1Finally then, brothers, we beg and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, that you abound more and more. 2For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. 3For this is the will of God: your sanctification, that you abstain from sexual immorality, 4that each one of you know how to control his own body in sanctification and honor, 5not in the passion of lust, even as the Gentiles who don’t know God, 6that no one should take advantage of and wrong a brother or sister in this matter; because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as also we forewarned you and testified. 7For God called us not for uncleanness, but in sanctification. 8Therefore he who rejects this doesn’t reject man, but God, who has also given his Holy Spirit to you.
9But concerning brotherly love, you have no need that one write to you. For you yourselves are taught by God to love one another, 10for indeed you do it toward all the brothers who are in all Macedonia. But we exhort you, brothers, that you abound more and more; 11and that you make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, even as we instructed you, 12that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and may have need of nothing.
13But we don’t want you to be ignorant, brothers, concerning those who have fallen asleep, so that you don’t grieve like the rest, who have no hope. 14For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. 15For this we tell you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will in no way precede those who have fallen asleep. 16For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with God’s trumpet. The dead in Christ will rise first, 17then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. So we will be with the Lord forever. 18Therefore comfort one another with these words.
Biblical Dispensations
| Dispensation | Opening event | Responsibility | Failure | Judgment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Innocence | Creation | Obey God — Gen 1:26-28; Gen 2:15-17 | Disobedience — Gen 3:1-6 | Curse and death — Gen 3:7-19 |
| Conscience | The fall | Do good and offer blood sacrifice — Gen 3:5, 7, 22; Gen 4:4 | Wickedness — Gen 6:5-6, 11-12 | The flood — Gen 6:7, 13; Gen 7:11-14 |
| Human government | The flood | Scatter and multiply — Gen 8:15–9:7 | Did not scatter — Gen 11:1-4 | Confusion of languages — Gen 11:5-9 |
| Promise | Tower of Babel | Dwell in Canaan — Gen 12:1-7 | Dwelt in Egypt — Gen 12:10; Gen 46:6 | Egyptian bondage — Exod 1:8-14 |
| Law | Exodus | Keep the whole law — Exod 19:3-8 | Broke the law — 2 Kgs 17:7-20; Matt 27:1-25 | Worldwide dispersion — Deut 28:63-66; Luke 21:20-24 |
| Church age | Dispersion and regathering of Israel — Ezek 36:16-19; Ezek 36:20-24 | Faith in Jesus; keep doctrine pure — John 1:12; Rom 8:1-4; Eph 2:8-9 | Impure doctrine — John 5:39-40; 2 Tim 3:1-7 | Apostasy and false doctrine — 2 Thess 2:3; 2 Tim 4:3 |
| Millennial reign | Armageddon | Obey and worship Jesus — Isa 11:3-5; Zech 14:9, 16 | Final rebellion — Rev 20:7-9 | Satan loosed and eternal judgment — Rev 20:11-15 |
The accompanying diagram locates the last fulfilled event at Matt 27:50-51, the rapture of the saved at 1 Thess 4:13-18, and the return of Christ in glory at Rev 19:11-16. It also shows the seven-year tribulation between the church age and the millennial reign, followed by the great white throne and eternity future.
