“No one comes to the Father except through Me.” … Jesus Christ, John 14:6

Today, we’re going to learn a little bit of Latin. But don’t worry … there will not be a test at the end … only a hope that you will understand a little better the theology of Solus Christus …

IN CHRIST ALONE

1^st Verse: 

In Christ alone my hope is found; He is my light, my strength, my song;
This Cornerstone, this solid Ground, firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease.
My Comforter, my All in All – Here in the love of Christ I stand.

2^nd Verse: 

In Christ alone! – who took on flesh, fullness of God in helpless babe.
This gift of love and righteousness, scorned by the ones He came to save
Till on that cross as Jesus died, the wrath of God was satisfied;
For every sin on Him was laid – Here in the death of Christ I live.

3^rd Verse: 

There in the ground His body lay, Light of the world by darkness slain;
Then bursting forth in glorious day, up from the grave He rose again.
And as He stands in victory, sin’s curse has lost its grip on me,
For I am His and He is mine – bought with the precious blood of Christ.

4^th Verse: 

No guilt in life, no fear in death – this is the power of Christ in me;
From life’s first cry to final breath, Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man, can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home – here in the power of Christ I’ll stand.

SCRIPTURE READINGS: John 3:16, John 14:6-11, Acts 4:12

^{John 3:16}   “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

^{John 14:6-11}   “Jesus answered, ‘I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you really know Me, you know My Father as well. From now on, you do know Him and have seen Him.’ Philip said, ‘LORD, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.’ Jesus answered: ‘Don’t you know Me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father?’ Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in Me? The words I say to you I do not speak by My own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in Me, Who is doing His work. Believe Me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me, or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves.”

^{Acts 4:12}    “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven [than Jesus Christ] given to mankind by which we must be saved.” Parenthetic insert mine.

 Now the lesson: In Latin (as in other languages such as Hebrew), endings are tagged onto the root word to give it context. Many languages genderize their words into masculine, feminine and neuter. Latin is one of them. So, using the word ‘solo’ to modify a masculine subject, in Latin, one would use the ‘us’ ending, ergo ‘solus.’ If modifying a feminine word, solo would become ‘sola.’ Plural, ‘soli.’ In Latin even names are given the masculine ‘us’ or feminine ‘a,’ hence Christus. 

(A sidebar here: Go to the end of the Book of Romans, and you will see a list of names the Apostle Paul is greeting. Note: “Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews who have been in prison with me. They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was.” All emphasis mine.)

At the Reformation, Protestants, led by theologians such as Martin Luther and John Calvin, were leading Christians to stand up to the church of Rome in protest against what had become rampant hypocrisy, bad theology, corruption and abuse. From our place in history, we know that their efforts transformed Christianity and eventually led to the emergence of the Protestant denominations which exist today … that is Lutheran, Presbyterian, Methodist, United, and, to a certain extent, Anglican and Episcopalian.  The latter two, after breaking from the Catholic Church, were still fairly influenced by the liturgy of their parent church. Over the years, though, these also became known as Protestant churches.

Notice what was missing in that list? Baptists are not now nor have ever been considered Protestants.  Never having been part of the Catholic Church, they had nothing to protest. The various sects that became the Anabaptists and Baptists held to the Biblical teachings of the original Churches at Jerusalem, Rome, Ephesus, Corinth, and so on. When the Reformation was emerging, and until the Protestant churches sorted out the original theology, Anabaptists were persecuted not only by the Roman Church but by the newly formed Protestants as well. This is really interesting because ultimately the Protestants identified five Solas or Solae which are also the bases for Baptist tenets of faith. These are:

1. Sola Scriptura – Scripture Alone … The Bible alone is the highest authority as being the God-breathed Word of the Almighty Creator.
2. Soli Deo Gloria – To the Glory of God Alone – We live for the glory of God alone.
3. Sola Fide – Faith Alone – We are saved through faith alone in Jesus Christ.
4. Sola Gratia – Grace Alone – We are saved by the Grace of God alone.
5. Solus Christus – In Christ Alone – Jesus Christ alone is our LORD, Saviour and King.

Sola Scriptura: We find the authority for Sola Scriptura in 2 Timothy 3:15-17 in which Apostle Paul writes, “… from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” God’s Holy Word is trustworthy and true and our authority for faith and practise. The Bible gives us everything we need to understand how the Grace of God leads us to Salvation in Jesus Christ.

