1 Thessalonians 5:1-2 (Part A)

Once the church is removed, then strong delusion will come from God. They will even the law, they will run to the world the apostate church will be in full gear. They already are here. They are gaining momentum. There's something about you there making people think that Jesus is just a password with the blood of Christ, the cross of Christ. They don't mean anything to them. This is cross reference radio with our pastor and teacher Rick Kasten. Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of first Thessalonians. Please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about cross reference radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching. Now here's Pastor Rick in the book of first Thessalonians chapter 5 verse one. Today's edition of cross reference radio.

Let's open our Bibles to the first Thessalonian letter. Chapter 5. We will not finish the letter this morning, unless there is a miracle and we might get to verse 11 but probably only as far as verse six. And the reason why is because Paul brings up the subject of the day of the Lord and we need to take time to discuss that it is a monumental moment in human history. Now, you who are prophecy buffs. All of this may be a bit redundant. Well, you'll have to bear with me to others it may be very new information and still to another group is still not very well understood the outline. The sequence of events and will try to help you with that in the fourth chapter of Thessalonians. Towards the end, from verse 13 to verse 18 Paul has been giving detailed instruction on what is known as the rapture of the church. It is a miracle.

It is a miraculous event, the arrival of the church was miraculous, the day of Pentecost. For those of you familiar with the story in acts chapter 2 and the removal of the church will also be miraculous of the rapture and within the end time scenario, the rapture launches the meaning of the day of the Lord that extends through the millennial reign.

So when you're in the Scripture.

And you're looking to understand that you have to take it within the context of exactly what.

Of time with in the day of the Lord you are reading about how it's important also to remind us all that all of the New Testament letters the epistles were written to Christians. None of them were written to unbelievers. The information of course is designed to strengthen believers so that they can reach unbelievers and this is why we go through the Scripture verse by verse and if there unbelievers in the audience.

We know that the Holy Spirit speaks to them and he can speak to them.

No matter what topic whereon he will extract and apply as they will allow him or they will harden their hearts up and hate me a lot at the end of the messages. So again, since chapter 4 verse 13 is a glorious portion of Scripture, and it is glorious. It's one of those sections of Scripture were you cannot allow your theology to stifle the joy we can do that very quickly. A pastor can get so into delivering messages that he's not getting it himself and it becomes a presentation is formed more of an outline, then deliver what God is first delivered to him to share with the congregation and that is how God shares typically with the congregation that does not mean he cannot speak to you on your own time either certainly does not mean that all where else you going to go and somebody's going to punch you in the nose with facts you need to hear that you otherwise would not receive the house of God is quite ingenious. Well, the scent of death, that is what the rapture is to the unbelievers at the time of the rapture but to the believer before the rapture. It is quite wonderful and we quoted this last session from second Corinthians chapter 2 and Paul in this section of Scripture we get to Thessalonians eventually hold on for the spirit of love, joy, peace, long-suffering patients anyway. Second drink is 216 to the one the aroma of death, leading to death. This is what the gospel message and those who bring it are two one group of people on earth. It is the aroma of death to death.

It is a message of judgment and doom continues into the other the aroma of life leading to life because they received because they've accepted they've thought it through.

They've made their decision and that made their move and so as we have been going through this study we've entitled it the coming of Christ because that is what comes out the details of what Paul has to right now briefly concerning this day of the Lord Jesus said this in Matthew 24 verse 22 and unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened.

The elect is Israel in this section of Scripture and the day of the Lord is so fierce it would wipe out the earth. That's what God is saying here in Matthew 24 and that's what Paul is going to talk about in Paul's purpose is to say, listen, you believers are not going to be here for this. This is the wrath of God poured out on those who thumb their nose at him with Mark to move tried to get him out of everything they could use his judgment upon them.

It is not a judgment upon the church and so he ends the last verse of chapter 4 with comfort each other with these words and how Christians consider well the purchase of the tribulation, or some portion of it is beyond me because is not in Scripture but were not here to argue and fuss over all those other guys were wrong and I'm right.

Why does the world gang up on Christian why is that the case I'm working on a message on the last days really have a lot of fun getting my notes together, getting them organizes another topic, but why is the world gang up on us. Why do they gang up on his wife have the welder threatened. That's why that's why there threatened by the truth. The truth that goes against their culture and their traditions truth that says listen, there's no room for two truths when they contradict each other. One of them is not true in this case because in the world.

You can have two supposed truths in the both wrong and the both errors, not truth that all and thus our schools or governments of society seek to outlaw Jesus name.

But Jesus says in the Scripture and the song I will honor my word above my name. You might be able to silence the name which you not going to silence the word which means you can silence the name is circular reasoning: what you want, that all men be a liar. God is not Marty is true. Satan is look to distract the church from Christ. From the beginning. This is why the holidays that belong to our culture. Again, none of them mandated to us by Scripture. They've sort of evolved long story behind all of them not to get into is now part of the culture. But you look at is it what is the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus doing around this spiritual event is a distraction.

That's why they don't belong. If you going to celebrate the birth of Christ is nobody else to look at but him.

