13     But I would not have you to be ignorant, Brethren, concerning them which are asleep (refers to Believers who have died), that you sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. (This concerns those who do not know the Lord who will have no part in the First Resurrection of Life and, therefore, no hope for Heaven.)

14     For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again (the very Foundation of Christianity is the Death and Resurrection of Christ; it is the proof of life after death in a glorified state for all Saints in that life, which incidentally will never end), even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him. (This refers to the Rapture of the Church, or the Resurrection of all Believers, with both phrases meaning the same thing, even as Paul describes in I Cor., Chpt. 15. At death, the soul and the spirit of the Child of God instantly go to be with Jesus [Phil. 1:23], while the physical body goes back to dust. At the Rapture, God will replace what was the physical body with a Glorified Body, united with the soul and the spirit. In fact, the soul and the spirit of each individual will accompany the Lord down close to this Earth to be united with a Glorified Body, which will then make the Believer whole.)

15     For this we say unto you by the Word of the Lord (presents the Doctrine of the Rapture of the Church as the “Word of the Lord”), that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord (all Believers who are alive at the Rapture) shall not prevent them which are asleep. (This refers to the fact that the living Saints will not precede or go before the dead Saints.)

16     For the Lord Himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout (refers to “the same Jesus” which the Angels proclaimed in Acts 1:11), with the voice of the Archangel (refers to Michael, the only one referred to as such [Jude, Vs. 9]), and with the Trump of God (doesn’t exactly say God will personally blow this Trumpet, but that it definitely does belong to Him, whoever does signal the blast): and the dead in Christ shall rise first (the criteria for being ready for the Rapture is to be “in Christ,” which means that all who are truly Born-Again will definitely go in the Rapture):

17     Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up (Raptured) together with them (the Resurrected dead) in the clouds (clouds of Saints, not clouds as we normally think of such), to meet the Lord in the air (the Greek word for “air” is “aer,” and refers to the lower atmosphere, or from about 6,000 feet down; so, the Lord will come at least within 6,000 feet of the Earth, perhaps even lower, with all the Saints meeting Him there; but He, at that time, will not come all the way to the Earth, that awaiting the Second Coming, which will be seven or more years later): and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (This presents the greatest meeting humanity will have ever known.)

18     Wherefore comfort one another with these words. (This pertains to the future of the Child of God, which is Glorious indeed!)

Comments below by Rev. Phillip Towery

   I hope first of all you all are having a blessed day! Many people that don’t know the Lord Jesus will read this and think they have plenty of time later in life and then they will give their life to the Lord. It does not work on a time table that you have created. God is the giver of life and your days are numbered!

  Many people kiss their spouse goodby in the mornings planning on returning back home, but never do!

   If you don’t accept the Lord Jesus now as your Lord over your life, you could either die! When you die, you can’t come back and redo over what you should have done in the first time. You go straight to hell if you leave lost, or if you die knowing the Lord Jesus, you go directly to Heaven, to be with the Lord forever. Please think on this and send it to all you know, not because I have written this, but because I don’t want anyone to ever miss Heaven. If you need to talk with me about praying with about any situation, please email me at phillip.towery@gmail.com

  Well, I’ll be sending another devotion out later so look for it, pray for us and God Bless, Rev. Phillip Towery

Genesis 28:15

King James Version (KJV)

¹⁵ And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.

God has promised His children this and many other promises. This as I said is for HIS children  The unbeliever cannot really claim these.  The unbeliever needs to become one of God’s children first, then these are for him also.  A one minute true prayer from the heart and asking God to forgive him or her of their sins begins a new future for them. They are now one of God’s children, the promises of God can now be claimed. If you don’t know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, call out and confess your sins unto the Lord and invite Jesus to come and live within. That is it. Then you need to get into a good church and start learning about the God of the Universe and His Son, Jesus! Praise be unto our God! His mercy endures forever!! Be blesses in the Lord, Rev. Phillip Towery, founder of Faith In Prayers Ministry www.faithinprayers.org

Psalm 1

King James Version (KJV)

1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

² But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

³ And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

⁴ The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away

You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah. (Unconfessed sin stifles the song; forgiveness and Deliverance bring on the song.)

8     I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you shall go: I will guide you with My eye (with such instruction, teaching, and guidance, we cannot fail!).

Psalm 32:7-8

You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah. (Unconfessed sin stifles the song; forgiveness and Deliverance bring on the song.)

8     I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you shall go: I will guide you with My eye (with such instruction, teaching, and guidance, we cannot fail!).

THE LORD is My shepherd; I shall not want. (Even though this beautiful Psalm applied to David, and to all Believers as well, more than all it applied to Christ.

2     He makes Me to lie down in green pastures (any other voice that is followed will lead only to barren pastures): He leads Me beside the still waters. (The 23rd Psalm makes it abundantly clear that the Church is not the Saviour, neither is religious hierarchy the Saviour, neither are rules and regulations the Saviour. Only the Lord is. We can follow Him, or we can follow other things; we cannot follow both.)

3     He restoreth My soul (when the sheep skin their forehead foraging for grass, the shepherd would pour oil over the wounds): He leads Me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. (At times the lamb will leave the appointed path, even doing so several times, being retrieved each time by the Shepherd. But if it leaves too many times, the Shepherd, upon retrieving it from the rocky crevices, will take His staff and break one of the legs. He then carefully “sets” the leg, and then lays the lamb on His Shoulder close to His Heart. He carries it until the wound is healed. That is a symbol of chastisement [Heb. 12:5–11].)

4     Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil (the powers of darkness, constituting powerful attacks by Satan): for You are with Me; Your rod and Your staff they comfort Me. (The ideal position for the “lamb” is to allow the Shepherd to fight for him. In fact, the only fight we are told to fight is the “good fight of Faith” [I Tim. 6:12].

5     You prepare a table before Me in the presence of My enemies (and these “enemies” cannot touch this “prepared table”): You anoint My head with oil (a Type of the Holy Spirit); My cup runs over (a figure of speech that refers to abundance).

6     Surely goodness and mercy shall follow Me all the days of My life (“goodness” gives us green pastures and still waters; “mercy” retrieves us when we foolishly leave the “paths of righteousness”): and I will dwell in the House of the LORD for ever (as long as the Lord is our Shepherd, we can expect all of this, “all the days of our lives”).

13     Like as a father pities his children, so the LORD pities them who fear Him (as a result, He has great Mercy on us).

14     For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust. (God remembers what man forgets [our infirmities]; man remembers what God forgets [our sins].)

15     As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourishes. (As a flower is beautiful for a short time, so is man. But then …)

16     For the wind passes over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more. (As a flower blooms and then is shortly gone, so man passes away. One cannot tell where the flower had been, and one can little tell where man has been, irrespective of how great he formerly was!)