Thank you Mark again for leading us and boy I hope you enjoy those hymns so rich and meaning. That's why we sing them, because they are the Word of God written in song and encouraging to us, and teach us, and are part of our worship.

This morning we're going to get back to our text in 1st Thessalonians 5:1-10 and study the comforting words of Paul. You'll remember that the context of this epistle and the one to follow surround some questions, some concerns that the believers there had in Thessalonica concerning the rapture and the day of the Lord. Paul reminds them that he had taught them concerning these things when he was with them, when he came to that town preaching the gospel, and they believed and founded a church. He spent a little bit of time, not a lot of time, but he told them the truth about these coming events.

However, there were some who troubled the believers; they came in with false teaching. We're going to see that in the second letter about the end times, and it seems that this false teaching was quite aggressive and had taken hold to at least cause some of the believers there to forget what Paul had said or to question it to the point that they had become very troubled and discouraged. They may have even thought that they missed the rapture and that they were in the day of the Lord. 

One concern of theirs was that the believers who had died might miss the rapture of the church. That's why Paul wrote chapter 4, verses 13 to 18, where he assures them that those who have died in Christ will be caught up first to meet the Lord in the air. Then, those who remain alive will be caught up as well and transformed; they will not miss this blessed event. He ends that teaching with these words: "therefore comfort one another with these words."

The believers there also seemed to have some questions about the day of the Lord and the timing of some of these events, as we have these questions as well. But it is clear from Paul's writings that they already know the doctrines full well concerning what's going to come and how the timing of the rapture relates to the day of the Lord. Someone had convinced them that perhaps they had missed it, part of that being the extreme persecution that they were experiencing. They were greatly troubled.

If you look at 2nd Thessalonians 2:1, I can just read that to you; it says, "now brethren concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him," speaking of the rapture, "we ask you not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled either by spirit or by word or by letter as if from us." Someone had pretended to be representing Paul and writing them these things, as though the day of Christ had come.

It's interesting to note that the church there was acutely fixed on the promise of the rapture and the unfolding events of the day of the Lord. It's good to anticipate these things; it's good to be looking up. We're exhorted to do that, to be longing for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to gather us together. 

But it seems that there was an unhealthy balance in the fellowship there; they were so excited about this event, so anticipating it at any moment, that some had even stopped working, fulfilled their daily obligations, and stopped living, just waiting and looking for the Lord's coming.

It strikes me that we today in the evangelical church have the opposite problem. We are so very often so earthly minded, we're no heavenly good. But we need to understand how fixed these brothers and sisters were on the rapture and how this seemed to make them susceptible to the false teaching concerning these things. It's good to study eschatology; it's good to study prophecy, a third of the Bible, and to know these truths and believe them. 

However, if we become so consumed by the end-time events in the scriptures that we lose sight of the Christian life today—our sanctification, our witnessing, and all the things we are to be doing to be faithful today—then I think we're in trouble. I believe it's much more important to master Romans 6 and apply Romans 12 than it is to understand the various details of what is to come.

Listen, being faithful today, being faithful today, tomorrow, and every day is what makes us ready for His coming. So, there was some false teaching that was troubling the church, and Paul writes these words with the expressed intent of bringing truth to tell them the truth about these things. This truth, doctrine, would bring them comfort. 

It's clear from the end of chapter 4 and chapter 5 that his intent was to comfort them, and that's so important for our understanding in the context. Let's look at our text: 1 Thessalonians 5:1: "But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you." For you yourselves know perfectly that "the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night." For when they say "peace and safety," then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman, and they shall not escape.

"But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day; we are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep as others do, but let us watch and be sober. For those who sleep sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love and as a helmet the hope of salvation. For God did not appoint us to wrath but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. Therefore, comfort each other and edify one another just as you also are doing."

Well, I've given you four points on your outline: first, the day of the Lord; second, darkness and light; third, the hope of salvation; and fourth, comforting words. 

As Paul so often does, he instructs the believers here concerning the rapture and the day of the Lord by way of contrast. These comforting words tell us that those who believe in Jesus are distinctly different from those who do not. The way that Paul does this is a contrast between darkness and light, between slumber and watchfulness, and between drunkenness and sobriety. Paul wants them to know who they are, and this is best understood by contrast with who they were, or who the people of the world are, now and what is coming upon them. 

Remember, his intent is to tell them the truth about the coming judgment and time of trouble on this earth and how they will not have part in this because they are destined not for judgment or condemnation, but for salvation at the rapture of the church preceding the day of the Lord. 

We've spent the last month studying in preparation for our understanding of Paul's words here, the day of the Lord. We looked at God's creative intent—what He intended in creation and what He intended in creating the nation of Israel—and how He will bring this intent to pass in the coming day of the Lord. We considered the centrality of the nation of Israel in the final salvation plans of God and His time of taking back the creation and setting His King to rule over it in the coming kingdom. 

We looked at the day of the Lord in the scriptures, noting a pattern in the Old Testament fulfillments in the nation of Israel and how the consistent use of this term in the Word of God helps us to understand the final fulfillment yet to come. I hope these studies have given you a better understanding of the day of the Lord and what its purpose is and how it relates to Israel, the world, and the church, and most importantly God's plan to bring His will and purposes to pass.

With all this in mind, we come to the term used here in our text: the day of the Lord. Paul says concerning the times and the seasons, "brethren, you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night." 

For when they say "peace and safety," then sudden destruction comes upon them as labor pains upon a pregnant woman, and they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness so that this day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness. 

Notice that Paul uses the words "sudden destruction" in verse 3. He talks about a time when men will be proclaiming "peace and safety," and then an apparent surprising time of wrath and destruction judgment will swiftly come upon them. Paul, in using the term the day of the Lord here, is referring to the time of wrath and judgment on this earth. Amos comments on this time of judgment in Amos 5:18. He says, "woe to you who desire the day of the Lord, for what good is the day of the Lord to you?" It will be darkness and not light; it will be as though a man fled from a lion and a bear met him, or as though he went into the house and leaned his hand on the wall and a serpent bit him. 

"Is not the day of the Lord darkness and not light? Is it not very dark with no brightness in it?" The time of God's wrath on this earth, the time when He works out His will of bringing salvation to Israel and judgment to this world system and its rulers will be a time of darkness, of judgment, not light. And Paul tells the believers here that they will not experience the day of the Lord; they are not children of darkness but of light.

In verse 5, he says, "you are all sons of light and sons of the day; we are not of the night, we are not of darkness." His point here is that the day of the Lord is not for the church nor for the sons of light. Rather, it is a time of darkness, judgment for the sons of darkness. This is a very common theme throughout the scriptures for contrasting believers with unbelievers.

The Apostle John uses this imagery perhaps more than anyone, and I thought we'd just take a little tour through the writings of John. Beginning in John 1:5, I'll just read these to you: John 1:5 says, "and the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it." 

John 3:19: "And this is the condemnation, that light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil."

John 8:12: "Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness but have the light of life.’"

John 12:35: "Then Jesus said to them, ‘A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light lest darkness overtake you. He who walks in darkness does not know where he is going.’"

John 12:46: "I have come as a light into the world that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness."

In his letters in 1st John 1:5, it says, "this is the message which we've heard from Him and declare to you that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all."

Chapter 2 verse 8: "Again a new commandment I write to you which thing is true in Him and in you because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining." 

"He who says he is in the light and hates his brother is in darkness until now."

We also see this kind of language used by other writers of the New Testament to describe a contrast, and specifically teach us who we are in Christ. I want you to turn over to Acts 26 with me, please. Acts 26:16, as Paul gives his testimony, he's talking about when Jesus met him on the Damascus Road, recounting that event. 

