Sorrow Not

Foundational to our future hope is bodily Resurrection when Jesus arrives in glory at the End of the Age.

Paul’s description of the “arrival” or ‘Parousia’ of Jesus in his first letter to the Thessalonians was written to comfort believers over the fate of their compatriots who die before Christ’s return. We need not sorrow “like the others” since the righteous dead will be resurrected when the Lord “arrives” from Heaven.

When the Lord Jesus Christ returns to the Earth, both living and newly resurrected saints will “meet him” together as one people as he descends - (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)

[Photo by frank mckenna on Unsplash]

For us, the answer to grief over the loss of fellow believers is the Resurrection, an event that will occur when Jesus “arrives,” his ‘Parousia’ (παρουσια). As his followers, we grieve in this life over the loss of loved ones, but we must not succumb to the depths of despair that often overwhelm nonbelievers who do not have this hope.

Paul addresses the issue of dead Christians in the fourth chapter of 1 Thessalonians. Some members of the Thessalonian congregation were concerned that dead believers might miss the glories of that final day. Precisely how they came to this conclusion Paul does not say.

The Apostle reassures us concerning dead believers. Not only will they participate in the glories of that day, but they also will rise from the dead “first” and be reunited with those of us who remain alive. Then, the entire congregation will “meet” Jesus as he descends to the Earth. In this way, all the saints will be together “with him forevermore.” We are “to comfort one another” with these words.

What Paul links to the ‘Parousia’ of Jesus is the collective bodily resurrection of believers. Dead saints will be raised and those still living will be transformed. Where believers go after meeting Jesus “in the air” is not stated in the passage, whether they will accompany Christ to the Earth as he continues his descent or return with him to Heaven.

As he does elsewhere, Paul bases the Resurrection of the saints on the past Resurrection of Jesus from among the dead:

• “If we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, those also that are fallen asleep in Jesus will God bring with him.”

• “For they themselves report concerning us what manner of entering in we had to you; and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, who is delivering us from the wrath to come” – (1 Thessalonians 1:9-10).

• “Now I make known to you brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, except you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which also I received: that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried; and that he has been raised on the third day according to the scriptures” – (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).

NOT IN DARKNESS

The Apostle continues discussing Christ’s return in the Letter’s fifth chapter. We are not in darkness, therefore, the “Day of the Lord” will not “overtake us as a thief.” This is so, not because we know all the appropriate “signs” and prophetic timetables, but because we “are all sons of light, and sons of the day” – (1 Thessalonians 5:1-12).

Christ’s disciples live in the light of the Gospel and not in the darkness of sin. We prepare for the end by “putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for a helmet, the hope of salvation.” Righteous living matters far more than accurate knowledge of the “signs of the times.”

Moreover, God did not appoint us to “wrath.” We are destined for the “acquisition of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.”

Implicit in Paul’s declaration is that salvation is received through our future Resurrection. He concludes this section of the Letter by encouraging us. Indeed, God will sanctify us wholly in preparation for that day’s arrival:

• “May your spirit and soul and body be preserved whole and without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you, who will also do it.”

The point of Paul’s last statement is not the tripartite nature of man, but that the whole person will be saved on the day when Jesus “arrives from heaven,” including his or her physical body.

Bodily Resurrection is foundational to Paul’s understanding of salvation and the future, and he links it to the “arrival of Jesus.” All dead saints will be raised at that time, and together with those who remain alive, the entire Body of Christ will “meet” Jesus as he arrives from heaven. These words are of great comfort to every true disciple of Jesus. Whether alive or dead, we are the Lord’s.

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SEE ALSO:

• Meeting Jesus - (Paul responded to concerns about the dead in Christ by pointing to the resurrection that will occur when Jesus arrives from Heaven)

• Death, the Last Enemy - (The arrival of Jesus at the end of the age will mean the resurrection and the end of the Last Enemy, namely, Death - 1 Corinthians 15:24-28)

• Jesus Conquered Death! - (Paul reminded Timothy of the resurrection of Jesus and his victory over death since false teachers were denying the future resurrection of believers)

• Final Events - (In explaining the resurrection, Paul lists key events that will precede or coincide with Christ’s arrival at the end of the age)