Tag Archives: 11/12/23 Bible Study

December 11, 2023 Bible Study — Living Lives of Pure Love for One Another

Today, I am reading and commenting on  1 Thessalonians 1-5.

Paul writes that it is God’s will that we be sanctified.  Paul’s next phrase suggests that part of being sanctified means avoiding sexual immorality by controlling our bodies in ways which are holy and honorable.  Paul writes that when we allow passionate lusts to control our bodies we end up wronging or taking advantage of our fellow humans, instead we should live holy, pure lives, with love for each other.   We should seek to love the people of God in ever increasing degree.

Paul goes on to reiterate that those who have already died in Christ will rise when Christ returns, while those of us still alive will join them to meet Christ in the air. I am unsure if Paul meant that literally or merely as a metaphor, but I am sure that those who died in their faith will meet the Lord first on the day of His return.  He further tells us not to concern ourselves with the date and time of Christ’s return.  However, we should live our lives prepared for His return so that we are not surprised when that day arrives.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

November 12, 2023 Bible Study — It Is Not for Us to Know the Dates or the Times

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Acts 1-3.

I truly believe that the Church in America has lost something by its diminished interest in eschatology.  On the other hand, I remember from when I was growing up that many in the Church also tried to read the eschatological prophecies so as to determine WHEN Christ would return.  In today’s passage, Jesus tells the disciples, and through them, us, that it is not for them, or us, to know the times and dates.  So, we need to study the eschatological writings in the Bible, we need to see what God has told us about His plans for the end of this world, but we also need to recognize that they were not written to allow us to figure out exactly when Jesus will return.  We also need to welcome the Holy Spirit into ourselves and use the power He gives us to be Christ’s messengers to the ends of the earth.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.