In verse 16, he says, "but rise and stand on your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and the things which I will yet reveal to you. I will deliver you from the Jewish people as well as from the Gentiles to whom I now send you." Why did He send Paul? Why did He choose Paul? 

In verse 18: "to open their eyes, to turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me." Jesus said, "to open their eyes." God sent us with the message of the gospel and gave to us the word of reconciliation to open their eyes, to turn them from darkness to light. 

When we bring the saving gospel to men, the power of God unto salvation—and when a man hears the truth about Jesus and turns to Him in faith alone—that man passes from darkness to light; he passes from death unto life; from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of the Son of His love.

In Romans 13:12, Paul said, "the night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore, let us cast off the works of darkness and let us put on the armor of light."

2nd Corinthians 6:14: "Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. Listen to this: for what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness and what communion has light with darkness?"

Ephesians 5:8: "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light." 

1st Peter 2:9: "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light."

The terms darkness and light serve as a contrast between lost men in Adam and those who are in Christ. We who believe in Jesus are children of light, and we will not experience the time of ultimate darkness and judgment on this earth.

I want you to think this through with me; this is very important. When we study the words of God, we strive to apply consistent hermeneutical principles—things like the context of the words, the audience to whom it's written, the intent of the author, what is the purpose, how would those who receive this letter understand the words written to them in the context of what was going on in their time and place. 

These things are crucial to rightly divide the Word of God, and I think vital to understanding this text and the coming day of the Lord. We know that the believers there were concerned that they would experience a time of wrath and judgment on this earth. Their understanding was that the day of the Lord would come after the rapture, a time of persecution of God's people, a time of trouble such as has never been. 

They were troubled thinking that they might have missed the rapture, the event of the deliverance of the church before the coming day of the Lord. So Paul writes to straighten this out, and his intent is to comfort them with truth, with sound doctrine, to bring them consolation and confidence with his words. When we look at his words, we see this contrast: light and darkness, children of wrath and those destined for salvation.

We've seen this in our recent studies of Romans 5 and 6 as well in our communion services. Those in Adam are under law, bound by sin, and destined for eternal death, judged by God for their sin. The wrath of God is their destiny. But for those who are in Christ, we are under grace, righteousness, and life, destined for eternal life in the Father’s house. There's no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 

So, the time of wrath on this earth, the day of the Lord, is not for the church, and the church will be raptured out of this world before that time begins. That's the message of comfort from the words of Paul. Don't you think it would be a strange thing if he was saying to them that they would enter the day of the Lord, that they would experience this time of extreme wrath on this earth, a time of trouble and tribulation, and then for him to say, therefore, comfort each other with these words?

Now, I want to just make one clarifying comment concerning the debate of the timing of the rapture. I see this quite often—somehow the idea that persecution will not come to the church is prevalent in the evangelical community. I don't know if it's because of the influence in America of the health, wealth, and prosperity gospel and the false teachers who say that we will never experience persecution. 

But I have heard some use this to support a pre-tribulational position, and I do not believe that persecution of the church has anything to do with this subject. The reason I say this is because the church has a consistent promise in the scriptures of persecution. It has a record of persecution from its very inception all the way through history, and those who believe during the time of Daniel's 70th week will experience extreme persecution and beheading.

God's people, Israel, according to Revelation 12, will be heavily persecuted in that time. It's wrong to teach that the church is going to be exempt from persecution and use that as evidence for a pre-tribulational rapture. The church is not exempt from persecution. Ask Stephen, ask Paul, ask Peter, all of the disciples, the early church, the believers all over the world through the last 2,000 years. 

Paul wrote to Timothy that all who desire to live godly in this ungodly age will suffer persecution. So it's wrong to say that the rapture's purpose is to relieve the church of any and all persecution. The church has been persecuted to this very day and all through her history, and the persecution will be increasing, I believe, as we approach the time of the end and the beginning of the day of the Lord. We see that now.

