>>Announcer: It has
stood the test of time.
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God's book, The Bible
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Still relevant in
today's complex world
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It Is Written
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Sharing messages of
hope around the world!
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On October 14, 1987 18-month old
Jessica McClure was playing with
other children in the backyard.
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Her mother, Reba, watched as her
little girl bouncily played with
the other children in the
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backyard with flowers and the
grass and picking up every rock
she could find, I'm sure. Then
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the phone rang, now in 1987 they
didn't enjoy the freedom of
having a cell phone in hand to
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answer - so Reba turned for a
moment to answer the phone
quickly. She then began to hear
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the screams of the little
children, as she dashed outside
to see what had happened.all of
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the other children were
there.but not baby Jessica. As
she ran up to the children, she
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saw the hole in the ground and
heard the faint cries of her
little baby. Baby Jessica had
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fallen into an 8 inch well pipe
and was deep down in the shaft.
While in a moment of shock, not
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knowing what to do, Reba
instinctively returned into the
home and called the police. The
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emergency crews arrived just
minutes later what were they to
do. Baby Jessica was 22 feet
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below the service in that
pipe.almost a full 7 meters
down. How would they get her
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out, what would they do? They
devised a plan to rescue her.dig
a shaft parralel to where she
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was and then cut a passage to
her, that they might pull her
out. The story of Baby Jessica,
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while true, is also symbolic in
a sense. It symbolizes the
predicament of humanity. Like
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Baby Jessica, we have fallen and
are trapped. God has initiated a
rescue plan, but we haven't yet
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been extracted and saved.
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In this series, Star Wars, we
have seen the real and true epic
battle between good and evil.
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The struggle between Christ and
Satan. It is a grand battle over
you and over me and what side we
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will choose. It is in that
context that we turn to the
scriptures today and see the
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apostle Paul, who wrote a letter
to the church of Thessalonica,
sometime between 48-55 A.D. He
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wrote to a church that he
himself founded, according to
Acts chapter 17. There in
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Thessalonica as he founded the
church, Paul fought against a
particularly entrenched group of
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pagans. Yet, he experienced a
great deal of success. Now, the
town of Thessalonica was located
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in Macedonia and was a major
metropolis, and today is a
seaport city of the nation of
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Greece, known as Thessaloniki.
Paul's journey allowed a brief
stay in Thessalonica, but
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history seems to show that Paul
had to leave there abruptly. The
church he left behind was mostly
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made up of pagan converts.
Because of his sudden departure
they had been left with little
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external support and Paul was
concerned about them. Paul sent
Timothy to work amongst them and
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he wrote to Paul about the work
happening there. Timothy's
report was good overall. So Paul
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wrote a letter, two as a matter
of fact, and we can deduce from
Paul's writing however that they
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were having some issues. In the
first portion of the letter,
Paul seems to be defending
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against the idea that he is some
sort of religious peddler, going
from town-to-town, dazzling the
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people and trying to make a buck
or two. More than just a
personal defense, Paul addressed
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the subjects of unchastity,
neglecting their daily duties
for religious gatherings, and
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their lack of hope. He spoke to
the realities and necessities of
daily Christian living. We have
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studied this topic over the last
six weeks, and if you have
missed any of the series, Star
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Wars, you can go to our YouTube
channel at
www.youtube.com/IIWCanada and
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watch the archives of this
series, that has traced the
history of the great conflict
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between God and Satan. We have
seen since days long ago that
Satan is a deceiver and his
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primary concern is the
defamation of the character of
God. We have also seen and
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experienced this battle moving
from the heavenly realms to
earth, where Satan was able to
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tempt and attain victory over
the human race through the fall
of Adam and Eve. Yet, in the
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midst of this tragedy came the
promise of salvation. As this
war has continued to wage on,
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the promise of his own defeat
did not discourage the evil one
He has waged a fierce attack on
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against the character of God
through his attacks on the human
race. Through looking at the
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story of Job we were able to
draw some principles of survival
when the devil attacks. We have
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recognized that when the
fullness of time had come God
sent forth His son. The promised
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redeemer had arrived, not only
for our redemption, but also to
make the legal declaration of
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adoption. We have seen that the
provision for our redemption was
completed on the cross - by
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faith our
redemption is guaranteed.
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For two thousand years,
generations have waited for
their salvation to be complete.
