00:00 Introduction and Thanksgiving Greetings

00:27 Upcoming Changes to the Daily Bible Podcast

01:37 Thanksgiving Football Game Announcement

03:51 Discussion on First and Second Thessalonians

08:32 Paul's Teachings on the Rapture and End Times

16:21 Final Instructions and Encouragement

17:37 Closing Remarks and Prayer

Find out more about Compass Bible Church.

Learn more about our Bible Reading Plan.

Questions or Comments? Email us podcast@compassntx.org

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Introduction and Thanksgiving Greetings

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Hey everybody. Welcome back to another edition of the Daily Bible podcast. Happy Thanksgiving to all of you. We are happily thankful for all of you who listen. We're happily thankful for our church, our wives, our kids, everyone else in between. We are so thankful for you people. We are happy and thankful that's right for you.

You people? Yeah. What do you mean by you people? What? Come on. You said it not me. I was repeating what you just said. I'm saying no, I said for you, you added people anyways. Yeah.

Upcoming Changes to the Daily Bible Podcast

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Hey, we alluded to it a week ago or so about our plans for the Daily Bible Podcast and next year and daily Bible reading plan for next year.

And so I think we have landed. On the direction that we're gonna go on that. So we are shifting our plan. Yes, there's the sigh from Pastor Adam. We are shifting our plan. We're still doing a daily Bible reading, but we are going to a passage a plan that's gonna allow us to spend time in both the Old Testament and the New Testament every single day.

So Old Testament and New Testament every single day. We are gonna continue the Daily Bible podcast, though. That's something else that we landed on. We were talking about do we do something that we put in a can or do we continue to do this each and every day? And I think we're gonna continue to do it each and every day as we have been.

And if you are a man or a woman or a child.

Thanksgiving Football Game Announcement

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This morning looking for something to do and you're not part of this Turkey tro tradition that most people are doing these days. We've got a football game for you. Pastor PJ will be dressed to the nines head to toe in football attire. I don't have that. Well, he'll be, it's like one of those football games or the guys show up on the bus and they're dressed like with some fruit.

Yeah, I think people would love that. So you're invited to this, pastor PJ is hereby committing right now in front of all of you that this is what he's gonna do and we'd like to see there as well. 'cause he'd like to plow you over with his football gear and show you how tough he is. I'm just kidding.

He's not gonna do that part, but maybe he'll do the other things. Yeah, I'm not committing to anything, but I'll, I will be there. But you're not denying it. I will be there. You're not denying it. I will be there. Okay. Yeah. Is there gonna be a women's game? Well, word on the street is if we get enough ladies there be.

How many ladies do we need A number? I would say at least 10. Okay. 10 ladies. 10 Ladies, how many do we have right now? You know, five on five. Okay. That I know of. Two. Two. Okay. So we feel like got eight more. So eight more ladies show. How old do they have to be? I mean, Annie High schooling up. So Annie can play.

Just so you know. No, we just want you to know that. Yeah. You can't do that. Or laying down the law here. So anyone high school and above can play. Yep. Who's a woman? Yes. Okay. In a woman's game. In a woman's game, yes. Yes. Not in a men's game. No, they can't. There's no mixing. There's no purple. No. And there's reasons for that too, so, okay.

Yeah. We trust you on that one. Yeah. Anyways, Steve Yang is a bull in a China shop. We don't want him running anybody over, and that'd be terrifying. Will there be children's rounds? There will. Children's games. Yeah. They'll be playing as well. Yeah. Okay. Is that the one that you're playing in?

Probably, yeah. Quarterback dominate in that game, man. Defensive end hurdling kids. Yeah. Anyways.

Discussion on First and Second Thessalonians

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Lot large content. Yeah, lots of things involved. So let's get started then. First and second Thessalonians, why are we reading this right now? First of all? Well, because of the second missionary journey and what we just read in Acts 17, he was, he just passed Thessalonica. In Thessalonica. They were more noble.

Yep. Or no? No. The marines were noble than the Thessalonians, right? Because the Thessalonians did not like him so much. They were trying to do bad things, but Paul loves the Thessalonians. In fact that's really, that's essentially the first three chapters of First Thessalonians is all about Paul's love for the church in Thessalonica.

He is keen on them and their response to the gospel, he is praising them for how they have shown forth their own testimony. Their faith in God has gone forth everywhere. Verse eight of chapter one there. And. Paul's just saying, I love you and I love how you receive the word.

So Paul loves these people and that just comes through abundantly in this letter. Indeed, that's one of my favorite parts of the letter is his affection. And so much of what he says is so instructive for us as pastors, as Christians in general, who are looking to know what it looks like to care for the people that you're doing life with as believers.

