Gone!
1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 (King James Version) pastor Ken Crow
13But 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.
14For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
15For 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.
16For 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:
17Then 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.
1 Corinthians 15:51-53 (King James Version)
51Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52In 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.
1 Thessalonians 5 (King James Version)
1 Thessalonians 5
1But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
2For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
3For 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.
4But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
5Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
6Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
7For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.
8But 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.
9For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
10Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.
There is going to be a rapture of the church!
Jesus is coming back to receive his bride.
I hope we are all ready!
But the bible teaches there will be those who are not quite ready.
Out of ten virgins in Matthew 25 only five were ready for the groom.
In Noah’s day only his family was spared out of every person upon the earth.
2 Peter 2:4-6 (King James Version)
4For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;
5And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;
6And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;
1. The day will dawn like any other day!
Matthew 24:36-38 (King James Version)
36But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
37But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38For 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,
The world will be going about it’s normal business!
And suddenly things change! Millions upon millios of people will be gone!
Some people’s spouses will be gone.
There will be great wailing and crying as all small children are missing.
Some will know what is going on.
They heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ !
They once were ready! Just like the ones that are gone!
Oh what indescribable feeling of horror to those who know they have missed it!
Somehow those thought they had plenty of time to get ready.
But now that chance is gone!
The preacher tried to warn them. So did many others. But now they are all gone.
As in the days of Noah as the flood waters slowly covered the ones who missed it the flood of loneliness now covers the ones who would not heed.
Life as they casually enjoyed without God in their life is now going to change. But like the people knocking ferverently on the closed door of the ark their call seems to go unheard.
They won’t have to worry about the preacher keeping on at them anymore to be in church! He or she is gone!
They won’t have to worry anymore about the spouse bothering them about the bible. He or she is gone!
They will not have to go through the aggrevation anymore of running their children to Sunday School so early on Sunday morning . They are gone too!
Oh what this person would do right now for what is gone!
Closing: Matthew 24:40-51 (King James Version)
40Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
41Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
42Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
43But 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.
44Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
45Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
46Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
47Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.
48But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;
49And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;
50The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,
51And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
