and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus our deliverer from the coming wrath.

but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we declare it, not to please people but God, who examines our hearts.

You are witnesses, and so is God, as to how holy and righteous and blameless our conduct was toward you who believe.

exhorting and encouraging you and insisting that you live in a way worthy of God who calls you to his own kingdom and his glory.

And so we too constantly thank God that when you received God's message that you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human message, but as it truly is, God's message, which is at work among you who believe.

who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets and persecuted us severely. They are displeasing to God and are opposed to all people,

For who is our hope or joy or crown to boast of before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not of course you?

not in lustful passion like the Gentiles who do not know God.

Consequently the one who rejects this is not rejecting human authority but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.

Now we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve like the rest who have no hope.

For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, so also we believe that God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep as Christians.

For we tell you this by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will surely not go ahead of those who have fallen asleep.

Then we who are alive, who are left, will be suddenly caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord.

For those who sleep, sleep at night and those who get drunk are drunk at night.

Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who labor among you and preside over you in the Lord and admonish you,

He who calls you is trustworthy, and he will in fact do this.