This is Monday evening, May 7, 1973, in Richmond, Virginia. Ministry is being given to the saints.
Lord, how we praise You that, in the precious blood, You see no iniquity in us. But You give the commandment to bless, and who can reverse it? So we just come to You with confidence in Yourself, trusting Your Holy Spirit to bless us with Your Word, to touch our hearts, and to prepare us as a people for Your purpose. We ask in the precious name of our Lord Jesus. Amen.
This morning we fellowshipped together concerning something in the two letters of Paul to the Thessalonians. We mentioned that these two letters to the Thessalonians were the first two letters written by Paul to any church.
The church in Thessalonica was raised up by God through the apostle Paul, probably in only a few months. And Paul wrote these two letters to that church.
When you read these two letters, without going into details, try to read them in one sitting. Try to read them with your spirit open to the Lord. What impression will these two letters make upon you most?
I think this is a good way to read the Bible. You know, sometimes when we read the Bible, we are bogged down with details—with a word, with a phrase. When you are involved with these things, it gradually becomes technical. You may be able to get some understanding, and yet you lose the atmosphere of the Word of God.
So I think sometimes it is very blessed if you try to read the Word of God in one sitting. Do not divide it, but read the two letters in one sitting, with your heart wide open to the Lord. Then you get a kind of impression from the Lord as to these two letters.
I believe if you read them that way, the first thing that will impress you is that you somehow sense the freshness of life there. This is a young church.
She was not noted for her maturity, and yet there was a freshness of life—the freshness of the life of Christ in the church. Yes, they had problems: problems not only with theology, but also in practical life. Yet you sense the freshness of the life of Christ in them.
I do not know how to describe it. The verse that came to me was in Psalm 46:
There is a river, the streams whereof make glad the city of God,
The holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High.
God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved:
God shall help her, and that right early.
Now, that is the feeling. Thank God, the church in Thessalonica is the city of God, the habitation of the Most High. The Lord is in their midst. The Spirit of life moves through the city and makes them glad. They shall not be moved. They are living in the dawn of the morning.
Now, that is the situation you find with the church in Thessalonica: life. Brothers and sisters, there is nothing more important than life—the life of Christ as manifested in the church.
Paul wrote these two letters, on the one hand, to thank God for the life that was manifested in their midst; on the other hand, to encourage them that they might continue to grow in life.
Now, we mentioned also this morning that where there is life, there will be evidence of life. The evidences of life in the case of the church in Thessalonica are threefold:
Brothers and sisters, if there is life, there will be the experience of the past: we are turned from idols to God. There will be the present experience: we are here serving the true and living God. And there will be that expectation, looking forward to the coming of the Lord.
Out of that come the work of faith, the labor of love, and the endurance of hope.
If you read these letters again, for the second time, in the same way, probably you will begin to get a second impression. The second impression, as you read these two letters, is this: here was a church that was literally living with anxious expectation of the return of her Lord.
In the two letters to the Thessalonians, you will find the whole atmosphere is filled with the desire and the thought of the second coming of the Lord. This very church was expecting the return of the Lord.
There was such an earnest, anxious expectation in them: “Oh, that the Lord will come back soon.” They really expected the Lord to come back in their lifetime.
You know, brothers and sisters, sometimes this is an argument in theology. Some people say, “Well, probably Paul was mistaken, because in the writings of Paul it seems as if he was expecting the Lord to return in his lifetime. But he waited and waited, and the Lord did not return, and he passed away. He was mistaken.”
As a matter of fact, the early Christians in the first century were all expecting the Lord to return in their lifetimes. And yet the Lord did not return. Were they mistaken? Not at all. Not at all.
In every century, you will find those who love the Lord are waiting for the Lord to return in their lifetime. Are such Christians mistaken? Not at all. Why? Because if anyone really loves the Lord, if there is the first love, he is bound to wait for the Lord to come back. He is just like that. What else can he look forward to?
