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The Third Sunday in Advent (Dec 16)



Song: 
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Hallelujah, We Shall Rise
By J.E. Thomas
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Readings: 

John 11:25-26
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Revelation 20:11-15
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Light the third candle of Adventus and read the following passages: 

“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26)

“Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.” (1 Thessalonians 4:14-17)

“Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:11-15)


We see from Scriptures that we who have faith in our Lord Jesus Christ shall be raised from the dead by His resurrection power at His Second Coming. It matters not if we have reposed or remained alive, we shall rise to eternal life. In these passages there is a stern warning for those not found in the Lamb’s Book of life. For those found in the Book, there is that the dead shall first rise and then the judgement will begin. May we approach this coming day of the Lord with excitement and all due reverence. May we be ready when our Lord Returns to stand before Him and confess the only testimony that shall acquit is and offer us admission into The New Jerusalem, “I confess that Jesus is the Lord and I believe God raised Him from the dead,” (Romans 10:9-10) and I believe (have faith) in Christ alone to save me on that day. Amen:

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