. And when he delivers up the Kingdom to the Father at the end of the.
Millennium, there's nothing more to be put down.
The last enemy that's destroyed is death. There's nothing more to be ruled over in that sense. And then he delivers up the Kingdom to the Father, that God may be All in all. Why does he do it? Well, he delivers it up as a man, that God may be All in all. And then if I could just say this, brethren, He spends the rest of eternity devoting himself to His bride. Left tremendous to think of. And so on the earth there will be no more nations or distinctions like that, as we've said. But as far as in heaven, we remain a distinct entity, the bride of Christ.
To enjoy his love and that special place of relationship for eternity and no deterioration. She still adorned as a bride, adorned for her husband. And you know, after 51 years, if you looked at our wedding picture, you'd hardly recognize us.
The Millennium is for the vindication of God's character, but the eternal state is for the satisfaction of his heart. That's good.
God will not rest until eternity. As long as sin is in the in the creation, He enters into his rest as we get in Hebrews 4, and it's really the eternity, and that's when there is the satisfaction of His heart.
Is fulfilled the sun with his bride devoting his time and his you know there is no time then but his all his devotion of heart to her wonderful. There's a beautiful verse in the 72nd Psalm. Actually, the whole Psalm is unique.
I'll read the 19th verse, don't need to turn to it.
And bless it, be his glorious name forever, and let the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen and Amen. The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended. Well, didn't David have more to say after this? Yes, he did.
But what David had in mind is when Christ gets his place, there's no need for anymore prayer.
That's beautiful. It's nice to see too, about the word of God has opened up and revealed to us the the mysteries that we talked about. We're in a such a privileged time that we in a sense, were given a blueprint of what's to happen now. What what would that do for us and how does that help us? We think about the the Old Testament sayings of old. You know, they didn't get to see any of this. They, they know of the general resurrection and that's about all the knowledge they know.
Here it should make our heart rejoice, because we know from the beginning to the end. So we should first of all realize that God is in control of everything. We talk about death not long ago. We talk about being raised from the dead. We talk about we which are alive to be caught up together with them in the cloud and to be forever with the Lord. But what about right now? We talked about how we ought to live, but we should also acknowledge the fact that the Lord has control of everything.
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That means life or death and even every event that happens. Do we acknowledge that there is a God who knows it all? You know, we, we sometimes get frustrated, but here it gives us a road map to remind us that our journey is almost over. You know, it's kind of interesting. On the way here, I usually don't fly, we do a lot of driving, but we flew from Toronto to here, which was supposedly A5 hours flight.
That turn out to be 12 hours trip. But you know, along the way it was kind of nice that we know the US geography a little bit as we look out the window. It was nice to say, hey, we've gone past Chicago finally. We're about 1/3 of the way here. And you know, as the hours going on, we look out the window and in that time we couldn't really tell. Now we, we cheated a little bit with what this little gadget called GPS. I turned it on. It took a while and then it came on and show us that we're over Colorado.
We go, wow, we're halfway home, and we knew that we were almost here. Now. There were turbulences, there were problems, and there were delays, but that was OK too, because we knew that we were almost here. In fact, when we got to the airport here, we waited an hour extra to taxi in, but that was okay too. It was a little bit frustrating, but it was OK because we know that this is just a temporary problem. But where is our heart, our object, and our hope?
If our object is to improve this world, if our object is to find a better life for our family and ourselves, if our object is full of I in there as we mentioned about the pride before.
And then we're in the wrong place. We need to look up and knowing that the time in this world is very short and the Lord also we have to acknowledge that he leaves us here for very special reason. That's to glorify his needs. Therefore, let us not sleep verse six of our chapter. And so in light of this, he doesn't want us to be asleep to these things. We've spoken at a great at great length about sleep in connection with the sleep of the body of the Saints when we lay one.
To rest.
Their body sleeps, we think, to a physical sleep. We're going to lie down this tonight and we're going to sleep for a few hours. But I believe the sleep here is something a little different. Let's go over to Romans 13 and you'll get it.
Romans chapter 13 and verse 11.
And that knowing the time that now it is high time to awake out of sleep, for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed the night is far spent the days at hand. Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light, and so on. But here again he's warning about the Saints sleeping, not physical sleep, but not sleep and death. But it's here spiritual sleep. They were asleep to these precious truths.
Asleep to the fact that their salvation was nearer than when we believed. It's the salvation of the body here that we've been Speaking of in these meetings. But they were asleep to this. And what was it causing? It was causing it, causing them to live carelessly, causing them to set their heart on things in this world, Drunkenness and wantonness and so on.
And brethren, if we don't have this truth before us every day, if we're asleep to the fact that the Lord is coming back.
And that we're almost at the end, as Brother Dave said, we're going to live careless, too. And so in the midst of all this, he exhorts these Thessalonians, he says.
I let me just read it again, verse six. Therefore let us not sleep as do others. And then he says, but let us watch and be sober. Are we really watching, brethren, for the Lord to come, not just waiting, but are we really watching for the Lord to come when we get up in the morning?
Is our expectation, is our thought in the morning that before another sunset we may hear the shout and be called safe home when we go to bed at night? Is it with the realization that the next time we open our eyes may to be to be look into the face of the Lord Jesus as snatched away, having heard His voice and called away to meet Him in the air? That's what He wants us to be doing. He wants us to be looking, looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing.
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Not just waiting, brethren, but looking, not asleep to this precious truth, but awake to it, so that we live in a that we don't live carelessly, but that we live, as we said earlier, soberly, righteously, and godly in this present age.
Would you allow that? Sleep is used in three different ways in this portion.
The one you just read was sleep of indifference and seven days that sleep, sleep in the night is natural sleep. And then in verse 10, those who, whether we who died for us, whether we wake or sleep, that's the sleep of that. Very good. What's the last one? Did you say? Verse 10, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with them, whether we're alive or dead in the grave when he comes, OK.
Number 78. I was thinking as him here too. As we sing it, perhaps we can look at what the hymn writer trying to express.
Hymn #78 in the back of the book.
I'm waiting for the Lord thy beauty to see, Lord. I'm waiting for Thee for thy coming again. Thou are gone over there, Lord, A place to prepare, Lord. Thy home I shall share at thy coming again whilst thou art away, Lord, I stumble and stray. Lord, O hasten that day of thy coming again. This is not my rest, Lord.
A Pilgrim confessed Lord, I wait to be blessed at thy coming again. Hymn #78 in the appendix.
Oh my God.
Staying over 168.
That's 168.