Soli Deo Gloria: Glory belongs to God alone and is the central motivation for salvation. This is how we know that works alone will not lead to salvation. Helping to improve the lives of others is a wonderful by-product of our faith, but Almighty God is not a means to an end. He is the means, and the end … the Way, the Truth and the Life. All glory is to be given to the Creator of All That Is. 1 Corinthians 10:31, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” As Christians, the chief purpose of our faith and our human life is to glorify God, forever.

Sola Fide and Sola Gratia: We group these two together because they are inseparable. Our faith and God’s mercy are inextricably entwined. We are saved solely through faith in Jesus Christ because of God’s Grace and Jesus’ Sacrifice on the Cross, alone. We are not saved by anything we do or are, except for the power we have to choose to believe in Him.

False teachers like to point to a couple of Scripture passages to say that works alone get us to heaven.  These are: Matthew 25:31-46, the “Sheep and Goats” lesson; and James 2:18-26, ending with “As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds [works] is dead.”

But, Sola Fide and Sola Gratia are substantiated in Ephesians 2:8: “For it is by grace you have been saved through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Deeds, or works, are not salvific in themselves, but, rather, are the fruit of our faith. Our faith produces in us a desire to be Christ-like, to do good wherever we possibly can.

One of the great gifts of God is the power to exercise our Free Will. When we confess our faith in Jesus Christ, God grants salvation because our sin is covered by the Blood of the Lamb. Our sin is not negated by the good things we do. Sin is not wiped clean by good works. Our good deeds are only outward signs of our Salvation in Christ Alone.

Solus Christus: God has given us the ultimate revelation of Himself by sending His Only Begotten Son Jesus Christ. In John 14, Jesus asks, “Don’t you know Me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? How can you say ‘Show us the Father?’ Don’t you believe I am in the Father and that the Father is in Me!”

Colossians 1:15 tells us, “The Son is the image of the invisible God; the firstborn over all creation. For in Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities, all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.”

In Jesus we have God incarnate, reconciling sinful man to Himself through His own shed blood on the cross of Calvary. Before Jesus came to earth, humankind was alienated from God through the curse of the earth, the sin of Adam and Eve passed down to every generation, through the blood. When we believe in Christ Alone, we are able to be presented to the Father as unblemished, free from condemnation.

Apostle Paul writes that we have the hope of eternal life “if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel.” That is the only thing we can actually do to help our Salvation – be steadfast in our faith to the end. Jesus, in His letter to the Church at Philadelphia said, “I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of My God” (Revelation 3:11-12a).

When we were born into this sinful world, into our unholy nature, we were deserving of God’s wrath.  God’s great love for us … His awesome Mercy … took us from our fallen state of being dead in our sin and made us alive. “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

He did this even as we were still sinners. By His grace we come to faith, and in our faith, we proclaim the Salvation that is available through Christ Alone. Jesus said, in John 14:6, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Exclusionary? No! For this invitation is open to each and every soul on earth!

Our belief in Jesus Christ elevates us to be with Him in the heavenly place He is preparing for us, even right at this minute. This is love beyond compare. Love beyond anything human hearts or minds could ever conceive.

Jesus gave the disciples something of Himself to hold onto, until the day He comes back to earth in great power and glory on the clouds of heaven. In the act of Communion, we eat the bread and drink the cup to celebrate that Jesus lived, died, rose again and will return.

Acts 4 – Peter and John had been preaching the Good News of Jesus Christ risen and had healed a 40-year-old man who had been lame for years. We read, “The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people, proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. They seized Peter and John and, because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day. But many who heard the message believed; so the number of men who believed grew to about five thousand.”

Let me pause here for a minute … did you get that?  Just from hearing the message of Salvation from Peter and John, about FIVE THOUSAND people were saved that day! FIVE THOUSAND. Give glory to God in this place!

To continue Acts 4 – “The next day the rulers, the elders and the teachers of the Law met in Jerusalem.  Annas the high priest was there, and so were Caiaphas, John, Alexander and others of the high priest’s family. They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: ‘By what power or what name did you do this?’

^“Then Peter, filled with Holy Spirit, said to them, ‘Rulers and elders of the people! If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel. It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, Whom you crucified but Whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. Jesus is ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”

No other name under heaven! In Christ Alone! Christus Solus.

