Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.

1 Thessalonians 4:17a

Recommended Reading

1 Thessalonians 4:17-18

Do you know the actual word “rapture” is not found in most English translations of the Bible? It’s not in the King James Version, the New King James Version, or the New International Version. But that doesn’t diminish its reality or our excitement about it. According to the apostle Paul, one day soon Christ will descend from heaven with a shout and believers who are alive at the time will be “caught up” or “caught away” to be with Him.

When the Bible was translated into Latin in the fourth century, the translators rendered the original Greek phrase with the Latin word raptura, a term used meaning “snatched away.” That’s the source of our English term “rapture.” Later when the Bible was translated into English, the scholars bypassed the Latin term and used the more literal words, “caught up.” The meaning, however, is the same.

In our modern society, the word “rapture” also means being caught up in excitement and joy. When Jesus descends from heaven with a shout, we, His children, will be caught up with Him in the clouds, and we’ll feel rapturous joy in our hearts.

Many people do not seem to think Jesus will come back in their lifetime; if they did it would affect the way they lived.

Tom Blackaby, in Experiencing God at Home Day by Day

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Luke 11 – 12

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And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

Matthew 6:13

Recommended Reading

John 17:9-19

Kelly Swisher of Arkansas was driving down Interstate 49 when a large rat snake fell out of her dashboard and slithered across her feet. Somehow she managed to pull off the road and call authorities, who came and captured the snake and sent Kelly on her way without further incident.

In a spiritual sense, that can happen to us anytime. We never know when we’ll have an incident with the old serpent, the devil. He lurks around, drops in out of nowhere, tempts us, tests us, and does his best to rob us of purity and peace.

On two occasions, once at the beginning and the other at the end of His earthly work, Jesus told us to pray about this. In the Sermon on the Mount, He taught us to pray, “Deliver us from the evil one” (Matthew 6:13). On the night before His death, He said, “I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one” (John 17:15).

Take these prayers seriously. Today ask God to protect and deliver you and yours from that old serpent, the devil. Our safety is in Christ alone, and a strong daily prayer life is crucial for avoiding wrecks.

When one has faith, one does not retire, one stops the enemy where he finds him.

General Ferdinand Foch, fighting on the Western Front of World War I

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Luke 7 – 8

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Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am the LORD your God.

Leviticus 20:7

If you set aside a certain amount of your paycheck to fund an emergency account—not to be used for anything else—you have consecrated that money. Are those dollars more crisp, more pristine, more valuable than the other dollars in your bank account? No. What makes them special is that they have been identified and set aside for a specific purpose.

Recommended Reading: 1 Peter 1:15-16

That is essentially what it means to be holy, or to be consecrated before the Lord. It means an otherwise normal human being steps out of one circle and into another circle. He steps out of the circle of worldliness and into the circle of holiness. Does that person look any different on the outside? Probably not, just as Jesus didn’t (Isaiah 53:2). But on the inside, the person is very different. He has committed himself to Jesus Christ and His kingdom. When the pressures come to be conformed to this world, he does not yield because he has set himself aside as “holy to the Lord.”

If you are a Christian, you have set yourself apart for Christ. Pray today that, come what may in the future, you will remain consecrated unto Him.

The root of all steadfastness is in consecration to God.

Alexander MacLaren

Read-Thru-the-Bible: Luke 3 – 6

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The devil, who deceived [the nations], was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

Revelation 20:10

Recommended Reading

1 John 5:19

Two researchers in the University of California, San Diego’s psychology department wanted to know: Do people enjoy reading fiction more or less if they know how the story ends? That is, does it help to read the last chapter before starting the newest crime fiction novel? As it turns out, the subjects in the study reported enjoying the story more when they knew up front how the story would end.

That’s good news for Bible readers! We have been given a lengthy story to read with lots of plot twists and surprises along the way. It’s the story of good versus evil and we want to know who wins in the end (1 John 3:8; 5:19). Fortunately, the final chapters—Revelation 19-22—could not be more clear. Christ returns to earth with the armies of heaven and defeats Satan and his legions. He then rules the earth for 1,000 years, banishes Satan forever, and ushers us into everlasting peace and righteousness in the New Jerusalem.

Go ahead—read those four final chapters! They will shine the light of hopeful certainty when the days are dark.

