1 Thessalonians 4
4
A Life That Pleases God
1Finally, my dear friends, since you belong to the Lord Jesus, we beg and urge you to live as we taught you. Then you will please God. You are already living that way, but try even harder. 2Remember the instructions we gave you as followers of the Lord Jesus. 3God wants you to be holy, so don't be immoral in matters of sex. 4Respect and honor your wife.#4.4 your wife: Or “your body.” 5Don't be a slave of your desires or live like people who don't know God. 6You must not cheat any of the Lord's followers in matters of sex.#4.6 in matters of sex: Or “in business.” Remember, we warned you that he punishes everyone who does such things. 7God didn't choose you to be filthy, but to be pure. 8So if you don't obey these rules, you are not really disobeying us. Instead, you are disobeying God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.
9We don't have to write you about the need to love each other. God has taught you to do this, 10and you already have shown your love for all his people in Macedonia. But, my dear friends, we ask you to do even more. 11Try your best to live quietly, to mind your own business, and to work hard, just as we taught you to do. 12#3 Macc 3.5. Then you will be respected by people who are not followers of the Lord, and you won't have to depend on anyone.
The Lord's Coming
13My friends, we want you to understand how it will be for those followers who have already died. Then you won't grieve over them and be like people who don't have any hope. 14We believe Jesus died and was raised to life. We also believe that when God brings Jesus back again, he will bring with him all who had faith in Jesus before they died. 15#1 Co 15.51,52. #Si 48.11. Our Lord Jesus told us that when he comes, we won't go up to meet him ahead of his followers who have already died.
16 #
2 Esd 6.23. With a loud command and with the shout of the chief angel and a blast of God's trumpet, the Lord will return from heaven. Then those who had faith in Christ before they died will be raised to life. 17Next, all of us who are still alive will be taken up into the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the sky. From that time on we will all be with the Lord forever. 18Encourage each other with these words.
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Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.
1 Thessalonians (1 Th) 4
4
1Therefore, brothers, just as you learned from us how you had to live in order to please God, and just as you are living this way now, we ask you — indeed, united with the Lord Yeshua, we urge you — to keep doing so more and more. 2For you know what instructions we gave you on the authority of the Lord Yeshua. 3What God wants is that you be holy, that you keep away from sexual immorality, 4that each of you know how to manage his sexual impulses in a holy and honorable manner, 5without giving in to lustful desires, like the pagans who don’t know God. 6No one should wrong his brother in this matter or take advantage of him, because the Lord punishes all who do such things — as we have explained to you before at length. 7For God did not call us to live an unclean life but a holy one. 8Therefore, whoever rejects this teaching is rejecting not a man but God, indeed, the One who gives you the Ruach HaKodesh, which is his.
9Concerning love for the brothers we do not need to write you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other; 10and you do love all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do it even more.
11Also, make it your ambition to live quietly, to mind your own business and to earn your living by your own efforts — just as we told you. 12Then your daily life will gain the respect of outsiders, and you will not be dependent on anyone.
13Now, brothers, we want you to know the truth about those who have died; otherwise, you might become sad the way other people 14do who have nothing to hope for. For since we believe that Yeshua died and rose again, we also believe that in the same way God, through Yeshua, will take with him those who have died. 15When we say this, we base it on the Lord’s own word: we who remain alive when the Lord comes will certainly not take precedence over those who have died. 16For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a rousing cry, with a call from one of the ruling angels, and with God’s shofar; those who died united with the Messiah will be the first to rise; 17then we who are left still alive will be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and thus we will always be with the Lord. 18So encourage each other with these words.
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