Malachi is the last of the great succession of prophets who for over one hundred years foretold the coming of Messiah. Malachi ministered in the time of the governorship of Nehemiah. It is clear that he ministered after the captivity. He prophesied about a century after Haggai and Zephaniah.  Malachi’s ministry dates from about 460 B.C. during the period of Israel’s Persian subjugation.  In that time, the temple had been rebuilt for some forty years, but is a rather mean dwelling compared to its former glory.

Malachi’s message is, for the most part, rebuke and condemnation. The sins of Israel that provoked Nehemiah were the same that stirred up Malachi. Their failure was defilement of the priesthood, divorce of Israelites wives for marriage with foreign women and neglecting tithe and offerings.  According to Malachi they have despised Lord’s name (Mal. 1:6), they have been indifferent towards the worship (Mal. 1:6), they were wrongly instructed by the priests (Mal. 2:7-8), they became faithless to the covenant (Mal. 2:10), followed foreign gods and divorced their wives to marry foreign women (Mal. 2:13-16), did evil (Mal. 2:17) robbed God (Mal. 3:8-9), and spoke against the Lord (Mal. 3:13-14).

Reference:

“Behold I will send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger of the Covenant, in whom you delight. Behold, He is coming, says the Lord of hosts.” (Mal 3:1 – NKJV)

Message:

Malachi has used the question and answer method to probe deeply into Israel’s problems of hypocrisy, infidelity, mixed marriages, divorce, false worship and arrogance. Is this list of problems not familiar to the church in modern times?

But the people are not ready to accept their wrongdoings and would rather justify themselves.

They question God and He answers:

How has God loved us?

Was not Esau Jacob’s brother? Says the Lord Yet Jacob have I loved

How have we (priests) despised God’s name?

By sacrificing what is blemished and even their human governor wouldn’t have accepted

How have we (people) profaned the covenant?

By saying that the table of the Lord is defiled and its fruit, its food is contemptible and by saying, Oh what a weariness!

How have we wearied God?

By saying that everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord and He delights in them

How have we robbed God?

By not giving tithes and offerings

How have we spoken against God?

By saying It is vain to serve God

Do all these words sound vaguely familiar? Are they not similar to what we say about Jesus and His church today? We are tired of all these seemingly meaningless rituals and say, “It is vain to serve God”. It is time to get over with the rituals and get close to God with a genuine and repentant heart.

Lesson:

“For behold, the Day is coming, burning like an oven, and all the proud, yes all who do wickedly will be stubble; and the Day which is coming shall burn them up, says the Lord of hosts, that will leave them neither root nor branch.

But to you who fear my name, The Sun of righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings…” (Mal 4:1-2 – NKJV)

“I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot.

So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew (spit or vomit) you out of my mouth.” (Rev 3:15-16 – NKJV)

The Day of Judgment is coming and it is as true for the church today as it was for Israel in the days of Malachi. The hypocrites and the wicked will be burnt in the fierce wrath of God while for those who fear God there will be an everlasting healing. The words of Jesus in Revelation are filled with the same kind of warning. He wants us to be piping hot for Him or frozen cold and forget Him altogether and go your way. The lukewarm hypocrites will face the most fearful judgment. May we not be in the “Vomit List”.

The name Zechariah means the Lord remembers. He was the great prophet of the days of the restoration from Babylonia captivity, with Haggai and Malachi he was a post exilic prophet. He was born in Babylonia when some 50,000 people who were in exile trekked their way home under the reign of King Cyrus.  Zechariah began his ministry two months after Haggai had commenced his prophetic ministry. It was in the second year of the reign of Darius Hystaspes (521-485 B.C.).  The first prophetic message of Zechariah comes in the second year of Darius’s reign. He was also a contemporary of Zerubbabel the Governor and Joshua the High Priest.

The reconstruction work of the temple was stopped due to opposition for more than a decade and was then resumed in 520 B.C and completed in 516 B.C. Zechariah encouraged the people to complete their unfinished task. Rather than rebuking them, he encourages them by pointing out the future importance of the temple. The temple had to be built because one day the Messiah’s glory will inhabit it. Sadly, the man who encouraged the temple building was murdered between the temple and the altar (Mat 23:35).

