The Great Apostasy

2 Now, brethren, ^(A)concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ ^(B)and our gathering together to Him, we ask you,

²⁷ And then He will send His angels, and gather together His ^[a]elect from the four winds, from the farthest part of earth to the farthest part of heaven.

¹⁴ For ^(A)if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him ^(B)those who ^[a]sleep in Jesus.

¹⁵ For this we say to you ^(C)by the word of the Lord, that ^(D)we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are ^[b]asleep. ¹⁶ For ^(E)the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with ^(F)the trumpet of God. ^(G)And the dead in Christ will rise first. ^17 (H)Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them ^(I)in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus ^(J)we shall always be with the Lord.

^31 (A)And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His ^[a]elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

¹³ so that He may establish ^(A)your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.

Preach the Word

4 I ^(A)charge you ^[a]therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, ^(B)who will judge the living and the dead ^[b]at His appearing and His kingdom:

¹⁹ For ^(A)what is our hope, or joy, or ^(B)crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the ^(C)presence of our Lord Jesus Christ ^(D)at His coming?

^32 (A)All the nations will be gathered before Him, and ^(B)He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.

¹⁰ that in the dispensation of ^(A)the fullness of the times ^(B)He might gather together in one ^(C)all things in Christ, ^[a]both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him.