Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. | Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. |
So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing. | Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing. |
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God will make this happen, for he who calls you is faithful. | He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it. |
But test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good. Stay away from every kind of evil. | Test all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil. |
See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people. | See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all. |
And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows. | And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you. |
For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. | For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. |
For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died. | For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. |
So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be clearheaded. | Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. |
God’s will is for you to be holy, so stay away from all sexual sin. Then each of you will control his own body and live in holiness and honor— not in lustful passion like the pagans who do not know God and his ways. | For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God. |