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Don't get me wrong, the full
price was paid on Calvary, but
our salvation is still not
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complete. We live in this world
where there is death, sorrow and
pain. This will not be ended
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until Jesus comes in glory and
takes away the sting of death
and sin and rescues us to take
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us home. It is in that context
that we turn to 1 Thessalonians
4 and read how Paul addresses
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the issue of hope. 1
Thessalonians 4:13-18. 13
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Paul begins in verse 13 by
issuing a warning against
ignorance. In fact if you are
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reading from a more modern
translation, the NIV, for
example says that..we.do not
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want you to be ignorant, rather
than I. Now this is a minor
difference that has to do with
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the oldest manuscripts have a
minor difference in the orignal
wording and is then translated
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we rather than I. We can make
the conclusion that from both
the introduction and conclusion
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of Paul's letter to the church
in Thessalonica, that he is the
writer, but the message itself
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is a the work of he and Timothy,
as they work together for the
encouragement of the people in
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Thessalonica. Most particularly,
this message they are writing to
specifically and to urgently
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warn the Thessalonians against
ignorance. Ignorance a failure
to understand, a lack of
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knowledge or to be unaware. What
is it that Paul was warning them
about their lack of knowledge?
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In particular, the warning comes
over the issue of hope. Paul
doesn't want the Thessalonian
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believers to fail to understand
the true meaning of hope in the
great star wars battle. The
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Thessalonians lived with the
belief that Jesus was coming
again and coming soon. Yet as
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time has wore on, they were
seeing their friends and fellow
church members dying. And the
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reality of death is so imposing
that it can dishearten even
those of great faith. But the
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passage says that this warning
is coming, so they are not like
those who have no hope. In the
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original Greek the text actually
reads, "in order that you do not
grieve to the degree of those
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who have no basis for hope." Now
throughout this passage, Paul
uses the word sleeping to
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describe death. It is apparent
that the Thessalonians were
struggling as their friends and
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family were dying. Paul doesn't
want them however to be ignorant
concerning the true meaning of
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death. Because Paul indicates
that our grieving should be
different that those who have no
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hope - actually more
grammatically correct - those
who have no basis for hope.
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Our grieving is to be different.
In just a moment Paul tells us
why it should be different, but
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make no mistake about it that
with this verse Paul implies
that for the Christian grieving
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is an appropriate response to
death. Yet, our grieving comes
in the context of the basis of
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our hope. Therefore it should be
different. This grieving is made
in the context of the basis of
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our hope in the death and
resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Because of His victory over the
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grave, we too shall have
victory. Our grieving should be
made with the understanding that
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death's sting is only temporary.
For, Paul gives us the basis of
our hope. In verse 14 Paul
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states,
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This verse is often a
misunderstood verse. Some use
this verse to teach that the
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saints are in heaven and will
return with Jesus, however and
in depth study of the passage
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reveals that Paul is stating the
exact opposite. I believe that
this verse is the key to
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understanding the entire
passage. It is here in this
verse that Paul lays before us
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the basis of our hope. The first
phrase of the passage gives us
the context for understanding
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the remaining portion. Paul
states, "for if we believe that
Jesus died and rose again." This
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statement is not so much a
question as it is a statement of
fact leading to last phrase,
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which is the misunderstood part.
The next phrase in the NKJV
begins with even so. Most
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translations use even so, so, or
so also, but the Greek word
houtos indicates the idea - in
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the same manner or like this.
Paul says Jesus died and was
resurrected and in the same
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manner God will bring with Him
those who sleep in Jesus. So, I
must ask what is the context of
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this passage? Jesus dying and
rising again. Then the verse
states in the same way. Now,
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just so we can be clear on what
Paul is not saying. When Jesus
died did he go straight to
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heaven? As a matter of fact,
immediately following His
resurrection to go right to
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heaven? No you'll remember that
He tells Mary that she cannot
touch Him for He has not yet
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ascended to the Father. So with
that context, can we understand
the last portion of this verse
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as a statement of the fact that
when people die they go straight
to heaven? Absolutely not! In
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fact quite literally in the
Greek, the passage states, "For
if we believe that Jesus died
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and was raised, and in the same
way God will lead or bring out
by Him those who sleep in Jesus.
