HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 1455
1 THESSAL ONIANS 5
page 1085
harm or cheat a fellow believer in this matter by
violating his wife,* for the Lord avenges all such
sins, as we have solemnly warned you before.
7 God has called us to live holy lives, not impure
lives. 8 Therefore, anyone who refuses to live by
these rules is not disobeying human teaching
but is rejecting God, who gives his Holy Spirit
to you.
9 But we don’t need to write to you about
the importance of loving each other,* for God
himself has taught you to love one another.
10 Indeed, you already show your love for all the
believers* throughout Macedonia. Even so, dear
brothers and sisters, we urge you to love them
even more.
11 Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your
hands, just as we instructed you before. 12 Then
people who are not believers will respect the
way you live, and you will not need to depend
on others.
be surprised when the day of the Lord comes
like a thief.* 5 For you are all children of the light
and of the day; we don’t belong to darkness and
night. 6 So be on your guard, not asleep like the
others. Stay alert and be clearheaded. 7 Night is
the time when people sleep and drinkers get
drunk. 8 But let us who live in the light be clearheaded, protected by the armor of faith and
love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence
of our salvation.
9 For God chose to save us through our Lord
Jesus Christ, not to pour out his anger on us.
10 Christ died for us so that, whether we are dead
The Hope of the Resurrection
13 And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want
you to know what will happen to the believers who have died* so you will not grieve
like people who have no hope. 14 For since we
believe that Jesus died and was raised to life
again, we also believe that when Jesus returns,
God will bring back with him the believers who
have died.
15 We tell you this directly from the Lord: We
who are still living when the Lord returns will
not meet him ahead of those who have died.*
16 For the Lord himself will come down from
heaven with a commanding shout, with the
voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet
call of God. First, the believers who have died*
will rise from their graves. 17 Then, together with
them, we who are still alive and remain on the
earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet
the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the
Lord forever. 18 So encourage each other with
these words.
We admire anyone, Christian or not,
whose word is consistent. When they
say they will do something, they can be
counted on to follow through. People
do not admire those who say one
thing and live another, whatever their
beliefs. How do people view you? Do
your actions back up your words? Can
other people tell you are a Christian by
the way you act? Would they call your
faith consistent? Would they call your
lifestyle consistent with what you say you
believe? It is not enough to get off to a
good start in building our lives on God’s
principles; we must endure with God to
the end (Mark 13:13). God must be in
control of our lives from start to finish.
Only then will we be effective witnesses
for Christ.
5
Now concerning how and when all this
will happen, dear brothers and sisters,* we
don’t really need to write you. 2 For you know
quite well that the day of the Lord’s return will
come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night.
3 When people are saying, “Everything is peaceful and secure,” then disaster will fall on them
as suddenly as a pregnant woman’s labor pains
begin. And there will be no escape.
4 But you aren’t in the dark about these
things, dear brothers and sisters, and you won’t
4:6 Greek Never harm or cheat a brother in this matter.
4:9 Greek about brotherly love. 4:10 Greek the brothers.
4:13 Greek those who have fallen asleep; also in 4:14.
4:15 Greek those who have fallen asleep. 4:16 Greek the
dead in Christ. 5:1 Greek brothers; also in 5:4, 12, 14, 25,
26, 27. 5:4 Some manuscripts read comes upon you as if
you were thieves.
• Honesty &
Integrity
1 THE S S A LON I A N S 4:11-12
• Death
1 THE S S A LON I A N S 4:13-18
Scholars have debated for centuries, and
no doubt will continue to debate, over
the events that will lead to Christ’s return.
What they don’t debate nearly so much is
that Jesus will come and what that coming means. It means that, for the believer,
death is not a vast ending of nothingness
and grief. It means that for those who
have placed their faith in Jesus Christ,
there will be a great and glad reunion of
joy and laughter—however and whenever
Jesus returns. Therefore, although we
are sorrowful and do grieve in the face
of death, we have an unmistakable and
unshakable hope as our sure foundation.