See, wherever there is the first love, there is that expectation for the Lord to return, because his heart is no longer here; his heart is already there. That is the most healthy thing you can ever have.
It is only when our heart grows cold that we say, “The Lord delays His return. The Lord will not come in our lifetime.” It is the wicked servant who says, “My lord delayeth,” and therefore he begins to beat his fellow servants. He is taken unexpectedly when the Lord comes back.
It is the foolish virgin who thinks, “The Bridegroom delays. He will not come,” and she will be shut out from the marriage.
But wherever there is revival, wherever there is an awakening among God’s people, inevitably you find that the issue of the second coming becomes very real. It is only when the church is asleep that the issue of the second coming becomes a forgotten issue.
Every time there is a revival in history, every time there is an awakening, you find the second coming immediately becomes a living issue. In other words, people begin to look forward to the coming of the Lord. That is good.
That timetable is flexible. God does not have a fixed timetable saying, “Christ will not return until the end of the year 2080,” or something like that. The timetable is flexible. Whenever the condition is fulfilled, then the time comes.
Our Lord Jesus says He is coming back. So far as the heart of our Lord Jesus is concerned, how He longs to come back immediately.
Think of the bridegroom and the bride. How anxious must be the heart of the bridegroom to come to meet his bride. Our Lord is the Bridegroom. How anxious He must be to come back to receive His bride.
But why does He delay, and delay so long? The bride is not yet ready. But when the bride is ready, He will not wait a minute. He will come back to receive His bride to Himself.
So, brothers and sisters, physically speaking, even in the first century, the last days had come. Now we are in the twentieth century; how much nearer it must be all the time.
That is why, with this church in her first love, no wonder you find they were anxiously expecting the Lord to come back. They had blessed hope. They lived by that blessed hope, and because of that hope in them, they were purified.
Especially, the young church suffered persecution. When Paul preached the gospel to the Thessalonians, he was persecuted and had to flee away because of the accusation and the riots.
And after Paul left, this young church went through great persecution—not from the Jews, but from their own countrymen. What kept them looking forward to the Lord whom they had just found? It was the blessed hope.
When the going was hard, they looked up and said, “The Lord.” That was their strength, and that gave them endurance. That was how they went through the persecution. They were able to go through.
How true it is that every time the people of God enter into persecution, you find the blessed hope sustains them through all their trials and persecution.
I would like to read to you what I think is a translation of a hymn written after the Communists occupied China. We do not know who wrote it. To me, there are only three people who could write such a hymn, but I do not know which one.
But as the children of God enter into persecution, you notice how they expect the Lord. In other words, the longing to see the Lord is intensified in persecution. When we live so peacefully, we go to sleep. When we live prosperously, we hope the Lord will delay His coming. Why? Because we have such a good time here.
But when God’s people really enter into a difficult time, you find the hope, the desire, and the longing for the Lord to return.
I read this hymn, and you notice the desire there:
Things long ago, advancing, we part;
Within my heart there is a ceaseless void.
How can I take my harp down from the willow?
How can my songs, without Thee, be enjoyed?And when at night I’m keeping lonely vigil,
Bowed down alike to sorrow and to cheer,
Then I recall the promise of Thy coming:
Why, O Lord, why dost Thou not yet appear?Thy manger wakes the thought: I too am homeless.
Thy cross makes earthly pleasures vain to me.
Thy coming bids me seek a better country,
For Thou Thyself art now my final goal.Since Thou art gone, my joy hath lost its flavor;
My strongest sweetness I was fain to miss.
Since Thou art gone, the sense of all the world is gone.
Oh, how I long that Thou wilt come and not be late.Though even now I know Thy loving presence,
Yet in my heart there still remains a sense of need.
The enlightening and tenderest of things can no more satisfy;
I want Thee back to find Thy peace with Thee.I still feel lonely despite Thy joy;
There still remains a sigh.
When I feel no content, the silent yearning
To see Thee face to face becomes an utter cry.God’s exile cannot the desire defend,
And longing people once again to greet.
