"2007" - Part 1 (RE 1, 2, 3 ...Thessalonica ...21)
July 21, 2007 (3.Sabbath in the 7th month of 2007)
Dear Doves,
dear Jan,
RE Jan’s letter “Thougths about 1.2.3, and my Saloniki - Tessaloniki dream”
http://www.fivedoves.com/letters/july2007/janm720-1.htm
In reference to the 7/7/7 subject http://www.fivedoves.com/letters/july2007/friedrichw719.htm
recently I found
Acts 17,
"1": Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews:
"2": And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures,
"3": Opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ.
"4": And some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few.
"5": But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people.
"6": And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also;
By the way: this is the only place in the bible where is mentioned “three sabbath”.
Today I found this comment on Acts 17 by Matthew Henry http://www.blueletterbible.org/cgi-bin/comm_read.pl?book=Act&chapter=17&verse=2&Comm=Comm%2Fmhc%2FAct%2FAct017.html%231%26Matthew%26Henry&Select.x=17&Select.y=12
“....Paul’s two epistles to the Thessalonians, the first two he wrote by inspiration, give such a shining character of that church that we cannot but be glad here in the history to meet with an account of the first founding of the church there...
....
I. Here is Paul’s coming to Thessalonica, which was the chief city of this country, called at this day Salonech,.... II. ....He met them (the Jews) in their synagogue on the sabbath day ....
II. 4. .... 4. He continued to do this three sabbath days successively. If he could not convince them the first sabbath, he would try the second and the third; for precept must be upon precept, and line upon line. God waits for sinners’ conversion, and so must his ministers; all the labourers come not into the vineyard at the first hour, nor at the first call, nor are wrought upon so suddenly as the jailer. 5. The drift and scope of his preaching and arguing was to prove that Jesus is the Christ; this was that which he opened and alleged, ....
He showed them, (1.) That it was necessary the Messiah should suffer, and die, and rise again, that the Old-Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah made it necessary he should. The great objection which the Jews made against Jesus being the Messiah was his ignominious death and sufferings. The cross of Christ was to the Jews a stumbling-block, because it did by no means agree with the idea they had framed of the Messiah; but Paul here alleges and makes it out undeniably, not only that it was possible he might be the Messiah, though he suffered, but that, being the Messiah, it was necessary he should suffer. He could not be made perfect but by sufferings; for, if he had not died, he could not have risen again from the dead. This was what Christ himself insisted upon (Lu. 24:26): Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? And again (v. 46): Thus it is written, and therefore thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead. He must needs have suffered for us, because he could not otherwise purchase redemption for us; and he must needs have risen again because he could not otherwise apply the redemption to us. (2.) That Jesus is the Messiah: "This Jesus whom I preach unto you, and call upon you to believe in, is Christ, is the Christ, is the anointed of the Lord, is he that should come, and you are to look for no other; for God has both by his word and by his works....”
1 Thessalonians 4,
13: But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
14: For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
15: For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
16: For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17: Then we which 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: Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
1, 2, 3,
1 the dead in Christ shall rise first
2 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds
3 to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Maranatha
Come Lord Jesus