Let’s keep our chins up and our knees down—we’re on the victory side!

Alan Redpath

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Luke 1–2

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But we see Jesus…

Hebrews 2:9

Recommended Reading

Hebrews 2:5-9

Randy Alcorn wrote of the first physician to die of AIDS in the United Kingdom. He was a young Christian who contracted the disease conducting medical research in Zimbabwe. “In the last days of his life he struggled to express himself to his wife. Near the end, he couldn’t talk, and had only enough strength to write the letter J. She ran through her mental dictionary, saying various words beginning with J. None was right. Finally she said, ‘Jesus?’ He nodded. Yes, Jesus. Jesus filled his thoughts. That’s all he wanted to say. That’s all his wife needed to hear.”1

We don’t have all the answers to life, but we have Jesus. Jesus, who existed before the creation of the world. Jesus, who entered human history. Jesus, who died for us. Jesus, who rose from the dead. Jesus, who ever lives to make intercession for us. Jesus, who is coming again in power and glory.

Even when we don’t understand the world around us, we have the letter J.

We have Jesus.

(God) offers us profound, moving, and surprising insights that can feed our minds, warm our hearts, and give us the strength to face a world that is not what it once was, or what it one day will be.

Randy Alcorn

1Randy Alcorn, If God Is Good (Colorado Springs: Multnomah, 2009), 2, 5.

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Mark 15 – 16

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Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.

Hebrews 10:23

Recommended Reading

1 Thessalonians 5:24

A young girl finishes swim practice at 8:00 p.m. on a dark, winter’s night. Standing in front of the swim club building, she waits for her father who has promised to pick her up by 8:15. By the time all other parents, children, and cars have departed, she stands alone, still waiting. An hour later, she sees her father’s car approaching. After explaining he had to change a flat tire, she says, “That’s okay; I knew you’d come.”

That young girl waited without wavering. There is a difference between waiting while hoping a promise will be kept and waiting while knowing a promise will be kept. Waiting while knowing leads to waiting without wavering. A child learns by experience that a parent is trustworthy. And Christians learn about God’s faithfulness the same way. The difference is thousands of years of experience versus a few years. The Bible is a record of God’s faithfulness to His people over millennia.

If you are waiting on God, wait without wavering. He is never late; He always keeps His promises; He is always true to His Word.

The promises of God are nothing more than God’s covenant to be faithful to His people. It is His character that makes these promises valid.

Jerry Bridges

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Mark 12 – 13

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Thus says the LORD: “If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done,” says the LORD.

Jeremiah 31:37

Recommended Reading

Jeremiah 33:24-26

Astronomers estimate the universe to be at least 93 billion light years in diameter—and a light year is six trillion miles. But the universe is expanding. As for the depths of the earth, the deepest part of the ocean is 6.85 miles—and it is nearly 3,959 miles to the center of the earth. So we have barely scratched the surface.

The prophets knew nothing of these numbers. They used the immensity of the universe and the size of the earth as measures of impossibility. When it came to the probability of God going back on His promises to Abraham, Jeremiah said (paraphrasing), “You could measure the universe and depths of the earth before God would go back on His Word. And we know the heavens and the earth cannot be measured.” It turns out that Jeremiah’s pre-scientific analogy was very accurate. Just as there is no end to the universe, so there is no end to God’s loyalty to Israel.

As a follower of Jesus, you are a spiritual child of Abraham. God’s promises of spiritual blessing to Abraham are promises to you as well.

God promises to keep His people, and He will keep His promises.

Charles H. Spurgeon

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Mark 10 – 11

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Always in every prayer of mine [I pray] for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now.

Philippians 1:4-5

One list of longest-married couples in the world cites 47 couples. The shortest marriage—that of couple number 47 on the list—was 81 years, 31 days. The longest marriage on record is 90 years, 60 days.1 Those numbers stand in stark contrast to the length of the average American marriage: 8.2 years.

Recommended Reading: Philippians 2:12-13

We are surprised today when we hear of a couple staying together for decades. It says something about the nature of commitment in modern societies. When it becomes acceptable in society to go back on commitments, spiritual commitments also become easier to break. Paul knew that and so commended the Philippian Christians for their commitment to the Gospel “from the first day until now.” The Philippians were staying true to Christ, and Paul prayed joyfully for them to remain true to their calling and commitment.