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A thorough investigation of the
passage reveals a promise rather
than a point of contention. Paul
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is simply stating that Jesus
died and rose, and in the same
way that Jesus died and rose
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again, God will bring forth from
the graves those who have fallen
asleep in Jesus. Friends we have
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the hope in the fact that death
is like a sleep. Paul wants to
emphasize the fact that death is
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only temporary. Death is Satan's
ultimate weapon of destruction,
but it is only a temporary
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victory for him.
Jesus, Himself, states,
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Death is nothing to fear it is
simply a temporary sleep. Death,
in fact is very much like having
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surgery when you go under
anesthetic. For me, there is no
better description of the
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temporary nature of death. As
with all illustrations, it does
have its limitations, especially
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for someone who has lost a loved
one during a surgery. However,
for a normal, as planned
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procedure, there is no better
illustration of death than going
under anesthetic. Clinical death
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is defined as occurring when
there is no brain activity on an
EEG under the conditions of the
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person not being too cold or
being under the influence of any
type of drugs or alcohol. This
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lack of brain activity would be
consistent over the course of a
few days. And according to an
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anesthetiologist that I
personally interviewed on this
subject, a sleep dose of an
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induction agent such as sodium
pentathol or the more modern
drug of diprivan, commonly
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referred to by anesthetiologists
as Milk of Amnesia, has seen to
induce a flat line in the EEG
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for just a short period of time.
What does all that mean? Going
under anesthetic is a perfect
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illustration for what death will
be like. It is temporary It will
seem as if you have missed no
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time, although a great deal of
time may have passed. It's like
the snap of a finger. Your out
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one minute, your awake the next.
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My dear friends, we have no need
to fear death because just as
Jesus died and was resurrected
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we are guaranteed the same. We
place our faith and trust in
Jesus. He provides our adoption
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for us, and He provides
redemption from sin. But Jesus
completes our salvation by the
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guarantee of our resurrection.
But, no matter how good those
three promises are, that leaves
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some of us out doesn't it? What
about those of us who are alive
Do we have to die to experience
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hope? No. That's why Paul
finishes the passage, beginning
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in verse 15, Paul continues to
emphasize that which he has
already stated, he continues to
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point out the resurrection of
the dead. Yet now, he adds the
promise of hope to those of us
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who are alive. First, Paul
points out that we who are alive
will not precede those that are
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sleeping in the Lord. Second, he
points out the manner of Jesus'
coming. He will descend from
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heaven It will be with a shout
It will be accompanied with the
voice of an archangel, And with
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the trumpet of God sounding
Friend what hope we have in the
second coming of Jesus.
00:19:29.13\00:19:37.77
Paul, leaves no doubt to the
fact that Jesus' second coming
is not a secretive matter, it is
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not something that will be
hidden from or unknown to
people, but rather it will be a
00:19:45.25\00:19:50.12
visible, audible, climactic,
joyous event. No one will be
unaware of the fact that it is
00:19:50.22\00:19:56.22
happening. Paul then gives such
wonderful hope the the
understanding of that second
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coming. First the dead in Christ
will rise and join Jesus in the
air. Then we who are alive will
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join them. 1
Corinthians 15 points out,
00:20:08.60\00:20:13.71
Friends we are all changed, in
that moment and Paul reveals
additional hpe that, those of us
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who have placed our faith and
trust in Jesus will not only be
changed but we will spend
00:20:39.13\00:20:44.91
eternity with Jesus Christ. The
word always is rooted in the
Greek word pan, meaning forever,
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the entirety. We mustn't be
fearful, for our salvation is
complete in the Lord Jesus
00:20:53.18\00:21:00.19
Christ. He will have the
ultimate victory and because our
faith and trust has been placed
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in Him, we will enjoy that
victory with Him. Friends, the
return of the master, the return
00:21:09.33\00:21:20.14
of Jesus Christ is the most
glorious rescue mission ever to
be seen on this earth.
00:21:20.24\00:21:27.78
Baby Jessica sat. She sat in
that eight-inch pipe seven
metres below the surface as the
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rescue crews worked to save her.
For 58 hours, they worked
diligently, digging a parallel
00:21:36.66\00:21:44.47
hole to save her, all the while
feeding oxygen into the other
pipe to keep her alive. As they
00:21:44.57\00:21:51.91
dug that hole 29 feet down into
the earth, it is there that they
tunnelled their horizontal
00:21:52.01\00:21:59.18
passage. They were two feet
below where she was sitting.
