I must admit I had to "chuckle" at all the post that followed this post #1 with a thousand different opinions from y'all. For example, it started at 70AD, or it started when Jesus said on the cross "It is finished." And someone said it stared in 1949.
So, let me make this suggestion? Please, take your time and read 1 Thessalonians (the whole book and it is short) and pay close attention to the words used in their context. Put yourself in the Apostle Paul's place and just read it slowly and prayerfully and "hopefully" you will see a pattern.
For instance, I noticed that it is all about the Lord Jesus Christ coming to us. Look at 1 Thess 1:10, "and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He rasised from the deat, Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come."
Question? What kind of "wrath" is Paul talking about? Look at chapter 2 vs16, "hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles that they might be saved; with the result that they always fill up the measure of their sins. But WRATH has come upon them to the utmost."
Hi Bluto,
The type of wrath is not the issue, because believers are not appointed to suffer any of God's wrath, whether the wrath that is coming upon this earth nor the wrath which leads to the lake of fire. The underlying principle for this, is that Jesus already took upon himself the wrath of God that every believer deserves, satisfying it completely. When we believed in Christ we were credited with righteousness and reconciled to God, which means that believers have been brought back into a peaceful relationship with God. Because of this, believers must be removed from the earth prior to the on-set of God's wrath which will be initiated by the opening of the first seal.
And at vs19, "For who is our hope or joy or crown of exultation? It is not even you, in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming? Chapter 3. vs3, "so that no man may be disturbed by these afflictions; for you yourselves know THAT WE HAVE BEEN DESTINED FOR THIS." Vs7, for this reason, brethren, in all our distress and AFFLICTION we were comforted about you through faith."
The destress and affliction that Paul is speaking about in the scripture above, is the trials and tribulation that Jesus said all believers would suffer as a result of faith in Him. This in not the wrath of God, but comes at the hands of mankind and the powers of darkness. Many people claim that the church will be going through God's wrath and that because they don't understand the difference between the common trials and tribulations that come as a result of our faith vs. God's coming wrath via the seals, trumpets and bowl judgments. It is the later that we are not appointed to suffer. John mentions the same common trials and tribulations that he was suffering in Rev.1:9 when he said, "I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance that are in Jesus." John wasn't speaking about God's wrath, but the tribulation that he was suffering by being exiled to the isle of Patmos for his faith in Jesus. Below are some of the other scriptures which show that we will not be here for God's wrath.
"and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead,
that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come."
"Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath
of God through Him."
"But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. For
God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ."
Therefore, the AFFLICTIONS that we THAT WE HAVE BEEND DESTINED FOR, is referring to the trials and tribulation that come from the hands of men and the powers of darkness, which are not the wrath of God.
The wrath of God, also referred to as "the hour of trial" and as "the day of the Lord" will be specific time when God will pour out His plagues of wrath which will be carried out via the seals, trumpets and bowl judgments, as well as the plagues that the two witnesses bring. Because Christ has already suffered God's wrath for all who believe in Him, then according to His promise in John 14:1-3 and 1 Thess.4:13-17, we must be removed from the earth prior to the on-set of God's wrath.
And if you read the rest of Chapter 5 you see Paul is encouraging them to build each other up and esteem others better than yourself. You can read the rest of the chapter yourselves. Anyway, this is my take on 1 Thessalonians and notice again, it is the Lord coming for us and I don't see any so-called rapture of Him coming for us and we return for the Lambs supper. Plus, I just remembered Hebrews 9:28, "so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, shall appear a second time for salvation/deliverance without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him." One coming again and only one resurrection.
IN GOD THE SON,
bluto
You are correct in that, there will only be one coming. The problem is that many do not recognize that the Lord's appearing to gather the church vs. His coming to the earth to end that age as being two separate events with different purposes.
Prior to the Lord's return to the earth to end the age and establish His millennial kingdom, the wrath of God must take place via the seals, trumpets and bowl judgments. Therefore, if you have the church being gathered at the same time that the Lord returns to the earth to end the age, then you would be putting the church through the entire wrath of God which believers are not appointed to suffer. Those seals, trumpets and bowl judgments will be poured out upon a Christ rejecting world, those willfully living according to the sinful nature. Where believers in Christ have already repented and have been credited with righteousness and reconciled to God. And you think that God is going punish the righteous with the wicked?
It is because of God's coming wrath that Jesus and the apostles continue to warn us throughout scripture to be watching and ready.
* We are here
* The Lord appears to gather His church
* The antichrist is revealed and will make his agreement with Israel initiating that last seven years
* The seals, trumpets and bowl judgment will run throughout the entire seven years
* Jesus returns to the earth to end the age after the 7th bowl has been poured out (second coming)
* The beast and the false prophet are captured and thrown alive into the lake of fire
* Satan is thrown into the Abyss during the Lord's thousand year reign
The two below are two separate events with different purposes
The gathering of the church = Jesus descends to the air gathering the dead and living and taken back to the Father's house
The second coming = Jesus returning with the church to the earth to end the age and establish His millennial kingdom
1