Reference:

“Thus says the LORD; I will return to Zion and dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Jerusalem will be called the City of Truth, the Mountain of the LORD of hosts, the Holy Mountain.” (Zech 8:3) – NKJV

Message:

Zechariah has given very clear messianic prophecies depicting both the first and the second coming of Christ. He has portrayed Christ as Servant and King, Man and God. In the first eight chapters, he frequently refers to the temple encouraging his people to complete the building of the temple because the Messiah will bring His glory into that same structure. The last six chapters were written after the completion of the temple and they anticipate the coming of the Messiah.

Zechariah ends his book with an exciting climax in the fourteenth chapter describing the final siege of Jerusalem, the initial victory of Israel’s enemies, the division of Mount Olives, Jesus’ visible appearance on Mount Olives and defending Jerusalem, judgment on all nations who opposed Israel, and the final restoration under the Messiah’s reign.

Zechariah vindicates the stand of the pre-exilic prophets by saying that the judgment prophesied by them came upon Judah because ‘the Lord was very angry with your ancestors.’ He exhorts the people to return to the Lord. Finally he describes the ‘Day of the Lord’ as being a day when the Lord will judge the wicked among Israel and preserve a holy remnant. He will judge the surrounding nations and all the enemies of Israel and He will usher in the Messiah’s golden reign. There is physical salvation to Judah as well as a spiritual salvation in that day.

Lesson:

Though the Lord has glorious plans for the salvation of His people, the unrepentant are doomed to God’s wrath and judgment. Zechariah describes such as the people who refused to heed, shrugged their shoulders and stopped their ears so that they could not hear (Zech 7:11). Sadly, sometimes God’s messengers have to face the brutality of the wicked. The very prophet who encouraged the completion of the temple was murdered between the temple and the altar. How ironic!

Today, God is asking us to return to the Lord and build His temple. The Bible says that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 6:19). We are also collectively the Body of Christ, the Church or the temple of God. So God is asking us to build ourselves up in Him and to work for building His Church because He is going to come again as King and inhabit us with all of His glory.

Hosea was a contemporary of Amos in Israel, and of Isaiah and Micah in Judah, and his ministry continued after the first Assyrian captivity of the northern kingdom. When Hosea began his ministry, Israel was enjoying a temporary period of political and economic prosperity under Jeroboam II. One would have not thought that the end was near. Jeroboam II reigned from 793-753 B.C. (II King 14:23-29) and he was a strong ruler. Before the accession of Jeroboam, the situation had been quite a different one. Because of the military attack by Assyria, far to the east and Syria to the immediate north, Israel had been brought to abject humiliation. Recoveries from this low state had begun with Jeroboam’s father Jehoash.

The prosperity led to a widespread feeling of pride and Lord announces a disaster over them. When prosperity increased, wrong and degrading social and moral conditions developed in the society (Hos. 9:1-10). Extreme poverty also existed along with the wealthy; the strong took advantage of week (Hos. 12:7). Religious conditions were not any better; the pagan cult of Baal had a strong following. Apparently, ritual prostitution was still practiced (Hos. 4:10-18). So Hosea went on courageously and spoke out strongly against the evils of the day and pronounced the judgment of God upon Israel.

Reference:

In that day I will make a covenant for them, With the beasts of the field,

With the birds of the air, And with the creeping things of the ground.
Bow and sword of battle I will shatter from the earth, To make them lie down safely. Hosea 2: 18 (NKJV)

Message:

Apparently, the message of Hosea concerning the Day of the Lord is a peaceful one where not only will Israel be reconciled with God but other nations also will have peace on earth. Yahweh will make a covenant with all the creatures of the earth. Also the bow the sword, the two main weapons of Hosea’s day will be abolished so that all may live in safety.

In above verses it seems that Hosea tried to present the ‘Day’ as a peaceful day, but a closer study of Hosea 1:5 gives another picture.

It shall come to pass in that day, That I will break the bow of Israel in the “Valley of Jezreel.” Hosea 1:5 (NKJV)

The bow was a symbol of power in his days and it was a principle instrument of warfare. Thus broken bows symbolize the loss of power.  Israel’s bow would be broken in the ‘valley of Jezreel’.  The prediction here is that this valley would see a significant stage in Israel’s final defeat.  Thus Hosea preaches about the doom of that day, a day when Yahweh will judge His people in his fury.

Lesson:

God used a unique method in delivering the message to Israel through Hosea. He was instructed by God to marry Gomer, a prostitute. So he finds his domestic life to be an accurate and tragic picture of the spiritual unfaithfulness of God’s people.

Hosea has real compassion for his people because of his understanding of God’s grief over Israel’s sin through his personal suffering because of Gomer.