He's the one that brings the gift of salvation. And if you're going to celebrate the resurrection of Christ which we do daily.

Hopefully the Easter Bunny.

I mean, what is that Boing Boing point, the Ozzie should rise up.

Why is it not a kangaroo anyway was because the Bunny not the dissenting's batteries rethink the bunnies represent life fertility and you know how rabbits multiply that kind of thing, not arithmetic, but more rabbits and so the world want to say this is a celebration of life to one. It is the aroma of death and the other is the rumor of life is the truth of Jesus Christ that there is no life without the truth of Jesus Christ. And so while I'm not so sure that those who have not received Christ who claimed themselves to be Christians or those who are not Christians who could not receive the gospel when the rapture comes. I think the Scripture teaches that those folks will not have a second chance after the rapture the only ones that will have a second chance those of not heard the gospel and other sump funeral fuss and in amongst Christians about this, not me if I'm wrong and I hope I am not done no harm, but if I'm right and I've preached otherwise I could've done great harm because what it does to tell people well if I get rapture you just go get my Bible and read my notes or something like that what you're saying is today is not the day the Scripture says today is the day is an urgency belonging to this because once the church is removed, then strong delusion will come from God.

They will believe in the lie, they will run to the world the apostate church will be in full gear. They already are here. They are gaining momentum. There something about you there making people think that Jesus is just the password with the blood of Christ, the cross of Christ. They know mean anything to them and so these in time things everything to do with the present things he so how will the loss get saved. People will get saved during this great tribulation this day of the Lord this coming upon the earth.

They will get saved because the church is left enough material here for them to go over number one and number two God will raise up two witnesses, and they will preach at their focus will be on Israel. The Jews and the Jews. Many of them will be saved with told 144,000 from each tribe will go out and spread the gospel.

They will be untouchable and the Gentiles will be receiving. It also. We know that during this great seven year. The Russo Islamic alliance will be wiped out by antichrist in his quest for power will get to that some of the plan, getting off track you and this is why we never can get past two verses. It's your fault. And so the rapture the extraction of the church can happen at any moment and some of you when you first heard about this teaching very excited about you wake up in the morning you still here, but now you kinda like, you know, may be the church is supposed to be very excited about this all the time is not a condition of our fate. It is a hold within our faith that God is going to one day say to everybody who believes them on earth. You shall not die, I want you to come here now and miraculously gone. Vanished.

Now we come to the first verse and there we read Paul continuing the thought, he says, but concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you the remembering that this letter is not a book.

It is not divided into chapters in and sections an outline like that not even verse divisions the letter, he sat down and he wrote this right out of them. There is no break between chapter 4 and chapter 5. So what he says. Therefore comfort one another with these things because were not going to go through this great tribulation.

Any citizen about these times and seasons, I've taught you these things you been well schooled on this very thing and so this disjunctive where verse one. The first word but it links what has been said, continuing the thought, but bringing up other details is a good study to do at home. At some point in chapter 5 of the Sloan's verses one through 11.

Highlight all the pronoun and noticed the lesson that is just right there on the scums right out from it we view us and also uses each other and one another versus they've them. I think it is very significant that these plural pronouns of indefinite gender indefinite number they in them he speaking about those left behind for the day of the Lord verses we us, who will be taken in the rapture of the church is over 20 references just in these verses of one through 11 of these 11 verses there are 20 references in the pronoun to believers and about five to nonbelievers. So he is making it clear there is a distinction between those who are right with God and those who are not what's going to happen, say, why don't the churches talk about these things. I don't always them so he continues, but concerning the times and seasons here in verse one times refers to the various time periods involved in God's dealings with the human race theologically and we were students in seminary we would use the word dispensation. Why is it why not just say period of time as hard spell to anyway.

Hebrews chapter 1 verse one God. At various times and in different ways spoke to the fathers.

In times past has in these last days spoken to us through his son.

See the last days began when Jesus was resurrected church began with where in the last of the last days because of the seasons that are unmistakable before you get to the seasons that were different times. Is Chronos in the Greek for when we get our English word chronology seasons is Kyra Ross and the seasons speak of the character. The timetable is in the time but the seasons of the character of the time what's happening within this.

Troop movements, we understand what an army begins to move troops towards the border. There probably going to invade or they're going to defend if you're in Nazi occupied Europe. You part of the resistance you know to say Nazi is not enough. You have to. I think now qualified because people are conveniently forgetting what that was all about the demonic Nazis.

Yet an entire nation demonically possessed and if you don't know the history of the Nazis. In what world was was happening with you. How can you miss this. It was so horrific the world are said you know this could never happen again. They gonna be shocked when antichrist is worse first try to get rid of the Jews that I didn't work. Next he will try to get rid of the Christians first, then the Jews. And that's the sequence of those events that we won't be here to see that happen now concerning the Christian looking at prophecy in Scripture. Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for not understanding Old Testament prophecy. He said hypocrites that is certain. You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the Kronos signs of the times you can't tell that I'm the Messiah Jesus expected the Jews to recognize his first coming someday. And of course those were his disciples. In fact, Nicodemus couldn't find rest until he got to the bottom of it had a personal interview with Christ. John is recorded the interview forest. From that interview, we have one of the most heralded verses of all the Bible God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son is the emphasis there and whosoever should believe in him should not go to hell. That's what it says should not perish, so Luke chapter 7 Jesus answered and said that he's talking to a prophet who was a student of the Old Testament great man of God, the last prophet of the Jews John the Baptist and John is arrested and he's wondering a single if this Jesus is Messiah. Why am I behind bars. Why does this current government still exercise authority over Israel if he is the Messiah.