After 58 hours, they extracted
00:21:59.28\00:22:08.09
baby Jessica, and she was saved.
My dear friends, we have a hope,
and it is based on the
00:22:08.19\00:22:18.37
promise of Jesus Christ. You
see, while the devil attacks and
gains these temporary victories
00:22:18.47\00:22:24.94
in these attacks through
sickness and death, Paul tells
us that when death happens,
00:22:25.04\00:22:33.31
grieving is an appropriate
response to that death; yet, we
have hope. And our hope is in
00:22:33.42\00:22:41.09
the fact that death is like a
sleep. There's nothing for us to
fear. It's only temporary. We
00:22:41.19\00:22:50.53
have hope also because Jesus,
Jesus came to this earth, lived
a life on this earth. He died.
00:22:50.63\00:22:58.47
He rose from the dead, and He
ascended into heaven as our
great High Priest. And He calls
00:22:58.57\00:23:06.88
upon us to place our faith and
trust in Him. And through that,
we are guaranteed the same
00:23:06.98\00:23:14.32
victory over the grave. We have
hope because those who place
their faith and trust in Jesus,
00:23:14.42\00:23:21.76
as the Bible says, will be
changed in a moment, in the
twinkling of an eye, where this
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corruptible body will become
incorruptible, where this mortal
body will become immortal. And
00:23:28.67\00:23:38.21
then we will spend eternity -
first, we will spend eternity
with Jesus Christ - but then we
00:23:38.31\00:23:44.29
will be reunited with our
long-lost loved ones. We'll
spend forever with them. It is
00:23:44.39\00:23:50.83
in Jesus that we find our
salvation. It is in Him that the
great battle of "Star Wars" is
00:23:50.93\00:23:58.40
won. You see, without His first
coming, there would be no
guarantee of the victory.
00:23:58.50\00:24:03.81
However, without His second
coming, there would be no
completion of the victory He won
00:24:03.91\00:24:09.74
on the cross. Today, my dear
friend, we can place our faith
and trust in Jesus and be
00:24:09.84\00:24:17.69
guaranteed that victory. We can
be guaranteed the victory that
He won. As Satan assailed Him in
00:24:17.79\00:24:26.16
the garden; as the weight of the
sins of the world were placed
upon Him; yet He chose you. You
00:24:26.26\00:24:36.30
see, Jesus could've selfishly
chosen to call upon the angels
of heaven to come and rescue Him
00:24:36.40\00:24:41.34
because the crucifixion would be
too much. Three times, Jesus
prayed there in the garden.
00:24:41.44\00:24:53.19
Three times, He prayed and said,
"God, if there be any other way,
let this cup pass before Me."
00:24:53.29\00:24:57.46
Yet He ended all three of those
prayers with this simple phrase:
"Not My will, but Thy will be
00:24:57.56\00:25:04.03
done." You see, Jesus put you
first. Do you want to place your
faith in Him? Do you want to
00:25:04.13\00:25:12.74
invite Him to change you today?
I invite you to do so. I invite
you to place your faith, your
00:25:12.84\00:25:19.98
trust in Him. It will be the
best decision you've ever made.
Heavenly Father, we take joy in
00:25:20.08\00:25:30.16
the promise of the soon coming
of Jesus. Today we give our
hearts to You. Today we commit
00:25:30.26\00:25:35.13
our lives to You. Today we place
our faith in You, that we might
live and look forward to that
00:25:35.23\00:25:41.74
day. We pray that it would come
soon. We pray in Jesus' name,
00:25:41.84\00:25:46.74
amen. Friends, there is no fear
in death. It is only temporary.
There is no fear of the
00:26:14.47\00:26:20.48
tribulations happening around
us. There is no fear in the
events that we see. Jesus says
00:26:20.58\00:26:27.08
He's coming again soon, and we
can place our faith and trust in
Him. Death is only a temporary
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separation from Him. Today I'd
like to offer you the magazine
Signs of the Times: What Happens
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When You Die. Here's the
information you need to receive
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today's offer. My dear friends,
we can take hope; Jesus is
coming again soon. It is my
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desire that this program
provided that hope for you. I
ask that you join us again next
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week. Until then, remember, it
is written: "Man shall not live
by bread alone, but by every
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word that proceeds
from the mouth of God."
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