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NASB | 1 Thessalonians 4:17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | 1 Thessalonians 4:17 Then we who are alive and remain [on the earth] will simultaneously be caught up (raptured) together with them [the resurrected ones] in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord! [John 14:3; 1 Cor 15:52; 2 Cor 5:8; Phil 1:23; Col 3:4] |
Subject: Searching for the truth |
Bible Note: Greetings! What has promted your line of questioning here? (I see that someone has already asked this too! Also, bear in mind what others have written, spiritual death and physical death are entirely different! There are those, according to 1 Thess 4:17 who will not physically die as we know or understand it. On the other hand, spiritual death, or eternal separation from God, is a very real reality for those who reject the Righteousness of God as revealed in Jesus.) I am SO GLAD that God made an "exception for me!" You see He said, the penalty for sin is death (or separation from God). I am a sinner. Therefore, I have no hope but spiritual death, or do I? God, in His great love and mercy provided a Way for me to escape this penalty, yet still satisify the demand of His justice and His Word. He provided Jesus, to take my place, to take your place, so that we could be the "exception" to His decree. God has said, "it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment" (Heb 9:27) If Enoch and Elijah did not physically "die," did God not keep His Word? How do you, or anyone else for that matter, know what He has planned to fulfill this? Our understanding of physical death is very limited. When God took Enoch, "he was no more." We have come to believe that Enoch did not physically die, we also have the record of Elijah who was taken into Heaven, bypassing death. So is this promised to believers at the coming of the Lord in the air. According to 1 Cor 15:50, we also know that "flesh and blood" cannot inherit eternal life, so God must have done something so that those who did not physically die, as we understand death, could enter His Presence. What or how is an unanswerable question! In some matters, God keeps secrets from us (Dt 29:29). How He will accomplish this is yet to be seen. It is here where faith takes over, FytRobert. Either you believe that God is Who He says He is in His Word or you continue to question His nature. Don't look for "exceptions" that don't concern you! Personally, there is much ground to be covered in the future and many prophesies have yet to be fulfilled. Exactly how God will accomplish these and bring history to a conclusion are only partially revealed in the Bible - bottom line is this: God saves those who put their trust in Him. Jesus is the Way - walk in it. I hope this encourages you! Sometimes the Truth is concealed so that we must just trust His Presence in our midst. My prayer for you is that you will be sensitive to the affirmation of the Holy Spirit and KNOW the Truth (even if you don't understand it) of Whom you seek! Blessings! mommapbs PS: I'm going away until 7/26, so I will be unable to respond until then! Stay close to God's Word - search the Scriptures, PRAY(!), ask questions but don't accept the word of men over the Gospel of God! PRAY again for discernment and wisdom to understand what God is saying to YOU! |