Do you believe Jesus died?

1 Thess.

{5:1} But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
{5:2} For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
{5:3} For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
{5:4} But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
{5:5} Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
{5:6} Therefore let us not sleep, as [do] others; but let us watch and be sober.
{5:7} For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.
{5:8} But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. {5:9} For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ
{5:10} Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.
{5:11} Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.


Matthew

{24:36} But of that day and hour knoweth no [man,] no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
{24:37} But as the days of Noe [were,] so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
{24:38} For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark
{24:39} And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
{24:40} Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
{24:41} Two [women shall be] grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
{24:42} Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
{24:43} But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
{24:44} Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.


Rev.

{1:5} And from Jesus Christ, [who is] the faithful witness, [and] the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
{1:6} And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him [be] glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
{1:7} Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they [also] which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.


Matthew

{24:22} And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be
shortened.
{24:23} Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here [is] Christ, or there; believe [it] not.
{24:24} For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if [it were]
possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
{24:25} Behold, I have told you before.
{24:26} Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, [he is] in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe [it] not.
{24:27} For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.


1 Thess.

{4:14} For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
{4:15} 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 them which are asleep.
{4:16} 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
{4:17} 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.
{4:18} Wherefore comfort one another with these words


1 Cor.

{15:51} Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
{15:52} 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.
{15:53} For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal [must] put on immortality.
{15:54} So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
{15:55} O death, where [is] thy sting? O grave, where [is] thy victory?



It's true. Christ is coming again. Christ is coming because He promised He would come and there would be a people waiting for Him. Not only would there be a people waiting for Him, but the dead in Christ would rise to meet Him.


Do you believe Jesus died?
Do you believe that Jesus rose again?
Are you one of millions who celebrate the resurrection of your Savior from the dead?
Then you have to believe that the breath of life that returns to God who gave it, when a person dies, will once more return to those who have died -fallen asleep in Christ. That breath of life will return to themand they will rise first before any of those still alive when Christ returns. Those dead in Christ will rise first and meet the Lord in the air, and then we who are alive will join them.
The dead will be raised incorruptible.
We will all be changed into these marvelous new beings of which Christ was the first.


Every eye shall see Him when He comes and how this is done only the Lord Himself knows. Every eye shall see Him. And when He comes it will be too late to prepare for the journey we are to take with Him. When you are going on a trip somewhere you prepare for it, you pack your suitcase, duffle bag, you make sure you have all the things you'll need for that journey. Rarely, and unless someone is running from the law, for their life, or are mentally/emotionally unstable do they just up and leave. For a trip of a lifetime you plan don't you? Well, we know we are to undertake a journey- our final one and that is to be with Christ. Those of us alive must be ready to meet Him. So many won't be. They'll be so many just too caught up in the here and now, too caught up in the cares of this life whether they be happy cares or sad ones, they'll be tied to this earth by their own lack of faith in a life everlasting. We have the promise of a life eternal and that life isn't here on earth. Right now here on earth we are travailing as a woman in labor travails and the birth of new life will be when Christ comes again. Yes, there will be one taken and one left, but everyone will see it happening and know why- it will not be a secret because every eye will see Christ when He returns, when the dead and those alive in Him are called to meet Him in the air. It'll be sudden, it'll be unexpected, it will be as a thief because no one knows when a thief will strike. Christ will come and only those who are looking for Him will be ready. By the time He's in the air calling His to Him it will be too late to suddenly decide to take the journey. We have so much given to us to prepare us, so much to help us and the only one to blame in that day if we aren't among those meeting Christ in the air, is ourselves.


By faith, by love, by hope in the Lord Jesus Christ; through His mercy and grace by His sacrifice and forgiveness may we all be found ready in Him.


May the Holy Spirit guide us to Him and through all the travailing of this world around us.


Amen.