The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.
15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.
16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.
18 Therefore, comfort one another with these words.”

I remember well the deaths of my parents and my grandparents. Since I had trusted the LORD when I was seven years of age, I was a Christian at the times of their deaths. It would be years before I would have any formal theological training; yet I knew that those who died, having believed in the LORD Jesus Christ as their Savior, would one day arise from the dead and live forever with Him.

I was pastoring a church at the tender age of 17, thus the understanding of the passage cited above was well-known to me. Subsequently, I have delved deeply into the Scriptures both in personal study as well as in formal theological studies.

It has for years now been my earnest, studied conviction that the next event on God’s timetable is what is known as the Rapture. At that time (as Paul describes in the Scripture above), the LORD Jesus Christ, who arose from the Tomb and ascended to God the Father in Heaven, would suddenly come again, and snatch up into Heaven all those dead and alive (like my parents and grand-parents) who have trusted Him as their LORD and Savior. According to the Scriptures, it is unquestionably the next major event on God’s timetable.

Simultaneously, the clouds of wars and rumors of wars are today gathering clearly as the LORD has predicted. At my current age, it is unlikely that I will be alive on Earth when the Rapture occurs. But, like my parents, grandparents, and my dear wife, Rose Marie, I will then be caught up from the grave with them to meet the LORD in the air!

That garguantian event will still not be the end of the world. There will be wars arising from Satan’s deceitfulness –wars that will occur on the Plains of Megiddo in Israel. I have seen those plains –flat and extending for miles! Some of the great ancient battles of the world have been fought right there; yet, none like that what will be generated by the Antichrist in his day.

My dear reader, consider carefully what the Scriptures say! The same Jesus, who went to the Cross as the Sacrifice for our sins, is Coming Again! Please, please be ready. Trust Him today as LORD and Savior of your own life. That’s the preparation you need to be ready. And when you’ve been saved, share Him with others! Jesus is the only Key to a Heavenly Eternity!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom