Prophetic Prospective Daily Devotional

What a great passage of scripture we come to for today's devotional. It is very prophetic and at the same time very, very practical. Let's look at the practical first in our devotional reading. Again, space will not allow me to mention all of the practical verses in I Thessalonians 5, but only a few of the most practical.

Starting in verse 16 we come upon some great "nuggets of truth". Verse 16, "rejoice evermore", is one of the shortest verses in the Bible. This is an exhortation from Paul, which follows the truth of the Rapture, I Thessalonians 4:13-18.

I Thessalonians 4:18 tells us to comfort each other with the truth of the Rapture. The understanding of the truth of the Rapture, and how close it could be to taking place is what gives us the ability to "rejoice evermore". The next verse, verse 17, tells us to "pray without ceasing".

If we walk in a constant attitude of "prayer", that will play a key role in helping us to conform into His image and prepare ourselves for His soon return. "In everything give thanks," verse 18, is one of the best bits of advice you or I could receive.

God seems to move closer to us when we thank Him for all things, even for heartaches and troubles. Besides," this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning each of us". The very best for each of us is to be in the center of God's will, "give thanks in all things".

When Paul exhorts us to "quench not the Spirit", verse 19, he's telling us to stay away from sin in our lives, that's what quenches the Spirit. We need daily the "Spirit of God" to empower us for daily living and service.

Verse 22 is an exhortation that helps us to grow closer to the Lord. We do this by "abstaining from all appearances of evil". That which appears to be evil, that which is in front of us or within us, our own appearance that seems evil, as seen by the world, that is what we are to abstain from every moment of every day.

Paul's prayer for us is that our whole being, spirit, soul and body, be preserved "blameless" as we await "the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ", verse 23.

Now, quickly glance at several of the "prophetic thoughts" from this passage. Notice verse 3, when they say "peace and safety", those are the words that help us to recognize that the Lord's judgment, the Tribulation Period, and our Lord's soon return to earth is getting very close.

In the first verses of this chapter, verses 1-8, Paul is assuring the recipients of this letter that the Rapture hasn't happened yet because we are not in the "Day of the Lord". The "Day of the Lord" refers to the time of judgment leading up to the Lord's Second Coming. The "Day of the Lord" does not start until after the Rapture has happened.

Verse 9 assures us of the fact that when we leave this earth, responding to the shout of the archangel, the sound of the trumpet, the Lord's call for us to join Him in the air, I Thessalonians 4:16-17, at the Rapture, we will do so before the seven-year period of time of judgment begins.

God has not appointed Christians to partake of the "wrath" to come, that seven-year period of judgment. As we see the revealed events of the Tribulation Period seeming to be about to happen we can look up with great anticipation of His shout for us to join Him in the heavenlies. Praise the Lord for these practical and prophetic truths.