I read an article the other day about twelve churches, Christian churches, that were burned in Canada, and the Prime Minister's response was, "I understand why they did that." I think the time is coming where persecution will increase.

So don't think that we won't experience persecution just because we live in this little enigma of time in the West where that's not been true for believers in Jesus Christ. We appreciate our freedom; we are thankful to God for what the West has been able to do in evangelism and reaching the world and the peace that we live in. 

But that's not the rule for the church. It's also wrong to say that the church will go into the day of the Lord because she’s not exempt from persecution. The persecution of the church is not a factor in this argument; it's a promise in this time and all times on this earth. Those who are associated with God, with the gospel, with Jesus, will suffer persecution. 

Rather, the issue is the plan and purpose of God and His salvation plans, His timing and His promises. In the context of 1 Thessalonians 4 and 5, Paul tells the church that they will be delivered from this specific time of wrath— not because they aren't subject to persecution or the wrath of man, but because this isn't His timing for the church. The timing for the church is now. 

When we come to the 70th week of Daniel, we're going to see that this is a time for Israel, a time for Jerusalem. As we've seen in our studies, the day of the Lord in its broad scope is a time when God turns back to Israel, and His purpose is to chasten His people and pour out His wrath on this earth and all that offends, culminating in His second coming when He will judge the earth, its systems, its rulers, and bring salvation to His people Israel and a physical kingdom on this earth.

And so, we spend a great deal of time going through those scriptures and those unconditional promises that we saw in Genesis 12 and reiterated throughout the Old Testament. We saw in 2 Peter 3:10 clearly, undeniably that in this day of the Lord, God will establish the kingdom and even the new heavens and the new earth. 

So, what we see from Paul in our text is that the church is not the focus of Daniel's 70th week, what he calls the day of the Lord. Just as we see in Daniel 9, he says seventy weeks are determined for your people Israel and your holy city, Jerusalem. Then he gives a list of specific things that are going to be accomplished in that time.

The question is not whether the church will suffer persecution or not. The question is, what is God doing on earth in these various times? What is His purpose and intent? And Romans 11 teaches us clearly, along with Daniel and these epistles, that the day of the Lord, this time of chastening of Israel and pouring out of God's wrath on the earth and bringing to consummation all things in Christ, is not a time for the church, but rather a time for Israel in fulfilling His promises to her. 

Turn over to Romans 11 with me, please. Romans 11 at verse 25. Romans 9 to 11, as we've studied before, is written specifically about the nation of Israel. You can read that in the first verses of chapter 9, and it's written to answer the question that would come in the book of Romans as to what about the promises made to Israel? 

The first eight chapters of Romans is Paul explaining that God has made a promise in Christ, that if we will place our faith in Christ, we will be saved from His wrath forever. And the question must come, especially from the Jew: what about the promises made to Israel? Paul writes Romans 9 to 11 to explain that God will keep His promises to Israel. If He doesn't keep His unconditional promises to Israel, how can we expect Him to keep His promises to us in Christ? This is why it's important to understand.

Now, we talked about how God made conditional promises in the Law Covenant, but He made a new covenant, not like the one He made through Moses, He says in Hebrews 8. And with Abraham, He made unconditional promises: "I will, I will, I will." It wasn't "if you, then I will;" it was "I will, I will, I will," and He reiterated that over and over to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 

So it's important that Paul writes this to answer that question. In verse 25 of Romans 11, he says, "for I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in."

So, blindness in part means that not all Jews were blinded; there's a remnant, Paul gives himself as an example, and it says the word "until" implies that it's temporary; there’s a time coming when this blindness will end. And he says that's when the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.

Verse 26: "And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: ‘The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob, for this is My covenant with them when I take away their sins," referring to that New Covenant.

Why does He do this? Because He's made the promises. It says over and over: "for My great name's sake, I will keep My covenant." Not because of Israel, not because of the goodness of that nation—certainly, that hasn't been the case—but because He made the promise, and His character and nature depends on Him keeping His word.