LET’S PRAY …

Dear Heavenly Father:

All glory be to You, O King! We, your creatures, acknowledge that You are the God of the Universe, the Ruler over all that is, because You created it all. In our pride and willfulness, we sinned the great sin of disobedience, trying to elevate ourselves above our created status. Now, Father, we repent of our sin and beg Your forgiveness. In Your great love and mercy, and grace, You sent Jesus, Your own Son, to earth to atone for our sin, to cover us with His own righteous blood, that we might live forever. Now we give You thanks and praise for this greatest of sacrifices, in and through Yeshua Ha’Maschiach, our LORD and Saviour forever, we pray. Amen.

If anyone reading this devotional has not yet received Jesus as their Saviour, but God has touched your heart by His Holy Word, please email me (amadea649@gmail.com) or find a Bible-believing local church and ask the Pastor what you must do to be saved in Grace. In the meantime, please consider the ABCs of Salvation:

A – Admit

Admit what you have done wrong and ask forgiveness.

Romans 3:23 “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

Romans 6:23 “The wages of sin is death.”

1 John 1:9 ‘If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

B – Believe

Believe that Jesus died on the cross and rose again as payment for your sins.

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

1 Corinthians 15:3-4 “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.”

Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

C – Confess and Choose

Confess and choose to allow God to be in charge of your life.

Matthew 16:24 “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”

Romans 10:9 “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Romans 10:13 “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

This article, based on God’s Holy Word, was written by the inspiration of God’s own Holy Spirit.  All glory to God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 

Blessings,

Lynda Janzen

Text: 1Thessalonians 4:13-18

INTRODUCTION

This is a verse-by-verse study of the imminent [could occur at any moment] resurrection of “the dead in Christ” (1Thessalonians 4:16) and the simultaneous change of the saints “which are alive and remain” (1Thessalonians 4:15, 17).

ASLEEP IN JESUS

1Thessalonians 4:13-14 “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which 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 him.”

Returning to put on immortality—The bodies of the “dead in Christ” (1Thessalonians 4:16), them which “sleep in Jesus,” are in the grave, but their souls and spirits are now in heaven and “present with the Lord” (2Corinthians 5:8). When the Lord descends from heaven (1Thessalonians 4:16), he will bring these souls “with him” to receive new bodies. God will give every soul “a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body” (1Corinthians 15:38):

“There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body” (1Corinthians 15:41-44). They are returning with Christ because “this mortal must put on immortality” (1Corinthians 15:53).

Physically dead—”…them which are asleep…which sleep in Jesus” (1Thessalonians 4:14) speaks of believers who have died physically. They are called “the dead in Christ” (1Thessalonians 4:16). When Lazarus died, the Lord Jesus said to his disciples, “Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep…Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead” (John 11:11-14). Isaiah and Daniel both speak of the dead as being awakened at their resurrection (Isaiah 26:19; Daniel 12:2). When Stephen was stoned to death by the Jews, the scripture said that “he fell asleep” (Acts 7:60).

Dead or alive—The Lord “died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep [whether we are alive or physically dead], we should live together with him” (1Thessalonians 5:10). The soul and spirit of the born-again believer will “never die” (John 11:25-26) but will forever live with the Lord. While alive on earth, the children of God who walk in the light of the word of God are blessed to enjoy fellowship with the Lord (1John 1:7). Nevertheless, like Paul, they are “willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord” (2Corinthians 5:6-8).

Paul wrote: “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not. For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart [to leave the mortal “body of this death” (Romans 7:24)], and to be with Christ; which is far better” (Philippians 1:21-23).

The witness of other scriptures—The scriptures make it clear that the soul and spirit depart the body at death. When the Lord Jesus raised the daughter of the ruler of the synagogue from death, “her spirit came again…” (Luke 8:55). When Rachel died at the birth of Benjamin, “her soul was in departing, (for she died)…” (Genesis 35:18). When Elijah prayed for a dead child, “the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived” (1Kings 17:22).

Our blessed hope—The “others which have no hope” (1Thessalonians 4:13) are “aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:12)! But the LORD is the hope of all of his redeemed people.

The word of God declares the glorious mystery of the indwelling Spirit of Christ, which is “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27; 1Timothy 1:1; Joel 3:16; Jeremiah 17:7; Hebrews 6:19-20): “And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure” (1John 3:3), “For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself” (Philippians 3:20-21; Titus 2:13).