Trials bring the temptation to abandon vows and promises. Pray for all your commitments—to marriage, to Christ, to the Gospel, to your children. Ask God for grace to stay committed regardless of what may come.

The call to Christian commitment is not basically a call to enjoy happiness but to endure hardness.

John Blanchard

Read-Thru-the-Bible: Mark 6–9

http://www.davidjeremiah.org/

Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance.

Psalm 42:5

Recommended Reading

Isaiah 57:15

If you haven’t used a spray bottle of liquid for a while, you have to squeeze the trigger a few times to expel the air. That’s priming the pump. A primer is something that makes something else work: a primer coat makes the finish coat of paint stick better; an infusion of capital can prime the economic engine of a company; a squirt of gasoline can prime an engine that has sat idle too long.

What is the primer for revival? In most of the verses on revival in Scripture, God sends the revival. But does man play no part at all? Or can we “prime” the revival pump? When the psalmist was discouraged and in need of revival, he took the initiative. He confronted his condition and reminded himself: “Hope in God.” If he did, he knew he would “yet praise [God] for the help of His countenance.” The famous verse on revival in 2 Chronicles 7:14 begins with God’s people humbling themselves, praying, and repenting. Only then would God “forgive their sin and heal their land.”

If you are in need of revival, prime the revival pump by humbling yourself before God and asking Him to revive your heart and soul.

Revival is the exchange of the form of godliness for its living power.

John Bonar

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Mark 4–5

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Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You?

Psalm 85:6

Recommended Reading

Psalm 85 and 86

When reports of the 1857 American revival reached overseas, the Presbyterian Synod of Ireland sent two men to investigate. They returned with stories that created great hunger for revival among the Irish. In answer to that hunger, a revival broke out and 1859 became known as “God’s Year of Grace” across the Irish nation.

“One after another were gloriously saved in homes and in schoolhouses. People opened the windows so that those outside and around the buildings could hear the prayer and praise inside. Careless sinners broke down and wept like children. Drunkards were awed into solemn silence. Often people did not go to bed for two or three nights. Passersby heard people crying aloud for mercy inside their houses, calling out to God in prayer, or singing hymns and songs. Business almost came to a standstill… Prayer meetings in private homes were held at all hours of the day and night… The faces of the new converts beamed with such joy that the newly saved were easily identified.”1

Oh, that God would send such a revival to our lands today! Let’s make this our daily prayer: “Lord, revive us again!”

Revival starts with a handful of praying people who develop an insatiable burden to plead with heaven for revival, as in Psalm 85:6: “Will You not revive us again…?”

David Jeremiah

1Wesley Duewel, Revival Fire (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1995), 139-140.

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Mark 1 – 3

http://www.davidjeremiah.org/

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout….

1 Thessalonians 4:16

Recommended Reading

1 Thessalonians 4:13-16

In her book Not Good If Detached, Corrie ten Boom told of a woman reading her Bible one morning and studying the Rapture of the Church in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. As the passage came alive to her, she became caught up in its truths and didn’t hear the doorbell. After a while, it registered and she went to the door to find an impatient milkman. “You must be getting deaf, madam,” he said. “I had to ring three times.”

“I’m sorry,” she said. “It is not that I am deaf, but I have just read something in my Bible so glorious I forgot everything else. Do you know that it is possible that some day you may come to my door and I will no longer be here? Also you may find every Christian home empty. I’ve just read that when Jesus comes again we shall meet Him in the air. We shall be suddenly changed, and then we shall see Him face to face.”

We have a glorious future, and the Bible fuels our optimism by giving us more verses about our Lord’s return than we can count. He gives us strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow. Great is His faithfulness!

If you accept Jesus as your Savior, you, too, will become a child of God and be among those who will meet Him in the air.

Corrie ten Boom

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Matthew 27 – 28

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And the remnant who have escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward.

2 Kings 19:30

Recommended Reading

Isaiah 10:20-23

Remnant stores are almost a thing of the past. These are shops that specialize in bits of cloth helpful to those who make their own clothes or need patchwork pieces for quilts. The word “remnant” has to do with bits, pieces, and fragments that are left over. A good seamstress can do a lot with remnants.

