(Deuteronomy 4:2 [KJV]) Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I
command you.
(Proverbs 30:5, 6 [KJV]) Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.
(Isaiah 28:10 [KJV])
For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:
(Isaiah 28:13 [KJV])
But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.
(2 Peter 1:20 [KJV])
Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
All of the studies, book or topical, found here, are done with research with mainly two things: The KING JAMES BIBLE and a plain old, 1828 Webster's Dictionary. Why? Outside of actually studying secular and Jewish history, archaeology, one needs nothing more. You do not need foreign, dead languages that no one speaks, lexicons, concordances or commentaries, because they differ not only with one another and with the KING JAMES BIBLE, but they create division, confusion, debate, and unbelief. We do not need them. That Word of God written and preserved for us in our own language is supposed to be enough, like the Old Testament was for the Jews, and the New Testament for the early Christians in Greek, Latin, Italian, Spanish, German, etc. There are studies within as tangents on words, subjects found within the two testaments, as to broaden the scope of the study, to learn more, deeper truths. This is not an intellectual site with PhDs, theologians, and no worldly wisdom.. Check everything out, everything. Not just here, but with everything you read and see and hear. Be Bereans:
(Acts 17:11 [KJV])
These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
Always research for yourself, use all of the context, and never privately interpret!
1 Thessalonians Chapter 4: FORNICATION, FALSE "LOVE" VS. TRUE LOVE, FROM, FOR AND TO GOD
(1 Thessalonians 4:1 [AKJV/PCE])
Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more.
Exhorting and beseeching means Paul is very serious, probably from experience of various churches he ministered to throughout Asia Minor
Exhorting and beseeching "by the LORD Jesus" means Paul and we have the authority in the Holy Ghost to do so
To abound means the blessings of God abounding in us to the point of overflowing for all to see
We can walk freely to please God as believers, or freely walk in the flesh, a choice like all have ever made from Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Israel and the Gentiles, then, as now and into the future in Revelation
BESEE'CH, v.t. pret. and pp.besought.
To entreat; to supplicate; to implore; to ask or pray with urgency; followed by a person; as, "I Paul beseech you by the meekness of Christ,", 2 Corinthians 10; or by a thing; as, I beseech your patience.
EXHORT', v.t. egzhort'. [L. exhortor; ex and hortor, to encourage, to embolden, to cheer, to advise. The primary sense seems to be to excite or to give strength, spirit or courage.]
To incite by words or advice; to animate or urge by arguments to a good deed or to any laudable conduct or course of action. I exhort you to be of good cheer. Acts 27. Young men also exhort to be sober minded. Exhort servants to be obedient to their masters. Titus 2.
To advise; to warn; to caution.
To incite or stimulate to exertion.
EXHORT', v.i. To deliver exhortation; to use words or arguments to incite to good deeds. And with many other words did he testify and exhort. Acts 2.
(1 Thessalonians 4:2 [AKJV/PCE])
For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus.
We know what we said, and that is what we said, plus also.... (below, more)
Not in the Old testament, Paul calls them commandments, not of the Old Law, by the New Law, the Law of Love, the Law of Jesus Christ
These exhortations, beseechings, charges, disciplining is from love, in love, by love, for their own good
Today, this is lacking in America, as people "don't want to offend", they do not want to lose members, so they withhold correction, discipline and let problems fester to the point of collapse of marriages, collapse of ministries, then the implosion or explosion of the church body itself, then they wonder why people left, people rotated in and out, why it collapsed!
(John 13:34-35 [AKJV/PCE])
A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
(1 Thessalonians 4:3 [AKJV/PCE])
For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:
The context here of possessing pne's vessel, next verse, means to not have relations sexually as unmarried, whether it be adultery with one or both being married or not, as in here, "Fornication: Sex outside of marriage"
FORNICA'TION, n. [L. fornicatio.]
The incontinence or lewdness of unmarried persons, male or female; also, the criminal conversation of a married man with an unmarried woman.
Adultery. Mat 5.
Incest. 1 Cor 5.
Idolatry; a forsaking of the true God, and worshipping of idols. 2 Chr 21. Rev 19.
(1 Thessalonians 4:4-6 [AKJV/PCE])
That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God: That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified.
We have been blessed and cleansed, sanctified, giving God honor, Who will one day honor us with eternal life, crowns, a new body, a mansion, a new house in heaven
The "lust of concupiscence" is an overflowing lust, untamed, uncontrolled, freely running wild
Notice Paul mentions Gentiles (Greeks) "which know not God" here. This is because there are no Gentiles (Greeks) or Jews in the church, only believers, and because the ancient Greeks, then as now, were into BACCHANALIA (Bakkheia), as in orgies, and feasts (gluttony) and revelry, festivals to the god Dionysos, etc. amd this was either infecting the church that they had planted, or was about to, if they let it
One quick glance at their statues of naked people, displayed in Greece and in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC, would reveal this and make a modest person blush, close their eyes and walk away
Today, it is called, "Sex, drugs, and rock and roll"
(Galatians 3:28 [AKJV/PCE])
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
(Colossians 3:11 [AKJV/PCE])
Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.