No ‘soul sleep’—The false doctrine of “soul sleep” is the belief that after a person dies, his soul “sleeps” until the resurrection and final judgment. According to the scriptures, the soul never sleeps. For example, during “the time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jeremiah 30:7), when the fifth seal was opened, John wrote: “I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled” (Revelation 6:10-11).

These souls were not dead, for they put on robes and communicated with God!

RESURRECTED

1Thessalonians 4:15-16 “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 [precede or go before] 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.”

Resurrected and changed—The resurrection of the church fulfills the promise the Lord Jesus made to his disciples, saying: “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:2-3).

The Lord’s promise is remarkably similar to what a traditional Jewish groom would say to his bride. The groom would then leave her in her own house as he went to build an addition to his father’s house before returning to get his bride. Then he would return for his bride “as a thief in the night” (1Thessalonians 5:2), at some unexpected hour (Matthew 24:44), with a trumpet blast and a procession with a loud cry, saying: “Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him” (Matthew 25:6).

A mystery—This wonderful event is one of “the mysteries of the kingdom of God” (Luke 8:10), over which believers are to be “stewards” (1Corinthians 4:1). In Paul’s first epistle to “the church of God which is at Corinth” (1Corinthians 1:2), he wrote: “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality” (1Corinthians 15:51-53).

Suddenly, without any warning signs, the Lord Jesus Christ will descend from heaven, at which time the living and dead members of his bride the church “shall be caught up…to meet the Lord in the air” (1Thessalonians 4:16-18). The words “caught up” are translated from the Greek word ‘harpazo,’ which means: ‘to seize, carry off by force…to snatch out or away’ (Strong’s Concordance). The most commonly used term for this sudden catching away of the church is rapture, which comes from Medieval Latin raptura, which means ‘a carrying off, abduction, snatching away’ (Etymonline.com). ‘The Latin translation of this verse uses the word rapturo.’ (Bible.org).

THREE STAGES OF THE FIRST RESURRECTION

The “first resurrection” (Revelation 20:5-6), also known as: “the resurrection of the just” (Luke 14:14; Acts 24:15): “the resurrection of life” (John 5:29): and “the resurrection from the dead” (1Corinthians 15:12-49; Hebrews 6:1-2), is divided into three distinct stages, each of which is associated with the command, “Come up hither.” When the LORD completes all three stages of the first resurrection, he will have gathered to himself all of his redeemed people who lived before the beginning of his thousand-year reign (Revelation 20:1-6). Following is the chronological order of these three stages:

Resurrection of the church—The conversation of all born-again believers “is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20-21).

John, who is a type of the church, wrote: “After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter” (Revelation 4:1). After his translation to heaven, John saw the redeemed church already in heaven praising God (Revelation 5:8-10). After seeing the church there in heaven, John saw the Lamb take the book sealed with seven seals and begin to open the seals. As each seal is opened, the book reveals the chronological events of the tribulation, called “the time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jeremiah 30:7). At the opening of the first seal, the antichrist will come on a white horse to deceive many with a false peace (Revelation 6:1-2; Daniel 8:25; 1Thessalonians 5:3).

The Wicked revealed—According to the scriptures, “the day of Christ…shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition…And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way” (2Thessalonians 2:1-7).

At the present time, the Holy Ghost permanently indwells all of the members of Jesus Christ’s “body, the church” (Colossians 1:18). They were called by “one Spirit” (Ephesians 4:4). They have been “born of the Spirit” (John 3:8), and they are sealed by the “Spirit” (2Corinthians 10:22) “unto the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4:30). We believers have the Lord’s promise: “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:5). Therefore “greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world” (1John 4:4)!

The very presence of the Holy Ghost in the world withholds the revealing of “that man of sin…the son of perdition” (2Thessalonians 2:3), also known as the “antichrist” (1John 2:18). But when the Holy Ghost is “taken out of the way…then shall that Wicked be revealed” (2Thessalonians 2:7-8). While it is certainly true that the Spirit of God is omnipresent: present everywhere (Psalm 139:1-12), he was not working in the office of “the Comforter” on earth among believers until after the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Then he was sent into the world to comfort and teach the church (John 15:26-27), and to “reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment” (John 16:7-13). So when the Holy Ghost leaves this world, he will also take all of the born-again believers up with him to meet the Lord Jesus in the air!