Verse 28: "Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers." Verse 29: "For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable." 

The seventieth week of Daniel is for Israel, it's centered on Jerusalem. Not a time for the church; it's a time of trouble, of chastening, of judgment. And that is why Paul explains to these believers that they will not enter that day, that they are not appointed unto this specific time of wrath but to obtain salvation through the rapture. 

That's the whole context: chapter 4, chapter 5. And I believe the statement in verse 9 is a direct reference, verse 9 of our text and verse 5, is a direct reference back to what he taught in chapter 4 concerning the rapture of the church. He says, "whether we wake or sleep," it's a direct reference back to the content of chapter 4, the rapture of the church. God will not overtake you as a thief; you are not sons of darkness but of light. You are destined not for judgment but for salvation. Sudden destruction comes upon them, not us, them, the sons of darkness. 

Now, these are comforting words. So we see in our text the day of the Lord, we see darkness and light, and next we see the hope of salvation. Verse 6: "Therefore, let us not sleep as others do, but let us watch and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation. 

For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him." 

As we study the New Testament, and we read instruction and exhortation to the church concerning these things, what is it that we are instructed to be looking for? Turn over to Titus 2:11 with me, please. What is it that we are instructed again and again to be looking for? 

Titus 2:11: "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lust, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works." 

Looking for what? The blessed hope and glorious appearing of Jesus. Jude 1:20: "But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life." 

Colossians 3:2: "Set your mind on things above, not on the things of earth, for you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory." 

Philippians 3:20: "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself."

Paul even commends the Thessalonians in chapter 1. In verse 8 he says, "for from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place. Your faith toward God has gone out so that we do not need to say anything. For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God." 

Listen to verse 10: "and wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come." 

Who are we to be looking for, anticipating, watching for, and why is He coming? I would submit to you that we are to be looking for Christ. We are not to be looking for Antichrist. Our anticipation is of salvation, not of judgment, not chastening at the hands of the Antichrist in the 70th week of the prophet Daniel.

Our exhortation is consistently to deliverance, to salvation, to the coming of our Lord Jesus, to take us to the Father's house, to transform us, glorify us together with Himself. The purpose of this 70th week is to chasten God's people, to bring them to salvation, to turn them to faith in Jesus. 

We are not appointed under the time of chastening and wrath on this earth but to obtain salvation. Everything points to Jesus, and the context of our passage is the rapture of the church. These are the comforting words of Paul for these troubled believers.

Well, as we close, I just want to reiterate that in all of this, in the day of the Lord and the fantastic events that will come upon this earth, the systems of the world, the chastening that Israel will experience before her final salvation, instruction to the church, the exhortations to the church, the comforting words to the church are all about salvation—all about the fulfillment of the promise of our Lord to take us to be with Him. 

He said, "let not your heart be troubled." Their hearts were troubled. "Let not your hearts be troubled." Why? "You believe in God; believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions. I love when He says this, ‘if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.’" 

1st Corinthians 15:51, Paul said: "Behold, I tell 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 trumpet." So the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 

In this time, in this church age, we as believers in Jesus Christ have a clear promise of hatred, of persecution, because of our association with Jesus Christ. He said that they will hate us because they hated Him first. He said a servant is not greater than his master. 

Peter says, "do not think it strange that you must endure this fiery trial." Those are words for us as well, my friends. We haven't experienced it. But if we do, don't think it's strange; don't think it's odd. Paul tells us we will suffer persecution. Luke writes that we were appointed to suffer. 

Peter writes these stunning words in verse 19 of chapter 2: "For this is commendable if, because of conscience toward God, one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. For what credit is it if when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently, but when you do good and suffer? You take it patiently; this is commendable before God. For to this, you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that you should follow His steps."