Yeah. Yeah. One of my favorite phrases in, paul literature comes from his letters to the Thessalonians. In fact that it happens twice here in chapter four. And it's not translated this way in the ESV, but it's the idea of excel still more so. Paul loves the Thessalonians. They're doing a really good job, and yet he's gonna say, just as you are doing so, do so more and more.

And it's a good reminder to us to say, man, we'll, we're never gonna get to the place as Christians have saying, we're done. We're done, Jesus. Right. We're just gonna. Wait here in the waiting room until you come back for us. And that's true individually. That's also true corporately, that there's always gonna be room for us as a church to excel still more at carrying out the mission of making disciples by reaching people for Christ, teaching people to be like Christ and training people to serve Christ.

So Paul is telling the church in Thessalonia, you guys are doing a great job, but hey, keep going. Excel still more. And then he goes on and addresses what the will of God is and the will of God, he says is their sanctification now specifically, he's gonna deal with the area of sexual immorality. So. As I was reading it this time, pr I had a question, do you think this was an area of weakness for them, that he was specifically calling out, or do you feel like he was identifying a threat?

Eat, breathe, sleep in the culture, you're likely gonna become a lot like that unless you actively resist it. And so I think he offers him the strongest endorsement not to do that. He says here in verse six, the Lord is an avenger in all these things. Beware because if you do this, if you allow this particular sin category to infect you, you're putting yourself at odds with the Lord, the true avenger in these things.

That's terrifying. Yeah, it's, and I would agree with you, in fact, in that. Verse six. He says that no one transgressor wronged his brother in the matter. And I think what supports this is right after this section in verse nine, he says, now concerning brotherly love, you have no need for anyone to write to you.

And then he goes back to Thessalonians, he says, but you guys are doing really well in this. You guys are loving one another. Really well Excel still more even in this as chapter four ends though, and first Thess ends we get to, or I guess it doesn't end until chapter five. Hello. As chapter four comes to a conclusion, we get to.

Paul's Teachings on the Rapture and End Times

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One of the more controversial passages because this is one of the key texts that we point to as dispensationalist to defend the rapture of the church. You'll read this and not find the word rapture, but you will find the concept there in verse 15. We declare you by word from the Lord that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord will not proceed.

So this is not the second coming. This is not when he. Descends and his feet land on the mount of Olives, and the mountain is split in two. As we read about in Zechariah, this is a return that is an intermediary return where he comes back for the bride, he comes back for the church and we are caught up.

Those that are alive at the time are caught up to be with him in the air. Now he says the dead in Christ will rise first. This is the time where those that have died. Earlier and maybe that's gonna be us. If he doesn't come back before then this is the time where they receive their glorified bodies.

That's what it means that the dead in Christ are gonna rise. It's not that the dead in Christ are in a soul sleep, that they're not with the Lord because Paul says to be absent from the bodies, to be present with the Lord. Rather, this is when the body is reunited with the spirit. And so this is when the glorified body happens for believers at the first resurrection, which takes place here in First Thessalonians chapter four.

There's nothing else on the es eschatological timeline that we would say, oh, this is, this makes perfect sense. This is the second coming, or this is the great white throne judgment. Or This is the first judgment or the second this doesn't fit anywhere. And so we think that Paul means what he says.

And that even though it's obscure in that it's only one singular text that says this explicitly, we think it also happens to fit a few other places on the timeline, or at least it fits other passages rather, is what I'm trying to say. And so what we have here is then an exegetical question. Do we try to shoehorn this in to some other part of the eschatological calendar or.

So. There are people out there who are pretty dogmatic or Hey, hey, whatever. I'm okay if they want to take shots. This is part of what theologians do. Pastors like to have fun this way. We talk about each other's theology, and so people will make fun of people who believe in the pre premil rap or the pre tribulational rapture because like all you guys got one verse and this is all you got is this and okay, fine.

Let's just point out the reason why we think this is at a variance with everything else that we see in terms of the. End times calendar. This seems to be its own event. Yeah. Great. Helpful clarification for that for sure. And he goes on and talks more about this in chapter five, and he calls it and refers to it as the Day of the Lord.

He says, you have no need of anything to be written for you, for yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like at thief in the night. Now, day of the Lord, we talked about this in the Old Testament, can refer to something that's more than a singular day. And I think that's what's going on here.

And Paul's saying, you don't need to be unaware. This is gonna happen. It's gonna come like a thief in the night it's imminent. In other words, there's nothing else on the eschatological. Timeline that we're waiting for to happen before Christ comes back for the church that's gonna launch or inaugurate this time known as the day of the Lord.

And so he's encouraging the people in Thessalonika there to live ready for that day because they don't know when that day is going to come. As we get into Second Thessalonians, then it seems that Paul's preaching may have. Created a little bit of a stir because he writes Second Thessalonians in large part to answer some further questions regarding the end times and what's coming.

And he talks about the fact that there is going to come relief, but that relief is going to come in the future, that the Lord would, verse seven, eventually grant relief. To you who are afflicted as well as to us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven. So he, Paul is instructing them even saying, look, the ultimate relief from suffering that you're longing for is not gonna come here on earth necessarily, but it is going to come for sure when the Lord comes back from heaven.

We're gonna be talking about that in one peter when we get back to it back in the spring. But Paul is encouraging this group of believers there and even a little bit there of the justice that's gonna come against those that are causing them to suffer. He says in verse nine, they will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction away from the presence of the Lord and the glory of his might.

And Paul says, don't be deceived for, there are things that have to happen first. And he talks about the man of lawlessness and this man of lawlessness we know as the antichrist. And that is the one who's gonna rise to power during the tribulation period. That he's going to rise to a place of power over not just a country or a group of countries, but over the world.

And he's gonna hold sway. And this is going to be in accordance with God's plans. And he's even gonna be allowed by God's permission of Satan to empower him to do some pretty outrageous and miraculous things such that there would be a strong delusion that would come across a lot of the people that are gonna follow this man of lawlessness.

And so he's writing to the Thessalonians saying to them, Hey, you need to stand firm. Because basically he's saying to them, look around, this has not happened yet. And so be. Don't be distraught by somebody saying it's, look the day of the Lord has already happened. The rapture has already happened.

Magically appearing more than they ever have, and the next time that we're told to expect that is during this particular time, this particular season. So you ought to be aware that's, you should not be looking for these things prior to that time because this is when they're supposed to ramp up. But also notice too, God sends 'em a strong delusion that you just mentioned PPJ, so that they may believe what is false.

But notice here it's in verse 10, that it says it's because they refuse to love the truth and be saved. Mm-hmm. That's why God sends these things. It's a refusal to submit to God's word or to submit to God's truth that leads God to say, okay, if that's what you want, then so be it. I'm gonna let you have what you want.

Have your cake and eat it to you want deception. Here you go. It's human responsibility and God's sovereignty both. And they refuse the truth. He sends the delusion, right? That's right. And so it's both, yeah. Of those things working. Hey, everybody wants to know who the antichrist is. If you could just answer that before you keep going.

We'll, trust God's 'cause. We just laid it out. We did with the timelines specifically down to the day and hour. Yeah. And if it just. Disappeared. That would be God's providence. That'd be God's providence. Chapter three.

Final Instructions and Encouragement

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Then as Paul continues and lands, the letter is basically Paul saying, okay, so here's what I want you to do in the meantime, and he's gonna give them instructions and he's gonna say, number one, I need you to pray for us because we've still got work to be doing.

And that's how he starts chapter three there. But then he goes on and warns them against. Idleness, which is the heading of the ESV, and I think it's fitting and he talks about those that don't work and that they're not eligible for support. If they're not willing to work, don't support them.

And then he is gonna encourage people to not grow weary in. Doing good as you're waiting for the return of Christ. As you're waiting for these things don't give up. Don't slow up. Don't let up. But again, as Paul has said already in one Thessalonians twice there Excel still more keep going.

And so he's writing into the church saying, yes, Jesus is coming back. This is what it's gonna be like. We don't know when it could be soon. In the meantime, here's what you should be doing. You should be found faithful. Just like Jesus told the parable of the servant that's found doing the master's work when the master returns.

That's what Paul's wanting, the Thessalonians is to focus on. Yeah, we got a lot of work to do and in the meantime, God doesn't want us to stop believing, but to hold on to that feeling.

Closing Remarks and Prayer

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Alright, y'all, let's pray. God, thanks for your word and for that confidence that we have in Christ, that we'll be with you someday. That he is coming back for your bride the church. And we just are eager to be ready and help us to be found faithful as a faithful lampstand.

Happy Thanksgiving. And tune in again tomorrow for another edition of the Daily Bible Podcast. Enjoy some cranberry for Pastor PJ Jelly Out of the can gross. Bye.

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Bernard: Well, thank you for listening to another episode of the Daily Bible Podcast! We're honored to have you join us. This is a ministry of Compass Bible Church in north Texas. You can find out more information about our Church at compassntx.org. We would love for you to leave a review, to rate, or to share this podcast on whatever platform you're listening on, and we hope to see you again tomorrow for another episode of the Daily Bible Podcast.

PJ: Yeah. I would agree with everything that you said