The Day of Redemption
Dearly beloved of God, the Church of the Grace of God began when the Lord Jesus Christ sent the promise of the Father, the gift of holy spirit, on the Feast of Pentecost after he ascended into heaven and sat down at God’s right hand. This Administration of the Grace of God will end when God sends His Son back to gather us together up to meet him in the air.
Ephesians 1:13 and 14
13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
We are sealed with the holy spirit as a down payment that guarantees us the inheritance.
Ephesians 4:30
And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
God sealed us with the holy spirit unto the Day of Redemption. That will be the day that the Lord Jesus Christ will return to redeem us from death, or this evil age.
I Thessalonians 4:15-18
15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent [precede] them which are asleep.
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
This will be the day of our redemption. Oh, what a day that will be!
II Thessalonians 2:1
Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
The coming of our Lord Jesus Christ is called our gathering together unto him.
I Thessalonians 5:9 and 10
9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
10 Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.
When our Lord Jesus Christ returns to gather us together, it will be to obtain salvation, for which we have long hoped. We will be saved from the wrath of God that will come on the ungodly.
When he gathers together the members of his body, the Church (both the dead in Christ and the living ones) to meet him in the air, he will transform our mortal, corruptible bodies so that they are conformed to the image of God’s Son [See Romans 8:29-32; I Corinthians 13:12; 15:35-58; Philippians 3:20 and 21; I John 3:2; Ephesians 4:13; Colossians 3:4].
II Thessalonians 2:13, 14
13 But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:
14 Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
God’s purpose in choosing us to salvation by believing the truth of His Word, and by the sanctification of the new birth spirit was so that we could acquire, the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ.
We will be glorified with Christ Jesus the Lord. We will be transformed to have glorious bodies like his glorious body. We will inherit eternal life. We will live in the glory of the new heaven and new earth when God brings it into existence. We will live in His kindness toward us forever.
Ephesians 2:7
That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
Every member of the Church, which is the body of Christ, will be gathered up to meet the Lord in the air. That will be the day of our redemption. From that day forward we will be with the Lord, and we will be like him. That day will be the opening event of the coming ages of glory we will acquire. We will glorified with Christ.
Dearly beloved of God, this is what God had in mind for the Church of the Grace of God when He called us to His kingdom and glory.
He thought of these things all by Himself. He determined them by the good pleasure of His Will. He sent the Christ to accomplish them, and at the right time He will send back to finish the job on the Day of Redemption. Rejoice, and give God thanks for His goodness to us in Christ Jesus!
When the Father says we are dearly beloved, and highly favored in His sight He is not kidding! Oh, what a day that will be!