When the Word of God exhorts us to have the attitude of Christ, it may even be at the cost of our personal life. If we look at Hosea as an outsider, we may think that he has wasted his life for no reason. But when looked at through the eyes of God, his life was extremely meaningful because it signified God’s love for His people in spite of their spiritual adultery.

The ‘Day of the Lord’ is near and God will judge the earth. But today He wants us to take the message of compassion and salvation to the nations. He wants that our very own lives may be a picture of Jesus’ love.

Are you ready to pay the cost? Only a person who pays the cost is the disciple of Jesus.

Obadiah was an obscure prophet, who probably lived in the southern kingdom of Judah. Nothing is known of his hometown or family. Obadiah is a brief prophetic book that pronounces God’s judgment against the Edomites, ancient enemies of the nation of Israel. A struggle that began in the womb between twin brothers Esau and Jacob eventuates in a struggle between their respective descendants, the Edomites and the Israelites.

It is difficult to determine whether Obadiah is a pre-exilic or exilic book due to lack of sufficient historical references. The invasion of Jerusalem spoken about in the book could be during the reign of King Jehoram (848-841 B.C. – making it pre-exilic) when the Philistines and Arabians invaded Judah and looted the palace. Edom had revolted against Judah during this time and became a bitter antagonist. The other possibility is that it refers to the siege of Jerusalem by the Babylonians, beginning in 605 B.C. and ending with its final destruction in 586 B.C. In that case, the book must have been written abruptly after the fall of the city, perhaps while the Israelites were still in captivity in Babylonia. Verses 10-14 describe the connivance of Edom in these invasions.

In any case, Obadiah proclaims that the ‘Day of the Lord’ upon all the nations is near and he has a message from the Lord for us.

Reference:

“For the day of the Lord upon all nations is near; as you have done, it shall be done to you; your reprisal shall return upon your own head.

But on Mount Zion there shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.

Then saviors shall come to Mount Zion to judge the mountains of Esau, and the kingdom shall be the LORD’S.”                                     (Obadiah 1:15, 17, 21 – NKJV)

Message:

The prophecy of Obadiah is merciless and in a vengeful spirit. However it shows close identification of the Lord with His people. Whoever abuses God’s people becomes the enemy of God. Furthermore God had already visited His own people in judgment and therefore it is consistent with His moral government that He will not exempt others. It reinforces the prophetic conviction that the Lord is sovereign deity over all human history. ‘The Day of the Lord’ mentioned in this book refers to the last Day of Judgment (Obad. v.1 and 15-16). We must be careful not to interpret Obadiah as mere nationalistic propaganda against a hated enemy, be it Edom or Assyria, but what we must keep in mind is that Yahweh is guiding the history of the nations to Him alone.

So, according to Obadiah the ‘Day of the Lord’ was not only for those who had persecuted the nation of Israel but it depicted the final judgment to fall upon all the nations. It will be a day when God will judge the pagan nation of Edom for their misconduct with the people of God. The thing which is noteworthy is that, even in this situation the possibility which the Israelites held on to was one of ultimate re-establishment of their home land. The core of the Israel’s community refused to accept their current situation as final.  They were filled with bitter hatred for those who were responsible for their current woes. Eagerly they awaited Yahweh’s judgment on the nations that persecuted them bitterly. The Holy City pressed upon their hearts; they prayed for its restoration and for Yahweh’s intervention to judge and punish their enemy.

Edom’s major crime against Israel was that of gloating over the invasion of Jerusalem. Edom rejoiced when foreigners plundered God’s city and became as one of her enemies. Instead of being an ally, Edom became an aggressor against God’s people. They gazed on Jerusalem’s affliction and laid hands on their substance (v.13). They stood at crossroads on the day of calamity to kill those who were trying to escape and deliver up to the enemy those who remained (v.14). Edom was a continual enemy of God’s people in spite of originating from the same womb as Israel.

Obadiah carries one of the strongest messages of judgment in spite of being the shortest books in the Old Testament. There are no pleas to return, no words of consolation or hope for Edom. Their fate is sealed and there are no conditions for deliverance. God will bring total destruction upon Edom and no survivor will remain.

Lesson:

“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake.

And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.”

(Matt 24:9-10 – NKJV)

Jesus told that one of the signs of the end times will be that of betrayal. For His name’s sake, our own people will hate us and deliver us up for persecution and killing. This is a reality in many countries of the world today where Christians are persecuted for their faith by their own families and dear ones.

“But he who endures to the end shall be saved.”                   (Matt 24:13 – NKJV)

Will you be there for Jesus till the end?

