7. Tuesdays with Thomas 12.02.25

Rapture Ready, Who is the Bride of Christ – 1st & 2nd Thessalonians

I have been bumped off face book soooooo many times. Please subscribe so you don’t miss any of these timely messages.

Thessalonians Paul’s first recorded writing

After being on a refreshing one-year sabbatical with our Lord Jesus and His Word, starting the process of sharing what I have learned is a little harder than I expected. It started with questions: Lord why are we on the earth, and what is your purpose for our lives today in 2025?

Even though the information I have is MASSIVE, I have simply started with 1st Thessalonians highlighting Chapter 4 verse 11 & 12. In time, if you stay with me, we will master 1&2 Thessalonians together.

¹¹ that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, ¹² that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing.

STUDY HELP IN MARKING YOUR BIBLE: circle names of people, put a square around names of places, highlight in dark blue all prophesies spoken and fulfilled.

Second foundational truth The Rapture

Remember this is the first written work of Paul that God calls His Word and inserts into Holy Scripture and the second foundational theme being the rapture. Again, let that sink in your spirit for a minute.

When Paul walked into the city of Thessalonica, he walked into a Greek world of idol worship that had a horrible belief of what happens after death. There were temples and statues giving honor to the Roman gods: Zeus King and god of the sky, Poseidon god of the sea, Hades god of the death and afterlife. Their philosophy of the afterlife was dark, horrible and hopeless.

Within this setting, Paul preached the rapture and the message of eternal hope as Jesus who rose from the dead will come again and rescue those who believe in Him. Together they would enjoy the victory of His coming Kingdom. Paul’s first written work recorded in the Holy Scriptures gives us the foundation truth of being “RAPTURE READY” at all times.

ALIVE AND REMAIN

…by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. 1 Thessalonians 4:15

Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together. 1 Thessalonians 4:17

Alive – Those that are spiritually alive, spiritually active and vibrant, meaning there are some who are not vibrant.

Remain – those who complete the course, pass through the hard circumstances, those who are destitute yet survive. Like a remnant of a garment, a little tiny piece, a remnant at the end of the age.

Let us briefly look at Four Mysteries that Paul reveals:

1. Mystery of Lawlessness

Mystery (hidden truth) of lawlessness is already at work; 2 Thessalonians 2:5

Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day (Rapture) will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. 2 Thessalonians 2:3

2. Mystery of the Rapture

51 Behold, I tell you a mystery (hidden truth of the rapture): We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 1 Corinthians 15:51

3. Mystery of the Gospel of Paul

to make known the mystery of the gospel Ephesians 6:19

²⁶ the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. ²⁷ To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Colossians 6:26-27

4. Mystery of The Bride of Christ

Today I would like to introduce the bullseye of the first Rapture. Those that are Alive and Remain. What does that even look like?

Do you realize there is no phrase in the Bible that says Bride of Christ, perhaps this is the mystery itself. But let’s look a little closer to the following verses and see if we can find her.

Bible Guy Break Down of Ephesians 5:25-27 Looking for the Bride of Christ

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church

How did Christ love the church?

• and gave Himself for her, (died on the cross for her sins and rose from the dead as the example of her resurrection).
• that He might sanctify (set her apart)
• and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word
• –that He might present her to Himself (or back to Himself as something new) a glorious church, (now we have the church and also a glorious church) not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.

–28 So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh,

–but nourishes and cherishes it,

– just as the Lord does the church.

Body of Christ

–30 For we are members of His body, (what part/ could it be a rib like Eve) of His flesh and of His bones.

-31 “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife (Eve, a part of Adam’s body reunites with Adam as his wife) and the two shall become one flesh.” (Marriage, Bride & Groom).

• 32 This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

-33 Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband. Ephesians 5:25-27

**Stop and consider what you just read.

12 “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me (Who is this reward? The answer is in verse 17), to give to every one according to his work. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.” Could this be the bride? Revelation 22:12

17 And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.  Revelation 22:17

There she is! If we focus on who we are as The engaged Bride of Christ then we will hit the target, the very center of our Lord’s heart!

Clarify

1. Am I saying that this first rapture that can happen at any second:

Is all Gentile? Yes, not a Jew in the bunch.

2. Am I saying that there are two different groups in the rapture? Yes the “body of Christ” that has received the work of Jesus as the only thing needed to be done for eternal salvation and life with Him.

3. Am I saying that there is a smaller group within the “body of Christ” that plays a different role or is of a different “rank”? Yes the Bride is that small group of the most intimate toward Christ and they will be the ones that rule and reign with Jesus in the 1000 year reign. She is His reward that is with Him in Revelation 22:12 and the ones that say “come” in Revelation 22:17.

Next Tuesday? Qualities of The Wonderful Bride of Christ?

Father God we are asking for discernment as we war against deception. Amen.