Signed, Sealed, and Soon Delivered

Dearly beloved by God our Father, and Christ Jesus our Lord, rejoice; we have the hope of salvation!

God raised His Son from the dead and made him both Lord and Christ so that we could be born again and have a living hope; a hope that is incorruptible, undefiled – a hope that will not fade away – it is reserved for us in heaven! Oh, rejoice!

The Lord Jesus Christ is the only one to have conquered death thus far; all others are corrupting in the grave and returning to dust, but God has promised us that we will conquer it when Christ returns for us.

Our Heavenly Father does not want us ignorant concerning those who have fallen asleep so that we do not sorrow as those who have no hope. As Jesus died and rose again, even so we believe that God by means of Jesus will bring those who have died to arise to life with him.

Christ was the first to rise from the dead and we will follow at his coming. When he comes, he will give the command for the dead in Christ to arise; then we who are alive and remain unto his coming will be snatched up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord! Dearly beloved, comfort and encourage one another with these words.

We will not only be with him; we will be like him when we see him face to face. He will transform our humiliated bodies to be like his glorious body by the energizing of his ability by which he is able to subdue all things.

Thanks be to God Who gives us the victory over sin and death through the Lord Jesus Christ! Therefore, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

Dear ones, we will be glorified together with Christ! We will obtain the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are heirs of God and joint heirs with him, so that if we suffer together, we shall also be glorified together as heirs. Therefore, take into account that the sufferings of the present time are not comparable with the glory that is to be revealed to us!

We who have the first fruit of the spirit groan within ourselves as we await the inheritance of our sonship, that is, the redemption of the body; but rejoice, we were saved unto hope, and he that is promised to come will come, and we will receive the promised inheritance.

We are sealed with the promised holy spirit to this end; it is the down payment of our inheritance until God sends His Son to redeem those whom he purchased with his life.

We are sealed, dearly beloved: sealed for salvation and eternal life, sealed to receive our inheritance in Christ, sealed for the redemption of our bodies on the day of redemption, sealed to be glorified together with him, sealed to be with the Lord forever; we are sealed!

We are now the children of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he is revealed, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; rejoice forevermore! We are sealed!