How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord is laid for your faith in his excellent word.

If you've taken a good look in the mirror lately, it may be hard to believe that you are made for eternity. But you know it's true and

that's exactly what our teacher Dr. J. Vernon McGee talks about in this study

on through the Bible as we hold a mirror up to our lives and learn how a glimpse into eternity can comfort us, instruct

us, and challenge us to live godly lives.

But before we're called to enjoy eternity with the Lord, a lot is going to happen in his program on Earth.

I'm Steve Sweats, welcoming you aboard the Bible bus for another great study in 1st

Thessalonians chapter 4.

And while you find your place at verse 13, here's an introduction from Dr. McGee on the rapture.

What we believe is the next event on Eternities calendar.

Last time we made it very clear that Paul, as well as the other New Testament riders, when he's speaking of the rapture, puts it always on the background of what the Lord Jesus said in John 14 when he's speaking about

actually a first century wedding when the bridegroom became engaged to the bride he went away to prepare

a place and then he came to take the bride to be with him back to the father's house. And so the great

anticipation of the church is the rapture. It gives a hope today. It gives a hope at the most

hopeless time of life and that's at the time of death. There's nothing as

tragic as the death of a lost person. I tell you

many times you hear the howling and the screaming and the carrying on, well may I I say to you, I don't blame them.

They got no hope, but the child of God has a hope.

The Lord Jesus is going to come one day and raise up that sleeping body of the believer.

Let's pray.

Heavenly Father, nothing gives us greater hope than to hear of the eternity that you have planned for

us in your presence.

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