1 Furthermore then, we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received from us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more.

2 For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus.

3 For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:

4 that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honor,

5 not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles who know not God;

6 that no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified.

7 For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.

8 He therefore that despiseth this, despiseth not man but God, who hath also given unto us His holy Spirit.

9 But concerning brotherly love, ye have no need that I write unto you, for ye yourselves are taught by God to love one another;

10 and indeed ye do it toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more,

11 and that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you,

12 that ye may walk honestly toward those who are outsiders, and that ye may have need of nothing.

13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others who have no hope.

14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so will God bring with Him those also who sleep in Jesus.

15 For this we say unto you by the Word of the Lord: that we who are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who are asleep.

16 For the Lord Himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first;

17 then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so shall we ever be with the Lord.

18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.

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Paul is writing as if the Lord's return is very soon, as if he will still be alive when Christ returns for His church.  There are churches that teach that in fact the second coming of Christ came in about 70AD.  And there are churches that preach that Christ has not returned yet.  I am most confused about this because I have found other scriptures that write as if Christ's return will be very near, to those during that time, not today in our time. 

If it is true that Christ has already come to rature His church then what of us who are alive today?  Is God still out there? (I believe He is, but I think these are questions to ask)  Is this the time frame where Satan is ruling the earth?  Sure seems that way, look at how things are today, not pleasant and certainly not of God.  Did Christ already have the thousand year reign on the earth?

I don't mean to sound like I am blaspheming the bible in any way.  The scriptures are there that pose these questions.  If we do not learn and understand the true answers how can we properly lead someone else and teach new people in the faith?  We just can't ignore the questions, I have tried and it did nothing but hurt my faith and put doubt in my mind.  I have been on a quest for the truth since the first scripture I read back in January which gave me reason to start questioning what I was being taught in church.

Read through the new testament, preferrably with a King James Version as that is the most accurate.  Anyone who tells you all bibles are alike is wrong.  They are not.  I have compared many bibles, many times with the same scriptures and have seen subtle differences.  But sometimes those little differences can give you a different meaning.

Jesus says in Matthew, "I tell you the truth, some of you will NOT taste death before I have returned."  Why would he say that to his disciples if he did not mean it?  Jesus never told a lie remember?  And he was not referring to the resurrection as some might suggest.

Folks, I am not here to pick apart the bible or prove it inaccurate.  I love the Lord and the bible.  I just want to discover the truth, the real truth.  I would love to have your opinions on these various passages in the bible.  Does your Pastor talk about them or skip over them?  I don't know about you but I find many denominations avoid certain passages in the bible.  They seem to have their particular doctrine that they focus on and forget about the rest of the bible.  You can not get the whole truth from part of the story.

I encourage you to study the bible on your own and ask God the questions.  When you sincerely seek Him you will get the answers you are searching for and He will pour out blessings upon you for seeking Him.

Have a wonderful day!

Blessings, Alice