In the last couple of years, some friends I know have had loved ones die, some suddenly and unexpectedly, and others after long and lingering illnesses. This is always a sad time, even for believers. It is especially tragic for the lost, who have no hope through the Lord Jesus Christ for the afterlife. In our brief Scripture passage for today, the Apostle Paul gave us some words of comfort to those who have Christian loved ones who have died, to those who have a living hope through Jesus Christ.
The Apostle Paul and his missionary companions were only in the city of Thessalonica for a few short weeks before they were run out of town by those who opposed the Gospel message they preached. During that short time, though, Paul taught the new believers many things, one of them being about Jesus’s Second Coming and the believer’s resurrection. During the ensuing weeks and months after he left, some of these believers started to worry about their loved ones who were also believers, but who had died before Jesus’s return. Many of them had believed that His return would have been very soon, within their own lifetime. Thus, these Thessalonian believers were worried that those who had died before He returned would miss out. In our Scripture today Paul reassured them that all believers, those who have died, and those who will be alive when Jesus returns, will all be gathered together again at that moment.
It has been many centuries since that time in the early church in Thessalonica. However, we as believers still have a strong belief that Jesus will return. It could be at any moment, and as things in this world get progressively worse, we eagerly await that moment. When that day happens, those believers who are alive will join the believers who have died, and meet the Lord together in the air (vs. 15-17).
For some Christians, the grief they have over the death of a loved one is so overwhelming, it is almost as though they fear they will never see that loved one again. As Paul stated in verse 13, they sorrow as those who have no hope, like unbelievers. For the unbeliever, those who have never put their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus, there is no hope. There is no being with their loved ones in hell. Hell is not a party with friends and loved ones! They have good reason to hopelessly grieve. Believers, of course, will grieve, but it should not be like those with no hope. We do have that living hope through Jesus! Believers will see their believing loved ones again.
Death is not permanent. Every Christian will experience a bodily resurrection (vs. 14). Because Jesus has a glorified body, we know that we will also be raised bodily from the dead (I Corinthians 15:20-23). Because Jesus came back to life, so will all believers, as well. We do not need to despair when loved ones die. Though we sorrow for being temporarily separated, we should know that it is only temporary, and know that the believing loved one is with the Lord in glory, which is a good thing for them! The time may be a wait, but Jesus will not forget either them or us.
When Jesus returns for the believers, it will be a fulfillment of the promise He made in John 14:1-3 to prepare a place for us to be with Him forever. Also that He would come again and receive us unto Himself. Like a Bridegroom, Jesus will come for His Bride, the Church. The believing dead will be resurrected and will participate in the Lord’s coming for His own. When Jesus comes, the living will be reunited forever with their loved ones. They will all be with the Lord eternally. We do not know the exact moment, so we need to always be ready.
We have a reason to be confident, comforted, assured and encouraged about death and the life to come. We can comfort one another with these words, as Paul said (vs. 18). For the Christian, death is not the end of the story.
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