For souls on alien soil forget to keep it:
What part of lovers never yearn to meet?O Lord, how can these earthly loves and pleasures
With all the joy of Thy return compare?
Then if I cannot here behold Thy coming,
What can I do but sigh till Thou, my Lord, appear?Didst Thou, O Lord, forget Thy word of promise,
Soon to return and take me unto Thee?
Yet day by day, and year by year, I wait,
And still I wait, and no return I see.Remember, Lord, the years I have been waiting;
Thy footsteps linger far away.
How long, how long, O must I wait still longer
Till Thou shalt come again in glorious array?From generation unto generation,
Thy saints have come and gone, but have not seen
Thy glorious coming pass into this moment.
How long, how very long the time has been.Why cannot we, dear Lord, discern Thy presence?
Why are the heavens still so closely sealed?
O must our waiting be prolonged still further
Before Thou, in Thy matchless light, art revealed?Lord, I recall how many years I’ve waited
For Thy return; yet more, not I alone.
For Thy dear saints, for many generations,
Beseeching Thee to come back for Thine own.To countless tears and countless servant feelings,
By Thine appearing hasten to reply.
O may Thou come—the echo of the ages:
“Come, come,” and answer now this mighty corporate cry.
You can feel the feeling. Especially when God’s people are under tribulation, they long to see the Lord. That is their only hope. That is their omega.
Throughout history, the church has been waiting for the Lord to come back. And because they waited for the Lord to come back, a fire of love was burning toward God.
Are we waiting for the Lord’s return? The coming of the Lord is not for mental curiosity. The coming of the Lord ought to be a spiritual occupation.
In other words, many today are curious about the coming of the Lord. They want to know all the events, all the prophecies, and how they will be fulfilled. But, brothers and sisters, to those who really love the Lord, it is not a matter of curiosity. It is not just to satisfy our minds. It is our occupation. It occupies our hearts.
It is something that is burning within our hearts: “Lord, come quickly. Lord Jesus, You are our hope.”
If you read the two letters to the Thessalonians, I believe that will be the impression you get. They did not know too much about the second coming of the Lord. They still had theological questions. Yet you find they were waiting for the Lord to return.
Brothers and sisters, if you compare their knowledge of the second coming of the Lord with the knowledge we have today, we are far more advanced than they were. We know much more than they did.
But it is not how much you know. It is how you are waiting. That is the point. Very often, we know too much, but we are not waiting. What is the use of knowing if you are not waiting for His return?
When He shall come back, He will take you by surprise. You are not ready. Probably you are asking Him to delay His return because you know you are not ready.
How much better, dear brothers and sisters, if even though we know little, that little makes us wait, looking forward to the return of our Lord. Why do we want Him to return? Because we want to see Him, and we shall be like Him when we shall see Him.
So this is the impression you get when you read the two letters to the Thessalonians. I hope you will read them in that way and see if you get that right impression.
This evening I would like to share with you the coming of the Lord as you find it in these two letters to the Thessalonians. Of course, the coming of the Lord means a great deal to us. It means much to us. But we have to limit ourselves to the two letters to the Thessalonians.
We will see, according to the two letters to the Thessalonians, what the coming of the Lord means to us.
Let us turn to 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10:
For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you;
And how ye turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God;
And to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus,
Which delivereth us from the wrath to come.
First, the coming of the Lord means to us deliverance from the coming wrath.
This world has already been judged. The judgment has been pronounced; it is temporarily suspended. Now, that is the situation of the world today. Do not think that the world will live on forever. It is not so.
God has already judged the world. When Christ was crucified, the prince of this world was judged. With the prince of this world judged—that is, Satan judged—the whole world was judged, so far as judgment is concerned.
But the execution of God’s judgment has been suspended. Why? Peter says it is because of the longsuffering of God. He wants everyone to be saved and to repent. In other words, God suffers long.
So far as the world is concerned, it is already judged. There is no escape. There will be no change. It is already doomed. But God suspends the execution of His judgment during this period, so that many may yet repent.
But the day is coming when God will execute His judgment upon this world. The day of God is coming, and He will come in executing His judgment.
When you come to Revelation 6, you find the opening of the sixth seal. Revelation 6:15-17 says:
And the kings of the earth, and the princes, and the chief captains, and the rich, and the strong, and every bondman and freeman, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains;
And they say to the mountains and to the rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
For the great day of Their wrath is come; and who is able to stand?
One day there will be the wrath of the Lamb. You know, the lamb is the meekest animal. You can do anything to a lamb. A lamb under the shearer utters no sound.
When I was in New Zealand, I went to see the sheep-shearing competition. Those shearers came together, and they competed to shear sheep. They all started at once to see who could shear first and who could do the best job. They used electric shears, and they would grab the lamb and shear it very quickly because they wanted to finish fast.
Sometimes you find a little blood because of the haste, but you do not hear a sound from the lamb. It struck us a little bit, but the lamb is the meekest of all animals.
And yet, when the meekest should get angry, that anger is something, right? Suppose a person is very gentle, a very patient person. You can do anything to him, and he will not be angry. But one day, when he does get angry, he blows his top.
The Lamb—our Lord Jesus—is the Lamb. “Behold, the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” You can do anything to Him today, but one day the wrath of the Lamb will come. It is the great day of the wrath of God, and who can stand?
The kings of the earth, the rich, the mighty, and the great will say to the mountains, “Fall upon us,” because they cannot see the face of God. That is the wrath of the Lamb.
Revelation 16:1 says:
And I heard a great voice out of the temple, saying to the seven angels, Go ye, and pour out the seven bowls of the wrath of God into the earth.
One day, seven angels will hold seven bowls full of the fury of God, and they will pour the fury of God upon the earth. One day God will judge, and who is able to stand?
The wrath of God will continue on, of course, to the judgment of the great white throne. But thank God, He has delivered us from the coming wrath.
Our Lord Jesus, when He was crucified on the cross, the wrath of God came upon Him. He cried out, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” The sun hid its face. Darkness prevailed. The wrath of God fell upon Christ.
So the Lord could say:
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My word, and believeth Him that sent Me, hath eternal life, and cometh not into judgment, but hath passed out of death into life.
Brothers and sisters, our Lord Jesus is our Deliverer. His return means the coming of the wrath of God upon this earth, but we do not need to be afraid.
As Luke says, when you see all these things coming, lift up your heads, for your redemption draweth nigh. Brothers and sisters, at the second coming, we have been delivered from the coming wrath. What a privilege.
It means more than that. If you turn to Romans 5:9-10:
Much more then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.
For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
You know, because Christ has died for us, we are justified in His blood. That is something already done. We are justified in His blood. We shall be saved by Him from wrath.
Think of this: having been justified by His blood, by His death, we now have His life in us. In the power of His life, we shall be saved from wrath.
That is to say, daily as we live on earth, by the power of His life, we are saved from wrath. In other words, His pleasure is not only something that is coming; even today we can live daily under His pleasure.
Just as our Lord Jesus, when He was on earth, the heavens opened and said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” There was no wrath upon Him, because He had done nothing displeasing to the Father; there was delight.
Brothers and sisters, this life is now in you. By this life, we are saved daily from wrath. God is pleased with us, not because we are able to please Him, but because His life in us is pleasing to Him.
Oh, if we only live by the life of Christ in us, we can look up and the light of His countenance shines upon us. That is being saved by His life—saved from wrath by His life.
And when the Lord shall return, there will be no wrath: “Well done. Well done.” This is the meaning of the coming of the Lord to us. We are saved and delivered from the coming wrath.
From 1 Thessalonians 2:19-20:
For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of glorying?
Are not even ye, before our Lord Jesus at His coming?
For ye are our glory and our joy.
What does the second coming of the Lord mean to us? The second coming of the Lord means to us the day of reward.