The rapture is the end of God's time for His plan and purpose for the Gentiles in the church age, and a time then of turning back to His plan and purpose for Israel in the 70th week of Daniel. That's what this is about. What's God doing? And Paul's saying, "you're not going to experience that time. You're not destined for this time of wrath, because there's no purpose for the church in that time. He's doing other things."

I want to go back to Romans 11, verse 11. Run through this passage again because it's so clear and so important. Paul asks a question directly; he asks it in verse 1 and he asks again in verse 11. I say then, speaking of Israel, "have they stumbled that they should fall? Have they fallen to a point in rejecting their Messiah that they can't get back up? Is God done with them? Has He cast away His people?" Certainly not, he says. "May it never be. But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy," that's a stunning statement in my mind. 

It's almost like God is saying, He's doing this whole thing with the Gentiles, but His focus, His heart, is still on Israel. He's provoking His people to jealousy. Salvation has come to the Gentiles, He says. 

Now, if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness? For I speak to you Gentiles, and as much as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry. If by any means I may provoke to jealousy those who are my flesh and save some of them. 

For if they're being cast away is the reconciling of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? Paul points to the fullness of Israel, their acceptance of Christ and life from the dead. He makes it clear that this will come. 

Verse 23 now again: "And they also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in. For God is able to graft them in again. For if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these who are natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree?" 

And again he says, "I do not desire that you should be ignorant, lest you should be wise in your own opinion. That blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in." The gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.

His unconditional promises will be kept of a land, of a nation, of a kingdom, of David's throne occupied in a theocracy as we talked about as Jesus reigns over the world. Paul consistently in Romans 11 uses the term "you" to refer to Gentiles. He specifically uses the term "Gentiles" over and over. "They" and "them" are referring to Israel. 

My friends, if we are Israel, if Gentiles are the new Israel, the church, then none of these words make any sense. Paul is teaching that when God's time for turning to the Gentiles to provoke Israel to jealousy has come to fullness, when the church age is complete, then the rapture will come and God will turn back to Israel to accomplish His will in her. 

And this begins with the 70th week of Daniel, a time for Israel and focused on Jerusalem as so clearly taught in Daniel 9:24 to 27. The day of the Lord is a time of chastening for Israel at the hands of the Antichrist, God's agent. Just as He used Assyria, He used Babylon, He used Egypt, and then what happened? Then He punished those agents that He used, and then He delivered His people. It's a pattern that we'll see ultimately fulfilled in this time of Jacob's trouble.

It's a time where God will punish the Antichrist, his world system, and it's a time when Jesus will come again and judge all who offend, set up His kingdom, and make good on His promises to Israel for His great namesake. 

And Peter tells us it's a time when He will bring to consummation all things in Christ in the new heavens and the new earth. This is God's plan and purpose in and for His great day. It's the end of the day of man and the fulfillment of all God's salvation plans in the day of the Lord. 

And my friends, these are comforting words for the believers in Thessalonica because they clearly teach that the church will not go into this time; we will not be here for the day of the Lord and all of those amazing events. We will experience full salvation at the coming of our Lord to catch us up to meet Him in the air. We are children of light, not of darkness. 

So let us live as lights in this world, as faithful workers for the kingdom of God and the gospel of Christ. Let us be faithful today, trusting and knowing that we are looking for Jesus, knowing that He is coming to take us to the Father's house. 

And my brothers and sisters, comfort one another with these truths, with these words. Let's close in prayer. 

Father, we thank you for this wonderful day. Thank you for the sunshine and all the people who could be here and fellowship in Christ and our special guests. Thank you for your Word, your truth, that we can come to again and again and study and know and believe and be encouraged and have hope.

Thank you for the privilege of being witnesses each day in this world as you ordain and organize opportunities and circumstances for us to tell people about Jesus. That's why we're here. Help us to be faithful, help us to be clear. And Father, bring glory to yourself through all that we do, in Jesus' name. Amen.