In 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, the apostle Paul said: 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. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. 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. 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. 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. Therefore comfort one another with these words.
Comfort one another. That’s the purpose of Barnabas Notes. I have lived long enough now to have seen many faithful brothers and sisters who have been inspirations to me, pass away. There are many things I could say about all of them that would build them up in your minds perhaps, but there is no better thing to say about anyone than to say that he was a faithful Christian. At their funerals there were many wonderful things said about them, but what better way to describe anyone could there be than “a man (or woman) of God”?
For this week’s encouragement, I’d like you to consider the words of Paul, who was concerned enough about the grief of Christians who have lost faithful loved ones to pen the words that began this article. His command is to comfort one another with these words and so that is what we intend to do.
There’s coming a day when this faithful brother and all the rest will come forth out of their graves. Every grave will give up its occupant (John 5:28, 29), but Paul says that the dead in Christ will rise first. Death is only temporary. It’s a hard thing to endure; a treacherous enemy, but it is an enemy that will not be around forever. The departed faithful will be.
There are tears aplenty in this world. I don’t know how many people die every day and I don’t know how many of them are Christians, but I do know that the Christians among that number have something to look forward to...the day of resurrection.
Not everyone understands this point and that’s why Paul said, “We do not want you to be uninformed...” Even if we understand it intellectually, it’s hard to remember it when it’s our loved one in that casket. So, we need to remind each other what Paul said and “comfort one another.”
Perhaps the most comforting part of this passage is the statement that “we who are alive and remain will be caught up in the air with them and thus we shall always be with the Lord.” Can you imagine the joy of that moment? That one you loved so much, that one who suffered so terribly, that one you’ve missed all this time (whether that time was long or short), you will be able to hold once again. I don’t have answers to all the questions about our resurrection bodies, about what all we’ll remember or what we’ll say to one another, but the comfort Paul says is available here gives me to think that not only will we see them again, but we’ll be awfully glad when it happens. The other part of that statement that’s so joyous is that our faithful loved ones and we will get to be together with Jesus forever in heaven. Maybe your loved one died after a long and painful illness. That’ll be behind both of you at the resurrection. Maybe your loved one died before you got to say, “Goodbye.” You’ll not have to worry about that anymore. That’s a word you’ll not ever need again.
I guess the joy of that day (which we can only imagine right now) ought to make us redouble our efforts to make sure we live a faithful life until the end so that we will be given that crown of life (Revelation 2:10) and teach everyone who’ll listen to do the same. One day, if the Lord delays long enough, we’ll be the someone’s loved ones who will face death. We want to make sure that we’ll be among those who rise first and we want our surviving loved ones to live in such a way that we’ll get to be with them in heaven forever with our Lord. What a wonderful thought! It’s only possible because Jehovah our God makes it possible. He does that because He loves you that much…and I love you, too!
Donnie Bates