1Thessalonians 4:13-14 “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, that you may 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.” (NASB)
I came home last night from a day on the road and checked my Facebook account only to find a posting of a high school classmate’s obituary. Rhonda was a friend. We didn’t hang out together but we were involved in several activities at High School that brought us together over the four years; we were friends. She had gone her own way and I mine after high school and I hadn’t given her much of a thought until learning she had been killed in a traffic accident over the Thanksgiving holiday.
The Apostle Paul writes in his first letter to the Thessalonians a passage concerning those believers who had died before Jesus’ return. Not knowing the timing of Jesus’ return for his Church, many in that day assumed it would be during their life time. To think that some of their fellow believers had died before His return was unsettling and they grieved for their loved ones. They feared that they were lost forever so Paul used the opportunity to set the record straight.
Paul says he wants the brethren to understand this truth so they are not uninformed, which was their current state. His motivation is to give assurance that they need NOT grieve as do the others who had no hope. In other words, Paul is saying believers have a hope that others do not have. Hope in this sense isn’t a wish but rather a promise yet to be revealed.
That hope is in what Paul explains next, that “God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus”. He actually goes on to share that those who have died before his return will actually be raised “First” 1 Th 4:16. Finally comes his encouragement to us, “Therefore comfort one another with these words.” 1 Th 4:18 Although we grieve loved ones lost in this lifetime, for those who believe in Jesus, our grief is temporary and therefore a grief with hope.
My hope (my wish) is that Rhonda had come to know Jesus as her Savior. My hope (promise yet to be revealed) is that if Rhonda did know Jesus I will see her again one day in heaven. I pray that you are a believer in Jesus today able to take comfort in these words as was Paul’s desire. AMEN!
Leave a comment if you wish to know more about faith in Christ that brings this promise and this comfort.
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