Obadiah reminds us that the judgment of God on the betrayers will be severe. There will be no hope, no consolation, and no survivor. God’s sovereignty extends over all of human history.

The prophet Zephaniah was of royal descent. He traced his lineage back to his great-great grandfather, Hezekiah the godly king of Judah. Zephaniah located the time of his writing just as clearly as he did his identification: ‘In the days of Josiah, the son of Amon king of Judah (Zep 1:1)’. Zephaniah’s forceful prophecy may have been a catalyst for the reform during Josiah’s reign – a “revival” that produced outward change but did not fully remove the inward heart of corruption which characterized the nation. Some scholars say that he was contemporary with Jeremiah and Habakkuk making him one of the eleventh-hour prophets to Judah.

Reference:

The great day of the Lord is near; it is near and hastens quickly.

The noise of the day of the Lord is bitter; there the mighty men shall cry out.

That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress,

A day of devastation and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess,

A day of clouds and thick darkness                            (Zeph 1:14, 15) – NKJV

Seek the Lord, all you meek of the earth,

Who have upheld His justice

Seek righteousness, seek humility

It may be that you will be hidden

In the day of the Lord’s anger                                                (Zeph 2:3) – NKJV

Message:

Zephaniah’s message has a definite focal point, namely ‘the Day of the Lord’. He uses the expression more often then any other prophet of the Old Testament. The prophet begins with a declaration of universal destruction. God will consume and destroy everything on the face of the earth whether man or beast. Like his predecessor Joel, Zephaniah gives an emphasis to ‘the Day of Jehovah’ that will strike terror in the hearts of the wicked, leading them to repentance.  He proclaims ‘the Day of the Lord’ is a day of doom, a day of terror, imminent and falling upon all creation as a judgment for their sin allowing only a remnant to escape.

Zephaniah also specifically prophesies judgment on Judah. But it is introduced consistently as being the means of establishing righteousness in the earth, making God’s power known, purging out the evil and developing the good. The prophet begins with announcing the judgment upon the whole world, upon idolaters, and especially upon his own people. He exhorts the people to repentance that they may be protected in the time of distress.

He then pronounces God’s judgment on all nations surrounding Judah in all four directions – Philistines in the west, Moabites and Ammonites in the east, Ethiopians in the south and Assyrians in the north.

After a broad statement of the judgment of all nations, Zephaniah focuses on the blessing; for this too, is an aspect of the day of the Lord. He prophesies the cleansing, re-gathering, redemption and restoration of the remnant of Israel. (Zeph 3:9-20) They will rejoice in their Redeemer and He will be in their midst.

Lesson:

For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all (Romans 11:32) – NKJV

Paul, the Apostle, refers to God’s rejection of Israel in the above verse and how that has resulted in mercy for the Gentiles. God’s plan of salvation encompasses all mankind and so also his plan for judgment.

For us, the lesson is that, there is a coming day of the Lord; and it is a day of doom and destruction as a consequence of God’s universal judgment. The Word of God encourages us to seek Him so that we may be hidden in the day of the Lord’s anger. Zephaniah means – ‘Yahweh hides’ or ‘Yahweh has hidden’.

If we find our hiding place in our Redeemer Jesus Christ, we will be a part of the redeemed and restored remnant. May you be found in Him on that day.

Rock of Ages, cleft for me

Let me hide myself in Thee

The treatment of the concept of the ‘Day of the Lord’ by the post-exilic prophets entails both positive and negative consequences for Israel.  A universal judgment is expected by prophets like Malachi and Joel. Generally, the prophets stressed more on futuristic judgment.

Joel prophesied in the southern kingdom of Judah in the aftermath of invasion by a swarm of locusts, followed by a severe drought. (Joel 1: 2-4) As tragic as this destruction was, Joel declared, it will be nothing compared with the coming Day of the Lord.

Reference:

Blow the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in My holy mountain!

Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble;

For the day of the Lord is coming, for it is at hand:

A day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness,

Like the morning clouds spread over the mountains

A people come, great and strong, the like of whom have never been;

Nor will there ever be any such after them, even for many successive generations.

