Thematic Bible




Thematic Bible






Now I would not have you, my brethren, be mistaken about the state of the dead, lest you should be as greatly afflicted as those, who have no hope. for if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, we must believe that God by Jesus will raise the dead, and assemble them with him. for one thing I have in charge to tell you from the Lord, that we, who shall be found still alive at the coming of the Lord, shall not get the advance of those that are dead: read more.
for the Lord himself will descend from heaven, and by the voice of the archangel, with the trumpet of God, resound the summons: they who died christians shall rise first: then we, who shall be still alive, shall be convey'd together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall ever be with the Lord. therefore comfort one another with this information.

Immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun shall be darkned, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. then shall that sign, the son of man in the clouds of heaven, appear: and all the tribes of the land shall mourn, and they shall see the son of man coming in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. and he shall send his messengers, who with the shrill sound of a trumpet, shall gather together his select from the four winds, from one end of the heaven to the other.

Now after the time of that distress, the sun shall be dark, and the moon shall give no light: the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken. then shall they see the son of man coming in the clouds with power and great glory. read more.
then will he send his angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the remotest part of the earth, to the remotest part of heaven.


Blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all the spiritual blessings in Christ's kingdom. according as he had chosen us in himself before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy, free from vice, and devoted to virtue. having predetermin'd to adopt us by Jesus Christ to be his children, according to the good pleasure of his own will, read more.
to display the glory of his grace, which has render'd us acceptable by his beloved son: who has by his blood obtained for us the redemption, even the forgiveness of our sins, according to the riches of his grace, out of the over-flowing treasures of his comprehensive wisdom and contrivance. for he has discover'd to us the secret of his will, that out of his meer good pleasure, he had purposed in himself, when the full time of the dispensation was come, to reduce all things both in heaven and on earth, under one head in Christ. It is by him, that we have a share in the inheritance, which was before allotted to us, in consequence of his design, who executes the whole plan, as he himself had contriv'd it:

It is not necessary, my brethren, to specify the exact time: for you very well know, that the day of the Lord steals on like a thief in the night. whilst they flatter themselves with peace and safety, destruction shall fall upon them, like the pangs of a woman in travail, and they shall not escape. read more.
but you, my brethren, are too well inform'd to be surpriz'd by that day, as by a thief. you inherit the advantages of meridian light: we are not involv'd in the obscurity of night. therefore let us not sleep away our time like others, but be vigilant and temperate. they that are sober take their rest in the night, whilst they that are sots, are drunk in the night: but let us, who enjoy the light, be temperate; let us be arm'd with the breast-plate of faith and charity, and for an helmet, with the hope of salvation. for God did not design to make us the objects of his displeasure, but to effect our felicity by the Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we happen to be alive or dead, we may be secure of living with him. wherefore comfort and edify one another, as you have hitherto done.

Now we conjure you, brethren, that with respect to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our being assembled with him, you would not by any pretended revelation, by any discourse or epistle ascrib'd to us, be immediately perplex'd in your minds, or under any concern for the approach of the day of the Lord.














for at the appointed time Christ died for us, when we were in a helpless, sinful state. now for a wicked man no one would willingly die; but for a benefactor some have readily offer'd to die. but herein hath God displayed his love towards us, in that Christ died for us, even while we were yet sinners. read more.
much more then being now justified by his blood, shall we thro' him be delivered from the wrath to come.

and you imitated us, and were imitators of the Lord, having receiv'd the word, notwithstanding all your afflictions, with that alacrity, which the holy spirit inspires. so that you became examples to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. for the gospel has made so favourable a progress not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every other place, where the reputation of your divine faith has spread, that 'tis needless to mention any thing of it; since they all relate of us, read more.
how successful our arrival was among you, and how you renounc'd your idols to serve the living and true God, and to expect his son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, who delivers us from impending ruin.

you inherit the advantages of meridian light: we are not involv'd in the obscurity of night. therefore let us not sleep away our time like others, but be vigilant and temperate. they that are sober take their rest in the night, whilst they that are sots, are drunk in the night: read more.
but let us, who enjoy the light, be temperate; let us be arm'd with the breast-plate of faith and charity, and for an helmet, with the hope of salvation. for God did not design to make us the objects of his displeasure, but to effect our felicity by the Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we happen to be alive or dead, we may be secure of living with him. wherefore comfort and edify one another, as you have hitherto done.