John struggled with this because the Jews weren't sure about their Messiah. There were different parts.

Would he be conquered and then conquer how a display out of you look at Isaiah 53 they should've known that should've understand we say in hindsight Monday morning quarterback there Christians that do this with the second return of Christ. They don't look at the Scriptures they just like the Jews, the missing what's written right there were John the Baptist.

He sends his disciples to Jesus to say are you the one or do we look for another Jesus answered and said go tell John the things you have seen and heard the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the death hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them and you never seen anything like it and say that part but that's the meaning John you never seen anything like this costs on the one who comes close to this was raising up the dead was preaching the kingdom at the same time was making lepers clean their smelly cells with their broken bodies who with just a word, a glance, and they are made right John. The answer is all it had to be said.

That settled it. See, we are supposed to pay attention. It does mean something. Now there are some times and seasons that are out of our reach God's put them there is told us about them. Jesus said that even the angels don't know the Son of Man in his incarnate state was not opening the vault of future information in this area. That's how serious a matter it was uses even the Son of Man is that all of course evaporated when he rose again from the dead, but when he rose again and he was about to go to heaven. He met with his disciples when they saw him ascend into heaven to know that silly looking scene, and there they were with their jaws dropped open.

Watching him ascend and angels as men of Galilee, what are you doing look at. You take a little camera and are posted on anyway you have to kind of be there in your head that there there apostles watching the Lord ascended to heaven I will never say they like this before and the angel said others have sold what Easton gave the same Jesus the same way you see them leave is coming back further insight on the rapture. You mean to tell me the Scripture says, the way we saw him ascend data.

Here is the way we going to see him come back. Yes, but accept the seven Jesus said to them, it is not for you to know times and seasons which the father has put in his own authority. That means the precise day the precise hour the precise month and year.

We don't know. And the Lord will come back for his church but the precise time when he comes back with his church that has been revealed. It will be seven years after Daniel talks about in Daniel chapter 9 Daniel chapter 12 and nerves throughout the Scripture. There large clues and facts given to us to know these things, but we have to be concerned with right now and I went over this last week, but I think it merits a second review. What makes the time we live in the season to be looking for the Lord's return. While the rebirth of the nation Israel.

That is one with others more to that Israel rebirth as a nation, 1948, May 14 attacked the next day with everybody who dared to come into their land for the first time because they would be more is beyond reason. How this nation can be such a survivor. In the midst of such global hatred, it is not an anomaly. It is an act of God and the world they might not see it in Christian supposed to see it. There is a growing movement in Israel. This is big news for the Jews to pray the temple mount right now they can pray there right now.

The angry Muslims have possession of the Temple Mount. The little chrome dome is there is all commercial Dems or some respect. No sending people to hell. I have no respect for their beliefs.

I love the reach them as individuals and preach the gospel to another. So idea, but I get the other guy a chance to speak to why they don't do it to us. If Eve had said shout out to the serpent.

None of this would've happened. This comes out of men who are sure about the truth. Well it's here the other guy out. Sometimes sometimes I know what is going to say and I don't want to hear. I think some of that attitude needs to find its way into our witness yeah I have had your say which are killing the unborn in your your sodomite behavior and call you had your say this is our say in the midst of all these things.

This is again they know they know this is his power.

That's why they won't let you. That's why there is a mainstream which is a polluted stream media. They want to control the voice for they want to shut the church or put a gag one don't see Jesus when you pray, make me that's really the response that the church has to eventually have whether you think it is more important to believe men are God you decide.

But I've already made my decision, the church is been through this, Jesus said of Oedipus, my faithful witness, was martyred as he stood up for me but back to this, the Jews, and in Israel is saying we want to start praying on the Temple Mount.

That's big news in Israel. So this growing movement to pray the temple Dems fighting words to the Muslims is going to happen. Antichrist is going to bring us about why do I bring it up because the antichrist according to Daniel chapter 9 the great day of the Lord the 70th week of Daniel is going to rebuild the Jewish temple is going to allow Jews to worship again bring their mosaic offerings to the temple.

Thanks for tuning in to cross reference radio for this study in the book of first Thessalonians cross reference radio is the teaching ministry of Pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville in Virginia to learn more information about this ministry. Visit our website cross reference radio.com once you're there you will find additional teachings from Pastor Rick.

We encourage you to subscribe to our podcast. When you subscribe, you will be notified of each new edition of cross reference radio.

You can search for cross reference radio in your favorite podcast app as well.

That's all we have time for today, but we hope you'll join us next time. As Pastor Rick continues to teach through the book of first Thessalonians, right here on cross reference rate