A fire devours before them, and behind them a flame burns;

The land is like the Garden of Eden before them, and behind them is desolate wilderness;

Surely nothing shall escape them. (Joel 2: 1-3) (NKJV)

Message:

In spite of the clear message of doom that Joel declared in the above verse concerning the day of the Lord,  many people in Israel thought that God would make Israel the leading nation in ‘the Day of the Lord’. But they did not expect that the nation will be in deep trouble before the final restoration. Joel prophesied that the day of the Lord would be a time of darkness and sorrow, not light and joy. It could only be averted by justifiable repentance. If they repent the day of the Lord would be one of destruction upon the enemies of God and deliverance for those who trust in him. Joel also prophesied the doom of all the nations and the ultimate glory of Jehovah’s case.

Speaking in the aftermath of disaster, he challenged the people to see Yahweh and come back from the brink of calamity to a right relationship with the God of the covenant.

Lesson:

Joel envisioned God’s Spirit being poured out on all flesh just before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. (Joel 2: 28-31)

When Apostle Peter preached on the day of Pentecost – the day of the Holy Spirit outpouring, he quoted this prophecy and attested its fulfillment. (Acts 2: 16-18)

According to Joel, the Holy Spirit of God was to be poured out on all flesh before the coming day of the Lord. The fulfillment of that prophecy has started on the day of Pentecost and God is still pouring out His Spirit “on all nations”. God’s plan is not just of universal judgment (Joel 3: 1-2) but in fact, it is a plan that holds out the offer of salvation, as a way of escape, to all nations.

What is the lesson for us on whom the ends of the ages have come? We need to accept the offer of salvation and receive the anointing of the Holy Spirit of God. It is the only way that can enable us to escape the ultimate wrath of God.

The general treatment of the concept of ‘Day of the Lord’ by pre-exilic prophets in the Bible has been that of criticizing the society which they perceived to be violating the stipulations of the covenant with God. As a sinful nation, they could only expect divine punishment, rather than a glorious restoration which was their notion regarding the ‘Day of the Lord’.

Amos’ ministry took place around the year 760 B.C., when Jeroboam II (787-747) was on the throne of the northern kingdom of Israel. The Assyrian empire was the dominant military power at that time, but it was occupied with advances of the kingdom of Urartu from Asia Minor. Thus Jeroboam was free to enlarge and develop his territory and to enrich his economy with booming trade and business.

Reference:

“Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD! For what good is the day of the LORD to you? It will be darkness and not light.

It will be as though a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him; or as though he went into the house, leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him,

Is not the day of the LORD darkness and not light? Is it not very dark, with no brightness in it?” – Amos 5:18-20 (NKJV)

Message:

The phrase ‘Day of the Lord’, in its earliest use in the Book of Prophet Amos in the verse above, implies that it already had a standard usage in society. For the people it meant – the day when Yahweh would intervene to put Israel as the head of the nations, irrespective of Israel’s unfaithfulness to Him. Amos declared that the ‘Day of the Lord’ actually meant judgment for Israel. Amos’s expression about ‘the Day of the Lord’ is far clearer than the rendering of other Old Testament prophets.

The social, religious and economic picture of the society in his time is graphically described by him.

• There was hypocrisy in worship of God – (Amos 4:4-5; 5:21-23)
• Due to economic prosperity there was growth in upper class’ luxury and opulence but they were totally unsympathetic to the affliction of the poor – (Amos 6:4-6)
• The rich grew richer by exploiting the poor – (Amos 2:6; 8:4,6)
• Greed for money and consequent deceitfulness in business practices – (Amos 8:5)
• There was corruption and denial of justice (Amos 5:10,12)
• Excessive consumption patterns – (Amos 4:1)
• Lifestyle characterized by debauchery and immorality (Amos 2:7)

Thus Amos meant to preach about the impending doom of exile when he described the ‘Day of the Lord’. The doom of exile meant the collapse of all that was seemingly glorious in the eyes of the people. Due to the ideal military and economic circumstances in his day, the people of Israel found it hard to imagine the coming disaster predicted by Amos. However, it was only three decades until the downfall of Israel.

Lesson:

Does the book of prophet Amos also convey any message of the end times for us in the contemporary world? Maybe yes, if we also consider the promises of restoration of Israel. (Amos 9: 11-15)

The situation of New Testament Israel, that is, the church is not very different from the description of the society in Amos’ time. Today’s church is marked by apostasy, greed, injustice and immorality. Amos’ warns the people of Israel that the ‘Day of the Lord’ will be darkness for them instead of light as they expected. Is the same message not applicable for us too? We hope for a new dawn in the second coming of Jesus Christ. May it not turn out to be eternal darkness for us instead of light that we were hoping for.

“Now all these things happened to them as examples and they were written for our admonition, on whom the ends of the ages have come.” – I Cor 10:11

Paul, the Apostle, says that the end of the ages has come on us and we ought to be admonished by the things that happened to the people of Israel. They serve as examples for us.