(1 Thessalonians 4:7 [AKJV/PCE])
For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.
Notice Paul says "us", including himself, Timothy, Silvanus, and the Thessalonians, as we are all in this world, the same sinners, liable, susceptible to temptation
James speaks of this in his epistle, calling it "our own lust" which is inside us already, systemic, manifesting outwardly
(James 1:13 [AKJV/PCE])
Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:
(1 Thessalonians 4:8 [AKJV/PCE])
He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit.
Paul is saying that we hate man and hate God when we do these things, and reminds them that God gave them the greatest gift, the Holy Ghost, sealing them, saving
them, declaring them righteous, giving them the ability to submit to God, pray, seek guidance, having power over sin, everything they needed to avoid this fornication, to
leave that life
He further tells them that this is not love at all, but hatred!
He tells them this because doing these things means disrespecting someone, not caring about them, just like a parent who thinks they love their child but refuses to
correct them
He adds here that one who does this hates God, not just man, so why would a Christian do these things, participate, approve?
TRUE LOVE, TOWARDS ALL MEN
(Deuteronomy 8:5 [AKJV/PCE])
Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the LORD thy God chasteneth thee.
(Proverbs 13:24 [AKJV/PCE])
He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.
(Hebrews 12:6 [AKJV/PCE])
For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
(Hebrews 12:7 [AKJV/PCE])
If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
(Ephesians 4:7-8 [AKJV/PCE])
But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.
(Acts 1:4 [AKJV/PCE])
And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.
(Acts 2:33 [AKJV/PCE])
Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.
(Galatians 3:14 [AKJV/PCE])
That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
(Romans 6:23 [AKJV/PCE])
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
(1 John 4:20 [AKJV/PCE])
If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
(1 Thessalonians 4:9 [AKJV/PCE])
But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.
These brethren were taught by Paul, Silvanus and Timothy what Jesus taught them, in John 13:34-35, to love one another
(1 Thessalonians 4:10 [AKJV/PCE])
And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more;
The increase here referred to is spiritual maturity, spiritual growth, spread the Gospel and grow in number, then teach the converts, making disciples
(1 Thessalonians 4:11 [AKJV/PCE])
And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;
Study what? God's Word
This is for every reason that is good, but foremost to be approved unto God
In addition, it will teach, instruct them to live a righteous life before God and man, like Paul said strive for (Acts 24:16)
True good work is with the hands, not the mind, which is for God, an art lost today with technology, people blindly staring and following what the tell-a-vison tells them through their p-r-o-g-r-a-m-s, their c-h-a-n-n-e-l-s
(2 Timothy 2:15 [AKJV/PCE])
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
(1 Thessalonians 4:12 [AKJV/PCE])
That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.
Step one is to study God's Word, so that we can walk honestly, blameless, beyond reproach of the world
The world is always too excoted, prepared to blame us by those famous words, "YOU CALL YOURSELF A CHRISTIAN??"
WALK, KNOWING THAT THE RAPTURE IS AT HAND, AT ANY MOMENT
(1 Thessalonians 4:13 [AKJV/PCE])
But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
Apparently, they were already speculating that they were in the Great Tribulation, being under intense persecution
When an unsaved person dies, leaves an unsaved person behind, that is all they have is sorrow, missing them, thinking they will never see them again, which WILL happen after the Judgment Day of Christ is over and all are alone, cast into the lake of fire, forever
We who are saved can expect to see saved love ones and be with them forever
Not only that, but the Rapture IS our hope of escaping the Judgment come upon the whole earth, since ae are not appointed to wrath
(1 Thessalonians 4:14 [AKJV/PCE])
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
So, those who were saved and died (sleep in Jesus) will be raised first at the Rapture
The only way to believe this is to be a real, actual believer, not feigning, under pretense, but actually believing it
(1 Thessalonians 4:15 [AKJV/PCE])
For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
So Paul is establishing the order of events of the Rapture: The dead, then we who are alive
"The coming of the LORD" here is not the Second Coming, which is different, in every way, at that time, we come with the LORD to the earth from the heavens, not go to Him in the air
(1 Thessalonians 4:16 [AKJV/PCE])
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
This shout may be the archangel, along with the trump of God
As said above, this is different than the end of the Tribulation, when Jesus returns with us to finish off the anti-Christ, save Israel from him, and the world
(1 Thessalonians 4:18 [AKJV/PCE])
Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
That is what we need to do, tell one another, "Well, whatever happens now, we are going home soon"
That Rapture is comforting, that we will miss the hell on earth about to come