Revelation 11:15-18 says:
And the seventh angel sounded; and there followed great voices in heaven, and they said,
The kingdom of the world is become the kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ: and He shall reign for ever and ever.And the four and twenty elders, who sit before God on their thrones, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, saying,
We give Thee thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty, who art and who wast; because Thou hast taken Thy great power, and didst reign.And the nations were wroth, and Thy wrath came, and the time of the dead to be judged, and the time to give their reward to Thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and to them that fear Thy name, the small and the great; and to destroy them that destroy the earth.
So far as the Lord’s people are concerned, the coming of the Lord is the day of recompense—the day of reward.
What is our reward? Of course, if you read the Bible, you find the reward is given in many different ways. Sometimes it speaks of the throne. Sometimes it speaks of the crown. Sometimes it speaks of dominion over five cities or ten cities. Sometimes it speaks of entering into the joy of the Lord.
It is described in many different ways. Thank God, when the Lord shall return, this is the time when not only shall we be delivered from the coming wrath, but positively, this will be the day we shall be rewarded.
Now, brothers and sisters, there is a great difference between gift and reward. A gift is something given undeservedly, not because you have done anything. If you have done anything to earn it, it would not be a gift.
Eternal life is a gift. It is not because we deserve it, not because we have done something worthy of it, but it is by grace. We are saved by grace through faith, and that not of ourselves; it is the gift of God.
But the Bible tells us that, besides the gift of God, there are rewards in the work of Christ. The subject of reward is in the Scripture, but the reward is only for those who are the Lord’s.
Eternal life is offered as a gift to all who believe. The reward is promised to those who are the Lord’s, who cooperate with the Holy Spirit and let the Holy Spirit perfect His work in them. They shall be rewarded.
So you find in 1 Corinthians 3, Paul says the foundation is already laid. It is none other than Christ. But we are building upon that foundation. Notice how you build. If you build with gold, silver, and precious stones, or if you build with wood, hay, and stubble, the day shall come when we shall all appear at the judgment seat of Christ.
The fire will test our work. See, it is work. If it is wood, hay, and stubble, it shall be burned, and you shall be saved, but so as through fire.
But if it is gold, silver, and precious stones, when they are tested by fire, they give more radiance; they shine. Then you shall receive reward.
So, brothers and sisters, this is something that we need to remember. Today in Christianity, either people believe that salvation is to be earned by good works, or we go to the other extreme: because salvation is free, therefore, after you receive Christ, it does not matter how you live on earth. After all, you are saved by faith.
That is another extreme. But as you read the Word of God, you find that eternal life is the free gift of God. It is given to all who believe, not by good works. No, it is by grace, purely.
But after we are saved, the Lord does expect that we will do His will. And if we do His will, we shall be rewarded.
Just like in a family, every child who is born into the family has the right and the privilege to be fed, to be clothed, and to live under a roof. In other words, parents pay all these things for their children. It is a gift—not because the child has paid, not because the child has done something, but because the child is born into the family.
Therefore, this is his life; this is his privilege. It is equal to all the children in the family.
But among the children, there are some who listen to the parents, obey the parents, and do things that are pleasing to the parents. You know what will happen. Sometimes the parents say, “Now, if you do this, or if you do not do that, if you listen to this, when I come back, you will have a candy.”
Now, that candy is a reward. Suppose among seven children, three obey and three do not listen. What happens? Do all seven get the candy? No. The three who obey get the candy, but all seven get the food.
So, brothers and sisters, you find we are the family of God. All who believe in the Lord Jesus receive eternal life. But only those who do the will of God will be rewarded.
If, after you believe in the Lord, you build with wood, grass, and hay—if you live your life and do your work according to the flesh—wood always represents human nature. Grass represents human work, because in Egypt they mixed the grass to make the brick. And hay speaks of glory.
It is just on the level of the natural life. You are building with wood, grass, and hay. They are not very costly, and you can do a very big thing that is visible, that everybody can see. But the point is, it cannot stand the fire.
The fire here is none other than the Lord Himself. God is like a consuming fire. In other words, one day we shall all appear at the judgment seat of Christ, and there He will test us with Himself. Is it Me, or is it you? If it is you, no matter how big it is, it burns.
Gold is the nature of God. Silver is the redemption of Christ. Precious stone is the work of the Holy Spirit. If you build with gold, silver, and precious stones, then the fire will only increase their luster, and you will receive reward.
Does it mean that you will be unsaved if your work burns? No. Why? Because the foundation is Christ. It is only the superstructure that is burned, but you cannot burn the foundation. Therefore, you are saved, but you will not be rewarded.
Oh, brothers and sisters, I am afraid this is something that many of God’s people neglect. The second coming of the Lord is the time of reward. He shall reward His saints, both great and small.
If you give a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple to anyone, you shall not lose your reward.
Among all the rewards, there is one that Paul mentions especially in the letter to the Thessalonians. He says:
What is our hope, or joy, or crown of glorying?
Are not even ye, before our Lord Jesus at His coming?
For ye are our glory and joy.
In other words, there is a reward. One day, when you come to the judgment seat of Christ, one day when Christ shall return and you shall see Him, there will be those whom you have helped in the Lord. They are there at the judgment seat of Christ, and they are your crown and your joy. That is your reward.
You know, if God used you to bring a soul to Christ, if God used you to help other people, there is a joy. And how much more when you come into the presence of the Lord and find all these whom God has used you to help are there. They are your crown and your joy before the Lord.
There is nothing else definitely, but anyway, it is the thought: the coming of the Lord is the day of reward to God’s servants. That should encourage us.
Number three: 1 Thessalonians 3:13:
To the end He may establish your hearts unblameable in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints.
The coming of the Lord is the day when the purpose of God shall be fulfilled.
Now, what is the purpose of God concerning us? The purpose of God concerning us individually is found in Ephesians 1:4:
Even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blemish before Him in love.
What is God’s purpose in choosing us? His purpose in choosing us in Christ is that we may be holy and blameless before Him in love.
God’s purpose in choosing us is not simply that we may be saved and go to heaven. Yes, we will. But God’s choosing us has a purpose, and His purpose is that we may be holy and blameless before Him in love.
That is God’s purpose individually. Corporately, you find in Ephesians 5:26-27:
That He might sanctify it, having cleansed it by the washing of water with the word,
That He might present the church to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing;
But that it should be holy and without blemish.
Now, this is the purpose of God concerning us in Christ Jesus: that we may be holy—that is to say, completely separated for God—and that we may be blameless before Him. There is nothing that He can blame.
Of course, this is not because we are perfect, because love covers a multitude of sins. This is God’s purpose.
Corporately, God’s purpose is that the church may be a glorious church, without spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing, but that we may be holy and blameless before Him.
Who is doing that kind of work? You know definitely: the Holy Spirit in us. The Holy Spirit in the church is working toward that end. He is responsible to bring us there. Oh, if only we know and if only we cooperate, He is able to do that.
Thank God, at the coming of the Lord, this purpose will be fulfilled. He will confirm our hearts unblamable in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints.
Here, brothers and sisters, how should we live today? We live today in that eternal light. You know, one great saint said, “I do not live by time; I live by eternity.”
Here we have the blessed hope of the Lord Jesus before us. What is involved there? That one day we shall stand before Him holy and blameless in love.
Brothers and sisters, we should live daily in that light. If we walk in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin.
Not that we are perfect. We are not perfect. We need the precious blood. The more you walk in that light, the more you need the precious blood. Then we shall be blameless, and we will be perfect—that is, mature.
One day, the church will be received by the Lord, holy and blameless. Thank God.
The coming of the Lord, number four: 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18:
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 that are alive, that are left, shall together with them be caught up 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.
The coming of the Lord means to us a great family reunion. At the coming of the Lord, there will be that family reunion.
The dead shall be raised from the dead, and those who live and remain shall be transformed. We shall all be together, living, with one another.