A beautiful “similitude [likeness; similar account]” (Hosea 12:10) of this great, soon coming event is given in the historical account recorded in Genesis chapter 24. As Abraham sent his servant to a far country to get a bride for his son Isaac, so God the Father has sent the Holy Ghost into the world to get a bride [the church (John 3:29)] for his Son Jesus Christ. After Abraham’s servant told Rebekah about Isaac, of her own free will, she decided to go with the servant to marry Isaac based on the servant’s testimony. Then she traveled with the servant to meet and to marry Isaac.

One rainy day in June of 1979, I was reading a Bible when the Holy Ghost spoke to me through “the word of the gospel” (Acts 15:7) and told me about God’s only begotten Son Jesus Christ. By God’s word and Spirit, I was invited to come to him and receive him by faith as my Saviour. Of my own free will, I believed on the Lord Jesus Christ and was saved by his grace through faith in him (Ephesians 2:8-9; Acts 16:31)! Now, over forty years later, the Holy Ghost is still with me! And one day soon, the Lord Jesus Christ will descend from heaven, and I will be changed and caught up by the power of the Holy Ghost to meet the Lord in the air!

We know that when the Holy Ghost is taken out of the way, the church will go up with him “to meet the Lord in the air” (1Thessalonians 4:17)! “And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders” (2Thessalonians 2:8-9). Now I am eagerly “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13).

Resurrection of the tribulation saints—The apostle John saw two groups of these saints:

Jewish virgins—John saw the Lamb, “and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads…And they sung as it were a new song before the throne…These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins…These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb” (Revelation 14:1-4).

Many from all nations—John also wrote that he saw, “a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands” (Revelation 7:9). One of the elders identified them to John, and said, “These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (Revelation 7:14).

God’s two witnesses—During the first three and a half years of the seven-year “time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jeremiah 30:7), God will give power unto his two witnesses, “and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days…And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.

And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them…And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them” (Revelation 11:1-12).

It appears that the two witnesses and all the tribulation saints will be caught up to heaven “out of great tribulation” (Revelation 7:14) at the same time.

Resurrection of Israel at Christ’s second coming—Jesus told his disciples: “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other” (Matthew 24:29-31).

Some of the people of Israel saw the Lord (Genesis 17:1; 26:2; 32:30; Exodus 33:11; 24:9; 1Kings 22:19; Isaiah 6:1; Ezekiel 1:26); therefore, the scripture is speaking of Israel when it declares: “For better it is that it be said unto thee, Come up hither; than that thou shouldest be put lower in the presence of the prince whom thine eyes have seen” (Proverbs 25:7).

COMFORTING WORDS

1Thessalonians 4:17-18

“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.”

Hidden from trouble—After the church has been caught up and taken out of this world, the man of sin will be revealed (2Thessalonians 2:6-8). He shall then “confirm the covenant [“with death and with hell” (Isaiah 28:15)] with many for one week…” (Daniel 9:27). This “week” of seven years is specifically called “the time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jeremiah 30:7). This is the last week of Daniel’s seventy-week prophecy (Daniel 9:27), during which time, according to the Lord Jesus Christ, the world will suffer “great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be” (Matthew 24:21)!

Several Old Testament saints wrote about the LORD protecting his people from this “great tribulation.”

Isaiah wrote: “Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead. Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain” (Isaiah 26:19-21).

Zephaniah declared: “Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD’S anger” (Zephaniah 2:3).

David wrote: “For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock” (Psalm 27:5).

In his letter to the church in Philadelphia, the Lord promised: “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth” (Revelation 3:10).

David declared to the LORD: “As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake with thy likeness” (Psalm 17:15; 1John 3:2).

Job testified: “For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me” (Job 19:25-27). The New Testament also has many comforting words on this subject (2Corinthians 4:17-18; 1Corinthians 13:12; Jude 1:24; Revelation 22:5).

ARE YOU READY FOR HIS COMING?

The “glorious gospel of Christ” (2Corinthians 4:4), “how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures” (1Corinthians 15:3-4) “is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth” (Romans 1:16).

If you have never been saved, then read the gospel according to John, which was “written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name” (John 20:31). I pray that you will trust Jesus Christ to save you today, for the scripture says: “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2Corinthians 6:2)!

This may be the day when the church will be “caught up…to meet the Lord in the air” (1Thessalonians 4:17)!

“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31).