God can do a lot with remnants, too. In the Bible, the word “remnant” often referred to what was left of a community following a catastrophe. After the Babylonian captivity, for example, a remnant of Jewish people returned to the Promised Land. There by God’s grace, they took root downward and bore fruit upward.

In our world today, Christians often feel they represent the remnants of godliness in our communities. But by God’s grace we can take root downward and bear fruit upward. Wherever there is a remnant that serves the Lord, there is hope.

Remnant stores may be few and far between, but remnant stories are abundant among God’s people. Don’t worry if you’re in the majority or minority, if you’re popular or alone. Just take root downward and God will make you fruitful where you are.

No matter how wicked the world scene may appear, God always has a remnant that is faithful to Him. Sometimes that remnant is small, but God is always great.

Warren Wiersbe, in The Wiersbe Bible Commentary

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Matthew 25 – 26

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Wait on the LORD; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the LORD!

Psalm 27:14

The Bible is beloved for its realism. Case in point: the Bible’s heroes were sometimes afraid. That’s right. Moses was afraid to return to Egypt for a face-off with Pharaoh. Joshua needed courage when it was time to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land. David feared for his life when he was chased by Saul through the wilderness. Even Jesus experienced tremendous spiritual pressure on the night before His crucifixion. Who among us wouldn’t have needed courage if we had been in those situations?

Recommended Reading: Joshua 1:6-9

Today we have things of our own to fear: the loss of a job, unexpected health issues, international terrorism, drug-resistant organisms, storms and natural calamities, and more. We never know what the headlines, or our own personal experiences, will bring each day. We need courage when life is so unpredictable. In fearful moments, David’s counsel is to “wait on the LORD” and “He shall strengthen your heart.” What do we do while we are waiting? Pray and meditate on the promises of His Word.

If the Bible’s heroes needed courage, it is okay for us to need it, too. God will give it as we pray and wait upon Him.

There can be no courage in men unless God supports them by His Word.

John Calvin

Read-Thru-the-Bible: Matthew 18 – 22

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Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD!

Psalm 150:6

Recommended Reading

Psalm 150

The book of Psalms ends on a climactic note of joyful praise in Psalm 150. In only six verses, this psalm answers one question after another involving praise and worship. In fact, the word “praise” occurs thirteen times in Psalm 150. The first verse tells us what we are to do. We’re to “Praise the Lord.” In the original Hebrew, it’s literally: Hallelu Yah or Praise Yahweh.

Verse 1 also tells us where to praise: “Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in His mighty firmament!” Praise is the unifying activity that links together heaven and earth.

Verse 2 tells us why to praise God: “Praise Him for His mighty acts; praise Him according to His excellent greatness!” And verses 3-5 provide the how of praise – “with the sound of the trumpet… the lute and harp… the timbrel and dance… stringed instruments and flutes… loud cymbals… clashing cymbals.”

Verse 6 ends with the question of who should praise God: “Everything that has breath.” What joy we have as believers in Christ—praising Him today, tomorrow, and forever!

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation! / O my soul, praise Him, for He is thy health and salvation!

Joachim Neander

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Matthew 14–17

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Whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.

Matthew 10:42

Recommended Reading

Matthew 10:40-42

Kay DeKalb Smith passed a chocolate shop at the airport. She’d been hungering for chocolate all week, but she told herself she didn’t need the calories. She lined up at the pretzel shop instead. The young man ahead of her asked for a sample, but the girl at the counter refused. Kay noticed a cup of hot water in his hand and remembered times she herself had drank hot water from lack of funds and taken advantage of free samples. She ordered two bags of pretzel bites and went looking for the fellow. She found him working behind a counter and handed the pretzels to him, saying, “Remember, if it matters to you, it matters to God.”

Back at the gate, she sensed someone approaching her. It was the young man. He said, “That was such a nice thing you did. I had to bring you this to thank you.” He handed her a bag from his shop and was gone. It contained a small box of chocolates. The Holy Spirit whispered in her heart: “If it matters to you, it matters to Me.”

Small acts of kindness matter to God, even a bag of pretzels or a cup of cold—or hot—water.

They do well and wisely who give the “cup of cold water” whenever they have opportunity…. This is to have the mind of Christ.

1. C. Ryle, in Expository Thoughts on the Gospels

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Matthew 12 – 13

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