May you be found in Him on that ‘Day of the Lord’. God bless you.

Maranatha!

II Cor 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (NIV)

Message

When we encounter Jesus in our lives, He changes our life completely. We no more see things from a worldly point of view, but place Christ before everything. We become ambassadors of Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Let’s take a look at Paul’s life. Paul, who was named Saul earlier, was a persecutor. He encountered Jesus on his way to Damascus. He received salvation and was filled with the power of the Holy Spirit.

Tremendous changes took place in Saul’s life.

1. First, his name changed – He got a new name “PAUL” meaning “LITTLE”

2. Secondly, he who was a persecutor of God’s people started preaching the word of God. Once he, who was notorious for destruction, now was the messenger of salvation.

3. Thirdly, he who was proud of his wisdom and tradition, now talked about God’s grace (Gal 1:14).  Jesus humbled him.

4. Fourthly, he dedicated all his wisdom, zeal, strength and power to the work of the Lord.

Thus we see that Jesus changed Paul’s priorities, perspective, character and goal.

This is the total turnaround that Jesus brings when we receive him in our lives.

Lesson

Paul was just like you and me. He was no extra ordinary human being. He was a murderer, a sinner and detestable in the eyes of both God and Man. But in Jesus Christ, he became a new creation.

Remember: “God is not bothered about what you were or what you are, but he cares about what you are going to be“.

He wants to make you a new person, carry you in his arms, fill you with overflowing joy & peace, and spend eternity with you; if you would allow him to enter and take over the reins of your life today.

This article is a part of Free Bible Study Lessons from End-Times-Outpouring.com

The word “Rapture” does not occur in the Bible. The concept of the Rapture, though, is clearly taught in Scripture. The Pretribulation Rapture of the church is the event in which God removes all believers from the earth in order to make way for His righteous judgment to be poured out on the earth during the Tribulation period which may be called as “the Day of the Lord”. The Rapture is described primarily in the Bible verses quoted below:

1. Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope.
2. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.
3. According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.
4. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
5. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
6. Therefore encourage each other with these words.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (NIV)

1. I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.
2. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed–
3. in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
4. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.
5. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”

1 Corinthians 15:50-54 (NIV)

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 describes the Rapture as God resurrecting all believers who have died, giving them glorified bodies, and then departing from the earth with those believers who are still alive, and who have also been given glorified bodies.

1 Corinthians 15:50-54 focuses on the instantaneous nature of the Rapture and on the glorified bodies which the Lord’s people will receive. As Apostle Paul says it is a mystery. The Pretribulation Rapture is the glorious event for which the Lord’s people are longing for since ages and that is what we all should be longing for. All those who are taken in the pretribulation rapture will escape the dreaded 7-year tribulation to be unleashed in the reign of the Anti-Christ. That is the great hope we have in the Lord today. We will finally be free from sin and will be in God’s presence forever. This will happen at “the day of the Lord”.

Luke 19:1-6

Vs 3-4 “He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.” NIV

CONTEXT

Zacchaeus was a rich tax collector. The Jews hated him and called him a sinner. Now Jesus was passing through Jericho and a big crowd followed him. As Zacchaeus was unable to see Jesus through the crowd, he climbs up the tree to see Jesus.

There could have been two reasons why he climbed the tree.

1. The most obvious one was that he was short. It is natural that he was dwarfed by the crowd surrounding Jesus, so he climbed the tree

2. There could be a second reason. We know that he was not accepted by the Jews, and they would not have wanted to be seen with him.

Thus Zacchaeus had a PHYSICAL and SOCIAL DRAWBACK which restricted him to see Jesus.

But Zacchaeus had a ‘DESIRE’ to see Jesus.

It is said “Desire had much latent power when tapped in. It’s just like that stream of water which when turned to steam can move a powerful engine.”

Zacchaeus’ burning desire to see Jesus made him climb up the tree. He was not bothered of making a spectacle of himself. His desire to see Jesus made a way for Saviour himself to come to his house. What a reward!! A good desire in life is always rewarded.

LESSON

Let’s have the right desire today. What are the desires that are driving us? The good desire in Zacchaeus was to see and know Jesus and he was rightly rewarded for it. Do not look at your drawbacks, for it is rightly said “God does not look for ability but for our availability”

Remember: “Godliness in life is a very big gain”

Let us develop an intense desire to see and know Jesus and let our desires reflect Godliness.