"Awake or Asleep"

“Awake or Asleep”

For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him.                     1 Thessalonians 5:9-10



The Apostle Paul is talking to the Thessalonians about the Day of the Lord, and about their PREPAREDNESS for that time.  He encourages them, and us with the fact that God did NOT appoint us to WRATH, this WRATH clearly refers to the TRIBULATION period, when God pours out His WRATH upon SINFUL, UNREPENTANT, mankind.  Those who were LEFT BEHIND, at the RAPTURE of God’s Children, His Church. 



In order to escape this HORRIBLE WRATH, one MUST receive SALVATION through the LORD JESUS CHRIST, the One who shed His blood and DIED on an old rugged cross, and was RESURRECTED from the dead, so that mankind might be SAVED from their sins, and to be able to spend ALL of ETERNITY in Heaven, with ALL its BLESSINGS. 



Paul, then makes the statement: “Whether we are AWAKE or ASLEEP, we will live together with Him.”  Meaning that whether we are SPIRITUALLY ALERT or LETHARGIC, (SLUGGISH) we will live together with Him.  The Greek word for AWAKE is gregoromen, and ASLEEP is katheudomen.  If he was talking about being ALIVE or DEAD, he would have used koimao for DEATH.  But this clearly refers to being SPIRITUALLY ALERT, or WATCHFUL, or SPIRITUALLY LETHARGIC.  If you are a TRUE CHILD of God, then you will ESCAPE God’s WRATH, both the TEMPORAL WRATH, the TRIBULATION period, and the ETERNAL WRATH, of spending and ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS, and NO WAY to ESCAPE. 



If you have given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you will, ESCAPE His WRATH, even if you are NOT ALERT or WATCHFUL, but are LETHARGIC, and maybe even APATHETIC concerning the Day of the Lord.  What matters MOST is that you have received, Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord.  To do that you MUST BE WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle and TURN TO GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  Then CONFESS your sins to Him and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  And BELIEVE, with ALL your HEART, that JESUS died for YOU, and that He is ALIVE in HEAVEN, making intercession for you, before God.  Then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and ESCAPE God’s WRATH, whether you are AWAKE (alert) or ASLEEP (lethargic), you will live an ETERNITY in HEAVEN, with ALL its BLESSINGS.  So, do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!