Oh, we shall find Paul and Peter there. We shall find those dear ones who have gone before us. It will be a great reunion with the Lord and with one another. You cannot imagine the fellowship.
I am not saying that there must be everybody wanting to tell what the Lord means to him or her, but it will be that blessed, great family reunion.
Number five: 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10:
For God appointed us not unto wrath, but unto the obtaining of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.
And 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24:
And the God of peace Himself sanctify you wholly;
And may your spirit and soul and body be preserved entire, without blame, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Faithful is He that calleth you, who will also do it.
In other words, the coming of the Lord means that we enter the full salvation of the Lord.
Not only is our spirit saved; our soul will be saved. Even this mortal body will be changed to immortality. The corruptible shall be changed into incorruption. This body of humiliation will be transformed into a body of glory.
We enter into the full salvation of God. Brothers and sisters, what a day it must be. The coming of the Lord means much, and this is only found in 1 Thessalonians.
If you read the New Testament, if you read the Bible, you will find it means really much, much more. It is how blessed that day is for us.
But what happens to the world? So far as the world is concerned, you find 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9:
At the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with the angels of His power in flaming fire,
Rendering vengeance to them that know not God, and to them that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus:
Who shall suffer punishment, even eternal destruction from the face of the Lord and from the glory of His might.
The coming of the Lord means judgment and destruction—everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His might. It is terrible.
You know, some who study the Bible make that distinction between the day of Christ and the day of the Lord. Most likely, there is a difference.
The day of Christ is related to the church. The day of the Lord is related to this world. The day of Christ is found in 1 Thessalonians; the day of the Lord is found in 2 Thessalonians.
So, when Christ shall return, we shall all appear before Him. That is the day of Christ. The day of the Lord is the terrible day of judgment. Judgment shall come upon the world, and it is connected with this world.
So what are we waiting for? We are waiting for the day of Christ.
Now, if you read the Bible, you find there is such a distinction. But that thing is like the coming of a thief. Nobody knows. The Lord shall come back like a thief in the night.
Will He catch us unaware? No, because we are sons of the day. If we are watchful and waiting, no matter what time He comes, we are ready for Him.
Even though He shall come like a thief, yet if you are watchful at all times, He cannot take you by surprise. You are ready for Him. We do not know what day; we do not know what time. But to those who are watchful, it makes no difference.
The day of the Lord can be foreseen. Why? Because in 2 Thessalonians they were disturbed by some people. These saints were in persecution, and some people came to them and said, “The day of the Lord is already come. The very persecution you are going through proves it is the day of the Lord.”
So they were disturbed, because they thought they had missed the opportunity and were now under judgment. Paul told them, “No. Before the day of the Lord shall come, the man of sin must be manifested.”
But now he is not manifested because there is that restraint. When that restraint is taken away, then the man of sin shall be manifested. Then the day of the Lord shall come, and the Lord shall appear and consume him with the brightness of His coming.
So here you find there will be an apostasy, a general falling away, and the appearing of the man of sin before that day of the Lord is here. There is a difference.
But, dear brothers and sisters, with Paul, he is always looking forward to the day of Christ, that he may appear before the Lord blameless.
So I do hope that, through these two letters to the Thessalonians, there may increase within us a longing for the Lord Himself. And also, that He will purify us, that we may be ready—ready by the Holy Spirit for Christ.
If this is what is being done through the two letters to the Thessalonians, then they are not read in vain. Of course, there are other things in these letters, but I think this is one main thing: number one, it is life; number two, it is the coming of the Lord.
Dear Lord Jesus, the cry of Thy people through the centuries is, “Come quickly. Lord Jesus, come.” And we do desire to add our cry to it.
O Lord, hear the corporate cry of Thy children. But, Lord, do not allow us to utter such a cry and yet not be prepared.
O, we give ourselves to this. May Thy Holy Spirit work much and prepare us for that day when we shall see Thy face. In the name of our Lord Jesus. Amen.